A Walk in the Forest

After departing from Fallcrest, our heroes make their way up the Winter River and enter the Winterbole forest. Their progress is slow, as the Winterbole forest is ancient and thick. Our heroes Journey for two weeks, using their Bronze Warder to clear the thicker passages of vegetation and to carry their gear. As the group moves north, Viserys's dreams begin to change in tone and he is certain that they are moving towards whatever is calling him.

During their two week trek, the adventurers contend with a few natural hazards; a bold pack of wolves and an owlbear, but luckily they are not confronted by the Tigerclow Barbarians that call the Winterbole forest their home. On the 14th day of travel, the party comes to clearing, uncharacteristic of the forest. As they enter the clearing, the heroes notice an unnatural quiet fills this area and no wildlife seems to venture here. Viserys can sense a very powerful arcane energy within the center of the clearing, which reveals itself to be a 4 foot tall pyramid of energy.

When the party approaches the small pyramid, the spectral form of a Tiefling in fine robes appears. He greets them, and bids them to enter the Pyramid; where "All questions will be answered". The heroes ply the specter with questions about the pyramid, though he remains cryptic. Once it becomes clear that the 7 will not readily enter the pyramid, the tiefling quickly loses patience and drops his freindly facade. Suddenly, the pyramid seems to expand and the 7 adventurers into darkness. The last thing they hear is "Welcome to the Pyramid of Shadows. The only way to win your freedom is to kil us three times" Mocking laughter taunts the party as a new location coalesces around them...

The 7 adventurers find themselves trapped within the Pyramid of Shadows and immediately come under assault by an Ettain and several carrion crawlers. The heroes make short work of the immediate threat, and while trying to gain their bearings, hear a female voice calling out to them from a nearby alcove. Though they see no one (except for several decapitated heads that the ettin used as decoration) the voice seems to be emanating from a black bag. Upon investigation, the party finds a strange onyx sphere that, when looked upon, seems to house the spectral head of an elegant Eladrin female. Introducing herself as Vyrellis, the Eldarin asks the party to bring her with them, promising them that they can help each other escape. Vyrellis explains to the party that the Pyramid of Shadows is a prison meant to house exceptionally powerful beings. This particular Pyramid is meant for Karavakos; a tiefling wizard who made a deal with devils in exchange for an army powerful enough to ensure his rue. With legions of devil warriors at his command, Karavakos waged war on neighboring nations and soon what started as a petty barony soon became and empire that was larger than even Nerath. Karavakos, however, grew arrogant and was defeated while trying to expand his rule into the Feywild, where his devil armies did not enjoy the neigh invulerabiity that they did in the material word. Failing to uphold his end, the Devils cast Karavakos into the Pyramid of Shadows, where his essence was split into 3 splinters, each containing a fraction of Karavakos's original power. Over hundreds of years, one splinter of Karavakos has gained a minutia of control over the Pyramid, forcing it to appear at different locations in the Material world, where Karavakos could attempt to lure powerful creatures to his trap..

While exploring the rotting dungeon they now find themselves trapped in, the heroes come under attack by a group of Sahuagin and harpies. During the fight, it quickly becomes apparent that these attackers are trying to obtain the Head of Vyrellis. After defeating the immediate threat, the party interrogates Vyrellis more intently, making her reveal that she was in fact, an
Eladrin princess who was Karavakos's bride. She too was cast into the Pyramid, where her life force was trapped in the onyx sphere. Working their way through the dark hallways of the pyramid, the heroes trigger a trap and are split! Half the party come under the assault of swarms rats while the other half is trapped in a chute filled with refuse and a powerful otyugh. After a harrowing battle, the heroes are able to defeat the otyugh and escape from the trap.

As the party explores, the dank passageway that they are in opens to what appears to be a bright sunny day in a hedgmaze, where they encounter an Elven female. The elf introduces herself as Arauka en'Talwin, explaining that she and her mate were also lured to the Pyramid by Karavakos, and though her lover was killed by the Etin, she was able to escape. Over the last month, she has been able to explore a limited amount of the Pyramid, enough to determine that the level that they are trapped on is controlled by 3 factions: The Charnal Lord, jwho was the otyugh which the party members have already defeated, a savage group of strange plant creatures called Arboreans (who's territory they are currently in) lead by a religious figure named Camnor, and a recent group of bandits lead by a dragonborn named Gharash Vren.  These three factions each control a portion of the lowest level of the pyramid, and while Arauka has formed an uneasy truce with Camnor, she has essentially been on her own for the last month, as she refuses to submit to Camnors ritual of indoctrination.

Aruaka explains to the heroes that time passes differently within the Pyramid, and while sleep is necessary, food and drink are not. Additionally, over time, the Pyramid adatpts to its inhabitants, which is why the Charnal Lord's section was in a state of decay, while the Arborean controlled region appears to be a forest. Though she is hesitant to trust these 7 strangers, Aruaka decides to assist the 7 newcomers, as it seems to be her only option for escape.