Age of the Dragon: Chapter 3

### Altenberg

During the following three days, the members of our party each went off on their ventures, some of them choosing to relax whilst others set to work preparing for what lies ahead. Korvius, true to his word, managed to procure the items that the party requested as well as some information regarding Parascent. Chulz and Okeanos also took part in a few fist fights, where Chulz once again began to notice the effects of his inner beast as he began to notice a sense of disgust as well as a predatory hunger that seemed to linger along the edges of his psyche. The two of them also met the orc fighter, Crusher who gave the two of them a good beating, earning him Okeanos’ respect. So much so, that Okeanos gave the orc his room at the Stormlord’s Gambit, having decided to recruit the orc into the crew. With Rojer’s approval, Okeanos offered Crusher a position on the crew, a position that the orc happily accepted. Crusher later accompanied by Katherine and two other potential crew mates booked passage south along the river along their way to Freyen.

As they were preparing to depart, the rest of the party were approached by the cleric Magnus, who thanked them for their help whilst insisting that he present them to the Lady Brack. The party reluctantly accepted with some of them being taken up to the castle where they got their first real taste of court. Here they were showered with gifts and praise, with the lady naming them heroes of Lauronne and friends of House Brack. What many would consider to be an occasion for celebration, proved to be anything but that for the party, with those present unable to shake a feeling of unease, especially upon noticing the copper dragonborn that stood just a few feet to the side of Lady Brack. In fact, Atlas and Thomas, noticed that much of the court seemed to be eyeing the party cautiously, with many of the Lady Brack’s words seeming to be extremely well rehearsed but to what end? None of them could truly find that out, although they did note that there was a great deal of interest at the mention that Count Helmut would be passing through Altenberg in the coming days. Now uncomfortable, the party began to make their way out of the castle, where Tommy was sought out by Byron who revealed that he and his rangers were approached by an emissary shortly after the party left the Three Points Inn, with the figure who Thomas recognized to be Vincent Krom offering them their lives in exchange for the party’s an offer that Byron swore was rejected. This knowledge left Thomas understandably worried, as it became all too apparent that the shadow demon was not done with them yet.

### Lauronne Countryside

Finally ready to depart, the party set off along the path east towards Parascent, with Atlas opening up to Okeanos about his past. The tortle revealed that he had spent most of his life as a navigator on a ship, however, recently he and his crew had been attacked by the raiders of the seafather, who were accompanied by various frog-like monstrosities. Atlas was the only survivor having been spared and left adrift. Atlas clearly harboured guilt for what had happened and also a fair deal of hatred towards the raiders, vowing to hunt them down and enact his vengeance. Okeanos shared his sentiment, and the two of them swore an oath that they would work together to hunt them down. Their journey eastwards took them two days, at the end of which they finally came across the Twin Keeps that led into Aquille and caught sight of the military cordon that encircled the region.

### The Twin Keeps of Aquille

The party were led into the Twin Keeps where they met the Arcanum agent, Brynden Horst. Brynden informed them of the situation within Parascent and during a briefing they learned that a battalion marched into the region but was ambushed by a horde of undead and elven rangers. He also informed them that one of the infantrymen had survived but had been transferred to the dungeons as the boy had proven to be a danger to himself and those around him. Descending into the dungeons, the party proceeded to interrogate the deranged boy, with Rojer peering into his mind. In doing this, Rojer learned that the soldiers succumbed to some form of insanity and began killing each other. Those that died rose as gibbering corpses soon after, attacking their former comrades, from what Rojer could gleam the elves attacked shortly after but he was doubtful if they were directly involved with what happened. Peering deeper he discerned something else, he discovered that whatever this was, was linked to what the party had encountered in the depths of Voralsdum, with Bruno now screaming that it was watching them.

The party didn’t much appreciate this cryptic message and so left the dungeons and reported back to Brynden in order to begin enacting their plan to cross into Aquille without arousing suspicion from any spies. The party formulated a plan wherein they would be jailed for assaulting Brynden after which they would escape during a public execution the following day. The plan went off without complications, with the party being taken into the dungeons below. Their stay in the dungeons was short lived however, as a few hours into the night they were approached by the infiltrator, who excitedly helped them escape and cross the River Ravenne. Elated by this stroke of fortune, they complied and escaped into a small pier beneath the keeps, here they found a small boat and used it to cross the river, finally crossing into the region.

### Modfeld

The next day they embarked on their journey along the main road, informing Brynden of what had happened using the Sending Spell and eventually coming up on the village of Modfeld early in the evening. The village was eerily deserted, a strange effect prevalent within it where their senses seemed to be dulled with their hearing muffled apart from a persistent thrum which began to grow louder and louder. The thrum entranced Atlas, Chulz and Okeanos who found themselves drawn toward the Modfeld chapel, the rest of the party did their best to stop their friends but were unable to do much as they all eventually reached the chapel. None of them were prepared for the horror that awaited them there, as they were faced by a horrifying alien creature. A bloody battle ensued, a battle that claimed the lives of Atlas, Okeanos and Rojer, and ultimately ended with the alien creature escaping with Reyna’s unconscious body in tow. Chulz and Tommy, now the last surviving members of the party, took a moment to compose themselves amidst the deafening silence, they picked through the mutilated remains of their comrades and carried them to the outskirts of the village, now at a loss on what they could do. They eventually decided on burying their fallen, as they were hard at work doing this, the duo noticed the familiar figure of Artemis. He offered Chulz a boon, claiming that he owed his father a favour, he explained that this boon was a one-time deal, but he could very well use it to attempt to resurrect them, giving those willing another chance at life. Chulz accepted and Artemis began the slow ritual, at the end of which, Atlas and Okeanos were successfully brought back to life. Artemis explained that Rojer’s soul was unwilling and then disappeared but not before telling Chulz that his time was running out. After this a grieving Thomas buried Rojer by the side of a stream, all the while aware that this was only the beginning.

### Aquille Countryside

*The survivors of the party’s ordeal within the chapel were left to pick up the pieces and decide their next move, the grieved for their lost comrades and tended to the wounds of those still unconscious before finally deciding to settle in for the night. The next morning, the four survivors decided to press on with their mission, if only to honour their fallen. Coming to the outskirts of an abandoned imperial camp, sneaking in Tommy noticed one of the alien creatures, heavily wounded and crawling through the encampment, he also noticed two kegs of black powder which he deemed might come in useful. The party recovered the kegs and used one of them to finish off the alien creature. After this, they decided to avoid the road and instead began passing through the countryside, now noticing the pillar of light over the horizon that seemed to incite a strange feeling of hope, regardless however, their journey was still a sombre one, with the party eventually coming across a caravan of refugees. The party spent the night with them before deciding to accompany them to Parascent the following day. The party reached the holy city, with Okeanos especially being stunned by its beauty and grandeur.*

### Parascent

The city was overflowing with refugees, with a varied mix of races slowly but surely streaming inside. The party parted ways with the caravan and then headed off inside, deciding to make their way to the Smiling Harpy Tavern where they met Brynden’s informant, Lydia. Lydia informed the party that she had valuable information and a few ways of entry into Parascent’s keep, however, before she would divulge specific details, she’d need the party to find something for her. It was at this point that another associate entered the scene as Sienna finally joined the meeting, seemingly having business with Lydia. Lydia explained that north of the city was an old ruin that previously been inhabited by necromancers, she believed that this ruin was the source of the alien creatures in the region which she referred to as Astral Spawn. Lydia required an artefact, which she described as a chain veil that was lost within the temple, she also explained to Sienna that her target was also inside it and hoped that the party would be able to work together to make it into the depths. She also noticed that Atlas, Chulz and Okeanos had seemingly been infected by the astral undead during their fight, and they would eventually turn into astral undead themselves in a month’s time. She offered that as part of their deal she could cure them of their ailment, although she’d need time to gather the necessary components.

Okeanos and Thomas questioned her as to why she needed the veil, and Lydia revealed that her patron dabbled in necromancy which the party did not take to kindly. No real agreement was reached by the end of the conversation, as Lydia bid them farewell and headed up to her room. A short discussion amidst the party followed at which point Okeanos decided to ask Lydia directly what her patron wanted with the artefact, him and Thomas made their way up to her room, where Okeanos explained how he was uncertain on the morality of handing an artefact such as this over to a necromancer. Hearing this, Lydia asked him about his moral feelings regarding the killing of mages who sought only freedom and individuals who wanted to merely practice their own faith. This question shattered Okeanos’ view on what the party was doing, and caused a internal crisis for Okeanos who finally realized just what he’d signed up for. Regardless, Lydia told them that she was unsure as to what the artefact did, only that it was necessary to hold back the great tides of the abyss. Okeanos and Thomas, headed back down and eventually found an overpriced room in one of the many taverns throughout the city, most of which were full.

Okeanos, still not sure what he was doing, decided to go for a walk to clear his head, during this walk he found himself drawn to the grand cathedral where a sermon was about to be held. Listening in, he found himself somewhat comforted and inspired by the archbishop’s words although he couldn’t quite explain why. After the sermon was over he approached the archbishop and had a short discussion with him about the moralities and mistakes of the rebellion, with the archbishop noting that Okeanos seemed lost and troubled. Okeanos came close to revealing everything to the archbishop, before finally settling on asking him on what he could do to help the rebellion, to which the archbishop offered to introduce him to Ser Henri du Bec and Veyleth Voss. The two parted ways shortly after with the archbishop finally introducing himself as Archbishop Philippe, who was one of the party’s targets.

Okeanos returned to the inn, and took his long rest, with the party gathering the following morning to meet with Sienna. Whilst they did not technically accept Lydia’s offer, they chose to enter the temple if only to question the lich after which they would help Sienna kill him. And so the party set off, the journey to the temple was a quiet one, as they entered the lightly wooded forest to the north and eventually reached the site late into the afternoon. Looking at the temple itself, it was clear that the place had once been some form of knightly priory, although it now resembled more of an abandoned fort. As the party observed the area, they noticed a group of figures making their way inside, with the familiar figure of Barb-Tail at the front, who then disappeared past the gates.

### Temple of the Undying King

The members of the party began setting themselves up and combat ensued where the party managed to defeat most of the kobolds, as well as meet the elven warrior, Elise who had managed to sneak into the ruins as well. The party entered the temple proper and encountered Barb-Tail who managed to escape but not before summoning a demon from the abyss, something that immediately caught Sienna’s attention. The party quickly dispatched of the demon, however, the passage sealed behind the kobold mage, giving him a head start on them. The party then decided to follow Barb-Tail, reopening the passage, and descending into the depths.

Eventually reaching a crossroads, Okeanos noticed a spectral skeletal figure heading down one of the paths and decided to follow him. This pathway led to another floor which seemed to be in an abysmal state of disrepair, with broken doors and collapsed doorways. Various undead prowled the empty rooms, with Tommy finding a massive ghoul wandering about. In the centre of this floor stood a rotting tree that was similar to the trees within the blackthorn grove. Okeanos attempted to commune with it and upon failing to do so, he proceeded to clear out the astral corruption that surrounded the tree. Upon burning parts of it, the corruption seemed to react, as the entire party was subject to a psychic scream that left many of them exhausted. Those affected now began to see dozens of humanoid shadows throughout the ruin. Okeanos once more attempted to commune with the grove, this time receiving a response from the tree which seemed to have been isolated from the rest of the grove. Once more he received a cryptic warning mentioning a parasite, however much of what the tree said made little sense, one thing was clear however, it was in pain.

Pressing onwards, the party planned and successfully executed an ambush on the ghoul, defeating it with relative ease. As the party prepared to proceed further, Okeanos absent-mindedly stepped on a symbol resembling a red eye that had been painted on the ground, as soon as he did so he was once more assaulted by whatever lingered in this ruin, this time noting that those humanoid shadows had taken notice of him with all of them now watching him intently. With most of them exhausted, they decided that it would be best to rest for the night, setting up beside the rotting tree. Before taking their rest, the party had a short talk where Sienna divulged a bit more about herself, revealing that she had fought in the blood war and was working for devils.

This revelation understandably caused a bit of tension within the party, although Sienna seemed not to mind it much. Regardless, of their reservations, the party settled in for their long rests, setting up watches throughout the night, it was during his watch that Okeanos heard voices echoing through the halls, and looked on as a duo of humanoid individuals made their way into the clearing, seemingly oblivious to the party’s presence. Now on guard, Okeanos proceeded to rouse the rest of the party from their slumber, but none of them could see these two individuals. The two figures eventually disappeared into one of the hallways, and the rest of the party continued with the rest, with all of them a bit more on edge. The rest of his watch passed by uneventfully, however, as Okeanos crawled into his bedroll he once more caught sight of the spectral skeleton, now standing silently along the edges of the clearing. It raised a single bony finger, pointing in the direction that the duo had taken before Okeanos heard a shrill scream followed by a single gunshot.

After taking a long rest, the party continued exploring eventually coming to an obelisk that was locked within a trapped room, upon closer inspection Thomas noted that the traps had been set up in a haphazard fashion, as if they were set in a hurry. Tommy pried out a small triangular coin from the obelisk which then promptly shattered to reveal a monstrous creature that had been sealed within. Sienna quickly recognized the creature to be a glabrezu, a greater demon from the abyss. A battle ensued, with the demon seemingly confused as to what was happening, however still managing to summon a few other demons to aid it. Ultimately, the wounded glabrezu polymorphed into a rat and managed to escape, heading deeper into the ruins.

The party now realizing that the situation had gotten more complicated, took a short rest and descended further, heading down the winding staircase to the next level. Here they found themselves in a labyrinth and were immediately assaulted by a horde of skeletons and giant spiders, an arduous battle ensued where the party and thanks to some strategic positioning and no small amount of luck managed to hold their own and defeat them. Already quite tired from the exertion, the party pressed on, exploring the labyrinth, and facing the other creatures that dwelt within, some they fought others they managed to pass by, as they did however, the oppressive force that lingered within these halls seemed to grow more and more pronounced, with some of the party members showing visible signs of mutation.

Chulz, Okeanos, and Sienna were all affected in some way and with this in mind they pressed on, eventually reaching a large hall lined with various rotting wooden benches and the corpses of many fallen adventurers. One of them caught Chulz’s eye as, he noted that nestled beside one of the benches was the skeletal corpse of a dragonborn holding an ornate longsword, adorned with runic scripture and distinct draconic imagery. He recognized the sword as most likely being the weapon that Artemis required, and upon grabbing it felt a surge of power rush into him as the runic scripture began to glow brightly. After this, they continued a bit further onwards along the path, and finally came to a door lined with various magic runes, into which fitted the key that Lydia gave them. Upon opening the door they found themselves in a small vault with an assortment of treasure, from coins to a few items haphazardly set about. On a podium at the other end of the hall stood the chain veil that Lydia required, however Sienna was focused on the set of blackened plate armour that sat on display alongside a golden shield inlaid with various infernal glyphs. The plate she immediately recognized to be that worn by the Narzugon hell knights, the shield she did not recognize although she was certain that it was some artefact from the hells.

Choosing to recover these artefacts she was contacted by a mysterious voice who revealed himself to be Agarron, a warlord of Infernus and servant to Qonhar. He revealed that he had been entrapped within the shield by the servants of the demon lord Dagon, and that it was imperative that he return to the hells as he possessed important information for Qonhar. Sienna agreed to help him, and Agarron offered to purge the corruption from her body and grant her a bit of his power, which she eagerly accepted, beginning the process of attuning to the shield. In the meantime, the rest of the party decided to loot the rest of the treasure, storing most of the coins inside a bag of holding that they found, whilst Tommy got to work examining the items they found. Sienna attuned to the artefact, with Agarron successfully purging her of the astral corruption.

Exhausted from the slew of battles, the party decided to take a long rest within the vault, during which Chulz and Okeanos were contacted by the astral presence that lingered within the ruins. The conversation they had with the presence was a strange one, the alien presence was hard to truly keep track of, switching from one discussion to another, first welcoming them and then exclaiming that they would be witness to the birth of a herald. At one point they were approached by the spectral figure that they had seen throughout their time within the ruins, the figure seemingly as lost as them, switching between personalities and unable to maintain any sense of coherence. The dream ended when the astral presence finally questioned them as to whether they were aware that they were hosts to the parasite, with it granting Chulz to peer beyond the veil, noticing three eyed ravens perched on both his and Okeanos’ shoulders.

The two of them were awoken with a start, Chulz’s eyes having now turned a deep red. With this newly acquired gift, Chulz noticed that each member of the party apart from Atlas had a similar raven perched on their shoulders, and just beyond the edges of the door he noticed various monstrous creatures watching him and the rest of the party intently. Following this, the party began to hear the sound of muffled speech echo throughout the darkness, this continued throughout the final hours of their rest before finally falling completely silent.

The party had little time to react before Agarron pointed out that the fungal growth seemed to have taken a darker appearance its white colour now replaced with rotted black. Now certain that there was little time to waste the party began rushing through the corridors and deeper into the ruins, into the next level of the dungeon where they heard the voice of the glabrezu demon that they had faced on the upper floors. Having established control, the demon taunted them and opened three portals, unleashing a swarm of demons. A bloody battle ensued, with various demons assaulting the party, utilizing a variety of abilities which culminated with the arrival of a large aquatic demon that placed a debilitating curse on Chulz, stealing away any memories of his father. In the end however, the party managed to beat back the demons, and the party proceeded onwards, coming face to face with Barb-Tail and his guards, who seemed to have also suffered various demonic attacks.

Tensions were high, however, a tenuous accord was reached, the two parties would help each other defeat the demon, Barb-Tail would get the artefact he desired and in exchange he would give them all the information he had about Caius. With a brief alliance secured they opened the final door and descended into the depths, with Elise noting that the party seemed to have entered a cavern within the underdark. In the centre of this cavern stood a structure that seemed to resemble a fort, its walls having long since crumbled. In the centre of this structure was a pulsing chrysalis which radiated that reddish miasma and fused to the outside of the chrysalis was the lich. The party cautiously approached, and as they prepared to strike down the lich they once more heard the booming voice of the demon, the glabrezu now towering before them at the other end of the ruin.

The battle that ensued was a deadly one, and whilst Sienna successfully killed the lich, the glabrezu proved to be too much for the party to handle with the demon claiming the lives of Atlas, Barb-Tail, Okeanos, and Thomas. Pushed to the brink; Chulz, Elise and Sienna elected to try and escape now realizing that they had little chance of defeating the greater demon. Seeing this the demon turned its attention to the chrysalis, tearing through the outer layer, ripping out the newborn and plane shifting away with the creature.

The surviving members still stunned by what had happened decided to carry the bodies of their comrades out of the ruin in the hopes of possibly resurrecting them in Parascent. Meanwhile Elise took the time to loot the lich’s remains finding a ring which seemed to fit her own quarry. Looking through the remnants of the chrysalis Sienna also came across an octahedron which Chulz recognized as being identical to the one that Barb-Tail found in Voralsdum. Stowing it away, they began making their way out of the ruins which had now fallen eerily quiet reaching the surface they were shortly met by a group of kobolds, and the strange dragonborn Julius, who expressed a keen interest in the octahedron that Sienna held, offering them their freedom in exchange for the artefact, apart from Chulz who had yet to pay for what the party had previously done. Strangely enough however, upon noticing that Chulz was heavily wounded, Julius elected to give him a month before challenging him, stating that it would be dishonourable to just kill him in his current wounded state.

Leaving the rest to his kobold followers, he turned to leave, presenting an opening, which Sienna was quick to take, teleporting herself and Chulz out of the temple, appearing a few feet outside the walls. While they had escaped from the temple, they were far from safe as they had caught the attention of a black dragon that had been perched atop the temple. Taking flight the black dragon quickly descended upon the duo, but thanks to some quick thinking from Sienna’s part they were able to distract it by shattering the elemental gem and commanding the water elemental imprisoned within to hold it off. The elemental bought them enough time to escape into the forest, with the two of them hiding away in a small cave, and successfully evading the dragon. Taking a moment to catch their breath, the unlikely duo slowly made their way through the forest, carrying the body of their fallen comrades through the countryside all the way to Parascent, in the meantime Elise was allowed to leave the temple unharmed, with Julius stating that he had no quarrel with her. Heading south she eventually made her way towards Veyleth’s outpost and gave him the lich’s ring. After this Veyleth offered her a tent to rest for the night and expressed an interest in working with her again in the future.

### Parascent

Meanwhile Chulz and Sienna reached the gates of Parascent where the two of them parted ways, Chulz made his way towards the cathedral, desperately pushing through the crowds before finally finding the archbishop. Chulz pleaded with Philippe to resurrect his friends, and after recognizing Okeanos, the archbishop promised to do everything he can, although he would require payment for the material components. Chulz immediately paid the hefty sum and Philippe began the resurrection rituals alongside a few other acolytes. It took hours to complete both rituals, but thankfully they were successful, although Philippe cautioned Chulz that they would need time to recover.

As all this was happening, Sienna arranged a meeting with her masters, returning Agarron to them and reporting everything to the infernal cambion, Davriel, who took away the octahedron after revealing that they had an agreement set up with Julius. Agarron also expressed his gratitude during this meeting, bestowing a boon upon her as a sign of his respect. Sienna was allowed to rest at Davriel’s palace with the cambion providing her with her own room. After her long rest, Sienna was summoned by Davriel who was in the middle of a meeting with Julius. During their encounter, Julius expressed how he bore no ill will towards Sienna and explained that he needed someone to ensure the safety of the other members of the party so that he would deal with them himself. Davriel, seemingly wanting to appease the dragonborn, agreed to this, and Sienna was tasked with accompanying the party. Meanwhile, Okeanos and Thomas had finally awoken from their resurrection and were greeted by Chulz and Philippe both of whom seemed relieved by their recovery.

After ensuring that they were well, Philippe left them alone, at which point the trio discussed what they had been sent here to do and what they would do, with them ultimately deciding to abandon their mission and leave Parascent, focusing instead on helping Tommy save his family. They understood of course that this had to be kept secret, as the abandonment of this mission would be seen as a betrayal by Helmut and none of them were keen to suffer the consequences of this betrayal. They were approached by Sienna shortly after who offered to join the party, explaining that her masters had seen fit to assign her to protect them, and after some initial hesitation the party accepted her.

Exhausted, Thomas and Okeanos decided to spend a day resting before meeting Lydia for a cure. Meanwhile, Chulz and Sienna took the time to make some preparations for the party’s departure, however with little success as they realized that they had lost a significant sum of gold. Believing that they had been pickpocketed Chulz began asking around about any criminals and gangs that might be present in Parascent, with him learning that most were driven out by the faithful, a few newcomers known as the Grey Sharks had set up their headquarters in one of the local bars but had gone quiet these past few weeks. Not wanting to risk a confrontation with them at that moment, Chulz decided it would be best to investigate them later. After this Chulz and Sienna decided to wait out the rest of the day alongside the still resting Okeanos and Thomas, preparing themselves for the ritual at sunset. The rest of their day passed by uneventfully and the four of them headed out towards the Smiling Harpy Tavern, in order to meet Lydia who had set up the ritual circle.

The ritual was an intense experience that drew out the entirety of the corruption, eventually culminating with the entity attempting to invade the minds of the party, forcing an assortment of visions upon them, horrifying portents of what was to come. The entity continued to surge before suddenly diminishing as the familiar voice of Artemis echoed within the room, the jovial tone now replaced by a sombre one as he expressed regret at what transpired within the temple, before finally rambling about the meaning behind what had transpired. Artemis’ voice disappeared as suddenly as it came, now replaced by a final vision, which felt more like a memory than an omen, although its meaning was unclear, standing out amidst the other apocalyptic visions. The experience finally reached an end, and the duo were finally cured of their corruption. Following this the party decided to fake the deaths of Thomas and Okeanos, doing their best to cover their tracks and escape Helmut’s wrath. Lydia provided them with an extremely powerful tincture that would render the duo unconscious and mimic the effects of death. The duo wasted no time drinking it, the potions’ effects knocking them out almost instantly, and was willing to set up an introduction for them with Veyleth, claiming that the elf would help them leave the region.  This left Chulz and Sienna to carry them out of the city, under the guise that they were hoping to bury them.

Chulz also decided to take the opportunity to investigate the grey shark headquarters, discovering that someone else had already killed all of the gang members, leaving behind a grisly scene. Looking through the bar, Chulz realized that they had not been responsible for the loss of his items, a troubling realization to say the least. The party reunited outside Parascent and with both Okeanos and Thomas knocked out, they deemed it best to take a long rest before meeting Veyleth. Waking up the next morning, they came to the realization that they were missing more items, and after a short investigation, reached the conclusion that it was somehow linked to the Bag of Holding that they had found within the Temple of the Undying King. However, that bag was currently in Elise’s possession, and so they decided to seek her out. Reaching the elven camp, the party split up with Thomas taking a keen interest in this mystery. They found Elise whilst wandering the camp, took the bag of holding and began investigating, all the while heading towards Veyleth’s tent.

The party was to discuss a way out of the region, however, the investigation into the bag of holding, took precedence and so discussions with Veyleth were left to Okeanos whilst Thomas dived into the bag. He initially saw nothing out of the ordinary, although he soon noticed what seemed to be claw marks along its interior. Going deeper, Thomas finally came face-to-face with the bag’s inhabitant, a large creature with dark grey skin, scraggly brown hair and milky white eyes. The creature inside the bag attempted to pull Thomas in, and it was at this very moment that it had fucked up. An impromptu tug of war began, with the party trying their best to pull Tommy from the creature’s grasp, this struggle came to an end when Tommy decided to take matters into his own hands, pulling out his own bag of holding inside the other. This caused both bags to implode and pull both the party and Veyleth into them.