View source for The Darkest Hour (Blighted City 25)

{{Infobox expedition log
| title = The Darkest Hour (Blighted City 25)
| date = 2/28/25
| storyteller = Dag
| tier_of_play = High Master/Low Legendary, Hard
| player_characters = [[Siltmean the Craftrat]], [[Melfyra]], [[Aleth|Shadefrost]], [[Sheeri of the Frozen Wastes]]
| rewards = 325 xp, 3k platinum, warleader's bulwark, saurian spike (greater), warcaller's chime of dread, wand of spiritual warfare (4th rank), spiritual warhorn (greater)
| result = Success
| author = Siltmean
| downtime_days = Varies, see "What to do about crystals" thread in Psychic Link
}}
Associates save another group of Associates, wait a day, then try again at their own mission.
== Log ==
'''The First Attempt'''
* Meet other groups in Onadbyr
* Head to Lancaster as large group
* Undead outside the city?
* Undead along warded paths?
* Entire city cloaked in darkness
* Carve path to safe house
* Prepare, head to Palace
* Everyone clears wall
* Split up
* Team 1 going to clear outer palace
* Team 2, us, expected to clear the bridge again
* We head toward the main bridge to clear path for our strongest associates, team 3
* Lack of melee fighters in our team
* Am I the attention grabber now?
* Glad for my new anti-otherworld armor modification
* Before arrival, Vara and Mutt of other group run to us
* First team in trouble
* We hurry to help
* One already dead, massive vortex of shadows rampaging
* Use my VDA (Void Dispersal Array) to repel the shadow mass
* Body of fallen Associate hits the ground
* Plan is already a bust
* I Go retrieve team 3
* Retreat to safe house
* Try again tomorrow


'''The Second Attempt'''
* Shadefrost uses teleportation pack to retrieve more Associates
* Team 1 bolstered, we head out the next day
* Angstrom stayed in Onadbyr to ferry the fallen Associate to a revival
* We head to the bridge
* Several troops of undead, from zombies to ghost soldiers
* Sykvever and Ephialtes stand behind them
* They hear us, prepare for fight
* Melfyra surprises them with sunburst, thins the herd significantly
* I face the rapidly approaching dread wraiths
* My AO armor resists them well
* Finish off ghost swarm with Molten Lava blast
* Sykvever rushes Melfyra atop tower
* Ephialtes stays back early on
* Ghost soldiers suddenly blast me and Sheeri with powerful fire
* Suddenly I'm not handling these undead as well anymore
* Sheeri gets rid of the ghosts
* Melfyra busy with Sykvever chasing her
* Ephialtes begins approaching
* Shadefrost moves to distract it at the bridge
* We finish off the wraiths
* Begin focusing on Sykvever
* Ephialtes ensnares Shadefrost, wounds have apparently closed on it
* Shadefrost escapes and falls back
* Ephialtes reaches us, unleashes wave of chains
* Wears us down even more
* We focus Sykvever, force it to focus on healing itself
* Eventually kill it, but can't put down Ephialtes
* Figure out it has weakness to holy to stop regeneration
* Only holy person is Melfyra
* Fight to keep it down and keep Melfyra alive
* Her and I both nearly die
* Narrowly manage to finish it off after Melfyra strikes it with holy magic
* No lives lost, everyone severely injured
* Escape to the safe house, let team 3 move in