Episode Introduction
The treacherous Lord Brynaveer has declared war on the Mortal Guardians and moves to destroy them—or drive them out of Gloomnuor. At his side fights the Coven of Zul, whom he has graciously funded in exchange for aid in lifting his political station. However, the war cannot go on endlessly, for the Mortal Guardians know that they cannot allow the coven to fulfill the objectives of the infinitely clever Herald R’Xahl. They must bring this conflict to a close with rapid action and decisive force, and all while navigating a city built upon treachery and deceit. Will they succeed in unraveling Lord Brynaveer and the coven? Or will they succumb to the desolation and decay of the plane of death and shadow?
SPOILER ALERT!
SPOILER ALERT!
SPOILER ALERT!
Episode Recap
As the battle against Lord Brynaveer rages on the streets of Gloomnuor, the city itself imposes strict non-intervention on the conflict. Thanks to Brynaveer’s bribes, the Gloomguards and other houses of the city abstain from involvement, and they leave the Mortal Guardians to fend for themselves. Instead of risking a prolonged engagement that would delay meaningful progress against the Coven of Zul, Khadlarra, the Guildmistress of the House of the Lantern, proposes a bolder, riskier strategy. She assigns a small squad of the most effective and available Mortal Guardians to infiltrate the city and strike at the heart of their adversary’s forces: they will assassinate Lord Brynaveer himself and topple his small empire in Vaelda Umbra.
Undertaking the mission, our brave heroes venture into the noble quarter and follow the magical trails left by a special beacon planted on the late Yazahd. They rapidly narrow the search to a graveyard behind Brynaveer’s estate where a large mausoleum had long hidden an underground smuggling outpost used by the Coven of Zul! Breaking into the facility, the Guardians engaged a handful of coven defenders only to discover that they had been tricked! Tarri, the Mortal Guardian from Aryamza, had secretly bargained with the coven and lured the group into a trap that included a particularly cruel ambush: it was led by the herald’s own undead margrave. However, all was not lost, for as much as the coven had manipulated the Guardians, they as well had been deceived: Tarri had voluntarily subjected herself to the memory modifications of Margrave Zr’Lorh in order to draw the herald’s margrave from hiding! Zr’Lorh had woven an imperceptible deception into Tarri’s mind that made her the perfect traitor, and with Zr’Lorh’s help, the heroes leveled the field against their adversaries and were able to overcome them through courageous and talented efforts! They brought to an end many threads of betrayal: the coven’s margrave was slain, Sybaari’s sister Taghreda was defeated, and Brynaveer himself was destroyed at last! Victorious, the Mortal Guardians returned to the House of the Lantern to continue the battle against the coven directly.