Last we left off the group and Xoco were catching up as they’ve done with many new allies. There are jokes made at Galahad’s expense, and they eventually go out for the evening for food, drink, and more revelry. Salix makes their way to a temple to speak with Gerviss, the void dragon, and connect more with the Daughter of the Void. They ask for guidance and a bit of clarity in the understanding of their powers and their role. Later that evening, we get Arguile’s education on the Guardian’s Rapier. He learns how to utilize its powers fully AND learns the connection between the gentleman Fel Mon’ri, a descendant of a companion to the soul residing inside the Guardian’s Rapier, and Ÿbo. Afterward, Arguile is handed a piece of magical parchment that allows Arguile to write and for Fel to see. Back at their lodging, Zechs gives Hoshino The Quill of Desire, which he’s had since his time in Barovia and felt was better suited for the bard. The next morning we cut to Glad in a meditative state, unknowingly reaching out to her patron, The Protector. The conversation started well but escalated as he avoided answering Glad’s questions. Was she being manipulated by him? Could she truly trust him or what her alternate said of him? This entire exchange left Glad feeling uncertain and at her wit’s end. The truth may not be what she truly wishes to hear, according to The Protector.
Afterward, Shanks, with the aid of Hoshino and Galahad, offers her empathy and understanding. She is comforted by this, and Shanks breathes a sigh of relief, seeing as this did not go so well in his similar attempt with Zechs. Arguile breaks off from the group and connects with the Guardian’s Rapier. He is asked to introduce himself and asks what he wishes to know. He gets a history lesson on the origins of this blade, its previous wielder, and the soul that resides within it, ending the conversation with the soul saying “She’s here”. We pan over to Shanks as he finds Jrehg, the Orc he was told to seek. They connect upon learning that Shanks speaks Orcish and learning more about each other and their respective histories. There is a discussion about the gods, balance, and goals while the two traverse through the Forgotten Quarter of Drose. Our focus moves to Xoco in gleaming armor, beginning to make her way through Drose with Galahad to begin her trials. She is confident and Galahad assures her she will prevail, but the first trial proves difficult with her being charmed. Eventually, she breaks the hold over her, but the fight in front of them is only just beginning.
The battle is hard fought and ends with a showdown between Xoco, Galahad, and a hooded mage that resembles the priestess who started the process of the trial. Upon the enemy’s defeat, Xoco realizes that Drose is under siege and needs the champion’s protection. So she makes the call to abandon her trial and the two join the fray. We then pan over to Hoshino and Zechs in the Scholar’s Ward. They enjoy themselves until a mysterious figure disrupts the history lesson (the same figure that Xoco and Galahad faced off against, unbeknownst to them), leaving Hoshino in a state of shock and Zechs uncertain of what to do as a Draegloth bursts into the room and tears the scholar asunder. We move our focus to Salix and Gerviss discussing Salix’s disdain and history with Dragonkin. It is an exchange of understanding, empathy, and guidance of their newfound abilities. However, Drose is under siege and the conversation is cut short.
The siege of Drose is fully underway, and the party is scattered across the city. The Draegloth are sources of fear and shock as they pass through Drose and its citizens. Glad pulls citizens back to the inn and lets Arguile and Salix know to send people her way for safety, rest, and healing. Arguile and Salix agree and make their way through the city, taking out many of these creatures along the way. Arguile uses his Guardian’s Rapier and Salix to get the job done using their Druidic wild shape ability. During the battle, time slows and Arguile is confronted by the same figure that appeared to Galahad, Xoco, Zechs, and Hoshino. The conversation is short but it’s clear that this figure has a lot of disdain towards Drose and Ÿbo. Galahad works with the city guard to eliminate the threats and uses his animated tower shield to protect the citizens. Shanks is with Jrehg, clearing out enemies with his bow, Mind’s Eye, and Jrehg with a greatsword of carved bone that cleaves enemies like paper. He wields this weapon with ease, which is impressive as it’s almost the size of Galahad. On the other side of the city, Duo helps guide citizens to safety and provides “eyes in the sky” for Zechs. Hoshino, Zechs, and conjured bears help take down some of the Draegloths and help rescue the citizens who are in the path of destruction. There is chaos throughout the city, but Collateral is doing its best to be the heroes we know them to be.
With the siege of Drose reaching its conclusion. Most of the party helps the citizens as best as possible and regroups outside the now destroyed temple. As the adrenaline leaves Hoshino, he’s shocked and heads to the Inn with Glad. The party, minus Zechs, catches each other up on what they’ve experienced and uses their shared knowledge to inform their next steps. Together, they recount the story Bound to the Void, the conversation that Gerviss had with Salix, Arguile had with Ÿbo and any other information they’ve gathered about the mysterious figure they now know as Iolan. It’s decided that Arguile would likely need to speak with Fel once more and Ÿbo again after that. Salix communes with Gerviss and he informs them that Iolan and Ÿbo were lovers. Outside of that, he didn’t have much more information to offer as he was unaware of their story.
On the other hand, Zechs decides to head back to the Scholar’s Enclave to seek information regarding the creatures that attempted to overtake the city and figure out any info regarding Eldertwine. Regrouping with the rest of the team, Zechs catches up and divulges the information he gleaned to the team. A critical few details arise… Iolan mentioned Hoshino by his full name and said she was there to give her regards. She spoke with Arguile directly briefly and insulated that Ÿbo was not trustworthy. Together, they head over to Tozi and explain what happened based on what they saw. They also give her information about Iolan being the culprit. Tozi is grateful for their help in protecting the city and its people. She takes them into an ancient archive and lays out the legend of what supposedly happened when the war ended. Giving the group a lead that Iolan may have lived in the Forgotten Quarter and more answers could be there. Before she leaves to tend to the citizens, she asks that the group remain in Drose for a few more days to ensure the citizens’ safety in the event of another attack. The party agrees, and they decide to make their way to the Forgotten Quarter.
After finding and investigating the former quarters of Iolan, the party discovers a hidden and warded library with many books that, while not magical, are rich with information on all the various schools of magic. Also, in this library, they come across a map of Sloane that is not the Sloane that they now know but one that is likely from ages gone by. Most importantly, they find a stack of handwritten journals in a language no one seems to know. After, with Jrehg’s guidance, they look around the burial site of a large-scale battle. They don’t find much of note other than the appearance of a grave where someone once laid, which shows the handmarks of someone climbing out of their grave. They give Chantico, Tozi, and Xoco their findings and head back to the inn to find Hoshino in a better state than they left him.
After catching up with the party, Hoshino reveals that he believes he was the cause of the calamity during his age of Sloane. With this, he tells them that Eldertwine is a terrible plague that caused the inflicted to slowly and painfully turn into trees, living in excruciating pain for as long as they stood, and he was one of the afflicted. He goes on to explain that in his pursuit to thwart this terrible death towards the later years of his life, he found what is called Antithesis—an entity that opposes the Daughters, with whom he struck a deal. However, he tells them of this fateful encounter and his trials to get his gift of extended life at a high cost.
After this, the party takes a second to process what they heard but extend to Hoshino nothing but empathy as they know it is not a choice that came lightly. Going through the journals, written in Drosian, and map the group took from the library, the group realizes that Iolan must have also sought Antihesis. According to the journals, the last entries appear to line up before the end of that age. The group begins to separate and do what they can to train, gain information, rest, or make sense of the recent events. This chapter ends as Arguile reaches out to the soul in his sword, figures out the dynamic between Ÿbo and Iolan, and what other information she can provide that would help in any way.