Dionysus You are in the streets of Madziar. The city is draped uncharacteristically in black, dark clouds, the whole place feels sinister.

Jack_C Is anyone around me?

Dionysus Shemir going about their business, wearing dark colors not typical to them.

• Jack_C finds a place to get out of general line of sight and observes for a few minutes.

Jack_C can I tell what district I am in?

Dionysus This should be the main thoroughfare, Creation-based.

Jack_C I try to find my way to the music district.

Jack_C Is Little Wing with me?

Dionysus He is not.

• Jack_C is so worried he's right out the other side into zen.

Dionysus You can make your way rather easily toward what should be the music district, but when you arrive, you find it as dark as the others.

• Jack_C closes his eyes and prays. "Venuvea, I'm in Madziar. Where are you?"

Dionysus She does not answer.

• Jack_C tries again. "Thrush, can you tell me where Venuvea is?"

Dionysus No answer to your prayers.

• Jack_C takes a deep, shaky breath, and tries to find his way to the gates.

Dionysus "Stop right there, sir," a shemir constable in dark uniform says.

• Jack_C stops.

Dionysus "Where's your mark, sir?"

• Jack_C turns and smiles, casually reaching for his coin purse. "Oh I got it right here--" tosses the coin purse in hopes of distracting the shemir. rolling rogue in main chat.

Jack_C and whether it works or not, spotted-ass-ape's for the gates.

Dionysus Another shemir constable is behind you, grabbing you, "Trying to bribe an officer of the law is a serious crime, sir."

Jack_C "So is this." nad shot.

Dionysus He bats it away easily. "You're coming with us, sir." The other siezes your arms.

• Jack_C is really worried right now.

Dionysus They begin dragging you toward city-center, the Temple of what should be Creation

• Jack_C is likely powerless to resist.

Dionysus After maybe ten minutes, you reach the city center, and are brought into the temple, to where you once met the Alpha Shemir and saw a map of the world.

Dionysus This time, though, the being there is not the Alpha Shemir, but the shemir cultist of Deserel who attacked you when you were here.

Dionysus At his side, sits Venuvea, wearing a dark robe, and a spider holy symbol. Plague webbing adorns her arms

Jack_C Jack loses 1d10 san.

Jack_C I don't know any better way to describe his reaction.

Dionysus The dark shemir looks to you & glares, "The runaway Scion returns." Venuvea smiles coldly.

• Jack_C sings Avalon Winter.

Dionysus You see the shemir grow larger, stronger, as you sing... and Venuvea's spiderwebbing extend itself.

Dionysus "Nice. Very nice, Scion."

Dionysus "Sing more, sing louder."

• Jack_C shrugs. "Okay." shifts to the Ball of Caraidh Mahr.

Dionysus Venuvea happily sings along, mockingly. The dark shemir laughs, and points to the map of creation, the living map...

Dionysus Which is darkling twisting with every note you sing.

Dionysus Atop the World Tree, a woman with snakes for her hair, a dark angel, the Mother of Darkness, Deserel, sits, its ruler.

Dionysus The oceans are blood.

Dionysus The continents dark empires in her name.

Dionysus And they all get darker as you sing.

• Jack_C stops singing.

Dionysus The dark shemir says, "Have a drink."

Jack_C "No."

Dionysus He pours some liquer that smells sweet and fine.

Dionysus "No?"

Jack_C Jack reaches for it with a trembling hand.

Jack_C "Why not...you've taken everything else..."

Jack_C wait. I may have a karma to spend.

Dionysus You're in a barroom somewhere in the gutter in Maraddon, probably twenty years ago. Your memories are of that time.

Dionysus You're five shots in and another four sound good right now.

Jack_C Nope. I don't.

Jack_C so I order the four shots all at once.

Jack_C "Bourbon, Scotch, Innesrae Dew, and Tequila."

Dionysus A cheer goes up, and the tender hands them over.

Dionysus You drink them?

Jack_C yes. the tequila last.

Dionysus "Jack?" One of the Troubadors.

Jack_C "Leave me alone. I'm dead." I rise, and turn to go upstairs.

Dionysus "That's right, Jack. You're dead. You're not just dead, you're /out/. We're through with you."

• Jack_C stops, and turns to look at them.

Jack_C "What?"

Jack_C "Fock you, Cecil. I /made/ you. Wanna throw me out? do it. But take my advice and stay out of the Reaver Sea."

Dionysus "Tonight, you were half drunk when you /got on stage/. You tried to insult the /mayor/ of this town, but it wasn't even coherent."

• Jack_C shakes his head. "Nothing's coherant."

Dionysus "You're a hasbeen, Jack Crane. A pathetic hasbeen."

Jack_C "Might have been. Learn the difference."

Jack_C "I gotta find a hate church."

Jack_C I go out past him.

Dionysus You come out the door not into the street, but into a back alley. Sir Mark is there, standing guard, and three men in dark robes are squaring off with him. "He is a defiler!" they cry.

Jack_C "They're right, Mark...I'm not worth it."

Jack_C "Come on you lot. Face me."

Dionysus Mark glances back, disgust evident on his face. You /know/ now, that he wants to let them face you. But he turns to fight them instead.

Dionysus It might be the first time you've seen someone die.

• Jack_C shakes his head sadly, tears behind his eyes.

Jack_C "Mark, really I--NO!"

Dionysus He is clearly aiming to incapacitate, but one he definitely kills with a blow to the back of the head with the flat of his blade. "Quit, Master Crane. They are scum. If they fall, so be it. Tis the Mother's Mercy."

Jack_C "I'm not worth it, mate."

Dionysus He looks up from where the three lie on the ground, one dead, "Tis my duty to defend your body and dispatch the servants of darkness, and so I have done." His voice is disdainful.

Jack_C "I'm sorry, Mark. For everything."

Jack_C "I wish I could appologize in a way that means somethin' to you, but I can't."

Dionysus He sneers, then turns to deal with the bodies properly.

• Jack_C has a silent tear, and moves on.

Dionysus You smell the stink of beer and gutter water here, and the stench of the recently dead as you walk out of the alley into the barroom again. You hear yourself saying, "I gotta find a hate church."

Dionysus And then, you and the image of you saying that merge as a big, ugly goblin stands beside you, glaring, his hate-faith symbol, a dagger & mas on a chain, hanging from his neck.

Jack_C "I gotta find a hate church...'ey bartender."

Jack_C "Come over here."

Dionysus His hand lands on your shoulder.

Dionysus The bartender starts putting bottles away

• Jack_C chuckles. "Go ahead. I deserve it."

Jack_C "Might even make you feel better."

Dionysus The beating is savage. Bones break. You are probably concussed. Your shoulder is torn out of socket. And just before you black out, you feel him pulling your tongue out...

Jack_C Jack is now non-functional.

Dionysus You awaken as a child, no memories from beyond childhood, in your father's house, long, long ago. Strange details stick out: the light-faith cross above the kitchen door, the smell of hay, your sister's singing, an old sheep dog the family had... And a presence around the corner, something dark, watching.

• Jack_C cowers

Dionysus The dog starts barking toward the presence.

• Jack_C knows better than to look. You never look.
• Jack_C closes his eyes and tries to pray it away.

Dionysus You feel a rush as the presence vanishes.

• Jack_C blinks.

Dionysus A moment later, your father storms in. "What the--Jack?"

• Jack_C looks up horrified.

Dionysus He looks angry, but you don't know why. He growls, "Never, ever do that again! Not in my house!"

Jack_C "Never do what?"

Dionysus He grabs you & drags you out back. "You know what!"

• Jack_C screams involuntarily.

Dionysus He begins to punish you corporally, yelling his head off about never doing /that/ again.

Dionysus When it's over, he growls, "To your room, lad, and don't come out til morning."

• Jack_C cries on the way to his room.

Dionysus As you enter your room, you're now a young singer in his prime again, this time in front of a crowd of adoring fans. You've got this new song, "Dues for Deserel," to premier tonight.

Jack_C and this one means a lot to him, because that song came from deep within.

Dionysus They are cheering for you, waiting for the song.

• Jack_C plays to the crowd,

Jack_C and introduces.

Jack_C "Ladies and Gentlemen, and I use the terms as loosely as you like,"

Jack_C "Time to pay my dues."

Jack_C and start singing.

Dionysus The crowd goes quiet...

Dionysus And then...

Dionysus "Boo!"

Dionysus "What is this?"

Dionysus "My gods, what is this?"

Dionysus "Hey, play something we know!"

Dionysus "Hey, Jack, drop your pants!"

Dionysus "Snooze for Deserel, more like!"

Dionysus "You're awful!"

• Jack_C falters.

Dionysus "Get off the stage!"

• Jack_C sneers, flips 'em off, and storms off the stage.
• Jack_C starts hyperventilating. "No...this isn't me...something's wrong..."

Jack_C "I'm not like this!"

• Jack_C slides down against the wall backstage, holding his head in his hands. "I'm not like this..."

Jack_C "Mark, I'll do it! I'll go light faith!"

Jack_C crying full out.

Jack_C "I'll do it...swear me in..."

Dionysus You realize as you cry that you're no longer at that venue.

• Jack_C looks around frantically. "Mark?"

Dionysus You're on a cross.

Dionysus Your arms hurt. Your head hurts. You're starving.

Dionysus Your body is in agony.

Jack_C "No...No no no no no..."

Jack_C "No this isn't me either...this isn't me..."

Dionysus And crows sit on the arms of the cross. "Why, Grayson..." a voice says.

Jack_C "I'm not Grayson!"

Dionysus "Haven't we had this conversation before?"

Jack_C "No! You and Grayson did! I wasn't there!"

Dionysus "Grayson, Grayson, I come with an offer. You know the score. This will just keep happening over & over again, you see, while you're here in my jar."

Dionysus "Until you win." The Devil laughs.

Jack_C "I'm...Grayson? Grayson are you here?!"

Jack_C "Answer me!"

Jack_C "Don't take the deal! Not even at the end!"

Jack_C "Don't do it! He wins if you do!"

Dionysus "So yes, a new deal for us, Grayson. This time, I bet you can't sing all of this tune before you pass out..." He hums "Avalon Winter."

Dionysus "Oh, you accept? I somehow knew you would."

Jack_C "I'm not taking it!"

Jack_C don't fockin' take it!"

Jack_C "

Dionysus You hear "yourself" humming "Avalon Winter."

• Jack_C tries to fight it.

Dionysus As it is hummed, the Devil speaks, "I met some more of your kinsmen. One even tried to turn me. With this tune, no less."

Dionysus "I gave him spiderweb plague in return, the git."

Jack_C "It didn't stick! Don't listen to him!"

• Jack_C tries to help Grayson with his willpower.

Dionysus "Well, that's not entirely true. I gave him plague for being so foolish as to try to humilate me somehow." He laughs, "I should have just stolen his soul & stuck him inhere with you.

• Disconnected (Connection reset by peer).

Dio "Well, that's not entirely true. I gave him plague for being so foolish as to try to humilate me somehow." He laughs, "I should have just stolen his soul & stuck him inhere with you.

Dio "Faltering, Grayson?"

Dio He laughs.

Dio "What if we do it this way?"

Jack_C "I tried to piss on 'im, Grayson. I'm not a model descendant, I know, but hold on."

Dio The crows begin to peck your body.

• Jack_C screams.

Dio It all goes black, & you awaken in the arms of a girl. You're maybe thirty again.

• Jack_C awakes with a start.

Jack_C "Oh thank Broncour. I had a nightmare."

• Jack_C starts to tell her about it.

Dionysus She doesn't really react.

Dionysus In fact, she doesn't react at all. She stares, kinda vacantly, at you.

• Jack_C waves his hand in front of her face.

Dionysus She doesn't respond.

Jack_C "Oh fock."

• Jack_C checks for signs of life.

Dionysus No breathing. Body chill. No pulse.

• Jack_C calls for help.

Dionysus The door swings open, and a very large man is there. "Donna? What the--who the hell are you? What have you done to my daughter?!"