Niela was responsible for bringing everyone together. A group of concerned citizens had approached her in her position as Councilwoman of Mishara who was publicly known as a dragon; they wanted to know precisely what the agenda of the dragons was. To them, the dragons seemed benevolent and consistently reliable and even heroic, but no one had ever questioned what the dragons meant to do. They wanted assurances, and so Niela called everyone together for the purpose of naming a purpose. It was agreed that the next day, they would all convene at Niela and Brokk's observatory home and have a potluck dinner, a small party to celebrate their gains over the last century and communicate what they stood for.
The party convened the following evening. Aurora and Lethanin arrived to find Brokk and Niela feverishly hosting all the dragons but Xavier, and they slipped into the party easily. While the dragons had very occasionally come together for emergencies over the last hundred years, and communication between dragons was common, the gathering still felt of some special importance that they didn't ordinarily feel when meeting. It was partly the genuineness of the celebration and partly the lightness of the task at hand, but everyone was quite as ease.
Xavier arrived. Their face was anxious, unsure of how they would be perceived at their first full dragon meeting. But Aurora rushed them and wrapped them in a hug, and all the dragons Xavier had financed cried out in joy to see them, and the rest offered warm smiles and welcomes them in. All the dragons ate and drank--Lethanin doted over people eating his fish cakes and roasted mushrooms while eavesdropping on conversations to offer a witty remark and skitter away, Aurora brought out elaborate puzzle boxes for Sempra and Viren and laid out on the serving table a grand display of chateau briand and brussels sprouts, and Brokk anxiously swept from person trying to be a warm host while frequently slipping away to help Niela.
Aurora found Hriskin alone at a window, staring sadly out into the night sky. Aurora approached Hriskin and thanked her for her part in Aurora's choice to become a Paladin. Aurora had had struggles and doubts about her life before meeting the dragons, she had enjoyed being a Paladin, even with only her Paladin powers to help her. Hriskin noted that she could see Aurora's continuing uncertainty and reminded her that a Paladin's powers come from a promise, and a promise is about future behavior, not the past; so long as she did right in the future, that was all that could be asked. They shared a hug, and Hriskin admitted that it was the anniversary of her late husband's death, hence her sadness, but Aurora had reminded her of the point of it all--to keep fighting.
Meanwhile, Lethanin and Aurix talked about the technological measure and manipulation of sound. The conversation was very chaotic, as Aurix was entirely discussing technology and Lethanin was entirely discussing sound, and it grew more chaotic still when Wing caught ear of their conversation and began entirely discussing how to invent something which would create the effects Aurix was describing. At the same time, Brokk and Jarvia chatted a bit before Brokk went to check on Niela again, prompting her to ask if he wanted to switch jobs and take care of cooking while she hosted. Brokk eagerly agreed to do so, and he headed into the kitchen while Niela went out to greet the guests. Aurora went into the kitchen to check on a side dish and began a game of elf-orc chess with Brokk, and they played between steps on their dishes.
It was then that Niela called everyone together. It was time, she said, to open the discussion about their purpose that night. It was a simple task. What did they want? How did they mean to get it? What could people expect? At the very least, what rules do the dragons live by?
There was a brief moment's silence before Brokk spoke. "To help," he said simply. The dragons were for a moment again silent. Brokk had summed it up, and no one disagreed. But after a time, Aurora said, "Whatever you do to the least of these, you do unto yourself." She spoke passionately and at length the need for dragons to be courageous in the face of corruption and responsible in the care they are obligated to take. Xavier said they meant to help people, mostly through "making life easier." Niela smiled slightly and said she meant to make a gentler world with more opportunity. Rupert held out a full wine glass as though in a toast and cried, "To be a shelter in the storm," before throwing back the glass to applause. The last few dragons stewed in silence for a while before Lethanin said people can be worried about dragon power, but they also know to be worried about government power, and Lethanin knew from working in government that it was awful--to him, giving others the opportunity to do good and let them be self-sufficient is the best thing. Hriskin said her goal was to protect those in need and spread mercy.
At the mention of mercy, Aurora was struck. She was surrounded by the most powerful people in the world who had shaped it at their will. They had destroyed Pelor's Mercy because they felt it appropriate. Was that too much power? She began to spiral, and the others tried to reason with her. Brokk argued that minimizing collateral was often the point in the situations that they handled as dragons--questions of what's best are common and made without massive doubt regularly, and this should be no different. Aurora's mind went further into the darkness. Rupert stood and placed a hand on Aurora's shoulder. "Thank you for making me turn my life around and do good." Xavier stood and placed a hand on Aurora's other shoulder. "Thank you for saving me." Hriskin was already on her way to stand behind Aurora. "Thank you for giving me my life back." Aurora seemed more aware, less despondent, and the dragons pushed further. Brokk rattled off the achievements of the dragons--the cities transformed, the lives saved and changed, the dangers long forgotten. Niela reminded everyone that the dragons are trusted--her election had proven that, and she believed every person they helped made a difference. She was, as Councilwoman, making an effort to show that everyone will be cared for. Jarvia chimed in her, stating that her addition would be making the world a better place regardless of identity. All eyes turned to Wing, who looked quietly down at her hands. "To make a better world for the future," she said quietly.
Before anyone could question Wing's change in demeanor, Brokk, Aurora, and Lethanin were suddenly teleported away to Boccob's realm, standing right before the massive deity. Plucked from their peaceful dinner with friends and returned to the being who had made them feel as though all of existence was meaningless, they were both defeated and enraged. Aurora cast a spell to strengthen Brokk, who pounded futilely away at Boccob's toe with his staggering might while Lethanin just chuckle resignedly and shook his head, casting the same strengthening spell on his drink. Overcome, Brokk smashed at Boccob's toe for fifteen minutes before giving up and asking what they were there for. Boccob began by acknowledging their right to be upset and then let them know they would be moving into a museum where they could be cared for and, if they allowed it, observed. Aurora cursed Boccob out fiercely and at length, and Brokk and Lethanin voiced sharp disappointment in Boccob; none answered the deity's question and requested to be returned to the party. Boccob apologized again and granted them this. Back at the observatory, where Boccob had returned the group at the same time they'd taken them, Niela quickly ascertained that something was amiss was Brokk and asked what was the matter; Brokk revealed to the group that Boccob had summoned them and would be moving them to a museum. The dragons were shocked and amused to hear that Brokk had attacked Boccob.
A moment later, Wing began to softly cry. When questioned, she said the time had come for a difficult conversation. She had she had seen a century of the dragons improving the world. They had fought hard and created new ideas and led the way into a better future--and all the while, she had quietly run her guild meetings. The truth, Wing said, is that she'd lost her passion for heroics a long time ago. With her children avenged by Thomas's death, she mostly wanted to live a quiet life. And that meant the loss of potential that a more active dragon could add. She wanted to retire from dragonhood, turning her title over to someone new and letting herself live a simple life and one day return to her children.
Brokk was immediately entirely supportive. He believed that Wing knew herself best and that what she was saying made sense; she had his blessing, and he would miss her presence every day (she teased him that she had a few hundred years of bugging him left). Aurora was effusively affectionate, talking about Wing's role in the events of a century before and how warmly she felt about the bronze dragon and thanking Wing for her help. The other dragons offered thanks and warm wishes, telling stories of Wing's cleverness, willingness to help, and kindness.
Wing said she'd come prepared with a candidate which the dragons would vote on to join them; she'd done her best to find an unobjectionable and valuable opportunity. As Wing summoned the candidate, Brokk assured her that they had full faith in Wing's ability to pick someone. Wing's spell completed, and before them stood a humble halfling woman in long white robes with long light brown hair. She smiled and greeted everyone, introducing herself as Daisy. Wing said that Daisy would never sing her own praises, but she had taken down a corrupt healthcare system in Vestry, opened free clinics across the world, and negotiated an end to several possible conflicts. The dragons, upon seeing how perfect a candidate Daisy was (and knowing that Daisy is my player character from my last campaign as a player), gave Daisy something of a hard time, playing on the fact that she didn't fully know they were all dragons or why she was there. Eventually, Brokk called the room to focus and let Daisy ask questions; she quickly ascertained that they were dragons and they meant to offer her dragonhood, something she had further questions about (what was their goal? their rules? what powers are granted?). In the end, Daisy asked for time to think about what she'd learned, which the group happily granted, returning to the party.
Brokk noticed that Xavier, the fellow halfling of the group, had taken to questioning Daisy about halfling customs and neighborhoods, so Brokk led Xavier away from her towards another group to spare Daisy. Daisy was simply watching the dragons with a cautious gaze. Meanwhile, Niela got Jarvia and sent her to Daisy, sitting down across from her. The two sat and talked very quietly for several minutes, Daisy growing calmer with each sentence. Eventually, the two rose, both smiling, and headed to the fireplace, where Aurora was tending the hearth. Lethanin, meanwhile, magicallly floated around the room launching comments and quips at conversations in passing.
At this point, Niela was alerted to someone in the vicinity of a dragon stone. She quickly conveyed to the group that a swamp in the south of Evanoch had a dragon stone which someone was approaching. Brokk deferred to Xavier, as it was more or less the green dragon's territory, but Xavier said the group's decision would be their decision. The group debated methods of dealing with the figure, and Aurix eventually suggested just bringing him somewhere else and questioning him. This prompted some argument, but eventually, Brokk took action and opened a portal to the swamp and stepped through.
Brokk appeared just behind a man dressed in tattered rags, not enough clothes for the cold weather. He struggled along, his feet sinking deeply into the muck with each step, colossal effort to keep going. Brokk glanced behind them and saw miles of tracked muck. He made a sound, and the man before him clumsily spun to face him. Brokk asked his purpose there, and the man, who said him name was Amund, said he had read a book that said control over life and death lay in the stone, and his daughter had died, and he had to bring her back. The two spoke for a while before Brokk guided Amund back to Talon Gorge, half a continent away, to the man's daughter's grave. It was modest but made with love, though the headstone was flimsy and planted wrong, and when Brokk tried to gauge her lifeline, he found it to be a perfect circle--she had died in her proper time. Brokk cast Suggestion, explained the system of lifelines and that hers was complete, and commanded Amund to forgive himself and carry his daughter Bridget with him. Amund was still troubled, but he said he could now try to carry on, even if he felt awful for feeling that way. He asked for privacy, and Brokk returned to the observatory.
While Brokk was gone, Jarvia invited Lethanin to play a duet together. Lethanin led with a muted but growing and hopeful melody on the violin, which Jarvia matched with a squirmy but constant drum line. Lethanin pushed on with a playful yet inspirational melody and magically dimming the lights in the room, and Jarvia shifted her sporadic beat to a more mathematical and structured one, sparks flying from her drum strikes. Finally, Lethanin headed into the end of the song with a massive crescendo, bringing the lights back on full force at once, with Jarvia playing faster and faster and then suddenly stopping with Lethanin's playing. The dragons cheered just as Brokk returned.
Brokk explained that Amund had wanted to bring his dead daughter back to life, but that she had died at the right time, and nothing could really be done. Brokk had persuaded Amund to move on, but had otherwise left the man to pick up the pieces. Some of the dragons voiced concern over this--they should help Amund, argued Hriskin and Rupert and Wing and Aurora. Brokk suggested a new headstone, and the others suggested ways to help Amund and his family recover.
Brokk suggested that he, Lethanin, Aurora, Niela, and Wing show Daisy the telescope. The group came along, and Niela showed off a few constellations before Brokk got to his real business. He had seen a cautiousness in the way Daisy looked them--had she seen trouble? Daisy chuckled at the fact it was obvious on her and admitted that she'd been a criminal for the first few decades of her life. Jarvia had seen it on her too and spoken to her about it. She was ashamed of what she'd done, and it was the reason she had become a Cleric of Ehlonna and done so much good--she wanted to try to make up for her mistakes. The group asked her, point blank, if she wanted to join the dragons. Hesitantly, Daisy cited fears of corruption, which were cut off by all five dragons present. "Join the club," said Lethanin, a reminder that all of them had grappled with their power. Brokk told Daisy that if it was an issue, they would interview Daisy's wife Candace as another dragon so that they would be together forever, his hand gripping Niela's. This overjoyed Daisy, but before she could say anything, Niela rushed them back to the main house with an announcement.
New Dalton had properly fallen, she said. The people of New Dalton who remained had issued a declaration of independence from the government and were establishing small townships within city limits that ran themselves. The news sparked celebration from all, and it seemed that the last bastion of hatred and fascism in Evanoch had basically fallen. On the wave of good news, Daisy was asked once more if she wanted to become a dragon. She consented, asking to be made the white dragon in honor of her holy colors with her wife Candace becoming the plant dragon as an alchemist. After some consideration, all was agreed to, and Daisy became the new white dragon to replace Wing.
And that's where the campaign ends. We began with three kidnappings: Thomas took Brokk, Aurora, and Lethanin in a desperate gamble to seize power from the gods. We end with something very different: the maintenance of a new order the party created. The bulk of this campaign was bringing together disunited dragons and eliminating those who could never cooperate. The epilogues were about leveraging that power to make the world a better place and establishing the new order. It is fitting that the finale be the maintenance of that order, the ushering out of the old and in of the new to keep the dragons effective. I never thought going into this campaign that it would end with my party's characters being the caretakers of my world.
I will say very little out of game about this session. It was simple to prepare for: a list of things for the dragons to discuss and quickly act on. We actually only got to about five of eight of my ideas but had to eliminate some for time. It had been about six months between sessions where we were all together (three months of epilogues, three months of scheduling issues), and we were a little rusty, so I did try to throw some things at each player that is more of less their specialty. And most of all, I threw Daisy at the group because I wanted them to have a counterpoint to Amund: Daisy is unsure is she wants power but is unambiguously good, Amund is sure he wants power but is ambiguous in his morality. I expected them to mess with Daisy a bit and tease me as a DM. They begged her to become a dragon, and they went out of their way to include her wife in that, and I find that incredibly sweet. I love my players.
I have become somewhat famous (or infamous, perhaps) for my end-of-campaign epilogues. I take every character who mattered at all and spell out what happens to them after the campaign. See also my epilogue for my Mystery Campaign for how this would normally work. But of course, this is not a normal campaign, and a normal epilogue won't work. The gods and dragons who make up the bulk of this story will likely still be doing their things in another hundred or three hundred or eight hundred years. As such, I'm not spelling out an ending for them. I'm describing the next chapters of their lives and their legacies. That said, let's do the epilogue for Of Gods and Dragons.
The City of Talon Gorge: The council continued good governance, aided by Jarvia's input about freedoms and rights as well as Aurora's health potions. As the world around it flourished, the largely trade city of Talon Gorge flourished with it. The city became a bastion of comfortable, affordable living where anyone could be themselves. Its council, one of the oldest existing councils, became a model for governments adopting new council organizations.
ABC the Fae: ABC watched over Aurora, tickled by the Fae dragon's chaotic approach to good. She watched too for the next wild hero who might carry the sparking light of the Fae. She did not pick one right away, content with Aurora's conduct, and besides--a Fae can be picky.
Rhodes, aka Fharlanghn: The road never ends for him. The party's time on the roads was but a few short steps in the scheme of things, and most of all, he was just glad you all got where you were going. After all, you walked the right path.
Lenix, formerly Xelin, the refugee from Brokk's backstory: Lenix took up with captain Xurk's crew and became a trusted member of the team before replacing Xurk when the orc grew too old for the seas. For well over fifty years, Lenix has saved refugees from bad situations and spread his poetry at ports across the world.
Lethanin's Cultural Exchange program: The frequency of encountering multicultural art across Evanoch made more people willing to engage with it over time, and soon even traditionalist cultures were teaching the arts of other cultures widely. Eventually, a journalist tried to learn who began this program, but they reported that they couldn't find anyone who knew anything.
Wing: Wing transmuted her dragonhood back into the stone and resumed her normal life with a new gusto. She set out to create new opportunities for unheard of inventors to enter their community and began a funding project for inventions that could create public good. This kicked off a long period in which Vestry inventors competed to help the public as much as possible, leading to advances that spread across Evanoch. Wing spent her final years talking to and advising her dragon friends, creating a legacy at the inventor's guild, and volunteering with children.
The Refugees of Pelor's Mercy: After being helped to Vestry, many stayed and brought a willingness to work hard for their community to the city. Others moved on, some to smaller cities nearby, and others to Talon Gorge and Ringsdale, to start over where things were not so full. These people carried with them a new lease on life, having believed they would live out their days laboring for an evil regime and die at the hands of their guards. These people became community organizers, healers, volunteers in the fields of their expertise. They never forgot what the dragons did for them.
The City of Finiel: Finiel had always been stratified--the very wealthy patronized the very poor artists and refugees who made up the city. Rupert created a support system that allowed these artists and refugees to live decent lives, which allowed them to thrive. As Evanoch prospered as a whole, and the arts became a focus, Finiel became an ever-more crucial city in the global conversation.
The Linilles, the pro-elf group from Brokk's epilogue: After being shamed and destroyed by Brokk and the cultural progress of Evanoch at large and Mishara in particular, the Linille family returned to politics with a different intention. Ylin Linille, a now-accomplished astronomer, donated a large amount of money to the creation of the Linille Foundation, a public education program meant to encourage cooperation and acceptance.
Obad-Hai: Obad-Hai exists in the balance of neutrality, and helping the party get to Boccob shattered that neutrality. Obad-Hai became ever more insular, rarely speaking to other gods and becoming hyper-fixated on the maintenance of Evanoch. Nature across Evanoch flourished as a result, bringing record crop yields as well as safer weather conditions. Meteorologists, puzzled, could not explain the perfect conditions for such natural flourishing.
Aurora's Adventuring Parties (Rita et al): Those who were taken in as adventuring allies by Aurora and witnessed her terrifying might or dragonhood either spent several jobs paranoid they were being had or chalked it all up to bad alcohol.
Aurix: Aurix was initially crestfallen that Wing was retiring and withdrew for a few weeks, but ultimately came out of hiding and spent more time than usual with Wing and the other dragons. In particular, Aurix tried to spend time with Daisy to see if Aurix could be friends with his friend's replacement. They found they had a shared passion for principled good and a shared policy on never dabbling in wrong, and Aurix was soon back to his old self, only more cheerful and social than ever.
Heather and Tricia, Aurora's mother and her partner: Heather constantly described herself as living the perfect life. She built a successful business, found a family, saw her business become massive and help countless people, and had the time to enjoy early retirement. She and Tricia set a goal to visit every town of over a hundred people before they die (drunkenly at first, then seriously after sobering up) and pursued the task in earnest, treating travel as a profession and offering input on the business whenever needed. Above all, she made time whenever Aurora asked (or when Heather suspected Aurora needed time but wasn't asking), and she made being a mom her every first choice.
Ollie, aka Olidammara: Ollie saw the rift sealed and investigated a few other last-ditch efforts to throw a wrench in the works. Finding none, she set to speaking with the other gods about possibilities, but found that each and every god was furious with her for making and botching first contact, and all with no agenda. This prompted a massive supernatural debate that ended with Ollie more or less ostracized from the god community, and her only goal became gaining an ally.
Councilman Tru'usk: On his 129th birthday, Councilman Tru'usk died midsentence at a council meeting. Before the meeting was adjourned, the day was declared Tru'usk Day. His house was transformed into a museum, and it was discovered in the process that he had three separate hidden spaces and a massive chest of adventuring gear hidden away.
The City of Underhar: After a century of Aurora's efforts with her friend David, Underhar had made progress, changing election laws and starting to lean away from aristocracy. The stubbornly insular city continued to resist influences that would make the city more progressive until eventually Underhar's government crumbled and was replaced by a council, and slow progress was able to be made even if an opposing party of traditionalists remained.
Larson, Lethanin's father: Larson suffered something of a late midlife crisis and went on a long solo adventure into the depths of the Liggen Forest. When he returned, he was grizzled, famished, and exhausted, but there was a light in his eyes. He retired to bed while recovering and devoted all of his time to spending as much time with his wife, his sons, and his granddaughter as they would let him. His affection was at first clumsy, but he grew into it.
Xavier: Xavier decided that the best thing they could do in their position was figure out a new way to make money that wasn't exploitative so that it could be poured into more social programs. They came up with the idea of a city-wide lottery where a percentage was kept by the organizer, organized a weekly drawing, and began saving the money. Finally, after asking for volunteers, Xavier sent Hriskin to Kruush to establish as much of a system as the people there wanted and Daisy and Candace to New Dalton to work with the new government (in disguise, of course). Xavier never seemed to run out of steam.
The Complete Works of Montgomery Ward: This very cool not silly place became the most popular tavern of all time ever in any tabletop game ever because it's cool and not silly. Thank you.
Cori, aka Corellon Larethian: The elven goddess saw that the rift had been sealed and knew that a new age had begun. She, with her partner and allies, had quietly delivered mortals to Boccob, and that demonstrated that she (and her partner and allies) had power over the other deities. Cori chose to rest, as there was no reason to use her power yet.
Tra, Brokk's grandson: As Tra grew, the seriousness that marked him as a child was tempered; when he paid attention to you, he was serious, but he was otherwise joyful and playful. He did well in school but said he enjoyed spiritual and mundane matters more--the walk to find a good offering, and the smell of the smoke when it's burned. Brokk found that even as a young man, Tra was a pillar in his community, always known as someone who would offer help without question.
The City of Curagon: Only Xavier could have made an organized solution work in a city that despised organization, but it did work. Curagon became the best place to recover from illness, the best place to experience true nature, and the best place to see real community, and outcroppings around the city popped up as the first real immigration to "the halfling city" properly began. Curagon, at the center of the continent on a universally connected map, thrived in trade, and the city prospered as it never had.
Grigor, the stable lad: After enough sad-looking boys bought mare piss and later came back as happy-looking girls, Grigor started a mare piss stand selling "Sad Boy Happy Girl Juice."
Rupert: After finding his footing as a caretaker for the needy, Rupert was finally jarred loose of his hyper-focus on his system of Finiel shelters. After long turning Xavier down for help, Rupert came to the halfling with an ambitious plan to place a comprehensive shelter in every city in Evanoch, New Dalton included. Xavier happily agreed, and Rupert openly flew as a dragon from shelter construction site to shelter construction site, reminding the public that he was working on the project. It was a massive success, and want became a rare thing in Evanoch's biggest cities.
Tasselman, the academic who proposed the world was round, and Nelly, the academic opposed to having necromancy taught in school: After establishing an alternative academy, Tasselman pursued the outer reaches of knowledge, compiling the largest collection of information on the planes, the fabric of reality, forbidden deities, and forbidden arts. Meanwhile, Nelly fastidiously created a complete and comprehensive approach to established knowledge which became the standard model for many new academies. Together, Lethanin's schools contained essentially all obtainable knowledge.
Yondalla: Denied by the party before meeting Boccob and denied by Aurora when choosing a patron, Yondalla retreated to lick her wounds and reconsider. By all accounts, what the dragons had done was good, and her opposition to it before she fully understood it troubled her. She ultimately decided to be slow to action and reevaluate some of her fellow deities.
Sempra, Brokk's sister Tanarukk: For a long time, she persisted in her life by the seaside in her cottage. It was all she needs, she said. She began suddenly to pay visits to Brokk, and to take long walks. She was hopeful, and she had ideas about the future. A week later, she was found dead in her bed. She had tripped and broken a few bones in her leg, it seemed, and was nearly a thousand years old, but had managed to drag herself to a place of rest. Her face was peaceful, and on the table in the room she was found in was a small sheet of paper that said "I love them. And I forgive them."
The City of Ringsdale: Formerly a rugged industrial city, Brokk and Xavier's efforts turned it into a livable place for anyone. The newly installed council of Ringsdale made use of the fact they had a progressive supermajority and passed a number of resolutions to make Ringsdale far less stratified by income and create new public works projects, and these carried the city well into the future. (In a hundred years, the idea that Ringsdale was first peopled by factories will be ridiculous.)
Phil, Aurora's competitor who spread word of poison: Phil was ashamed by what he learned from Aurora--he hadn't meant to hurt anyone so much as have a chance. But it was clear that he had failed, so he packed up his family and moved to Ringsdale to enlist in the new vocational program and try his hand at something he was less prone to hurt someone with.
Vick, aka Vecna: Lethanin stymied Vecna's efforts to learn the Song, and Vecna turned right back to planning. Vecna was in fact planning on launching an offensive on the barrier around when the dragon party happened, but they couldn't make it happen due to lack of support from the other gods as well as the strength of Wee Jas's magic protection of the barrier. Vecna's new goal became to find some valuable and persuadable young person to work with.
Dodira, Lethanin's mother: For a long time, Dodira was more concerned with baby Bobby and then baby Pexi than she was with Lethanin. When they did have their times together, they both made effort and acknowledged implicitly that it was done somewhat blindly--that they would never really be on the same page, and that was okay. Dodira become an old woman gracefully and with acceptance, and this eases the rough edges of their relationship as she accepted herself and Lethanin more completely.
Mishara: Culturally free of the narcissism that restrained it and politically free from a government that restrained it, Mishara blossomed. With councilpeople like Niela, who were committed, intelligent, and practical, a great deal of social ills specific to Mishara were cured in a short matter of time. At first, change was hard given the long lifetimes and memories of elves, but the obvious benefits of the new policies spoke for themselves.
Viren and Prue, Brokk's son and daughter-in-law: Having risen to the top of the historical research and spiritual fields before retiring for time with his family, Viren stirred once again and began the practice of traditional craft, largely armorsmithing and especially toolmaking. Unsurprisingly, he rose to the top of this craft too. In his winter years, he would present Brokk with a duplicate of his old battleaxe but with the blade blunted. "For the Peacebringer," Viren said. Prue always chased the success of her husband, finding it in a law career that helped define humanoid rights.
Hriskin: Hriskin made herself a vessel of good. If Xavier had money and a plan and needed someone to make it all happen? Hriskin was there. If someone heard a stray rumor about something dangerous to look into? Hriskin was there. If a dragon, friend, or stranger needed something? She was there. In time, she learned to step back and care for herself again, but she always heard the call to do more, no matter how many times she had done right that day.
David, Aurora's friend: David had overseen nearly one hundred years fighting for civil rights in Underhar. He requested, upon the change in voting rights success, exactly one week's vacation before insisting on returning to begin the next project: a change in leadership to a council. That was accomplished in the space of a decade, and David's team continued to fight, sometimes for property rights for the poor and sometimes for the freedom of temples to exist freely. Inspired by Aurora, he fought on.
Craig, the mind-controlled man in Chance in Aurora's epilogue: After coming to his senses, he checked himself in at a free clinic, complaining of hallucinations and delusions. It was a few weeks before new of the mind control devices reached Craig, much to his relief. He moved to a small island where he was the only person.
Wee Jas: The Queen Witch took her victory back home and, after a winning bacchanalia, began work on protections for the barrier (for the inevitable assaults from other deities, including those she suspected would come rom Vecna). After great consideration, she concluded that what had happened with the barrier was a freak occurrence that she couldn't learn anything from. Then, she declared another bacchanalia to mark the occasion.
Harriet and Priscilla, the Daltoner refugee smugglers Lethanin worked with: Working with Lethanin and Lethanin-approved people changed their business model entirely. They went from offering uncomfortable passage hidden in a cart for hours to a nearby town to offering effortless passage walking a few steps to anywhere in the glamorous presence of a dragon. With Lethanin's help, their small operation became a trusted way to get to safety for many, allowing them to help more people.
The City of Kruush: The only major city to truly resist industrialization looked much the same as it did after the finale, as it looked after the campaign, as it looked before. There were more places to get help instead of asking your neighbors if one needed it. No one moved into Kruush with something that disrespected the way of life there. It was Kruush as it always was, but life was easier and safer and a little more connected, and that was the dream that orcs have always dreamed.
Aurora's artworks: Aurora's art, left on street corners with simple arrangements, spawned a copycat. Someone, somewhere, was leaving paintings the same way. It was generally in the northwest, but then another style of painting popped up in the southwest--another copycat, and then another. It was all deeply personal, confessional, painful work--like Aurora's. It was everywhere, and it was all beautiful.
Magoth: Magoth was spurned by Brokk and toyed with by Lethanin. He disavowed himself of the happenings of the surface for a century. He went into a chamber of pure flame and screamed in a thousand different tongues. He then entered what cosmic historians would later call the "great not doing anything for a while" period.
The Pear Pit: After Hannah's passing, ownership of the bar was simply willed "to Drumchapel." In the coming weeks, the people of town took on responsibilities, some of them cleaning, some of them unloading barrels, some of them serving. Before long, it was a fully functional tavern that kept the bookcases and reading spaces from Hannah's day. In time, patio spaces and a firepit were added outside to accommodate the growth of Drumchapel, and it was the undeniable center of town.
Gruumsh: Gruumsh's return to the god's realm was an arrival of a champion. Nearly every god was listening to every conversation the gods had with Brokk, Lethanin, and Aurora--they knew that it was ultimately Gruumsh who won the mortals over. Of all the gods, Gruumsh could claim domain over people, and he had counseled for the restriction of his own power. It was the assuming of a throne, and one taken mercifully.
Devin, Aurora's apprentice: Devin continued with their idea to use magic to develop self-sustaining systems to help people--magically powered mills, well pumps, and more. Devin's main struggle was getting their products in front of people. Aurora made a connection, and Xavier financed Devin's work, allowing the apprentice to help thousands of people with their efforts.
The City of Vestry: Vestry, before the dragon council, was the glittering gem of the world scientifically and politically. After the dragon council, Vestry was no long special amongst cities as it had been, only another progressive city with efforts to help the needy. Efforts were made to fix that. Poverty was virtually eliminated. Food surplus was achieved enough to to allow for new trade. Within decades, Vestry was once again at the forefront of progress, even if it now had competition.
Andi, Aurora's apprentice: Andi continued with her abstract approach to adventuring. She made use of glyphs in creative ways to solve problems, collect treasure, defeat monsters, and save captives. Eventually, she saved the right person and became something of a celebrity mercenary who could single-handedly save a noble from a dungeon. She used this to great success, donating her payments after covering expenses.
Daisy: Daisy took to being a dragon as though meant to. She kept managing and working at the free clinics and moonlighted as a negotiator, but she was off helping people in need whenever she could. She forged strong relationships with the other dragons, especially Hriskin (whose merciful approach was shared), Xavier (whose dissident halfling past was shared), and Niela (whose practicality and warmth were shared). Daisy and her wife Candace (the newly inducted Plant dragon) adventure together, bringing gentle justice to people.
Moira, aka Moradin: Content that Brokk and the others were at the reins of the world, Moradin turned her eyes to her people. For so many years, dwarves had lost their way, thinking her a strict bearded man when she was a gentle-hearted woman. She tried again to reach them, breathing life into her community. The dwarves remembered the spirit of the old ways. They embraced change and brought new government, and Moira was pleased.
Zamira, Captain of the Edmund Fitzgerald: Zamira sailed on, a few legal shipping vessels and a few privateer ships. Business, especially with the Mortar and Pestle shipments on board, was good. For once, things were simple--Zamira just had to keep the crews going, and the money would come in. One check-in with Aurora, Zamira asked what it was all about. "Good," replied Aurora. The next morning, Zamira offered a ship to have the dragons command at their will, maintained by her. This ship was dubbed "the Dragon of the Sea." Zamira spent the rest of her days captaining ships and contributing money to Aurora's campaigns for good.
Jarvia: No longer afraid to assert herself in the public space of Talon Gorge, Jarvia took on a new life. She performed in taverns and on street corners. She talked politics in coffee houses and sometimes had to be asked to keep her voice down. She attended city council meetings religiously. She had come to consider herself a guardian of her community, but not through tooth and claw. She was using her eyes and ears and make sure they had what they needed, and no one was more vigilant than Jarvia.
Davenport, the man causing a scene in the Pear Pit: After being set right by Brokk, Davenport reformed. He set out to prove himself as a member of town, lending a hand here and being polite there. He was one of the key figures at the new Pear Pit, willing to work for a while to help others. Though given many opportunities to show a sour face, Davenport never did, either inspired by or terrified of Brokk.
The City of Torga: With the help of Lethanin and Xavier, Torga became a more livable place. There were comfortable public spaces, affordable food and housing, and public support for representative government, which would come to pass shortly after the finale's events. While Torga lacked the glamor of other cities, it had the most prestigious learning centers in the world, it was the shipping center of the world, and it had one of the best qualities of life in the known world. Torga did not give up on going further, but they are also proud of the achievement of getting this far.
Sempra, Brokk's daughter and Helena, her partner: Sempra and Helena refused to settle down. To them, a name on a road sign was a place to make better. The tail of Sempra's youth and her middle years--over a century--were spent this way. Sempra and Helena became professionals--what was wrong with a town? What was the best solution? How do we make that happen? And where's the next town? In their late years, they slowed, then finally retired--Helena did puzzles, and Sempra read cheesy romance novels.
Ehlonna: The goddess of protection of the forest took in Aurora, trusting her to do good in her name. What Ehlonna found was the most puzzling thing--a startlingly mortal person turned solidly immortal whose heart knew better than her mind that love was all that mattered. For many years, Ehlonna watched Aurora closely, trying to predict the unpredictable. In time, she came to simply trust Aurora, and that trust has yet to be misplaced.
The City of New Dalton: Much was said about the destruction of New Dalton and of the smoke that still rose from it. Comparatively less was said about how those fires were for cooking food and about the people still living there. In the revolution, the hungry, frustrated soldiers did not side with the government. The old order was ousted, a new council was established of those who fought to help New Daltoners, and the process of rebuilding was begun. New Dalton was in rubble, but New Daltoners saw that as easy access to bricks to build something new.
Boblanin (Bobby) and Pexedrine (Pexi), Lethanin's brother and niece: Boblanin explained his new life plan to Lethanin--make enough money to be comfortable with his "serious" career while having an artist's life in his free time, playing drums as often as he is able. Bobby managed to get into a band called "Hexagon Paradise" which succeeded after a while, and he ended up able to quit and focus on the band. Pexi accompanied her father and Lethanin as much as possible during their jam sessions and performances, trying to learn about becoming a bard. At 19, Pexi was inducted into a bard's college in Finiel and soon after graduated as a "multi-instrumentalist," going on to have an incredible career as a magical soloist.
Estyl, the woman who wrote to Brokk about Nastoran: Estyl went to Mishara guards for some help with what Brokk had admitted to but found wartime law was different, and Brokk could not be prosecuted. She returned to her home and stewed before drinking six draughts of sleeping potion. She was found with no note eight days later.
Boccob: True to his word, Boccob conveyed Izar to a museum, where it is installed. He cautioned the museum curator that the people of the world were eager to avoid being spoken to and suggested just leaving them alone. Boccob ultimately decided that he allowed the feeling that he was less talented than his mother and felt inadequate to prevent him from doing more for Izar. He brooded over this feeling but neglected to do anything meaningful about it, and it bothered him for the rest of his life.
Drumchapel: To the people of Drumchapel before immigration started, the city did not so much change as grow. The docks grew longer, and the houses stretched further, and the Pear Pit was busier, but it hadn't lost its small town charm. People still walked in the pear groves and breathed the sea air like they always did, and when Brokk found himself back there again, it was always strange that a world that had changed so much still had a place like Drumchapel that was always the same.
Niela: Niela turning her life to good and parenting changed everything about her. She was, at her children and grandchildren's bidding as much as her own desire, at every major and minor occasion with them (almost always with Brokk, too). She became less the watcher of life and more the sentinel of it--through government, she was making Mishara better; through her actions as a dragon, she was making Evanoch better; and through her actions as a parent, she was making her family's lives better. Where before, Niela had been alone, she now shared everything she loved. She had been set free, and it was clear from her eyes (to Brokk, anyway) that Niela was grateful every day for the change.
Lethanin: Lethanin never allowed himself to be the stuff of legends. To the masses, he was the strange gnome who one time played a strange song. To the people he worked through, he was a shifting, mysterious figure who refused to be anything at all. To his family, he was sometimes smoke and mirrors, nothing substantial until suddenly he was for a moment. To the dragons, he was the one who made it all work even if none of them understood how or why. Lethanin defied definition because he simply didn't want to be defined. That never changed. He never became the face of the dragons or a world famous musician although he could have been either. Instead, Lethanin became the person who saw a moment of despair and had, in fact, been there all along with exactly what was needed. And so when the dragons were confounded, Lethanin would step in. Whenever something defied definition, so too did Lethanin, and he would decide it.
Lethanin established small institutions, often counter-culture in nature--coffee houses, art shops, music venues. He fostered community in these places, introduced conversations about what's good and how to do it. Torga's culture took a sharp turn. Everywhere, there were rebellious people being aggressively good and kind. It caught on elsewhere once it was established in Torga. It wasn't an organizational preaching of good--it was people doing good. The Sound Dragon's legacy is still in formation, people only knowing vague rumors.
Brokk: Brokk never set out to be a legend. He came to the dragons as a man who was simply along for the ride who wanted to do it right, and he never deviated from that. No matter how much responsibility he had or what the stakes were, Brokk kept focused on what was right. He was, to most people, just a friendly person who had helped them (or not even that much sometimes). To those who knew him, he was a towering figure who always seemed to know what was right and was willing to fight for it. Brokk was unconcerned with what people thought of him because he knew that his actions were the only thing that really mattered.
Brokk had found a life that worked for him, and he stuck with it. Part of his time was spent tending life and death, part of his time was with his family, and part was spent tending to dragon issues. This was adjusted here and there, especially as his family continued to grow. Great-great-great-great-grandchildren would be a part of Brokk and Niela's lives, and they got to become the mythical ancestors who never age (and never run out of treats). Brokk maintained a presence in Ringsdale to keep it going in the right direction and built a shrine to Nerull in a quiet location for private observances. The Red Dragon's legacy today is a respectful fear--people know not to cross the Red Dragon, but they also know they can call on him for help.
Aurora: Aurora delighted in becoming a legend. She could see what reality was and what it wasn't and how to make one the other, and she could do it with a whim's effort. And yet somehow, her great strength was never her magical ability. It was her ability to unlock something in people, to bring out greatness in them. Aurora never tired of talking about why we must do our very best, she never gave up on anyone or anything, and she always did what she said she would. The legacy Aurora created for herself will be long remembered as benevolent.
Aurora will not tire. The adventures will continue. The work across Evanoch will continue. The time with Jarvia and family will continue. Aurora remembers on some level what it is to live an empty life, and she is unwilling to less than enjoy her full life. Aurora had the confidence to become the face of the dragons, armed with the knowledge that what she believed to be right truly was right. She had armed herself with glyphs and an understanding of how to use them, and she could bend the world to her will; the fact that she only ever used this in the name of doing good is a marker of who she truly is. The Pastel Dragon, as she is called, is known as a wildly passionate defender of what is right, and just as wrongdoers flee from her, those in need flock to her.
Beyond:
After years of progress, Aurora calls all the dragons together for a summit. At the summit, it's admitted that major cities--the Big Ten in the global conversation--have fundamentally no serious problems. Poverty and homelessness barely exist. Crime has been falling for decades. The big cities are a good place to live. Someone asks what they do, and without hesitation, Aurora raises a hand. "Well, the smaller cities need help." Brokk smiles. "My daughter's been working on that!" The group begins discussing plans, a way to bring easy, prosperous life to even more people. Evanoch is in good hands.