Episode 003

As Cypress, Inara and Trisden reach Priom, they are introduced to 2 different factions that are seeking to explore the Portals: The Alliance, and Renlock Renier VII. Renlock is a local entrepreneur who’s hiring adventurers to explore the new portals and beyond. His intentions are simple: He wants to map the Feywild, set up communication and trade. Any time the adventurers are the first to find a new portal, a new continent, or setup a significant contact for Renlock, they’ll earn coin. Hesitant to jump in with a stranger, Inara and Cypress decide to speak to the Alliance the next day and hear their offer.

The next day, Aramaya zaps into town. After trying to flee Jurakan’s home (Cauta,) Aramaya is betrayed by someone she thought to be a friend and thrown through an unstable portal. Injured and lost, she realizes her Cayo, the device that allows her to travel through dimensions, is shattered. Aramaya heads into the nearby city of Priom. Upon seeing a world run entirely by magic, she realizes she’s traveled to the Feywild. As she approaches a nearby tavern, a drunken elf hits on her and she dislocates his jaw. The elves’ friends gather around her and Aramaya prepares a powerful spell… only to realize her power has been completely cut off.

Meanwhile, Trisden has another nightmare. His friend is being dragged away. Trisden hides in his bed, but the screams are just as loud. His room tears open, and a woman’s face in the sky calls to him. “If only you had the power to change it.” Trisden bursts awake. He’s in a room with Kentil. She explains that he passed out at the bar, but a local showed up, paid his tab, ordered him a room, and left a gift. Trisden unveils the TELEFAN, a new invention that Renlock intends to sell to the Feywild. It connects 2 people from any distance, but he’s particularly eager to know if it will work between continents. He tells Trisden he wants him to work for him, but he’s only hiring teams. Trisden heads outside the bar to see Aramaya being confronted by a group of elves.

Meanwhile, Inara awakens to find her new spell book hovering in the air. The book presents an unknown spell to her, which she reads. As she does, she is granted a vision of her, Trisden, Aramaya and Cypress at a juncture between two Portals. Aramaya and Cypress combine two circles around their necks and a green beam points them towards one of the portals.

The next moment, Cypress is shaking Inara awake. It’s been 4 hours since she cast the spell. Together, the pair head off to speak to the Alliance. They note on the way the large amount of Button Faeries that seem to be popping up all over the place.

“Button Faeries… they’re all over the place.” Councilwoman Tok, a drow representative, greets the young duo and tells them the history of the Alliance, which slowly but surely gathered all the tribes of Pacifica into a united front (with the exception of the dwarves.) The Alliance will offer representatives monthly funding, access to their resources, access to their Quest Board, and access to F.L.L.A.G.s, which act as permanent teleportation markers. However, those who join the Alliance take a blood oath to do right by the Alliance, and this information doesn’t sit well with either Cypress or Inara. Tok also offers the duo a task to prove themselves: take care of the Button Faeries, they’ve gotten out of hand.

As Cypress and Inara leave and head towards the bar, they also see Aramaya getting threatened by a gang of men. Inara recognizes Aramaya from her vision and jumps into action. Cypress follows suit, transforming into a bear and tearing one of the elves limb from limb. The others flee in terror. Trisden suggests to the group that they meet inside of the tavern to evade the law.

Inara questions Aramaya about the fate of her sister, and Aramaya tells her that her sister has been taken by Jurakan for the past decade and has become a devout follower of Jurakan. Aramaya and Leia were supposed to escape together, but Leia stabbed Aramaya and broke her Cayo as she opened a portal, sending her falling blindly through the multiverse. Aramaya warns Inara that her sister is no longer the person she was when Inara left.

Inside, Cypress questions Trisden on what happened with the Knights of LeGreane. The Knights broke the law and marched into Xetas with the intention of reclaiming the Lyceum Bell, an ancient artifact of Legend that supposedly has the ability to seal away the evil that infests the land. Bombarded by creatures of darkness, over half of the Knights were killed just trying to reach the cursed city. As the Bell grew closer and closer to their grasp, the Knights grew more and more desperate. The final test - a sacrificial altar. The Knights perform the sacrifice. An explosion tore through the tower and Trisden was tossed out, into the river. In the end, 48 survivors made it out alive, and the Lyceum Bell was never retrieved. The Knights were labelled as enemies to the City of Priom and were cast out. Ever since the Incident at Old Frai, the line of darkness that has held still at the end of Xetas' territory for 300 years has slowly begun to creep west.

The 4 adventurers gather in the bar and discuss their options. Aramaya and Inara need to find a way to leave this dimension and believe the portals to be their best bet. Cypress wishes to find a way back to Willagia. Trisden simply needs to make money, but needs a team to do it. Before deciding between the Alliance or Renlock, the group decides to chat with Renlock once again over in the well district.

After some personal reflection in the wells, the group spots Renlock pressing a button fairy and teleporting away. They after, working their way through a series of button-fairy puzzles and traps to find the Button Mama, a plump fairy Godmother. She explains that the fairies usually live short lives that last only as long as they fall asleep and die, but that they haven’t been sleeping because they haven’t had a bedtime story and song. The group lovingly obliges, tells a scary story, sings a song, and returns to the Feywild, where Renlock is waiting.