The episode opened with Khad-Abrah as only a whisper on the horizon with Fearne floating in the air, eyes glazed over in glowing white, with Bjorn who appeared to be seizing as her hand gripped his shoulder. The two fell onto the deck of the ship as Fearne came-to screaming. Bjorn remained unconscious-- alive but unrecovered with Chip glued to his side.
A premonition. She knew her mother had been afflicted by this gift but thought it had skipped her. Her vision foretold Bjorn flying ahead to scout, a dialogue with Novax the Blue gone awry, and him being showered with lightning far from the reach of his friends. The decision was made to wait until their party was optimized before proceeding.
As the party laid plans, an explosion of sand shot from the desert below. A "sand-marine" rocketed up into the sky, its drill piercing a purple worm, before crashing onto the ground below. Two figures were ejected from the sand-marine-- a human, Fabian, and a gnome, Tesla. They bolted across the desert under the watch of the party as another purple worm pursued. It was revealed later that in their attempts at burroughing they had interrupted a purple worm mating ritual. Bad move. The party lept to the rescue of Fabian and Tesla.
The two strangers told the party that they were a part of the refugee group, the Survivors of Khad-Abrah. They were searching for a Khad-Abran artifact, The Sand Stone, which was lost in the decimation of Khad-Abrah by Novax the Blue. Mages propelled the artifact into the desert before they themselves were destroyed-- the location of The Sand Stone dying with them. The strangers believe they have located the Sand Stone deep beneath these very sands and were burrowing to find it. The artifact holds great power. With the Sand Stone, the wielders may shape and form the sands into great structures. It was by this very stone that the city of Khad-Abrah was once formed.
The strangers ask for the party's help if they are so obliged. Should they help retrieve the Sand Stone, the Survivors of Khad-Abrah would be able to retake the city, trap Novax with the power of the stone, and begin the rebuilding process. The party would be welcome to any treasure in the dragon's horde. All they care about is the Sand Stone. There is one caveat-- Novax but not be killed. Tesla, a gnomish artificer, has designed an arcane machine to harness Novax's lightning abilities for the remainder of his long life. With the lightning harnessed, Tesla could power the soon-to-be city of New Khad-Abrah.
Sankara is teleported back to the party courtesy of a fail-safe mechanism built into his Amulet of Clandestiny by Queen Gabriella before his departure to Quaymire. His last memory before breathing this new, dry desert air was seeing his companions, Brennan and Cricket, dominated by the Aboleth. Sankara recounts his time in Quaymire are reveals several things:
The Remnant of Orcus has taken over Quaymire. The Remnant freely roams the lands there now.
Doniathon the Red has arrived in Quaymire to meet his brother, Sevus the Black, who survived his initial encounter with the party. The two journey further east in Quaymire.
Sankara overhears a lengthy exchange between The Aboleth, Ileana and Cassius. The Aboleth divulges many details of The Sliver:
If viewed as a great arcane machine, The Sliver is powered by a world-engine called The Source which can be found deep underground at "the center of the world".
The aboleth, by some divine joke, has been in The Sliver since its beginning. An eternal hatred for the gods for this existence and a loathing for those less-than who oversee this plane fills his soul.
The Voidborn is not a race or species. "Voidborn" is a title and it is a mantle that can be passed from one to another. Although eons may pass in between, the Voidborn change. The Voidborn that are now are not the ones that always were.
Sankara experiences a deep knowing that reveals The Aboleth as a trial.