It has been a month since Horus-Tep returned to Skuld. His armies battle the Horde, but they are only delaying the inevitable, as the Jade Empress' massive armies bear down on his illustrious capital.

In the west, mighty Tchazzar stalls the rise of a grand, allied army, ever demanding a grander role and a larger share of the glory. While he fiddles, the east burns.

Even as the battle with the Horde reaches a fever pitch, the Covenant realizes that something strange is going on. Important individuals are vanishing throughout Mulhorand, Unther, and Chessenta--priests, mages, scholars, men and women of distinction, learning, and bearing.

To make matters worse, sympathizers of the Horde, and of the deposed usurper Sarahi (it is now forbidden to refer to her by the false name of "Nephthys"), have been leaking information to the Tuigans, leading to the deaths of thousands of soldiers and innocent civilians, and threatening to undermine the entire war effort.

To this end, the bedraggled Keket has asked a couple of her Covenant friends to investigate the noble state of one Pontifas, a local lord of the Upper Kingdom who is suspected of treason. Raithen, Kara, and Desi are on the job.

Arriving on the scene, the representative of the crown is given a token denial, and made to wait in a pleasant sitting room. Kara spies on Pontifas as he proceeds into another room to consort with the image of a black-goateed vizier-looking guy, a magician of some kind (Kaiephar, a wu jen / warlock and a direct servant of the Jade Empress). The latter orders the former to kill Raithen and Desi. Kara warns them.

The heroes thwart an attack of poison gas, then invoke their Covenant decoder rings to summon the whole gang.

Thereafter, they find Pontifas amidst Jade Empire goons. Pontifas is blubbering some sort of half-hearted explanation. The image simply observes as he sends in his goons, both some of the same disposable minions, and some elites, while seeming to communicate the results to someone unseen.

The party prevails, claiming Pontifas as a prisoner. However, in their looting of the bodies, they find something disturbing: the guards wielded weapons similar to those used by the Knights of the Last Sunrise.

Back at Skuld HQ, they hand over the prisoner to the royal torturers, who will surely get the information they need. They sync up with Oracle, who gives them the skinny on the other investigations. She points out an unseen connection between all the missing dignitaries: they all have obscure, often unclaimed lineage to the royal families of the realms, and thus, potentially, may be prime hosts for Aether, the name the geeks back home have given to the phenomenon of mysterious memories and powers of certain post-Imaskari individuals.

Analyzing the recovered loot (Kara's psionics, cross-referenced with some Oracle divinations), they find a clue as to where it might have been manufactured--as likely a place as any to get to the bottom of the mystery. They fly off into the night, toward a sunken temple.

The Temple of Woes is an old Illythiiri ruin, in the western Raurin, which is surrounded by a mile radius of verdant land. This ancient, sacred site is a memory of a forgotten time, one to be preserved and cherished by its people. Unfortunately, the guardians were recently overcome, and the Jade Empire has moved in. On landing, the party is introduced to some Illythiiri who are keen on taking vengeance and liberating their treasured memories.

They can explain the traps of the place, that it is a haunted tomb, in which mad, ghostly warriors forever relive the death of their mistress Azalyn, Queen of the Emerald Tear tribe. As undead, they are invulnerable, and as fierce as they were in life, they are tenfold more so in death. Presumably, the celestials must have found a way to avoid or pacify them.

If they could be reminded of their purpose, they might be swayed to aid the PCs.

The party enters the dungeon.

Inside, they find mad ghosts (who can be made allies instead of enemies, as above), as well as more Jade minions (easily dispatched by ghostly allies), and a real treat: some Void Disciples. These Zarist devotees are from the Jade Empire, but sworn to Shadows.

(ran out of time here)

• XP: 10,000 each (new total: 190,000 xp, level 20)
• 166 gp 5 sp 65 cp
• Hundreds of swords and armor, perfectly forged in a Shadovar factory. Value as BS mats: 58,978 cp
• Fine silk uniforms with various Taan tribal insignias. Value as tailoring mats: 46,384 cp
• Various enchanting materials worth 57,212 cp
• 1x Star Ruby (red 5)
• 1x Star Emerald (green 5)
• 3x Void Crystal (black 5)
• 3 unique swords
  • One-Winged Angel: This katana is extremely long, but retains the normal width of a katana throughout. Despite its otherwise ordinary appearance, capped by a simple, matte-black hilt and guard, it is clearly made of extraordinary materials, as it is firm and resilient even with its long lever arm.
  • Prophecy: This Jian blade is ornately crafted, with a tassle made of tiny strands of truesilver, which ring against one another as they dangle, creating a constant melody of delicate chimes. The blade itself is forged of mithral, with the typical mottling seen in this metal. Minute quantities of jade were worked into the alloy, giving it a decidedly greenish hue.
  • Cutting Moon: This warglaive is a fine example of the ancient and traditional weapon of the Illythiiri. When in use, it glows with a fiery green light, a reflection of the will and ki of its wielder.