High above the astral sea on a floating platform, Charlie Company confronts imprisoned, evil, chaotic Tharizdun, problem child of Ioun and Pelor, problem parent of Tophe whose immortal purpose is to acquire enough vis to break his wrongfully imprisoned pops out of this deific pokey.
Watc examines the blue crystal shard Briar finds jammed into the energy confinement orb. The crystal appears to be living. The party mobs around the crystal while Ash watches over, bow at the ready, to observe what might likely be the final moments of Charlie Company.
Briar and Ander parle with Tharizdun while Barika and Sqyylarr subtly prepare to defend against any violent fallout. Tharizdun makes particular note of Ander’s undeferential tone and promises Ander will be among the first under his boot heel.
Watc reaches a hand out for the crystal in case there is some piezo convo to be had and finds herself overwhelmed by a miasma of voices, unable to remove her hand from the crystal. A casting of comprehend languages clears up the noise and Watc, no longer paralyzed by babble, makes contact with the psionic hive of Pohet.
Pohet are loyal to Tharizdun for liberating them from the astral gate, the same act that caused Pelor and Ioun to imprison him here for reckless endangerment of existence, and presently seek only to liberate him quid pro quo, though admittedly powerless to do so at this point. Pohet seem to have no concept of good and evil, nor experience justice and injustice. Pohet have a twin hive known to some as Opeth who have cooperated with Quastarte, seemingly on the opposite side of this vis controversy. The presently-observed chocolate-in-my-peanut-butter arrangement of orb-bound Tharizdun and stuck-in Pohet a.k.a.The Dreaming Madness are the nascence of the entirely sovereign Tophe currently sponsoring this educational projection to the astral sea.
Despite some measure of empathy for Pohet, assisting their goals could be problematic for Charlie Company if the result is to unleash a chaotically evil god upon existence explicitly in defiance of Pelor and Ioun. Ander, with the most to lose if seething Tharizdun were released, nevertheless keeps an open mind and collects a small fracture of crystal which Pohet releases to him for later conversation. Although Ander reckons removal of the crystal would not compromise the integrity of the prison orb, the party leaves the arrangement alone for now and returns to the arch.
The party awakens back on the material plane, back in the temple of Firth a.k.a. Pelor, back in the presence of Brother Im and purpose-driven Tophe. Injuries incurred during the field trip are no longer felt, although Ander’s pocket full of celestial slag has been replaced by third degree burns and a smoldering hole in his favorite leather duster. Tophe is satisfied that Charlie Company now possess complete knowledge and therefore holds them personally responsible for successfully representing his interests to their masters, the greedy hoarders of the blood, with results due in one season. And with that, Tophe departs.
One season seems long enough to allow time to first visit a little justice on Brother Hlessi who suspiciously perhaps locked the party in the temple basement and slew all the bandits himself. Sqyylarr, with assistance from Ash, tracks Hlessi into the snowy forest where the track suddenly ends with a jump onto an uber hawk. Briar scans the sky for anything flying around with a rabbit on board. Watc checks for a classic backtrack. Ash scans the overhanging trees, confident that they are being watched. Ander hits up Barika and Sqyylarr for some help with a side hustle when they get back to the caravan. A magical fog drops over the party.
Briar escapes the fog by walking out of it and comes face-to-face with a fangy, shriveled vampire wearing Brother Hlessi’s robes. Briar may not fully understand what is going on with this individual, but is confident that a couple of non-lethal smacks with the flat side of his axe will get to the bottom of it. Ash, with a little more lethal conviction, puts some arrows into Vampire Hlessi which inspires a subtle decision. Ash evades into the woods. Barika dashes out of the north side of the fog. Watc points south. Barika dashes back into the fog and out again next to Vampire Hlessi who roshambos her in the chest. Ander runs down the escaping mist-form Vampire Hlessi and sprays him with a flame turret. The already misty Vampire Hlessi mists away into the greater mist of fog. Sqyylarr and Briar, detecting his evilness, corner the double mist part of the fog that is Vampire Hlessi.
Briar is surprised by the sudden arrows critically sticking out of him and pointing back at Ash. Ander bravely steps to traitor Ash who evades his shocking grasp and puts a couple of arrows into Ander for his trouble. An army of wolves swoops in from the northwest chasing Watc into the fog. Watc singes rather than immolates Vampire Hlessi who corporally steps out of the fog at that moment.
Sqyylarr, gratified to finally run down something that can be hit with a maul, hits Vampire Hlessi several times with a maul. Shifted Briar catches up as well forcing Vampire Hlessi to retreat right into Barika who fatally chops him unto un-undead mist. The fog dispels, Ash contritely surrenders, and Ander cures his arrow-filled, slag-burned wounds. The wolves, unfriendly even to wolf-raised Barika, persist despite Vampire Hlessi’s absence. Briar and Sqyylarr and Barika are surrounded by biting wolves, and then by Watc’s fireball, and then by wolf corpses. Briar and very tired Sqyylarr slay the last two surviving wolves.
Ash offers to buy Briar a beer. Bygones.