Greeting, Heroes of the Realms,
One fact of the times we face ahead is that ours is not the only plane threatened by Bedlam. All intelligence from World Horizon indicates that they have lost their battle against the black tide, and the plane is in its death throes. If we had any chance of helping them, I would have written you sooner. Though we cannot save World Horizon, we may be able to stop it from becoming a greater threat to our own existence.
As lead agent on Project Bookwalker, I am authorized to organize a party and make one final expedition to World Horizon. Several of our agents are currently using the Oracular Engine to try to establish a link by which we can travel, and I will contact you as soon as that link is established. My goal is to enter World Horizon, learn what we can, and try to stop the further spread of Bedlam from that plane.
I have enclosed specifications for craft that should be able to safely navigate the black seas of World Horizon. Expect to hear from me again once our gate is ready.
Light shine upon us,
Samuel Cowperthwaite
Wellman
The letter from Samuel Cowperthwaite was the topic of much debate, despite its seemingly simple statement. World Horizon was a place where some would rather forget about, and still others used as an example of so-called heroes owing the denizens of the land for past transgressions. If the world was indeed dying, what could they do?
The plan was simple: using the theory penned by Rel Zhirah and Janus Kil’tra, “light skimmers” (or boats utilizing the power of light) were constructed to be able to withstand the ebb and flow of the Black Sea of Bedlam that had enveloped the world. Again the adventurers that answered the Wellmen call for help had no recollection of how they got to Samuel’s lab. As Samuel brought up the adventurers up to speed on what they could expect, Seitei Harlest was overcome by a powerful vision. The kitsune had seen what World Horizon was now like, and drew the world as he saw it upon the pages of the Book of Moons. As the adventurers readied their sailing vessels to cross into World Horizon, Samuel cautioned them to find a lost Bedlam densiometer to help them track the Bedlam infestation and to not let anything escape. The adventurers passed through the Book of Moons...
...and were greeted by screaming natives of the plane fleeing something unknown.
Some of the adventurers wasted no time in cutting them down, while others stared in horror as the people were killed. It was decided that nothing would leave the plane and if these people were truly innocent and free of Bedlam taint, they would be healed later. Those who opposed the killing begrudgingly agreed as the adventurers continued on in their mission.
Four boats were launched to sail the Black Sea: The Dawnbringer, the Wicked, the Queen Meg’s Revenge, and the Burlap Terror (later nicknamed the Burlap Monstrosity by others due to its huge size and overeager crew). Khol Thunderwalker and Bright Oakfellow used the Boots of Zephyr and the Staff of Planes respectively to avoid using the boats and instead walked tenuously on the surface of the Black Sea.
The Tavern at World’s End seemed a likely base of operations for the crew of adventurers. For once, the tavern was strangely understaffed and quiet. No merrymakers sat at the tables and no stories were sung of past friendship and glory. Perhaps this world really was dying. The only thing that seemed unusual besides the lack of patrons was a strange poem hung around the tavern walls which seemed no more than strange sounds or perhaps was in a different language.
With few supplies, the boats set sail to explore the few islands in World Horizon that had yet to be claimed by the Black Sea. One of the first island encountered held a stronghold of pirates who wanted nothing more than to steal the boats the adventurers had. Their gruff and grim leader waved his hand and told his men “Kill them, kill them all! Take their boats!”
Not to be outdone, Kahlenar Swingline, at the helm of the Burlap Terror, commanded his crew to prepare for ramming speed and charged the ship into the island so that they could attack. The eager men of Ashenmark and their allies swarmed the pirates from the left as others swept out to the right. Kahlenar claimed victory for his men and proudly declared himself to be the true pirate of the day.
As the adventurers explored that island, they found tiles with strange line markings on them. Was this a puzzle that needed to be deciphered? How many tiles were there? What were their significance? The only way to find out was to explore.
Kovaks of Chimeron, along with Valerie Hart, Harlest, and Lace of Mythguard headed back to the tavern to try to decipher the puzzle with the tiles already found. The Wicked, accompanied by a single man lifeboat piloted by Gryfinn Darkwillow, led the way in trying to explore multiple islands. As bois started to attack along the sea, Phyre of Mythguard jumped into the Burlap Terror to act as their healer as they savagely beat back the tide of bois. A more motley crew had never been seen as the one upon the Burlap Terror.
The ships visited more islands, and more tiles were found. Some tiles were hidden while others almost seemed to be out in the open. Despite the new pieces the message on the tiles, if it indeed said anything at all, were not becoming any more clear.
Zula Darkwillow and the crew of the Wicked found an island with a different sort of inhabitant. A group of nobles had taken over an island where they dined and entertained each other while their world wasted away. What they did have was the lost Bedlam densiometer and four tiles of the larger puzzle. The nobles would not give up their tiles for they said the tiles “really kept the room together”. It became apparent when one tile was moved and a tendril of Bedlam was tied to the bottom of the tile. The tiles were plugging holes in the island preventing Bedlam from flowing up over it.
Zula called for Harlest to “enhance the room” and distract the nobles by adding chalk drawings to their tile arrangements. While the kitsune worked, Zula and the others devised a quick plan. Faelinn pointed out that the Dread Pirate Kahlenar was taunting the nobles and while they were distracted, Zula, Khol, Harlest, and Gryfinn grabbed the tiles and the densiometer. It was a mad dash to the boats only to discover that one had been “borrowed” by Kahlenar and his men. The heroes scrambled off the island and into the remaining ship, sailing away as the island was swallowed by the Black Sea.
After such a daring escape, the adventurers all reconvened to the tavern for some much needed food and rest. The food was much welcomed and those working on the tile puzzle snatched a few quick bites as they continued to work. Others merely sat down to relax; finally able to catch their breath from the hard work of sailing.
Samuel examined the densiometer and the accompanying devices procured from the noble’s island. Everything was still in working condition! After some fine tuning, the device and the beacons that it came with would be able to help pinpoint the location of the Bedlam seed by triangulating its position.
The adventurers were not the only visitors to the tavern that evening. As progress was finally being made on the tiles, the Sun and the Moon appeared in accompaniment with the last few Star People of World Horizon. The Sun and Moon explained that the tiles told the history of their world and was written in “star tracks”, a language of the comets as they moved across the sky.
They did not appear merely to speak of the tiles. Deep in their hearts, the Sun and Moon knew their world was dying and somewhere inside was a seed of pure Bedlam. As the adventurers and the celestial bodies talked, a plan slowly came together. The Moon was willing to sacrifice herself by crashing into the world so that the Black Sea could be parted. The remaining Star People, save for one named Orion who was on some sort of special mission abroad, would collide into the body of the Moon, which would open up passageways so the seed could be reached. If the adventurers could make it to the seed, then the Sun would sacrifice herself and burn the seed with her light.
No one from the adventurers was eager to take part in this plan. The Moon, calmly and with resignation in her voice, said that this world could no longer be saved. It was now a matter if the seed could be destroyed so other worlds would not fall as this one did. With a heavy heart, the adventurers agreed and the final preparations began to take shape. The Moon would wait for the triangulation signal while the Sun, sleepy from being awake during the night, shrank herself to a portable size to go with the adventurers.
No sooner than the preparations were made and a few more bites of food were eaten, then terror struck at those in the tavern. Without warning, the lights went out and the dark of Bedlam made its presence felt as it sank down from the ceiling. Hearts skipped a beat as some heroes stood frozen for a split second looking into their doom from above. Faelinn screamed and others scrambled to grab their immediate belonging and get to the ships in time. As the adventurers cast off the ships from their docks, they watched in horror as the tavern was consumed by the Black Sea.
“The tiles!” someone yelled. They had been left behind in the panic All that work...for nothing. Using his power as the Lightkeeper, Zula focused his will and allowed the light to protect the tiles so they could be translated later on.
Harsh waves of the Black Sea crashed into the ships. Steering was difficult and now bois swarmed the sea in groups. They knew the seed was hidden in a wide open part of the sea. Khol held the densiometer aloft as he walked along the inky surface of the water. Others aboard the ships used the light beacons to try to triangulate the exact location of the seed and to signal the Moon.
The process was tedious and frustrating. The swarm of bois made the task of those manning the ships even harder as the locations were missed and had to be calculated over again. Eventually the seed was found and the signal to the Moon was given. As the Moon sped towards the surface of World Horizon, the tides changed and rose. Frantically, the smaller ships were abandoned and stored in the ship’s locker as the adventures all crammed into the Burlap Terror, making their way to the only safe dock left on the world. The impact of the Moon crashing into the world caused a huge wave of the Black Sea to rise and dashed anything not secured to pieces before consuming it in its black water.
The Stars shot across the sky and collided into the surface of the Moon, creating large fissures and exposing the tunnels deep within. Now the adventurers could battle their way to the heart of the world and find the seed.
The trek was long and dangerous as bois wove their way through the Moon from where the seed was. The crew of the Burlap Terror fought their way forward and blazed a trail that the others could follow.
After what seemed like forever, the location of the seed was found. A pure patch of Bedlam surrounded it and bois poured out from the source. The tiny Sun, still portable in size said she was sleepy and needed the power of the chant to keep her awake and bolster her strength. Panic rose in Faelinn as she shared the news, finding that no one had written down the strange chant they had seen in the tavern. Gryfinn confirmed her fears: no one recalled the words of the chant either, and the spirits of the heroes fell as they gazed upon an impossible task.
Not to be so easily deterred, Khol used his power to gain a vision of the chant and wrote it down. He tried to hand the paper to Faelinn but she pushed it away. “You have to lead them,” she said. “All of them need to chant. I’m going to use my power to help the Sun, but you have to lead the chant!”
Khol took a deep breath and led the heroes in the chant to strengthen and bolster the Sun...
“E ala e
I ka moana hohonu
Aia ka la
E ala e “
The chant continued and the power of the Sun grew, but it was not enough. The seed was shielded. Faelinn ran to Zula and Amergin and told them to clear the path. The two men looked at each other in resignation. This was their duty as warriors of the Light and they might die forever doing this. Zula called to Aurora as Her champion as he led the charge to clear the way to the seed.
People were cut down left and right as the fury of Bedlam was unleashed. The dead and dying lay everywhere as the Sun reached the peak of its power and with blinding light destroyed the seed and the world dissolved into nothingness. All were dead and floating in space, when a voice whispered to them...
The World Horizon along with the seed had been destroyed. The threat had been ended at the cost of many lives, but there was yet hope. Memories remained and that hope, as tiny as a single grain of sand, could rebuild that which had been lost.
The heroes awoke in Samuel’s lab much disoriented from their journey but alive. And in one hero's pocket there was a single grain of sand, which could become World Horizon again.