In a ritual marked by devotion, danger, and power, the long-awaited restoration of the Avatar once known as the Sister of Fallen Leaves was completed on the northern outskirts of Whitehaven. Now reborn as the Sibling of New Blooms, the once-fractured avatar stands renewed and empowered; no longer reliant on others for defense, and poised to attempt the resurrection of Brother Mountain, the avatar behind Malatite that once shielded the land from the encroaching Blight.
The ceremony, led by Spinner and the Order of the Pearled Heart, unfolded amid dueling invasions from both Blight and Light forces, a threat to be expected at every Cathar convergence. Witnesses report an incursion by the Herald of Avana, whose fury nearly halted the transformation entirely.
Despite the siege, the ritual endured, thanks in no small part to widespread support: gatherers who braved the wilds in search of sacred blooms, artisans who shaped flowers from grief, and defenders who stood between the rite and ruin. In the absence of Hopflower, Spinner spoke on behalf of both themselves and the reborn Avatar:
“We are immensely grateful to all who gave of their time, courage, and sorrow. This new Sibling rises not alone, but upheld by many hands.” ~Spinner
Three Orlock vampires, Leon, Michael, and Don, made a brazen attempt to summon and enslave the Mad King, the first king of Rathfall. Their goal: bend the former monarch’s wrath to serve Maverick, the First Vampire.
Adventurers responded swiftly, disrupting the arcane ritual moments before its completion. But not before the Mad King’s spectral form erupted from a corrupted lodestone as a lich, wreaking havoc before being dispatched. In the chaos, the vampires escaped—hurling the lodestone into a Lake before vanishing into the mist.
Refusing to let this cursed relic vanish beneath the waves, the heroes Ourodai, Atradimas, and Desylvia plunged into the freezing waters and reclaimed the lodestone. Joined by Euthymia, Rengar, Marcus, and Goretusk, the group used their psychic skills to delve into its depths to uncover what remained of the Mad King's fractured soul.
What they found was chilling: a second lodestone, somewhere still hidden, holds another tether to the king’s essence. Before more could be learned, the Mad King again stirred, attempting to breach into the waking world. In a battle of willpower and spirit, Marcus stood alone in his mind, weathering the King’s psychic onslaught long enough for the city to act.
With the aid of both the Fate’s Pawns and the Order of the Pearled Heart, dragon scrolls and sacred catalysts were deployed to cleanse the stone, halting the King's return—for now.
That very stone now remains in Marcus’s possession, who is said to be resting and recovering after the mental strain. The artifact’s defenses are formidable, and its secrets remain locked behind layers of resistance, requiring immense strength of mind to breach once more. Marcus has vowed to return to the lodestone’s depths—when the time is right.
Its twin, however, remains unaccounted for. And with it, the Mad King’s final tether to this world.
A Twist of Fate
Local adventurer York sought a glimpse of destiny this week when they visited the newly arrived cosmic soothsayer, Rizzy Rang, for a reading of their fates. The fates answered not with wisdom—but transmutation.
York was temporarily transformed into a Stone Elf, an effect that lasted the remainder of the market.
The notorious Jett, long wanted for his brutal campaigns against the spirited folk of Rathfall, met his end this week during a daring raid on his remote hideout nestled in a Frozen Oasis on the outskirts of Rathfall. Scouts discovered that Jett, once a respected weaver turned fugitive, had been attempting a forbidden fusion, seeking to meld his form with a gryphon hatchling stolen from the Gryphon-Queen Otharyx.
An assembled force of adventurers descended on the frozen base, facing peril at every turn: a colossal ice spider, relentless waves of tunnel archers, and a final, desperate stand to free the gryphon. Simultaneously, a strike team ventured into the in-between realm to confront one of Jett’s most dangerous creations—a phase bear capable of slipping between layers of reality.
That strike team, led by Lord Dramthin, included Aiden, Triska, Calliope, Rengar, Goretusk, and Saoirse. They dispatched the beast in the in-between, and when it tried to retreat to the waking world, a blast from experimental arcane artillery, crafted by Mistweaver Dino and Lost One Venron, finished the job—a pivotal innovation that helped turn the tide of the raid.
With Jett slain, his prisoners cured, and the gryphon safely returned to Otharyx’s care, most hailed the operation as a sweeping success.
Yet amid the celebration, some voices urged reflection.
“We do not care for those most vulnerable among us and when they inevitably rise up with sword and spell against us, we act surprised every single time. This cycle must be broken - we must, all of us, contend with the existence of places such as Pauper's Launch and the existence of people who are ostracized and villainized by society; a system of care, of prevention and treatment must be established.” ~ Atradimas