One of the best things about being a DM and a writer is getting to do foreshadowing… This whole scene from Session 7 between Aeroki and Akuji (two of my NPCs) is possibly one of the best examples of that.
The absolute INSANE amount of foreshadowing in this interaction! Let me break it down:
Akuji calls Aeroki “Your highness”, referring to his title as king of Maya. Immediately Aeroki humbles himself,
“You needn’t call me that… In the Goddess of Fate’s grand tapestry, I am far beneath a Reaper.”
“It is a title of respect. One that you have more than earned in the eyes of the Raven Queen herself.”
The king mutters something to himself quietly,
“Gotten, ich wünschte ich glaube das auch.”
(Gods, I wish I could believe that too)
This is of course referring to the fact that Aeroki doesn’t believe the Gods care about him, and moreover the fact Aeroki feels betrayed by the Gods in general. When Akuji soothes that even The Raven Queen still respects Aeroki, and that Aeroki has earned his place as king of Maya, Aeroki basically flat out rejects the sympathy.
When Akuji tries again to reassure Aeroki that the Raven Queen will protect Coral and her friends on their journey, Aeroki once again scoffs, because The Raven Queen is the Goddess of Death and therefore her ‘protection’ is a death sentence. Akuji immediately stiffens and retorts,
“Death has existed as long as mortals have lived, long before the Raven Queen even gained her own godhood.” He replies almost sternly, defensively. “We do not cause the deaths to occur, we simply collect the lost souls and lay them to rest…”
Death has existed long before the Raven Queen, because it was The Vulture who once commanded death. The Raven Queen herself used to be a mortal. Once The Vulture fell from his place in the Pantheon and disappeared, the Raven Queen took his place, but the balance between life and death has been broken ever since.
“You know this, Aeroki. You have seen it for yourself.”
After adopting Coral, Aeroki briefly worked alongside Akuji, helping the Reaper to collect lost souls and rescue any survivors, as self-inflicted penance for his crime of summoning The Lich King. But this is also an incriminating statement, suggesting that Aeroki knows more about the Vulture’s downfall.
“And that is precisely why I cannot let Coral leave Maya… There are many great evils in the world...”
“But, if you do not let her explore the world for herself, how will she ever learn to protect herself against those evils? How will she gain the courage to fight against her own?”
The line, “How will she gain the courage to fight against her own? (evils)” is a direct reference to the fact that Akuji knows about Coral’s curse, as well as how to stop it. He is basically saying, “You have been way too overprotective and Coral is suffering from it. She needs to go out and live her life to the fullest before the curse completely consumes her. Akuji is once more encouraging Aeroki to let Coral and the others find The Heart of the Sea here, because he knows that it can help her.
Aeroki sighs. “You’re right… I know I cannot keep her sheltered here forever… But is it really selfish of me to want to try?”
Oh, my son. He wants to keep his daughters safe from harm, and in his mind Maya is the safe haven that he built for them. And yet, he knows that every bird must leave the nest eventually. He knows deep down that he has to let Coral and Fringille go. And what’s worse is he realizes that the best way to protect them is by sending them away from himself.
“You have already thought long and hard about this choice… Why, then, did you come to see me?”
“Because you know…”
“You know better than anyone why I cannot let her go.”
He’s trying to prove to himself that he can let Coral and Fringille spread their own wings and be on their own, and yet, he also doesn’t want to lose the only family he has left.
“But you must. She must. The darkness…”
AKUJI KNOWS. AKUJI KNOWS THAT AEROKI HAS NO SOUL. HE KNOWS ABOUT THE CURSE. But AEROKI DOESNT KNOW HE KNOWS.
Remember, Aeroki was convinced that if Akuji ever found out that he was The Fallen Champion, Akuji would have to kill him.
Akuji is basically admitting that he knows about Aeroki’s curse as well. That’s why Aeroki gets so freaked out here.
Then the rest is just Akuji and Aeroki basically making excuses to end the conversation and do their separate shady business, but all the same Akuji reassures Aeroki that he is always welcome in the Raven Queen’s Court… Don’t forget that.
“Thank you Akuji. I won’t forget that.”
Pause. Fast forward to Session 66:
“No, I guess I didn’t think at all.”
He forgot. Aeroki forgot that Akuji basically promised to be there for him no matter what, because he was convinced by his own anxiety that Akuji would literally kill him if he ever knew the truth about what Aeroki did…
But as this entire passage shows, Akuji already knew, and he offered Aeroki his protection anyway.
