As the last session began, it was early evening on the 37th day of the 2nd Trigon of Elok’s Influence. It is early winter in the Kingdom of Evendor. The leaves have fallen, but snow has not yet covered the ground. The Stargazer is coming up on Tionchar Winery as it slowly descends from the sky. The party stands on the bow watching a growing group of people gather below, anticipating their arrival.
After touching down and spending time with their Tionchar friends and family, the party met with the Vanguard leaders to discuss General Varimoc Vyth’s plan and concerns. Commander Barlor agreed that an alliance with the united Gith clans made sense, but it would be a decision that High Commander Dragana would have to make.
Commander Barlor told the party that he would enlist the dwarves that helped to rebuild Tionchar Winery to build a keep around the area where the portal to the Between had appeared. This would allow the Vanguard to better control anyone who came through.
With lots to be done, the party departed Tionchar Winery and headed to Windrest to meet with Obadiah. As the party sat talking in the ship’s galley, the alarm bell began to ring. As everyone raced up to the deck, the world around them changed from colour to black and white. A sign that they were somehow in the Void again.
As the party reached the deck, they heard a screeching roar from somewhere behind the skyship. Running to the port side, they could see a type of dragon which none were familiar with. In a screechy, high-pitched voice, the dragon asked why they had entered its domain. The party tried to answer, but the dragon gave them no heed and attacked.
The dragon unleashed its breath weapon as the party and crew raced into position on the ship’s ballistae. A blast of dark psychic energy that tore through the bodies and minds of those it enveloped. Captain Merfiz dropped to the ground, a victim of the blast. Thankfully, Douglan was next to him and could attend to him quickly. It likely saved his life.
The dragon flew up to the side of the skyship and attacked Kogaan and those nearby with a flurry of biting and clawing attacks. Kogaan answered the attack with a flurry of his own. With one final powerful swing of his flail, the dragon screeched and fell back, dropping into the mist below.
Seconds later, the ship emerged from the Void just in time to see the Stargazer several hundred feet ahead of them disappear into a shimmering wall of energy. Somehow, the party had travelled back in time just enough to witness the moment they had entered the Void.
The remainder of the trip to Windrest was uneventful. The party met with Obadiah who told them that Landis had gone missing in the Sea of Sand while trying to acquire more Devil Star diamonds. Obadiah asked the party to try to locate him and more of the diamonds, which they agreed to do without hesitation. Obadiah was convinced they could figure out how the spell closed the rift to Arcmyth if they had more diamonds to study.
Just before the party departed, Fariedah updated them on the situation in Lyelion. The Dooms’ explosion had severely damaged the tunnels under the town. Unfortunately, the elves did not have the resources to dig them out. They planned to enlist the help of the Frostmount dwarves in the Spring. There had been no sign of the Githyanki or the Dooms since the attack. The status of the portal was not known.
The trip to the City of Alagon was quick. The party went straight to Fangnor Citadel, where they first met with Commander Araman Nomoli, who informed them that High Commander Dragana Skyshield had just returned from a short visit to Easterly to get updated on the situation with the Iceborn Orcs.
Once seated with the High Commander, she informed the party that things were not going well in Easterly. The city of Xamore had been lost to the orcs, with high casualties. The Iceborn leader known as the Dark One was becoming a person of interest to the Vanguard as reports of his power and seeming invincibility were becoming concerning. A Vanguard Seer named Janka Shohlam had witnessed him on the battlefield and was convinced that the orc leader was not what he appeared to be. It was becoming clear that this would have to be figured out if there would be any chance to defeat him.
Dragana asked the party to travel to Xamore with Janka so she could try to use her abilities as a Seer to determine the Dark One’s true form. Although the party knew they needed to get to the Sea of Sand to look for Landis, they understood the importance of aiding the Vanguard in defending the Protected Lands against the Iceborn Orcs and agreed to help.
The party immediately departed the city of Alagon and headed to meet the Vanguard army camped outside of Xanthrum. After a short meeting with Commander Raff Dhastan, a plan was put together. The party and Janka would meet up with a Vanguard agent named Balko and the outskits of the city. He would lead the party through the sewers to a section of the city where the Dark One had set up base. Getting Janka close enough to use her seer abilities would then be up to them.
The party departed the Vanguard camp and flew to a valley far enough outside of Xamore that it would not attract the orcs’ attention. The party departed the skyship and travelled on foot to the city. Just before reaching the city, the party met up with Balko. As promised, the Vanguard agent was able to get the party into the city.
After an hour of wading through the sewer, Balko told them he could go no further. He instructed the party to continue down the final section of the tunnel to a room where they would find an exit that would take them up to the city streets. Balko warned that he could only wait for them for two hours, after which it would be too risky to remain. The party set out, knowing they had no time to waste.
As the party entered the room at the end of the tunnel, they were immediately attacked by two hideous sewer dwellers. The creatures flailed at the party members with clawed tentacles as they attempted to bite them with their maw of dagger-like teeth. The creatures were no match for Douglan, Aldric, and Kogaan, who made quick work of cutting them down.
As the party arrived at the door out of the sewer room, they found that it was barred from the other side. Much to everyone’s surprise, Aldric transformed into a misty cloud that floated under the door. A few minutes later, the door opened, and the rest of the party entered into a short hallway that ended at a set of stairs.