A death and the aftermath

The party descends into the crypt, along a path strewn with the dead and the dead-undead, through open secret doors and hidden panels, passing through an open door with runes and wards (In this crypt (asleep/dead/alive) Johrven lies dreaming.  Long may he (live/rest)), and finally seeing the last three of the mercenaries and thieves from the lava tubes, past another runed and warded door (Pass through to (ruin/change/rebuild) the world.  A (chained/dead/sleeping) god is nigh), picking a lock.  The party is furious that the other people who felt the same call as they heeded the call as well, but manage to put their differences behind them enough to let the two thieves and the mercenary enter the next chamber first - where they walk into the open arms of some gnarled and desiccated walking corpses.

It is a deadly fight!  The barbarian almost dies!  Horace almost dies!  It is very exciting!  But, the party prevails, and sets off to explore.  First to a room with four doors, which seem to correspond to the four elements of the room where Aelaephixia was found.  Next to a set of chambers that appear to have once been living and working quarters.  Finally a smallish room, with a lower ceiling than the rest, and a man, crucified and vivisected, and apparently still alive

Uh oh.

James and AofEk rush over and begin pulling the large spikes holding the man's wrists and ankles to the wall, as well as the smaller spikes keeping his skin peeled back from his abdomen and chest.  "Who was first?" asks the somehow still-alive figure.  The party tries to answer with their own questions, but the god is insistent:  WHO WAS FIRST?  "Aelaephixia," he is told, at which he moans, and says, "Oh - it is war, then."

There is a shuddery moment of doubt and pain and fear, and then Johrven/Joven (for that is who dies here, today - God is Dead) looks at each person and says, "They are coming.  Do not trust them.  Do not...."  And dies, in James' arms.

There is a stunned moment, but then Joven begins to leave, shrinking as if getting farther away.  James plucks out his eye as he disappears, until all that is left of the Dead God is his eye, which James hands to AofEk.  "I am connected to that," James says, "But I do not care to carry it."  AofEk is intrigued and you can almost feel the schemes and plans - but no, that is merely the ground trembling, as if mourning the passing of God.

The trembles and shakings get worse, and the party starts to leave down the long corridor - but with a vicious rumble the hall collapses.  Heading back to the room with elemental doors, the party considers their options - until Horace, putting his head into the room of Air, gets gathered into a whirling vortex and lifted bodily upwards.  James follows, and there's a tense moment where both AofEk and Cimbri want to go last - but both eventually leave the tomb of the Dead God Joven.

Emerging from... somewhere... the party arrives near a fountain which burbles a few blocks from the Temple - and as the party lands, the watch the ground open and the main Temple collapse down into the earth.

The city of Joven begins to burn.

Uh oh.

Three more people were present when Aelaephixia re-entered the world, who for a variety of reasons were unable to enter the Tomb of the Dead God; Kylie and Francis are missing from Emperor Milosh's house, and Angus is found dead in his cell, his eyes torn out of his head and held in his hands.

Next stop is the Asylum, where after a slightly tense moment the party re-meets Father Darbouw.   It's nice to know powerful people - like, for instance, the last two priests in the world, potentially.  Darbouw is surprisingly lucid, and asks for assistance in the asylum - they would like some food, and guards.  The party agrees and sets off to find some high-ranking militia person.

At this point, Cimbri and Horace both leave to rescue people and their things from burning buildings; Cimbri officially, with a Major to help him move quickly from victim to victim; Horace stealthily, with an eye towards plunder.  Both make the city more better than worse, however.  James leaves on his own mysterious mission.  AofEk commands that the sinkhole which swallowed the Temple be guarded and a perimter set up; once he sees that such a thing is being done, he returns to Milosh's house, where the rest of the party eventually finds their way.

While settling down for a meal, however, a private in the Militia rides up, exhorting the party to come to the Senate hall, where the Emperor has been slain.

Uh-oh.

The party finds the Emperor surrounded by the bodies of a dozen or so cultists, guards in a panic, and pandemonium.  They enter the Senate hall, where AofEk speaks to the Senators, calming them (somewhat) and causing some spirited debate.  They are tasked with returning to Penumbria to retrieve the Regent, so that he may return to Joven and restore order to the Empire.

Riding out of town that night, General Joachim Chatelain rides for the first hour or so, gleaning what information he can from the party that might help him guide his wounded city through the next month or so, and offering to answer any questions the party might have.

With heavy hearts and weary bodies, the party makes haste for Penumbria.