Using the recently acquired booty as part of a thaumaturgic ritual to summon an earth elemental Azir, Fox and Raiden are introduced to Wayland, a jokun. With his help they find their way into an extensive underground cavern filled with unbearable heat from the lava stream below. Protected by the gaze of Wayland they navigate through the cavern and the pitfalls of the route, finally reaching a door with many mystical protections.
An unthinking Raiden runs straight into an invisible wall almost killing himself falling into the lava below, only saved by Wayland at the last moment. The three Solars brave the test of faith, walking across the bridge as hot as coals and finding the trove of wonders within. They spend a brief time here, and Azir is happy to find what is perhaps the prototype for Beasts of Resplendent Liquid, alive but in a sorry state.
The Solars leave the manse in time for Fox to meet up with Zaph, who is requesting the help of the Solars. This also provides the opportunity for all six Solars to meet once again, dividing up the spoils of the recent trip to Kharadron and discussing some of the moral quandries certain members of the group have been struggling with.
Following some clues from more of their memory dreams and the call of help from Zaph, Kairos, Ferric and Raiden head East. First stop, Mist Island, home of a Fair Folk Queen. Despite some trouble with toxin and curse induced madness the Solars meet the Queen and learn more of the things they seek in the far eastern parts of the Wyld. They are also offered the chance to share in the majest of the pool of Blantagiel, an artifact that can grant visions of places and times far away. Ferric heads back towards Nexus, whilst the other three Solars continue East.
Whilst the other four Solars are away Fox and Azir continue their investigation of the Skulls. Tracking down some of their meeting places Fox manages to infiltrate one of their meetings witnessing the supernatural forces brought to bear by the black-clad preacher previously encountered. Fox follows him to a graveyard and elects to come back with Azir the following night to investigate further.
The two Solars track down the Mausoleum the preacher entered and with an application of strength follow him in. It takes them a while to realise that their is a shadowland, a direct link to the underworld, in the basement of the manse. Leaving the mausoleum again they bump in to a random cultist who almost gets away before the two Solars collar him and convince him not to tell what he saw. Deciding they don't have enough strength to take the leaders of the Skulls head on Azir decides to let the authorities in on the secrets through his contacts in the Night Stars and Fox begins to recruit an alternative cult to wage an war of ideals in the underbellies of Nexus.
Ferric arrives back in town with a different quest, for a shining golden manse in the sky. And the battle against the skulls is placed on the back burner temporarily. Knowing there is a transportation device into the sky manse from the underground manse, they prepare to head back into the lava cavern, after a side trip to the Wyld for Ferric to create some steelsilk. Once again with the assistance of Wayland and some interesting new toys. They build rope bridges to assist future journies to the underground manse and activate the transporter to the sky manse.
They find themselves in a strangely unreal mansion. Eerily preserved in all its splendor. They explore the levels of the manse. Seeing visions of pain and suffering from long ago. Events seem to be conspiring to force the Solars into life threatneing positions, but the deeper they go the more it seems there is some sort of malignant design to the occurrences. When an alembic spontaneously explodes and a voice finally speaks their suspicions seem confirmed.
The very manse itself begins to attack them, revealing the spirit of the manse Gabrielle. A banishing ritual created on the fly by Azir forces her to materialise, and the Solars confront her in the entrance hall. Using the envrionment of the manse to assault the Solars Gabrielle dispatches Fox, before being slain by a brutal blow by Ferric. As the manse collapses around them the Solars transport themselves out, only to find them selves in a much more substantial version of the same manse, with Fox's unconscious body next to them. The Solars attune to the manse and begin to discover the wonders therein.
Meanwhile the other three Solars are beginning their long journey into the Wyld. They encounter some of the may dangers therein, including a herd of vicious apes and man eating plants modelling themselves on quicksand. As well as some slightly stranger problems, an idyllic glade that saps their will to go on and a strange shifting maze that only their own determination to go on finds a path through.
A fair folk noble dressed in warrior's garb guards the ancient sword they seek. An epic battle ensues with Kairos and Raiden turning up just in time to turn the tide of the duel. A warning escapes the lips of the Fae as he dies, and Grey Wolf reclaims his sword.