Captain Ayx’mir Menrose welcomed the shivering party to the New Radiance, one of the three ships comprising the floating city of Vurmas. Following a quick introduction, FCG was shown to their temporary quarters aboard the icy vessel where they turned in for the night. The next morning, the party met up with Captain Menrose up on the main deck. Captain Menrose informed the group that the New Radiance was wrapping up the tail end of a supply run to the Xhorhasian mainland and that they would be arriving at Vurmas’ anchor point on the northern shore of Gelier, Eiselcross’ second largest island, the next morning. When faced with Eris’ inquiries about Eiselcross’ many islands and the ruins of a crashed city from her dreams, Captain Menrose suggested that they talk to Burca Brighttusk, the Kryn’s expedition leader in Eiselcross, upon arriving at Vurmas. The Captain also requested that the party make themselves useful should they be met with any troubles while traversing the icy waters, as the New Radiance was sailing with a skeleton crew following the unloading of converted Eiselcross wildfolk back in Xhorhas. Their conversation complete, Captain Menrose returned to his duties and FCG began poking around the ship.
A strapping goliath male working on the deck caught the party’s eye. They approached the goliath, Rex, and learned that he was one of the wildfolk of Eiselcross who, along with the rest of his tribe, had chosen to convert to the worship of the Luxon and join the Kryn Dynasty under the promise of prosperity, community, and purpose. Curious as to if the Eiselcross native knew anything about Eris’ disease, Triple J beckoned the princess over. Eris revealed the icy veins on her neck to Rex. Remorseful in his recognition of the illness, Rex told Eris that her ailment was known as “The Woe” to the wildfolk of Eislecross. Rex expressed his condolences to Eris, as catching The Woe was known to be a death sentence among the wildfolk. Resolve unwavering, Eris thanked Rex for his time and left the goliath to his work.
Endrin offered Eris a joyride through the frigid air, and the two took flight around the ship. From their vantage point above, Eris and Endrin noticed a series of icebergs up ahead and warned the captain. Meanwhile, Triple J set up his arcane dome on the ship, creating a temperate space for he and the rest of the party to keep watch from. From within, the bard caught sight of a group of orcas in the distance.
An hour or so later, the New Radiance neared the collection of icebergs and began navigating through. Endrin, now grounded, noticed one of the icebergs gravitating towards the ship. Suddenly, a loud crack filled the air as the ship was slammed by the iceberg, which revealed itself to actually be a large whale that had been concealed by illusion magic. Many of the party were knocked prone, Nyx even falling overboard into the icy water. Aboard the whale were four individuals clad in white winter furs preparing to jump on to the ship. Endrin blasted three of them backwards into the water. The figures then morphed into owls and flew aboard the ship. Captain Menrose rallied his men to the cannons which began blasting the whale as the creature continued to slam into the ship. Malcolm helped Nyx back aboard the ship while Eris charged after the owls. The owls reverted into their humanoid form and began preparing to unleash their wild magic. Before they could however, Triple J unleashed a confusion spell upon them, rendering the whale confused and inert as well. Unable to un-rattle their minds, two of the frosty druids were dispatched quickly and easily by the combined might of FCG. With two of their comrades slain and the whale neutralized, the remaining two druids fled from the ship.
Captain Menrose arrived up on deck as the commotion settled. The captain cursed the renegade druids, who he claimed had been a thorn in the Dynasty’s side as of late. According to the captain, the druids believed that the Kryn had been forcing Eiselcross’ wildfolk to join the Dynasty through strange arcane means rather than free will. Nonetheless, the ship was secured, thanks to FCG’s actions, and safely arrived at Vurmas the next morning.
The New Radiance pulled up alongside it’s sister ships, the Candlefire and the Soulsailor, and was quickly tied to them, forming the entirety of Vurmas. Captain Menrose thanked the party for their assistance in dealing with the druids and offered to let them keep their quarters aboard the New Radiance for the duration of their time in Vurmas. FCG then set off to investigate the other two ships. The party heeded Captain Menrose’s advice and sought out Burca Brighttusk aboard the Soulsailor. The orc priestess was conversing with a female goliath, Speaker Artaema, the wildfolk’s primary representative aboard Vurmas, when FCG arrived at Burca’s cabin. Artaema moved to the back of the room as Burca met with the party. Burca revealed that the crashed city from Eris’ dreams was known as Aeor, a relic from the Age of Arcanum, and that the main ruin was located on Eiselcross’ largest island, Foren. Eris then releveled her illness to both Burca and Artaema, but was met with the same grim sentiment. FCG offered to pay for passage to Foren so that they might follow Eris’ vision and quest for a cure, but their offer of coin, rather valueless on Vurmas, was rebuffed. Instead, Burca proposed an alternate form of payment. The priestess tasked FCG with recruiting more wildfolk, particularly a tribe known as the Wormkin on Gelier, to the Dynasty’s cause and agreed to arrange passage to Foren in exchange. Thus, a deal was struck.
About an hour later, FCG was met at their cabin by a Kryn soldier by the name of Darvahn. Darvahn escorted the party to a small keelboat, and they departed for the northern shore of Gelier. As the coastline drew dear, the boat was flanked and rocked by two Orcas with the two surviving druids from the day prior riding on their backs. One of the druids transformed into a great white wolf and unleased it’s icy breath from the back of the whale. The other druid distanced itself from the group and unleashed ice and moon-fire upon the clustered party. Endrin did what he could to stem the arcane onslaught, before going on an offensive of his own, slinging chunks of nearby ice at the druid as Triple J incapacitated it. Eris tended to Darvahn’s wounds while Nyx and Malcolm took turns falling and or jumping into the icy water. In the end, the druids fell to FCG, Eris’ smite even killing the wolf shifted druid through it’s wild shape. As the whales fled, Malcolm attempted to hang on to one with his sword embedded deeply in it’s hide before eventually relenting. Though the party was successful in fending of the druids, they were not left unscathed. As a result of casting powerful spells near Eiselcross, Endrin found himself unable to stop shouting, Triple J’s skin had turned a vibrant shade of blue, and Nyx appeared five years younger. Malcolm, Eris and Darvahn tended to the boat’s damage as best they could, before the party arrived on the shores of Gelier.
