"So... This place is a big interconnected maze of stairs and corridors," Ellen says as you end up in a room, arriving shortly after Shea, Jolie, Yvette, and Ansi finish an arduous battle with several Wampyr.

"Ellen?" Yvette, spitting out a vulnerary in shock, asks, in response to but not at all answering her question. "Has... My mind finally gone with age, or is that really you?"

"I've, uh... Been here the whole time, apparently!" Ellen chuckles a bit nervously as the old knight approaches her. She waves at Shea and a starstruck-looking, frantically-whispering Jolie. "Your highness."

"No worse for wear, either... Your Azure Dragon Sword is well-maintained as ever..." Yvette looks amazed still. "Tell me... How did you end up here?"

"It's, uh... A bit of a long story with only one part answering your question..."

"Short version, she was found under mind control. We're not certain how long ago she returned," Irene responds.

"Would it be too distracting if I told the long version anyway? I... Don't know how important it'll be for current events," Ellen says, "but with eight of us we shouldn't have to worry about being distracted and outnumbered..."

>A. Sure (Begin flashback chapter)
>B. Now is not the time

>>45203188
>A. Sure (Begin flashback chapter)

>>45203188
>A. Sure (Begin flashback chapter)

>>45203188
>A. Sure (Begin flashback chapter)

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>>45203283
>>45203321
You are, once again, Ellen. "Let's just not get too distracted, alright?"

That bespectacled fellow you almost killed, his tall friend (you don't know if they're anything more, and asking is far from a priority), and that girl General Corneria used to teach agree to keep watch, and you begin your story.

"I, uh... I'm sure that you've probably heard as much from Katina and aunt Corneria by now, but I still feel like I should start from where I left this realm."

See, you were, uh...

Well, things were really bad. Quidel, Salia, and Ahua had all died in the span of a few days. You think it was a year ago now? Anyway, reports from the Ice Authority indicated that the undead had first started randomly appearing in droves there, and the recently-retired General Corneria and her daughter were briefly back in Teege again after spending awhile abroad. Figured that between the three of you, Bolse, his son Lupus (really angry kid, but you're sure he's got a good heart in... Why are they looking at you like that?)... Anyway, it was a small expedition group, but expected to be more than enough.

Recalling Anguilla's words after your duel many years ago, you were able to quickly find the location of the Outrealm Gate.

This was... Actually your first time up North, never been anywhere especially FREEZING. Sure, Neir's mountains can be chilly in the winter, but not to Tordo's extent.

>A. You managed alright anyway
>B. You loved it!
>C. It was unbearable

>>45203595
>C. It was unbearable

>>45203595
>B. You loved it!

>>45203595
>A. You managed alright anyway

>>45203755
>>45203856
>>45203886
Absolutely beautiful.

>>45203962
I sort of already did most of the post with >C, before anyone even posted with B and A. It's ultimately insignificant to the flow of events, though. Just wanted to break up the flashback with a few mood-setting choices, since a lot of this is sort of set in stone.

>>45203755
You... Really weren't used to things being THIS snowy and blizzardy, and it was hard to see where you were going at times, and you were freezing...

"What's so funny?" You call out Lloyd and Leigh, snickering at what you would later learn is you of all people being yet another outsider who complains way too much about Tordo's adverse weather. Irene pouts and harumphs.

Anyway, you continue, you... Saved some lives on the way there. This... Young-looking woman was traveling alone, accosted by Dracozombies, and was gone after only briefly conversing with you and then Lupus.

Eventually, you made it to the Northern coast, having frustratingly few fights behind your belt.

"This," your aunt stated as you headed out to a small island, "is definitely the place."

From there, your relatives mostly did a bunch of magic-science for a few hours, bantering about personal, familial things. Katina went out of her way to be a... Goofier presence, in an attempt to cheer up her nephew and brother after Ahua's passing.

Your relatives decided to call it a night after several hours of investigation, heading towards the small boat they'd sailed out of there. You lingered a few moments, wondering how Zoe was doing, but were immediately snapped out of things by the characteristic roars of Dracozombies.

You swear dozens of the damn things assaulted your little island at once, and the five of you immediately took action.

>A. They "died" really easily, but they just wouldn't stop coming
>B. It was an arduous battle and a giant stalemate for awhile
>C. They were... Absurdly powerful and oddly coordinated in hindsight
>D. Write-in observation/reflection

>>45204060
>A. They "died" really easily, but they just wouldn't stop coming

>>45204060
>A. They "died" really easily, but they just wouldn't stop coming

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>>45204101
>>45204119
Your sword tore through them all like warm butter, but they wouldn't stop coming, and all of your companions were getting exhausted, especially young Lupus. The boy was only 19, and his own Dracozombies were barely a match for the ones that kept coming.

Irene interrupts, suggesting, "then... You were betrayed. Lupus was... A key source of magical muscle for the conspiracy we're countering, and he killed Marrius."

"Wait, holy shit, Marrius is dead?!" Holy shit, Gorman's son is dead! Gods, what else have you missed?

A-anyway, where were you? Oh, right. "In hindsight, when it was clear that somebody had to stay back and hold these guys off, Lupus was... A bit insistent that we let me stay behind. And... He and general Corneria were the ones who first discussed coming here... Was this entire thing just a ploy on Lupus' end to get you out of the picture?

Anyway, like you said, it was... Clear that somebody had to stay there, distract the Dracozombies until their numbers fanned out. Katina loudly objected, Bolse quietly objected, and Corneria... Sadly understood, her and her traitorous grandson having enough pull together to convince the middle generation.

"I'll be back, though!" You swore, showing off your Azure Dragon Sword. "I promise I'll meet up with you all later!"

As they left, however, the dracozombies' numbers still only pushed you closer to the gate, and you soon lost sight of the reluctantly fleeing family.

Clutching your sword tight, getting tired despite yourself, you stood between the gate and the dracozombies, all of their attention, bar a few stragglers you weren't worried about, turned on you.

>A. You were still confident you'd keep that promise
>B. Your confidence was faltering
>C. It was a bluff all along
>D. Write-in response

>>45204465
>A. You were still confident you'd keep that promise

>>45204465
>>C. It was a bluff all along

>>45204465
>A. You were still confident you'd keep that promise

>>45204481
>>45204559
No matter, though. These were nothing!

Here you were in your prime, and they thought raw stupid numbers could outdo you?

Did they even think?! Hah!

With raw adrenaline, you were able to keep things up until the Dracozombies were all exterminated, passing out moments later. You thought you were saved and on the way back home when you saw someone's feet as you hit the snow, a thought only strengthened by a setting all too familiar to you as you finally came to again.

"Would you cut that out? You're going to get yourself punched when she wakes up..."

"Ah, but what are the odds of that, my man? I mean, someone who's passed out's first reaction..."

"...upon seeing a strange man hovering over her is exactly that. Now give her some room to breathe."

"Biff..? Byron..? Urgh, how long was I out?"

As your eyes open, Biff has been directed reluctantly away by a standing Byron. "Wait a moment. How do you know our names?"

From there, a series of revelations led you to the obvious conclusion: you'd been brought to an Outrealm, dissimilar but not completely different from your own.

This alternate Biff and Byron showed you around their camp awhile, and were actually quite understanding when you told them what had happened. From how they tell it, you just... Appeared with some stranger, a young boy it looked like, on the outskirts of their camp, and he left as soon as you were both spotted.

You were soon introduced to yet another surprise, in this case the feeling absolutely mutual when you realized who you both were.

"You're... Dead, though! What trickery is this?" Lambert called out, drawing a jagged, electrified blade that seemed to give off a debilitating aura as he wielded it.

And how did you respond?

>A. So is he!
>B. You're REALLY not from around here
>C. He... Must be mistaken
>D. By kicking his ass
>E. Write-in response

>>45204879
E. Play dead.

>>45204879
>A. So is he!

>>45205042
>>45204961
"I... Thought that you were supposed to be dead..." You clutch your chest and drop to the ground in mock agony, feeling decades younger as you joke with your adoptive brother. "I... Must have mixed up our memos..."

Laughing and slightly teary-eyed, he pulls you into a hug after putting away his weapon. "Still have a morbid sense of humor, huh?"

Lambert is... Very informative in describing how things have played out since you died. You figure out immediately that this is the Outrealm Anguilla came from, comparing his... Teary-eyed recalling of your sacrifice, kindly stopping short of describing the state your body was found in at Tabat's lair.

Comparing notes, you find out that Tabat's resulting death was so horrid and gruesome that you figure that he couldn't have become the deadlord Tigris. Instead, that honor went to Jay, slain just as he, Robert, and Reese were considering retirement, only bolstering their desire to carry on. Reese ended up becoming Mus, and by the time they reunited with Gorman, he was known as Bovis. Duchess Victoria never left Aum as herself, Gallus is still some random asshole, and Mage General Corneria met a violent end at the hand of Warden Willow in a one-on-one duel, creating this realm's Anguilla and prompting Lars to cut off any and all ties with Aum, having Willow killed by spies he'd left in the country of Dain. Maria ended up being named Mage General in the aftermath, a post she has to this day.

Eva, princess of Neir, assassinated King Drasma at a pivotal moment, shattering morale and enabling Lars to swiftly take over Neir before convincing the Emperor's Flight to swear loyalty to this new Neir over the Dain empire,. Though Eva being named its leader was a moderate point of contention, she soon proved the post well-deserved.

The war between Neir and Dain seemed to end quickly, but Lars immediately turned on the Dain Empire as scheduled.

>A. Describe more of this realm's recent history
>B. Get to the point

>>45205375
>A. Describe more of this realm's recent history

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>>45205406
You get a bit sidetracked with questions from all ends about the realm's history, assuming the diverging point was whether you or Lambert died in Orsin Village.

Right, so... Prince Garrus surrendered to Lars, settled down and lived a relatively quiet, well-off life with an ordinary maiden from Ladney Village.

Lambert and Natalie ended up together, Nat being... Pretty similar to how she is in your own world.

Lars, along with Duke Kilos (and his son, Miles, who barely survived his mission along with Devon and without any of the other members of the Great Miles), Mage General Maria, and Durvan, was able to crush the forces of Dain, Emperor Elias II dying of a heart attack and leaving Elias III to lead the empire during its final battle before being assimilated into Lars' empire. The Nameless Advisor who taught people Necromancy was apparently slaughtered by Lady Alexia when they tried to capture her, but costs were still great. Neir princesses Salia and even the very-young Paula were killed, the Garou were left leaderless after Vaga perished in Dain, Ahua was found out as part of Lars' conspiracy early on and reluctantly killed by Dama, pressured by her people, and ultimately she was left emotionally fragile and seemingly strong. Integration with Tarvosians was... Even rockier than in your world, but it still ended up happening thanks to the efforts of Lars, Dama, and Chief Nahuel.

General Maria's husband, Yancy, still managed to rediscover spirit charming, even earlier without politics to worry about, even, with Katina's exploring streak.

Speaking of Katina, as she grew older, after spending some time traveling the country, she returned to Lars grown, having gotten over her old crush on him, and from there something genuine grew between the king of the world and the magical prodigy all grown.

Very shortly after their marriage, however, unrelated issues finally began to boil.

>character limit, continued next post

>>45205794

Lady Yvette had grown suspicious of Alexia, noting her behavior to be different in such slight ways that only a friend of decades might notice. And then she was never seen again.

See, none had discovered the nameless advisor's ability to shift bodies, and they were able to take over Alexia's body and kill her mind in their old, infirm form with minimal trouble.

From Yvette's "disappearance," people began to die en masse, and the world was soon left an undead wasteland, Elza Oasis one of the few genuinely safe places left, and the entire continent wound up wrapped in wars once more, "Alexia" declaring the again-expanding Dain Empire the New Gerxel.

This is... How things spiralled for quite awhile until Ellen arrived, what ultimately remained of the Knights of Neir in an under-siege Rakche finding her.

The knights were sent out to Heim to support Elza Oasis, led by the rather-depressed General Zoe, someone having discovered a fatal flaw in the desert paradise's security system and disabled it, also leaving the place wholly exposed to the elements until it could be repaired.

>A. You couldn't NOT help out
>B. You figured it was your best bet to stick with them
>C. You, however, immediately headed for Tordo. You needed to worry about THIS world's undead nightmare
>D. Write-in memory

>>45205960
>A. You couldn't NOT help out

>>45205960
>A. You couldn't NOT help out

>>45205991
>>45205992
This... wasn't your world, and maybe you could have gotten back in time to prevent some things back here if you didn't, but like hell you could just... Leave this place be.

After a show of strength, King Lars let you tag along, and you and Lambert acted as a duo for the first time in longer than the time you knew each other.

Zoe was a completely different person from the one you know and love, and you rarely ever spoke, but she seemed a well enough leader.

The battles in Heim were difficult and undead-laden, but only the fact that literally all 12 deadlords had apparently remained "alive" and, in this world, under "Alexia's" thumb, proved to be one hell of a challenge.

Aiding you knights, however, were some of the finer students of the Spirit Charming rediscoverer, some of whom refugees from Tordo. An older sister to two of the boys helping you out describes her homeland as a "barren hellscape swarming with undead since the Authority fell" that the siblings and most of their community were "lucky to escape when they did, thanks to King Lars and General Maria."

As though he's reached some conclusion, that Lloyd fellow just... Stops in place in the present era, Leigh patting his shoulders and pulling him into a hug. You... Feel like you've struck a nerve.

>A. Keep going anyway
>B. Gloss over this part for his sake
>C. Put the story on hold for later
>D. Write-in response

>>45206260
>B. Gloss over this part for his sake

>>45206260
>B. Gloss over this part for his sake

>>45206260
>B. Gloss over this part for his sake

>>45206295
>>45206380
>>45206433
You remember that you were, in fact, referring to Lloyd, at least... Another version of him. That's where you first saw the guy. You avoid further mention of what you infer to be his family. Probably all dead in this realm.

"So..." You continue, "anyway, there were a lot of sieges on Elza Oasis in the next several months, and eventually 'Alexia' herself rode in. That's, uh, also where the Deadlords came in. Lost some good knights and mages then, people you... Probably never knew, but..."

In the end, "Alexia" seemed to be defeated, you and this alternate Lloyd, said to be one of the greatest students of both Yancy and one of the few Bolse trusted to learn the secrets of Necromancy (Bolse perished by "Alexia's" hammer, prompting other-Lloyd to insist on revenge), having her on the ropes...

...however, another Spirit Charmer, a short-haired woman by the name of Kiss, was a hot-blooded bounty hunter-Summoner who had left the tutelage of the general's husband not two months earlier. Kisu had come to serve "Alexia," and by her intervention, this other Lloyd was able to be bodyswapped into and escape into the necromantic hellscape of Tordo. The long war New Gerxel had been waging ultimately proving an inevitable loss, its leader decided to hightail it to another realm.

You and Lambert gave chase, following the villainous duo to the Outrealm Gate despite ample pain and strife. (Both of your weapons were based on things that slay wyverns and dragons, so that was a plus against Dracozombies)

Lambert requested that he follow you to this realm, claiming that since that Teege wouldn't have survived without you, he needed to repay the favor somehow.

>A. You accepted his offer
>B. You declined his offer and made him agree to return home
>C. Write-in response

>>45206554
Er, vote time renewed.

>>45206554
>A. You accepted his offer

>>45206554
>A. You accepted his offer

>>45206796
>>45206810
"Er... Sure." You said. "It's... Been great working with you again."

"Happy to be aboard. I won't stay too long, just until whatever this undead menace you mentioned is gone in your world."

The two of you stuck together from there, mowing your way through dracozombies and assorted shittier undead, chasing Kisu and the advisor.

You confront the two of them at the Outrealm Gate a few days later.

"My... body and mind haven't been truly YOUNG in centuries," "Lloyd" says, spirit charmer markings glowing on his neck as he floats to the sky. "To find a Necromancer so... Suitable. Why, I would say I could surpass my old self in this one."

The two of you are surrounded by Monsters summoned by Kiss and undead summoned by "Lloyd," who have decided that they may as well kill you while they're here.

"There's another world that I've... been in contact with in the past," he mentions. "My counterpart has died there, but... I think that I could still make a mess of things with the right time, manpower, charisma."

Both of you were wounded in the ensuing battles, you feeling Bael poison coursing through your veins, Lambert forced to use his non-dominant hand from damage. In a suicidal charge, Lambert charged both of them as your adversaries began to pass through the Outrealm Gate, trying to play hero, Lambert leapt for them, his Debilitating Levin Sword hitting the spirit charmer-necromancer square in the neck, but Kisu, in the same movement, striking him square in the chest with blindingly powerful Light Magic.

When you were both able to see again, they were both gone, but the Outrealm Gate was still glowing.

"Eheh... Looks like we're gonna have to nix that little journey, huh?" Lambert says, laying in place.

>A. You refused to leave him there
>B. You hurried on through, heavy of heart
>C. You tried to help him before departing alone
>D. Write-in response

>>45207035
>C. You tried to help him before departing alone

>>45207035
>C. You tried to help him before departing alone

>>45207066
"Look, I still have a vulnerary. Drink it and go home."

"But... You might need it more than me..."

"I'm not the one who's dying, Lambert! Look, it was... a nice thought, but this is a sign that this isn't going to work out. So drink this and survive or I'll come back here and kill you! D-don't think I haven't made good on that before!"

"Haah..." He shook his head and accepted the vulnerary. "If you say so... I'm really glad you made it here, though. Like... I probably wouldn't have made it this far without that..."

"I really wish we had more time for this!"

"Right, right, your realm needs you... Later, Ellen."

You nodded. "Later."

After that, you hurried through the gate, glad you suddenly remembered that healing item.

This time, you were spat out right at the same place you originally left: your own Gate.

"So, yeah, I fucked him up something fierce, and-" Kiss stops in the middle of a conversation with "Lloyd," who, while lying bleeding out on the ground, as his gaze shifts towards you as soon as you pass through. "What? What's behind me, dude?"

>A. You took her down immediately
>B. You said something to her (specify)
>C. You simply stood there menacingly
>D. Write-in memory

>>45207252
>A. You took her down immediately

>>45207381
"Ow, fucking... Fuck!" were Kisu's last words as she was sliced through by your Azure Dragon Blade, and you advanced towards "Lloyd..."

...and were ultimately blindsided by a damned bonewalker-archer.

"Y-you've... Grown..."

Things began to fade out for you as a voice you vaguely recognized at the time (and now realize was very likely Paula) says, "and you've found a new body... Stop eyeing mine, would you? I've prepared enchantments to block this exact thing..."

Fade out... Fade in...

"Do you... Think you can control me? In... all of my years of experience," "Lloyd" says, "I've never been..."

"Of course you haven't, but if all of that experience were to suddenly vanish... Do you know how much you could do if we put you under before restoring you?" Chuckling. "You don't know the answer, do you? No, now, first things first..."

Things faded out and in again, this time sounds getting even more distorted.

"Shit, that's Bolse out there! Esmer, you were suposed to distract him... We'll finish this later, alright?" Then the woman approached you, seemed to drag you away...

And then you came to again in this temple.

>A. Return to Lloyd's perspective
>B. Remain Ellen for the thread (write-in response preferred but not required)

>>45207538
>A. Return to Lloyd's perspective

>>45207559
"So, uh... That's where the story ends, obviously. I could fill in some of the details another day, but... Walking and talking, you know?"

And with that, you resume being Lloyd as regularly scheduled.

"A bounty-hunting summoner, huh?" Jolie says, looking a bit lost in terms of following that complex series of flashbacks, before chuckling and looking at Ansi while affectionately punching his arm. "Eheh, you were a chick in another universe."

"It's a coincidence!" He shouts back.

"A girl version of you would totally have shorter hair," she responds. "You talk about my hair enough for me to figure as much!"

"So a different-ass sperm conceives me and I live a similar life, right down to wearing something I find attractive. Still sounds a bit TOO coincidental if you ask me!"

"Er, Ansi, could you... Have this discussion later?" Irene asks, looking between you, Leigh, Shea, and Yvette, realizing that you all have the same clear idea about what all of this means.

"So..." You say, "this means that Wes is really..."

"Wait, you've known who I'm talking about this whole time?!" Ellen responds.

"He's... Become a friend of ours. Passive nice guy, bout of amnesia, a Wampyr swooped him up right before we encountered you," Leigh responds.

"Then we really have no time to lose!" She says. "We need to hurry and take him out before Paula finds a way to restore his memory!"

"Wait, is... That really necessary?" Irene asks, the group's pace grinding to a halt.

"You haven't seen what this guy's capable of... Centuries of strife can be connected to this person! Sure, we might be able to defeat him, but the effects he'd have on the world... It's just not worth the risk! I mean, say we save him now, what's stopping him from finding another way to get his memory back?"

>A. We can prevent this without killing him!
>B. Agree with Ellen. This is the only way.
>C. Write-in response
>D. Refuse to provide input

>>45207811
>A. We can prevent this without killing him!

>>45207811
>A. We can try to prevent this without killing him!

>>45207835
>>45207855
"Look, let's not jump to conclusions on this... As long as his memories haven't returned, Wes is a perfectly reasonable person who can be convinced not to TRY to get them back. I mean, he's been... Brought down here and everything, so..."

Ellen grits her teeth. "If you're certain... We need to find this main room, though."

Irene nods. "Just... Keep a level head and try to think about where we've been... Mark landmarks... I've made a map of the floors we've seen with magic, see? And-"

Ellen swings her sword into the wall, destroying said wall and revealing an area that seems to be a combination of an altar, a study, and a trapdoor, wide open in the center of the room.

At said altar is a note, scribbled with a pen taken from a nearby desk, which Shea swoops up and reads. "It says... 'If you're reading this, don't worry. I've managed to escape my captors, but they never explained why they brought me down here...' The writing gets more frantic here." She clears her throat. "'Being chased. Tunnel up down on fourth level. Might be alternate exit. Don't think Paula was ever here. -Wes."

Leigh, looking down said trapdoor into the fourth floor, says, "there's a, uh, little room down here with a giant portrait of a dragon and a horse shoved aside... Oh, and stairs up behind that."

Shea groans. "Paula lost her damned hand... Why did we think she would head right back to her hideout when her damned hand was missing? She's... Probably back in Rakche, in a hospital or the castle or something."

"So this was all a setup to distract us, make Wes think he was escaping?!" You suggest.

"By the looks of things..." Jolie says.

Ellen doesn't even hesitate to hurry downstairs, sword clutched.

>A. Clever you must admit
>B. Then what did the Wulf Company die for?
>C. Unintelligible frustrated sounds.
>D. Go follow Ellen!
>E. Go find the rest of the party!
>F. Write-in response!

>>45208106
>C. Unintelligible frustrated sounds.
>D. Go follow Ellen!

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>>45208138
"Grrhg... Nngh... Grhg!"

You hurry after Ellen into the tunnels, Leigh unhesitatingly doing the same. Upstairs, you hear Ansi shout, "but you said this was all one big thing!"

"I didn't know about any secret exits!" Irene shouts back. "Where are you going, Ansi?!"

"To make sure these dumbasses don't die to the archvillain of 200 damn years in some shit-ass tunnel, that's where! Now would you important types go tell everyone to get the fuck out of the temple and stop being dumb?!" A moment of silence. "That means you, Princess!"

You and Leigh hear inhuman prancing behind you in the tunnels, turning around to see Ansi with three Mauthe Doogs, riding all of one Mauthe Doog. "Hop on. It's less tiresome than running."

Leigh just smiles and nods, laughing a bit as you both get onto a summoned-up dog-monster-mount, which continue riding forward at Ansi's command.

"So... We can't expect any backup on this?" Leigh asks.

Ansi shakes his head. "Not until they all get out of the tower. So depending on how long these tunnels are, how much of a lead Wes got, and whether Paula's active or not... The answer's a solid eventually."

Leigh points forward. "I think I see Ellen up ahead! Uh, Ellen, hold up, our friend's summoned up some rides!"

And so, in that moment, Ansi sighs and summons up a fourth Mauthe Doog. "Now, whatever we do, we do it quick, and we don't argue on it. Arguing gets us all killed by shitty necromancers who have an entire damn country in their pockets!"

>A. Who made him leader
>B. Understood
>C. Couldn't have said it better
>D. Write-in response
>E. Say nothing

>>45208322
>B. Understood

>>45208322
>C. Couldn't have said it better

>>45208384
"Understood. No funny business from anyone, got it?"

Ellen and Leigh nod reluctantly as Ansi leads the four of you along the tunnels/stairs, ultimately reaching light as the Mauthe Doogs are returned to Ansi's reservoir of Essence. Nearby, you see Wes, standing and staring down Paula and... That messenger who Shea sent to Rakche?

Yeah, you figure that that's where Ymira went.

Shit, you sent Ymira to Rakche.

And, uh, Paula is waving a very regal-looking staff around in her one good hand.

"...and so she changed the message to say that the rebels were demanding the Staff of Katri for Queen Eva's life! I offered to relay it along, and he just... Let me."

"Er... Right," Wes says, somewhat confusedly. "Why are you expositing all of this to me?"

"I'm just a braggart I suppose... You'll understand in a few moments, anyway."

>to be continued next thread
Well, things ended up coming to a head faster than I was expecting. I thought we could get a whole 10-odd threads out of the Wes reveal's effects, but here we are. No clue if things will end here or not, but... I guess we're about to find out.

Thanks for playing. As always, update twitter is qmgrandflocto, and I'll be around in-thread to chat for awhile.

Before anyone says it, though, no, Wes hasn't even been mind-controlled yet, let alone had his memories restored. Paula's just a crazy fucker who brags a lot.

>>45208566
Thanks for running!

>>45208566
Thanks for running.

>>45208579
>>45208580
Always a pleasure.

Maybe it's just that it was hard to preserve twist momentum when Ellen's flashback laid the big one out flat. Original gameplan was that you wouldn't find out about that until after Paula was dealt with and things looked like they were in denouement.