It was a book we had to read in Atlasdam when we were researching the work of a sage who committed an unthinkable act, because someone else was trying to recreate it. Apparently, there's another book that's worse, but... it had been missing from the archives.
[ somewhere cyrus sneezes ]
The Accursed Night was pretty bad... we learned about a lot of horrible things. But - we had to research it first, because without it, we never would've known where we needed to go to actually stop the person from acting through their rite.
[ at this point, his ink shifts - the text reads Letting the Accursed Flame fester in him. ]
...No, it didn't. I'm pretty resistant to that kind of stuff. [ though... his gaze follows karlach's, and he looks down at his chest, and then sees -- and then frowns. ] ... did you mean that...?
[ rondo smiles - warm and kind, though. maybe not quite as megawatt as usual as they find somewhere nice to sit. he settles, putting his cape out behind him so he doesn't get stuck on it, and after a long moment, asks: ]
[ there's a brief sheepish sweaty smile that's like "yes, really" but what karlach says is more important, and it quickly melts into a look of surprise and - horror, for her, really. ]
[ unfortunately people being sold off is not completly unfamiliar, but the idea of being sold off into hell - now that's a new one. he looks briefly stunned, frowning harder, though... it sounds like this has a happy ending, so. ]
... You escaped Hell? That's - that's amazing. [ genuine as always. ] The amount of strength it must have taken you to be able to do such a thing...
Being brave enough to see the way out, though - that's a strength in and of itself.
[ there's real conviction there, too - words he so genuinely believes, and as the initial excitement wears off, the smile remains, softening a little still. ]
I bet! Even spending a few hours in Hell can be pretty draining... I can't even imagine ten years.
[ rondo gives a little, exaggerated shiver at the sense memory of it all - hell with its strange, off-putting structures, its heavy, ominous, toxic presence... it's a bad place to be. ]
[ this does not bother him at all!! in fact, it's a little comforting. rondo looks down at his hands, going momentarily quiet even as he leans a little further into karlach's warmth. warm... ]
... To stop the armies of hell from invading Orsterra.
[ for rondo, it's just familiar and comforting in a way nothing else could possibly be. his right hand comes up to touch his heart, remaining there. warm. ]
Haha, yeah... [ Yeah.... ] The... that was the last thing we were doing. I've been in and out of Hell a few times, now.
[ ... ]
... The shoes of the Flameguard are pretty big to fill.
he looks down at his hands. it makes his heart ache just thinking about it, even now - it still feels so fresh, so tender, a wound that'd never heal just right. sazantos was the last thing that rondo saw, after all. the final moment before his eyes snapped open, here. ]
.... The former Flameguard was my... [ my everything. ] ... my mentor, though I don't feel as though that properly encapsulates how much he has done for me. And while I took on the role as his successor, I did not expect to take it for - decades, maybe. If I even could. I honestly wasn't sure that he'd ever...
[ he trails off here, mouth wobbling before he pulls it back in. ]
He is the reason why we had to bring armies to the Gate of Finis - the gate of hell. He is the one who is leading the opposing force. [ ... ] Sir Sazantos betrayed all of us.
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[ somewhere cyrus sneezes ]
The Accursed Night was pretty bad... we learned about a lot of horrible things. But - we had to research it first, because without it, we never would've known where we needed to go to actually stop the person from acting through their rite.
[ at this point, his ink shifts - the text reads Letting the Accursed Flame fester in him. ]
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a pause.]
It didn't curse you, did it?
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he shakes his head. ]
...No, it didn't. I'm pretty resistant to that kind of stuff. [ though... his gaze follows karlach's, and he looks down at his chest, and then sees -- and then frowns. ] ... did you mean that...?
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[it's like RIGHT there]
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[ immediately - he looks a little sheepish and nods to hers. ]
I... read yours too. I'm not very good at hiding it, either. [ he is not what most people would call subtle. ] It's not your fault.
[ ... ]
Maybe we should sit down.
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[her fears, mostly, are an open (not creepy) book.]
But - yeah. Let's sit and chat, I'm alright with that.
[they can find somewhere comfy.]
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...so...what's Avernus...?
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... Let me answer that question with a question. You know what the Hells are?
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Um - yes.
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... You? Really? Huh. [a beat.] That's Avernus. For us, anyway. Spent ten years there.
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Ten years...? Why?
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But not now. I got out.
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... You escaped Hell? That's - that's amazing. [ genuine as always. ] The amount of strength it must have taken you to be able to do such a thing...
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Don't give me too much credit. I just took the first chance I saw, and it landed me in a whole other kettle of fuck, but - yeah.
I'm never going back. [she says, as little tattooed flames flicker across the underside of her jaw.]
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[ there's real conviction there, too - words he so genuinely believes, and as the initial excitement wears off, the smile remains, softening a little still. ]
I believe it.
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Hah. Thanks. [she says, and it's genuine. very much so.] First thing I did was get my hands all over the grass. I missed green.
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[ rondo gives a little, exaggerated shiver at the sense memory of it all - hell with its strange, off-putting structures, its heavy, ominous, toxic presence... it's a bad place to be. ]
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Why were you there?
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... To stop the armies of hell from invading Orsterra.
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Gods, nothing like some high stakes.
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Haha, yeah... [ Yeah.... ] The... that was the last thing we were doing. I've been in and out of Hell a few times, now.
[ ... ]
... The shoes of the Flameguard are pretty big to fill.
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[she remembers the paladin talk.]
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[ there's like - a long pause before he says it.
... ] It's... what I've been training for. For... it's been almost ten years since I first decided I wanted to.
[ the ink curls, flickers. not being strong enough to stop him it says. ]
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[not accusatory or anything, just, y'know. she's getting the idea the way he got it wasn't satisfactory.]
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[ quiet.
he looks down at his hands. it makes his heart ache just thinking about it, even now - it still feels so fresh, so tender, a wound that'd never heal just right. sazantos was the last thing that rondo saw, after all. the final moment before his eyes snapped open, here. ]
.... The former Flameguard was my... [ my everything. ] ... my mentor, though I don't feel as though that properly encapsulates how much he has done for me. And while I took on the role as his successor, I did not expect to take it for - decades, maybe. If I even could. I honestly wasn't sure that he'd ever...
[ he trails off here, mouth wobbling before he pulls it back in. ]
He is the reason why we had to bring armies to the Gate of Finis - the gate of hell. He is the one who is leading the opposing force. [ ... ] Sir Sazantos betrayed all of us.
[ he betrayed me. ]
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