Last session, the party descended from Urrenhada’s Treachery into the Dibang valley, seeking the remote village of Wukeiwang at the valley’s heart. They encountered a mute Red Knight who bled smoke instead of blood standing over a corpse, and after felling him in battle, they met Fuema, the wayfaring demon-blooded sorcerer, who appeared abruptly when the party examined the tiny gemstone the knight had been clutching. Fuema warned them to be careful with the star stone and offered to help them make use of its power should they wish to meet her beneath the great birch in the valley.
The party finally reached Wukweiwang. They had a short discussion with the prefect Lónghua, who distilled the political situation of the valley to them. The resident and guest dwarves of Wukeiwang have been making findings in the mountains, and after the latest—the possible discovery of Durad-Om—they sent a courier out to relay the news. Shortly after the courier left, the Iorvethen, the Elves of the valley, caused the rockfall that closed the pass.
The situation with the Elves has always been tense—they do not recognize Imperial rule, and Lónghua cannot officially accept this fact but is forced to contend with it anyway. But Lónghua needs the pass open, and she needs to know more about the elves before she attempts to organize Wukeiwang’s people to the task. So the party promised to help her out by confirming her suspicions as to the existence of three patrolling groups on the valley floor, and if they get lucky, their intentions.
Before setting off, the party spoke with Orfko in Wukeiwang’s tavern, learning accidentally from his friends—or attendants, rather—that he is Orfko-Mount-Phalden, a princeling of considerable stature, chasing a dream and coming very close to it. And then they ventured into the valley, sweeping through the east and to the south for some time, following Yente’s hunch. But before long, they were being tailed, and now, they confront one of the elves tailing them, Gremoira.
Last session, the Pyre team faced Gremoira, an elf woodsman who had been shadowing them as they surveyed the valley for Lónghua. They defused the tensions, and the party—and the ten elves in attendance—put away their weapons. Gremoira spoke on behalf of the Iorvethen living in the valley. He explained that they had been entrusted with the protection with Durad-Om. It was known to the Iorvethen that Durad-Om was sacred, hallowed ground, to the elves just as much as the dwarves, and that it was a place of power forbidden to mortals. To that end, the woodsmen had been doing what they could to prevent the dwarves from exploring the ancient city… while avoiding the ire of Lónghua and Wukeiwang. But the party was unsatisfied, demanding to know what truly was hidden in Durad-om. Gremoira demurred. He offered to arrange a meeting with the elders of the Iorvethen village. In the meantime, he had a message for Lónghua. The party is to craft an arrow, its shaft made of birch or spruce, a tip of diamond, and fletchings tied by horse hair. They are to deliver this arrow to Lónghua: she will know what it means, he hopes.
The party and the elves parted ways, and they continued ranging the floor. Initially, they made for the mighty Spruce on the valley floor. They found a wayfortress on their way, watched over by a trio of elven ghosts. Danai wrenched a spear free of a pile of ancient bones, freeing a trapped demon. After a short and vicious fight, the demon was dispatched, and the ghosts made their way to the afterlife.
But not only did they do that, but the Starstone shone, as if reacting to the passage of the ghosts. The party, concerned, changed course and sought out the demon-blooded Fuema at the base of the Great Birch.
Still intrigued by the star-stone, Fuema offered some cryptic advice, relating the star stone to its place in the night sky, and indicating its properties of transcendence and passage. With this guidance, Guan began an attempt to attune to it, and the party watched and waited.
When Guan finally looked up, he told the party that the stone was showing him a pattern of runes and incantations that would create a Teleportation Circle to an unknown destination.
Guan followed through on the ritual, and at the other end of the circle, the party found Sanctuary, a strange little town huddling under a crimson sky. There, they met Guan Jinping, formerly the Red Knight, as well the elves from the valley watchtower. Finally, they spoke to Lucine, the Steward of Sanctuary, who explained the place’s purpose as a refuge for souls that previously lingered too long on Materia.
The party returned to the material plane and left for Wukeiwang. But on the very doorstep of the village, they encountered a roaming band of Wights, led by a horrible, world-withering presence, all now destroyed but an ill omen for things to come.