Sune's Solution (D&D/MGE)

Thanks to @DB_Explorer for the comm!


—


"Boss, you sure this forest was the best idea?"

Kragus Fireclaw looked back to the boss, a particularly cruel Drow named Moonbutcher. The Dragonborn had to blink in the dark, his eyes more suited to the bright deserts of the north than these dim forests near Rivenroar.

Moonbutcher scoffed, glaring at the Dragonborn in the dark. "Yes you fool, the town is just a short distance away. Then the museum. They watch the roads, use whatever passes for a brain in that head of yours to realize how blatant we'd be travelling on the open path."

Kragus starts to nod, then stops. "Well, boss… it's just…" The Dragonborn grunted, stepping over a spiderweb. The forest was covered in the stuff, far more than normal. He was a proud Dragonborn, far from scared of spiders. But there was a difference between spiders, and spiders.

"Be quiet and keep walki-" Moonbutcher started, then stopped abruptly, nearly running into the outstretched hand of Kragus. The dragonborn turned his head towards the canopy, sniffing audibly. "Boss…"

Moonbutcher looked up, but saw nothin-

"Well, well well. What delicious prey has come into my trap~" a sultry female voice carried through the wood from behind.

Moonbutcher jerked around, but then there was a laugh to the side.

"So very jumpy aren't we my little guests? Tell me, what brings you to my little wood?"

"Boss I don't li-"

"Oh? Boss?" a tongue dances across Moonbutcher's ear. The Drow spun around, blades flashing, only to get open air. The branches around them rusted, things chittered in the dark. Laughing voices of insects, animals, the trees themselves. And all the while the forest shook. Webs slack then go taut, "bandits bandits bandits, be thee bandits? It's been so very long since I've had a taste of bandits!"

"A trick." Moonbutcher growls, he steps back, pressing himself against Kragus. The man was shivering, terrified and worthless. Moonbutcher risked a glance back to berate his underling. Only to see a pair of terrified eyes staring at him from underneath the webbing. Moonbutcher only caught the eyes of his mummified compatriot for a moment, before with a muffled scream Kragus went flying up into the trees and out of sight.

Moonbutcher ran.

He leapt over trees, over rocks. Slicing his blades through webbing. But there was so much of it, and all the while, that cruel, mocking laugh chased after him. Keeping pace, sometimes ahead of him, sometime behind him. Where was he? Where was he going? He had been this way before. That tree was watching, where was this beast, this monster, this-

His foot snagged on a fresh stream of web, and he slammed to the ground, his swords bouncing along the ground and out of reach. Years of instincts took over, and he began to rise, only for webbing to slam into his hands and pin him to the ground. Then a clawed hand grabbed him by the hair, pulled his head up-

And he found himself face to face with a many eyed monster. Orange of hair with vicious fangs from her upper lip. Red eyes stared down at him in vicious, mocking delight. "Now then." The woman says. "Are you ready to join your friend?"

"M-m-monster…"

"Indeed."

—

Cassandra stepped into the small shack just outside of town, taking care to slip in via the window instead of the front door. Jacobus had ensured her it wouldn't be an issue but… she was war-

"Oh, Cassie you're back!" Jacobus greeted, a skinny man, slight of frame but wiry of muscle smiled at her from a chair just near the fire. "Did you find out the source of that noise you heard?"

Cassa… Cassie paused, staring at the man for a moment. Then. "Yes. I did. Didn't you say you were… going asleep?"

Jacobus shook his head. "While you are out working on keeping the wolves and the like away from the town? No, I made muffins for my little fuzzbutt."

"I am… I do not have… a fuzzy butt." The tarantula turned slightly, pushing her abdomen towards the corner, pink on her cheeks.

"Well, fuzzy butt or not, they're rasberry."

Cassie did her best to look impassive, the multiple spider-legs doing happy taps against the floor ruined that impression. Jacobus stepped into the kitchen, then returned a few moments later holding a tray. He began to set it down onto the table, then paused, staring at her. "Is that… blood on your face?"

Cassie blinked, reaching up and wiping away a trace of deep red blood. "... It's not mine."

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO4_8A9Uiwg

Thanks to @Dragontrapper for the comm!

---

"Greetings brave champion, would you care to perhaps come inside for a spot of tea? Freshly brewed." The woman was beautiful, with a fine white dress covered in glittering gemstones and intricately layered hair that looked to take about an hour to put together. Ruby red lips curled up in a smile at the sight of him, a fan tapping against her cheek in a carefully dainty manner.

Baeran smiled. "I thank you for the invitation ma'am, but I'm afraid I'm a Paladin, not a champion." He then waved a hand in goodbye, and continued upon his was, crossing a hill, Fuyao following just behi-

"Greetings brave Paladin, would you care to perhaps come inside for a sip of wine? Freshly poured." Another woman in front of another mansion asked, equally beautiful… no, identically beautiful. Baeran paused for a moment, staring at her. It had been a good five minutes since he had said goodbye, and apparently the woman, along with her entire house had managed to move a half mile into another nearby meadow. The house was… yes, it was indeed identical, but also slightly wet. Like it had just begun to dry from rain, and, upon closer inspection, what appeared to be a carpet leading into the interior of the house was a tongue.

"My apologies ma'am, but I am traveling, and must, therefore, avoid wine."

The woman's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing as she watched him cont-

Baeran heard a loud crunching sound, and the mansion was in front of him. Dirt blew off in every direction, and Baeran stood there, a tired sigh on his lips as he took in the woman in front of him.

"Anal?" she offered.

"Oh that's just crass." Fuyao muttered.

"At least she's asking instead of demanding." Baeran replied, staring at the woman. "Are you… a mimic?"

"... No?" the woman replied, opening her fan and waving it in front of her face.

Fuyao sighed, lowering her pack onto the ground and producing a torch a moment later.

"... Maybe." The woman replied. "But come onnnnn, please?"

"Madam, the people of this land are wary of mimics, and there are few fools who would fall for such an easy ru-"

Fuyao shot Baeran a look.

"Not many fool-"

Eyebrow.

"While a decently sizable portion of the population it doesn't mean it is right, and besides, picking yourself up and moving yourself multiple times is not exactly the most subtle of hunting methods."

The 'woman' blinked. "Multiple times? Whatever are you talking about?"

Baeran stared at her, opened his mouth to speak, but was then interrupted. As a voice called from behind me.

"Mead?"

Baeran turned… and found himself staring at a mansion, the same mansion, with the same woman. He looked back… and saw a mirror image. Distantly, back the way he came, he could see two other mansions speeding along the plains.

"Alchemist fire boss?"

Baeran opened his mouth to respond, paused, and thought about it. Then. "No Fuyao, I believe I can talk our way out of this one."

"Ignis?"

"Fuyao, summoning Ignis is not a method of solving problems."

"I dunno, she's shaped like a big stick."

"Fuyao."

Baeran sighed once more, then turned to face the… women again. He began to speak, he spoke for quite a while actually, about the proper way to court men and to offer shelter to travelers on the road if they weren't planning to simply eat people but instead consort them for… essence.

Unfortunately it ended as it usually did, though slightly different.

… It led to a small city attempting to invade his mansion in jealousy.

Also, have a dragon.


View: https://i.imgur.com/EcNaClY.jpeg

View: https://youtu.be/46Jt74Jr024

[Ilias]

Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!

—

It's a surprise when the doors burst open to reveal Ilias. The goddess has her foot extended, and her hands shoot out to catch the doors as they rebound against the wall, pushing them closed behind her as she steps into the chapel. Seeing her is a surprise, if anyone was going to bug you, you figured it would be Cidrom, or Fuyao, or Brynhild again. None of them would have been welcome, Ilias was even less welcome. You don't bother standing up, but you do watch her as she enters, passing the pews. Her hand ghosts over the wood as she walks, her steps near silent.

"I am no demon that will burn upon contact with the holy, no monster that shies away from the blessed."

Your expression must have shown, as she continues. "Yes, I know what you are thinking, and no. I shall not leave." Then her gaze shifts past you towards the far wall, the mural there. "Sune, I take it." Her head tilts slightly. "Pretty, I suppose. She would have made a fine ange-"

"Why are you here?"

"Because you remind me of myself, and that has never occurred before." Ilias says, her eyes shifting from Sune to yourself, blue eyes catching the light unnaturally, glowing ever-so-faintly. With her blonde hair, loose clothes, and blue eyes, she was beautiful. But the stench ruined that.

"I am nothing like you, monster."

"Do not speak as if you know me mortal," Ilias replies curtly. "And do not pretend you aren't one yourself."

You stand, turning to face the 'goddess'. "Leave."

"No."

"That was not a request."

"No, it was you attempting to give me an order." Ilias retorts. "And I do not care, there is nothing left you can do to me, there is nothing left that anyone can do to me besides taking my life. I am already a prisoner, I have already been taken from my home, I have already lost everything I ever had. You may threaten me all you wish, you may yell at me all you wish. Bu-"

You shake your head. "I don't have time fo-"

"I AM TRYING TO HELP YOU, FOOL!" Ilias bellows. "Do you think nobody would be familiar with this? What you have placed upon yourself?" she steps forward, her face a foot from your own. "I am not the monsters out there, I am not the mortal out there. I am not that silver beast. I am a goddess, I have lived a life, I have experienced an existence of an infinitely longer span than you could even begin to imagine."

Ilias closes her eyes, letting out a long and slow breath. "To do the best for others, to know the best for others. To continue to do what is right, what is pure, what is good. To ignore anything that may be construed as 'other' or outside the path. To slay those that work against you, work against those you wish to protect, work against your ideals and purpose. To slave for it, day after day after day, year after year, decade after decade, millenia after millenia." Her eyes open again, blue orbs fixed upon you. "And you become greedy, your way is correct, your way must be correct because it is working. It doesn't matter if some may suffer, it doesn't matter if the people you care about suffer, you are powerful, you are beloved, you must be correct. " She steps closer, a half foot between you now. "And they love you for it, you protect them, you lie to them. You will coddle them, you will keep them safe from any harm, all the while you lose more and more of yourself. You become less a being and more an image, less an ideal and more a personification. Then, you prevent them from getting any thoughts of moving away from your protection, they cannot take care of themselves after all. It must be you, it must be the idea of you. Because you love them."

Her words are coming faster, quicker, more bitter. This is no longer about you.

"So it doesn't matter if people you love have to die, it doesn't matter if the family you surround yourself with fades away. Is used, is abandoned, hates you. You're doing your duty, you are doing your best for others…" She smiles, it's a broken, shaky thing. "It's never for others. It's so that you don't have to see what you truly are, you push forward, so you don't have to look in the mirror. You keep going, because otherwise you would have to stop and look back."

"... What happened to you?" You ask quietly.

"I told you, when we first met, when you imprisoned me. I ruled humanity, and they decided I wasn't enough for them." Her smile fades entirely. "I was a goddess of good, of light. And I did… I did…" Ilias looks away. "I did terrible things to the people who loved me, and the people who could have loved me. Because it was within my power to do so."

"Were you alone in your pantheon?"

Ilias nods her head. "I had servants, I had… family… but I was there at the creation of my realm. And I was alone, there was another after a time, but…" She shakes her head. "We couldn't… no, we… It was too different." She looks back to you once more. "I killed, I fought, and I protected those I deemed worthy of it. I ignored anything else, I paid no attention to any foibles that I or my followers had. I was the goddess, what I was doing must be right. For I had the power to do it. Nothing could stop me, nothing should ever want to stop me. And so… I became my own antithesis, I became the monsters I fought against." She stops then, simply staring at me for several seconds, then speaks, very quietly. "You spoke as I did, once. What would you do with that power of yours if you fall as I did?"

"I have no desire to fall, Ilias." You reply.

"Do you believe I did? Do you believe I wished to be laying bleeding on the ground, defeated underneath the one being left in the world I still loved? Abandoned again? Alone, again? I hadn't realized how far I had gone until the very end, until hundreds of thousands had died, until I had stopped being the Goddess of Light and instead became a monster."

"And I never will." You counter.

Ilias's eyes narrow. "I do not know what realm I am in, but I do know heroes. I know you could kill everyone in this mansion with nary a thought on your part, and there is nothing they can do about it. If you break, if you fall, if you become so lost in your convictions you cease recognizing yourself. Is there anyone that can stop you? I have lived in your mansion, I have seen your trophies, your deeds."

You open your mouth to reply, then pause. Turning your head, you look towards the depiction of your goddess again. "Leave."

"Answer the question."

"Leave."

"Answer the question!"

"BEGONE!" you shout.

"PLEASE!" Ilias shrieks, and you feel hands clasp against your back. "Please, please please. You may hate me if you wish, I deserve it. But… do not… become as I did."

You turn your head to look at the goddess once more, tears were running down her face. You stare at her for some time, saying nothing, your thoughts a jumbled mess, and then. "One. If you must know. There is only one who I believe could stand against me. A wizard of great renown."

"If you become a monster, convinced you are acting still as a force for good, only… one? What about your goddess?"

You shake your head. "They cannot interfere on the mortal plane. They can provide blessings, then can send representatives, but they cannot directly interfere."

Ilias stares back, her chest heaving with breath, tears still running down her face. Reaching up, she wipes at her eyes, the ethereal cloth she wraps herself in, jagged, torn and dirty as it was. Becomes stained with blotches of tears. "I… cannot fix what I did. I do not know if given the chance I wouldn't make the same mistakes. I do not trust myself." She shuts her eyes hard, then blinks several times, wiping at them further before focusing on you once more. "I do not care for you, but… what you are. I've lived it, I recognize it, and I wouldn't see someone else… do what I did."

"I have no desire to become evil," you say quietly.

"Then why do you no longer radiate good?"

You…

You…

That…

You draw in a breath, steadying yourself. A lie, the evil goddess is lying.

… But the scent, the scent of rotten food, that miasma that had grown all too familiar over the years. The scent you had learned to ignore, so that you didn't simply go crazy and mete out justice damn the consequences. It wasn't…

It wasn't only coming from her.

You take a step back, then another.

"You only just now realized it." Ilias says. "When I first met you, your light was dim, but present, but I mistook that for your anger. Now it is gone entirely, just little eked traces of it left."

Your back bumps against the altar, and you stumble, falling to the ground as the goddess walks towards you. She says nothing as she stands over you, she doesn't look at you with rage and hate like when you first met, this is something far worse. It is pity. She pities you.

Then she reaches down a hand, and places it against your shoulder. "I can help you."

—

[] [Refuse]
She is evil, and she isn't from here, she can't help you. None here could.

[] [Accept]
She… seems to know what is bothering you. More than anyone else.