The chrononauts meet unlikely allies who join them on their mission to prevent the Butlerian Crusade once and for all by saving a warforged named Builder. When their mission fails, they make one final attempt to change history. With help from a changeling named Jane, they replace Builder and board the elemental galleon Red Shadow to put on the performance of their lives.
Player Characters: Gzrom, Mist, Rolf, Teromil, Vaelen
Somewhere in the River of Time
The heroes were traveling through time once more. They had escaped from a dark future and were returning to an earlier point in history. Inside Ultron the speaking stone booth, the tired and exhausted chrononauts rested their weary bones and reflected upon all that they had experienced.
Teromil felt frustrated that his actions seemed to have little effect upon history. Each action had unforeseen consequences that required new actions to be taken, but history seemed like a sinking vessel upon an angry sea. No matter how many holes were plugged, new holes appeared through which the water continued to pour in.
Vaelen felt similarly and was wracked with guilt that his own actions may have led to the disruptions in the timeline. Establishing the Warforged Sanctuary in Valenar had been his idea, but he had never intended it to be the breeding ground for discontent. To Vaelen, history seemed like a river that flowed in a single, irrevocable direction, no matter how hard he tried to change its course. But he would no longer be a bystander in history as his distant ancestor in Xendrik had once been.
Calvin was feeling homesick. As much as he had enjoyed the grand adventure he was having, he also wanted desperately to see his hometown. But the Pick of Destiny around his neck seemed to have other plans for him. It wanted him to perform devilishly music before a huge audience of cheering fans. It offered him fame and glory the likes of which he could only dream of. Calvin began to wonder if he was wielding the pick or if the pick was wielding him.
Rolf stared at the sword hilt that had been gifted to him by the King of Karrnath. It was the Sword of Summer, a legendary artifact forged by the fey smiths of Thelanis and blessed by the Queen of the Summer Court. The sword seemed to have a mind of its own, much like Calvin’s magical pick. It possessed the spirit of a mighty hero. Holding the Sword of Summer in his hand made Rolf feel quite invincible. He no longer wanted to sing about history. He wanted to have a hand in making it and carving out his own legacy.
Korth, Karrnath (1093 YK, Aryth)
The chrononauts arrived at the King’s Bay in the Karrnathi capital city of Korth. They had come here to save the warforged named Builder on the eve of his assassination. They deduced that the death of a major leader among the warforged would trigger the Butlerian Crusade. They learned that Builder would be killed aboard an elemental galleon called the Red Shadow. They were about to board the vessel when they were joined by unexpected companions.
The chrononauts were joined by Gzrom the halfling and his black dragon wyrmling Vvaraak. Calvin knew them from his previous adventure and welcomed them. Mist the gunsmith artificer had departed to pursue his archnemesis, Richmond, and left Ultron with the party to guide them through time. In his place, there was a changeling time traveler named Jane who at first disguised herself as Mist. But soon she revealed her true form and told the chrononauts that her purpose was the same as their own.
Jane had seen glimpses of another possible future in which war had truly ended. In this alternate timeline, she and Builder had a long distance romance and wrote letters to each other. Jane had also glimpsed the future devastation of the Butlerian Crusade and did not want to allow the war between warforged and humanity to come to pass. She was on a mission to rescue Builder in order to save the future.
She told the Chrononauts all that she knew. In this timeline, Builder was a famous musician and part of an experimental band that combined warforged and human musicians. In this band, Builder went by the name Mason. He would be performing at a grand ball aboard the Red Shadow organized for the vampire nobles and bone knights of Karrnath.
The chrononauts decided to meet Builder before the ball and keep him safe. They traveled to a point in time one week before the ball and went to Builder’s abode in the Warforged Sanctuary.
Warforged Sanctuary, Valenar (1093 YK, Sypheros)
When the heroes arrived, they were shocked to discover that someone had already killed Builder in his home! When they checked Grey’s Almanac, the footnote about Builder had changed to reflect the new history.
“Warforged musician murdered in the Sanctuary one week before major concert in Korth.”
The chrononauts deduced that someone must have been tracking their movements through time, perhaps using another copy of Grey’s Almanac. Being afraid that whatever action they take might be preempted by their enemies, the chrononauts made a bold proposal. They asked Jane if she could take Builder’s place instead. She would disguise herself as the warforged musician and carry out the diplomatic mission. The chrononauts would protect her from the assassins and prevent the warforged uprising.
In order to help the plan succeed, Gzrom secretly traveled to the past and killed the other members of Builder’s band without the knowledge of the other chrononauts. He wielded the Dragon Blade, a sword of surpassing evil, and it delighted in his wicked deeds. Gzrom believed it was for the greater good, but little did he know that he was walking down a dark road.
When news of the death of all the band members spread, there was much sympathy but also suspicion. Who would do such a thing? What motive was there to kill both the warforged and human members of the band? When Jane disguised herself as Builder and performed in public, the rumor quickly spread about the miraculous return of the warforged band leader from beyond the grave. This sparked great curiosity among the general population and renewed an old theological debate about the essence of the living constructs. “Do the warforged have souls?” Now, many people, were convinced that they did after hearing news that a warforged had risen from the dead.
The chrononauts and Jane now formed a new band to replace the members that were gone. In order to appeal to the elderly vampire demographic among the Karrnathi nobles, whom Rolf dubbed the “Grampires”, the heroes decided to make a new Goth Wave Metal band called Eternal Eclipse. Gzrom was the band manager, Calvin was the lead vocalist and guitarist, Rolf was the bass guitarist, Vaelen was the keyboardist, Teromil was the lead acrobatic dancer, and Vvaraak, now a young wyrmling who had grown to the size of a man, was the drummer.
As one last measure of security, Vaelen beseeched the high king of Valenar, Shaeras Vadallia, for his aid. With the help of his fellow chrononauts, he convinced the elven king to lend them five of his finest knights as bodyguards for Jane. The elves were disguised in black bone armor to fit in with the rest of the band and were grim to look upon. At last, the heroes were ready for their big performance.
Korth, Karrnath (1093 YK, Aryth)
The heroes stepped aboard the elemental galleon Red Shadow. It was a massive vessel, larger than any that they had ever seen. The captain was a half-elf named Ramius d’Lyrandar. The chrononauts learned that he was dissatisfied with the state of affairs in Karrnath. They were able to persuade him to aid them in their plans by preparing a small life boat in case they needed to escape.
In the twilight hours, the nobles of Karrnath took their seats in the grand hall which had been renovated to include a concert stage. In front of the stage, there was a mob of hundreds of undead creatures brought aboard by the vampires and bone knights as part of their entourage. These included ghouls, ghasts, shadows, wraiths and other hideous creatures beyond description. They were organized into a mosh pit audience as part of the performance.
Before the debut performance of Eternal Eclipse, there were two other bands that went on stage. The first was a goblin goth metal band called Matsuuc Goth, which meant “the Creeping Fortress.” They were named after the legend of a mobile fortress that fell on top of a goblin legion, crushing all but a few survivors. During their performance, the undead mob cried out for members of the band to stage dive into the mosh pit. The nine goblins in the band all looked at each other uncertainly, reluctant to take the deadly leap. Finally, they drew straws and three of the unfortunate souls were forced to jump and were devoured by the undead mob.
The second band was a group of human necromancers from Breland called the Rolling Bones. They were at the forefront of the Brelish Invasion of bands that became popular in Karrnath in recent years. Their members were eager to jump into the mosh pit. Of the nine members of the band, only three remained at the end of the performance. The surviving members congratulated each other on an exceptional performance and happily walked off stage.
At last, it was time for the performance by Eternal Eclipse. Calvin kissed the Pick of Destiny for good luck. Together with his fellow band mates, he gave a riveting performance that drowned out the cries for any more stage dives. However, as Calvin played his guitar, the green light of the pick grew brighter, and a fiend was summoned from the Abyss. The fiend was in the audience and stared intently at the Pick of Destiny. It began to shout for the heroes to jump into the mosh pit, and soon the undead mob took up the cry. The chrononauts were reluctant to sacrifice any of their members. The undead audience, angered by their hesitation, was about the swarm the stage when one of the elven guards fell (or perhaps was pushed) into the mosh pit. His comrades looked with horror as the brave knight was swallowed up by the mob. But the audience was appeased.
The performance came to a close, and the warforged Thriller, adviser to King Kaius III, came on stage. He clapped his hands to congratulate the heroes on their marvelous performance. The sound of his metal hands rang ominously in the concert hall.
“His majesty the King could not be here this evening. I come on his behalf to thank you for your splendid performance. The King also wishes to thank all of the noble lords and ladies in the audience for attending this event. You have been the lifeblood and cultural memory of our great kingdom. But perhaps now, it is time for you to rest. At times, our memories, like all things, must be refreshed and renewed. To make room for new memories, the old ones must be put away.”
The Karrnathi nobles and bone knights murmured and shifted uneasily. Then everyone felt the floor tilt to one side as a deep rumbling groan reverberated across the elemental galleon. The ship must have been dipping into the ocean! Soon, water began to pour into the hall. Thriller continued.
“It may fascinate you to know that a manifest zone exists at the bottom of the King’s Bay. This particular manifest zone leads to the plane of Irian, the realm Eternal Daylight. We are standing upon the gates of a new dawn, an age that will be ruled by the living. I myself am a living construct. Sadly, there is no room for undead abominations in the new order. The King bids you farewell.”
In the center of the mosh pit, a tear in space began to appear. It was a portal to Irian, the plane of daylight and radiant energy. Light poured out of the portal, burning the vampire nobles in the hall and destroying many of the undead creatures in the mosh pit. As the undead shrieked in pain, a tall winged celestial, a deva, emerged from the portal and stepped into the mosh pit. She looked at the chrononauts and elven knights upon the stage, dressed in black gothic outfits and bone armor, and then she fixed her gaze upon the Pick of Destiny in Calvin’s hand which radiated with an evil aura. The celestial saw them as monsters and fiends. She blew upon her trumpet, paralyzing the heroes with fear and calling forth a flight of celestials from the realm of Irian.
The next moment was a dark hour for the chrononauts. Gzrom leaped from the stage with his Dragon Blade in hand and attacked the celestial. His companions, shocked and dismayed by the turn of events, tried to reason with the celestial and subdue Gzrom. The chrononauts were torn asunder and began fighting one another. Vvaraak, seeing her master in danger, breathed acid upon the heroes.
Teromil, horrified by Gzrom’s actions against an otherworldly being of pure good and light, harried him with his radiant blasts. Rolf, being compelled by the celestial, strode forth with his Sword of Summer in hand and challenged Gzrom, but Gzrom slew him cruelly with his evil blade and transformed him into a mindless zombie. Then Gzrom claimed the Sword of Summer as his own, but when he picked it up, the fey sword rebuked him and burned his hand.
Calvin struggled within himself, but at last he threw the Pick of Destiny into the Portal. The fiend that was hiding in the mosh pit leaped up and grabbed the pick as it flew into the outer plane. There, the fiend conjured its own fiendish guitar and played an evil melody, conjuring an army of demons into the realm of Irian. The flight of angels was held at bay by the flight of fiends from the Abyss.
The lone celestial fought the remnants of the undead horde and Gzrom, but she was no match for the might of the Dragon Blade. Soon she was banished back to her own plane.
Meanwhile, Vaelen commanded the elven knights to protect Jane and attack Thriller. But he soon saw that Thriller was not trying to defend himself. In fact, he seemed to desire his own destruction. Vaelen realized that something was amiss. He looked at Grey’s Almanac and saw that the footnote about Builder had changed into a footnote about Thriller.
Thriller was also a respected leader among the warforged. His influence with the king of Karrnath helped to bring about the creation of the Warforged Sanctuary. Now it was no longer Builder but Thriller’s demise that would spark the Butlerian Crusade. Vaelen ordered the elves to stand down and prevent Thriller from harming himself if he tried.
Gzrom, seeing his opportunity, tried to make his escape with the Sword of Summer. But Calvin used his own magic to make the sword burn hotter in Gzrom’s hand, forcing him to drop it. Vvaraak flew to her master’s defense but was mortally wounded by a volley of crossbow bolts from the elven knights. Gzrom, seeing he had no other choice, took up his lantern and vanished through a wormhole in time.
The remaining chrononauts retrieved the Sword of Summer and escaped. Captain Ramius was waiting for them aboard a life boat. He did not seem surprised by the events aboard his ship. Perhaps he had been a part of Thriller’s conspiracy all along. But he was surprised to see both Jane and Thriller accompanying the heroes.
The chrononauts sailed away from Korth and watched the sinking galleon descend into the depths of the King’s Bay. As they mourned the loss of Rolf and the betrayal of Gzrom, the Sword of Summer spoke to them. The sword’s purpose was to take part in great deeds that were the matter of song and fable, and it had been moved by Rolf’s heroic sacrifice. Therefore, it would grant the chrononauts three wishes as a gift from the Summer Queen.
The chrononauts wished to revive their fallen companion Rolf. They wished to bring Builder back to life. With their final wish, they sent Calvin back to his home in his own time period.
Thriller was stunned that these fleshborn adventurers would use their precious wish to revive a warforged. Then he realized that the heroes truly saw the warforged as living beings with hearts and souls like their own. At last, Thriller put aside his grievances for the wrongs that were done to him by humanity. Builder, after being told of all that had happened, reached out to Thriller and spoke to him.
“Join me, brother. We will create a new nation for our kindred and live amongst the fleshborn as equals. Together, we will create a new era of peace.”
The chrononauts and their companions aboard the small life boat sailed toward the horizon where the sun began to rise. The morning daylight shined upon the towers of the King’s Bay and made them glow like the gates of a new dawn.
EPILOGUE
Gzrom used the remaining power of his lantern to travel to Io’lokar on the continent of Argonnessen in the far future. He wanted to find Vvaraak before she hatched again so he could restore power to his fading lantern. The Dragon Blade compelled him to return to the past and slay his former companions. In time, Gzrom would destroy the Eyes of Chronepsis and gain supreme power over time. Only then would the halfling be free of his affliction of being unstuck in time and have a measure of peace. Or so the sword promised him.
Gzrom emerged from the wormhole and arrived in the prison cell where Vvaraak’s egg was being held. As the dim light of his lantern sputtered and died out, Gzrom found that things had changed. Blackfire the dragonborn sorcerer was no longer there. Instead, he was surrounded by a flight of elder wyrms from the Eyes of Chronepsis. Gzrom was apprehended and tried for crimes against time and history. He was sentenced to be banished beyond the walls of time, never to return.