Eberron: End of Chapter 1 (part 3)

On the way back to Sharn, Antonius convinced Tosh to accompany him to give his report to the council of twelve. The two parted for an hour while Tosh tracked down Zhen. Upon contacting her, Zhen said she was with Tosh's "LOVELY sister in law" at the inn. Tosh headed down there and walked right into the room where his wife's sister sat meditating and Zhen was pacing. He walked right up to Zhen and threw his arms around her. He held her close for a long moment until a pointed clearing of a throat behind him brought him back. Tosh told his sister in law that they wouldn't be leaving until later today when the docks opened and that he had business to take care of in the meantime. She huffed that she would head down and try to hurry things up as much as possible and headed out. Zhen took Tosh aside and told him two suspicious people were watching his sister in law. Zhen took them out from behind and they fell like puppets with their strings cut. They were in the alleyway across the street. Tosh and Zhen headed out and found two catatonic forms sitting in the street. He sensed a great psionic signature coming from them. These two bodies once held Inspired...he was sure of it. Which meant the Inspired knew why she was here, and that could spell doom for the kalashtars' plans.

Tosh told Zhen of what happened with Tess, and Zhen said she did some looking into a group who was hunting her, and noted that they left. In fact all of the various groups hunting Tess had either left or disbanded. It seemed the world knew she was dead.

Zhen said she'd watch Tosh's sister in law, and he made his report to the twelve. He told them she was dead, but survived by one son. They said the reason they wanted to see her was to settle Harm Akari's estate. He had sent a messenger while we were in Talenta, and named Tess as sole heir to his vast fortune, his estate, and a number of artifacts he had made or aquired in his travels. With Antonius assigned to assist him, Tosh had 90 days to get a legal heir before them or Harm's estate passed to them. Tosh pressed a matter....Antonius had been after Tess for months, and Harm had changed his will only weeks ago. They admitted they wanted her for other reasons. They wanted to offer her the chance to reestablish the thirteenth house. They extended that offer to her son. They would take him and protect him and provide him the finest education and chances in life. They would even sweeten the pot.... One of the artifacts Harm found in Xen'drik would store a Quori spirit inside it and protect it....even beyond the turning of the wheel of ages.

Both alarmed at what the council knew as well as angered at their assumptions, Tosh's eyes narrowed. He said good day to them and walked out of the meeting hall. Antonius followed and offered his help on Tosh's current mission. Tosh asked why and Antonius admitted he was a bit tired of being a glorified messenger boy and wanted to do some good in the world. Besides...he could be a very good means of extraction if things went badly in Sarlona.

Tosh paused and looked at Antonius. "That....that damned changeling means a great deal to me."

Antonius smiled good-naturedly "I can see that much."

"I don't want her to die in there. If things went wrong and you were able to save her..... I would be forever grateful."

"I will make her extraction my top priority."

Antonius offered a hand and Tosh shook it. He was silently amused at the irony of it all. Antonius was about to find out how similar he was to who Tosh used to be once. A very very long time ago.



Tess awoke to a white mist over a featureless white plane. She got up and looked around. She called out and noone answered, so she began to wander. For what seemed like forever she walked and got nowhere...it was still the same empty mist, with nobody around.

She sat down on the ground(?), complaining to the mist. "You know....I think the afterlife pretty much sucks."

"There you go thinking again."

She looked back to see the mist part and reveal the slightly hunched form of an old man. Harm stepped into view and smiled at her.

In a very un-Tess-like moment, she was up on her feet and bowling him over with a hug in no time. Tears were in her eyes as she looked up at him and smiled herself. "I was hoping I'd get a chance to see you. I mean so much has happened....I got married, but I didn't want to...I got pregnant and had a baby, and he was supposed to be evil, but I got him cleansed and I think he might be okay...he looks normal...I mean he looks beautiful...but I'm not sure what's going to happen, and.....I didn't get to say goodbye before you left."

Harm looked at her with his patient look that said he was waiting for her to stop not making sense before he continued on. "Listen kiddo...we need to talk. See this isn't quite the afterlife yet. It's more of a....waiting room."

"A waiting room? Why are we waiting?"

"Well because you're not technically dead yet."

"There's a spectrum of dead?"

Harm rolled his eyes. "You'd be surprised. Anyhow...listen up as I don't have a lot of time here. As I didn't have a lot else going on, I kept studying the prophecies, and...well...I think I figured something out. A sort of...loophole if you will. You'll need to take this back with you so pay attention!"

"Back with me.... So I'm not going to die?"

"Not yet. At least I don't think so."

Tess smiled to herself for a second. "You know...I actually don't want to die. Do you know how long it's been since I've felt that way?"

"Of course you don't want to die!"

"But I did. I just wanted you to all go home and leave me alone so I could either go evil or die in peace!"

Harm's tone softened. "Well...you've got something more to live for now, don't you?"

She nodded. "I really do."

"Listen, this prophecy....there might be a loophole."

After a confused look and a moment of thought, she said "Loophole. You know, that little silver flame kid used the exact same word. She told me I might be able to find a way out of all this."

"She might be right. But it's not you. It's....okay I have to be cryptic about this, and you KNOW how much I HATE cryptic, but those are the rules. I can tell you that it's not the first that holds the key...but the second."

She blinked and stared blankly at him "I assume this is something I'll figure out in time? Or am I screwed here?"

Harm looked frustrated. "It's all I can say. I'm sorry kid. Unfortunately I gotta go now. And so do you."

"I...Harm....Thank you."

"Thank ME? What on earth for?"

"For being the only one who was stupid and stubborn enough to....believe in me."

"Yeah well....I have a soft spot for little girls with hard luck cases."

"Harm?"

"Yeah kid?"

"Your daughter....wherever she is now...she was a damned lucky girl."

She leaned up and kissed him on his cheek. She smiled and hugged her, and seemed to pass back into the mist. "I'll see ya again eventually. Good luck kid."



Back on a ship...gods know where...a warforged lay motionless on the ground outside the cargo hold, with other figures lying motionless within, an empty blanket that once held a baby nowhere to be found.



And in Sharn, down in a ruined landscape, a dilapidated old church stood amongst the rubble. Within, as an acolyte took out sheets that had only a few hours previous held a woman who had just died in childbirth, an elven priestess sat on the bed, holding a small bundle. She looked down fondly at a small elven face and brushed back blonde hair from the baby's large blue eyes.

"Yes....that's good.... Your mother would be so proud of you. Yes she would! You are such a beautiful little girl...."