[Spoilers C2E125] A Plan For Essek's Happiness

So at the end of C2E124 things were looking bleak for everyone’s favorite Shadowhand. The Cerberus Assembly had sent assassins against him, he had to go on a self imposed exile to Eislecross to help quiet suspicion within the Dynasty, and he’s wracked by guilt over starting the war. My theory below is that if Essek confesses he can cause the destruction of the Cerberus Assembly (or at least the removal of its worst parts), make Wildemount safer, and get to copy his BFF Caleb by pulling out a beacon, so that maybe he'll even feel worthy of forgiveness by the end of it all.

In C2E125 we learn a hugely important piece of information: King Dwendal is investigating the Cerberus Assembly’s involvement in instigating the war (as is the Cobalt Soul), and the investigation is closing in with the CA getting very nervous.

Essek doesn’t have this information, and if he did it would likely make him even more terrified. But actually, if Essek has the courage of Caleb he can have his own dodecahedron moment, receive real forgiveness, and help make Wildemount a better and safer place, all with one crazy plan: Confess everything directly to King Dwendal and then go to talk to the Bright Queen about your medals.

Just hear me out. King Dwendal will immediately move against the CA, and that very day Ludinus and Trent have either been killed, fled, or perhaps but much less likely taken over themselves. Assuming death or flight, the King’s longstanding distrust of the CA coupled with 3 CA members being outed as traitors (including its founder and #2), there’s a very good chance he dissolves the Cerberus Assembly entirely, and at a minimum dramatically reforms it and reduces its power.

And what does Essek get from this besides the first half of his redemption arc? That brand new beacon the CA just found. He could either get it in exchange for his confession, perhaps along with a promise that the Empire won’t kill him, or he could just sneak in and steal it. After all, only he and the traitors know it even exists, everyone else in the Empire thinks it was given to the Dynasty to end the war. And the Empire doesn’t know it even exists because way back before the treaty Essek convinced the M9 not to tell the Bright Queen it exists, saying she would not agree to peace if she knew another beacon was out there.

Now Essek, beacon in hand, just has to stroll (or float) into Rosohna and will be welcomed as a hero. From where the Bright Queen is sitting Essek just helped permanently weaken the Empire by singlehandedly causing the destruction of the Cerberus Assembly. And, almost exactly like Caleb, Essek is going to walk straight into the throne room and hand her a brand new beacon. This means for the first time ever the Dynasty will have 5 beacons.

Essek can never undo the evil he did. But he can atone by helping destroy the Assembly, which has done that and far more evil we don’t know about. Doing so also both reduces the Empire’s future weapons of war and makes Wildemount a safer place for everyone.

The Dynasty also just went to war for two beacons, and now he’s floated in and dropped a new one in its lap without a drop of Dynasty blood spilled. That’s an amazing gift which means more souls consecuted and saved. Essek could likely even spin this all as part of a a secret master shadowplan and everyone would believe it because a high level mage seeking redemption is far less likely.

Again, this can’t undo the war, and there’s certainly less contrition involved in a master plan. But his honesty (and small theft perhaps) leaves both countries much better off and safer than they were before, he caused bad people to be eliminated, and he did so without hurting any innocents. I don’t know if Essek will ever be able to forgive himself, but he will have certainly earned forgiveness in the eyes of the Dynasty, and I bet Caleb is pretty happy too with the most evil Assembly members cut out of the Empire.

tl;dr: Essek confesses to Dwendal, the evil parts of the Cerberus Assembly goes bye bye, and Essek gives their beacon to the Queen.