After catching their breath and tending to their wounds, the party ascended to the second floor. The journey felt unnaturally long, as if they had traversed four or five floors instead of one. During the climb, Travian mysteriously vanished from the party, and Lena unexpectedly appeared in his place, confused about how she had gotten inside the tower when she was just outside moments before. The Traveler discerned that powerful illusory and spatial magic was affecting the tower, confusing their senses and causing misdirection throughout the structure.
The second floor appeared to be disarrayed quarters or student rooms, suggesting the tower was once used for teaching. The party explored what seemed to be an alchemist's workshop, where Pyrrhus discovered a collection of pure blue dust—residue from the geists they had previously fought. He deduced that the tower's master had been collecting this material from spirits, and the only way to obtain it was by destroying them. The party also learned that spirits in Wachovia do not truly die but merely dissipate and eventually reform within the realm. Dante found a crumpled piece of paper on the floor with illegible scribbles, appearing to be a discarded page from a notebook. After thorough searching, The Traveler successfully located hidden stairs that led to the third floor.
The third floor was surprisingly clean and well-maintained compared to the previous levels. They discovered a long hallway lined with statues of recognizable figures from folklore, their pedestals bearing scratch marks that indicated they could be rotated. Ulric, still affected by confusion from his earlier vulnerability, heard taunting whispers from his past and ferociously attacked one of the statues with his battle axe, cleaving off its head. The destroyed statue released a burst of star-like magical energy that struck several party members. Pyrrhus managed to avoid the damage entirely through quick reflexes.
The party discovered an extensive library that appeared to be where the tower's master conducted his studies and journaling. After multiple thorough searches through countless books, they eventually located two volumes containing instructions for turning the movable statues in the correct sequence. Following the instructions from both books, they correctly positioned the statues, and a satisfying click echoed through the hall. A hidden wall behind a bookshelf slid open, revealing a path leading upward to the fifth floor.
The fifth floor was strikingly different from the lower levels. The party entered a large chamber with multiple colored spheres, symbols etched into the floor, and four gateways in cardinal directions. The ceiling was a translucent dome revealing a star-filled sky, even though it was daytime. There they encountered Calvus Draewyn himself—an old, bald man with a long white beard and completely white eyes, dressed in sigil-covered robes. In front of him stood two pale, flickering silhouettes in ceremonial garb and the two vulture geists that had previously fled from the first floor.
Calvus, initially with his back turned, looked at the party and stated he had foreseen their arrival. He demanded they leave at once, declaring them unwelcome intruders. When The Traveler attempted to engage him in conversation and asked about the Blight, Calvus appeared to listen to the geists before denying any knowledge of it. Mike attempted to sneak into position for an attack, but Calvus immediately detected his movement and became enraged. His robes and sigils glowed with magical energy as he unleashed a powerful explosion in the center of the room, forcing the party to scatter and take cover. He then created a magical duplicate of himself, making it difficult to distinguish the real mage from the illusion.
The battle intensified as Calvus unleashed devastating attacks, causing stars to fall and explode throughout the chamber. Ulric and The Traveler coordinated a powerful assault against Calvus, their combined efforts dealing massive damage and dispelling his magical duplicate. Pyrrhus successfully rendered Calvus unconscious with an enchantment, temporarily removing the powerful mage from the fight. With Calvus incapacitated, the spectral guardians turned their full attention to the party. Greg and Ulric executed a coordinated maneuver, with Greg launching Ulric at one of the vulture geists, their combined attack pushing the spirit against a wall where the tower's wards prevented it from escaping. Pyrrhus then unleashed a barrage of magical energy that obliterated the first vulture into black and red dust.
The remaining guardians continued their assault, with The Traveler and Mike coordinating to destroy another of the spectral watchers. Mike and Ulric worked together to eliminate one of the watcher geists, with The Traveler helping to counter the watcher's blinding light. However, the last remaining watcher struck Mike with a blade of energy, dealing devastating damage. In his final moments, Mike invoked a desperate gambit, coating himself in acid and poison before delivering a devastating blow that destroyed the last watcher. His form dissolved and collapsed, transforming into a slime-hardened cocoon with a faint heartbeat audible from within.
With the geists defeated, Calvus Graywind awakened with a roar. A white, shadow-like astral form detached from him, shrieking as it separated from his body before dissipating into the chamber. The entire room lit up as the entity was expelled, and stars from the ceiling began falling and exploding throughout the space in a violent, magical discharge. The party scrambled to avoid the cascading debris, with The Traveler taking heavy damage and falling unconscious. Calvus himself fell unconscious after expelling the possessing entity, appearing uninjured but completely drained. As the last of the stars fell, the tower became dormant and safe at last. Faust began dragging The Traveler by his coat, while the party collected Mike's cocoon-like form, still hearing the faint heartbeat from within. The tower, now cleared of its hostile guardians and the entity that had controlled its master, finally offered them a place to rest.
