The crew cautiously explores the rest of the Fortress and discovers that the Statue from within the Ziggurat has moved to a room at the back of the Fortress. It continues to emanate an ominous magical aura and emits a deep sound when our crew approaches. The Statue appears much larger than before. When the crew discovers that there is no obvious entrance into the center of the Fortress, despite the footsteps of the Lizard folk carrying Buuku leading to it, they insert Bran’s scarred arm into a hole in the wall, after first placing a dagger in and watching it disintegrate. Bran’s arm, marked by the Leviathan, opens the door and the crew sees another Blood Well, similar to before at the Ritual, but find Buuku’s body floating within. Everyone attempts to flee when they hear footsteps echoing from the entrance of the fortress, and the crew is assaulted by a powerful Sorceress in the back. Everyone is knocked unconscious... and awaken in the arms of Wooey’s guard, three apes who are mortally injured but dedicated to rescuing the crew. As they return to Wooey’s Kingdom, they witness the tragic slaughtering of many of the women and children of Wooey’s Tribe, and Wooey is sat with his back against his large tree, dying and surrounded by a dozen slain Lizard folk and Silver Apes. Wooey had sent his last guardsmen to help rescue Buuku, and the Silver Apes, allied now with the Lizard folk, took the opportunity to siege the King and his tribe. Wooey cries when given Buuku’s fate, and begs Grimdar to take the few surviving apes back to his town to save them.
When they arrive back at town, Grimdar is needed to rescue the ships of Caleb and Orel, two of the Pirate Captains, whose ships are seen burning out at sea. Grimdar’s orders result in the deaths of dozens of pirates as he desperately fights off the assassins aboard the ships. He tries to rescue Caleb, and tosses him across the plank, but Caleb does not make the distance and breaks his neck against Grimdar’s ship. Olive is found asleep, drunk on the beach south of Fal. Viv and Sutha reveal important information about maps discovered within the Lizardfolk Fortress.
The crew explores the town of Fal and learns more of the madness of the townsfolk. There is a rumor about Grimdar being a secret operative of this man Declan, a wealthy merchant of Northmoar and the greatest concern for the Pirates of Fal. The plot of the White Widow, the last informant of Viv and Sutha, who lives in Northmoar, is discussed with the Pirate Council. Brennen, Captain Lyssandra’s first mate, is interrogated by the crew. The Crew is impressed by the knowledge of Brennen, who convinces the crew that he was not involved in the plot of Lyssandra. A note was found on Lyssandra’s ship was given to the Crew by Sutha. The Pirate Council offers to investigate things further, but the crew begins to believe that there is further treachery within the Council. Brennen tells them that the White Widow was the one who gave him the letter and that she is here on the Island, within town. To unravel the plot of the White Widow and Declan, the crew sneaks into the homes of members of the Pirate Council, and Lyssandra. The notes they discover implicate Caleb and Lyssandra, in an effort to kill Sutha and Viv, in exchange for freedom from the troubled island. An alarm bell is sounded and in the distance in the fog, six ships approach Fal.
The six ships assail the Island of Fal and many of the civilians are killed by the bombardment, including the deaths of Rite Shop, Joe Trader, and Brick Smith. Nina is shown to be the daughter of Viv and wife of Declan, after choosing to be left behind when Viv and Sutha fled Northmoar as Declan closed in on them. Nina cut Declan’s throat before she ran away a decade later after becoming his wife, but he is mysteriously still here. Olive brought Lillian’s body to Jacob and he was able to revive her. The Leviathan awakened and ravaged four of Declan’s ships, and Declan fled with his only remaining ship back to Northmoar. Olive was injured by the Leviathan as she swam over it to safety. Tim Poster, the man who makes posters for the town, went on a date with Grimdar, because the crew wanted to distract Tim. Brennen was broken out of the Pirate Council’s prison and is missing. Tarhun used his Draconic Breath attack to freeze and shatter skiffs of enemies deployed to siege the docks. So many have died and our crew looks to pick up the pieces of their surroundings.
Tim Poster’s hot pirate singles posters were a ploy to enact a magical rune works around the town of Fal that when activated would employ a Circle of Death spell and destroy the town. The crew gathered the townspeople and fled, but heard Tim’s voice at the edge of the Jungle and chased after him. Tarhun was brought with the crew because they remembered that he intimidated the Lizardfolk. They journeyed into the Jungle and found tarpits, Tim, and the undead bodies of Ugusu, Orsu and Wooey. During combat, Viv and Sutha arrived and injured Tim, who is revealed to be Ander Nailo, Bran’s younger brother, a famous sorcerer who has been missing for years. The statue of the Leviathan pulled Tarhun into its maw, and emitted an enormous blast. Ander, the Statue, and Tarhun disappeared from sight. As they progressed into the Jungle further, it transformed into a putrid bog, and found the desiccated body of Ipphy. They approached the Ziggurat once more, ignoring the warning of a gravely injured Tarhun at the apex. They sneaked into the higher levels and attacked the phantasmal image of Ander, and attempted to heal Tarhun’s body, but it was also an image of his body. As they evacuated the Ziggurat, Ander and an unconscious Tarhun appeared before the crew. Ander revealed that he has begun working with the Lizardfolk to rejuvenate the Leviathan.
Ander offered an opportunity to Bran to join with him and work with the Lizardfolk, in exchange for the lives and blood of his new comrades. Tarhun discloses that he feels an intimate connection to the Leviathan and he believes it is his Mother. Sutha was impaled by Tarhun’s sword, the Lizardfolk Queen arrived to help Ander subdue the crew, but Viv delayed the combatants and the Leviathan began to wrack itself around the submerged portion of the Island and caused massive Earthquakes. The crew fled and Viv attempted to rescue Tarhun, but was unsuccessful. Ander and the Lizardfolk Queen crafted a skeletal army from the bones of the Apes and Lizards dead outside. They arrived back in town and had to defeat the undead forms of Joe Trader, Rite Shop, Tim Poster, and Brick Smith. Bran revealed to the panicked civilians and apes that there was a skeleton army approaching and everyone ran in all directions to their demise. Jonathan Swift offered freedom on his small cliff. When they sensed the presence of the Leviathan, they instead fled far south, to the lowest reaches of the Island, the Gemstone Caverns. They discovered a merchant ferry and commandeered it and began sailing away from the dying island of Fal.
As they sailed overnight, they watched the Leviathan emerge from the waves and destroy 8 ships that were attacking it. The crew, exhausted and terrified, sailed south to Southmoar. The crew found a suspicious “Dust” substance on the boat in the captain’s quarters, which amplified the powers of Olive and Lillian.
The crew realizes as they approach Southmoar that they are outcasts and lawbreakers and would not be welcomed. They attempt to employ false names and back stories for themselves and all their surviving comrades. This façade very quickly falls flat as their stories crumble, and the “dust” is revealed to be an illegal substance that is to be claimed by the docks men. Our friends flee into the city and find themselves in The Lucky Tuck, an Inn run by an old halfling named Tuck. He tells the crew that he is the most successful peddler of dust within the city, and he offers them a place to stay and would speak on their behalf in front of the Merchant’s Coalition if they are sent to trial. The crew meets various townspeople and learns of the political system of Southmoar and the economy is driven by Dust and Gems. Jonathan volunteers to fight in the “Gutter” the arena system used to enact gamble-based punishment for criminals within Southmoar. Jonathan is injured greatly by his opponent before his opponent falls over dead in front of a panicked Jonathan. Tuck reveals that Jonathan Swift comes from a famous family of Gutter Champions, and that Jonathan originally lived in Southmoar, many years ago, and Tuck knew him as a small boy. Jonathan offered to take the crew to his home in the Slums on the southern banks, and they find it dilapidated and covered in spider webs. Jonathan is shown to be a Druid who struggles with Lycanthropy as the evening closes and the moon rises. He tells them to run away as he begins his transformation. Lillian and Dr. Jacob work on a potion to alleviate the Leviathan’s Stain that has marked Bran and Olive.
The other human nations of Kulea are explained: Renya, Brome, Hoath, and Endon. The Demi-God Lolth enters the fray and Olive reveals that she is her archenemy and that the cultists who follow Lolth are typically shapeshifters. Olive also discloses that she believed she had not needed to make a Demonic Pact to be a Warlock, but, as she tells the crew the story of her mother, Viv believes that Olive’s mother had made her Warlock Pact with Lolth and that Olive inherited this Pact. This means that Olive is bound to her archenemy as the source of her power. The crew went looking for Jonathan at his house in the Slums, and Lillian tells them all that she was the one who cared for Jonathan when he was a child because his parents were murdered in the Gutter. He inherited his lycanthropy from his parents. They found 4 dead bodies within Jonathan’s house, and discovered Elven Runes that were used by the acolytes of Lolth. They fled the house and Jonathan returned, his hunger satisfied. A skittering of spiders drew their eyes to the door frame and they witnessed spider legs reaching out as they ran away. Lillian is revealed to be an acolyte of Lolth and has been working for her to raise Jonathan for a greater scheme. Bran, learning that his parents have died in the Gutter after being accused of theft by the wealthiest merchant of Southmoar, Leonard, sat somberly in the stands of the Gutter. Lolth’s shapeshifting acolytes are believed to have infiltrated Southmoar and other nations within the southern continent of Kulea. They return to the Lucky Tuck to tell Viv, Sutha and the others that Lillian was a spy on behalf of Lolth and that the treachery runs much deeper than previously thought.
Olive unravels more of her backstory and her history training with her Uncle Ryoko in the Underdark and her fear of Lolth, Spiders, and the Drow Elves. The crew searched for Bran. A hooded figure entered The Gutter and sucked the blood out from the sandpit and drained into the ground. Bran tried to communicate with it, but it would not respond. Olive saw the figure and noticed that it appeared similar in skin and eye color. They caught up with the mysterious person and agreed to meet with it later in the evening. The crew begins to understand the plot of Lolth implicates Lyssandra as well as Lillian, and that the acolytes of Lolth have broken from the Drow in the Underdark. The mysterious figure is the long-lost brother of Olive, named Xazu, who was believed to have died at birth as Olive had been told that by her mother. Xazu says that his mother is Lolth. The infiltration of Lolth is direr than expected, and Julia, the barkeep in the Lucky Tuck is discovered to be an acolyte and they witness her terrifying transformation into a spider before she crawled out of the window into Tuck’s Tunnel into the Underdark, the place in which he hides his vast fortune. The crew rushes out to hunt after Julia before she kills Tuck in the Underdark, because he has gone to collect his fortune and escape Southmoar with Grimdar and friends.
The crew lingered before following Julia into the Underdark. Viv has volunteered to fight in the Gutter. Jonathan joined the crew to hunt after Julia in the Underdark. Jacob joins and assist with creating potions, but collapsed exhausted outside of Tuck’s Tunnel. Bran decided to pour blood from the Blood Well onto the Elven Runes that were in the attic room of the Lucky Tuck, and it illuminated brightly and began shaking the room. They discovered a small hole that descended further into the Underdark. Tuck’s “wand” was used to open his secret cavern where he hides his fortune and a baby sapphire dragon he has named “Pifflepuff” and feeds the tiny dragon the platinum coins he has earned to create more sapphire gems from Pifflepuff’s dung. He wanted to retrieve Pifflepuff before they fled Southmoar. Bran and Grimdar chased after Xazu when he appeared in the Underdark, Jonathan approached the small hole, Olive went to console him and Xazu teleported behind her and pushed her and Jonathan down and then disappeared. The other crew defeated a small group of spiders and jumped in after their friends. This deeper layer of the Underdark is the territory of Lolth, and as explored they find Julia and Lillian, and Jonathan transforms to attack them. Dozens of skeletal bones of Dwarves are found and discovered to have been used here as slave miners; Grimdar picks up a skull and names it “Doorg” and considers it to be his new friend. A wall deep within was broken and a hidden cobblestone wall was unveiled and the Palace of Xadillia, Olive’s home, was found to have been sunken by Lolth and taken her to be her new fortress on this layer of the Underdark. The Palace has been used as a breeding ground for Lolth’s spiderlings. Bran approached a curious spring that was trickling water down into a pool behind, in a courtyard. The sacrificial dagger and Bran were submerged within this pool, and the dagger grew into a magical short sword and Bran was completely covered in the scales of the Leviathan and immobilized. Julia, Lillian and Xazu appear, and Xazu descends into the pond and disappears. Lillian hands Bran to Julia before she also descends; Jonathan leaps out of the Palace to attack Lillian.
The crew defeats Julia and rescues Bran. The pool has become a hole into a deeper layer into the Underdark. A band of barbarians arrive from an adjacent tunnel and inform the crew that they are searching for their missing children. These barbarians are from Hoath, a nation neighboring Xadillia. The crew and barbarians ally together to investigate the Palace for the missing children. As they search within the Palace, they find the Grand Library and find a hidden Dungeon that Olive did not know was within her home. A small passageway within led to a magically enclosed area that held an old woman, named Constance, who informed the crew that she was Olive’s wet nurse when she was a child, and has been kept here secured for decades and not sure what has happened above her. She does not remember who had placed her in this Dungeon. Olive insulted the old woman who died of a heart attack. The fireplace within the room flickered and Olive was charmed by an unknown Infernal creature and she stepped through the magical flame and appeared in a dark Abyss that she was unfamiliar with. The voice lured her further and asked to be brought back with her to the surface plane. Adonides, the ruler of the first layer of Hell, a Devil, and Olive’s grandfather and the source of her Infernal bloodline. He is known as the Prince of Madness. Adonides despises Lolth and knows that she has taken his grandson Xazu, and wants to protect Olive, believing that his grandchild would be helpful in protecting his realm from a potential invasion of Lolth, because she desires to become a Devil and ruler of a layer of Hell. Grimdar offers information to Adonides because he respects his elders, and they lead him to the rift portal opened by the pool. The barbarian children are found and flee back to Hoath. Adonides does not follow the crew into the rift portal, and instead thanks them for their help in bringing him out of Hell and disappears. As they follow a pathway of spider tracks, they discover Lolth’s Lair, and see her gargantuan spider form resting on an elevation standing in front of a clear illustrious crystal vein pulsing with power. Lolth welcomes the crew and asks that they come closer to speak with her, as she pulls Olive towards her, and Olive spits in Lolth’s face. Lolth tells Olive that she had not damned her mother, and that Adonides is the true villain she is chasing, and the Infernal bloodline is the cause for her mother’s madness. When travelling through the Underdark layers is revealed to require a magical essence, Grimdar realizes that he can’t travel, and asks for help. Lolth bites Grimdar on the neck, and then takes Jonathan Swift up the crystal vein into her lair up above.
Lolth asks that the crew earn their freedom by exploring deeper into the Underdark because there is a new threat on this level. She leaves for Hoath to gather males to breed with her female cultists. As the crew descends into the Underdark they find a large cavernous room full of blood stains and aquamarine goo. Xazu disappears and a trio of horror spiders descend from the ceiling and attack the crew. Olive nearly dies as she is impaled by a spike, but the crew rescue her and she barely survives. They enter into the room at the back of the cavern and find a smaller room with a badly injured Sapphire dragon hiding and storing her treasure. Sephanteiss, the mother of Pifflepuff, is healed by the bags of platinum coins offered by the crew and offers them passage out of the Underdark and away from Lolth. They gather in her mouth and she burrows through the layers of the Underdark and emerge out beneath The Lucky Tuck. Nina goes to the Gutter when she learns that her mother has entered to kill a combatant and watches as Viv battles a barbarian Jiagruu, who is revealed to be the man who killed Bran Nailo’s parents. Viv uses her skeletal wings to defeat Jiagruu, and Leonard Wyatt demands that Viv be seized. Hooded figures from the crowd leap into the sand pits and grab Viv, but she is rescued by Grimdar, Bran and Nina, who uses her wings to intimidate the crowd. The crew flees to the beaches as Olive and Sephanteiss prepare the ship to leave with Tuck, and Sephanteiss uses her psychic breath attack to confuse and frighten the horde of humans firing arrows. Everyone successfully escapes, heavily wounded and terrified, but glad to be out of the Underdark and away from Southmoar. As Olive drifts to sleep, she recognizes that the hands on the wheel of the merchant ship belong to Adonides, her devilish grandfather.
The crew awakens to Adonides’ attacking Sephanteiss as she flies away desperately protecting Pifflepuff and uses her scream to disorient him. She makes her way to the mainland but is struck by Adonides’ Hellfire and her back and right wing begins to smolder and she plummets to the group. Adonides disappears as Olive attacks him. The crew rows ashore to save Sephanteiss with platinum and escorts her to the ship. Smoke is seen billowing into the sky from the south and the crew investigates. Hoath is under siege from the two gods accidentally sent to the same area for similar reasons. Lolth and Adonides battle and the barbarians are caught in between. The heroes dispatch some of the Drow and Spiders of Lolth’s army, but everyone succumbs to the might of Adonides’ Meteor Swarm. Viv and Sutha survive the blast and assail Adonides to no avail, and realize they must rescue the heroes and escape. Adonides casts Earthquake and the heroes and unconscious barbarians plummet into fissures. Adonides and Lolth do as well, and the conclusion of their battle is not witnessed. Lolth emerges from the fissure as the crew members regain consciousness as Viv and Sutha heal them. Olive Eldritch Blasts Lolth in the face, sending the demi-god screaming beyond the fog. Adonides emerges from the fissure and pulls Nina, who has been revealed to be his daughter through Viv, to become his Infernal Princess. He casts Dimension Door and creates an opening to the first layer of Hell. Viv, distraught over the threat to her daughter, awakens a lost power and bathes in brilliance and flies towards the Door, pulling Nina from his grasp and tackles him into the Dimension Door, disappearing with him as it closes behind her. The crew, terrified at the loss of another close friend and loved one, pull Nina up and return to the ship. The following day they arrive at the southern shores of Kulea, at the peaceful Druidic town of Endon. However, they are met with caution and explain they are dust peddlers and simply want a place to rest. A young man is given dust, and he runs towards the Greatwood to use his powers to help the trees grow. His name is Lance Swift and he was Jonathan’ cousin. The Shamans of Endon arrive and demand that the crew journey into the Greatwood to rescue Lance and his mother Brielle, who has chased after him.
The Greatwood is rotting because of a cursed contagion named The Scourge of the King. They discover an abandoned shack which was the home of Jonathan Swift when he was born in exile. A royal crypt guarded by festering zombies is the location that Brielle and Lance have entered. The zombies exploded with orange confusion goo and sprayed Grimdar and Nina. Within the crypt, the crew solved a series of puzzles to progress deeper and find a Royal Burial chamber that holds the tomb of the First King of the Elves. The tomb is etched “Ander Rorona” and Bran recognizes that this name is that of his younger brother. This chamber only permitted royal blood to enter, and Olive... and Bran, successfully were able to crawl inside. There was a beautiful red flower within the sarcophagus that Bran takes. They meet and speak with the ghost of King Ander, who informs them of the devastation of the Greatwood and the truth of the Wishing Well. Inside the lid of the tomb was the phrase “born again” scratched in with finger nails. Outside the crypt was Marric Swift, Jonathan’s grandfather, a Druid hermit who has dedicated his life to staunching the spread of the Scourge of the King. Marric is also the alpha Werewolf and was the first bitten by an Infernal Wolf while he was within the Underdark. Brielle and Lance’s bodies were seen, drained of their life force within the crypt. The crew convinces Marric to return with them to Endon because they were instructed to rescue Brielle and Lance. Marric informs them that he was exiled by the Shamans and believed that it would be a bad idea for him to return. As they approached the Shamans, Marric revealed the state of the Greatwood as his magic faded and the truth of the Greatwood showed itself to the peasants of Endon. He was welcomed back and thanked for his service. Sephanteiss has disappeared into a large geyser that has appeared north of Endon as she detected an immeasurable pure energy that she needed to investigate.
The geyser erupts with magically enchanted water in Olive’s face. Everyone meets and decides that the Elves of Thelihil are needed to help purify the Greatwood and the Shamans agree to travel with the crew to reach an agreement with the Elves. Marric provides them with his map of the Greatwood that he has traveled. He reveals that Grendell, a Grey Dwarf who he saved years ago from the Scourge of the King by biting him and offering the magical constitution of a werewolf, has been attacking people within the Greatwood and working to siege Thelihil. Marric also tells the group that he bit his own son and his wife, Jonathan’s parents, to save them from the Scourge of the King, and this is why Jonathan was born with such incredible magical energy. The crew journeyed north until they found Greybreach, an Elven fortress used to defend against the spread of the Grey Dwarves. Only one tower remains at Greybreach and the group used Grimdar’s Dwarven stone knowledge to open a mechanism and investigate the interior of the tower. A few magical items were within and a pillar etched and broken led to the next level. As they climbed, they found the corpses of two Grey Dwarves and an Elf. These undead creatures attacked them when they awoke from the noise. Some important notebooks were discovered that furthered the plot of Thelihil and the current King Arlend’s communication with Captain Althidon, the Elf corpse. Althidon is revealed to have been Lyssandra’s husband. The crew fled from the Tower and saw Jacob atop it, and he pointed to a band of small werewolves that he said he was afraid of; these creatures transformed to their regular form as Grey Dwarves. They called Grimdar “surface scum” and blew a tribal horn to signal the other Grey Dwarves in the area to attack the heroes.
Our heroes decided to flee north from the Grey Dwarves – Marric used Sunburst to blind the subterranean creatures and ran with them. At a fork in the road, the left path was taken and led to the Grove of the Greatwood, an ancestral Fey location that holds the Yubloom Tree, the First Tree planted by the Goddess Yu. Satyrs and other creatures of the Fey guard this area and Jacob is revealed to be a half-satyr and the child of Aesisi, the Satyr who is blessed with the nectar of the Yubloom, a powerful natural magic that he has inherited. She welcomes Jacob home and he sprouts his traditional Satyr form now that he is back within the Grove. Brick’s spirit that lived within his hammer is resurrected by Aesisi and he enjoys life again. Marric and Noro are intoxicated and asked to assist with the harvest of the Yubloom and they agreed. The crew flees from the Grove because they are desperate to strike an agreement with the Elves of Thelihil. As they escape back towards the fork in the road, they realize that more time has passed than they realized, and the night sky has a full moon. They rushed towards Thelihil and witnessed an army of Werewolves and Grey Dwarves sieging Thelihil and the small night guard at arms. Beneath their feet, there is an incredible rumbling and the earth shakes with each step.
The siege of Thelihil is a massacre as the Werewolves and Grey Dwarves rampage through the streets after scaling the White Walls. The night guard sound the alarm and our heroes use Illinellis’ Vines to scale the walls. Our heroes valiantly fight nearly to the death of Grimdar, but assist the night guard in defending the walls. However, the ground outside breaks right at the edge of the gate, and a mysterious machine emerges from beneath the ground. The Earthshaker, an Obsidian Drill that is fueled by magma funneled and kept contained by Wizards within melt through the iron gate, and the remaining enemies flood inward. Our heroes make a valiant stand against the enemies, but the Obsidian Drill charges forward recklessly and crushes friend and foe alike, and Illinellis is tragically impaled and shredded by the rotation of the Drill. As they reach the courtyard the group splits into two to assist civilians in different streets. Bran and Grimdar rescue a small group of warriors; Nina and Olive save a family and an injured Guardsmen, named Mikaela. The group and Mikaela reconvene at the entrance steps to the Palace, as they charge after Grendell as he makes his way towards the Keep. There is extensive carnage within the Keep and a guardsman tells them that the King is hold up to the left of the Throne. As they rush forward, they see King Arlend in the claws of Grendell and Olive attempts to rescue him with an Eldritch Blast that strikes Arlend in the side and blasts him into the marble walls. His head is crushed and Grendell flees out the back door. Mikaela, Nina, Olive and Grimdar chase after Grendell and Bran speaks with his Uncle, King Arlend. He confesses that he has always regretted exiling Bran’s father, Varis, for wedding a human, but it was royal law. Arlend dies as Bran watches. The group catches up to Mikaela, who has stabbed Grendell through the throat with his silver sword. Bran takes the greatsword of King Arlend and a group of Elders enter into the chamber. When Bran tells them that the King is dead and that he is the son of Varis and has a claim to the throne, they sadly inform him that his half-blood prevents him from his title. Mikaela and the crew somberly exit the Keep, and Mikaela tells them that he is returning to his home to ensure his family his safe. The crew asks of his family so he tells them of his long-lost sister Lillian.
Our heroes are terrified but curious to learn more of Lillian and her reasoning for leaving Thelihil. They learn that her best friend, Lathanine, was murdered by Grey Dwarves as the pair was on a nature walk. She demanded that King Arlend send out troops to defeat the Grey Dwarves but he chose to stay within the castle walls and fortify. Lysandra and Lillian both believed King Arlend was a coward. Grimdar is called forth by the Elders and he is told that he needs to satisfy the rumors of the city and the fearful caution of a Dwarf within the walls after so many had just lost family members to the Dwarf invasion. Grimdar agrees and is subjected to public humiliation and mild torture, but he wisely tells his tale in front of the crowds. He is then subjected to a potion that forces him to surrender the truth, but he words things cautiously and does not reveal that Olive finished off King Arlend. Grimdar is approved by the crowd and met with joyful applause and thanks for his servitude. He assists the local mason, with Nina, with reconstructing the iron gate to protect the walls. Bran and Olive speak with the Elders privately and learn much of the history of Thelihil, King Arlend, the war with the Grey Dwarves, and their final request of Grimdar and friends – the head of Dain Firehand, the leader of the Grey Dwarves and father of Grendell. His Keep is within the Underdark and the crew is offered magical weapons and armor to assist in their quest. Bran and Olive scour through the Grand Library of Thelihil and read several books, gathering important information about the history of their allies and foes. As our heroes reconvene and inform each other of their learnings through the day, they contemplate their next move and the risks with assaulting Dain Firehand’s Keep within the Underdark. They settle down to rest and research further, and Grimdar’s trusty skull Doorg, speaks out without his ventriloquist, warning Grimdar not to trust the Elders. In shock, Grimdar asks who he is and the skull reveals itself to be filled with miniscule spiders, the spies of Lolth. They scurry towards the window and beneath, in the alley, is a hooded figure waiting for the spiders – Lillian.
Lillian morphed into a spiderling shape and hide herself amongst a swarm of spiders within Thelihil. The crew split up and destroyed the spiders, eventually following into the house of Lensa, the elderly woman who assists in watching over Lyaella, the orphaned daughter of Lyssandra and the target of Lillian in Thelihil. After questioning Lens and investigating Lyaella’s bedroom to no avail, they rushed to Lillian’s abandoned Apothecary and scoured the building looking for the kidnapped girl. A magically darkened chimney led to a topsy-turvy pathway to the Underdark, and within they discovered a secret pathway to an enormous pool of freshly brewed Scourge of the King. Lillian attacked them and used Mass Suggestion to drive them towards the vat, and Grimdar fell but was rescued by Nina’s rope. Lillian fled deeper and they followed the direction they believed she went. After opening another secret wall, they walked through a pathway of Obsidian and lava rock, until they eventually discovered a jet black Citadel and were attacked from behind by Lillian, pushing them forward toward the wall. The Grey Dwarf Guards noticed and alerted the militia, led by Dain Firehand, their Lord. Bran used his Draconic Breath to melt several shields of the phalanx, but the overwhelming numbers forced them to flee. Lillian was finally slain, and Grimdar ripped her skull from her broken jaw. Back within the apothecary, the bedroom with a Containment Mirror was accidentally shattered, and the wood wall behind was sliced in half in frustration. Blood spewed out, and Lyaella was accidentally killed. Distraught, Olive returned to care for Old Lady Lensa within the Palace.
The party was mortified by the death of Lyaella. Olive tried to comfort Lyaella. Grimdar finally washed his clothes. They returned to Lillian’s apothecary and broke open the secret tunnel beneath the stone floor, and descended down rope into a mysterious chamber containing an ancient Warlock Tome, The Obituary of Fate, bound by humanoid flesh, which contained the faces of the wielders and of their victims. Olive eventually reluctantly opens the book and removes a face to wear it, after the book instructs her to “See through me.” She witnesses the fate of the individual, and begins scouring through the book for familiar faces – stumbling on Larano and Myalin. Larano was killed by a Tiefling woman, and Myalin by Lillian. They believed a plot was unfolding within Thelihil and hurried to the Citadel to find Larano, but are interrupted by a celebration within the city as the Queen has returned from the Yubloom with its harvest in tow. Only Fauer, the youngest elder, is within the citadel, as the other three have gone to greet the Queen at her return. They attempt to intercept the caravan to prevent an assassination on the Queen, and interrogate the Elders when they return to their Chamber. They used Bran’s necklace, The Choker of Candor, to reveal the true identity of Larano, a magician and a Grey Dwarf who infiltrated the city and assisted in the siege of Thelihil. Their interrogation and torture of the Grey Dwarf revealed little information and they imprisoned him within the dungeon below the Keep. Grimdar stole a pendant the Dwarf was wearing, and broke the Obsidian shell covering the hidden gemstone, a curiously pure and clear stone that he inserted into his right Obsidian Gauntlet. To ensure the safety of the city, they requested that the Queen also wear the necklace, and she did not change shape when it touched her skin. Olive sought out the Tiefling that Lady Lensa said was the assistant to the local cleric and has only been in the city for a couple years. Olive and Bran were accepted into the cleric’s office by a beautiful young Tiefling, and the two began warily questioning her, until she revealed that she is Scarlette, Olive’s mother, and she has been hiding in Thelihil since the planned sacrifice of Xadillia. Scarlette had regretfully been tricked into a pact with Lolth because of the stillbirth of Xazu, and the grief stricken mother desperately wanted her son to live. However, Scarlette learned that Lolth had no intention of returning Xazu to her, but was coming to claim Olive and the citizens of Xadillia to add to her monstrous army. King Vlad and Queen Scarlette agreed that death was better than the wicked servitude, and scorched the kingdom, killing the peasants instantly. Vlad allowed Scarlette to kill him in front of their daughter, tearfully apologizing for the future the two knew she would suffer for their foolishness in trusting Lolth. Scarlette staged her battle with Olive, permitting her to steal the family Rapier, enabling her pact with the Hexblade, and wounded her gravely to awaken her infernal nature and empower her. Scarlette’s pact with The Undying kept Scarlette on the brink of death and she emerged from the soil after Olive buried her, and she fled, having tricked Lolth into believing that only Olive lived, but she could not be found. All this was done to trick Lolth, and allow Olive to flee into obscurity to avoid Lolth’s hunt. To finally be free, Scarlette tells Olive the only hope is to rescue the imprisoned Xazu, and kill Lolth.
Grimdar and Nina catch up to Bran and Olive inside the Cleric’ Hut and meet Scarlette. She informs the entire crew that she and her husband, Vlad, had made a bargain with Lolth when their son, Olive’s twin brother Xazu, was stillborn. Scarlette was searching the Underdark for the Wishing Well and encountered Lolth, who understood the magical potential within the body of Xazu. The poor child was born split from his Soul, because it was owed to The Hexblade as the fulfillment of a previous deal struck between Adonides and the Hexblade. Adonides was gifted an immensely powerful weapon of the Hexblade that he used to conquer the first layer of Hell and become one of the Arch Dukes. In return, Adonides promised to the Hexblade one of his descendants.
Scarlette and Vlad learned that Lolth had no intention of keeping her end of the bargain and instead use Xazu against Adonides and has been keeping him contained within the Crystal Vein within her lair, as it serves as a containment chamber. Scarlette begs the group to help her rescue Xazu’s soul from The Shadowlands, an area that is an echo of the world they live in, but houses the evil undead and the souls of the damned. She uses a glass bauble from her pouch to absorb flame and turn it dark – Shadowflame – a magical fire that, when stared into, causes the individual to blink and open their eyes within the Shadowlands.
Within the Shadowlands, the crew encounters terrifying spectral horrors that attempt to claim their souls. Scarlette is unable to attack them, as a vessel of the Undying she is permitted safe passage through most of the Shadowlands. After defeating several wraiths and specters, the crew is approached by an intimidating skeletal figure on a Nightmare – Vlad Xadillia, Olive’s dead father. He recounts his tale of sacrificing the peasants of Xadillia so that they would not be transformed by Lolth’s wicked magic into Driders. His decision to kill so many innocents though forced his corrupted soul into the Shadowlands, but this was done purposefully, so that Vlad could traverse the Shadowlands to find Xazu’s Soul.
The crew, united with Olive’s mother and father, explore a portion of the Shadowlands called the Blightwood. They discover a shadowy fortress that resembles Greybreach, and they meet Althidon, Lyssandra’s husband, who has been forced to throw himself from the highest tower of Greybreach, over and over, as punishment for sacrificing his men to the Grey Dwarves during the invasion. The Grey Dwarves are eternally imprisoned within the fortress, and cackle madly below. Bran destroys the soul of Althidon with the Rorona family sword, and his form is scattered in brilliant light, which fills the sky of the Shadowlands.
An enormous roar from the western edge of the continent terrifies the crew and they flee south, towards a cavern that Vlad said he was too afraid to enter alone. As they leap in, they are assaulted by a skeletal figure wearing a circlet of colored leaves, who claims that he should have been the King of the Elves. Bran wields the great sword against him, and the skeleton fights him over the family weapon, eventually overpowering him and driving the weapon into Bran’s shoulder, plunging it deeper into his chest, almost severing his arm completely, and slashing open his belly.
Grimdar finishes the monster by separating the skull, and the crew panics as they attempt to save Bran from bleeding out from his stomach wound. Scarlette assists and offers them transportation back to the physical world through the bauble. As they reappear in the Royal crypt of the Rorona family, they hurry outside and head towards Thelihil, desperate to save Bran from losing his arm.
Twenty years in the past, in the Hand and Mouth of Northmoar, Viv and Sutha successfully operate a brothel to gather information within the city. They allure patrons with beautiful women and loosen their tongues with strong drinks. Claire, Adellade, and Wilhelmina charm several characters within the tavern to learn their names and business within Northmoar.
Wilhelmina meets Tristan and Marcus, a wealthy human and gruff Dwarf, who inform her that they are in Northmoar to trade iron and steel on behalf of the Mountain Dwarves. They used to work for a different family within Northmoar, but the family was killed, and their names are not spoken within the city. Wilhelmina learns that they have a meeting at a warehouse by the Docks later that evening and the three women plan to spy on their encounter.
Adellade leaves early to investigate the warehouse and follows a suspicious but obviously wealthy figure on the road. As she picks his pocket, she discovers her bag has been filled with peanuts.
The warehouse by the docks is filled with fishing gear, and Adellade hears individuals within arguing. She moves towards the docks and hears music playing and discovers the Matthews Dave Band, led by an amazing halfling singer.
Wilhelmina and Claire catch up, and Wilhelmina joins their band with her incredible bagpipe display. She entices the band back to the Hand and Mouth, and arranges an evening with Tuck, the lead singer.
They offer to meet him at his ship, planning to steal it. Claire remains within the Hand and Mouth and is beckoned into a room by a mysterious stranger. Wilhelmina and Adellade abandon Tuck, in his suit, in the sand, after burying him, and hurry back to the Hand and Mouth.
Viv goes into labor, and Claire claims that there is a fire within the Hand and Mouth and demands the patrons all evacuate. Claire and the mysterious man attack Sutha, rendering her unconscious, and move to kill Viv as she gives birth.
Adellade and Wilhelmina return to the Hand and Mouth and save Viv before Claire can stab her. Claire’s parents were killed, and Viv accepted her as an orphan, and the mysterious figure had told Claire that Viv had arranged for their death. The two women kill Claire to protect Viv.
As Viv moans in agony, her white wings spread one last time, the feathers darken and fall to the floor, and a baby’s cry echoes through the brothel.
The crew arrive at Thelihil, and Grimdar immediately seeks treatment for Bran’s grave injury. They carry him to Tephysea, the town Cleric, and she mends the wound by imbibing Yubloom and spitting it onto the detached area. Bran is put to sleep and Grimdar watches over him as Nina and Olive return to the Long Rest.
After a series of relaxing hijinks, the crew learns that Mikaela has returned and is hiding with the Long Rest. As they speak with him, they see that he has lost an arm, and his face is badly broken. He tells them he was ambushed in the Underdark and lost the body of King Arlend to the Grey Dwarves, and was barely able to return to Thelihil with his life. They carry his body to Tephysea and leave him for her to heal in the morning.
Nina and Olive spend time shopping in the local market, and meet a pretty young girl who sells wood carved toys, and the pair buy all four figures for their friends. The girl is Lyaella Piriella. In a panic, Nina and Olive return, confused, and tell Bran and Grimdar who immediately go to speak with Lensa and look once more at the broken mirror.
Confused and afraid, they learn that whoever died within the mirror was not Lyaella. They go to speak with the Council Elders and investigate the Grand Library further, where Grimdar learns of his ancestry and the Ironbeards who escaped the Underdark.
They return to Tephysea to speak further with Mikaela, thinking that he could have been a fake, or that it could be Lyaealla. However, the elders tell them that it was very unusual that Tephysea charged them for her services, because her clinic is free. Convinced that Tephysea is a Grey Dwarf, they hurry to her hut and see that Mikaela is missing. They hurry through the back door, discovering a cellar.
The royal guard Elfmo, their escort, dies to a trap within the staircases as they follow a voice calling for help. Everyone is dismayed, but at the bottom discovers a chained Tephysea, who is pleading for help. She says she has been down her for days, and that a young girl named Lillian had imprisoned her. The crew believes that this was the last act of Lillian before they killed her, and they free Tephysea after using the Choker of Candor and she does not change.
However, they then hear another voice calling further from within – the voice of Tephysea. Convinced that this second voice must be an imposter, the travel forward, but the pathway narrows, allowing only Grimdar and Bran through. They see a second Tephysea chained to the wall, and Bran cuts her leg, watching her bleed and checking to see if the original Tephysea reacts. When she does not, he places the Choker of Candor on her neck – but nothing happens.
As Nina, Olive, and the first Tephysea stumble into the second room of the cellar, a maniacal laugh echoes through the corridor. They turn and see a third Tephysea, who asks for their names but refuse, and Olive immediately attempts to charm her with Crown of Madness but is unsuccessful.
This figure’s face distorts, and casts Crown of Madness back at Olive, and charms her. She asks Olive the names of her companions and her own, and Olive confesses. The old hag laughs and thanks her, before disappearing into the dark.
The Tephysea twins reveal that they hide their truth from most individuals within the city, and that the mysterious figure who appeared is the Witch of the Grove, Teledice, who is always trying to steal the nectar of the Yubloom.
The Tephysea twins alert the crew that Bran’s healing by Teledice was contaminated by a seed of the Mortbloom, the corrupt version of the Yubloom that exists in the Shadow. Nina successfully excised the shadow saproling that was growing within Bran’s injury and spreading through his blood.
Outside of the cleric’s hut, the crew was approached by a strange man shouting at individuals within the street, claiming that everyone around him is already dead. The man revealed himself to be Radgar Reynin III, a powerful blind Wizard who informed the party that he knew all, could see all, and could never die.
The crew spoke with Radgar and requested to see his home and his library, because his books held vast knowledge of the world and its history. When they arrived, they stepped into a vacant, Abyss like location, but Radgar appeared to be sitting reading a book. Eventually the group asked for permission to see Radgar’s home and read his books, and they were granted Sight.
The apparent madness of Radgar was discovered – he was the magical servant of the First King Ander, and the Elf who assisted him in creating Thelihil and placing Ander on the Throne of the newly unified tribes of Elves of the Greatwood. Radgar was charged with protecting the location of the Wishing Well by Ander, and, as such, needed Immortality. The closest magical composition that Radgar had learned was to duplicate himself through the Spell Clone, and to tear his soul out so that it enters the newly constructed younger body.
Radgar informed the group that he was blessed with his ability by the God Fal, and mysteriously answered all of their questions about their friends, loved ones, and the dead. After confirming all their suspicions through Radgar, they returned, confused and slightly maddened, to the Long Rest. As Ellesa delivered meals to Bran and Grimdar, she passed them a note on the serving platter, a request for help from M.P.
The crew gathered and rushed to the Piriella house, believing the note was from Mikaela. After being led inside, Mike took them upstairs and hushed them before entering into Lensa’s bedroom. She was lying motionless on the bed, covered by blankets and a thin veil. He inquired about the disease that plagued Bran and asked for their help in saving Lensa. However, as Nina inspected the pathway and density, she learned that it was stemming from somewhere within the brain. Mournfully, they told Mike there was no way to save Lensa now, and he left the room after saying his goodbye. Since Grimdar did not possess a sharp weapon, Mike offered him the Piriella family sword, which Grimdar accepted.
Nina stabbed into the top of the skull as Grimdar slashed through the neck; however, Lensa’s hands elevated before contact, softening the blow to her neck, and the rapier did not pierce her skull. The great sword cut through her neck, and Lensa was killed. Black sludge oozed and sprayed over the two, and in the open space of her neck, a giant eyeball appeared. Nina punctured it and it deflated. The body shook violently and her face became to pulsate and inflate; Grimdar used his Obsidian Gauntlets and smashed her face, finishing it with a blast from his gemstone enhanced fist, blasting her decapitated head through the bed and into the floor.
The two took the body, wrapped it in blankets and sheets and sneaked through Thelihil, taking it to the pillars outside of the Temple of Olacea, tossing it inside and setting it aflame. The Piriella Sword whispered to Grimdar, and he unsheathed it – it shook intensely and drew itself towards the Pillar, and Grimdar watched as the blood pulled and bathed the Sword, draining into the handle. The sword spoke further, informing the two that its name is Woe, and it hunts the blood of evil and wicked beings.
Olive travelled to the market and met a strange merchant who told her that Lyaella’s store was damaged and attacked by something from the sky. She noticed that above was a curiously bright star that was tinged with pale green and outlined in a grey shadow. Olive visited Radgar and inquired of the star – Silustrus, a star that serves as a bridge between the physical world and the Shadow. It is an omen of someone desperately attempting to create a passage.
Bran discovered a local late night tavern called the Ail Hause, run by a beautiful young woman named Adellaide, who offered Bran a free drink. He met several nobles and a preacher, named Clorian, who worships Hijar, the god of the sky.
Grimdar and Nina met Olive on the road, and found Bran. After sharing their stories with each other, the party became afraid of the Piriella family Sword and went to return it to Mikaela at Tephysea’s. Inside, they saw Lyaella lying on the bed, convalescing, and Mikaela looking healthier. He regretfully informed Grimdar that the family sword Woe is cursed with the spirit of Shalendra, the ancestral Piriella who expanded the powers of blood magic after discovering its secrets. The sword must be fed blood and souls, or else it will consume the wielder. Mike, having lost an arm, is now unfit to wield the weapon, and there was no other Piriella to bestow it upon, except for Lyaella, who by adoption, may have been able to, but was physically unfit.
The crew returned to the Long Rest and retired for the evening after once more visiting Radgar, but he refused them when they informed him they held the sword cursed with the spirit of Shalendra, saying that it was wicked and would want his blood.
Once inside their rooms at the Long Rest, they slept for several hours and awoke in the early morning hours to shrieks in the streets of Thelihil.
The crew awakened to shrieks in the streets. A blackened sky covers Thelihil, and the Silustrus Star has grown brighter and is illuminating down into Far Market. They split up to cover as much ground as possible to rescue citizens, but the ones they cannot save are consumed by shadow. Olive hurries to the Temple of Yu and attempts to rescue two priestesses being assailed by shades. Grimdar and Bran rescue three elf girls and escort them to the keep and witness the flood of citizens pouring inside for sanctuary. The Elders and Queen recommend that the two convene with the Wizards in the Barracks on the South Wall. Nina meets them on the road, and they retrieve Olive. They rescue the Wizards from a Sphere of Darkness, a shadow mass spreading out from a Mortbloom seed. A Nightwalker, an enormous colossal shade emerges from the vortex and begins to drain the souls of the citizens of Thelihil. Radgar advises them to find the hag, Teledice, because she is the probable culprit. They return to the Temple and use the Choker of Candor to reveal that the surviving priestess is Teledice. The group attacks her, but she uses her vials of Mortbloom to create clones of herself. The Nightwalker returns as the group defeats Teledice after Teledice, and Grimdar succumbs to the soul draining powers of the Nightwalker, his lifeless body falling in a heap in front of his companions. They hurry forward to grab his corpse, and flee towards the Front Gate to abandon Thelihil. Radgar halts them and brings them inside his house. He uses the droplets of water he had offered to Olive, to sprout a saproling of the Yubloom, and casts Wish to restore life to Grimdar. The crew uses the books of binding to entrap the Nightwalker, and Radgar defeats the final Teledice. He stomps her Mortbloom contaminated heart, and informs the crew that the bridge to the Shadow is complete. With a hug and tearful goodbye, Radgar enters the illuminated bridge and disintegrates, bursting a brilliant nova. Mournfully they return to Radgar’s hut and inside find a farewell note from Radgar, confessing his agonizing loneliness in his guardianship of the Wishing Well, and the incomparable joy of becoming friends with the crew after centuries of maddening solitude.
In the aftermath, the crew meet with the Queen and discuss the exodus of the Elves. With under one-hundred citizens still alive in Thelihil, there is no way to defend it against any further attacks from the Grey Dwarves. The crew assembles the able-bodied citizens and begin preparations to evacuate. Olive returns to the Temple of Yu and discovers a passageway beneath that leads to a terrifying room. When inside, the chamber seals itself and a black chalk outline begins to entomb them along the walls. After remembering the note from Radgar, the crew follows his instructions and finds themselves in an archaic tunnel that leads to a circular room with four passageways. Each crew member selects one based on the rune above the cave opening and is subjected to a puzzle within. After each survives, they find themselves in a chamber that contains all the symbols of the gods of the world, and Olive ignites them with Shadowflame. Through the door reveals a hallway with a Throne at the conclusion. After another puzzle, they hear a rushing of water and discover a beautiful clear waterfall that runs into an aquifer. A squeaky voice calls out to them and they leap into the bubbles and meet Olacea, the Queen of the Sea. She confirms the existence of the Wishing Well, but the vessel was sadly destroyed in the battle with the Leviathan. She has been working to recollect the magical waters. She permits the crew passage out of the aquifer through a magical whirlpool; Grimdar and Bran return to Thelihil and emerge in the town well and prepare with the survivors to abandon the city; Nina and Olive return to Endon and find themselves at the dock by their ship
The crew return together to Endon and commune with Marric and Norro and learn that the Druids are unable to offer the Elves permanent sanctuary. The Shaman Triumvirate is also holding an election for the vacated third seat created with the death of Illinellis. Marric, and a tradesman named Rotiar, are the two candidates. Knowing that the Elves still need a home, they decided to journey to Renya with the assistance of Rotiar, who is familiar with the city as a trader.
They leave with a missive from Queen Venya to request aid and asylum within Renya for some time, and are accompanied by Rotiar. At the gates of Renya, they are refused entry by a Stone Guardian who is voiced by Maagul the Grand, one of the ministers of Renya. They present the missive and are permitted entry, and briefly converse in the Ministry’s Chambers with a few ministers. All of the ministers are required to attain a true answer representative of Renya, and the crew are provided lodging in the Ministry until they convene further in the morning.
Rotiar has awoken earlier and gone to speak with the Ministers on behalf of the group and discuss the severity of the Grey Dwarf invasion. Maagul and Isharad inform them that the price for the sanctuary of the Elves is a lifetime Conscription to the Militia of Renya – terms that the crew are unwilling to accept. They ask for a time to reflect on the decision and explore the city of Renya, meeting Sheill, the herbalist and apothecary, Rystia the enchantress and smith, Beaufaux, a Pixie who peddles dust for Tuck inside the wall, and finally Chytrina, the Priestess in the Tower of Time. Our crew learns of a resistance group within the city, the Oathsworn, who are suspicious of infiltration within the Ministry. Olive investigates the Library with Rotiar’s assistances, and learns of potion making, and more of the history of the Leviathan. The group meets with Chytrina, who is blessed with the name from Chyt, the Keeper of Time, and has been gifted a special clairvoyance. She alerts the group to the presence of Lolth in the city and within the Ministry. She informs the group further of the history of the creation of the world, of Fal, a prismatic Dragon whose crystal resides in Grimdar’s Gauntlet. The Falladium functions as a prism and contains all magics, reflective of the rainbow of scales that Fal possesses. However, Fal was followed to this plane by his evil anthesis, Laf, a Prismatic Dragon empowered by the negative energy of Fal. Olive recalls that her mother, long ago, told her of a powerful Shadow Dragon living in the Shadowlands, called Laf, The Undying. The crew recalls the horrific roar echoing from the west while in the Shadow, the Pact Olive’s mother made to protect her family, the Shadowflame residing within her father’s chest, and the mysterious glowing light that her ethereal blade now emits...
The crew concluded its conversation with Chytrina and agreed to assist the Oathsworn in the defense of Renya because of the need to discover who within the Ministry is subject to Lolth’s infiltration. Olive was gifted with a Scarf of Stars that explained more of the Pantheon within the world and the affiliations of the Gods, Goddesses, and Spirits. To assist Sheill, they agree to also defeat the Ghosts that plague the markets. They meet with Nevena, the leader of the Oathsworn who owns the Moonlight Tavern in town. She is disgruntled when they force the Choker of Candor on her, but the group learns she has no other form. Within the storage room, they meet Vaelig, a small frog-humanoid who calls Sheill his mother. He is an alcoholic who secretes a hallucinogenic toxin. Olive believes this can be used to trick the members of the Ministry into confessing their true intention. They send a Bird Mail through Chytrina back to Endon to communicate to delay the Caravan of Elves until things in Renya are settled. When they convene at night with the Members of the Ministry, Maagul is dismayed with their hesitance to agree to the terms of Conscription and consults with Isharad and Griffith. Olive senses the magic of Lolth from someone within the Ministry, but she cannot discern who. Maagul threatens to ban the crew from the city. Bran angrily shouts at the Ministers, telling them that when the Grey Dwarves possess the Elven Marble, that the nation of Renya will fall to the spell guarded army. When Olive turns back to curse at the Ministers, Maagul and Isharad put the other Members to Sleep, and tell Olive that there is an infiltration but even Maagul and Isharad cannot discern who it is. They tell her that they cannot openly request assistance from the crew, and force Olive to drink Vaelig’s toxin to confuse her. As she slips into her hallucination, they tell her: “You will not remember, but you must.”
Twenty-five years in the past, Isharad and Maagul are lower standing members of the Ministry, and request their three servants, Widabo, Rhylan, and Valenica, to investigate claims of Blood Magic being used in the Underdark beneath the city. The three adventure into the Underdark to the presumed tunnel and investigate the deeper layers. They traverse through a series of puzzles and discover a secret chamber, and find a Lizardfolk Cultist within, working with the bodies of dozens of Grey Dwarves and a blood well. As they charge forward to assail her, she screams: “Husk.” Valencia cleaves through her belly, and the Cultist reaches into her own body as she falls backwards into the Blood Well and pulls out her own heart. The floor cracks, and the Well breaks and the face of a horrific Purple Dragon appears before Valencia. A vicious battle ensues that nearly claims the life of Rhylan, who stands and flees up the stairs back into the hallway. He sees Maagul and Isharad hurrying through the Underdark towards them, and he pleads for help. Isharad uses Thunderstep to bring Maagul in front of the Dragon, and the two save the servants. As they return back to Renya, Maagul consults his prodigious memory, and scours the tomes he has read. He informs them that the Dragon was named Matrax, the Buried. He and his cult are the experimenters of Blood Magic.
Rhylan, Salthiel, Isharad and Maagul journey out in the night to investigate a claim of monstrous activity on the pathway between Xadillia and Renya. On the road at night they are attacked by another hideous dragon, one that changes color in the moonlight and unleashes madness on the crew. Rhylan and Isharad nearly die to the threat of Aulek, the Moon’s Shadow, who they know to be one of the children of Laf assaulting the material world at the behest of their father. To celebrate their victory, they claim the head of Aulek, and mount it and the head of Matrax behind the Minister’s Table in the chambers.
Rumors of an impending assault from a more dangerous and ravenous creature within the Shadowlands forces Maagul and Isharad to request the help of Salthiel and Rhylan once more. The claimant is revealed to be a younger Radgar, reuniting with his good friends Maagul and Isharad. He uses a crystal orb to stain fire and create a passage to the Shadowlands. As they traverse the Shadow to the West, approaching the mountains, they are ambushed by a young girl in a grey dress, who wields a Shadowflame Fang and nearly kills Rhylan. Her magical darkness encases all of them and distinguishes Radgar’s channeled Light. Her Fang grows in strength as she weakens the party, and she transforms into her Dragon shape. After almost immediately slaying everyone in the party, Radar Wishes once more, and imprisons the beast in immovable chains. The dragon bargains with Maagul and Isharad, as she confesses that she is the youngest, unwanted daughter of Laf, and wishes to see her father dead. In exchange for her life, she offers information on killing him.
Back in the present, Olive recovers from her hallucination, and Bran remembers the crown they stole in the Shadowlands from the false king. It burns itself into his skull and becomes unremovable. They request assistance from Maagul and Isharad, but they are unable to remove the crown. Their only recommendation is to meet with Lafwa, the premiere of the Ministry. They are pulled into a pocket dimension and discuss the severity of the situation in Renya, and Maagul and Isharad’s dismay at being unable to determine who within their council is potentially under the influence of Lolth. The crew travels through a temporal Gate at the back of the Ministry and arrive in the Shadow, the hiding place of Lafwa. They land on a Mesa and meet a young girl in a grey dress. She confesses to the crew that she is Lily, the last daughter of Laf, and is commonly known as the Hexblade. She was born of the Shadowflame of her father’s breath, and is an unwanted and unloved offspring. When she was attacked and imprisoned by Isharad, Maagul, Radgar, Salthiel, and Rhylan, she struck a deal with the powers of Renya to provide information on Laf and his planned assaults on the material plane, in exchange for an opportunity to have a free life in the physical world. She, as a child born of fire, is unable to hold a physical form. Laf, using her powers, struck a deal long ago with Adonides – a weaponized form of Lily, in exchange for a future child of the Adonides bloodline. This child was expected to be Olive, but because Olive was born with a twin, the choice was random and Xazu was sadly chosen by chance. Xazu’s infant body was unable to contain the magic of Lily and was torn asunder at birth. His soul was stained and damned to the Shadow, and his body was taken as a husk by Lolth. Olive’s sympathy drove her to make a deal with Lily – temporary existence within her own body in exchange for the power of Lily, the Hexblade. As the shadow fires merged with Olive, she became encased in scales, and the torrential wreath of Shadowflame. Her ethereal blades became Lily’s fangs, and the crew returned to the material plane after fleeing from the roars of Laf.
Nine hundred years in the past, a young Ander and Radgar gather their forces on the western edge of the Greatwood to defend against an invasion of Lizardfolk from the Jungle. The disorganized forces of the early elves were made to rely heavily on the powers of Ander and Radgar to defeat the Lizardfolk. During the battle, the Lizardfolk utilized Blood Magic to ravage the elves and infect their soldiers. The Lizardfolk had a green dragon at their command that used blood magic to empower its natural breath ability to devastate and infect the elves. Most of the army of the elves and lizardfolk died in battle, and the green dragon attempted to flee with Ander on its back. Ander returned with the head of the green dragon as his prize, and the infected elves returned to early Thelihil, to the local apothecary, Shalendra Piriella.
The crew discuss their discovery in the Shadowlands with Isharad and Maagul, who invite them into their private chambers. The large fragment of Obsidian is revealed to have been used as a containment shell for a liquid form of Falidium, and the true value of Obsidian is demonstrated. They also reveal that the Nailo family worked covertly for them by researching the implications and foundations of Blood Magic, and they made several conclusions before their disappearance. Maagul discloses that Ander’s prodigious magic was something that they attempted to research because it appeared he was capable of incredible feats without practice, but Sorcerers were uncommon in the Rorona family. Ander’s personality also drastically changed after Bran left home, before he journeyed out to find his older brother – he appeared exhausted, irritable, and disconnected. Mara and Varus left Renya to chase after Ander and found him in Southmoar after they received a ransom note from the Wyatt family, demanding payment in gemstones for Ander’s life. Mara and Varus approached Isharad and Maagul and begged for help, but the Ministers were worried that Ander had begun practicing what he discovered of his parents’ research in the Nailo home – Blood Magic. The Ministers were forced to deny their request, and Mara and Varus stole the gemstones from the Alchemical Room and paid to rescue Ander. They were betrayed and murdered in the Gutter, and the gemstones used in payment to the Wyatts were used to purchase Olive Xadillia. Bran and his friends leave to investigate the claim of ghosts, and learn that the haunting is Mara and Varus, having returned to Renya to set things straight with the city they loved, and correct their betrayal. They inform the crew that Rystia, the enchantress, acts suspiciously at night and has attempted to enter the Nailo home. Olive discovers a suspicious painting in Rystia’s home when she breaks in. They hurry to the Nailo home and pass through the magical chambers guarding the hidden cellar where their research was kept. Within, they discover an alchemical set experimenting with blood, and a liquid that looked like Falidium. Bran retrieves his Orb from his bag, and thinks of his brother Ander, and his perspective manifests – the entrance of the Magician’s Ministry.
The crew alert Maagul and Isharad to the infiltration of Ander within the city, and discover that he has damaged one of the pillars that maintain a defensive ward around the perimeter walls. Maagul and Isharad leave to enter their hidden dungeon beneath the Ministry to unleash a desperate power they have kept secret from the citizens. Olive leaves to investigate the house of Sheill, and kills her in the doorway. She discovers her cellar had a secret access as a meeting ground for the Oathsworn. Ander had disguised himself as Vaelig and was using the identity to keep himself out of sight of the Ministry and was using Rystia to distribute magical items that were enchanted with the false magic of Lolth to develop discord and distrust within the city and the Ministry. Everyone gathers at the north wall by the docks and sees a fleet of ships quickly approaching Renya in the night. Bran hurries to the old statue of Fal in the northeast part of the city, and finds his brother standing in the elevated palm of the statue. He throws legs from the Chiwadenchas of the Underdark and attacks him. Ander removes his hood and reveals his true nature – a growing Dragon bearing beautiful white wings. He flies north towards his fleet, and the roar of the Leviathan is heard. The lizard army breaches the beach and the Leviathan destroys a section of the wall and the gate. Maagul and Isharad deploy the army of Stone Men to defend the gates with the crew. Grimdar is struck by a terrible chill and sees behind him that Maagul and Isharad have released four Nightwalkers, the creatures that killed and stole his soul, bound by magical shackles and collars. As they fight off the first wave of creatures, a warning that Chytrina gave Grimdar comes true – the terrifying sight of an old friend, now changed – as an enlarged and enraged Tarhun unsheathes his Great sword and stomps towards his old crew.
The crew desperately fights off Tarhun as he shatters Stone Men with ease and deploys additional lizardfolk to assault the crew. His empowered Great sword and horrifying aura inspires the lizard army. Grimdar, Bran and Nina reluctantly attack their old friend, and as he nears death, they see him trembling and crying as Grimdar subconsciously hoots like Wooey. They realize suddenly that their friend’s mind is still somewhere inside the body, trapped and controlled by the power of the Leviathan. They hurry to return Tarhun to his former self before Olive, now dominated by Lily’s mind, kills him. Nina uses her disguise kit to duplicate Viv, Grimdar sings his sea shanty about swabbing the deck, and Bran completes the process by destroying the frost sword grown from the fang of the Leviathan and reminds him that he is not controlled by his past. Freed from the mind control, Tarhun turns on the Lizardfolk army and rejoins the crew. They defeat the first wave using Lily’s breath attack, and turn to save the Oathsworn in the center of the city. Rystia has drawn a Blood Circle outside of Sheill’s house, using the slain woman’s blood. Bran and Grimdar throw weapons to prevent her from completing her ritual, and Tarhun throws his Great Sword, cutting off Rystia’s head. They return to the north wall by the docks; Maagul and Isharad are still fighting off the Lizard army and two of their Nightwalkers have been defeated. The crew is terrified to defend the beaches next to the remaining Nightwalkers, but overcome their fear and rush to the aid of Maagul and Isharad, protecting them from the Sorcerers. The Leviathan’s breath washes over the beaches, killing the two Nightwalkers, the remaining ground troops of the Lizard army, and gravely injures Maagul, Isharad, Tarhun, and the crew. Maagul and Isharad tell the crew to flee to safety and thank them for their kind service in the defense of Renya. Olive, having regained most of her control, says she wants to stay to help save the city. Tarhun also chooses to stay, believing he must atone for his submission to the Leviathan and contribution to the growth of its strength. Grimdar convinces Nina to leave with him, but when he sees Bran walk forward to help, Grimdar tells her that it is better they all work together, or die together as friends. They channel their various magics and form a protective barrier as the Leviathan unleashes a more devastating breath on the beach. As it descends from its jaw, Grimdar steps aside and speaks the Command Word for his Ironbeard Obsidian Crown, and calls out “Friend” to the Leviathan. Its head turns to Grimdar.
The breath of the Leviathan crashes against the magical barrier created by the crew, and the energy that does penetrate is absorbed into Tarhun’s sword in the hands of Grimdar. He swings it back toward the Leviathan and it shrieks in pain, sinking once more below the waves. The crew, having successfully defended the city of Renya against the invasion, return inside the walls and gather their allies and survivors. They celebrate their success and converse with Isharad and Maagul in their bath. The men warn them of the continued threat of the Grey Dwarves. They are offered a sanctuary for the Elves, and prepare to leave for Endon to gather the women and children. They are gifted with valuable trinkets by Maagul and Isharad, and are granted an eternal welcome within the city.
Grimdar learns he has the ability to create rocks, and offers to contribute to the reconstruction of the city of Renya. The crew journeys to Endon and find the people are happily enjoying their lives with the Druids of Endon and the bountiful stews crafted by Tuck. As they gather updated information on the Greatwood and converse with Queen Venya of Thelihil, they discover that things are looking treacherous in the area. The Grey Dwarves have begun to deforest the Greatwood, and are using the Rorona Trees in the construction of great siege weapons. Marric Swift tells the crew that Endon must be abandoned and the people must flee. They consider taking their boat to sail around the east edge of Kulea to prevent the Grey Dwarves from concentrating their efforts on the Grove of the Yubloom, as they have learned it is a potential target from Queen Venya. As the citizens and Druids prepare their caravans in an even larger exodus and the crew contemplates their safe escape, a shriek echoes outside of town as the geyser erupts once more.
In a flashback, Lysandra, Sutha, and Viv complete a dangerous mission to assault and free a prisoner sold on a trade ship sent by the Wyatt family. As they board and defeat the guardsmen, they discover Tarhun, bound and branded with an enormous “W” on his chest. The women, terrified of this former elite guard of the Wyatt family, and the most fearsome man of the seas, accept his situation and learn of his troubled past as an orphan and slave. Instead of executing Tarhun, they grant him safety and a home, knowing that his incredible strength would be an asset to them.
The group decides to accompany the Elves and Druids in the caravan on the road to Renya. As they camp for the night, they hear drums from the Greatwood, and a whooshing of air as Dain Firehand rides an Obsidian Boulder fired from a massive catapult at the threshold of the trees. The party is ambushed by Grey Dwarves and fight Dain valiantly. As they defeat Dain’s soldiers and injure him, he uses his natural ability to become invisible, and another wave of soldiers assault the party. Norro dies at the hands of Dain Firehand, as he is buried beneath the tremors and quakes created by the Shard of Bor. Marric and Morren rush to help the wagons further ahead in the caravan as Grey Dwarves attack the civilians. As their resources begin to run low as they overcome the soldiers, the Trolls that operated the catapult instead charge forward. A screech to the south heralds reinforcements, as Pifflepuff and a mysterious silver-like dragon accompanies her. Pifflepuff rushes forward to defend the women and children as the screams of the innocent ahead in the caravan drive her to protect the innocent. Dain Firehand strikes at an opportune moment, emerging from his invisibility, catching three of the party with the quakes of the Shard of Bor. Olive is buried beneath the rubble, and succumbs to her injuries as she is unable to escape the weight. Nina is battered and beaten, and dragged to the feet of Dain Firehand by his sorcerers. He crushes her beneath the weight of the Shard of Bor. Grimdar is left buried in a chasm, and Dain approaches and demands his surrender. Grimdar spits in the face of Dain, and Dain laughs and crushes him beneath a boulder, cracking his chest and killing him. Bran is offered a rope, as he fails repeatedly to climb out of the deep chasm he is trapped in, the sole survivor of his party. He accepts defeat and surrenders. As he is dragged back to the surface, he sees the body of Nina as he is bound and shackled by a collar that drains the last of his magic. He is blindfolded and dragged back to Dain’s fortress in the Underdark.
Bran awakens in a cell, imprisoned in the lowest level of Dain’s Fortress. He sees a dirty and feverishly mad Halfling who is talking to his shoe. The young boy introduces himself as Finwin Lightbell, a digger who doesn’t remember how long he has been imprisoned in Dain’s dungeon. He warns Bran of the dangers of the Underdark. Dain approaches Bran’s cell and offers him his freedom if he can escape through the doorway Dain is standing in; Bran refuses to fight Dain in a battle he knows Dain would win. Dhudrick Coalbeard arrives to collect Finwin and takes him to his job for the day – continuing to excavate and explore the massive hole created by the Earthshaker. As Finwin crawls deep into the narrow chasm, he is coated in a purple sludge, and feels larvae slithering on his skin. He panics and returns to the surface, begging for help. He is brought to Dr. Vito, who excises a large egg from his palm. Finwin and Bran work together to utilize the bones from their porridge to complete the puzzle lock that bars their cell. They carefully sneak through corridors and find a horrific birdlike creature squawking at a body within a cage inside of a room filled with torture tools. Bran recognizes the corpse as Olive Xadillia, who stands and calls out to him in a maddened, haunted voice. Finwin finds a Grey Dwarf who appears twisted and grotesque, covered in boils and similar looking egg sacks as he had in his palm. They push Dhudrick Coalbeard into the Hole, and are rescued by a small goblin girl. Bran and Finwin steal a pass coin from Dr. Vito to be granted access to a higher level in Dain’s Fortress, and as they approach the base of the ascending steps, they hear the large stone door begin to creak open.
Finwin, Bran and Mafse hide against the walls and listen to a hobbled figure stomping down the stairs. This man calls himself The Doctor, and Mafse recoils in horror because this is the one who performs the “experiments” on the Goblins and other enslaved creatures in Dain’s Dungeon. Bran ambushes the pair of Doctors, but both are illusions as he had descended the steps invisibly with his images. They follow his voice as they hear him singing of working with a wonderful new experiment who can “make rocks.” They sneak behind him towards an area that Mafse had described previously as the “excavation site”, a wide chasm in the ground that looks poorly formed and shaped as though it was caused by something strange. At the edge of the wall, the Doctor melds into the rock and disappears – they approach and contact the same point and disappear, finding themselves in the cell of Grimdar, who is unconscious on the ground. The Doctor reveals a large embryonic sac on his back, and a squid-like visage within. Bran attacks and part of the ooze slides towards Grimdar, but Finwin successfully moves Grimdar out of the way. Bran’s sickle pins the Doctor’s arm against his chest and he is unable to move, but desperately continues to reach towards the sac on his back. As he realizes he is unable to reach it, he instead places his hand against his stomach, and ignites it, penetrating through his own belly and reaching through to the other side and bursting open the sac. The squid head thrashes and burrows into the gaping wound and the body spasms and then stands, with the squid head breaking through the head of the Doctor. The monster attacks Bran and Finwin, blasting them with psionic energy, stunning Fin, before floating forward and extracting and devouring his brain, killing him. Bran finishes off the monster and Grimdar regains consciousness. The reunited friends escape the cell, and return to the “Workshop” where Olive’s body has transformed into a more hideous visage comparable to the monster from the Doctor. They find a secret passage that leads to the Doctor’s laboratory, attached to the Workshop. Within, they discover vials of Grimdar’s blood, containment cells that hold the embryonic liquid, and chests that contain their magical possessions. After fleeing further into the Dungeon, they realize they had abandoned Mafse at the entrance to the excavation site, and they hear Dain’s boots echoing in the hallways ahead as she shrieks in pain. Bran and Grimdar, rearmed and knowing that Dain will only be walking in his boots, ambush him and injure him gravely. They recoil in horror as they see a similar, smaller sac on the back of Dain’s neck, and he unleashes a psionic blast, stunning Grimdar and frightening Bran. He mocks their effort, offers them free passage from his Dungeon now that things are complete, and tosses a coin of passage at their feet. His laugh echoes from the hallway ahead as he carries Mafse back to her cell.
Bran and Grimdar are escorted out of the Black Keep by emotionless guards and hear the footsteps of an invisible person who is sent by Dain to guide them through the Underdark. An elderly Grey Dwarf, Elrick Gloomguard, reveals himself as a clumsy and out of touch Ranger, but is Dain’s best, and only remaining, friend and war partner. He reveals the depth of the Mind Flayer’s dominion within the Black Keep and discusses Dain’s last plan with Bran and Grimdar. Dain is unable to break through the walls of Force that guard the Elder Brain, known as the Devourer, and believes that the Elven Marble is the only material capable of passing through. He recounts the sad story of Dain begging for assistance from the races of the surface, only to be denied for various reasons – the humans were preoccupied with personal wars, the Elves had grudges from past hostilities, and the Mountain Dwarves refused to return to the Dark now that they had successfully created lives on the surface. Dain’s forces began to deplete because of continued battles with the monsters of the Underdark and the new activity of the Mind Flayers. Bran refuses to assist Dain, and Grimdar convinces him that it is for the greater good. Elrick tells them that Dain would lay down his life if they would help him save his people from the inevitable damnation, and Elrick offers a necklace made of Elven Marble that was gifted to him by Dain to serve as protection against the effects of the Mind Flayers. Bran agrees to help, but only if Dain agrees to abandon the Underdark after and leads his people to the surface and promises to rebuild Thelihil. Their agreement leads them to Thelihil to steal mined Marble from the Twisted Dwarves occupying the city. En route, they encounter monstrosities that have twisted and grown because of a bioluminescent moss that has various colors dripping that the monsters eat greedily. After surviving and defeating an enormous centipede, a minotaur, and a Mind Flayer, they arrive in Thelihil. Bran’s necklace begins to illuminate in the veins of the marble, and he hears the voice of First King Ander echoing in his ears. Bran recounts the sorrowful story of the fall of Thelihil, and learns that the necklace was gifted to Radgar to give to his daughter Anansa, who, at the death of Ander, was to become the first Guardian of the Wishing Well. Bran desperately pleads with Ander for help, and he utilizes his Divine Intervention to call to Fal for aid. A crack in the sky opens, revealing Viv, with enormous wings, who jokes with her old friends. She calls to her husband, and the crew sees the face of Fal, a prismatic dragon of all colors, for the first time. He unleashes a devastating blast of energy that encompasses all elements on the Palace, destroying it and bathing the city in light. It bursts through the ground and an embryonic liquid geyser shoots into the sky. Viv spits on it, laughs, and returns with her lover to their rest in the Astral Plane. Grimdar and Bran, horrified but awestruck, prepare to steal the Marble, and find out what they can about Radgar’s wife and daughter, and Eldrick’s rumor of Anansa’s connection with Lolth.
Elrich confirms that the Grey Dwarves in Thelihil have been freed of their possession by the Elder Brain, and the crew informs them to gather the Marble to construct a new Earthshaker to assault the Devourer in its Lair. Elrich returns to the Black Keep to inform Dain and to retrieve the schematics so Grimdar can complete the machine’s engine. As the partners explore the ruins of Thelihil, they see Radgar’s home and return to visit their old friend. They find an extremely playful teenage Radgar, who continues to play mind games with them and jokes on them. He tells them more of his personal history – his wife Yula, the first prophet of the Yubloom, of their daughter Anansa and her eventual marriage to Bran Rorona because of his disdain to Ander. Anansa was chosen because of her good hearted nature to placate and pacify Bran and prevent him from making an effort for the throne of Thelihil. He confesses his fear of his daughter’s potential connection to Lolth because of her disappearance – when Ander was on his deathbed, he Wished as his life expired that Radgar could not die, cursing him with a looping life obligation to protect the Wishing Well and Thelihil. He did not realize that it was a Wish and a genuine spell, and after his wife Yula died of old age, laid down to die beside her, but instead awoke as child. Yula, having stored her soul in their Blessed Treehouse, cared for him as a baby. Realizing his wretched fate, Radgar began to record his personal histories across his lives so that he would not forget when he was reborn. He tells Grimdar and Bran that he has a granddaughter that he only saw once at birth, named Luya, because ancient Bran did not want her to see the “Mad Wizard”. One of Radgar’s prophetic books warns the pair of their impending doom in the siege of the Devourer, because Grimdar constructs it with a replica of his face. He implores them to create a piercing object to penetrate the embryonic pool that houses the Elder Brain. He gifts them an enormous fang from Fal and bestows upon them sacred treasures from Fal – daggers from his teeth for Bran, and scale armor for Grimdar. Grimdar is also given a horn that he blows and Viv once more unzips the sky. They see Nina and she gifts Isharad’s staff to Grimdar and says that she misses her friends. Grimdar and Bran prepare to build the Earthshaker with the Fang and siege the Elder Brain with the help of Dain and his army.
Leading the last of the Grey Dwarves and the marble back towards Renya, Bran and Grimdar find Adonides, Lolth, and the transmogrified form of Jonathan Swift battling fiercely in the grasslands outside the Greatwood.
An uncontrollable Jonathan unleashes his devastation on random targets, and Bran and Grimdar do their best to rescue him. The conflict is too perilous and they are forced to withdraw, watching as Radgar hurries forward to assist his Granddaughter and aid her in undoing her torment.
Grimdar and Bran desperately help Radgar as best as they are able, watching as Adonides eventually falls to Jonathan Swift, who tears the Devil’s head from his body. Flames wreath over the area, and an injured Lolth and Radgar reunite at last. Confused by the presence of her grandfather, she confesses that her motive has always been vengeance on Adonides, who orchestrated the death of her mother.
The ground quakes in the distance, and a massive eruption in the waters north of Renya drives the party towards the city and prevent the invasion of Laf and his Dragons.
The crew boards the reconstructed Deck of the Damned, joining Tarhun, Sutha, Marric and Jonathan Swift, Lolth in her Drow form, Radgar, Isharad and Maagul.
In the waters near Renya, a whirlpool spins threatening with the Leviathan in its center and Ander and Irshuss flanking the creature.
A terrifying battle ensues, leading to the death of
Isharad, the near loss of Tarhun, Lolth, Jonathan and Marric Swift, and the defeat of Ander, Irshuss, and the Leviathan.
However, the ground beneath has become too unstable and the cracks in the earth below the water splits further and the small body of Lily emerges.
She, in a possessed state, prepares to assault the party, but they offer her stories and trinkets to remind her of their time together. Shadow Dragons pour out through the realm-split and wreak havoc on the crew.
Finally able to fend off the enemies, Grimdar gives Lily her hat and tells her that she can be at home with them, she breaks free from the possession and joins them.
Far north, near the Island of Fal, light erupts as the island itself begins to break and crumble. Radgar recognizes the magic as the aura of the Wishing Well.
A horrifying roar echoes through the realm-split below them, signifying the final emergence of Laf.
The party witnesses the terror at the bottom of the whirlpool as the bodies of Tarhun and Lolth are devoured by the enormous mouth of Laf.
Their bodies dissipate, becoming ash, and reforming as Shadow Dragons hellbent on the death of their former friends.
The race to the Well is arduous and filled with the sacrifices of their friends.
Radgar renews his gift of Flight, Maagul transforms into a Red Dragon for Grimdar and Sutha to ride, and the group says their farewells and bids goodluck to those rushing for the Wish.
Grimdar, Jonathan, Sutha, and Marric ride through the fleet of Shadow Dragons, cutting them down and preventing them from reaching Bran, Radgar, and Maagul.
Laf catches them as he breathes Shadowflame, dissipating and remerging from his own breath, and battles the crew of the area.
Grimdar is slain after blocking the first claw of Laf, the second penetrates his body, and he is crushed in the palm of the God.
Marric swift transforms into his Avatar form, Jonathan is crushed and falls into the water; Radgar’s concentration is broken and the allies fall.
Maagul resurrects Grimdar and transforms once more into a Red Dragon. Battered and beaten, Grimdar watches as Laf tears the Avatar of Marric asunder, splitting him in half and biting through his body.
Close to the Well, Bran hurries onward, depleting his magic and newly found psychic abilities to drive himself forward.
Grimdar and Maagul rush towards Laf once more and Grimdar delivers a desperate blow, before being plucked from the leg of Laf as he dangles helpless from a rope attached to Tarhun’s great sword that has pierced into the thigh of the Dragon.
Laf breathes out the body of Grimdar in the form of a Shadow Dragon and moves towards Bran, emerging from his own breath each turn.
Bran summons the last of his strength and sees that he is only a hundred feet from the Well as Laf overtakes him, appearing in front of him as his breath swells around him.
Radgar bursts from beneath the waves in the form of a Dolphin, concluding his magic as he lands amidst the magic of the Well.
He levitates, staring at Bran, Laf, and the broken branch of his wife and the peace he so longingly seeks.
He drops the branch and begs for the lives of his friends.
The Astral Plane descends and wipes over the material plane, bathing the world in Light, destroying Laf, and rapturing the souls of the Good from the Material Plane into the Astral Plane.
Grimdar and Bran awaken amidst bright light, in the familiar comfort of the Astral Plane.
Grimdar, with a fresh new Halo, and Bran search desperately for their friends, finding their souls celebrating in the aftermath of the carnage of Laf. They are thanked for their service by the survivors, the reborn, and the deities.
Their journey over, the look longingly over the Material Plane, finding it still devastated, and empty. Distraught by the state of things, they ask Fal and Viv if there is truly nothing they can do now.
Fal confesses that in his weakened state, and because of the stain of Laf, it is beyond his power.
Bran and Grimdar gather the severed map from the Temple of Irshuss and piece it together.
Grimdar imagines the world as he once knew it, and begins to reshape the collective mass back to how things were. Bran lends his memories, as do all the other saved and reborn, once more shaping the world to its previous state by the strength of Grimdar.
The people, as their memories fill the world, are pulled into the map, through space and time, back to the state of the plane.
Fal and Viv tell them to leap in too. They ask about Radgar, and Viv, confused, says she does not know a man by that name. Fal tells them that the peace gifted to him for his sacrifice is to fade from the memories and existence, save for Grimdar, Bran, his only true friends, and Fal, his maker.
Grimdar jumps into the map, followed by Bran.
Bran awakens, a stowaway beneath the Deck of the Damned, his memories intact.
Grimdar stands once more aboard she ship and turns to the see face of the deckhand that called out to him at the beginning of the campaign, bearing striking prismatic features that remind him of Fal. He winks, and calls out to him:
“Ahoy Mister Grimdar, there be a merchant vessel ahead, should we prepare to board it?”
Grimdar smiles: “I would.”
Hello friends!
I wanted to say thank you, to anyone who has, in whatever time frame, listened to any, most, or all, of my first campaign, the Island of Fal.
It will always hold a special place in my heart, and my memory.
I wanted to thank everyone who played in the campaign:
Karl, for his incredible character work and showing me what a true back story possesses.
Kelsey, for her eagerness and willingness to undertake a character intentionally designed to lure her into the game (#baited) and playing her with a brilliant sincerity, kindness, and joy.
Paul, for letting me bamboozle every aspect of what he thought he knew, was a sport about every decision I made, screamed and banged the table in desperation and in celebration. Every moment was filled with raw, genuine emotion, and your roleplaying taught me how to be the character.
And, me, cause I’m great.
Just kidding -
And to Don, for taking a character that was in shambles because of our amateur efforts for back story, and turning him into the most memorable figure I think we will ever meet in our campaigns. From the deadpan “Oh” to the courage, resilience, mental and emotional fortitude, and inspiring sacrifices you made, I didn’t even realize until it had already happened - that you made my Hero.
To everyone who watched, or was involved, from the bottom of my heart, thank you; I am eternally grateful to have been given the opportunity to share a flash of creativity born from the madness of my mind, and the brilliant tale these players made it into.
There are so many moments I will remember forever, and I hope you all do, too.
Thank you, adventurers, I love you all.
-Jon