Following their escape from the Clockwork Citadel via the magical door summoned by Adrian's Library Card, the Feinting GOATs expected to step into the private sanctuary of Lance Dowelloft. Instead, they emerged into the serene halls of Cloud Path Monastery, Cut-Cut's home. There, they found a somber gathering: Master Kagemitsu, Elder Ming-Hua, Lord Takashi "Silver Fox" Nokizaru, and the former Rat Queen, Emeline Morningfall. The mentors had assembled to mourn the presumed deaths of their students, having heard nothing for six months, until Cut-Cut's recent letter arrived. The reunion was a mix of relief and heavy hearts. Over a shared dinner, the mentors gave thanks for the party's survival but lamented the darkening state of the world, specifically the rapid, soulless industrialization of Mupalan that threatened the wild places and ancient traditions they held dear. They entrusted the party with heartfelt letters they had written during their grief, words of final guidance now turned into renewed hope.
The party rested at the monastery, but at dawn, Adrian's Library Card glowed once more, summoning a new door. This portal led them not to Lance, but to the dusty used book section of "Les Petites Merveilles" in Rivière Dorado. There, Elyn was reunited with her adoptive father, Tom Paronskaft. The reunion was emotional and transformative. Tom confessed his role in the tragedy of Daggerford, revealing he had commissioned the theft of the Well Gem under duress from the Dark Hierophant. He spoke of his lost son, a grief that had long shadowed his life. In a final act of passing the torch, he gave Elyn ownership of the shop, the secret pocket watch that powered his time-travel device, and revealed a hidden entrance to the Underdark beneath the floorboards. With his burden lifted and his "daughter" safe, Tom left everything behind—taking only the jar Elyn had retrieved from the Demiplane of Dread—and set off to find his biological son.
As Tom departed, the card glowed a third time, finally opening the way to Lance Dowelloft's pocket dimension library. Lance, appearing as a lively old man enjoying his afterlife, welcomed his descendants. He laid out the cosmic stakes, explaining the history of the Sigils and the Titans. He had a private, cryptic conversation with Lenti regarding the Myconet and revealed the itinerary for destroying the remaining artifacts to weaken Rakkizibar. He warned them that their path to Mysterra lay through the North Pole, guarded by Ded Moroz, who he cautioned was far more sinister than the jolly figure they had met. Lance also took a moment to bolster Adrian, explaining that the famous Dowelloft pride was a strength, not a flaw, as long as it was balanced with humility—a balance Adrian would need to forge the weapon capable of killing a god.
After weeks of research and preparation in the library, the card transported them to the gates of Hell, outside the Library of the Profane. They were barred from entry by Muse Cantor, the Queen of Hell, who was in the midst of rebranding her domain into a "rehabilitation center" for wayward souls, using the power of heavy metal music to uplift the damned. She introduced the party to Edwardo, a Pit Fiend of immense depravity who had not yet embraced the new program. Following the plan, the party presented the Crown of the Rat King to Edwardo, claiming it was a "ring" of power. The fiend, mid-orgy, accepted the gift, and his subsequent act of ultimate debauchery with the pure artifact caused it to shatter, fulfilling the first destruction condition. Akemi, swept up in the chaotic energy of Hell's new musical direction, disappeared into the revelry for several days. Meanwhile, Adrian and Korloth secluded themselves to work on a legendary task: forging the God-Slayer Gun. Channeling Hellfire, Khumbaba's volcanic essence, and Adrian's own pride, they crafted a weapon of terrible power.
Weeks later, with the gun complete and the party reunited, the card whisked them away to Rakkizibar's Realm—an impossible library where gravity was a suggestion and books the size of buildings twisted in Escher-like geometries. The place seemed deserted until Korloth, impatient with the silence, knocked over a few massive shelves. This summoned the Librarian, a jester-like figure who immediately subjected them to nonsense riddles. "Why is a raven like a writing desk?" he asked, followed by "What is the difference between a duck?" When Korloth flatly informed him that his riddles were gibberish, the Librarian declared him the "wisest" of the group. He presented them with nine sets of keys and told them to take the "spare." Deduceing that the spare was the only key ring with an exact duplicate, the party selected correctly. They then faced a lock with five keyholes, and, embracing the realm's chaotic logic, turned all five keys simultaneously with supreme confidence despite lacking knowledge of the mechanism. The door opened.
Inside, the library came alive. Books leaped from the shelves, unfurling into terrifying Book Scorpions. Rakkizibar himself appeared, a titanic, shifting silhouette of ink and shadow, babbling in a chorus of stolen voices. The battle was chaotic and disorienting. The stings of the Book Scorpions stole the party's memories and skills, swapping them with random, useless trivia. Lenti suffered the worst of this, becoming convinced they were a weatherman from another world, shouting "I predict rampant lightning!" while calling down storms they shouldn't have been able to control—a permanent alteration to their psyche. Korloth, seizing a moment of confusion, slapped the Pick of Destiny into Rakkizibar's hand. The god's chaotic nature recoiled from the focused object, destroying it instantly. However, this drew his ire. Rakkizibar teleported to Adrian, knocking him unconscious, and then unleashed an inexplicable *Implosion* spell on Loarkon, crushing the bard into a sphere the size of a beachball. Bao Bao revived Adrian, while Akemi used a magical pomegranate to restore Loarkon. In a final, desperate gambit, Adrian leveled the God-Slayer. He fired, and the bullet struck true—a critical, god-killing blow. Rakkizibar, the Thoughtless Sage, reeled as the divine energy of the tri-flame round tore through his defenses. His save failed, and the anchor of his being shattered. With a silent, mournful wail that echoed only in the mind, the Protean Lord was unmade, his titanic form dissolving into a cascade of ink and silence.
As the realm destabilized, the Library Card activated one last time, dumping the battered party into a small, quiet library in the Maukoru Archipelago—Korloth's home. Without delay, they took the final artifact, the Crown of Snegurka, to the nearest volcano. Akemi cast it into the lava, destroying it and releasing a wave of blessing over the islands. The session concluded with Korloth attending a council meeting alongside local Merfolk and Sea Elves. They discussed the encroaching threat of the Dominion's trade empire and agreed on a radical defense: the Titan Plan. The council fully backed the awakening of Khumbaba. A Merfolk leader, named Tethys Deep-Caller, proposed resurrecting the legendary Kraken as their champion, while the Hutaakans arrived the next day to petition Adrian to bring back Apophis. With a growing roster of Titans to recruit and the Nithian races united in their desire for independence, the Feinting GOATs began planning their assault on the North Pole to breach Mysterra.
Note: The following writings are from the character's perspective and are often private to the character. They are not considered "in-game" knowledge to the other characters, and any in-character reference to this information would be considered meta-gaming.
Elyndra's Journal Entry by
Syd McVay
I’m no longer writing to Tom, but for myself. This journaling has become—dare I say it—therapeutic.
We ended our last adventure with Adrian’s Library Card glowing, a beacon of urgency. We knew we had only a split second to decide. Stepping through the magical door that appeared, we expected to find ourselves in Lance’s sanctuary. Instead, we stumbled into the serene halls of Cloud Path Monastery—Cut-Cut’s home.
We were met not by enemies, but by a somber gathering: Master Kagemitsu, Elder Ming-Hua, Lord Takashi Nokizaru, and Emeline Morningfall. Adrian was mildly disappointed we hadn't reached his ancestor, but what we observed was worthwhile. It looked like a memorial for us. They had clearly assumed we were dead, given our six-month silence. Each mentor had written a final letter for their student. They had gathered only after finally receiving Cut-Cut’s recent correspondence, realizing we were alive and what we had accomplished. The memorial transformed into a celebration and a farewell. Over dinner, the mentors expressed a genuine fear that industrialization was superseding tradition in Mupalan, worrying this would be the downfall of the wild places they cherished.
Before we knew it, Adrian’s card glowed once again. With some hope, we thought this time we would be landing in Lance’s library. We were wrong.
We landed in the used book section of Les Petites Merveilles—Tom’s shop. I met him with a mix of irritation and relief. He’s been the only father I really knew, and though his ways have led me into danger, I would do anything for him. I love him as my own. Tom explained his involvement with the theft of the Well Gem and his coerced agreements with the Dark Hierophant. He also expressed the hardship that plagued him the most: the loss of his biological son. Now, he said, was his time to pass the torch. He needed the freedom to go explore and find his son once more. He handed me the keys, his pocket watch, and revealed the inner workings of his store—including a secret entrance to the Underdark. I was now the full owner of what I once called my home. Though I tried to stay stoic, I hugged my dad for the last time, holding on a little tighter than I expected. Phillip climbed up onto the table and gave Tom a hug as well, sensing the pain I was feeling.
Tom left with nothing but the jar I had retrieved from the Dread Plane. Philip said his farewell to Henry, Tom’s possum, and we were summoned by the card once again. Adrian was getting very quickly agitated that we had not yet landed in Lance’s library.
We passed through the portal gingerly, never knowing quite where we were landing. But with one look around, we recognized we had finally reached our goal. We were in The Library.
Lance Dowelloft appeared as an elderly man, lively and full of joy, welcoming us as his descendants. Fairly quickly, he launched into the history of the Sigils and the Titans, proposing a solution for the world as we know it. This solution would not make us heroes to all, but to some. It would provide protection and rights to those who didn’t want to industrialize, for those who wanted to uphold tradition. It would require us to gather Titan warriors to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves. He warned us that there are key figures strongly against our plan who see us as the enemy—specifically Ded Moroz at the North Pole.
To recruit Titans, we needed something deadly enough to kill a God. Lance told Adrian that this weapon could be forged in Hell, using resources only Hell could provide and the ingenuity Adrian and Korloth possessed. He told Adrian that the Dowelloft pride was a strength, essential for this task.
After some weeks of studying, Adrian’s card glowed once again. This time, we knew where it would take us. We were entering Hell.
We were blocked at the threshold of the Library of the Profane by Muse Cantor, the Queen of Hell. She explained she was rebranding Hell into a rehabilitation center and instructed us on how to destroy the Rat Queen’s Crown. She introduced us to a resident named Edwardo, a Pit Fiend of debauchery and lust who had not yet been rehabilitated. If we convinced him this crown was a "ring of power," his use of it would surely destroy it. Entering his vast chamber, we saw the kind of party he was into. This quickly enticed Akemi, and we didn’t see her for a few days. Our plan was successful, and the Crown was destroyed.
Meanwhile, Adrian and Korloth went to work. A couple of weeks later, the God-Slayer Gun had been successfully forged, and Akemi made her way back to our team. She looked a little battered and worn out—frankly, the debauchery seemed to exhaust her—though she still wore a cheesy grin for the next few days.
The card activated again, taking us to Rakkizibar’s realm—a bizarre library where gravity bent and books towered impossibly. Korloth’s impatience led him to knock over shelves, summoning a jester-like Librarian who tested us with absurd riddles like "Why is a raven like a writing desk?" Korloth declared the riddles nonsense, and for that, the Librarian named him the “wisest.” He gave us nine sets of keys. We cleverly identified the spare by spotting a duplicate ring, then boldly unlocked a five-keyhole lock by turning all keys at once, trusting confidence over logic.
Quickly, this new room erupted. Animated scorpion book monsters attacked, hurting us not just physically, but mentally. The scorpions were stealing memories, and therefore, our abilities. Lenti suffered the most; they forgot most of their own essence, their memories replaced with an unusual expertise in meteorology. They began shouting about "rampant lightning" and calling down storms from another world.
Korloth needed to get the Pick of Destiny to Rakkizibar to make him vulnerable. Meanwhile, we focused our attacks on the scorpions. The fight was arduous. We nearly lost Adrian when the god teleported and knocked him out, and Loarkon was instantly killed by an Implosion spell—squished to the size of a beach ball. Bao Bao revived Adrian, and Akemi used a pomegranate to bring Loarkon back.
With a final, desperate attempt, Adrian successfully shot his God-Killing Gun. It struck true. Rakkizibar failed his save, and both he and the Pick of Destiny were unmade, dissolving into ink.
With the realm destabilizing, we made our last leap through a portal and landed in a small library in Korloth’s home village. We immediately took the final artifact, the Crown of Snegurka, to the nearest active volcano and Akemi cast it in, destroying it and releasing its blessing.
We brought the news to the village Council. A thorough discussion ensued about our plan to represent those who wanted to hold onto tradition. In the meeting, the Merfolk representative, Tethys Deep-Caller, proposed resurrecting the Kraken as their champion. The next day, the Hutaakans arrived, asking Adrian to bring back Apophis.
Our sights are now set on the North Pole. We have to face Ded Moroz and breach Mysterra. This is the beginning of the end of our journey to gather Titans and pursue a new Hope.
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Letter to Master Kagemitsu at Tengai-no-mori Monastery by Caylen Redden
Dear Master,
As you know, I got my wish and was able to visit Tengai-no-mori following our return from the Demiplane of Dread. It did not, however, happen quite as expected. Although I already gave you the story in person, I will go ahead and recount it in writing, just in case I left out any details.
We had only a brief respite before the GOATs collectively received a psychic message informing us that Lenti had been returned to our plane and was waiting in the Mushroom Castle. We rushed there immediately, immensely grateful that Ezekial Dowelloft had been able to recover our Shruman companion, but what we found when we arrived was something else entirely. The Shruman Lenti, as you have witnessed, was replaced with the version we saw in the mirror in Daggerford – a strange human with a very large hat. She seems to have no memories of ever being a Shruman and fully believes she has always been a human. There appear to be additional ill-effects, but we had no time to discover the full extent of the problem, let alone begin seeking a solution, because Marahaba Asante soon came to us with a lead on the Dark Hierophant’s new location.
Asante also provided information about a secret entrance to the Clockwork Citadel, and we decided the best approach would be a two-pronged assault. The members of the Ebon Accord who had escaped the Dark Hierophant’s realm with us would provide a diversion by marching on the main entrance, while the GOATs would infiltrate the citadel via the secret path and attempt to take the Dark Hierophant by surprise. Unfortunately, our approach on the Goat Float was anticipated, and we found ourselves attacked by our old Hammership, now crewed with an army of clerics. The battle was ferocious, but Echo cleared a large swath of the enemy forces with a single spell, and Bao Bao kept us all in fighting form. We were able to defeat the clerics and take the Hammership, but not before it was too damaged to fly, so we had to settle for a controlled crash into the lake. Hopefully, we will be able to return and salvage any usable parts.
Although the spelljammer battle depleted much of our energy and resources, time was of the essence, so we headed directly into the citadel once we landed and regrouped. The secret passage was, unsurprisingly, a maze fraught with various hazards. First, we found a flooded chamber and had to carefully avoid the water, which was teeming with ravenous giant leeches. Next, we found a mechanical lock of some sort composed of four concentric rings marked with numbers. The rings had to be rotated such that all numbers in a line added up to 42. After that, we found a collection of loose gears that needed to be fit into their proper places to activate machinery which opened a large, heavy door. This led us to an old spiral staircase, descending into the bowels of the Clockwork Citadel.
When we finally reached the bottom, we were surprised to find a bright, ostentatious ballroom where The Dark Hierophant was waiting. He had set a trap, and we had walked directly into it. To be honest, such a scenario is not unusual for the Feinting GOATs, so our surprise was quickly replaced with battle readiness. There was, however, enough of a pause that the Dark Hierophant struck first, and he struck hard, targeting Bao Bao with an implosion spell that compressed her into a ball, killing her instantly. Fortunately, we were still carrying several magical pomegranates from the Garden of Zinn, and Bao Bao was quickly restored. Several other GOATs fell and were similarly revived. Qhari-f’tall (Carl) had the misfortune of going down twice, and there was some reluctance within the party to provide a second pomegranate, which I find concerning. Our umber hulk companions have always demonstrated bravery and commitment to our cause and deserve the same consideration as any other member of the Feinting GOATs. Had Qhari-f’tall not been there, the attackers he held off and damage he sustained would have been focused elsewhere, and perhaps that would have been enough for the Dark Hierophant’s clerics to turn the tide and overwhelm us, since we were certainly having difficulty keeping up as it was. In the end, the correct choice was made and Qhari-f’tall remains with us, but now I have new worries to weigh on my conscience. On one hand, I feel that it is my duty to protect the umber hulks, and that might be more easily achieved if they were gently encouraged toward safer locations and occupations, but on the other hand it is not my place to command them, and if they wish to continue traveling and fighting with us, who am I to deny them? Imagine, Master, if you had prevented me from seeking the life of an adventurer! I also wonder if similar qualms would have been expressed had it been Loarkon or Echo in that situation. But, I digress.
Although the combat was difficult and deadly, we eventually succeeded in dealing enough damage to the Dark Hierophant and taking out enough of his clerics to gain the upper hand. Abruptly, the Hierophant seemed to come to his senses. The good half of his personality finally reasserted itself over the evil side, and combat ceased. He then brought out the artifact he carried and completed the necessary ritual to destroy it. He appeared to destroy himself as well in the process, although I have some doubts. As soon as the artifact was destroyed, though, Adrian’s library card, given to him by Ezekiel Dowelloft, lit up, and a wooden door appeared. Sensing a time limit for the magical portal, Adrian rushed us all through.
We later found out that the library card transports its bearers to the library they most need to visit, and the first place it brought us was very familiar to me – the library at Tengai-no-mori. That is where we met you, gathered with Master Morningfall, Elder Ming-Hua, and Lord Nokizaru, awaiting us. I was very pleased to receive your letter and touched by your kind words. I will continue striving to be worthy of them. Sadly, our visit was once again very brief; in the morning, the library card glowed and transported us again, this time to Tom Paronskaft’s shop, and, strangely, with Master Morningfall in tow. Elyn had an emotional reunion with her father, who persisted in feigning infirmity but gave a sincere confession about his role in the Daggerford disaster. Then, leaving his shop and secrets to Elyn, he took the jar containing the broken well gem and set off on an adventure of his own, looking for his missing son. That done, the library card brought us to our next destination, the library of Lance Dowelloft, another of Adrian’s ancestors. Lance provided a detailed explanation of the cosmic conflict in which the Feinting GOATs have become involved and laid out a plan for the long-term preservation of Alluria, beginning with destroying the artifacts we carried.
After that, we paid another visit to Hell, although we were barred from the library there by the queen herself, Muse Cantor. Although we were not able to read and research as we had in Lance Dowelloft’s library, the Queen of Hell rendered aid in other ways. First, she introduced us to a Pit Fiend named Edwardo, who would assist in the ritual necessary to destroy the Crown of the Rat Queen. Akemi volunteered to supervise and was absent for several days. Meanwhile, Korloth and Adrian, using plans and information provided by Lance, set about forging a legendary weapon capable of slaying a god. I was obliged to give up the Weapon of Death, at which time the purpose of Master Morningfall’s presence became clear. In order to be destroyed, the artifact had to be sacrificed to a powerful destructive force (such as the roiling chaos at the border of Hell) by a creature driven to madness by the passage of time. It was a bit painful to lose such a fine weapon, but the Queen of Hell generously provided a replacement, a flaming adamantine katana called Sinderblood, The Devil’s Decree. I might otherwise be hesitant to wield such an infernal weapon, but Muse Cantor has proven trustworthy and is actively working to improve her domain, changing Hell’s focus from eternal damnation and torture toward rehabilitation and possible redemption.
Once our business in Hell was complete, the library card transported us once again, this time to the library of Rakkizibar, a godlike entity of chaos that we were charged to defeat. Before challenging the deity, however, we had to make our way through the library. At first it seemed deserted, just a silent, endless expanse of giant bookshelves twisting away at impossible angles that seemed to defy gravity. We reasoned, however, that every library needs a librarian, and a simple way to summon a librarian would be to make noise and create disorder. Korloth knocked over a few shelves, and sure enough, someone appeared. Rakkizibar’s librarian was a clown-like creature I disliked immediately, who spoke nothing but nonsense. Making that realization was the key to communicating with the creature; when called out for it, he presented nine sets of keys and told us to take the spare. Upon studying the keys, I found two sets that matched exactly, and we selected one of them. Then the librarian brought us to a locked door, where we attempted to logically match each keyhole with its proper key and turned all five at once. To make this as coordinated as possibly, I used all four of my hands, and Elyn provided the fifth. The door opened, and we immediately found ourselves in combat once again.
Before we could get to Rakkizibar, we had to face giant book-scorpion creatures whose stings came with a mind-effecting poison. While most of us held off the book-scorpions, Lenti summoned lighting which cleared a swath and provided Korloth with an opening to approach Rakkizibar. Korloth successfully handed Rakkizibar the Pick of Destiny, and the opposing forces of chaos and order successfully destroyed the artifact. Rakkizibar, enraged, teleported away, appearing near Adrian and knocking him out with a single blow. Then, he crushed Loarkon into a ball, just as the Dark Hierophant had done with Bao Bao. Thankfully, Akemi still had a magical pomegranate and was able to bring Loarkon back, and Bao Bao attended to Adrian. Once Adrian was back on his feet, he was able to use his new weapon, the God-Slayer. It took a few shots, but Adrian’s aim was true, and Rakkizibar was destroyed.
We are now in Korloth’s home in the Maukoro Archipelago, where the library card brought us to dispose of the final artifact, the Crown of Snegurka, which Akemi tossed into the nearest volcano. Now we have some time to rest and resupply before beginning the next phase of the plan. Wish us luck!
Yours,
Cut-Cut