The final episode of Cycle 1: Tales From When I Had A Face. When the podcast picks up again, we will begin Party At The World’s End in season 5.

Nyssa tells her side of the story. Blood, memory, and myth collide as she retraces the night everything changed—revealing the truth of her identity and setting the stage for The Spring Tree’s conclusion.

A body in the snow, a name in a ruined notebook. As Detective Trevino investigates the murder of a video store clerk, traces of obsession and unease ripple beneath the surface of a case that refuses to stay ordinary.

In Season 4’s opening episode of The Fallen Cycle Mythos Podcast, a video store clerk haunted by a recurring dream becomes fixated on a mysterious customer, blurring the line between everyday life and a fate he has already seen.

This final episode of The Winter Tree pushes the boundaries of Ayta’s reality and begins to reveal the true scope of the Realms beyond our own in The Fallen Cycle. What began in a bathtub ends at the edge of time—where the bones still speak, and the spirits of the dead are always watching.

The next episode of the Winter Tree captures a transformative moment in Ayta’s life. It opens with Ayta engaged in a decisive martial arts match. The intense interaction and unexpected kiss that follows serves as a catalyst for Ayta’s deeper exploration of her growing identity and desires, in the absence of Gran’s influence. 

In Ayta’s prologue for The Winter Tree, she paints a portrait of her transformation following her grandmother's death. Gran’s passing on the night of the solstice symbolizes a personal winter for Ayta, mirroring Gran’s teachings about life’s cyclical nature.

This prologue explores the transformative power of storytelling and memory, Ayta’s journey through grief, and her struggle to construct her identity from her grandmother’s legacy, now that she has gone.

In the last episode of the Fall Tree, Gran Ayta narrates the chilling story of the Tovag’s brutal legacy to her granddaughter. Set against a flickering candle and howling wind, her storytelling session begins with the final journey to the legendary House of Bones, a place shrouded in fear and superstition.

A savage ceremony culminates in profound transformations, particularly for Elena, marking a critical turning point as they confront forgotten histories and hidden truths.

Gran’s tale transitions between the immediate challenges faced by the characters and reoccurring themes of memory and story. Their train journey to Sevgorod, with its smoke-filled skies and grand desolate architecture, conveys the Empire’s might and underlying corruption.

As the train travels, the characters face a confined, claustrophobic atmosphere, confronting fears and histories. Elena’s personal crisis, intensified by the imminent danger to her home city, highlights her vulnerability amidst the larger conflict. 

Then, they encounter some surprise visitors...

Gran’s story continues, focusing now on the industrial city of Highmount, once just a military fort at the edge of the empire, where the air is thick with acrid smoke and the relentless clatter of machinery. This environment sharply contrasts their experiences in the continent now far beneath them, south of the Divide.

In the next episode of the Fall Tree, we explore the depths of a mostly forgotten and  now-abandoned city beneath the Great Divide. As Ayta, Eluane, and their companions journey through the eerie, timeless caverns, they encounter remnants of the now extinct Chatillian civilization, a place where the past is both a burden and a treasure.

In the next episode of the Fall Tree, the survivors’ journey takes them away from the remnants of the once-thriving kingdom of the Imari, now reduced to ruins. As Ayta, Eluane, and their companions traverse the desolate landscape known as the Waste, they encounter statues and relics, silent witnesses to a forgotten past. This desolate environment prompts reflections on memory and legacy, glory and decay.

Catastrophe unfolds as the serene City of Stars succumbs to chaos and destruction. Gran describes the harrowing moments she witnessed as Ashenti, once a beacon of peace and beauty, is engulfed in flames.

Season 2, The Fall Tree begins with the next of Ayta’s prologues, describing a haunting scene from her childhood. A severe accident leaves her with a life-altering injury, impacting her physically and revealing the dynamics within her family. This incident sets the stage for an exploration of modern sensibilities clashing with ancient beliefs.

In the final episode of the Summer Tree (Season 1), Ayta and her companions arrive in Ashenti, a city of serene lakes and grand architecture, offering a stark contrast to their perilous journey. Beneath its tranquil surface lies a web of politics and power plays, hinting at the portentous events that await them.

Encounters with Samah and his “abdal” Wallaj reveal a delicate balance of loyalty and duty that defines the city. Meanwhile, mysterious celestial events—a missing star and an ominous comet—loom overhead, suggesting larger, cosmic forces at play. The anticipation builds towards a crucial meeting with the king, as the serene ambiance of Ashenti gives way to an approaching storm and the promise of worse to come.

We will be taking a break before we continue Tales From When I Had A Face, with Season 2: The Fall Tree.

The penultimate episode of the Summer Tree (Season 1) propels Ayta and her companions across a vast desert aboard a windship, floating towards an uncertain destiny. As they traverse the sun-scorched wilderness, the whisper of prophecies and the weight of destiny loom large, setting a tone of both anticipation and dread. Eluane, ever the enigmatic guide, shares his musings about the cosmic and cyclic nature of their world.

Suddenly, they are subjected to a horrific attack, forcing the group to confront immediate physical dangers while still grappling with the symbolic implications of their quest. Then the portents that have been spoken of become all too real...