Living a Lie, Dying Happy

Historian: Caleb. Date: 6/30/2025

TLDR – The party plans a fake ritual to trick Morgen into thinking Olwen is back. Gwyn contacts Bran with the dream sand, and obtains useful advice, but the dream is cut short at the mention of the Cosmic, and she awakens to an orange eye peering into her room. The next day, the fake ritual goes off without a hitch, and Morgen is utterly convinced Olwen is back… but she wants Gwyn to speak to the Cosmic before we leave. To avoid the ruse being revealed, Gwyn slips the magic lobotomy potion into the cup of coffee she then gives to Morgen. Morgen drinks it, and the potion works without a hitch.

• Date: 38 Lionnir 777 AR – 39 Lionnir 777 AR.
• Shannon gives the recap!
• We begin being led up two floors through the corridors of the temple. Morgen opens a door for us, and we see a very modern, sleek, scientific-looking area, with multiple couches. The rooms are set up in a spoke-and-axel pattern, and there’s a small kitchen. Morgen tells us to take care, and press the blue button on the wall to activate the intercom if we need her.
• We immediately start sweeping the room to find listening devices/cameras. Anja and Gwyn don’t find anything of note, but Astranna finds gems with a strange sheen and sparkle in the corners that may or may not let Morgen look inside. As Alphie starts to do a full sweep, they notice the gems, along with sigils and runes under the couches, cushions, even books. This room is probably equipped with listening devices. There are also a few in the bedrooms, but none in the hallways interlinking them.
• We go over our findings, and Alphie offers up a book to write on in the hallways. Gwyn goes to one of the bedrooms and lays down. Anja checks if she still has the syringe, and finds that we only lost about 15% of the liquid inside. We lay out the plan we came up with, and once we’re done writing, Anja lets Maple out. She’s very happy to be back indoors. Anja decides not to tell her we’re leaving soon.
• Alphie wants their amulet fixed, so Gwyn goes to the intercom.
  • “Mother, me and Alphie are going to go down to your lab. We’d like to fix their amulet now that we have the tools here to do that.”
  • “I’m sorry dear, but the lab has been shut down for the night, and there’s a lot of equipment in there that could get you hurt.”
  • “Can you help me fix this for Alphie?”
  • “We’ll talk about it in the morning.”
• Gwyn just looks back to Alphie apologetically. Alphie asks to pet Maple, and is allowed… but Maple then scratches them, because they’re cold. They drink their tea, and decrease their cold by 3. Anja pets Maple with a very serious expression. Maple is having the time of her life being indoors again.
• Gwyn tries to use the dream sand to reach Bran, focusing on the Breezestone’s ability to reach areas connected to the Skybound Lands to bridge over to the rings. She makes a spirit check (1 success). She closes her eyes and reaches out, feeling her consciousness begin to drift. Sink and move. She finds herself in a wispy dark place. As she’s here, she vaguely sees the inside of what might be a tavern or hotel room. Standing before her is a wispy, shadowy figure. As they speak, there are reverberations coming from them, like their voice is in a massive tavern.
  • “Hello? Who are you?”
  • “Is this Bran Maddock? My name is Gwyn. Gwyn Anwyn.”
  • “I’ve heard of you.”
  • “You have? Um… You knew my creator, Morgen, right? And her daughter?”
  • “I have known her, yes. I know about Olwen. Why have you contacted me?”
  • “I heard you killed her. Is that true?”
• The shadow seems to sit down on the bed.
  • “It is true. I am the one that plunged the sword into her back.”
• Gwyn tells him that she needs to convince Morgen that she’s Olwen, and she needs something that only they would know to convince her.
  • “How do I know that you’re not working for Morgen? That this isn’t a trick?”
  • “I don’t know, I… I need you to trust me on this. I don’t know what she’s doing with the Cosmic, but I fear it’s dangerous, and I don’t know what you’re doing. I just want to live. I want my own life. I want to get away from Morgen.”
• She makes a spirit check at B1 (3 successes – exploding). The voice pauses momentarily.
  • “There is sincerity. But this power that you possess, I feel it’s of the darker sort. I’m wary of you.”
• Gwyn feels the presence move forward, almost like they’re trying to examine her in some way. They ask where she is now, and she asks if he knows of the Skybound Lands. He says he’s heard talk of this place from Morgen.
  • “That’s where we are. Um, I… brought myself, Morgen, a few others here through Morgen’s doing. We’re trying to do good here, I’m trying to bring my friends home. I technically got them in this mess. I can’t do that if we can’t escape Morgen. I don’t exactly know what went down, but I know you had your reasons for killing Olwen.”
• Bran says he could bring her back right now. Not all of her friends, but maybe one other. Gwyn says she can’t. She worries what Morgen would do to them if she suddenly disappeared.
  • “Good. You have my trust, then.”
• The figure reaches out a hand, and the power in the dream sand increases. They begin to take on a whole new set of features, the form swirling and moving, folding in on itself, like her consciousness is being fully brought out of the Skybound Lands. Everything around seems to sharpen in this moment, and she sees the full form and visage of Bran Maddock in front of her. He seems to have taken out a book, and is setting it back down on the bed.
  • “Hm. So that’s what you look like. Exactly like Olwen.”
  • “That’s what I hear.”
  • “Not her, though. Certainly not.”
  • I’ve tried, but no.”
• He says she’s trying to escape Morgen.
  • “Yes. She’s keeping us captive for now in the Skybound Lands, and she wants me to help bring Olwen back. Maybe if I can convince her I have her memories she might be more inclined to let us go.”
  • “But you don’t have her memories.”
• He says he’s never heard of an artificer’s inventions growing such a consciousness, but he does believe that she’s a person who needs help.
  • “I have a group of associates that are trying to learn more about Morgen’s actions, and the actions of powerful entities that are trying to expand upon the mysteries that we but glimpsed that day. When I struck down Olwen, she was screaming. Strange magic surrounding her body, as the world itself began to crumble like tissue paper.”
• His face grows more wrinkled. Darker. As he remembers back to that day, that moment.
  • “I remember Olwen talking about the constellations, how they were dancing. She talked about a path, a beautiful path that something was revealing to her. I don’t think it was the Cosmic. Something else. Something darker. The power was growing, the energy itself. I could not understand it. She began to talk about the threads of magic, the trees, magic, the flow of the universe and the stars. She discussed becoming a Zeraki, whatever that is. Or at least following like their example.
  • I did not let it progress any more. As she started to become something different, Gwyn, something not fully human. Not fully sane. I… I looked to escape, but I stopped. I attempted to plunge through the waves of magic. I felt myself being torn apart.”
• He says he drew his sword and charged forward, watching as green flame, green as the deepest forest, arced across that blade.
  • “I drew that steel in close to my body, and it warmed me. I pressed forward until I eventually plunged the blade into Olwen. That is all I know about the matter. I cannot tell you what was happening in her mind or anything afterward.”
• He says he and his associates are attempting to figure out the Zeraki, but the events in Shah Vaedin left his body and soul scarred, so he doesn’t have access to the powers he once did. Gwyn asks about the Cosmic, what it is and the deal Olwen made.
  • “The only thing I know is that the Cosmic is powerful, ancient, kin that we can’t com– I feel– GWYN! GWYN!–”
• And then Gwyn wakes up in her bed. It’s partway through the night. She’s breathing heavily, and as she looks around, she sees all these tears in the wall. She sees all these strange, looping patterns and symbols. Familiar to her, in some dark and twisted way. She feels the thrumming of the Breezestone deep within her, and watches as some of those patterns begin to fold together.
• An orange eye opens on the wall. The shadows begin to grow long as the eye advances outward, pulling the metal of the wall with it. It telescopically extends to her, its iris pitch-black as it focuses. Gwyn picks up her sword.
  • “What are you?”
• It does not respond. It only keeps advancing. Closer. Gwyn runs out of the room, yelling for everyone to wake up.
  • “I tried to use the dream sand to reach the Rings, there’s an eyeball in my room, and–”
• As we all turn to look, it’s gone. Astranna checks the room, and there are no signs of it. We decide to sleep together in the living area. Astranna makes a pillow fort, and Anja makes everyone hot chocolate. Alphie suggests Astranna use her flames to make soothing lights… and Astranna is only able to produce an orange flame, which Gwyn doesn’t like.
• Anja says she’s been working on something, and she hopes it’ll help tomorrow. She also wonders if there’s a library.
• Alphie thinks about the Gellid Engine, and tears begin to flow out of one eye, deep melancholy spreading like a cold chill through every one of their veins. They set down their mug of cold chocolate and go to bed. Astranna stares at one of Henrietta’s feathers for a long time before she also goes to bed. We’re woken by the intercom in the morning.
  • “Rise and shine, everybody. Gwyn, if I could speak with you in thirty minutes, that would… that would be good.”
• Gwyn asks to work on Alphie’s amulet. Morgen says, “We’ll see,” before cutting the intercom. We get the idea she won’t let us into a highly advanced lab if she’s not completely confident we won’t attack her.
• Anja intercoms, telling Morgen she’s been thinking of how to help her get Olwen back. Morgen unlocks the door to our quarters, and gives Anja instructions on where to meet her. Anja goes alone, and sees Morgen waiting outside of a sort of fabrication room with all sorts of widgets. There’s a couch, and a small table with some coffee. Anja sits, and accepts the coffee.
  • “You think that you might have a way to help?”
  • “Yes. I’ve been workshopping part of it before I went to bed, and you did let me know of what I am, so I’ve been thinking about that, and… I thought of a ritual, and if you’re willing, and if Gwyn is willing, I’d like to try it, I think. I have some connection with spirits, maybe I could find some way to hook on the rest of Olwen and get it in her, create her whole.”
• Morgen says she’s tried to hook the soul, but it won’t stay in the construction.
  • “It won’t stick, it won’t stay, it keeps being pulled back.”
  • “Well now, I think adding a portion of the ritual – a potion – that’s an internal element, yes? That might work.”
  • “You have these capabilities?”
  • “I am just starting to understand my capabilities.”
• Anja makes a spirit check (B1 – 5 successes). Morgen sits down, her fractured iris darting around as if she’s thinking quickly. With her one good eye, she looks back up at Anja, a gaze that cuts through her like a drill through hard metal. But Anja doesn’t break. She keeps her face, determined. Morgen nods.
  • “Do you require any ingredients?”
• Anja asks if she has sunfire resin, and Morgen says she can get it to her. She asks if our quarters will do. Anja says yes, and that it should be done later today.
  • “This coffee’s fantastic, by the way.”
  • “Thank you. It’s brewed from the elder swamp.”
  • “I’m intrigued. That’s nice.”
  • “Take some for Olwen and the others, please. I insist.”
• Anja takes the pot, and makes her way back to our quarters. Alphie tries to figure out through their rp ability if the coffee will kill us, but they call it wrong. Anja realizes she forgot to mention the Gibbit, and buzzes Morgen.
  • “Is it ready? Already?”
  • “Not yet. I forgot about something else I needed.”
• Anja says that in order to get this potion to work, she needs to draw on her connection with the Gibbit. Morgen says she could channel the Gibbit’s power into the room, but Anja says she needs it to be inside with us.
  • “I can… permit… the Gibbit being close, yes. Work quickly, though, I am obtaining the sunfire resin.”
• Anja clicks off and just crumples a bit.
  • “I’m going to drink more coffee.”
  • Her hands are shaking.
• Anja practices drawing fake sigils, trying to make them look as real as possible. She sets up her cauldron, takes a strand of Gwyn’s hair, pours a little coffee in there… 3 oz of sunfire resin drops on the ground via a parachute package in the middle of the living room. She takes 0.5 oz of it and stirs it up, seeing what that makes.
  • 9 (D10) – A potion that gives superhuman senses for 1 hour.
• She gives it to Gwyn.
  • “This should help you stick together. But remember what I told you earlier.”
• Anja hits the intercom, and says it’s ready. Morgen says she’ll be right there. We wait, as the moments begin to pass. While this happens, Anja moves the furniture to make a bigger space, and constructs a ritual circle with fake runes. Eventually, the door opens. Morgen is standing there.
  • “Let’s begin, shall we?”
• She snaps her fingers, and a floating metal box meanders into the room. Behind her, two Scrimbimbolos wait out in the hall, but the door shuts. Anja directs everyone to stand where she wants. Gwyn looks at Morgen and gives a smile and a nod, trying to look as loving and doting as possible… Spirit check, with B1 because she’s locked into this (4 successes).
• Her mother’s face twists into confusion… a little bit of hopefulness… She gives a smile back. She’s on the edge of her seat, waiting, hoping against hope. Anja directs Morgen and Gwyn to face each other, and she tells Morgen that Morgen will help anchor Olwen into Gwyn.
• Anja tries to make her sigils glow with her normal powers. Like she normally does with the blighting hex, tendrils poke out, grasping into things around Gwyn and slowly pulling into her, doing this more and more. Anja moves her arms in jerky motions, trying to grab herself, and with these motions, the tendrils continue to grasp and grasp and grasp. She tries to make it so that an incomplete version of Gwyn’s rune appears.
• Anja gets to make a spirit check at B3, because she has buttered this woman up to this point using the powers she already has, articulating with every fiber of her being and soul so that this illusion can be pulled off so that Morgen won’t know. She gets 7(+?) successes. As she’s pulling and pulling and pulling and having this sigil suddenly appear, she shouts, “Gwyn, now!”
• Gwyn drinks the luck potion, and there’s an explosion of light that automatically happens from drinking it. Morgen gasps. Anja falls to the ground.
  • “Is… is… Olwen, can you hear us?”
• Gwyn flinches and grabs her head, almost like she’s in pain, really playing it up. She shakes her head like she’s confused, and looks up at Morgen.
  • “...Mom? Mom?”
  • “Olwen? Olwen? Is that you? Is that you?”
• She wraps Morgen in a tight hug.
  • “I– I’m here, I– I– what happened? I’m so confused, I– my head hurts, it–”
  • “What’s the last thing you remember, my dear?”
  • “I– I remember the constellations, the constellations dancing, and then the path–”
  • “My girl! My girl!”
  • “The knife–”
• Morgen wraps Gwyn up, holding her close, rocking her back and forth as she begins to sob.
  • “You’re here, it’s okay, you’re here, you’re back.”
• Morgen tells her Bran is gone. He’s not here. She’s alive and well.
  • “It feels like, I don’t know, I was just stuck in that cave for so long, I could feel you trying to get me back, for so long–”
• Morgen puts her head down, leaning into her, tears flowing. She hugs Gwyn close, all her walls broken down. Just… relief. Happiness. Gwyn hugs her tightly, burying her head in Morgen’s shoulder. Morgen looks up, and looks to Anja.
  • “Thank you. I can never repay you for all of this. For all of this.”
• Anja’s making a show of panting.
  • “It worked… Oh…”
• Gwyn looks up and turns, looking to Anja.
  • “You… you helped? I… it’s confusing, I sort of remember… you were friends… with the body I’m in? I don’t know what I am right now, but it’s like… like I know you all but I don’t. But thank you.”
  • “Of course. Tell the part of her, if that remains, that I care for her. And she is my friend.”
  • Gwyn cries at this.
• Anja gets closer to the boxed Gibbit. She reaches out to him, her hand touching against the magical glass of the cube. The Gibbit begins to twitch and move, shaking a bit. It’s still not awake or conscious, but it’s alive. Morgen says she’ll send us wherever we wish.
  • “I have… vague memories, there are still things we need to do here, there’s powerful people here… we must stop them…”
  • “No, no we have to go to Shah Vaedin, there’s a path that must be walked, Bran is still out there… We can reunite…”
• Gwyn puts her hands on the sides of her mother’s face.
  • “I need to do this, you must know.”
• Spirit check (B2 – 12 – exploding). Morgen nods.
  • “This is your path, then. The path to becoming a Zeraki.”
  • “Yes, I can still see the constellations.”
  • Yes, okay. Yes… I understand. I understand. You’re back.”
• Morgen hugs her tight. She then goes over to the cube, touching it in various places, and the top opens up. Healing energy fills inside of the tank, and the Gibbit begins to wriggle and writhe on the inside, before slowly rising out. Alphie dashes over, sliding on their knees to be eye-level. It floats into their arms.
  • “All of you can stay here for as long as you like. You truly are heroes, heroes beyond heroes. Thank you.”
• Anja bows her head slightly, looking back up at Morgen.
  • “I cannot say I really knew much love for my mother, but seeing you and Olwen, she’s very lucky to have you.”
• Morgen tells Gwyn that before we leave, the two of them are to speak to the Cosmic, and give a report about what has happened. Gwyn says she doesn’t know how much help she can be with that, and Morgen reassures her she doesn’t need to apologize at all.
• Alphie asks for marshmallows for the Gibbit, and Morgen rushes out to get them.
  • “You know, deep in your heart, Gwyn, if she ever discovers this trick, the chaos, the calamity, that will befall this world, it will be unlike anything possibly imaginable. You’ve given her everything, and if you take that away, you will have truly taken from her everything she’s ever wanted. At the moment, she is still overcome with awe and happiness. She is not thinking clearly in this moment. She will basically do whatever you ask.” (GM)
• We use Augury. “How do we convince the Cosmic that Gwyn's ruse is worthwhile to him to help her keep up?”
  • The only way that the Cosmic would at all support the keeping of this ruse is if the task that they had set out for Morgen gets done more efficiently. That task involves this machine with the Gibbit and the Gellid engine, and then using that machine. We’d have to convince them we could do it better. It’s not in the Cosmic’s best interest for all of us to walk free, and if it sees this it’s going to be like, “no no no”.
• Alphie senses the Gibbit’s emotional state. Thankfulness and happiness. It’s overjoyed.
• We make the decision to slip the lobotomy potion into Morgen’s coffee when she comes back. At about 12:45PM, Morgen returns, with a tray full of marshmallows she dispenses to the Gibbit. Gwyn stands excitedly, cup in hand, and walks up to Morgen.
  • “Mom, I know you’ve been feeling terrible and anxious these last few days, these last few years. I made you this, Alphie spoke so highly of this… I made some for you, I thought it would help you. Please, I just want you to feel better.”
  • “I am already the happiest I could ever be. Thank you, Olwen.”
• With a smile on her face, Morgen downs half the cup in one sip.
  • “It has that… that… coffee… taste to it. I’m… I’m very happy. It tastes… tastes like coffee…”
• And she keeps drinking it, as with each sip, we see the mountain that is her intellect fade, like a roaring bonfire burning its fuel away.
  • “I made this for you because I love you. I love you.”
  • “I love you too. Mm… coffee… is it hot here? Hot…”
• Morgen’s skin starts to become translucent, transparent, as the potion takes effect. She starts to go mute, and Gwyn feels the invisible form collapse back onto the couch, the cup finally dropping from her hand and hitting the ground. It’s been completely drunk. Gwyn falls to her knees next to the couch, sobbing, and holds her.
• As she holds her, eventually the effects of the potion begin to wear off, as it was diluted a bit. Gwyn sees Morgen, eyes glazed over, capable of only basic functions.
  • “As you look into the eyes of the woman who created you, and there’s nothing there. As the potion worked. You just gave her a magical lobotomy. And as you all stand there looking, it is here where we will end the session for today.”
• Everyone takes a level-up.