Synopsis

Day 1: Welcome to Frostmoor
The watch stormed the town seemingly well informed to root out arcanover.e activity within the Afflicted area led by Warden Lovelace. The operation was in response to a murder of a noblewoman in the Market Square of Frostmoor. The operation resulted in a young adolescent arcane-sensitive girl by the name of Sara being executed. Stelmaria suspicious of an apparent stranger in town stalks Adorena to her alchemical lab beneath the Inn. The day ends with Stelmaria and Nevin Bokurai attempting to raid the lab and Aeryn getting wind of this going to Adorena's aid. A shadowy figure is seen bounding through the city at night in the distance

Day 2: Town Hall Free-For-All
Nevin and Stelmaria are turned away by the innkeeper and her sister. Cullen and Nevin begin to argue after which a clearly agitated Cullen Bokurai retaliates and burns down the Inn at the protest of Nevin Bokura. Adorena and Aeryn are approached by Arthur Vendrix of the mage resistance. He informs them that the murdered noblewoman was a justicar and that the circumstances around her attack indicate that this was not a random attack by a maddened afflicted as some would believe. The justicars are a military arm of the Inquisition, a group that's tasked with the apprehension and prevention of the resurgence of arcane arts in Frostmoor. The Inquisition is a group within the City Watch that reports to Lord Carrington directly and is semi autonomous from the Watch. He tasks the two with looking into the murder.

Mayor Callynx (not a formal mayor but rather de-facto leader of the afflicted within Frostmoor) calls a town hall to discuss the escalating events. Sara's father angry with Cullen Bokurai at reporting his daughter's "gift" to the watch attacks Cullen forcing Cullen to spring his ambush on Mayor Callynx prematurely. Nevin rushes to his brother's aid but is attacked by the party. Zheldara attacks mayor Callynx but the most astonishing is Adorena's use of electrical magic to slay townsfolk and Bokurai sympathizers alike. The Watch under the authority of Warden Lovelace responds to the chaos at the town hall by arresting all those still standing near the hall.

Day 3: The Treacherous Trial
Riots ensue, a mob forms wanting to burn the afflicted area to the ground. The townsfolk are afraid that madness has taken over the Afflicted District. Warden Lovelace arrests Zheldara and Adorena. Zheldara is arrested for attacking the mayor while Adorena is arrested for her use of arcane powers. Zheldara and Adorena are taken to a cell within the City Watch Keep. Adorena is tortured by Inquisitor Pricklefingers and questioned about her knowledge of Arthur Vendrix.

Meanwhile, Inquisitor James Escala and Justicar Lucas Tirelde commandeer a detachment of City Watch guards and the investigation of use of forbidden magics in the Afflicted District. James Escala informs Warden Lovelace that his sloppy handling of keeping the peace in the Afflicted District has resulted in him being removed for that detail of his service. Warden Lovelace returns to the keep and conscripts Zheldara as his agent within Tirelde's service possibly mistrustful of the Inquisitions aims in handling this affair. A trial ensues for Adorena's suspected magic use and attack of the townsfolk within Frostmoor.

Aeryn is able to warn Arthur Vendrix of the inquisition's interest, knowledge of the tunnels and attempted bargaining for the life of Adorena. At the trial Mayor Callynx, Zheldara and Kennel Master all speak out against Adorena. An attempted gambit at distracting the court through her transformation fails when it is revealed to the Inquisition that Adorena is a changleling and thus a magical creature. The trial ends with a guilty verdict being rendered and Adorena and Aeryn (who perjured herself before the court BY ACCIDENT) being conscripted into the Inquisition serivice for their puported knowledge of the tunnels and the resistance leader Arthur Vendrix

Day 4: The Shadows of Frostmoor
Aeryn and Adorena were confronted by Justicar Tirelde over the alchemist frost potion Adorena was concealing. Stelmaria lost sight of Val and Daiga following the trial, the two of them spotted Lovelace and attempted to follow him. When their tail was discovered Lovelace brought them to Zheldara's store to persuade them to join Tirelde on his journey into the Tunnels.

Lovelace earlier that evening had approached Stelmari and Momotaro about continuing their investigation into the Bokurai insurgency, discretion was advised. Momataro was surprised by a large white wolf (pet of Cullen Bokurai) while attempting to break into the Bokurai residence. This was much to the amusement of the guards who took the opportunity to mock the apparently drunk gnome. Inside Stelmaria and Momotaro found the house had been rigged with a web of sinister traps that impeded their progress significantly.

In the Tunnels Tirelde and the party with the addition of the two prisoners Aeryn and Adorena made their way to Vendrix's hideout. When they arrived their they founds Melina and Caraam had been slain apparently by some beast. Tirelde in a sudden act of mercy freed Adorena and Aeryn stating that he didn't want to be their executioner. Zheldara happened upon a book that left her transfixed. In the main hall the group came head to head with the beast; it was a creature of shadow and mist, that shunned radiance. The beast had laid in wait for them. Adorena spotted a secret exit deeper into the tunnels and in a moment when the creature was drawing strength for a second attack managed to aid the party in escaping. Daiga crushed the tunnel behind him as Val lead the party to safety in the crypts, safety for now...

They were now within the crypts that the wealthy families had used to bury their dead in ages past. A dark necrotic mist permeated through the crypts a hint at something more sinister beneath Frostmoor. Adorena managed to find a secret entrance into an old recess that had been used once as a hideout from the Town above. To their surprise Vendrix with a very ill Silena had also escaped to this place as well. Tirlelde confronted Vendrix an attempted to arrest him however was stopped by Aeryn and Adorena. Vendrix's message also contributed to Tirelde's sudden pause. Vendrix confirmed Tirelde's darkest fears, that something (not afflicted) had been hunting Justicars. What the party did not perhaps know was that Tirelde had been fighting a lingering tenacious thought since Justicar Ornelia's attack, that perhaps what he had been hearing was true; that there was a beast creeping through the shadows that had been systematically killing the justicars, and perhaps that beast was something darker and more cunning than a doomed mindless afflicted.

Day 5: The Doppleganger
Stelmaria and Momotoro continued their investigation of the trap laiden Bokurai compound. In a secret room Stelmaria found a stockpile of crates bearing the warehouse master Jenis’ symbol. She noted that the crates found here would be insufficient to cover all of the missing wares. A further investigation of the property revealed a will with an attached note that had been intended for Cullen’s brother Nevin Bokurai. The note informed Nevin that in the event of his untimely death, Nevin should suspect that a “transformed” Warehouse Master Jenis” and similarly transformed mayor Callynx may have been responsible. Stelmaria reported back to Lovelace everything she had discovered, including the note which seemed like it could be the ravings of a madman

Meanwhile in a Zhentarim hideout beneath the city of Frostmoor Tirelde and Vendrix discussed events that transpired before the Assassination. Justicar Ornelia had been assigned to investigate the disappearance of Lord Carrington’s daughter. However, she found most of her channels of investigation impeded by the Inquisition. Frustrated she pursued another channel of inquiry through Vendrix. Fortunately, or unfortunately for her, Vendrix was able to arrange a meeting. All that’s known at that point is that Ornelia never made it to the meeting.

A search of her home (currently under guard by Inquisition troops) revealed more. Additional notes were inscribed in a journal of investigation. Amelie was suspicious that someone or something may interfere with the meeting so she encoded a phrase that was to be the keyphrase for their meeting. “Who has the best tailored goods in Frostmoor” was the question, “Zheldara’s that’s who, and her prices are reasonable,” was to be the response.

Adorena and the party mesmerized by some alchemical apparati didn’t notice Amelie’s doppleganger enter the home. She alerted them of another intruder and suggested that they all go to Escala to explain. When their backs were turned she assassinated Tirelde, and vanished into the shadow. Val’ was able to save Tirelde and they all escaped to the crypts, an injured Tirelde in tow.

Day 6: Cormius' Curiosities
Following the leads discovered at the Bokurai compound, Lovelace accompanied Stelmaria and Momotaro on the investigation of the Jenis Warehouse. What they uncovered sent Lovelace reeling in horror. They overheard a discussion between Two Figures that had taken the guise of the mayor Marcus Callynx and Warehoustmaster Jenis. Jenis referred to Marcus by the name Demetrius revealing to him that he (Jenis) had failed in killing Tirelde and that Amelie Carrington was still “unnacounted for” but that likely she would return to Carrington keep. Marcus implied that Lord Carrington, Amelie’s father was no longer alive. Considering they had pushed Frostmoor too hard they determine that the only way to clean up their mess was to unleash the afflicted upon the city. They also indicated that another had taken Grand Inquisitor Latrec’s form and that he would not approve of the plan.

Lovelace seeking to verify for himself that Marcus Callynx had been compromised returned to the Town Hall with Stelmaria and Momotaro only to find Marcus’ body deceased for some time in a panic room of sorts. They immediately set to rejoin with Tirelde’s expedition into the tunnels and inform him of what they saw. They rejoined to find Tirelde and Vendrix injured. The healer Val’ was able to help both of them. However during a heated exchange between Aeryn and Zheldara, Zheldara attacked Aeryn with shadow magic and they all sealed her in a back room in the old Zhentarim Hideaway. During that time Zheldara managed to slip away.

Vendrix informed them that Cormius of Cormius’ curiosities owed them a favor and would house them at least for an evening. Cormius did not like the idea but begrudgingly agreed. Through some erratic magical error likely influenced by a piece of the weave that Cormius had tucked away, Adorena managed to accidentally destroy the windmill and piece of Cormius’ roof. She was however also able to ascertain that a dark cloud had descended over the old temple on the hill. The commotion attracted The Beast, however this time the beast wouldn’t be so lucky..

Day 7: Where's Nathaniel?
Lovelace and Val’ kept first watch that night. Lovelace sent Momotaro with Vendrix, Tirelde and Selena to a hideaway in the middle of the night, Momotaro was to escort them safely. In the early hours of the morning the group set out through the crypts to Carrington Keep to attempt to save Amelie from what could potentially be a trap should she return to the Keep. The group was able to make it to the Keep via some tunnels in the basement only to find that someone had dispatched the guards there. To make matters worse the guards there had been under Lovelace’s command (but dead for some time). Sneaking past another detachment of gaurds in the main hall the group happened upon Lord Carrington’s study. In it they found a title and a family genealogy. The title laid claim to Frostmoor and a large swath of tunnels deep beneath the city. The genealogy revealed something more surprising; Lord Carrington had also had a son Nathaniel that he had hidden away in the Keep for some reason.

Within the keep the group had found that the castle’s attendants had been slaughtered and burned. The former guardsmen were killed, and their corpses were dragged to piles in the battlements. Further within the Keep the group happened upon Nathaniel’s room. It appeared to be an average noble-boy’s room though not have been inhabited for some time, In it were disturbing drawn images of shadowy horrors. They found similar images in Amelie’s room (though not as sinister) as well as a series of self portraits.

It was in Lord Carrington’s room that the trap was sprung. Jenis, Callynx and Escala had laid in wait for them. However, what none of them had calculated was that Amelie exhibited powers over shadow and was able to ambush the three imposters. Escala gave chase and Jenis and Callynx attacked the party. Though they were able to free themselves from the clutches of death they were ultimately overpowered by the party. Ultimately, it was too late .. the afflicted had broken through the tunnels below and were now flooding the keep. Amelie rescued the group and led them to “safety” deep below the crypts to a place forgotten in time..

Day 8: Jerek and the Gang
While fleeing from “The Children” the group meets an old afflicted by the name of Jerek. Jerek is a strange individual whose consciousness is inhabited by 5 people: Jerek himself, Bernard, Anna, Darden and someone by the name of Pharris(whom they seem hesitant to speak about). Jerek hails from a time before the cataclysm and has somehow survived the advancing affliction with his mind “mostly” intact. He used to run a clinic during the time of the afflication,  Bernard ran an adjacent orphanage filled with refugees from some conflict that was occurring at that time. Anna was the quartermaster and Darden was the feebleminded adopted son of Jerek who helped him in the clinic. The Children were apparently in Bernard’s care. He told the party that after the cataclysm an individual came to town clearly afflicted with some kind of strange disease. Jerek tried to care for him but noticed all the children becoming ill. One day the stranger attacked seeming crazed and then The Children suddenly vanished. The town in a panic sealed Jerek and his companions underground along with others that had come down with afflication. Jerek managed a way to keep his companions souls intact by fusing them to his own.

Meanwhile Zheldara went back and met up with Momotaro. The town was under attack from a band of afflicted that had escaped the tunnels. Zheldara told Momotaro that they needed to obtain a key from Jenis to activate two machines in order to save the city. She found the key and proceeded to the Afflicted Town Hall and activated a strange device in the head of a construct she found there. Fighting their way back to keep where the second device resided they were ambushed by Letrec. Zheldara informed Latrec that they were on the same side and told Latrec where she could find Arthur Vendrix and Justicar Tireld. Zheldara then activated the second device triggering a huge explosion which devoured the Afflicted region and all the escaped afflicted within it.

Day 9: The Keeper
The party along with Jerek started looking for a way out of the tunnels. Val’ was able to find an enchanted book of potions. They ran into “The Keeper”, who told them that the Drow that used to inhabit the tunnels there had slaughtered the Duergars who inhabited the ruined city before. He told the party that if they were able to determine their name that he would show them the way out of the tunnels into the world above. The party found an old Duergar smithing shop with a strange beast still inhabiting the shop. There they found the name Ivar and returned to The Keeper. However, the name was incorrect and The Keeper punished the party by sealing Adorena away somewhere. He told the party that they didn’t have much time if they were to rescue their companion. They activated a device which opened the way to Duergar ruins below.

Meanwhile Zheldara went back to check on Arthur and Tirelde but to her surprise she found the bodies of Arthur and Inquisitor Latrec. Selena was nowhere to be found save some bloody footprints out of the Hillside Inn. At a loss for what to do next they waited and observed

Day 10&11: Forges and Furnaces
Zheldara and Momotaro made their way to the city watch as Zheldara intuited that there may be a link to the Shadowsea from beneath the Watch (they had perhaps stumbled upon it before). Zheldara tried to force their way in much to the frustration of the gaurds who immediately arrested them. They were able to escape their cell and found the hidden tunnels beneath the keep. This led them to a secret laboratory beneath the keep which housed a shadowgate. There were signs of tortured prisoners there including the Callas sisters who had run the inn and had protected Adorena. There they were ambushed by Marcus Callynx now in shadow form. He gave Zheldara a choice to follow him or Sacresangre. His intention was to purge Frostmoor claiming that it was corrupted by the Phaerimm. He claimed destroying it was the only way to ensure the protection of the Shadowsea. Zheldara refused and destroyed the shadowgate but proved no match for Callynx in combat. She was overcome and taken prison, Momotaro disappeared into the shadows and escaped.

While staking out the Watch for signs of them moving Zheldara he happened upon Selena which told him that he saw Latrec take on Tirelde’s form after killing him. She told him of a fortress in an old ruined temple to Illmater. They infiltrated the temple just as Tirelde and Janis (the warehousemaster) were leaving. Zheldara was tortured and her essence was taken (to what end?), she witnessed Tirelde and Janis discussing plans to head to Deadsnows to the North (also to what end?). Momotaro and Selena were able to free Zheldara but are trapped in the temple hiding from Callynx.

Daiga made a deal with the guardian to free Adorena taking her place. Meanwhile the rest of the party (without Daiga) entered the Duergar ruins. They activated a backup power system which opened a flooded Duergar facility. In it they found a network of furnaces. The Facility was haunted by echoes of the dead. They saw how the Drow had raided the facility by somehow sabotaging the internal furnace system. Activating the furnace system lead them to a power Duergar construct that worked the central forges and plans on the construction of the Duergar hero, Ivar Ironhand’s Warhammer and Battlearmor. The group drained the flood waters and opened the inner sanctum (behind the seal of the guardian they had met before). In it they met a devil named Zaxxys who claimed he had been lord of the first planar hells. Zaxxys had been summoned by Ironhand but too late; Zaxxys a sign of goodwill returned Daiga to the party. How Ironhand was able to summon Zaxxys is a mystery given that the connection to the planes had been severed during the cataclysm. Zaxxys struck a deal with the party to free him in exchange with the name of the ruins below. The name was to be a bargaining chip in returning them to the surface. Forging the battle armor was a mistake, the armor was powerful but cursed. When the party freed Zaxxys he disappeared into the locket which Daiga was compelled to place around his own neck. As he disappeared Zaxxys showed the party own last echo which he himself had managed to save.

The party saw two figures standing above a kneeling Ironhand, clearly defeated).  One of the figures appeared to be Val’  and the other was an old frail orc in a tattered cloak.  Val’ referred to the orc by the title of master.  Val’ reported that they were unable to find a Sharszhard in the facility, to which the orc replied that they would need to proceed to deadsnows.  He then executed Ironhand and flooded the facility.  In Ironhand’s dying moments he summoned Zaxxys from below.

Day 12 & 13: The Path to Deadsnows
The party made their way out of the Duergar ruins in The Upper Dark towards the abandoned temple of illmater where the Agents of Shadow had established their base of operations. Unexpectedly, they encounter Zheldara, Momotaro and Selena. They hoped to ambush the Agents of Shadow but they found only the agent impersonating Marcus Callynx, and he was prepared to meet them. They were able to defeat the agent in combat but the situation within the party was tense. Zheldara and Selena informed them that Arthur Vendrix was dead and that The Pits had been destroyed to prevent Frostmoor from being overrun with evolved afflicted from beneath the city. The group destroyed the shadow portal that had been sustaining the agent but Zheldara was still weakened from whatever he had done to her. They were also informed that the two remaining agents had fled north through The Nether Mountains towards the Town of Deadsnows.

The Warden and Jerek remained behind in Frostmoor as the group made their way north. The reached a great fissure in the mountains caused by the fracturing of the weave. Around the fissure were orbs of light, known as soul echoes. Finding the canyon impassible the group chose to go by way of an old abandoned mine. The mine was infested with strange volatile crystals which seamed to form around these echoes. Unwittingly Aeryn triggered a chain reaction within the crystals and the group narrowly evading being crushed beneath the tunnels as the crystals erupted around them.

They emerged in the silent chill of the Southern Peaks and made their way to the Northern Peaks Observatory. The Observatory seemed abandoned for some time. In it they found that the researchers had developed a theory that The Cataclysm was triggered by a massive containment field around the world of Faerun. The field was a barrier between the outer and elemental planes. The barrier would be outside of the material plane, which would explain why the Fey and Shadowfell were unaffected. Unfortunately, it seems the lead researcher fell to some kind of madness and they Observatory fell into dissaray.

From the Observatory they proceeded to the Northern Peaks by way of a cave system. An afflicted bronze dragon had taken refuge there and was amused at their trespass. He warned them that others had passed by a night or so ago. They party proceeded down the trail and met a gnome merchant who had crashed his airship into the pass. He offered to give the party passage if they were able to get him the supplies he needed to fix the ship.

Closing in on the trail of the agents they came upon a Deadsnows signal post. The detachment of troops operating the post had been ambushed and slain before they could send warning. Further down the path they were ambushed by The Nethertusk Clan Two of the clan's guards had been assassinated and the clan was mobilizing for war. They were taken to the chieftan who informed the party that the treaty had been broken and they would assault the town if Lady Icespear refused his terms which were that his people be allowed to settle in the Town. They had also captured a deserter, a young man who told the party that the town had been assaulted by The Iron Hand. Their troops had established a camp near the main entrance to the town (which lay hidden beneath ground). They had known exactly where to strike. The deserter showed them a hidden way into the Town. To the party's horror, the town was littered with massacred soldiers and civilians; the town was occupied by a large force of troops with magic-sniffing trained wargs. The Old Town area had escaped occupation by destroying all but the most hidden entrances. The Iron Hand was intending to smoke out the remaining group from hiding.

They party met the leader of the small remaining force Dakkon Blackblade. Dakkon immediately recognized Lady Amelie and informed the party that while the inner wards still held, the outer wards had been breached. He also informed Amelie that her aunt and all nobles in the town had been slain. He believed that Lady Icespear was still alive but in grave danger. Their paths one, and with Dakkon's forces injured and demoralized, Dakkon would lead the party to the lady. The party made their way to the Lady's Estate through highly patrolled corridors. A single guard on patrol spotted the party but they were able to quickly capture and interrogate them. They learned that The Iron Hand had been informed by Lord Carrington and Justicar Tirelde of Frostmoor that taint of magic had corrupted Deadsnows.

Day 14: The Chase
Dakkon lead the group inside toward lady Icespear. The city of deadsnows overrun and undersiege was not without its devices. Hidden tunnels allowed the party to maneuvar the halls and avoid the bulk of the Iron hand forces. Adorenna requested that the group stop near a potion shop to resupply. Dakkon lead them to a local shop where the owner had been slaughtered for his practice of the forbidden arts. Adorenna and Daiga brewed a healing potion and the group forged on.

They made their way to the lady icespear's estate which was protected by a magical ward. The ward however was unable to repel the shadow agents who was now holding her hostage. Little did the party know that the wards were beginning to collapse under the stress of the shadow magics the agents were weaving. A misstimed surge on Zheldara's part shattered the wards and the shadow embodying lord carrington's form escapped. The party was able to overcome the shadow Justicar Tirelde and gave chase.

They made way to a hidden temple of Shar beneath the city, however the shadow agent was able to disappear through the portal before they reached him; the portal promptly closed behind him. The temple was overrun by miscreations of Lolth. A disturbing vision gave clues as to why, Val' had been here before with the strange orc in the Duergar temple. He had given his life to open the gate. The orc slit his own throat and Val's form rose from his sacrifical slab. What did it mean? In the chaos of the chase Zheldara injured had the healing potion brewed previously however, much to her dismay it revealed her innermost communication with her shadowy master. The party confronted her immediately her intentions laid bare. A schism in the party had now been exposed.

Thanks to some ingenuity the group was able to transmography Val's blood and he was able to open the gateway. The innermost temple was drifting within the shadowsea. When they breached the temple they found that it had been infested with far realm taint. The group tracked lord carrington to a laboratory complex in the basement of the temple. A strange dark being had taken root there; and within it a portal to the far realm. Amelie and Aeryn were able to overcome the shadow agent after all three were absorbed into the beast; only Amelie and Aeryn emerged. Defeating the beast the group came upon a locator crystal, however the sharzzard was nowhere to be found

Escaping back through Deadsnows the group found that the Iron Hand had rounded up the remaining townsfolk and trapped them within the arena. The group navigated the hidden tunnels to the northermost streets. They happened upon an old vault which had been serving as a bank to the town. There was a disagreement when Adorenna wanted to seize the riches of the vault. The group protested but Adorenna, aided by Momotaro overcame them and attempted to breach the locks. They inadvertantly set off an alarm that triggered a distant horn. What they would eventually learn is that lady icespear was slain. They rescued the townsfolk from the arena but they were too late, Icespear was dead.

Day 15: [citation needed]
stuff happened

Day 16: Another World's End
The group awoke in the monastery, now filling with an ominous necrotic fog. Master Wachi gave Stelmaria a seemingly empty pouch, telling her that she would know when she needed to use it. Vale realized a room in the monastery had escaped notice, and called everyone there, where ancient Netherese relics drew their attention. The alternate Stelmaria feared that the group would do her harm, as the alternate Daiga ran into the monastery screaming that "She" was coming.

"She" turned out to be a dark figure with no eyes or mouth who seemed to embody the affliction, and the end of the world. Reality folded and collapsed in Her wake. She entered the monastery and approached slowly. Adorenna tried to touch Her mind, rendering her senseless and dull. Wachi insisted that there was no escape for him, as he was bound to the monastery, and that the group had to flee -- but that there could be only one Stelmaria and only one Daiga.

Stelmaria persuaded her double that her own life was of more value: her double reached into her own pouch, withdrew a dagger, and killed herself. This triggered the Netherese relics to conjure a portal.

Before escaping through the portal, the Daigas got into an altercation, with the rest of the group unable to tell them apart. Only one Daiga emerged, with only Vale having witnessed what happened between them. The other Daiga soon followed, severely wounded, and died in Aeryn's arms, asking her to avenge him with his last breath. Aeryn was unsure whether or not to fulfill his request, only intending to if she could safely conclude that he had been the original Daiga. However, the Daiga who escaped with the group seemed to recall the salient details of their history when pressed.

The group found themselves in another observatory of sorts in the Carrington manor, where Amelie found a letter strongly implying that her mother Victoria Carrington and Lucius Sacrosangre were lovers, and that the latter may in fact be her and her brother's father, unbeknownst to Lord Carrington. Aeryn tried to support and reassure her, but she became obsessed with studying any records to get to the truth of the matter. In the meantime, Aeryn found a secret passage leading to an empty sarcophagus containing a shawl with the monogram VS.

During this ordeal, Amelia became furious with Zheldara, and shot her ear off with a crossbow bolt. Adorenna slowly began to regain her senses, but only barely, and her affliction worsened as her skin began to slough off. She suffers now from the periapt of foul rotting of the neck, which is as gross as it sounds.

The group reconvened with Warden Lovelace in Frostmoor, who had slain one of the shadow creatures, and was glad to see Amelia return. Without nobility present, leadership of Frostmoor had fallen to Lovelace.

Now Amelie wishes to confront Sacrosangre to get her answers, and the group prepares to join her on this expedition.

Day 17: The Five Families' Feuds
Amelie approached Aeryn and Lovelace about how to confront Sacrosangre. They all agreed that there was a good chance they were walking into a trap and needed some kind of escape plan. Furthermore, Amelie felt an intense hatred for Sacrosangre, renewed with the revelation of their true relationship.

She approached Aeryn about procuring certain materials and crafting a device: a one-shot weapon to be used against Sacrosangre. She would need specific items, an enhanced alchemical compound, and a special delivery mechanism. Aeryn freely offered to help with the first, and enlisted Adorenna and Daiga to assist with the other requirements, but it was agreed that their plans against Sacrosangre should be revealed only on a need-to-know basis. They were secretive about their machinations, though when pressed, Aeryn admitted to Adorenna that they needed her help to give Sacrosangre "a little something to remember us by."

They were able to craft the device. It was not magical, so as not to draw suspicion (a wise design choice, as any magic would have been detected upon entry), and looked merely like a bracelet on Amelie's wrist.

After admittance into the shadow realm, they were shown to lodgings and courtesies. Amelie spied Vale giving Adorenna a medical inspection, during which she nearly let slip what little she knew of their plans. She asked Aeryn and Lovelace to help keep watch over anyone who might interfere with or reveal their plot, and employed Stelmaria to help (though she thought the device was to be used only as a last resort).

They were fed (though not all of them ate), and then brought to an audience with the Five Families wielding the most power over that realm: Ivan Dilisnya, representing Lord Stahd of the Dead Lands (formerly Silvermoon); Yassesril representing Vale (?!) of the Drow; Xeriope the succubus, representing Razza of the Fuck-Yeah-Razza; Azzalin Rex, representing the Faceless Lords of the Sourthern Wastelands; and Sacrosangre himself, representing Hadrune of the Netherese.

Zheldara spoke on behalf of the group, and the representatives of the Five Families explained their goals and concerns regarding the Weave: they intend to destroy its last remnants and replace it with the Shadow Weave, the only remaining stable source of magic. Meanwhile, Triel works instead to destroy both Weaves (which Xeriope took as a prompt to hint that Daiga might know Triel, having serious implications for his true identity).

Sacrosangre was compelled to confess that he fathered Amelie, and that they wished to enlist her group in helping them to collect the shards of Shar, as they'd already shown skill at accomplishing such tasks beyond their previous envoys. Lord Stahd had one shard, and Triel another that would need to be collected.

The group talked it over [but I was in the bathroom so idk what happened], and Amelie rebuked Sacrosangre's offer with utmost venom. As everyone but Aeryn and Lovelace backed away from her, she trained her device and fired upon Zheldara, creating a huge, radiant explosion.

Day 18: Boom Goes the Shadar-Kai
As the blast receded, Zheldara was nowhere to be found. A huge fissure glowing with Far Realm energy had been blown open between the representatives of the Five Families and the place where the group stood, but two stunned dracoliches remained behind them. Daiga and Aeryn managed to take advantage of their dazed state after the explosion to shatter them to pieces, but they would soon reform.

The group fled as the entire structure began to crumble around them, but were impeded by guards. They had to make use of the features of the building to deal with them, for instance by trapping a number of them under a chandelier, but had to fight the rest off. Stelmaria had to help Warden Lovelace, and Aeryn had to essentially carry Amelie, as both were in dire states.

As they approached the exit of the collapsing building, they were attacked by Azzalin Rex mounted on a dracolich, who tried to dominate Aeryn's mind and force her to hand over Amelie, but she resisted and rebuked him. He then turned instead to Adorenna, who could not resist and became enthralled. Lovelace came to his senses to defend Amelie, and managed to break Rex's hold on Adorenna (I think?), but not before Azzalin Rex managed to touch Amelie and she fell completely insensate.

As everything fell to ruin around them, Sacrosangre appeared on the other dracolich, shadow essence oozing from him like blood from a wound. The group clamored onto his mount, expecting him to be hostile, but he did not attack them. Aeryn fell unconscious as she and Amelie made it onto the dracolich, and nearly fell off, but was rescued by Stelmaria and a reinvigorated Lovelace. She was revived by Vale, though with her soul further tarnished by his methods, and reached out to touch Sacrosangre. As she did, he split into five duplicates around them, but still did not attack.

The last remains of the structure sank into the Far Realm all around them, as they flew away from the volatile energy on Sacrosangre's dracolich.

Day 19: The Dracolich is Back
The group began securing themselves to the dracolich, but failed to secure Amelie, who was quickly taken by Azzalin Rex. Aeryn managed to rescue her unconscious body, but would have fallen to her own demise without the help of Stelmaria and Adorenna, who helped them get back onto their dracolich.

Sacrosangre confronted Azzalin Rex, who burst into a cloud of insects for much of their encounter.

Meanwhile, Adorenna tried to gain control of the dracolich, but was unable until Vale sedated it (or something?). She had to steer the creature as they flew through a city, weaving through streets and alleys and overhangs, trying to stay low enough to avoid the enemies and insects.

On one of the rooftops of the city, the group spotted a figure at once familiar and foreign: Zheldara had somehow returned from the Far Realm, now all in white, crackling with the energies of that strange reality. Though Adorenna and Aeryn opposed rescuing her, Lovelace and Vale insisted, and so they did. When Vale inspected her, he began to correctly suspect that she'd lost her eyesight. She was also very disoriented, and uncertain of exactly what happened during her ordeal, though she seemed to return with new and profound knowledge.

Sacrosangre tried to set an ambush for Azzalin Rex, which the group noticed and tried to lure him into. However, in his divided state, he was able to fight Sacrosangre and pursue the group's dracolich at the same time. Adorenna saw a portal and tried to escape by driving the dracolich at full speed toward it, but the group made it through just as it closed, severing the dracolich in half and separating the rest of them from Amelie. Azzalin Rex and Sacrosangre are also missing.

Aeryn managed to get a trace on Amelie before they were separated, and the group will now have to race to find her before Azzalin Rex does.

Day 20: New Fort, Who Dis?
The group found themselves amidst snows and ruined caravans. With no lead on Lovelace's location, they used Aeryn's sense to move in Amelie's direction, but a group of undead approached them. Vale tried to attack them, but was surrounded. Soon Daiga was caught as well. They were spry and quick, and their leader would use his minions as shields before any attack could land on him. The group eventually managed to knock the minions prone and deal with the leader, before dispatching the rest.

After patching themselves up, they came upon an ominous town, New Fort, filled with fungi and spores. Stelmaria spied a shambling beast in the town, but it did not seem feasible to go around it.

As they carefully made their way through, they eventually came to a marketplace. Adorenna approached to find a group of eerily tranquil and detached tonwsfolk selling grimey and unsanitary wares. At the same time, a hooded gnome came up to Aeryn and asked her to call her friends away from the marketplace. He threw a smokebomb to distract the townsfolk, and they fled.

The gnome revealed himself as Nim (!!!), an agent of the merchant's guild with an important mission. He knew Aeryn by name, and called on her to help him find two agents lost in the town: Wazzle, a merchant from back in Frostmoor, and Momotaro (!!!). Aeryn was reluctant to abandon her search for Amelie, but Nim convinced the group that they would need his help to escape the town.

Nim explained that something was controlling some of the townsfolk, using them as spies and jailers. He also explained that some beast lived in the tunnels beneath the city, in addition to the shambling creature above. All of these had to be avoided while the group infiltrated the barracks, where he believed the other agents to be held, if they were still alive.

Day 21: New Fort Underground
Stelmaria and Aeryn, being stealthy and observant, went ahead of the rest of the group over rooftops as scouts to get a sense of how to reach the barracks. The group had agreed not to approach directly, but to find a path in through the tunnels beneath the town. Unfortunately, the corrupted townsfolk, or Keepers, and the immense fungal beast, the Shambler, we patrolling in that area, and coming toward the group.

A Keeper managed to spy Aeryn, but Stelmaria was able to conceal her. The rest of the group traveled on the ground, and darted into alleys between houses, which were clogged with strange plants and fungi. Adorenna had suffered some poisoning from some of the local fauna, and tried to harvest medicinal components from a large mushroom, but a Keeper heard and approached. Stelmaria and Aeryn thought to distract it by firing a crossbow bolt toward the marketplace, drawing its attention there when it heard the sound.

The entrance to the tunnels was surrounded by some of the strange plants the Keepers would tend to, that Nim had told the group to avoid. In order to avoid the patrols, Vale concealed the group in darkness as they darted past and into the tunnels. However, Aeryn and Stelmaria (I think?) got a sense that they had not gone entirely unnoticed.

Beneath New Fort they found a corpse, a locked door, and a portcullis, behind which was the giant creature Nim had warned them about. Daiga revealed what he knew of New Fort: that, when the Weave was breaking, the people there had made a deal with some great and terrible power to protect them at great cost, and that this creature was probably some part of that deal. Adorenna sent Lorelei to distract the creature while the rest snuck by, up a ladder into the barracks.

The merchant Wazzle was in a locked cell in an unmanned section of the barracks, but the key, along with the best supplies, seemed to be in a better guarded section. Aeryn's search revealed some rare herbs, which she gave to Adorenna (who had been further poisoned while inspecting a large toadstool growing in the building), but found nothing else of value. Vale used his ability to prevent anyone outside their current room from hearing them while Daiga broke down the cell door. They supplied Wazzle with antidote for his poisoning, and he left to escape on his own. Unable to locate Momotaro, the group returned to the tunnels to escape New Fort.

They slipped past the creature and called Lorelei back, but found a path blocked by fungus. Zheldara realized the fungus was susceptible to electricity, so Daiga used his lightning breath to destroy it. However, as they got past, they were greeted by a strange creature from the Far Realm who knew them all by name.

The creature explained it was slowly building a new Weave in this world, with New Fort as one of its centers of power. It was in control of the plants and fungi, and thus the corrupted townsfolk. It found mortals to be little better than vermin, and their ambitions to be calamitous, leading to ruin. However, it seemed to find the group in particular to be of significance, having heard of them from other worlds -- though this version of Zheldara was apparently not as forthcoming as the others, and it was disappointed that she provided it with little information. However, it agreed to let the group pass, so long as they would send six people from Frostmoor in their place. Some of the group resisted, but the rest agreed, and the creature gave them 15 days to send their proxies.

They escaped to a great causeway, and crossed it to reach the Talons. Zheldara hinted that Daiga knew this area and could lead them, drawing suspicion that he was not of this world... but then he stumbled into the muck and they began to doubt her. The muck about them was paralytic, but dotted with rare and valuable herbs, which Adorenna collected. One such plant was called the Shrieker, which would deafen anything nearby if cut incorrectly, and she tried to procure one, but wisely abandoned the pursuit when the risks seemed too great.

Further into the swamp, Aeryn lost track of Amelie due to interference from riftstorms, but still directed the group in the direction of her last location. They crossed a bridge to find an orc encampment with two prisoners, and a partially consumed third. Aeryn suggested taking out their patrol and having Adorenna disguise herself as him, but the orcs' warg could tell something was off by her scent. Zheldara drove the beast to madness: it attacked one of the orcs, killing him, before the remaining two put it down.

The group tossed one of the orcs into the muck and questioned the other, who revealed they were working for Draka, an orc warlord and slaver. Draka had put Lovelace to battle in his fighting pits, and sold Amelie to Azzalin Rex (after possibly molesting her, it was implied). Nim disposed of the orc when they were done questioning him. Low on rations, the group split up and ate the meat from the wargs, and even the orcs. Zheldara ate a dead prisoner, even after Aeryn gave her slightly less gross orc meat.

Day 22: Quazzit's Quizzical Quibbles
Nim caught and cooked some snakes, which Aeryn tried to use to gain the trust of the remaining prisoners, but Zheldara sensed that their personhood had been destroyed through some arcane method: they were no more than beasts. Adorenna disguised herself as the orc Captain and took the prisoners, and Daiga and Zheldara posing as captives, with her into the camp. Nim used his pass, and Vale bought one, to slip right in. Stelmaria and Aeryn climbed a tree and leapt over the walls.

The Captain, who was really Adorenna in disguise, was told that Draka wanted to see him, and wound up in a prison cell for suspicious and insubordinate behavior shortly thereafter. At the same time, Aeryn and Nim went to free Daiga and Zheldara from their cages, though Daiga decided to stay and fight in the pits in hope of finding Lovelace. So Adorenna and Daiga both found themselves in warded cages.

The rest of the group met up at the inn. They now had three passes between them, meaning they could split into three groups.

Stelmaria went to the market...

Vale and Zheldara went to see the apothecary: a witch who asked them to take a certain package from Quazzit so she could give Draka his "medicine." They went to seek Quazzit's package...

Nim took Aeryn with him to attend to official Merchant's Guild business. They found the local Guild representative, Quazzit (whose apprentice had recently "fallen into the muck"), and asked to take a look at his books. Quazzit's reply was a crossbow bolt. Nim restrained him while Aeryn took a look, and found that Quazzit was padding the numbers by counting every shipment as though all the containers had been of the largest size, and full. She also noticed a latch on the floor...

Zheldara suddenly burst into the place, trying to be intimidating, and succeeding in preventing Aeryn from opening the latch for a few seconds. Once she did open it and went downstairs, she found Quazzit's packages: live children, locked in a cage. Quazzit intended t give them to Draka for his vile delights.

Aside from being reprehensible and just plain gross, the Guild does not condone the sale or purchase of any sapient being -- Aeryn and Nim were pissed. Quazzit tried to escape, but Stelmaria saw him running toward the market with Nim on his tail, and caught him. They brought him back into his workshop.

Vale and Zheldara took a child to the witch, promising Aeryn to keep them alive, and quickly failing as the witch drained their life force into a crystal. In exchange, the witch gave Zheldara a discount that afforded her the Helm of the Blind Samurai or something cool like that.

Meanwhile, Aeryn, Nim, and Stelmaria interrogated Quazzit, finding crates full of the same crystals that, unbeknownst to them, were being used at that very moment to drain the life force of the child they'd just released. They also learned of caravans leading to Riftwatch Tower, where Rex may have taken Amelie.

Eventually Quazzit got mouthy, and Aeryn cut his cheek -- which is when the Guild's golems stationed around the camp started to approach. Vale and Zheldara happened to return, and lie about the fate of the child, just before Aeryn removed Quazzit's Guild badge and explained that he was in violation of Guild Bylaw 337 banning the buying and selling of slaves. The golems returned to a resting state.

Throughout all this, Lovelace had been fighting, and was then sent to Adorenna's cell. She, still in the form of the Captain, forgot that the cell was warded, and tried unsuccessfully to use magic to escape. The guards took her potions and poured them onto her, resulting in elemental damage and eventual unconsciousness. The orcs replaced Lovelace in the fighting pits with Daiga, who lacked the showmanship to not immediately kill his opponent, and was soon sent to that same cell.

The In-Quazzit-ion
"Alright Quazzit,” Nim said, “this looks bad for you. Faceless might be interested to know you're interfering with their shipments."

“You wouldn’t be suggesting anything by that,” replied Quazzit nervously, “wouldya, Nimsy?”

Nim continued: “Where’s Cranx, Quazzit?”

“Who’s Cranx,” Aeryn asked, “his missing apprentice?”

“When we set up hubs in dangerous areas,” Nim explained, “we never send guildmates in alone. Cranx was supposed to be assisting Quazzit. However, it conveniently seems that he’s disappeared.”

“I don’t buy that he just fell in the muck, either,” Aeryn said, grabbing Quazzit roughly by the collar. “What did you do to him?”

"Where'd you find this bitch, Nim," Quazzit asked.

Aeryn and Stelmaria glared at him for a moment. “Best you tell her, Quazzit,” Nim warned. “You wouldn’t want to take a trip there yourself.”

At this, Aeryn brought Quazzit down hard on her knee, crotch first. “Let’s try that again,” she said.

Quazzit gasped in pain: “Look… you both need me… how ‘bout we grab a tall mug of ale and talk this out?”

“Don’t see what I need you for, Quazzit,” Nim answered.

“I know where he is,” Quazzit confessed, “or rather where he will be. Happy to tell you, if we all part ways and never talk about this again.”

“Well done, Quazzit,” Aeryn said, raising her knife to Quazzit’s face. “You’ve proven that we should keep you alive. But I can still do much worse than that scratch on your face.” She pressed the blade against the wound she’d already left on his cheek. “Are you a righty or a lefty? You have such enviable handwriting.”

“Okay, okay,” Quazzit squealed, “you’re crazy, okay! Look, Razza wants him. Don’t know why, but he does. We’re moving him on the caravan tomorrow.”

“What do you think, Aeryn,” Nim asked, “still think he’s holding out on us?” He turned back to Quazzit. “Why would Razza want Cranx?”

“I told you, I don’t know,” Quazzit responded.

Nim addressed Aeryn again: “Would you like to do the honors, or should I?”

“Well,” she thought aloud, “if I do it, I’m taking a finger from each hand. I still don’t know which one he uses.”

“I don’t know. Should we guess, Quazzit?”

“It’s the golems, you dolt,” Quazzit spat. “He’s building an army of them arcane ones, not like the Legion’s. But he needs slaves, Nimsy. How do you think he gets ‘em?” He began to whisper, “That’s why I reckon he’s here, Nimsy. He’s heard the Faceless have got their hands on something precious. Something the Faceless consider outside of their deal.”

“I’m sorry if I step out to say what I think we all may be thinking here,” Nim interrupted. “Might be related to your friend, the missing one.” Nim wiped sweat from his forehead, picked up a crystal, and tossed it gently into the air. “You don’t think… I couldn’t fathom… cruel…”

“Oh, Nimsy,” Quazzit laughed, “you better hope this friend of yours doesn’t know any of your secrets. They say once the transference is complete, the crystals hold everything you’ve ever known. Even the things you thought you forgot.”

“Quazzit,” Aeryn intoned in a steady, even voice. “You don’t understand what they’re planning. You don’t know the stakes. But if they succeed in extracting what they want from my friend,” she said, looking into his eyes with a grave expression, “you’ll go on to wish I had killed you here today.”

“Well, I’m sorry to wrinkle your bonnet,” Quazzit snapped, “but I have more immediate problems. I have a delivery to make and five Faceless in the camp to ensure I make it.” He turned to Nim. “Look, Nimsy, I know how it looks, but think of the Guild. If the package doesn’t make it to Riftwatch, the Tiefling will hold the Guild responsible. Not to mention Azzalin Rex. If we have any hope of remaining neutral, we need to go through with this, lest we have two powerful families to contend with.”

“Then maybe the delivery should go through as planned,” Nim replied.

“In fact,” Aeryn smirked, “maybe we can help with that. These five Faceless who manage the caravans,” she mused, “tell me about them.”

“Only one of them ever speaks,” Quazzit answered, “the buyer. He’s their leader. Some kind of elven dialect. He has some kind of permanent room on the second floor of the inn, but the other four are always nearby. They give me the willies. Those masks they wear, can’t tell if they’re looking at you or through you. He rarely leaves that room when in camp. Rumor has it he reports directly to Ambassador Isildor… Ol’ Silvertongue.”

“If they don’t talk, how does he direct them,” Nim asked quizzically.

“I don’t know. Cranx had some theories. Let me take you in as slaves and you can ask him yourself,” Quazzit demurred.

“You know,” Nim replied, “you really are a kobold’s right testicle, Quazzit.”

“And you’re a fossilized primordial, Nimsy,” Quazzit shot back. “How long do you think the Guild can stay neutral, Nim? The world’s gone and monsters control the chips. The Guild is what empowered them in the first place. Our hands aren’t clean.”

“You’re awfully eager to become an amputee, aren’t you,” Aeryn asked, turning her knife in her hands. “Do they all wear masks? Do you know what they look like underneath? Their names, their titles? Schedules, perhaps?”

“Go one with your threats,” Quazzit scoffed, “but as I said, you need me whole. Caravan leaves at midnight. What’s it going to be?”

“I don’t trust this creep, Nim,” Aeryn said. “What assurance do we have that he won’t turn on us the second we’re in his clutches? That said,” she pondered, “if five of us could pose as the Faceless, instead of as slaves, I might be a bit more open to it…”

Nim shot a quick glance, suggesting he didn’t want to discuss that in Quazzit’s presence. “You’re talking crazy there,” he stammered. “Quazzit is right. Merchant’s Guild won’t get involved with that kind of thing. Besides, what are we going to do when the real Faceless show up? Reinstate him, Aeryn.”

He looked at Quazzit. “You’ll make your delivery as planned. Also, you’ll be keeping this conversation to yourself, won’t you? I’m going to join you on this little caravan ride. About time I meet these new friends of yours.”

“I don’t like this, but fine,” Aeryn groaned. She held up Quazzit’s Guild badge. “Keep in mind, Quazzit, that the Guild isn’t going to keep you around for long if more of its members disappear around you.” She motioned toward him, but stopped short. “Oh, and before you get this back,” she waved the badge in front of him, “our friend in the fighting pits – tell us what you know.”

“Draka’s pet,” Quazzit shrugged, “not much else. One of the patrols brought him in with the girl. Rex came down and took her right quick. Didn’t want to gamble on Draka taking her for his amusement, I’d reckon. Must have been a pretty big prize, because he let Draka keep the other one for the pits. Doesn’t keep him with the other slaves. Keeps him under active guard at all times. Must be some prize.”

Aeryn pressed further. “Keeps him under active guard where?”

“His estate,” said Nim. “Thanks, Quazzit. Don’t be causing any trouble before I come back.”

Aeryn returned Quazzit’s Guild badge to him, and left with Stelmaria and Nim, who spoke to her quietly: “Look, I hear your concern, but rest assured: Quazzit won’t be making any deliveries, but I want to clear the camp before offing him. Don’t worry, he won’t go blathering to anyone about us. He’s gotten himself into a bad bind, ripping off bother Draka and the Faceless. Doubt he’d want to gamble on us. I’d rather him not suspect anything regarding the Faceless. The less he knows, the better. However, needless to say it won’t be his usual contacts accompanying him on this trip. Let me handle Quazzit. Known the rat for a long time. He’s as cowardly as he is greedy. We know caravans are being raided. Quazzit’s demise could just be another roadside accident. Roads are dangerous near the Great Rift.”

He went on: “This means I’ll need you and the team to do the rest. I’ll have my hands full with him. Figure out how to get everyone on discretely, and what to do about the guards. Doubt Quazzit will know much about orc matters. The harbormaster may know another way into the estate that’s less conspicuous. Doubt he’ll be willing to give it up easily.”

“I can try to get some information about the harbormaster,” Aeryn replied, “but I’m concerned about these Faceless guards. That stuff about four of them not even speaking… what do you make of them? The masks they wear could make it easier to disguise ourselves as them, but at the same time I have to wonder what they’re hiding. Beyond just possibly lacking faces, I mean.

“Honestly don’t know,” Nim said. “Perhaps telepathic communications? The Faceless are savage combatants and inhabit a territory many would consider uninhabitable. Anybody that can exist and thrive along the Great Rift is not someone to underestimate.”

Days 23 & 24: Who Watches the Riftwatch?
Adorenna devised a plan to escape her cell by trying to persuade the guards that one of them was cheating in their game. She failed and was dragged into the game, on the condition that she and her companions would be freed if she won, but Daiga would be killed if she lost.

She lost.

However, Lorelei got the cell's keys to Daiga, and they managed to defeat the guards and escape. They emerged near the slave cages, where Adorenna reached out telepathically to Vale.

During all this, Aeryn and and Stelmaria went to the Harbormaster's quarters, where they found a sleeping Harbormaster, and evidence he'd collected of Quazzit's dirty dealing with regard to Drakka, probably intended for use as leverage. They took this and left.

Zheldara and Vale had gone to the brothel to gather information. They met with a well-connected sex worker who gave them intel, saying that she led some Harpers who could join them if rescued and given a code phrase, before leaving, and running into Aeryn and Stelmaria, just as Adorenna contacted Vale.

After Vale told the group about Adorenna and Daiga's predicament, He and Aeryn went to learn more about the Faceless guards at the inn, while Stelmaria and Zheldara went to help Adorenna, Daiga, and Lovelace.

Adorenna had disguised herself as a guard, initially scaring her rescue party into hiding. She gave the code phrase to some of the prisoners, but I don't think they actually managed to free them? Eventually they reconnected and made there way back toward the inn.

Aeryn was immediately detected by the Faceless, who abducted and incapacitated her. When the rest of the group returned, they found some of the Faceless innate in one room, with Aeryn unconscious in another. They set off an explosion in the first room to take out the Faceless there, but set a fire that risked burning down the whole building. When they roused Aeryn from her lethargy, they set off another trap. Aeryn and some of the others escaped onto the roof and confronted the Faceless leader. Once they defeated her, Aeryn took her clothes and weapons as a disguise. The group reconvened at the caravan and escaped toward Riftwatch, mostly in the guises of slaves.

Most of the group was locked into slave cages in the lower levels of Riftwatch, while Aeryn, still in disguise, spoke with Nim and Quazzit elsewhere. Stelmaria managed to warp out of her cage to free the others while Zheldara turned one of the dogs against the guards. Upstairs, Nim made a distraction while Aeryn went down, pretending to be on the guards' side, before joining the group and helping to defeat their captors. They proceeded further into Riftwatch.

Vale, Daiga, and Aeryn tried to get up to the tower where they believed Amelie was being held. The others went the other direction and found a system of pneumatic(?) tubes used to communicate between different points in the building. They tried to use Lorelei to communicate between the groups, but had limited success.

As the group traversed Riftwatch, they were periodically hit with visions of themselves having been here under different circumstances, working with Razza, who had been philandering with Xeriope while his consort, Talya, seemed to have some secret affair with Adorenna. This ended tragically, with Razza forcing Adorenna to sacrifice Talya in some arcane device, and Riftwatch falling with only some of the group managing to escape. However, these visions led the group to find the powerful weapons wielded by their former selves.

Stelmaria's group managed to find Isildor's office, where Nim was hidden, but trapped. They created a distraction so he could escape, and eventually found a secret passage from the office (presumably, we rushed this part a bit) to reconnect with the others and proceed toward the tower.

As they ascended the tower, they faced bizarre, labyrinthine, and arcane puzzles and obstacles, but managed to overcome each one until they reached a room with depictions of Adorenna and a Thayan -- perhaps her former consort? -- covered in ominous scratches in the walls, spelling out "REMEMBER." It seemed possible that this Thayan had been the entity who subsequently turned into Azzalin Rex, who was nearby, having Amelie's memories and life force channeled directly into himself.

Nim arrived with a commandeered airship, a rescued Cranx, and a captured Quazzit, and the group carried the incapacitated but still living Amelie onto it and fled.

Day 25: Disaster Prep
Aboard the airship Riftbreaker, Aeryn and Nim sentenced Quazzit to death by plummeting. After carrying out the execution, Aeryn rejoined the group to find Amelie still unresponsive.

Lovelace suggested they forge her signature on a document granting them authority in Frostmoor during her catatonia. Aeryn was hesitant to forge Amelie's signature, not because she thought Amelie would disapprove of the stipulations of the document, but because she felt it was wrong to give consent on behalf of Amelie that she could not give herself. However, she prayed to Gond for guidance and decided Amelie would want her to forge the signature -- after making some changes to the document to ensure Zheldara would not have any real, lasting power in Frostmoor should anything befall Amelie or the others. Zheldara was snoozing and didn't notice.

The group then send out scouts to the Bluffs, the North Pass, the Crystal Caverns, the Frostmoor Tunnels, and Deadsnows itself. The group also sent out envoys and operatives to certain locations: After concluding that Frostmoor was most likely to be attacked by the Northern and Southern Gates, and the tunnels leading into Carrington Keep, the group decided to:
 * At the Bluffs, Zheldara's scout found that there were 3 Netherese airships preparing to attack Frostmoor from the South.
 * Though they expected to find Deadsnows and/or Netherese troops gathering for an offensive in the North Pass, there were no such troops, suggesting an attack from the East was unlikely. Stelmaria's scout unfortunately failed to treat successfully with the orcs in the area and died.
 * Adorenna's scout to the Crystal Caverns succumbed to hypothermia and died. The group learned only that the Crystal Caverns were full of arcane cold beyond anything they expected.
 * Daiga's scout found a secret tunnel connecting Frostmoor to the Duergar Caverns. There, he dealt with the Duergar golem to supply weapons for 30 troops in exchange for 10,000 gold. The group decided to get a mixture of swords and pikes.
 * Aeryn's scout into Deadsnows found the place largely undefended, suggesting their troops were elsewhere and they were potentially vulnerable to attack.
 * Aeryn's envoy to Bakrosh and his orcs found them desperate. They had learned, through their attacks on Deadsnows, that the group was betrayed, and not to blame for the losses they suffered. They agreed to help Frostmoor's defense effort in exchange for housing in the afflicted area and a seat on the town's council. The group accepted their terms.
 * Zheldara's envoy to the north learned of a protective barrier around the Iron Hand outpost, guarding them from dark energies leaking out of Valinir and into the Crystal Caverns, which seemed to be a nexus of arcane forces.
 * Someone else went to the Fork and found a Crystal Mine where all the workers had been slaughtered. Aeryn worked out a deal with the Guild that they could take over the Mine for 5,000, and the Guild could subsequently establish more trade routes and outposts in and around Frostmoor. We left the civilians at the Mine unguarded because we are bad people and they will probably all die.
 * Repair the North Gate, and place Daiga's two sets of troops there, along with Vale's healers, with Stelmaria's archers taking the high ground nearby at the Temple.
 * Barricade the tunnels under Carrington Keep, and station Lovelace's troops there should anything get through.
 * Place Aeryn's archers and Bakrosh's two sets of troops at the South Gate, along with Riftbreaker for air support and Adorenna and Zheldara in tow to take advantage of the range of their magics.

Valinir Voyage
Jerek approached Aeryn, Stelmaria, and Zheldara with a crystal and a device that let them peer into it, revealing a lost memory: the pregnant Lady Victoria asked a hesitant Aeryn to escort her back to Valinir, Aeryn's hometown, where she would meet with Lucius Sacrosangre. They were approached by Pharis, who would come later to be known as the source of the affliction epidemic, and who had evidently escape Vale's care. He offered to join them on their travels, claiming he had business in the North.

Aeryn, Stelmaria, and Zheldara traveled north to the Fork. Zheldara made a number of rude and irritating comments, that did not help Aeryn's sour mood. They passed by the Crystal Caverns, seeing elemental ice crystals nearby.

Outside Valinir, they found an Iron Hand patrolling with a hound. Aeryn and Stelmaria stealthily went ahead, fearing Zheldara's magic would attract attention. There were Guild devices powering a ward around Valinir, along with an Iron Hand guard. They managed to sneak Zheldara to the barrier, and Aeryn was able to get them all through, but the guard noticed them and sealed them inside.

Valinir was a ghost town, in more ways than one. A specter of the young Aeryn appeared before them, thinking she had seen her missing sister and chasing after her during an Autumnal festival. Aeryn pursued her, and the others followed, though wary that they were walking into a trap.

When the young Aeryn followed a path leading up to the old Monastery, she stopped, hearing a commotion behind her. The Uthgardt barbarians were attacking Valinir. She ran back into town and the others followed. Her father lay dead at the entrance of the Thaesil house, with her mother standing over him, shouting for her to flee to safety as she fought the remaining attackers.

The three entered the Thaesil house to find the trapped soul of Aeryn's father standing above his own corpse. He was unresponsive to them, but seemed confused and unable to move on. Aeryn vowed to release him somehow, and Zheldara became uncharacteristically respectful and quiet. As they progressed through the house, they saw echoes of the past: after the disappearance of Aeryn's twin sister Vasalis, her father became a broken man, unable to focus on the things that used to give him joy. He became increasingly stern and harsh toward Aeryn, even abusive, as her mother watched their relationship decay, unable to connect with him as she once had.

In Aeryn's old room, they saw an echo of her young self, as well as her mother's harp that her sister came to play and other reminders of her youth. They also found a seeing stone that Aeryn and Vasalis had used to communicate with each other from afar, though it was unresponsive, its counterpart lost.

They left the house and again followed the path toward the Monastery, after finding the town Temple destroyed and surrounded by arcane, necrotic crystals. The Monastery seemed different from the rest of the area, in an Autumn state instead of the Winter of Valinir, and less troubled. Its interior was overgrown with flora, though the vegetation closer to the perimeter was beginning to wilt and die. There were spectral bears within, spirits of nature drawn to the energy of the place, and a ward left by Wachi in his final act to protect the Monastery. He had also left a message for Stelmaria, that she always returned to the Monastery over and over again in every world in which she lived -- and also that her mother still lived, somewhere...

One of the spectral bears spoke to the three, telling them the town could be released from its pall by Scent or by Claw, as Stelmaria picked up the scent of Vasalis.

They followed the scent to an old ruin and saw the echoes of young Aeryn and her sister playing. Aeryn was picking on her more timid twin, daring her to enter the ruin. Vasalis rose to Aeryn's challenge, but found something inside that seized her. The ruins then shut and could not be opened. Vasalis dropper her seeing stone, which fell into the river nearby. Other than the brief, perhaps imagined glimpse Aeryn would have of her before the Uthgardt invasion, Vasalis was never seen again. Zheldara, in a rare moment of being kind of chill, told Aeryn that it wasn't her fault.

They followed the scent now into a cave where they saw spectral wolves, who offered Aeryn vengeance and blood if she took the path of the Claw. Further into the cave, they found the town's main wellspring, poisoned by the Uthgardt barbarians. Vasalis' seer stone was there, and Aeryn took it. On the way out, they told the wolves they would stick to the path of the Scent, not the Claw. The wolves told them they would no longer grant them safe passage through their territory.

They returned to Valinir and entered one of the houses. A man had barricaded himself into a room for protection, but died anyway, apparently from something unseen with sharp claws. The wolves' heads on the walls followed the group with their eyes -- they didn't enter that room.

Elsewhere in the house they found a book apparently written in the past by Zheldara, with a marked entry about a ritual to remove an Atropal. Aside from the Atropal's tears, the ritual called for the bones of the victim, the blood of the protector, the blood of the killer, and the hair of the mother. In another room of the house, they found the bodies of dead children under a bed. They then gathered the hair of Aeryn's mother from a brush, the blood of her father from around his corpse, and the blood of an Uthgardt warrior from another house whose tenant had defended himself for some time before succumbing. All that remained were the Atropal's tears.

Stelmaria again picked up a beckoning scent, and they followed it underground, where they saw the echoes of Sacrosangre, Victoria, Aeryn, and Pharis. Pharis grabbed Victoria, holding a knife to her, and apologizing but saying that her child "must not be." He used the pronoun "he" to refer to the child, indicating it was Nathaniel, not Amelie, he spoke of. He plunged his knife into Victoria's stomach -- Nathaniel was killed in the womb, and became the Atropal plaguing Valinir. Victoria's tears were also his, and completed the ingredients for the ritual. The group realized that the Nathaniel supposedly alive and in possession of one of the Shars likely came from a different world where he was actually born.

The echo of Aeryn fought Pharis, who revealed himself to have the fangs and black blood of a vampire. His attacks were also affecting the group, and they joined Aeryn's specter in battle, though she could not see them. Eventually, Pharis plunged his knife into the past Aeryn's torso, incapacitating her. Aeryn bears the scar from his attack to this day.

Pharis then emerged from the past into the present and attacked the group, fighting viciously until only Aeryn remained conscious. They fought to the last of their strength before Aeryn delivered the killing blow, and Pharis revealed at the last that he had channeled Nathaniel's energy into a gem in his skull, where Aeryn then placed the ingredients for the ritual. The Atropal was dispelled, and the dark pall left Valinir, deactivating the wards around it.

The spectral bear returned to thank them for clearing the pall over Valinir, and left, but worried that he and his kin would fall to the same fate as many of the other nature spirits who had been lost nearby.

Combing the Crystal Caverns
Adorenna, Aeryn, Nim, and Vale approached the Crystal Caverns, noting that their entrance was surrounded by arcane ice crystals, some containing trapped sentient beings. They entertained the idea of rescuing or euthanizing these creatures, but ultimately decided the arcane energies of the crystals made the idea too risky.

Inside the Caverns they encountered Pixies who largely ignored them, and a Modron looking down at a lower section of the cave where a powerful ice elemental had separated it from its two companions. The Modron was designated Bardbot, and was going to join the group until it mistook a sarcastic comment from Vale as a threat and retreated.

On the other side of the causeway they traversed, at the very bottom, was what looked like a small town.

The proceeded onward, finding a ruined construct from which Nim was able to harvest a crystal.

Further ahead they came across a waterfall tinged with arcane energies. Nim suggested they tie a rope to someone and have them go through, and Vale volunteered. On the other wise of the waterfall was a strong current that swept him into rushing water with jagged rocks. The group managed to tie ropes to some of the rocks and use them to reach dry land.

Ahead were more arcane crystals of a different variety that would amplify any impact that struck them. Beyond that was a bridge patrolled by an Iron Hand guard who had been tinged with magical energies. They waited for the guard to approach the crystals before Aeryn fired a crossbow bolt at them, knocking the guard into the waters below.

However, the shockwave also damaged the nearby bridge, which collapsed when Nim tried to cross it. He tied a rope to one of his robots and threw it across, telling it to tie the other end down so they could cross, but the robot was too cold to operate. Aeryn used her angelic alacrity to leap across the chasm and tie the other end of the rope down so the others could cross, but when Nim tried to retrieve the device, it malfunctioned and initiated a self-destruct sequence.

Nim threw the machine into the caves ahead of them instead of into the water below for some reason, and when it detonated, a series of howls and roars emanated from the cave. A group of ice gorillas came charging at the group, with their matriarch behind them. Nim deployed a trap that took out a number of them, and the rest of the group slew as many as they could, but the mother became enraged and snatched Nim up in her mouth. Once Vale killed her remaining children, she dropped Nim and turned her attention toward him. Aeryn leapt at her in an attempt to kick her off the ledge where the bridge had once been, but the matriarch opened wide and swallowed her whole. Aeryn stabbed and slashed at the beast from within, killing it and escaping its stomach, but dropped the sending stones she had just regained inside, which she had used as a child to communicate with her sister, just before the creature fell into the icy waters below.

The group passed through the now destroyed lair of the ice apes, and Adorenna summoned Lorelei to explore the nearby tunnels. Lorelei was acting uncharacteristically irritable and contrary, likely because of the strange vortex of arcane energies in the cave, but explored enough to tell them which tunnels were safe to explore and which were dangerous.

Going down the safer path, they found a boathouse with a boat over surprisingly hot, near-boiling waters, but they decided to leave that aside for now and proceed the way they had been going previously.

They then walked through a narrow pass filled with arcane storm crystals. Nim was incapacitated by one, so Aeryn took him upon her back, but failed to notice a large boulder overhead that was set to roll into the crystals, setting them off, and potentially crush the group.

Vale (I think?) fired a burst of force energy at the boulder to shatter it into many smaller pebbles, but those were still striking the storm crystals and creating dangerous magical lightning. Aeryn plunged an iron spike into the wall of the cavern to serve as a lightning rod as they all fled the storm.

The group then came to the town they had seen from the causeway above. It was like a small piece of the Feywild, populated by little fey folk, one of whom was quite friendly, though he was farming which the fey do not tend to do. Apparently he had decided that, being in this world, he should try out some of the customs the people of it partake in. Aeryn offered him some journeybread, and he was grateful, but said he couldn't give anything back without the approval of the lady who watched over them, pointing to a tired, old dryad perched above.

The dryad seemed strained by the magical energies in the cavern, and as though she was essentially suffering from deficiencies of things that she needed to stay healthy. Realizing that the dryad probably had not gotten much natural light down in these caves, Aeryn lit a sunrod, and the dryad regained some energy.

Aeryn gave the dryad another sunrod, and the dryad asked why they came to the caves. They revealed that the main reason was to seek a source of arcane crystals to power Riftbreaker, and the fey mentioned that there were plenty of them through a nearby portal to the Feywild. The group set up a deal that they would trade sunrods and other goods to the fey and the dryad in exchange for the crystals, thus accomplishing their goal in the caverns. With the dryad's permission, the fey gave the group some of their fruit, though it was somewhat malnourished and took on a droopy appearance.

They proceeded further into the caves and came upon the elemental they had seen earlier. The group tried to hide, and Nim made himself invisible, climbing up the wall of the cavern until he became stuck on a ledge. Above him he could hear someone singing in ones and zeros, and saw the Modron Bardbot from earlier. He spoke to the Modron, but as he was invisible, the Modron thought it was hearing the voice of its god, the Great Cog, which commanded it to assist and obey the creature that would soon appear before it.

When Nim appeared, the Modron (after some confusion) helped him up. It no longer wanted to be a Bardbot, but a Friendbot, but did not have enough information about friendship to do so. After a series of comical misunderstandings, the Modron began singing again even louder and would not stop, which began to agitate the crystals in the caves. Not knowing what else to do, Nim attacked the Modron, which quickly became hostile and began sending out a transmission calling all other Modrons who could hear and asking them for combat assistance. It attacked Nim, who activated his lightning shield.

Meanwhile, below them, Aeryn had managed to conceal herself from the elemental and knock it into the waters below them. Suddenly there was a bright burst of electricity above, and the Modron landed beside them, damaged and unmoving, as a lightning bolt struck nearby. Where the lightning had struck there was an electrified and stunned Nim, whom Aeryn used another iron spike to ground. Vale put the Modron into his bag of holding to deal with later.

Finally the group came upon the source of the magical disturbances in the Caverns: the Iron Hand had set up a huge device powered by some kind of synthetic crystal to absorb all of the magical energies in the region in an attempt to undermine the Netherese. The result was an arcane vortex centered here, guarded by a large Iron Hand sentinel.

Nim used a robot and some of the group's ropes and pitons to create a way to traverse to the device without the sentinel seeing them. They built and concealed an explosive that could be remove detonated from elsewhere in the caverns and destroy the device, but doing so would create an enormous explosion, wiping out the fey folk, their crystal supply, and basically anything within the caves. The group flew without activating the device, but it remains there should they ever need it.

Day 26: Attack on Frostmoor
In preparation for the coming attack, Aeryn set a number of bonfires outside Frostmoor's walls to obscure enemy airships' vision with a smokescreen, and Nim placed pitch outside the North Gate before getting aboard Riftbreaker.

From her place high in the temple, Stelmaria spied a lone, cloaked figure approaching from the North. She signaled to Daiga, who told them to halt.

It was Dakken, offering peace in exchange for Amelie. Daiga declined, but Dakken's offer and threat shook his troops' resolve. Dakken left, and Frostmoor braced for attack.

But before any attack came, a fire broke out at the barn in the south where food was stored, and a rumbling emanated from the tunnels beneath the temple. There were already agents within Frostmoor sabotaging it.

Stelmaria fired a black flare, which signaled a need for reinforcements, and sent her war bear into the tunnels as Daiga sent her some of his troops. The bear Doon ran out, panting, before a blast collapsed the tunnels and damaged the temple.

Aeryn and her rangers went to investigate the barn fire, leaving Bakrosh and his forces in control of the South Gate. They found worried townsfolk around the barn, whom Aeryn rallied with a rousing speech. They snuffed the flames and formed a militia that joined her.

Smoke bellowed from the crystal mine, a runmbling came from the forest to the south. Three airships emerged from the southeast. The attack was soon to begin in earnest.

Something unseen began pounding on the North Gate. Daiga lit the pitch with a flaming arrow, and the invisible shadow beast caught fire and retreated temporarily. Stelmaria joined Daiga, along with her forces and the troops he'd sent to her aid.

A band of minotaur mercenaries attacked from the south, engaging Bakrosh and his forces. Valé sent healers to reinforce him from his central position at the estates, and commanded them to return to him if they saw him cast a lance of faith skyward.

The airships to the southeast vanished in a cloud of black smoke.

Valé noticed enemy forces emerging from Carrington Keep, where Lovelace's forces had been guarding the barricaded tunnels. He approached and fired two black flares. Daiga sent his swordsmen in his direction, but the enemies prepared to flank them. Valé shouted a warning and attacked as many of the enemy forces as he could, killing and wounding many, but leaving him vulnerable and exposed until Daiga's forces could reach him.

Aeryn returned to the South Gate and gave support to Bakrosh and the orc, giving them the upper hand. She targeted the minotaur leader, Moorick, knocking him prone.

Overhead, the airships reappeared around Riftbreaker and tethered it with grappling hooks, preparing to board. Zheldara spied the captain on the deck of the largest ship and tried to warp her into her blade, but instead found herself pulled from the ship. Adorenna used her magic to return Zheldara to safety and toss the enemy captain overboard, but the captain calmly returned to her ship without issue, as though she could walk on air.

At the North Gate, the shadow beast reappeared and leapt upward, plowing through Daiga's forces. Stelmaria had her war bear engage it in savage combat. Nearby, Valé and Daiga's other troops fought against the Netherese who had broken Lovelace's defense.

At the South Gate, during the skirmish between the orcs and the minotaurs, two groups of goblin archers managed to creep past the entrance. Aeryn had her rangers engage one and the militia she'd rallied attack the other while she continued to fire upon Moorick, giving Bakrosh the advantage.

Above them all, the crew of the airships -- Githyanki pirates -- boarded Riftbreaker. Adorenna tried to cast them off with magic, but their captain froze her in place. Nim instructed Cranx to make a maneuver to throw the pirates off, leaving himself enough time to tether himself to the ship and get Zheldara inside. He ran out to grab Adorenna, but the maneuver failed. A few pirates were thrown overboard, but most remained and made their way into the ship. The captain found Amelie aboard and signaled to Dakken, who approached from the northeast on his own ship and told the ground forces to retreat.

The crew of Riftbreaker pleaded with the Githyanki captain, at first desperately and without much success. Eventually, however, they convinced her that Nim and Cranx could reverse engineer the cloaking technology the Netherese had given her, and could give them Riftbreaker's ability to penetrate the rifts as well, and that aiding Frostmoor would be better business than aiding Deadsnows. She relented for the time, and her crew and ships withdrew from Riftbreaker.

The enemy forces on the ground at the South Gate retreated. Valé's healers tended to Bakrosh, who had taken Moorick prisoner with Aeryn's help.

At the North Gate, the shadow beast became invisible again and vanished.

Nonetheless, canisters fell from the sky around Frostmoor, flooding the town with darkness. The battle was not yet over.

Day 27-28, I think: Stuff Happened
The group fought off the remaining forces, Amelie woke up, Zheldara left with the pirates, and so on. I sorta had a breakdown during this, so maybe one of y'all should write up what happened instead.

Day 29: Balance of Power
With Frostmoor safe once more, and the leadership and armed forces of Deadsnows mostly eliminated, the members of the group found themselves at the head of a burgeoning new faction, and held a town hall meeting to address the concerns of their constituents.

Firstly, Bakrosh and his orcs demanded a place to settle. They rejected the ruined former afflicted area of Frostmoor, believing it accursed, but were amenable to making a home of Deadsnows. The people of Deadsnows, however, were reluctant to share their city, and became enraged when Adorenna invoked the group's relationship with Lady Icespear, blaming them for her death. Adorenna called upon Lorelei, who was close to Lady Icespear and familiar to the people to Deadsnows, and who lambasted them for their obstinate disunity. After some convincing, the orcs and people of Deadsnows agreed to share the city.

Deadsnows would require new leadership, so the group decided to let its people vote among themselves. To their surprise, the people voted for Lorelei, leading the group to debate whether Lorelei should appoint them a different leader, or if they should just give her a lot of coffee and cocaine and let her run the place unsupervised. They decided to resolve the matter at a later time.

A flamboyant Gnome woman in resplendent finery then entered the town hall with a substantial escort in tow and introduced herself as a High Ambassador Pepper of the Merchant's Guild, claiming to have an interest in the fledgling faction's commerce, but also warning everyone to be mindful of how their changes to the balance of power were impacting the equilibrium between the existing factions. She was particularly critical of Nim's role in these events, which threatened the Guild's neutrality, specifically citing his deal with the Githyanki pirates, and planting of an explosive device upon an Iron Hand machine within the Crystal Caverns, ALLEGEDLY.

She also provided the group with an important piece of information regarding how the balance of power might soon tip further and seriously threaten any semblance of stability currently in place: Azzalin Rex was, at that very moment, advancing toward the South Pass Observatory. The group quickly realized that, if Rex was no longer pursuing Amelie, he must have successfully extracted what he needed from her: the location of the device she had hidden.

The group ended the meeting, quickly stocked up on potions and supplies, and traversed the portal to the observatory.

Stelmaria went through first. The top floor was clear, so the rest of the group came through to prepare an ambush there. Aeryn, Stelmaria, and Vale decided to stealthily search the lower floors and found both Jerek and the device, which Jerek indicated needed him to become operational, pointing to the stone embedded in his head that holds Pharis and referring to it as a key. Unfortunately, the four of them were spotted during the search.

They quickly returned to the top floor, where Nim detonated a trap and blocked off the staircase, preventing most opposing forces from reaching them; but Azzalin Rex, in the form of a swarm of insects, was unhindered. As he began disrupting the group, they tried to deactivate the portal, to prevent him from using it to reach Frostmoor. However, once it was deactivated, they regretted the decision, which trapped them in combat with him, while Jerek flipped between his various personalities -- and, whenever Pharis took control, he would attack the group in conjunction with Rex.

During the battle, Rex managed to put Adorenna into a trance, leaving her unable to fight. She imagined herself chained up in a workshop, being forced by Rex to slave away on a device that seemed to be a replica of the elemental engine. She was only able to escape the illusion after realizing it was a true memory of a place she had once been -- and that, in reality, she had not escaped, but met her end there.

Rex used the same tactic to incapacitate Aeryn, who found herself again beneath the temple in Valinir, with Pharis plunging a dagger into Lady Victoria, reliving her battle with him and the wounds she sustained there. She and Lady Victoria, Amelie, Sacrosangre, and Jerek then fled into Vaerluth... where Aeryn then realized she had met her demise.

With Adorenna and Aeryn returning to consciousness and rejoining the battle, Rex swelled up and expelled clusters of parasites to confound the group. He then cloaked himself in a dark, glowing barrier that duplicated him every time he sustained injury: with each division, his health was divided among his bodies, but each maintained its attack strength. Soon, the group was fighting six Azzalin Rexes.

Nim tried to reactivate the portal to escape, and Aeryn rendered herself temporarily invisible to the Rexes, as his ability to duplicate wore off and members of the group fell to his onlsaught. Finally, only Aeryn and Stelmaria remained standing, but narrowly defeated the two remaining Rexes.

With Rex slain, the group found on his person a letter from Graszt detailing the machinations of the Faceless faction.

Day 30: Venture to Vaerluth
The letter revealed that the Faceless faction sought Nathaniel, whom they believed to be hiding in or around the Barrow Tree. The path to the tree would need to be unlocked with the Moon Key, believed to be hidden in the Vaerluth ruins near Valinir, where Aeryn's sister disappeared, and where Aeryn had just had a vision of herself dying in the past.

The ruins themselves were sealed, and only Caelyn (spelling?) of the Iron Hand was known to have the key, so Aeryn, Daiga, Nim, Stelmaria, and Luto the Warbear ventured to her outpost near Valinir.

While waiting to meet with Caelyn, the group found an imprisoned Modron that caught Nim's eye. He hoped to intercept its communications and prevent the modrons from coming after them, or alerting any other faction to their actions in the Crystal Caverns. However, his interest caught the attention of a flamboyant, mustachioed Warforged who introduced himself as The Great Orvando (or something), who seemed quite bored with the Iron Hand, and craved true adventure.

Nim encouraged Aeryn to distract Orvando while he worked on the Modron. Orvando challenged Aeryn to combat, implying that he might join the group if she put up a good fight -- but just then, the group was summoned to see Caelyn. At this time, both Aeryn and Nim suffered badly timed crit fails:

Aeryn wanted to challenge Orvando to a fight as soon as the meeting with Caelyn was over, and gave a dramatic speech -- which bored Orvando, who left.

Nim, meanwhile, managed to decypher the message on the Modron, and intended to delete it so no one else could hear it -- and he believed that he did so successfully, but he did not. The Iron Hand would have access to the message.

The meeting with Caelyn was surprising: Caelyn recognized Daiga, inspected him, and realized he was not of this world. She said that she had been overwhelmed with Daiga in Vaerluth, and fled after he gave her the key to the ruins, telling her to give it to no one else but him. She reported that, in Vaerluth, she'd seen multiples of the same entities: not perfect copies, she believed, but entirely different incarnations of the same beings from other realities.

She believed that some kind of portal technology existed within Vaerluth which could connect disparate realities, or distant locations within one world. She agreed to give the group the key if they would share any such technology they found with her.

Before leaving, Aeryn asked one of the Iron Hand guards to tell Orvando, whom she called "Avocado," to face her in Vaerluth.

As the group approached Vaerluth, Luto became fearful, and Stelmaria tried to comfort him. At the same time, Aeryn confronted Daiga: Caelyn had confirmed that he was not the Daiga she had known, and Aeryn was unsure if she owed the original Daiga vengeance. She said she did not want to kill this Daiga, and told him to make her choice worthwhile.

The spectral wolves whose blessing Stelmaria had rejected the last time they were in the area appeared, this time wholly inhospitable. They attacked the group, resulting in a vicious skirmish, but the group managed to wound the wolf leader badly enough that the pack retreated.

After patching themselves up, the group entered Vaerluth, and found poisonous gas and toxic mushrooms, thick vegetation, and abundant insects. They also found hidden idols, perhaps to primitive gods worshiped by whatever people were hidden here. Nim sent a device to explore a fetid pit beneath them, and it quickly became overgrown with some kind of sickly vegetation. Further along, they came upon expansive ruins and various pulleys and crane systems. They also saw someone -- something? -- in the distance fall from a great height, before being put out of its misery by entities that both resembled Vale, and lurched away soon after.

Indeed, the group was not alone in this place: there were other humanoids lurking about, as well as what seemed to be an invisible dragon.

The group proceeded carefully and quietly, trying not to draw any attention. They used ropes and spikes to proceed when the winds got harsh or the terrain became difficult, and grappling hooks to reach high places, pushing ever further into the ruins...

Day 31: Sundabar
Aboard Kleth's lead ship, Adorenna, Val'e, Cranx, and Zheldara gather for Sundabar. Adorenna takes a look at what lies ahead, and (crit fail) thinks everything is clear. She tells Kleth as much, when the Githyanki woman comes over.

As the group approaches the city, they meets one of Kleth's fellow githyanki, Captain Drozr, on his ship: the Airblade. Val'e goes downstairs, seeking a view. Cranx looks for engine room. Zheldara remains above deck, and Adorenna joins Drozr on the bridge.

As they clear the mountains, the small fleet enters into chaos over the Everfire. The group is taken by surprise at the sight of a huge ship, shaped like a beast, descending onto Sundabar: The Nightmare.

The Airblade banks left. The group grabs for purchase and is jostled by the sudden movement. Kleth's ship comes in front, as the third of of the githyanki ships flanks it, placing itself between Kleth's ship and the Nightmare.

Above the fires of Sundabar, towers a huge stronghold, which is firing on the Nightmare.

Adorenna reaches out psychically and realizes the Nightmare is in fact being piloted by Isildor, the remaining leader of the Faceless.

Kleth connects with Adorenna, and delivers a message that the group needs to access two guard towers located within the city containing forge cannons. This will allow them to take out the Nightmare, which dwarfs the smaller Githyanki ships multiple times over.

The Nightmare fires on the third Githyanki ship that has been guarding the Kleth's ship, and destroys it the third vessel. Kleth pulls her own ship back, and the group attempts to land the Airblade.

Drozr manages to land the ship in a fairly desolate area of the city, where the group has smoke cover.

Val'e chooses to scout ahead on what seems to be an unstable thin path, surrounded by fire, from the group's LZ. He falls, but manages to pull himself back up, and returns to the group as they argue in his absence about if they should check on him. When he rejoins them, they choose to press forward through the toxic area. Zheldara accidentally goes the wrong way and is spotted by Rocs (scary birds). A pirate (one of ten that Kleth had sent with the group and the captain) rescues her, but is taken and eaten by the birds in her place. Pressing forward proves treacherous. Scourge patrol the streets. Lava bombs activate at random.

The group reaches a tower, what seems to have once been a temple to Torm (psst, Daiga), sneaks past a (huge, demonic) dog within, and upon reaching the upper floor, finds a well-preserved corpse holding a stone. It glows with dark energy. Adorenna takes it. Zheldara finds a scroll of "Find Hidden Doors" on the body and pockets it along with some gold.

When the group returns downstairs, Adorenna teleports the dog outside, preventing the group from needless fighting. They hear chaos through the walls. A giant booming that couldn't have merely been the scourge. A giant lava golem is attacking the dog.

Outside, in the chaos, two more pirates fall. Then a third.

The group attacks some scourge out of necessity as they approach a tower. They attract more birds.

They make it inside to find themselves in an old hall of vigilance. They accidentally collapse a secret entrance. Zheldara at no point thinks to use her scroll. There is a huge fire crystal penetrating one wall that Adorenna manages to remove a piece of, promptly setting her belongings on fire when she attempts to wrap it in fire-resistant rope and place it into her bag.

The group exits the tower and tries to find another way through the city, weaving their way through the dilapidated buildings. As a building collapses, a nearby Scourge encampment takes out another pirate. And another.

Zheldara sneaks past some afflicted Scourge they encounter in the first guard tower, to upstairs, and tries to use a gun she has no knowledge of. It makes a loud sound as it turns. The rest of the group runs in and Cranx makes the gun work, firing on the Nightmare.

The Scourge is engaging with a portion of Isildor's troups which have advanced on Sundabar. In the chaos, the group makes it to the final tower as they lose two more pirates to lava, they take out the Nightmare (!!!) enough for it to retreat, and then lose the last pirate to the Rocs. Now it is just the group and the Captain.

Finally, they make it to Val'e's clinic.

A flesh golem greets them within. Crystals line the walls, glowing blue. Bodies float in the air as the crystals' colors shift. The flesh golem presents Val'e with a note “I’ve left these for you so you can continue your work here, do not attempt to remove them from these premises” that Val'e does not share with the group.

Adorenna, Cranx, and Zheldara follow Val'e though his clinic as he rummages through things in silence. Finding notes and pocketing them, not sharing with the group.

The notes tell of him being contacted for his knowledge of elven magic, of Mistra's sacrifice rendering what they seek to do at Hellgate Keep impossible. He doesn't share this.

Someone does something that makes the crystals get weird. They're changing energies/effects periodically.

We go upstairs to what had been Vale's living quarters.

More notes. Valé's mysterious benefactor suggests he reach out to Zheldara, who may know more about the limits of the weave. Valé doesn't share this.

Zheldara finds a hidden room and pushes ahead. We see a vision of Vale kneeling before a benefactor who tells him about Talia, that in two days time she'll come to his door, and that he is to listen closely and watch what she has to say. The benefactor is pale, wears a cloak, has fangs.

Valé finds an old phylactery, his old holy symbol. There have been monuments to Shar, including a temple, within the clinic.

Notes further detail that Zheldara returned to her place with the Netherese, that the ritual didn't work. The benefactor produced yet more gold. Valé finds himself pulling more magic from the weave then ever before. He is working on organic subjects. He discovers that age directly impacts efficacy and tolerance as a capacitor. He has to move his workshop due to the attention his work draws. Talia, the strange woman, approaches him at recommendation of benefactor and as the potential end point of the elemental engine. Has immense knowledge.

At some point there is another vision witnessed by all: of Zheldara long ago, sneaking into Val'e's quarters. Outside of the door, we hear two men walk by, both speaking in Valé's voice. She trails them cautiously.

Zheldara and Adorenna push Val'e for information, increasingly frustrated by his lack of sharing. All he offers is context for Zheldara's expertise (that it had been shadow magic, that she had been with the Netherese) and that he'd been working on the ritual.

Zheldara and Adorenna grow even more frustrated, and in turn Val'e demands that they fully disclose what they know before he shares. They do, Zheldara recounting her previous visit to Sundabar to find his notes, Adorenna speaks of time she spent imprisoned by Rex, and finally Val'e recounts what he has found so far.

They proceed to his workshop, where a board contains a schematic of the shadow feedback circuit and amounts written out in increasing steps such as "1, 2, 5, 8...," as an example. Adorenna infers that a similar pattern of energy could have disastrous, world-rending consequences. They also discover a small device which can manipulate phases.

As they push on, they find a rudimentary construction of the device, in the center of the next room, set to a certain phase. As they tinker with it, multiple Val'e's shift into phase and attack. The group fights, and in the chaos realize that the device is interfering with different phases in the room... manipulating the phases and timing attacks to be in harmony does catastrophic damage to the other Val'es and after some struggle, they are dispatched.

Having found what they can, they push on, only to be ambushed by a group of dwarves. They are taken to the fortress that they'd previously witnessed firing on the Nightmare, where they meet with the surviving citizenry of Sundabar. Choosing honesty, if only sticking to pertinent details, they share what they're doing in the city with the dwarves and receive a relatively warm welcome, as warm as could be expected from a group who is barely surviving, that is. The dwarves have retreated to the fortress, where they have been weathering the varying waves of Scourge and Rocs and other onslaughts for some time.

And now, The Nightmare is rallying to attack again. Val'e, Adorenna, and Zheldara do what they can to aid the citizens in their survival, but find themselves attacked from all sides from the Scourge and Isildor's troops, to further loss of townsfolk.

With the Nightmare above the fortress, Isildor is descending with a set of shock troopers as Val'e, Zheldara, and Adorenna watch from the roof. They're surrounded by chaos, with dwarven troops engaging with faceless and more rocs flying in.

They see Kleth's two remaining ships come in, as cannons from the Nightmare are about to fire.

The group scrambles for remaining ballistas on the rooftop, making their way around the fighting to a new roof, and manage to fire on the ship.

Isildor’s troops are on the ground, cutting through the dwarves. Kleth is being very badass and jumps from her ship to the Nightmare. Captain Drozr descends to a rooftop, having taken Cranx back to his own vessel.

Momentarily free from the threat of the Nightmare, the group questions townsfolk (Val'es blessing greases the wheel) for how they can find their way into the castle, where Isildor is clearly headed. They're directed to the commander, who they then help free up as he and his men are being attacked on all sides.

Entering the castle with the commander, the group dispatch remaining faceless and the dwarven troops move to reinforce, after putting civilians into cellars.

A mechanical voice that says forge has been overheated and that the heat level is 3.

An extremely badass dwarf appears -- Thoradin! He sees Val'e and thanks him for what he had done saving the forges, that he could never repay him. Thoradin clearly thinks our Val'e is the other Vale. Thoradin then gets into a crazy badass exoskeleton and goes into the throne room with his troops to fight Isildor and his people.

Talking to Thoradin's second in command, who'd lingered behind, the group learns that the hall basically functions as a giant cannon.

And so ensues an incredible elaborate undertaking to get shit un-fucked enough to be able to truly dispatch the Nightmare.

- Forges are overheating

- Coolant isn't cooling

- Another Val'e is sneaking around through coolant pipes and releasing Rocs

- Thoradin is struggling

- Isildor is healing himself as his people fall

- The group does have a couple of golems and some dwarven engineers though, so that's nice.

After much effort, they manage to fire on the Nightmare. And then they must go through it all again. After two increadibly destructive shots, the Nightmare is finally dispatched, and now there is merely the huge issue of Isildor and his people. And everything else.

Day 32: The Moon Key
Aeryn, Daiga, Nim, and Stelmaria crept into the ruins of Vaerluth, finding shelter from the invisible dragon and mysterious humanoids outside, and immediately stumbled upon a cranium rat, which Nim enticed into a satchel with some rations. The rat, hence known affectionately as Bag Rat, did not exhibit significant intelligence, indicating that it was more or less isolated from others of its kind.

The group explored the ancient ruins, and found them largely waterlogged, overgrown with hazardous crystals, and steeped in strange contaminants. Numerous arcane and technological systems throughout the facility were damaged, and immense toadstools loomed over dilapidated rooms, emanating noxious fumes.

They came upon gargantuan, energized statues of the Dlardrageth, an ancient and ultimately doomed family of Elves, towering above a floor entirely submerged under fetid, glittering floodwater. The statues spoke, and gave rudimentary explanations of the state of the ruins and the systems therein: the drainage system and maintenance unit both lacked power, and the waters were tainted with an unknown toxin, in addition to the debris of arcane crystals of all types: radiant, electric, pyrophoric, and so on.

Nim noticed that the wall behind the statues could be scaled to access a path to the next floor, but failed in his attempt to demonstrate and tumbled into the rancid sewage below. Stelmaria had better luck, using rope and some of Aeryn's pitons to help the others in their ascent, before scouting ahead.

In the room before them, Stelmaria saw a strange, dark creature which moved slowly and eerily on shifting, twisted limbs. When a droplet of water fell upon a nearby metal sheet, the creature leapt at the sound with stunning speed and ferocity. The group came to realize that this creature had originated in the Far Realm, and that for all of its eye-like structures, it was nonetheless blind. Nim threw rocks around it to gauge its behavior: it pounced at each one, even splitting itself into pieces to attack separate targets at once, maintaining neither consistent form nor volume.

Aeryn threw a stone into a large vent leading to a lower floor, and the creature, hence known affectionately as Ray Charles, lunged after it. The group tried to sneak past it during this distraction, but Stelmaria caught its attention: it seized her in its many-fanged maw as it fell into the vent. Daiga managed to free her from its clutches, but not from the wounds and strange contamination it left upon her, before knocking it down into the vent.

The group pressed on and entered a central room with a lift in its center, though the lift was stuck underwater without power one floor below. As they explored the adjacent halls, they came across a familiar corpse, and caught a glimpse of its last moments: long ago, Daiga had given Caelyn the key to the ruins and told her to flee, just as darkness swept in and countless blades converged on him. The gashes still marked the walls, and his decayed cadaver... but his armor was still in decent shape, so the still-living incarnation of Daiga pilfered it -- it's not grave-robbing if it's your own body, right?

They eventually discovered defunct controls for the various systems of the facility, which Nim was able to repair somewhat, enabling them to power some systems. They decided to power the drainage system instead of the maintenance unit, and to use the remaining power to activate the lift.

Unfortunately, draining the shaft revealed that the lift was stuck beneath crystal growths and debris (which the maintenance unit would have been able to drain and clear, had they activated it). Nim deployed a controlled detonation to clear the lift, which worked, but also resulted in a burst of airborne contaminants engulfing the group.

They took the lift to the upper floor.

The group came to an observatory, with statues of succubi at the entrance: to avoid extinction, the last members of House Dlardrageth wed and bred with demons. The observatory gazed out into many realms and worlds -- perhaps this is how they found those demons in the first place. As the group peered through the various telescopes and lenses, they noticed two tethers of energy stretching from Vaerluth into distant lands: one seemed connected to Sundabar, but the other twisted off aimlessly into the Far Realm, and was likely the path Ray Charles had come by.

In searching what remained of the records of the place, the group came to a realization: this facility, the tethers, and the energy conducted between them were the Moon Key, and the second tether would need to be redirected to activate it. Three celestial bodies would need to align, and the tether would need to terminate its arc in the third and largest: a swirling vortex of energy.

However, the tether could only be controlled from the navigation room, which was under lockdown so long as the facility remained filled with contaminants.

Bag Rat began to speak, apparently close enough now to its kin to express intellect, saying that it would confer with them on whether the group could be trusted, and act accordingly. Bag Rat left and returned shortly, agreeing to lead the group to the other cranium rats, remembering the previous encounter the group had had with their kind.

Bag Rat led the group into a control room where the rats huddled. They explained that there was a breach in an adjacent control room which was letting the contaminants into the facility. The breach could only be sealed from within that room, which was filled with those contaminants that, like Ray Charles, had originated in the Far Realm, and were extremely dangerous.

Nim tried to use one of his drones to seal the breach remotely, but it failed and needed to be recovered. Daiga, having sustained the least contamination so far, volunteered to seal the breach. He succeeded, and Stelmaria gathered Nim's drone.

The navigation room opened.

Within it, the group found the controls and records pertaining to the use of the tethers. They needed to determine two things: when the celestial bodies would align, and when to launch the tether so that its path would terminate in the vortex. To solve this riddle, they needed to employ the darkest and most feared of all magics: Math.

They determined that the moons and the vortex would align in 18 days, and the tether would take 3 days to connect, so they set it to deploy in 15 days time. If correct, the Moon Key should activate in 18 days, unlocking the secrets beyond the Barrow Tree in Sundabar then.

Though pleased with their conclusion, the group remained in a difficult predicament: an invisible dragon still circled the ruin they now occupied, and the Far Realm contamination began to wreak its havoc on them, as Nim's once precise and nimble fingers mutated into sickly claws.

Day 33: More Sundabar
After cutting of Isidor’s source to his forces and shooting down the nightmare, the group enters the throne room where Isidor faces off with Thoradin. It's a difficult battle, with Isildor draining his fellow fighters to heal himself. A death knight enters the fray. When the group is able to dispatch the death knight, Isildor escapes. Thankfully, Thoradin lives and passes on a key to the forges, taking a moment to bond with Val'e over their shared heroism.

Reaching the forges, the group is warned by the forge master (a giant iron golem) that the area is restricted. Ignoring its warnings, the group proceeds ahead. Delicately moving forward, as they encounter plumes of everfire and lava, they manage to reach a bridge.

Zheldara is overcome with a memory of her own death. Pursuing Val'e in the past to this point, Thoradin pre-occupied, Val'e knowing she was pursuing him. Searing pain. He triggered the everfire eruption to kill her.

Furious, she attacks Val'e. He threatens to kill her if she ever does so again. She tells him that he can fuck off, that he killed her. That it's ridiculous that he threatens death in response to a deserved attack. They argue and Captain Drozr thinks they're crazy. Zheldara tells him to talk to Kleth. Adorenna reassures him.

After more progress through the hazards of the forges, they reach doors inscribed with runes. In the presence of Val'e (his blood, most accurately), the doors move and they are able to enter.

"Welcome, revenants." says a voice. Vale's voice.

Moving through his workshop, the group encounters a destroyed elemental engine. Adorenna is overcome with a memory of her own death, being chained to the engine, working with Rex... tricking him and sabotaging the engine and killing all of them. Val'e, in the memory, is pushed into the Far Realm. Adorenna in the moment chooses to not share much and the others choose to not press her.

Moving onwards, they find more devices. The voice of Val'e speaks of tethers, pathways once traversed by an elvin house -- who so poorly understood the extend of their power. More about crystal imprinting.

In Val'e's chanmbers, the heads of the matron mothers exist, kept alive, on stakes. They converse with Val'e. There is a scrying chamber, pointed into the Vaelruth ruins. Val'e finds hide armor constructed from his dead siblings. Val'e has issues.

They continue on, and enter into a hall filled with hundreds of Val'es. All so still, save for one, out of phase, standing at the end of the hall on a raised dais. He greets the group amenably, and they speak, about how they have done this so many times before. And there are huge spoilers from this point on that will be added when y'all do the next session.

Day 34: The Sacrosanctum
The group's math seemed to be correct, the trajectory was locked in place, and the tether was set to deploy, and yet it was failing. With time running out, the group consulted with the immense statuary bust that served as the control unit for the facility (AKA Olmec, who only seemed to respect Aeryn due to her Elven heritage, and had extremely problematic views toward the other races). They gathered that crystals had grown into an important gear mechanism and were obstructing them from solving the tether issue. The crystals had to be removed.

But the crystals were unstable and dangerous, and the group was hesitant to handle them. However, the cranium rats they'd met previously had quite enjoyed the energies radiating from the crystals, and might be able to provide assistance. They consulted with the rats, who requested payment in the form of something useful. Aeryn at first tried to sell them on fire kits, but they were unimpressed. Once she offered them the sleek, ergonomic alternative of a Wand of Fireball +2, though, her natural saleswomanship won them over (though they nearly caused some damage just testing out the merchandise). The rats took the wand, and broke apart and removed the offending crystals.

The group was able to proceed into a room filled with stasis pods, supposedly containing soldiers for an assault on Hellgate Keep that never came to pass, and an unstable portal whose mechanisms showed signs of sabotage. Nim (his hands now mutated into claws, severely limiting his dexterity) used an automaton to adjust the crystalline mechanism that controlled the portal until it stabilized somewhat (briefly), and threw some rope through to test that it was safe before the group traversed it. Aeryn's device seemed to pick up a signal through the portal from Sacrosangre.

They came to what seemed like a small fragment of a world that had shattered long ago, covered in strange flora and fungal life, drifting through the Far Realm. Some of the plants had potentially beneficial magical properties, but were often too close to the fungal haze to safely collect. As the group proceeded, they found a dark hole with some kind of shadow creature inside and crept by silently.

Finally they came to a structure next to the tether's terminal, which was locked by an unknown mechanism. It was difficult to get into the structure due to the fungi near its narrow entrance. Stelmaria was the first to enter, scouting a bit while the others made their way

They found a laboratory-like workshop inside that hadn't been used for some time, with a statue of Lady Victoria obscured by a large drawing board. Aeryn froze when she saw the notes written upon the board, seemingly in Sacrosangre's hand -- it appeared that he was searching for a way to stabilize and fix the world, and came time and time again to one inexorable conclusion: when two gods of opposing energies bloodlines intersect, the resulting offspring would have to be sacrificed. The only such offspring he noted were his own children, Amelie and Nathaniel, descended from Shar on his side, and Selune on Victoria's side.

Stelmaria happened to find a secret note indicating a different potential sacrifice, descended from Tempus on the paternal side and Chauntea on the maternal: Stelmaria herself. She pocketed this note, and revealed its existence only to Daiga.

They further explored the sanctuary and found Sacrosangre's phylactery, where he would resurrect if killed. They also determined that it could be used to summon him, though he might not take kindly to their presence in his secret hideout.

In another room they found an incarnation of Victoria, frozen in stasis, in what appeared to be a makeshift medical facility.

Finally, they came to a room with a large orb displaying different worlds -- or more accurately, different versions of the same world. Only in two of them was the world whole and stable: one where the world was ensconced in shadow, and one where it radiated with vibrant, green light. These seemed to represent the two possible outcomes of Sacrosangre's proposed sacrifices, though Stelmaria and Daiga were the only members of the group to know of the second such potential sacrifice (Stelmaria herself).

In this room, there was also a portal. It appeared to be a one-way trip, and likely would lead to wherever Sacrosangre was. However, the group was still not certain how to unlock the tether.

Aeryn suggested touching the phylactery in an attempt to summon Sacrosangre, and to question him about his doings here, and how to unlock the tether. The others, however, were concerned that Sacrosangre would be furious at intruders in this space and immediately attack, regardless of who they were. Nim preferred to release the frozen Victoria from stasis, which the group decided to do.

Unfortunately, Victoria didn't seem to know much about the tether, or their location. Sacrosangre seemed to have taken her from a timeline during the battle between Pharys and Aeryn at Valinir. It seemed that he had taken many different Victorias from this time, trying to save Nathaniel as well. Records indicated that only once did a Victoria successfully produce a living child here.

Eventually the group realized they could divert power from the portal to the locking mechanism to free the tether (I think? I'm spacing here tbh), and did so before walking into the tether... and emerging into a large room filled with rows upon rows of Vales, with one on a platform above the rest, out of phase, who greeted them ominously.

Day 35: The Valédictatorian
(Alternate title: Victoria's Visit Vivisects Valé's Villainous Velleity)

(Alternate alternate title: You get a Valé! and you get a Valé! and you get a Valé!)

As Adorenna, Valé, Zheldara, and Sky Captain (and the World of Tomorrow!) spoke with Valé-Prime, the other group emerged from the tether -- though Victoria had taken ill, and remained inside for longer.

Valé-Prime taunted the group, hinting at a plan to repair the world, and that only those who would serve his plan would survive. He had gone through the same events over and over waiting for an outcome that could lead to success, and finally believed events had unfolded the proper way. And he was adamant that there was only one such way.

Aeryn disputed him, saying that there was another way: they saw two possibilities for a healed world in Sacrosangre's laboratory, one ensconced in shadow, one bathed in green energy. But when Valé-Prime asked for proof of the second possibility, Aeryn couldn't provide any. Stelmaria could, but she remained silent.

The Sundabar group asked what the solutions Aeryn referred to were, and she explained that the sacrifice of the union of two opposed gods' bloodlines could stabilize the world. She never actually said that Amelie and Nathaniel represented such a union, and I'm not sure that Valé-Prime did either, but suddenly everyone knew that... I kind of think we fucked up at separating character knowledge from player knowledge here, but whatever.

Valé-Prime asserted that a ready solution was preferable to an unknown one, and revealed that the fruition of the shadow world and the revival of Shar were the goals of both Valés. He also began tampering with the minds of members of the group, successfully swaying Zheldara to his side, but only irritating Daiga. Meanwhile, his Valé-minions dragged in another Valé to be operated on in the next room.

Then something strange happened. Some members of the group noticed an echo of things to come, and saw Victoria come through the tether, retch up darkness, and morph into something horrible.

And Victoria emerged from the tether.

Adorenna had seen the vision, and went to knock Victoria back into the tether. Aeryn hadn't, and tackled Adorenna to protect Victoria. This proved to be a mistake: the vision came true, and Victoria began to change into something they'd seen before: the Affliction, the embodiment of destruction which they had seen destroy another world when they first visited the monastery. Sickly red vines reminiscent of the Far Realm began to sprout around her.

Valé-Prime abandoned his frayed, out-of-phase body in favor of another Valé, while having six of his minions drag the group's Valé into the operating room. Valé was unable to escape, and Aeryn was unable to reach him to help. Zheldara, meanwhile, was totally on-board with the plan, and Adorenna thought that, given the circumstances, it wasn't worth her attention -- she instead decided to charge a shadow stone in order to make modifications to Valé-Prime's elemental engine, hoping to siphon power away from The VictoriAffliction.

Though Aeryn initially tried to free Valé, and tried to convince Zheldara not to slay him, her mind fell under Valé-Prime's influence and she became complicit in the murder. Zheldara decided to compel one of the other Valé's to kill Valé, but failed, which Valé-Prime interpreted as betrayal. He took control of her and drove her to slice Valé's throat, then took over the now empty body.

During the commotion, Sky Captain deserted the group without them even noticing, while Stelmaria caught a glimpse of her mother in one of the many crystals around the room.

Released from Valé-Prime's influence, Aeryn offered him a temporary truce, and extended her hand. He ignored her, so she gave him a light punch on the shoulder -- which allowed her to use Oath of the Relentless Hunter (or whatever), giving her the ability to track his exact location indefinitely so long as they were on the same plane (otherwise, she would only know which plane he was on).

Adorenna enlisted Nim and Zheldara to help her modify the elemental engine. Nim deployed a tether -- I mean, like, a rope -- to the ceiling, and used it to get enough height to reach the top of the engine, but was unwieldy, swinging about aimlessly. Adorenna attempted to help, and the two of them were knocked down onto the engine.

Valé managed to glean a key piece of information from Daiga's mind: Stelmaria's lineage and potential as a sacrifice. Daiga warned Stelmaria of the danger, but when Valé became mired in the destructive energy of The VictoriAffliction, Stelmaria made a deal with him: to help him so long as he would protect her. After some nudging, he agreed.

The gateway began to open, and Aeryn made her way toward it, realizing that the blackness pooling about The VictoriAffliction was taking form. As it grew, it sprouted eyes, and became more aware and menacing. Aeryn tried to warn Adorenna, Nim, and Zheldara, who were too focused on their work to notice, but Valé interrupted her ability to call out to them. She glared angrily at him and leapt closer to the tether.

Valé tried to blind the creature by creating a cover of darkness. However, Aeryn saw the specter of her sister asking for help, lost in the dark. She threw a sunrod into the air to cut through the blackness.

Adorenna saw the flash, and then the creature looming over the engine. She created a barrier of flames around herself and the other two on the engine, and quickly finished their work.

With the engine ready and the portal opening, the group rushed toward the tether. At the last second, Aeryn tried to push Valé back toward The VictoriAffliction, but he escaped her and had two of his minions restrain her. She was able to teleport from their grasp into the tether with him and the others.

Within the tether, Aeryn chided Zheldara for betraying Lovelace's memory by agreeing to sacrifice Amelie, which she had intended to do WAY earlier when it first came up and would have actually made more sense, but then everything went nuts and she didn't really have an opportunity until this point.

The group, and a handful of minion Valés, would later emerge from the tether into the vicinity of Hellgate Keep, perpetually locked in the moments leading up to the Cataclysm.