We find our would-be heroes sitting in their favorite tavern discussing what to do next. Bert joins them, while wiping pus from his eye, he explains that they probably won’t get much more from their prisoner and that Mogget has the situation under control. Anthony and Calgor quickly relay recent events and introduce Bert to Ralina. Relic vs Two-Handed Sword – this is the dilemma that currently faces our heroes, will they choose wisely? We shall see. The squad decides to go after the mysterious relic and seek out the Priestess for additional information. The Priestess introduces them to Gabe, a young boy with blonde hair and deep dark circles under his eyes.
The Priestess explains that the relic they seek is called the Light of Memoria and that Gabe saw the relic near the Arch of the Lifeless Clearing. Gabe spent a night along in the clearing and ever since has not been able to sleep due to nightmares. According to the Priestess the Light of Memoria is used to speak with the dead and she nor Gabe can provide any additional information.
After a brief stop to resupply, Anthony, Bert, Calgor, and Ralina head towards the Arch of the Lifeless Clearing. As they get closer to the clearing animal, bird, and insect sounds go quiet. As they reach the edge of the clearing, they notice four armed individuals standing near the gate, what they assume is the leader is holding what appears to be the Light of Memoria and she is talking to an individual that is chained to the Arch. From what they can hear, the leader is questioning the chained individual on the item and how it works.
Calgor suggests they kill them all from the tree line, Bert suggests that he create a distraction, and Ralina says she will sneak up on the leader and knife her in the back. As this sounds on par with similar plans that worked in the past the group proceeds. Bert wanders into the clearing moaning about losing an eye while Ralina sneaks around the back of the Arch. The leader is not fooled by Bert and starts to question him, Ralina stabs her in the back with a killing stroke. As the leader collapses the other three run away.
With the killing done, Calgor says grab the item and let’s go home. Anthony disagrees and says they should free the prisoner. Calgor loses the vote and Anthony proceeds to speak with prisoner who introduces himself as Timen (aka the world’s worst wizard apprentice).
Timen states that the chains are ethereal and the only way to break them is to use the Light of Memoria. Anthony asks how to use the relic and Timen explains that you need to charge it with part of your life source which Anthony does. The relic starts to glow and come alive; Anthony uses it to free Timen. Now, Timen explains that he is now bonded to the relic and the only way to free himself is to enter the Arch. To enter the arch everyone will need to give their life source to charge the device. The group, except Calgor, proceeds to charge the device. Calgor grabs the device and puts Timens hands on it willing all Timen’s life force into the relic, Calgor still loses a hit point.
As all the party are now bound to the Relic they proceed through the portal. On the other side they find an obsidian road surrounded by crumbling buildings and discarded belongings. The belongings include jewels, but everything disappears when they attempt to touch them. They come to a fork in the road, both directions look the same and Timen says they should proceed to the right.
The party goes to the right and comes across three bodies lying on the ground wearing white robes. As the party approaches the bodies dissolve and three shadow specters emerge and attach the party. The team engages, trading blows and Calgor loses the ability to cast Turn the Undead. The group exchanges blow with the Specters, Timen ineffectively casts multiple spells and finally results to using a slingshot (aka Slingshot of Doom). After vanquishing the three Specters they find a small sapphire (30gp).
They continue down the road and come across a set of black marble stairs with a black vein running up them. At the top of the stairs, they find a library where the hallways between the aisles drop off into an abyss. In the center of the library there is a solo female body wearing a gold amulet. Ralina proceeds to search the body and accidentally touches the amulet. When she touches the amulet, she has a vision from the perspective of an unknown person having a conversation with the corpse discussing how the relic will bridge the gap between their world and the world of the dead so they can communicate with their ancestors, and they learn the corpses name is Naveena. Ralina grabs the amulet, and an incorporeal form rises from Naveena and starts to shriek. Anthony holds out the relic which gives Ghost Naveena pause, he proceeds to explain the situation and asks about the vision. Naveena relates that the relic was to connect them with their ancestors, but something went wrong and can provide no further information other than that we need to use the light for good and with that she transfers herself into the relic and it grows brighter. Naveena’s body dissolves leaving behind two scrolls, See Invisibility and Magic Circle.
The library dissolves turning into a country road where they find another fork in the road and a sign, one arrow points towards Loss and the other to Hubris. The party decides to take a long rest prior to following Hubris. During the long rest Anthony regains spell casting abilities while the Priest does not fare as well and now takes a -1 to attacks. The path takes them along the top of an unstable rock wall, fortunately everyone makes it safely across to stable ground. In the distance they see an Alabaster Citadel and have the feeling they are being watched. As they progress down the path all party members start to feel a tug on their clothing. Calgor in the lead blames Bert for tugging his clothes, Bert gets mad and proceeds to stomp off tripping and falling as his laces have been tied together. As Bert falls the group hears a giggling from nowhere.
Anthony proceeds to cast from the scroll of See Invisibility successfully and sees a ghost darting around messing with the party. He calls out to the ghost which scares it off. Bert is still upset and proceeds down a side path that is more of bridge that leads to a central pillar. As he approaches the pillar an apparition appears and charges towards him frightening Bert making him feel his greatest fear, weakness. Bert stumbles backwards falling over the railing and into the abyss. The apparition disappears and the party sees and hears Bert falling from the sky a couple feet back from where he fell over the railing.
After Bert gathers his wits, the Party proceeds through the gates towards the Citadel and finds another body near a fountain wearing the same amulet as Naveena. Bert, trying to prove that he is brave, approaches the body and grabs the amulet. As he touches the amulet Bert has a vision of the collapse of the world, they are currently in. Shadows are rising from the ground and people are fleeing in all directions. The maker of the relic states that they followed the ritual except for skipping the blood sacrifice and that it has all gone wrong. As the vision fades an apparition rises from the body and Bert holds out the relic. The apparition looks around and states “this place defiles goodness”. The party is informed that to leave they need to banish the creature that is keeping the apparitions here and that there is a third person they need to find that can help them. With that, he transfers himself into the relic. As his body fades away it reveals a jeweled scabbard (150 gp) that Bert grabs.
