The autumn equinox was Ozuran's holiday, and as such it was often less about active celebration thaher major holidays. Still, the evening before had been a celebratory feast, and had there been more childre Mordecai would have arranged something appropriate. Many people were at least a little afraid of the dark, and an evening party involving scary es gave young people a ce to grapple with that fear in a safe enviro.

  The day of the equinox was, for adults at least, a time to deal with unfihings before the end of the year. This could be matters of duty or tracts, work that o be done before winter made it difficult or impossible, meditative refles on one's past and intended future, remembrances of those who had passed away, or preparations for the future in any capacity. Responsibility was an important part of the theme, though this also meant that those with little responsibility often had much of the day to themselves, and few begrudged children and such simply having a free day to themselves when the ing months may mean a lot of time indoors because of the weather.

  As a priest of Ozuran, Mordecai had duties to attend to and he decided to get the least pleasant of those out of the way first.

  Antoine Demidov gave Mordecai a sour look as he walked into Antoine's cell. "What do you want?"

  "To do my duty as a priest of Ozuran, and see if you need any ministrations upon this autumn equinox," Mordecai replied. Antoine had not bee alone in the weeks since his capture, he'd had plenty of pany from various inhabitants. The most persistent of those had been the pywrights, who had wanted insight into the mind and motives of a 'vilin'.

  It was a simplistic view, and ohat Antoine had not been appreciative of, but it was sincere. While the pywrights might have been the most deliberately persistent, the fairies had been the most numerous. Even now a few were 'fleeing' as Mordecai mentally shooed them away.

  Antoine sighed at Mordecai's response. "Really? Don't you think I get enough preag thrown at me already?"

  In trast to his more frequent visitors, there had been Antoine's weekly visitor, the celestial agent whom the dungeon had fed a tract with. If there was anyone in the dungeon's territory and domain who needed heavenly guida was Antoine, and there was usually a ganthro or three in attendance for these visits who were ied in being priests themselves. The dungeon could provide a simution of divine abilities for them, but those talents would outside the dungeon's territory uhey found a path of devotion toward a deity.

  Mordecai shook his head. "I'm not here to preach. I don't have the patience or desire to figure out a sermon for you. But I do have a duty to at least make myself avaible upon this day. Do you have anything you wish to discuss with a priest of Ozuran?"

  That caused Antoio look thoughtful for a moment, but in the end he replied, "No, I don't think I do. At least, not with you or yours."

  That was fine by Mordecai, he didn't want to talk with the maher. "Then I leave you to your solitude." He pced a new book on the small pile that had already been provided to ensure a minimal amount of stimution for their prisoner, it seemed right to at least provide a copy of Ozuran's texts on duty and responsibility. Theurned a.

  After that, Mordecai went to the shrine for the Empyreal Pilrs and made himself avaible to all as he set up a small desk in front of Ozuran's statue. If anyone needed paperwork done as part of making their end-of-the-year preparations, he wao be ready.

  He wasn't particurly busy, but some people needed work on a tract or help with self-refle or remembrahere were a few surprises for him, however.

  The first surprise was Kazue, and he raised an eyebrow at his wife as she k before the statue of Ozuran, with eliag curiously. Kazue fshed him a smile and a wink before her expression turned more somber. "Nine months ago, I died. Six months ago, I was reborn. I wish to reflect upon the ges to my life, and remember the me that was."

  Ah, that made sense. Hmm, had it only been six months sihey'd met? A little less really, since she'd been awake for a couple of weeks by then. Mordecai set those thoughts aside and made a mental o refle this time himself, and then focused on providing a priest's ministrations for his wife. They had talked about these topics before, but this was a more focused and professional versation. In the end, he didn't think that she'd had any fresh insights beyond what she'd gained during her visit to her own grave, but she did seem to feel better and that was worth it.

  The kiss she gave him before she collected her familiar a was a nice bonus. Mordecai found it difficult to not be overly cheerful when his supplit arrived.

  Later that afternoon came his sed surprise. Fuyuko wao perform a proper remembrance for her parents. It had been six years, but she'd been much younger and circumstances hadn't been ducive to seeking out a priest at the appropriate time. Circumstances were much different.

  After the rites, there was a reted topic that had been b her. "You and Kazue, ya are basically immortals, right? Probably Moriko soon too, yeah? Yer my adoptive parents now, and right now, someday, I'll get old while you all stay young. I don't think I like that idea, but as much as I like Gil I don't want to be like him either. And it makes me think of Traxalim. I mean, he's been waiting for his time to e so he rejoin his family. My mother and father are dead, are they waiting for me? What will they think if I, you know, don't join them?"

  That was a lot to sider, and it would take a while to talk through. Mordecai said, "Why don't we talk about that after a family dinner? Just the small group of us, topside, and after we eat we settle in to talk about your s." They had added to Kazue's initial design of their new rooms by extending the area further dowrunk and using the more opaque 'wall' crystal that she'd desighe floor directly below their private suite was a on spad the floor below that was Fuyuko's sed bedroom and a sele of guest bedrooms, one of which was currently Princess Bridgette's room. The princess would be joining them for this dinner of course.

  "Um, yeah, that's probably a good idea," Fuyuko replied.

  Mordecai gave her a hug, and after he stepped back he jured a scroll and ha to her. "You will want to read this first. 'The Secrets of Immortality'. It's a handy guide for a starting point to sider whether or not you want to pursue this path."

  Fuyuko's eyes wide the title of the scroll. "It's all in here? It's that easy?"

  "Easy?" Mordecai said with a smile, "No, at least, not the doing aspect. Knowing the secrets is not enough. There is much to be doer that, and that part is hard. The 'secrets' are not very secret, they don't o be." Of course, the girl might not have much of a choice. She was on a path of accumuting power and she had the title of Faerie Princess; Fuyuko might not o put in much if any effort beyond that to bee unaging.

  After that, a dazed Fuyuko wandered off to find a pce to study her new scroll and Mordecai tio perform his duties through the afternoon. The number of people requiring his services had trailed off, so he also took this opportunity to muse oerms of mortal and immortal, and how retive they could be. While someone like Gil was certainly an immortal when pared to most people, in a versation about gods he would be sidered a 'mortal', as he was not a divinity, divine agent, or simirly powerful spiritual entity.

  Celestials, elementals, djinni, fey folk, fiends: these were some of the more on names for various types of creatures that would be sidered the least of the truly not-mortals. There was no effort involved in not aging, they simply didn't. pared to them, once again even Gil was sidered a mortal.

  As for Mordecai himself, well, living dungeons were a type of genius loorumi had bee another example of such a spirit. Perhaps he should have been ted as a type of immortal all along, but he'd never felt like that sort of naturally unending creature. Perhaps it should be seen as more of a sliding scale than a binary status.

  Well, the sun had set, and now it was time to figure out what his third surprise ministration was going to be; she'd been waiting quite patiently after all. Far down in the warrens, there was a tuhat took advantage of the ret expansion of the duo run all the way to the border with Kuic. There it expanded into half of a small cavern, with the other half being matched by Kuic. A physically crafted table sat astride the border, with chairs on each side.

  Mordecai took a seat across from Kuic's avatar. "I presume this has to do with my responsibilities as a priest."

  "Yes," she replied with a smile, "and more specifically as a high priest. I need Ozuran's direct attention for this."

  Well, this was going to be iing. He trusted that Kuic knew better than to ask such a thing lightly, so Mordecai reached out for Ozuran and drew a tiny drop of the deity's power to him, wearing Ozuran's presence like a mantle. His god would not give him direct words to say on Ozuran's behalf unless it was needed, but his presence filled the room.

  Kuic addressed the god directly as she said, "Lord Ozuran, I petition to begin a ge in my status. I appreciate having been part of this experiment, but I have begun to stagnate. I did not realize this until after ret events. Despite my s and the heess, it was the most fun I'd had in over a tury. I had already been making far fewer of these mortal avatars than I could and I had even been desperate enough for stimution that I had been starting them young enough to pce them in orphanages and such easily. All the pains of mortal life, repeated and overpping but fio this one space whose borders have not ged iwo hundred years."

  She shook her head and tinued, "No, it's not been enough for a while. I he freedom to travel again, and the challenges brought about by having delvers. During my introspe I looked at my inhabitants as well, hidden so far away from the rest of the world, and even their societies have begun to stagnate. I need ge and freshness before it begins to affect my mind."

  Mordecai sidered her request for a moment before replying, "There rice paid to alter the rules for you, a price will o be paid to ge them again." Ozuran's presence was simply for now as he allowed Mordecai to judge the issue.

  "Yes, and I have been thinking of something appropriate. With the restris on g new inhabitants but the restris lifted on my floors, no, let's use your erm. My zones. Anyway, I have many deep floors that I don't need for my current inhabitants. I am up that portion of my current power, along with the corresponding abilities. Additionally, I io release a portion of my surface territory and the corresponding portion of the lower yers. This will dey any implementation of ge until certain requirements are met."

  Kuic fshed a grin as she said, "After all, I o vihe gover of the kingdom bearing my o agree to the transfer of territory as well, which will involve ving locals too, and it will be several years I think before the Azeria dungeon is ready to cim all of the nd. I am thinking of the Azeria forest and all nds south a of it, so including Riverbridge as well."

  Mordecai stared at her bnkly in shock. Topside, Kazue's avatar started choking on the piece of cake she'd been ing with intense focus. While the rest of the dungeon's people didn't kly what had happehey'd all felt the ripple of surprise spring from the core. Ozuran's presence was tinged with amusement as Mordecai recovered and asked, "Ah, why?" He couldn't articute more than that at the moment.

  "I o offer up some portion of my territory and power, as the ge itself will not be much of a sacrifid a lot more energy will o be spent given how I have grown sihe first alteration to my rules. This portion of my territory has a lot of ties to you and yours, and I suspect those ties will only grow stronger. If I sacrifice this territory when you are able to then cim it, the nd and people will still be protected and they will still feel they belong."

  That was a fair idea, but it wasn't enough. This time it was Ozuran who spoke through Mordecai. "Your Avatars."

  She sighed and said, "I know. I'm guessing they all o be retired at that time, disappearing from the lives I'm currently living, and I will o build a new ohat will hurt, and the worst part is that it will hurt the feelings of others who do not know that their friend or lover is one of my avatars."

  "Well," Mordecai said, "it seems that Lord Ozuran is tent with that, though I think it is not guaranteed yet. But if you put in the proper work from here, he should be ameo making the ge wheime is right." Ozuran's presehdrew, which Mordecai took as firmation.

  Kuic nodded and then said, "Even without the rest, I think that in the long run, it would be best to give this territory over to you. g surface territory was less expehan it normally would have been because it artially fueled by belief and the feeling of being part of the Kuic kingdom. I feel that this sense of identity has started to weaken. Your revival already meant that mas were going to eventually be revealed, and the thing with being Faerie Royalty has only accelerated that process. The will easily be swayed further simply by finding out that their revered founder was your daughter, and even more so if they figure out that Norumi is their forest spirit."

  That made sehey talked for a little more before Kuic departed, and Mordecai took his time making his to the surface, he had a lot to think about.

  Zagaroth