Into the Ruins
In the morning the group heads deeper into the city to find the source of the Dread which appears to be coming from the castle. As they arrive they find the place in ruins. There is armor and bones littering the courtyard out front as there was at some point a large battle here. All of the armor appears to be from the Kasan military which means that this battle was likely between the insurgents led by Kenji and the forces loyal to the Emperor. The castle also appears to be afflicted by some corruption that has caused parts of the building to crumble. The group is able to make their way into the castle through an alternate entrance.
General Corruption
After some brief exploring the group stumbles upon the three remaining Guntai. These once proud military Yuan-ti have been corrupted by this place and their greed into twisted and powerful undead creatures. After a pitched battle, which saw Lorelei get briefly paralyzed, the group was able to vanquish these foes. Investigating the area, the group finds the horde collected by the Guntai in life. Among these items, surprisingly, each person finds an item that is oddly tied to them, as if someone or something was attempting to aid them in their quest to rid the place of the Dread.
Blighted Past
As the group attempts to recover and create a game plan, their discussion was cut short by a voice from the throne room calling them usurpers. From the darkness of the room steps Ghulmorazk, the Blightfather, an massive adult Dread Dragon. The powerful monster pushes the group to their limits, but with the help of their new items, they are able to destroy this monstrosity. With the Blightfather gone, the Dread immediately leaves the area. The sun burns through the clouds for the first time in centuries and the sounds of the jungle return.
The crown of the Kasan Empire remains, and appears to still be cursed. Carna places the crown into a specialize magic bag that neutralizes its power. Myrnin, with his connection to death, is able to see the ghost of the Emperor now. Communing with him, the group learns that the crown is a pwerful magic item. While the exact nature is a bit unclear, they learn it is an attractor, manipulating realty to bring the things one wants to them. Unfortunately, in the hands of a weak man like Emperor Tenno, it can lead to the type of corruption that attracted Ghulmorazk to this place. It seems the crown, had worked its magic on the group as well bringing them powerful items that helped them defeat Ghulmorazk and his Dread.