6-16-22CR: In the morning, the group arrives safely back in Aerendale; they are immediately ushered into a suspiciously vacant guardhouse and interrogated by a human male who identifies himself as “Jarious Estenbur” of the Army Welfare Division.  He is visibly shocked that they survived the experience in Caladan Forest, and asks all sorts of strange questions which seem quite out of the ordinary for a standard debriefing (how did they escape Caladere’s underground cells, etc.). 

6-17-22CR: The party decides to spend the day with temple girls at the Bright Lady getting a thorough physical and spiritual cleansing.  They enjoy a day of relaxation and bliss under the tender ministrations of the priestesses, washing away fear, pain and sorrow from their recent trials.

6-18-22CR: Nathaniel and Essedar return to the Malok-Gorthai embassy in the government district to report the deaths of Vaniok, Krinia and the other orcish retinue.  Nathaniel is dismayed to learn that Ambassador Emery has been relieved of his post for reasons unknown.  Later that afternoon while enjoying a meal at the Orc’s Head in remembrance of their lost friends, they overhear assassins plotting their demise when Nathaniel activates Cereborn’s perception ability.  The two assassins are a rough looking bald tattooed human male and a battle-scarred, feral looking wolf morph.

6-19 – 6-25-22CR: All four of the party’s members are recruited into the Hall of Knowledge, and they spend a week familiarizing themselves with the facilities available in Aerendale, training up to 3^rd level, and dueling in the Battle Arena.  Nathaniel experiments with his amulet Cereborn, and discovers its ability to quicken one of his spells once a day (as per the metamagic feat Quicken Spell).

6-26-22CR: It’s an errand day!  Zara, Nathaniel, Essedar and Telenvor buy some new gear with their hard-earned treasure, wander through the city taking in the sights and sounds of Sun Park and the merchant’s district, have a lunch of ale and fish-n-chips at Sandy’s, and finally meander over to the government district to request a personal audience with President Weylorn Orren and Vice President Miyra.

6-27-22CR: While exploring the city’s more off-color locations, the group discovers some citizens with plague symptoms in the Red Paths slums.  The Red Paths are named for the blood that ran ankle-deep in the gutters during the Battle of the Wall immediately prior to the Convergence. Some inhabitants of the slums are developing the glassy eyed, dazed non-responsiveness that Zara and Nathaniel noticed among the citizens of Caladere before that town fell into ruin.

6-28-22CR: In the morning during their ongoing investigation of the plague, the party deals with a minor riot, defusing tensions in the Red Paths without violence thanks to some good diplomacy from Zara.  Later that day, Nathaniel and Essedar work together with the clerics at the Temple of Shandae to discover that potions of cure disease made with Zorfronds can cure the plague symptoms of the infected citizens.  

After the riot, they return in the evening to distribute a few prototypes of the special potions to the inhabitants of the slum.  However, a group of undead including 4 shadows attacks from the recently-exhumed Tomb of Auernoth, and Nathaniel is killed fighting them when he overextends himself on the front lines of the battle.  After a brief but terrifying struggle for his very soul in the Plane of Shadow, Nathaniel is raised from the dead at the Temple of the Bright Lady.  The purging of the shadow essence from his body and soul leaves a permanent mark, however: a single tear of deepest black – a stain of shadow essence – now scars his face under his left eye.

6-29-22 CR: The group takes a full day of rest as Nathaniel recuperates from being raised; the Tomb of Auernoth is temporarily sealed by the Hathoraen authorities.  Essedar and Zara work with the clerics of the Temple of Shandae to formulate an exact plague cure with potions of cure disease brewed with Zorfronds. 

6-30-22 CR: In the morning, Protector Londario, of the Walker’s Shield order, arrives on assignment from President Weylorn, to serve and protect the party in any way he can as they work on behalf of the city and the nation. They pick up several cases of the potions and return to the Red Paths to distribute the plague cure to the sick.  After the new cure has been distributed to innocent Hathoraens in the slum, it is proven to work quickly and well.  This is a significant victory for the party, and after a few days, the Red Paths are quiet and calm, and the plague has subsided.

Falling Stars, Rising Hope