Episode Introduction
At long last, after nearly two years of confrontations with her seemingly endless minions, the Mortal Guardians face the malevolent Herald R’Xahl in a deadly battle that will decide the fate of Velanaura. Her risen monstrosity, the undead corpse of the old god, Zul-Thuun, devours the life energy of Vaelda Mortalis, while her minions press upon our valiant defenders in an improbable, impossible skirmish. Will they find a way to bring down the gargantuan, hideous creature? Or will they fall before the herald’s might—as have so many other worlds in eons past?
SPOILER ALERT!
SPOILER ALERT!
SPOILER ALERT!
Episode Recap
At long last and against impossible odds, the brave heroes of the Mortal Guardians battle the Herald of the Shadowvoid directly: R’Xahl, the ancient lich and uulthyr queen who has destroyed countless worlds in her crusade against her own maker, the abominable old god, Zul-Thuun. While enduring the onslaught of her seemingly numberless forces and facing what is certain to be their final hour, the heroes receive unexpected assistance in the form of the discovery of a secret chamber buried within the herald’s fortress by the lich Eryaphos Annokrates. As part of a plan to betray her, the undead wizard left in place a magical device which would allow the heroes to discover and access R’Xahl’s own sanctum—where she hid both her phylactery and the Core of Embers!
Using this knowledge and the lich’s magical devices alongside it, the heroes abandon their defenses in a desperate push to turn the battle against the herald herself. They find the innermost chambers of her sanctum, breach its aberrant, abominable doors, overcome its psionic wards, and recover both the core and the phylactery. With the energy contained in these two immeasurably powerful artifacts, the heroes once more fashion a weapon capable of destroying the herald’s resurrected monster. When they unleash its destructive might, the beam slices across the battlefield and annihilates the soul of the beast entirely, leaving the husk of Zul-Thuun’s corpse as little more than a withering monument.
In a vengeful fury, Herald R’Xahl turns all her forces against the heroes and assaults them herself—fully intent upon wiping them out. But, she is caught unawares as a legion of living uulthyr forces arrive from portals and join the battle against her, overwhelming her psionic abilities and leaving her vulnerable. While the forces of the Mortal Guardians contain her armies, the heroes finally gain the upper hand and commit their remaining fight to R’Xahl, preventing her from escaping. In a torrential, climactic battle, the heroes defeat her, once and for all, and save the realms of Velanaura from her wicked devastation.