Chapter V. Shadow Reformed
Session 62. Renewed Spirits
*1 Everbloom 312 (December 3rd, 2025)
The journey home is a long, contemplative drift through the Sky Sea. For ten days, the Project A.R.K. slices through the clouds, her Rubix engine, now without Carter’s guidance, sings a new cryptic song…
While the East Skysea rolls by, the crew finds their rhythm. Bartholomew takes the lead with the ex-pirate Kobold crew members - Meek, Meek Sr., and Sir Frederick - teaching them the ropes of sky-faring aboard an official vessel. Diallos finishes carving a Totem of Janus to capture the duality of their recent trials & tribulations, he continues honoring the Titans by deepening his study of Titan literature in the ship’s fresh library.
Whimsical takes over the mess hall, her culinary skills now spiced up with the once exotic, now familiar, flavors of Janus City. Yet, it is her spirit that undergoes the greatest change; under Finley’s guidance, she begins to shed the rigid armor of her Paladin dogmas, embracing the wild, wrathful aspect of Natu. Finley keeps himself busy by collecting the lost frogs from the damp corners of the ship, striking a bargain with the Angoloutls: safety and sustenance in exchange for labor.
Below decks, in the brig, the atmosphere is heavy. Silas and Talleah sit in the brig, the silence broken only by the sweeping of a suspicious new janitor named Thirteen. Silas distracts himself in his cold cell, accustomed to being imprisoned, his mind wanders while laying down. Virtus, seeking to be a captain in truth as well as title, descends into the gloomy brig. The tiefling finally sheds her pride, offering her friend Silas a moment of rare vulnerability. She confesses her care for him and her desire to communicate better with him, despite their approaches to problem solving, she sees him as family, and her insecurities in making decisions as the Captain of the Soul Shepherds prevented her from coming to terms with Silas’ innate decisiveness. Silas, moved by her humility, reaffirms his unwavering loyalty to the Soul Shepherds, admitting his own failures in communicating his feelings and apprehensions to the rest of the party, and especially, his Captain, for fear of being abandoned, like he has been in the past. Silas vows to Virtus that he will be more forthcoming in their futures together. Bartholomew, too, visits the prisoner. In the dim light, they speak of the “Cult of Nirvana” and the burden of being branded a Fomorian in this world. A promise between outcasts is forged; Bart assures Silas that no matter how dark the path ahead, he will not walk it alone.
Astraloftum appears within the clouds. Upon docking at the Sun Docks, the reality of their return home sets in. Diallos heads to the Solari Abbey to report to Holy Mother Anastasia. In his quarters, he finds not solitude, but the friendly spirit and woodcarver Malon. She marvels at his finished Janus Totem, inspired to craft one of her own against his next return, before Diallos departs to meditate in the Magi Crags behind the Abbey.
Whimsical returns to the Forgehearth District to find Tom dutifully tending her home. She leaves him with 200 gold for the community, a silent guardian for her children, Charming and Omniscient, who are away at their studies.
Finley ventures deep into the Whispering Grove at the center of the city; the still healing Great Natu Tree’s branches extend a spiritual embrace to him. He finds the acting Archdruid, Bramble the Minotaur, nursing new Myconids by the roots of the Great Natu Tree. Finley petitions Bramble and the rest of the Circle of Natu’s support in Bartholomew’s ascension as a Solar Scion. Bramble, intrigued by the paradox of a Kobold Scion, agrees. Nearby, the blushful Lyra beams at Finley’s return. In a gesture of revitalization, Finley blesses the grove with the fragments of Elowen’s laden spirit within his staff, breathing new life into the roots and bringing a smile to Lyra’s face.
The fellowship reunites at the St. Odebbej Cathedral with a singular purpose: the legitimization of Bartholomew R. Baldwin. Despite the hesitation of Virtus and Diallos regarding Bart’s Fomorian and Kobold nature being anathema to the Church’s Scion selection process, they have faith in Bart’s heroism and with the backing of the Circle of Natu, it steels their resolve. They open the heavy celestial doors and face the Ecclesia Solari Clergy and the High Priestess Cetra. The air inside is cool and smells of ancient incense…
Session 63. Reflection of the Soul
*1 Everbloom 312 (January 15th, 2026)
The Soul Shepherds meet with the Clergy of the Ecclesia Solari. As they approach, High Priestess Cetra telepathically tells Bartholomew: “Young Reginald, I have foreseen this day many Noctus ago. Choose your words carefully in these hallowed halls, for the Clergy will be hard to convince, and so will I…”
If the Clergy is convinced, Liara will allow the Scions to enter the Mirror Realm so that Bartholomew can test his loyalty to the Trinity by eradicating the Fomorian threat “on the other side.” Diallos and Virtus introduce Bartholomew, and he begins telling his story with the advocacy of the Soul Shepherds and the Circle of Natu Druids. He weaves a tale of a vagabond Kobold who found a dying Solar Scion in a faraway land and took his Scion medallion and personage in hopes of one day finding Paradise. For many months, he masqueraded wearing the face of a fallen Scion until he ultimately ended up on Astraloftum and saved the city from the Fomorian Demon invasion (with the help of the Soul Shepherds). Thus proving his worth and honor worthy of the mantle of a true Solar Scion, he humbly requests the Clergy for permission to be officially inducted into the order.
The Clergy is moved by his rousing words and determination, and the High Priestess allows Bartholomew to enter the Mirror Realm and eliminate his Dark Self so that he may ascend. A rookie named Thirteen, who will also be tested by Liara, assists the Scions in the Mirror Realm by opening up the portal. Thirteen opens a crack into the Mirror Realm through the Eluvian Mirror, and the Soul Shepherds step forth into the misty Atrium of the Profanus to help Bartholomew eliminate his Dark Self.
The Soul Shepherds enter the Mirror Realm and end up in the Atrium of the Profanus, a twisted mirror version of the St. Oddebej Cathedral. Inside this profane citadel, they hear The Organ, where someone is playing a dark, Phantasmal tune that looms throughout the Atrium. [Bartholomew Performance Check to identify the Melody] It is an ancient Draconic melody that is tainted with sinful chords; it is in honor of the Shadow Dragon of the Mirror Realm. They also find three petrified statues of Devil Generals and a magical aura etched onto the floor tile dubbed ‘the Ebon Star,’ the symbol of the Ebon Saints. Whimsical, assessing the structural integrity of the statues, determines they are quite easy to break. Virtus finds an ancient scroll nearby written in Infernal and translates for the party, learning about the real names of the three petrified Devil Generals.
Silas then recalls that Count Von Preshons sought out the Ebon Star to free the Fomorian Generals from their petrified states to use them in his War against the Ecclesia Solari.
They also find a mysteriously ominous, massive egg, whose surface is composed of thousands of minute petrified human faces frozen in silent screams. The Egg begins to pull in loose Souls nearby, as evident from Dark Silas being dragged within the Egg (while Silas was near it) and Thirteen (Thirteen)’s soul getting dragged within the Egg while he was summoning his ‘Soul-Sword’.
As Bartholomew approaches the Organ, a cold chill in the air appears, and the music stops. A shadowy figure stands up from the organ chair and turns around towards the Soul Shepherds.
“I am a shadow… The true self…”
The Dark Arse verbally jabs at Bart, insulting him: “You are a dirty little thief, Arse. You stole THAT sword, you stole ANOTHER’S dream, and you steal HIS face. You are just a filthy little Fomor with NO family and NO honor. Look at you. Tail snipped. Hiding your lineage… You cut away pieces of yourself until there was nothing left but a lie. Does the Unholy Trinity hear your prayers, Arse? Or do they only hear the Halfling you pretend to be? Cassian died so you could live. And what did you do with that life? You turned it into a joke.”
Bartholomew walks away, but then turns around and tells Dark Arse that the difference between them is that he has friends that accept him and that Dark Arse doesn’t. A fight ensues. Dark Arse plays a melody that disables the Ebon Star, unpetrifying the Devil Generals and joining him in his fight against the Solar Scion. Dark Arse then immerses himself into Virtus’s nearby mirror shield, but the Scions are clever and trap Dark Arse within the shield by rolling it up within a nearby carpet. The fight continues, and the Devil Generals approach…
Bartholomew attempts to discern and remember the Melody that ‘Unpetrified’ the Fomorian Generals, trying to reverse engineer it and undo it…
Session 64. We Are Bartholomew
*1 Everbloom 312 (January 22nd, 2026)
The chaotic battle in the Atrium Profanus falls silent. Finley, Diallos, Whimsical, and Thirteen stand victorious over the Fomorian Devil Generals: Iblis, Niggurath, and Cun’Ingus - who are forced back into their petrified slumber as Bartholomew successfully completes the counter-melody on the dark organ. With the generals defeated,, the Soul Shepherds corner the cowering form of Dark Arse. The shadow-self sneers, spitting that the only difference between them is that Bart has friends to hide behind while he has none. He demands a ‘warrior’s death,’ clinging to the twisted pride of his persona.
Finley insists that eliminating this entity is the only correct path, a necessary purging of corruption. Virtus, sheathing her blade, defers to Bartholomew, respecting that this trial belongs to him alone. In a moment of profound growth, Bartholomew rejects the cycle of violence, like Silas before him. He tells his Shadow that he can be his friend, choosing to grant Dark Arse a peaceful death rather than a violent end. He weaves a final illusion as he deftly impales his Shadow, giving the now fading remnant of Dark Arse a vision of the home and family he never had, allowing the darkness to fade into warmth.
Meanwhile, Diallos kneels before the ominous Egg of the King to commune with Tekk. He receives a harrowing augury: a vision of a falling, mirror-realm version of Astraloftum and shades gathering around a withered, Dark Natu tree. The revelation strikes him with terrible clarity: the Trinity did not create the Mirror Realm solely as a reflection, but as a prison for Demons, or perhaps something even more ancient and powerful. Sensing the danger radiating from the object, Silas unleashes his magic and destroys the Egg of the King, causing the thousands of faces on its surface to scream in agony and wracking the heads of the Soul Shepherds, nonetheless ensuring the Cult of Nirvana cannot claim its prize.
Virtus’ Lunar Phone rings. The Dragon of the Mirror Realm, the dark reflection of Luminaria, vows vengeance on Virtus.. The Shadow Dragon, Vyvanix, crashes through the skylight of the Atrium Profanus, shattering the glass and obliterating the Eluvian mirror that led back to Tamasora. Trapped and facing the wrath of an ungodly being, the Scions face the brink of annihilation. In a desperate gambit, Bartholomew rallies his allies, breaking the shards of the Fomorian Ichor obtained from Magus Xor’Ocu. As Vyvanix unleashes a terrifying Breath Attack, Bart channels the reflective magic, teleporting the party away from the Mirror Realm just as the shadows consume their former position.
The Soul Shepherds materialize safely back in Tamasora. Upon their return to the St. Oddebej Cathedral, a grand ceremony is held. High Priestess Cetra knights Bartholomew into the Holy Order of the Solar Scions, but her next proclamation sends shockwaves through the flock. She boldly declares that the Kobold race shall no longer be deemed ‘Fomorian,’ shattering centuries of dogma. Bartholomew, now standing tall not as a Halfling but as a proud Kobold, addresses the Church. He implies that his people possess Souls just as any other, and vows that finding Paradise to save those Souls is his new, divine burden.
As the congregation scatters, Thirteen - the agent known as Thirteenth - slips away to meet with the High Priestess, reporting his covert observations on the Soul Shepherds. A new era of the Ecclesia Solari has begun, and with Bartholomew now a fully fledged Scion, his Piety begins to accumulate, signaling the rise of a legend who crawled from no merit to touch the sun.
Session 65. Reformation
*2-3 Everbloom 312 (January 30 , 2026)
In the Magi Crags behind the Abbey, Diallos and Virtus seek a different kind of strength. Eschewing their usual communion with the divine Trinity, they attempt to look inward for wisdom. However, the path of introspection proves difficult for Virtus, accustomed to the clarity of the forge and the battlefield, she eventually abandons her meditation in frustration, feeling as though she is making no progress toward the internal peace she seeks.
Thirteen takes Bartholomew on a tour of Astraloftum to build rapport. At the Solari Crusader proving grounds, their presence sparks a confrontation when an angry Crusader accosts Bart. Still clinging to old dogmas, the soldier declares Bart a “Fomorian kobold” that needs to be eradicated. Thirteen immediately intervenes, defending Bart’s new status as a knight and threatening the Crusader with charges of heresy – reminding him that High Priestess Cetra has officially decreed that Kobolds possess souls and are no longer categorized as Fomorians.
Meanwhile, Silas Clemens confronts Holy Mother Anastasia regarding the Church’s sudden shift in doctrine. Bitter from his own history of being branded as a Fomorian, Silas argues that the Church simply rewrites rules and removes doctrines as it pleases. Upon leaving the Abbey, he encounters the elusive Vincent. Silas vents his frustrations, to which Vincent responds with a chilling, Bardic quote: “And thusly I clothe my naked villainy in old odd ends stolen forth from holy writ and seem a saint when most I play the devil…“. Vincent informs Silas that a clue for Paradise is inside the Airship and to not neglect his sister. After sharing wine provided by the mysterious merchant, Silas passes out drunk atop the Abbey.
Thirteen and Bart navigate the Grove river via a fishing vessel to reunite with the rest of the circle. They find Whimsical and her son, Omniscient, assisting with the ongoing repairs of the Grove following the invasion. Finley, patrolling on a Centaur, initially blocks Thirteen’s path, only allowing the “janitor” to pass after Thirteen proves his worth by taming a stubborn Grove Goat.
Finally, Bartholomew fulfills a lifelong dream by speaking directly to the Great Natu Tree. The ancient tree reveals that it remembers the Emerald Dragon Clorox from when the tree itself was but a sapling. The Tree and the new Kobold Scion share a moment of musical mourning, reciting an epitaph for the fallen dragon whose tooth now forms Bart’s Blade of Clorox.
Mini Scion 5. Warming up to Thirteen
Thirteen met with the Soul Shepherds to further gain their trust. He meets up with Silas at Purgatory and they share a few drinks and exchange personal questions. Thirteen orders an ‘Ol Stinky’, one of the most foul concoctions of the establishment. Silas drinks Ruttwein. Silas spots a bright yellow iris containing multiple red, concentric circles, in a dark corner of the bar, evidence of someone powerful watching them and listening into their conversation, but he keeps this discovery to himself.
Thirteen asks Silas what his relationship with Carter was, and Silas tells him they were good friends. Silas asks Thirteen why he has the Brand of Nirvana. Thirteen opens up to Silas and tells him that he was experimented on by the Inquisition to be a weapon capable of destroying Souls. Silas takes this as a personal offense, for it is counter to his ability to gather Souls. Silas threatens Thirteen and tells him that if he ever hurts his friends, he will personally kill him. He then shoots at the yellow iris with a firebolt, angering the bartender.
Thirteen then goes to find Diallos at the Abbey. Diallos tells Thirteen he hopes he finds absolution one day for his guilt. Thirteen and Diallos spar and Thirteen reveals his wings and Diallos and him take to the sky. After the fight they shake hands.
Thirteen meets up with Virtus at the Skysmith Forge, who is working on forging mithril chains under the tutelage of Hemdall Skysmith (the son of Fulfin, friend of Amiel). Thirteen tells Virtus the whole story - that he was born in the Mirror Realm, found by the Inquisition and experimented on, killed his friends in an accident, was sentenced to death by the Inquisition, and saved (in secret) by the High Priestess Cetra. Virtus gets angry at Thirteen for not revealing why he’s an informant to the High Priestess and whether he would be loyal to the Soul Shepherds (and not the Church), they then have a fist fight outside the Forge. Thirteen loses and Virtus wins.
Thirteen goes to find Whimsical to warm up to her next…
Session 66. The Hollow Home
*4-8 Everbloom 312 (February 6, 2026)
Mother and Daughter Heart to Heart. Virtus returns to the Tenebris Estate, but the sanctuary of her youth has become an academy for a newer generation. The iron gates stand wide, and the pristine courtyard, once a symbol of noble status, is now a muddy drill ground for Solari Crusader rookies. Under the blueprints of the late Amiel Tenebris, the auxiliary buildings have been repurposed into smithies and alchemy labs. The air is thick with woodsmoke, sharpening stones, and the sterile scent of ink.
Virtus finds her mother, Lord Commander Zariel, in the garden by the Shrine of Tekk. Zariel, looking weary but oddly peaceful, admits she allowed Vincent to transform the manor because she could no longer bear to be the “curator of a museum dedicated to what we lost.” She claims Vincent saw the “logic” in repurposing the house of ghosts.
The reunion quickly turns sour as Virtus accuses her mother of being “malleable” under Vincent’s influence. The insult triggers the return of the Lord Commander. Zariel dismisses the groundskeeper Pinot and stands tall, her armor gleaming like polished silver. She defends Vincent, claiming he handled the “gross logistics” of the estate so she could focus on protecting Astraloftum – logistics she claims Virtus and Animus were never there to handle.
However, Virtus strikes back with a devastating truth: those “logistics” included auctioning off their father’s Holy Chest to pirates in Janus City. The revelation shatters Zariel’s composure, and she becomes angry.
In a rare moment of vulnerability, Virtus appeals not to the General, but to her mother. She argues that the Tenebris legacy isn’t just flame and steel, but the love that built the family. The mask of the Inquisition finally falls. Zariel, eyes brimming with moisture, cups Virtus’s cheek – a touch of pure, maternal warmth – and admits she wasn’t protecting her children from the “dust” of the past; she was hiding from the pain of being the only one left.
Zariel declares, “No stranger will auction off our blood for gold.” She hands Virtus the Tenebris Master Key, and prepares a ruse. She summons Vincent to the Cathedral for a fake “audit,” leaving the manor vulnerable for the Soul Shepherds.
The Midnight Heist. While Finley (in Owl form) monitors the Cathedral and Silas distracts the rookie guards with liquor, the Shepherds infiltrate Vincent’s private study. The infiltration is a minefield of traps. A Fireball Trap: Diallos detects an Alarm spell on the keyhole, while Whimsical (as a snake) bypasses the door to remove a “magical sock” imbued with a Fireball spell intended to incinerate the evidence.
The Scions find evidence of Vincent’s ill dealings. They recover a ledger detailing the illegal sale of estate heirlooms. A chilling list, ‘the Death Note’, of names marked with ‘H’ (Harvested?) or ‘P’ (Pending?). All Shepherds are marked ‘P’, but Zariel, Pinot, and Father Ghaspen are marked ‘H’. They also find an Eluvian Mirror: A portal to a “Living Mirror Realm” version of the estate. Silas briefly enters, purging the “living” interior with a Fireball before catching sight of a silent Guardian Angel watching from the other side. The Scions try their best to fabricate the scene as a robbery to not rouse Vincent’s suspicion.
The Shepherds regroup with Zariel at Purgatory. Armed with proof of sacrilege and theft, the Lord Commander begins formulating a plan to finally excise Vincent from the Tenebris legacy.
Session 67. Probation
*4-8 Everbloom 312 (March 5th, 2026)
Bart and Silas talk about being persecuted at Purgatory Bar, when they hear a commotion outside the Forgehearth District. Crowds gather around a mud pit and a set of games, where Whimsical hosts a competition of brawn, bravery, and wit as a test to Omniscient, Charming, and Thirteen to see if they have the mettle to join the Soul Shepherds. This competition is called a Gauntlet Thirteen fights Omniscient and Charming in a public forum, quickly non-lethally incapacitating them; The crowd boos Thirteen.
“Someone” (Finley) casts Tasha’s Hideous Laughter and gets Thirteen on the ground, giving Omniscient the chance to stab Thirteen while he’s down laughing. Thirteen then tells Whimsy that he gives up, and sheathes his shortsword. Virtus expresses her hesitation in Thirteen “Thirteen” joining the Soul Shepherds and puts it to a vote. Diallos, Silas, and Bartholomew vote for allowing Thirteen aboard, with Whimsical changing her vote last minute “for”, when they all reach an agreement in giving Thirteen a “probation period”. Thirteen, excited to be joining the crew, then buys Serulinite Power Gems for the ship’s fuel reserves and the party flies off Astraloftum on their new airship.
Finley resumes his duties as Archdruid of Astraloftum, he plans to keep tabs on Vincent and study the Gardens of Arcadia. Finley bids the Soul Shepherds farewell for the time being. Virtus vows to see each other again soon.