Arcaelus, Brightiron, and Rainer along with Gilda, Doctor Roqet, and Nuria analyze the mysterious scroll found at the top of an altar after being assaulted by the Vault of Wonders’ many denizens, including a squad of mummies. The battle was won but their resources were spent and needed a few moments to rest. Meanwhile in another plane of existence, Aydan and Jimmy Moon, along with Kelmaris, Quest the Blue, Proax, and Gilda? Hold on, what in the multiverse is going on? You shall learn more soon!

Previous Episode/Team BAJA Episode Guide

It was a drastic change coming from the Shadowfell, where only gloom and darkness roamed and called it home. This new world was the complete opposite, a world of golden radiance that bled into the clouds, trees, and even the small rivers that traversed through the lush forests. The air was light and refreshing, a gentle breeze would pass through and rustle the leaves from the golden trees though they would never fall off their branches. Jimmy Moon breathed a sigh of relief, the Shadowfell did not sit well with the half-elf Druid; Aydan seemed more concern that the group had entered another realm with no clear method or indication of being closer to home. The half-drow Kelmaris was overjoyed with Proax and Quest the Blue of their new lease on life after their interaction with the goddess, Morrigan. The female dwarf, Gilda stood watch silently, unsure herself of how to approach the situation while occasionally glancing at the broken gem fragment resting on her neck.

Once everyone recovered their wounds, which seemed to heal rather quickly, they explored the new world. Jimmy Moon and Aydan spot a bird made of light chirping at them and seemed to want the group to follow it. They cautiously followed the odd entity until they arrived in a large field in the middle of the golden forest. Several large boulders rested in an odd circular formation, the bird flew to the center and landed on a the shoulders of a humanoid goat-like creature. The creature identified itself as Agathus, a denizen of the realm who described it as a paradise where the energies of life was infused into every part and thing. He warned the party that those were not native to the plane ran the risk of being exposed to too much of the life energy, offering a boat at a nearby river. The party thanked the odd creature but wondered why it bothered to help them, Agathus promptly chuckled and looked over to Gilda with a smile, “just good intentions, best of luck.”

The party found the oversized canoe and prepared to take the vessel down the stream, the bird of light flew ahead of them as if guiding them to their path. As the stream opened and grew into a full-fledged river, the group began to notice small orbs of light that felt similar to will-o-wisps but neglected the malice or ill-will of those creatures. Proax surmised that they were most likely in the Plane of Positive Energy, a space where all of life’s energy flows effortlessly and was the home to the White Lady. The gold dragonborn suspected that the souls were journeying along the river to the place where souls reincarnate back into the Material Plane. The notion trouble some of the group, wondering how they were going to traverse through planes and without risk of death or reincarnation. Through their discussion, the exposure to the Positive Energy plane began to inflate within the party, as a soft golden glow began to blush from each of the group. With a quick reaction, Aydan unleashed a torrent of lightning at her own friends, hoping to disperse the excess accumulated energies. Luckily the ploy worked, but the group knew they needed to hasten their pace or continue to run the risk of excessive exposure.

After almost losing the bird of light on several occasions, the group entered into a section of rough rapids that almost capsized the canoe on more than once. Where the river ended and a large body of water took its place, a deep and near infinite whirlpool awaited the group. Many of the orbs of light guided into the vortex until an invisible pull dragged them deeper and deeper into a seemingly infinite darkness. The bird of light chirped at the group and flew straight into the vortex. The group looked perplex and worried but had little choice but follow the guidance of the mysterious entity. Into the vortex they went, as they reached the seemingly dark bottom, the air around them seemed light and they floated out of the canoe until they saw a small light at the end of the darkness.

As they drifted toward the light, Jimmy Moon dreamt hard about his home of Lastil-Taswell with the large tree city that stood at the center of a multi-tiered port city within the southern coast of Alrami. The pull of gravity took them and through they light they entered, once they regained their sight it was only a moment before they realized they were in the air falling toward a large city with a huge tree at its center. Jimmy instantly recognized it as his home city, Lastil-Taswell but the realization that they were falling at an extreme velocity toward it left several of them screaming. Aydan waited until they were within the optimal distance before casting feather fall, allowing the group to descend a slow pace to the ground. The group arrived on the ground safely and alive, their long adventures through planes of existence was over and they were finally home. After a few days, Kelmaris, Proax, and Quest the Blue bid Aydan, Jimmy Moon, and Gilda farewell as the three decided to go on the half-drow’s quest for vengeance. The trio thought and hoped that their other friends would arrive to this city soon but knew that sooner or later they would need to continue with their mission. Gilda reassured the two that their friends would arrive soon but that they were a little behind schedule. Aydan and Jimmy Moon eyed the dwarf with uncertainty and doubt while she continued to smile as they walked along the city streets.

***

Meanwhile, after surviving their deadly encounter with the linen-wrapped mummy guard, Arcaelus and Rainer examined the mysterious scroll that rested at the top of the stone altar. Brightiron and Doctor Roqet looted the undead corpses while Nuria sat on a fallen pillar taking notes of their expedition thus far. The dwarf cleric Gilda examined the stonework and the murals that lined the walls of the room, trying to surmise the tale written from a forgotten age. The images seemed to whisper to the dwarf, recounting great deeds and ancient battles, until something caught her notice. Something familiar, something that only the dwarf recognized. Her shock luckily went unnoticed by the group but left the cleric unnerved and worried, informing the group that they had best start moving out and find whatever it was that brought them to the Vault in the first place.

As the group began to gather their belongings, Brightiron noticed the door to the room was open. The door was shut during the battle, sealed by a powerful magical ward that prevented them from opening again until the honor guard were defeated. The barbarian grew worried and began surveying the room for anything foul that may have entered into the hall. At first, the room fell eerily quiet as they huddled close together trying to find whatever may have lurked into the hall. Rainer’s halfling senses noticed four humanoid figures draped in black robes hovering in the air surrounding the party, but was attached to these shapes were squid-like heads with four long tentacles in the place of mouths. Arcaelus had only heard stories of such foul creatures and cried to the group to run for their lives.

With desperation, the group managed to run out of the room while be assaulted by powerful mind blasts, the goliath barbarian struck one of the stone pillars on their way to seal the door behind them shut. They continued to run while using the odd map that they found within the altar towards the supposed center of the Vault itself. After several hours of dodging equally deadly creatures and waiting for floor shifts within the Vault, they arrived to the supposed center. A large metallic room nearly three dozen feet high, at its center rested a swirling vortex. Rainer felt a call coming from the vortex, remembering the power of the scroll they found, the halfling believed the vortex and it were related. The gem that rested on Gilda’s neck began to glow with increasing intensity as they approached the vortex. Rainer recalled that Gilda’s gem was in fact a fragment of a gem of Azuroth, which prompted him to believe that at the heart of the Vault was in fact another divine gem. With no hesitation, the halfling plunged into the spiraling abyss and envisioned the gem itself materializing before him. At the edge of infinity, Rainer found the gem and grabbed it, which caused the Vault to dissemble and cascade across the multiverse. The floor in the room collapsed and the party fell into the infinite chaos.

As the party tumbled across the starlit nothingness, Rainer thought of his home in Lastil-Taswell. Gilda’s gem fragment began to glow and the two gems became beacons in the dark, Arcaelus and Brightiron remained close by along with Nuria and Doctor Roqet. As the Vault continued to collapse, the little construct Artifice was seen tumbling along a series of boulders and rocks. The gems glowed brighter and brighter, until the light engulfed their vision. Once the light faded, Arcaelus, Brightiron, Rainer, and Gilda found themselves in the middle of the streets of the Sapphire Square in the middle of the day in the city of Lastil-Taswell. The four of them were huddled together and received odd looks from passing citizens, the four of them quickly got themselves oriented and surveyed their surroundings. Rainer recognized the familiar layout of the square-they were home. Gilda’s gem fragment began to glow and there was a strong pull that came over her, the three followed suit curious of what it could mean.

***

Aydan and Jimmy Moon followed the bewildered Gilda as her gem fragment began to glow and they arrived along the familiar street adorned by the various temples and faiths of Lastil-Taswell. There they saw some familiar faces they had not seen in some time: Arcaelus, Brighiron, Rainer, and another Gilda? The groups saw each other and the two Gildas, both began to glow and become beings of light and eventually collided into each other. Another spark of light and there was a singular dwarf cleric again. The group was deeply concerned and confused with the situation, the dwarf explained that the gem was an odd trinket that seemed to take her across different periods or eras. As the rest of the group questioned the dwarf, Arcaelus wandered over to a nearby newstand and noticed immediately something troubling – the date. The date was nearly 5 years from the time they had journeyed to the island of Nim Rock and fought their way to the island. Team BAJA was reunited with a new friend, but had travelled forward in time, what awaits them? Find out!

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