The Windy Warrior and The Westward Journey

We defeated the armor being carried by the elemental wind. Magnus smashed him well, and he retreated as shards of his armor fell behind him. Blue investigated his remaining bits and seemed to kneel down and examined a bit, and messed with the dirt, perhaps to prevent it from returning.
 
We continued west towards a small farm village. There was a small freshwater pond which was very welcomed to cleanse my dry gills and relax with a bath briefly. Looking for food with Magnus, we came across blood in the nearby stable. A few days old, this set off a few red flags. Who would leave and abandon an entire community with farm equipment?
 
Nothing but tracks of animals escaping and blood in various places, apparently something occurred a few days ago but we can't quite tell who or was driven off by what. Even the birds are quiet. Small critters have started to re-emerge since the fog receded, so maybe they are related.
 
Magnus and I found some leftover rations and various food items in a tavern and decided to feed our faces. Not often do we have an affordance of repose during times like these. Magnus decided to take over the room in lieu of no one else saying otherwise, and we shared a quick meal.
 
We continued west through the town, and discovered a voice looking for others by exclamation of greetings. We found a person named Randuras, who said he had been working in a nearby basement to discover properties and researching the nature of the Fog that had been oppressing the countryside. He later tells us he was contracted by the southern folk in a nearby mine, but has been researching the properties of a shard, similar to our Aether Shard. When produced, Blue compared it to the one found by Randuras. It used to be the same color, and now a glass sphere -- but now Blue's has faded, but similar properties nonetheless.
 
Blue and Randuras compared notes for a short while, and Randuras had seen something close to it before. Blue's sentimental attachment precluded him from giving one person both shards, and I can't say I blame him considering the controversial and volatile nature of the stoneglass's behavior. Violence does seem to follow this artifact, but further research can occur safely.
 
Randuras both wished to join us and suggested we might find more clues in a settlement of Stout-folk in the west. Considering our exploration and search for the cause of the fog has led us in that direction in the first place, it makes sense to look for more signs in that direction. After a night's rest we continued out journey to look for more clues.
 
We came to a broken stream, and immediately began to feel uneasy as something was not right. Fallen trees and scant wildlife told signs of anxious reaction, although the quiet of the stream. The fog encased the dwarven settlement, and something seems to be recluding from our presence. No matter how close we get, it seems to be moving to meet our pace.
 
As we approached the stream, we were met by two forms that rose out of the water. If the warrior we encountered earlier was composed of air, these creatures were made of water in sentient form. They started attacking us, but were intercepted by a hidden arrow, shot from a nearby bush. A form emerged with purple hair and a headdress wielding a crossbow. The rest of our party did our best to make short work of these entities with our newly appeared ally, and the enemies receded into the water once again.
 
After catching our collective breath, Magnus being dunked in the stream from being snatched by the stream, we got to know our helper whose name was Neoon, another in search of the 'mirror pieces'. While we introduced ourselves, Magnus thrashed at the water to scare off any possible additional water creatures.
 
Neoon and Blue bonded over their shared protection of nature, and Neoon revealed she was a Genasi, a race of origin that personally eludes me but Blue seemed to be familiar. He handed her his fused fragments of the Aether Mirror, and they spoke about how the insight affected him when peering into the void of the crystal. He then seemed to be inspired by the power inside the crystal, but was not able to explain how or why, only that the feeling it gave him was from a deeper attunement of nature, and gave him a strength in confidence for the journey ahead. After their short bonding experience, Blue was eager to let her also peer into the shard and see if any insight would be discovered.
 
Neoon took her turn as offered from Blue, and as soon as she touched it it shifted color once again, a deep blue-green swirling with luminescence in half the shrrd, shifting to a darker indigo, earth tones and cyan streaks. It seemed to overwhelm her with joy and became speechless, an almost calm and sense of hope. 'Home' she spoke quietly, and Blue seemed to nod and agree that he had felt the same from the visions it imparted.
 
Orianna then asked to do the same, and held it with both hands similarly. A bright green filled the shard, and a rainbow prismatic swath of colors washed over her face from the shards reflection. It then started to transform her entire form into a bright faerie form. Blue started sobbing from happiness, and she too became excited at the prospect of promise and hope. 'Home!' she also exclaimed as her true form emitted from her newly revealed corporal form.
 
Many questions seemed to be discovered more than answers, but as we get closer to the fog, more information and more clues have been revealed today. Although we may not be closer to truth, we have gotten closer to hope.
 
We may have started to loser our way in the fog as strangers -- but together as friends, we will surely be able to find our way back home.