Category: Conjunction of Planes

Previously, the heroes managed to make contact with the fleet of the royal armada that were blocking the port of Eastray and managed to convince them of the gravity of their task and the urgency with which they had to reach Kingsport. Lady Fiona of House Kenton, captain of the Sea Spirit, and Ser Aegar of Dunagore, captain of the Green Naga both convinced their admiral that the Green Naga could be relieved to tow a sloop carrying the heroes back to Kingsport. The voyage was rough on the stomach but the heroes arrived in Kingsport, to a large reception at the docks.

Sixth Day, Third Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon is waxing. Bloodmoon is waxing. Darkmoon is waning.)

Before the heroes disembarked from the Green Naga, they were thoroughly inspected and treated by father Devon and mother superior Arwyn, priests at the Temple of Pholtus and declared healthy and untainted. Ser Roderick of House Corbray, a knight in the Order of the Lance spoke to the heroes as well, and it became clear from both conversations that while Kingsport was not in the same dire straits as Eastray, the city had undergone quite a few changes since their departure.

A curfew had been placed on the city and nobody, except those with explicit permission by the crownguard, was allowed on the street between sundown and sunrise. Plaguemaidens had been spotted throughout the city and the crownguard had their hands full in combating them, and not having much success at it. With the added complications of skaven sightings the crownguard were forced to deputise willing citizens. One of the groups who had answered the call were the custodians of the monastic order of saint Catherine, whose ranks had swelled considerably in the wake of the sermon by the living saint, prior Benedict McAllister. The heroes also learned that there were pockets of the city which were locked down due to spreading disease, including almost all of the ward of Grimsdown.

When the heroes came on shore, Callum and lieutenant William were waiting for them. Callum asked after Randall and was informed that the man had fallen. The old diviner supressed his urge to grieve his loss and asked after the success of their mission and was relieved to learn that the heroes had managed to lift the wards that was protecting the curse on the khazra head. Lieutenant William reported that the queen was still alive, but barely, and that Dr. Arkenward had withered considerably and would likely expire soon. Quentin decided to join lieutenant William and stand vigil over the queen, while the rest of the group were going to make their way to the Circle of Magi, to aid Callum in breaking the curse.

Before the heroes were allowed to depart with Callum, Ser Arman de Courtenay, dressed in full ceremonial armour, complete with flying wings made from griffon feathers, rode his horse forward, flanked on either side by a retinue of Courtenay guards. He received the heroes warmly and said that much had changed since their initial encounter below the Sheridan estate, referring to their accomplishments and earned fame. He introduced a noble that rode along side him, dressed in the finest clothes, with short, blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, a small chin and thin lips, and a dark frown; Lord Charles Courtenay, head of house Courtenay, and Ser Arman’s first cousin.

As Ser Arman went down the line, naming each of the heroes, lord Charles observed each of them intently, as if methodically memorising each detail about them. Lord Charles asked whether their mission to Eastmarsh was successful. When the heroes replied that they were, he merely nodded curtly and said “good.” He then asked whether the heroes would do him the honour of visiting him at his manse in Ravensbourne when they had a moment to talk. James said that it would be their honour and with that, the lord, his cousin and the retinue departed.

Quentin joined lieutenant William, and the rest joined Callum in a carriage which would bring them to the Circle. Emrys made sure to thank Ser Aegar for the trust he and lady Fiona had placed in them, and with that the group departed. The carriage was escorted by Ser Roderick and some crownguard across a mostly empty city. The only people that were on the street besides the crownguard and their deputies were citizens hurrying to their homes, usually carrying food, firewood and other necessary sundries.

During the ride, Callum was full of questions, but James was reluctant to share the details of their experiences and what they had retrieved from Xamael’s body, in particular the whip. That frustrated Callum and eventually Emrys placated him by telling him a curated version of their encounter with the dreadlord, about the dragons and their brood. The mention of a dragon surprised Callum, but the appearance of a second dragon confused him, as did the mention of the brood.

In the meantime, Luca made his way through an empty city. He deftly dodged several of the groups of crownguard and deputies and got to within sight of the entrance to the Circle of Magi. He quickly moved up and knocked on the door, only to be rebuffed by Olafur who refused to open up, citing the curfew. Exposed and out in the open, Luca retreated away from the Elysian street in order to stay undetected. While hiding between the hedges of two large manses he noticed a cloaked figured crawling from one hedge to the other, in obvious pain. Luca found the figure to be unresponsive but decided to stay away from them. He continued to try the Earring of Whispers in the hope of getting in touch with James.

Shortly after, James and Luca made contact as the carriage came up to the Circle. Luca came out and informed the crownguard under Ser Roderick’s command about the figure. They went to investigate and found the figure to be a dying skaven, promptly killing it and dragging it away on orders of Ser Roderick. When that grizzly business had been settled Callum and the heroes gained entrance to the circle. Luca gave Olafur a dirty look as the Miðgarðurian opened the door, which made the big man plead with Luca that he was not allowed to open the door to strangers during curfew.

The wood-panelled lobby gained the group entrance to a long hallway which went on and on far beyond the dimensions of the mundane looking building. Despite the curious herb garden out in front of the building, there was nothing to suggest that the building, made from the same Northshire limestone that most buildings in Kingsport were made from, housed the campus of Lyria’s eminent wizard academy.

The heroes followed Callum through the long corridor for what felt like half an hour. They passed many closed doors, and several open ones, revealing students in their quarters, reading, experimenting, debating playing demon dice, or fallen asleep with their head on their books. Eventually Callum stopped in front of a door and opened it to reveal his own quarters. Some of the heroes had been invited their before and recognised it immediately. It was a small room with desk, a fireplace with a seating arrangement, a bed and staircase that went up to a maisonette filled with bookcases.

Callum revealed the khazra head which he had kept underneath a glass dome. He took out a tuning fork and tapped it on his desk. It rang out a perfect c minor, Emrys knew. The diviner took the fork and placed its handle up against one of the khazra horns and the fiendish inscriptions which had been etched into it lit up with a fiery red glow. Removing it, the light died down again and Callum placed the tuning fork against the other horn, whose etchings began to glow as well. Callum concluded and explained that he had prepared a ritual that he could perform to break it, but he would require Luca and Emrys’ help in fuelling it.

Boosting the ritual, Luca offered his remaining magical potency, as well as some that Blackstar granted him. Emrys added his as well, but it was not quite enough. Luca had an epiphany and decided to drain the magical potency in a Lyrium crystal into the ritual. The crystal went dull as the magic was taken up by the ritual. It would take six more crystals for the ritual to be completed, but it taught Emrys and Luca a valuable lesson about the potentiality of the lyrium crystals; they could not only be used to replace a material component in a spell, they could also be used to boost an arcanist’s daily potency.

When the ritual was completed, Callum, who was visibly exhausted, picked up the tuning fork, tapped his desk, and found that neither horn lit up any longer. The curse had been broken, but it still needed to be lifted, but before the diviner was ready to head out to the palace to see the queen, he needed to rest.

“His wife’s a cunt. Randall was a cunt. He’s probably a cunt, too.”
– James White, on Callum the Diviner

Seventh Day, Third Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon is waxing. Bloodmoon is waxing. Darkmoon is waning.)

While Callum, Emrys and Luca rested from their effort, James walked all the way up the long corridor to find Olafur in the lobby of the Circle. He asked the Miðgarðurian if there was a possibility to trade for several pearls. After some negotiations James traded roughly four hundred gold crowns in gems which were part of his reward for the work he had done for the Sheridan family in exchange for four pearls which he knew Luca could use to divine the nature and abilities of the magical artifacts they had liberated from Kalauranthalasis’ treasury.

When the young half-elf returned to the room he woke up Emrys and Luca, but Callum required more rest. Luca and James decided to pay Ecgbrith, the Kaedwyni herbalist outside of the city, a visit. They left the tablets, but took Blackstar and the whip and made the long walk down to the lobby while Emrys remained with Callum. The two departed the Circle building and hurried up the empty Elysian street, just as the sun was rising in the east.

They found the herbalist in his hut in the shadow of the Bastion of Restraint and the gruff Kaedwyni was surprised to see them. He was even more surprised when Luca offered him the promised ghost orchid, which he took in trembling hands and carefully secured it away. He had many questions on where and how the heroes had obtained the orchid, but James convinced him that certain questions were better left unanswered. He eagerly thanked the heroes by replenishing the supplies in their healer’s kit. When it came to the potions he was able to offer he was less eager and said that he only had a little over half a dozen health potions left, each at a significant price due to the situation in the city.

The heroes, short of funds, decided not to immediately take the herbalist up on the offer of the expensive health potions and decided to leave. Before they left, the herbalist asked whether they had heard anything about something called dark delirium, a strange, intoxicating sleep that people can go into which allows them to dream fantastical things. It has significantly cut into the profits of the Ravnos, the group of szygani which deal in fadeleaf and blindweed outside of the city. According to Ecgbrith the Steady Hand had taken to smuggling people across the city through the ancient waterways in order to supply them with a place to indulge in delirium. Luca said he would ask one of his friends at the Circle about it if he found the opportunity.

On their way back to the Circle the two heroes were walking down the Elysian street and passed by the southern edge of Grimsdown, and in the light of the day saw that the streets leading into the ward were blocked off by carts and wooden crates, all manned by crownguard and custodians. They were mindful that their friend Brandomiir had found a hut in Grimsdown to hunker down for the winter, and they wondered how he was faring in the lockdown.

While Luca and James were out, Emrys went to talk to Olafur in order to replenish some of his spell components. He found chunks of obsidian and caterpillar husks as well as several feathers he would need, and needed to pay a significant amount of gold crowns for it. When he returned to the room, Emrys found that Callum was reading from one of the tablets, reciting strange scripture in an almost panicked voice. Emrys took the tablet away from the distressed diviner and the old man seemed confused. He wanted to go back to rest and sat back down in a chair, covering himself with a blanket to go back to sleep.

When James and Luca finally returned back to Callum’s room it was about time for all  of them to depart for the palace. Emrys explained that he had found the old diviner reading from the tablet. They all decided they would need to be more careful in the future. When Emrys went to wake Callum he was shocked to find that the old man had passed away.

Previously, the heroes convinced the red custodians that had taken control of Rivermeet to grant them passage down the river Ivel towards Eastray, even though the city was in chaos due to a rampant plague which had taken hold of the population, causing the royal armada to blockade the port. Against all odds, they managed to manoeuvre a barge all the way downstream and arrived on the mouth of the delta just south of the city and made camp there in order to attempt to contact the armada in the morning.

Sixth Day, Third Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon is waxing. Bloodmoon is waxing. Darkmoon is waning.)

The next morning, only two days removed from Dr. Arkenward losing control of the queen’s curse, the heroes woke up south of Eastray. For the first time in a while the heroes had managed to get a decent night’s rest, despite not having a good fire available to warm them in order to avoid being spotted by any skaven which might be roaming the swamp outside of Eastray. What had saved them was the bed of reed they had created which shielded them significantly from the soggy ground. Despite the disturbing noises coming from the city, they had managed to sleep well.

The morning had started with a thick layer of fog blanketing the delta, disallowing them to get a good view of the armada, beyond a few milky silhouettes of the masts and an occasional prow in the distance. If the heroes couldn’t see the ships, those on the ships couldn’t see them either, they reckoned and they decided to rely on their magical abilities. Emrys, having slept underneath the light of the waxing Silvermoon, felt invigorated by the moonmaiden and said he could probably bestow flight on all of the members, but James thought that it would just get them shot down before reaching the ships. So instead, Emrys used his ability to shape water to dissipate the fog while Luca cast a large illusionary image of the royal crest high in the air to attract attention and declare their allegiance.

The heroes were surprised at how quickly they received a signal from one of the ships and saw that soon after a sloop was lowered into the water, manned with sailors who rowed it ashore. The heroes met them on the beach to the south of the delta. While they rowed ashore, the heroes noticed that the man they had spotted the previous evening was standing on the dune, surrounded by helm grass, observing the heroes on the beach. He made no attempt to come closer nor did he appear threatening so the heroes left them be as the sailors rowed the sloop as close to the beach as they could before two people jumped out and waded ashore.

It appeared to be a uniformed woman and an lightly armoured soldier. They introduced themselves as lady Fiona of house Kenton, captain of the Sea Spirit, and Ser Aegar of Dunagore, master commander in the Order of the Shield. When the heroes introduced themselves as the Heroes of the White Eye, the looks of caution and scepticism on the face of the two people they were parlaying with changed significantly. Those looks changed to looks of sorrow when Ser Aegar asked about the whereabouts of Astrid and Luca informed him that she had fallen.

There was an exchange of information about the situation in the rest of Lyria; the situation that was seen in Eastray had not spread to other cities like Fulcaster or Bournemouth, but there were some continued troubles in Kingsport, where the crownsguard had deputised a large group of red custodians to help maintain order in light of the strange spectres which appeared in the city in the past ride. Princess Mildred had been seen at court for the first time in a long while as she supported her husband, lord Gabriel, in his rulership of the kingdom while the queen lay ill.

A plan was made which would have to be approved by lord admiral Malcolm Linderley that would see Ser Aegar captain his ship, the Green Naga, to Kingsport with the heroes in tow. They would stay on a small sloop so as not to risk spreading any disease to the crew, and in the meantime a raven would be sent to Kingsport to request the aid of the priests of Pholtus to assure that the heroes were indeed not sick.

With the admiral approved the plan, the ravens were released, and Ser Aegar captained the Green Naga north-west to Kingsport. The journey was cold and rough, across choppy waters in a small boat which was being towed at a much higher speed than it was designed to go. Luca and Emrys had a very difficult time keeping their breakfast in their stomach due to severe sea sickness. Upon the poop deck of the Green Naga there was a steady stream of interested sailors and knights who peered over the side to have a peek at the famous Heroes of the White Eye. Meanwhile, Wyn was having a grand time running circles on the edge of the boat and balancing on the rope that tied the ship to the boat.

After long hours bouncing across the waves the first seagulls began to trail the ship, indicating that they were getting close to land, and soon the coast came into view. Shortly after the palace on top of Garamond Hill, and the Bastion of Illumination on Quayhill, flanking the mouth of the river, came into view and James immediately felt home. The sun was quickly sinking in the west, but with the remaining light it was clear that there was quite a delegation of people that came to welcome the Green Naga to port. Despite the ship being significantly smaller than the war galleons of the royal armada, it was still larger than most merchant vessels that normally lay at anchor in Kingsport, so it took a while for the ship to manoeuvre itself into position to dock. In that time the heroes discussed the next steps.

James brought up the idea of sinking both tablets to the bottom of the bay and retrieving them at a later time, but Luca thought it might be better to put them in Emma’s care, which Emrys thought it was a bad idea as he was reminded that someone was after Muirgheal and thus Emma was a target. Quentin considered whether it was best to tell the Circle of Magi, or whether to keep it from them.

It took a moment for the heroes to recognise some of the people in the delegation; they saw the lieutenant of the palace guard, William, as well as father Devon and Mother Superior Arwyn of the temple of Pholtus. Ser Roderick Corbray of the Order of the Lance was there, flanked by several lyrian knights; he had also been at their arrival in Kingsport when they returned from Pinefall. Callum the Diviner could be seen among the people on the dock, as was Ser Arman de Courtnay who was accompanied by a large company of people carrying the Courtenay banners.

Ultimately, the heroes decided that when in range, Luca would portal away, carrying the ghost orchids, one of the two tablets and the choker. He portalled himself to an entrance to the ancient waterways which was built into the dock wall, underneath the pier. Out of sight, Luca used his connection to his mysterious patron and assumed the guise of Dicky and portalled himself to a nearby alleyway. As he reappeared there was a scattering of honking geese and the laundry that was hanging from coarse ropes strung overhead went flying in each direction, but the people of the Salt knew to mind their own business when they saw the brutish Dicky walking their streets.

Back on the boat, James moved his bag from one shoulder to the other, making certain that the pocket dimension would not be found. It did mean that Wyn’s head was poking out of the bag, his long tuft of white hair billowing in the wind.

Previously, the heroes made their way out of the ziggurat at the middle of Wyrmblood Lake with many of Kalauranthalasis’ riches. Despite encountering great reluctance, they managed to find passage to Rivermeet with an Acadian family who warned them of disease having broken out in Eastray.

Fifth Day, Third Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon is waxing. Bloodmoon is waxing. Darkmoon is waning.)

Early in the morning, with only three days left until it was predicted that Dr. Arkenward would lose control of the curse that was placed on the young queen of Lyria, the heroes found themselves on the edge of Rivermeet, at the start of the large delta which would bring them to Eastray and, ultimately, beyond to Kingsport. There was one potential problem that stood in their way, and that was the large contingent of Red Custodians that were patrolling the hamlet and had taken control of the quay and all the boats there. It seemed that they had imposed a curfew and forced all the villagers into their huts, while simultaneously keeping any travellers corralled in a pen.

Quentin had observed the movements of the custodians, but could not discern any clear patterns in their patrols, which didn’t give him the confidence that the heroes would be able to sneak their way to the quay and take a boat. The heroes also realised that any documentation which might prove to the custodians how important their mission would be to the crown was still on captain Randal’s body, which they sank into the swamp outside of Blackbough after his untimely death at the hands of the foglet and the will-o-wisps.

As the heroes were lamenting being stuck in the swamp James remarked that it would be good to get back to Kingsport again, enjoying a warm bed, some good food, a strong drink. He said he’d buy everyone a whore upon return and at hearing that Quentin subconsciously reached out for his wrist where once he had tied a maiden’s handkerchief. He caught the move but had a puzzled look on his face, as if trying to recall something.

The heroes decided that the direct approach was going to work better than subterfuge and Quentin was volunteered to do the talking. They entered the hamlet and walked up to the quay and were soon stopped by two custodians, red-robed and carrying maces. They were brother Lem and sister Jane, who, after listening to Quentin’s explanation on why the heroes had to be granted access to a boat and make their way down river to the coast, deferred the decision to brother Canaan, who headed their mission in Rivermeet. It struck the others that Quentin would likely not have had the success in convincing the custodians that he did, had it not been for his station.

The heroes were lead to the pen in which the other visitors to Rivermeet had been kept, but because they were allowed to keep their weapons none of them felt particularly threatened by that so they complied. It did not take long before brother Canaan, an older, bearded custodian with a commanding presence. The man was sceptical at first, but proved no match against the collective charm and personality of the heroes and quickly consented to them taking a barge downriver in the interest of the queendom.

One of the people locked in the pen with the heroes was Hubert, a Fulham cattle breeder who was travelling with his prize-winning breeding steer and accompanied several lads who acted as his guards. Upon learning that the heroes were allowed to proceed on their way, the man became outraged and began to complain to the custodians. When the custodians ignored him, Emrys went to talk to him and leared several rumours about the area, as well as what was happening in Eastray.

Emrys leaned that the previous night, a winged, serpentine shaped had flown high overhead Rivermeet, startling everyone. It flew in from the north-west and headed deeper into the hinterland of Eastmarsh. It was dark and unclear on what it was, but the consensus among the people in Rivermeet was that it was a dragon, which hasn’t been sighted in a generation.

The situation in Eastray was dire; disease and pestilence everywhere, while house Ivel had barred their gates while people died in the streets of the bloody flux. The outskirts of the city were harassed by ratmen. The szygani camp had disbanded and moved away and the custodians were busy trying to burn the corpses and fighting an unknown threat.

The last thing Hubert was able to share was that a man had come to Rivermeet the previous day and was stopped from proceeding down the river by the custodians. The man would not be stopped and according to Hubert he had made the ground shake and the river rise and capsize the boats that the custodians were in before continuing on his way. Rumours were that it was the Old Man of the Estuary, a local hermit who was said to be a powerful druid.

Emrys was thankful for the information and gifted the man a handful of gemstones which he had found, which would allow Hubert to mitigate some of his losses by being held up in Rivermeet with his bull. After the initial shock had worn off, the man was incredibly grateful and likely would never forget the gesture.

Eventually, the heroes were released and assigned a barge and they went on their merry way. No longer being able to rely on their friend Astrid, the duties of punting the barge downriver fell to Quentin and James who quickly get a hang of it and did a spectacular job in avoiding terrifying crocolisks and treacherous sandbanks to get stuck on.

At the end of the day the heroes disembarked from the barge to the south of Eastray. To the north the dark skies above the city was glowing with the fires of the pyres where the custodians were burning the bodies of the dead. Thick plumes of smoke rose up over the rooftops of the huts and houses. There were no signs of the skaven the heroes had heard about, but occasionally some disturbing noises carried on the wind.

Curiously, they noticed a singular man, standing in a small boat in the middle of one of the arms of the river. The boat did not seem to be moving, despite the current. The man was as unmoving as the boat he was standing in, staring out to the west, across the water. It reminded the heroes of the woman in the blue cape which they had seen standing in a boat on the Bourne river, just after they had been attacked by drowners while traveling upriver on the Old Queen, from Bournemouth to Egremont.

To the west, in the distance, a small armada of ships could be seen through the fog where they lay at anchor in the gulf, intent on keeping the Eastray port locked up. There were a dozen large, royal war galleons laying alongside half a dozen smaller, faster deployment ships flying the flag of the Order of the Shield. They would have to find a way to signal to the fleet, alert them that they had urgent business in Kingsport and, crucially, had not been infected with whatever disease befell Eastray.

The bank the heroes had disembarked on was full of tall reeds, which proved to be a great bedding once cut down and stacked. It kept the soggy ground from soaking clothing and blankets as camp was made. A fire was made by Emrys using his arcane gifts to dry out the little bit of kindling they could find to make a fire.

While resting, the conversation turned to what the reason could be for the skavens’ appearance in Eastray, and Luca thought he had found a clue. He read the letter which he had found on the body of the skaven priest in the carceratum again;

The plague maidens are congregating, drawn by the pestilent potential of a potent, ancient magic. I have read the signs and portents and require the skavens of clan [unclear] to investigate and reveal the truth. I have gathered enough [unclear] that I may open a gate through the seal for a short time through which they may travel. Once verified, they will report and be given further instruction.

– Epidemius the Cataloguer, Lord of Decay, One of the Seven Proctors of Pestilence. Devoted Underling of Baalzebul the Calabite, Ruler of the Seventh, Lord of Maladomini.

While James and Quentin tended to their severely blistered hands, having had to work the barge pole all day, Emrys spent time investigating the scrolls the heroes liberated from the dragon’s hoard, finding some interesting spells inscribed on them.

The next day, the heroes would attempt to make contact with the fleet and find a way to convince them to help get the heroes to Kingsport. They only have two more days before Dr. Arkenward would lose control of the curse.

Previously, the heroes went on to explore the the vault at the bottom of the ziggurat at the bottom of Wyrmblood Lake, finding it filled with riches and many curious items, as well as several dragon eggs, gestating in a noxious vapour.

Third Day, Third Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon in low sanction. Bloodmoon is waxing. Darkmoon is waxing.)

After having explored the vault and having taken many curious items from the dragon’s hoard, the heroes went back up to the large, circular hall and found some rest. It was at that moment that they discovered that the large, red gemstone which they had found among the remains of Xamael was still there. It was at that moment that one of the heroes decided to remove it from the blanket they had wrapped it in and touch the stone.

The darkness that swirled deep inside of it seemed to respond to the touch almost immediately and a multi-vocal voice filled the minds of the heroes;

We are impressed by your dedication to retrieving our sight, young ones.

It was at this point that three, tall figures materialised from the darkness on the edge of the circular hall. Each stood as tall as a hill giant, but slender, with bony arms. One had mottled, grey skin, and was shrouded in red robes. The hood of the robe was deep and horns stuck out from it like a glaive. The face buried deep in the hood was long and alien and did not appear to have any eyes.

The second figure had mottled skin as well, but this time ranging from light purple to a deep crimson. She was shrouded in a gossamer veil which covered her eyes. Her face seemed fair, but her limbs were long and menacing.

The last one had grey skin and was wearing a gown of flesh, bound together by coarse rope. She wore a skirt around her waist which was made of long arms with bony hands at the end of them. Her face had hard angles and her hair seemed to have been constructed of flesh, which lay drab across her forehead and eyes.

A singular voice filled the mind of the heroes, which pleaded:

Let me touch the heartstone and claim my sight. After I have taken what is mine, we will undo the magicks which have cursed that ugly child which sits on your throne.

The heroes hesitated briefly, but finally agreed. The horned and red-robed sister walked forward and her long, bony arm reached out to the red stone. The swirl of darkness drained away the moment her eager fingers touched the stone and she let out a sigh of relief. The stone crystal turned dull and was left behind.

It was then that the other two sisters silently stepped forward. When they had reached Memra, who had just regained her sight the stood together and reached out to one another, holding hands. The started turning in a circle, like young children might, when singing nursery rhymes.

The weird sisters, hand in hand
Posters of the swamp and land
Thus do go about, about
Thrice to thine and thrice to mine
And thrice again to make up nine.
Peace! The charm’s wound up.

Once their strange dance had ended, they each let go of one another and faded away into the darkness. Three, pristinely clipped, ghost orchids floated down to the ground and came to rest where the good sisters once stood.

The ward has been lifted. Take the heartstone and bring it to the diviner. It might help the amateurs at the circle speed up their search for a way to break the curse. It might show them what real magick looks like.

For your troubles, young ones. Sacrifice awoke the magics in the old soil of the grove. Each flower has been impregnated with the blood of hundreds. They may prove useful to you in the future. Let your masters know that the good sisters continue to remain neutral in the blood war.

After the good sisters had disappeared and the heroes believed that they were once again alone, they took some rest.

Fourth Day, Third Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon in low sanction. Bloodmoon is waxing. Darkmoon in high sanction.)

When the heroes had rested up and processed all that had happened, the conversation turned towards Azsharastrasza’s brood, which still lay at the bottom of the vault. The decision was made to lock the vault back up, utilising another one of the lyrium crystals the heroes had with them.

Before locking the vault back up, however, the heroes went down one last time to investigate the many books and scrolls that had survived the ages. James picked up two books, and Luca managed to snatch one as well. Emrys kept himself to the different scrolls that he saw laying around, and Quentin was handed a book on old Celtician lineages which may come in handy later.

There were so many things that the heroes had to leave behind that Emrys decided to commune with Toruviel one last time before leaving the ziggurat, asking them if there was anything of importance to the elves of the Verdant Kingdoms which they might be leaving behind. The sword responded dreamily that the only thing which it thought might be of value was the petrified rose which Quentin had taken.

Before going back up to the surface Emrys made sure to harvest some of the dragon scales from Kalauranthalasis’ broken bodies. Afterwards the heroes made their way upstairs. As they made their way up James took point to navigate them through the submerged room once again, and they found themselves in the stairwell leading up to the top of the ziggurat. They noticed the same discarded clothing and the elaborately decorated abandoned lantern they had noticed on the way in.

It was at this point that they heard a familiar tingling noise and saw that Wynn came racing down the stairs. He explained that the coast was relatively clear and that the heroes were able to make their way to shore without problem. After a small discussion about Wynn’s future, he decided to come along with the heroes, explaining that he had no reason to stay, and solidified that decision with an eager jump into James’ bag, where he made himself comfortable for the trip.

They once again left the discarded items on the stairs behind and made their way to the shore. Emrys made sure that both himself and Quentin made it to shore through a new enchantment he had recently acquired, which allowed both to fly, but the rest went by way of the boat they took from the shore to the ziggurat. The lizardfolk in the villages around Wyrmblood Lake seemed to have gone into a strange trance since the death of the dragons, wailing away in a strange song. This allowed the heroes to make an easy escape without being confronted.

The trek through the swamp was an arduous one, but a few hours later the heroes found themselves at the bank of the river once again. It was the heroes’ hope to come across an Acadian family who would bring them down to Rivermeet by boat.

Eventually the heroes saw an Acadian family travelling upriver and managed to strike up a conversation with them. It took every ounce of charm the heroes had to convince them to turn around and go back to Rivermeet. The family was very reluctant and spoke of a great plague in Eastray. They would bring the heroes to the outskirts of the confluence of rivers, close to Rivermeet and the start of the estuary, but no further.

Fifth Day, Third Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon is waxing. Bloodmoon is waxing. Darkmoon is waning.)

When the heroes were finally dropped off at the next day they saw that Rivermeet was almost empty and that the quay was almost empty of boats. The few boats that were there were being guarded by red robed members of the custodians. There were only three days left until it was believed that the royal abjurer would lose control of the curse that the queen was under.

Previously, the heroes managed to defeat Xamael the Dreadlord deep in the the centre of the ziggurat at the bottom of Wyrmblood Lake, where Kalauranthalasis had made his lair. But not without paying the steep price of Astrid’s life.

Third Day, Third Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon in low sanction. Bloodmoon is waxing. Darkmoon is waxing.)

Luca’s keen sense of time told him that it was very late in the day, but he didn’t have to tell the rest of the heroes that; the fatigue had seeped into their bones. Each of them felt hollow inside when the adrenaline of the fight with Xamael faded away. There was an added sadness when the death of their friend Astrid descended down on them.

James took out a bottle of brandy, sat down next to Astrid and poured two cups. He sipped the drink in silence, letting the faux-warmth comfort his cold bones. Quentin sat near, shivering from fatigue, sadness and exhaustion; Emrys came to put an arm around him for comfort. The hooded lantern stood close by, giving Quentin just enough light to look upon Astrid’s body.

Slowly, the dreadlord’s body withered away with incredible speed, leaving behind some wet, organic sludge and several items. When the heroes returned from their introspection, they inspected the items. It was a simple, wooden box with a choker inside. The choker was made from blood coral, fastened by a golden lock depicting the banner of house Valois; two angelic warriors holding a shield between them with three lilies, topped by a crown.

There was also a leather scroll case with a letter inside that James retrieved and read. He found the text to be illegible and asked his companions whether they understood it. Luca, who was busy preparing a ritual that would allow him to detect the effects of the weave of magic upon things around him, would later confirm that the letter was written in the infernal tongue of the Nine Hells. It read as follows;

To our most wondrous and resplendent Master,

I am pleased to state that, after a lengthy study of our rivals, I have completed my observations. Please accept this briefing in advance of my complete report, which shall follow forthwith.

We anticipate that certain of our targets will be more challenging to topple than others. But each is prone to manipulation in different ways, and our agents have already woven themselves into their very fabric. Others are being eliminated by our assassins.

This is, after all, the solemn duty for which you sired us. As you are fond of saying: Once a desire is understood, it can be exploited.

Enough prologue. Allow me to summarize our findings.

In many ways, the celestials will be the easiest to manipulate. Their singular goal is to impose structure upon everything they see. Show them a force that opposes their drive for Order, and they will be consumed by their urge to eradicate it. Their choirs, so seemingly united in purpose, is vulnerable to fracturing.

The aberrant lords all but welcome us with open arms. They are so preoccupied with their thousand truths that they ignore the lies we sow in their very midst. I believe we can leverage their vast reach to position them as a foil against our other rivals. We remain wary, though. Since they are observant of multiple outcomes, it is conceivable they could anticipate our coming.

Similar to the celestials, the fey and their keepers are singular in purpose. Their adherence to a linear path is an obvious shortcoming. They savour nothing more than being proved right, so if they believe they have converted one of us to their precious light, they will trust that agent implicitly. The adherents to life are the most insidious of opponents, perhaps because their nature is so antithetical to our own.

Still, we learned much from observing the link between their plane and the Winter Court, and we have high confidence that a vulnerability has been identified. Our operative has already gained the trust of her target. And as previously discussed, our position within the plane of Disorder is proceeding flawlessly. Consuming fel energy is not a pleasant process, but a necessary one.

The deception you have architected will bear fruit in the ages to come.

As ever, we shall serve as your unseen hand. We will poison every cohort foolish enough to invite us into their midst. Despite our setbacks with the Steady Hand, I am confident we will root out the vault of the Upright Man and find his tablets before the Demon of the South Western Winds gets to them.

I remain, as always, your faithful servant.

Xamael

The third item was the whip that Xamael had been carrying and using to deadly effect, while the last item was a large, red gemstone, roughly cut and about the size of a human head. There was a darkness swirling inside of it.

When Luca had finished the ritual he had prepared he found that neither the box with the choker, nor the letter were magical. The gemstone, however, and the whip, exuded strong magic. While the whip was a complicated mixture of different magics, predominantly evocation, the gemstone was a primordial type of magic that Luca had come to associate with the magic of the good sisters.

Besides the items, Luca also noticed that there was a lingering background magic in the Senhadrim hall, left behind by the dragons and Xamael. The crystal pillars on the balconies, however, had gone dormant.

In the meantime, Quentin and James searched the rest of the Senhadrim hall, finding the original key in front of the first portal that gained them entrance. They had also found that the circle in the middle of the hall which had held the trap that caught Azsharastrasza, made from a similar stone as the portal, also had a hole in it that seemed made for the key. When they tried to fit it in, however, they found that the groves and etches along the side of the conical statuette did not line up and James, wise in the ways of locks, immediately recognised that a different “key” would fit this “lock”.

The heroes remembered that Azsharastrasza, while in the guise of lady Asha, had a key in her possession when they met her in Eastray. She had expressed concern for her brood, which the heroes had not found yet, so they reasoned that perhaps the key she had in Eastray fit in the lock they had found. Quentin went to investigate the body of Azsharastrasza and with some help found the key was underneath her corpse.

James cautioned against inserting another Lyrium crystal to power the key and inserting it in the lock. Quentin reminded Luca that Blackstar allowed him to search for any souls around them, and Luca found none he couldn’t account for.

Still, the heroes decided to move to the southern balcony and make themselves comfortable. They rested for a while and with the aid of a healer’s kite, which they had found in the southern chamber where the assassins had stayed, managed to heal some of their wounds.

During their rest, the conversation came up on what to do next, and how long it would take for them to return to Blackbough and report to the good sisters. At best they still had five days left before Dr. Arkenward, the royal abjurer who watched over the queen, would succumb to the curse he was trying to contain, and the heroes simply didn’t know whether they had the time.

Eventually, the heroes ended their rest and Luca conjured an eerie spectral hand which carefully guided the key, activated by another lyrium crystal, to the lock. Once the key slid into the lock the stone of in the centre of the hall began to shift with a shifting of dry stone as a mechanism was spurred into action. As the stone of the floor opened up like a diaphragm it revealed a shaft going even further underground. The floor opened up so much that the corpse of Azsharastrasza limply slid down the side and towards the bottom.

As it turned out, there was a long, winding staircase which spiralled along the side of the shaft to the bottom. The dragon’s plummeting body had caused a partial collapse of the staircase, but nothing that the heroes couldn’t navigate.

All along the side of the wall that the staircase ran along were built-in shelves of books and scrolls; most of which had decayed over time. James, who had been taking point, took a piece of chalk and marked the walls with a simple “x” every time he noticed a book had survived the passage of time. The heroes concluded that had the dragons not opened the vault for their own benefit the books would likely have survived the time of low magic.

At the bottom of the steps there hung a noxious vapour that was so deep that all of them would be submerged in it. Quentin carefully put his hooded lantern in it and saw the vapour extinguish the flame. Seven eggs of an enormous size stood, clustered together, at the centre of the shaft. The outside looked like they were made from overlapping, green scales. Azsharastrasza’s brood, nourished by the noxious vapour.

Surrounding the eggs were untold treasures the likes of which the heroes had never seen. Gold coins of different shapes, sizes, spilling out of chests, barrels and urns. Gemstones with colours matching every shade of the rainbow. Exquisite jewellery of the finest materials; necklaces, armbands, rings and tiaras. Too much for the group to carry.

There were statues and furniture and books and potions and armours and swords. As Luca gazed across the treasure hoard and made note of the different magical items, he marked each with a simple cantrip so that his companions would know what was magic and what was mundane.

But through the magical cacophony of the hoard, two circular, stone tablets, rimmed with a red-tinged metal and inscribed with primordial runes, stood out. Each was about one foot in diameter with a small circular hole in it, along the edge. The heroes judged each tablet to weigh about twenty pounds and reckoned they were two of the Tablets of the Elemental Eye, which were mentioned in Atilesceon’s journal pages.

Using Toruviel, Emrys cast a gust of wind to temporarily dissipate the noxious vapour, scattering coins and gems away from them. Each of the heroes ran in and grabbed the items that had caught their attention. They did this several times and liberated the following items:

Luca

• One of the two tablets,
• A conical hat, adorned with stars and moons which resembled the pattern on Atilesceon’s robes,
• A small globe with a miniaturised scene inside; a river, a water mill, some farms and fields with people tending to them,
• A fine, golden necklace with a pendant shaped in two hands, made in gold, which hold three rubies,
• A large, mundane diamond with a flawless cut

Quentin

• The second of the two tablets,
• A set of plate gauntlets, decorated with gold filigree,
• A set of plate armour with pauldrons decorated with platinum depictions of winged warriors,
• A curious, round marble that is a completely lifelike eyeball,
• A petrified, red rose on a wooden plate, covered by a glass dome

James

• A beautifully crafted, icy blue, leather quiver with an elaborate, silver opening,
• A set of studded leather armour,
• Coil of hempen rope,
• A set of light armour, masterfully woven from a single strand of silk rope,
• A large bottle with a miniaturised galleon inside

And together, the heroes managed to pick up each of the magical potions which they could find among the hoard, on the off chance there would be any healing potions among them.

There were many other items of interest that the heroes had to ignore, like the statue of a winged warrior dressed in furs, which base read “Marduk”. Or the ten by fifteen foot oil on canvas painting of a large, noble family. Or the gilded, wooden throne with an archaic inscription that only Quentin, with the help of his sword, could read; “Whoever holds the Throne of Leshnica is anointed by Deus, the one true god, to rule over all the Plains of Selos.” Or the set of strange statuettes of animals. Or the astrolabe of different planes with a complex mechanism that moved them in and out of conjunction. And many, many more.