Episode 22 - Welcome back to Rybalka

Where we last left off, the party was victorious at the battle of Galekin Estates.  As the battle concluded, a deep, horn blast and an ululating war cry of “WAAAGH!” echoed across the valley.  Colonel Amberaxe arrived from the east with Rybalka reinforcements riding the truffle-sniffing, war-pig “Daisy”.

With the drow war party defeated, the party escorted the surviving villagers back to Rybalka.  A bittersweet reception awaited them. Cheers rang out, celebrating their heroism and the return of loved ones, but joy was tempered by a heavy sorrow, as many faces were missing from the ranks.

As they were greeted, the high-priest, Juriendor, arrived asking about the Moonshard crystal. Unfortunately, the gemstone remained lost in the Drow hands.

Juriendor, however, met the news with resolve. “Your return is a beacon of hope. This is not the end, but perhaps the end of the beginning. The quest to find the Moonshard and restore the sun, Scomatch, to its former glory has only just begun.”

As the village slowly began to heal, the party took advantage of the respite to replenish their supplies. Among the available goods, two magical shields. And what must have been a very difficult decision, to acquire the shields, they reluctantly parted ways with Waythe, the sentient two-handed greatsword. Its sole purpose, ingrained in its very being, was to cleave through the ranks of evil giants. Now, stripped of its purpose, the greatsword was relegated to a dusty back room of a dwarven smithy, a forgotten legendary item destined to likely never fulfill its destiny. 

((Pause for Reflection))

That night, settling into the comfort of the Rybalka lodge, each member of the party found their sleep disturbed. They were awakened by an eerie echo of an azure portal that had previously been seen in the Rybalka cathedral.  It beckoned each toward an unknown destination and possible dangers yet to come.

The party’s Rock-and-roll destiny, it seemed, was far from over.