March 08, 2025

Hook

Winterfall VIII - Pthora, Cahyali & Ochr Arall, Dreaming

Plot Synopsis

The party finishes their plans and attends the soiree. While they were in Splint, Icarian had settled on his course of action... and miraculously aged about five years, now appearing to be in his early teens. They arrive in carriages, and mingle amongst the ball attendees for a while. Vladisk and Uriel chat up some major nobles, before the night is interrupted by Zimina rising from her seat at the far end of the room and inviting Volke to dance. She makes it clear she has some ability to see souls, and knows far more about the party and their plans than they anticipated. She even knows Volke's last name. By the time the dance is over, the party scrambles for what to do. Watcher approaches her to offer the churros, which she accepts graciously before revealing that she also knows Watcher's real name - Lanwin. This deeply unsettles them.

The party leaves the ballroom, Marlowe pulling rank on the guards to get them to let the party have free roam. Watcher poisons the food and drink at the party to create a distraction. They sneak out of the ball, with most of the party hiding in Bags of Storage carried by Volke as he knocks out a maid and impersonates her to sneak up to Zimina's personal spire. The stairs have been purposely broken about halfway up, forcing Volke to climb a rickety rope ladder to the room. (Snake Eater plays here.) As he climbs, the party witnesses scenes of the rest of Pthora: the revolution brewing, the people unifying to speak out against the Ember Army with more and more force.

They arrive at Zimina's personal room, and begin to dig around her effects, reading books she's pulled out and poring through a journal of hers, where she seems to be outlining plans regarding visiting a location on the bright moon Dipha... and something about cutting off Cahyali's planar contact. Elizabeth notices a divine artifact in the room: a glowing orb near her bedside. Uriel identifies that it is, indeed, a true divine artifact from Isis, and dates back to the days of imperial Dahabu. She remembers seeing this item in her dreams: it was in the imperial capital, and is... a simple desk lamp. The party's investigations are interrupted by Zimina herself, who arrives to "wrap up the game". They engage in a doomed battle with her, before Uriel travels back in time to warn the party and try to stop them from engaging. She instead jumps out the window, where Zimina opens a rift under her. One by one, the party leaps in, ending up in...

...a plane between planes, an eldritch part of the void, plummeting towards a portal. Zimina herself is panicked, having clearly not intended to arrive here. Contrary to her prior intentions, she helps the party escape. Sadie sees a horrible eye in the sky watching them and hating them, and the group rushes to the golden portal and ends up waking in the Dreaming, with Zimina nowhere to be found. This part of the Dreaming appears to perfectly imitate the ancient imperial capital of Dahabu, in the state it was just before the Day of Solar Wrath. It is a massive city made of sandstone, supported by magic floating just above the lush rainforests of old Dahabu. Everything inside is cultivated carefully and designed for civilization borne on the back of powerful magics. The sun is stuck on the horizon burning red. With no way out, and Icarian noting that his brother is closer than ever, the party resolves to stay here and take care of what they must do.

Noteworthy Postgame Events