The Thirtieth Session

The morning after the celebration of Myth Drannor, the Sentinels were told by Cormir and Melarra to begin to make their way toward the town of Harrowdale, to help them fortify before travelling to the Dragon's Delta, or as the soldiers had been referring to it, "No Man's Land." The armada would be about a week behind them, so they didn't need to rush, and should focus on taking out any straggler Ebonyborn forces they encountered on the way. They were seen off by the other commanders, with Lorilla giving Shag a hug and a kiss on the cheek. After a peaceful trip through the woods, they made camp, appreciating the beauty of the Cormanthor Forest. They also realized it was the first time since they encountered the Draconian princes that it was just the four of them. They took some time to banter with each other, before Aoth heard a sound in the woods. Halrek scouted, and alerted the group to incoming beasts he could see, which turned out to be a group of 4 trolls and a Hill Giant. Shag jumped onto the Hill Giant's head in a wondrous feat of acrobatics, said "Hello Friend!" and used Thunderstep to cause an explosion, and teleport onto one of the trolls. This gave an opening for Yief to charge in and use Earthshatter to cause a tremor that knocked the Hill Giant and two of the trolls prone, followed by a barrage of hammer strikes to the chest and head of the Giant, killing it. The rest of the group subdued their enemies, but were horrified to find that the trolls could regenerate, even from death. However, upon seeing that the trolls that were hit by Aoth's hammer, Thunderburst, weren't regenerating where the lightning burned them, they realized they would need to use different tactics. Halrek used a fire dart to kill his, Yief used his hammer Meteor, and Aoth used Sacred Flame on the one Shag was fighting after killing the one he was fighting. After the battle, they had to clean up their campsite. While cleaning, Shag noticed a large blue feather in the woods near some moved leaves and talon marks in the dirt. Returning to camp, they slept in shifts, though no more danger came their way. Continuing on their path the following morning, they came across a shack that seemed to have been made magically by moving trees. Shag felt a presence that beckoned him to enter.

Opening the door, he saw a familiar face; a blue jay Aarakocra, meditating on the floor, who smiled and said "I've been waiting for you. I'm glad you found me." Shag then introduced the Sentinels to his husband, "Birdman," who then clarified that his name was Xochic Starcaller, which even Shag didn't know, as the week they spent together was almost entirely spent intoxicated. After exchanging pleasantries and catching up, Xochic began to explain that he found them because of Shag's awakened power, that he could feel and decided to help guide Shag through. He explained the phenomenon of the Paragon Spirit, and offered to help Shag undergo a set of trials to help awaken this power, as Xochic was also a Paragon, nearing the end of his long, extended life.

The first trial involved a 3 hour meditation while holding the Stone of the Realms, an ancient artifact that could amplify the magical energies of the many planes to the holder. However, the extended meditation process would open the possibility of otherworldly beings entering through the amplified magical opening the stone would cause. Xochic would meditate with Shag to help guard his mind, and Aoth, Halrek, and Yief would have to guard Shag and Xochic's bodies. Once the trial began, Shag found himself in a place between dimensions, that seemed like an astral nebula, with fragments of many worlds overlapping, twisting, folding, fractalizing. It was both beautiful and terrifying. However, Shag soon could feel a pulsing of energies, that he calmed his mind and aligned himself with, to begin the attunement process. He could soon feel the energy as more than just a pulse, but a symphony of different powers intertwining throughout all the planes.

After some time, the rift between worlds was opened, and Shag was attacked by a pair of Intellect Devourers, which he quickly killed. In the material plane, an Umber Hulk made it through the rift, and the Sentinels quickly disposed of it. After some more time, Shag was attacked by more Intellect Devourers, and a Caller in Darkness, which he was also able to best. In the real world, 3 Intellect Devourers made it through, that were also quickly subdued, but not before one got an attack off on Shag, which he felt within his meditation, implying Matrix rules to his trance. Finally, in both the astral nebula and the material plane, illithids appeared. Shag quickly banished the one that appeared before him, to buy himself time to finish the ritual. Yief charged at the one that appeared before them, and caught it off guard with a barrage of hammer strikes, leaving an opening for Halrek to assassinate the creature before it could attack.