Season 2, Episode 9: "Caliginous Soul" Report
General Summary
With Varos Mining Team 1 on the edge of death, the Dream Team wasn't pleased to see more pyric monstrosities flood their location, and were swift to end the conflict. After further inspection of the room, Chad discovered that it once housed a Colour Out of Space, a dangerous creature in its own right, made worse by the nearby presence of the Eshtayiv. Although reason demanded caution, the clock was still ticking, and with only a few hours before the death of their wards, the party decided to seal Mining Team 1 in the room they were found, and head for the Illuminant Heart.
The group was unusually brutal with their tactics, taking rests only when they needed to, keeping a watchful eye on the worsening condition of Lockette and Isra. They ignored treasure and unnecessary risks in favor of the keys, clearing the citadel's trials in little more than an hour, making their way through the Three-Key Door and into the bowels of Ezorod.
At the landing of the Illuminant Heart, the Dream Team found the remnants of several battles, including corpses from Altraeza's Riders and the Cult of the Elder Mythos. Standing in the midst of the carnage was a Colour-blighted Lod Coster, the leader of a Verthani expedition that had arrived 5 weeks past, and had perished almost as soon as they had arrived. While he may have been capable of wiping out the party at his peak, he'd been dealt a terrible blow by the invaders, and crumbled after a barrage of fire from the Dream Team. Rather than waste time interrogating him, the group tied him up for later, and then pushed through the Cult's wards, aiming for the center of the action.
The party found themselves at the foot of the Engine of Darkness, and at the center of a five-way conflict consisting of Dominic Altraeza, Shalema, Skittles, the Colour Out of Space, and Carrot. While their goals varied, every side intended to get what they wanted from the chamber, but the arrival of a sixth party brought the room to a boil.
Sensing the gravity of the battle, Chad invoked the dual Blessing of the Omens and the Wonder, summoning the Heart of High Angel Trinity into his hands. It was a powerful opening punch, banishing the Wither Wraiths and Cultists in seconds, and causing the Colour Out of Space immense discomfort. It immediately dislodged itself from the Engine, ruining Skittles' plan to overtake it, and putting everyone else on their toes. From there, it was time for clean-up, with Isra and Abelina playing crowd control while Mist, Lockette, and Tesin thinned the herd.
Now free to act, Carrot banished his curse from the party's flesh, and granted Tesin the full blessing of Ezorod's defenses. The Colour Out of Space was destroyed, Shalema was reduced once more to a mercurial pool, and Dominic fled in a rage, sensing the battle tipping out of his favor. Of note, Skittles employed the powers of an imprisoned Forge Warden to teleport away from the Illuminant Heart, suggesting that things on the Forge were going poorly for the resistance...
As the last death rattles faded from the room, a blood-soaked Dream Team stood victorious, and were soon the only mortals remaining in the Illuminant Heart. But fate had one last task for Tesin, as Carrot beckoned her to the Engine of Darkness, intent on clarifying the bond that had slowly grown between them.
The Elder Numen offered Tesin a choice. Mastery over Ezorod (with a price) or to free the Eshtayiv -- allowing the creature to destroy the Great Old One slumbering in Aucturn, at the cost of the Pact Worlds. While the Lashunta lauded Carrot with questions, her interests lied in the value of Ezorod, and thus the latter option was abandoned in favor of power.
Carrot promised a lifetime of service, in return for three tasks -- a ceremony, a quest, and a debt to repay. While the ceremony would take place that very evening, Tesin would have a year and a day to complete the latter two, and would have Ezorod at her disposal for the duration. After some initial interrogation about the quest and the debt repaid, Tesin found the terms agreeable, and accept the Elder Numen's proposal. But what lied in store for the ceremony was beyond her imagining...
The creatures of the Night gathered in mass, spaced across the pews of a church enshrouded in darkness. The oldest ceremony known to mankind had begun. Vows were spoken, rings were exchanged, and the beasts of umbra howled in glee. Tesin embraced the Night in a dress made of its very essence, and saw both Haze and prophecy, a vision of her future self. She Who Spreads the Night and the Cuts the Thread. The Bane of Eshtayiv, the Bride of His Shadow, the Child of Ambrosia, and the Heir of the Name Never Spoken.
Long may she reign.
End of Season 2.
Rewards Granted
The only major item received between Episode 5 and the end of Season 2 was Isra's Astral Flintlock, although the party got a literal pile of treasure across the spoils from their recent adventures, especially from the remnants of the Verthani expedition on Ezorod. These will likely serve as significant upgrades to their current gear, which hasn't seen much upgrading since they first left Absalom Station.
Created Content
Content created between Episode 5 and the end of Season 2:
- New articles on Ezorod, the Splintered condition, prose for The Splintered Child, the Astral Flintlock, the Gravity Boots, Jestyr, Blessing of Jestyr, Terris Intel Report: The Varos Experiment, the Hamisfore Theatorium and Vestrani Gaming Complex, Hush, Wither Wraith, Wither Ghast, Dread Baron, Wither, Nyarlathotep, Moscaroth, Tru'nembra, the Church of the Rising Shoot, Krelloth, the Yakuta Family, AbadarCorp, and Duality of Divinity: The Elder Numens.
- Updated articles for Tesin Movahesh, Nawa Jin, Tesin's Data Disk, Dominic Altraeza, and Altraeza's Riders.
Notes
Tesin's player was given two handouts related to her mastery over Ezorod and the Mantle of the Caliginous Soul, which likely won't be shared on WorldAnvil for quite some time!
Tesin Movahesh
Thunder in the Mist
Lockette Endrinmaster 12 2.0
Isra
Chad
Report Date
24 Jan 2021
Primary Location
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