Unexpected visit
The adventure begins when the Protectors are spending some resting time a few weeks after their last quest. A knock at the door interrupts their peace. Standing before them is a lady—an elf—wearing the uniform of the Arcane Academy. She is babbling incoherently. Alacian Loc suggests contacting their friend, Iovahana Corvinus, the granddaughter of Archwizard Linxora Corvinus, head of the Arcane Academy, as she is their only contact within the Academy.
Iovahana reveals that the woman is Ralitsa Montserrat, a professor at the Academy. She asks the Protectors to investigate what happened to Ralitsa while she takes care of her. Iovahana warns the Protectors to be discreet, as Ralitsa may have enemies within the Academy. To assist them, Iovahana provides the Protectors with special clearance to access Ralitsa's personal quarters in the Academy.
The Investigation Begins
The Protectors first search Ralitsa’s home. They find the place in disarray, with Alacian detecting residual magical energies throughout the house. In Ralitsa's journals, they discover entries detailing her dream of eradicating corruption within the Academy and how she had been developing a ritual to clone herself to achieve her goal more efficiently. During their search, the group is attacked by a wizard.
After defeating their attacker, they realize it is Ralitsa herself. Confused, they bring her to Iovahana, only to discover that the amnesiac Ralitsa is still with her—this is another clone.
The next day, they learn from the news that the restricted vault of the Academy’s Library has been robbed.
Zeera contacts High Marshal Bostoro to ask if he has any information and whether the two incidents are related. Reluctantly, Bostoro informs them that the librarian had been attacked by someone posing as a professor, though she could not remember the details, as her memory had been magically erased. He also mentions that what was stolen was a map showing a secret entrance to the forbidden catacombs beneath the city, along with a tome about an artifact known as Neizzer’s Eye Opener.
As they speak, Marshal Bostoro excuses himself, explaining that there has been an attack at one of the banks in the square.
The Protectors offer their help and fight a dozen masked wizards, defeating them with ease. They discover that these wizards are more clones of Ralitsa, who decay rapidly after being defeated. The Protectors ask Bostoro to keep the identity of the attackers hidden for as long as possible.
The Protectors inform Iovahana of their findings. Iovahana offers to search her grandmother’s private library for information on the artifact. The next day, she tells them she has found the entrance to the catacombs where the artifact is believed to be hidden. Since it is forbidden to explore the catacombs—even for the Protectors—Iovahana urges them to proceed discreetly.
The Descent into Neizzer’s Sanctum
The Protectors understand the risks involved in venturing into the underground dungeons, where only a few selected groups are granted access due to the dangers of monstrous incursions, curses, and arcane traps. However, the urgency of stopping Fractella drives them forward.
The Arcane Door
The first trial they face is an arcane door sealed by powerful runes. Alacian Loc channels his magic, and Zeera Ibanez uses her divine energy to unlock the door. Together, they open the passage and continue deeper into the dungeon.
The Construct Guardian
The next chamber is guarded by a towering Construct Guardian, designed to target the most intelligent individuals. It immediately focuses on Alacian, draining his mental capacity with every strike. The Protectors work together to disable the construct, with Perdita and Rojan outmaneuvering it while Zeera shields Alacian from further mental degradation.
The Undead Monster
In a manifest zone filled with false doors, the party accidentally releases a powerful undead creature that grows stronger with each strike. Realizing that brute force will only empower the monster, Zeera creates a puzzle that distracts the creature long enough for the party to escape unharmed.
The Chamber of Confusion
The Chamber of Confusion is the most disorienting trial. The walls and ceiling are covered in swirling illusions that distort the Protectors' senses, causing them to distrust one another. In a moment of clarity, Alacian casts Mind Ward, dispelling the illusions and restoring the party’s focus as they hurry out of the chamber.
Final Confrontation with Fractella
At the heart of Neizzer’s Sanctum, in the Chamber of the Eye Opener, the Protectors encounter a small army of Ralitsa’s clones.
Speaking in unison, the clones reveal that they are no longer Ralitsa but Fractella. During the cloning experiment, Ralitsa's mind was affected, and Fractella seized control of the other clones. Most of the clones are unintelligent, but Fractella is an exception—she has inherited the darkest aspects of Ralitsa’s personality and is now plotting to eliminate Ralitsa and achieve immortality through forbidden magic.
Fractella’s plan is to use the Eye Opener to increase her intelligence, as well as that of her clones, thereby enhancing her power and achieving eternal life.
The battle that follows is intense. Fractella is losing, but she begins sacrificing her own clones, absorbing their energy to heal herself and amplify her magic. With each clone she eliminates, she grows stronger. The Protectors, realizing her strategy, focus on taking down her remaining clones before she can absorb them. Rojan sabotages the ritual, preventing Fractella from fully activating the Eye Opener, and Perdita delivers the final blow that defeats the twisted clone.
Aftermath
With Fractella defeated, Linxora Corvinus appears, demanding the Eye Opener for herself. Wielding her immense political power, she threatens the Protectors with punishment for entering the underground without permission. Aware of the danger in defying her, the Protectors hand over the artifact. Linxora promises to cover for them, claiming she had sent them on the mission herself.
However, the Protectors are left uneasy. While they have saved Ralitsa Montserrat and defeated Fractella, they have placed a powerful artifact into the hands of a politically ambitious Archwizard. Iovahana later apologizes for her grandmother’s interference, but the Protectors know that this is only the beginning of a more complex and dangerous political game.
As for Ralitsa, she recovers her mental health but keeps one clone, which she has chosen to hide from the rest of the world. Only the Protectors and Iovahana know about this secret, ensuring that the knowledge remains closely guarded for now.
