The third installment of the Lorwyn Eclipsed story picks up with Ajani and Liliana setting out to search for the missing Strixhaven students.
With Dina leading the way, the trio returns to the Wood where the students encountered the Faerie and Omenpath. Using her necromancy magic, Liliana is able to confirm that nothing as large as a student had died in the area recently, much to Dina’s relief. Scouting ahead, Ajani’s keen senses lead him to a blue flower petal which he recognizes as not native to Arcavios.
“I’ve smelled this type of flower before. There’s a plane where they grow plentiful and wild. A plane where some of the denizens use flowers in their tailoring.” Liliana sighed, sounding oddly put-on. “You’re hinting at Lorwyn,” she said. “You think one of their faeries led my students astray?
After confirming Liliana’s theory, Ajani announces his departure for Lorwyn, intending to find the missing students and utilize one of the plane’s Omenthpaths to bring them first to Shandalar, then back to Arcavios. Bound to her teaching responsibilities, Liliana opts to stay behind with Dina, leaving the hunt to Ajani.
Switching perspectives, Brigid leads Sanar, Kirol, Abigale, and Tamira to Goldmeadow, a nearby Kithkin settlement. Making their way through town, Brigid leads the four students to a local meeting hall and after settling in, she asks the group once again to relay the events leading up to them arriving on Lorwyn.
“We were on a field trip at the university we all attend, and he spotted an unfamiliar creature in the trees, which he felt compelled to get a closer look at,” said Tam. “He pursued it, and the rest of us pursued him. The creature led us to a hole in the ground, and we fell. From there, it’s as Sanar has said—we landed in the meadow, outside the dolmen gate, and you found us shortly after that.”
Hearing their testimony, Brigid requests more details about the unfamiliar creature and quickly concludes that they had encountered a Faerie. Lucky for the students, Brigid states that she happens to know the Queen of the Fae and plans to send a message to her so that they may get an answer as to why one of her Faeries was so far from home, but before she can act, Sanar points to the corner of the room, drawing the group’s attention to the same small, blue Faerie that had started all this.
Upon being discovered, the Faerie lets out a mischievous laugh before flying out a nearby window, then, as if sounding the creature’s departure, the town’s warning siren echos through the hall. Rushing to the window, the group looks out to find Isilu marching into the town, bringing the darkness of Shadowmoor with it.
“Everywhere the darkness touched, the city was transformed. The wall grew higher, topped with long spikes pointing both inward and outward. The ladders vanished, making the territory impassable. The buildings nearest the wall remained the same shape but sprouted spikes and bars along their windows, the spirals worked into their architecture growing more tangled and defensive. Even the doors grew narrower, making it easier to shut them against the world.”
Brigid hastily explains to the group that Isilu brings the dark that turns Lorwyn to night, and that the town’s inhabitants wouldn’t be so friendly under Shadowmoor’s moon. Drawing her bow, Brigid tells the students to run east to Glen Elendra as soon as she opens the door and not to stop until they find Maralen. Outside, the townsfolk still in the light clashed with their own who had been transformed in the dark. Doing as instructed, the foursome fled east, only looking back to watch as Brigid did her best to hold the line, but ultimately being claimed by the shadows like the others.
After a great deal of travel, the group finds themselves at the bank of a massive river that would prove impassible to anyone without a boat or wings. Lucky for the students, Abigale is an Owl-being, and was perfectly capable of transporting her classmates one-by-one to the other side.
After regrouping, the foursome continued onward into another patch of woods. Worn out by the day’s events, Kirol found themself lagging just far enough behind that the group didn’t notice when they disappeared, having been abducted by one of the forest’s resident Elves.
“After they’d been dragged some distance, the arm around their neck withdrew, replaced by the sharp edge of a knife pressed hard against the soft spot where their jaw met their throat. A pleasant, almost friendly voice said, “Struggle or scream, and we’ll see how well your blood can water the flowers here, outsider. Do you understand me?”
Once certain his prisoner wouldn’t scream, the Elf released Kirol and introduced himself as Lluwen. The Wood Elf explained that he had observed the group fleeing Goldmeadow with Isilu in their wake and wanted to know all the details of what happened. Left with no other choice, Kirol tells Lluwen everything they knew, then asked if they were free to return to their friends. Unfortunately for Kirol, Lluwen had no intention of letting them go without first speaking with his superior.
“No,” snapped Lluwen, drawing the spear that was strapped across his back and aiming it at Kirol. “You come with me. High Perfect Morcant will want to see you. You’re my prisoner now, and that means you have to do as I say.”
Read Lorwyn Eclipsed Episode 3 in full from Wizards of the Coast.
