> [!infobox|wikipedia] > # Recording > [](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uD8ifoCvEE) > # Basic Information > Attribute | Details | > ---|---| > Session # | 44 | > Play Date | 2026-01-31 | > Players | Deathmouse<br>JC<br>Kiwi<br>Lacer<br>Vael | > Party Level | 9 | > # Session Details > Attribute | Details | > ---|---| > Date | [[Campaigns/The Bloody Nails/Calendar/Year - 2507/03 - Water, 3rd.png\|7th Water, 3rd - 2507]]<br>to<br>[[Campaigns/The Bloody Nails/Calendar/Year - 2507/03 - Water, 3rd.png\|12th Water, 3rd - 2507]] | > Location | [[Val Noren]]<br>[[Ithilmara]] > Characters | [[Ayana Wynne]] | ## Summary Following the liberation of [[Val Noren]], the party spends several days assisting with the city's recovery and preparing for their next move. [[Kai]] trains local clerics in the worship of [[Selûne]], while [[Ryo]] uses powerful nature magic to enrich the surrounding farmlands, ensuring the city's survival through the winter. [[Eryndor]] and [[Berberis]] investigate the city for signs of [[The Order of Ravens]] and [[The Red Priests]], respectively, before the group prepares to depart with [[The Mawbreakers]] to hunt down [[General Korvas]]. However, their departure is intercepted by [[Ayana Wynne|Ayana]], [[King Marius Noren]]'s adviser. Recognising the tattoo design taken from the Red Priestess, she leads the party to a secluded magical tower to interrogate the priestess's severed head via *Speak with Dead*. The ritual yields terrifying information: the Red Priests operate out of [[Valfyria]] and serve [[Empress Morganna Eventide]], who in turn serves an ancient entity known as "[[Karazoth the Crimson Shadow]]." The revelation deeply shakes Ayana, causing her to drop her disguise and reveal herself as one of the few remaining Elves in [[Valtorra]]. The situation escalates violently when Ayana recognizes a ring in [[Ryo]]'s possession. Believing him to be a spy mocking her people's history, she telekinetically pins him to a wall and teleports the rest of the party thousands of feet into the air above the city. Upon realising Ryo is telling the truth about his amnesia, she saves the falling party with *Feather Fall* and apologises. Desperate to prove a theory, she teleports the group across the continent to the abandoned elven city of [[Ithilmara]]. In the ruins of Ithilmara, the party suffers psychic damage from ancient wards designed to repel non-elves. Ayana rushes them to a central dais where Ryo places his ring into a hidden slot. The ring activates a dormant gateway, confirming Ryo as a descendant of the Elven Royal bloodline. The party steps through the portal, leaving the material plane behind and entering the vibrant, chaotic landscape of the Fae Realm. ## Details ### Downtime in Val Noren * **Kai:** Visits [[Illaris Sharin]] to check his wound from [[Dread General Blackmarsh|General Blackmarsh]], which is healing well. He spends the rest of his time at the Cathedral of St. Avalines, teaching [[Alyn]] and other clerics about the Moon Goddess, [[Selûne]]. He also shows Helda the completed Moonlight Shield, inspiring her with new crafting techniques. * **Ryo:** Casts *Plant Growth* on the farmlands outside the city, an 8-hour ritual that enriches the crops for a full year to help feed the recovering populace. * **Eryndor:** Investigates the local graveyard and discovers an abandoned "nest" previously used by [[The Order of Ravens]], confirming their past presence in the city. * **Berberis:** Scours the former Imperial camp for information on the Red Priests but finds that they left no trace behind. * **Departure:** The party gathers their gear, intending to sail south with [[Barak Stormrider|Barak]] and [[The Mawbreakers]]. ### The Interrogation and Lore * **The Interception:** [[Ayana Wynne|Ayana]] stops the party before they leave, asking to see the sketch of [[The Red Priests|The Red Priest]]'s tattoo again. * **The Shattering:** Ayana explains the history of [[The Chaos Wars]] and [[The Shattering]] of the planar barriers 2,500 years ago, involving Chromatic Dragons and the introduction of magic to the world. * **Speak with Dead:** In a private magical sanctum, [[Kai]] casts *Speak with Dead* on the Red Priest's head. The corpse reveals: * **Allegiance:** She was doing work for [[Empress Morganna Eventide]]. * **Base of Operations:** A location called [[Valfyria]] (identified as the volcano in the center of the continent). * **Weakness:** "Knowledge." * **True Master:** [[Empress Morganna Eventide|The Empress]] serves "[[Karazoth the Crimson Shadow]]." * **The Aftermath:** Upon speaking Karazoth's name, the head melts into sludge. Ayana confirms Karazoth was an ancient lieutenant from the Chaos Wars, thought to be dead. ### The Reveal and The Fall * **Ayana's True Form:** Distraught by the news of [[Karazoth the Crimson Shadow|Karazoth]], [[Ayana Wynne|Ayana]] drops her disguise, revealing she is an Elf working in the shadows to uncover the Empire's secrets. * **The Conflict:** [[Ryo]] shows Ayana the ring that he has worn as long as he can remember. She accuses him of being a spy, revealing she had previously wiped his memory because she didn't trust him. * **Defenestration:** In a fit of rage and grief, she pins Ryo to the wall and teleports [[Kai]], [[Dondar]], [[Eryndor]], and [[Berberis]] high into the sky above [[Val Noren]]. * **Resolution:** Ryo convinces her of his honesty. Ayana casts *Feather Fall* to catch the party moments before they hit the ground. ### Ithilmara and The Fae Realm * **Teleportation:** [[Ayana Wynne|Ayana]] teleports the group to [[Ithilmara]], a long-abandoned Elven city on an island. * **The Wards:** The city has ancient enchantments that inflict psychic damage on non-elves. * [[Berberis]] (Badger form) and [[Kai]] (Mouse form) use Wild Shape to bypass the biological requirement and avoid the pain. * [[Eryndor]] and [[Dondar]] suffer significant psychic anguish. * **The Royal Line:** Ayana leads them to a central building with a white stone dais. She instructs [[Ryo]] to place his ring in the centre. * **The Portal:** The ring fits perfectly, powering up the ancient machine and proving Ryo is of the Royal Elven bloodline. * **Crossing Over:** A portal tears open. The party steps through, leaving [[Elandis]] and arriving in a vibrant, strange forest filled with candy-floss coloured flora and hybrid animals—the Fae Realm.