Phoenix Alight

The Dreamers take stock of their situation as the ritual of flame continues its inexorable countdown.

## Plot:

As the party began to attempt to piece together the mysteries of the Flame cult, Gwendolin, Haze, Saoirse, and Doc hear the popping and crackling of fire from the houses in the village. The flames of the symbols, carved in flame on the side of the buildings, had once again begun to light themselves. Stepping forth from the fire were a series of small humanoid creatures, like a human in shape, but strange and bestial, made of molten flame. Shrieking, in a strange tongue, demands for the egg to be given to the flaming beings, a battle for the village quickly ensued. Haze got the drop on one of the creature's that was atop the thatched rooftops of a farmstead, when it suddenly burst into molten fragments upon death, sending the entire building alight. Saoirse and Doc made a mad dash to toss Saoirse the hefty Leaden Phoenix egg, in order to keep it away from the blaze. Gwendolin attempted to tackle one of the creatures from atop a building, while Haze and his familiar put out many of the building flames. The villagers were, once again, rescued. Now, with the flaming creatures quickly defeated, and the rest of the party returned to the woods, Lucius and the group attempted to consolidate their information in order to find a solution to the crisis.

Virakai suggests that they have little time, and that the Hallowing ritual could become completed at any moment. Lucius suggests he does not know if the party is ready, and Saoirse requires that there be consensus. It is at this moment that Haze reminds the party that while they wish to aid these people, since the villagers are currently rescued, they have no further stake in the happenings of this ritual per say. This angers Virakai, who is worried about the ritual. At this point, Veskalairos appears in a flash of fire before the party, and warns them not to interfere. Gwendoline recognizes him, and infers that there is a pact between the fey and the ritual. Veskalairos then all but confirms that even her own Grandmama, and father, and uncle, are not nearly so oblivious of these events as it may seem. Gwendolin then remembers back to her being told that the Fey would no longer be aiding the peoples of this land. Veskalairos sits with the party for a moment after constant questions and pestering. His eyes fill with tears as he looks around the countryside. He claims he is heartbroken over the ritual, but that these lands are his home, and the home needs protecting, no matter the cost. With a surge of reflexes Réalta is primed and ready to attack the Fey Lord at a moment's notice, but hesitates due to a lack of consensus from the party. With that, Veskalairos, tears in his eyes, looks back at Lucius one last time, and disappears the way he came in a flash of brilliant flame.

With this, the party determines, at some protest from Virakai, Saoirse, and Doc, that the moment has passed, with Haze and Réalta pushing for the party to move on, and Gwendoline remarking that she likely could not have done anything anyway due to the Fey's involvement. So with that the party all regathered with Sir John, and Mance, and set off to the East, just outside of the village, where the citizenry and the two orphans, Ruada, and Druic, had all gathered. The party reaches an accord with the villagers, agreeing to escort them away from the village, hoping to take the egg as far away from the ritual site as possible. So the whole village embarks with the party east, crossing out through a patch of trees just at the Brink of sunrise. As the sunbeams pass through the treetops, Lucius and Virakai notice, in that moment, a flash and a crack from the egg, and time seems to slow before the terrible realization. The Summer court of the Fey, and their symbol, the rising sun, was as they had previously feared, indeed, the last key to the ritual. With that sudden burst, the whole treeline roared with emerging firelight for hundreds of feet around. Small elementals lept forth from rubble gathered from the village, and the Phoenix rose with a rush and a whirlwind of scorching winds into the sky. The Phoenix has been released.