Session 4 – Shadows and Light

Desperate Preparations and a Fiery Assault

As night crept over the horizon, the adventurers gathered around the massive crossbow, a relic of their recent skirmish. Illidan, with a steady hand, mended the colossal bolts, while Cetiri tore sections of her dress, using it to infuse her fairy mead into an incendiary weapon, poised to turn the tide of battle. With the crossbow strategically suspended for mobility, they waited for their moment. As the Aurox butcher and his hellboars took the bait, Rabbert gave the signal. The fiery bolt flew, pinning their foe to a tent and engulfing him in a searing blaze.

Awakening the Necromantic Matriarch

The sudden demise of the butcher stirred a deeper evil within the camp. From the shadows emerged the grotesque Aurox mother, her presence exuding a palpable aura of dark magic. Cetiri gasped as the Aurox Mother began pouring blood over the fallen hounds, her actions resurrecting them amidst a swirl of necromantic energy.

The battle with the Aurox mother was a harrowing dance of death and decay. Her noxious gas filled the air, making every breath a challenge, Cetiri found herself coated in her foul blood. The adventurers fought with everything they had, their weapons clashing against the revived hounds. In a whirlwind of steel and blood, Lyria once again slaughtered the hounds despite their recent ressurection. Illidan, in an impressive feat, ran up a decaying tree providing him with the height advantage he needed to sink two arrows into the bloody creature, mortally wounding it.

In the aftermath, the group started to collect their wits and form a plan as Cetiri spotted and secured a Sorrowbloom from beneath the twisted form of their foe.

Stealth and Surprise

After a brief respite, the group, carrying their makeshift siege weapon, advanced with renewed purpose towards the heart of the Aurox camp. Lyria led the stealthy approach, her rogue’s instincts guiding them past unseen dangers. Reaching the chieftain’s tent, she deftly cut a small opening, revealing the unsuspecting beast within.

The ambush on the shaman’s tent was almost flawless, except for Rabbert’s accidental strike on the sacrifices. “Forgive me,” he muttered, regret clouding his eyes. Quickly regaining composure, they launched a coordinated assault. Spells and a second flaming bolt flew through the air, finding their mark. The shaman, caught unawares, fell quickly, his dark magic silenced.

The Chieftain’s Wrath and a Hero’s Fall

The shaman’s demise roused the beast lord, the Aurox chieftain, from his slumber. With a roar that shook the earth, he burst forth, battleaxe in hand. The clash that followed was brutal and relentless. Illidan fought valiantly, but the chieftain’s strength was overwhelming. With mighty swings, the axe found its mark over and over as it cleaved into the ranger’s body. Illidan fell, his life snuffed out in an instant. “No, Illidan!” Cetiri screamed, her voice echoing with despair.

In their grief, the group rallied, fighting with a ferocity born of loss. Lyria, channeling her anguish into strength, struck the final blow, her blade sliding across his Achilles heel before sinking through the skull of the falling Aurox chieftain.

Grief, Choices, and the Unexpected

The battlefield fell silent. Rabbert, unsure what to do, reached out to Ioun. Still the answer was not clear. Torn between the knowledge contained within the ancient scroll and the life of their fallen comrade, Rabbret chose to preserve the scroll. “This knowledge must endure,” he said somberly. “What’s dead is dead,” Lyria said, her voice resolute.

But Cetiri, unwilling to accept this fate, placed the sorrow bloom into Illidan’s mouth, hoping against hope for a miracle. Rabbert tried to stop her, but his age slowed him. In that moment, Illidan’s mind awoke in the realm of stars.

“Is your hunt finished?” Acrurus asked. “No,” Illidan replied.

“But why? What is the reason you hunt?” Arcturus demanded. The ranger was slow to respond.

“For now, go. Continue your hunt. But you must find a reason. Speak to me when I am highest in the sky, and give me your answer,” he commanded, sending Illidan back to the living world.

Mysterious Blade and a New Quest

In the quiet that followed Illidan’s miraculous resurrection, Lyria’s attention was drawn elsewhere. Amidst the remnants of their foes, she unearthed a blade of unusual make – dark, slender, and emanating a strange aura. As she grasped it, the blade began to whisper in a voice that was both enticing and unsettling. “Ah, finally, a worthy hand,” it murmured, its tone laced with a hunger that seemed ancient and insatiable. “But I hunger so much. Feed me,” the voice continued, compelling Lyria towards an action she hadn’t anticipated. With a mixture of curiosity and unease, she plunged the blade into the fallen Aurox, appeasing its thirst momentarily. The blade quieted, its whispers subsiding into a satisfied silence, leaving Lyria to ponder the true nature and origins of this weapon.

Tuxil, the Trinket Lord, materialized once more before them. His presence, as always, was an mix of mystery and allure. “The threads of fate weave tightly around you,” he intoned, his gaze piercing each of them. “But I need your help. I need the ore that Cetiri carries.”

Through a series of exchanges, Rabbert pressed the importance of his quest to the Tal’dash desert and the completion of The Great Partnership. Tuxil, admitting his inability to influence the material plane to a great degree, offered to save them as much time as he could by sending them back to Rabbert’s warren.