Winter Mystery and the Secrets of Ptaris

After Aiden sacrificed his life, giving his friends a chance to continue their mission, the group of adventurers carefully considered their next steps. Before following the vision, they decided to find Yaga’s lair. Taking a few potions and a strange black stone chalice, they burned the lair before leaving to erase all traces. After resting and regaining their strength, Fenris, feeling a surge of magical energy, used his newfound abilities to summon an intelligent familiar from a distant world. The creature possessed deep knowledge of magic and celestials, yet its appearance, resembling that of a common cat, did not inspire grandeur.

This time, the vision revealed the emergence of mysterious phenomena in the world, their connection to the Sylvesters, and their role as a magical force of Ptaris. In essence, Ptaris restored its strength by consuming souls. Through the vision, the group also learned Fenris’ true form—he appeared before them as a young man clad in ceremonial armor.

After the vision, they decided to head to the city where the final tablet with the ultimate revelation was located. However, before embarking on their journey, their minds merged with Ptaris, unveiling secrets of its existence. They learned that children were reborn through the magic of Ptaris, fanatics gained magical abilities through contracts with it, and in Stellar Tower, a mysterious halfling was dumping heaps of mysteries into another world. It also became clear that Silarion, under the gaze of Ptaris in a distant realm, was negotiating the purchase of prisoners for the world of Terragon.

These revelations made the group realize that with each passing day, the circle of trusted individuals in this world was shrinking.

Upon arriving in the city, adorned for the Winter Solstice festival, they discovered that the locals were receiving strange gifts—items that often seemed misplaced, as if they belonged to someone else. They also learned of a madman who ran through the streets warning of a monster, though no one took him seriously. The most logical course of action for the townspeople was to isolate him for the duration of the festivities to prevent him from ruining the holiday spirit. They also found out about a mysterious empty castle that none of the residents ever visited, despite the lack of guards.

Visiting the madman and using magic, they learned that he feared a creature with a long, hollow face. With this information, the group decided to explore the castle, hoping to find the tablet within. During their investigation, they encountered a mysterious force that seized control of Fenris’ mind, followed by Brother’s. However, they managed to break free from its grip. Their failed attempts to convince Fenris’ familiar to serve as a test subject led to the decision to use Fenris himself. They tied him up, gagged him to prevent spellcasting, and cast a stunning spell on him.

At that moment, the influence of the mysterious force vanished, and Fenris saw the monster from the madman’s visions—a creature with a long neck stretching into one of the castle’s towers. Stuffing their ears with wax, the group ascended the tower, where they discovered the beast with multiple heads towering over the city. Beneath it, on the broken edge of the tower, lay the tablet.

Brother proposed a plan: activating the tablet to remove the monster from the battle. Since the tablet was precariously placed on the edge of the tower, they decided to use Fenris’ familiar. Under its master’s command, the familiar took the mystery in its jaws and successfully activated the tablet, witnessing a vision. However, its mind was shattered in the process. The plan worked—the monster lost consciousness, but as its heads collapsed, they shattered the floor, causing both the tablet and the beast’s body to plummet into the abyss.

Brother, leaping after them, fell thousands of feet into the depths. Using the power of the dragon and manifesting spectral wings, he landed on the monster’s corpse. However, the tablet had been destroyed. Meanwhile, his friends remained at the top of the tower, struggling to figure out how to descend safely to reach Brother.