The weary heroes emerged from their peaceful night camping by the waves of the Draemir coast, the first true rest they had known since leaving Gräuhaven. As dawn crept across the water, the Astral Spire shimmered in the distance—a tall, silver tower that reflected light like a celestial beacon. The party approached the tower, knowing it was warded by powerful magic, home to the reclusive mage Calvis Drawin, a hermit said to read futures in the stars and moon. When the Traveler attempted to knock on the door using his firearm Castor, a magical barrier absorbed the impact, preventing any contact with the entrance itself.
Traveler analyzed the barrier with assistance from Lena, determining it was a building-wide enchantment rather than traditional sigil-based wards, making it uniformly strong throughout the structure. Dante switched his combat stance to channel magical energy through his hands, and together with Traveler using Castor, they created a temporary opening in the ward. The party rushed through with Greg and Ulric leading the way, entering the tower's first floor to find it in a state of disrepair—broken tables, scattered furniture, and chamber pots littered the space, evidence of long neglect.
As soon as they crossed the threshold, the tower's defenses activated. Five hostile apparitions materialized before them: a red wraith-like entity called a Bloodmist with blazing eyes, two shadow-like spirits known as Echoes—one hooded with glowing eyes and one more luminous without a hood—and two humanoid creatures with vulture faces that watched and waited. Traveler quickly cast a protective ward over Ulric as battle erupted. Dante engaged the Blood Mist with magical strikes, causing it to vanish into mist before reforming behind him to counterattack. One of the Echoes gazed into Mike's eyes, confusing him and making his mind chaotic, while another attacked Ulric, rendering his soul and causing his dreams to collide with reality.
The party fought back with determination and teamwork. Mike poisoned the Echoe with a special toxin that can affect geists, then marked it for death. Dante delivered a devastating strike to the Bloodmist that caused it to dissipate into crimson dust. Greg and Ulric bolstered each other's resolve through words of encouragement, gaining renewed hope. As the colored dusts dropped to the ground from the geists, Pyrrhus collected them, storing them in vials for his alchemical work.
The two vulture geists suddenly rushed forward, attempting to possess both Ulric and Mike. Ulric's overwhelming mental presence proved too much for the spirit trying to enter his mind. Mike was not so fortunate, becoming possessed by the other vulture spirit, which took control of his actions. The unpossessed vulture let out a piercing shriek that affected everyone nearby, compelling them to attack their nearest allies in a chaotic frenzy.
Under the shriek's influence, the Traveler unleashed a powerful force push against the possessed Mike, blasting him through a wall into an adjacent room. Ulric, confused and compelled, attacked Pyrrhus with his axe. The possessed Mike struggled against the spirit's control, taking damage but failing to break free.
Mike finally broke free from possession, expelling the vulture spirit from his body through sheer force of will. Just as the battle seemed to continue endlessly, a shriek emanated from the tower itself—not from the geists, but from the very structure around them. The sound affected all the remaining spirits, causing them to disperse into mist and retreat upward to the higher floors of the tower, leaving the first floor cleared of spectral threats.
The party took a moment to catch their breath and tend to their wounds, with Pyrrhus continuing to collect the various colored dusts left behind by the defeated guardians. As they rested on the first floor of the Astral Spire, they couldn't help but wonder what other challenges awaited them in the floors above, and whether the mad mage Calvis Drawin himself had summoned his guardians back—or if something else entirely had called them away.