Our heroes have returned from the Shifting Sands, where in a forgotten vault they encountered someone they did not expect: a petrified Discord, god of chaos, now known as Persolus. Seemingly under an enchantment forcing him to always tell the truth, he told the party that he had figured out a way out of the Echoes, but it required freeing him and messing with some sort of egg that was being kept in the vault. Sensibly, the party chose not to trust him, and declined his offer.
From there, they have made their way to Braildorn, one of the few places in the Echoes that most closely resembles modern society. However, while they sought respite within its walls, they soon found their troubles were far from over: Lysander, an ambitious and greedy dragon with significant influence in the Echoes, saw to the kidnapping of their friend Violet, replacing her with a spy to study the party and assess them. The party soon rooted out the spy and followed a trail of clues (including striking a tenuous alliance with the nefarious Tiger Clan) which eventually led them to Lysander's ship, the Lady Luck. From there, they proceeded to fight their way to Lysander himself, rescue Violet and take the Lady Luck for themselves - which was not a ship at all, but rather an enchanted construct called a Sanctuary. They soon found that overtaking a Sanctuary did not come without its failsafes, however; the Fulcrum, a unique magical object that controls a Sanctuary, was bound to Lysander and Lysander alone, and no one else could use it without risking severe mental harm or even death.
Via one of their newfound acquaintances, however, they may have figured out a workaround. Fumblemore, a bumbling but good natured wizard, knows of a way to break the Seal of Dominion, but it is a dangerous ritual that requires the participation of the entire group; their spiritual forms would entre the Fulcrum, according to Fumblemore, and have to physically bypass whatever defences Lysander has placed.
Meanwhile, the party have made themselves quite busy while in Braildorn:
Hermodur has accepted a contract to hunt down a creature plaguing the town's citizens, a particularly large and intelligent balaur known as the Beast of Braildorn.
Norv has expressed his interest in performing a courier task for Carnifex, a servant of Black Pudding. He has also commissioned a new sprayer to be made for him by the master craftsman Hadrian, which has dug deep into his pockets.
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