Part 1: Briefing
Participants: Tinwetar (DM), Melaniel, Kathene, Ialluen, Maracyn, Astralarius, Telariel, Telrenya, Aroki
Mission report 1 – Nightblade Camp, Hyjal Summit
Date: 20th of Xallvar, 2020
Summary:
Warriors of the Night; assemble!
The call has been sounded! The Nightblade Sentinels are ordered to travel to Mount Hyjal and join with High Command and the Army of the Black Moon under the boughs of Nordrassil. Further orders will be given upon arrival at the summit. We expect you to leave for Hyjal at once. May the Night Warrior give you speed.
Tor ilisar’thera’nal!
Grand Priestess Stormglaive
Having received the summons, the Nightblades made themselves ready and after a short briefing they set off to Mount Hyjal. In order to arrive in a timely manner, a mage from the Tower of Estulan had been employed to ferry them safely across Kalimdor by portal.
Upon arrival they were met with their new High Command contact; Grand Priestess Stormglaive. The Grand Priestess seemed thoroughly unimpressed by the Nightblades and made her displeasure at their arrival and, to her mind, disorganised behavior clear. She told the Nightblades that in order for them to qualify for the dangerous assignments that lay ahead of them they would need to spend a week at Hyjal in training. No slacking off and no excuses would be acceptable. Once her welcoming speech was done, she directed the Sentinels to set up their camp at the outskirts of the larger Black Moon encampment. Relieved to be out of Grand Priestess Stormglaive’s glaring presence, the Nightblades did as they were bid and headed off to settle into their new home.
Part 2: All Your Bases Belong to Us!
Participants: Tinwetar (DM), Melaniel, Kathene, Aariam, Ialluen, Maracyn, Astralarius, Telariel, Telrenya, Aroki, Telderan, Lantara
Mission report 2 – Nightblade Camp, Hyjal Summit
Date: 21st of Xallvar, 2020
Summary: Huntress Nightborne and Grand Priestess Stormglaive conducted a training session for the Nightblades. The Sentinels were divided into two groups and armed with training weapons coated in brightly luminescent, glow-in-the-dark paint. The point of the session was that one group would play defenders and the other attackers. The attackers’ objective was to take over a base from the defenders, eliminate the resistance and plant their own flag in the middle. The defenders needed to ward off the assault and keep their hold of the base. During the bout no one was allowed to use magic in any shape or form, only melee or ranged weapons were allowed to be used.
The bout was conducted in two rounds so that each group could play defenders and attackers once, respectively. During the match itself the Grand Priestess soared above the playing field on her hippogryph, tossing down paint-bombs onto the combatants at unpredictable intervals and to make things a bit more interesting. At the end each group had won once and were deemed sufficient in attacking, but abyssmal at defending. Afterwards they were tasked with cleaning up the mess the paint had made of both the playing field and their armour. All in all, the Grand Priestess seemed a bit more impressed by the Nightblades, so perhaps they would receive a proper mission soon…
Part 3: Training and Lessons
Participants: Tinwetar, Melaniel, Kathene, Aariam, Ialluen, Maracyn, Astralarius, Telariel, Telrenya, Aroki, Telderan, Alylia
Mission report 3 – Nightblade Camp, Hyjal Summit
Date: 23rd of Xallvar, 2018
Summary: The Grand Priestess decreed that the Nightblades needed more training and thus Huntress Nightborne was tasked with providing said training for the Sentinels. She arranged sparring matches in unarmed combat between the non-Priestesses and it went fairly well. It even saw Auxiliaries Windsweeper and Swiftlance ripping off their shirts and tabards and really started to go at it.
Meanwhile, the Priestesses engaged in less physical activities. They took the opportunity to host a seminar amongst themselves where they discussed the merits of teaching and mentoring each other. They also discussed what the role of a Priestess is within society and what a person can expect from them. To conclude, the Acolytes and Novices were given the task to come up with a scenario in which a Priestess could NOT be expected to intervene, or even SHOULD intervene.
Part 4: The Spirit of the Wild
Participants: Tinwetar, Melaniel, Kathene, Aariam, Ialluen, Maracyn, Astralarius, Telariel, Telrenya, Aroki, Telderan, Alylia
Mission report 4 – Grove of Aessina, Mount Hyjal
Date: 25th of Xallvar, 2020
Summary: New marching orders had been given and Commander Ravenmist led the Nightblades away from Hyjal Summit and further down the mountain. The Commander was unusually close-lipped about the nature of the mission they had been given and barely revealed any details at all as the Sentinels rode through the night. Once they reached the Grove of Aessina, however, the Commander called for a halt. The Nightblades would camp there overnight and continue on the next day. While they were in the grove, however, they would pay their respects to the Spirit of the Wild via a ritual that everyone could be a part of. Priestess Ravenmist asked the participants to venture out into the forest surrounding the grove and return with one thing that symbolised death and decay and another that symbolised life and growth. The reason for this being that Aessina, the Mother Wisp, is much like Elune in the way that she has a duality to her nature. She is the guardian of all the wild places, the creator of life. But she is also nature’s vengeance and all things in nature must die and decay in order for new life to grow.
The Nightblades buried their offerings in a circle around the moonwell. On top of the small offering mounds, they planted seeds and offered up their prayers of respect and allegiance to the Mother Wisp. In return she blessed all those in attendance, and from the offering mounds small saplings began to grow; nourished by the Goddess’ light and the Nightblades’ gifts to Aessina.
Part 5: Why is it Always Spiders?
Participants: Tinwetar (DM), Melaniel, Kathene, Aariam, Ialluen, Telariel, Telrenya, Telderan
Mission report 5 – Nightblade Camp, Moonglade
Date: 28th of Xallvar, 2020
Summary: Having reached Moonglade the night before, the Nightblades were approached by the druids of Nighthaven. A few days prior a spider colony had moved into the Stormrage Barrow Dens. They did not disturb the druids sleeping or working down there, but seemed quite fine to settle alongside them. A group of researchers had been sent to investigate and study this new spider colony, to see if they could find out more about them and their reasons for having moved into the dens in the first place. The researchers sent regular reports at first, but eventually they stopped and the Nighthaven druids worried that something had happened to them. Being busy with the Lunar Festival, the druids couldn’t send any of their own to investigate and instead asked the Nightblades if they could look into it. The Nightblades agreed and off they went.
Upon arrival at the dens they noticed that the entrance to one of the lower dens, as well as the path leading towards the upper, was completely covered in thick, sticky spider webs. The spiders in question must have worked remarkably fast to cover such a large area that quickly. The group found the entrance to the lower den completely blocked and had to cut their way through, which took quite a while as the webs proved decidedly uncooperative.
Inside they found that the floor, ceiling and walls were covered in the same sticky webs, but no sign of the researchers at all. They ventured deeper and deeper, their unease growing with every step. Once they had almost reached the main hall, they were ambushed by two very large spiders. The spiders were extremely aggressive and went to attack the Nightblades. After a short battle, the group managed to kill them, only to discover that they were made from bone. Confounded by this and wary, the Nightblades headed deeper into the tunnels.
There, they found a circle of runes on the floor, almost completely hidden beneath the spiderwebs. The runes disappeared when touched and left behind a feeling of death and decay. Inside one of the smaller chambers they stumbled upon a corpse, dressed in druidic robes. The corpse was revealed to be male and had once upon a time been human, but that was a very long time ago. He had been killed by something with very sharp claws. They also found a druidic staff buried underneath the webs.
Even further in they also encountered a severely wounded and frightened worgen woman. She was close to dying and the Nightblades were forced to prioritize her over investigating the cave further. They stabilized her condition and hurried her out of the dens to their camp for further healing.
Part 6: Infuriating Infestation
Report missing…
Part 7: In the Shadows
Participants: Tinwetar (DM), Melaniel, Kathene, Aariam, Ialluen, Maracyn, Astralarius, Telariel, Aroki, Málae
Mission report 7 – Nightblade Camp, Moonglade
Date: 1st of Astrahe, 2020
Summary: Evidence found earlier in the week suggested that the agent behind the attempts to sabotage the Lunar Festival would be in attendance that night. There was only one problem…the Nightblades had seen no signs of Forsaken and they had no idea what the agent would even look like. The only thing they knew was that the agent was called “The Shadow” and he or she seemed to have a special fondness for using spiders to cause mayhem.
Disrupting the festivities in their efforts to catch the Sylvanas loyalist did not seem like a prudent plan either, since the only thing it would do would be to draw attention to themselves and potentially allow the agent to escape. Instead, the Nightblades decided to go undercover at the festival; attend it as regular visitors and keep their eyes and ears open for anything out of the ordinary.
The task seemed daunting at first, since the festival was in full swing and there were lots of people in attendance. The Nightblades split into smaller groups and wove their way through the revellers, talking to some of the visitors and asking gently probing questions about any strangeness they may have encountered. It was only when their friend Fizzleplug Frostspanner revealed that he’d been given a red rose that had a strange aura of unease connected to it that the Nightblades got their first real clue.
Later the same evening, Priestess Moonglow was given a rose as well and accidentally pricked her finger on one of its thorns. After some time she began to feel quite ill and it was swiftly concluded that the rose was poisonous. Moonglow had received the rose from a kaldorei woman with shoulder length dark hair, sallow skin and who was followed around by a bone spider. While Moonseeker tended to Moonglow, the rest of the Nightblades began their search in earnest for the strange kaldorei woman. Eventually she approached Astralarius and Maracyn and Astralarius proceeded to sneeze hard enough that he toppled over her basket of roses…and all of the roses immediately wilted. Angered, the woman left the festival under the pretext of fetching a new basket with fresh flowers and some of the Nightblades followed.
They confronted her on the border between Timbermaw Hold and Felwood, thinking they had the upper hand and could easily catch her. How wrong they were. The woman dropped the arcane disguise that had been woven around her, to make her seem an ordinary death knight, and it was revealed that she was a kaldorei Dark Ranger. The Nightblades engaged her in battle, but due to them being mostly unarmed and unarmoured she easily held them at bay. In the end she escaped on the back of a giant bone dragon, heading in the direction of Ashenvale.
Part 8: On the Trail
Participants: Tinwetar (DM), Melaniel, Kathene, Maracyn, Astralarius, Telariel, Aroki, Telrenya
Mission report 8 – Whisperwind Grove, Felwood
Date: 3rd of Astrahe, 2020
Summary: The Dark Ranger never returned to the festival and as the festivities drew to a close the Nightblades decided to leave Moonglade in an effort to try and pick up the trail of their foe. They feared, however, that the trail might have grown cold since a few days had passed since they chased her off.
The first half of their journey was uneventful, but then some of the Nightblades caught the scent of roses in the air. As they came closer to Whisperwind Grove, the scent of roses and decay grew stronger and stronger. Having experienced some of what the Dark Ranger’s roses could do, the Nightblades were suspicious and headed straight towards Whisperwind Grove to see if something was amiss.
Upon arrival everything seemed just fine, but the intoxicating and cloyingly sweet scent of the roses parfumed the air very strongly and so the Nightblades went in search for the source. They found two patches of dead ground behind some of the buildings, and the dead areas seemed to be spreading like a plague, draining the life out of the surrounding areas. There were no roses growing there, however. Eventually Telrenya picked up on the anguish and fear from the land itself and the Nightblades found another, much larger, patch of dead ground behind one of the grove’s massive trees. It was covered in thorns and they seemed to be growing up towards the tree, as if they were attempting to strangle it. As Captain Wildstar tried to cut through the thorns, she also managed to cut through the magical ward placed on the ground and as the magic was torn away, a small field of rosebushes was revealed. The roses were much larger than the ones they had seen at the festival, their petals having a waxy gloss to them and the scent was strong enough to overwhelm anything else.
The Nightblades began the process of cleansing the area, but the roses would not give up without a fight. They tried to entangle the Sentinels, cut them with their thorns and the ward had set off an alarm that sounded like a screaming banshee that stunned anyone who heard it. After a drawn out fight against the rosebushes, the Nightblades were successful and managed to burn any remnants of corruption from the land.
Meanwhile, Astralarius had been talking to one of the grove’s Ancients (Twigbeard) and had managed to figure out that the Ancient himself had been corrupted and was in need of cleansing. The grove’s druids were called to aid in this task, much to the dismay of the Ancient himself.
Part 9: A Path of Roses
Participants: Tinwetar (DM), Melaniel, Kathene, Aariam, Ialluen, Maracyn, Astralarius, Telariel, Aroki, Telrenya, Telderan, Málae
Mission report 9 – Astranaar, Ashenvale
Date: 4th of Astrahe, 2020
Summary: Having found the roses the day before, the Nightblades knew they were on the right track and set out from Whisperwind Grove to continue their hunt. Felwood is not a pleasant place on the best of days, but this night it was particularly miserable. It was storming quite heavily and the Sentinels were soaked to the bone within seconds. The roads were flooded in places and the sabers had mud up to their bellies. It was hard going and the Nightblades quickly lost any hope of ever finding a trail in this weather.
The closer they got to Ashenvale, the worse the storm seemed to become. The sabers were nervous and easily spooked and at one point Huntress Nightborne was even dumped into the mud. It was then that the Nightblades realized that they had been trapped. They could not move. The mud rooted them and their sabers in place and climbed higher and higher to grip them more tightly. Unnerved and uneasy, the Sentinels readied themselves for an ambush, but nothing happened. They were just stuck…until they heard the chanting. Voices, chanting in an unknown tongue, was carried on the wind and as the storm increased in volume, so too did the chanting. The voices brought with them whispers as well, targeting some of the Nightblades and playing on their fears and doubts. As the storm and the chanting reached its peak, the group suddenly felt something being ripped from them. The Priestesses and druids felt it most keenly, as it was their connection to the Goddess that had suddenly been cut off. They could no longer access the Goddess’ powers or feel her touch upon them. Stunned and despairing, the Nightblades struggled harder against the mud and found out that if they used corrosive agents or sunfire on it, they could burn through whatever magic was holding them in place.
Just as they had gotten free, a group of Forsaken assassins appeared from within the forest. A short, but brutal, fight broke out, but the Nightblades emerged victorious. But they didn’t dwell on their victory for long. Filled with dread and despair the Nightblades resumed their journey towards Astranaar, hoping that a day of rest and comfort would help make things clearer in the nights ahead.
Part 10: Aiding Silverwing Outpost
Participants: Tinwetar, Kathene, Aariam, Ialluen, Maracyn, Astralarius, Telariel, Aroki, Telrenya, Telderan, Málae
Mission report 10 – Astranaar, Ashenvale
Date: 6th of Astrahe, 2020
Summary: A call for aid had gone out to the Nightblades. The Silverwing Sentinels had asked the Nightblades to come and help them in fortifying their outpost closest to the Barrens. As the High Priestess had refused to sign the armistice, border skirmishes between the Horde and the kaldorei were expected to escalate over the coming weeks, and thus the Sentinels wished to be prepared.
The Nightblade Priestesses, however, were still reeling from having been robbed of their powers and thus it was decided that they would remain behind for this mission. While the Sentinels went off to help the Silverwings, the Priestesses engaged in a lesson touching upon what they were going through right now and the value of conversation with others. They also talked about how a Priestess’ value lies not only in her connection to the Goddess, that she has other skills and functions that are equally important and that they should never forget that. At the end of the lesson they were given a task to complete until the next time. The Novices should speak to someone that they knew and the Acolytes should speak to a stranger. They were to listen and try to guide the person seeking their help, if possible. Priestesses Ravenmist and Moonglow felt it was important for the Nightblade Priestesses to not lose sight of their calling and the importance of their work, even if their connection to the Goddess was no longer there.
Second half of the report is missing.
Part 11: Blood Red Roses
Participants: Tinwetar (DM), Melaniel, Kathene, Aariam, Ialluen, Maracyn, Astralarius, Telariel, Alylia, Aroki, Telrenya, Telderan, Málae
Mission report 11 – Astranaar, Ashenvale
Date: 8th of Astrahe, 2020
Summary: A calm night in Ashenvale. At least, that it what it seemed like at first. The Nightblades were having a rare night of peace for once…or so they thought. Then Acolytes Lunarglade and Moonseeker began to hear something calling them from outside the village. The call seemed benevolent in nature and it felt as if the Goddess herself was trying to reconnect with them. The rest of the Nightblades remained disbelieving and suspicious, but reluctantly followed their two Acolytes.
The call drew the Sentinels in the direction of the Ruins of Stardust, but before they could get there arguments within the group stopped them cold. The Acolytes were made to return to the town, all while the mysterious voice continued to call on them. Then Captain Wildstar began to hear a call too; a voice that sounded suspiciously like her mother, pleading with Kathene to help her and to save her. Captain Wildstar and Huntress Nightborne broke from the main group and snuck off to the Ruins of Stardust. While there, Captain Wildstar searched frantically for her mother’s spirit, whilst Huntress Nightborne was slowly, slowly, made to fall under a malicious mind control spell that saw her trapped in a familiar looking field of rosebushes. She got herself entangled and could not move without risking being pricked and torn up by the vicious thorns.
It was at this moment that their foe, the elusive Dark Ranger, revealed herself. She revelled in Kathene’s misery and anger and taunted both of them. If Kathene made a single move towards the Dark Ranger, Aariam would die. Soon many of the rest of the Nightblades arrived as well, having followed the Captain and the Huntress. They tried to attack the Dark Ranger and managed to destroy some of her undead minions, but they couldn’t do anything else with fear of harming Aariam. The Dark Ranger gloated in her victory and seemed to feed on the Nightblades’ despair and hatred towards her. It was very clear that her attacks on them were personal, but for what reason was not as clear.
Back in town, Lunarglade and Moonseeker were continously being tortured by the whispers from the Goddess. She tried to plead with them to help her, to come to her aid. She played on their fears, on their worries, and masked the malicious intent beneath it very well. She almost had the pair completely in her grasp when the spell was suddenly broken, leaving the two Acolytes empty and alone.
In the end the Dark Ranger tried to escape the same way as last time, on the back of her bone dragon. But as she was about t fly off, Aroki Windsweeper launched himself at her and the dragon and almost managed to knock the Dark Ranger from her saddle. She held on though, and as the dragon rose higher, Aroki was brought with them.
Part 12: The Message
Participants: Ialluen (DM), Kathene, Maracyn, Astra, Telderan, Aariam, Telrenya, Telariel
Mission report 12 – Astranaar, Ashenvale
Date: 11th of Astrahe, 2020
Summary: With Windsweeper missing, the Nightblade felt compelled to head back to the place where he was last seen – the ruins of Stardust. After persistent searching for any traces of Aroki after his abduction, Telderan’s keen eyes spotted tracks of a dragon. Tracks that lead into ruins further to the west.
The further the Nightblades went, the more obvious the tracks became, shifting from simple prints to roses scattered further into the ruins. Their searching led them to a small grove, nicely framed by beautiful rose bushes – and in the far end of the grove, an altar with someone resting on it. As the sentinels approached the altar, the previously peaceful rose bushes revealed their true nature as camouflaged bone spiders, none of which hesitated to attack the intruders.
Battle was swift and with some sentinels being more than their ordinary levels of ruthless, the spiders were soon dealt with. As peace was restored in the grove, little remained but to take a closer look at the altar. On top, a deceased kaldorei man rested, severely corrupted and burned. And aside it – Aroki’s staff.
The Nightblades were lucky – a mere, yet cruel warning, as they read a letter left by the dark ranger. For now, it seems like Aroki Windsweeper still is alive…
Part 13: The Temple of Lathar'lazal
Participants: Tinwetar (DM), Kathene, Ialluen, Maracyn, Astralarius, Telariel, Telrenya, Alylia, Tharhan
Mission report 13 – Astranaar, Ashenvale
Date: 12th of Astrahe, 2020
Summary: As the Dark Ranger continued to taunt and torment the Nightblades, the Sentinels got increasingly frustrated. It seemed that their foe was always one step ahead of them at every turn and being empowered by the void made her even more dangerous. The Nightblades could not continue to be cut off from one of their biggest sources of power and they needed to find a way to break whatever curse had been placed upon them. Priestess Oathkeeper had suggested that Moonwell water is known for its purifying properties and thus it might be able to wash away the corruption somehow. While the idea was good, Commander Ravenmist feared it might not be quite enough. Luckily for the Nightblades, however, there was a source of extremely potent moonwell water nearby.
The Temple of Lathar’lazal, or Blackfathom Deeps as it is known today, was built by Queen Azshara a long, long time ago. The Temple was said to be the most beautiful of all Temples dedicated to the Goddess and it paid special homage to the Goddess’ power over the tides and the creatures who inhabited the sea. The legend states that once the Temple stood ready, the Goddess had been so moved by the splendour and beauty of the place that she had wept with joy. The tears had rained down into the various moonwells and ponds within the Temple and thus those waters had become incredibly potent with the Goddess’ power. If any moonwell water could wash away the curse the Nightblades carried, it would be the waters from Lathar’lazal. Some of the Nightblades were extremely sceptical about this, but since they didn’t have any other, or better, option they went along with the plan.
The Temple was destroyed in the sundering and had since then played host to various factions and creatures, something which had left its mark. As they made their way down the winding corridors and underground tunnels, it was hard for the Nightblades to imagine that this had once been considered the most beautiful Temple dedicated to the Goddess. Despite its unsavoury reputation over the years, the Nightblades faced little resistance as they wandered the halls in search of the fabelled moonwell water. Their first real obstacle came in the form of a large and very deep pond. Its waters were almost a completely opaque black and it was impossible to see the bottom. The Nightblades felt very uneasy about swimming across, so instead Telrenya and Tharhan coaxed the vines and roots growing along the walls to form a bridge. It was hard work and the roots were surprisingly uncooperative. The bridge did not hold together very well and the Nightblades had to be very careful when crossing. All of the Nightblades made it safely across, but when time came for Tharhan to cross the roots had had enough and the bridge dissolved beneath him. He plunged into the icy water and was quickly dragged under.
On the shore, the Nightblades scrambled to come up with a plan to get Tharhan safely onto land and eventually settled for having Acolyte Lunarglade dive in with a rope. As she did, however, she was quickly dragged under as well and both her and Tharhan felt a sinister presence in their minds that tried to convince them to let go, to stop struggling and just sink into oblivion. Tharhan managed to get free and swam to shore, while the rest of the Nightblades pulled Maracyn onto dry land before she drowned. Shaken and unnerved, the Nightblades then continued deeper into the Temple.
After stumbling along several dark corridors, they entered into a giant stairwell. In the middle of it was an enormous statue holding two big, shallow dishes; one in each hand. The waters in the dishes sparkled and shone like the light of the moon and the power radiating from the waters was almost overwhelming in its potency. While the some of the Nightblades debated around how to get to the waters, Astralarius took flight and sailed over to the lower dish. There he managed to fill up an enire waterskin’s worth of the potent waters. It was at that point, however, that their enemy decided to strike. Large bone spiders carrying hooded and cloaked riders made their way down from the ceiling and went to attack on the Sentinels. The riders were chanting in the same strange language that the Nightblades had heard on the road to Astranaar, but in order for them to get to the riders themselves they had to cut their way through the spiders first. Battle ensued and some of the Nightblades were pretty badly wounded. In the end they didn’t manage to get to the chanters in time and for a second time they all experienced having something ripped from them. This time it was their ability to Shadowmeld, as well as the function of their moonstones. Once the ritual was complete, the few riders that remained vanished and the Nightblades were left to make their way back to the surface. At least they had managed to get the waters, but what they could do with them remains to be seen…
Part 14: Recovering the Lost
Participants: Tinwetar (DM), Melaniel, Kathene, Aariam, Ialluen, Maracyn, Astralarius, Telariel, Telrenya, Aroki, Málae
Mission report 14 – Karnum’s Glade, Desolace
Date: 13th of Astrahe, 2020
Summary: Having recovered at least one reagent for a potential ritual to remove their curse, it was time for the Nightblades to deal with an even more pressing concern; retrieve Aroki Windsweeper. They had managed to retrieve his staff and Acolyte Moonseeker had invited one of her contacts that had promised that she could scry the staff to reveal Aroki’s location. It turned out that the staff was not needed, as the mage could use Aroki’s life mate, Commander Ravenmist, as a conduit for her spell instead. The Nightblades watched in tense silence as the mage performed her ritual and in her scrying orb they all saw a vision of how Aroki was being tortured again and again by the Dark Ranger. The ritual also burned a spot on the map, revealing Aroki’s location; Mannoroc Coven in Desolace.
Some of the Nightblades were worried that this was a trap, that it had been entirely too easy to find out Aroki’s location. That it seemed as if their enemy -wanted- them to find him. But Commander Ravenmist didn’t want to listen. She was going to save her mate, trap or not, and those who wished to follow were welcome to do so. The rest could remain behind for all she cared. Not surprising, all of them decided to follow. They mounted their hippogryphs and set off towards Desolace.
As they were getting close to Karnum’s Glade they found themselves in the middle of a lightning storm. The winds were incredibly strong and pushed the Nightblades and their poor mounts to and fro and made it near impossible to get anywhere. The lightning streaked across the sky and even managed to hit a few of the Nightblades, forcing them to the ground. The rest followed as quickly as they could and while they were busy tending to their wounded the storm was revealed to be comprised of a cacophony of voices; pleading, whispering, screaming, raging and laughing voices. The sound was deafening and in the midst of it a familiar figure made its entrance. High above them on a cliff, Aroki Windsweeper appeared. He mocked the Nightblades, calling them cruel names and aiming to inflict as much emotional damage as he could. When he came closer, however, it was clear that he had been corrupted somehow. Shadows and void was ebbing and flowing around him and the storm seemed to answer to his will. He went to attack the Nightblades and the Sentinels were forced to fight him.
Aroki is a formiddable oponent on an ordinary day, as is any Nightblade, but empowered by shadow and void he was another force entirely. By the time the Nightblades managed to subdue him and knock him out, he had managed to severely wound almost half the cadre. The Nightblades brought their wounded and the unconcious Aroki to Karnum’s Glade for treatment and healing. They also made sure to restrain Aroki properly, until they could figure out how to free him from the corruption and mind control he was suffering under.
Part 15: Connection Restored
Participants: Tinwetar (DM), Melaniel, Kathene, Aariam, Ialluen, Maracyn, Astralarius, Telariel, Telrenya, Aroki, Málae
Mission report 15 – Karnum’s Glade, Desolace
Date: 18th of Astrahe, 2020
Summary: It had become increasingly clear that the Nightblades would never be able to face the Dark Ranger if they were not at their best. Thus it was decided that they would make an effort to regain their connection to the Goddess, as well as cleanse Aroki Windsweeper of the Dark Ranger’s influence. Telariel Moonseeker had received an ancinet prayer book as a gift from an old kaldorei woman who turned out to be Nainië’s mother, and within she had found a ritual that could potentially help the Nightblades restore their connection to the Goddess. The ritual spoke of sacrifice, however, something that seemed to unnerve many of the Nightblades except, perhaps, the Commander herself. Having been alive during an age where sacrifices were performed a lot more frequently and openly, she did not seem as worried about this particular aspect as the rest seemed to be. After some discussion it was decided that blood would mostly likely be an acceptable sacrifice, since it was the Nightblades themselves that were the tainted ones in this case and they would need the Goddess to cleanse them of their taint. Once everyone had agreed to the plan, they fetched Windsweeper from the prison hut and set out for the ruined temple complex at Sargeron.
When the nightblades arrived at the old temple, they found the brazier alight with its silver flame already. The brazier itself was a work of art and seemed to be in a pristine condition. The Nightblades gathered in a circle around the brazier and Acolytes Moonseeker and Lunarglade annointed everyone present by drawing crescent moons on their foreheads and eyelids with the waters from Lathar’lazal. As the Acolytes annointed everyone, shadowy tendrils began to creep into the Temple, surrounding the Nightblades. But the kaldorei were determined to see this through, and armed with their faith they continued the ritual. The Commander began the ritual prayers and called everyone forward to offer their blood to the brazier with the formal words “Heart to heart, blood to blood”. Meanwhile, the tendrils had drawn closer and were now openly attacking the Nightblades in an attempt to prevent them from finishing the ritual. The tendrils managed to break the Commander’s concentration and she was flung out of the ritual circle, but the other Priestesses took up the prayers instead, keeping them flowing as the connection to the Goddess began to stabilize. Thanks to the gathered Nightblades’ faith and dedication, their connection to the Goddess was restored and the shadows were beaten back.
Once they had regained their powers, the Priestesses turned their attention to Windsweeper and began the process of cleansing him from the Dark Ranger’s influence. The process was slow and painful, but in the end he, too, was liberated from shadow. The Nightblades had won the day. Finally!
Part 16: Liberation of Dreamer's Rest
Participants: Ialluen (DM), Malae, Melaniel, Kathene, Aariam, Telrenya, Telariel, Mara, Astra, Aroki
Mission report 16 – Dreamer’s Rest, Feralas
Date: 22nd of Astrahe, 2020
Summary: Dreamer’s rest had been turned into a place of distress, as a young druid in half panic approached the Nightblades, out of breath and scared. She spoke of chanting and an ill aura coming from a nearby cave – and there was little else the Nightblades could do apart from act.
As they entered the cave, they came by a band of cultists, seemingly busy with empowering a set of runes on the ground. It did not take long for the sentinels to both outnumber and outmatch their opponents. By blade, moonfire and… mushrooms. With the cultists dealt with, the attention was turned towards the runes on the floor. One by one, they were dispelled, the enchantment proving little resistence against the efforts made against then. Surprisingy enough however, each rune turned out to contain a forlorn memory of the ever so elusive dark ranger. It was a sorrowful display. A tale of a sister falling to their enemies, only to rise again – amongst new allies.
Beckoned further into the cave, mists and spells tormented the mind of the Nightblades, in spite of their best efforts. Far past where light or beast would stroll, in the vast depths of the system, was a ritual circle, written in an all too familiar script. Question is – what will be done to it?
Part 17: The Fall of Nainië Shalla'anath
Participants: Tinwetar (DM), Melaniel, Kathene, Aariam, Ialluen, Maracyn, Astralarius, Telariel, Telrenya, Aroki, Telderan, Málae
Mission report 17 – Feathermoon Stronghold, Feralas
Date: 25th of Astrahe, 2020
Summary: During the liberation of Dreamer’s Rest, the Nightblades had left behind the ritual circle that they believed fuelled the connection between Nainië and the void. After some debate it was decided that they would head back into the cave and see if they could sever that connection and thus rob Nainië of some of her powers. Once they arrived at the cave, they found it to be empty and the ritual circle still intact at the far end of it. The circle was glowing with a malicious purple light and the runes seemed to be pulsing like a heartbeat, as if the circle itself was alive and aware somehow.
The Nightblades destroyed one of the runes in the circle, which spawned a shadowy tendril that went to attack. But the Nightblades were not to be deterred and after another discussion they decided they would all try to destroy or purify the circle at the same time, to see what effect that would have on it. The runic circle was destroyed and as soon as it was, the Nightblades heard the outraged cry of Nainië just outside the cave. It seemed as if their plan to sever her power source had worked and she was angry…very angry.
They rushed to the entrance, only to come face to face with a small army of ghouls, skeletons and Nainië herself atop her bone dragon. The Nightblades engaged the Dark Ranger and her army and the battle was long and drawn out. Eventually they managed to pull Nainië from her dragon and onto the ground, but the Dark Ranger still fought on. Eventually Telderan managed to slay the bone dragon, breaking it apart with his spear, and Nainië herself was mortally wounded by moonfire. As she lay dying on the ground, the moonfire consuming her at an agonizingly slow pace, some of the Nightblades tried one last time to appeal to her, to get her to let go of her rage and her hatred, but to no avail. Nainië continued to cling to her truths, that the Goddess had abandoned her and the kaldorei and that there was no peace in death, only darkness and torment. Before the fire consumed her body completely, she left the Nightblades with a curse:
“I…curse you…-all- of you…may you know…the pain…I have…and may you…rot away…in despair…when you realize that…the Goddess…has abandoned…you too.”
Once she was gone, Acolyte Lunarglade cut off a lock of her hair and her charred corpse was brought back to Feathermoon to be prepared for the last rites and burial. It was a victorious, but somber, group of Sentinels that returned home from their long journey at last. The mission and the call of the Black Moon had finally ended.
This marks the end of the “Call of the Black Moon” campaign.