# Dawn Wardens The Dawn Wardens concluded their business with Junior Clerk [[Lyralei Silverleaf|Lyralei]] at the guild hall, learning that two individuals—[[Fortuna Axton-Astervale|Fortuna]] and [[Vandahast The Red|Vandahast]] the Red—had been searching for them and were still in town. [[Lyralei Silverleaf|Lyralei]] suggested they meet at the Gilded Stag tavern, though the guild remained closed for [[Perserphina Day]]. The party then dispersed into the lively festivities celebrating the goddess of exploration and the body, which filled the street of Emberwind Way with dancing, drinking, and varying degrees of undress depending on the conservativeness of each district. [[Nobuu]], overwhelmed by the crowds and people constantly touching him during the celebration, made a desperate decision. Unable to strike anyone with [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] present to stop him, he threw [[Arin Veldrak|Arin]] into a gaggle of women to create a distraction and made his escape. [[Arin Veldrak|Arin]] found himself swarmed by revelers who played with his hair, offered him drinks, and asked him countless questions. When one girl attempted to kiss him on the lips, he politely declined, explaining he did not engage in frivolous romance. The crowd grew more boisterous, attempting to unbuckle his armor and waving pieces of it in the air as they pushed him further down Emberwind Way. Eventually, [[Arin Veldrak|Arin]] gave in to the festive mood, drinking booze and being led away by one of the girls. Meanwhile, [[Benguard]] sat in Ember Square observing the celebrations with his murder of crows around him. His keen perception noticed three individuals who stood out from the crowd—an elder elf wizard in pure red robes and two human wizards, all moving with serious demeanor and hands clasped behind their backs. They appeared to be searching for something, and [[Benguard]] recognized something about them related to his research on the Heroes of Silver. He decided to discreetly follow them as they made their way through the festive streets. [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]], [[Nobuu]], [[Cedric]], and Thorag arrived at the Gilded Stag tavern, where they recognized Lyxiria, who had previously been attacked by Cassandra, conversing with another succubus. Rose, the human bartender, explained that room prices had increased dramatically due to [[Perserphina Day]]. [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] secured the largest suite for six gold pieces, while [[Cedric]] and Thorag obtained their own rooms. As they settled in, a woman approached them—[[Fortuna Axton-Astervale|Fortuna]] Axton-Astravale, the royal wizard to the king of [[Silvervale - Port City of South Angoria|Silvervale]], accompanied by a goblin named Gretch, a man named Varian, another companion named Danaria, and an old lady. [[Fortuna Axton-Astervale|Fortuna]] explained they had traveled a long way searching for a wizard named [[Armara]] who had been traveling with an adventuring group. Gretch mentioned the [[The Heralds of Silver|Heralds of Silver]] and [[The Sable Sword Mercenary Band|the Sable Sword]], mercenary groups known in the region. The old lady stared intently at [[Nobuu]] and [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]], stating she hadn't seen their kind in thousands of years and asking what brought them from the islands of South [[Polaria City|Polaria]]. When [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] asked what they wanted with [[Armara]], [[Fortuna Axton-Astervale|Fortuna]] hesitated before revealing that [[Armara]] was accused of regicide—the murder of a Lialandrain queen who had taken refuge in [[Silvervale - Port City of South Angoria|Silvervale]] after orcs conquered her kingdom. [[Nobuu]]'s instincts suddenly flared as his keen sense of smell detected the scent of dragon blood and a powerful predator emanating from the old lady. Having just fought a dragon recently, he immediately grabbed [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] and moved her behind him, making himself larger in an intimidating display like a king cobra spreading its hood. [[Fortuna Axton-Astervale|Fortuna]] and her companions appeared confused by this sudden defensive behavior, while tension filled the tavern. [[Nobuu]] telepathically informed [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] that they smelled a dragon, causing everyone to freeze. While this unfolded, [[Hermes]] had ventured south into a deep forested area, hoping to commune with a druidic spirit he had previously encountered. As he entered the Verdant Veil, he noticed strange properties—trees appearing to shift positions and the landscape changing around him. He climbed a tree to scout and realized the forest had somehow grown far beyond its normal boundaries. While meditating, he sensed powerful arcane energy and a presence trying to break through. Suddenly, a mysterious voice spoke to him, accusing him of destroying its plans and threatening to come after him for destroying something very important. [[Hermes]] used his monk abilities to fly out of the magically altered forest, eventually seeing the true edge and encountering a person standing there. The man introduced himself as Serathiel, Master of the Verdant Veil and keeper of the magical forest. He explained the forest was protected by powerful wards and illusions to keep uninvited guests out. When [[Hermes]] revealed that [[Sylvara Thornblight|Sylvara]] was no longer mad and that the ancient black dragon under the Silent Tower was deceased, Serathiel expressed grave concern. He explained that without the dragon's power, [[Sylvara Thornblight|Sylvara]] wouldn't be able to hold back a powerful entity from the age before gods formed the world—an ancient creature of contradiction wielding both light and darkness, capable of turning the entire region into something like the Shadowfell itself. He thanked [[Hermes]] for this dire information and rushed off to inform the Verdant Veil. Back at the parade route near the Hollow Anvil, [[Arin Veldrak|Arin]] encountered two teenage girls he had previously saved—Sela and Elira. They expressed their boredom with their town and their ambition to become adventurers and wizards. Elira demonstrated her magical potential by igniting a candy stick with her fingers, while Sela claimed to be skilled with skillets as weapons. The girls revealed they knew a secret place in the Deadwood Glades where they believed they could gain power from someone or something. They proposed a deal: if they vanquished a ghost lady ranger together, they could join [[Arin Veldrak|Arin]]'s group. [[Arin Veldrak|Arin]] agreed to speak with his companions about their request and shook on the deal with Sela. [[Benguard]] successfully followed the three wizards through the crowded streets, overhearing them express annoyance with the [[Perserphina Day]] festivities. The lead wizard mentioned that [[Fortuna Axton-Astervale|Fortuna]] had contacted them at the tavern about a group of adventurers, and they decided to head there to "get this over and done with." [[Benguard]] continued following them as they entered the Gilded Stag, where the elder elf wizard—[[Vandahast The Red|Vandahast]]—arrived and directly questioned the party about [[Armara]]. Varian explained they also needed [[Armara]] for information about the shadows and a man named [[Renald the Sahdowmaster|Renald]]'s plans, mentioning an incurable plague. [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] subtly passed a piece of bark—her artificial mind—to [[Fortuna Axton-Astervale|Fortuna]] to enable telepathic communication, though [[Vandahast The Red|Vandahast]] noticed the exchange. Through this connection, [[Fortuna Axton-Astervale|Fortuna]] revealed she was [[Armara]]'s sister and desperately wanted to speak with her before anyone else acted. She warned that [[Vandahast The Red|Vandahast]] was second in command to the master of evocation in the [[The Wizards Conclave|Wizards Conclave]] and very powerful, and that the old lady was [[Zeondriss, the Keeper of Secrets - Titanic Greatwyrm|the Keeper of Secrets]], one of the oldest dragons in Solare who fought during the Dragon Wars. When [[Vandahast The Red|Vandahast]] began to approach [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] to question her directly, [[Nobuu]] slammed his tail down hard between them as a barrier, making himself large and intimidating. [[Vandahast The Red|Vandahast]]'s eyes flared red and a surge of magical energy filled the entire tavern as he attempted to cast a powerful spell. Before violence could erupt, [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] placed her hand on [[Nobuu]]'s shoulder and persuaded him to leave, saying the crowd was making her head spin. [[Fortuna Axton-Astervale|Fortuna]] stepped in, telling [[Vandahast The Red|Vandahast]] to stand down and reminding him they came for information, not war. The magical powers subsided, though [[Vandahast The Red|Vandahast]] stated that if he had been attacked, it would have been different. Outside the tavern, [[Fortuna Axton-Astervale|Fortuna]] urgently asked [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] to contact [[Armara]], mentioning [[Zeondriss, the Keeper of Secrets - Titanic Greatwyrm|the Keeper of Secrets]], [[Vandahast The Red|Vandahast]], and someone named [[Andromeda Walker]]. [[Hermes]] arrived, landing unstealthily after his encounter in the forest. [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] sent a magical message to [[Armara]], who responded asking what [[Zeondriss, the Keeper of Secrets - Titanic Greatwyrm|the Keeper of Secrets]] was doing there and expressing willingness to meet. Inside, [[Vandahast The Red|Vandahast]] questioned [[Cedric]] and [[Arin Veldrak|Arin]] about [[Armara]]'s whereabouts, warning them that harboring a fugitive carried severe punishment. Both stated they hadn't seen [[Armara]] since returning to town, which was technically true. The old lady began sniffing the air, claiming to know [[Armara]]'s scent, and moved toward an open space. What happened next caused widespread panic throughout Emberwind. The old lady transformed into a colossal white dragon, two to three times larger than the dragon the party had previously fought. White wings ripped from her back and a snout formed as she grew to an enormous size, covering the sky in shadow. The powerful wind from her wings pushed people away as screams of terror filled the streets. The Persephina Day celebration halted in chaos as people ducked, fell, or fled in panic. The massive dragon took flight, heading north toward [[Armara]]'s location. [[Fortuna Axton-Astervale|Fortuna]] became frantic, realizing the situation was spiraling out of control. She asked [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] to show her [[Armara]]'s location through her mind so she could teleport there before the dragon arrived. [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] thought about the spot where [[Armara]]'s carriage was located north of town, and [[Fortuna Axton-Astervale|Fortuna]] began preparing a powerful teleportation spell. She invited anyone willing to join her, and [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]], [[Nobuu]], [[Hermes]], [[Cedric]], Thorag, and [[Arin Veldrak|Arin]] all agreed to go. [[Nobuu]] insisted on only holding [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]]'s hand and not being touched by others. The group vanished instantly as the spell completed. [[Benguard]] remained behind, observing the chaos and the dragon's flight. [[Vandahast The Red|Vandahast]] questioned him about where everyone went and realized [[Fortuna Axton-Astervale|Fortuna]] might be working with [[Armara]]. He, Gretch, Varian, and Danaria decided to pursue the dragon north on foot. The party appeared at [[Armara]]'s location, finding her pacing and speaking with Z'ul about her sister—the very sister who had tried to kill her twice before and was now hunting her once again.