Epilogue

The Heroes have vanquished Gadreel, but it is a bitter-sweet victory. The sun that now shines in the Virtous Sphere has been stolen from Realmsphere, leaving the Heroes' home without its source of light and warmth.

 

Satine knows that inside of her hides the power to be the sun. She knows that the only way to harness this power is to feel love, true love, unconditional love. That love Gadreel was never able to harness, that last component he was never able to obtain nor replicate in his attempts to create a new sun . The love she bears Ayrin.

 

And so the Heroes travel through the Flow back to Realmsphere, finding it cold and dark. The Pyre has been gone for several weeks, dooming the living beings of the sphere to an icy death. Only those able to access powerful magic, or living in the deepest recesses of the Underdark, are able to survive.

 

There's only one way to save Realmsphere. The crew of the Curse of Strahd and the Conudrum gather on the modron craft to say their goodbyes to Ayrin and Satine. Captain Anomander leaves his ship to the star-crossed lovers, and then they all watch the black ship sail away with them, to reach the center of the sphere, where once was the Pyre.

 

Hours go by, then suddenly, a spark. A light. And then an explosion of fire and radiant energy, the very birth of a new sun! The Heroes bathe in the sunlight, tears flowing down their cheeks, safe in the knowledge that their beloved friends will always be with them.

 

Up there, far away, shining their light on all of Realmsphere.

Session 59

Heroes: Ayrin, Azrael, Haurchefant, Kunik

 

The Heroes find themselves on the deck of the Hayot, Gadreel's own ship. They soon realise they're no more than ghosts looking at an event that has not yet come to pass. They witness the solar giving instructions to his crew, then moving to a magical portal that will bring him to Rebirth station, ext to the center of the sphere.

 

When they come back to their senses, the Heroes are on the Conundrum. With magic, they scry on the Hayot and find its location in the city. They fly through the city at great speed, avoiding the many Celestian ships chasing them.

 

They fight through the fleet separating them from Gadreel's ship, and board the craft. The Heroes force their way to the officers' quarters, where they have a first clash with Gadreel himself. Then they follow the solar inside the portal they saw in their vision.

 

On the other side, they find themselves in the presence of Gadreel in a vast chamber humming with arcane energies. Satine, Ayrin's long lost love, weeps in desperation at Gadreel's feet. The Heroes throw themselves at Gadreel to stop him from enacting his evil plan: to steal Realmspace's sun.

 

But they soon realize they're too late. Gadreel has started the ritual while they were travelling in the Flow for 16 days to reach this sphere, and the impossible wormholes Gadreel has built have done their work. The walls of the vast chamber disappear, adn the Heroes witness the birth of a new sun!

 

Revenge is all that is left, and the Heroes attack Gadreel with all their power. The solar unleashes his god-like abilities at them, bringing them down one by one. And every time the Heroes rise again, thanks to Kunik's healing powers, harnessing one more sliver of strength, and fight back.

Azreal smites the Celestial again and again, while Haurchefant aquires the form of the Master of Realmspace to better contend with Gadreel's unconquerable power.

Satine helps in the only way she can, harnessing the radiant power of her soul, both healing the Heroes and blasting Gadreel with the power of an unborn sun. At the end of her strength, she grants Ayrin the last drop of power she has left, then falls unconscious.

Ayrin targets his fury at Gadreel, and a powerful beam of incandescent fire and sunlight washes over the solar, annihilating him once and for all.

Session 58

Heroes: Ayrin, Azrael, Haurchefant, Kunik

The Heroes explore Void City Diligence for a while, then they decide to land their ships inside the city; while they proceed on foot, Yreldune will cast a powerful illusion to hide both the Conundrum and the Curse of Strahd.

The Heroes make their way on the deserted streets of the celestial city, eventually meeting several Grigori Knights led by a Planetar. When these servants of Gadreel try to apprehend them, the Heroes defeat them and interrogate the Planetar. From him they learn of the Skein Witch, an entity deeply connected with Fate and Destiny, that resides in the city.

They find the temple of the Witch, and they confront the supernatural creature. When she's dissatisfied with their answers, together with her Deva protectors she puts the Heroes to the test. The Heroes emerge victorious from the contest, and the Witch gives them the Blessing of Fate (whatever that may mean).

The runes carved in the walls of her temple begin to shine with a powerful blue light, blinding the Heroes as their bodies are trasnported far away.

Session 57

Heroes: Ayrin, Azrael, Haurchefant, Kunik

 

The Heroes defeat the Shoggoth, and Haurchefant acquires the Star Glyph. Having completed the trials of the Master of Realmspace, he feels an hidden power still untapped coming from his three glyphs.

 

The Conundrum then sails to the portal that will bring its crew to Gadreel's sphere. The portal is guarded by a fleet of Celestian ships. Against all odds, the Conundrum defeats the opposition, as old friends arrive to lend some help. The Curse of Strahd hails the Conundrum, and Capt Anomander and his crew (among them Vola the half-orc barbarian and Gondriel the elven ranger) share some news with the Heroes.

 

There has been activity around the Pyre (Realmspace's sun) and the Celestian Trade Guild's fleet is stopping any ship travelling too close to the sun. Its numbers and military power is such that even the Elven Armada cannot go through their embargo. When the Heroes explain that Gadreel is planning to "steal the sun", the Curse of Strahd's crew offer their help in the battle to come.

 

Both ships cross through the portal, and after 16 days of travel into the Flow they reach the Virtous Sphere . Upon their arrival, they find a realm-sized city of marble and gold, encompassing the void around the portal both above and below. Though some activity can be spotted, the city looks in disrepair. Yreldune informs the Heroes that they've reached Void City Diligence, the seat of power of the Solar Gadreel.

Session 56

Heroes: Ayrin, Azrael, Haurchefant, Kunik

 

The Heroes reach the Vault where the most valuable items are stored. They defeat the undead guardians watching over the Vault, and they take a few items of power. They also find the Celestial Rod and the required charts needed to reach the portal that will bring them to Gadreel's sphere.

 

The Conundrum travels to the edge of Realmspace, but before they can reach the portal, Haurchefant fells a "pull" toward the colossal canyons raising from the surface of the sphere. The Heroes maneuver their ship among the monolithic glyphs, and find the entrance to an abandoned temple of sorts.

 

There Haurchefant is tested on his knowledge of the Masters of Realmspace by an ancient spirit, but he's found wanting. Yet, he still has a chance to prove his worth: from a magical pool a monstrous creature from beyond the stars begins to emerge, all eyes and maws and tentacles.

 

The Shoggoth roars in hunger, as the Heroes get ready to do battle.

Session 55

Heroes: Ayrin, Azrael, Haurchefant, Kunik

Haurchefant reaches the slaad who kidnapped Azrael, and destroys it. He then makes his way in what is clearly the lair of a beholder, with circular tunnels bending at impossible angles. While tumbling his way through the tunnels, he loses his grip on the unconscious Azrael, who falls down a long shaft, eventually ejecting her outside of the asteroid. With no way of recovering her ally, Haurchefant finds a spot to hide and rest for a while.

Outside, Ayrin and Kunik are pondering to leave the asteroid to regain their strength and regroup, but an antimagic field makes it impossible for them to activate their ship. The slaadi "invite" them to go back to the Vault, to try and find an "amicable" agreement.

The two are stripped of their weapons, but they manage to convince the slaadi and their beholder masters to retrieve Azrael and Haurchefant, and allow them to meet the master of the vault, who seems very interested in aquiring their modron ship.

The Heroes meet Vlindarian, a beholder death tyrant, and his beholder acolytes. When it becomes clear that Vlindarian wants to imprison Ayrin and Azrael (to deliver them to Gadreel) and kill Kunik and Haurchefant, the Heroes fight for their lives and emerge victorious, albeit very wounded. Still, they don't have much time to linger, as the slaadi may still come looking for them.

Session 54

Heroes: Ayrin, Azrael, Haurchefant, Kunik

The Heroes investigate the celestial ship, and find spelljamming charts showing the location of "portals" in wildspace. They also find some sort of activating rod, only useful to celestial creatures. By using these portals, the Celestian Guild has been able to cut travel times through Realmsphere considerably, gaining the upper hand as a merchant guild.

Thanks to Azrael's bloodline, the Heroes are able to use these portals themselves, and reach H'Catha in only four days. Yreludune guides them to the asteroid where Vlindarian's Vault is situated, and the Heroes approach the compound. They're allowed to disembark from the Conundrum without too much trouble, and are escorted to the person in charge of the Vault. An elven woman with a third eye in the center of her forehead welcomes them.

The Heroes try to deceive the woman by claiming to be Gadreel's servants. Their ruse is soon discovered, and the woman and her attendants reveal their true form: slaadi, aberrations from the fartherst reach of wildspace. 

When a fight begins, the slaadi gain the upper hand, thanks to their numbers and their regenerative abilities, and they manage to capture Azrael and take her away through a teleporting circle. Haurchefant runs after his fallen companion, while Ayrin and Kunik are separated from the others. To avoid being overwhelmed, the eladrin and the dwarf teleport back to the Conundrum thanks to Kunik's word of recall.