The Age of Worms/ The Spire of Long Shadows pt. 4 / Bris the 3rd through the 27th, 3593 CE / 8-13-23

On the third day since Not By Choice arrived in Strafferg, Nari returns to the city after a brief visit to her home village of Four Trails, and heads to the Temple of Thurn, where her companion Idra Brisby has been kept ever since the party learned she might be possessed by an evil spirit known as a dybbuk. The priest of Thurn in Strafferg, Father Kwinn, had offered to conduct an exorcsim ritual, but as Nari enters the temple via the side door, she quickly deduces that something has gone horribly wrong. Kwinn is dead, impaled by the massive ceremonial spear which is normally mounted above the altar to Thurn. Rushing to find her friend, Nari locates the unconscious Idra lying on the floor of the cell where Kwinn had been keeping her. The mystical box which had previously contained the dybbuk is nowhere to be found. Nari rushes Idra back to the Silver Mirror Inn where the party has booked rooms so that Lulu can examine her, but other than being unconscious, Idra shows no signs of exterior injuries. Lulu and Taavi return with Nari to the Temple of Thurn to investigate further, but other than evidence that a strong blast of air blew out all the candles and some strange scratch marks on the floor, they can find so sign of the dybbuk or its box. Lulu alerts a guardsman to the death of the priest, and then they return to the inn to watch over Idra and await Rados's release from the confines of the Merchant's Hall. The next morning Idra awakes and recounts that she lost consciousness during the exorcism, but that just before she did, she thought she saw another figure in the room with Father Kwinn. Lulu concludes that the dybbuk either escaped or entered another being, and either way, it is no longer Not By Choice's problem. Four days later, Rados completes his commission for the Marquis Alphonse Duphain and returns to the inn. Learning the fate of Idra, he uses his magic to scan the city for the whereabouts of the dybbuk, but only learns that the dybbuk box has been sold to a curio collector. The next morning the party leaves the city in Nari's flying wagon and begins their long journey through the air to Magepoint. Along the way they stop off in Artolan for supplies, where Rados goes searching for a cyclops head for his arcane crafting purposes, acquiring one from a young man named Bean who once travelled with Adrienne Kirk's party on her last journey to Magepoint. 12 days later, after soaring over vast expanses of tundra, the party finally reaches the village of Magepoint, located in an unusually temperate stretch of grassy hills. Not By Choice immediately feels the welcoming nature of the pleasant idyllic town, especially as it seems Manzorian the Archmage is already expecting them. They are greeted at the local inn by a familiar face, Celeste, agent of Eligos the Sage. After relaying the sad news that Allustan's colleague is now also dead, Not by Choice is introduced to Manzorian's associate, Cymria of Celadon, who listens intently to their stories of the Age of Worms as well as the possible threat of Rados's home of Niopus. Cymria agrees that a meeting with Manzorian is in order, but regrets to inform the party that he is once more away on an adventure, and they are welcome to enjoy Magepoint's hospitality in the meantime.