The Age of Worms/ The Spire of Long Shadows pt. 1 / Kahn the 12th through the 29th, 3593 CE / 7-16-23

Three days after being sequestered at the Temple of Vespera in Liem, the remaining members of Not By Choice are presented on the steps of the temple by the High Council of Liem before an assembled crowd of Liemites in order to laud their efforts in "aiding Tarrus" in destroying the Chaos Gate. Erikorr and the other council members describe how Tarrus valiantly gave his life to stop the influx of demons and that the Adventurers presented (Lulu, Nari, Rados, Taavi, Idra, and Jozu) are heroes of Liem and Anoria. With their cover story in place, it once more becomes safe for the Adventurers to roam the streets of Liem as they gather supplies and prepare for their journey to the distant town of Magepoint, where they will seek out the arch-mage Manzorian at the behest of their dead friend Allustan Neff. While in Liem, Lulu seeks guidance from priests of Vespera regarding the origins of her own patron, Vexna. Her inquiries gain the attention of the High Priestess herself, who holds a private audience with the oracle. Though it leads to more questions than answers, Lulu does learn that in fact, Vexna and Vespera were indeed sisters and may have once even been mortal. After recovering the wagon which Nari had commissioned many months ago, the party sets out, making additional time by combining Nari's ability to fly her wagon during the day with Rados's spell to create a magical land-based wagon by night. However, as they make their way across Corwyn, storm clouds gather, forcing Nari's wagon from the sky to avoid a disastrous lightning strike. Rados uses a spell to communicate with some local crows to learn that their is a structure nearby which might serve them as shelter from the storm. Following the crows' directions, the party reaches a graveyard and dilapidated church of Vespera which appears to have seen little use for years. Howver it gets them out of the rain, and as the party investigates, Rados comes across a mysterious box covered in runes. Before he can investigate further, a lightning strike reveals the presence of horrible silhouettes standing within the doorway of the old church. They are devils by the name of Lyrisilak and Imaxian, and they have come to negotiate for the Rod of Law fragment currently in Lulu's possession. However, Rados's hot-headedness and Lulu's stubbornness lead to a foregone conclusion, and a fight with the devils breaks out.