Emerging into the smouldering wreckage of Kenabres, the party took in the ruin their city had become. Deep chasms split the ground, smoke choked the sky, and once-proud landmarks were now shattered husks. Yet there was no time to mourn. With the cult of Baphomet exposed and demonic forces loose in the city, the group knew they had to investigate the three cultist safe houses named in Hosilla’s letter. But before they could move against the enemy, their three companions made their own requests.
Aravashnial, ever the stoic scholar, pleaded to be taken to Blackwing Library—once a Riftwarden stronghold and the city’s greatest store of arcane knowledge on the Worldwound. Horgus Gwerm, less gracious in tone, demanded an escort to his estate, offering a generous 2,000 gold pieces in payment. Anevia, quiet but resolute, asked that they stop by her home. Her wife, Irabeth Tirabade, kanye west commander of the Eagle Watch, had been stationed there before the city fell. The party agreed to these diversions, starting with the library, which lay closest.
Their path took them through the shattered streets, where ruin and horror lurked around every corner. As they passed a tailor’s shop, they heard the crashing of furniture and the guttural shrieks of an abrikandilu demon. The beast was tearing through the remnants of the storefront, trying to reach a barricaded backroom. With swift teamwork, the party slew the creature and rescued the terrified couple within—two more innocents saved from the abyssal storm. After catching their breath, the party pressed on.
Blackwing Library was a ruin. Flames had devoured the main structure, reducing centuries of carefully preserved lore to ash. Only the stone Great Hall remained standing. Within, a grim scene played out: a false crusader flanked by two tieflings had bound the last surviving librarians in a ring of salvaged books. A fifth librarian, trembling, was forced to stack more fuel around the others—an unholy sacrifice in progress. The party struck hard and fast, cutting down the would-be executioners and freeing the prisoners. As a token of gratitude, the librarians gifted them the last remaining tome of value: a wizard’s spellbook saved from the inferno.
In the aftermath, Aravashnial revealed the library’s true nature—it had been the hidden heart of the Riftwardens in Kenabres. With the others dead and the stronghold lost, he might well be the last of his order in the city. The weight of that realisation sat heavy, but the party had little time to reflect. Scouring the ruins of the library, they found cause for its destruction. A dead worm hinted at the truth – horrific abomination—a man made of worms who used magic and enslaved demons to smash the structure down. They suspect that the worm took several treasures from the ruins before he left, but are unsure what specifically he took.
En route to Horgus’s manor, they came upon yet another atrocity. Cultists of Baphomet had dragged a young woman into the street and were preparing to sacrifice her. Without hesitation, the party intervened, bringing down the fanatics before the blade could fall. The woman’s life was spared, and the group moved on, hardened further by the evils festering in the wake of the attack.
At last, they reached Gwerm Manor. To their surprise, it stood largely intact. With the staff having fled and little loot left behind, it had been overlooked by the invaders. Horgus unlocked his vault, honoured his payment, and offered his estate as a secure place to rest. For the first time since the fall, the party slept under a roof, the walls holding strong against the chaos outside.
But they knew the night would be short—and the road ahead darker still.
Rewards:
Exp: 1450 each
Quests
- Link up with any survivors in the city
- Bring news that the Mongrelmen will aid in the fight against the Demons
- Find out what info can be retrieved from the Nyserian Manor, Topaz Solutions, and the Tower of Estrod
- Bring Anevia to her home
Kanye WEST