Emberglow Forest — As the party took a short, much-needed breather (and waited for a proper pot of tea to steep) to recover from their fight with the Minotaur Skeleton and tend specifically to Mad Matt's wounds, a rather polite young woman arrived, riding a mechanical Owlbear. She introduced herself as Mabel and was swiftly welcomed into the group once she revealed she could mend metal, wood, and even wounds - which is quite handy, actually. Tiyana, meanwhile, tinkered with the sealing spell on the cathedral door and managed to undo it, though the door swung open in a most foreboding and rather damp manner, prompting the crew to make their way inside with appropriate caution.
The Fireball Gazette
A Rather Dreadful Demon’s Fury and the Wizard’s Most Unfortunate Downfall: The Battle at the Cathedral!
13 August 2024
A Haunting Discovery and a Deadly Ritual
As they cautiously explored the premises, the party found the water well at the altar, but not before Tiyana and Ace uncovered two powerful spell scrolls. Their investigation was rather rudely interrupted by the wizard Zefiri, who revealed his rather dark plan: summoning the demon Dralvos from the Infinite Layers of the Abyss using the village’s well. Despite their best efforts to stop him - and a few polite requests to reconsider - the ritual was completed, bringing forth a grotesque demon with a single, monstrous eye and axe-like horns. It was all rather too much.
A Fierce Battle Against Dralvos
As the battle erupted in a most unorganised fashion, lacking even the slightest hint of an orderly queue, Selah swiftly scaled the cathedral walls, finding her way onto an utterly precarious angelic statue. With calculated agility, she swung from a chandelier, landing a blow on Zefiri’s head. Meanwhile, Mad Matt fell to his knees, desperately offering his loyalty to the demon Dralvos in exchange for power - a decision that was, quite frankly, rather impolite to his companions. The demon, unimpressed by such sudden changes in allegiance, simply ignored his plea. Seizing the moment, Ace darted from his cover, skillfully swiping the wizard’s magic tome from the altar. Tiyana, peeking from behind a bookshelf, unleashed a Fireball from a recently acquired scroll, sending blue flames hurtling toward both Zefiri and Dralvos. Unfortunately, Mad Matt was caught in the crossfire and quite literally engulfed in flames; it was a bit of a mess. As Dralvos retaliated with a vicious claw attack, Matt crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Acting quickly, Deva cast a carpet of vines over the well, preventing other possible demons from emerging and even trapping Dralvos momentarily. Mabel, not one to hesitate or wait for her tea to cool, catapulted a nearby book toward the ensnared demon, delivering a significant blow. Selah, now facing the demon, targeted Dralvos' single eye with her frosty Nunchaku, freezing part of his face before delivering a series of swift punches that left the demon visibly weakened.
Victory Amidst Flames
As Dralvos weakened, Zefiri released him, allowing the demon to escape, now free to roam the material plane - which is rather inconvenient for everyone involved. All the while, Mad Matt was fighting for his life, so Deva and Tiyana launched a desperate rescue, pulling him to safety while Mabel’s robotic spider stitched his wounds with great precision. Finally, a well-timed illusion by Selah distracted Zefiri, giving Ace the chance to deliver a fatal blow to the wizard. With the spell broken, the well vanished from the cathedral, which was now engulfed in flames. The crew barely escaped with their lives - and a tidy bit of gemstone loot.
A Blood-Red Return and a New Journey
Returning to the village, the adventurers were welcomed as heroes, much to their embarrassment. The well had returned but remained blood-red, a rather sinister reminder of the battle. Tiyana reassured the villagers that it would return to normal in a few days, provided the weather holds. As promised, the crew was treated to a lovely feast and received Florian and Maximilian as new rowing aids. Their ship, now fully repaired with a magnificent sail, cut through the currents as they sailed toward the Marid territory, ready for their next adventure (hopefully with less fire and more biscuits).
An exclusive look at the new sail produced by the finest Emberglow Artisans
As per the crew’s request, the finest artists and seamstresses from Emberglow Village collaborated to create this pattern, consisting of a horse with flaming hair, armoured with cannons, ridden by Selah the monk through a lush, green forest.