#absolution calling

As the market closes, the merchant takes his cart to a series of storage lockers, and locks it, along with Yabolax, inside. Flint stays back to remove the protective enchantments from the locker and rescue Yabolax. Meanwhile, the others all continue pursuing the merchant. He heads toward the edge of town, and along the way casts a spell to change his clothing into robes bearing the cult’s sigil.

On the edge of town, the merchant meets with several hooded figures, all wearing similar robes as him. Among them is a being who is much larger than the rest. 

The main group calls Flint and Yabolax to tell them what they see. The duo decide to disguise themselves by snatching a cloak from a nearby tavern, and approach the cultists with Yabolax on Flint’s shoulders. Aradel is disturbed by this sight, and demands that Kiyoshi explain what they are doing. 

The large cultist sees Yabolax and Flint, and casts a deadly spell in their direction. In a panic, each member of the party attempts to react or save the pair from the spell, with it ultimately being countered by Aradel. 

The rest of the party swarms the area, facing off against the cultists. The large member commands the rest to attack. After the party kills several cultists, the large cultist uses necromancy to revive them. He tosses his cloak aside, revealing the demon Magog. 

The party continues to fight, with the demon reviving the fallen cultists quickly. Eventually, he stops doing this, and faces down the group. They attempt to speak to him, but he is short in his responses. The demon says that he does not remember them from their confrontation in Ardestan, and that he had no personal involvement in the fate of Naos. Tensions rise, and everyone in the area readies spells to use. 

Magog strikes first, causing the ground beneath Aradel to erupt. In the wake of his spell, the demon runs away. Aradel is gravely injured in the blast, though she is quickly stabilized by some of Kiyoshi’s healing magic. He carries her back to a safe house within Cebalrai, with the rest of the group following. 

The group, save Flint and Yabolax, contacts Damia. The gorgon wishes for Aradel to return to her mountain until she recovers fully. She arranges for some of her other agents to meet them in Cebalrai. They will bring the party their vehicle, and then they will hand over Aradel to them. 

Flint and Yabolax meanwhile call Cardinal Aldritch to inform him about the cult activity in Cebalrai. The cardinal says that he will have soldiers present in the town in the morning. 

The next day, The party attempts to investigate further before the Order soldiers arrive. They make their way to the storage locker used by the cultist, only to find that it has been overgrown with plant matter. After not reacting to a few probing spells by Flint, Aesir tosses a lightning bolt into the vegetation. It stirs and transforms into a plant-zombie amalgam, and attacks. Thoroughly outnumbered, it is quickly defeated.

Ena appears, and berates the party for ruining her trap. Occula asks her if she found the book that she was looking for yet. The faerie explains that she believes that the cult may know where it is, and she intended to trap the same merchant that the party had been following. Aesir again asks what the book is, only to illicit a hostile response from Ena. 

They attempt to have Ena join up with them again, but she declines, not wanting to work in a group. Kiyoshi tells her that Lesh is a hotbed of cult activity, and she departs for the city. 

Later in the day, three agents of Damia arrive on a floating mass of earth, bearing the party’s vehicle. They hand over Aradel, and the four agents depart back to Damia’s lair. The party decides to finally investigate Naos.

Aesir drives down to the ruined village, and the group happens upon an outpost run by the Order. A soldier there explains that Naos is not worth the manpower of purging, but if anything leaves the area, the numerous outposts will be ready to attack.

Yabolax takes it upon himself to question two members of the Order in the front courtyard. He asks them about the cult, but is unable to communicate much effectively, much to the amusement of Aesir. Kiyoshi intervenes, and asks to be taken to see Cardinal Aldritch. Flint and Aesir both find the Tower unsettling in general once inside. The two members of the Order escort the party inside. They use an enchantment to scale the large staircase, much to Flint’s relief. One of the two escorts announces the party to the council chamber, and then they both stand guard outside while the party enters the chamber.

Inside, Aldritch and seven other Cardinals are seated at a U-shaped table. Aesir is uncomfortable, comparing it to a courtroom. Aldritch greets the party, thanking them again for their actions back in Lesh. The council asks the party to recount the events that led them to be in the fake shop run by the cult when the Order arrived. Kiyoshi retells the events since the party met, only leaving out their affiliation with Damia. He instead says that they found the shop through Kiyoshi’s personal merchant contacts. He does mention the stones, which Damia is in possession of. He claims that they were destroyed when he notices that Flint seems to think mentioning them was a mistake. 

The council believes that the cult is clearly attempting to summon Xathrid. They believe that this is the reasoning for their increased activity, especially in Lesh. They also identify the witch seen in Lesh as Zuleika, just as Damia did. They also say that she is one of the Ministers of Xathrid. There are at least three known Ministers, one being Zuleika, one being a demon, and the other a mystery outside of them existing. The cult is also responsible for the state of a village to the south named Naos. One of the Cardinals says that while Naos is still standing, no living thing exists there anymore. They recommend avoiding the ruined village completely.

Occula questions the council about Elymas. They say that he correctly predicted the destruction of Naos, as well as several other events, both good and bad. She asks if he is here, but the council says that last they heard he was going to visit a village called Cebalrai, to warn them against a similar fate. 

The party leaves the chamber, and is escorted back down to the main floor. Across the hall, they see Elymas exiting a room. Yabolax waves at him, and the priest approaches them. He states that he recognizes them from both Sarmahl and Lesh. The party asks Elymas if he himself has any leads against the cult, and he states that he does. He asks them to follow him.

Elymas leads them to a secondary staircase, and uses a similar enchantment to the escorts to transport the party up. He takes them to a door, and opens it, revealing a second, iron door with bars. Inside is a cell, holding the Xathrid affiliated shopkeeper from Lesh. Elymas states that from his conversations with the man, that there was likely a sixth person among them when they raided the hideout. 

Elymas asks who the party is working for. Flint almost tells, but thinks better of it. Kiyoshi and Occula tell Elymas that they were in the shop by chance, directly contradicting what they told the council earlier. They say that it was only the five of them, but the shopkeeper speaks up and says there was definitely a sixth. Elymas takes a long pause, and prepares to use his staff in some way.

Before he can do anything, a loud sound of stone breaking is heard. Right after, the back wall of the cell is ripped apart, revealing a large, flying demon. Elymas curses, and runs to gather soldiers. The demon takes the shopkeeper by the throat, but Flint shoots a spell through the bars to take the demon off his feet. Yabolax, Aesir, and Occula use their own spells to keep the demon at bay, and Kiyoshi destroys the door with a spell of his own. The shop keeper attempts to flee, but the demon drains the life out of him before he can. 

With the shopkeeper dead, the demon flies away, crashing through buildings as he goes. Occula flies after him, carrying Yabolax along the way. The other members of the party pursue as well. The demon dives into the street, and is promptly struck with an explosive by Yabolax. The rest of the party catches up, and they begin to battle the demon.

Though the manage to push him back some, the demon gains the upper hand, knocking every party member down. He prepares to unleash a spell to finish them off, but is knocked out of the air by another spell fired from someone else. The demon catches a glimpse of his assailant, and flees after a short curse. 

An oddly cheerful gorgon reveals herself to the group and says that she is Savyna, and works for Damia. She was sent to investigate the obelisk found in the Eloren Wilds, and then tracked the party to Ardestan. She says that she arrived at the best possible time in a joking way. She confirms that the demon that they just faced was Magog, one of the Ministers of Xathrid. Kiyoshi and Flint take the time to heal themselves and the others. 

Savyna warns the group that Elymas is approaching, and she blends herself into the wall. Kiyoshi and Occula get between her position and Elymas, who is accompanied by many Order soldiers. He correctly assumes that the group did not defeat Magog, and asks which direction he went in. Kiyoshi says that he did not see the exact direction, and assumes south. A disgruntled Elymas turns to leave, taking the soldiers with him.

Savyna resurfaces, and tells the party that there is a residence in the city owned by Damia that her agents use. They can rest there, and will not be disturbed. Aesir has other plans, and makes his way back to the Tower of Guidance to demand more information. The Order is on high alert due to the attack, and turns him away at the gate. He rejoins the others at the residence. 

Occula asks Damia about a possible reward for their actions thus far. She summons a golem, who carries out a crate of raw material for use in repairing their vehicle. Aesir, concerned over carrying the crate, asks to borrow the golem, which Damia surprisingly allows. 

Finally, Damia tells them that the fastest way to Ardestan is through a forest called the Eloren Wilds. She gives them a wayfinding stone that will allow them to travel through without getting lost. 

After travelling back and spending the night in Sarmahl, the five planeswalkers, and the golem, come upon the wreckage of their vehicle. Flint and Yabolax get to work, while the others observe. There is enough material from Damia to get the vehicle moving again, though it is nowhere near repaired enough for high speeds, let alone another planeswalk. 

The golem dissolves into the earth, returning to Damia. Aesir drives, with Flint in the other seat and Yabolax in the trunk. Occula flies, while Kiyoshi also flies by placing an enchantment on himself. Eventually, they park on the edge of the Eloren Wilds. 

Inside the forest, the group follows the wayfinding stone while contending with saprolings, wolves, and beasts. Once sufficiently deep in the woods, the stone stops functioning. Picking a direction at a fork in the trail, the group enters a clearing with a large black obelisk in the center. 

Grass in a small ring around the obelisk is dead. There are no seams or markings on the structure at all. Flint inspects it, and strikes it with a wrench. A tone sounds from inside, suggesting that it is hollow. He then touches it with one finger. It is unnaturally cold for being in the forest, and a force compels him to immediately break contact with it.

Flint attempts to disenchant the obelisk, which fails. Yabolax attempts to cast a shattering spell, then use a bomb, both of which fail. Kiyoshi, Occula, and Aesir grow very apprehensive of the object, and the group decides to leave it alone. Once away from it, the wayfinding stone begins to work again. Kiyoshi calls Damia on the sending stone to see if she knows what it is. Damia has no knowledge of the object, but tells the group to move on. She plans on sending another agent to investigate it.

Back on track, the planeswalkers are beset by elementals in the deepest part of the woods. After fighting through them, the path takes them into another clearing. There they find a tent, bag, and remains of a campfire, all of which are too small even for Yabolax.

Aesir picks up the bag, and is suddenly staring down the end of a rapier wielded by a faerie. She tells him to drop the bag, which Aesir does. Putting her sword away, she buzzes around the group, focusing in on Kiyoshi. She correctly identifies him as not being from Shandalar, revealing that she is also a planeswalker. 

The faerie does little to ingratiate herself to the group. She calls Kiyoshi and Occula weird, expresses her distaste for humans, calls Flint a fat kithkin, and Yabolax a “stupid boggart.” Yabolax readies an explosive, but Aesir stops him. Occula says that they are only passing through and mean the faerie no ill will. The faerie instead asks Flint about the wayfinding stone, and takes it as an indication that the group knows where they are going. She invites herself to journey with them until they reach the end of the forest. 

Kiyoshi only agrees to this if the faerie tells them what she is doing there. She is intentionally vague, and only says she’s looking for a book. When pressed on this by Aesir, she merely stares at him until he drops it. Yabolax is the most opposed to her presence, but no one really pays him much attention in that regard. The faerie gives her name, Ena.

The group of now six planeswalkers continues traveling and fighting through the woods, until they enter a heavy thicket. Flint casts a spell to toss aside branches, only to end up disturbing several large eggs. A hydra appears, attacking the intruders in her nest.

After a close battle with the hydra, leaving many of them tired, the planeswalkers finally make their way out of the Eloren Wilds. Not far in the distance, Ardestan is visible. Ena unceremoniously leaves, sarcastically thanking the “weirdos” as she buzzes away. 

Tired and hungry, the five rest in Ardestan, which is by far the largest city they have visited on Shandalar. After their rest, they plan to visit the cathedral occupied by The Order of Admonition.

Aradel then describes the mission Damia has sent them for. Overall, they are to determine what the Cult of Xathrid is doing in Lesh. In particular, there is a small shop nearby that has been determined to be a front for a cult hideout. Aradel’s job is to take out the shopkeeper, but leave him alive for questioning. The five are then to find their way into the hideout, and discover what they can about the cult and their activities.

The shop is called The Briarpatch. Aradel leads the group there after they finish their meals. She tells them to distract the shopkeeper until she can get a direct hit with a sleeping spell. They are also not supposed to cause a scene. Yabolax and Aesir are voted to stay outside until the shopkeeper is taken out.

Inside, Kiyoshi, Flint, and Occula pretend to be interested in the shop’s wares, mostly spices and tea. Shortly, Aradel casts a spell to send the shopkeeper to sleep. Kiyoshi stuffs him behind the counter, and Flint retrieves the others from outside. Occula takes the opportunity to steal some merchandise.

After searching the establishment, Kiyoshi finds records that suggest that the shop is involved in underhanded business. He and Flint discover a hidden trap door under a shelf, and Aesir blasts the lock apart. Heading down the stairs, the group is almost immediately attacked by cultists. The group fights their way down several floors, with Occula taking notes on practically everything she sees.

On the third basement level, the five interrupt a ritual of some kind, with around ten cultists standing in a circle and chanting. The cultists one again attack, leaving the group no choice but to defeat them. Afterwards, a wave of unsettling black magic emanates from another downward staircase.

On the bottom floor, the sigil of the cult is painted on the ground, decorated by candles. In the center is a body, driven into the ground by a runed spike through his chest. Standing over him is a woman, with violet flames glowing in her hands. The same color flames envelop the body, disintegrating it and leaving the spike behind. The woman looks over her shoulder to see the group.

Aesir and Yabolax want to run, but are coerced into staying by the others. The cultist witch then attacks them with various forms of life draining magic. The planeswalkers put up a fight, and eventually the witch takes a step back. She states that while she finds them intriguing, now is not the time for her to be distracted. She vanishes in a violent, sulfurous burst.

With nothing else in the room, the group leaves the hideout, heading back upstairs to The Briarpatch. Inside, they find that both Aradel and the shopkeeper are nowhere to be found. With nothing of interest inside, they head back out into the street.

Outside, they find several men in white robes milling among the general public. Down the road is a crowd, gathered around the same man that they saw preaching before in Sarmahl. They are able to hear him more clearly now, and he is denouncing the actions of the Cult of Xathrid. The crowd is mostly agreeing with his statements, and he is getting gradually more fiery in his statements.

The group is approached by a trio of the robed men, who declare that they are present to “cleanse” the shop that they just left. They claim that their organization has also learned of the shop’s true purpose. Flint explains that some questionable rituals happened on the lower floors.  

Before the group moves on, Occula tries to tail the preacher from the air, but loses him in the crowds once he steps down. The last thing heard from him is that he calls the cult “obstacles on the road to Absolution.”

The five agree to rest for the night, and head for the inn that they stayed in before their first trip to see Damia.

On their way out of town next morning, a stone hovers in their path before shooting off into a nearby alley. Standing there is Aradel. She explains that she left due to not wanting to be seen by the white robed men, after being asked by Occula. Flint and Kiyoshi explain what they saw in the cult hideout, and Aradel reveals a stone pendant which is allowing Damia to listen in on the conversation.

After hearing about the witch, Damia asks for her description. Upon hearing it from Kiyoshi, she determines that the witch they encountered is named Zuleika. She is a very influential member of the cult, and Damia assumes that the ritual was meant to either increase Zuleika’s own power, or was a step to summoning Xathrid himself. Either way, Damia tells the group that if they see Zuleika again, to bring her to her, dead or alive. Damia has no current missions, and advises the group to investigate further on their own.

Aradel states that she has other business to attend to, and leaves. Before doing so she gives one of the communication stones to Kiyoshi, after deeming the others less responsible.

Before leaving Lesh, the group is once again approached, this time by a group of the men in white robes, surrounding an older man in more ornate robes. He introduces himself as Cardinal Aldritch, a member of the Order of Admonition. He explains that they are a spiritual group with focus on the remission of sin. He asks what the group was doing in The Briarpatch building. Yabolax almost talks about the killing of cultists inside, but is stopped by Aesir. The others lie to Aldritch, saying that they were normal customers present at the wrong time.

He explains that they have come to openly oppose the cult recently, under the advice of a prophet who was correct in several matters before. Aldritch reveals that this prophet was promoted to High Priest, and was the man seen by the group preaching twice now. His name is Elymas.

Before Aldritch can say anything else, a spell shoots out and kills one of hid guards. A group of assassins from the cult attempt to swarm him, but are fended off by the five planeswalkers and other members of the Order that appear.

Aldritch warps away during the fray. Afterwards, a member of the Order tells the group that if they wish to speak to him again, that their central cathedral is in the city Ardestan.

Yabolax also notices Occula, and slips away from his two companions. Reaching her, he bites her leg. The aven retaliates, kicking him across the roadway. 

Aesir approaches, and attempts to diffuse the situation. Kiyoshi is still watching, intrigued by the odd group. Flint however is busy trying to buy replacement parts, and getting increasingly frustrated that no one on Shandalar seems to know what he’s talking about. 

Eventually, Flint joins the group and makes the tension worse by showing his temper. Kiyoshi intervenes at this point, but succeeds only in confusing Flint and Aesir, who have no idea what a kitsune is.  Occula decides that her kicking Yabolax was retaliation enough, and has no plan to hold a grudge. 

At this point, another commotion can be heard up the road. A group of people in dark clothing are moving through the crowd, pushing people out of their way. A man is chasing behind them, shouting for them to stop. The thieves head straight into the group of planeswalkers, who intercept them. 

The thieves find themselves hopelessly outmatched, and are all killed in the ensuing battle, despite Kiyoshi’s attempts to leave some alive. The merchant caches up to the group, and thanks and rewards them. He begins to gather his stolen merchandise, and comes across a small bag. The merchant asks the group if it belongs to any of them, and Occula claims it quickly. Flint notices that the thieves all bore an arcane sigil somewhere on their clothes. He and Aesir take a few of them for reference. 

Inside the bag are about 40 small, cut stones. They are a very dark, almost black, green. Kiyoshi lifts one out of the bag, and it stings in his hand. The merchant has no idea what the stones are, but guesses that they may have been stolen from another merchant in town. 

The 5 take some time to eat and discuss what happened. During this time, it comes out that all of them are planeswalkers. After eating, they split up to cover more ground.

Kiyoshi takes one of the sigils, and visits a shop keeper that he has dealt with in the past. The shop keeper is unfamiliar with the meaning of the symbol, but says that he has seen it on several people lately. He did’t care to investigate them as they seemed like “bad news.” Kiyoshi thanks him and leaves.

Occula and Aesir take the stones and visit a nearby jeweler to see what information he may have. Occula warns him to not touch the stones barehanded. The jeweler is unfamiliar with the type of stone, and he assumes that they have been enchanted to have their life-draining effect. He also tells them that from the size and cut, they are meant for rings. Aesir asks if the jeweler knows of someone who could be of more help. The jeweler tells them of a Sage who occupies a mountain lair near the city Lesh. He says that if they remain courteous to her, then they will be fine. 

Occula, Aesir, and Kiyoshi meet back up with Yabolax and Flint, who were in a magic shop. Everyone takes the time to relay the information that they have learned. Kiyoshi has an idea of who the sage that the jeweler mentioned is. He is not excited about the idea, but the others convince him to go.

Kiyoshi and Flint prepare a carriage to take them to the sage’s lair. During the preparation, the group sees a crowd gathered around a middle aged man. He is standing on a box, actively preaching to the crowd. The people are agreeing with him vocally. Yabolax moves towards him, followed by Aesir and Occula. The man finishes his religiously charged speech, and the crowd disperses. Aesir tries to speak with them, but the man merely stares at the three of them with a blank expression before leaving.

The group departs Sarmahl, headed toward the mountain range. Along the road, they are stopped by a group of people wearing the same sigil as the thieves from before. They demand the return of the stones. Kiyoshi claims to have sold them back in Sarmahl, but the thieves plan to kill the group anyway. Flint, followed by Occula and a failed attempt by Yabolax try to deter the thieves. Instead, a fight breaks out, ending with the planeswalkers being victorious again.

After resting for a night in Lesh, they arrive at the cave, adorned with a carved stone arch. They go in, and are met by a trio of stone golems that manifest from the walls. The golems give the planeswalkers rules to follow when meeting with the sage, and escort them to her chamber. 

The sage, Damia, is a gorgon. She greets the group, identifies them as planeswalkers, and asks for their questions. She identifies the sigil, presented by Flint, as the symbol of the Cult of Xathrid. They are a large spanning group of demon worshipers. The stones, handed off from Kiyoshi to a golem, she identifies as belonging to the cult, intended to be made into Rings of Xathrid and worn by high ranking members. 

Occula asks about the potential value of the stones, but Damia postulates that no one will be able to assign a real value. She also says that the cult will kill anyone who possesses them, and by now the group is likely marked for death whether they have the stones or not. She keeps the stones herself, but makes an offer to the group. Since they are fighting the cult already, she offers to compensate them in return fighting them in specific ways. Yabolax, Aesir, and Flint agree, wanting the material needed to fix their vehicle. Kiyoshi hesitantly agrees, interested in the vehicle and the team himself. Occula agrees, mostly interested in Damia and the potential to learn more.