Session I: Heaven to Earth
28th of Paerem - 1st of Derima, 560 AL
Twilight sets down over Zivilon on the eve of war. What should be the final invasion to capture the Basalt Palace in Quirrach will commence in the morning. Five strangers will follow their legions into battle, but the night is not yet done.
Astra, a promising young Venat owlin Accipiter, takes a brisk walk through the grounds of the Consecutarus. They have been summoned by their commander, Gaius Hesperus, for an unusual ask. Winding through the marbled hallways, they finally reach his office. Commander Hesperus greets them warmly but seems put upon by something. He tells Astra that an extremist priest named 'The Fen Father' from the Plane of Moss has been radicalizing poor youths in Quirrach, and needs to be eliminated. He explains that the war will never truly end in the minds of the people unless individuals like this are neutralized; their ideas prevented from spreading. In exchange for the unusual task, Gaius offers a gold reward and a magical scope to attach to Astra's mortar. They accept readily, eager for the Commander's approval. He thanks Astra and gives them a pat on the shoulder.
To the west, near the Shipyard Square, a bustling tavern disguises a gambling den populated by eager soldiers looking to risk their life's fortune. A battle is tomorrow, after all. Melinoe, a noble aasimar cleric, plays two rounds of dice with an anxious half-genasi orc. The orc loses the first pair, but offers a double or nothing and wins the second round for a tie. He bows out and Melinoe taunts him that "he'll beat her one day". A gold-cloaked figure stands above Melinoe, beckoning to a distant hallway. She obliges, and the figure notes her holy symbol: the moon of fate, call sign of the West Moon. She asks for a service from Melinoe, in exchange for gold and a magical item; Melinoe is to retrieve a 'ruby and slate stone' from an enemy plane, as only a follower of a 'Lost God' could do so. The genasi tells Melinoe that it is a powerful artifact that she would like very much, and that she will pay a gold advance and give her a tracked sending stone to ensure her progress. After the mission, the stone will be unbound and free for Melinoe's use. The task should be completed within a month. When Melinoe asks, the woman reveals herself to be Petreia Thallus, a Lord of the High Throne. Melinoe agrees to the task, and Petreia leaves the tavern.
Above the skies of the city, two passengers ride a dragon-ferry to the very edge of the storm. The Ferryman drops them off on a small island at the end of the archipelago and bids them farewell. Flint and Strattora Acari thank him and step out onto the island of the Mitholar. Flint is a stout Nornod earth genasi paladin and warlock, and Strattora is a formidable Myelos air genasi tempest cleric. She also happens to be a Mith'Missos aspirant who is here to complete the ritual of Mith Valens for the first time. Flint is contracted to serve as her bodyguard. The pair enters the Mitholar and are greeted by Jun the Skysnake lazily hissing at them. Kirasum Acari, Strattora's mentor, greets them and ushers them to the west hall, where two more Mith'Missos are waiting. One of them, Tariné, questions Flint's presence, calling him a "spare". He shuts her down forcefully and she quiets. They enter the chamber and begin the ritual. After a moment of faltering, Strattora successfully communes with the storm and feeds it her emotions. The ritual is completed, and they exit the chamber. Kirasum brings Flint aside, telling him not to die for the protection of Strattora. He assures her that he is not there for the gold, and she nods approvingly before bidding them both farewell. They exit, exhausted, and return to their residences in the Zivil Ward.
At the Consecutarus, a young astral elf paces nervously around the barracks. Cornelius, a runaway astral elf sorcerer, is anxious about the battle ahead, questioning his life's decisions. He takes his mind off of things by attempting to gamble, to little success. Cornelius returns to the Consecutarus and walks around its shimmering lake. He begins to hear a pulsing, ticking sound that quickly escalates, growing faster and faster. Cornelius sees his vision fade and his lakeside surroundings are replaced by his old childhood manor. A massive golden clock dial is embedded in the ballroom floor. It has a strange set of hands and faces with which Cornelius is unfamiliar. He moves his arms, and the controls move with them. Testing various combinations, the Primordial runes of "storm", "flood", and "daybreak" appear on the dial. As Cornelius attempts more random tests, he feels an overwhelming flood of information within his mind. When the flood stops, his father is in the room with him. His father immediately bursts into screaming flame. Cornelius wakes up: he has returned to the lakeside.
In the morning, the five mobilize with their respective squadrons. Flint, Strattora, and Cornelius join the second vanguard, while Melinoe joins the first. The Accipiters, including Astra, mobilize separately. The city sings with the 
anticipation of victorious war. Tens of thousands of soldiers take to the streets and the arcades fill with cheering citizens. Flower petals and bread crumbs are tossed in the pathway, and the ancient hymns of Zivil wars are sung. The Principus Antiodene gives a wrathful speech and the armies charge into the Ussos Gate, headed for the Basalt Palace to end the war for good.
"It was an ambush. Somebody messed with the gate. We need help. Desperately. Please send somebody soon."StrattoraThe five are teleported to some unknown pit quarried into the ground, and an enormous boulder comes crashing down upon them and the scattered legions nearby. Something has gone terribly wrong. With the help of Cornelius' lightning bolt and Strattora's shatter spell, the boulder is split into earthen chunks and dirt. The cascade still devastates those below, with one phalanx immediately destroyed. A fellow Ampliarus riding an ice drake escapes the pit and leaves his allies to fend for themselves. Digging themselves out of the rubble, the five officers climb a nearby tunnel that was used to quarry the pit. The surviving phalanxes follow them, and the small army ambushes the army waiting above the pit. In a flurry of action, the armies clash. Strattora and Melinoe summon their spiritual weapons as Astra annihilates a squadron with one bullet from above. Cornelius devastates three more units with a well-placed lightning bolt, and Flint rushes into the fray while blasting eldritch spells at the Quirrach soldiers. As the opposition weakens, an enormous earthen Colossus enters the fray, slamming into the Zivil units with its massive maul. It nearly kills Melinoe in one strike, but her curse prevents it from destroying her allies. The five officers attack the elemental with the surviving infantry, and Strattora and Cornelius finish the creature off with a lightning strike and sacred flame, respectively. With a groan, the creature crumbles into inert rock. Gathering themselves, the five strangers survey the battlefield. Most of the Zivil forces have been killed, and more footsteps are heard down a nearby western canyon. Thankfully, the new arrivals are allies. A dwarven Ampliarus named Mico explains that the canyons are 'endless' and that thousands must have been trapped in pits like theirs. His companion, a supply master named Mettius offers the remaining soldiers a Returner to allow them quick passage back to Zivilon. There are not enough of the orbs for all of the remaining fighters; six will have to stay. Mico volunteers himself and Mettius, and four other Zivil infantry join them. When the five officers decide not to take the Returners back, they offer some of theirs to their grateful infantry allies. Melinoe contacts her employer, who is of no help in getting back. Strattora sends a message to Kirasum explaining the situation: "It was an ambush. Somebody messed with the gate. We need help. Desperately. Please send somebody soon." In the haze of the plane of dust, the newly formed party gather themselves and prepare for a rest in this strange, dangerous new locale.
