C1E13 - Upon the Shoulders of Titans

Jamra's Account
I have been in a foul mood this whole week, though I have done my best to set it aside. I was... not myself at the cove and the past few days have been spent resting when I am not selling wishes and working on my gift for Agate. I have the gemstone selected and have found a jeweler who seems reputable enough, but I have had no success is producing fire glass. I fear that it may be beyond my skills at this moment. Yet again my reach seems to exceed my grasp.

Nevertheless, Jambis had some minor tasks for us this morning and we accomplished them promptly, heading to the market to secure provisions for the household. While we were out, however, we happened to encounter the bread seller again, who I am told goes by the name Johan. I have yet to discover how exactly he produces loaves with such puissant effects, but this seemed to be the perfect time to learn, as he offered us a sizable sum to travel to an island several dozen miles out to sea by airship and there retrieve a magical mushroom he used in his bread. Seeing an opportunity for a little extra coin and a glimpse of the bakers works, we readily agreed. The ride upon the airship was magnificent, much more pleasant than our travel by boat. The waves seemed less perilous the higher we flew. My first glimpse of our destination, however, put all thoughts of relaxation away. Lying out int the water, half submerged so that it formed an island chain, was a massive corpselike figure composed of craggy, brown rock. As we approached, all doubt was dispelled from my mind. We had found the body of a titan, one of the eldest of the elementals, no doubt called from my own home through powerful magic. The baker's need must have been great to use such resources in his products.

When we arrived at the "beach," a small collection of sand that had accumulated on the leeward side of one of the great feet, my companions were in high spirits. The sun and sky had clearly done them well. I was excited for an entirely different reason. Who knows what treasures and mysteries could be found inside the body of an Elder? Could some fragment of his wisdom and knowledge still linger within? ""This"" was what I had been hoping for, an opportunity to plumb the sort of magics that my ancestors had worked with when they first raised the City from the frothing magma sea. I could not pass it up.

We soon entered through a leaden door and walked down a small passageway, traveling up the Titan's leg. Before long we came to a beautiful chamber, hollowed out of the granite flesh that surrounded us. In the center was a shallow basin, with representations of each element inside. Along the walls four doors stood, one of stone, one of fire glass, one of ice, and one of sand. The message was clear. To pass any farther there would be some trial appointed by the Spirits. The true wonder, however was the walls themselves. They were covered over with a vast collection of inscriptions in Primordial. It feels as if it has been ages since I saw my people's script and I reached out to trace the runes as I read. They were in the old style, calligraphs designed to tell the story of the relief that, in total they depicted. The runes formed a beautiful series of images, crowns and figures marching, but the text was filled with ill portents.

"A story of a once great man corrupted by power. Those that rose up against him struck at him found that he could not be injured, and they called him the Bloodless. When he walked the earth, those he slayed rose up to follow him, and they called him the Corpse King. His greatest weapon was a great Colossus, which the lich imbued with the power to raise the dead. It was only when the lich was defeated in a final battle that the Colossus was slain, and with it the power to turn the dead."

Forewarned, if not forearmed, we entered the first door for the Test of Flame, Sirenixia and I in the lead given our resistance. A simple bronze brazier sat against the far wall, but as I approached light bloomed within and a fire elemental came forth to challenge us. Knowing that my innate power would do little against one aligned to my essence, I tried to disperse it with my spear, which did little. Sirenixia, Agate, and Orentha fared little better and when the little spirit struck back it seared me even through my defenses. Finally, seeing the way it seemed to flicker back toward the brazier I conjured my own flames and hurled them forth. The elemental was quickly drawn back into its source and the bowl at the center of the chamber began to flicker with a merry light. Having learned the trick of the place, we made short work of the rest of the rooms, Sirenixia handling water, Agate air, and Trindak earth. Before long we were able to progress again, but as the others left the room I paused to collect some of the fire glass that had made up the door. The pieces were of good quality and I hope to be able to use them for my gift to Agate.

After following the tunnel farther up the Titan's leg, we finally emerged into the cavern of its chest. The ceiling could have easily been two hundred feet high, the walls twice that far apart and the entire space was crisscrossed with the columns of his ribs, some of which had crumbed over years leaving the floor of the cavern encrusted with stone. It was an awe-inspiring place and I could have wandered in there for days, reverent of even the memory of an Elder, but the others made to press on. Farther in, we discovered some measure of the peril we were promised. The cavern was infested with all manner of undead, crawling amidst the remains of bones infinitely their greater. The battle was unremarkable, as Orentha caught sight of them early and we dispatched the horde with ease, our warriors forming a strong bulwark against their advance. Once we had dealt with the dead, we set off to search the remainder of the cavern. In her curiosity Agate stumbled upon the creature's heart and after some investigation and Trindak's help creating an incision, I was able to collect samples of tissue from the inside. Who knows what magic might be wrought with such a fearsome focus.

When we left the cavern behind, I knew there was not much farther to go as we advanced up the Titan's neck, into its fossilized skull. There we found a much smaller chamber with light fluttering down through the great, empty eyes. In the small pools of light left by the Titan's decay, we found what we had been sent for. Three kinds of mushrooms were growing there, the other two I pocketed in the hopes of finding some further use for them. But as we set about our business, I felt a strange chill come over. I dismissed it as a breeze from the open sockets above, as it passed quickly, but then I heard it. Trindak's roar of rage as he passed into the battle-fury. I whirled around to see him charging at the supine Agate and there was nought I could do to stop him, a far off look in his eyes. He struck her once, then twice, leaving her bleeding and prone and so very still. Sirenixia and Orentha turned in a fury to strike out at him, but I suspected this could not be simple madness. I called out to him, weaving power into my words and beseeched him to calm himself. The rage left him, but the fey look was still there, a look that Orentha and Sirenixia soon remove by vicously striking him from every side. When at last Trindak had fallen to the ground, unconscious, I saw it emerge from his body: a specter.

The pale shape turned to face Agate, who was just stirring on the ground and I rushed towards her, hurling myself between her and the ghost. She was so confused, scared of Trindak and hurt. Then it lifted its hood and all the color went out of the world. I heard a scream that seemed to come from far off, I listened in that moment that seemed to extend into a lifetime, trying to hear what it said. Then I realized it was I who had been screaming all along. Mercifully it was soon shrouded again. I turned to Agate as Orentha struggled to strike it, snapping out kick after useless kick. Even Trindak mercifully struggled to his feet to do battle with the ghost, though his blade made little purchase. My whole focus was on Agate however as I offered her the only thing I could think of, a wish to make it stop. I tried to grant it. I put my whole will into it. But there was nothing. The malevolent figure shrugged off my feeble efforts. In the end, it was Sirenixia that killed it as she centered herself, blade glowing blue with holy light, and clove it in twain.

The victory was hollow. I whirled around to help Agate and I saw something that chilled me to my bones. The sweet little girl, so young and full of life, was gone. In her place was a withered stick of a woman, worn from a long, hard life, cheeks hollowed as a child's body tried to support a woman's frame. It took her hands, feeling the paper thin skin and her eyes looked out at me, the sole unmarred point in a mess of greying hair. How could I have let this happen? We have been courting death for far too long and now it has come home to Agate of all people, the youngest of us, the best of us. We failed her. I failed her. Trindak crumpled to the ground behind me, sobbing. I hurried Agate from the room, carrying her like the bride she could now never be, whispering platitudes all the way. I lied to her then. I promised I would fix it, that it would be alright. Sirenixia lingered behind while Orentha supported Trindak, letting him lean on her as they followed. I brought Agate aboard the airship as fast as I could. She didn't seem to really understand, hadn't grasped the full horror of a lifetime stolen away. I hope she never learns.

As the airship oh so slowly made its way back I pleaded with Orentha, begging her to give me wishes, give me a chance to save her. She wished again and again, but the magic would not come. With all my power I cold not turn back time to heal her little body. Weeping, I begged her to continue. She went for hours, trying every possible phrase or wording. Nothing worked. Finally she told me that there was nothing more she could do. She was right, but it was not her fault. I was not strong enough, my blood was too impure. Even for the sake of a mortal such as Agate, my wishes were ash in the wind.

Finally we docked back in Guavira. The fury of the Efreeti was on me now and my hair was a corona of flame. Johan would pay for this, for sending a child to die in his stead. Someone had to pay. It was Orentha that again stayed my hand, instead asking him for help. I spat out something rude, I am sure, but grudgingly permitted it. The baker was dismayed to see Agate's condition but he ushered her inside the tent. Orentha and I waited uncomfortably outside. Too much left unsaid. Less than a minute later the little girl we loved walked out and I could not help but jump for joy. I rushed over to her and swept her into a hug, which Orentha joined. Thank the Spirits for the baker's strange magics, even if it was his fault. And Orentha... perhaps I owe her an apology. I may have been premature in my judgments, searing when I should salve. All of that is of little import though. Agate is back. She is healthy. She has a full life ahead of her. There is still hope.

Orentha's Account
The few days after our encounter with the pirates were … tense, to say the least. I think we all needed a little normalcy to feel like ourselves again. Jamra and Sirenixia thankfully agreed to allow the bosen to come back to Guavira and face justice rather than executing her on the spot after the battle was done. I don’t know what she had done in her past, but I knew it wasn't right for us to judge her based on our own assumptions. I had seen plenty of people take what they determined was justice into their own hands, and it had always ended in unnecessary bloodshed. She had helped us, and I was glad she was alive. Maybe Guavira will even decide she deserves to live.

In line with our normalcy, Jambis sent us out on an errand in the market to stock up on food. When we arrived to the marketplace, we were waved down and greeted by the magical bread seller who introduced himself as Johann. Johann claimed that in order to make his bread he needed an ingredient that could only be found on an island off the coast of Guavira. He needed a group of adventurers to retrieve this ingredient for him since the areas they grew in tended to be inhabited by dangerous creatures. Also, apparently he didn’t want to leave and arouse suspicion that he was selling magical bread because he wanted to stay in a low tax bracket.

A reasonable motivation in Guavira.

We went to the docks as he had instructed and met Antonio, who was the captain of an airship docked just above us. The ship was magnificent - I had never seen anything like it. The waiting area was lavishly decorated, and we all enjoyed the entertainment as Agate repeatedly threw her chipmunk out of the ship and summoned him back to her. The other crew members were less entertained by this display than we were. The air was still tense between us, but it seemed like everyone at least was in good spirits.

We knew immediately when we arrived to the right island - Titanfall, it is apparently called. It was as Johann described. The island was lined with craggy mountaintops that looked like the fallen body of a colossal being. He had told us people believed the titan was a myth, and that is what I chose to believe in that moment, but it was hard to deny the unnatural shape of the land.

We descended to the beach and came to a door at the foot of the mountain (quite literally). It seemed to be made of a mix of steel and lead, which Jamra guessed meant there was something magical inside that someone didn’t want getting out. Sirenixia and Trindak tried with all their considerable strength to push the door open, but in the end it was Jamra who pulled the door with all his might and opened it - sending it smashing into his own face. It may have been the best thing that happened to me all week.

Inside the mountain we found a chamber with a shallow basin on a pillar and four doors made of obsidian, sand, stone, and ice. Around the walls were beautiful carvings made out of intricate shapes, almost like calligraphy in a language I had never seen. Jamra recognized it though, and told us that this Titan had been the weapon of a powerful lich and it was used to raise the dead somehow. We traded wary glances, but decided to press on with our task. If the creature was dead, surely it did not pose a danger to us now.

In each chamber we found elemental beings that attacked us, but Jamra figured out the puzzle and soon we had put each element into its proper chamber. When we finished, the elements swirled together and the basin in the central chamber descended to reveal a tunnel leading downward, further into the titan. We followed the path up the leg and came to a cavernous chamber at least 60 feet tall. The walls and ceilings had what looked like beams curving up from the floor to the apex of the cave.

Oh. Ribs.

We continued on and found a group of undead creatures hiding amongst the rubble. I had never seen any creatures like this, and they were terrifying to get close to, but we were able to overpower them in short time. After looking around the cavern for any treasure left behind, Agate discovered what seemed to be the heart of the titan. She climbed atop and Jamra was able to take some samples of the tissue inside.

There was only one tunnel to continue on, so we pushed through up the titan’s neck to a room shaped like the inside of a skull. Two beams of light shone down through the decayed eye sockets, and there in the light we saw the mushrooms we were sent for. As Agate, Sirenixia, and I walked towards the mushrooms, I couldn’t help but think they looked … delicious. I felt a slight disorientation come over my mind whenever I looked at them, but Johann’s warning to not eat the mushrooms cleared it away. We were very clearly out of our depth here.

Out of nowhere, I heard a shout of rage come from Trindak and just turned in time to see him cutting Agate down with his axe. I was stunned as I saw her crumple to the ground, and Trindak rushed to attack Sirenixia next. I wanted to run to Agate and help her somehow, but Jamra rushed to defend her from any more attacks and I knew I would be more useful trying to stop Trindak. When I attacked him, his face was contorted in rage but his eyes were completely dead. It didn’t even look like Trindak. Something in this room had gotten ahold of him, and I worried that any of us could be next.

When Sirenixia and I had beaten him to unconsciousness, a spectral figure rose out of his body and let out a horrifying scream. I had never been gripped with such fear in my entire life. I wanted to run away and never look back, but I knew that if I did my friends might not make it out alive. I tried to look away from the spectre and keep fighting, my fists seeming to pass right through the creature ineffectually. Just when I was losing hope, Sirenixia struck down on the ghost, her sword flaming with divine power. The creature evaporated, and for a moment everything seemed ok.

But it wasn’t. I looked to Agate and saw lying there a withered old woman looking at her own hands with an expression of disbelief. It was definitely her; she had the same bright eyes and her features were clearly discernible, but her skin sagged and wrinkled and her hair was a shock of white. Jamra panicked and desperately tried to wish her back to herself. Trindak collapsed to his knees sobbing. I stood motionless between them in shock, not sure who I could even help. I don’t know if I had ever felt so helpless, so powerless. Jamra scooped up Agate in his arms and ran towards the exit. I moved to Trindak and lifted him to his feet, supporting his weight as we followed the other pair. I didn’t know how to help him. All I could say was “it wasn’t your fault” and “it’s going to be ok” - though I knew the latter was a lie.

Jamra and I took Agate to the airship back to Guavira while Sirenixia and Trindak decided to stay on the island and investigate the caverns more. I thought they were insane, but time was short and we promised to come back for them in a few days. We needed to get Agate back to the city as soon as possible. If we could even fix her, who knew if there was a time limit on such magic. We couldn’t risk being too late.

For the duration of the trip Jamra and I tried and tried again to wish Agate back to her own age. We tried different wordings of the wish for hours, and I saw with each failed attempt a little bit of Jamra’s facade crack away. He genuinely cared for Agate. Maybe he wasn’t as much of a sociopath as I had judged him to be. Agate, on the other hand, sat wordless through the journey, either too shocked or afraid to respond to the situation.

When we arrived we went immediately to Johann’s stand. He clearly possessed some magical power that I did not understand, and he was knowledgeable enough about the arcane to know about the existence the titan’s island - maybe he knew a way that we could fix Agate. He was shocked to see Agate when we arrived, and a part of me was relieved that he seemed to have not sent us into that much danger intentionally. He took Agate by the hands into his tent, leaving Jamra and I to pace nervously outside in silence.

Not too long after, Johann emerged from the tent and behind him was a youthful Agate. She smiled and Jamra and I took her into our arms in relief. Johann looked pleased as well, but there was an air of confidence and power about him that was not present before. I couldn't put my finger on what it was - it wasn't pride, exactly, but something akin to it perhaps. In that moment I had no doubts that he was much more powerful than any of us had bargained for.

As we returned home, I couldn’t help but think that what we had just accomplished was impressive. Despite what had happened to Agate, we all made it out of that alive. We had entered into a situation we couldn’t possibly have understood and faced powers that were clearly ancient and terrible - but we defeated it. It felt good, and more than that it felt right.

Maybe this is what we’re meant to do.