The warrior tribe procession clusters up by the party. A large man, not of but with the tribe, walks up accompanied by a magnificent lion, suffused in a faint glow.
😎Bori recognises the lion as Rexalon. The chieftess greets the party and introduces herself as Lady Mayar, of the Mayar tribe. She asks if they're of the new world like her concubine, Lance - who grins at the party with glinting gold teeth.
The party tells of the events with Lady Hillaria, and are invited to join her back in her city, despite Bori's misgivings.
🧔♂️Harald asks about Lance, and is told that he ran a failed expedition in the Old World, and came to join them here. Harald warns her of the 🎖Genial General, but Lady Mayar says that her shaman has said that there is no immediate cause for concern.
The party ride of following Lady Mayar, who sits side straddle upon a large elk.
The city is surrounded by farms, with buildings constructed of stone with elaborate carvings. At the entrance to the main plaza, stands the tall figure of the shaman, a minotaur covered in feathers and furs and holding a staff. The shaman announces the return of the chieftain.
Locking eyes with 🐰Faefina, a brief glance is exchanged between the two of them, an agreement to discuss matters later.
The shaman announces too the return of Lance and Rexalon, and the arrival of the party. Lady Mayar announces the party as strangers to their land, and welcome guests. She encourages the exchange of knowledge, and the shaman blesses everyone present.
Greeting Faefina, the shaman says that he recognises her as a disciple of ☯Ila. Taking her aside, he asks if he knows about the war against the mages. Faefina tells the shaman about her time with the Longest Lived One, and the two retreat to discuss matters further. The shaman says that the druids were able to block magical communication, and that the elves up North have decided to side with the Arcanum.
Pointing out the window at Rexalon, the shaman says that he has not been back in the armour for some time, and something is changing there.
😎Bori, at a loose end, decides to explore the city with 🧌Gronk. Gronk and Bori find themselves surrounded by curious children, and they rope Bori into a game of football.
Harald heads down to the fields, meeting the farmers and sharing a pipe with them. Taking a deep pull and looking up into the sky, Harald feels himself connected to the universe and sees a rainbow dragon in the stars. It seems to swoop down towards him, and Harald hears, at the edge of hearing, the words 'Free Me'.
That night, in her dreams, Faefina dreams of the Arcanum, with it's incredible buildings and impossible islands. Suddenly, storm clouds appear, and the seas become tempestuous. Kraken emerge from the sea, but are pushed back by the elves.
The next day, Harald heads to the armourer, and finds himself walking next to Rexalon. Rexalon asks him if he has felt the call. Rexalon says that after Lance and he joined the tribe the birds of Quetzalcoatl had not been seen, something that Rexalon finds most distressing. He believes Quetzalcoatl has been trapped, and must be freed. Rexalon looks at Harald too, and announces that they must return to the Old World, but first he must communicate with Leng.
Rexalon says too that Lance has found a home here, and is genuinely in love with the princess. Rexalon is happy for him but must return.
The party is summoned to the Chieftess' court. The chieftess strokes her long, illustrious hair as she greets them. She tells them that Harald saw a vision of the Couatl, and they know that the Quetzalcoatl must be rescued from captivity.
She says too that Rexalon is not available after determining what needs to be done, but has willed his armour to Harald. The chieftess leads them to a portal, and says that reality here can be made thin. Harald announces that he wishes to rescue Quetzalcoatl, and 5 insect shaped creatures burst through the portal and attack. 😎Bori recognises them as fiends.
Harald, attacking the nearest creature, hitting three times and dealing 40 dmg.
Bori runs towards the furthest creature, growing in size as he does so, hitting with a heel kick and tripping it, before throwing it, dealing 16 dmg in total and knocking a second one prone too.
Faefina swings at the closest creature with her morningstar, dealing 26 dmg.
Gronk tries casting chaos bolt but misses, and he drinks a potion of Heroism.
The two creatures Bori hit attack him back. The first misses, the second tries to grapples Bori, but also fails. In doing so, Bori is scraped by the creature's shell, dealing 14 dmg.
The third attacks Harald, hitting twice and nearly grappling him. Harald takes 18dmg.
The fourth attacks Gronk, passing Harald and receiving an attack of opportunity. It takes 19 dmg.
Harald hits the first one twice, hitting once, dealing 4 dmg. He attacks the second twice, slicing cleanly through it's carapace. The creature dissolves into black ichor.
Bori attacks the second creature, lifting it into the air and hitting the third with it, dealing 16 dmg. Using patient defense, Bori steps back and gains 10 hp.
Faefina casts Holy Weapon on her morningstar and attacks, but misses.
Gronk casts Chaos Bolt, dealing 16 force dmg and pushing the body back into a wall, crushing it. Wild Magic surges through Gronk, giving him a long feathery beard.
One creature trkies to grapple Bori, and grips itself.
The other grapples Faefina, dealing 9 dmg but she squeezes free.
Harald attacks the creature nearest Faefina, attacking thrice and hitting twice, slicing the head from the body and killing it.
Bori faces the last creature, and unleashes a flurry of blows with the staff, hitting solidly 5 times, pounding it into the ground and leaving behind a pool of black ichor.
As the ichor of the fallen beasts sinks into the stones, strange patterns emerge, and a black portal opens. From it flies a huge, beautiful, rainbow coloured creature. It shrinks and lands as a smaller bird, and thanks the party for freeing it. It introduces itself as an aspect of Quetzalcoatl, and says it was captured in the ethereal plain to the Mesolarths the party just destroyed.
Faefina asks for the death of the purple robed wizard - the Quetzalcoatl offers to take Faefina to her. First, he gives Gronk Careful Spell metamagic, and asks Harald what he'd like - Harald asks for the it to protect the city and it's people. Bori enquires about it's people, and discovers that they are farming livestock in the Old World country of Turkino.
The Quetzalcoatl opens a portal to the purple robed man, and with some trepidation, Faefina steps through it, followed by the rest of the party.
As they look around, they realise where they are - on a hill, looking over an army of undead, lead by a death knight - Lord Handcorn, the legendary paladin turned evil lich, in Lenthor.
The knight's head snaps to the side, straight at the party standing 20 feet from him, and the party rallies directly into combat.
Harald rushes the general, knocking the greatsword out of his hand, and stabbing him for 23 dmg. The knight lets out a hideous shriek.
Bori casts Patient Defense on himself and rushes the knight, attacking twice with his staff and hitting once, dealing 24 dmg and stunning him.
Faefina calls on Ila, her holy symbol glows and a miniature firebird flies out, plunging straight into the knight, dealing 25 radiant dmg.
Gronkl casts his voice to the knight, asking how he can be a knight if he has light inside of him. The Synaptic Static hits the knight for 34 psychic dmg.
The knight, still stunned, lifts his hands and hellfire forms between them. He bdrops his hands and the hellfire roils over the party, everyone takes 35 dmg, except Harald, who takes 70 dmg.
The knight, still woozy, goes to pick up his sword. Harald uses the attack of opportunity to slash at him, but misses.
Harald swings at the knight, dealing 63 dmg and skewering the knight. The knight falls back, the fiery eyes go dim.
Harald picks up the greatsword, Gronk finds a scroll. It reads - 'We are so close to taking over Lenthor. The house of Clinton will rule. The church of Mu Wren has given Lenthor to us'.
A little way off, the party sees a farmer, shaking and holding a pitchfork. 'My wife sent me out here to fight the knight'. The party asks about the purple robed man, and the farmer says that the king declared him to be the new prime minister. The city is in chaos, under this new leadership.