Journal 30: Return of an Old Friend

General Summary

The chanting echoed throughout the caves for what felt like an eternity. Only at two times was the chanting interrupted. The first time it was followed by horrific screaming from above-ground. But both times the chanting was followed by a mental message from an old friend... the archmage Morbelgion. Supposedly his messages echoed through every head in the Kingdom of Valdorin, a warning to the interlopers, devotees of would-be gods. Both messages apparently followed a brutal massacre of the populace of two different towns, one of which was Respit's Quarry. That explained the screaming from above!   The party found themselves in a tight spot outside of Ichtaca, the Rainbow Serpent's shrine, surrounded on four sides by approaching threats. Although they had just disposed of Totec, the Rat King, the Free Men were approaching from further down the tunnels with their Councillor in tow. Above-ground the entirety of Respit's Quarry had apparently just been slaughtered by God-knows-what. And left behind in the Ichtaca, the Rainbow Serpent's temple, was a locked up young vampire. Sirius proposed to leave through the @Feywild, as he was convinced that nearby there was a weak portion between the realms.   

Considering all options

This predicament held the party in locked in place for a prolonged time as pros and cons of each option were discussed at length. And while the transitionary veil to the @Feywild was found, the group decided to scout Respit's Quarry. At the exit of the mines they had used to travel underground, they found a thick mist of spirits blocking their path, reflections of the terror experienced by the now-deceased. An old man on the ground, moments before death, warned of the beautiful winged creatures that descended from the skies. Angelic beings that lured the miners close with their beautiful chanting, only to have the illusory visage fade and leave death in their wake.     Moments after, a winged woman landed in the mist. Hiding near the mine's entrance, the party saw as this woman with giant skeletal wings and two metal rods protruding from her eyes, grabbed a beautiful golden staff from her back. She stuck the staff into a nearby corpse and a basin inlaid on the staff started filling with golden liquid. Simultaneously, the corpse disappeared.   

The... lesser of evils?

Finally, the party decided to venture back into Ichtaca, the Rainbow Serpent's shrine. There they found Jean-Phillipe Lebas de Fenelon-Chaussy d'Edouart, the vampire, escaped his prison. He was surrounded by a dozen cultist's corpses and had positioned himself at the center of a bloody circle. Him and the party discussed on opposite ends of this blood circle in a tense stand-off. Driven into a corner, the party decided (with fierce resistance from Harvey Cecil) to take Jean-Phillipe Lebas de Fenelon-Chaussy d'Edouart up on his offer. And so, they stepped into his blood rite, and accompanied him to @Fenelon!