Age of the Dragon: Chapter 6

## Hither and Thither

### Penastria - Olihm Madar

Having defeated the arachnid matriarch the party sought shelter within the ruins of a dwarven estate. The mansion was in a rundown state, with most of its wings having collapsed due the ravages of time and the arachnoid monstrosities that now dwelt within the abandoned hold. Many of whom the party realized still lingered within the distant parts of the city. Their panicked screeches echoed throughout the hold as the flames that Sienna had lit spread along the slick webs and consumed their lairs.

An exhausted Sienna took first watch keeping a close eye on their surroundings in the hopes of avoiding another ambush, during her watch she decided to attune to the crown that she had found amongst the loot within the matriarch's lair. Upon successfully attuning to it, she began to hear the distant sound of a tolling bell alongside the sound of heavy footfalls very akin to marching. This would soon give way to the sound of fighting, and deciding to risk a glance outside Sienna saw what seemed like an army of dwarven ghosts attacking the remaining spiders.

Deciding that it would be best to avoid any confrontation, Sienna cast *Pass Without a Trace* to avoid any detection and quietly remained within the confines of the mansion. The same was done by Fion who could only perceive a short distance beyond the confines of the building wherein he perceived various dwarven ghosts cornering and pushing back the arachnoid monstrosities. While the other members of the party were taking a long rest and doing their best to avoid detection, Bric was suffering the full effects of whatever his weapon was truly bound to.

He found himself lost in a maelstrom of souls, innumerable voices crying out in pain, and begging for freedom and help. Caught within this maelstrom Bric felt his essence scatter, torn apart by the incalculable weight of whatever entity these creatures were tied to, the imprisoned entity that he realized was being consumed by Fenlaros, who at the moment seemed to be drawn to a distant distraction. A distraction which provided the entity the chance to reach out and using Bric as an anchor once more cry out for help. A cry which rang out and echoed beyond the confines of the material plane. A cry which every member of the party felt. (Appendix: A Cry for Help)

Felt by all members of the party, the cry awoke them from their slumber, although by this point they had thankfully had gotten the benefits of a long rest. Unsure as to what had transpired they were still worried about the meaning behind this development with Bric asking Sienna for a chance to speak to Fenlaros in the hopes of getting some answers. Their present concerns however, had more to do with the army of spectral dwarves amassing within the city. Deciding to take a more cautious approach they began to sneak through the streets, heading downwards to the lower levels where they saw crowds of ghosts gather before a domed structure atop which rang massive bell.

The party successfully snuck down to the level below, whereupon they came upon cages and chains along the streets. The sights drew a few worried glances from our heroes but they had little chance to discuss as they suddenly heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Deciding against any further subterfuge, Fion revealed himself to the dwarves while the others slid into the shadows of an alleyway. Fion introduced himself to the captain of the patrol, and after revealing that he was responsible for killing the Matriarch secured a meeting with the dwarven queen, Firga Baremzibar. The rest of the party quietly followed him as he was escorted towards the domed structure. Along the way, they saw many of the dwarven ghosts enter dwellings and corral other humanoid spectres, dragging them behind in chains and forming long processions that were drawn towards that same structure. Uncertain if they were going to be able to pass by on foot, Elise utilized a *Fly* spell to help them avoid the bulk of the patrols and led them to the roof of one of the buildings along the edges of the plaza where the domed structure was.

Meanwhile, Fion was slowly led through the gathered throng of ghosts, who were cheering in adoration to a figure who stood atop a raised platform in front of the structure. A spectral dwarven woman, her incorporeal form seemingly malformed and unstable with parts of her body fading into and out of existence. The dwarven woman was riling the dwarves up, and though Fion could not understand what they were seeing through a use of *Detect Thoughts* managed to surmise that the general gist of what was being said was mentioning a reclamation of their hold and their lost kingdom. At the end of her speech, the speaker disappeared into the structure while the crowd began to disperse. His escort led Fion inside and upon trying to contact him telepathically Sienna realized that there was some sort of barrier around the structure blocking both conventional spells and psionics. Worried that they were unable to help Fion, Sienna flew to the structure and climbed along its walls finding a window to look inside.

Within the structure, Fion found himself within a large hall which was akin to a temple, with rows of benches set around an altar before which stood the female dwarf. The guards led Fion to her, and presented him before her. The figure introduced herself as Queen Firga Baremzibar, the ruler of Olihm Madar. She thanked Fion for his help in kililng the arachnid matriarch, and revealed that its defeat alongside the activation of her crown broke whatever curse had sealed them away. For that he had her eternal gratitude, although she requested that he return her crown. Not possessing the crown, Fion revealed that he had not come alone, but would be willing to search for it alongside his party members in exchange for any help and supplies that she could provide. The queen agreed to this proposal and had a few of her guards escort him to the rest of the party while she began the process of gathering some supplies.

After relaying the results of his meeting with the queen, Fion advised the party to cooperate especially because she seemed to be genuine in both her gratitude and desire for the crown. The party agreed although they hoped to strike a bargain wherein they could get something equally valuable in return for the relic. Meeting up with Fion and the guards, they returned to the queen and were led to a chamber beneath the main hall of the temple, this chamber was at the end of a maze of stairwells and corridors, and seemed to have at one point served as some form of office. Piles of books and parchment were scattered about each covered in a thick layer of dust. In the centre was a wooden desk, atop which, stood a glass jar within which they saw the petrified head of an illithid, its eyes following them as they entered.

Somehow still cognisant, the illithid immediately contacted Elise and Sienna telepathically begging them for help and warning them to not trust the queen. For the moment however, they chose to ignore him with Sienna outright refusing to help him and revealing his intentions to the queen. The party discussed their situation with Queen Firga, explaining that they had a common enemy within the demonic threat and that they would appreciate any help in dealing with it, especially if such help came in the form of magic items. The queen however, told them that any magic items she may have once possessed had been stolen by looters, possibly adventurers hired by her rivals, one of whom she revealed was High King Lund, whom Fion recognized to be the current High King of the Obsidian Holds.

She did however, offer an alternative, she claimed that long ago the dwarves of the Obsidian Holds had gathered many magical artifacts within the lost hold of Alvar Madar, a hold which was also known as the Great Anvil. She explained that the hold was found beyond something known as the divide, but if they aided her in reclaiming it she would give them first pick of the relics within. While they considered this proposition, the party also presented Chulz's corpse and asked if she could help in any way. The queen revealed that she would most probably be unable to resurrect him but her servants might at the very least halt the corruption that pervaded his body from spreading any further. The party agreed to this, offering the crown in exchange for this service and the supplies. A deal was struck and the crown was returned to Queen Firga.

All seemed to be going well, that was until Elise asked to closely examine the illithid's head. The newly reformed lich queen, elated by the reacquisition of her crown acquiesced, and without wasting any time Elise took the jar and upended its contents and released the petrified head. The mind flayer immediately thanked her before dying, no longer sustained by whatever strange gelatinous substance was within the jar. This single act immediately destroyed any good will that the party had accrued, and soured the queen's mood. The room instantly grew tense, as the guards took up positions to attack while the queen dropped any sense of civility and found herself struggling to contain her rage at the death of her "pet".

Recognizing the precarious position that they now found themselves in, the members of the party quickly excused themselves, leaving behind the crown and forgetting any previously agreed upon arrangement. Thankfully, the queen allowed them to leave unharmed, and as they were escorted out of the city they realized that this singular act seemed to have completely severed their relationship with these dwarves and it was clear that they were no longer welcome here.

### Penastria - The Dwarven Roads

Now on the "open" road, the party began the journey along the dwarven road, one of the many great passages that connected the many dwarven holds. Before they set out however, they decided to question Elise as to what had possessed her to release the mind flayer and consequently kill it. Elise explained that she had a storied past with its kind, and knew better than to trust them believing that it would reveal her location to the rest of their collective. The rest of the party understood her reasons but asked that next time she take a more cautious approach.

Heading off they travelled for a few hours before sighting an abandoned outpost off in the distance, uncertain as to what dangers may lie ahead and realizing that it would take too long for them to reach the dwarven capital on foot they decided to summon the Inferno. The Infernal war machine was in an extreme state of disrepair, having been torn apart by Aluvias' demonic forces. The party realized that it would take at least a day of work to bring the vehicle into drivable condition, and presently they lacked the materials to fix it. Unable to return to Olihm Madar for help, Bric and Sienna went on ahead to scout the outpost, realizing that it was in fact an abandoned mining operation. Looting the many bodies that littered the floor they found a large amount of scrap and heading inside they found an abundance of metal ores and other supplies. As they were preparing to carry them back to the Inferno they heard the sound of lumbering footsteps coming towards them. Sienna quickly dived into the shadows, however, Bric was not quite so lucky as he found himself out in the open when the creature caught sight of him.

A towering troll, with a heavily mutated body from which sprouted various heads and malformed faces. Six long and muscular arm reached out to grab at him as the various heads questioned why he was stealing their stuff, and eventually settled on eating Bric claiming that it was dinner time after all. Uncertain if they could outrun it, Bric and Sienna fought the creature off with the troll dealing a hefty amount of damage to Bric before they could strike it down. The battle was far from over however, as the creature's body began to regenerate and still intent on claiming its meal, knocked Bric unconscious and began dragging him behind it into the depths of its lair. A panicking Sienna began using fire in the hopes of halting its regeneration, and a strange back and forth began wherein Sienna was unable to deal enough damage to permanently kill the creature while the troll found itself unable to drag Bric into its lair. In the end, the troll decided that they were in a stalemate and that they weren't worth the trouble, in response to this Sienna offered all of their rations in exchange for the materials here and the gluttonous monster accepted the deal, heading back into its lair and leaving them alone.

With the creature dealt with, the duo dragged the ore and scrap back to the Inferno, and the entire party spent the rest of the day doing their best to repair the damage done to the machine. At the end of the day, their hard work yielded some results with the machine now operational, if barely. Exhausted from the day's events, they decided to rest here for the night, and once more Sienna took first watch. During her watch she established a telepathic bond with Bric and tried to connect to Fenlaros. The connection this time round was unstable as something blocked her way, determined to reach their goal, Sienna attempted to break through the barrier, drawing the attention of a familiar entity. The entity, recognized Sienna and immediately began questioning her as to Thomas' whereabouts, the presence quickly and efficiently encroaching on her mind. Managing to resist its pull, Sienna decided to avoid risking it and severed the connection stopping any further interaction.

Realizing that she has been cut off from Fenlaros, Sienna is left to ponder how she can deal with this new development, thankfully her watch passes without incident. The rest of the night is similarly a quiet one, however midway through her watch Elise is contacted by her patron, Trishalia, who informed her that the party's recent escapades in Infernus had become a major topic of conversation at court. Apparently whatever they had done, had brought the might of Infernus back into the picture but had pissed off Asmodeus, which many at court found amusing. With the gossip out of the way, Trishalia informed Elise that only two weeks remained till the solstice, and she needed to know if Elise's current party were trustworthy, and a good fit for the event's security. Elise vouched for her party members, much to Trishalia's delight, and with that her patron bade her farewell and promised to pick her up for the solstice in two weeks.

The next morning, the party set out towards the dwarven capital, the Inferno chugging along the dwarven road. Along the way, Elise revealed her mistress' plan for the solstice and the party's invitation and role as security. Explaining that the event would deal with the demonic incursion, Elise urged them to cooperate as it would give them an opportunity to have their voices heard and secure more allies against the demonic threat. Her party members agreed, although Bric and Sienna were somewhat troubled about how the fey would treat them. This especially effected Bric whose inexperience with the fey was made clear, as he grew paranoid that he would be targeted for their pranks due to his disposition. Elise's explanation as to the motivations of the fey did little to assuage his concerns and only served to convince him that the whole event was some elaborate prank. Deciding to take some time to himself, Bric made his way to the back of the Inferno and manned the wrecking ball, only to sit on a whoopee cushion. The party had little time to register what was happening as the road suddenly disappeared beneath them and they found themselves plummeting downwards towards a flying castle.

### Feywild - Domain of Olnia

The Inferno careened through the clouds and towards the quickly approaching castle, before they could react to what was happening they were greeted by two pixies who welcomed them in the name of their monarch and asked that they buckle themselves in. The pixies paid close attention to Fion's safety and teased Bric for a bit before the Inferno finally crashed through the castle's roof and landed in an opulent throne room. The pixies quickly opened the Inferno's door, which faced the throne atop which stood the familiar figure of the Lantern King who cheerfully said that Chulz and Elise owed him a favour, and he intended to collect.

The Lantern King welcomed them to his abode, exclaiming that he hoped that their stay would enjoy their brief stay. After a few introductions to those he had not met before and some tea, he explained that the mission he had lined up for Elise was one that he believed suited her skills well. He had been informed that a group of shadow fey had unearthed an ancient weapon beneath the Old Sycamore Tree that dominated the centre of a domain known as the Festerwood. He wanted Elise to dismantle the operation and make sure that the Court of Sorrows didn't get their weapon. He believed that it was likely that this weapon would be used by the Court of Sorrow against the faerie courts and therefore the Lunar Court would undoubtedly appreciate any effort to hinder the shadow fey. He couldn't really tell them what they should expect but had thankfully secured them passage aboard a vessel known as the Dusk Walker, whose mistress owed him a favour. Lady Thistlehorn, was a peculiar creature who he hinted would be of particular interest to Sienna, and who would be able to provide the party with additional information on what was going on within the Festerwood. Throughout their conversation he also noted that Bric's bones were rotting, and that it would eventually kill him; a comment which understandably left Bric perturbed.

Finally he offered to take care of Chulz and the Inferno while they were gone, which the party agreed to, and with that he teleported them on the path towards the Dusk Walker. Pressing onwards, the members of the party were once more reminded of how uncomfortable the Feywild was, especially for some of them who found the scents, sights, and sounds to be too much for their senses. An hour or so into their journey they heard the pained howls of a dog coming from ahead. Sneaking closer they came across a group of harengon torturing a mastiff that they had caught. Thanks to Fion's quick thinking they successfully resolved the situation without violence, instead scaring the harengon away with the possibility that they would incur the wrath of the squirrels.

The mastiff introduced himself to be Dinkus, aide and royal pet to the Avaerian Sisters, he had been invited to Dusk Walker alongside his mistresses, but had to double back to find on their handkerchiefs. He was accosted by the brigands on the way back, and was eternally grateful to Fion for his aid, offering to accompany him on his way to the vessel. They walked the rest of the way together, and eventually reached the flying galleon known as the Dusk Walker where the party decided that a more unorthodox approach would allow them to more easily blend in with the rest of the fey present.

### Feywild - The Dusk Walker

Climbing aboard they immediately made an impression with Sienna toppling a couple of tables onto an unfortunate eladrin much to the delight of those present. Following this, Dinkus introduced the party to his mistresses: Celeste, Phoenicia, and Greensong the latter of whom immediately showed an interest in Bric. At Fion's urging the trio insisted that Bric and Sienna perform their signature table juggling, an act which they successfully pulled off with the only fatality being a pixie enjoying an evening with his lover. The successful performance earned Bric a token from a blushing Greensong, which earned quite a bit of teasing from her sisters.

The party then dispersed amongst the crowd, trying their best to blend in, whilst Fion stayed with the trio to learn a bit more about the Dusk Walker, and those onboard. It was at this time that their hostess, the Lady Thistlehorn made her entrance, revealing herself to be a beautiful albeit out of place individual when compared to the fey, possessing infernal qualities. She welcomed those present and explaining what would happen during their trip. Seeing this, Elise and Sienna followed her to the lower decks, finding that the deck below was composed of a massive tavern, with a bar in the centre where unseen servants prepared a variety of drinks.

Both of them were invited into the lady's quarters, where Sienna was instantly entranced by her. Lady Thistlehorn showed little interest in Elise, although true to the Lantern King's word she gave a clearer explanation of what was transpiring within the Festerwood. She explained that the Shadow Fey had chosen to establish a base within a castle a short distance away from the Great Sycamore. The majority of their work seemed to be directly beneath the great tree, and was mostly through the use of fey creatures known as mitlings which they bound into their service. She also revealed that whatever was beneath the Sycamore possessed dunamantic qualities.

Having provided all the information she had, she hurriedly dismissed Elise and chose to focus on the charmed Sienna, questioning her as to why a servant of Infernus was in the Feywild, and inquiring as to how her journey had led her here. In the meantime, Elise shared what she had found out with the rest of the party, also letting them know of what was happening to Sienna. Up on deck, Bric had chosen to have a quiet drink by a bar, whilst Fion continued his discussion with the sisters, hoping to find any help with his delvings into the Astral. Unfortunately they could do little to help, instead directing him to a hag named Gwyndolin who was also onboard the Dusk Walker. Greensong then steered onto the topic of Bric and his marital status. Fion told her that he was not spoken for and recommended that she take a direct approach if she wished to court him. Upon hearing this, Dinkus immediately set about preparing a romantic date for the two of them.

With his work finished, Fion took his leave and rushed down to the lower decks where he made his way to Lady Thistlehorn's chambers, in the hopes of stopping her from taking advantage of Sienna. He barged into her room and resisted the effects of her charms, a heated argument between the two of them followed with them almost coming to blows but thankfully calm heads prevailed and they went their separate ways with Fion managing to rescue Sienna who was understandably deeply effected by the situation.

Fion left her under Elise' care, who decided not to stop her from binge drinking her trauma away; while he made his way towards Gwyndolin. The hag was welcoming of course, expressing gratitude at his offer of whiskey with tea. She then offered to answer his questions in exchange for him answering hers. For his first question he asked about how he could meet the blue man to which Gwyndolin replied that all he needed to do was die, when asking her who the blue man was, she revealed to him that it was death, which Fion initially mistook to mean Abel. A misconception, which she immediately corrected, Abel was the god of death, this was destined death, the final death. For her questions, she asked him what he thought of the events, with him revealing that it seemed like the restoration of the cycle seemed like the right thing to do, but he needed to know more before committing to an answer. And finally she asked him how he believed his story would end, which a solemn Fion replying that he doubted it had a happy ending. This amused the hag, who said that his fate was not yet set in stone, and that a happy ending was still in the cards for him. As a parting gift she revealed one final bit of information, telling him that he was being played.

Back on deck, Bric found himself enjoying an awkward date with Greensong, both of them possessing a lack of experience and finding it difficult to break the ice. Greensong brought up the issue of Bric's rotting bones having heard about it from Dinkus, and promised to look into it; bringing up that he could possibly live forever if he stayed in the Feywild. This prompted some interest from Bric, but he was hesitant to immediately accept remembering his duty to Penastria. Realizing that he would be unable to commit during the ongoing invasion, Greensong stated her intention to court him after his victory, which caught Bric off-guard who once more hesitated before kissing the fey mistress.

The two spent some more time together, before Bric reunited with the rest of the party, finding a drunk Sienna leaning on a wall, for her part, still recovering from Lady Thistlehorn's intrusive enchantment took to excessive drinking and was now paying the price. In her drunken stupor, she found herself contemplating the foreign feelings of happiness and love. It was here that she felt a familiar psionic tether, and having lost communication with Fenlaros decided to reach out to it. This led to her meeting Dorok, a half-orc individual who contrary to Asura was quite pleasant. He stated that he knew that Fenlaros would eventually find him, and promised that he would not resist, only asking that they talk before the end. Sienna agreed but before she could question him further she was violently slapped to semi-consciousness by Bric leading to her vomiting a rainbow coloured stream.

Seeing that they were close to their stop, Elise approached Gwyndolin and attempted to strike a bargain with the hag, hoping to have her extract the illithid tadpole that she had implanted within her skull. Gwyndolin initially demanded a high price in order to conduct a safe procedure but after some haggling agreed to forego safety in exchange for a lower cost. She took Elise's flametongue sword, and with Fion's help plucked the creature from her head. Thanks to Fion's help the procedure was a success and the tadpole was extracted with Gwyndolin keeping it for a cocktail. With that the party bade her farewell, but not before Gwyndolin gave Elise one final piece of advice. Telling her that words spoken at the right time and place held the power of a tempest. An ominous piece of advice and one that ultimately meant little to Elise. The group made their way back to the top deck, and after Bric bade Greensong farewell for now, they leapt off the side of the ship and cast feather fall, turning their fall into a slow descent.

### Feywild - The Festerwood

Thanks to their slow descent the party landed safely amidst the magnificent flora of the forest, and immediately took to scouting the surrounding area while a very much still drunk Sienna took some time to rest. Fion used his ability to commune with nature in order to discern some of the forest's secrets learning that it had once been heavily enchanted but many of the enchantments had dissipated, turning this once magical forest into more of a mundane one, a strange thing within the Feywild. That being said, he noted that it was still home to various dangerous flora and fauna, some of the latter he recognized as being dinosaurs.

At this point, it became apparent that the now comatose Sienna was in no state to actually continue travelling but hoping to waste little time the party endeavoured to continue with Bric carrying her. They made their way through the forest, towards the distant Sycamore, the gargantuan tree providing a clear landmark. A few hours into their journey they came across a field of massive roses, their flowers turning to face the party and encircle them seemingly expecting something. The party was oblivious as to their desire, so Fion polymorphed into a Tyrannosaurus and attempted to tear through them. This seemed to anger the flowers with one of the larger ones swallowing him whole. Now panicking, Bric and Elise rushed to cut him out, leaving the unconscious Sienna behind them. They succeeded in cutting him free but turned just in time to see one of the flowers swallow Sienna whole, the psion disappearing underground.

Seemingly satiated, the roses began to withdraw and the remaining members of the party moved to dig Sienna out following the trail of flowers deeper into the forest into a clearing next to a lake. The commotion they caused drew unwanted attention as it drew a Spinosaurus out from the shallows which proceeded to attack the transformed Fion. The two giants clashed, their roars echoing throughout the forest and awakening other creatures as Elise was caught off-guard by a hydra which had been camouflaged amongst the trees. The three creatures clashed, and caught within one of their Frightful Presence, Fion bolted into the forest, followed closely behind by Bric and Elise, and leaving the two monsters behind to fight it out.

Having escaped for now, the trio took a moment to catch their breath, but soon realized that they were being watched. Bric called out to the spy which revealed itself to be a gremlin named Pim. Pim claimed to have come in peace, and explained that Sienna was most likely in the tunnels beneath the forest, which were patrolled by his brother, Pam. He held a grudge against his brother over their preferred utensil, but was ultimately willing to lead them to his home where they would most likely find their friend if she was still alive. They accepted and were led through the forest by Pim.

Meanwhile a still hungover Sienna awoke to find herself inside a pod that was quickly filling up with acid, dazed and beginning to panic she frantically attempted to cut her way out, and successfully cut her way out of the pod falling into a tunnel beneath. Still reeling from the burning acid, she began crawling through the claustrophobic tunnels eventually succumbing to her exhaustion and falling unconscious. She awoke a short time later, finding herself face-to-face with a gremlin who introduced himself to be Pam. He told her that she was in the tunnels beneath the forest, and that he would be more than willing to lead her out. And without really giving her a chance to say anything he set off, making sure to maintain a friendly atmosphere with unending chatter and facts about his people, much to Sienna's annoyance.

Eventually both groups converged in the gremlins' home, a village built inside a large cavern, with dozens of hovels carved into the massive roots of the trees above. The party also realized that there seemed to be older ruins still within the cavern, which Pim and Pam revealed to have been part of a larger city which had been lost eons ago, hit by some calamity. Upon being questioned about the whereabouts of their people, the duo revealed that they had been enslaved by a shadow fey dread lord and taken to the Sycamore. They explained that the area outside the Sycamore was crawling with shadow fey patrols but there was another way to reach the tree. The ancient city was said to have possessed a teleporter which linked itself directly to the Sycamore, although the journey through the ruins held its own dangers.

Deciding that it would be the fastest course, the party set off into the depths and soon realized what nature of catastrophe had hit the city, as they came across the calcified remains of hundreds of cyclopes and eladrin within the winding streets all of them either in the midst of fighting or running away from some unseen force. Along the way they also found depictions of a deity that they did not recognize although Sienna noted bore a striking resemblance to the demon lord of fungi, Zuggtmoy.

Utilizing his jewel, Fion was also able to catch glimpses of the city’s past, learning more as the party made their way towards the centre where they found a temple dedicated to this forgotten deity. Heading inside, they reached a central chamber wherein they found the calcified remains of a fungal creature, and through his jewel Fion saw that she had been a priestess of this deity, learning that an amorphous shadow had been manipulating individuals after the alleged death of their deity, culminating with the city’s final moments as the priestess was drawn into the abyss before the city was engulfed in a wave of green mist. The last thing that he heard was that the priestess herself was named Zuggtmoy.

Seeing no other way forward, the party dived into the depths of a pool of viscous water, which they realized led to another chamber, wherein they saw a set of double doors which required their blood and true names. Bric, Elaine, and Fion provided this, and as the doors opened, the party found themselves in a room lined with sarcophagi. However, they soon realized that they had been lured into a trap, as a group of soul eaters manifested alongside a trio of awakened cyclopes, and then proceeded to attack them. The soul eaters seemed to have specific targets, their lethality on full display as they managed to steal Elaine and Fion’s souls, which would have marked our heroes’ end were it not for Sienna who managed to strike them down before they could escape.

Taking a bit of time to rest and explore the tomb, the party noticed a large centipede burrowing through the stone, the insect stopped to look at the party before hurriedly retreating. Believing that it was spying on them, Fion took off after it, transforming into a centipede, he followed it into one of the cracks. The others took the time to loot the various sarcophagi, finding a few spell scrolls, a magical greataxe and a cloak. In addition, they also found a mirror which Elise deduced was magical, and was probably linked to other mirrors; allowing one to communicate and possibly travel through them.

While they were doing this, Fion reached the end of his pursuit seeing the centipede join a small swarm of other beasts, all of them crowding around a saber-toothed tiger. Immediately being noticed, Fion wasted no time before jumping back down uncertain as to the beasts’ intentions. Once more reuniting with the rest of the party, they decided to waste no more time and immediately used the magical mirror which guided them to another one on the outskirts of the Sycamore. Its twin was inside a fort which the party immediately realized was occupied by a small army of shadow fey.

The party used the mirror to sneak into the fort, donning disguises and blending amongst the various fey, whom they noticed were anxiously waiting for something. The reason behind the tension was made clear to them shortly after as a purple worm emerged from beneath the fortress and immediately set the defenders into a panic. They used the chaos as cover to sneak to the sycamore, noticing upon their approach that many of the slaves were not seemingly doing anything. And upon closer inspection, Fion realized that it seemed to all be a big act, although he was uncertain as to why. Finding an entrance amidst the tangle of roots they began their descent deep into the sycamore. They soon found themselves in a large cavern similar to the one beneath the gremlins’ village, and similarly this one showed signs of having once been some form of settlement, now consumed by whatever calamity had befallen this domain. The walls were calcified and everything was left lifeless. Along the way, Fion once more used his jewel to gain glimpses of the place’s past coming across visions of a cyclops lost in with a fey creature about an ongoing war. A fey creature which the party deduced may have once been the Lantern King.

They eventually reached the base of the cavern where they followed a passage littered with traps towards another cave which held a subterranean lake in the centre of which stood a solitary island with a dead unicorn. Once more using his jewel, Fion was able to peer into the past, where he saw the Lantern King facing a group of eladrin who had just killed the unicorn. The fey seemed to be pleading with their leader hoping to warn her of the consequences of what she was about to do. His warnings fell on deaf ears, as she began to channel a surge of magic and proceeded to defeat him with a single phrase. The archfey’s form was diminished, leaving behind only a withered humanoid creature. The vision was interrupted as Fion was hit by an arrow in the chest, knocking him unconscious. It was at this point clear that they had fallen into an enemy ambush, as a fey wearing a horned helmet attacked them. The battle was a deadly one as he rushed into and out of their reach; all the time peppering them with arrows. In the end however, they managed to defeat him, slaying the fey who exploded in a shower of confetti. They didn’t have much time to collect themselves however, as the fey reappeared a few moments later, and congratulated them on their victory. He introduced himself as the Horned Hunter, revealing that he had once been a member of the Wild Hunt. He revealed that the Dread Lord had set this whole thing up as a trap to lure in someone known as the Twilight Wind. He wished them luck and offered them his dagger as a sign of respect before revealing that he would be watching them with great interest.

Realizing how exhausted they were, they deduced that this Twilight Wind might very well be linked to the purple worm above, and chose to enlist their help. Fion contacted the creature, and was surprised to receive a response with the figure weary but willing to meet up. The Twilight Wind arrived shortly after, the purple worm burrowing into the chamber before transforming into a female firbolg who introduced herself as Elyria. They explained the situation to Elyria who was hellbent on killing the Dread Lord for his insult and the enslavement of the domain's inhabitants.

Seeing that they could not sway her they instead offered to act as bait, and allow her to flank him which she agreed to. They went ahead and found the Dread Lord and his guards waiting in a flooded chamber where they “fell” into his trap. Beginning to monologue about his victory, he was unaware of the encroaching danger as Elyria reappeared behind him and with her help, the party easily defeated the shadow fey and the Dread Lord. All seemed well, until Fion once more used the jewel to peer into the past, this time seeing the elven leader standing before the dead tree in the chamber as an Aeon passed judgement over her for her crimes, binding her to the fey moon as its guardian for eternity. But lost in that vision, he felt a presence behind him and ignoring the feeling of danger turned to look, finding an immeasurable presence staring back at him, and in that moment, his very being unravelled as the presence consumed him. The rest of the party are forced to watch on in horror as in an instant, Fion’s body calcified and shattered, giving birth to an alien creature. The creature that burst forth from Fion was an aberrant monstrosity, its form unnaturally shifting taking on various properties, it's face changing to mimic that of those around them.

The battle that followed was a harrowing one as the already exhausted party members did their best to fend off the alien creature. The deadly battle claimed the lives of both Elyria and Sienna, leaving only Bric and Elise to stop the creature from reaching the gate. In their desperation, the two of them begged the Lantern King for help, and the mercurial archfey answered. Appearing at the final moments of the battle and delivering the final blow. What should have been a victorious moment quickly turned sour as the Lantern King revealed his intentions to keep Elyria’s corpse and open the gate himself, claiming that beyond the door was the key to killing the Lunar Queen. Elise proceeded to stop him but was quickly banished back to Penastria, Bric meanwhile realizing the futility of the situation asked that he be sent to Greensong which the Lantern King obliged sending him along with this friends’ corpses.

### Unknown Location

Meanwhile, Fion had his own experience finding himself lost within the alien being, forced to relive countless lives each one getting worse and worse before he is finally roused by a familiar figure, the Undying King. The lich explained that they had both been drawn into the Will, and had been trapped within this plane where their minds were unbound. He sought to escape, and revealed that he believed that they would only be able to do this together. To that end, he needed Fion to commune with a trapped aeon and use its power. Fion hesitantly agreed, and the two made their way towards it altering the plane and opening up paths with their minds. Reaching the scattered remains of the Aeon, Fion attempted to commune with the creature realizing that it saw him as an aberration, a mistake that it must correct. Fion managed to communicate with the creature and convince it to momentarily cast aside its innate desire and help him escape. The creature’s essence fused with his own, a temporary measure, as he immediately recognized that it still sought to erase him. Their goal achieved, Fion accompanied the Undying King to his cage and using the Aeon’s power to alter reality managed to break his chains. Now freed, the Undying King immediately moved to escape with Fion, the alien creature controlling the Will now fully aware of what they had done.

### Feywild - The Blooming Court

Bric was sent to Greensong, and in a state of near delirium found himself in the middle of a hall filled with fey. He tried his best to explain the situation, struggling against Crimson Vow’s effects. However, with Greensong’s help he managed to get the fey to preserve Fion and Sienna’s bodies before succumbing to his wounds. Exhausted, Bric fell into a deep dream filled slumber; he found himself walking down a long corridor while voices echoed around him until eventually the corridor opened to a small grove. Here the voices addressed him, some inviting him to fully claim Crimson Vow’s power, while others berated him; and the very familiar voice of Murzukk cautioned against succumbing to the lure of power.

In the end, Bric chose to reject the power, not willing to pay its price. He awoke to find himself in a small room with Greensong by his side, who explained that his friends were safe in a separate room and that the Inferno was parked outside the court. Bric was later invited to meet the court’s archfey mistress, the Lady Aqshalia. He told her all that had happened within the Festerwood, including their encounter with the Astral Spawn, Elyria’s death and the Lantern King’s betrayal. For her part Aqshalia patiently listened and then revealed that war had broken out between he Domains of Delirium and the Faerie Courts, a war which she believed neither side could truly win. She made Bric an offer, she would resurrect his companions in exchange for their help in trying to re-establish the peace. To that end she requested that they meet with one of the Lunar Queen’s closest confidants, Sabriel. Bric accepted and made his way to Sienna’s room where he found Zaroc, the imp’s head now beginning to suffer the full effects of his extended stay in the Feywild.

He left the court to find the Inferno, meeting a strange human named Percy along the way. The two of them eventually found the Inferno where Bric came to the horrific realization of just how deep the Lantern King’s betrayal went, seeing the travesty that was done to the Inferno which was now coated in vibrant pinks, flowers and a variety of other unorthodox changes. Bric immediately began trying to clear it out, and it was around this point that Sienna came to, her resurrection having done little to help her mood as she angrily explored the court and eventually came across the Inferno which only served to worsen her mood. Bric immediately brought her up to speed, and then continued trying to clear out the mess.

### The Amethyst Boneyard - Undying King's Court

True to his word, the Undying King made sure to bring Fion along during his escape, the two materializing within a massive throne room which Fion quickly realized was the Undying King's domain. The lich wasted little time, quickly reasserting control over his plane of existence which had been under siege by demonic forces in his absence.

As he did so, the Undying King turned his attention to Fion, explaining that he would shortly be resurrected by his allies although he would be changed. He also cautioned Fion that things would only worsen in the coming days, and that he would be faced with various decisions that would define his destiny. As the reincarnation ritual took hold, Abel bade Fion farewell claiming that he would once more see him before the end.

### Feywild - The Blooming Court

A short while later, Fion awoke realizing that his resurrection had some unforeseen side effects as he left his old body behind and found that he had been turned into a bugbear. It took some time for him to come to terms with this change and after steeling himself left the room and made his way towards the others. Their reunion was a strange one, as the others where initially suspicious of the bugbear but after a bit of questioning came to the realization that this was in fact Fion. They wasted no time in discussing their next steps, and after scrying on Elise (whom they realized seemed to have been imprisoned and was currently in a desert) decided that the Lunar Court would be their best bet.

The party spent some time repairing the “damage” done to the Inferno, where Fion found a letter from the Lantern King which informed him that Alice had left the dwarven capital a few days prior and was making her way towards one of the great bridges of the Obsidian Holds. The party then spent a night to rest before they approached Lady Aqshalia about the favour that they owed her. She requested that they meet with an individual named Sabriel whom she hoped could help convince the Lunar Queen to consider a peaceful resolution to the escalating conflict. They agreed and after being provided with provisions, they set off through the mist towards the Emerald Vestige, his home, accompanied by an unlikely ally in the wizard Percival.

### Feywild - The Emerald Vestige

They travelled through the mist, ignoring the will’o wisps that sought to lure them to their dooms, and eventually reached the vestige, a surprisingly small domain made up of a large field with a small mountain in its centre. They parked the Inferno and began their ascent before being greeted by a humanoid individual, who revealed himself to be Sabriel, the keeper of this domain. Sabriel was more than willing to seek peace but wished to know who they were before committing to any alliance. To that end he invited them to finish the pilgrimage to the top where they would be judged by the remnants of the Emerald Knight. Each member of the party had their own personal experience along the ascent and all three of them spoke to the Emerald Knight who bestowed upon them a boon. Bric and Fion were returned to the base of the mountain while Sienna was guided towards meeting Dorok.

Percival meanwhile caught the eye of the Lunar Queen herself when the beauty of his song eclipsed that of her nightingales. The trio at the base, were met by the Lunar Queen who was less than pleased with the idea of establishing peace, but after some convincing from them and Sabriel was willing to compromise. Offering to set up such a meeting within this domain, as it was neutral ground on the night of the Summer Solstice. The hostile Domains would need convincing however, to which Fion provided an inspired suggestion. Allow a minor demonic incursion within their domains so that they may understand the gravity of the situation. The Lunar Queen agreed, and then set off to make the necessary preparations, fully expecting the party to be present during the talks.

Sienna meanwhile was guided to Dorok where she would make her choice regarding his ultimate fate. His home was found in a secluded valley, and the half-orc was very welcoming, a stark contrast to Sienna’s other interactions with the vestiges. After a short discussion about their future, Sienna decided to absorb Dorok, which he acquiesced to. Afterwards, she reconnected with the rest of her party. Using his newfound Truesight, Fion realized that a corruption was spreading through Bric’s body, he then attempted to use Greater Restoration, and realizing that this was tied to Crimson Vow, he ended Bric’s attunement to the weapon, which momentarily manifested before turning to dust. The corruption’s spread was halted, however, Fion realized that healing the damage done was far above his current abilities.

Sabriel then brought up the issue of Chulz’ possession, explaining that he believed the demon responsible was a Molydeus, a pride demon of exceptional power. He recommended that the party deal with the situation before it got out of hand, worried that a fully manifested Molydeus would prove to be a problem even for him. To that end, he sent them to the elven forest of Atheluin where they would work with the Lunar Queen’s clergy in order to exorcize the demon.

### Penastria - The Gilded Cage

We then turned our attention back to Penastria, along the border between the Bronze Sea and Norvosh, where a foreign occupation was underway. An army of drow had used the rising unrest in Norvosh to take over a section of land known as Qafasen Madhaben, the Gilded Cage. Under the Drow’s occupation, escape out of the region was made extremely difficult, and magical communication was rendered impossible. A duo of special operatives, the Vermin Coast’s finest were caught within the trap, much to the invaders’ frustration. Slek-Sik and Slik-Sek had to put their years of training to the test with the help of a local, named Odd-Child they began their war against the drow, ambushing patrols as they made their way towards their base. It was during one such ambush that Elaine appeared, having been banished by the Lantern King. She witnessed first-hand the destructive power of the vermins’ firearms as well as Odd-Child’s efficiency as the trio managed to obliterate the drow patrol and kidnap their commander. They then began their interrogation of the commander where they learned that the drow had occupied a temple in the centre of the region, about a couple days’ travel to the east of their location.

All the while, Elaine could feel a pervasive presence that seemed all too familiar to her reaching into her mind. The drow weave binder revealed that their base would be receiving a convoy of supplies soon which was expected to arrive in about a day or so. However, he suddenly began to convulse and transform before he could reveal anything further, a process which Elaine immediately realized resembled ceremorphosis. Slik-sek bashed his head in before he could completely transform however, Elaine realized that the transformed creature seemed to resemble a mind-flayer however it had flaky white skin. Its tadpole was also strange, the creature was a long, slender worm as opposed to the smaller grublike creatures. Armed with this knowledge, Elaine allied herself with the trio, and the newly formed party made plans to attack the convoy and kill the mutant elder brain which Elaine assumed was behind all of this.

The four of them travelled through the desert eventually setting up camp in a small cave along the side of a canyon where they settled in for what would be a rather eventful night, with Elaine at one point being contacted by an illithid through the use of a projection. The illithid introduced himself as Drusis, and explained that he had been investigating the corruption spreading through this hive and had made plans to stop it by allying with a nearby chapter of hellknights. He explained that Elaine and her companions were unknown quantities who had proven to be a thorn in the corrupt Elder Brain’s side, and because of that he wished to enlist their help. He understood that Elaine had her reservations but explaining that what was transpiring here was above their petty grievance and that he did not care about enslaving her again. He emphasized that this was beyond either of them, and if ignored this corruption could spread throughout the other hives turning the entire mind flayer empire against them. Elaine reluctantly agreed and watched as seemingly on cue, the arcane barrier around the region was momentarily penetrated, cracks forming along it.

She caught sight of an orange light heading towards their cave from which appeared a well-dressed cambion appeared a few moments later as Drusis took his leave. The cambion inadvertently triggered one of Slek-Sik’s traps that managed to ruin his suit much to his annoyance. He magically repaired his suit and then proceeded to deliver a message to Elaine, revealing that she had been invited to Asmodeus’ palace for dinner. After this he promptly took his leave as the arcane barrier reformed. The next morning, the party set off to intercept the drow caravan and gather supplies, finding that it had broken down. They took advantage of this opportunity and once more set up an ambush, massacring the various defenders, some of whom summoned demons to the battlefield. In the aftermath of the battle, they looted the corpses and found the keys to the caravans, which Elaine proceeded to use to open up one of the caravans, only to be met by sword strike to the chest which left her reeling. A yuantican figure stepped out of the caravan followed by a corrupted mind flayer. The three other caravans also opened or in certain cases exploded outwards to reveal that it was a trap, as more corrupt mind flayers surged outwards alongside four larger ceremorphs.

The released illithids were led by a yuantican paladin named Mero who proved to be too much for them, managing to knock all of them unconscious and even infecting Slek-Sik. In the aftermath, they were imprisoned and carted towards the enemy stronghold where they were imprisoned, and later came across what seemed like the enemy force’s leader, a heavily mutated warforged named Ruin. After looking over them he took an interest in Slek-Sik and Odd-Child taking them away and subjecting them to a strange procedure. The procedure was too much for the already wounded Slek-Sik driving him to madness, however, Odd-Child had a different experience, he was welcomed by Ruin as a herald, having gained the title after sacrificing his sight in exchange for the ability to see the stars.

Ruin offered him freedom and riches, in exchange for him serving as one of his mistress’ heralds. Odd-Child while initially hesitated, ultimately accepted and was led away by Ruin who took him to see the Elder Brain, revealing that some gods had already chosen to swear their allegiance to his mistress; and through Odd Child’s efforts they would soon secure the loyalty of another.

As this was happening, Slek-sik was taken back to his cell where Elaine and Slik-Sek had already gotten to work on preparing for an escape. Upon reaching his cell block, he broke away from the guards and stole a contraption that seemed to function as some sort of key, and realizing that he could psionically connect to it he used it to open the prison cells, allowing Elaine, Slik-Sek and the rest of the prisoners to break free. Through their combined efforts they were able to overpower the guards, however, they quickly noted that something else was happening as they heard the sound of distant gunfire and explosions that rocked the stronghold. Finding their gear they quickly rearmed themselves, and prepared to fight their way through the stronghold.