Session 24: Howling Void

General Summary

The Musty Centaurs are on a quest to bring the Jewel of Three Prayers, a relic of The Calamity known as a Vestige of Divergence, to the "Heart of Avandra" deep within an evil temple known as the Betrayers' Rise. In so doing they are following the call of a mysterious figure named Alyxian, who spoke to them in a vision. Strange carvings within the temple seem to imply that Alyxian may in fact be the champion of the Prime Deities known to legend as the Apotheon. Having reached an apparent dead end during their exploration of the temple, our heroes encountered a pair of cryptic expressions written in Abyssal, and a blocked passageway full of stone. Forgoing the opportunity to "use their puzzles," they instead backtracked to a bridge over a void full of silvery mist, from which a beckoning voice called. Lowering Emeric by rope, he located a depiction of the head of The Ruiner, carved into the wall, whose mouth served as a an entrance deeper into Betrayers' Rise. The companions, one-by-one, lowered themselves down the rope and entered into the mouth of this strange statue. In response, a terrible screeching rose from deeper in the chasm as something winged rushed to intercept them. Dashing inside, they found themselves face-to-face with another harrowing scene: a pair of corrupted orcs, their eyes ablaze with flame, dousing each other from a fountain of blood. As the orcs rushed to expel the interlopers, boiling blood gushed from the fountain, beginning to slowly fill the chamber. A skirmish ensued, in which Aloysia Telfanwas slain, as were the orcs, whilst the strange screeching of the distant flying beast steadily approached. After Plundertooth unsentimentally ruffled through Aloysia's pockets, the team hurriedly dashed down an adjoining hallway, keeping ahead of their demonic pursuer. They stumbled out into a much larger chamber that was dominated by a statue of a man on his knees, marked by iron doors to his abdomen, bound in hooked chains, his mouth wide in ecstasy as he howled continuously. Surrounding him were three stone arms that rose from the floor, forming a triangle of palms pointing towards him. As Ulfgar and Clothilde approached the statue they felt a strange, gnawing hunger, but were able to suppress the sensation. The group prepared an ambush for their screeching, taunting pursuer - which turned out to be a vrock, a strange vulture-like demon - that was quickly put down in a series of blows and spells, not least of which were Emeric's incredible stunning strikes. With the immediate danger now at bay, the adventurers are now free to contemplate the meaning of the strange wailing statue.

Rewards Granted

Looted off of Aloysia Telfan's corpse: a potion of maximum power, and two mysterious clay tablets with arcane markings. Also, reminder you have the journal she was previously carrying.