Episode 002

In the Hallstatt Massacre, Inara is separated from her Astral Twin, Leia. The Illistratus use her phylactery to summon her back to the Astral Plane, but Leia’s phylactery, completely drained, fails to respond. Inara finds herself standing before the Archivist, a 20-foot tall mystery who seems to be attached to the library, begging to return to her twin. The Archivist explains that jumping through an unknown portal is a dangerous endeavor, as one could unwittingly show up in a universe with no air, or stranger still, a universe with time delineation. The Archivist uses the Feywild as an example. Every trip in and out of the Feywild is a gamble. You could lose a decade just as easily as a day. The Council will have to be made aware, and they will decide what best to do next. The Archivist splits into multiple versions of himself, and enigmatically tells Inara to stay away from the section on Gnome History, citing a particular gnome.

Inara’s father appears. Not because he is her father, but because he is her Tutor. Tutor Corvis coldly tells Inara that she’s shamed the Herald and the Goddess and sends her to her quarters. Inara disobeys him and sneaks into the library. The Library is an odd place that twists and changes constantly, but gnome history is a predictable section. Inara finds and pulls the book that the Archivist referenced, revealing a secret door. The room inside is filled with sentient books that float, snore, and mate. Inara finds a shelf on one of the bookshelves that seems to have no end. She crawls into the narrow space and finds a mysterious book. She scans the pages… references to 2 twin Goddesses and 4 God-like Gems… Inara recognizes them: fables from the ancient Feywild. She hears a noise… someone’s in the library. Inara fumbles around and flips to the last page. A transport spell. As the mysterious figure approaches the shelf she’s hiding in, she recites the incantation and vanishes.

In the Hallstatt massacre, Cypress saves his mother and jumps through the portal to Pacifica. His sister is dead, and his father was left behind. Cypress’ mother tells him she’s going back to save his father. She gives Cypress an ornate ring and tells him it will keep him hidden from the eyes of those who seek to find him, and she jumps back through the portal. Not long after, an explosion erupts as the Portal in Willagia is destroyed. Cypress is thrown back and knocked unconscious. When we wakes, he realizes he is alone. He weeps, and he vows to find a way to return to Willagia.

A decade passes and Cypress grows into a man. He lives in the forest with his friend Dyno (a one-horned stag,) South of a forest settlement in Western Mah’r named Bellville. He makes coin as a freelance Bounty Hunter and learns to profit from his intimate understanding of the wild. Life is good… until one day, when a Mysterious Figure of the Woods passes through. Cypress follows them to the now-dead Portal that used to lead to Willagia. The figure speaks as it lifts off the ground. “The Portals of Brae… more than gateways, they are choices. They lead to all ends and the end of all.” The forest begins to become organized and symmetrical, the trees contorting to match each other. “The young Dragonborn will live or die, and from this choice, new Order shall rise. But who shall the order be, Choice-Maker? I would be most pleased if it were me.” The powerful being calls out to Cypress. “In 1 week, a Portal to Willagia will open. Your journey begins in Priom.” With this, the being vanishes and the forest settles. Cypress bids a tearful goodbye to Dyno and sets off towards Priom, the Capital City of Mah’r.

In the Hallstatt massacre, Trisden and Kentil escape through the portal. Life goes on. 10 years later, Trisden dreams of his friend being dragged away while a female figure forms in the clouds and calls his name. He awakens in a bar in the Dwarven Port town of Moraan, as his best friend Kentil asks how much he drank this time. A stranger enters the bar, approaches Trisden and takes his arm, revealing the Number Marking of the LaGreane Knights. He swears and spits at Trisden, citing an event in Xetas, which used to be an elven stronghold in Pacifica. Something happened up there with the Knights of LaGreane, and now there’s a darkness creeping its way across the continent. The Knights are now despised. After a quick and messy attempt to fight, Trisden and Kentil are kicked out of the bar. Once Trisden steps out into the streets, however, he finds himself in a completely abandoned ghost town.

A mist approaches him, and in it, a female figure. Trisden backs away towards the docks, but the mist corners him. Eventually, a woman stands directly in front of him. She has twisted, wood-like arms and a malformed skeletal head. She tells him that his heart carries a great deal of burden. He could ease these burdens, if only he had the necessary power, which she offers to him. Trisden refuses her, and a light bursts through the mist, clearing it away. An old man in a robe appears. “You don’t need power, Trisden. You just need purpose. There’s always coin to be had in Priom.” Trisden snaps awake in the tavern. Kentil asks him how much he drank. A stranger enters the bar, but this time Trisden sidesteps him. He tells Kentil they’re heading to Priom, steals the strangers’ horse, and heads out.

Along the journey, Trisden and Cypress unknowingly approach each other and are beset by mischievous Button Faeries. Trisden plays with the buttons and unwittingly summons Cypress just in time to hear a nearby gnome farmer being attacked by scoundrels. The pair jump into battle but are quickly surprised as Inara strikes down in rainbow lightning once again. Inara quickly learns that 10 years have passed since she’s been here. Her twin has been living here alone for a decade. Cypress turns into a bear and eviscerates the entire elven squad, viciously murdering the lot of them. Inara begs Trisden to take her to Willagia, but Trisden explains that its impossible. Cypress knows that Willagia has another Portal, and he believes that portal will open in a couple days. Their paths align, and they head to Priom.

In the Capital City of Priom, a huge crowd is gathering as the announcement hits of new Portals awakening throughout Pacifica. The Alliance, which leads all of Mah’r, is putting out a call for new champions who will scout beyond the limits of Pacifica. Another figure, Renlock Renier, also intends on hiring some explorers. His offer is simple: every time you’re the first person to make a new connection or find a new gate, you get paid. Trisden likes Renlock’s offer, while Inara and Cypress remain hesitant. They all agree to sleep on it. Tomorrow, they’ll check out the Alliance and see what they have to offer.