Campaign Two: Titanhaven

Campaign two follows the journey of an adventuring party known as the Heartbreakers who operated out of Titanhaven, best known for sparking a class revolution in the Gnomish Flying City, thwarting the efforts of the Raven King to collapse the Inner planes in on themselves, unleashing the Observer on the world, and defeating Hodejsh the Dawn Titan.

## Forged in Fire

In a tiny port town by the name of Rillet, a collection of wandering souls began to gather. From the wilds came a large, oafish man by the name of Geg Kong, to this point having wandered the world before finally stumbling on this settlement under the guidance of a stranger from Consilia, Brolk Traer. Brolk himself being sent here by his employers within the Ember Brigade. Along the dirt paths, a black dragonborn arrived under the moniker Craven Moorehead. At the docks, arrived via a small vessel containing two others, Hegemonous Rex and Wulkrus Crurthur who found passage on this vessel paid for by their aptitude in stealth.

Meanwhile, local resident and nearly retired bounty hunter, Lazelon was approached by an eladrin man dressed in patchwork attire of foreign finery regarding a target his employer was seeking. The mysterious benefactor imparted Lazelon with a letter, penned in gilded ink detailing the intended task; to seek out and utterly destroy a man who 'took something very dear from him.' While little information had been ascertained to that point, the benefactor supplied the symbol under which the quarry worked, the crest of a raven set in deep violet, and offered up a reward of 152,300 gold pieces for the completion of this task, along with an additional 10,000 for any allies who aid in destroying this individual. Lazelon, having grown old waiting for such an opportunity, quickly accepted this mission as one last job.

That evening, as the individuals gathered in the local tavern to drink away the weariness of their respective travels, Lazelon approached the disparate group, informing them of gold to be found under his employ, seeking out this mysterious man with the raven symbol. The group, by and large strapped for cash, agreed to aid this earth genasi in his quest, but as they clasped hands to seal their contract, disaster struck.

The sound of vast. beating wings preceded the hot winds that tore through a swath of the village as a red-scaled drake set its wrath upon the town. The party sprang to action, narrowly escaping the tavern as it was torn asunder by the dragon's gargantuan claws. Together, evacuation efforts were attempted, the group guiding as many survivors as they could from the quickly rising flames that now encompassed much of the settlement. After much of the party had fled to the outskirts of the village with handfuls of townspeople, only Brolk remained within the city limits, pulling a pair of children from the rubble. Here, the tiefling boy shepherded the kids away as the dragon perched itself atop their ruined home, a scaly smile seeming to pull across his snout before unleashing his breath upon Brolk, who narrowly survived due to a combination of reflex and his infernal blood. The wyrm then spake a warning to the survivors, that fealty must be pledged to Relvenerak, the Ashen Ruiner, or more destruction would follow. The dragon then absconded into the night.

In the night following the attack, the party rested along the path to the next town over where Brolk drafted a letter to his employer, Lyra Thorn, detailing the new allies he had found himself with, as well as the winged danger that now threatened the region. As Brolk's letter was sent in a plume of smoke, a new pair of travelers emerged from the cold wood. A half-orc, Aelia Tuskbringer, and a perpetually masked human by the name of Ronin joined the group of wanderers and shelter-seeking townspeople on their trek to Enzeldrot.

## Masks of Many Faces

On arrival in Enzeldrot, the party sought an audience with the mayor, Cainridge Bellfellow, but found that the corpulent man was not available for parlay and instead located the guard captain, Maximillion, who agreed to discuss the events in Rillet after he had dealt with a criminal execution that was to be overseen by the Angelic Order. The group acquiesced and made their way to the town square, where they saw the bound form of an elven boy with jet black hair, and pale skin who, more importantly, bore a prominent symbol of an onyx raven set in violet on a chain around his neck.

An armored dwarven member of the Angelic Order mounted the stage to read the elf's charges, and carry out his execution. The boy, revealed to be one by the name of Lace Thorn, was charged with one count of blasphemy in regard to praise of an outlawed god, one count of conspiracy to upend Angelic Order operations, and one count of aggravated assault. Lazelon, not wishing to lose a potential lead in his search for the representative of the raven symbol, and the party, almost entirely opposed to the theocratic rule of the Angelic Order in Titanhaven, agreed to interrupt this execution to interrogate Lace.

Springing to action, Hedge blinded the guards manning the borders of the stage with an arcane spray of color while Lazelon rushed the dwarf, casting him aside and allowing Geg to throw the captive elf over his shoulder while Brolk and Craven managed the crowd, with Brolk utilizing his shapechanging holy symbol of Asmodeus to pass himself as a cleric of Pelor, and Crurthur guided the group into an alleyway, and eventually, an abandoned basement. Here, the elf was thrown in a chair and Lazelon began questioning him on the origins of the symbol he bore and what operations he was involved in.

Lace responded with a mixture of indignity and delusion, stating that the way he was being treated was unbefitting of his status within a noble elven house in between incoherent accusations such as the guard captain being three kobolds in a trench coat. Eventually, through the use of some persuasion and a few threats, Lace revealed his belief that the symbol belonged to his uncle, Lance Thorn based on descriptions of said uncle matching the man who gave the symbol to him: a bald elf who had mastered sorcerous arcane arts with a foul temper. The interrogation was cut short however as guard captain Maximillion burst into the chamber, having located the party.

The party, still believing that Lace had his uses, bargained with the captain, levying their heroism in Rillet to convince him to allow Lace to travel under their care. Maximillion warily agreed, citing a mistrust of the Angelic Order's intentions, under the condition that the party accept any consequences for the actions Lace may commit under their watch and that they leave Enzeldrot before the next dawn. The group accepted this deal, and waited until nightfall to make their exit.

That night, Brolk received a reply to his letter from Lyra Thorn, expressing concern over the dragon attack, but framing it as a showcase of the Angelic Order's incompetence at protecting their people, a fault the Ember Brigade could exploit. Brolk was given further instruction to visit the nearby town of Endwood Refuge and speak with a contact, who had been commissioned to construct an item for use by the tiefling. Shortly thereafter, the party set out, making their way to Endwood Refuge.

During a rest along the several day journey to the Refuge, the party awoke to find a small, green man attempting to place purple berries into the mouths of their sleeping comrades. After preventing the escape of this goblinoid ne'er-do-well and confronting him, the group discovered his name to be Richard Pickleton, Pickledick to his friends (if he had any). Some members of the campaigners were of ideal enough spirit to partake in the berries Pickledick was attempting to forcibly imbibe the party with and began to succumb to the vivid hallucinations that accompany a yashberry trip while the remaining sober members chastised the goblin for attempting to drug them in their sleep. Ultimately, Pickledick left with a fatal warning from Brolk to never return to his sight again.

Soon, the party found themselves in Endwood Refuge, where Brolk quickly set about finding the contact detailed in Lyra's letter. The contact, playing the part of a blacksmith in the Refuge, imparted upon Brolk a shield with the capability to shift forms alongside his changing holy symbol, brandishing the marks of any god the cleric wished to feign reverence for. The contact also informed Brolk of further allies in the capitol city of Verdall. Meanwhile, the other members of the party were approached by a soldier of the Angelic Order, who had received word of their actions in taking responsibility for Lace Thorn in Enzeldrot. The soldier informed them that while the Order at large was wary and distrustful of the party, there was a task they could perform to gain respect within the holy ranks.

Miles outside of Endwood Refuge, an Angelic Order keep had fallen to a mysterious force and had fallen into disarray during the years that followed. The Order had officially abandoned the keep, but that loss and seemingly continual occupation by dark powers was a source of embarrassment for the Angelic higher ups. The soldier offered that the Order would likely look favorably on anyone who could banish the dark forces within, and may even allow the party to take ownership of the run-down fortress if they reported their deeds to the Angelic Order headquarters in Verdall. The group accepted these terms and set off to liberate the outpost.

Two tall towers loomed over the bulky girth of this damned keep, with a third tower lying in ruin beside the fortress, slowly collecting moss and vines. The wildlife around the keep was quiet and seemed to keep their distance, with only the long shadows of evergreen conifers daring to breach the perimeter of the outpost. Entering within, the party found torn carpets and breached doors all about the interior. Their first room explored led to a mess hall, fully stocked with dinnerplates loaded with fresh-looking food. As some members of the party sat to enjoy this welcoming meal, however, they inadvertently welcomed a gelatinous cube to enjoy them as a meal.

After dispatching the cube at the cost of some skin off Hedge and Brolk's backs, the next chamber found the party in a training room, barren with the exception of a straw dummy. Unfortunately, as each member of the party entered this room, the door slammed shut and locked, with the dummy animating and demanding secrets from the entrapped adventurers. Rather than divulge potentially scathing personal details, however, our intrepid band of heroes opted instead to destroy the dummy in combat, with it exploding into an ever-growing pile of straw.

The rest of the exploration on the ground floor found largely plundered or destroyed storehouses and chambers, so the group opted to descend into the undercroft of the keep. Here, they found a new type of architecture, seemingly older than the rest of the keep, consistent with more Dragonperchi design philosophy. In this strange basement, the party discovered a ghoulishly tall creature with long, thin limbs covered in tight leather, and a face covered with dual-sided mask depicting a grotesque frown and smile, conversely. The creature sprang to conflict with the group, attacking in a disjointed display of impossible acrobatics and magic, before it was eventually subdued by the group. Upon unmasking the creature, it was revealed to be a faceless, lumpy construct of skin and muscle, bound by a shadowy ichor. Additionally, the being bore the familiar raven symbol of Lazelon's quarry.

Investigating the rest of the undercroft, the group found numerous documents revealing the name of the creature they fought as the Charlatan, as well as references to its master, an entity that called himself the Raven King. Alongside these notes was a complex-looking archway of brass embedded with intricate runes embedded within it, attached to a plinth containing an opalescent blade which served as a lock-and-key mechanism. The notes detailed attempts to restore this gate, which apparently connected to a network of others around the continent, and modify it to instead transport creatures and objects to 'The Umbral Realm,' all attempts of doing so seemingly having failed.

As Craven Moorehead was attempting to pull the sword from the plinth and claim it as his weapon, and Hedge inspected the gate in search of a way to restore its teleportation capabilities, Crurthur was digging through crates of assorted magical items that had been plundered by the former residents. One such item was an ornate bell, which Crurthur happily rang, sending out a shockwave that disoriented and wounded several nearby party members, and killing Craven outright, having been weakened in the previous conflict. In shock and horror, the party took some time to process the sudden death of their compatriot while Aelia claimed the magical sword in the plinth.

After resting and reflecting on the loss of Craven, the group performed a rite of mourning for the fallen, cremating the body. The commotion and smoke, meanwhile, caught the attention of another denizen of the keep, an Aarakocra monk by the name of Tu Cansam who had been living in the attic of one of the towers, apparently oblivious to the nefarious neighbors that formerly dwelled downstairs. Tu expressed a desire to explore the world with the group, if for no other reason than to find ways to become faster and more athletic than he already was.

## Allies, Enemies, and Allied Enemies

With a fixer-upper newly under their wings, the group began their trek to Verdall, seeking to further their status, and their individual goals, with Brolk hoping to meet his Ember Brigade allies, and Lazelon wishing to gain more information on the Raven King. Along the path to the Titanhavite capitol, the party was ambushed by a short-statured, masked assailant, who impeded their progress on the trail. The bandit demanded that the group place any valuables they were carrying on the ground and proceed forward without conflict. In response, Brolk crumpled the bandit by casting the shatter spell, which also revealed the highwayman to be nothing more than a young boy, hardly older than 10. As the others looked on in horror, several other children emerged from hiding to surround the party as the eldest, and apparent leader cradled the broken child in his arms.

Not wanting to knowingly engage children in combat, the adventurers laid down their weapons and convinced the kids to talk the situation out. The leader of the young bandits, a 14-year-old named Darias told the party that he and the rest of the children are from families torn apart by the Angelic Order. Each child's parents were executed for worship of deities banned by the Order, leaving them orphaned. As a way of making ends meet, the group assembled to perform low-level acts of burglary and robbery. With many of the members of the party having been wronged by the Angelic Order in the past, the group took pity on the kids. Ronin and Hedge granted Darias a healthy sum of gold acquired in the abandoned keep, and gave him directions to the fortress, offering to let him and the other kids live there. Darias accepted this offer, and the two groups went their separate ways.

Later that night, Hedge and Crurthur confronted Brolk about his actions that led to the death of a child. The tiefling attempted to excuse his actions by expressing his belief that the bandit could have been a goblin or some other small assailant, and that everything happened too quickly to discern what was happening before he acted. Hedge, however, was not looking for excuses, and instead cited Brolk's seeming lack of remorse as his primary concern. The conflict escalated, with Hedge recounting his parents' murder at the hands of an Angelic Order soldier, and comparing that man's lack of sympathy to Brolk's. This eventually culminated in Brolk's faith to Pelor being called into question, and Brolk revealing that he in fact did not worship Pelor, instead having been born into a sect of Seranrae worshippers. Brolk, however, was never able to draw divine power from the Everlight, and he was constantly compared to the devils in Hell by one of the elder clerics, Luvon Tregh.

Shocked by this revelation, trust among the group was shaken even further, and Brolk expressed his desire to part ways from the rest of them, to the protest of Lace, who stated that the party was stronger together, and that they could all achieve greater things if everyone was willing to cast aside their issues with one another, along with some of their morals. Despite this rousing attempt at diplomacy, Brolk departed that night, and the party continued to Verdall, unknowingly trailed by Brolk.

Upon their arrival, the group began to split up in search of clues regarding the mysterious Raven King, with Crurthur investigating the underbelly of the city, scouring the streets for coded messages and thieves' cant. Soon, Cruthur uncovered hidden markings that alluded to a secret resistance within the city comprised of loyalists to the dragonkin who once flourished in this region before the Grand Design Conquest and the coming of the Angelic Order. Following this thread, Crurthur managed to discover when and where they were meeting, and infiltrated their gathering.

Here, he was amazed to find others who shared similar experiences to him with the Angelic Order, other dragonborn who were taken from their homes, degraded, and subjugated. The group's name was the Metachromallic Alliance, and it was comprised of the survivors of the Grand Design Conquest on the eastern half of the continent, formerly known as Metallic Dragonperch, and the dragonborn who still remained in power to the west, in Chromatic Dragonperch. While most of the members gathered there were dragonborn individuals, Crurthur was surprised to see a human among them, a man with dark skin and wild, wiry gray hair who was saying prayers with some of the others at the meeting.

Cruthur confronted this individual, who introduced himself as Luvon, a priest of Seranrae from Reclo who had come to Titanhaven in search of a way to make amends with someone he had wronged from his home. When he arrived on the continent, he was shocked at the hostility seen toward the dragonborn from much of the populous, as well as by the persecution of his faith, since the worship of Seranrae was considered heresy by the Angelic Order for its lax attitude toward wrongdoing and portrayed a lenient emphasis for redemption over justice for crimes committed. Luvon soon found himself amongst the Metachromallic Alliance and had been helping them take in dragonborn refugees while he pursued his personal goals. Excited at the prospect of having access to a pro-dragonborn group, Crurthur left the meeting to discuss his findings with the party.

Meanwhile, Lazelon, Hedge, and Ronin inspected the records in the Angelic Order's capitol library. Here, Lazelon and Hedge found documents referencing the symbol worn by Lace Thorn and the Charlatan. The notes depicted several instances of the symbol being found at sites where merchandise or artifacts went missing from travelling shipments, homes, and businesses, but the event that was most interesting to the bounty hunter was the case of an entire town disappearing one afternoon. The record contained the second-hand testimony of a farmer named Periot Marquel from the town of Barrelbend who was returning from his chores in the fields during the Decay of 1978. As Periot was coming back to town from his labor, it seemed to him that the buildings were slowly rotating, and as he got closer, the rotation grew faster, and the whole town began to slide in toward the center like water down a drain. Out from the center, a small token sprang up into the air and landed on the ground, which was now a flat, barren circle of stark black where the town used to be. Periot picked up the token, a symbol of a raven on a purple backdrop, shocked and shaken by his home vanishing in front of him.

He fled to the nearest village and recounted this to the people there, and was later found dead in the upstairs lodging of a tavern, a pitchfork through his skull. This was all recounted by the townspeople to the Angelic Order, prompting a fierce investigation into the now scarred landscape formerly known as Barrelbend. The lands were sickeningly unhallowed, prompting ideas that the culprit may be some form of fiend, or undead, but leads eventually grew cold, and the area was quarantined by walls warded by holy abjuration to keep the corruption from spreading. In recent years, the Angelic Order had begun using the area as a prison known as the Umberdungeon, for criminals charged with heresy or accessory to treason.

Ronin's research focused primarily on the man who cost him everything he held dear a lifetime ago, the Architect of the Grand Design Conquest. After losing his family and being forced from his home, Ronin gave up his identity and donned his mask, vowing never to remove it until the Architect was dead, dedicating his life from then on to training for their fateful meeting. Here, Ronin found the Architect's name, referenced in an old naval ledger, Relquin Doretun, the namesake for which the Doretun mountains that separate Titanhaven from Chromatic Dragonperch were named.

While in the capitol building, Hedge grew more uncomfortable with the truths that had been revealed to the party by Brolk during their last interaction, and despite his disdain for the Angelic Order, worried that his former compatriot may cause more harm if left unchecked. Reluctantly, the Kenku reported that an individual of Brolk's description may be in the city, had killed a child, and may be attempting to rally others to his cause in the service of Asmodeous. With little tolerance for those in the worship of prohibited gods, especially those intending to recruit others to the faith, the Angelic Order presence in Verdall was swiftly notified of Brolk, and a sweep began in search of the cleric. Brolk, realizing too late of the danger he was in, was swiftly captured, and was brought to the town center, where a public trial was to be held.

To preside over this trial in the city that served as the seat of the Angelic Order's power, the head of the Order, U'rn Aidon emerged from his headquarters. Aidon placed a zone of truth across the bound tiefling, and demanded answers to his accused crimes. The ensuing chaos attracted a large crowd that included the remaining members of the party. In response to the accusations he was facing, Brolk demanded a trial by combat versus his accusers. His request was honored, and an arena was prepared, inside which Brolk would face a soldier of the Angelic Order alongside Hedge, as he was the one to bring the charges to light. Brolk was afforded allies as well, in the form of Geg Kong, who still held friendship toward Brolk, and Ronin, who saw use for Brolk in locating and killing Relquin Doretun.

The ensuing battle saw volleys of magic and weaponry hurled betwixt the formerly friendly adventurers, and as the conflict rose in voracity, so too did the energy of the gathered crowd. Rowdy citizens spurred on by the excitement of the conflict began to riot amongst themselves, shoving and pushing against each other which led to several individuals falling into the arena. Soon, Aelia, Crurthur, Lazelon, Tu, and Lace joined the fray to protect the citizens who had found themselves in harms way as the rest of their party continued to bombard each other. Their conflict culminated in a well-placed magic missile from Hegemenous Rex that struck and killed Brolk, spurring more excitement in the crowd that caused the entire arena to flood with members of the audience. From within the surging crowd, Luvon Tregh, alongside the other Metachromallic Allies, came to the party's sides, offering to grant them shelter from the chaos and any scrutiny that may follow from the Angelic Order. The party consented, and they were all magically absconded with by the dragonborn sympathizers.

As the noise of the crowd was snuffed out by a sudden shift in surroundings, the party found themselves in a stone chamber alongside their new dragonborn allies, Luvon, and Brolk's corpse. Luvon set to work placing a vial of diamond dust on Brolk's chest and sparked life into the young man, explaining to him and the party that they are now in a safe place, and that there was no need to worry. Brolk, shaken by his death, subsequent resurrection, and the sight of Luvon responded with confusion, asking Luvon why he had brought him back after all they had been through. Luvon responded with sorrow, stating that he blamed himself for Brolk's leaving, something that caused his father, Ebrias, a great deal of pain. Luvon went on to say that he had done a lion's share of praying since that day, and realized that Seranrae does not condone such treatment as he had given Brolk, favoring growth and redemption over scolding and fear. What finally spurred Luvon to seek Brolk out and make right what he had done wrong was the revelation that Ebrias' wife, Life, had become pregnant with twins.

With this new information, Brolk thanked Luvon and went away from the group to reflect. As the other members of the party were led off to meet with the leaders of the Alliance, Hedge stayed back with Luvon to thank him for resurrecting Brolk. While he still felt that Brolk was in the wrong for what he did to the child, Hedge did not wish to become a murderer, and with the only act of fatal violence now reversed, Luvon had cleaned the kenku's hands somewhat.

Meanwhile, the group was introduced to the two leaders of the Metachromallic Alliance. The heads were comprised of the hand of the Sultan Dim'Niatu, Pasha Nae'Alla, Green Hand of the Arcamagistrate Authority; and Tlazo, who served as the hand to the late metallic Sultan, Mzachalath until the ruler died in the Grand Design Conquest. Nae'Alla was suspicious at first of the newcomers, who for the most part lacked the draconic blood typical of the natives to the continent, while Tlazo was seemingly overjoyed by the sight of these adventurers. Crurthur immediately attempted to sway any uneasiness that Nae'Alla may have held by declaring his fealty to the pair, delighted that there truly existed a strong force for the liberation of dragonkind.

Nae'Alla appreciated this gesture, and offered the group a chance to earn the Alliance's trust through a reconnaissance mission. Alliance spies had picked up on rumors of new weapons being designed by the gnomes of the Gnomish Flying City. The party was to travel to Nyndrikablush to investigate these rumors. The group would also be responsible for attempting to break into the Umberdungeon as it was believed that the Angelic Order was hiding something there that could potentially unravel their hold on their side of the continent. During this exchange, it was noted that Aelia was carrying a particular opalescent blade that Tlazo identified as Thyndmere. Apparently, hundreds of years prior to the present day, Dragonperchi arcanists set up a network of laboratories for their studies, and connected them with a series of gates unlocked by swords such as Thyndmere. These labs had since fallen into disrepair over the course of many years and several wars, and the blades were presumed lost or destroyed. Tlazo added that one such gate existed in the very headquarters they were in, beneath the city of Pharous. He explained that the records indicate the gate's lock and key mechanism was slightly psychic, and that the group may be able to utilize this network to travel quickly around the continent.

Optimistic about the new information they had received, the party took some time to themselves to relax in the city. Hedge, Lazelon, Aelia and Ronin shopped around the markets and explored the arcane university, Brolk began to quietly pray to Seranrae in an attempt to rekindle his connection with the god, Geg attempted to pick fights with strong looking men, and Crurthur cozied up to his fellow countrymen. Meanwhile, Tu sought to have lunch with Tlazo.

During this lunch, Tlazo expressed his concern to Tu that Nae'alla had begun to take things too far in the pursuit of victory, making deals with notorious militant forces such as Nomog Geaya's army, a contingent of goblin hosts unified under the hobgoblin's banner, revered and renowned as a god and a vicious barbarian. Nae'alla and Sultan Dim'Niatu had a very transparent plot of completely annihilating the Order as well as the non-dragonborn colonists and refugees within the draconic homeland. Tlazo stated his wishes for a more peaceful resolution to the conflict between the Angelic Order and Dragonperch, but his voice was often drowned out as a representative of Metallic Dragonperch, which fell many years prior. Tu promised that his group would return from their mission shortly, and that they would hatch a plan to increase Tlazo's influence within the alliance.

After some rest, the group gathered around the complex's Thyndmere arch and were given the location of the nearest connecting arch to the Gnomish Flying City. Aelia placed her sword within the plinth and focused on that description, opening a rippling gate in the arch. The party stepped through, finding themselves in a run-down and flooded laboratory. After some brief exploration, they encountered a cadre of electric wisps that had made a home here and began to fend off the lightning spirits' attempts to drive them out. During this fight, a pair of figures in the darkness began to join the fight, indiscriminately attacking both wisps and party member. Once the wisps had been dispelled, Brolk recognized one of the pair as Pickledick, who, recalling Brolk's warning when last they met, began stammering about trying to stay away from the group, and having no idea they would ever be so far away from their initial place of meeting.

After some brief tensions, the other of the pair introduced himself as Riptar, Emmisary of the Sea, on a diplomatic mission from the Empire of Ravenser to gather support for the fight against Hodejsh the Dawn Titan. Apparently, early on in his quest, his ship had wrecked, and he was rescued by Pickledick, vowing to travel with and protect him. Through doubtful glances, the party inquired about what had brought them so far inland to this laboratory if they had just been near the shore. Pickledick clarified that where they now stood was, in fact, very near to the shore, and very far from the intended destination the party had in mind. Riptar added that they were in search of treasure to aid the fight against the titan, and invited the party to join, much to the chagrin of Pickledick. Despite the setback, the party accepted the invitation and the group delved further into the ruins.

Before long, the group encountered a strange, small man with long hair that looked like steel wool, who was toiling away, creating baubles and trinkets from the metal shorn from his hair, placing them into crates marked with the familiar crest of the Raven King. As the party neared, the creature caught wind of their presence and lashed out at the group with its tendrils of hair. A battle ensued, with the creature retreating in and out of small tunnels in the walls between strikes, beating the group down severely before it was finally slain.

After the battle, Lazelon discovered letters from the the Raven King, commissioning strange trinkets of gold, silver, and other precious metals. During this investigation, some of the party began to hear thumping from above the chamber. Following a makeshift passageway, the group located another pair in this new chamber. The shocking sight of a tentacled face atop a pinstripe suit playing catch with an orcish man stood before the party. Immediately, the group stood on guard, but the squid-like man raised his arms in surrender, introducing himself as Rich, he revealed that he was an Illithid, but not interested in harming any of the party. He stated that he was on a job, and that there could possibly be mutual benefits if he and the group joined forces. Rich informed the party that he was skilled in the creation and use of firearms, and that his companion, Johnny gets along with everyone. Meanwhile, the mute orc, Johnny, had begun playing catch with Geg, throwing boulders at one another. The group accepted Rich as a member of their party, and everyone began to prepare for departure.

Riptar and Pickledick opted not to stay with the group, who shared with the pair the location of their new keep, offering to have the two stay there alongside the children. Aelia then prepared the Thyndmere arch for departure, hopefully to the correct location this time.

## The Heartbreakers

With a now successful transit through the gate, the party found themselves in an even more ruined lab within an overgrown pine forest. With snow crunching beneath their feet, they followed the Metachromallic Alliance's directions and soon caught sight of the Gnomish Flying City.

Moving into the shadow of the city brought them within its levitation field, rocketing them upward into the the massive construct upon which Nyndrikablush sits. The party began exploring the sprawling metropolis, quickly finding that the society was divided into physical tiers, with elevators leading up from the industrial district, to the upper income residences, the nobility, and eventually the palace. The industrial tier was home to the lower income factory workers and toilers who build products and refine materials for the inventors on higher tiers. Adherence to a strict work ethic here was enforced by animated constructs called Forged golems that kept a close eye on any goings on within the city.

In their search for information regarding new weapons or anything about the Umberdungeon, Crurthur and Hedge entered a dive bar amongst the factories on the industrial tier. Here, they met a man by the name of Glen and initiated him in a conversation about the class system here in the city. Glen quickly engaged them in lamentations about the system, stating that the elites demand and expect much of them, and their compensation and communication is sparse. Glen revealed that his job as a component producer was on pause due to a mining closure north of the city, which has left him without income to support his child, and no answers as to what had gone wrong at the mine. The pair offered to help Glen with the situation, stating that they would try to get answers about the mine if Glen could answer some questions about the city supplying new weapons to the Angelic Order, and provide passage to the Umberdungeon. Glen agreed, revealing that the Forged golems that patrol the city have counterparts being built as soldiers for the Order, and that he has a friend in the Skydocks that could arrange them passage on a supply skiff going to the Umberdungeon.

Disembarking from the Flying City, the group began to move eastward to the mines, meeting a fellow traveler along the way. The man was an orc, dressed in heavy furs, who introduced himself as Shibai, who esoterically stated that he was in search of some type of redemption for a past wrong, offering to help the party for a time. The party accepted this offer, and soon arrived at the mines with their new companion in tow. Instead of a traditional tunnel down into the earth, the group discovered a small abode, guarded by two Angelic Order soldiers who interposed before the party and questioned them on why they had come. The party convinced the guards that they were sent as hired help from the Flying City to rectify the issues in the mine, and the soldiers agreed to allow their entrance, explaining that the mines were deep beneath the ground, accessible via a short range teleportation circle. Soldiers had been dispatched below the surface previously, but none had returned, prompting the head of the Order, U'rn Aidon to close the mine completely.

One of the soldiers activated the teleportation circle before warning the party that whatever was down there was likely dangerous, and they should proceed with utmost caution. The group then absconded into the darkness through the circle and were immediately accosted by elementals of earth, which they managed to subdue before moving deeper into the mine. As they travelled, they began to notice an eerie pink glow ahead, and bits of metal scraps strewn about the tunnel. Rounding a corner, the group caught sight of a sheer wall of glowing purple crystal, and rushing to interpose between them was a metal man with a similarly purple glyph upon his forehead, wielding a staff of metal arms grasping each other, with the final hand holding a shard of the pinkish crystal that stood before them.

The group and the individual stood in silence for a beat, before the metal man demanded to know who they were. The group explained that they were sent to investigate the mines and why they had closed. The man then explained that the mines would not be reopened as long as he stood. He introduced himself as Onatar, a construct designed to mine the crystal they stood before, the Birthheart. None had ever succeeded in breaking pieces off of the crystal before, which was why he was created. Onatar revealed that his purpose had been successful, that he broke a shard off of the Birthheart, which nearly destroyed him, as it had his companions. Instead, he survived, awakened by the blast, and granted a new sentience.

Geg took in this man's words, thought for a moment, or not at all, and charged at the crystal, smashing his weapon into it. This caused a reverberating blast that rocketed him backward, destroying his sword and severely injuring him. Undeterred, he charged at the Birthheart again, this time punching it with a fist and achieving similar results. Aelia then joined in, along with Tu, and the group took turns smashing themselves into the crystal over and over as Onatar looked on in shock.

After the Heartbreakers had worn themselves out, Hedge and Crurthur inquired with Onatar about the what he intends to do down in these mines, and Onatar responded that he does wish to share his newfound sentience with the other Forged constructs in the Flying City, but he does not have the means to gather them. Hedge promised that he would help Onatar awaken the other constructs by finding a way to bring them to him. Grateful, Onatar thanked the group in advance and activated the teleportation circle to let them out of the mines.

On the surface, the group convinced the soldiers that the problem below the surface had been taken care of, and that they could leave their post. They then moved back to the Flying City where they began to hatch their plan to bring the forged constructs to Onatar. The party split into several groups, with Hedge and Crurthur discovering that squadrons of Forged constructs that patrolled the streets of the industrial tier were commanded by a gnomish official with a controller unit. Following one of these commanders during a shift change, Hedge gained access to one of the warehouses dedicated to storage and repairs of the Forged units and was able to pilfer one of the controller units.

Ronin and Brolk began to canvas the industrial tier of the city, speaking to the residents and workers about the conditions they are kept under, inciting the idea that perhaps it was time to demand more of their employers. Many of the workers agreed with this idea, and wished to be able to pursue their passions out from under the thumb of the class system that existed within the city. Slowly, protests began to form outside of forges and factories.

Rich and Shibai infiltrated the interior of the city, sneaking about the mechanical portions of the massive flying construct before locating the engine room. Rich surmised that the city was held aloft by a complex system of both machines and magic, and if a well-targeted spell were to take effect upon the inner workings of the city, its effects may spread throughout the civilization.

Geg took a different approach. Purchasing a fine set of royal clothing, Geg donned the alias "Sir Geg," taking an elevator to the upper class district and flaunting his wealth. Soon, a realtor noticed the newcomer's display and attempted to do business with the goliath. Geg demanded that she showcase the finest houses available for sale such that he may have a home in the city befitting his station. In the first house, as the realtor was explaining the awestriking concept of indoor plumbing, Geg knocked her out with a strike to the head and hid her under a bed before taking to the streets once more.

By this point, the strikes on the industrial tier had begun to gather the attention of the higher ups, who called in patrol Forged golems to quell the protests. Seizing his chance, and one of the elevator attendants, Geg called out to the crowds to take action and fight, lifting the attendant over his head and tossing him off the wall of the second city tier. The workers began to fight against the constructs, but Hedge soon took control of a large swath of them, sending several out of the city toward Onatar's location, and leaving many to fight alongside the workers. Meanwhile, Shibai cast a teleportation spell into the engine of the city targeting all animated constructs on the streets, which were sent to Onatar. Without the Forged golems, the workers quickly overwhelmed the flesh and blood enforcers, and began to take the city. In the chaos, the palace atop the tiers detached from the rest and began flying away of its own accord.

The party left the revolution to continue without them as they made their way to Onatar, who thanked them for bringing his brethren to him. With a strike of his crystal-topped staff, he washed the constructs over with the power of the Birthheart, declaring it the beginning of a new race and a new society, that of the Heartforged. Onatar made it the mission of the Heartforged to protect the sanctity of the Birthheart, and would build their new civilization atop the mines where he was first awakened. Shibai, moved by this, revealed his true identity as a simulacrum of Dierro Astorio VII, who was living out his exile on the north pole, where one end of the Birthheart juts out of the planet. Shibai requested that a small number of Heartforged accompany him back to the pole to fulfill their goal there, to which several accepted.

The rest of the Heartbreakers made their way back to the Flying City, where much of the fighting had subsided, with the upper class agreeing to lower the other tiers and afford everyone equal opportunities to live and work as they please. Finding Glen at his home with his son, the party was thanked for their actions, and arrangements would be made for their transport to the Umberdungeon in the morning.

## Umberdungeon

After a day travelling on the expeditious skiff, the Heartbreakers caught sight of the Umberdungeon, a dark splotch on the land surrounded by warded walls. Upon landing, the party began staking out ways to enter the dungeon. Tu took to the sky to try flying over the walls and into the shadowy land, but was repelled by an invisible force. The rest of the party scoped out one of the watchtowers that dotted the walls, finding several Angelic Order soldiers within. As Crurthur attempted to steal a ring of keys from the waist of one of the soldiers, the group was spotted and forced to fight. While the first contingent of soldiers were dispatched handedly, several others began to enter the fray from patrols and other towers, and the party retreated back to the entrance of the Umberdungeon. There, the Heartbreakers were surrounded, and were told that their actions had landed them a spot within the prison. They were then thrown into the Umberdungeon.

Inside, the party observed a cold chill in the air, and a gray fog hanging over the black soil of the land. Beginning to wander, Tu noticed a small camp built in the distance of the massive expanse. As the group started to move toward the encampment, they were interrupted by a hulking mass of spined metal gathering corpses upon its back, with started with malicious purpose toward the group. The Heartbreakers engaged the creature, quickly realizing their attacks had little effect on the thing, and it swiftly began to tear through their ranks. Tu, with his incredible speed opted to flee the fight, hoping to gain aid from the distant camp, still at least a mile away. Meanwhile, the party continued to be ravaged by the beast, who were attempting to maintain distance from the creature, lobbing ranged attacks at it. Rich managed to ignite the ground around it with fire, which began to wear the enemy down, but without a way to keep it still, victory was still uncertain.

It was then that Brolk told the rest of the party to flee as he occupied the creature. The tiefling ran into the flames and activated his spiritual guardians, which turned a brilliant white as he engaged the beast. With a thread of life left, Brolk managed to subdue the creature before falling himself, having to be dragged from the flames by his companions. When the group finally caught up to Tu, they found him amongst the camp, a small commune by the name of Fort Hope.

Emerging from within, the leader of the group, a gnome by the name of Tailyn Daae solemnly welcomed the party, informing them that the camp was made up of those the Angelic Order had imprisoned for the worship of banned deities. She herself was a worshipper of Avandra, whose sister was a member of the Angelic Order, attempting to bring change from within. Tailyn's arrest led to the sisters' separation as Emma fled the order and Tailyn was locked away here. Lazelon asked Tailyn whether she had ever seen or heard anything about the Raven King or his symbol. Tailyn confirmed his suspicions by revealing that an undead necropolis on the western face of the dungeon was ruled over by a three-headed, skeletal individual named Ranya, who bore the symbol Lazelon described. Apparently, this individual also wielded an artifact theoretically capable of breaking the seals that secured the Umberdungeon, a pendant known as the Talisman of Ultimate Evil.

The party began to move on the necropolis, facing a shadowy figure of bone and sinew along the way, a boneclaw, presumably in the service of Ranya. The Heartbreakers managed to defeat this creature, whose umbral essence retreated back to the palace that lay ahead. Upon their arrival at the necropolis, the party found their path impeded by mote of tar, and a raised drawbridge behind which the sounds of clambering undead could be heard. To gain passage, Geg threw himself over the mote and clumb up the bridge, wresting it from its position and granting access for the party, as well as the hordes of undead within. Brolk was the first to charge in, bearing his holy symbol and destroying leagues of undead with its presence. The Heartbreakers swiftly followed, racing toward the palace at the center of the fortification. Once inside, Aelia and Geg barred the doors as the party turned to face the multi-headed master of the necropolis, the skull-lord Ranya.

As undead beat at the door outside, Ranya informed the party that she had been told to expect them by her master. She assured them that while their actions had provided the Raven King with ample entertainment, they were too late to stop the next stage of his plans, and would be put down then and there. The following battle was a bloodbath. Ranya summoned the Boneclaw to her side alongside a small horde of undead. Aelia engaged the Boneclaw, recieving ranged support from Rich, with the former two exchanging blows and bringing each other to death's door before the monster ran her through with a bony claw, killing her.

The rest of the party attempted to deal with Ranya and the other undead, though Ranya provided little opportunity to pin her down, moving freely about the battlefield without an opening to take a strike of opportunity. As Geg waded through the groups of zombies and skeletons pursuing Ranya, emboldened by Hedge's magic, he was worn down by the undead, and was eventually brought near enough to death for Ranya to finish him off with a finger of death, raising him thereafter as a zombie in her service. Meanwhile, Ronin managed to close in on Ranya with little interference from the undead, but as he began to make progress toward defeating the skull lord, she employed her Talisman, ripping the floor open between his feet and utterly destroying him. Brolk provided as much support as he could through his divine magic, but as it dwindled and his friends began to fall, he threw himself at Ranya, attempting to do all he could to weaken Ranya before he, too, was slain by her magic.

The surviving party, themselves weakened, managed to subdue the Boneclaw and the remaining undead. Soon, it was the battered remnants of the Heartbreakers versus the weary skull-lord alone. With her magic largely expended, and her movement restricted by the enclosing enemies, Ranya was narrowly defeated by Hedge, Crurthur, Lazelon, Rich, and Lace. The victory was not without cost, however, with nearly half of their number cut down before them. Attempting to pluck the Talisman of Ultimate Evil, Crurthur found himself withered by the pendant, seemingly an effect the artifact had against non-evil individual. Slowly, Lace reached for and grabbed the pendant, unaffected.

From the remains of Ranya, a voice called out to the group, one belonging to one of the other skulls that sat upon the Skull-Lord's shoulders. The skull stated that his name was Xavius Thorn, and that he had been tasked with tracking down the phylactory of a lich-king by the name of Asgrodarian Astordritinian, but ran into trouble along the way, being beheaded by a drow sorcerer. He promised the party riches if they brought him along on their journey and sought out his tower, where the means for his revival could be found. Lace, intrigued by a member of his family in such a state, took possession of Xavius's skull.

Investigating the personal effects of the Skull-Lord, Lazalon discovered a ledger, detailing plans drafted by the Raven King, whose true identity was that of a man named Hongrl Shade. Among these plans was a test of something called "Shadow Seeds" on the establishment of Barrelbend, which was a rousing success, with the Seed pulling the village into the Raven King's demiplane and leaving a dark anchor in its place. Ranya's ledger detailed further plans by the Raven King to take more items, people, and settlements from the inner planes, using the anchors left behind to collapse the Shadowfell, Material, and Feywild into one another, creating a mega plane he called the Material Ultima. From the chaos of the new land, the Raven King planned to rise up and rule its people.

The next stage of this plan was to play out within a few days, as followers of the Raven King were to carry out the theft of the Gnomish Flying City, leaving another dark anchor in its place. After these discoveries, the party gathered their dead and set forth with intent to escape from the Umberdungeon and intercede in the plot to steal the Gnomish Flying City. Making their way back to Fort Hope to bring news of what had transpired to the denizens there, the Heartbreakers encountered a trio of other prisoners traversing the dungeon landscape on their own.

The three were an elf, a human, and a tiefling. The elf was a seasonal eladrin by the name of Aelin, who wielded magic through the use of his skin-bound bongos. The human was a bearded and robed cleric by the name of Jesus Christo, who claimed to host the divine power of his father, a god who had sent him into the world to do good and spread His word. Finally, the tiefling was a bow-wielding warlock by the name of Caius Balodrom, whose golden locks flowed from his head to his feet.

The trio began to hassle the party as newcomers, intrigued by the Talisman of Ultimate Evil that Lace bore upon his neck. Realizing that this was their chance to finally escape the Umberdungeon, the three joined forces with the Heartbreakers, and, gathering the residents of Fort Hope, they all made their way to the gates of the dungeon. Presenting the Talisman, the party witnessed the invisible wards that covered the walls, and rose above them as a domed field begin to crack and eventually shatter. The Heartbreakers and Fort Hope denizens burst from within, meeting with Angelic Order forces prepared to receive them in battle. Soon, those from within the dungeon overwhelmed the Order, and everyone within obtained their freedom. Before they parted, Tailyn told the party that she intended to search for her sister, and asked that they do the same, and if they should find Emma, to let her know. The party informed her of the location of their keep if she were ever in need of a place to stay.

The Heartbreakers began the trek back to the Flying City, coming upon Onatar and the Heartforged along the way. The party beseeched Onatar to help them raise their dead, to which the Heartforged man complied. Utilizing the clerical powers granted to him in his awakening, he was able to bring Aelia back from the dead, but was unable to do the same for Geg and Brolk. With another member once again in their ranks, the group continued on to the city, only to find that they were too late.

## The Raven King

Below the Flying City, a pool of ink had begun to form, with dark tendrils licking up from its surface, grasping out at the city. The party sprung into action, with Hedge creating a series of floating disks to evacuate as many residents of the city as possible. Tu took to the skies and began gathering up gnomes, placing them onto disks, and carrying party members onto the city's streets to aid this task. Soon, the tendrils had grappled the city, pulling it into the ink. Aelia attempted to sever the tentacles, managing to cut through some, which flung the city into a sideways tumble, while new tendrils began to bubble up from the ink. Eventually, as the city drew closer to being swallowed whole, Caius and Lazalon threw themselves into the ink, followed soon after by the other party members when saving the city from submersion became impossible.

On the other side of the pool of ink, the party found themselves in a black expanse, standing upon one of three large islands floating within the void. Among the gray, dying grass they stood on were grave markers with inscriptions of fictitious names and mundanities such as shopping lists. In the distance, the lights of a small settlement twinkled in the darkness. Moving toward the village, the party saw that it was beset with small, walking turnip creatures, chasing the residents around the streets. Upon their entry, the turnips began to harass the party, demanding that they swear fealty to the Turnip King, a larger turnip than the others. Jesus, endeared by these creatures, spoke to the Turnip King. Through some issues of translation as the turnips could only say the word 'turnip' in common, Jesus promised the Turnip King in sylvan that he would help them escape the Raven King's domain, and the Turnip King accepted, thereafter viewing him as a royal mount on which he would ride into battle.

After subduing the turnip invasion, the party began to talk to the residents of the town, discovering that the place they had found themselves in was Barrelbend, having been transported here years prior. They learned that the pathway to the other two islands lay through the cursed woods north of the village, and that the Raven King made his residence in a palace on the third island. After spending some time resting in the town's tavern, the party set out to the forest, with a warning from the tavern keeper that those who pass through the forest must make an offering to the druid that dwells within or be doomed to be eternally lost.

Inside the forest of blackened trees, the party found themselves moving in circles with little sense of direction, the vines constantly encroaching on them, and a pervasive feeling among them that they were being watched. Out of the darkness, a small creature with a pumpkin for a head and a face of flames emerged. The creature bowed to the Heartbreakers and pulled the pumpkin lid off of his jack-o-lantern head. Assuming that this must be where offerings to the druid were to be made, most of the party tossed in trinkets or gold, but Jesus made a different offer. He offered his hand in marriage to the druid. Perhaps she was charmed by the cleric, or perhaps her many years in the bleak domain of the Raven King had made her lonely or insane, but a woman emerged from the wood to accept this offer. The druid, an earth genasi with hair made of vines and roots cascading from her head stated that she would take his hand in marriage if he was willing to take on the gift of the forest, and help to destroy the Raven King who had pulled her forest into this domain.

With both parties in agreement, the Heartbreakers held an impromptu wedding for Jesus the cleric and Yazmina the druid, after which Jesus' complexion became more wooden, and his hair became more plant-like as the 'gift of the forest' set in. Now married and more flammable, Jesus and the party were able to pass through the forest and cross the dilapidated bridge to the second island. Here, the Heartbreakers found the Gnomish No Longer Flying City resting in the dirt. Finding Glen within, they found that most of the remaining denizens of the city were unharmed, but eager to leave this place. Apparently, when they arrived, a young woman came from the palace to instruct the gnomes to create a device following a set of designated specifications. Studying the blueprints, Hedge surmised that the device was some kind of amplifier for magical energy, specifically in the school of conjuration. After promises that the party would free the gnomes before anything else could occur, the party made their way across another bridge to the palace.

The palace was a white beacon in the darkness that seemed to glow in its contrasting brilliance. Making their way through the courtyard of manicured hedges, the party entered the castle, following the halls to a grand foyer containing a throne upon which sat a bald drow, dressed in an elegant suit of black feathers. At his side stood a young, winged woman and a skeleton bearing a poofy afro and sequined suit. The drow greeted the party, thanking them for coming all this way to return what was his.

Thyndmere and the Talisman of Ultimate Evil, he said, were part of his greater machinations and would need to be returned to him immediately. Turning his gaze to Lace, he asked that the elf boy come bring the Talisman to his uncle. Lace, by this point, was having serious doubts about his familial relationship to this man. If the mismatched names weren't enough, the difference in complexion was stark in this light. Still, Lace approached the Raven King, slowly, before stopping in front of him and declaring that this man was not his uncle, and even if he was, the Heartbreakers were his friends now, and he would protect them. Lace attempted to use the Talisman on the Raven King, but it was no use. Hongrl Shade grasped the ungrateful boy by the neck and began to strangle the life out of him before the party intervened.

Lace was pulled from the Raven King's grip by Aelia, and Hedge brought him to safety with dimension door. The ensuing battle unfolded similarly to that with Ranya, though her master was far more powerful. Soon, most of the Heartbreakers were knocked unconscious or were near to it. Rich wrested the Talisman from Lace's neck and held it aloft with the barrel of his rifle pressed against it, calling for a ceasefire. The Raven King acquiesced, keeping a close eye on the illithid. Rich acknowledged that the party was outmatched but pressed that they could still be useful to Hongrl, to gather other items of interest. Intrigued, the Raven King considered the offer, and agreed to negotiate terms.

The Heartbreakers and the Raven King agreed that the Talisman would be returned to Hongrl, but the party could maintain custody of Thyndmere until their work for the Raven King was complete. In exchange for their lives, they were tasked with retrieving a cubic gate from a dragon named Otrovna. The Raven King revealed that if their task was successful, they may prove useful enough to gather other items in his journal but could also opt to end their services alive after turning over the cubic gate and relinquishing Thyndmere.

The group was then shunted back into the Material Plane near a fog-covered lake in which Otrovna was said to reside. The Heartbreakers investigated the lake, finding that there seemed to be some form of volcanic vent beneath the body of water, perhaps big enough to contain the dragon's lair. So, diving to the bottom with the help of a water breathing spell from Hedge, the party were able to find themselves within the poison-gas filled tunnels beneath the lake. Sucking on a bucket of water for air, the group found that the cavern contained a whole host of books, scholarly journals, and spellbooks. As Hedge began to gorge himself on this knowledge, the slender form of a green dragon came revealed itself.

With the threat of a toxic demise ahead of them, the party explained their situation to what appeared to be Otrovna. The dragon humored them and offered a deal of her own. In exchange for the party assisting in killing a rival dragon, Relvenerak, she would give them the cubic gate and allow them to keep their lives. To this, the party agreed and embarked out of the lair. Otrovna had given them the location of a nearby Dragonperchi lab from which to teleport with Thyndmere, which the party used to transport themselves to the mountains Relvenerak called home. It was at this point in time that Rich expressed that his interests no longer aligned with the party. With them engaging in more and more dangerous deals and affiliations with those who would do himself and the hive harm, not to mention Johnny's burgeoning ceremorphesis, Rich said his goodbyes and left the group.

The rest of the Heartbreakers began to scale the nearby mountain, which rumbled with volcanic activity within. Along their trek, they encountered a newly awakened Heartforged by the name of CHEF. CHEF was in search of rare herbs that dwelled upon the mountain, but jumped at the chance to potentially cook with ingredients harvested from a dragon's body, opting to join the Heartbreakers on their quest.

Together with their new culinary companion, the group descended upon the red dragon Relvenerak in his lair and decimated him in a matter of moments. Amongst the riches within the magmatic chamber, the party discovered a large egg with a golden shell. Stowing the egg, the party returned to Otrovna with Relvenerak's head, trading it for the cubic gate and departing back to their base of operations.

Here, they met the new denizens of the keep, a group of dwarven builders helmed by one named Tolden, a guardswoman going by the title of Einzelganger, all having been hired by Darian with the Heartbreakers' funds, and two prisoners from the Umberdungeon, Tailyn Daae and Stonefist, as well as Riptar and Pickledick. Here, the party began devising a plan to subvert the Raven King.

Hedge theorized that while the party may not have the strength to outright defeat the Raven King yet, they may be able to rob him. For this, they would need someone capable of facilitating a plane shift to the Raven King's domain for an ambush. Entrusting the care of the golden egg to Pickledick and Riptar, the Heartbreakers attempted to transport themselves to the Metachromallic Alliance's base to meet with Tlazo regarding their findings in the Umberdungeon and see if the Alliance could aid in their ambush. The other side of the Thyndmere gate did not bring good tidings, however. Bloodshed and bodies littered the ground on the other side, with the head of Tlazo upon a spike. The body of Luvon lay nearby as well, and Hedge scooped him up, rushing him back to the keep.

The party brought Luvon's corpse to Tailyn, who was able to successfully revive him, and he groggily informed the group that they had been betrayed by Nae'alla and the chromatic forces. They were now doubling down on their alliance with Nomog-Gaeya, and saw no further need with the impediment Tlazo's morals brought to the table. The party delivered their own sorry news as well, informing Luvon of Brolk's passing, and their now disrupted plan to ambush the Raven king. Luvon, saddened by the news, expressed that he wished to inform the Traer's of their son's demise in person in Reclo, and that there was a sorcerer living there that may be able to help them with their plane shifting problem.

At dawn, the group set off for the island of Reclo by way of cubic gate. Here, the Heartbreakers attended Ebrias Traer's sermon in the church of Serenrae before connecting with the priest on the subject of Brolk's passing. Heartbroken, Ebrias lamented that his newborn twins would never meet their brother. Luvon stayed with Ebrias in comfort while the others went out in search of the sorcerer, Riric Tarbor.

In an unassuming house within Reclo's residential district, the party found the far from unassuming halfling, Riric and his partner, Alanna. Upon explaining their circumstances, Riric agreed to assist the party in gaining access to the Raven King's domain, but needed an item from the domain to create a properly tuned fork for the material component. Using a smattering of objects belonging to Yazmina and the Turnip King, Riric, with help from Hedge, was able to create a tuning fork aligned with the dread domain of Hongrl Shade.