Star & Scale #25

• Back in Lantern Light, the group was confronted with the arrival of Avalon in town, an event which drew the attention of everyone except for one woman who was actually more interested in meeting Star and Scale.

  • Elowyn was an astronomer from Ology who had seen the falling of Gift from the sky and had been experiencing strange dreams, which the group told her was called the "Dream Tether," and they also had those dreams. They took that as a sign that Elowyn belonged with them, at least for now, as she considered the group the most likely spot to find Gift someday and ask him about the worlds beyond the skies.

• Dedicated to finding the relic before Avalon, the group set to figuring out the riddle and realized they needed to go to Ezekiel's home of Deor, the place they'd been trying to keep him from to ensure he didn't take revenge on its citizens for taking part in the sacrifice of his child.

• Ezekiel assured them he could handle it for the good of the group, and he even helped a caravan along the road to Deor, throwing up a little more of the evil within him.

• Arriving in Deor, however, the group encountered another of the big six relic hunters of Vault, Mane. He had tied up many of the villagers and was demanding answers to the riddle.

  • Zeb and May decided to confront him, and were able to escape the battle before Mane did serious damage, despite both of them getting their equipment destroyed by Mane's hammer. 

• Fleeing the town, but having freed the villagers, Star and Scale found Ezekiel, who had to leave earlier due to being overwhelmed with dark thoughts, standing in the river outside of town with the body of a woman he had just killed.

  • Zeb talked him back from the darkest places of his mind, and told him this was a terrible setback, but he didn't need to succumb to the devil's pact. Ashamed, Ezekiel agreed to continue on.

• Following the clues of the riddle, Star and Scale entered Mythrasil Forest and followed Arachnid paths through the trees to find several Arachnids turned to stone outside a large tree hollow. Within was a gorgon who the group quickly dispatched.

  • With the death of the gorgon, the Arachnids turned to stone outside were brought back to life, and they thanked the group, letting them know they were now welcome in Arachun.

    • An especially empathetic Arachnid, Xinth, told the group that if they were seeking relics to equip humanity for the coming conflict between gods, that it was a mission doomed to failure, but they could take shelter in Mythrasil Forest, and the Myth Numen of the forest would protect the group when the next war wiped the world clean.

• Within the gorgon's home, the group found the relic they sought, and were confronted once again by Mane, who had tracked them there.

  • Mane recognized the tradition of not stealing relic once found, and offered to trade, claiming the relic they found was an "epoch," an especially power relic, the likes of which catapulted relic hunters into the upper echelons of fame and fortune. He claimed epochs often called to powerful relic hunters, drawing hunters to the Voice, as if they needed to be found.

• Star and Scale declined to trade and instead rushed back to Delphina at the Geist Gate. She took the relic and melted it down. Its power was such that the gate not only opened, but would remain open without need for further magic items.

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