>>5222975(I’d say pic related sums up my thoughts with all the factors to keep track of, but all joking aside this entire process ended up going very differently than I’d originally intended.)
(You all reaching out to Morningstar wasn’t something I’d even considered until you all started floating the idea, and it gave me such a fantastic opportunity I couldn’t pass it up. Like many things in the quest, I’d intended to keep several of his revelations a secret until later, but I’m quite satisfied with how things worked out in the end to help ‘cap off’ the fact that despite his hand in things, this isn’t Morningstar’s story, and he’s far from some grand, unknowable mastermind—it’s your story, and it was his intention all along to hand the reigns over to someone with a good heart and the strength to see the future through.)
(Now—Ziz, Behemoth, and Leviathan all have boss combat sheets, since any of the three could have failed their ‘Hunger’ rolls [more a 'grief' roll, but it's an easy shorthand] and wound up as a combat encounter…or multiple bosses at the same time, if the rolls had gone that way. Your even-handed conversation with Behemoth ended up granting him the presence of mind and bonus to his rolls to allow him to hold back after his initial outburst at Levy. Meanwhile, the actual order in which you approached Behemoth and Leviathan would have ended up affecting future rolls, since have Leviathan’s ‘stench’ on you was a negative modifier to rolls with Behemoth, though you were able to counteract them with both your eloquence, openness, and having Rath and Dorian in close proximity—two of the four allies capable of easily resonating with Behemoth’s vices and virtues. You’d already done the legwork with Ziz to ensure that she’s coming into her own and feels comfortable being herself, so her superior rolls manifested in her taking the lead alongside you, which only helped her siblings calm down, in the end.)
(All in all? As I’m sure you could tell I was preparing you for the possibility of a massive combat, but as with all things in this quest, it was ultimately your own distinct approach that allowed you to achieve an end I didn’t originally envision.)
(Very well done, everyone. You never cease to surprise.)