In the epilogues, I give the players time in four separate times: immediately following the campaign, one year later, ten years later, and fifty years later, leading up to one hundred years later. Below is a summary of Aurora's actions in these time periods:
After the Campaign:
Aurora went back to Torga with her adoptive mother, Heather. Together, they expanded their apothecary business greatly by using Aurora's new ideas and new power. Aurora would use her glyph magic to create a dozen copies of herself, and with the copies, she and Heather would create a massive amount of high-quality potions in record time. Aurora also began making plans to establish an apprenticeship program for apothecaries and aspiring arcanists. Aurora then secured a deal with Zamira and the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald to ship their new bulk potions across Evanoch, a deal Zamira was eager to accept, though she admitted being afraid of Aurora after witnessing Aurora turn the mercenaries sent to the Edmund Fitzgerald inside out. Aurora offered Zamira an enchanted statuette of a daunting Aurora; should the statuette be invoked, Aurora would be notified and could teleport to the Edmund Fitzgerald to defend it.
Meanwhile, Aurora began work on a book--a primer on how to navigate talking to dragons meant to help new dragons adjust. She decided that this book would have a section dedicated to each dragon, and she started with the section on herself. A few days after everything calmed down, Jarvia came to call, apologizing for questioning Aurora and distancing herself--Jarvia said that doubting a sister was wrong, and she should have given Aurora more trust. They reconciled, and Jarvia was delighted to see Aurora's primer on the dragons. Jarvia was glad to see Aurora getting started with her new life, and she cautioned not to try to live out a whole immortality at once.
A Mortar and Pestle boomed. With the high volume of potions they could sell in town, they were doing better than ever. But with the addition of the Edmund Fitzgerald's shipping, Aurora and Heather were selling bulk potions across the southern and eastern coasts of Evanoch--even in a city as large as New Dalton, A Mortar and Pestle's potions were ubiquitous next to local potions. The apprentice program soon filled up, aspiring apothecaries hoping to learn from the most dominant and talented apothecaries in this part of the world. Aurora also noticed one apprentice, Devin, who seemed to be gender non-conforming and somewhat out of place in the apothecary program in terms of work. Aurora asked some questions of Devin, whose answers indicated that they liked helping people--satisfied that Devin could be trusted, Aurora summoned ABC, who instructed Aurora on how to offer a Fae deal to Devin to become a Fae Physicist. Devin accepted and began working to learn to use glyphs.
The Edmund Fitzgerald encountered resistance at sea a few times, and Aurora would appear, massive and looming in a giant version of her Daltoner form, over the ship and threaten the attackers. This worked very well aside from one occasion on which Aurora was forced to attack the oncoming ship, and the stories told about the event scared off any future attacks on the Edmund Fitzgerald. Aurora pestered Heather about needing siblings or at least a step parent, and Heather anxiously admitted that she'd been quietly seeing the woman who ran the bookstore down the road since shortly after returning to Torga, and they made plans to meet together as a family. Heather's girlfriend, Tricia, was a quiet and sweet halfling woman who asked a lot of questions and listened intently. It was clear that she genuinely loved Heather and enjoyed Aurora's presence, talking at length about scientific ideas she'd read about. In the time that followed, Tricia would make time for family events, but she seemed to often stick to herself out of disposition rather than anything social. Nevertheless, Heather, Aurora, and Tricia got on well, and the first year passed busily and happily, Aurora even covertly finding out what gemstones Tricia liked to advise Heather what ring to buy.
One Year After:
A Mortar and Pestle was succeeding like never before. In fact, Aurora and Heather had more potions built up from their work than they could sell, house, or ship with Zamira. Aurora said they would need at least a new storage place and might as well build a new shop. Together, they set to determining where to expand to, and after careful consideration decided on Talon Gorge. In the weeks that followed, they purchased property on the main road into Talon Gorge's center and secured a team to start building the shop. They also chose apothecaries from their apprentice program to run the old shop in Torga, opting for a team of a classically talented orcish woman and a warm and inviting elven man to cover operations, while a promising quiet young halfling woman would run the new Talon Gorge shop alone. As the completion of the new shop loomed, Heather and Aurora decided to take a vacation together--the new shop would busy their lives, and both knew that Aurora would only be at the shop for so long. In fact, Tricia chose to forego the trip to give Heather and Aurora more time together. They planned that once the last details were taken care of, they would go to Curagon, and Heather would show Aurora what her hometown was like.
Before they left, Aurora's old friend David from the Edmund Fitzgerald came to Aurora and asked to become a spellcaster. Aurora asked a few sneaky questions, and David said he wanted to have power and be able to do things. Aurora judged this as an insufficient answer and suggested apothecary training. David said to forget the whole thing and left. Devin's training as a Fae Physicist went swimmingly, and Devin gained power quite quickly under Aurora's tutelage. Devin also leaned into their performance of gender and became quite confident and happy working with Aurora, who was pleased to find that Devin's success as a kind spellcaster seemed to be a combination of their own determination, their inborn potential as a spellcaster, and their willingness to listen to Aurora's advice. Aurora discovered that Devin often went around helping poor and injured people when not working. After a few days, Aurora realized that she'd never given David the chance to directly say whether he meant to help people and called for him. Asked who in the world he would help, David described how hard it was growing up in a boys' home with no consistent caretaker, and Aurora pledged 10% of A Mortar and Pestle's profits to a revamping of the boys' and girls' homes in Underhar, where David was from, asking him to be the head of the home. David accepted, and Aurora sent Devin with him to help get things started, putting Aurix in contact with Devin to help with training while Aurora was away.
Heather and Aurora elevated a young halfling apothecary apprentice to watch the Torga A Mortar and Pestle during their vacation; the halfling was nervous at first but worked hard to make them proud. During their time in Curagon, Aurora saw a new way of life--underground homes, a thick rainforest, no government at all, community like she hadn't seen elsewhere, new cuisines and traditions and so much that helped her see her mother in a new light--the places her habits and values came from, the way Heather stepped back into life in Curagon as though she'd never left. It was a time of peace and rest, and Heather and Aurora had never been closer. Aurora was delighted that no halfling the met batted an eye when Heather called her her daughter, and Aurora was able to discover plants within the rainforests that she'd never seen before.
After the trip was over, Jarvia called on Aurora to talk. Aurora went to Jarvia's estate, and they discussed Aurora's experience in her first year as a dragon. Aurora was all business, focused on achieving her goals as efficiently as possible. Jarvia understood this, saying that getting rich or accomplishing a life's quest is usually the first thing a new dragon does. Aurora explained that she was capable of granting Fae deals, something that Jarvia preached caution with given that even Fae are careful about what deals they offer. Aurora shared that she'd finished the introduction of the primer as well as her own section; now it was time for the other dragons, and Aurora asked Jarvia to be the first. Jarvia agreed and shared some cursory thoughts--it's important to refine your values, it matters how you work with others, remember that you have as long as you like so nothing is worth rushing--and promised to offer deeper thoughts as they worked together. Jarvia happily shared that New Dalton was suffering--she believed that Horton had been protecting New Dalton and its road for centuries, and without him or a replacement, New Dalton was slowly falling apart with massive waves of immigrants leaving the capital. Jarvia and Aurora fell to playfulness and teasing, and when Jarvia pushed the teasing to the point she threatened to hold Aurora down and compliment her, Aurora kissed her.
As time passed, A Mortar and Pestle became a household name in two of the biggest cities in the world. The Talon Gorge shop was a spot for travelers, healers, and common people of all types, and the team Aurora and Heather chose for it balanced each others' strengths perfectly. The Edmund Fitzgerald crew used some of their increased profits to obtain two more vessels which they dubbed the Victory and the Rhone, larger versions of the Edmund Fitzgerald with expanded cargo holds. Thanks to these new ships, the crew could expand their shipping routes, going as far north as the Ablan Ocean and as far west as Grob Island from Torga and all along the north coast from Talon Gorge. What's more, the massive amounts of cheaply available potions which help with health circulating across most of the continent generally improved health for people, and at least along the coasts, public health had never been so robust.
David was established as the new head of the boys' home he had grown up in and began making changes to improve life for the boys there. He and Devin spent a few months experimenting with which policies and changes worked best, then expanded their investment to other group homes and orphanages around Underhar, implementing the same changes in those places. Hiring standards and incentives were increased, and within the space of another year, the quality of life in public housing in Underhar was high enough that David was able to observe that many raised in these programs actually had better chances at success than some in conventional dwarven homes. Devin, on their return to Torga, worked with renewed purpose after seeing the good done in Underhar with David. Devin worked with Aurora at times but mostly trained with Aurix. After some experimentation, Devin discovered a way to use glyphs to empower the potions created at A Mortar and Pestle, focusing their work on healing potions. This allowed Heather and Aurora to offer healing potions that could be administered as emergency lifesaving tools, and these proved very popular with a variety of crowds.
Aurora and Jarvia worked on the primer and their relationship. For a long time, they explored their budding surprise romance in between intense interviews for the primer and their discussion of what it means to be a dragon or to have free will. There were days spent cuddling, flying as dragons, reading together, walking Jarvia's estate and beyond, days that had a slowness and deliberation that immortality helped to create. Jarvia showed Aurora things all over the world--noodle shops outside Mishara, trees that grew in spirals in the Shorgon Forest, the southern edge of Fanin after a long flight to the north--so many things that Aurora never could have experienced before her dragonhood. Once they'd settled with each other, they shared a playful relationship with mutual respect softening the teaching of each other. Those who were with Aurora and Jarvia together said that they had their own little world no one else could quite make sense of, and together, Aurora shared with Jarvia an innate understanding and a drive to always keep pushing that forged a bond between them unlike most. At long last, Jarvia's section on the primer was finished--in it, she returned to meeting Aurora and the necessity for free will, even in those you oppose. She also looked to the future, reminding that essentially all dragons alive have proven themselves trustworthy, so don't make the mistake of overthinking. Jarvia spoke at time about the aloneness of being a dragon and of being misunderstood; she also contested Aurora's assertion that dragons have a responsibility to the public, saying that life is more complicated than pure good. She argued instead that a dragon shouldn't poison themselves with urgency, suggesting taking time off regularly to stay fresh. They agreed that Aurora would continue her interviews for the primer but would return to Talon Gorge often and send messages and even paper letters. Jarvia sometimes came to observe and hang out with Aurora's interviews, but Aurora always went about the process with the utmost diligence. She went in the order she'd met with the dragons to discuss their help those years ago now: from Jarvia to Wing, then Aurix, then Niela, then Rupert, then Hriskin.
The interviews for the primers took time, but they went well. Wing said that dragonhood makes you not quite a person--you are separated from normal people by the extent of your power, and that will always mean needing to be aware of your difference. Aurora asked if Thomas was a cautionary tale; Wing insisted he wasn't--Thomas was a particularly broken individual in a broken system, and he was not an outlier. The dragon system needed the reform they had given it and potentially more to function well. Wing described the power of cooperation and unity, how she'd been defined by a hatred of Thomas she was helpless to do anything about, but with the others, she'd been freed of that. Wing told Aurora that Aurora saw fault in things as they were but didn't know life with the dragons divided--this was better, Wing said. Ultimately, she wanted to shake things up in dragon culture, hoping to inspire more positive change.
Aurix said they regretted not supporting Rupert more at the beginning of his dragonhood, wondering where Rupert could be now with help; Aurora comforted them that ultimately, Rupert would be okay, and Aurix need not worry themself too much. Aurora also told them that her legacy would go beyond herself, suggesting Aurix make moves to do the same; Aurora's company was still improving health across the continent, and Aurix could certainly do something big if they meant to. Aurix said they felt freer now that Regg, Thomas, and Horton, their three nearest neighbors, were no longer threats. Aurix said that doing good was about math--some things create better net effects than others, and they should be prioritized. At the same time, Aurix fundamentally believed that black and white thinking is rarely appropriate, something that seemed to confound them as they described it. Instead, they said, talk with others to find the details that matter. Ultimately, Aurix said they still believed that empowering people by leaving the rift open was philosophically sound, and that they believed their legacy may come from empowering people.
When Aurora visited Niela, she found that Niela and Brokk had settled down and had twins. Aurora was at first sad, reminded that she could not be a biological mother, and Niela promised that Aurora would spend lots of time with the children, Viren and Sempra, black-and-red-scaled dragonborn four-year-olds, during her visit. This proved to be true, and Aunt Aurora absolutely spoiled the children over the course of her visit. In her interviews, Niela was especially present and focused, often describing how her perspective had changed. As the odd chromatic dragon out as a not entirely evil person and an assumed foe to the metallic dragons, Niela had always focused on survival and staying one step ahead alone; now, she had friends, allies, and a family, and she could see a different way of thinking. What seemed before to be interfering in the world now seemed to be saving that world. Niela said that before, it was revolutionary to think that metallic and chromatic divisions are imaginary so long as free will exists--now, she and Brokk's roles in the chromatic dragon world have proved conclusively not to place any faith in the color of a dragon's scales. Niela said that new dragons should be ready to leave behind their trauma and do something to help the larger dragon project of making things better. Niela and Aurora agreed that Aurora would be the bridesmaid in Niela and Brokk's wedding when the time came.
Aurora's visit to Rupert came with the discovery that Rupert had built and was running a network of homes for the needy in Finiel; because Rupert was the sole manager of four large homes, he was incredibly busy but still found time to talk to Aurora, even if only in short bursts. Rupert shamefully admitted that he had had it all wrong when they first met him. After he digested what Lethanin had said, he began to see more clearly. Rupert told the story of his life and only realizing that he owed people something recently. Aurora discovered that much of Rupert's income still came from an extortion racket, convinced him to dissolve the arrangement, and donated a massive sum to Rupert's homes. Aurora suggested expanding further, which Rupert resisted--he said he was doing good and was happy doing it. Nevertheless, Aurora pressed him, suggesting Rupert make smart investments to secure future funding and expand his homes to welcome people from other cities. Eventually, Rupert did do all of this, and after Aurora's visit, his homes for the needy grew to include struggling people from all over Evanoch. In the last days of Aurora's time with Rupert, they cured an old woman in the home of night terrors, and Rupert promised to keep figuring more of the dragon thing out.
Hriskin was delighted to see Aurora and greeted her with a batch of potato cakes like Aurora had once made for her. Aurora could see that Hriskin had regained an old energy; Hriskin was warm and charismatic, confident and charming, and it was easy to see how she had commanded the love and respect of the arena with this bold nature and gentle manner. Aurora happily told stories of Viren and Sempra playing hide and seek with her, which delighted Hriskin. Aurora thanked Hriskin for always standing by her, then made a pass at Hriskin, who was at first confused and then explained she was attracted to men. The two dragons shrugged the moment off and began the work of the primer. Hriskin said that dragons are successful in their lives before dragonhood; in that way, being a dragon is about succeeding at mortal life and then beginning a much harder, bigger game as a dragon. She asked Aurora about her pre- and post-dragon priorities--Aurora said destroying Pelor's Mercy and protecting dragonhood, respectively. Hriskin said this illustrated her point; destroying a town is mortal work, but defining power across the world is dragon work. Hriskin told Aurora that the elevation of the dragons meant that they owe goodness to the world. The brass dragon said that there's no limit on what a dragon is capable of--anything disadvantageous will pass in time, so never be dissuaded from something. They ended Aurora's visit with a wrestling match as dragons, which Hriskin surely won.
Aurora's time with Brokk was simple and quiet. Aurora spent time with the now seven-year-old Viren and Sempra, who were avidly pursuing orcish history and astronomy, respectively; Viren now very much took after his mother, and Sempra after her father. When Brokk spoke for the primer, he emphasized the responsibility of being a dragon--he said they have agency that never goes away. Money, prestige, and property can all be lost, but a dragon will always be powerful. With that, said Brokk, the best thing to do as a dragon is help. Helping small and large are equally valid--just help. He said his place in the world now was as a humble father, nothing more–he just wanted the world to offer the same opportunities to his children that other children everywhere enjoyed–it was a matter of justice. Brokk and Aurora would have these conversations roaming gardens, drinking coffee, gesturing wildly--Aurora could see in Brokk a total commitment to action in all things and an avoidance of contemplating too much as Brokk's answers came quickly and freely. When Aunt Aurora's time with the family ended, the kids insisted on throwing a big party as a prelude to a bigger party the next time Aunt Aurora could visit.
Aurora visited Lethanin in his new island tower, where he proudly showed Aurora his construction and decoration. Lethanin described a project in which he spreads art to different cultures, offering examples of success stories. When interviewed, Lethanin was hesitant to say definitively that dragons have a distinct responsibility; he was, however, willing to say that having the power of a dragon does enable a person to do good. Aurora pressed Lethanin on this, and Lethanin admitted to feeling a responsibility about his position as a dragon. That responsibility was not to Evanoch, though--Lethanin felt obligated to serve his role as a "weird" dragon, to bring hidden truths to light, to try to find out what it all means, and to allow people to be themselves. But even saying this, Lethanin questioned what responsibility is at its core--does responsibility impair free will, the thing they'd fought to regain? Lethanin was still searching for answers himself, and he was eagerly pursuing the search.
Every dragon who spoke to Aurora pointed out something good that she had done, and a moment later, every dragon pointed out that Aurora had refused to take credit. This fact was not mentioned in the primer.
Aurora is a busy woman, and between running a transcontinental alchemy empire, maintaining a romantic relationship with one of the most powerful women in the world, defending the Edmund Fitzgerald and its fleet, and otherwise tending to her many irons in the fire, working tirelessly to complete the primer with the input of these eight dragons took the bulk of her time leading up to a decade after the events of the campaign, leaving only the green dragon to be interviewed to complete the primer.
Ten Years After:
The primer nearly finished, Aurora set out to find the green dragon. She found their sprawling estate outside of Curagon and magically unlocked the door, walking right in. She was met with a panicked halfling wielding a crossbow at her. After a tense conversation, the halfling identified themself as Xavier, and Aurora and Xavier negotiated the terms of their new arrangement: at Aurora's insistence, she would stay with Xavier for a year, learning from him--but she did not mention the primer. Seeing that Aurora was deadset on the arrangement, Xavier relented, and their year together began. Aurora would follow Xavier in the mornings, watching them tend to accounting matters personally, make investment deals, and collect on outstanding debts. Aurora interfered in the debt collection, leaving more money behind for people than they had to pay, much to Xavier's frustration. When questioned, Xavier said they simply liked making money because it was a way to numerically measure success in a life that resists real goals. Xavier described making money as a momentary pleasure, something a dragon needs to survive immortality. Aurora suggested that helping people could be a momentary pleasure too, which Xavier ridiculed.
Time passed. Xavier asked about the place of the chromatic dragons and the deaths of their colleagues; Aurora said that Thomas was killed because he interfered with their plan to save the world, Horton had been an impediment to a better world, and Regg had simply been a case of bad luck. This allowed Xavier to see that their position was safer than they'd thought. Aurora asked Xavier how they felt about their lack of personal connections, and Xavier angrily replied that Aurora hadn't lost everyone she knew yet. To show Xavier that she knew real pain, Aurora transferred a sensation of gender dysphoria to Xavier, who remarked that they felt something like it when identified as male. Aurora also allowed Xavier to experience the feeling she felt when she fixed the broken road in Talon Gorge and the realization that she was a good person, not a monster as she'd been led to believe. Xavier described the horrors of being abandoned as a child and how they believed empathy to be a weakness. Aurora suggested that Xavier use their massive wealth to help people and to embrace their gender more fully. At the same time, Aurora moved money from A Mortar and Pestle into Xavier's investment firm, where it began to accrue interest immediately.
In the months that followed, Xavier's behavior started to change. No longer did they collect debts personally, nor did they tend to every accounting issue personally. Instead, they focused their time on making investment deals and holding meetings which Aurora was not allowed to attend. When Aurora protested this, Xavier asked for trust. Their wardrobe began to include more diverse and colorful outfits, and they seemed more cheerful with people. After months of the secret meetings, Xavier invited Aurora to attend one of the meetings. When she did, Aurora found that Xavier had built and financed a formidable organization built on improving public welfare--there were plans for food pantries, boarding houses, public health, and more measures meant to improve life in Curagon and the halfling lands beyond. Xavier asked Aurora's input; she suggested some vocational training program to help people get back on their own feet, and this was unanimously supported. Xavier made plans to support this organization indefinitely.
With only one month left in Aurora's year with Xavier, she introduced the concept of the primer. She revealed her dragon form, which confounded Xavier, and asked them what they believed about dragonhood after their year together. Xavier said that dragonhood was a blessing or a curse, and it's up to the dragon in question to decide which one for themselves. This freedom to choose is a vital part of the equation. They also said that success is the first step for dragons, but dragons are responsible for doing something with that success, not just resting on your laurels. Xavier stressed that you can always change what you are doing to something better, even after hundreds of years. And Xavier returned to the idea of small joys, arguing that time will wear on a dragon, and finding small joys will carry you through.
All the while, Heather was with Aurora, and they would spend the evenings together. In response to Xavier and Heather's qualms about the halfling style of parenting, they began to develop a new style of parenting, simply called by those they introduced it to "New Parenting." This idea essentially combines all the most caring and progressive ideas on parenting from across Evanoch into one whole philosophy. They would brainstorm and then promote their ideas across Curagon, and within a few months, their ideas had caught on quite rapidly. By the time that Aurora and Heather's time in Curagon came to a close, they had managed to spread New Parenting to many new people, gradually improving the lives of children in the central region of Evanoch and beyond.
The only element of Aurora's primer that remained was Aurora's own section. For two months, she pored over her notes from the other dragons and compiled her own ideas. In the end, she began the primer by simply giving helpful observations, some guidelines, and some warnings. The rules of being a dragon were there--you're immortal to time but can be killed. Suggestions were offered: talk to the other dragons, form a community with them, go to the dragons for help with grief. Aurora also offered a rule--you must do good, or she would kill you, and she will be watching. She closed her brief introduction by offering a way to contact her.
The primer complete, Aurora began hunting for the unclaimed dragon title stones so that she could set a contingency spell that would alert her and others of any stranger nearing the dragon stone. The chromatic dragon stones were enchanted so that Aurora, Brokk, Lethanin, Niela, and Xavier would know of any visitors to the stones; the metallic dragon stones were enchanted to grant Aurora, Brokk, Lethanin, and all of the metallic dragons of visitors; the elemental dragon stones would alert just the party (Aurora, Brokk, and Lethanin), and only Aurora would know of someone visiting the Fae dragon stone. Aurora invited her apprentice Devin along for the trip, and they did accompany Aurora, helping in any way they could. Aurora ultimately suggested that Devin try their hand at adventuring, as it is a bigger help to help with greater power as a reward--Devin agreed, eager to help people, and set off at the end of the journey to adventure.
The dragon stones themselves took time to find and enchant. In all, it took ten years and three months of searching to find each one. She quickly found the blue dragon stone in New Dalton and the white dragon stone in Ringsdale, where the previous dragons had lived. Then began the search for the chromatics, locating the purple dragon stone in the Shorgon Forest, the orange dragon stone in the Kraal Desert, the yellow dragon stone at Lake Playbor, the brown dragon stone in the Chalba Forest, and the grey dragon stone on the Asherinisem Plains. Then began the search for the remaining metallic dragon stones: the iron dragon stone was found on the Homin Peninsula, the steel dragon stone was in the Cosetta Forest, the lead dragon stone could be found on the Haenok Plains, the pewter dragon stone was on the Ralarr Plains, and the tungsten dragon stone was hidden on Senetosa Island. Finally, the search for the elemental dragons began. Aurora found the fire dragon stone on Valcora Island, the earth dragon stone on Grob Island, the air dragon stone at the peak of the Kragg Mountains, the water dragon stone at Lake Unaron, the crystal dragon stone at the Great Cliffs, the plant dragon stone outside the city of Xale, the animal dragon stone on the Raolo Plains, the undead dragon stone in the swamp outside Nopirock, and finally, the Fae dragon stone in the Faewild on an island which Aurora walked across water to reach, learning that her dragon title was Benevola.
Aurora had been gone for more than a decade. Her quest to protect the dragon stones was complete, but she had spoken to no one from her life in all that time. She tended first to the business. A Mortar and Pestle was doing amazingly well. Aurora trained new apothecary apprentices in Torga and Talon Gorge, ensuring a new batch of experts to run the business with her away. She also selected a studious, kind, principled, and dedicated apothecary who she selected to be a new Fae Physicist. This new Fae Physicist, a Faninite woman named Andi Rhing, progressed quickly. More ambitious than Devin, Andi soaked up as much of Aurora's training as she could and set out adventuring to hone her skills and help people in need. A Mortar and Pestle was doing well enough between normal business and the investments with Xavier's bank, and Heather suggested expanding into another city; they agreed on Curagon and began steps to set up a new shop there. Heather and Aurora agreed that the point was no longer to make money--they had more than they could ever need--but spreading easily, cheaply available health services was worth the expansion. Within a year, the Curagon chapter of A Mortar and Pestle was as wildly successful as the other shops, and public health in Curagon had improved markedly. Heather herself was doing very well. No longer running the day-to-day operations, she seemed at peace. She spent lots of time with her partner, Tricia, who was delighted to get to help with things in Curagon--she too had a role in imagining New Parenting.
Aurora visited the Edmund Fitzgerald and discovered that most of the crew had aged out of sailing. It had been more than twenty years since Aurora's time on the ship, and only Captain Zamira truly remained from the old days. Aurora and Zamira chatted about what was new, the legend of Aurora aboard the ships, and Zamira's secret fourth ship; the main fleet was strictly legal shipping for A Mortar and Pestle, but Zamira's fourth ship, which she spent most of her time on, was a classic privateer operation, and she still enjoyed the high action of the seas most of the time. Aurora promised to visit more, and the old friends parted ways for now.
After nearly eleven years away, Aurora returned to Talon Gorge to reunite with Jarvia. Jarvia was happy to see Aurora if a little reserved about the long absence, and they caught up. Aurora talked about the dragon stone protections, and Jarvia said she had been learning armored combat and fighting bandits across the region in an effort to keep things fresh. Aurora told Jarvia that she wanted to train as a paladin with Hriskin, and that now that life could be simpler, she wanted to think about making her mother a grandmother. Jarvia was surprised, asking if she was included in those plans; when Aurora said she was, Jarvia said that spending some more time establishing their relationship first would be a good step. They spent a few months together, bonding, working together, and relaxing, before Aurora set out on her next journey.
Before Aurora committed to any quest, she established a routine. Two months of the year, she would spend with Jarvia, simply striving to further their relationship and enjoy their partnership. Another two months would be spent visiting friends and family, seeing the other dragons, Aurora's old friends across Evanoch, and her mother and Tricia. Aurora announced that all apothecary training through the apprentice program at A Mortar and Pestle--this move was made so that she could spend additional time with Jarvia throughout the year. The rest of her time was dedicated to moving forward with existing and new plans, such as becoming a paladin.
To investigate this fully, Aurora went to visit Hriskin. They discussed the heavy responsibility that is being a paladin. Hriskin said that the god she'd sworn an oath to was Heironeous, god of justice and using might to help the vulnerable. Aurora said that Heironeous did feel right to her; she had actually considered Pelor due to the presence she'd felt when destroying Pelor's Mercy. Hriskin was hesitant about this; she felt that Aurora might not want to align herself permanently based on a moment of destruction since it is a way of defining oneself. Aurora said she didn't know which gods to consider, and Hriskin recommended speaking to Niela or Jarvia, who were better versed with the gods.
Following this suggestion, Aurora went to Niela, delighted to find the Brokk-Niela family happy and progressing. Aurora explained the situation and said that she wanted to connect with a god whose ideals matched her own. Niela asked what those ideals were, and Aurora said she lived by the idea that being free is what defines being alive and that what you do to the least of us is what you do to yourself. Niela considered and explained that three gods might work. Ehlonna believed that power is responsibility and that all must have the right to life and choice. Yondalla believed in fighting for the common person and held that choice is power. St. Cuthbert would understand being turned immortal as a mortal, and that his beliefs revolved around creating justice and fighting for freedom. Aurora said that Ehlonna and Yondalla felt the most right and agreed to speak to these goddesses. Aurora also offered Niela the information on the unknown chromatic dragons she had gathered, which Niela gratefully copied down.
Aurora found a deserted wayshrine to Yondalla in the far north of the halfling lands and prayed to Yondalla. Yondalla spoke to Aurora calmly and stoically, explaining that she'd disagreed with closing the rift because she didn't know the dragons would change like they have. She said that she could sense Aurora was lacking in purpose and offered to give her purpose. She said that Aurora had lost her fight, and she would give Aurora that fight back. Yondalla also reminded Aurora that even more power would come with an oath, something that could improve Aurora's ability to do good. Aurora said she needed time to decide, then found a quiet shrine to Ehlonna in the northern Cosetta Forest. A human woman who identified herself as Ehlonna, flashing for a moment an image of a humanoid deer in intricate armor. Aurora was quiet and meek, and Ehlonna comforted and praised her for having distinguished herself as a doer of so much good. Aurora was still uncomfortable, and Ehlonna magically bestowed a sense of calm and hope on her with a gentle touch on the shoulder that felt like warmth and soothing pressure. Ehlonna called this blessing a gift for Aurora's many good deeds and thanked her for her work. Aurora said she needed time to decide. She considered her possibilities long and hard, weighing what was right for her.
Fifty Years Later:
Eventually, Aurora teleported to the statue of ABC in the Liggen Forest not far from Pelor's Mercy. She burned incense, gathered wild fruit and mushrooms, and bound a sprig of mistletoe with lavender and rosemary as offerings to Ehlonna, hoping to enlist as a Paladin. Aurora told Ehlonna that she "had read and studied" to know what good was, said that she would not worship Ehlonna so much as work together because they shared goals and values. She stated an intention to swear an Oath of the Ancients and said she was driven by the belief that "whatever you do to the least of these, you do also to yourself." After a time, Ehlonna answered, asking for the respect that a goddess might command, and told Aurora that this was not a business transaction--it was a matter of morality, guidance, and justice. Ashamed, Aurora admitted that on some level she was scared that she could become a villain. Ehlonna hugged her and comforted her, saying that choosing what is right is a task we face every day, and Aurora could choose to use her immense power for good. Ehlonna explained that Aurora was good at inspiring others to be good, and this was something that Ehlonna believed would be an enormous benefit if used well. Finally, Ehlonna told Aurora that most people feel what is right, but Aurora knew what was right, and that would always help keep Aurora safe in good. As a way of beginning their relationship, Ehlonna asked Aurora to deal with an urgent issue: the Mountainside Mining Company in Ringsdale had an employee publicly report that slavery was being used by the company, and the following morning, the employee who reported it had been found dead in the public square. Ehlonna asked Aurora to deal with this and to make the justice done public. Ehlonna further requested that Aurora take a lengthy break from her work and see Evanoch with fresh eyes after the Ringsdale mission was complete. Aurora agreed and adopted the mistletoe, lavender, and rosemary as her holy symbol.
Aurora headed to Ringsdale via the old site of Pelor's Mercy while disguised as an elf. She found that the statue she had made of Pelor had been cracked in places where people had tried to destroy it and marked with graffiti. Aurora cast a spell to cleanse the statue and repair and fortify it as well as blessing it; in an instant, the graffiti disappeared, the cracks disappeared, and the statue hummed with divine energy--and as it disappeared, Aurora spotted a bit of graffiti that read "the Light Dragon is the Horned One." On her way to Ringsdale, Aurora stopped in the city of Feirmor to gather a party of adventurers to help her in her mission. She went to a rowdy part of town and found Six Bars, a collection of taverns where she met Heidi the dwarven Cleric of St. Cuthbert, Wendy the Faninite Barbarian, and Xyla the half-elven Rogue/Bard. Aurora paid the bartender to keep the drinks flowing and told the women about the job, and at an offer of 50 platinum pieces, all of them signed on.
Wendy went with Aurora to buy a horse, and Aurora casually mentioned having been at Pelor's Mercy, remarking on the strange "Light Dragon" and "Horned One" writing. Wendy explained that people had seen a pastel-colored dragon in the moments after Pelor's Mercy fell, who Daltoner religious officials had claimed was an earthly incarnation of the Devil. Aurora let slip more of her relationship with Pelor's Mercy, then made an elaborate story to cover her mistake; Wendy said that Aurora didn't need to make up stories or even say anything in the first place. Aurora bought a dappled mare and a saddle, hitching the horse at the stables for the night. Aurora and Wendy returned to the tavern.
When Aurora arrived, she made another awkward slip and cover story about her identity, and Xyla point-blank asked if the job was real at all. Aurora acknowledged that she struggled with social interactions given a pretty big secret she meant to keep and promised them that the job was in fact real. The adventuring party accepted this and drank more, and meanwhile, Aurora went to the city's temple of Pelor. She entered and spoke with a cleric who answered her questions: the Light Dragon was pastel blue and pink with white and had only been seen on a few occasions, notably at Pelor's Mercy. Daltoners were taught to believe that this dragon was deeply evil and meant to distract them from worship of Pelor; the cleric had seen many Daltoners leave their struggling capital city and seek worship at the Pelor temple only to find that this was a god of kindness, light, and healing, not fear and sacrifice; many Daltoners, the cleric said, had immigrated heavily to Feirmor, which had been a culture shock for everyone. Aurora thanked the cleric for his answers and dropped a platinum piece in the offering dish on the way out and back to the tavern to turn in for the night.
The following morning, they rode to Ringsdale and found a standoff between armed workers and armed mercenaries. Aurora questioned one of the workers, who explained that the mercenaries were hired by the Mountainside Mining company's owner to keep the workers, who were calling for an end to slavery conditions, from working, which infuriated them, as the paid workers were already making starvation wages. Aurora called on the mercenary leader to answer questions and cast Zone of Truth on him. The leader answered the question "Do you represent corporate masters?" with "I assuredly do--the pay is good." Spooked, the mercenaries fell back into a defensive position, and Aurora attacked the leader with her rapier, killing him as the blade attuned to Aurora. Aurora, the adventurers, and the workers pushed the mercenaries backward until they were trapped against the company's warehouse. Several of the mercenaries surrendered rather than risk their lives, and Aurora and the other fell on the remaining mercenaries with non-lethal tactics. Aurora loudly declared that the men should be imprisoned and not killed, that Mountainside Mining would be henceforth worker-owned, and that she hoped the company would be more respectful of the rights of nature and people moving forward. As she spoke, Ehlonna cast a silvery light in her on form on Aurora. Aurora regrouped with the adventurers and explained that really, she was someone else, dropped her disguise, said, "the dragons are back," and then transformed into her light blue, pink, and white dragon and flew away.
Aurora traveled the continent as Ehlonna had asked, visiting friends and cities and taking in a world she had worked tirelessly to make better for over fifty years. She saw great progress in the cities where she and the other dragons had worked to create social services and access to reliable, cheap, powerful healing potions and other alchemical products--Torga was doing better than it ever had, Curagon was thriving, Talon Gorge was improving every day, Finiel was a center for those in need, and Ringsdale was taking a sharp turn for the better. In other cities, things were good but they had their own problems; Kruush had entered the modern cultural conversation in new ways, but was dealing with facing the problems that brought with it, Mishara was culturally blossoming but politically at odds, and Vestry was as prosperous as ever but with no growth. Meanwhile, New Dalton was falling apart, and Underhar was suffering under an oppressive culture and government that prevented all but a small percentage of male voters from voting in any election. Rather than be content with the advances in half the major cities of Evanoch, Aurora chose to focus on what came next.
Back from her travels, Aurora expanded the orphanage project, which her old friend David was still running, into a full social services program like she and Xavier had instituted in Curagon (and Xavier and Brokk in Ringsdale as well as Xavier and Lethanin in Torga). She also added a department whose purpose was political--it was meant to run a campaign to change voting rights so that any adult dwarf could vote. Aurora invested her funds and contacted Xavier to help the social services programs, which they happily agreed to.
Not long after, Aurora was contacted by Hriskin, who Aurora immediately teleported to visit. Hriskin described struggling with not aging, which had started raising eyebrows--her return had initially been a celebration, but now people were wondering why a Faninite had been able to stay young for hundreds of years. Aurora initially suggested just going public as a dragon, but when Hriskin was slow to respond, Aurora suggested instead posing as the half-elven granddaughter of herself. Hriskin liked this plan, and Aurora magically made Hriskin's face more angular, changed her eyes to brown, and gave her pointed ears. They discussed the joys and stresses of Paladinhood as well as the effects of the Mountainside Mining incident--Hriskin said several other Ringsdale companies had become worker-owned--and Aurora's dwarven suffrage campaign, which was starting to get traction despite heavy opposition. Conversation turned to Xavier, and at Aurora's description of the program's efficacy in other cities, Hriskin decided to go in as the manager of another branch of the program in another city. After some discussion, Hriskin opted to move to Underhar and take over a bulk of the social services there in addition to expanding. Hriskin adopted this plan cheerfully, saying she wanted to "fix the big hole in the ground that Thomas fucked up." Hriskin readied to move, and Aurora set magical protections on Hriskin's cottage.
Aurora spent years tending to her other goals--improvements in Underhar, the maintenance of her projects, the cultivating of apprentices, her relationships--before being contacted by Ehlonna with a new mission. Ehlonna explained that in the city of Chance, an inventor had developed mechanical earpieces that allowed people to talk via shared consciousness with anyone else with an earpiece. The devices had functioned incredibly well and accumulated purchases from most people in the city, but earlier that morning, those wearing the earpieces had become part of a large hivemind whose actions were aggressive. Aurora gathered a new group of adventurers, all anxious young men (Reid the Daltoner Druid, Xorn the elven Ranger, and Lam the gnomish Bard), and headed to Chance. There, they found the city in a surreal state--people seemed to be going about their lives as normal, but things were off. A man watered the ground ten feet from a flowerbed; a child repeatedly tried to walk through a closed door; a woman nodded at a book which she was holding upside down. Aurora attracted the attention of the man with the watering can, and he opened his mouth, eyes flashing yellow light, and screamed, "Intruder!"
Acting quickly, Aurora took out the man's earpiece, which caused the yellow light to disappear and for the man to have no irises or pupils. Aurora cast Restoration on the man, and he awoke, complaining of pain. She healed him, and he thanked her, introducing himself as Craig. He complained that he felt like there was a physical object inside his head, but Aurora and Reid confirmed that this was imagined after careful medical examinations. Craig explained that his last memory was the moment he put the earpiece on. With caution, Aurora and the party told Craig to hide and then set out across Chance to find the inventor of the earpieces. For the most part, Aurora and the party made their way stealthily through the lakeside city, but there were a few occasions when they had to non-lethally dispatch agents of the hivemind and remove their earpieces. Eventually, they found a shop advertising the sale of the earpieces. They broke in and found a deserted storefront and a locked door, which Aurora slashed down with her rapier and Thunderous Smite. Behind the door was a halfling man with an elaborate beard and piles of gleaming coins, shocked to see Aurora and the party. Having sensed Vecna's divine energy on the storefront, Aurora knew to use Command to halt the man from doing anything, then bound and gagged him and began to swiftly carry him towards the edge of town. As they ran, Aurora removed the inventor's earpiece, and a group of hivemind agents in the distance fell to the ground in unison. Aurora stopped at several of these people (who seemed increasingly to be everyone in town) to check vitals and confirm they were okay, then rushed on.
Outside of town, Aurora ungagged the inventor and asked him to explain himself. He said it was all obvious in what she had seen and refused to go further. Aurora cast Command again, telling him to explain himself, to "tell the story." The man relented under the spell, explaining that he was a Cleric of Vecna. He had sought favor with his god by inventing a product that everyone would want and then casting complex control spells on each one. The task, the inventor said, had taken him nearly 40 years. Aurora and her party had undone it in less than a day. Aurora was unsure of what to do with the inventor, so she prayed to Ehlonna for guidance. Ehlonna advised Aurora to not mistake weakness for mercy. Struggling to accept what this meant, Aurora began to rationalize that perhaps she didn't have to kill him; he was a two-bit--Ehlonna interrupted. This man had chosen evil and dominance every day for 40 years. He was powerful enough to make it happen. He could not be allowed to live. Aurora accepted this and explained the decision to kill the inventor to the party. Aurora executed the man by imploding him as she had the mercenaries from Thomas at Torga. Aurora paid the shocked party, instructing them to retrieve the earpieces, destroy them, and redistribute the money to the townsfolk. Then she turned into a dragon with a remark about the dragons being back, and flew away.
Aurora kept at her projects. A Mortar and Pestle was providing essentially the whole world with affordable health potions, and both profits and public health had never been higher. Apprentices trained under Aurora were considered some of the best in the world. Aurora's Fae Physicist apprentices, Devin and Andi were making their own paths--Devin had mastered a series of spells that allowed them to multiply food, clean water, and basic medical supplies through magic as well as constructing moderate housing through glyph spells and was touring the countryside helping small communities, and Andi had continued an adventuring career, finding and destroying evil artifacts and relics so that they could not be abused (she was known among bandits for storming forts for such magical artifacts). Aurora and Jarvia had grown into understanding and constant partners in all things, and Aurora continued to spent a fifth of the year with her; she also dedicated a fifth of the year to her mother, Heather, who was loving pseudo-retirement. She could spend half a day negotiating business deals and designing public health campaigns and spend the rest with her now-wife Tricia, who had turned the bookstore into a literary museum and retired to travel with Heather.
Niela contacted Aurora and asked for time to talk. Aurora immediately teleported there and hugged Niela. They chatted for a while--Brokk and Niela's daughter Sempra was around to say hello--and Niela got to the matter at hand. Mishara had ousted the leader, Cestalion Findlan Tristaa, who was banished from the city. In the days that followed, a new government announced that a council of five leaders would be democratically elected in the following weeks. Niela explained that she was strongly considering running. Aurora was surprised--"This is very much not like you," she said. Niela said that she'd thought hard about it. She was not like Aurora in feeling a need to to do good. But she could sit at a table and reason out what's good and convince others to follow that. The council felt perfect. It was at this point that Niela further added that she intended to run with her identity as a dragon revealed. Aurora was again surprised, but Niela said that dragons had a great reputation now, and it was worth using to do something good. Aurora offered her support in whatever way she could help. The fell to discussing other things; Aurora shared the experience of killing the inventor, and Niela said that Aurora had done the right thing. They discussed New Dalton's slow implosion, and Niela shared a few details Aurora hadn't heard, including that the Dalton Church of Pelor had amended some of its teachings to appear to have always identified a pastel dragon as an incarnation of the Devil who would appear at a great time of crisis requiring unity. Aurora congratulated Niela on her decision to run and wished her well.
(Aurora would hear from Niela and others that in the following weeks, the elven council was established. On it were Jesmyn Lytor, Ahver Nylin, Plia Corridi, Zuflin Oriola, and Niela Destill. The highest amount of votes in the election went to Niela Destill. The second highest amount of votes were write-ins for "Vuthiejir.")
Aurora embarked on a new journey--a creative one. She set to writing poetry and creating accompanying paintings. For a while, as with any artist trying a new style or medium, Aurora was dissatisfied with her work. But she persisted, as all good artists must, and in time, she grew fond of her work. She would write a poem in loving script and paint a scene that she felt was tied to it and leave it in a city at an intersection. For years, she did this, expressing herself in real, raw, vulnerable ways that brought out more than poetic feelings in those who read it, left carefully in places where people might see and be touched. It was after years of this that Aurora and Lethanin discovered in conversation that Aurora was an artist and Lethanin had a cultural exchange program that spread artists' work. Aurora submitted some work to Lethanin and kept at her crossroads style of presentation, always honing her craft and looking for new and exciting ideas.
During a stay, Jarvia asked Aurora for advice. She had seen Niela's success in politics but didn't think being a public face or having that much responsibility would suit her. What she instead thought would work was influencing the council more subtly. She suggested going in disguise and becoming a drinking buddy who could introduce more progressive ideas to the more conservative members of the council. Aurora was resistant to this; they discussed whether it was moral to influence the council members rather than approach them directly, and that led to a questioning of whether the ends justify the means. This snapped Jarvia out of it. She did not believe in the ends justifying the means. Aurora admitted that she found it easy to get lost in details like this and feared one day becoming a villain. Jarvia comforted her, saying that Aurora was the purest, most infinitely good person she had ever known, and never had to fear being a villain. She also admitted that she always left her estate in disguise, afraid to be judged as not a woman by people. Aurora assured her no one could think that. They comforted each other and resolved that they would talk to the council and see what happened.
The next day, Aurora proposed to the council that they adopt more progressive ideas. A conservative council member bitterly asked for examples, and Aurora immediately rattled off a whole plan (a plan they had executed in Curagon, Ringsdale, Torga, and Underhar)--public health would be foremost, including sanitation works; trade schools would be developed using the Mortar and Pestle apprenticeship program as a model; the rights of citizens would need to be enshrined in government law; more public spaces needed to be created and cultivated. The council was mostly excited by Aurora's input, only dampened by a pair of conservative members of the council.
In the following weeks, Talon Gorge saw big improvements. Public sanitation improved drastically and included infrastructure to avoid future work. Several types of trade school were built quickly, and public word was that they would be opening very soon. And a few citizens' rights made it into law--the right to own livestock, the right to wear clothes of any color, and the right to be outside at night. It was clear that the council was either unsure of what rights matters or couldn't agree. Together, Aurora and Jarvia had an idea. For days, she worked on a song. Eventually, she went to the council chambers with her lute without a disguise and performed a song called "Manifesto." In it, she played a repeating and light, hopeful tune that intensifies with each repetition, a song whose lyrics named rights like freedom and safety and opportunity, but which also ranged to the more philosophical, like the right to define and express oneself and the right to think for oneself, but Jarvia repeatedly sang that all people have these rights in all conditions, perhaps to make it clear to the council members what they were really hearing. The song concluded in a burst of Bardic light, at which point the unofficial leader of the council, Tru'usk (somehow still kicking), asked if the council could use some written lyrics as a blueprint. Jarvia jotted some notes and passed them to Tru'usk. A week later, a majority of Jarvia's suggestion were enshrined as law.
More than 80 years after the events of the campaign, Aurora was contacted again by Ehlonna. Ehlonna simply and cryptically told Aurora to go find a rainbow parrot that speaks all languages in the Heronal Forest and take it to a bird collector. In the dark about the purpose of the mission but willing to trust Ehlonna, Aurora reached out to the Daltoner Druid she had worked with before only to find out that she now went by Rita and was more than happy to help. Together, they went to the Heronal Forest and began searching for parrots. After a few close calls, they found a small nest with rainbow eggs. They set up a blind nearby and wait until a rainbow parrot appeared. Aurora tentatively called out, "Can you understand me?" The parrot replied, "No, I can't talk." Aurora asked in elven, "So you can't understand this either?" The parrot replied in elven, "Nope, definitely can't understand this either. Can't talk at all, you see?" Aurora asked if the parrot would be willing to do a good thing by coming to visit another place, and the parrot, who said her name was Lark, agreed if they would bring along her nest and eggs.
Aurora, Rita, Lark, and the eggs teleported to Indigar, a city in the northwest of Evanoch. As they traveled, people would notice Lark and mutter things like, "Not another one." Eventually, they made it to a fine manor house with the massive Cosetta Forest behind it. Aurora had learned that the bird collector was named Frank, and the butler to the manor say Lark and promised to take Aurora to Frank. She, Rita, Lark, and the eggs were led through a neglected house into a beautiful and expansive aviary with all manner of birds nested there, with a man in the middle practicing tricks with a falcon. Aurora showed Frank Lark, at which point he excited showed them to a rainforest tree with a perfect crook for a nest. Frank promised Lark total freedom but unlimited food, water, and shelter when she chose to stay. Lark accepted, fearing the dangers of the rainforest. Frank led Aurora and Rita back through the aviary, explaining that he was the city's mayor and had been too depressed to solve problems, but Lark would really turn him around and fix a lot of public issues. Aurora paid Rita, and the two expressed some wonder at how things turned out. Aurora spoke to Ehlonna later, and Ehlonna said that Aurora's willingness to work on faith was meaningful and would not be forgotten nor unrewarded.
86 years after the campaign, in the year 4806, Aurora's efforts in dwarven politics found a victory. By official decree, suffrage in Underhar was universal, not even tied to dwarven identity. The next election cycle brought some change--it was not a revolution, but considerably more progressive ideas entered Underhar's political world as a result, which came to mean fairly serious change rather quickly. Renovations in poorer neighborhoods, long neglected, became a first priority; public healing services were expanded; women's rights advanced radically; and property rights were revised to preclude predatory housing practices. Aurora's political group continued to function, aiding in some governmental underdog cases and bringing attention to important ideas and problems.
In the 93rd year after the campaign, Aurora heard that A Mortar and Pestle had a poisoned batch somewhere in its Torga stores, with the general consensus being that it was unsafe to buy their products. Aurora personally tested every potion in the Torga stores and found no trace of poison. She did some investigating and discovered the identity of the accuser--Phil Deadtree, the now owner of a company started by a man Aurora had personally trained to be an apothecary. Aurora teleported into Phil's house and sat with him and his family as they ate dinner. The family was petrified and sat stock still all the while they sat there. Aurora cast Zone of Truth on Phil and accused him of mudslinging, saying she'd tested the potions and knew they were safe. Phil said that he was struggling and wanted to get ahead--A Mortar and Pestle was a juggernaut that would never miss some sales, but the profits he would get would be massive. Aurora told him not to spread lies and told Phil that she'd been there those 93 years ago when the company had become truly dominant, that she was much more than she seemed. She instructed him to issue a statement retracting the accusation and admit his reasons for lying. Initially, this deal also included Aurora co-sponsoring one of Phil's products, but she retracted the offer, disgusted by him. Instead, she paid him 200 platinum pieces as a consolation for the lack of opportunity he had due to her success after he explained how hard it was to compete with Aurora--it was either struggle, or leave your home and start over. Phil opened Aurora's to the reality that there's been improvement in the world, but people are still struggling, and Aurora truly grappled with this deeply. She felt as though she had created a system that hurt people, and that thought was very heavy. Aurora dropped the payment on the dinner table, turned to Phil's young son, said, "Now eat your peas," and disappeared. The following day, Phil publicly announced that he had fabricated the accusations, that A Mortar and Pestle is trustworthy, and that he was deeply sorry for letting his greed get the better of him. Aurora and Heather experienced no noticeable effect in terms of sales either way due to the entire incident.
In the meantime, Aurora went to Heather for comfort. She had been shaken by so much of what Phil had said. Was the world really still bad after all of her work? Had she made some huge mistake in all that she had done? Was she really the villain after all--insanely powerful and unable to distinguish good from evil, the most dangerous thing the world could face right now? Had she been corrupted? Had she been evil all along? The thoughts spiraled, and Heather held her and tried to make her feel better. When Aurora was done spiraling, Heather began to speak. She told Aurora that Aurora was the best person she knew. That she would know if she weren't a good person after all this time. That being good is about choosing good, and that Aurora chose good on every single decision as long as Heather had known her. That no amount of fear could ever change the fact that Aurora chooses good. That things are much better 93 years in, and that's only the beginning. Heather told Aurora that she knew with the same certainty she knew the sun would rise tomorrow morning that Aurora will choose good no matter what, and that will always means we're all safe. Aurora cried for a while, and afterwards, she felt better.
They continued to talk. Heather acknowledged it must be hard for Aurora to see her age and that is was hard to know Aurora would just go on forever and might forget about her. Aurora expressed with difficulty that she would never forget Heather but that losing her would be hard. Aurora described her newest art projects and poems, saying that they had come to feel natural to her, as though expressing something through poetry was easier than expressing it in conversation; Heather said she always loved whatever Aurora showed her. Aurora updated Heather on the various dragon outings and Ehlonna missions she had done recently, something that always made Heather both scared for Aurora's safety but also more proud than she could express in words. Aurora acknowledged her fears of being immortal--of becoming detached from reality and forgetting the real world, forgetting what's right and wrong, forgetting herself. As always, they were pillars of strength to each other, and both found a quiet joy in the way Heather was always Mom no matter how grown up Aurora had become.