The Defeat of Asher

The adventurers once again descended into the Temple of the Raven Queen, hidden deep beneath the owlfolk village. This time, an unexpected ally awaited them—a golden dragonborn named Surina. She introduced herself as a cleric of Bahamut who had come to Terragon from another world. Her goal was clear: to avenge the murder of her mentor. The culprit was Ptaris the Lich, who devoured his counterparts from parallel realities to absorb their power. Sensing that the lich’s phylactery was with the kidnapped Tari, Surina followed its trail and found herself here.

The heroes decided to join forces. In the temple’s central hall, they faced their final battle with Essu, who had transformed into a monstrous abomination. Using dark magic, he attempted to turn his captives into monsters—a tiefling child, an old dwarf, and Tari. Saya tried to reason with him, explaining that his faith had been twisted, but Essu would not listen. The battle ended in the ultimate defeat of their old friend.

After the fight, the Raven Queen summoned the adventurers to her palace. Before them lay Essu’s body, now transformed into a golden owlfolk. The goddess took his soul into her realm and revealed his past. Long ago, his name had been Asher. He was once an ordinary owlfolk until he stumbled upon an ancient underground temple. But a dark force already resided there. It clouded his mind and drove him to slaughter nearly all the inhabitants of his village. Fortunately, a group of Balance monks, led by Master Dobryak, happened to pass nearby. They stopped Asher, but the darkness had already taken root in his soul. Reborn, he became the ruthless killer known as Essu.

The goddess warned the heroes that Ptaris the Lich was consuming souls in Terragon, preventing them from finding peace. She offered her aid—if they would overthrow the dark entity that had defiled her temple. Yet at the same time, she cautioned them: the darkness within the temple would still be watching them.

Afterward, the adventurers returned to the owlfolk village. They managed to revive the captives. The old dwarf turned out to be Brotor’s father—the very one who had once sold his son to the temple. Brotor showed no mercy. He simply pointed the old traitor toward the nearest city and turned away from him forever.

Saya and Surina chose to join the party, as their goals aligned. Together, the heroes set off for Rakot’s estate, determined to return the young tiefling to his family…