Session 37: the End of Time

The war to end all wars has come at last to the world of the City of Kings. Time ends, the Membin stone rises and every race and people must fight for their survival. Chaos runs rampant under the new sun and our heroes now face their greatest challenge yet, the Warlord Reptos who once ruled the whole world and slew Gods and Primordials alike.

Scene 1: Death is on the cards!

They meet in the ruins of an ancient keep clinging to an outcropping of rock attached to the land by a thin stone bridge. It was built by Reptos himself thousands of years ago when humans first came to this world and the heads of those he has slain are spiked to the walls. It is fitting that he meets his fate here.

Our three heroes are outnumbered. Reptos is aided by his Herald (and also Artemis’s mother), his consort Vinga goddess of revenge and his Taken, powerful magi raised from the dead to serve him. Reptos offers the group a choice, kneel before him and accept his dominion or face him and the terrible blade he wields, a weapon capable of permanently slaying immortals.

The group decline, they have their own destinies to fulfil. Vinga acts first and, mounted on a vicious nightmare, she is able to strike and dance away. The Taken also bring their powers to bear, unleashing hellfire to engulf the group. Emerging from the flames Morn moves to engage Reptos. The two exchange blows Morns shield deflecting the blade while Azhanti takes to the air to destroy the Taken.

Left free to move Artemis puts his deadly skills to use, skills honed in the blood of many gods. He sends bolt after bolt striking into the Warlord with unerring accuracy. Reptos cannot withstand the barrage and collapses to one knee. He bellows to the sky and the sky answers. His skin splits, horns sprout from his head as he assumes his full Primordial aspect.

He transforms Azhanti into stone and turning with terrible ferocity he strikes down Morn and his blade rips our heroes soul from his body, trapping it within the blade.

Blackness descends on the hero of mankind as he falls. His soul screams in pain and darkness descends. As he opens his eyes he finds himself chained to a huge wheeled altar. All around him are the souls of those taken by the blade, dragging behind them the altar and the bloated demon from which the blade was forged. Swelling with strength Morn shatters the chains holding him and rallies the souls of the damned. He descends on the demon of the blade, his eyes flash blue as he roars at the beast, shredding its form and banishing it back to chaos.

Back in the keep Morn reforms and the blade goes silent. Azhanti shatters the stone holding him and Artemis leads Vinga on a fruitless dance. Reptos rises up to his full height, even without his blade he remains a serious threat, but Morn holds him at bay, just. His end finally comes at the business end of the Hammer of Morn (and a critical hit with Lion of Battle).

Scene 2: Destiny

Their last foe slain the way is open for our heroes to meet their destiny.

They quickly travel to the Membin stone, a pillar of white rock veined with golden runes a mile high and risen out of the ocean. There they are met by Utu Kamla, the first archmage and guardian of the stone. The group recognise him, he was the master of the Library of the Ages, the crazy Shaman Udun and others from their past. He welcomes them and explains that what they create today will persist forever, this will be the last cycle of this world.

But first they must face their final adversary, alone.

As the stone cracks open the light of creation spills forth and each finds themselves elsewhere.

Morn stands in a shieldwall holding the gate to Frostholm while also finding himself on a broken northern plateau, covered in snow and the bodies of fallen giants, demons and elementals. Before him is the crack in the skydome, a breach to chaos where the last of the giant warriors protects the world. Beyond the breach The Beast can be seen emerging from the mists of Chaos. The giant struggles to rise but he is spent. Taking his place Morn bellows his defiance at his nemesis. It roars in answer and surges forward tearing open the rift. Beast and man clash but there can be only one outcome. Morn has prepared for this confrontation for years, his tattoo’s flare and the Hammer brings The Beast low. Morn seals the rift but pays a price in doing so, he will not know peace for he will be called upon again.

Azhanti finds himself stood on the battlements of his capital, legionnaires manning the walls but also stood on a mountain track as a young novice just recently called to service. Above him sits the Temple of Vulcan and within he can sense the presence of the Primordial. Entering the Temple Vulcan welcomes him, Azhanti is to become his new vessel, to complete his resurrection. Azhanti disagrees, the old ways are over. Vulcan binds him within a tornado and begins to tear the flesh from his body but Azhanti shatters it with ease. Taking to the sky the two of them contend, thunder and lightning roll and Azhanti, in dragon shape, hurls Vulcan from the sky to crash into his temple.

Artemis finds himself in the Shrouded Oasis holding off K’Shatta the renegade High Priestess of Ashura and her skeletal legions but also stood on a beach below the City of Kings. Humanity fills the city and the sounds of celebration drift down to him. The sea is flat and dark and as Artemis watches the water begins to bubble and froth. Mael, the last of the Primoridals emerges from the surf striding onto the beach. He comes for revenge against the man who slew his siblings but also to shape the next world, he plans to wash away all life and begin again. Mael surges forward crashing into Artemis and trying to drown him. Artemis slips away through the aether but Mael is there as well and catches him a solid blow. Artemis crashes to the ground but as he does so he rolls bringing his bow up and sending a stream of fiery bolts against Mael. Each strikes with greater force than the last and Mael is swiftly reduced to a fine mist which slowly fades away (thats a combination of Manticores Volley and action point into Five Missile Dance with every attack hitting taking him out in 1 round).

Scene 3: Creation

Our three heroes each victorious over their adversary find themselves returned to the stone. They are filled with the light of creation and must determine the shape and form of the next version of reality. They decide on a world shaped much as this one, but a gentler and a greener world. It will also be a world free from the influence of gods and demons. The people of the world will be left to make their own decisions, their successes and mistakes their own. The Primordials are banished and their divine children forbidden from direct interference.

Our heroes stand as the Guardians of that Compact. Morn travels the earth as an itinerant warrior, Azhanti guards the borders with chaos in draconic form and Artemis stands in the Underworld save when he slips away to wander the roots and branches of the world tree.

At this point I gave each player the chance to set three facts of the new world.

Morn reforged the prison of man and charged its jailor to establish a force of warriors dedicated to defend humanity; he redeemed Danku Sinesh the doomed man who died at peace and he made slavery a taboo throughout the world.

Artemis returned the lush forests of the Kireshi destroyed by Reptos long ago; he resurrected Akaran Trakar, the tiefling noble he slew in the early days and he established civilisation in the new world with monsters pushed to its edges (very much like Birthright, there are few monsters but they are very dangerous).

Azhanti broke the former Emeprors intermingling of the clans and scattered his people across the world in their respective clans; he restored the Kireshi from the Underworld and he reached back in time elevating his former Clan leaders as his draconic exarchs.

Naturally the Universe also has a hand in things and sometimes it preserves things which might better be left to die. I added the following.

The dwarves were saved, preserved by ancient giant devices. Within their society grows a new Cult, the former cultists of Morn who accepted the curse of flesh to follow him but who he then abandoned. The Cult seeks to build a machine to imprison all Gods and rid the world of their influence forever.

The Tieflings also survive into the new world but there can be no peace between them and the dragonborn. The hatred held by the last Emperor of Arkhosia will ensure that these two races can never live in peace.

Finally a dark shape slithered its way into the new world, a darkness which has lurked within the City of Kings for millennia. It is old and patient and now that both gods and primordials are banished it sees its chance. Hu’Maa, vampire lord and former High Priest of Sopias will fill the night with fangs.

With that the curtain falls and our story ends. As the credits begin to roll each character received an epilogue.

Artemis stands on the roots on the world tree with his sacred band of Pashtun warriors fighting an enormous serpent. He is an Odysseus like figure fighting the monsters that would threaten his world but always burdened by the weight of the Key to the Gates of Hell which pulls him back to his underworld throne.

Azhanti sails through the winds of chaos. Behind him spreads a flight of dragons and before him are cracks in the walls of the Universe. He is called to defend that which he has made.

Morn watches a new Champion rise in the gladiatorial arena of the City of Kings, a contest of free men not slaves. The Champion roars a challenge at the crowd and Morn turns to the camera, “one more time” he says as he leaps down...

THE END

*directors special edition post credit cut scene*

Utu Kamla, the first and the last Archmage steps up to the gates of the Library of Ages which swing open at his approach. Crossing to the control panel he smiles, “Hello old friend, I think it’s time for a new adventure, something perhaps in the far future.” With a strange whirring noise and a flash of blue light the Library vanishes.

Session 36: Land of the Dead

We played again tonight, the penultimate session of the campaign. Our heroes have died and their souls pass into the underworld.

Scene 1: The Barge of Souls

They wake, Morn and Azhanti chained to the oars of the barge of the dead. Artemis is free, death has no claim on his soul but to pass back into the land of the living he must leave his friends behind. He chooses to remain and the group is delivered to a bleak and barren shore with many more of the dead.

Wraiths descend on the newly arrived souls but shy away from our heroes, sensing their strength. They are greeted by the soul of Nabonidus who tells them that he has been sent by the Seneschal of the House of the Dead to be their guide. He offers to lead them wherever they wish to go.

The group decide to visit his master and look for a way back to the land of the living. Their trek through the wasteland of the underworld is fairly uneventful. They scavenge weapons and armour from an ancient battlefield and learn some of how the world works.

The ghosts who inhabit this grey world all have something they hold on to. Those who lose who or what they are find themselves drawn into the sea of souls, lost forever. The group don’t ask what is holding Nabonidus here.

Scene 2: Ambush!

The group approaches the City of Gloom, its tall spires and large slum regions reminiscent of the City of Kings. As they pick their way through the rubble they are set upon, the shade of the wizard Paldemar has conjured Hounds of Death to consume them, his final chance at revenge for the many humiliations they have heaped upon him.

Without their signature weapons or armour things initially look dire, the hounds tear great wounds in the bodies of the dead. However, Paldemar makes his first and last mistake, he descends into the group possessing Azhanti. Azhanti is unamused, he has been possessed by a Dragon God and no mere Wizard can hold him for long.

Expelling the possessing spirit the group descend on him with terrible fury. His chance for revenge gone he has nothing left to hold him here and his shade collapses to flow down to the sea.

Scene 3: Old friends, or is that enemies.

The group head into the City, they pass the great clock tower which marks the ages of the world, skirt the pit in the centre of the city where the catacombs of dead gods are interred and finally reach the Grey Palace.

Nabonidus heads inside to announce them and returns some time later. They are denied admittance and told to be gone, beggars and ruffians are not welcome in the Palace of the King of the Underworld.

They decide against pressing the issue and are quickly spotted by an enterprising soul with an eye for profit. He offers to introduce the group to city’s foremost broker of souls, information and power who he is sure can provide them with what they want. All he asks is a small price, a few of Morns grave goods (such articles being currency and a way of influencing the mortal realm). Morn is not having any of it and bullies the minor shade into helping them.

They are taken to The Pit, a hive of scum and villainy in which all sorts of perversions are practiced. Necromancy, soul stealing, blood oaths and more are the lifeblood of this place and the master of it all is the bloated shade of The Grub. He was an occasional ally and enemy of the group from their earliest days whose life they ended but he does not seem to hold any grudges. His palace is opulent and he has collected the markers for many powerful people.

Morn asks to speak to him in private. He offers the Grub a deal. Help them get into the Palace and Morn will release him from the Underworld in the next era. The Grub is tempted but demands a mark of good faith taking the golden chain forged from the sacrifices made by his Northmen on their funeral pyres. Even if Morn fails to free him he will now exert significant influence over parts of his growing cult, feeding them with an overwhelming desire for wealth regardless of how it is obtained.

The Grub tells Morn there are only three ways into the Palace. Over the walls, through the Labyrinth beneath or with the agreement of the Seneschal, Lord Dust (a Lich they have slain twice before).

Scene 4: An Interlude

Before they tackle the Palace there are a couple of detours. Azhanti visits the Temple of Vulcan on the isle of the mad, only fools and lunatics are said to travel there. On the island he finds a ruined Temple and the shade of his old mentor Nihlil, his eyes burned out because he lost his faith. Vulcan has left the Underworld and returned to the land of the living. Azhanti raises up his old friend, heals his wounds and instils a new faith in him, he claims Nihlil as his first Exarch.

Meanwhile Morn and Artemis visit the crumbling villa of the Trak’ar family. Once it was a grand edifice, its ancestors well honoured until Morn and his friends destroyed them in the City of Kings. Now only two sad figures reside there, the shades of Kyia (Morns one time mistress and lover) and her father Akaran. Both were killed by the group and Kyias shade has been driven quite mad.

Akaran tries to consume Morn with his sorcery but it is utterly ineffective. Akaran rages against the two of them but they learn that the Seneschal greatly desires Kyia and if they were to gift her to him then they could certainly ensure their admittance. Morn decides that they will take her (and maybe steal her back later) and as they leave the shade of Akaran collapses, protecting his daughter being the only thing keeping him here.

Scene 5: You must know who we are by now!

Their bargaining tool in hand the group head to the Palace. Lord Dust cheerfully admits them taking the girl and preparing to marry her so he can access her gifts of prophecy.

The group head into the Palace seeking to find the soul of the Blazing Sun so they can bring back a new sun god with them and to reach the Lord of the Underworld to bargain for passage through the Gates of Hell. They are however opposed.

Chaos has sent an Emissary to whisper in the Kings ear and his guards are out in force. Artemis leads the group quickly through the Palace to the Garden of Remorse where they find the Blazing Sun sat by a dark pool staring at a reflection of his lover the Moon. The group try to convince him to come with them but he will not. He explains that passage through the Gates is not without a price and the only thing he has left is his love of the Moon. Morn counters that true love will out, the Gates may take his memories but that will mean he will have the chance to love her anew. Convinced the young sun god agrees to come with them.

Next however they need to convince the Lord of the Underworld to let them out. That will be difficult as Blazing Sun explains that the Lord is his father, Ashura, one time Primordial of life who the group slew.

Before that they need to get to him and chaos has set its behemoths in the way. The group break through but it takes time and guards begin to swarm them. Artemis leads them deep into the Labyrinth where they lose them but the return trek takes a wrong turn and the chase is on again. Morn and Azhanti try to hold them off as Artemis heads off to rescue Kyia from her marriage to Lord Dust. As Artemis slays Lord Dust Azhanti and Morn are captured by a horde of screaming demonic warriors.

Azhanti wakes in a cell, it’s bare and cold and damp with little room to move. In the darkness it would be easy to forget who you are but he refuses. Unveiling his full power he transforms himself, assuming his draconic aspect and shattering the cell door.

Morn finds himself chained to a pillar, tormented by demons and facing once more The Unfettered God. They tear chunks of flesh from him and cruel barbs twist in his innards. His nemesis simply looks on smiling, ignoring him until Morn remembers who he is. His tattoos flare, his wounds heal and he shatters the pillar he is chained to.

The Unfettered God flees and two enraged demigods begin tearing through the Palace. The disruption is more than enough to allow Artemis to slip through an unguarded door into the Throne Room.

Ashura is waiting for him, dressed all in grey and the room is haunted with the shadows of the Kireshi, bound to their creator in death as in life. The two talk for a little while, Ashura will open the Gates if Artemis will return and assume the Throne when his tasks are done. Reluctantly he agrees and order is quickly restored to the Palace.

Ashura passes Artemis the keys to the Gates of Hell and the group make haste. Outside the Clock of Ages begins to sound the ending of the world. The Gates of Hell open, flames fill them, flames which purify any who try and pass through. However, stay too long and they will take all of who and what you are. As the group enters the flames The Unfettered God makes his last play for Morn, grabbing him and trapping him in the fire.

They struggle and Artemis and Azhanti come to his aid, their souls on fire. The four titans battle in the flames and Morn calls for his friends to flee before they are destroyed. They relent and Morn and his old sponsor contest directly with each other. Tattoo magic clashes with demonic might and with a heave Morn slams the gates shut, utterly consuming the Chaos Lord in the fire and escaping, but not without a cost.

As the party erupt back into the living world they see the Blazing Sun rising into the sky in his father’s chariot, a ball of fire encompassing him. Far away bells begin to sound, the end of the world is nigh and the Membin Stone calls all of those who would claim rights to this world to present themselves before it.

*cut scene*

The sun rises for the first time in many weeks and the world grows brighter, a little hope restored. Many of the undead which plagued it are destroyed by its healing light but many survive. In the closed realm of the Shrouded Oasis armies of skeletal warriors battle against the Pashtun desert people; beneath the mountains of the south the dwarves fight pitched battles against beastmen and ghouls; in the hidden world of Frosthome a renegade tiefling priestess enslaved by Reptos raises zombie hordes while outside an army of slaves assaults their mountain city and in the Labyrinth beneath the City of Kings vampires prowl under the command of Hu’Maa, last High Priest of Sopias. Chaos beasts and demons plague all the lands and the world itself seems to be in revolt. Vast armies clash in the final battles of this world. Soon each of them will be tested and only the strong will survive.

What did they give up?

Each member of the group had to give up something important to them in passing through the Gates. This had to be something with a bit of dramatic weight. Morn had to give up two things as he remained in the flames longer.

Artemis gave up his hope of rescuing his mother from the clutches of Reptos.
Azhanti gave up his dream of transforming the Dragonborn into True Dragons.
Morn gave up his connection to the Dwarves becoming a purely human God along with Kyia who was lost to the flames.

At the end of the session the group hit level 30 and the next session is our last. It is also on Friday which is giving me palpitations as it is the culimation of two years of gaming.

Session 35: Dead Rising

We played again last Sunday. It has been a week since the game so my recollection may be a little fuzzy. If I miss anything out I am sure one of the players will remind me.

In our last session the group had corrected the fallout from one of their previous actions, the release of Amaan, by locking him back up and entombing a chunk of his undead army in his Fortress. However, the world is still plagued by vast hordes of undead, the sun has gone out and existence itself teeters on the edge of a precipice. The Void is hungry and Amaan tore a hole in the world through which it might feed.

Tonight the group try to fix that small problem.

Scene 1: A brief pause

First however Artemis is visited by his sister, Kallista, as they make preparations in the Library of Ages. She is concerned about Morn, he has been paying her a lot more attention recently. She doesn’t like it, after all he once loved then murdered her sister. Also he is a God, or very nearly so, and she fears that he will take her if she refuses him. She asks Artemis to protect her if he tries and he agrees.

Before heading off Morn takes a brief detour to the Prison of Man, where failed champions were consigned. He tries to convince the jailor that his task is done but he is unrelenting. There is still one champion who might yet fail and when he does the jailor shall be waiting.

Azhanti busies himself with aiding his people. As the newly risen God of the Dragonborn he invokes a ritual to empower his priesthood, sending each of his temples a Holy Symbol to enhance his priest’s abilities to protect the people against the undead.

Scene 2: Dark Days

Preparations made the group head to the rift. The Library deposits them in the desert on the edge of an enormous chasm, the land seems to have simply collapsed leaving a dismal rift into which the wind howls ceaselessly. The darkness within the rift almost seems to breathe, some malignant intelligence lives within. Undeterred our heroes make their way down.

Morn takes the lead easily picking a way down the rough walls while Azhanti maintains a rumbling chant, invoking the protection of the divine against whatever lives in the darkness. Unfortunately this seems to attract their enemies rather than drive them away and a swarm of wraiths descends screaming into them tearing at their souls before they howl back in to the rift. Artemis looks to follow them hurling himself into the darkness only to crash into the side of the cliff wall. Morn leaps down to protect him as a swarm of wraiths descend on the vulnerable ranger and bellows into the night, revealing himself as a power not to be crossed lightly. The night however is unimpressed and his challenge is absorbed soundlessly by the void leaving Morn chilled to the bone. Stumbling the three demi-gods flee into the caves at the bottom of the chasm and away from the darkness.

Scene 3: The Labyrinth

The group has visited these caves before long ago but they have changed significantly. The stone walls have run like candle wax and strange shapes press through, almost as if monsters were trapped within the rock. As they make their way through the labyrinth they become aware of stone statues in nooks and crannies all around them. Many different races and cultures are represented, each one from a civilisation which has gone extinct. Voices can be heard at the edge of perception whispering the secrets of cultures long since dead. The strongest comes through to Morn “the only way to defeat it is death...” What it might mean is anyone’s guess, at least for now.

As they explore the area Artemis finds himself separated from the others. A tall robed figure beckons him away. As he pursues he finds himself emerging out of a tunnel into an alley in the City of Kings. The sun is shining but the streets are empty, silent! As he explores he finds a few people but their bodies are ash and dust. At the centre of the city stands a Temple, all spires and cobwebs. Inside he finds five altars of the Primordial’s, each adorned with a trophy of their death and at the centre of the temple a new altar to the God of Death, or possibly the Death of Gods. It is his Temple and his world, a world with no gods at all.

With a start Artemis finds himself back with his friends. They continue to explore, heeding deeper into the caves and presently reaching the sprawling fungus fields of the Myconids. The once great mushroom forest has been warped, twisted and overgrown by an alien mould which is consuming what was left of the Myconids after our groups visit. Half absorbed in a wall the group finds Alias Windstorm, one time ally and friend of Artemis. He tells him that to close the rift they must enter it but that to do so is to invite death. He gives him a swift death to ease his pain.

Morn is the next to find himself separated from him companions and he too finds himself in the City of Kings. This version however is clean, orderly and well maintained. Merchants sell their wares safe from thievery and under the protection of well armed watch patrols. A great palace is being built at the centre of the City, built on the backs of thousands of slaves. Outside two statues have been raised, one of himself and the other of his Queen Kallista. Entering the palace he meets himself, or at least a possible future version of himself. Future Morn argues with him that what is done is necessary. They have rescued humanity on multiple occasions and what reward have they received. Nothing! Humanity is weak, foolish and stupid, everyone from the incompetent leaders of the rebellion, the squabbling Pashtun clan chiefs and the nobles of Arkhosia willing to sacrifice their own people to an army of ghouls. It is better that a strong leader take control and give the people what they need, stability, order and peace.

Morn finds himself back in the caves, the words of future Morn still ringing in his ears. The group press on, heading to the Pool of Radiance where once they fought a beholder. Around the pool they find many of the remaining Myconids being hungrily absorbed by the alien fungus. They decide they need to rescue these people and thereby save their racial memory. As they work Azhanti finds himself drawn away.

He too emerges into the City of Kings, but this time it is a mass of rubble and wreckage. A storm rages in the far distance and a great pillar of blood stained white rock rises from the centre of the city. Heading closer he finds the Menbin Stone, the Spike of Law, on which his old mentor Nihlil has been crucified. Nihlil warns him that there is little left in the world, the Storm Lord battles his nemesis and their war has ripped the earth itself asunder. Volcanoes and earthquakes have torn the land apart and the battles between their children, Dragons and Dragonborn have devastated what little was left. Azhanti, the Storm Lord, battles against the old ways of Vulcan but it seems the victor will be left with little but ashes.

Scene 4: Herald of the Void

Returning to the pool Azhanti joins the others. Together they enter the pool and find themselves transported deep beneath the earth into a large cave. A crack runs through the cave out of which void energy is spilling and the figure from their visions sits on a throne of black stone. She leans forward, her cowl shifting to reveal Althea, a sorceress of the Cabal slain long ago by the group. She had sold her soul to several different demons and Amaan rescued it to learn more about those who freed him. Now she is bound as the Herald of the Void and guardian of the rift. “Turn back now, turn back or be slain.”

The group demur and choose violence instead. As they move to attack the enormous bulk of the granddaddy of all beholders emerges from the shadows. A pair of void wraths, all claws and mandibles and sharp pointy bits also make themselves known. Finally Althea also enters the fray, her very presence poisonous to creatures of this world.

Things look desperate, the damage heaped on the group is severe. Then they get worse as Morn collapses under the punishment he is receiving. The wraiths tear terrible wounds in creatures of the physical world and the Beholders great eye chills the soul and leaves its enemies weakened and feeble.

Artemis scrambles to put some distance between himself and his enemies while Azhanti now takes the brunt of the battle. Their foes however underestimate their abilities. Morns tattoos begin to glow as the Champion of Man rises once more and the words of the statues come back to him “the only way to defeat it is death...” He charges Althea and the Wraiths, a Wraith collapsing at his attack. The Beholder seems utterly oblivious to him (We agreed that if a PC went unconscious the Beholder would be unable to attack them unless it was first attacked by that person. It fit the secret of the statue rather nicely) and Althea, pressed on all sides flees, teleporting into the rift.

The group waste no time in following her. They plunge into the life ending cold on the rift and fall far far down onto a stone platform hanging in the Void. Ancient arcane machinery lies scattered all over the rune carved slab channelling the energy of the Void into keeping the rift open. In desperation Althea swears to overload the rift, closing it but sucking the entire desert region down into oblivion (including the Shrouded Oasis). Unhappy with this plan the group summarily murder her, again. As she dies she spits out her last curse, calling on her masters to give her vengeance. From the depths of the Void nameless horrors reach out to the stone slab and begin to tear it apart. Azhanti takes on dragon form and snatches the others in his claws and beats a hasty retreat out of the Void. Unfortunately it is too far and his wounds are too many, his strength giving out all three of our heroes fall back into the Void, their bodies shrivel, their souls burn and darkness falls. Our heroes are dead.

*cut scene*

Hanging low over the eastern sky the Hidden Moon watches the fall of our heroes. With them goes the hope of all living things (or so say some). Fearing for the end of all things she turns her face from world putting out the last of its lights. So begins the Greater Darkness, the last days before the ending of the World. In the distance bells begin to toll and the stars go out as the Membin Stone begins to rise.

*cut scene*

In the capital of the Arkhosian Empire funeral pyres burn and sacrifices are made so that their God might live well in the underworld. The Priests of Azhanti mourn the loss of their God, the priests of Vulcan mourn the loss of the Son of Vulcan and the people of the empire mourn the death of their greatest protector. All across the Empire grim faced legionnaires take to the walls of their cities for the last time. Beyond the few remaining points of light terrible monsters of chaos roam freely and soon they will turn their attention to the few remaining survivors.

*cut scene*

A circle of stones stands on a low hill rising out of the cold tundra of Iceholm. There the devotees of Morn gather to bid farewell to their God. An effigy is burned in his place on the ancient stones and songs are sung of bravery and courage. Drink flows freely and each man sacrifices something precious to him, a gift to the God in the Underworld. In the shadows of their fire a young Tiefling woman watches the ceremonies. In the small town several miles away rest a small force of her people, all she could save from the influence of Reptos. Together they will stand against his army when they come against the Hold tomorrow.

*cut scene*

The hidden paths to the Shrouded Oasis have been exposed. K’Shatta, once High Priestess of Ashura, has raised warriors of a lost civilisation from the sands of the desert. Now she seeks to reclaim her homeland from those who have stolen it and have her revenge on the man who murdered her God.