Chains Beneath the Diamond Sky
The Vanguard returns to Turiess after facing the Witch, who reveals her true, many-armed form before vanishing with Percy’s stolen skin. Emelyne is revived but suffers deeply from the unnatural agony of resurrection, as the group becomes entangled with monks from the Jade Monastery investigating demonic rifts tied to the failing Veil. After stopping a young summoner and earning access to the Qurydell Archives, the party flies toward the city of diamonds, their contract—and souls—growing ever heavier.
Following the resurrection ritual, the witch wrapped Percy’s flayed skin around a tome and warned the Vanguard they would meet once more before the end, instantly teleporting them back to their loft at the Wiley Tadpole. Wracked with emotional and spiritual agony, Emelyne deeply regretted being brought back through such unnatural means, describing her soul as feeling wounded by lightning. Downstairs, Sanasha attempted to flirt with three hooded Jade Monastery monks—the Dragonborn Iosuno, the Tortle Sianei, and the Human Androsh—who curtly rebuffed her. Eavesdropping on their table, Ro’Zaad learned the monks were investigating a nearby rift to the Hells. Rejoining the monks, the Vanguard detailed the recent Deva attack and the weakening of the Veil caused by the obelisk's destruction. Recognizing the party's plight, the monks offered a trade: if the Vanguard helped them stop a local cultist from summoning demons, they would grant them access to the Qyradell archives to find a way out of their pact with Contras.
Locating the mother of adolescent gang member Lierness Spawnbottom, the party bribed the teen with a platinum piece to track down his friend, Grazu. Reaching Grazu's dilapidated house, Percy and the front group distracted Grazu's mother with a fake Torra sermon while Ro’Zaad slipped through the back door. As the mother discovered the intrusion and brandished a frying pan, Grazu activated a fiery summoning circle, bringing forth a small Quasit demon. Sanasha immediately attacked the creature, and Thalia finished it off. Threatening to sever Grazu's hand unless he complied, the party confiscated the summoning scroll, healed his superficial wounds, and handed the scroll over to the Jade Monastery monks—securing their key to the Qyradell archives. Returning to the tavern, Emelyne performed Gentle Repose on Valerie’s body with Naoki's help, confessing her grief and worry that her magic had become tainted.
With four days remaining on their contract, the party took to the skies on their Dragonelles, with Emelyne naming her mount Mort. Reaching the sparkling city of Qyradell, they landed at a high tower and learned the Jade Archives lay halfway between the landing platform and the royal palace. As they prepared to set out into the City of Diamonds, Contras suddenly possessed a nearby tower guard. Sensing their wavering devotion, the fiend issued a chilling threat: if the Vanguard defaulted on their contract, he would resurrect all of their deceased loved ones only to torture them for over a century. Undeterred, the party stepped out into Qyradell to forge ahead.