Session 28

The Fated Eight collected their things and followed after the trail that Dridge; burrowing through the ground and periodically bursting upwards - flipping acrobatically through the air like a landlocked dolphin, was leaving to guide them towards the old stronghold that a community of Terralpi had started to use as a home base of sorts. A few of The Fated Eight raced ahead to see who could get there fastest; where Aurevald tripped Axton up at the start - leading the Tiefling Artificer to find a sack of 25 gold on the ground. The others walked at a leisurely pace - where Kezark once again felt the eyes of something; or someone, following them.

Arriving at the stronghold - the party saw a stone ruins that seemed to be leading underground. It reminded those that had been there of the architecture of Hollow Crypt; the Dwarvish burial ground where they had fought Caesar Plight. Kezark nearly shattered his shin attempting to kick a stone pillar - as the durable construct began to strongly resonate. Dridge; remembering that the others could not burrow as he could, surprised them all by opening the front door - as he slapped a large stone on the other side of the building, and watched as the construct began to re-assemble itself. The Fated Eight had questions about the stronghold but Dridge was unable to answer - instead taking them to see people who might know more.

“I only got here a bit ago myself - all I know is that whoever they were, they had good taste in forging weapons. Maybe one of the bookworms will know more!”
- Dridge, suggesting who might be able to answer their questions…

The Fated Eight were taken down a stone hallway; where they quickly noticed the structure had not been used; or at least cleaned, in a long time - with rodent and pest skeletons littering the walkways. They shortly after entered into a nook that opened into a large study full of books and with a large central table - where they were greeted by a Terralpi man named Quill, and an Elfish man named Flick.

Quill: To Aurevald “Woah! You’re one of those Gigantos, aren’t you?”

Flick: Correcting Quill: “How many times must I tell you Quill? It is not GI_GAN_TOES - it is GHEE_GAN_TOSS!”
- Introductions of Quill & Flick…

Quill; embarrassed by such a simple mistake, remained silent for most of the conversation - where as Flick proved to be rather inquisitive; asking a lot of questions of The Fated Eight. However - Flick was less willing to answer questions of him. A deal was struck as Aurevald let Flick study him - especially the symbols over his body - so long as the Elvish Wizard gave them some straight answers in return. Flick revealed that he had once been studying the Feywild; attempting to make some breakthroughs in Planar Resonance, but had become trapped here as a side-affect of his experiments - his essence entwined with the very fabric of the Feywild. He also demonstrated a device in his possession that showed the current date within the Material Plane - confirming the date as the 8th of Hylyth.

The Fated Eight bid their farewells after Kezark inquired about a book that detailed Dragonborn anatomy, and/or diseases. He was given a temporary copy of the book “Incurable Diseases” - where he learned about a condition called “Scale Fatigue”.

“…a rapid greying of a Dragonborn’s scales, followed by a sudden shift towards a deep, sickly, red. Little is known about this rare disease as so few survive the condition. I could count on one hand the number of survivors - and most of them have admitted they’d prefer to have succumb.”
- Excerpt on Scale Fatigue from Incurable Diseases by Etherys Formulys, 658 PD

Meeting The Chief

Dridge took The Fated Eight down a lift and through a wide open cavern, to visit the community’s chief - an old Terralpi man by the name of Eldos. Whilst passing through the crows of Terralpi refugees who now called this home - the party could help but notice the whispers and stares that seemed be focused around Aurevald. The group were understanding if there were not resources to spare for them - but Eldos appreciated what they had done for Dridge in reuniting him and his Son. Before they left - Eldos shared words of advice for Aurevald.

“Please don’t heed the words of some of our community. Their tribe’s culture heavily revered the myths of old, their tales not relevant for one of such modern ears…”
- Eldos’s words to Aurevald…

The Fated Eight took a well-deserved rest as Azriel, Axton, SHAI, and Jin headed for an early rest - whilst Aurevald, Lady, Morgyn, and Kezark stayed up around the bonfire and shared stories from their past. They noted that a number of the group had one thing in common - they were all on the run from somebody. They made their way to sleep as the bonfire grew dim.

Lady’s Dream

Lady felt herself awaken - once again in the familiar liminal spirit realm she’d been to before, however this time it felt more welcoming to her presence. She wandered around the familiar layout of Saving Grace Monastery that was almost painted onto the endless liminal space all around her - as she eventually made her way to a garden that she found peace amongst. The serenity was broken as she clocked the familiar sounds of two people training - as Lady moved to investigate. The noise led her down a pathway she was sure was not accurate the Saving Grace Monastery she was familiar with - before arriving down a long stairway. Traversing down the steps - the space around her began to shift as her senses were suddenly overwhelmed by the sound and smells of a running waterfall. Across the other side of the waterfall, Lady found the source of noise - as she noticed a young, feminine figure launching acrobatic assault; with blades made of pure air, against an older woman who protected herself with a barrier made of the earth itself. Each warrior sported traits of the Snowblood Family - the younger figure having a head of snow white hair; with slivers of blood-red at the very end, whilst the older figure had a handful of snow-white roots poking out from the curtains of her blood-red scalp. Lady recognized the older figure as Solum Snowblood - the oldest living Snowblood in their recorded history; and the only one to live to raise their child to adulthood themselves.

A loud gong echoed through the realm, and both figures turned to acknowledge Lady’s presence with a respectful bow - before disappearing into the trees behind them. As Lady followed, the realm began to shift once more; as she found herself at the bottom of set of plateaued stairs - with at least 6 flights visible from her position. She overheard a conversation between two figures.

Impassionate Man:“She is the second coming - I swear it to you.”

Calm woman: “I understand you believe so but we cannot be so brazen this time - remember what happened the last time you were so sure of your hunch. We’re lucky to have had this second chance at all - so let’s not waste it.”

Impassionate Man: “You’re too careful Facilis. Let us see what Mr Hot Shot himself says then - although he better not show her any nepo-”
The conversation suddenly stops, as each peer over the steps and look down upon Lady; noticing her presence.
- The conversation that Lady overheard…

Lady saw a very tall woman - referred to as Facilis with large ears; even for someone of Elvish blood, with a single strip of snow white hair along her scalp that ended in a blood-red pony tail. Next to her was a stocky man with a very muscular frame - somewhat reminding her of Aurevald if her were shorter - that was completely bald, and had an extremely prominent monobrow with the familiar Snowblood colours. Lady recalled Gratia telling her a story about the bald man - Elatus Snowblood - as to teach her a lesson about the line between confidence and arrogance.

“During his late teenage years - Elatus Snowblood became the first member of the Snowblood Family in over 200 years to refuse the support of the Salvator Family; leaving us with little history to remember him by. What is known is what his Daughter; Venia Snowblood, shared with us when she made amends between our two families.
- Gratia speaking to Lady about Elatus Snowblood…

The pair of Snowbloods recognized Lady’s presence; granting a simple bow, before turning and walking up the stairs - the pair covering entire flights in the time Lady took to cover 3 flights. In her attempt to follow, Lady felt exhaustion; a strange experience within the spiritual realm, take over - as she noticed the staircase fade into the liminal space around her. Shortly after - the familiar space of the Saving Grace Monastery’s courtyard returned to her. She pondered a minute what any of this could mean, as the bracers around her arms began to glow - with flecks of light shedding off and collecting in the centre of the courtyard. Voices began to emanate through the space as the flecks of light coalesced into spectral avatars of the figures she had just seen.

Facilis Snowblood: “She cannot be trusted blindly. She has prowess - that is undeniable - but so did he and we nearly lost everything because of him.” one orb of light cautioned - as it shifted into the form of the tall woman from the stairs, covered in a deep-blue hue.

Elatus Snowblood: “Facilis here believes we should test her - as if her existence thus far has not been testing enough. Solum - you must see that I am right this time…” another orb of light responded - taking the form of the stocky man from the strairs - as he gestured towards a 3rd orb of light.

Solum Snowblood: “Young Elatus.. you presume that I am as obsessed with our mutual successor as you are. I simply do not have your naïve fervour nor have I ever truly. You say she’s been tested enough, but I am yet to see her bear a child - let alone raise one to adulthood. What could she have done that surpasses my own feats - did that qualify me to be the second coming?” questioned an orb of light that shifted into a forest green hue, matching the appearance of the older woman from the waterfall.

Elatus: “You’ve spent the last 20 generations reminding each of us that you are the only one of us live long enough to see your child reach adulthood. I sometimes wonder if your vanity is as unwavering as the Earth that you command. Surviving an encounter with, let alone besting, Cae’Saren surpasses nurturing an ankle biter many times over. Need I remind you that she instinctively found a way into The In-Between as a means of sheer survival…” the monobrowed figure snapped back in response.

The Feminine Figure: “A heavily weakened Cae’Saren if we’re being fair. As far as I see it - most of that feat should go to that weird Human boy. By that logic - does that mean we should anoint him the second coming instead? You reasoning is inane and your proclamations are unwarranted Elatus - she is not ready that is plain as day to see.” quipped an androgynous voice from a 4th orb of light, morphing into a yellow-hued projection of the young feminine figure from the waterfall.

Elatus: “Your insults cut deep Gladius - are you compensating for the fact that your swords will never pierce Solum’s defenses?” the monobrowed man retorted as he gestured for a fight.

Lady watched that just as the two figures were about to come to blows - bindings of earth restrained the hands of the figure referred to as Gladius Snowblood, whilst shackles of pure cold locked themselves around the ankles of Elatus Snowblood. She found herself disappointed to see her ascenstors fighting & bickering when they all have something that she does not - family. The attention of the courtyard was caught by the sudden sound of footsteps moving down a staircase - as Lady saw the 4 figures each swiftly assume a kneeling, respectful bow. The foodsteps introduced a tall Half-Orc with a fiery aura exuding from him - contrasting his white cloak and simple-but-elegant black robes. A face decorated by a well-kept beard of pure-white; with only the bottom quarter-or-so giving him a blood-red goatee, and his matching hair tied back into a neat bun. He stopped 3 steps before the bottom of the stairs before silently gesturing for the four figures to stand.

Elatus Snowblood: “Master Ignis - I bring you good news. Your daughter has successful made her way to The In-Between through sheer instinct; it’s a clear indicator that she - like yourself - bears the mark of Phoenica. The link is not beyond repair after all!” the monobrowed man quickly proclaimed, before the others could interject.

Solum Snowblood: “Master Ignis - please, take his words with a grain of salt. He is merely enamoured with your Daughter’s admittedly impressive feats, and wishes to make amends for his overzealous actions in the past.” the older woman chimed in a moment later

The man referred to as Master Ignis took a composed breath, gesturing to Facilis Snowblood before speaking Master Ignis: “I appreciate your counsel, but even I was able to sense her presence make the leap. I must say I am proud of her - but for her to shine bright I must temper my flame; as we all must.” he stated plainly - turning to make eye-contact with Elatus Snowblood as he finished.
Lady noticed both of their auras reduce in intensity - matching that of the other figures.
”If she truly is the second coming; then one more test will be little concern for her. If she isn’t; well, let’s burn that bridge if and when we have to cross it - shall we? he continued as he pulled up the sleeves of his tunic - revealling the same bracers that Lady wore on her arms.

Lady blinked - and noticed the bracers vanish from her Fathers’ arms - before she felt herself return to her physical body. She began processing all that she had seen - as the bracers on her wrists glowed brighter & brighter; merging with the Wraps Of Power that Morgyn had given her, before settling into The Bracers Of The Nascent Phoenix. Lady attempted to return to her meditative state to rest as she made sense of what had just occurred.

The Collector Calls…

Without warning - Aurevald, Kezark, Morgyn, and Lady awoke to find themselves in a collective fugue state. Their vision fully in greyscale, and everyone else around them was sound asleep. The quickly learned that their hands moved through people but not through walls/solid objects - Aurevald had to accept there was no way for him to don his armour at this time. The group began to investigate this strange experience - realizing that it seemed to be only the 4 of them that were affected across the entire cavern - as they passed by dozens of sleeping Terralpi. They approached Chief Eldos’ room for information, surprised to find that it instead led them to a strange hallway; with four lifelike stone statues spread evenly down it’s length including:

• A legendary Dragonborn named Ballust The Grand; known for settling Dracossa. Wielding a very large axe; with a handle so short it functioned more like a cleaver, and a broad shield. It is believed that both were lost prior to the settlement of the Vaena Kingdom.
• A young woman performing a firey kick; the stone of her hair shaded to imply contrasting colours - giving Lady a sense that this figure very possibly could be a Snowblood like herself.
• A small Gnomish woman; Celia Fallowbottom, that Kezark had heard of during his time working for The Rouge. People from the Paradisian Coast would recognise the name of such a legendary thief - whose treasure has not been found decades after she herself was apprehended.
• A plain human man carrying a perfectly straight bo staff.

Lady attempted to touch the Snowblood statue, and suffered a near immedate roundhouse kick to the chest - as the statue changed poses in less than the blink of an eye. A voice echoed through the entire chamber warning her against that.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you…”
- The Strange Voice

As The Fated Eight heard the sudden, hypnotic sounds of a string instrument echo from the other side of the hallway - an entity called The Collector introduced himself. The sound attempted to pierce into minds - as Morgyn, Kezark, and a few moments later Lady found themselves loosely under the spell of this entity. Thanks in part to a poor choice of words by The Collector - Aurevald was able to use his endearing aura to relieve his allies of their afflictions long enough to help them sever it’s hold properly. As the Goliath Paladin was doing this however, The Collector revealed a shocking truth - as he called forth a statue of an armoured Leonin male wielding an ornate, curved blade…

“A collection is only worthwhile if it’s a complete set…”
- The Collector

The Collector revealed that Graxious Longwood III - their friend and until recently, their travelling companion - had somehow been captured by this entity as well. In attempts to further distract Aurevald - The Collector revealed a statue of a small Gnomish woman that the Goliath male seemed to recognise. Lady - now freed of her affliction - landed a punch squarely near the back of Kezark’s head; freeing him of the affliction too. Lady turned her attentions towards The Collector - who after only a single punch began to whiper like a coward. Moments later - The Fated Eight awoke in their physical bodies finding that little time had passed. The session ended with them processing and discussing the events that had just occurred - with none of them being appreciative of the tricks that they felt the Feywild had been playing on them. A short while later - they each returned to sleep - and The Fated Eight all completed a rest, in preparation of the next leg of their journey to SHAI’s civilization the next day.

Graxious’s Interlude

Under the cover of total darkness on the 30th of Vaelorn, 920 PD - Graxious Longwood III left Roan as he made his way back to his home of Elysia.

As the cold of night set in earnest - the Leonin Paladin found a patch of tall grass to hide in as he set up a campfire for the night. His first time sleeping truly alone in weeks brought a sense of loneliness - having made the difficult choice to leave his friends; The Fated Eight, behind.

Before sleep could take Graxious, he heard ruffling amongst the tall grass as he drew Overkiller’s Edge and proceeded to investigate. Graxious was entirely unaware of the small, private militia organized under the command of Douglas Beck that had surrounded him. The wealthy Roanite Elite successfully captured the Leonin warrior, as a cold black tendril buried itself deep in the back of Graxious’s head. Graxious’s last memory was that of his body slowly growing heavier as it turned completely to stone…

Just as Graxious had begun to accept that this was his fate - an unfeeling statue in some mad man’s collection - a familiar and endearing warmth wash over him. It reminded him of Aurevald at first; before realizing that it was indeed his Goliath compatriot. Somehow, a single tear rolled down the sculpted stone face of his current form…

New Blood, Same Mission

On a cold Hylyth morning in Roan - a man awoke in a bed - his lungs learning to breath again. The blood in his body no longer his own - but a cocktail made from countless damned souls.

He stood up, got dressed, and exited his chambers as he walked the hallways of the Tower of Inquisition - a place he had expected never to see again - before arriving at the chambers of the High Auditor; the leader of the church of Ordessa within Roan.

Wolfram was informed of a group of treasoners who had gone beyond the reach of the Vaena Kingdom’s forces and that he was being assigned to hunt them down. Before leaving - Wolfram Zauber was gifted an ornate mahogany box; containing a stunning piece of weapon-smithing. He held the perfectly weighted, brass-coloured rapier in his dominant hand - noting how the guard had been carefully formed into the shape of a Judge’s gavel - before thanking the High Auditor for this gift and promising the complete the mission.