Bedlam is not a creature, no alien nor god. It is a concept, the very counterpart of our reality. It is all that we are not, every possibility, every chance that passed us by and every regret we’ve ever let linger. Bedlam acts out all of these potential realities with the Denizens as Its actors to keep Itself entertained, parodies of our world that are both grotesque and terrible to our delicate sensibilities, ridiculing our need for structure from beginning to end. 

Long ago, the cults of Bedlam were led by capable leaders, those who could perceive, understand, and learn much from these otherwise senseless operas. They were Cenotaph, and they could make the unreal real by appeasing Bedlam’s lust for chaos, receiving preternatural rewards in return.

Today, the cults are a pathetic vestige of their former selves, led by simple human murderers perpetrating violence for its own bloody sake in misremembered rituals. Bedlam is not interested in such paltry theatre. Were a cultist to put on a particularly dramatic performance, an emotional tale of fathomless sorrow, endless pain, and brutal vengeance, they may catch Bedlam’s attention just long enough to be imbued with the smallest mote of Its power…

When I awoke, I did not feel well. Sand had piled into our tent as we slept. I was covered in it and soaked through with sweat. Worst of all my old nemesis, the migraine had returned, more powerful than ever. 

As my eyes adjusted to the burning light I noticed that at some point during the night Maeve had brought her bedroll closer to me, and I must have wrapped my arms around her as I slept. I hadn’t felt her there because my arms were numb - she and I were practically stuck together. When I untangled myself from her I thought I saw rashes forming where our skin had touched.

Maeve: “Mmm…?” 

She made a cute noise in her sleep. I was surprised she hadn’t woken up but I guessed that was her infamous ‘pain tolerance’ at play. Wishing to spare her the agony of consciousness for as much longer as possible I quietly drank some water, put on the clothes I’d need to protect my skin from the sun and left the tent. 

The wind had died down since yesterday, which was nice. But the ‘bastard sun’, as Maeve had eloquently called it, was shining down in full force even as it descended, and I was pretty sure that it and the migraine were conspiring against me. I regretted stepping out of my tent immediately and was about to turn around when I saw Wolfgang treating some food he had scavenged… at least I thought it was food. He had collected five medium sized lizards, a few strange, stringy plants, and some humongous eggs from only he knew what.

Wolfgang: “Good evening! I see you survived another night, my well-read friend!”

He frowned.

Wolfgang: “Hmm, I suppose that applies to Xenna as much as it does you. Shall I call you my ‘runagate friend’ in honour of the Great Library Escape, instead?”

Seth: “Uh, no offense, but I think those nicknames could use some more work. More importantly, don’t you ever sleep?”

Wolfgang: “In truth, I am not used to such warm weather. The Ptarmigan Wastes are a desert as well - but the frozen kind. What I wouldn’t give to make a snow angel or two right now!” 

Despite his brave face, he was sweating as much as the rest of us. We hadn’t even made it to Xindelle’s capital and it had already been this rough on us. I suddenly had some reservations about leading my new friends to an unspecified dot in the middle of the desert.

Wolfgang: “Well, no sense in wishing for snow under this sun, I suppose. We’ll make it to Dajjal by tonight, and then we can hear the details of your daring plan!”

Seth: “Er, right…”

I had every confidence that the ruins where The Key was held would be found within a pretty narrow range between the coordinates I had in mind, but my knowledge was only as good as the archives it came from. What if the legends were wrong, in spite of all the supporting evidence I’d found? What if things had changed so much since they were written that I’m now completely off the mark? My headache found a new ally in anxiety.

Wolfgang: “Care for some oasis tea? I’m not exactly going to brew it, since our water is practically boiling already, but as long as we drink it in the shade it should help you feel refreshed.”

I had read something in a medical text about hot beverages on a hot day producing a cooling effect as long as the sweat was allowed to evaporate. Wolfgang knowing this intuitively was pretty impressive.

After dicing up the leaves he had found, we took a seat under the tarps. He let them steep in a jug which sat in the sun while we talked.

Wolfgang: “Oh! Congratulations on your soulbond with Maeve, by the way. She was always a bit of a loner, but happily that changed when she met you. She’ll make a fine mate.”

I sure was glad we hadn’t gotten to the tea yet, because I would have spat it all out.

Seth: “Soul- what? M-Mate?!”

Wolfgang: “Oh, my apologies. In Ptarmigan, so long as we are able to attend to basic needs such as food and water (which is honestly never a given), it is our tradition that some will undergo a yearly ritual to determine who they are most compatible with, which involves surviving in the harsh wilderness for several spans together. After that harrowing experience, if both parties agree, they form a soulbond, a sworn oath of commitment to one another until they are returned to the land. Their hearts and souls become one. We call those who are soulbound ‘mates’. 

Seth: “Wow… Uh, I don’t think we’re quite that close yet, Wolfgang.”

Wolfgang: “Oh, truly? The two of you could have fooled me. I’ve watched many of my people find their soulbond, and you and Maeve seem to have had that same sort of instant connection…”

Hearing that made my heart sing, but I had to change the subject. As fast as our relationship was moving, I couldn’t even imagine the look on Maeve’s face if I were to ever tell her we were ‘soulmates’.

Seth: “What about you, Wolfgang? Do you have a nice soulbond waiting back in Ptarmigan?”

He laughed heartily.

Wolfgang: “Me? Goodness no, if I did they’d be right here with me!”

Maeve must have been rubbing off on me, because I broke out in a wicked grin.

Seth: “Well then, what about Xenna?”

His face went red as though a thousand years of sunburn had struck him all at once.

Wolfgang: “Xenna!? Xenna indeed! What about Xenna? Ha ha ha...”

His nervous laughter made me chuckle. Looks like even he couldn’t act his way out of this one.

Seth: “Well, you two make a good pair, that’s all.”

He looked at me, suspicious and hopeful.

Wolfgang: “We do? How…?”

Seth: “Oh, I don’t know... The way you treated those burns she got was pretty cool. You’re worldly and she’s book smart, so there’s a lot you can teach each other. Plus, Maeve told me you’re pretty good at handling danger when necessary. Xenna helped take down that huge elemental. Between the two of you, I bet you could do anything. To top it all off, I think you’re funny and outgoing enough that you’d have no trouble helping her out of her shell.”

Wolfgang: “You truly think so? It has been difficult to admit it, since I only ever imagined myself soulbonding with someone from one of the other Ptarmigan tribes, but-”

Seth: “Uh, Wolfgang?”

Wolfgang: “It’s getting harder and harder to imagine that these days, because there’s someone who has taken that lofty place in my heart of hearts-”

Seth: “Wolfgang, I really think you should-”

Wolfgang: “And though it would fly in the face of every tradition of my homeland, I don’t think I can deny much longer that what I’m feeling could be the beginning of a soulbond... that is, if she’d have m-”

Xenna: “Um, Wolfgang? Who are you talking about...?”

I tried to tell him.

Wolfgang: “Xenna!”

He spun around to face Xenna, who had heard almost everything. Wolfgang didn’t follow up his exclamation with any further explanation, so Xenna’s blush reddened until it matched Wolfgang’s own. She stared at him incredulously, opening and closing her mouth. Finally she turned away, staring at the ground as she answered.

Xenna: “I-it is much too early and blisteringly hot for me to process this right now...”

She then spoke quickly as if to say the words before they were sealed within her forever.

Xenna: “When that tea’s ready would you be so kind as to bring me some Wolfgang? I’d like to speak with you in my tent.”

Wolfgang: “Yes, of course! It would be my pleasure.”

Xenna: “Thanks. I’ll, um. See you soon then!”

Xenna practically bolted for the temporary safety of her tent. 

I turned to look at my companion. His face was stone cold and betrayed no emotion.

Wolfgang: “She…”

Seth: “You okay, Wolfgang?”

Wolfgang: “She has not publicly rejected me! Ha ha ha!!”

Then he lifted me into a fatal bear hug, laughing heartily. I thought that was quite the reaction for what amounted to the possibility of a private rejection, but his exuberance was contagious nonetheless.

Maeve: “Oh, my. Should I be jealous?”

Maeve was shielding her eyes from the light as she approached. I didn’t feel it was my place to explain the situation, so I just reacted to the sight of her.

Seth: “Morning, cutie.”

Maeve: “Right back at you. Now unhand my man, Wolfgang. That’s an order.”

Her tone was easy, and Wolfgang placed me gently on the ground, patting me on the head.

Seth: “There, no harm done. Wolfgang has a great explanation for this, you’re gonna love it. Go ahead, buddy.”

Wolfgang: “Oh, uh… I will be visiting Xenna in her tent for tea in a moment.”

Maeve: “God, finally!”

Wait, she got a sense of the situation just from that? Then again, this was the queen of innuendo, after all.

Wolfgang: “Finally? What do you mean, finally?”

She had an unusually chaste grin on her face.

Maeve: “Nothing, Wolfie. I bet Xenna’s looking forward to it. Let me know how she likes the tea.”

Shrugging, Wolfgang strained the jug through a tightly weaved basket as he poured it into our waterskins, catching most of the leaves.

Wolfgang: “Enjoy, my friends. It’s a tad bitter, but it should do the trick. Well, I must be off. Xenna will be wanting some of this tea now, and after all, I really shouldn’t keep her wai-”

Maeve: “Just go!”

Wolfgang: “Ha ha ha!! Of course! Well, here I go!”

He was visibly shaking as he headed for Xenna’s tent, like a conscripted soldier going to war. Godspeed, Wolfgang.

Before Maeve and I could gossip about how we thought it would go, Zyturak emerged from his tent, looking quite pleased indeed. He and Maeve exchanged a look, then grabbed each other’s hands excitedly.

Maeve: “Can you believe it!?”

Even Zyturak was beside himself.

Zyturak: “I’m so happy for them!”

I was excited as well, but nervous too.

Seth: “Let’s not get carried away yet, right? Isn't there a chance that they might not-”

Maeve: “No chance.”

Zyturak: “Indeed. It may take quite some time, but I can see this working for the two of them.”

I knew when I was beat - they knew better than me, after all. Joyful for the apparently new happy couple, I gave Maeve’s hand a squeeze, realizing my migraine was completely gone. She smiled at me, and even putting aside the oppressive sun for a moment, our future was also looking bright.

Zyturak found his way to the ingredients Wolfgang had gathered and prepared.

Zyturak: “Oh, iguana and ostrich eggs. Charming.”

I think that was the first time I saw him drop his smile since I’d met him. His expression said, “I’m a chef, not a miracle worker.”

Maeve: “Aww, we’ve eaten worse, haven’t we Zy? I can’t wait to try your lizard tail omelettes.”

Seth: “For what it’s worth, I’m excited to try them too!” 

Maeve: “I don’t think it’s worth too much, honestly. You’re like a bottomless pit.”

I cried out my indignation, lightly punching her shoulder.

Seth: “If I’m a bottomless pit, that makes you the fool who fell into me.”

She looked me up and down then gave me a big smile.

Maeve: “More like jumped headfirst.”

//Time Skip//

We were soon joined by Wolfgang and Xenna for our unusual breakfast. The three of us looked at them expectantly, but they said nothing, only small, private smiles giving them away. We had an unspoken agreement not to push them on the matter right now. That the food was actually good was a shining testament to Zyturak’s skill as a cook.

The most comfortable temperatures were at dawn and dusk, and because we’d slept through most of the day, the sun was finishing its descent. With the wind almost nonexistent and our spirits up, we packed up the camp, rounded up the camels, and saddled up. Demon only threw me off twice before relenting. Maybe he was warming up to me.

Wolfgang: “It should be a pretty straight shot to Xindelle from here. There’s something like a trail, but it’s usually buried by the shifting sand. With the dead wind, we might find it and save some time. Either way, we’ll be in Dajjal at least by sunrise. Ready, everyone?”

We all agreed and our little caravan was off. Riding by camel was pretty uncomfortable, making it hard to focus, but with the very long stretch with nothing to do but think, I worked through the plan to find The Key.

We would resupply in Dajjal, replenishing our water and gathering some hay bales for the camels, since grazing would no longer be an option from here on out. We should also find out what the farthest known settlements to the west were to determine how many supplies we’d need, or indeed, whether the ruins even existed at all. If they did and we found them, they would undoubtedly be well protected with traps - or even worse, Cenotaph-built automatons. 

These sleek, elegant machines could lie in a dormant state for centuries, so some protected ancient Cenotaph sites even today. I was pretty confident that we (that is to say, everyone but me) could take on a few of them if necessary. They were nowhere near as dangerous as the Cenotaph themselves, but each ran on a shred of their soul magic, so they were certainly not to be taken lightly. Ideally, we wouldn’t have to encounter a single one.

//Time Skip//

The night fell and the camels slowed their pace as the patches of grass stopped growing and the sand loosened beneath their feet. I thanked the moon for its mercy, because the temperature here at night was the same as the savanna had been in the day. We didn’t see much, living or otherwise the entire trip. My stiff, sweaty body was crying in agony by the time we reached Dajjal in the morning. 

The first thing of note was the massive palace, all gold and ivory in the distance. People milled about in markets, selling goods from all over Arden, and we could see artificers buying up uncovered Cenotaph tech or selling back their jury-rigged devices. We were eager to stretch our legs despite our weariness, so we procured what we’d need for an extended stay in the sands, gathered information on the settlements to the west (there were none, and no one had heard of any ruins - which I hoped meant we would be the first to find them), then found ourselves an inn willing to let us sleep through the day. We ordered breakfast (which served as supper for us) and sat in exhausted silence as we ate. 

After we finished, I quickly told everyone of the risks that the ruins could pose and that I didn’t know exactly how long the expedition could take. We all agreed that we would be as prepared as we could be before we left tonight. With that, Xenna ordered us all our own rooms - even Maeve was too tired to crack a joke about sleeping together. At last, I fell into a mercifully dreamless sleep.

//Time Skip//

Finally, the morning of the expedition. 

We had packed enough to last us about five days, as anything more would have been cruel to the camels, given their hay bales and our water were taking up no small amount of space. I had shared my approximation of where the ruins should be with both Xenna and Wolfgang, and they figured we could make it there in three days. That was pushing it, considering what we could carry, but between Xenna’s magecraft and Wolfgang’s survival skills, we should be able to squeeze out the extra day we’d need to return.

The journey started out well. The wind had not picked up, and we laughed and joked happily as we imagined being the ones to make such a significant discovery. Xenna especially was beside herself with excitement, spouting off wild ideas about what The Key would look like. It was too hot to share tents, especially after Maeve and I had gotten those sweat induced rashes after our night together in even cooler temperatures. By the second day we eased into a comfortable silence, but by the end of day three, the silence lost its comfort.

Seth: “I don’t understand. It should be here!”

We had paced the square I’d scribbled on the map we bought four times now, but no matter how hard we looked, we saw nothing but sand. Could it really have been long buried by now? Did it simply never exist at all?

Wolfang: “I don’t want to say we should go back empty handed, but we’ve already used up all of the time that was supposed to be used for getting the thing…”

Xenna: “I’m sorry, Seth. I could read all the books in the world, but if even one of the authors was wrong, there’s a chance I’d make a mistake someday. This isn’t your fault.”

Zyturak: “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have sand in places I didn’t even know I had. Let’s head back. Just think about how nice a bath will fee-”

Maeve: “NO!”

Everyone turned to stared at her.

Maeve: “If he says it’s here, it’s here. There’s no reason to back out when we’re right on top of the damn thing!”

The three of them shared a look, then put on their most mollifying faces.

Zyturak: “Maeve…”

Maeve: “We… we can’t! I won’t turn back yet!”

She led her camel off in a random direction.

Seth: “Wait, Maeve!!”

We followed her for a few minutes. Demon turned out to be a racehorse reincarnated, and before long I was running alongside her.

Seth: “Maeve, please stop! They’re right!”

Her camel slowed to a trot, then finally a full stop. I led Demon around to face her. She avoided my gaze, various emotions at play on her face.

Seth: “Look, I’m happy you want to keep looking, but it’s not worth dying out here. We can’t risk that, and we especially can’t ask it of the others.”

Maeve: “I know that, but... Do you still believe the ruins should be here?”

From the various accounts I’d read from multiple authors, I couldn’t understand why they weren’t.

Seth: “Well…”

Maeve: “Look, if you believe it, I believe it, because I believe in you. Those guys never gave up on me even when they should have, and I sure as hell won’t let them give up on you.”

My heart started racing. I couldn’t believe how much faith she was putting in me. 

Seth: “Okay, another quick look. But if we don’t find anything, we’ve gotta go quietly. Deal?”

She shot me her signature grin.

Maeve: “It won’t come to that! But… deal.”

We met back up with the others, who agreed to take one more look, since we’d already come this far. Maeve’s confidence stoked a fire in me, and I recalled those legends again. They spoke of a factory during the ancient wars where the Cenotaph’s soldiers were created - those were likely automatons. Creating them would have taken an incredible amount of physical materials, a spark of soul energy, and consumed lots and lots of…

Seth: “Xenna! Can you trace anything odd in the aether around here?”

Xenna: “Hmm? Give me a moment…”

She rode around the square slowly, looking this way and that for the invisible lines only she could see. After ten minutes or so, she gasped. 

Xenna: “No wonder I wasn’t sensing anything! Down there… Something killed all the aether around it! It can’t be more than twenty feet deep. I can start digging...”

We dismounted our camels, giving them hay while Xenna worked.

She created her aether orb and shifted it earth-aspected. It lowered into the sand, spinning and consuming the stuff as it went. It took some time, but at last we could see into the hole, and therein lay... a time-worn entrance to the Cenotaph factory!

Maeve: “YES! I knew it!”

She threw her arms around me, and good thing she did because I almost fainted with relief.

Seth: “We can’t celebrate just yet, though. There could be a real fight for our lives down there. Xenna, do you need some time to rest before we open the doors?”

She smiled with uncharacteristic bravado.

Xenna: “I have hardly had the chance to flex yet. I’m ready when the rest of you are!”

We all took a collective breath as we descended into the darkness… but as Xenna shifted her orb’s aspect to electricity for light, we realized there was no danger.

Zyturak: “What happened here…?”

Some of the automatons had been destroyed near the entrance, and some of the explosive traps had been set off, but now there was only a pervasive quiet that filled me with dread.

Seth: “It’s just… empty.”

We walked down the eerily silent hallways, but saw no automatons, active or otherwise. In fact, the whole factory seemed to have lost power.

Then we came upon a large chamber where the bulk of the production had been done. Everyone stopped to look at the various machines with sudden interest, but mostly I think they were letting me make this discovery for myself. 

Maeve caught up with me and gave my hand a very welcome squeeze. I kept it as we moved to the end of the chamber. There was a large apparatus designed to suspend The Key in a field of aether that was itself integrated into the rest of the factory. Unfortunately, the apparatus had been powered down…

And The Key was gone.