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Solasta: The Moment of Truth

The trip through the portal was *not* smooth, and they found themselves tumbling out onto a crumbling marble platform suspended in the air over a lake of lava. A collapsing marble staircase lead down from there, with large sections entirely missing and clearly only remaining in the air through residual magic from the Cataclysm.

Following the staircase down eventually brought them to the foot of a large obsidian cliff. At the top they could just make out what appeared to be Soraks throwing… something.. over the edge of the cliff into the lava below. They found a passage leading up out of sight of the overhang, and when the reached the top they saw the clifftop was strewn about with large old bones that the Soraks were collecting and throwing into the lava. “Dragon bones,” whispered Tess, “from all the Masters who did not survive the battle to close the Rift.” “But why destroy them now?”, asked Roland. “What purpose does that serve?” “It must be a threat to them in some way,” answered Kat, “which means we need to stop it”.
And so they did, quickly ending the small contingent of Soraks at work on the task. Clearly they had not expected interference.
Once they had finished the skirmish, they began searching the area, hunting for some clue as to what the Soraks had been trying to accomplish. Tess felt… something… calling to her. Something familiar. And felt drawn to corner alcove. Kneeling there she found a single large tooth, and upon touching it she knew immediately what it was. A tooth of Kaseinax – the Magister himself. And she could hear it whispering to her, using the bond she had forged when she first wore the crown. “Let me touch my crown…” it whispered. She didn’t know why, but she knew this was critical to the task ahead.

They made their way through many odd and wondrous leftovers from the Cataclysm. Wreckage floating over huge statues infested with Air Elemental. Stone columns over an acid lake swarming with wraiths. Even the semi-intact remains of the old Manacalon capital itself, suspended in the air at crazy angles as though permanently trapped in mid-explosion.

They eventually came to a large, desolate cavern, and saw a large group of Soraks chanting and hissing around a central figure, holding what could only be the Crown of the Magister high in the air. The Ritual to re-open the Rift had already begun! They charged into action, desperate to stop the Soraks.

Kat engaged elite Sorak assassins in a deadly game of Cat and Mouse. It was no longer quite so clear who was Cat and who was Mouse as it had been the first time they encountered Sorak assassins.
Falcon challenged a pair of elite Shikkath anti-paladins. One had nearly killed him in the ambush in the Palace, but this time losing was not an option. And he gave them everything he had.
Tess took to the skies to magically duel with a contingent of Sorak Acolytes preventing them from raining arcane terror on her companions by forcing them to deal with her directly.
And Roland took on the Sorak Tshar himself. The king-priest of remnant Soraks on Solasta. Holding him at bay until the others had defeated his guardians and they could focus their attention upon him.

When the Tshar finally fell, Tess snatched the crown out of its hand, touching it to the tooth of Kaseinax she had found earlier. Magic swirled in the air, and the spirit of the Magister himself stood before them. But he only pointed and spoke three words, “Hold the Line”. And then began performing some kind of ritual with the crown.
At this they turned and saw the Rift forming behind them. And they understood. They had been too late. The Soraks ritual had already been completed. Just as in Tess’s first vision from the Crown long ago, they would have to hold back the tide of Soraks until the Magister could once again close the Rift.

.

They did what they could, but when Soraks began to appear the stream was endless. Abominations. Shikkath. Acolytes. Warriors. Soraks they did not yet even have a name for. Too many to hold back.
And then they heard a rush and a roar, and the cavalry arrived. Adrasteia of Copparan had returned in their time of need, just as she had said. And the black dragon accompanying her could only be one person – the only other remaining Magister of old. Madrarcht the Necromancer. Recovering just enough of his mind to understand what he was and the purpose to which he had once dedicated himself. With the help of the Dragons they stemmed the tide until Kaseinax could close the Rift. No Cataclysm this time, as this was a Rift re-opened by the crown rather than torn in haste by escaping gods. But the cost was still high. Many Soraks still made it through to be dealt with. Neither Madrarcht nor Adrasteia survived the battle. They were too obviously the primary threat and the focus of the Sorak horde’s attention. They gave their lives to protect their world. And enabled Roland and his companions to survive the battle as well.
When they battle was over, and they lay exhausted, the spirit of Kaseinax drifted quietly to each of the fallen Dragons.. He gently closed their eyes, consigning them to their final rest. Then he turned to Roland and his companions one final time.

He took his natural form one last time, and the great golden dragon, Kaseinax the Eternal Soul left them with these parting words. “The Rift has once more been closed. It shall never be opened again. The Soraks are sealed in the world they have ruined. But many remain in Solasta. Many are already loose. Protect this world as we did. Our time is ended.” And then the great spirit roared and faded away.

3 responses to “Solasta: The Moment of Truth”

  1. atcDave Avatar
    atcDave

    That was an intense installment. Lots of action. Is the climax? Or will there be more with the stray Soraks? Presumably there’s still much to sort with the politics back home too?

    I really love a lot of the big dragon battles, two dragons battling is particularly impressive!

    Reply
    1. Zeno Avatar
      Zeno

      This is the end of the original campaign. But the expansion picks up almost immediately afterward. All I know about it is the Soraks are still involved in some way and it primarily is set in the Dwarven lands in the Snow Alliance.

      Reply
    2. Zeno Avatar
      Zeno

      I kind of like that at the end both a Chromatic dragon and a Metallic dragon – a Necromancer and an Abjurer – sacrifice themselves to save their world. Opposites in so many ways, but still both there when it really mattered.

      Reply

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