Session 139

Following the ominous shadowed figure up the stairs to the second floor, the group was treated to another scene playing out around them. They saw Adamar and the unknown woman walking along down a road and shouts in the distance. Adamar seemed worried and pulled the woman into an alleyway and conjured an image of some crates to hide behind. As a large mob of Humans passed by the alleyway, Adamar stumbled and the image flickered just long enough for a passing Human to notice. The Human, who was none other than Quinn, whom Adamar had taken the form of while traveling with Evaryan and the rest of the group to confront Andozar the first time. A sinister smile flickered across his face as he called for several other Humans, who proceeded to drag Adamar and the woman out into the open and begin beating them senseless. The vision faded to black, and again the group witnessed a shadowy figure ascending the stairs. Following the figure, they came to the third floor, where a final scene played out. The group witnessed Adamar under cover of darkness using his illusions to distract an Enforcer and lure him elsewhere so that he could sneak into the Human quarter, where he made his way to an infirmary with a number of Humans clearly sick with the Grave Rot Plague, which Summer and Merrick were all too familiar with. Adamar lingered above an unconscious Human far along in the sickness for a moment before hoisting his body onto his shoulders and making his way out of the building. The vision faded to black, and the darkness receded, with footsteps sounding from the stairs to the top floor. The group pressed on and made their way to the final floor, where they saw a shadowed figure sitting in a dark throne across from them. As the light moved across the room and fell upon the figure, they could see Adamar with a placid expression.

Adamar spoke after a moment of tense silence, saying that it had been three hundred long years now since his wife Ranyth's death. Adamar explained that it was not the riots that made him hate the Humans, and that they were wrong to try to contain them as the plague had shown no signs of spreading to the Letheni; explaining that it was a Flowborne disease, meaning it infected one's animate Flow, and spread only to Humans. He went into detail describing the gaps in the scenes they had witnessed, telling the players how Quinn and his companions had tortured Ranyth in front of him, stabbing her more times than he had been able to count; shallow stabs not meant to kill, but to torture. Adamar wasn't nearly strong enough to stop them and could only watch as Quinn grew bored and finished the job by drawing his dagger across her throat. The group then beat Adamar to within an inch of his life, and he blacked out, waking in an infirmary a week later. Adamar immediately set to hunting down every last person involved, making sure to make each one of them suffer; all except Quinn. For Quinn, he snuck into the quarantine area and took the unconscious body of a Human too far gone for medicine to do anything, and brought the unconscious man to Quinn's home at night while he slept, laying the Human next to him in bed. He explained that the plague needed only for an infected person to be within a few feet of another Human in order to spread, and that when Quinn woke in the morning, he was terrified and attacked Adamar, who cackled madly as Quinn beat him futilely, knowing he was already a dead man. Adamar said that he had had his vengeance centuries ago, but that when something like that happens, the anger never truly leaves you, and it kills any sense of goodness in you. He said that when he stole Lod'exenter, he had fully intended to hide and wait for it to recharge, to use it to finish off the Humans; but with some time to stop and think about recent events, he realized it felt hollow -- that he finally had the means to achieve his goals and felt no sense of satisfaction from it. He said after they had found Kyran's journals, he finally had another target to direct his rage at, and after the party had discovered Andozar's journals, he realized how similar their stories were, and that given enough time he would become just like him. He asked the group if one's actions irrevocably defined their fate, or if the Seven cared only for the measure of a man the day he went to his grave. Summer appealed to her grandfather first, expressing sympathy for what he had been through and saying that she had been very young when the plague broke out, but she had seen the same riots he had, having been in Eldham at the time. Skinner said that it was never too late to change, and Dain agreed, putting aside his anger about Adamar's past actions towards them and suggesting that Adamar work to try to dispel the anomaly that had formed over the remains of Mythwell, and to help rebuild the Sorcerer's Cabal, saying that it wouldn't undo the pain he caused, but that it would be a start. Adamar explained the gravity of such a suggestion, and that dispelling an anomaly such as that would require hundreds, possibly over a thousand skilled sorcerers, and that the last time something of that magnitude had even been attempted was when The Rift opened above Arak during the Reckoning period, because it had allowed malevolent spirits to return to Aellorah and wreak havoc. Dain suggested speaking to the Ashenfolk, as their ancient magic was very different than theirs and may have a path that the Cabal had not considered. Adamar commented that the Ashenfolk seemed like good people, and he wished he could just start over somewhere, but that no matter where he went, he felt he never truly belonged, and didn't deserve to. Merrick twisted the knife, reminding him that he didn't deserve to belong, but that it didn't mean that he couldn't try, and that nothing would ever change if he continued his current path.

Changing topics, Adamar mentioned Lod'exenter, saying that he didn't know what to do with it now; that if he still possessed it once it recharged, that he didn't know if he would be able to resist using it. Initially, Merrick suggested casting it into a Wellspring as they had done with the Chronicle of the Dead, as they at least knew that would do the job, which earned him a punch from Skinner, who berated him reminding him how disastrous that had turned out to be. Adamar pointed out that though he was not an expert, he was almost certain that Lod'exenter was a Wellspring anomaly, which meant it would not be destroyed so easily, and that tossing it into a Wellspring could cause a catastrophic explosion. He said that one route would be to simply use the energy for something harmless, or to dispel anomalies, whenever it recharged; but the group pointed out that using it would trigger an immediate Wellspring eruption, as the massive burst of charged Flow would cause a Flow Cascade that would read the nearest Wellspring almost instantly, which Adamar seemed to be aware of but was uncertain how many options they had. Adamar then turned to Dain and asked how it is that the Dwarves had not seen a Wellspring eruption in over 1,000 years, and Dain explained the concept of the Flow Generator without giving away any sensitive information, explaining that they had the ability to passively collect static Flow from the atmosphere faster than it could be produced, leaving the atmosphere in Reshyk totally stagnant. Adamar said that leaving it with the Dwarves wasn't the worst idea, but that he wouldn't trust them with it given their craving for knowledge and constant progression of their technology. Shifting gears again, the group suddenly remembered Icarus and asked what Adamar had done with him, to which Adamar looked confused for a moment before clarifying that he had never actually done anything with Icarus, and that as luck would have it, Icarus had simply packed up and left without word before he arrived, so he took advantage of the situation to goad them. When the party asked about why scrying on him had led to seeing only darkness, he explained that this was a side-effect of protection against divination. The group made the decision to suggest visiting the Ashenfolk in Kantor to ask what they could possibly do, and Summer asked if Adamar would like company; to which he agreed with a weak smile. Adamar offered to teleport the group to Kantor, and they agreed. With that, Adamar opened a passage into Callamus, and the group was pulled through the passage over the landscape at high speed, being ejected at the base of the Basalt Peaks, to the greeting of two confused but nonplussed Ashenfolk guards.

Approaching the cavern entrance to the long tunnel down to Kantor, the group asked for audience with King Thorfin, and the guards ask what their business with the king was. Skinner gave a dodgy non-response, and the guards replied by calling that a suspicious dodge, but shrugged and began leading them down to the city. As they walked through the somewhat familiar streets lit by ethereal lights showing through plates made of mica on street lights, they passed by the Moil Kalvik as it erupted and made their way to the Ska Wylvan. Entering, they were led to the "throne" room where King Thorfin sat upon his plain seat. Seeming to recognize them, King Thorfin greeted them and asked what they needed. The group prodded Adamar, who approached and awkwardly explained their business, asking if they had scholars who would know something about Lod'exenter and how to destroy or contain it. King Thorfin seemed confused and asked why he didn't just go to the Geir Soldan or Karsil Allor to ask the archivist and Runemaster Ormar, which put Adamar off-guard. King Thorfin laughed and explained that they didn't need his permission to come into the city, and they should go speak to the authorities on the matter, but admitted it was good to see visitors again. As the group made their way out of the Ska Wylvan and head towards Karsil Allor, they arrived in the midst of a daily prayer being performed by the Runescribes, as some chanted and intoned, while others slowly beat on large drums. After the service, they began to filter out of the room and Gloin wandered over, doing a double take as he saw Dain, and approached to greet his cousin. After catching up, Dain explained what they were there for, and Gloin led them over to Runemaster Ormar to relay the information they sought. Runemaster Ormar seemed to not have a straight answer and offered to research it for them, and asked them to return the next day, suggesting they explore the Rulir Gelkan nearby, and Gloin told them that they could stay the night at his home. The group made their way to the Rulir Gelkan, the large waterfall providing the city's drinking water, and saw ethereal lights glowing behind it. Following a path up and behind the waterfall, they found a sprawling, but cramped night market with a number of merchants selling goods. Skinner spotted some Ashenfolk playing a game involving using the sides of their feet to kick a ball back and forth between each other without dropping it, and joined it, accidentally kicking the ball into the face of an Ashenfolk, who burst out laughing after a tense moment of silence. Summer accompanied Merrick to translate as he went to the various merchants in search of something unique, finding a jeweler selling accessories made of what he learned was Basalt, a unique material found only above Kantor, which they used for their architecture and jewelry. He decided to buy a ring made of the material, and learned that the Ashenfolk, like the mainland Dwarves, did not use currency, and as they only needed it for trade with the outside, she offered it for only 10 gp. He also spoke to a Filamentor, who explained his services, which Merrick had employed before. Merrick then had a sudden idea and took out the mirrored Flow he had used to reverse the Kamar bond back onto the Deep One, asking the Filamentor about it. The Filamentor grabbed it and immediately dropped it, cursing in Dwarvish and asking what it was. Merrick gave an incomplete answer and asked if the Filamentor could weave it into a cuff for him to wear. The Filamentor seemed hesitant but agreed, retrieving a small loom behind him. He seemed uneasy as he wove the filament into a small glowing cuff, which he gave to Merrick. As Merrick put the cuff on, he discovered that he had a sudden feeling of anxiety, a familiar feeling reminiscent of the times the Deep One had approached him late at night. Elsewhere, Dain explored the market in silence with his cousin for a while before Gloin abruptly apologized for his past actions, and Dain forgave him. Dain decided to ask Gloin about dispelling the anomaly that had formed over Mythwell, and Gloin lamented the city's destruction, saying he had felt happier in the time he spent there than he had ever felt in Stavandyr. Gloin confirmed what Adamar had told them, saying that it required a vast number of talented sorcerers, and that it would be difficult to convince the Dwarves of the Imperium to muster such forces to benefit a distant city that doesn't affect them. Merrick made his way to an out of the way alley, where he set up Leomund's Tiny Hut and became invisible. He then decided to speak to the Deep One, trying to see if the cuff would allow him to communicate with him. Merrick proposed burying the hatchet, but the Deep One was enraged, saying that he would send his agents to find him and rip him apart, saying that he would not be contained and would destroy him. With a sigh, Merrick took off the cuff and stowed it in his bag. The party made their way back to Gloin's home and spent the night.

Returning to Karsil Allor the following day, the group went to speak to Runemaster Ormar, who explained that though Lod'exenter could pull static Flow from even within a stagnant area, Lod'exenter had a "max capacity", and they could theoretically create a closed loop automated enchantment that would wait for Lod'exenter to finish gathering Flow, at which point it would stop, and they could perhaps use one of the mainland Dwarves' Flow Generators to consume the remaining static Flow in the area to make it stagnant, and then trigger a harmless spell through Lod'exenter to clean the containment room, which would serve the dual purpose of preventing degradation of the components within the chamber. The Flow Generator could then vent its Flow Cells and be shut off, and the cycle would repeat. This would prevent a Flow Cascade from triggering an eruption. The group seemed to agree this seemed like a great plan, but Adamar spoke up, saying that it was a powerful artifact, and while knowledge of it was very rare, it was only a matter of time before someone discovered it regardless of where it was. At this point, Merrick piped up saying that he had a solution for that, mentioning that the Deep One could simply erase all knowledge of Lod'exenter's existence. However, they would need to destroy written records of its existence, or it could be discovered again some day. They could easily destroy Kyran's and Andozar's journals, but Merrick recalled that Orick had discovered it long before them, and decided to commune with Orick to ask him about it. Orick seemed to agree that their plan had merit and was well thought-out, but that involving the Deep One was playing with fire. The whole group seemed to be unanimous agreeing that it was a bad idea, with Skinner again slapping Merrick in the head for suggesting it. Skinner mentioned that he was not so easily manipulated as Adamar, earning a look of startled confusion from Adamar. Merrick asked Orick if it was possible for the Deep One to be a benevolent deity, but Orick explained that the Seven Sisters are benevolent because their divine portfolio includes domains which benefit mortals and involve creation, as opposed to the Deep One, who domains were the exact opposite of Aellor's; where Aellor embodied Reality, Fate, and Knowledge -- the Deep One embodied Fantasy, Probability, and Ignorance, among other dark concepts. He concluded by saying that the Deep One was a wild card and should be treated as such. Merrick then asked Orick about how he had discovered Lod'exenter, and Orick explained how he had discovered it in the Ruins of Keogan, where they had fought the Pale Rider and discovered the Chronicle of the Dead years ago. He said that the Dwarves and Ettinor had used Lod'exenter to create the Chronicle of the Dead, but after the Chronicle of the Dead led to the falling out between the two peoples and the destruction of the Blasted Lands, they had abandoned it, fearing its potential. Orick concluded by saying that destroying Andozar and Kyran's notes was a good start, and that they should also torch the archive within the Ruins of Keogan. As the party solidified their plan, they began to choose roles. While Dain would go to Stavandyr to petition King Rangrim for assistance and ask for a Flow Generator and Gloin and Adamar would stay behind to construct a chamber to contain Lod'exenter, the rest of the party would travel to Thalassarion and the Ruins of Keogan to destroy written evidence of Lod'exenter.

As Dain traveled to Stavandyr by boat and train, he gave the Ring of Teleportation to the group and they teleported to Thalassarion. They met some initial resistance from Nalath and the Yakan for wanting to destroy Andozar's notes, but they ultimately realized that knowledge of Lod'exenter meant the potential that their oppressors the *Sithi-nas* could one day discover it and use it against them, and thus agreed to help destroy the notes. Afterward, they teleported to the Ruins of Keogan and without being able to tell which of the delicate books contained knowledge of Lod'exenter, they made the difficult decision to torch the entire archive. Meanwhile, in Stavandyr, Dain walked through the reconstructed palace noting that they were changing the layout and met with King Rangrim, who was glad to see him, and all too glad to help; thankful for Dain's role in liberating him of Maven's influence just a couple years ago. After hearing the situation, King Rangrim agreed to send Dain off to Kantor with parts and plans to build a Flow Generator, saying that while he did not want Runetech leaving Reshyk yet, since Kantor was technically still within Reshyk, it should be fine. With that, Dain made his slow journey back to Kantor, meeting with the rest of the party where Gloin and Adamar had constructed a chamber deep beneath Kantor, with Adamar preparing illusory defenses to turn away any who might one day discover it. They had encased Lod'exenter within a Zegroniten container so that it could not be magically teleported out. They then assembled the Flow Generator, and with the combined efforts of Adamar, Gloin, and Dain, the enchantment loop was created. As Gloin sealed off the chamber for good, making the entrance look like the surrounding rock, there was just one thing left to do... destroying the knowledge of the artifact. Despite the group's protestations, Merrick contacted the Deep One, offering what he considered to be enticing information for the Deep One to consume, but the Deep One saw through the act and refused to "serve" Merrick while he was bound in such a manner. Merrick offered to "loosen" the Deep One's chains, returning 3% of his power to him; but the Deep One was suspicious, asking how he could be certain Merrick would not simply take it back once he got what he wanted. Frustrated, Merrick offered to make an oath, which he was put off by how quickly the Deep One accepted. Merrick swore a formal oath to not take back the power he would grant the Deep One in exchange for destroying the information, and after a moment, a pair of eyes containing vast nebulous clouds and distant plants appeared in the air before him, saying simply "These terms are accepted," before vanishing as a tattoo-like band formed around Merrick's wrist, earning a cackle from the Deep One. Merrick then described Lod'exenter and everything he knew about it to the Deep One, who honored his agreement after Merrick returned his power, and exerted his power, destroying all knowledge of the artifact's existence from the world. As the group forgot what they were doing there, Adamar approached, seeming confused and agitated, not recalling why he was there or why he was working with them, having large gaps in his memory. As Adamar noticed the mark on Merrick's wrist, he chuckled, calling him a fool, and told him to make sure not to break his side of the oath. He then said he thought it was best they parted ways, saying that he may reach out to Tyllaetha to see about working to revitalize the Sorcerer's Cabal.

Returning to Eldham, the group settled in to take a short rest before proceeding to the next chapters of their lives. After re-opening the Dead Goose Inn, Summer decided to renovate the inn and turn it into her own brewery, hoping to explore magical means of speeding up the brewing process. As the group head to the Messy Cushion, they settled in for a drink in the crowded bar, which was slowly returning to its former glory. They listened in on nearby conversations, hearing one table discussing some issues with rogue soldiers from the former Mythwell occupying Avanfiaran to the north, while Cothunor's economy had suffered for the city's destruction and saw criminals from the destroyed city of Geledon migrating there to make a new home, which the struggling dock workers felt they needed to accept. Another table was discussing relief at the fact that they could meet in public again after the horrible Ferroplague that had recently ravaged Arak. However, there was mention of a smith in Baltacanath who had taken the remains of one of the Letheni whom had been transmuted into the material now known as Lethenine, and turned it into a blade, which when used to stab another Letheni, had transmuted them into more of the metal. Finally, one other table made mention that King Rangrim had put out an invite to world leaders to take a tour of Stavandyr, which gave them home that he made be opening Reshyk's borders some day in the near future. The group discussed their plans, and Merrick revealed that he wished to return to his home town of Phenedulon to rest, maybe go on an occasional adventure to monitor for mentions of the Deep One to quash his influence. Skinner then released Dain from his promise to find him Skiantine, the metal his family had died in pursuit of, and said that he planned to return to Kantor to train under Runemaster Ormar before traveling to Marakan to fulfill his promise to Kogano to protect the town. Finally, Dain made the difficult decision to accept his role in what happened in Whitepeak years ago, giving a letter to Summer to give to his father if he did not return within six months, before stating his intent to turn himself in to the authorities. Skinner admired this decision and told him that he would go to Whitepeak with him to speak on his behalf. As the group sat in silence thinking about the future, the door opened and a cloaked woman entered, making her way to Reginard's defunct notice board, posting a quick piece of paper on the empty board, to a curious look from Reginard, who shot a look at the group. As the woman made her way to the exit, the breeze from outdoors blew in, relieving her of her hood, revealing thinning, patchy hair.

THE END