S1 E55: The Echo of Stars
General Summary
The scale squad begins to pass through the challenges of Sylvanwroth's lair to find the final piece in their quest.
- The party spends some time reading books in the Library; Blizzard checks out books on dragons and finds extensive material in the collection, and he and Zalock review troubling descriptions of what can happen to Gem Dragons, including Amethyst Dragons like Quindarin, at death - turning into a monster called Draconic Shard rather than having the decency to die like a normal creature. Xi Shi finds many handbooks regarding lost martial practices and studies sword techniques, and Mae meanders through the children's books, finding Alecta's Journey to the Wonder-Land as well as a book with actual teeth along the spine called the Child Eater.
- Sylvanwroth reappears, his face no longer a skull but an ash-colored mask trimmed in gold, with hollow eyes. He asks how their research on the problem at hand goes, and finding that none of them were really doing any, suggests the book called the Echo of Stars. Moravin, the spectral whirlwind librarian, produces it, and they find that this was a book that Willow also had in her library (back in Episode 6). The cover is worn and abstract but appears to show a ring of Elven elders surrounding a menacing female form surrounded by blades. The story within is remarkable - the tale of a single tear shed by the Lady of Pain herself, the absolute ruler of Sigil, the city at the absolute center of the Great Wheel of the Planes. The tear fell through the planes to reach the prime material, and passed through worlds to land on Tergaith, and is now protected by an immortal protector elf, Velendir Starshadow. The three pages detailing the specifics of where the tear is and how to get it oof of Velendir as well as how to put it to use have been ripped out of the book, replaced by a cryptic poem that evidently details where the pages can be found.
- The party decides to begin to delve deeper, understanding that Sylvanwroth is involved in all this somehow - he might even BE Velendir but that seems unlikely on its face; the working guess is that Sylvanwroth discovered the whereabouts of this immortal elf of the previous age and came here for his own reasons regarding the Sorrow of the Silent Lady - certainly Velendir would be a wealth of knowledge, and the Lady of Pain's near catatonia regarding most things would make this teardrop a precious artifact worthy of direct study.
- The poem sets them on their path; they begin on a level of Sylvanwroth's design, encountering Eldon and his lover Zilvrae, both of them some kind of Revenant though evidently fully possessed of their mortal minds. Mae creates a flower wedding gown for Zilvrae and not only avoids an unpleasant battle but makes a friend who might be valuable later. Zilvrae is so touched and thankful for Mae's kindness that she gives her a stone she's kept for a long time, an Amethyst Lodestone - which may or may not also have something to do with Quindarin.
- The party passes through another room and activates a guardian by closing a children's letter book full of dragons. Quick thinking turns the red dragon adversary into a harmless - but very angry - sheep. They puzzle at length over two guardian statues, but eventually come up with a solution to pass them, but the dark descent isn't figurative and Blizzard falls a hundred feet into a huge, high-ceilinged space that appears to have turned the 16,794 people collected from the battlefield of Seki Gahan into a power plant. Bones occupy thousands of cubby-holes from which filaments finer than hair run up and down the walls in strange, mazelike patterns.
Rewards Granted
- Amethyst Lodestone: https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4047183-amethyst-lodestone
Missions/Quests Completed
- Read the Echo of Stars
- Painted Dragon
- Past Wardens' Watch
Character(s) interacted with
- Sylvanwroth
- Minchin
- Eldon, the undead Bard
- Zilvrae, the undead Drow Arcanist
Created Content
Report Date
13 Jun 2023
Primary Location
Secondary Location
Related Characters
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