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Champions of the Winds

by Steel Claw

The battle raged on, as did the winds of our challenge.

Once again, the aspect of the wind let itself meld into the storm it had whipped up. But Milo was not deterred -- like a demon out of Avernus he threw himself to the winds, unstoppable in his pursuit. His first cleave shore through the wind elemental, nearly scattering itself to the ether until it unsurprisingly vanished into the atmosphere. Milo's second slice caught nothing but air.

This game of cat and mouse continued: the aspect revealed itself to bluster the vanguard and threaten to throw the group to their demise, but each member held onto the stonework before retaliating with might and magic in concert.

When next it reappeared in its sanctum, standing before the great statute of itself, the winds coalesced about the cleric of Abadar before the aspect retreated further into its temple. Murg felt the fear of a thousand horrors fall upon him, only for the magic to be shortly rerouted to the leonine construct standing between Murg and the temple. Steel muttered under his breath as some mythicite crackled and whimpered from the arcane strain, everything thankfully holding up.

The vanguard pursued the aspect inside, crouching behind the cracked stonework while their footsteps reverberated in the hollow chambers.

Steel provided cover (and covering fire) as the vanguard closed in, with Dannerick out front rending air into (even more) nothingness. Murg called forth more sunlight, which pierced through the aspect's magical defenses and threatened to erase it from existence.

Without options, the feebling aspect of wind and storm called lightning down upon itself, ending its own existence with the thought that it would take the rest of the vanguard with it.

But all was not lost! Theo thrust his hand into the weave, into a rift of space-time that appeared from nothingness and never was nor will be. This bolt of lightning, this drastic action, had been preordained from the moment the vanguard set foot in the aspect's temple, and never would have hurt Dannerick in any and all timelines. Theo wished that bolt to never-existence, and thus it never was.

The time magic had a side effect: the tear in the weave sending an arcane reaction out around Dannerick and Theo with pure mana shredding the physical. In its last act of hope the Redfang channeled said energy into itself, letting the damage erupt outwards and upwards in a brilliant column of red and blue magic. Only Milo was affected, his skin charred by the release of energy, but between Theo and the artificer's constructs the vanguard was left protected from the aspect's final strike.

A second blast of Abadar's light from Murg ripped a second layer of protection from the aspect. It lay exposed, the winds of fallen warriors shrieking out amidst the clamor in the temple.

Steel reactivated his constructs, this time refocusing the pair on pitter-pattering shots of force. The rest of the vanguard struggled on the offense, keeping the aspect locked down as the grand auditor of Abadar unleashed a third and final beam of divine light.

Yet still the aspect lived. It thrashed as it resisted, failing to give into the assault.

Theo spoke words, and the most basic of spells -- magical darts the size of hornets -- floated in the air next to each member of the vanguard. A snap of his fingers, and each dart was instantaneously inside the aspect. The mage's arcana did not count for time or space; he wished hurt upon the aspect, and it was so.

And just like that, the aspect was no more.

Blessed by the Winds

The aspect may have been no more, but the primal of air (Aurus) still existed in this temple. It called the vanguard forwards, and bestowed a primal blessing upon Milo as recognition of the barbarian's success. It spoke of the other primordials and their shrines, and blessings they may confer the vanguard.

Milo then held communion with the primordial, asking it three questions before (re-)consecrating the shrine in the name of his people, the Koti.

"Who holds the Eschatonian magical weapon?" "His name is Xcanerix, and he is a dracolich," was the response. More information came: that Xcanerix has no animosity against the material plane, and the primordial could not fathom why the lich had come to Vhaal to use the aforementioned weapon.

"Where is Eschaton's magical secret (weapon)?" The primordial responded: "It is not on this plane, nor the plane material."

"How does one destroy a dracolich?" This answer was free: find it's phylactery, and destroy it. Primal Aurus believed in our (Murg's) ability to defeat it.

Theo remembered something: a shapeshifter, a not-unpowerful one that we had met in Arcadia. We discussed this, much to the primordial's impatient ire. When Theo mentioned a shapeshifter in passing, Dannerick froze. "A gremory." The memories were too harsh for the vanguard to forget.

Shapeshifter in

"Where is the power of Asmodeus set in Vhaal?" The primordial paused. "This line of questioning will upset many. It will throw organizations into chaos: the Council fo the White Tree and Hrothimari's council among them. It will set in motion things that you cannot undo, things you cannot save the world from.

The Gremory, the General, and the Shadow

"There are three points the winds speak to me: (1) within the capital city of Vecti, Ak'therra, in the highest towers there; (2) faintly, these traces shift to and fro in the gremory, currently an aspect of Asmodeus [as far as the primordial knows]; and (3) inside Eschaton, though it is currently on the front lines of battle: the newly anointed Prince Henrik, champion of Asmodeus."

It noted too that Theo may receive more prophecies as time continues its ever march forwards.

A clarion horn rose above the winds. Dannerick's house-sent airship called for the vanguard. Murg and Milo remained in the temple, to complete the cleansing. The rest returned to the halls of Volastris by way of airship.

There was discussion of current events.

Dannerick mentioned that his old party had at one point been pursued by Asmodean erinyes (powerful demons).

Murg remembers that a dracolich was mentioned in some hallowed texts of Abadar some dozen-thousand years ago, recorded by an archaic follower of Abadar whose work was accidentally hidden for millenia (basically, it survived by chance). There are dragon cults in Junama (among other places) that have tried to create/summon dracoliches, but (as far as contemporary history is concerned) none have been successful.

Dannerick's sister forced her brother to take a gem of summoning from her, insisting that she be called upon once the vanguard came into presence of Xcanerix.

Theo was contacted by King Father Valrun, who asked for an audience with the vanguard as soon as possible.

Dannerick dashed off after his sister, to discuss what he should do with his old flame Keena (from the Auran plane).

Inside Valrun's study

The vanguard reconvened with Valrun. Over tea, the king father listened to the party's curt adventure. The name "Xcanerix" was a shock to him, but no surprise in terms of what was facing the party. Consequently, he had a gift for the party: holy water of Elysium, among the most potent of sacred weapons. "It will purify even the phylactery of Xcanerix." Theo took it, for now. Dannerick pushed his grandfather to help Steel, who recommended Vrianna's library to Steel. Vrianna, the god of the Righteous Truth, whose trove of knowledge (and possible temple) sits in Valhalla.

As we left, the cat Theobold befriended last in the Auran capital begged him to come along -- to which he conceded.

Sidewards and Onwards

Bidding the plane of air farewell, the vanguard returned to Krasus via his blood-magic in order to make their way to the Feywilds, then to the current destination Valhalla.

The Blood-Seer was happy to help, shipping the vanguard off to the Spring Court: "then, head to the Court of Winter by way of the Queen of Wind and Darkness". Murg was fine enough with this plan, though understandably cautious.

Before we left, Krasus spoke of M'Crush: a book stashed at the bottom of the vanguard's bag of holding. It was an encrypted spellbook Theo had taken during Steel's artificer training. "It is M'Crush's spellbook," Krasus clarified.

"It is a thousand years old."

Well, that changes things, now doesn't it.

Over the hills and through the woods

Once thrown by Krasus into the Feywilds, the experienced Milo led the vanguard through the Hills of Winter. Thousands of stars glittered above the treacherous drifts of snow tossed across the tempestuous hills. Time here made little sense; the journey felt as though it took lifetimes, though looking back the journey was only seconds. Milo carried on doggedly, leading through exhaustion until the group safely reached a mossed-over stone grotto: the Koti gateway to Valhalla.

All were nervous, albeit for wildly different reasons.

The vanguard found themselves on a vista overlooking a breathtaking city of marble and light. Valhalla, the plane of honorable combat, righteousness, and justice.

A warrior borne on four-wings met the party on the vista, a greatsword of immense size at his size. He heralded the vanguard with honor, first speaking with Milo before explaining that he was sent by Vrianna. "I am called Garmr, and I was once a champion of the Kinmiri Vale," -- and yes, the forefather of Captain Garmr. "I know of you deeds, and that my descendant favors you."

With the blessing of Valhalla itself, Garmr led the vanguard on the gift of Valhalla (wings!) over the sweeping vistas to Vrianna's Hold.

The group landed, and an elevated platform lowered the Vanguard of Veradin deep into the hold, even beneath the surface of the earth (of the plane?). Minutes passed before the darkness was pierced by light: a miles-long chasm that looked exactly like a plane-within-a-plane, grass and trees and sky just as the surface of Valhalla appeared not minutes before. Led by a row of torches, the group moved along a tiled road to a small, unassuming house a few hundred feet away. Milo knocked at the door, the inside holding the fixtures of a warm cottage. The floor and some walls were covered by paper, surrounding Vrianna themselves who sat bright-faced and beaming amongst their written word. Milo was struck by the magnificence of a god -- the rest of the vanguard standing firm.

"Forgive me," were Vrianna's first words. "I advise you: do not lie to me. This eye of white sees all that is true, and this eye of black holds within it all that lies." It struck the vanguard, then, that Vrianna is in many ways the opposite of Asmodeus. "His high seat and avatar sits in the Vecti capital, and some magic of his sits there too."

"Destroy the flesh of dragons, or destroy the essence of the undying, and you will destroy that of Xcanerix." Vrianna cautioned that this power can only lift the vanguard to the dracolich's level (instead of giving the vanguard an advantage).

Before they left, Dannerick was asked about his old partner Nord, if the late warrior would be honorable enough for Valhalla. He confirmed this information, and with a grin Vrianna accepted Dannerick's answer.

It was another walk from Vrianna's cottage to the god's library. An archway carved into the walls of the earth was lit for the vanguard.

Dragons
Liches
Demons
Asmodeus

Valhalla
the other Primordials
the Bezian front

Prince Henrik (force of Asmodeus)

Gremory (force of Asmodeus)

Eschaton (force of Asmodeus)

Asmodeus (& his forces)
Legends hold that Asmodeus fell beneath Avernus to the endless void beneath

Xcanerix
The dracolich who has the weapon

The (rest of the) primordials

Valhalla

Continue reading...

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Champions of the Winds

Blessed by the Winds

The Gremory, the General, and the Shadow

Inside Valrun's study

Sidewards and Onwards

Over the hills and through the woods

Continue reading...

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