Session 48

Recap

• Dwarven House
• Defeat him and the creatures in the house
• Take him for a... much kinder interrogation

Plot Points

• A Sé - Waiting for them at the taven
  • "I heard you were back, my Sister has been missing. What do you know of her last whereabouts?"
  • "We are all to return. He wishes to discuss the threats facing the world with us"

Coralis

Above both the swirling mists of the Astral Sea and the continent of Velandor simultaneously, a magnificent radial city floats, its architecture a blend of intricate gears and ethereal crystal. The city is a marvel of engineering, with towers spiralling outward. The kaleidoscopic light in the sky shifts between the warm hues of an eternal sunset and the shimmering blues of the astral expanse. Ethereal bridges connect the city's districts, adorned with luminescent flora that pulse gently in sync with the city's heartbeat. Marketplaces teem with vibrant stalls selling rare artifacts and enchanting goods, while the air is filled with the harmonious symphony of gears and the murmurs of trade. Central to the city is a grand plaza, dominated by a colossal astral spire that reaches into the heavens, its surface a mosaic of constellations surrounding a familiar symbol (Amalgamation).

Teleportation Keeper

3ft chipper warforged. Bronze in colour.

• The name's Gear! Nice to meet you. Who are your friends?

• ATRI! Welcome back! It's so good to see you
• Present your report, what did you find out? What did you accomplish?
• He will be so very pleased that you have returned.

The Watchmaker

• 5ft purple Tiefling
• Features similar but not quite as defined as Zanotah
• You return, and bring companions. I have heard much about you and your friends.
• My dear boy...I never gave up the hope that you would return some day.
• We have strayed too far from the timeline. Their rise is inevitable and the cracks are there. It is only a matter of time.
• Don't you understand? Order is what keeps us safe, without that.. they'll win they break through. Every. Single. Timeline. Where. There. Was. Chaos. They. Win. I cannot allow them through, I cannot allow them to win. We stray too far from safety, it must be stopped.
• Come, walk with me.

You are led into the the Astral Spire, as you pass through the large doors flanked by guards, you enter a small welcome room with doors in almost every direction before you are guided through the 3rd door on the left, down several flights of stairs into a large chamber where your footsteps echo. The chamber, dimly lit and you feel a gentle hum through your feet. With a wave of his hands the lights are extinguished and the floor below you is revealed to be made of glass? As you stare down, you see constellations beneath you, and as your eyes dart back up you are surrounded by constellations.

Welcome, to Empyria. From here, I am able to see a glimpse of a future, of a path yet to be followed. Constantly, I adjust the parameters to seek a future where it is not ruin.

Meeting

Speech

As the Watchmaker finishes the phrase:

A low thrumming begins—like an ancient violin string vibrating just slightly out of tune.

The orrery above shudders, stars blinking out of place. The massive gears along the ceiling skip a tooth, sending ripples through the room. From the center of the chamber, a crack splits open in midair—tearing like paper, revealing a space behind reality.

The Watchmaker’s eyes whirl. “No—this is too soon—!”

From the tear pour shifting shadows, ink-like forms with jagged, flickering edges—figures pulled from timelines that never were.

Combat

Creature	Quantity
Timeline Leech	2
Echo Horror	2
Unwritten Thrall	3
Temporal Wretch	1

NEW: Temporal Wretch (CR 5)

HP: 110 | AC: 16

Speed: 30 ft.

A towering shadow stitched from alternate versions of itself, dragging echoes of past actions behind it like afterimages.

Multiattack. Makes two attacks with Chrono-Break Claws (2d8 slashing + 2d6 force).

Unravel Timeline (Recharge 5–6): Target must make a DC 15 Wisdom save or relive their last turn—taking the same actions involuntarily, including spell/ability use, with a -2 penalty to attack rolls.

Time Anchor (Passive): Creatures within 10 ft can’t benefit from extra movement or teleportation effects.

Unwritten Thralls (CR 1/2)

Malformed humanoids with broken faces that flicker between alternate versions of themselves. Born from broken decisions.

• AC: 12, HP: 18
• Attack: Corrupting Grasp (Melee Spell Attack, +4 to hit, 2d6 necrotic)
• Trait: Flicker – Once per round, can force disadvantage on one attack made against them.

🪰 Timeline Leeches (CR 1)

Sluglike shadows with dozens of tiny clock faces embedded in their skin.

• AC: 13, HP: 27
• Attack: Temporal Drain (2d6 necrotic + DC 13 Con save or lose 10 ft movement next turn)
• Ability: Time Loop (Recharge 5–6) – Target repeats last turn’s action involuntarily.

🧠 Echo Horror (CR 3)

A floating, ever-shifting mass of limbs and mouths, echoing words the party hasn’t said—yet.

• AC: 15, HP: 60
• Multiattack: 2x Echo Claws (1d10 psychic each, + DC 13 Wis save or attack nearest creature)
• Ability: Reality Warp (Recharge 4–6) – Twist space in 10 ft radius: all terrain becomes difficult terrain and creatures teleport 5 ft in random direction (d8 compass directions).

---

🧱 Tactics & Tension

• Echo Horrors try to confuse and isolate. Use Reality Warp to mess with positioning.
• Timeline Leeches prioritize spellcasters and high-damage PCs, sapping movement and initiative.
• Unwritten Thralls swarm NPCs or weak targets to divide attention.
• The Temporal Wretch is the centerpiece: it moves through the field unpredictably, creating panic, forcing reruns of costly mistakes, or chaining a “bad turn” twice.

---

🧩 Battlefield & Events: The Orrery Crashes

Each round on Initiative 20 (lair-like action):

⚙️ Roll 1d6:

1–2: Crashing Gearfall – A massive cog slams down (Dex DC 14, 4d10 bludgeoning in 10-ft radius)

3–4: Chrono-Surge – One random PC gains an extra action; one random enemy does too

5: Stasis Pulse – One creature (enemy or ally) is frozen until end of its next turn (Con DC 13)

6: Collapse! – Terrain shifts violently; all non-flying creatures must make a Dex save or be knocked prone

---

🧠 NPC Involvement (Optional)

• The Watchmaker is focusing on sealing the rift—unavailable to fight but stabilizes the battlefield after 4 rounds.
• Lady Serentha can use Mass Healing Word once per encounter if PCs protect her.
• Gear attempts to launch a time-cannon. Roll 1d4:
  1. Hits a PC (ouch)
  2. Misses entirely
  3. Hits a Nightmare creature (force damage)
  4. Causes a time loop explosion (both friend and foe lose next action)

---

🎁 Rewards

d12	Loot Item	Description
1	Shard of a Forgotten Self	A cold, translucent crystal pulsing faintly. When held, you recall a life you never lived. Once per long rest, you may reroll one failed ability check or saving throw, but gain a cryptic memory that may haunt you later.
2	Unwritten Page	A blank page that fills itself with events that never happened. Can be used once to automatically succeed on a History check. If read aloud, it causes unease—DC 13 Wis save or be frightened for 1 round.
3	Echoheart Gem	A cracked gem that hums when a creature lies. Can be used as a spellcasting focus; while held, the user knows when a creature within 30 ft is telling a lie (no action needed, once per day).
4	Temporal Scarab	A tiny mechanical bug that folds space. Use as a reaction to teleport 10 feet in any direction. After use, it crumbles to dust. If crushed prematurely, deals 2d10 force to the holder.
5	Ash of a Future Fire	Fine gray powder from a world that burned before it existed. Mix with a healing potion to double its potency—but there’s a 25% chance the potion instead deals 3d6 psychic damage.
6	Thread of the Broken Loom	A shimmering black thread. Can be sewn into clothing to grant +1 to initiative. If cut, the thread unravels and the wearer experiences a 1-minute time skip (they disappear and reappear unaware of the lost time).
7	Obsidian Timepiece	A shattered pocket watch stuck at 13:00. While held, grants advantage on saving throws against being stunned or paralyzed. If the hour hand ever moves… something is coming.
8	Nightmare Husk Tooth	A long fang, still wet with void ichor. Can be used to coat a weapon once, dealing an extra 2d6 psychic damage on a hit. Target must succeed a DC 13 Wisdom save or be frightened until the end of their next turn.
9	Soul Echo Pendant	A swirling silver disc that hums in sync with your heartbeat. Once per day, you may use this to delay death: when reduced to 0 HP, you instead drop to 1 and are invisible until the end of your next turn. Then the pendant shatters.
10	Time-Spliced Bolts/Arrows (5)	Ammunition that splits through time mid-flight. When fired, make two attack rolls and choose either result. If a natural 1 is rolled on either die, the arrow never existed and vanishes.
11	Whispering Mask of Possibility	A porcelain mask with shifting facial expressions. Once per long rest, wear it to ask a single yes or no question about the near future (1 hour). The mask whispers an answer—but may lie if fate is unstable.
12	Seed of the Impossible Tree	A black, glassy seed that radiates heat and cold simultaneously. If planted in consecrated ground, it will either grow into a boon (DM’s choice: magical grove, dream refuge) or a threat (portal to a dead timeline, recurring nightmare events).