Worlds Within Worlds

[I'll do my best to cover some of these points...]

1. Falling into darkness
(This would have happened back in the Palace of Tredamin)
"Following Raiden's departure, Fox became involved with a group of citizens who were receptive to his message of hope and light despite the dark times that seem to have fallen on the Scavenger Lands. The Skulls organisation we encountered appear to have a lot more support from the Underworld than we had originally thought. Far from the three mysterious powerful beings we escaped from previously, Fox picked up traces of three more operating in Nexus.

"To counter their doom and gloom whilst we tried to investigate further, Fox gathered a pair of, well, disciples who believed in his vision of a group of 'Shining Ones' who would push back the darkness. Whilst he was doing this, the authorities had been hoodwinked into thinking there wasn't a shadowland opening in their very city... due in part, I guess, to the Underworld entrance we previously found being moved to a new mausoleum but they had taken more pains to hide the entrance to this one. We found it and were making plans to collapse it.

"Unfortunately, our hands were forced when one of the disciples was captured requiring a rather hasty rescue attempt. I guess Fox's insistence might have clouded our best judgement on the matter but suffice to say that our entrance to the warehouse they were holed up in was not the best tactically-speaking. I'm a doctor, not a covert strategist. When we go back, Grey Wolf should work on how to best utilise the intelligence we gather.

"Attempting to get the drop on them, we blew the doors in and swept in... only to find them hiding in a basement room with Fox's friend strapped to some strange torture machine. Ferric quickly dispatched the guards at the top of the stairs but they were ready for us. The dark preacher we had observed before was there and a new one, well muscled and wielding what I can only describe as a giant-drainpipe that shot out gouts of some dark, necrotic energy... hmm, it needs a better name than giant-dark-energy-drainpipe... perhaps, 'bazooka' after the pipe-like instrument used in old Wavecrest rituals. But I digress. They had four or so other cultists with them but we paid them little heed naturally.

"This creature seemed to expend a hideous amount of Essence to power the device but Fox wasn't quite nimble enough to dodge it well enough but he survived the first blast. However, it did reveal something terrible - on his forehead, a mark appeared even as a dark and fearsome corona of light, similar to our own iconic banners flared out. But the mark... it was like a weeping sore, bleeding... and it mimicked that which Ferric and I bear!

"Things did not go well from there. Fox was brought down by the 'bazooka' before I could get to him. In our distress and anger, I proceeded to fire arrows into the chest of the preacher whilst Ferric... something snapped inside him and he leapt for the preacher but the bazooka and the preacher's own hook swords brought him down all too quickly... and my arrows seemed all but ineffective against their own martial prowess. With both Fox and Ferric down, I knew I would not survive much longer on my own and withdrew. Reason dictated that course of action in the face of such overwhelming adversity so that we can be better informed the next time we go up against them. But I managed to use my sorcerous powers to catch them by surprise and retrieve the bodies so that at least our secrets and benefits did not end up in their foul hands..."

Azir tails off as he struggles to quell the righteous indignation he feels at recalling the memories. He's obviously sparing you full gory details but there's also a sense that he blames himself greatly for... something. Maybe it's for not counselling more caution or for not standing resolutely, if stupidly, to fall beside his companions. Or maybe it's because it's now twice he's had to dispose of the bodies of his companions having run into powerful enemies...

3. Other stuff
Aside from the issues with the Skulls and their slow campaign of despair, we finally discovered the aerial manse of Ferric's dreams... which floats about 2 miles above Nexus. Having travelled to it and subdued the recalcitrant guardian spirit, we can now use as another base. I currently hold the hearthstone which functions as an essence recharger provided you're willing to suffer for its restorative powers.

The manse accesible from the city through the underground manse, the route to which we have made safer by putting in bridges and walkways to help steady the feet. The sky manse does have a docking bay for an skyship but it was empty. There also seem to be rooms that were originally set aside for our previous selves.

Fox had started to draw people to believing in 'Shining Ones' but with the loss of one of the disciples, I felt it prudent for them to quit Nexus if they could... and head for Tredamin so they would get fair treatment.