# The Soulthread's Curse ## Securing the Artifact The session opened immediately after [[Armara]] claimed [[the Soulthread Gem]] from [[Vexaris Thornwell|Vexaris]]'s vault. Despite successfully containing the artifact, the necrotic burns on her wrists remained visible—dark, gangrenous marks where the gem's tentacles had latched on. Ben attempted to heal her with a cure wounds spell, but the magic failed to take effect. [[Armara]] explained that the symbiote inside her had changed her magical signature since she first used the Soultouched Stone, preventing any healing until she could properly rest. [[Armara]] instructed [[Fragment]]—a piece of [[Glyph]] manifested from her wrist—to contain the gem. [[Fragment]] created a flickering shield that encased the artifact, and the oppressive sensation everyone felt immediately vanished. However, during the thirty seconds it took [[Fragment]] to establish containment, the entire party experienced disturbing phenomena. ## The Gem's Influence All party members felt an overwhelming sense of being watched by something vast and hungry. The pressure was completely different from [[Anam]]'s gaze—this was something else entirely. Everyone needed to make DC 15 Constitution saves: - **[[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] failed** and lost 5 maximum hit points from necrotic damage - **[[Hermes]] failed the follow-up DC 16 Wisdom save**, taking 7 psychic damage from faint whispers in strange languages and disorienting visions of the soul threads - **[[Armara]] used heroic inspiration** provided by [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] to succeed on her save - **[[Fragment]] initially failed** but used one of her abilities to succeed anyway - Ben, [[Cedric]], and Chains all succeeded on their saves Once [[Fragment]]'s shield fully encased the gem, the whispers and pressure vanished. [[Armara]] warned that everyone needed to stay at least 100 feet away from the artifact, preferably farther, or it would continue attacking them. She planned to secure it in one of her wagon's rooms while it traveled in her pocket dimension. ## The Watching Eye As the group prepared to leave, [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] (rolling a 21 perception) noticed a peculiar object in the vault—a large red teardrop-shaped crystal containing a lidless eye that appeared to be actively watching them. The eye followed [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]]'s movements, then focused on the center of her chest before tracking back to [[Armara]] and [[the Soulthread Gem]]. [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] investigated closer (rolling a 33 on investigation) and determined the eye was actively observing, not just a passive security device. It seemed capable of seeing the soul threads themselves, as it followed an invisible line from [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]]'s chest to [[Armara]]'s position. When asked about the artifact, [[Keldon Ashveil|Keldon]] identified it as likely coming from [[Vexaris Thornwell|Vexaris]]'s collection of First Age items. [[Armara]] recognized it as **the [[Eye of Al'Khathar]]**—an artifact from the Age of Strife created by the Death Mage civilization who worshipped entities from beyond the stars. They called it "the Watcher Between Worlds." [[Armara]] revealed she had wanted to collect this item as well, expressing confidence that [[Glyph]] could help her create something similar (though not as powerful) to use for triangulating [[Anam]]'s phylacteries. [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] immediately expressed interest in observing or helping with this project, and [[Armara]] confirmed they would be working very closely together on the triangulation system. ## The Armor of [[Dijinus, God of Fire|Dijinus]] Chains (rolling a 26 on history/religion) examined a set of armor [[Armara]] had been eyeing in the vault. He identified it as belonging to **[[Dijinus, God of Fire|Dijinus]], the Fire God**. The armor consisted of three separate pieces—helm, gauntlets, and boots—each etched with small rune-like flames and bearing the symbol of a flaming sword. This was part of a legendary artifact set: if someone gathered all the pieces and formed the complete set, they would gain near-demigod level power. Even individual pieces provided significant enhancements and blessings to their wearers. The armor was clearly valuable but not [[Armara]]'s priority—she had what she came for. ## Return to the Scarlet Coin The group made their way back through [[Brensistria]] to the [[Lowward]] and the Scarlet Coin tavern. During the hour-long journey, [[Armara]]'s wagon had returned and was parked outside with Dan and Sam (her glyph sentinel guards) standing watch. [[Arin Veldrak|Arin]] and Z'ul were inside the wagon. Inside the tavern, Thorag had been drinking heavily with a red-haired woman who was becoming increasingly intoxicated. They had bonded over shared complaints about their terrible ex-spouses, with the woman expressing jealousy that dwarves lived 300+ years while humans barely made it to 70. [[Armara]] entered the tavern limping noticeably, looking exhausted and weak despite Ben's earlier healing. When Thorag attempted to cast cure wounds on her, the magic again failed to take effect. She reiterated that she would need proper rest to recover and planned to lock [[the Soulthread Gem]] far away in the wagon where it couldn't harm anyone. [[Keldon Ashveil|Keldon]] warned [[Hermes]] specifically: "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into. Most friends do that thing. You could probably lose yourself if you're not careful on whatever friends you made now." He emphasized the danger of the gem, noting its power to enthrall those who spent too much time near it. ## Undead Visitors As evening fell, two suspicious figures entered the Scarlet Coin—a woman in strange headwear and a well-dressed man. Both ordered elven wine from [[Madame Celestine Voss|Celestine]] and sat quietly observing the room. **[[Hermes]] rolled a 20+ perception** and noticed something familiar about them—a quality similar to [[Arin Veldrak|Arin]]. More importantly, he sensed something "not quite right" about both visitors, though he couldn't place exactly what. **[[Nobuu]] rolled a natural 20 (32 total) on perception to smell them**, and [[Hermes]] received a urgent mental message: _"They smell like undead. They smell like the dead."_ [[Keldon Ashveil|Keldon]] noticed the party's alertness and moved close to [[Hermes]] to warn him: "Seems you've attracted attention. [[The Soulthread Gem]] has a particular property—it calls to those types of people. Undead creatures. We've had some here before in the North Continent, but I suspect they felt that gem. Might have felt when it was in [[Vexaris Thornwell|Vexaris]]'s possession. If [[Armara]] plans to keep it while traveling through the city, there might be more creatures attracted by it. Hopefully you don't have any undead with you—that would be very dangerous." [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] immediately thought of Z'ul and his undead servants in the wagon. She reached out to [[Arin Veldrak|Arin]] through their magical connection, warning: "We've been told that the artifact we picked up in the vault could have unpleasant effects on undead. We may want to be careful around Z'ul's creatures. If you don't mind letting [[Armara]] know so she can take extra precautions." [[Arin Veldrak|Arin]] responded: "All right. I will make sure to let her know. Thank you for the information." ## [[Hermes]] Seeks Information While the rest of the party settled in for the evening, [[Hermes]] approached [[Madame Celestine Voss|Celestine]] at the bar and discreetly requested a meeting with [[Keldon Ashveil|Keldon]] to procure information. She led him to the kitchen for privacy, where [[Keldon Ashveil|Keldon]] asked what type of information he sought. [[Hermes]] revealed he had been hunting [[Chaos Wizards]] after losing someone very dear to him—someone who had faded out of existence during a wild magic incident. He wanted to know everything [[Keldon Ashveil|Keldon]] could tell him about the **[[The Wizards Conclave|Wizards Conclave]]** and their relationship to [[Chaos Wizards]]. ### The [[The Wizards Conclave|Wizards Conclave]] [[Keldon Ashveil|Keldon]] explained that the Conclave operates across all continents, breaking through political borders. They're self-appointed guardians of magical order across Solare, ruling from the **Sanctum of Echoing Eternity** in Elandra (the elven lands)—a place with abilities to stop time and protect against magical influence. The Conclave is led by **seven masters** representing different schools of magic. They've been pushing the **Magic Initiative**—magical regulation across all kingdoms. Most kingdoms have complied, but **[[Queen Cyrill]]** in [[Brensistria]] still tells them to "piss off." The Conclave hunts [[Chaos Wizards]] as natural enemies. While the Conclave represents control and order, [[Chaos Wizards]] embody everything they despise. However, some kingdoms have secretly employed [[Chaos Wizards]] as weapons of war despite the Conclave's edicts. The Conclave investigates magical catastrophes, contains wild magic zones, and tracks down rogue wizards conducting forbidden experiments. ### Tracking [[Chaos Wizards]] [[Keldon Ashveil|Keldon]] warned that hunting [[Chaos Wizards]] was like "asking to hunt apex predators with your bare hands" but provided crucial information for 1,500 gold: **Signs of Chaos Wizard Activity:** - Wild magic zones where reality is permanently damaged - Areas where magic behaves unpredictably or wild surges happen spontaneously - Reality distortions and tears - Entire villages transformed overnight - Leyline ruptures **The Chaos Wizard Symbol:** - A swirling spiral surrounded by jagged arcs of energy - Sometimes carved into sites of experiments - Sometimes burned into the ground itself - Their calling card **The Hierarchy:** At the top is **Zeryth Arcanum**, the Master of Chaos—a half-elf woman of terrifying power. Below her is the **Circle of Chaos**: Malrik Flamebinder, Lythera Voidtide, Torrin Dreadspire, and Veyna Nightbloom. Each controls a shard of the original Shard of Chaos. Finding one might allow tracking the others, though attempting this would be suicide unless incredibly powerful and desperate. **Advancement Through Catastrophe:** [[Chaos Wizards]] prove themselves and advance through their ranks by creating catastrophic magical effects as **rites of ascension**—demonstrating power through spectacular destruction. [[Keldon Ashveil|Keldon]] emphasized that tracking [[Chaos Wizards]] is extraordinarily dangerous. If his organization ([[the Silver Threads]]) faces any danger from [[Chaos Wizards]] noticing they're being tracked, he will prioritize protecting his people. He warned [[Hermes]] not to stick his neck out too far, as kingdoms have tried hunting them before. **[[Queen Cyrill]]**, despite opposing [[the Wizards Conclave]], agrees with them about the Chaos Wizard threat. She would banish any [[Chaos Wizards]] instantly if discovered. In fact, it's rumored that **Zeryth Arcanum might even be able to best Zerquistiss**, the Master of [[the Wizards Conclave]]—and everyone knows how powerful Zerquistiss is. ### Finding Leylines When [[Hermes]] asked how someone not magically inclined could follow and find leylines, [[Keldon Ashveil|Keldon]] provided free advice: "You are with the person of all people in the world that I would actually try to gain that information from—**[[Armara]]**. So if you actually wish to know, you might turn to her." He added that the second person would be **[[Queen Cyrill]]** herself, which would cost a pretty penny but isn't entirely impossible. For detailed information about specific leyline nodes, [[Keldon Ashveil|Keldon]] would charge over 5,000 gold pieces and warned it could take weeks or even months to gather. ### [[Armara]]'s Dark Past [[Hermes]] asked about [[Armara]]'s prior connection to [[Anam]]. [[Keldon Ashveil|Keldon]] revealed disturbing details: [[Armara]] had deep involvement with **Renald** (the former Shadowmaster) and worked with an entity called the **Brimstone Wraith**—a being that exists in and feeds on anger. The more angry someone becomes, the more powerful the wraith grows and the more power it can grant them. Eventually, victims lose themselves entirely and become puppets under the wraith's control. [[Armara]] amazingly managed to go beyond this anger in her heart and retain her identity. [[Keldon Ashveil|Keldon]] suspects she may have actually cared for her sister or had some caring for her past, which might have saved her. "If she made it all the way over here, maybe there is some sort of hope for her." However, [[Keldon Ashveil|Keldon]] noted that during her time with Renald, "there are things that I have heard her do that were unforgivable." Her killing of Queen Quithyra was particularly dangerous. ### The Manhunt Most ominously, [[Keldon Ashveil|Keldon]] revealed: **"The Silvervale has sent more people after [[Armara]]. Anybody who gets in the way will also be in danger of being arrested along with her."** He warned the entire party: **"If you stand with [[Armara]], you will have the whole of the Human Union and Polaria against you. So think wisely if you want to align with her or not."** While not the full force of these powers yet, they are sending people. The Dawn Wardens need to be careful not to become outlaws across the entire Human Union. Though they're in different continents and not all laws of South Angoria pass to North Angoria (with different political structures between the Free Kingdoms and the Empire), this is still a serious threat. [[Hermes]] paid his 1,500 gold, left 5 gold for [[Madame Celestine Voss|Celestine]], and returned to the wagon to inform the party about the new information. ## Preparing for Illumination Day As evening settled, the party dispersed to various activities: **[[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]]** (rolling a 22 on history/investigation) realized the next day would be the **19th of Fina**—the spring equinox and the **Day of Illumination**, a holy day for followers of **[[Intelliencia - Goddess of Intelligence|Intelliencia]]**, goddess of knowledge and wisdom. She asked [[Madame Celestine Voss|Celestine]] about the largest library or academy in [[Brensistria]]. [[Madame Celestine Voss|Celestine]] explained the largest library belonged to [[Queen Cyrill]] in the castle, but it was very hard to access. The second largest would be in the **Arcanium Conflux** district (also called the Arcanium District), which belonged to the wizards. She offered to help find someone who could guide [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] there tomorrow since she was unfamiliar with [[Brensistria]]. [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] thanked her, noting "She's so nice when [[Armara]]'s not in the room." [[Hermes]] agreed they seemed to have significant tension from their past. **[[Nobuu]]** headed to the wagon to sleep. **Thorag** continued drinking with the red-haired woman (successfully making his Constitution save against alcohol poisoning despite drinking for hours). She eventually passed out drunk on his shoulder, and [[Cedric]] carried her to the common beds. ## [[Cedric]]'s Dark Encounter [[Cedric]] retired to a private room in [[Armara]]'s wagon to pray to **[[Lialandra]]**, goddess of healing. As he knelt before his shield, he initially felt the thin thread of connection to his goddess—but then sensed something thick trying to stop the communication, like talking through mud. Rolling a 16 on religion, [[Cedric]] recognized this pressure as the same essence everyone felt in [[Vexaris Thornwell|Vexaris]]'s vault when [[Armara]] grabbed [[the Soulthread Gem]]. Something was trying to snuff out his divine connection. Rolling a 16 on insight, [[Cedric]] felt the pressure building until it completely severed his connection to [[Lialandra]]. Then something tried to penetrate his mind—but failed (the entity rolled only a 5). [[Cedric]] felt an ache in his brain but somehow resisted whatever had attempted to invade his thoughts. ### Warning: Intruders Suddenly, **[[Glyph]]'s voice** echoed throughout the entire wagon: **"WARNING. WARNING. INTRUDERS. Breaking wards. Power enough to suffocate my powers within my own domain."** The alarm sent everyone into action: - **[[Nobuu]]** woke immediately and asked [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] what was happening - **[[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]]** slammed her book closed and asked [[Glyph]] where the intruders were located - **[[Hermes]]** started sprinting through the hallways looking for threats [[Glyph]] responded: "Unable to trace. Power enough to even suffocate my powers within my own domain." When [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] asked where [[Armara]] had taken [[the Soulthread Gem]], [[Glyph]] answered: "Secured area within her tower." [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] called out to [[Hermes]] through their connection: "[[Hermes]], meet me at the tower." [[Hermes]] confirmed he was already almost there. [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]] remembered she still had his arcane focus (the bark piece) and handed it off to him as he sprinted past. [[Nobuu]] wild-shaped into a dinosaur form and rushed toward the tower at maximum speed. ### The Shadow Realm Back in his prayer room, [[Cedric]] stood in darkness as the room faded away. A suffocating dark aura engulfed him, and he felt himself floating before sensing hard ground—slimy and squishy beneath his feet. Red radiance began appearing. With his darkvision (60 feet as an Aasimar), [[Cedric]] could see the ground appeared to be withering. He stood in what seemed like a mirror reflection of the room he'd been praying in—but this was a shadow realm. A figure started walking toward him through the darkness: **a skeletal face with red-rimmed pupils in hollow eyes**. The being's gaze burned into [[Cedric]] as it approached silently. The figure stopped about 10 feet away and finally spoke: **"I can feel something emanating. I know this domain. I've sensed disturbance of my powers. Something lingering within my domain. A signature."** He looked directly at [[Cedric]]. **"Tell me—whose does this domain belong to?"** [[Cedric]] responded: "Well, I'm not really much of experience in places like this, but if you really want it, why would I give it to you? Why should I speak about this?" The figure tilted his head. **"Wherever everyone falls once the web is all disturbed..."** An almost grin crossed the skeletal face. **"I sense the flesh. This disturbance. The prayers. That's what I can trace when those near my plans wish to disturb them. Ask the gods—gods that will be meaningless in the future. Gods that will be gone."** The entity's hollow eyes focused on [[Cedric]] with burning intensity. **"You are a follower of [[Lialandra]]. I sense the stench of her all about you. Though she is one of only healing. Weak gods, these healers. But also the ones I hate the most. The ones that have the most foul stench."** The figure looked around the shadow realm as if trying to understand where he was, noting the numerous protections in place. ### The Fatal Question The entity turned back to [[Cedric]] and asked one more time: **"Whose is this domain? Who controls that? Tell me truthfully. Or I have other ways to know."** The GM gave the player 20 seconds to decide. Under pressure, [[Cedric]]'s resolve cracked: **"[[Armara]]."** The skeletal figure's eyes flamed up with terrible intensity. **"[[Armara]]. Of course."** He looked around the shadow realm again. **"Excellent. I've been wondering where she's been hiding."** The entity turned back to [[Cedric]] with those burning eyes. **"You will help me, won't you? Don't worry. You will feel nothing."** ### Power Word: Kill The entity cast **Power Word Kill** on [[Cedric]]. [[Cedric]] had fewer than 100 hit points—the spell succeeded. Darkness and cold surrounded him as his body collapsed to the ground, life leaving him instantly. As consciousness faded, [[Cedric]] saw a vision: a small girl around 12 years old with red hair appeared. She looked down at his fallen body and said: **"You will have to fight. Fight against the darkness."** This was **[[Aria, Goddess of Birth and Death|Aria]], the [[Aria, Goddess of Birth and Death|goddess of death]]**, appearing to [[Cedric]] in his final moments. Then darkness completely consumed him. ## Session End The session ended on this dramatic cliffhanger with: - [[The Soulthread Gem]] secured but attracting dangerous undead attention - The party about to converge on [[Armara]]'s tower as alarms blared - [[Cedric]] killed by Power Word Kill after revealing [[Armara]]'s location to an unknown entity (likely [[Anam]] himself or one of his powerful servants) - [[Aria, Goddess of Birth and Death|Aria]], [[Aria, Goddess of Birth and Death|goddess of death]], appearing to [[Cedric]] in his final moments with a cryptic message - The Dawn Wardens facing their first major crisis since obtaining the artifact The party now possessed one of the most dangerous items in existence but had immediately drawn the attention of powerful forces. Their mission to permanently destroy [[Anam]] had taken its first casualty, and the entity hunting [[Armara]] now knew exactly where to find her. --- **Key Information Acquired:** - Chaos Wizard hierarchy and methods of tracking them - [[The Wizards Conclave|Wizards Conclave]] structure and politics - [[Queen Cyrill]] opposes both the Conclave and [[Chaos Wizards]] - The Silvervale is actively hunting [[Armara]] and anyone who aids her - [[The Soulthread Gem]] attracts undead and can be sensed from great distances - [[Armara]]'s plan requires help from [[Ilith Ornithullin|Ilith]], Z'ul, and [[Glyph]] to create triangulation device - The Eye of Elcathar can see soul threads and observe across realms - A powerful entity (likely connected to [[Anam]]) can penetrate even [[Glyph]]'s pocket dimension **NPCs Featured:** - [[Keldon Ashveil]] (information broker, the Silver Shade) - [[Madame Celestine Voss|Celestine Voss]] (tavern proprietor, former associate of [[Armara]]) - [[Vexaris Thornwell]] ([[Armara]]'s former benefactor) - Chains (Herald of Silver, charismatic bard) - [[Glyph]] ([[Armara]]'s arcane AI construct) - [[Fragment]] (piece of [[Glyph]] manifested to contain artifacts) - The mysterious skeletal entity in the shadow realm - [[Aria, Goddess of Birth and Death|Aria]] ([[Aria, Goddess of Birth and Death|goddess of death]], appeared to [[Cedric]] in his final moments) **Locations:** - The Scarlet Coin (tavern in [[Brensistria]]'s [[Lowward]]) - [[Vexaris Thornwell|Vexaris]]'s vault (pocket dimension containing legendary artifacts) - [[Armara]]'s extradimensional wagon/tower - The Shadow Realm (mirror dimension where the entity confronted [[Cedric]]) **Magic Items/Artifacts:** - [[The Soulthread Gem]] (shows soul threads, tracks undead/phylacteries) - The Eye of Elcathar (artifact from Age of Strife, can see between worlds) - Armor of [[Dijinus, God of Fire|Dijinus]] (legendary set granting near-demigod power when complete) **Major Threats:** - Undead drawn to [[the Soulthread Gem]]'s power - The Silvervale's manhunt for [[Armara]] - [[Chaos Wizards]] (particularly Zeryth Arcanum and the Circle of Chaos) - The skeletal entity now hunting [[Armara]]'s location - [[The Wizards Conclave]] (potential allies or enemies depending on circumstances) **Party Status:** - Level 10+ characters - [[Cedric]]: Killed by Power Word Kill, saw [[Aria, Goddess of Birth and Death|Aria]] ([[Aria, Goddess of Birth and Death|goddess of death]]) in his final moments, status critical - Rest of party: Converging on [[Armara]]'s tower as alarms sound - [[Armara]]: Weakened, unable to heal until proper rest, harboring dangerous symbiote - Z'ul and undead servants: Potentially at risk from Soulthread Gem's influence