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Episode 3: Oathbreaker
We began at the summit of Mt Atria in the blighted palace of the Virtuous. The sky streaked with shimmering multicolored light.
Carviliius (dragonborn member of the Antiqua) lay in the center of the plaza, cradling the body of Aurum, their god. As the rest ot the Antiqua realized that they could not bring Aurum back, their thoughts turned to their own deities, and at once they dashed to the various towers that their gods had called home here on the highest peak of the world.
I followed Parvus (the kobold cleric) as they searched for the god Themself, though I observed that Parvus moved with less haste than his fellow Antiqua. Following the cleric across the narrow walkways and through ruined halls and temples, they arrived at the tower of Themself. Upon entering, it was immediately apparent that the god was not there, dead or alive.
I confronted Parvus about what he knew and why he had (against kobold culture) taken on a name. Parvus revealed that though he knew nothing of the death or disappearance of Themself, that he and the god had not seen eye to eye for a long time. He also told I that it had been hard for him to be alone and that the name Parvus had given him dignity.
Kelnys followed the elf Barabask, as they made their way towards the tower of Theolon, crying out in desperation as he neared the home of his goddess. The cleric did not have the strength to open the door to the door, so appealed to Kelnys for help, who was able to open it with ease because his stats are insane. As with the tower of Themself, nobody could be found.
The tower had been ransacked. A mural of a great tree towering over mountains defaced and scarred. Barabask dared to hope that Theolon's absence meant that she may have survived and disappeared to discover what more he could find out.
Dolly and Malakine (tiefling member of the Antiqua) rushed to the tower of Alakash, their deity, and discovered his lifeless body strewn on copies of his fables as his blood stained the parchment. Dolly asked the once-buoyant Malakine who could've done this and the Antiqua unthinkingly responded, "Only one of Them" before recovering to claim that she didn't know.
Hiding in the shadows, Raidion followed the dwarf Gronoth to Ullin's tower. Hearing the rageful sobs of the cleric, Raidion entered to see him holding the body of Ullin. Her platted red hair streaked with grey. Her skin just as Alakash's was; deeply-wrinkled by age. As Raidion revealed himself he asked Gronoth who could've done this. The dwarf replied that they could not speak of it here, but that they should journey to the city of Baruun to Gronoth's estate where he would return and explain it all.
Finally, Endellion and Morgan went after Genevieve (the human cleric of Ignas). On the way there, Endellion questioned Morgan on why the party had been brought here; why the Antiqua had needed guarding when their powers far exceeded those of their supposed guards. Morgan told her that it was due to the sacred nature of The Deference; that it was about maintaining the vows the Antiqua had made to forego much as they journey to commune with their gods. Satisfied for the moment, Endellion continued to follow Genevieve to the tallest tower in the palace, where the three of them found the body of Ignas. Her once fiery crown turned to the colors of spent coal. Morgan collapsed at the sight before Endellion and Genevieve (somehow sharpened by the adrenaline coursing through them) began to give instructions to shake him from his grief.
As the others left, Endellion hung back and looked out of an easterly facing window. Above the top of the Allanites (a mountain range at the very edge of the world) she could make out a shape. A shape beyond the mountains. She called Genevieve back to confirm it, but the cleric fixed her with a stare and told her that she couldn't see anything. Endellion, confident the cleric was lying to her, chose not to pursue the matter further.
I, Dolly, and Kelnys found magical items in the towers of their gods; a cloak, a ring, and a suit of mail, respectively. But Raidion's search proved fruitless. He did, however discover the source of magic that destroyed Ullin's tower and Ullin herself. Evocation, and the magic was either weak or the spells had not been recently cast.
As the Antiqua brought the bodies of the Virtuous to the first plaza, the parties gathered on the other side of the palace and discussed the discoveries before realizing that the light streaking across the sky originated from a small stone chamber. Within that chamber, you found the body of the elven goddess Theolon. Her hands across her chest, laid out at the base of a plinth.
Dolly recalled that Theolon had formerly been a god of The Wild who had changed sides in the Divine War, thus tipping balance in the favor of The Virtuous. Within the plinth, where the body lay, there were three orbs; one of pure white light, one of pure black with a flickering ring of blue, the last a kaleidoscope of ever-changing color. Raidion sensed great magical presence here, the greatest he had ever encountered, emanating from these orbs, that as you listened, seemed to whisper.
Raidion cast mage hand and touched the orb of white light and voices filled the chamber calling out from each orb with references being made to a child, the wild, the murk, the briar, and the destruction of Reliquiae itself. The voiced ended with the words "the shadow will flood". With this, the orbs dimmed and I looked out to the west, to a far away source of light. A great tree towering above the Allanites. A tree in a place that should not exist; that you have been told does not exist.
The party tried to make a plan, debating whether to tell the Antiqua, the Web, Morgan, or none of the above, what you'd heard and seen. Eventually you agreed you'd travel to Baruun, meet with Gronoth, and reveal nothing to the others. Once outside that small stone chamber, you heard raised voices as Parvus and Barabask attempted to justify their gods not being found in the palace. As Runa held Parvus by the throat, Kelnys brought forth the body of Theolon. Themself now became a target for all suspicion, with I interceding on behalf of Parvus, telling Runa (the orc cleric) that she and the others had turned Parvus into something that was not kobold. The tension rising, Gronoth acted as a peacemaker before Dolly, Endellion, and Kelnys and Morgan began to display symptoms of the same blight that had affected the wolves. The Antiqua were quietened by this and Barabask roused himself writing a letter for the party to give to Jasmee (a cleric of his order) to ensure the party would be saved from the blight. He warned you that you may not have long before the blight completely took hold. Genevieve told the party to say nothing of what you had seen, should panic grip the populace.
After leaving the palace, you returned to the plateau where you did battle with the blighted wolves, and discovered one so-marred by the blight it could barely move. Endellion put the beast out of its misery as Raidion spotted a vine wrapped around what appeared to be a creature. As the party approached, the vine attacked, revealing there to be nothing within its limbs as the plant life of the mountain seemed to become hostile to you. You quickly dispatched the vine and headed down into the cloud line, emerging into more blight. It was spreading.
The first snowflakes ever to fall on the Mountain of Perpetual Spring began to settle on the ground. As you picked your way down the mountain path, the ground shook and a landslide careened towards you. Through a combination of dashing and daring and tying yourselves together, you evaded the landslide, a corrupted, once-quizzical bear, and even managed to keep Morgan alive despite Endellion's best efforts.
At last you were clear of the blight, back in the spring sunshine, back among the lush greenery of the mountain. So the landslide has passed. The last loose stones are still skittering down the mountainside. The empty smell of the blighted earth begins to fade on the breeze and the light has started to dim, night is approaching. The scarlet sunset over the Allanites glows on the snow that carpets the ground on the base of the mountain.