Session 50 - The Vox Eidolon

General Summary

23 Erastus (July), 4725 Rain slicked the deck of the Sandfly as it drifted into Salisgrad’s harbor, the stormlight making the city’s magical runes pulse like veins beneath stone skin. The sky spat mist as two city watch and a pair of ironclad sentinels boarded in silence—steel helms gleaming dull under cloudlight. Then came the Blessed Angel, wings of smoldering flame trailing smoke as she descended onto the gangplank without a word. Captain Joseph Lorune spoke first, eyes still tired and haunted. He admitted having fled Tymon as the city fell. The party mentioned their delivery for Bishop of the Black Gauntlet, and interest shifted sharply. The name opened doors. The death of an Ebon Triad High Councilor—revealed, perhaps unintentionally, through Lorune—sealed their appointment with the Black Gauntlet. The Ruinlords were led through corridors of metal and warding runes to a chamber paneled in steel and veined with blue abjuration crystals, humming with restrained power. Bishop waited. Cold. Precise. He questioned the relic they carried: the skull of Voragon Drakon. When told of Dunner’s death, he nodded once and began arranging retrieval—body, belongings, and honors befitting one who struck at the Triad’s core. What followed was not conversation. It was a ritual—an interrogation of the dead. Damaris Glimmerstone—known to some as Thistlefoot—took the conduit’s seat beneath the arch of the Vox Eidolon, arcane thorns piercing his will as soul and mind became one with the dead. Voragon’s voice returned—hollow, resentful, echoed through the halfling. From his withered skull, truths spilled like black water: of the prophecies still unfulfilled, of the Triad’s unholy relics, of the Faceless One—the architect threading the darkness between them. The Amulet of the Worldbreaker, shattered by the party, had crippled their progress. Then the rift opened. Ash boiled from the tear, and from it came the Emberwrought Shade of Dahak—a skeletal wyrm wreathed in fireless heat, its breath an entangling storm of iron chains and scorched memory. Bishop sealed the chamber with a pulse of force, a protection protocol to keep the creature from escaping. It also meant the Ruinlords would be unable to retreat. Not that the option was ever on the table anyway. Declan’s voice rose like a battle hymn, magic and fate coiling in harmony. Alfie used his healing magic to undo the damage dealt by the shade while Potato, wide-eyed but unyielding, darted through the fray. Cal, ever precise, whispered the syllables of Boneshatter and collapsed ribs with surgical cruelty. Oathgar drew blood, blade flashing through the smoke. Tike, bruised and growling, took the final steps—driving his fist into the Shade’s core. It exploded in soulfire. Silence. Then the Bishop lowered the seal. Moments later, the door opened—no knock, no permission. A woman entered, skin pale, lips crimson, wrapped in a red negligee that defied armor and dared defiance. With a smile that wasn’t a smile, she informed Bishop that his authority was overruled. Prince Eli Voronov had summoned them. She took the skull. She took the broken Amulet. She took the party. And just like that, the balance shifted again.

Rewards Granted

XP

Each character earned 4,480 XP for this session.
Current total: 90,940/105,000 XP.

Character(s) interacted with

Bishop: A high-ranking member of the Black Gauntlet in Salisgrad who oversaw the interrogation and maintained control over the chamber's magical barriers. Showed particular interest in information about the Ebon Triad. He respected Dunner's sacrifice and had his body retrieved for proper service.
Captain Joseph Lorune: Captain of the Sandfly brought the party to Salisgrad and attempted to sell his valuable Piko power armor. Cooperated fully (too fully?) with city authorities during inspection. Two city watch members escorted him into the city to find a buyer for his armor.
Demaris Glimmerstone: A halfling thief with green hair and steampunk goggles who was the conduit for questioning Voragon's skull. He currently has asylum from the Ebon Triad and sells travel trinkets similar to those given to Clover by her uncle. He is most likely Clover's uncle Thistlefoot.
Voragon Drakon: A deceased Ebon Triad high council member who possessed one of three artifacts needed to summon Malgarath. He was responsible for summoning a creature that attacked Tymon, fulfilling one of the prophecies required. His lair was revealed in the Ash Peaks, bordering Isger and Molthune.

Notes

Lucius Blackthorn (Asmodeus), who was in possession of the Sceptre of Infernal Dominion, and Erisa Shadowveil (Norgorber), who had the Veil of Silent Shadows are the other two members of the High Council.
Voragon Drakon's Amulet of the Worldbreaker has been destroyed.
High Council members don't know where each other are.
Communication between High Council mbmers was done through the Faceless One.
Voragon's lair was revealed to be somewhere in the Ash Peaks, bordering Isger and Molthune.

Questions

When the Ebon Triad ambushed the Sandfly at the bridge, the priority was retrieving Voragon's skull. They never mentioned the amulet. Why? Did they know it was destroyed?
Damaris Glimmerstone seemed to be Clover's uncle "Thistlefoot." Why the name change? Also, why is he seeking asylum in Salisgrad from the Ebon Triad? Is the Triad after him? Why?

Campaign

Age of Worms

Protagonists