Campaign Journal #29: Eltheodir's End (Act I Finale)

Before we begin, I add a short recap:

When our heroes woke this morning, they heard news from the town criers of Nevriath. Dragons may have been spotted in the north. There are economic troubles in Stroud. A lake monster was slain in the Woldmere. It all seems so inconsequential compared to the resurrection of a dead god, which they're now seeing with their own eyes.

Aldus Patrox and the Feore faction seem to be winning their fight with the mind flayers. In fact, the party spots a magical doorway appear near them and they back into it one by one. The Casseval faction are also defeating their mind flayers, though with several casualties. The remaining mind flayers have fled the battle.

Eltheodir has (mostly) materialized and is moving towards the unsettling well.

Our heroes rush Eltheodir, buffing Kodrak with fly and enlarge spells as they do so. Kodrak reattaches Eltheodir's horn and greebles are summoned around him, which brings the god into the mortal realm and makes him vulnerable. Renn and Sentie keep everyone alive with temporary hit points and healing. Everyone gets in hits when they can, and summons additional greebles to block Eltheodir.

[DM comment: I'd like to say that the battle with a god was truly epic, but it was mostly straightforward. The party maximized outgoing damage and mitigated incoming damage, while locking down Eltheodir's movement. Every gaming session is a lesson learned.]

Raehendra shoots the final arrow and Eltheodir crumples before them. His dying form releases a wave of power that knocks everyone's spirits from their bodies—except for Barclay. It seems that there are penalties for killing gods.

However, Sister Vara is waiting for our heroes. She reassures them that death clerics and priests from Caddes Byr are coming to resurrect them. Meanwhile, the greebles devour Eltheodir's corpse.

As Raehendra dealt the final blow, Barclay's amulet of omens warned him of impending death. He activates the amulet and fades from existence, thus avoiding the wave of power. He reappears somewhere dark, though he eventually hears the sound of rushing water and feels air on his skin. He also sees a dim light, growing, and sees that it is a light spell approaching in a distant tunnel. Kodrak and Renn slide into view from that tunnel, and Barclay understands that he is across a wide underground river from his friends—and somehow in an earlier timeline, in Thyrre. Kodrak and Renn are struggling to rise on flagstones that Barclay now sees are crumbling beneath them. He spots a pile of treasure to their right and points to it, but they ignore him and climb back into the tunnel. Barclay fades again and reappears with our heroes, who are still being resurrected.

Liliani arrives and hugs Renn. Barclay casts sending to Rixiilliandrias, who appears and thanks everyone. Bartholomew messages Barclay and thanks everyone, then says he will likely have work for them in several months. (If they're interested, they can make their way to Fellsdare.) The party retires to a bar to recover.

In the next several months, our heroes are given 500 gold each from Fellsdare, Aceley, and Thannescombe for their help—and they are told that their actions will be disavowed by the nation of Loril.

In the near future:

• Barclay turns to magical study, and seeks out jobs to fund this.
• Kodrak writes letters to his family, but he still craves adventure.
• Raehendra writes books about greebles, with illustrations by Heyzzzel.
• Renn returns home with Liliani.
• Sentie seeks to become the understudy of Rixiilliandrias.

This is the end of Act I.

Soundtrack:

Michael Ghelfi Studios, The Master (Mix)

The Main Cast, our player characters:

• Barclay Stone (he/him), human bard (college of eloquence)
• Aevyr, his imp familiar
• Kodrak Kukkerlun (he/him), dwarven fighter (battle master)
• Raehendra Tiddlybumpkin (she/her), gnomish ranger (hunter)
• Renn Summerstar (he/him), elven cleric of Lioris (twilight domain)
• Sentie Rancis (they/them), human wizard (school of transmutation)

The Supporting Cast, non-player characters:

• Eltheodir, dead god
• Heyzzzel, gnome wererat, artist
• Liliani, elf, Renn’s sister
• Ooblex, greeble
• Rixiilliandrias of Pallistae Starling-on-Tinsley, wizard
• Sister Vara, death goddess

See the full cast list at Campaigns in Elsemorn—now with photos of the miniatures used in the game!

Campaign Journal #28: Preparing to Fight a God

Our heroes speak with Liliani, and they all go to her temporary home in Nevriath. Liliani reveals that her research with Decius has turned up some of the same information as the party, but less in-depth. They've captured a few cultists, but they seem resistant to interrogation. When followed (even discretely), the cultists appear to leave the city in random directions, and then go invisible or teleport away.

However, they have noticed increased activity around four areas outside the city, much of it tied to the city's anniversary celebrations in three days:

• A field to the north where fireworks will be set off.
• A field to the east where a circus is setting up.
• The southern warehouse district where stores will hold sales.
• The western market district where people from all over will buy and sell goods.

Our heroes investigate the fireworks field, where they end up causing a commotion themselves. After that, they visit the circus grounds, where Kodrak and Sentie are denied entry. Barclay encounters Aldus Patrox, who appears to be more neutral (or perhaps an ally) than an enemy. Aldus teases some information about Barclay's early life, but now is not the time for a discussion. He also clues Barclay in about some of the cult's itinerary the following day.

The party reconvenes at Liliani's home and sleeps. During the night, Ooblex "talks" strategy with Raehendra's mind. The next morning, they observe the Feore faction get picked up by the cultists, and they follow them to the site of the ritual: the circus!

A lot of things happen in a short amount of time:

• The Casseval and Feore emissaries are escorted onto the fields.
• A tarp-covered barge lands and the coverings are immediately removed to reveal the gigantic body of Eltheodir.
• Circus workers shed their disguises, revealing themselves to be cultists. They remove the straps from Eltheodir, freeing him. They also remove the covering from the largest tent, revealing a well—in fact, the same well that the party spotted with the skeletal "Benefactor" and mind flayers. They get the same sinking feeling in their guts.
• More circus workers shed their disguises, revealing themselves to be mind flayers. They set upon the cultists, killing them and, when possible, eating their brains. They also set upon the Casseval and Feore guests. The Cassevallans are taken by surprise; several mind flayers grab people and teleport away. The Feorans are prepared and fight off the mind flayers.
• Meanwhile, the peaceful crowd flees in panic.

This leaves the battlefield mostly empty, as Eltheodir stands and begins moving toward the well.

Our next campaign journal will likely be the final session of Act I!

Soundtrack:

Austin Wintory, The Banner Saga (2014), The Banner Saga 2 (2016), The Banner Saga 3 (2018)

The Main Cast, our player characters:

• Barclay Stone (he/him), human bard (college of eloquence)
• Aevyr, his imp familiar
• Kodrak Kukkerlun (he/him), dwarven fighter (battle master)
• Raehendra Tiddlybumpkin (she/her), gnomish ranger (hunter)
• Renn Summerstar (he/him), elven cleric of Lioris (twilight domain)
• Sentie Rancis (they/them), human wizard (school of transmutation)

The Supporting Cast, non-player characters:

• Aldus Patrox, human, former actor in The Limelight Company, Cardinal of the Church of the Adamant, Lord of the Garnet Sword, advisor and cousin to Andel Patrox (King of Feore)
• Decius, human, priest of Currend
• Eltheodir, dead god being resurrected
• Liliani, elf, Renn’s sister
• Ooblex, greeble
• Various bodyguards and researchers
• Various citizens

See the full cast list at Campaigns in Elsemorn—now with photos of the miniatures used in the game!

Campaign Journal #27: Navigating the Shademark and the Battle With the Promise-Breaker

Our heroes set off into the silent darkness of the Shademark, the borderlands between the mortal and immortal realms, also known as the Land of the Dead. Raehendra concentrates on her shadow compass, the one item that will let her navigate the directions given by The Wise One.

Raehendra guides the party between a pair of tentacled statues, counter-clockwise around a standing statue, beyond a seated statue, and through an invisible maze. On the way, they meet two riddle-giving denizens of the Shademark; our heroes answer the riddles begrudgingly.

In time, our heroes come across a cluster of shelves and tables, covered with all kinds of items. Raehendra recognizes them as products sold at her parents' stores—and made for them by enslaved kobolds. The party examines the items and finds them to be low-quality, even fake. It is quite an unusual scene to discover in the dark of the Shademark. Raehendra and the others ponder on that.

They continue on and find another strange environment, small growths of trees—and an unmoving dragon...something. A statue? Perhaps more?

Barclay magically senses another mind immediately before they are attacked by the "Promise-Keeper", a balhannoth. The creature is an annoyance, disappearing and teleporting around while grappling the party with tentacles and biting with powerful jaws. Kodrak and Raehendra deal significant damage, while Renn investigates the "dragon" (an illusion), and Sentie is polymorphed into a gorilla. Barclay is shaken but aids the rest of the party. Kodrak lands the killing blow, opening the way to the Path of Greebles.

This path is more like a river of Greebles, which our heroes walk on to reach the Well of Souls. They match some runes to open it and call upon the Mouth of Greebles. Raehendra masterfully negotiates for the Greebles' help in defeating Eltheodir, a dead god being resurrected by cultists in the mortal world. Ooblex, a tiny sludgy Greeble, travels with Raehendra.

In the distance, a pair of doors appears, leading back to Sister Vara's refuge. From there, our heroes pass through another door, climbing seemingly neverending stairs up a mountain, until they lose consciousness.

The party "awakes" in Caddes Byr, the City of Graves. A month has passed, and tomorrow is the first of Haws, the date of the impending ritual. Recent events have changed everyone, perhaps Barclay most of all. He has dropped his fake accent, and he actually seems comfortable with everyone else; he congratulated Raehendra on her negotiation skills, and his interactions with Sentie are less angry and more playful.

Barclay sends messages to Rixiilliandrias, who says they must reach Nevriath as soon as possible. Our heroes take a path along the ley line, which gets them to the city before noon.

Nevriath is bustling with activity. Unfortunately, almost no one knows that in a day, a ritual may resurrect the dead god Eltheodir—which carries powerful consequences for everyone. The party has no clue where to start, until Renn hears his sister Liliani shouting above the crowd.

We'll continue with that conversation next time!

Soundtrack:

Bardify, Shadowfell

DesertX, EP01 (2024)

The Main Cast, our player characters:

• Barclay Stone (he/him), human bard (college of eloquence)
• Aevyr, his imp familiar
• Kodrak Kukkerlun (he/him), dwarven fighter (battle master)
• Raehendra Tiddlybumpkin (she/her), gnomish ranger (hunter)
• Renn Summerstar (he/him), elven cleric of Lioris (twilight domain)
• Sentie Rancis (they/them), human wizard (school of transmutation)

The Supporting Cast, non-player characters:

• Rixiilliandrias of Pallistae Starling-on-Tinsley, wizard
• Two riddlers
• The Promise-Breaker, a Balhannoth
• The Mouth of Greebles, an aggregate of greebles
• Ooblex, greeble
• Clerics and priests of various death gods
• Liliani, human, Renn’s sister

See the full cast list at Campaigns in Elsemorn—now with photos of the miniatures used in the game!

Campaign Journal #26: Everybody Dies

We rejoin our heroes, immediately after they've spied on that skeletal figure and some mind flayers, learned a great deal about the cult's plans, and witnessed some deadly backstabbing. They're now back in the tower of Rixiilliandrias, where he tells them to get some rest while he sees to their security.

The next morning, everyone is asked to visit Rixiilliandrias's office for a gift. While there...

Raehendra

Raehendra notices a framed cross-stitch of The Greeble Poem:

Beyond the veil where Greebles bide,
In seas of shadow everlast,
Their hunger for the timeless vast,
Beyond the veil where Greebles bide.

Beyond the veil where Greebles grin,
Their uncanny shapes do devour
That which dares pass its final hour.
Beyond the veil where Greebles grin.

- Valyric Paega

Rixiilliandrias and Najima speak of how knowledgable and prophetic Paega was.

Later, Najima says more about Greebles: "As the poem says, Greebles live beyond the veil, outside of the mortal realm. From what we can surmise, they feed upon things that should have ended, but have not: finished time, empty souls, and beings that may no longer be counted among the living. Soulless undead, for example. It is said that they can even strip powers from the divine. That is the extent of what is known. To learn more, you would have to seek out Valyric Paega—who is also beyond the veil. There is a prophecy that—" but she suddenly has to leave.

Sentie

Sentie notices a poster for The Wayfarers Circus, a traveling circus act. The poster includes the portrait of a "hypnotizer" labelled "Evert Varlet", who Sentie recognizes as the man who taught them about magic.

Rixiilliandrias also mentions that Evert Varlet is a member of The Pool, a thieves' guild working in Casseval and Feore, and a relative of Cole Varlet, one of Feore's emissaries to the cultist's ritual.

While there, Rixiilliandrias casts scrying on Sentie's mother, Relia Rancis. They see that Relia (and her husband, Aldric) seem to be fine, though they also appear sad.

Barclay

Barclay also notices the poster for The Wayfarers Circus, including Evert Varlet. Rixiilliandrias shares the same information about Evert Varlet being in The Pool and also a relative of Cole Varlet. He also suggests speaking with Sentie about Evert.

While there, Rixiilliandrias decodes some of Barclay's ritual text with some playing cards. It turns out that the code was something that Rixiilliandrias used in Myrinul, and which was stolen by a Feoran spy:

"At one point, a Feoran spy named Serenthe Galco infiltrated our organization. She attended only one meeting of the Longdays Society, but she 'worked' alongside us at Myrinul for 9 months. She stole a great deal of our work on these four spells (private sanctum, magnificent mansion, teleportation circle, and plane shift), and, apparently, also the card-based cipher that I was using at the time. Without getting lost in the details, early spells that create safe, defensible locations would take it from other places. The magic would actually steal the land, sometimes from far-off places, integrating it with ours. Now, understand that we looked into the possibilities here. At one point, there were discussions about saving extraplanar cities, perhaps even civilizations, by bringing them here. If we had the means, was it not an ethical imperative? Of course, we discovered that there were...side effects of doing so. People could be trapped, hurt, or killed. And then there were the earthquakes.

"In any case, this Serenthe Galco returned to Feore and traded the information for land and title. Within a year, she was Serenthe Galco-Patrox, a member of the royal family. How this information ended up here, in your book, is a puzzle—for another time, though."

The decoded content in Barclay's text includes:

• The difference between early (and dangerous), ritual forms of the spells private sanctum, magnificent mansion, teleportation circle, and plane shift and their modern version.
• Attempts to draw connections between ritual and non-ritual versions of spells. It seems that some non-ritual spells can be made into ritual spells by multiplying the cost (sometimes by 10 or 100), adding more ritual times, or by doing some awful things (like blood sacrifice). Unfortunately, there doesn't (yet) appear to be a way to do this on the fly.
• The text "Morn is a beacon star" with the words "safe harbor" underlined.
• Towards the end, a note about "Limelight Company".

The previous day, Barclay had mentioned Aldus Patrox as one of the Feoran emissaries, and that plus the note about Limelight Company reminded Rixiilliandrias of several things:

• First, that Aldus Patrox has a reputation of one who lacks ambition (as a cardinal). But he wasn't like that as a young man.
• Second (and related), he finds a poster for for The Limelight Company, a theater company based in Fellsdare, Loril. At the top is one of the lead actors, Aldus Patrox. Barclay notices two portraits near the bottom, a man and woman who bear a passing resemblance to his parents.

After some conversation with Rixiilliandrias, Barclay also learns the following:

• The events with Serenthe Galco happened about 400 years ago.
• In his youth, Aldus likely benefited from a great deal of leeway that most royals are given. He was able to explore the world and see or experience things that are frowned upon, as long as it's not obvious heresy. Officially, it's to learn about the heretical West so that one can more easily defeat them. Unofficially, it's because the rules rarely apply to royals.
• The Limelight Company went out of business perhaps 20 years ago.
• Barclay has heard of their patron, Morning Golden, but the name was never interesting or conspicuous enough to research.
• The Church of the Adamant, of which Aldus is a cardinal, is more..."liberal-fascist" than the sect preferred by Casseval. They're a little more open to what's included in their holy texts, but still generally awful in practice.

Later that day, our heroes engage in several activities:

• Barclay and Sentie discuss Evert Varlet.
• Sentie copies some scrolls into his wizard spellbook.
• Kodrak explores the tower, touches everything he can, tries on old theater costumes—and takes a few with him.
• Renn finds a nice glass enclosure on a level filled with plants and animals, and hotboxes. The hookah in the room suggests that this may be its actual purpose.
• Barclay casts sending (four times!) and speaks with Evert Varlet after many years.
• Barclay to Evert Varlet: "It's... me. Your name has come up. Many other names. I have many questions. More concerns. Can we speak? Please. Safely, quietly, soon. Please... Uncle."
• Reply: "Hey BK, good to hear you're alive. I'm working on something important. Incredibly important. But I can step away for a few moments."
• Barclay to Evert Varlet: "I'm... stopping a cult? A dead god? Eastern emissaries. I just learned you are a caster!? Ugh, no, and... my... <sigh>... are they... okay?"
• Reply: "Denise and Gregeth are here, working on the same project. We'd love to show you but it may take some time. Possibly years. Sorry."
• Barclay to Evert Varlet: "... They're... there!? After all this time? What... what project? What is happening. Can I... help? Should I? How can I find you? When? Where? ... How?"
• Reply: "It's a long story but The Limelight Company smuggled them out. Our project is secret but could save many people. Perhaps worlds."
• Barclay to Evert Varlet: "I know a bit about that. A bit about a lot of things. I may be able to help. Contact me soon. Them, too."
• Reply: "I've heard. Be careful. Particularly with Cole, my second-cousin, once removed. He's a teenager and a true believer. Please be gentle. And safe."

Rixiilliandrias later gives Barclay and Sentie the combinations to four teleportation circles:

1. His public circle at Pallistae Starling-on-Tinsley. He warns that it may be disabled at times, and is always "sequestered"—meaning it puts everyone arriving in some place safe, but not necessarily some place they can leave from immediately.
2. A private circle north of Fellsdare.
3. A public circle near Arcea.
4. A private circle in Callad. He suggests they not use this portal without Kodrak.

Everyone (our heroes, Rixiilliandrias, Najima, and Hazephas) gathers for a discussion about how to proceed going forward. Najima reminds everyone that they face a partially resurrected dead god, who will still be immensely powerful. He'll also be impossible to harm unless they return his horn, which will make him even stronger—but also able to be killed. Raehendra says that she learned about Greebles, and suggests they are the solution. Najima confirms this.

However, to get to the Greebles (and to Valyric Paega, who can provide more information about them), they must pass "beyond the veil". That means severing their souls from their material bodies. It's basically like dying. They'll also need to light a candle to Sister Vara, a death goddess.

They take a long rest to prepare. Renn prays to his god, Lioris, to ensure this is all fine. He is visited by an errandthane, Ylreat, who says that it is.

Our heroes take a portal to a waterfall, where they jump in and "die". They eventually "wake" in the Shademark. While there:

• Kodrak appears younger, with an orangish beard.
• Renn has shadowy, tendrilly angel wings.
• Raehendra wears nobles' clothing.
• Barclay wears upper-class scholars' robes until he magically changes them to his normal clothing.
• Sentie looks the same.

They are now in the care of Sister Vara, a death goddess. In addition to Sister Vara, they also meet:

• Anwel, fey oracle
• Caelia, priestess of Sister Vara
• Elena Tesar, governess of Raehendra Tiddlybumpkin and Vikt Falkor
• Host, half a skeleton
• Orphan, a girl
• Orrox the Blind and Helpless, elderly beholder
• Tarric, agender scarecrow
• Tharylitrionus the Five-Eyed, agender spectator, scientist
• Valyric "Val" Paega, human, once wrote a volume on Greebles
• Xorn of Truth "Xot", xorn

They briefly explain what they're doing: finding Greebles to defeat Eltheodir. Raehendra catches up with Elena and chats with Val. Kodrak and Sentie chat with Tarric. Sentie also asks Orrox plenty of questions.

Unprovoked, Tharylitrionus the Five-Eyed says that "'Eltheodir' is more of a mistranslation or misreading of an older runic language. You see, the old runes can be read left to right, or right to left, or back and forth. Sometimes meandering even, which I suppose I'm doing right now. In any case, rather than 'theo', it should be 'ithe', meaning 'wave'; 'el' is more like 'ill', the same word we use today, but back then it had a meaning closer to 'evil'. So 'evil' plus 'wave'. 'Dir' is more or less accurate; it's simply a plural word ending. Ill-ithe-dir. Evil waves." He floats away.

Eventually, our heroes are each given a bag of common materials needed within the Shademark, which includes candles, incense, paper coins, sage, salt, an Unfiery flint and steel, and an Unfiery Torch.

Raehendra is given a single Shadow Compass. Caelia explains, "To use it, the bearer must think of their destination and not lose their own light."

Tarric says, "If you find your light diminishing, tell a happy memory, sing a cheerful song, or do anything that brings joy to your heart and the hearts of those around you."

Host then says, "If you need to return, light an Unfiery Torch and stand within its unglow."

Orrox warns, "If you encounter any denizens of the shadow, it's best to do what they ask, if only to avoid drawing further attention to yourself."

Val concludes, "When you're ready, open and walk past that door there. You'll soon meet The Wise One, who will help you navigate to the Greebles."

They do so and eventually find The Wise One, who asks what they seek. Raehendra says, "Greebles". The Wise One intones:

Your journey has seven steps:

1. Walk Between the Tentacled Statues.
2. Walk Widdershins around The Standing One.
3. Light incense for The Seated One and pass on its left.
4. Defeat The Promise-Breaker. No others need be harmed.
5. Walk The Path of Greebles.
6. Open the Well of Souls.
7. Only then can you negotiate with The Mouth of Greebles.

And that's where we'll join our heroes next time!

Soundtrack:

• Daniel Pemberton, The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance, Vol. 1 (2019)
• Daniel Pemberton and Samuel Sim, The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance, Vol. 2 (2019)
• DesertX, EP01 (2024)

The Main Cast, our player characters:

• Barclay Stone (he/him), human bard (college of eloquence)
• Aevyr, his imp familiar
• Kodrak Kukkerlun (he/him), dwarven fighter (battle master)
• Raehendra Tiddlybumpkin (she/her), gnomish ranger (hunter)
• Renn Summerstar (he/him), elven cleric of Lioris (twilight domain)
• Sentie Rancis (they/them), human wizard (school of transmutation)

The Supporting Cast, non-player characters:

• Hazephas, imp, familiar of Rixiilliandrias
• Najima
• Rixiilliandrias of Pallistae Starling-on-Tinsley, wizard
• Ylreat, Sedeyrran Errandthane
• The Wise One
• The Dead
• Anwel, fey oracle
• Caelia, priestess of Sister Vara
• Elena Tesar, governess of Raehendra Tiddlybumpkin and Vikt Falkor
• Host, half a skeleton
• Orphan, a girl
• Orrox the Blind and Helpless, elderly beholder
• Sister Vara, death goddess
• Tarric, agender scarecrow
• Tharylitrionus the Five-Eyed, agender spectator, scientist
• Valyric "Val" Paega, human, once wrote a volume on Greebles
• Xorn of Truth "Xot", xorn

See the full cast list at Campaigns in Elsemorn—now with photos of the miniatures used in the game!

Campaign Journal #25: Rixiilliandrias of Pallistae Starling-on-Tinsley

We return to our heroes aboard a boat/barge piloted by the ogre Jarold down the River Tinsley. Jarold hands out gifts to his new friends/passengers:

• To Barclay, a large nugget of fool's gold.
• To Kodrak, some flax seeds, a burnt toy, and a diagram on how to make a ball.
• To Raehendra, a bottle of perfume.
• To Renn, a vial of will-o-wisp remains.
• To Sentie, some hot peppers, hot sauce, and capsaicin.

The voyage takes two days, during which they pass several elven towns and villages. Eventually, they arrive at what appears to be an open field—although the river ahead of them is roaring, divided by some invisible structure. Jarold docks the boat, and the party disembarks.

Renn casts see invisibility and sees not only the bridge in front of them (which explains the river's behavior) but also a walled city, now falling to ruin. Everyone hears a commotion on the other side of the bridge, and Renn sees a door shattered by three creatures.

Our heroes battle a modified/upgraded Barrowghast, Sword Wraith Warrior, and Specter. The Spector is quickly destroyed by Sentie, and the Sword Wraith Warrior is taken down by a few hits from Kodrak, Raehendra, and Renn—but the Barrowghast takes many hits before it drops. Then it rises again and takes several more hits before Sentie dispatches it. Unfortunately, most of those hits release plumes of poisonous gas, harming everyone around the Barrowghast. After the battle is over, Renn heals most of the party's wounds.

Hazephas the imp appears and invites our heroes into Rixiilliandrias' invisible tower. They meet Najima, who seems to be some kind of...invisible secretary? Then the party is escorted to a small theater where they enjoy snacks and a stage magic performance by Rixiilliandrias—who asks that they call him "Andrias".

Barclay explains everything to Rixiilliandrias, with help from the rest of the party, in hopes that Andrias can fill in the blanks. Rixiilliandrias explains that Myrinul was, at one time, a center of magical research until they made the connection between the ever-increasing earthquakes and their work. Myrinul was shut down, and everyone swore a "soul-oath" not to divulge certain things. (In short, Rixiilliandrias is willing to help but cannot directly intercede in areas involving his soul-oath—including the dead god.) Rixiilliandrias also explains that his research and experiments at Myrinul involved the runic spell pages. They granted him his long life, though they drew that life force from the people of Pallistae. Rixiilliandrias is now doing what he can to destroy the undead and make the city habitable again. He also explains that his magical experiments led his wife, Miela, to leave him, and his brother-in-law, Kajh Falkor, to desire a longer life and eventually resort to vampirism. This was centuries ago, but it is clear that Rixiilliandrias is depressed from the loss and death of his wife, not to mention guilt at the many lives he took.

At this time, they sleep while a manic Rixiilliandrias rebuilds the teleportation circle to Githis. He soon wakes our heroes and takes them through a series of teleportation circles—which should make them untraceable—and then drops a scrying device into the Githis circle. A circular screen opens, showing all that the scrying device sees.

The scrying screen is blank for about twenty seconds, but in time they discern light. The scrying device is moving on some kind of device, through rooms and hallways that are strangely rounded, with skeletal protrusions. Everything appears uncomfortably organic. Features that look like pores or organs dot the walls, leaking some liquid. Eventually, the scrying device is deposited on some crates in a small room.

Nearby is a table and a cultist in purple robes. On the table are a lantern and a glowing body, the only sources of light in the room. The body appears to be speaking. Sentie can read its lips: "—emissaries from Casseval...still unknown. Feore sends...a Corusene cardinal...he is a cousin to their king."

Our heroes realize that the body is that of Dimir, the exploded viceroy of Falxmed. It appears to have been sewn back together, though roughly.

The cultist asks, "when are the emissaries to arrive?" Dimir's body responds, "the first of Haws." That is almost exactly a month away.

The cultist doesn't say anything, but seems to be waiting for something—or someone. Out of the shadows glides a skeletal figure, dressed in fine clothing, floating several inches above the ground. Its eyes are a flaming, baleful blue. The figure moves its jaws, as if speaking, but without lips Sentie cannot translate.

The cultist nods and says, "and what of the meddlers, the ones who killed Vict Falkor? Tell me about them." The body of Dimir says, "two humans.... An elven priest of the night. Their leader is Kodrak, a dwarven lord. There is the daughter of Wendlaf's imprisoned business partners, the gnomes. She may be seeking revenge...perhaps funding their group. It is unclear how much or how little they know." At that, the body ceases glowing and seems to relax. The speak with dead spell has ended.

The cultist says, "this matches the accounts of those slaughtered at the watchtower. As you inferred, Benefactor." The cultist bows. The skeletal simply floats there, as if lost in thought. 

Eventually, the skeletal figure produces several scrolls from its robes, places them on the table, and begins talking. The cultist frowns and says, "but I had hoped to be present for the return of The Endless and Timeless One." The skeletal figure speaks for some time and the cultist appears relieved. He puts his hands together in gratitude.

The cultist takes a scroll and casts sending from it, then speaks: "the Cassevallan and Feoran guests arrive the first of Haws. The ritual must be completed by the third. Do not keep them waiting." He pauses for a reply and casts from another scroll. This time, he says, "if necessary, we can make our Lord fully corporeal after he is brought through. A search for the horn is already underway." There is another pause, and a third sending: "yes, I can vouch for the Benefactor. I'm placing you in charge for now. I'm being sent to Fellsdare for a secret coronation." A final pause, and the cultist looks at the skeleton. "It is done."

The skeleton briefly speaks. The cultist replies, "no, they understand secrecy. They will wait for word from me. If there is a problem, they know to march on Fellsdare and we will meet them there." The cultist puts his hands back together. "If you don't mind my asking, what kind of coronation did you have planned?" he asks.

The skeleton makes a brief motion and a slash appears at the cultist's throat. Blood sprays across the table. Another motion from the skeleton lops off the cultist's hands. The man crumples to the floor in a pool of blood.

The skeleton waves and the walls fade away. Apparently, they were illusory! In the distance, on (what they assume is) the actual wall, there is a massive orifice filled with swirling magic. Everyone experiences an ominous, sinking feeling in their guts—even through a scrying device, this orifice exudes some terrible magic.

Near it are a couple of blueish creatures with tentacles on their faces. They begin to hover closer but the skeletal figure holds up its hand. The blueish creatures drop to the floor and bow deeply, then proceed to walk. Clearly, they are not accustomed to walking and it must cause them some discomfort. Nevertheless, they approach the cultist's body and crack open its skull, then devour its brain.

The skeletal figure turns away, its body language not expressing disgust but mere disinterest. It glances in the direction of the scrying device, and for a second it feels like the figure is staring our heroes in the eyes—before it performs a hand movement and the device goes black.

Rixiilliandrias suggests that they return through the teleportation circles immediately.

Soundtrack:

• Daniel Pemberton, The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance, Vol. 1 (2019)
• Daniel Pemberton and Samuel Sim, The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance, Vol. 2 (2019)

The Main Cast, our player characters:

• Barclay Stone (he/him), human bard (college of eloquence)
• Aevyr, his imp familiar
• Kodrak Kukkerlun (he/him), dwarven fighter (battle master)
• Raehendra Tiddlybumpkin (she/her), gnomish ranger (hunter)
• Renn Summerstar (he/him), elven cleric of Lioris (twilight domain)
• Sentie Rancis (they/them), human wizard (school of transmutation)

The Supporting Cast, non-player characters:

• Hazephas, imp, familiar of Rixiilliandrias
• Jarold, ogre
• Najima
• Rixiilliandrias of Pallistae Starling-on-Tinsley, wizard
• Unnamed Cultist
• Unnamed Lich (The Benefactor?)
• Unnamed Mind Flayers

See the full cast list at Campaigns in Elsemorn—now with photos of the miniatures used in the game!

Campaign Journal #24: The Two Portals

Our heroes rifle through the clothing and bags of the cultists and their guards. They also examine the cultists' journal and discover they were tracking the position of the star Githis in the sky. Barclay recalls that Githis is supposedly one of the 7 Slumbering Suns, enchanted suns like Morn.

The party breaks into the area underneath the tower and discovers four goblins kept captive. They are Davana and three others previously encountered at (what is now) Kodrak's Backtooth Mountain. The goblins explain that a cultist entered the portal (further down a passageway) along with regular shipments of water and crates.

They examine the portal, testing it with a stick before Kodrak peers inside. He sees a dark corridor with weird, organic features. The portal is set to track Githis—can the portal indeed lead there? Barclay disables the portal, and both Barcley and Sentie note the positions of the portal stones before putting them in their bags.

The party and the goblins rest at the watchtower. Davana, who is known for cooking, prepares a meal: "roc" wings, troglodyte jerky, curried venison, goblin lemonade, and goblin root beer.

Our heroes leave the watchtower with the goblins in tow, and again set off through the grassy plains. They make good time and reach their mountain destination in the morning of the fourth day. However, they find themselves in the middle of a situation. The portal station is inhabited by three factions, humans and half-elves, gnomes and myconids, and Stonelings (orcs and goblins). Apparently they all reached the station roughly a month ago, attempted to activate the portal, and an explosion killed dozens of them. There are also too few crystals to activate the portal. The factions fear sabotage and there is little trust between them.

They attempt several solutions, and eventually work with the Stoneling warchief Gorbul to investigate the explosion. Their work leads them to a grave atop the mountain, where they locate a coin-operated mechanism that had been removed from the portal room. The party gets the portal operating again and takes it to a portal near the River Tinsley in south-west Loril.

Our heroes meet their contact, Jarold, the ogre brother of Harold. In his barge, they will travel down the river to meet the wizard Rixiilliandrias of Pallistae Starling-on-Tinsley.

Soundtrack:

Gabriel Akhmad Marin, Ruminate: Improvisations for Fretless Guitar and Dutar (2021)

The Main Cast, our player characters:

• Barclay Stone (he/him), human bard (college of eloquence)
• Aevyr, his imp familiar
• Kodrak Kukkerlun (he/him), dwarven fighter (battle master)
• Raehendra Tiddlybumpkin (she/her), gnomish ranger (hunter)
• Renn Summerstar (he/him), elven cleric of Lioris (twilight domain)
• Sentie Rancis (they/them), human wizard (school of transmutation)

The Supporting Cast, non-player characters:

• Davana, goblin, and three other goblins
• Gorbul, Stoneling, warchief
• Jarold, ogre
• Some half-elves, humans, gnomes, myconid, and Stonelings

See the full cast list at Campaigns in Elsemorn—now with photos of the miniatures used in the game!

Campaign Journal #23: The Ancient Watchtower

Our heroes set out across the grasslands, searching for a disused watchtower that may still have a teleportation circle in or around it. They are concerned about the dire centipedes that Gathe warned them about, and that had attacked the Lizardfolk. The grasslands are quite hilly, and the party sticks to upland and rocky terrain—avoiding the groves and swampy lowlands that might harbor centipedes.

On the third day of travel, they do spot some centipedes, great monstrosities covered in blue feather-like legs, but they keep their distance. The party also runs into some sprites, and give them some narcotic leaves, fine cloth, thread, and honey; in return, the sprites give them mostly useless information about the centipedes.

But in time our heroes do reach the watchtower, located in a swampy lowland area. And even worse, it's occupied by the purple-robed cultists. The cultists are using spellsense to observe...something, while a handful of archers and guards are moving water and other goods into a gated entrance below the watchtower.

Barclay has Aevyr fly around the area, and the imp steals the cultists' observation journal, though this puts the enemy on alert. Our heroes advance (while casting spells and firing arrows) in the cover of a massive illusion, an eye-covered plant/frog...thing. The archers/guards and a cultist return fire—and then some dire centipedes attack, one adult and two hatchlings.

It's chaos for a while, with all three sides attacking each other. Our heroes get some good hits in: Kodrak charging with his meteor axe, Raehendra sending double arrows, Sentie firebolting, and Renn running around with spirit guardians. Then Barclay casts shatter on the watchtower, sending it tumbling down onto the remaining cultists inside.

It was late and we ended immediately after the battle ended. Next week, our heroes will discover what's underneath the ancient watchtower!

Soundtrack:

Jack Wall, Myst III: Exile (2001) and Myst IV: Revelation (2005)

The Main Cast, our player characters:

• Barclay Stone (he/him), human bard (college of eloquence)
• Aevyr, his imp familiar
• Kodrak Kukkerlun (he/him), dwarven fighter (battle master)
• Raehendra Tiddlybumpkin (she/her), gnomish ranger (hunter)
• Renn Summerstar (he/him), elven cleric of Lioris (twilight domain)
• Sentie Rancis (they/them), human wizard (school of transmutation)

The Supporting Cast, non-player characters:

• Some archers/guards
• Some cultists
• Some sprites

See the full cast list at Campaigns in Elsemorn—now with photos of the miniatures used in the game!