The forgefiend, as this ferocious creature is aptly named, slashes out at Krask and damages his leather armor. Although the straps loosen and fray, they do not break. Unfortunately, this beast is right in Krask’s business and showing no signs of letting up.
Scrambling to save their friend, the party surrounds the forgefiend. They are battered, bruised, and definitely bloodied, but their allegiance is strong. As the monster exits its sanctuary in the wall, it becomes subject to a barrage of blows of all kinds.
It gets angry.
With a mighty roar, the forgefiend spews molten lava in all directions. The fiery slag burns everyone surrounding it, solidifying on the ground in jagged heaps of cooled magma. Fortunately, the party makes one last push and obliterates the forgefiend. With the fire inside it extinguished, the party is finally able to teleport out.
After a well-deserved retreat at Barnaby’s manor in Magnimar, the party returns to the scene of the crime. They don’t find anything of note on the forgefiend’s body, which is unfortunate given their multiple brushes with death. As they follow the path made by the giant who got away in the previous combat, they come to a suspicious hallway.
For one, there are two sets of double doors that don’t appear to lead anywhere – a wall of stone rests on the opposite side. At the western end, there is an elaborate set of bronze doors emblazoned with the Sihedron Rune. The entire hallway is riddled with Thassilonian writing, which Fyn discerns as an ancient ballad:
Thy Plumage
Vast and radiant
Softer than the sun
And its gentle rays
Surround me O Spirit
On every side.
Clear my heart
Empty my mind
Your wonder is great
Emerald and Blue
Free my stress
To become one with You
Your eyes are many
And knowledge vast
Unfurl you mysteries
On me at last
With foundation firm
Moreso than rock
Grant me serenity
Oh Divine Peacock!
A Brush with a Peacock
As Fyn is contemplating the double-door situation, a voice enters his mind. Thinking it to be the Peacock speaking to him at last, he prostrates himself and follows its instructions. How can he get to his divine patron? The rest of the party looks on in confusion and wonder as Fyn eventually works his way towards the bronze door.
Unfortunately, he can’t figure out the password, or how to open the door. It simply won’t budge. To get to the other side, he resorts to the only possible wizardly solution:
Stone shape.
As he melds the stone to create an opening, the hole is filled with the most intense, brightest light imaginable. It’s so bright, in fact, that it PERMANENTLY BLINDS everyone except Trace! Before their vision completely fades, they see the strange form of what looks like an extraterrestrial, otherworldly being descending from the light, their brilliant white hair waving erratically in the breezeless hallway.
Commence the most intense, frustrating combat of this valiant party’s life!
Be Still My Silent Child
Luckily, the creature is screaming loudly, which makes it much easier for the party to locate it. Trace offers pointers while everyone else burns every possible tool on their belt to try and survive. Fobias summons an air elemental to help out, and he becomes enlarged to increase his damage output.
Meanwhile, Lyergo slices and dices with his scythe, wildly swinging with little success. Between Fyn’s cone of cold and magic missiles, he begins to run out of options. Even Barnaby can’t get a word in damage-wise.
But that’s when the worst happens.
The illusory image of a peacock appears over Fyn’s head, and hovers briefly before turning completely inside out. This makes the party PERMANENTLY INSANE. Except Trace, of course. Sarenrae truly smiles upon the Paladin.
It doesn’t take long for the reckless redcap to fall victim to the Silent Child’s fiery beam of energy. Lyergo is gone.
Fueled by the loss of their enchanted friend, the party pushes the offensive before FINALLY ending the Silent Child’s life. But the party is in rough shape and they immediately teleport back to Magnimar for additional healing. Restoring sight and sanity certainly isn’t cheap, as they quickly learn.
When they return, they check out the other side of the door that Fyn got suckered into disturbing. Much to their surprise, a magnificent library lies in wait for them, ready to divulge the secrets of the Thassilonian Empire.
A sputtering clockwork golem emerges from behind the furniture to cautiously greet the party as they enter. It introduces itself as the Curator and offers to help the party find information on anything they need.
The Curator reveals that the library is around 10,000 years old and contains an abundance of knowledge from the Therassic monks that founded it. According to the construct, the library currently contains 24.491 volumes, scrolls, pamphlets, and unbound manuscripts. With all of this information available at their fingertips, the party is bound to uncover some magnificent truths.
What vastness of knowledge will the party find within the tomes? Has their presence in Jorgenfist been discovered yet? Who’s going to keep Lyergo’s cap as a souvenir?