Session 23 - Revelations and a Chaotic Victory

After our rest, we travel towards Trentsigrad, but because of Austar and Ape's exhaustion we don't cover as much ground as we hoped. We do notice that Malaphor's now newly reddish/brown eyes are now glowing in the night.
 
Malaphor takes the first watch and, near the end of his watch I'm awoken by singing and humming. Malaphor looks lost in a trance and suddenly runs out of the dome into the swamp and towards the Mossy Steeple. I tried to snap him out of it with a Lesser Restoration spell but it didn't work. I wake the others and we go after Malaphor, who we find an hour later. We double back and push through to the river, which when we cross it using Water Walk, I notice a strange feeling half once over half way across the river. I also notice the light at the top of the Mossy Steeple goes off and on depending on what side of the threshold I was on.
We carry on another 30 minutes before resting again. During my rest I decide to try a Remove Curse spell on Malaphor, the spell takes hold but I don't notice any immediate change.
 
In the morning, no change is noticeable on Malaphor. I message Arcanist Sishan about the Mossy Steeple, he replied a few minutes later and said "Curtana will be in Trentsigrad tomorrow". Ape then asks Austar to create an illusion of his wife so I can message her, but the illusion doesn't match the description. Ape instead asks me to message Han, a man from Bottleden who I helped cure his daughter. Han indeed did run into Ape's tribe, and said they were very accommodating and well, said they miss Ape. The tribe will be between Griffinstedt and the Blacktop Pass.
 
We arrive into Trentsigrad where we are free to enter without any checks or identification. We notice off to the North, a large gothic style mansion on the outskirts on top of a hill, higher than the town of Trentsigrad.
 
"The Passage House" drawn onto the door of a three story building, which looks like a tavern.
To the right side of "The Passage House" I notice a rectangular oil-stained wooden billboard. On the billboard, we see a piece of parchment asking for help dealing with the "Mossy Steeple Hags". Offering 1000 gold per head. Bring success to Magistra Lusterkim.
Next job is "Rovia Delivery". Delivery of fine cloth to Rovia, go to Larks Tailoring for more information.
2 wanted posters. First one "Wanted: The Cannibal, Mars Lunnen". Skin head, basic features but not easy to identify. 1000 gold dead, 2000 gold alive. Last seen heading North West to Moivern.
Other wanted poster, looks fresh. "Arsonist at large, destruction and defamation of Pentoracul. Dead or alive, 6000 gold". Crude drawing of round fur faced creature, black eyes and pointed ears. We notice the drawing resembles Sailor who travelled with us for a few days.
Final job "Extremely Dangerous creature spotted North side Tunset Copse. 3000 gold for proof of kill, speak to farmer Wensel".
Another three story building, this one "The Floating Pillow".
 
I tried to send a message to Uncle Wodric but the spell found no purchase. I messaged Averim instead who I've worked with in the past at the forge.
 
Averim tells me that Wodric took the Dura Lane Passage to the Underdark a few days ago. The Duergar and Drow have occasional conflict with the Dwarves of Osterforge.
 
I asked Magdi about Sul'Partha, he told me to speak to the Silent Wyrm Guild found just west of Trentsigrad, archaeologists of some kind, they might be able to help me. Told me to speak to Isra.
 
I sent a message to Gadem Bask to ask if he could try and find Wodric for me if he's ever near Osterforge. He sent a message back to me saying he's not near Osterforge and he's busy at the moment but will see what he can do, also said Etcher said hi.
 
In the night, I have a very vivid dream, feeling the heat and steel from a forge, floating through the stars. I then find myself standing in a circular, colourless room. 18 closed doors around the edge of the room. Large circular altar, swirling mass of movement and motion above it. Symbolic of Asgorath, the same as when we saw it in Wera's Barrow. Symbols beneath 4 doors, coloured as well, the one beneath my feet, a vivid bubbling green symbol of poison. In the room I do see silhouettes of people, no detail on them. There are 3 others in the room, they resemble that of my allies, apart from Malaphor, who's likeness isn't there. The room begins to shake, and a flash of white light in front of the other doors. Beneath them, their symbols glow into visibility. One of the people is a smaller figure, humanoid and the symbol below is a blue and white, foamy. The other person is huge, standing at over 8 feet tall, their symbol is earthen rock that moves and grows into leaves. The smaller figure looks out and says "Ah thank god it worked, hello, welcome to our Sudden Space, a space where we can contact each other". They've tried to contact us for a few days, but has been blocked. Asked if we were on our way to Xiao Shan. Master Xaifeng is mentioned. He won't train anyone until we're all there. The woman said she's spoken to 11 people so far with the power. Her name is Kari Dalmor, from Lanali. Nentos, an 8ft tall Loxodon also from Lanali.
 
Kari asked about us and then said "Welcome to the save the world team". Master Xaifeng won't tell her much. All chosen by Asgorath, the primal sunset of creation. They gift their power to chosen few when the world is in potential peril. Couple hundred years ago, some chosen by them, the chosen had to save the world as a large scary ice wyrm tried to breach their place of existence. This time, a really old thing, a being that absorbs planets. The Guardian Deities beat this creature but died in the process and their souls split to create the current pantheon. The evil entity might be what caused Varleska to be how it is, as well as the root of the war in Murath.
 
In the morning as we step out into the courtyard, we see Curtana flying down on a flying carpet. We explained to her about the previous nights dream we all collectively had, and let her know about our mysterious powers, as well as the new information we received from Kari Delmor and Nentos about an ancient evil entity that was previously sealed away by the Guardian Deities. This evil entity is the thought of the cause of the mystery surrounding Varleska as well as the war in Murath. Curtana seemed as though she believed us somewhat, even though it sounded absolutely insane. Said she will let Arcanist Sishan know, and he will likely come and talk to us himself the next day. Our overall recommendation with the information we discovered, is to not allow King Fergun Laelos II to accept the invitation and travel to Varleska.
 
Minstra Lusterkin, approached us to ask us to go to the Tunset Copse and investigate and deal with the strange creature attacking farm hands. It takes a few hours to get to the Tunset Copse. She offered us 6000 gold to deal with the creature and gave us 3 healing potions.
 
We decide to do it to kill time before the potential meeting with Arcanist Sishan. Myself and Ape head to the Silent Wyrm Guild so I can speak to Isra about Sul'Partha. Isra was the man who opened the door, he provided me with a map with the Partha ruins marked, said the old guild master had been but he hasn't himself. I gave him 100 gold for the map and we parted our ways. He did say we could go on an ruins expedition some time together.
 
The creature that is roaming the Tunset Copse is called a Chaos Chimera, a beast from the Cineri Deadlands. Told us to avoid getting too close, and to be careful of its tail, which is another head.
 
We make our way to the Tunset Copse and find extremely large foot prints, roughly 4 feet in size. We find ourselves in a natural cul-de-sac within the Umbora Line, where there is a large cave, and a dirt looking road leading to the cave which Ape deduces is scorched earth.
 
Ape goes into the cave to lure the creature out, which he does by throwing a javelin at it while it's sleeping. A battle that wasn't as difficult as we feared ensued, which we were victorious in, after a terrifying, yet hilarious visage, of Ape, with no hands or legs, while flying, headbutting the creature and killing it.
 
Within the cave, was a a passageway, opened up that, if we were to follow through, would lead us into The Cineri Deadlands . I did my best to cover up the hole using my last 4th level spell slot using Stone Shape, but I couldn't cover it completely.