Inglorious Bards

Lead Wizard Mallbeck’s search for the cause of reality’s unraveling goes wrong when he accidentally creates an extraplanar bomb capable of obliterating Navarre.  Jericho and Hemlock risk their lives to disarm it. Zaldor completes a months-long side quest that ends up breaking Jericho's heart, and Galen firmly reminds the Guardians that friends don’t let friends scout alone.

Lord Ansgar Icebeard has been called a patient dwarf—but he does not like to repeat himself. When Headmaster Videl finally acquiesces and grants the heroes passage into the basement of the Luminae Academy, Ansgar learns a difficult lesson: one must be careful what they wish for.

The moment the Guardians broke free of Xecsa, they were summoned to the Luminae Academy for an emergency meeting of the High Council. Calienvaroe was nowhere to be found—but in her place sat an uninvited stranger, one who made it unmistakably clear just how dire their situation had become.

The Guardians reach the top of Vlesarra Technology and find Crystal Bell, the CEO and keeper of the location of the Key. The moment she leaves with them, Arc Sec 1 surges after them in a storm of chrome and gunfire, and a tireless hunter plans his attack.

Vlassera Industries Headquarters is a beautiful monument of glass and steel. A hundred of feet above ground in the glimmering tower, 6 Neon clad heroes blast their way through security forces and titanium armored robots. They haphazardly smash through glass walls, fire a blaze of bullets, and slice with electrified swords because they need to make their appointment with the CEO and learn her secret plans.

The Krunk convinces Mac to start repairs on The Wake.  The Heroes explore the army base, one of them becomes a cult leader, one of them tries a hand at genocide. Then they head to Vlassara Industries to track down The Crystalline Bell.

The Heroes clear out the remaining Arc Sec guards and go on a search for something they lost in the transition to New Xecsa.  

Transported through time and reality, the Shields crash onto cement streets beneath towering metal skyscrapers, neon lights strobing, and ads erupting every few seconds. The city hums with dangerous locals and traps around every corner. Above them, a menacing flying fortress hunts for the out-of-place intruders. To survive, they must blend into this relentless cyber-neon world as quickly as possible, as there is no going back.

The Wake barely crawls into Port Heath, a skeletal town clinging to the ruins of a fallen city. After hasty, inadequate repairs, Zaldor drives the ship straight into a raging magical thunderstorm that is a lethal barrier guarding Xecsa—a realm whose secrets are even deadlier than its storms.

Chilloran magic is ancient, powerful, and difficult - like trying to read a cookbook written by a thunderstorm. The Shields of Calaviarre quickly discover that dabbling in it is less “mystical adventure” and more “near-death experience.” Galen makes a choice that changes two lives forever, and Goli is reunited with adorable wife.

Vessel was created over 4,000 years ago to be a servant and support for the Chilorans. Today, he is once again fulfilling his directive deep in the vaults—this time for a very different group of people. Vessel will lead these adventurers through the underground labyrinth and warn them of dangers whenever asked. But Vessel will not do any of these things until he is asked—and that tiny detail could be the difference between life and death... especially for a gnome.

We recap the last 5 episodes.  

Driven by a directive given millennia ago, Vessel leads the heroes into a labyrinth full of traps and trials that test their courage, fortitude, and intellect against the riddles of the Ancient Chiloran. But even if they survive the traps, they must still face the Hulking Automatons that await with their own directive: to kill everyone that is not Chiloran.

Galen gets a break in his quest for Vedenite, and the group decides to cross an ocean beneath the mountain to reach it. Zaldor faces reprimand in his role as a Wizard of Selection, and Goli is dragged into an unexpected reunion.

The Wake and her crew barely escape the Iron Fortress, though the airship is left badly damaged. With no skilled craftsmen in Kanebren to make the magical repairs she needs, the crew sets their course for Shadow Hall, hoping to avoid trouble along the way. Jericho is reunited with a long-lost acquaintance, while Zaldor is confronted by a figure from his past—one who warns that ancient beasts are beginning to rise from their centuries-long slumber.

The Iron Fortress powers on once more. Its systems groan awake waiting for their next command. Corridors glow with a cold light that reveals dangers previously concealed in the darkness. The archives reconnect to their databanks, exhuming secrets that were never meant to be discovered, and many people who thought that they were lost forever are suddenly, and violently, found. 

Jeremy recaps us up to date.  

Hugo holds up his end of the bargain, even as his thirst for revenge against the Guardians burns within him. Room after room unfolds before them, each passage leading deeper into the heart of the decaying ship. At last, they discover the means to awaken the Iron Fortress—and with it, all of its deadly protectors.