The party faced a drow priestess in a temple to the elemental eye. They killed her underlings but she escaped. They left the hall of the fire giant king with the remaining freed prisoners and teleported them to Krombault’s castle. The party and the dwarves headed back to Fallcrest. Fallcrest was governed by Morthos Azaer and Barnoble Eeace IV who were previously turned to stone in The Pyramid of Shadows. After a combat with some devils who were trying to serve vengeance for the slaying of a duergar warlord, the party discover that Morthos and Barnoble were actually thralls of a pair of mind flayers. The party pursued the mind flayers into the catacombs beneath Moonstone Keep and eventually faced of with Mosobth a beholder crime lord. The party bloodied the beholder and caused it to retreat but not before it killed Theren. The party tried to carry Theren out of the catacombs but were assaulted by some bodacks. After a couple of missteps the adventures were in trouble. Nim fell to the gaze of a bodack and then Rudy. Uthrid battled on against the remaining 3 of 6 bodacks but a lucky punch weakened him and the gaze of another dropped him. They have never been seen again.

Princess Moonshadow has been freed from her prison cell in King Snurry Ironbelly’s Volcanic Fortress. The king lies dead in his hall without a head. Many giant and azur are dead. Rudolph Harmony and his tireless champions be praised! Theren Brightwood, Nim and Uthrid live as do their dwarven utility crew: Holgar the Artimist, Kamaand the Rune Priest, Borri the mastersmith’s apprentice, Gorec the sneak and Finn the giantslayer. One storm archon remains as well as freed prisoners Foddy the elf and Keak the gnome. Eight elf prisoners and Dram the dwarf as well as two storm archons have recently been lost from the party. But many objectives have been achieved. Snurry is dead as well as his bride and many of his best giants. Ombi Ironwhisperer is slain and his body will be returned to the dwarves of Canyon City to be raised and stood trial. The drow have been uncovered and some of their agents have been slain but their leader Enclavdra, priestest of Lolth is loose somewhere in the mountain. The remaining fire giants have been spying the party from a distance. The remaining enemy numbers are unknown. Moonshadow brings Rudy’s heroes to lucky 13.

Krombaalt, Storm Giant Lord, hosts the council in his castle in the clouds. He is an old widower with sons Quaron and Farmol and daughter Elektra. Krombaalt, wears a platinum circlet around his head with a huge pink diamond at his forehead. His hair is white as is the handsome beard on his huge purple jaw. He wears fine long robes and sandals. He carries a magnificent morningstar. His sons are dressed for battle with greatswords but the aura of thunder and lightening around all four of the storm giants is enough to command the room. Elektra is in a fine robe with a purse.

Ohrmarr, elder bronze dragon, is not present but has spoken to Krombaalt about his concerns.

Prince Palil Moonbeam, elf from the Rain Valley, his sister Princess Moonshadow is believed to be a prisoner of King Snurre Ironbelly. He is young with polished elven chainmail.
Luesan “Riddlewine” Firebrook accompanies the prince. She is dressed in leatherleaf, carries a pair of swords and a bow.

Zalko Blighthammer, dwarf merchant, son Dram was captured during a giant raid.

King Kannan and the dwarves of Ekkia Byror have abandoned their outpost. Borri, Finn, Gorec, Holgar and Kamaand are among the sixty dwarves that are filling Krombaalts rooms in the western portion of the castle.

Malrion Movrymm, eladrin, son of Councilor Saffrenia Movrynn. Fine robes and staff.
There is a small community of eladrin occupying the southern portion of the castle.

Danica Stonesong

Utanu, Stone Giant Seer, believed Ogremoch guided him to unearth the Stone Of Madness, he now knows it was the Elder Elemental Eye.

A small, red and white striped tent sits atop a crenelated tower in the eastern portion of the tower. It looks like the Mihajla’s tent.

The adventurers were given the directions to a secret passage into the warrens beneath the Howling Crag. They managed to get through without killing any stone giants and destroyed the purple stone which had driven the Thane mad. They brokered an alliance after the Thane came to his senses. The Thane’s sister was arrested by the Thane and his frost giant emmissary was sent back to the Glacial Rift. Danica Songstone, a dwarf emmissary, was released along with 10 dwarf masons. The dwarves and stone giants sent the adventurers to the Glacial Rift on a pair of rocs. They hope Theren, Uthrid, Nim and Rudy can infiltrate the Glacial Rift before the frost giant emmissary returns there and tells the Jarl that the treaty with the stone giants is broken. The dwarves are sending Finn, Borri, Gorec, Holgar and Kamaand to meet the adventurers but they must travel on foot and will take a few days. The dwarves also have given the adventurers a powerful item called a dragon orb which the can use against the twin dragons who are said to guard the doors to the Jarl’s fortress. The adventurers’ mission are to assassinate Jarl Grundar and steal his battleplans as well as meet with a frost giant called Vaald who claims he is the Jarl’s advisor and has promised the dwarves he will end hostilities if they kill the Jarl.

Rudy, Nim, Theren and Uthrid cleared out most of the hill giant steading including a fire giant and iron dragon in the basement level. They left some areas of the basement alone. A shrine to an old deity was left unexplored and they avoided the caverns where a roper lived and others that housed some umber hulks. They woke the stone giant emissary but kept him in restraints. With his help they urged some other stone giants in the basement to surrender and rescued some more enslaved humans and dwarves and a half orc called Javok.

So, with most of the steading’s treasure stowed on their ponies as well as their dead dwarf friends Alden and Durin, the remaining dwarves, Finn, Borri, Gorec, Holgar and Kamand, escorted the adventurers, the three stone giant prisoners, ten human ex-slaves and fifteen dwarven ex-slaves and Javok to their secret dwarven stronghold at the mountains edge. The stronghold was guarded by a meager group of dwarves ruled by King Kannan. The old king greeted them with a gift of residuum in large volume and some rituals including Enchant Magic Item. Over the next couple of days Nim, with the help of Borri, Holgar and Kamand, created a magic item for each of the adventurers. King Kannan explained the dwarves situation and promised the rest of the stronghold’s horde to the adventurers for further assistance.

The dwarves were charged with watching the Crystalmist Mountains for giant activity. If the giants became restless (as they recently had) the dwarves were to drive them back into the mountains and send warning to the Dragonmaw Canyon and Ekkia Byror. The humanoid settlements nearby were now mostly ruined and mercenaries from the south had come up to take on the giants but most that ventured into the mountains to assault the Howling Crag or the Glacial Rift had not returned. The stone giants had recently been allies of the dwarves and the king had heard that a purple stone had been unearthed in the stone giant warrens below the Howling Crag and this stone had driven the stone giant thane mad. Since his madness, the thane’s sister had taken command and allied the stone giants with the other giants. King Kannan had three quests for the adventurers to accomplish in order to earn the stronghold’s horde:

1. Infiltrate the Howling Crag and release the thane from his madness. Then broker an alliance with the stone giants.

2. Infiltrate the Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl, assassinate the Jarl, steal his battle plans and meet with Vaald, the Jarls’ advisor, who has promised to end hostility if the Jarl is killed, and determine if his promise is valid.

3. Infiltrate the Hall of the Fire Giant King and determine what has stirred them up.

The adventurers launched their attack on the hill giant chief Nosnra in the main hall when he sent a couple giants to the front gate to replace the guards. At this time he had also sent some orcs slaves and an ogre taskmaster to the kitchens with a cooked pig and lamb so that the rear dining room could be prepared for Vaarg and some other giant raiders who resided in the barracks. The dwarves headed off the replacement guards while the adventurers dealt with Nosnra and his attendants. The dwarves did a good job and brought down twoi giants while the adventurers killed Nosnra and the others. One giant escaped the hall and ran to the kitchens to alert Vaarg. After sweeping through the hall for valuables the adventurers fortified themselves in one of the hallways and took a short rest. Soon giant were banging on the hallway doors and another battle took place. Vaarg was a hill giant werewolf and the dwarves tried to hold him off as well as a pack of five dire wolves whiule the adventures battled giants and ogres at the other end of the hall. Ultimately Vaarg was killed. Theren peppered him with silver arrows that had been found in an urn by Nosnra’s chair in the main hall. The dire wolves fled when Vaarg dropped and the other giants and ogres were defeated. Alden and Durin, two of the dwarves were killed in the battle with Vaarg and some of them contracted moon fever. In all, four hill giants, 15 orc slaves and the five dire wolves fled the steading. Finn and Gorek took posts in the steading watchtower and everone else rested. Nim and Holgar used remove affliction rituals to heal those who contracted moon fever and to remove the curses the adventurers had picked up in Baba Yaga’s hut. Removing the curses almost cost Uthrid his life but Theren assisted with some crucial advice and Holgar succeeded with the ritual. Holgar and Kammand cast a gentle repose ritual over the bodies of Alden and Durin. After exploring the entire top level of the steading another stairway to the basement was discovered in a secret room off of Nosnra’s den. A magical vegeful longsword was found in the barracks and Uthrid took possession of the weapon.

The steading was a large wooden structure comprised of mostly five foot thick tree trunks. The walls were fifteen feet in height and the main building rose to thirty feet at it’s peak. Smoke drifted from the large chimney in the center and from most of the chimneys around the structure. Attached to the main building was a lookout tower on the southern side. On the northern side was a smaller building and the tall walls fenced in a large courtyard between the two buildings. Theren and Gorek approached the fort unseen by the lookout tower. Theren quickly determined that dire wolves inhabited the courtyard between the buildings so they snuck around to the front of the building and got a look inside the front gates. A hill giant and four ogres slept inside the hall and at least one other hill giant was in the tower above the hall. Dishes and mugs lay about the hall and revelry could be heard from behind a set of large double doors that led further into the Steading. Two smaller sets of double doors were at opposite ends of the guard hall. Theren and Gorek reported to the rest of the group and soon most of the band were on the doorstep to the giants’ lair. Kamand and Holgar were held back to guard the ponies and donkeys. The adventurers and dwarves quickly and quietly murdered the sleeping giant and ogres. They soon heard some giants talking in the tower. One was coming down to take a nap and wake the now dead giant. The adventurers ambushed the giant and two in the tower were alerted. The guards in the tower struck a gong to which no one responded and soon the adventurers with a little help from the dwarves had dispatched all the hill giants.
They checked the two smaller sets of doors which flanked the larger set and found the both were twenty food wide hallways that went fifty feet. The eastern hall had double doors at the end on the eastern all. The western hall had doors at the end on the western wall. Theren checked the western doors and found a hallway that went west sixty feet with double doors on both sides at the end. The hallway also travelled one hundred feet to the north before heading west. A set of doors on the eastern wall of that hallway was opened by an Orc slave carrying serving trays. They found sleeping ogres in one room at the end of the western hall and they quietly murdered them. There were two stone giants in the other room at the end of the hall. They surprised the giants and killed them. They found some treasure including residuum and the rituals remove affliction and raise dead. They had heard the giants talking before they killed them. They were wondering when Laertar would be coming back to the room. It was obvious this as another stone giant so they waited and ambushed him when he arrived an hour later. The dwarves investigated while the heroes took out the stone giant emissary. There was a huge central hall where the hill giant chief Nosnra had been feasting with the stone giant emissary and other hill giants. He was believed to be dozing at a great table in the hall while several pigs, sheep and an ox were roasted over a fire in the center of the room. The northern side of the hallway where the stone giants resided led to the kitchens and orcs had been seen coming nag going between the kitchen and the main hall. The other hall off the guard hall led to a room full of young hill giants. The adventurers decided to take out the young and their babysitters next and the managed to kill the chief’s mate, all the young and four other hill giants without attracting attention. They then took an extended rest and got ready to assault the rest of the Steading.

Nim, Uthrid, Rudy and Theren awoke in an encampment surrounded by a few natural stone formations. A field of tall grass led north from the encampment creating a path through a jungle that encroached on the rest of the view in all directions. Mountains rose from foothills beyond the grassy path. The adventurers found themselves stripped down to their small clothes. The were tucked into bedrolls and there was a pile of equipment tied to two mules by the campfire. They found a few days rations each in beans and rice, nuts, water and a fine bottle of wine with the equipment. There were sets of hide armor for the taller people. Nim got a dagger, Rudy took a battle-ax, Uthrid ended up with a spear and Theren got a mace and a sling. Their treasure trove of gold and magic items were gone. They could no longer take food for granted because the Basket of Everlasting Provisions was gone. They had no Bags of Holding to carry all their gear. The transformation from riches to rags was devastating to the moral of the party. They had been left with a few torches, flint and steel, some rope and some throwing axes. They had no rituals but they all still had the Mark of the Tembo and the Greatwing Tattoos. There was a map with the equipment and a letter from Baba Yaga. The map showed that the adventurers were just southeast of the Crystalmist Mountains. North of the Mountains was a land called the Wastelands and Skull City. Jungle covered most of the area before reaching the sea in the south and east. These waters were labelled: The Desolate Waters of $&@¥£€#. The map indicated villages in the foothills of the mountains. The note from Baba Yaga congratulated the adventurers on avoiding her cook pot and thanked them for the many valuable items they had brought her. It explained that they had been interviewed but they would not remember the sessions. She revealed that some of the items they had carried had powers they did not know of. In particular she told them the necroshard longsword INVERNESS that Uthrid had carried was a lich’s phylanctary. She also left each party member a randomly drawn card from the Deck Of Many Things but they each chose to burn the card instead of accept it’s benefit or curse. They were attacked by worgs but fended them off and got used to their new weapons.

After lamenting that they were too weakened to continue their quest in Skull City they decided to head for the foothill villages that their map promised would be there. They came to a ruined village at daybreak and observed a group of dwarves laying their mentor to rest. They revealed themselves to the dwarfs and learned that hill giants had raided the village and taken dwarf and human prisoners. The pass to other villages had been cut off by giants in the mountains and travelling through the jungle was impossible in the dwarves’ opinions. They knew where the hill giant steading was located and planned to there to seek revenge and perhaps free their captured friends. When the adventurers volunteered to aid them they quickly gathered any gear they could find to better arm their new friends. Alden was the oldest of the dwarves, who were mainly career miners. Finn was nearly as old as Alden and he was the only one trained as a soldier. Finn carried a great ax and wore plate mail armor. Alden acted as the leader of the group and carried a war pick. Borri was a young blacksmith’s apprentice whose master was one of the dwarves who had been captured. He showed excellent skill as he fitted an old set of scale armor for Uthrid and sharpened up some swords for the fighter and Rudy. Alden found a bow and 30 arrows for Theren. Garek was the teams burglar and specialized at scouting and using his knives. Durin, Holgar and Kamand also carried war picks. Holgar was the teams cook and a capable herbalist. Kamand was the youngest and was responsible for tending to the ponies. In short order, they set off toward the steading. They hoped they would arrive to find the hill giants drunk from celebrating the recent raid. Uthrid had to ride on of the ponies because his joints were aching badly. A yellow chicken footprint had appeared on his forehead as well and he occasionally clucked uncontrollably. Nim was having disturbing thoughts that sometimes distracted him. Holgar had no remedy for their maladies which they figured were curses they had picked up in Baba Yaga’s Dancing Hut.

The adventurers travelled back across the western Nentir Vale from Restwell Keep to Winterhaven and on to Fallcrest. Uthrid sent letters to the senetors of Sosh were his family had holdings. They were the regions governed by Senetor Barjun and Senetor Herrack.
Theren sent message to his family in the Rain Valley.
They all headed north through the Sword Barrows and found the Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga at the edge of the Winterbole Forest. The 15 foot wide and tall hexegonal hut sat upon two 15 foot chicken legs and spun in erratic circles as the chicken legs danced within a 100 foot diameter circular fence. The fence seemed to grow out of the ground and sttod five feet in height. It was topped at each post by a humanoid skull with glowing red eyes. A gate to the fence was constructed of vertically aligned bones but some bones constructed a mouth-like adornment in the gate’s center. When the adventurers approached the mouth spoke. It asked them if they had an invitation which they did not. Theren explained that they wanted to consult Baba Yaga about the whereabouts of Skull City and the legendary Tomb of Horrors. After convincing the guardian fence that they meant the Archfey no harm they were allowed to pass. The simple 15 X 15 foot hut was actually enormous within. The first room of the hut appeared to be the entirety of it except for a door directly opposite the one in which the entered, and a ladder which led to a door in the ceiling, and a hidden trap door in the floor. Vladamir the cat told them about the hidden door. He was an actual cat that could speak and was very sad but kind. He was not allowed to leave that first room but the heroes fed him and were kind to him and he told them as much about the place as he could. Mostly that Baba Yaga was often cruel and always unpredictable.
Inside, the adventurers battled some shadow puppeteers. Nim was tricked into touching a strange thrown in a long pillared hall by an apparition of Baba Yaga, the touch caused his mind to become confused and he would have suffered psychic damage if not for the protection of his purple dragon commanders’ ring. His initiative has suffered since this took place. He has disturbing thoughts that he can never quite remember a second later but they are distracting and often leave him feeling a sense of dread.
A drunken mouse, the size of a cat, gave them directions to Baba Yaga’s room after they went with him to the wine cellar for a drink. When they reached Baba Yaga’s room they were immediately attacked by Baba Yaga, a night hag, a slime devil and a clay gollum. The night hag and clay gollum were brought down during the long combat but so were Uthrid, Rudy and Theren. Theren activated the Sun Sliver during that battle and shortly after he fell unconscious. Nim escaped the room and met a woman who claimed to be the Archfey’s daughter Natasha. She was beautiful and convinced the gnome to return to the Baba Yaga. Natasha was sent away immediately after she escorted Nim to Baba Yaga’s quarters. It was a large room with a cauldron in the center, in which the slime devil had been hiding. Four rooms were curtained off symmetrically from the octagon shaped room. The clay golem still lay on the floor but the night hag, the slime devil and Nim’s friends were nowhere to be seen. The creature they had believed to be Baba Yaga stood frozen in the middle of the room with a shocked expression. A secret door was open in one of the walls and the real Baba Yaga stood by a red knight. The knight was fully suited in armor and carried a heavy shield and longsword. His face was not visible behind the helmet. Nim was nearly powerless against the real Archfey and he surrendered all of his belongings. Nim then willing drank a potion that Baba Yaga ordered him to and he fell unconscious.

After being rewarded by the Ghost Talon shadar kai, the adventurers went to Irontooth’s former lair where refugees and bandits were hiding out. They delivered the message to Carthain the former bandit lord that Fallcrest would welcome anyone who wished to come back to the town and be an upstanding citizen. Nim made it clear that any raids on merchant caravans would be punished. Terrlen Darkseeker, former Thunderspire guide and current werewolf, snuck up behind the adventurers as they talked but he greeted them warmly and assured them that Jax the Fox kept the former bandits in line and anyone who wanted to go back to town were welcome to leave the group.
After speaking with the refugees, the adventurers took a trip to Keep Restwell. They wanted to see if the Mages of Saruun would assist them in dealing with Paldemar. They spoke with a silver masked Mage about Paldemar and also the thinning of the mortal world and the links between it and the Shadowfell and the Feywild. The Mage believed the thinning of the worlds was unrelated to Paldemar. He asked Rudy if he knew a dragonborn witch called Surina. Rudy was vaguely familiar with her. She was thought to be crazy by the people of the seven pillared hall when the Beheaders had been rescuing Farrah Goldleaf from the Horned Hold. He also recalled that she had told Brother Iannas that he could find Rudy in Janus Gull on the date that Rudy had accidentally arrived there. Brother Iannas had reached that Demiplane a year too early however and died and it was his ghost that had relayed this to Rudy.
The Mage now told Rudy that he had met Surinam and that she seemed to know quite a bit about Rudy. She had told the Mage that Rudy would come to him and that he should tell Rudy to seek out the dancing hut of Baba Yaga. Baba Yaga was an archfey known to some as the mother of all witches. It would be a perilous quest because Baba Yaga was unpredictable and was just as apt to eat someone seeking her advice as she was to help them. Her hut could presently be found at the edge of the Winterbole Forest just north of the Sword Barrows. The reason Surina told the Mage they should seek Baba Yaga was because Acererak the demilich was responsible for the thinning of the worlds and his ultimate goal may be even worse. Destroying the eldritch engines had delayed his plans but he still needed to be stopped. The adventurers needed to explore Acererak’s former tomb for clues as to his plan, they might even find him there. The tomb was located in Skull City centuries ago and the only ones in the area that would know of it’s location would be an ancient dragon or an archfey. So the adventurers were given a few quests: find Baba Yaga’s Dancing Hut, gain an audience with the archfey, learn the location of Skull City, explore Acererak’s tomb and ultimately foil his plan.

Uthrid returned from the dragon’s lair after bringing the dragonslayer sword to it. The dragon told him they must go to the lighthouse off shore and light it in order to get back to the mortal world. They found a dilapidated boat named The Mist Dancer and took it to the small island where the lighthouse stood. They fought some bodaks and ghouls on the island and lit the pyre in the lighthouse. They then rested while they waited and four hours later they felt the air change and realized they had crossed over. Everything looked mostly the same in the darkness but some lights could be seen across the water where the village lay. The boat was no longer on the bank of the island but soon they saw a light moving across the water. Shortly, Father Tomas arrived on a slightly better looking Mist Dancer with armed sailors. A pretty half elf woman called Cara was the captain of the small merchant ship. She and her men had been trapped in Mistwatch since the disease had broken out. Tomas explained that shortly after the dead rose during the day and converged on the keep they had suddenly all just dropped to the ground, dead again. The shadar Kai had come into the village after they confirmed that the disease was cured and were helping clean up the streets. The adventurers explained what they had gone through with Cadmus and the Chained God and the undead dragon. Before they headed back to Winterhaven, the adventurers discovered that Mort’s supply store had been broken into. The door frame was smashed in and the clutter in the main room had all been hastily pushed aside. Theren investigated and found some blood, a large three taloned gouge in the floor by the blood and a pale dragon scale in the broken door frame. The adventurers were now concerned that the undead dragon had crossed over to the mortal world as well and abducted Mort. They left the 50 shadar kai behind to search the village for any sign of the dragon and they brought the broken mirror back to the Keep on the Shadowfell.

The mausoleum was on top of a hill with several others. The landscape was very similar to Mistwatch in the mortal world and the mausoleums were located where the keep would have set. A large crater behind the hill and a pond with streams running around the hill were different features here from what the adventurers had found in the village. Thousands of graves and dozens of mausoleums were spread along the lake coast. Three large mausoleums were located approximately where the Temple of Three sat in Mistwatch. The adventurers investigated the other mausoleums on the hill. They bore the names of Boris Zaspar and other Zaspar relations. Each held a sarcophagus with a trapped base. They returned to the mausoleum they had originally found themselves in and set off the trapped base, letting the sarcophagus fall in. This revealed a passage into blackness. Theren took a torch and was lowered down the hole on the rope of climbing. He found a large cavern under the hill with many coffins stuck in the ceiling and others laying on the earthen floor. The ceiling was fifty feet high and several earth columns caused unsettling shadows. Theren was quickly aware that something huge was moving toward him, a dragon with pale scales and dead eyes. It flew at him on strong wings with claws and teeth bared. Theren yelled for his companions to pull him up but he had trouble holding on causing just enough delay for the dragon to reach him as the others pulled him back through the hole. A claw raked his flesh. Rudy had been weakened badly in the previous battles and none of the adventurers were ready for a long fight. Uthrid insisted on facing thedragon while the others retreated. Nim could set up wards against the undid but he would need Tim to do it. The party objected that Uthrid stay behind and then headed for the larger mausoleums across the streams, below the hill. As they ran they heard the dragon roar and the clash of Uthrid’s steal as he covered their escape. The large mausoleums were shrines to Melora, Erathis and Pelor. The symbols of the Chained God that desecrated the Temple of Three were present here and Rudy and Theren wiped the walls clean as Nim prepared his wards. Theren noticed two sword wraiths appear by a mausoleum on an island created by the streams at the base of the hill. They did not advance but seemed to be keeping sentry. As Nim was finishing his wards, Theren saw Uthrid emerge from the mausoleum and come down the hill. He told Theren that after battling the dragon and showing that he was formidable, he was able to negotiate with the dragon. The dragon said he would tell them how to return to Mistwatch if they gave him the dragonslayer longsword they had recovered from Cadmus and if they left Mistwatch disease free once they returned. The party agreed and Uthrid brought the sword to the dragon.

Theren, Rudy and Uthrid ran for the keep and reached the gates before the zombie hordes. Three zombies from the small graveyard within the keep shuffled toward them as they secured the doors of the gate and the child horror, now a zombie hulk, came through the inner keep door into the courtyard. The heroes quickly dispatched the monsters. Inside they discovered that the corpse of Cadmus and the mirror were gone. Theren found blood and tracks leading to stairs but a locked door blocked their passage. As Uthrid and Rudy attempted to bash it down they heard the zombie break through the gates. Once the door was broken down, Uthrid led the way up the stairs and was struck by a falling portcullises which immobilized him and caused him to bleed. Another portcullises dropped at the top of the steps. Rudy and Uthrid lifted the gate and were targeted by ghostly crossbow bolts from the top of the steps. The zombies were coming into the building behind Nim and he obliterated the first group with his sorcery. Ghosts harassed the party as they came up the stairs. They dropped the portcullises behind them to keep the zombies away. After defeating the ghosts they found Cadmus, now a wight, with the mirror in a room on the second floor. The wight attacked but they quickly smashed the mirror before the reflection of the Chained God could react. The wight immediately died and fell to the floor as the room was suddenly transformed into the interior of a twenty foot square mausoleum. A large sarcophagus sat on a base in the center of the room and double doors were closed on one wall. They found a ring and other magic items on the corpse of Cadmus, including a dragons laying longsword. It was the sword Boris Zaspar had used to slay the red dragon Pyrothenes before he founded Mistwatch. On the sarcophagus they found the name Cadmus Zaspar. They considered putting his corpse into it but Uthrid discovered that the base was trapped to fall in if stepped on. They exited the mausoleum and found, to their dismay, they were in a reflection of Mistwatch in the Shadowfell. Instead of a village they found an expansive graveyard.

after a quick rest the adventurers stormed the door to which Cadmus hid behind. As Rudy and Uthrid worked at the door, a dominated Theren put an arrow into Rudy’s back. The door was ripped open and shirtless, muscled Cadmus Zaspar stood in the small room. He had fine leggings, boots, belt and gloves and held a long sword in one hand. In the other hand he channelled spells through an orb. Uthrid burst into the room and slashed Cadmus. Uthrid then disappeared and an evil laugh not belonging to Cadmus echoed through the room.
“I will disitegrate each of you!” a voice bellowed. The remaining adventurers attacked Cadmus and bloodied him and then Rudy disappeared. The mysterious voice echoed again through the room with laughter. Theren was again dominated by Cadmus and shot Nim with a critical hit from his bow. An infuriated Nim killed Cadmus and the domination ended. Theren and Nim saw the image of a hideous chained figure in an obsidian mirror on the wall in the room. Each attacked the mirror and damaged it and the Theren disappeared. Nim attacked the mirror again and cracked it slightly. He was then stunned and turned invisible by the mirror for a moment before it teleported him 220 feet into the air.

Nim appeared 170 feet above the roof of the keep. He was wearing his Purple Dragon Commander’s Ring so he took no damage from the fall to the roof. Uthrid, Rudy and Theren had been teleported to a field south of the keep. The cloudy sky darkened more and a freezing rain began to fall despite it being mid-summer. A bell in the Temple of Three, directly east of the three in the southern field, began to toll and figures moved in the graveyard behind the temple. From the roof Nim saw his three friends in the field, he saw the fog thickening off Lake Wintermist and he saw figures shuffling along the village roads toward the keep. Many figures crept out of the temple graveyard and through the fog figures emeged from the lake. The dead had risen and zombie hordes were approaching the keep. If they ran, Nim’s friends might have time to reach the open keep gates before the undead.

The adventurers all chose to receive the Mark of the Tembo from the Shadar Kai before they went to Mistwatch. The scar was administered from the tooth of a Tembo and gave them a bit of resistance against necrotic damage.

In Mistwatch, they headed straight for Widower’s Watch. They saw a lone ship moored at the docks, they passed Mort’s Shoppe and spoke with the fat man who was understandably paranoid. He advised them to avoid the town square where Bartelby Huff ranted about the Chained God to a few fanatics. Father Thomas at the Temple of Three was where he suggested they go. They did stop by the temple and met the priest. He encouraged them to back before nightfall. He was very afraid of the undead and boarded up. The temple every night.

They found the walls of the keep unguarded and proceeded to the 50 foot tall, three story stronghold. The door to the structure was strongly secured. Uthrid failed to bash it down on his first attempt and from inside Cadmus Zaspar hollered for them to go away. As they attempted to break down the door Cadmus somehow dominated Uthrid and made him attack Rudy. Uthrid was able to shake off the effect but Cadmus continued to use his spell to interrupt their progress at bashing in the door. Uthrid struck Rudy as he finally broke in the door but the effects of the domination instantly ended. Inside was a large room with entries to the keeps four towers. The southwest tower entry was open and led to a spiral stairway. The southeastern tower was open as well where there were several murder hole stations. The two northern towers were closed with iron bound doors, a terrible moaning was coming from behind the eastern door.

“Daddy!I’m hungry!” they heard bellow as the all entered the main hall and the eastern door burst open. A horrible nine foot creature glared wild eyes at them. It had a large head with a wide mouth. It had huge clawed hands. Uthrid ran and impaled the creature with his sword, temporarily pinning it to the spot where it stood. Theren and Nim attacked and the creature howled with every blow. Rudy ran up to the immobile creature and struck it. This was Cadmus’s demon child and the adventurers could see into it’s room where the bones of the former keep servants were piled high. The creature grabbed Rudy with his taloned hands and bit him hard dazing him. The creature sustained a great deal of damage from Theren’s bow as the battle ensued but Nim was having trouble delivering his usual damage. Rudy tried to escape the grasp but couldn’t. Uthrid struck the creature and it howled. It then swung Rudy like a club and knocked Uthrid twenty feet across the room. Rudy focussed of staying conscious as the creature attempted to bite him a few more times. Uthrid again stabbed the creature and was again sent sprawling across the room after being hit with Rudy. Finally the creature was bloodied. Rudy escaped it’s grasp for a moment but the rampaging creature got a hold on a leg of both Uthrid and Rudy and knocked the over. Uthrid recovered and stabbed the creature and for a third time Rudy was used as a club to strike him. And then the creature was killed by the overwhelming damage the party dished out. As it crashed to the floor, Theren felt a wave of psychic damage as Cadmus tried to dominate him from behind the western door. The party quickly retreated out of the range of the spell.

Excerpt
“From where did this disease come? How does it spread? I don’t know. Bells, no one knows. Most blame the strangers. They sem the obvious choice. Mad Bartleby claims it’s punishment from his sickening Chained God for our worship of false deities. Father Thomas also believes it comes from this mysterious god, but to spread suffering and evil. Our noble lord is silent, of course, offering nothing to ease our pains, leading me to wonder if Lord Zaspar might be the true enemy in our midst.”

Cadmus’s newfound might and news of Soela’s pregnancy drove all worries about strangers from Mistwatcher’s minds. Normalcy returned. Folk went about their business as they always had. But the new peace the people felt was only the calm before the storm. Over the next nine months, the sun paled in the sky and the temperatures dropped. Fog rolled in from the lake and never left. Then people started dying.

No one thought twice about an aged man or woman passing in their sleep or a child tragically succumbing to a winter’s sickness, but the dead piled up. Disease chewed away at the oldest and youngest citizens until the temple filled near to bursting with new corpses to bury. The people looked to their lord and the impending birth of his child for hope, but tragedy struck and forever altered Mistwatch’s destiny.

Soela’s labor was long and punishing, and the town priest knew she would not survive the ordeal. The midwife emerged from the birthing with a shattered mind so that she sealed herself up in her house. She lives as a gibbering, shrieking wreck whose cries can still be heard through the barred shutters.

After that night, the town’s situation grew even worse. Low, dark clouds shut out the sun and its purifying rays. The plague started affecting even healthy people. Worse, the recently dead proved unwilling to stay in their graves. Each night they emerge to wander the streets, calling for loved ones, breaking into homes, and driving people mad with terror.

Leaving Mistwatch proved impossible. The strangers that had brought trouble to the town’s door did not vanish but only withdrew to watch (as many believed) their evil unfold. Those fleeing citizens who were not struck down by the strangers’ swords and spells were driven back to the accursed town to await their turn to die and rise again. Fear became every survivor’s companion. They all knew what waited for them. Now these people will do anything, even sell their souls, to escape their doom.

If you catch the Mistwatch Blight, black ichor splotches your skin, spiderwebbing across your body until you feel something inside you begin to die.

1. The Pinrae House
2. Beacon Inn
3. Mort’s Supplies
4. The Town Square
5. Temple of Three
6. Widower’s Watch
7. The Sink Tavern
8. The Docks
9. Span of Lanterns
10. The Lighthouse

Huddled against a hillside on a stony shore, Mistwatch has an exquisite view of Lake Wintermist’s cold water. A sleepy town, blessed with riches pulled from the unyielding stone in the nearby Cairngorm Peaks, grown rich from timber cut from the Winterbole Forest, and fed well on trout and salmon drawn from the clear, mist-covered water, Mistwatch has long known peace and prosperity.

Its people are simple folk. They make few demands on their lords and are content with their lives, finding peace and accord with their neighbors in spite of differences that arise on occasion. But the good fortune Mistwatch enjoyed has come to an end. Now doom gathers in the shadows, and it will take bold action and bolder heroes to spare the town from a terrible fate.

Excerpt
“Looking back, we should have spotted the clues and seen the signs, because they were everywhere. Maybe if we had, we could have averted the disaster that befell our town and spared ourselves the hardships we know face. Yes, lamenting for opportunities lost serves no purpose aside from frittering away one’s time.
I don’t write these words to air my grievances or to pine for better days but to give warning to whoever finds this journal and to record what happened in Mistwatch so that others might avoid our fate. Waste no tears for us, friend. We earned our dooms through inaction and inattention. Our preference for a warm fire and a cold ale brought us to this end, because when the evil was before us, staring us all in the face, we did nothing. I beg you: Learn from our errors and be vigilant against the darkness. It is an insidious enemy armed with tricks and traps, wearing many masks. To falter even once invites disaster like none you have sen before.”

Mistwatch’s history is entwined with that of its lords. Back through the family line one finds that the town’s founding rests with the first Zaspar known in this land. Boris Zaspar was a great knight in service to the Nerathan crown, and for his deeds, foremost of which was slaying the red dragon Pyrothenes, he was granted lands extending out from Lake Wintermist’s western shore for as far as he could walk in every direction from sunrise to sunset. The hilly terrain in this area kept his hold ins small overall, but large enough for a town and a few farms. So he brought his retainers and peasants to his home and founded a settlement on the lake’s shore.

The first building raised was Widower’s Watch, named at its completion for Lord Zaspar, who lost his beloved wife to sickness the first year after claiming his land. After his castle was completed, stone buildings replaced the wooden shacks and piers grew out across the water to meet the burgeoning fishing industry’s needs. Bricks paved muddy roads, and a temple to honor the gods arose in the upper lands as shepherds and farmers cordoned off fields and pastures in the rolling hills all around Mistwatch. The crude hamlet became a thriving town, a trade partner for nearby Winterhaven, and an important stop for merchants bound west from Fallcrest, Hammerfast and Harkenwold.

The lands were blessedly peaceful compared to Nerath’s other frontiers. Mistwatchers rarely had to take up arms, because the land itself guarded them, making the town and its folk unattractive targets for the trouble beyond its borders. Some perils plagued them, however. Orcs would sometimes come down their mountain homes to raid and plunder the outlying farmsteads. Packs of gnolls, remnants of the great horde that broke Nerath long ago, drifted through nearly a century ago. They claimed the Winterbole’s deepest reaches, dislodged the goblins there, and sparked the Goblin War, the most important conflict Mistwatch had ever faced. But these challenges were short-lived, and the Mistwatchers always returned to their quiet ways.

Excerpt
“If you know who we are and from where we came, then understanding our blindness is easy. We are not accustomed to evil’s machinations. Aside from the brief Goblin War in my grandfather’s youth, we have known no conflict and little violence. Certainly, two fishermen might come to blows when deep in their cups, but a broken nose and a few bruises are about all the tragedy we ever had to endure. Whispers tell of certain people who engaged in illicit pursuits, but who they were and what they did was no one’s business but their own. This is why none of us noticed the strangeness in Widower’s Watch, that cursed castle on the hill, and why none of us dreamt our undoing would come from an otherwise unremarkable lord.”

Cadmus Zaspar was the only son to his father Friedrich. Cadmus was a mild-mannered lord whose interests were books and legends, not the welfare of his people. The son inherited his father’s zeal for intellectual pursuits and neglected his health, spending long days poring over dusty manuscripts and scrolls brought in at high prices from distant libraries. His detachment from the world around him did not trouble his subjects; they preferred the family’s light rule. His fumbling, clumsy ways made the young man a somewhat amusing figure, and the townsfolk often greeted him with gentle teasing.

A few years into his rule, Cadmus had yet to produce an heir. This treatment troubled not only his advisors but also the wealthier tradefolk who wielded a great deal of influence in Widower’s Watch. Cadmus’s wife, Seola, was the fiery daughter of Aleister Criswell, an important merchant who had donated much gold to the Zaspar family. Most believed she was able (and willing) to bear Zaspar’s children, but the lord was seemingly unable to sire a child. So the advisors sought counsel from healers, mages, mystics, and wise-folk, bringing both the learned and the phony from all over the Nentir Vale at great cost to their lord’s coffers. After months spent with herbs, oils and all manner of other strangeness, Seola was still without child. Mistwatch despaired that the Zaspar line would come to an end with Cadmus.

New hope did come to Mistwatch; it shuffled down the street leading a menagerie of strangers unlike any the locals had ever seen. They were pale and aloof, favoring black garb and odd body piercings. Spare with words, the strangers kept to themselves in an encampment just across the Run. Some muttered and whispered that the newcomers brought trouble, but such concerns were muted when Cadmus opened his doors to the group’s matriarch. She claimed she could cure Zaspar of his ills and help him fulfill his responsibility to produce an heir.

The matriarch was not old, but she Ed with a slowness that hinted at great age. She spoke in an even voice, and her features belonged to that of a girl. Her eyes, however, suggested that she had seen much in her travels. No one witnessed the meeting, but loud voices and strange sounds filtered through the doors. She left soon after, head bowed, saying nothing to those in the castle. Although no one is certain what happened, the reflective black disk newly adorning Cadmus’s wall led many to wonder if it was the long- awaited cure. The disk was a mirror made of obsidian, about 2 feet across and cols to the touch.

If the matriarch had an interest in the mirror’s effects, neither she nor her attendants cared to witness them, because they quit the town that night and did not return – though, as the Mistwatchers soon learned, they did not go far. Many wondered what price their lord had paid for their service.

The results were clearly magical. Cadmus emerged the next morning a new man. His spare frame was muscled. The once-weak chin jutted proudly, and the shadows that darkened his eyes had cleared. He was a vision of strength. When he addressed his people that day from the balcony overlooking the community square, his voice reached them all, powerfully and confidently.

Markelhey had found some people called the Mahazadur who could bring small exotic ships up the river to Fallcrest to do trade. The tiefling merchant Orest had arranged the transaction. The Mahazadur were expensive but they had safely brought food and arms to the town. The adventurers did some trade with Orest. Nim purchased some poison and killed Madge and Korey for their betrayal. Nim also spoke to the gnome elders in the Harken Forest. Oddlin arranged the meeting. The gnome elders told Nim that the eladriin city Mithrendain had fallen to Fomorian giants who broke a seal under the city that led to the underdark. They had been assisted by the winter fey. Some fey had come through the portal to the Rain Valley, both good and evil. Some fighting had broken out in the Rain Valley and some evil fey had escaped into the Winterbole Forest. The gnomes were hiding out with the Woodsinger elves because of the Black Petals lingering goblins and undead but they we ready to go back out and clean up Harkenwold. The gnomes told of a thinning between the mortal world and the worlds of the Feywild and the Shadowfell. Nim told them of the eldritch engines he and his friends had destroyed in those worlds. They discussed that repairing the worlds would take a long time. Nim suggested the gnomes should think about relocating north with the humans expanding their civilization.

While everyone else was busy Uthrid offered to ride out to Harkenwold for Markelhey and assess the situation. He returned a few days later with the corpse of Garesh Vren. He was also wearing an impressive suit of Black Iron Warplate armor and wore a fanged skull mask of silver. He told his friends he had run into Vren and some deserters from the south who had tried to rob him. He had killed them all and found the silver mask among their possession. He also said he had discovered the sword INVERNESS had some special powers, most importantly that when drawn it now emanated an aura that caused necrotic damage to anyone standing within 25 feet of it. Rudy and Uthrid would be safe from this aura because of the armor they wore. Uthrid told them that when he put the mask on it took him to an extra dimensional plane where he met Kas the Destoyer. Kas was the mortal enemy of Vecna and had given him the armor in order to help the fight against Paldemar.

The adventurers decided they should travel throughout the Nentir Vale and stabilize it the best they could. They would travel west to Winterhaven to start. As dusk arrived on their first days travel the party was just north of the Cloak Woods when a group of 60 or so orcs came marching down the road. These orcs were led Tulka Deathrattle who had assumed that since Rugas Doombringer had been allowed to pass through the Vale with his orcs that meant all orcs would receive the privilege. The adventurers soon taught them different. Uthrid and Rudy charged into the throngs of orcs as Nim and Theren assisted with ranged attacks. Soon the 60 orcs were reduced to 8 and they were on the run from Theren and his deadly bow. Tulka and the other Orc leaders were dead. Ravens covered the dead that sprawled along the road. The birds observed Rudy, Uthrid and Nim as they picked through the belonging of the orcs. Theren killed a couple more orcs and ran into Valzaffarn Silverhorn who killed a few others. Silver horn was a blue dragon who had battled with the adventurers in Moonstone Keep when they overthrew Armos Kamroth. The dragon had been under control of a potion and ritual of Kamroth’s and because the adventurers had killed the cleric he did not hold a grudge against the party. He had been resting since their battle but had come out to feed when he smelled all the Orc blood. He said he would be leaving the area soon and would appreciate being left alone in the meantime. He didn’t want another fight with the adventurers.

A couple days later as they neared Winterhaven, Theren followed some recent tracks into the Gardbury Downs and overheard the bandit Carthain talking to some men. They all appeared to be a hunting party now working for Jax the Fox. It seemed they were staying at Irontooth’s old lair behind a waterfall a few miles away. The party took note and continued on to Winterhaven. Winterhaven was doing well. Lord Padraig regretted that the Vale had become too dangerous for him to continue trade with Fallcrest. Everyone worried about Paldemar. But Winterhaven was doing well trading with the northern village of Mistwatch and Restwell Keep to the west. He was concerned that merchants who had recently gone to Mistwatch had not yet returned as they were expected. Valthuran the wizard told them that there was a group of the Mages Of Saruun at Restwell Keep and no one would know more about Paldemar than they would. A shadar Kai named Zane talked with Uthrid at the inn and he told the party that Gariesh his groups leader would be interested in talking with them at the Keep on the Shadowfell.

Eventually, the adventurers met with the Shadar Kai guarding the keep. The Raven Roost performers had mostly disbanded although some remained. More powerful shadar Kai had come to defend the shadow rift, the were the order called the Ghost Talons. Gariesh and Erzoun were the two leaders Rudy and Theren had met long ago and they told the party about a delicate situation and asked for their help. A disease had broken out in the village of Mistwatch that was turning the living into undead. Before the disease had broken out the shadar Kai had sent one of their witches there to confront the lord of the town Cadmus, who was believed to be a follower of the Chained God, but she had been defeated by Cadmus and her magic had been stolen. She had brought an artifact, an obsidian mirror, and Cadmus had taken it. Cadmus’ wife had not produced an heir before this all happened. He had been consulting mystics and sages to help his wife conceive and the shadar Kai witch had gone there under the guise that she could help. Since then it has been rumored that she has given birth. Cadmus has been locked away in his keep since the outbreak. Gariesh believes Cadmus is the cause of the disease and that defeating him is the key to curing the village. She currently has 50 shadar kai guarding the road into the village and not allowing anyone to leave. She needs a small group of powerful adventurers to go in and take care of the situation. She is afraid if she sent in a large group she would not be able to cure all that contracted the disease. The village consisted of about 2000 people originally and that over half had died and risen as undead. Soon the village will be gone and the undead may be too many for the shadar kai to hold back. The disease could be spread throughout the Vale if it is not stopped.

Over the next week the adventurers learned of a great deal more unrest in the Vale. Lord Markelhey was troubled. The keep was indeed under the watch of an invisible spy working for Paldemar. Markelhey did not want the spy rooted out until Paldemar’s power could be more accurately assessed. For the time being he talked to Rudy about matters within the Vale but deliberately did not mention doing anything against Paldemar. He conceded Thunderspire as being the wizard’s domain and that Fallcrest would not interfere with it’s business. A tall heavyset man attended to Markelhey’s affairs and would check in on the meetings he had with Rudy to see if he could be of service. This man was Friar Kandi and he often visited Theren who was helping train archers for the Fallcrest garrison. The Friar delivered messages to Theren that Markelhey’s did not want the spy to overhear. Markelhey was hopeful that Theren could investigate Thunderspire in the near future to assess Paldemar’s power.

The party learned that Markelhey had been visited in the nightago many weeks ago by what he believed was the spirit of his father. The spirit told him to let an army of 100 orcs led by Rugas Doombringer pass through the Nentir Vale uncontested. Markelhey heeded his father’s request although he did not like to do it. Soon a hoard of the baddest orcs in the land stormed past Fallcrest led by the baddest of all Rugas Doombringer. He carried the Spear of Urok and wore black dragon hide armor. The people of Fallcrest and around the Vale were angered by theLord Wardens lack of action. Later, a wizard came to the Moonstone Keep and told Markelheyabout Paldemar. Paldemar had sent the phony spirit. Rugas had brought an artifact out of the Witchlight Fens as a gift to the wizard for safe passage through the Vale. The orcs were headed to Hammerfast where war had broken out between the orcs and the dwarves.

Uerthen Stonefist had gathered friends of his to defend Hammerfast for Marsinda Goldspinner against the three headed red dragon Calastryx. The dragon had been fended off, it is said that near the end of the battle one of it’s heads was severed off and two grew back in it’s place. The dragon withdrew it’s attack soon after. The battle was not long over when the pact between Moradin and Grummsh was broken though details on who broke it are varied. The ground shook and Forgepeak erupted fiercer than it had before. The spirits of the dead dwarves and orcs of the past wars emerged and killed the living in the crumbling city and then slaughtered each other. Since then dwarves and orcs have been drawn there with the belief that Moradin and Grummsh have placed an artifact under the city and they must war until one side has claimed it.

Fallcrest was on hard times. The garrison was low in numbers, people feared Paldemar and the wilderness had gotten more dangerous. The Black Petal was rumored to be in the Vale and that she could summon an undead army in the blink of an eye. harkenwold had been wiped out by her army after it had passed through the Bridgeblock area. The Woodsinger elves had hunkered down in the forest with the gnomes and some refugees. Word on the battle at Cheap Whiskey did not sound promising. Jillian Durgin had made some poor decisions when faced on multiple fronts by the Black Petal and the devil armies. Coursus Durgin had rallied troops after it had first been believed he had perished in an ambush by the Black Petal at the Frontier Gate. At Cheap Whiskey an iron golem had crashed through the gates and devils had dragged men into the wilderness. The iron golem marched through and met up with the Black Petal army and they had destroyed the Pelor Temple Light of the Sun before Makkas Day and his elite men drove it into the lake where it sank to the bottom after falling from a cliff. Rumor said Makkas Day died in the battle. The Black Petal army had run amok past Bridgeblock and up to Harkenwold. Goblins and devils swarmed Bridgeblock. The southern provinces armies ultimTely drove away the fiends but skirmishes were still ongoing. Many men and dragon born had been killed or dragged off to worse fates. A group of people had come together in the middle of the southern provinces demanding that the cities should unite under one king.

Fallcrest’s trade had dried up and there had been no word from Winterhaven in a while. Linked Portal and Sending rituals were not working properly and this was believed the work of Paldemar. People had also seen a large pyramid hovering above Thunderspire. There had been a food shortage.

Nim had left an old dwarf sgt of the Fallcrest garrison in charge of his tower. It was midnight. All was quiet but they soon found the veteran sgt who assured Nim and Rudy that he had kept their residences locked and secured. Much badness had transpired since their departure. Paldemar, a former Mage of Saruun had overthrown all the other Mages in Thunderspire Mountain. It had been revealed that he was an agent of Vecna and a perverted history of the gods origin was being preached throughout the Vale. Most residents disregarded the sermons but there were some who had listened. The farms that supplied crops to Fallcrest had failed that season due to raids from the Black Petals undead and goblinoid followers as well as bandits, monsters and many believed Paldemars own agents. The old dwarf warned that Markelhey’s Monstone Keep was haunted by a spy working for the Thunderspire wizard. Rudy, Theren and Uthrid retired to the old Kamroth estate for the night and a couple guards were set outside to keep watch so the heroes could rest. Nim went to check on things at the Lucky Gnome Tavern. He met Madge along the way and she did not seem surprised to see him. After settling himself for the night in his baasement quarters Nim overheard Madge and Korey leaving the tavern not an hour after he had arrived. He spied them going into a nearby house and peeking through a window saw them meeting with a duergar. Madge and three duergar soon left the lower quays heading for the Kamroth estate. Nim realized they were up to no-good and captured Korey as he returned to the cavern. He sent a warning message to Rudy. Evidently, Madge and Korey were worshipers of Asmodeus and had been contacted by the duergar who wished to get revenge on Theren and Rudy. Up at the Kamroth estate the heroes were attacked by devils. As Nim went to help them he spied Madge and the duergar returning to the lower quays. The duergar went to their house and Madge returned to the tavern where Nim incapacitated her. After dealing with the devils the party came to the tavern. On the way they found an area in a patch of trees by the house. Where the duergar must have summoned the devils. When the party went to the duergar house they found the devil dwarves had departed but left a message for Rudy. The mutilated body of Amara Azaer was found in a wash tub and her head was on a table in the living room with the note. The hands and tail had been cut from her body and the horns were cut from her head. Amara was the cousin of Morthos Azaer who had adventures with the Beheaders before being turned to stone by a medusa in the Pyramid of Shadows. The note invited Rudy to meet the duergar at Yellowskull and end the feud with Grimmerzhul Clan once and for all.

The adventurers found Adakmi abandoned as they had expected. They searched and found the place where long ago Baal Riverwind had deactivated an arcane lock on a secret door. The fear moths they had left locked in the room were gone. They passed into a room where a giant skull was carved into the wall. The eyes and nose of the skull were mansized inlets. The teeth of the skull were tightly spaced columns. The lich Driedel sat upon a throne in the nose inlet and battle soon broke out between the adventures and the lich. The fear moths entered the room from behind the party and joined the fight. The party defeated the lich and the moths. The lich, clad in a basilisk helm and a large amulet, turned to dust when the killing blow was delivered. Behind the throne Uthrid found a black sword in a silver sheath. The sword contained a black shard of crystal and when Uthrid drew it from the sheath the word INVERNESS was on the black blade. In a hidden compartment under the throne the party found other treasure including the basilisk helm and large amulet worn by the lich. They also found a strange urn carved with runes. Nim studied the runes and although he could not outright read them, he and the party discussed the theory that it could be Driedel’s phylanctary. A lich uses a phylanctary to come back to undeath if its skeletal form is destroyed. When destroyed a lich’s belongings are transported back to it’s phylanctary and the lich reforms within ten days at the location of the phylanctary. They smashed the urn and were hit with a blast of necrotic energy when they did. I the eye sockets of the carved skull they found handles that could be pulled in unison to move the columns and create a passage. When the passage opened a pair of coatl mockeries flew out and attacked the party. Rudy and Theren secured the handles to keep the columns open while Nim and Uthrid, with the new black sword, fought the mockeries. After the mockeries were destroyed they found the passage led to a linked portal.

The adventurers used the portal and were taken to the City of Moil in the Shadowfell. In Moil the party searched among the broken towers, making their way across the remaining wide bridges that conected the towers, for a portal to the Fortress Of Conclusion. They fought undead and saw signs that William Invidia had been there. Uthrid put away the black sword INVERNESS in favor of the sun sword he had found. The sun sword delivered radiant damage which was more effective against undead. There were also corpses from Raven Queen devotees who must have recently passed through. There were traps to avoid and the horrifying Tortured Vestige which was a collection of malevolent spirits made up of Moil’s dead residents. They nearly died a couple of times but found the entrance to the Fortress of Conclusion. There were many secret passages, difficult obstacles, traps and undead within the Shadow Tomb which were deadly and deserve a better, longer summary to appreciate. A green devil face was a prominant symbol in the tomb. Nim and Rudy knew that this was the symbol of Acererak the demi-lich who was the architect of a fabled Tomb of Horrors. They all had moments where death was on their doorstep but they survived. They found the corpse of William Invidia, they found The Book Of Ao and they discovered an eldritch engine similar to the one found in the Garden Of Graves in the feywild. Nim worked at deactivating the eldritch engine and the party was attacked by a hummonculus construct that was shaped like a skull with gems for eyes and teeth. Rudy and Uthrid could not contribute to the fight because they lacked effective ranged weapons but Nim and Theren killed it after Nim deactivated the engine. After the engine was destroyed the tomb began to collapse. A linked portal was on the floor of the chamber. Nim analyzed it. He determined that the portal had been transporting the energy that the eldritch engine had created to some place in the Astral Sea. The portal now could only be used to transfer people to The Mausaleum of Sra Turroch which was also in the Shadowfell located in a sandy wasteland.

They activated the portal and wound up in a secret room in the Mausaleum. A secret door led to a room with a bone naga and some other nasty monsters. The monsters were alerted when Nim opened the secret door. The party secured the secret door but had to fight some shadow snakes and a wraith that had phasing abilities. After besting those monsters Rudy realized the linked portal they had been transported to was capable of delivering them to a linked portal in which they had the coordinates. Nim quickly used it to take them all back to the wizard tower in Fallcrest.

The common folk of Invidia were odd. Most statements made by them were preceeded by an announcement of what someone else had and how the speaker sure would like to have it. They appeared hard working and loyal to their lord William Invidia. The children waiting by the road were picked up by a carriage being driven by two warforged guards with no personality and taken to the palace.

Eventually Nim and Uthrid went to the palace which was extravagant. They passed a small tent on the way and heard that the Mijalla was the owner of the tent and that it had last appeared in the area 40 years ago. The Mijalla was said to be a powerful gambler who owned at least one of everything. He only stayed in an area for a week at most.

There were teens residing in the palace along with many servants. There were also four ladies occupying the palace – Lady Louisa greeted them on the palace steps. William Invidia was not present. The other ladies were not available immediately. One of the ladies was Wynn Longsaddle who William had brought there from Thunderspire Labyrinth several years before. Another lady was Lady Markelhey – the believed slayer of Lord Markelhey – the adventurers did not find out about her until shortly before escaping the palace with Lord Perry.

Theren and Rudy came to the palace once the others were greeted by Lady Louisa without hostility. They were all waited on by the servants and given nice rooms. While unpacking Uthrid gave a servant his sword and told him to polish it. The servant quickly became enamoured with the blade and called it his own. When Uthrid asked for it back, the servant attacked him and Uthrid struck the servant with his fist and broke the boys neck. The other servants quickly took the boy’s body away and apologized to Uthird.

Theren got friendly with one of the older girls and was challenged to an archery contest by a suiter of hers. When Theren won the young man stormed off in a fury and later tried to kill Theren while he was alone with the girl Llewella. Theren ended up killing the young man and the servants quickly carried his body away and made apologies to Theren.

The palace had a throne room with a green throne and the adventurers learned some incomplete, confusing things about the throne. Evidently sitting on the throne was a form of declaring yourself the Lord of Invidia but there were complications to the process and the adventurers were not able to learn of many of them. Some of the youths studying at the palace seemed protective of the throne. One named Jullian was challenging to Uthrid when he asked about the throne.

With the help of Llewella, Theren discovered that a greenhouse room on the top floor of the palace had recently been cleared out and designated as a quaranteen area. The top floor was mostly servant quarters. Theren discovered the room from the roof and the glass ceiling was obscurred by an oily liquid. The room appeared to be filled with bubbles. Later that night Theren and the others investigated the room and found Lord Perry sleeping there. The bubbles in the room were a sleeping toxin but the adventurers managed to get Perry out using their rope of climbing.

Perry woke a little disoriented but immediately warned the adventurers that they needed to follow William Invidia to Adakmi where he had gone with The Book Of Ao. Uthrid asked Perry about the whereabouts of his father and Perry only had time to tell him that “the children ate him” before the party was under attack. They were attacked by Rakshasa who had been posing as some of the teens training in the palace. The leader of the attack was Rhuminor, a rakshasa assassin. He had been posing as one of the ladies that they party had not formally met.

The adventurers battled their way to the palace roof where they ran into Llewella. Perry and Llewella accompanied the adventurers as they leaped off the palace roof and activated their greatwing tattoos which allowed them to fly a short distance to the ground. They made it safely to the tent of the Mijalla although Rhuminor did pursue them. Perry had met the Mijalla in the past – he was a powerful Djinn.

The djinn met with Perry and Rhuminor before meeting with the adventurers. Perry spoke with them before they met the djinn and told them the he had made a deal with the djinn to take them to Adakmi. Perry would have to spend some time in service of the djinn but the party would be allowed to pursue William Invidia who had gone to Adakmi in order to enter a portal to the shadowfell. The portal led to the ruined city of Moil where Perry described there was another portal that led to a place called The Fortress Of Conclusion. In the fortress an entity known as the Tormentor had constructed an engine that was generating eldritch energy for some nefarious purpose. William had gone there to try to capture the power of the engine. Perry felt this was a foolhardy and doomed quest. He cautioned that the adventurers should destroy the engine. Perry had learned this information from the Book of Ao. He had also learned of a similar engine in the Feywild and determined after talking to the adventurers that this was the engine they had destroyed in the Garden Of Graves. He had more information about the book but mostly just that it was dangerous to read. Perry did not know what sort of deal the djinn had settled with Rhuminor.

When the adventurers met with the Mijalla, the djinn was interested in gambling for their more powerful items. Nim offered to do a reading for him from The Deck of Many Things and the djinn could not resist the offer. The death card turned up and the Mijalla was attacked by demons and undead. In a quick torrid battle the djinn was left physically spent as he seemed to dispatch his enemies. He then called an end to their meeting. They were treated to fine accomodations the rest of their stay with the djinn. Theren spent nights with Llewella but she remained behind with Perry when the adventurers were dropped off near Adakmi.

Some details about the rhealm of Invidia and the Book of Ao were revealed to the adventurers but due to time restraints they will be mentioned later if they become relevant.

Theren led the others through the mountains. They fought four legged vulture-like demons in the misty peaks. On the eastern side of the mountains they found the land of Invidia.

While the others made camp, Nim decended from the hills to scout. Below the hills was a road that led to a stupendous palace to the north. A two horse drawn cart rode along the road toward the palace. The cart was open on top with a driver in the front and a boy in the back among many barrells. The cart appeared to be the first spark of wakening to this strange realm. After it passed the fields and orchards and ascended the hill to the palace’s splendorous fortified gardens, the rest of the village south of the palace sprung to life. Some youths came to the orchards and began playing soldier in the road using sticks. Nearby the orchards, where the boys played, was a roadside rest stop where some benches sat in a roofed stall. From the village came walking a group of six, four adults a small girl and slightly smaller boy. The children were beautiful looking in their simple linen garments and sandled feet. Each child carried a small wrapped bundle tied with string. The adults were two men and two women in their late middle years. Barry Cabbages was a heavy-set farmer and his younger wife and he were the parents of the boy. Dusty was a quarryman, he was tall and his wife was plump, they were the parents of the brave faced girl. The adults led the children to the rest stop and took seats on the benches while the children stood aside the road.

Nim joined the group at the rest stop. The boys playing in the road were yelled at by a man in the orchard. He wanted them to stop goofing off and start working in the orchard. As they began walking into the orchard they commented to the children waiting by the road.
“How would I like to get called to the palace?” said one boy.
“How would I like to pick apples and play soldier?” said the small boy by the road.
“How would I like to learn to read or become a proper soldier?” said another of the working boys.
“How would I like to kiss my ma goodnight, every night?” burst out the pretty girl who could no longer compose her brave face.
“That’s enough talk!” said the heavy-set farmer.
After a moment the farmer spoke again.
“How would I like to be done plowing my fields, Dusty?” he said, “Is Longbean’s fields been plowed?”
“How would I like to run my hands through the soil instead of blistering them on stone?” said Dusty, “Yep, his fields are all plowed.”

The adventurers find Carthain and get a rough idea about how to get to Invidia. They check out a silver comet that fell from the sky and rescue a mithral dragon wyrmling from some hill giants. They find magic items, are given greatwing tattoos from the dragon and level up to 14th.

The dragonborn mercenaries held firm when they initially engaged the Black Petal’s army. The front ranks were filled with zombie fodder, many of whom were created from dead Provincial soldiers. Hobgoblins and goblin archers and spellcasters lashed out with no regard for the undead allies. Body parts scattered from the blasts and bursts of the spells. Then the warrior wraiths and wights slipped into the melee and the weaker of the dragonborn fell quickly.

The Frontier Gate was open when they arrived and although they were wary of a trap, too many of them had waited too long to engage the enemy. Valkarn’s younglings and Jilko Vren’s rabble pummelled the animated dead while veterans like Gerwynn’s dozen and Abilon Azaer looked for the real threats among the shadows of the fort.

Less than ten soldiers fled when the wraiths and wights joined the fight. They went for the bloodied soldiers and those soldiers that died rose as wights or wraiths soon after.

The one called The Black Petal was there but rarely exposed to attacks. A few of the veterans escaped into the woods south of the fort. Those who stayed on the road were run down by the Black Army.

Valkarn and two of his younglings Patroika and Yemeqai were among the survivors who joined Abilon Azaer and the remainder of Gerwyn’s dozen in the woods. They discovered Coarses Durgin lying wounded and revived him. They all pursued the Black Army to Cheap Whiskey.

Brother Benny knew a half-orc who had come from Archertown to sell hippogriffs to the Provincial Army. She had just arrived in Spearpoint and was afraid she had missed the opportunity with the attack on Cheap Whiskey already taken place. She was willing to give the adventurers a good price on four well-trained mounts. Uthrid had learned to ride while a member of the Provincial Army and he quickly earned his mounts respect. Theren was a natural with animals and earned his hippogriffs trust although it would take sometime before he would be able to shoot his bow effectively in flight. Karkarai, the half-orc gave them tips and they were all soon able to ride capably as long as they didn’t try anything tricky. They were advised to keep low so an accidental fall might not kill them.

The hippogriffs would be the quickest way to get to Hammerfast. Nim messaged Oddlin via SENDING and told him to inform Marsinda Goldspinner, the Merchant Guildmaster of Hammerfast, that the party would be arriving soon. Marsinda had sent a message to Rudy in Fallcrest asking for a meeting. William Invidia had also left a dated message for Rudy to contact Lord Carthain in Hammerfast so a meeting to discuss old business could be arranged. The adventurers hoped Marsinda could point them toward this Carthain without anyone hearing about it so Nim only told Oddlin that they were coming and no more.

Despite the hippogriffs swift flight the adventurers had to camp for one night on the way to Hammerfast. Before they landed in the mountains they passed across the Nentir Vale where they could see Thunderspire Mountain many miles to the west. Although the others did not notice, Uthrid believed he saw a purple energy rising out of the top of the mountain. For a moment he saw the flash of a pyramid hovering above the mountain and the purple energy appeared to be enveloping it.

When they met with Marsinda Goldspinner the next day they asked her directly about the names Invidia and Carthain. She was not familiar with either name. She assured them Carthain was not a Lord in Hammerfast. She agreed to discretely look into the names. She needed some help from the adventurers. The long story short was that a group of adventurers who had already provided some heroic services for Hammerfast had uncovered a plot in which a dragonborn cleric of Gruumsh named Thar was trying to awaken a century-long vanquished red dragon. The wizard Starris had defeated the dragon, Calastryx, one hundred years ago; wounding it so badly that it had slept deep in it’s lair in Forgepeak with it’s wounds never healing. The adventurers led by Lukylyl the Invoker had connected a bandit raid on a merchant train, in which vials of hydra blood had been stolen, to have been funded by Thar. Fire had erupted from Forgepeak the previous night and Lukylyl had led his adventurers along with dwarven hammerers and orc priests of Gruumsh up Forgepeak in order to stop Thar. Marsinda hoped Theren, Nim, Uthrid and Rudy would go to Forgepeak and assist. They agreed to go.

They flew their hippogriffs up to the lair’s opening where they met up with Ris a female human trying to drag the unconscious invoker Lukylyl and an unconscious male goliath in hide armor out of the cave. She told the party that Thar and his ogre henchmen had killed all the hammerers and priests. The adventurers fought Thar and his ogres further inside the cave and killed them. There were orc, dwarf and ogre bodies lying about from the previous battle. As the adventurers looked around they heard screeching growls from within the mountain. Soon they heard someone approaching. Orcs called out to Thar. The adenturers hid and sprung an ambush on the orcs who were carrying a couple sacks. They dropped the sacks when melee broke out. They were having trouble defending themselves when a three-headed adult red dragon came squeezing down the hallway behind them. One orc was quickly engulfed in flaming breath and then eaten. The orcs and adventurers fled. The adventurers made it to their hippogriffs and flew back to Hammerfast while the dragon finished off the orcs. Ris, Lukylyl and the goliath were nowhere to be seen as the party left.

Back at Hammerfast the party told Marsinda about the dragon and warned that it was too much for them to deal with. This disturbed her greatly since they were the most famous and powerful adventurers she had heard of in years. Nim offered to do a reading for her from his Deck and they went to a private room. When they returned Uerthen Stonefist the dwarf fighter accompanied them. Marsinda was delighted with Nim for “summoning” the former member of the adventuring company Band Of Valor. Uerthen gave Marsinda a vow to call upon friends to help defend the town.

Marsinda gave the adventurers an old map she found which appeared to be the ruined kingdoms east of the mountains. There were seven areas labelled on the map. One was Aelia Invidia. It was the only mention of Invidia she could find. She had found more luck with the name Carthain. He was the leader of a group of bandits that lived around Hammerfast. He was known to have had dealings with Serlek Undertow who was a halfling bandit boss. Nim knew his agent Oddlin had fallen in with a group led by Serlek Undertow and he arranged to meet the crime lord at the crossroads outside Hammerfast. For 3000 gold pieces Serlek gave Nim the location of Carthain’s camp to the northeast.

It was midnight when the adventurers got back to Hammerfast. A scribe working for Marsinda greeted them at the Gate Ward and took them to the tavern to plan their departure. They did not want hirelings but did re-equip their adventuring kits. They would be leaving by hippogriffs so the scribe went out to the stables to alert the hands to prepare the mounts. The dwarf barkeeper was going to shut down the stove but the adventurers were all hungry so he went to the kitchen to prepare meals. A dwarf in plate mail entered the tavern and another dwarf was coming down the sttairs from the upstairs loft when a ruckus was heard in the kitchen. The barkeep staggered out with quills in his back and fell to the floor. Theren rushed to his aid and Rudy turned to get a better look at the two dwarfs. It was then the adventurers noticed the coal black faces and spiny red beards that marked the dwarves as duergar.

“Theren Brightwood and Rudolph Harmony, the Grimmerzhul Clan sends it’s regards.” sneered the duergar comingdown the stairs. He was dressed in robes and carried a large club. The plate mailed duergar had a heavy shield and warhammer. Two spine devils joined from the kitchen once the melee began. The duergar got the upper hand at first but the tide quickly changed after a few rounds of combat when Theren landed three arrows into the robed blasphemer and killed him. During the combat the blackguard duergar hit Uthrid several times but a combination of attacks from the party killed him. Rudy took out one spine devil and wounded the other before Nim decorated the bar with the devils insides by using a well placed force orb. The only attacker from the assassin group to escape was an imp who stung Theren several times and was a quite frustrating opponent. It attacked from an invisible state and teleported away as soon as it hit. In the chaos of the battle, the adventurers never could locate it because it hid behind tables and chairs after teleporting and then became invisble the next round and moved into attack position.

After the combat the adventurers decided to delay their departure for one day. The dwarf barkeeper lived but closed up the tavern for the night. The local guard came by and accepted the adventurers explaination of duergar assassins. The dark dwarves were hated by the dwarves of Moradin and most of them had heard about the Beheaders heroic acts of rescuing the Baroness of Harkenwold, Farrah Goldleaf Stockmer, from duergar at the Horned Hold in Thunderspire Mountain.

Enubrius watched with grim thoughts as the army he collected under the Unconquered Standard of Arkhosia left Cheap Whiskey. They were mercenaries who had served Tiamat’s priest in Fallcrest but Enubrius had given them a noble purpose. The standard was a beacon they could come together under. Without it they would not be as strongly united. The Bronze Cleric had fifty of his faithful on the crenalated wall at Cheap Whiskey. Durgin had allowed him that courtasy. The number leaving was near two hundered.

It is believed, The Black Petal slipped out of the Steward Estate long before Rudolph Harmony and his companions warned Coarsus Durgin or sent a message to Makkas Day. She entered the Frontier Gate before warnings had been sent out that she was a threat. It was not heavily guarded. She quickly murdered a number of soldiers and used her powers of necromancy to raise them as undead and attack the other soldiers. By the time Coarsus arrived The Black Petal had the place set for an ambush. Coarsus detected the ambush too late to save his fellow soldiers but after a fierce battle he was able to ride his wounded horse out of the fort. The horse perished outside just as the Black Army was arriving but Coarsus made it to the cover of the surrounding forest on foot before he finally collapsed from exhaustion.

The two hundred mercenaries:
Gerwynn’s dozen was a company of dragonborn who had ventured into the Cairgorn Hills. They had travelled from Arkvana to Archertown and followed the river up into the Witchlight Fens. They went through Winterhaven after the business with the Keep On The Shadowfell. In the Cairgorn Hills they had adventurers and fought Rugas Doombringer’s orc tribe. They returned from their adventures in the hills with little to show for it and signed on with Fallcrest.

Valkarn Goldtooth had fought the Hand of Naaresh when some of his childhood friends were abducted by hobgoblin agents of the demon. He had found himself alone in the world when he finally caught up with his old friends and they had each received a red shard of the heart of Naaresh. They then served the demon and Valkarn found himself hunted by them. They were all dead now – fallen when the heart of Naaresh was destroyed by the Beheaders. He had returned to Arkvana and led a group of younger dragonborn up to Fallcrest.

Jilko Vren was the cousin of the famous bandit leader who had disappeared in the Winterbole Forest. Jilko and the nine dragonborn he travelled with were part of Garesh Vren’s outlaws when the dragonborn leader and the rest of the band disappeared. Jilko and the nine were securing the forest area so they could set up camp and when they returned to camp there was no sign of Garesh or the others. They had come to Fallcrest after wandering the forest without a leader.

Abilon of the tiefling merchant Azaer family, had spent the last three years working with friends of Enubrius the Bronze. He was a fierce fighter and had guarded the eladrin embassador Lynn Sysvani during her time working in the Nentir Vale. She had recently returned to Mithrendain and Abilon had latched on to Enubrius’ army with his friend the dragonborn warlock, Ardellosia. The war of Bael Turoth and Arkhosia meant nothing to Abilon, it was more a myth to him but he was used to watching Ardellosia’s back so he had accompanied her to Cheap Whiskey.

Abilon was from Archertown but there had been run ins with the Redcloaks of Sosh in his past. The people of the City of Sosh were distrustful of spellcasters and tieflings. Not all Redcloaks were outright prejudiced against tieflings but if you got enough of them together who had been raised by fathers who still held the many generation-long grudge against “black magic” than trouble could bubble up. Many of these Grudge-bearing Redcloaks did not trust divine powers unless the blessings came from a Sosh priest of Kord. Thus many of the old soldiers wore battle scars. In Cheap Whiskey, Abilon got the cold shoulder from a number of Redcloaks. A devil army threatened their outpost – devils that shared a part of his lineage. When Julian Durgin ordered the mercenary dragonborn and assorted soldiers from Fallcrest and other parts of the Nentir Vale to support the Frontier Gate, Abilon joined their ranks and left Ardellosia on the crenalated wall with Enubrius and Bralvuna.

Captain Julian Durgin of Cheap Whiskey received Makkus Day’s message via a SENDING spell from Richilda the Blue. The Sherrif of Bridgeblock reported that an enemy army had materialized at the Fort Steward Estate. Rudolph Harmony’s band had braved the mist and taken the road onto the grounds. The Provincial Army was advised to look out for a necromancer called The Black Petal. This witch had apparently killed Jonathan Steward and raised an army of the dead on his estate. Harmony had reported this to Julian’s brother Coarsus as he and his band fled Fort Steward. Coarsus rode to the Frontier Gate in the path of this Black Petal Army and planned to organize a defense there until reinforcements arrived.

“Tyburn!” Julian called to his sergeant of scouting,“Any movement in the east?”
Three fires had been burning in the wilderness east of the gates at Cheap Whiskey for three days. Twelve scouts had been monitoring the fires. One scout had not returned. Soldiers milled around those fires. Many wore the red cloaks of Sosh. Scouts on foot and riders on hippogriffs could only guess at the armies make up and numbers. The only scout to get close enough never returned.

“No, Captain!” responded Tyburn, “No advancement since they appeared three days ago.”

“Where is Fazueul Farseer?” asked the Captain.
Fazeuel was the most capable wizard this side of Bridgeblock. Julian like most members of Sosh society did not trust the arcane arts. Fazueul and his wizards had tried to spy on the army in the wilderness with scrying spells. Julian was told that spells such as clairvoyance and far seeing were drawn away from the camps by a powerful preseance in the mountain lair by Fort Dolar where the blood portal to Dis was said to be. The preseance in the mountain called itself Hihizol. The wizards called it an Osyluth or Bone Devil. It tried to provoke with insults and threats. For the first day Fazueul had tried to communicate with the devil but he ordered all wizards to cease scrying when the devil proved to be a formidible manipulator. Fazueul was concerned that the creature could corrupt the minds of the weak willed.

“He speaks with Enubrius on the southern wall.” said Tyburn and directed Julian’s attention to the crenalted wall beyond the border gate.

“Very well,” said the captain, “I need to speak to the cleric as well. Alert the sergeants of the mercenaries to ready for action.”
The captaincy of Cheap Whiskey meant that Julian Durgin was responsible for the defense of the eleven mile crenallated wall that protected the twenty mile long natural bridge that separated the northern lake from the southern sea. The bridge was tha eaasiest passage from the eastern wilderness to the Southern Provinces. The Wall began on the coast of the northern lake and extended nearly three miles before reaching Cheap Whiskey which is where most soldiers were stationed and supplies were stored. From Cheap Whiskey the Wall ran five miles to the southeast where wooded hills provided a natural barrier to enemies. The Wall filled in gaps among those hills. South of those hills were the marshes. Wesy of the marshes were hills and the Estate of the late Jonathan Steward.
Julian thought about the old soldier, Steward, as he moved along the wall to where he would find the wizard and dragonborn cleric. If an army had materialized on his estate than it had penetrated their defenses through magic and trickery. Perhaps the impending attack on the Wall was a ruse and the real attack was coming from within. By the time Julian reached Enubrius he was certain his guess was correct. Enubrius stood with a dragonborn warrior, Bralvuna, the Unconquered Standard of Arkhosia flew in the cold wind above their heads as they conversed with Fazueul. The cleric seemed convinced that the reappearence of the artifact was a sign that his dragonborn of Arkvana were meant to relive the aged old war of Arkhosia and Bael Turoth.

“Enubrius, we have been duped. An enemy army marches from Fort Steward to the Frontier Gate if reports are reliable. If not they could be marching on any of the forts within our borders.” informed the captain. “I need your dragonborn to support the few troops we have at the Frontier Gate.”

“Arkvana stands here under the ancient banner. We will throw those devils back to Dis.” objected the Bronze cleric looking confused.

“Not if the fight doesn’t come to us. Richilda the Blue just sent word from Makkus Day. Your champion from Fallcrest, Rudolph Harmony, and his men uncovered a secret army on Steward’s Estate. My brother rides for the Frontier Gate to organize a resistance until your dragonborn arrive.” said the captain.

“Are you certain the devils are not planning a frontal asault?” asked Enubrius, “Perhaps they are trying to split our forces before attacking.”

“They have been sitting out there for three days without advancement. They are a decoy. If they do have a force among those camps I have enough of my own men to hold them until your dragonborn return.” said the captain, “You can mop up and chase them back to Dis when you come back. I promise you can bring the fight to them upon your return.”

The priest attempted to respond but the captain cut him off.
“I will not abandon my brother and countrymen because you want to relive the days of Arkhosia and Bael Turoth. You gave me authority over these mercenaries when you brought them into the jurisdiction of Bridgeblock. Stay here and wave your standard but those troops leave now.”

Nim received three SENDING messages. One, from Makkas Day, encouraged them to proceed to Spearpoint and meet with Herrman Specks at the Boar’s Head Brewery. They needed to get Perry or a ritual that could destroy the portal to Dis. The second message was from Finji who said he would do his best to stay safe but didn’t want to disrupt Nino’s and his relationship with Mistress Arden, their new employer. The third message was from Oddlin who was near Hammerfast. He had met interesting people at The Five League House and was currently with a band of adventurers or maybe bandits. Forgepeak, the largest mountain in the range had erupted fire last night. His new friends saw that as a bad omen and told tales of a red dragon called Calastryx who had long ago laired in that mountain.

Nim learned more about his magic deck of cards and before the party slept for the night at Fort Durgin he gave Madam Durgin a reading from the deck to enlighten her on her family’s fate – particularly her sons, Coarsus and Julian the Captain of Cheap Whiskey. The first card Nim drew was THE IDIOT which indicated that some poor choices were in their immediate future. The second card drawn was THE KEY which indicated a magic item would be found that was tied to their fates. Madam Durgin was worried.

The next morning the adventurers left for Bridgeblock where they would use a linked portal to quickly get to Spearpoint. They stopped briefly at the Sheriff’s Fort where Harten the dwarf paladin reiterated that Makkas Day wanted them to find Perry Harvest. Early reports on the battle at Cheap Whiskey did not sound good.

At The Boar’s Head Brewery, the adventurers met the halfling Herrman Specks. He was a glass maker and regularly drank with Perry. He had not heard from Perry in the last couple of months. The last time they had met Perry had given Mr. Specks three keys and told him if anything happened to contact Rudy, Nim, Theren or Uthrid. He gave the adventurers the keys to Perry’s tower and told them they would find a halfling cleric to Ioan named Benny sitting on the tower steps. Benny was trustworthy as far as Herrman knew. Perry had adopted Benny many years ago after the halfling, who was born the bastard son of a mob boss in Archertown, accidently saved the life of Corelia Flamet. Benny didn’t have a talent for arcane magic but became dedicated to Ioan. He had recently been working as a highwayman out of Fallcrest but returned to Spearpoint when he learned of trouble with Perry.

The adventurers found Benny where Specks said they would and they offered him the keys to the tower and let him lead the way. The first floor of the tower was a reception room where comfort was supplied to visitors waiting to meet with the wizard. A fireplace, chairs and a large banquet table normally took up the room with plush carpets and tapestries. When the party entered they found most of the room empty. There were bits of broken glass, stone pottery and pieces of metal hardware and silverware scattered about the room but mostly it was cleaned out. Even the wooden door to the tower stairs was gone although the metal hinges were still mounted to the stone doorframe.

The second floor of the tower was Perry’s private quarters. They found the room in the same condition as the first. Various items were scattered about the floor but the majority of the furnishings were gone. Among the items left were some metal urns, a gold bedframe and gold chair frame and a stone safe. The furnishings and padding were gone from both the bed and chair. They used a key on the safe and found a hand axe and dagger inside. The third floor would be the wizards study and the top floor would be an open rooftop garden according to Benny.

In the stairwell up to the study, Theren nearly walked into a huge gelatenous cube and a battle broke out. Rudy and Uthrid were engulfed by the cube and damaged by it’s corrosive acid but the escaped it’s grasp and the party eventually destroyed it. The party surmised that the cube had disintegrated all the organic material in the previous rooms of the tower. Only metal, stone and glass were to be found in those rooms.

They proceeded to the study. The door was missing but magical runes had been carved into the floor to encircle the entire room. These were evidently some sort of protection because the cube had not entered the study. In the room was a linked portal circle and many bookshelves. The was a table with bottles against one wall and in the center of the room was a chair and an overturned table. There was blood on the floor by the chair. The bookshelves had been ransacked. A search of the room found nothing useful until Uthrid picked up the overturned table and they found a ritual scroll. Nim examined it and was able to determine that it was a nearly completed SENDING ritual. Nim could not determine who the ritual was intended for but he could complete the ritual and send its message to its target with a few arcane words. He decided to take a chance and trigger the ritual. When he did Nim immediately received a SENDING message from Perry.

Perry appeared before Nim sitting in the study’s chair. He looked a little on edge. “The tower has been compromised,” he said, “trust no one.” Perry then cried out in pain as a black cowled creature in black chainmail appeared by his side. A short sword pierced Perry’s side. “Who dares?” asked Perry as the doors to the study burst open. “Alive! Rhuminor!” a voice called out, “His knowledge of the book is valuable.” “He’ll live.” replied the slithery growl of the black cowled creature stabbing the wizard. “He better,” said the other voice, “Invidia will need…” and the ritual message ended.

Nim, Theren and Rudy made quick plans as they healed up from their initial fight with the Black Petal and her undead escort. When they teleported back into the room the marrowshriek skeleton they had destroyed still lay on the floor but Uthrid and the enemies remaining were not to be seen. The spectral tendrils immediately wafted from the floor and tried to attack. With some luck from Nim, Theren avoided the tendrils and moved away from the teleportation circle – to the right side of the room. The boneclaw was creeping around the curved wall in the center of the room. As it charged Theren, the elf fired his bow. He hit and the boneclaw attacked with his long arms and claws. After firing, Theren shifted and a marrowshriek skeleton appeared from where he had stood invisible. Theren shifted away from it but was dazed when the creature shrieked. Another marrowshriek skeleton appeared on the other side of the teleportation circle and dazed Nim when he shrieked and then grabbed him. Nim broke free and Rudy followed Theren. Theren and Rudy were clear of the spectral tendrils. Theren charged past the boneclaw and was clawed again. Beyond the boneclaw he saw the Black Petal standing by a large stone sarcophogus. Rudy and Nim battled the marrowshriek skeletons. The boneclaw and Black Petal harrassed Theren. A marrowshriek skeleton fell as the battle raged and all the party members had moved closer to the sarcophogus on which the Black Petal now stood. All party members had been wounded by the undead to varying degree. Nim hit the Black Petal with two spells and Theren added an arrow. She was bloodied. Suddenly the entire tower shook as if from a strong quake in the earth. The Black Petal had been thrown against the wall by Nim’s spell. She teleported across the room and ran for the teleportation circle and left the room. The adventurers took down the last two undead and Theren threw open the sarcophogus. Inside lay Uthrid nearly dead. He was stripped down to his small clothes, all his possessions were gone. The tower continued to shake and the party felt vertigo. Rudy healed Uthrid and the fighter awoke with serious distress. He babbled about a succubus and a black army but soon shouted, “The tower is sinking into the ground!” The party ran to the teleportation circle. They were assaulted by the spectral tendrils but managed to make it to the circle and escaped the room. They ran to the spiral stairs s the tower continued to shake. In the stairwell the could hear water rushing in below. They ran to the private chambers – the only room with a window in the tower. They burst through the door and saw that the window was at ground level. They only had a few seconds to escape. Theren and Rudy took damage getting out the window but they all got out alive. Outside there was no sight of their horses or The Black Petal. A large army was gathered on the other side of the tower, waiting for it to sink back into the ground so they could march. Hoping they hadn’t been seen, the adventurers ran into the woods and took cover. Uthrid then had a chance to tell them about a dreamlike vision he had while unconscious.

Uthrid was sitting at a table in the grand hall of a Keep. He was discussing books with two men and a woman. One man he recognized as Jonathan Steward. He looked very old. He was wearing only his underclothes as were the other two people who were middle aged but not familiar to Uthrid. Uthrid felt confused and uncomfortable. He was not sure what had been going on for the last few minutes. He was frustrated because he was not familiar with the books the other three were speaking of and he had nothing to offer to the conversation. As Uthrid’s attention was drawn to a window in the room that overlooked the grounds he heard the woman addressed as “Crysilla” and the man as “Jobeck”.

A dark figure stood by the window with its back to Uthrid. Shadows moved outside the window and Uthrid saw dark figures moving around campsites picking up and readying to move. Uthrid felt a dark figure stading by him and it seemed he had moved to stand by the window. He saw undead soldiers (wraiths) shouting orders at humans, goblins, hobgoblins and bugbears as the campsites converged into an army getting ready to march. In the distance, Uthrid saw the Bloodstone Tower jutting from the ground between the two hills. He saw mist drifting up from the cracks in the earth. He could not remember how he got past the tower but he must have been inside the Steward Keep. He didn’t remember what had happened to Rudy, Theren and Nim. Uthrid wanted to act but his arms and legs would not cooperate. He felt like he was in a confined space.

“The Book of Ao?” he heard asked behind him and he turned to look at the three people at the table. He did not actually feel his neck move or his body turn but his eyes turned in the direction of the table. The three people no longer sat at the table. Jonathan, Crysilla and Jobeck lied in plain wooden coffins in front of the table with a copper piece placed over each of their eyes. A woman stood behind the table. She was the one who spoke.

“Yes, that is what some call it,” a cold steely voice came from the dark preseance beside Uthrid, “just ask him about the book he took from Nevern. Where did he put it?”

Uthrid was confronted by two creatures. They took up his complete vision yet he could only look at one of them at a time – like they were at opposite ends of a corridor and Uthrid stood in the middle. They seemed so close to him yet so far from one another. One was Driedel. The lich stared with a glowing yellow light from the otherwise empty sockets that peered from below a great helmet carved to look like a basilisk. An amulet hung around its neck. The other was a naked, voluptuous, black-haired woman. Bat wings sprouted from her back and her face was adorned with horns and fangs. Uthrid had seen her before. She was the succubus from Fort Dolor. As he looked at her he imagined that Driedel’s icy fingers were about to drop onto the center of his back and when he glanced quickly at Driedel the world swayed giving him a nauseous feeling and as he gazed into Driedel’s skull he imagined the devils fangs about to sink into his neck.

Driedel began to question Uthrid about the whereabouts of THE BOOK while the succubus tried to dominate him and make him answer truthfully.

Uthrid became dominated and told Driedel that the book was given to Lord Perrobin Harvest of Spearpoint.

Much to Uthrid’s dismay, the events about THE BOOK, Perry Barefoot, and Uthrid’s father and brothers streamed from his lips in great detail.

Uthrid was not sure what he had revealed but knew it was far too much. Driedel was satisfied and conversed with the succubus as if Uthrid was not there.

DRIEDEL: Well done. That was almost too easy.
SUCCUBUS: The brawny ones usually are. They have their uses though. I wouldn’t mind getting this one in the flesh – along with his friends.
DRIEDEL: Once you break through you are welcome to come back here and dig up what’s left of them. I’m done with this place.
SUCCUBUS:(laughs)
DRIEDEL: You’ve been more than compensated for your trouble, however. The black army will march to the eastern gate. That will catch them by surprise and as soon as their attention is distracted, the Iron General will crash through their gate. Your Red Army will find little resistance before they get their chance to raise hell with the dragonborn.

The succubus collected the coins from the eyes of the three dead people. As Driedel moved to the door to the Keep the ground trembled. The black army stood ready to leave and the Bloodstone Tower began sinking back into the ground. Uthrid’s world faded to black. The next thing he knew Rudy was waking him and they needed to get out of the tower.

The fear inspiring mist cleared as the tower slipped into the ground and the ground closed back up. The black army began to march. The wraith soldiers directed the others. The adventurers moved as quickly as they could back toward the road where Coarsus Durgin waited with ten Bridgeblock soldiers. They arrived a few moments before the black army and alerted the soldiers. Coarsus ordered two of his men to give Rudy and Theren their horses. Nim rode with one of them while Theren ran ahead scouting the road back toward Bridgeblock. Coarsus Durgin and his soldiers rode to warn Cheap Whiskey of the black army. Coarsus would reach the fort called the Frontier Gate before he reached Cheap Whiskey. He hoped he could gather some men there and at the least slow up the black army while other rode on to Cheap Whiskey to alert Courses brother- the Captain of Cheap Whiskey.

Nim prepared some Sending rituals while he rode. He sent word to the elders in the Harken Forest, to Makkus Day and to Finji and Nino Zookwicket who were spies working for him in Bridgeblock. Coarsus gave the adventurers a letter and told them to give it to his family. Fort Durgin would be the first place they came to along the road. The letter told his family that they could trust the adventurers.

The road toward Steward’s Estate would pass between two steep hills and the keep would be just beyond them. As the party made their way through the mist they saw a tower between the two hills blocking the road. Before they could get a good look at it, they heard clicking noises and a huge bulk being dragged alond the ground behind them. They spurred their horses forward but not far ahead a large crack in the ground ran across the road. Theren was unable to stop his horse but managed an acrobatic dismount as the horse plunged into the chasm and broke it’s neck. The others quickly stopped and the party faced a four headed fen hydra. Nim twice delivered critical damage and Theren did as well and the hydra was quickly bloodied and fled.

The party approached the tower. It appeared that the tower had sprung up from the ground to block the path. It was 75 feet high and the cracks spread from where it penetrated the ground. There was a large whole in the side of it at ground level.

Inside the hole in the tower the party fought a ghoul, zombies and a skull lord. The central spiral staircase in the tower went up and down. The adventurers went up and found a chapel to a weird alien or demonic entity which served some ancient deity of death. The entity was called Omerth. In other rooms they found old barracks and a library. Three floors up they found a chamber that was being used as a bed chamber. It had a bed and wardrobe at one end and a bath at the far end. This room also contained the only window in the tower. One floor above this one the party found a vault. Most of the items had been removed but they did find a staff. There was also a secret door in the room that led to another room with three linked portal circles on the floor.

Theren stepped on one of the circles and said “Omerth” and the party was teleported to the room at the top of the tower. They stood on a teleportion circle crowded together. From the floor spectral tendrils rose and attacked them. Three marrowshriek skeletons attacked with screams and a boneclaw skeleton crept near. The spectral tendrils dazed the adventurers as did the shrieks from the skeletons. One skeleton grabbed Nim. A pale woman made attacks with black magic and Uthrid was bloodied and not able to use healing surges. Nim spoke “Omerth” again as one of the marrowshriek skeletons fell to blows from the party and he was delivered back to the secret room by the vault. Uthrid fell and Theren and Rudy each spoke “Omerth” while standing on the magic circle and returned to the room Nim had retreated.

As the three shook their dazed heads they had no idea what was happening to their unconscious friend in the room above. They gathered second winds and prepared to go back up for Uthrid.

As smoke rose from campfires in the wilderness beyond Cheap Whiskey, Enubrius The Bronze stood on the crenalated walls of the Southern Province’s most eastern outpost. The Unconquered Standard of Arkhosia flew above him daring the devil army to mount their attack. The provincial army, led by Captain Durgin, manned their posts. The dragonborn army waited impatiently, eager to proudly relive the days when Arkhosia met the devils of Bael Turoth, for the glory of battle.

Meanwhile, at the Steward Estate to the south, the civilized people’s greatest hope – a band of four: Rudolph Harmony, Theren Brightwood, Uthrid Ragnarson and Nim of Harken Forest, entered the mist that had enveloped the land and set the defenders’ of Bridgeblock nerves on edge.

—The grizzled warlord arrived with a huge Sosh soldier, Coarsus Durgin; a dwarf paladin of Moradin, Harten Reivir; a female human wizard, Richilda the Blue; and a human archer, Leyard. A scribe named Hap and two retainers Trent and Vernon also accompanied the group.

Recent reports told of a woman the people were calling the Black Petal (due to a distinctive broach she wore) coming through Bridgeblock. She bought some equipment and was last seen heading toward the estate of Jonathan Steward. Since then, a mist had spread across the land of the Steward Estate, a mist most men found they could not enter because they were overcome with fear. Makkus Day understood that the party used to work for Steward and would like them to explore the estate. They agreed to do so.

After questioning the party about the portal to Dis, Makkus determined that a cleansing ritual would need to be performed in the old dragon lair once the devils were defeated. Since the adventurers knew the location, the sheriff believed they should take on the mission. They found this proposal sensible and agreed.

The cleansing ritual needed could be found in Perrobin Harvest’s tower but the wizard had disappeared. No one had entered the tower and when the party said they knew the wizard Makkus Day suggested they try to enter it and try to find the wizard. They agreed again.

Entering the Steward Estate was given top priority since the mist was scaring people and they were preparing for war nearby in Cheap Whiskey. Nim was given the coordinates to the linked portal in Cheap Whiskey and the party left. They were given horses and rode out toward the Steward Estate with Coarsus Durgin and a group of soldiers.

The adventurers met with Farrah Goldleaf Stockmer and Enubrius the Bronze. They were introduced to Ernesto Markelhey son of the previous Lord Warden of Fallcrest. A plan was devised where Enubrius and Bralvuna would take the Unconquered Standard of Arkhosia and after several weeks of planting seeds among trusted Fallcrest soldiers they would start a rally to inspire many of the mercenaries in town (many whom are dragonborn) to be led to Cheap Whiskey and meet a devil army in battle. While this rally took place the adventurers and Ernesto would sneek into the Moonstone Keep and confront Armos Kamroth.

The plan was executed well. Young Markelhey led the adventurers into the Moonstone Keep dungeon. After passing through a secret passage they found the chambers to be filled with lounging kobalds. While the adventurers hid they heard the dungeoneer, Una Wyrmguard, have a conversation with Hildren. (Hildren was an eladrin that Rudy and Theren had met back during their days with the Beheaders. She had been working with Brackas and Kelson who had framed the Beheaders for the robbery of the blacksmith Teldorthan. During the battle which ended the lives of Brackas and Kelson she had isolated Rudy and knocked him unconscious. At the end of the battle Theren was still on his feet and Hildren confronted him from the back Caustrex the gray dragon the Beheaders had made a blood pact with.) During her conversation with Una, Hildren asked if new prisoners had been brought to the dungeon. Her words implied that she knew the adventurers were there but she did not tell this to Una. She ended the conversation saying she was going to take a trip to the village of Nenlast. The proclamation appeared to be for the benefit of the adventurers.

Once Hildren was gone the adventurers sprung an attack on Una and the kobalds. The kobalds didn’t stand a chance and Una, a brutish, bearded female human didn’t last long either. The stairs to the dungeon led to one of the keep’s guard towers. Theren peeked out the door to the crenalated wall and saw a dragonborn Exemplar of Tiamat watching a ruckus going on in the town. That would have been Enubrius rallying the dragonborn mercenaries and other soldiers with the Unconquered Standard of Arkhosia. The party quietly slipped into the keep’s main hall.

As they moved across the hall to the stone building that served as the Lord Warden’s private rooms an adult blue dragon was summoned to the room. The dragon was disoriented and under the control of someone. It attacked the party while occasionally spouting frustration at the fact that someone dared seize control of it’s actions. Markelhey was knocked down a few times but eventually the dragon was seriously bloodied. It managed to restle control of itself from whoever was influencing it and flew out the hall’s large stain glass window.

The party found a ward on the private chambers door as the dragon crawled around on the roof of the keep. Some crys weere heard from outside and several exemplars of Tiamat burst into the hall. While the adventurers battled the exemplars, Armos Kamroth and a huge dragonborn slipped into the hall and into the private chambers. After defeating the exemplars, Nim deactivated the ward on the door. A battle took place with the huge dragonborn and the party found a nearly dead priest lying on the floor of a storeroom next to a desk which held a vat of liquid and a large brain. (This was Brother Edgar and his ritual of blue dragon control, the ritual was ultimately too powerful for him and he could only maintain control of the dragon for a short time once it became bloodied. When the dragon pulled control back, Brother Edgar received a mortal brain hemorrage.)

Armos Kamroth was in the second floor room of the building behind a warded door. He was performing a linked portal ritual that would transport him to his manor and from there he had plans to escape with much of the wealth he had accumulated during his time as Lord Warden. Also in the room with him was an Altar of Zealotry which was programmed to dominate anyone who entered the room and did not hold a holy symbol to Tiamat. By the time the adventurers deafeated the huge dragonborn, only ten rounds were left for the linked portal to commence. The altar was also programmed to explode as soon as the linked portal ritual was triggered. It took four rounds for Nim to open the warded door but only one round for Theren and Nim to knock Kamroth unconscious. Theren killed the priest on the following round and Rudy began removing his magic items. Markelhey and Uthrid and Rudy were all dominated by the alter in the following rounds and attacked Theren and Nim and each other. Nim was not dominated because the Deck of Many Things he possesses will not allow him to be. Theren was not dominated because he carried Brother Edgar’s holy symbol on his belt. The elf and gnome fled the building while the three others fought each other. Then the linked portal triggered and the altar exploded. The three inside the building were able to leap down the stairs and avoid death.

In the aftermath, Markelhey took control of the town and Enubrius led an army of soldiers toward Cheap Whiskey to defend against the devil army at Fort Dolor. Rudy, Uthrid, Theren and Nim were given important positions within Fallcrest. Armos Kamroth’s manor as well as the wizard’s tower and a few other buildings were given to the adventurers. Enubrius the Bronze enhanced Rudy’s sword as payment for the Unconquered Standard.

The adventurers received some messages and Nim progressed his plans for building a gnome spy network. He sent a gnome named Oddlin out toward Hammerfast, set up an older couple Madge and Cory as owners of The Lucky Gnome Tavern in Fallcrest’s lower section and arranged for a brother and sister Finji and Nino to work as servants in Bridgeblock. Nino had a big crush on Nim.

Rudolph Harmony receives invitations from:

Baroness Farrah Goldleaf Stockmer – agenda unclear

Lana Goldleaf of the Woodsinger Elf Clan – agenda Farrah Goldleaf

Lord Warden Ernesto Markellhey – offered a position as high ranking officer in Fallcrest garrison

Marsinda Goldspinner of Hammerfast – requests an audiance, she is the Merchant Guild Master of Hammerfast. They have traded with Fallcrest for many years. She is concerned about bandit activity on the Trade Road. Some merchants were robbed by bandits claiming to work for Jax the Fox. Marsinda has no description of this Jax the Fox person. There are some other happenings around Hammerfast. Some adventurers have stirred up some trouble and may be into something that Marsinda fears is too much for them.

Lord Padraig of Winterhaven – Sends greetings to you and Theren and any other Beheaders. He has heard rumors about some of the Beheaders death and sends his regrets. There is trouble in the Caingorn Mountians with a tribe of orcs. A few lower level adventuring partys are working in the area. The Shadar Kai at the Keep on the Shadowfell are quiet. Many of the Raven Roost Performers have disbursed. A few work in Winterhaven. Others have become highwaymen. Some have gone to Fallcrest or places further East.

Senator Daruid One-Eye of Sosh: Remembers meeting you. The senate of Sosh requests that you report to Makkus Day about what you know of a devil army and any other threats to the Southern Provinces.

Sheriff Makkus Day of Bridgeblock is coming to Fallcrest.

Herrman Specks of Spearpoint fears something has happened to Perry Barefoot. The wizard has not been seen in over three weeks. He has heard you have worked for Jonathan Steward and associate with the heir to a Sosh land owner. He hopes you might find the time to investigate the wizards tower in Spearpoint.

Governess Corellia Flamet of Archertown invites Rudolph Harmony and his associates to Archertown for the Spring Festival.

Lord William Invidia at Hammerfast would like to meet with Rudolph Harmony and his Beheaders about old business. If you agree to meet alert Lord Carthain of Hammerfast.

Lord Jonathan Steward at his estate in Bridgeblock invites Rudolph Harmony, Theren Brightwood, Uthrid Ragnarson and Nim of Harken Forest to his estate to discuss literature.

Uthrid, My Son!
Thank Moradin, you have finally found the time to inform your suffering mother that you’re alive! Your father has disappeared and from all I have heard your older brother died in front of your own eyes. Don’t know as if that’s true or how you feel about it. No one ever bothers to fill me in on the details. Last I knew your father was going to stay with Lord Perry in Spearpoint because of some secretive matter. What of Erthic?

It is quite a sum of coin you have sent. I won’t ask where you got it. You should come home. Someone must apply pressure to the farmers and ranchers to make sure there is enough income for the estate to make it through the next year. Your father picked a poor time to go missing.

Vedui’ Ther’En Vanna’Ama’Fis!
Nae saian luume’

Greetings, Theren Brightwood! (Greetings, Autumn Sky of the Forest of Beautiful Light!)
It has been too long.

The wind carries many songs.
It will be good to hear you boast of great deeds.
For now, our hearts are lightened to hear you are well.
Soon you must return to the Rain Valley.
There are family matters to discuss.
You should meet the bride whom we have arranged for you to wed.
Don’t fret, my son. There is time before she is of a marrying age.
More adventures lie in your fuure.
This business with Enubrius the Bronze and the men of the south is a noble endeavor.
Assist him and your new friends and return when you are able.

Her name is Ari’El Chalic’Iene (Silver Hawk)
Your great, great grandfather Hel’Tia’Nai Vanna’Ama’Fis (Helthani Brightwood) will be greatly pleased by this union.

Au’ lasser en lle coia orun’ omenta gurtha.
Quel fara!

Ari’Mah Vanna’Ama’Fis
Maern\

May the leaves of your life tree never turn brown.
Good Hunting!

Arimah Brightwood
The Silver Mage
Defenders of The Forest Of Beautiful Light

Ernesto Markelhey was sent to Bridgeblock to train as a soldier at the age of twelve. By the time he was sixteen he had proved to be one of the deadliest men in Cheap Whiskey. He hunted down outlaws and bandits mostly for Makkus Day’s garrison. Though his future was planned out to take over rule of Fallcrest after his father’s time as Lord Warden ended, he secretly hoped to remain in Bridgeblock and maybe on day replace Makkus Day as Sheriff.

At the age of sixteen Ernesto’s father, Faren, decided his son should consider joining the Order Of The Platinum Dragon. Ernesto went down to the Arkvana Peninsula to see about becoming a paladin to his family’s deity. He was taught by Enubrius The Bronze before going on a missionary with other learning the ways of Bahumat. During this time his father was murdered. By the time word reached Ernesto, Armos Kamroth was already established as the new Lord Warden of Fallcrest.

Ernesto travelled to Harkenwold to make plans with Baroness Farrah Goldleaf Stockmer. Her father had been good friends with Faren Markelhey. Enubrius The Bronze and others that the dragonborn cleric deamed trustful joined in on the meeting. The others were Remy Longsong, a half-elf cleric of Sehanine; Bravluna, a dragonborn fighter; and an adventuring company who included two members of the heroic band The Beheaders who had rid the Vale of a dragon, kobald bandits, an Orcus deathpriest and hobgoblin slavers. They had rescued Farrah from duergar devil worshipers in Thunderspire Labyrinth and had destroyed a demon cult called the Hand Of Naarash. The two former Beheaders were a half-elf warlord, Rudolph Harmony who had served in the Fallcrest garrison during Faren’s rule and an elven ranger from the Rain Valley named Theren Brightwood. The two other members of the adventuring company were a gnome named Nim who was the Harken Forest gnome’s official representative and a human soldier from the City of Sosh named Uthrid Ragnarson.

Later, at Raven Roost, the adventurers ran into a couple highwaymen – an ogre and a human – who were employed by Fallcrest. They were talking by a campfire to Terrlen Darkseeker while some people slept by the walls of the ruin. Theren had scouted ahead and witnessed a woman wearing a rich red cloak come out from the ruins. She carried a rapier on her belt and nice theigh high boots. She had evidently just woke up and come out to relieve her bladder. Theren reported to the others and when he returned the woman was going back into the ruins where Theren heard talking. Then the adventurers all approached the ruins and met the highwaymen and Terrlen. Theren and Rudy didn’t immediately recognize Terrlen but soon they did.

They had met him a couple years ago in Thunderspire Mountain. He had been a guide but when faced with bloodshed he turned into a werewolf. The party had subduedhimand when he woke he had not remembered what had happened. He believed he had been cursed while investgating a part of the labyrinth and felt he needed to return there to breakthe curse. The Beheaders had not been willing to help him but had spared his life. Terrlen now told Theren that he had not broken the curse but had learned to deal with his affliction.

The sleeping people woke shortly after Terrlen left. The red cloaked woman was a beautiful red haired human called Scarlett. An SJ crest was sewed into her cloak. There was an old wizard and his halfling apprentice with the woman. She claimed to have heard about the Raven Roost ruins from the Shadar Kai in Winterhaven. The wizard and halfling had been made vagrants by Lord Warden Armos Kamroth. Rudy recognized them from the time he had lived in Fallcrest. They were travelling with Scarlett while she saw various sights in the Nentir Vale. The adventurers could not pin down where exactly she originated from. She said she had travelled all over the southern region and a little of the west. Their group was heading toward the Five League House and possibly Hammerfast.

Rumors told that a wizard named Paldemar ruled Thunderspire now and that he was searching for an artifact. It was also believed that spellcasters (mostly wizards) should be on their guard. The Mages of Saruun had disappeared and some wizards from adventuring parties in the area had met their doom in mysterious ways.

The adventurers continued on to Harkenwold and met with Remy Longsong. He informed them that an assassination attempt was made on the Baroness Farrah Goldleaf Stockmer and she was hiding with the Woodsinger Elves. He said he would arrange a meeting with her in three days.

Nim went to the gnomes of the Harken Forest and spoke with the council of elders. He displayed a great deal of maturity and told them of a plan he had to create a network of spies among the big people of the Vale. The elders were impressed and asked him to speak with the leaders of Harkenwold on their behalf and said they would help him recruit gnomes for him network. Then Nim gave them his magic staff tohelp fund the endeavor. On the way back to Harkenwold he met a mysterious gnome called Toadstool who traded a Deck Of Many Things for one of Nim’s daggers.

The party found themselves in the seven pillared hall after using the ritual. A voice spoke to themfrom the minataur statue that loomed over the portal circle. They had to pay a tax for using the portal of 100 gp each. The hall looked much the same but had a different vibe. Large bronze statues of minataurs stood in a few strategic spots around the hall and other humanoids lurked in the shadows eyeing the adventurers. The party asked about the owners of the Halfmoon Inn and the ogre peacekeeper Brugg. They were told that no services would be found for them at the inn and that Brugg no longer worked there. They were told to be on their way and come back at a more reasonable hour. It was the middle of the night. No bloodshed was allowed in the seven pillared hall, they were free to explore any part of the labyrinth that was not marked restricted. They were told Paldemar ruled the hall. The quickly headed to the Road of Laturns which led to Thunderspire’s exit. At the exit they ran into a shrouded figure in blood red robes and some humanoids with sacks over their heads. One eye-hole had been cut in each sack and the hunched creatures were each missing a hand. Curved knives were held in their other hands. The creatures let the party pass when the red robed person nodded.

The ghost of Kincep Mansion, Jaccobux, was very intrigued by the Bearers of The Unconquered Standard of Arkhosia. He was so intrigued that he took time from studying his books to visit with them in his library. He took an immediate liking to Rudy. Jaccobux had been a talented wizard during his life. He told the party he saw signs around them. He saw Rudy in the Invulnerable Coat of Arhnd and other symbols of their pasts. He saw symbols that represented their possible futures: marriage wreaths, a golden chalice, a barony, a sheriff’s seal. He saw the army of a greedy ruler. The army was once proud but now guarded the hordes of a corrupt lord. He saw an army of devils and an army of heroes under the gold dragon banner clashing at a frontier stronghold. He saw a woman who has lost her husband and sons and whose estate is near ruin. He saw a damaged mind reaching out to a voice in the stars. He saw that in a castle that flew a green flag a person they once trusted was being held. The castle was beyond a dwarven township where ghosts walked the streets. Around Nim he saw chaos and a decision. The decision was either to accept a risk that could bring glory or ruin or to leave the risk for another to accept. Encompassing them were symbols from the Garden of Graves and he said they would need to go to the city of Moil in the Shadowfell and find the Fortress of Conclusion.

Aside from giving the party his viewings he admired the banner and sketched it and the party in one of his books. He talked to them about their adventurers and through him the discovered that the Unconquered Standard had come to them so that they could return to the Nentir Vale with it. Soon the succubus who had soiled the minds of the army at Fort Dolor will have a devil army and an army will need to be raised behind the BUSA to meet devil legion. Jaccobus had a linked portal ritual that would bring the party to Thunderspire Labyrinth. They had enough residuum and decided to use it.

The party spent most of the day clearing the bodies of the ghouls and vampire spawn out of the mausoleum and hedge maze. They stacked the bodies over a pyrenextto the maze and burned them. The vampire bodies started burning as soon as they hit the sunlight. The BUSA also dug the dirt ouit of Cali’s tomb and scattered it around the area. At near dusk they were very tired. They used the phrase “the educated differ from the uneducated as the living differ from the dead” by the statues by the mansions front door and it seemed to work. The statues never stirred. Inside was a large entry hall with several doors and widows as well as a pair of stairways that led to a balcony which overlooked the front doors. Doors on the balcony gained access to the library where the ghost of Jaccobus Kincep was believed to reside – forever reading and thirsting for more books to read.
From the interrogation of the werewolf the party had a good idea of the layout of the house. A hallway that ran along the front of the building led to the stables. They were told they should avoid that area. Down the center hall a door to the right led to a kitchen and pantry that the werewolves had used. The door to the left led to a large ballroom. The party was as quiet as they could be and entered the ballroom. Theren tried to cover their tracks and they ate then slept in shifts of two.
During the middle of the night the party heard a group of people arrive at the mansion. Whoever was there tried to be quiet but there seemed to be a dozen or so people. They heard heavy traffic on one set of stairs. Some heavy lifting was being done and there was some whispering. The people were there for nearly an hour and then they departed. Horses and wagon wheels were heard as the people moved on. The BUSA rested the night and then investigated the entry hall. Theren tracked very well and determined there were a dozen sets of tracks and three wagons. A couple sets of tracks were clustered around the ballroom door as if guards had stood there.
The adventures prepared to leave the mansion but as they passed from beneath the balcony a voice said, “Oh my! Is that The Unconquered Standard of Arkhosia you carry?”
The party looked up and saw the ghost of a thin old man looking downon them. The statues outside moved to block the front doors.

The party crept across the Kincep grounds to the back of the hedge maze where the mausoleum stood. There was no enterence outside the hedges. The party eventually entered the hedge maze by climbing over the building, pushing through the hdges or climbing ove them. Several party members fell off the slippery roof. Inside the hedges the party was attacked by ghouls. The ghouls beat them up a bit before being destroyed. One of Uthrid’s attacks drew a vampire spawn from the building but Uthrid cutit down wih a single slice of his sword.

Once the ghouls were destroyed the adventurers took a few moments rest and then found the door to the mausoleum behind an illusory hedge and Nim picked the lock. Inside tombs lined the walls and other niches held tombs in the loft. Uthrid and Rudy entered and vampire spawn dropped from the loft and attacked. The vampire spawn clawed and bit at Rudy, Theren and Nim but Uthrid became dominated by Cali, a powerful drow vampire, who attacked Rudy with a short sword. The spawn began quickly dropping but there were many of them and they caused some damage. Uthrid remained under Cali’s spell for much of the encounter and he hit each of his friends during the combat. Cali delivered viscious wounds with her sword but did not manage to bite anyone. Once the spawn were destoryed and she was bloodied, she turned to gaseous form and escaped the mausoleum through a vented pipe in the bottom of her tomb.

The party camped a mile away from Kincep mansion. The seldom travelled road split here from where it had led away from the fey town of Chitpol. The other road that did not pass by the Kincep mansion and orchard led into an abandoned quarry. In the hillside where the road split, a two story building had been carved into the rocks. I was a ruined shell, perhaps it had been an outpost in a past age. On the opposite side of the quarry road, an enormous memorial to a past hero had been chisled into the side of the hill. Only the huge legs of the statue remained, standing sixty feet at belt above the overgrown road. The feet stood on the base of the statue forty feet above the road and WINERSTROM was carved into the base although it was barely readable. A trail led up the hill. The hill was loose shale aside from the trail of larger sturdy stones. Theren led the party down the Kincep road in the early darkness. He found signs of the freed werewolf along the road. The manbeast had stopped at the roadside building briefly and then continued toward Chitpol. The adventurers took the trail to the base of the WINERSTROM memorial and found a spot that had been used as a campsite in the past. It was a good spot for a camp. Theren watched the road from the edge of the base. He had a great moonlit view of the road forty feet below and the hillside building two hundred feet southeast. Uthrid, Nim and Rudy built a small fire at the back of the base under the statue and settled down to sleep.

Shortly after the other three fell asleep, some dire wolves appeared in the road. The sniffed aroundthe ruined building and the ran off down the road to Chitpol. Not long after, Theren believed he saw a humanoid slouched in the moonlight by the ruined building across the road. It did not move. Soon Theren spied another humanoid – spider climbing down the wall of the building. It froze midway down the wall and both figures were motionless for a few moments. Theren blinked and the creatures were no longer in the moonlight. He felt they were coming in the darkness. He turned to wake his friends and for a moment all he saw were large yellow cat’s eyes in the darkness. He drew his bow and fired at whatever creature lurked in the darkness behind those dangerous eyes. It lurked by the entrance above the stairs. As Theren’s arrow flew he ran to his friends and woke them. They woke but the party found nothing in the darkness. Theren returned to his position by the edge of the base and believed he saw creatures move near the building but then there was nothing on the moonlit road.

The party decided Uthrid would stay up with Theren for the first watch. Nim, Rudy and Uthrid all felt feverish. After a few hours, Theren saw humanoids by the building across the road. He alerted Uthrid and Uthrid left through the entrance to the stairs. Theren was immediately alarmed by Uthrid’s actions. He had not really responded to Theren. Theren ran to the entrance and saw Uthrid halfway down the stairs enveloped in darkness. His sword and shield lay on the stairs behind him and his arms were spread limply by his sides. Theren called for Nim and Rudy and Uthrid shook himself out of a trance. Uthrid stumbled up the stairs to Theren and he was bleeding from the neck and dazed. Theren hurried down the stairs looking for the darkness that had enveloped his friend but found nothing. The party gathered together and Uthrid said that he saw the yellow eyes and they drew him to them. A voice spoke behind the eyes in a language he had never heard but could still understand. It told him to come and to not be afraid. It told him to drop his equipment and remove his armor. It told him he was safe. He felt pain but the voice told him the pain was good. But then it seemed wrong and he found himself standing on the stairs with blood running down his neck and he ran up the stairs not knowing where he was.

The party continued to sleep in shifts of two and there were no more interuptions. In the morning Uthrid’s fever had broken, Nim’s was the same but Rudy’s had gotten worse.

N’antler, he is our leader. He is the archer. We hunted these orchards, game…mostly. We guarded the grounds for Jaccobux…kept anyone from disturbing him. Jaccobux stays in the library, mostly…reading. He is a ghost. He has statues in the front and back that guard the grounds. They won’t attack the wolves or anyone who says the pass phrase. The current phrase is ‘The uneducated differ from the educated like the dead differ from the living’. He hasn’t changed it in a while. Recently some undead moved into the mausoleum behind the mansion. There is a hedge maze out back that leads to a mausoleum for the Kincep family. A vampire lady called Cali and her minions sleep there during the day. They hunt some nights. But they are not satisfied with just hunting game and they have brought trouble. I see that now. It is difficult to resist Cali…to refuse her. N’antler will kill for her but I don’t know if he’d die for her. She has ten or so minions. I don’t think there were as many when they first arrived. She has kept prisoners in the mansion. I don’t know if they have any there now. We only used the kitchen area. There’s a ballroom and a stable. Avoid the stable…there is only trouble there. The library is on the second floor. There’s a garden in the back of the mansion next to the hedge maze. That is guarded by statues as well. That’s all I know. Now, let me go and you’ll never see me again. I promise.

The adventurers got a late start the morning after their visit to Palace Tisamath. Shumskel said he could be reached at The Golden Unicorn Inn when they returned. Their job was a bit vague but they were basically going to be checking out Kincep Mansion in hopes of finding a clue to recently lost hunting parties and some home invasions that resulted in missing eladrin citizens of Chitpole. Three recently missing eladrins had connections strong enough to bring the matter to the attention of Tisamath. If the adventures wish to gain strong favor with the Ghaele of Winter they will need to at least identify the forces behind the disappearences and eliminate them. Anything more would increase their favor with the Winter Court but anything less would not gain enough favor for them to ask anything of Tisamath.

It took most of the day for the group to reach the orchard. The road through the orchard was not well travelled but Theren found plenty of animal tracks. Before they reached the orchards they noted several hunting trails and a road that looked like it entered an abandoned quarry. Some giant, ruined statues were carved in the rock hill by the quarry road. A two story ruined was built into the rock on the side of the road opposite the statues and the road to the Kincep Orchard ran by the building.

A mile into the orchard was the hill that the mansion sat on. The seldom travelled road forked at the hill. One path led up the hill and the other ran away from it. The black orchard trees were bare and their fuit and leaves covered the ground throughout the orchard decaying. The road up the hill was 600 feet. Halfway up some trees blocked the road. Theren scouted up and saw a half-elf with a bow moving on top of the trees. He watched him for awhile and it appeared the person was a lookout but he had not spotted Theren.

Theren walked closer to the trees and called out a greeting to the half-elf. Surprised, the half-elf quickly greeted Theren. He said the hunting wasn’t very good today. He asked Theren if he was alone. He told Theren that it was dangerous to travel out alone. Theren asked if the half-elf was alone. The half-elf said he lived out there and had friends a mile or so away. Theren claimed the same but the half-elf pointed out that he was a native to the area while Theren was a stranger. The half-elf said that the mansion was haunted and that he had never been there. He advised Theren to turn around. Theren called up the rest of the party and said they were going to check out the mansion. When they advanced the archer raised his bow. Theren hit the archer with a critical shot and the half-elf returned a shot and ducked behind the logs. Uthrid and Rudy ran up to the logs and three dire wolves attacked from their hiding spots. While the party battled the wolves, the archer shot at Theren and then took cover. Nim sprung a snare trap by the side of the fallen trees and ended up teleporting out of trouble. After Theren was bloodied by these attacks, he and Nim concentrated attacks on the archer when he rose to take his shots. Their attacks knocked the archer back and his arrow flew wild as he ducked back. Rudy avoided a snare while battling the wolves and the three dogs were killed. The archer was hiding. Theren climbed to the top ofthe logs. The archer appeared around a nearby tree, he knocked Theren out with a couple of arrows and Nim hit him with a critical spell attack. The archer turned into a large wolf and ran off.

The adventurers found some dire wolf dens on the sides of the pile of trees and the werewolf’s den under the trees. A parchment was found in the werewolf’s den and on it was writ three phrases:

“Death is the begining of the next adventure.”

“If all people followed their convictions there would be no wars.”

“The uneducated differ from the educated like the dead differ from the living.”

The party tried to camp at the den, it was dusk. Uthrid, Rudy and Theren squeezed into the werewolf den to sleep. It smelled of wild beast and was cramped for three mighty aventurers but the mens mixed body heat helped keep off the cold. Nim sat on top of the fallen trees looking out for enemies. Shortly he spotted a pack of dire wolves advancing on the three sleeping men below. Battled ensued. Two of the wolves turned out to be werewolf lords. Three of the dire wolves ran back up the hill after the two lords were subdued. Theren beheaded one of the lords after bringing him down with arrows. The other was subdued and Nim remembered that silver could retard the werewolf’s regeneration ability. They held one of Nim’s daggers on the lord while they interrogated him. He told the party everything he knew in exchange for his life.

A contingent of Eladrin Fey Knights and Twilight Incanters move in to collect the adventurers in the Golden Unicorn Inn. The eladrin fence Shumskel is appointed their representative at court with Tisamath. They are brought to the palace and put into a queue outside the throne room. Shumskel will confer with them. He was asking around about a job for them when he was apprehended by the royal guard and told to point the adventurers out to them. They are going to be viewed by Tisamath and he’s not sure what their plight will become. He recommends that the adventurers offer their services to the throne. It is understood that the adventurers are looking for something by offering their services but any sort of payment or negotiation should not be mentioned. In fact, the party should leave all the talking to Shumskel and only speak when spoken to directly. Keep in mind that Tisamath and members of her court may take offense at the most minor acts of disrespect. While in the queue the party and other crowd members are monitored by orbs of light which hover around the room. These are willow-the-wisp type entities and anouncements regularly boom from them to the people in the palace.

“Rise for Tisamath Ghaele of Winter!”

“all visitors verify excusement with your palace representative before departure”

“Squad eleven silver report to area T3 immediately for briefing”

“code red area B9, code red area B9”

As visitors meet in the palace court they are announced and much of the exchange can be heard and seen from the queue. there is a slight delay between the actions in the throne room and the sound and many times the conversation will be blocked from the queue, less often the windows of the throne room will shift noisily and the activity of the court will be blocked from view. Most visits end with a declaration from the crier but occasionally Tisamath will address the court.

A grizzled dragonborn is recognized “the court welcomes Glaudites Capree” the dragonborn offers Tisamath a pack of gnoll pit fighters and claims they will be very entertaining in the arena battles. He is welcomed coldly, a few eladrin nod to him but there is a feeling in the air that this dragonborn is not well liked or has fallen into disfavor recently.

A priest is taken into the throne room “the court recognizes Kachos Rhaem”, the man retorts violently and much of what he says is silenced, the windows grind and the throne room is no longer seen, the windows grind after a moment and the throne room can be seen. The man is now much subdued “for displays of public zealotry, Rhaem will be offered at the next Aughmorvor appeasement, where he will have the opportunity to publicly pray for his life, until that time he will remain a guest of the dungeoneers”

“all visitors should be mindful that any public worship of a being other than the Prince of Frost is prohibitted”

A group of musicians perform for Tisamath.

Some eladrin complain about disappearences and rumored attacks.

A drow gives a mining report.

Some actors do a routine.

Tisamath leaves court for two hours and everything is put on hold.

A drow is allowed to cut ahead of the adventurers – he is a slave trader named Vumosray and has brought a special prize for the arena games.

The BUSA are interviewed by Shumskel and he presents them to the court using their real names. Tisamath sits on a white gold throne embossed with black and white opals, diamonds, saphires and emeralds. An eladrin crier called Pemorem addresses the palace representative, Tisamath sits with an entourage of eladrin nobles and guards. the nobles whisper and smirk among themselves. some even whisper to Tisamath. One eladrin in black chainmail and robes sits next to Tisamath. He is called Rhackor and the party saw him at the Golden Unicorn Inn. two young eladrin women sit by Tisamath as well. Tisamath is a beautiful young eladrin ghaele of winter. She is given a queens treatment even by her two best friends Zacerine and Cuntdra.

Tisamath decides to send the adventurers to Kincep Mansion to investigate, “so there are four of you? for some reason I thought there were five?”

Theren explains that they came into town with an eladrin they met on the road but didn’t catch his name.

After the adventurers equip and eat they will attend the arena battles. There they will witness the gnoll pit fighters defeat a group of duergar and a displacer beast and win the crowd over before being wiped out by a famorian giant who is thrown in the arena with Sage in a last man standing scenario. Sage eventually overcomes the giant but the fight is stopped and both are taken to the dungeons to be saved for a battle in the future when Koliada is in house.

Theren bets on Sage during the battle and then asks if he can meet the man. The “bookie” brings Theren down to the dungeons where Rhackor meets him and escorts him to Sage’s cell. Sage doesn’t have much to say and Theren is denied a private audience with him. Rhackor appears amused and a bit condescending about the exchange.

Here are some rumors heard around Chitpol. Keep in mind that not all rumors are true.

1. Tisamath has been hosting arena battles at the palace as entertainment for guests.
2. A famorian giant has been brought to the palace in chains and will fight in the next arena battle.
3. An elder white dragon, Aughmorvor, resides in a mountain lair nearby and has a huge hoarde of treasure that includes a vorpal weapon longsword.
4. Valmour Tessount is a drow warlord and owns the mine at the edge of the valley.
5. The mine is the only thing Valmour’s father left his estranged son, the rest went to his brother Sanoped.
6. The mine is thought to be a poor copper mine but evidently Valmour has offered some adventurers gold to help him with something there.
7. Sanoped has been in town asking questions about his brother’s dealings.
8. Some miners have fled the mine and are holding out in a cheap inn, the Sugar Swine.
9. Recently Valmour lost a crew of miners, crew leader Skahlton Gairg.
10. Eibon D’yingor is the leader of the adventurers Valmour hired.
11. Eibon is a priest of Vecna.
12. The mine is cursed.
13. A gold statue worth a fortune lies somewhere in the caverns of the mine.
14. Tisamath has a treasure trove of rare magical items. Sometimes she is even in the possession of an artifact.
15. Koliada the white witch visited the palace a month or so ago and word is that she is supposed to return to recover something from Tisamath.
16. Tisamath is an agent of Orcus and has demons under her command.
17. A member of one of Tisamath’s rival noble families was recently captured and will be sent to the next arena battle to fight for his/her life.
18. The Kincep Mansion was the home of a retired adventurer but now the house and its surrounding orchard is haunted.
19. The Kincep Mansion is haunted by Jaccobux Kincep.
20. Jaccobux attacks immediately if he detects intruders.
21. Jaccobux is tolerant of tresspassers as long as they do not interfere in his endless studying of the libraries on the estate.
22. Tisamath is powerful and cruel at times but also flightly and irresponsible.
23. Some eladrin are concerned about recent disappearences. (a hunting party, three nobles, some estranged outcasts)

The BUSA escaped the labyrinth of the snake god and managed to get by an ettin named Grug I and Grug II and a winterclaw owlbear named Blu high up in the snowy woods. They followed a mountain trail and came to Castle Korvall. At the ruined castle they dispatched a few hummoncules iron dog defenders, some animated bolters and some walking barrels that attacked with club-like arms. They met a half-orc maintenence worker named Jaylkal and fought a chariot riding mezzodemon beastlord called Bodanbur. The chariot was pulled by a pair of ironforged white dragons. These were dragons who had been taken by demons as hatchlings and undergone torturous experiments. Iron plates covered their bodies – attached by painful barbs. The dragons strength were compromised by the experiments but they were left as crazed killers. The BUSA defeated Bodanbur and his wretched escort and met an eladrin named Sagarald (Sage) Bralani of Autumn Winds. Sage had come from Mithrendain across the Plains of Valdrennai and was on a vendetta into the lands of the Winter Fey. He was headed to the village of Chitpol. He was upfront about seeking vengeance on his cousin Tisamath Ghaele of Winter who watched over the boarderlands around the village of Chitpol. Sage held Tisa responsible for the death of his love who he claimed was a casualty in the game of houses that went on among eladrin families. Sage had observed the fight with Bodanbur and believed the BUSA could assist him. He claimed his path would lead them to a linked portal that could take them to Mithrendain and that it would be quicker than crossing the Plains of Valdrennai which he was certain would lead to their deaths at the claws of brown dragons or the sink holes of famorian giants.

The adventurers agreed to go with Sage. He explained that Tisamath had a palace between two spire mountains just north of Chitpol. Sage had been in the palace a few times but had always come through a linked portal from Mithrendain. This was the first time he was entering Chitpol through the valley. The mountain pass they travelled on from Castle Korvall would take them to the edge of the valley where a road connected a mine at the valley’s edge to the village. The road cut straight across the valley plains. The plains were bordered to the south and east by snowy pine forest and to the north by a scar that cut into the Feyland running southwest from the western side of the western spire mountain which flanked Tisamath’s Palace.

Sage was unaware of the mine’s ownership but believed drow and duergar were involved. He suspected a famorian could be involved. Gnolls were prevelant in the valley and worked for the eladrin and underdark denizens of the mine as go betweens. Rumors hinted at trouble at the mine. There was a network of slave trade and gambling on arena battles that took place at the palace. There were retired and active adventurers in Chitpol and word that an elder white dragon had a lair nearby.

The BUSA got a room at the Golden Unicorn Inn in Chitpol after they traversed the valley road for two days. On the road they ran into groups of Gnolls three times and some cyclops with drow once. The cyclops questioned the party while one of the drow attempted to flank them but Theren spied him and they were allowed to pass. The gnolls were wise enough to leave the mysterious travelers to themselves. Noodon was the eladrin innkeeper that rented them rooms for 5 gold pieces per night and set them up with food and drink.

A eladrin named Shumskel introduced himself and asked if the adventurers were looking to purchase items. Rudy told him they were looking for work and would prefer to work for the palace. Nim stayed up late with Utrid and they had a brief conversation with a disgruntled man they believed was a lycanthrope.

After destroying the Ivy Heart, the Bearers of the Unconquered Standard of Arkhosia searched the chamber. The runes and shape of the building were somehow channelling a great deal of eldritch energy – drawing from the fabric of the Feywild. Large double doors were in the southern wall of the room. The doors were almost identical to the doors shown on the tapestry in the room from which they had come. Nim noticed a difference, the keyhole on the tapestry door was enlarged. The representation on the tapestry was not life-sized but the Keyhole was life-sized.

Eventually, after exploring more of the Garden of Graves, the adventurers ventured into the back door of the building where they had encountered and eventually retreated from the lamia and her swarm of scarabs. They found a room with an overflowing well. At the bottom of the well was a key exactly like the key in the tapestry picture. Theren attempted to grab the key but a huge snake composed of water erupted from the well as soon as he touched the water. It appeared to consume him with a violent strike and then both the snake and Theren were gone. Uthrid prepared to attack the snake if it appeared again and Nim grabbed for the key. The snake appeared as Nim touched the water but it disappeared when Uthrid struck it. Nim grabbed the key and the remaining adventurers left the room. They saw the lamia in the doorway at the end of the hall so they went back out the door in which they had entered the building.

Out side the building they quickly found Theren. He had been teleported out of the building when the snake attacked him and had ended up in the river above the falls. The current tried to drag him over the falls but his supoerior athletic ability allowed him to swim to the edge and get out of the river. The party then headed back to the tapestry room. Nim pressed the key to the keyhole on the tapestry and there was an audible “click”. They returned to the room of the Ivy Heart and the doors depicted in the tapestry were ajar. At the end of a hallway they found another set of doors. The doors opened to a room that held a whirling mechanism. It was evident that this mechanism was the engine for which the runed buildings were being driven. It was easily disabled and actually contained a staff of unyeilding vision as it’s lynchpin. Also in the room wa some treasure including a map of the Garden of Graves and a linked portal ritual. On the map they found a linked portal magic circle marked between the two obsideon obelisks they had seen outside the building where Theren was killed by the dark angels. The circle contained the religous symbol of Zehir – the snake god. Earlier in the CrescentEnd Forest, they had been told the way through the mountains was to follow the symbol of the snake god.

They found the portal circle, buried under a couple inches of dirt, between the obelisks. Nim performed the ritual and the adveturers were transported to a dark room within the mountains. They were within a complex of eladrin construction which featured rooms and hallways depicted eladrin dedicated to the snake god, Zehir. It was an anchient complex and many of the areas were caved in. One hallway descended into darkness at an unnerving angle. They followed the murals in the opposite direction and came to a portal in a wall that glowed a pale yellow light. They all entered the portal. They entered a large cavern with a chasm in it’s center flanked by curtains of stone that entended from floor to ceiling. A larged runed eidolin stood against the wall. The party soon found themselves face by a huge snake that had the cowl of a cobra bearing a face which looked much like that of an eladrin. This naga had two snake swarm servants and thwe eidolin came to life during the combat and pushed Utrid into the chasm where more snakes attacked him. When the eidolin moved it revealed a small treasure vault in the floor to Nim. Nim opened it and found a pouch with precious diamonds in it. As the encounter continued the party mad it’s way across the room where there was a twenty foot shelf in the cavern and a set of stairs. Nim got onto the shelf as Theren chased the naga around one of the stone curtains. Rudy and Uthrid were busy with snake swarms and the eidolin was pursuing Nim. Theren Split the naga’s head with an arrow and she fell to the floor dead. Her brains now decorated the stone curtain. A quickling emerged from a nook in the wall of the shelf and stole the bag of diamonds from Nim’s hands. The eidolin leapt up to the top of the shelf and the other adventurers hurried to Nim’s position. The eidolin entered a sort of trance at which point it remained motionless and it’s runes glowed. The adveturers had seen it do this earlier in the combat and found that it was somewhat resistant to attacks while in this state and that any attacks on it would trigger an assault of radiant energy on the attacker. Uthrid used his Come And Get It power and drew the eidolin out of it’s trance. At this point the other adventurers were able to attack it and destroy it. The snake swarms melted away when the eidolin was destroyed. Nim led the adventurers to the nook the quickling had emerged from and they found a small passage. They started to follow but realized they were probably getting sidetracked and returned to the stairs on the shelf.

Up the stairs they came to an enormous cavern which reminded them of the seven pillared hall in Thunderspire Mountain. There were ruins of small buildings scattered about the hall and some passages leaving the hall. A stair zigzagged up the wall on one side of the hall and ended in a cave opening. The ceiling of the hall glowed blueish-greenish through many icicles that clung to it a couple hundred feet above. In the center of the chamber was a huge idol to Zehir the snake god with three thrones positioned in front of it on forty foot pedastels. One of the thrones was much large than the other two and they could see a crown of golding setting on top of it. The crown was designed as a cobra snake which would encircle the wearers head.

The BUSA retreated across the wooden bridge to the buildings west of the river. There was one door in the northern building they had not tried. They entered a chamber adorned with about a dozen tapestries. One had an image of fey dancing in a ring of toadstools as thunderclouds gathered overhead, and another showed a young man weeping over the corpse of a murdered maiden in a glade.

One tapestry against the western wall showed an almost life-sized double door, bounded in iron and silver and covered in arcane runes. A figure clad in black was being hurled back from the doors by a bolt of lightning, with obvious lock picks flying from his fingers. His companion, who was dressed in chainmail, was leaning forward as though to stop him. The second figure was holding a key in his open hand. It was the only tapestry that showed an indoor scene. Nim detected magic being emanated from the tapestry as well as arcane magic radiating from behind a tapestry in the southeast corner of the chamber.

Theren noticed that the large tapestry to the southeast didn’t stand in front of a wall, but rather hung before the entrance to another chamber. Pushing past the tapestry, the party foung themselves in a chamber of strange curves and bizarre shapes. In the rough center of the room stood a tall staff with a flame burning atop it, like a torch. On the curved, southeast wall was a line of numbers, 1 through 12, repeated twice. The first series was inlaid in brightly polished brass, and the second series was inlaid in black wrought iron. Both the flame on top of the staff and the numbers on the wall radiated arcane energy, partially but not entirely attuned to summoning – according to Nim.

After much deliberation, the party theorized that the numbers on the wall corresponded with the sundial in the building where they had fought the lamia. Nim remembered that just before the lamia attacked the sundial had read 9am and that the brazier moving around the sundial moved the hour ahead once every minute. With RAINMAN-like precision, Uthrid estimated 21 minutes had passed since the start of that battle. He confidently moved to stand between the torch and the wall of numbers and cast his broad shadow over the polished brass 6. There was a loud clank sound from the room of tapestries. The adventurers returned to that room and found two secret doors had opened. One door opened to the hallway that led to the room where they had battled the illusinary duplicates of themselves and the alluring game room. The other secret passage led to an unexplored part of the building.

A twenty foot long narrow corridor led to another door. Behind the door, a semicircular chamber featured a raised dais along its curved side. A great pile of stones rested atop the dais – it looked like a cairn, but if so, it was the resting place of something truly enormous. Three smaller cairns, of roughly human or elf size, lied clustered on the floor before the dais. As with many of the other structures through which the adventurers had traveled in this place, the walls of the chamber were covered in runes. It was obvious that the cairns did not belong there. They appeared to have once lain outside, beside the other graves, but had been moved inside for some reason.

The adventurers were careful to avoid the cairns and moved through the room toward a large opening in the walls to the west. Two walls intersected the center of the chamber beyond. They served no architectual purpose and were inscribed with more runes, probably more than they had seen elsewhere. It was difficult to tell because thick curtains of hanging ivy covered them. There were also several small holes in the ceiling – perhaps they provided sunlight to nourish the ivy. Anenormous set of double doors that were covered in runes and bound in iron and silver were set into the southern wall of the chamber.

When the party passed through the entry to the ivy chamber, three dread zombie knights emerged from the small cairns and a firbolg shell emerged from the large cairn. The party engaged the enemy and quickly killed the firbolg shell. Shortly after the battle started, a stretch of ivy suddenly began writhing. What looked like an eyestalk – a vine topped by a peculiar crystal – slid out from among the greenery, followed by a shambling body of ivy, twigs, jagged branches, and writhing roots. The battle was hard on Uthrid and Rudy who were bloodied several times but Nim and Theren were able to keep away from the monsters. At one point the shambling ivy creature focused the crystal eye on Theren and dazed and restrained him. A moment later Theren was stunned by the crystal but before it could draw out his soul he shook off the effect and was able to fight on. The BUSA’s powres were running low when they finally destroyed the creature.

A scream of frustration sounded, not from the creature but throughout the chamber. The creature of vegetation rotted away to nothing almost instantly, as did the curtains of ivy hanging along the walls, exposing the many scrawled runes beneath.

Back in the Feywild, the BUSA found themselves in a large clearing. It appeared featureless, except for a pair of stone obelisks along its western side. They were simple pillars of black marble, without writings or symbols. The adventures took a moment to take in the features that lay out side the clearing. There were oddly shaped buildings among the trees and tall grass and a river to the east with another stone obelisk jutting from the water. Thick trees lined the opposite side of the river but a marble building culd be seen beyond those trees. They could hear the water falling over the side of the cliff to the south of the building they had emerged from.

A number of stone cairns stood in the grass but they were overshadowed by the strangely shaped buildings. The buildings appeared constructed primarily of randowmly sized stones that had been roughly mortared together into uneven walls. It took them a moment to realize that the rocks that made up the buildings were probably taken from the cairns. Hundreds of graves had been destroyed to construct these structures.

North of the clearing the BUSA found a defensible position between two of the curved buildings and Nim set up his ritual to raise Theren from the dead while Rudy and Uthrid stood guard. During the ritual Nim had a vision: The passages around him were made of rough-hewn rock, apparently dug directly through the earth. The floor was worn smooth. Along the walls farther ahead of him, a series of images were once painted, but they had largely worn away; he could make out, at most, a few vaguely humanoid figures. There was a sense of emptiness around him – the peculiar feeling that whatever life and magic once flowed through the place was long gone. Then in the blink of an eye, he found himself once more back in the Feywild tending to his ritual.

Theren, suddenly found himself within a desolate wasteland. Dust blew around his feet and swirled about a number of broken statues made of chipped and pitted marble. The sky above was black and empty of stars, and the air brushed his skin with a chill that was as much emotional as physical, bringing him a sense of unrelenting loss. He did not know how long he stood there. Time did not matter but then the scene was gone, replaced by the face of Nim and the sounds of the Feywild.

After Theren was raised, Nim rested. When they all were refreshed they searched around. There was a trail that led north between a building and trees which bordered the river. There was an old and worn wood bridge that crossed the river to the marble building and further up the trail was a door leading into one of the buildings. Beyond that building was the impassable mountain face. The mountain was loose shale and hundreds of feet above the mountains disappeared into a mist which lay across the range. The adventurers decided to cross the bridge and check out the marble building.

On the other side of the bridge the path led to a door in the marble structure, which might have once been a shrine. Uthrid opened the door. The walls, ceiling and floor of the structure was covered in strange runes whose twisting shapes poked unpleasantly at Uthrid’s mind. In addition, the chamber’s inner walls curved at odd angles and ended in columns. They served no architectural purpose, but appeared to be part of the runic pattern itself. To the north beyond these walls, a dim light flickered and swayed, as though something was moving before an open flame. A faint whimpering emerged from beyond the peculiar walls. As they entered, Theren noticed a beetle dart across the floor. Uthrid advance toward the sound of the whimpering.

A flaming bronze brazier hung on a chain from the ceiling in the northern section of the building. Propelled by unseen magic, the brazier slowly revolved around a large stone sundial, casting a shadow that moved steadily from one hour to the next. Uthrid, Rudy and Theren mostly ignored the brazier and sundial for the moment and continued toward the whimpering but Nim was curious and took a closer look. The brazier’s revolution remained constant, causing the shadow to shift from one number to the next at intervals of 1 minute; at that pace, a full “day” passed every 24 minutes.

At the corner of two of the peculiar walls, a huddled figure stared at Uthrid, Rudy and Theren with frightened eyes. She appeared to be eladrin, but as covered as she was in dirt and dried blood, they couldn’t be certain. She reached out imploringly, revealing a pair of rusted manacles chaining her to the wall, and began sobbing in broken Elven.

“Oh, gods! Strangers, you must help me! They’ve already sacrificed my family, and I’m to be next! Oh, please, help me…”

“Who holds you captive?” asked Theren.

Despite the sincerity in her voice, Rudy thought she was deceiving them, though about what precisely was unclear. With a simple gesture the eladrin’s manacles popped off and a pacifying burst emanated from her, testing the Will of the adventurers. They were stunned and the eladrin’s body burst into a swarm of scarabs while another scarab swarmed emerged from the wall near Nim. The adventures gradually shook off the stunning effect from the swarms pacifying burst and tried to fight back as the swarm embraced them and they were bitten by the horrible scarabs. There was a sense of intelligent in the manner with which the swarm attacked and they realized they were facing a magical fey beast known as a lamia. The other swarm was venomous but lacked the intelligence of the lamia.

The attacks from most of the BUSA were not as effective as they would have been against a normal, solid foe. The swarms were able to resist half the damage from melee and ranged attacks. Nim’s first few attacks were off target but he finally hit the venomous swarm with an area attack and delivered massive damage. Meanwhile, Uthrid was bloodied by the lamia and nearly out of his most powerful attacks. The lamia was alternating between a devouring swarm attack which effected multiple targets and an accursed flurry which targeted one opponent but allowed her to heal. After the venomous scarab swarb was destroyed, the lamia stunned the party with another pacifying burst. As they shook themselves free of the stunned effect, Uthrid suggested a retreat to Rudy. The lamia was still not bloodied and the BUSA were depleted of many of their powers. They ran for the door Theren and Rudy made it first and Uthrid carried the still stunned Nim utside to momentary safety.

The world spun, dropping away from Uthrid, Rudy, Theren and Nim. For an instant they fell, and the memory of stability, of reality, was only a fading dream. Then the vertigo stopped, without even giving them time to stumble. They found themselves standing on solid ground “somewhere else”. Although they stood inside a structure, the dimensions of the chamber were difficult to determine because hundreds, perhaps thousands, of humanoid bones jutted from its marble walls. Skulls and femurs, fingers and hands, and spines and ribs were intertwined and set into the walls, forming a rough surface of repulsive complexity. Then they heard the echoes of screams reverberating off the walls; of the originating sounds, they could make out nothing at all.

A pall of despair and the agony of loss flooded through them. Before their eyes passed the faces of every friend and loved one each of them had ever lost, and a part of them wanted to add their screams to the echoes to give voice to their own torment. The sounds and visions soon faded, but they left behind a lingering gloom in the adventurer’s souls.

A robed and crowned statue also resided in the room. The marble statue was slightly larger than a broad-shouldered human. The face had long since been chisled away. Many of the wall bones appeared to be pointing in its direction. Elf-sized footprints, which had been carved into the floor, led into the chamber from an opening in the western wall and ended next to the eastern wall behind the statue.

Though Nim had no idea how it happened, he was sure they were no longer in the Feywild. He believed they had made a planar transition, but that knowledge didn’t tell him when they had ended up. The general maisma of despair put him briefly in mind of the Shadowfell, but even that didn’t feel right. They were…somewhere darker.

Around the eastern side of the statue, Uthrid saw a dark winged humanoid figure floating silently with a scythe in its hands. He warned the others and they attacked. The BUSA delivered a heavy amount of damage the first round. Uthrid marked the creature with a combat challenge. Theren struck the creature with an arrow and shifted around the statue to stand by the north western wall by the opening in the western wall. Nim lashed out and stood back toward the opening while Theren unleashed another arrow behind Nim’s attack. Rudy engaged next to Uthrid. A necrotic burst, fingers of death, erupted from the dark angel, testing the fortitude of Uthrid, Rudy and Theren. The creature marked Uthrid with the Mark of Death before this attack and was granted combat advantage over him.

The BUSA were not so lucky with their next rounds of attacks. Uthrid and Rudy held their ground and felt a touch of death as the room drained life from them. There was a Maisma of Death permeating the room – a spiritual chill which left them vulnerable to necrotic damage and caused necrotic damage when the adventurers failed to move around. The angel reaped Uthrid and Rudy with its scythe and another dark angel attacked from the opening behind Nim. It struck the gnome and bore down on Theren. Theren tried to shift away and found that his close proximity to the bone-jutting wall prevented him from doing so. He was hit and marked for death by the new angel.

Soon, Theren found himself marked by both angels. The angels moved slwly between the adventures making scythe attacks against two opponents each round without provoking opportunity attacks. Those with the Mark of Death were dealt additional damage from the scythe attacks. When the adventurers were engaged by an angel they had to choose between holding their ground and taking necrotic damage from the maisma of death or moving away and provoking opportunity attacks. All the BUSA were wounded but Theren was hurt the most. He tried to shift away and fire at one of the angels but as he shifted the angel’s scythe attack knocked him unconscious. The other adventurers killed the dark angel and it exploded with Death’s release with a burst of necrotic energy. They surrounded the other angel who floated by the statue and it disappeared. They ran to Theren but he was beyond their aid. By lying prone he had been subjected to the necrotic damage caused by the maisma of death and he had perished.

They dragged Theren from the cavernous room out the opening in the western wall. Outside the cavern they were releived of the maisma of death. They were in a narrow passage of marble walls that were rough and wrn by weather and age. A door was in the northern end of the passage and to the south, 30 feet away the passage turned west and widened with another door in the southern wall. Uthrid went south down the hall and the remaining dark angel rounded the corner and attacked. There were several rounds of attacks exchanged between the angel and the remaining BUSA and finally the dark angel was slain. The burst of necrotic energy from it’s Death release knocked the party prone and nearly knocked Uthrid unconscious.

They gt t their feet and dragged Theren t the door at the northern end of the passage. No lock r traps were detected n the door so Uthrid opened it. Behind the door was a bright light. The party entered the light and found themselves back in the Feywild.

Rudy, Theren, Nim and Uthrid retreated back into the chamber where Nim had sensed high concentrations of both illusion and teleportation magic. Twisted runes covered the uneven walls, even parts of the floor and ceiling. For a second, impenetrable darkness fell over the chamber. It faded as quickly, allowing the adventurers to see once more…but things had changed. A perfect duplicate stood next to or close to each party member. A potentially confusing battle took place between the BUSA and their imposters but the adventurers mostly kept their insight on friend and foe. The imposters were three spriggan and a quickling who all fought beyond death like some fey creatures had done earlier after the party ventured past Long’Old’Worny. They died, turned undead before falling to the floor, made a last attack and then crumbled to decaying corpses.

After the fight the BUSA went back to the dead-ended corridor and Nim discovered a secret door. Unfortunately, the party could not open the door through thievery, brute strength or magic. They returned to the cramped tunnels beneath the building and followed the tunnel north. It ended and a secret door was found in the ceiling. Nim unlocked it and Uthrid opened it. It opened up in the game room and Uthrid was drawn in by one of the tables. He was not good at the game and suffered a great deal of psychic damage before he was able to pull himself away.

The party took the tunnel back outside. They still had a tunnel that ran along the cliff face to explore but they wanted to make a plan. Outside they consulted the poem Theren had translated. They thought about exploring outside but the poem steered them away from “wandering in the wilderness”. They went back into the tunnels with one of their three remaining torches lit and the eastern tunnel went for 125 feet before ending. They found another secret passage and unlocked it. Uthrid opened it up…..

Aside from Nim, the adventurers had to stoop in the tunnel. Given the weight of all the treasue they carried, the stooping was very uncomfortable. The horses could not enter the tunnel so they were left to graze in the tall grass outside the tunnel.

Ten feet into the tunnel it split. One path went east parrallel with the face of the cliff and the other continued north but veered a little to the west. Uthrid continued on the northern path for another forty feet before the tunnel split again. He could continue northeast or go northwest. He continued northeast and the tunnel ended after twenty-five more feet. Squeezing past each other, the party arranged itself to head back the way they had come in the same marching order. When Uthrid got back to the most recent split he took the northeast passage. After progressing twenty feet up this tunnel, Theren noticed something in the tunnel ceiling above Uthrid. It was a secret passage and with a thievery skill check they were able to open it.

Uthrid emerged through the secret door which laid in the floor at the end of a hallway. The building appeared to be constructed primarily of randomly sized stones that had been roughly mortared together into uneven walls. Twisted runes covered the walls, even parts of the floor and ceiling. The ceiling was roughly fifteen feet high. The rest of the party emerged and Uthrid cautiously crept forward where the narrow hallway opened up wider. Nim looked at the unfamiliar runes and determined only that they were working in unison to channell a great deal of power. Where the hall opened up another narrow hallway curved away from the adventurers to the southwest. A wider hallway swept to the northwest. The building was designed with curves and angles which Nim came to believe was purposeful. Somehow the shape of the building and the many runes were working together for a mysterious aim.

There were no windows but a few of the runes glowed, providing a weak light in addition to the sunrod Uthrid carried. The sweeping northwest hallway opened up and a wide hallway turned a sharp angle to the south. Uthrid continued along the northwest hallway which became narrow again.

“Let’s not get distracted,” advised Theren, “keep heading north and find a way out of here. I don’t like this place.”

Uthrid came into a rectangular room fifteen feet wide, after thirty feet the chamber ended in a ten foot by ten foot alcove. A wide opening in the eastern wall led to a rounded room and a narrow hallway ran north between the two rooms. Runes covered the walls, floor and ceiling of all of these rooms and hallways. Uthrid moved quickly from the sweeping hallway to the northern hallway between the two rooms with the rest of party on his heels. Nim was concentrating on the runes as he walked.

Suddenly, the world shimmered and changed around Nim. Walls that were constructed of bits of stone turned to evenly carved brickwork, which appeared to be mortared with an oozing black goo. It dripped slowly down the face of the stone. Moans echoed from afar, and feelings of despair assailed the gnome sorcerer. And then it was over. Nim found himself bustling behind his friends in the oddly shaped building. Arcane power seeped from the fabric of the chamber ahead. Nim sensed high concentrations of both illusion and teleportation magic. Two walls of the chamber, one whiched formed one of the walls of the narrow hallway and one that jutted out at the northern end of the chamber, ended in narrow columns, as though to continue patterns begun by the runes around them. An opening in the northeast corner of the chamber was split by a wall creating parallell hallways heading east. Uthrid chose the northern hallway and the party was through the chamber in a matter of seconds. The hallway continued for eighty feet and turned sharply south for twenty feet before turning east again and ending abruptly. Theren searched but failed to find a secret passage.

Uthrid led the group back to the hallway which ran parallell to the one they had taken. From down this hall, they heard the dull murmuring of multiple people talking softly at once, as well as the occasional clink of glasses. They quickly rounded the corner. If it wasn’t for the fact that some of the walls had eldritch runes scattered here and there, the party would have been certain they had been teleported somewhere else. The chamber before them was luxurious, sporting a rich carpet, a gleaming chandelier in the center of the ceiling, and five small gaming tables around the outer edge, each with a haphazard collection of dice, cards, and game pieces. There was no longer a trace of the voices they heard on the way in, and the only other visible exit was a wooden door along the south wall.

The party advanced toward the door but Uthrid and Rudy stopped short and each headed toward a different game table. They were hearing voices whispering in their heads, “Play with Us”, and they were drawn to the games.

“What are you doing?” shouted Theren and he ran to the door. Uthrid and Rudy shook their heads and came out of their trances but Nim heard the voices beckon him and he went to a game table with a game of stone laid out on a board. A piece opposite his moved and when he failed to make a move he was hit by a mind blast psychic attack. Theren got to the door and realized it was fake. He heard the tables pleas for him to play with them but resisted the urge.

“It’s a trap!” shouted Theren, “Get out of the room!”

Theren and Rudy moved into the hallway and Uthrid followed. On the way out Uthrid picked up Nim who was still standing by the table entranced. Nim could see the strategy his “phantom opponent” was using when he was hit with another psychic attack. Uthrid was hauling him away.

“I can beat it!” Nim thought and he struggled to free himself from Uthrid’s grasp. Uthrid held on and Nim became enraged. The gnome was intent on beating his “phantom opponent” and when Uthrid didn’t let him go he tried to hit him with an acid orb. Luckily, the attack missed but Uthrid released the gnome anyway. Nim rushed to the table and using his sorcerous vision he was able to defeat the game with four quick moves. When the “phantom opponent” was defeated the game lost it’s enchantment and Nim pushed himself away from it and joined his friends in the hallway.

The path wound through thick woods and waving grasses, seemingly without definite direction. Finally, as the trees thinned somewhat, Theren spotted the enormous ridge of dark stone looming ahead. He heard the rush of running water in the distance, but the trees in that direction were still too thick for him to see more than a few yards. From where he stood, Theren saw a narrow tunnel piercing the dark-hued rock. Some writing was chiseled into the stone – on the ridge, beside the cave entrance, and along several broken bits of rock lying beside the path. The script was an ancient form of Elven. Theren translated it and it became clear that it was intended to be recited in Common, for it rhymed in that language. The verse read:

Count you the shadows, watch the sun, The wise know where they stand; While knowing not the time to shun, The fools must find themselves undone.

Like lustful swain or panicked child Who beg another’s gentle hand, The fool delves heedless through the wild. The wise are not so soon beguiled.

When darkness falls and dreams portend The rising of a fearsome foe, The fool, swift-striking, meets his end, The wise know foe from friend.

Let art and image point the way, Abandon all you think you know, For common sense leads fools astray. The key is simply this: Obey.

The wise must ever strategize; They never play, unless to win. They see the harm in comfort’s lies, And seek to open weary eyes.

You’ve fought your way, you’ve risked demise, To view the ivy heart within. Now as the soul within you dies, This knowledge is your only prize; You’d never have come, were you truly wise.

The party stepped into a simple cavern in the rock cliff that looked like it had not been used in some time. Not all the stone was natural, however. A trio of statues stood along the far wall, forming a portion of that wall. Each statue depicted a humanoid female clad in rags and tatters with her right hand out, palm up, as though expecting to receive some gift. The figure on the left was a young female, her beauty apparant even given the poor condition of the stone. The center figure was older, her face kind and matronly. The figure on the right was stooped with age, her face a maze of lines and wrinkles.

Nim sensed powerful magic within the cavern, coming from beyond the carved figures, and from the statues themselves, which radiated arcane energy related to polymorphing. All four of them believed that the statues were trapped and a wrong move would set it into motion. Theren looked to the poem for a clue about getting past the statues but could not find a connection. The party agreed they needed to put something in the outstretched hands. They noted the girl on the left had a rose in her other hand. They theorized that a coin might appease the girl with the rose and food might be what the hunched crone was looking for but none of them had a guess as to what to give the middle figure. Uthrid noted that the crone had a coin pouch tied around her waist. Theren decided he would place a coin in each of the statues hands. He removed three gold pieces from his pouch. The first coin he placed in the hand of the crone but he paused for a moment before he placed the other coins. Suddenly all three statues animated briefly and stepped aside, providing a pathway onward. The four adventurers quickly slipped between the statues. Rudy found a +3 skewering war pick behind the statues.

As they emerged from the passage, they saw two paths stretching away from them; each surrounded by high grass and thick trees. They were back outside on the other side of the ridge. They heard the sound of rushing water somewhere to the east, but trees blocked sight of it. A cliff face, composed of the same stoneas the ridge they passed through, rose to the north. From their location, they could not see what lied atop cliff. They took the path leading north and it came to a tunnel in the side of the cliff. The tunnel was round and five feet in diameter. The party reassessed their priorities for a moment and agreed that their goal was to head north “under” the mountain from what they had been told. The only other advice given to them was to head in the direction indicated by the symbol of the snake god but they had seen nothing of the sort so far. Their last sunrod was still glowing so Uthrid took it and led the way into the tunnel with Rudy, Theren and Nim following.

Nim, Uthrid Ragnarson, Rudolph Harmony and Theren followed the path through the woods and found a large piece of carved stone along the path. It looked like a section of wall with features indicating eladrin architechture. It was a broke off section and words in thick black lines were scorched into the rock. Rudy identified it as the giant language. It said, “CERNYSDEL – KEEP OUT”. Up ahead Theren found a ruined building. It was eladrin built but had been partialy destryed and rebuilt. The new entrance was composed of two giant stone pillars supporting a stone beam thirty feet above the ground. The rebuilt walls were held together with a reddish black mortar. Arcane symbols were burnt into rocks outside the entrace and the clearing in front was blak dirt.

The party camped outside the building and a stone-eyed basilisk tried to sneak into the camp and turn Rudy to stone. There was quickly a dead basilisk in the clearing. After their rest the party found that the fire giant was sitting on his make-shift throne inside the building. He had been turned to stone long ago. He looked quite old. There was a door in the back of the hall but it was locked. A door at the side of the hall led to some stairs which spiraled down to a vault. Some eladrin runes decorated the door to the vault and Rudy and Nim worked together to figure out that some runes drawn on the walls by the giant were a counter to the ward that had been placed on the vault door. They translated it and the door rolled open. A rune was discovered on the threshold of the door and Nim determined that it was a summoning spell that would activate if the doorway was crossed. Inside the room was a pile of gold and gems and glass cabinets lined the walls. Daggers, a longbow, and a couple suits of fine armor could be seen in the cabinets. Uthrid crossed the threshold and the party battled a couple fire archons and a fire elemental that were summoned. With help from the Unconcured Standard of Arkhosia they minimized the fire damaged and earned a large score of powerful magic items. They also earned 11th level and entered the paragon tier. Rudy chose Sword Marshall as his warlord paragon path. Uthrid chose Kensai with a focus on longsword as his fighter paragon path. Nim chose Wild Mage as his sorcerer paragon path. Theren chose Battlefield Archer as his ranger paragon path.

After an extended rest, Nim used a Knock ritual to open the door at the back of the fire giant’s den. The door opened and the party followed the ten foot diameter tunnel guided by the light of a sun rod. The curved walls of the tunnel were of eladrin design. Along the tunnel were seven niches memorializing some eladrin of an age long gone by. The names and dates that could be read were unfamiliar to any of the adventurers. Eventually the tunnel emerged back to the outside wilderness. A path wove up the hills between tall grass and thick woods towards a ridge and the mountains to the north.

Theren Brightwood was feeling it since entering the Feywild. He led the BUSA through the forest of the lands called Cernysdel. After a few hours travel he came across a clearing in the thick woods. Something awful must have happened in the clearing was his first thought. A trio of bodies – young women, from the looks of it – lay scattered across the grass. But that didn’t make sense in this wilderness and he instantly knew he was being lured into an ambush. Several foul-looking humanoids, with mangy wings and wicked talons, lurked among the trees. Theren signaled to Rudy, Nim and Uthrid that an ambush lay ahead. Suddenly, the three women disappeared and the party who lurked by a tree several paces behind Theren were engaged with three blood-thirsty dryads. Three harpies flew down from the trees and attacked Theren with brutal screams and vicious claws. The drayds gouged Uthrid and Rudy with claw attacks. Uthrid received some bloodying wounds but the experienced adventures fended them off. The enraged fey all fough to the death and beyond. That was a most disturbing feature of this encounter. When the BUSA’s enemies received a killing blow a sudder ran through the foe’s body and it began to topple – only to freeze, hunched over, as though held upright by invisible strings. The foe would glare at it’s slayer with empty eyes that rolled up in it’s head. Faint wisps of sickly gray mist drifted from their gaping mouths and the ends of their clawed fingers. They would fight on for a moment before crumbling into bone and dust or stringy dried wood and dust in the case of the dryads.

On the far end of the clearing a path wound through thick woods and waving grasses, seeming without a definite direction. Along the path they were attacked by a displacer beast. It was difficult to hit at first but once on party member hit it the adventurers quickly killed it. This creature also seemed to turn undead and fight on at the end before crumbling into bone and ash. It was creepy.

An offering of blood was required at the fountain in the House of Pain to enable Ashsam and the adventurers back to the Feywild. Ashsam was duty bound now to the strangers who had saved him from the Shadow Witch. His second duty was to return to his tribe and protect them. Ryniom would handle that for now and probably do a better job at it. Ashsam was better at dishing out punishment to his enemies than protecting those he loved. Third on his list of duties was to hunt down the Witch and exact vengeance for the Younglings who had been taken.

The strangers Rudy, Theren, Uthrid and Nim had horses but this made the journey through Ashsam’s trail more difficult rather than easier. The woods were thick and the passes narrow. Ashsam had never rode a beast through his trail and many times the adventurers had to dismount. The horses also made stealth much more difficult. Ashsam and Theren scouted the trail and waved the others forward when the path was clear.

In one small clearing between forested impassable hills, Theren detected a troll and the adventurers ended up battling a pair of trolls and a pair of destrachan. The destrachan were eyeless, upright lizards with strong legs and thin arms with long taloned fingers. They percieved their surrundings through sonic impulses and quickly retreated into the trees when it became evident that the trolls were outmatched. The trolls regeneration was a nuisance until Nim destroyed their bodies with orbs of acid.

The forest got buggier and bats swooped over the party’s heads as they crossed the forest. Then fairy dragons, very colorful and of dog-like size zoomed in and hunted on the bats. After feeding, the dragons followed the adventures with curious interest. As the party approached a treeless hill that would expose them to a bird’s eye view the fairy dragons raced away in the direction they had come. Suddenly a great roar was heard and Ashsam and his new friends witnessed an huge dragon with red, green and gold scales bring a wyvern crashing down on the hill they needed to cross. They watched the powerful creature devour the beast and then rest. After an hour or so the dragon got to it’s feet, sniffed in the party’s direction and took off into the air. Ashsam quickly led the group over the hills and they reached Long’Old’Worny by nightfall.

They slept near Long’Old’Worny and he didn’t waken. Ashsam welcomed the strangers to stay with his tribe. He believed they were going to die trying to make it to Mithrendain but he didn’t tell them. They needed to get back to their people, they were brave and he wasn’t going to ruin the mood. He owed them that much. In the morning, Ashsam left the Bearers of the Dragon Banner and believed he would never see any of them again for the rest of his days.

Theren scouted out the tunnel but missed a hidden passage a few hundred feet inside. Luckily, Nim spotted it and Theren discovered recent traffic had come through it. The tunnel opened into an irregular cavern lit dimly by a strange glow that emenated from the glittering stones. The way forward was nearly blocked by an interlocking array of stalactites and stalagmites, resembling nothing so much as ranks of teeth. The dim light made features beyond a few feet difficult to make out. In front of the barrier was a small statue of a raven on a pedastal, wings outstretched. Elven runes were carved into the statue’s pedestal, at the foot of the raven figure. The dark, shining rock of the statue seemed dull and rough in spots. There was the presence of dried spatters.

Theren tried to move between the teeth and the moved to try to crush him. The party soon realized that a blood offering needed to be made by each of them in order to pass through the teeth without being attacked by the trap. The chamber rapidly narrowed to a recess roughly 10 feet wide. Swirling darkness filled the end of the recess, and a font on dark stone stood nearby. As the party members were clearing the teeth Uthrid, Rudy and Theren were enveloped in darkness. Nim used his True Seeing device to see through the darkness and witnessed a dark stalker and two shadar kai warriors attacking Uthrid. Theren and Rudy managed to move out of the darkness which was emanating from the dark stalker but Uthrid took some harsh wounds. Nim and Uthrid managed to hit the enemy a few times but Uthrid was soon knocked unconscious. Rudy managed to help him and the dark stalker was killed. Once the party got their visability back the two shadar kai warriors were no match for them.

Rudy, Uthrid, Nim and Theren studied the swirling blackness and determined it was a portal and that their attackers had come through it. Theren and Rudy entered the portal and Nim and Uthrid followed. Before Theren and Rudy was a wide corridor that was lit dimly by a flickering glow from beyond the opening ahead. Cruelly barbed hooks projected from the walls every few feet.

The hulking forms of several humanoid creatures blocked the opening. They were clad in hide armor and hefted crude battleaxes, and below each heavy brow glared a single eye. The cyclops in the middle was preparing to charge the two adventures and likely impale them on one of the barbed hooks in the wall. Theren quickly loosened two arrows. The first struck the middle cyclops directly in the center of his eye and his charge was abruptly cut short as his brain was destroyed and he died instantly. The second arrow caught the cyclops on the left in the neck and a burst of greenish blood sprayed the wall. The creature’s crude axe fell to the floor as it’s hands feebly grasped at its wounded neck. It fell to its knees and its large eye rolled up in its head. It slumped over as blood gushed from the artery the arrow had torn open.

Rudy engaged the remaining cyclops as Uthrid and Nim came through the portal. A shadar kai weilding a barbed chain appeared behind the cyclops. The chain fighter attacked Rudy and Uthrid ran up and attacked the cyclops. Nim and Theren wounded the chainfighter but Rudy was partially blinded by a shadar kai witch named Vandariel, the Voice of Pain.

The great hall extended more than 50 feet to the east, with sharply angled alcoves. It was dimly lit by a shimmering circle on the floor at the far end and by the glow of a smoking brazier. A fountain to the west was surmounted by a relief carving of a cloaked figure and more cruel hooks adorned the walls. At the center of the shimmering circle was a barred enclosure in which a manacled eladrin wearing only a loincloth crouched periodically shouting elven curses and growling in pain.

The chainfighter was killed and the witch caught Theren, Nim and Utrid in a wall of swirling blades. They retreated away from the blades and were sliced up a little. Rudy regained his sight and tried to help the eladrin in the cage but when he tried to cross the circle he ran into an invisible barrier. The witch teleported behind the wall of blades and cast spells such as Lance of Dark Faith and Beshadowed Mind at the adventurers. They fired back with missle weapons and then Rudy circumvented the wall of blades by climbing over the fountain in the west part of the northern wall. The witch was bloodied. She dispelled the wall of blades and ran into the shimmering circle and began working on a new spell. The party unleashed ranged attacks on her but before they could slay her she teleported out of the room.

Along the soutern wall by the magic circle was a stone altar topped with the symbol of the Raven Queen. Black candles were lit, and a sacred book was open to the liturgy of a ritual. The altar emenated an Aura of Pain which caused the party severe discomfort when they neared it. Nim and Theren found they could enter the magic circle. They found keys to the cage and the manacles and released the eladrin who was the Younglings chief, Ashsam. The barbarian chief retrieved one of the cyclops’ battleaxes upon his release and attacked the altar, eventually destroying it and the Aura of Pain. Ashsam found his belongings under the altar as well as 3000 gold pieces which he was fine with letting the adventurers claim. Nim also took the ritual book.

Theren and the others woke the following morning to find that the grove in the forest had curled around them and provided a comfortable place to rest. The sprites and other guests were gone including Say’ware and Old’nys. The party searched their belongings and found a few items were missing but nothing of great value or importance. Suddenly a great white unicorn appeared through the trees. It was the most amazing being Theren had ever seen and he immediately felt protective the creature.

“You must Ryniom.” Theren said.

“Yes, and you are the slayers of Razcoreth?” asked the unicorn. “My forest friends have told me much of your story.”

“Can you help us?” asked Theren.

“I would love to help you,” said Ryniom, “but first I must ask for your help. If you will, gather your horses and follow me. I will explain along the way.”

The BUSA gathered their belongings and mounted their horses. Ryniom led them through the forest at a quick pace. he stopped occasionally to give them more information. The CrecentEnd Younglings were the children of the druids who had been slaughtered by the dragon years ago. They had been raised by friends of Ryniom after he had found them orphaned and eventually they had moved out on their own and formed a tribe. Very recently some members of the tribe had disappeared and it was suspected they had beeen abducted by “the dark man”. Ryniom had come to check out the matter. He had spoken with the chief’s mate Hesine. She said that Ashsam, the young chief, had seen “the dark man” the previous night and chased him through the forest. Ashsam had not returned.

The adventurers could see the western mountain range when Ryniom stopped by a hidden cave in the woods. He told them he believed that Ashsam had chased “the dark man” to this cave. He believed the cave might lead to the Underdark but he was sure it was not a tunnel used by the mighty fomorian giants. It was too small for them but there could be other nasty creatures inside. Ryniom wanted them to go in and find Ashsam because he himself was not able to travel underground. If they would help him he would gladly help them with their troubles.

They agreed and theren led the BUSA into the cave.

Rudy, Theren, Uthrid and Nim carried the Standard back to the circle of stones where their horses were grazing. While they ate and rested they discussed where to go. The music they heard in the distance ended after a short time. The Standard questioned the adventurers about their homeland and was particularly interested in the Arkvana Peninsula. After a little while they decided to travel up river to where the music had seemed to come from.

Theren scouted through the thick, thorny brush and approached two enormous trees standing close by one another. The wind was blowing and one of the trees creaked as the wind blew through its branches. The other tree seemed to creak in answer to the first and Theren believed he heard words whispered in elven carried along in the wind. He listened closer and picked up pieces of a conversation that conincided with the groaning of the trees before him.

“We should welcome them, Old’nys.” said a vibrant excited voice.

“No, Say’ware. We don’t know their intentions. They could be dangerous.” responded a more matronly voice.

“But they slayed Razcoreth. We never liked him.” said Say’ware.

“And they might slay us.” retorted Old’nys. “They might be worse than the dragon.”

“Who is there?” called out Theren, “My companions and I mean no harm to you.”

A beautiful woman stepped out from the trees. She had golden hair that fell beyond her waist with flowers interwoven throughout it. She had large, innocent, blue eyes and a perfect face. Her silver, glittering dress clung tightly to her voluptuous body. She smile and introduced herself as Say’ware as Theren’s companions joined him.

“Is she elven?” Theren thought and suddenly realized she was as the tip of a tapered ear revealed itself from under her exquisite locks. The others were dumbstruck by her beauty but Uthrid was wary. Something was wrong about her. He was sure her appearance was GLAM of some sort and he didn’t trust her. Not being able to speak elven he had trouble finding answers to his concerns. Say’ware was friendly and provided the adventurers with a disjointed history of the forest they were in. She spoke quickly and often strayed from one point and began rambling about another event. It might have been annoying if the party was not so mesmerized by her beauty and seeming innocence. As it was they found her ramblings child-like and cute. She claimed to be quite young but by the disjointed history she gave it was clear she was well over one hundred years old. Old’nys spoke occasionally trying to disuade Say’ware from being so forthright but she stayed out of sight for the time being.

Say’ware was delighted the party had killed Razcoreth the dragon. The dragon had slain some her dryad friends when he arrived many years ago and had killed most of the remaining eladrin druids who used to dwell in the area. The circle of stones were a device of those druids and she did not know how they worked. According to her, the druids’ troubles started when a fire giant called Cerns arrived through the portal stones long and long ago. He smashed his way around the CrecentEnd Forest but was spooked by the lake and headed north. Someone Say’ware referred to as Long’Old’Worny was awake back then and when the giant started destroying things he drove Cerns up to the mountain range. The giant made a den up under one of the mountains and eventually died. Evidently, Long”old’Worny had been sleeping since shortly after his confrontation with Cerns.

Sometime after Cerns had been banished and Long’Old’Worny went to sleep the dragon Razcoreth came through the portal and killed all who came to oppose him which were some dryads and most of the eladrin. Some dryads and eladrin had become his vassals and treated him as their lord. Say’Old and her hamadryad and Thussia and her two sons had been the only remaining vassals before the adventurers had been forced to kill them. Say’ware was very sad about their deaths but didn’t hold the adventurers morally responsible. She mentioned The Rake and The Younglings, she didn’t expand upon the Rake but said that the Younglings were the surviving children of the druids who had a small community in the valley.

Say’ware said that her friend, Ryniom the White, could probably help them. They explained that they needed to find Perry Barefoot and get back to their world. Say’ware had no idea what they should do but suggested Ryniom or Heissos might be able to help. She recommended Ryniom who she refered to as the Mahatma of the CrecentEnd over Heissos who she said was mischievous and unpridictable. She said the music they had heard earlier was from Heissos’ pipes and some other fey who must have been singing to the Banshrea. She said the Banshrea lived across the river and could be cruel and viscious but music turned them docile. She believed Heissos had run across some Banshrea and had to calm them. The Banshrea wouldn’t come across the river but maybe they had come close after learning of Razcoreth’s death. The Banshrea she described as being humanoid with large eyes and that they didn’t communicate with their mouths. She warned they were cunning and that you didn’t want run into a bunch of them if you weren’t a really good singer. Ryniom she described as travelling on four legs with a beard and a long horn on his head. He ran on hard feet had a flowing mane and was magestic. The finest creature in the land was Ryniom the White, and the wisest.

“Not THE Wisest, tell ya Long’Old’Worny!” objected Old’nys.

“Well, the wisest that has been awake during the last five hundred moons!” exclaimed Say’ware.

Heissos was a faun or satyr who showed up when the Nymphs, for Say’ware and Old’nys were dryads, decided to gather together some of their sprite friends and give the Bearers of the Unconquered Standard of Arkhosia (BUSA) a celebratory welcome. The nymphs were interested in giving the creatures of the mortal world an intimate examination but only Nim took advantage of their erotic services. Heissos was generous with his wine and engaging.

By the end of the evening the BUSA had a general idea of the surrounding area. To the south was a crecent shaped lake. They were within the crecent at one end and the lake curved to the west and north to its other end. The river which ran into the eastern tip of the lake came from the lands of the Winter Fey in the north. The lands east of the river were infested with the Banshrea who were insect-like humanoids. To the west and the north were mountain ranges which crossed each other in the northwest. The creatures of the forest had not crossed either mountain range. Dragons and other creatures lived in the mountains. Say’ware claimed Ryniom had told her Razcoreth could not have competed with creatures who laired in the mountain peaks. None of the fey at the celebration had been south of the sea and few bothered with the lands east of the river. They were content with their niche of the valley. Most of them had never seen the mountains to the north which bordered the lands of the Winter Fey. Heissos mused that perhaps the BUSA’s best option might be to throw their fate to the mercy of the Winter Fey. They would have the power to return them but it would be dangerous to bother them. He also said he had heard a rumor that there was a passage through the mountains at the fire giants old lair. The passage supposedly led to some stormy arcane plains and there was an eladrin city beyond those plains.

Theren was revived after the dragon fell and the party found a narrow passage by the dryad’s tree that wormed through the moist earth under the hill. Puddles of water spotted the floor, and white roots hung down from above like hairs. The passage entered a wide cavern and expanded into a massive area of excavated earth. A central column of dirt and stone supported the earthen ceiling overhead. Strange purple roots emerged from the column, twitching as if alive. The floors and walls were packed mud and earth, with puddles of water scattered throughout.

The party waded through the ankle-deep, stagnant water and Nim, Theren and Uthrid each discovered items hidden in the mud at the bottom. Nim found a copper bust of an attractive female eladrin and Uthrid found a leather bag filled with copper coins. Theren’s hand grasped a pole and he heaved it out of the muck. The wooden pole was approximately 10 feet long and a banner hung from it’s end. As Theren held the pole upright the banner rippled and shed itself of the mud revealing a golden dragon on a field of deep blue and a commanding voice spoke.

“Congratulations! You have discovered The Unconquered Standard Of Arkhosia.” said the voice which sounded like it came from the rippling banner, “And you are?”

“I am Theren Brightwood.” replied the elf ranger.

“Theren Brightwood, do you protect the innocent and aid those who would fight on their behalf?” asked the Standard.

“I do.” replied Theren.

“Theren Brightwood, do you destroy devils and tieflings wherever they lurk?” asked the standard.

“I do.” responded Theren after giving his comrades a wary glance.

“Theren Brightwood, do you seek to restore the glory of the dragonborn, honor the memory of Arkhosia, and take any opportunity to unite the race into a nation once more?”

Theren gave his companions another wary look but again answered, “I do.”

“Very good,” said the Standard, “I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. Carry me with you, I will grant you powers and together we shall add new exploits to the heroic days of old. If you prove to be a true champion I will reveal greater powers.”

After some consideration the party decided that Rudy would be the more appropriate one to carry the Standard. To use the Standard’s powers, the bearer had to either hold the Standard aloft or plant it in the earth and remain close to it. Theren was more effective moving around the battlefield. The Standard acknowledged Rudy as the leader of the group and agreed to be carried by him. The Standard then filled the party in on a little of it’s past.

“In one of the last great battles between Arkhosia and Bael Turath, a single dragonborn regiment held a fortress against multiple legions of tieflings and their diabolic allies. When the battle was over, every demon had fallen, every tiefling – and every dragonborn but one. Wounded, he still lifted his commander’s tattered standard before he set out for home. His people kept the banner as a sign of the victory.” explained the Standard, “I am that banner. I disappeared with the fall of Arkhosia, but have reappeared throughout the centuries, infused with powers that bolster the righteous in their battle against evil.”

The party exited the dragon lair intent on taking a rest back where the menhirs stood arranged in a circle. When they got outside they could hear a chorus of singing voices far away up river accompanied by pipe music of some kind of wind instrument and an occasional crash of cymbals.

The green dragon warlock, Razcoreth, clung to the side wall of the hole leading into his lair within the hill. If one of the interlopers looked over the edge, he was prepared to use his luring glare and entice the unfortunate one to step over the side and plummet the 80 feet to their death. He heard them talking but not what they were saying. None of them showed themselves. He dropped down to the cavern and crept into his secret passage that exited the lair at the base of the hill by Say’Old’s tree. Say’Old and her hama were dead along with Thussia and her sons. The interlopers would pay for their audacity. They should not have dared trespass on his turf and slay his vassels. He took a moment to gather a second wind and crept out of the hole meaning to sneak up on his new enemies.

He picked up their scent on the northern side of the hill. They had run through the thick, thorny bushes between the trees. He landed ten feet from one of the gargantuan trees and looked for a trace from the intruders. Suddenly, he felt the sting of one of the elf’s arrows as it stuck into his ribs. Enraged, he leaped toward the elf who was drawing another arrow. The elf’s companions were behind him by the gargantuan tree. Razcoreth cast his warlock’s curse on the elf and stopped short of the two warriors swords as he used his frightening presence on them. He could not see the sorcerer gnome. The elf’s second arrow hit him but the three prey in his sights were stunned by his presence. He tore at the elf with his claws and the gnome popped around the other side of the tree and hit him with an acid orb. Razcoreth used his breath weapon on the three stunned humanoids and circled around the tree. For a few moments Razcoreth used fly by attacks and stayed away from the warriors swords. He focused most of his attacks on the elf who was dangerous with his bow. Soon he had the elf staggering and he pounced on him. Razcoreth was bloodied at this point and in a rage. The elf fell but one of the warriors came to his aid. Razcoreth marked the helpful warrior and attacked him. The other warrior compelled the dragon to focus his attacks on him for a moment. He swatted the man down with his tail while the gnome missed him with spells. Razcoreth was bleeding from many wounds. Blood and venom sprayed from his mouth. He lashed out at his cursed prey who he could now see was a half-elf. The human warrior was trying to draw his attacks but Razcoreth was intent on bringing down his marked foe who was occasionally aiding his companions with encouraging words and healing touches. The human warrior’s attacks were pushing his away from the half-elf. Razcoreth lunged at the half-elf who brought up his broadsword in a vicious strike that tore open the dragons chest. Razcoreth screamed as blood poured from his mouth and chest and he fell dead.

When Nim, Uthrid Theren and Rudy awoke from their rest it was sunny morning and they were invigorated. They were lying within the menhirs which stood arranged in a circle around the flat stone. The place seemed to be long abandoned; moss and creepers covered the stones, as if the land were reclaiming the rocks, pulling them back into the ground from which they had come. Theren led the group outside the stone to scout the area.

Nearby, a grassy hill rose 80 feet fromthe floor of the ancient forest, pushing back the trees and ubiquitous brambles to drink in the sunlight. The hill was perfectly rounded except at its top, where a dark hole burrowed into the earth. Tendrils of mist curled up from the pit. To the right of the hill and menhirs, the trees gave way to a pristine lake, sunlight danced across its surface. Through the clear water, they could see the bottom, which featured a jumble of stones, acquatic plants, and fish darting back and forth or nipping water bugs. Weirdly, nothing disturbed the surface of the lake, not even the waters that fed it from the river they could see winding through the woods. When a fish, a bird, or even the caress of the wind brushed against the surface, it remained as flat as glass. Uthrid went to the edge of the water and dipped his hand in. The water felt strange and wonderful. Some blisters and small cuts on his hand healed and suddenly Uthrid was face down on the riverbank asleep. Rudy rolled him over and he woke after a few moments.

The party wandered through the forest. The ground was relatively flat and covered with pine needles. Clustered around the trees were wiry thorn bushes. Spaced every 100 feet or so, among the normal and massive pine and fir trees were the gargantuan trees that rose hundreds of feet in the air and had trucks wider than the diameters of many towers. After circling the area the party began climbing the hill. A 40-foot-diameter hole revealed the interior of the hill. Its walls were muddy and earthen, hairy with strange roots and twitching with beetles and worms. About 80 feet down lied the pit’s bottom, a morass of mud and brckish water.

Suddenly a female voice called out in elven. “Halt! Move away from that hole!” commanded the voice and continued, “Say’old! Say’old! What is going on here?”

“Thussia? Are you barking at me?” asked another female voice in elven.

“Interlopers, Say’old! Murderous interlopers! Mortals! Can you not see them on our Lord’s hilltop?” said the first voice.

“Aye, I see them there.” responded Say’old.

“Why do you and the hama let them get so, unpunished?” asked Thussia.

“I was looking at the sky. They can’t have been here but a moment.” said Say’old. A female creature composed of wood emerged from a gigantic tree at the base of the hill. Four lesser defined wooden creatures emerged from other trees close by. The female uttered an elvish curse and the five wooden creatures began a quick march up the hill toward the adventurers. To their left, halfway up the hill, appeared two young eladrin males dressed in chainmail designed to look like interlocking leaves. They carried green longswords and shields and approuched in a defensive formation. Behind them appeared an older female eladrin incanter.

Theren tried to speak with the woodland creatures with diplomacy but they were intent upon dispatching the interlopers with violence. Say’old, the female wooden creature – a dryad, charged Rudy who fired an arrow toward the eladrin soldiers. The eladrin incanter, Thussia, waved her spear at Uthrid from a distance and pain wracked him for a moment as he disappeared and reappeared amid the other wooden creatures – the hamadryads. One eladrin soldier marked Theren as his foe and the other marked Nim. The two adventurers were compelled to fight the two soldiers otherwise they would feel a sting of psychic pain. And so the battle began.

Uthrid had his hands full with the hamadryads and also drew the dryad upon himself with one of his attacks. Rudy chopped at the dryad. Theren quickly put a few arrows into the soldier who had marked him and Nim sent attacks at his foe. Thussia stood out of the melee and attacked Nim and Theren with spells. One of the hamadryads fell and Theren dispatched his soldier and turned his bow on Thussia. A moment later Nim dropped his soldier and Say’old fell from attacks from Uthrid and Rudy. The hamadryad found the fight turning on them and they began falling to the adventurers attacks. Thussia was wounded when her Lord emerged from the large hole in the top of the hill.

A young green dragon hovered above the hole. He held a rod in one hand and Theren felt an icy shiver run down his spine when the beast waved it in his direction. It was a warlock’s curse the dragon put on him, making him vulnerable to attacks from the warlock dragon. Nim had been dueling spells with the eladrin incanter away from the hole so he was uneffected by the dragon’s frightening presence and continued to battle with the dragon’s last remaining vassal. Theren, Uthrid and rudy were stunned and the dragon breathed a poisoneous vapor amongst them. Theren choked a little and then the dragon was tearing at him with his claws. The three recovered and were able to attack as Nim killed the incanter. the dragon whipped Theren with his tail and knocked him prone. Uthrid and Rudy stabbed at the beast while Theren got to his feet. Theren fired at the dragon and was knocked prone again. The dragon clawed at him and knocked him unconscious. As Theren fell the dragon teleported next to Uthrid and marked him with the war;ock’s curse. Rudy helped Theren and attacked the dragon. Nim joined in on attacking the dragon. Uthrid was bloodied but Theren was back on his feet. A series of attacks bloodied the dragon and he retreated into the hole in the top of the hill.

TO BE CONTINUED

After Nim completed casting the ritual, a sound like harsh rainfall filled the parties ears and then slowly faded to silence. Nim, Uthrid, Theren and Rudy stood on a round stone platform in the dark silence. Around them six huge stones were gathered in a circle around the stone platform. The huge stones stood 20 feet high and the moon and night sky could be seen beyond them. There was space between the stones for a person to move in single file out of the encircled stones. Theren moved forward to get a look at what the area outside the stones had to offer. As he moved between the stones all he could hear was the random sounds coming from his companions. As he got to the outside edge of the stones, the moonlight revealed a gigantic forest around them and the sounds of wildlife reached his ears. Theren saw the forest was made up of mostly pine and maple trees. Some trees were of average size that could be found in the Nentir Vale forests. Others were larger with trunks of ten feet in diameter. Trees like these could be found in the Rain Valley but they were much more numerous in this wilderness. And then there were trees of immense proportion with trunks that had diameters ranging from 20 to 45 feet. The smaller of the immense trees were similar in size to ones Theren had seen before. He had travelled through the portal in the Rain Valley to the Feywild once with his father a few years before he set out on his adventures. Theren backed up inside the ring of stones and again all sounds from the wilderness were cut off. He reported what he had seen to the others. They were certainly not in Spearpoint and Theren was pretty sure they had entered the Feywild. They decided to camp within the stones and check out the area in daylight.

Rudy, Theren, Nim and Uthrid returned to the opening to the old dragon lair. The captain had gathered the surviving members of her army there. Out of the 100 soldiers she had brought to the mountain only 40 remained. The adventueres explained to her that they had fought and defeated a lich and they let her believe that the lich was a threat to reopen the portal to Dis. She needed to find a ritual caster powerful enough to permanently shut down the portal. She also wanted to check the mountain trail for any survivors. The adventurers were eager to use the linked portal and return to Spearpoint and talk with Lord Perry. They agreed to escort the captain back to Fort Dolor so she could disburse more troops to protect the portal and send a message to Jonathan Steward. She asked the adventurers if they would send word and find a ritual caster and they agreed to pass along the message.

On the way down the mountain trail the found many dead soldiers. The two manticores who had delivered fly-by attacks were feasting on the carnage but they flew to a higher spot along the trail when the adventurers came close. The Oni they had fought among the devils in the mountain was devouring the soul of one unfortunate soldier when the party rounded a section of the trail. They bloodied it with attacks and the creature turned to gaseous form and fled.

When they arrived at Fort Dolor the captain sensed something was wrong. It was past midnight and music and merriment could be heard within the fort walls. The adventurers accompanied her through the front gates. The fort streets were filled with drinking and dancing soldiers. The captain scolded some of the soldiers and demanded an explanation for the wild behavior. During this confrontation the music stopped and more soldiers crowded into the street. The soldiers began whispering with each other and eyeing the captain and adventurers. Nim looked up at one of the inns windows and saw the dragonborn Garesh Vren looking down at them. He alerted Theren and when they looked back the dragonborn was gone from the window.

The renegade Lt. Stymers came out the front door of the inn as soldiers crowded closer to the adventurers at the gate. Uthrid saw the farm girl who had survived the attacks on the farms behind him.

“I’m in charge of Fort Dolor, now!” announced Stymers.

“By whose authority?” asked the captain.

“Well,” said Stymers, “Captain Revince was in charge…but he is now dead!” and Stymers hurled the head of the dead captain into the courtyard.

“Kill them!” Stymers cried and pointed to the adventurers. The soldiers drew weapons. Twenty of the soldiers would be upon them in a moment and there were perhaps eighty soldiers crowding the streets. Only four soldiers blocked the way to the gates behind the adventurers. Rudy, Theren, Nim and Uthrid turned and charged the soldiers blocking the gate. For a moment, as he turned, Uthrid watched the farm girl and saw horns bloom from her forehead and bat-like wings sprung from her back. Her lips moved and he saw the fangs behind them as she motioned toward the captain. Then the image was gone and it was just the farm girl looking at the captain who turned and walked docilely toward the inn.

Rudy and Uthrid plowed over two of the guards and Theren easily scooted by them. Nim was clipped by a pair of long swords but the four of them were quickly out the gate and on their horses. A few crossbow bolts came flying at them but they got away unscathed. When they were clear and sure they were not being pursued Nim took out the tarp with the magic circle and prepared the ritual. Randal had told them the ritual would take them directly to Lord Perry’s tower in Spearpoint but that is not what happened.

The creature on the ridge was once Nevern. He stood in front of the fire looking down at the mountain trail. Uthrid, Theren, Nim and Rudy crept up the side of the mountain with care. A foul smell of rotting death grew stronger the closer they got. The smell from the fragrant burning branches could not cut through the deathly aroma when they reached the ridge and their faculties were slighty impaired. The creature welcomed them to its fire and when it stepped into the firelight they saw the bloated lips and bulbous nose of Nevern – the too close set eyes. His face was pale gray, his lips and eyes black and puss oozed out of fissures covering his face. His robe caked in mud and blood were pulled around him and about his head so only him face showed. he held no weapon.

“My master wants his book.” it said.

“Who is your master?” asked Theren.

“Driedel.” replied the creature, “He will demonstrate his power.” And it motioned down to the site at the base of the mountain trail where half of the captain’s army camped. From the ridge most of the mile long trail could be seen winding down the mountain. In several spots were small campfires where small groups of the soldiers had stationed themselves. At the base were three large fires spaced fifty feet apart in a triangular formation. One of the fires flickered violently.

“The book.” said Nevern.

“We don’t know what your talking about.” lied Nim.

“You gave it to Jonathan Steward?” asked Nevern. Shouts went up in the base camp below and cries of pain.

“We don’t know about any book.” said Nim. Activity was bustling in the camp below. It was impossible to see exactly what but there were more cries and movement. The campfire which flickered was extinguished now.

“Lies. Give it to Driedel and the killing ends.” More cries rose from below and the tiny specks of people were moving in all directions between the two remaining fires. There was a warbly hollow sound and another cry of pain.

“You can kill them all. We don’t have the book.” said Nim.

“You should have stayed dead, Nevern.” said Theren as his drew an arrow to his bow. Nevern croached and black fangs burst from his face and black talons from his fingers. Theren sunk an arrow into him as the creature leapt at Uthrid. The rest of the party joined in on attacking the ghoul that had been Nevern. More cries rose from below and soldiers were fleeing up the mountain trail. The ghoul Nevern clawed and bit at Uthrid and from the darkness above two flying figures broke into the firelight. They had the bodies of lions and the wings of bats. Their huge maned heads bore faces that were disturbingly human-like but with large pointy teeth. At the end of their tails grew clusters of spikes. They flicked their tails and rained spikes down on the adventures and Nevern. All of them were struck and nevern fell dead (again) from a combination of the parties attacks and bolt from one of the flying creatures. Theren fired a shot into one of the creatures and it bellowed a rageful roar and returned fire. The party got off a round of missle fire but the creatures were quickly out of range and sight as they flew down to the mountain trail below where cries of death continued to rise.

On Nevern, they found an emblem which Rudy quickly identified as the emblem of the city of Greyhawk. His mother had read to him when he was a child and the book he had liked the most were the tales of the heroes of Greyhawk. He remembered the emblem from the cover of the book but he could not immediately remember the stories. He wasn’t sure if the stories had been true or myth and he had never known whether the city was a real place or just a legend.

They pushed nevern’s nasty corpse into the fire and climbed down the mountainside to the trail. When they reached they trail they noticed that the chaotic shouting had stopped. Well past them on the ridge toward the lair entrance they believed they may have seen someone fleeing and below there was some moaning and an occasional shriek. But there attention was quickly drawn to a lone figure moving up the trail toward them just thirty feet away. It’s robes blew in the wind and a helmate crowned its skull face. The helmate was in the shape of a reptilian creature with green eyes. The skull peeked out from the maw. An amulet rested around the figures neck.

“You are Steward’s champions?” it asked.

“We were hired by him.” said Nim.

“I want the book.” it said.

The adventurers stuck to their story about not knowing about the book while they battled the lich Driedel. Driedel believed they had given the book to Jonathan Steward. The lich cast spells which created chilling zones and an aura of necrotic energy emanated from him. He also blasted the adventurers with shadow rays. It was a tight battle. A few times Driedel healed himself and he was slowly regenerating throughout the battle. Things turned at the end to the adventurers favor. Had the lich brought minions perhaps the adventurers would have been defeated but they finally destroyed the lich. As Driedel’s form disintegrated he whispered a promise to return with an army.

Rudy’s Invulnerable Coat of Ahrnd deteriorated into 5000gp worth of risiduum after the battle with The Sleeper. The party all reached 10th level. The artifact’s mission had been fulfilled and it was time to move on to another hero.

Nim had received word from Lord Perry via a Sending ritual that the wizard wanted them to meet his agent at Fort Dolor rather than use the Linked Portal ritual. When the party reached the Fort, Rudy and Utrid were still suffering from mummy rot but it had not worsened. Randal met them outside the Fort gates and helped them back to the Avalanche Inn explaining along the way that Perry had commisioned them to work for Jonathan Steward in solving Fort Dolor’s problem. Randal showed documents to a member of the guard and a meeting was scheduled for the following morning with the new captain of the guard.

Back in a private room of the inn, Randal used Remove Affliction rituals on Rudy and Uthrid to heal the mummy rot. They fell unconscious but would be fine the next morning. That night he filled in the party on the plan. A new female half-elf captain had brought 200 new soldiers to the fort. They had discovered that Captain Revince had been hiding out at the herbalists shop with the farm girl who was the lone survivor of the attacks which had taken place weeeks ago. They had gone to the herbalist shop to confront the captain and been attacked by spine devils. They killed one of the devils and lost two men but the other spine devils as well as the captain and the girl had escaped. In the herbalist shop they had found a map to “the hag’s hut” which was located on the mountaion pass to the old dragon’s lair. They had reason to believe the “hag” was the dwarf crone who had been spouting prophecies outside the Avalanche Inn before and shortly after the attacks.

Randal explained that Jonathan Steward had asked Perry for assistance. Perry had agreed to have the party assist the new captain. They would be well paid promised Randal but Perry’s real motivation was to have the party stick around the area and capture whoever might come looking for the book they had brought him. They were essentially to be used as bait. Perry had made some discoveries with the book but felt it best to fill them in later on those discoveries just in case something went wrong with the trap they were setting. Perry felt strongly that they should find out who new about the book but also be careful that no one found out where it was. Randal gave Nim a large tarp with a magic circle drawn on it in residuum and told him it would take them directly to Perry’s tower in Spearpoint once they captured whoever came looking for the book or at least a clue to who it might be. Presumably it would be Nevern’s master – perhaps the one he called the Iron General.

Other development Randal told them about was that Lt. Stymers, who had been in charge of Fort Dolor when Revince went missing and before the new captain had arrived, had gone renegade. He had been stealing equipment from the army and he and his loyal soldiers were somewhere out in the wilderness in hiding. Theren had spied a hidden campsite as they had neared Fort Dolor from the Warwood and speculated that perhaps it had been this group who they had seen meeting with their acquaintence Garesh Vren.

The party re-equipped and met with the new captain the next morning. She brought 100 of her soldiers along to support the party. They held back at the bottom of the mountain while the party snuck up to the “hag’s hut”. They found the hag with some devilish cultists and an ogre. They killed them all in battle except for one of the cultists whom they questioned and sent down to the army. They found scrolls which talked about a portal top a place called Dis in the old dragon’s lair. Evidently devils could be summoned from this portal by sacraficing human blood. The party found the entrance to the lair and killed an owlbear and a couple of flameskulls that were guarding it. They then continued through a passage leading up into the mountain and fought some spine devils, hell guard and an Oni in one of the caverns. In this cavern they also found some prisoners. The Oni turned to gaseous form at the end of the battle and escaped out of the mountain taking the direction the party had come from. The party brought the prisoners down out of the mountain and found the captain had brought half her troops up onto the mountain pass. They took in the prisoners and the party rested. Later the party went back up the mountain and found the old dragon lair. It was occupied by a chain devil, some cambion and come hell guard and there was a portal between two obsidian slabs. A hole in the ceiling of the chamber exited the mountain. They defeated the devils and Nim partially deactivated the portal. Presently nothing can come through the portal but someone could reactivate it. It is beyong Nim’s ability to completely render the portal useless.

The captain brought here best soldier up to the portal room to guard it and descended the mountain with the party. The party rested with some of the soldiers at the bottom of the lair’s tunnel and the captain went off to check on the rest of her troops. Half the troops (50) remained down at the bottom of the mountain about a mile from the lair entrance, a quarter (25) guarded the portal and the other quarter were spraed out in groups of 5 along the mountain pass. Shortly a messenger came for the party telling them the captain wanted to speak to them. They found her a tenth of a mile along the pass. Up on the mountainside perhaps 150 feet from the mountain trail they saw a campfire burning on a ridge. A lone figure stood motionless at the edge of the ridge. The captain told them that she had sent a couple scouts up to see who it was and she brough them to meet the scouts. Above the fire sparked as the figure dropped a branch onto it. The party was introduced to the scouts who looked pale. They explained that they had approached the ridge and that the figure up there was burning some fragrant branches. The fragrance was apparently meant to mask another foul odor which became stronger and stronger as they approached. One of the scouts had gotten sick from the smell. The other had spoken from a distance to the figure who said he wanted to speak with Theren, Uthrid and the other champions of Jonathan Steward. When he asked who he should say was requesting this audience. The figure told them: “Tell them it is Nevern.”

The party packed the remains of Sir Malagant in their bag of holding and fled. They crossed the blade bridges and looked back to see The Sleeper slowy pursuing them. As he followed the dreamstones in the details of the tomb walls grew brighter. The adventurers escaped through the mouth in the face of the hill where Utrid found a note from Erthic (see Letter To Uthrid From Erthic). The group raced into the Warwood. They looked back at Stargazer Hill and saw the silohette of some being rise from the mouth.

Oeserd led them to the hill where Sir Malagant and The Sleeper once slayed each other. There they met the pilgrims loyal to the Raven Queen. The Sister leading the pilgrims was accompanied by a Shadar-Kai witch. They and Oeserd began a ritual using the remains of Sir Malagant. None of them were exactly sure what the outcome of the ritual would be and they were concerned that the ceremony that had risen the Sleeper may have compromised the power of their own ritual. The pilgrims gathered around and watched. Rudy, Theren, Uthrid and Nim watched as well until undead emerged from the woods accompanied by two of the floating masses of brain matter with beaks and barbed tentacles. The adventurers held off the attack while the Raven Queen faithful performed their ceremony. The party joined the others once all the grell and zombies were destroyed. As the Sister and Witch finished the ceremony a swarm of ravens burst from the remains of Sir Malagant and feathers down around the group. The adventurers found themselves revived as if they had taken an extended rest.

The Sleeper arrived mounted on his undead steed. He wore magical leather armor, a dreamstone amulet and weilded a dreamstone maul. The pilgrims scattered when the mummy lord charged. The battle was difficult for the Sleeper was constantly on the move. Eventually he was slain by the party but upon his death he cursed the adventurers. Rudy and Uthrid contracted mummy rot as did some of the pilgrims. The adventurers collected the The Sleepers magic items and they departed for Fort Dolor. The stunned pilgrims gave their thanks and headed back to their monestary.

At the Razor’s Edge, the adventurers faced 3 wraiths and a beholder zombie. The beholder zombie initially paniced the party who believed it was an actual beholder. The wraiths were particularly irksome as they had the ability to touch an enemy and teleport him up to 25 feet. They dropped Uthrid, Rudy and Theren into the pit during the battle and all managed to avoid being sliced by the spinning razors but they were injured from the 30 foot fall. There were two wraiths left when Theren went into the pit and Nim did an impressive job fending them off and eventually slaying them. After a few minutes the spinning razors slowed and finally stopped and the adventurers continued on. They found another round room with blade bridges. This room had opened tomb doors on the east and west sides like the previous room. The passage continued beyond this room and a short hallway ended with a door in the west wall.

Behind the door was a small round room with a large eye suspended from a chain in the ceiling. The eye rested over a socket in the floor. Across the room was a control panel which could be used to swing the large eye. Five foulspawn grues occupied the room. Two engaged and two used mind attacks while the third used the control panel to swing the eye at the adventurers. The party battled well and killed all the grues.

After the battle the party heard someone approuching from the way they had come. The found the dwarf Oeserd Emiro, paladin of the Raven Queen, crossing the blade bridges. He had met the Sister at Sir Malagant’s death site and she told him about the stolen effigy and the heroes that had come to help her. He had come to assist them and bring back the body of his saint.

In the socket the party found a passage and stairs leading down to a twenty foot wide passage dimly lit with torches. The passage was three hundred feet long and led to stairs going up around both sides of a pillar which extended into a large room above. Along the walls of the long hallway were dipictions of the Sleeper with a maul made of dreamstone. Incantations could be heard above. The party stormed up the stairs and faced the tiefling Volkanth and his foulspawn henchmen. While the battle was fought blood dripped from a huge face in the ceiling onto the pillar that rose from the stairwell. An altar stood at the bottom of stairs that led up to the top of the pillar. The remains of Sir Malagant lied on the altar. On the pillar, a wrapped body writhed while it caught the dripping blood in its mouth. The body was covered in the blood it failed to catch. At the end of the battle the party members all lived but were exhausted and wounded. They grabbed Sir Malagant’s defiled remains and fled the chamber as the creature on the pillar rose to his feet and began descending the stairs. The creature was The Sleeper, a mummy lord, raised by the tiefling Volkanth’s evil ritual.

my sorrow is greater than the hideousness of my form BROTHER MY BROTHERS MY FATHER AND MOTHER SOSH ACEDIA was it a lie? you cannot forgive me NONE of you I CANNOT WILL NOT I should be dead not our BROTHER BROTHERS RAGNAR!!!!!!!! UTHRID tell our parents I am dead Do not come find me what would be the use? If ever I can find a way to… HELP you or Father or Sosh Only come for me if it is to kill me. It is more than I deserve. ~Erthic

The hall ended at the edge of an enormous pit that was about 50 feet in diameter. A fall from the edge where Uthrid stood would be into darkness at the end of the light his sun rod provided. Dominating the center of the pit was a 15-foot-wide pillar that rose to the level of the hall. Atop it was a kind of turnstile. Extending from three equidistant points around the pillar were huge sicklelike steel blades that scraped the edge of the pit. From the marks Uthrid saw on the wall, it was clear that the turnstile must somehow turn the blades so that they could be used as bridges to cross the expanse. Currently the blades were turned away from him.

Uthrid stood on the northern side of the chamber and the passage continued to the south on the opposite side. The blade chamber was flanked on the west and east by landings at the level of the blade bridges. Each landing had two of the statues with its arms and eyeless face upraised. These statues flanked doors. The stone doors bore the now-familiar image of the Sleeper holding a dreamstone maul. A single door stood between the statues on the west landing while double doors stood between the statues on the east landing.

Using a rope and grapple, Uthrid snagged one of the blades and pulled it toward him. All three equidistant bridges turned as he brought the blade bridge to rest infront of him. The other two blades came to rest infront of the landings to the east and west. If the adventurers were to continue south they would each have to climb across to the pillar and use the turnstile to align the bridges with the south passage. Instead they all crossed to the pillar and continued to the landing to the west.

As Uthrid opened the door, something in the wall behind the hinge clinked loudly and the doors on the landing across the way banged open. Then there was a tremendous clatter of distant chains and a thudding boom from somewhere below shook dust from the ceiling. Behind Theren and Nim, the blades began to turn of their own accord, and within the door in front of Uthrid and Rudy lay a crypt. The sarcophagus that lay there burst open and something rose into the open air!

Uthrid fell asleep on the floor of the torture chamber gripping his sword. He was fearful of more foulspawn appearing but too exhausted from the previous battle to stay awake. Nim and Rudy went to sleep as well and Theren went to the cell Erthic was in to check on him. Erthic took food and asked for a cloak. He wrapped himself up using his good hand and hid his right arm in the wrapped cloak and pulled the hood down low to hide his face. He told Theren that the Seer and the foulspawn had tortured him when he tried to leave the cult and exposed him to a hideous realm through a dark ritual and it had caused his disfigurement. He did not want to talk about this much because he had built up a wall in his brain to protect his sanity. Too much dwelling on the things he had seen in that Far Realm would bring out the Other one. He hinted at another entity dwelling in his mind. He told Theren the dreamstones which were the shiny stones that represented the maul in the pictures of the Sleeper would effect his friends dreams. They would have to pass a test while they slept. If they failed their dreams would summon monsters from the Far Realm. He told Theren to keep him locked in the cell because when the dreams came so would the Other.

While the adventurers slept Theren saw a ghostly world appear around them. It was a dream they were all sharing and Theren could see it. In the dream Uthrid, Nim and Rudy were shopping in a marketplace in Bridgeblock. Suddenly a man approached Uthrid with his bloody hands cupped over his face. The man accused Uthrid of stealing his eyes and the three adventurers soon found themselves surrounded by an angry mob. When their attempts to calm the crowd failed, the angry mob became a hideous mass of eyes and mouths and the man with no eyes burst into a writhing cluster of barbed tentacles stemming from a large brain-like mass of flesh with a horrid beak. The dream ended and the adventurers awoke to find the monsters in the torture chamber with them and battle ensued. The gibbering mouther blasted the four adventurers with psychic attack which dazed them all the first round. It was a tough battle since the adventurers had not gotten the benefit of a full rest. Rudy was knocked unconscious from an acidic bite by the mouther before it was destroyed by Nim. Uthrid was lashed by some barbed tentacles and then the creature called a grell grabbed him in its tentacles and bit him a couple of times and he was stunned and near unconsciousness when Theren unloaded several good arrow shots into it and Nim finally killed it. After the battle the adventures dropped to the floor asleep and woke many hours later fully rested.

Uthrid led the other adventurers in a discussion with Erthic. Erthic explained that he had been asking around about the old kingdom of Acedia and had been given an address in Bridgeblock by some people he believed shared his interest. He had met two people at the address named Gorn and Malleck who had pursueded him to come out to the Warwood. When he had been out the Tomb of Dreams for a few weeks he learned that they were actually a cult trying to awaken The Sleeper and he had tried to leave. They captured him and tortured him and exposed him to the Far Realm in an attempt to turn him into a foulspawn. He told them the dreamstones depicted as mauls in the pictures in the domed room actually made up a star chart that was a calendar and the cult would be awakening the Sleeper that very night in accordance to the star chart. He told them there were more foulspawn and cultists with the tiefling leader Volkanth and that they were probably engaged in the ritual of awakening the Sleeper as they spoke.

Uthrid asked Erthic about the Other one he had spoken to Theren about and Erthic was confident if he got away from the dreamstones he would be okay. He would go up to the surface while they went on to try to stop the Sleepers awakening. He knew that there were four grues and a couple berserker foulspawn with Volkanth as well as some human cultists but he had never been down the corridor they had went to start the ritual.

The spiral stairs came down to hallway that split to the east and the west. The east door was made of wood and open, but the door to the west was made of stone and bore the life-size bas relief of a tall horned-and-cloaked figure holding a maul in two hands. From the open door a male voice could be heard alternately moaning and mumbling unintelligibly. The adventurers went through the open door and found another split with corridors running to the north and south. The moaning/mumbling was coming fro the north. Five cells lined each side of the northern corridor and the male voice was coming from the room which opened at the end. Each of the tiny cells had a locked wooden door with a small barred window. There was nothing inside but some scattered bones and the rusty remains of manacles attached to the walls.

Beyond the cells in the hall laid what appeared to be a torture chamber. Seated on a stool in the center of the room, Theren saw a bald man with his back to him. He was stripped to the waist, and his back was a bloody mess of lacerations. He had clearly been whipped. The man was just sitting there rocking back and forth and wordlessly babbling. Long chains were attached to the arms he held limply by his sides. In front of him stood a lecturn upon which laid a large open book. Its pages were covered in a messy crimson writing that must have been blood. The moaning man suddenly shook his head vigorously as if denying something, and Theren noticed that his eyes had been torn out and his worn face bore cuts around them.

Theren shouted at the man asking who he was and if he could help him. The man stopped his mumbling and sat quiet for a moment. The cuts around the man’s eyes were the triple sickle shape seen around the eye of the domed chamber.

“I know you.” the man suddenly sneered, “You’re no friend of Volkanth. You’re one of them! One of those the Sleeper told me!” At this point he pointed to the bloody book and started straining against his chains and screaming. When the man screamed a blinding flash of light erupted from his eyes and two foulspawn berserkers exploded from the sockets and attacked Uthrid and Rudy. Theren quickly shot arrows into the man who continued to scream. Nim hit the man with a spell as Uthrid and Rudy engaged the berserkers. The man screamed again and three foulspawn manglers appeared behind him while a skeleton emerged from on of the cell in the room. The screaming man was killed but the battle with the foulspawn was grisly and disturbing. Uthrid and Rudy were both seriously wounded during the fight and Nim was hit by a mangler. The unintelligible voices of the mad foulspawn gibbered telepathically in the ears of the adventurers.

When the last foulspawn was slain, Uthrid was unconscious on the floor. Rudy and Theren helped him regain consciousness with some healing but he and Nim were extremely shaken by the encounter. They huddled against the walls with their eyes darting about, expecting foulspawn to emerge from thin air at any moment and attack. Theren and rudy understood that the mumbling man had been a sort of Seer and had summoned the creatures but that could not convince their friends to relax. Uthrid thought he saw movement in one of the cells but there was nothing there when Theren checked. In a cell across the room, however, Theren did hear some low moaning. When he checked he saw a man in rags huddled in the corner of one of the cells.

Theren spoke to the man in the cell and the frightened man moaned and asked to be left alone in a slow, thick voice. The voice got Uthrid attention.

“Erthic?” said Uthrid as he crept toward the cell door, “Is that you? You sound strange.” When Uthrid reached the door the man turned around. It was Erthic but some dark torture had caused a gruesome change in him. He was bald and thin with the normal marks of torture from lashings and brutalization but part of him was horribly mutated. One eye was gone from its socket but more disturbing was the other eye which swelled too large in its socket and was scarred with a jagged X across the pupil like it had been sliced but had grown back together. His skull bulged unsymetrically on the side of the grotesque eye and the skin was frighteningly bumpy like it had melted leaving blisters and lumps. The skin disorder ran down the side of his neck and consumed his right shoulder. The bicep of the right arm was skin and bone but below the elbow the arm bulged in a large mass of boiled flesh. The forearm seemed to have fused with the hand into a terrifying piece of puckered meat. The fingers of the hand had grown together and did not look at a hand at all. At the end the nails of the hand had fused together into one long, thick, brown pointed talon.

A low, sickened moan escaped Uthrid as his eyes widened with horror at the thing that had been his brother. He backed away from the cell and drew his sword. Erthic quickly turned back and huddled in the corner, obviously ashamed at his appearence and the reaction it had caused Uthrid. Rudy and Theren knew the party needed to take a rest. They didn’t know what to do about the thing in the cell but they needed to rest and get Nim and Uthrid out of their sttes of paranoid shock. The decision about Erthic should be left to Uthrid but whatever choice he made for the poor fellow could not be made while he was in his current mental state.

The short hallway beyond the doors led to a chamber within which Nim spied the base of a large statue made of dimly luminescent black stone. Each wall of the hall had a thick chain running through rings set in the stone every 10 feet or so. The chains were slack beteen the rings and at the midpoint of the slack areas large metals balls replaced several of the chain links. From the ends of the chain near the door, it appeared that each of these balls represented a lidless eye. The chains continued around the corners of the walls into the room. Nim slowly crept down the hall toward the statue with the others a couple paces behind.

A tall statue loomed in the center of the hexagonal room. It was made of the same semitransparent black stone as the depictions of the mauls in the lower part of the domed room, and gloomily glowing veins ran through its entirety. The statue at first appeared to depict a cloaked and hooded figure holding a rusting sickle aloft in each hand, but at a second glance revealed that it held another sickle in a third arm. Between each pairing of arms was the deeply hooded visage, so that the statue effectively had three faces. Peering up into the hood, Nim saw that no true face lied within; it was just a hollow space.

A short hall ended in double doors at the opposite side of the hexagonal room. The chain came out of the walls near the doors on the far side. Scanning the walls Nim noticed secret doors hidden behind the rings on the walls. The ceiling by each door had a 2-inch-wide slot packed with dirt and small stones. Nim pointed this out to Theren but the elf had difficulty seeing what the gnome was showing him. The adventurers slipped past the statue and gathered by the doors in the short hallway. Nim searched the door for traps and as he laid his hand upon them the statue moved.

The statue reached out with a ghostly motion and snagged both of the chains running along the walls with two of the sickles and pulled them. There was a dull boom and portcullises dropped from the packed dirt and stones above each of the secret doors. Had one of the adventurers been standing by them they may have been impaled and restrained. From six of the now opened eight secret passages emerged hunched hamanoid undead creatures with long filthy claws and yellow fangs. The statue became insubstatial and its shadowy form disappeared into the wall.

The ghouls charged the adventurers. Uthrid engaged two of them and Rudy stepped up to intercept a couple others as Theren shifted away from them and fired arrows. A couple of the ghouls were hacked down. Nim attacked with spells and the statue reappeared out of the wall near Rudy. Theren and Nim concentrated attacks on the wraithlike statue and badly damaged it. The figure went into a meditative trance and the remaining ghouls went into a further frenzy. Black necrotic ooze began dripping from their nails and teeth. Rudy destroyed the statue with a good blow and the ghouls frenzy subsided but they fought on. After a few more rounds the ghouls were all destroyed.

There was nothing of value in the trapped passage and the adventurers found that the pulled chains had unlocked the doors in the short hallway. Behind these the party found a spiral staircase going down. The stairs led down to the ground floor where the landing had a secret passage that led to a hidden door in the seige weapon room. The spiral stairs also continued down to a basement level. The adventurers descended.

Behind the balcony’s northern door, the scents of unwashed bodies and cooked meals hit the noses of the adventurers. Several doors lined the east wall of the hallway and one stood on the west. To the north they saw a large room dimly lit by firelight from around the corner and a guttering lamp on the table. Theren checked several of the doors on the east wall and found bedchambers. They had been cleared out and had bedrolls spread out on the floor with a bag or pack in most rooms. One contained a rickity chair and another a small desk. In the third room, Theren made a grisly discovery. In a small heap he found bloody bandages of vaious ages, and the bedroll showed signs of bloodstains as well. The bandages and stained bedroll were consistent with someone who had been injured in the torso area repeatedly. Miscellaneous items found in the bedchambers amounted to 400 gp value and one bedroll contained jewels and a ceremonial mask.

The door on the west wall led to a latrine and ahead was a common room with a fireplace and tables strewn with dirty dishes. Besides the small bedchambers off this room their was a small armory – mostly empty and a large barracks room littered with bedrolls. While investigating this room Uthrid found his brothers cloak – tattered and balled up in a corner. Searching through the personal items of the cultists he found the cloaks pin with one person’s belongings and his brothers dagger in with anothers. In a pocket of the cloak Uthrid found he paper torn from his brother’s journal which said THE SLEEPER WARWOOD STARGAZER HILL THE FACE. There were also some scribbled notes, an address in Bridgeblock and the names GORN and MALLECK.

They left the living quarters and tried the balcony doors west. These doors led to a short hallway and spiral stairs going down. At the bottom of the stairs a hallway led north and once led to a distant cave entrance in the Warwood. Through here the cultists would entered and through here they could have fled but it had collapsed some fifty years earlier. A hall branched east before the collapse and the adventurers found it was the hall with the ajar doors on the ground level.

The adventurers tried the northern doors. Decaying wooden walls separated the room into stalls. Clearly it wa used as a stable at one time. The adventurers took this in at a glance, then saw a circular dias in the center atop which stood the motionless skeleton of a horse covered with dust and cobwebs. Beside the dias was a post with a saddle on top of it, similarly dusty and webbed. The various stalls had little left in them but a few horse bones and the barest remains of hay strewn about. The northeast stall had been recently used and contained evergreen boughs culled from a distant part of the forest. Likely, the hippogriff had rested here. The adventurers kept an eye on the skeletal horse while they searched the room and then left without disturbing it when they found noting of value or any secret passages.

The adventurers went to the south doors on the ground level and opened them. In the musty darkness of the large room lurked siege engines. Small catapults and large ballistae slumped in the center of the room and huddled in alcoves in the walls. Their ropes had broken over time, and their metal parts were rusted. The adventurers left to investigate the only door they had not yet opened – the door to the south on the balcony.

The mouth of the face appeared to be the entrance to the cultists hideout. Uthrid dropped a torch into the mouth and it fell 70 feet to the bottom. In the quick glimpse the adventurers got during the torches decent, they noticed it was a domed chamber and a balcony ran around the edge of the round room that had a diameter of approximately seventy feet. The balcony was fifty feet above the floor. It appeared the cultists had used ropes to climb the twenty feet from the balcony to the mouth hole. When Uthrid and Rudy leaned over the mouth hole a couple of cultists who had remained inside tried to snare them with grappling hooks and pull them down. Rudy and Utrid both grabbed ropes attached to the edge of the mouth and dropped inside. While they tried to swing to the balcony Theren hung into the mouth by a rope around his leg and killed one of the cultists with an arrow. Rudy managed to swing and get a hold on part of the balcony but Uthrid was having trouble. The other cultist had hit his rope with a dagger and that combined with Uthrid’s weight were quickly fraying the rope. The cultist also managed to get a grapple attached to utrid and was making his swinging difficult. Directly below the mouth hole was a symbol carved into the stone floor 70 feet below. There was a large eye with three sickles fanning out of it like rays of the sun. The pupil of the eye was directly below the mouth hole and was comprised of many long spikes. The two cultists who had been knocked into the mouth were impaled on the spikes. Theren managed to shoot the other cultist and at the same time Uthrid was getting a precipitous grasp on the edge of the balcony. The lunge snapped the fraying rope and Uthrid slipped from the edge of the balcony and fell 50 feet to the floor but at least missed the spiked eye. He took a moment getting up and luckily found no broken bones. Rudy helped Theren and Nim get down to the balcony and after Utrid took a quick look around the bottom floor he rejoined the other on the balcony.

Uthrid found the walls to be carved with images showing the achievements of a being called The Sleeper. The first image was of a tall, cloaked figure standing on a cliff prominence and looking down upon a village. The face was obscured, but horns projected out of the figure’s hood and it held a great maul in its hands. The next images showed the cloaked and horned figure, The Sleeper, converting others to follow behind him, either by threat or speeches given crowds. The middle images showed the figure and his allies in battle with elves, humans and dwarves. The final images showed the figure in battle with a frightening knight encased in scale armor decorated with skulls, bones and wailing ghosts. In that image, the knight was stabbing the belly of the cloaked figure, and the cloaked figure was slamming the side of the knight’s head with his maul.

All the depictions of the cloaked figures maul were formed of a darker stone inset into the wall. The semitransparent black stone was swirled with phosphorescent material. The stone was not familiar to any of the adventurers. A band of raised stone around the room was actually words written in common. It said: “Where did He come from? Our dreams. Why did He come? We called. From our sleep came the Sleeper. He opened our dreaming eyes by shutting our waking ones. His defeat was but another sleep and waking Him our dream.” The words were smooth and polished with a dark stain from hands being rubbed along them. Channels shaped as sickles were carved in the floor and stained with blood which flowed from the spiked eyes where two of the cultists had fallen. The blood ran down the channels into drain pipes 3’ in diameter.

Rudy stood on a balcony that encircled the chamber. Below on the floor was a spike-filled eye with three sickle shapes projecting from it. Above him was the domed roof and the opening to the sky through which he had descended. The dome showed cracks in places and water trickled down from spots where the two great trees on the hill had projected their roots nto the abyss. Also above was a constellation of dimly glowing points – the roof of the chamber bore a star chart, with each star foiled in gold.

Nearer to hand he spied words in Common carved into the wall that ran around the circumference of the room, and each raised leter was polished with rime collecting in the crevasses. Noting the polish, he then saw that half the wide stone banister running around the room possessed similar smoothness. The writing around the room was the same height as the balcony so udy walked around the whol chamber while Nim and Theren climbed down to the balcony. The words said: “The Sleeper is the herald. His dreams call to That Which Waits Beyond The Stars. When the Sleeper is awoken. He will dream again.”

On the ground level, Utrid saw three sets of double doors left the round chamber. The sets to the north and south were closed and the one to the west was lightly ajar. Up on the balcony level Rudy found three sets of double doors – north, south and west. All were shut. Once Theren and Nim joined Rudy, they helped Uthrid climb up a rope to join them on the balcony by the northern door.

The adventurers set up a hidden camp in the woods off the path made by the cultists and took a long rest. During the rest some tieflings and humans came by the creek looking for the men who had been stationed there and made a hasty retreat back the way they came after their brief investigation. Later the hippogriff who had flown off with the bones of Sir Malagant was seen flying over the trees. During his watch Theren noticed a star he had never seen before. It was very dim. The adventurers were not seen and they returned to the cultists path in the early morning darkness.

Ahead a hill pushed up from the forest within a large clearing. Atop the face of the hill was the enormous carving of a bearded stone face staring skyward with an open mouth and empty eye sockets. Two statues stood near it, each a cloaked figure with face and arms raised to the sky. A third one lay broken on the ground near its base. Two leafless trees grew near the face as well, each looking even more twisted and dark than the other trees in the haunted forest.

Theren scouted and observed several tieflings guarding the hill. The adventurers all snuck close and sprung an attack on the guards. One of the tieflings called out and alarm and many human cultists began emerging from the mouth of the carved face via ropes. Some quick bow work and some sorcery from Nim staggered a couple of the tieflings. A couple shadowblades disappeared behind the carved stone face and Uthrid and Rudy charged up the hill. The shadowblades tried to sneak up on Theren but his superior movement kept him out of their reach and he peppered them with arrows. Nim stayed hidden in the trees and blasted away with his spells. Uthrid knocked a few cultists back into the mouth and he heard their screams as they dropped into the darkness fade and come to an abrupt end after a long fall. Soon all the cultists on the hill were slain.

Lord Perry taught Nim some rituals before the adventurers left and they carried enough residuum for him to use a LINKED PORTAL ritual to get back quickly to Spearpoint. The closest portal toward their destination was in Cheap Whiskey so Perry sent them there and they rode on to Fort Dolor and took the road through the Warwood. Nim would be able to draw a specific portal circle on the ground and use it to return the party to Spearpoint when they were finished. This circle would dispurse once the ritual was concluded.

They had rushed out of Cheap Whiskey pretty quickly upon arrival but did catch word that troops in Jonathan Steward’s employ had left a couple days earlier to settle things in Fort Dolor. When the adventurers arrived at Fort Dolor they did not stop to investigate. Then they had run across Sister Naenia and her followers. The sister had wanted them to swear an oath to the Raven Queen that they would find her patron’s bones and return them to her but they had thought better than get to entangled with that group. The page from Erthic’s journal had mentioned THE SLEEPER. When Utrid had asked the pilgrims about the name he got the impression that THE SLEEPER was the other general who Sir Malagant had killed and been killed by. If the bandits were stealing the effigy at this particular time then there was a good chance they were involved with THE SLEEPER and would have information about Erthic.

They came to a frozen creek while following the bandits trail through a deer path. Theren scouted out some humans and tieflings guarding the pass. Nim thought they should wait for the cover of darkness and ambush the guards. They waited seven hours and then sprung their attack after dusk. Theren and Nim delivered some massive damage to a pair of the guards and Rudy and Uthrid waited in the woods hoping the attack would draw the guards out onto the ice. Instead, the guards hid behind boulders and waited for the adventurers to show themselves. When the party crossed the creek the guards attacked and when the adventurers got hit on the ice some chillborn zombies broke through and pursued them. They killed the guards easily and destroyed the undead with little difficulty.

After the battle, the adventurers decided to rest before continuing. Nim, suddenly could see Lord Perry in his mind’s eye. It was as if the half elf wizard were sitting right next to him.

“Don’t use the linked portal ritual. Return to Fort Dolor when you finish.” said Perry, “Reply immediately, you have twenty-five words. I will contact you again soon.”

Being taken by surprise, Nim did not know what to say but managed to acknowledge that he understood the message before Perry disappeared from his mind’s eye.

Just over a hundred years ago, two armies met in a cataclysmic conflict that threatened to destroy both sides. Sir Malagant, favored by the Raven Queen, led one force. At the head of the other army stood a creature of great wickedness whose master possessed dark aims for the world. Knowing that a battle between the assembled hosts would devastate both, the leaders met in single combat. The loser’s army would forfeit the field and disband. The result was a fluke of fate: The generals killed one another simultaneously.

A century later, much of the true history of these events had been forgotten or intentionally destroyed. The haunted forest known as the Warwood and Sister Naenia’s out-of-the-way monastery were the only reminders that something significant occurred in the area. Sister Naenia now led the penitents of the monastery of Sir Malagant’s Faithful on a pilgrimage to the scene of their hero’s death. There they intended to anoint and bury his effigy to honor him as their order was instructed by Achreisis, exarch of the Raven Queen, a century ago.

Sir Malagant’s Faithful travelled south on the road through the Warwood and were currently further than any of them had ever been from the monastery. Sun glistened off new snow, making a stunning contrast to the tangled darkness of the forest on both sides of the road. Ahead Sister Naenia spotted an elf on the road. He moved with grace and carried a bow. He raised a hand and called out a greeting. Naenia signalled for the others to continue the mournful chant and whispered a prayer that the elf was not part of a group of bandits. Soon a small figure and two larger ones joined the elf and she motioned for the her caravan to halt thirty feet away from the strangers.

They were Theren – an elven bowman, Uthrid – a fighting man, Rudy -another fighting man with exquisite glowing chain armor, and Nim – a gnome with striking arcane symbols tattooed on the shaven sides of his head. Naenia introduced her pilgrimage without fully revealing their intentions. The strangers showed little interest in her agenda but quickly began speaking of places called Fort Dolor and Bridgeblock of which she in her sheltered life had never heard of before. They were looking for Stargazer Hill in the Warwood and she told them they were in the Warwood but she had not heard of the hill.

A rustle among the pilgrims caused Naenia to turn back to see what the disturbence was about. The albino waif, Sybil, was standing in her cart peering into the forest. The three black cowled augers who attended to her every need turned to peer in the dirction which held her attention. Suddenly, axe weilding, berserk humans and stealthy tieflings sprung from the woods and attacked the pigrims and the strangers. A tiefling and two humans dove in amoungst the parade of twenty pilgrims swinging swords and axes and an attack of lightning from a mage in the forest crackled through Sir Malagant’s Faithful. Sister Naenia tried to fend off a man who attacked the augers cart. He had struck one of them and she had slumped in the cart. Sybil looked at the violence around her with a calm that Naenia found disturbing while the two other augers tended to the wounded crone.

The strangers leapt into action immediately. The two fighting men were an immovable wall that drew the attackers to them. The elf and gnome shifted around the battlefield delivering fatal attacks with arrows and spells. Naenia held off the man at the augers cart for a few moments but the pilgrims were being murdered quickly from their attackers. Suddenly, a hippogriff with a tiefling rider sprang down from the tree tops and snatched Sir Malagant’s wrapped bones from the rear cart. Sister Naenia was agast.

The strangers quickly killed the humans and tieflings who attacked them and even delivered death to the two mages in the woods. They came to the aid of the pilgrims and killed the last of the bandits. All traces of the calm confidence Sister Naenia possessed before had fled. She was distraught over the harm that had come to her followers. Ten out of the twenty had been killed but there was more than that. Her worst fear had come true.

“They took it! That beast flew off with his bones! Sweet Lady! Please you must help us. You must get the effigy back! It holds Sir Malagant’s bones and the Fiend’s Horn. If we don’t bury him…I don’t know. I just don’t know.” Sister Naenia spun in a panicked circle, starting toward the wrecked funeral wagon, then toward a wounded pilgrim, then toward the woods. She was incapable of deciding what to do.

The strangers were able to calm Sister Naenia and she explained that their exarch had left instructions for them to bury the effigy this week. The strangers agreed to pursue the assailants and bring Sir Malagant’s bones to her if possible. They were not willing to swear an oath to the Raven Queen but they gave their horses to the pilgrims for safe keeping. The way through the thick woods would not accomodate the large animals. They would meet Sir Malagant’s Faithful on the hill where the effigy was to be burried in a few days – a week at the most. All of Sister Naenia’s hopes rested with them.

As the strangers entered the woods, Sister Naenia heard a whisper from Sybil, the albino girl whom the augers had found as a babe lying in a worg’s den, and gooseflesh sprung up on her arms.

“Those who dream beneath the stars cannot yet be seen by the blind one who waits beyond them. The stars are safe…for now.”

It was a cool, cloudy day with occasional rain when the adventurers left for Spearpoint. Along the way they discussed the Wizard Mayor Perrobin Harvest with Farrah Goldleaf. Her father the Baron Stockmer had been friendly with the wizard and often took his advice. She had found papers among her father’s belongings which talked about a group called The Seekers Of Truth. The Seeker’s symbol (an eye set behind a set of scales) was present on the book that had belonged to Watcher. She knew this group only through rumor as rebels to the Ministry of Kulltown. Their mission was “to untangle the web of lies spun by the Ministry and learn the true legend of Sir Harnden”. Few mentioned the Seekers nowadays. It was believed they were dead.

Lord Perry had become more reclusive over the last few decades. He spent virtually all his time now in his tower in Spearpoint. It was believed he had settled in Spearpoint about 90 years ago and that he unofficially became the mayor soon afterward. People kept coming to him with their problems and he kept solving them. Over the years the small fishing village had become a significant port city – still not as large as Archertown, The City of Sosh or Bridgeblock. There was a high population of halflings in the Spearpoint area. Lord Perry used to travel to all the festivities around the Southern Provinces and advise the leaders of the cities and small towns. He helped found the school of wizardry at Fort Willow and assisted the Sheriff of Bridgeblock when the need arose.

Rumors Farrah had heard, claimed he had gotten the nickname Perry Barefoot twenty years ago at the Archertown Spring Festival. He was rarely seen during the ceremonies of that festival and when he was it was by servants delivering refreshments to his rooms. Some rumors claim he had answered his doors wrapped in a bedsheet each time but it was undoubted among the gossipping community that he was always in bare feet. When he was seen during that festival week outside his room the lovely Corellia Flamet had been always at his side and they were constantly whispering together and laughing. Corellia was champion from the previous year’s festival games. She had been an excellent archer and horsewoman, had won several ribbons and been engaged to Makkas Day. That following year when she had been at Perry’s side, Makkas Day was the new appointed Sheriff of Bridgeblock. Four years later Corellia had won the election for Governess of Archertown. She has held that office for fifteen years. Following that spring festival Perry’s involvement with Southern Province politics began to pull back to the area around Spearpoint.

He was known as The Smartest Man In The Realm but also had a reputation for carelessness and forgetfulness. His library in his Spearpoint home was legendary. He had a few trusted halflings who catalogued the library for him and dealt with issues related to the governing of the city.

At one point during the adventurers ride, during a rain shower, a gray dragon flew overhead. Either the elements concealed the party or the dragon was in no mood to hunt because it never paused in its flight – heading north and slightly west.

On the ride Ragnar revealed to Uthrid that he had new evidence regarding the disappearence of Erthic, Uthrid’s younger brother. A page had been torn out of Erthic’s journal and they found a small group of words imprinted on the following page. Ragnar hoped Lord Perry could puzzle out a clue with the words. Further investigating in the City of Sosh had revealed that Erthic had been asking around in some seedier districts for information about the forest where the ancient kingdom Acedia once lay and he had gotten involved with some “strange people”. The group of words from Erthic’s journal were: THE SLEEPER WARWOOD STARGAZER HILL THE FACE

They arrived in Speapoint mid-evening.

A hill above the city gave a nice view of the bay and the peninsula of Spearpoint even though the weather was poor. The farm houses gave way to inns and markets and then more condensed buildings for residences and more buisnesses and the ports for fishing and trade. A hill on the eastern side of time was the location of the wizard’s tower. There were no crenalated walls protecting the city and few guards. The people were friendly. Farrah went to the tower alone and returned to the group who waited about the square about a half hour later. She was accompanied by a halfling named Randall who escorted them to a banquet room in the tower where they given dinner and an opportunity to clean themselves up before their audience with Lord Perry.

Lord Perry was a tall, thin half elf. He had short, white hair and was dressed in fine casual clothes. He appeared to be around 60 human years old but was well over 100 years old. He was in a sitting room of the tower in a comfortable chair by a fireplace next to a window which overlooked the harbor. He sat smoking a long cigarette. The room was decorated with an exotic rug and there were a few desks covered with documents. Six chairs had been arranged around the room and Randall introduced the guests to the wizard. They sat and got down to discussing events of the last few weeks and this led to questions from the wizard about further back into the adventurers’ pasts. Occasionally, Perry gave instructions to Randall to look up a fact and the halfling would scratch down a note on a pad.

Perry agreed to take possession of Watcher’s Book and look into it’s secrets. He also proposed hiring Theren, Rudy, Uthrid and Nim to do some jobs for him. The adventurers quickly agreed. Perry diagnosed the dreams which had begun when Rudy and Theren came across the strange, runed, green gem and had been passed along to Ragnar. Ragnar reported that the night he had been attacked by the shadow hounds it had begun with a dream of him shaking Theren’s hand. The wizard explained that they had been marked when first they touched the gem and the dreams and attacks were meant to be a lure. The one who cursed them wanted to lure them to the place they saw in their dreams – the pillared hall near the Witchlight Fens. They were supposed to believe that returning the gem to the skull in their dreams would end the curse. The fact that the gem had disintigrated made the wizard believe that perhaps more than one of these gems had existed and someone had returned a gem to the skull. He surmised that placing the gem back in the skull would unleash more of the villians power. Perry washed their hands with a yellow liquid and the rune from the gem appeared on Rudy’s, Theren’s and Ragnar’s hands. Whoever was responsible had gained more power since the gem dissolved since he had sent agents other than shadow hounds to lure the adventurers to him. He agreed to remove the curse from them but suggested the villian should be dealt with soon in the future. Research later done by Randall revealed that the villian was likely an Oni Souleater. An Oni was a rare ogre-like creature with strong magical powers. An Oni Souleater was an undead Oni who gained power by consuming the souls of mortals. Why the curse was passed to Ragnar and not Uthrid who had also shaken Theren’s hand could not be easily explained but Perry believed it could be subject to a myriad of factors.

At the end of their conversation, it was agreed that the curse would be removed, Farrah would return to Harkenwold so as to not draw suspicions, Ragnar would remain for a time with the wizard and the adventurers would begin working for Lord Perry. Lord Perry would contact an associate who he believed could help him open the book and get started on unlocking it’s secrets. The first assignment Perry had for them was finding Erthic. Ragnar had shared the new evidence he had shown Uthrid and the wizard had known the location of the Warwood and Stargazer Hill. Uthrid and his older brother had followed the east road out of Fort Dolor but by Perry’s direction they should have taken a road that headed northeast into the Warwood. The creature who had killed Ragnar Ragnarson likely had no connection to Erthic and his destination.

The Whiteowl Road runs through the center of the ten mile wide natural bridge that seperates the Aegan Sea from Lake Kaurnis. From Cheap Whiskey the road runs west to The Frontier Gate which is a military outpost and was formerly the Provinces easternmost stronghold. Roads branch from the Whiteowl Road at the Frontier Gate and lead to Jonathan Steward’s stronghold, The Light Of The Sun, Fort Willow and Fort Durgin. The Whiteowl Road continues west to the sheriff Makkas Day’s fortress and then on to Bridgeblock. At Bridgeblock the Whiteowl Road continues west to the far off city of Archertown but most people travelling to Archertown would use the King’s Road which runs north of Bridgeblock to Harkenwold and runs south of Bridgeblock to Spearpoint. From Spearpoint the King’s Road leads south to the City Of Sosh. In Sosh travellers can pick up the Lion’s Pride Road which runs east along the Arkvana Peninsula and runs west to Archertown.

The adventurers got an early start despite Utrid’s throbbing hangover. By mid-afternoon they arrived in Bridgeblock and found a crowded busy city. They made there way to the town square and saw the meeting proposing Fallcrest as a recognized Point Of Light in session. The politicians were gathered in the center of the meeting hall. The meeting took place below the balconies which were at street level. Only a select few were actually down the stairs participating in the meeting but other citizens gathered around the balcony and socialized as they waited. Rudy and Theren saw Farrah Goldleaf Stockmer participating in the meeting and Nim noticed Marla of the Great Church who he knew from Harkenwold. Uthrid found his father Ragnar with some of his men. Uthrid introduced Theren to his father and the three of them spoke privately. Uthrid gave his father the news of his oldest son’s death. Ragnar was perturbed and Uthrid found himself stumbling over the story about the book they had found much to Theren’s surprise. They then asked Ragnar to tell no one about the book and that they planned on speaking to Farrah Goldleaf about it.

The senator from Sosh was Daruid One-Eye and Rudy was able to meet him and relay the tale of Brother Iannis and give the cleric’s skull to the politician. The senator understood the significance of the man’s skull being returned to the place of his ancestors. He told Rudy that the City of Sosh and the Coastal Provinces could use a man like him and he should come back to Sosh with him. Rudy politely declined for the moment but left room to accept the offer at a later time.

The adventurers got a private meeting with Farrah and she was very intrigued when she learned about the book. She suggested they take the book to Perrobin Harvest and she planned to go with them. She sent Marla and Remy Longsong and the rest of her escort back to Harkenwold immediately. She knew the Fallcrest representatives Strongbeard and Orontor would be leaving in the morning and she didn’t want them knowing she had other business. If her escort left at the same time as them they might notice her abscence and she didn’t trust them.

That night in their rooms the adventurers heard the howl of shadow hounds and Rudy and Theren were attacked by spirits and skeletal warrior. In the morning they received word that Ragnar and his men had been attacked by shadow hounds.

The next morning Uthrid, Ragnar, Nim, Theren, Rudy and Farrah waited for word that the Fallcrest agents had left the city and they snuck out of the city heading for Spearpoint with confidence that no one had noticed.

The outpost was a place Uthrid had travelled through on his way to Fort Dolor. The road led up a crevass to the gates. Towers stood above the trees to the north and south of the road. Archers looked down from the crenalated walls that ran out from the gates into the wilderness. The walls were decorated withe the bones of giant beasts. The gates were opened for the adventurers and they passed through the inspection from the guards easily. Utrid knew the man in charge of those on duty and they were welcomed into the border town. Businesses lined the road through town but only one sign hung from the buildings “Whiskey – Cheap”. Thus, this outpost had earned the name Cheap Whiskey. It was the easternmost outpost belonging to the Southern Provinces and the only fortress except for Jonathan Steward’s stronghold that was built past the original Frontier Gate which had been built around one hundred years ago.

The people stationed here were eager to hear about Fort Dolor and Rudy’s gleaming armor drew a crowd. The adventurers were questioned by Capt. Jullian Durgin who was one of Makkas Day’s men in charge of Cheap Whiskey and they were questioned by an agent of Jonathan Steward. Steward’s dwarf agent Relwar Tor had not returned as expected and the news of the disappearing soldiers was disturbing to Steward’s agent. The adventurers learned that a meeting was to be held in the city of Bridgeblock on the following day and that many influential people would be there. Uthrid learned that his father was likely to be there with one of the Sosh senators and they learned that representatives from Archertown, Harkenwold and Fallcrest would be there. The meeting was evidently a fact gathering, preliminary meeting to one which would be held to determine if Fallcrest would be recognized by the Southern Provinces as an official Point Of Light.

Uthrid, lamenting the loss of his brother, got drunk that night and beat up a bouncer. The party headed to Bridgeblock early the next morning.

The timberers decided to look in on another group of tree cutters stationed north rather than accompany the adventurers back to Fort Dolor. Uthrid, Nim, Rudy and Theren got an early start toward the fort. The first day was uneventful. A few hours outside of Fort Dolor, on the following day, the adventurers ran into a search party led by Lukylyl Austy the elf whom they had met at the Avalanche Inn a few days earlier. The search party was out looking for signs of the soldiers who had been sent out on patrols by Captain Revince over the past couple of days. Lukylyl told the adventurers that apart from the patrols sent to the farms many others had been sent out and none had returned. The people in town were starting to take the prophecies spouted by the old dwarf hermit seriously. The old hermit had said that an ancient evil in the forest would be stirred up by the timberers and farms would be attacked. One person would survive and would be the key to defeating the evil. Many soldiers would die and outsiders would come and offer help but would bring doom to Fort Dolor. He said many of the businesses were closing up and the people were becoming wary of outsiders. Lukylyl had heard that Captain Revince had left with one of the patrols and Lt. Stymers was now in charge of the garrison until the Captain returned. Lukylyl also mentioned that the dwarf whom he had been playing stones with at the Avalanche Inn, Relwar Tor, had left that morning for Bridgeblock to report to Jonathan Steward on the situation in Fort Dolor. The adventurers filled the search party in on the attacks to the log haulers and the farms and told them to watch out for spine devils and owlbears.

Another hour along the crude road and Theren spotted a tiefling soldier approaching. They confronted the tiefling who introduced himself as Private Zanphist. He was trying to catch up with Lukylyl’s party after being threatened in Fort Dolor. He explained that he had seen Captain Revince kissing the girl Xeriope in the barracks when she was first brought in as the lone survivor from the attacks on the farms. He then heard the girl give Revince orders to send out small patrols to specific locations around the area. None of these patrols had returned. The girl was taken to the home of the herbalist to be cared for and he was sure the Captain was there with her. He had reported this to Lt. Stymers and believed the lieutenant chose to ignore him. But then a big dragonborn soldier that Zanphist did not know showed up at the barracks and threatened him. The dragonborn told him to stop stirring up trouble and get out of town if he knew what was good for him. The adventurers told Zanphist that the search party was about an hour ahead of him and he departed.

When they reached Fort Dolor Nim remained out by the road with Rudy and the horse they had gotten from Nevern. Uthrid went to get his horse from the rancher he had left him with and Theren came along to purchase a horse so the group could make quick progress to Bridgeblock. They found that the rancher had closed up and left Fort Dolor but an eladrin rancher named Aestirol had taken in Uthrid’s steed. The eladrin was busy in his stable attending a horse about to give birth to a foal and was having complications. Theren and Uthrid assisted him and afterward he sold them his best warhorse for a fair price.

The adventurers rode out on the Whiteowl Road and were shortly intercepted by Lieutenant Stymers and a patrol of human and dwarf soldiers accompanied by a pair of dire boar. The lieutenant questioned them and let them leave. He also mentioned that Relwar Tor had left for Bridgeblock and assured them Tor would be advising Jonathan Steward about the situation at the Fort so everything was under control. The adventurers rode hard and one of them believed they saw a large scavenger bird carrying a head out of the brush at the side of the road but they continued riding without investigating. They wanted to be sure they had a good head start in case friends of Nevern were looking for them. Their goal was to get to Bridgeblock and then Harkenwold as fast as possible because they believed Farrah Goldleaf could be trusted and might know someone who could help them uncover the mysteries of Watcher’s locked book. They decided to tell no one about the book except the Baroness.

They camped one night along the road and then a few hours away from Bridgeblock’s easternmost outpost they were ambushed by a pair of war trolls. They first tried fighting the trolls but they were outmatched and managed to get away on their horses. A few hours later they arrived at the eastern outpost known as Cheap Whiskey.

They killed Nevern. A couple hacks from Uthrid’s sword and the defenseless man fell to the ground and bled out. They had been talking about what to do with him while he apparently slept but he had overheard them decide on his execution. Nim was against the idea and Theren did not feel good about it but Uthrid insisted and Rudy saw it as the most logical action for them. They didn’t want to drag him along and set themselves up to be sabotaged later. Nevern tried to bargain for his life. He told them the book held secrets and powerful magic but he wasn’t at all sure to what extent or focus the magic entailed. He was willing to follow them as their prisoner under whatever terms they required as long as they would not kill him. He said he had been living around Fort Dolor ever since The Beheaders had disappeared into the Pyramid Of Shadows. He denied having anything to do with their entrapment within it. He also claimed he had only meant to put them to questioning and never intended to kill them but they doubted his truthfulness. He said the angels had come to him a few months ago and told him about the assignment to capture the book and make sure no one knew about it. He said he could see that he had been wrong in interfering with them sib=nce they obviously knew nothing about it. He was supposed to deliver the book to someone called the Iron General. He also revealed that he did not have divine powers but was more of an acedemic and guided them to his spellbook hidden in the saddle of the horse. The book contained four spells which Nim looked at and could discern their purpose but not exactly how to use them. When they questioned Nevern further about the Iron General he said he could share the information but as they were decided on killing him he wasn’t feeling any incentive to do so. He said he would help them open the book and had a few ideas about people that could help them. That way the power would be theirs and he just asked to be let go free and he would never cross them again. They were unwilling to grant him mercy and he ended up in a shallow grave.

The adventurers went to the timberers who reported that they had seen no trouble but their log hauling crew had run off. They figured the workers were owed less money that there was work to do and had run off. The party looked around the logging camp and found nothing odd so they took the haulers path toward the farms. Three hours out they found a log hauling cart that had been run into a thicket and found the spines of a spined devil lodged in its side. At the first farm they found a barn that had been burned and a house that had been broken into. A soldiers sword and breastplate lay in the courtyard and there was other evidence of a recent fight. A spined devil was lurking in the loft of the barn but it flew off when it discovered the adventurers poking around. The bodies of two of the six soldiers who had been sent there to investigate were found behind the barn being picked by crows. They boarded up the house and spent the night. During the night the soldier bodies were carried off by a pack of wolves.

The next day the made it to the next farm and found an unharmed barn but a house which had been destryed by fire. As they were approaching they were attacked by a pair of owlbears who rushed out of the trees. Uthrid and Rudy were mauled pretty badly but everyone survived and the owlbears were killed. Inside the house they found three soldiers who had died in the house fire. They assumed the devil was behind the attack and the owlbears had been attracted by the smell of death. They went back to the timberers and warned them about the devil. Their next plan was to head back to Fort Dolor to warn them about the devil and then head to Harkenwold to find Farrah Goldleaf.

Theren and Rudy collected their new items from Bly Gethers the next morning. Bly passed on condolences from Gendar the Drow merchant from Thunderspire Labyrinth regarding the death of Torinn. On their way back to the Avalanche Inn a female dwarf hermit was out in front raving about doom coming to Fort Dolor. She warned that a great evil would be arroused in the forest by the timberers and that farms would be destroyed by attackers. Only one would survive the attacks and she would hold the key to defeating the evil in the forest. She predicted many soldiers would be killed and that outsiders would come to help but would bring doom to the Fort. Uthrid and the gnome joined the two former Beheaders at the Inn and they met Captain Revince.

Captain Revince appeared to be a no-nonesense officer and he assured them that things were well in the area and prospering. He expected that his employer Jonathan Steward would be visiting shortly to inspect the place. Steward was hopeful that the northeast region could be tamed and that the Southern Provinces could extend their influence and civilization into the area. Revince had heard that Adakmi was under quarentine and it had been a set back for Steward who was funding the explorers who had occupied the place. Steward was also dealing with rebuilding part of his estate which had been attacked by wartrolls.

As the adventurers were about to part company with the Captain a soldier came to him reporting trouble. Some farms had been attacked and they were bringing the lone survivor – a farm girl. Revince went out and met with his soldiers and issued orders. Then he escorted the girl back to the barracks. The adventurers interupted him and volunteered to help. He was sending soldiers to investigate the two farms and he asked the adventurers to check out the timberers nearby because he heard some of them had been attacked as well.

The location the adventurers were to investigate was a day and a half away. On their trip Theren scouted ahead and witnessed a patrol of soldiers – 4 human, 4 dwarf with 2 dire boar on chains questioning Garesh Vren. Vren looked like he had a rough time out alone in the wilderness. After a short talk Vren was handed a parchment from the lieutenant leading the soldiers and they shook hands and departed.

At nightfall, Uthrid took the first watch and woke the others after a couple of hours because he realized someone was trying to sneak up on the camp. Three black angels emerged from the trees surrounding the camp and a human addressed them. The human was Nevern. Nevern had been travelling with the Beheaders when they became trapped in the Pyramid Of Shadows. He said he was surprised to see them after nearly two years. He thought he was rid of them and their meddling. He wanted to question them about Syn Tallow and condemned their dispatching of the Hand Of Naraash. They truthfully told him they knew nothing of the tiefling wrlock, whom they had watched the black angels kill. Nevern was not satisfied with their answer and wanted them to lay down their weapons and surrender to him for questioning. When they refused he ordered the angels to attack and he slipped into the trees and mounted his horse.

The adventurers held off the angels and destroyed them and also managed to knock out Nevern and capture him. The last angel retreated to Nevern’s horse and tried to wrestle a book out of one of the saddlebags but Rudy killed the angel before it could escape. The book was very old and bound with iron locks with magical runes. It was the book the angels had taken from Watcher/Syn Tallow. The adventurers went back to their rest with plans to question Nevern in the morning.

Rudy and Theren talked to many of those socializing in the bar room of the Avalanche Inn. They bought the room a round of drinks as Uthrid Ragnarson and a gnome entered. The gnome was inspecting a curious quill which had been picked out of the soldiers neck after he rode into town, dazed. The two joined Rudy and Theren at their table and they traded tales of their adventures.

Uthrid had travelled up to Fort Dolor with his older brother Ragnar Ragnarson. The two soldiers of Sosh were looking for their younger brother, Erthic, who was only a boy but had been plagued by dreams which called to him to search out the forgotten kingdom of his ancient ancestors. The boy had run away from a good home before ever formally training and serving his four years in the military as was customary of all youths born of Sosh citizens. The two brothers had followed weeks later after returning to Sosh at the request of their father. Ragnar had remained in Archertown after the summer festival and Uthrid had been finishing off his military service working for Captain Doegan in Bridgeblock. Captain Doegan got his orders directly from Makkas Day the renowned Serriff of Bridgeblock.

Erthic had been plagued by dreams calling him to the wild lands of the northeast. He believed his ancestors were heirs to a forgotten kingdom called Acedia. He had left word that he was going to find the ruins of that ancient civilization. Ragnar and Uthrid had followed his trail to Fort Dolor and they had followed the road that ran along the river into the wilderness. The two brothers had stopped to fill their water skins. The road had gradually worsened the deeper they travelled into the wilderness and the forest’s twisted trees thickened. It was eerily quiet and the horses were nervous. While Uthrid calmed the horses Ragnar filled the skins. Suddenly, Ragnar cried out. Uthrid ran to his aid. A black hulk towered in the place Ragnar had been standing. Arms and shoulders rippling with thick corded muscles held Ragnar up nine feet in the air. The powerful arms ended not in hands but in three blades as long as swords and these pierced the dying body of Ragnar. A huge black skull rested atop the creatures shoulders and it screeched a bone chilling sound at Uthrid. Quills shot from the creatures neck and struck Uthrid. He fell back and scrambled up the riverbank back toward the horses looking back at the monstrosity as he fled. The beast flung Ragnar’s corpse free from his appendage using the blades on the end of it’s other arm and the body twisted in the air and landed in the water in two pieces. The creature disappeared in a wink of the eye as Uthrid gathered the reins of the horses and leapt upon his mount. Then the creature reappeared at Uthrid’s side and the soldier dug his spurs into the horse and it sprung away. A powerful arm swung through the air where the horse was a moment before and a blade from the appendage tore through Uthrid’s red cloak. Another arm slammed into Ragnar’s horse and Uthrid was forced to release the reins rather than be pulled from his horse. Uthrid lowered himself in the saddle and road hard, the terrified screams of Ragnar’s steed rang in his ears until he lost consciousness. The next thing he knew he was standing on uneasy legs next to his horse outside Fort Dolor while a gnome picked a quill out of his neck.

Rudy and Theren sat in the Avalanche Inn drinking. They had acquired rooms and were going to have to wait until the next day to receive their order of equipment from Bly Gethers. Pet-Ah had departed to find Captain Revince and possibly join the soldiers stationed at the fort.

Oeserd Emiro, a dwarf sat by the fireplace drinking mead. Tattoos decorated his face around the eyes and black feathers were woven through his hair. He wore a battle axe on his belt and a pair of ravens embossed the collars of his armor. Earlier, he had been speaking with some men-at-arms arranging an expedition into the wild to a rumored monastary of the Raven Queen.

A young lady called Riss sat at a table by herself. Her straight, brown hair was cut short. She had freckles on her nose and large, innocent brown eyes. Her clothes were a plain wool robe and worn boots which looked too large. She had a large book opened in front of her and she sipped on a small glass of high potency grain alcohol.

An elf, Lukylyl Austy, sat at a game of stones with a dwarf named Relwar Tor. Over their game of stones they were engaged in a good natured debate about the frontier. Luk, the chainmail clad elf, punctuated his points with quotes from the teachings of Avandra while the dwarf, Tor, pounded his fist on the table and backed the priests of Erathis who preached about taming the wilderness and building empires.

At a table nearby, a gnome called Emo entertained a rough looking dragonborn called Vizifen. Viz wore hide armor and carried a great sword across his back. The gnome drank hot chocolate and joked with the dragonborn using hand puppets. Occasionally, the dragonborn would listen in to the conversation between the dwarf and elf. He would then scoff and take a large pull of his ale.

Ina, a pretty elf maiden in snug leather pants and jerkin flittered around the room talking to everyone except the gnome, who rolled his eyes when she stopped by to comment on the dragonborn’s strong shoulders. The gnome shook his head in disbelief when the compliment enticed the Vizifen to order a lager for Ina.

The door to the inn opened and a human warrior in scale armor with a shield and longssword entered. The shield was emblazoned with the symbol of the City of Sosh, a Lion’s Head. The warrior looked weary. Some blood flecked his face and neck and his red cloak was torn. Behind him a gnome wandered inside while inspecting a large quill. The gnome’s hair was arranged in a spiked line down the center of his scalp with the sides shaven and covered in tatooes.

Rudy, Theren, Garesh, Pet-Ah and Syvek found seven surviving villagers on the outskirts of the village and they all headed north on the eastern side of the river. Everyone had questions. The villagers had a hard time believing they had been reliving the same day for more than 100 years. Rudy showed Theren the skull and other items he had found and they filled each other in on recent events. Garesh was irritated about the former Beheaders insistance on aiding the villagers. Syvek just wanted to find some shade. Pet-Ah was quiet.

They travelled for a day. The villagers had done trade with the Lord of Adakmi in the past and the Beheaders determined that they were about 50 miles northeast of the place where they had entered the Pyramid Of Shadows. At dusk they found a ranger sitting by a campfire. After Syvek spied on the rnger for a few moments the rest of the adventurers and villagers felt safe about approaching the man. He welcomed them to his fire and they talked about the wilderness around them. The ranger took in their story with little surprise. He told them that Adakmi was under quarentine and should be avoided. He told them Fort Dolor was to the south and a monostary was to the east. When they decided to go to the fort the ranger offered to lead the villagers to the monostary which was closer. He told them a large band of war-trolls had been in the region so they should be wary.

After resting the night the groups departed. The adventurers found themselves under attack by some crazy shifters. When the shifters attacked Garesh Vren ran off.The others were angry with him but they defeated the creatures and then followed the dragonborn. They were gaining on him. As they crested a hill they could see him at the top of another hill ahead. Between the hills they witnessed the tiefling warlock that Rudy knew as Watcher fighting two black angels. Garesh ran off again and the adventurers tried to help Watcher but the angels killed him and stole a book which was chained around his waist. They buried him and continued on.

Rudy and Theren asked Syvek to open the scroll they were supposed to have delivered to Jonathan Steward. He did and it revealed a map of Adakmi hall with some notes, an incomplete poem and a short letter to Jonathan Steward from Crysilla Crane suggesting her operation would need the assistence of someone named Perrobin Harvest.

The next morning Rudy and Theren found that Syvek had slipped away in the night. He thanked them for their assistence and bid them farewell pointing out that his adgenda differed from theirs. The two former Beheaders continued through the wilderness with the strange soldier Pet-ah who had little to say. One day while they were travelling Theren noticed a green mist issuing from one of his bags of holding. He found the pouch with the green rune gem was the source of the mist. The mist formed pictures of skulls, shadow hounds and a pillared hall. When Theren opened the pouch he saw that the gem was disintegrating. Soon all that was left was a small pile of residium and an uneasy feeling passed between Rudy and Theren. It soon passed as Rudy and Theren were glad to rid of the gem which had seemed to lure shadow hounds to them every few weeks. A few more days of travelling and the hills gave way to woods. The adventurers met up with some timberers. The timberers were selling their trees to Fort Dolor and some mining companies in the area. A white dragon that had wiped out Fort Dolor multiple times (every time it started becoming prosperous) had been slain about a year ago and Fort Dolor was thriving. There were 200 soldiers stationed at the fort under the leadership of Captain Revince. Merchants, adventurers, landless farm-hands, craftsmen and adventurers were showing up frequently at the fort looking to earn riches.

As the adventurers got closer to the fort they ran into a patrol of soldiers and soon they reached Fort Dolor. They found a busy little fort and ran into a man named Bly Gethers that recognized them from Thunderspire Labyrinth. Rudy remebered him as a lackey who worked for Brugg in the seven-pillared-hall. The man said he was working for a merchant now and he offered to help them trade in some items and spend their treasure on new equipment. They gave him a wish list of items and checked themselves into the Avalanche Inn.

The storm cleared and the sun peeked over the horizon. What remained of Janus Gull was the town square, the inn and the town hall as well as some surrounding homes and businesses. The rest had washed away or remained submerged. The survivors began to gather in the square. Theren, Garesh, Pet-ah and Syvek watched from the bluff. Suddenly, the doors of the inn burst open. A villager was thrown through it and landed on the ground. Creatures emerged from the building and began attacking villagers. The adventurers saw the black angels, they had encountered earlier, lurking behind the town hall. A figure emerged from the from of the town hall and began battling the creatures killing villagers. Some other humanoids emerged from a small house on the edge of the square. They carried greatswords and joined in the battle slicing at random foes. The adventurers hurried down the bluff to get a closer look.

When the adventurers got closer they saw that hellguard devils and snake-eyed, scaly-skinned humanoids were attacking the villagers and githyanki raiders attacked both villians and villagers as they swept across the square on their way to the road between the inn and town hall where to larger battle was taking place. Theren, Pet-ah and Syvek took shots at hellguards and snake-men as the villagers ran past them. The adventurers got closer to the main battle and saw the githyanki, some chain devils and the black angels engaged in a battle that swarmed around a tiefling warlock. The tiefling fled the battle along the side of the town hall and as he rounded the corner coming toward the adventurers, two black angels stabbed him and he fell. The angels were then engaged by some of the githyanki who had brought down the chain devils. A snake-man appeared in the window above the tiefling and ensnared an angel with a misty tentacle. Someone from inside the town hall attacked the snake person and shouted at the tiefling, who lept from the ground and ran across the town hall.The adventurers backed down the road away from the square and Rudolph Harmony came crashing through the window of the hall next to them.

“Watcher!” he called at the tiefling. The tiefling paused and then ran behind a house across the square. Rudy joined Theren and the others and they ran down the street leaving the village. As they went they saw one of the black angels leap from the town hall roof to the building across the square. They heard the githyanki in the square clanging their swords against their breastplates and cheering in victory. Smoke began pouring out the windows of the town hall and the githyanki began raiding what was left of the village.

“Rudolph Harmony it has been an honor.” The words of Brother Iannis penetrated the mind of Rudy as he slept, slipping into his dreams. “I came here to meet you and now that I have it is time for me to move on. It’s time to face a game of stones with Kord himself. Take my weapon, weild it as your own and pass on my symbol of Mighty Kord to someone who will use it with honor. I ask only that you take my skull from this place and deliver it Daruid One-Eye when you get the chance. He is a senator in the City of Sosh. May Kord guide your sword to victory, always!”

Rudy awoke. He sat on the floor of the wine cellar resting against a cask. Two empty bottles of wine lay on the floor between him and a rusty suit of chainmail armor. Skeletal hands hung from the decaying sleeves, a skull rested in the hood with mustaches still thick above the mouth. The hair hung long pasted to the skull. A silver symbol of Kord hung around the neck of the armor and a scabbarded broadsword rested beneath it. A helmate and shield lay nearby.

Rudy removed the symbol and tied it to his belt. Then he pulled the sword out from underneath the remains. He examined the scabbard which was leather with silver details depicting the crowned skulls of three kings. He drew the thick blade from the sheath. A light blue gem was held in the mouth of a silver carved monsters skull on the pommel. The silver hilt was wrapped with a leather grip. The blade was strong and well balanced, good for chopping through limbs but short and sharp and capable of plunging through gaps in armor. The blade was exceptionally sharp. Rudy strapped the sword across his back and bent down to look in at the skull. The flesh had been picked from the skull by insects or other vermin. Rudy reached into the hood and took out the head. He brushed away the hair wrapped the skull in a spare pouch.

Rudy heard a crash above and rushed to the stairs. The storm no longer raged above but he could heard shouting and screaming and the clash of swords. He crept quickly up the stairs and heard someone in the front room down the hall. A battle was going on just outside in the village square. As he slipped toward the front room he caught sight of Watcher running past a window toward the village square. He was pursued by two black angels who struck out him with long swords and daggers. In the front room, a man with eyes and scales similar to a snake watched the battle from a window. Rudy saw Watcher stumble into view of this window and fall. The robed snake man moved to the window and cast a spell. Rudy rushed forward, drew the broadsword and slammed a commander’s strike into into the snake man. Outside the window, Watcher lie on the ground with the black angels lingering nearby. A group of githyanki raiders with tanished silver breastplates and greatswords battled a couple other angels and some chained devils lay slain in the square. Rudy shouted a rallying cry to Watcher and the tiefling jumped up and ran across the square. Rudy ran down the hall in the direction Watcher had gone and crashed through the window and into the road which was bathed in the sun of a new day.

Syvek scouted ahead as the adventurers climbed the treacherous path leading up the bluff. He found a clearing. Scattered around the clearing defiled religeous symbols of a Silver Flame and strange, animalist icons. The storm around the bluff and the village below was at the peak of it’s fury. The village square below along with the Inn, Town Hall and a few other buildings were an island among the washed out streets and ruined houses. A pair of figures stood in the middle of the clearing ranting and chanting and waving their arms in ritual. One was a human in plate armor with a great sword at his side. He shouted curses on the people of Janus Gull and the girl Esme. He was filthy and soiled and full of rage. The other creature was an tall, thin hag with unnaturally large hands with clawed nails. She was robed in a hideous patchwork of pelts, scales, shells, skins and seaweed. She cursed cursed out at all the civilized races promising to bring the wrath of nature upon them.

Syvek returned to Theren, Garesh and the mysterious fighter Pet-ah to report his findings. They quickly surmised that the two performing the ritual were responsible for the storm and they needed to stop them. Syvek snuck close ready to ambush the pair and Theren established a ranged position. Garesh and Pet-ah charged across the clearing when Theren popped up and shot at the hag. The knight drew his great sword and met Garesh and Pet-ah in the middle of the clearing. The bog hag lunged at them as well striking out with her horrible claws.

The battle was a hack and slash slugfest. The adventurers threw everything they had at the two villans and it ended up being enough. Syvek delivered the killing blow to each one but all contributed. As the knight and witch battled the storm lulled and ended when both were slain. The adventurers took a few moments to rest and knew when they saw the dawning sun that they were no longer in the Shadowfell. They had returned the ghost village to the natural world.

“It was in the spring of the 989th year since the Endless Winter, when word reached me in Sosh that a band of heroes – called the Beheaders – were being led by a man wearing the legendary Invulnerable Coat of Ahrnd.” explained Brother Iannis. Brother Iannis had led Rudy to the wine cellar of the town hall where he insisted they would be safe from the destruction he claimed would wipe out the entire village. Rudy had many questions but the cleric was determined to tell his tale with his own flair and he was starting at the beginning. Iannis had inspected the armor Rudy wore – reveretially gushing about it’s brilliance. Then they had gone to the cellar while Watcher/Syn-Tallow lurked above, watching the storm from one window and then another. If what the cleric was saying was true, then he had learned of the Beheaders at least four months after they had been trapped by the Pyramid of Shadows – yet for Rudy and Theren only a couple weeks had passed. So far, Rudy had learned that Brother Iannis had travelled to the Nentir Vale after hearing about the reappearance of his patron saint’s armor. There he had been informed by a visionary warlock that he would find the half-elf warlord in the village of Janus Gull and after some difficulty had arrived and waited for him. He had met Watcher (or Syn-Tallow as he called him) after he had arrived in the ghost town. He claimed that the village was destroyed every night and at dawn – in a flash – the town would return to dusk of the following evening and be wiped out again by the storm. The surviving townspeople just went about their ordinary business and if left undisturbed would live the night over exactly as they had before. Those who had died in the storm roamed the village as ghosts and usually just blended in with the other townspeople. The Village of Janus Gull was now a demiplane created from supernatural forces. It touched upon other planes occasionally and there were dangerous residents now within the village. Iannis believed Syn-Tallow had entered the village in much the same way he had – by visiting its place in the natural world on the 23rd day of the ninth month, Sypheros. That was the date, evidently, that the demiplane had been ripped from the natural world and it reappeared there every year for the night. He cautioned that Syn-Tallow was dangerous and unpredictable. Something was hunting the tiefling and he was usually very paranoid. He also believed that Syn had been in the demiplane for a long while before he had been there and that the demiplane had effected his mind. Iannis thought that the people of the village and visitors to it slowly surrendered their minds to the demiplane. If one were to speak to the villagers and try to divert them from actions they did on the original night of the village’s destruction they would enter a catatonic state. Iannis did not believe he had been effected.

“So, I organized a pilgrimage immediately,” the cleric continued, “I had to see for myself. In Harkenwold, Farrah Goldleaf told me of your good deeds rescuing her and some villagers from hobgblin slavers. She said you had gone into the dangerous lands to the east looking for cultists who were raiding villages. She had received more refugees after you left and had heard reports that the demon cult The Hand of Naarash had been defeated by the Beheaders but that your group had disappeared. Alas, her father had just recently passed away and she was busy trying to provide for refugees. She had a good handle on things from what I could see. She said you were from Fallcrest but she was distrustful of the new Lord Warden Armos Kamroth. I decided to try my luck in Fallcrest. On my way out of Harkenwold I was impressed with new fortifications defending the roads in and noticed they had patrols of soldiers and elves in the woods and along the roads. I found Fallcrest to be a military town. There were many human and dragonborn soldiers and I was surprised to find many contigents of kobold scouting squads. The Moonstone Keep had been renovated into a Temple to Io – The First Dragon.

“Some people in the lower quays filled me in on the heroics you pulled off slaying the dragon, Szartharrax, and helping the folks in Winterhaven. I learned that a mage from Thunderspire Labyrinth was staying in Moonstone Keep at the invitation of the Lord Warden. Evidently, the Lord Warden has scouted out many of the ruins in the Nentir Vale and he has groups of treasure seekers and tomb raiders throughout the vale bringing riches to Fallcrest. I was tempted to go to Winterhaven but Thunderspire was closer so I went there first.

“When I got to Thunderspire’s seven pillared hall I acquired residence at the Halfmoon Inn and talked about your group with Rendil Halfmoon and a bard friend of his. The bard friend had many ballads about the Beheaders – ‘Dragging The Hide From The Dragon’, ‘Nightmares For Kobold Cubs’, ‘Pulling The Irontooth’, ‘The Ballad Of Sir Keegan’, ‘The Keep On The Shadowfell’, ‘Slaughter At The Chamber Of Eyes’ and ‘Rescue At The Horned Hold’. It was great to hear the tales but I was frustrated that I might never find you. It was then that I met a dragonborn warlock called Surina. She told me I would find you on the 23rd of Sypheros at the Village of Janus Gull. She said she was a fortune teller and I asked her about you. She rolled the bones and told me about Janus Gull and the date I needed to be there.

“I had no idea where this place was but I convinced some people to head east in the direction you had last been seen. I travelled all the way to the citadel of Adakmi and met people along the way who knew of the Beheaders. At Adakmi, I learned that Janus Gull was a village that had been washed away decades ago but also heard rumors that it reappeared once a year in the place it had once been. It was a few weeks before the 23rd of Sypheros and I convinced a couple associates to accompany me. We took the river down from Adakmi and and searched the shores until we were convinced we had found the right spot. We camped there for a few days and sure enough on the 23rd the town reappeared at dusk with the storm. I wasn’t sure where to find you so I started out searching all over the village asking about you. That was when I realized the people here were not right in their minds. I had some difficulty the first few nights. I was discouraged the first night when I didn’t find you. The next night my associates ran into some githyanki raiders who reside across the village square and were slaughtered. I found Syn-Tallow here at the town hall and slowly gained his trust. He doesn’t communicate much but I impressed upon him that I was looking for you, the wearer of the Invulnerable Coat of Ahrnd. I showed him my holy symbol and eventually he would point to the symbol and say ‘Ahrnd’ whenever we came across one another. I was insistant about trying to learn more about him as he was my only ally and I learned he called himself Syn-Tallow. I’m not sure how long he has been here. He carries a dagger and a rod on him and I’ve seen him have to defend himself and his powers are impressive. He is a warlock with a star pact, if my guess is correct. The only other item he carries is an old, very worn, iron bound book that he has tied around his waist underneath his cloak. I thought he was going to kill me the way he looked the first time I asked him about the book so I haven’t mentioned it to him more than a couple of times. I’ve never seen him looking through it but he always has it with him. One time, I did watch him as he ran his hand along the cover of the book and he seemed to be muttering a child’s rhyme or a song, over and over again.

“So, that is my story, for the most part, and since you are here now, I must assume that it is the 23rd of Sypheros?” mused Brother Iannis, opening a bottle of wine. “I just arrived a year early. What have YOU been doing?”

They shared wine and Rudy filled Iannis in on some of what he and the Beheaders had gone through. Rudy mentioned finding his companions but Iannis was sure that the storm was reaching it’s peak and if his friends were not safe there was noting Rudy would be able to do for them now. Rudy would have to look for them when dawn turned to dusk. Brother Iannis said the first few hours were the best time to venture out into the village. Soon Rudy drifted off to sleep.

Syvek scouted the surrounding hills and plains following the escape from the Pyramid of Shadows and found that they were on an achient battleground. There were many undead. Most of the undead stood motionless – absorbed in the aura of the necrotic energy of the Shadowfell like a powerful drug. Because Syvek was a shadow creature he could move near them without drawing their attention. The others would be more difficult to get past the undead. Their life forces would awaken the entranced abominations. Syvek found a safe path for them and they travelled for a few days north on a narrow road through the wilderness.

At the end of the third day Rudy, Theren, Garesh and Syvek found themselves in a thick fog which rolled in suddenly and blocked visibility entirely along the road and the surrounding forest. They stumbled through it, occasionally calling out to each other. As the fog cleared Theren, Garesh and Syvek stepped into a torrent of rain. Shielding their eyes from the rain they looked about but could not find Rudy. They called out into the fog and heard an answering shout which was not Rudy. A man in scale armor with a shield and warhammer stepped out of the fog. They questioned him but the man did not know where he was or what he was doing there. He had not seen Rudy but believed he had lost a couple companions although he could not remember who those companions had been. He agreed to help the three find Rudy.

Ahead, lantern light glowed from some buildings so they walked along the road to investigate. They saw a woman walking toward them. As she got closer they saw that she was a girl about sixteen years old.

“Why won’t it stop?” she asked, “It has been raining for so long.”

“What is this place?” asked Theren, “Do you live here?”

“Of course,” she answered, “This is the village of Janus Gull. This is a fishing village. I am Esme. My father is the blacksmith.”

“Here in the Shadowfell?” asked Theren.

“What?” Esme looked confused and then sorrowful, “My father is dead…”

Suddenly Syvek realized he could see the latern directly behind the girl. She was transparent.

“My family is dead!” screamed the girl, “You did this!”

Theren protested but the girl continued. “You are with Cormac! Tell him I will never marry him. The shifters are my friends. His campaign is evil!” and the girl blasted them with a wave of psychic energy. Her face and bodied expanded in a flash and she was gone. The blast knocked the three of them back, dazing them.

They exchanged curious looks with each other and Syvek slinked away to investigate further up the road. A father and his sons were bringing logs for a fire indoors from where it was stacked along their house. They talked about how suddenly the storm had come and the father urged his boys to work quickly. Further up the road a man was nailing the shutters shut over his windows. Syvek reported back to the others and they walked up to the first house. They offered greetings to the man and his sons. The father sent his sons inside and then looked toward the road where the adventures stood in the pouring rain. He then quickly slipoped in his door and slammed it shut. When the adventures spoke to the man nailing his shutters closed they were at first ignored. Then the man stopped hammeringt and peered over his shoulder toward them. The hammer hung limply in his hand as he seemed to enter a catatonic state. Then the hammer fell from his hand. The thump of it on his foot woke him and he rushed inside his house and closed the door.

The adventurers guessed that they were on the main road of the village so they continued down it hoping they would find an inn and some answers. A short way down the road they ran into a warforged being who they suspected was an apparition. Theren was already spooked by the girl Esme and he fired a shot at the warforged just as it was about to speak. The thing became hostle and after exchanging a few attacks the creature phased into the ground and was gone. They came upon the village square. The town hall was on one side and the village inn was the largest building across the road. They went inside and ordered rooms and food and drink. The bartender waited on them and the storm sounded like it was getting dangerous outside. The innkeeper sent maids to prepare beds. The inn was fairly busy but none of the patrons paid the adventurers any attention. They all went on with their routine.

Theren noticed one old man across the room at a table by himself staring at him. He went over to the table and introduved himself.

“My name was Jaris.” said the wet, scraggly bearded fisherman. “I was just coming from a days work when the storm wiped out the village.”

“What do you mean?” asked Theren.

“The survivors don’t realize it,” said the man, “only those of us that died but failed to move on understand that the storm ripped the village from the natural world. The survivors live the night over and over. At dawn, everything returns to the way it was at dusk the previous night. Others are like you – trapped here – there is no escape.”

Theren realized the man before him was an apparition and then he disappeared. He returned to his table and told the others what the man had said. The innkeeper was closing up the rest of the shutters and announced he would secure the doors for the night because the storm was getting too strong. The streets were flooding. The adventurers decided to leave.

They came out to the main road which was ankle deep and rising. The approached the village square and saw the apparition of Esme in the middle of it. They took a side road in hopes of avoiding another run in with her. The road they took led toward the lake. The rain and wind was fierce. The custom house was struck by a large wave and washed away. A large bluff bordered the western side of town and the cliffs of the bluff overlooked the village and extended into the lake. They headed up the road along the bluff. Several buidings had suffered damage from a mudslide coming off the bluff. They came to a crossroads where one road headed back to the village square and another continued along the bluff perhaps leaving town. Suddenly lightning struck around them, Theren was dazed and four black angels surrounded them a longsword and dagger in each of their hands and chainmail vestments around their torso displaying the black hand of Bane. They examined the four adventurers from just out of melee range.

“The tiefling is not among them,” said one, “Tell us the whereabouts of Syn-Tallow.”

“We don’t know who you are talking about.” Syvek replied, “We just arrived here.”

The angels glided away on their black wings and wove around the buildings heading past the village square. The adventures decided to get out of town. They continued down the road along the bluff passing a path that led up the bluff. The road led into the woods and the adventurers found themselves in a fog and as they passed through the fog the rain continued to beat down on them. They saw laterns swinging wildly in the wind up ahead. One crashed to the ground. The quickly realized they were back where they had first entered town. They turned and headed back into the fog and found themselves back on the road along the bluff. The adventurers decide to take the path up to the top of the bluff as it appeared that the village was about to be destroyed by the relentless storm.

Rudolph Harmony wandered through the fog. The dark stalker scout had led them through the Shadowfell battlegrounds for three days – helping them avoid run-ins with the undead. Rudy had more than once wondered if he and Theren might have been better off remaining imprisoned in the Pyramid of Shadows. Of course, Rudy had not had much of a position to bargain from with the Shadow of Karavakos. He had saved Theren. There was nothing he could have done for Torinn, Morthos, Barnoble and Baal. And what had happened to the Pyramid? It had flickered through the sky and apparently crashed in the Shadowfell miles away. Had it really crashed? There was no way to know. Rudy couldn’t march through any army of the living dead in order to find out. The dark stalker insisted their best bet was to find a Shadar Kai settlement. Rudy wasn’t sure how they would be accepted and if the dark stalker could really be trusted.

Rudy came through the fog into torrential rain. Lightning flickered across the sky giving him a glimpse of the road they had been travelling through the woods. Up ahead were buildings and some figures moved along the road away from him. Was that Theren and Garesh Vren? He hurried to catch up with them and found he was entering a village. He heard waves breaking on a shore not far away. He passed a father and two boys hauling wood stacked along the side of the house indoors. He offered a greeting but the people paid him no mind. Why were his companions moving so quickly along the road without him? He passed a man digging out a hammer and nails from a satchel and going to work on the shutters of his house – barricading the windows from the escalating storm. “Did an elf and a dragonborn just pass by here?’ he asked. The man did not respond and Rudy quickened his pace trying to catch up. He could see the town square up ahead. An inn was on the right-hand side of the road and a large building – perhaps the town hall on the left-hand side. Where had his friends gone? Lightning flashed across the sky again.

“Ahrnd?” Rudy heard a whisper. Looking up he saw a pair of red eyes peeking at him from a rear doorway to the town hall. The figure moved forward a step and Rudy was shocked to recognize the old face of a tiefling. It was Watcher, the tiefling he had met at least ten years prior on the last night he had seen his father. Watcher had been involved with his father’s rebel group The Seekers Of Truth back when Rudy and his mother had lived in Kulltown. His mother had told him to never mention it to anyone. Watcher had returned later that same night and helped Rudy and his mother secretly escape Kulltown – leaving the family estate behind. Rudy had never been filled in on the political details but he had been told that his father was gone. He would never see him again.

Watcher pointed at Rudy and whispered again, “Ahrnd.” He gestured for Rudy to come to him as he ducked back inside the doorway. Rudy splashed across the road to the doorway. Lightning crashed down onto a building a block away – setting it ablaze – as Rudy slipped through the door. Watcher had moved down a corridor and stood by an open door. By the looks of him the last ten years had not treated him well. He was haggard and wet and his head swiveled – eyes darting – trying to see everywhere at once.

“What is it Syn?” a voice whispered from the doorway. It seemed to come from below. Watcher pointed again at Rudy, “Ahrnd,” he whispered.

“Syn-Tallow, you found him, haven’t you!” a voice boomed and Rudy heard footsteps barreling up a staircase. A heavy-set man bounded out of the doorway. He wore a rusted suit of chainmail armor and had a broadsword strapped across his back. Long mustaches drooped over his lip and the holy symbol of Kord hung from a chain around his neck. He ran a hand through his long wet hair as he regarded Rudy, eyes wide in amazement.

“By Kord’s mercy!” he exclaimed, “Rudolph Harmony, I presume? My name is Brother Iannis!” and with that he stepped forward, arms wide to embrace the half-elf warlord.

Rudy waited. The Shadow had come to the room with his dark stalkers and questioned him about his friends and the black egg that had been given to them by the Shadar Kai. It was easy to guess his plans. The Shadow would break the egg hoping the portal to the Shadowfell would open despite the wards of the Pyramid. But Theren held the egg in his pouch and all of his belongings had been turned to stone by the medusa. Perhaps The Shadow could undo the medusa’s spell?

Rudy stood by the candelabras in the center of the room. Behind him the image of Karavakos looked toward the door and sneered. It then ran to the bed, turned back toward the door and held a dagger out menacingly. Rudy had pulled the curtains back so that he could see most of the bed. The image of Karavakos blinked out and reappeared by the workbench on the other side of the room. The image would remain still until Rudy made any movements. It had spooked him earlier before The Shadow had appeared and questioned him. The curtains around the bed appeared to be of high quality from a distance, as had the items on the workbench. It was all a cover to make intruders believe they had found another splinter of Karavakos and lure them into the room. An invisible wall of force blocked the door. The poisonous gas that normally leaked out of the candelabras when the trap had been sprung was temporarily deactivated. If Rudy didn’t cooperate he was sure the dark stalkers would turn it back on.

The Shadow had told Rudy that it would return his items to him if he did not attempt to thwart his plans. Rudy had little choice but to obey if he wanted to live. The door opened and The Shadow entered – the dragonborn soldier Garesh Vren behind him. Rudy was instructed that he and Garesh were to carry the statue of Theren out of the hallway while The Shadow distracted the medusa. The Shadow would then use a ritual to remove the affliction on Theren and get the egg. As long as Rudy went along with the plan, he and Theren (if he survived the ritual) would be allowed to leave with The Shadow, Garesh and the dark stalkers.

It all worked out as planned. The Shadow distracted the medusa and Garesh, Rudy and a dark stalker carried Theren to safety. The Shadow performed the ritual and Theren turned back to himself and slumped to the floor. He still lived and Theren revived him after one of the dark stalkers searched him for the egg. Rudy was given his belongings and The Shadow smashed the egg on the floor. He and the dark stalkers were engulfed in a tenfoot cube of blackness. Rudy, Theren and Garesh stepped into the blackness and found themselves falling. Before they could become too alarmed they hit the ground and were sliding down a snowy hill.

Above them the Pyramid slid across the sky. The black cube was visible within the Pyramid. The Pyramid was transparent for a moment and shapes could be seen moving within it. Lightning flashed across the sky and The Pyramid winked out. Then it was back in the sky, transparent and the black cube appeared to be growing. Lighting struck the Pyramid as it sailed toward the horizon and the whole thing materialized – no longer transparent – and passed beyond the horizon. A moment later a tremendous crash echoed across the plains.

The Shadowfell was gloomy place. Rudy, Garesh and Theren could see The Shadow and dark stalkers moving away. They attempted to follow them but The Shadow didn’t want them slowing him down and attracting undead so they parted. The area consisted of plains and some small hills. Shortly, the three discovered that one of the dark stalkers had stayed behind. He no longer wanted to serve The Shadow. He had previously served the Raven Queen and had been with a group of Shadar Kai before being trapped inside the Pyramid. The last place he had called home was Raven Roost in the Nentir Vale. His name was Syvek.

The new party encountered some undead along the ancient battleground in the Shadowfell. Syvek scouted for them and helped them avoid encounters. We must find a Shadar Kai settlement was his belief.

Garesh Vren hid in the quarters above the library. His men were dead. The arboreal creatures had come. They had taken over his turf. He regretted the loss of his men but he had no other choice in abandoning them if he wanted to save his own ass. Perhaps he should have joined up with the Beheaders. They had proven to be a formidible group. Of course, he would have had to treat them as equals and Garesh was the type who liked to give orders.

He heard noises coming from the library. Had the arboreal creatures dared to enter. If they knew the Beheaders had slain the splinter of Karavakos there would be little from keeping them out. Garesh slipped out the door and peered over the balcony. The Shadow was below ransacking the shelves – looking through the books.

“Ah, Garesh,” said The Shadow, “Your information may yeild a means of escape, indeed. You have served me well. Come down here and help me search. We are looking for a ritual called Remove Affliction.” The Shadow had come to Garesh shortly after he had entered the Pyramid and recrited him as an informant. Garesh kept track of any new residents he encountered and interrogated them if possible.

“Is it the Beheaders, then?” Garesh asked, “The egg?” When Garesh tested the Beheaders against the werewolf he had heard them discussing an egg that could open a portal to the Shadowfell. The Shadow had promised to take Garesh out of the Pyramid if any of his information helped find an escape.

“Here it is!” hissed The Shadow, “Are you ready to leave this place?”

SYVEK passed through the illusory wall and marched to the double doors at the end of the wide corridor. He was disappointed and disgusted with his three associates who served THE SHADOW with a level of devotion he found blasphemous. If The Shadow ever did find a way to escape the others would continue to serve him. Syvek would find any way possible to return to the service of the RAVEN QUEEN. He opened the doors to the maze of corridors beyond – right, left, left, right, left, right, left – that was sequence of turns to make to reach The Shadow’s lair and avoid the undead guardians. He moved quickly through his turns – hideous, tormented forms writhed within the black stone walls of the narrow passageways. A horrifying, soul-wrenching shriek emanted from the trapped souls. The Shadow was closing in on a means of escaping the Pyramid and the half-elf or one of his friends held the key. The Shadow never gave them all the details of his plans – they were just tools of The Shadow – ever since they had arrived here nearly two years ago. The Shadow, of course, had been here much longer. Syvek didn’t trust The Shadow but he did fear him. Yet, The Shadow was determined to escape so it made sense to serve him. The Shadow had access to parts of the Pyramid Syvek didn’t understand. He was not one of the three splinters of Karavakos but had been created when they split hundreds of years ago. He entered the doors to The Shadows chambers. “Master, the prisoner stirs!”

Rudolph Harmony woke up with an excrutiating headache. He tried to sit up and was overcome with nausea and vomitted into a basin sitting on the floor beside the bed he was lying on. The bed was pushed up to a wall on his left hand side and the head of the bed was pushed against a stone wall. To his right and at the foot of the bed, a few strides away, curtains were hung to provide privacy. The bed and its linens were clean but common. He was stripped of his armor and equipment. His wounds were crudely bandaged. His consciousness was waning as the curtain moved aside and a blurry figure peeked in at him. “Our patient is stirring,” a voice rasped, “Go tell master.” He drifted back to sleep and memories of his last battle returned to him – Morthos, Theren and Barnoble turned to stone by the snake-haired woman, the ogre warhulk killing Torinn before falling. He had retreated into the hall while trying to avoid the snake-haired woman’s gaze. He was bitten by one of the snakes and he collapsed but suddenly the light was blackened out, the woman cried out in pain and was no longer standing over him. The door to the hallway slammed shut and he lost consciousness.

In the hallway, Morthos prayed to the Raven Queen for Baal’s soul. The party realized they had been sidetracked from their goal of escape by looking for the splinters of Vyrellis. They were eager to find another splinter of Karavakos and get further toward their freedom. They found a corridor that led to a doorway that turned into the mouth of a demon. Guessing it was an illusion they all passed through and found a room with several sets of doors. The door they had entered from was in the northern wall of room and two other sets of doors were in the northern wall. A single set of doors was in the southern wall. After inspecting all of them, the Beheaders determined that the northern doors could only be opened from the opposite side and that the southern doors could only be opened after all three sets of northern doors had been opened.

The Beheaders returned to the hallway with the demon faces. There was one set of doors in the eastern wall and a set in the southern wall. As they approached the eastern doors opened and the Beheaders found themselves engaged in combat with hideous foulspawn creatures. They defeated all of them except for the leader who escaped. They searched the monsters rooms but found little of value. The demon heads had animated during the battle and tried to bite the combatants. Now they begged to be fed and the Beheaders obliged by feeding them the bodies of the foulspawn. When the last head was fed the head spit forth a flaming shurikan as a gift.

The Beheaders returned to the hallway and opened the doors in the southern wall. A large hall split into two smaller corridors that ended in single doors. They chose the door down the corridor on the western side and found a room with three statues – one of a tiefling warrior and the other two were statues of orcs. As they moved into the room they heard heavy breathing deep inside the room. They spread out and Morthos was suddenly hit in the shoulder by an arrow tainted with poison. A ogre warhulk charged Torinn and the battle was on. A snake haired woman approached Morthos and for a moment he was entranced by her gaze. Theren moved over to aid Morthos. Torinn, Rudy and Barnoble were battling the ogre. Morthos shook off the gaze of the snake haired woman but a moment later both he and Theren were caught in the woman’s gaze and slowed. They fired their weapons at her but were soon immobilized. The ogre was bloodied but so were Torinn and Rudy. The next moment Morthos and Theren were turned to stone by the snake haired woman and Torinn fell to the floor ater a blow by the ogre’s flail. Rudy and Barnoble hacked away and the ogre fell but now Barnoble was caught in the snake haired woman’s gaze and Rudy was badly bloodied. Barnoble turned to stone and Rudy backed away from the snake haired woman. He swung blindly while covering his eyes with his shield arm and backed out the door. Just outside the door, the medusa caught up with him and a bite from a snake on her head brought him down. The entire Beheaders party had been defeated.

The Beheaders made another attempt at the stairwell and battled the gargoyles and harpy with success. They made it through the doors at the top. They found a hallway with demon heads carved into the walls but avoided it by going through a closer set of doors. They found a few passages and a large hallway with stairs leading up. At the far end of the large hallway was a set of double doors and the Head of Vyrellis urged them in that direction.

They encountered some eladrin in a wintery room and had difficulty fighting them on the slippery floor. The eladrin knocked out Morthos and took him captive. The Beheaders followed the retreating eladrin and came to a large ice chamber. Baal turned invisible and told the others he would search for a gem which was a splinter of Vyrellis while the other negotiated for Morthos’ release. In the chamber they found the eladrin had given Morthos as a gift to an adult white dragon. They negotiated and paid the dragon 9000 gold pieces for the tiefling. As they were leaving Baal was discovered trying to rob the dragon’s horde and eaten. The rest of the Beheaders left quickly.

The Beheaders explored the southern passage away from the room with the headless corpse. They found a corridor with several mirrors on the walls and a set of doors on the western wall. At the end the passage turned west. Morthos crept close to the doors and the others followed slightly behind. Suddenly a skull engulfed in green fire appeared in the mirror closest to the party and a fireball erupted around them. Two cambion emerged from the set of doors and attacked. The Beheaders smashed the mirror and retreated partially down the hall. The skull appeared in a different mirror as the smashed one started to knit itself back together. The Beheaders continued to retreat and the cambion did not pursue.

The Beheaders regrouped in the large hall outside the room with the headless corpse and the room that had been encased in ice with the zombies and mezzodemon. They opened the doors to the north and found a huge stairwell that climbed upward, encircling a wide deep pit. Morthos led the way up to the first landing which overlooked the pit. As he started up the next set of stairs they shifted under his feet and he nearly plunged into the pit. Rudy threw him a rope and helped him back to safety. Theren discovered the mechanisms causing the stairs to shift and Morthos disarmed the trap. They climbed to the next landing and Morthos checked for traps. While searching he set off a trap and became immobilized when a trap clamped down on his arm.

Suddenly the harpies who had escaped the Beheaders in an earlier encounter appeared by the bottom of the stairwell and sang to the party. They were compelled to move toward the harpies and Barnoble, Baal and Rudy fell into the pit landing 40 feet below. Torinn was lured to the edge of the pit. From above Morthos and Theren a pair of gargoyles descended and attacked Morthos while a fiery harpy flew down to the pit and attacked those who had fallen. Torinn tumbled into the pit next and Morthos freed himself from the trap.

Baal was trapped in the pit for the rest of the encounter because he didn’t have the atheletic ability to climb out. Torinn and Rudy climbed out while Barnoble teleported out. The gargoyles and harpies were battling Morthos and Theren. The fiery harpy was killed and then one of the other harpies went down and the remaining one fled. The gargoyles knocked out Morthos and Rudy and the fighters ran up the stairs to aid the two strikers. Rudy got Morthos back on his feet but the harpy appeared again and lured some of the Beheaders back over the edge of the pit. The gargoyles had taken some damage and they landed on the top of the stairs that were rigged with the immobilizing clamp trap and turned into stone statues. The harpy took some damage and retreated out the door the Beheaders had entered. The Beheaders revived the fallen members and fled the stairwell to take rest in the rooms where they had encountered the mezzodemon.

The Beheaders rested and Baal raised Morthos from the dead. Then Garesh Vren and his men escorted them past an area where Vren had set up a defensive position. The Beheaders headed back to the room where they had first entered the pyramid and fought the ettin. They took stairs down to a room filled with water that had bridges spanning it. They were ambushed by some harpies and some aquatic humanoid creatures. The harpies escaped.

They took a set of stairs up to a large hallway. Vyrellis pointed out some doors where she believed some magical weapons were stored. She warned that there would be guardians. Some chillborn zombies and a Mezzodemon were frozen in columns of ice in the rooms beyond. The columns quickly melted, releasing the monsters and the Beheaders were able to kill them. The demon had used a trident and that was the only magic weapon the party found.

The Beheaders all reached 8th level.

Across the hall from the doors they entered was a large room with bright flashes of arcane energy flickering. The party investigated the room and found a headless corpse trapped in a torrent of arcane energy that ran between four huge monoliths. Vyrellis claimed that the corpse was her body and if the Beheaders could free it from the energy she could reclaim her physical form.

They toppled one of the monoliths and the energy was snuffed out. Baal approached the corpse and the Head Of Vyrellis shot out of his hand and imbedded itself in the chest of the corpse. The corpse sprung to life but Vyrellis had been tricked by Karavakos. She could not control the corpse and it immediately attacked the party.

The corpse took a tremendous amount of damage before the Beheaders vanquished it. The battle was long and tough but everyone survived. Ball reclaimed the Head of Vyrellis who was very distressed and vowed to destroy the tiefling wizard Karavakos.

Garesh reiterated that he shared the Beheaders desire to be freed from the Pyramid of Shadows. He explained that the door to the southeast led to a series of rooms – some which were occupied by more of his men. He warned that he and his men avoided the middle rooms and hallways because they believed them haunted. He sent one of his lackeys to inform the rest of the men that the Beheaders would be coming through.

The Beheaders followed the lackey. The first room he entered was occupied by four more of Garesh Vren’s soldiers. On the far side of the room was another set of doors. The soldiers gave the Beheaders room to pass as the lackey opened the doors. He looked back at the adventurers and then covered his ears and went through the doors yelling, “La, la, la ,la, la, la…..!” as he ran.

The Beheaders mimicked the lackey’s actions and followed. They passed through a room with four statues which they paid no mind to and the lackey ran past a door and uncovered his ears and stopped yelling as he rounded a corner. The Beheaders heard him telling sone other soldiers the orders he had been given by Garesh.

The Beheaders turned to the door and opened it. They found a small chapel with a woman kneeling before an altar. She told them she had been attacked by Garesh Vren’s bandits and that she had hidden in the chapel but she could not get out because when she tried to leave a pair of devils would appear before the door and keep her prisoner. Baal had entered the room because the Head Of Vyrellis was sure another piece of her life force was in the room. The woman claimed that she had been praying to Bahumat to save her and that they were the answer to her prayers. She approuched Baal and kissed him as Morthos, Rudy and Torinn entered the room. Baal was immediately aware that he had fought off an attack on his will and he backed away from the woman. Morthos backed up toward the door and a couple legion devils appeared and attacked. While the four in the room engaged the devils Theren and Barnoble shot arrows from the doorway. The woman quickly ran up to Rudy and kissed him.

The devils were difficult to hit and two more appeared when a party member stepped close to the door. Suddenly, Torinn swung his axe at Morthos and Baal. There was a blank look in his eyes. Morthos and Baal figured out that the woman was controlling him somehow. When they turned their attacks on the woman Rudy jumped in front of her to absorb the damage. The devils were brought down by some arrows and Baal managed to hit the woman with a spell but then Torinn delivered a terrible blow to Morthos and killed him. Barnoble entered the room and tackled Rudy and Theren hit the woman with a great shot which bloodied her. Soon Torinn was attacking Barnoble and Rudy was back on his feet blocking the woman from harm. Barnoble hit Rudy with a sweeping strike and knocked him to the ground and Theren hit the woman with another arrow which killed her. Death transformed the woman to her true form. She had fiery red skin with black bat wings, horns sprouted from her brow and her mouth revealed long fangs. She had been a succubus and Rudy and Torinn were released from her spells when she died.

A secret passage was found in the back of the chapel and the Beheaders found 9000 gold pieces and a gem which was another piece of Vyrellis’ life force.

The Beheaders had a few stairways to explore so the picked the closest one. A huge room was located at the bottom of the stairs. It was filled with four feet of water and occupied by some unfriendly lizardfolk. Some surging pipes in several areas below the water posed some additional hazards. Anyone that got too close to one of the pipes was in danger of being sucked in and deposited out of one of the other pipes in a differnt part of the room. Stairs led up to a dock on the far side of the room. It was covered in algae and led to a door. The lizardfolk were not much of a challenge for the party and they soon had dispatched them. The Head of Vyrellis urged Baal to the door on the dock. Morthos got there first and they found another statue of the eladrin princess. This one did contain a gem that was part of Vyrellis’ life force.

The party took a rest in the room by the dock. A stairway to the north and one to the south provided the Beheaders with new routes up to unexplored areas. The Beheaders chose the northern stairs and after a short hallway they forced open a barred door and found themselves confronted by seven or eight armed humans and their dragonborn leader in a large columned hall. The dragonborn was called Garesh Vren. The name sounded familiar to Rudy but he could not think of where he had heard it. Garesh was impressed that the Beheaders had killed the ettin and the lizardfolk and that they had discovered much more about the pyramid than he. He said he had only been in the prison for a couple of weeks but by their account he had been missing from the outside world for months. He was surprised by the murder of Lord Markelhey of Fallcrest. He had become trapped while in the Winterbole Forest and had run into many problems since entering the prison. Many of his men had died at the hands of the ettin and the lizardfolk. Quite a few sets of doors exited the hall. One set of doors was barricaded with crates and barrels.

Garesh Vren was enamored by the Beheaders and told them he would be glad to help them escape and give them a safe haven if they would help him with a task. The Beheaders were interested in searching the area he occupied, for the Head of Vyrellis was telling Baal that she sensed more of her life force in the southeastern section of this area. Garesh asked that they slay a monster that was barricaded in a storage room and he would cooperate with them.

The monster in the storage room was a werewolf. The Beheaders had faced a werewolf before in Thunderspire Labyrinth but this one was much more powerful and ferocious. Garesh Vren’s soldiers moved the barrels and crates blocking the door and then stepped back when the Beheaders gathered around it. The door was opened and they saw the creature in the middle of changing from man to beast. It immediately sprung at the adventurers. It raked at them with powerful claws and every time one of the Beheaders struck it with a melee attack, it snapped it’s vicious jaws at the attacker. The party had the beast surrounded quickly and they delivered a tremendous amount of damage in a few rounds. The werewolf was bloodied but Torinn, Rudy and Morthos had all been bitten. They would suffer from moon fever they knew from the experience Baal had undergone after being bitten by Terrlen Darkseeker back in Thunderspire. When the werewolf was finally slain the Beheaders were all still fairly healthy. Theren noticed that Garesh’s soldiers were surrounding them but Garesh gave them a signal to stand down. Perhaps if the Beheaders had been more bloodied the dragonborn had been prepared to attack the party but he quickly thanked them and began gushing over their fine fighting skills. The storage room contained nothing of value.

On the catwalk, above the shelves was a door in the northern wall. Behind this door the Beheaders found a cluster of rooms occupied by three eaters of knowledge and a splinter of the tiefling wizard. The first room of the cluster was a workroom and contained a statue of an angel of Ioun. The statue was trapped. Once one of the Beheaders came close to it, the statue began to emanate a surge of psychic energy that expanded to encompass the entire room within moments. The psychic damage dazed the Beheaders that it effected and they remained in the room too long once engaged by the eaters. Once the eaters attacked, the splinter, Arat Karavakos, assaulted the Beheaders with spells.

Some of the Beheaders persued the wizard through the other rooms. The chased him through a room with four pillars holding up a domed starry ceiling. Draconic writing encircled the floor below the dome. The wizard disappeared behind a curtain. Behind the curtain the Beheaders found a bedroom with a desk and another curtain which led to a storage room. Soon all the eaters were dead but the Beheaders had trouble with Arat Karavakos. The tiefling wizard was not effected by the psychic pulses given off by the statue and he had the ability to teleport occasionally. He was impatient, however, and only waited for his lightening bolt attack to recharge before he sought out the intruders. Rudy was the only member of the Beheaders who could reasonably enter the room with the statue without fear of the psychic pulses. His Invulnerable Coat of Ahrnd protected him.

When Barnoble finally killed the wizard with an arrow shot from his bow, a mass of purple energy rose from the fallen tiefling’s body and quickly flew out of the rooms and through the library door. All that was left of the wizard was his staff and robes. In the bedroom the Beheaders found a chest filled with wealth and an adamantine key with draconic writing on it. The writing on the key said: (I will fill this in later), and the writing on the floor beneath the starry dome said: (I will fill this in later, as well).

The Head of Vyrellis told Baal that the purple energy was Karavakos’ life force returning to him. Each time they killed one of his splinters, more of his power would return to him. Once they killed the third splinter they would have to find Karavakos in the Sanctuary of Light and destroy him. The key and the draconic writings were clues to entering the Sanctuary of Light.

The arborean leader told the Beheaders that they should follow the charnal rats in order to find the hideous charnal lord. So, the Beheaders headed back to the pit room and took the corridor heading north where Barnoble had heard a rat while they were resting. Off that hallway was another that led east to some stairs that went down. There were some doors on the western wall of the corridor and more doors at the end. The doors on the eastern wall were dilapidated with holes around the frame where rats could enter and exit.

Morthos and Theren led the way through the doors. The floor of the room beyond was covered in white dust and there was an enormous pile of bones in the far northeastern corner. The passage leading into the room had doors in the northern wall. Morthos checked the doors and accidently sprung a boneslide trap which he and Theren got caught in. An avalanche of bones slammed them into the wall. Charnal rats emerged from the pile of bones in the corner and attacked. Torinn and Rudy dragged the elf and tiefling from the boneslide as more rats scampered toward the party. Baal unleashed a fireball and killed the rats and blew apart the avalanche of bones.

The Beheaders determined that this room would not lead them to the charnal lord so they moved on to the doors at the end of the hall. These doors led to a large library with ten foot high shelves. A catwalk lined the walls of the large room at the top of the shelves and a large statue of an eladrin princess stood in the middle of the room. Vyrellis cried out to Baal that this was the library. All the knowledge of the inhabitants of the pyramid was stored in the books on the shelves. A whispering emanated from the book shelves. Vyrellis told Baal that the statue was a representation of her and that there should be a gem on the crown of the statue that was vital to her. She encouraged him to kill the inhabitants of the room and get the gem.

There were two alien looking creatures with bows on the catwalk and two others with swords emerged from around the shelves. Theren tried to greet them but the creatures immediately attacked. During the battle Baal made his way to the statue but there was not a gem on the crown. This news caused Vyrellis to go into a panic. The Beheaders defeated the alien creatures which Baal identified as Eaters of Knowledge. They were creations of the lich-god Vecna. They found that most of the books were blank. The eaters of knowledge had stripped the books of their information. They were able to recover a couple of ritual scrolls. One scroll was Raise Dead and had just enough residuum with it to cast once.

Vyrellis was still upset about the missing gem. She explained that when Karavakos had slain her that her life force had been splintered and scattered in three other pieces throughout the pyramid. It was very important for her to have the Beheaders find these splinters as well as the splinters of Karavakos. She believed that one of the splinters of Karavakos was nearby and she encouraged them to find and destroy it while she tried to locate the missing splinter of her life force. There was a door up on the catwalk in the northern wall.

The Beheaders chose to start their search of the pyramid with the passage that led east. This passage led to another that ran north and south. Morthos scouted down the southern passage. Ahead the corridor opened into a warm, humid well lit room. The rest of the party followed him. The room ahead had a floor covered in grass, soil and thick roots. Vegetation grew along the walls and hung down from the ceiling forming thick curtains or walls. Theren moved to the eastern side of one of the walls of vegetation. A strange humanoid creature stood thirty feet away next to one of the walls of vine and root. The creature wore tattered, bloodstained robes and carried a large schyth. The creature’s face was hidden by its hooded robe but the hands that gripped the schyth were grayish brown and gnarled.

In elven, the creature, an arborean, asked Theren who he and his companions were and requested that they stay where they were while he fetched their leader to speak with them. Soon a few more arboreans gathered near the entrance. Their leader, Camnor, spoke with them. He appeared much like the rest of them but carried a self important air. He was their religious leader. He told the Beheaders that he could give them a place to rest while they searched for an escape from the pyramid but first they must prove themselves to him. According to Camnor, the area the Beheaders had first entered the pyramid was controlled by a putrid beast called the Charnal Lord. If the Beheaders were to bring Camnor, evidence that they had killed the Charnal Lord he would allow them to swear fealty to him, he would give them a safe place to rest and he would support them in their efforts to find an escape from the prison.

He encouraged them to return after killing the beast and told them to use either the entrance that they were in or the corridor from the pit room that led south. They should, however, announce themselves when they entered these areas so that they could be given a proper escort and not be mistaken for intruders.

The Beheaders tended to their wounds, especially those of Morthos who was nearly decapitated by the two-headed giant. As they composed themselves and searched the hallway, they heard a faint female voice calling out to them. The alcove, where Morthos lay, had pegs nailed into the wall high above. On four of these pegs, hung the heads of past victims that fell to the cleaver of the ettin – a shadar kai, an orc and a pair of human heads. On the fifth peg hung a small sack and the voice appeared to come from this sack.

Inside the sack the Beheaders found an obsidian gem about the size of a medium craetures palm. The image of a head of an eladrin woman floated within the gem and spoke.

“I’m sure we can help each other.” the eladrin beckoned.

Baal took the jewel and conversed with the image. She told him that they were in a prison called the Pyramid of Shadows. The prison had been created by devils to imprison a tiefling wizard who had made a pact with them. The tiefling was a self made king who had ruled with tyranny over 300 years ago. He had conspired with devils to attack the fey kingdom that Vyrellis was from. In the end the tiefling wizard had failed and been imprisoned by the devils. Vyrellis had been trying to kill the wizard at the time and became trapped as well. The tiefling was called Karavakos.

Morthos spoke up. He claimed that while laying unconscious he had dreamed of a tiefling who welcomed him to the Pyramid of Shadows. The tiefling had laughed maniacally at him and told him that in order to escape he would have to kill the wizard three times. Torinn supported Morthos saying he had a quick vison of a cackling tiefling during the brief moments that he had lost consciousness.

Vyrellis told them that the vision they saw was of Karavakos. In his attempts to escape his power had become splintered throughout the pyramid. The splinters did not have the wizards full power but were still dangerous. He had not managed to escape but he had managed to gain partial control of the pyramid. He now lured people inside hoping they would find a way out that he could use. She also warned that the pyramid was maleable and would take on characteristics of its strongest inhabitants.

Vyrellis told Baal she would give him power if he kept her close and together they could find a way to destroy Karavakos and escape the pyramid. Karavakos had slain Vyrellis years ago when she attempted to confront him in the pyramid and part of her life force was trapped in the obsidian jewel.

The Beheaders took an extended rest in a corner of the room with the pit of corpses. On the first watch Barnoble heard rats in the northern passage but the rest of the break was uneventful.

Morthos entered the darkness at the bottom of the stairs. A stench of death and blood assailed him as he appeared suddenly atop a pile of bodies. Humans, dwarves, elves, halflings, and others, all had apparently beeen killed recently but all wore clothing and armor of an earlier age. The pile of bodies seemed to shift, as though something might be moving beneath it. Above him, at the top of the pit, Morthos saw a hideous, two-headed giant – he was rubing two blades together with an eager gleam in the eyes of both its horrifying heads.

Morthos sprang to his feet and fired a throwing star. The ettin batted the star away and slashed Morthos with both of its cleavers. Morthos cried out in pain and suddenly the rest of the Beheaders appeared in the bottom of the pit. Torinn scrambled up the side of the pit. Morthos backed away from the giant and scrambled up the opposite side, Barnoble teleported close to the ettin and was immediately swatted back into the pit. Theren fired an arrow at the giant after he climbed out of the pit. Rudy got to his feet and climbed out of the pit. The ettin closed in on Torinn and struck him with a cleaver – knocking him back into the pit. Two carrion crawlers emerged from the pile of dead bodies and struck Torinn and Barnoble – slowing and poisoning them. Baal hit the two carrion beasts with a shock orb. The ettin closed in on Theren but the ranger shifted away to an alcove in the northern part of the room. Another alcove in the western wall was decorated ith heads hung on pegs. Suddenly, in the pit, three rotting corpses animated and made feeble attacks against Rudy, Barnoble and Torinn.

The Beheaders in the pit were engaged by the carrion crawlers and the zombies. Meanwhile, Morthos threw stars at the ettin and Theren attempted to move around the giant and escape being trapped in the alcove. With a backhand, the ettin sent Theren back into the pit. A moment later the giant was baring down on Morthos screaming that he would stop the laughing and get the tiefling out of his head and out of his dreams. The giant was insane with hatred for the tiefling. Morthos fell back into the pit but the long arms of the giant allowed him to continue hacking away at the rogue and soon Morthos was unconscious and being dragged out of the pit and dragged toward the alcove with the heads on pegs.

“Let’s see if you laugh in my dreams with your head on a peg!” growled the enraged giant. The Beheaders had killed one of the crawlers and a couple of the zombies. Those who could concentrated their attacks on the ettin hoping to save Morthos’ life. Everyone missed and the giant dropped Morthos to the floor and buried a cleaver into his shoulder. Blood gushed – he would not survive much longer. In desperation Thren leaped onto the ettin’s back and grappled his neck. The giant flung him into the pit but Torinn had climbed out. The other crawler and zombie were dead. Baal blasted the ettin with a fireball and continued to pepper him with the weaker spells he had left. The giant chopped down Torinn in a few rounds but Rudy got to him and healed him back onto his feet. Theren got to Morthos and poured some healing potions into his mouth and wounds. Finally, Torinn delivered the blow that sent the giant crashing into the pit.

The Beheaders were faced with the choice of following the Black March to the burned villages and then on to Harkenwold where they would find the Kings Road which they could take south to Bridgeblock or hope to save time by taking a more direct approach through the wilderness. They chose the wilderness. Their map, which no one could verify was reliable, indicated that an old road crossed the Black March a little southwest of Adakmi. The Beheaders had travelled this portion of the Black March and had not run into a crossroad. If the road could be found, however, the map indicated it led to an old fortress or village and a road called Misarte Run led from this landmark into Bridgeblock. A river ran south of Adakmi to a pond half the distance to Bridgeblock. The river was not fit for boat travel according to the locals and once they reached the pond, there would be no significant landmarks to show them the way to Bridgeblock. The Beheaders chose to travel the southside of the Moonsfall Mountains parallel to the Black March and hope to find the old road.

A few days across the wilderness, Theren’s scouting found a pair of camping githyanki. He surprised them and fired upon them. The male githyanki charged with his silver great sword while the female unleashed psychic attacks on the party. The battle did not last long. The male githyanki was slain and the female escaped.

Another day or so of travel and the Beheaders found the old road which appeared to run north under the moutains. The Beheaders quickened their pace south on the old road. Five days later, they came upon a small domed Keep. The windowless Keep had a tower running up its southeastern side which mostlikely contained a stairwell. The Keep was fifty feet tall and had a single door in the tower and a stairwell down into darkness along the side of the keep – like an entry to its basement. The thick wooden door was sealed shut and would not budge. The Beheaders gathered at the top of the stairwell. Morthos interjected that this Keep had nothing to do with their mission before succumbing to the pressure of his peers and decending the stairs to scout. He stepped into the darkness and after a couple of moments the rest of the Beheaders heard him scream. They quickly followed.

The first night back in Adakmi, Morthos, Theren and Baal dreamt of the shadow hounds again. There had been no dreams during the four nights on the river. In the most recent dreams the shadow hounds ran along the Black March toward Adakmi. So, the following evening, after working for Jobeck, the Beheaders gathered in the meeting room by their luxury rooms at the inn to try to decide what actions they should take with the mysterious, runecarved, green gem.

Torinn’s insticts told him to destroy the gem or throw it away. A suggestion was made to use the black egg the Raven Roost shadar kai had given them. They could open a portal to the Shadowfell and toss in the gem before the portal closed. Theren was concerned about the gem getting into evil hands. After much discussion, they decided to head out after getting paid and travel to Spearpoint where they would try to speak with the wizard mayor Perry Barefoot, whom rumor said was the most educated man in the Coastal Provinces. Hopefully, he would know what they should do.

As their meeting adjourned, shadow hounds appeared in the room and attacked. They focussed most of their attacks on Theren who deftly shifeted away and drew the hounds away from the others into the hallway. Baal and Morthos were being attacked as well. When Torinn, Barnoble and Rudy joined the fight the hounds engaged them but always tried to get closer to Theren. They howled and teleported snapped at the Beheaders but the party killed them after causing a minor ruckus in the upstairs of the inn.

After the fight the innkeeper inspected the rooms and found little damage to the building. Also, a man named Nevern, who was occupying one of the rooms on the second floor, spoke with the Beheaders. He said he couldn’t help but overhear part of their earlier conversation and if they were going to Spearpoint he would like to travel with them at least as far as Bridgeblock. He believed he had cousins in the Coastal Provinces. His family had recently been murdered by cultists of Naarash who had burned down the village he was from. The Beheaders agreed to meet him in the tavern room the next morning where they expected Jobeck to bring them their payment.

When the Beheaders arrived in the tavern room the next morning, Nevern was already eating his breakfast. After a short wait, a human woman in fine cloth arrived at the inn. She wore white linen robes bearing the Golden Lion of Sosh and the Red Falcon of Archertown (the two largest cities in the Coastal Provinces). She came directly to the Beheaders table and introduced herself as Crysilla, an associate of Jobeck. She informed them that Jobeck was ill but she had brought them the gold Jobeck had promised. She seemed displeased with Jobeck. She asked them if they would carry a message to Jonathan Steward, a man who resided in Bridgeblock and worked for the Sheriff Makkas Day. The Beheaders agreed to carry the message for an extra 100 gold pieces. Two rough looking soldiers in chainmail brought a small chest and a scroll case to Crysilla and she instructed them to hand them over to the Beheaders. The chest was the payment and the sealed scrollcase was the message they were to deliver. As the Beheaders prepared to leave, Crysilla impressed upon them importance of the letter. She and her associates needed help with the doorway Baal had opened. The danger was contained for the moment but she could not say for how long it would remain so.

In the aftermath of killing the demon, the Beheaders claimed Jaryn’s sword and found some treasure and journals under the altar. They also found a secret door behind the stairs where the Eye of Naarash had set. The passage behind the secret door led to the top of the mountain. Another passage intersected this one but was fully colapsed on one side and partially blocked on the other side. At the the top of the passage was a large open area with a carved out semi-circle wall displaying a mosaic scene of a knight slaying giants. A path led up to the top of the carved wall and also down the northern side of the mountain. In the distance, a road could be scene in the gloomy land forking off to the north and to the east. On top of the carved wall, the Beheaders could see the cultist’s village which was presently in chaos. Cultists fought among each other and were pillaging and exiting the area in small groups. The bodies of two cultist soldiers were found at the top of the mountain. There were no marks on their bodies but each wore a talisman which no longer held a shard of the Eye of Naarash.

The Beheaders searched the partially collapsed passage and found a large room with four giant burial vaults standing upright. The far end of the room had a large stairway theat led up to huge double doors. Morthos snuck through the room to the stairs and as soon as he touched the first steps the vaults burst open and the party was attacked by four zombie hulks. They pummeled Morthos but the Beheaders defeated them and saved Morthos from death. Morthos then made multiple attempts to disarm the double doors which were protected by a glyph of warding. Once the glyph was disarmed they opened the doors and found a passage that once led through the mountains. The Beheaders explored it a little but ran into some grick and turned back fearing there were too many to deal with and that the dwarf waiting for them at the moonboat would leave without them.

The Beheaders found the moonboat back at the river and travelled back to Adakmi where word started to spread that they had defeated the demon and disbanded the cult. Some frontiers people began arriving with tales of cultists wearing the talismans falling dead.

A man of some prestige in Adakmin, Jobeck, approached the Beheaders wishing to hire them to open a portal in some ruins he occupied within the walled city. He was offering a generous commission. Baal inspected the area and believed he could dispel the magic blocking it. Jobeck was offering them 8000 gold pieces to open the portal and get him safely inside the room beyond. They agreed and Baal was successful dispelling the magic which sealed the doorway. Once dispelled the doorway slowly opened and some THING flash through the crack of the opening. It was a blur of bone and feathers. The THING had the skeletal body of a large snake with angelic wings and feathers ran down the length of it’s spine. It weaved among the Beheaders cutting them with its sharp bones and zapping them with necrotic energy. It moved extremely quick and had lashed out at each of them several times before Barnoble finally hit it’s skull and it exploded. Jobeck was wounded and picking himself up when a swarm of undead moths emerged from the dorway. Those consumed by the swarm were knocked prone. The Beheaders were outmatched by this new advesary but were able to retreat out of the room and shut the door, sealing the moths in the room.

Jobeck was severely shaken up. He agreed to pay the Beheaders half the price he had offered since they had opened the door but failed to get him safely inside. He would pay them in the morning.

The next day unraveled much like Cyr had described. Early in the morning, the announcement that ten would be chosen for the Rite of the Eye was given. The Beheaders proved to be among the strongest in the camp and Cyr and his companions made it to the final melee as well. The ten worked together and won.

The sun had slipped behind the mountains as they were led along the ruined avenue. Two sash-wearing wardens silently handed a sunrod to each of the chosen at the foot of the great staircase. The guards watched them climb; no escort accompanied them. High above, a pair of massive stone doors stood open with firelight flickering from within.

The silence of the temple grounds was broken by distant shouting as a figure on horseback raced in from the Black March. Even at a distance, the Beheaders recognized the form of a doppelganger as it reined up near the fires at the center of the compound.

A shout went up from around the fires. The guards at the foot of the stairs scrambled up at the Beheaders. Clear through the darkness, they heard the doppelganger screaming: “Heathens! Kill them all!”

The Beheaders quickly ran up the stairs as Cyr and his companions were temporarily caught wondering what was going on. The guards fired arrows and the cleric with Cyr quickly realized the situation and attacked with devine power. The Beheaders didn’t bother to retaliate but ran through the immense double doors into the great hall beyond. The vaulted ceiling rose to a height of 40 feet. Burning braziers illuminated oversized stairs to the west. Two more sets of double doors stood beyond the stairs. From below, the shouts of the guards grew louder.

Arrows splintered against the doors as Torinn and Rudy slammed them shut. As Barnoble and Morthos slid home the massive stone bolts to bar the doors, the doors flared with a brilliant white light that faded to a faint glow. From behind came a deafening boom as both sets of double doors on the high landing slammed shut of their own accord. The sounds from outside could no longer be heard within the hall. The walls here were carved with regular rows of oversized runes, an unknown alphabet etched in letters a foot high. The runes were tantalizingly familiar to both Common and Davek scripts, but the ancient tongue was beyond modern knowledge. From the script Baal gathered that the temple was built by an ancient giant race and dedicated to a spirit named Naarash.

The Beheaders checked the sets of double doors on the landing above the giant stairway. Both sets were arcane locked but the doors to the south were not fully closed due to rubble. Torinn managed to push the doors open. The chamber appeared to be a former armory. Six giant-sized suits of armor stood against the walls, each clutching a halberd. More armor and weapons were strewn across the floor. The wall and part of the ceiling had collapsed to the southeast. Theren and Morthos entered first while the others took positions by the door ready to burst in if needed. The two scouts had moved to the middle of the room when, a grinding of metal on metal rung out as the suit of giant-sized plate close to Theren began to move. Two more of the suits of armor detached from the walls at the same time, their rusted halberds raised as they attacked.

The three steel keepers did not prove much of a test for the Beheaders and after a few rounds the animated suits of armor were destroyed. The Beheaders found a secret passage in the south westcorner of the room. The door pivoted out into a large hallway running north and south. A set of double doors stood to the south of this once-grand hall. The passage running northeast was blocked after a little more than one hundred feet. The ceiling had collapsed. Runic writing covered the walls. However, part of the western wall had been plastered over and filled with Goblin and Common script. A mosaic made up the center of the western wall – the clenched fist of Bane rendered 15 feet long on each side in black stone.

The double doors were protected by a Glyph of Warding. Morthos was zapped a couple of times while trying to disable it. It was quite strong and he lost many surges for his effort. Baal stepped up and dispelled the magical ward. Behind the doors they found a dishevelled room with zombie giants hiding behind curtains. The undead tore through the curtains and bashed down walls in an attempt to maul the Beheaders but were slain after a hard fought battle.

The Beheaders rested in the large rune covered hall and opened a secret door to the inner chamber of the temple. A long, wide fissure had ripped open the floor in front of an altar and deeper in the chamber a huge, rough-cut red gem sat upon a pedestle at the top of some large steps. The gem burned with an abyssal glow. A tall man with long blond hair stood near the gem leaning on a great sword. Before the Beheaders could see most of this, however, they were attacked by a pair of human cult beserkers, a hobgoblin commander, a hobgoblin warcaster and a blazing skeleton. The Beheaders were heading up the stairs behind the secret door they had found when the aforementioned group ambushed them. Soon they learned that the Beheaders were a fearsome party and they all lay dead and destroyed by the Beheaders awesome assault.

The tall man was the paladin Jaryn. He had killed the previous hobgoblin leader of the cult. The red stone, he said, held the power of Naarash. Jaryn said he was now the Voice of Naarash and that the Beheaders had been sent to test him. If he were defeated one of the Beheaders would become the new Voice of Naarash. Theren tried to reason with Jaryn and bring him back to Pelor but Jaryn said the gods were dead. There was only Bane now and only the strong would survive. He allowed them to rest and offered them some refreshment. He wanted to be tested while they were at their strongest. Then the fight began. Theren did mention the priestess Emesha who had sent them in search of Jaryn and this seemed to touch a soft spot in Jaryn but not enough for him to be redeemed. Jaryn fought with great skill and endurance. He nearly killed Barnoble with a blow from his vicious great sword but the six Beheaders overwhelmed him and he died.

After defeating Jaryn a huge ape-like demon appeared. He was Naarash. When the the Beheaders refused to accept the position as Voice of Naarash and undergo the Rite of the Eye, the demon attacked. After a savage battle the demon was defeated and the red gem, the Eye of Naarash exploded.

Torinn and Morthos moved about the cultists and observed their chanting and weapons training. Torinn spoke with a human soldier who was taking a break from practice and was willing to tell the story of the NEW Voice of Naarash.

“I was here when Jaryn was dragged up the Black March in chains.” the human called Cyr began. “I was here, too, when he stood atop the Dark Stairs as the Voice of Naarash.

“Jaryn and Larkazh met between the river and the Black March. Two dozen of Bane’s best against the paladin and his tiefling, and in the end, Larkazh was the only one standing.

“Larkazh’s two brothers were cut down by Jaryn’s own hand. He brought Jaryn and Dajani back alive and to the inner temple, a sacrafice to Bane. Come morning, Jaryn walks out, Dajani one step behind him, and Larkazh’s head in Jaryn’s hand.

“Everything changed under Jaryn. Used to be, the death squads ran the temple, killed each other as fast as they could. Jaryn got them under control and made them an army.

“The enclave at Adakmi will be the start of it. The heathens will be nailed to their own walls and their citadel made the staging ground for Bane’s armies as they move south.”

Morthos overheard some of the chanting and preaching:

“Jaryn might look human, but he is not. Bane’s blood flows in those veins. The chosen one he is.”

“The fall of Nerath was the first sign. The gods of light have been broken and have left this world to Bane. The dark god’s hand squeezes shut, and when it opens, only the chosen will remain.”

“Bane’s voice speaks through Jaryn, and his word welcomes the darkness of a new age. He is the god arisen, Naarash’s heir. The strong shall inherit this world, while the weak shall fall before them and be lost.”

Later in the night, Cyr found Torinn near the Beheader’s camp.

“I hear they will choose ten to receive The Rite of the Eye, tomorrow.” the soldier informed a puzzled Torinn, “Ahh, by your look I see you have still much to learn as a new recruit. You’ve seen the death squads who wear the blood-red talismans?”

Torinn nodded.

“Those talismans give those who wear them a small bit of Bane’s power,” Cyr explained, “They are the chosen ones who have received the Rite of the Eye. Tomorrow, I plan to be one of the ten chosen. I have waited long enough for the honor. I have three with me that I trust can help me reach that goal. If you and your five want, we could all watch each others backs during the trials and be sure we are the ten left standing in the end.”

“Who are your three?” Torinn asked, “And what do the trials entail?”

“My three allies are a bugbear strangler, a dragonborn rogue and a human cleric,” responded the soldier, “The trials start with sparring and those who prove the most ready move on to live combat. They’ll probably put the final twenty in the melee and the last ten standing will be chosen. Then we will be allowed into the temple to receive the Rite of the Eye.”

For the better part of the day, the Beheaders hiked toward their goal and finally slipped through a screen of scrub trees and up a low rise.Winding its way through forest a mile or two off, they saw the Black March end where it met the base of the mountain and the settlement which spread beneath it. Straight-edged roads of cracked flagstone ran between huge buildings of timber and stone.

Many of the stone structures had collapsed, but the inhabited core of the temple grounds had the appearance of any northern village. No slaves or prisoners could be seen. Though groups of cultists trained with sword and shield, no guards or apparent overseers could be seen. Only folk in the familiar garb of the cult – children among them – were visible as they went about frontier life.

At the base of the mountain, an oversized avenue led to a wide flight of immense stone steps. These rose to a portal open in the mountain’s face. Firelight flared from within a wide hall running into the mountain’s heart. The Beheaders moved closer.

Great sections of the rocky landscape were given over to gardens and orchards. Mule teams hauled logs and deadfall from the nearby woods. Sheep and cattle were herded into rough stone corrals as dusk fell. At different sites, construction was evident. New living spaces were being reclaimed from the ruins. Fires began to spring up. The smell of roast meat and woodsmoke drifted on the breeze. The Beheaders, disguised with cult tunics, found an empty spot among the ruins and set up camp. They hoped to pose as new recruits.

They estimated that some five hundred cultists dwelled in the central temple grounds, but more camps could be seen scattered through the surrounding forest. No fence or other boundary surrounded the complex, and the cultists moved freely within it. A majority of the cultists were human and hobgoblin, but dragoborn, dwarves and tieflings were common in the temple complex. Rudy, Barnoble, Theren and Baal would try to pass as humans and allow Torinn and Morthos to do most of the talking for the group.

Beneath the initial appearance of a communal village, the place had a hard and dangerous edge. A rigid sense of order and heirarchy permeated the labors of the people. Select cultists wearing a black sash appeared to be wardens of some type, but no other signs of rank could be seen. The people were uniformly whipcord lean. Where nine- and ten-year old children roughhoused with sticks, they showed off a ruthless precision in their relentless attacks. The cultists had a sense of driven energy and focus that spoke to a high degree of regimentation. It resembled a village, but Naarash was very much a military enclave.

Small groups were spelled off from labors at intervals. They trained hard with sword and shield or chanted Bane’s dark rites. At the fires, people took their meals with the same stoic intensity they applied to the labors of the day – the same intensity the Beheaders saw in the killers they met on the long road that led them there.

Access to the stairs was open, but the dozen guards lining both sides of the approach inspired the party to keep a safe distance. The staircase was easily twice a normal size, each step and riser was a full pace wide. The size of the stone buildings in the complex made sense now. These were giants’ ruins, and old by the look of them.

An hour of steep climbing brought the Beheaders from the gates of Adakmi up the little-used Falls Road which ran north, zigzagging up the flank of the mountain and past the cascading waterfall and out above the mist. The river was a rough torrent where it tumbled toward the falls. Along the banks of dark shale, a deserted dockyard spread, ruined wharfs clung blackened pilings. Where a dozen boats might once have moored, a ramshackle 35-foot cutter floated, “Blacksnake” was etched on its prow. The boat was sheltered by a central awning with a raised tiller deck behind it. Glasur went to the prow and started tying ropes.

The boat had no mast. Two pike’like fish half the length of the boat thrashed in the water, both creatures were harnessed to the ropes Glasur was setting.

“River’s slow this time of year,” the dwarf called. “Been a while since my girl got a chance to run. We leave when your ready.”

For four days, they made steady progress north. Glasur’s dire pike pulled the moonboat with unceasing strength by day; the dwarf unharnessed them each night to hunt in the river’s frigid depths. In that time, the Beheaders passed the remains of three villages burned to the ground by the cult, a the river grew narrow, twisting in places through canyons of black stone. No sign of life or movement could be seen on either shore. Glasur explained that the river courses he followed ran parallel to the Black March on the other side of the mountains.

Over the next two days, the white-water canyons of the river’s middle reaches began to give way to wide gravel banks spilling down the mountainsides. Then ahead, they saw the sky darkening beyond the bend of the river, a heavy plume of gray-black smoke twisted on the wind.

“There’s a village a mile up,” the dwarf rumbled, “Or there was a village, by the look of it.”

They continued up river another half-mile before Glasur put the boat to shore out of sight of the village. The party made the short walk to the villages without being seen. Three dragonborn soldiers were burning the village with the help of a human mage and a bugbear. They wore the Naarash talismans and the tunic or armor of the cult. The Beheaders drew their attention away from the townspeople they were harrassing. The cultists were outmatched and they all soon lie dead among the burning buildings.

The villagers’ leader was Yrma, an elderly woman with a dour disposition. She thanked the Beheaders but told them their efforts would amount to nothing in the end:

“Two strangers came this way not four months past. The human said the cult would soon be a memory. Instead, it is our life here that will be forgotten.”

The strangers matched the descriptions of the paladin Jaryn and the tiefling Dajani.

“They were bound for the Pillars of Night,” the old woman continued. “seeking the cult chief Larkazh. Half mad, the human looked to me, threatening on his blood to besiege the temple singlehandedly.”

The villagers gathered what they could and headed south to Adakmi, they would join the flood of refugees seeking new lives beyond the frontier. In the aftermath of battle, Glasur was anxious to get under way. The dwarf was clearly on edge glancing over his shoulder to the thickly forested shore.

“When I pulled in before the village, could’ve swore I saw something moving. No matter, I guess. Can’t follow us through these trees, whatever it was.”

After another days travel, Glasur pulled into a small cove so they could camp for the night. The inlet was shallow and the shore was covered with trees and rocks. Shortly after most of the party was asleep, a blur of motion erupted in camp. A cloaked figure appeared out of nowhere, two black-bladed short swords in his hands. The intruder was a tiefling and he would attack with his poisoned swords and then disappear and attack again after teleporting a short distance. He was a frustrating opponent but he was not masterful with his blades. He was tough to bring down but eventually the Beheaders reduced him to unconsciousness. They striped him of his possessions. He had a cloak, leather armor, a cult tunic, two poisoned short swords, boots of striding,a potion of healing, 40 gp, a piece of carved ivory embossed with platinum in the shape of Pelor’s sun and a Naarash talisman. When the talisman was removed form his neck, a red gem in the silver necklace disipated into a red mist and the tiefling gave a short cry and died. Evidenced by the ivory scrimshaw they found on him, the Beheaders guessed the tiefling had been Dajani who had been devoted to Pelor when he ventured out with Jaryn.

The next morining the party took to the river and travelled anothe two days without incident. The riverbanks had flattened. Stunted gray trees clung tenaciously to rocky hills beyond. The sun was setting, and the dire pike were thrashing against the white-water current. And then in distance, they saw it – a twisted rise of dark stone, its lower third carved into perfectly aligned upright slabs. As the peak disappeared into the descending dusk, the pillars appeared to hold up the dark sky itself. The temple lied before the Beheaders, a day’s march away.

Two more days…dusk…the ninth day out from Erstlin…

The jagged slopes of the Moonsfall rose to the north. They were blood-red in the gathering dusk. A surging waterfall descended from a cleft, feeding the dark line of river which twisted off to the south. However, what caught the Beheader’s eyes wasn’t the natural landscape but an unexpected sign of civilization in the midst of it – a walled citadel below the falls. The Black March continued past into the mountains, quickly disappearing from sight.

Along the rough stone walls of the citadel, bodies were lashed. Most were hobgoblins by their misshapen look, but a few humans hung among them. Thin strips of leathery flesh clung to eyeless skulls. Crows swarmed the more recent dead. All wore the tunics of the Hand of Naarash, the symbol of Bane at their chests. It was not unlike some of the wake the Beheaders had left behind at Kobold Hall or The Keep on the Shadowfell or The Chamber of Eyes or The Horned Hold in Thunderspire Labyrinth.

Guards were on alert along the walls as the Beheaders walked to the gate. A guard questioned them and when the people learned about their goal they were welcomed inside. Before the fall of Nerath, Adakmi was the center of a wide-ranging culture of forest villages, nomadic hunting tribes, and isolated mining towns dotting the land of the Moonfall Mountains. In the dark days since, most of those on the road were refugees. The population of the citadel was near two thousand mostly human, elves and half-elves.

The Beheaders made their way to the Sundial Tavern and tried to gather more information. They learned many people had seen Jaryn over the last year. He had saved many people and slaughtered many hobgoblins. All the while he had reassured the people that he would bring the cult to justice. Then rumors said the paladin had been in a great battle against the cult chief, a hobgoblin called Larkazh. That battle was eight months ago. Since, Jaryn had not been seen and cult had returned with more of a focus. They fought more like soldiers and instead of interest in gold and silver they were interested in arms and magic.

Later, the guard who had gossiped with the party introduced them to a dwarf named Glasur.

“The temple’s two weeks north along the Black March.” the dwarf told them, “Problem is, you’ll be dead within two days along that road. In the villages the cult razes, those they don’t kill are taken north. The strongest and the toughest join the cult by slaughtering their own kin. That’s who hunts along the north March, fast and silent – not like the hobgoblin rabble south of the mountains. Only other way north is the river, but you’d need a moonboat for that and those boats are long gone. All except mine that is. I’ve seen the Pillars of Night. I can get you there.”

The lands beyond Erstlin turned to hilled forest. According to Shandra’s directions, the Beheaders would reach the Black March in six days. For three days, they travelled and as dusk approached on the third day, they stumbled upon an achient ruin shrouded by stunted spruce – a shrine or temple reduced to a foundation pit and a half dozen pillars among the trees. They made camp by the trees – a short distance from the pit.

Shortly, a cry rang out. A crashing of branches preceeded a male human with the sun of Pelor on his cloak, blond hair hung ragged as he lurched into the light of thier campfire. He stumbled toward Morthos and Theren and they noticed a prominant scar on his left cheek as they came to his aid. Theren asked him if he were Jaryn. The paladin’s mouth widened in a leer, and a short sword whipped out from under his cloak. Theren quickly shifted away and Morthos was attacked.

As the rest of the Beheaders got to their feet, the paladin retreated into the trees. Theren and Morthos fired at him. The party pursued him into the trees and soon found the paladin attacking from multiple positions at once. Before long, the Beheaders realized they were facing five “Sir Jaryns”. One of the Jaryns fell dead from a blow and a red mist drifted off the corpse. The corpse, once fallen, changed from the paladin with the cloak to a thin, pale humanoid creature with large, black eyes and stark, white hair wearing a cult tunic and Naarash talisman. Morthos blinded one of the doppleganger assassins and it fled. The Beheaders took some damage but killed the remaining dopplegangers. They found some gold and a black pearl on one of the creatures.

The landmarks on Shandra’s map held true, and another three days across open plains brought the Beheaders to the foot of the hills locals called the Harsmad. There, a narrow pass marked the beginning of the Black March. True to its name, the road was a dark scar through densely forested hills.

For seven days, the Beheaders path slowly climbed, the track offered glimpses of the Moonfall Mountains ahead. A half-dozen times, they saw hobgoblin patrols on foot, but the cultists made so much noise that they were easily avoided in the shadows off of the trail. The Hand of Naarash must have believed that few would be brave – or foolish – enough to pursue them into the heart of their domain.

On the seventh day, the Beheaders came across a group of shadow hounds making a hunting run through the woods. They handled the hounds with little trouble but Theren, Morthos and Baal were reminded of the draems which stilled plagued them since finding the carved green gem on the Woodsinger elves. Their dreams had progressed a little in the last two weeks. Their draems always started with them in a columned hall with hounds lurking in the shadows. Then they moved toward the skull, set on a pedastle with one green gem for an eye and one empty socket, at the end of a narrow hall. Now, in their dreams, they moved away from the skull, out of the hall, up through a bulkhead where the moon lit the night sky. They ran through woods and then into marshland.

The Beheaders were put off by Perren Auldwyl’s ungratefulness. A small crowd from the rest of the town had gathered to see the outcome of the battle. There was a ruckus and a young lady pulled free from the throng of villagers. Some of them pleaded with her to return to the crowd but she walked straight up to the party.

“Name’s Shandra.” she said, “Hobgoblins killed my pa when they first came. Why don’t you ask Mr. Auldwyl what he has in the trap door below his house?”

This comment drew a collective gasp from the crowd and a sneer from Auldwyl. The Beheaders looked at him.

“Very well,” he grumbled, “The Hand is running weapons east.”

Perren led the Beheaders to the trap door in the center of his main hall. A storage compartment beneath held stacked crates. One crate held a brace of black-fletched arrows, another contained longswords and a third was packed with steel helmets.

“Erstlin’s a stop-off point,” the old man whispered, “last town short of the wilds. We give their smugglers free run of the town, the Hand leaves us alone.”

The townspeople of Erstlin took possession of the weapons. They would need to fight when the smugglers came to check on the others.

The hobgoblins killed my pa,” Shandra repeated, “Said it was a warning. I followed them, meant to take revenge but I couldn’t keep up. But I saw where they went. I can make you a map for finding their Black March.”

As the Beheaders approached the settlement, a figure on horseback rode out from the nearest farmhouse. An older man hailed them, one had rested on a longsword at his hip. He introduced himself as Perren Auldwyl, a widower and the town of Erstlin’s elder. He guessed that the party would be seeking a place to stay the night and offered his well-kept farmhouse. The Beheaders asked about Jaryn, the cult and the Black March but the old man appeared not to hear them as he led them to his house. He engaged them in mundane conversation about the weather.

At the house he began preparing a meal and the Beheaders again questioned him about the cult and the Black March.

“Not the first time I’ve heard such questions from outsiders,” Auldwyl said, “And I’ll tell you straight what I told them – Erstlin don’t need no would-be heroes making trouble. Best you take your questions and head back to your precious cities at first light.”

From outside came the sound of hoofbeats through the dark night. Auldwyl sprinted to a window and carefully peered through the shutters.

“Fools!” he hissed as he turned back. “You don’t know what you’ve done.”

Suddenly, a bugbear crashed through the window knocking Auldwyl to the floor unconscious. Another bugbear crashed through the door and a pair of hobgoblin soldiers followed. A hobgoblin warcaster appeared behind the bugbear at the window. The Beheaders fought well and killed the intruders without taking a casualty. When each combatant was killed a blood-red mist floated from their bodies. Beneath their cloaks, the goblinoids wore gray tunics marked with the symbol of a black hand. The rough appearance of their clothing was a stark contrast to their well-made arms and armor, and to a magic rod carried by the warcaster. Each cultist also wore a rough silver talisman with an empty space where a stone should set.

Auldwyl recovered from consciousness angry, “Unless you’re planning to stick around to take on the group that comes looking for this one, you ain’t done us no favors.”

The Beheaders followed, according to Emesha’s map, Jaryn’s trail across the borderlands searching for any information about the paladin, the cult and the location of the Black March. The frontier was an inhospitable expanse that offered little in the way of food or shelter. The Beheaders were lucky to have the basket of everlasting provisions and although they did not suffer much from hunger they were unable to find adequate shelter most nights and suffered some from exposure to the unkind winter. The absence of trade roads made the trek a slow endeavor. Theren did well finding the intermittent foot and cart paths crisscrossing the wilderness. After a few days, the trails they followed eventually joined a faint track. Ahead, scrubland gave way to fields dotted with farmhouses. However, even before they reached the village, the Beheaders felt eyes on them. Through shuttered windows, the villagers watched them approach with dark suspicion.

Over the coarse of a week, the Beheaders came across a few such villages described above. The folk of the frontier were reluctant to speak of the Hand of Naarash. The settlements had no inns or taverns and the Beheaders had to seek shelter in private homes and farms. The folk of the frontier were uniformly suspicious of strangers and downright fearful of the Hand of Naarash. They hung out at one village for an extra day and Theren hunted down a deer and offered it to a family who had let them sleep in their barn. This was all in an attempt to build goodwill. The gesture provided mild success at aquiring information.

“I heard a story from a refugee family out of the Harsmad,” said the man of the house, “that met a holy knight of Pelor. Said he looked like a wild man – mud and brambles in his hair, a string of hobgoblin teeth around his neck.”

The man had no more information but gave the party a point in the general direction of the Harsmad Hills. At the end of that first week, the last three settlements the Beheaders passed had been burned out. Human and hobgoblin bodies were scattered in the ash. Just before dusk on the seventh day, they found a settlement still standing. The track met up with a wide stream ahead with green fields to both sides.

“Friends,” the cleric beckoned, “I would speak to you of a matter of some importance and a favor that we might humbly, beg in Pelor’s name. Our order fights the Hand of Naarash at every turn, but still the cult’s strength grows. Our hope a year ago was that striking at the heart of the cult would grant us an advantage. That hope has been dashed until now – should you decide to aid us. We need a group willing to seek a paladin named Jaryn, lost across the frontier. Your actions tonight, putting yourself in danger to defend others, makes me hopeful that you might undertake this quest.

“Jaryn is a stalwart of our faith and a veteran of countless campaigns against the cult. At the request of Makkas Day, the Sheriff of Bridgeblock, he and a group loyal to him undertook a mission a year ago that would have struck a mortal blow at the heart of Naarash.

“While our order defends villages of the frontier, Jaryn and four companions sought to take the battle to the heart of the cult. Naarash’s faithful are based in a great temple in the Moonsfall Mountains. The Pillars of Night, they call it. Jaryn swore to break the cult by destroying its leaders.

“Our last contact with Jaryn was a sending ritual six months ago that placed him deep in the borderlands at the head of a trail called the Black March. We have had no further word.

“Four faithful of Pelor accompanied Jaryn. They are Andressa and Annika, sister-clerics of our order; the fighter Kelma; and Dajani, a tiefling sworn to Pelor’s cauase. Jaryn has long straight blond hair and a prominant scar on his left cheek earned in a battle with a hobgoblin war chief.

“Naarash is said to be a hobgoblin prophet of Bane before the fall of Nerath, but no history speaks of that name. The Hand of Naarash arose as a hobgoblin cult five years past, though it now counts all of the borderlands’ races among its members. “They prey on the most isolated frontier villages for converts and spoils. Townsfolk are given the choice of joining the Hand or accepting the salvation of death.

“Our own operatives are too well-known among the cultists. Two groups have tried already to follow Jaryn’s path. Neither returned. A capable party unknown to the cult might succeed where others have failed.”

The Beheaders accepted the quest and Emesha sketched out a map that would seethem through the first stage of their journey. She carried little wealth but offered the party 100-gp as they prepared for their expedition. They refused the gift graciously and donated a generous amount to Farrah Goldleaf to help the new refugees.

In the morning, with a last word of thanks, Emesha and her compatriots took their leave as they escorted a group of refugees to larger settlements south and west. The Beheaders destination was east, and the frontier road was all but empty as they headed out.

With Farrah Goldleaf the Beheaders arrived at the village Esner. What was once a grasy common in the center of town had become a field of makeshift tents. The number of refugees was hard to count. Farrah told the Beheaders, more arrived each day to replace those that picked up to head west or south to more civilized lands. The exiles were a mix of race and cultures all fleeing the predation of a frontier cult.

The rain that had started in the morning showed no sign of letting up; the track through the center of town had turned into a mire. As they approached the common, a shout rang out through the downpour. Sunrods lit the refuge camp where a tent was pulled down. Five figures stormed through the adjacent shelters as people scattered before them. A child screamed and a mace was raised.

The Beheaders quickly came to the aid of the refugees. As they chopped down the last of the assailants the town militia arrived. Beneath the travel-stained cloaks, three of the dead cultists wore loose-fitting gray tunics with the symbol of Bane painted across their chest. The other two had the symbol painted directly on their chain mail. One was obviously a magic user and he carried a potion of healing.

The Beheaders assisted the refugees and militia fixing up the camp and aiding the wounded when a new group arrived to lend a hand. The newcomers were well-armed, all in gray cloaks set with the sun of Pelor. When the last of the injured had been taken care of, a tall human woman approached, greeting the Beheaders deferentially.

“Well met,” she said. “And thanks to you for a timely intervention. We have been hard after these cult butchers for three days now. Had you not been here, our arrival would have come too late.”

She intorduced herself as Emesha. She and her companions were members of a sect called the Light Of The Sun.

“These are cultists of the Hand Of Naarash, a sect of Bane that spreads like plague. The Hand seeks converts in the isolated settlements, meeting resistance with steel and fire.”

The Beheaders wanted to help.

ON THE ROAD TO HARKENWOLD, the Beheaders were intercepted by a group of elves who recognized Rudolph Harmony. They escorted the heroes to Riverbend where Farrah Goldleaf Stockmer was spending most her days. She welcomed them and told them about the many refugees who were arriving from all direction. Some were fleeing their homes in the Nentir Vale or Fallcrest and others were fleeing the lands of the east where a cult called the Hand Of Naaresh was invading villages. Remy Longsong of The Band Of Valor was in Riverbend. He described the battle at Gardmore Abbey to the Beheaders. The army of Tiamat followers had attacked in the morning. The Band Of valor had fought well but Kormon refused to retreat from the main hall. Remy and James darkeye were seperated from Tindleby Lightstep and Uerthen Stonefist when Kormon fell. The cleric and wizard had escaped but he did not know about the other two. He saw the Fallcrest garrison arrive and battle the Tiamat army then more Fallcrest men arrived and their forces were pushed back. It was very confusing but he was almost certain he saw some Fallcrest men fighting each other. Not knowing who to trust Remy headed to his home village in Harkenwold and James Darkeye to his home in Nenlast. TELDORTHAN AND SOME VETERAN FALLCREST SOLDIERS had taken up residence in Harkenwold because the town of Fallcrest now had an uneasy feel to it. The mastersmith had a portion of his sight restored by a ritual Remy Longsong brought back from Gardmore Abbey. The dwarf did not have the keen eye that had made him such a wonderful craftsman but he had taken on a couple apprentices with potential and he was feeling in much brighter spirits now that he could put his skills to use teaching. AFTER A COUPLE DAYS Farrah asked the Beheaders to escort her to a village to the east where some new refugees had just been taken in. They left in the morning.

ENTERING FALLCREST, the Beheaders were not sure how they would be accepted by the Lord Warden Armos Kamroth. Had Brackus the Traitor been working under his orders when he tried to kill them? THE KING’S GATE WALLS WERE REBUILT. Masons and carpenters had been steadily at work over the past weeks and along with the town defenses many new shelters had been constructed in the lower quays. The town was so full that temporay shelters had been constructed outside the walls and every farmhouse and barn was occupied. Human and Dragonborn guards patrolled the walls of the town watching over the steady stream of all varieties of people entering and exiting the gates. THE STREETS WERE MUDDY AND CROWDED, the town felt dirty… ...RUDY HAD LIVED IN FALLCREST for six years and now a few months later few of his former garrison members remained in the town yet the garrison was three times the size it had been swelling to more the size of a small army at 800 strong. They carried themselves much different now as well. Before they had been more laid back, keepers of the peace; now they were more assertive and patrolling, bullying at times. ...MORTHOS NOTED THAT AMARA WAS ON EDGE since the Beheaders had moved into her small backroom of the House Azaer Trading Post. In the three days they had spent here they had tried to keep out of sight but Torinn had gone down to the lower quays drinking at night and everyone had come and gone from the house a few times. If Armos Kamroth was their enemy they should probably get out of town. The Moonstone Keep was too heavily guarded to try to get at the Lord Warden and he wasn’t particularly unpopular with the people. The growing opinion was that the Lords of the East posed a threat to the Vale. People believed Kamroth was their best chance at defense. ...TORINN VISITED THE LOWER QUAYS at night. The first night he spent time at the Blue Moon Ale House where he had once drank with the masterarmsmaker Teldorthan and Sergeant Murgeddin, a retired dwarf Fallcrest veteran soldier. He learned the seargeant had taken the blinded mastersmith to Harkenwold. Other veterans of the Fallcrest garrison, like Sgt. Thurmina, had left Fallcrest recently and joined up with the people in Harkenwold. Torinn drank with a tall wirey human female barbarian and a female half orc rogue whose parents had traded horses and hippogriffs in Archertown before being killed on Whiteowl Road by a Hellish Horseman. She had held jobs in Archertown and Winterhaven and the two ladies were currently highwaymen working out of Winterhaven. They had been curious to visit so Fallcrest so here they were. The human woman’s story was a little more complex. Evidently, her family was from the east and her parents had been betrayed by a cousin who worked for the Ministry of Sir Harnden. He was an administrator called a scion of the black hand and her family had been arrested. She had managed to escape and believed her family was dead. She had joined a group of nomadic people and learned to survive. She hates the lords of the east and swears she will avenge her family. THE TWO LADIES POINTED OUT a halfling cleric of Ioun who was dressed in plate mail and asked a lot of questions. He was another highwayman with an interesting past. He was from Archertown, the son of an arrested gangster. He had saved the life of Corellia Flamet, the now governess of Archertown, when he was younger and before she held office. He was adopted by the wizard mayor of Spearpoint, Perry Barefoot, and sent to the school of wizardry where he found his calling as a cleric of Ioun. The half orc woman said he was very honest and forthcoming and asked a ton of questions about everything. She also pointed out an obvious devotee to the Raven Queen, perhaps from the Raven Roost Performers, who was serving time as a highwayman. ...THE ELVES AND ELADRIN found some of the squallor in the crowded town upsetting. Even Barnoble who grew up in a large city was not prepared for poor conditions. They felt suffocated and unappreciated. Harkenwold sounded like a nicer destination. AND SO AFTER THREE DAYS THEY LEFT.

AFTER A WEEK of rest the Beheaders were feeling good about traveling. Theren had provided some meals of deer to extend what the basket of everlasting provisions was supplying each day. The early snow had brought in cold temperatures but there had been no additional snow in the five days following the near two feet that had fallen at the beginning of the week. ALONG THE KING’S ROAD TOWARD FALLCREST, the Beheaders ran across a shack every fifteen or twenty miles. Each shack was guarded by a pair of highwaymen. At the first shack, a dwarf met the party along the road and interviewed them about their business as they made their way by. Behind the shack in a clearing a human sat on a horse ready to ride off and give warning if the Beheaders had proven to be hostile. THE BEHEADERS LEARNED that the army of Tiamat cultists had attacked Gardmore Abbey and killed the paladin Korman of The Band Of Valor. No one knew the fates of the other members of the company. Some human, dragonborn and kobold cultists had been killed in the attack and more were killed when the Fallcrest garrison arrived at the scene. The garrison had been pushed back from their initial assault to retake the Abbey. Then reinforcements from Winterhaven had arrived a day later and when they reattacked the Abbey most of the cultists were gone along with The Band Of Valor and any rumored ancient treasures. THE ATTACK ON GARDMORE ABBEY had caused panic through the Nentir Vale and Fallcrest and Winterhaven had agreed it would be best to hire highway men on the trade roads so if the army reappeared they would have adquate warning. Many nomadic people and those from smaller villages were migrating to larger populated areas like Fallcrest, Winterhaven, Harkenwold and Nenlast. Past seasons had been productive and so far the towns were handling the surplus of people but things would get tight soon with regard to food and shelter was already becoming a problem. THE NEXT HIGHWAYMAN WAS AN OGRE accompanied by a half elf ranger. Evidently, highwaymen from many walks of life were being paid on a trial basis 2 or 3 gold pieces per day. They worked for three day stretches until their replacements arrived. Some collected additional taxes from travelers, to be sure, but none bothered to hassle the Beheaders. The had water and rations and other supplies for sale to travelers.

THE BEHEADERS RESTED at the ruined horse ranch for a few days. Morthos and Baal had serious wounds to recover from and Rudy and Torinn also required a good rest before they were back on their feet. On the third day, Morthos was back to near his old self but Baal was still struggling with a fever. Then The People Of Ao arrived. THE HALFLING DUPREE came across the ranch grounds accompanied by a seven and half foot tall shaman called Oogiman. The marble gray skinned goliath corrected Torinn who guessed him to be a druid. Oogiman said he knew a druid but he was not she. A shifter, ranger accompanied Dupree and Oogiman as well. The shifter was named Scarr and he could smell the stench of MOON FEVER coming from the Beheaders. Baal was suffering from the malady because of being bitten by the werewolf Terrlen Darkseeker back at Thunderspire Labyrinth. Oogiman cast a ritual to remedy Baal. The Beheaders, in turn, agreed to spread the word to those they met that The People Of Ao were seeking The Song Of Geayes’ Leige and if they heard any rumors about the location of the Song they would do what they could to get word to The People Of Ao. THE BEHEADERS WERE SURROUNDED BY AN AURA OF BAD JUJU according to Oogiman. He and his people wished them well but they could only spend a short period of time with them before moving on. Theren, Morthos and Baal explained the dreams they had been having about the columned hall, the shadow hounds and the skull with the missing emerald eye. Dupree thought the Beheaders had been marked and they discussed the green gem they had found on the Woodsinger Elves. They discussed Ao and who/what it was, which was EVERYTHING according to Oogiman. He described Ao as the balance of the Universe and how anything bad from one perspective was good from a different perspective. The People Of Ao did not seem to know what The Song Of Geayes’ Leige was but wanted word spread that they were looking for it. It was more important to let the world know that it was being searched for because according to legend it would allow itself to be found when the time was right. According to their legends, as well, the time for The People Of Ao to spread the word to the masses of sedintaries had arrived four weeks ago. That is when they had begun their pilgrimage. More prophets would follow them. The Beheaders asked what races made up The People Of Ao. They answered that ALL were part of Ao but few acknowledged this fact. Those that had consisted of many races – halfling, shifter, goliath, human, dwarf, elf, half elf, orc, half orc, dragonborn, gnome, goblin, kobold, etc.

November 17th. The night’s rest was filled with more unsettling dreams by Baal, Theren and Morthos. The morning was cold. Theren tried hunting for a couple hours without success. They rationed out food from the Basket of Everlasting Provisions and headed out along the path the army had left behind.

They were a few miles west of the Cloak Wood when they saw a wagon clumsily crest a hill up ahead. They hid in a grove of trees and watched. They observed the wagon was being pulled and pushed by sixteen kobold minions while a leader with a quarterstaff rode on top of the wagon and six armed guards surrounded it. Four of the guards carried spears and two had longswords. The guards were in scale mail and they and the leader had a single large black dragon scale each embedded into their chests like breast plates. Their eyes swirled with a red fiery light. The wagon held three large crates.

The Beheaders ambushed the kobolds and the battle proved tough. The guards were quite fierce and the minions swarmed around several of the party members. In the end the Beheaders took one minion prisoner and killed all the rest without taking a casualty. The crates on the wagon bore the symbol of the platinum dragon although the kobolds had attempted to deface them. One crate was marked as the property of Gardmore Abbey. Rudy thought the Abbey might be a ruin near the Gardbury Downs. Something about the name rang a bell but he couldn’t place it.

The kobold minion was intimidated and pleaded for his life saying that the crates were filled with great wealth from the ancient Arkhosia Empire and they were welcome to it. He and his comrades were the vassels of a black dragon called Droghorrah who lived in the Witchlight Fens. The Beheaders told him they had killed Droghorrah and he protested saying that the “pact-bound” would have known if it were true. He quickly gave up his protests, however, and agreed it must be true.

The kobold told the Beheaders that his kin had entered an agreement with some other kobolds, humans and dragonborn to attack Gardmore Abbey and recover the ancient treasures of the paladins of the platinum dragon who once resided there. The “pact-bound” were promised they would get half the treasure to bring back to Droghorrah, their goddess. The army had killed some people guarding the Abbey including a dragonborn paladin of the platinum dragon.

Torinn killed the kobold and they opened the crates. At the top of each crate were bags of silver and copper coins which appeared they could be from the ancient Arkhosia Empire. Beneath the bags the crates were stuffed with rudimentary items and equipment. It appeared the kobolds had been cheated out of their promised half share.

While Theren was considering how much room was left in the bag of holding and the group discussed where they should go, a couple of them noticed Caustrex the Gray fly high overhead until she disappeared over the hill the wagon had come over. The Beheaders believed they should get to a town before the weather got too severe. Winterhaven and Fallcrest were the closest towns and the King’s Road led to both. The army appeared to be heading toward the King’s Road so they decided to continue along the path.

They climbed a wooded hill while following the army’s path. On the northern side of the hill was spacious horse ranch. It appeared the army had overrun the ranch and set up camp for at least one night. A large grassy area with a pond was surrounded by fenced fields. A dirt road looped aside the fences and small barracks and stables were scattered along the road – some of them ruined and burned. Several campfires had been set up in the grassy areas. At the far northern end of the ranch a house and barn stood near some small corn fields. Smoke rose from the chimney of the house. Nothing else stirred among the littered grounds of the ranch.

The Beheaders snuck through the woods to the rear of the house and Theren crept to a window. He saw a tall thin figure standing near the fireplace in the one room house. HE HEARD AN UNNATURAL BIRD CALL COME FROM THE CORN FIELD AND HE RETREATED BACK TO THE OTHERS WHO WAITED BY A short stone wall at the edge of the woods. They spotted the curtains move in one window and they crept to the other side of the building as a group. Rudy called out to whoever was in the field to show themselves. The front door of the house opened and the voice of a woman asked them to come in. Theren, Rudy and Torinn entered the house and the other three waited outside the door.

By the fireplace an eladrin woman stood wearing a white, leather, hooded cloak and holding a silver hilted longsword with a red glowing blade. Her features were sharp and hard. She was tall and thin. She did not look strong but her posture was confident. She assumed they were the Beheaders and introduced herself as Hildren. She knew they were hunting for Kelson and Brackus. They questioned her about the army they were following and told her about the kobolds they had killed. She said the army had raided the ranch and used it as a camp before moving north through the Vale. She admitted she knew Kelson and Brackus. She said the army had woken up the people of the Vale and many were flocking to Fallcrest and Winterhaven. She liked this because she believed the people of the Vale needed to unite against the threatening Lords of the East. She promised that the Lords of the East would soon spread their domination to the Nentir Vale and the Coastal Provinces. She claimed Hammerfast had already broken into cival war, being infected by the influence of Lord William Invidia. She encouraged them not to toadie to the likes of Invidia or any of the other Earls. She spoke of the Hand of Naaresh threatening Bridgeblock. Rudy had been told by Enubrius the Bronze that the sheriff had sent a paladin from the order Light Of The Sun to search for the temple of the Hand of Naaresh. Naaresh was raiding villages and forcing people to join their army.

Outside Barnoble and Morthos heard someone coming through the cornfield toward the house.

Inside Hildren told Theren, Rudy, Baal and Torinn that it was unfortunate that some of her associates could not see more than what was right in front of their noses. She hoped the Beheaders, like her, could see the larger picture. The more the people of the Nentir Vale fought among themselves the easier it was going to be for the Lords of the East to conquer them. She encouraged the Beheaders to leave the Vale and concentrate on fighting the Lords of the East.

Outside, four human bandits emerged from the cornfield with Sgt. Brackus. One of the men was one of the Fallcrest garrison. Brackus wore scale armor and carried a two handed sword. He had a symbol honoring Tiamat afixed to the chest of his armor and his eyes glowed red.

Inside Theren asked Hildren if she was with them or against them. Hildren attacked. Outside Barnoble and Morthos were facing off with Brackus when Morthos was attacked from behind by a black cowled man. Most of the Beheaders in the house were trying to get to the door so they could attack Brackus.

Rudy attacked Hildren. She struck him with her longsword which errupted in a burst of flame. The fire damage was absorbed by Rudy’s Invulnerable Coat Of Ahrnd but the blade cut him deep. As soon as he was hit the two of them disappeared from the house.

The bandits had dropped torches in the cornfield and the fire spread fast. Brackus was slashing at Barnoble and Torinn with his great sword. Morthos was wounded and fighting off the black cowled man who was the outlaw Kelson. The battle waged back and forth. The Beheaders were dealing out damage but were getting bloodied. The bandits fell but Kelson dropped Morthos with a cold stab of his short sword. Brackus was bloodied when he knocked Torinn unconscious. Barnoble brought down Brackus. Theren and Baal felt a ripple of snakes across their brains and took psychic damage from an attack by Hildren who was between the house and the barn. Kelson dropped Baal and Theren shifted away from Hildren and dropped Kelson.

Barnoble and Theren were the last two Beheaders standing but they could no longer see Hildren who was around the corner of the house. They heard the barn door creak open and something large emerge. They peeked around the corner and saw Hildren on the back of Caustrex the Gray. The blade of her silver sword no longer glowed red.

“Leave the Nentir Vale to those who can properly defend it.” Hildren warned, “The real threat is Lords of the East. Focus your energy on them.”

Then Caustrex flew off. Theren raised his bow to fire at Hildren but found he could not release the arrow because of the risk that he might hit the dragon. Morthos and Baal were both bleeding badly. Theren ran to Morthos’ side and Barnoble to Baal’s side. After some difficulty they were each able to stop the bleeding but both fallen comrades would need time to recover. Torinn was unconscious but would be on his feet come morning. They found Rudy behind the house. He was unconscious but not mortally wounded.

The Beheaders had defeated Brackus and Kelson but not located the stolen goods of Teldorthan and Lord Invidia. They would need some time for rest and recovery. It started to snow.

Shortly after setting up camp and eating, most of the Beheaders were sleeping. Theren kept watch the first two hours. During the second hour, the camp was attacked by five ambush drake. Baal was bloodied in the fight but all except one drake were killed.

The Beheaders found the lair of the black dragon they had killed. A chest contained gold, gems and a +2 resounding flail.

They climbed along a ridge to get a good look at the swamp while they travelled. They witnessed some giant rats running through a small valley. Some small black dragons (wyrmlings) ambushed the rats and dragged many into the water – breaking their necks. There were atleast seven of the wyrmlings.

Theren spotted a troll.

They came upon a hill in the middle of the fens where five heads were propped up on posts. One head had been burned with acid, one poisoned, one burnt with fire, one electrocuted and one frozen. The heads were from five of the Fallcrest garrison men. A circle and runes were drawn on the ground around the posts. A sacrificial ceremony to Tiamat had been performed here.

The Beheaders came across an area where ten campfires had recently burned. There were many footprints and it appeared a small army had travelled north.

They ran into a halfling wearing hides and carrying a hand crossbow. The halfling told them he and his friends watched an orc chieftan earlier in the morning kill a young black dragon. He said the orc carried a spear and was called Rugus Doombringing. He was going to bring the dragon’s head back to the other orcs as proof he was the chieftan meant to unite the clans and take them on a rampage. The halfling, named Dupree, wished them farewell by saying, “May Ao, keep you in the balance!”

He said he had seen some dragonborn, kobolds and barbarians further south moving toward this area. That was four days ago.

The Beheaders followed the army’s tracks and travelled most of the day. Near nightfall they came to the edge of the Fens and were attacked by a shambling mound. They killed it.

While the Beheaders tended to the dead and looked for the young black dragons lair Theren noticed the drakes they had seen earlier were still stalking the party. A chilling howl echoed from the east across the Fens. The drakes were spooked and ran off. Taeran Woodsinger said the howl was the shadow hounds that had persued them from the graveyard at the edge of Harken Forest. The Beheaders dragged the dead dragon’s carcass to the top of the hill and set up camp.

Theren and Barnoble took first watch and soon the party was attacked by six shadow hounds. The hounds bayed and deafened most of the Beheaders temporarily. They targeted Taeran Woodsinger. The elf tried to escape but was torn apart by the beasts who teleported short distances to surround him. One of the hounds grabbed Taeran pouch. The Beheaders focused their attacks on the dog with the pouch and the hounds ganged up on Barnoble and knocked him unconscious. The hound with the pouch was killed along with another and both hounds dissipated into shadow. The pouch fell to the ground and another hound retrieved it. When that hound was killed and disipated like the others Theren picked up the pouch. The three remaining hounds surrounded him and when he tried to retreat they nearly killed him. Rudy helped Barnoble regain consciousness and then helped stabalize Theren. Soon all the hounds were killed and Morthos took the pouch. Inside he found a large emerald with a strange rune cut into one side. Baal examined it. He believed the rune was a religious symbol but wasn’t sure.

The Beheaders rested the night and everyone reached 6th level.

The Beheaders continued south keeping a few miles from the Nentir River as the letter they found at Kobold Hall instructed. They were being stalked by some sort of drakes with small wings that acted similar to a wolf pack. Only Baal and Morthos got a look at the creatures. After a few hours they ran into a group of three elves and a pair of gray wolves. The elves had been chased out of a graveyard at the edge of the Harken Forest by some shadow hounds. They had crossed the Nentir River in an attempt to lose them. They had been running all night and morning. They joined the Beheaders in their search for their enemies feeling they would be safer with a larger group.

According to the letter from Kobold Hall, a strong scent would lead the Beheaders to the outlaws’ “friend in the fens” as they travelled south. They soon caught wind of a grotesque smell of rot and general foulness. Along to path to find the source of the smell they battled a couple carrion crawler. They basically dispatched the creature with ranged weapons before they could cause any serious harm to anyone. The source of the smell was a stagnant, murky pond at the base of a hill. The pond was filled with refuse and decomposing animal and humanoid corpses. The pool also turned out to be the lair of a pair of otyugh. The Beheaders took down the otyugh without taking any casualties and found some treasure on a corpse in the mouth of one of the creatures.

The Beheaders were confused because the letter’s direction had led them here and there was no sign of Kelson or any outlaws. Theren annd Morthos scouted around the hill. From the top they saw a little wildlife but nothing of much use. As they discussed where to go next, Theren caught sight of a young black dragon spying them from the top of the hill. The dragon attacked. The battled proved difficult. The dragon used it’s breath weapon a few times at the beginning of battle along with its frightful presence. Then it engaged the Beheaders in combat using its aura of darkness to provide concealment. The two gray wolves, two of the elves and Hugh from Fallcrest were all killed during the battle. The Beheaders all sustained some wounds but all were on their feet at the end of the battle. The dragon tried retreating at the last minute but Morthos delivered the killing blow with a throwing star. Taeran Woodsinger was the name of the remaining elf.

Pinned down in a hole in the side of a cliff the Beheaders discussed how to deal with the gray dragon lurking outside. Theren kept an eye on the young, female wyrm who sat for a moment on a ledge watching the hole one hundred feet above. The dragon soon got up and flew out of Theren’s line of sight. There were no sounds in the cavern outside. Theren joined the others deeper in the small cave to talk about their situation.

The Beheaders talked about Barnoble teleporting to the outcrop above and distracting the dragon while the others attempted to climb up. Only one rope remained hanging from the outcrop. The acid from the dragon’s breath weapon had disintigrated the other ropes. Climbing the rope quickly to the top was a dangerous proposition but climbing the sheer cliff wall to the outcrop might be deadly. It would be harder and slower. The Beheaders could ensure one other member of their group would reach the outcrop quickly by using the boots of climbing. As they talked they heard rocks smashing on the outcrop above. The dragon was getting restless. It was hard to imagine a scenario where an attempted escape wouldn’t result in at least one of the Beheaders falling to their death.

“Dragonslayers?...” a voice echoed down the throat of the cave, “You are dragonslayers, right? How long are you going to hide in that hole?”

“That’s right,” responded Theren, “We’ve killed many dragons and you might be next.”

“Many? I wouldn’t call ssssSzartharax, many.” The dragon replied.

“Ah, so you knew her?” Theren asked.

“Szartharax was young and stupid.” The gray dragon explained, “Whites are an inferior breed. I will not allow myself to be killed by you. Your lives are dust as compared to mine. The elves may be able to relate somewhat but I am still young and have lived through three generations of humans.”

“And what is your name.” asked Theren.

“I am called Caustrex the Gray.” she replied.

By conversing with Caustrex, the Beheaders learned that she was restless. She did not like the confined space of the cavern. She was being paid by someone who wanted them dead and she was in a hurry to be done with the task. She offered to give them a head start up the cavern shaft if they gave her a magic item. She insisted she would still attack but they would have a chance to get into a better position for the fight. She also wanted them to agree that any fallen comrades’ equipment would be left for her to claim for her horde. This conversation did little to entice the Beheaders to leave the safety of the cave. They did have an everful basket of food. Caustrex asked about the staff Baal carried. She would give them a good head start for that item.

The Beheaders took a break from the conversation and schemed a way to trick the dragon into giving Theren a good target to unload some arrows into. They left Baal’s old staff by the cave entrance and Theren waited for the dragon to show herself. Caustrex was offended by the Beheaders idea that she was some sort of inferior creature who could be fooled by such simple tricks. Conversation resumed between the Beheaders and Caustrex after a while. The dragon softened her insistence that she would hunt them all down. The Beheaders learned that she was nearing adulthood and would be looking for a lair soon to raise some wyrmlings. She agreed to let them go if they gave her the staff. The Beheaders didn’t trust her and suggested that she would probably attack them anyway. Caustrex responded that she was in possession of a ritual which could bind her and the Beheaders in a pact of peace. It would require the blood of all the participants in the ritual and the dragon proposed that Baal look at the ritual and cast it himself if the party agreed.

After looking at the ritual, Baal explained to the others that if they took part in it, Caustrex and any of her offspring would be incapable of knowingly causing physical harm to the Beheaders and any of their offspring. The Beheaders and their offspring would likewise be incapable of harming Caustrex and any of her offspring. The Beheaders were suspicious as to why she would make a pact with beings she considered “dust” compared to herself. She explained that she had been refering to the relative short lifespans they had compared to hers.

“I have fought you once and found you are more capable than most humanoids. Perhaps one day you will rule the humanoid kingdoms of this land and your children after you.” Caustrex offered, “A pact with the more powerful humanoids around could be useful to me and my future generations.”

The Beheaders agreed to the pact and all took turns contributing their blood to the ritual as did Caustrex. Baal found that the power of his staff was necessary for the ritual. Upon casting the ritual the staff deteriated into residuum and burned away. The dragon crept to the edge of the outcrop and prepared to take flight.

“So,” said Theren, “Those people above, who want us dead. What will you tell them? That we fell to our deaths?”

“Something like that, I guess?” she replied and then took flight and was soon gone from sight.

The Beheaders climbed up the cavern shaft and after a couple hours reached the top. On the way the found the ruined body of one of the Fallcrest men. It appeared the man had fallen. Perhaps, Sgt. Brackus was pushing them to move faster.

At the top, the Beheaders emerged on a hill with a twisted tree whose roots dangled over the edge of the hole to the Underdark. The Nentir River could be seen a couple miles to the east. The marsh ground was covered in a thick mist. Hills of higher marshland and rock emerged from the mist in a wide area. Far to the west, Theren noticed some unidentifiable unmoving figures on a hill. Further to the west the marshland rose gradually probably giving way to the plains south of Winterhaven. To the southwest was a large hill covered in long swampgrass.

Theren found a couple tracks on the northern side of their hill. After rereading the letter to Wyrmpriest Smerzi, the Beheaders decided to follow the directions which told them to travel south and stay a few miles west of the river. Shortly, they ran into a group of spider-like humanoids called Ettercaps. The Ettercaps surprised the Beheaders and caught three of them in some webs but the battle quickly turned in the Beheaders favor and in the lair nearby Morthos found a Staff of Fiery Might which was woven into the webbed walls of the lair along with many of the Ettercaps past victims.

The party is stuck in a hole in the side of a cliff with a young female gray dragon lurking outside. Sgt. Brackus and seven of the Fallcrest men were left above on the outcrop where the adventurers had camped. The eighth Fallcrest man, Hugh, is with the Beheaders in a small cave beneath the outcrop.

Minutes ago, the Beheaders, Brackus and the Fallcrest recruits had been preparing for the climb to the surface. Morthos and Theren had begun scouting the cavern walls with Barnoble. Baal was mingling with the recruits while Brackus organized them. Hugh had been gathering ropes from where the party had ascended. Rudy and Torinn stood with him. Suddenly, Baal noticed Torinn give him a knod and he nudged Hugh. Hugh immediately burst into tantrum.

“I don’t know!” he shouted, “Stop harrassing me!”

Hugh pushed Torinn. The dragonborn stumbled and fell over the edge of the shelf. Sgt. Brackus and the Fallcrest men looked up as Hugh began wrestling with Rudy and the two of them tumbled over the side as well. Sgt. Brackus and Baal ran to where the three had fallen. The outcrop dropped off into blackness. No one could survive a fall from such a height.

Everyone gathered on the ledge. The four remaining Beheaders were confused. Theren wanted to climb down after his friends. Brackus lamented on the loss of their friends but insisted they still needed to persue the outlaw Kelson. The Beheaders huddled together and discussed a general feeling of distrust about Brackus and his men. They suggested that were they to move on they should have the sergeant and his men lead the way. They proposed this to Sgt. Brackus. He agreed to take the lead but reiterated that the Fallcrest men were inexperienced and would not fare well in the front ranks. He said Torinn had questioned him about the fight with the dragon and why he and the men had not provided support. Brackus insisted that the men would have been killed quickly in such a battle.

Before they moved on Morthos wanted to be lowered down over the ledge where Rudy, Torinn and Hugh had fallen. He couldn’t convince himself that they were gone. Barnoble, Theren and Baal prepared a rope. Sgt. Brackus and the Fallcrest men started went to where they would continue to climb the long shaft to the surface. As Morthos grabbed the rope and backed toward the edge of the outcrop, he looked up and saw a shadow flying down toward the four Beheaders. He yelled and whipped out a throwing star as the gray dragon quickly decended. The star went flying wildly as the beast swooped down and spewed its acidic sticky ooze at them. All four were struck by the breathweapon which pushed them all over the side.

They slid over the edge covered in a burning, sticky film. Theren and Barnoble made athletic swings on the rope and found a smaller ledge underthe outcrop. Torinn and Rudy were swinging off of ropes attached to the outcrop and they saved Baal and Morthos from falling. Hugh, the Fallcrest man, was poking his head out of a small hole in the side of the cliff. He helped Morthos and Barnoble into the cave. They were still trying to rid themselves of the burning ooze stuck to them. The others quickly scrambled into the neck of the cave as the dragon swooped back toward them. The dragon hovered in front of the hole and the party retreated in deeper fearing another breath weapon. After a moment the dragon flew out of sight and they heard Sgt. Brackus shouting outside.

Theren kept watch in the shadows inside the hole. He saw the dragon land on a ledge on the opposite side of the shaft about one hundred feet above. The dragon lay down watching the hole. Inside, Hugh explained what had transpired over the last couple of days.

“When we set up camp in that cavern in the Underdark, Brackus gathered the men together while you slept. He told us that our families back at Fallcrest would be in danger if we did not listen to him. His plan was for us to attack you, the Beheaders, once you were severely weakened. He didn’t trust our abilities enough to try to kill you while you slept. He said there would be a big battle the next day with a dragon and he would have us attack you if things went right. You obviously fared better than he expected because he held us back.

“We didn’t want to go along with him but most of the men were afraid for their families. Once we reached this outcrop, I scouted about. I’m a pretty good climber and I found this little cave and attached some ropes while everyone slept. My plan was to convince at least one of you to make Brackus believe we had died in a fall and then we could sneak behind and thwart Brackus before he led you into a trap.

“So, now we are stuck in this hole. That dragon knows we are in here so I have to believe Brackus knows as well. It would be hard for them to get down here but if that dragon hangs around it is going to be hard getting back to the shelf above where we could possibly stand against the beast.”

Barnoble could teleport to the outcrop and Morthos could assure reaching the outcrop using his boots of climbing. Anyone climbing up will be vulnerable to the dragon’s breath weapon. If someone falls they will die.

Sgt. Brackus and the Fallcrest men searched the cavern on their side of the river and reported to the Beheaders that it was a good place to set up camp. The cavern had a shelf cave forty five feet above. One of the Fallcrest men explored this cave and reported that it had been used as a camp sight a few weeks ago. There were old ashes from a campfire and some trash.

The river contained some pale white fish and there was evidence of fish bones and some faded tracks along the shore. Other life in the cavern consisted of small lizards and insects. They set up camp and Sgt. Brackus and the Fallcrest men agreed to take all the watches so the Beheaders could get in a good rest.

When the Beheaders awoke Sgt. Brackus told them there had been no incidents during the night. Everything had been quiet. The Fallcrest men had picked up most of the camp and were ready for the Beheaders to lead the way. They crossed the river to where the natural stone pillar was splashed with yellow paint. At shore level, there was a passage that led in sixty or seventy feet to the cavern wall. The wall on the southern side of the passage was sixty feet high before it opened onto a ridge. They could make out the ridge due to a light growth of phospherescent fungi on the ceiling. The passage wall on the northern side rose thirty feet to a ledge and deeper past this ledge they could see another outcrop another fifteen feet higher. Theren climbed the northen side and Morthos climbed the southern side. Theren had a little difficulty with the climb. Morthos had his boots of climbing so despite Theren having a shorter climb they reached the tops at the same time.

The sixty foot high ridge that Morthos was on rose slightly to a dark cave. The ridge was ten to fifteen feet wide where Morthos stood. There were many shadows. On the thirty foot ledge Theren was on, there was a large natural column that extended to the ceiling of the cavern. On the eastern side of the column was a passage. On the western side of the column was a wide outcrop fifteen feet higher than where Theren stood. Beyond that outcrop Theren could see yet another higher ledge. In the passage east of the column, Theren noticed two kobolds hiding in the shadows.

“Kobolds!” Theren called out.

The two kobolds sprung from where they crouched and three others came running from deeper in the passage. Theren quickly brought one down with a shot from his bow. Morthos turned and fired a shurikan from where he stood on higher ground and another kobold minion fell. A wyrmpriest and two minions were remaining and the wyrmpriest was inciting the two others into a frenzy. Rudy, Torinn and Barnoble began climbing up to the thirty foot shelf. Theren had shifted along the ledge away from the kobolds. The two minions ran to the edge to meet Torinn and Rudy who were nearing the top. The wyrmpriest vomitted a spray of acid onto Theren but missed him with a force orb.

Up on the sixty foot ridge, Morthos had backed away from the edge when suddenly five kobolds sprang from the shadows and surrounded him. They swarmed around him stabbing with their spears. Morthos wounded one and Baal killed it with a spell but the others brought Morthos down with viscious stabs. They then began taunting Baal, telling him that he was next.

On the lower ledge, Torinn and Rudy killed the two minions. Barnoble attacked the wyrmpriest and Theren fired at a kobold on the ledge with Morthos and killed it. Two kobold dragonshields then jumped down from the outcrop above Torinn. One landed on him – knocking him to the ground – and the other missed and bounced on the floor with a grunt. Torinn struggled with the dragonshield. He tried to throw it over the side of the ledge but it fought fiercely. The other dragonshield got to his feet and engaged Rudy. Rudy hit it with a warlord power that allowed Morthos to heal with a surge. He was still unconscious but no longer in immediate danger of death. The three remaining kobold skirmishers on the higher ridge flared small wings and leaped off the edge toward Baal. Baal unleashed a fireball and the kobolds were bloodied and smoldering when they landed and attacked the wizard.

Suddenly, from the passage east of the natural column on the thirty foot high ledge, a menacing creature the size of a large warhorse burst from the darkness propelled by large wings. The beast was covered in gray scales. It’s head was horned and the scales of its beard hung down like fangs. It had a long barbed tail and fierce claws. The frightful presence of the young gray dragon stunned Torinn, Rudy and Barnoble for a moment and it spat a wad of ooze at Barnoble and Theren. The breath weapon knocked each of them back ten feet and the acidic ooze began burning their flesh. The wyrmpriest was caught in the blast as well and he perished as it dissolved his rough skin.

Down below, Baal finished off one of his attackers which left two skirmishers and they wounded him. The dragonshield on Rudy missed but the one on Torinn managed to stab the dragonborn warrior. Theren fired and hit the dragon which lunged at Barnoble who was closer. It sunk a claw into the eladrin soldier and missed Rudy with a swipe of its tail. Barnoble recovered from the frightful presence and struck the dragon with a dizzying blow. The strike brought the creature down to the ledge floor. The blade of Barnoble’s sword was stuck into the creature near the point where it’s wing met it’s back and the eladrin wrestled to hold the dragon from springing back into the air. Baal and the skirmishers warded off each others attacks.

Rudy struck the dragonshield he faced and Torinn finally tossed his attacker over the side of the ledge. The kobold hit the ground thirty feet below but slowly got back on his feet. Theren hit the dragon with a splintering strike. The dragon clawed Barnoble again and missed Rudy with it’s barbed tail. With a villian’s menace, Barnoble twisted his sword and the dragon roared in pain. A magic missle from Baal brought down one of the skirmishers but the dragonshield who had been thrown down by Torinn attacked him along with the remaining skirmisher.

Rudy brought down the dragonshield he faced. Torinn joined the fight against the dragon and struck it with his great axe. Theren used his split the tree power and fired two arrows at the kobolds attacking Baal. The arrows found their marks and the two kobolds fell dead. Barnoble was still keeping the dragon from taking flight. It missed him with a claw attack. Rudy, Torinn and Theren directed attacks on the dragon. Rudy missed and was struck by the dragon’s barbed tail. Torinn hit the gray wyrm and bloodied it. The dragon immediately spewed another acidic ooze at Barnoble and Theren. Theren dodged the blast but Barnoble was thrown back ten feet and the dragon was no longer immobilized. Theren hit it with another arrow as the dragon retreated. It flew up past the ledges and outcrops into the darkness above.

Sgt. Brackus and the Fallcrest men came up from the river and joined Baal. Theren climbed down from the thirty foot ledge and climbed up to where Morthos lay. After a few moments he revived the tiefling rogue. Everyone took a short rest. Beyond the top of that ridge the cavern started to decend further down the river.

Using ropes and taking their time the Beheaders climbed the ridges in the direction the dragon had flew. Sgt. Brackus helped the Fallcrest men slowly follow. On an outcrop seventy five feet above the river the Beheaders found a small pile of booty consisting of three bags of mixed coins, a backpack holding two gems, some coins and a metal headband which had a magical enhancement that improved the wearer’s acuity. There was a toppled stack of fifty silver bars and a wine cask covered by an elven cloak. The elven cloak had a magical enhancement which improved the wearers defenses and stealth ability.

The battle had beaten up the Beheaders but the day was still young so they climbed. The cavern was a twisting shaft they led up into blackness. They climbed to a ledge fifteen feet above the pile of booty and found a ridge that swirled upward along the cavern walls for a few hundred feet. Soon, however they had to take out ropes and grappling hooks and climb from shelf to shelf up the shaft. It was grueling and slow. Sgt. Brackus and the Fallcrest men followed but were even slower. After a days worth of climbing the Beheaders were exhausted. They found a good sized outcrop and made camp. There was still no sign of daylight.

The kobold wyrmpriest & skirmishers and the dragonborn warrior were dead and the Beheaders searched their bodies for clues. They found nothing useful on them. They wondered where the dragonborn had been hiding. They heard Sgt. Brackus call down the stairs and they filled him in on what had happened. He said the eight young soldiers had surrounded the ruins and found no one trying to escape as of yet. The Beheaders joked about bringing the Fallcrest men into the ruins and using them as fodder in their further explorations. Brackus took offense.

“These soldiers are green,” he explained, “Lord Kamroth could not afford to send more experienced men with all else that is going on in the vale. The men outside are not much more than boys. They can stand guard or defend a crenallated wall but they are not experienced explorers. The Lord Warden is hoping they can learn something from your company. I’d be grateful for any assistance you could give me training them. They are recent additions to the garrison. All have family, home at Fallcrest, depending on them.”

“Bring your men down here,” Torinn suggested to Sgt. Brackus, “I’ll wait here for you and the Fallcrest men while the others search the rest of the ruins for Kelson.”

Brackus departed and Torinn waited. Theren, Morthos, Barnoble and Baal searched the rest of Kobold Hall. In the next room, they found a chest containeg a few gold pieces and some silver pieces mixed in with shiney stones and poor quality gems. Morthos discovered a secret panel in the small chest that contained a map and a letter written in draconic. He shared the papers with the others but none of them could speak draconic. Morthos ran the letter back to Torinn and he translated it.

Wyrmpriest Smerzi,

Return to the lair of Szartharrax. Chop through the ice. Find the closed barrier. Open the barrier. Watch for Kelson from Fallcrest. The barrier blocks a passage in the dark. Kelson will go through the passage in the dark.

Wait for the new moon. Recruits may arrive. After the new moon, take the minions through the passage in the dark. The passage in the dark leads to our Friend in the Fens.

Use the map and follow these directions:

The passage in the dark goes deep. Travel for a day. It will be slow. When you hear rushing water, look for a storage cave. Take the boats. Continue down the passage in the dark. Reach the Svartjet River.

Use the boats to go down the river. Just follow the current. It will be fast. Pass through two large chambers. Avoid other creatures. Pay the fish man if he sees you.

Stop in the third chamber. Find the western passage marked with yellow paint. Take the passage to the surface. It will be a days climb.

At the surface, climb the tree to the top. The Nentir River can be seen a few miles to the east. Travel south – keeping the same distance from the river. You should pick up the scent. As long as the scent gets stronger you are going in the right direction.

Obey our Friend. Praise and sacrafice to the Goddess!

~ Your High Priest of Greed and Destruction

The Beheaders led Brackus and the Fallcrest men down the long stairs deep beneath Kobold Hall where they had slain Szartharrax not much more than a month ago. They found picks, shovels and other gear laying around a large hole in the ice below. Some ropes were secured and hung into the hole where an iron barrier had been removed. They decided to camp and rest before following Kelson down the passage in the dark. During the night Rudy arrived and found his mates down in the lair.

Morthos, Theren, Rudy, Torinn, Barnoble and Baal went down the hole first. After fifty feet Morthos dropped a few feet onto a large rock. he held his sunrod aloft and found the rock was surrounded by a tenfoot span of water on all sides. A passage exited the small cave on one side. Suddenly, Morthos noticed the water rippling and he called out and drew a throwing star. The rest of the Beheaders quickly dropped down. Morthos unleashed his star and Theren fired an arrow and Baal cast a force orb into the rippling water. The water exploded and a poisonous vapor filled the room. Everyone except Baal was temporarily immobilized and weakened by the vapor as a blue slime rose from the water and slammed a fist into Morthos. A portion of the slimey fist detached and stuck to Morthos burning him with acid. Some of the Beheaders attacked while also trying to recover from the effects of the vapor. The attacks ripped chunks of the slime off the main mass and pieces that could not quickly reattach dissolved. The slime slithered onto the rock among the Beheaders and erupted. They all were at least partially injured by the burning acidic slime. After the eruption the slime quickly gathered itself back together. The Beheaders were now recovering from the vapor and everyone unleashed attacks. They ripped and splattered much of the creature and it immediately erupted again burning all the Beheaders with acidic slime. It sent another slime fist at Morthos which knocked the tiefling to the ground seeing stars. Rudy assisted Morthos and the Beheaders killed the blue slime after the next round of attacks.

After the battle the Beheaders waded across the waist deep water to the passage. Brackus and the Kallcrest men followed. The passage was fairly steep and care had to be taken to avoid falling. The travel was slow. For the first quarter mile the passage had been dug but eventually the tunnel appeared naturally formed. After six hours of descent they faintly heard rushing water. They soon found a large cave in the passage wall and found four long canoes. The Beheaders took two boats and Sgt. Brackus and his men took the other two. The sound of rushing water grew stronger as they travelled further down the passage. Soon the reached the Svartjet River. The passage continued beyond the underground river. They got in the canoes and started down the river. Travel was much quicker now. The trip down the passage had taken seven hours and had been about a five mile climb. On the river, the Beheaders travelled a mile in ten minutes and came to an area where another passage intersected the river. This passage was ten feet above the water on both sides and the Beheaders light source revealed eyes from multiple creatures peering down at them. They passed quickly.

Soon the Beheaders entered a large lake-filled cavern. The water went on beyond their light source and the water’s current had greatly subsided. They floated quietly for a while. Stalagtites hung from the high ceiling and here and there a stalagmite emerged from the water. Occasionally, a natural column stretched from the water to the ceiling. After a while, they saw some dim light moving ahead. They heard some strange grunting and croaking coming from the light. As they came closer, they saw the ceiling was covered in phospherescent moss above the water that spanned between two passages. The dim light they had seen came from a low lit latern attached to the bow of a sea vessel four times the size of their canoes. Two dark, white haired humanoids were being dropped off on the shore by one passage. Three other white haired humanoids stood across the water by the other passage. Two held chains which were secured to a giant insect-like humanoid. The creature had antenna and large pincer-like mandibles. It’s hulking body was a mustard brown color and it had thick forearms which ended in huge brutal claws. The third dark humanoid held a staff with a shiney stone directly in front of the beasts eyes. The beast stood docile with all of its attention on the stone.

The creature piloting the sea vessel was a hulking form with large fish eyes. It moved its vessel into the middle of the lake and turned toward the Beheaders canoes. It began grunting and croaking and waving it’s thick arms at them. The Beheaders spoke to the creature as they came nearer but it did not appear to understand. It made hand gestures and croaked more urgently. Suddenly but briefly, Theren, Morthos and Baal saw a large creature swimming in the water near their canoe. They did not get a good look at it as it submerged just as it caught their eye. It appeared to have a rough hide covered in algae and seaweed. The creature in the sea vessel was very agitated. The Beheaders could see him a little better and he appeared to be a giant humanoid fish. He held a crossbow in one hand and raised his other palm toward the Beheaders in a “stop” gesture and let out a deep grunt.

The Beheaders stopped their canoes and this seemed to appease the creature. They tried to ask it what it wanted but it just motioned at their boats, shook its large head and made the “stop’ gesture again. It swung it’s vessel around and guided it to where the three drow elves waited with the umber hulk. They appeared restless. As the fish creature turned Rudy suggested they move on and find where the river exited the cavern. Brackus and the Fallcrest men hung back in thier canoes but stayed within sight. The Beheaders began rowing. The fish creature immediately turned his craft, raised his crossbow and fired a bolt which struck Theren.

The Beheaders rowed more fiercely, trying to get the fish creature close enough to engage in melee combat. Theren fired his bow but missed. The fish man fired the crossbow and hit Theren, again. All the while the fish man managed to keep his vessel at a safe distance from the Beheaders. Rudy was sitting in the rear of a canoe he shared with Torinn and Barnoble. Suddenly a huge crocodile covered in plant growth lunged out of the water past the stern of Rudy’s boat. One of the drow waiting for the water taxi shouted a strange language and the fish man looked toward him. The crocodile submerged again.

“Why don’t you just pay him?” suggested one of the other drow, “Otherwise, I think he’s going to kill you. Not that I care, but I’d rather not stand around here.”

“What does he want?” asked Theren.

“I don’t know.” replied the drow, “He usually accepts 10 gold to ferry someone across.”

The Beheaders agreed to pay the fish man. The drow spoke in their strange language to the creature and he lowered his crossbow and made the “stop” hand gesture. The Beheaders stopped. The fish man kept one eye on the Beheaders while he picked up the drow and umber hulk and took them across to where their companions waited. He then guided his boat over to the Beheaders and their negotiations led to the Beheaders surrendering the small chest of booty they had found at Kobold Hall.

The four canoes passed and found their way to where the river exited the cavern. They took the river down a few more miles, through a second smaller cavern and then stopped when it appeared they were entering the third cavern since their journey down the river. They had travelled long and would need to set up camp and rest before climbing up to the surface world. The Beheaders pulled up on the right side of the river where their was a clearing. Sgt. Brackus and the Fallcrest men pulled up on the opposite side where ther was a clearing as well. Some rocks crested the water up ahead. They were large to be an obstacle but there was room for the canoes to pass if the Beheaders decided to float further down. Besides the two clearings where the canoes had stopped there were other open areas, higher up in the cavern walls. On the Beheaders side, a large natural column was splashed with yellow paint.

Rudy departed with Farrah and the Riverbend Survivors early in the morning. Farrah rallied the women and children to action. Rudy took a friendly, casual approach with the villagers. He and Farrah discussed politics and philosophy while travelling. They got along well. By mid-day they approached an area known as Raven Roost. Farrah explained that it was a frequent hangout of bandits and other outlaws. Rudy told her of the Raven Roost Performers he had met near Winterhaven and she was familiar with them.

As they entered the Roost, which was a crude fort made of a few felled large trees and a pit in the midst of a clearing, they found five dead human bodies being picked at by crows. They shooed the birds away and examined the bodies. Four of the dead had dried blood in their ears and from their noses with no other wounds besides some post-mortem pecking by the crows. The fifth had traces of blood in one ear but also a sword wound in his flank and deep gash had ripped his chest open. A few cracked ribs poked through the blood congealing in the wound. Two sprays of blood covered the ground around this body. The five bodies were uniformed in the garb of Fallcrest militia. Where they laid, it appeared that all five had been surrounding their killer. Farrah and Rudy decided to load the bodies into the cart and Rudy would bring them back to Fallcrest and explain what they had found.

They continued down the road and shortly reached the edge of the Harken Forest. Along the road through the woods Rudy soon became aware that their group was being surrounded by denizens of the forest. He alerted Farrah and after hearing a bird call she responded with a series of chirps and whistles. A group of elven archers emerged from the trees. Farrah explained to Rudy that these were members of her mother’s tribe. The elves were happy to see her and addressed her as “Baroness Farrah” with a playful tone. The beautiful half-elf blushed and then explained to Rudy that her full name was Farrah Goldleaf Stockmer and that she was Baron Stockmer’s daughter. Although, her father was an elderly man her mother was still fairly young for an elf. She assisted her father in governing the villages of Harkenwold and her mother patrolled the Harken Forest with a group of rangers.

As the elves escorted the group to the village of Riverbend, Farrah filled them in on the plight of the Survivors and the heroics of the Beheaders. A couple of the elves departed to find Farrah’s mother. In Riverbend, Rudy met Enubrius the Bronze and was reacquainted with Lynn Sysvani, Abilon Azaer, Ardellosia and Bralvuna. They informed Rudy that his house in Fallcrest had been burned down the night of the attack on Teldorthan. They did not get a look at the arsonists but believed it was Kelson’s River Rat gang.

Rudy asked Enubrius his opinion about the new Lord Warden. Enubrius told him that he had had a good relationship with Lord Markelhey but had not known Armos Kamroth. On his trip back from the Rain Valley, Enubrius had stopped at Fallcrest but Kamroth had been busy and only met with Enubrius briefly. Something about the new Lord Warden rubbed Enubrius the wrong way.

Enubrius understood the Beheaders wanted to clear their names and find Kelson who had accused them. The dragonborn priest planned to return to the Arkvana Peninsula soon but he suggested once the Beheaders squared things with Lord William Invidia they should go to Bridgeblock because Makkus Day the sheriff of Bridgeblock could use some experienced adventurers for a mission. Enubrius also said Vyndra Sysvani and Barnoble Eeace IV, who were both council members in the eladrin city Mithrendain, may have work for them in the future but for now they should gain more experience.

Before Rudy left the next day, a garrison of Fallcrest men led by Sgt. Thurmina arrived in Harkenwold. Rudy told Thurmina about the militia men he had found at the Raven Roost and the sergeant took possession of the remains. He said that several groups had been sent out to find the escaped Lady Markelhey and that it looked like the dead soldiers they found must have encountered her or perhaps someone who was helping her.

Rudy was given eight hundred gold pieces for rescuing the villagers but he returned half of it to help the villagers rebuild Riverbend. He was given a riding horse and left for Fallcrest. Back at Fallcrest Rudy found a message for him at the Halfmoon Inn which said the rest of the Beheaders had travelled with some of Lord Warden Kamroth’s men to Kobold Hall looking for Kelson. Rudy followed.

Rudy proposed that he could either return the Riverbend Survivors to Harkenwold or escort Arum, Bessa and Calder back to Fallcrest. The rest of the Beheaders could take the errand he did not. Torinn suggested Rudy to escort Farrah Goldleaf and the Riverbend Survivors. Farrah was a stunning sight after cleaning up from the previous weeks hardships and she organized the other villagers and inspired them to action. The Beheaders supplied a horse drawn cart and some ponies for the travelling villagers and Farrah outfitted herself with a chain shirt, shield, spear and short bow. She pulled her silky red hair back into a ponytail. She and Rudy led the other eight villagers out of Thunderspire Mountain early in the morning while the rest of the Beheaders prepared for their trip to Fallcrest. Rudy would meet them back at Fallcrest in three days.

Torinn, Theren, Ball, Morthos and Barnoble had a man named Kelson on their minds. They would return Arum, Bessa and Calder to Fallcrest and then track down the owner of the Lucky Gnome Taphouse. Kelson was that man, leader of a gang called the River Rats. What had Lynn Sysvani told them before they left for Thunderspire? She had said many of the River Rats had left town the same day that the Beheaders left for Winterhaven. The Beheaders were ambushed by a group of cultists that first night. They were led by a rogue and a cleric of Tiamat, both had escaped the battle but the ten followers had been killed. All human men, they could have been from Fallcrest. It was too late now for anyone to identify the bodies. They had left them off the road and the wilderness would have long taken them.

The Road of Lanterns led the Beheaders to the first fresh air and sunshine they had seen in a week. The Fallcrest trio had not been outdoors in over six months. Tears ran down Bessa’s cheeks and she closed her eyes and took a big breath and let it out slowly. Theren and Morthos took the lead with Torinn and Barnoble leading and Baal guarding the rear. The Ridge Road ran along the crest of the southern portion of the mountain for a mile before descending three miles down to the Trade Road. Pine trees grew on the side of the mountain along with a few different species of trees whose leaves had begun to turn shades of yellow, orange, brown and red due to the cooler nights. The first 40 or 50 feet off the sides of the road were very steep and rocky. If anyone dropped over the side they would be lucky not to roll down the side to their death.

Theren was few yards ahead of Morthos when Morthos glimpsed movement on his right. A stoney, horned human-sized creature had taken flight on large bat-like wings on the northern side of the ridge. Morthos called out to warn the others. Morthos fired a throwing star at the creature and Theren took aim. Everyone’s attention was focused on the gargoyle in the northern sky but two gargoyles pounced from the southern side of the ridge and quickly grabbed Bessa. Each got a firm grip on her. One of them slammed a stoney fist into the back of her head and her body went limp. They easily pulled her into the air. Torinn and Barnoble threw spears at the two snatchers and Baal hit them with a force orb. Theren fired a couple arrows into one of the gargoyles and Morthos hit it with a star. This badly injured gargoyle froze in the air and plumetted over the side of the ridge. It rolled thirty feet before wedging against a boulder. The other two had Bessa high above the ground and the fall would surely kill her if dropped. The gargoyles flew up into the mountain toward a tower which could barely be seen in the distance.

Theren fired an arrow into the fallen gargoyle but it just bounced off the stoney body. Morthos climbed down to the body and tried to remove some of Theren’s arrows and his star but only managed to break one of the arrows. He needed to use the daily power of his boots of climbing in order to get down to the body so he used a rope held above by his companions to try to move along the side of the ridge and retrieve some arrows and stars but it was too dangerous. On the climb back up to the road he slipped and rolled twenty feet down the hill scraping and bruising himself. Finally, he tied a rope to himself and his friends pulled him up. The group was sad about losing Bessa and they dreaded to think who the gargoyles were working for and what they wanted Bessa for. After the Beheaders departed further down the road they noticed the gargoyle flying away from where it had fallen. The rest of the trip down the Ridge Road was somber but uneventful.

They travelled most of the rest of the day down the Trade Road toward Fallcrest and reached the point where the Trade Road meets the King’s Road a couple hours before dusk. Here they ran into a garrison of Fallcrest men. Leading the Fallcrest men was Sgt. Thurmina. He was a veteran of the garrison and had until recently been a leader of the Moonstone Keep militia. He complained that the new Lord Warden, Armos Kamroth had put new soldiers in place as his personal bodyguard. Kamroth had assigned Sgt. Thurmina and some of the other old guard to more duties out in the field, running errands. Thurmina was hunting down Lady Markelhey who had escaped from the jails beneath Moonstone Keep. He wasn’t having any luck. The Beheaders reported they had seen no one all day. The Sgt. said he would continue down the King’s Road to Harkenwold. The more likely route for the assassin’s escape would have been down the Nentir River. Other soldiers were checking that path. He would hurry on to the villages and see if anyone had encountered travellers on the river. With some luck he could cut off the escape. There was reason to believe she had help escaping. A guard had been murdered.

The Beheaders talked to Thurmina about the strange circumstances in which Lady Markelhey, a competent wizard, had used a pair of blades to carve up her husband.

“There had been no history of violence between the them.” Thurmina explained, “The couple attended the Porter Guild Ball for dinner the night she did it to him. So as I heard…at the ball…The Lord danced with his lady for the first time in eight years. He ain’t danced like that since he injured his leg, but they say he was gliding across the dance floor. Don’t that sound peculiar. And the next thing is he’s found all chopped up at the hands of his lovely, young wife. Now how’s a thing like that happen?”

Sgt. Thurmina went on about happenings in Fallcrest of late. There were more people. The new Lord Warden was rebuilding the town defenses. Masons and carpenters were hard at work on the walls and the garrison had been restocked with new recruits and mercenary. Trade was improved in the Nentir Vale and Winterhaven was having a surge of craftsmen and adventuring types as well. The Beheaders told Thurmina about their encounters in Thunderspire and that their friend, Rudolph Harmony, was escorting the Riverbend Survivors back to Harkenwold. Thurmina said he would look for him. He said many people were helping the people of Riverbend. Enubrius the Bronze had come through Fallcrest and said he was going to go there and lend his services.

The Beheaders asked about Kelson. Thurmina reported that the Lucky Gnome Taphouse was still open for business but it and any of Kelson’s other property had been seized by the new Lord Warden. Kelson and his gang were outlaws and on the run from the Fallcrest garrison. Where Kelson had gone was unknown to Thurmina but the people of Fallcrest believed he was responsible for robbing Teldorthan.

The Beheaders left Calder at his parents farmhouse where his his family rejoiced at his return. Calder knew Bessa’s family and said he would tell them that the Beheaders had done all they could to protect her. Arum went into town with the adventurers. He had previously worked for the Porter’s Guild but did not have any family in town. It was dark when they got to town. They booked rooms at the Halfmoon Inn but went around the town to ask questions about Kelson and to visit Teldorthan. They learned little more than Thurmina had told them about Kelson. Visiting Teldorthan was a somber event. The master-armsmaker was depressed and spending much of his time in a pint of ale. A retired, dwarven sergeant was letting him stay in his home and townsfolk were helping him. His eyes were milky white blobs and the skin around his eyes was burnt. He couldn’t provide any more information on his attackers but he thanked the Beheaders for their concern.

Morthos spoke with his cousin Amara at House Azaer. She said that the night the blacksmith’s shop burned down so did Rudolph Harmony’s house. Lynn Sysvani, Abilon Azaer, Ardellosia and Bralvuna had been living there trying to gather information the Beheaders might find useful. She said they all survived the attack on the house but didn’t get a good look at the arsonists. They believed they were humans and very likely part of the River Rat gang. They had left for Harkenwold with Enubrius the Bronze when he came through Fallcrest a couple days later. Morthos asked her about the new Lord Warden. Amara said that Armos Kamroth had been elected pretty quickly. Everyone in town knew him and many had called him a lord before he rose to the official position. He was the wealthiest man in town yet a bit miserly. He owned half the farms around Fallcrest and rented them out to their occupents. He had acquired many of the houses by lending money to farmers during tough times. When they couldn’t pay him back they handed over the deeds to their houses and became his tenants. The Porter’s Guild backed him and trade merchants were now coming through Fallcrest more regularly. The garrison was getting more recruits and Kamroth had brought some soldier friends of his in to run the Moonstone Keep.

In the morning, the Beheaders found a message for them that Lord Warden Armos Kamroth wanted to meet with them. They went to Moonstone Keep. They were announced and let in to see the Lord Warden nearly an hour later. Moonstone Keep was undergoing renovations. The Beheaders were brought into the main hall which was lacking the old tapestries and furnishings that Lord Markelhey had used to decorate it. The old throne was the lone hold over and Kamroth sat upon. Around the hall were human, dwarven and dragonborn guards. After exchanging pleasantries, the Lord mentioned Kelson. He had heard about the Beheaders inquiries about the former owner of the Lucky Gnome. Kamroth told the Beheaders that he believed Kobold Hall was a likely hide out for the outlaw and his gang of River Rats. He planned to send some men-at-arms to the hall to investigate and he suggested the Beheaders join the group he was sending. The Beheaders agreed to go and they left word at the Halfmoon Inn for Rudy.

The Fallcrest garrison was led by a dragonborn soldier named Brackus. Eight young men of Fallcrest accompanied him. The trip to Kobold Hall took most of the day. Once the group reached the Cloak Wood the Beheaders took over the lead. They reached the hall and Brackus and his men surrounded to old ruin while the Beheaders went inside. Much of the ruins were as the Beheaders had left them over a month ago but they found the shrine to Tiamat had been cleaned up. They heard a commotion and ran into a group of six kobold skirmishers led by a wyrmpriest in the next room. During the battle with the kobolds, a battlescarred, deranged dragonborn in rough black scale mail and a crude bastard sword tried to sneak up behind Theren. Although Theren spotted him in time to defend himself, the dragonborn vomitted a gush of searing acid onto the elf ranger and delivered a staggering blow from his bastard sword. The battle did not last long. The kobolds fell quickly and the dragonborn, though tough, was not a match once the Beheaders had him outnumbered.

The Beheaders led Farrah Goldleaf and the Riverbend survivors back to the south east bastion where Arum, Bessa and Calder waited. The Fallcrest trio reported that things had remained quiet while the Beheaders were gone. They all ate and slept and returned to the western bastion. Beyond the guardpost occupied by the ogre and orcs was a main labyrinth tunnel that led back to the Seven Pillared Hall. The Beheaders chose not to risk moving the survivors past the area they had encountered the fire bats. Farrah gathered the survivors in the room with the slave pits while the Beheaders attacked the guards. One orc escaped but the ogre and three other orcs were quickly butchered.

As the group approached the Seven Pillared Hall Torinn and Rudy caught a Hammerfast dwarf who was on look out at the behest of the Eastern Lord William Invidia. He was about to take word to the Lord that he had spied the Beheaders. They encouraged him to go because they wished to answer the Lord’s accusations. The dwarf retreated away from the adventuring party and called for Brugg and Lord Invidia. Soon a crowd had gathered.

Four dwarven hammerers and four bolters took formation across from the Beheaders and four of Invidia’s men-at-arms flanked the adventurers and the rescued men and women. Brugg and his lackeys escorted a bearded human with rich black robes. He was announced as Orontor, a Mage of Saruun. He looked at the Beheaders with mild disapproval.

“This kind of procession is unacceptable in the Seven Pillared Hall!” Orontor exclaimed – refering to the heads of Murkelmor and the other duergar theurge and champions the Beheaders were parading around on the end of pikes taken from the Horned Hold.

“We rescued these villagers from the Grimmerzhul Clan at the Horned Hold.” Theren interjected.

“They were conducting an illegal slave trade operation.” offered Rudy.

“We’re heroes.” suggested Torinn.

“All that may be true,” Orontor replied, “but the Seven Pillared Hall is a place of peace. We act civalized here. Please put this display away and meet with me and Lord William Invidia from the Central Dominance. There have been accusation made against your company.”

“We want to answer any accusations.” stated Theren.

The hearing was held on the raised area by the huge minotaur statue in the hall. Brugg and his men kept the crowd at a distance. William Invidia addressed the Beheaders. He wore a shining skin of plate armor and wore a long sword on his belt. A squire held his shield which was a green matching the lords cloak. Both the shied and cloak bore the symbol of the Black Hand of the Central Dominance. William was big with broad shoulders. He kept his curly blond hair cropped short. He was young and arrogant.

Invidia began by questioning the Beheaders about the githyanki they had killed. He had, evidently, already pieced together that the Beheaders were unlikely to be the robbers of the blacksmith if they were the group that had killed the githyanki. After establishing that the Beheaders had been falsely accused, Invidia asked when they had first learned that he was searching for them. Rudy, who was speaking for the group, admitted it was about three days ago that they had learned of the accusations.

“So, this whole matter could have been cleaned up three days ago?” Lord Invidia pondered. “A man called Darkseeker convinced me to search for you at a place called the House of Silence nearly three days ago. He guided me and my men there but as soon as we encountered a few evil spirits and battle broke out, this Darkseeker character turned into a beast and killed one of my men. We wounded the creature and it escaped. If you had squared things with me earlier, I never would have lost that man. As I see it, you owe me a good fighting man.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, Lord,” said Rudy, “but we were in the process of rescuing these villagers from Riverbend…”

“The matters of the Central Dominance take precedent over whatever you were doing.” Invidia declared. “Since, you lost possessions in the robbery, as well, I will allow you to repay me the man I lost by recovering my property from these thieves. I will meet you in Hammerfast in one month to collect my property.”

The Beheaders attempted to diplomatically debate the claim Invidia made about them owing him anything. Invidia put an open hand to his brow and closed his eyes for a moment. The gesture implied that his patience was being tested.

“I believe this conversation is over,” the Lord announced, “I’ll see you in Hammerfast in one month.”

William Invidia strode away and his men and the Hammerfast dwarves backed away from the Beheaders and followed him.

“What do you think he means by one month?” joked Torinn, “Is that four weeks? Thirty days? Will any fighting man do? We could give him Barnoble but he’s some kind of royalty himself.”

Orontor spoke to the Beheaders briefly about the duergar and the Riverbend survivors. He was less concerned about illegal slave trade going on in the labyrinth than he was about any violence breaking out between the Beheaders and any of the remaining duergar in the Seven Pillared Hall. He was also less interested in their invasion of the Horned Hold than he was in perhaps hiring them for a job in the future. He encouraged them to return to see him once they had delivered the Harkenwold folks to safety.

Theren traded in some gems with the Deepgem Mining Company and the dwarves there praised him and the Beheaders for taking down the duergar. He and Rudy also spoke with Rendil and Erra Halfmoon about rumors. The halflings confirmed that Terrlen Darkseeker had not been seen since escorting the eastern lord to the House of Silence. They said Wynn Longsaddle had quit her job as the Mages’ messenger when the gargoyle that had been harrassing her, ran her cart over the side of the ridge road. She had ended up drunk under a table at the inn that night. Invidia ended up paying her bar tab and she left with him when he departed Thunderspire. The mysterious Scion who was escorted by the Black Hand Troopers had left Thunderspire two days ago. His guards were seen loading a man sized bundle into their black carriage.

A bard friend of Rendil had reported that Lord Armos Kamroth had replaced the murdered Lord Faren Markelhey as the new Lord Warden of Fallcrest. Kamroth had the support of the Porter’s Guild and most of the farmers – many of which rented their farms from Armos. The bard also heard rumor that the Central Dominance was going to send a representative to help the new lord warden with administration. Lady Markelhey was being held in a jail beneath the keep awaiting execution which was scheduled within the week.

Outside the Halfmoon Inn, Rudy found Charrak, who had a note for the Beheaders. Rudy paid the kobold beggar a gold piece for the letter that read:

Your actions against the duergar are commendable. I am in a position of power in the evil organization behind the duergar’s actions, and I wish to help you defeat my comrades. I have been seeking a way out of the organization, and I believe you can help me. Follow the attached map so that we can meet in secret.

The map showed a small chamber off the Road of Shadows just outside the Seven-Pillared Hall.

Morthos met with his cousin Noristo Azaer. Noristo was not as hesitant anymore for Morthos to keep the Azaer name quiet. He was a little nervous about retribution but thought it might help business if people knew a relative of his was a member of the Beheaders. He talked to Morthos a little about rumors coming out of Bridgeblock. He said he knew many serfs in the east were as good as slaves to the Lords of the Central Dominance. He talked about a force called the Hand of Naarash that had moved closer to Bridgeblock. Isolated villages close to the Coastal Provinces had been raided. His eyes and ears in Bridgeblock reported that Makkas Day, the sheriff, was planning a response to the raids. A full scale war wasn’t imminent but it seemed to be brewing. Word was that men from the raided villages were being forced to join an army Naarash was building.

Torinn brought items and gold to Gendar to trade. The drow merchant purchased the skull scepter from Torinn and they traded information. Gendar knew some gnolls were hanging out at a place in the labyrinth called the Well of Demons. They were probably the ones that had purchased the two men from the duergar. Gendar also knew the name of the man who had accused the Beheaders to the Earl Lord William Invidia. The scoundrals name was Kelson. According to Aram, Kelson owned a tavern in Fallcrest called the Lucky Gnome Taphouse and was the leader of a gang called the River Rats.

Half a dozen small villages lie along the upper vales of the White River. Together, they make up the Barony of Harkenwold – a tiny realm whose total population is not much greater than Fallcrest’s. The people of Harkenwold are farmers, woodcutters, and woodworkers; little trade comes up or down the old King’s Road.

The ruler of Harkenwold is Baron Stockmer, an elderly man who was known for his strong sword arm in his youth. He is a just and compassionate ruler. The Baron is allied with the Woodsinger Clan of elves that roams the eastern portion of the Harken Forest. The Woodsinger Clan patrols the forest and defends the villages from the Daggerburg goblins.

Farrah Goldleaf, a young half-elf woman among the prisoners addressed the Beheaders on behalf of the other slaves and told them about the attack on Riverbend.

Farrah assisted the Baron in governing the villages. She took up residence in the village of Riverbend a few months before it was raided by the Bloodreaver goblinoid slavers. Of the one hundred and nine residents of the Riverbend Village at least one third were killed and at least one third captured. Whether the others escaped is unknown to the slaves taken to Thunderspire Mountain.

The Bloodreavers broke into two groups as the village burned and the prisoners were split between them. One group was led east and a group of twenty one were led to Thunderspire Mountain. The prisoners were immediately told that there was only a need for thirteen of them – and even fewer if their western friends had much success – so if they wanted to live they had better follow orders. Farrah helped the other prisoners keep hope even when living conditions and the cruelty of the goblinoids took more than a few of the captives lives on the way to the labyrith.

The few capable fighting men and women of the village had been killed trying to defend it when the Bloodreavers attacked. Even more hopeful but not-so-capable men and women died as well. A few of the prisoners were strong, subdued adults but those were taken east. The group taken to Thunderspire were the young, their mothers and the elderly. Of the twenthy one taken from Riverbend twelve arrived at the Horned Hold. A mother and her toddler and infant were killed along the way as well a large woman who could not keep quiet after the horrifying murder of the former three. The three oldest prisoners died from the hardship as well as two youths who tried to escape.

The murdered mother’s nine-year-old son was among the prisoners and Farrah saved his life by restraining him much of the journey verbally and physically at times. Of the other ten there were two mothers (Lena & Joule) with three young children – two boys (Peter & Jon) and a girl (Vera), two older ladies (May & Corine) and three older men.

Outside Thunderspire the Bloodreavers met up with another faction of their group who had four prisoners – three men and a woman. The woman and two of the men were farmers from Winterhaven and the man was an explorer from Fallcrest who had been working at a dragon burial site near Winterhaven. He claimed to have been captured by demon worshipers and sold to the Bloodreavers. His name was Douven Staul.

Once reaching Thunderspire the prisoners were taken to the Chamber of Eyes. Two days later they were sold to the duergar and were with the duergar for three days before the Beheaders showed up. One of the older men and Douven Staul were sold to some gnolls a day after the duergar bought them. The two mothers and their three children were in the the western pit with the two older ladies. Farrah, the nine year old boy (Geoff), the two remaining older men and three farmers from Winterhaven were in the eastern pit. Farrah and the boy lived through the Brimstone Hail attack but the other five perished.

Rudy cleaned up the armor bearing the symbol of Kord and had a vision of a poor priest of Kord wearing the armor and overthrowing the tyrannical Baron of his village. The warlord sensed that this coat of armor was seeking to relive the glory of its past owner. He carefully changed out of his old armor and put on The Invulnerable Coat of Arnd. Once Rudy had the armor on, the rest of the Beheaders saw that it was a glorious prize. The old armor was packed away and the Beheaders approached the iron door in the western wall.

The door had once been locked but the lock was rusted and broken. Morthos pulled it open and a dark narrow passage led down 20 feet before opening into a large chamber to the north. Ahead at the end of the hallway stood a grim-looking skeletal minotaur with a great axe – a minotaur version of the grim-reaper. A door was on the southern wall opposite the burial chamber a few feet before the statue. The remains of two dozen minotaur warriors laid in burial niches along the walls of the chamber. The Beheaders searched among the burial niches but found nothing of value.

Some screeches and shouting came from beyond the iron door. Torinn, Rudy and Barnoble disagreed about whether the language was draconic, common or eladrin but all agreed it sounded like a couple of fiends picking on a trapped prey. Morthos picked the door’s lock and the group travelled down a short flight of stairs to another iron door. Morthos quickly picked this door’s lock and stealthly cracked it open. Beyond he spied an expansive chamber 70 feet long, 55 feet wide and 30 feet high which contained three large wells. One well held a pool of water, but two were simply deep pits with ladders leading down. A large brazier full of coals sat near a rubble pile in the southeastern part of the chamber. Three gray dwarves stood guard here, along with two humanoid creatures with lashing tails, bat-like wings and bodies covered in sharp spines. Two of the duergar were male guards but the third was a older female and she held a pewter staff topped with a red crystal.

Morthos attempted a sneak attack on the closest duergar guard and missed badly. The occupants all turned toward the unlucky tiefling rogue. The guards charged and the spined devils took flight. Theren burst into the room and buried an arrow in one of the devils. Rudy, Torinn and Barnoble cut off the guards and Baal and Morthos used ranged attacks.

The two pits with ladders were 15 feet deep and each contained seven sorry-looking manacled humans. A duergar guard was pushed into one of the pits during the battle and the captives cowered from him. They had obviously been given hard lessons in subservience over the last few days. As the guard tried to climb the ladder Barnoble hit him with a blow that knocked him back down. Again, the prisoners cringed from him. He began firing the throwing hammers he wore on his belt at Barnoble. Barnoble moved away from the ladder to get closer to the theurge. Just as the would-be-slaves seemed to be getting up the nerve to hamper the guard he tromped up the ladder and rejoined the melee.

The Beheaders wore down their foes . One of the devils escaped out of the doors in the eastern wall after the theurge and other devil were slain. The guards fell two rounds later. Baal retrieved the staff which was a +3 Staff of the War Mage and the rest of the Beheaders healed their wounds.

A moment later they heard stone grinding against stone and a secret passage opened in the eastern wall. Two large duergar guards quickly flanked the passage opening as Murkelmor Grimmerzhul emerged from the passage. He wore the symbol of the Arch-devil Asmodeus on a chain around his neck and carried a huge maul. The three duergar flicked beard spines at the Beheaders. The head of the maul burst into a roaring flame as the devil dwarves attacked. Torinn and Barnoble fought a guard and Murkelmor in front of the passage while the other guard leapt across a corner of one open slave pit. Theren fired an arrow into Murkelmor and was missed by a Brimstone Hail attack which came from a scantily clad, sultry theurge standing in the secret passage. A moment later the spined devil shot out of the passage and rained spines down at Rudy who was engaging the guard who had crossed the pit.

Morthos, Rudy and Theren battled one guard and the spined devil while Barnoble and Torinn faced the other guard and Murkelmor. Baal exchanged spell attacks with the theurge. The Beheaders were low on power but they were holding off the duergar. Baal was temporarily blinded by a Vile Fumes spell. The manacled prisoners in the pit below the theurge mustered the courage to act and hurled stones at her. Several rocks scraped and bruised her flesh and she turned on the slaves with a Brimstone Hail spell. Five of the slaves burst into flames and fell to the floor writhing and screaming. Baal recovered and blasted the theurge with a critical force orb. She staggered. The spined devil had flown out of Theren’s line of site and was showering Torinn who was battling a bloodied guard. Theren had turned his shots back onto Murkelmor while Barnoble and Rudy attacked him. Morthos was knocked out by the duergar guard he fought. Rudy brought the killing blow to Murkelmor while Baal delivered a killing magic missle to the theurge. The spined devil retreated back out the door and the Beheaders finished off the guards.

The secret passage led to a fireplace in the private quarters of Murkelmor. The doors led to a hallway which had doors to the private chamber and the guard post where the ogre and orcs were still oblivious to the presence of intruders. The Beheaders found evidence that the devil had most likely fled the Horned Hold through one of the chimneys in Murkelmor’s room. They found keys to the prisoners manacles on each of the guards and they began unlocking the grateful villagers of the Harkenwold. The nine remaining prisoners were from the Harkenwold village. There had originally been twelve of them but two had died in the Brimstone Hail attack. They said the other three who died in the attack had said they were from Winterhaven. The twelth villager was a young half-elf women who had been sold to gnolls a day ago along with an explorer from Fallcrest who had claimed to have been captured by Orcus cultists at a dragon burial site near Winterhaven. The woman’s name had been Farrah Goldleaf and the man was called Douven Stahl.

The Beheaders found two locked chests in Murkelmor’s room which contained much gold, gems and residuum. Morthos had no problem with the trapped locks. Besides the Flaming Maul, Murkelmor had a pouch full of gold and his unholy symbol was made of precious stones.

The Beheaders gathered everything up and prepared to go camp out at the bastion across the large bridge.

On the other side of the southern bridge stood the western fortress. The bridge ended at wooden double doors reinforced by iron bands. There was a flicker of movement from a couple of small openings in the double doors. The light beyond revealed a silhouetted form. The Beheaders took formation in the trophy room. Torinn and Rudy led with Barnoble and Theren behind and Morthos and Baal taking up the rear. They opened the doors and charged across the bridge. Crossbow bolts were fired from the openings in the double doors striking Torinn and Rudy. The dragonborn and half elf slammed into the doors and they shuddered against the iron bar holding it shut from the other side. A frustrated Torinn gave an extra shove and the bar broke and the doors exploded inward.

A foyer opened beyond the doors with a hall running north along the outer wall of the fortress. Two statues depicting stern-looking female minotaurs in ornate gowns stood in the south-eastern corner of the room. A pair of strange clockwork mechanisms resembling crossbows were backing away from the door on articulated legs. Three duergar guards moved to block the door. Twenty feet beyond the door a female gray dwarf stood in the frame of another pair of double doors. A lit hallway was behind her. The hall running north along the outer wall contained rubble and a door in the western wall and one at the far end.

A cloud of Vile Fumes suddenly enveloped the Beheaders. Theren and Baal resisted the effects but the rest of them choked on the poisonous vapors and were temporarily blinded. The clockwork mechanisms fired bolts into Torinn and Rudy again. Torinn took a blind swing and struck a guard. Rudy’s swing missed. Theren fired an arrow into the woman – a duergar theurge. Barnoble attempted to teleport into the room to get closer to the spellcasting theurge but being blinded had caused him to lose his bearings. He disappeared but Theren and Baal did not see him reappear. The guards swung at Rudy and Torinn. Morthos tried to open his eyes when suddenly a burst of Brimstone Hail raged around the Beheaders knocking them to the floor and burning them. Torinn leapt to his feet – his eyesight restored – and attacked the guards again. Rudy picked him self up and fought on. Theren and Baal directed attacks at the theurge.

Barnoble found himself in a room with three beds and a large fireplace. There were two doors in the western wall, one in the east and one in the north. He ran to the first western door and found it led to a small bedroom. He ran to the eastern door and opened it. In front of him one of the clockwork mechanisms was firing crossbow bolts at Torinn. A couple of the guards were bloodied. Barnoble attacked the arbalester in front of him. The Beheaders were overwhelming the guards and a combination of arrows and spells brought down the theurge. Barnoble exchanged blows with the arbalester who swung at him with a club-like arm. The rest of the Beheaders attacked the arbalesters as soon as the guards fell and soon the mechanisms were destroyed. They searched the bedrooms and found a chest in one of the small rooms. The key found on the duergar champion fit the chest and it contained some rubies and gold.

At the western end of the hallway – the one the theurge had occupied – were some iron doors barred from the other side. They could hear rough voices speaking in a gutteral language. A rumbling voice interrupted and then there was some harsh laughter and the talking resumed. Rudy understood the language to be Giant-speak and it sounded like orcs and perhaps an ogre. One speaker was telling a story about plundering a town and one of the other speakers was not able to comprehend the story. The Beheaders decided to try a different path.

The door at the end of the hall, which ran along the outer eastern wall of the fortress, opened into a larger hall with a couple piles of rubble. The narrow bridge which ran from the northern bastion to the western bastion ended at a locked door in this hall. Some double doors were located in the western corner of the northern wall of the hallway. Beyond the doors some wide stairs rose to a crenellated wall protecting a balcony. From this position, archers could easily shoot onto the path the Beheaders had originally used to approach the Horned Hold. The balcony led to another set of double doors at the northwestern end.

The Beheaders opened the doors. Cold shadows seemed to cling to the long-ruined chapel inside. In the center of the room stood a damaged statue that depicted a fierce demonic minotaur. One arm had broken off and lied in pieces at the statue’s feet. Portions of the ceiling had fallen in, partially filling several small chambers behind the statue. A rusty iron door stood in the western wall.

The Beheaders entered and fanned out around the room searching through the rubble. From out of the rubble lurched the bodies of long-dead human warriors in tattered black mail. Sunken flesh clung to their bones, and their lips were drawn back from their black teeth. They raised rotting hands, revealing jagged claws. They hissed and attacked. The creatures were wights. Their attacks caused necrotic damage and drained their victims of healing surges. They attacked and then shifted away from their prey. Morthos was wounded badly in the fight but the Beheaders destroyed the undead creatures. Rudy was setting up to burn the corpse of one of the wights that he and Torinn had hacked up when he noticed the armor it was wearing. It was the finest armor Rudy had ever seen and on the lapel was the symbol of Rudy’s deity, Kord. Torinn was standing with Rudy when he began fawning over the armor. Torinn saw the holy symbol as Rudy brushed the dirt and decay away but he couldn’t understand why Rudy was so taken with the chainmail. The armor seemed to be whole but the armor Rudy was wearing appeared to be of much better quality. The other Beheaders looked at the armor and could see nothing special about it. They looked at the other corpses and Rudy agreed that the armors on the other corpses were nothing special. He couldn’t understand why they were comparing them to the beautiful chainmail he found on the first corpse. He wanted to remove his armor and put on the new armor immediately

The Beheaders searched the southern bastion. On the duergar, who had expanded to four times his normal size when bloodied, they found an enchanted pair of greaves and a small key. The other bodies bore decent livery and weapons but nothing precious. A door in the hallway in which the fighting had taken place opened to a barracks room where three human slaves were hiding. Their names were Arum, Bessa and Calder. They claimed to come from Fallcrest and that the Bloodreavers had captured them six months ago and sold them to the duergar. They knew other slaves had recently been brought to the Horned Hold and were being held in the western fortress. They begged the Beheaders to bring them back to the seven pillared hall which they had heard rumor of, but indicated they would make the journey themselves if they were given weapons. The Beheaders told them about the fire bats and spined devils and they became less entusiastic about travelling alone and decided to wait for the Beheaders to complete their mission so they could be escorted. They told the Beheaders that the duergar were led by Murkelmor, a paladin of Asmodeus and that their were some female duergar spell-casters in the western bastion as well. They also warned that the duergar avoided areas of the western bastion that they considered haunted.

A door opposite the slave quarters opened to a storage room filled with barrells and crates of foodstuffs, including flour, smoked meat, wheels of cheese, and ale. The double doors in the hall opened to a great hall with tables and chairs and a large fire place. The hall was connected to a kitchen, another storage room and a barracks. The duergar scout, who had tried to escape, was unconscious in a ruined trophy room which led to doors to the southern bridge which connected the southern bastion to the western fortress. The room contained several decrepit, mounted trophies of dangerous beasts and underdark monsters including a black robed humanoid with an octopus-head and an eight-legged lizard with large golden eyes. They bound the duergar scout and decided to rest before continuing on to the western fortress.

Theren and Rudy took the first watches. A couple hours into his watch, from the western window, above the door, in the trophy room, Theren saw one of the spined devils fly to the northern bastion. Soon after he saw the creature heading in his direction. He jumped down from the window and hid below – warning Rudy. Rudy hid behind a statue as the devil landed on the barred window. It hung in the window for a minute – all the while Rudy could feel the creature looking in on him. After a minute the devil flew away and the rest of Theren’s and Rudy’s watch was uneventful.

During Barnoble’s and Torinn’s watch things were pretty quiet. Barnoble sat up in the window while Torinn stood guard below. Suddenly, both adventurers heard a whisper in their native tongues – “You should be afraid…” – from the roof above, one of the spined devils dropped to hover outside the window and unleashed a spray of fiery, poisoned needles at Barnoble. Barnoble was caught in the spray but threw his spear and hit as the monster flew away. Torinn ran to the barracks and woke the rest of the Beheaders. The devil did not return but the adventurers decided it was time to proceed. First, they would interrogate the duergar scout…

...Ekol woke from the prodding of his captors. He had faked unconsciousness at first hoping the intruders would assume him dead and let him lie there until they left. Instead they had bound him and as he waited he had drifted off to sleep. The half elf in chainmail and carrying a battle axe was offering him water and trying to question him…

“What are you doing here?” Ekol burst out.

“I’ll be asking the questions,” the arrogant half-breed retorted.

“This is an act of war!” Ekol ignored the half elf’s attempt to control the conversation, “We are a support station for the Grimmerzhul mines. We do business with the Mages of Saruun in the seven pillared hall. You have no right to be here. You murdered Urwol, our mastersmith. He crafted that axe.” Ekol gestured to the great axe hefted by the large dragonborn warrior.

“You steal people from their homes and turn them into slaves.” replied the half elf.

“I’ve never even left this labyrinth before!” Ekol truthfully pointed out. Was this really why the intruders were here? The pitiful thralls? What did they want with a bunch of useless humans?

“That may be true, but still…” the half elf was losing interest in the interrogation. He turned to the other intruders looking especially at the dragonbron. “He isn’t going to talk. He’ll need convincing.”

The dragoborn and eladrin warriors went to work on him with threats and slaps and more threats. Where were the slaves? How many guards were there? Where was their leader? Where is their treasure? They were experienced in the game of intimidation and for a moment Ekol considered trying to bargain for his life. But in the end Ekol stayed true to Murkelmor and the Dark Prince and the interregators realized they were only wasting time.

“Do you have anything to say before we kill you?” asked the ranger.

Ekol gave him a blank stare and cursed them all in his mind. ‘May the Prince of Darkness eat your souls – through Murkelmor’s hands, Asmodeus will destroy you!’

The great axe swept toward Ekol. Urwol had been the best weaponsmith Ekol had ever seen work the forge. The weapon was sharp. It was an honor to die by a blade of such fine workmanship. He barely felt the dragonborn’s swipe as it removed his head from his shoulders. For a moment he watched the blood fountain in a violent burst from his thick headless neck and then he felt the flames licking at his soul and he was pulled into the ninth plane of hell.

Ekol, the duergar scout bounded down the corridor toward the southern bastion as fast as his stubby legs could carry him. Greyzep, the other scout followed behind watching for signs that the intruders were following. The two burst through the double doors at the end of the hallway. Greyzep kept watch at the door and Ekol went to the doors to Rundarr’s main hall. Hopefully he had eaten recently. Rundarr was always foul tempered but doubly so when hungry. Ekol opened the doors and found the duergar champion finishing his meal. The human thralls were clearing the table. Rundarr looked up at the scout and belched.

“Ahh, Ekol, have the orcs seen anymore dragonborn lurking around?” he asked.

“Your greatness,” the scout began, “We are indeed under attack…Urwol is slain and the orcs have fled…”

“What!” roared Rundarr, “Urwol slain?” He rose from his chair. The thralls quickly retreated to the kitchen area with the dirty dishes.

”...yes,” continued Ekol, “it appears to be the intruders who slaughtered the goblinoids back at the Chamber of Eyes.”

“How many?” asked Rundarr.

“Five or six, I believe, sir.” answered Ekol, “Greyzep is watching the corridor…”

“Set two scouts in hiding in the hall and gather the guards.” Rundar instructed, “We’ll ambush them at the door!”

Ekol obeyed and a few moments later the duergar were in position. Ekol waited with Rundarr and soon they heard the scouts spring their attack in the hallway beyond the door. Ekol turned invisible and a guard pulled the door open. Rundarr immediately filled the opening swinging wildly with his warhammer. Suddenly, the eladrin intruder appeared behind the duergar champion and sliced into his back. The guards and scouts surrounded him and attacked but he kept his attacks on Rundarr. The eladrin took some blows but Rundarr bellowed from the attacks he was taking and an instant later he was expanding – growing to four times his normal size. Ekol and one of the guards were pushed to the side and a moment later Rundarr was down to normal size lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood. The eladrin knocked one of the guards off his feet and retreated to the corridor but not before Greyzep struck him with his hammer. The dragonborn intruder was in the room attacking the guard by Ekol and the other intruders were entering. The scouts in the hall were dead. The elven ranger who had killed Urwol was taking aim at Ekol. Ekol ran. An arrow pierced his shoulder as he pulled open the door to the trophy room. He heard Greyzep call out a dying curse to Asmodeus. Ekol had been wounded a few times during the battle and the arrow in his shoulder was weakening him. He heard footsteps behind as he stumbled toward the door to the bridge. He fumbled for the knob and looked behind. The dragonborn was coming into the trophy room running and from his mouth he spewed a burst of fire at Ekol. The flames washed over Ekol and he slumped to the floor.

Wynn Longsaddle entered through the the passage from the Road of Laterns and walked immediately to the Customhouse and hammered on the door. The human, Bly Gethers, answered – a roll of tobacco smoking between his teeth.

"I'll help ya, at lest, I'd like." he rasped as his leer quickly swept from her large brown eyes and dark curly hair to the mounds of her chest and over her round hips. A sneer perked the side of his mouth reveling a few brown teeth. He blew out a puff of smoke and arched his eyebrows.

Wynn cringed. "Orontor!" she shouted, "I need to talk to Orontor."

"Not here." Bly replied cooling quickly.

"That fucking gargoyle ran my cart of the fucking ridge!" yelled Wynn, "I've had it. I can't do my job with that thing harrassing me. I've asked the Mages for help now I'll go tell them I quit."

"The Mages are not to be disturbed!" growled a deep voice and the ogre Brugg pushed Bly aside and lumbered out the door. Bly slithered back inside the Customhouse.

"Well than you can tell them – I quit!" shouted Wynn and she strode off toward the Halfmoon Inn.

"Bah!" grunted Brugg and he waved a dismissive hand after the woman. He began walking to the closest bridge spanning the river that ran through the hall. He stretched and grunted as he walked. On the way he noticed the Lord, William Invidia and some of his men at arms crossing the hall in his direction. They were heavily equipped and had Terrlen Darkseeker in tow with them.

"Hail Ogre!" Invidia called, "Still no sight of the adventuring company, the Beheaders?"

"The name is Brugg," replied the ogre, "and no, they haven't been seen in the hall for two days."

"This man believes they are exploring a place called The House of Silence." said the Lord, "He is going to guide me there to find them. If they return while I'm gone you will detain them."

The last statement was not a quetion and Invidia led his group away toward the Deep Stair before the ogre could respond. Brugg crossed the bridge and lumbered toward Rothar's Taproom grumbling to himself. Outside the Taproom a group of four dwarves from the Deepgem Company were in a heated discussion with two duergar of the Grimmerzhul Clan – concerning some missing mining carts.

"No bloodshed in the hall!" growled Brugg as he passed. The dwarves looked at him for a moment and he glared back at them. They looked back at the duergar and then withdrew from the confrontation. They talked among themselves as they headed back to their showroom – looking back at the duergar several times. The duergar made taunting hand gestures at the departing dwarves before returning to their outpost.

One Black Hand Trooper stood by the pigeonhole located next to the Dragon Door looking toward the entrance from the Shining Road. Soon the three other Troopers emerged carrying a medium sized bundled wrapped in a burlap sack. They were led by the mysterious Scion. They brought the bundle to the pigeonhole and left it inside with the Scion. One Trooper departed from the other in the direction of the Wainwright, Bersk's establishment, where their black, horse-drawn carriage was being stored.

The Deepgem dwarves nearly trampled Rendil as they steamed past the Halfmoon Inn. Surina the female, dragonborn warlock sat with an obviously troubled Vadriar the Sage outside the Temple of Hidden Light. She took a break from comforting him to assail the dwarves as they passed.

"I warned you about the duergar and drow," she preached, "the bones say your mining carts are just the start of your troubles! Vadriar knows a secret he can't share. His secret dooms us all. The Underdark denizens must be driven from this place – they consort with thieves and murderers." A small horned and winged creature with a large nose emerged from beneath her robes and whispered in her ear.

"And you consort with devils, you crazy witch." grunted one of the dwarves.

"Don't listen to them, my little Mezzo," the warlock purred to the imp, "Surina knows your true nature. You're all blind and impotent!" she hollared after the dwarves.

Rendil crossed a bridge and headed toward the Dragon Door but was intercepted by the drow, Gendar, who invited him inside the Curius and Relics Shoppe for a conversation.

By the Road of Laterns entrance a dark cloaked figure whispered to the kobold beggar, Charrak, dropped some silver coins into one of his clawed hands and a sealed letter into his other. 

Wynn Longsaddle ended the night passed out under a table at the Halfmoon Inn with a bar tab that she couldn't pay – she lost everything when her cart was forced over the side of the ridge road leading to the Road of Laterns. She believed a Sahdar Kai witch living up in a tower in the side of the mountain was controlling the gargoyle which was responsible for her ruin.

Orontor returned from the Tower of Saruun and called Brugg and the members of the guard to the Customhouse for a meeting.

The Scion and Black Hand Troopers departed the hall in their black, horse-drawn carriage.

An infuriated William Invidia returned from the House of Silence minus one man-at-arms and the guide Terrlen Darkseeker. Word was that at the House of Silence they ran into some 'evil spirits' and Terrlen Darkseeker turned into a hairy beast and killed one of the men-at-arms. They fended off the spirits and wounded Terrlen and the beast ran off.

As Theren's second arrow struck the wicked duergar smithy, this time through the throat, Torin smashed in the head of the orc berserker. The sooty skinned duergar leader fell to the floor with blood spurting from his eyes, chest and throat. He died. The two scouts immediately ran for the western double doors and the orcs retreated through the eastern door they had just entered. Theren and Morthos fired at the scouts who were heaed toward the western bastion but the duergar escaped through the doors. The Beheaders did not follow. The orcs could be heard opening the portcullis and fleeing the Horned Hold.

"We got our asses kicked on this one," Torinn grumbled, "Morthos and Baal both went down. We're out manned. We should leave."

Baal was helped by Rudy and some of the others were resting, trying to regain some strength. Theren searched around and found a room with a well, the master smith's room and another bedroom. The weapon racks contained mostly halberds and mauls of fine quality. A chest in the smith's room contained silver and gold coins and a skull scepter hung above his bed. Gendar had mentioned to Torinn he would pay for such a scepter. The other bedroom contained little of value. The well contained good drinking water.

"Gather your second winds and let's get out of here," suggested Torinn, "it's nobody's fault, we're just not powerful enough yet for this kind of mission. It's not our job to save the world."

"There is a reward and saving the slaves could lead to better paying jobs." offered Theren.

"It's not worth dying over." said Torinn.

So, the Beheaders all took a moment while they rested to think about what their future held. What had their first three weeks in the Nentir Vale reaped them? They had gained riches in amount that an average man wouldn't earn in 20 years. However, Rudy had died once and every member of the company had been near death one time or another.

They had slain a dragon near Fallcrest and made friends and enemies from it. Lord Markelhey and many Fallcrest citizens had welcomed them into town as heroes including Teldorthan the smithy who promised to make Torinn wyrmscale armor out of the dragon carcass as soon as the residuum required could be produced. But they were also ambushed by a priest of the evil dragon goddess, Tiamat, and his lackeys as soon as they left Fallcrest. Now news had come that their greatest supporter in Fallcrest Lord Feran Markelhey had been murdered by his wife and their friend Teldorthan had been robbed and blinded. To make it all worse someone was trying to put the blame on the Beheaders for the robbery.

The Lord Invidia was searching the Labyrinth for them. He had Hammerfast dwarves with him along with his men-at-arms. The mysterious Scion was here as well. The Lord had lost much in the robbery of the smith and wanted to question the Beheaders - at the least. What was the Scion's business? Hunting a githyanki? A creature from the Astral Sea? What was going on in Hammerfast?

And, in between all of this, they had rid the land of over six dozen kobolds, many goblinoids and a deathpriest and his Orcus cultists. These deeds had put them in good favor with Lord Padraig, the people of Winterhaven, The shadar kai led Raven Roost Performers and the adventuring company Band of Valor.

In the beginning the venerable cleric of the platinum dragon, Enubrius the Bronze, had asked them to help him and their kin, the eladrin of Mithrendain and the elves of the Rain Valley secure the Vale for a future trade route. They were expected to clear the land of dangers and build good relationships.

Here at Thunderspire Mountain their closest allies were a young halfling they had rescued, his aunt and a guide who might turn into a werewolf at any moment and attack the nearest person. There was also Wynn Longsaddle who they had saved from a gargoyle and Torinn was getting along with the drow merchant Gendar. These people had leads to jobs that didn't require atttacking a duergar clans stronghold. But would those jobs provide as much gold and glory?

Now they stood in one of three bastions at the Horned Hold, the scouts had escaped a few minutes earlier. It was time to make up their minds…

"Keep those flames roaring!" shouted Urwol, the sooty dark skinned dwarf. He ran his free hand down his stiff, rust-colored beard. "If you're no use stoking the fire, maybe I could use your head as an anvil." he said to the orc thrall tending the furnace. Looking up he noticed Ekol, a duergar scout motioning for his attention by the door. Another orc guard stood by him.

"Interuptions!" bellowed the Master Smith, "I hate interruptions! What is it, scum? Speak! I have work to do here!"

"The portcullis guards, Master," began the scout, "They claim to have seen a dragonborn prowling around outside the gate. They called for him to halt but he just kept walking to the tower wall out of sight. This was a minute or two ago, sir, but he hasn't reappeared."

"A dragonborn? Alone?" replied Urwol.

"He is all that they saw, Master, but you know how these thralls are," reported the scout, "they've heard the rumors of the Bloodreaver massacre at the Chamber of Eyes. They say a dragonborn travelling with elfs was responsible for that raid. Perhaps they are spooked and imagined him. They tell me this dragonborn carries a great axe."

Urwol, knew the rumors of the massacre to be true. He had seen the bugbear, who'd been hewn through the ribs by a great axe bearing Urwol's own craftmanship. Would the raiders dare storm the Horned Hold? They were in for a nasty surprise if they did. Duergar didn't die as easily as goblinoids. If the raiders were here he looked forward to a fight. Two duergar guards were slain in the attack on the Chamber of Eyes and an axe of his making had been used against his allies. Bring them on, he'd love some retribution against the surface dwelling scum.

"Tell those orc to keep ready at the gate and remind them what those crossbows are for! If someone is prowling around outside fill them full of bolts!" he shouted, "Then pass the news on to Rundarr that we may have unwelcome guests. Murkelmor may want to have the area patrolled through the air. Don't disappoint me!"

Ekol left to carry out orders and Urwol got back to working the raw steel blade heating in the flames - he brought it to the anvil and pounded it with his hammer. A few minutes later Ekol returned.

"Rundarr sent guards across the south bridge to take a look and pass word to Murkelmor. They couldn't see anything from…" Ekol cut his words short and Urwol saw him looking toward the window above the door to the northern bridge. Suddenly, the knob to the locked door below the window rattled. "Someone was just spying through that window," whispered the scout. A screech sounded from the northern cliffs of the canyon.

"The spined devils are calling the fire bats," Urwol almost gaffawed, "Thralls, guard that door. Kill anyone who opens it. Scouts, conceal yourselves and ambush any intruders that get past the orcs."

Through the window, Urwol watched the cavern brighten as the fire bats soured to the top of the northern bastion. Two spiney, winged devils clung to a chimney which emerged from the bastion high in the cavern wall. With screeches they directed the bats to descend on intruders who were dropping onto the northern bridge outside Urwol's locked door. The lock to the door then clicked and the door swung open. The orcs immediately swung their great axes at the leather bound tiefling who stood in the doorway – dagger in hand. The two axes cleaved into the sides of the door frame. On the bridge behind the tiefling, a dragonborn stood facing the swooping fire bats. The enchanted great axe Urwol had crafted was weilded in the dragonborn's large hands. An elven archer swung down from the roof and landed on the bridge. Suprisingly, an eladrin soldier appeared in the room behind the orcs who blocked the door. The eladrin hit both orcs with a swing of his long sword. The fire bats reached the bridge and hit the elf archer, who caught fire. The orcs swung again on the tiefling and one of them drew blood. The dragonborn struck one of the bats and acid rained down from the bastion roof onto two of the bats. The bats veered away from the bridge, two on east side and three on west side, and avoided colliding with the side of the bastion.

The tiefling bullrushed an orc and pushed him into the room making space for those on the bridge to enter. A half-elf in fine chainmail weilding a battle axe and shield dropped onto the bridge as the dragonborn pushed into the room. The elven archer fired at a fire bat and Urwol heard the winged creature slam into the bastion wall. The duergar scouts now appeared from where they had been waiting invisible. One hit the tiefling and one hit the eladrin with quills from their beards causing pain and poison damage. The tiefling was then struck by one of the scouts warhammers. An elven wizard dropped to the bridge outside as the dragonborn and half-elf joined the melee in the room. Urwol unleashed his Fire of the Forge attack on the dragonborn and eladrin soldier. The orcs and scouts continued to hold off the intruders but the elven wizard hit Urwol with a force orb. Urwol responded with an Iron Storm attack which affected the dragonborn and tiefling and dazed them. The tiefling was knocked unconscious. As the elven archer's attention was drawn away from the bats to the combat in the bastion the spined devils moved into range and rained flaming spines down on him. The archers ducked some of the spines and slipped in through the door. The half-elf quickly assisted the tiefling and got him back on his feet and struck one of the scouts. One of the orc thralls fell to a combination of blows by the intruders. The wizard hit Urwol with another attack as the double doors to the guard room opened and the five orcs stationed out by the portcullis came in behind the master smith. Urwol maintained his Iron Storm attack and dazed the wizard and tiefling. The wizard, still out on the bridge, felt a rain of spines engulf him and he ran through the bastion door. The dragonborn and one of the orcs fought in front of him. He closed the door and collapsed.

Urwol's confidence got a boost when the wizard fell and the orc guards gathered behind him. Now he would uphold the honor of the Grimmerzhul Clan by dispatching these surface dwelling scum. But the tiefling let loose a shurikan that raked across Urwol eyes. Blood poured into his sockets blinding him and he stumbled back colliding with one of the anvils. As he tried to wipe the blood from his eyes he felt a tremendous pain as an arrow pierced his chest, then came the whistling sound of another arrow unleashed….

Torinn arrived back at the cave where the rest of the Beheaders were waiting. Baal equiped himself with the bracers and Barnoble put on the gauntlets. In order to remain unseen, the group decide to take a longer route through the labyrinth rather than risk sneaking through the Seven Pillared Hall. From the crude map Rendil and Terrlen had drawn they could see that some main passages would take them past the turn to the Grimmerzhul Mines and shortly after that turn was a smaller marked passage that ran along a huge cistern in the mountain. The Horned Hold was built over the cistern and the smaller passage led to a less used back door to the Hold. The Hold appeared to be comprised of three bastions built into the sides of the cistern with bridges connecting them. They took the marked passage back to the Chamber of Eyes. As the continued along the passage past the narthex leading to the Chamber they heard activity inside but they quickly travelled past unseen. They continued along until they arrived at one of the main passages. They continued on travelling south down the large passage.

After a while they approached the area where a side passage turned toward the Duergar Mines. The passage became quite smokey and the party stopped before reaching the turn. They saw light from several sources moving in the smoke and suddenly the lights formed a line in the air and zoomed toward the Beheaders. Five large fire bats emerged from the smoke and flew through the group clawing and setting fire with their attacks. Torinn and Morthos had resistance to fire and were only slightly injured by the clawing but Barnoble, Rudy and Baal all caught fire and took more severe damage. The fire bats flew down the passage and turned for another fly-by attack. Theren distanced himself and marked a target as his quarry. A couple of the bats had minor wounds from the first fly-by and the Beheaders dealt some better damage on the next engagement. Theren pulled an acrobatic move and ducked under the formation of bats. Two of the bats were bloodied and another wounded and they chose to live to fight another day and retreated down the passage toward the Grimmerzhul Mines. The smoke was dispersing and the Beheaders found three mining carts. Two were completely destroyed by fire but the third was fairly intact. The Beheaders found the seal of the Deepgem Trading Company on the cart and searched the inside. In a compartment under one of the seats the found +1 darkleaf leather armor, +1 bloodcut leather armor, boots of spider climbing, a basket of everlasting provisions and some +1 sylvan cloth armor and 400 gold pieces. They distributed these items among themselves all the while wondering why the carts were there and lamenting that they would probably be blamed for their destruction. Curious, Morthos checked the other wagons but only found the bodies of some burned dwarves.

The party continued along the passage and came to the marked path that ran along the side of the cistern. Travel was a little slower down this passage because it wasn't as wide as the main passage and they had to be careful to keep away from the edge of the cistern which sloped dramatically into darkness. Eventually, the path wound along the edge of the deep chasm and rounded a corner to reveal several large bastions clinging to the side of the chasm. Two bridges spanned the chasm's depths, linking the bastions together. The path ended at the nearest fortress, where a portcullis blocked the way. A couple of orcs were visible behing the portcullis, keeping watch.

The Beheaders debated on how to assault the building. The bastions were 25 feet tall. Above the portcullis were two barred windows stacked a few feet above each other. There were several large chimneys and more smaller chimneys smoking at the top of the bastions. Morthos snuck between the shadows of the path and made his way to the side of the bastion where the orcs could not see from the portcullis. From this position he perceived that there were perhaps as many as six orcs in the room beyond. He deftly scaled the side of the building to the roof and lowered a secured rope. Theren crept to the rope unseen and climbed to the roof and the rest of the party followed suit. Torinn was the last to try to reach the building and his luck with stealth ran out. One of the orcs spied him and called out for him to stop. Torinn ignored the orc and continued to the rope. The orc called to the others that there was a dragonborn wandering around outside. Torinn climbed the rope and pulled it up after himself. The Beheaders then waited a few moments to see if the orcs would come out to investigate. All was quiet for the moment so they looked around. The small chimneys were five feet wide and the larger ones five feet by ten feet. The bastions were built into the side of the chasm but if they were built symmetrically the Beheaders estimated they were each 90 to 100 feet wide. They could see two bridges connecting the bastions 25 feet below. Torinn theorized that with his armor and natural resistance to fire he could go down one of the chimneys and remain unharmed but they weren't sure if he could accomplish much alone. They sat down for a minute to think….

Torinn gathered up a few magical items that the party wasn't using and went through the Dragon Door heading toward Gendar's Curios and Relics. Because of the threats Rendil had explained, Torin wrapped his cloak around himself, put up his hood and tried not to be seen. As he crossed the Hall between the Dragon Door and Gendar's he saw people moving about the Hall but the only people that stood out were three black armored soldiers by a pigeonhole door near thje Dragon Door. Torinn had seen these soldier before after the Beheaders had killed the githyanki. They had been with an unsettling shadowcloaked leader wearing chainmail and rich, black vestments. The soldiers wore the emblem of a black hand on their chests and the eye-slit on their helms revealed a glowing red light in the center of their heads. They carried long swords and shields on their backs and held black steel rods. Apart from their full plate armor they seemed to carry nothing else. They paid no attention to Torinn but seemed to gaze casually around the Hall.

As Torinn approached Gendar's the door to the Shoppe opened and the gnome assistant let him in. Gendar sat by his counter in a black robe eating a dish of blue & purple lichen mixed with what Torinn guessed was brain matter. Gendar spoke to the gnome in a language Torinn could not understand – elven perhaps? – and the gnome responded and left through the curtain behind Gendar.

"There are quite a few people looking for you and your friends." said the drow, "Luckily, my assistant believes you made it here unseen. I'm a little surprised."

Torin agreed that he was not so great with stealth and told Gendar he had some goods to trade. Gendar was willing to deal but wanted to exchange information first. he said the duergar were in his shoppe earlier complaining about a bugbear friend of theirs who had been cut in half. The wounds on him looked like they may have been made by an axe the duergar had made at the request of Gendar. The two shared a chuckle over the slight irony. Gendar asked if the Beheaders planned on assaulting the Horned Hold or if they attacked the Chamber of Eyes just to steal the Bloodreavers payment. Torinn at first claimed ignorance about the assault on the Chamber but then admitted to just being after the payment. Gendar confirmed that a Baron was offering reward for the slaves and reminded Torinn about a skull scepter he would pay for if he did happen to find it in the Horned Hold.

They talked about the Lord William Invidia from east of the Hammerfast Mountains. Gendar said he was an Earl from the Central Dominance and asked Torinn if he could prove the Beheaders did not rob the dwarf smithy Teldorthan in Fallcrest. After conversing Torinn realized that the smithy was robbed some time between their fight with the githyanki and their fight with the gargoyle when they met Wynn Longsaddle. Gendar also revealed that Teldorthan had been blinded by the breath weapon of a dragonborn (fire or acid – he wasn't sure). He did not know who had told Lord Invidia that the Beheaders were responsible. Torinn asked about the black armored soldiers. The drow told him they were called Black Hand Troopers and served as police and bodyguards for Scions of Bane. He said they had arrived shortly before the Lord but he didn't know what they were up to.

Gendar confirmed the rumor that Lord Markelhey had been murdered and his wife was in custody. He heard they were holding meetings about electing a new Lord Warden in Fallcrest. He said the murder happened later in the night after the smithy was robbed and that at least one other farmhouse in the town had been burned down.

They then got down to business and Torinn traded some +1 dwarven chain, a +1 lifedrinker scimitar and the belt of sacrafice for some bracers of defense and guantlets of ogre power. The dark elf said he had a +2 Thundering battle axe and a +2 Vicious longsword but Torinn could not afford the prices he quoted.

As Torinn prepared to leave Gendar told him that Rendil was not a very good agent for them to be using. Torinn said he figured as much which is why he came to see him. Gendar was glad no one had seen the dragonborn come to the shoppe because he couldn't have trouble in his shoppe. He then spoke behind the curtain and told Torinn to follow Kemtir, the gnome for he could help he not be seen. The gnome escorted Torinn back to the dragon door. On the way across the Hall Torinn saw a Hammerfast dwarf in the northern part of the Hall watching the Dragon Door as well as a lanky human near the Grimmerzhul Trading Post in the southern part of the Hall also watching the door. Neither appeared to notice Torinn leave. 

...the Beheaders took a few moments to gather their strength. The hobgoblins had extinguished torches and vanished from the hallways. Torinn went to the bottom of the stairs by the doors to the Chamber of Eyes. An arrow glanced off his armor from the darkness. A door to his right opened and two goblins emerged firing hand crossbows at Torinn. The goblins were followed by two human bandits who engaged Torinn and Barnoble who had dashed down the stairs. Morthos and Rudy charged down the stairs as a hobgoblin archer appeared in the hallway firing into the melee. Baal and Theren took up positions on the stairs. Suddenly the doors to the Chamber of Eyes burst open and three hobgoblin soldiers formed a line flanking the Beheaders with the bandits. A hobgoblin archer fired from behind the soldiers. The archer had a locked chest by his feet. The goblin crossbowmmen pestered Torinn and Barnoble as they fought the bandits. The soldiers were ineffective with their attacks and Baal blasted the three of them from the top of the stairs. Theren fired into the melee. Rudy and Morthos killed the archer in the hall and turned to fight one of the soldiers. Torinn and Barnoble chopped down the bandits. Torinn persued the goblins while Barnoble turned on the soldiers. Soon only one of the goblins was left and he surrendered. He was later beheaded. The Beheaders found a Belt of Sacrafice on the dead bugbear, a +1 lifedrinker scimitar and potion of healing and some gems and gold in the refectory. They found a key to the chest on the hobgoblin which had been riding the wolf. In the chest was another potion of healing, gems, gold, silver and +2 delvers chainmail. They also found a letter which was a contract to purchase the Harkenwold slaves for 1000 gp. It was signed by Murkelmor Grimmerzhul.

Thje Beheaders gathered everything up and followed the path back toward the seven pillared hall. Just before they reached the hall they met up with Rendil Halfmoon. Rendil had come to warn them that there were some people in the hall looking for them. A lord from east of the Hammerfast Mountains had arrived with some men and dwarves while the Beheaders were at the Chamber of Eyes. This Lord William Invidia had been to Fallcrest to do business with the dwarf smith Teldorthan. When he arrived however he found the smith had been recently attacked and robbed. Teldorthan had been blinded and his smitty burned to the ground. Invidia had lost a dragon hide and a great deal worth of gold in residuum. He had been informed that the Beheaders were responsible for the robbery. Rendil said the Lord had spoken to Brugg and one of the Mages of Saruun and were keeping an eye out for the Beheaders. The Lord and his men had taken over most of the rooms at the Inn.

The Beheaders found a cave in the passage and took a rest to restore their strength before deciding whether to meet their accusers. Rendil returned early the next morning. He said a strange group had arrived before the lord and taken over a pigeonhole by the Dragon Door in the seven pillared hall. There were four or five black armored soldiers. He also said that his halfling bard friend had arrived with all sorts of information. Baron Stockmer, the ruler of the Harkenwold villages, was offering a reward for information about the lost people of the village and a larger reward for their return. Also, the bard reported that Markelhey, the Lord Warden of Fallcrest had been murdered by his wife. They found the dead lord the morning before and Lady Markelhey had the murder weapon and was covered in his blood. She claimed to have blacked out but they had arrested her and the town was preparing to elect a new Lord Warden within a couple of weeks. This happened on the same night that the smitty was burned down. He reported another farm house in town had burned down that night as well.

The only other information Rendil could provide is that word had spread about the attack on the Chamber of Eyes and the duergar were pissed off and anxious. Some merchants were overheard murmuring about it. He told the adventurers that the duergar had a base of operations at a place called the Horned Hold and he showed them where it was on the crude map of the labyrinth. The Beheaders thought they might go to the Horned Hold to rescue the slaves and collect the reward from the Baron Stockmer. First, Torinn wanted to sneak into the seven pillared hall and do some more business with Gendar and see if the drow had more information.

The Beheaders followed the route marked by prospectors and minors that led through a maze of chambers, halls and passegeways. They came to a doorway that had a lintel carved with five staring eyes and turned left into the narthex of the Chamber of Eyes. The flagstone floors were even but cracked. Condensation dripped from the walls and ceiling. A short flight of steps led up to a hall. The ceiling was 25 feet high, and a balcony rose 15 feet above the floor at the north end of the room. Morthos and Theren led the group into the antechamber. In the east wall, two fearsome-looking statues of winged demons squatted on either side of a stairway leading up to double doors. Inscribed upon the doors was an image of a great eye with multiple eye stalks, as well as a symbol of a circle with a crossbar rising out of it. Heaps of rubble were scattered across the floor.

Theren darted across the room to the balcony and climbed up. There was a door to the east. The rest of the party gathered by the statues.

"Should I try the door up here?" Theren called down. Morthos heard high, rasping voices and footsteps of several creatures beyond the double doors. He raised a hand to signal 'quiet' to Theren and crept to the doors. Theren climbed down from the balcony. Morthos was listening at the double doors but could no longer hear anything. He pushed on the doors and tried to unlock them but failed.

"Who's out there?" a goblin called, "We weren't expecting anyone."

"We're here to do business." replied Theren.

"What do you bring to the Bloodreavers?" _goblin

"We bring slaves." ~Theren

"Liar!" ~goblin "Go warn the others; we've got intruders!"

Torinn ran to the door and tried to bash it down but failed. Two goblins appeared on the balcony and fired hand crossbows at Theren and Baal. Baal blasted them and two more joined them and shot another flurry of bolts down on the party who were taking cover. Theren and Baal took shots at the goblins and Torinn bashed down the double doors on his second try. Behind the door was a huge bugbear. His morning star missed Torinn's head by inches. Rudy and Barnoble followed Torinn who breathed fire on the bugbear. The goblins took a few hits and ran through the balcony door once the double doors were smashed. Theren killed a goblin with his bow as the goblin tried to get through the balcony door and Theren and Baal ran to the balcony. The two easily scaled the wall and persued.

The corridor where Torinn, Rudy and Barnoble fought the bugbear was 10 feet wide. To the left, an opening led to another room, and to the right was a closed door. Down the hall stood stone double doors inscribed with symbols. The bugbear was taking a beat down and not delivering much retribution.

As Theren followed through the balcony door, to his right, stone steps lead down to a chamber containing rough furnishings. The goblins were passing through this room and out the door to the corridor where the bugbear fought. The goblins saw that the bugbear was bloodied and ran from the battle toward the stone double doors. To the left of the doors, the goblins ran up a set of stairs. Theren followed, Baal stopped in the roughly furnished room and Morthos joined him. Torinn, Rudy and Barnoble slew the bugbear. Theren could see that at the top of the stairs the goblins had run through a door. He opened the door and ran in.

The goblins were fleeing through the room and down a hallway but two fierce-looking dwarves with gray skin and stiff beards of rust-red bristles were standing in the way with warhammers. Each picked a bristle from their beards and flicked it at Theren who dodged them both. The duergar attacked. The goblins continued down the hall past two northern wall doors and entered a door at the end of the hall.

Torinn, Rudy, Barnoble and Baal rushed up the stairs to aid Theren. Morthos peeked into the stone double doors at the bottom of the steps. Carvings of eyes covered the walls, floor, and ceiling of the chamber. An idol of a horrible toadlike creature dominated the area. In the center of the floor, chains were affixed to the flagstones, though no prisoners were chained there. A huge black wolf lied on the floor nearby, and a hobgoblin was busy oiling the chains. Morthos quickly closed the door before he was noticed. He ran up the stairs to join his companions. The beheaders were exchanging blows with the duergar when the goblins reappeared in the hall and fired hand crossbows at them. Theren had shifted while firing shots and was between the duergar and goblins. When the duergar fell he moved away from the goblins back into the room. A hobgoblin warcaster opened one of the doors in the hall and blasted Torinn, Baal and Theren. The goblins charged the beheaders and a hobgoblin archer appeared in the hall and fired an arrow into Baal. Suddenly the door Theren was standing by burst open and a large hobgoblin riding a huge wolf attacked. Theren was stabbed with a spear and bitten. Barnoble attacked the warcaster.

Torinn was engaged in the hallway with the goblins along while Rudy provided crossbow fire. Baal blasted the wolf and rider. The rider stabbed Theren and knocked him unconscious and the wolf bit Morthos. Baal fired on the rider again. Rudy used a daily power and smashed the wolf – killing it – and then healed Theren. Barnoble brought down the warcaster. Another hobgoblin archer was in the hall. The first was engaged with Torinn. A third archer appeared on the stairs. Torinn killed the archer he was engaged with and backed into the room while the rest of the Beheaders brought down the hobgoblin rider. The remaining archers backed away as the Beheaders huddled up in the duergar room. All was quiet for a moment…

Rendil halfmoon produced a rough map of the Labyrinth and a detailed map of the Seven Pillared Hall to his rescuers, the Beheaders. The rough Labyrinth map indicated 'main' and 'marked' passages in the Labyrith which led to places like "the Houses of Silence" where Terrlen claimed he may have gotten the lycanthrope curse and "the Chamber of Eyes" where Rendil claimed the hobgoblin slavers made their lair. There were also places called "the Hall of the Broken Dragon", "the Well of Demons", "the Horned Hold" and others.

Since Terrlen couldn't produce any reward to break his curse in the Houses of Silence the Beheaders decided they would attack the Bloodreavers in the Chamber of Eyes. Terrlen had agreed to lock himself in the Halfmoon basement in case he transformed again.

The next morning, Torinn went to Gendar's to make his trade but found it closed early on so the Beheaders went to the Taproom for eat and drinks. A dwarf with pale gray skin and a stiff red beard was the only patron in the place. A half-orc bartender served the group. The dwarf said he had heard about some violence in the Deep Stair the previous night and the Beheaders pretended to know nothing about it. He left shortly.

A gnome opened up Gendar's and told Torinn that Gendar would be in later in the afternoon. The gnome discussed some ritual sales with Baal. Later the gnome cam and found Torinn at the Taproom and told him Gendar was in and ready to do business. He led Torinn to the shop where they found Gendar behind the counter dressed in purple & black robes decorated with weblike embroidary. Gendar wore a short sword and a long sword. They talked a little bit about how Torinn had obtained the silver great sword. Gendar was interested in whether anyone might come looking for it and Torinn told him about the strange group that had taken the githyanki's body.

Gendar then told Torinn about a skull scepter and a multifaceted crystal he was interested in obtaining and that he would pay for them and other rare items if Torinn and his group came across them in the Labyrinth. He told Torinn he considered his transactions private matters and that he wouldn't go throwing Torinn's name around and expected the same treatment from Torinn. He produced a dwarven made great axe and as he swapped it for the silver great sword he asked Torinn if anyone in the Hall had commented on the weapon. Torinn told him about the kobold begger mentioning it when he first arrived yesterday. As Torinn left he got the uneasy feeling that he and Gendar had not been the only ones in the room during their transaction.

Now equipped the Beheaders followed the marked path through the Dragon Door of the Seven Pillared Hall which Rendil said led to the Bloodreavers hideout – the Chamber of Eyes. 

Morthos Azaer the tiefling rogue of the Beheaders went to House Azaer in the Seven Pillared Hall to introduce himself to Noristo Azaer. Rendil and Erra Halfmoon had told Morthos about the young tiefling Noristo who ran the trading post. Morthos received a cool welcome from his distant cousin. Neither tiefling had heard of the other but learned that their parents were cousins. Noristo told Morthos that he dealt in leatherwork, wine, tobacco and other non-essentials and traded with the dwarves, duergar and other Underdark denizens of the Mountain. He questioned Morthos about his purpose for being in the Labyrinth and when Morthos gave the vague answer that he and his companions were looking for adventure Noristo pressed him on specifics. Morthos told Noristo who he was travelling with but gave no specifics about who or what they were after. Noristo stressed that he did business with many groups in the Labyrinth and that he didn't want Morthos "fucking up" any of his business. He suggested Morthos keep his last name secret as not to trace his actions back to Noristo. Morthos left feeling the exchange had not gone well.

Back in the Seven Pillared Hall Torinn went to meet Gendar the drow elf merchant who dealt in rare items and information. Gendar was located in a good sized building. His front roon was small and dimly lit by violet rocks strung about the ceiling. The walls were lined with shelves containing books, bottles and other curios items. A middle-aged black elf with white hair stood behind a glass display case. He was dressed in black robes. A velvet curtain hid the rest of the room behind him. The display case held gems, jewelry, a few small weapons and other relics. The drow's gaze took in Torinn and he whispered, "What business brings you here?"

"A trade, perhaps." replied Torinn. "I prefer a great axe but have come across this extrodinary weapon and am looking to make a trade for an axe of equal value."

The drow eyed the weapon with distrust, "And what befell the previous owner of this weapon?"

Torinn filled Gendar in on their encounter with the githyanki.

"Yes, I recignize the creature you speak of," said Gendar, "this is a dangerous weapon. A githyanki warrior is tied to his weapon. If you were to run across another of his race they would most likely attack you on sight for possessing it. The githyanki normally reside in the Astral Sea. They were a slave race thousands of years ago and now live as chaotic pirates looking to bring down regimes of great power. This detracts somewhat from its market price – come back tomorrow and I will either have a great axe of similar power or at least more information."

Torinn left but first was sure to wrap the sword so as not to have it attract too much attention.

As the Beheaders crossed the Seven Pillared Hall in the direction of the Halfmoon Inn, Torinn noticed a runt of a kobold lurking by his knee.

"Hey, nice sword," said the runt – refering to the silver great sword Torinn took off the dead githyanki, "Can you spare some silver for a fellow draco?"

"No! Get away from me!" growled Torinn and the little creature scurried off. Some dwarves and humans were seen returning to their Pigeonholes for the evening after a day of work. The Pigeonholes were small dwellings built into the walls of the Hall.

Erra Halfmoon welcomed the party to the Inn and they rented rooms and got down to eating and drinking. Erra was an attentive host and engaged the party in conversation. They learned she ran the Inn with her nephew Rendil. A female dragonborn was in the room briefly but left. Torinn questioned Erra about her and she told him that the dragonborn was called Surina and was a warlock who was trying to rally the people of the Hall against the evils in the Labyrinth. So far she had been ignored by the people and therefore the Mages left her alone. After a while Brugg, the ogre enforcer entered the Inn. He spoke with Erra. She asked him if he had seen her nephew for he was supposed to be at the Inn working. The ogre said he saw the little bug going into the Deep Stair trying to be stealthy. He noticed the Beheaders and came over to talk with them. They bought him a drink and he seemed to be in good spirits. After some conversation about the rules of the Hall he left to "do his rounds".

After he left, Erra seemed disturbed and the party asked her about it. She was worried about her nephew whohad been curious about some hobgoblins hanging out near the Inn the day before and she was afraid he had gotten into some trouble. She asked them if they would take a look down the Deep Stair for any sign of him. They agreed but wanted her to recommend a guide as they had never travelled in the Labyrinth before. She sent a scullery maid off to find someone to guide them. Soon a middle-aged man with a weathered face and quiet disposition arrived and she explained the situation to him and introduced him as Terrlen Darkseeker. Terrlen told them the Dark Stair led ultimately to the Underdark. They left immediately. Terrlen wore leather armor and carried a broadsword. Shortly down the Dark Stair passagen the path splintered into numerous passages. The party noticed light spilling from a partially open door a short way down one of the side passages and they heard coarse laughter ans gutteral voices.

A rough voice speaking Common, said, "You're ours now, halfling. We'll easily get ten gold for you."

Another voice responded, "That's a shame, 'cause I'm worth twenty. I'll buy myself if you let me go."

The Beheaders burst into the room and found five hobgoblins gathered around a restrained halfling. Four of the hobgoblins were soldiers and they immediately formed a line and battle ensued. The fifth hobgoblin was a warcaster and he held back. They exchanged a few rounds of attacks. Torinn was initially surrounded by three and one engaged Theren. Theren managed to shift away from his attacker. Rudy engaged one and Barnoble teleported behind the soldiers. Baal hit three of the hobgoblins with an area attack and the warcaster hit Baal with a minor wound. Soon the soldiers were falling and Barnoble was engaged with the warcaster. Terrlen had entered the doorway and Theren noticed him going into convulsions behind Baal. His body began to shudder and hair sprouted from his skin. As he transformed into a beast Terrlen cried out, "What – what's happening to me? Oh gods, what's going on?" A moment later, his words became snarls. Morthos turned and attacked him while he bit Baal. Barnoble killed the warcaster while Rudy and Torinn finished off the hobgoblin soldiers. The rest of the party battled Terrlen the werewolf and by the time Rudy and Torinn and Barnoble were ready to join the werewolf fell. Terrlen's body immediately returned to his human form. He was unconscious but breathing.

"What happened to Terrlen?" said the halfling.

"Did you know he was a werewolf?" asked Theren.

The halfling did not and he introduced himself as Rendil Halfmoon. He said he had been trying to see what the hobgoblins were up to but they had caught him. he thanked them for rescuing him and promised to buy them some ale back at the Inn. They tied up and bandaged Terrlen and while they did he woke up.

"Transformed into a beast you say?" said Terrlen after the party told him what had happened, "I don't remember anything, but from my condition, it must be true. Lately when I've ventured into the Labyrinth, large pieces of my memory go missing. It all started when I explored the crypts in the House of Silence. Now that I think on it, something happened there. I discovered a bronze disk, and when I looked upon it, I was overcome with rage. Perhaps that is the cause of my affliction. I beg you, please help me break this curse."

The party made no promises to help him and among themselves discussed perhaps reporting him to Brugg and the Mages of Saruun. Torinn even suggested perhaps they should kill him. They all made their way back to the Halfmoon Inn. On the way they discussed the hobgoblins with Rendil.

"Those hobgoblins you just beat up are some of the Bloodreavers. A lot more of them are around, but you won't see them up here. They hide down in the Chamber of Eyes. They're thieves and slavers."

Back at the Inn, Erra offered to comp the Beheaders rooms in payment for saving Rendil. They talked about the Bloodreavers and Terrlen and decided that the Mages probably wouldn't bother with the Bloodreavers if told about their slave business and that their solution for Terrlen would probably be putting him to death. Erra was fond of Terrlen and asked the party to give her a nights rest to think about what to do.

The Beheaders followed the road which ran along a ridge of Thunderspire Mountain to an elevation of 500 feet. Along the way they viewed some modest homes in the Vale around the mountain. At the top they came to a 50 foot arch hewn into the side of the mountain. A giant minotaur statue stood on each side of the arch. Past the arch they could see green lanterns ahead attached to the walls. It was now nearing dusk. Torinn expressed reservations about entering the mountain. He wondered if they were walking into a situation they couldn't handle. They had heard rumors that a group of Mages controlled a portion of the ancient, ruined minotaur city Saruun Khel in the heart of the mountain and they had found evidence that hobgoblins were selling slaves to a clan of duergar (dark dwarves) in the mountain. There were rumors of a village among the Harkenwold being raided by hobgoblins who took prisoners and people had reportedly disappeared around Winterhaven. They had learned at least some of the missing around Winterhaven had been used by the deathpriest Kalarel as sacrifices in his attempted ritual to open the shadow rift. The Beheaders had not been officially employed to rescue slaves so Torinn wondered about the groups motivation. It wasn't their job to save the world. Rudy had already been killed once and Torinn wanted to earn some wealth. He suggested maybe they should travel to Hammerfast and find out what was going on there. The group decided to look for a spot they could camp for the night instead of entering the mountain.

Suddenly they heard someone travelling up the road behind them. From the mountain above they saw the shadow of a medium sized winged creature decend toward the road below them and they heard a scream. Theren ran down to investigate and the rest of the party followed slowly behind. Theren saw a small horse drawn cart on the road. Someone had drawn the canopy on the cart shut and a gargoyle was attacking the horse. Theren let loose an arrow which glanced of the gargoyle. The creature sprang into the air and swooped toward Theren. The rest of the Beheaders came to his defense. Baal hit the creature with a spell while everyone else missed and the creature diverted it's attack toward Baal. As it moved Theren hit it with a big hit from his bow and bloodied it. The creature clawed Baal as the Beheaders aimed another round of attacks on the creature. It was hit again and flew away.

The Beheaders then headed to the cart. Inside the canopy a female human thanked the party and introduced herself as Wynn Longsaddle. She said she was a messenger for the Mages of Saruun and carried messeges for them through the Khel Vale. She suggested they go up through the minotaur gate to have cover while they talked. They questioned her about Thunderspire Mountain and she provided them with a great deal of helpful information. She said the Mages of Saruun were headquartered in the Seven Pillared Hall at the heart of the mountain. The old minotaur city Saruun Khel had become a labyrinth of passages and tunnels throughout the mountain. There were some marked passages throughout the labyrinth but travelling through the tunnels without a guide or directions was dangerous. They could get lost, run into untamed creatures or run into nefarious creatures. She produced a map of the Seven Pillared Hall and pointed out key locations and gave them the names of prominant people. Brugg, the mages ogre enforcer, and the Mages themselves were people they wanted to stay on the good side of. If they were going to be conducting trade within the hall they should check in at the Customhouse. She said they would be better off paying the Mages taxes then trying to conduct secret business because if caught they could be severely punished. The Ordinator Arcanis was the Mages judge, jury and executioner. In most cases he acted swift, harsh and usually fatally. He could be summoned by speaking his name while standing by the magic circle in front of the large minotaur statue in the hall. He would eventual appear and the summoner had better have a good reason for calling him.

As they walked along the Road of Laterns which sloped downward and featured copper green lanterns every 100 feet, Wynn told the party that she had been attacked by a gargoyle before while using the ridge road and it had stolen her supplies and her message. She was very interested in identifying who was commanding the creatures to harass her and other travelers (hook 1).

Wynn said she would go and see Bersk the Wainwright because her cart had been partially damaged and she told the party about the Deepgem Company which was run by dwarves who dealt in gems and precious metals, The Temple of Hidden Light which was a temple to Erathis, the goddess of law and civilization, House Azaer (hello? Morthos Azaer? that went right over your head Gavin) which was a trading post, the Halfmoon Inn, Gendar's Curios and Relics – Gendar was a drow elf who dealt in rare items and information, Dreskin the Provisioner, Rothar's Taproom, The Grimmerzhul Trading Post – which was run by duergar from the Grimmerzhul Clan and the Tower of Saruun – the residence of the Mages whose only access was through the magic circle by the minotaur statue.

Soon they arrived at the Seven Pillared Hall, a mighty chamber. As Wynn departed to go see the wainwright she reminded the party, "The Mages of Saruun provide order and safety within the Hall, chiefly so they can trade with the intelligent monster races that live within the Labyrinth and the Underdark beyond. While the mages seek to acquire goods and items important to their arcane experiments from creatures that normally don't conduct trade with the surface dwellers, the relative safety of the place has given rise to an underground market – both figuratively and literally. Brugg, the ogre, is an obnoxious bully but he is employed by the Mages. He's tough but maybe not the toughest a group of accomplished adventurers like yourselves have run across. Keep in mind that if he is killed then the Mages will be looking for a new enforcer and if your the one who killed him they may find you to be a good candidate for the job."

With that she departed and the Beheaders headed to the Halfmoon Inn to secure accomodations.

More to come….

After speaking with Lord Padraig, Sister Linora and Uerthen Stonefist the Beheaders contemplated what they should do next. The town of Winterhaven had gotten busier and the Beheaders were celebraties but they felt they needed to find a good paying adventure to persue. A letter found on a dead hobgoblin in the Keep provided a lead. A Chief Krand of the Bloodreavers had proposed in the letter that the deathpriest Kalarel sell any humanoid captives to the Bloodreavers because they have connections with some duergar (dark dwarves) located in Thunderspire who are in need of slaves. Sister Linora had gotten word that a small village among the Harkenwold had been raided by hobgoblin slavers. Lord Padraig had no solid leads on any other work for the Beheaders.

The Beheaders decided to check out Thunderspire Mountain and spoil the slavers operation who they suspect may have some treasure they could take off their hands. They checked in with some contacts in Fallcrest but found no new useful information. They inquired about Thunderspire with some locals and learned that it was once an ancient minotaur city but is believed to now be at least in part under the influence of some Mages.

Torinn, Theren, Rudy, Morthos and Barnoble left Fallcrest and attempted to find the road off of the King's Road which would lead to the entrance to Thunderspire. They believed they were close to it in the mid-afternoon of the foggy day in which they ventured. Suddenly along the road a figure appeared running toward their group. The figure was skeletally thin and stood about 6 feet tall. This creature had yellowish freckled skin with black hair in a topknot. It had eyes in sunken sockets, a sunken nose and pointed, seratted ears. It was dressed in baroque, jeweled silver plate armour and wielded a garish silver great sword.

As the figure approached the Beheaders called for it to stop and readied their attacks. The creature did not stop and Theren who was at the front of the group suddenly felt the air around him constrict to hold him where he stood. He was able to loose an arrow which ripped through the creatures armor and burst into flame (it's a flameburst bow and he rolled a natural 20). The other Beheaders missed with their initial attacks. This creature seemed harder to hit than any opponent they had yet faced. The creature then bloodied Theren who was still immobilized. Morthos unleashed one of his more effective attacks and wounded the creature (another natural 20) and it was soon surrounded by the Beheaders. Theren broke free of him immobilization. Another hit on the creature bloodied it and it leapt into the air away from the crowd and landed 20 feet away near Morthos and struck him with the great sword. The creature took a couple more hits and then struck Barnoble and tried to flee. As it was breaking away from the group Rudy hit the creature and killed it.

The party heard horses approaching on the foggy road and they moved into the hills dragging the body with them. Some riders appeared on the road riding warhorses. They looked around the ground where the battle had taken place as a horse drawn carriage arrived. Four dwarves drove and guarded the carriage. Some quiet conversation took place around the carriage and then a door in the top opened and four beings in black plate mail emerged from the carriage. They carried black steel rods, had the insignia of a black hand on their chests and in the visor of their fully helmed heads a single red light gleamed. Behind them another being emerged garbed in chainmail armor and a black regal sash and hooded cape. This being was masked with a helm. These five creatures approached the area where the party hid.

"I estimate there are five of you hiding," hissed an unsettling voice, "if you have killed the githyanki, leave its body and I will allow you to leave. Don't make me come looking for you."

Torinn kept the sword but the party rolled the dead creatures body out from their hiding spot but they remained undercover. The four armored creatures picked up the body and brought it to the carriage and their leader returned to the carriage as well.

"Who was that?" asked Theren who tried to take the question back as soon as it left his lips. One of the horseman rode back to the hiding party

"You have a question?" he demanded.

"I was just wondering about the creature we killed," said Theren.

"He was a rebel," the horseman replied. The horseman then questioned the party briefly about who they were, where they were going and if there was a town nearby. The party said they were going to Hammerfast which the horseman seemed to find amusing and mentioned that the dwarves with him were from Hammerfast. The Beheaders told the horseman that Fallcrest was nearby and the group headed down the King's Road in the direction of the town.

Getting up from their hiding places the Beheaders located the road to Thunderspire's entrance and followed it for four miles.

The party opened the bronze banded wooden double doors and found a room with a raised dais across the room with a carved casket on top. Torinn didn't think the party should disturb the tomb so they closed the doors and left. They took the stairs to the goblin guardpost above. The door was no longer spiked shut. They headed to the stairs that led outside and heard fighting. Thren crept up the stairs and saw what appeared to be another adventuring party killing some goblins. He went back down the stairs and told the rest of his group. They decided to take a risk and greet the new people.

The new group introduced themselves as the adventuring company Band of Valor. They were Kormon – a dragonborn paladin of the platinum dragon, Remy Longsong – a half-elf cleric of Corellon, Uerthen Stonefist – a dwarf fighter, Tindelby Lightfoot – a halfling rogue and James Darkeye – a human wizard. They asked the party if they were the adventuring company people were calling The Beheaders. When the party agreed they were, the Band of Valor were honored to meet them. Kormon was interested in information about Sir Keegan. The party told him they believed they may have found his tomb. The Band of Valor had come from Fallcrest when they received Lord Padraig's plea for reinforcements. Kormon brought a blessing from Enubrius the Bronze.

While the two adventuring parties talked drums and pipes could be heard playing in the distance. They looked down the Keep road to Winterhaven and saw a procession approuching the Keep. They decided to group together and confront the new arrivals.

What they found was a morbid looking band of humans, dwarfs and halflings dressed in black and gray costumes depicting mangy animals. They displayed many tattos and painful looking piercings. Some had instruments like drums or bagpipes and they played a somber song. They carried on three long poles the effigy of a raven with its wings spread. This group was led by four strange looking humanoids with pale skin and eyes entirely black. These creatures had numerous tattos and piercings, braided hair and half shaven heads. One male was armed with a long heavy chain with razor barbs along its length, another had a pair of daggers and a female a curved blade. The fourth was female and she came forward to speak with the group. She introduced her group as the Raven Roost Performers and asked if the adventurers were those known as the Beheaders. When they agreed they were she asked if the rift was safe. She declared that her group would be taking over the Keep. When she was met with uncertainty she explained that the people of Winterhaven did not present an adequate defense of the rift as demonstrated by the deathpriest nearly opening it. She said she and the three other were a race from the Shadowfell called Shadar Kai and they served the Raven Queen and that Orcus was an enemy of the Raven Queen. Torinn suggested that the Shadar Kai might want to open the rift to attack Orcus but she assurred them that their goal was to see that the rift never opened because if Orcus gained power in this world he would gain power in the Shadowfell. Morthos voiced uncertainty over whether they could trust the Raven Roost Performers. The Shadar Kai woman told him it was not a matter of whether they could trust her – she did not trust the rifts safety to them and if they stood in her way they would take the keep by force.

After some debate the two adventuring parties decided not to oppose the Shadar Kai but the Band of Valor would stay behind and keep an eye on things. The Beheaders asked the Shadar Kai woman if she could help Rudy. She refused to help him but gave the party the gift of a black egg as they had proved to be enemies of Orcus. She told them the egg could be shattered to create a temporary (12 second) portal to the Shadowfell. She suggested they could use it if they ever needed to make a quick escape from certain death but warned that it should only be used as a last resort because many places in the Shadowfell are dealdy and where the portal would take you in the Shadowfell depended on where you were in this world. Band of Valor suggested they ask Lord Padraig about helping Rudy. Before the Beheaders left they led the Shadar Kai to the rift so they could examine it.

Back at town Lord Padraig welcomed the Beheaders with a 1000 gold piece reward and directed them to Sister Linora to help Rudy. Sister Linora was happy to help and provided a Raise Dead ritual for free and only required the party to pay 500 gp for the rituals required residuum. Rudolph Harmony is again alive.

As Kalarel died he was drawn into the swirling portal and so was the sacraficial blood pooled in the center of the room. The ritual book on the altar burst into flames and the magic circle on the floor lost its glow. The portal stopped swirling and loomed as a glossy, black, ominous plane. Theren checked their fallen comrades and found Morthos, Torinn and Barnoble had stabalized but Rudy was dead. Baal examined the runes around the portal and determined the portal was no longer partially opened but the magic securing it was weakened and a ritual would need to be performed to strengthen it and ensure its safety.

They wrapped Rudy's body and constructed a stretcher to carry him. While the three unconscious adventurers rested Theren and Baal searched the room and found a magic dagger and 981 gold pieces under the altar. They also found that the chains hanging from the pit were connected to pullys and could be used to lift a grate elevator back up to the cathedral room.

After their extended rest the party searched the hobgoblin level and found their barracks abandoned. They took the stairs back up to the Crypt of Shadows and found a secret passage which Morthos managed to unlock. The small room beyond had an illusionary wall and the party found four zombies behind it. They killed the zombies and searched the eapon racks on the walls. Their were no weapons of value but there was an old rusty set of armor and a plaque with a riddle on it. They solved the riddle and the armor glowed and turned into magic scale mail.

They passed the stairs that led back to the goblin level and took a corridor they had not travelled before. They found a hallway with ten standing sarcophagi carved with armored warriors. The adventurers moved down the corridor toward an open area with a dim light. As they walked between the sarcophagi the towbs suddenly burst open and the party was attacked by skeletons. The adventurers began chopping them down but the tombs burst open again two more times and more skeletons joined the battle. Morthos was knocked unconscious during the battle but the skeletons were eventually destroyed. At the end of the hall was a shrine to the platinum dragon and some double doors. Below one of the tables of the shrine were some statues of the platinum dragon. Torinn told the party not to disturb anything in the shrine because the platinum dragon was his deity. When they suggested taking the statues he became passionate and reiterrated that the party would take nothing. During his oration the dim light grew brighter – acknowledging Torinn's faith.

The adventurers opened the large doors at the bottom of the steps to find the ruins of this part had been turned into a large cathedral to Orcus. A large drawing on the floor depicted the head of the demon lord with an open mouth which was a large pit which descended deep. Blood from a sacrificial altar flowed in to rivers into the open pit. The adventurers battled a couple fanatical human berserkers, a dark creeper, some vampire spawn and an Orcus Underpriest. The battle went well for the adventurers.

After defeating the enemies the adventurers checked the pit and found chains led below. Morthos tird off a rope because he didn't want to slip on the bloody chains. He descended and found a large room that had been turned into an Orcus shrine. A large statue of the demon lord stood opposite a swirling black portal. A magic circle had been drawn in front of the portal. Blood pooled in the center of the room below the pit. A disturbing undead creature stood at one side of the room at the top of a large set of stairs and two skeletons stood at the bottom of stairs on the opposite side of the room. Above the skeletons a deathpriest stood by an altar reciting a ritual,

Morthos retreated up the rope and informed the rest of the party. The other adventurers tied up ropes and descended. The adventurers targeted the disturbing undead creature first. The skeletons and deathpriest approached the party and the adventurers were doing well early. The deathpriest unleashed some ranged attacks which damaged and weakened a couple of the adventurers but when he was attacked by Barnoble he suddenly disappeared and reappeared inside the magic circle by the portal. At that point only one skeleton and he were left standing. Barnoble and Torinn and Rudy engaged in melee while the others used ranged weapons. Soon the skeleton was dispatched but the deathpriest Kalarel proved to be a deadly opponent. Horrific damage from his skull topped rod brought down Torinn and then Barnoble and Rudy. The deathpriest was bloodied but the magic circle was helping him heal each round. Morthos fell and things looked bad for Theren and Baal – neither could afford to take more damage. Finally an arrow from Theren struck the deathpriest in the chest. He stumbled backward and a smokey black tendril from the portal pulled his dead body into the Shadowfell.

As the adventurers were preparing to search the dungeon after their extended rest they heard the eerie whisper of some chanting and then tremors shook the ruined keep followed by a chilling draft and the dank smell of decay. They hurried to the lower level hoping they were not too late to prevent the rift from being opened.

Below they found that some torches had blown out or been knocked from their holders by the tremors. Moving stealthly they passed through another room with a well in it's center and ignored some doors. Baal sensed that the chilling draft and the gloom were coming from a southern corridor off the new room with the well. This corridor led to a room with doble doors in the southern wall and western wall.

They opened the southern doors and found a large room with a huge statue of an armored person holding a sword. The statues base had crumbled and it lay on its side. There were two smaller statues of dragons. One was cracked and a blue flame burned from it – illuminating the room but giving off no heat. Two small statues of cherubs holding urns had collapsed near a door to the south and water covered the floor. The door's stone frame was cracked askew and the doors were slightly ajar. Low moans could be heard from beyond the door.

The adventurers backed out of this room and tried the doors in the western wall. A corridor led around a corner south to some new double doors. Morthos scouted these doors and found a corridor behind it which broke to the east and west after about 20 feet. The rest of the party followed behind him. To the east the corridor ended after about 30 feet and there were two large alcoves in the southern wall. The western passage turned south after 15 feet. The party moved to the west.

Suddenly, Baal- in the back - cried out. He was hit by blow of clear slime and a huge gelatinous cube emerged from the closest alcove in the eastern passage. He was dazed and immobilized. Morthos continued down the southern corridor and found a room with two stone caskets standing upright against the western wall and a small door in the eastern wall. The rest of the party came to Baal's aid. He was taking acid damage from the cube. Afetr a few rounds of combat the cube had engulfed Torinn and Barnoble as well. Morthos joined the others in the battle. Baal was knocked unconscious by the cube but the party managed to destroy it before he was killed. Rudy healed him and the party took a short rest.

They went to the small door in the room to the south and as Morthos was examining it the caskets burst open and two corruption corpses burst out slinging their corroded flesh at the party as more necrotic goo replaced that which they flung. The party engaged them and found they needed to burn the hideous corpses after they overcame them otherwise the corpses would continue to regenerate the necrotic goo. Behind the small door they found a room with a small chest of old moldering children's clothes. Amoung the clothes they found some jewelry with the names of Sir Keegan's children engraved on a couple pieces.

They returned to the statue room. Behind the broken doors in the southern wall they found a large room full of zombies with a ghoul as well a small clay gargoyle type creature. The ghoul was tough and nearly overcame Rudy but the party destroyed the undead and the clay scout. A large set of stairs led down to some huge double doors in the eastern wall. A small crack in the western wall was a passage that led to a room where the party found a bag of holding with a bunch of gold pieces in it.

At the top of the steps, the party waited in the dark and listened as they heard soldiers enter the room below. A hobgoblin warchief began shouting orders at some hobgoblin grunts:

"Check the barracks and check on the war beast!" -Warchief

"The war beast has been released, sir." -Grunt 1

"The barracks are empty!" -Grunt 2

"There's quite a bit of blood spilt here and not all of it is ours!" -Warchief

"Sir, there are some bodies in the well. I think I found the war beast." -Grunt 1

"Orcus damn them! How many invaders were there? When did this happen?" -Warchief

"It was just moments ago, Warchief. Tusk ordered me to warn Kalarel that Ninaran was slain. The intruders must have given the false phrase from Kalarel's letter to her. That was when I came to find you. Should we send word to Kalarel?" -Grunt 3

"Kalarel is busy. It is our job to ensure he is not disturbed. Run now and check the central corridor. Make sure they haven't reached the Chamber of Statues. You, go roust the other soldiers from the other barracks. You, get down into that well and see if any of those soldiers are alive and if any of the intruders were killed and thrown down there. If you find a live one bring him up here for questioning!" -Warchief

"Sir, the bodies in the well are all the guards that were stationed here including the war beast! There are none of the invaders!" -Grunt 1

"Damn, so Ninaran is dead. These invaders must be the same that reportedly killed Irontooth." -Warchief

"Irontooth is dead, sir?" -Grunt 1

"According to Ninaran's last report these invaders killed Irontooth and every kobold on this side of the Vale." -Warchief

"Oh, that is somewhat, um, upsetting, sir, perhaps…um, well…" -Grunt 1

"What! Out with it! Are you afraid, grunt? You think maybe you should have joined up with those slavers that came through here? Hah, Kalarel is going to deliver us an army in a matter of hours and you think you'd be better off with those slavers" -Warchief

"No Warchief, sir, I serve you and Kalarel and Lord Orcus!" -Grunt 1

"Sir, I'm quite sure the invaders have not penetrated any further. There are no signs of anyone going through the central corridor. Perhaps they retreated back into the Crypt of Shadows?" -Grunt 3

"You better be sure. If the intruders disturb Kalarel he'll kill us all but I'll be sure to flay your ass alive before he does." -Warchief

"Here are the guards from the barracks, sir!" -Grunt 2

"You soldiers have just been nominated to go upstairs. We think the intruders are up there so be on your guard. Go up the stairs to the goblin guard-post. Find out what's going on up there and see if Agrid and the other cultists have returned. Check the entire keep for the intruders." -Warchief

The adventurers moved through the dark corridors to spots near the stairs to the goblin guard-post. They remained quiet in the dark as they saw the light from the search party's sun-rod approach. The search party reached the stairs and a grunt and warcaster went up the stairs and opened the doors. After a moment the warcaster could be heard shouting in the goblin language. The adventurers sprung their ambushat the rest of the hobgoblins at the bottom of the stairs. Soon, many of the hobgoblins were dead. A hobgoblin archer pulled an impresive athletic move to distance himself from the attack and sunk and arrow into Barnoble. Theren turned his attention toward the archer once the hobgoblin soldiers were slain and Barnoble, Rudy and Torinn were focusing on the warcaster who had come halfway down the stairs. The archer disappeared into the darkness but he was blocked from the corridors leading back to the second level. Some gobling crossbowmen appeared at the top of the stairs and hit Barnoble. Rudy aided him with healing. The warcaster missed Torinn with spell and Torinn struck him and knocked him prone. The archer came running out of the darkness and attempted to bypass Morthos, Rudy and Theren on his way to warn the other hobgoblins. The three got opportunity attacks on him and Theren's sword killed him. The warcaster struck Torinn with his staff and dazed him but a moment later the warcaster was killed. With all the hobgoblins dead the goblins at the top of the steps fled. The party spiked the doors shut and found a room among the dark corridors to take an extended rest.

They all reached 3rd level.

Torinn theorized that the goblin guard-post inside the Keep was designed to protect the double doors in the barracks room so they were probably the most direct route to the second level. The party gathered around the doors and Morthos inspected them. There obvious signs that the doors had been used recently and often. The heavy doors were not locked. Opening them, Morthos revealed discolored stairs leading down into cold darkness. An overpowering odor of damp rot filled the air.

Morthos lit a sun rod and descended the steps. At the bottom of the steps a hallway to the right led north, one straight ahead led west and off of it a hallway led south. Morthos moved down the northern 30 feet. The rest of the party moved along behind him. Here Morthos found the hallway to continue north or they could take a hallway west. To the north, strange designs were inscribed on the floor. Baal moved up to inspect them. As Baal was determining that the designs were charged with effect triggered by contact, Morthos was trying to maneuver around the designs. Suddenly, a throat-tearing scream exploded from the floor. Low, hungry moans answered the dying scream from the north and south. A small painful burst of necrotic energy zapped through the adventurers. Morthos and the rest of the party fled from the design and through the hallway south of the stairs. As the party stumbled into a large room, Morthos' sun rod revealed seven, animated, rotting corpses which attacked.

As battle raged between the party and the zombies, seven more zombies approached from a room to the north. The party fared well and as they cut down the last of the original zombies the other seven could be heard coming in two separate groups from the northern and western hallways. The party set up defensive positions and the zombies were destroyed in a matter of a few combat rounds.

Again, theorizing that the Terror Runes were protecting the path to the party's ultimate goal, they followed the north passage back to the design. After carefully searching all the passages in the dark maze, the party found five spots where the Terror Runes were drawn. They had some success getting past the runes by taking running jumps over them but some of the less athletic in the group failed to make the leap and the runes sent another painful burst of necrotic energy through the party. They then discovered that any of the designs would only affect members of their group once. Finally, two of the passages ended in the same thirty by thirty foot room with stairs leading down from it to the north.

The party gathered themselves and headed down the stairs which descended into a large, torch-lit chamber. Two human sized creatures stood near the entrance. Big, pointed ears stuck out from under their helmets, and sharp teeth glittered in their mouths. One of the guards yelled out a challenge phrase, "Shadow seeks shadow!"

Remembering the letter found on Ninaran, Rudy responded, "From the ground, some magic was found."

The hobgoblin's eyes widened and the other guard yelled, "Someone tell Kalarel that Ninaran is slain!" The two hobgoblin guards, who were standing in front of a well in the center of the room, then charged the adventurers. In the back of the room two hobgoblins ran out of the room through a wide passage in the northern wall. A wide passage also exited the room in the eastern wall and there was a door in the western wall.

The two hobgoblin soldiers blocking the stairs fought well. Two hobgoblins came from the eastern passage and three came through the western door. The adventurers pushed the soldier back and killed them as the other hobgoblins engaged. One tried to push Barnoble into the well but he dodged the bull rush and used the hogoblin's momentum to send the soldier into the well. The two hobgoblins which entered the northern passage emerged with a monstrous spider the size of a horse. The spider had a heavy coating of bristles patterned in stripes of gray and black and large fangs which dripped venom.

The spider leapt  into the air and landed on Barnoble, knocking him prone. The battle with the hobgoblins was fierce. These new soldiers were much more capable than their smaller goblin cousins. Morthos fell but Rudy helped him get back on his feet. Others had to reach deep within themselves for a second wind. Rudy was hit with a terrible blow from a hobgoblin flail and he fell. Torinn saved Barnoble from the spider with a massive strike from his great axe which cut the creature in two. It's twitching corpse fell into the well and the attack spurred the other adventures to victory against the hobgoblins.

A quick search of the area found that the door in the western wall was to a room with three beds and the northern passage led to a room with a cage for the spider. A small amount of gold and silver was found on the bodies which the party through in the well. They then retreated up the stairs before anymore hobgoblins showed up.

  From what the adventurers had been told about the Keep, Sir Keegan and the rift to the Shadowfell – and with the addition of the letter found on Irontooth and the letter found on Ninaran both of which spoke of Kalarel opening the rift for Orcus – the party agreed they should go to the Keep as soon as possible. They stopped by Winterhaven briefly and revealed the head of Ninaran to Lord Padraig and filled him in on events at the graveyard. Lord Padraig was disturbed that a death cult spy had spent so many evenings watching him at the Inn over the last few weeks. The party hinted that they sure would like a big, fat reward if they were going to go investigate the Keep. Lord Padraig told them that the town would surely be indebted to them but he didn't know what kind of material reward he could provide. Bralvuna decided he needed to lie down at the Inn, again, instead of go with the party.

So, without an extended rest the adventurers took the road up into the hills to find the ruined Keep on the Shadowfell. The road had been carved years ago through the hills although it had not been maintained in recent years and the travel was a little bumpy. Luckily it was only a little over a mile. Large rocky crags lined the edge of the road and the adventures could see some foottravel leading up the road toward the Keep as well as going off the sides of the road. As they travelled they heard the sounds of underbrush crunching under foot in the woods to the sides of the road and some small rocks skittered down the face of a stone hill. Some one seemed to be watching them from the crags but no one confronted them. It began to rain. They found the Keep, whose towers and walls had crumbled. The interior walls were so damaged that they could see most of the perimeter walls from the road. The road into the Keep had been cleared of branches and rubble and the road led to a center courtyard where a trapdoor had been ripped from its hinge revealing a wide staircase which led under the Keep.

Morthos snuck down the stairs. There was a large room at the bottom with four pillars supporting the center of the room. The room was square with a hallway leaving from the center of each wall to the east, west and south – the stairs emerged from the northern wall. The place stank of unwashed bodies and Morthos heard the squeaking of rats. A small humanoid stood in the dimly lit hallway to the south. The guard had not noticed Morthos so he slipped behind a pillar. Morthos readied his throwing stars and surprised the guard. The goblin guard took some serious damage but was not killed. He shrieked with surprise and pain. The rest of the party barreled down the stairs. The goblin threw a spear and retreated down the hall. Torinn gave chase but as he passed between the columns his foot landed on a canvas tarp which blended nicely with the floor. The tarp gave way to Torinn's weight and he plummeted into a pit, took damage from the fall and was swarmed by rats. Two goblin crossbow sharpshooters appeared in the southern hallway and unleashed bolts at the party. The adventures countered with ranged attacks and Morthos lowered a rope to Torinn. Torinn escaped the pit without the rats getting to him and the party charged down the hall at the sharpshooters. The sharpshooters fired and retreated. One was knocked dead and Theren was on the heals of the other. Baal was checking down the western hall and Morthos was milling around the pit trap. The western hallway turned a corner and opened into a larger hallway. The southern hallway led to a room with some lice infested beds with a set of doors in the western wall and a door in the eastern wall. The remaining sharpshooter was running through the eastern door but was killed by his pursuers. Back in the first room Baal and Morthos were attacked by the original wounded guard and a fresh guard. The wounded guard had fled through the bedroom and through the eastern door there which led to a storage room and circled back to the eastern hallway. The party now turned on these two guards. One was killed and the other tried to escape through a set of doors at the end of the eastern hallway but was cut down as he reached them.

The adventurers were now agreeing that they should have rested before taking on the Keep so they decided to try to clean up the evidence of the battle as best they could and find a place outside to rest before proceeding. They were fairly sure no goblins had escaped the area to alert others. They threw the bodies into the rat pit and replaced the canvas. They went outside and found a hiding spot away from the road to rest. They slept all night without any incidents and went back to the Keep in the morning. As they approached the stairs Baal and Barnoble noticed that there were some fresh muddy footprints leading down the steps. It appeared a group had arrived at the Keep a few minutes before them. Theren snuck down the stairs with Morthos. At the bottom Theren could sense someone in the eastern passage with a large animal and a Halfling was looking at some bloodstains in the western passage with his back toward Theren. The two adventurers snuck back up the stairs and filled in the others. The adventurers went down, Theren surprised the halfling and nearly killed him. Some humans charged from the western passage with a couple of guard drakes behind them. The humans were cut down quickly but the drakes were tougher and fought on. Theren was then hit hard by a crossbow bolt from the southern passage and he saw a gnome skulk slip behind the corner of the wall. He took a moment to gather a second wind. The drake did not manage to bite anyone and were slain. The gnome popped around the corner again and missed  Barnoble with a bolt and ran. Barnoble pursued and caught up with the gnome halfway across the barracks room. He hit the gnome with a sweeping strike which knocked the gnome prone but as he was hit the gnome disappeared. A moment later the gnome reappeared by the doors in the western wall. Barnoble pounced on him and killed him before he could get the doors open. They found some gold and silver on the bodies and a large ancient mirror was found in the room with the rat pit. The mirror was covered with mud but looked like it would be quite expensive once cleaned up. They hid it in the storage room so they could take it when they decide to leave. On the gnome they found a map which indicated Winterhaven, Irontooth's Lair and the dragon burial site. They also found a locket amulet on the gnome. It is a +1 amulet of health and inside the locket was a picture of a middle-aged woman and the initials D.S. – Douven Staul? The humans, halfling and gnome all had a rams skull tattoo on their forehead.

The party entered the gates of the old graveyard and walked up the path toward the old buildings. Suddenly skeletons emerged from the disturbed soil and attacked the party. Ninaran the elf hunter sprng from one of the buildings and assaulted the party with arrows. Half the skeletons engaged in melee and the others used bows. Two zombie dogs charged the party from the furthest building. Theren turned his ranged attack on Ninaran and Baal took out multiple skeletons with his magic attacks. The zombie dogs engaged and held on for a few rounds but the adventurers stayed organized and soon Ninaran had fled and the undead were dispatched. The adventurers found a glowing magical circle traced into the ground in a portion of the graveyard. Baal deduced that the circle was causing thre dead to rise and using his knowledge of religion and arcana he disabled it.

As the adventurers left the graveyard many zombies emerged from the ground and from behind trees and menacingly approached the party. The adventurers fell back to the graveyard gates and set up a defensive formation. Theren, Baal and Morthos climbed onto some rocks to get a better aim at the zombies while Torinn, Bral, Barnoble and Rudy waited by the gates to hack down the zombies as they entered. As the zombies came within striking distance it became evident that a zombie in the back was dircting the others. A giant black spectral hand rose from this zombie and dragged Torinn into the middle of the zombies. Theren targeted the leader. Suddenly, Ninaran was back firing arrows at Theren. Torinn took some damage from the surrounding zombies but Baal eliminated a portion of them with some magic and the fighters were cleaving down two at a time. Soon all the zombies, including the leader was dead and Ninaran got off a few more arrows as she fled. She scaled the graveyard fence, fired an arrow from the top and dropped to the other side. It looked like she would again escape but Theren brought her down with an arrow. On her, the party found some gold and a letter from Kalarel instructing her how to create the magic circle and a reminder of the secret phrase used as a password to get to the second of the Keep's lower levels.

At Irontooth's lair the adventurers had found a letter on Irontooth and also a tattoo on the goblin leader of a ram's skull. Baal identified the tattoo as the symbol of Orcus, Lord of the Undead. The letter warned Irontooth to watch out for visitors to the area and indicated the author had a spy in Winterhaven. The author also said that he would have the "rift" open within a few days and that the people of Winterhaven "would serve as food for those Lord Orcus sends to do my bidding."

As the party approached Winetrhaven they noticed that there were not many people out working the fields and that dark clouds hung over the town. They found the town gates closed and many guards up on the wall. The guards called for Lord Padraig and he met the party as the gates were opened for them. He sent an assistant off to fetch payment for the adventurers and a guard off the summon Valthrun the Preiscient. They showed the Lord the letter they had found on Irontooth. Lord Padraig told them that a gloom had fallen over many of the townspeople. They suffered nightmares and felt generally ill-at-ease. Eilan the Old was at Wrafton's Inn as well as the elven hunter Nineran who sat alone as usual. Eilan told the party he had a dream of the dead walking last night.

Valthrun arrived and told the party about old Keep's history. During his lesson, Nineran left the inn.

"The Keep on the Shadowfell," began Valthrun, "is a place the townspeople don't like to talk about. Over a hundred years ago, where the keep now lies in ruin, a rift was opened to the Shadowfell. The rift opened in a part of the Shadowfell controlled by Orcus, Lord of the Undead. The heroes back in those times fought Orcus' legions of undead and demons and drove them back into the Shadowfell and successfully closed the rift and sealed it with arcane magic. The Keep was built over it to protect the rift from being reopened and a garrison led by Sir Keegan was given the responsibility of guarding it. Eighty years ago Sir Keegan, perhaps corrupted by the rift, went mad and killed his wife and children and many of the garrison. He was driven into the chambers beneath the Keep and eventually dispatched although many died fighting him. The Keep was abandoned and an earthquake collapsed much of it. Since then people have avoided it. If someone is trying to reopen the rift, he must be stopped."

"You were not able to search the dragon burial site or find word of Douven Staul," input Pagraig, "but I believe searching the Keep's ruins should take precedent. None of my men dare to go and I need them to defend the town, anyway. If you would investigate the ruins the town would be indebt to you."

The party agreed to go to the ruins and Luthrun agreed to enchant some magical dwarven chainmail the party had found at Irontooth's lair spo that it would fit Rudy. The cost was 150 gold pieces and the ritual would take one hour. The party ate while they waited. Just as the party was readying to leave, guards burst into the Inn and spoke with Padraig.

"Some farmers have come running into town claiming some workers have gone missing," declared the Lord, "they say the dead walk in the old graveyard! Please, check into this before going to the Keep."

The party left for the graveyard. 

After an extended rest the adventurers headed back to Winterhaven. On the roiad near town they heard kobold chatter up ahead. Some overturned wagons were in the distance with kobolds moving around them. Five kobolds were heading in the direction of the party so the group hid in a cluster of trees. Theren and Morthos hid on one side and the rest of the party on the other. The kobolds stopped on the opposite sides of the trees the party his behind. The party overheard them talking about some merchants they had just ambushed and sold to some slavers. The kobolds also had a discussion about Irontooth's orders to find the adventurers. The kobolds then settled into their positions behind the trees waiting to ambush anyone coming up the road.

Two dragonshield kobolds were positioned on the side of the road which the larger portion of the party also hid. A wyrmpriest, skirmisher and dragonshield were on Theren and Morthos' side. The larger party attacked the dragonshields and this drew the other three kobolds into the road as they came to help. Theren and Morthos then attacked the wyrmpriest and killed him. The party easily overwhelmed the rest of the kobolds.

The party snuck closer to the wagons and could see kobolds hiding behind them. Theren drew the kobolds out from cover when he shot dead a kobold minion. The kobolds charged him and he was in some minor trouble but Rudy came to his aid with some healing and the rest of the adventures slaughtered the little draconic humanoids.

Kobold footprints were scattered throughout the area but the party also found many boot print which appeared to be leading prisoners away from the wagons. The trail of the bootprints led past where the road turned to Winterhaven. The party decided not to pursue and instead head back to town to check in and resupply. There were a small collection of gold and silver coins on the kobolds.

Baal Riverwind worked quickly trying to stop the blood flowing from the wound Irontooth had cleaved into Rudy's chest. If Baal was not successful in the next few moments, Rudolph Harmony would be dead. The adventurers found the kobold lair easily enough from the map Lord Padraig had drawn up. Outside the waterfall the battle had nearly been a rout of the kobolds. A slinger had managed to slip away from the battle and warn those waiting behind the waterfall. Baal had been knocked unconscious in that fight when a skirmisher snuck up on him as the others engaged. That skirmisher was killed by the other adventurers and after a short rest Baal was back on his feet.

Inside the waterfall the kobolds were ready for the intruders. As the adventurers trickled in the minions and skirmishers attempted to flank them. The battle seemed to favor Baal and his friends at first. Soon most of the minions were cut down but the skirmishers fought on as the second wave of cave denizens joined the combat. Theren, Rudy and Baal were dealing with the skirmishers when a grizzled, old goblin with a huge tooth on his lower mandible charged Theren from the back ofthe cave. Barn-E-5 engaged him but he was assaulted by the slinger and a wyrmpriest using ranged attacks. Meanwhile two dragonshields had brought the fight to Torinn and Morthos. The battle required all the party had to offer and at times four of them hit the floor. Torinn was struck down temporarily by one dragonshield after he had felled one. Morthos killed the other dragonshield and Torinn was back on his feet shortly. The skirmishers were killed but Theren was brought down in the process and Barn-E-5 evntually succumbed to the ranged attacks from the slinger and wyrmpriest. Then came the fierce blow by a bloodied Irontooth. Rudy went sprawling in a spray of blood as Torinn and Theren and Barn-E-5 tried to drag themselves from the floor and get a second wind. Torinn reached Irontooth before Irontooth could get to Baal and Torinn delivered his most vicious strike of the day. With his last breath Irontooth screamed, "Kalarel and Lord Orcus, prepare my way!" The rest of the kobolds were killed and the group gathered around Rudy. Baal successfully bandaged Rudy and he was out of danger.

Miss Wrafton welcomes the travelers to Winterhaven. They reserve rooms and order a feast while they wait for Lord Padraig. Bravluna retires to his room. He's feeling sick, again.

"He misses the peninsula." suggests Torinn.

The feasts turns into a bit of a party with the adventurers retelling their recent battles with kobolds, the dragon and the masked humans led by the priest of Tiamat. There is much singing and drinking. They meet Eilan an old farmer and Valthrun the priescient as well as Miss Wrafton.

Lord Padraig shows up and is very interested to hear the stories. They discuss the kobold bandits. He knows where the lair is and will pay the party 5 gold per kobold. He knows something has been stirring them up and the party tells him about the note from Irontooth. They discuss Douven Staul – Eilan knows where the burial site is and it's not far from the kobold lair. They hear word of a ruined keep nearby. Torinn wonders if the most treasure might be find in the keep. Valthrun tells them it is probably a goblin hideout now but he will look into the keep's history and have more information when he sees them again.

The party decides the kobold lair provides them immediate payment so they will take that job and also check out the burial site if all goes well.

  ...Winterhaven a 50 mile journey…late afternoon the road becomes hilly and overgrown with weeds…still half a days trip to Winterhaven at nightfall…camp in a clearing in a crop of woods on the side of the road…Theren and Rudy take the first watch… shadows moving among the trees…Theren attacked…a masked rogue…a vicious dagger attack….draconic chanting…evil divination…a prayer to Tiamat…Theren unconscious…the rogue retreats…two lackeys engage Bralvuna and Morthos…Torinn's sweeping strike knocks the priest prone…eight masked rabble attack…lackeys and rabble die…the priest stands…a five headed dragon appears over his head and swoops down at Torinn, Bralvuna and Morthos…all three flee…the priest uses the opportunity to slip away with the rogue…the dragon is a fear spell…Theren is healed…the rest of the night is uneventful…the next day… kobolds attack just a few miles outside of Winterhaven…easy encounter but Morthos gets knocked unconscious… its evening as they reach Winterhaven…

  "Many of the townspeople are nervous about a dragon being discovered so close to town. They want you to stick around and deal with any trouble that might come about. Others think you should investigate "haunted" areas around the town like the Tower of Waiting or the Tombwood or the Catacombs. That is all nonesense.

"Brandelmar, a dwarven cleric of Pelor who is from Hammerfast believes you should try to root out bandits along the Trade Road between Fallcrest and Hammerfast. But I haven't heard of any bandit activity on that road for a while.

"Another cleric of Pelor named Marla from a village in Harkenwold contacted me about rumors of a death cult headed west a couple months ago but she didn't have any solid leads to their whereabouts.

"Go to Winterhaven, ask Lord Padraig about kobolds and this Irontooth. Also, there is a woman who is looking for information about her husband and was willing to pay 200 gold pieces. Her husband went to Winterhaven several weeks ago with a map of an ancient burial site where a dragon is believed to be buried. The site is south of Winterhaven and her husband hopes he will find treasure there. His name is Douven Staul and he hasn't been heard from in a couple of weeks."

  "Rudy , we haven't had time to gather much information but I heard about the dragon – news travels pretty fast around town. Take the job in Winterhaven. An old man was poking around the property. Ardellosia spoke with him. He was angry and rude – Armos Kamroth – a self proclaimed "Lord". He had been hoping to purchase this farmhouse and was mad that we purchased it in your name."

  ...the adventurers found the merchant's wagon ransacked on the King's Road ten miles west of town…the two men-at-arms were dead…Lord Warden suspected kobolds were hiding out at an old ruined manor hall in the Cloak Wood…10gp for every dispatched kobold…Theren picked up the trail into the Cloak Wood…four miles in they found the ruins…a trap door…a pit with glowing, green sludge…reptilian humanoid…"Intrudersss! Intrudersss!"... Therren and Morthos…arrows and shuriken…kobold slinger…dragonborn fighters…kobold skirmisher…spear in the side of Torinn…another slinger and two more skirmishers…3 dead kobold…2 retreat…"Pursuit!"...vandalized coffins…suits of armor…an alter… 5 kobolds…dart trap…immobilized…Morthos stabbed unconscious…skirmisher surrendered to Bralvuna…4 more dead kobolds…60gold pieces…shrine to Tiamat – goddess of greed, destruction and evil dragons…a wyrmpriest…secret door…a dark and freezing cold, large cavern…a young white dragon…Morthos frozen unconscious by breath…Barn-E-5 knocked the dragon prone…Rudy hit with his daily power…Torinn delivered a ton of damage…Theren and Baal finished him off…Szartharrax slain… found a green dragon hide, some gold and a magic longsword…a note…Irontooth…raid caravans by Winterhaven…dragon carcass, 18 kobold heads and prisoner back to Fallcrest…

My pilgrimage from the Arkvana Peninsula to the Rain Valley is begun. Some fellow dragonborn escorted me up to Fallcrest. Two strong, young warriors, Torinn who swings a great axe and Bralvuna who wields a falchion will be left here in the Nentir Vale with Ardellosia. They were both born on the peninsula and have little experience with the rest of the world but they show promise and should make great defenders for our recon team. We picked up an eager, young tiefling from the Azaer family in Bridgeblock. His name is Morthos and he is good with knives and throwing stars. He'll be one of the scouts. The Azaer family is also sending a defender from Archertown named Abilon Azaer to work with Ardellosia gathering information in Fallcrest. The elves and eladrin sent an escort to meet me and guide me through the Winterbold Forest to the Rain Valley. I'll be meeting with Barnoble Eeace the Fourth and Vyndra Sysvani in the Autumn City after I pass through the fey rift. I am encouraged that the Rain Valley contingent has stepped forward with such honorable representatives for our recon team. Barnoble sent his own heir, an eladrin soldier, Barnoble Eeace the Fifth. Vyndra has sent her niece Lynn Sysvani to lead our agents in Fallcrest. Ardellosia and Abilon will answer to her and they will assist the recon team. Representing the elves are a wizard from the Riverwind tribe and a ranger from the Brightwoods. They are Baal and Theren respectively. I'm told a half elf, who grew up in Fallcrest, will be joining the group though I will not have the chance to meet him. He is a half-elf, military strategist named Rudolph Harmony. I will now go explain to the team our plan.         ~Enubrius

"Friends, I will be leaving in the morning for the Rain Valley. You young people were selected by your families for a very important assignment. You are to stay behind here in the Nentir Vale.

"As you probably know, trade between our societies goes the route of all trade in this region – through the City of Kulltown. We believe the noble families of Kulltown and the surrounding earldoms which serve Kulltown rule as tyrants and we do not wish to further their power.

"We would like to reroute our trade through the Nentir Vale and Fallcrest in particular. Fallcrest has been a prominent trade town in the past but has been overrun by orcs and other evils twice in the past two centuries. Therefore, we want you to serve as our recon team to clear the Vale of possible threats. Lynn, Ardellosia and Abilon will set up headquarters in Fallcrest and gather information. The rest of you will hire yourselves out for honorable deeds and build a good reputation while you clean up the Vale.

"One last thing, the merchants of Kulltown are not going to like to lose business and will try to subvert our plan if they find out about it. It could take quite a bit of time before we are able to defend the route if they decided to raid it. So keep the route secret and focus on gaining respect among the people of the Vale.

"You will meet with the Lord Warden of Fallcrest tomorrow morning. He is a human named Markelhey. He has a problem with kobolds and needs your help."

Oh hey. They call me Pitzy. I wasn't expecting any visitors. I see you speak draconic. Did you bring any food?

Me? Aw, a bunch of fairy elves and some dragonborn came bustin into our hideout and started choppin heads off. The whole thing was messed up. It all started when Szartharrax annointed that stupid Red Wyrmpriest as our leader. You see I was part of the green skull kicker clan but that big white bully ate our leader Jeekie and made us listen to that nut job from the red skull kickers. I mean, he has us attack wagons on the same part of the road for weeks and expects you softskins not to catch on?

Hell, I heard you guys named those ruins we hid out at kobold hall years ago. It was just a matter of time before some brutes came through your town looking for a bounty and routed us out. Don't get me wrong though. I put up a fight. Those brutes had a tiefling with em that liked to throw stars. He tripped one of our traps and then we just surrounded him kobold style and dropped him with some good stabs. He survived though, I saw him staggering back to town with us. I think Szartharrax caught him with his cold breath later after I was a prisoner.

I had to surrender. We were getting massacred. One more hit and I was dead. I said screw it. Either I die now or when Szartharrax kills these brutes then he'll eat me so I'll just wait it out. Turned into a pretty good decision though.

No? Hey, I fought almost to the death.

Yeah, Szartharrax was a living representation of the Great Mother. I see what you mean. So you're a follower of Hers? I heard she had some softskinned sympathizers.

Ouch! So…your more than just a sympathizers. Ow! I'm sorry! I'll try to serve her better! Owwwww! Please! Give me another chance! Ow! Ow! Owwwwwwwch!

(sizzle, sizzle, sizzle)

How's it goin'? My name is Teldorthan. I'm the only masterwork arms maker here in Fallcrest so stop by my shop if you need anything new. I do repairs, as well, although my plate is a little full now that I got that green dragon hide back from those kobold bandits.

What a week it's been. I lost the dragon hide when the merchant wagon that was bringing it to me got ambushed by kobolds on the King's Road. Foolish me had taken responsibility for the hide before it ever arrived here and I thought I was sunk when it was lost. Do you know how much a good dragon hide costs? Well, let's just say the 200 gold I paid for reward was a bargain.

Well, not only did I get that green hide back, but now I've got a future commission to make some wyrmscale out of the carcass of a young, white dragon that was killed while my green hide was being rescued. You see, all these new faces suddenly showed up around town. Some dragonborn from down south came up the King's Road to Fallcrest. They're from the Arkvana Peninsula – some sort of protected breeding ground for the dragonborn. They were led by a cleric of the platinum dragon – a dragonborn called Enubrius the Bronze. They had some tieflings and humans with them, too.

The dragonborn had trekked to the City of Sosh where they picked up the King's Road and took it up through Spearpoint and Bridgeblock and past the little villages of Harkenwold. Said they didn't run into any trouble along the way which was lucky in these dark times. There always seem to be bandits or beasts harassing travelers along the roads into town which is why the trade route dried up in the first place and which is why I'm a damn fool for ever agreeing to take responsibility for that green hide before I got my hands on it. I'll never do that again.

So, where was I? Oh yeah, the dragonborn…well, they weren't the only newcomers to town. Some elves and eladrin came down through the Winterbole Forest. They are some sort of protectors of the Rain Valley to the north. You ever been up that way? Neither have I but they say there is a rift to the feywild in that valley which opens up under a canopy of flowering trees each night at dusk as the rain washes over the valley. Quite a sight, I guess, evidently the tribes of elves up there protect the valley from threats trying to enter or exit the feywild.

So this Enubrius the Bronze was meeting these elves so they could escort him up to the Rain Valley. That was smart. If I was going through Winterbole I sure would want a squad of elves protecting my back….not that you ever will catch me crossing through that forest.

Word is that Enubrius and the Rain Valley contingent met with Lord Warden Markelhey before departing and then left behind a group of young adventurers to help the Lord Warden and other residents clean up the threats in the Nentir Vale. Now, they don't work for free, but I've met some of them and they're reasonable folk and effective. Why, three days after they showed up I had my green dragon hide back, Kobold Hall was cleaned out of kobolds and they slew a young, white dragon they found in the hall's basement.

 The Lord Warden was commissioning them to go get them kobolds one morning when a merchant came running into town saying he had just been ambushed the kobolds during the night. The whole group packed up their bags and headed west on the King's Road. Two days later they come through the King's gate with the merchants wagon, my green dragon hide, a white dragon carcass and nineteen kobold heads. I hear the Lord Warden paid them 10 gold pieces per head.

I had some drinks with one of the dragonborn warriors last night. He's going to pay me to make wyrmscale out of that white dragon as soon as he can afford it. You see, the dragon scales need some strong magical enhancement in order make them into armor. Without the enhancement working with the scales is impossible. It will be great armor when completed but it will be expensive. The amount of residium needed will cost about 45,000 gold pieces. For the time being I'll make the remainder of the hide into a couple sets of hide armor and see if I can sell of the meat and organs.

Torinn is the dragonborn warriors name and there is another dragonborn warrior called Bralvuna. Enubrius left those two as well as a tiefling named Morthos Azaer. He is related to the family that owns the trading company House Azaer. He carries alot of knives and throwing stars.

The folks from the Rain valley left behind three people as well. One is an eladrin soldier named Barnoble Eeace the Fifth and there are two elves – a ranger named Theren Brightwood and a wizard named Baal Riverwind. Also, a local half-elf whose mother recently passed away has joined their group. He had been a member of the town guard for a short while and they say he has a knack for military strategy. His name is Rudolph Harmony.

They all met with Lord Warden Markelhey this morning and are following some clues they found about more kobold bandits near the western town of Winterhaven. They left right after breakfast. I wish them luck.