TWO YEARS AGO...
A group of adventurers -- Cardinal the shifter priestess of the Sovereign Host, Nine the warforged fighter, Onaag the goblin mercenary, and Dare'el the khoravar scholar -- have travelled to far-off Xen'drik on an expedition for Morgrave University. Their task is to retrieve a crystal skull with the power to raise the dead. After many days of travelling together, Cardinal has a vision that leads the group to a ruined temple, and they follow this lead. They're currently feeling exhausted and demoralized after almost half their party died along the way, but it's too late to give up now.
Entering the temple, Dare'el notices a few pressure plates by the door, and directs the group around them. Cardinal notices a pattern of slightly more worn-out tiles leading across the room, as if they'd been stepped on more frequently by people who used to pass through here, and finds a safe pathway to a door on the other side. They enter a second room that seems to have served one purpose: the worship of a gleaming crystal skull resting on an altar at the centre. It's mostly in ruins, with a portion of the wall overgrown by dirt and roots, and there's a red dragon mosaic on the floor.
As they move up, they're ambushed by a pair of hungry displacer beasts, who'd been hiding behind a ruined section of the wall. Onaag and Dare'el use their super sneaky stealth skills to duck behind the pillars in the room and throw knives at them, while Cardinal bites at them with her tigerlike fangs and Nine bonks them with their greataxe. Due to the displacement, though, the fight drags on for so long that Dare'el wonders what would happen if she grabbed the skull and bolted. After checking for traps and not seeing any, she does just that.
This proves to be a bad idea -- the dragon mosaic animates, spewing flames around the outside of the room, which Onaag is able to dodge. The rest of the group finds themselves restrained in the dragon's coils. A short woman dressed in explorer's garb -- Irullan Karnach, as the group would later learn -- emerges from the shadows flanked by a large undead army, demanding they hand over the skull. She begins ominously counting down from ten, as Dare'el plans to sacrifice herself and Onaag helps the rest of her friends wriggle free of the coils. Once the skull is handed over, though, Dare'el is allowed to safely leave without dying as she had expected.
The group escapes with their lives intact, but... at what cost?
FLASHBACK OVER
It's been a few weeks since the Saviours of Salvation saved the outpost from its last attack, and they've been enjoying the downtime while conducting their own research. Glayder is less of a drunken wreck now, thanks to the constant sending spells she receives from Arishtava, and appears to be catching feelings for the kalashtar. Aliza has since left to Morgrave University to help find answers about the Oracle of War, and has contacted the party asking to meet up to discuss a lead. After the previous attack, Isabelle hired a private investigator, Ivelo d'Medani, to track the whereabouts Irullan Karnach, and he's also asked to meet her in person to discuss some information. Jinx has left to Vedykar by now on urgent Jorasco business, leaving the hospital in the care of Khetari and Whist.
Once the lightning rail station has been reopened, the group leaves Salvation for the bustling metropolis of Sharn. They elect to meet with Ivelo first, as he's closer to Terminus Station, then follow up on Aliza's lead. Entering a seedy tavern in the Middle Dura district, they find him waiting for them in a private booth. He lets them know that he's tailed Karrnach to a low rent apartment in the Lower Dura, frequented by figures with ties to the Emerald Claw, including a rakshasa named Andhedra. Additionally, he's seen her talking to a pair of mysterious bald half-elves, one in red and the other in black. He mentions he has a little more work to do, so he'll reveal the location of the apartment when he feels it's safe. Isabelle asks him about exciting things to do in the city, and he recommends a musical at the University theatre, as well as the botanical gardens in the Central Plateau.
They bid the detective farewell and hop on a skycoach to Aliza's inn near the University. She tells the group that she's found a few possible leads: a graduate student named Zell Mar, who's willing to help examine the Oracle, and a sphinx named Flamewind who apparently is an expert on the Draconic Prophecy. Thankfully, she's secured admission to the university via Zell, but is unsure how to schedule an appointment with Flamewind. She recommends the party get nicer clothes before going to the University, and thus, a shopping montage ensues.
Elloven and Khetari wander around the streets of Upper Menthis, getting distracted every two seconds by the pretty clothes, and settle down for a lunch of Shadow Marches dumplings after shopping. Glayder and Isabelle head down to the Everbright district of Middle Menthis, both to buy magical equipment for secret Vadalis things, and glamerweave dresses for them both. With that out of the way, they regroup with Aliza and head to the university, where Glayder is distracted by a very familiar face she notices in the library window. She makes a mental note to meet up with Ari later, and joins the rest of the group in looking for Zell.
Zell's office is a mess, and he makes a subpar first impression by fanboying over Argan before greeting any of the party, but nevertheless takes a look at the device. He deduces that it was made by Sulring Mroranon, a dwarven artificer who went missing during The Day of Mourning. He's impressed by the craftsmanship that went into it, and regretful that he didn't think of it first. Unfortunately, he doesn't know much about the Prophecy stuff, but recommends that the group visit Flamewind instead, handing Isabelle a key to Lareth Hall, where the sphinx's office is. Just then, an alarm on his desk goes off, and he grumbles about having too much to do.
Isabelle asks if she can help, and he mentions having a first date with Jia, a half-orc locksmith he'd been talking to, but not being able to prepare due to the lecture he has to attend in ten minutes. He gives the group a to-do list of errands to run, and they consider it a favour for a favour. Glayder and Elloven visit Jia at his shop to ask about his food preferences, then head to Fairhaven Traditional, an Aundairian restaurant nearby, to make reservations. Isabelle and Khetari go to the dry cleaner's to retrieve Zell's laundry, then pick up a puzzle box for Jia from a gift shop.
With the errands out of the way, they return to campus to break into Lareth Hall using Zell's key. The tower is a hundred feet tall, ending in a domed glass ceiling, with bookshelves everywhere. Glayder is immediately distracted by a red-haired figure -- Ari? -- running past the group into a study room. A stern-looking woman asks what they're doing here, and Isabelle and Glayder lie about having an appointment with the sphinx, so she allows them through.
Before they can go upstairs to Flamewind's chamber, though, the glass shatters and a group of raiders crashes into the tower, led by a fearsome rakshasa -- Andhedra, most likely. The raiders prove more resilient than expected, and Andhedra hits very hard, nearly outright killing Isabelle and Glayder both. Isabelle spends the fight ping-ponging in and out of unconsciousness.
Just when the fight seems unwinnable, a group of ragtag adventurers -- Cardinal, Nine, Dare'el, and Onaag -- bursts in through the same hole in the window, eager to get their revenge on Karnach's lackeys. They quickly help dispatch Andhedra and the remaining raiders, then ensure Isabelle is stable, before sharing their own information on Karnach and leaving to continue their quest for vengeance. The group is finally free to head upstairs to Flamewind.
The sphinx greets the group by name, apparently having anticipated their arrival. She says she has the answers they seek, but they must first pass a test. Isabelle walks up and scritches her under the chin, and she blinks in confusion before flopping over purring, until Glayder yells at her to leave the sphinx alone and allow her to continue. Flamewind places a paw on each of Glayder and Isabelle's head, saying the two must duel until there is a victor. They seem extremely hesitant to fight each other, though, but Isabelle summons Argan to throw some fire at Glayder with an expression of profound guilt and fear. In response, Glayder drops her sword, surrendering. Flamewind declares Isabelle the victor and concludes that this is satisfactory.
The group then relays the Prophecy verse to her: "When dark lanterns flicker in the light of the silver torch, the King in Green rides north on a bolt of steel. Two nations prepare for war, as all eyes turn to Sky Blue." She says she'll look into it and contact them again when she has made sense of it, but for now, it seems as though the Prophecy has specifically chosen them for... something. Elloven asks about his mark, to which she responds that all will reveal itself in due time. She allows the party to leave, but not before patting Isabelle on the head one more time.