Bellum, Itinerantur 7th, 1194 (Continued)

Graynor gets a refresh on the directions to the ruins and then leads us to where he entered the void realm. We have to pass through some dense underbrush, with traps, for several hours. Occasionally we spot a goblin tailing us.

We arrive at the ruins and within the temple, we discover a secret room. Inside this room is a holy symbol to Elaria, an old god. We find the portal and activate it.

On the other side, we feel as if we are slowed down by some kind of sluggish force. There are tiles of strange geometry and the sand covering them shift on its own. In the distance there are some strange spiraling pillars. Being the only landmarks, we head towards one of them.

Spending time in here causes bouts of occasional panic, so we wind walk most of the way there. Part way to the pillar, two strange obelisks sprout up from the ground after we travel over the area.

We arrive at the pillar. They have a smooth, almost glass-like finish; it looks as if there is some rippling under the surface of them. It does not detect as evil or magic. Ty goes ethereal and sees five shadowy figures. They say that they are ones who walk the void and that Kaajh’Kaalbh is not here, but he was at some point. They don’t know why he left and are unable to help with any knowledge to fight Kaajh’Kaalbh. They say that the Whispering Dark can help though. We find nothing else of note at the pillar, so we leave.

We check out the obelisks on the way back. They are about 600 ft. tall and their features change slightly when not in focus. They have veins of purple and pale blue that light up within them.

Ty starts looking for a door and a door appears. Inside is an impossibly large and wide room; the sluggishness from outside is not in here. A column rises as we approach the center of the room. It’s made up of many different rotating runes.

Each of us reads the runes differently.

Graynor: Every blade breaks in silence. Every oath must first survive forgetting. The void does not hate—it waits.

Ty: Motion is the breath of nothing. Stillness is its echo. The void bends only for those who do not seek to move it.

Sigmund: The pillars hum the song of delay. The towers dance to keep the void awake. The lattice is gone. The dream persists. All must unmake, so that all may begin again.

Ishtar: The roots of life drink the same dark. Death is not absence, only return. Even the void grows.

Ralzer: We are the syntax of the unmade. The equation of beginnings that never resolved. The Architects wrote us to remember what came before light.

There is some faint whispering in here as well:

• We almost had it, but then the angles broke.
• The world was not meant to end, it was meant to wake.
• Not gone, waiting.
• They built the light to keep the dark from dreaming.

While ethereal, Ty sees a wire frame of a planet. It has no man-made, or recognizable features, but she can interact with it. She also finds a shadowy rod and is able to bring it back. When she returns, it’s made of crystal and Ralzer is able to identify it as a harmonic key.

There is one other obelisk, so we go and check it out. The door to this one is a slowly pulsating triangle that also leads to a big chamber. The walls are covered in slow moving gears and there is a 3 ft. diameter vertical ring of light in the center with a sphere in the middle. Ishtar touches the sphere and the room blurs and groans, it looks as if it’s phasing out of sync. He can briefly see sounds and it gives him an vision of a city larger than any he’s ever seen. Graynor also touches it and has the same experience.

Ty goes ethereal and sees a silhouette of a person. He identifies himself as the echo that learned to listen. He says that we are out of rhythm, but still part of the song. He does not know of Kaajh’Kaalbh or the Architects. He says that the purpose of this location is to correct harmonic deviation in this plane and it’s currently working. When asked if we can help with anything, he asks if we can correct harmonic dissonance. Ty informs him that we have a key, and he says that we should use it.

We vote and settle on using the key here instead of at the Node Core. After using the key, the color and sound get very sharp. We hear, “the note returns to its measure, the chains hum again though not complete.” The key doesn’t break after being used.

Ty and Ishtar both then go ethereal. The echo says, “the voice returns to the choir”, and then dissipates.

We decide to go back to the Node Core and check if it’s any better.

When we leave the obelisk, the area is dead silent. Everything is still and dust hangs suspended in the air. The grayscale of the landscape is now much darker. We can sense a pulsing between this obelisk and the other one; rhythmic, with precise timing. The sluggishness and other strange effects are no longer present, and we no longer need to mentally steel ourselves against a pervasive panic. We head back to the first obelisk.

When we approach, the stone opens like a flower to allow us entry. Now, instead of the runes in the middle, there are a series of concentric rings with a crystal in the middle—the rings are making a humming effect. Touching the crystal does nothing.

Ty goes ethereal and everything here looks the same, but the wire frame planet is now being slowly filled in with a mesh.

As we head back to the portal, the color is slowly coming back to the sky, originating from the two obelisks. We make it to the portal without issue.

October 19th, 2025

Forte, Itinerantur 6th, 1194 (Continued)

Ralzer breaches the portal first. On the other side the gravity is not as strong and there is a huge iron black figure walking towards us. Once it gets closer, Ralzer can tell that it’s a construct of some kind.

It says that the lattice has been activated and asks who awakened the stone choir, while looking at Ralzer. He hasn’t had any visitors in several hundred thousand years. Ralzer identifies himself as Scion A-117 and it seems focused entirely on Ralzer.

We learn that this is the Node Core, the 8th Harmonic Node Core prototype, and it is to align frequencies along leylines. It’s been slowly degrading over the last 34 thousand years; output is at .07% and needs repair. We ask for guidance on how to fix it, and it beckons us to follow.

It points out some pylons nearby, flickering lights in the distance. Ralzer inspects them and briefly splits again, like when we first activated the gate. The custodian says a harmonic key is required and that it no longer exists.

There is a knowledge depository called the Mnemarch Archive, but it’s location is not known. Upon mention of Kaajh’Kaalbh, he recognizes the name and that it’s last known location was imprisonment within a null-dimensional construct, with a low probability of containment.

Ty asks what the Architects look like, and is told that they are humanoid, but larger than any of us. The custodian’s existence being over 100,000 years may confirm the rumors about the Architects being the creators of life.

He is familiar with harmonic lattices and describes them as being long range communication devices, and then shows us a map of the leylines across Moravia. Many of the nodes match up with areas of intrigue that we have been to.

Ralzer channels mythic energy into the pylons and repairs some of it. The custodian says that further repair may lead to system collapse. When this node was first brought online, there was a fracture in alignment and it killed the two Architects assigned here. No one has been here since.

When we leave, the portal does not take us to where we were; it looks like a volcanic region. We enter a building and there are forms of large fiery gorgons that occasionally race down a bridge as we approach. One of them turns Ty to stone.

The bridge leads to a room with a fire giant and a large forge. He seems slightly annoyed that some mortals have disturbed his work, but is otherwise not aggressive. Sigmund takes this opportunity to fix Ty.

Apparently, the fire giant occasionally gets commissions from higher beings for weapons. This place is called the Crucible of Echoes and he is Thordun. Ty asks if he can make mindstone daggers, and Thordun says that he would not make such a thing. For the Architects, he made the Axes of Genesis, which are tools to carve worlds. They can split open a plane and change it. He made this for the original Architects, but hasn’t seen one for about ten thousand years.

Ishtar asks if Thordun knows of Fire Lord Khorzath. He remembers him as being powerful and enjoying his power. The elemental lords banded together to take him down, some say with Namas’s help.

To make a weapon to kill a god, he would need the breath of a dying star and a willing, knowing sacrifice.

We plane shift back, then word of recall to Silverdale, then wind walk to Ironwald Downs.

Bellum, Itinerantur 7th, 1194

Overnight commune results:

1) Are there any of the original architects still alive? — Unclear.

2) Were the architects the original race that discovered Kaajh’Kaalbh? — No.

3) Did the architects seal away Kaajh’Kaalbh because they could not destroy him? — Unclear.

4) Did the architects create the prison that Kaajh’Kaalbh was put in? — Unclear.

5) Is the individual who created the monoliths also an Architect? — Yes.

6) Is the void realm that Greynor keeps going on about the same place that Kaajh’Kaalbh was imprisoned? — No.

7) If not, does this realm have any current connection to Kaajh’Kaalbh? — Unclear.

8) Is Kaajh’Kaalbh still contained? — No.

9) Are the Nodes part of the sealing that keeps Kaajh’Kaalbh contained? — No.

10) Is our world, Moravia, the containment vessel for Kaajh’Kaalbh? — No.

11) Are the Forsaken a split faction from the original architects? — Yes.

12) … a split faction from those who would come to call themselves the Architects? — No.

13) Is Ralzer a clone of an original Architect? — Yes.

We will head to the ruins that Greynor visited long ago where he found the void realm, they are not  far out of town.

October 12th. 2025

Terra, Itinerantur 5th, 1194 (Continued)

We stay the night in Bremer and plan to head for St. Serena in the morning.

Forte, Itinerantur 6th, 1194

We word of recall to Silverdale, then wind walk to St. Serena; our other companions will fly to Ironwald Downs.

We enter the Basilica of Concordance (Alabaster Tower)—only those whom are invited, or with those who are, can enter. Ralzer doesn’t join us and will be at the library.

The meeting goes well. Most of the high priests say their piece about the events of Ironwald Downs. Representatives from Madri, Barnabas, Cassilda, Adira, Breen, Nissa, Dorylis, Namas, Sharra, Hastur, Sarama, Veranna, Eda, and Angelique do most of the talking. There seems to be a general consensus regarding the urgency of the matter.

At some point, envoys of three other “lost gods” arrive; Stharras, Ammiah, and Gravik. They then single out Ty and Sigmund for representing lost gods and warn the assembly that such deities are best not forgotten. Ty and Sigmund each give a grief statement to the assembly.

Afterwards, we mingle and speak with Valiant Ser Kadrin of the Temple of Salvation (Madri) about Tolm and we set up a meeting with other high priests on the matter.

In addition to Kadrin, priests from the Temple of Conquest (Barnabas), Order of Thought (Breen), and the Courts of Justice (Angelique) join us. We fill them in on the situation with the monoliths. Ishtar “subtly” reminds them that we are doing all of the heavy lifting on this world ending crisis thus far. We settle on needing to find Tolm. The priests will look into his location with Magnus Orvelle from the Parish of the Prolific Coin (Hastur).

In the meantime, we will investigate Halzer’s collapsed mountain; in which we are directed to the Temple of Expeditions (Kel’quey). They don’t have much more information than what we already know, but do provide directions on how to get there.

We use the remaining time on our wind walk to travel to Halzer’s lab. Ishtar finds the remains deep in the mountain while in earth elemental form and ferries the rest of us there. While in the area, Ty occasionally feels a strange tingling sensation on her skin.

There is only one intact portal and not much else here. Ralzer is able to figure out how to active the portal. Once we do, everyone feels a little strange, but Ralzer looks as if there is another image of him briefly being torn out of him.

The image on the other side of the portal is opaque, we can’t see anything.

September 14th, 2025

Vita, Itinerantur 3rd, 1194 (Continued)

We discuss our next move. Sigmund wants to meet with the churches that are allied to us that had avatars in the fight.

He starts with the Temple of Conquest (Barnabas) and meets with Keldross, who was part of the raiding group that went into the fey realm. Sigmund wants representation at future monolith destructions, and wants Keldross’s assistance in this. Keldross will speak to a couple of other churches on his behalf as well; the Parish of the Prolific Coin (Hastur) and the Order of Thought (Breen).

Afterwards, he goes to the Courts of Inequity (Sarama), then to the Home Foundation (Cassilda), and finally to the Order of the Passionate One (Madidus); all of which agree to send a representative.

Ishtar visits the Assembly of the Four Corners (Namas) and learns that many churches in town have what’s called a touchstone, a kind of connection to their god. It was probably Xhal’ith activating those that summoned the avatars and may explain why not all of the churches were represented in the fight.

He also updates them on his past life and asks about the relic of Namas, the Flail of Infinite Cycles, that the Courts of Inequity has. The official position is that it is easier for them to keep it rather than deal with the blowback of getting it back.

Ty visits Mikhail at the Parish of Everlasting Knowledge (Avarra) to catch him up and secure representation.

We meet at Ralzer’s and plan our next move. Sigmund will use wind walk to get everyone to the destinations, since we will have a lot of people. Graynor bitches about abstract things and annoys Sigmund.

Ty commissions a new obi belt stylized with Xhal’ith’s holy symbol and colors.

Around early evening, Ty and Sigmund both hear a chime in their head, the same note three times. No one else hears this.

Mare, Itinerantur 4th, 1194

We all gather in the early morning. The representative from Madidus, Reveler Tyrno, offers everyone free silly hats; only Ty accepts the offer and gets a jester’s cap.

We arrive in Oakfield two hours later. The monolith is here and appears normal. We topple it after three disintegrates (four total castings). Tyrno and Ty have some wine to celebrate.

We then head to Silverdale, and that one topples after four castings. We stay the night here, because it’s an eight hour flight to Bremer.

During the evening Ty and Sigmund hear the chimes again, but it’s only two this time. We learn that the chimes are a countdown given to the “high priests” of each religion for a meeting in St. Serena. Sigmund will reset his sanctuary to Silverdale so he can word of recall there for quicker access to the meeting on Itinernatur 6th.

Terra, Itinerantur 5th, 1194

We wind walk to Bremer. After successful disintegrates, it retaliates with a disintegrate of its own. It topples after three.

Not long after, about 30 ft. from the monolith a gate opens that looks like it’s connected to a void realm. Alistar, the herald, walks out, asking if we destroyed the monolith. Ishtar informs him that we did, and the four others, too. He then engages us.

We do manage to slay him, and he sinks into the ground, like when arcane tentacles die. The gate then goes down a little while after he dies.

September 7th, 2025

Iustitia, Itinerantur 1st, 1194 (Continued)

We plan our next move, then attempt to re-enter the monolith, but can’t. There is no more hum and we are unable to enter, so maybe we did break it.

We camp out near it for a night to see if anything happens; if a herald pays a visit, we’ll jump him.

The night passes uneventfully.

Mors, Itinerantur 2nd. 1194

Sigmund uses word of recall to take us back to Ironwald Downs.

We visit the monolith and it is not humming. It also does not let us in, but we feel it tug at our mythic power.

Disintegrating chunks of it doesn’t create a shock wave effect, but it does drain mythic energy. We topple it after disintegrating 3 cubes. Casting on it after it topples offers no resistance.

This draws the attention of the local guards. Captain Lodekiller comes to investigate—he orders us all in for questioning.

We are placed in holding. Champion Valorian visits and gets Graynor released, but the rest are not allowed to leave yet. According to a guard, a priest from the Temple of Enchantment is coming to question us.

Graynor decides to expedite this process and obtains the help of Archmage Sandoval from the Temple of Enchantment and she gets us a private room. We ask her about harmonic lattices. They are used as conduits/for communication over great distances. However, knowing how to operate one is likely too complex to consider as an option.

Graynor and the others are interested in having their baby gifts removed, as she previously offered. After our meeting she has us released.

Ralzer begins crafting magic items, while Ty, Ishtar, and Graynor watch the monolith site. Ty breaks off a chunk of the monolith for Ralzer.

Sigmund visits Nadal and tells him about how he manipulated the tablets and caused the nightmare and seeks spiritual advice. He then rejoins the campers at the monolith.

During the afternoon, the sky becomes dark and purple. It looks as if a giant eye is slowly opening in the sky and strange constellations spew forth like a confetti of cosmic vomit. The city almost looks like it’s warping space, with tentacles coming down from the sky.

Ty feels another tingling in her ki and she answers. She hears, “start meditating, little one” and her shadow then rapidly elongates towards the city and shadowy tendrils starts climbing towards the tentacles. Some of the shadow tendrils create a figure of Xhal’ith. Small meteor-like stars fall and Xhal’ith’s tendrils intercept them. Some of the tendrils look to head towards the temples.

A giant emerald colored dragon, bigger than any we have seen, flies towards the tentacles. Ralzer has a good view and sees a woman riding it with a whip of golden chain attacking the tentacles, this could be Sarama. Then, a gigantic white stallion flies towards the eye, leaving a trail of flame and shields in it’s wake; Graynor recognizes it as an avatar of Madri. A giant in full plate with a bardiche starts attacking the tentacles, a possible avatar of Barnabas. Next, a giant owl flies toward the eye, which might be an avatar of Breen. A rather fat man with burly fists begins to punch the tentacles in a jovial manner, could be Madidus.

It looks as if a ward from Cassilda is erected over some of the lower class areas and a bunch of keys erupt from a giant woman with a staff, likely Adira, and protect other structures. A lot of coins spray across the merchants area, probably from Hastur. Lastly, several enormous elementals emerge from the Assembly of the Four Corners to protect the city.

Once a lot of these avatars are engages, Xhal’ith rescinds completely. Ty no longer feels his presence. The temples that we have not seen avatars of are (and probably should): Angelique, Avarra, Dorylis, Eda, El, Kel’Quey, Nissa, and Sharra.

The campers run to the city, but the battle looks too chaotic for us to engage. Once inside, Ishtar takes to the sky to survey the ground, then uses his elemental form to contain structural damage. Ralzer, who was at home during this, takes the sky and tries to assist in the fight. He can’t damage the tentacles, but does make himself enough to a nuisance to assist the avatars. Sigmund assist with the evacuation.

Ty and Graynor visit points of interest around the city. The Temple of Everlasting Knowledge (Avarra), is okay, protected by a key dome that Adira made. Next, they had to the Courts of Justice (Angelique), as his absence from the fight is noticeable—they have a key dome as well.

August 17th, 2025

Forte, Custodia 29th, 1194

We discuss damaging the monolith. Ty tests out punching it and is able to do damage, but in doing so, she feels some pressure on her mind. Next, Ishtar hits it with a fireball, which works, and is now covered in Aklo glyphs. The glyphs mention how he’s done something bad and is cursed. They go away once he changes form back to a human.

Ty and Graynor stay behind and watch the area while the others go back to town. There are no animals or insects near the monolith now, unlike when we first approached; everything seems to keep a distance of about 200 ft. Ralzer copies a new spell, Sigmund plans his commune, and Ishtar reads the books about his past life.

Commune results:

1) Will destroying the monoliths separate them from their interactions from the leylines? — Yes.

2) Will damaging the monoliths cause immediate harm to us? — Unclear.

3) … Long-lasting repercussions to us? — Unclear.

4) Are the warnings and threats we have received directly from Kaajh’Kaalbh? — No.

5) … From the creator of the monoliths? — Yes.

6) Will our magic and force of arms be sufficient to destroy the monoliths? — Yes.

7) Would you advise that we return to the inside of this monolith before acting to destroy it? — Unclear.

8) Is Ishtar the reincarnation of Khorzath? — Yes.

9) Does the water elemental sovereign Alun’Zharath still live? — No.

10) Has Ishtar ever lived in a cave? — Yes.

11) Does Ty’s insecurities stem from a trauma of some sort? — Yes.

12) Will bringing parishioners to the flock help bring power back to you? — Yes.

Bellum, Custodia 30th, 1194

Overnight, Ishtar, Ralzer, and Graynor suffer a nightmare spell. It looks as if the whole town has been effect by nightmare and there have also been some fatalities (about 4.38% of level 1 commoners).

Via sending, Sigmund finds out that Ironwald Downs was also effected. Sigmund then confirms that it is happening in towns that are not near the monoliths. He then casts commune to confirm some things before we make any moves.

We confirm that attacking the monolith didn’t cause this, but using the tablets inside it did. The effect is not continuous and it is unclear if we can use the tablets to stop this from happening again. Tolm is also in a large city on this continent.

Graynor goes to help the wounded at the local Temple of Salvation and Ishtar casts commune with nature, stone tell and speak with waves around the monolith.

The water tells him that no one other than us was able to enter the monolith, but several groups of people did visit. One person is dead, trapped in the mud. Ishtar is able to find the body and bring it to the surface. It looks to be a human warrior that died by drowning. There is nothing identifying on him.

The monolith, via stone tell, refuses to talk to Ishtar.

Commune with nature tells him that the amount of wildlife is thinner than normal, but gets better farther away from the monolith. Animals are avoiding the area.

Ty ethereally observes the monolith site, but nothing is different. She reads more of her book and finds a passage on Harmonic Lattice. It sounds like a technology similar to the monoliths. Commune confirms that they are Harmonic Lattices.

Iustitia, Itinerantur 1st, 1194

We head back to the monolith. When Ishtar successfully disintegrates a portion of it, the hum gets much more violent, creating shock waves in the water. It also sucks a mythic point from him. The shock wave deals significant force damage and the portion that was dusted is now a rift sucking up the water. It stops after about a minute.

Ralzer then shoots it with disintegrate and the same shock wave effect occurs, but he avoids it. He then feels something hot on his mind and passes out. He has a vision of a giant hand the size of a hill bursting from the ground. Many glyphs start pouring out of the hand, and then he wakes up.

Ishtar can see that Ralzer’s red aura is much brighter on his forehead.

August 10th, 2025

Forte, Custodia 29th, 1194

We head to the sunken monolith, not entirely sure how we are going to get in. We decide to swim down to the highest point to try and enter. While approaching, Ty feels something request ki from her.  herShe allows it and time, for her, stops. She gets a vision of a massive library, the books have titles keyed to memories of Ty’s past. There is a figure with a featureless face, one eye open and one closed; a known Xhal’ith effigy. It speaks to her, “Threads tighten. The loom of fate trembles. You walk into a vessel that remembers the dark before the first dawn. They will tell you the path forward is straight—they will be wrong. Trust only the echoes that do not match your step. The child is gone, but the song remains. It will sing to you from behind the light. Do not hum along. There are doors in this place that do not open outward. Some will open into you. Choose which you leave ajar. The shadow between stars watches through borrowed eyes. Close enough to see your pulse. The truth you carry will not survive the crossing. Hide it where you cannot find it.” And then the vision ends.

We focus our energy and enter the monolith. Inside, the hum is much deeper. We are in a rotunda with 11 other passages leading out, each at differing heights.

We try the lowest passage, but it’s blocked by some unseen force. Beyond it, we can see a dark sky with stars flickering irregularly. There are three chimes at the entry way, a puzzle matching the flickering lights. We solve it and enter. Inside looks like a star chart chamber, but the stars shift often. In the middle is a giant telescope that is pointing down. Looking through it shows a black ocean with purple tentacles spread over it. The echoes that we make here seem to come from farther away. This room is very similar to the star chart room that we visited in the first monolith.

We head to the next room. There barrier here muffles our voices, and beyond it we can see a tall, thin-ish object of some kind. We also hear whispers in many voices, including our own. Ralzer believes that if we speak back our own voices something will happen. Remembering our warning, we do not proceed.

The next door is blocked by a crystal pane with pulses of light; there are six prisms on the frame. Ralzer rotates them to sync them with the light from the door and we enter. Inside is a giant crystal with a thundering storm within it. There are large claw marks on the ground and walls. There are puddles on the floor that show us slightly different reflections of ourselves. This is much like the crystal that Ralzer communed with at another monolith. We leave, but Ralzer sneaks away to go back to the crystal.

Ralzer divines the crystal and sees a similarly themed vision regarding choices and power. This one has a figure creating a night sky. He looks like an older Ralzer, wearing a crown of crystal shards. He says, “you have seen my heart, will you carry it?” Ralzer accepts.

He then finds himself before a cracked crystalline throne  with a crown of interlocking crystal shards set at its base, pulsating as if breathing. Behind him, he can hear foot steps approach, their echoes matching his own heart beat. He doesn’t reach for the crown.

He then finds himself standing next to a well filled with fragments of memory. There is another being reaching for a fragment that Ralzer feels is important, so he grabs it first. At this point, Ishtar and Graynor pull Ralzer away and break the link with the crystal.

Ralzer says he knows that Kaajh’Kaalbh is seeking to corrupt the leylines and the monoliths are part of that plan. We discuss what happened and Ralzer’s rationalizations for doing this without warning or consult. He thinks that this information is valuable and wants to reenter the commune, and it’s decided that he will do so under observation.

He has another vision of seeing someone with his face as the focal point of a parade. Then, in another, he is in a throne room surrounded by masks that say, “wear us and be everyone and all gods.” In another he is under raining cloudy sky, there is a bloody taste in the air. He hears, “the weave is watching. To open now is to invite its hand.” Then the vision ends without presenting him any choices.

The next door is barred with dense fog with runes scattered in it. Sigmund traces them to dispel the fog. We hear a lot of murmurs in many languages that become more distant the longer we walk down this tunnel. No matter how walk down it we can’t make progress, so we leave.

The next door is barred by a light curtain with shifting glyphs; three rotating glyph discs are on the frame. We solve the puzzle and enter. Inside is a large library. The titles and subjects matter of the books keeps changing as we read them. We decide to try and find a room that doesn’t resemble one from a previous monolith.

The next door has vertical beams of light with strange voices. On the frame are several runes that we rearrange into a coherent sentence to gain entry. Inside is a large spire with molten gold in it. There are 12 tablets, each with a different word on it in the same language as the door. Each tablet periodically gives off a projection; there are some of extremely large creatures and landscapes, nothing that we recognize.

Sigmund activates the tables Memory and Awaken. this triggers something in Ralzer. He remembers being very young in a lab and interfacing with things like this. The humming also gets very low.

Sigmund then activates Awakening Oversight. The humming becomes high and keening. Ty feels another tingling in her ki, she responds and a shadowy mantle envelops her, Graynor, Ishtar, and Ralzer. Xhal’ith addresses them, “son of Madri and Namas and … You (pointedly referring to Ralzer).” They all go ethereal and leave the monolith. Before leaving, Xhal’ith whispers to Ty that the Sleeper is losing power.

For Sigmund, it looks as if Ilythia herself appeared and warped him out.

July 20th, 2025

Vita, Custodia 26th, 1194 (Continued)

We pick up the magical gear on the fey. Virhilyth has a strange fragmented scroll of planeshift that has been modified in some manner. We use one of Ralzer’s flares and cast sending to alert the other group of our situation.

Mare, Custodia 27th, 1194

Graynor uses the special gloves to handle the Sword of Dawning Light. he then uses it to strike the cyst; it takes him several swings, but he does destroy it.

According to Caelia’s sending response, they found another cyst and “something else”.

We break our refuge items and go to Caelia. They are in a forest of pine trees, Ishtar thinks that it looks similar to the forest near his home. Quen the elf magus, has been life drained to death. Caelia says that it was arcane tentacles that did it and that they were encountered near the cyst. There is something else here, akin to a dryad, that is being drained and shackled here. We decide to head to the cyst first.

At the cyst, Graynor goes ham again. Afterwards we recuperate and then move to the dryad.

Caelia and company lead us to the dryad. She’s imprisoned in what may have been a tree at some point. Ishtar can see a blue aura on her. She has a collar on her that is similar to the one that Ishtar used to sport. Ty picks the lock and removes the collar, then Graynor heals her and she regains consciousness.

She introduces herself as She Who Sheds the Autumn Light in Druidic while addressing Ishtar. She is the Queen of Ravens, a Hamadryad. She thought that she was still on the Prime Material. Ishtar told her about how Kaajh’Kaalbh is corrupting this place. She recognizes that name, but hasn’t heard it in over 1,000 years. She doesn’t know how she was captured, she’s been gone about a year. She’s not familiar with the Oracle that Virhilyth mentioned. Her mythic powers were a gift from Dorylis.

We planeshift and then word of recall back to Ironwald Downs.

Graynor takes the collar to his church for research. We go meet Jarveth and get Ralzer resurrected. We debrief Jarveth on what happened in the fey realm. The sword has the ability to erase people from existence, make them forgotten—what if we use this on Kaajh’Kaalbh? It’s also intelligent.

We then head back to Ralzer’s to identify our items. Virhilyth’s staff is an artifact and overwhelming evil. His sword has a stronger evil aura than it’s magical property would normally have.

We discuss our next moves and decide on going to the last monolith. But first, we will have someone look at these items from Virhilyth.

At the Parish of Everlasting Knowledge we meet with Mikhail and he helps us get the sword identified with legend lore. It is Tir’vahl Drazekh, one of the Baleful Blades. It’s strike can splinter the mind. It was first wielded by a warlock king, Zaakhereth the Pale Flame; his kingdom was vanished. It was later glimpsed by scholars during a ritual that turned them mad, and then lastly wielded by Virhilyth. It was forged in the Null Forge, along with the other Baleful Blades.

Terra, Custodia 28th, 1194

We go back to the Parish of Everlasting Knowledge to get the staff looked at. It’s the Staff of the Chrysalis Tempest, Moladraeyn-Ae Seed of the Second Birth. It’s a prototype made by the Architects to control evolution. It’s a +3 quarterstaff containing the spells flesh to stone, baleful polymorph, and feeblemind. It creates random evolutions in those it hits.Taking too many strikes will change someone into a Spawn of Chaos. The architects abandoned it after a subject “gave birth to themselves”. It can be destroyed in the Null Forge by sacrificing a being that was reshaped by it, or by performing the Ritual of Stasis involving a mythic spellcaster and a person who’s form has never been altered.

Ishtar is visiting the Assembly of the Four Corners (Namas). He tells Thelessa about how he found out via commune that he is a reincarnated fire elemental lord. She is intrigued and gets Morvath for more consul. Khorzath is a fire lord that was reincarnated by Namas. They provide him with some literature on the subject. It is believed that Khorzath did something bad and was reincarnated by Namas as a second chance. It’s possible that Ishtar is that reincarnation.

Graynor and Sigmund visit Jarveth about the two items that we found on Virhilyth. He will see what he can do about recompense and if they can destroy the staff. He will also try to gather information on Tolm.

We go to Derth via several tree strides. We cannot see the monolith. Ty secures a room at the Gilded Reed. Apparently the monolith suddenly sank about 4 days ago, around the time that we took Luka out of the Oakfield monolith. Ishtar scouts it out via earth elemental and notices some cracks at the bottom of it.

July 13th, 2025

Vita, Custodia 26th, 1194 (Continued)

Sigmund is guiding us to the cyst via find the path. While traveling on this path, Ishtar notices the strange time movement. He estimates that our 50 minutes of travel has actually taken about 4 hours. Ralzer flies high and follows to try and see if he can notice any difference in our travel, but finds nothing unusual.

Graynor sees a flash of golden light in the direction that we are traveling.

During travel, we are ambushed by fey eaters (fey that plant spores in you that later explode) and blighted satyrs (they rejuvenate after death due to the blight, and share pain through thorns and disease through their blood).

Eventually we make our way to the cyst. Virhilyth is there along with his entourage; a medium-sized crystalized figure, Ilenar of the Glass Branch (uses abilities with light and illusion), a large creature with dark bark, Sylthari, the Thorned Vow (conjures a barrier of very sharp leaves), and a huge stag, Corvenn, the Briar Stag (can summon spectral beasts). Ishtar can see that each of them has a blue mythic aura.

The battle is intense. Virhilyth taunts us several times during the fight—he seems to know a lot about us and our situation, somehow. He also does appear to be carrying, but not wielding, the Sword of Dawning Light. Ralzer gets disintegrated into a pile of dust. We eventually defeat each fey. Upon his death, Virhilyth says, “You cut me down, but you do not understand what you’ve severed. The song continues. The discord deepens. The void is not done dancing. Keep your sword, paladin. Let it sing in your hands… until it burns your name from memory. Tell the Oracle… I saw it, too. Before I fell.” Does he refer to the Thornveil?

June 7th, 2025

Vita, Custodia 26th, 1194 (Continued)

There is an unveiling sensation in here and Graynor’s holy symbols feel warmer. Ishtar and Ralzer go skyward to get a better view of our area. They see a couple of black bark, huge creatures that are tree-shaped with skeletal looking arms and glowing runes on them. They could be enigmatic arbors (resist fire, make people sick by being near them). Sigmund uses a spell to communicate with them. They’re not aggressive and would like us to remove the “ink”, as they refer to the outer planes encroachment; a stain on the land. It gives us a direction to a settlement.

We head in that direction. During travel, we see several dead fey. The causes of death range from constitution drain, to combat damage, to implosion. Eventually we find the remains of a tower.

A nearby cave looks to have been recently occupied within the last few weeks and an ominous hole in the ground goes very deep; we leave it alone.

The tower is in poor condition. Within the tower is a gaunt woman with ink-stained robes. She goes by the Thornveil. She is not surprised at our presence and knows that we are not from here.

She asks if our shadows have spoken to us yet. We tell her of our mission and she knows where a cyst is located and says that we must take care not to step where the mushrooms weep. A fey of great power, Virhilyth, resides there and is likely corrupted and he is attracting others to him.

She is familiar with the Sword of Dawning Light and tells Graynor, “The blade remembers you, even if you don’t remember it”. The warming feeling that Graynor is experiencing is the blade calling for him, as a member of Madri’s faith.

There is a larger settlement nearby that has been destroyed, and we get directions to it.

The creatures she describes as killing fey around here are the Kaajh’gor, and the pink horrors and archer Kaajh’gor that we fought in Halzer’s lab.

We send a sending to Caelia’s group about our next bearing to catch up.

On the way to the cyst, we are ambushed by several arcane tentacles. There are two new varieties that we haven’t yet encountered; a huge transparent one with red veins and two smaller tentacles, and a large one with four smaller tentacles. Ishtar can see a red aura, like the extra one on Ralzer, on each tentacle. We kill them and continue out travel.

During travel, we get a sending from Caelia asking where are are and that they’ve been waiting at the rendezvous point for hours, which doesn’t match up at all with the current time.

Sigmund will cast find the path to get us to our destination.