A forgotten fate, a strange place, a broken promise...
Summary[]
Synopsis[]
In a series of flashbacks, Arthur recalls giving Faroe her name, bathing Faroe, soothing her through a thunderstorm, telling her fairy tales, and asking her if she likes the song he wrote for her.
Unexpectedly, everything goes quiet before a tree seems to loudly split open and Arthur is spat out on the ground, where he coughs, throws up, before being confronted by the Trader, who demands to know why Arthur is still following him. Arthur denies that he is, and then recognizes the Trader. Arthur tries to ask where he is or how this is possible, but the Trader gruffly reminds him that he is not a cana.
Arthur is annoyed, telling the Trader to fuck off because he'd just died. The Trader disagrees, saying that Arthur was just born from the Corvax tree. Arthur realizes that he still cannot see, and calls out for John, but realizes with the Trader's explanation that he's back in the Dreamlands and that an entirely new body must have grown from the part of his pinkie finger that he'd previously bit off and left behind.
Intermittently throughout Arthur's conversation with the Trader, he's been hearing something that causes him pain. And as the Trader leaves, Lilith finally manages to speak, briefly confused and unaware of what has happened. Arthur introduces himself, and explains how Lilith's presence in his body had gotten him killed. He tells her that she is Lilith or Scratch, and that she is the offspring of Nyarlathotep. After a moment, she recalls herself and how Arthur had messed up her plans to confront Kayne in medieval England.
Arthur accuses her of killing his friends there, which she denies, instead claiming that it was Mother Darkness who killed them. When Arthur claims she is lying, and asks what she really wanted, she claims she wanted Kayne dead and blames Arthur for her failure, because he unexpectedly built a Hand of Malevolence and wouldn't find her the Blackstone. She continues to lash out, complaining that she was mad to make Arthur her favorite.
Arthur is reminded that Lilith was responsible for his parents death, but she changes the subject wondering where they are, and noting that Arthur is naked and covered in a viscous sticky substance.
Arthur notes that this new body seems to have enhanced senses, and explains that this seemed to have happened because he left a piece of himself here last time, his pinkie finger. Lilith notes that the pinkie finger on his left hand does appear to be darker and more worn, and she manages to take control of Arthur's left hand. She attempts to take full control, but Arthur manages to stop her, despite her claims that she is more powerful than the King in Yellow.
Lilith claims that she didn't do this to Arthur, that she'd been largely unaware of anything that had happened since Kayne killed her in the swamp back in England, only hearing a guiding word from a friend. Arthur claims she ruined everything, but she claims that it was Arthur that failed to simply take the stone for her. When Arthur claims he doesn't know why the Blackstone wasn't in the chest, and that he's been treated like a pawn in a game between Lilith and Kayne, Lilith says that Arthur had better stop acting like one then.
Arthur agrees with Lilith's assertion that they're in the endgame and that the stakes are higher than she thinks he can imagine. Arthur reveals that he knows that Kayne means to kill Azathoth, and that he has been paying attention, including to the part where Lilith killed his parents. She is unmoved by the trauma this had inflicted on Arthur. And insists that Arthur needs to let her take control in order for her to try to save reality. Arthur refuses, pointing out that he's been instrumental in all of this, up to and including releasing Lilith herself from where she had been imprisoned. He asks for a little respect.
She tries to convince him that her abilities would be beneficial, which he denies. She offers to sound like whoever Arthur wants, demonstrating by impersonating John, and then Kellin, Larson, Oscar, and Detective Noel, before asking who she should be.
Arthur doesn't want to hear her impersonate anyone, and says so. He's unimpressed by her insistence that her abilities will be key to defeating Kayne, pointing out her abilities are only as good as what she does with them. When she is briefly confused by this remark, Arthur replies that its nothing she'd understand, and she mocks him for "the humanity ploy", which she claims will not work on her like it did with John. She claims she is not as weak as John while Arthur claims that he sees how she's trying to claw his humanity from him.
Lilith continues to mock him, claiming that Arthur's body is only a means to an end, and also adds that she isn't like Yellow either and Arthur doesn't need to be concerned about hurting her feelings.
Lilith and Arthur continue to trade barbs, with Arthur bringing up how Lilith hates humans, just like her father, Kayne. While Lilith accuses Arthur of drowning in drink while he left his wife to die and murdering Faroe.
Arthur denies that he murdered Faroe, explaining that Tess had started to run a bath, and that then Faroe had climbed into the bathtub herself and started it back up, while Arthur was distracted. He continues to place blame on himself, but it was not murder.
She tries to twist this into being similar to her actions with Arthur's parents, and how Arthur is trying to unduly pin her with that accusation. And then Arthur recalls that Lilith doesn't really care about murder at all, and he quotes her speech about how humans are so unimportant that murder is a meaningless concept when applied to them.
Although Arthur does acknowledge that the thinks Lilith's anger about Faroe is real. So, Arthur apologizes for Faroe having died because of his neglect, and acknowledges that he still thinks that Lilith was telling the truth when she said she freed Alia and gave her a peaceful end. Although Lilith stubbornly denies it, Arthur is convinced that Lilith sees some value in humanity.
Lilith seems to offer an olive branch in return for Arthur's point that Lilith was very reactive about Faroe, acknowledging that a neglectful father may strike her in a sore spot. She still spitefully retains that Arthur deserved her ire.
Arthur agrees, and they move on to more pressing business. Lilith explains that Kayne still needs the Obelisk to complete his plan, which is where the three stones need to be placed. Lilith doesn't know where the Obelisk is, and wouldn't tell Arthur even if she did, because Arthur is too easy to read. Arthur points out that Lilith had just told him to stop being a pawn, and Lilith walks that back, pointing out how easily she's tricked him in the past and how easily she just shook him to his core.
Arthur insists that they need to do this together, but Lilith dismisses him, still intent on taking control. Arthur pushes back, and Lilith relents, agreeing to tell him as much as is safe.
She informs Arthur that she really doesn't know where the Obelisk is, only that it is somewhere safe and hidden from Kayne's view by the Manager. When Lilith gives the Manager the go-ahead, he will let Kayne know where the Obelisk is, and that will guarantee that Kayne will be in a certain place where Lilith can kill him. Arthur expresses some doubt, knowing that this was the same plan that Lilith had before, which got her killed. She insists that this time it will work, in large part because Kayne believes that she is dead and no longer a threat.
Lilith won't say how she intends to kill Kayne, pointing out that nothing matters until they get out of the Dreamlands, and that they need to reach the plateau of Leng, where she thinks they'll be able to exit from the Dreamlands because reality is thin there. She insists that their first priority is leaving the woods, while Arthur insists that they need clothes and other items, as Arthur has no intention of walking through the Dreamlands nude, without even the slight protection from the elements that clothes afford.
He suggests trying to trade for such things with the Trader, but Lilith points out that they have nothing to trade. Arthur recalls that when he and John first entered the Dreamlands long ago, there had been a shed with a few things in there that they had elected not to steal, but should probably still be there to find. But Arthur also realizes that they can't leave the forest without first giving it something. Lilith realizes what Arthur intends to do, and tries to convince him to bite his own pinkie and not the one that she controls, because she's never experienced pain and fears it.
Arthur seems ready to bite her finger anyway, but hesitates when she seems properly distressed and begs. He relents, even though he's angry about all the terrible things she's said. She seems grateful, and urges him on to bite his own finger off. As he goes to do so, and shocked by the pain, he briefly loses control and seems to pass out.
He wakes to John begging for him to fight back, and discovers that Lilith had briefly gained full control and piloted them out of the woods. In the interim, he has lost his entire pinkie finger, instead of just the tip of it, and Lilith had carelessly walked through brush which had cut up Arthur's legs. She seems not to care about any of these injuries, and berates and taunts Arthur, warning that she will devour his soul before playing guest in his body, refusing to compromise and work with Arthur, insisting he is meaningless.
Arthur gets very distressed, realizing the state that Lilith has left his body in, and briefly having an existential crisis about whether this body even can be considered his anymore, when all of it has been replaced.
Lilith remarks that she doesn't care if Arthur lives or dies, and that she'll use him, or work with him, whatever suits her needs, provided it lets her stop Kayne.
She mocks him for sparing her a tiny bit of pain after she'd done everything she possibly could to hurt him, declaring him to be pathetic. However, she has directed them to the lake, and as Arthur approaches, she continues to monologue about how Arthur was only able to convince John of humanity because he was a blank slate, unlike her, who intends to break Arthur entirely, because she is still the same god that she always was. She mocks him for his past suicidal thoughts, and recognizes his hesitance to allow her to hold the knife that they find in the shed. She directs him to get dressed, noting how cut up his legs are, and mocking him for getting increasingly upset. She threatens to impersonate Faroe, but is interrupted by noticing a figure standing on a dock near the lake. As it approaches she directs Arthur to defend them from the creature with the knife.
The creature greets them, and Arthur says hello back. The creature asks why Arthur is crying, and Lilith tries to stop Arthur from speaking with it. Arthur tells this new person that there is a voice that he can't stop hearing and it is hurting him, and Lilith continues to try to convince Arthur to attack the stranger.
The stranger claims Arthur doesn't need to listen, but Arthur continues to sob as he explains that he can't stop it, and can always hear it. The stranger claims that this isn't true and that Arthur can shut out the voice, silence it. That Arthur is in control. Lilith continues to shout for Arthur to stab it, but suddenly is cut off.
Arthur thanks the stranger, recognizing them for a cana, who recognizes Arthur as well. Arthur realizes that this is Lorick, and still distressed, expresses how wrong everything has gone. Lorick assures him that this is as it should be. Arthur asks how Lorick knew he could silence Lilith, and asks where she's gone. Lorick explains that Lilith is still here, but she cannot hear Arthur and Arthur cannot hear her, and that Arthur has always had the ability to silence the voice in his head, but the other voices had had more positive things to say.
Arthur explains that Lilith is vicious and monstrous. Lorick replies that everyone has the capacity for monstrous acts, and Lilith has done more than most and remembers all of them, but she has done good, as well. Arthur expresses doubt about how he can move forward. Lorick assures Arthur that hope is what has kept Arthur alive, and why Lilith is with him, whether she is aware of that or not. Hope wasn't what she had when she chose Arthur for a higher purpose.
Arthur is puzzled by Lilith having chosen him. Lorick reminds him that Arthur was her favorite. Arthur asks what that means, but Lorick dodges the question, saying that it is not his job to help you. Instead, he's here to help Arthur learn to silence his mind, so he can have space and peace for himself, and to show Lilith that Arthur is not a puppet for her to use, but instead "a man whose love will save us".
Arthur hesitantly asks if Lorick is okay with Arthur taking the things he's gathered from the shed, which Lorick assures him that they were for him when he'd arrived long ago, and they are still Arthur's to take now.
Arthur tells Lorick that he met Charlie Dowd, and he asks if Lorick knows where he is now. Lorick says Charlie lays at the threshold, but won't say more, and doesn't truly know. Arthur says he wants to talk about so much, and that he has many questions. Lorick insists that Arthur should sit and rest a moment, and warns that Lilith is doing everything she can to corrupt Arthur, and that he must not let her. Lorick offers further words of advice, pointing out that Arthur's choices don't define him, it's what is at his heart that does, and that he continually tries to choose hope, and life, and desires to persevere even in the face of danger and the impending darkness. Lorick adds that these qualities and concepts are foreign to entities like Lilith, because they have never been faced with the possibility that they could die or have an end. And now that they are faced with an existential threat, they lash out. Lorick warns that Lilith will soon understand this, and that she is bright, although she hides it, and she's wise, despite being hurt before. Lorick claims that Arthur and Lilith have more in common than either of them realize. But Arthur cannot bend to will or sacrifice his strength to comfort her. She won't take pity on anyone who submits to her.
Lorick goes to leave, and Arthur calls after him, asking what happened to John and if he is here, in the Dreamlands. How Kayne can be stopped. Lorick pauses, warning that he cannot answer so many questions, but he will answer one more. After a moment's thought, Arthur asks "Why me?", elaborating that he wants to know why he ended up on this journey, and not anyone else, maybe even someone more suited to it, someone who is a better, stronger and kinder man than himself.
Lorick ponders the question aloud, musing that there isn't any one answer that would satisfy. It could have been random chance, or Arthur might have been chosen by Lilith, or the Manager decided to aid him because of the loss the Manager had endured. Lorick also points toward the poem that had once adorned Arthur's father's wall, quoting "Life, give me life, until the end" and the poem "Invictus", and how those defined Arthur's view of what it means to be alive. Still, Lorick claims only one answer will give him solace, which is why not Arthur? Lorick reminds Arthur that he is representative of humanity, through death and missteps, love and hate, failure and success, and that he is unremarkable in this regard makes him a perfectly suitable choice. Lorick also points out that Arthur would have volunteered, if he'd had the option.
Arthur asks if it is true that Lilith chose him. Lorick does not answer, instead stating that Lilith isn't a friend, but she doesn't have to be an enemy.
Lorick departs into the lake, advising Arthur not to forget who he truly is when he allows Lilith back in, and Arthur thanks him as he goes.
Alone, Arthur talks to himself, remarking on how peaceful it is, before recalling that there is truly no one to hear him for the first time in a very long time. He laughs at his resurrection, unable to not recall the biblical story of the resurrection of Jesus, and wondering how long it took for him to wake up from his death. He gives himself some encouragement, and then allows Lilith to hear and speak again.
She returns, furiously demanding to know what had happened and what had been said in her absence. Arthur ignores her, trying to put into place boundaries, warning her that while he is not her enemy and he is not her pawn, he'll put her in time out permanently if need be. She begins to ignore his warning, and he immediately silences her again, briefly.
When he allows her back, he again warns her against trying to take advantage of him, or mistreating him, because they do need to work together to stop Kayne. She acknowledges that taking over his body is more work than she anticipated, and that working together is wise. She still demands to know what Lorick said, but Arthur refuses on the principle that she doesn't need to know.
Lilith moves on, demanding that she get a body, warning that she will need one by the time that they reach the plateau of Leng. Arthur doesn't want to sacrifice anyone to her, but they agree to table the discussion for now. Arthur insists on seeking out the Trader, and when Lilith seems unwilling to aid him, he threatens to place her in time out. She reacts strongly, and when pressed, she admits that she doesn't like it.
Arthur turns around, to seek the Trader, and when he turns back, he finds the Trader there, demanding as always to know why Arthur is following him. Arthur demands to trade, and the Trader shows his wares, which includes the lighter. Arthur says he needs it, and asks how much the Trader wants. The Trader reveals that he remembers their last encounter, quoting Arthur's "you have made the first mistake of trading, friend" back at him, and asks to take "the lot". Arthur offers the necklace and knife, for the lighter and a second item. The Trader refuses, only offering the lighter. Arthur tries to bully the Trader, who goes to leave, so Lilith intercedes, using the hand she controls to pretend that the necklace is capable of shape-shifting the wearer, and thus making the necklace more valuable.
The Trader believes the deception, and offers Arthur the choice of one additional item out of an egg, a jar of thick violet liquid, an oil lamp, a map, and a stone disk, none of which Lilith recognizes. Arthur chooses the oil lamp, which the Trader does not elaborate on what it can do, if anything. Lilith also does not know. Lilith wonders how the Trader ended up with the lighter, and Arthur can only note that the Trader had ended up with his lost things before.
Lilith directs Arthur toward the desert that they need to cross, while Arthur congratulates her on her clever trick. She dismisses Arthur as easily impressed, claiming that Arthur complimenting her intellect is similar to a dog being impressed by a human's intellect. Lilith elaborates on how much greater her lifespan and breadth of her experience is than any human could ever hope for, and points out that she has met with many humans more intelligent than Arthur, and also with species and beings far more intelligent than any human ever will be.
Arthur continues to try to be polite, responding in awe at all she has seen, and acknowledging that he wishes that he could have seen some of that history himself. Lilith continues to be abrasive. Arthur objects to being repetitively compared to a dog, and when she does it again, he puts her in time out.
She demands that he stop that, and eventually explains that she doesn't like it because it reminds her of her time trapped in that other-world that Arthur would eventually free her from. She explains how that happened. She had become aware of Kayne's intentions and been contacted by the Manager, then still going by Nyarlathotep. The Manager had also once intended to do the very same thing as Kayne, but unlike Kayne, the Manager had been working together with his version of Lilith, who he had loved, so when Kayne had arrived in that universe intending to kill that universe's Nyarlathotep, the Manager's Lilith had come to his defense, attacking Kayne but ultimately being killed by him. So when the Manager had approached Lilith, they had put a plan into motion, which had involved Arthur.
Unfortunately, Kayne had apparently decided that the Manager's Lilith standing against him as a bad omen, and had banished Lilith into a realm of nightmares. Lilith had already had ways to mitigate such an event, by leaving pieces of her self as seeds in reality, including one guarded by her followers at the Allan farm. Under the guise of Scratch, she had directed a man who would later take the identity of Edward William Allan to that farm, where she hoped to use him to free herself by using the portal he intended to open. However, Kayne became aware of her intentions, and caused the impostor Edward William Allan to fracture the gateway, ultimately resulting in the Forgotten One "Mr. Scratch", until Arthur's involvement years later. Lilith adds that she has no idea how Kayne had learned of her plan to escape the nightmare realm, so she is cautious about how much of her plans she shares.
Arthur asks if Lilith has anymore seeds that she can be reborn from, and she informs him that she does not, which is why she is stuck in him. She believes that Kayne must have destroyed them all before he confronted her in the woods in England.
Arthur asks why Lilith killed his parents. Evasively, she only states that they were cultists who did not follow her rules, and that was why she killed them. Arthur is skeptical of this answer, but doesn't press further. Lilith condescends to acknowledge that while Arthur is not the smartest human she has ever met, he may be the most impressive, and promises to stop trying to take over his body, and instead wait until she can get her own.
She then points out seven figures riding toward them from across the desert. As they get closer she identifies them as the King in Yellow's dancers, his heralds. The dancers surround them, and state that they have arrived to take Arthur to Carcosa where the King in Yellow wants to see him.
Votes[]
- Chapter 281: Stay As Scratch [430] / Speak as Oscar [36] / Speak as Noel [17] / Speak as Kellin [18] / Speak as Larson [42]
- Chapter 282: Bite Lilith's Hand [174] / Bite Arthur's Hand [235]
- Chapter 283: Am I a good person? [1] / Will it all be okay in the end? [40] / Why me? [210] / How do I let go? [142] / Is Kayne right? [17] / Will I see my daughter again? [28]
- Chapter 284: Glass Jar of Liquid [21] / A Map [20] / An Oil Lamp [175] / A Stone Disk [64] / An Egg [165]
- Chapter 285: No vote.
- Notably, Chapter 283 featured a unique write-in mechanic.
- The chapter was posted on Monday around 5:30 EST, visible to Jackdaw tier patrons and above.
- An hour and a half later at 7pm EST, Great Old Ones were given a submission sheet to create questions for Arthur to ask Lorick. Harlan said he would pick three and pass the vote off to Voices tier patrons.
- On Tuesday by 6pm EST, the poll went live for Voices patrons with seven questions.
- And on Friday around 8:30am, Harlan announced the poll had to close early.
- Other notes:
- Harlan let the Voices+ patrons know about the write-in while Great Old Ones were still able to submit questions, so some Great Old Ones were able to take inspiration from Voices+ suggestions.
- Great Old Ones had a separate channel to discuss the vote, and create a thread of submitted questions to be sure they didn’t submit duplicates, although it should be noted there were no limits placed on how many questions a Great Old One could submit.
- Due to the smaller audience, Harlan was able to open a short, informative dialog on the kinds of questions that might land better in the story at this moment, leading Great Old Ones to submit questions more strategically.