The Cradle of Souls - Chapter 14: Choices
From Saratta
- “It came to us from the gods, and to the gods it must return.”
- - Meru Terk, acting Arch Druid of Qu'an Re Sool; Order of the Bear
- “It came to us from the gods, and to the gods it must return.”
- Once back in the Temple, the group set about determining what needed to be done with the Xirisz Phasygn. Now that they were free of its power, they did not want to risk getting trapped by it again. The druid Leyan ran off in search of the Arch Druid to inform her of the Planar Prison and to let her know about the dark Artifact. It did not take long for him to return with the rest of the druids in tow.
- Meru Terk was opposed to them attempting to destroy the Artifact while in the confines of the temple. A botched attempt at destroying it could unleash a powerful shockwave that would destroy, or permanently corrupt the grounds, a rise she was not willing to take. Seeking the aid of a god was a possibility as well.
- Pomaz suggested an alternate option. Send the artifact into the Astral Plane by placing it into a bag of holding and then cutting it. It was argued that this would destroy the object, but it was pointed out to him by Ulias that another theory stated that objects inside the bag of holding are simply stored in a pocket of Astral space. Cutting the bag would simple destabilize the pocket, depositing the contents onto the Astral Plane. While it meant the Artifact would be gone from them, it would only be a matter of time before someone, or something discovered it again.
- A third option came to them in the form of a godly presence. It possessed Glorving for a short time, speaking through him. The presence said it was the Lord of the Last Gate, the Forgotten King; Surdem. The god wanted a ritual to be performed that would send the Artifact to him. In return, he would grant them a single wish, no strings attached. Shortly there after, his presence faded from Glorving, releasing the dwarf.*
- The Arch Druid did not think giving the Artifact to the Forgotten King was a good plan, but the alternative was to return the Artifact to the original owner, Brashq. If they wanted to, she was willing to make contact with the deity and offer to return his possession. After much debate and temptation they settled on the final option and contacted Brashq.
- The god appeared before them in a vision, displeased at the interruption by mortals until he learned they held his vessel. This peaked his interest, even more so when he learned of Surdem's attempt to take it. Anya Star convinced Pomaz to try and deal with the god, offering him the Artifact in exchange for Altherton Forman's soul. Brashq was pleased by the human's audacity, and accepted the deal, returning Altherton to life in full, and departing from them with the Xirisz Phasygn.
*While a god can possess people, they can only do so for a limited time before drawing the attention of other gods. At this point in time, Surdem is still attempting to free himself from the Last Gate, so being exposed at a critial time like this would not be to his benefit. Additionally, taking the artifact was not an option for him, as it belongs to another god. Only a mortal can offer up an Artifact in a manner so that another god might hold it.