Heroes of the Vale Recap – Episode 6: Into Darkness

“I just feel very strongly that we are called to it, and as heroes we NEED to do it!”

Penelope (Hope LaVelle), Heroes of the Vale, Episode 6 

Watch Heroes of the Vale – Episode 6: Into Darkness

Dramatis Personae

Our heroes are 5th-level characters known as:

  • Keen, Eladrin Eldritch Knight Fighter played by TJ Storm
  • Briv, Half-Orc Cavalier Fighter played by Adam Bradford
  • Orkira, Dragonborn Light Domain Cleric played by Lauren Urban
  • Penelope, Halfling Circle of Land Druid played by Hope LaVelle
  • Alyndra Alexandria Garanahil Sarrbarand, Lorekeeper of Rime Spiro, Kinscribe of Clan Monkeymouse, High ElfCleric / Wizard played by Jen Kretchmer

Full Summary

Our heroes spent several days making a home in Stormherald, the floating city they—and the former residents of Fallcrest—have taken shelter in. As thousands of people settle into the towers, fortress, houses, and tunnels of Stormherald, each of the Heroes of the Vale focused on some specific tasks they were trying to accomplish.

Keen got to know as many of this new community as possible. He wishes to learn from and about them, and believes that the days he spent interacting with them has helped him understand how best to help them all. He also spent time practicing with his glaive and studying the orb with Alyndra, in hopes of improving his skills for the next time he faces danger. While exploring the town, he met Dagon ol’Prath of the Eternal Night, a fellow eladrin and Keen’s former weapon master. Dagon explained was searching for Keen when he was taken with the rest of Fallcrest and his connection to the Feywild severed. 

Penelope did whatever she could to improve the nature in Stormherald by planting flowers, gardens, vines, and helping people more at home. She’s has been telling lots of stories, and tried to meet as many other ‘small people’ that she can. Sometime in the past few days, she discovered a small grove with a large dead tree of a kind she has never seen before.

In the meantime, Briv assessed and trained a militia to defend Stormherald. He also reflected upon why his fellow party members are upset with his actions with the kuo-toa named Rarv, and genuinely grappled with his confusion. Over the past few days, he intentionally avoided the rest of his friends by busying himself with repairing the city's defenses. 

Orkira chose to spend time among the townsfolk offering healing, helping them settle in, and gardening with Penelope. She tried to talk with Kalasar about his history, and made an effort to learn what he knows about the attack on her clan. Finally, she spent each morning in slightly longer prayers to Pelor, hoping to also gain further insight into Saranthis.

Alyndra interviewed the townsfolk of Fallcrest and recorded their stories for posterity, and also sorted through a library she has discovered to learn as much information about this new and unfamiliar world. On top of that, she consecrated ground within the city to Oghma, god of knowledge in the hope that his grace will protect them. Finally, she engrossed herself in prayer and solitary study in hopes of learning how to pilot the city of Stormherald.

Now, we return to the present day. Stormherald is suffering from a lack of supplies as well as an epidemic of a disease known as Sight Rot, which folk contracted while captured by the kuo-toa. Orkira spends as much healing as she has every day to cast Lesser Restoration and cure who needs it most, while helping ease the suffering for the rest. Alyndra encourages those who were already blind to help those newly afflicted with Sight Rot how to get around. As they help the diseased and ailing, Keen and Alyndra reveal that they have learned how to pilot Stormherald. On top of that, Alyndra also discovered how how to use the Spire on the fortress to increase the power and range of her offensive spells.

All the while, Penelope has been drawn to this dead tree in the center of town. She knocks upon it, and is overwhelmed by a sudden, intense vision of an immense tree whose branches spread out far into the sky surrounded by a vast forest. A voice fills her mind, and says, “Help. I’m dying. They’re coming.” A wall of darkness behind the tree is moving towards it, and Penelope can sense where the call for help is coming from. She sprints to the rest of the group to ask for help in aiding the tree.

The group deliberates for a time on how best to reach the tree, Alyndra ultimately decides to steer the fortress towards the tree. Meanwhile, Briv reveals that he remembers the calls of griffons from his childhood, and that he has fashioned a horn that can mimic it’s sounds. He hopes to attract a mother Griffon to try and breed them and help with fortress defense. He explains what he is doing as many people are startled by the noise. As Alyndra pilots the fortress, she performs some quick research into the area. Over two hundred years ago, a cataclysmic prophecy indicated a lasting darkness would befall the land. The group has also noticed with growing dread that the two suns that hang in the sky have never set. The lands to the east are shrouded in eternal darkness, but the land beneath them swelters under eternal light. As they move towards the east the landscape grows dark, with little vegetation and more dead bodies littering the ground.

In the realm of twilight which lies between the lands of light and darkness, the Heroes of the Vale find a dead forest with a gigantic ash tree in its center. The fortress is lowered to the ground, and Keen gives orders to the people residing within it to sit tight and be prepared to leave at a moment's notice. The heroes head down the winding stairs onto the ground below to approach the single living tree. Around this tree is a warm, fresh feeling, as if the tree itself is creating its own welcoming atmosphere.

Briv pulls out a knife to carve his initials into the tree before Penelope can stop him, but he suddenly feels a hot pain in his head as he is bombarded by a vision. He sees a tree as large as the world, and the ground seems to quake beneath him. Briv puts away the knife, and declares—obviously—that it is not a normal tree. Penelope apologizes to the tree, touching it and casting speak with plants. A bark-covered hand emerges from the tree to grab Penelope, and the hand is followed by the body of an aged dryad. It emerges and gasps, "They're coming! I need you to save me, they are coming!"

Both suns finally set, plunging the world into darkness. As light departs from the land, the dryad pleads with Penelope, “Dig the tree up! Dig the tree up now!” The heroes hastily begin digging up the roots of this ancient tree, some with spades, others with spells. All the while, Keen wraps a rope around the tree and has Alyndra prepare to lift the tree from the dirt with the fortress.

The ground continues to shake as thousands of footfalls are coming closer. Bodies, animated by fell power, stretch from horizon to horizon, composing a horde of decaying humanoids, giants, and winged beasts. Penelope casts entangle, blocking off an area, while Orkira calls forth Pelor’s light and uses Turn Undead to incinerate a chunk of the oncoming army. But the gap is quickly filled by more bodies, and the horde moves inexorably closer. A wave of dread washes over the heroes as a guttural laugh echoes over the forest, followed by a piercing shriek and the beating of massive wings. Penelope is overwhelmed with fear, finding a crevasse in the tree to hide. The heroes, panicking, order the people of Stormherald to pull the tree up, bringing it up onto the top of flying fortress, and Keen orders commands some of its people to ready the ballistae. He asks Penelope to guide the ancient tree to the correct spot but she continues to hide in terror. He climbs the tree to plead for her aid, and she turns back into herself distraught, sobbing, “I almost killed everyone. This is all my fault!” He tries to console her, but is called away as the ballistas begin to fire. Penelope finally tells Alyndra where to place the tree but otherwise is too scared to move.

The dread laughter continues, and a massive dracolich appears from the encroaching shadows. A sinister creature with white hair and hollow, soulless eyes rides atop it, and commands the dragon to dive towards Stormherald. Townsfolk scream and flee in fear, scrambling into the nearby monastery. Alyndra uses the Spire to mind spike the rider, turning its brain to jelly and causing it to tumble from the dragon's back—to its death. In fury the dracolich roars and turns to breath on the monastery and all the innocent people inside, but Orkira hits it with a guiding bolt and distracts it. It turns it’s breath weapon on Orkira, sending a gout of flame down on her. Thanks to her fire resistance she barely survives long enough to growl out to the dracolich, “You cannot burn me. I am a chosen of Pelor. I AM FIRE!”

Enraged, the undead dragon lands and bites down on Orkira, sending her into unconsciousness.

Can the Heroes of the Vale save their cleric before the dracolich can finish its meal? What about the tree they saved? All will be answered next episode, on Wednesday, February 20th at 2 PM Pacific!

 

EPILOGUE

Back in the Nentir Vale, thousands of creatures from the Shadowfell scrape at the dirt. Looming over them all is Avren, suffused with the power of the Shadowfell, his skin pale and his hair ghostly white. At the bottom of the pit is a circle: the symbol of a dragon eating its own tail. Avren stands in the center of the stone, striking down with the staff of Ruin and creating a blast of crimson light. The glow coalesces into a portal, sending Avren and a horde of Shadowfell monsters far to the west, somewhere into the mountains.

"They said we could leave.”


Lauren "OboeCrazy" Urban is the Community Manager for D&D Beyond, as well as a professional classical musician on oboe and English Horn. When she's not playing a Bard in real life she's a prolific Dungeon Master and player on a variety of livestreams and podcasts. She lives in Seattle, Washington with her husband Luke where they spend their free time playing video games and drinking tea. The best way to keep up with Lauren's busy schedule is to follow her on Twitter at @OboeCrazy.

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