The unveiling of the Ashtan-Dyisen memoryscape had left as many questions as it had provided answers, the departing promises of Elder Time fresh on everyone's minds. Speculation was rife about which of the Elders - for there were certainly at least two more to come - would follow after the death of Koduses. Time had stated with confidence that neither the Dreamer, nor the Elder Gods of Chaos and Darkness would wake, but remained uncertain as to which of Its siblings would stir. And thus the world held its breath.

Two weeks later, a raucous cry rang out from the Izu-Ari casino, the delighted cry of a rowdy sailor declaring themselves on a hot streak. Dice rolled and the crowd growing around the sailor cheered and whooped with excitement. The ruckus soon drew the attention of Rebys Fizzlepocket, one of the casino's two proprietors, who squeezed through the crowd wearing a look of both envy and suspicion. Heedless, the sailor swiped up the dice and rolled on, his win streak unabated.

As the dice fell again, the hawk eyes of Rebys spotted something amiss. She quickly accused the lucky sailor of cheating, announcing that the dice he was using were not the casino's, but his own. The sailor claimed to have found them, rabidly denying the accusations of cheating, yet Rebys would hear none of it. Scooping up the dice herself for closer examination, the Gnome gasped, thrilled as she considered the prospect of a winning throw. Her husband Traner soon pushed through the crowd to join his wife, reminding her of the pair's terrible luck and urging her not to take the risk.

A brief struggle ensued as Gnome clashed with Gnome and the dice fell in the chaos, tumbling down the table as if alive. Guests and staff alike held their breath, the air electric with risk and serendipity before they finally came to a stop: snake eyes. Rage filled Rebys then as she rounded on Traner, blaming him for the result. Yet before she could continue her lament, the two Gnomes froze in place before moving as one, clambering onto the table as some unseen force puppeteered them into place. Piles of gold scattered about the table, disturbed by their movements, but as so many sovereigns fell, one rose into the air as if by magic. It spun and spun, tumbling between the two opposite faces of male and female, female and male, in its descent.

After an instant that seemed infinity, the coin came to rest, landing on heads where a female's fair mien shined forth. Rebys found herself caught, helpless then as she wobbled like a lopsided roulette ball atop the table. Traner, for his part, collapsed, free from the spell which had ensnared him. The eyes of Rebys closed, a smile painting itself across her features with her sudden surrender. As Rebys faded, Helera, the Golden Sovereign, Elder Fortune, Lord and Lady Luck, stood in her place.

Utterly at ease with Their purloined incarnation, Elder Luck's demeanour was both casual and relaxed. They expressed delight at Their newfound freedom, speaking in a musical voice as jewels and charms jangled merrily with Their every movement. While Traner went to pieces, devastated by the loss of his wife, the rowdy sailor stepped forward. Forgotten in the clamour, he insisted on collecting his winnings, his demands eliciting a crafty grin from the Elder God, Who offered him a gold coin and the chance to flip for his prize. As the sovereign fell, the sailor's lucky streak ran out, and Elder Fortune claimed his life as the wager's price.

This method of bargaining would soon become the norm for Helera, offering answers on the win of a coin toss. The rules were simple: win or die. While some managed to ask their questions unscathed, the answers from Lord and Lady Luck remained cryptic and elusive. When asked how They came to possess the beetle charm carved by Haern for Yanai, They answered only that They were given it by Haern. Their purpose, so They said, was to continue what the Witness, Elder Time, had begun, to play Their part in Revelation and enjoy Their little time remaining as a memory of a memory, a remnant of history given brief life to roam the modern world.

Thoughts of Varian lingered in the minds of many, and questions turned toward the subject of the Creator. Helera informed Their rapt audience that in the age of the Elder Gods, Varian had utilised the God of Luck's power to tell His own fortune in order to avoid His "Opposite." Time, so said Fortune, would not surrender Its secrets to the Creator, thus He turned to Luck. They waxed on the numerous foretellings and predictions They had made in acquiescence to Varian's demands, Their demeanour becoming rueful with the recollection. When pressed on the nature of the Opposite, Helera went on to explain that this was the Creator's 'Other', His inverse, known by the more common term: Oblivion.

When next Elder Fortune appeared, it was in the Grand Library. The God had made mention of a game known as "Abdication" and was visibly saddened to learn it did not exist in this age. They conjured a table from thin air and set it in place, gifting the mortals knowledge of this ancient game - a race between two kingdoms to surrender their crowns. Bored with coin flips, this time the God demanded wagers of value in exchange for Their answers. When asked why the Elders were waking now, They knew only that something had agitated Death into stirring, and could not elaborate further.

They revealed that the gold sovereign used in modern times was, itself, inspired by Helera. Of the Dreamer They spoke only with disdain, scorning the love that mortals once had for Her and claiming that She spoke only nonsense, while of Chaos They spoke fondly, claiming He was the most free of all the Elder Gods. Before departing, They confessed that They did not wish to die, and encouraged the adventurers to learn how to play Abdication.

The Harpy's Head tavern next hosted Elder Fortune, where They had brought an enormous keg filled to the brim with "Fortune's Favour" - an alcoholic cocktail of extreme strength. Questions, this time, were offered to any who could survive the drink, taking in sips according to the will of the dice. The first question of note was an enquiry into why Varian required the aid of Helera to foresee His 'Other'. Fortune explained that when Varian created the Elders, He divested part of His essence into each of Them, and as Helera could not tell Their own future, nor could the Creator. While many drank and died and questions sallied back and forth, They revealed that all roads, all fortunes, no matter what Varian changed, led to something called 'the Outrider', to much confusion.

Appearing in the Gilded Quill some weeks later, Helera announced to the world that They would accept all challengers in a game of Abdication. A crowd gathered, some to play, others simply to observe the spectacle of the Elder God playing ten games simultaneously with the ease of a master. Their luck held out for six of the ten games, but They found defeat when facing Alela, Ayanala, Yvairre, and Qelres, whose fame grew at having triumphed over Luck Itself. This meeting was to be Their last before Fortune's time ran out, and the questions were few. "How do we avoid the same fate?" some asked, to which Helera said only: do not test the Maker too far. Promising that Their answers would make sense when the final Revelation came, They vanished again, knowing Their time would soon run out.

Still mourning the loss of his wife, Traner had spent the weeks since Helera's arrival deep in his cups, oscillating between sadness and anger. In a rare moment of sobriety, the Gnome called out boldly to Helera, blaming Them for Rebys' demise and asking of Them a boon in a final wager. Traner demanded that Helera lift the curse plaguing the Fizzlepocket family if he won, offering himself as a prize should he lose the bet. Unable to resist, the Golden Sovereign returned to the Izu-Ari casino, producing an enormous golden coin from thin air as They agreed to the terms set.

Draining the last of Their favoured drink, the rush of risk and serendipity took hold in Helera, and They handed Traner the coin. "Heads! For Rebys!" he declared, and the Gnome threw it before he lost his nerve. Into the air it soared, buoyed by power beyond Traner's own meagre strength. It hung in the sky like a second sun, golden webs of light flaring out across the firmament while the two below waited with nerve-wracking uncertainty.

The coin's descent was a spectacle unto itself; dozens of times it twisted and turned, falling through the air in a cascade of light reminiscent of an exploding firework. When it landed, Elder Fortune reached out with a hand and snatched it from the air, holding it aloft to reveal the result determined in Their palm: heads. Traner sagged in relief while melancholy spread across Helera's features, Their smile wan and resigned.

"I knew I did not have enough luck left to win, but I could not resist one final gambit." Remnants of Luck's joyful mirth still lingered in Their voice, and They declared that Traner would have his boon. Planting a kiss on the Gnome's forehead, the aura of gold surrounding Helera transferred then to Traner, threads of dazzling light connecting them in a single ring of gilded brilliance.

As the curse lifted, a restless energy surged through the Izu-Ari Casino, trails of golden light streaming from Elder Fortune to alight upon despondent staff and runown gaming apparatus. Within moments, the Casino was aglow in that bright halo, newfound energy suffusing dealers and croupiers. Roulette wheels span of their own accord, chess pieces took up their bantam weapons and marched animatedly across their boards, and cards dealt themselves from unmanned decks in a spate of kings, queens, and jacks. Bright-eyed staff and patrons flocked to the casino in droves as, under the watchful eye of Lord and Lady Luck, gaming was revitalised.

"It is done." They intoned. "And so am I." Goodbyes came with melancholy smiles and earnest sadness, and anticipation started to rise again: thoughts of what would follow Fortune. Using the last of Their strength, They flung Their dice through the air in one final chance to forestall the inevitable. The dice rolled on and on as the Gambler's death rattle before trembling to a stop, their golden pips showing snake eyes and claiming the last tenuous strand of hope.

Laughter rang out and the last of Elder Luck faded, leaving naught but a sudden gold-fall of Their blessing cascading across the realm and a golden statue of Rebys Fizzlepocket gracing the casino's garden in Their wake.

Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 18th of Khepary, in the year 501 MA.
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