#To see it looming over his family‚ each of them unaware and smiling‚ lulled by a lullaby while the blade glinted behind them?]]

[fullscoreshenanigans]

#isn’t there a shirai note somewhere that says that ray loves fantasy stories even though he dislikes studying? #it’s wonderful that ray gets to live one of the stories he loved but thought he could never obtain #and that’s also a huge burden—that story #but it’s his life too #not just emma’s or norman’s #and he doesn’t have to live it alone (via @esthelle18​)

One of the thing that I realised is that, by the end of the story, with Emma's sacrifice, Ray is the only one who can tell and remember the entirety of Emma's story and the complete story of the promised neverland (and even he can't tell the the story about how her meeting with Him went).

Norman wasn't there for 3 years. The other Gracefield children were not here for Goldy Pond,Nne of the other were here for the weird world of imagination they went in.

I don't know why but it feels significant considering that he never intended to see and live through all of that and now he is the only one alive being able to remember all of it

[return-of-a-space-cowboy]

Otherworld pt2

Here is pt1 for all of you who haven't read it yet.

https://return-of-a-space-cowboy.tumblr.com/post/188755044241/the-otherworld-pt1-i-became-absolutely-obsessed

Yet again based of of @yanderebloodlust s au

You woke up the next morning to the fire was now a few mere  embers you smiled as you could here the faint put that Abbaccio made in his sleep. You sat up and scratched him behind his ear which to your suprise he enjoyed.

"We need to get ready now" you said to him as ran upstairs and began to prepare for your return to the otherworld.

You quickly had a shower and put your clothes back on (they weren't that dirty anyway, so why waste water on cleaning them if they weren't that dirty). Then you went down stairs and quickly ate a muesli bar before making sure you were prepared.

🌌🌌🌌

You sighed as you looked as the door. You didn't want to go in there but you knew that if you wanted to get your parents back then you'd just have to toughen up and face your fears.

You held onto the pendent and closed your eyes. You had to do this, your parents were counting on you.

You got on your hands and knees as you turned the key. You could feel your body tremble in fear as you opened the door. You crawled through the tunnel slowly, your breath was heavy with anxiety as you looked towards the faint light that outlined the door ahead.

After a while you finally reached the end and pushed the door open. You examined the room for someone but nobody was there so you began to crawl out.

Completely unaware of the tall male that loomed over you until it too late.

You screamed as you were aggressiveness pulled up and held against them. You struggled as much as you could but they wouldn't let go.

"Doppio!?" You screamed out the name of you assumed captor.

"No (Y/n)... I'm not Doppio... The Doppio you knew is long gone" the voice similar to the one you heard last night replied. You were then pushed on to the lounge as a rat emerged from the door.

You turned around and saw the male. His long hair was a fuchsia pink with small balls of black lint intertwined in it, he was a lot taller then Doppio and a lot leaner then him as well. He also emerald green buttons held in with black thread and you couldn't forget that dark mulberry lipstick on his lips as well as the stitch like tattoos that were on his arms.

He gave a sinister smirk as he picked up the rat and pulled the key from it's mouth before placing it down again and locking the door. You were now trapped.

"What... What did you do to Doppio?" You ask the male.

"What did I do to Doppio? you really should be asking yourself that question" he retorted as he waltzed towards you until his face was only inches away from yours.

"He's merely another puppet of mine, but unlike the others he and I are directly connected" he explained to you. You tried to snatch the key out of his hand but he caught you with his spare hand before you could get it.

"I'm not going to fall for your rotten tricks again, unlike Doppio I have no tolerance for such things" he hissed as he pressed the key against his lips, his tongue slowly sliding along the teeth of the key before pushing it into his mouth and swollowing it.

You gave a disgusted expression at the male's action.

"That should hopefully keep you from your foolish antics" he said as he planted a kiss on your cheek which left a dark lipstick stain on it. He then tried to kiss you on the lips but you pushed him away.

"No get away from me!" You yelled.

"Oh why must you be cruel to me my dear..." He lulled as he twirled a few strands of your hair in his finger, which you now noticed that his hands was nothing but large needles mended together into a prosthetic device.

"I'm am not your dear! I refuse... I refuse to love a monster like you!" You screamed causing his eyebrow to twitch with irritation.

"I want my family back! I wish I had never met you or Doppio!" You continued before your head jerked backwards as he slammed his palm into your neck, his cold needle tips nearly puncturing the delicate flesh.

"Say that again, I dare you!" He hissed with a voice drenched in venom. You knew that the consequences for pushing your luck would be horrible, but a strange wave of confidence just gave you the urge to be daring.

"I W-I-S-H I H-A-D N-E-V-E-R M-E-T Y-O-U O-R D-O-P-P-I-O!" you said, making sure to painful lengthen out each letter and oh boy did he not like that.

The male was livid, he gritted his his before grabbing you by the hair, several strands getting lodged in the joints of his prosthetic hand. You screamed in pain as he dragged you through the house until he reached the upstairs mirror before throwing you into it. You closed your eyes as you braced yourself for impact with the glassy surface but instead you landed onto a cold concrete floor covered in water.

You looked up to find yourself in a room you had never been in before. It was a cold and damp concrete box of a room with a old kingsize bed that had chains draped down the sides.

"Another poor unfortunate soul taken by Diavolo" a feminine voice that made your hair's stand on end muttered. You turned your head from side to side to find the source.

"Where are you? Show yourself" you said.

"Apologize, we should have known better then to hide" another female's voice softly spoke as three women appeared out of nowhere. The first had long straight black hair, the second had short bobbed blonde hair and the third had wavy brunette hair, all of had black buttons to cover where their eyes had previously been.

"Who are you?" You asked them.

"We are no different to you... We all wished to have a better life and that's when we met him..." The black haired lady said.

"He lured us in with the promise of a fairy tale romance in exchange for our eyes" the brunette continued.

"And that was when his true colours would shine... A twisted being, a demon of sorts" the blonde said.

"However we can see that you did not fall for his trap" the black haired lady said as her ghostly hand touched your face.

"Yes I did... He used my family as the bait..." you muttered.

"He swollowed the key and any chance of my escape" you continued.

"No he hasn't" the brunette spoke.

"Unlike us you still have your eyes, as long as you have them you still have hope" the blonde explained.

"Why are my eyes so important? How do they give me anymore of a chance of escape then you?" You asked.

"Eyes are a window to the soul, without them you'll never find your way to the afterlife... Diavolo takes them to trap our souls in this world... To keep us here with him forever" the blonde said.

"If you think I can escape... Tell me how I can" you ask.

"Diavolo may not act or seem like the type to play games, but he is..." The black haired lady said.

"Perhaps if you make a high stakes deal with him, you could have a chance to beat him, then he'll have no choice but to let you and your family go"

"But be wry-" the blonde was saying before something grabbed you and pulled you out of the mirror world. You flailed as you saw a few strands of pink hair in the corner of your eye.

"I hope the girls treated you nicely as I'm sure that you'll get have to get along with them" who you assumed at this point was called Diavolo said.

"You... You... Tricked those poor women into giving up their lives just to break them..." You muttered.

"Yes, I'm willing to do many things for a precious soul..." he said.

"But you, yours is something else... You give me such an indescribable feeling. It's intoxicating and I crave more of it" he mused as you could feel him push you down, even if his eyes were buttons you could see that gleam of lust.

"What would you put on the line for me?" You asked.

"Everything" he said with little hesitation he leaned I kissed you. This time you didn't stop him, you wanted him to let his guard down.

Afterwards he got up and extended his hand to you. Of course you didn't want to take it but you knew that you had to. You grabbed his and winced in pain as a few needles dug into your palm and joints pinched your fingers. Blood started to trickle down your hand but you tried you best to act like it was nothing.

"You must be so hungry, not having any food for days... You're lucky that Doppio prepared something to eat before he left"  he said as he dragged you behind him around the house. You looked at all the rooms which had been painted and decorated exactly how you and your parents had wanted to when you finally settled in. It was a bittersweet thought knowing that you were going to be painting your room last week, but alas you had been as foolish as to come to this world in the first place. Childish curiosity was what carved you into the very sinister heart of this man.

You entered the kitchen so see piles upon piles of food covering the table and benches.

"After you left Doppio when into a distraught frenzy... He blindly did things with little to no thought, including this excessive amount of food" Diavolo said as he pushed you into a seat.

Your eyes darted rapidly around the room as you look for something amongst the mountain of food. You grabbed out a chocolate chip cookie and began to nibble at it.

"what's the matter (Y/n)?" Diavolo lulled as he noticed your morbid features as you nibbled at the cookie like a little mouse.

"I'm bored..." You mumbled just loud enough for him to hear. Now was your chance.

"Well what do you  do you want to do?" He asked in a sultry tone as he placed his hands on your shoulders.

"Maybe...a game perhaps?" You Replied. In response he let out a chuckle.

"I'm not much of a person for board game" he commented.

"No, no. I want something more adventurous and daring" you said as you looked at him from the conner of your eye. Your words bought a small smirk to his face.

"I want to take a risk" you added. Those buttons showed a faint glint.

"How risky are we talking about?" He asked as a smile formed on his lips.

"As risky as it can get" you replied as you gave him a slightly suductive look.

"The girls told you to do this... Didn't they" he whispered in your ear as he wrapped his hand around your neck again.

"Don't let them manipulate you into thinking that you can win against me" he continued.

"I'm not just going to let you keep me here locked up" you choked.

"Fine then, I'll give you a game to play" he sighed.

"I've hidden the eyes of my three previous lovers throughout his world, they are in plain sight but also not able to be seen through eyes such as yours. Once you have found them you must return to me and I'll give you your final task. If you win you and your family will return to your own world and I I'll surrender the girls eyes, but if I win... You'll be all mine and you'll be trapped in this world with me for eternity" he explained as let go of your neck and fixes a few strands of your hair.

"I will warn you, I'm not making this some fun, childish treasure hunt... It'll be a agonising and painstaking challenge, just to show how determined I am to keep you" he continued as he trailed his finger across a small section of your spine causing you to shuddered.

"Oh don't worry, you can give up at anytime. All you need to do is call out my name plea for me to be at your side" he whispered in a husky tone as he licked your earlobe.

"I'm not going to be calling out your name anytime soon!" you hissed as you stood up and turned behind only to find that he had disappeared without a trace.

"I'll win this game if it's the last thing I do Diavolo! You here me?!" You yelled before walking out the kitchen door and into the large and elegant backyard. You then sat on the bench and went over what Diavolo said.

"I've hidden the eyes of my three previous lovers throughout his world, they are in plain sight but also not able to be seen through eyes such as yours"

How were you able to find something that you couldn't see! It was ridiculous, it was mockery!

[jawllines]

okAY SO HERE IS a sNEAK PEEK OF BOTH WHAT THE JAMACA HARRY FIC WOULD BE AND WHAT THE ALPHA HARRY FIC WOULD BE I WILL LEAVE THESE HERE AND YOU CAN DECIDE 

1. JAMIACA HARRY

Harry doesn't quite know how to feel about Y/N.

Before coming to Jamaica, he'd made a point of getting to know every single person he was aware was coming on the trip with them. From the writers, to the band, and all the techies in between. Sure, the trip would be a bonding experience no doubt but he saw it as necessary to get to know the basics about one another before they dropped everything and lived in a house together for a few months writing an album. So he took them out for drinks, invited them to his home, and they all chatted and laughed without the album even a glimmer of a subject as they got close to one another on a personal level.

He thinks ultimately that will make it easier for them to share ideas and connect in different ways throughout the process, plus he'd made a group of new friends for the time being which wasn't terrible.

However, when Harry was walking towards the den of the Jamaican house, there's a girl that he'd never seen before sat at the kitchen table with a bowl of cocoa puffs getting soggy in milk as she spooned it around, preoccupied with her phone. It makes him slow to a stop, the cinnamon candle he held in his hand nearly rolling out of it as he looks around for a familiar face to tell him who this unfamiliar face was. She hadn't noticed him yet, thumb still looming over the keyboard he can see, rolling in circles like she doesn't know what to respond back with.

After a minute of wracking through his brain and coming up with nothing, Harry clears his throat soundly and it startles her enough to drop her spoon against the ceramic bowl, clinking as the milk sloshed and she darts her head to look at him, "Oh," she breathes out a sigh of relief, "Thought you were Jeffery." She plucks her spoon back up in fingers but makes no effort to eat the cereal, "Hi."

Harry musters a smile, still mighty confused, "Hello," he begins, taking a step closer, "Um, I don't believe we've met before."

The girl had been opening her mouth to respond, but a voice rings out that he recognizes immediately, "Y/N!" Jeffery calls, feet slapping against the tiled floor of the kitchen and the girl's -- Y/N's -- shoulders slump, a pout dipping her lip down, "What'd I say about helping with the equipment? John's been wrestling with the amp for about ten minutes and you started that bowl of cereal thirty minutes ago."

She gives a dramatic groan, head lulling around and body slumping down, "Ohhh, but Jeffery," she grouses, "You know my arms are like noodles, and after such a long, awful flight my legs are still cramped," Harry is confused until he catches the teasing light in her eyes as smile plays on her mouth, "You brought me here for my brain, not my brute strength, I think it's unfair to switch it up so quick into the trip!"

Rolling his eyes, Jeffery kisses his teeth at her, "Yeah, yeah, you pour damsel in distress, I watched you lift both of your twenty pound suitcases and walk up the escalator because you got tired of waiting. Get out there and help him."

"Aish, fine," she says in defeat, scooting her chair out and picking up her bowl, mindful of the milk still dancing around inside the bowl, clicking the faucet on and dumping the remains of it out, "But if I break my arms you're nursing me to health."

After she'd stuffed the bowl into the dishwasher, she presses up her sleeves and slinks out through the sliding glass door, leaving Harry with Jeffery who swings the door open to the fridge, disappearing behind it, "Hey," he begins, the candles' glass still cooling his palm, "Who is that?"

He resurfaces with a pineapple juice carton, "You haven't met Y/N?" He asks, and Harry shakes his head, "Oh, well she's like an intern so to speak."

"Intern?" Harry repeats.

Jeffery nods, "Yeah, she's g'na help a bit with the album, but mostly focus on some side projects that I can't give my full attention to while we're out here," he reaches up for a glass, spinning it upright onto the counter as he twists open the cap of his juice, "Real funny girl, but a pain in my ass, I'll tell you that. You'll like her."

Harry doesn’t know if he’s so sure of that. 

AND 2. ALPHA HARRY

Harry doesn't like Y/N.

Plain and simple, as straight as he can make it -- there is something about the girl that just gets on his damn nerves. Whether it be how she floats around like she owns the god damn world, or how she talks to him like he's beneath her. Like just because he didn't have to go to college to get where he is today, made him less qualified and deserving of his position in his family-run company. That while she's wilting away in student debt in her third year of college, somehow she's better than him. That just because Alpha's have a track record of being douche-y, entitled pricks, he's automatically lumped in with the whole of them. If anyone is the entitled prick it's her, he would say -- the fucking arse. Thought she was above all the alpha/omega dynamics just because she was a beta, so blissfully unaware of the actual nitty gritty aspects of it but coined it off as alpha's being power hungry dicks instead of doing what's in their nature and what is best for their omega.

All of it pisses him off -- it's why he can't stand her. Why he can't stand that his friends like her. Why he can't for the life of him stand when they're forced to be in the same room together, yet nobody considers either of their feelings in the matter when they decide to invite them both along.

So why is he outside of her door at 2AM, smelling of his expensive brandy, wet from rain, with tears threatening beneath his eyes?

Well, he couldn't be sure.

The night had started out just fine. Harry was taking a nice girl out on a date at a restaurant in the center of town -- one where the wine isn't optional, the waiters wear all white without a smudge of a stain, and nothing on the menu costs less than seventy dollars. He'd picked her up half past five, talked her up in the car, they ate steak and linguini, went out for drinks after and. . .he doesn't know what went wrong. Everything was fine until it wasn't and Harry realized he didn't want to be out with this girl at all -- maybe it was the way she kept asking about business. . .each question leading to how much he's making, where his expensive suit is from, how he affords all of his cars. Maybe it was because each time a particularly handsome bartender with a cutting jawline would pass by, she'd wink all cutesy at him and tell Harry she was just bartering for them to get free drinks. Or maybe it was his lack of interest in her as a person, because it dwindled with their conversation, until she'd some how resorted to just a pretty faced omega looking to get in his wallet.

Whatever it was, it's why he cut the date short. Took her home early, returned to his humble abode, and preceded to get soused on brandy, reveling in his own self doubt in an immense pity party. Then called up an Uber to take his drunk arse from his home to Y/N's, which he'd remembered from a long time of hitching a ride with his friends and them stopping by to pick her up. Liam was the worst of it -- always wanted her around so always made a point of stopping by to get her, a trip Harry has made plenty of times.

(It's always confused him Liam's interest in her. It was in no way romantic as one might think it'd be, because Liam had a girlfriend  but for some reason he genuinely cared about such a dick of a person. The only explanation he'd give was "she's had it hard" but who the very well hasn't? Harry's gone through shitty things too but nobody is going out of their way to pick him up and pay for his meal when he's short on cash, but that's neither here nor there, he supposes.)

And he knocks on her door, waits patiently as he can, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his coat. Though the thick scent of rain and wet grass is heavy on his nose, he can smell her just as she's about to twist the handle of the knob, hearing gentle murmurs of confusion as she swings the door open to reveal her in nothing but a large t-shirt. Understandably confused, her brows furrow and she dips her head down a bit, "Harry?" She questions, voice scratchy from slumber.

The tears he'd been fighting back finally creep past the surface, tickling up over his waterline, his face scrunching as a small sob wracks through his body. Y/N's face drops in alarm, probably just as bewildered as Harry is because he doesn't know what he's fucking doing. Only knows that he's standing on her small porch step crying, as she begins to usher him into her home, "Harry, what's wrong? What's going on? Come in, come here, you'll catch a cold out there," she reaches out, touches at his shoulder and pulls him so that his feet begin moving and he steps up into her home.

He'd never been in here before -- his heightened senses make her scent potent in his brain, and as much as he hates to admit it, it was all the more comforting to him. Y/N leads him to her couch, sets him down, and hurries off as Harry tries to fully understand what is happening to him right now and still drawing a blank. He'd be fine! Sure, he was upset over the bummy date he'd gone on but he didn't think that certified crying. Especially in front of someone he's sure would love to see his love life is full of shit. He hates being around her but god, in the short time she'd disappeared down the hallway Harry wanted nothing more than for her to be back. Maybe it was because she was gentle and warm, and the way her eyes softened at his teary flushed face made his insides melt.

When he's drunk he's usually much more in tune with his feelings; understands himself a bit more like this. A time where he is completely vulnerable to open up to himself and others. However he couldn't quite make sense of this at all. Ever since they'd met, Y/N and Harry had been at each other's throats -- why would she be his first person to run to when he's in this state?

And why is it, when she reappears with a bundle of clothes in her hand and a glass of water, that he feels so relieved to see her again?

[qualiteadnd]

A Cult Classic I

— A WATERDEEP IRREGULARS ADVENTURE

The mysterious death of a young man involving cursed magics and the continued unrest in the city sends the party on a hunt for answers.

Actually living in Waterdeep turned out to be not so different from simply renting a room in one of its many inns. They spent the next few days working with Mara to learn a little bit more about their position with the family. And Bonu, in high key decorator mode, put both Keros and Grumbar to work at odd and random times. But otherwise the party dynamic was much of what it had been before the offer.

That is, until Grumbar left the house muttering to himself one morning with barely a glance at the other two. A quick promise to return eventually was all they got before the cleric slammed the door behind him.

“Should we follow him?”

“It’s Grumbar, I’m sure he’s fine.” Probably.

A few days later and still no sign of Grumbar, they were called to meet Mara and found her rifling through paperwork in her study nervously. After asking after the cleric and getting shrugs from the archer and barbarian, she sighed and shook her head.

“I don’t know if he’d be of help here or not. There was a tragic accident in the Castle Ward three days ago. Valuth Myres perished in an explosion. He was found among the rubble of his home with an untouched deck of cards. A wizard with the Watch recently confirmed they’re cursed, but we haven’t a clue where he got them. Earlier that afternoon, Valuth been seen bragging about these supposedly ‘lucky’ cards at a tavern nearby, but that seems to be all we have.”

With orders to check in with Kraag at the Watch before the case ran too cold, they made a quick detour for Bonu to grab a small basket of pastries from their kitchen and headed off.

It was a quick trip across town to the Watch House and the guards seemed already accustomed to Bonu arriving unannounced with pastries. Bonu, to Keros’s amusement, already knew the path to Kraag’s office and knocked before just letting himself in.

Kraag, surrounded by a pile of paperwork, sighed when the door opened. “So Lord Blackwood sent you?” Kraag asked as Bonu offered him pastries. Despite looking beyond tired, the half-orc took one with a nod of thanks. “I’ve got people missing. Continued unrest. And now people dying.”

He went on to explain that, over the last couple of weeks, people had been turning up missing in the city. Until any evidence of them were found, the Watch was at a standstill there, but Myres’s death was raising other alarms.

“We’ve spoken with a friend of the victim, Mateo Leeson, but he doesn’t have any idea where Myres got these cards. We have a dozen magic shops in the city and it could be any of them. Could be an outside merchant. Could have been a gift. Nothing’s turned up yet and I’m run thin already,” he said with a gesture to the paperwork.

Promising to do what they could to help, the two made their way out of the Watch, following a vague lead that could really take them anywhere in the city. Inevitably, they ended up at the Roaring Lamb for their usual lunch and greeted Nick with friendly conversation.

At one end of the bar an older human gentleman with long graying hair sat watching the tavern and making friendly conversation with any who seemed interested. Though there was a small keg at his hip, he kept pushing his glass back towards Nick for refills when his conversations lulled.

Plotting out their means of investigation at one of the tables, Keros and Bonu missed much of the altercation between the old timer and three younger men in the tavern. But as a fight began to break out, the two pushed aside their drinks and stood up to come to his, and the barkeeper’s, assistance.

Which, they would quickly see, was mostly unnecessary.

Though Bonu and Keros had meant to just scare the lads into backing off with a little show of force, the old timer held none of his punches and unleashed a quick flurry of blows in the face of the first thug to raise his fists. With him preoccupied, Keros rounded on the second and pulled an arrow from his hip. A flash of arcane energy flared at its head and he stabbed it into the attacking thug’s shoulder, causing him to go blind for a brief second and recoil from the fight.

Smarter than his fellows, the third simply turned tail and booked it. Bonu was quick on his feet, however, and chased after him, calling the guards as they sprinted down the main road. Keros, loathe to leave Bonu to his own devices, abandoned the old timer, who seemed just fine on his own with the two staggered thugs, and booked it after the barbarian with his net in hand.

After a brief tussle and ensuring the city guards had it from there, they took stock of the brief mess they’d made of the tavern. Before Nick could even raise a fuss over the broken glassware, the old timer slid him a couple of gold paired with a smile and an apology.

“You lads are spirited,” the old timer said, as Keros and Bonu each slid an additional gold to Nick’s recompense. “Name’s Edwin,” he said, inviting himself to their table.

Introducing themselves, they marveled at his fighting ability to which he laughed, taking a drink from a newly refreshed pint. “Just an old traveler. Nothing special. But I like the folk around here. There are enough bullies in the nobility, we don’t need to go fighting among each other on top of it.”

Against Keros’s better judgement, Bonu went onto say not all nobility was bad. The surviving Blackwoods were certainly trying.

Curious to hear those sort of sentiments, especially about the Blackwoods, Edwin reluctantly agreed. “But as long as its only them doing the ruling around here, nothing will change. That Sultlue was just on trial and nothing’s come of it.”

Taking a leap, Bonu suggested that if Edwin could help them out with a favor, maybe they could put him in touch with someone who had more power to change things than them. “We could put in a good word, but first we’re looking to figure out who killed this guy, Valuth. He sorta blew up. Kind of a pressing issue.”

Finding their investigation more interesting than a daytime bar crawl, Edwin agreed to help, especially if they could put him in touch with a lord. So they settled their tabs and headed out, with Edwin sipping at his flask as they left.

The couple of magic shops they stopped in were small and a bit skittish, having already had guards and concerned patrons poking in earlier in the day. They swore their products were up to code with the merchant guild’s magic division and that they’d never done business with Valuth Myres.

One shop they popped into was less of a magic shop and more of a general armor and weaponry shop with some magical wares within, but they stopped in out of curiosity. While there, Bonu commissioned a new set of armor and Keros impulse traded his silvered rapier for a finely crafted trident.

Duwain Bladesemer even agreed to give them a bit of a deal when Bonu yet again let slip they had connections to the Blackwoods. If they could forge an exclusive contract between House Bladesemer and House Blackwood for their armory supplies, Duwain promised Bonu even better deals in the future.

“That was productive,” Bonu said as they walked out, their purses much lighter.

Sipping from his flask, Edwin eyed the two of them. “Was it though?”

With night starting to roll in and being no closer to solving this than when they started, they split ways with Edwin for the evening. They would meet him at the Grinning Lion, the inn closer to Blackwood Manor, in the morning and try again tomorrow.

“I like him. He has a good heart,” Bonu said, leading the way home.

Keros agreed and looked up at the darkening sky. “But have you noticed everyone we work with is always drunk?”

Having left his fellows without much explanation, Grumbar found himself inexplicably drawn to the needle point tower that loomed in the heart of Waterdeep. While he had never intended to visit the Plinth, the strange dreams and troubled thoughts he had been having since he swore himself to the Blackwoods drew him closer.

A massive granite tower with spiraling balconies, the Plinth was a beacon for worshipers of the old gods whose practices were often forgotten and unwelcome. There was solidarity among the various priests, monks, and other followers within who came to remember they were not so alone. And as the last priest of Grumbar, Grumbar had planned to avoid this place with more care than he had avoided plagues in the past.

Finding himself there now, however, Grumbar’s feet brought him to a forgotten altar on the ground floor where darkness quickly overtook him. Instead of this tiny stone altar, he stood before a massive stone face, larger than any mountain and impossible to see in a single glance. Though the mouth of this face moved, its voice, rough like gravel, reverberated through his very being: 

“Hello, my child. You lost faith in me, but I do not hold it against you. I have been gone too long and too much has changed in my absence. But more change is yet to come. 

You have work to do. The land is in peril and the anima of this world is crying out. There is an evil clawing at the roots of the world, threatening to tear apart the very mountains themselves. Though you are a mere mortal, you are my only living follower in this land with even a glimmer of belief left in you. 

Yes, you have broken tenets. You have not preached in my name for over a decade. But none of that matters, because at your core, in your immovable bedrock, you were still true… just… waiting. We have both been… asleep. But even the land will shift and buckle if enough pressure is applied. Now… the earth quakes… and the world wakes. 

You have much work to do, my Chosen.” 

Grumbar woke, sobered and alone, in front of the altar and unaware of what time had passed. When he had entered the Plinth, the sun had been high in the sky. And as he made his silent way out, the sun was rising once more.