The world is simultaneously more safe and more dangerous than ever before. Thanks to the work of the Blades of Besilmer, the party of adventurers thrown together by chance, the fundamental integrity of the Material Plane remains safe. Ba'al is again indefinitely locked in his prison along with four of his lieutenants. Their power works against each other as a sort of gnomish finger trap, as each one pulls to break free, it tightens the grip on the others. However, Ba'al's mightiest lieutenant, Ashardalon, roams free, last spotted amassing his power to the far north, seen in company with Daio the Decrepit. While free of their prison on the Plane of Fear, Book-Ransom must now take the place of Ashardalon to maintain the prison of Ba'al.
In addition, due to the ruptures in two of the seals on Ba'al's prison, and the weakening of the other three, Ba'al's influence warped reality on the material plane, creating a slew of aberrations and wicked monsters that have terrorized the land. In the Dessarin Valley, Rivergard Keep has grown like a beacon to draw people for their protection, while also offering their service in its protection, while to the east of the valley, the Knights of Samular, driven by an unseen hand, have grown in strength, protecting pilgrims and travelers, dropping from the sky like avenging angels on their griffin mounts.
The Blades themselves, meanwhile, are broken of their fellowship. E'valthalas "Halfie" Silverbuck struck a deal that demanded his obedience and disappeared the day after defeating Imix, Prince of Evil Fire, the Eternal Flame. Archmage Jarsali returned to Manaforge to mount its defense against a horde of demonic aberrations. Vierdre Stone, honorary erstwhile member of the Blades left shortly thereafter, when a mischievous pixie, Honeysuckle, arrived and they spirited off to another adventure. Felix remained King in Roses with a, perhaps, surprising sense of duty, along with Archmage Gilead, to return its citizens to life. Thraendrin is naught to be found, but was last seen in the Feywild. G'Hanir, daughter of the World Tree, offered her life to save the life of Lilli Evenwood, who seems indifferent to the sacrifice.
Of the many creatures and heroes that had once been members or friends of the Blades, only Lilli Evenwood and Rendus Steelhamer remain. They have just shy of a year before Rendus must fulfill his oath of atonement to the Starborne in the Temple of Night beneath the Plane of Fear. So far, it has been impossible to detect Rendus' mother, it is as though she has vanished from the multiverse, for, even had she died, her soul would still exist, and had her soul been consumed, there would be signs. Will they travel together to Celeste to try to discover the fate of Lilli's mother and father? Will they attempt to cleanse the Twilight Grove, that is now overrun and rampant with corruption from years and years of neglect? Will they spend the time building Rivergard Keep, strengthing the ramparts and creating an oasis of safety in a world turned chaotic?
The two remaining Blades, Lilli and Rendus, after spending time discussing how their time could best be spent decide to clear the corruption from the Twilight Grove. Rendus, in particular, feels the weight of time pressuring him to make the most of his remaining months of freedom.
The Twilight Grove exists in an "inbetween place," where the borders of the Feywild, the Shadowfell, and the Material Plane meet. A convergence zone that allows for great magic, but--when untended--also allows for great monstrosities and corruption. Such is the case now, where the Twilight Grove has lain fallow and untended for several years, and was actively corrupted by the influence of Ba'al through the madness of his unintentional servant Belak the Outcast, the prior Protector of the Twilight Grove.
The Grove itself is more than just physical place as the convergence of these three planes, but it does have a physical manifestation. On the Material Plane, this location is found far to the southeast of Rivergard Keep beyond the High Forest with its Wood Elf guardians riding giant owls; beyond the High Elven city of Stars' Rest and its living mythal; beyond the lookout refuge of Darkstrider Keep and the Green Rangers who maintain it on the border of the Duskwood. There, in the heart of the Duskwood lies the physical manifestation of the Twilight Grove and Teldrassil, offspring of the World Tree, the "Crown of Earth," mirror to Nordrassil, "Crown of the Heavens," the tree at the center of the Dawn Grove, protected by Alfiharia.
To simply get there safely will be a challenge all its own. To cleanse the corruption will be another task unto itself. G'Hanir could have cleansed the corruption by joining herself with Teldrassil, but G'Hanir lies died, sacrificed to save Lilli. Perhaps the Elves of the High Forest know a way to cleanse the corruption without G'Hanir; perhaps the Elves of Stars' Rest know a way to resurrect G'Hanir; perhaps the Rangers of Darkstrider Keep know a path to Teldrassil; or perhaps the trip will be in vain.
Only time will tell.
We meet our heroes outside the High Forest. Escorted to its boundaries by one of the remaining airships now belonging to Rivergard Keep, renamed, appropriately, Sorrow, who was just disappearing into the distance on its way back to Rivergard Keep, accompanied by a pair of Griffin riders.
A young dwarf, the newly promoted Huskarl (or Bannerman) Dain Deepdelver, accompanied Thegn Rendus as his squire. Though Rendus liked not to risk another's life, Dain was adamant that he would not abandon his Thegn, and was highly recommended by Captain-Regent Fargrim, who led Rivergard Keep in the Blades' absence. Dain carried a large pack uncomplainingly, carrying all the necessities the party was likely to need. Beside him trotted a giant goat, carrying more equipment and gear, including a large tent, a portable forge, and more. To his other side trotted a giant badger, the scout's best friend and companion since he was a boy.
Rendus pondered the depth and bredth of his squire's inqury. Now what indeed? The time he had left with his freedom and his friend was now the most valuable thing in the multiverse. He had failed his own mission. Rendus would never be a king now, would never bring New Besilmer to glory and redeem the Spellhammer name. But that didn't mean that he couldn't be of use.
"Now we drive the corruption out of the Twilight Grove. I may not be the Warden of the Grove, but my hand is still strong enough to swing a hammer." He shot a smirk at Lilli.
"So the plan, my friend, is to assist the Keeper of the Grove in her mission to restore balance."
He looked at their new leader: "So what's our first move?"
Lilli ponders the question over as the events of their adventures together. The group had come a long way since her days as a lowly town healer, life was so much simpler back them.
She closes her eye and presses her hand over her heart, pressing the elven pendant into her chest, before reaching down and drawing the inert wooden scimitar from its sheath and resting it across her opposite palm to present it toward the group. The halfelf uses her sleave to dust off a bit of soot from the previous battle with her thumb, pausing for a moment to reflect on the sacrifice that G'Hanir had made for her...for them....for everyone.
"I think our best move now would be to see if G'Hanir is lost forever or if there still may be a way to bring back her back and get her help in cleansing this place." Her voice is a bit unsure, but she tries her best to show a bit of confidence and leadership in the moment. I'm not sure how to find the Elves of Stars' Rest, but maybe Smiles can help with that."
Lilli flashes back to her last communion with the great earth dragon Alfiharia, who she knows simply as Smiles. Lilli sits cross-legged in her room in Rivergard Keep, her attention on her crystal ball, which hovers just above her hands at eye level. But in her mind, she sat with Smiles in the Dawn Grove. Smiles wore the form of a beautiful wood elf woman, dressed in clothes of leafs and vines. They sat alone, though the massive tree Nordrassil rose like a wall behind Smiles.
"I am sorry, child. If I knew how to resurrect G'Hanir, I would in a heartbeat," she says, answering Lilli's previous question. She pauses, as though a thought has just occurred to her. "But, beyond the High Forest, hidden in its depths lies the city of Stars' Rest. It houses the last known living mythal. It is arcane magic that draws from the stars and I know little of how it works, but the Lord there may be able to help you. They are an insular lot, not taking easily to strangers, so you will need to prove you are trustworthy before they will see you. For that matter, you will need to talk to the Elves of the High Forest before they will let you travel their lands, but I believe you have met some of them already. They came to help you at that little farmstead you defended some time ago. They too prefer to keep to themselves when they can and, now that the devastation of the Chained One--I will not speak his name here--is contained, they may not be as willing to help as they were. But I'm sure you can find a way to earn their friendship."
The world is simultaneously more safe and more dangerous than ever before. Thanks to the work of the Blades of Besilmer, the party of adventurers thrown together by chance, the fundamental integrity of the Material Plane remains safe. Ba'al is again indefinitely locked in his prison along with four of his lieutenants. Their power works against each other as a sort of gnomish finger trap, as each one pulls to break free, it tightens the grip on the others. However, Ba'al's mightiest lieutenant, Ashardalon, roams free, last spotted amassing his power to the far north, seen in company with Daio the Decrepit. While free of their prison on the Plane of Fear, Book-Ransom must now take the place of Ashardalon to maintain the prison of Ba'al.
In addition, due to the ruptures in two of the seals on Ba'al's prison, and the weakening of the other three, Ba'al's influence warped reality on the material plane, creating a slew of aberrations and wicked monsters that have terrorized the land. In the Dessarin Valley, Rivergard Keep has grown like a beacon to draw people for their protection, while also offering their service in its protection, while to the east of the valley, the Knights of Samular, driven by an unseen hand, have grown in strength, protecting pilgrims and travelers, dropping from the sky like avenging angels on their griffin mounts.
The Blades themselves, meanwhile, are broken of their fellowship. E'valthalas "Halfie" Silverbuck struck a deal that demanded his obedience and disappeared the day after defeating Imix, Prince of Evil Fire, the Eternal Flame. Archmage Jarsali returned to Manaforge to mount its defense against a horde of demonic aberrations. Vierdre Stone, honorary erstwhile member of the Blades left shortly thereafter, when a mischievous pixie, Honeysuckle, arrived and they spirited off to another adventure. Felix remained King in Roses with a, perhaps, surprising sense of duty, along with Archmage Gilead, to return its citizens to life. Thraendrin is naught to be found, but was last seen in the Feywild. G'Hanir, daughter of the World Tree, offered her life to save the life of Lilli Evenwood, who seems indifferent to the sacrifice.
Of the many creatures and heroes that had once been members or friends of the Blades, only Lilli Evenwood and Rendus Steelhamer remain. They have just shy of a year before Rendus must fulfill his oath of atonement to the Starborne in the Temple of Night beneath the Plane of Fear. So far, it has been impossible to detect Rendus' mother, it is as though she has vanished from the multiverse, for, even had she died, her soul would still exist, and had her soul been consumed, there would be signs. Will they travel together to Celeste to try to discover the fate of Lilli's mother and father? Will they attempt to cleanse the Twilight Grove, that is now overrun and rampant with corruption from years and years of neglect? Will they spend the time building Rivergard Keep, strengthing the ramparts and creating an oasis of safety in a world turned chaotic?
**By the Light of the Sun, you will burn!**
Previously BENEFICENCE
DM: Storm Lord's Wrath || Syr Valor Dayne: Sleeping Gods || tooltips | guides | dice |
**By the Light of the Sun, you will burn!**
Previously BENEFICENCE
DM: Storm Lord's Wrath || Syr Valor Dayne: Sleeping Gods || tooltips | guides | dice |
Rendus pondered the depth and bredth of his squire's inqury. Now what indeed? The time he had left with his freedom and his friend was now the most valuable thing in the multiverse. He had failed his own mission. Rendus would never be a king now, would never bring New Besilmer to glory and redeem the Spellhammer name. But that didn't mean that he couldn't be of use.
"Now we drive the corruption out of the Twilight Grove. I may not be the Warden of the Grove, but my hand is still strong enough to swing a hammer." He shot a smirk at Lilli.
"So the plan, my friend, is to assist the Keeper of the Grove in her mission to restore balance."
He looked at their new leader: "So what's our first move?"
What is our first move?
Lilli ponders the question over as the events of their adventures together. The group had come a long way since her days as a lowly town healer, life was so much simpler back them.
She closes her eye and presses her hand over her heart, pressing the elven pendant into her chest, before reaching down and drawing the inert wooden scimitar from its sheath and resting it across her opposite palm to present it toward the group. The halfelf uses her sleave to dust off a bit of soot from the previous battle with her thumb, pausing for a moment to reflect on the sacrifice that G'Hanir had made for her...for them....for everyone.
"I think our best move now would be to see if G'Hanir is lost forever or if there still may be a way to bring back her back and get her help in cleansing this place." Her voice is a bit unsure, but she tries her best to show a bit of confidence and leadership in the moment. I'm not sure how to find the Elves of Stars' Rest, but maybe Smiles can help with that."
"Smiles ma'am?" asks Dain with some confusion.
**By the Light of the Sun, you will burn!**
Previously BENEFICENCE
DM: Storm Lord's Wrath || Syr Valor Dayne: Sleeping Gods || tooltips | guides | dice |
Lilli flashes back to her last communion with the great earth dragon Alfiharia, who she knows simply as Smiles. Lilli sits cross-legged in her room in Rivergard Keep, her attention on her crystal ball, which hovers just above her hands at eye level. But in her mind, she sat with Smiles in the Dawn Grove. Smiles wore the form of a beautiful wood elf woman, dressed in clothes of leafs and vines. They sat alone, though the massive tree Nordrassil rose like a wall behind Smiles.
"I am sorry, child. If I knew how to resurrect G'Hanir, I would in a heartbeat," she says, answering Lilli's previous question. She pauses, as though a thought has just occurred to her. "But, beyond the High Forest, hidden in its depths lies the city of Stars' Rest. It houses the last known living mythal. It is arcane magic that draws from the stars and I know little of how it works, but the Lord there may be able to help you. They are an insular lot, not taking easily to strangers, so you will need to prove you are trustworthy before they will see you. For that matter, you will need to talk to the Elves of the High Forest before they will let you travel their lands, but I believe you have met some of them already. They came to help you at that little farmstead you defended some time ago. They too prefer to keep to themselves when they can and, now that the devastation of the Chained One--I will not speak his name here--is contained, they may not be as willing to help as they were. But I'm sure you can find a way to earn their friendship."
**By the Light of the Sun, you will burn!**
Previously BENEFICENCE
DM: Storm Lord's Wrath || Syr Valor Dayne: Sleeping Gods || tooltips | guides | dice |