Through the Fog and Fiends Report
General Summary
After dispatching the Goblins and the strange elemental creature, members of Shades of Blue took stock of their surroundings. They spotted a village that was exposed due to the retreating fog downhill to the West. After a brisk two-mile march, they arrived at the deserted town. Quietly, the group split into two teams and began to cover the village. The majority of exploration yielded little in terms of tangible results. The inhabitants appeared to have fled quickly, taking what little they could before running East to escape the fog. Hinto Honiahaka Otaktay Qaletaqa and Oriannna , however, discovered a more gruesome scene in one hut. It appeared to be an elderly human male that put up a small fight against whatever broke into his home. He was found dead with a wound in his abdomen. They did their best to make him comfortable before leaving the home. In the southern part of town, Magnus and Anduro Quoumo heard a person calling out near some buildings. As they rounded the building they found a very confused Randuraas Thombo looking for other living people. The rest of the party met up with Randuraas and discussed what had happened. He explained that he spent long hours, even days, in his laboratory, toiling to uncover the secrets of a strange, reflective, metallic object that he found on a mining operation in Utancia. Blue held his shard aloft, nearly expecting the same result as last time, but the object Randuraas was holding did not fly forth to fuse with the shard he held. The team agreed that these shards were dangerous and agreed to have Randuraas along, believing the arrangement would be mutually beneficial. Orianna, however, had more to say about the shards. She believed the objects to be shards of The Aethermirror. Explaining the great power behind the Aethermirror and that it was believed to channel and amplify magical energy, she believed that anyone who had a shard would be in great danger. However, it would also explain the reason behind the kobold-like humanoids attempting to collect shards. The team studied each other for a beat, and quickly agreed that these items should be well defended. Randuraas explained to the group that his research led him to believe another shard may be deep under an ancient Dwarven outpost nearby, Higek. The team decided that was the best lead available, and made for the town. A few miles outside the ruins of the surface of the sister-cities, the party approached a stream with a broken bridge. Elementals of water began to appear and grow out of the water, setting up a line of defense to keep the party at bay. Almost before they could react, however, a strangely colored woman attacked from the nearby underbrush. Neoon lept into action, attacking the creatures and telling the party to stay out of the water. Good advice, as Magnus was grabbed and the creatures attempted to bring him underwater. After quickly dispatching creatures, Neoon introduced herself. She claimed she was not from around here and was searching for a way home, but these strange elementals were harming the world, and they must be dealt with. She claimed she felt the very earth crying out in pain. This quickly garnered the respect of Blue, who spoke to her about what she was looking for to get home. Neoon mentioned the Aethermirror as a potential conduit to help her. Blue showed her the piece of the shard he held and looked into it. He appeared to be enchanted as he looked into the shard and said that he "could hear her within it". Neeon asked to look within, and Blue obliged. When she took the shard, the color shifted.
I feel home, too!
Image of the adventuring outfit Shades of Blue witnessing Orianna transforming into Kico. Drawn and recorded by firsthand witness, Randuraas Thrombo.
