Darkon’s Elegy of Madness — Eridani Past (26 Years Ago)
Eridani Past — The Tale of Astravia
The opening artwork shows a throne before a pastel, red-rimmed disc, followed by mirrored pastel and black hands. A voice says, “Falling.” It describes an endless descent, lost and at a loss, then addresses the great Dragon of Time: this, the voice says, was how “we” met the Dragon’s adversary as well. The Hero calls it a long nightmare, says they are done being led around, and demands to know who is speaking.
The Hero is shown upside down between Do Dawn and Do Dusk. Do Dawn says that, for this cycle, both speakers are known as Do. Do Dawn calls themself the infinite beginnings and midnight, the sum of the hours past. Do Dusk describes themself as the final end, also midnight, giving way to a new day.
The Hero says that leaves the last of the Scale and asks whether Do is on Darkon’s side or La’s. The Hero adds that there may be little they can do if Darkon sent Do merely to taunt them. Do Dusk replies that La’s story has ended. After the Hero’s ellipsis, Do Dusk says its final chapter was filled with hope: La was also a companion to Do, and the story she left behind is one to be proud of.
Do Dawn says they were not meant to take La’s side and that they serve neither the Dragon of Time, who sympathizes with mortals, nor Darkon. Do Dusk calls them envoys of the Arcana who oversee each cycle and each person’s story from its beginning to its twilight. Do Dawn says they once guided Darkon at the cycle’s beginning and will now guide the Hero in lowering the curtain at its end.
The Hero admits to having a thousand questions but asks first whether the story will end well. Do Dusk responds with a question of their own—“from you of all entities?”—then says the decision belongs to the Hero.
The Hero asks how events reached this point. They recall Darkon saying that Drago was not the only one who had to pay; all of Astravia did. Darkon and the Scale thought the Hero would understand and wanted them to understand. The Hero says they do not know the whole story and need to understand it before facing Darkon. Do Dawn asks whether they should begin at the beginning.
The illustrated history opens by describing Astravia in its age of gold as a land of plenty. Its captions introduce Alprecha as the Grand Star and deity, said to gaze lovingly over people who promised to protect her beloved children. The account says she blessed the land with onyx crystals that nourished its soil.
The captions describe abundant harvests and minerals sought by barbarians from beyond Astravia. They say the people were fed and wealthy and enjoyed a fragile peace during their King’s reign.
The illustrated account says the glimmering capital was not perfect, adding that mortals are powerful in their desire to move toward perfection. It closes this passage by saying that as they moved forward, the wheel of Fate also turned.
A title card reads “26 years ago.” The next view shows an armored statue in a village square. In a later exchange, Aurola asks Prince Darkon whether he can trek through the mud or would rather be carried home. Darkon tells her to drop the title “Prince,” saying that out here he is simply Darkon. He then decides his princely identity is still too obvious and tries out “Dar…Darren” and “Derek” as a false name. Aurola laughs at the suggestion, and Darkon says he would rather the Eridani villagers meet Derek. He jokes that they will be disappointed that the real Prince is not a handsome ten feet tall, then says he is curious about rumors of a monster child.
Eridani Past — The Child in the Forest
Aurola calls the Prince a darling of the people and guesses the Eridani villagers wrote to him because his balcony concerts and harp-playing make him seem gentle. She says their visit concerns two problems: rampant bandits and a child rumored to be a monster, then urges him to secure his cloak before they begin. She also says that, despite a bumper crop, there is too little food for the citizens and winter does not look promising; gold is drying up, people are turning to crime to survive, and the nobles seem to be holding larger parties. She wants the citizens to stop victimizing one another and says the nobles’ parties can be investigated later.
Aurola recounts reports that the supposed monster has been sneaking into a barn for livestock and staring through windows at Eridani’s children, but no chickens have been harmed. She thinks the villagers are exaggerating and that the child may simply need a place to sleep, so she wants to find them before the misunderstanding causes real harm. She explains that Eridani is the easiest entrance to Astravia and that disguises may make them look like visiting Outsiders. Though she believes Astravians best understand their own problems and dislikes strangers prying, she also wanted an Outsider’s perspective.
Loshe guesses that a disguised visitor is from the capital, noticing the quality of their clothes and saying other Kingdoms could not compare. He thinks he may be the only one who noticed the disguise. He says he is training as a tailor so he can travel to the capital and open a shop, perhaps one day dressing the royal family. He asks the visitor to keep a secret, saying he is not supposed to talk to anyone outside his family yet. He also warns that a face-stealing monster is outside: he says he saw it try to trick the miller into giving it food, and that its horns gave it away. In his telling, the miller might have been bitten if he had not driven it off.
Loshe says the bandits have been awful and wonders why the King has not sent help. He thinks the bandits did the village a favor more quickly than the knights could by dragging the monster child away, though he fears it might escape and return for the chickens. He then describes another woman in gold and black clothes, which Loshe guesses may be unusual armor. Loshe says the woman was fun to talk to, could lift a wheelbarrow overhead with one hand, and might be a knight from outside.
Dorian — Aurola says this is not their first escape from the castle, but she has never chaperoned the Prince beyond the capital. She teases his excitement and encourages him to speak casually to a child outside his house, dropping court formalities. The task asks for a conversation with Loshe Allen. In the completion reply, she learns that bandits have taken the supposed monster child alive. Fearing they could exploit the shapeshifter to harm others, she urges finding the child before they are hurt too.
Hypophrygian — Aurola says Loshe recognized their fine capital clothes and that the bandits can do the same. She jokes about the Prince dragging her into a boutique before asking for seven bandits and seven dogs to be defeated discreetly. In the reply, she recognizes the dogs as poached and badly abused. The sight recalls poachers they drove out of Astravia a few months earlier; she had hoped that would end the practice, but now fears the shapeshifter will become another victim.
Ionian — With Loshe reporting that the child was taken that day, Aurola hopes they can catch the kidnappers in the forest. She blames the capital’s neglect of remote villages for outdated maps and asks for eight markers to be recorded along the overgrown route, joking about execution if she loses the Prince. In the reply, she dreams of traveling beyond Astravia as an envoy once the Kingdom regains its shine, but dreads the reports, maps and reading involved. She jokes about hiring someone to handle the reading for her.
Lydian — Finding bandits resting in the woods, Aurola proposes questioning them one by one and teases her companion about startling people absorbed in books or daydreams. The task requires eight bandits to be interrogated. The reply reveals that these guards were deliberately left behind to watch for pursuers while the main caravan took its “cargo” onward. Aurola says the bandits intend to negotiate a better deal with their patron nearby. She says they have an advantage “as long as they know we’re not coming,” then jokes about a Prince who gets a symphonic introduction even when entering the kitchen.
Mixolydian — Aurola finds battered bandits and a cage whose bars someone has pried apart barehanded. Hoping the child escaped unharmed, she urges finding them before the disturbed bats swarm. The task calls for eight bats to be swatted and the child to be found. In the reply, she marvels that even Regulus on a bad day could not have left so much damage and is relieved the stranger appears friendly rather than interested in gold. The child is scraped, bruised and trembling, but not in immediate danger; Aurola suggests water before questions.
Aurola says the villagers disappointed her: whatever the child looks like, the child had spent days begging for help, and if the child meant harm they would have attacked someone by then. She wants to catch the bandits before they escape and says she is not comfortable taking the clingy child back to Eridani, joking that it looks as if she is in charge of babysitting.
Hypomixolydian — Aurola bitterly asks whether the villagers feared tripping over the child while kicking him. She proposes hearing his account and treating his wounds, using bandages she had saved for the Prince. With the child hugging her, she asks her companion to scout carefully without taking risks; the objectives are to speak to the child and find the bandit hideout. In the reply, she recalls growing up in alleyways, where detecting lies was necessary for survival. She believes the child is sincere and needed to cry. Learning that an Outsider pursued the bandits alone, she wonders whether that person is already inside the cave.
After thanking the visitors for rescuing them, the child says they have no name and that villagers call them a monster because they cannot yet hide their horns. They tried to change their face to resemble the villagers, but say this frightened everyone more. The child asks whether the visitors will keep them safe from the villagers and bandits, saying they have nothing to pay the visitors or the brave lady. They say this is not their original face and they never want to return to it. After the villagers learned they could change faces, the child says, they threw rocks and the child hid; bandits then dragged them away in a net, laughing about selling them to a wealthy buyer.
The child says they have no home to return to and do not know when their travels began or whether anyone traveled with them; perhaps they have always been traveling and always will. They imagine a place where they could belong, even if it were only a blanket in a dusty hut. They recall a woman coming to Eridani, perhaps an Outsider, who shouted at the bandits, fought the ones dragging the child away, and told them to run. Frightened, the child fled without knowing where they were going, then says the two visitors rescued them.
Locrian — Aurola suspects the bandits ahead have noticed trouble and considers waking an unconscious guard to report that everything is fine. Dogs have been sent toward them, and she regrets having to fight them, noting Titania’s love of dogs. She agrees to help catch bats for the Prince’s alternative plan. The task requires eight bat wings and eight dogs released; the reply describes using the wings to lure the dogs back into the wild. Aurola calls the Prince a softie and says the kindness will please both Titania and the child, especially because such care is uncommon from a noble.
Aeolian — Aurola protests that the Prince has enlisted the child’s hugging and crying to keep her occupied. She refuses to let him enter the cave alone, warning that a real fight without her differs from a closed arena, then insists he at least assemble a disguise. The task requires eight pieces of bandit attire. In the reply, she again urges Darkon to hide his identity and predicts he will be badly beaten. As he backs away and waves goodbye, she threatens a suplex afterward and jokes that the child will need extra hands to cover his eyes and ears.
Troubadour — Aurola says the Outsider reached the cave first and has left bandits scattered across the floor. She suspects the woman is angry because the Prince looks like a bandit and urges him to explain that he is a concerned noble in disguise. When that worsens matters, Aurola tells him to defend himself while she hurries over. The objective is one duel with the paladin. The completion reply says the two have worked things out and teases the Prince about ears so red they blend into his hair.
Eridani Past — A Fated Encounter
The encounter is set in a cavern among weapons and figures lying on the ground. A voice calls, “Darkon!” and asks whether it had been him the whole time, then asks why he had joked about being a creepy nobleman. Darkon answers that the speaker already knew his name, though he says they have never met.
Suki says she is an old companion from the Seraphic Paladins. She recalls believing they were a force for good, then says Darkon had told her they always kept dark secrets and credits his advice with her decision to go solo as a mercenary. She is glad to have found him again, but Darkon says he has no recollection of their past and insists he was born in Astravia and never left its borders.
Suki points to his red hair and face, then concedes that he looks a little different from memory and teases him for speaking too formally. Darkon apologizes in case he seemed condescending; Suki says she was only teasing. He remarks that it is odd for her friend to share his name, then suggests Lore is large enough for everyone to have a doppel or two. Suki concludes that he is not the Darkon she remembers.
Suki says she cannot stay angry at his face and suggests going to Eridani to see whether he was telling the truth. She wants to investigate the bandits, whose actions she believes point to a higher power, and thinks a local ally may help her make progress. Darkon agrees that he wants answers and asks Suki to tell him about the Seraphic Paladins on their walk back.
Suki apologizes in advance for speaking roughly, saying she grew up on a farm and never saw nobles among the wheat. On the way back to Eridani, she asks the visitor to teach her a couple of things and asks what they do besides waltzing or collecting taxes. When she hears they compose music, she asks whether a commoner like her may listen. Later, Suki says she overheard bandits boast that a nobleman would make them rich for handing over the “mutant brat.” She says the anger made her see red darker than the visitor’s hair, apologizes for lashing out, and admits she had assumed Astravian nobles were as depraved as whoever planned to take the child.
Suki explains that she left the ancient Seraphic Paladins after she and a friend found corruption in the order, which she had believed was devoted to extinguishing evil in every form. She says her friend bid her a gentle farewell because they knew she could not accept how rotten the order was, while Darkon stayed behind to try to mend it. Suki hopes he succeeds. She calls “an eye for an eye” the inscription and personal motto on her sword. People say everyone is equal in death, she says, but asks whether that means doing nothing while alive; criminals, whether poor or on a throne, often escape consequences, so someone must balance the scales. Eridani, she says, has taught her that life is more complicated than good and evil.
Echoes — On the way back to Eridani, Suki asks for a pair of glasses she saw in the cave, uncertain whether they belong to the child. She also warns that the bandits are scattering after she knocked down their boss. Seeing her companion look green, she regrets the remark and observes that farm work is not all petting animals. The objectives are the glasses and seven bandit remnants. In the reply, the glasses are a little crooked but intact. Suki asks her companion to read a letter she found on a bandit: it says a member of the royal family would pay them. She says the corruption reaches higher than she thought and notices her companion looking pale again.
Eridani Past — The Prince Arrives
Aurola greets Prince Darkon, surprising Suki. Unnamed voices call him the Crown Prince and Your Highness, and Gaius Miller welcomes him to Eridani. Aurola says no one believed her when she said the Prince wanted to save their “little friend.”
An unnamed voice apologizes for causing trouble. Gaius argues that the person is a face-changing monster and says he saw it try to trick his wife into giving it bread. Suki says she witnessed the encounter and that the figure ran into an alley after Gaius hit it with a rock.
Suki explains that she came after hearing the bandit problem was worsening. She says she saw the villagers watch the figure being dragged away while it cried and bled, and condemns those who abandoned the helpless as the real monsters. She starts to say that monsters where she comes from are hunted and “slai—” then trails off.
Darkon asks whether that is what should be done. Suki says she does not know, but believes the villagers were wrong to stand by. Darkon acknowledges Eridani’s hardship and the danger posed by the bandits, then says fear of their retaliation made the villagers’ inaction understandable. He contrasts that fear with their blaming a stranger to ease their guilt, noting that an Outsider came to help faster than the nobles did. He apologizes and promises to do better; Gaius says the villagers should be apologizing, and Suki remarks that bluebloods do have hearts.
Darkon calls the encounter eye-opening and praises Suki’s combat skills, saying she has disproved his belief that Astravian warriors were peerless. He offers her a place in the Astravian army, saying the Kingdom could use her courage and insight and would provide a comfortable living. Aurola calls Darkon a fun boss and says that thanks to him, a commoner like her can become a knight. She then whispers, “How’s that for wingmanning?” Suki says she is not interested in gold and that a bed of hay would be enough for her, but accepts because she wants a chance to help people and make real changes. Darkon responds, “Wonderful!” before correcting himself to say, “thank you.”
Suki is shown kneeling beside a small pink-horned figure outside the village building. A voice asks whether it may come too, saying it wants to repay them for saving its life. Suki tells the speaker to grow up healthy and happy, then says they will find a home and that the speaker’s job is to have fun and do well in school. The voice thanks them and says it will never forget what they did.
Aurola praises Suki for taking down most of the bandits alone and says they have already hit it off. She playfully asks whether the Prince is jealous, then says she admires Suki’s grit and vision. Hearing about the places Suki has visited and the good and bad she has dealt with, Aurola says the army needs someone who fights for the people, not just the crown.
Recognizing the visitor as a Crown Prince, Suki says she would not have believed it in the cave—not because the visitor looked unlike a Prince, but because they were thoughtful and willing to listen. She describes herself as someone who charges in headfirst and blurts things out, and says bumbling around will not move a molehill. She wants better things for the people and thanks the Prince for giving her a new chance.
The child promises to do well in school and says they love learning, having peeked through windows to read blackboards. They explain that their clothes once belonged to a schoolteacher in the visitors’ Kingdom and had been left in the trash. Grateful that they were treated kindly without being asked for anything in return, the child hopes to join the visitors one day and help make the world better.
Pastorela — In an optional task after Echoes, Aurola says she will call the Prince’s guard to clean up the remaining bandits. If the Prince wants to stay outside the capital longer, she suggests reducing their work and getting to know Suki through sparring. The objectives call for twelve bandit contraband, one spar with the Seraphic warrior and twelve dogs confiscated. In the reply, Aurola dreads returning to paperwork and identifying the bandits’ patron. She explicitly cautions against concluding that it is Drago: another noble might be pretending to be royalty. Drago remains a possibility, but she wants certainty before confronting that prospect.