Chapter 05

General Summary

NOTE: This was a short game session as we were cut short by a power outage.

Being “Dragoned”

• “You were not invited,” are the words our heroes hear from the mind of the dragon peering down on them from the rim of the valley. The dragon does not give them more than a moment to comprehend what is happening before it accuses them of being spies and attempting to steal the Great Machine. When they deny this, it calls them “liars” and leaps down upon them.
• The dragon’s attention appears to be focused solely on Zafaris. It immediately snatches her away from her companions, dragonfear keeping them at bay. Savagely, the dragon rips Zafaris apart and spits her body out, her body rolling at the feet of our heroes and shattering into a fine red mist before dispersing entirely.
• Our heroes look on in horror and the dragon drops something from its maw only to discover that it is the intact body of Zafaris… but not the Zafaris they’ve grown accustomed to. Instead, a bat-winged creature with horns, sharp teeth, and claws cowers before the dragon. The wyrm sits back, its demeaner now completely relaxed with no hint of any hostility.
• The dragon introduces itself as A’aronomyst, a contemporary of the cleric, Ja’acob Hardfoot, who asked the dragon to watch over his home where our heroes have been. A’aronomyst related that Ja’acob spent much of his later life as a conduit of prophecy. One of the cleric’s last prophecies was that a group of heroes would find his home and use it in their struggle against the “Crossing of Swords.”
• The dragon claims that he revealed Zafaris’ identity because it is unwise to start any relationship based on a lie.
• Le’otie and Oleander do not react well not only to Zafaris’ deception but also the fact that, as A’aronomyst verified, she is a descendant of the Belaithamin, the demons that almost destroyed the world and were the precursors to the Sundering itself.
• A’aronomyst leaves the party to think through their next course of action. Le’otie and Oleander reluctantly agree to work alongside Zafaris… for now.
• The next morning, our heroes decide that the next course of action is to travel to New Aerith City and discover what waits for them at the coordinates on the second Torus (the first identifying both Maiya and Le’otie as avatars of the Wolf of Ja’acob Hardfoot’s prophecy).
• As our heroes head out, Midgwyn receives a sending from her sometimes partner, Flemmit, of the Seekers of the Sundered Sun:

  “Hey, partner, are you still alive? I made it to Hillside Slope only to discover that its been overrun by monsters – I think they’re Ogriar! They're questioning everyone. I sure hope you’re okay, and not in one of the cookpots I’ve spotted. *shudder*…”

Epilogue, a Brief Aside

• During the two days before the confrontation with the dragon, while the heroes were trying to understand the Great Machine, Midgwyn skimmed through the Biography of Thorgrim Stoneheart they’d found earlier. In it she discovered that Thorgrim had been one of the Maeg-Anri before being confronted and defeated by Ja’acob Hardfoot.

Report Date

18 Aug 2024