10 - 03/06/23 : The Clouds Burst

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  As the party departed from their short conversation with Veszaltyrr, an illusory double of Halaster joined the party on their ride and bade them to look at the Barrier Hills, to witness the halo of strange light that surrounded it. He rambled on what laid beyond it; the ruins of Tsen, the fallen jewel of the Old Hyperborean Empire. Halaster practically salivated at the possibility of lost magical might lying beyond the impassable Burning Wastes, and lamented that the world at large had yet to figure out a way to survive the deathly effect of exposure to the area. He disappeared soon after.   Back at Irrastin, the Lamplighters reported to Ulzryth, who thanked them for their aid and asked that they not reveal Irrastin's location upon their return. Connie agreed, and mentioned their encounter with Veszaltyrr; a revelation that caused all drow in the room to pause and glare at him with grave stares.   Ulzryth spoke of how Veszaltyrr destroyed their home of Olath Luth'ol; while a host of summoned demons busied the city's defenses, Veszaltyrr used his magic to corrupt the Faerzress, the protective barrier surrounding the city, turning it into a toxic field of energy that could not support life. Most of Olath Luth'ol's inhabitants choked on their own blood as the very air around them destroyed their lungs. Those few that survived recalled the horrors of that day vividly.   Connie apologized for dredging up harsh memories, and the party departed the following morning. The return trip was uneventful, and they managed to get back to Revelmoore over the course of just under two weeks. Upon reaching the docks, they found that security had been stepped up. An attack perpetrated by the drow of Uyen Asari had claimed the lives of a squad of guardsmen, and the city was on high alert. Connie flashed his noble credentials to avoid scrutiny falling on Vesper, and the team returned to the Balladeer's Eclipse.   Arathir greeted the trio warmly, giving them drinks on the house before they made their way down. As they made it to the bottom of the well and into the Undermountain, however, they were surprised by the emergence of Marisa, the youngest of Connie's elder siblings, who had been hiding invisibly. She taunted Connie for his Undermountain jaunts, and demanded to know more about what he was doing.   Connie was quite reticent about the group's mission, but Marisa got enough fun out of poking fun at Connie for acting the part of an adventurer after everything. She used the fly spell to ascend back up the well after wishing Connie well, urging him not to die.   The party returned to the Temple of Desna, and Vesper returned the keystone to its empty receptacle. The dais below the depiction of Desna rose several feet, revealing written scripture written upon it. This text was spoken aloud by a disembodied voice...  

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  So it began in the divine forests of the elven gods, where all sang praise to the trees and found succor in the shade of their boughs. Many were the children of the gods, their beloved creations made to sing the songs of the leaves and vines.   And yet did the song pause in discord, as the pantheon fractured and some longed to raise their voices in choir to the oceans, the skies, and the frozen mountains. From the bluest of waves did a god make the sea elves, and in their wake did they eschew the beauty of the depths. Of lightest air were forged the avariel, that all elvendom could marvel at their command of the clouds. Out of whitest snow did come the snow elves, who danced beneath the soft green lights of the northern heavens. Thus did the children of the forest become children of all the world's beauty.   All of the world, save for the forbidden paradise that lurked below.   From the circle of elven divines stepped not one being, but two sisters who dared to lead their own creations to the dreaded depths of the Underdark, that they may embody the beauty in the face of savagery and peril. The first steps of the dark elves were not of triumph, but of fear and jealousy; jealousy of their brethren of the surface above and their bounteous kingdoms. So did the sisters look upon their children, and so did they weep.   The first sister tried to guide her children to live in harmony with the deeps, to grow vigilant and enlightened in their trials. But her pleas for perseverance were all but drowned out, for the second sister made known a different plan. So great was her fury that the dark spurned her beloved creations that she commanded them to fight savagery with savagery, to embrace the evils of the Underdark and turn them against those who would conspire against her beloved works.   As the rallying cries of the drow silenced her calls, the first sister tearfully turned away from her own blood, who cursed her weakness and proclaimed that she alone would shepherd their creations to glory above and below. Upon gracing the surface once again, her eyes turned to the black expanse of the night sky, and the first sister wept; such was her despair that she collected her own tears and traced them across the heavens, each a mote of light gleaming in the distance, beacons of hope that one day her children would one day find their way back to an existence in harmony with the world.   And it was so that the first sister became Desna, lady of freedom, luck, and the stars; a litany of sorrow left behind in memory of her wayward children. The people of the surface of all walks of life flocked to her warm embrace, and cherish them as her own did she; but eternally does she turn her gaze to the depths, awaiting the day that she may face her sister once again.  

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  The party reacted in shock at the revelation that Desna was Lolth's sister and one of the progenitor gods of the drow. Vesper in particular was taken aback, realizing that she had been 'chosen' for a reason; to lead Desna's charge to returning to the side of her lost children. Vesper lamented that this was no 'choice' at all; and just as she remarked this, embers began to coalesce in the area, and Urstul Floxin appeared once more.   Urstul once again bade Vesper to return to his side, as 'great things' were soon to happen. When she refused, Urstul rebuked her and resolved to kill Connie and Makoto, as he believed they were holding her back from what she once believed. Makoto braved the flames swirling around Urstul to stand in his face smugly and defy him; Urstul responded with a laugh, and bade Makoto to prepare for death.   Battle broke out in the temple of Desna, with Urstul once again proving an exceedingly deadly opponent. He boasted lightning-quick attacks, the power to travel as a cloud of ash, and a regenerative ability which made it difficult to inflict lasting damage to his ashen body. The party put up a valiant fight, but the tide was turned against them.   In quick succession, Connie was struck down to unconsciousness, and Makoto was mortally wounded by a deadly slice to her chest from Urstul's scimitar. As she lay bleeding out, Halaster screaming in her mind for her to get up, Urstul approached to deliver the final blow. He stopped to admonish Vesper for turning from their cause, and swung his sword downward.   Vesper reacted with a defiant scream, which was coupled with a blast of radiant energy. When the light faded, Connie and Makoto were restored to health, and Vesper had changed. Sporting ethereal butterfly wings, Vesper radiated the light of the stars and the power of Desna's grace. Likewise, her blade had been transformed as well; the cursed blade Menzotelasan was no more, and had become Elenathra, the "Star-Crosser", an artifact and a symbol of Desna's divine intervention.   With her companions restored, Vesper made a vow to Urstul to never forget what she had done, but to become more than the sum of her crimes and failures. She vowed to change the world for her people, and to not let others suffer for her mistakes. With might befitting a Paladin that had taken the Oath of Redemption, Vesper struck Urstul and caused the ashes making up his body to scatter. Though as a revenant he was sure to return, the party had earned a brief respite.   Vesper embraced her companions, thankful to know they had survived. She explained that in a brief moment before Makoto's near-execution, she called out to anyone who would listen, and Desna answered; saying only the words "I am sorry" before imparting Vesper with her new gifts.   Connie and Makoto wondered what Vesper planned to do now that she had accepted her role as Desna's champion. Vesper admitted that she had little clue outside of a goal, and decided that after resting, she would spend time with Elemmírë and learn the basics of her new faith. After that, she would begin laying out plans for her crusade of liberation. Connie and Makoto swore to go with her to the end if need be, and returned to the surface to rest.   The party returned to the Balladeer's Eclipse, where Marisa awaited them. Connie simply hugged her, having come to realize the importance of his family after his brush with death. He resolved to finally return home and attempt to make peace with his mother, while still carrying on his chosen path in life. Marisa also seemed to be quite taken with Connie's companions, Vesper in particular.   The party took a rest to recover from their injuries and near-scrapes with death. After Vesper went to Revelmoore's temple of Desna, Connie returned to his family manor. There he found his father Zephiel and his sister Izerna, who were speaking with Grandmaster Bolera Broadmane of the Knights of the Rose, the knightly order of which the two were members. The three were discussing the drow attacks from before the Moonlighter's return; however, Connie's arrival prompted the conversation to be put on hold, with Grandmaster Broadmane politely taking her leave.   Connie apologized to his father and sister, and explained part of what he had been up to. Zephiel found it difficult at first, given the nature of Connie's departure. While they talked about Connie's accomplishments however, Connie's mother arrived as well, and feigned admonishment of Connie before embracing him and expressing her pride in him.   Connie declared that he would pursue the family legacy in his own way, and wanted his family to remain in his life, but that he owed his friends his aid in the meantime. He also brought up his engagement, to which Vaida was somewhat reticent to break off. Ultimately, Connie agreed to at least meet the girl from House Archades that had become his betrothed, before final decisions were made.   Zephiel gifted Connie his cloak of protection as a sign of his blessing upon Connie's chosen path. Shortly before Connie departed, his eldest brother Eldigan arrived; Eldigan looked upon the apparent happy reunion and swiftly walked past, evidently still upset over Connie's rebuffing of the family legacy. Connie believed it was best to give it time and hope that things would come around eventually with Eldigan.   Some days later, the Moonlighters met up at the Eclipse to get a drink and catch up. Vesper mentioned her studies with Elemmírë, and Connie talked about repairing the damage with his family.   As the trio caught up, Piece of the Puzzle entered in an unusually dour mood. He greeted the Moonlighters briefly before making his way to the chain winch bridge over the Eclipse, where he removed his hat and spoke to those gathered in the tavern.   Puzzle made the sorrowful announcement that, while at a diplomatic summit with representatives of Uyen Asari, the Open Lord Reverie Ilvastarr II had been assassinated. He declared that the city would adopt a month-long mourning period, after which the Masked Lords would convene and choose a new Open Lord.   Puzzle then returned to the adventurers and told them to go to Troll Skull Manor and seek 'a friend' if they wished to do something about the assassination, since they had expressed interest in the drow houses before. He then told them to look out of the window to see the site of the murder; in clear view, one of the towers of the city Palace was aflame, and Vesper immediately brought up the possibility of Urstul Floxin being the murderer as part of his goal to 'burn it all down'. The party decided to investigate, much to Connie's anxious worry.