The Keys of Telku / The Final Key pt. 17 / Kith the 30th, 3593 CE / 8-7-22

The Adventurers have invaded Castle Eichon for the second time in a week. They seek to aid their allies, House Dracus and the Amita K'un, in ending the Vendetta between House Eichon and House Dracus by delivering a crushing blow to their enemies. The Adventurers hope that with the Vendetta ended, they can press House Dracus for aid in their own quest to stop Tarrus the One-Eyed from collecting the last Key of Telku and opening a gate to the Realm of Chaos. Having fought their way in to Castle Eichon through the sub-basement, they and their Amita K'un allies now battle a squad of House Eichon guards on the castle's upper level. Stele has discovered what the guards are protecting, Lady Narya, the current Head of House Eichon. Rados has cast a spell which sends a haunting mist through the battle, unnerving many of the guards. Capturing one terrified soldier with John's help, he interrogates the man and learns that Mako and the rest of the Bloodguard left the palace prior to the party's arrival. The rest of the guards are cut down until only two remain, taken prisoner with Lady Narya. Moss presses the Head of House Eichon to end the Vendetta in exchange for her life, and she agrees. As the party prepares to haul their prisoners back to Castle Dracus, they see that the force of Amita K'un ninjas have done their work with deadly efficiency: all remaining guards and servants have been slain. Back on the streets of Pandona, the party notices that the crowd of revelers from the Night of Masques has thinned and seems more subdued. Wary of an ambush, Moss gives Adrienne a potion to make her grow larger, allowing her to cut a path through the crowd, but soon the true reason for the Pandonan's uneasiness becomes apparent as the Adventurers detect the scent of smoke and the flicker of flames: Castle Dracus is ablaze! Rados takes to the air to hurry to the site of the inferno as the others continue to push their way through the crowd. At Castle Dracus, Rados sees his hopes for aid in his quest to liberate his own city of Niopus going up in smoke, and he prays to his patron, Mother Matina, for aid. The mysterious goddess answers his call, but he can sense that he is beginning to test his patron's patience, as a heavy rain begins falling from the sky, drenching the city and dampening the flames from the burning castle. Rados lands in time to see First and his Amita K'un push through the crowd and into the still burning building in search of their master. A few minutes after that, the rest of the party arrives. Night had been ordered to guard the prisoners, but at the sight of the burning husk of her home and the thought of her lord being dead within, she threatens to kill Lady Narya on the spot until Moss calms her down, reminding her that the Overlord and others may have escaped using the Path of Falling Leaves. Night decides to investigate the Amita K'un's secret safehouse in Pandona, but refuses to divulge the location to Lady Narya and her fellow prisoners, instead entrusting it only to Adrienne. Moss convinces the party that for the moment, Castle Eichon is probably the safest place for them to lay low. Rados will stay behind and wait for Night's return from the safehouse. As Moss and the rest of the party depart with the now disguised prisoners still in tow, Rados sits on a rooftop observing the burning wreckage. After a while, he sees a procession of lords, their identities difficult to discern through the dark and rain. Their armed guards, whom Rados recognizes as bearing the standard of House Oberion, move quickly to kill looters and guard the entrance to the wreckage of Castle Dracus. One of the lords announces that Castle Dracus is private property under the protection of the Temporal Council before the procession moves off. Rados also observes a shape which could be First or one of his fellow Amita K'un appear briefly in the doorway to the castle, but the figure moves back to hide from the guards before Rados can get a closer look. After sufficient time has passed and Night has not reappeared, Rados follows his fellow Adventurers to Castle Eichon. Meanwhile, Moss and the other Adventurers have found Castle Eichon just as they left it, a tomb occupied by nothing but corpses. The party moves quickly to secure the main entrances and exits and Stele does a scan for possible undead but finds nothing. Then Adrienne remembers the secret entrance to the sewers in the castle's crypts that the party used to escape Castle Eichon after their first foray there. The party decides that they should investigate the crypts, and perhaps even attempt to locate and slay any remaining vampires, but not before Stele asks the party to assemble for a meeting in the library. Joined by Rados, who flew in through an upper story window, the party listens as Stele discusses the possibility of a traitor in their midst who has been revealing their plans to their enemies and proposes that he cast a truth spell to dispel any doubts the party may have about each other. All assembled agree to the plan and begin to formulate the questions they may each have for one another as Stele prepares to cast the spell.