📜 Session Overview

Sleep gas flooded their chambers, and one by one they were rendered helpless. Xercomath alone remained partially aware—locked inside an ornate birdcage, displayed as an exotic curiosity. Around him, the others were entombed in glass test chambers, their bodies wired into arcane machinery designed to siphon leyline energy directly from their sleeping forms.

Through strained telepathy, Xercomath reached out beyond his cage. He made contact with other captives: Lorca, a hardened lycan; Piper, a frightened kenku girl; and a vicious, caged predatory dinosaur. As the group drifted in and out of consciousness, Xercomath coordinated what little resistance he could through shared mental bonds while the others fought to awaken and tear themselves free from the mana-draining devices.

At the heart of the laboratory, they discovered the true source of the tower's power: another Realmstrider. A towering albino giant hung suspended in the air, unconscious, pierced by dozens of tubes siphoning his essence. Through desperate effort and psychic coordination, the party managed to disrupt the apparatus long enough to overload the captive being. The Realmstrider—later known as Porthos—awoke in a violent surge of power, erupting from his restraints in a catastrophic explosion of crimson energy before vanishing into shadow. The lab was left drenched in blood and silence as the party collapsed, barely conscious.

Freed at last, the group uncovered the purpose of their imprisonment: they were intended to serve as living leyline batteries, fueling relics throughout the tower. Among the corpses of the fallen mages, Warwick recovered a strange anti-magic amulet. The moment he touched it, the artifact pulsed—and then every matching amulet across the village detonated simultaneously, erasing any remaining magical authority in an instant.

Searching for answers, the party sought Arch Mage Sir Magnus Opus U'rilius Corbus—only to find him gone. In a hidden chamber within the tower, they discovered the remnants of his true collection: severed heads of slain Realmstriders. The trophies belonged not to monsters, but to members of the Ætherborn Kin—the Kin—enemies of the Aegis Concord. The revelation cast the Arch Mage's legacy in a far darker light.

Vyr soon made contact, bringing with him Jorso, a yellow-and-black dragonborn Realmstrider who wielded storms like a master conductor. Jorso restored power to the shattered crystal systems, granting the party time to rest and learn what they could. Lorca, Piper, and the shaken Porthos were brought back to Loid, the sentient ship, where the group finally took respite.

That peace did not last.

Porthos vanished without warning. Ol'Brin later guided the party to a hidden memorial within the Astral Sea—an ancient sanctum honoring fallen Realmstriders. There, they found a statue of Sir Magnus Opus U'rilius Corbus… aged, solemn, and disturbingly unlike the man they had met. Doubt crept in. Perhaps the Arch Mage they knew was never the one memorialized—or perhaps something else entirely had worn his face.

Back aboard Loid, Lorca escorted Piper safely to her kin, while the party debated their next move. Deprived of the ambient magic that once sustained him, Loid began to weaken—and wander. In their absence, he encountered a distant tribe that fed him generously. The nourishment changed him. Loid grew more intelligent, developing the awareness and emotional complexity of a young child. The revelation carried dread: his preferred sustenance was not merely animals, but the brains of sentient beings.

Tension fractured the group. Guilt, fear, and responsibility weighed heavily as they turned their attention to Nymis' next target—a corrupted church on Theros. Inside, ichor and acidic slime pulsed with unnatural life, controlled by a massive ghoul-like entity. The battle turned disastrous within minutes. As the party faced annihilation, Agelaius transformed the ichor into a highly flammable oil. Without warning, Sorina unleashed a fireball.

The resulting detonation bloomed into a towering mushroom cloud.

Broken, burned, and stripped of much of their gear, the party survived only because their Realmstrider instincts triggered—tearing them from the blast and hurling them back to the Manticore on Ethoria. The church and its abomination were reduced to ash.

Porthos eventually returned, hollowed by grief. His family—and all traces of his former life—had been erased during his years of captivity. In repayment of the party's aid, he gifted them a bonded dagger, swearing a life debt yet to be fulfilled. At their request, he remained behind to care for Loid, guarding the growing, dangerous intelligence they had helped create.

Low on supplies and desperate for coin, the party set their sights on Vysterie, a three-day flight away. The perilous skies near their hidden alcove forced them to seek assistance from the guards of Wyrmhallow. A grim bargain was struck: the party would replace the guards during a manticore mating ritual—protecting the female and surviving the violent chaos—so the guards could attend to other duties.

They endured the trial.

With the pact fulfilled and transport secured, the party now prepares to reach the city—seeking gold, answers, and perhaps a path forward through the growing consequences of their actions.

⚔️ Key Events

• Imprisonment and Awakening: The party was captured and imprisoned as living leyline batteries within the Arch Mage's laboratory. Xercomath, trapped in a birdcage, coordinated their escape through telepathy.
• The Crimson Awakening: Discovery and liberation of Porthos, an albino giant Realmstrider who had been drained for years. His explosive awakening destroyed the laboratory in a surge of crimson energy.
• The Trophy Room: Uncovered the Arch Mage's hidden collection—severed heads of slain Realmstriders from the Ætherborn Kin, revealing his true allegiance to the Aegis Concord.
• The Amulet Detonation: Warwick's discovery of an anti-magic amulet triggered a chain reaction, detonating all similar amulets throughout the village and eliminating the magical authority.
• Memorial in the Astral Sea: Discovery of an ancient memorial honoring fallen Realmstriders, including a statue of Sir Magnus Opus U'rilius Corbus that didn't match the man they knew.
• Loid's Evolution: Deprived of ambient magic, Loid began consuming sentient brains and developed childlike intelligence and emotional complexity.
• The Corrupted Church: Catastrophic battle on Theros against a ghoul entity. Sorina's fireball combined with Agelaius's oil transformation created a mushroom cloud that destroyed the church and nearly killed the party.
• Porthos's Debt: The freed Realmstrider gifted the party a bonded dagger and swore a life debt, choosing to remain behind to guard Loid.
• The Manticore Trial: Struck a bargain with Wyrmhallow guards, enduring a violent manticore mating ritual to secure safe passage to Vysterie.

⚔️ Combat Encounters

👥 NPCs Encountered

🔍 Important Discoveries

💰 Loot & Rewards

• Anti-Magic Amulet: Recovered by Warwick from the corpses of fallen mages. Upon contact, it triggered a chain reaction that detonated all matching amulets across the village, eliminating magical authority. Status: Likely destroyed in the detonation.
• Porthos's Bonded Dagger: A life-debt gift from the freed Realmstrider. This artifact represents an unfulfilled oath and may be called upon in the future.
• Safe Passage to Vysterie: Earned through completing the manticore trial for the Wyrmhallow guards.
• Knowledge: Crucial intelligence about the Arch Mage's allegiance, the Ætherborn Kin, and the Aegis Concord's methods.
• New Allies: Jorso (storm-wielding dragonborn Realmstrider) and Porthos (guardian of Loid).
• Losses: Most equipment and gear destroyed in the church explosion on Theros.

✨ Character Moments

📝 DM Notes

Arc Themes: These sessions explored themes of captivity and liberation, the cost of power, ethical dilemmas surrounding sentient beings (Loid), and the revelation of deeper conspiracies. The Arch Mage's trophy room served as a major narrative pivot, transforming him from a morally ambiguous authority figure into a clear antagonist aligned with the Aegis Concord.

Porthos Introduction: The albino giant Realmstrider served multiple narrative purposes—a victim of the Arch Mage's cruelty, a powerful ally who chose to repay his debt, and a guardian for the increasingly dangerous Loid. His life debt creates future story hooks.

Loid's Evolution: The ship's transformation from simple transport to sentient being with disturbing dietary needs adds moral complexity. Porthos's decision to stay behind provides a temporary solution while raising questions about long-term sustainability.

The Church Explosion: This moment was designed to demonstrate the catastrophic potential of combining abilities without coordination. The near-TPK served as a wake-up call about tactical communication and the real dangers they face.

Memorial Mystery: The discrepancy between the statue and the living Arch Mage is intentionally unresolved, planting seeds for future revelations about identity, time manipulation, or potential impostors.

🎭 Looking Ahead