Like a bridge over troubled waters...

The party seized the opportunity to rest in the temple after defeating the undead priest. As they took their respite, Douglas' familiar began speaking, not only to him but to the entire group. Even those with little understanding of the arcane immediately recognized the strangeness of a familiar talking. What made it even more unsettling was the rat's tone—rude, condescending, and oddly well-versed in planar magic.

The rat explained to Douglas that the dark mist was the essence of the Shadowfell. It was a reflection of the material plane, existing alongside two other realms: the Feywild, a realm of untamed nature, and the Shadowfell, a land of despair and torment. These planes were so close to the material world that in certain places, one could slip from one to the other without realizing. A quiet reflection in a meadow might pull someone into the Feywild, while standing before an unlit mirror in terror could open a gateway to the Shadowfell. The ritual in the town had created a concentrated crystal of pure Shadowfell energy.

The party was baffled—not only by the talking rat but by the information he shared. Chord and the rat, named Ixtyl, quickly engaged in a heated debate over whether a humanoid skull could be used inappropriately. Eventually, Douglas dismissed the rat before it became a target for Chord’s frustration.

Once rested, the party decided to leave the temple. As Elera stepped outside, she caught the scent of smoke. Buildings were on fire. A young dragon with two robed riders appeared in the sky, growing closer. With a gust of wind, the dragon landed, and its form dissipated, revealing the wizard Leinad and his companion, glaring at the adventurers.

“I told you to gather the deed to the town, not burn it down. What’s going on?” Leinad demanded.

The party quickly explained how they had defeated the priest, the mayor, and the innkeeper, and detailed the plot orchestrated by Lady Tyton and the dark crystal ritual in the temple. With a knowing nod, Leinad swiftly inscribed a rune in the ground, summoning a Goliath beside him.

The Goliath was massive—over seven feet tall, with a broad bipennis and greatsword strapped to his back. His lack of armor revealed thick, muscular grey skin, marking him as a formidable warrior.

“You’ll need a bit more muscle to clean up this mess,” Leinad said, introducing the Goliath. “Barluk here is more than capable in a fight, and he might have a few ideas that could help. Now, it seems the conduit holding the ritual’s residual power has caused the remaining undead to become... more fiery.”

Leinad chuckled at his own joke before addressing the party again. “You’ve got enough time to put out one fire. I need to clean up the mess you made in that temple before I handle the undead.”

With that, the wizard entered the temple, leaving the party to their own devices. Barluk introduced himself, and Douglas quickly brought him up to speed. Chord, or as Douglas called him, ‘The Murder Child,’ led the group to the southern bridge that crossed the Artonsamay River.

The bridge was enormous—wide enough for two carts and long enough to stretch over a furlong. Once a marvel of engineering, it had fallen into disrepair. Large sections had collapsed, railings had washed away over the years, and the pillars supporting the bridge had eroded to the point of instability. Crossing would be treacherous.

Elera and Chord raced across, but even their agility couldn’t save them from the unstable footing. Both fell into the river below but quickly began swimming to the other side.

Tyr, relying on his faith and strength, attempted to cross next. However, a slab of the bridge crumbled beneath him, sending the cleric into the river. His chainmail made swimming difficult, and he struggled to stay afloat.

Seeing Tyr’s predicament, Douglas recalled a small dinghy he had seen behind the mayor's house. After a quick mending spell, the boat was seaworthy once more. Barluk easily lifted the boat and placed it in the water, helping Douglas aboard. The Goliath then used his double-headed axe as a makeshift paddle to glide over to Tyr and rescue him from drowning.

Once on the other side, Tyr reached out to the roof of a nearby mill, holding his holy symbol and chanting an incantation. A cloudburst appeared overhead, dousing the wooden structure below.

Douglas ordered Ixtyl to investigate the mill from above. In a swirl of dark mist and crimson lightning, the rat transformed into a raven and flew toward the roof. Perched atop the building, the raven relayed that two skeletons were inside, both ablaze with fire, making them a more formidable challenge than ordinary undead.

With that, Tyr and Barluk took the lead, opening the mill's double doors. Chord crouched behind them, spear at the ready, while Douglas and Elera positioned themselves at a safe distance, prepared to attack from range. As the doors flew open, two fiery skeletons emerged, their flames crackling as they charged.

Elera quickly released a volley of arrows, striking the skeletons, but the undead pressed forward. Tyr stepped forward, raising his shield to block their fiery claws while trying to strike with his mace, though his focus on defense made it difficult to land a blow.

Barluk, however, was unfazed. With a mighty swing of his axe, he cleaved through the ribcage of one skeleton and struck the other with the same blow, decimating both in one swing.

Chord admired the Goliath's power before joining the fray, darting in and out with a flurry of strikes. The skeletons hissed in frustration, unable to break through Tyr and Barluk’s defenses. Douglas bolstered the party’s defenses with protective spells, strengthening their resistance to the undead’s assault.

In retaliation, one of the skeletons clawed at Barluk, but the barbarian’s tough grey skin absorbed the attack. The other skeleton hurled a fiery bone shard at Chord, who instinctively raised his forearm to deflect it. But the cursed gauntlets on his hands diverted the shard away, sending it toward Elera instead. The flaming shard struck the elf in the neck, and she collapsed, her life force quickly draining.

Douglas gasped, and Elera slumped to the ground, but Tyr’s concern for her allowed one of the skeletons to leap onto his back, digging its claws into his side. The cleric’s lungs filled with blood, and he collapsed unconscious.

In a frenzy of rage, Barluk charged in, swinging his greatsword to swat the skeleton off Tyr’s back. Chord followed suit, unleashing a barrage of attacks at the remaining undead. Meanwhile, Douglas conjured a globe of frosty magic, sending it crashing into the skeletons and shattering their bones.

With the enemies dispatched, the party quickly revived their fallen members using their medical supplies. After a short rest, they explored the mill, discovering that it had been used to grind wild magic crystals rather than grain. The grindstone still contained a fine, prismatic powder.

Douglas ordered Ixtyl to test the powder. In an instant, the rat transformed into a spider and descended on the grindstone. After examining the powder, Ixtyl blew gently on it, causing a small teleportation portal to appear. The spider entered with a gleeful laugh.

“Wild magic! Once again to have power!” Ixtyl cackled.

Douglas quickly dismissed the familiar, realizing that the village had been using the wild magic crystals to craft magic items quickly. While most of the powder was gone, there was enough left to fill a coin purse. Chord pocketed the powder, thinking it might be valuable.

The party then made their way back to Leinad, who was using magic to rebuild the tavern and inn. They handed over the sachet of magic dust and the deed to the town. Each of them claimed a portion of the town for themselves, each with their own reasons for staying and overseeing the area. As a reward, they received a small purse of coins.

Leinad then posed the final question: “Now that the land has proper owners, there’s just one more decision to be made—what will we name this town?”