The Raven Queen’s Gift
After receiving their well-deserved rewards for past deeds — 2000 mysteries each — and obtaining the Lovers’ Feather, an artifact for communication with Silarion, the heroes pondered their next steps. Zorya immediately expressed a desire to return home, while Erdal wanted to attend to his personal matters. The following days were spent searching for information about the Places of Glory and purchasing necessary items, including a map of the Stellar Tower surroundings.
After some time, the group headed to the “Library” tavern, buying the latest issue of the “Datalia Newspaper” along the way. Upon reaching the tavern, they found a free table and began reading. In the newspaper, their past deeds were distorted and portrayed in a negative light. Moreover, they learned about terrifying events in the city: children were being born dead, and the blame was starting to fall on them. It became clear that it was time to leave the city for a while.
Inside the tavern, they met with the informant assigned to Nameless — a one-armed, one-legged tabaxi named Puhonis, whose information about a maniac called Blood Claw, who terrorized the small races of Stellar Tower, turned out to be mere rumors. Moreover, Puhonis only wanted free drinks.
Before leaving the city, the heroes decided to change their names: Nameless became Bro, Danaya took the name Lafa, Aaden became Tusa, and Essu chose the name Lute. That same day, they noticed an announcement about a celebration in the Lux Astra country club, dedicated to its 800th anniversary, where bards were being hired. Lafa took note of this event, as it was linked to one of the Places of Glory.
They intended to spend the night at Zorya’s shop, but her cold reception made it clear they were no longer welcome. She handed them a package from Tari containing Ptaris’s amulet and immediately tried to kick them out. Before they could discuss the situation, Zorya cast a sleep spell on them and threw them out with their belongings.
Waking up in the city’s main square, the heroes decided to leave for good. A vision given to Lute by his dark patron pointed them towards the sovlin village, where, according to legend, one of the Places of Glory was located.
On the way, they stopped at a local shop for breakfast, where Bro was poisoned, but this did not stop them. Upon reaching the ruined sovlin village, they found goblins building their kingdom under the leadership of King Raks. The king stated that he did not wish for enmity unless the heroes themselves provoked a fight.
Meanwhile, Lute felt a strong pull towards the ancient dungeons beneath the ruins. Descending into the catacombs, he felt an ever-growing connection to his goddess, until she led him to a gigantic temple, where she presented him with a sword made from her wing and partially restored his memories of the dwarf attack on his village. Receiving this gift, Lute was instructed to cleanse the place of worship.
Returning to the catacombs, he encountered the risen dead. The heroes engaged in battle, and although the zombies focused on Lute, the group successfully defeated the threat. However, overwhelmed by memories, Lute suddenly attacked the dwarf monk, stabbing him with the sword, and then transformed into a monstrous creature with tentacles and jaws. Shocked, his companions rushed to subdue him, while the goblins had already begun to watch the fight.
