Tombs of Scoria: Episode 76

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== Synopsis ==
After Anton's disappearance, the McGary brothers and Shine search Xorathis's lair in Mahtava for clues but find none. They decide to consult Arc Sombar and the Clerics in The Capital. Arc Sombar advises Tyrael on how to locate Anton. Meanwhile, Imrik seeks aid from the cleric Wendy and Strawberry, who suggest contacting Velthara. As Tyrael collects scrolls from Arc Sombar and attempts to gather more resources, he learns from the Elven ambassador about the seer Atropos on the island of Bravo. The party travels to Bravo, finding Atropos in a cave where she demands a grotesque offering—either Tyrael's arm or a newborn baby—in exchange for her assistance. Despite Shine's objections, Tyrael and Imrik deliberate on how to proceed, faced with the dire choice of meeting Atropos's demands or abandoning their quest to rescue Anton.
==Recap==
===2nd October, 1513===
With Anton gone, 2 McGary brothers and Shine return to the lair of Xorathis in Mahtava to find any additional information, but find none. They agree to go to The Capital and talk to and the Clerics. 
Tyrael meet Arc Sombar and The Queen. Arc Sombar says Anton could be anywhere, and she has to consult her notes. The Queen tells Tyrael that slaying Scoria is the priority. They postpone the meeting.
Imrik goes to talk to the cleric of Velthara, Wendy. She points him to . He teleports to the Keep to talk to her and asks her to speak to Velthara. Strawberry doubts the goddess will help, but she will make it her life's mission. She tells Imrik to find someone to cast and . 
Tyrael returns to Arc Sombar, she says that noone ever found lost items, but it's different with people. She suggests contacting some outer planer entity, some type of a demi-god, with a spell. Tyrael should find a great diviner or a great conjurer, she knows of none. He picks up along the way to talk to Shine. 
Shine has a sorceress acquaintance she could speak to, but she would need to be gone for a few weeks. Vega mentions an old seer woman, a fairytale, Atropos, a blind elf, living on the island of Bravo. 
===3rd October, 1513===
Imrik casts 4 times, no reply. 
Tyrael talks to , Cleric of Nadinis. She cannot cast the spell and knows of no one that is close to that level except for Van Healsing, whose location is currently unknown. He continues to the Elven ambassador. He asks about travel between planes and the seer Atropos. The ambassador points him to the Lord of Dreams.
Imrik talks to Sombar, she tells him that discovering the magics to find Anton would take a lot of time. She implies Anton is most likely dead. 
Tyrael and Imrik rejoin, Imrik looks for spells, Tyrael finds Arc Sombar to get scrolls of , she has 1. They go to Mahtava to demand 3 more. They are escorted into the castle with heavy guards around them. Tyrael asks for scrolls of Locate Creature and some other scrolls that could help defeat Scoria. Alexandra Gorhilt requests one evening with Shine in return. 
They give Shine the Amulet of Recall, cast on her ring and send her to Mahtava. 
Imrik looks into the teleportation runes at the end of the book, decides against it. He tries to learn the spell, 9 days later, he fails. Meanwhile, Tyrael meets with the ambassador and asks to speak to their seer. Ambassador agrees to get their Seer to Wikkthronrarenta in 9 days. 
When Shine returns from her trip to Mahtava, she notifies Tyrael that she and the Queen had a talk, they didn't pry into their affairs or cast any spells. 
Imrik tries to use every day, no answer.
===12th October, 1512===
The Elven Seer has arrived. The seer needs information about Anton, the seer can check if Anton is in some of the convenient places. After a long time of question, the Seer casts 3 spells, the last two are : and Shadow Gate?. He uses a crystal ball, nothing. He concludes Anton is alive but beyond reach. They need to speak to something that plane-shifts, something powerful and ancient. 
If they are willing to risk everything to find their brother, seer directs them to find Atropos, she exists on Bravo, in the ruins of Nekkraut, in the White Butte mountains. 
They decide to go. 
The elves urge them to stay, but they decline. 
===20th October, 1513===
They ride shine to the island of Bravo, to the White Butte mountains. Imrik recalls what he knows about Nekkraut and Divan. At the same time, Arcadia was broken, Nekkraut was destroyed. They land on the peak. 
Shine climbs them down to the area that has animals, so Imrik casts for den of Atropos. The compass points them east. Imrik casts , the eyes return and find nothing.
===21st October, 1513===
Imrik recasts the spell, and they follow the compass. Few hours later, he recasts , 2 return with visions of the lair. Imrik into a unicorn and brings them to the lair.
The party arrives at the lair of Atropos. At the back of the cave, they see an old, haggard woman with white eyes dressed in rags. Atropos calls out to the party, complaining how hungry she is, and that she has not eaten in quite some time. Atropos asks the party questions while continuing to inhale the vapors from the cracks within the cave, and mostly answers the questions herself, seemingly already knowing the answers. Atropos addresses Shine, seeming amused that the Brothers would bring the "coward" with them. Shine does not answer. 
Atropos claims she can help the party, but requires food before proceeding. Atropos tells Tyrael she would love to eat an arm, specifically his arm, as she runs her fingers along Tyrael and begins to remove his glove. Tyrael pulls his arm back, asking whether there was anything else they could feed her. In place of Tyrael's arm, Atropos says she also would accept a newborn baby as an offering, noting the younger the newborn the tastier. Imrik casts to conjure a newborn baby in an attempt to trick Atropos, but Atropos immediately sees through it and seems amused by the Brothers' attempted deception. Atropos taunts Tyrael, finding his behavior surprising as he claims he would give anything for his family. After more arguing, Atropos dismisses the party, saying to either bring food or be gone. 
The party leaves the cave, promising Atropos something to eat. Imrik captures some of the vapors in an empty vial. Tyrael uses the Ring of True Seeing, and sees that Atropos radiates an overwhelming evil with a power greater than anything he has ever seen. 
The party deliberates. Shine vehemently opposes the idea of giving Atropos a child, but Tyrael says there is no other option. Shine pleads with him to sacrifice an arm or to just turn back and leave Anton to his fate, but is ignored. Shine then appeals to Imrik's sense of goodness, but Imrik also replies there is no other way, and that they must save Anton or else everything is lost. 
Category:Tombs of Scoria Episodes