Breac's Guild report - 0.3.28 agf

Twice were fools

On the behest of Jaspier Penrose, the guild sent an expedition to a temple to Teverius north of the Starfall States. There they found agents of The Brotherhood of Steel waiting for them, including a former guild member. They were forced to slay the Brotherhood to gain entry. Inside was a mostly desecrated temple to Abal, The Shadow-Mother, and Teverius. Jaspier assured the team that a ritual at this shrine was necessary to allow the shield tokens to be created and used without driving their users insane - as mortals were never intended to walk the paths of the World Tree and traverse between worlds.

Leaving Breac Sunfist, Miko Tanner and the ranger Sarah behind to guard the shrine, the team splintered off to activate 5 alters around the temple as part of the ritual. They activated 4, but the minotaur Mylmar found writing in Sylvan on the 5th and chose not to activate their shrine.

If you are reading this: Your name is Mylmar. My name is Lord William Bregan. And you have been decieved. Return to Breac immedietely.

On returning to the temple, the guild found Jaspier had betrayed them. Breac was locked in a time vortex, Miko and Sarah were locked in respective control rooms, and through a transparent wall the guild was witness to Jaspier killing Sarah. Still seated in his large mechanical suit, Ironbrand's last apprentice drained Sarah of life and left her corrupted and lifeless body on the floor of the temple. Jaspier then absorbed her lifeforce into his newly minted and noticably corrupted shield token, before turning on Miko while activating the temple defences against the party.

A fight broke out within the temple, with Miko first succeeding in regaining control of one of the temple's constructs, and then being carried by Mylmar across the room to disable the time-trap that held Breac, while the party attempted to hold Jaspier at bay. The strategy worked, Breac was released and Jaspier was forced to flee, but at cost - the warlock Sovellis had been slain by the temple defences, and was unresponsive to Breac's attempt to resurrect him.

Miko slumped to the floor, rapidly falling to the same corruptive influence that took Sarah's life. Breac attempted various means to remove the curse, and when all else failed used his own blood to encase her in crystal and freeze her in time. Of Sarah's body, there was no sign.

With the knowledge that Whisper ripped the memory of how to create shield tokens out of everyone's mind (except Jaspiers) during Guildfall, the list of people capable of crafting shield tokens now reads:

• Rhilliane (unavailable)
• Damien Ironbrand (Amnesia)
• William Bregan (Dead)
• Ol' Gus (missing)
• Adele Gerrywood (dead)
• St Sarah Estelle (dead)
• Polina 'Reason' Mikalan (missing)
• Breac Sunfist (targeted amnesia)
• Jaspier Penrose (Traitor)