A Grand Opening
It is the year 1077 in the Age of Heroes, 30 years after the cataclysmic events of the Shattering. Rumor has it that trouble is brewing on the horizon, and thus under the watchful gaze of the Council of Time
A Grand Opening
The guild opens
Guy named Mortis shows up claiming he's good friends with Zendrin and requesting a meeting
He is not friends with Zendrin, and Zendrin does not know him
Guild is advised to treat Mortis with caution
A few months after founding, Rahs, the last surviving Dragon Knight, requests supplies for Castle Reukir and organizes a meeting with the guild escort
Guild arrives, but Rahs is MIA
Guild advances and discovers Rahs being ambushed by black dragons, offers their assistance
On arrival at Castle Reukir, Mortis is there and acting hella fishy. Guild tells him to fuck off.
Zendrin launches an investigation into Mortis's identity. The man doesn't exist.
Dark Wings Bear Dark Tidings
Tracks down what he believes to be Mortis's base of operations, sends infiltration team to investigate.
Base is cave.
Cave is filled with evidence of occult rituals. Several dragons names have been recorded and crossed out.
Cave is not a cave. It's a lair. Guild is attacked by black wyrmlings.
Mortis gets home early. Mortis is not a man.
He's Hyltades.
Guild barely escapes with their lives as Hyltades announces plans to declare war on the world and see to it's complete destruction.
Gilliam (guild founder) comes out of hiding and enhances the guild defenses, including erecting a force barrier designed specifically to stop Hyltades.
Reports start surfacing of abyssal rifts appearing all over the world, corrupting their surroundings and inviting all sorts of nasties into Chromatia.
It's unclear who is precisely responsible, if not exclusively Hyltades
Trouble, trouble everywhere
The Plot Thickens
One of the Legendary Heroes, Lord Atlslass Sparrow, returns to the guild looking to recruit assistance in recovering Solstliah, one of the Council of Time's most well known and respected members, who's been missing for months
Guild arrives at the mission site, place is infested with aberrations
We meet Zorander Crowley, and confirm he is somehow behind all the rifts. He is attempting to sacrifice Solstliah to an unknown Other, but between the guild's assistance and the Legendary Heroes the plan is thwarted ...
... for now
Crowley is presently detained by the Council of Time for investigation
Suddenly, simultaneous and massive attacks are launched on Bjornfall, Elsental, and Port Brandy
Investigations are launched into all three regions, finding ... well, shit is dire
Bjornfall Arc
The guild is dispatched to Bjornfall, following rumors that devils flying the banner of Zariel, Lord of the 1st, have overrun the city and begun to build a fortress. Rumor has it they are hunting magic items and kidnapping survivors wholesale. Reports also state they're marching alongside demons.
The recon team is swiftly routed by wandering patrols and captured in one form or another
An artifact, a massive spire capable of sealing an entire region has been erected in Skjorgan's Gnomeball arena; a portal to Avernus has been constructed inside the spire, and the material used to forge it seems to be spawning demons en masse
A strange individual who introduces herself as Alexander Therus aids in the captured guild member's escape, who successfully parley the arcanaloth "Barton" for their gear and a chance at escape. They also learn Zariel is searching for specific magic items, but do not yet know what Zariel is hunting for.
The spire is found to be powered by Requiem, a past guild member believed to have ties to the Abyss. A strange mold is found on most of the commanding fiends, and a hungering madness sweeps the captives.
After staging a successful escape, Alexander parts ways with the guild members, and the guild members return home via portal.
Port Brandy Arc
Hyltades and his brood have descended on the port, laying siege to the city and the Scrollbinder's College alike.
The guild meets Archmage Xeqwyll outside the city, who presents the options of entering by land or sea. Their goal is to recover the copy of the wizipedia that was left behind in the tower, rescue Captain Fizzleale, and retrieve a few important effects belonging to Lord Sparrow, in order to keep it all out of Hyltades hands
After multiple party splits leading to and inside both Keep Brandy and the College, several prisoners are freed and the objectives succeeded
The black dragon Meve discovers the party and begins pursuit; Eir stays behind as the others escape by sea to fight the dragon
The last thing anyone sees is Eir triumphing, Hyltades arriving, and Rahs riding on the back of Reindin (the Silver) preparing to join combat against the ancient
Elsental Arc
The forest was already isolationist and xenophobic by nature, but evacuees shortly after the attack each put forward statements about demons, bedlam, and general mayhem forcing everyone to escape quickly. Shortly after, all contact in or out of the forest is lost.
Umbryl Dhalminath, Matron, organizes a search party, warning only that the forest is likely to be their enemy.
The search party arrives
The forest is their enemy
They arrive within Elsental's borders, and find the entire city has been overtaken by fungus, rot, and mold
The trees attack in ever increasing numbers, likewise corrupted
One of them cries out 'Orlytaaaar!' - maybe Zendrin is a bastard after all
A divine warning states that to try and remove the rot with their current strength, the party will not only fail but will die, and so retreat to bring their findings back to the guild
The Descent
Following the events of the Bjornfall recon missions, Zendrin starts his own research
Intentionally(?) lets his true identity get discovered as an archfiiend and is driven out of the guild after pulling shenanigans
Leaves a mental voicemail for a couple folks saying "hey, come on down to avernus I need another set of eyes"
Guild is doing what it can to process the excess of information flooding in between missions, reports, and survivors
Eir isn't dead - details are unclear to most, but she was brought back to the guild by Zendrin
Maybe he's not a complete bastard?(TM)
A deal is brokered with Zendrin permitting him access back within the guild's halls as a proper member
The mission is kicked off - guild members are sent to Avernus to investigate the back end of Zariel's dealings and why they've chosen to revolt against Asmodeus
In we go
All hell's broken loose
With the help (if it can be considered that) of a bone devil named Fewtil Bas'taah, the team gets a hold of important records
A desperate escape ... the team makes it out but
Zendrin's plan is revealed
He needed all this shit, but really it was all a distraction while he removed Mephistopholes from the picture, replacing the archfiend as the new Lord of the 8th Circle
Oh yeah and Zendrin has a twin brother who is a bastard
In all of the chaos, Shiro (a valued member of the guild) is slain in combat
Gilliam and Zendrin go in to try and save Misery and recover Shiro
Misery and Shiro are recovered successfully, but they arrived in Gilliam's airship instead of the guild's medical ward, preventing anyone present and ready for it from helping Gilliam and Zendrin escape
Their current fate is presently unknown
Shiro is DNR
Everybody do the sad face now
The Turning of the Great Cycle
The great metallics of the world call a meeting together for the first time in centuries, announcing intent to make a declaration of war
Four guests of honor are named: Firnen the Fey Watcher, the great green dragon who guards the Hallow Wood in the east; Rahs Tahgahll, current head of the Dragon Knights; Aldren, the wayward traveler, and; Ioskarr, the Inheritor.
Tyldriss leads the assembly, revealing the Orb of Dragonkind and declaring its powers finally in need:
First, Firnen is recognized. As a Chromatic, it is great to see an effort being made to bring an end to the hostility between draconic species.
Then, Aldren is brought forth to the Orb, and his memories and lost power are restored. The Mark of the Dragon is released back into the world.
Ioskarr is brought forth to the Orb, and transformed into a dragon. If Hyltades will try to take the power of dragons and hoard them for himself, then it is time to give the power of dragons to the world. The worthy are invited to return and touch the orb, taking on the essence of dragons.
Last, Rahs is brought forth to the Orb and awakened. The full might of the Dragon Knights must be brought to bear once more, and Rahs is to bring the fight directly to Hyltades.
The Turning is declared. Dragons once more rally to war, and draw on the powers of old to reinstill faith in their power where Hyltades has shattered it.
Those who remain discuss what we know so far: the threat is an outsider, with influence over the abyss, and extends their influence through rot, mold, and decay.
Apocalypse Now
Shit happens. Gemini's gone missing and presumed dead, based on an account from Eir, who is also not happy that she's not dead. Lot to unpack there.
Also, Solstliah has regained consciousness.
Also, Imp has joined the guild. Wait, Imp? Isn't that the guy that blew up Ashkaris thirty years ago? Working for Shuriig? Also dead (see: blew up Ashkaris, which included himself)? Hm ... something's ... fucky. Imp suggests that Shuriig is not, in fact, as dead as everyone thinkg Shuriig is. That's probably not good.
For reasons unknown, a group of entities affectionately dubbed "The Voices", having no known or discernable form nor identity, call forth Eir, Raguel, Ghirahim, and Fames.
The Voices advise that current events predicate an apocalypse, and consequently, riders must be named. Discontent with the previous riders, the Voices offer the titles of Strife, Fury, War, and Death to Ghirahim, Eir, Raguel, and Fames, respectively.
Oh also Edward (Zendrin's flunky) works for the Voices now. Unclear how that happened but we'll roll with it because cosmic plans and limits of mortal understanding or some shit.
In either case, the four are declared the Riders of the Apocalypse and told to ride. They are free to choose which side they favor; it only matters they make their presence known.
Fifteen Stars
Bjornfall has successfully been contained by the Armored Brigade. Elsental is monitored by Tinkertown and Fort Ashbourne, but is otherwise quiet. Port Brandy is a no-man's land, but the dragons presently have Hyltades in a stalemate.
If anyone remembers Barton from Bjornfall, well, we finally flipped the coin.
Barton fills everyone in on Zariel's plot.
Zariel had made a deal with something from the abyss. What? We don't know. But Zariel is only using the deal as far as gaining the power necessary to break away from Asmodeus and invade the material realm, partially to continue an old feud with the late King Bjorn (apparently unaware of Bjorn's demise) and with intent to track down, capture, and use the power of the legendary Fifteen Stars, a cluster of powerful artifacts gifted to the mortals of Chromatia to help defend themselves from outside threats. The artifacts are believed only to appear when they are needed, which Zariel hoped to force by joining the invasion "as an outside force".
Second, Zariel possesses a blueprint for an additional artifact capable of uniting the power of the stars in order to arm Zariel's entire army. However, Zariel lacks something necessary to make the artifact work.
Barton believes the guild's badge, by the nature of its design, is the missing link. And with no prospects working under Zariel, Barton is willing to negotiate on behalf of his battalion of yugoloths to switch allegiance and help take Zariel down from the inside.
The catch? The artifacts have long since vanished from lore and knowledge, as if scrubbed clean from all history, with the only reference to their whereabouts being an obscure and vague poem hinting at it. Barton is positive Zariel has no chance in deciphering it, not while simultaneously defending their foothold against the Brigade, and so offers the poem as part of the negotiation.
Therumir completes the negotiation on the guild's behalf, sealing the deal.
Uncertain Waters
Solstliah is compromised. Garrison is compromised.
Another old world enemy, "Calamity", has returned, and stolen both their powers for herself, including Garrison's undead army.
Several members of the guild, furious that more high profile members have been lost, including Solstliah after having just been recovered, decide to resign and return to their people, leaving those who remain to pick up the slack and figure out how, if at all, to reorganize the guild and renew the battlefront.
There is an increasing amount of evidence suggesting Zendrin is somehow involved in ... well, pretty much everything that's been going wrong with the guild since day one. And yet, nothing concrete enough to securely pin blame. It's getting frustrating.
But perhaps also considering is the pattern that whatever happened thirty years ago ... we may be missing the whole story. Enemies thought dead and gone are returning. Influences thought pushed out are on the rise. If Shuriig isn't actually dead, just who is involved? What actually happened? Who is hiding information?
Out of This World
The guild organizes a diplomatic mission to the exceptionally dangerous region of Tu'narath in order to obtain the exceptionally rare and virtually one-of-a-kind Star Metal, needing an enormous quantity of materials to support crafting the altar.
The mission goes south within minutes.
Party is split. I repeat, the party is split.
Kris and Yoren come face-to-face with "Xander", who is currently wearing all of Gemini's stuff and promptly knocks Yoren unconscious and (kills? idk it happened when no one was looking) Kris. Both wake up in Tu'narath's prison, and stage a prison break with the help of Blort (a sympathetic myconid), Samuel Flapson (a fellow prisoner), and the alien almost immediately dubbed Dot (a metallic blob person who can only speak in mental static).
Aryth and Hailey are brought somewhere inside Tu'narath's underbelly by an ancient deep dragon who goes by Ixthrax. Ixthrax unveils an illithid plot to take down the entirety of Tu'narath and use it as a sacrifice to an eldritch god. Aryth and Hailey go on an adventure through the mysteries Ixthrax has preserved and so far been unable to decipher, discovering the involvement of a local conclave of Flumphs in tracking the illithids movements, the origins of Gemini, and the knowledge of a Weapon feared by "Gemini Alpha".
The entire plot thickens as the four make their way to the Star Metal mines, where the illithid stronghold is, fighting their way through abberrant monstrosities as the parasites appear to be preparing for the final step of their plan, having already claimed thousands of lives.
The party, reunited, encounters the fleeing Star Spawn, and brutal combat ensues. The flumphs are wiped out, Ixthrax dies, everyone's exhausted ...
... but the party wins.
The myconids timed their assault with the advance of the party. The illithid stronghold was overrun. No weapon was found, but they found Kris's sword, so at least that was nice.
Suddenly, the party and the myconids are dragged to Tu'narath's throne room. Holy shit.
The lich queen, Vlaakith, demands answers. Xander attempts to pin the blame for all the chaos on the party.
Yoren pulls some amazing shit out of their ass.
Surprise. Kris's sword is the weapon. The weapon is Snicker-Snack. Snicker-Snack exposes Xander's true form.
Xander's plot is ruined at the last minute.
And huzzah. The guild successfully negotiates a materials contract with Tu'narath, and obtains Tu'narath's aid in the battle against the Devourer.
The Astral Link is forged, and its found some members of the guild have already obtained some of the "stars", getting the show started with a bang.
Next step: retaliation.
Totally Boned
The recently saved Solstliah is summoned to Garrison's airship for a private meeting; there is some urgency to the meeting.
Surprise! Calamity, who was apparently imprisoned inside Garrison's staff, has managed to flip the script and imprisoned Garrison.
Solstliah, unarmed out of trust for an old friend, is then possessed by Calamity.
Calamity, now possessing the power of two legendary people, unleahes Garrison's Bag o' Bones. Undead hordes now roam the world, attacking strategic locations en masse in an effort to pave the way for accelerating Shuriig's return.
As soon as news breaks out, an emergency meeting is called across the guild.
Tensions rise as accusations about inept leadership, poor decision making, harmful secrets, and betrayal run rampant. Unsurprisingly, Zendrin is found nearby each and every incident, but for reasons he always seems to have an alibi for.
Several senior members of the guild turn in their badge, retreating to their homelands to help aid the defenses there, leaving the guild to reorganize with what they had left, and to pull double-duty.
The Good Doctor
For reasons unknown, some time after leaving the guild, Doctor Umbryl Dhalminath vanished.
Some members with close ties to the Doctor received cryptic pleas for help. It is unclear of the Doctor is still alive, or being used as a puppet.
Some time after Umbryl's disappearance, a premonition strikes the world - something is coming from the world of dreams, drawn by the chaos and turmoil of the ongoing apocalypse
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