Still inside Count Blackrose’s realm, the party entered the next chamber and found a spectrum of colored roses, a jeweled pillar, and a faceless blonde woman atop the pillar, her face in her hands. Combat with the faceless woman began immediately. The party had to dispel a magical rose shield that would guard the woman by either using the same color rose, the opposite color, or a color in-between on the spectrum. When the woman was defeated, and all her rose shields destroyed, she dissipated into the wind, opening another door ahead.
Inside the next chamber, the party entered a shadowy arena of sorts. On the far side stood 5 Blackrose followers: 1 knight, 2 mages, and 2 archers. They all wore the fine dark armor, purple flower brooches, and purple plumes. In front of them stood a panicked Siren. She wielded a bow, had near-white blonde hair, and two mystical wounds at her temple and back, respectively. The wounds seemed to drip an iridescent and purple fluid. The siren highlight in her hair was multi-colored, but violet shined the brightest. Her eyes were also a lively violet. The party decided to assist the siren, and together they dispatched the five followers, their bodies dissolving into dust in the wind. As they shared introductions, Ed found that his amulet from Borum seemed to glow in the new siren, Ves’s, presence. He revealed the pendant as she shared her history of being the daughter of a woman caught up in some secret society. She recounted details of figures with tall dark hoods and iron masks, one of which wore a red pendant with an etching in the jewel. She also told of how she drank some concoction once she was old enough to join that gave her visions of an empty, peaceful land, but then of death, fires, and screaming people. She fled from the society, making her way to Luxen to find out more about this cult, her wounds (which she stated were caused from cutting out the starting of a horn and tail), and any possible way to cure herself from the concoction she drank. At the revelation of the same pendant she saw the hooded figure wearing, Karth also showed the cloak he wore with a similar letter, a struck-through “S”. As these pieces came together, Gale revealed that these all tied to Scarlet, and that she had known this whole time, but not that there was such interweaving with it. With Scarlet being a bit overshadowed by The Third Doom, the most detailed knowledge of the splinter group was word-of-mouth. The party agreed to settle this once they were free of Blackrose’s realm.
In the final room of Blackrose’s cursed realm, the party found themselves in a jousting arena, complete with stands and a viewing box. On the far side, the party saw Blackrose with his billowing purple cape, dark steel gauntlets, and tied back black hair. On his back, he wore his sword and shield, and he cradled a plumed helmet in his arm. In front of him was the magical purple rose encased in glass. After a brief discussion where Blackrose revealed little of why his realm was the way it was and told the party there was no way out if they wished to try to stop him, combat began. As Blackrose drew his weapons and donned his helmet, a white specter of the faceless woman appeared behind him and leaned on his shoulder. She waved her hands, creating several more beds of multi-colored roses.
The party dueled Blackrose to the best of their abilities, having to similarly destroy a magical shield the woman over his shoulder occasionally granted him with a similar strategy as before. As each shield was destroyed, large black roses withered on the shadowy wall ahead of them. Karth and Gale attempted to appeal to his dwindling humanity, using what they had learned in his realm, but alas, he appeared to be too far gone. With his last shield destroyed, the spectral woman abandoned him to his fate, gracing him with one last touch. He reached out for her but could not grasp her hand. Blackrose tried to flee but was brought to his knees by the siren Amy. With his final words being that of the inevitability of the Doom despite his demise, Amy dispatched him with her deadly fan. As blood splattered across the dirt, purple light yet again flooded the vision of the party…