Session 98: Vestiges of the World Anvil

General Summary

26th Unndilar- 1st Brussendar 836PD   26th-27th Unndilar   Orlando relays the vision back to Raphael of Frostweaver’s creation, leaving him to process the revelation of ‘whom’ rather than ‘what’ he carries by his side.   The party recover over the day, enough for Simeon to prepare himself to perform a Resurrection ritual to raise the Master Forger, Berman Strongpride, back from the dead in order for them to help transport the World Anvil entrance back to safety.   During the celestial midnight the ritual is prepared, Raphael places ropes and his ceremony stones around the anvil. The Master Forger’s body is laid on top of the Anvil, in reverence to his position here and to spiritually ‘re-forge’ life. Orlando uses the power of the Anvil to awaken Simeon’s amulet, imbuing it with the powers to cast the raise dead ritual.   Three offerings may be made to aid the ritual in calling forth the spirit; Raphael will appeal to his ‘Grandmother’ the Raven Queen to permit Berman’s soul passing back from death. Orlando will pray to Moradin and Berman directly to persuade Berman to return to the living and Raven will renew his faith in Sehanine the Moonweaver to aid Simeon in calling on her power to support the ritual.   Raphael focuses on Frostweaver and casts dream to reach out across the planes to speak with the Raven Queen. He dreams of a door, guarded by two jet black onyx Raven statues with blood crystal eyes. He is stopped by a male elven voice in his head, “Why have you come here?” Raphael replies that he is bearer of the blade that holds the soul of the Raven Queen’s lover and wishes to treat with her for the release of a soul.   The voice warns that the Raven Queen would be saddened to know the story of the blade had been learned again, but she cannot release Berman’s soul as it is claimed by Moradin. Raphael manages to persuade the voice to not intervene if the soul crosses through their domain. The voice reveals themselves as Vax’ildan, a former Champion of the Raven Queen, he shares that the Raven Queen already has a claim on Raphael’s soul and asks a favour for the next time Raphael see’s Lady Vex’ahlia de Rolo to call her ‘stubby’.   Raven kneels before the pale light that covers Simeon, as the conduit of Sehanine, and he does something that he hasn’t done in a century, he prays. Unfortunately, he finds that he is too out of practice and his words can’t resonate at a level to aid Simeon with his ritual. Although something is awakened by his pledge as the drawstring on his bow briefly shined with silver light during his prayer.   Orlando holds his symbol of Moradin and prays to the All-Hammer to release the soul of the Master Forger which he had claimed, as the World Anvil still face danger without the help of Berman. Orlando’s prayer also appeals directly to Berman to return as there was still plenty of work to be done, and he can’t down tools just yet.   A moment passes, had Orlando’s prays fallen on deaf ears? Then a thunderous blow of divine magic cracks from the Anvil’s hammer, smithing the Master Forger’s soul directly back into his body. The resurrection ritual had succeeded!   The resurrected Berman relays the Aspect of Tharizdun’s attack on the forge and how it tainted the golem guardian, Radious, enough to order it to kill him. The party catch Berman up on the trials they faced and how they’ve managed to save the Anvil, and ask him if there’s a way to move the entrance to the Anvil somewhere safer like Kraghammer. Berman confirms that he can perform a high-level ritual with his wife, Jenthiel Boulderaxe the Master Crafter, to move the entrance back.   Berman and the Unbroken take some time to rest and make their preparations to return to Kraghammer and the material plane. The Master Forger notices some of the party’s items were still saturated with the divine magics of the ritual and their connection to the Gods. As recompense for saving the World Anvil, Berman offers to craft the ‘vestiges’ of these divine blessings into items that will aid their mission to stop Tharizdun.   The power of the Anvil suppresses Berman’s exhaustion and with Orlando’s assistance they craft through the day and night. Simeon’s amulet now shines with the pale silver of Moonlight, as Berman updates it with mithril chain that holds the light. Some fey markings are unveiled in the glow of the amulet and a shadow seems to swirl within its moonstone.   Raven’s bow basks in the moonlight that shines from Simeon’s amulet, the wood of the bow grows longer but its colour and weight get lighter. The string thins to a tight streak of silver, which glints in the light but completely vanishes in the dark. A weapon fit for one who would serve to fight in the gloom to bring the light of the Moon. Berman captures some residual moonlight from the bow, compressing it into a moonstone and set within a circlet crafted under the runes of protection, as something he could just whip up with some ‘leftover material’ for Raven.   Raphael presents his cold elemental armour to receive similar magics of protection, the Winter Knight helps to imbue some of his own pact magics to further ward himself as well as increase his senses.   As Orlando and Berman prepare to repair the Guardian Golem, Orlando notices that the guardian’s eyes which were pitch black when under Tharizdun’s control, were now swirling with the fiery light of the forge and the oblivion’s darkness. Analysing with Berman to identify the magics of Tharizdun that corrupted the golem’s vision, the two servants of Moradin reverse engineer through the Anvil’s Arcana to create goggles that will never fail again to see the what is the true threat.   28th Unndilar- 1st Brussendar   Satisfied with the final touches of their craft, the dwarf and gnome slink back from the adrenaline of the Anvil, but any brief respite is interrupted with the arrival of the eager morning faces of the rest of the Unbroken. Jenthiel and Berman send across the planes and finish the ritual to move the Anvil to Kraghammer.   Before Orlando leaves, Berman takes a private moment to thank and compliment him on his work. The Master Forger of the World Anvil offers Orlando (and anyone else suitable he would recommend) to apprentice with him, and wishes for Orlando to someday find peace to craft not for destruction but for protection.   The party give their thanks and leave the World Anvil in a better place than they found it.   The Unbroken update Jenthiel and spend the day in Kraghammer with Orlando’s family. Come the evening, Raphael reaches out through his Dream magic to their Tal’Dorei Council spy ally, Jinarth, to check in on their mission to infiltrate Lock-Breaker’s cult. Raphael finds Jinarth bound in barbed wire, tortured and trapped in a nightmare. As Raph goes to cut Jinarth’s binds, the familiar voice of the Lock-Breaker smarmily suggests not to do so.   Lock-Breaker teases Raphael about using the dreams to communicate, impressed that it had got this far before he noticed. Lock-Breaker tries to taunt Raphael into talking, conjuring wine and seats in the dream for a tête-à-tête. However, Raphael manages to wrestle control of the dream and tip Lock-Breaker off his chair, and drops the spell to avoid any more conversation. Lock-Breaker taunts Raph as the dream fades that Jinarth’s will is weakening, and he’ll have answers anyway.   In the morning, Raphael shares that their spy has been captured and the party agree to rescue Jinarth. Pluto shares that he too was caught in a nightmare of dream magic with Izkelthia, the Hag that’s also been working to release Tharizdun. With the party previously debating on which next Shackle between the Fey Wild or Vasselheim to investigate, Pluto offers to go ahead to the fey wild to try and head off any threat from Izkelthia. Simeon speaks his words of recall to transport them all bar Pluto back to their Keep in Emon.   Before they raise the situation Jinarth is in with any of their allies on the Council, Simeon divines with his Lady to see where they could locate them. “Where man first travelled to this land, your quarry you do seek. Beneath the grip of blackened hand, her will is growing weak.”   Simeon’s knowledge boon of Ioun’s avatar solves the divination that Jinarth is being held at the Ruins of O’Noa, the derelict site by the haunted waters of Daggerbay a couple of hundred miles south of Emon. The group go to Allura to update her on the Anvil Shackle and also Jinarth, Lady Kima, Allura’s halfing Platinum Paladin wife, knows of someone that could help the Unbroken get to the Ruins and sail through Daggerbay. A contact they can find at the Mermaid’s Whistle inn at the docks…   The Unbroken reach Level 14!