"Candela Obscura: Candles in the Dark" (CO3x03) is the third and final episode of Candela Obscura's third chapter, featuring the Circle of Tide and Bone. Something deep within Oldfaire beckons the Circle of Tide and Bone, as they leave no stone unturned.
Synopsis[]
Introduction[]
Our radiant order is bound to a sacred mission: reduce, contain, and eliminate bleed. For those that attempt to harness its chaotic power, great danger awaits. When caught in the crossfire of such phenomena, one cannot be held to account for the scars they are burdened with. Though, time is a fleeting luxury when a circle is knowingly assembled outside the parameters of our belief. A grim demise awaits those who leverage the powers of magickal bleed. The Circle of Tide and Bone. Assignment #39-26: Candles in the Dark.
Episode introduction[]
Lightkeeper Nokari is at the Council of Lightkeepers, distracted by their dream the previous night of a whale dying, then picked clean by scavengers. Nokari explains to the Council the Circle of Tide and Bone's last assignment, but the others are skeptical and reach their predetermined conclusion that the members of the Circle are phenomena themselves. Nokari uses his skill as a medium to reach Rajan Savarimuthu, who hears them warning, "They are coming." Nokari communicates that the Council doesn't understand what the Circle is, and if they catch them, will imprison them in the Fourth Pharos. Nokari apologizes to Elsie Roberts, and tells Cosmo Grimm he must not fail.
Part I[]
Rajan, unable to sleep, has pulled a chair outside Elsie's room when Lightkeeper Nokari's message comes through. He goes in search of Cosmo, telling him of the message and that they have to leave; Candela is coming. Rajan wakes Elsie with some difficulty, convinced she is in the greatest danger, and Elsie panics, telling Raj he should go ahead without her. Rajan notices the necklace she is still wearing, and casually mentions that Oscar is an interesting fellow. The stress of his questioning takes all of Elsie's beast tokens, but by taking a bleed she is able to put off her transformation. Raj assures her that no matter what, he will stay with her, and if Oscar gives her something that he, Raj, cannot, he will give her everything he has.
Meanwhile, Cosmo takes a small dried flower, a Timely Iris, from his desk. It soaks bleed, and he crushes and swallows it before petting his dog Godot goodbye and sadly taking his leave of his room for the last time, sensing this is his last chance to save his father Oscar and give him peace. Outside, he meets Elsie and Raj and they all hurry to the Glass Cat Casino.
Madam Glask is with Mina, the girl they rescued from Groundswell, teaching her deportment, and gives her a sea foam green pendant. Oscar knocks and is admitted, but through a window Mina sees what she identifies as six Candela members arriving outside in cars. To their horror, the arriving operatives throw molotov cocktails at the building. Madam Glask pushes a button to summon her girls and the bartender as the casino begins burning. Oscar opens a window into the rear alley and the others begin climbing down the fire escape, while he goes to the top of the stairs and jumps down onto one of the two entering operatives below and uses his chain on the other. Madam Glask, the last to leave, sees this and joins the fray, attempting to use her Prestige ability to burn the beefier of the two Candela operatives, but he grabs her, breaking her arm. Oscar counterattacks, but the other one fires a revolver at him. Oscar dodges and Cordelia throws flash powder to escape but further injures her wrist before fleeing upstairs.
Just then, the car holding Raj and Cosmo arrives, Elsie driving. Seeing the building in flames, Elsie immediately transforms into the beast, even with Cosmo trying to calm her. The car rolls over at the corner, wrecking. The beast is unharmed, but Raj is injured and Cosmo takes a scar. Seeing the beast starting toward Cosmo, Raj uses his swarm to divert it but takes a body scar, as does Cosmo (his third), leaving them both unconscious. Regaining herself and seeing what she's done, Elsie faints.
Meanwhile, inside, Oscar is furious at seeing Cordelia injured. He wraps his chain around the beefier of the two Candela operatives, taking a bleed to throw him out the front door while snapping his neck. Oscar sees and recognizes the wrecked car outside and sprints toward it. At the same time, Cordelia slips out the back and sees Mina, retching water which forms into her water guardian and gesturing to Cordelia to run. The sentry launches itself at the Candela agents and Cordelia uses her power to strengthen the sentry, which multiplies into four and makes quick work of the operatives, finishing them off. She hears a voice purring in her mind, "Yes. Know me. Find me. Come. The only way through is down."
Fan art of Elsie and the Beast, by Sabira Langevin.[art 1]
Oscar races to the car, finding all three unconscious. He pulls the badly injured Cosmo out, bleeding and with a dislocated and torn arm, then rouses Elsie, finding her eyes are now totally white. The skin of one of Raj's arms has been pulled off and half his hand is missing, but his insects have covered the injuries. Telling Oscar to tend Raj, Elsie relocates Cosmo's arm and bandages him as best she can before going to Raj. As Raj comes to consciousness, he realizes he must soon find what he's looking for: the truth behind the Maw, the Serious Man, what his mother was involved in, and why Candela has not only abandoned them but is seeking to destroy them.
Cordelia and Mina join the others, and Raj urges that they find immediate shelter from Candela, underground. Cosmo knows places but Raj suggests the well in Groundswell that leads to Oldfaire. Oscar discovers Cosmo's wheelchair is unusable but repairable. They start toward Cordelia's cars, but Oscar notices the sole surviving operative aiming a shot at Mina and slides in front of her, taking a bullet in his calf and giving him a scar. Oscar falls, unconscious, into Mina's arms, and Elsie has to call on her abilities to immediately resuscitate him. They run to the car, piling in, and drive to Groundswell.
When they reach the district, a full-fledged riot is underway, the downtrodden of the area against the Periphery. It surrounds the well, blocking their approach. Oscar changes into his policeman's uniform while they form a plan to try to distract the crowd and Periphery in another direction. Cordelia and Mina spread the word in the crowd while Oscar steals a handcart for Cosmo to ride in, covered in discarded clothing. Raj has Elsie light his oil flask, noticing the skin on his injured hand is hard and black, and he now has only three fingers forming an insect-like claw. He then places the flask in a building used by the government on the square, giving him some time to move away before it explodes. At the same moment, there is an earthquake-like sound coming from the direction of their former headquarters in the Sidle, and they sense something powerful deep below them purr with approval. One by one they disappear down the well to Oldfaire.
Break[]
- Discover Demiplane's Candela Obscura Nexus, the official digital companion for Candela Obscura.
- The Candela Obscura Core Rulebook is now available in all five critrole.com shops.
- Midst Season Three trailer.
Part II[]
The five members of the Circle of Tide and Bone (along with Cosmo's handcart) manage to reach the bottom of the well about a hundred yards below, finding themselves in a massive domed cavern. Rajan removes his eyepatch, revealing his fully white right eye. Cosmo senses far away to the north of Newfaire in The Verge, the Council of Lightkeepers for the Fairegrounds meeting in a secret lighthouse, safe but agitated because one more reach into the magick too close a thinning or to The Flare will be too much, undoing them. Nokari is still advocating, uselessly, for the group.
Elsie worries that because as the Beast she absorbed a bit of the Maw into herself,[1] she will become a creature like the seductive nun the group encountered earlier.[2] Rajan takes the syringe the group found earlier[3] and has his insects pull it into his chest. Cosmo gives Oscar a coin to toss for luck, and, knowing the risks they are going into, Oscar thanks him for being with him through the years and allowing him to visit his life and live it from afar. As they move to catch up with the others, Oscar tosses the coin behind him and senses a slender feminine hand catch it from the air, the entity whose voice he heard in what should have been death,[4] pleased they now approach her. Cordelia reaches for her power, realizing for the first time that it is not Katma, the god of her youth, but another woman who became the Mother in the Ascendancy's triad but was originally the Empress Iomene the Everlasting. The voice speaks to her, saying, "I've waited for so long for you, all of you. Come to me. There is much to discuss. Do not falter."
Rajan takes the lead, aided by the others. Through his bleed-detecting jawbone, Cosmo senses they are entering enough bleed to damage all of them but says nothing. Rajan's bleed vial fills. As they continue, the walls are filled with scrawled warnings in Ancient Fairen, until they reach a cave holding stalactites and stalagmites causing it to resemble a maw, the Anitithenai, rumored to hold the sarcophagus of Empress Iomene. Over the entrance are carved the words: "When one enters, all are cursed."
Cordelia walks into the power radiating from the room, taking a scar and falling unconscious. Despite Raj's protest, Elsie steps forward to help her, also taking a bleed, which scars her as well. Oscar manages to move ahead of Rajan toward her, using the power of his connection with Iomene to throw Cordelia and Elsie back out of danger and continue moving, without taking a mark himself as Iomene absorbs it. As Oscar starts forward, Cosmo asks to be taken with him, so Oscar hesitantly extends his hands as Cosmo painfully gets to his feet and walks in with his father. They approach a carved table holding a topographical map of Oldfaire. Cosmo beseeches the Mother to tell him how the group can garner her blessing rather than her ire, and she tells him to change the sigil in front of him. She wants to speak to them, and has been watching them their whole lives, hoping. Using the dagger they previously found, Cosmo carves into the sigil with the prayer that the Grimms' story will end. The cavern shakes with power as the bleed field softens, allowing the others to enter.
Cordelia and Elsie regain consciousness and they press forward, guided by their sense of what they are approaching until they stand at a set of gold doors carved with five sets of rituals in the different names Iomene has borne: The Everlasting, the Lady of Light, the Bane of Empires, Unblinking, the Vengeful. Cosmo pushes at the door, with Oscar placing his own hand over Cosmo's and helping. The others also help, and together they push it open to find each of them alone.
Rajan is in darkness, remembering his mother who loved her family so much she braved Oldfaire at the Mother's call, and Rajan has spent his life following in her footsteps. His mother was trying to keep her children safe in a world without bleed. His sister Aadtika is trapped in a thinning. In return for what part of him is left and still holds honor, Iomene will free her. Raj agrees, and Iomene opens her arms. As Raj takes a step, he remembers days spent with Cordelia trying to help him. Another step, and he remembers another, asking the Mother if he will continue to remember her and is reassured. Another step, and the Mother embraces him. Raj realizes the sacrifice was worthwhile, and he is a good man before he lets go.
Oscar stands alone in front of Iomene, recognizing her from his death experiences. She puts a hand on his cheek and his memories rush back, but then she apologizes, saying she has to ask something terrible of him. Like him, she cannot die. Her task is to breathe the bleed, taking as much as she can, but the good within her is gone now although the need continues. He is the only other in the world who cannot die. She asks him to stay, and help her. Oscar just wants Cosmo to be able to be alone, for even just a short time, and to remember him without worrying about him. Iomene assure him Cosmo will be all right, and will have a chance to be alone. If Oscar stays, he will be shielded from time and they will be companions for each other. If there is freedom from the curse they both bear, they will go together. She reaches for his hand, as his partner, and together they walk deeper within.
Cordelia stands before the goddess and greets her as a friend. Iomene apologizes. She had thought to offer Cordelia a wish in recompense for part of what she'd lost, but Cordelia has found her life empty, despite its comforts. Cordelia asks that the sea reclaim her to let her be with her kin, but that Mina's sins be washed away-- she is too young. If she must live this life, let her be graced with a loyal friend. Iomene promises to watch over Mina and smooth her path, and opens her arms. As Cordelia steps to her, she says the names of those she loves: Mina, Samantha, Liamel, Noshira, and Ashlyn, and the last step for Cosmo. Cordelia feels herself part of the sea foam in a sunset, at peace. She whispers, "Home," and Mina hears.
Elsie finds herself with a beast prowling around her, the Empress Iomene, who tells her Iomene is lost and trapped in a prison of her own making. She asks what Elsie seeks, and Elsie responds she wants to heal, to right her wrongs, and she is very afraid to die. All she's known is greed, pain, and suffering, and she can tell Raj is gone. She asks what it would take to cure cullet, and the goddess responds that it would take human effort, not magic. She can offer Elsie more time to find that answer and send her back. Elsie accepts. The goddess can also remove Candela as a threat to her, and gives Elsie a golden Auric Tome holding rituals. If Elsie offers it to Candela, they will owe her much.
Cosmo finds himself in the sunny parlor of the Antiquarian, facing the goddess who pours tea. They chat, and she tells him how proud she is of how loving he is, and how he has been able to create and nurture families. Cosmo thinks he has been fortunate in this world, with memories of so many people and circles, and at this stage, he can let go. But he's curious what will happen to his father. Iomene shares that he will stay with her to help her, and that even she doesn't know how to free him from the curse of never dying. He is, however, safe, and she hopes he'll be happy, and that someday they will be free. Cosmo notes that all of them are like candles in the dark, and he's enjoyed his bit of light. The goddess stays with him till the end, but it's not long before Cosmo lets go.
Elsie returns alone to Newfaire, tome in hand. Years pass. The Antiquarian is rebuilt from the damage it suffered in the earthquake, but Elsie chooses to live among Mina's people in Groundswell, working with her assistance on researching cullet. Although she has not found a cure, she has found a way to let people live with it, and she chooses not to use the tome. The beast has changed to be more insect-like and reference water, and has become almost a playmate for Mina. Occasionally, Elsie sees a woman who looks uncannily like Rajan, and realizes what he traded his life for. She "creates a beautiful flame" in the time she has left.
Featured characters[]
Circle of Tide and Bone[]
- Cordelia Glask, Magician
- Cosmo Grimm, Occultist
- Elsie Roberts, Doctor
- Oscar Grimm, Soldier
- Rajan Savarimuthu, Professor
Returning[]
- Arterax, Mina's guardian sentry sent by the sea gods
- Mina, a young orphan of Groundswell adopted by Cordelia
- Lightkeeper Nokari, lightkeeper of the Circle of Tide and Bone
New[]
- Bran, a Candela operative
- Tolliver, a Candela operative
- Empress Iomene the Everlasting
Mentioned[]
- Aadtika, Rajan's sister
- Aku, helped Calinus lock Iomene away
- Calinus, the last Oldfairen emperor who dethroned Iomene and locked her below the city
- Cora, Oscar's wife
- Iris, Oscar's daughter
- Sister Iovar, a seductive nun and thrall of the Maw
- Katma, a sea goddess of Cordelia's home island
- Quentin, Oscar's brother
- Toren Gevni, The Serious Man
- Vimala, Rajan's mother
Quotations[]
- Cosmo: (leaving the Antiquarian) Let the final die be cast.
- Iomene: Yes. Know me. Find me. Come. The only way through is down.
- Oscar: A father is nothing unless he has a child to look at him and think of him. I just wanted him to be okay.
- Cosmo: Look at us all, all like little candles in the dark. I've enjoyed my little bit of light. Perhaps it's time to put the wick out.
- Aabria: We're all just candles in the dark, and you create a beautiful flame.
Trivia[]
- Cordelia Glask's name is "C. Glask", or "sea glass", "like the one she held in her hands the whole time".[5]
- Gina didn't realize they could opt to stay alive at the conclusion of the episode, saying, "I saw two die, I'm like, 'Oh, I guess I go, too.'"
- As with the conclusion of Chapter Two, at the end of the episode there was an announcement card for the next chapter of Candela Obscura, featuring the Circle of the Crimson Mirror, to begin on the 29th of February 2024.
References[]
- ↑ See "Candela Obscura: The Antiquarian" (CO3x01) at 4:03:04.
- ↑ See "Candela Obscura: The Antiquarian" (CO3x01) from 3:46:24 through 3:47:54.
- ↑ See "Candela Obscura: The Guardian of Groundswell" (CO3x02) at 1:11:21.
- ↑ See "Candela Obscura: The Antiquarian" (CO3x01) at 3:05:57.
- ↑
Gina Darling (@MissGinaDarling) on Twitter: "I don’t know if anyone's put it together yet in Candela Obscura but Cordelia Glask’s name is C. Glask. "Sea glass" like the one she held in her hands the whole time 🥰❤️🌊🦴" (2024-01-26).
Art:
- ↑ Fan art of Elsie and the Beast, by Sabira Langevin (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Cordelia and the sea, by SuzySnoo (source). Used with permission.
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