May 18th, 2024

Forte, Custodia 22nd, 1194

We plan to go to the Oakfield monolith. It’s getting late, so we tree-port to Oakfield and spend the night there before heading out in the morning.

We get an room at the Shaded Bough, their largest inn towards the center of the city, and gather information about the monolith. It arrived at the same time as the others and also had a repulsion effect. A group from the Temple of Enchantment came later and quarantined it. They left a few weeks ago and now there is no repulsion effect. We didn’t hear anything about anyone going in to or out of it.

Bellum, Custodia 23rd, 1194

We enter the monolith. The floor has a mirror finish that reflects a younger version of the viewer. The ceiling is too high to see and the walls have indistinct faces, as if pressed against it. With each step we take, we hear a chime.

Ralzer hears his own voice tell him:

“I opened the gate because no one else would. What came through… was not mine to command.”

“Burn the stars. Bury the sky. Only then will the veil thin.”

“Why do they still trust me? Can’t they smell the rot on my soul?”

And other unsettling musing.

We follow the long hallway to a circular room with no floor; it has spiraling stone platforms that descend. Between the stones are semi-transparent maps of places that we do not recognize. There is an underwater city, an underground city, a star-shaped prison, and many more. The stones are within step distance, so we follow it all the way down to a dim, silent garden of strange trees.

The bark on the trees have celestial and infernal runes carved into them. Instead of fruit, all of the trees have strange liquid-filled orbs. Ishtar plucks one and receives a vision of a grey sandy area with impossible geometry on the sandstone tile floor. Graynor says that it sounds very familiar to the void realm he visited.

Sigmund plucks a fruit from a different tree and he sees a small village of people walking around in a daze. Ty tries one and sees a very large city in grayscale that is completely absent of life. The plant life hasn’t taken over, so the absence of people has not been long. There is a church of Kel’Quey present, which is unusual for the God of Travel.

Ishtar tries another fruit and gets a vision of a dungeon with a mind flayer jailer. Ishtar then bites in to one of the “fruits” and forgets why he ever became a druid.

Ralzer plucks a fruit and forgets most of his relationships outside of the party and sees a vision of an insane asylum. He then bites in to it and gets no vision.

We continue down the path to a room with a large stone heart suspended above a dark pit, rhythmically pulsing. There are large gouges in the walls, like something was trapped in here.

Ty wants to throw one of the fruits at the heart, but doesn’t think she can do it hard enough to break, so se hands it to Ishtar. When he takes it, he gets a vision of a dusty plains and a pillar of fire. He also forgets a feat that he knows. throwing it on the heart doesn’t seem to do anything.

Nothing detects as magical in here, so we move to the next room.

The next room looks like a library with floating blank books that leak dust. There are hourglasses on desks where the sand flows in reverse. Flipping one gives Ty the sensation that a recent decision in the last few hours she made has been reversed.

At the end of the hallway is a door that everyone except Ralzer is able to walk through. Graynor is able to pull him through.

The next room is like a giant void, we feel as if we are in an enclosed room, but see nothing except the door we came from and the inky stars around us. Walking farther in, we see another structure that looks like a monolith. It has an overwhelming magical aura. In front of the monolith is a crystal cradle with a root-like metal cage. Ishtar, Graynor, and Sigmund hear a strange hum while approaching it.

Within the cradle is a baby; we can’t determine it’s race or gender, nor does it detect as evil. It seems to be alive. Sigmund repositions the cradle so that the monolith doesn’t interfere; the kid and cradle are non-magical. While moving the cradle, he can hear everyone’s inner thoughts. Whenever someone looks at the child, they see a collage of their past decisions and how they could have made better choices.

Sigmund picks up the kid and Ty searches the crib. Ty gets the feeling that she can now read the Architect writing.

Ishtar examines the baby, which seems to be fine, then is able to see a light blue glowing aura on everyone. Except for Ralzer, who has a blue and red aura; the baby has no aura.

Ty goes ethereal. Nothing seems different; it looks exactly like the material plane. She can touch people, but they don’t notice. There is nothing of note about the baby.

Sigmund tries to “feed” the baby mythic energy. It tries to take more, but Sigmund denies it.

Ralzer feeds mythic energy into the mini-monolith. It tries to take more and then ejects him outside the obelisk. He then makes his way back to us.

Ralzer then gives the rest of his mythic energy to the kid and nothing happens. He now occasionally sees himself in the corner of his eye, as if nearby. Now that he can’t leave the monolith, he comes up with the idea of being smuggled out via the portable hole.

Ty takes the kid through each room in the complex. It doesn’t have a reflection in the first room and it doesn’t react to anything.

Ishtar searches each room as an air elemental. He doesn’t find anything of note, except that the final room doesn’t have a ceiling that he can approach.

Graynor holds the baby and he feels a little stronger as a paladin, but also gets the sensation of being watched.

Sigmund cast sending to the baby asking it to open it’s eyes and it’s name and gets a brief jump scare as an image of a tentacle jumps from the baby to his face. Then, it opens it’s eyes.

We leave the monolith. Once the baby is outside the monolith, the structure begins to hum.

On the way back, we find out that Ralzer has lost his memories of all people that are not us. He remembers deities, locations, and events.

Ty reads the Architect portions of her book.

Iustitia, Custodia 24th, 1194

We plan a trip to Derth, then Granyor gets a sending from Dora asking for a visit. So we first word of recall to Ironwald Downs. Ishtar will travel via plants since Luca (the baby) takes an extra spot.

Graynor and Ty visit Dora. He’s getting a promotion to Research and Acquisitions, which is a dead end job, sort of like a punishment, and is unusual for someone of his rank. This was at the request of Valiant Sharpe of Jasper. His new officer is Jarveth. Dora is apologetic regarding the situation. We then go to met Jarveth and he asks that Graynor return tomorrow for a job.

Sigmund and Ralzer go to the market to get some needed items and maybe jog Ralzer’s memory. They also get some paperwork for renovation work at Ralzer’s home.

Graynor and Ty visit Nadal at the Inevitable Order. Nadal is reasonably panicked about Luca and insists we deposit it into the containment receptacle in their basement.

We then get the rest of the party together and deposit the cradle and fruit that we took from the monolith, as well as the books that we took from another one. Ty asks Nadal about the vision she saw with the Kel’Quey temple. He doesn’t know where that would be, but suggests asking a local priest. He also suggests inquiring at the Temple of Enchantment for info on the auras that Ishtar is seeing.

The maladies afflicting Ishtar and Ralzer could be curses. It’s difficult to remove, but are eventually removed.

April 19th, 2025

Vita, Custodia 19th, 1194 (Continued)

Ty goes ethereal in front of the altar to Xhal’ith and she hears a booming voice ask what she wants to know. She replies with the following, and is given visions in response to each:

“I want insight into the machinations of Tolm’s plan.” — He is tricking Kaajh’Kaalbh’s church to create a ritual that will summon and bind him into a collection of effigies. With the goal of killing and ascending himself.

“What is exerting influence on Ralzer?” — Difficult to comprehend. Seems to be related to his lineage and it’s very important that it does not take control.

“What are the beacons summoning Kaajh’Kaalbh?” — The monoliths outside of the five cities.

Ty also learns that Kaajh’Kaalbh is the entity that gave Tolm the idea of binding and killing him, unbeknownst to Tolm. It is the god’s trickery that Tolm will summon him to this location and be devoured by him.

We then ask Blitzcrank some follow-up questions. He gives mostly short answers, with the general gist being that his god is not threatened.

We discuss our options, then head back to where we fought the Gilarabrywn. Sigmund and Ralzer re-investigate the star map on the ceiling. They find some coordinates in the ceiling, each with a speck of material similar to the monoliths, corresponding to their locations.

Ishtar searches the area for anything hidden and finds a notebook hidden amongst the rubble. It details some strange research notes, is older than Tolm’s journal, and is written in a much different manner.

Sigmund tells Thauglorauthamiir, via sending, that we have killed the Gilarabrywn. Thauglorauthamiir informs him that he will personally inspect the site shortly. He is pleased with our success and Sigmund’s groveling.

Sigmund also sends a sending to Advocate Greatbear about the mission.

We spend one night here to see if anything else happens in the area, but nothing does.

Mare, Custodia 20th, 1194

Through commune, we learn that Ralzer is Scion A-117, as referenced in the notebook that Ishtar found; however, the book is much older than he is. Perhaps the focus is his bloodline.

We word of recall back to Ironwald Downs. Graynor and Ty update the Temple of Salvation on our victory, while Sigmund and Ishtar visit the Courts of Inequity. Advocate Greatbear gives us our payment on behalf of the church and the council. We then put in some purchase orders after getting paid; two days worth of crafting.

Terra, Custodia 21st, 1194

We learn through commune that Ralzer is a clone of Scion A-117 and that Ishtar’s previous life was as an elemental.

Forte, Custodia 22nd, 1194

We learn through commune that Ishtar was a unique fire elemental that was reincarnated by Namas, that Ralzer was cloned in a lab and his blood can be traced back to the Architects.

After our gear is done, we teleport via plants to Khundrukar, as there is another star map ceiling there that we want to re-investigate. We don’t find any hidden caches, but in the map they find the phrase, “Five lights awaken, one heart exhales the hush.” Hush is one of the nine elements of resonance, AKA Null.

April 13th, 2025

Iustitia, Custodia 17th, 1194

Sigmund communes overnight:

Is Ralzer being controlled by a god? — No.

Is Ralzer being controlled by a powerful, non-god outsider? — No.

Is Ralzer’s Influence a threat to his existence? — No.

Did Ralzer gain this influence upon touching the crystal? — No.

Is Ralzer a product of Kaajh’Kaalbh? — No.

Ralzer works on his spell and Sigmund buys new clothes to match his deity.

Ty visits Archmage Sandoval and catches her up on Ralzer’s teleportation experiment. She suggests tracing his lineage for clues; maybe there was some kind of bargain done at his birth.

Ishtar visits the Assembly of the Four Corners (Namas) for his appointment. Thelessa is a Guardian of the Earth that will assist him. She performs the commune and suggests that the Well of Knowledge in Delanshire may be another method of investigation.

Is Ishtar a son of the Grand Incinerator? — Yes.

Was Ishtar truly reincarnated? — Yes.

Is Ishtar’s current life a punishment? — No.

Is there a way for Ishtar to recall his past life? — Yes.

Should Ishtar recall his past life? — Unclear.

In Ishtar’s previous life, did he have power over the element of fire? — Yes.

Should Ishtar continue to strengthen his connection to fire? — Yes.

Does Ishtar need to return to his own time? — No.

Graynor is looking for a horse “worthy of Madri”; something with colors similar to theirs.

Mors, Custodia 18th, 1194

Sigmund communes overnight:

Is Ralzer being influenced by a powerful outside force at all? — No.

Does Ralzer own his own soul? — Yes.

Is Ilythia good aligned? — Yes.

Is Ilythia evil aligned? — No.

IS Ilythia lawful? — No.

Is Ilythia chaotic? — No.

Is Ilythia morally neutral? — No.

Is Ilythia ethically neutral? — Yes.

Does Ilythia have a favored animal? — Yes.

Is there an extant formal church with hierarchy dedicated to Ilythia? — Yes.

Vita, Custodia 19th, 1194

Sigmund communes overnight to see what kind of energy the Gilarabrywn uses: It uses all of the elements, except for sonic and cold.

The swords are finished and we head off to battle. When we enter the citadel, we feel an unveiling effect that was not present before. Near the Gilarabrywn is Blitzcrank, a herald of Kaajh’Kaalbh—he watches, but not not engage.

During the fight, some arcane tentacles emerge. A large black variety with icy-blue suction cups; a tentacle of the void. They have an aura of slow, can cast reverse gravity, wall of blindness, slay living, and phantasmal affliction. They lace their spells with madness to cause confusion. There is also an incorporeal version called a shadow tentacle. It inflicts a nightmare curse that can be cured with dispel evil, dream, and remove curse. It can cast wall of ice and the cold version of fire shield. In The Illuminated Shadow Investigator Vale encounters these creatures after being framed for the murder of Archangel Lathiel by Artorious Balen. Vale is sent to the outer plane prison of Malak Seres. There he must forge an alliance of planar criminals to escape the Gaol of the Void. The tentacles are part of the prison’s defense system and Vale must destroy the hive mind controlling them in order for his escape plan to work.

We manage to kill the Gilarabrywn—with Ralzer delivering the final blow to it’s arcane knot, ensuring it will not reanimate later. Blitzcrank then kills the last remaining tentacle and begins to leave. He states that he was only there to observe and confirms that he still works for Kaajh’Kaalbh.

We follow him as he heads towards the underdark mushroom forest and goes to the altar of Xhal’ith. Ty asks if Xhal’ith and Kaajh’Kaalbh are the same, Blitzcrank says they are not.

April 6th, 2025

Terra, Custodia 14th, 1194 (Continued)

We perform a thorough search of the floor and find no secret doors. We find some strange items in the clockwork mage room and leave them.

We proceed to the next floor down. This room is holding the iron cube that Thyrr told us about. There are a lot of statues here—according to Thyrr, we must find the statue with the empty eyes to deactivate the defenses. The iron cube has a combination of symbols and words in multiple languages; they all have a theme of creation and destruction. Setting the rings in a certain order will unlock it.

Ralzer, with Sigmund’s assistance, is able to decipher the puzzle. It opens a small hole that looks like an extra dimensional space, and we enter it.

This area has a cool, crisp scent. We enter from the ceiling and float gently down. There are several large podiums with books on them and there are also some books that are suspended by chains from the ceiling. One chain is missing it’s book.

The guardian then attacks us. When we finally kill it, many purple-black tentacles emerge from the ground and take it.

Ralzer begins a list of the books that are here, so we can figure out what was taken with Thyrr. We then head back up and deactivate the defenses. We alert the hiding group of guards, then gather the bodies and bring them all to the first floor—there are about 70 total bodies. Ty stays behind to make sure that no one else enters, while the others alert Thyrr of our success.

We then take Thyrr on a tour to see if there is anything else distorted that shouldn’t be there. None of the haunts, the hounds of Tindalos, the oozes, the dread wraith, or the spawn of the dark tapestry are supposed to be here. She also confirms that the only book missing is the Keening Runes of the Architect Kings. She gives us the coin purse that Tolm had paid with as evidence.

Sigmund uses sending to Olaf to ask for some castings of legend lore. Olaf suggests that we contact Morvin Threll, here in Vallyn, for this service and he will be at a local tavern tomorrow.

Ty practices for her oblivion training in the meditation room.

Forte, Custodia 15th, 1194

Ty continues to meditate and Ralzer works on his spell.

The other three visit the Lantern’s Wager to meet with Morvin. In a smoky back room they find him; a gaunt, pallid-fleshed man with black stained fingers, a stark contrast to his skin, holding a pipe billowing a gentle smoke. He agrees to assist us with legend lore at the Mysterium.

They head to the library and the spell is first performed in the room with the iron cube. He sees a taint that recently went through here. Tolm worked on the puzzle box and then disappeared. He did not return. There was no vision of Garrick or Brad.

Then gain permission to take Morvin into the Soul to cast legend lore and Elder Lythlin opens the box for them. Morvin sees Tolm meet with the guardian, changed something about him, and steal something from the ceiling. He left via some kind of magic. The taint that is with him is quick acting, Morvin’s never seen anything like it before.

Bellum, Custodia 16th, 1194

Ty’s oblivion meditation is successful and a return to Xhal’ith‘s shrine will reveal more.

Through commune, Sigmund learns Gilarabrywn are constructs, immune to fire, and have supernatural, but not spell-like, abilities.

We teleport back to Ironwald Downs. the swords that we commissioned will be ready in three days.

Sigmund and Ty visit Mikhail and fill him in about Tolm’s break-in at the Mysterium. We ask him if he’s heard of the book that Tolm stole, the Keening Runes of the Architect Kings. He’s heard a little bit about it; one thing that it has to do with is bridging gaps between emptiness.

Sigmund asks about his confirmed patron, Ilythia. He doesn’t know much, but will look into it. There is supposed to be some worshipers in the city.

On the topic of Xhal’ith, Mikhail has similar advice as the Madri Gallant had—he advises against any contracts.

Ty and Mikhail then chat about Investigator Vale and Mikhail directs Ty to a book club in town.

Sigmund then gathers information on the Ilythia worshipers in town and Ty tags along. He gets a lead on a fortune telling lady known as the Dreamer, who works out of a place called the Rivenspire. Her building has very strange architecture and looks very unstable. She introduces herself as Aurelia and welcomes us.

Sigmund asks about strengthening the bond to his deity and she suggests burning dream lotus incense and reciting lullabies before sleeping. There is also seam-speaking, a kind of meditation that bridges the gap between the dream realm and the waking world.

Ishtar visits the temple of Namas and speaks with Morvathe. Ishtar is interested in his past, from before he was reincarnated as an infant. Morvathe will find him a spiritual advisor to commune on his behalf.

March 22nd, 2025

Mare, Custodia 13th, 1194 (Continued)

We sleep in the sphere room.

Terra, Custodia 14th, 1194

According to Sigmund’s commune, Brad is not Tolm.

Ralzer and Graynor do not get a good rest and are still shroomy. Both of them had different dreams about Kaajh’Kaalbh. Sigmund tries break enchantment, but it doesn’t work. Remove curse is then tried, which does work.

We head back to the third basement and find the body of another elder that Thyrr described. It looks like he was killed by the oozes.

One small room has several axiomites that attack us, while in another we find what we think is another haunt, so we leave it alone.

We check out the room next door and find four clockwork mages and one of the angel statues. We engage, and during this combat, two aerial servants also engage us.

March 15th, 2024

Mare, Custodia 13th, 1194 (Continued)

We spend ten minutes clearing out the rubble from the room that the spawn messed up, and then Ralzer directs Sigmund on how to use wall of stone to support the ceiling and keep it from collapsing.

While exploring, we trigger another haunt that creates images of fungus and whispers the name Kaajh’Kaalbh. It alters Graynor’s and Ralzer’s physiology to that of a plant; both have small mushrooms imbedded in their skin.

We visit the other barricaded area, knock on the door and are calmly told that the door is open. Within is a ruined alchemist lab with blood circles on the floor and books tossed about. The man inside is a scholar named Brad. He radiates an overwhelming aura of evil. There is one dead guy in here, Brad says that he had to kill him after it looked as if something was being summoned through him.

Brad says that he saw the dead guy traveling with Tolm. The corpse does have a Vallyn map on him; Vallyn was the missing region of the similar maps that we saw at Tolm’s underdark manor. He also had, what looks like to be, a key to the front door of Tolm’s manor.

We cast speak with dead on the body, Brad suggests asking his name.

What is your name? — Garrick Renfrow.

Did you come with anyone else besides Tolm? — No.

What was Tolm after? — I don’t know.

What is Tolm’s ultimate goal? — To imprison a god.

Is that god Kaajh’Kaalbh? — Yes.

Sigmund felt something a little off with all of the answers, except for the one about his name.

Ishtar bluntly asks what Brad is before we leave and he merely states that he is an extraplanar traveler.

As we leave the room, Ishtar and Ty feel something probe their minds and abscond with a memory or anxiety that they never knew they had.

We then activate the angel heads and go down to the next level. This level is protect with Guards and Wards, as warned by Thyrr. The dense fog makes it difficult to see, Thyrr also believes there will be suggestion effects, as well as possible others.

After a short discussion about what to do with the fog, we encounter a dread wraith and Sigmund dispels the fog. Afterwards, we need spend time restoring the drain that was done by the wraith. Restoration does not remove the plant effect on Graynor and Ralzer.

Going back down, we encounter more of those nasty slug-oozes; one of them being larger. After that fight, we decide we’ll have to take a longer rest, so we head back to the first floor.

On the first floor, more hounds of tindalos assault us. We kill them and then break the mirror that was supposed to summon axiomites.

March 9th, 2025

Vita, Custodia 12th, 1194 (Continued)

The whole party visits Elder Thyrr about the rescue mission. We find out that we won’t be able to leave until we deactivate the defenses. In the Soul is an angel with empty eyes—this is where we must insert our fingers to reset the defenses. Tolm may still be in there, but it’s possible that he got out before everything went online.

The guardian is responsible for the defenses in this situation, where the Soul is breached, the most dangerous zone. One of the possible contingencies is for the guardian to destroy everything, as a final precaution. We don’t know if this was triggered. The guardian is an exscinder archon; they’re lawful good, have DR/evil and are close combatants. There are also the following defenses:

• • A mirror that will summon axiomites, lawful neutral outsiders that can summon zalakut inevitables.
  • Soulbound shells, constructs that blend in as statues, cast spells, and have DR/adamant.
  • Clockwork mages, constructs that cast spells from a pre-determined school of magic, with DR/adamant.

There will be angel statues on each floor; we have to swivel their heads in specific directions (towards the wall that they are facing away from) to go farther. This is like the note that we found in Tolm’s underdark manor.

She gives us a key to unlock the Mysterium and will alert the guards to our mission.

We take the rest of the day to prepare for our rescue mission and commission two Ildan swords from the Temple of Salvation.

Mare, Custodia 13th, 1194

We head into the Mysterium and find dead bodies strewn about. We trigger a haunt in a classroom; Elder Thyrr did warn that strange things happened the last time that the defenses were triggered about 100 years ago.

We encounter some hounds of tindalos, evil outsiders that hunt people who transgress against time and space. These should not be here, maybe they were tracking Tolm and got stuck.

We manipulate the angel heads as we were instructed to reveal a descending staircase.

Below we encounter some smaller shoggoths, oozes that spread a nasty parasite. These, too, should not be here.

We find some crazed guards that barricaded themselves in a room. Sigmund calms them down, but they won’t leave the room; which is probably for the best. We give them some water. One of them does recognize Tolm as visiting. They will stay here until we secure the area.

In another room, we find a spawn of the Dark Tapestry, like what we fought in Crestfall. We aren’t sure how this got here either. Did Tolm bring all of this with him somehow or summon it?

March 1st, 2025

Iustitia, Custodia 10th, 1194 (Continued)

We visit Tolm’s manor. Ishtar scouts it as a bird and spots human servants inside. We then discuss various plans: delivering the portrait as a ruse to gain entry, staking out the building to gain more info, and checking out possible sewer access.

Ishtar and Ty stake out the manor during the night. On Ty’s shift, Ishtar looks for sewer entrances as an earth elemental. There is no sewer, or other, entrances to the basement of the manor.

Mors, Custodia 11th, 1194

Sigmund uses locate gate around the area of the manor, to detect any teleportation circles, but finds nothing. Ty gets a floor plan of the manor by going ethereal, finding nothing alarming.

Sigmund then gathers some information and confirms that the servants leave to pick up supplies rather than have them delivered. We settle on Sigmund and Graynor visiting the house and trying to get information by talking to a servant. They confirm that he left for Vallyn 4 days ago.

We then purchase the spellcasting services of teleportation from the Magic Circle to get to Vallyn. During the teleportation effect, Ralzer again feels like someone was probing his mind, albeit unsuccessfully.

We arrive in Vallyn. Ty goes to the Mysterium to watch the entrance while ready; it’s currently closed to the public. Sigmund and Graynor gather information on Tolm and both hear absolutely nothing. Ralzer checks out the magical markets and doesn’t find anything of note. Ishtar visits the local druid’s grove and hears rumors of a halcyon druid that went bad in the northern forests.

Sigmund casts commune to get some bearing on our situation; the answers take longer than normal to receive.

Is (a) Tolm in Vallyn? — No.

Are there multi-Tolms? — Yes.

Are they all working together?— No.

Are there multi-Tolms on this plane? — Yes.

Are they parallel versions from another dimension? — Yes.

Is the Tolm that made the Gilarabrywn still alive? — Yes.

Did Tolm sacrifice Ildan to make the Gilarabrywn? — Yes.

Is the Magic Circle investigating Ralzer? — No.

Is the Raven Queen holding the storms as bay? — Unclear.

Is the Raven Queen real? — Yes.

Is Avara Sigmund’s patron deity? — No.

Is it possible for Ishtar to return to his original time? — Yes.

Are the sky pillars related to Kaajh’Kaalbh? — Yes.

We then go to the park to test of Ralzer casting dimension door will trigger that strange sensation of being watched. Ralzer comes back catatonic—he did not resist so that we can test in a controlled environment, per Ishtar’s advice. Meanwhile, Ralzer sees the starry sky shatter and a meteor drop from the sky into a desert, pulsating energy. He feels something off him great power, which he is willing to accept. Next, he’s on a precipice looking at a world he knows is his. There are some figures bowing in reverence, while others are fleeing. Then, another scene is a figure with burning eyes stating, “I was the first, you are the last.” He comes out of his catatonia about 10 minutes later.

He then casts dimension door again, to test. He is, again, catatonic. He receives more strange imagery, different from before. A voice asks him, “Which path do you walk and which path walks you?” Then, there is a river showing many different reflections of himself, a garden full of “breathing” flora, and a tree with a black staircase at it’s base. Finally, he has a sensation of being sculpted, like clay, by many hands and hears, “We have been sculpting you, and now you are nearly finished.” These visions have him more like an observer than a participant.

The testing indicates that arcane forms of teleportation trigger this effect. Transport via plants from Ishtar and plane shift from Ziggs, both divine teleportation effects, were safe. The teleportation circle from the Magic Circle and Ralzer’s own dimension door, both arcane, were not safe. We may want to tell Archmage Sandoval about this.

We discuss our plans and thoughts on the current events and Ishtar tries to scry on Tolm, which doesn’t work.

Vita, Custodia 12th, 1194

Ty and Ishtar visit the Mysterium, which is still closed. The guards direct them to Elder Thyrr. She confirms that Tolm was in town; he triggered the Myterium’s defenses and she thinks that he stole something. They keep dangerous magic items here, she thinks that he stole “The Keening Runes of the Architect Kings”. It’s a book bound in obsidian and contains blueprints for anchors to attract outer gods. There are still some people trapped inside by the defenses and she would appreciate it if we could rescue them.

Sigmund and Graynor gather more information. Rumor is that some thieves broke into the Mysterium and triggered the defenses. Now the guards are trying to keep something in rather than keep others out.

February 16th, 2025

Mare, Custodia 6th, 1194 (Continued)

We perform a thorough search of the area; there are no magic auras. The altar here bears the holy symbol of Xhal’ith. The whispering gets louder as we approach it and we feel as if it is drawing us closer. Each of us hears something.

• Ralzer: Far to the north, a realm beset by endless winter has a secret pact with a mysterious figure known as the Raven Queen. Sacrifices of rare black feathers keep the blizzards at bay. Lately, the feathers have grown scarcer, and storms loom.
• Ishtar: Scattered across the land are seven ancient wells, each known for a distinct harmonic hum. When played in unison they generate a resonance that can resurrect a legendary hero… or a forgotten evil.
• Ty: A lone figure drifts among the stars, forging cosmic chains from stardust. Should these chains ever be broken, the constellations would unravel—and with them, the fate of the mortal realm.
• Sigmund: A half-buried ballad etched onto broken tablets claims a queen once ruled in silence. Her voice, if heard, would command the very tides. Now only fragments of her lullaby remain, locked behind wards of unbreakable stone.
• Graynor: Buried under shifting desert sands, an arcane library’s doors are guarded by monstrous shadows that feed on words. Anyone entering must sacrifice a cherished memory to pass safely—those who refuse have their minds devoured by the hungry shade-librarians.

Ishtar goes subterranean via elemental form and searches. There are a lot more bones buried here, dumped like a mass grave. The three dug up spots don’t appear to be different. Maybe whomever did it was looking for an item buried with the bodies.

When Ty goes ethereal, the altar looks much different—like a monolith of impossible geometry with pulsating fungus. At the top is a black halo that draws in black energy. It speaks to Ty and offers her a deal, “Unshackle your mind from safety. Let the creeping horror nest in your thoughts, and in return, I shall whisper truths mortal ears are not meant to hear.” Ty says she’s not interested in horror’s nesting in her mind, then receives a counter offer, “Bask in the stillness of oblivion for one turn of the moon. Close your mouth, your eyes, your mind—and let nothing break your vigil. Then you shall be worthy of my counsel.”

We then leave and begin our plant travel back to Ironwald Downs.

Terra, Custodia 7th, 1194

Ralzer visits his contact about the gilarabrywn and the shopkeeper takes his “payment”. A gilarabrywn has a unique resonance that can be unraveled when the weapon that was used in its creation is struck there. He offers to find specific information on the gilarabrywn. Ralzer tells him that Tolm made it and and sacrificed his assistance, Ildan. For his assistance he requires information as payment and Ralzer says that he will consider this.

Ty visits Graynor at the Temple of Salvation for guidance about Xhal’ith. They meet with Gallant Malik Du Pompadour, who advises that any pact should be very straight forward. Such an agreement could place a dark taint on one’s soul, but such things could be worth the cost.

We discuss our plans and first decide to obtain a write from the Empyrean Council to facilitate access to the Obsidian Library. Advocate Greatbear will work on this for us.

Forte, Custodia 8th, 1194

Graynor and Ty visit the Temple of Salvation about finding Tolm. They suggest that we keep scrying and to find an associate in Jasper.

They then go visit Lairn to ask about the Mysterium. It’s a library in Vallyn, AKA the Hakkar Minair. It’s very old, founded around the same time as the city, and is controlled by worshipers of Adira.

Ishtar visits the Assembly of the Four Corners to ask about the severe storms in the north and the Raven Queen. His contact there, Morvathe, hasn’t heard anything like that, but sounds like it could be fey. There is an alleged fey gate west of Short Rock Pass, where we fought those hell hounds. Ishtar tries scrying on “Tolm” a couple of times with no luck.

Bellum, Custodia 9th, 1194

We transport via plants a few times to get to Jasper. We plan our research topics (gilarabrywn, the storms, Wells of Knowledge, the city that cannot be found, and the Empyrean Council) and then head to the Courts of Inequity to pick up our writ.

A priest of Hastur, Administrator Croft, delivers the writ of access and informs us that he is sponsoring our access to the Obsidian Library. The Courts of Inequity enlisted their assistance in obtaining this writ on our behalf.

Through an art dealer, we get directions to the artist Marian Dumont, who painted the Tolm portrait. He remembers the portrait of Mr. Barolo, as he refers to him. Tolm is a nobleman in town, he thinks. He painted the portrait about a year ago, which took four days, and Tolm stayed at the Gilded Ledger. Tolm was very interested in getting his eyes right. He said, “A man’s eyes see the truth of what he is, in every reality.” Tolm paid him in rare uncut gemstones. The appraiser could not tell from which region they originated, which is strange.

We then head to the Gilded Ledger. We confirm that Tolm stayed here for a week about 13 months ago.

Ty visits the local Blackstone Monastery for advice on oblivion meditation.

Sigmund gathers information on Tolm in Jasper and discovers that he is indeed a minor noble, but not much else is known. We find a local address.

Iustitia, Custodia 10th, 1194

We take our visit to the Obsidian Library. We get confirmation that a different weapon, with the correct name on it, can unravel the note on the gilarabrywn. The person wielding it must aim for a specific spot to do this and someone more attuned to arcane casting may be more accurate with locating it.

We find some descriptions on the severe storms carrying shards of other realms in them. There is nothing about the Raven Queen or a ritual, but there are a few theories.

The Ancient Ward Theory is that there was an old civilization that created wards that once contained these storms. The Grand Incinerator is Namas’ link to the storms; the fire and water sects each have different stories that reference the storms.

There is prophecy called the Frozen Temple Prophecy from Seer Aldhira, Priestess of the Ice Veil:

When the frozen stars return to the sky and the riftwinds howl in chorus, the planes shall bleed again. The walls are thin. The hunger is great. The Grand Storm shall awaken, and the world will know the cold touch of its forgotten king.

We don’t find anything about activating all seven of the Wells of Knowledge or the City that Cannot be Found.

We find out that the dragons on the Empyrean Council my be entering in pacts with mortals to impart magical powers unto them.

We then plan our “visit” to the Barolo manor.

January 18th, 2025

Vita, Custodia 5th, 1194 (Continued)

We still haven’t found an area where the gilarabrywn could have been staying or created; Tolm’s manor didn’t show clear evidence of that, and Kyzvyn never saw anything like that in his area. So, we head towards the fungal forest.

Graynor and Luna feel that strange mind effect linger upon entering and, we all hear faint whispers. As we walk, we have a sensation of being watched. The whispers say specific things to each of us, trying to sow discord and fear. Whatever it is, it seems to know personal information about us that we’ve never shared.

Graynor gets tired quickly afterwards and Ralzer uses secure shelter to set up camp.

Mare, Custodia 6th, 1194

We each experience a unique, unsettling dream. An emaciated humanoid comes up to the window and warns us to “give tribute to the Whispering Dark”; that is an alias of Xhal’ith.

Ralzer’s contact from the Umbral Bazzar tells him via sending that he has information on the gilarabrywn and can only tell him in person.

We follow the tracks of this undead creature, and it leads to a dais with runes and pulsating fungus. It looks like some digging has been done in this area as well. On top of this structure is a rolling mass of black fungus; Sigmund thinks it could be an extraplanar plant.

As we approach, the whispers get louder and more clear, with each of us hearing something unique.

Ralzer hears, “A king’s true heir holds fiendish lineage, born from a demon’s bargain two generations past. The royal line teeters on corruption, bound by an ancient promise never fulfilled.”

Ishtar hears, “Deep beneath the labyrinth of shadows, a sealed chamber houses a library of tomes transcribed by chained scribes. Within lies knowledge so potent it unravels the minds of those who read it.”

Graynor hears, “A reverend saint from ages past never truly died; entombed alive by zealots who feared his revelations, he still breathes in a dark crypt, guarded by illusions.”

Sigmund hears, “Each moon, an entire city vanishes from memory, its inhabitants sinking into the shadows. All maps shift to obscure its location; only one who bears the mark of Xhal’ith can rediscover it.” He also hears, “An ancient workshop built by lost artisans molds memories like clay. All who emerge from it recall entirely new origins—and soon become pawns of the shrine’s designs.”

Ty hears, “A prophecy throughout the land was recorded in reverse. Its true meaning forecasts calamity for the very heroes meant to save the realm.” She also hears, “One of the pantheon is a hollow shell, its divinity siphoned by Xhal’ith’s cult. The deity continues to grant minor boons, but only as a tool to lure followers deeper into shadow.”

During the battle with this fungal creature, three much tougher shadows appear, and then a mnemodemon shows up. Mnemodemons collect and steal memories. It tries to tempt us with knowledge of the gilarabrywn. When it dies, shadows pull it under.

After the battle, we still hear the whispers.