26th Vult, 999 YK
- Dax' Athla and Thorn go to check on the Znir Pact. They find a site of chaos, blood and wrecked furniture everywhere, but no casualties.
- Gharn explains that Zaeurl came to them and requested help from a Hwyri. Rhahn tried to help her, but it backfired and she transformed and wreaked havoc. She almost took them out on her own, but she seemed to regain herself enough to leave before she killed anyone.
- Dax explains that this is happening everywhere, that all of the delegations have been taken and likely the warlords too. The gnolls feared this, they can hear the call of the Wild Heart as well, but they have heard it all their lives and are better equipped to resist it.
- No Gods, No Fiends, No Chibs.
- Some of the gnolls are faring worse than the others.
- Rhahn rallies the gnolls that can be trusted not to turn, leaving behind a small force to watch those who are incapacitated.
- Dax convinces the gnolls to give everyone who can wield one, a myrnaxe.
- The Znir will clear a path to the Ossuary.
- They plan to get Zedd to get Oargev and Luala to safety on the mountain, as soon as they get outside. Drego makes them invisible so that they're less likely to be attacked.
- They exit the Crag with the gnolls, and send Oargev and Luala away on Zedd.
- They make their way through the exterior, with the gnolls engaging the lycanthropes when the group is noticed. A winter wolf intercepts them, but gets petrified by Sheshka before it can do anything.
- They make their way to the Medusa Enclave, which is near the Ossuary. They start to approach, when Thorn stops them, complaining about the smell. Nobody else can smell anything, it's a bit sus. Thorn says it smells like rats.
- Dax' Athla flew up to check through the window, and sees an unfathomable swarm of rats eating something humanoid. Oh no.
- They leave that stone unturned, it isn't worth it. Sheshka is crestfallen, and no longer believes that the Daughters of Sora Kell are behind this.
- Sheshka leads them to the Ossuary, a ruined dhakaani fort. They descend into the earth, into a tunnel filled with statues. Sheshka explains that most of them were petrified by the Daelkyr Orlassk, the Lord of Stone. Its mere presence petrified them, they never stood a chance.
- Dax suggests unpetrifying some of them, but Sheshka is opposed to the idea. She explains that her power traps the soul in the stone, and that extended petrification is damaging to the soul and the mind. Even worse than that, these people were petrified by a daelkyr, their minds are likely not intact.
- They enter a large chamber, filled with thousands of statues. Thorn asks what the largest statue in the Ossuary is, and Sheshka lists off a wyvern, three griffons, and a hydra. Thorn has a feeling they'll find Harryn near to the hydra. When questioned on this, she said she feels like she's seen it before.
- Lozaal requests that Thorn do her best not to die, as weird shit keeps happening around her and he wants answers.
- They split up and look for the hydra. Warden finds it first, and calls out to the others. Lozaal approaches it and gets petrified with a flash of light.
- oops.
- Warden casts Detect Magic and sees a lattice of glyphs around the statue. Thorn hands him Steel, who examines the trap. It petrifies people who enter the area, and is the most complex enchantment that Steel has ever seen. It takes a little while to recharge after firing, however.
- Terfel drags the statue of Harryn out of the field. Alyn drags Lozaal's statue out of it and brings it to the others.
- Sheshka restores Lozaal with a kiss to the neck.
- Harryn Stormblade is petrified in white marble, something they've only see Sheshka do. Sheshka restores him.
- Harryn is restored in flesh, but his mind is absent. He just stares into space. Sheshka explains that this is how he was when she last saw him. Dax asks what happened.
- Sheshka explains that she knew Harryn, once. She adventured with him and their party, pursuing a "darkness" in the Eldeen Reaches. She let fear get the best of her and abandoned them before the end, however. She went back later and found him like this. She petrified him to preserve him, and brought him with her back to Droaam.
- They check him over, there is no active magical effect on him and whilst he's a little banged up, nothing physically wrong to explain his current state. Lozaal remembers stories of Jhazaal Dhakaan using a spell called Feeblemind, but even that wouldn't leave him like this.
- Thorn recounts stories of Harryn that her father told her, and asks Sheshka where his sword is. The others ask what the sword looks like, and Thorn produces a book.
- Sheshka has a visceral reaction to the book, and demands to know where she got it. Thorn claims it was a gift from a friend, who is no longer with us.
- Sheshka theorises that the book belongs to Sora Teraza, that she claims the lives of heroes and keeps them in her library. Not stories of their lives, their actual lives. Thorn stole from Teraza!
- Thorn flips through to the end of the book, revealing an image of the group standing around Harryn's statue. Dax says she doesn't like this.
- On Warden's suggestion, Thorn presents the book to Harryn. His eyes focus on it, and it floats towards him. A moment later there is a flash, and he is stood with his sword held aloft, in perfect imitation of the cover of the book (which has now vanished).
- Harryn is disoriented and confused, but focuses on Sheshka and goes to attack her. Terfel intercepts and Sheshka flees into the darkness. Harryn takes a swing at Terfel and then backs up to create space.
- Harryn demands to know who they are, and how he can know they aren't corrupted by "Drukan". They try to calm him down, explaining that he's been petrified for almost 200 years and that they've just freed him. He is scared and confused. He asks if he was alone when he was petrified, what happened to the others?
- They call out to Sheshka to return, though Harryn refuses to promise he won't attack her. They are answered by the braying of wolves.
- A troll has entered the room, flanked by wolves. They charge.
- Drego readies a Hypnotic Pattern.
- Lozaal engages the troll, growing in size to match it. Rune Magic! He stabs it with the silvered spearhead of the myrnaxe.
- Dax' Athla, Nayara, and Sheshka all shoot the troll with their bows, Dax using fire bolts.
- When the wolves get closer, Drego's hypnotic pattern goes off but only stuns the troll.
- The troll seems to be totally impervious to damage, regenerating even when hit with fire and silver.
- Lozaal has a plan!