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Dunmari Frontier - Session 118

Shadows on Vindristjarna: in which allies and enemies come for the Cloudspinner

Featuring: Seeker, Delwath, Kenzo, Wellby, Riswynn
In Taelgar: May 30, 1749 DR
On Earth: Tuesday Feb 04, 2025
Garamjala Desert

The Dunmar Fellowship meets Lirien, an ally of Cloudspinner seeking news, and faces a shadowy attack on Vindristjarna.

Session Info

Summary

Timeline

Narrative

Our session begins in the evening, as the party discusses the fate of the Crown of Purity on Vindristjarna. They are interrupted by two events in quick succession. Seeker’s hair begins to desaturate, the white streak spreading unnaturally. At the same time, Egnir’s voice rings out in alarm. The party rushes onto the deck to witness a glowing amber stag galloping through the sky, a woman with flame-colored hair and molten amber eyes riding upon it, carrying a pulsating crystalline object radiating a warm reddish light.

The woman, clearly Fey, demands, in a shaking voice, “Where is she? Release her if you have her. I serve the Cloudspinner, and I will have her returned.” Between Kenzo’s soul sight and Delwath’s detect thoughts spell, the party quickly realizes she is scared and nervous, but not a threat or an enemy. She introduces herself as Lirien, Lanternkeeper of the Redsun Watch, bearer of the last Amberlight. The party agrees to take her to see Cloudspinner, currently imprisoned in a translucent crystal block in Vindristjarna’s hold. But, at the same time, it is apparent that Seeker’s transformation is progressing rapidly. Kenzo pulls Seeker aside for a closer discussion, while the rest of the party walks with Lirien and hears her story.

Lirien says she came to be after the Cloudspinner had left Amberglow, and it was already a place in decay. She lived at Redsun Watch, a fortress and refuge along the Sunset Gate, charged by the Cloudspinner to protect the wall of sunset from the enroaching dark. Which they did, for a long time. Until, one day, the Sunset Gate cracked, and darkness flowed like a river from the realms beyond, Darkfall and Hollowdark. Redsun Watch fell, and Lirien fled with one of the Amberlights; as far as she knows, she is the only one who survived. She wandered for a long time; soon, the light of the Amberlight faded, and she eventually settled in Everlight’s Bloom, hopeless about the future of Amberglow. Until ten days ago, when the Amberlight suddenly blazed awake. She followed its pulsing through the portal at the Bitterwine Oak, to Vindristjarna. Reaching the entrapped body of the Cloudspinner, Lirien collapsed in awe as her Amberlight flared.

Meanwhile, Kenzo, studying Seeker, sees two overlapping auras—Seeker’s own and an unfamiliar, panicked presence. Attempting Cleansing Touch, Kenzo finds nothing to dispel; Seeker is not cursed, but seems to be carrying another presence with him. Soon, Seeker’s entire body desaturated, save for the once-white streak in his hair, which now burns a sunset red. At this point, he seemed fully possessed, speaking in an unfamiliar, high-pitched voice: “Such color… it has been so long!” Identifying herself as Lady Eventide, the entity demands to see the Cloudspinner. Kenzo telepathically alerted the party, prompting them to bring Lirien to speak with this new presence. When Lirien shone her lantern’s light upon Seeker, a ghostly image of a tall, courtly woman appeared—grayscale, save for a single strand of sunset-colored hair.

Lady Eventide seemed to recognize Lirien, or at least understand the places she referenced, and inquired about the fate of the other lantern keepers. Lirien tearfully admitted she believed them all lost to the dangers on the borders: the Gloomshaper, Harrow, and Wend. At this point, the party agreed to bring Seeker/Lady Eventide to see the Cloudspinner. As she arrived, she stumbled in awe and fear, uncertain but declaring that to free her, they must find the Prismwell. Before further discussion could occur, though, Lirien suddenly shouted that her steed was in danger and rushed upstairs.

In the face of an attack, the party sounded the alarm, waking Faldrak, who rushed to arm the ice turret. Meanwhile, the Dunmar Fellowship – and Seeker/Lady Eventide – turned to confront a massive void of darkness that seems to be racing towards Vindristjarna. Wellby struck first with an arrow of seeking, forcing the shadowy entity to recoil, but in retalitation, it unleashed a wave of blackness across the deck of Vindristjarna. While Kenzo avoided harm entirely, and Delwath managed to somewhat resist the effects, Riswynn and Seeker suffered grievously, and Lirien and her steed were completely destroyed, swept away by the darkness, their bodies disintegrated, replaced by shades. The battle raged as the shades attacked Riswynn and Faldrak. Kenzo fought with precision, his strikes frightening the enemy. However, more shadows emerged, seven foot tall human-like creatures of darkness, carrying swords of night and emitting an aura of silence, preventing spellcasting and communication, speaking harshly:“The Cloudspinner will not return. Silence will fall.”

With the battlefield looking grim, and Wellby falling unconscious from several attacks by more large flying shades, Faldrak finally reached the control room to activate the ice turret, and Riswynn launched a massive Sunburst. Wellby – teleported to safety by Delwath’s Scatter spell – revived with a stroke of luck, and Delwath’s Synaptic Static shattered the focus of several enemies. Still, the enemy pressed on, holding on against an ice barrage from Faldrak, a lightning arrow from Wellby, and a summoned construct from Seeker/Lady Eventide. Finally, with the shadows weakening, Delwath’s Eldritch Blast, Wellby’s arrows, and Seeker/Lady Eventide, polymorphed into a giant ape, ended the battle.

Our session ended as Seeker/Lady Eventide warn that others will be coming, and immediate departure is of the essence. Faldrak set course for the Bitterwine Oak fey portal and the party turned to rest.