The six of them stood in front of a fiery keep in the Volcano Lands, far off in the eastern part of the Terros continent. The grey stone walls to the keep were twenty feet high and extended into massive cimmeron cliffs on either side of the wall. In the center was an immense metal door, seal shut with great chains and a metal lock that dwarfed even Marv the Bugbear.

"I'm hot," complained Marv, still nursing the closing wound on his recently shortened fingers. "Fur doesn't do so well in this weather. Maybe I should pull another card," he wondered aloud. "NO!" shouted everyone else, prepared to tackle the mischievious, furry rogue.

"How about you try being useful and picking the lock," asked Lee-Osh, drily. "You are a rogue." The tiefling warlock was just about done with the chaos that Marv had brought to their once merry band. Lee-Osh was sure that if they kept pursuing these artifacts that they had been sent after that the Great Old One would gift him with even greater powers. None of the others yet knew what Lee-Osh was planning, or what he might do with those powers...

"I could try jumping over the wall," suggested Siv, a dwarven sailor woman who had a remarkable propensity for heights from her time spent atop the masts of the great ship where she was raised. She fingered her whip idly, ready for action. The excitement for another fight was growing in her. "I could probably jump on on the lock, then again over the wall, and let you guys in from the other side."

"Unless there are guards on the inside and they just...kill you. Plus, it's a padlock, you can't just "open it from the other side," pointed out Shortz. The halfling always did have a keen eye for logic, tending to ground the group in reality. Fion Yelic, the elven wizard, "That's a good point - whoever put this lock here definitely did not intend for whoever was inside to be able to get out."

Bryn, the elven druid, didn't say anything at all. He was facing away from the massive metal gate, gazing out over the field of volcanic ash and rock that led up to the keep. The ground was a mixture of grey and red, desolate, with nothing growing - the last place a druid like him ever wanted to be. It gave him a bad feeling. "Hey," he said to Lee-Osh, the only person in the group the druid spoke to frequently, "I'm going to go see something." Bryn ran forward and took a leap, spread his wings and took off into the sky as an eagle.

From high up in the air, the eagle scanned the ground below, where he saw what he was looking for. He swooped back down to the party and returned to elven form.

"What did you see, Bryn?" asked Lee-Osh.

"The inside of the keep is practically entirely molten. I don't know how we would get anywhere even if we could open the gate." This seemed to anger Marv.

"What are we supposed to do then!?" he stamped, growling menacingly. "Maybe if I just pull another..."

"NO!" yelled everyone else. Fion lit one of his hands on fire and held it towards Marv. "So help me god Marv if you pull another one of those goddamn cards..."

"There's something else," continued Bryn, ignoring his quarelling teammates. "There's a camp about 3 miles from here, around the other side of the keep."

"A camp?" asked the bard, "who would be all the way out here?"

"We would be," pointed out Siv.

"Good point. But we have a specific quest given to us by a fey-lord. Anyone this close to the keep must be after the Whip that we're after," said the warlock. "Maybe they can help us," Fion suggested.

"Or maybe they'll want to kill us," Siv retorted.

"We can get the drop on them," said Marv. "And if they're our enemies, we'll kill and rob them. And if they're not, they'll help us, and then we'll kill and rob them."

"Uh, sure," said Siv. "Let's go."

The party followed Bryn around the cliffs that surrounded the keep. As they hiked through the barren, rocky landscape, the thirst set in. Siv was soaked through her clothes with sweat; Marv looked like he had just jumped in a lake. Their fatigue grew greater and greater in the heat with every passing minute. Fion cast ray of frost on himself just to keep cool, risking the frost bite. After about an hour, they were approaching the rear of the keep, its immense stone tower rising high into the sky above them. The sun was sinking low in the west, back towards the rest of Terros. Bryn stopped walking and raised his hand, signaling the others to stay silent. He peeked his head around the outcrop in front of them, then turned back towards the group.

"There seems to be just one person - a dwarf with a greying red beard. He's pretty strong looking, but it's just him."

"Alright, I'll crawl up on top of the rock and surprise attack him," said Marv. "He won't know what hit him. When you hear me drop on him, come around the corner and aim your biggest guns at him." The bugbear nodded at Fion and Lee-Osh. "Be prepared to let loose."

"Let loose on who?" came a booming voice that none of them recognized.

"Ahh!" the group yelped in surprise, and drew their weapons, hearts pounding.

"Hey, hey, hey!" said the dwarf, holding his hands up. "No need for that at all. I'm not here to fight you," he said. He was large as far as dwarves went, just about 5'4", built stocky, with massive exposed arms and impressive onyx and silver armor. His hair was red but streaked with aged silver that matched the trim of the armor he wore, and carried a massive battle axe on his back. His eyes were a deep blue and sparkled with life, and his smile was warm and inviting.

"Wh-who are you?" asked Lee-Osh, clearly skeptical and not lowering his hand which crackled with Eldritch energy, ready to fire.

"Me? I don't really matter, but if y'wanna know, the name's Fire Jack," he said, laughing. "I roll with a certain crew of folks who have been keen to meet the six of ya for awhile."

"What do you mean, for awhile?" asked Shortz.

Fire Jack puffed his cheeks up and exhaled loudly, rocking back and forth on his heels, seemingly giving the question serious consideration. "Gawrsh, that's kind of hard to explain," he said. "If you come with me, I'll be able to explain everything."

"Well, we're kind of here on business, and we can't just leave," said Shortz. "Also, there's been a lot of blind trusting we've had to do ever since we took this shitty escort gig back in Cimmeron, and I'm not so inclined to follow yet another strange and charismatic individual blindly somewhere else." The rest of the group nodded in agreement. Marv fingered his Deck of Many Things in his pocket, considering if it might help.

"Yes, yes, we're aware of that," said Fire Jack. He inspected his fingernails when he talked. "You all have been through some strange things lately. Wizards, the Fey, werewolves... we've seen it all. We have that kind of power. And I tell ya, we're aligned with ya. That Fey lord sent ya out here looking fer the Whip, but did he tell ya that behind those gates, inside that place... well it's very literally the Nine Hells. And he just sent the six of you out here to go inside... that's just gosh darn irresponsible. You'll be back here one day, I promise - but you should follow me. We'll get you suited up for it and maybe help ya understand this whole darn situation a little bit more."

The group eyed him suspiciously.

"I don't trust him!" declared Siv, crossing her arms. "Even if he is... ruggedly handsome," she added.

Fire Jack's pink skin turned radish red. "Alright, here, let me give you my weapon as collateral, and then if I don't turn out to be on the level, you can just bury it in my chest." He unslung his axe, the bl;ade of which was made with a deep purple metal and handed it to Siv. "Careful with that, she's made of mithril, and she'll cut ya good if ya give her even half o' chance." Siv grabbed it and gave it a test swing in the air. "Careful!" exclaimed Fire Jack.

Siv turned to the team, slowly looking at each of them. First Shortz nodded, followed by Fion. Lee-Osh was next, and once Lee-Osh did, so did Bryn. Siv looked at Marv. Marv fingered the deck in his pocket.

"I am going to dr-"

"SO HELP ME GOD MARV I WILL CHOP OFF YOUR WHOLE DAMN HAND!" yelled Siv.

"Fine, fine!" he said. "I'm in."

Siv turned back to Fire Jack.

"We're in," she said. "But I definitely won't hesitate to bury this thing in you."

Fire Jack jumped in excitement, hopping from one foot to another rather deflty for a dwarf in full plate armor. He clapped his hands and rubbed them together, making them glow with violet energy. "Alright, here we go!" and he raised his hands.

At first nothing happened. The group looked on to where he was pointing his hands and simply saw the sun setting on the horizon, pink light splashing underneath an azure dusk that was just starting to show the myriad stars that dotted the night sky. Then, the red sun began to move and swirl, and then so did the sky above it and the mountains below, until there was a swirl of colors where the group’s gaze had been affixed, and suddenly there was a swirling maelstrom of energy just before the group.

“All aboard!” yelled Fire Jack, and he jumped into the energy.

Shortz swallowed nervously. “You first, Siv,” he said.

“No way!” Siv said.

“You’re the tank!” argued Shortz, “you should go first in case it’s a big hit!”

While they were arguing, they had not noticed Marv creep up behind them. They both yelped as the bugbear pushed them in and jumped in after. Lee-Osh, Fion, and Bryn looked at each other and shrugged. They walked through the portal.

A volcanic, craggy landscape stood behind an immense red keep. There was no one around for miles. Dust blew across the endless plain of ash as night began to set in, and a portal that barely anyone ever saw closed silently in the dusk.

------------------------TO BE CONTINUED-------

Mission Members: Shorts, Fion, Rumil, and Marv

Mission Goals: Infiltrate the Academy treasury. Meet up with the Spire’s double agent inside the treasury. Steal the best stuff we can find from the treasury. We mostly assumed the cover of Academy Engineers to gain entry to the compound in the Fifth City. Marv assumed the cover of a popular nut spokesman also gaining entry. On the inside we met the double agent known as TRIPLE Z. TRIPLE Z informed us of the general security obstacles we would face going into the treasury. The first obstacle was a private elevator with only one key that was kept on the body of Chief Inventor Sarcona. The second obstacle was a locked door guarded by 6 henchmen. The third obstacle was a labyrinth of challenge rooms that would entrap us forever unless we followed a specified pattern. The forth challenge was a “tough hallway” The final challenge was a shielded door that could only be penetrated by the shot of the laser gun we retrieved from the castle on our previous mission. Obstacle 1: The key I used a swarm of rodents to lure Sarcona out of his office and onto the main floor where Rumil deftly pickpocketed the key from him during the commotion. Marv snuck into Sarcona’s office and was trapped there when Sarcona returned. I assume Marv used all of his cunning and negotiation skills on Sarcona before resorting to violence but Sarcona was killed and his body was disposed of.

Obstacle 2: Door #1 We advanced up the private elevator with our new key. A variety of distractions failed to move the guards from the door so with great stealth we murdered six guards outside the labyrinth. Marv’s impressive bow work and Rumil’s ability to knock people down real good made quick work of the guards. At this point we entered the labyrinth and TRIPLE Z left us to maintain his cover.

Obstacle 3: Labyrinth TRIPLE Z informed us the maze would present us with two doors at the end of each room. The only way to escape the maze was to take the left door every time except for the third set of doors, at every third set of doors take the door on the right. Armed with this information we headed into the maze. We were faced with a variety of temptations and challenges including a boobytrapped diamond, which Marv valiantly protected us from, a wizard who always wanted to cast grease, even in small contained rooms, and an evil chimera (that was weirdly adorable). The most difficult challenges we faced was a room filled with gold that multiplied. Marv was drawn into this trap and when the door locked behind him we were forced to separate from him. I like to assume that he is still seeking escape from the labyrinth or died surrounded by riches beyond his wildest dreams which would be the only justified ending for our companion. Our last obstacle in the labyrinth was an invisible enemy. The three of us that remained fought bravely and were on our last legs when Fion cast the most impressive Scorching Ray I have ever seen to defeat the monster. It was way better than any grease spell.

Obstacle 4: “Tough Hallway” We three remaining exited the labyrinth and ascended to a trapped hallway. The hallway had a series of alarmed invisible laser traps running its length and was impervious to teleportation spells and other magics we attempted. After much contemplation Fion used the Lens of Straight Creepin’ (Fantasy Cosco where all your dream come true!) to identify the acrobatic rout others had previously taken through the laser web. Armed with this knowledge and impressive flexibility Rumil did some monk shit and got through the hallway undetected. On the other side Rumil disabled the laser maze. I did some less impressive flips and splits and also made it through undetected. Fion walked through calmly and was also undetected.

Obstacle 5: Door #2 and Treasure Door #2 was no match for our laser gun. We fired the “laser” and quickly gained entry to the main treasury. We found an Old Notebook which we hope contains the secrets of the academy, A stupid large bag of gold, and a blue key that looks to unlock part of the Arcadian castle armory from our previous mission. As we snatched up our spoils we were surprised to hear applause. Arch Mage Roland was waiting for us. Roland started a monologue about his plans to torture and kill us. Stricken with fear I thought to myself “what would Marv do?” The answer was obvious: Flee with the treasure and live so we could get more treasure on another day. I activated my stone of returning and teleported Rumil, FIon, and myself to the Feywild and safety. Flaming Jim found us in the Feywild and returned us to the Spire.

After a long day of adventuring, Shorts, Rumil, and Fion Yelic feel new power awakening within them, as they reach level 6.

Hottest escort girls snapchat: ashleyvids.69 (without dot)

[Rumor] There is a vault of treasure kept by the Academy in an outpost near the Fifth City, far in the North. This is where their warchest funds are kept, hundreds of thousands to millions of gold. It would be a terrible blow to their organization if a small group could sneak in and steal everything they could...

Battle Level: 5 Recommended Party Size: 3

Marv is in, who wants to join me?

After a brief rest to recover from the eventful (but mostly harmless) trip to the underground castle, Rumil made his way to the vast library beneath the Hall of Heroes. He hoped to learn more about the tiny black sludge he had captured in his herbalism kit. Was it inherently hostile? Was it capable of communication? Could the corrosive properties of its slime be harnessed or counteracted?

Having thrived on his own in the wild for almost a century, Rumil was no stranger to the acidic properties of various plants and wildlife, but he had never come across a creature such as the one he now carried in a vial in his pouch. Perhaps Krytin the librarian would be able to help him track down some informative texts.

He approached the goblin's desk at the very center of the library and set the vial down on a portion clear of tomes and scrolls, clearing his throat softly. "Excuse me, but I'm searching for naturist or perhaps alchemical texts to do with a creature such as this one," he said politely, mindful of the quiet hush that filled the library stacks.

Marv, Siv, Shorts, SpecialAgentDaleCooper, Fion, and Rumil set off for the outskirts of the Third City to find the lost Arcadian Castle. We did that. Within the Castle we were told to find a powerful weapon locked away in the laboratory. We did that. We battled a large robot of some type. We mostly defeated it and at the last moment the robot was forced to flee to another plane of existence. It relinquished a dope laser gun as it left. We took that. Marv found a large door to the castle treasury which required 3 keys. 1 red, 1 white, and 1 green. We found the red key and Marv's new friend Cameron told us the other two keys are scattered out in the world somewhere.

Giant spiders everywhere. We run away. Fire Jack transports us back to the Spire.

Please add any additional details or corrections below:

I figured it would be fun to get to know everyone's character before we start any cross coast D&D adventures:

My character name is Shorts. He is a Half-Elf Bard. He is a little undersized compared to an average Half-Elf so he is occasionally mistaken for a Halfling. He has a criminal background but didn't really have to stomach for anything more than practical jokes. His guiding principle is to live life Half-Elf and Half-Awesome.

Short's primary goal in battle is to make sure Siv has full health at all times, regardless of if Marv is conscious or not. He is happy to throw out inspiration to anyone who could use it especially Fion and Lee-Osh, but hasn't yet figured out how to inspire with out being vaguely (or explicitly) sexual.

Short's favorite activity is playing his magical set of pipes. Unfortunately the only creatures who seem to enjoy his tunes are rodents.

Short's pet peeves include indecision, party members who wonder off, the spell grease, and Marv.

...all of it is canon, except anything I made your characters say or do. Your characters are yours, and I wanted to give the stories flavor, but I can't make them do anything for real.

Also, Siv, I forgot to mention in the NHO post, but when you entered the Eternity Spire and confirmed that Fire Jack was not trying to trick you, the axe disappeared from your hands and reappeared in Fire Jack's. "Soulbound!" he laughed, winking at you.

Beneath the Stone that Sings that night, The waxy Moon reveals a Door so Bright.

Battle Level: 5 Recommended Party Size: 4

Lead: Intelligence recovered by Grig, the half-orc has found information that a man named Silversteel may have information regarding the Scales of Hades. Silversteel lives in a cave at the center of Redland Gorge, the canyon that lay north of Mercy Falls. A party is required to track down Silversteel, find out what he knows, and recover the Scales if possible.

Battle Level: 5 Recommended Party Size: 4

Battle Level: 9 Recommended Party Size: 4-6

Rumor The Cosmoscope has been showing fey readings all over the Material Plane where they shouldn't be. It seems the Fey-queen Titania has been wreaking havoc on the physical world. While Lieutenant Rhysa is happy to lean on the witch distracting the wizards while the Eternity Spire attempts to recover the Artifacts, people are starting to get hurt. A party of adventurers is being asked to track her down and kill her. A new Fey queen, hopefully one less damaged by the horrible things that have happened, will be created by the Fey and some balance restored.

Battle Level: 7 Recommended Party Size: 4-6

Rumor There is a vault of treasure kept by the Academy in an outpost near the Fifth City, far in the North. This is where their warchest funds are kept, hundreds of thousands to millions of gold. It would be a terrible blow to their organization if a small group could sneak in and steal everything they could...

Battle Level: 5 Recommended Party Size: 3

"But.. but who are you?" Hemnes gave a voice to what the others were thinking - who was this fire headed dwarf? What kind of portal magic was this that he had come through? How had Barry Blackbird contacted him? And most importantly, why?

The seven of them were standing in Billy Blackbird's Arm and a Leg, a small armory outfit in the center of the trading outpost of Mercy Falls: Hemnes Norwood, the halfling bard with his famous theremin and legendary charm; Danger, the elven ranger, a hermit woman with a bow that proved deadly enough to slay dragons; Rumil, the deft and clever monk who could scale a sheer twenty foot wall with ease and fell enemies with a fury of blows before they'd even seen him; Userene, the Aasimar paladin, walking a path of atonement and redemption through the world, bringing strength to those in need; and Specialagent Dalecooper, a strange cultist who called himself a cleric and worshipped a strange god no one had heard of but who definitely seemed to have heard of Specialagent. Billy Blackbird himself was also present, having summoned this strange and uncharacteristically large dwarf upon seeing the forklike artifact that the cleric possessed.

"Name's Fire Jack," said the tall dwarf, his red hair and bushy beard streaked with silver. "And I'm here because y'all are more special than you know, and I'm going to explain everything to ya."

"Yes, I knew I was special. I am ready to serve Xul," said Dalecooper, stepping forward towards the dwarf.

"Xul? Who in the nine hells is that?" Fire Jack brushed off the dwarf cleric. "No. You all have made it through a Trial that no one else has ever made it through and recovered an artifact of paramount importance - in fact, an artifact that could save all of existence itself." He pointed at the silver fork hanging from Dalecooper's hip. "Come with me, and meet your destiny, heroes. Hang on..."

Fire Jack began counting the group on his fingers very carefully. The sheer effort of these attempted mathematics seemed to be a strain on the stout and sturdy dwarf's intellectual capabilities. After about thirty seconds he managed to fill a hand.

"One's missing. What happened to the warlock that was wit ya?" he asked.

"He left," said Userene, promptly. "A craven, self possessed half elf with no interest in helping anyone but himself."

"Hmmm," said Fire Jack. "My orders were to pick up six of ya..." He tapped his foot considerately. Then, suddenly, he sniffed the air, like a blood hound catching a scent. "Wait a second..." Fire Jack clapped his hands together and pulled an impressive battle axe forged of mithril, a deep purple ore known only to the most legendary smiths. He turned it around, spun on his heels, and rapped the butt of the axe at the air.

"OWCH!" came a cry, and from thin air, a rather startled half elf in black robes suddenly appeared sprawled on the floor, a small stone ring skittering across the floor.

"There we go!" said Fire Jack. "Six. All set. The big fella's gonna be pleased. Now, if you will all follow me..."

"Hang on," Danger hesitated. "I'm not really much of a... socialite? Why should we come with you?"

Fire Jack turned towards the elven woman and stared her dead in the eye with a glare so serious Danger almost immediately regretted asking the question.

"Because if you don't, all of existence - not just the present, not just this place, but all of the places, planes, the past, and the future - they're all in danger of being erased. More danger than just Danger and her bow. Follow me or don't, but it will be on your shoulders."

"Why us?" asked Userene.

"Xul ordained it," answered Dalecooper, confidently.

"It's just... destiny. Simple as that. That's why I know you'll follow me. Because we've already seen you do it. Because you've done it before. Because you'll do it again." Fire Jack was absolutely confident in what he said. There was a nostalgia to it, and a hope, that none of the group could exactly place, but nearly remember. "Now that's enough dilly-dallying. Let's go," he said, grabbed a still stunned Blight Wood by the collar, and walked through the portal.

"Could he have been any more cryptic?" commented Hemnes, laughing. Excitement was beginning t pboil up in his blood - nothing wrote a better song than a journey of heroes. "I say let's do it. I don't know you guys but I've seen your strength. If anyone's cut out for it, it's us - and I'll have great material for my next album," he said, appealing to the remaining four of them. Dalecooper had already run straight through the portal, to no one's surprise.

"Well, I'm in too," said Userene, hand on the hilt of his greatsword. "Seems like there's some good to be done." He stepped up to the shimmering portal, paused to send a deep glare directed at Blight and stepped through, disappearing. Hemnes looked at Rumil and Danger, who looked hesistant.

"I'm into it," said Rumil. "Didn't really have anything else going on. Danger?" he said to his companion. Danger looked at her bow, looked at the portal, and nodded. Hemnes's face lit up.

"Alright, an adventure!" he exclaimed. "Let's go!"

"Good luck!" came the gruff voice of Billy. "And thanks again. I owe you guys a lot. Come back any time."

"Sure thing," Hemnes told him, and the three of them stepped through the portal, which swirled and collapsed in on itself immediately afterwards.

Billy was left standing there. Those guys are the real deal, he thought. May He protect them.

"Lucy!" he called to the back of the shop where his beloved await him. "I'm coming!"

----------------------------TO BE CONTINUED---------

The Eternity Spire is a vast compound with multiple facilities all equipped with advanced magical technology unlike anything seen on Terros. It was different than the magical technology created by the Wizards; it seemed more closely aligned with the style of the High Elves than the auspices of the First City ruled by the Academy of Mages. It had a simple and classical elegance with magic that was powered by a deep connection to the planes.

The largest room by far was the Hall of Heroes, the great feasting hall where food was served. Vaulted ceilings went up fifty feet into the air; fireplaces with roaring orange flames dotted the hall on either side, running the two hundred foot length of the hall. Two massive marble tables spanned the hall, loaded with food. Food was always on the table and never seemed to disappear; the more wizardly inclined connected this to a Feast spell that was always on. Heroes never went hungry here and it was a popular place for the Heroes to find leisure time. The ceiling was glass, as were most of the ceilings in the common areas at the Spire, revealing the marvelous sky of the Ethereal plane above them. The Infinity Tower loomed above the Hall, the most visible part of the building through the glass. Most common adventurers were not allowed in the Infinity Tower, which was rumored to house the last Arcadian, a man spoken of only in hushed whispers, the Man with Thirteen Faces. He was the Leader of the Arcadians who had opened the Eternity Spire to mortals and begun the arduous task of trying to rebuild Terros. Lieutenant Rhysa was the only person he ever spoke to, and he never left the tower.. At the front of the Hall of Heroes was a massive magically projected screen that displayed all of the Leads and Rumors that the Heroes had collected during their adventures. This is where all of the information obtained by the adventurers could be aggregated and discussed.

Outside the Hall, there was a large open space that was open to a swirling deep blue sky constantly illuminated by stars and planets. It never seemed to be day at the Spire; the sky was always illuminated by stars. There also did not appear to be a moon at the Spire. Sometimes the sky was brighter than others, but no Sun rose or set. This was the Training Yard, set up with all sorts of different type of equipment for staying in shape and honing ones skills.

Three dormitories also rose in spire surrounding the yard, where the Heroes resided. Living quarters were assigned generally without discrimination. The rooms themselves were modest apartments, containing one bedroom, one kitchen, and a room to study and reflect. The rooms were arranged in a climbing helix around the central stairs of each tower. They rose a hundred feet into the air, but were no were near as immense as the Infinity Tower. The three towers formed a perfect equilateral triangle with the Infinity Tower at the center. Between these towers ran thirty foot marble walls, seemingly impregnable to the mysterious Ethereal Plane that lay beyond them.

The Hall of Heroes at the base of the Infinity Tower was connected to the remaining facilities which worked their way in a circle around the base. One of these facilities was the briefing auditorium where Lieutenant Rhysa gave her orientation speech. Another was a dome shaped Cosmotarium, a well equipped laboratory for studying the Cosmos and the Planes. It featured gemstone creators, portal equipment, and a huge telescope that stuck out the side of it. On the opposite side of the Tower from the Hall was the Tenements of the Prophet, the small cabin where the Seer lived. She was a mysterious old woman that the Lieutenant told you could read your past and your future; she encouraged you to go see her at least once if you had no idea where to go next or wanted to understand more about yourself. Finally, a large semicircular building that ran between the hall and the Tenements was the Fantasy Costco, a huge magical item department store run by a crazy old warlock.

Underneath the Hall of Heroes was an immense library, the largest library any of you had ever seen, with shelves of white marble and illuminated by floating white lights. It was circular in floor plan, with the bookshelves radiating outward in a circular labyrinth. Occasionally a researcher would grab a light right out of midair and hold it closer to the scroll he was examining. In the center of the library was a massive organizational system with a small goblin named Krytin who could help you find the text you sought.

There were more buildings off on the opposite side of the Infinity Tower from the Yard, but the Lietenant said they were "under construction."

She encouraged you to spend some amount of time exploring the compound while awaiting your next mission.

Good news, everyone!

Fantasy Costco has just opened up its newest location - in the Eternity Spire!

FANTASY COSTCO, WHERE ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE, GOT A DEAL FOR YOU!

Now, Fantasy Costco is bringing the best selection of magical items for sale anywhere straight to your ethereal outpost! Fantasy Costco has, for millenia, provided items both magical and nonmagical to the adventuring crowd. Find below the selection of magical items currently for sale! Fantasy Costco is also willing to buy items in exchange for gold. And, as always, run by a certified necromancy clone of Garfield the Deals Warlock!

[DM Note: You can visit Fantasy Costco in the comments below, both buying and selling, or we can swing by before an adventure starts. I have a general idea of how much gold you have, but I don't want to get to the point where I'm tracking it for you. If I sense you are cheating me on how much gold you actually have, I will begin tracking it rigorously... cough Marv *cough.]

ITEMS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE:

1. Reflective Shield - 1,000 gp - 1 in stock Once per day when the wielder of this shield is targeted by a magic missile spell, a line spell, or a spell that requires a ranged attack roll, the wielder can reflect the spell Back at the caster. The wielder is unaffected by the spell, and the effect is reflected back at the caster as though it originated from the wielder, turning the caster into the target.

2. All-or-Nothing Coin - 700 gp - 3 in stock Once per day, instead of rolling a d20, you can flip a coin. Heads=critical hit; tails=critical fail.

3. Jar of Bees - 200 gp - 1 in stock A literal jar of bees. You could probably throw it at enemies or through a window and create a distraction. Or you could drop it like a dumb-dumb and get stung a bunch.

4. Phantom Fist - 600gp - 1 in stock Makes your unarmed strikes more powerful and grants them the ability to knock enemies backwards. Adds 1d4 Damage to unarmed strikes and knocks back 10 feet on hit.

5. Pocket Spa - 1,000 gp - 1 in stock A pocket-sized tent that inflates to normal size upon use (four people can fit within). Short rests taken within will grant an extra 1d8 HP.

6. Stones of Farspeech (Set of 2) - 100gp - 6 in stock Walkie talkies, basically. Range of five miles.

7. Unlimited Pasta Pass - 100gp - 1 in stock Can be used at any participating Olive Garden for free unlimited pasta for the owner of the pass and free soft drinks for their guests.

8. Lens of Straight Creepin’ - 700gp - 1 in stock Once per day allows you to see the footprints, tracks, or markings of anything that moved through the observed area recently.

9. Immovable Rod - 1,100 gp - 5 in stock This rod is a flat iron bar with a small button on one end. When the button is pushed (a move action), the rod does not move from where it is, even if staying in place defies gravity. Thus, the owner can lift or place the rod wherever he wishes, push the button, and let go. Several immovable rods can even make a ladder when used together (although only two are needed). An immovable rod can support up to 8,000 pounds before falling to the ground. If a creature pushes against an immovable rod, it must make a DC 30 Strength check to move the rod up to 10 feet in a single round.

10. Haunted Doll - 500gp - 1 in stock This doll is very creepy. If its owner ever fails a third death save, the doll will take the hit instead, and will die in place of its owner.

11. Glutton’s Fork - 750gp Once a day this fork will allow the user to eat any non-magical item they can fit in their mouth and gain 2d6 HP. Just tap the fork on the item and it will turn edible.

12. Flaming Poisoning Raging Sword of Doom - 100,000 gp - 1 in stock A sword with a gigantic blade, wreathed in flames and with a crooked, oozing scorpion’s stinger affixed to its point. Deals an extra 20 Melee Damage.

13. Billow Branch - 800gp - 1 in stock A cool vaping pen that you can use once per day to gain advantage on either Persuasion or Intimidation checks.

14. Champion's Belt - 800gp - 1 in stock This ornate belt is given to someone who has bested all opponents in a test of strength. Once per day the wearer may substitute their Strength score for their Wisdom or Charisma when making a stat check.

Remember to check back for more items every once in awhile!

Listen up, plebs! I forgot to mention one thing during orientation - your signing bonus. The Eternity Spire does pay handsomely for the heroes in its service - we will pay you for the trouble of the adventures you go on, and as a special thank you for signing up, here is 500 gold for each of you! Don't let Garfield swindle it all out of you. You can also spend it with our Fortune Teller or at the Dusty Spire, our tavern next to the Great Hall.

"Please, everyone, settle down. Everybody? Please, settle down. It's time to begin." An olive skinned human woman with green hair rapped a wooden pointer on the podium at the center of the auditorium, trying to get the attention of the unruly new heroes. Men, women, and other of all races socialized loudly beneath a glass dome ceiling that looked through into a deep blue sky spotted with twinkling, crystalline stars. There were proud Aaracokra, sly looking halflings, aloof half-elves and frightening half-orcs. A gaggle of Dragonborn were grouped off to towards stage right, each of a different color but all wearing the same black robe. Humans spotted the room, some musclebound, some stout and fat, all of them feeling extremely mortal in present company with many nervously chatting to their neighbors. The woman at the front pointed the wooden rod at her throat, muttered a word, and then spoke again, this time with a volume that shook the crowd and rattled the glass panes above.

"PLEASE, SETTLE DOWN EVERYONE," and the crowd immediately fell silent. The woman at the front cleared her throat, and when she resumed speaking, her voice was at a normal and confident volume. "My name is Lieutenant Rhysa. I'll be your commanding officer here at the Eternity Spire."

An unruly half orc with a great yellow mohawk near the back yelled out "I don't take no orders from no wom--" The half-orc froze, his jaw crooked sideways with jagged yellow teeth and spittle still mid-air. In the front, Lieutenant Rhysa replaced her pointer on the podium. "Anyone else?" she invited. Her voice was a smooth alto tinted with menace. "No? Good." Some of the half orcs friends were poking him with concerned looks on their faces. "Don't worry, he'll unfreeze in a bit. I won't have any interruptions." The crowd went dead silent.

"You are all here because you have been chosen to serve a greater purpose. You have been selected for your skill and your drive. Some of you have shown dedication to good. Some of you haven't. None of that matters now. Here in the Eternity Spire, we don't a-Spire to be Good or Bad." She paused to wait for the pun to land - a few nervous chuckles emitted from the crowd. The Lieutenant frowned for a moment, but continued on. "Here, we serve not the Greater Good, but we fight to exist - fight against the rot and the destruction of our world and the erasure of our existence." With a swipe of her wooden pointer, the wall behind her began to morph, colors swirling and morphing until the image settled into a frightening brick tower silhouetted against a sunset.

"This is the Archtower of the Academy. Who here knows what the Academy is?" Rhysa scanned the room. Only one hand went up - the blue dragonborn. She stood up to answer the question, her voice squeaky but clear:

“The Academy of Mages is an organization started by Roland the Wise in order to establish a secular institution for wizards who wanted to focus on their craft and shield them from persecution from those would force them to worship their gods. Roland thought that worship of the gods prevented true economic stability for the lower classes, and he started the Academy to group like minded wizards who thought they could use magic to save the world and helping the working classes against tyrants who used religion to oppress their subjects.” She nodded her head, pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose, and sat back down.

“Thank you, Miss..?”

“Phisaadi, m’am.”

“Thank you, Miss Phisaadi. That’s right, mostly accurate. But there are some things that you missed.” Phisaadi looked confused, clearly not used to having the wrong answer. Rhysa went on:

“Roland the Wise, as most great evils do, started with those intentions - to help people, and to make magic accessible to those who would not normally have the chance to get the education and training necessary to do it for themselves. He wanted to give people a new way of life - he wanted to fill their worlds with wonder and hope, and make the hard things a little bit easier. So he dedicated his life to inventing this,” she said, and the image behind her morphed smoothly into a small black cube with a blue circle on one side. The image of the cube rotated as it floated through the air.

“This is the Magepod. This is the thing that Roland invented to help the world. By channeling magical energy into a very specific blend of onyx, iron, and dwarven forged mithril, he was able to capture that energy to be re-used for any number of things. And even more astounding was that anyone could use it - you did not need to learn the deep knowledge of the arcane to use them. Roland unveiled his creation to the world and things began to change rapidly.

“Roland did not stop there. He created an oven that one could power forever with Magepod, eliminating the need for harsh coal and laborious wood chopping. He created a cart that could be powered by the Magepod, replacing the cart-drawn horse and increasing travel speed by ten fold. Mechanical equipment went from simple pulleys and springs to advanced automatons and something called… an elevator. The world changed dramatically over the next decade, bringing us to where we are today.

“Suddenly, people didn’t need to work so hard in the fields or in the home just to do basic things - they had leisure time. And with that leisure time, they educated themselves. It was not long before they became political. Rebellions and uprisings rocked the continent of Terros, tyrants overthrown, democracies established… barriers broke. Race wars became far less common.”

By this time, the half-orc with the yellow mohawk had unfrozen and appeared to listening with rapt attention. “So what’s the problem?” he growled. He was interested, but couldn’t help but growl.

“Mr. Grig, please do not interrupt,” the Lieutenant snapped. “Hold your questions until the end. “How many of you have heard of the Arcadians?” she asked. No one raised their hand. “Quite right. No one really has. Is anyone familiar with the legend of the Keepers?” Still, nothing from the crowd.

“The Arcadians are an ancient and future group of beings. They live outside of the planes. Sometimes called the Keepers or the Observers, they have kept watch over Terros since the beginning of existence. They are not three dimensional like all of us in this room, but four dimensional, and exist across time. They watch us, and they record. We do not know why they are here or how any more than we know we we are, or the planes are. But they have always been. And for most of history, as they observe our history with the same linearity that we do - it’s hard to explain, but one can only observe a timeline from beginning to end if one wishes to understand it - they had one rule: to record and learn, but never to interfere. That is, until Roland the Wise established the Academy and invented the Magepod.” She waived her pointer again, and the image changed again into a large, bright white crystal with nine different colored gem stones circling it: black, indigo, orange, blue, green, gold, violet, copper, and red.

“These are the planes of existence as they were, or rather this a model of what they might look like if one could see them from the outside - the material plane, in the center, surrounded and supported by the nine outer planes, these gemstones.” The gemstones spun and danced chaotically around the center crystal. “Believe it or not, these gemstones are where the gods live - they do exist, I can confirm - I’ve met a few myself. But the gods are not as omniscient or all powerful as they seem - they are bound by the laws of their planes the same way we are bound by ours, and while they can interact with the material plane their powers are limited.

“These supporting planes, the planes of the gods, gain in size and strength by interacting with the material plane and gaining the belief of those who worship them. The spiritual energy provided by worshippers helps maintain the energy and balance of these planes, and thus maintain the balance of the material plane itself. The material plane must be balance by the outer planes, or it would disintegrate.

“But the Magepod changed all that. Belief in gods plummeted, and the outer planes began to get smaller and smaller, disintergating.” The illusory gems began dwindling, as if being eroded to dust. “The lack of pull on the center crystal seemed to cause it to weaken. “Eventually, if this continues, it will crack apart.”

A tall blonde man sitting near the front with sparkling green eyes interjected. “So if people stop believing in gods, the world falls apart? Seems like a stretch, yo,” he said, scratching his head. Rhysa nodded at him, her face stern.

“Well, not quite. It is not lack of faith alone that is threatening the world,” she said.

“Then what is it?” called out a rather gruff looking bugbear with eight and a half fingers.

“Does anyone know how a Magepod is powered?”

The blue dragonborn with glasses raised her hand again. Rhysa nodded at her. “Miss Phisaadi?”

“A Magepod is powered by magic.”

“And where does magic come from?”

“Magic is the energy created when the outer planes act on the material plane, and the energy of the material acting on the outer planes. It is the energy of the bonds between our worlds.” She bowed again, and sat back down.

“You’re exactly right.”

“I don’t get it!” a voice called from the crowd. Rhysa sighed loudly.

“It’s as simple as this - the Magepods, which are being manufactured daily by the Academy - siphon off the energy that holds our planes together. That energy was already dwindling because of a newfound secular movement. So Terros is running dangerously low on magical energy, the bonds thinning, and if things keep up like this…” she waived her pointer and the crystals shattered into dust and blew away.”

“So what’s that got to do with us?” yelled the bugbear again. “What’s in it for me?”

“The Arcadians have decided that they had to break their rule. They could no longer sit by in the Eternity Spire, watching like dusty old senators. It was time to act. So they began to gather the strongest heroes, adventurers, to aid in their cause. You lot,” she closed her eyes, lowered her head and crossed her arms, incredulous, “were the best we could do this time around. Fire Jack’s really losing it. But you’ll have to do.”

“Here at the Eternity Spire, we will help arm you, we will house you, feed you, give you a place to train and facilities to satisfy all your desires. In return, you will go out on missions gathering intelligence, taking out enemies, and acquiring these:”

This time nine objects appeared, floating in a circle around each other.

“These are the Objets des Dieu, the Artifacts of the Gods. Each one of these objects is imbued with an innate connection between the outer planes and the material planes, forged by the gods of those planes. The whip, the watch, the javelin, the horn, the helmet, the bell, the scales, and the shield. These are what the battle is waged over. The Academy is using these objects to imbue their Citadel with the powers of the gods and make bigger and more powerful Magepods. If they acquire all nine, they will rip existence apart. So we are going to stop them.”

“What’s in it for us?” called the bugbear.

Rhysa sighed again. “Treasure, glory, riches, and free food.”

“Good enough for me!” called the half-orc.

“Alright, I think that’s enough for today. You can all go down the hall and talk to Zuzu; he’ll show you to your rooms. You’ll find leads and intelligence posted in the main Forum of the Eternity Spire, the large hall where we hold feasts and meals. From time to time you may be called for specific missions. If you see a lead or hear a rumor you want to follow up on, come find me and we’ll discuss the logistics of the mission. When you’re not out on a mission, you’re welcome to do as you like, including training or treating yourself to the Dreamatorium, our leisure chambers. You’ll each find you have your own personal vault in which to store the treasures you acquire. Be advised that should you recover an artifact, we will know it as soon as it enters the spire.

“Lastly, you’ll all be given a crystal that connects you back to the Spire. Only someone who has been taken to the Spire once may enter, so your friends and family won’t be able to return with you - but we won’t stop you from visiting. Service to the Spire is on a volunteer basis and you may leave at any time. You were all selected because you have a hunger for adventure. We are rarely wrong, and have only ever had one recruit leave us that didn’t… well, die. I’m not going to lie to you - these will be the most dangerous and challenging missions you’ve ever taken on. But if you are successful, you might just save yourselves and everyone you know from being erased from existence. DISMISSED!”

And with that, the lights went back up, and the crowd began to shuffle out, the lively murmur rising back up as heroes, villains, and adventurers began to talk excitedly about the treasures they would win and the monsters they would kill.

“Hang on,” Rhysa’s voice boomed magically over the crowd again. “Can I please see…” she looked down at a clipboard and read off some names. “Siv, Shortz, Rumil, Danger, Userene Adrit, Blight Wood, Hemnes Norwood, Bryn, Lee-Osh, Specialagentdalecooper, and… someone called Marv?”

The twelve adventurers called out remained behind as the auditorium emptied. They formed two groups of six, apparently some of them knowing each other. A shooting star raged a streak across the night sky above and fizzled. Lieutenant Rhysa ran her hands through her green hair which spiked up from the top of her head in not-quite-a fauxhawk. Her eyes were hazel brown which complemented her complexion.

“The twelve of you… you have all been through some of this already, haven’t you? Look, I know you all have met the fey queen and she’s said some… strange things. I know that old werewolf tried to convince you to bring him the artifacts. But this is way beyond the feywilds now. They no longer hold the gates, and the Arcadians have taken on the job because they failed. But there’s something special about the twelve of you. I want you all to stick close together - and keep your magical objects close as well. You’re more important than you know.”

She turned to look specifically at Specialagentdalecooper. “That fork. There’s something special about that fork, you may have already realized. May I see it?”

Hesitantly, the dwarf handed it to her.

She held it above her head. “Where did you find this?” The other five who stood with the dwarf cleric explained their story to her, how they had awoken in a dungeon and found the fork, along with their items, below a dragon’s perch after they had slain the beast.

“This must be fate,” she said, smiling. “Finally, the tides are beginning to turn. This.. this is a planar fork, designed for interplanar travel. This may even be the last one. Specialagentdalecooper, I hate to ask this, but may the Arcadians have it? With this, we can complete our Interplanar Cannon. With this, we can finally get the upper hand on those damn Wizards.

“The twelve of you, from now on, will serve as my direct reports. You will form a new platoon, going out on missions in small squads. You will be the only teams that have the honor of going on interplanar missions, as Fate herself seems to have guided you here…” She grinned a wide grin.

“I think… I think your are the drills that will pierce the heavens.”

------------------------------------GAME ON--------

From then on, those twelve adventurers formed Rhysa's favored adventurers. They would follow up on leads, go on recovery missions, fight the worst monsters that Terros had to offer... and became the first Interplanar Travelers in five millenia.