đ Prologue â Tannis and the Blacksmithâs Plea#
The party meets in the Ravenâs Perch Tavern in the quiet village of Tannis and is introduced to key NPCs: Lerissa (retired adventurer), Serenity (mysterious singer), Hurmur (dwarven archaeologist), and Jax (Night Talons thief).
Blacksmith Sig Rockwell bursts in, begging for help to rescue his kidnapped daughter, Winry. He offers his finest work as payment.
đĄď¸ Quest: Rescue the Blacksmithâs Daughter#
Tracked the captors north, crossing into the enchanted Elven forest and finding a strange obsidian standing stone with a vision of landmarks to the NW and SE.
Discovered an ancient tomb of the Order of Seasons, a knightly group sworn to fight darkness.
Rescued Winry from a dark ritual conducted by goblins and a bugbear of the Cult of the Eclipse, who served a mysterious âLady of the Eclipse.â
Retrieved a Cult medallion marked with the phrase: âDarkness will descend once again.â
Found a hidden chamber of five knights, and recovered magical gear and the broken pieces of a longsword marked with solar and avian symbols â possibly a legendary weapon.
Returned Winry to her father, receiving custom magical gear and a promise from Sig to call in a future favor.
Shared findings with Lerissa, who revealed legends of the Knight of Ravens, a hero of the Order of Seasons. She directed the party to seek the sage Vidrir in the Shimmerwood, suggesting they bring a cask of her ale as a goodwill offering.
Noted strange celestial behavior: half the stars missing from the night sky.
Woke to panic â the village engulfed in magical darkness impenetrable by light or darkvision.
Fought off shadowy hands trying to drag villagers into the abyss and discovered a magical barrier trapping the town.
Found temporary safety at Lerissaâs tavern, then crossed the village to the church of the Dusk Lord, the only sanctuary emitting light.
Met Father Samael, who recalled showing a black-haired woman (presumably Serenity) his holy symbol â now missing.
Explored the church catacombs, avoided a deadly shadow entity, and found their way to a secret chamber.
Discovered and parleyed with the Arbiter, an Angel of Justice. She had created the barrier to contain the spreading corruption and was preparing a purge.
Convinced her to delay her ritual and earned her favor: she marked them with her symbol, granting safe passage and the ability to commune with her.
The Arbiter destroyed remaining shadows in the village but maintained the barrier until the source of the corruption could be found.
Skreek claimed a +1 Shield of the Dusk Lord from the crypt.
Used the Arbiterâs holy mark to leave Tannis and travel through the Shimmerwood.
Met the sage Vidrir, a friendly ally of Lerissa with mysterious insight and purple-winged raven familiars.
Vidrir confirmed the broken sword is Summerâs Edge, a legendary blade once wielded by the Summer Courtâs champion during the great war against the undead. Only elven master smiths could hope to reforge it.
Revealed the Eclipse medallion was magically trackable, with the signal leading northwest.
Skreek inquired about his stolen relic; Vidrir mentioned rumors of djinn in the southern desert searching for elemental artifacts.
When Vidrir held Summerâs Edge, it reacted faintly, hinting at a dormant soul within the blade.
Tracked the medallionâs signal northwest, coinciding with Slumpetâs vision of the silver maple seen through the standing stone.
Slumpet befriended Fannie the pixie, who warned of a colorless region of forest growing eerily still.
Fannie asked for help rescuing kidnapped pixies from Darklings allied with the Cult of the Eclipse.
Toby, turned into a dinosaur by Fannie, rampaged through the cultist camp. The party rescued the pixies and recovered:
Cult religious texts referencing a âGreat Shadowâ
Two Daggers of Darkness
A note from âLâ about empowering a cultist via ritual, exploiting growing fear in the region
đŻď¸ The Greyscale Cabin and the Truth about Serenity#
Entered the corrupted woods and found a cabin guarded by a Flameskull. After defeating it, Slumpet kept the skull as a trophy.
Discovered signs of Serenityâs presence in the cabin and were attacked by a Rug of Smothering, later named âSassy Tassels.â
Found an altar to a shadow dragon with a magical crystal orb and a diorama of Tannis. Using their holy marks, they summoned the Arbiter, who confirmed this site as the source of the Dusk Lordâs wrath and cleansed it. She departed to lift the barrier over Tannis.
The next morning, the hag Serenity revealed herself and demanded the return of the orb. The party refused, and combat broke out.
Shadâs charm person spell unexpectedly succeeded, pacifying Serenity and allowing them to gather intel:
Serenity served a caster named the Weaver, a master of fear and illusion.
Serenity cursed Tannis to earn favor with Nidhogg, a shadow dragon who hates the Dusk Lord.
The Weaver was responsible for the illusion-based massacre of Shadâs village, using a false vision of Nidhogg.
The party fled while Serenity was still charmed, with Slumpet carrying the orb.
Along the way, the Flameskull revived itself as Francis and struck a deal with the party: in exchange for adventure and action, he would provide his laser-eye beams and arcane knowledge.
Returned to Vidrirâs grove to rest and regroup. Francis the Flameskull was repelled by undead wards, revealing Vidrirâs home was protected against such creatures.
Vidrir examined Serenityâs dark orb, identifying it as a seeing stoneâuseful for communication, tracking, and divination.
He grew deeply alarmed when learning Serenity had contacted Nidhogg, the shadow dragon sealed in the Shadowfell by the Order of Seasons during a great war centuries ago.
Vidrirâs cryptic remarks hinted he may have personally fought in that war, revealing a depth of history and power previously unspoken.
Advised the party to seek out the Winter Court for further knowledge of Nidhogg, the orb, and the reforging of Summerâs Edge. He gifted them his Order of Seasons medallion to gain an audience with the Lady of Winter.
Traveled north toward the silver maple tree. En route, the party:
Defeated a Redcap assassin hired to stop them.
Spotted a strange feline predator tearing holes in reality and avoided its path.
Found a Winter Court standing stone and made peaceful contact with elven rangers by showing Vidrirâs medallion.
Arrived at the Winter Court embassy, a well-kept elven village with shops, an inn (The Restful Buck), and a faint sci-fi aesthetic powered by blue crystal tech.
Shad performed at the inn, and the party learned:
The Lady of Winter was Alora.
Her daughter, Olivia, had recently been poisonedâpossibly by a creature called a Bandersnatch.
Gained a private audience with Alora after Skreek healed Olivia with Lay on Hands. Grateful, Alora opened up about the weakening of the interplanar barrier, which was allowing monsters to breach into the material plane.
Accepted Aloraâs offer to hunt the Bandersnatch that poisoned Olivia.
Used clever tactics and Slumpetâs squirrel network to bait and trap the creature. Despite its poison gas and claws, the party was victorious.
Returned the beastâs severed head to Alora, who rewarded them each with a powerful magic item:
Slumpet: Relentless Hunter (shortbow with Hunterâs Mark)
Shad: Fochlucan Bandore (bardic instrument)
Toby: Blinkback Belt (auto-retrieving thrown weapons)
Skreek: Frostbrand Scimitar (cold damage)
Learned more about the barrierâs origin, which was forged by Aloraâs mother using ancient power. Since no one of her lineage has inherited her gift, the barrier is weakening.
Alora asked the party to investigate a nearby leyline temple that sustains part of the barrier.
Trius, Aloraâs eldest daughter and a paladin wielding a moonblade, made an impression on the groupâespecially Shadicar. Though intrigued by their quest, she initially declined to join them.
After a night of rest and unsettling dreams of Serenity reclaiming the orb, the party prepared to depart. With some persuasion and the promise of excitement, Trius agreed to accompany them to the leyline temple.
The party traveled east on horseback (with Trius riding a majestic unicorn) toward a temple of ancient origin embedded in the hillside â unlike any elven or dwarven structure they’d seen.
At the entrance, a magical voice demanded proof of worthiness:
Shadicar: a bardic song of Elven legend
Skreek: scroll proving his lineage
Slumpet: failed with Serenityâs orb, succeeded with Aloraâs gifted bow
Toby: blood sacrifice
Trius: her familyâs Moonblade These offerings were accepted, and the temple opened like a mechanical iris.
First Chamber: Greeted by a holographic knight requesting a duel. Skreek met the challenge and defeated the guardian honorably, unlocking the next door.
Second Chamber: A perilous 300-foot bridge over a chasm with tiles bearing seasonal glyphs. Missteps triggered laser traps from the walls. With flight, acrobatics, and deduction, the party made it across.
Final Chamber: A breathtaking nexus of power, centered on a giant purple leyline crystal surrounded by six hovering arcane focus crystals.
The glyphs referenced “planes,” “barrier,” and “leyline.”
One of the six crystals was cracked and flickering, indicating a possible failure in the arcane network.
Slumpet recorded the runes by making a rubbing, and Skreek contacted the Arbiter, who explained that leylines channel the raw magic of the world, which can be used for power, communication, or traversal.
With no further threats or puzzles, the party exited the temple, ready to report their findings to Alora.
On the road back from the leyline temple, the forestâs colors drained into grayscale, and the party unexpectedly arrived at Serenityâs cabin once more.
Serenity, revealing her true night hag form, demanded her crystal orb and launched an ambush.
Trius joined the battle, sword drawn and projecting a mental battle hymn that inspired the party.
Serenity animated the partyâs shadows as enemies and revealed her âcloakâ was a manta-like creature, capable of absorbing damage and creating illusory copies.
After a brutal, all-hands battle, Serenity and the shadow creatures were slain. Her cloak escaped.
Shad used a scroll of Speak with Dead, and Serenity grudgingly answered:
She was over 300 years old
The Weaver destroyed Shadâs village âfor amusementâ
She wasnât responsible for the Elven barrierâs weakening
She refused to share the Weaverâs location or her breakfast recipe.
The party looted her body, finding:
An emerald ring that opens a small storage dimension
A gold necklace that protects the mind from magical probing
After looting her cabin, they burned both the body and the building to ensure Serenity would not return.
đ§ Reporting to Alora and Discovering the Larger Plan#
Returned to the Winter Court and reported both:
Serenityâs permanent defeat
The damaged leyline crystal
Alora was troubled by the crack but didnât know how to repair it.
As a reward, she gifted the party a silver teleportation ring:
When attuned to an obsidian standing stone, it allows teleportation between attuned stones.
The next morning, Arch Magus Levi joined Alora in briefing the party:
The barrier is anchored by four leyline temples, one in each seasonal domain.
Aloraâs motherâs journal referenced an ancient site called The Chained Library, likely the original source of the barrier ritual.
The Chained Library may still exist and may seek out forbidden artifacts like the orb.
During this meeting, Slumpet stole a map of the Dwarven capital from Aloraâs desk, raising questions about her connection to the Dwarves.
Camped in the treantâs grove, then scouted east toward Summerâs lands
Used the standing stone near a massive silver birch tree to attune their teleportation ring, then returned to the Aki Matsuri for one last restful night (and drink roulette).
Returned to the Summer border â teleportation miraculously cured Shadâs hangover
Toby wakes up and realizes that Blackbird’s contract bracelet is gone, which signals:
Time passes differently in the Feywild
The contract has been fulfilled
Began the ascent of the mountain the next morning with Elaraâs capturing device in hand.
Encountered a moss-covered fey troll guarding a pass:
Each strike spawned animated flesh clones
After a difficult battle, the party continued upward
At the mountain peak, Skreek beheld a vision while holding the shards of Summerâs Edge:
A memory of the sword being gifted to a champion by the Queen of the Summer Court
A battlefield vision disrupted by darkness and shattering fragments
In the distance, the party saw a twisted black castleâgothic, shifting, and watchingâwhich hadnât been there a moment ago… or perhaps always had.
At a ceremonial altar, Slumpet placed Elaraâs device to capture the sunâs essence.
As the sunâs light bathed the altar, Summerâs Edge began to stir, resonating with the light and Skreekâs presence.
With both Celestial Ore and the Midday Sunâs essence, the party is now ready to reforge Summerâs Edge.
Unsure how to return from the Feywild, they decide to retrace their steps to the Shimmering Glade.
But before that, theyâve chosen to investigate the eerie gothic castle seen from the peakâŚ
Though its presence is unsettling, it calls to them with irresistible gravity.
The party explored a mysterious Feywild castle, seemingly conjured into view. Its illusions shimmered between reality and unreality, and signs of enchantment were everywhere.
At the gates, they faced a riddle-speaking patchwork knight, passing its test to gain entry:
Love, the tongue, and humanity â each answer a key to the path ahead.
Inside, mirrors showed distorted visions of self:
Shad rejected a hollow legacy of applause and escaped harm thanks to Serenityâs necklace.
Skreek accepted a vision of lonely heroism and gained a boon of luck.
Slumpet rejected visions of betrayal and was psychically wounded.
Toby embraced her monstrous reflection and earned a boon of luck.
A final glance from Toby hinted at a *loom unraveling the fabric of the world
Behind a hidden tapestry, the party found the Weaverâs study and journal.
The journal revealed:
The power of fear and illusion shaped the Weaverâs philosophy.
Illusions could be tied to triggers, emotions, and even bound to places and events.
The Weaver discovered and mastered Mirage Arcane, allowing him to reshape reality entirely.
His final entries describe a plan to weaken the leyline network and release Nidhogg by unraveling the threads anchoring the planes.
A spell that can tether his soul to paper, known as Silmirien, can call him home if a page is burned.
Slumpet also found a map of leyline energy and leyline temple locations, marked with several âHollow Thresholdsââunexplained but likely significant to the cultâs portal activities. He kept this map secret, considering its potential value to his mysterious dwarven contacts.
After defeating the Weaverâs Echo, the party rested within the now-quiet Feywild castle. By morning, the oppressive illusions had faded, revealing a place touched by warmth and light.
Exploring further, they discovered a hidden stairwell behind a tapestry, leading to an ancient chamber of quartz-veined stone beneath the castle.
At its center stood an obsidian standing stoneâidentical to others they had seenâsurrounded by a dormant teleportation circle. Skreek recognized the design from his homeland.
The patchwork guardian returned, proclaiming the party the new owners of the castle. They named him âJeeves,â and he pledged to restore the structure and shape it to their needs.
Slumpet attuned their Leyline Gate Ring to the stone, and the party used it to return to the Summer Court.
Elara welcomed the party back to the Summer Court, relieved after their long absence. The lingering Feywild magic faded, restoring the group to normal.
She confirmed the party had retrieved the âFirst Kiss of the Midday Sunâ and led them to an ancient leyline forge beneath her shop.
Using the sunâs essence and celestial ore, Elara reforged the legendary blade with reverence. At the final strike, she offered the completed weapon to Skreek.
As Skreek took up Summerâs Edge, he felt its radiant will awakenâoffering a wordless vow of purpose and unity.
Elara provided a temporary scabbard and promised to craft a more fitting one in time. The party departed to celebrate at Emberâs Embrace.
Over drinks with Serra Flamekissed, they planned their next journeyâto check on Tannis via the standing stone near the Orderâs tomb. Before retiring, Shad purchased a scroll of Legend Lore, eager to learn more about the looming darkness.
Shad cast legend lore using a purchased scroll to learn about the Chained Library. He saw a sand-formed vision describing it as an ancient fortress of forbidden knowledge, guarded by blind celestials. The library predates kingdoms and even some gods, never destroys texts, and is nearly impossible to reach. Hints of its location included being âamong the roots beneath the seasonsâ or âin the vault at the worldâs bloom.â Churches and pious orders may sometimes sway the librarians, but monarchs and wealth cannot.
Shad and Toby speculated that âthe worldâs bloomâ might refer to the Spring Court.
At the Summer Court colosseum, Skreek tested Summerâs Edge in a duel, defeating the black-armored knight Adamar. The party bet on Skreekâs 4:1 odds as a newcomer and won substantial coin.
Traveling northwest toward the Spring Court, the group discovered a stone portal in a clearing. Shad animated a dead tree to scout; it returned with a wolf biting its trunk. Toby then sent Francis, who reported a sealed arena of massive trees, a second portal opposite, and an ominous altar bearing a glowing fang surrounded by wolves and an owlbear.
Entering the portal, the party fought waves of wolves and owlbears. Shad dispelled the glowing fang, halting the summons, but Skreek was later knocked unconscious. The collapsing chamber threatened to crush them, while wild magic tried to polymorph the group into beasts (turning Shad into a frog briefly). The party barely escaped as the pocket-realm collapsed, leaving only frost-scarred grass where the portal once stood.
As they caught their breath, a cloaked stranger emergedâVael, Fifth Binder, Chainbearer of the Silent Vault. He revealed he was investigating these unstable portals, which he called Hollow Thresholds. Created by the Cult of the Eclipse using planar artifacts, they were âsurgical incisionsâ weakening the Elven barrier by siphoning leyline power.
Skreek guessed correctly that Vael was tied to the Chained Library. Vael admitted as much and offered to lead them to the Library in exchange for dangerous artifacts: Serenityâs orb and the newly recovered fang. A compromise was struck: the party gave him the fang now and promised to relinquish the orb upon reaching the Libraryâs entrance.
After healing, the party continued to the giant birch tree marking Spring Court territory. Slumpet attuned the Leyline Gate Ring at the nearby standing stone. They made camp beneath the tree, resting before completing their journey into Spring lands.
Vael guided the party toward the Spring Court, describing it as a realm of renewal, new beginnings, and acceptance. He suggested visiting the Moonlit Hearth tavern to sample the legendary tea.
The Spring Court is led by Faela Mossheart, the High Druid, known for her deep connection to nature and the cycles of growth.
At the Moonlit Hearth, the party met Seraphina Moonglow, the proprietor:
ShadââŹâ˘s allergies flared up upon arrival, but Seraphina brewed him a cleansing tea that cured them completely.
Toby traded a moonstone for drinks, impressing Seraphina with fruit wine and tea for the group.
Skreek requested an augury and asked: “Will I find the royal artifact stolen from my people?” Seraphina’s answer: “You will have that chance soon.”
The party located the standing stone in the royal garden behind the High Druid’s residence. Slumpet climbed it and attuned the Leyline Gate Ring.
A guard escorted them to meet Faela Mossheart, who admitted she hadnââŹâ˘t checked the Spring Leyline Temple recently but had noticed strange disturbances in the forest.
Faela offered to escort them to the temple in the morning. Vael departed to investigate the forest independently.
The party did some shopping (Skreek bought a cloak of billowing) and rested at the Moonlit Hearth.
The next morning, Skreek summoned a warhorse instead of his usual camel. The party met Faela in the garden and set out for the temple.
The journey was surreal: the forest opened a path wherever Faela walked, and wildflowers bloomed in her footsteps.
When the party teased Faela about needing protection due to her age, she wildshape into a sabertooth tiger and continued through the forest without missing a beat.
Upon arrival, they found the forest around the temple withering and corrupted, a stark contrast to the vibrant Spring Court.
Faela asked each party member to plant a magical seed as a personal vow:
Shad: “Make the world better through music.”
Skreek: “Restore order by retrieving the stolen artifact of my people.”
Toby: “With this seed I do plant, may my bitterness wane. In the future, it shall grant, my companions and I less pain.”
Slumpet: “The dwarves will get what’s coming to them.”
The seeds sprouted into beautiful flowers immediatelyâ⏓the only healthy growth near the corrupted temple.
The temple itself was a massive willow tree that had grown around the entrance. Winding passages led them deep underground to the leyline crystal chamber.
As soon as the party entered the chamber, they were struck by necrotic damage from an unseen source and quickly retreated.
Slumpet fetched Faela for assistance. Upon re-entering, Skreek spotted a hooded figureâ⏓locking eyes with it caused more necrotic damage.
The figure was revealed to be a Bodak, accompanied by two wraiths and several shadows.
The battle was brutal:
The Bodak’s death gaze dealt ongoing necrotic damage
The undead phased through walls and players, making them difficult to target
Faela focused on healing while the party fought
After a hard-won victory, Slumpet found a note sewn into the Bodak’s robes, written by Manus:
The undead were placed as a test for the party
The Cult of the Eclipse was frustrated by the party’s continued success
They were accelerating their timeline: instead of waiting for the winter solstice, they would perform the final ritual on the next new moon (~10 days away)
Manus hinted that the party was becoming more interesting than the Weaver and hoped they would attempt to stop the ritual at the ancient battlefield where Nidhogg was sealed
The party also found gold and a vial of Oil of Etherealnessâ⏓likely how Manus snuck the Bodak into the chamber.
Faela confirmed the Bodak was the source of the corruption affecting the forest. She escorted the party back to the Spring Court.
The party took a long rest and prepared to journey with Vael to the Chained Library entrance the next morning, seeking answers about repairing the Elven barrier.
Before departing, Slumpet revealed a secret: he had stolen a leyline map from the Weaver’s study, showing:
The locations of leylines throughout the Elven forest
The four seasonal leyline temples
Four Hollow Threshold locations (the planar rifts created by the Cult)
Vael advised the party that a Hollow Threshold tied to the elemental plane of air was open to the west, within Winter Court territory.
Vael led them to the Ashen Shrine, located at the base of Mount Vesitharâ⏓the entrance to the Chained Library.
“There are sanctioned gates. Places written in the margins of the world. The Ashen Shrine is one such placeâ⏓a whisper of a path left open for those who do not wear the chains but have earned the Library’s regard. You would not have found it unless you had already plucked the threads of fate.” â⏔ Vael
Summer’s Edge was used as a “key” to activate the shrine, revealing an elevator that descended deep beneath the mountain.
In the chamber below, a chasm separated them from massive locked doors. To prove their resolve, each party member made a vow and sacrifice:
Toby: blood
Shad: an original song
Skreek: a prayer and promise
Slumpet: his thieves’ tools
As they completed their sacrifices, a bridge formed across the chasm and the doors unlocked.
Vael approached the chained entrance, spoke an ancient elven phrase, and the chains retracted, revealing the Library.
Inside, the party was met by Samaris, the head librarian, a black-skinned tiefling who was deeply suspicious of outsiders.
She questioned the party about their intentions. Vael’s endorsement and the party’s willingness to surrender Serenity’s Orb helped earn a small measure of trust.
Samaris insisted the party be marked by the Eyeless Guardians, blind celestials who watch over the Library, so they could be tracked during their visit.
Slumpet used the Library’s card catalogue to locate a book about the Elven barrier:
On his way to retrieve it, another tome spoke to him telepathically, offering to help. Slumpet wisely ignored it
He learned that the barrier can be repaired, but it would take several mages a month or more to perform the full ritual
Toby used her blood magic to locate a tome about crystals:
She discovered a location south of the Elven forest where the crystals used in the barrier’s construction could be mined
Shad used the card catalogue to find a book about the Order of Seasons:
He learned that Vidrir once led the Order and is over 300 years old
In fact, Vidrir was the Knight of Ravens himself!
With critical information in hand, the party departed the Library, now armed with knowledge about how to repair the barrier and stop the Cult’s final ritual.