Tag: The Siege of Epidemius

Finding the Book of Woe

Previously, the heroes made their way into the Newport Vault in order to search the library, convinced that the Book of Woe, which Epidemius had charged them to find, could be found there.

Sixth Day, Second Ride, Autumn Twilight, 1262

(Silvermoon is waning, Bloodmoon is in low sanction, Darkmoon is waxing)

The heroes had found more than a dozen books that were either magical, or of other interest. Neamhan had found a piece of bark which had symbols burnt into it which was an archaic version of druidic. She was convinced it held knowledge of a connection she had not established yet. And Chakuq had found a white leather tome, fashioned from horse hide with velum pages painted in gold. He sensed that the book had some significance to him and his tribe.

Luca went to task on the magical books, using a ritual to be able to identify a handful of them. Even though it would reveal the properties and abilities of the chosen books, the ritual could not establish the provenance of them, but, the young warlock reasoned, at least it would be something that could lead them to the Book of Woe.

The Demonic Articles of Golnaz was one of the books which Luca identified, a libram written in red ink, bound by monstrous, red hide, trimmed with bone. Whenever it was opened, other magical items worn by the reader would cease to function. Another book was Archeros’ Manuscript, a compendium bound in thick, cream-coloured hide, which contained the instructions to help anyone achieve mastery over polearms, provided they dedicated time to read the book.

Blackstar was singularly focussed on another book, a simple, unadorned, black leather book, and it urged Luca to focus his attentions on it, too. It became so insistent that Luca took that to mean that this was the book the heroes had come down to the vault to find. To Luca’s mind, the book appeared to be a spell book containing several necromantic spells, meticulously documented, and was nothing like what he expected the Book of Woe to be like. He suspected there was another reason why Blackstar was so insistent.

In the meantime, Quentin was inspired by Garven and Brandomiir’s work and he managed to convince the pair to create a hidden compartment inside one of the walls they were repairing which could hide not just Muirgheal, but Lash as well. Brandomiir, who was helping the heroes in the catacombs underneath Lynnecombe, remembered that the heroes had found Muirgheal, Blackstar, and Toruviel there, understood what the intent was. A price was agreed and Quentin handsomely overpaid the pair with the help of some of the gems that Emrys still had in his possession, lifted from the Atilesceon’s treasure after his defeat. The last request the heroes put in was to inform Emma once the vaults had been completed and the weapons were stored.

Neamhan became increasingly uncomfortable with being this far underground as the conversation between Quentin, Emrys and the two builders continued. The thick walls all around her, and the knowledge of all that earth and stone bearing down on her was making her itching to get to the surface. She wondered how the dwarves of Ard Thoradun endured living like that.

Both Emrys and Quentin picked up on Neamhan’s discomfort and they, together with Chakuq, moved to go back to the library to see how Luca was faring. When they passed the entrance, Neamhan spotted a warm, golden light call to her from down the other corridor which lead to the gallery and she headed there, accompanied by Quentin, while Emrys and Chakuq continued to the library.

While Quentin had seen the gallery before, the site was new to Neamhan. There were rows upon rows of paintings framed by wooden frames from which different types of plants grew that sprouted flowers which glowed with scintillating colours. Small crystals were wrought into the wood of each frame, and each of the paintings depicted a different verdant scene.

Between the entrance and the paintings stood two sets of tall statues, both depicting three women; the maiden, the mother, the crone. They were holding up their hands and in their palms rested a coloured fire; one set of three carried a golden green flame, while the other set of three carried an icy blue flame.

It started to dawn on Neamhan that the gallery would allow for natural growth, though she could not quite discern how it did so. It gave her the idea to communicate with one of the plants sprouting from a frame. Neamhan found that each of the frames was a living plant, and that their roots grew very deep. They did not have names, but they had “made a connection” with another whose name was Bláthnaid, who was responsible for the spring that fed the royal palace. The roots of each of them came forth “from the past”, and each guarded a different “doorway”.

Learning that the plants did not have names, Neamhan took the time to give each of them a name. She named the one she spoke to Sadhbh, and in their joy Sadhbh encouraged her to name the others. Sadhbh also shared that Bláthnaid had shared that the mood inside the palace was sullen, and that the queen had turned angry, and was “beholden to another”, someone who was responsible for “a scarlet rain in the east.”

Back in the library, Chakuq and Emrys find Luca sitting in a cricle of magic, while Falka stands at a distance looking on. Chakuq wanted to get a move on and grabbed a burlap sack from the provisions stacked up at the entrance, emptied the contents of cabbages, and started to load up the books which were of interest. When prodded to help, Falka did not react, and Emrys noticed her hesitation.

Falka requested that Quentin and Neamhan join the rest of the group, and she revealed that she had found the Book of Woe. The book looked as if it was made of skin that had been inflicted by a bad burn wound. A crystal which seemed to have trapped a foul liquid was embedded into the front of the book. Falka had been hesitant to reveal the book to the heroes because she was fearful that they would hand the book back to Epidemius. She felt she had lost touch with the friend she had made while corresponding with Luca, and was not sure who had Luca had become since then.

Falka had chosen to be cautious and had already sent word to the Order of the Shield to report that she had found the book. She felt that the book was best returned to the Apothecaries of Photus, who had been guarding the book for centuries, but she was unsure on what to do. Eventually, Falka put the book back into her bag until it was clear what the heroes were intending to do with it.

With the Book of Woe found, there was some confusion around the simple black spell book that Blackstar was obsessing over, and it was quickly revealed that the book once belonged to Blackstar’s rival, a Senhadrim wizard by the name of Maltorius. Toruviel could share that Maltorius was partly responsible for creating the Arms of the Senhadrim, and it seemed that Blackstar was intent on finding and vanquishing him.

A Friend’s True Name

Previously, the heroes returned to the Newport Vault for the first time since the defeat of Xarrombus. For some it was an eerie return, for others a sad and emotional one. And for Neamhan and Chakuq it was their first time inside. They found Brandomiir and Garvan excavating the vault, and Falka researching the library, and turned to the library to find the Liber Bubonicus, the Book of Woe.

Sixth Day, Second Ride, Autumn Twilight, 1262

(Silvermoon is waning, Bloodmoon is in low sanction, Darkmoon is waxing)

The presence of Xarrombus lay over the vault like a cloud. This was most evident by the enormous, calcified tentacles which lay wrapped around the underground structure, and sometimes punched through a ceilings, floors, and walls to make it clear just how large Xarrombus was.

The heroes headed towards the reliquary. Garvan and Brandomiir were hard at work at destroying the tentacles that held the vault in its grip. They used blasting powder and thunder sticks, which were a speciality of Brando, and then large blocks of masonry and mortar to secure the holes left in the walls.

Neamhan asked about Xarrombus; neither her, nor Chakuq, had been present during the defeat of the aberration, yet both their lives had been unpleasantly impacted by it. Luca tapped into his obedience to Aurion and conjured up an image of Xarrombus during the fight with the heroes, complete with floating eyes in its orbit, and giant tentacles tipped with a maw of razor sharp teeth. Luca recounted how Astrid had been swallowed by one of the giant tentacles only to carve her way out of its stomach and burst out through its side.

Falka mentioned that Xarrombus also had agents called the aberrant lords who were tentacle-faced humanoids with terrifying power. Chakuq asked whether these agents were still around, but Luca thought it impossible. Emrys claimed that as Xarrombus was defeated, all of its agents and people under its influence died.

Though he tried to hide it, this topic caused Luca anguish. When Neamhan tried to offer some support, in the form of words, and a conjured black lily, he turned away and went back to the library, claiming he was fine. Neamhan, confused, turned to Emrys and asked him why Luca was lying to her. Emrys explained that the death of Hamish caused him a lot of pain.

Luca and Falk went back to the library to continue their research. Luca was eager to identify the magical nature of the books they had found, and Falka went to assist. It would mean performing a ritual and making a careful selection of the available books to perform it on. Luca’s obedience to Aurion meant he would have to triage which books to inspect. He decided on the bookwheel, the wand retrieved from Sadwick, and two books, which would be the extent.

Before starting, Luca convinced Falka to write down her real name in his grimoire, which she does, so that he may help revive her if anything were to happen to her. It was clear that the warlock was determined not lose another friend again.

In the reliquary, Chakuq managed to convince Garvan and Brando to take a break so that the heroes could climb through one of the holes in the wall left by the tentacles and explore the spaces behind it. There was a foul smell emanating from one of them that lead Chakuq to wonder whether they could be coming from the Book of Woe.

The space behind the wall seemed to serve a ventilation purpose, and went straight down. Chakuq climbed down careful, and Neamhan followed. Unfortunately, she was not as careful, slipped and almost plummeted to her death but managed to transfigure into a fly at the last second. Chakuq, having missed her transfiguration, thought that Neamhan displayed a spectacular feat of acrobatics. Emrys, ever the gentleman, decided to use Toruviel to slowly descend down the shaft.

Once the three of them started to explore the corridors at the bottom of the shaft, they recognised that they appeared to be private quarters that were part of a dormitory of sorts. Emrys recognised that these were likely the Halls of the Senhadrim, the living quarters that seemed to always accompany a vault. The foul smell seemed to come from stale air and rotting matter of old roots and other natural decay. They decided not to proceed much further and return back to the vault’s reliquary.

In his ritual, Luca identified that the bookwheel was enchanted to magically aid any research done at it. Sadwick’s wand was a broken Wondrous Wand which could produce a multitude of different effects when used. The two books he had picked out were Archeros’ Manuscripts, a book which provided the ability to learn certain martial polearm techniques at an accelerated rate, and the Demonic Articles of Golnaz, which caused all nearby magical items to cease functioning when opened.

Somewhat disappointed that he did not find the Book of Woe, Luca turned to the book of spells he had found, which contained several spells of the dark school of Necromancy. Luca tried and failed to convince Blackstar to help him understand the spells within but despite the staff’s reluctance, it was clear that it was interested in the book. Blackstar claimed that it would brim him closer to him, but it was unclear who he was. It was clear that there was something here that required further investigation.

Investigating the Newport Library

Previously, the heroes visited the Baths of Sedna on their way back from the wine shop, where they took Muirgheal into custody, making good on their promise to Emma. They decided to go and find their way back to the Newport Vault in the afternoon and found that Falka was using an entrance to the ancient waterways at the Silver Cross, a house of pleasure in the Lace. From there, they gained access to the waterways and followed Falka’s until they reached a landing at the dead end of a canal.

Sixth Day, Second Ride, Autumn Twilight, 1262

(Silvermoon is waning, Bloodmoon is in low sanction, Darkmoon is waxing)

Just after fourth bell, the heroes found a small rowboat moored at the landing at the top of the canal which belonged to the Silver Cross. Falka had used it to keep her feet dry, and her boots clean. The landing ended at a large, bricked-up archway. Some of the veteran members of the Heroes of the White Eye were convinced that this archway could be turned into a portal if they could only find the keyhole. Finding miniscule lyrian crystals all over the wall strengthened their conviction and it did not take long before a subtle keyhole could be found which accepted one of the crystals that Luca had brought with him for just that occasion.

While the other sought for a sign of a keyhole, Neamhan reverted back to her trueshape and asked how thick the walls would be. When nobody could give her a satisfying answer, she attempted a connection to the wall in order to open it up so she could pass through. To her surprise the connection was rather rudely rejected, as if the wall itself was an unwilling partner.

The number of the original one hundred lyrium crystals the heroes had found in the Senhadrim halls underneath Lynnecombe were dwindling; through loss, trade, or by using the magic stored inside of them to power spells… or to open the gates to the Senhadrim vaults. This lead Luca to speculate and consider whether there was a way to recharge the crystals. He stored that idea away for later consideration.

Once inserted, the lyrium crystal was drained of its magic and turned dull. At the same time a dark gate opened in the archway; a perfect, black void whose pull was so irresistible that air audibly rushed in, and even light was sucked in around the edges, causing a fiery corona. Knowing that Emrys would collapse the gate behind him, it was decided he would go through last.

Before stepping through, Chakuq made sure that this void portal would not take him directly to hell. He had seen into that desolate wasteland and the very thought of it filled him with despair. Quentin took comfort in the people he had surrounded himself with and stepped through while joking to Chakuq that if it did take him to hell, he could always sacrifice Luca to generate the power to get back. Following Chakuq, Neamhan stepped into the portal while every instinct told her not to. Luca went next, and as agreed, Emrys went last, predictably closing the portal behind him.

In a blink, the heroes woke up at the entrance to the vault; a large circular room with a dome so high they could barely make it out in the gloom. The only light came from a handful of small lanterns, as well as from three crystals atop pillars set in alcoves. There were five other crystal-topped pillars, each in an alcove of their own, which seemed to be dormant. Quentin, Emrys, and Luca recognised this to be the entrance to Xarrombus’ hideout, and also remembered that the three pillars that were lit were by their doing.

Both Neamhan and Chakuq instinctively ducked their heads as they came to terms with being deep underground. Neamhan’s instinct told her that there were tons of rocks and earth above her head, only kept from crushing her by the virtue of the vaulted dome. That thought unnerved her, and she wondered how the dwarves of Ard Thoradun could live inside their mountain kingdom.

In the centre of the room was a circular shaft leading down. Chakuq took a look and found that there were ropes leading down to a landing far below. From that landing other ropes lead to an even deeper landing, and so forth. Emrys offered to provide flight to everyone through his magic, but Chakuq decided to climb down instead. As he did so, he found that the landings were the tops of large, stone faces set into the wall of the shaft. As Emrys descended and past the faces he was reminded of Jan the Custodian reciting the names of the faces;

“Raphael; Elohim.
Michael; Malakim.
Uriel; Seraphim.
Gabriel; Cherubim.”
– Jan

Neamhan took to the magical flight very naturally, and as she descended deeper the pressure on her ears increased and she was reminded of the first time she shaped into a bird and got overconfident and flew too high, too fast, and almost lost consciousness due to a lack of oxygen. For Chakuq, the memory was of a treeless, rocky landscape, sitting around a campfire with other boys. An old man came up and barked a command, and the boys began to run up the slope, racing to the top. The higher the boys climbed, the thinner the air, and the test was to see at what point he would pass out. The others shared in their memories, the same way that Chakuq and Neamhan shared in theirs.

As Quentin descended he was surprised to find that he recognised the style of armour that one of the stone celestials was wearing, as it matched some of the magical pieces of armour the heroes had recovered and he had in his possession. He concluded that there are different types of celestials, each with their own distinct styles.

At the bottom of the shaft the heroes found themselves on a crossroads with a corridor leading to each of the cardinal directions. With the exception of Chakuq and Neamhan, the heroes knew that the corridors lead to the armoury, the reliquary, the gallery, and the library. The heroes headed to the library where they found Falka standing at a book wheel doing research. It took her a moment to realise the heroes had come in because she had stuffed her ears with wax. It was to keep the noise of the excavation out; Garvan, one of the Steady Hand, and Brandomiir, an acquaintance of the heroes, were in another room performing work.

Falka explained that her research had not made a lot of progress due to a confusing filing system. She felt as if the library had been maintained by different librarians over the centuries, and that each had insisted on changing the filing system without ever being able to finish the task, leaving the library in disarray and unnecessarily complex to navigate.

The goal was to find the Liber Bubonicus, and so Chakuq and Neamhan started sifting through the rows and rows of books, hoping to find it. In the meantime, Luca drew a magic circle which would help him perform a ritual that would allow him to sense the presence of magic. Neamhan looked for anything that was written in Sylvan, or druidic. While Chakuq looked for leatherbound books.

Much to Neamhan’s surprise, she found a piece of old bark which was inscribed with burnt symbols that was an even more archaic version of druidic. It was not immediately clear to hear what it said, but she sensed that the text held within it a connection, but one that she had not yet established.

Chakuq’s attention was caught by a book of white leather which he reckoned was fashioned from horse hide. The pages were of a thin velum whose edges were painted in gold. Even though Chakuq could not read the text, there was something about the book which told him that it was important to his people, despite his people favouring the oral tradition over writing. When Chakuq asked Emrys if he recognised the language, the sorcerer could tell him that it was similar to Primordial, but that he did not immediately recognise it.

In the meantime, Quentin went to the armoury in order to store Muirgheal only to find it completely empty.

When Luca finalised his ritual he could see the weave of magic all around him, and he quickly identified twelve books that were magical in nature. He also recognised that the book wheel that Falka was using was imbued with divination magic, that the piece of bark which Neamhan had retrieved held necromantic magic, and that the white, leather book that Chakuq had found was mundane.

One of the magical books, the heroes reckoned, must be the Liber Bubonicus.

The Battle for Steward’s Square, Conclusion

Previously, the heroes mounted a defence against Epidemius’ incursion into Kingsport by rallying troops and allies. Epidemius arrived through a portal with forces of his own, joined by sinister skaven and wicked devils. Some of the skaven were sacrificed to perform a ritual that intensified the disease that spread through Kingsport.

Fourth Day, Second Ride, Autumn Twilight, 1262

(Silvermoon is waning, Bloodmoon is waning, Darkmoon is in low sanction)

Emrys had made a mad dash for the portal through which Epidemius and his infernal guards had come. Clutching Toruviel in hand, he called upon the miraculous powers of the blade to vault him through the air and into the portal. The portal became unstable and started to collapse, but not before Epidemius, responding with uncanny speed, crossed the short distance between him and the portal and dove in after Emrys. Chakuq, who had just jumped onto Epidemius’ mount and had engaged the fiend, was inadvertently teleported as well and drawn into the portal after Epidemius.

While the rest of the heroes stayed behind on Steward’s Square to continued battling the infernal forces, Emrys and Chakuq found themselves in a tunnel together with Epidemius, once again in the guise of father Devon. The ground was paved, though neither of the heroes would later be able to recall whether they walked on cobblestones or packed earth. The tunnel extended about a hundred foot, and the exit behind them showed Steward’s Square, but the fighting was slowed down to an almost imperceptible crawl. The other end showed a grizzly wasteland.

Across the gore-spattered waste, made up entirely of dust, mud, and loose shale rock, marches an infernal legion. Row after row of strictly regimented devils march in perfect unison. Above them hover constructs of infernal terror; flying fortresses of black metal and burning engines.

You can’t make out their enemy. There can’t seem to be any unity of form. They are creatures. Creatures whose physiology makes no sense and are utterly without order. You see what appears to be tentacles, enormous mandibles, claws, fangs, club-like limbs and tails. They aren’t bipedal, nor quadrupedal, in fact, they do not seem to have any regard of bilateral symmetry at all.

You suddenly realise that the shale rock are not rocks at all. They’re bones, millions of bones. You feel a sudden pressure in your head. You feel disoriented and nauseated. Part of your instinct is screaming for you to run.

The walls of the tunnel were made of a dense mist. This mist was new to Chakuq, but Emrys had seen it before. Upon closer inspection the heroes could see a red spiral running through the must like a vein running through marble, which Epidemius explained was the Seal of Divine Animus. Hidden in the mist, lay the realm of the Raven Queen on one side, and the realms of the Ladies of Flowers and Frost on the other side.

Chakuq felt out of his element and swiftly retreated back to Steward’s Square, while Epidemius eventually convinced Emrys not to withhold him from retreating back through the portal. Epidemius reiterated that he had no interest in causing unnecessary death, which his continued stay in the mortal realm against his will would cause. He had come, he reasoned, to put pressure on the Upright Man to return his book.

Emrys recognised that Epidemius had finalised his ritual, he worsened his stranglehold over Kingsport, and that the damage had already been done. He relented, and both he and Epidemius went their separate ways, back to their respective realms.

With the collapse of the portal, the remaining hamatulas and erinyes were cut off from their retreat. They put up a fierce fight. The skaven drove the knights, crownsguard, and custodians back to the square before cutting their losses and retreating back into the waterways.

Chakuq slew the cloven-hoofed mount of Epidemius, harvesting one of its teeth as a trophy. Chakuq recognised that the beast was not of the natural world, and that its hide was thick and durable, and had been used by the skaven to fashion armour. Luca remembered that they had encountered a set of armour made of similar hide at the Landsdowne auction house in Bournemouth, earlier that year.

There were hundreds of wounded. Lady commander Miranda, who had survived the aerial fight with the erinyes, had to put down one of the griffons due to it being grievously wounded. With tears on her face she put the majestic beast out of its misery, something which seemed to move Astrid deeply too.

Neamhan went around the wounded and used her connections to draw healing power from the land and skies. Quentin applied his dedications to as many wounded as he could help, and Luca showed his rekindled obedience to Aurion to help. Each found that despite their healing abilities, some wounds continued bleeding, while others showed persistent sigs of infection.

Soon, the silent sisters of the House of the Raven Queen appeared in the square and set to their grim task of tending to the dead. Cardinal Roark moved among them, and briefly spoke with Quentin to assure him that the Raven Queen were shepherding the fallen to the Other Side.

While the apothecaries of Pholtus cared for the wounded, joined by the clerics of the Platinum Father, Emrys and Réonan spoke together while overlooking the river at Queensbridge. Emrys shared what he saw while inside the portal. Réonan confirmed that the realm on the other end of the tunnel was Avernus, the eternal battlefield, and first of the Nine Hells.

The two agreed that it was troubling that the infernals were already able to pierce the seal. Réonan warned that the cycle seems to be speeding up, and that the ones who still remembered the Age of Fear did not remember enough and would be ill prepared to mobilise people. It appeared to Emrys that Réonan was, in part, referring to themselves. Before the two rejoined the others on the square, the archmage explained how important it was for Emrys to help and keep Luca on the right path.

Ser Benten, Lord Marcus, and Lord Destan came to join the heroes as they were about to head to the Careless Wanderer. Neamhan was amazed at the size of the trio, and noticed that Lord Jonathan, who had stayed behind with the Sheridan guard, was of an equal size. Fascinated, Neamhan developed a suspicion that these people might have giant blood running through their veins. The two Sheridan brothers decided to join the heroes at the Careless Wanderer.

In the short distance between the square and the inn, the heroes passed the dead, the dying, and the wounded. They passed barricades, and piles of dead skaven being carted off to the burn pits outside the city. When they entered the inn, there was a melange of warm aromas floating around the tavern room. The door to the kitchen was open, and the staff was walking in and out to bring food out. Tables were set and decorated, and the heroes were reminded that blind Magda had recently told the staff to switch to silver cutlery.

There were two large joints of roasted boar, basted, as promised, in ox fat, on a bed of baked apples and mushrooms. A leg of cured ham had been set up on the bar and Durham used a thin knife to cut long slices, rolling them up into salty rosettes. A large pan of beef-and-barley stew, with chunks of squash and red onions stood near the door to the kitchen and was refilled every time the bottom was reached.

Racks of the boar’s ribs were served on plates, glazed in sweet gravy, sitting on a bed of roasted leeks. Two wooden boards with rows of skewered pigeon, capsicum, and capon were set on either side of a bowl of mutton chops sauced in honey and cloves that had been placed in the middle of each table. And each table had a platter of large river trout from Blue Harbour, baked in a shell of salt, surrounded by chunks of deep-fried, beer-battered cod. Baskets of soft bread, richly buttered and dusted with salt and crushed peppercorn were placed strategically around the table.

At the top of each plate stood a small venison pie, chunky with carrots, bacon, and mushrooms, as well as a bowl of shredded crab mixed with a dressing of egg yolk, oil, and crushed garlic. The staff went around the room to serve flagons of hot, spiced wine, and chilled autumn ales. And for dessert, sugar wheels and honey cakes came out of the kitchen, as well as pears poached in strongwine.

During the feast, blind Magda walked around the tavern room talking to the guests. Eventually she disappeared for a moment, only to return carrying a distinct, wooden board. With Wojciech’s help she affixed the board to the wall near the bar while the dragonling and Wynn observed her nearby. The board read: Accorded Neutral Territory.

Andrew Selkirk found his way through the city to the Careless Wanderer and spend the evening playing music while listening to the stories being told. Chakuq regaled the tavern with the story of how he banished Epidemius with his sword. Astrid told Chakuq about the goddess Freya, who protects all children, and seemed grim as she did so.

All the while, despite the loss of Adrian and Clement, the Morvrayne riders were jubilant. Quentin, who felt the responsibility for the two fallen riders weight him down on him, intimated to Dame Pauline that he believed they got lucky. His bannerette advised him not to share his feelings with the riders for the benefit of morale. She advised him to focus instead on the arrival of his lord father. Quentin thanked Pauline for riding with him, and she told him it had been an honour.

Neamhan, not being able to contain her curiosity, managed to repulse Lord Marcus when he came to have a flirtatious chat with her. Instead, Neamhan asked Marcus whether he was giant kin, and where he was from. He seemed annoyed at the questions, and disengaged. When Lauryn pointed out to Neamhan that Marcus may have had a romantic interest in her, she scolded him and said that she had a husband. He asked her how long she had been afflicted by that problem, and walked back to his table and rejoined his brother.

The Battle for Steward’s Square, A Desperate Jump

Previously, the heroes confronted Epidemius during his second appearance at Steward’s Square. Luca’s frustration grew as he continued to be cut off from Aurion’s powers, and he considered turning his cloak and aligning himself to the infernal aspect that Aurion used to appear as. This opened him up to Epidemius, but Réonan intervened, and called upon Aurion to redeem Luca. Luca further deepened his pack with Aurion, but not without a price to pay.

Fourth Day, Second Ride, Autumn Twilight, 1262

(Silvermoon is waning, Bloodmoon is waning, Darkmoon is in low sanction)

The battle again Epidemius and his forces continued with an overwhelming barrier of fire roaring up between some of the heroes and Epidemius. The flames burned and blistered those who stood too close to the barrier, and caused Luca to lose consciousness. Réonan, who stood near Luca, failed to help stabilise him, while Chakuq kept a nearby hamatula at bay. Eventually, the archmage teleported Luca to the Cathedral of the Platinum Father for assistance. The hamatula that fell to Chakuq’s weapons hissed “I am a hunter, too. I will come back for you,” before it died.

The hamatulas continued to kill the last of the rat ogres, nailing it to the ground with the barbs that they had snapped off their carapaces. The blood of the rat ogres seemed to flow with a mind of its own, and formed into a large circle of power, complete with major and minor sigils, As each rat ogre exploded into a cloud of noxious cloud, the vortex carrying the vapours up into the eye of the storm above grew more pronounced until it started to radiate with a fel glow.

Epidemius strode forward on his mount until he stood directly in the centre of the circle of power. He withdrew a bony sceptre and held it aloft as he spoke menacing words in a language that nobody could understand. The words rang like the buzzing of a thousand insects in the minds of all that could hear him. Once done, he dropped the sceptre in the blood which formed the circle, and the blood lit up with the same fel glow as the vortex. The light drained from the blood into the vortex, and was carried into the storm, where the energy was spread across the sky above the city like a blanket.

Epidemius wheeled his mount around and started making his way back to the portal while the fighting continued around him. Quentin and Astrid fought side-by-side after Quentin ordered the Morvrayne riders to retreat. Neamhan had shifted her form to that of an enormous elk and charged into the infernal forces. Emrys continued to unleash his magic, eventually resulting in a surge of uncontrolled magic to well up inside of him and spell out, causing persistent lightning to play across his body. The griffon riders had managed to take down one of the erinyes, which came crashing down into one of the houses like a fiery comet. Luca had regained consciousness in the cathedral and was able to help by casting spells through his dragonling.

When it looked as if Epidemius was about to depart through the portal, Emrys made a dash for Toruviel, which he had unsheathed and was hovering in the air, fighting unaided. When he snatched up the blade he ran for the portal, vaulting through it aided by Toruviel. Immediately the corona of light around the portal started to flicker, and the perfect oval started to shiver and warp. Emrys’ strange bloodline, so expertly crafted by the mysterious Mohiam, started to disrupt and collapse the portal, threatening to cut Epidemius off from his retreat.