Campaign: “The Shrouded Vale”
Episode 17: Reflection Deception
April 17, 2025
Slashing with clean, deliberate strikes, Tavi Falconheart frees the younger version of himself from the animated grip of the roots. The vines hiss and recoil as they lose their hold on the loop’s next victim.
Past-Tavi stumbles back, eyes wide as he stares at his older self—poisoned, wounded, and pulsing with unnatural energy. His mouth opens, but the future-Tavi speaks first.
You were never meant to make it out of this place,
he says, voice strained. But now you can.
The basin pulses behind them, its light erratic. The chamber hums with rising pressure. It's almost as if the basin itself... is aware.
The basin fuels the corruption,
Tavi explains, grimacing as he clutches his side. If we destroy it, we end this... I think.
Past-Tavi nods. Together, they quickly lift heavy stones, using them to try and demolish the magical basin. The light flickers more violently now, sensing the threat.
But something is wrong.
Future-Tavi drops to one knee. His hand convulses. Bark-like growths twist up his forearms. Red light seeps from his eyes. Roots burst through the seams of his armor, curling across his chest.
It’s spreading faster,
he chokes. I thought I had more time…
He stands, but the man who rises is no longer fully Tavi. His expression is blank. His gaze turns cold. His bow drops to the stone floor with a hollow clatter.
Past-Tavi steps back, heart pounding. The basin glows behind him. The corrupted version of himself—barely human now—turns toward him, a mass of magic, root, and memory.
The basin is barely scratched, but Tavi knows that it can still be destroyed. So much has changed in an instant.
The younger Tavi must choose.