The Buried Throne
The Veiled Vanguard secures passage to Draelwyrm through the mountains with the enigmatic guide, Shasoth, opting for the riskier, faster route. They gather supplies, face a failed mugging attempt interrupted by Brightvein, and begin their subterranean journey filled with quiet reflections, strained conversations, and lingering grief. A rafting mishap sends them tumbling into darkness—only some awaken together in a strange, overgrown cavern while others are missing, with danger already stirring.
Following a short rest during which Emelyne identified the Monkey King’s Paw—learning that its wielder must hold it to make a wish—Ro’Zaad attempted to show her his cursed dagger for re-identification. Suddenly overcome by a temporary vision blackout, Ro’Zaad compulsively stabbed Emelyne in the thigh. Horrified, Emelyne yanked the blade out while Ro’Zaad fought off the urge to reclaim it, managing to convince her she had accidentally bumped into him. Taking first watch together, Craum pressed Ro’Zaad on the incident, but the two reached a tense understanding where Craum agreed to monitor Ro’Zaad as they watched over Valerie’s wrapped body. Spotting a metallic, four-sided structure in the desert distance, the pair investigated and discovered an eight-foot-tall rusted spire. Recognizing it as the tip of an obelisk, they dug into the sand until Thalia breached its roof with a shovel, uncovering a buried Xoraxan ruin. Losing the benefits of a long rest after falling inside, Thalia sent Kevin the dragon to retrieve the party. As they regrouped, Craum identified the vast subterranean city as Tel’rion, the ancient capital of the Xoraxan Empire.
Before descending into the ruins, Emelyne returned to camp for Valerie's body and encountered Sanasha, a six-foot-five Orcish woman seeking a colorful tiefling named Naoki. Joining forces, the party explored Tel’rion’s palace alongside Bitty, who confirmed their location despite lacking high-level security clearance regarding the ancient emperor's name. After Craum read and pocketed a mysterious journal found in the ruins, Sanasha attempted to sit on the palace throne, triggering wires that tried to interface with her. Craum took her place and allowed the wires to connect to his circuitry, prompting an automated voice named "The One" to address him as Emperor before shocking him for 14 lightning damage when he blew his cover. Deeper in the palace, the Vanguard encountered a nonchalant bard from Father Lyrcas’s entourage who voluntarily stepped aside, letting them proceed east toward the active obelisk.
Overwhelmed by a mental tug, Emelyne wielded the Monkey King’s Paw to wish for the evil faction’s locations to be revealed. Instead, the artifact teleported the Veiled Vanguard directly into the obelisk chamber alongside the corpse of a Xoraxan named Arzenan. Confronted by a winged red succubus who threatened immediate death, the party faced Father Lyrcas, who declared he was using the obelisk's power to restore the gods according to the teachings of Mordecai. As the Vanguard argued that Mordecai’s teachings were flawed, a wriggling larva emerged from Valerie's body, forcing her corpse to sit up and boisterously command them not to disrupt the ritual. Ro’Zaad deftly snatched the Monkey King’s Paw and wished for Burkell and Nolsthera to be banished from the chamber. Simultaneously, Renatus denounced Lyrcas as a heretic, and Craum successfully cast Counterspell to negate Nolsthera's retaliatory magic as the confrontation erupted.