Buried in Shadow and Light
The Veiled Vanguard faces wave after wave of peril — slaying the beetle hydra with the aid of the enigmatic Pudhak before descending deeper into the caverns. There, the voice of Kydro lures them into a deadly trap, unleashing a spectral dragon that nearly annihilates the party. In the battle’s grim aftermath, Percy fails to save Emelyne from death’s grasp, leaving her soul claimed by the Goddess of Burials, while the Vanguard gains power at a terrible cost.
In the emotional aftermath of Theo's confession, Thalia wept as her arrow went wide, while Naoki fled with the polymorphed beetle hydra to send healing magic to her side. Suddenly, Emelyne entered the cavern alongside a mysterious stranger named Pudhak, who threw an exploding opal jewel that instantly slew the primary Dracohydra. Discovering Sanasha was alive, Pudhak healed her wounds, leading Sanasha to recognize him as a member of the Seekers from her mother's stories. Learning that the beetle hydra could be permanently slain if overwhelmed by radiant or heavy damage, the Vanguard surrounded the creature. A barrage of attacks from Naoki, Renatus, Ro'Zaad, Thalia, Percy, Pudhak, and Sanasha completely overwhelmed its regeneration, killing it instantly as the polymorph spell wore off. After triggering a Glyph of Warding, the group looted four to five diamonds along with a fortune in gold, while Sanasha secured the two Dragolich hearts to her back.
Delaying their plan to seal the cavern, the party followed an unexplored tunnel discovered by Percy that opened onto a chamber with three arcane glyphs, a pool of acid, and a giant dragon skull. A voice echoed in their minds, promising fame, fortune, and power; the speaker revealed himself as Kydro, god of ambition. Displaying his power, Kydro warped Pudhak out of the cave entirely and tricked Naoki, Sanasha, and Ro'Zaad into stepping on the glyphs. Necrotic energy blasted the three as a spectral dragon manifested, unleashing a shadowy breath weapon that paralyzed most of the group and downed Emelyne and Percy. Though Ro'Zaad and Sanasha scrambled to revive their allies with potions, the spectral beast continued its onslaught, downing everyone except Sanasha, Ro'Zaad, and Renatus—the latter of whom delivered a final, killing blow of force energy.
With the battle won, the party rushed to heal their fallen. Sanasha fed a healing potion from the Bag of Holding to Emelyne, but her body remained cold and motionless. Desperate, Percy channeled divine power far beyond his limits to cast Revivify, but the raw magic burned through his body, scorching his skin and failing to restore her. Ignoring the strain, Percy attempted the spell a second time, only for the uncontrolled arcana to shatter his body with recoil, causing his hand to crumble to ash as he collapsed unconscious. Unbeknownst to her grieving companions, Emelyne's spirit stood above her own form as Ielna, Goddess of Burials, appeared to guide her to the afterlife. Whispering her final unheard words—"Find the truth, save the world"—Emelyne took Ielna's hand and passed on.
Her companions gently placed Emelyne's body into the Bag of Holding alongside Valerie. Still raging, Sanasha demanded answers from Kydro. Appearing before them, Kydro stated he would not revive Emelyne, but revealed that a dweller in the swamps near Turiess might bring her back for a price. Offering the Vanguard a choice between gold or power, the party chose power, receiving a surge of divine strength. Kydro then slammed his foot down, triggering a catastrophic cavern collapse and forcing the Veiled Vanguard to flee for their lives with the Dragolich hearts and their fallen friend.