Session Forty Eight: The Silent Fane

General Summary

Silmer and April head to the camp

  The group takes a rest while they wait for April and Silmer to join them. People do various activities like reading a book, playing music, or crafting. April and Silmer are guided to the group by Uthal and realize it isn't the same temple as the one in the vision at Hawk's house.   After greeting April and Silmer, and getting their flying hugs from April the group discusses their next options. Deciding it best to do some preliminary scouting the group splits into two group to scout the perimeter while the two Warforged watch the camp.  

Into the mist

  Group 1: April, Silmer, Griff (Team Chaos)   Group 2: Tristan, Malak, Emir (Group Message)     -Events of "Team Chaos"-   As the group makes their way to the left they pass their way through the veil. As they enter it is like stepping out into a brisk morning, the cold hits the lungs, and there is a strange tickling sensation. White blurs move around them, sometimes passing through them, it doesn't hurt but it is weird. One passing through Silmer feels like, "a finger running down your spine" which is a sensation Silmer had never felt before.   They continue to make their way until they are met by a body of water. They spot thick trees ahead which would slow them, but made the decision to head back once the water rose above their knees. Silmer runs ahead to catch up with the other group.     -Events of "Group Message"-   The group make their way through the veil and feel am unnatural coldness in doing so. While Tristan can only hear whispers around him, Malak and Emir can see the people (spirits) excited by their presence and eagerly motion them to the temple. When Silmer arrives the Kalashtar look delighted. Their enthusiasm, while tad unnerving, is more of a morbid curiosity of what will happen next with the new arrivals. Emir asks the Kalashtar spirits if they are Soft Ones. They look horrified and disappear. He takes that as a "No"...    

Meeting with the Dead

  Griff Both groups reconvene at the camp and briefly discuss their experiences. Griff asks if he can speak to the veil first and Tristan offering to accompany but won't go in. Griff goes to the steps and instead of being cold is more like a warm embrace. While in the veil he talks with his grandmother and learns that Almentash is the form The Traveler took in commemoration to one who served at his temple 70ish years ago. While she isn't familiar w/ the "Shrouding Syzygy" she seemed to recall Almantash mentioning it when her told her to settle down, says Gatekeeps would know more.   Griff did have a moment to connect with his gran. Learning that "settling down" can be the next big adventure (was for her), Griff was always destined for greatness, and even gets a final hug goodbye.   Tristan After Griff finishes talking to his grandmother Tristan gives it a try. Tristan again sees white clouds and hears many whispers at first as he is unfocused, trying to see . Refocusing himself, with some guidance from Griff, tries again and briefly sees Merle and Roland. The one to remain is his mother, sitting peacefully clad in her armor. Tristan and his mother catch up a little with Tristan telling her that the war ended (everyone lost), he lost Merle years ago now, but has made new friends and found someone special.     Tristan learns that his mother traded food with Kalashtar fleeing Cyre from the Inspired and that she encountered them again later...all dead with their heads on pikes lining the road. Later joined by Pavo and Phoenix who were trying to prevent this tragedy. Tristan's dad makes agreement w/ Pavo and does missions for them. Eventually Inspired find out and ambush them. His mother speculates his father is still in hiding to keep Inspired away from his children (Ellie and Tristan). Tristan tells her about why Ellie left, that he too made a pledge joining The Feathers, and that his friends are keeping him "on the straight and narrow" before they part.   Tristan and Griff discuss a little about Tristan's mom while April asks Malak about great alchemists...Malak thinks there is a gnome called David 'Copperfield'.   Silmer Silmer, now feeling ready, decides he wants to talk to Chellon. Tristan recommends focusing on a single person and Emir and April follow for moral support. Chellon is sitting on a rock by the sea fishing. After exchanging greetings they beging discussion of Silmer being a Prince of Sarlona, how Tatalla was to have told him, that he planned to tell him before he (died)... Chellon appears to be focusing on his arm, saying that something grabbed him by the wrist and that he is now "trapped in darkness, an eternal nightmare." He recounts having gone to sleep but couldn't wake up. Silmer explains it was the sickness that took him but he is trying to fight the darkness. Chellon believes the nightmares are feeding on him.   April prods Silmer to ask about his birthday but Chellon didn't know, but he did celebrate it in winter and tells him to "Be Safe" in Quori before fading away. Silmer takes a few minutes to compose himself before returning to camp.  

Back at Camp

Tristan and Griff are still discussing Tristan's mother. Once April and Silmer return the group discusses a little of their experience with the veil. Recounting that focusing can be difficult, that you can see and talk to someone and the time to do so is limited. Tristan explains more about his mother and the Kalashtar while Silmer explains about Chellon and Dal Quor.   April tells them she has returned because she and her mom need Khyber crystals to make a portal to Dal Quor. However, it just so happens that the crystals can be found in some Shadow Marsh caves. It is also the first time people notice April is now wearing a feather.    

Exploring the Fane

  Emir then spends the next hour scouting the Silent Fane with his illusionary duplicate. By flitting his consciousness back and forth the group are able to create a map and making notes of various points of interest. Thanks to Malak sending in a radiant Myri with him, Emir was able to scout a little underground inside the temple discovering what appears to be a very noisy bridge/trap.   The group then gathers their supplies and head up the steps, crossing the veil into the Silent Fane. Some of the party see swirls while others see the spirits and acquaintances from their lives. Silmer recognizes people from ships, Tristan sees soldiers, Malak some clergy, none of these faces are important to them but they were people that were in their lives.   Exploring the Fane the group recovered the following: 1 x Etching (Emir recovered from weathered plaque) 2 x Health potion (April recovered from chest) 1 x Potion of Gaseous Form (April recovered from chest) 1 x Scroll of Silence (April recovered from chest; used) 1 x Unidentified Silver Ring (April recovered from chest) 1 x Unidentified Bronze Ring, set w/ Skull (April recovered from chest)  

Ruin Chapel?

  A lot of pillars have been demolished and the chapel as well. What appear to have once been designs/frescos that told a story are heavily damaged removing whatever information they told; the damage appeared deliberate. There are stains present that don't match the marble, possibly blood. The building in the center appears to have been destroyed and again rebuilt.   The group ventures into the temple and are met with a metal bridge and deep chasm beneath. To the right there are many bells of varying heights and sizes, and beyond that thare is a statue and what appear to be alcoves. The group then tries to make their way silently across the metal bridge. They almost succeed. Griff stumbles at the end and sound reverberates from the bridge. 2 zombies then climb their way out of the pit and move along the side corridors and out of sight.   After crossing the bridge the group walks their way down the steps where they see again reliefs in the wall, as if telling a story. There are many words along the wall as they descend in many different languages. One in dwarven, "Cunning." Another in Elvish, "Be Patient." Common, "To pass through these halls." Quori, "Be safe." Malak deciphers, "Be strong". Silmer sees Aquan "Be still”. And something in druidic that was crossed out...   At the bottom of the stairs they enter an open room, the floor covered in gravel. To the left a hallway and ahead of them is door and copper brazier (the fire kind, not the sexy kind). Malak can hear some shuffling behind the door and signals to the group. The party lights the brazier as Malak silently opens the door, seeing a group of zombies before closing it...but the zombies saw them. Emir uses the Scroll of Silence while Tristan breaks open the door...and the fight is on!    

Fighting ensues

  Note: Due to time I'm not going to do the full fight write up.   Silmer and Griff are first to wade into the fight. Silmer is like Neo dodging blows. Griff goes beast mode to fight. Once Tristan gets in zombies stop getting back up. April helps guard the sides and rear incase more zombies approach. Malak tries to open the side door to the zombie room but can't open it so he scouts out a few other rooms. Emir eventually joins the melee, but gets hit and the Silence fails and a loud roar is finally heard. Hole in wall opens and eventually a mass of zombies spew forth (smells terrible). It is a very rough fight but the group succeeds, even Godric gets involved.   Tristan shuts the door and Griff plops down to rest/heal and Silmer keeps a close eye on the door incase more zombies come.  

The Pillow Room

  Malak goes back to pillow room and tries to circumvent the 'puzzle' by flying to the crystal. The Kalashtar has him complete the puzzle as intended and learns that the Traveler told them to seek "The Lantern Tower" but never made it as they were hiding. They unfortunately were found and killed by the Inspired. Malak asks how they can help and what to tell the Traveler. She tells him "to close the Abyss" and that "He tried to help, but they found us anwyay". She then allows him to take the crystal, telling him that it will make the groups exploration of the temple safer.  

The Map

  The group then proceeds to the set of locked double doors, which unlocks in the presence of the purple crystal. Inside there is a large map of Khovaire on the wall ahead and reliefs along the sides of different peoples moving toward the map (eg. Goliaths and Changelings) and an army of people chasing them. On the floor there are 2 reliefs, one circular and 1 familiar...not oval but...   One of them fits the "Chocolate Fountain Amulet" and the other fits the copper cup. The map on the wall lights up with many dots. Sharn is quite bright New Cyre Lower part of Cyre, near Glass Plateau Faint in Shadow Marshes Other locations too   Lights from the map begin swirling around the party. There are faces and languages in the swirl. Quori, Elvish, Dwarvish, and more. There is a temple set against a mountainside, the Lantern Tower, in the southwest of the Shadow Marshes.   After the end of the display the map disappears and is now etched onto the copper cup. Malak and April discuss Kyber Crystals   The group leaves the room discussing options for what to do next. There are a few rooms left to explore and a pit to fill, Griff says he'll handle the pit... Tristan is given the purple crystal.