You make your way down to the Wellspring of Magic, where a confrontation for the ages is taking place. Just in time for the light show, your team piles out towards the entrance way of a huge, sprawling under-mass of land. The central most platform contains, what you can see: an adult black dragon, Rainer sitting in her hover chair, and Casariel glowing with dark, violet arcane energies. From its location, two additional spokes of trail lead away from the middle. You can guess there are a few entrances to the dungeon down here, and you managed to secure just one of those three.

You see the dragon in front of emanating a sheen of purple aura, as Casariel channels something in the distance.

Rainer notices your group approaching, but keeps her gaze steadily on her adversary. You get the feeling that this is a chess match. Two moves away from checkmate, Rainer has no power in stopping her king from being cornered.

Inside your mind, you hear a soft plea from the familiar voice you've come to know over the last month of resets.

Rainer: Hi! Yes, I see you all over there. I assume Mr. Baenre helped you get down here considering the direction you came from? Smart guy, great professor, terrifying mage.

Rainer: Terribly sorry, but could you give me a minute?

Rainer: Actually, about 8 minutes. I need you to see and understand what you're facing. Promise, we're almost there.

Rainer could have possibly just told everyone everything about what was going on- and maybe that would've sped things up just a little bit. But putting herself on Casariel's radar meant opening up variations in her timeline. Rainer knows each and every move by heart at this point, and desperately needs to keep each timeline more or less the same in order to prevent Casariel from doing anything worse than what she has planned already.

We're going to assume you agree to sit and watch for a few moments. Otherwise, Rainer will just reset time early and call this loop concluded.

Casariel: You know you can't stop me, Rainer. I've drunk from the Wellspring of Magic. We're one now. Killing me will only destroy the Weave.

Rainer: Cas, it doesn't have to be this way! I know who you are, there are ways we can try to bring your people back that don't involve destroying the world!

Casariel: (scoffing) You think you know who I am? You know nothing of my peoples' plight. Your understanding is less than that of a mere child's. I grow tired of this, Rainer. Stand aside and let me release Nephros.

Rainer: You don't care about all the students you've raised? Or the town that you've given the last decade of your life to? Or me? I know your heart's been darkened. I know you've spent centuries in the Shadowfell, but I also know that you're capable of compassion and---

Casariel: Enough! You are just an object to me, a stepping stone in a far bigger plan for this world. I don't care about Boarbumps. About Thay. And especially not you. You disgust me.

Rainer: Cas, don't do this.

She raises a hand, dark lightning forming in its palm, as she blasts it towards Rainer. She's knocked from her seat, and you may get the inkling to help her, but she looks right at your group, resolve in her eyes like you've never seen it before.

Casariel: Goodbye, Faerun. May the darkness claim all.

Finally finishing the channeling spell she's been working on, the dragon, whom you've now known is named Nephros, begins to stir. The chasm shakes, and rattles, and as it comes alive, it lets out an ear piercing roar.

Casariel: To war! Destroy these humans who imprisoned you! The Wellspring is mine at last! (maniacal laughter ensues).

From here, Rainer pulls the Lamp of Unwinding from her robes, fiddles with it for a second, and a globe of white light surrounds just her until it begins to expand outward. It catches the entire room first, as Casariel is frozen in place, in time.

Rainer looks over at you, at last, as everything has been stopped around her. This place won't exist in a short while, but you see her pull up the sleeve of her robe, and where healthy skin should be, you notice the toll that the relic has taken on her. Having displaced time so often, she's beginning to dislodge herself from it- and parts of her body are completely translucent.

Rainer: Now you've seen it all. Please, I beseech you. I need your help. I can't keep doing this much longer- this next loop... this has to be the last one.

Welcome back to 12pm.