Chapter 1: Scorched Earth
[Visions of the Usurpation, the adventure begins]
It is said that First there was endless, raging ocean of light, from whence the Primordials were born. It was they who shaped the Old Gods, from whom Air, Earth, Fire, Water and Wood did spring. The Elements shaped the World, known as Creation, which fostered Life, and gave rise to mortalkind. But servitude little suited the Old Gods, nor their Children, nor the Dragons, nor their Children and on and on it went until the fires of War spread down to the Earth from Heaven itself.
Reflections on the Coming Age; Daem Sedai, Counsellor to the Grand Marshal of Lookshy, 680 the 2nd Age
The dragon bucked and roared as it soared through the air, it's wingless form weaving swiftly towards the sky fortress ahead. The soldiers of House Kejak stood resolute in the howdah on it's back, enlisted from across Creation to aid in the War against Heaven.
As the Solar Exalted fell into vice the mortals of Creation had revolted, assisted by some of the Ascended but opposed by others. This final assault would win the war, the Panopticon of Heaven the last place the Sun-Chosen could collect their prayers. This is why Iadanna, Mithrandis, Hattori, and Ignis had signed up to fight the war. To throw off the shackles of Heaven and begin the Second Age.
The mighty dragon approaches the sky fortress, assaulted by the beastman spawn of Luna. Mithrandis flies the dragon with skill and grace, speaking calming words to it in High Tongue as the others fend off attackers with blade and blow. Soldiers loyal to the Solars turn upon the fire of Implosion Bow Emplacements upon the dragon-fleet, but the forces of Kejak are too strong. The enemy Sky-Trenches are cleansed of foes by the smoky breath of the Dragons and the angry fire of mounted Distort-Slings.
But the might of Heaven retaliated, and Obsidious, God of Sorcery had yet to play his hand. A whispering cloud of black crystal butterflies flutter around the Dragons, vexing them with cuts from their small, razored wings. Enraged, the dragons begin to buck their riders, and many die as the beasts lash out in confusion. The Dreamers leap free from the the high dragon's back before this could befall them, ejecting onto the floating fortress with his comrades as the fleet falls to chaos in the skies above. Iadanna spots their target; a large teleportation way-gate; led by Ignis' spear and the fists of Hattori, they battle their way through the enemy forces towards their goal, stepping through with a sickening pop and finding themselves somewhere entirely different.The architecture of Heaven's palaces defies thought in it's beauty and opulence, the walls themselves created perfectly to resonate the prayer energy of the mortals below. Forests of misty sung-glass and impossible sculptures stretched in endless galleries, but the here something was wrong.
Among the gardens and galleries stalked the hulking forms of War-Walkers, showered with arcs of force and a hail of arrows from above. The war had reached the gates of the Panopticon. Where once golden fountains flowed, pools of blood, and piles of human corpses lay scattered about. The ground beneath their feet quake as Creation's greatest army is hurled at the lone figure, the arch-betrayer and kinslayer, Heartfelt Laugher. His easy butchery of the human armies cannot be halted, and he is soon among the War-Strider tearing the mighty machines and their pilots limb from limb.
In one gold-and-scarlet chamber the interlopers find a pale skinned woman whose beauty is beyond comprehension. She stands weeping over the bloodied corpse of a scholarly man. The body is pierced with a thousand wounds, his face torn asunder but still recognisable as that of Desus: The All-Knowing, the Tormentor, advisor and interrogator for the Sun Council. The woman's screams repel the invaders, and as they retreat the woman turns into a mosquito and vanishes with the slain Exalted's form.Despite the bloodshed and chaos some areas of the Panopticon appear undisturbed. The interlopers stumble upon the famed Exalted Councillor Carnedine within the chapel-fortress; golden skinned and oblivious to their presence, he conducts foul acts upon captured mortals as if the fate of the world was not at stake. Hundreds lie dead or dying on his altars as the giant form of the near indestructible Exalted strides between them. Iadanna insists they put those incapacitated out of their misery when they can, and the knives of the group are stained with the blood of charity before long.
Heartfelt Laughter slays a dozen Walkers with a swing of his sword, his jovial bellows of joy mismatched to the sorrow around him. Walker projectiles bounce ineffectively off his blackened and bloody armour as he carves a path through them like a crimson dance…
The fortress monastery of Heaven was at once underground and above, the noise of battle heard from every direction. At it's centre stood a raised Circuit of the Jade Prison, guarded by an obese rabbit-headed guardian spirit. As the silver tongue of Hattori charmed the beast, the others revealed the package they had been carrying throughout the endeavour, the Turnkey. Simple instruments of brass and wood were unwrapped from the brown paper package and passed amongst the group, the guardian too focussed on the flattery of Hattori to waken from his stupor. Lute, drum, citar, and pipe were played inexpertly but their magical resonance filled the chamber. A great sense of vertigo assailed them, a resonant boom hurled them all to the ground and dark, freezing water erupted into the room from the stairwell below. As the vibrations reached fever pitch the Jade Circuit shattered and the air filled with raging seawater and debris, falling from above and below. The laughter of madness echoed from all directions, and as they struggled through the surging foam, the Dreamers' last sight was of the daemonic grin of the encroaching Kinslayer.
Heron Lake:
Those who would become the Circle awake from their stupor, the hallucinogenic Ghostfire tea of the Monks of Heron Lake granting them visions from the God of Wisdom to help open their minds. They are some of the dozen or so gathered in the central chamber of the Immaculate Monastery, gathered to speak in turn and hear the decision of Honoured Oak, the Senpai of the Heron Lake monastery. The Soldier, the Sage, the Hunter, and the Diplomat sit across from the Monks, ready to argue their cases.
Heron Lake Monastery
Each would speak their piece before the monks and await judgement. The Soldier would speak first, battered breastplate telling of years of war matched by the rough face of its' bearer. He asks for Lord Glassus' troops to help patrol the borders of the Riverlands, and in particular to hunt a group of bandits in Autumnstone. The Sage worried about the defense of his academic consortium; the Hexagram college. Members had been abducted from the wilds around the tower, suspected to be the victims of the same group of criminals. The Diplomat is less forthcoming in his testimony, asking only on behalf of his shadowy agency that the monks help search for his missing allies. His dark purple coat is immaculately clean and he is almost unnaturally attractive, every stitch of his clothes and line of his face in its perfect place. In contrast to this the Hunter wears a dirtied and frayed coat beneath his fine blue tunic. He wears the finery of a knight but speaks plainly, his wish for the monks to send spiritual guidance to the people of the Riverlands and help patrol its borders.
The monks deliberate for some time and return with a tied verdict, the monks disagreeing on some points but leaving the final verdict to Honoured Oak. Conservative in his views, he denies the request, acknowledging that he wishes to help the applicants but must first see to the security of his sanctuary. Their requests refuted, the speakers are approached by one of the abstaining Monks, who urges them to assist each other. The speakers agree. The Hunter would help with the bandits in Autumnstone, the Soldier offer the Diplomat protection while searching for his associates, and the Sage assist the others in the hope he would discover a solution to his colleges' problems in the process.
The newly formed group leaves the Immaculate Monastery and joins up at a tavern in the town at the foot of the mountain. Ignis the hunter, Iadanna the soldier, Mithrandis the sage, and Hattori the diplomat gathered and planned on the fresco of the Sly Monkey Teahouse. As the score of Iadanna's militia and half dozen of Ignis' hunstmen join them,
the newly formed Circle mounts up and rides towards Autumnstone.
Amidst the golden-brown stone outcrops and forests of Autumnstone the group finds a ruined temple, believing this desecration to be the work of the bandits in question. Although none are overly religious they all find it within themselves to spend the day rehabilitating the old crumbling temple. Iadanna sends his men to prop up the shattered statues while Ignis' men hunt animals to sacrifice to the local deity, the Gossamer Sage. Mithrandis uses his knowledge of this local religion to facilitate the repairs in the temple and feeling revitalised the group moves on.
The huntsmen track the bandits for several more days but lose their tracks near a town unmarked on maps. Within the town they see a group of gathered townsfolk and some dozen mounted figures. Leaving the militia in the tree line for support, the Circle rides into town. The mounted men are revealed to be riders from House Yergo, a nearby noble house renowned for their wealth and arrogance to match it. Their red tunics are dusty from riding and worn over heavy armour, their leader resplendent in full lacquered red plate as he argues with a local man in raised voices. The Circle investigates the disturbance, finding it to be the wedding day of two of the local townsfolk. It seemed the noble born had come to claim his right of first night, an archaic tradition not acted upon for hundreds of years. When pushed the noble grew aggressive, shouting down the questions of the Circle and ordering the woman checked for disease before he performed his duties. As Mithrandis inspects the girl Ignis berates the noble. He speaks of the indulgences of the wealthy and the immorality of the law and sensing the mood of the situation Hattori begins to slowly back his horse away from the arrayed knights. By the time Mithrandis returned from inspecting the bride the situation had become heated, both the mounted men and the Circle standing across from each with weapons raised. As the noble gestures to his men with a snarl, Ignis launches his spear towards the armoured men…
Chapter 2: The Evening Circle
[Exaltations, searching for Obsidious]
"Those who Failed in their duty to Heaven and Creation shall again walk the Earth. Thus it was once, and always should have been. Again they will turn their powers to the reshaping of All There Is, and again we will be there to watch, guide and counsel. We betrayed the Lords of the Morning, and the World is diminished for our actions. There is a chance that They can restore what was lost, and it will begin with these Lords of the Evening.
Reflections on the Coming Age; Daem Sedai, Counsellor to the Grand Marshal of Lookshy, 680 the 2nd Age
As Ignis' launched spear takes the noble in the shoulder with a thud the horsemen begin to charge, the men of House Yergo on foot forming a defensive grouping and advancing after their mounted allies. Ignis barely dodges aside as the lances of the cavalry sweep past him and a counter attack from Iadanna and his warhound manage to take one of the riders from his saddle as his horse is killed beneath him. As the infantry close with the Circle Ignis shouts to the assembled townsfolk to flee to the woods until the trouble is resolved and sends his huntsmen to see that they do so safely. From the edge of town Iadanna's militia arrive, piling into the Yergo infantry forces still reeling from the large stone totemic pillar that had been collapsed on them by an intuitive townsperson moments earlier. As he teeters on the edge of the melee Hattori suddenly vanishes in a swirl of smoke.
Everything seemed to slow for Hattori as two figures approached him from the swarming mass of townsfolk. They informed him that his point of exaltation had come, as had been foretold. They offer him a choice but with the weave of fate now drawing in his vision Hattori knows what his answer was always going to be. The sign on his brow shines gold as he is whisked away by magic, the knowledge and power of the Sidereals flowing into him. Time seemed to stop entirely for him as he arrived at the chambers of the Sidereals, study and training necessary before he could facilitate the futures of the rest of the Circle.
Ignis leaps atop the broken totemic pillar to gain vantage and spots another half dozen bandits riding in from the road west of town. As they gallop past the sign reading Burnspar he begins nock and fire arrows, demounting two of the riders before they reached him. Distracted by his arrows the townsfolk had managed to fully evacuate to the forest, a fact that eased Ignis' mind as the lances of the charging knights forced themselves through his chainmail and into the flesh beneath.
As he fell, his blood and weapons spilled around him. As his form settled on the muddy ground the light around him seemed to dim. The bandits gathered around to finish their kill and reeled as a beam of light shot down from above. Piercing the clouds and scattering the attackers as it shot straight into Ignis' chest, his eyes now glowing with a holy white light as pure power flowed through his veins. He rose pulsing with energy and as a set of wings forged of pure light burst from his back he swept after the now fleeing bandits, intent on revenge.
As the fighting began in earnest the frightened bride fled towards the local crypt, followed by one of the red-clad bandits. Mithrandis and his faithful hound Frosty followed them, catching the bride and her attacker at the doors to the ancient crypt and slaying him with ease. As he attempted to console her Mithrandis found himself drawn to the crypt. Seeing the fighting essentially complete outside he strode further inwards, eventually reaching a dark mausoleum deep below the surface of Burnspar. On a plinth in front of him sits a dark and ancient tome, within its pages tales and histories of the ancient God of sorcery: Obsidious.
Within the sealed vault of the tomb, Mithrandis found ancient tunnels carved with an ancient pictographic tongue. Bearing the heavy tome, he followed the winding passages, losing all track of time. His winding upward progress led him through rough-hewn burrows, broken earth chambers and the dusty remnants of an underground civilisation. At the last, he emerged into the Ghostly library of Obsidious, where a skeleton-spirit still rummaged for prophecies to sell. Long removed from the it's resting place, the tome was returned to it's inset on a stone table, unlocking the ley-lines of the Manse of Prophecy. Knowledge and power surged into Mithrandis' body, crackling from his fingertips and disturbing the dust around him in swirling clouds. Seizing the legacy of the All-Knowing Scholar, his Twilight Exaltation was accompanied by a flow of memories, and visions of the soft, insistent voice of his former incarnation, the infamous Desus.
Iadanna and his twenty men easily massacre the remaining bandits, once believed to be of house Yergo. Although some of the militia fall Iadanna does not dwell on it, the calm of the battlefield like a drug he had been too long without. As the last of the bandits fell their leader rose from his toppled horse, his once noble persona now entirely gone as he flees with bared teeth into the dark forests of Autumnstone. Instructing his men to secure the area Iadanna cleans his blade and makes chase, intent on slaying this enemy himself. He laughs slightly to himself as he follows his warhound after the scent of the fleeing man through the dense boughs of the forest.
Coldras tirelessly runs down the fleeing man, cornering and slaughtering him over pleas of mercy.When he finally notices the broken lance-point jutting from his shoulder, he staggers and is embraced by the soft earth. He feels himself being pulled, awakening half-way free of a shallow grave. He wanders a hellish landscape of ghosts and bone trees, approaching a castle made of stacked bodies. Within he speaks again to the familiar, beautiful figure of the Princess Magnificent, who makes him an offer while standing before a black and immense void. She refers to the darkness as the Lion, and seals their arrangement with the soul of one of the fallen militia. As he is dragged back out of purgatory, he hears an echo of the name Laughing Hungry Slaughter. Coldras re-emerges into the world on a tower of blood-soaked bone that erupts from the earth, appearing more sinister, monstrous and deadly but feeling only numbness and gripping hunger.
Ignis and Hattori would be the first to return. The former stands taller now, his forehead still bearing the banner of the Dawn Caste and his wings of lightning beating a slow rhythm as they glow with energy. Hattori is seems unchanged at first before one realises all the qualities he had before were magnified. His elegance and beauty had become inhuman, his purple coat now lined with gold and so impossibly well fitted that elements of it seemed to contradict others. He wears a large sword on his back and walks like he knows how to use it. Soon Mithrandis would return, the sign of the Solar exalted also blazing upon his brow. He stands now not with the hunch of a long time academic but the confidence of a king, the stance of a man who understood nearly all of Creation. Ignis' huntsmen approach him but he does not remember them, mind filled as it is with the power of heaven, and they take places amongst Iadanna's irregulars with sheepish looks. Their commander would return some time later, taller and gaunter than when he left. The lance wound to his shoulder received minutes earlier had somehow both festered and healed, the lance head itself still lodged in his shoulder and covered in mould. Ignis calls him by his name, to which he replies "That is my name, no longer. I am simply Hunger." His skin is white and almost translucent and his hair is stained red with his own blood. He seems to not recognise Hattori and in turn he is given a look of disgust by the man.
As the common folk begin to return from the forest and gawk at what they fearfully call Anathema, the Circle makes a quick exit from town, leaving the surviving captured bandit to the mercy of the townspeople. They are drawn to the north, to the town of Greyfall, where Mithrandis says they will find the centre of the missing Prophet-God's manse, and may lead them to the tombs of their former Exalted incarnations. Within they hope to reclaim the artefacts weilded in their past lives. As they ride they discuss their intentions with their new powers, Hunger aiming to entirely wipe out the Crimson Empire while Ignis speaks of excising the corruption within the current system. Mithrandis believes the current rulers, exalted known as 'Dragonblooded', should be overthrown and replaced by Solars. Although opinions differ on methods all of the Circle agreed that something had to be done about the large corrupt empire threatening the Riverlands.
However before any grand schemes could be brought into place the Circle felt inexorably drawn to the site of their deaths in the previous age, the tombs of the last holders of their exaltations holding the final elements to unlock their new power. The tombs were to be found at the ruins of the Panopticon, somewhere near the town of Greyfall.
The ruins of Greyfall
Chapter 3: Panopticon
[Tunnels under Greyfall, the search for ancient tombs]
Where they tread, Shadow shall bloom and men will grieve to see the works they wreak. When they whisper, the strands of Fate shall be struck to their chord and rivers and armies will shift in their course. When they speak, Truth shall spark out across the land and where they soar, the skies shall be set to Light in their wake.
Reflections on the Coming Age; Daem Sedai, Counsellor to the Grand Marshal of Lookshy, 680 the 2nd Age
The Chosen went forth from the village of Burnscour, leaving the bloodied bandits to the justice of the townsfolk. Though the earth at first had quaked beneath their feet, the tumult quietened as their haloes dimmed. They walked long miles beneath a canopy of crimson-orange leaves through winding paths that led to the rocky foothills around Greyfall. They passed abandoned farms and crumbled walls, though it has been scant months since word was last received from the city. Their fears were confirmed when they beheld the once-great fortress set against the sky. It's high walls were cast down, it's buildings smouldering and partially demolished. The long walk to it's gates was a wary one, and soon the heaped bodies and other signs of slaughter became evident. On searching the ruins, the Circle agreed that the terrible Wyld Hunt must have passed this way, killing, torturing and nailing townsfolk and soldiers to the various totems of unsanctioned worship. As they stand in congress, a flicker of movement draws the companion's eyes, and leads them into a smooth-cut series of tunnels below ground.
Leaping to the chase, Hunger storms into the tunnels and arrives on the heels of a troupe of men with goggles, armour coats and strange clockwork bows. He tears in among them without hesitation, their shouts in a strange tongue turning to death-screams. The Circle pursue the fleeing figures, battering down a heavy wooden door and breaking into a cavern scattered with strange and towering metal objects. Mistaking the dusty Riverlanders cowering within for slaves, the Exalted slaughter many of the armoured 'Mole Men' before they hear pleas for mercy in a language they understand.
The group claim to be Sappers of House Tepet, a leading military faction of the powerful foreign empire The Realm. They have mistaken the Exalted for the Dragonblooded of whom they have heard legends, but Hattori swiftly sees through their ruse. In truth they are Riverlanders of Northlyn, veterans in search of a hermit whom they believe is a war-criminal of the 3rd Scavenger conflict. They ride is a strange First-Age chariot called a Spectrum Drill, which enables travel across vast distances by boring into and skimming through a nearby dimension slightly out of tune with reality. The Circle commandeers the chariot and force the surviving Mole Men to crew it. The Riverlanders are left to find their own way out of the tunnels and back home, happy to have survived an encounter with the Anathema.
The Drill enables Desus to chart a course into the Other Realm and directly to the outer reaches of the Panopticon, from whence he is sure he will be able to see the tombs of the Circle's former selves. The vessel squeals and protests, it's pilot-spirit warning sternly against their decision, but dutifully burning through the engine's remaining essence to deliver the Chosen to their destination.
Within the Panopticon
The halls of the Panopticon stink of open rot, the scarlet-gold chambers blackened and corrupted by a Shadowlands' influence, slowly seeping through the cracks in it's outer boundaries over the centuries. Within, the Chosen feel somewhat suffocated, the flow of new-found power pinched off by the weight of the Darkness. All save for Hunger, who draws strength and satisfaction from the foulness pooling in the shadows. Employing a stolen Essence Compass, the Circle navigates the eerie black-marble caverns, descending towards the centre of the dimly-remembered place.
Drawn to a flaring Essence, the Chosen finally enter a spherical chamber within which hangs suspended a prisoner in glowing chains. The old man is being tormented by cackling blue-skinned creatures, unnatural sprites of pure magic known to some as Hobgoblins. With a stomach-turning lurch, the Circle realise they it is they who are suspended far above the scene; burdened with that insight, they begin to fall. With a shriek, winged Harpies descend on them, firing wicked, barbed bows. Quick-witted Hattori races across path of dark, slick stone, forged by his sheer force of will. His fists and sword flicker forward with whip-crack impacts, smashing apart the spindly creatures in showers of sparks. Hunger descends like a comet-fall, crashing sword-first into the Terracotta Soldiers lurching to life across the floating platform. Ignis soars on blazing wings, striking aside the whistling arrows and hurling bolts of lightning into the fray. With a flash of fire from Desus' staff, the combat is concluded. Unharmed in a burning circle, the white-haired captive growls at bay.
Chapter 4: Deep Sea Salvage
[Tomb-robbers interrupted]
Hattori's sharp questioning reveals the chained man as the once-great General Tepet himself, one of twelve heirs to the Scarlet Throne. He has been hunted in his exile by the Riverlander armies he once battled, led by the Sappers from Northlyn the Chosen have already encountered. He demands a warrior's death in exchange for the location of the Circle's lost tombs, asking that they bring forth the 'children of his foes' to commit the deed. With a great surge of willpower the Circle summons the twin leaders of the Sappers, Dartey and Yuki, from their search in the Panopticon's outer regions. They are surprised, but quickly fall to debate over the proper fate of an Exalted 'war criminal'. Desus points out that if he faces trial before the Gods, Tepet may be denied reincarnation through the passing on of his Exaltation. Over the chained Dragon's snarls, it is eventually decided that he should be taken, still in his essence-blocking chains, to face judgement. The twins vanish with him, and the Chosen press southward.
They descend down an inverted pyramid, its stepped sides forming a great amphitheatre around which hundreds of ashen skeletons and scorched trees are strewn. At the base they find a well, reaching down through murky seawater to a cavern and a shattered wasteland of moss-covered architecture. The Circle surmise that they are walking the edge of crater where the Panopticon fell from Heaven into the sea. Coral and barnacles cover a landscape of whale-bones and broken ships. Amid the ruins, salvage teams of rotting shadow-land soldiers are spotted, commanded by a ghostly figure as they unearth grey-jade standing stones. Sure that this mysterious industry will lead back to the lost tombs, Hattori steps sideways out of reality and follows the Ghost's slave-drawn chariot to the gates of a magically preserved sanctum. Under a steady rain of seawater from the cracks in the cavern above, the Circle moves through the dry reefs dispatching the Gargoyle patrols they encounter. Ignis is forced to break from the group to pursue a flock of the creatures overhead, and vicious aerial struggle breaks out as he defends a salt-crusted belltower from their efforts to raise the alarm.
The strange ambassador.
Within the Sanctum gardens, a spell-circle has been constructed from whale-bones and salvage, captive priests of the former Gossamer Cult bound at the centre to fuel the ritual. A strange meeting is taking place as the patricians are herded forward, the spectral necromancer in congress with a bizarre figure of wood and flame, flanked by hulking Buck-Ogres. Desus quickly surmises that the spell will unlock and plunder their tombs. Intent on disrupting the magic, Hunger stampedes out among the labourers, carving one from it's feet, before a fair voice rings out and calls him to a challenge.
Slender Coiling Vengeance slithers down the staircase into the gardens, spitting venomous threats and taunts to the former Seargent Coldras. A Haemonculous of a slain former foe, she strikes out at the Abyssal with cold, measured hatred, slicing thin, bleeding furrows in his armour. Desus is assaulted by the illusions and glamours of the strange elemental, revealed as an ambassador of the mind-bending Fair Folk. The clash of their spells overhead rains destruction everywhere, casting the scene in a sepulchral crimson through the misting seawater. The ritual is cut short when Hattori's blade erupts out of nowhere through the necromancers ribs, the Sidereal blurring from place to place in a cyclone of spinning attacks. As the Buck-Ogres thunder forth, they are carved apart or burned from their feet by blade and spell.
the Haemonculus Slender Coiling Vengeance
Sliced in a dozen places by razor-thin cuts, Hunger grits on through the duel with a hellish grin. The impossibly deft Vengeance hisses in rage as the Fair Folk ambassador vanishes and the Circle closes in around her. The Shadowlanders barge into Hunger and run him through, buying time for her reluctant retreat. After they are slain, Hunger gorges himself on one of the prisoners, to the discomfort of his Circlemates. He slumps, blood drenched, to slowly recover against a ruined pillar.
Desus pours an immense font of Essence into the circle, unlocking the portal and transporting the chamber to the hidden tombs of Golden Carnedine, Heartfelt Laughter and Desus the All-Knowing. The sarcophagi willingly surrender their contents as the Circle approach, save for Hunger who is forced to smash through the stone, destroying his mundane sword. Clad once again in their glorious panoply, the Chosen pause beneath the great statues of their former selves to meditate, recover essence, and discuss their plans for a renewed Solar Deliberative.
Chapter 5: Ghostfire Tea
[Empire building]
Shouldering the bounty of their former incarnations, the Circle leave the gloomy confines of the tomb. They emereg into a ruined landscape of trees and stone, all tumbled aside by the emergence of the great pyramidal tomb from beneath the earth. Amidst the destruction
Emerge from tomb, encounter Sentinels. Learn about Sentinels, and waiting refugees. Guide refugees back to Greyfall, Feaky designs and begins manse construction. Oliver cements alliance with Sentinels, invests in merchantile company. Cal builds defences, recruits city watch. Conclave with Percival, Horandil and Lady Quy. Negotiations with ambassadors of Kento and Pei; gold, maps, and food in exchange for non-aggression vs wine, masons and architects in exchange for moving against Kento. Greyfalls still basically a walled slum.
Rebuilding Greyfall
Troublemakers try to gain entry into guard, no ambassador from Glassus. Travel to Glassus, find it occupied. Lotus Company rearranging temples. Clash with commander, meet "Guardian". Glassus the Younger, Lady Glassus. Daimyo being fed cursed Ghostfire Tea. Ignis challenges and kills the Dragonblooded Bureaucrat. Glassus the younger warns of Orc barbarians, agrees to friendship with Greyfalls.
House Glassus
Chapter 6: Endless Faced Spite
[Culling Orcs and a siege]
Receive reports from the Sentinels; Orcs maraud across the lands, desecrated shrines are causing the dead to rise across the land. Desus consults the Elder Monk. Learns of refugees led by Yuki and Dartey, bearing a 'terrible burden', making for Greyfall. Circle sets out to protect them.
Circle passes the Heptagram College where Desus is initiated at the rank of 'Master'. He receives visions, and a warning from Obsidious that General Tepet must survive. At the summit, the mysterious high Wizard is revealed as Lilith, former wife of Desus. She has been using the Orcs to hold back the progress of civilisation/ 'prevent the onset of a great darkness'. She flees, rather than fighting Desus.
?
The forest rises in service of Lilith
Tracking the Orcs; found ranging in a bamboo forest near Whitemeadow. Orcs wear bark armour, are svelte and tattooed. Ignis destroys Orc Braves, draws fire. Desus assaults Orc Hunters, drowns them with mud whirlpool, sets wildfire. Treeants attack, all engage. Hunger destroys Treeants, duels Treeman, wins despite heavy wounds. Throughout combat, undead dragon slowly emerging from the mud. Dragon takes flight.
Militia have gathered to protect Whitemeadow, Odashi. All travel to Falcon Ridge, where shadowland mercenaries hold a ruin/fortified bridge against refugees making for Greyfalls. Speak to Yuki and Dartey, debate with Cavalry arriving from Kento. Hunger senses an oncoming undead army. All join the assault on the ruin. Hunger butchers infantry, Ignis strikes towertop. Kento leader revealed as Dragonblooded, leads charge on the courtyard, refugees seek shelter.
The creature 'Endless Faced Spite'
The Undead besiege the tower. Endless Faced Spite reveals himself as master of Princess Magnificent who held Hunger's Monstrance. Coiling Vengeance attempts to attack Hunger while he rebels against his Monstrance, they tumble from the towertop, locked in combat. Ignis battles the Dragon in the skies overhead, Desus activates the Tower's defences as Ghosts claw up through the floor below.