Ashes, Shadows, and the Price of Blood
After being forced to fight her parents before the Queen, Thalia is left traumatized, but the fight has ony just begun. The Veiled Vanguard defeats a deceptive Oni, but their victory is marred by moral ambiguity and public disdain, leading to criminal mischief, a costly fine, and the Queen’s cryptic judgment. A deal with the Demon Prince of Deceit seals their fate: retrieve the core of a sacred tree or lose loved ones, and as the pact is signed, they’re transported to a mysterious market in the city of Stagreach—never trust a demon.
As the second round began, Thalia’s parents pleaded with the Queen of the Hells to spare them from fighting, but she coldly refused. Unmoved, Emelyne hurled consecutive Firebolts that swiftly killed the father, prompting the mother to commit suicide with a dagger supplied by the Queen. Valerie quickened her death by decapitating her with a war fan, causing the mother's shadow to merge with Valerie's. In the third round, an apparently innocent child appeared beside Renatus; however, a Detect Magic spell revealed it as an illusion, prompting Thalia to strike it. The child transformed into a massive blue demon that instantly regenerated her initial attack, wounded her, and turned invisible. Recognizing the creature as an Oni, Craum recalled that fire would hinder its regeneration as the party peppered it with blind strikes while it slipped in and out of sight.
The Oni dropped magical darkness over Emelyne, Valerie, and Thalia, maintaining sight through the shadow. Naoki threw a cube of Faerie Fire into the gloom, highlighting only Emelyne, but blind counterattacks eventually broke the Oni's concentration and dispersed the darkness. Spotting the creature, Ro’Zaad struck it before Thalia unleashed a final, brutal arrow that reduced the Oni to ashes. Afterward, Emelyne and Valerie bowed to the Queen, who manifested to taunt them for so readily slaughtering Thalia’s parents and striking down a child-like illusion. Warning of a blemish on their souls, she reminded Renatus that his duties would await when their souls were balanced on the scales, after which the Dao Lord officially released the Vanguard from their bondage.
Returning to the inn, the party faced mixed reactions from locals who congratulated their victory while eyeing them with disgust. Incorporating the mother's shadow, Valerie accessed her surface memories—discovering her soul had been slumbering after being sacrificed to a demon and recalling brief glimpses of Thalia’s simple childhood home. While Valerie’s attempt to cast Sending to Amoral Tamlish failed, Naoki and Thalia partook in the local blue drink and embarked on a wild crime spree across the city. Their antics—including vandalism, public indecency, theft, tavern-skipping, attempting to steal a Schnoggle, and kidnapping a pet rust monster named Mr. Pufferton—landed them in jail. A disapproving Valerie paid off their 400-platinum fine one individual coin at a time.
When Craum tried using a Sending Stone, Contras, the Prince of Deceit, answered and stepped out to offer a deal to return them to the Prime Material Plane. In exchange for safe transport and time to resolve their two-month lifespan crisis, the Vanguard had to agree to steal the core of a sacred tree located in the palace of Drailworm—a seed formed from a shard of the first dragon lord that could only be extracted by an innocent soul, making Bitty a prime candidate. Guided by Emelyne, the party vetted the fine print: if they failed, each member would lose a loved one, with additional loved ones forfeited for members who had none to give. Excited by the prospect of a high-stakes heist, Valerie, Ro’Zaad, and the party signed the contract in blood. True to his title, the Prince of Deceit banished them directly into choking sands, dropping them into a bustling market in Stagreach on the continent of Myrnwen—far from their intended destination.