Session 23: The Past is Prologue
Brussendar 12. Catha is in its first quarter.
General Summary
Rushing to the aid of Aurora Watch soldiers who were dug in against the onslaught of a pair of swooping gloomstalkers on the approach to the Betrayers' Rise, the Trusty Centaurs and their allies Caduceus Clay and Aloysia Telfan chased off these terrifying beasts of shadow. Meanwhile, in the town of Bazzoxan below, stout defenders held off another strange assault by the denizens of the foul temple.
As Caduceus tended to the wounded, Aloysia and our heroes approached the black stone towers of the ancient fortress. Finding that there were many closed doors leading inside, most with various depictions of demonic entities devouring and dismembering their foes, one door stood out. Depicting a beautiful woman in profile whose image had been defaced by deep claw marks, it glowed red when approached by Clothilde, the bearer of the Jewel of Three Prayers, a Vestige of Divergence previously found at a hidden shrine to the Moonweaver, in the Emerald Grotto in Jigow. Opening the door easily, the Centaurs passed inside and over a stone bridge that crossed a deep chasm full of silvery mist, from which a beckoning voice could be heard.
Pressing deeper into the darkened halls beyond, the Centaurs passed a series of curious reliefs carved into the black stone, each apparently depicting a tragedy or triumph in the life of the man who previously introduced himself in a vision as Alyxian, but who Emeric identified as a mythical figure known as The Apotheon. The final sculpture depicted a pitched battle between celestials, mortals, and fiends, as the forces of the Prime Deities sought to deal a knockout blow to the defending armies of the Betrayer Gods, here, at this very fortress. In it he is depicted alongside avatars of Avandra, the Changebringer and Sehanine, the Moonweaver.
Before the meaning of all this could be contemplated, strange mounds of quivering flesh oozed through holes in the walls and the adventurers were once again beset my the many mouths and eyes of horrid abominations. Finding their minds mired in cacophonous whispers that spread self-doubt, and even turning on one another in fits of temporary insanity, our heroes did eventually slay these horrors, though not before Aloysia nearly lost her life.
In the aftermath of this gruesome encounter, the Centaurs now find themselves in a strange, unlit chamber - one with no apparent, easily accessible exit.
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Report Date
08 Apr 2025
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