Session 16

Heroes (lvl 6): Bastion, Thrum, Aibell, Emile

... coming soon ...

Session 15

The Screaming Tower

Heroes (lvl 6): Bastion, Thrum, Aibell, Percival, Yvaine, Emile

The heroes set out to seek the aid of Zaraga, carrying the obsidian token entrusted to them by Inimigle. Their path leads through the Lady’s Ward, where Sigil's endless intrigues continue to unfold around them. Along the way, they witness Harmonium patrols searching for wanted criminals and detachments of Mercykillers escorting shackled prisoners toward the Prison. The city seems unusually tense, as though unseen forces are moving pieces into position.

Their destination is the Screaming Tower, a bizarre structure rising above the ward like a colossal stalagmite. Using the words provided by Inimigle, the heroes gain entry and discover that the tower is hollow from top to bottom. At its heart lies a portal to the Plane of Air, and powerful gusts roar through the structure at irregular intervals, producing a constant cacophony of thunderous howls and shrieks that give the tower its name.

The interior is crowded with gargoyles perched upon ledges and walls, silently observing every movement.

There the heroes meet Eyarq, leader of the gargoyles and servant to Zaraga. Though outwardly loyal, Eyarq quickly reveals his own ambitions. He attempts to persuade the heroes to kill his mistress, suggesting that the tower—and its inhabitants—would be better off without her rule. The heroes refuse to become involved in his scheme, and Eyarq reluctantly leads them onward.

At last they are brought before Zaraga, the hag who commands the Screaming Tower. After receiving the obsidian token, she agrees to honor her arrangement with Inimigle. In exchange for the favor owed, she offers her assistance against Durkayle.

Her plan is simple and effective.

A force of gargoyles will create a diversion around Durkayle's fortress, drawing attention away from the true objective. Meanwhile, Zaraga's flyers will carry the heroes through the skies and drop them safely beyond the fortress walls, allowing them to infiltrate the stronghold from within.

The bargain struck, preparations begin immediately.

Soon afterward, the heroes take to the air atop a host of gargoyles, leaving the Screaming Tower behind. Below them, Sigil's impossible skyline stretches into the distance. Ahead lies Durkayle's fortress—and the dangerous task of rescuing the child at the center of a forgotten prophecy.

Session 14

Heroes (lvl 6): Bastion, Thrum, Aibell, Percival, Yvaine

The heroes' brief respite in Sigil comes to an abrupt end when they are confronted by a patrol of Harmonium officers. The guards approach with unusual hostility, quickly making it clear that this is no routine questioning.

The truth reveals itself moments later.

The officers are not Harmonium at all, but barlguras disguised through magic and deception. The demons attack without warning, turning a city street into a battlefield. The heroes find themselves hard-pressed as the savage fiends overwhelm them with brute strength and ferocity. Victory seems uncertain.

Then an unexpected savior intervenes.

A mysterious figure appears amid the chaos and, with a few sharp words and a display of infernal authority, sends the remaining demons fleeing. The stranger introduces himself as Dirngrin, a cambion in the service of a powerful yugoloth named Inimigle.

Dirngrin wastes little time.

He warns the heroes that the attack was no isolated incident. More demons will come, and Sigil is no longer safe for them. If they want answers—and protection—they should meet his employer.

The heroes follow him to the Black Sail Tavern, a shadowy establishment frequented by mercenaries, fiends, and others who prefer their dealings away from prying eyes. There they meet Inimigle, a yagnoloth whose manner is as unsettling as his smile.

Inimigle claims to know why the heroes are being hunted.

According to him, a night hag named Virinis has taken an interest in them. Their unusual origins and travels have made them valuable prey. Virinis operates a gruesome enterprise catering to fiendish clientele, specializing in exotic sentient meats. To her, the heroes are not enemies or rivals.

They are ingredients.

Fortunately, Inimigle offers a solution. He can provide protection from Virinis and, should the heroes desire it, the location of a portal leading back to the Prime Material Plane.

Naturally, his aid comes at a price.

A child has been kidnapped by Durkayle, a powerful figure within the Harmonium. Inimigle claims the child is destined for greatness: the prophesied One True Being of the long-forgotten faction known as the Waiting Ones. According to the yugoloth, Durkayle seeks to prevent that destiny from ever coming to pass.

Inimigle wants the child rescued.

To aid in this task, he points the heroes toward a potential ally. An annis hag named Zaraga, mistress of the Screaming Tower and commander of a host of gargoyles, may be willing to lend her strength. As a gesture of good faith, Inimigle provides a talisman that can be used to secure an audience with her.

With new enemies revealed, questionable allies offered, and yet another mystery unfolding before them, the heroes find themselves drawn deeper into the intrigues of Sigil. In the City of Doors, even salvation comes with a contract.

Session 13

The Astral Plane

Heroes (lvl 6): Bastion, Thrum, Aibell, Percival, Yvaine, Emile

After escaping the destruction of Athas, the heroes find themselves adrift in the Astral Plane alongside Sharnak and the newly rescued Wanderer. Their footing is no ordinary ground, but the immense corpse of a forgotten god, drifting silently through the silver void.

There, Sharnak finally shares part of the truth.

He speaks of a hidden force known as the Triune Concord, a mysterious alliance working to reshape the multiverse itself. Though he does not know the identities of its leaders, he understands their goal: to simplify creation by removing worlds and realities they deem flawed or unnecessary. Athas, he explains, was only the first victim.

Against them stands Velcarion, the Master of Endless Tides. Unable to prevent every world from being targeted, Velcarion instead seeks to preserve what can still be saved. Across the multiverse, certain individuals serve as anchors—living embodiments of a world's identity and history. By rescuing these anchors before their worlds are erased, Velcarion hopes that something of those lost realities might endure. The Wanderer was one such anchor.

With their mission complete, the heroes return to Sigil. For the first time in many weeks, they enjoy a brief period of peace. The days are spent recovering from their ordeal, replenishing supplies, purchasing scrolls and minor magical curiosities, and enjoying the relative comfort of civilization.

Yet Sigil rarely allows tranquility to last.

While traveling near the Foundry, the heroes notice a patrol of Harmonium soldiers approaching. Their formation is deliberate. Their expressions are grim. This is no routine patrol. Something has changed. And whatever business the Harmonium has with the heroes, it is clear that it is not friendly.

The Wanderer

The Wanderer is a legendary traveler of Athas, a chronicler who has crossed the deserts, ruins, and city-states of the dying world longer than most can remember. Clad in worn robes and carrying his ever-present journal, the Wanderer seeks knowledge above power, preserving the memory of civilizations already half-lost to sand and time. Wise, cautious, and deeply tied to the spirit of Athas itself, he understands the world better than perhaps anyone alive—and in the end, becomes the final witness to its passing.

Virex the Harmonizer

Virex the Harmonizer is an enigmatic servant of the Triune Concord, a being tasked with overseeing the “Cut” of dying worlds from the Great Wheel. Calm, emotionless, and terrifyingly certain, Virex does not see itself as a destroyer, but as a caretaker removing flawed realities from existence. Its geometric form flickers between gold, silver, and obsidian, as though reality itself struggles to define it.

Session 12

Heroes (lvl 5): Bastion, Thrum, Aibell, Emile

The heroes finally reach the ruins of Bodach, the long-dead city at the edge of the world. Silent streets and shattered ziggurats stretch beneath the crimson sky, haunted by wandering undead and the echoes of forgotten catastrophe. Yet even the dead seem insignificant beside the sight looming in the distance.

A vast, coruscating light advances across Athas. Slowly. Inevitably. Where the light touches, the world simply ceases to exist.

At the center temple of Bodach stands Virex the Harmonizer, servant of the Triune Concord and witness to the end of worlds. Calm and utterly without malice, Virex explains the truth the heroes have struggled to grasp: Athas is being “cut” from the Great Wheel itself, erased so that the multiverse may be remade into something purer and more harmonious.

To Virex, this is not destruction. It is mercy.

Deep within Bodach, among an immense library of ceramic tablets and crumbling records, the heroes finally find The Wanderer. The old chronicler already knows what is happening. He has remained behind to witness the final moments of his dying world. Only after long discussion do the heroes convince him to abandon Athas and carry its memory elsewhere.

There is little time left. The coruscating light advances ever closer. Virex acts.

Its form fractures into four armored manifestations of geometric force and impossible symmetry, while hordes of undead descend upon the heroes through the collapsing ruins. Battle erupts across the temple as reality itself begins to fail around them. Walls disappear into blank nothingness. The sky flickers. Entire streets vanish behind the advancing light.

The heroes destroy Virex’s divided forms one by one, but even in defeat the fragments begin slowly reforming, drawn back together by some higher order beyond mortal understanding.

And still the light approaches. 

At the very brink of annihilation, reality tears open.

A great rift appears in the air, its edges shimmering like iridescent dragon scales. Beyond it waits Sharnak, the dragonborn agent who first sent the heroes to Athas. Behind him stretches the silver void of the Astral Plane.

The heroes flee through the rupture together with the Wanderer as the light finally consumes Bodach.

Then the mountains vanish. The sky vanishes. The crimson sun goes dark.

And Athas is no more.

LEVEL UP!

Session 11

Heroes (lvl 5): Bastion, Thrum, Aibell, Percival, Yvaine

The heroes arrive at the dwarven village of Kled alongside Horth Araxis. The settlement survives through discipline, labor, and faith beneath Athas’ unforgiving sun. There they meet the village’s leader, a stern priest of the sun who confirms what others have already whispered:

The Wanderer passed through Kled not long ago, traveling east toward the cursed ruins of Bodach.

The trail is certain now.

The heroes depart once more, and the journey becomes a brutal crossing of Athas itself. Weeks pass beneath the crimson sky. Sandstorms sweep across the wastes. Water is rationed carefully while ancient ruins and bleached bones mark the passing of forgotten civilizations.

Eventually they reach Fort Shale, a lonely outpost standing at the edge of the Sea of Silt.

There, they hire Captain Nhela, a scarred half-elf captain who commands a weathered silt skimmer capable of crossing the endless gray expanse. With few alternatives, the heroes board the vessel and begin the dangerous voyage eastward.

Days pass upon the choking silt sea. The air hangs heavy and still. Beneath the surface, unseen things move.

Then the silt erupts.

A massive silt horror bursts from below the skimmer, its writhing tentacles crashing across the deck as crew members are dragged screaming into the gray depths. The creature lashes against the vessel with terrible force, threatening to tear it apart beneath the burning sun.

The heroes rally beside the crew and fight desperately upon the shifting deck. Steel, magic, and grit finally bring the monster down, though not without cost. Several sailors are lost to the creature before the battle ends, their bodies swallowed by the endless silt.

The skimmer survives.

And so the journey toward Bodach continues across a world that feels increasingly empty, silent, and doomed.

Session 10

Heroes (lvl 5): Bastion, Thrum, Aibell, Emile

The heroes leave Tyr behind, but freedom is short-lived. Under the cover of night, a band of guards pursues them into the desert. Steel clashes in the darkness, and the fight is swift and final. When it ends, the sands claim the fallen, and the heroes press on.

They turn north toward the mountains, seeking relief from the relentless heat. Days pass in harsh conditions. Water runs low. Strength begins to fail. It becomes clear that without aid, the desert will take them.

In desperation, they send magical lights into the sky. An answer comes.

Horth Araxis, an earth priest and guardian of a hidden shrine, finds them and offers refuge. Within the cool stone sanctuary, the heroes recover and speak of their quest. Horth knows of The Wanderer and confirms his path leads east, toward Bodach—the long-dead city now haunted by the undead.

The destination is certain.

Horth offers to guide them further, to the village of Kled, where they may find supplies and aid for the journey ahead. As they prepare to move on, one truth settles in: Athas is not only cruel. It is slowly dying.

Session 9

Heroes (lvl 5): Bastion, Thrum, Aibell, Percival, Yvaine, Emile

Brought before the authority of the arena, the heroes stand in the presence of Templar Maerigal, a figure of cold control and measured cruelty. She listens as they speak, their tale strange and improbable—too strange, perhaps, for even Athas. With a gesture, she summons two mindbenders to strip away deception and peer into truth itself.

When their power settles upon Emile, resistance falters.

His thoughts unravel, and the truth spills forth—Sigil, portals, the dying world, the mission to find The Wanderer. Yet the truth, laid bare, proves too vast, too impossible. Maerigal does not see revelation. She sees madness.

The heroes are dismissed.

Not executed, not believed—simply returned to the slave pits, their words cast aside as the ramblings of broken minds.

Back among the condemned, they find something far more valuable than belief: knowledge.

An old slave, bent with age and hardship, speaks of a figure long whispered of in the depths below the arena. A man who was not broken. A man who escaped.

He speaks of the Wanderer.

According to the old slave, this figure wielded the power of earth and stone itself, perhaps a priest of the elemental forces that still answer on Athas. He did not flee blindly. He walked with purpose—toward what the old man calls “the end of the world” and “the city of the dead.”

The path is clear. But the chains remain. The heroes act.

What begins as quiet whispers in the dark becomes a rising tide. Slaves rally. Guards are isolated. Violence erupts in the tunnels beneath the arena. In the chaos, the heroes reclaim their weapons—their steel once more in hand—and break free from the pits that were meant to hold them.

City of Tyr

They emerge into the streets of Tyr, no longer gladiators, but fugitives. The city does not let them go easily.

Guards sweep through the streets. Templars tighten their grip. The heroes move through dust-choked alleys and crowded thoroughfares, evading pursuit by speed, cunning, and no small measure of fortune. The tension does not break until they reach the city gates.

There, waiting for them, stands the arena’s champion.

A towering figure of muscle and fury—the Crimson Half-Giant—mounted upon a savage Crodlu. There is no negotiation, no warning. Only violence.

The battle is brutal and immediate. The mount snaps and claws, the giant strikes with overwhelming force, but the heroes endure. Steel meets bone, tactics overcome brute strength, and in time, the champion falls.

And then the world itself breaks.

A section of Tyr’s great wall—ancient, immovable, eternal—simply ceases to exist.

No explosion. No collapse.

Stone vanishes into nothingness, leaving only empty air where solid structure once stood.

For a moment, even the guards freeze.

The impossible has arrived. The heroes do not hesitate.

They pass through the breach and leave the city behind, stepping out into the endless desert of Athas.

Session 8

Heroes (lvl 4): Bastion, Thrum, Aibell, Emile

The heroes’ arrival upon Athas allows no time for questions or caution. Beneath the crimson sun and before the roaring masses of the arena, they are set upon at once by a pack of thri-kreen gladiators.

The insect warriors move with startling speed, leaping across the sand with chitinous limbs and flashing weapons. Yet the heroes, though disoriented by their sudden arrival, answer violence with discipline. Steel rings, dust rises, and one by one the thri-kreen are brought low. The crowd, expecting easy slaughter, instead finds new champions to cheer.

Their reward is immediate. The gates grind open once more.

From the dark tunnels emerge three towering half-giants, armed with brutal clubs and clad in piecemeal armor. They stride into the arena to thunderous approval, each certain that the battle is already won. What follows is anything but certain. The heroes meet strength with resolve, outmaneuvering the larger foes and driving them down before the eyes of a stunned audience.

By the end, the arena chants for blood no longer. It chants for the newcomers.

Victorious, the heroes are not granted freedom, but escorted below the arena into the slave pits where gladiators are housed, fed, and prepared for further spectacle. There they meet Kallor, a veteran trainer whose scars speak more loudly than his words.

Kallor studies them carefully.

He praises their skill, but it is not their prowess that interests him most. It is their weapons.

Metal blades on Athas are treasures beyond price. Here, bone, obsidian, and stone are the tools of war. To carry steel is to carry wealth, status, or mystery.

Kallor wants to know where such arms were found.

The heroes, wary of revealing too much, claim to be desert folk who discovered forgotten ruins buried beneath the sands. Kallor listens, unconvinced perhaps, but practical enough not to press.

Instead, he offers a warning. They would do well to draw a map. For the templar who oversees the arena will surely wish to inspect these miraculous ruins for himself.

That night, the heroes remain in the slave quarters among exhausted gladiators, chained laborers, and broken men who wait to be spent for sport. There, by torchlight and whispered voices, they hear troubling rumors.

Entire villages have vanished. Not raided. Not burned. Not conquered. Gone.

Caravans speak of empty roads, abandoned wells, and a strange brightness seen in the far distance. Some call it a curse. Others the judgment of sorcerer-kings. Most simply refuse to speak of it for long.

Sleep comes uneasily.

At dawn, Kallor returns. There is no ceremony, no comfort, only purpose.

The trainer informs the heroes that they are wanted. He has come to escort them from the pits and into the presence of the arena’s master: Templar Maerigal.

LEVEL UP!