Session 59-60 Journey's End
As the doorway closed our heroes waited for the ghost to resume her assault by opening or phasing through the entrance way but little did they know a different fate was in store. Like a tightened noose the heroes could feel Belcorras magic encircling the room around them as glowing purple runes lit up the walls and floor and ceiling. Drifting in this moment of motionless motion our heroes feel something shift and then settle......slowly with apprehension the Bravest Braves opened the doorway to find themselves connected to a vast temple complex.
Venturing forward/ taking point Lans was the first to proceed and as if responding to his presence an ancient inactive side door surged to life and opened revealing the words "Necromantic R&D: Restricted Area". Unable to deny their curiosity the Bravest Braves decided to explore. Venturing further the Bravest Braves were confronted by a tribunal of specters, wary of intruders and fearful that their technology would be misused. Our heroes stated their case passionately and well convinving the ghosts of their good intentions, of their desire to defeat those who would turn the inventions to evil like Belcorra, and their understanding of the plight and fall of the Shori. Something in their words, especially Mrk's, resonated with them and they allowed passage forward while shutting down the golem defenses. Mrk was able to collect in the room beyond 3 crystalline cores two of which were occupies and one which was empty. In the furthest area of the chamber there were two buttons connected to complex mechanisms that seemed to be engaged and functioning. The first of which said "Necro Syphon" the second which said "Necro Servitus" our heroes (Garland in particular) decided to deactivate them both.
Making their way back out to the temple proper our heroes are confronted by a spectral reaper like figure sitting on a throne. it's skeletal body bound by tendrils of swamp fronds and sea weed. It directs them to face the trials of Nhimbaloth if they wished to proceed and beckoned them towards a magical hallway. The hallway itself fills with magical visions as the party transversed it. Starting off happy and benign but then twisting into moments of doubt, sadness and powerlessness. Through a combination of counter magic, secret passages, and mental fortitude the Bravest Braves each made it to the other side.
The next trial would be trial by combat as the corrupted reader battled it out with the Braves, inflicting damage and draining the heroes resources even as the heroes wielded their formidable capabilities to take it down quickly. Tactfully rushing forward before their magic faded our heroes wasted no time barging into the final chamber, the resting place of the Ebon Lens, the core of Gauntlight, and the nexus of Belcorra's power. The Sorceress wasted no time dropping devastating mental assaults in the form of Phantasmal Calamities which locked down the party, further buffing herself with defensive magics and tying the cluster of heroes up with magically summoned grasping tentacles. However despite her best talents she could not overcome their combined talents. Dispelling magic, fearless charging assaults, and a battery of offensive spells and alchemy dispersed her ghostly form momentarily but due to the Ebon Len's magic she still persisted. The heroes used the precious seconds to combine the lenses with the fulcrum lattice right before Koko's magic cracked the Ebons Lens open and forcibly expelled her. Imbued with the essence of all the lenses Belcorra could no longer avoid her Empty Death and was inexoribly drawn into Nhimbaloth's realm to be consumed once and for all. Moments later the temple begin to shake as Gauntlight began to collapse around the heroes, the magic that had sustained it long past its time finally fading. Rushing away our heroes found themselves trapped but a spectral trail led the heroes directly to one last hidden teleportation chamber already active with latent energy. Trusting in this last boon our heroes activated the chamber and whisked themselves to the safety of the surface. Gauntlight had collapsed. Belcorra was gone for good. The nightmare was finally over.
In the ensuing weeks and months ahead our heroes were not idle. They received a formal invitation to the Ruby Phoenix tournament (which Lans learned would have his arch nemesis and the commander in charge of the academy massacre participating). With the successful completion of an Imperial Adventurers contract they became officially recognized as Hero Adventurers of the realm and their fame spread even further than before.
Garland revealed his true name was Theren Hyjal and returned to his family estate with the party in tow to throw the most epic of parties and secure his place as the new head of the family. The party was legendary with Koko holding court as entertainer, Zips providing strange potions to the adventurous, and Theren financing food and drink for all. He is successful in filing the paperwork to adopt Mrk, he was unsure how the documentation would hold up if challenged in court however Mrk was now officially a Hyjal. He was also successful in negotiating with his siblings to avoid a power struggle granting his sister assurance she would not be forced into a marriage she did not approve of and granting his brother the approval and finances to pursue a career in Sportsball through training to try out for the Norleigh Nightmares. He also revealed himself to be a covert member of modern day Rosethorne. Using the Fulcrum Lattice that he had discovered in Gauntlight, he was able to reunite the mind and body of his ancestor and finally complete the transformation of his ancestor (and his sister's eidolon) into a devotion phantom ...an immortal being of magic untainted by undeath. He knighted Lans and formally declared Dr. Zips as the leader of the Bravest Braves (in regards to the Ruby Phoenix tournament roster).
Lans revealed his name was actually Destin Feroda and travelled the land fishing and landing big catches in all the biggest premier spots in Terra. He succession of catches marks him as a master fisherman. The rest of his time is spent training for the Ruby Phoenix Tournament with single minded determination.
Mrk (with the help of Zips) transferred Ralph's consciousness to the empty crystaline core and set about constructing a working chasis to insert it into. Their efforts were met with success as Ralph successfully awoke. The no longer scattered and incohesive consciousness greeting the world with eagerness and acknowledging Mrk as his father (making Garland a grandfather?) . They designed two more chasis for the other two cores. One obsessing over magical formulae and one filled with a loathing for extra-planar beings. These chasis were of a more limited capability which seemed wise. Each awoke with a desperate sense of urgency and great confusion. Mrk promised to teach them more in time as these unusual relics of a lost time have a new world of adventure open before them.
Dr. Zips communed with his patron once more who met him as something much further away from a angelic being and much more closer to a common adventurer. He reenforced the message that Hugh Mann was not a deity of lofty halls and formality but was a being of adventurer hearths and rowdy taverns. The best way to know him better would be to travel the lands, meet its people, and find new adventurers and Zips went about being just that. Becoming something of a local legend as he wandered about pursuing new friends and experiences wherever he could find them and learning day by day what it truly means to be an adventurer, growing both in faith and magical power.
Before leaving Odaro Arturo would work with Worllywinn at establishing a new Druidic circle to help watch over the town and surrounding lands. He successfully establishes the Order of Baloo and Shere-Khan and leaves it as a thriving institution. He also devotes himself to researching the events of the Dread Reckoning of Simal. Leveraging his newfound reknown he was able to discover some interesting facts: That the undead who now reside as part of the pirate nation seem capable of not only independent nuanced thought but also of eating, drinking, and smoking in a fuller parody of life. That these new citizens are primarily skeletons a type of undead almost universally considered to be mindless. That the undead began to rise in number around SImal around the time of Gauntlight's awakening and displayed a profound cognitive change the same night they defeated Belcorra and pressed the buttons. Lastly that while the clergy of Sylas seem to be in an uproar about things there have been no large divine displays of displeasure. Putting this altogether he theorizes that deactivating the Necro Servitus button did not change the nature of undeath but rather undid something that had already been artificially changing the undead for a very long time. If his theory proves correct more of the "thinking dead" would slowly but surely start to appear throughout Terra.
Koko spend s the majority of time back in Bristlechill protecting Toboggan once again as the Night Watchmen. While before the title brought a bit of disbelief and sarcasm, his role is now spoken of with respect and for some who would cause undue mischief....a bit of fear towards the villages newest powerful protector. Through communing with the goddess Hassana he learns of an Oasis hidden within the Great Desert where her faithfgul gather to pursue knowledge, stories, and elusive truths and he makes a personal vow to himself to visit before departing for the Ruby Phoenix Tournament.
Lastly the Bravest Braves reconvened on Bristlechill for Imiq's funeral with the rest of the Pengu clan. Imiqs wrapped body lay on a raft before a melted river. All the Bravest Braves could feel the latent magic in Bristlechill but none more so than Arturo, the druid having never experienced such an abundance of primal energy before as if the entire island was a consecrated druidic grove. In a surprising move the elder and grandmother Ahnah let Sakari lead the ceremony. One by one the Bravest Braves each paid their respects to their fallen comrade. The family together sang the traditional Pengu mourning song, a song that doubled as a celebration of a life well lived and a worthy soul going to dwell amongst the spirits. The body was set adrift flowing slowly towards the dark and mysterious mists of Blubbergut pass where Tattuk the dark one dwells. At the edge of sight a burning arrow was fired at the raft and the floating pyre drifted out of sight. As one they all said Imiq's name one last time, Sakari explaining that the name would be retired and not spoken again until it was bestowed upon a newborn Pengu chick to live in the material world once more.
Venturing forward/ taking point Lans was the first to proceed and as if responding to his presence an ancient inactive side door surged to life and opened revealing the words "Necromantic R&D: Restricted Area". Unable to deny their curiosity the Bravest Braves decided to explore. Venturing further the Bravest Braves were confronted by a tribunal of specters, wary of intruders and fearful that their technology would be misused. Our heroes stated their case passionately and well convinving the ghosts of their good intentions, of their desire to defeat those who would turn the inventions to evil like Belcorra, and their understanding of the plight and fall of the Shori. Something in their words, especially Mrk's, resonated with them and they allowed passage forward while shutting down the golem defenses. Mrk was able to collect in the room beyond 3 crystalline cores two of which were occupies and one which was empty. In the furthest area of the chamber there were two buttons connected to complex mechanisms that seemed to be engaged and functioning. The first of which said "Necro Syphon" the second which said "Necro Servitus" our heroes (Garland in particular) decided to deactivate them both.
Making their way back out to the temple proper our heroes are confronted by a spectral reaper like figure sitting on a throne. it's skeletal body bound by tendrils of swamp fronds and sea weed. It directs them to face the trials of Nhimbaloth if they wished to proceed and beckoned them towards a magical hallway. The hallway itself fills with magical visions as the party transversed it. Starting off happy and benign but then twisting into moments of doubt, sadness and powerlessness. Through a combination of counter magic, secret passages, and mental fortitude the Bravest Braves each made it to the other side.
The next trial would be trial by combat as the corrupted reader battled it out with the Braves, inflicting damage and draining the heroes resources even as the heroes wielded their formidable capabilities to take it down quickly. Tactfully rushing forward before their magic faded our heroes wasted no time barging into the final chamber, the resting place of the Ebon Lens, the core of Gauntlight, and the nexus of Belcorra's power. The Sorceress wasted no time dropping devastating mental assaults in the form of Phantasmal Calamities which locked down the party, further buffing herself with defensive magics and tying the cluster of heroes up with magically summoned grasping tentacles. However despite her best talents she could not overcome their combined talents. Dispelling magic, fearless charging assaults, and a battery of offensive spells and alchemy dispersed her ghostly form momentarily but due to the Ebon Len's magic she still persisted. The heroes used the precious seconds to combine the lenses with the fulcrum lattice right before Koko's magic cracked the Ebons Lens open and forcibly expelled her. Imbued with the essence of all the lenses Belcorra could no longer avoid her Empty Death and was inexoribly drawn into Nhimbaloth's realm to be consumed once and for all. Moments later the temple begin to shake as Gauntlight began to collapse around the heroes, the magic that had sustained it long past its time finally fading. Rushing away our heroes found themselves trapped but a spectral trail led the heroes directly to one last hidden teleportation chamber already active with latent energy. Trusting in this last boon our heroes activated the chamber and whisked themselves to the safety of the surface. Gauntlight had collapsed. Belcorra was gone for good. The nightmare was finally over.
In the ensuing weeks and months ahead our heroes were not idle. They received a formal invitation to the Ruby Phoenix tournament (which Lans learned would have his arch nemesis and the commander in charge of the academy massacre participating). With the successful completion of an Imperial Adventurers contract they became officially recognized as Hero Adventurers of the realm and their fame spread even further than before.
Garland revealed his true name was Theren Hyjal and returned to his family estate with the party in tow to throw the most epic of parties and secure his place as the new head of the family. The party was legendary with Koko holding court as entertainer, Zips providing strange potions to the adventurous, and Theren financing food and drink for all. He is successful in filing the paperwork to adopt Mrk, he was unsure how the documentation would hold up if challenged in court however Mrk was now officially a Hyjal. He was also successful in negotiating with his siblings to avoid a power struggle granting his sister assurance she would not be forced into a marriage she did not approve of and granting his brother the approval and finances to pursue a career in Sportsball through training to try out for the Norleigh Nightmares. He also revealed himself to be a covert member of modern day Rosethorne. Using the Fulcrum Lattice that he had discovered in Gauntlight, he was able to reunite the mind and body of his ancestor and finally complete the transformation of his ancestor (and his sister's eidolon) into a devotion phantom ...an immortal being of magic untainted by undeath. He knighted Lans and formally declared Dr. Zips as the leader of the Bravest Braves (in regards to the Ruby Phoenix tournament roster).
Lans revealed his name was actually Destin Feroda and travelled the land fishing and landing big catches in all the biggest premier spots in Terra. He succession of catches marks him as a master fisherman. The rest of his time is spent training for the Ruby Phoenix Tournament with single minded determination.
Mrk (with the help of Zips) transferred Ralph's consciousness to the empty crystaline core and set about constructing a working chasis to insert it into. Their efforts were met with success as Ralph successfully awoke. The no longer scattered and incohesive consciousness greeting the world with eagerness and acknowledging Mrk as his father (making Garland a grandfather?) . They designed two more chasis for the other two cores. One obsessing over magical formulae and one filled with a loathing for extra-planar beings. These chasis were of a more limited capability which seemed wise. Each awoke with a desperate sense of urgency and great confusion. Mrk promised to teach them more in time as these unusual relics of a lost time have a new world of adventure open before them.
Dr. Zips communed with his patron once more who met him as something much further away from a angelic being and much more closer to a common adventurer. He reenforced the message that Hugh Mann was not a deity of lofty halls and formality but was a being of adventurer hearths and rowdy taverns. The best way to know him better would be to travel the lands, meet its people, and find new adventurers and Zips went about being just that. Becoming something of a local legend as he wandered about pursuing new friends and experiences wherever he could find them and learning day by day what it truly means to be an adventurer, growing both in faith and magical power.
Before leaving Odaro Arturo would work with Worllywinn at establishing a new Druidic circle to help watch over the town and surrounding lands. He successfully establishes the Order of Baloo and Shere-Khan and leaves it as a thriving institution. He also devotes himself to researching the events of the Dread Reckoning of Simal. Leveraging his newfound reknown he was able to discover some interesting facts: That the undead who now reside as part of the pirate nation seem capable of not only independent nuanced thought but also of eating, drinking, and smoking in a fuller parody of life. That these new citizens are primarily skeletons a type of undead almost universally considered to be mindless. That the undead began to rise in number around SImal around the time of Gauntlight's awakening and displayed a profound cognitive change the same night they defeated Belcorra and pressed the buttons. Lastly that while the clergy of Sylas seem to be in an uproar about things there have been no large divine displays of displeasure. Putting this altogether he theorizes that deactivating the Necro Servitus button did not change the nature of undeath but rather undid something that had already been artificially changing the undead for a very long time. If his theory proves correct more of the "thinking dead" would slowly but surely start to appear throughout Terra.
Koko spend s the majority of time back in Bristlechill protecting Toboggan once again as the Night Watchmen. While before the title brought a bit of disbelief and sarcasm, his role is now spoken of with respect and for some who would cause undue mischief....a bit of fear towards the villages newest powerful protector. Through communing with the goddess Hassana he learns of an Oasis hidden within the Great Desert where her faithfgul gather to pursue knowledge, stories, and elusive truths and he makes a personal vow to himself to visit before departing for the Ruby Phoenix Tournament.
Lastly the Bravest Braves reconvened on Bristlechill for Imiq's funeral with the rest of the Pengu clan. Imiqs wrapped body lay on a raft before a melted river. All the Bravest Braves could feel the latent magic in Bristlechill but none more so than Arturo, the druid having never experienced such an abundance of primal energy before as if the entire island was a consecrated druidic grove. In a surprising move the elder and grandmother Ahnah let Sakari lead the ceremony. One by one the Bravest Braves each paid their respects to their fallen comrade. The family together sang the traditional Pengu mourning song, a song that doubled as a celebration of a life well lived and a worthy soul going to dwell amongst the spirits. The body was set adrift flowing slowly towards the dark and mysterious mists of Blubbergut pass where Tattuk the dark one dwells. At the edge of sight a burning arrow was fired at the raft and the floating pyre drifted out of sight. As one they all said Imiq's name one last time, Sakari explaining that the name would be retired and not spoken again until it was bestowed upon a newborn Pengu chick to live in the material world once more.
