Ashes of Eternity: Session 3 – Voices in the Shadows

Session Date: March 30, 2025
Location: Corrupted Village

Session Recording:

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Summary

The party awoke to an unsettling stillness—no sounds, no signs of struggle—only Kazumi’s absence and a trail of blood leading into the forest. At its end lay a severed angelic wing, still glowing faintly with divine light. Enialis touched the wing and was overwhelmed by a vision of Kazumi being tortured in silence, her voice stolen and her soul unraveling by shadowy entities.

Haruki, shaken to his core, sprinted ahead. The trail led the others to a village corrupted by crystalline growths, its inhabitants frozen in terror, their bodies fused to the earth. They found a dying villager, overtaken by the crystal plague. Choosing compassion, the party stabilized him using divine magic and removed a shard from his chest—which exploded violently upon extraction.

Using Arcane Eye, Enialis discovered Kazumi held captive in a nearby cave, her body shattered and her will nearly broken. The party infiltrated the stronghold and faced Kaelthar, a battle-hardened leader of the Duskward Pact, who accused them of unleashing celestial power by stealing the Relic of Dawn. After a tense standoff, Enialis’s calm persuasion led Kaelthar to release Kazumi—though not without scars.

Before they could retreat, the Crystal Titan, source of the corruption, descended upon the ruins. While Kaelthar’s fighters held the line, the party faced corrupted villagers. Kazumi, barely able to stand, called down divine intervention, turning the enemy’s resistances into weaknesses.

A fierce battle unfolded. Mordekai hurled the Titan through hell, Skoll shattered enemies with swift strikes, and Kazumi fired radiant blasts with her dying strength. Knowing it wasn’t enough, she stepped forward, igniting herself in holy fire—a desperate casting of Phoenix Flames that annihilated the Titan.

Only ashes remained. Haruki wept.

But Mordekai recognized the spell—not death, but rebirth. Minutes later, Kazumi rose from the pyre, her wings whole, her divine power burning anew.

Before the group could celebrate, Cassidion appeared, cold and resolute. He warned the party was wasting time in their delays and urged them not to delay further.

Key Events

• Opening Scene
  • The party awakens to an unnatural silence. The campfire is out, and Kazumi is gone.
  • A trail of blood and a severed angelic wing leads toward a ruined village.
  • Haruki, emotionally shaken, sprints into the woods without waiting for the group.
  • Enialis touches the wing and has a horrifying vision of Kazumi being tortured by shadowy beings, her voice stolen, and her soul unraveling.
• Visions, Clues & Silent Magic
  • The group regathers and confirms Kazumi was abducted with magical precision—likely a Silence spell was used to suppress noise.
  • Haruki and Skoll investigate the area, finding multiple humanoid footprints and signs of a violent struggle.
  • A Rapier, tied to Kazumi’s grandmother’s soul, reacts when touched, showing sentient anger and loyalty.
• Cursed Village and Living Crystals
  • In the corrupted village, the environment is grotesque: people are frozen in mid-motion, trapped in crystal growths.
  • A barely-alive villager is found, partially crystallized. The party decides to save rather than kill him.
  • Through arcana and healing magic (Greater Restoration, Cure Wounds), they halt the corruption and extract a pulsing crystal shard, which explodes when removed.
• Kazumi’s Fate Revealed
  • Enialis uses Arcane Eye to scout a nearby cave. Inside, Kazumi is chained and brutalized, interrogated by shadowy figures.
  • The party stealthily approaches. Haruki and Skoll argue emotionally but decide to proceed cautiously together.
• Standoff with the Duskward Pact
  • They meet Kaelthar, leader of the Duskward Pact, who accuses the party of stealing the Relic of Dawn.
  • Kazumi is held hostage. The party tries to negotiate her release, claiming ignorance of the relic’s full consequences.
  • Enialis’ impassioned plea convinces Kaelthar to release Kazumi, though the party learns she was tortured to gain information about Cassidion.
• Titan Attack
  • Before the group can leave, a crystalline Titan attacks the village.
  • Kaelthar and his people engage it while the party faces off against crystal-corrupted villagers.
  • Kazumi, barely standing, succeeds on her call for Divine Intervention to turn resistances into weaknesses for all enemies.
  • The party fights hard. Mordekai uses Hurl Through Hell, Skoll slays a corrupted village, and a soul is captured in a Soul Cage.
  • Kazumi unleashes the spell Phoenix Flames, sacrificing herself in a massive self-destruct radiant burst that annihilates the Titan.
• Ashes to Resurrection
  • Kazumi’s ashes remain, and the party believes her dead.
  • Mordekai identifies the spell as Phoenix Flames, revealing she’ll return in a few minutes.
  • The group mourns briefly—Kazumi reforms from the ash, fully restored, wings intact.
• Final Moments
  • Kaelthar shows reluctant respect and allows the party to return with him.
  • Once alone, Cassidion appears, reminding the party of the higher purpose they’re meant to serve—and warning them time is running out.

NPC Interactions

• Kaelthar: A hardened resistance leader who is working against the Celestials. Kaelthar believes that the party has made things worse and took Kazumi hostage, torturing her for information. He released Kazumi after the impassioned pleas of both Enialis and Haruki. Currently regards the party with caution and respect after their interaction and helping to defend against the Crystaline Titan.
• Cassidion: Appeared at the end of the session to admonish the party for continuing to delay their retrieval of the next relic.

Loot and Rewards

Kazumi’s severed wing

Character Development

Haruki

• Shown in rare emotional vulnerability, Haruki’s world is shaken when Kazumi disappears.
• His reckless sprint into danger highlights the depth of his bond and desperation to save her.
• Faced with Kazumi’s battered form and later her self-sacrifice, he experiences a moment of complete helplessness.
• His fury nearly explodes in conflict with allies, but he ultimately pulls back, showing growth in restraint and trust.
• The reunion with Kazumi after her resurrection is heartfelt, but it leaves him haunted by what nearly was

Enialis

• Enialis’s sensitivity to divine magic led him to a vision of Kazumi’s torment, connecting his patron’s pain to his own.
• Played a key role in negotiating her release, showing that his strength lies not only in faith but in compassionate persuasion.
• As a healer, he was pivotal in saving the crystallized villager and preparing Kazumi’s body for potential restoration.
• The emotional toll of watching her sacrifice herself, without warning, visibly shook him—and may reshape his faith in future sessions.

Mordekai

• Blending arcane mastery with unshakable confidence, Mordekai wielded power without hesitation—binding souls and bending reality.
• While aloof on the surface, he was the first to recognize Kazumi’s sacrifice as temporary, calming the group.
• His dry wit and dark humor clashed with the gravity of the moment, but revealed his underlying need to protect through knowledge.
• Mordekai’s role as a moral wildcard continues to blur the line between salvation and cruelty, though his loyalty remains firm.

Skoll

• Though often reserved, Skoll emerged as a quiet moral compass, urging unity and warning Haruki against impulsiveness.
• His disciplined approach to both the interrogation and combat kept the group grounded amidst overwhelming dread.
• When Kazumi fell, Skoll’s kneeling tribute reflected a deep sense of honor and growing respect for her and her role in their journey.
• His dynamic with Haruki deepened, evolving from pragmatic ally to a trusted presence in moments of crisis.

Kazumi

• Though silenced, bound, and tortured for most of the session, Kazumi’s strength was never truly diminished.
• Kazumi showed unwavering strength in her desire to assist her party, despite her condition and weakened state
• Her decision to cast Phoenix Flames showed a willingness to give even her life in the call of duty
• In those hours of captivity, Kazumi was powerless. She, a seraph, was made a prisoner, unable to resist or call out to her allies.
  • This helplessness haunts her. Though she survived, though she won, it was not without cost.
  • Her faith in Sune, once radiant and unwavering, may now flicker in shadow. Where was her goddess when the chains closed? Why did the divine fall silent when she cried out?

Mysteries and Clues

The Crystalline Corruption

• The ruined village was overtaken by crystal growths that absorbed and preserved villagers in mid-motion.
• The corruption appears to feed on life force, spreading through embedded shards.

The Survivor’s Journal

• A rescued villager’s dropped journal hints that he was a researcher, tracking celestial lights in the sky before the corruption began.
• The lights may have preceded or triggered the crystalline outbreak.
• The party now suspects someone intentionally tampered with celestial power—perhaps even using it as a weapon.

Sigils on the Spires

• Massive crystal spires bore ancient celestial sigils, subtly corrupted and rewritten.
• Mordekai determined that the script resembled the Celestial language, but had been twisted—likely to mock or pervert divine order.
• Someone with deep celestial knowledge and malicious intent is responsible.

The Relic of Dawn

• Kaelthar revealed that the Relic of Dawn, stolen by the party, was not a buried treasure—but a key.
• It contained a force meant to be kept hidden, possibly related to Cassidion.
• The theft may have accelerated or triggered the corruption now spreading across the region.

Cassidion’s Appearance

• Cassidion appeared after the Titan’s defeat, voicing displeasure with the party’s delay.
• His true agenda remains unclear, but his connection to the Relic, Kazumi’s tormentors, and the party’s divine trials grows deeper.

Plans and Predictions

The party continues on, albeit more suspiciously concerning Cassidion’s agenda.

Quotes of the Session

TBD

Additional Notes

TBD