Arc 13: Journey to the Centre of the Undercampus

## Episodes

* Episode 122 - Mea Culpa
* Episode 123 - The Wafflehouse of People
* Episode 124 - Kick the Bucket
* Episode 125 - Firefighters

## Synopsis

The students recovered from their harrowing field trip to Isathil, discussing doubts and guilts towards letting Ferdinand die, as well as the deal they had made with Laud. They decided to try and find Artis, their search led them to more named pebbles and voices in the wall, but they couldn't find their mentor. Eventually they arrived at the greenhouse lift to the Undercampus, finding it burned and stained with blood.

Mira attempted to find Artis with a *Locate Creature* spell, but failed. Integrity communed with the Progenitor to ask if they knew where he was, they told her Artis was alive, but they couldn't sense where he was. The students descended the lift, arriving at a scorched hallway with still no signs of their mentor. As they looked around the workshop that Ari had been previously hiding in, they discovered a halfling named Vana, who told them she had heard a fight, but wasn't sure about the details. As they went further into the Undercampus, they came across a waterfall blocking the path, Winsler stuck his hand in and was immediately pulled down in the torrent of water.

The other students quickly followed him, using magic to ensure their descent was more controlled. Eventually they all landed in a small room with waterfalls cascading down each side and a metal grate on the floor, beneath which was a glowing ring of jade. As her friends looked around the chamber, Serinepth *Levitated* herself up, and found a passageway that led to a room above the waterfalls. She saw an old golden bucket with Sheoran markings that had been tipped on its side, from which a constant and unending stream of water seemed to be the source of the waterfalls. She righted the bucket, and the rest of SWIM joined her in the top room.

They pressed forward, finding themselves in a perfectly preserved room with a statue of a Sheoran priest, and a replica of the Wildcliff mountain carved in an oily black stone. As they stood there, they felt a pull on their stomachs, and the world around them shifted. Suddenly the room as cracked and worn by time, and as they looked back into the bucket room, they saw a massive pile of pebbles. While they tried to figure out what had just happened, they heard a voice, and turned to see a creature with eyes in its hands, one blue, and one orange. They instantly recognised it as the creature from the walls.

SWIM interrogated this "pebble demon", and found that it had been trapping people's souls inside pebbles for years, including Artis, whose pebble it threw at their feet. After finding out everything they could, the students opened fire on the demon. Their initial success was dampened when it unleashed a firestorm that knocked everyone except Integrity unconscious, and dragged Winsler's soul from his body. Luckily, Integrity was able to blast it apart, and the students were able to get back on their feet, and head to the Infirmary for proper medical attention. As they crossed campus, they saw that several buildings had changed, and the Divine Studies tower had completely disappeared.