Mired in Mortality

## **Synopsis**

In Chapter 60: Mired in Mortality, the group parted ways with the historian Isadora Marovec – who had given us a moment to compose ourselves before returning to the chaos of the ruins.  We followed her directions and she did not lead us astray – the next right turn taking us to the east gate where we could finally escape to the relative comforts of the grove.

As the walls came into view we saw a familiar, ominous beam of light bearing down on us from atop the battlements – signaling the return of the Lizardfolk Arcane Sharpshooter that kept us pinned down after the black powder explosion drew their attention in an earlier skirmish.

Better prepared for what we were up against, we split into groups and took cover amongst the abandoned homes – Erland and Safira looping around toward the gate while Graven and Beezaura used a rotating device to disperse the fog for some better sightlines.  We effectively managed the creature's attention long enough to get in a couple of ranged attacks, but moving the horses and the party through unscathed was looking like a tall order until an unseen assailant tossed the Lizardfolk from his perch to the ground below – where it met quick end with a sickening thud.

This fortuitous turn of events was unlikely to come without strings attached, so we prepared for a different kind of conflict – and by dashing through the east gate into the grove it was Erland who got the best look to confirm what we believed was true: our former guide, Daud Zlatko, had tracked us down through the ruin.

He fired a shot that would have found its mark if not for some quick monk reflexes, and followed that up by leaping from the wall in what we assumed was an attack position until the rope unraveling behind him pulled taut – snapping his neck and ending this somber game of cat and mouse.  Despite the perceived betrayal, we took the time to cut him down and bury him – a sendoff with mixed feelings for a complicated man who feared being captured more than he feared death.

Determined to not waste the opportunity while we were here, we headed for the ISI-MIL border with plans to turn south and locate the tree on our map – but it would have to wait until the morning as the sun was falling fast beyond the Acqly canopy.  Feeling that he owed the group an explanation, Erland reassured us while we set up camp that he had no way of predicting the double-cross – and even opened up a bit about his time at the monastery, which was the common thread between himself and Daud that had (until now) remained private.

It was some much-appreciated context, but we went to bed mentally preparing for what we might find on the following day.  The night passed without incident and the terrain here was more conducive to expediency – but after close to an hour of travel we worried that we might have misunderstood Isadora's directions, or overestimated the landmark's visibility.  Fortunately, neither of these proved to be the case – and the majestic Crownsgold tree appeared as promised along the border.

Using Orba's ability to detect magic and Safira's knowledge of primordial symbols, we unearthed a kind of code carved into the tree that required four tomes to decipher – and we didn't know until after completing it that it was siphoning our collective life force for as long as we kept the books open.  Feeling a touch out of breath, we watched as a hatch in the trunk clicked open – revealing a ladder leading down into the earth.

The cold, hollow interior gave way to what we could only assume was a Soul Shelter – its unique construction capable of shielding its inhabitants from divine intervention.  It was here that Graven caught a glimpse of several Goliath faces that were somehow both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time – including Ayana Sengri'la il-Vigo, but his failed attempts to get their attention made it clear that it was a vision rather than a prison, their true whereabouts unknown.

Emerging from the darkness came an elderly dwarf who identified himself as Azvalder of Bufmir – a cleric who had this structure commissioned so that he could perish here and weaken Bufmir's presence on this world.  It was his belief that the gods had become unchecked and reckless – that long ago the magic that brought balance and kept the divine from becoming too powerful had been lost, and that as a chosen one he felt some responsibility in trying to restore this equilibrium.

The Soul Shelter gave Graven a chance to both ask questions and speak freely of his past without repercussion – and we learned of his uneasy alliance with Q'usñi who had granted him great power under false pretenses.  Tricked into believing he was an unwanted child, Graven operated in righteous ignorance until he happened upon records showing that his mother had long grieved his disappearance – leading to a violent altercation between a mortal and his deity. It was a harrowing tale with an unclear solution – but much of Graven's future plans depended greatly on what happens after tracking down (and defeating) the elusive Chimera.

While this conversation took place, it was Beezaura who was watching the horses above ground – and she felt her danger senses tingling when a man appeared (seemingly from nowhere) to inspect the Crownsgold.  After mostly ignoring her attempts to converse, he broke his silence to simply state that he was "waiting for someone".  It had a vaguely ominous ring to it, but the rest of us were not there to back Beezaura up.

## Trivia

* Natural one count: no natural ones were rolled in this Chapter.
* Second of two prerecorded episodes while they are moving streaming location.