Session 44: The Prayer
General Summary
Sparks and Sweat
Even across planes, I could see Dulb sweating. They found it by accident—a door that could have turned the entire Vault into rubble if opened improperly. It wasn’t just trapped; it was spitefully, beautifully, apocalyptically trapped. Of course, Dulb decided he was the one to disarm it, despite Goq’s enthusiastic but largely unhelpful commentary. Still, credit where it’s due: he succeeded. Somehow. I watched the final glyph fade with a hiss, and the room didn't explode, which I count as a win. Beyond the door lay what looked like an armory—though age had turned the weapons into relics. The real treasure was the large brazier with a flaming sword rising from it, clearly a ritual focus of some kind. A locked door on the north side barked at them to go away. Thankfully, the party doesn't know how to take “no” for an answer.Candles and Constructs
The voice belonged to V-347, a grumpy but endearing construct, who had apparently been assigned the noble task of guarding a closet full of sacred candles. He regarded the party with something between irritation and bureaucratic anxiety, eventually handing over a healing elixir and ushering them back out, muttering about candle security protocols the whole time. I’ve met extraplanar judges with less formality.The Archivist’s Test
The Library was alive with motion. Books fluttered like birds, some glowing with ancient script. A note on the desk simply read “Out – be back soon,” and three empty pedestals stood waiting. It didn’t take long for the group to realize that only three books started with “S,” and sure enough, placing them summoned the Archivist himself. He did not seem pleased. But the party handled it well. They told him the truth—that they sought to stop Melkorion and prevent the unholy resurrection of Narthos. Perhaps impressed by their honesty (or annoyed enough to help them leave faster), the Archivist gave them a divine prayer to Jarak—one meant for the flaming sword. He even lifted the lingering paranoia curse from Goq, Crown, and Frostbulb. They thanked him and left. He returned to his desk as if the last few centuries had been nothing but a brief interruption.Circles and Scars
The way forward was not without pain. A glowing summoning circle—likely set as a trap long ago—flared to life beneath them, calling forth an Eremite. I’d only read about them before: flensing claws, paralyzing aura, a hunger for living flesh. I watched helplessly from the scrying eye as each of them took wounds. Dulb’s coat was nearly shredded, Warby was bleeding from the side, even Sunny looked shaken. But Melkorion wasn’t going to wait. He was in the Soulforge.The Legion Rises
The doors opened. The Vault shuddered. They saw him there—Melkorion—hands outstretched to the great Soul Shadowstone embedded in the Soulforge. He didn’t even look up. Not at first. His attention was singular, terrifying. He chanted. The air burned with divine dissonance. But someone had to stop them. From the far sides of the chamber, the corrupted Last Guard rose—once defenders of the forge, now little more than puppets twisted by Melkorion’s will. The battle erupted immediately. The clang of steel and howling spirits shook the room. Melkorion still didn’t move. He was close. Too close. And every second he wasn't stopped brought him nearer to the moment Arendor might never recover from. -Sera
Sunny Grannach
Brazen White Bulb Conquering Red Blossom
Dulb the Deckhand
Dulb's sheet
Level 13 Swashbuckler.
Goq-Ixai
Report Date
28 Jun 2025
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