The party continued to wade through the dreams into which they were thrown, nearly all being some sort of utopia save for Maron’s. Once they had all successfully broken the loops of their various experiences, some shared what they saw. Amy was queen and had to shatter her crown, while Maron saw death and a destroyed throne room, seemingly not fitting the theme the others had experienced.
They found themselves regrouped on a rocky platform overlooking a cloudy darkness below. Ahead of them was a stone bridge leading to the palace tower of Pravus, still dripping with its corrupt magic. Next to them, they spied a vanquished knight, collapsed over a small boulder. His armor was pristine and nearly perfectly crafted. In the boulder was a shining, perfect blade that could not be pulled from its resting place. Ahead of them stood a woman with black hair and dark horns. Her eyes glowed a fierce blue, and blue magic surrounded her and the book she held in her palm.
She scolded the party for not wanting their happy, storybook endings. They replied that they were not real. She grew irritated and said that if the party did not wish for a proper resolution, she would call forth the villain. With that, a tower of blue flame surrounded her. When the flames died down, an enormous black dragon with blue scales, horns, and eyes materialized on the stone bridge. Similar azure flames burst from its mouth. The Rectifiers drew their respective weapons and faced the winged beast.
They battled up the bridge, knocking over stone pillars that fell on the dragon. As a final stand, the dragon coiled itself around the tower, still breathing flames onto the party. With one last blow from Maron, the dragon fell over, subdued. The perfect, almost shining blade came forth from the boulder to fly right into Maron’s strong hand. With blade in hand, Maron drove it into the beast, slaying it.
As the dragon decoiled from the tower and dissipated into dust, the party stormed the tower to its top floor. Inside, they found a blue pulsating orb in the center, countless membranes connecting it to the room’s ceiling, floor, and walls. On the bed, they found the dark-haired woman with the horns, fast asleep with her hands crossed over her chest. On the same table was the glowing storybook the party found in the real world. Inside read a short sentence, “Destroy the tower, or save the damsel.” The orb and the woman’s lips both gave off the same hazy purple lights that objects in the party’s dreams had.
Ed quickly drew his blade and wished to dispatch the sleeping woman immediately, but the party began to discuss that their real options were to destroy the pulsing orb or rescue the woman. While the party argued back and forth, Azalea took the initiative and laid a kiss upon the sleeping woman. With that, the woman awoke, the orb dissipated, and the party was freed from the realm of Doom.
Back in the real version of the tower, the magical corruption was no longer present. Selina waited by the window, awake and well. The newly met woman no longer had horns and her dark hair now held green highlighting at the ends. Her eyes were a matching green, along with the pendant on her neck. Similar to Skywalker, she held no memory of the life she led before being corrupted into the dark storyteller Resolutia. Giving a glance to the still glowing storybook of the swordswoman, she said she thinks she would like to see the mountains.
While investigating the book, assumed to be an Anchor, Maron began feeling drawn to it. He wrestled it away from Ed and began conversing with the magic. Karth attempted to attack the book, but was blasted back into temporary unconsciousness. In the dark, Karth said he saw a feminine hand reach out to hand, but he waved it away. When he came to, the party saw Maron vanish; the book falling to the ground with a thud. Shortly after, Vint and Londo rushed into the tower room, quickly getting their bearings on what had occurred. Though Ed wanted to refuse Karth investigating the book to try to pull Maron from it, Vint said he would prevent any sort of corruption. Karth opened the book but was immediately being corrupted by it. Before the purple magic could flow into him, Vint flicked his staff into his head, rendering Karth unconscious, planting his heavy foot upon the tome.
Still frantically trying to figure out what to do to save their friend, the Rectifiers went to Selina for answers. She claimed she did not believe Maron was even inside or corrupted by the book. She also explained that while these Anchors can have personal ties to the person they are trying to corrupt, they are simply made when a strong source of Doom flows into an object. Being personal to their subject is just a coincidence. Not long after this conversation concluded, Maron reappeared.
Barraged by questions, Maron said he had very little memory of where he went or what he saw. He said only remembered seeing seven braziers; two were extinguished while five were still lit. The party began to theorize, but Londo ushered them from the tower to deal with the business ahead.
When they reached the courtyard, they found the city beginning to return to normal; the sun shining again. Luxen troops were already beginning to assist the city. Vint pulled forth a prisoner he had apprehended on his way over to The Frozen Lagoon. The party met Duma Van, a Minotaur who had stowed away on one of the Luxen ships. Though he was vague on why he left Minos, he seemed to long for a way to help, so the Rectifiers agreed to take him on as a ward. Before returning below Pravus to the awaiting fleet of ships, the Rectifiers said their goodbyes to the once Resolutia, offering their tower to her whenever she desired. The party also assisted Ed in finishing a contract he had picked up from The Cracked Talon Company.
With Selina onboard a separate ship to return to Luxen, the party entered Londo’s captain’s quarters to discuss some matters in private. The party fully recounted what they had learned from Morrithana in the Magerony, all the way from her being the sister of Korrin to being offered information on Anchors, though at a great cost. Vint offered that it is an option they should consider, despite the cost. Vint also showed the party the tattoo granting him his abilities: a tiny dot on his right side. When questioned, he said he stole the tattoo but offered no other information. Londo seemed especially interested in the stories the party had to tell, and Gale could tell he was lying when he claimed he did not know anything about one of the Magerony’s stories.
As the Rectifiers, their wards, and their leader began to process the information they now had, they heard shouts and clamor outside on the ship. Once they exited, they spied a heavy storm of darkness off in the distance, beyond the mountain range of The Forgotten Lands. Using a blood-spell to glance further through a shard of glass, Vint warned of intense evil in the storm of darkness that was raining drops of void. He warned that he saw shadows and monsters lurking around the shadows and alleys.
Worrying they would lose even more Matarans, Londo offered to handle the refugees in Velum and Viriden with Vint while they settled the darkness beyond. The party agreed, and Londo called their stealth ship forward.
A great evil now looms in front of The Rectifiers, with potentially two councilors backing it. The Rectifiers were wary of the coming voyage, but Londo offered them pleasant parting words he said his mother told him every night before he went to bed. “When next the moon rises, we will see each other again”…