The Infernal Signal
The Infernal Signal was an event on Solstice: Meridian that took place on July 24th and July 25th.
Prologue/Lead-Up
Mayor Euna Caisa called a town hall meeting in the newly constructed town hall building. The purpose of this meeting was to inform Pathfinders on the current stance on how they are expected to handle the locals, especially the villagers.
After this meeting, upon stepping outside and dispersing, all Pathfinders heard a very loud explosion coming from the direction of the Four Perils' settlement. Notably, Xeroc had been missing for the entirety of the meeting.
When the Pathfinders arrived at the Four Perils' base, they quickly ventured into the basement where the magic setup was stored. The equipment was entirely covered in ash and soot, though surprisingly, nothing seemed to have been damaged. Xeroc was nowhere to be seen, and joint efforts of Dr. Maya Sherazi and Arden Steele were able to determine the ash did not contain Xeroc's remains.
Although Aris Kross also investigated the scene with a more forensic eye, the situation yielded far more questions than answers. Luckily, the mystery wouldn't remain unsolved for long...
Part 1
The following day, the Pathfinders gathered in the Anchor to figure out what to do about Xeroc's situation. Elijah Hummingbird was able to pick up a radio transmission that seemed to be coming from a neighboring sphere that had drawn very close to Locus Astra. The transmission was from Xeroc, informing the Pathfinders that while he was fine, he would prefer that they come to his rescue soon.
The signal appeared strongest nearby a strange obsdian portal structure near Grainland. The Pathfinders arrived, lit the portal frame, and ventured inside.
The sphere is primarily red, noticeably hot, and comprised of vast lakes of lava and a stifling atmosphere. The place appears inhospitable, but not uninhabited. The locals appear to primarily be pig-like humanoids later referred to as 'piglins'.
The Pathfinders are able to reunite with Xeroc, who himself has met two strangers while on the sphere. The first being Tuph, a gruff piglin hunter. The second is Shay, a strange Aurelian man with a sculk tendril growing out of his head.
Reception towards the two individuals were mixed. Some Pathfinders found them interesting, others found them strange and untrustworthy. Shay was especially controversial due to mixed feelings among Pathfinders about sculk, as well as their general unwillingness to speak much, if at all.
However, Pathfinders soon found themselves interested in a nearby ritual structure which appeared to be wedged into a corner of the magical barrier keeping all of them inside a fixed region. Tuph expressed that this barrier was keeping him trapped inside, as well.
Soon, Pathfinders were able to deduce that looking at the blocks with eye markings transmitted a signal to neighboring lights, turning them off. As similar ritual corners were discovered in the other three corners of the enclosed space, two Pathfinders were required for each corner in order to turn off all of the lights at once.
Upon doing so, there was a great burst of magic and the ground began to shake. The Pathfinders were forced to evacuate, the connection between the two spheres becoming too unstable to traverse for now...
Tuph remained behind, but Shay was brought back with some of the Pathfinders and was escorted into the inn. However, while discussions with Shay happened in the inn, Pathfinders outside grew restless and dissatisfied with the idea of a sculk-affiliated stranger being allowed in a population center. The decision made by the community was to move Shay to the clinic, where two individuals would guard them for the night, and the next day there would be a town hall meeting to discuss what to do about them.
Shay was successfully moved to the clinic, however, this did not last long. Maria Steele used a flash grenade in the clinic to allow for Shay to escape, and conflict broke out shortly after, with Aris detaining Maria. Euna eventually had Maria released from custody.
Part 2
A town hall meeting was called the following day to discuss a number of things. The first being the incident from the prior night.
Officer Colton Glass of the High Stellar Council's Stellar Security Directorate division made an appearance with the intent to lay down the law. A long, extended debate was held between Pathfinders and Officer Glass about what would be the proper punishment for Maria's actions the day before. After a long, grueling, and bitter verbal battle, eventually the agreed upon course of action was that Maria would do several months of hard labor in service of the Anchor, and the HSC would place the Pathfinders under even closer surveillance and scrutiny. Officer Glass departed.
The second half of the meeting was largely held with the intent to discuss sculk. From this meeting, several Pathfinders who were researching sculk were able to come forward with their findings. Sculk does not appear to be infectious or contagious, but appears to have negative effects on those who have seriously augmented it, and notably resists attempts to study it on a cellular level. Although medical advice states to avoid augmenting one's body with sculk or consuming it, several Pathfinders appear intent to continue their course of action when engaging with sculk.
As the meeting dispersed, the Pathfinders once more felt a burst of energy that seemed to come from the portal to the other sphere-- now coined 'The Nether' by Bramble. With the connection stabilized once more, it was time to check on the ritual corners.
The barrier had not changed, and the Pathfinders got the sense that they had missed something about the ritual. After a long discussion held in four separate groups, the Pathfinders eventually figured out the second half: blowing out the candles. Once all the candles were extinguished and the lights turned off, the sphere shifted again, directing Pathfinders towards a specific location. Something had burst in through the ceiling above!
The creature they encountered seemed skeletal, but had no legs, floating in the air. It had three heads, and attacked by shooting projectiles. Despite it being a rather dangerous entity, it was no match for a horde of heavily armed Pathfinders, who made quick work of it.
The creature's death dropped a small, glowing, star-shaped object. In all the chaos, Shay appeared, acquiring the star and taking off. Despite attempts from a handful of Pathfinders to stop him, he escaped with the relic.
From discussing with Tuph after the fact, the Pathfinders learn the creature is referred to as a 'guardian' by his people, but its classic name is 'the Wither'.
With the Wither defeated, the barrier collapses, allowing the Pathfinders to explore much farther than before in the Nether.
