== > Be Irisen.

Being Irisen at the moment would be far more gruesome for this tale, so you will be the watcher instead.

NINFIA: What's he d(o)ing...?

You are peering into Irisen's hive, having recently landed on LoPaB with an "(O)(O)F!" He appears to be unstringing his My Small Hoofbeasts circle viciously, ripping Zenana's doll out from the rest. The thick red threads connecting her to him are torn, and the black thread between him and Canira looks thicker than it used to be. Hmmm... you don't think Canira reciprocated his Caliginous feelings, however. Well, each to their own ships.

Watching him is... very disturbing.

Still, it's better than continuing to think about Zenana.

As you watch, Irisen tears through his closet, throwing miscellaneous highblood crap around until he reaches an entire stash of Zenana dolls. He grabs candles off one of his tables, lewd pony drawings off his walls, and a book from his shelf. Placing them in a pentacle shape, he looks at it carefully. Bending closer to the window, you hear...

IRISEN: ****** Tana alia cantara Zenana, cotag Zenana, galloptana, hooftana, Zenanatana!

It sounds suspiciously like nonsense to you.

IRISEN: ****** Yup, that'll work.

He heads toward the door. Quickly, you duck out of sight. He's captchalogued everything he placed on the table and is heading toward the gem mines to the north of his hive.== > Be Ciphre.

You are now Ciphre again.Hestus is being... resistant to your suggestions. He wants to save the team but doesn't trust you fully.

HESTUS: ~You'd do any1hing for the grea1er good, righ1?~

CIPHRE: yes! that^s why you should trust me. x^m unbxased. mostly.

HESTUS: ~1hat's why I can'1 1tus1 you! You'd only do wha1 you 1hink is the unbiased, righ1 1hing 1o do!~

CIPHRE: the unxverse xs huge! txme xs only one element of xt! doom xs unxversal!

HESTUS: ~I know the universe is big! I1's vas1 and complica1ed and ridiculous.~

HESTUS: ~Bu1 you're no1 1he only one who unders1ands i1.~

CIPHRE: alternxa^s gone. we^re the only ones left. so we^ve got to step up.

HESTUS: ~1his won'1 be easy, Ciphre. Most people see 1ime as linear, but i1's more like a grea1 big ball of wibbly-wobbly, 1imey-wimey... s1uff.~

CIPHRE: x know xt won^t be easy. but wxth your txme-travel skxlls and my laser focus-

CIPHRE: what^s that!?

HESTUS: ~Wha1?~

CIPHRE: that!

HESTUS: ~I don'1 see any1hing.~

CIPHRE: no, x hear somethxng! words, rxght xn my mxnd.

A SUN-WARMED MUSICIAN types a shitty haiku to an innocent seer.

> dreams like a podcast

> downloading truth in my ears

> they tell me cool stuff

Yes, he admits that one's atrocious.

> hey, kid.

> I dreamed about you.

> you're in danger.

> warnings from the clouds

> a seer like you knows it

> death flies on snake wings

> kid.

> I'm looking out for you here. helping out a fellow seer, if you will.

> be careful of the dual snake.

> yin and yang. orange and purple, not black and white. twisted somehow. no balance.

> evil gets good this time.

> later, ciphre.

> I'll be watching.

CIPHRE: terrxble haxkus and a carefree but enxgmatxc attxtude?CIPHRE: thxs remxnds me of...

CIPHRE: x gotta see persus!

HESTUS: !

== > Be SP.

You are now the Somber Pilgrim and you are STARTING A GARDEN.

Growth. Life. Agriculture. Nourishment. Food. Air. Beauty. Hope.

PLANTS.

== > And that's enough exiles for now.

You are now PERSUS RITAMA in the Land of Frogs and Mythos and boy are you starting to hate frogs.

PERSUS: ME, FroG BreedinG? That'S LikE MakinG ME ThE GoD OF HomeworK AnD GooD GradeS!

CARIEL: +— noT really Though. you are aquaTIc.

PERSUS: I donT WanT TO LeT AnyonE DowN!

CARIEL: +— you won'T.

PERSUS: IM AdhD. I CanT FocuS WelL AnD WhaT IF I MesS UP AT A CruciaL MomenT?

CARIEL: +— ThaT's why I'm here.

CARIEL: +— jusT Try To ThInk, ok?

PERSUS: I try not to think. It interferes with my being nuts.

CARIEL: +— clearly.

He appearifies the paradox slime of another frog.

CARIEL: +— ThaT looks proMIsIng... noT.

PERSUS: ThiS IS LikE SomE BiG JokE. AlL I WanteD WaS TO PlaY A GamE, NoT MesS UP OuR LiveS.

PERSUS: ThiS IS LikE SomE BiG PracticaL JokE OF ThE GodS.

PERSUS: AnD ItS HarD TO EnjoY PracticaL JokeS WheN YouR LifE IS OnE.

PERSUS: WerE NoT ThE SmartesT, OR ThE StrongesT. BuT I ThinK WerE ThE KindesT.

PERSUS: ThE BesT PeoplE HavE ThE RottenesT LucK.

CARIEL: +— you're rIghT, you know.

CARIEL: +— none of us deserved ThIs. noT even DesTen. okay well Maybe hIM buT I DIgress.

CARIEL: +— whaT we need Is soMeone who can change our luck.

CARIEL: +— and soMeone to gIve us hope.

PERSUS: I DonT WanT US TO FalL AparT.

CARIEL: +— we have To fIghT.

CARIEL: +— speakIng of whIch...

CARIEL: +—braccas Meas vescIMInI?

PERSUS: I WasnT SurE WherE ThE LatiN CamE FroM. I ThinK IT MeanS "EaT MY PantS."

CARIEL: +— nIce one.

CARIEL: +— and... DID you borrow my sword? You are noT allowed To Touch My weapons.

PERSUS: (WelL TherE GoeS MY PlaN TO SelL TheM On EbaY)

CARIEL: +— sell Them on whaT?!

PERSES: A MythicaL PlacE OF GreaT MagicaL PoweR.

CARIEL: +— ...CARIEL: +— I thInk you're geTTIng Trolled. your huskTop's pIngIng.

PERSUS: SO IS YourS.

Ciphre appears to have opened a memo.

CCG: GUYS GUYS GUYS GUYS

CCG: there are exxles tryxng to contact us!

CAA: ExxleS?

CCG: exiles!

CAT: +— and ThIs Is relevanT because?

CCG: thxs xs bxg! they can tell us thxngs from the future! they lxve xn post-apocalypse alternxa and they want to help us.

PERSUS: WondeR WhO MinE IS?

CARIEL: +— let's fInD ouT.

PERSUS: HoW?

CARIEL: +— I have no IDea.

CAT: +— how Do you fInd ouT yours?

CCG: they speak rxght xnto your mxnd

PAST animatedGallivant [AG] began responding to memo  113 HOURS AGO

PAG: (So_that's_what_I've_been_hearing!)

PAG: (Words,_phrases_in_my_head!)

PAG: (Good_to_know_I'm_not_insane!) ;p

PAST animatedGallivant [AG] ceased responding to memo  113 HOURS AGO

CURRENT anarchistCreatures [CAC] began responding to memo RIGHT NOW

CAC: N(O) D(O)N'T G(O) ZENANA

CCG: she must^ve been the death x foretold

CURRENT telltaleTransfiguration [CTT] began responding to memo RIGHT NOW.

CTT: C∆r|el! ∆re y•u ∆lr|ght?

CAC: Great, y(o)u. I'm (o)ut.

FUTURE anarchistCreatures [FAC] began responding to memo 300 HOURS FROM NOW.

FAC: Wait, past me!

CAC: This is weird

FAC: Give Hekata a chance, (o)k?

CAC: I CAN'T BELIEVE Y(O)U SAID THAT!

FAC: I remember having this reacti(o)n...

CAC: She's a m(o)nster! She d(o)esn't deserve t(o) live! Zenana did!

CCG: guys

CTT: Y•u st|ll th|nk th∆t? ∆fter ∆ll th|s t|me?

FAC: S(o) y(o)u wish she had been the death Ciphre said there'd be.

CAC: N(o)! I just...

FAC: Y(o)u d(o)n't want any(o)ne t(o) die.

CAC: N(o), (o)f c(o)urse I d(o)n't.

FAC: Y(o)u need t(o) be a healer, Past Ninfia.

FAC: Starting with y(o)ur (o)wn heart.

FUTURE anarchistCreatures [FAC] ceased responding to memo 300 HOURS FROM NOW.

CAC: What the hell.

CCG: guys.

CTT: Pers•nal emi|t|es n•tw|thst∆nd|ng, | th|nk we ∆ll need t• meet |n pers•n. My l∆nd h∆s ∆ huge c∆stle w|th en•ugh r••m f•r ∆ll •f us t• be c•mf•rt∆ble.

PAST canteringAndrogyny [PCA] began responding to memo SIX MINUTES AGO.

PCA: *** Yeah rael clsasy makig us all cmoe to you whlie you saty all prtety in your masnion

PCA: ****  * Nifnia is rihgt i'ts yuo who shouldv'e died

CTT: Y•u s∆y |'m pretent|•us! | c•uld be s••••• much w•rse! | w∆s ra|sed t• be the future QUEEN of ∆LL TR•LLS, EVERYWHERE. Then, w|th th|s g∆me, my ent|re kingd•m g•t w|ped •ut fr•m under me.

CTT: N•w, even the tr•lls | c∆lled my friends ∆re turning ∆g∆|nst me.

CTT: |'m s•rry |'m n•t perfect! |'m s•rry y•u want me dead! |'m s•rry Zen∆n∆ d|ed! |'m s•rry we're f∆ll|ng t• pieces ∆ll •ver the pl∆ce. I'm s•rry, I'm s•rry, I'm s•rry!

CCG: guys!

CTT: |'VE H∆D EN•UGH, |'VE SEEN EN•UGH, | W∆NT •UT, | W∆NT |T T• END, | D•N'T C∆RE ∆NYM•RE!

CURRENT telltaleTransfiguration [CTT] ceased responding to memo RIGHT NOW.

CCG: GOGDAMMXT GUYS WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

CAT: +— you've MaDe an eneMy, IrIsen. NoboDy DIsses my MoIraIl.

CAT: +— anD are you Drunk?!

PCA: * ** * waht do youo maen of cuorse not

PCA: * ******* 'Im sboer

CURRENT grandioseAdorability [CGA] began responding to memo RIGHT NOW.

CGA: !r!$en, Hek@t@CGA: @re you ok?

PCA: DO'NT TLAK TO ME YUO PNIK SLDGUEBOLOD!

PAST canteringAndrogyny [PCA] ceased responding to memo FIVE MINUTES AGO.

CCG: GUYS!

CGA: W#@t?

CCG: what hekata saxd made sense

CCG: she has an entxre castle and room for all of us

CAC: N(o) way I'm g(o)ing there.

CCG: what about the good of the team?

CCG: x^m sure your room can be the farthest from hers!

CAC: Fine. But I'm n(o)t g(o)ing t(o) help anything she's part (o)f.

CCG: we^re fallxng apart

CURRENT consequentialGravity [CCG] closed memo RIGHT NOW.

Cariel is breathing hard, her blade out and shimmering.

CARIEL: +— I can'T belIeve They saID ThaT abouT her

CARIEL: +— I have to fInd her

CARIEL: +— who knows whaT she's up to, alone by herself In ThaT huge empty castle, everyone TellIng her she shoulD be DeaD

CARIEL: +— I can'T leave her

She races across your land faster than you've seen any troll go.

PERSUS: WaiT! I WanT TO HelP!

She phases out of existence with her voidy powers and is gone before you can say "Poseidon's underpants."

PERSUS: PoseidonS MosT BaggY Y-frontS!

In your frustration, you hit a button accidentally. The paradox slime of a frog appears. This one... this one does look promising.