The battle continues onward with our group being torn apart by Zariel and her minions.
Zariel speaks, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade: “I see why the five of you have given my Erinyes so much trouble.” She points directly at RC and declares, “I need you alive.” Her gaze shifts to Brylwynn, and with a dismissive tone, she says, “I have no interest in trifling with Beshaba at this point.”
Turning her eyes to Glittr, she smirks and adds, “To kill you would take every ounce of your power—and I have your mother alive. She’s more valuable to me that way.”
Zariel then glances at Pearl and Caulkin, her eyes flitting between them as she plays an unsettling game of eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Without hesitation, she flies overhead, her wings beating like thunder. In one swift, merciless strike, she lashes her whip down at Caulkin’s unconscious form. The blow is fatal, and the life drains from him as the room falls silent.
She then readies her whip again, cracking it down upon Brylwynn.
RC tries to resummon Bahmut in his black form, and as he does, Zariel’s gross, disgusting chain rips out from her chest right towards him. She screams “At least, what I’ve come here for!” as laughs manically. She sucks the energy into her body as the staff she was holding begins to glow, as a white energy is not held within the orb on the end of her staff. “I will have the descent of Haephastus at my disposal and there’s nothing you mortals can do about it.”
RC notices the barest flicker of pain across Zariel’s face, as this absorption process of Bahmut took energy, and it cost her a great deal of energy.
I will have the other three forms!”
After all is said and done, Bahmut’s new form does emerge successfully. RC screams to Queen Titania, “YOU’RE THE QUEEN. DO SOMETHING!”
As RC makes a draconic cry, Zariel uses a legendary action to teleport from the battle saying, “I will have the other three forms. This was just the beginning for when I return, I will take the other three forms of Haephastus” as she teleports away in a fiery blast.
Combat carries on as one of them takes down Brylwynn, as Pearl revives her quickly. The crazier sisters screams out “I won’t leave until our sister has gotten her revenge!”
RC takes an overwhelming amount of damage from one of the sisters. He hangs on the best that he can, but unfortunately he sucussmbs to his injuries as well.
As RC falls Glittr becomes filled with rage, swinging his maul with all of his might, striking down one of the sisters as his maul reverberates with a “ding.” He realizes that he hit her straight in the heart, and that’s what his maul made contact with. All that’s left behind is a black orb, that’s almost humming with energy.
The only sister says, “You will not escape my judgement a third time! Sister, come to me.” As she says this, a black energy comes from where her sister once was and it coalesces. A black ball of energy forms in her hand as she takes a bite out of it.” As he bites it, her exalted form begins mutating in front of us. A gross process unfolds in front of us, as a darkness ripples across her. A black ooze forms, and two additional sets of black wings appear out of her back. A large eye forms on her chest. She then uses a legendary action to teleport away.
Glittr uses revivify and brings back Caulkin. As he crushes the 3 diamonds in his hand, they burst into the red, yellow, and orange magic colors he is familiar with as they breathe new life into Caulkin.
Brylwynn begins casting Raise Dead on RC. She holds her hands on his face, as green and gold energy drifts around her and through the wind around them. This magical wind whisps around RC. About halfway through the spell, she begins to feel tired as this is the longer spell that she can cast. As the periphery of her vision becomes fuzzy, a small voice in the back of her head during this time says, “Shh. My child. You have me to guide you now. Worry not for my magic will bolster yours.” She feels the fuzziness fade away as she is given strength to finish casting the spell for the remaining 30 minutes. She does not recognize the voice she heard in her head nor the symbol that flashed in her vision.
Caulkin’s Death - In his mind as she begins to die, he thinks of his mother. He’s always had the drive to find his mother and he is realizing his failure. He dreams up a picture of what he thinks his mother looks like, and the image of his mother e mbracing him. The image burns away before him as he feels rage towards the creature that ended his life. Death feels very cold for him as he feels a desperate for vengeance, wanting to bite the throat of the create that killed him.
RC’s Death - This probably isn’t the first time RC has experienced death. As things grow dark she says, “Ah shit, it’s been a while since I’ve been her” and he feels down on himself having Bahmut be stolen. He starts to second guess him being the protector of Bahmut. As he drifts away, he feels a warm, fiery passion take over him. As this happens, Bahmut stands over him body saying, “No, don’t! Wake up!”
During this house of unconsciousness, he feels someone trying to hold his soul away from the material plane. A regal sounding voice speaks to him saying, “Ah. On the precipice of death once again. It seems RC that your friends have not yet given up on you. Even as we speak, your friends try to tether you to the material plane. Bahmut has faith in your ongoing success. No one could have predicted that Zariel would have taken the libery to seek out Bahmut herself. It is a plan that no one foresaw, but I foresaw this in a way that my fellow aspects of Bahmut could not. For, I am his eye [...] time is but an ilusion to me. Your time is not done and you have so much more to give. Do not lose faith and remember Bahamut’s teachings.”
Upon waking up, RC wakes up and casts Bahmut back in his blue form.
While Brylwynn is bringing back RC, Fey comes up to Pearl and interreupts her prayer on Brylwynn and RC. Pearl inquires while Fey is here to which Fey says the Raven Queen told her to come here, to accomplish something. The sisters share that the Raven Queen hasn’t told either of them what to do yet on this plane, rather just to come here.
Fey asks what’s new with Pearl and the group and Pearl fills her in briefly. Fey offers to offer her support to our group when she also completes her tasks for the Raven Queen. Fey says that she is also her sister and she wants to move forward with Pearl on her side as they two of them hug. Pearl gets choked up, trying not to cry.
“It is alarming to me that The Raven Queen hasn’t blessed you yet” Fey says, as she pulls out a sword. Fey accuses Pearl of resisting their benefactors, The Raven Queen and Prince of Frost, which Pearl justifies given all of which she has been through in our adventures.
Fey speculates that something much darker is happening with the Prince of Frost, and The Raven Queen.
As Pearl and Fey speak, Caulkin thanks Glittr for reviving him. Glittr states that no thanks are needed as his Oath isn’t just to Lliira, but to their group as well. Caulkin asks what Glittr did to keep him going after he died and he replies, “Think of what wakes you up each day.” Caulkin says that the only thing that used to fuel him was getting revenge for the death of his father, but that is gone and he wants to get revenge for whatever harms his party.
During this hour, Queen Titania talkies stock of her troops and meets with her guards. She gets the portal opened to her realm sealed up from where the Erinyes came in from. After this hour and everyone is revived she says, “Now that you’re all in tip-top shape, we have much to discuss.” We will get you to private chambers and we will reconvereme tomorrow. Meet me again tomorrow morning. Her guard, Spring, takes us down the steps to a private chamber. She states that it’s been months since a mortal has stayed in the queen’s residences.
In the room for the night, RC wonders why Queen Titania didn’t have more guards up before the fight with Zariel and the two Eryines broke out.
Caulkin brings up the portal and the dragon that attacked us as we entered to Feywild. Pearl nervously stands up and announces to the group what transpired. She reveals “It is my fault that we got blasted by Claugiyliamatar. I know we passed by that gem in the tunnel, but I had Thava go back and try to get it. I’m sorry I put us in more danger.”
Caulkin says that Pearl must pay the consequence and tries to get her to eat old jerky, putting her life in danger.
Fey chimes in, teasing that Pearl should have at least gotten away with the gem.
The group settles in at night. As we ready for bed, Bahmut walks up to RC and speaks with him. Bahmut tries to comfort RC about his death earlier today. Bahmut says that he wasn’t able to get back into his eyepatch and it felt awful being suspended in limbo like that. RC says, “I hate to say it, but remember that feeling and harden yourself. I feel as if that won’t be the last time that will happen” speaking very frank with Bahmut. He reminds him to stay close moving forward and that we will continue to fight. RC shares that when she absorbed his white form that it feems like it took a lot of energy and life force from Zariel.
Bahmut says that he needs to be honest with RC. They feel that elemental bond and affinity when he is summoned, but he feels like losing that elemental strength, with every part of hi taken, a piece of his power is taken too. Bahmut feels weaker with both his red and white forms missing. RC reminds Bahmut to leave the fighting to us and to fall back.
Bahamut now have a -1 nerf to his damage die. His breath weapon is now a level 2 spell instead of a level 3.
We wake up in the moring, having taken a long rest. The night before RC case Legend Lore on Queen Titania. He learns that she is very strong and powerful. Most of what he gets is that the Feywild is a mirrored image of the material plane. The portals between the Feywild and the Material plane are easier to summoned compared to other places. He also learns that throughout history a lot has been done in order to maintain separation from the planes. If something bad happens in the material plane, it can happen in the Feywild or Shadow plane. If something was going to decimate the material plane, Queen Titania has stepped onto the material plane to stop it from happening. She’s done this only a handful of times. She would be Lawful Neutral.
The dryad takes us to Queen Titania’s throne room. Her room is set up more for planning istead of hosting now. She speaks:
“I would apolozie for yesterday, but it is not my plan or intention that Zariel visits the Feywild. I know now that you can’t be trust, but you can be relied upon. RC obviously I summoned you here in particular for we share a similar blessing if you will, and the rest of you, we shared vested interests. I too in my encounters have been visited and blessed by the same deity as you. Bahamut has belsssed and aided me in many fights. I have summoned you here as this bow is a gift from him. I don’t think its a conincidence that this bow has found its way into your possession. This bow ws meant for my son, but it feels unfortunately my son is unable to bear this bow, so it has been passed onto another person. Do you think this is you?”
RC replies “I tired to use this bow when fixing the order of the giants and it didn’t respond to me, but since this, it has begun to. So since then, I do think the bow is in good hands.”
Queen Titania replies that she thinks Bahamut did good by giving RC the bow to use and protect the Feywild with. She feels the Feywild still needs her here and that our group must be burdened to carry on forward. “I suspect that you will now be prepared to use this bow, but you just need the command word. Draw forth this weapon, RC, and prepare yourself.”
He pulls out the bow and follows her instruction of preparing the bow, as if he was readying it to launch at an enemy. The bow now feels warm in RC’s hands and to his touch. As RC takes stance, Queen Titania corrects his form from behind, showing him an advanced stance with the longbow. “Do you hear that? That sound.” RC leans in and hears the bow say, “You are ready. Speak the command and your foes will fall before me.”
Queen Titania recites the command word dia stasis. RC restate the word,
Bahamut’s Bow of Light - A Magical Longbow
All ammunition is now magical
When the weapon is used with a range attack “May this deliver justice to evil.” This makes the enemy his sword enemy which he gets advantage on. If it hits his sworn enemy, they take an extra 3d6. All other weapons cause disadvantge for as long as his Sworn Enemy is alive.
He can do this 3 times a day.
She turns back to the rest of us. “You see my son, who has aided the three of you is in a dire position. On his head lies to true Crown of Thorns. What lies on you Brylwynn is just a mere portion of hits power. My son has worn its true power for centuries. [...] Centuries ago he found a crown inscired in abysal . I was weakened. A demon price from Avernus. Her son has tried to figure out. Through tie dire of beshaba. He was nearly destroedy by the power of this stone. His partner sent herself into the future to salvage both her life and his. Lireuna is The Raven Queen. She sacrifice herself years ago to thwart her son and his ramage. I have no seen him in all of this time. In order to weaken him, she split her son into 3 parts. The piece you carry is a piece of his soul. There are three aspects to my son. His souls is on the material place, his body is here, and his mind is in the shadowfell. I do not know that it means that after all this time that beshaba is intersted in all of thes relics. You will need to visit his body as his shrine to further uncover this mystery. I will lead you there but you will need to investigate yourselves. I suspect there is a soldier waiting for you at the mosoleum.
Hearing that 200 years ago, we worry that if Zarial is trying to release Tiamot again, that graz’zet is also trying.
Zariel’s Attack and Bahamut’s Loss
Zariel confronts the group, revealing her goals: to claim Bahamut’s forms for her plans involving the Descent of Hephaestus. She absorbs Bahamut’s white form, draining her own energy but gaining immense power.
Zariel teleports away, vowing to return for the other forms, leaving the party battered and shaken.
Fallen Allies and Miraculous Revivals
Caulkin dies from Zariel’s whip, experiencing visions of rage and longing for vengeance against his killer. Glittr revives him with Revivify, displaying his unwavering commitment to the group.
RC also falls but is revived by Brylwynn with the aid of an unknown celestial force, while he battles doubt and receives encouragement from Bahamut to continue his path as protector.
The Eryines’ Transformation and Departure
Glittr kills one of the Erinyes, leaving behind a mysterious black orb. The remaining sister consumes it, mutating into a grotesque, exalted form with additional wings and a chest eye, before teleporting away.
4. Pearl and Fey’s Reunion
Fey reveals her allegiance to the Raven Queen and Prince of Frost, questioning Pearl’s resistance to their influence. Fey speculates on darker forces at play and offers tentative support for the group’s journey.
5. Queen Titania’s Aid and Revelations
Queen Titania seals the Feywild’s portal and grants the party refuge. She gifts RC Bahamut’s Bow of Light, instructing him in its use and unlocking its power.
The Queen shares insights into the Feywild’s connection to the Material Plane and the dangerous ramifications of Zariel’s actions, entrusting the group with their critical mission.
6. Reflections and Recriminations
Pearl confesses to a risky decision involving Claugiyliamatar, sparking tensions within the group. Despite this, the team begins to regroup and strategize for the challenges ahead.
RC casts Legend Lore, learning of Queen Titania’s rare interventions in the Material Plane and her immense power, cementing her importance in the unfolding conflict.
7. Titania’s Son and the Crown of Thorns
Queen Titania reveals her son’s torment from the true Crown of Thorns, a cursed artifact tied to Beshaba. She hints at the party’s eventual role in freeing him and confronting the demon prince responsible.
8. New Strengths, New Threats
Bahamut’s diminished power following Zariel’s theft weighs on the group. RC resolves to protect Bahamut, bolstered by his new weapon but wary of the trials ahead.