Session 19: Moths to a Flame

The party finds themselves slowly ascending a labyrinthine building of a long lost city of Shae Tirias Tolai. After dealing with some less than hospitable inhabitants, Tilly gives chase after a raven, which leads them to a fountain of blood and bone, adorned in a foreboding set of skulls.

---

A Lesson in Homophones

Finding the party at the entrance of a massive structure of silver, marble, and bone, the party asks Kerani to explain what she knows of Shae Tirias Tolai, a mythical city that she had uttered this place to be. She explained that she wasn't certain it was anything but a fairy tale, earning her a haughty "Excuse me?!" from the resident fairy. Finding this city was her and Iskandar's goal, she explained; and that it was a place for passing on, where the dying had their last chance to return to the living, before passing on. A Fey people had lived her, she explained, supposedly the progenitors to the elves in The World of Eberron. The party ascends the staircase into massive courtyard, dragon symbology abound among dried fountains and basins; nothing but a sediment of sorts collecting within them. Skulls of a giant and a dragon adorn two humanoid statues flanking the path forward. A distant blue light shines on far ahead, but the party is cautious in approaching, meticulously checking corners and investigating the various statues and decaying tapestries in side rooms along the way. The part partially split up, each of them going through a number of ruined tapestries.   Brian finds one that shows a landscape of a monstrous being wreaking havoc across the land, in an abstract form. Next to it, he finds one with a long dragon-like figure, but ghostly and engulfed in a silver flame.   Fork finds one of a regal warrior with a broken sword, standing triumphantly and pummeling enemies. He was a historic hero of the Sovereign Host, given a sword by the traveler to help in combat, only for the sword to break and he found the power instead within himself. Just one of many stories of The Traveler either helping, or hurting, depending on one's perspective.   Tilly attempts in vain to cut some tapestry to take with her, for it to only crumble away in her hands.   A cobweb with a humanoid seemingly trapped in the next room catches Fork's attention, and he signals to Tilly as she makes her way along the other wall that there may be danger. Unfortunately, this garners the attention of a giant spider, which attacks Fork.   The encounter is short, as the party attempts to regroup in a hurry. Fork manages to evade the creature's more dangerous attacks, while impaling it through the head with Liar's Edge. Tilly collects some venom from its fangs (two uses), while the party goes back to exploring, a bit more cautiously.   A final tapestry, representing Kyber, Siberys, and Eberron, the three progenitor dragons, is made note of, where each dragon seems to have a pronounced, silvered front tooth.  Kerani notes excitedly that it likely represents an ancient artifact known as The Teeth of Three, one of Iskandar's subjects of interest.  He believes that it was left behind by the dragons, and its function a mystery.   

An Unexplained Urgency

Fork and Brian, still wary about being followed, urge the party forward towards the light.  It appears to be shining in from a window of sort from above, onto an ornate symbol etched into the floor.  The window seemed impervious to damage.  While Brian and Tilly attacked this strange window, Fork noted some small scuttling creatures rushing towards them from a side room.   After another skirmish, whereas Fork holds the line while the others kill the things.  After gathering themselves, they begin to set up in a room to rest.  A room in which whatever tapestries were to be hung had not yet done so.  The calm was interrupted as a raven rushes out of the room, heading north further into the dark.  Tilly, without a moments hesitation, goes flying after it, and the party is forced to give chase.   A mad dash through a number of areas, including a library and some studies, Fork all the while desperately trying to get Tilly to slow down to no avail.  The party finally catches up the raven, perched on a dried up fountain, with massive tower of bone, adorned with skulls.   Two human sized skulls, a bird skull, the skull of a dog, a smaller humanoid, and a very tiny skull on top.  The raven is perched, gripping the tiny skull.  "CAW".  Suddenly, the fountain comes to life, and blood pours out of the skulls, into the basin, quickly overflowing.  "CAW".  Far above, a moon seems to align with the skylight, and light fills the room.  The party feels as if their skulls are being pried open.  "CAW"