The party meets in the Raven’s 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.
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 “Lady of the Eclipse.”
Retrieved a Cult medallion marked with the phrase: “Darkness will descend once again.”
Found a hidden chamber of five knights, and recovered magical gear and the broken pieces of a longsword marked with solar and avian symbols — 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 — 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 Lerissa’s 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 — 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 Arbiter’s 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 Summer’s Edge, a legendary blade once wielded by the Summer Court’s 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 Summer’s Edge, it reacted faintly, hinting at a dormant soul within the blade.
Tracked the medallion’s signal northwest, coinciding with Slumpet’s 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 “Great Shadow”
Two Daggers of Darkness
A note from ‘L’ about empowering a cultist via ritual, exploiting growing fear in the region
🕯️ 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 Serenity’s presence in the cabin and were attacked by a Rug of Smothering, later named “Sassy Tassels.”
Found a defiled 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 Lord’s 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.
Shad’s 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 Shad’s 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 Vidrir’s grove to rest and regroup. Francis the Flameskull was repelled by undead wards, revealing Vidrir’s home was protected against such creatures.
Vidrir examined Serenity’s dark orb, identifying it as a seeing stone—useful 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.
Vidrir’s 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 Summer’s 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 Vidrir’s 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 poisoned—possibly 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 Alora’s offer to hunt the Bandersnatch that poisoned Olivia.
Used clever tactics and Slumpet’s squirrel network to bait and trap the creature. Despite its poison gas and claws, the party was victorious.
Returned the beast’s severed head to Alora, who rewarded them each with a powerful magic item:
Slumpet: Relentless Hunter (shortbow with Hunter’s Mark)
Shad: Fochlucan Bandore (bardic instrument)
Toby: Blinkback Belt (auto-retrieving thrown weapons)
Skreek: Frostbrand Scimitar (cold damage)
Learned more about the barrier’s origin, which was forged by Alora’s 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, Alora’s eldest daughter and a paladin wielding a moonblade, made an impression on the group—especially 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 — 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 Serenity’s orb, succeeded with Alora’s gifted bow
Toby: blood sacrifice
Trius: her family’s 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 forest’s colors drained into grayscale, and the party unexpectedly arrived at Serenity’s 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 party’s shadows as enemies and revealed her “cloak” 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 Shad’s village “for amusement”
She wasn’t responsible for the Elven barrier’s weakening
She refused to share the Weaver’s 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.
🧭 Reporting to Alora and Discovering the Larger Plan#
Returned to the Winter Court and reported both:
Serenity’s permanent defeat
The damaged leyline crystal
Alora was troubled by the crack but didn’t 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.
Alora’s mother’s 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 Alora’s desk, raising questions about her connection to the Dwarves.
Camped in the treant’s grove, then scouted east toward Summer’s 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 — teleportation miraculously cured Shad’s hangover
With both Celestial Ore and the Midday Sun’s essence, the party is now ready to reforge Summer’s Edge.
Unsure how to return from the Feywild, they decide to retrace their steps to the Shimmering Glade.
But before that, they’ve chosen to investigate the eerie gothic castle seen from the peak…
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 — 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 Serenity’s 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 Weaver’s study and journal.
The journal revealed:
The power of fear and illusion shaped the Weaver’s 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 “Hollow Thresholds”—unexplained but likely significant to the cult’s portal activities. He kept this map secret, considering its potential value to his mysterious dwarven contacts.