Session 43 - You Carry The Warden Like The Football?!

Uncertain where key ritual ingredients would be, Arkyn begins to vaguely ask Shirina questions. She responds that berries are likely in the kitchen, paint would be in the storeroom... and you'll have to be more specific about that Moonstone? After clarifying, Shirina notes that there is a large Moonstone in the Main Hall, but she'd strongly advise against taking it. As Shirina unlocks the door, Arkyn and Teagan vaguely remember there are "cameras" everywhere; oh well, hopefully that conversation wasn't overheard! They begint to wander the lower level.

Milo begins to move stealthiy from the archives towards the storeroom... and then Cadence makes ye old "clang-clang" and a duo of guards glance over curiously. The guards, however, dismiss the odd behavior and Milo and Cadence duck into the storeroom. Quicky locating the needed paint, Milo and Cadence decide to also grab a whole set of art supplies. They're JUST doing an art project! That's all! With their haul, they are more successful at stealthily ducking into the ritual chamber across the hall.

Yenush and Aiaoue leace the Chamber of Stars for the kitchen. Rather than being stealthy, the duo amicably and loudly discuss their hunger and desire for – I don't know – fresh fruit? Berries? In the kitchen, Yenush is ably to find the berries and, as Aiaoue begins to stream of consciousness discuss possible foods she could make with the available ingredients around her... Yenush fills her pockets with berries. Meanwhile, Arkyn and Teagan discover the joy of stairs... and end up in the Keeper-specific entrance. When they knock on the very locked door, Miss Lucinda answers, a bit perplexed. Teagan insists that he really just needed to wash his hands, muttering "Back in my day, the only people who could talk in your mind... were GODS".

In route to the ritual chamber, Teagan and Arkyn are stopped by 2 guards who note their suspicious movement. Teagan, without hesitation, notes that no one knows how Lunar Madness spreads! I could be through contact! Or through the AIR! Why aren't you wearing MASKS?! One of the guards, who might be new, is suddenly struck with a thought. Is that why the Warden wears a mask all the time? Oh my gosh, we need to wash our hands. For all everyone knows, the Warden engineered Lunar Madness.

Reconvening in the ritual chamber, the group notes the presence of a PERFECT Moonstone and discusses who should fill the roles required. Eventually, Arkyn and Yenush perform the ritual. Praying proves to be a bit difficult for Yenush, but on a second go, the glyph beneath the large Moonstone sparks. Arkyn manages to resist the influence of the berries, while Yenush embraces it – feeling a bit more wild and disorderly than he normally does. Both struggle to paint appropriately, but manage to overcome it with bardic inspiration, guidance, and an inspirational talk from Aiaoue. With their will combine, they forge the Moonstone into a core... but not without a wild burst of magic. Someone clearly took note of that.

And then Yenush's arm throws a fit.

The use of magic to charm, cover evidence, disguise oneself, or to perform a ritual without permit is strictly forbidden.

Quickly, the group manages to sneak into the Chamber of Stars. Yenush is quick to bind the doors closed as Arkyn inserts the Moonstone Core into the telescope. Yenush is able to activate the device... creating a cacophanous noise as it reanimates. Despite the gears seemingly perfectly normal, the telescope seems otherwise locked in place on its current view frame. Looking through the notes, the group finds a book of constellations and, after Yenush takes a second look, a note (written in a NEW language called "Ethereal silver")... perhaps the final message form Kesar'Arrat Enyeto mentioned.

As commotion begins to pick up in the Main Hall outside, the group quickly deciphers the 4 constellations, which activates a set of 4 levers... with controls that seem to connect to something outside, perhaps in the Main Hall. Rereading the message, the group selects the proper stars... and then the doors on the lower level of the Chamber open, revealing The Warden. Well then.

The Warden deflects Yenush's attempts to shoot the cane out of his hand. With a grin, The Warden converts his wolf head cane to a crossbow before his mechanical arm shifts and changes into a grappling hook. He then casts Silence in the chamber, taking up a post in the doorway. Cadence steps out of Silence and goes invisible. Aiaoue gets up a shield of faith before going bird and descending into the forming battle. Arkyn runs right up to the Warden and, unable to cast, gets his innate sorcerery up. Teagan lands a few strikes on the Warden, but is unable to break his concentration. Something attempts to teleport Teagan, but he resists... initially. One moment Teagan is in combat... the next he's in a cell.

With one of his nuisances gone, The Warden's focus remains on Arkyn. Milo Dispels the silence and gets off a howl. Aiaoue, with an expert maneuver, slings Arkyn onto her back, grabs the Warden, and barrels out into the Main Hall. The guards are so caught off guard, they make little attempt to stop her. Freed of silence, Arkyn goes to cast, only to find that the Warden is not about to let that happen. He continues to smile his eerie blue grin. Yenush runs after the Warden and manages to both find the key and swipe it off the Warden. Then, as the Warden goes to shoot Arkyn with his cannon arm, Yenush decides to fist the arm cannon and is able to take the shot instead of Arkyn. Meanwhile, Teagan rips the cell door off his hinges and asks Shirina to open the door... who does, insanely confused.

Cadence and Milo are left to deal with the guards as Aiaoue charges towards the Tower Door, but not before throwing the Warden in timeout in the Chamber of Sorrows. Upon arriving at the Tower Door... the key hole is blurry and distorted, warped by their sorrows. The trio debate who should make the run into the Chamber of Sorrows... as the Warden appears once more, seemingly even more happy than he was before. Milo, from a corner of the Chamber of Stars, gets off a Calm Emotion, taking their sorrows upon himself... allowing Arkyn to slip the key into the door. Milo realizes that... he is not fine.

As the Tower Door begins to open, the hallucination fades and the Main Hall returns to ruins. Beyond the door, a spectral wolf waits and watches... as the group decides to take a nappy-nap.

Ascending the Silver Spire

  After their nap, Arkyn changes the contents of the group chat. Vendetta has joined the chat; he begins to spam emojis. Beyond the door, the spectral wolf sits between a set of stairs to the left and another to the right. So where's the coffin? Teagan would like to do the opposite of that. Choosing the left staircase, the stairs seem to exert their will. Aiaoue deceives her way up the stairs while Milo just trudges forth. He's really done with all of this. And they find another pair of staircases at the top. Left again, the stairs here begin to shift and change. Yenush has no issue nimbly jumping around. Milo is just too tired to care and goes forth. And there is yet another pair of staircases at the top and the group goes left again. Befuddling the mind, the group – with great effort and help – is able to make it to the top through cunning and Investi-lethics.
  Arriving in a chamber with seemingly no floor. Yenush starts to chuck gears out into the space... and ifnds they all plummet to their mechanical death. Arkyn takes a step off the left of the platform and remains standing on an invisible floor. With that, Arkyn and Yenush are easily able to discern the path across the entire chamber.
  After another set of stairs, the group ends up in a sealed 10-walled chamber, each set with a silver-framed mirror. Upon approaching 9 of the 10 mirrors, the glass surface ripples... and permits an individual to pass through. After exploring all of the options (and removing Arkyn's accumulated 2 stages of Lunar Madness), the group is able to systematically find the correct order and, upon doing so, the 10th mirror simply fades, revealing an archway... and another set of stairs.
  At the top of the Spire, a simple room waits with a door visible through peeling paint. Iridescent bubbles drift from the floor, slam into the door, distort and then pop. A single pillar supports the ceiling and features the limp and lifeless body of Kesar'Arrat being crushed beneath the pillar he supports. Milo approaches the statue. He's not sure how Kesar'Arrat did it. He's carried some burdens for a few hours and it's worn him down. Arkyn on the other hand, is still just mad. Teagan notes that everything is complicated and Aiaoue emphasizes that after this, he'll be able to touch and hug Sayah again! She offers Arkyn an improvised hug with her shawl. Arkyn firmly believes the Kesar'Arrat chose the easy path, abandoned his people, and didn't do enough to find an alternate solution for saving his sister. And he deprived Arkyn of his own sister when he sought comfort. He needs to save Nefeli.

     

The Origin of the Silver Path

  Beyond the door lies a large chamber with a domed ceiling painted to resemble a starry sky. A body rests in the center of the room, surrounded by pristine statues of silver wolves, defaced statues of Keepers, and 2 large statues of Kesar'Arrat holding flickering Moonstones. Upon entering, the group spreads out with Arkyn approaching the wolves, Teagan moving forward, and the others spreading out up and around the chamber. Yenush eyes The Warden's silver arm and would REALLY like to have that. Moving forward, there's a sudden shift.
  The two Moonstones rapidly multiply, until the chamber is filled with the levitating silver orbs. All around, the faces of the broken statues are restored, expressions of sorrow carefully and meticulously carved into their faces. Silver threads drift throughout the chamber, unhindered. Either by random or by some higher force you cannot discern, the threads weave, twist, and dance together in the air, an enticing display illuminated by the Moonstones. Most notably, however, the Warden’s body is gone… and so is the ceiling. And at the opposite end of the room, the doorway has been replaced with an archway, open to the small balcony beyond. The silver threads drift through the archway and coalesce together to form the start of a Silver Path that stretches far beyond your vision and vanishes among the stars, clouds, and mist beyond.
  The Silver Path flashes, and a silhouette approaches, familiar: a broad-shouldered man with long flowing hair. His steps are steady and measured, and silent until his feet meet the stone of the balcony. In the archway he stands, face tired and worn – the light from the Path and the stars beyond casting his face in darkened shadow. The Silver Path flares; Kesar’Arrat stumbles. Every step he takes towards the center of the chamber is clearly agonizing. His knees bend, his back rounds, and his head droops as he labors forward… slowly crushed beneath an invisible weight. Yet despite the signs of pain conveyed by his movements, his expression is perfectly composed. As he crosses the shallow pool, he collapses to his knees, staring down at his hands… silver threads drifting between his fingers.
  The image of a wolf appears, translucent, as it steps towards Kesar’Arrat. The projection of the full moon levitates above the wolf’s head as it sits… and then the image fades to a young girl with long dark hair. He reaches forward, seemingly cradling her face… before his hands slip through the illusion. A single tear slips down his otherwise composed face.
  The moment lingers before the doors to the balcony manifest as each Moonstone in the chamber dims, falls, and erodes to dust on the floor… save for the 2 still clutched by the statues of the Woeful Traveler. One by one, the faces of every statue are destroyed, broken by claws that shatter their features. The domed ceiling reforms, silver threads pulled towards the open maw of the distorted skull above.
 

The stars persist... and thus, so too does your duty, Warden.

  The flickering light in the Warden’s eye stabilizes as tendrils of silver sink into the joints of his broken corpse. The head lolls and the jaw falls into an eerie grin as the body is hauled into an upright position – a puppet on silver strings. The Warden’s silver arm suddenly animates, shifting rapidly through various forms before settling on a blade.
 

Trespassers. There is only sorrow and pain to be had here. Is it agony you seek? For that can easily be granted

  The strings pull taunt, jolting the Warden’s body as the heads of each wolf statue turns.