Fix decides to dig up whatever the glint of gold is. With Forsythe’s help, they uncover a large golden bell. After examining it, Fix rings it. While the group waits and listens, they hear two sounds. One is the crashing of trees from a great distance, the other is screeching in the treetops much closer. A few minutes later a hawk-like humanoid attacks Fix who stayed at the bell. They are able to kill the creature.

Taking a moment, Forsythe communes with nature to learn that the forest seems to guard a particular area at the edge of his spell. He also senses fey and celestial energies from that same area. Wanting to check it out, he takes flight and discovers ruins. He also manages to see the huge gorilla making a path through the forest.

Evangeline pulls out her book and key, quietly asking Tamara to show them the way. The key moves to point in the same direction. Watching, Kadath asks to see the key card and realizes the picture is identical to the key. Evangeline lets them know the direction she believes their goal is and begins to head that way.

Fix rings the bell again, wanting to call the golden dragon, instead seeing another on the horizon. The crashing trees stop as the group sees a huge red dragon flying toward them. With a quick connection to his mother, Fix learns to avoid the red dragon’s fire. As battle ensues, the dragon tells them to let the gold sleep. Once the red dragon is dead, they attempt to ring the bell a third time without any response.

Evangeline continued to move in the direction the key pointed, eventually slowing down and allowing the group to catch up to her. Once they reach the ruins, and through their arcane knowledge, they find a half covered sphere of magic surrounding a platform. In the center is an altar where a fair skinned, golden haired young woman lays. After some deliberation, Kadath takes the key and uses levitation to go over the gap surrounding the platform.

Electric shock stings Kadath as he passes through the sphere and lands on the platform. When he takes his first step, the woman moves quickly into a defensive position. Kadath attempts to talk to her but realizes there is no sound, he also realizes that his gestures also go unnoticed. Forsythe joins him, also being shocked, and begins to speak with her telepathically. Eventually, Kadath is able to use the key to reveal the lock on her shackle and releases her.

Once they are able to remove her from the sphere, she grabs her ears in pain. Fix hands her cloth to muffle the sounds and identifies the jewelry she is wearing, all of them cursed to prevent removal. After covering her eyes, Forsythe removes the circlet cursed with blindness. He then heals her to aid in healing her eyes and ears.

Evangeline pulls out her pendant of the blue starburst and places it into her hands. The woman recognizes the symbol asking if she is a Brightsun. Needing rest, they begin to look for a place for the night.

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When the group arrives at the estate, they find Jennifer, who was guarding Funae, coming up from the dungeon coughing. She shares that Funae attacked her attaching a message to the mark left behind. When shown to Fix, the message becomes audible for all to hear. Fix visits Renio, still in the cells, and confirms Funae’s escape, however, he did not know what her plans might be.

Kadath pauses a moment to look in on Castle Aventur. Spying on the throne room, it appears to have been tossed about in a whirlwind of anger. He watched for a few minutes as the servants began to clean up the room, getting everything back into place.

Learning of Funae’s escape, Forsythe takes to the skies to scout the area. Although he did not find her, he did spot a deal between two others in the lower portion of the city. He lands, changes shape, and expertly pick-pockets both parties walking away with 500 gold and a magical mirror.

Evangeline sits on the floor at the bottom of the stairs and begins to look into her crystal ball for Funae. She is taken to the past as she watched her at 13 years of age running about the house avoiding the servants who were attempting to catch her. The vision ended with a large shadow looming in the corner of the bedroom which resembled the shadow dragon. Evangeline then turns to her book and begins to draw. This image, unlike the others, shifted and changed as she drew. A woman seemingly made of nature itself created a ball of vines from which a child was born in a burst of blue light. The child was carried to just outside a city and handed to two young elves for her care. She shares this information with the group, then communes with Denier and Savaras for some confirmation.

Fix and Kadath, after leaving the dungeon, travel to the city’s jail to speak with Eshuto. He was forthcoming with any information he could provide. He shares that he served Gaera after saving her life about ten years prior, and that he did so as it gave him much pleasure to watch how nobles would squirm under her pressure. He did not know who Funae may be targeting, but did recall that she held King Humi of White Lake responsible for Gaera’s spiritual guidance. He also confirmed that Humi’s son is to marry a lower noble by the name of Brianne.

As the group reconvenes at the estate, Forsythe shares that Brianne is his sister and that his return to White Lake should remain unknown. They all head to the library and pull out maps to discuss where they are needing to go next. After much deliberation, they decide to try to focus on the gold dragon, Aurelius, and the city of Yosh-lin using the image of a golden bell that Evangeline pulled from her drawing. Soon, they find themselves standing in a thick forest with a hint of something gold peeking out of the ground nearby.

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As the group discusses where to go next, Evangeline checks her book for information about Yosh-ul, finding only that it is listed as the newest old city. Realizing that Charmonde is not far, Forsythe changes them all into clouds and they travel via the wind to visit Strulduk. They land just outside the city and split up once inside.

Evangeline visits the small temple of the Order of Truth and meets High Priestess Alyah and asks to send a message to High Priest Rokdif. She later confirms the message is sent by looking through her crystal at Rokdif. Then she travels to the Marble Pillar Tavern to meet up with the rest of the party and learns about the quietness of Strulduk’s former activities.

Kadath follows Fix as he begins to search out the members of the Jagged Dream throughout the city. One seemingly within the palace, one at the Black Mountain Inn, and the third is an apprentice to the blacksmith, Broden. When approached, the apprentice provides a location and time to meet more privately. The apprentice shares about the attack of the ethereal creatures and that they have gone quiet, and also about Stulduk’s recent lack of activity. Fix then gives him a small piece of obtainium and tips on how to work with this metal then dismisses him. Kadath and Fix then leave to meet up with the rest of the group.

Fosythe takes to the air and scouts out the city. Seeing two major sections with bridges that cross the crevasse dividing them. He also studies the foliage outside the city for future use of travel. He lands on the Marble Pillar to meet up with the rest of the group and sees three people enter into the palace by a well concealed secret door. Deciding to look into the palace further, he finds a window and begins his search.

Inside the palace, he passes through a couple of barracks and eventually follows a servant. After snatching an aged wheel of cheese and a fine bottle of wine, he ends up finding a main dining hall where the Queen and Strulduk seem to be having a meal. Listening in on the conversation, he discovers the queen’s interest in romantic relations with Strulduk, however, he takes the first opportunity to leave. Forsythe then makes his way back out of the palace and meets up with the rest of the group.

The group decides to head to Strulduk’s before he would return. The guards and servants recognize the party and invite them to wait in the sitting room for his return. While waiting, Fix and Evangeline pull out the body of Gaera and remove her nanite spine and fine armor. When Strulduk does return, he confirms that the chalice had been taken during his last event and provides the invited guest list. When questioned about his visit to the palace, he informs them the Queen has taken a fancy to him and has called upon him for his company, much to his dismay.

When they investigate the vault and the stand where the chalice had been held, Forsythe and Evangeline see a mechanical trap that was intentionally messed with to malfunction. Strulduk informs the group that he did have a machinist from Qi, Kevin Thornberry, aid in the trap's construction. Fix recognizes the name as one who the Jagged Dream works with on occasion. 

With this information, they decide to head to Qi before continuing to the Great Slab. Evangeline messages Gavyn and learns he is currently at home and informs her that Arias headed Northeast to investigate the return of dragons. Forsythe uses the nearby foliage to transport the group straight to the Trentson estate.

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The group make their way to the City of Bones and discover shadow and smoke rising from the center and spreading out across the sky. Ethereal beings fly from this mass going in various directions to spread across the land. Ordeith sends out his raven to scout around the city and spots black and gold robes disappearing between buildings and he recognizes them as belonging to his former patron, the lich.

Prepared to face the lich, the group step up into the city and head toward the center tower. Almost there, they encounter the lich and his army of skeletal hands that grab at their ankles. They are able to kill the lich, with Ordeith dealing the final blow signifying his new allegiance to the Raven Queen. However, the victory is short lived as Fix recalls his knowledge of these creatures. Ordeith confirms that the lich will return in time and the phylactery must be destroyed to truly kill the lich.

Focus quickly turns to the pouring out of the shadowfell though as the more prominent issue and they continue to the tower. Once they arrive, they notice a pedestal in the center which has not been there before. They move in to investigate and discover an inscription that seemingly gives directions. Recognizing some of the symbols as matching their swords, Ordeith and Kadath begin to follow them.

     When Life and Death cross their paths
     Through Dark and Light the swords do pass
     Bring to Balance that whish is held
     Touch Light to Light and Dark to Dark
     Keep hold of Life, push Death to part

Each step they take to complete the steps, Fix, Evangeline, and Forsythe feel waves of energy wash over them, making them nauseous. Each of them fight against the relics of Velsharoon from being removed from their holdings. 

With a final push of his sword, Ordeith triggers the smoke and shadow mass to reverse. As it does, the ethereal beings pass through him and form ranks, awaiting his orders. His raven informs him quietly that they “await his command.” As the realization of his new army sinks in, the pedestal sinks into the floor and is replaced by a portal to the shadowfell.

After calling back the creatures attacking the cities, Ordeith shares his goodbyes and takes his army through the portal. Once all have passed, the portal shrinks leaving behind an onyx. Kadath recognizes the faint magic as an anchor to the plane and Forsythe places it into his bag.

Now that the threat of the shadowfell is contained, the group leave the city, noticing the buildings slowly being transformed back into crystals. They watch the city move onward and a glint of a golden key catches their attention.

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