The party are confronted with the featureless blackness within the arch. They spend some time experimenting, placing objects into it, lit torches that return extinguished and finally placing limbs into it. They walk to the other side and to their surprise can see right through the arch, as if the darkness is not there. Walking through this side does nothing. They keep experimenting until Crom decides to take the plunge, walking entirely into it. The others grab hold of him in an attempt to stop him but realise he is getting pulled further in, like quick sand. Mornington gripped on to Crom's leg so tight that he too is pulled through. Fenris and Edward are both hesitant, but Fenris ends up grabbing Edward by the collar and dragging him in.
Each member of the party feels a chilling wind across their body as they cross the threshold and feel themselves moving further through the portal beyond their own efforts. It takes some time for their eyes to adjust as everything around them is so dark. They can make out the vague landscape around them and can just differentiate between the land and the sky. Edward casts a spell to form a flaming light source that sits in his palm. He had tried this previously when putting his hand through the portal, but it had returned extinguished. Here however, it could sustain, albeit in a dulled state.
The surroundings are somewhat familiar to the forested valley they had just come from, the mist on the floor however is now a dark smoke, the trees are twisted, angular stone columns and the mountain they had been circling is now far more colossal in scale. There are four large obsidian blocks around the arch they came through that seem to sit on the same perimeter in which the ruins sat around the arch on the other side. The party get the impression that wherever they are, it is some form of mirror of their world.
Fenris catches a glimpse of something on the horizon, square in shape, unlike any of the shapes found in whatever kind of 'nature' this is. They promptly leave, getting the sneaking suspicion that they are being watched.
Back in the valley that is almost as eerie as the dark world beyond the portal, the party know they need to find somewhere to camp, and need to act fast. They head north towards the ruined tower that Crom had spotted previously, Edward tries to keep track of the route they take despite their pace.
They find the tower, a structure that used to boast perhaps four floors, but now has little more than two. Any door that was once the entrance has long rotted away and the interior isn't much better. It is however a sheltered location, and the party settle in for the night, one floor up from ground level. Edward asks to go on first watch.
Edward, between his wounds and travel exhaustion, is struggling to stay cognisant. His vision swims and drifts into a familiar oily blackness, and a voice comes into focus. Visited once again by his patron, Edward is advised that he is doing well, and that he can be seen moving towards his goal. As the voice fades, it leaves in its wake a breathy hollow sound, sustained on the wind. Edward checks the surroundings outside the tower and spots a light, ethereal humanoid, walking among the trees. The strange sound, now identifying as singing, is getting louder. The figure approaches as Edward hurriedly moves to warn the others. He first wakes Crom, wanting to make sure he isn't hallucinating as he has in the past. They both descend the stairs and stand in the doorway to the tower.
The ghostly presence gets closer and both can see the horrifying visage of a shredded female form that howls in discordant madness. Crom feels fear grip his heart and his feet are frozen still. Edward shouts up to the others as it becomes abundantly obvious they are in real danger. Fenris and Mornington rise slowly, Mornington putting on his studded leather armour, Fenris choosing to go without his breastplate. Crom takes one of his javelins and launches it at the creature as it approaches, the javelin finds its target, but passes straight through the incorporeal body, inflicting no damage to the creature. As the banshee charges the party, they are held up in the tower doorway, more of them freeze from fear and the creature lets out an ear-piercing shriek. The colour of life completely drains from the faces of Crom and Edward, both falling unconscious. Edwards limp body falls down the set of stone stairs, tumbling down and coming to rest next to Crom's.
Mornington digs deep to stay brave in the face of this horror and moves down into line of sight of the creature. He casts Hypnotic Pattern and a giant cube of intricate geometric shapes paint their way into existence around the banshee. Beautiful in its symmetry and colour, it completely envelops the creature, who proceeds to walk straight towards Mornington, unaffected by it's magical charm. The creature slashes across the belly of Mornington with an ethereal knife, wounding him. Fenris and Mornington switch places in a quick maneuver as Fenris shrugs off his fear.
Fenris, knowing that half of the party are out for the count, gives it everything he's got. He swings back and forth with startling accuracy as his enchanted warhammer crashes through the luminescent floating body. Parts of it are torn as limbs float away from torso and the head shatters among floating hair and ragged cloth. He lands a series of hits in quick succession and fells the creature as its scattered body fades away and the haunting echoes of its voice fade.
Left in the cold and calm once more, the conscious half of the party rush to heal the others. Soon all are healed enough to carry out the rest of the nights rest and subsequent watches.
The dark side of the mountain looms, and the party survive another night, in the fractured frontier.
Next Session 47
Previous Session 45