*comment é

*image chap5.png center CHAPTER FIVE: DESTROY

*image chap5_quote.png center "So fret not, little lost one. You may still yet find yourself as prey to be hunted." —Apprentice Mani Grecca

*page_break

You think you're dreaming, or maybe it's a nightmare instead, but all you see is Empress Vaccus in the Versus arena. The dark Empress faces off against a new Destructive, one you can only describe as a miniature panda bear with eyes the size of melons and wearing a purple dress. Seeing this standoff, you somehow become aware that this vision is neither dream nor nightmare: it's a memory of what you saw take place earlier today.

Yes, you remember now that, upon taking your seat in the Constructive bleachers, you were surprised to find that the arena had changed its setting from the raging cliffside storm where ${deathone} faced the Bominate. Now the arena was masquerading as some kind of large orbital satellite platform, contained in the space between Constructive and Destructive portions. But you hardly had any time to acclimate to this new setting, or even to process that the arena was capable of transformation, before the Match began. 

Within seconds, Empress Vaccus was upon the trembling Destructive, no doubt engulfing her in its terrifying, sensory-depriving coldzone. The poor little panda tried to fend off the Blot Empress with a crossbow she was carrying, but it was no use….

*page_break

Empress Vaccus tore the bear in two with its bare hands, dropping the bodily halves to the ground with a primordial roar. The bear's blood splattered against Empress Vaccus's chest, only adding to the depth of the bloody V already painted there. You could hear the gasps and cries from the Constructive Versians beside you as Empress Vaccus used the remaining seconds in the arena to harvest the panda bear's teeth, plucking them out and dropping them into its mouth—each one dangling from a tooth root like grapes on a vine. 

Despite the cries of your peers, you kept your eyes firmly fixed on Empress Vaccus the entire Match. This gruesome display might have been an introduction for everyone else to the terrible brutality of the Blots, but for you it was simply a potent reminder of Empress Vaccus's horror and might.

However, in this moment you did discover one thing along with everyone else: apparently both the Destructive and the Constructive sides of Versus host their share of vulnerable innocents and barbaric monsters.

*page_break

As the sequence of Empress Vaccus's decisive victory replays in your mind, you finally realize that your eyes are actually closed. Opening them now, you find that you float alone in the void of space—which must mean that you're MemoryTraveling once again. Despite any expectations you might have, there is no sign of anyone else: Prince Everly or Lady Venuma or Lord Grahl—blerg, there's not even any sign of Rosae. You suppose that, without Rosae to guide you, it must have taken you some extra time to awaken into this new MemoryTravel experience.

That's when you spot it, approaching from a distance—the world you created, shining like a beacon in the darkness of space. You realize that you must have returned directly to the creashon wave simulation, since you then see the familiar comet streaking along to carry you back down to the surface of your world. You gently drop onto the creashon comet and feel infinitely serene as it rockets forward, breaking through the atmosphere at an astonishing yet tranquil speed. 

Once immersed in the presence of your world, you can immediately tell that it has undergone centuries and centuries of evolution in your absence. You feel a pang of longing to have been away for so long, then a swell of anxiety and anticipation to see what has become of your world, the world you have decided to name:

*choice
	#Hillyssa.
		*set planetname "Hillyssa"
		*goto astheworldturns
	#Ambleron.
		*set planetname "Ambleron"
		*goto astheworldturns
	#Gustine.
		*set planetname "Gustine"
		*goto astheworldturns
	#Dwyery.
		*set planetname "Dwyery"
		*goto astheworldturns
	#Iton.
		*set planetname "Iton"
		*goto astheworldturns
	#Lanelyss.
		*set planetname "Lanelyss"
		*goto astheworldturns
	#Norrabbi.
		*set planetname "Norrabbi"
		*goto astheworldturns
	#I created a unique name.
		*input_text planetname
		*goto astheworldturns

*label astheworldturns

On your ride back down through the lower atmosphere, you decide to take this moment to try and remember how you last left ${planetname}.

*if (xfearful) and (xdiverse)
	You had created a fearful and diverse population, one that initially split into many warring nations based on skin color, forsaking other social advancements for the glory of war. Under your spiritual and political guidance, these nations were eventually conquered and united by one warlord, who became the sovereign ruler of a long dynasty overseeing a society rigidly segmented by class. 

	${planetname} is a world racked with human rights violations and low life expectancy, but one that is also adept at war and doesn't require any interplanetary trade, thanks to its diversification of labor.
*if (xfearful) and (xhomogenous)
	You had created a fearful and homogeneous population, one that was incapable of dividing itself based on superficial differences but still found a way to divide itself by erecting a rigid class system. This class system helped the development of production in your society, but the social inequalities and human rights violations were severe. Under your spiritual and political guidance, this deeply entrenched class system was soon ruled by a revered prophet, who became the sovereign ruler of a long dynasty. 

	${planetname} is a world quite equipped for war, thanks to its fearful culture, but it is also a world that desperately requires interplanetary trade because of the lack of special skill diversification within its homogeneous population.
*if (xembrace) and (xdiverse)
	You had created a diverse and embracing population, one that formed a society of free thought and unfettered progress. Under your spiritual and political guidance, this society flourished into a progressive and peaceful culture of intellectual and philosophical advancement. And thanks to the population's embedded genetic diversity, a great diversification of labor also developed. 

	However, because your people's society has thrived without conflict or the need for outside trade, they have developed no weapons or sophisticated capabilities for self-defense.
	*comment Will automatically be sent to civilwaroutcome.
*if (xembrace) and (xhomogenous)
	You had created a homogeneous and embracing population, one that formed a cultish society of unified belief and leadership. Under your spiritual and political guidance, this deeply uniform society was soon ruled by a revered prophet, who became the sovereign ruler of a long dynasty overseeing a society rigidly segmented by class. 

	This society was incredibly peaceful and progressive, but also desperately required interplanetary trade thanks to the lack of diversification of special skills within its homogeneous population.
*comment endif

This last planetary characteristic must have mattered far more than you could ever have anticipated, because as you finally break through the clouds, you find ${planetname} has been vastly changed. Within seconds of glimpsing its shores, you are hit with a blast of intuition—one that instantly informs you of the single most significant and cataclysmic historical event that has shaped ${planetname}'s fate in your absence.

*page_break

*if (xfearful) and (xdiverse)
	Despite ${planetname}'s galactic isolation, the nearest neighboring planet eventually came to invade ${planetname}. Your native population, of course, had no idea that intelligent life beyond their own planet even existed, so this arrival came as quite a shock—especially since this invading enemy arrived with an armada of space warships, looking to conquer and enslave your population. 

	However, ${planetname}'s people were no strangers to conflict and were quick to learn the art of interplanetary warfare. You discover, with a sense of swelling pride, that after decades of seemingly ceaseless war, your people were able to successfully repel the alien invaders.
	*goto warweaps
*elseif (xfearful) and (xhomogenous)
	Solving the growing need for diversified resources became the top priority for your society. An elite team of upper-class scientists was tasked with building advanced space probes, which led to the startling discovery that intelligent life on other planets did indeed exist.

	Over the next several generations, the continued scientific advancements of this upper tier of scientists paired with the slave labor of the lowest class eventually led to the creation of an armada of space warships. Despite their relative galactic isolation, your people then used these warships to invade and conquer the nearest neighboring planet. 

	After decades of intense warfare, ${planetname} won this brutal interplanetary war. On the heels of this success, ${planetname} mined this neighboring planet for its diverse population and natural stores, returning home with much-needed resources and a newly acquired race of slaves.
	*goto warweaps
*elseif (xembrace) and (xdiverse)
	Despite ${planetname}'s galactic isolation, the nearest neighboring planet eventually came to invade ${planetname}. Your native population, of course, had no idea that intelligent life beyond their own planet even existed, so this alien arrival came as quite a shock. 

	Especially since this invading enemy also came with an armada of space warships, hoping to conquer and enslave your peaceful people.

	Without any experience in warfare or weapons to defend itself, ${planetname} rather easily fell victim to the might of the conquering warlord who led this invading force. Once defeated, ${planetname} was brutally colonized by this reigning warlord as a planet of slaves, much to your abject horror.

	*page_break

	In the wake of this devastating interplanetary war, your people decided that, despite this horrific defeat, they would not lose themselves entirely. It took several generations of planning, but eventually ${planetname}'s native enslaved population rose in a great rebellion…

	A rebellion that, after many years, eventually expunged their alien overlords and restored freedom to the native population. With a great swelling of pride, you learn that your now fully freed people were able to begin the painstaking process of rebuilding their formerly utopian society—though obviously your people would be forever changed by this devastating colonizing experience.

	Learning of this monumental series of events, you cannot help but hope your own home planet of Prisca can follow in the footsteps of your simulated world somehow.
	*goto warweaps
*else 
	*comment (xembrace) and (xhomogenous)
	Solving the growing need for diversified resources became the top priority for your society. An elite team of upper-class scientists was tasked with building advanced space probes, which led to the startling discovery that intelligent life on other planets did indeed exist. Over the next several generations, the continued scientific advancements of this upper tier of scientists paired with the slave labor of the lowest class eventually led to the creation of an armada of spaceships. 
	
	Despite their relative isolation, your people then used these spaceships to blaze interplanetary trails and establish trade with the nearest neighboring planet. This new trade agreement provided the abundance of resources ${planetname} was once lacking, but also imported a wide array of new thoughts and ideas that eventually threatened the unity of thought previously prized on ${planetname}.

	The threat of this ideological invasion eventually sparked a great war between the two once-peaceful planets, one that led to ${planetname} conquering and enslaving the neighboring planet and forcing its population to obey their overlords' unified religion and state.
	*goto warweaps

*label warweaps

Your people were able to win this great war thanks primarily to the inherent skills you had left with them—skills that seem to mimic your own battle specialties rather uniquely. 
*if orderconflict
	The words of your Wone peers ring in your ears as you learn of this grave and stunning historical truth, for it indeed represents the wartime interests of the Order of Conflict.
*comment endif

*choice
	#${planetname}'s scientists developed advanced ballistic capabilities alongside customized individual battle suits, which were then separated into elite battalions and equipped specifically to handle unique missions and terrains.
		*set tech +5
		*if orderconflict
			*set weapons %+50
		*if (orderconflict = false)
			*set weapons %+30
		
		You're quite touched, and surprised, to find that these battle suits look similar in initial design to the standard Priscan Battlesuite.
		*goto weapbilchi
	#${planetname}'s most advanced minds created an unbeatable technological combination: a globally secure network of computers to coordinate strategic efforts, paired with an army of hackers capable of disabling even the enemy's most sophisticated weapon systems.
		*set command +5
		*if orderconflict
			*set weapons %+50
		*if (orderconflict = false)
			*set weapons %+30
		*goto weapbilchi
	#${planetname}'s population eventually cultivated natural abilities based on their ancient element of lore, giving them great elemental powers that turned the tide of battle.
		*set energy +5 
		*if orderconflict
			*set weapons %-50
		*if (orderconflict = false)
			*set weapons %-30
		*goto weapbilchi
	#${planetname}'s population slowly unlocked and cultivated the latent ability to manipulate gravity on both the minuscule and massive scale, a delicate and devastating power that eventually afforded them a definitive victory.
		*set strength +5
		*if orderconflict
			*set weapons %-50
		*if (orderconflict = false)
			*set weapons %-30

		It seems ${planetname} drew inspiration somehow from your Priscan grav-tech weapons, which might have transferred over in this most unexpected manifestation.
		*goto weapbilchi

*label weapbilchi
*if (weapons > 75)
	*achieve weapmaster
*if (weapons < 25)
	*achieve abilmaster

*if conqueredstatusquo
	In the wake of this great interplanetary war, ${planetname}'s class system not only endured, but became even more entrenched and celebrated as a new slave class of war prisoners was added to the bottom rung, elevating the native population one station. The sovereign leader still rules over your society from the highest of the royal classes.

	*label oldprohpet

	Since this seismic shift, technology has leaped forward on ${planetname} to give rise to conditions that are modern by galactic standards. Your world faces all of the new challenges that come alongside modernity and progress—and the direct or indirect prophetic guidance you once provided all those centuries ago has become the stuff of ancient legend. If it is remembered at all, this guidance has certainly become myth, not history.

	As a result, it is also widely assumed that your divine word will never be heard again—if it ever even was in the first place. After all, your people have no capacity to understand the intricacies of your own life and the inherent restrictions of MemoryTravel. 

	Obviously, you know that is all about to change….
	*goto newchoicesbgun
*if conqueredcivilwar
	*if (xembrace) and (xdiverse)
		Eventually the rebellious, embattled founders of this new age of ${planetname} were once again able to create a free and equal society. This new society was carefully crafted to be supported and, most importantly, defended rigorously by a popularly elected government of leaders. Unlike before, ${planetname}'s peace is now supplemented by a military system that takes advantage of and further cultivates its newfound battle capabilities.

		Since this seismic shift, technology has leaped forward on ${planetname} to give rise to conditions that are modern by galactic standards. Your world faces all of the new kinds of challenges that come alongside modernity and progress. While your now-ancient attempts at guidance may not have always worked exactly as you intended on such a progressive population, your people have become much more open to outside guidance after the turmoils they have experienced.

		As you prepare to guide them once again, you wonder whether your people will be receptive….
		*goto newchoicesbgun
	*else
		In the wake of this great interplanetary war, the rebellion that had been brewing under the surface of ${planetname}'s society finally found its opportunity to crack wide open. In a stunning and decisive coup, the enslaved lower class was able to gain momentum and overthrow the ruling class. 

		You learn next that the embattled leaders of this rebellion were able to take power and create a free and equal society—one carefully crafted to be supported and, most importantly, defended by a government elected by the people.
		*goto oldprohpet
*if conqueredapocalypse
	In the wake of this great interplanetary war, the population problems that had been plaguing ${planetname} finally came to a boiling point. In order to protect itself, your planet's natural systems seem to have created a cataclysmic, extinction-level elemental event to wipe the slate clean.

	To your despair, you find that this planetary event has left ${planetname} with a vastly reduced population now forced to live in regressively postapocalyptic conditions. As a result, your people have also returned to worshiping the once-forgotten ancient elemental deity, whom your people credit with punishing their planet for their lack of faith.

	Your planet now faces new and difficult challenges to try and rebuild itself. Given this elemental disaster, it is also widely assumed that your divine guidance will never be heard again—if it ever even was in the first place. Almost any mention of your guidance has become the stuff of ancient, long-forgotten myth.

	After all, your people have no capacity to understand the intricacies of your own life and the inherent restrictions of MemoryTravel. Obviously, you know that is all about to change….
	*goto newchoicesbgun

*label newchoicesbgun
*page_break

Your mind spins and quakes with the implications of this condensed, century-spanning history lesson, but you don't have much time to process all that has happened—for time is a precious commodity in the creashon wave. Already, you find yourself facing the first world-shaping decision to affect your people in far too long.

As you prepare to make these all-important decisions to shape this modern era of ${planetname}, you remind yourself that the implications will not only have global impact—they will also affect your placement in this seemingly all-important Wone FourPath Splinter once you finish riding this creashon wave. 

Just then, you feel a new channel become available to you, a direct line from you to the newest leadership of your people that will help guide their future. Feeling this communicative line burst open, you now sense what your people most need help with: how to structure their still-stabilizing society and best harness its resources. 
*if (xembrace) and (xdiverse)
	Looking ahead, you recognize that this choice seems to echo one you made in ${planetname}'s earlier era—a rather gratifying sign of its early sophistication.
*comment endif

As you prepare to make this all-important decision, you also understand deeply how this first foundational choice will influence the choices that follow, in an interconnected matrix. So, as always, you must choose wisely.

*if ordercoercion
	The words of your Wone peers also ring in your ears as you face this decision, for it represents the interests of the Order of Coercion. For you, this decision may be more important than any other.
*if orderhealth
	The words of your Wone peers also ring in your ears as you face this decision, for it represents the interests of the Order of Health directly, even if at first it seems not to. For you, this decision may be more important than any other.
*if orderscience
	The words of your Wone peers also ring in your ears as you face this decision, for it represents the interests of the Order of Science directly, even if at first it seems not to. For you, this decision may be more important than any other.
*if orderworks
	The words of your Wone peers also ring in your ears as you face this decision, for it represents the interests of the Order of Works directly, even if at first it seems not to. For you, this decision may be more important than any other.
*if ordersporting
	The words of your Wone peers also ring in your ears as you face this decision, for it represents the interests of the Order of Sporting directly, even if it seems not to on the surface at first. For you, this decision may be more important than any other.
*comment endif

*temp taxcomm false
*temp taxprop false
*temp taxnone false
*choice
	#Collect all of my people's income and distribute it equally, so that everyone has equitable housing and resources. I will never have inequality amidst my people ever again.
		*set taxcomm true

		*if conqueredstatusquo
			Receiving your message, the current sovereign ruler decrees that the prophetic voices of ancient lore have miraculously returned to guide ${planetname} into the future. To your surprise, the sovereign is wholeheartedly accepted by the people as a mouthpiece of your divine wisdom.

			Unfortunately, there's no way for the leader to truly implement your decreed system of equality, given the deeply entrenched class system. Instead, this admirable attempt at equality by the sovereign in turn establishes a system of equitable distribution that is prorated by class. 

			While this is not the idealized system of equality you envisioned, it does indeed uphold the class divisions, which in turn offers stability under the reign of the sovereign, at the very least.
		*if conqueredcivilwar
			Too terrified to admit to hearing divine voices, the new leadership of your people instead interprets your guidance as some kind of inspired internal monologue. While you may not be given due credit publicly, this leadership does indeed listen to your advice and immediately puts it into practice.

			The leadership thus ushers in a system of economic equality, which is managed effectively by the newly established government. This partially communist system of financial equality serves to stabilize your people's budding society and forms the foundation for limitless potential growth.
		*if conqueredapocalypse
			Receiving your message, a bold new leader rises to decree that the prophetic voices of ancient lore have miraculously returned to guide ${planetname} into the future. To your surprise, this new leader is wholeheartedly accepted by the people as a mouthpiece of your divine wisdom and is enabled to form a small governing council to help lead.

			This leader steps up to pull your people back from the brink of extinction by ushering in a rough system of financial equality among the small tribes of survivors. This partially communist system does indeed successfully gather the resources, purpose, and focus necessary to rebuild society. 

			While your people do not lead lavish or modern lives, they experience hope and pride in the future for the first time in many generations. It seems you have helped form the foundation for limitless potential growth in ${planetname}'s new era.
		*comment endif

		${planetname} then spins beneath you, evolving and growing for generations under the new world order you have helped establish. Your society eventually thrives with the best public services thanks to the effective application of all collected income: top-rate education, clean and efficient public transportation, daily sanitation services, beautiful parks, and quality health care available to everyone. 

		*page_break

		However, as with any societal system, there are downsides: because your people are so well taken care of and are not personally rewarded or compensated proportionally for their potential achievements, they eventually become rather complacent in their daily comforts. As a result, technological innovation and the arts seem to suffer most greatly. Additionally, you are surprised to find that the lack of technological advancements means there is no replacement of the most monotonous and time-consuming jobs, which closes the circle on this lack of progress.

		Still, your people are mostly content, healthy, and happy. You also find you don't have to worry about the effects of any rapidly advancing technology changing your people or transforming the nature of their social connection. Nor do you have to worry about the threat of them developing advanced and potentially self-destructive weapons of mass destruction.

		Another unexpected and rather positive side affect is that, without careers in sports, the arts, or entertainment readily available, fame culture on ${planetname} is focused on elevating the most prominent leaders and educators of your people's society as its revered celebrities.

		*if (ordercoercion) or (orderhealth)
			*set security %+40
			*goto edutime
		*elseif (orderscience) or ((orderworks) or (ordersporting))
			*set security %+40
			*goto edutime
		*else
			*set security %+20
			*goto edutime
	#My people should be taxed proportionately to their incomes, with the highest taxation percentages placed on the wealthy and the lowest percentages placed on the poor.
		*set taxprop true

		*if conqueredstatusquo
			Receiving your message, the current sovereign ruler decrees that the prophetic voices of ancient lore have miraculously returned to guide ${planetname} into the future. To your surprise, the sovereign is wholeheartedly accepted by the people as a mouthpiece of your divine wisdom…

			And so is your decreed taxation plan. At first this taxation grates against the powerful upper class, but over time this system actually only helps to reinforce and stabilize the class system in the following ways: 

			The wealthy find that they are still able to remain on top despite having to give more, while the poor find they don't have to give much at all, which compensates for their lack of upward mobility. Also, the quality of life is greatly increased for the lower classes thanks to public services available from the taxation of the upper classes, so this balance in turn offers stability under the reign of the sovereign.
		*if conqueredcivilwar
			Too terrified to admit to hearing divine voices, the new leadership of your people instead interprets your guidance as some kind of inspired internal monologue. While you may not be given due credit publicly, this leadership does indeed listen to your advice and immediately puts it into practice.

			The leadership thus ushers in this capitalist system, which is managed effectively by the newly established government. Your people rise to the occasion, working hard and innovating to try and elevate their individual positions. This system of scaled taxation serves to stabilize your people's budding society and form the foundation for limitless potential growth.
		*if conqueredapocalypse
			Receiving your message, a bold new leader rises to decree that the prophetic voices of ancient lore have miraculously returned to guide ${planetname} into the future. To your surprise, this new leader is wholeheartedly accepted by the people as a mouthpiece of your divine wisdom and is enabled to form a small governing council to help lead.

			This leader steps up to pull your people back from the brink of extinction by ushering in a rough system of capitalism among the small tribes of survivors. This system operates in name only at first, as there is no class stratification to speak of for decades. However, after a great passage of time, this system does help provide the incentive necessary to gather the resources, purpose, and focus necessary to rebuild society. 

			While your people do not lead lavish or modern lives, they experience hope and pride in the future for the first time in many generations. It seems you have helped form the foundation for limitless potential growth on ${planetname} once again.
		*comment endif

		${planetname} then spins beneath you, evolving and growing for generations under the new world order you have helped establish. Your society eventually enjoys rather strong public services thanks to the effective application of collected income by an ever-growing governing body: education, some public transportation, sanitation services, emergency welfare programs, and free health care available to everyone. 

		*page_break	
			
		However, as with any societal system, there are downsides: since there is so much societal focus on money, more people want flashy jobs that promise fame and fortune over practicality. This propagates a culture of fame and wealth that celebrates artists, athletes, and entrepreneurs as revered celebrities, while the educators, doctors, and leaders of your society are generally overlooked and underpaid.

		*label conthapphelth

		Still, your people are mostly content, healthy, and happy. Technology also flourishes as a way to eliminate the most monotonous and time-consuming jobs, advancing society further into the future. 

		The progress of your society is astounding, but also threatens to swallow ${planetname} whole if left totally unfettered: the very nature of social connection expands, transforms, and contracts in cycles as technology changes your people's ability to interact with one another. Even more alarmingly, the threat of developing advanced and potentially self-destructive weapons of mass destruction always looms large.

		*if (ordercoercion) or (orderhealth)			
			*if (security > 50)
				*set security %+40
				*goto edutime
			*else
				*set security %-40
				*goto edutime
		*elseif (orderscience) or ((orderworks) or (ordersporting))
			*if (security > 50)
				*set security %+40
				*goto edutime
			*else
				*set security %-40
				*goto edutime
		*else
			*if (security > 50)
				*set security %+20
				*goto edutime
			*else
				*set security %-20
				*goto edutime
	#I believe there should be no taxation on my people at all, to leave them an incentive for great personal wealth that will forge progress and innovation forward.
		*set taxnone true
		
		*if conqueredstatusquo
			Receiving your message, the current sovereign ruler decrees that the prophetic voices of ancient lore have miraculously returned to guide ${planetname} into the future. To your surprise, the sovereign is wholeheartedly accepted by the people as a mouthpiece of your divine wisdom… 

			And so is your deregulated economic system, which allows the class system to endure. Without any limits placed upon them, you watch as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, especially as the poor remain unsupported and oppressed without any ruling class intervention or publicly funded welfare programs to enable social mobility.
			*goto doomedworld
		*if conqueredcivilwar
			Too terrified to admit to hearing divine voices, the new leadership of your people instead interprets your guidance as some kind of inspired internal monologue. While you may not be given due credit publicly, this leadership does indeed listen to your advice and immediately puts it into practice.

			The leadership thus ushers in this unfettered capitalist system, which in turn requires the disbanding of formal government, given the fact there is no taxed money to fund any such government. Any and all once-governed agencies instead become fully privatized. 

			Your people rise to the occasion in the face of this new system, working hard and innovating to try and elevate their individual positions. Your society grows and advances rapidly, but as time passes, the rich get infinitely richer and the poor get even poorer, as the poor are easily oppressed without any government regulation or publicly funded welfare programs to support their upward mobility. 
			
			*label doomedworld

			${planetname} then spins beneath you, evolving and growing for generations under the new world order you have helped establish. Your society also has no public services: no education, health care, transportation, sanitation, parks, or any of the other common societal services funded by taxation. The rich can afford such luxuries, but the poor have less and less access to many of the most basic of societal services.

			*page_break

			As a result, a malaise eventually falls over your people that stagnates progress. A sense of hopelessness pervades the poor, given their inability to elevate their quality of life. And the rich lose sense of the value of their lavish lifestyles, since expanding their already large fortunes via elite investments requires little actual work on their part.

			This struggle does inspire a spirit of rebellion among the poor that, in turn, fosters an intensely advanced scene of arts, writing, and music—which gives birth to new entertainment empires. For the poor, the only way out of poverty is to become a celebrity in these arts, while the wealthy make new fortunes broadcasting and exporting this galactic-class entertainment. This potential ascension to celebrity keeps the poor from actually rebelling, however, as they are now provided with the illusion of mass upward mobility.

			This entertainment system also gives birth to a global league of sporting events, which keep the poor and wealthy alike occupied with imagined rivalries and endless hours of engagement. It seems you've created an entertainment empire, one whose citizens are content to ignore the inequalities of their society as long as they are able to escape into their entertainment of choice—or, even better, to become one of the few dreamers who actually rise to fame in this unbalanced system.
		*if conqueredapocalypse
			Receiving your message, a bold new leader rises to decree that the prophetic voices of ancient lore have miraculously returned to guide ${planetname} into the future. To your surprise, this new leader is wholeheartedly accepted by the people as a mouthpiece of your divine wisdom and is enabled to form a small, privatized governing council to help lead.

			This leader steps up to pull your people back from the brink of extinction by ushering in a system of unregulated and unfettered capitalism. This quickly proves to be the fastest way to rebuild the fledgling society, as everyone has incentive to grow as much as possible for personal gain.

			Your society has no public services: no education, health care, transportation, sanitation, parks, or welfare programs. All of these services become privatized, which further means that all citizens are motivated to become self-sufficient and fulfill unprovided societal needs for personal gain.

			*page_break
			*goto conthapphelth
		*comment endif	

		*if (ordercoercion) or (orderhealth)
			*set security %-40
			*goto edutime
		*elseif (orderscience) or ((orderworks) or (ordersporting))
			*set security %-40
			*goto edutime
		*else
			*set security %-20
			*goto edutime

*label edutime
*page_break

Now that ${planetname} has stabilized and reached a kind of plateau, the key to new progress lies in your society's educational system.

You know that education is the foundational cornerstone of any society—education doesn't just equip its citizens with the skills and knowledge to succeed and thrive, it also serves to reinforce the values of any given culture. After all, for any society to function, its citizens have to be educated about how its systems run in their most ideal state—so cultural and behavioral conditioning is incredibly important.

As a result, there is much to weigh when deciding how to educate: do you feel it is most important to teach citizens what to think, how to think, or some combination of both? 

You also understand that access to public or private education systems is linked directly to the decision you have already made about whether to implement taxation. Obviously public schools can only be established with the funds from public taxation, while private schools can only be established if there is individual wealth to fund such schools and then pay their tuition. 

So when it comes to the education of your people, what kind of system do you feel is best for ${planetname} to implement?
*if ordercuriosity
	The words of your Wone peers also ring in your ears as you face this decision, for it represents the interests of the Order of Curiosity. For you, this decision may be more important than any other.
*if orderexception
	The words of your Wone peers also ring in your ears as you face this decision, for it represents the interests of the Order of Exception directly, even if it seems not to. For you, this decision may be more important than any other.
*comment endif

*choice
	*selectable_if (taxnone = false) #I will require public education of the highest quality and prioritize funds allocated for such a system, because it is the most important building block for an enduring and strong society.

		This galaxy-class education system is incredibly expensive at first, but pays for itself a million times over as the generations pass beneath you: 

		Your people are equipped to become productive and responsible members of society, pushing progress forward and lowering crime rates significantly.

		*if conqueredstatusquo
			*achieve civilrightsplanet
			However, the independence granted to your people by this excellent education eventually stokes the flames of rebellion in the lower classes. As was probably always inevitable, the lower classes finally launch a civil rights movement that abolishes the class system once and for all. You are forced to witness decades of violent turmoil and uprising beneath you, but when the dust settles, the civil rights movement wins out. 

			Rigid classes are abolished as a newly empowered government, one elected by the people, rises to work in conjunction with the now-benign sovereign monarchy line. This new leadership stabilizes society and ushers it into a new age, where classes still exist but there is great mobility between them.
		*if conqueredcivilwar
			*label educonqa
			*achieve utopiaplanet
			As a result, you start to see the values of your people change over generations and generations. Many of the problems that once plagued your society are solved one by one as ${planetname} inches closer and closer to becoming a truly planetary utopia.
		*if conqueredapocalypse
			*label eduapoca
			*achieve bouncebackplanet
			As a result, you watch with pride as ${planetname} begins to rebuild itself generation after generation, bouncing back to finally become a bustling and fully modernized planet once again.

		*if (ordercuriosity) or (orderexception)
			*set enlighten %-50
			*goto travelout
		*else
			*set enlighten %-30
			*goto travelout
	*selectable_if (taxprop) #I will endorse a combination of quality public education and excellent private education to provide equal opportunity for all—but also the added incentive for everyone to always strive for better.
		
		This galaxy-class education system is incredibly expensive at first, but pays for itself both privately and publicly a million times over as generations pass beneath you: 

		Your people are equipped to become productive and responsible members of society, pushing progress forward and lowering crime rates significantly.

		*if conqueredstatusquo
			*achieve classplanet
			This educational system also helps to keep the stable class system intact while providing small cracks that allow for the social mobility of the brightest minds. This ancient and enduring class system, despite its inequalities, never gives way to rebellion—thanks mostly to the ability of the educational system to instill respect and understanding in its citizens for this particular way of life.

			Instead of force-feeding your people this information, the education system allows them to think for themselves and understand the balance of positives and negatives that allows this class-based society to function peacefully.
		*if conqueredcivilwar
			*goto educonqa
		*if conqueredapocalypse
			*goto eduapoca

		*if (ordercuriosity) or (orderexception)
			*set enlighten %-50
			*goto travelout
		*else
			*set enlighten %-30
			*goto travelout
	#I don't believe formal education is as important as individual parents, families, and local communities passing on their customs, beliefs, and skills to their children in the form of life lessons.
		With no formalized education system, the passing on of wisdom and tradition is left to the people. This of course means that some children receive a great deal while others receive very little. 

		As a result, progress is sometimes unevenly achieved generation to generation, while crime rates always seem to be on the rise as more and more poor children fall through the cracks of society.

		*if taxcomm
			*achieve correctionalplanet
			However, without the financial drain of public education, other programs can be more easily funded to fill the societal cracks. ${planetname}'s police force and public correctional programs are phenomenal and well-equipped to combat the rising crime rate.
		*if taxprop
			*achieve correctionalplanet
			However, without the financial drain of an educational infrastructure, other public and private programs can be more easily funded to fill the societal cracks. ${planetname}'s police force and public correctional programs are phenomenal and well-equipped to combat the rising crime rate.
		*if taxnone
			*achieve vigilanteplanet
			However, without any government to fill these societal cracks, your people find other ways to rise to the occasion and combat this rising crime rate. Masked vigilantes and charitable do-gooders appear by the dozens to help protect ${planetname} from any threats, creating a bright and globe-spanning culture of celebrated heroics—and comparable villainy.
		*comment endif

		*if conqueredstatusquo
			*page_break

			*achieve classplanet
			This lack of an educational system also serves to keep the class system intact, since your people generally lack educational awareness—and are thus easily indoctrinated with your society's core values.

			It seems that in some situations, ignorance truly is bliss.

			Though that probably depends on one's definition of bliss….

		*if (ordercuriosity) or (orderexception)
			*set enlighten %+50
			*goto travelout
		*else
			*set enlighten %+30
			*goto travelout
	*selectable_if (taxcomm = false) #Education should be completely privatized. This not only forces citizens to strive for excellence, but also keeps the vast masses uneducated, indoctrinated, and easy to keep peaceful.
		*achieve correctionalplanet

		Given this fully privatized educational system, those with the most are given the resources to advance further, while those with the least are kept subordinate. This balance ends up working well for your particular society, as progress still pushes forward via the elites, while the commoners live their lives generally unaware of the potential for more.

		As a result, progress is sometimes unevenly achieved generation to generation, while crime rates always seem to be on the rise as more and more poor children fall through the cracks of society.

		*if taxprop
			However, without the financial drain of an educational infrastructure, other public and private programs can be more easily funded to fill the societal cracks. ${planetname}'s police force and public correctional programs are well-equipped to combat the rising crime rate—and constitute a newly booming business.
		*if taxnone
			However, without any government to intervene, your people find other ways to fill the societal cracks. ${planetname}'s privatized police force and correctional programs are well-equipped to combat the rising crime rate—and constitute a newly booming business.
		*comment endif 

		*page_break

		*if conqueredstatusquo
			*achieve classplanet
			This lack of a public educational system also serves to keep the class system intact, 
		*if (conqueredcivilwar) or (conqueredapocalypse)
			*achieve civilrightsplanet
			This lack of a public educational system also stabilizes planetary peace,
		since your people generally lack educational awareness—and are thus easily indoctrinated with your society's core values.

		It seems that in some situations, ignorance truly is bliss.

		Though that probably depends on one's definition of bliss….

		*if (ordercuriosity) or (orderexception)
			*set enlighten %+50
			*goto travelout
		*else
			*set enlighten %+30
			*goto travelout

*label travelout
*page_break

To your surprise, you then find yourself facing the final decision left available to shape ${planetname}'s future. Now that you've ushered in such a modern age of complexity and progress, you suppose there are precious few ways left to affect global change with ease. This last choice feels perhaps the most significant, given your Priscan heritage.

Now that your people have overcome the hardships of their first interplanetary encounter, they are capable of joining the galactic community at large. Given your Priscan roots, you know better than anyone the potential advantages and disadvantages of both galactic immersion and isolation. So it feels fitting that this will be the last enduring value to instill within your ${planetname} population. 

What policy will you impart?
*if orderprogress
	The words of your Wone peers also ring in your ears as you face this decision, for it represents the interests of the Order of Progress. For you, this decision may be more important than any other.
*comment endif

*choice
	#${planetname} must remain in complete isolation, without trade, tourism, travel, or immigration. As has been proven time and time again, this is the only way to keep my planet secure and culturally pure.
		As you experience the final rotations of ${planetname}'s "Thomil Era" spin underfoot, you are able to witness the last great impact of your creationist influence. 

		Your world's society, with all of its rich history and cultural intricacies, remains safe and sound in its own little galactic bubble. After a time, progress eventually halts and ${planetname} reaches a state of homeostasis, without any impetus for cultural evolution. 

		However, ${planetname} is able to retain its own bright and distinct cultural identity—an identity that you believe will remain untainted throughout time and space.

		*if (orderprogress)
			*set enlighten %+30
			*set security %+30
			*set purity %+30
			*goto rideover
		*else
			*set enlighten %+15
			*set security %+15
			*set purity %+15
			*goto rideover
	#${planetname} must open its borders to travel, tourism, trade, and immigration in order to grow into a fully fledged member of the esteemed Galactic Council.
		As you experience the final rotations of ${planetname}'s "Thomil Era" spin underfoot, you are able to witness the last great impact of your creationist influence. 

		Your world's society, with all of its rich history and cultural intricacies, opens itself to the galaxy beyond its planetary borders. After a time, ${planetname} becomes a major powerhouse, progressing and evolving to become one of the galaxy's most prized cultures—though that cultural identity does indeed lose much of its uniqueness as it is swept up in galactic politics. 

		Still, ${planetname}'s legacy as a legendary planet is one you hope will endure for centuries to come.

		*if (orderprogress)
			*set enlighten %-30
			*set security %-30
			*set purity %-30
			*goto rideover
		*else
			*set enlighten %-15
			*set security %-15
			*set purity %-15
			*goto rideover
	#I will allow my people to travel and engage in trade to encourage education and progress, but I will not allow any immigration or tourism into ${planetname}.
		As you experience the final rotations of ${planetname}'s "Thomil Era" spin underfoot, you are able to witness the last great impact of your creationist influence. 

		Your world's society, with all of its rich history and cultural intricacies, opens itself to the galaxy beyond its planetary borders—but with your designated restrictions firmly in place. After a time, ${planetname} becomes a major powerhouse, progressing and evolving to become one of the galaxy's most prized cultures. 

		However, the rest of the galaxy eventually grows tired of ${planetname}'s inequitable and secretive anti-alien rules, so ${planetname}'s place in the galactic landscape diminishes over time. After many generations, progress eventually halts and ${planetname} reaches a state of homeostasis, without any impetus for cultural evolution.

		Which you feel is okay, for while your people's minds are expanded by interplanetary travel, ${planetname} is still able to retain its own bright and distinct cultural identity—an identity that you believe will remain untainted throughout time and space.

		*if (orderprogress)
			*set enlighten %-30
			*set security %+30
			*set purity %+30
			*goto rideover
		*else
			*set enlighten %-15
			*set security %+15
			*set purity %+15
			*goto rideover
		
*label rideover
*page_break Creashon Ceases

You then find yourself lifted up and away from ${planetname} on the creashon comet, feeling deeply emotional. You imagine this experience must be something like watching your child graduate and leave your home—that is, if your child were an entire planet full of intelligent beings that reflect your deepest values, of course.

Lingering on this final thought, you hardly notice as the comet vanishes underneath you. Blinking once, you then find yourself dropping down into a decadent and stately throne room, evidently ending the creashon simulation—whether you were ready or not. 

The walls of this throne room are made of thick royal velvet and accented by intricate, chrome-cast crown moldings. From the very first moment you enter this new space, you can simply feel its significance and sense the weight that its four walls carry—for on those four walls hang the crests of the FourPath Splinter. 

These crests aren't simply embroidered on some silken banner, though—they appear before you as three-dimensional installations, flickering and shining under the light of the spotlights shining on them. 

Turning to take these crests in, you try your best to absorb what each Path represents. After all, you know that soon you will be sorted into one of these all-important corners based on the world you just finished creating and shepherding.

*page_break

You first see the crest mounted directly in front of you: a white letter A made entirely of living flame, which appears to be the very same symbol you once saw representing The Elite Courte. This suddenly makes sense, as you can also feel Queen Ashe's presence emanating from the crest—this must be her own sorted Path.

Underneath this fiery A, you find an inscription carved into a metallic podium that reads:

[b]AUTHORIUS[/b]
*line_break
[i]Path of the Pastor[/i]
*line_break
The Authorius Path represents the original school of Wone thought, following the ancient texts of Enlightenment and benevolent Security. The Authorius believe in imposing the most important universal truths upon the unenlightened by implementing clearly defined rules. 
*line_break
[i]Stern. Devout. Righteous. Loyal.[/i]

Understanding why someone like Queen Ashe would choose this Path, you then turn to the next wall to find a crest cast entirely in gold: the boldest and thickest letter B imaginable. Staring into this bright and deep crest, you can now sense Lady Venuma's presence emanating forth.

[b]BOLDURE[/b]
*line_break
[i]Path of the Pioneer[/i]
*line_break
The Boldure Path represents the newest emerging school of NuGuard Wone thought, following the revolutionary texts of Education and Freedom. The Boldure believe in teaching the unenlightened to think for themselves, a process they also believe demands total freedom.
*line_break
[i]Adventurous. Curious. Rebellious. Bold.[/i]

*page_break

Once again understanding why Lady Venuma would gravitate towards such a Path, you turn to the next wall to find a new, blackened crest: a soft and flexible letter C, seemingly written in swirling shadows. Staring into this steady and reassuring crest, you feel Lord Grahl's presence, which sends an involuntary chill up your spine. 

[b]COMMAITH[/b]
*line_break
[i]Path of the Parent[/i]
*line_break
The Commaith Path represents the more conservative combination of new and old, merging the ancient text of Enlightenment with the concept of intellectual Freedom. The Commaith thus believe in imposing the most important universal truths upon the unenlightened, but also in balancing this imposition with freedom from strict rule, to allow the unenlightened to learn from their own mistakes.
*line_break
[i]Nurturing. Punishing. Wise. Protective.[/i]

That doesn't sound terribly like Lord Grahl to you—save for the punishing part, perhaps. But you then notice that everything about this particular Path does seem to be about finding the crux between opposites, so perhaps there is a side to Lord Grahl you have yet to see.

*page_break
*set fourpathslinterreveal true

You don't have much time to consider this, however, as you feel the urge to turn to the final wall, which holds a rose-colored crest made of a layered and circular letter D. Staring at this flowery and looped crest, you feel Prince Everly's now-familiar presence emanating forth.

[b]DEMLECT[/b]
*line_break
[i]Path of the Prefect[/i]
*line_break
The Demlect Path represents the more progressive combination of new and old, merging the revolutionary text of Education with adherence to rules of Security. The Demlect believe in teaching the unenlightened to think for themselves, but also in balancing this potentially destructive process with rules and guidelines to protect the unenlightened.
*line_break
[i]Studious. Ambitious. Political. Lawful.[/i]

As you reflect fully upon the distinct corners of this FourPath Splinter, you cannot help but contemplate where you might belong. You know that you've already been sorted automatically based on your experience shaping ${planetname} in the creashon wave, but which Path do you believe you'll be placed on? It will be fascinating to see if where you think you belong lines up with where you have already been sorted based on your statistical decision-making trends….

*if (enlighten > 50)
	*if (security > 50)
		*set authorius true
	*if (security <= 50)
		*set commaith true
*if (enlighten <= 50)
	*if (security > 50)
		*set demlect true
	*if (security <= 50)
		*set boldure true

*choice
	#I think I will be sorted into Authorius.
		*if authorius
			Actions usually speak louder than words, but it seems that your actions and words are aligned in this case, as your world-building in the creashon wave has sorted you into: 
			*goto patha
		*else
			While you may believe this is the Path you are meant to walk, actions usually speak louder than words. Despite your anticipation that you belong in Authorius, your world-building decisions in the creashon wave have actually sorted you into a different Path:
			*if boldure
				*goto pathb
			*elseif commaith
				*goto pathc
			*else
				*goto pathd
	#I think I will be sorted into Boldure.
		*if boldure
			Actions usually speak louder than words, but it seems that your actions and words are aligned in this case, as your world-building in the creashon wave has sorted you into:
			*goto pathb
		*else
			While you may believe this is the Path you are meant to walk, actions usually speak louder than words. Despite your anticipation that you belong in Boldure, your world-building decisions in the creashon wave have actually sorted you into a different Path:
			*if authorius
				*goto patha
			*elseif commaith
				*goto pathc
			*else
				*goto pathd
	#I think I will be sorted into Commaith.
		*if commaith
			Actions usually speak louder than words, but it seems that your actions and words are aligned in this case, as your world-building in the creashon wave has sorted you into: 
			*goto pathc
		*else
			While you may believe this is the Path you are meant to walk, actions usually speak louder than words. Despite your anticipation that you belong in Commaith, your world-building decisions in the creashon wave have actually sorted you into a different Path:
			*if authorius
				*goto patha
			*elseif boldure
				*goto pathb
			*else
				*goto pathd
	#I think I will be sorted into Demlect.
		*if demlect
			Actions usually speak louder than words, but it seems that your actions and words are aligned in this case, as your world-building in the creashon wave has sorted you into:
			*goto pathd
		*else
			While you may believe this is the Path you are meant to walk, actions usually speak louder than words. Despite your anticipation that you belong in Demlect, your world-building decisions in the creashon wave have actually sorted you into a different Path:
			*if authorius
				*goto patha
			*elseif boldure
				*goto pathb
			*else
				*goto pathc

*label patha

Authorius, the blazing white Path of the Pastor.

You know the details of each FourPath Splinter corner have been saved in your Stats Screen, so a quick review there reminds you that this means you walk the same Path as Queen Ashe and the old ways of Wone Enlightenment. 

As the implications of this sorting roll through your mind, you find that one question rises above all the other considerations: 

Does this, in turn, mean that your true calling is as a member of The Elite Courte? 

*achieve pathauthorius
*set rlshp_ashe %+15
*set winjoinstatus +6
*set doubleagentstatus +6
*set eliteinfostatus +6 
*goto interragent

*label pathb

Boldure, the golden and emboldened Path of the Pioneer.

You know the details of each FourPath Splinter corner have been saved in your Stats Screen, so a quick review there reminds you that this means you walk the same Path as Lady Venuma and the newest, most radical ways of the NuGuard Wone. 

As the implications of this sorting roll through your mind, you find that one question rises above all the other considerations: 

Does this, in turn, mean that your true calling is as a member of The VS Front?
*if mamanaabolish
	Or is your true calling as a founding member of MamaNa's ultra-secret, freedom-seeking, abolitionist counter-rebellion?

*achieve pathboldure
*set rlshp_venuma %+15
*set coupbondstatus +6
*set coupspystatus +6
*set abolishbothstatus +6
*goto interragent

*label pathc

Commaith, the shadowy and ever-flexible Path of the Parent.

You know the details of each FourPath Splinter corner have been saved in your Stats Screen, so a quick review there reminds you that this means you side with the old ways of Wone Enlightenment, updated to reflect the NuGuard Wone call for Freedom. This also means you walk the same Path as Lord Grahl—a sorting you hope may play to your benefit should the chroncon agent succeed in hunting you down once again.

As the implications of this sorting continue to roll through your mind, you find that one question rises above all the other considerations: does this, in turn, mean that your true calling is as an Enlightened member of The Elite Courte, or as a supposedly Free member of The VS Front?
*if mamanaabolish
	Or is your true calling as a founding member of MamaNa's ultra-secret, freedom-seeking, abolitionist counter-rebellion?

*achieve pathcommaith
*set winjoinstatus +6
*set doubleagentstatus +6
*set abolishbothstatus +6
*goto interragent

*label pathd

Demlect, the rosy and circular Path of the Prefect.

You know the details of each FourPath Splinter corner have been saved in your Stats Screen, so a quick review there reminds you that this means you side with the newest, most radical Educational views of the NuGuard Wone, softened to reflect the ancient Wone call for Security. This also means you walk the same Path as Prince Everly.

As the implications of this sorting continue to roll through your mind, you find that one question rises above all the other considerations: does this, in turn, mean that your true calling is as a secure member of The Elite Courte alongside Prince Everly, or is it as a member of the newly formed VS Front that supposedly stands against Queen Ashe's doctrine of Enlightenment?
*if mamanaabolish
	Or is your true calling as a founding member of MamaNa's ultra-secret, equality-seeking, abolitionist counter-rebellion—even if it means an assured lack of supposed security?

*achieve pathdemlect
*set rlshp_everly %+15
*set coupspystatus +6
*set coupbondstatus +6
*set eliteinfostatus +6
*goto interragent

*label interragent

*fake_choice
	#This statistical FourPath Splinter sorting perfectly reflects me, my goals, my values, and, most importantly, my planet.
	#Actually, this sorting seems to have nothing to do with me or what I believe. Nor do I think it particularly reflects ${planetname}.
	#This sorting was fairly unexpected and has made me think very differently about things—perhaps for the better.
	#This sorting is certainly interesting, but I don't really buy into all of this Wone stuff, so it doesn't mean much to me. Still, I'll play along while I'm MemoryTraveling.

Your contemplation is interrupted as the crestfallen wall bearing your sorted Path suddenly shifts, revealing a hidden corridor. You figure that's probably where you're supposed to head next, perhaps even to join the fellow members of your sorted Wone pantheon.

You walk through the long tunnel corridor, which is studded with recessed lighting along its sides like some kind of runway. The effect makes you feel as if you're about to make some kind of grand debut, or that you are making your way to some place of extreme rarity and importance. Still, even as you walk this new Path, you can't help but think only of ${planetname}. Will you ever get to see its shores again, now that your creashon wave simulation has ended?

You're so absorbed by this emotion that it takes you a few moments to realize that Rosae suddenly flutters along beside you. You have no idea how long she has been there or whether she entered this runway from the same kind of hidden passageway, but you find she looks equally lost in thought as you turn to her. You also notice that Rosae now wears a rose-colored sash—and while this sash may match her namesake, you have a feeling this color is meant to represent the FourPath Splinter Rosae must have been sorted into: Demlect. 

Especially since you then look down to find that your selected Wone Haus and Order clothes have suddenly turned
*if authorius
	completely white, the color of Authorius.
*if boldure
	golden, the color of Boldure.
*if commaith
	completely black, the color of Commaith.
*if demlect
	rose-colored as well.

*page_break

"Oh, ${name}," Rosae suddenly chirps. "I'm terribly sorry, I didn't even see you there. That was a rather…absorbing experience. No pun intended! Anyway, I'm afraid I was an awfully poor guide on this particular MemoryTravel trip, but I don't think I could have pulled myself away from Birdwirld even if I tried!"

You smile at Rosae, because you'd very much so like to know what her "Birdwirld" is like. However, before you even get the chance to ask, you and Rosae both find yourself at the end of the runway corridor…

And entering yet another lavish party. You stand before a cavernous inlet cove, one that bubbles with dozens of hot springs and buzzes with exclusive activity. The deep bass of some turndown music reverberates through the cave, where barely clothed Wone lounge and drink in the various tidal pools. These pools rest against a backdrop that nearly takes your breath away—a series of enormous wooden ships anchored in the bay, their massive sails lit by the colors of the FourPath Splinter: white, rose, black, and gold. 

You smell salt and brine and alcohol in the air as the Wone deities luxuriate in their exlusive and elusive sortings. They don't seem divided by their ancient Hauses or Orders as you might expect, but instead by their sorted Path, given the four specific colors draped over their scantily clad bodies. In this moment, these important ideological divisions feel somehow diminished, like they are merely adornments meant for private cliques, or fashionable brands to be lauded.

*page_break

But you have to admit, you too feel important and elevated in the presence of this party of pools, as if you've entered some secret echelon of afterparty available only to those chosen few creashonists. You feel charged, as if you've reached an inner circle you've always belonged in but didn't even know existed—though once again, you have to ask if that is truly Lady Venuma's feeling, or your own. You wonder if you're meant to join your FourPath entourage, and what they'd be like, when suddenly Prince Everly rises out of a mid-sized pool near the entrance to greet you.

"I've been waiting for both of you," Prince Everly says, wearing rose-colored swimming trunks over his bronzed skin, which glistens as the water runs down his taut metallic muscles.
*if officialeverly
	You try not to let your attraction to Prince Everly radiate too obviously, since he has made his feelings on dating mortals all too clear. Besides, if you're going to pursue anything romantic with Prince Everly, you'd rather do it back on Versus, in true reality—and where the lines between mortal and immortal are far less important and more blurred.
	
	*goto evworrie
*else
	*goto evworrie

*label evworrie
"I was worried you wouldn't return after that encounter with Lord Grahl, but you've MemoryTraveled back to exactly the right point in Wone space and time. And don't worry, now that I know Lord Grahl can penetrate the sacred circle of the creashon lagoon, I put up some creative wards to keep him off our trail."

Prince Everly stops before you and Rosae, his skin now fully dried as the amulet hanging against his chest pulsates with concentric circles of warmth. "Much more importantly, those were some pretty incredible worlds you two created. Really.
*if demlect
	I shouldn't be surprised—we Demlects always tend to make the best worlds."
*if (demlect = false)
	And Rosae, I'm very happy to see you've been placed on the Demlect Path as well. Welcome."
*comment endif

Prince Everly's words sound cheery, but as he speaks them, an oddly somber look comes over his face. "I remember the shine of creating that first world. There's really nothing like it, is there?"

Considering Prince Everly's question, you know exactly how you feel about the way ${planetname} turned out: 

*fake_choice
	#Proud. Despite its many imperfections, ${planetname} is perfect, at least to me.
	#Disappointed. ${planetname} didn't turn out the way I'd hoped, despite all of my hard work.
	#Sad. I'll miss ${planetname} greatly.
	#Happy to have simply had the rare opportunity to create any world, let alone one as beautiful as ${planetname}.
	#Indifferent. The world I created wasn't real; it was simply a test to see where I belong in the FourPath Splinter.
	#Eager. I find myself rather addicted to the process of creating worlds.

"Unfortunately the shine of creation does eventually dull, even working on the planetary scale, believe it or not," Prince Everly continues, overt sadness now resounding in his voice. "Nothing ever really turns out the way we intend, does it? But I have to say, I've always been very proud of Prisca. It was one of my earlier worlds, but still one of the best, in my opinion."

You're not sure if you simply feel your own shock quaking through your body, or if it's possible that some of Rosae's is bouncing onto you from your intuitive sense—but it's completely overwhelming all the same. 

What the blerg is Prince Everly talking about?

"It was during that twilight time when I had created just enough to know what I was doing, but not enough to become jaded or bored by the process. There's a lot I'd change about Prisca now, but at a certain point we all must let our creations live their own lives and speak for themselves, as I'm sure you've learned." Prince Everly smiles, lost in recollection. "I was obsessed with mirrors and reflections and sharing at the time, especially with the creative and societal implications of those concepts. Plus, my intuition molars were just starting to grow in, so I was flooded by all this ambient emotion. Teenage godhood really is a terrible and magical notion…."

*page_break

Prince Everly pulls his gaze down from the starry sky, and that's when he finally catches the look on your and Rosae's faces. Within an instant, his wistful smile begins to fall away.

"Wait, you both knew I created Prisca in the creashon wave, right?" Prince Everly asks, as if it's the simplest question in the world. "I just assumed that's why you found me, of all the Wone, in MemoryTravel. And why I've been so willing to help you, of course. After all, the ability to MemoryTravel was really one of my more brilliant ideas, even to this day."

The waves of disbelief ripple through your body in great cascading crashes as your mind tries to keep up. You can already tell it's going to take quite a while before you can process the startling truth that Prince Everly has just presented. As expected, questions blast through your mind at an impossible pace, but you find that you are stricken speechless, much like Rosae beside you.

"I can see this is a shock," Prince Everly begins, now treading more carefully. "I'm sorry, but it's considered bad manners to discuss anyone's creashon experience, especially at the rare times we actually get to meet our subjects. Unfortunately, many mortal brains tend to unravel when talking to their Wone creators. Let me tell you, you're not the first to be stunned, so I'll try to answer some of the safer questions you must have for me."

*page_break

"Yes, I'm old enough to have created Prisca, but I'm still considered young by Wone standards. Time moves differently here on Wone, but again, it might break your minds if I try to explain too much. It has to do with the protective dimensional pocket where planet Wone resides. Time moves exponentially slower here, plus we also age much more slowly than average mortals—this temporal warp is even more decelerated in the creashon wave, as you experienced. 

"Anyway, given my chosen Demlect path prizing Education and Security, once I create a planet and equip it with the proper foundational rules, I leave that planet to grow and evolve independently, so that they may learn for themselves. Plus, in my youth I was pretty impatient, always wanting to jump from one new world project to another. That was before I realized how rare it is for an actual world to be born in the creashon wave, galactically speaking.

"So this is all to say, I have little knowledge of or involvement in world events back on Prisca past its earliest history, which was certainly far before both of your births. My Demlect belief is part of the reason why Prisca has not been 'Enlightened' by the Wone, though the fact that Prisca has remained so isolated is fascinating."

*page_break 

You know you should feel something, hearing all of Prince Everly's words, but all you can feel is numb. You have so many questions, but you find yourself afraid to ask any of them—what if the answers change everything you've ever known? What if you can't comprehend the answers because you're not yet evolved enough to do so? Or what if you simply don't like the answers Prince Everly has to offer? 

And really, given what you already know, how could any answer be truly satisfying—you can easily see your whole brain unraveling or losing its anchored reality, as Prince Everly warned.

Of course, you're especially anxious to ask Prince Everly about Dhanthik and the Blots, but then you realize he probably wouldn't know much of anything about either, if what he says about leaving Prisca for centuries is true. After all, you left ${planetname} alone for just a day and centuries spun by—how long has it been since Prince Everly laid eyes on Prisca's mirrored shores in real time?

As you think this, suddenly a new thought slams into you with the force of a raging hurricane. If Prince Everly created Prisca in a personalized creashon wave experience, in the same way you just created ${planetname}…

"Wait," you then find yourself saying out loud, almost involuntarily. "Does this mean the planets we just created are actually… real?"

*choice
	#No. That can't be possible. 
		Actual creation must be something left purely to the Wone, so what you experienced had to have been a simulation…right?
		*goto issomrea
	#I certainly hope my creashon wave simulation turns out to be real. I'd love for ${planetname} to actually come to life.
		That would mean you created a whole world and that ${planetname} really exists out in the galaxy somewhere, as inconceivable as that may sound.
		*goto issomrea
	#If that's true, Prince Everly should have warned us of the true weight of the experience beforehand.
		*goto issomrea
	#I pray ${planetname} isn't real. I would have treated the whole experience differently had I known.
		*goto issomrea
	#MemoryTravel experiences aren't supposed to affect the real world, since it's like visiting a historical echo. So it can't be real.
		Then again, Wone and the creashon wave seem to reside outside the rules of regular time and space….
		*goto issomrea

*label issomrea

If you had known from the start that this process was somehow real, would you have been paralyzed under the weight of such responsibility? To be in charge of life on that kind of scale…Mirrored Matron, what if one of ${planetname}'s people were to talk to you someday, just like you're talking to Prince Everly now? What could you possibly say that wouldn't shatter them to pieces? Blerg, what if they learned you didn't know what you were doing when you were creating ${planetname}, that you were just playing around and their existence is akin to an accident…

"That is a very good question, ${name}. Follow me," Prince Everly says, interrupting your internal monologue. He begins striding towards a door set in the cave wall beside one of the smaller hot springs. As you and Rosae trail behind Prince Everly like shell-shocked zombies, you can feel dozens of divine eyes once again falling on you with curiosity and speculation. But this divine attention is the last thing on your mind at the moment. 

"Riding the creashon wave is actually just like making life in any other way," Prince Everly turns to explain as you walk. "In your biological case, it's just like having sex. Think about it: sex is an act that feels universal to everyone, yet entirely unique to the individual at the same time—just like the creashon wave. It's a completely euphoric and fraught act worth doing in and of itself, whether it produces true life or not. And like the act of mating, not every creashon ride proves fruitful. We have to go to the planetary womb room to see if either of your planets did take, like any potential pregnancy. I've made far more worlds that didn't take than the precious few that did."

This is almost too much to process all at once, you think as you follow Prince Everly through the door and into this supposed womb room.

*page_break

The sound suddenly hushes to complete silence, and you pass by chamber after chamber of warmly lit water where planetary cores float, unformed. There must be hundreds upon hundreds of these cores, most of which seem to sink back into the water, only to be replaced by a newly colored core. 

But you do see one core suddenly hover above the water—a sapphire planet swirling with rings made of ruby light. The sapphire core floats for a few seconds in midair, before flying across the room and shooting into a clear tube that sucks it into another room. 

"Ah, here we are," Prince Everly says, stepping up to a glowing, ever-moving map of the galaxy. You're so distracted by its swirling constellations and steady orbits that you hardly notice Prince Everly breezing through the intangible controls of some invisible database. "Shoot. I'm sorry Rosae, it looks like Birdwirld has remained an act of creashon without actual birth. You shouldn't feel badly though—the chances of conception are incredibly low. And besides, I really did love Birdwirld—come to think of it, I may even borrow some of the avian sensory conditioning you invented. It was some pretty inspired stuff."

Despite Prince Everly's seal of approval, you can tell that Rosae does indeed feel badly that Birdwirld didn't take. You, however, feel an odd mixture of relief and disappointment, since this almost certainly means that ${planetname} didn't take, either.

*page_break

"Oh, wow. Wow," Prince Everly then says, double checking his findings with a few flicks of his wrist. "It seems congratulations are in order, ${name}. It says here that ${planetname} was deemed worthy of true creashon." 

You feel all of your limbs go instantly numb as your heart flips upside down in your chest. How in all Fathers Below can that even be remotely possible?

"Fascinating," Prince Everly muses, no doubt asking himself the same question. "Let's put aside the MemoryTravel echo-sphere taking on actual historical significance for now, since we've already covered that possibility given Wone's unique physics. No, really we should focus on the timing of it all, since it's pretty compelling stuff.  

"Given the MemoryTravel time displacement, this creashon wave experience happens deep in your own past, technically centuries and centuries before you were even born in the real timeline on Prisca. And since Wone seconds can equal galactic years, and this time difference is much more dramatic in the creation wave, it begins to explain how the planet you created can exist in modern times. 

"Anyway, listen to me going on. Congratulations! Very, very few worlds are deemed worthy of actual creashon—even those made by the ancient Wone, let alone a mere mortal like you. Would you like me to show you where in the galaxy ${planetname} resides?"

You try to swallow but find you can't, because your throat has gone completely dry. Which doesn't stop your stomach from suddenly turning liquid, bubbling up like one of the hot springs outside.

*page_break

The next thing you know, you're behind the womb room, vomiting your insides out. You're not sure exactly how long after, but at some point you feel Prince Everly rubbing your back. Then, once you finish emptying your stomach, you find yourself sitting beside Prince Everly, both of your feet dipped into one of the private pools back here.

You want to speak, but all you can do is repeat one thought over and over in your mind: [i]${planetname} is real[/i]. All those decisions you made weren't theoretical, they actually affected the lives of millions—no, billions—over time. Your stomach churns again at the thought, so you try to focus instead on Prince Everly's words.

"Don't ask me why your planet was deemed worthy by the creashon lagoon. Not even the oldest Wone understand that—and those who try have lost their minds," Prince Everly begins. "We Wone like to consider ourselves divine, as the oldest race in the galaxy. And many believe that since we have developed the Enlightened technology to make worlds, that makes us gods. But truth be told, the galaxy is a big place, and not all of its worlds are made by us—in fact, most aren't. What's more, we may be able to harness the power of the creashon lagoon, but we don't really understand exactly how it works. Which is proof, at least to me, that there are forces that exist beyond even the Enlightened understanding of the Wone.

"Truthfully, I don't believe we are gods. Every living being is given the potential to create and shape life, so does that make every parent a kind of god, too? That would mean divinity is just a matter of scale…." Prince Everly sighs, as if he is trying to sort through the magnitude of all this, just like you. Admittedly, that does make you feel slightly better. 

"No, I think of the Wone as particularly empowered parents, since I believe making a planet is what it must be like to raise a child," Prince Everly continues. "I mean, whether your children live by your rules or break free of them doesn't seem to be in your control, no matter how Enlightened or powerful the parents are…the same is absolutely true of planets. Wow, listen to me, I sound like a regular old Commaith."

*page_break 

"Anyway, I guess there is a reason why I've been sorted into the Demlect Path, and not Commaith, the Path of the Parent," Prince Everly explains. "I believe in giving one's planetary children the opportunity and ability to think for themselves, with rules dictating how best to do so based on the wisdom of the ages. We Demlect like to think of Education like a rose, layered with petal upon petal of learning—which would make Security the thorn required to keep the blossom safe. I guess that's also why I believe in Queen Ashe's Elite Courte, at least to a certain extent. 

"There was a time I would have fought for my chosen Path, perhaps even have gone to war for its ideals. But what I used to believe so deeply I'm not sure is really worth it anymore."

You look over at Prince Everly then, because suddenly you feel that your own emotions are being crowded out by his intense projections: wells of depression and helplessness and defeat, so deep and thick they threaten to choke you. These emotions are scabbed over by a thick layer of cynicism, one that has accumulated under the weight of one too many failed worlds and the hollowness of one too many ideological stalemates. The pain of the creator seeps through you, and you realize it's the very same pain you've been experiencing over ${planetname}.

You see it so clearly now, looking into Prince Everly's contemplative eyes: despite his best intentions and his earnest endeavors to make beautiful things and foster peace on Wone, Prince Everly fears he has only created ugliness and deepened divisions. He feels he has not only let down his estranged father, but all of his many followers and creations. And in this crisis of faith, in this weakened state, he now finds himself crippled by the empathetic feedback, paralyzed by the deluge of opinions he once felt responsible to represent. 

You understand it now, the cruel joke of the creator: how they are made to feel and care so much more deeply than others, but at the same time are also destined to be the ones most often subjected to scorn and criticism.
*if hauscreation
	*if orderworks
		As a fellow member of the Haus of Creation, Order of Works, you understand this dichotomy keenly as well.
	*if (orderworks = false)
		As a fellow member of the Haus of Creation, you understand this dichotomy keenly as well.

*page_break

So Prince Everly seems to have closed up shop: he has left prayers to the Haus of Creation, Order of Works unanswered and frozen himself in place—he hasn't made a world in longer than you can fathom. And you find that he is doing the same with you now, resealing himself back inside the protective cocoon where he hopes to remain, safe and uninvolved.

"I don't often open myself up like that anymore, but I hope the touch of empathy helped to soothe your nerves a bit," Prince Every says, turning to you. "But you shouldn't let me get you down—you've created a planet now. What do you believe divinity means?"

Hearing Prince Everly's question, you try your best to articulate what you are thinking and feeling in this moment, after all you have just experienced. Unlike Prince Everly, you aren't yet willing to abandon the search for answers to such difficult questions. 

*choice
	#"I believe true divinity is a force, like Versus or the creashon lagoon itself. The Wone may have more power and access to these divine forces, but that does not make them divine themselves."
		*set enlighten %-30
		*set rlshp_everly %+15

		You believe that true divinity is a force, a fabric, a universal constant—much like Versus itself. Divinity isn't anthropomorphic or human in nature at all, or else we'd all be truly doomed. The Wone may be powerful and immortal, but power does not make anyone divine.

		Divinity is grace, the unknown force that guides us all where we need to go. Whether it takes the form of a spirit we worship, an intuition we listen to, a soul we inhabit, or any of the other hundreds of names for it, you believe it is all the same force.
		*goto prischange
	#"I believe the Wone are divine as powerful creation gods. They are the highest form of life in this galaxy, and they wield and create the laws of reality. If that's not divinity, then what is?"
		*set enlighten %+30
		*set rlshp_everly %-15

		Simply put, the Wone's power and influence makes them divine. Everything a god is to you, the Wone represent. And as the first and most elevated beings in the galaxy, they have earned that right.

		Which, in turn, means that you've had your own brush with godhood during this divine MemoryTravel experience.
		*goto prischange
	#"I believe, like you, that anything capable of creating and guiding life is divine. In that way, we are all divine. And as you said yourself, it's just a matter of scale, from parent to creashon."
		*set enlighten %+30
		*set rlshp_everly %+15

		All beings are full of the divine, for anyone who creates and guides another life has the power to shape that life. What could be more divine that that? 

		So perhaps then the Wone are indeed the most divine, because they wield this responsibility on the largest scale.
		*goto prischange
	#"I believe it doesn't matter if what anyone believes is actually right or real. What matters is how we let that belief shape our actions—that's what forges faith in the real world: putting belief into practice."
		*set enlighten %-30
		*set rlshp_everly %-15
		*achieve echelonseven
		*if esix
			*set eseven true

		You can't be sure there really is such a thing as divinity, or a god, or some larger force at work. What you can be sure of is that what someone believes about the unknown and the unanswerable is what ultimately drives them at their deepest core. So what we believe still matters greatly as we inevitably manifest it in the world.

		Still, that means you don't believe that the Wone are divine, or at least any more divine than other humanoid beings. They are simply older and more powerful, and that doesn't mean that other races won't eventually catch up to them on the evolutionary path.
		*goto prischange

*label prischange
*set growth +1

*if (enlighten > 75)
	*achieve highenlighten
	*set growth +5
*if (enlighten < 25)
	*achieve higheducate
	*set growth +5

As this realization settles in, you cannot help but think of how it relates to the world you come from, the world that Prince Everly claims to have created. How does all this affect your Priscan beliefs?

*choice
	#This proves to me that the Purity Laws of the Reflectionist Elders are merely mortal constructs that Priscans are meant to evolve beyond.
		*set security %-30
		*set purity %-30
		*goto prischangetwo
	#I believe in the Reflectionist Elders and Purity Laws now more than ever, since they reflect our creation—and thus our most direct link to divinity.
		*set security %+30
		*set purity %+30
		*goto prischangetwo
	#Reflection, absorption, purity, mirroring—none of it is divine. These were simply choices made by some cosmic parent based on a passing interest. Wherever these traits come from, however, it is still up to us to respect and preserve these uniquely Priscan identities as best we can.
		*set security %+30
		*set purity %-30
		*goto prischangetwo
	#I do believe in the divinity of Priscan creation, but I also believe that this means our uniquely born talent and culture is meant to be shared with the galaxy if it is ever to have true meaning. That's what purity truly means—having the integrity to withstand, in the face of great change.
		*set security %-30
		*set purity %+30
		*goto prischangetwo

*label prischangetwo
*set growth +2

*if (security > 75)
	*achieve highsecurity
	*set growth +5
*if (security < 25)
	*achieve highfreedom
	*set growth +5

As these core-shaking thoughts settle in your mind,
*if authorius
	*if (enlighten > 50) and (security > 50)
		you look down to find your clothes still remain white as those of a true Authorius, keeping you on the Path of the Pastor.
		*goto samepathed
	*else
		*set authorius false
		*goto changepathed
*elseif boldure
	*if (enlighten <= 50) and (security <= 50)
		you look down to find your clothes still remain gold as those of a true Boldure, keeping you on the Path of the Pioneer.
		*goto samepathed
	*else
		*set boldure false
		*goto changepathed
*elseif commaith
	*if (enlighten > 50) and (security <= 50)
		you look down to find your clothes still remain black as those of a true Commaith, keeping you on the Path of the Parent.
		*goto samepathed
	*else
		*set commaith false
		*goto changepathed
*else 
	*if (enlighten <= 50) and (security > 50)
		you look down to find your clothes still remain rose as those of a true Demlect, keeping you on the Path of the Prefect.

		*achieve echeloneight
		*if eseven
			*set eeight true
		*goto samepathed
	*else
		*set demlect false
		*goto changepathed

*label changepathed
*if (enlighten > 50) and (security > 50)
	you look down to find your clothes have now changed to white, making you a newly minted Authorius, on the Path of the Pastor.

	*set authorius true
	*achieve pathauthorius
	*goto lastchanceswitch
*elseif (enlighten <= 50) and (security <= 50)
	you look down to find your clothes have now changed to gold, making you a newly minted Boldure, on the Path of the Pioneer.

	*set boldure true
	*achieve pathboldure
	*goto lastchanceswitch
*elseif (enlighten > 50) and (security <= 50)
	you look down to find your clothes have now changed to black, making you a newly minted Commaith, on the Path of the Parent.

	*set commaith true
	*achieve pathcommaith
	*goto lastchanceswitch
*else
	you look down to find your clothes have now changed to rose, making you a newly minted Demlect, on the Path of the Prefect.

	*set demlect true
	*achieve pathdemlect
	*achieve echeloneight
	*if eseven
		*set eeight true
	*goto lastchanceswitch

*label lastchanceswitch

"Ah, I see you've had an epiphany," Prince Everly says, noting the color change. "And that you've just experienced yet another Wone miracle—the FourPaths don't often let anyone switch sides in this Splinter, especially with the conflict so near to boiling over. I have to admit, I'm a bit jealous. I haven't had an epiphany in quite some time."
*goto thedilem

*label samepathed

"Ah, I see you've had an epiphany," Prince Everly says. "I have to admit, I'm a bit jealous. I haven't had an epiphany in quite some time."
*goto thedilem

*label thedilem

You can intuit it clearly then: a seed is just beginning to take root somewhere deep inside Prince Everly. And it doesn't feel anything like jealousy, not at all. Instead, it feels like a tiny sprout of hope, the spark of long-lost inspiration ready to blossom. 

After all, to see one of his own creations evolve and achieve as you have, to witness you coming full circle to push past the boundaries currently limiting him—how could that not be inspiring to someone like Prince Everly?
*if officialeverly
	And, you hope deep down, attractive to him as well, in some way.
*comment endif

Seeing the beginnings of a smile on Prince Everly's face, you think it wise not to acknowledge this shift and to let it take shape on its own. Sitting there with your feet dangling in these fateful creative waters, you can't help but feel like the child becoming the parent, caring for the caretaker once they've aged too far. 

*page_break

Feeling this connection, you find that you can't help but ask, almost on instinct: "I wonder if I'll ever meet someone from ${planetname}, like you've met me."

You pose this as a rhetorical question, but Prince Everly puts a hand on your shoulder all the same to answer.

"Believe it or not, you're not the first creation I've met. But it's pretty special every single time," Prince Everly says, standing up with a rather satisfied look on his face. "And as for your first question, I can sense that you already have met someone from ${planetname}."

*page_break 

You stare up at Prince Everly, your mind too weary to even begin to process this new bomb dropped in your lap. You've already met someone from ${planetname}? Who the blerg could that be?

"I won't tell you who, because after all, I believe there are some things best left to self-discovery. But then, I'm a Demlect—I would believe that," Prince Everly laughs. "Don't think about it too much just yet, ${name}. Trust me, the answers will come in due time—and sometimes just when you find you need them most."

With that, Prince Everly offers you a wink and a hand to help you stand. "Besides, we have someone else to find at this party, don't we?"

Your mind anchors to this notion as you reach out your hand to Prince Everly—yes, you do have to focus on finding Lady Venuma tonight to disprove her existence as Dhanthik. Your thoughts begin to tumble through considerations of Dhanthik's own supposed divinity, given all the startling revelations you've just uncovered. To your people, Dhanthik is everything, but could Ze just be a powerful being passing through or some benign guiding light, like you are to the people of ${planetname}?  

Your mind continues to spiral and ache until you decide to take Prince Everly's advice: the answer will come in due time, and hopefully when you need it most.

*page_break Into the Party

"The Wone have the most remarkable thoughtburst library; apparently they have access points in every building on the planet!" Rosae chirps as you walk—though you notice immediately that something about her voice sounds sullen, like her usual chipper tone is a bit forced somehow. "The entire library is contained in one book, which catalogues all of the collected knowledge in the galaxy. In its presence, you simply have to think of what you want to know and the information appears in your brain!"

"I'm assuming, since you're still alive, that you were careful to only search for specific knowledge instead of a general download," Prince Everly says. "Let me tell you, many a brain has melted from that gain."

"Yes, I adhered to all of the warnings quite carefully," Rosae chirps, avoiding eye contact with Prince Everly. "I only asked for a summary on Lady Venuma's whereabouts specifically, in order to help find her inside this party. However, the thoughtburst library provided me with far more than that and, Mirrored Aviation, did I learn some interesting things!"

Rosae seems almost manic in her attempt to appear cheery, which is clearly strange—but then, you suppose you both have plenty of reason to be acting a bit strange. At this point, you're just anxious to hear about Lady Venuma's history, too—as awesome as this Wone trip has been, you're eager to take a break from world-shattering revelations and return to a place where the wrong knowledge doesn't threaten to destroy your mind at every turn.

"I asked the thoughtburst library for the abridged version, so I'll just give you the highlights," Rosae begins, allowing you the ability to scroll through or skip the history lesson at your own pace—though noting that if you do scroll through, you should go in linear order.

*label morelvhist
*choice
	*disable_reuse #Queen Rising.
		"Lady Venuma was not born of the Wone, but rather as a commoner named Mani Grecca on her home planet of Nirrana. Born to middle-class parents, young Mani Grecca seemed to have lofty ambitions from the very start: in her young adulthood, she rose from humble beginnings to become a prominent Nirranan politician."

		While Rosae speaks, she unwittingly projects images of this young Mani Grecca into your mind, evidently copied and mindpasted from the thoughtburst library. Mani's face still looks something like Lady Venuma's, though decidedly less angular and much softer. Her body is also quite different, lacking Lady Venuma's trademark golden skin, black hair, and long limbs. Mani is still beautiful, but in a far more stately and regal way—she wears a conservatively cut yellow gown over her dark brown skin, and her black hair is cropped close to her face.
		
		"Mani Grecca spent her mortal lifetime using every tool at her disposal—her beauty, her fierce intelligence, and her unique ability to intuit the emotions of others—to rise to political prominence. Step by painstaking step, Mani eventually rose to become the President-elect of Nirrana. As President, she ushered Nirrana into a era that was modern by galactic standards, successfully maneuvering Nirrana into place as a key emerging planet in the Galactic Council landscape."

		*page_break 

		"In what she believed would be the final political maneuver of her life, President Grecca manipulated this fragile transitional phase in Nirranan history and capitalized on her widespread popularity to become the first ever Queen Regent of her planet. The particulars are rather brilliant and slightly deviant, but Grecca became the most famous Nirranan of her time, beloved by the common people as their shining example, but feared by all those who dared stray near her rising path."

		You then see an image of this Queen Grecca, who has only grown more comfortable and beautiful in her fully regal position. She wears a sleek yellow gown layered with intricate and embroidered flaps, while her hair, now completely greyed, is pinned up in an elaborate updo.

		"Grecca once thought that becoming Queen of Nirrana would be enough, but that was at a time before her planet was deemed worthy of Enlightenment by the Wone," Rosae continues. "Nirrana was not created by the Wone, but its inhabitants had worshiped the Wone and petitioned for full Enlightenment access for decades under Queen Grecca's reign. Once Nirrana was granted Enlightenment, a spiritual revolution swept the planet—one that caught the ambitious eye of Queen Grecca as she inevitably found her next ladder to climb. Queen Grecca was selected to represent her planet on the Nirranan Wone council, where she was invited to attend her first event on planet Wone—a party hosted by Prince Everly's family, as it were."
		*goto morelvhist
	*disable_reuse #Apprentice Rising.
		"No longer satisfied with her mortality, however regal it had become, Queen Grecca soon longed to become a Wone goddess," Rosae continues. "Such mortal transitions have only ever happened a handful of times throughout recorded history, but convention or probability never intimidated the once-common Queen. So Queen Grecca began patiently studying and plotting the moves of her next ascension, even as her mortal life waned into its twilight years.

		"It would take many decades longer and several near-death experiences, but Queen Grecca eventually found her way in. Through relentless social maneuvering, Queen Grecca gained the opportunity to cozy up to one of the most ancient Wone deities: Madame Venome of the Haus of Emotion, Order of Coercion. Madame Venome had been privately searching for an Apprentice for centuries and, famously unconventional Wone goddess that she was, saw novelty in selecting a mortal apprentice. Especially as Madame Venome was impressed by Queen Grecca's obvious acumen for emotional and political manipulation.

		"Queen Grecca thus left her Nirranan reign behind to accept the rarest of invitations to reside on Wone, where her youth and vitality were fully restored to her as an Apprentice of Madame Venome."

		You are presented with an image of this new Apprentice Grecca, a form that actually more resembles the young Mani Grecca you first saw than the aged Queen Grecca. In addition to her fully restored youth, Apprentice Grecca's skin also takes on a slightly golden tint, as if only kissed by the bright sunlight of Wone immortality.
		*goto morelvhist
	*disable_reuse #Demigoddess Rising.
		"Despite its many luxuries and privileges, Grecca found the transition from reigning planetary supreme to nonelite Apprentice rather jarring—however, turning social nothings into somethings was a process she was keenly familiar with. And now that she was restored with endless time and energy, Apprentice Grecca found that she relished the opportunity to rise once again.

		"Following her ever-lofty aspirations, Apprentice Grecca eventually learned that demigoddess status was the highest station possibly available to her. Still, that didn't stop Apprentice Grecca from searching for ways to achieve further prominence," Rosae then says, now looking uncharacteristically grave. "Apprentice Grecca recognized that her first opportunity to do so could come from the burgeoning anti-Enlightenment movement sweeping the younger generations of the NuGuard Wone. Apprentice Grecca was rather quickly able to make a name for herself by becoming a follower of the Education textual movement, eventually becoming an unexpected early champion of the Boldure path. 

		"It is unclear whether Apprentice Grecca actually believes in the tenets of Boldure's Freedom and Education, or whether she simply hitched a ride on this wagon purely for political expediency. Whatever the truth, Apprentice Grecca had certainly used the Path of the Pioneer to amass power her entire life, so she found herself able to do the same on this far grander scale."

		*page_break

		"The only one more delighted by this ascension angling than Apprentice Grecca was Madame Venome, who understood that she had truly selected the correct Apprentice. This is what makes the next turn in Apprentice Grecca's story so terribly murky, if not downright chilling," Rosae chirps, seeming to shudder for a moment before moving on.

		"Wone deities do not often truly die, but if they do somehow perish, they can pass their divinity to another being if they so choose—including those not born of the Wone. Such transfers are considered the most private and sacred of acts, which is why no one, not even the most ancient of the Wone, knows the truth of what ultimately happened between Madame Venome and her Apprentice at the hour of her demise….

		"There are many competing theories: did Madame Venome give her life willingly to her beloved Apprentice? Did Apprentice Grecca somehow seduce her Master into offering this suicidal gift? Or could Apprentice Grecca have found a way to kill Madame Venome herself, an act so secret and terrible that the Wone themselves won't even speak of it? Ultimately it mattered not, for the outcome remained the same: this Nirranan commoner, turned President, turned Queen, turned reborn divine Apprentice, finally completed the very last ascension available to her: she became Lady Venuma Grecca, Wone demigoddess of the Haus of Emotion, Order of Coercion."

		You are then hit with an image of Lady Venuma as you know her from Versus: wearing one of her signature black and gold gowns over her impossibly proportioned body, with her golden skin shining and long black hair flowing.
		*goto morelvhist
	*disable_reuse #Boldure Rising.
		"Now worshiped as a planetary deity by her native Nirranans, Lady Venuma thought she had finally found a perch on which to rest for the remainder of her endless days. Unsurprisingly, the Great Lady found she would be proven wrong yet again.

		"Ever relentless, Lady Venuma couldn't help but begin maneuvering her beloved Boldure Path to prominence within Wone culture, hoping to elevate her self-identified NuGuard Wone above the ancient Wone. Lady Venuma thus became one of several major players silently and boldly inflaming Wone tensions surrounding the FourPath Splinter, slowly inciting a civil war. Many Wone, ancient and NuGuard alike, believed that Lady Venuma hoped to once again elevate her status through a favorable outcome in this brewing war…

		"But in the midst of this new maneuvering, it seems Lady Venuma was abruptly Selected by Versus. From there, ${name}, you know what happens next. Lady Venuma automatically became a member of Queen Ashe's Elite Courte and was soon appointed as Ord Ambassador."

		Rosae sounds like she wants to say more, but you can tell she doesn't want to reveal anything about Lady Venuma's newest endeavor, The VS Front, in front of Prince Everly.
		*goto morelvhist
	#I'm finished hearing about Lady Venuma's historical highlights.
		*goto ultimatesoc

*label ultimatesoc

Taking a moment to process everything Rosae has just said, you can only conclude that Lady Venuma has proven herself as perhaps the galaxy's ultimate social climber. She has devoted her entire existence to amassing the kind of power and influence she wasn't born with. Whether you find this inspiring or horrifying, you do have to concede one point: everything Lady Venuma has, she seems to have earned. Perhaps this helps to explain her pervasive sense of entitlement in many ways.

Of course, you know that now Lady Venuma has set her sights on overthrowing Queen Ashe and ruling Versus, no doubt a play she hopes to translate into political capital if she is Reborn to Wone. It's astonishing to you to see the chains of power trickling down—when you first arrived on Versus, Lady Venuma seemed to represent the pinnacle of power, given your limited experience. However, you're quickly learning that there always seems to be another rung on the ladder, another inner circle to penetrate. So you have to wonder… 

Is Lady Venuma content with her never-ending quest for power, or will she never truly be happy? When it comes to Lady Venuma's climb:

*choice
	#I have only respect for Lady Venuma's ruthless political maneuvering.
		*set coupspystatus +4
		*set coupbondstatus +4
		*set abolishbothstatus +4
		*set rlshp_venuma %+15
		*goto particmom
	#I have more than respect: I want to become Lady Venuma's own Apprentice so that she can teach me her ways. And perhaps I already have, after our full absorb connection.
		*set coupspystatus +4
		*set coupbondstatus +4
		*set rlshp_venuma %+20
		*goto particmom
	#There's clearly no telling what Lady Venuma will do if I get in her way. So if I do, I had better make sure that I'm well protected.
		*set winjoinstatus +4
		*set doubleagentstatus +4
		*set rlshp_venuma %-20
		*goto particmom
	#I just want to stay as far away from Lady Venuma as possible.
		*set eliteinfostatus +4
		*set winjoinstatus +4
		*set rlshp_venuma %-15
		*goto particmom
	#It's time someone finally put an end to Lady Venuma's endless social climb.
		*set abolishbothstatus +4
		*set doubleagentstatus +4
		*set rlshp_venuma %-10
		*goto particmom

*label particmom

At this particular moment, however, you know there's nothing you can do about this feeling. Instead, you file this motivation away for the time being, knowing that you'll get your opportunity to act on it when your SoulTest Trial finally comes.

"I've kept my distance from Lady Venuma on Versus," Prince Everly then says, startling you—he had remained so quiet during Rosae's history lesson that you had almost forgotten he was there. "Her now-infamous reputation aside, I'd have enough reason to resent Lady Venuma given her role in inflaming Wone politics. But honestly, demies just make me pretty nervous in general. Full Wone are blessed with the ability to embody both sides of their Haus and Order balances fully, but demies always seem to remain…unbalanced, no matter how much training they receive.

"Lady Venuma has a lot of reasons to fear Queen Ashe as an ancient here on Wone, given the Queen's power and influence. The belief of Queen Ashe's followers tends to be fairly all-encompassing—I think you'll see what I mean when you meet her. Anyway, Lady Venuma's fear of Queen Ashe seems to be lessened back on Versus, given the evened playing field. No matter how proud and reverent Lady Venuma claims to be as a member of The Elite Courte, I'm sure she is plotting some move with this Ord Ambassador position. I've told Queen Ashe as much, but she isn't worried—I guess because Queen Ashe has MamaNa to worry about those kinds of things. And MamaNa is very good at what she does."

Absorbing this information, you decide that Prince Everly's insights seem to corroborate everything you've learned on Versus so far. Despite his suspicions, you can instantly intuit that Prince Everly doesn't seem to actually know about the existence of The VS Front. Whether you're tempted to tell him about it or not proves to be immaterial, however, as you suddenly find yourselves coming upon the object of your search…

*page_break

The Apprentice Ship. 

It floats modestly in one of the smaller gold-lit springs, paling in comparison to the size of the full Wone ships looming in the bay beyond. Despite its size, the Apprentice Ship still looks sleek and devious, made of wood coated with slick black lacquer and sails spun of silvery silk. Seeing the ship, you remind yourself that you're not going to meet Lady Venuma as you know her on Versus, but rather in the form of Apprentice Grecca.

As Prince Everly steps forward to lead the way up a ramp and onto the ship, Rosae falls back to flutter quietly at your side. Still sensing something brewing in her silence, you turn and ask: "Rosae, are you all right?"

"Well…it seems rather petty, but…" Rosae sighs, keeping her beak trained straight ahead. "I must admit, I'm a tad jealous that your world was created and that Birdwirld will never truly see the light of day. I know, I know. It's rather silly, but Birdwirld was just such a beautiful place."

*page_break

Immediately, you place a hand on Rosae's blue-furred shoulder to comfort her—you wish you could convey to her the complexity of emotions that coincide with such an act of creation. However, Rosae is all too quick to recompose herself. 

"Don't worry, ${name}, I'll recover with time, rest assured. Really, and perhaps far less ridiculously, I'm truly terrified of Prince Everly and talking to him about any of the details regarding our Priscan creation. If I'm acting strangely, that's precisely why."

Knowing exactly what Rosae means, you slide your arm around her and give her a squeeze. Despite all the enormity of what you've both just been confronted with, you know you'll always have Rosae to talk to about these insane MemoryTravel experiences. Come to think of it, Rosae is the only one on Versus to understand your Priscan life as well, having been by your side your entire life, however silently. And now she is also the only one from your Priscan life who could ever understand all that you've been through since being Selected for Versus, on every level.

This bond with Rosae is one emotion you're all too happy to share with her now, fully backed by all of your available absorption and intuitive abilities.

*page_break Aboard the Apprentice Ship
*set lvfound true

You find Apprentice Grecca on the deck of the ship, rather unsurprisingly lying on a chaise lounge while sipping a glass of honey-colored Wone wine. She wears a gold lamé bathing suit and a black brocade coverup, looking somehow less immortal than her full Lady Venuma self, but still decidedly more glamorous than any mere mortal.

Finally seeing Apprentice Grecca here in the MemoryTravel flesh may bring up many conflicting emotions, but the one that really matters becomes eminently clear: you can now confirm without a doubt that Lady Venuma is not Dhanthik. You had already suspected this much given all you learned about Mani Grecca's existence outside Versus, but as Oli said, you couldn't be sure until you saw her with your own two eyes.

"So I see you've finally found me," Lady Venuma, or rather, Apprentice Grecca says. She sighs and sets down her wineglass, pouting as if her playtime has come to an end. 

Grecca then stands, and you can instantly feel her trying to probe your emotions at the edges—a gesture you immediately and willfully block. As she notes this blockage, Grecca's face actually lights up with a sly smile, seemingly pleased to have found someone to challenge her at her own game. But you are decidedly uninterested in any more games—it's time you got to the bottom of Lady Venuma's absence.

*page_break

"Where have you been?" you ask. "And why have you been eluding us on this MemoryTravel trip?"

"Let us get one thing straight, little one," Grecca says, any trace of amusement now gone from her voice. "My past is mine and mine alone—that should be clear reason enough. But still, you deign to ask me why I kept my memory-presence private? Well, the answer is simple, little one… 

"Because I can. And after all, what is the point of having power if you do not use it?"

You absorb Grecca's statement, trying to find the right words to articulate your response. However, before you can, a dark voice suddenly answers for you from somewhere above.

"I agree completely," the dark voice utters…

*page_break

From the lips of Lord Grahl. 

He drops down onto the deck of the Apprentice Ship with a hard thud, his black boots digging into the lacquered wood.
*if (rlshp_grahl >= 48)
	A smirk spreads across his dark face, and you can tell Lord Grahl seems incredibly pleased to see you, though you'd rather not ponder the reasons why.
*if (rlshp_grahl < 48)
	A stoic look crosses his dark face, one that is perhaps even more stern than the first time you saw him.
*comment endif

"What is the meaning of this intrusion?" Grecca says, turning to face Lord Grahl defiantly. "You know perfectly well this is a sacred space to be—"

"Quiet, pretender," Lord Grahl says, waving Lady Venuma to silence with a single shadow-laden hand. "I would extinguish you along with Prince Ever-bore here, but the Order of Chronology has demanded I deliver you both for questioning. So after ${name} is purged, you are both coming with me."

*page_break

"You know you don't need to—" Prince Everly tries, only to be cut off by Lord Grahl once again.

"Oh, I need to. Because if we don't punish those who break the rules, it threatens the freedom of all," Lord Grahl says, turning to face you next. "But 'need' is irrelevant, because I want to do this. Especially after I learned ${name} created that dump, ${planetname}. I've had the displeasure of being forced to work in that backwards landfill of a planet. Now that I've found you, I do have to ask: did you intend for it to suck so badly? Aren't you embarrassed by it? I'm embarrassed for you, if not."

"Everyone's a critic," Prince Everly growls at your side, clenching his teeth. "Tell me, how many of your planets have ever actually been born, Grahl?"

"Losing interest," Lord Grahl answers, nearly yawning in your faces as he ignores Prince Everly's question. "So please, make this more exciting and do try to run for your lives."

*page_break

"I don't run from anything or anyone, darling," Grecca says, stepping forward. As she does, you can sense Grecca priming all of her coercive abilities to their highest levels. Feeling this makes you wonder if you could potentially access your own latent coercion potential, now that you're actually beside Grecca.

Behind the primed Apprentice, you notice that Prince Everly is clenching his fists and eying the cavernous ceiling above Lord Grahl. You can immediately sense he means to trap Lord Grahl under a rockslide, no doubt hoping to buy you all some time to escape.

*if extraworning
	"${name}, something tells me that trying the same tactic with Lord Grahl a second time won't work," Rosae chirps to warn you. "If we have any hope of surviving, I think you must surprise Lord Grahl by doing something new when it comes to talking, attacking, or escaping, regardless of your absorb skill levels!"
*comment endif

Surveying your options, you know you're going to have to act fast. 
*if (rlshp_grahl >= 48)
	You impressed Lord Grahl in your last near-death encounter, but can you do so again by trying something different?
*if (rlshp_grahl < 48)
	You didn't impress Lord Grahl in your last encounter, and it nearly meant your death. Can you do succeed this time by trying something different?

*choice
	#Blast Lord Grahl on my own in a direct attack, ignoring Apprentice Grecca and Prince Everly.
		*set rlshp_venuma %-15
		*set rlshp_everly %-15
		*set outspoken %+20
		*set energy +10

		You step out from behind Grecca and waste no time in raising your open palms directly at Lord Grahl.

		Then you let loose a torrent of golden energy so fierce that your ears nearly pop from the sonic boom of the sound barrier shattering all around you.

		Your blast rages forward, crackling and exploding in golden explosions, but you can immediately feel this blast drain into near nothing…

		As Lord Grahl opens a shadowy black portal directly in front of his body, sucking your blast into some dark void.

		*page_break

		*if (rlshp_grahl = 54) or (rlshp_grahl = 28)
			*label badhrahl
			*set life -3
			*set rlshp_grahl %-20

			"You really don't learn," Lord Grahl snickers, his voice grinding together like gears. "Consider my interest permanently lost."
			*goto wakeuplv
		*else
			*label goodhrahl
			*set mastery +3
			*set rlshp_grahl %+20

			"You really do know how to hold my interest," Lord Grahl almost laughs. "I am going to remember purging you for a great many centuries to come."
			*goto wakeuplv
	*if (commaith) #Attempt to confuse Lord Grahl alongside Apprentice Grecca and perhaps talk some strong-armed sense into him, especially now that I'm a fellow Commaith member.
		*goto talkcomcon
	*if (commaith = false) #Attempt to confuse Lord Grahl alongside Apprentice Grecca and perhaps talk some strong-armed sense into him.
		*label talkcomcon
		*set rlshp_venuma %+15
		*set rlshp_everly %-15
		*set outspoken %-20
		*set strength +10

		You step behind Grecca, who suddenly casts an emotional haze so strong that you can actually see golden wisps of mental matter forming between her and Lord Grahl. You attempt to mimic this coercive cloud, but the moment you do, your mind quakes with another splitting headache. Clearly, this coercive skill is not one you'll be able to access without a certain level of demi-divine practice.

		Shaking off the lingering pain, you instead attempt to amplify the strength of Grecca's coercive cloud. Feeling the distinct tangle of seduction from here, you add your own lustful pulsing to the haze, hoping to overpower Lord Grahl with 
		*if commaith 
			desire. Hopefully once he has been soothed and seduced, you can appeal to Lord Grahl as a fellow Commaith….
		*if (commaith = false)
			desire….
		*comment endif

		However, Lord Grahl simply waves his hand once again and forms a small, shadowy black portal above his head… 

		One that sucks these golden seductions into its dark void like a vacuum.

		*page_break
		*if (rlshp_grahl = 74) or (rlshp_grahl = 44)
			*goto badhrahl
		*else
			*goto goodhrahl
	#Follow Prince Everly's commanding lead and trap Lord Grahl so that we can hopefully attempt to escape.
		*set rlshp_venuma %-15
		*set rlshp_everly %+15
		*set outspoken %-20
		*set command +10

		You leap up behind Prince Everly as he suddenly streaks through the sky, and the two of you fly directly toward the cavernous ceiling hanging partially over the Apprentice Ship. You watch as Prince Everly smashes his fist into the rock with a thundering crash, sending boulders of debris crashing down onto Lord Grahl.

		Only seconds behind Prince Everly, you follow suit, crunching your fists into the rock with pulverizing and satisfying force.

		You look down to watch the path of your own tumbling debris, but your hands nearly go numb…

		Not because of the force of your blows, but rather because you watch as Lord Grahl simply opens a shadowy, black portal directly above his body, sucking the boulders cleanly into some dark void.

		*page_break
		*if (rlshp_grahl = 48) or (rlshp_grahl = 16)
			*goto badhrahl
		*else
			*goto goodhrahl

*label wakeuplv

Just then, Grecca turns to face you and you find that you cannot help but match her gaze, as her eyes begin to blaze and burn with golden intensity.

"You will not die by Lord Grahl's hand, at least not on this day, because of me," Grecca commands, connecting with you more deeply and directly than you've ever felt before.
*if (officialvenuma) or (officialthruple)
	"You mean too much to my future self.
	*goto meanfutfix
*elseif (rlshp_venuma > 50)
	"You remain too valuable to my future self.
	*goto meanfutfix
*else
	"Whatever else may have transpired between us, I fear I owe you this much.
	*goto meanfutfix

*label meanfutfix
So you will wake up. Now."

Feeling the impossible compulsion of Grecca's words tug on your mind for the first time in a long time, you don't try at all to fight her pull or question her motives—for this is one order from Lady Venuma that you are all too willing to accept.

Feeling the neurons in your brain begin to fire differently, you watch as this Wone reality begins to wash away all around you. The sails of the Apprentice Ship blur into a silvery swirl and the black lacquered deck spins up into the starry sky. As your eyelids begin to flutter, you have just enough time left to hear Lord Grahl's desperate screams of unbridled anger.

*page_break

Soon all the remains is a lingering connection to Grecca, a synapse space in between the real and the remembered. As you spin back toward the present, Grecca maintains a tenuous hold to deliver one last message. Her voice sounds strained, as you can sense she is using a hastily constructed golden shield to protect herself from a devastating shadowblast. 

"Do not worry about us, little one. Once you are gone, Prince Everly and I will be fine," Grecca says coolly, though you can hear the pain of the shadows still creeping into her voice. "Perhaps we may face some minor chronological charges, but nothing too serious. No, I would reserve all of your concern for yourself."

"What do you mean?" you ask, your own voice sounding thin and distant.

"Why, because Lord Grahl is one of our fellow Versians back in the present," Grecca says with a sharp laugh. "He is indeed one of our opposing Destructives. So fret not, little lost one. You may yet find yourself as prey to be hunted. Because if Lord Grahl knows how to do anything, it is how to hold a grudge."

*page_break Shadow Snapped

You're not sure what startles you more upon waking up back in your suite's sovereign-sized bed: the fact that it's still the middle of the night and you've been awoken from this MemoryTravel experience prematurely, the lingering sound of Apprentice Grecca's laugh echoing in your ears, or the notion that you may one day have to face a furious Lord Grahl in a Versus Match—a future version of Lord Grahl who has been waiting untold centuries to settle this score.

As cold sweat pours down your forehead, your sleep-addled mind focuses on only one question: why would Lady Venuma save you from Lord Grahl's wrath only to take such pleasure in condemning you to potentially experience it in the future? However long you've spent with the demigoddess crowding your consciousness, you're still not able to answer that particular question. 

For better or worse, untangling the layers of Lady Venuma's motivations can easily take a backseat to unpacking all of the other revelations you've just been rocked with. At least it now seems that you have the rest of this insane night to process everything you've learned on planet Wone—and contemplate how the experiences might change or reinforce your political path here on Versus.

After all, in a matter of hours you're going to have to make the most important decision of your life—and the most important decision affecting the fate of this particular world: which side to protect, if any, in Queen Ashe's final SoulTest. And to say that your world views have shifted in the last few hours would be a gross understatement….

*if masterythirtybonus
	*set life +2
	*goto mastechfive
*else
	*set life +1
	*goto mastechfive

*label mastechfive

*if masteryfiftybonus
	*goto endoffivenow
*elseif (mastery >= 50)
	*set lifemax +1
	*set masteryfiftybonus true
	*achieve masteryfiftybonusac
	*goto endoffivenow
*elseif masteryfortybonus
	*goto endoffivenow
*elseif (mastery >= 40)
	*set lifemax +1
	*set masteryfortybonus true
	*achieve masteryfortybonusac
	*goto endoffivenow
*else
	*goto endoffivenow

*label endoffivenow
*finish PART THREE: TRIAL BY FIRE
