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Experiments & Exposition

Last week, Mikolash revived Millie from the Sending spell that knocked her unconscious, and the party experimented with the strange and immensely powerful surrounding them. After some testing, they determined that all of their magical abilities and magic items were dramatically increased in power in a way that still allowed them to control the effects. Millie tested this theory by gleefully setting herself on fire. However, they could not use their magic to try to attack the pyramid or gain access to the core of the ritual, or else it would backlash against them in dangerous ways. Millie tested this theory by setting herself and surrounding party members on fire with slightly less glee. The party tried to gain entrance to the pyramid without using magic, but they were blocked by a new wave of animated golems - some of which appeared dangerously hostile. Chort used his magical circlet to talk with Whitefall, and she was startled at how easily the circlet penetrated her magical defenses. The party told her what they had encountered and told her to prepare for danger in Whitefall. She confirmed that she had sensed the magical energy, and that none of it had affected Whitefall yet, but she - and, less importantly, the entire rest of the town - was prepared for danger. After the conversation, the party decided to retreat to a safe distance and rest to recover from their wounds before possibly trying to force entrance into the pyramid.

During their rest, Tobias screeched, warning the party about a giant bird that was dive-bombing the party at incredible speed. The bird smashed into a massive water barrier that Ayala created and died on impact. On its body, the party found a note:

You gave me much to consider last time we spoke. Mammon gave me more. She came to me and told me of what was to come, of my role in her plans. She did not see the doubt behind my eyes, the fear of her future. I hope this letter reaches you in time - before the days of Forced Fruition.

Mammon plans to awaken the full power of each of her ritual sites. I do not know how many she has, but I know that the Sekerren Ruins are the only one in the Southern Forest, and that one lies beneath Praxis itself. They will spread their chaos for one month. Praxis will become a battleground, and it will be forced to ban all magic to avoid the destruction of the city. One of her agents within the Nullwardens will reveal that they have the power to convert people into Nulls - and only Nulls, and those in the presence of Nulls, will be safe in the city. Many will take this offer voluntarily, and then it will be a punishment for magical malfeasance, and then it will be universal. They will welcome it, she says. They will seal away their own fate.

My role, and the role of my Circle, is to channel the power of the Sekerren Ruins to unleash unnatural horrors upon Southern Forest, to wipe out the Boundary Wardens and remove civilization's dominion over nature. I told my followers this and they rejoiced, ready to join the battle. I cannot accept that this is the only path. I will do what I can to sabotage these efforts, but I cannot stand against Mammon. If she knew my thoughts... I do not know how she did not, save that I talked to her near the lake out of some desperate hope.

Use this knowledge I have given you. Stop her from perverting nature in this way.

- Dorcas

The party realized that what was happening at their ritual site was being replicated elsewhere, or at least in Praxis. They interrupted their rest once again to try to reach Praxis as quickly as possible. Ayala used the magic of the ritual zone to conjure massive flying foxes that could carry the party at great speed through the air. Unfortunately, the enhanced magic from the ritual wore off ten miles from the temple, so the party journeyed the rest of the way on Ayala's conjured horses. They had a few trivial off-screen random encounters on their journey back to Praxis before making their way to the main road in the Northern Forest. The road was oddly deserted, without the usual travelers and patrolling rangers.

On the road, the party ran into a platoon of rangers and druids from the Boundary Wardens. Ayala asked what was going on, and the Boundary Wardens explained that they were hunting dragons. She said that the dragon was already dead, and everyone was very confused for a minute before they worked out what was going on. Apparently, the Northern Forest had been beset by attacks from a large number of dragons not long after the full power of the rituals activated. The Boundary Wardens had been outside of Praxis when the ritual activated there, and they didn't know details of what happened in the city, but they knew it had been chaotic and destructive - at least at first. More recently, things seem to have settled down somewhat, but with the primary military power of the Nullwardens out chasing the Circle of the Black Sun, the city had little ability to exert control over magic users.

The Boundary Wardens were focused on the dragons in the outlying regions that were setting fire to homesteads and destroying small towns. The party realized that the Boundary Wardens had little knowledge of the details of the rituals and were likely hopelessly outmatched on their own, so they diverted once more to go with them to try to shut down the ritual that had somehow caused the flood of dragons. The large group set off together, and the party explained what they knew about the mechanics of the ritals so the druids would be prepared when they reached the high magic zone. As the combined group travelled through the Northern Forest, they were suddenly attacked by a group of flying dragons!

Join us this week to face off against the dragons and try to somehow deal with the ritual in the Northern Forest. Also, the party finally reached level 11, bringing long-awaited access to Rank 5 abilities!

Stupid Awards

Ayala: Millie: Chort: Diplo: Mikolash:
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