A Blaze of Glory
The Veiled Vanguard, prepares to celebrate "Veiled Vanguard" Day in Illnerya. They settle into their new manor in the 1st Level of the city, struggling to come to terms with recent events and their fraying bonds. Shadows from the past, come to play in the events that unfold.
From the Journal of Sanaha Illuvistari. A snipit from her draft of her early adventures, along with reflections on recent events:
Arriving in Rubealon, Sanasha found signs of the Veiled Vanguard before tracking them through to the Lammuld Wood. Passing through Alyrmin, she met grim news: the masked fighter, Diablo Dorado, had perished. Realizing time was slipping away, she hurried to the nearby Hidden Grove.
Inside, she met Zulkifli, the man who had originally requested help finding Naoki. The news he shared was crushing: they had lost all sign of the Veiled Vanguard on this Plane. Her mission had failed. Defeated, Sanasha settled into the Grove, waiting for word on how to return home. But just when all hope seemed lost, word came that the Vanguard had suddenly reappeared in the Xoraxan Wastes. The chase continued.
Reflection
My mind raced through everything that had occurred of late. I struggled against some of my companions to do the right thing. My thoughts lingered on that moment in Penance; chilled at how quickly I was ready to sacrifice myself, angry that I couldn’t save Bill. Naoki stopped me… I had grown to believe there was a wisdom inside him that he wasn't expressing. Was I wrong?
Chaos
We emerged back into an Illnerya in chaos. Silas Aberdom had called upon an army of devils to help him destroy the dam to "save the city." We planned to rally the Sunkeepers just as Mathias arrived with those loyal to him. As panic ensued, the High Luminary calmed the people enough to facilitate an evacuation. And so, we rushed forward to stop the Mad Governor.
Descent
We lunged off the edge to reach the fourth level; my breath caught with fear, wondering if Emelyne would let me fall. Despite my fears, she did as promised and slowed our descent. Rushing on, we saved who we could, destroying a large contingent of devils in a blur of red. Then we reached the final confrontation: Silas Aberdom had set up magically charged crystals to blow the dam, locked behind a gate with three massive devils to stop us.
Death
We rushed forward, and I lost myself to rage. I felt the tree enhance my strength, growing massive ethereal wood over my arms and axe, making my blows fall like a raging bull. I struck the gate, then things went white as I was blasted by a warding spell. I spent most of the fight clinging to life, fighting desperately until I fell.
I felt the devils stab deep into my flesh. Then, I realized I was looking down at myself. Gore dripped from the devils' claws, and viscera pooled from my still body. Everything was wrong—I just saw myself die. A woman stood next to me. She held her hand out to me just before I felt Percy calling me back to my body. This wasn't my time, but she reminded me that my time will come. I gasped back to life. Without time to process, I rushed into battle again and let the rage take over. We fought hard until the devils were either destroyed or banished, leaving only the Governor.
Tainted Offerings
He promised to "make it look good," and suddenly massive, fiery meteors fell from the air above us. As death approached, the meteor coming to bring our doom was split in half at the hands of a demonic horror—a precursor to its master. Our savior, Oriana, the Demon Prince of Pride, had come with an offer. Portals began to open as demons arrived with food, priests, and aid to save the city. His only price: we had to allow his priests to stay. We weighed the risks, and reluctantly agreed to his terms and Oriana departed.
Aftermath
In the aftermath, we were hailed as heroes of Illnerya, with Mathias being pushed for elevation as the new Governor. Our key reward was the deed to a manor where a celebration would be held in our honor.
We soon learned that parts of Draelwrym had chosen to side with Contras. The Deceiver is no longer confined; his hold on this realm grows. The High Luminary suggested we should visit Myradorne and try to convince the traders there to help us travel to Mysteria to gain the blessing of Allura. With this, we may finally get the answers we need from her library. We prepare for the celebration as I write these words—one victory here, while our failure in Draelwrym continues to spiral. We revel, while another Demon Prince begins to influence this city. Were we heroes, or villains?
The party settled into their new 8-bedroom manor, previously owned by Valerious Thorne, which featured a kitchen, larder, magic circle, and hidden basement vault. While Emelyne cleaned up, Sanasha took a bath, and Diablo climbed to the roof to take in the city view. Emelyne visited Sanasha, who gifted her the Headband of Knowledge and discussed her brief death, recalling a fading vision of a woman and vowing to act as the party's protector. During her bath, Sanasha was visited by Contras, who revealed he knew of their plot to destroy him, threatened to convert her into a devil, and scratched her cheek—leaving a bleeding wound that proved he could now manifest physically outside Draelwrym.
A carriage driven by a nervous man named Archibald arrived, and the party departed in two groups. In one carriage, Sanasha and Diablo compared their death experiences, with Diablo noting he focused on training while Sanasha felt a heavy wound to her soul. In the other carriage, Percy asked Naoki if he was trustworthy, prompting Naoki to drop his crab Wild Shape and land in Emelyne's lap. Percy gave Naoki a rock, promising a diamond later if he kept it safe, which triggered an argument when Emelyne criticized Percy's loyalty tests and declared she would kill any innocent to protect the party. After settling the dispute and giving Naoki a real diamond, they opened the carriage to announce the Veiled Vanguard, with Diablo signing a paper for Archibald.
Arriving at the event, the announcer heralded the party before a crowd. They encountered Governor Matthias, a striking High Exemplar Vance who flirted with everyone, and the Blackshire family, who called Diablo "Hugo"—prompting Diablo to coolly ask them not to use that name. After Naoki grabbed three drinks from the bar, Percy took them and threw a gold coin at his face. The bard Caelen of the Gilded Strings then recited a poem about their battle at the dam; Sanasha flexed her lightning-infused axe, Emelyne fired bolts into the sky, and Percy flashily cast Guidance on Diablo.
A Dragonborn man named Blaze Morgan, Diablo's former mentor, arrived and caught Diablo's eye. The two stepped out to a back balcony to talk while Percy subtly followed. Blaze explained he was struggling to keep his gym open and lived in fear for his homeland, expressing pain at seeing the Blackshires present. Diablo admitted he died before the Vanguard made the decision that doomed their homeland, and Blaze assured Diablo he knew he would do the right thing before leaving. When the High Luminary and Arc Embersmith arrived, Blaze confronted the Blackshires and Governor, spitting in the Baron’s face and punching Angus Blackshire. Diablo escorted Blaze out, who admitted satisfaction in making the Baron bleed and told Diablo about a hidden drawer compartment in his home before leaving. Baron Blackshire taunted Diablo as he watched Blaze depart.
Returning inside with sizzling footprints, Diablo stepped onto the stage and gave an inspiring speech urging the city to celebrate and push their responsibilities to tomorrow. Naoki transformed into a giant octopus to serve eight drinks at once, drawing rude comments from the head of Oriana’s church. Outside, Emelyne drank wine with Percy, who revealed he lost his hand trying to bring her back and admitted he stole the diamond back from Naoki during the party to test him. Emelyne gave Percy a note so he could later cast Sending to Thaine, while Diablo left a bottle of wine on the balcony for Blaze.
The party returned home heavily intoxicated, except for Sanasha, who carried Naoki and noticed a door drawn in black ink left for Diablo by the Blackshires. Sanasha informed Percy and Naoki that Contras had confronted her earlier, put Naoki to bed with a hangover drink, and retired. Diablo asked Emelyne to send Eggy to survey Blaze’s gym and house; Eggy later returned, revealing the gym was locked and Blaze’s house was lit and open, but completely empty with stew still on the spit. Emelyne offered a drunken apology to Diablo before sleeping.
The next morning, Percy cast Sending using Emelyne's note. The hungover party awoke to find Marie, who declared herself their new housekeeper, served them special muffins, and gave Diablo a hand-knit shirt. Over breakfast, Sanasha called a meeting, proposing they head to Myradorne to find Contras's weakness and speak to traders to reach Mysteria. Percy reluctantly revealed that the head of the Purebirch family in Myradorne was his father. After leaving Marie 500 gold for household expenses, Emelyne memorized the manor's teleportation circle, and they traveled to the third level to inspect Blaze's home under Diablo's guidance.
They found Blaze’s house empty and meticulously wiped of all dust, blood, or footprints. Diablo recognized that the Blackshires had silenced his mentor, who chose to go out with self-respect. In the hidden drawer compartment, Diablo found a letter and a white-and-gold luchador cape—the Cloak of Displacement Blaze used to save himself and his mother. Putting on the cape, Diablo vowed to wear Blaze's colors as a reminder to act without delay. Finally, Naoki convinced the party to divert into the Brylln Woods to retrieve his friend Beans before they teleported back to begin their journey to Rubaelon.