Welcome to the Tempus Campaign#

You’re joining the final session of a campaign that has been running since November 2022. The party of four heroes has spent 44 in-game days (and 45+ real-life sessions) tracking down and dismantling a cult that wants to unleash an ancient shadow dragon upon the world. Tonight, they confront the cult’s leader in a battle to save reality itself.

You’ll be playing Trius, a paladin ally who fought alongside the party earlier in the campaign. Below is everything you need to know to step into her boots.

Who Is Trius?#

Trius is a princess of the Winter Court, eldest daughter of Lady Alora, the ruler of the Winter fey. She is an Oath of the Ancients Paladin and a warrior of quiet confidence, trained from birth to protect the natural order of the Feywild. She wields a Moonblade – a legendary weapon passed down through her family line.

Trius carries herself with regal composure, but she’s no stuffy noble. She respects strength, cleverness, and conviction, and she proved that by fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with the party when they visited her court.

Trius and the Party#

Trius first met the heroes when they arrived at the Winter Court seeking answers about a weakening magical barrier. She guided them to the Winter Leyline Temple, where they explored its trials together. She then fought alongside them against Serenity, a night hag cult agent who had been terrorizing the region.

The party earned Trius’s genuine respect – and her mother Alora’s trust – through their bravery during those events.

She also shares a subtle rivalry and possible infatuation with Shadicar, the party’s half-elf bard. They’re drawn to each other but neither has said anything outright. Feel free to play into this however feels right to you at the table.

Why Is Trius Here Tonight?#

Trius’s family has a deeply personal connection to this fight. Her grandmother was one of the elven mages who originally built the magical barrier imprisoning Nidhogg centuries ago. The Winter Court has carried the burden of maintaining that barrier ever since. If it falls, everything her family has protected for generations will be destroyed.

She has come to represent the Winter Court and to stand with the heroes she fought beside before.

The Story So Far#

The Short Version#

A cult called the Cult of the Eclipse has been working to free Nidhogg, an ancient shadow dragon imprisoned in the Shadowfell over 300 years ago. The cult’s leader, a master illusionist called the Weaver, is about to perform a ritual at the battlefield where Nidhogg was originally sealed. If the ritual succeeds, Nidhogg escapes, and eternal darkness consumes both the Feywild and the mortal world.

How It All Started#

The four heroes met by chance in a village tavern and answered a blacksmith’s plea to rescue his kidnapped daughter. That rescue led them into a cultist tomb, where they stumbled onto something much bigger. Shortly after, the village of Tannis was consumed by magical darkness – a curse placed by the cult. An angel called the Arbiter contained the corruption and marked the heroes with her symbol, tasking them with finding the source.

The Leyline Temples#

The heroes learned that an ancient barrier between worlds is maintained by four leyline temples, one in each of the seasonal Fey Courts (Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn). The cult has been systematically damaging these temples to weaken the barrier. The party traveled to all four courts:

  • Winter Court – Hunted a Bandersnatch, explored the temple with Trius, and defeated Serenity the night hag
  • Autumn Court – Battled Xolthos, a dragonborn herald of the cult, at a harvest festival
  • Summer Court – Encountered Manus, an enigmatic shapechanger working with the cult, and recovered a stolen temple crystal
  • Spring Court – Found the most heavily corrupted temple and discovered a note from Manus revealing the Weaver’s plans

Summer’s Edge#

The party recovered and reforged Summer’s Edge, a legendary blade wielded by the ancient Order of Seasons – the original heroes who sealed Nidhogg. The reforging required a journey into the deep Feywild to capture rare materials. Time flows differently there, and while only days passed for the heroes, weeks slipped by in the real world. The cult exploited their absence to accelerate their plans.

The Truth About Vidrir#

The party’s mentor, an old sage named Vidrir, turned out to be the last surviving member of the Order of Seasons – and, more than that, Odin himself in disguise. He has been personally maintaining Nidhogg’s seal with his own divine power for centuries.

Your Allies#

Skreek (Aarakocra Paladin)#

An aarakocra (bird-person) paladin who wields Summer’s Edge, the legendary reforged blade. Skreek is noble, devout, and a strong aerial combatant. He carries the legacy of the Order of Seasons. Summer’s Edge deals radiant damage, sheds light, and can grant True Sight – critical for fighting the Weaver, whose power relies on illusion.

Shadicar / “Shad” (Half-Elf Bard)#

The party’s heart and spokesperson. Shad has a deeply personal vendetta against the Weaver – the Weaver conjured an illusion of Nidhogg so terrifyingly real that Shad’s entire village died of fright. He was the sole survivor. He’s charming, emotional, and a powerful support caster. He and Trius have unspoken tension between them.

Slumpet Zoommimist (Gnome Rogue)#

A fey-touched gnome rogue with a knack for getting into trouble and finding creative solutions. She befriended a group of pixies, stole a map she probably shouldn’t have, and once won a challenge against the shapechanger Manus by throwing ball bearings at him. Clever, impulsive, and surprisingly perceptive.

October “Toby” Daye (Half-Elf Blood Hunter)#

The party’s grounded realist and moral anchor. Toby is a dual-wielding blood hunter who channels crimson rites through his blades. He’s an expert in occult threats and keeps the party from doing anything too reckless. Steady and reliable in a fight.

Francis the Flameskull (NPC Ally)#

A floating, flaming skull the party befriended early in the campaign. Francis is enthusiastic about setting things on fire, immune to many conditions, and surprisingly loyal. He flies around shooting fire rays and occasionally dropping fireballs.

The Enemy#

The Weaver#

An elven wizard and master illusionist who leads the Cult of the Eclipse. He views reality as a loom he can reshape through illusion and fear. His illusions are supernaturally potent – they literally killed an entire village. He is an 18th-level spellcaster with a spell save DC of 19. His illusion spells function as one level higher than the slot used.

Key vulnerability: The Weaver is vulnerable to truth. When affected by True Sight or divination magic, he loses his damage resistances and has disadvantage on spell attack rolls. Summer’s Edge (carried by Skreek) can target him through any illusion.

Manus (Wildcard)#

A CR 17 shapechanger who works with the cult but openly mocks the Weaver. Manus is motivated by finding worthy combat, not by ideology. He once disguised himself as Trius to mess with the party. He’s the one who secretly told the party where and when the ritual would happen. His loyalties are uncertain – he could fight against the party, or he could turn on the Weaver if the situation becomes interesting enough.

Nidhogg#

The ancient shadow dragon imprisoned in the Shadowfell. He led undead legions that nearly drowned the Feywild in shadow before being sealed away. If freed, he would bring eternal darkness and devastation across multiple realms. You won’t be fighting Nidhogg directly – the goal is to stop the ritual before he can break through.

Tonight’s Mission#

The Weaver is performing his summoning ritual at the ancient battlefield where Nidhogg was originally sealed centuries ago. The ritual progresses through phases over several rounds of combat. If it completes, Nidhogg escapes and the world ends.

Your goal is simple: stop the Weaver before the ritual is complete.

The Weaver must maintain concentration to advance the ritual. Disrupting his concentration, incapacitating him, or killing him are all paths to victory. As the ritual progresses, the environment will become more dangerous – shadow effects, fear auras, and the growing presence of Nidhogg pressing against the barrier.

Playing Trius#

Your separate Trius Quick Reference sheet has all of your combat abilities, but here’s the quick version of how she plays:

  • Tank and support hybrid – AC 20 with strong saves and an aura that boosts nearby allies
  • Aura of Protection is passive and always on – allies within 10 ft get +2 to all saving throws just by standing near you
  • Round 1: Cast Bless (boosts the whole team’s accuracy and saves), then attack twice with your Moonblade
  • Round 2+: Attack twice every turn and spend spell slots on Divine Smite when you hit for burst radiant damage
  • Misty Step / Fey Step lets you teleport 30 ft as a bonus action to reposition
  • Lay on Hands (30 HP pool) can pick up a downed ally in an emergency
  • Divine Smite deals extra damage against undead (+1d8), which may come up

Your role in the party: Stay near the frontline to share your aura, help Skreek apply pressure to the Weaver, use Bless to boost the whole team, and burn Divine Smites on big hits when they count. You’re the party’s second paladin, which means strong saves and radiant damage everywhere.

This is the culmination of a three-year campaign. Have fun, hit hard, and help save the world.