Recap of Session 56

As the last session began, it was night on the 4th day of the 3rd Trigon of Elok’s Influence.  The party stood before Havoc's portal of red swirling mist, preparing to re-enter Emathan.  In the distance, the unmistakable sounds of more Howlers could be heard.  Sounds that seemed to be getting closer.With Landis safely with them, the party attempted to cross back through the portal, but the way was blocked by the same wall of force that had originally stopped them from entering the portal.  As the party discussed how they were going to get back, the Doppelganger that had taken the form of Havoc's mother appeared just inside of the portal.The Doppelganger introduced itself as Zevrin and offered the party a deal. It would remove the wall of force to allow the party to pass through if they agreed to two things.  Zevrin took on the appearance of Havoc. First, they would have to keep the secret that Havoc had been killed so that Zevrin could take over as Havoc.  Second, they would have to return Havoc's spellbook so that Zevrin could use it to continue to learn magic. Short on options, the party agreed.  Zevrin lowered the wall of force and escorted the party from the hideout.As the party arrived in the hideout's foyer, they found Methor sleeping. Outside, the night's sandstorm howled and roared. The party decided to spend the night in the foyer and travel to Balko in the morning. Thankfully, the night was uneventful.In the morning, the party, along with Landis and Methor, returned to Balko, where they met with Nyzara. She thanked the party for rescuing Methor and asked that they leave the town as soon as possible to minimize any backlash that might come to her. Methor informed the party that if they left now, they would be able to reach one of the sheltered areas before the night's storm began. The party departed at once, stopping only to meet up with Morxik, their guide, who was waiting just outside of town.The first day of travel back to the Zandani home was uneventful, with only the heat of the desert to fight against.  As the party settled in for the night, Morxik spoke with Kogaan, saying that this night's storm sounded different. He couldn't explain it, but something just felt wrong. Morxik warned that they would need to be ready for trouble.Shortly after Kogaan began his watch, Morxik's warning took shape. The shape of a huge Sand Spirit. The Sand Spirit called itself Zharunn, Sovereign of the Shifting Sands. It ordered the party to drop to their knees and worship it. Before they could even react, four smaller Sand Spirits appeared and attacked.The smaller Sand Spirits attacked with powerful blasts of gritty sand that tore through the party like a crashing wave of broken glass shards. Landis was knocked unconscious and dropped to the ground. Methor was killed instantly. The others reeled from their wounds and fought to regroup against these unexpectedly mighty foes.The battle continued with the party struggling against the swirling sand creatures. Zharunn commanded the party once again to drop to their knees and worship it. All but Douglan knelt. Zharuun dismissed the other Sand Spirits and turned his wraith on Douglan.Just as an enormous blast was about to engulf Douglan, he called upon the magic of his halberd and Misty Stepped away. Zharuun was caught off guard by the move. The rest of the party took the opportunity to engage and quickly destroyed the huge Sand Spirit before it had a chance to react.During the fray, Morxik had stabilized Landis' wounds, and the young wizard was beginning to come to. Douglan moved quickly to assess the group, finding Methor deceased. Calling upon the power of Gath, Douglan placed his hands on Methor and asked his god to spare the young Tiefling's life. Methor awoke, unsure of what had just happened.After another day of uneventful travel, the party arrived back at the Zandani home. Lokeros, Methor's father, thanked the party for once again protecting his family. A feast was quickly put together, and everyone enjoyed a night of fine food, drink and tobacco.During the night, Lokeros told the party that the Sea of Sand was changing. The number of Iceborn Orcs stationed at the Scar was increasing, and their patrols were killing any they encountered on sight. The Sand Spirits of the desert were becoming hostile. Something they had only done in defence of their homes in the past. Most concerning, a bluish light could be seen emanating from the Scar at night. Was it a sign that the rift was beginning to open again? The Tieflings of the Sea of Sand worried about what would happen to them if Arcmyth returned.At first light, the party set out for Zrey, arriving early in the evening. As they walked down from the sandy dunes to the ocean below, they noticed a large warship anchored in the bay. A ship flying the flag of the Vanguard.Once in Zrey, the party met with Captain Hamilton Ashmight of the Vanguard and learned that Supreme Commander Dragana had ordered the Gilded Galleon and the Maelstrom’s Edge to take up post in the small town as a base of operation. The Vanguard, with the assistance of the Penumbra College, were to investigate the increased Iceborn Orc activity in the region.Captain Hamilton also relayed to the party rumours that a rift had begun to open in the eastern region of the Wilds. Vanguard operatives were on route to confirm if this was indeed the case.  The captain commented that it would seem that the 3rd Gathering had begun.With no time to lose, the party boarded the Stargazer, informing Captain Merfiz to set sail for Windrest at once. If the rifts were indeed beginning to open, Landis and Obadiah needed all the time they could get to work on finding a way to close the rifts to Arcmyth.As the skyship departed, Captain Merfiz asked to meet with the party. He informed them of the concerning news from Windrest. Fariedah has gone missing. Obadiah hoped that the party could assist in finding her once they returned.

Recap of Session 56

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