Short on time the Broken Dawn quite literally leaped into action. Jumping from the deck of the Ragnarök with the capture crystal in hand Celeste sprouted immaculate wings of light and struck Alavashka’s face with her scythe rending massive wounds across his pulpy flesh. Shedinn followed leaping down to the titan’s head spraying it with fire. Leon was comfortable on the ship, he did however send his newly acquired shadow monsters down onto Alavashka’s back where they pecked at him like ticks on a bull, an ever distracting nuisance. The fight seemed to be turning in our hero’s favor. It did not remain that way.

With the simple brush of a fin Alavashka sent Celeste and Shedinn hurtling off its head. Sheinn was lucky enough to land on the battlements, Celeste on the other hand plummeted down to ground right in front of the behemoth. While she didn’t sustain any serious injuries from the fall worst was yet to come. Recovering form the sixty foot drop Celeste didn’t have nearly enough time to avoid Alavashka’s next attack, swallowing her whole. Leon did not take take kindly to the demon who from what he could best surmise just killed one of his only two friends. Leon immediately set about his revenge, wrapping Alavashka’s head in bramble and sending a harpoon straight into its eye socket, fully intent on ripping it out along with the eye. This plan did not come to fruition perfectly.

Celeste was still alive down inside the gullet of the beast, weather through the corrosive acid. Finally able to gather her strength she utilized her divine magic transporting herself safely from the bellow of the back to his head, striking him particularly vindictively and sending the creatures head lurching downward. The sudden movement came as a shock to Leon, Bailey and Aryon as their vessel was still connected to the beast’s skull. Sent crashing downwards Leon and Aryon were able to leap to the battlements with minimal injuries tearing Alavashka’s eye from its socket, Bailey was not so lucky.

The battle resumed on the wall as Shedinn and Aryon chipped away at the mountain of flesh, Celeste still riding the creatures head, Leon backed away from the front line to get away from the oppressive stench of death peppering the behemoth with arrows as he moved. Growing irritated by the creature smacking it’s face Alavashka finally smashed through the wall sending Shedinn narrowly avoiding being crushed while Aryon was knocked unconscious and left defenseless in the demonic tyrant’s path. But with precision cunning and sheer luck Celeste and Leon were able to force Alavashka back into the water, blasting him with arrows and divine magic.

Spotting an opening Shedinn utilized his Surfsurge Shoes to close the gap between him and Alavashka, plunging his sword deep in the demon’s throat with Yewtindel’s blood lust. With a flash of bright light the crystal finally activated, it’s arcane light purging Alavashka from from the world and leaving only the deformed corpse of Lord Norontus as remains. The remaining Maycon soldiers gathered around awestruck before breaking into thunderous cheering.

After several hours of recuperation the members of the Broken Dawn was brought before the king in his private study. In exchange for saving the realm King Reamus Tillen awarded our heroes with items from his personal vault, a generous sum of 24,000 gold and the status of royal nobility extending to both our heroes and their families. A little complicated considering that the only family member between the three of them is a patricidal paladin but still a very generous gesture.

Attending to unfinished business the party returned to the Stonefast Sentinel’s headquarters to resolve the situation with Yewtindel. Finally extracted from Shedinn a beautiful and scantily clad women appeared before our heroes. Yewtindel, the demon of personified rage was surprisingly articulate, and even more shockingly she was familiar with Leon. Apparently Yewtindel was the demon that was released by Baron Adrien in Gloomwrought… This did not sit well with Celeste who still had unfinished business with the Lich. Blades were swung, flames were fired but ultimatly the Broken Dawn persevered. However it became incredibly obvious that the party shouldn’t take the fact that they beat Alavashka for granted when fighting lesser demons as it was nearly there undoing fighting Yewtindel.

The chaos finally subsided a lone applauder revealed them self from the darkness. Lady Cantrell had stopped by to congratulate The Broken Dawn on there success in quarantining the demons and offer them a more permanent position as the new leaders of the Stonefast Sentinels. Bewildered by the sudden offer the party took a moment to ponder the opportunity.

Will the Broken Dawn take on the responsibilities of the sentinels? What new dangers await our heroes? And what old dangers will return? The adventure continues…

The Broken Dawn finally set down on the battlefield, mere yards away from the insidious Lord Norontus. The towering figure loomed over our heroes mockingly in opulent armor black as the night itself, hair flowing in the wind and Zaccheushe at his side he spoke. Mockingly he toyed with the Broken Dawn dismissing them. However something about Shedinn drew his ire, did he finally understand that demons had been turning on him? the answer would never be known. Leon had caught Norontus off guard, plunging an arrow into the dark lord’s chest mid monologue and sending him tumbling to the ground. The two groups enveloped between troops pouring from the Maycon ships along with Drenin reinforcements conjured as if from thin air the raging battle resumed.

Celeste squared off against Zaccheus looking to finish the fight she started many months ago in the hidden prison. The two exchanging blows faster than the human eye could follow. Shedinn summoning up the dark energies gifted him to him Yewtindel, grew in height and musculature, his hair becoming rigged. Sword in hand him and Aryon Faced Norontus head on… Leon hid behind a rock as he was nearly blasted with magical fire, shortly afterwards strange glowing runes appeared in his skin. The fight raged on the two parties intermittently maiming each other until Shedinn and Aryon managed to get the better of Norontus. With a flash of dark energy Zaccheus reappeared behind his former master now half demon. The tables had turned and the dark lord had been betrayed.

However as Norontus was slowly cut down by the five a crystal he wore around his neck began to pulsate quicker and quicker as if it was a heartbeat. Looking up his would be second in command Norontus uttered a simple phrase, “I can hear him again”. As if the earth itself had cracked in half the ground crumbled beneath our heroes sending them plummeting down into a black abyss. Splashing down in water the party regrouped on the near shore, dreading the worst the just happened as the newly reunited Alavashka and Norontus fled into the subterranean canals.

Shortly after being picked up by Bailey the party surmised that the most likely place Alavashka could be headed to was Lake Victoria. Racing to the capital The Broken Dawn had an unexpected encounter with another airship. The airship was carrying Lady Cantrell, a member of Maycon’s nobility and the decedent of a long dead Stonefast Sentinel. She was in possession of an artifact that could be Maycon’s salvation, a modified capture crystal created by Brie Slanger. With Alavashka still on the move towards Victoria our hero’s journey resumed post haste.

After several days of travel The Broken Dawn finally arrived, however Alavashka had arrived mere hours earlier and was laying waste to the outer walls. The beast was massive, sixty ft tall and a hundred and thirty ft long. Dead rotted flesh peeled from its moist, mangled and unnatural form. Tentacles lined it’s dorsal structure along with a series of massive serrated fins. The Broken Dawn gazed upon the visage of this monstrosity that should not be, and began their assault.

Can our heroes survive their toughest battle yet? What chance is there that the modified crystal will effect the demon tyrant Alavaska? Will any of Victoria be left standing when the dust settles? Next time…

Finally recovered from their battle with Lebaria the Broken Dawn looked to Shedinn, curious of what course of action he would like to take regarding his demon. While no one wanted to admit it the truth of the matter was that the broken dawn probably didn’t have the strength to banish Yewtindel then slay Norontus without her aid. Vowing to exercise the demon as soon as the battle was finished and along with promises of mutton, The Broken Dawn made their way back to the surface with the abyssal symbiote still in tow.

Returning to Lieutenant Balentine and informing him of the situation. The extraction or destruction of Alavashka not being viable options and Norontus taking the field only left the final contingency plan. Our heroes were to take their ship (temporarily named the Ragnarök)to face Norontus and hopefully slay the millennium old tyrant. After Celeste downed an experimental potion based on the research in Engstorm’s lab they were off.

The flight to the sight of the final battle was vicious. Glidewings riders and witch laden airships besieged the party from every side as they hurtled through the air as fast as the ship would carry them. Batista bolts rippled through the air reducing combatants to small chunks of viscera. In an act of desperation who of the witch tried crashing her ship into into the Ragnarök (working title). The impact sent the crew tumbled over in the chaos, Shedinn was left dangling over the side of the ship by one hand. A lone Drenin soldier who boarded the vessel via a glide wing locked eyes with Shedinn, determined to send him falling to his death. In a last act of desperation Leon was able to distract the soldier by shouting that his mother sucked dragon dick. Crude as it maybe it gave Shedinn enough time to climb back to the deck and toss the soldier over board.

Repelling the the enemy for the time being, our heroes made use of what little ti e they had to stitch their wounds for the fight ahead. The Broken Dawn could see a lone figure in the distance, surrounded by hundreds of Maycon troops. Norontus was right on the horizon waiting… Will the our heroes be able to slay the mighty Norontus? Can Shedinn live to see the demon separated from his soul> Is there any hope for the bleak future of the nation of Maycon? Next time…

Where we last left our heroes Celeste had collapsed in a fit of hysteria, Naz-lir finally reached into Celeste’s mind to collect on it’s part of their bargain. After Celeste had apparently got Naz back into check it was quickly agreed upon that she would be the first to have her demon removed. Arion, explaining the finer points of the ritual handed Celeste a crystal. To the party’s surprise Celeste very conspicuously tampered with the ritual. Smashing the crystal into the ground a shock-wave resonated through the room, and a dark figure emerged from it’s center with a bewildered Celeste at it’s feet. The cunning Naz-lir had managed to free itself.

Growing larger by the second Naz-lir proclaimed his freedom, readying to walk the world in his true form. Thinking quickly Leon fired his bow at the eldritch behemoth, mildly annoying it, but more importantly distracting it. Arion used the opportunity to plunge his sword deep into the demon’s neck, a desirable start to the trial ahead. The flurry of claws, tail swipes and gnashing teeth left the floor fettered with hunks of flesh and slick with blood freshly drawn from both Naz-lir and The Broken Dawn. However preying on Naz-lir’s massive yet fragile demon ego, the were able to narrow his focus enough to afford Shedinn the opportunity for a killing blow, an opportunity he didn’t squander. Physically broken and unbound to any mortal anchor Naz-lir dissolved into a pile of a pulsating magma like substance that dissipated into the air, like forced back to the level of the Abyss from which he came.

Nearly devastated from the fight our heroes took a short rest to recuperate and figure out who would be exercised next. Around this time Shedinn revealed that a mysterious marking had appeared on his navel. While a hot topic for debate he still insisted on having Yewtindel extracted last, so her strength could be effectively used against the other demons. At an impasse Leon and Shedinn agreed to settle the argument with a coin toss. Losing the coin toss to Shedinn Leon extended his hand in gesture of “good sportsmanship”… Shedinn didn’t fall for it. As Celeste finished her prayers Leon activated crystal, spewing Lebaria out into the corporeal world.

Prepared for the antics of the foul mouthed Shade Lebaria made a point to immediately slash open him stomach followed by a quick impalement with one of her assorted tentacles. With a renewed resolved not seen since the execution of her husband Celeste lead a fierce attack on Lebaria, driving the other worldly monster into a corner with the aid of Shedinn and Arion, intermittently punctuated with arrows sailing overhead and into their nemesis of the moment. Properly prepared for this encounter unlike the previous one Lebaria was dispatched with relative ease, forcing her into one of the crystalline prisons along with her demon brethren.

Two of the Three demons dispatched, the Broken Dawn looks to Shedinn, the final step in liberating themselves of these demon oppressors. How much time is left before the arrival of Lord Norontus? Will our heroes survive the onslaught without their recently lost demon powers? What misfortune could Shedinn’s symbol imbued pelvis foretell? Next time…

The morning of the attack had finally arrived. The Osprey hung in the air overlooking the Dead Falls, the site at which Maycon’s fate would be decided. On the upper deck a palatable tension hung in the bitter cold air. In quick rhythmic succession troops flung them selves from the massive carrier down to the sprawling battlefield below.

Soon enough the Celestial Brigade was on deck and ready to drop. After examining his potion Leon and his regiment was the first to jump, followed shortly after by Celeste. Shedinn took a moment to ponder what he was about to do, thinking back to the the blonde women who brushed past him not a minute ago. Swallowing his fear he leaped from the Osprey ready to immerse himself in the hell below. As our heroes reached the surface they began their search for the Stonefast Sentinel’s HQ.

Reaching their destination our heroes immediately set map out the instillation. Methodically room by room they searched every room along west hall. Getting careless Leon stumbled into a private room where he found himself staring face to face with an adult Displacer Beast, it’s golden eyes shimmering in the darkness. At a loss for what to do he feigned the sounds and movements of a Displacer Beast. The Beast being only slightly less intelligent than Leon, sat there mildly confused for a minute before attacking.

The situation escalated quickly as four additional displacer beasts joined the fight. Celeste and Leon were pinned between two of the larger beasts in the narrow hallway as Shedinn and Aryon dealt with three of the smaller ones in the barracks. Slowly but surely with team work and brute force the party dispatched the Fey predators, Leon scavenging one of their eyes as a good luck charm.

After a brief rest the party resumed their search. Finding a portcullis obstructed area the party turned to Shedinn. Utilizing his robust musculature he lifted the portcullis with relative ease revealing a proverbial treasure trove of magical armor and weapons. After dividing up the gear the Broken Dawn proceeded to search the rest of the floor, finishing in the Sentinel’s war room. By sheer skill or inevitable fate Celeste spotted a small switch on the corner of the table, revealing a hidden passageway downward.

Descending into the room below our heroes found a series of massive crystals, some with other worldly creatures sealed inside them. It become inadvertently clear to the group that these demons where not dissimilar to their own. Along with demon laden crystals a series of journal was found stashed off to a side room. Collecting everything they could carry the broken dawn decided to return to the room after thoroughly exploring the rest of the facility.

Traveling deeper into the Stronghold, The Broken Dawn discover a proper library along with massive Displacer Beast named Sil guarding it. After brief negotiations the majestic and deadly creature agreed to reveal the secrets of the library in exchange for it’s freedom. Not in a position to pick a fight with a century old predator. Shortly after Aryon disabled the wards binding Sil the party had free run of the library. and with it long sought answers to questions vital to their very survival.

The Stonefast Sentinels had been established to combat Abyssal demons in the service of Lord Norontus, who himself was bound to a massive demon named Alavashka, the demon of fate. Through years of study the Sentinels eventually found a way to exercise demons from their hosts and imprison them in crystals like the ones below the war room. From the best they could surmise the imprisoning Alavashka was what destroyed Ithlea in a flash of psionic backlash from. His country devastated, Thorin Stoneslinger and Diana Fairchild dead and Carric Engstorm missing, Anthony Radek abandoned the Sentinels, leaving them to a mangled Brie Slanger.

With the notes documenting the demon’s wartime escapades our heroes were able to finally diagnose them selves. Shedinn was reaffirmed in the belief that he housed Yewtinedl the demon of war. However Celeste was surprised to learn she had become host to the demon of ambition Naz-lir, a cautious and conniving demon known for backstabbing and betrayal. Leon came to the conclusion that he was infected by a Lebaria, a being of personified insanity. In addition to them selves the party was able infer that Zaccheus was host to a mysterious demon referred to only as Valeka.

Satisfied with their education on the topic the Broken Dawn moved on to the ever pressing matter of extracting their demons. While extracting the demons would probably be better in the long run massive reserves of strength would inevitably be needed to repel the incoming Drenin army at their door step. But before any decisions could be made Celeste collapsed screaming in pain.

Will the Broken Dawn be able to keeping the eldritch horrors of the ruins lock away? Will the temptation to accept their demons become too great? Will Celeste be able to resist the influence of Naz-lir? Next time…

Exiting the forest with their new ally, our heroes reunited with their new air ship and it’s pilot, wasting no time they headed for Victoria post haste. The trip was relatively uneventful barring a few odd conversations regarding the ruins and the ethics of using the airship’s newly mounted harpoon launcher to go bird hunting. Upon reaching Victoria the ship took an unexpected turn and began heading towards the other side of Lake Victoria. Unbeknownst to our heroes the Maycon military had set up what could be best described as an airfield built into a nearby quarry. Docking the ship and making a grandiose entrance, the headed to the local command post.

Reporting to Field Marshal Elias Thaxton,our heroes were greeted with transfers to Lieutenant Pierce Balentine’s Celestial Brigade along with promotions to the rank of Sergent. Operation Scavenger had all but wiped out what once was the Celestial Brigade leaving it with only newly appointed sergeants and a pack of willy young recruits looking to to prove themselves. Not wasting a moment the party made the trek over to the deck of the Osprey, a massive flattop airship considerably larger than their own. Meeting with Pierce the Broken Dawn learned the details of their involvement in Operation Cloud Fall, simply put they would be airdropped into the operation zone with feather fall potions, move to secure the device and retrieve it for the military, in the event that retrieval isn’t possible, their contingency orders are to destroy the device on site. Splitting off for the moment, each of our heroes went to meet their newly appointed regiments.

At B-Regiment Leon was greeted by his first soldiers Malory, Thomson, Fontaine and Sistello. The strengths of the regiments wings seemed to be an even split between assault and reconnaissance. Developing something of a flair for drama Leon proceeded to go on a short speech about infamy and how these men would go on to become legends. Satisfied by the speech the newly named “Blue Rose” regiment resumed their drills under Malory’s supervision.

Celeste’s meeting with her firsts Weston, Inez, Cobern and Dollmen was considerably more awkward. Not being what the regiment suspected in tandem with the shell shocked timidness from Malik’s death still looming made for a less than desirable first impression. However what she lacked in words she made up for with action. Challenging her entire regiment to sparring matches gave her the perfect avenue to earn her soldiers respect by beating a forth of them in combat. Additionally noticing that a reasonable portion of her regiment including herself used curved weapons she elected to name her regiment the Crescent Blades.

Shedinn, approaching his First Soldier inadvertently startled her. After a brief reassurance that she wouldn’t be eaten, the women introduced her self as First Soldier Saddler, along with her peers First Soldiers Maynard, Gray and Leanders. Shedinn’s speech was to his unit was short and to the point, he intended to end the war with this regiment, and he would accordingly name the group the Enders.

The three reunited around dinner time in the mess hall, and for the first time in a while just enjoy some food and ramble at each other. Topics ranged from personal feelings, to regiment naming and even some speculation about how it came to be them who were in this strange and incredibly unique situation they were in. Retiring for the night they headed out the next morning after their briefings.

The stage is set for the battle of the century. What Eldritch creatures wait for them at the Dead Falls? Can the Broken Dawn reach the device in time? Will the newly reformed Celestial Brigade live up to their predecessors reputation? Next time…

Vacating Howich unabated, our heroes began the trek back to Shaystead Stronghold. After about half an hour the party felt confident enough to resume the conversation from the inn without fear of eavesdropping. The first order of business was the apparent murder Shedinn had committed. Apparently according to Shedinn he had been drugged, Yewtindel apparently informed him of the drugging, acknowledging that she had no reason to kill the elf in question. With Leon’s limited knowledge of poisons and sedatives he was able to identify that this alternative is completely possible. However this meant that some other party sought the Broken Dawn’s downfall.

On to more pressing matters our heroes finally cracked open the book left by their late contact. The first portion of the journal detailed the exploits of and Emerald League expedition into the ruins led by an Eladrin named Sullivas. The journey into the ruins turned up information on a historic group called the Stonefast Sentinels who arose to prominences just prior to the destruction of Ithlea. Apparently they were key players in combating an unknown darkness that ultimately destroyed Ithlea. Accompanying the notes on the Sentinels the journal contained a map marking the location of the Stonefast Sentinel’s headquarters located in the Ithlean capital in the Deadfalls, the same location given to them by Zaccheus the previous night. Not to be easily misled, Celeste realized that the Sentinels sounded eerily similar to the group she read read about in the Radec journals back into Victoria. Along with the info dump about the ruins the book also entailed the hunt for Arion tracing him to the location in the forest called the Druid’s Grove.

Finally reaching the stronghold our heroes met Lieutenant Fierro, Thomas’s elder sister. After exchanging pleasantries and a brief inquiry into the Abyssal demon corpse from the incident in Farendium the group got down to business. Utilizing a series of strange magic podiums Lieutenant Everheart called a war council with King Reamus and all the necessary staff. After several hours of debating back and forth, ultimately King Reamus dedicated a massive force to striking out at Drenin in the heart of the ruins. Given that the strike would take several days to organize the Broken Dawn was granted a few days leave to resolve the issue with Varioth’s brother.

The Broken Dawns airship had been granted to them along with several modifications. Along with a pilot, assorted amenities such as living quarters and a communication crystal the ship was outfitted with a Hwacha on both the starboard and port sides and a harpoon launcher, with an attached spool of heavy duty cable. Additionally the Maycon battle Standard was now affixed to the deck of the ship. Leon was particularly giddy looking through all of the new toys. With the new upgrades inspected and ready for use our heroes headed south, onward to the Lockloyal forest and and the Druid’s Grove.

Flying over most of the forest the party fast roped into the area and set search for the grove, working through semi unnatural impedance of the forest Leon was able to lead the party to the grove. Casually strolling through the grove Celeste spotted female fey with and male Eldarin resting his head in her lap in the center of the tranquil field. Long story short negotiations with the Eladrin guard and her Dryad companions didn’t work so well. In a last ditch effort to avoid violence Leon threatened to open up a portal to the Shadowfell and summon countless monsters from it. The bluff worked flawlessly, however the terrified guard’s response was to call her pair of attack bears and have them disembowel Leon before he could make good on his hollow threat.

Combat and it’s usual antic ensued. A Dryad made a halfhearted attempt to seduce Celeste, Leon ran around screaming like a coward because everything believed his threat and Shedinn beat a bear to death with it’s fellow bear. Given the curious intentions of the Dryads our heroes went out of their way to assure that none of them were killed, knocked out and injured but not killed. As the battle finished the Arion and his Fey companion finally awoke form there mystical slumber. Apparently Arion has been dealing with assorted Drenin forces attempting to kill him ever since he found the Ithlean capital, starting with Displacer Beasts and other warped creatures. In a desperate ironic twist he offered his services to the Summer Court in the Feywild in exchange for protection.

Varioth not being particularly found of his brother’s decision opted to take his brothers place serving the Summer Court. The rest of the party was offered similar positions in exchange for mystical reward, all they had to do was act against the Winter Court. As tempting as the deal might have been the rest of our heroes declined. Be it for time constraints, devout worship of the god of winter, or simple distaste for previous deals with beings beyond their comprehension they simply couldn’t agree to service. After saying his goodbyes to the party Varioth past through some strange void with the Fey and simply disappeared, leaving both his allies and his brother behind to deal with the crisis dumped in their lap.

What will become of this new Eldarin ally who has an working knowledge of the quest at hand? Will the the Broken Dawn win in the race against time to reach the Deadfalls? What strange abominations are waiting for them in the heart of the Ruins of Ithlea? Next time…

The morning following their return from the ruins the Broken Dawn set out south to the town of Howich. In a stroke of good fortune Maycon’s military was willing to provide use of their teleportation array, instantly transporting the party to Shaystead Stronghold, a fortress well withing walking distance of our hero’s destination. After a brief misunderstanding between Shedinn and the portal guards the four marched valiantly to Howich. Howich proved to be an industrious little village where every vice conceivable was available with little or no difficulty. Quite quaintly put, a party town.

After asking around the party found their way to an inn where their contact was supposed to be staying. To their surprise the elf was delayed and had sent a runner ahead requesting that the party wait in Howich for her. With little to do our heroes took a long earned rest. Being men of simple tastes Leon and Shedinn went off to The Knight’s Tavern were they preceded to spend the day getting drunk and fat. Celeste still in her refractory period after slaying Malik, had a more constructive plan for her day which entailed locating a fight club and beating the everliving shit out of some poor soul… She was not successful. Varioth being a man of more refined taste decided to to enjoy some people watching, his activity yielded the best results. A giggly young girl in her early twenties approached Varioth asking for an autograph. Flustered by the new experience he obliged the girls request and sent her on her merry way. Satisfied he reunited with the party at The Knight’s Tavern where they split up earlier.

Upon reconvening at the inn our heroes received a note form the bar tender requesting that they go to The Hero’s Inn at dusk. Dusk being the time of day already our heroes made it there little time to spare. In the corner of the room they spotted a cloaked man. Approaching the mysterious figure it became all too clear that the man who sat before them was Zacchaeus. Only barely staying their hands from starting an all out blood feud in the middle of the tavern our heroes conversed with the mysterious arbiter. The first order of business was addressing the fact that Zacchaeus full well knew about Malik and withheld that information from Celeste, a transgression that only provoked a surprising mild retaliation, a drink splashed in Zacchaeus’s face.

Moving on to more pressing matters Zacchaeus declared that Lord Norontus of Drenin has almost found an Ithlean artifact of great destructive power, allowing him to raise Maycon single handedly. The device is supposedly similar in design to the artifact Leon retrieved for Baron Adrien, only much more powerful and larger in scale. In a reassuring manner Zacchaeus convinced the party that he had substantial personal gain riding on this endeavor, strangely the profiteering truth was more comforting than an altruistic lie. Regardless of if the threat was real or not it was too great a threat to let it go unabated. However the presence of a man with such alien knowledge is a rare opportunity. And thus an impromptu grilling on Zacchaeus’s knowledge of demons was in order.

Going on what little they had our heroes asked their pseudo host about Yewtindel. Firstly Zacchaeus confirmed that Yewtindel was one of several demons similar to his own. What he described was a warrior obsessed with strength and violence, a beast of personified rage, although not very smart, her straight forward and simple goal is the continued feed of her blood lust. Unfortunately Zacchaeus affirmed that the host would inevitably be consumed and crushed by the transcendental entity in question. Short on time Zacchaeus bid the group farewell and eluded to the continued well being of Leon’s son before disappearing into the crowd.

Taking in the information the group agreed that seeing to the mysterious device was their first priority, unfortunately to Varioth’s chagrin, the search for Arioth would have to wait another day. A brief while later focus shifted to Shedinn and his exemplar of violence when a break through was had. Just like Shedinn’s rage reflected his mental interloper so did Varioth and his demon’s thirst for knowledge, and the same with Leon’s paranoia or something Celeste and her demon had in common. It seemed that each demon was paired with their host’s most prominent personality trait. However this revelation would have to wait, if what Zaccheus said was true countless lives were at risk. The Broken Dawn made plans to leave the next morning.

For most of our heroes the rest of the night would be fairly uneventful, however the following morning would be a different story. Party awoke and headed down stair to find Shedinn already awake and enjoying a hearty pile of mutton for breakfast. As Varioth spent some extra time in the wash room, Celeste decided to pay a visit to a nearby temple. Left by their lonesome Shedinn and Leon continued eating breakfast and enjoying idle conversation.

Unfortunately Celeste found all too familiar a sight on her way to church. Town guards were crowded around what looked like a crime scene. Upon further inspection in became all too apparent that the victim was the elven contact they were supposed to meet, her spine crushed and her eyes popped from their sockets, blood and brain leaked onto the streets. Unable to appease to the guards with rank alone Celeste had to use her status as a death priest to gain access to the body under the pretense of last rights. Upon inspection deceased was carrying a book with her. In an act of thievery akin to Leon, Celeste quietly pocketed the book and made her way back to the inn.

Meanwhile Shedinn and Leon discussed a wide range of topics extending to Shedinn’s love of mutton and Leon’s alcoholism… Neither conversation went very far, as usual the talk took a downward spiral with Celeste walking in on Leon exclaiming that Shedinn’s chain mail left little to the imagination. Ignoring the usual psychobabble as usual Celeste took Leon to the side and asked him to check for a set of Shedinn’s tracks outside, as Leon disappeared down the street Celeste thought it was a good time thought it would be a good time for a heart to heart with Shedinn.

Celeste expressed a deep concern for Shedinn and his well being regarding the friend that plagues his thoughts. Shedinn assured Celeste that he was able to control himself during the day, however he did expressed concern that the group apparently doesn’t trust him, and he didn’t want to add to that witch hunt. Celeste went on to draw a fine line between a lack of trust and sincere concern for someones well being. But before the conversation could come to a ahead Leon appeared in the door way. A recent set of Shedinn’s tracks led straight from the inn to the scene of the murder.

How long will Shedinn’s mind and body remain his own? What are the true motivations of the mysterious Zaccheus? Will the Broken Dawn be able to reach the mysterious artifact in time?

Next time…

Sobbing uncontrollably in the aftermath of her act of mariticide, Celeste sat idly by as the rest of the party regathered their wits. After a brief rest and some cleaning, Shedinn and Varioth insisted on vacating Carric Engstorm’s Lab, and for the first time since Malik’s death Celeste finally spoke up in protest, outright refusing to leave the subterranean laboratory. With Celeste finally articulating coherent ideas again Leon though it would be an appropriate time to give her the scroll Malik left behind. Seeking safer refuge, the party retreated back to the library for the time being.

Returning to the library the our heroes scavenged around for more information on demons and widened their search the to spirits to little avail. The only new information was that demon possession would inevitably take control of the host completely, an unsettling discovery to say the least should the beings plaguing the minds of the Broken Dawn be just that. Finished with the library for the time being the party decided to investigate Malik’s bedroom. To their surprise Celeste had slipped away locking herself in the bedroom.

A brief lock picking of the bedroom door later revealed Celeste sitting at the foot of the bed reading Malik’s scroll. She stood up briefly noted that there was something of value behind the bookcase and returned to the library. uUpon moving the book case Leon Varioth and Shedinn recovered 10 pieces of platinum, a Crown of Leaves and a suit of Shadowdance Armor. Following Celeste back to the library loot in tow, our heroes arrived just in time to see her prying up a corner tile of the floor and retrieve an ebony black scythe bristling with raven feathers, one of which was a crimson red. The Ravenclaw Warblade was supposed to be an anniversary gift from Malik before his untimely death. At a lack for anything consoling to say to say Leon asked yet again if Celeste was okay, a tear drenched hug was the only response he received.

Achieving what little closure she could Celeste finally agreed to leave the lab and return to civilization. Tipping a Cadaver Collector off one of the airships not filled with dead bodies the Broken Dawn was able to commandeer two of the ships, Varioth piloting one and Shedinn the other. Before departing Leon remembered the crystal they left on the first ship, heading over to retrieve it he heard a familiar voice emanate from it… it was Zacchaeus. Trying his best to imitate the sound of the creature who the crystal belonged to, Leon rushed to join the other showing them his discovery. However leon impression of the creature was sub par at best and Zacchaeus had immediately seen through the ruse. With Zacchaeus demanding to know who was on the other end the crystal Leon panicked and threw it into the dark abyss of water over the side of the ship. With nothing left to do the pair of ships ascended from the cavernous hell hole and headed straight for Maycon’s capitol.

Planting the Maycon Banner they retrieved way back in Scinel on the bow of the ship our heroes made there way to Victoria unabated, along the the way in between skimming through some of the books on Shades Leon explained to the group the basics of the Hooded Lanterns, the Pelorian group Malik belonged to prior to his exodus from Gloomwrought. Landing in the martial fields after being guided via a system of flags, the Broken Dawn was debriefed of the situation regarding the failed siege. Apparently a second Drenin commander had been on sight and was able to masterfully defeat Maycon’s troops using ancient Ithlian war tactics. Moving past the failed assault there was also an update on the whereabouts of Varioth’s missing brother. A member of the Emerald League named Kaylith was waiting for Varioth in Howich. With a new destination in mind the Broken Dawn set plans to leave the following morning. Varioth and Shedinn headed off to have weapons magically augmented while Leon went with Celeste to a nearby church. The Broken Dawn also got to to keep one of those spiffy flying boats

What lays in wait for our heroes in Howich? Who is this mysterious Kaylith and what secrets does she carry? What has become of Varioth elder brother? The adventure continues…

Following the Cadaver Collector back to it’s point of origin our heroes discovered what best be described as a flying stone ferry of the dead. No longer having a need for the garishly ornate construct the party dismantled it post haste in a most violent fashion. However complications arose in the processes, two in particular. Shedinn’s blood lust went completely unchecked fighting the ship crew, by the time he regained cohesion the crew of the ship lay dead at his feet. Yewtindel had apparently taken a firm grasp upon his mind and was slowly eating it’s way inward. The other issue was that one of the crew men spontaneously combusted walking into sunlight.

The precarious burning man caught Celeste’s interest, as it would for most people hunting a vampire. A brief dramatic speech and some fiddling with sky ferry later and our heroes were flying straight into the subterranean belly of the beast. Darkness festered in every crack of the subterranean lair which was once probably a beautiful Ithlean structure. Trudging through the lair with little more than a thirst for murder Celeste led the party through a massive library. The echoing halls of the archive contained books and journals pertaining to any number of topics, demonic parasites, historic event documentation, shade lore. Varioth’s scholarly brain was abuzz with visions of the wonderful things that lay there just waiting for him. However time was short and patience were running thin so the party pressed forward into the proverbial tomb. Deeper still they past through blood letting chamber stained deep with the congealed blood of the freshly dead, only the stench separated Celeste from her vampire lord.

Entering the final chamber revealed an assortment of disturbing sights. Massive piles of undead littered the floor as Cadaver Collector fed them into massive meat grinder liquefying them into a fine pulp. A shadowy figure stood out at the alter on the far side of the room, Malik. Celeste called out to him in a fit of grief and rage and at that moment everything lurched to a stop. Aperntly Malik had discovered a process by which he could cure his vampirism, however given that the ritual in question was necrotic in nature… and also sacrilege to both Pelor and the Raven Queen, long story short they didn’t see eye to eye. Leon however also being a creature cursed by shadow and forced into a situation eerily similar to the vampire in question tried reason with Celeste on his behalf… Leon got bitch slapped pretty hard before the fight started.

Malik and Celeste’s alter top duel was perilous, their blades swung back and forth nearly eviscerating each other with every pass. Forbidden from interfering all the remaining members pf the Broken Dawn could do was helplessly stand by and hold back the encroaching horde of zombies, in a stroke of luck Varioth was able to knock the Cadaver Collector into the grinder crippling it. In a moment of weakness Malik faltered giving Celeste the opportunity to finish the quest she tasked herself with, and she did not disappoint. Skewering Malik through the chest with her scythe Celeste watched what little life was left in Malik drain from his eyes as he handed her a blood stained piece a parchment. At a loss for what to do next Celeste simply dropped to her knees and let slip a soul crushing sob. The sounds of absolute sorrow echoed throughout the dungeon briefly before being lost amongst the sounds of Malik’s flaming skull servant smashing around the room causing utter chaos.

Carrying away the newly re-bereaved Celeste the party made a hasty escape from the duel site. At a loss for what to do next out heroes took a minute to rest. Can our heroes escape the the cavernous vampire hive? Will Celeste find a new purpose in life? What secrets lay hidden on Malik’s last scroll? Next time…