Session 62 - Alwaith Goes Home

Thu 4th May 2023

In-game timeline: Hammer 11 - Hammer 30 DR1490

Our "Hero", singular, returns to Neverwinter. Alone. There he meets some new companions, who know each other, though they have only recently met. A male, firbolg druid named Solveig, who seems pretty chilled out, a strange looking male, dwarven cleric named Faith, who seems a bit up himself, and a female human monk named Sanada-san, who is a little mysterious, and a foreigner to this part of the Realm. Alwaith remains very cagey about what he reveals to these new "friends". Back to normal then!

The group stand before the Council of the Veil - Alwaith for the first time - and it seems that Alwaith knows the leader of the Council - a high elf named Evaine - from times past. If the old members of the party were here they would have been surprised at the emotion shown by the half-elf. His new "friends" just thought him a little soppy.

Evaine thanks all the group for their help - both recently and over the previous months, and expressed sympathy over the loss of Alwaith's old 'friends'. She explained that she wanted them to continue to help out the Veil in their work against the Black Sun, by using the Staff of Ages - Ellithmir - that the Veil had constructed from the Eye of Kronos recovered from the hags of the Radiant Sisters and the planar portal obtained from Brace Chadstone in Flint Rock. This would involve the party travelling into the Shadowfell and into the past - at the time of the Battle of Evernight 400 years ago - in order to find some information about the destination of a Vessel that will be used to host the spirit of Malar at the upcoming Second Corruption.

Evaine also revealed that they had found some information about Settlestone which implied that Alwaith's previous "friend", Dwarrowsteel, may actually still be alive, though somewhat beaten up. Given Dwarrow's past betrayal, this information was a little confusing to Alwaith. The Veil's spy, Drisk, also revealed that something was being planned in Settlestone in the coming days, but she did not know what.

The option of two paths that the group could take now was muddied further when, after Evaine left them to discuss their decision and determine what to do next, the group was told by the priest Cortan that Evaine was about to leave in order to make an appointment with the Dark Hunt - an appointment from which she, and her four volunteer helpers, were probably not expected to return alive. And so Alwaith was presented with a third option - to try to help Evaine survive the night's activities with the Dark Hunt.

After some discussion, where Alwaith kept himself to himself and told the rest of the group very little, and the rest of the group decided that the Dark Hunt sounded like a bad idea and Settlestone was nothing to do with them, a decision was quickly agreed to go straight to the Shadowfell, leaving both Dwarrowsteel and Evaine to their respective fates.

And so they prepared for a journey into the Shadowfell, and a strange journey back in time. They have been told to make ripples, not waves, due to the risk of doing something that changes the flow of history. They need to find out the intended destination within the Realm of the Vessel intended to be used as a host of Malar. This information needs to be relayed back to the Council of the Veil, so they can act on it in this time to disrupt, or prevent the ritual during the Long Eclipse due in just over a month's time. This does mean that at least one of the group needs to make it back into this time to give that information. Just before they leave they are presented with a bottle of poison, which they refer to as "World's Hope", and the instruction that they hope this will be able to very slowly weaken the Vessel over the 400 years, ideally to prevent it being able to be used as a host. If the group manage to do this, then even if they are unable to return, then the hope is that they could still have achieved their aim.

After much complaining from Alwaith that the Council of the Veil hadn't provided the party with any useful equipment for their trip to the Shadowfell, despite him being the expert on the place, and then refusing the offered healing potion because "I already have some of those", the party use the Staff of Ages to create a portal into the past. Asking the inventor, a gnome called Stogbottle, as to the reliability of the contraption, and the means to return, he does reply that it has been tested. Sort of. Fairly successfully. And that there *should* be enough power in the staff to be able to return - though they should not tarry in the past - even though no matter how long they spend there they will return in about a week's time here, but Stogbottle seems a little unsure as to how the power in the staff will degrade over time. A good party of Heroes gave their lives to power up the staff from an Ancient Dragon's breath, so it would be a shame if the power was allowed to fade!

With a final look around the place, and the time, that they know, the party step into the portal and watch as it fades behind them.

They are in the Shadowfell. A place of mist, dim light and a feeling of misery. The despair of this place hits Faith, Solveig and Sanada-san with an almost physical force. They are not happy here. In fact, they can sense that happiness is not a feeling that lives in this place very long. They take a little while to acclimatise here.

Alwaith, meanwhile, is back in a place he knows. Not a place he loves, but he is definitely back in a familiar place. While part of him dreads being back here, a part of him also feels a bit more… comfortable… than he felt in the Material Plane. He also feels a surge of power run through him that he has not felt for some years - since he was last in this place. He feels - albeit briefly - more powerful (Alwaith automatically levels up to Level 8), but this is followed by a sense of loneliness. A gap in his soul. It takes him a short time to realise what this is - his father, his Queen, his patron. They are here in this place, but at this time they are completely unaware of his presence. Of his existence, even. The gap this leaves is a wrench on his soul. And on his power…