“Return to Eldagast”
Active Characters this session:
- Cadramar (4th level Human Arcanist)
- Breeze (4th level Tabaxi Rogue)
- Khale (2nd level Human Barbarian/Cleric)
- Belisarius (4th level Human Paladin)
- Karn (2nd level Warforged Druid)
Last time, our intrepid adventurers were hired by Bleak Hollow’s Blacksmith to accompany a young noble into the mountains in search of Sky Metal. To their dismay, they did not discover a smoldering comet in the craggy cliffs East of the city but instead the wreckage of some kind of odd craft.
They encountered a Mind Flayer and witnessed the attempted assassination of an Elven Princess. Now they are making their way through the mountains towards the abandoned village of Eldagast with the survivors of Princess Xendalli’s skyship crew.
Part One
AFTERMATH
The adventurers assisted the survivors of the wrecked Star Moth. Eight Astral Elves made it out along with Phrred the Plasmoid and Princess Xendalli. All ten seemed to be in good enough health save for the Princess who remained unconscious despite the application of a healing potion.
Belisarius stood nearby, quiet and resigned. He had practiced the part of a noble for many years. Remain quiet, observe, but appear to be in charge.
Breeze called out to Cadramar, pointing to the unmoving form of Zin. The small Kobold Sorcerer lay on the ground, unconscious. Cadramar provided first aid, discovering that he had no discernable injuries. Therefore, he cast Detect Magic and soon reasoned that the Kobold was under the effects of a powerful enchantment spell similar to Power Word Kill. However, the spell seemed to be clinging to the Kobold, keeping him unconscious and dying but not slaying him outright. It was as if the spell itself was alive and clinging to Kobold like a parasite.
Belisarius used a fraction of his divine power to heal Zin. The warm energy passed through the Paladin into the Sorcerer, stabilizing him. However, the Kobold remained unconscious with the dread spell intact.
Inspection of Princess Xendalli led Cadramar to deduce the same: she was under the effects of a powerful spell called Imprisonment, causing her to remain in an enchanted slumber. Again, the spell seemed to cling to her as if it were alive.
Phrred suggested that both were under the influence of Xendalli’s brother, Prince Xeleth. He explained that the Elf was a powerful spellcaster and master of the arcane arts.
One of the Astral Elves reminded Phrred that the crashed Star Moth would be automatically beginning the “Scuttle Protocol” and that they should seek cover quickly. Phrred explained hurriedly that the ship would explode to eradicate its remains and avoid looting. They had only moments and should flee.
And so they put as much distance between the crash site and themselves as possible. The adventurers used horses while the Astral Elves fled on foot. Breeze quickly placed Zin on the back of one of the pack horses while two Elves carried the Princess. When the ship exploded they were far enough away to be safe but still were pelted with debris. The explosion shattered the mountainside shearing off a huge swath that connected the two impact sites by a smoldering cavity.
What none of them noticed was a single skulking form on the top of the mountain high above observing them. Kharn, a Warforged Druid, was still attempting to discern if these strangers were friend or foe. He decided to remain hidden and follow them.
Cadramar lamented aloud that he wished they had been able to tow back the Illithid Escape Pod to the Blacksmith for materials. One of the Astral Elves asked if the adventurers had severed the head from the Mind Flayer after killing it to break the bond between the Elder Brain and the individual. “The Mind Flayers are all linked together in a psychic web that connects them. The center of that net is the Elder Brain. If the Illithid’s head was not severed from the body, the Elder Brain will know where it is and send more of its kind to retrieve the brain for consumption.” Cadramar and Breeze exchanged glances, agreeing to return and see if the Mind Flayer’s corpse was intact after the explosion.
Phrred sent two of the Astral Elves with them as reinforcements while Belisarius led the rest of the survivors on the road toward Eldagast. The trip would take about 4 hours, so after about two hours of travel Belisarius called for a rest. He supervised the Elves making camp. While they ate the paladin regaled the survivors with stories about the history of Bleak Hollow, Eldagast, and how the Elves had recently departed mysteriously. The majority of the Astral Elves were polite and listened half-heartedly to Belisarius’s story. Phrred however was laser-focused and seemed to soak in all the information. At the end of the tale, Phrred questioned how time worked on this planet, and Belisarius did his best to explain that time was measured using sunrise, sunset, and the phases of the moons to measure intervals. Phrred worked out the concept that one rotation of the sun was essentially a day.
At about that time, Breeze, Cadramar, and the two Astral Elves arrived at camp. The Elves were riding on a sled crafted by Cadramar using the salvaged circular door from the Illithid’s Escape Pod. While Cadramar and the Elves positioned Zin and Princess Xendalli on the sled for more secure transport, Breeze explained that they had found the Mind Flayer’s corpse, and severed the head from the body.
They broke camp and were surprised to see Khale, a Barbarian Cleric from Bleak Hollow. He had seen the explosions earlier in the morning and decided to investigate. He joined with the group and explained to them that he had been spending a lot of time in Eldagast using the Blacksmith Shop, the Bakery, and spending the nights in one of the houses. He also explained that the Cacuzzo Crime Family had been making several daily excursions into the Elf village to pick it clean of anything that was of value. “They even took the curtains and rugs,” explained Khale. “But they were kind enough to leave the three buildings I’ve been using untouched.”
The group traveled the rest of the way to Eldagast unknowingly being followed by Karn. Once the Druid realized they were headed for Eldagast, he broke away and passed through the forest rapidly, intending to make it to the abandoned Elf village before them.
Part Two
REFUGE
The group of adventurers and survivors arrived in Eldagast midmorning. They decided to use the Mandolin Inn as a base of operations to relax and recover. As they settled in, Khale excused himself to go to the Bakery to retrieve some food and supplies for everyone. Meanwhile, Breeze and Cadramar pulled the sled to the Blacksmith shop to store the materials gathered from the impact sites, unloading the pack horses so they could be ridden by someone when they set off to Bleak Hollow. They also placed Zin next to the warm forge to stay warm.
Unknown to all of them, Karn watched from the shadows. The Warforged sneaked from shadow to shadow, staying close to the buildings to observe. He ducked into the Bakery when he saw Khale approaching, deciding to speak to the Human about who they all were and what they were doing not only in Eldagast but also on the mountain.
After the initial surprise of Karn being in the Bakery, the two of them spoke briefly. Khale explained that they were adventurers from Bleak Hollow and that the group had just returned from a job directed by the city’s Blacksmith. Karn decided that the group seemed trustworthy, and agreed to accompany Khale back to the Inn.
A little later, the entire group sat down in the Inn’s common room to enjoy a meal. Khale had plenty of food on hand, and everyone seemed to enjoy the classic Elven fare. Afterwards, Phrred accompanied the adventurers to the Princess’s room to check on her. They found she was still unconscious. They discussed possible ways to help her recover, and Belisarius decided he would ride to Bleak Hollow and seek out a wizard for help in breaking the spell.
Belisarius returned an hour later, explaining that town’s wizard was not powerful enough to dispel the magic, and suggested that a wizard from Prism might be able to help. However, Prism was days away and they did not have that kind of time to address the situation.
Phrred reluctantly took the Ring of Shooting Stars from the Princess’s finger and placed it on his own. He explained that he could use it to call for help from a friend named Captain Elaina Sartell of the galleon named Moondancer. The Captain would come to their aid as quickly as possible, and be able to transport the Princess from this planet. He also suggested that they retire to a more private location to discuss the situation with Prince Xeleth and the threat to their planet. The adventurers suggested they talk in the Blacksmith shop.
Walking outside, Phrred held his hand up to the midday sky. The ring flared with a bright pink light and shot a solid beam into the air which seemed to continue long out of sight. It flared for nearly twenty seconds, and then faded.
“There,” he said glumly. “The Moondancer will be on its way.”
As they headed to the Blacksmith shop, Breeze shared how he had seen Moondancer in port recently, loading a herd of donkeys for delivery. With any luck, the ship was still close by and would be here faster than expected.
“I hope so,” sighed Phhred. “For all of our sakes.”
Part Three
THE LIGHT OF XARYXIS
The adventurers met with Phrred in the Eldagast Blacksmith’s shop to talk. He explained that he must get Princess Xendalli off this planet within one rotation of the sun. All in all, Phrred explained that the Elven star of the Xaryxis galaxy (called Xaryxispace) was burning out. Emperor Xvan, Xendalli’s and Xeleth’s Father, knew that their galaxy was at risk, and so had Artificer’s forge an artifact called The Light of Xaryxis to save its star, and likewise their galaxy.
The artifact has nourished the Xaryxian sun for millennia, serving as a wellspring for the magical power that the Astral Elves of Xaryxispace use to sustain their galaxy. However, the grim secret is that the artifact sustains the plane by destroying other worlds. The life-force to heal Xaryxis is sapped from another planet, leaving it a dry husk.
This process has continued for centuries, with Emperor Xvan sending out Heralds to search the galaxies for suitable worlds for the artifact to consume. It has become a practice that galaxies experiencing a rare planetary alignment are the ones ripe for harvesting and are sought out first by the Heralds. Each world is studied using several additional magical devices, and ultimately the Emperor makes a decision to call for the sacrifice of the chosen world.
Hundreds of years ago, Prince Xeleth was charged with leading the Heralds. He oversees the process and protocol of selecting viable worlds that meet the proper prerequisites including: no intelligent lifeforms, primitive societies, or a lack of evolving advanced species. Phrred explained that the Prince is nefarious and heartless, often approving planets that are vibrant with sacred lifeforms. It’s happened before, and its clearly happened again with your world, a planet he calls “Athas.”
Phrred went on to explain that the Princess listened to the voices of the Council who claimed that the chosen world, your world, was a poor choice as it not only contained Terrestrial Elves, but many other intelligent Species. She chose to defy the Emperor, taking with her a small crew to investigate this world for herself. What she discovered, of course, was that the world was clearly vibrant with intelligent life. She returned home, pleading with her Father to order Xeleth and the Heralds to seek another world.
“This is the part even my crew does not know,” explained Phrred. “And why I wanted to talk with you in private away from them.” He went on to explain that time was of the essence, and that Xaryxis was dying. There was no time to seek out another world. It was literally now or never, as the Light of Xaryxis works best during a complete planetary alignment and your world is going to be in full alignment within 24 hours of your planetary time. The Emperor ordered Xendalli to return to your world, called “Athas” by Phrred, and notify all Terrestrial Elves to depart the planet by whatever means available. That was three weeks ago.
“Two weeks ago,” mused Breeze. “The Elves from Eldagast disappeared and deserted this village.”
Cadramar shook his head. “How would they leave?”
Phrred shrugged. “Powerful magic. Planar Gates. Even Spelljamming ships, because your world does have a few ports that are frequents – mostly in secret – by spacefaring races.”
“The Diamond!” Khale shouted. “There was a receipt for a expensive diamond from the Miner’s Guild in the things we salvaged while searching the houses. They must have used it as a component to cast a powerful spell!”
Phrred nodded. “A valuable diamond is a spell component needed to open gates to travel to other worlds. Perhaps they returned to the Elven Home-Plane, the Feywild.”
At that moment someone started banging hard on the door of the Blacksmith’s shop. Breeze opened the door, and an Astral Elf stood at the door. He was frantic. He shouted at Phrred: “The Seeds! It’s started early! It’s beginning, sir!”
They hurried outside to see that the sky was full of falling meteors, a shower of Astral Seeds that would germinate and prepare the world for its destruction.
“It’s too late,” moaned Phrred. “The prince began the process early. We’re doomed.”
Children of the Ampersand 