Catching up on some recent adventures!
The heroes take some time for a much-deserved break, doing a bit of shopping and relaxation, before an urgent request arrives from Seaquen, requesting a return as soon as the heroes can. Sharing one last evening with their hosts in Dassen, they leave for their "home base" in the morning.
The (Dwarf) Barbarian takes a moment to formally introduce his family to the team's (elf) archer, whom he's been courting... an encounter that goes about as well as can be expected; while Lord Dashgoban is congratulatory but ultimately uninterested, the barbarian's father is dismissive and snide, calling her just another of his son's fads, implying that Bast is continuing to abandon his homeland. The next day, the crew is equipped and celebrated as they depart Bresk to go south. Several minor dignitaries see the heroes off, while they are attended by a number of civilians... one of whom, a young dwarven girl (likely in her early teens), seems oddly familiar to a party member.
In Seaquen, Headmaster Simeon Gohanach is eager to hear about the events in Dassen, but before sharing new developments, cautions the heroes about sharing too much information, as he fears Ragesian Spies are probably already in the Lyceum; he intends to compartmentalize missions to the extent he can. Once everyone arrives, including the pyromancer Katrina and a refugee monk named Three Weeping Ravens, he outlines the situation:
Ragesia seems to be covering far too much ground for them to hold, seemingly searching for something rather than just a war of conquest... perhaps the Torch of the Burning Sky. To that end, Castle Korstull, a fortress in Sindaire, is where Emperor Coaltongue died, and the likely site of The Torch (or at least information leading to its whereabouts). It is also under an unending firestorm, and thus completely inaccessible. A team was already sent to the weather-aligned Monastery of Two Winds in Ostalin, but the team has broken off communication after some strange comments.
Beating Ragesia to The Torch is paramount; to that end, the mission is clear: get to the Monastery as fast as possible, find out what happened to the other team, and solicit aid from the monks to gain access to Castle Korstull. The only wrinkle in that plan...?
...Teleportation.
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Back in Seaquen, the squad learns of their next mission, and prepare to leave for Ostalin. Many of their trusted allies are doing well... Tiljann is performing with the Wayfarers, while Haddin is establishing himself in South Harbor. Katrina is now an important member of the Resistance leadership, while Crystin offers an unsettling vision she had of their next adventure, of a measuring scale teetering wildly, before collapsing under its own weight. The team persuades the Lyceum to provide a Fire Elemental, to awaken the Ring of Elemental Control.
As Wayfarer Guildmistress Sheena Larkins collects the needed protections for a long-range teleportation, the crew meets well outside the city to avoid the Teleportation Beacon still in effect. At midnight, with wards in place, the team travels to the Ostalin city of Yen-Ching... only to find themselves pulled into a trap! Another teleportation beacon draws them into a trap, under the watchful eye of Ostalin forces in the city. After a hasty surrender, the heroes are led to speak with the lord of this camp, a mysterious, imposing figure...
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The Lord of Ostalin, Khagan Onamdammin, greets the crew after their teleportation misfortune in the city of Yen-Ching. He challenges their story of how and why they came to his lands, but seems to accept their claims as true. After explaining that he knows of Seaquen's plight, he admits considering providing aid, but as the heroes are already going to the village of Eresh, he requests that they meet with - and impress - his friend Pilus to earn his favor.
That night, in the harem of the Khagan, the team is mostly able to relax, while hearing stories of Onamdammin's great influence... and capacity for cruelty. It seems clear that his odd genetic heritage is likely artificial; biomancy has given him the body he sports today.
Departing for the Monastery of Two Winds the next morning, the team hastens to the foot of the mountains making up Ostalin's northern border. There, they begin the climb towards Eresh. Several hand-cut stairways aid the climb into the mountains, though the final stairs seem to be missing, somehow shattered and turned to rubble. Further, movement at the top of that ridge seems do indicate a protective crew watching.
Fearing an interruption, a hastily-laid plan is hatched with a portable hole and multiple castings of invisibility. A wall of fire briefly interrupts the situation, but in due time, the team silently flies over the Ragesian forces arrayed to intercept unwanted visitors. A half mile down the road, the crew can emerge with some degree of safety, looking over the distant valley of Eresh below... along with the Ragesian camp, parked right at the entrance to the city.
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Cautiously regarding the Ragesian camp, the team eventually decides to do a brief scouting mission... but the one scout is suddenly hit by a wave of magic that leaves her disinterested and distracted. Making her way back to camp, everyone notes her odd behavior, and after some nervous testing, realizes that the magic is akin to Calm Emotions, and awakens her with a carefully measured slap to the face.
Deciding to circumvent the camp, they move along the perimeter wall of Eresh, discovering to their dismay that the general field of magical emotion suppression is much, much larger than just the camp, but that it extends well into the city itself.
Carefully finding their way to an inn that Three Weeping Ravens suggests, the crew seeks to gain rooms for the night, while avoiding the numerous Ragesians who seem to be lazing about, as if on shore leave, rather than an invading force. There, they speak to Thashalanos, the elven proprietor of the tavern, along with two monks whom seem trapped in the magical spell of calm. Escorting them out of the main dining room, they head upstairs for more clear answers as to what the hell is going on...
