Under the Burning Gods' Glow

General Summary

Jiyuu Seb, Yuri Yuki, Shirayuri Yui, Fosir of Loron, Kathel of Arena, Niya of Arena, and James of Arena are conscripted in thefirst wave of the war, and are stationed in Anticana in the Lake Reach Hold on the eve of Last Hunt
They report to Commander Alexandros Talos's tent to receive orders, and to heckle him about his painting of himself, Retribution Treai, and Camotaru Flickett
He explains that there will be an important speech that night, and that they have been assigned to track down the village elder's missing grandson so that there will not be any trouble during the speech
James, Yuki, and Yui go to the tavern and find the elder, a distraught man named Theslavod, who tells them that they gave their rations to the soldiers rather than offering them to the Elder Crown, an ancient spirit that they worship, this terrij, and that his grandson David must have been taken to the Dark Forest in response
Seb, Niya, Fosir, and Kathel go behind the barn to find the other local children, and they tell them that they had dared David to dip his head under the water of the altar until he ran off; Seb intimidates one child into passing out
The group meets back up and heads to the altar under the watchful eyes of mysterious cardinals and small, giggling kodama
The altar is a small well in the middle of a clearing with a viridian light emanating from within the water
There is a haiku written on either side of the well, but only the one within the light of the water can be understood to read:

Yuki uses his mirror to reflect the light on to the other poem, which changes to be readable, and then to a large tree, creating a doorway
The kodama emerge from the forest to watch, and though they are tangible, they don't quite feel real and don't really react to the group
The group enters the doorway to the Dark Forest, and find a similar well with a viridian light surrounded by five upright stones and little piles of wood
Geists surround them and attack; they learn that when they reflect the light to shine on them, their true forms become visible and they become vulnerable enough to defeat
A swarm of cardinals reveal the oriad nymph Ald'Cras, who tells returns David to the group as thanks for solving its problem and warns them to stay away
As the group exits the forest and reunites David and his grandfather, David appears solemn and thoughtful, saying that Lord Elder Crown helped him
The group debriefs with Commander Talos and attend the speech by the God-King Anjell Ced, who speaks blandly about victory towards an unspecific enemy and appears somewhat annoyed and anxious
The next night, the soldiers wake to find light and heat bearing down on their tents as a giant purple armored figure approaches from the sky, wreathed in flames and raining metal down

Report Date

02 Dec 2022

Primary Location

Onyi

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