The group travel with the Narthex for some time, visiting vistas both strange and dangerous. They explore jungles, fight abhumans and brave freezing wastes. They start to weary of this nomadic existence and feel that they need to find a way to get back home. But despite the discoveries and the interesting landscapes they are no closer to getting home. Months pass. Nes begins to form a relationship with Pheobe in the Narthex. The other members of the group continue exploring, hoping to find something that will break their lonely and aimless existence. Until one day the Narthex doors open onto a beautiful landscape, with a lake and waterfalls backing onto hills and looming mountains. However beyond a waterfall there is the sound of tortured screaming. By now, the mapbook they retrieved has gaps in it. They do not know how long the Narthex will remain in this place. But they decide to explore and find out what is causing this sound They find massive statues sitting in a huge lake. Some dark scum sits on the lake and nothing grows near the lake edge. They see a small hut on the far side of the lake with a boat on the shore, so go to explore. At the other side of the lake there is a bare plain owith massive rocks scattered around. In the distance, tall broken towers can be seen. Three human figures can be seen on this side of one of the rocks, but it looks like they are hiding from something. The figures notice the group and frantically gesture at them. Most of the group scatter to find a good hiding place but Buster doesn't notice - he is so busy trying to figure out what the hand gestures mean. He calls to the strangers. At this point a massive wormlike creature bursts from the ground and ambulates unbelievably quickly towards him. Both the group and the strangers charge in to assist Buster, and between them all they defeat the beast. The strangers introduce themselves. They are Theobold Malachis, Askalar Veen and Ederana. They have come from the other side of the mountains looking for their noble lord, Lord Dro of Uxphon. Some time ago, Lord Dro and his entourage had found a tunnel leading directly through the mountains from Uxphon. They had spent some time exploring around the tunnel which was rich with Numenera, however the group had been attacked by green creatures. While many of the group had been killed, or lost in the escape Dro was one who escaped. He had returned to Uxphon, but the injury he had incurred seemed to fester, with his veins taking on a horrible greenish hue. As the days went on he began talking strangely - muttering about assimilating to discover. Sometimes multiple voices seeming to come from his mouth at the same time. An aeon priest was sent for, but when he arrived Dro had disappeared. Seach parties were sent in all directions. Theobold, Askalar and Ederana were sent down the tunnel to see if he had come that way. When they exited the tunnel they found tracks and had been following those tracks to this point. The group decide to join these strangers from Uxphon, and they all head together into the field of towers. However as they cross a rise they see, around a massive tower, ten strange green humanoid creatures walking around in pairs. The attract two of them over the rise and attempt to communicate. They cannot vocally, but telepathically it appears the creatures are very curious about them and want to know more. The creatures mentally speak with thousands of voices and Kel realises that the creatures wish to assimilate them. They fight and defeat them, but somehow the creatures have communicated with their counterparts on the field who come over to also do battle. All 10 creatures are defeated and the path seems clear to the tower, but then around the field, more of those creatures and some other related creatures come into view. There are too many to battle. The group run into the tower, fighting more of those creatures and climbing slowly up the tower. Partway up, they find a human hiding behind some boxes. His skin is green, but he is a friend of the Uxphon people. He explains that he has broken the hold of the tactile host that hold his mind hostage, but he doubts he can keep them at bay. He asks them to tie him up or kill him. They tie him up quickly as he explains that at the top of the tower there is a device that allows the creatures to communicate on a much greater scale than their usual limited telepathy. They intend to eventually assimilate the world in order that they can understand it and with this device they can command a worldwide network. They continue up the tower, but at a level where they are forced to battle a strange hound, the ramp going up the tower changing from going up inside the tower to looping around the outside. Buster steps out to reconnoiter when from further up the tower strange giant green insects swarm out. They clamber over the outside of the tower and head towards Buster. Buster dives back in the opening and he and Nes draw swords as the creatures pile into the room. A battle ensues with Buster and Nes slicing away at the creatures with the rest of the group providing missile support. The heroes eventually win, but Buster and Nes are covered with the green fluid from inside these creatures. They all head outside and go up the platform around the outside of the tower. As they climb they see approximately 100 creatures heading towards the tower of the various types they have attacked before, and more appearing over the edges of the basin. The first of the creatures are entering the tower now, but already weary, the group know that this would be a battle they cannot win. They peek in the next couple of levels as they pass which appear to be empty of anything of interest, but the final entrance holds a green skinned, well armoured human holding a smoking scepter and another of the giant green insects. Behind them is a ladder leading to a small opening in the ceiling through which sky can be seen above. Buster and Nes charge into the room, Buster attacking the insect and Nes attacking the human. "Stop," cries Edarana pulling out an injector, "That is Lord Dro - we need to use the fluid in this injector to cure him" The human holds up his sceptre and a beam of light emits from it, which the human moves adroitly around the room, burning walls and floor. It also hits most of the people in the room as they fail to avoid it. Edarana, Theobold and Alaskar are felled by the power of this beam while Chips, Nes and Kel are badly impaired. Kel seems to barely notice - his eyes are unfocused and he is talking quietly. Buster defeats the insect fairly easily, and decided that as time is of the essence, he needs to get to the top to destroy the communications device that is apparently up there. He begins to climb the ladder, but Lord Dro runs up behind him and grabs his ankle, trying to pull him off the ladder. Nes grabs the injector and tries to use it on Dro, who swings to the side and with his other hand sweeps a beam from his sceptre around the room. Nes avoids the beam and Buster is above it, but it hits everyone else - including those who are already down. The three servants of Lord Dro are killed. Kel and Chips are knocked to the ground, Kel seemingly unconscious. Chips is still conscious but unable to move - his body in unbearable agony. Nes tries again with the injector, this time managing to inject a fluid into Lord Dro who imediately falls to the ground and starts spasming. Nes grabs the sceptre and the remaining two heroes climb to the top of the tower. At the top of the tower they find themselves on an open rooftop, below the plains are flooded with creatures racing towards the tower. A large device stands on a platform two metres up in the middle of the tower, standing on four sturdy synth poles This device is being manipulated by two of the green humanoid creatures, and device and creatures are all surrounded by a shimmering dome of force.. Although there are ladders going up, Buster ignores those and starts hacking at the legs holding the tower up, eventually manage to chop one of the legs in two. This does not seem to affect the stability of the tower and Buster starts on the second leg. Nes meanwhile has activated the sceptre, and although he seems to be unable to create a good arc with the beam, he does manage to focus the beam on the creatures one at a time, destroying them. Then he hears a noise below and looking down into the room below sees the first of the creatures enter the room, leaping onto the corpses of Lord Dro's servants and rending them. Nes activates the sceptre again, attempting to create a beam of light to destroy the remaining synth poles. However this time something seems to go wrong. The sceptre crackles with energy and then explodes, sending light in every direction. Nes is knocked unconscious and Buster is badly hurt, but the damage from the light is enough to finish the work that Buster started on the second leg. The platform slowly leans to the side and then over the edge of the tower. The platform hits the ground, destroying the device sitting on it. At the moment that the device is destroyed, all the creatures in the plain collapse. Buster slaps Nes awake and they go down to their companions who are just beginning to recover from the effects of the sceptre. Lord Dro is also coming to and his skin is a normal colour again. He sees his servants corpses in the room, the collapsed bodies of many creatures and Buster, who at this point is the only person who can stand up. "Well then, well done fellow," says Lord Dro to Buster, "I see that you and your companions were drafted by my servants to rescue me. You have succeeded in your task - I no longer hear the voices in my head." He walks among his servants, checking their pulses and finding them all dead. "Come now," he continues, "this is no time for sentiment, already I can see the creatures starting to stir. You will escort me back to Uxphon. You have done a fine job and my father will reward you greatly." The heroes drag themselves to their feet and all of them stumble down the tower. When Dro sees another of his servants below, tied up, unconcious and with green skin, he pulls out a knife and swiftly dispatches him. "I have done him a favour," he states. The group make their way down, taking no time to explore or loot the tower and make their way across the plain through the field of stirring creatures. Eventually they find a defensible position to camp for the night. A discussion takes place on what to do next and in the end they decide to leave the Narthex and to follow Lord Dro to Uxphon. They know that Uxphon is close to the Steadfast and could potentially be the first step of returning home. The next morning Dro leads them to a hidden tunnel entrance to a tunnel that goes in a perfectly straight line as far as the eye can see. Lord Dro explains that the tunnel leads directly to the undercity of Uxphon and they begin the 10 day underground journey.
