Last Stand at the Breach
With their sights set on breaching the Cinder Guard's hold on the Tower of Alurra, the Vanguard seek answers from a former associate of the Seekers. The Lord Marshal casts a long shadow over the nation of Vernaria, his hunger for power strangling the once prosperous realm. With a plan to assume false identities and the unexpected discovery of a divine artifact, more than secrets await within the tower. Those seeking knowledge in the Tower may lose everything.
Lord Minorealis welcomed the Veiled Vanguard with food, drink, and literary conversation, recalling the adventuring party that inspired his book The Faults and Follies of the Seekers—yielding seven signed copies for Sanasha. Explaining that Cresna sent them to seek the blessing of Allura for access to the library, the party discussed his theories on the tower's trials. Minorealis donned a Cresna-marked monocle that snapped together with Sabik's matching piece to form the complete Spectacles of Alurra. After a playful scramble over scones, an identify spell confirmed the artifact. Minorealis also mused about the Wierfell, shared insights on the Nexus, dropped his age-disguise to reveal his youthful form, and warned that the Governor desired whatever lay inside the tower, which would seal itself once entered. He departed for Gnomprah’s book luncheon after the party asked him to help free Sabik’s husband and reconcile with Amoral Tamlish. The group stepped back out into the city with Naoki transforming into a spider under Emelyne’s hat.
Finding the guild structures surrounding the tower converted into heavily fortified Cinder Guard operations, the party disguised themselves as ecclesiastical acolytes and scholars of Allura, assigning roles as Sister Lily (Emelyne), Blade Gladius (Diablo), Flaming Axe Tusk (Sanasha), Brother Aster (Naoki), and Father Torvin of Myradorne (Percy). Challenged by guards at the perimeter, Percy delivered an exceptional performance of deceit to secure an audience with the Lord Marshal. Inside the makeshift throne room, Percy spun a tale of divine visions appointing him to read Allura's cyphers. The Lord Marshal bought the ruse entirely, bringing no guards out of supreme confidence as he escorted the disguised Vanguard straight to the tower entrance.
Within the entry chamber surrounded by shifting purple script, Percy abruptly declared the Marshal unworthy and slashed him directly across the face. The commander immediately transformed into a massive blue sapphire gem dragon, unleashing a thunderous breath attack that battered the party and dropped Emelyne. Despite the dragon's resilience and lightning immunity, the Vanguard rallied through coordinated magic and martial force—healing their wounded, blinding the beast with sunlight, erecting stone barriers, and mounting a fierce counter-assault from the walls and the creature's own back.
While the dragon lifted into the air to charge a devastating total-blast breath weapon, Naoki donned the spectacles to decipher the glyphs. The statue asked Naoki to state something he didn't know, prompting him to ask, "How do we get into the tower?"—upon which the portal ripped open. Naoki entered before the dragon unleashed a massive thunderous blast that left Emelyne and Diablo unconscious. Sanasha thrust her two fallen companions' bodies through the portal to join Naoki, then stood her ground against the dragon, taking repeated massive blows and surviving time after time while holding out for Percy. Enduring one last near-fatal strike, Sanasha was finally pushed through the portal by Percy, and they both tumbled inside as the Lord Marshal retook his human form and stepped through the portal.