Broken Bonds: Episode 10

October 12, 2020 (Arcadum's YouTube)

### Reddit Thread

***Broken Bonds* Episode 10** was streamed on Arcadum's Twitch channel on October 4, 2020. The group travelled in Shadowfell and encountered many things, including a dangerous creature, a rift to the dream realm, a dragonborn with knowledge about Remag's new predicament, and finally reaching the Empress.

## Summary

While on their way to see the empress, Corhl elaborates about a myth of runic energy imbued in the roads that they are walking on. Remag, curious, investigates the area and detects very subtle energy. With some quick thinking, Remag asks D'ahc and Li'lu to carry him higher up to get a view of the area. While up there, he gets a view of a rune, learning that it is a major rune called Azenfaust, but while up there they get madness from a shadowy black eye.

Remag is inflicted with fearful shakes, and can't aim his magic. D'ahc is infused with intense megalomania, entirely fearless but can't run from a fight. Li'lu gets a rebellious shadow, but it mirrors Li'lu movements. E'ar and Bryan think that they might gain some power like the rest of their party so they convince D'ahc to take them up there, but this time nothing happens.

The party continues on to find the empress, and they seem to come across a mass of ethereal blue shadow. Their guide Corhl is wary of it as if he doesn't recognize it. Upon investigation the party recognizes that it is something from the dream, but Remag recognizes it as a spell that isn't done by casting and is seemingly waiting for something to spawn out of it.

Though E'ar being anxious for something to happen to her, she rushes into the dream energy. While entering, she finds herself walking through nightmares. E'ar gets to the center and finds a rift into the dream. With the mindset of gaining power, E'ar eats the leaves of a tree and branches of dream shrub. She also jumps into a crystalline pool and tries to drink from it, but since it's crystalline liquid, she passes out.

Meanwhile, E'ar gets detected in the dream by one of its guardians. Nox goes to investigate E'ar and sees that she is choking on the crystalline water. Nox administers some chest compressions with her tail to get her throat clear of the water. Nox begins to interrogate E'ar asking her what her business is here in the dream.

E'ar admits to coming across this rift, entering through it, and ending up there. Nox takes concern with there being some sort of entry way into the dream that she has no idea about. Suddenly Jairx, another guardian, appears near them and scowls at E'ar. Nox gets E'ar to show her to the portal and Nox seems to tell her that this portal is formed with malicious intent. She feels that she can close the portal but she has to close it from the waking realms and so she bids farewell to Jairx.

They enter into the waking realm and Nox detects that something has escaped from the dream and shuts the portal before anything else gets out. While scanning the party, she spots the scythe that Bryan has and recognizes it to have Wodeaic origin. Nox recalls that it was from the Throne of War, who she had previously encountered in the Hall of Heroes in the Dream Realm. Taking notices of Remag's violet eye, the party fills her in on what has happened with them and Valloween, and the shard of the oblivion. Having baby sat another Eye before, Nox feels obliged to at least help this group get to the Empress.

They get to the moat outside the city crossing the drawbridge to seemingly a shadow and imitation of another city. They witness the greatness of a huge black spire in the center. Corhl leads them into the palace, and eventually they end up in the throne room where they make their way to the foot of the Empress's throne. It is surrounded by the guards and staff of the Empress.

The Empress asks what business they have here for it is odd that people voluntarily travel the Shadowfell. Remag gestures to his eye and after inspection, the Empress recoils a bit and softens her visage. Realizing that they are in the wrong area to discuss these matters, she gets her court to disperse. The Empress then teleports the party to the dungeons so that they can speak on this matter plainly.

She acknowledges Remag as the seventh Eye and that the Enemy is closer than ever. She warns that what lays ahead of them is far more dangerous than making their journey to her. She tells them that as the Enemy is getting ready to strike, and that there are too many weak spots in the world's defenses. The cause doesn't have the stones, the ley lines are still in disarray, and the blood of heroes has yet to be refined.

She warns that in what is to come; there will be much blood to shed. With their new found freedoms, she suggests that they are at their own will to offer their aid to the efforts in reinforcing the world's defenses.

The Empress then notices that half of the party is suffering from some sort of madness, and so the Empress relieves them of all their madness. She also gives them bulbous fat worms to consume imbuing them with the power of Shadowfell. Li'lu misses her shadow Li'lu, and asks if the empress can grant her the power to have her back. The empress obliges and grants her the power to summon shadow Li'lu.

Nox tells the Empress that something from the dream has escaped. The empress tells Nox to go ahead and take care of the thing from that dream and not to worry about Remag since he'll be under the care of the Shadowfell, and the session ends.

## Featured Characters

### Main Characters

* Bryan
* E'ar
* Hashbrown
* Li'lu
* D'ahc
* Remag

### New

* Nox
* Jairx
* Empress Doe