Narzag, accompanied by the awakened dire wolves Lobos and Bolto and his bear Midnight, crept through the volcanic wasteland and discovered a disturbing scene. A female wizard stood before a sickly green-yellow lantern, performing a dark ritual while devils circled overhead. A massive pit fiend instructed her to finish the process before flying away toward the southeast. As Narzag observed from hiding, he overheard the wizard—later identified as [[EMBROCIEA - Master of Necromancy, The Grave-Eyed Whisper|Embrociea]]—speaking of plans involving someone named [[Anam]], ley lines, and the Wizards Conclave. Though he struggled to fully comprehend the arcane nature of what he witnessed, Narzag recognized the ritual was poisoning the ley lines with necrotic energy, corrupting the land itself. Recognizing the overwhelming danger, he silently retreated to report his findings. Meanwhile, the rest of the party took a brief respite. [[Bordak]] worked on crafting new leather gear, fashioning a loincloth and holders for his axes. [[Grumthar]] lay unconscious in the wagon, recovering from previous injuries. [[Cub]] drew upon his healing abilities to restore both [[Bordak]] and [[Grumthar]] to health, using all of his available power to mend their wounds. When Narzag returned with the dire wolves, he urgently reported what he had seen—a powerful wizard corrupting the ley lines, guarded by pit fiends, chain devils, and bone devils. The group debated their course of action, with [[Volza Redhand|Volza]] expressing reluctance to engage such overwhelming forces. [[Bordak]] and [[Cub]] argued passionately that they could not ignore this threat. [[Cub]] explained that the ley lines were like the veins of the world itself—if they died, everything would perish with them, including any hope of finding their missing companions. Though [[Volza Redhand|Volza]] remained angry and skeptical, she was eventually persuaded by their reasoning. [[Cub]] distributed fire resistance potions among the group, and [[Bordak]] donned the Plate of the Gold Jaw Pact, ancient armor that would protect him and inspire those fighting beside him. The elven allies prepared their bows, and the party set out toward the ritual site under cover of darkness. After traveling for several minutes, they reached the volcanic cliffside where [[EMBROCIEA - Master of Necromancy, The Grave-Eyed Whisper|Embrociea]] continued her work. The party observed flying horned devils patrolling the area while the wizard chanted before the corrupting lantern. Strands of dark magic spread into the ground, turning the lava itself blackish-green and purplish. [[Cub]] felt the intense corruption emanating from the land, a pressure of evil and desecration that made his skin crawl. The group formulated their plan—they would target both the lantern and [[EMBROCIEA - Master of Necromancy, The Grave-Eyed Whisper|Embrociea]] herself, hoping to disrupt the ritual before it could be completed. [[Thia MoonGlade|Thia]] directed the elves to take position along the cliff edge while the main force prepared to strike. [[Tarnik]] and his mount Shiv, wreathed in flames, charged forward at tremendous speed. He burst into the center of the ritual site, declaring himself a member of the Bezgoth Chosen of Gonosh, [[Tarnik]] the Dragon Slayer and calling upon divine power to strike fear into his enemies. Though the devils and [[EMBROCIEA - Master of Necromancy, The Grave-Eyed Whisper|Embrociea]] resisted the full effect of his presence, she was momentarily distracted and surprised by the sudden assault. [[Volza Redhand|Volza]] struck at the lantern with precision, causing its eerie light to flicker. Narzag imbued his bow with magic and fired arrows that thunked into the lantern's protective shell. [[Cub]] called down radiant moonlight upon one of the horned devils, while [[Bordak]] charged forward with fury, his axes finding their mark against a chain devil again and again. The battle escalated rapidly. [[Tarnik]] enhanced his weapon with radiant power and struck at [[EMBROCIEA - Master of Necromancy, The Grave-Eyed Whisper|Embrociea]] twice. His first blow shattered one of her magical duplicates, but his second strike landed true, forcing her to scream in anger and lose concentration on her ritual. The link to the lantern momentarily ceased as web-like shadows and a shimmering aura appeared around her. She demanded to know who dared interfere with her work, and [[Tarnik]] proclaimed his clan's name while [[Bordak]] demanded the return of his missing people. [[EMBROCIEA - Master of Necromancy, The Grave-Eyed Whisper|Embrociea]] claimed ignorance of any captives but vowed that the intruders would pay dearly for their interference. The devils attacked with savage fury. A chain devil attempted to bind [[Bordak]] with its chains, but he broke free with raw strength and retaliated with devastating blows that sent the creature falling into inky darkness. [[Volza Redhand|Volza]] teleported beside a bone devil and struck it down with a single, perfectly placed attack. Narzag's arrows found their targets, and his bear charged into the fray. The wolves Lobos and Bolto attacked with pack tactics, with Bolto landing a particularly vicious bite. [[Tarnik]] maneuvered around the battlefield, his radiant-enhanced weapon cutting through devil flesh. The elves fired from their positions on the cliff, though their arrows often went wide. [[Bordak]] turned his attention to the lantern itself, the source of the corruption. His axes crashed through its magical protection, shattering the glass and severing the heart that floated within. A wave of force energy burst outward, and the corrupting magic began to dissipate, turning to ash that floated into the air. The ley line's corruption at this location started to fade. [[EMBROCIEA - Master of Necromancy, The Grave-Eyed Whisper|Embrociea]] screamed in fury, declaring that months of her work had been destroyed. [[Bordak]] continued his assault on the remaining devils, his axes finding their mark again and again. His intimidating presence and defiant words enraged [[EMBROCIEA - Master of Necromancy, The Grave-Eyed Whisper|Embrociea]] further, but rather than flee, she decided to make them all pay for their interference. The wizard raised her hands and spoke words of terrible power. The sky itself parted as meteors began to rain down upon the battlefield. Massive explosions of fire and crushing stone devastated the area. [[Volza Redhand|Volza]] managed to evade the worst of the destruction, but the elves—[[Thia MoonGlade|Thia]], [[Tessara]], [[Aenwyn]], and [[Elenwe]]—were consumed by the flames and falling debris. The awakened dire wolves Lobos and Bolto were incinerated instantly. Narzag's bear Midnight fell beneath the onslaught. [[Tarnik]] was struck down, his mount Shiv vanishing as he lost consciousness. Only [[Bordak]] and [[Cub]] remained standing, battered but alive, their fire resistance having saved them from complete annihilation. [[EMBROCIEA - Master of Necromancy, The Grave-Eyed Whisper|Embrociea]] halted her remaining devils and confronted [[Bordak]] directly. She declared that she did not know who his people were, but that he had now lost far more through his foolish interference. She offered him a choice—continue fighting and watch his remaining friends die, or accept his defeat. [[Bordak]] stood defiant, stating that he was there for his people and that she had simply been in his way. [[EMBROCIEA - Master of Necromancy, The Grave-Eyed Whisper|Embrociea]] smirked and promised that she would remember him, that she would find him again and make him pay for destroying months of her work. With a final threat echoing in the air, she and her remaining devils vanished into the distance. The survivors moved quickly to aid their fallen. [[Bordak]] rushed to [[Tarnik]]'s side while [[Cub]] stabilized him with healing magic. [[Volza Redhand|Volza]] administered a potion that brought [[Tarnik]] back to semi-consciousness. [[Cub]] used his remaining power to resurrect Narzag's bear companion Midnight, though the awakened dire wolves and elves were beyond any help they could provide. [[Volza Redhand|Volza]] expressed her anger and frustration at [[Bordak]], blaming him for not listening to her warnings and for leading their allies to their deaths. [[Bordak]] defended his decision, insisting it had been worth the risk to learn if their enemies knew where their missing people were. The argument ended with [[Volza Redhand|Volza]] walking away in bitter disagreement. [[Tarnik]] examined the destroyed lantern while [[Cub]] assessed the ley line itself. They discovered that while the corruption at this specific location had ceased, the lantern had been merely one tool in a much larger network. [[Cub]] realized with growing dread that this was just one node, like a single pressure point on a body, and that there were likely many more active or dormant corruption sites spread across the world. The party discussed the urgent need to get word back to the capital about what they had discovered. They concluded that [[EMBROCIEA - Master of Necromancy, The Grave-Eyed Whisper|Embrociea]] was not part of the legitimate Wizards Conclave led by Cercietus, but rather belonged to an evil conclave working with devils and demons. As the party prepared to depart, [[Cub]] remained behind to pray for the fallen. As he offered his prayers to Zotia, a divine presence manifested—a young woman with brilliant red hair who knelt beside the bodies of the awakened dire wolves. She spoke words of comfort, assuring [[Cub]] that the fallen had fought well and would enjoy a wonderful afterlife. She walked to the cliff where the elves lay and called each by name—[[Aenwyn]], [[Tessara]], [[Thia MoonGlade|Thia]], and [[Elenwe]]—telling them they had earned their rest. Glowing orbs of light rose from the bodies and followed her as she ascended into the sky, the souls of the departed guided to their eternal peace. The physical forms remained behind as silent testimony to the cost of their victory. The surviving members of the party regrouped at their wagon. [[Tarnik]] hitched Shiv to pull their supplies, while [[Cub]] fed berries to Narzag's resurrected bear to restore some of its strength. [[Bordak]] stood in contemplative silence, instinctively reaching for a pouch that was no longer there, lost in thought about all they had sacrificed and all they had yet to accomplish. They had stopped one node of corruption and made a powerful enemy in the process, but they knew their journey was far from over. The threat to the ley lines remained, their people were still missing, and somewhere out there, [[EMBROCIEA - Master of Necromancy, The Grave-Eyed Whisper|Embrociea]] was plotting her revenge.