Last Time on Emberheart Z: The Autopsy of Excul Tist

🔥Last time on Emberheart Z!🔥

((AN: Excultist is the name of the lvl 1 character NPC stand-in we made instead of using a raid marker. Sorry, but not really sorry.))

It’s a bonus web exclusive episode! Trethas might have been done with life, but Emberheart wasn’t done with him! Wanting to know the “soul” truth (get it?) of what happened the previous night, Agradar gathered two new allies to the Expedition, Risyl and the Haranir Nimowe, and returned to the Ar’nareth Estate. There, they found Merada, who, upon request, brought the party to where the body had been moved, out of the house and into a tent outside. 

Agradar set about confirming that the rune on carved onto the elf’s chest was indeed shadow in origin, and no longer carrying a destructive magical payload, thus safe for the rest to investigate further. Eventually, Lord Kol’var, husband to Macko and a healer present the night before, came out to join them, and with his permission, a ritual was performed to make contact with whatever remained of the spirit of the poor elf. However, the connection to the other side was — as it always is — tenuous, so the questions asked would be limited. 

Five questions were asked, and five were answered. First, Trethas revealed that he was indeed a prisoner of the Twilight’s Blade cult, along with others, held in a camp in the border mountains between Eversong Woods and Zul’Aman. Secondly, that he had been rescued, or perhaps released, by a masked blood elf man who gave him a map to the Ar’nareth Estate, and claimed he could find healing there. Thirdly, the one who marked him was an individual known as “Shadowsinger”, though more on them was not elaborated on, likely due to the spell beginning to strain holding the soul in place for so long. Trethas did make it clear, however, that Shadowsinger appeared to be the leader of that little sect of cultists, and that they were preparing for some sort of ritual, in which the captives were an unwilling part of. Fourthly, that he had been traveling around Tranquillian, his home, just before he had been abducted. As the spell began to chip and shatter, losing its grip on the soul, one final reply to one last question was whispered: that he wished to be returned to his home and buried with his daughter there. 

A moment of silence for the poor soul. 

With the truth well in hand, and Lady Macko out of bed against medical advice on the other, the team briefly debated next steps. It was determined that as Bazrokh was narrowing in on the witch Vaer Ming’s location, and so much of the Expedition scattered picking up the pieces of recent conflicts, it would otherwise be unwise to open a new front of investigation so soon. Reinforcements were needed elsewhere, and while this “Shadowsinger” needed a response, they would have to be another name on the rapidly growing list of foes the Expedition would need to tackle. 

As Merada and Agradar prepared to transport the body of Trethas, a piece of paper slipped from his pants pocket. It was the map he had spoken of being handed by his masked savior. Though crudely drawn, it was clearly accurate enough to lead someone to the Estate, and hypothetically, perhaps, back to the camp from whence he came. Interestingly, the paper appeared to be once some fancy stationery, with a crest of something stamped onto the bottom of the page: A rising sun above a crossed sword on a blue background, with white and gold filigree throughout. While none gathered recognized the crest's identity, it was speculated to belong to a noble house of Silvermoon, but which one was unknown. 

---------------------What awaits the Expedition? Find out next time on Emberheart Z!!------------------

The sigil on the bottom of the page (minus the sun and swords because….because!):