The Heroes of Frosthaven

== Members ==
Current:
* Elentari of Daenar
* Lugaru (Original)
* Mindaugas Val Hallas (Original)
* Râhír Jâhirín
* Ronya 'en Carad
Previous:
* Affaraxis Cassius (Original)
* Dakurai Unathi
* Idoya (Deceased)
* Korrin Morghul (Original)
* Tychon (Original)
* Alenon Cassius
== The Journey ==
The story of The Heroes of Frosthaven started on the 25th day of early-spring in the year 997 of the 10th Era.
=== Frosthaven ===
Mindaugas,
the Prince of Hallas, was sat at a bar in Eastmark with his Dwarven friend Korrin Morghul. Korrin had known Mindaugas for many years, he swore to Mindaugas' father, Gediminas Val Hallas, that
he would protect Mindaugas and did so after Hallas was conquered
by Orcs. Korrin was originally from the far off land of Drôhznia, but fled in
the midst of a brutal holy war. Mindaugas and Korrin made their way south-west
to Arland where they were celebrating their recent victory over a mob of kobolds that
were harassing nearby farms. The people of Eastmark toasted them by
providing an embarrassing amount of liquor. Mindaugas happily indulged in their
offers, but Korrin refrained.
The following
morning, whilst Mindaugas was nursing a hangover that could fell an ox, a
stranger entered the inn. The locals stared at him with bemused curiosity as he
made his way over to Mindaugas and Korrin. The stranger was a tall, blonde elf
with glorious purple silken robes. Korrin eyed him with caution whilst the
hungover Mindaugas barely noticed him. The elf introduced himself as Faeron,
and informed the duo that he thought they would be well suited to carry out
another job: The town of Frosthaven had been beset by a large gang of goblins.
Faeron requested that the two heroes meet him in Frosthaven where the lord will
give them more information.
On their way
west to Frosthaven, the two men encountered a young woman on the side of the road.
She was wounded and the corpses of a couple goblins lay near her. Korrin did
his best to tend her wounds and she introduces herself as Affaraxis Cassius, an
olive skinned mage’s apprentice from the far off land of Hysperia. She informed Mindaugas
and Korrin that she was looking for her master who had disappeared some time ago.
The two men offered to help her find her master if she assisted them in their
quest in Frosthaven.
Joined by
Affaraxis, the party made their way to Frosthaven. Once in town, they met Baron Padrig Selby, who informed them of the goblin problem. Armed with new
information, the party left to scout the area. They soon discover a
campsite south of the town, teeming with goblins. The three adventurers assaulted
the goblin camp. Mindaugas, eager to fell some goblin scum, underestimated the
depth of a stream and plunged into the water whilst charging at his foes.
Recovering from this mishap, Mindaugas and Korrin carved their way through the
goblins and Affaraxis slew one by using her magic to launch a potato through
its head. Once they cleared the encampment, the heroes discovered that there was a
larger band of goblins operating out of the nearby fortress, Shadowfell Keep.
The
adventurers returned to Frosthaven to report this news to Baron Padrig and
discovered that Faeron had arrived at the town with two others. A tall, lean ranger
that was half man, half rabbit dressed in tattered travelling clothes and a
mysterious Drow dressed head to toe in black, only his red eyes could be seen
through his clothing. The Ranger introduced himself as Lugaru and his companion
as Tychon. Tychon himself could not speak the common tongue so Lugaru
translated for him. Lugaru was raised by an Elven ranger named Mallion 'en Nûmeré, a friend
of Faeron’s, ever since his village was attacked and destroyed by mysterious
figures dressed in black. During his journeys, Lugaru met Tychon who was
trained to be a member of The Spectres, an elite group of Drow assassins who
kill without mercy. Tychon rejected the senseless murder practiced by the
Spectres and fled. They had hunted him ever since.
Mindaugas,
Korrin, Lugaru, Tychon and Affaraxis made for Shadowfell Keep. As they made
their way up into the mountains where the fortress laid, the sky seemed to
darken. The castle itself was little more than a ruin, but the party discovered a
passageway that led deep into the bowels of the keep. They encountered heavy
resistance as they made their way through the tunnels beneath the castle,
finding the leader of the goblins and slaying him. Whilst in the keep, they
discovered a small goblin locked in a cage. This goblin told them his name was
Splug and he was imprisoned by the others for stealing. The adventurers agreed
to free Splug, if he showed them through the rest of the keep. Splug kept his
promise and showed them the way to the lower levels of the castle. He stopped
before a large set of doors, claiming that he had not gone further as it was
forbidden.
Just as the
party prepared to enter these doors, a messenger from Frosthaven arrived
informing them that the town was under attack. The party returned to Frosthaven
to find it besieged by the undead. They fought their way through the walking
corpses to the cemetery where they encountered more ghouls being controlled by a
dark hooded elf. Upon defeating the zombies, the party tried interrogating the
elf, but to no avail.  After this
development, they decided to return to Shadowfell to investigate the lower
levels.
Having
returned to Shadowfell, they discovered that Splug had disappeared. The party
ventured into the lower levels of the keep, where they encountered more goblins.
Fighting their way through, they soon came to a chamber with a large opening in
the floor with blood covered chains running 50 feet down. They attempted to
descend down but Lugaru lost his grip and fell, badly injuring himself. Once
at the bottom, the adventurers discovered they were in a massive chamber at the
very heart of the castle. An enormous portal was etched onto the far wall and a
hooded figure stood behind an altar. Alarmed by the arrival of the party, the
hooded man called forth skeletons to defend him, a pitched battle ensued. Still
wounded from his fall, Lugaru fought gallantly alongside Mindaugas and
Korrin as they felled the waves of undead. Tychon fired crossbow bolts at the
hooded man, trying to interrupt his ritual as Affaraxis tried to close the
portal. The cultist uttered some dark phrase and eldritch light erupted from the
portal, long black hands clawed and crawled forth. Caught in some kind of trap,
Affaraxis started to get pulled towards the gate by an invisible force. Seeing
his comrade in danger, Korrin leaped forth to throw Affaraxis out of the way,
getting himself caught in the vortex. Eventually, the adventurers managed to
defeat the cultist and stop him from opening the portal.
After this
victory, the party headed back to Frosthaven where they were greeted by much
revelry. Padrig threw a bountiful feast to honour their new heroes. The next
day Faeron revealed his true intentions; He was in the employ of Arthur Belmont,
Duke of Kingsford. Duke Belmont sought to hire the party for a very
important task. Frosthaven was just a test, which they passed with gusto.
=== The Rescue of Victoria Belmont ===
After
leaving Frosthaven, the party chanced upon a young elf woman, Idoya, fighting
off a raiding party of Orcs. The adventurers helped her and she agreed to join
them on their quest. Idoya was the daughter of a noble family from the nearby
country of Beltheria. She grew bored with court life and decided to travel the
world and seek adventure.
The
adventurers made their way further westward into the neighbouring Duchy of
Kingsford, to the capital city of Lionsgate. Once there, they were greeted by
Duke Belmont who informed them of their quest. The Duke’s daughter and heir,
Victoria Belmont, had been kidnapped. The guard on duty reported that he
had suddenly fallen unconscious and when he came to, Victoria was gone.
Faeron tells
the adventurers that he had detected a particular magical energy in Victoria’s
room after she vanished. He had managed to trace this power west to an
abandoned mansion called The Raven’s Den, in the Duchy of Alderwood. Belmont
suspected that the Alder family may have been behind this as the Alders and Belmonts
had quarrelled for generations, the two families had just concluded a bloody
war that lasted several years.
The party
traveled further west into Alderwood, avoiding the main roads as Alder troops
would be patrolling the border. Crossing over the border in Stillwater Forest,
the party was accosted by bandits calling themselves the Crimson Scarf Gang. Led
by a charismatic man named Barnabus, they
demanded the party pay a substantial toll. The adventurers refused and fighting
broke out. Although numerous, the bandits proved no match for the Heroes of
Frosthaven and they were quickly dealt with. Barnabus managed to survive the
ordeal and bargained for his life, promising that his gang shall assist the
party in the future if they required.
After the
skirmish in the woods, the party made their way to The Raven’s Den.
Dispatching a few mercenary guards patrolling outside, the party stormed the
manor and encountered a more organised force of fighters inside. These
mercenaries were led by a disgraced knight named Sir Tyros, who yielded when
defeated. Mindaugas went to deliver the finishing blow, but was stopped by Tychon.
The adventurers stood on the edge of conflict, but Korrin managed to diffuse
the situation and the knight was allowed to flee.
Making their
way into the basement of the manor, the adventurers discovered ancient catacombs
buried beneath. In this dungeon they passed through a long hallway
flanked with dozens of locked doors. Behind each door, a grotesque ghoul stood
eerily. Passing through a door at the far end of the hall, the adventurers found
themselves in a large circular chamber. Walking through the chamber was a
slight, bent backed man carrying scrolls and equipment. He looked up at the
adventurers briefly before sprinting to the opposite end of the room, shouting
to alarm others. The doors at the both ends of the room slammed shut as he stopped
in his tracks. Slowly turning, he grabbed a vial with a sharp needle at one end
and lunged it into his side. He began to writhe and contort in agony, his
muscles bulged and swelled. His once frail figure became immense and powerful, he
charged towards the party. The assistant battled the adventurers and dozens of
undead monsters rushed through the doors surrounding the room. After a heated
battle, the party were victorious and they used the keys found on the assistant
to open the far door.
Passing through the door, they now stood in
another circular chamber. Giant iron spikes jutted out of the walls and impaled on these spike were
dozens of corpses. A faint green glow was being emitted from each spike, the glow
ran down along intricate patterns on the floor which led to an altar in the
middle of the room. Behind the altar, a tall hooded figure stood waiting. The elf pulled back his hood
and revealed his face. His skin was a ghostly shade of pale, lined with black
veins that seemed to pulse with necrotic energy. His eyes were jet black and seemed
to be void of any life.
The Elf exclaimed that he had been expecting
someone to come after Victoria, but he had already moved her to another
location. He wrenched a black dagger
from the altar and drove it into his chest. He doubled over from the shock of
it and seemed to remain motionless for a moment. Then it happened. His body
started to morph and shift, bones jutted and snapped into place, his robes stretched
and tore as he became larger. His skin turned a deep shade of blue, huge
leathery wings protruded from his back, and a great snake like tail with a barbed
tip coiled behind him. His mouth twisted into a horrific maw, rows of razor
sharps teeth dripped with saliva, and his eyes turned a vibrant shade of red.  The party fought valiantly,
Affaraxis was gravely wounded and was inches from death as Lugaru landed the
killing blow causing the monstrosity to fall.
Upon
investigating the room, the party discovered that Victoria had been moved into Faircastle,
the capital city and was in the charge of someone called “Swifty”. The also learnt the
name of the Elf, Tharion, whom attempted to use Victoria’s
blood to replicate something called “Malthier’s Formula”. Armed with this
knowledge, the party advanced towards Faircastle.  Upon arriving in Faircastle, the party learnt
that Swifty was a local crime boss operating in the city. He facilitated
everything from smuggling to contract killings. Rumour even had it that he was
sometimes contracted by Lord Alder himself.
Eventually,
the party managed to secure a meeting with Theodore “Swifty” Swiftfoot, the
Halfling crime boss. He offered to give them Victoria if they completed a job for
him. In this meeting, the party was also reunited with Splug, who had been
working for Swifty. The job was to fetch an artifact known as Elune’s Tear from the
den of a nearby dragon, nested in Mount Rihlinar. The adventurers accepted and
headed towards the dragon’s roost. The party defeated the dragon, Lugaru and
Mindaugas both secured a trophy in the form of the dragon’s horns and they delivered
the artifact to Swifty in return for Victoria. Lady Victoria was trapped in some
magical slumber and could not be roused. The party secured a carriage and headed
out of the city.
On their way
back to Lionsgate, the party was stopped by a group of Alderwood Knights, who
believed them to be spies. The party was then captured and returned to
Faircastle. Whilst imprisoned, the party developed a cunning plan to escape:
Lugaru transformed into his rabbit form and slipped between the bars, returning to
humanoid form, he knocked the guard unconscious and freed the others. Idoya then
proceeded to take all her clothes off and made her way up the stairs to distract
the other guards, claiming she was drugged and didn't know where she was. With
the guards thoroughly distracted, Tychon took them out with deadly efficiency.
After talking their way out of the castle, the party once again made their way
back to Lionsgate.
Upon
arriving in Lionsgate, priests took Victoria away and began rituals to try and
bring her back. Duke Belmont was eternally grateful to the adventurers and
rewarded them for their service. The Party informed Faeron of the elf who had
kidnapped Victoria and of what had transpired in the depths of the Raven’s Den. Faeron
revealed that Tharion was his brother, who had fallen to darkness long ago. He then
requested that the party be of service once again.
After some
investigation, Faeron informed the adventurers that Victoria’s spirit was trapped
in another realm and they required a certain artifact to retrieve it. The
artifact in question Was a Nûmeré attunement sphere. The attunement sphere would
allow Faeron to locate Victoria’s spirit so he could send the adventurers to that
world to rescue her. It was at this point that the adventurers questioned why they
should put themselves in such danger. Faeron revealed that he was a member of an
organisation called The Order of Fate and that he was an agent of fate itself.
It had been foretold that certain events would take place and that the party
would be integral to this. He promised that if they helped him, he would assist the
adventurers in getting what they desired. He promised Mindaugas that he would
retake Hallas, Korrin that he would be able to return to Drôhznia a free man,
Lugaru that he would have vengeance for his village, Affaraxis that she would
find her master and Tychon that he would be free from the Spectres. The party
agreed to help and set off to find the attunement sphere.
=== The Attunement Sphere ===
The
adventurers headed west to the Kingsford foothills in search of the Nûmeré vault,
Vaersuul. The party found Vaersuul and, upon solving the riddle of the door,
gained entrance. The party then solved a series of puzzles and found themselves
in the heart of Vaersuul.  The chamber was
filled with a strange purple mist, the adventurers entered and fell into a deep
sleep. They each awoke alone, in strange surroundings.
Mindaugas
found himself in the great hall in Hallas, his father sat wounded upon the
throne and Orcs stood between them. Mindaugas fought his way
through to his father but when he approached, he saw himself dying on the
throne.
Korrin woke
up in in an
endless desert, the hot sun blazing down and all the members of the party
standing before him. He attempted to call out to them, but they did not seem to
hear. A black swirling haze rose up from the sands and took the form of some
terrible wraith. It rushed towards Mindaugas. One by one, these wraiths attacked
Korrin’s friends and he was unable to save them.
Tychon awoke in a dimly lit chamber, the darkness so deep and
consuming that even his Drow eyes were struggling to make out the shapes before
him. He heard a sound behind him and turned to see a dark figure wrapped in
black cloth disappear into the shadows. Tychon fought this dark figure until it
eventually defeated him.
Affaraxis stood in a large room, the walls
lined with bookshelves. Large tables filled the room covered with scrolls and
strange magical items. Towards the other side of the room stood an exact copy
of her, only this duplicate had skin the colour of the night and eyes that
blazed with sadistic glee. Affaraxis fought her doppelganger and was eventually
consumed by it.
Lugaru found himself in a burning village.
The sounds of screams could be heard all around him but he could not see a single
soul. The red embers swirled around and thick, black smoke filled his lungs. A
dark figure emerged from one of the burning houses. Long white hair streaked
with blood flew in the breeze and two red eyes stared at him. Lugaru fought
and defeated the Drow, lifting its mask and seeing the face of Tychon beneath.
Idoya stood in an ancient forest, tall trees
rose up from the moss coated floor, a thick impenetrable canopy blocked out the
sun. The smell of rot and decay filled her nostrils. Suddenly a large bear
burst through the undergrowth. Its fur patchy and torn, blood dripped from its
teeth and claws. Giant spikes rose from its back, an insane and hungry look on
its face. The deformed dire bear overpowered Idoya, she got knocked into the
river and sank beneath.
The adventurers awoke and Lugaru attacked
Tychon, believing he was the one who had attacked his village. Tychon managed to
repel Lugaru’s attacks and the situation was diffused. The party then collected
the attunement sphere and returned to Faeron.
=== Into the Roil ===
Once back in Lionsgate, Faeron began to set
up the ritual to locate Victoria’s soul. In the meantime, he informed the party
that Baron Padrig of Frosthaven had requested their presence. Arriving in
Frosthaven, the party noticed that the streets were empty save for a few men
waiting in the main square. The men were garbed in foreign attire and the leader
looked at Korrin and told him he was there to take him back to Drôhznia. The man
introduced himself as Tehrín Jherân d'yen Anarâh, an agent of His Excellency,
the Anarâjhae, Dâhríen Jhaedârí, and the leader of the Anarâh faith. Tehrín
revealed that Korrin’s real name was Mallister and he was a fugitive from justice.
The party refused to surrender Korrin to these men and they attacked. It seemed as
though the adventurers would defeat them until Korrin urged them to stop. He
then surrendered to Tehrin. Mindaugas was devastated and begged Korrin not to go,
but Korrin insisted that he must return to Drôhznia and face his crimes.
Crestfallen, the party returned to Lionsgate without Korrin.
When they returned, Faeron had completed the
ritual and sent the party after Victoria’s soul. The adventurers found
themselves in the strange realm of Yethvir, home to the eccentric demon Ferys.
Ferys was a collector of souls that get lost in the multiverse and had
possession of Victoria's. The party tried to bargain for her soul and he agreed
if they can survive a series of tests. The party agreed and they were
immediately pitted against fiends, demons and even a lesser Beholder. During
this melee, the party was introduced to Dakurai Unathi, another lost soul of their
world, who helped them in this fight. After passing Ferys’ trials, he released
the spirit of Victoria Belmont.
The party returned to the where they had entered
Ferys’ realm and Faeron attempted to transport them back. The adventurer’s
vision swirled as they found themselves drifting back home, but when they came
to, they saw an unfamiliar landscape. The ground felt like frozen ash, jutting obsidian rock formed giant
walls around them, the sky was grey and void of light, and both Affaraxis and
Victoria were missing. Ahead there was a path that led through the canyon. The
party traveled down the winding canyon, occasionally spotting small creatures
darting behind the rocks. They eventually reached a clearing.
Suddenly, great reptilian creatures
leaped from the cliffs above the party. Long serpentine bodies covered in long, razor sharp claws darted at them. As they defeated the beasts,
the party heard more shrieks echoing over the cliffs. To the side of the canyon,
the rock shifted apart and a figure stood in the opening, a man garbed in a
tattered grey cloak beckoned them over hurriedly.
The stranger led the party
through a narrow corridor in the cliff face eventually leading to a small cave.
He sat opposite a fire pit and started to make a fire. He didn't seem to be
paying them any attention. This stranger seemed to have no name and no memory of
anything beyond this dismal place. The party inquired if he knew how to escape
and he informed them that he did not, but Old Father may have.
The Stranger led the party through the maze
of tunnels and eventually out into the open. Before them, a long and winding
causeway led to a magnificent fortress. Tall spires pierced the grey sky, and
high walls of black stone towered above them. The castle sat atop a craggy mesa,
beneath which there laid a dark abyss that the party could not see the end of. 
As they climbed the causeway, they saw a large figure up ahead. A giant knight
garbed in black iron stood before the fortress, his hands resting on the
pommel of an enormous great sword. His gaze did not turn as they approached. The
party attempted to pass the sentinel, but had to fight to pass. After
destroying the sentinel, the party entered the fortress.
The double doors opened to revel a huge throne
room, banners and tapestries of weird and foreign imagery lined the walls. Great
fires burned in braziers along the room but seemed to emit no heat. Tall twisted
humanoid figures stood in the hall, hollow grey skin stretched over angular
jutting bones. These hunched creatures moved slowly around the hall, paying no
attention to the party, their long, limp arms dragging along the floor as they
walked. At the far end of the hall, a gaunt figure sat atop a throne of twisted
and gnarled stone. A quivery voice sounded forth from the man.
"WHO ARE YOU?!??! WHAT DO YOU
WANT?!?!?!"
The party tried to reason with Old Father,
but he would hear none of it, seeming determined that the adventurers were there
to steal something from him.
The old man issued a command in some guttural
and foul tongue that no one in the party could comprehend and the heads of the
grey figures snapped up and stared at the adventurers. Their skin began to morph
and change, black tendrils of shadow seemed to shift and move beneath their
skin. Their arms snapped and contorted as vicious black claws extended from their
limbs. A bloody battle ensued, until the party defeated Old Father and his
monsters and used his staff to open a portal.
Stepping through the portal, with The Stranger following them, the
party arrived in a wondrous and bustling city that they soon learn was called
Sigil: The City of Doors. Sigil was a nexus to all the realms of the multiverse.
The party learned that the only one who could secure them passage back home was
a shady character known as Tristan. After meeting with Tristan, the party agreed
to capture a slave from one of Tristan’s rivals in exchange for passage to their
world. Once their task was completed, Tristan sent the party back to Lionsgate. 
=== Without a Compass ===
When the party arrived back in Faeron’s
library, they were greeted by a horrific site. Blood was smeared across the room,
corpses of soldiers, priests and horrible demons laid on the ground and the body
of Faeron himself was propped up against a wall. The party was discovered by
soldiers, who believed them to be enemies, and were taken to the dungeon. While
sitting in the city dungeons, a stone shifted from the wall of their cell and
Splug crawled through the gap. He led them through a series of passageways and
into the sewers beneath the city. Splug told the party that he had owed them one
for freeing him back at Shadowfell and declared them even. Splug bid the party
a fond farewell and scampered into the darkness. On their way out of the sewers,
the party encountered a horrifying tentacled creature the colour of the darkest
night. The adventurers slew the fiend only for it to dissolve and fade once
vanquished.
Making
their way out of the sewers, Daqari declared that he wished to have no part in
this adventure and headed home to Zambeira. The rest of the party waited until
the dust had settled and ventured back into Lionsgate, demanding to see who was
in charge.
After verifying who they were, the castellan
of Lionsgate informed the adventurers that shortly after Victoria appeared back
in Lionsgate, horrible demons invaded and killed Faeron. Arthur and Victoria
were missing and they had no idea what to do. The party returned to Faeron’s
library and found a scrap of parchment next to his body that read:
"...and so,
the daughter of Aranath wept for those who had fallen, and her grief took a
form so pure and powerful that it kept the darkness at bay. Through this power,
the Nûmeré triumphed..."
The party determined that the daughter of Aranath was Elune, and that
Elune’s Tear was an artifact of great power that must be recovered, to which
they returned to Faircastle to find Swifty. 
Upon arriving in Faircastle, the party discovered that Swifty was missing
and had been replaced by a half-orc named Barrum. The party tried to reason
with Barrum, but he attacked and was defeated by the adventurers. Under
interrogation, Barrum revealed that he had led a coup against Swifty and had sold him
and the Tear to a mysterious figure who resided on a small island off the west
coast called Fellrock.
The party traveled to Arlsport, a harbour town on the west coast of
Arland, seeking passage to Fellrock. All residents of Arlsport claimed Fellrock
to be haunted and all sailors refused to take the party there. Eventually, the
party managed to convince a ferryman to grant them passage. The ferryman took
them across the water to Fellrock but stopped shy of the shore and told the
party they’d have to swim the rest of the way. He agreed to come back to this
spot, the same time the next day to take them back to the mainland. The party
swam ashore and were attacked by a group of wolf men on the beach. After
defeating the werewolves, the party made their way further inland until they
got to a ruined fortress.
The party descended into the depths of the
castle, as they walked further and further into the darkness, they started to hear
noises coming from below, eventually deciphering that they were the sounds of
animals, but there seemed to be something wrong about them.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, the
adventurers stood in a large room; Dozens of cages with thick iron bars lined
the room and hung from the ceiling. In these cages, many different beasts were
held captive. Bears, wolves, birds, dogs, and all other manner of creature filled
the room. As the party approached the animals, they noticed that they were not
what they expected. Sickly grey flesh peaked out from dirty and tattered fur,
horrible elongated fangs poked out from their mouths often piercing their own flesh.
Wide red eyes twitched in their sockets as disgusting yellow slime dripped from
their mouths. As they approached the cages, many animals leaped and bit at the
party, gnawing and clawing at the iron bars of their cages, as if gripped by
some demonic frenzy. Some of the creatures were so mangled and torn that they
could barely lift their own hulking forms.
Walking further into the hall, the party passed
through a door into another, smaller room filled with cages. However, the only
noise that greeted them was sounds of anguish and pain. In these cages laid the
bodies of what once could have been considered men. Behind the cold iron bars were
the results of some sort of sick experiment, men fused with beasts to create
sickening abominations. The twisted forms of these wretched folk laid contorted
in their prisons. Some of them looked up as the party passed, but none could muster
speech beyond a few garbled whimpers. Proceeding through the chamber, the
adventurers spotted what was once a familiar face. The broken form of Theodore
Swiftfoot laid slumped in a cage near the end of the room. Patches of damp fur
and frayed whiskers covered his scarred face, his hands replaced with sharp claws
and a pink worm like tail coiled behind him. He took no notice of the party but
just kept mumbling the same words over and over "Please, don't, please,
don't". As the party walked through the horror, they reached a large double
door.
The door opened into a large laboratory.
Bookshelves lined the walls and a few tables covered in books and scrolls laid
across the room. A beautiful young woman sat at a desk on the far side of the
room. She looked up as the adventurers entered the room, smiling.
"I was wondering when you would arrive.
My name is Elana, please enter. It seems we have much to discuss."
Elana seemed to know all about the party and
insisted that they were in over their heads, dealing with forces they didn’t
understand. She tried to convince the adventurers to turn back and return home.
When the adventurers refused, she revealed herself for the horrible ugly hag she
was and attacked. After a desperate fight, the adventurers triumphed and recovered
Elune’s Tear once again. 
After exiting the fortress, the party set up
camp for the night in the forest, setting up a fire and taking turns on the
watch. As Tychon took his watch he sensed something strange, suddenly noticing
that the forest had gone eerily silent. Looking around to investigate, he saw
that a shroud of darkness laid beyond the trees, a darkness that even his Drow
eyes could not see through. He looked around the trees, watching for any kind of
movement. As he scanned the horizon, he noticed words carved into a nearby tree.
The message was written in Deep Speech and simply read "No-one
escapes". Before he could raise the alarm, the Spectre attacked. One by one,
he neutralised the members of the party. Some of them tried to run, but the Spectre
took them all down. At last, he struck down Tychon.
His comrades laid fallen around Tychon, from
the shadows, a figure garbed in black approached. Without a word, he drew his
sword and raised it to Tychon’s neck. Silently, he pulled it back, ready to
strike....
When all of a sudden, a ray of brilliant
light shone from behind Tychon, blinding the Spectre. His hands covered his face
as he stumbled backwards. He tried to ready himself for battle but could not muster
the energy to face this godly light. The Spectre turned and ran into the night.
Tychon looked up to see a figure, dressed all in white and cloaked in a heavenly
shine. The figure approached and Tychon saw the face of a kindly old man with
a long flowing grey beard. The old man kneeled over him, touching his hand to
Tychon’s forehead. As he did this, Tychon felt his wounds mend and new life
flow through him. The old man then rose and moved to the other members of the
party, doing the same.
After he had revived all of them, he simply
stood before them, leaning on his staff and smiling.
"There, that's better isn't it?"
The old man seemed wise and worldly at first,
but after conversing with him for a while, the party learnt he was senile and
incoherent, frequently forgetting what he was talking about and who he was
talking to. After a somewhat frustrating conversation, the old man informed the
party that they were “on the right track” and that they must “follow the golden
serpent”.
The party then rests until morning but when they awoke, they discovered
that Tychon and The Stranger had disappeared. The party made its way to the
shore where they were greeted by the ferryman who tok them back to the
mainland. In Arlsport, the party encountered a young man named Râhír Jâhirín,
who was a pupil of Korrin’s. Râhír informed the party that Korrin may face
execution when he returned to Sâlitherôs, the capital of Drôhznia. The party
decided to help Râhír and made their way on the long journey east to Drôhznia.
The party made its way back to Lionsgate, where they were introduced to a young
woman named Elentari of Daenar, who claimed to be a friend of Faeron’s. Convincing the
party that she was there to help, she joined them on their quest.
=== The Pale ===
The party made their way to the Duchy of The Breach and boarded a ship to The Pale. Whilst travelling on the open ocean, the
party’s ship was attacked by Orcish pirates. The party defeated the Orcs and
Lugaru took the Orc captain’s hat after a daring attack where he boarded the
pirate ship before anyone else and slew the captain in single combat. After
travelling for a few more days, the party happened upon a terrible storm that
destroyed their ship and left them marooned on a strange island. Idoya was
killed in this shipwreck but the rest of the party survived and made their way
into the forest of the island where they encountered the locals. After managing
to communicate with the tribesmen through Elentari’s telepathic abilities and
some sign language, the tribesmen agreed to help the party escape if
they killed the hydra that inhabited the island. The party located and slew the
beast, so the tribesmen gave them a boat and the adventurers traveled to The
Pale. Lugaru took one of the Hydra’s teeth as a trophy.
Upon arriving in The Pale, the party found
themselves in Holdan’s Landing on The Day of Landing, a celebration of the
nation’s founding. There was much activity in the city, games and performances
were taking place all over. Lugaru took part in a knife throwing contest and
won a tiny wooden horse. It is during a speech at this festival that Prince Haloran Greymare, the crown prince of The Pale was assassinated. The city square
descended into bedlam as crossbowmen fired bolts from the rooftops and crazed men
rampaged through the crowds. The adventurers battled these mad men alongside the
city guard and eventually the chaos was stifled. The party then decided to
retire for the evening. Later that night, the party was approached by a
messenger who beckon the party to meet with Prince Haloran’s younger brother,
Prince Godwin.
Godwin asked the party to help investigate the
assassination of his brother and bring the culprits to him. The party agreed
and started their investigation. Godwin believed that the culprits may have been a part
of a group known as The Sons of The Pale, who congregated in Cooper’s Corner, an
area that the city guard rarely visited.
Elentari began to search for this group,
whilst Lugaru endeavoured to find the city’s fighter’s guild. Believing he had
found the guild, Lugaru ventured to Cooper’s Corner. When he arrived at the
destination described by the man who had informed him of the guild, he was greeted
by ruffians looking to separate Lugaru from his coin. After exclaiming that
this was not, in fact the fighter’s guild, Lugaru made short work of his
would-be muggers.
In order to gather more information about the
assassination, the party decided to investigate the square where the murder
took place. They approached the scene that night, Elentari charmed the guard, and
they began to look around. Things seemed to go well, until Râhír made too much
noise and attracted the attention of more guards. After being discovered, Râhír
then pretended to be drunk, in order to distract from the others. Whilst Râhír
was making a ruckus, Lugaru discovered a small piece of parchment that read:
“Go into the crowd and cause chaos, if you
do, the Master will make the voices go away.”
Unfortunately, Râhír’s performance was not
convincing enough, and the guards went to detain him. He tried to escape, but
ended getting captured and thrown in the dungeons. The next day, the rest of
party managed to get Râhír released from prison after having a talk with
Godwin. He was most displeased by their actions, as he wanted their
investigation to be secretive. The party learned that Godwin managed to capture
one of the men who was attacking people in the crowd, but claimed that the man
was mad.
Elentari went to question the prisoner but
she discovered that he was catatonic, rocking back and forth and muttering to
himself. When inspecting him, she noticed huge jagged scars on the back of his
head. Elentari managed to use a charm spell to get the prisoner to talk, but he
spoke cryptically. He spoke of The Master, how he “put things in his head”.
Elentari decided in order to find out what had happened to this man, they must look
inside his head. She convinced Godwin to let her do this, and Mindaugas to
help. They strapped the man down into an interrogation chair and, while under a
sleep spell, Elentari began the procedure. She sliced through his scalp with a
sharp knife only to find deep cracks in his skull, held together with iron
staples. Using pliers, she cut through the staples one by one. When she clipped
the last staple, everything went black. When Elentari and Mindaugas came to,
there were deep tendril like scorch marks on the walls of the room and the cavity
where the prisoner’s brain should be was empty. Elentari and Mindaugas both felt
an overwhelming sense of dread within themselves.
After the lead went cold, the party continued
their search for the Sons of the Pale, following rumours and gossip.
Eventually, they discovered that the sons may have been located in a pub called the
Ragged Brynndolthi, in Cooper’s Corner.
The party soon located the Sons of the Pale
and learned that they were the remnants of the native people of the Pale, The
Brynndolthi. The leader of the group, Grimar, was determined to make the
Greymares pay for all but wiping out his people. The group was small and owed
much of its success to a blind elven mystic named Dairynté.
The party tried to earn the trust of The Sons
by performing a job for them, attacking a weapon’s depot controller by the
Greymares. Lugaru, Râhír and Mindaugas set off to raid the warehouse, whilst
Elentari progressed with a plan of her own. She found and seduced a young guard
and, after drinking a fair bit, convinced him to throw a Molotov cocktail
through the window of a local Inn, leaving him with a note similar to the one
found in the square.
The next night, the party was summoned by
Prince Godwin to discuss the investigation. Godwin thought that the party was
working with the Brynndolthi and attacked them. The adventurers barely managed to
defeat Godwin’s guards and took the prince prisoner, escaping into the city’s
sewers.
Godwin revealed that he had made a deal with this
“Master” in order to secure the throne of The Pale, although he never met this
master himself. Godwin pleaded for his life, offering the party power and
riches. The party decided to hand Godwin over to the Brynndolthi for judgement.
Elentari convinced the Brynndolthi not to kill Godwin and instead that they
should work together to usher in peace for the Pale. The two parties agreed and
Godwin was released. Before the adventurers leave Holdan’s Landing, Dairynté
offers each of them a cryptic prophecy.
“Lugaru, I see an ocean of blood and a golden
appetite that shall never be sated.”
“Mindaugas, you will return home, but the
world will burn because of it.”
“Râhír, you will wield the power of a god and
terrible atrocities will be carried out in your name.”
“Elentari, you will have everything you
desire, but lose everything you love.”
With these strange omens in mind, the party
set off east once again. After leaving the city, they were tracked down by
Malion, the elf ranger who raised Lugaru and a close friend of Faeron. He
offered the party council and introduced them to a young Half-Elf named Ronya 'en Carad,
who Malion had brought to help them on their quest. Malion took Lugaru aside
and told him that Elentari was no friend of Faeron’s and that Lugaru should be
wary of her. Malion also informed them of a group of Orcs nearby who had taken
some villagers captive. The party tracked these orcs down and slew them.
=== The Journey East ===
The adventurers then moved East towards the
main continent of Wendos. They were stopped at a river crossing by a group of highwaymen
who demanded a toll for crossing the bridge. The highwaymen had a group of
prisoners tied up nearby who they claimed were folk who could not pay. Lugaru and
Mindaugas decided they would not pay and attacked the bandits. With the ruffians
defeated, Mindaugas freed the prisoners, some of whom were citizens of Hallas
and recognised their prince. One of the men, a Hallasian named Jorfen, informed
Mindaugas that there were Hallasian refugees scattered across The Pale and
surrounding areas. He promised Mindaugas that he would go forth and rally as
many as he could, ready to help the prince retake their homeland.
On their way towards the mountains on the
eastern border of The Pale, the party was attacked by a stone giant covered in
strange sigils and inscriptions.  After
defeating the giant, the party investigated his grotto and discovered a set of
exquisitely crafted Zweisslûndi Adamantine scale mail and a mysterious wooden
broom.
After the Giant’s grotto, the party continued
on to Emberstone Keep. Once there, the Dwarven King Rodgar Stoneweaver recognised Mindaugas and
offered shelter and council. The party informed him of their quest and he advised
that there are two routes they could take to Drôhznia.
They could take the safest and longest route to the south through Lordos
and into Palnia. Then take a ship from Palnia across the Sea of Silk and Gold
stopping in the outskirts of The Teldari Vale and Hysperia, finally reaching Drôhznia. Going north past the mountains and following the Raadi River all the way
to Sâlitherôs.
Alternatively, they could take the faster and more dangerous route. Due
east through The Skaalmark, then north through The Scorched Lands and past
Astafall. Then briefly into Ehstvär, crossing Marauder's Strait into Quaïth. Then
travelling south through the Dalhuri lands to the Golden City of Khâlazaar.
Following the Great Road into Drôhznia and Sâlitherôs.
The party decided to take the shorter route as time was of the essence.
Before leaving Emberstone, Elentari attempted to discover the true nature of the
strange broom she had found in the giant’s cave. She found a man named Jhu Chee,
who ran a shop of mystic curiosities to investigate the broom. He told her
that the broom held the spirit of a terrible demon and offered to banish the
beast from it for a price. Elentari was sceptical and declined his offer.
The party traveled through the northern lands that bordered Lordos and
after passing through the town of Whiteriver, entered The Skaalmark.  The sky seemed to darken as they made their
way along the road towards the towering alpine forests of Skaalmark. As they traveled
onwards, they heard a scream. A frightened looking woman ran towards them, she
was bleeding and her clothes were torn. She told the party that she was attacked
and monsters had gotten her brother. Eager to help, the party followed her into
the woods to rescue her brother. As they made their way into the forest, the
party noticed that the woman had gotten a few paces ahead. They found it difficult
to keep up with her and eventually, she was lost from sight.
Realising they have been tricked, the adventurers tried to backtrack out
of the forest, but quickly became lost. Ronya climbed a tree to see which way
they had come but as soon as she got down to the ground, she become disoriented.
As they marched through the dense foliage, the trees started to come to life. Vines
and branches whipped and clawed at the adventures as they tried to flee. Eventually
they escaped from the woods and found themselves back on the road.
Making their way further into The Skaalmark, the party noticed a disturbing
lack of life. Every now and then they noticed a black raven, swooping overhead,
but no animals grazed in the fields and they encountered no other people. They
spotted a village some ways down the road. As they approached the village, they heard
nothing but the howling wind. The town looked old and abandoned, as if no one
had been here for decades. The party found an old chapel and hunkered down for
the night. The next morning, they made their way outside to see a woman
standing in the road before the chapel. She lifted her head and Mindaugas and
Lugaru recognised her as Affaraxis.
Affaraxis informed them that she had been reunited with her master, who
Elentari believed to be the same Master that orchestrated the assassination in
Holdan’s Landing. Affaraxis told the party that the master would like to meet
them. The party discussed for some time but eventually, much to Ronya’s
protest, they agreed to meet The Master.
The adventurers are instantly transported to some kind of library. Old
oaken bookshelves surrounded them, large leather furniture sat in front of a
heatless fire and a clear glass window showed the indomitable blackness of the
outside. The only door in the room was locked and all the books on the shelves
were unmarked with blank pages inside. Mindaugas attempted to break down the
door, but as soon as he collided with it, the party found themselves standing
in the same spots they were in when they arrived. As if they had been reset.
Further attempts to break out of the room yielded the same result. Finally, they
decided to sit down and await their host.
Moments later a wiry, unassuming looking man of perhaps fifty with
thinning grey hair and a hooked nose entered the room. He took a seat and
introduced himself as The Master.  He
told the party that they had merely been pawns in a game beyond their
understanding. Faeron had been using them for his own gains and was not going
to fulfil his end of the bargain. The Master offered the party a deal, he would
grant them anything they desired if the adventurers secured for him five items:
The Fist, The Fangs, The Tear, The Eye, and The Cross. When asked why they must
do this, The Master told them that his enemies wanted them to do this because
fate told them. The Master wished the party to betray this prophecy as an insult
to The Order of Fate.
After a deal of debate, all agreed to The Master’s offer except Ronya.
Upon her refusal, Ronya was teleported away, only to reappear moments later
shaking with a harrowing look in her eyes. She then agreed to the offer. In the
heat of the argument, The Master made a single mistake: He released the party
back into the world without securing the promise of Elentari.
Upon leaving The Master’s domain, the party were transported directly to
the deserts of Drôhznia, months ahead of when they expected to be there. With
this awesome display of power, Râhír wandered into the desert buried his
uniform and burned his symbols of Anarâh, forsaking his faith.
=== The Trials of the Desert ===
The party then advanced along the Ten Thousand Steps into Sâlitherôs,
the capital of The Drôhznian Empire. As they had been transported to Drôhznia well
before Mallister, the party took this time to research into these artifacts
that the Master had requested they find. Râhír believed that ‘The Fangs’ were
in fact The Fangs of Anarâh, the sacred weapons of the Prophet Sâlikhín and
the most holy of Drôhznian relics. During this time, Râhír purchased a rundown
building in the trading sector outside the walls of Sâlitherôs. The party then
spent time repairing the building with the intention of converting it into a
tavern. Elentari disappeared without a trace.
After five weeks, Mallister arrives in Sâlitherôs. Mindaugas, using his
status as prince of a foreign land, convinced the Sâlín, the leader of the
Drôhznian Empire, to allow him to speak to Mallister. The party was informed
that Mallister must defend himself against the charges of desertion from the
Drôhznian army. As was tradition, Mallister would be tried by his commanding
officer of the time. The judge was the former general (now retired) Harûn Hezâl Te-Azzûl, a stern looking balding man of around sixty. General Harûn thought
highly of Mallister prior to his desertion, but now harboured a resentment for
the dwarf. He tried his best to remain unbiased, but his prejudice showed.
Mallister had three options before him: he could try and prove his
innocence, calling character witnesses and arguing his case. He could plead
guilty and ask for mercy, which may result in a lesser sentence, such as exile.
Or he could demand a trial by combat, electing a champion or fighting for
himself.
Mindaugas offered to fight for Mallister as his champion and faced off
against Behjít Râhjar Al-Telarâq, a Justiciar of the Court. Mindaugas and
Behjít faced off and after a pitched battle, Mindaugas was victorious. Mindaugas
stayed his hand and did not land the killing blow.
After the Military trial, Mallister had to face the Anârajhi trial. In
this trial Mallister had to convince His Excellency, The Anârajha Dâhríen Jhaedârí, leader of the Drôhznian faith, that he did not betray his faith when
he deserted from the holy war. To do this, Mallister declared that he would go
on a holy pilgrimage to the Khezzâni Desert, the birthplace of the Drôhznian
people, to recover a great relic.
The Anarâjha accepted and even allowed the party to travel with him,
although Râhír stayed behind. The adventurers made their way through the cruel
desert, fighting heat, dehydration and even giant scorpions. Eventually, they
found their way to an ancient tomb, half buried in the sand. Here they were
attacked by a group of jackalweres.
The party solved a riddle and gained entrance to the tomb, they then came
upon a room where the floor ended abruptly. Anything beyond the edge was obscured
in darkness. Before the darkness, there laid a plinth with something written in
ancient Drôhznian. Mallister could only discern that the writing contained the
words “faith” and “pass”. After deliberating for some time, Mallister ran
forward and jumped into the darkness. The rest of the party panicked and called
after him, but no reply came. Mindaugas then tied a rope around himself and
attached it to the plinth. He then jumped in after Mallister. Lugaru and Ronya
were left standing in the room, the rope remained taut and could not be pulled back.
Lugaru balanced on the rope and stuck his arm into the darkness, but could not
dislodge it. He was then pulled in, leaving Ronya alone. After some thought, she
threw caution to the wind and jumped in. Beyond the darkness, the rest of the
party sat unharmed, waiting for her.
In the next chamber they passed into, the roof had partially collapsed and
the room was covered in sand. Stepping into the sand, Mallister started to sink
rapidly and was pulled back by his friends. The party managed to overcome this
obstacle and made their way into another chamber of the tomb. They had to
solve a puzzle involving placing clay tablets into the correct order to
progress.
The final chamber of the tomb contained three stone sarcophagi. When
disturbed, ancient corpses wrapped in cloth attacked the party. Ronya and Lugaru
were badly wounded and almost didn’t survive the encounter. Once the mummies were
vanquished, Mallister recovered some ancient scrolls telling the tale of three
of Sâlikhín’s followers who betrayed him and were cursed with undeath. He also
discovered an ancient sword, which he was unwilling to part with.
With their prize, they hurried back to Sâlitherôs as Ronya and Lugaru
seemed to be succumbing to some strange condition that drained their very life
force. Moments from death, they were healed by Anarâh clerics and Mallister was
forgiven for his crimes. Jubilant from their victory, the adventurers returned
to their tavern to celebrate but they discovered Râhír was nowhere to be found.  Upon investigating, they found that the doors
were locked but a second story window was open and it looked as though someone
had jumped out and fled.
The party followed the tracks out of the city and asking around, they
ascertained that Râhír was heading north out of Drôhznia. After leaving the
country and entering Quaïth, they were attacked by a group of nomadic tribesmen.
They defeated the riders, but more quickly arrived. Surrendering, the party was
taken to the tribal leader, a man named Kruthae. Impressed with their fighting
skills, Kruthae informed them that he had captured Râhír and sold him to the
fighting arena in Khâlazaar. Kruthae released them, and they headed to the city.
Upon arriving in Khâlazaar, Lugaru happened upon a poor soul named Twitch,
a rabbit-folk from Lugaru’s village. Twitch was almost incoherent in some drug
den in a rough part of the city. He was malnourished and missing his left
leg. Lugaru rescued Twitch from this awful place and brought him to a hospice
where he could recover. After leaving the hospice, the party were approached by
a man who introduced himself as Ulwin. Ulwin was an information broker and seemed
to know an awful lot about the party. He invited them back to his villa where
he approached Mindaugas with a deal. Ulwin would gift Mindaugas 500 men to help
him reclaim Hallas, if Ulwin’s representative was allowed to sit on Mindaugas’
council once he was King. Mindaugas was distrustful of Ulwin and seemed hesitant.
Ulwin then stated that he would help the party locate Râhír to sweeten the deal.
Ulwin arranged a meeting between the party and Golchek, the rapacious
man who ran the fighting arena known as The Pit. Golchek told the party that
if they competed in a five round battle royal, he would free Râhír. The party
agreed and faced off against lions, hobgoblins, centaurs, other fighters and
even a creature from the nine hells. The party was victorious and Râhír was
rescued and, although he was missing an eye, Râhír was well. 
After proving that he was an ally to the adventurers, Mindaugas accepts
Ulwin’s offer. Ulwin also managed to secure a pardon for Râhír, allowing him to
return to Sâlitherôs. At this point, Mallister declared that he will be
leaving the party, so he could return to his home in the mountains and be with
his family. After giving a fond farewell to his friends, Mallister went home.
In Khâlazaar, the party was also reunited with Elentari, who had travelled
here to conduct more research into the artifacts. Together, Râhír, Mindaugas,
Ronya, Lugaru and Elentari ventured back to Sâlitherôs to uncover The Fangs of
Anarâh.
On their way back to Drôhznia, after a fight with a young red dragon,
the party happened upon the old man who saved them in Fellrock. He was happy to
see Mindaugas and Lugaru again but his smile disappeared when he saw Elentari.
He seemed to know her and spoke in riddles, stating that she would never reclaim
what she had lost. Elentari was bewildered and asked the old man who he was and
how he knew her. But before he could answer, he seemed to forget everything and
just returned to his jubilant self. After some very frustrating conversation,
his serious tone returned and he begged the party not to obey The Master. The old
man claimed that the Master would destroy all living things if he got the
artifacts.
=== The Fangs ===
After arriving back in Sâlitherôs, Râhír told the party that he
believed the Fangs to be hidden in a vault somewhere inside the Grand Temple of Anarâh. Râhír recovered his armour that he had buried and went to the temple gate,
claiming he was there to surrender his old gear as he was no longer one of the
faithful. Lugaru reverted to his rabbit form and hid inside the armour but
when Râhír approached the gate, the guards refused him entrance. Râhír managed
to convince the guards to take the gear, although he is not permitted entry
himself.
With Lugaru hidden inside, a priest took the armour inside to the
incinerator. Upon realising where he was headed Lugaru burst forth from his hiding
place, much to the surprise of the priest, and hid behind a pillar. Lugaru
turned back into his human form and waited for the priest to approach. Once in range,
the naked Lugaru burst out and attempted to knock the priest out. His fist
collided with the priest’s face but failed to knock him unconscious. The priest
then turned to flee up the stairs and into the main chamber of the temple.
Lugaru gave chase and knocked the priest down. After a desperate scrap, Lugaru
managed to knock out the priest. Lugaru dragged the priest away, hid him and
took the man’s clothing. Just as he was finishing, he heard footsteps from the
top of the stairs. Another priest walked down and spoke to him in Drôhznian.
Lugaru was unable to reply and the priest got suspicious. Panicking, Lugaru
attempted to knock out this priest too, but was unsuccessful. The priest fought
back, but Lugaru was eventually able to subdue him.
Lugaru hid the second unconscious priest and made his way back to the
main entrance. He convinced the guards that the Anarâjha wished to see Râhír,
so he was granted entrance. Mindaugas argued that he should be allowed entrance,
as Râhír was his bodyguard, but the guards refused. Meanwhile,
Ronya managed to sneak around the side and gained entrance through the kitchens
where she encountered some very confused cooks. They told her to leave but she
pretended to be deaf, causing the cooks to call the guards. The guard went to
remove her, but she eluded him and hid in a library.
Elentari conjured a storm of sleet outside the gates of the temple and
convinced the perimeter guards to go and check it out.
Mindaugas then managed to convince the guards to let him in, claiming
that he was interested in converting to the Anarâh faith. The guards agreed, on
the condition that he may not venture beyond the main audience chamber.
Mindaugas wandered in and found a young priest who agreed to teach him about the
faith and show him around the temple.
Lugaru and Râhír made their way into one of the priest dormitories,
where Râhír secured himself a disguise of his own. With the two dressed in
clergy attire, they began to search the temple. Unwittingly walking into a
storeroom, they found themselves pressed into work by the men working there.
Râhír deceived the priests into thinking that Lugaru was simple, explaining his
inability to understand Drôhznian. 
Ronya managed to shake the guard and sneaked her way through the halls of
the temple. Eventually, she spotted Mindaugas and his priest escort. She decided
to act as Mindaugas’ servant, to prevent her from having to lurk in the
shadows. Mindaugas however, had other plans and denied any affiliation with
Ronya. The priest called the guards and Ronya was taken away, casting a baleful
glare at her comrade.
Meanwhile, having lured the perimeter guards away from their posts,
Elentari proceeded with her plan. Making her way around the side of the temple,
she created a further distraction by setting a fire in one of the dormitories.
She then used a spell to convince a guard that a priest was setting the fires.
All hell broke loose as several men rushed about, trying to extinguish the
flames. The spellbound guard attacked the poor priest as other guards tried to
pull them apart. With a large quantity of the temple’s inhabitants thoroughly
distracted, Elentari made her way inside.
Through his less than subtle questioning of his priest escort, Mindaugas
was able to ascertain that The Fangs may be located in the chambers of the Anarâjha. 
As they scurry about the temple, the party were eventually reunited.
Elentari and Ronya managed to secure disguises of their own. As dusk descended on
the city, bells rang to herald the end of day service in the temple. As the
faithful made their way to the grand chamber, the party sneaked to the Anarâjha’s
chambers. After the guards were dealt with, they discovered a secret passage that
led deep into the heart of the Temple.
After descending into the catacombs, the adventurers encountered more
guards. Initial attempts to talk their way through proved fruitless and a battle
ensued. Although elite, these temple guards proved unable to withstand the fury
of Mindaugas, the grace of Lugaru, the tenacity of Râhír, the deadly accuracy
of Ronya, or Elentari’s magic.
The party made their way through the catacombs, encountering traps and
hazards until they entered a strange chamber with a dust covered glass orb on a
stand in the middle of the room. Each of them touched their hand to the orb and
received a distressing vision of one of their friends. Lugaru saw Elentari,
controlling Mindaugas and Râhír with a puppeteer’s cross, burning and pillaging
as they went. Mindaugas saw Ronya wandering through the decaying forest of the
world of all eternity. Râhír saw Mindaugas leading a great army, destroying
everything as a terrible ice storm flowed over the world. Ronya saw legions of
Râhír’s followers leading a great inquisition, burning countless innocents.
Elentari saw Lugaru leading a great fleet of pirates, cutting a bloody swathe
across the seas of the world.
With these terrible visions sowing seeds of distrust, the party moved
onward through tombs of previous Anarâjha’s fighting revenant guardians and
feral ghouls. Tired, bloody and nearing the end of their abilities, the heroes
finally descended into the very heart of the catacombs. At the bottom of the
stairs laid a large chamber, the walls were barren of decoration and several
carved pillars stood in the room. At the far end, they saw two curved swords
sheathed and hanging from the wall. In front of the swords laid the hulking
form of an enormous hooded snake. Its gigantic form uncoiled from its slumber as
they entered the room. With this giant serpentine guardian between them and their
prize, the party charged forth. Ronya ducked behind a pillar, firing arrow after
arrow into the beast. Mindaugas and Lugaru attacked head on, swinging their
swords into its thick armoured scales. Elentari attempted to confuse and
distract the serpent with her spells while Râhír made straight for the fangs.
The snake proved to be a formidable opponent as it used its magic to dominate
Mindaugas’ mind and direct his attacks on his allies. Lugaru managed to climb
up on the serpent and drove his blades into its hide again and again. After a
bitter struggle, the party was victorious and the serpent fell.
Nursing their wounds, the
party looked on with nervous anticipation as Râhír reached for The Fangs. No man
had been able to wield the blades of Sâlikhín. The last who had tried was immolated
as soon as his fingers coiled about their handles. Râhír stole himself, took
a deep breath and grabbed the swords. Râhír’s vision turned white and he felt a
terrible pain shoot through his body. Râhír received a vision of Sâlikhín, when
he came to, the fangs were in his hands. Râhír spoke the words of power and
great flames engulfed the blades. He had become the wielder of the power
of Anarâh. 
When the party ascended from
the catacombs, a group of soldiers were waiting for them. The Anarâjha stood
with them, commanding that they be destroyed for the crimes. Râhír stepped
forward and brandished The Fangs. A hush fell upon the room as the soldiers
dropped to their knees in worship. The Anarâjha was dumbstruck by disbelief, he turned
to run but Râhír ordered the guard catch him. Râhír then walked through the
temple, holding the swords above his head. The temple goers followed him in
solemn silence as he took to the podium in the main chamber. He delivered a
speech announcing that he had been chosen as Sâlikhín’s successor, that he would
purge the corruption and wickedness from the faith and lead Drôhznia to a new
golden age. 
Leading his procession
through the streets of Sâlitherôs, word of his proclamation spread like
wildfire. Before long half the city was marching behind him, towards the gates
of the Sâlín’s palace. He was met by confusion and terror at the gate, he
demanded audience with the Sâlín and proceeded inside alone. The Sâlín panicked
and ordered his troops attack. The guard's blade shattered as it connected with the
fangs. The soldiers then fell to their knees. Râhír informed the Sâlín that
there would be changes coming to the Empire, before returning to his followers.
As he returned to The Temple, the people could be heard chanting “Sal-Râhír!
Sal-Râhír!”.
Over the next few days, the
party rested as Râhír was sequestered by countless officials and advisers, trying
to determine how his reforms shall take place. Eventually, a messenger from
Khâlazaar approached and informed the party that Ulwin had found Twitch. As Râhír
was preoccupied with implementing his plans for Drôhznia, the rest of the party
decided to venture off without him. 
=== Return to Arland ===
Lugaru, Mindaugas, Elentari and Ronya headed north to Khâlazaar to meet with Ulwin and discovered what had become of poor Twitch. Upon arriving in Khâlazaar, they discovered that Twitch was in a rather sorry state. His health had badly deteriorated and, although Ulwin had done his best to help him, Twitch was close to death. He spoke to Lugaru with limited lucidity, he talked of their village and the terrible fate it had met. With his dying breaths, he told Lugaru that he remembered that the 'dark ones' that attacked the village were looking for The Eye. The party discerned that this must be the same Eye that they were looking for. Ulwin offered to secure a ship to take them back to Arland in search of Lugaru's old village.
The party then headed south west from Khâlazaar, to the city of Dhâgvír where they would board their ship. The ship they are to take to Arland was The Grey Falcon, captained by a no-nonsense Zanbeiran woman named Essah. From Dhâgvír, the Falcon headed south-west to the Hysperian City of Daethos. Here, the adventurers met a young man named Alenon Cassius, the younger brother of Affaraxis. Upon learning of their dealings with his sister, Alenon insisted that he be allowed to come along to look for her. Alenon informed the party that his family had fallen apart after Affaraxis had disappeared. The party agreed to take him along, Mindaugas and Ronya even taught him a bit of swordplay and archery respectively.
From Daethos, the ship traveled to Opal Rock, a trading outpost on one of the many islands that bordered The Teldari Vale. The adventurers stayed only one night in Opal Rock, careful not to cause any trouble and set sail at first light. Whilst at sea, the ship passed by a shipwreck, which Essah was eager to investigate. Hoping to find survivors, the Falcon sailed closer and was ambushed by merfolk, who fought along side a frenzy of voracious giant sharks. After a bloody skirmish, the attackers were driven off, but many sailors had fallen to the depths and the Falcon was badly damaged. Essah desperately limped to a nearby island to rest and repair.
While Essah and her men repaired the ship, she recommended that the party go out and search the island. Mindaugas, Lugaru, Elentari, Ronya and Alenon ventured off into the hills. As they explored, they came across a cave in the hillside. Mysterious voices seemed to call out from the cave and the five of them followed it, powerless to halt their own feet. Once in total darkness they regained control, only to find themselves sealed inside. Searching for a way out, they were attacked by strange creatures in the dark caves. One of these caverns contains a circle of ancient stones that moved to block their path.They even stepped through a doorway to find themselves in some bizarre library, complete with windows looking out onto a seemingly abandoned city. Making their way through the caves, the party eventually came about a laboratory filled with bizarre machines that had been smashed and mangled. This demented workshop was inhabited by a giant robed figure with writhing tentacles and the ability to telepathically torment the unwary adventurers that stumbled into his lair. After a desperate battle, the heroes defeated the fiend.
On their way out of the cave, Elentari was drawn to the strange library and the empty city beyond it's window. The other members were hesitant to enter this bizarre place, so Elentari entered alone. Sitting atop her flying broom, she flew above the deserted streets. Making her way to the city's keep, she had the strange feeling that she was being watched. Poking through the abandoned castle, Elentari felt a sense of familiarity, that she could not place. Although not much remained in this dead city, she did find a small coin engraved with an unfamiliar symbol. Feeling as though she could not discover any more, she went to leave. As she stepped back into the library she heard a faint whisper: "Don't go". Intrigued by this, she remained within the city and told the others to go on without her. She spent the night in the city, searching for whoever had spoken to her, but to no avail. When she awoke the next morning, a sheet of parchment sat before her. Upon it was written "You do not belong here. Leave now." Spotting no sign of whoever, or whatever left this message she decided to leave and catch up with the others. 
With the Falcon repaired, the heroes once again set out across the ocean, eventually arriving in the Zanbieran city of Malamba. While Essah searched for new crew members to replace those lost at sea, Elentari endeavoured to try and find out more about the strange coin she had found. She came across an old shaman named Taliki who told her that the coin was not of this world and that it held some connection to her. Feeling utterly unsatisfied by this answer Elentari returned to the Falcon.
After a brief stop in Malamba, the ship then travelled to Palnia, docking in the city of Zalena. The city was a hive of activity and it's citizens drank, feasted and engaged in other acts of hedonism. The heroes found themselves in a tavern called The Sapphire Peacock, where they were approached by a man named Laenzo. Laenzo offered to show the heroes around the city and bought them a drink. They all shared a bottle of fine wine, that may have been mixed with something a little stronger... The party awoke the next morning separated with no recollection of the previous night. 
Mindaugas had gotten married to a local girl, offering his sword as a dowry. Alenon had insulted a wealthy noble and was engaged in a duel to the death. Lugaru had stolen aboard a ship heading back to Drôhznia. Ronya had become a back alley fighting champion, angering a local crime lord and Elentari had gambled away all her gold, plus Elune's Tear. 
The next morning, Mindaugas managed to reclaim his sword, although he badly offended his bride, Alenon duelled and killed the noble, Lugaru managed to best the ship's captain in single combat and get the ship turned around, Ronya was attacked by local thugs and then mysteriously disappeared, and Elentari managed to recover Elune's Tear. 
From Zalena, the Falcon travelled to Alexia's Bulwark in Beltheria and then on to Bridgeport in Arland. Having reached their destination, Essah bid the party a fond farewell as they ventured out into the city. Almost immediately, the heroes were met by city guards. The guards then escorted them to the city keep, where they were given an audience with Lord Jacob Thackery, Duke of The Breach. Lord Thackery informed the party that he had received a letter from the Drôhznian Empire, requesting that he hold the heroes in Bridgeport until the Empire's agent arrived. After waiting for 2 weeks, Râhír arrived in the city, eager to rejoin his friends. 
=== The Search for Mallion ===
With the party reunited, they then set out to try and track down Mallion, who would be able to help Lugaru find his old village. Lord Thackery agreed to help them find Mallion, if they completed a task for him. One of Lord Thackery's fiefs, the town of Dunhurt, had not paid their taxes in some time. Thackery had sent debt collectors and soldiers to the town, but none had returned. If the party could find out what happened, he would help them find Mallion.
The party then ventured north, to Dunhurt. Alenon decided to stay behind, as he had been badly wounded on the island and during his duel. After a few days travel, the adventurers arrived in Dunhurt. The town itself was completely abandoned, with doors left open and meals still on tables. They then investigated the chapel where Râhír deduced that the townsfolk had discovered a strange magic mirror that turned people into shambling monsters, covered in shimmering silver. The mirror had bewitched the town, and enslaved its inhabitants. Sets of tracks led up into the hills, leading them to a nearby cave. In the cave, the heroes fought the former inhabitants of Dunhurt. The mirror had turned them into mindless slaves, their skin coated in an amorphous silver coating.
With the silver monsters destroyed the mirror then tried to charm the heroes. Mindaugas succumbed to the mirror's power and started to walk towards the mirror. His comrades managed to stop him and he broke free of the mirror's power. The mirror then grew angry and summoned a giant silver golem to kill the adventurers. Once the golem was defeated, Râhír thrust the fangs into the mirror and destroyed it. Once the party returned to Bridgeport, Lord Thackery thanked them for their help. Thackery informed the adventurers that Mallion had headed to village called Ackton, in the south of the Breach. 
A couple days on the road and the party arrived in the rural village of Ackton. They attempted to communicate with the local inn-keep, but his thick accent and regional dialect made it somewhat difficult. The innkeeper told the party that Mallion had ventured out on to Ackton Moor some weeks ago. He warned the adventurers that the moor was dangerous and that it was terrible bad luck to go out on the moor without a hat. The party rested in the tavern that night and the next day, with their heads covered, went out on the moor.
Whilst following tracks thought to belong to Mallion, the adventurers were beset upon by a dense fog. Strange winged creatures attacked them from out of the mist, but Mindaugas managed to scare them off. After a few hours travel, the party happened across an unusual sight. A goat, standing motionless in the moor, staring at them. As they continued on, they encountered more goats. Dozens, soon hundreds of them stood watching from the nearby hills. Their path lead them to a cave, out from which strode a strange old man, garbed in black tattered robes, with a ram's skull upon his head. The old hermit introduced himself as The Goat King, a powerful wizard that had control over goats. Although the Goat King was even harder to understand than the Innkeeper of Ackton, the adventurers managed to arrange a deal with him; He would tell them where Mallion went, if they could find out who, or what, had been killing his goats.
The party travelled west and soon came upon a marshland inhabited by small, frog-like humanoids. The Bullywogs had been killing the King's goats and bringing them to a large mud mound in the swamp. Râhír attempted a diplomatic approach, but the frog-folk attacked. The Heroes of Frosthaven cut through them with ease, but something far deadlier was slumbering in the mound. A giant amphibious monster armed with rows of razor sharp teeth and groping tentacles emerged from the burrow. Râhír rushed forward to engage the monstrosity, but was grabbed by one of it's tentacles. Struggling to slice off it's limbs with his swords, Râhír was swallowed by the beast. Lugaru jumped onto the monster's back and tried to cut off it's eyes, while Mindaugas sliced through it's belly to rescue Râhír. As Mindaugas' blade cut though the frog's stomach, an unconscious Râhír emerged, covered in bile and slime, but still breathing. 
Once Râhír had been revived, the heroes returned to the Goat King. The King was grateful for their assistance and offered them food and rest for the night. He also informed the party that Mallion had travelled to a castle called Darkstrand, to the north of Ackton. The name Darkstrand was known to Lugaru, who was gripped with a feeling of dread upon hearing it's name. 
After enjoying the "hospitality" of the Goat King, the heroes ventured north to Darkstrand Castle. On the way, they stopped in a small town called Galhannow. The locals of this village seemed distant and afraid, avoiding the newcomers and averting their gaze. All attempts to gleam any information about Darkstrand were brushed aside. The town's alderman was at first hesitant to even meet with the party, until Elentari convinced him to help. The alderman spoke of a terrible evil that had taken up residence in the castle. They'd had no word from Darkstrand in a very long time. 
The following day, the party arrived at Darkstrand. Darkstrand Castle sat on a small island in the bay, completely cut off from the mainland. The setting sun drew long and ominous shadows across the town of Darkstrand, the adventurers had the feeling they were being watched. The town itself was completely abandoned, further investigation revealed signs of conflict. Lugaru also discovered that the town's graveyard had been completely emptied. 
The party realised that they would have to wait until low tide to cross over to the castle, as the bay's water would be far too cold to swim across in. They set up camp in the abandoned town, however ghostly screams howled through the night, preventing them from getting a restful night. The next morning, the adventurers crossed the black sandy bridge to Darkstrand Castle. As they approached the walls of the castle, they noticed the gates were closed. Before they could formulate a plan to get in, arrows rained down upon them. A cadre of skeletal archers stood atop the battlements, denying anyone entry to the castle. To deal with their undead assailants, Elentari sat upon her broom, turned invisible and started firing magic attacks at the archers. Mindaugas, armed with his great hammer, started smashing the castle gate. Lugaru and Râhír, lacking any ranged weaponry, took cover to avoid the hail of arrows coming from the walls. Eventually, Mindaugas was able to break down the defences, and the three of them rushed into the breach to deal with the remaining skeletons. 
Once in the courtyard of the castle, the doors of the keep swung open and three skeletal Minotaurs burst out to attack the party. The heroes dealt with these enemies with skill and finesse. Lugaru nimbly hopped from the back of the beasts, slashing his swords at their spines. Mindaugas and Râhír weaved through the beasts, dodging attacks and smashing them to pieces. Elentari kept at range, providing support with her magic. After a short while, the Minotaurs fell. 
As the party revelled in their victory, the door to the barracks at the far end of the courtyard opened. What followed was an inexorable horde, spewing forth from the barracks. Dozens of shambling corpses came marching out into the courtyard, a gaunt figure in black armour leading them. Quickly, the heroes readied themselves for this new attack. Elentari gained a vantage point atop her broom, so that she could unleash attacks from above. Mindaugas hefted with hammer and charged directly into the throng, as Râhír and Lugaru took the flanks. The four of them fought gallantly, but they were soon overwhelmed. Mindaugas swung his hammer, bursting skulls and cracking bones, but the horde kept coming. Eventually, he became surrounded by corpse-walkers. Lugaru and Râhír tried to keep mobile, but they too became bogged down. Elentari had managed to kill the leader, which had weakened the zombies somewhat, though the horde kept coming. 
Realising that they were outnumbered, Lugaru, Râhír and Elentari made for the keep to try and fortify their position. Mindaugas had been caught in a blood rage and continued to fight even as his allies withdrew. Elentari and Lugaru managed to make it into the hall, but Râhír and Mindaugas had become cut off from them. with yet more undead between them and the doors. They tried to cut their way to the keep, but they soon became surrounded again. The situation seemed dire as the zombies closed in around them. Suddenly, Râhír heard a voice inside his head and he knew what to do. Uttering a prayer, he drove the Fangs of Anarâh into the stones. A great wave of flame burst out around him, reducing the undead to piles of smouldering bones. 
The party then took a moment to rest and recuperate before exploring any further. As they moved further down the hall, they discovered scrolls and parchments scattered on a table with strange formulas and notes scrawled upon them. Continuing the search the keep, the party ventures down into the dungeon. The keep's cells were filled with grotesque ghouls. The heroes moved down the hallway leading to a small laboratory where a mad looking man in dark robes was waiting. In a cage in the corner of the room, sat a wounded and unconscious Mallion. Without provocation, the necromancer attacked. The doors of the cells swung open and the ghouls attacked. Mindaugas turned to deal with the ghouls, as Lugaru charged ahead, eager to kill the man who had harmed his mentor. As Lugaru charged, the necromancer unleashed a wave of energy that pushed Lugaru back. Elentari then darted forward, weaving an incantation to her lips, she leaped forward and kissed the necromancer. The necromancer, along with the rest of the party was utterly stunned by this move. Be it through the power of Elentari's magic, or by her beguiling presence, the evil mage had become completed incapacitated. With the necromancer helpless, Lugaru leaped atop the table before him and removed his head. 
With the necromancer destroyed, Lugaru went to check on Mallion. He was unconscious and badly wounded. Carefully, he and Mindaugas opened his cell and carried him back to Galhannow. With the assistance of the village's healer, Mallion was stabilised. The party remained in town for a few days, waiting for Mallion to recover. Lugaru sat by his bedside, eager to be there when his mentor awoke. Eventually Mallion regained consciousness and Lugaru told him what had happened and why they were searching for him. Mallion revealed that The Eye had indeed been kept in Lugaru's village and that the Drow who attacked had stolen it. Mallion also decided to come clean with Lugaru and tell him the secret about his people. Lugaru's race had been created by Faeron with the power of The Eye. He had tried to keep them secret and charged Mallion with watching over them. 
With this new knowledge, the heroes had the difficult task of hunting down the Drow that had attacked Lugaru's village and slaughtered his people. The party decided that they would first return to Bridgeport to inform Lord Thackery in their success in clearing out Darkstrand Castle. On the road back, they were waylay-ed by a group of savage bandits, demanding gold. As the party readied themselves to fight, one of the brigands was struck down by a black feathered bolt. The party turned around to see Tychon standing behind them. With the deadly skill of Tychon, the heroes made short work of their would be assailants. Tychon revealed that he had spent the last several months tracking and attacking Drow raiders that had been launching assaults from the Underdark. He had built a small network of spies to help him find their targets, as well as keeping an eye out for his friends. Lugaru explained their goal and Tychon agreed to help them track down a Drow raiding party to find a way into the Underdark. 
Once they had returned to Bridgeport, Lord Thackery commended their efforts and decided that the party was in need of a reward. He offered the lands of Darkstrand Castle, along with a Lordship within the Breach. The party decided that Lugaru was best suited for this honour and so he was made Lugaru Longfoot, Lord of Darkstrand. 
=== Ronya's Rescue ===
The party spent the days following Lugaru's commendation ceremony in Bridgeport, preparing to rebuild Darkstrand Castle. Lugaru received some words of wisdom from Lord Thackery, as well as assistance from Julis Kelforth, one of Thackery's clerks. Julis advised Lugaru that it would cost about 10,000 gold pieces to get the castle back in good order and that work should be completed by early to mid spring. Lugaru was able to collect 2,000 gold to get the work started. 
The rest of the party was also making themselves busy during this time. Rahir drafted letters back to Drôhznia to pave the way for his plans to settle Drôhznians in Darkstrand. Râhír commissioned a local dwarven smith to craft a helmet using the gold mask he recovered from the Anârajha's tomb. Elentari started doing research on agriculture, animal husbandry and forestry to make sure the fief of Darkstrand would be profitable and Mindaugas became a patron of the Bridgeport Orphanage, donating a large some of money to better the childrens' education.
After a few days in Bridgeport, Lugaru was approached by an urchin boy, who delivered a letter before scampering away. The note was from a group of bandits, who had captured Ronya and were demanding ransom. Fearing for their friend's safety, and eager to make an example of these thugs, the heroes set off immediately to rescue their captured comrade. 
Leaving Bridgeport, the party travelled south until they reached the borders of Varna'Kar, one of the ancient groves of the Nûmeré Elves. Lugaru knew that outsiders were not welcome in these forests, but as time was of the essence, they decided to risk it and venture into the woodlands. As they travelled through the ancient forest, the heroes knew they were being watched. As they ventured forth, they came across an arrow, pinning a piece of parchment to a tree. The note read: "You should not be here. Leave Now". Eager to not anger the elves, Lugaru pleaded, in broken elvish, to their watchers. He asked that they be allowed to pass and rescue their friend. At this point, one of the elven warriors revealed himself and lead the party to the forest elder. The heroes made their case and were allowed to proceed with their mission. 
After making their way through Varna'Kar, the party arrived in the Garnley Peaks, where the bandits were hiding in an old fort. Once at the fort, the heroes formulated a plan to rescue Ronya. Lugaru approached the fort calmly, surrendered his weapons to the guards and was lead to the gates. Meanwhile, Râhír and Mindaugas sneaked through the tress to approach the fort from the sides. Once Lugaru reached the bridge over the fort's moat, Elentari used her magic to cause the water from the moat to swell up and knock Lugaru's guards into the moat. With the ensuing chaos, Lugaru, Mindagus and Râhír charged into the fort and cut their way through the bandits as they tried to mount a hasty defence. Meanwhile Ronya, hearing a commotion from outside, was able to slip her bindings, steal her captors sword and kill him. Although the bandits were many, they were no match for mighty heroes. Mindaugas and Lugaru stormed the main hall, felling many bandits, including their leader. Râhír, with the fangs alight, tore through enemy after enemy in the fort's kitchen. Elentari supported her comrades with magic, summoning giant webs to ensnare the thugs and transforming Râhír into a gaseous form when he was close to becoming overwhelmed by enemies. With their leader dead and the fort on fire, the remaining bandits surrendered or fled. Lugaru told the survivors to spread the word: that Lord Longfoot was not to be trifled with. 
Reunited with Ronya, the party enjoyed took rest in the fort, drinking and feasting on the bandit's stores. They piled the corpses of the bandits in front of the fort and painted the Longfoot banner on the wall with their blood. In the morning, Râhír and Elentari returned to Bridgeport, while the rest of the party travelled to Galhannow to check on Malion. 
=== Studying The Tear ===
As the party was still waiting for Tychon to return with news of The Eye, Elentari decided they should start to see what power Elune's Tear really held. In the training yard of Bridgeport Castle, the party attempted to activate the Tear to better understand what it could do. Mindaugas held the Tear and thought of home, he filled his mind with the loss and anger that he felt and struck a shield held by Râhír. The force of this punch almost knocked Râhír off his feet and the shield was covered in a light frost. Râhír tried next, he held the Tear and thought of his meeting with Sâlikhín and of the joy and peace he felt. For moment, Râhír felt the warm sun on his flesh. When he opened his eyes, he was back in the grim cold of the Arlish winter. Lugaru was the next to try. He thought of his village, the day that it was attacked. He pictured the black smoke and the sounds of dying. As he focused, he could smell arid smoke and he felt utterly alone. This only lasted a second, before he snapped back to reality. 
Elentari thought they might be on track and thought the answer might lie in the Ethereal Plane. She cast a spell to transport herself to the realm of dreams while holding The Tear. The first attempt was unsuccessful, but as she continued to venture into the realm, she started to hear a wailing, crying sound. She attempted to communicate with whoever was crying, but the sound just grew louder and the air grew colder. As the sound became almost deafening, Elentari felt a cold hand on her shoulder. Turning, she saw the demented a twisted face of a screaming woman. Elentari fled back to the Material Plane, filled with a feeling of dread. 
Lastly, Ronya attempted to activate the artifact. She closed her eyes and thought of her home, of her mother and the rejection she felt as a child. She felt as though she was standing back in Taure Carad, with crimson leaves falling around her. She saw her mother arguing with a tall man, who turned and walked away from her. When she open her eyes, there were a couple of red leaves at her feet. 
It was then clear that Ronya had a greater affinity with the Tear than any of the others. With Elentari's help, they tried activating the artifact in a number ways. Ronya managed to conjure an arrow in the Ethereal plane and fire it at a target. Elentari believed that the secret to the Tear was in the Ethereal and developed a plan. She purchased a sleeping potion from a local herbalist and Ronya entered into a deep sleep while holding the Tear. On the first night, Ronya dreamt that she was in the gardens of a glorious castle, sitting with an elf by a fountain. She was lucid in this dream and managed to find out that the elf maiden she was with thought she was Elune. Ronay then went to go see Elune's father Aranath but as soon as he looked her, he proclaimed that she was not his daughter and she woke up. On the second night, Ronya was in a nightmare version of her home. A night hag materialised and attacked her, but she managed to repel it using the Tear. On the third night, she dreamt of a grand throne room, filled with knights in gleaming suits of armour. She saw a trophy room that held The Fangs of Anârajh, Elune's Tear, a golden eye, a hammer shaped as a fist and a simple wooden cross. 
After a few weeks wintering in Bridgeport, Tychon appeared one night. As the party was dining, Tychon scaled the walls of the castle and entered through a window. He informed the heroes that he had found a way into The Underdark. He produced a small glass globe with a glowing light, floating inside. He told the party that the light points towards an entrance to the Underdark and would lead them to the Drow who took The Eye. 
=== Into Darkness ===
With the Drow device in hand, the heroes were ready to travel to the Underdark in search of The Eye and the raiders who stole it from Lugaru's village. The next day, the party stocked up on supplies and equipment before following the light of the globe north. After a day's travel, they arrived at a large forest at the roots of the Anginn Mountains. Traversing through the dense undergrowth, they found a narrow cave opening. Beyond this cave, a long stone staircase lead down into the darkness of the Underdark. 
At the base of this staircase was a camp site, where a group of Drow raiders were lying in wait. Mindaugas lead the charge as the subterranean elves sprung their ambush. Once the Drow were dealt with, the party searched the camp and discovered a trapdoor leading further into the depths. Weary from the fight, the heroes decided to rest in the camp, before continuing on the next day. 
Well rested and ready to venture on, the party left the relative comfort of the camp and climbed down the trapdoor ladder into the tunnels beyond. Marching through a narrow tunnel, the party tripped some hidden trap and the floor collapsed beneath them. Thinking fast, and perched upon her flying broom, Elentari cast a spell on Râhír, allowing him to fly. The quick reflexes of Ronya and Lugaru saved them, as they were able to grab on to the ledge as the rocks fell beneath them. Unfortunately, Mindaugas was not fast enough and he was plunged into a deep pool of water, 60 feet down. Seeing his friend in danger, Râhír ignited the Fangs and used the light to search for his friend. Meanwhile, Mindaugas managed to swim to the surface, despite the heavy equipment he carried. Treading water, he and Râhír started to formulate a plan. As they spoke, something lurked deep in the water below them. Something coiled about Mindaugas' leg and he was pulled under. 
As Râhír floated above the water, searching for his comrade. A hideous humanoid monster with a gaping maw a long grasping tentacles, burst out of the black water and grabbed Râhír, dragging him below. From their vantage point above, the rest of the party saw something jump out of the water and grab Râhír, and started to panic. As Ronya and Lugaru frantically tried to formulate and plan, Elentari performed an uncharacteristically heroic move; flying over to Lugaru, she threw him her cap of waterbreathing, cast a spell to adapt her body to the underwater environment and dove straight down into the water. Meanwhile, in the lake, both Râhír and Mindaugas were grappling in the dark with their mysterious foes. When Elentari dove in, her broom emitting a magical light, they able to see the creatures attacking them more clearly. Up above, Ronya and Lugaru tied their ropes together and, after securing it to a nearby stalagmite, threw it down into the cavern and jumped in to assist their friends. After a desperate battle underwater, the heroes weer able to kill or drive off their aquatic assailants. Cold, tired and soaked to the bone, the heroes laboriously climbed up the rope, back to the tunnel where they fell. 
Although they had not made much progress, the party decided to return to the Drow camp to rest and dry themselves out, before continuing further. After eating, sleeping and drying out their gear, the heroes were ready to proceed once more. Using their rope, they were able to clear the collapsed tunnel to delve deeper into the Underdark. 
After marching for a few hours through the twisting tunnels, the party came upon the entrance to some kind of dungeon, situated next to a powerful underground river. As Mindaugas was looking around, a Roper, perched silently above the river, grabbed him, Râhír and Lugaru. Although the foe was mighty, the heroes managed to dispatch it promptly. Continuing into the partially flooded dungeon, the party faced a pair of horrid undead creatures covered in writhing worms. Mindaugas found skeletal hand, poking out from a pile of rubble, with a very old, gold signet ring. The party also discovered a makeshift tomb, the final resting place of Sir Bradford Carter.
Once they had made their way through the flooded dungeon, the party continued to make their way through the caverns and tunnels of the Underdark. Lugaru had managed find a path through the darkness that he believed would lead them to the Drow. Without the light of the sun, it was impossible to tell how long they had been travelling. The heroes passed through huge caverns, cramped passages and ancient battlefields before arriving at the gate of a ancient fortress, carved into the rock. Lugaru was certain that the Drow trail lead through the fortress and so the heroes prepared to attack. As they approached, shouting could be heard from the battlements, followed by a rain of crossbow bolts. The battle was long and arduous, but the heroes managed to fight their way through the ranks of Duergar until the keep was theirs. 
Category:Stories