Our episode opened on the field of battle, now unsettlingly calm with the immediate threat of The Remnant gone. All around the city of Mirkarkden, hundreds upon hundreds of solider stand frozen, petrified in stone. The party wonders what comes next? Where do they go from here? And what exactly happened to Ileana?
After collecting their thoughts and regrouping, our heroes decided to return to the defiled Cathedral to further investigate Sankara's lost goddess. Seeing the cracked statue of Orcus, Sankara launched an ice knife, crumbling the statue, and revealing Vishnaiva within. Sankara reunited with Vishnaiva and after their communion was granted a request by his deity. Sankara requested that Bim and Galatia have their petrification undone, and so it was granted. Vishnaiva departed to the skies to join the others after embracing Sankara and thanking him for a job well done.
Lucky sprinted back to The Devourer ahead of the party and found Bim mid-rant about the state of his clothes which were covered in stone, dust, and debris. As the rest of the party arrived, his conveyed his thanks to Sankara and the party and promised to give them the reason why he was so late with the ship when time allowed. Bim will tell them about Bim and The Devourer's Incredible Adventure over a stiff drink one day soon.
Gallogk's attention was pulled the sick and infirm that needed his care which he graciously gave in the name of Tyr.
Bjorn and Argenti announced victory to the city of Mirkarkden as they flew through the skies overhead. Troops returned to Bur Boldor for shelter as the beckoning of the two. Lucky sent a retinue of scouts along with Sankara's owl familiar to see what could be discovered about any remaining enemy presence nearby as well on checking in on the Solas detachment of soldiers that moved on Quaymire.
Upon returning to Bur Boldor, the party divided to further their own business.
Bjorn reunited with Delilah, kissed her, and proposed marriage in the presence of her brothers, Bromir and Doramir. Delilah accepted even though Bjorn didn't remember to buy a ring. She gave him a not-so-subtle hint that she is a fan of emeralds. Bjorn also walked and explore Bur Boldor and ended with making amends with the Hierophant, offering his apologies for losing his temper and misplacing his frustrations regarding Thodin Orcsbane. The Hierophant accepted and returned an apology in kind for his blindness to Thodin who was discovered to have been dead for weeks, presumably at the hands of the late shapeshifter Ravinia.
Lucky took some time to settle in a The Golden Anvil (inn) and decided to trance at a nearby fountain outside. He awoke to find cup placed in front of him with a few copper pieces inside and a note written on the side of the cup: "If you're going to sleep by the fountain, you might as well make money while doing it. - T." Seeing a nearby beggar at the far end of the fountain, lucky dumped his earnings into the dwarf's cup. What he thought was a few copper pieces transformed into 50 gp newly donated to the homeless dwarf. Elated, the dwarf introduced himself as Hamish Oreshand and promised to repay Lucky's kindness. Hamish became one of Lucky's people who See Things, Know Things, and Know Where to Find Things after quickly responding in Thieves' Cant to Lucky.
Sankara, with a knack for finding growth in the unlikeliest of places, found a small pit of nature and life within the mountain. He spent his night as close to nature as possible. The next morning he woke up and walked to the observatory in the Sky High Halls. Looking out over the landscape, he saw a caravan of soldiers bring more and more petrified victims into the city, placing them in the city in the ceremonial space before the temples. Sankara looked out and saw chunks of land floating in the sky, Mt. Valor no longer snow capped, and Mt. Vesuvian now an active volcano (no longer dormant).
Later that day, our heroes are summoned to meet with Argenti. Over the course of their conversation, several things were discussed:
EXPLORE. Find out more about the new state of Eternum through first-hand experience.
THE MINES OF AL-KHAZAM. The petrification of the population is vast. The party could journey to the desert city and beseech it's ruler, Tabitha, to supply diamond dust for the spell component.
MT. VESUVIAN. The long-dormant volcano is now active. An incredible group insight check with Argenti allowed them to conclude that this volcano is where Doniathon's reincarnated egg is incubating. If they could retrieve the egg, they could not only attempt to lock it in stasis to keep him from ever hatching but remove the threat of an impending eruption from Bur Boldor.
THE DRAGONS OF ORDER. The upheval of the landscape and islands in the sky is a symptoms of a greater imbalance within The Sliver. Argenti charges the party with finding her lost brother, Kupoira. In the past, the three Dragons of Order and restore imbalances in The Sliver and it could be their best chances this time.
FIZBAN'S COLLEGE. Chip brought up the idea that they could seek Fizban's College for help. Not only is it a school for the higher studies of magic but is also a great wealth of knowledge of dragonology. Additionally, there are rumors that the college's secondary purpose is to safeguard powerful texts and items deep below it's halls. If the faculty of the college could be convinced to trust our heroes with their repository, this could prove to be a powerful boon.
THE GREATER THREAT. What is The Remnant planning next? And what happened to Ileana?