by Nyxira Velasharoon

The party’s troubles began at The Whistling Pig, where Lyanis and the powerful guildmaster Calder Grim offered them membership in an adventurers’ guild. Lyanis secretly warned the party not to trust Calder—and that very night, Lyanis was murdered. Before his death, Lyanis revealed Calder had borrowed heavily from House Thornegrave, a cruel crime family, and intended to profit from the party’s deaths to fund an army and seize Bards Gate. His final wishes were clear: flee immediately, reach Haven, contact Elle Shackleford, and one day deliver Calder’s name to the Halls of Retribution.

Fleeing through sewers and wilderness, the party survived monsters, ambushes, and pursuit while traveling northwest toward Ars Galen. Along the way they encountered rangers, darklings, and the druid Sesthra, who offered shelter and guidance. The land grew more dangerous as signs of war, necromancy, and monstrous corruption mounted. After reaching Kaer Dolan, a harsh militarized settlement, the party eventually secured passage toward Haven with hunters Halvar and Ketla.

Haven proved to be a brutal frontier city kept alive by sheer will. There, Elle Shackleford confirmed Lyanis had prepared resources and protection for them. The party was brought before the Hunter’s Guild, led by Garran “The Black Wolf” Varn, and chose to undergo the deadly Blooding Trials. Many died, but the party survived, earning their brands and forming the hunter cell known as The Last Vigil.

During this time, one member forged a dangerous pact with a Cait Sith of the Gloaming Court, binding the party more tightly to the fey. Early contracts revealed the spreading rot of the world: cradle wights, necromancers, cursed settlements, and mass slaughter. A freed harp spirit warned of deeper forces at work, while darklings multiplied across the north.

The party was soon drawn into the Feywild, navigating treacherous realms governed by strict and deadly rules. There they became entangled in a fractured hag coven, the schemes of a Troll King, and the power of the Mirror of False Hope, which showed three futures—two lies and one truth—none of them hopeful. Through blood, bargains, and sacrifice, the party restored the coven, slew a hag, and secured powerful boons and weapons meant to kill both hag and dragon. The fey courts remain unstable, and the consequences of these choices are far from settled.

Cast back into the mortal world in the frozen north, the party discovered signs of organized monstrous forces and growing warbands. Invoking old alliances, they were guided toward Calder Grimm’s encampment—only to learn that Galen’s father is dead and his brothers now fly the family banners. As a massive darkling horde descended, a familiar ally, Jhaelle, reappeared with a single warning: run.

The Last Vigil now stands on the edge of open war—marked by vengeance, prophecy, and the watchful eyes of gods, monsters, and fey alike.