The Mundane And The Arcane

"The Mundane and The Arcane" (2x05) is the fifth episode of Memory=Null Season 2, in which history is revealed and new friends are found.

Synopsis
Emberlin probes the gnome with some questions, and discovers that he is Ardim Nackle. Further questioning leads him to believe that Ardim’s ex-fiance, for whom he built the Epoch, is in fact the Queen of Embers. Revealing this to Ardim, he offers complete honesty in the hopes of learning more about his past. He and Ardim make their way to the privacy of Ardim’s office while Sharsu and Hex go to find some street meat. Once inside, Ardim offers Emberlin a drink, and requests that everything discussed be kept private. He then begins to speak of how his ex-fiance was once an incredibly powerful aasimar pyromancer. He met her while doing research into firearms and eventually proposed to her, which she accepted at first. However, her great ambition and quest to advance her art began to get in the way. She became fascinated with the fire dragons of the Grimm Crusade, and devised a plan to gain their favor by either capturing or killing Morek, the Nasile who killed their child and created the rift between them. Ardim could not in good conscience support auch a suicide mission, and so she called off the engagement and went her own way, taking with her the ship and pistol (both developed with illegal blood magic) that he had given to her as gifts. Emberlin fills him in on most of his life’s story. He offers to return the ship if Ardim wants it, but he says that he doesn’t hold a grudge, and would not take back what she has seemingly passed on to him. On hearing about the archangel, he surmises that he perhaps may be an assistant that she elevated, as, though she preferred to work alone, she knew her limits and knew when to ask for help. He also decides not to reveal her original name, as he feels it would be a breach of trust, being something she has chosen not to reveal herself. Before Emberliln leaves, Ardim asks him to tell the Queen of Embers the next time he sees her that he misses her, but he’s glad things worked out. With that, Emberlin returns to the docks, finding Sharsu and Hex sitting on the edge of the boat eating. They set course for the Red Isles and, once out of the city and underway, Emberlin tells Sharsu about his conversation with Ardim, sending him into another existential crisis for a while. The voyage takes three days, and Emberlin is the only one capable of piloting the ship, and must rest during the night. During the first night, Emberlin dreams of the chamber where he first awoke. A woman walks into the chamber before another figure charges at her with a massive sword and brings it down on her head. The woman reaches out towards it and a gout of fire emerges, holding the blade in place. On the third day, the Red Isles appear on the horizon. A very rocky landscape with pillars of steam ascending from it, the land is a dark red with veins of copper and iron visible running through the cliff sides. They approach the main island and are directed towards the docks. The population is made up of primarily kobolds and kenku. Hex has no one he wants to visit or check in on, so the group takes the opportunity to simply stock up on supplies before departing again, being unable to track down the local Golden Wake. After picking up some street meat, they make their way back to the ship and set course for the approximate area specified by the star map. The next day, they arrive at the location and spot a small island floating up above the clouds. As they get higher up, a massive, old ironwood tree comes into view, growing out of the top of the island. It’s bark is a deep grey color, mottled with what appears to be rust spots, with grey and rust colored leaves. The root system is so large that it breaks through the bottom of the island. As they circle the island, they spot a woman below who, on spotting them, waves at them and directs Emberlin to the south-eastern corner of the island to land. As she approaches, they see an older elven woman, dressed in vines and leaves from the tree itself. She introduces herself as Serime, and asks whether they are lost. She is greatly surprised on hearing that the group has come looking for her, and wary when Emberlin announces out of the blue that they mean her no harm and are not going to attack her. However, when Emberlin explains why they are here, she looks very confused. She doesn’t understand why she would want her dead, as Alphos is the one who made her immortal in the first place. She tells a nearby wooden, humanoid creature who she calls Kevin to go start a fire, and invites them to eat with her as she tells her story. Long ago, she was married to a practitioner of the magical arts, while she herself was a fisherman by trade. They were doing well for themselves, and her wife had become adept at controlling the weather, using the skill to keep large storms at bay and helping their small town to flourish. One day, a captain of notable rapport came to town looking for crew to go on great adventures. Serime couldn’t pass up the opportunity, while Alphos was happy where they were. An argument ensued, and she stormed out, went to the captain, signed on, and sailed away from the town immediately. Later, they were hit by the most severe storm she had ever seen, and weren’t sunk only due to the skill of the captain and crew. Then, out of the storm, she saw Alphos floating through the air, her eyes full of rage and lighting sparking from her fingertips. She summoned two ancient elementals- one of storm, the other a great leviathan. As they were both about to attack, Alphos looked at her and dismissed them. As angry as she was, she still loved her, and couldn’t bear to kill her. That’s when Jopha appeared, robed in black and though far off, with a feeling of kindness about him. After some words, he reached into Alphos’ chest and pulled forth a spectral chain, which he severed from her body and wrapped around one of his arms. With that, Alphos approached her and, though being unable to kill her or see her die, granted her the ability to choose her time of death. She eventually grew tired of adventuring and retired to this island. With everyone thoroughly confused about why they were sent here, they all spend the rest of the day swapping stories around the fire before heading to bed. The next day, they make a run back to the Red Isles to pick up some gifts and supplies for Serime: books, alcohol, and some chickens. With a promise to visit her again if they get the chance, they depart with a final wave from Kevin and set a course for the island with the owlbear problem. Arriving, they find the point of check-in for the contract- a wizard’s tower with a bright red banner hastily hung out one of the windows. Circling it a few times, they find that it has no door, so they begin to investigate the possibility of entering through a window. However, before they get very far, Emberlin notices claw marks and tracks at the base of the tower. They set down nearby and disembark as Emberlin shouts up at the tower. A moment later, a robed lizardfolk pops their head out one of the windows and tells them that they last saw the owlbears heading north. From the south, an otherworldly screech echoes from the woods as two owlbears charge out of the trees. The unbridled ferocity of the sudden attack catches them off guard, and the owlbears are able to do significant damage to the group, nearly killing Emberlin and knocking Hex unconscious at one point. However, Sharsu is able to kill one of them, while Emberlin is able to light the other on fire, causing it to run shrieking back into the woods. Sharsu uses some of his divine magic to save both Hex and Emberlin, and as quiet falls upon the glade, the stones at the base of the tower part, creating an entrance. The lizardfolk ushers them inside and retrieves a healing potion from upstairs. She introduces herself as Terr’mah, and explains that she has been trapped in her tower for about a month. She was trying to create an incredibly strong pack animal, but this fusion turned out much more violent than they expected. The group takes some time to rest up and wait for the other owlbear to hopefully return to the body of the other. Terr’mah goes upstairs to keep an eye out for it and, about an hour later, spots it emerging out of the trees. She signals them and re-opens the door. They dash out the door and Emberlin, in an outpouring of rage and pain as it tears into him, immolates the beast. As Emberlin slumps against the base of the tower, he looks over towards the woods and sees a woman standing in full plate armor, with a massive tower shield, a great sword over her shoulder, and a helmet under her arm. As she gives him a nod, Emberlin gives a smile and a thumbs up.