Elven Secrets

Elven Secrets is a group of adventurers consisting of:

* Cedric Eyriendor
* Snow in the Season of Mists
* Neretris Veldrillar
* Vesryn Veldrillar
* Dailan Woodwil

#### To and Along the Crystalglow

Elven Secrets was formed when the fates of the five members brought them to Flowport to meet Clement Percy. Percy explained to the group that their seemingly unrelated recent battles in fact had a common cause: the Black Deck, an international criminal organization. Faced with this threat, the party agreed to stick together, and to complete Neretris and Vesryn's task of bringing a mysterious artifact to Araven.

The trip revealed many rumors and signs of the looming war for succession of the Rosa Empire. The group found that Vox Danicci of the Raven Court had executed the entire village of Oldoak as "traitors to the Emperor Anselm." Danicci took an interest in Vesryn, claiming that they had the same source of magic. Vesryn later began to have strange dreams and magical "accidents".

Elven Secrets also encountered representatives of the Church of Dragons, a group of dragonborn who warned them that the next age will be "Dreams of Dragons". They ran across an allegedly prophetic young farmer, who feverishly asked why "the mist has no sway" over Dailan, and why he is "there at the end". The party also met and befriended Lindis, who would complete the trip with them and become a trusted ally.

A pack of goblins attacked Elven Secrets, led by one with a magical staff who called himself "Genzo". Although Genzo attempted to escape once his forces were routed, Elven Secrets was able to chase him down and kill him.

At Fieldias Pass, there was a fortress that, as Lindis sensed, had been the site of great tragedy. After defeating some zombies and a carrion crawler on the former battlefield, the party spoke to Garrion, a Victorian soldier. Garrion explained that Victorian and Fifth Legion soldiers had suddenly attacked each other in an animalistic frenzy. He asked Elven Secrets to take a letter to General Tyler Cambridge explaining these events. This brought them to the town of Hazleton, where Snow arranged with a thief named Phinneas to have poison extracted from the carrion crawler sac and sent ahead to Araven.

The group reached General Cambridge and delivered the letter. In private, Cambridge requested of his countryman Cedric that he seek out Mendes the wizard, who might understand the magic that likely caused the Fieldias Pass disaster.

Reaching the Crystalglow River, the group chartered a boat called the *Crystal North*, captained by a pro-human zealot. They witnessed a large number of fortifications and mercenary camps heading towards Araven. Passing by the halfling capital city of Asterold, they found it to be aflame. It had been attacked by kobolds, under the sway of another newly crowned leader named "Genzo". Elven Secrets beat back the immediate threat, and at Neretris's request, left one kobold alive, Ach'chunn ("Acky"). After convincing him that "Genzo" had betrayed the tribe, Acky led the group to his cave, to find that Hirex, the monster hunter, had just finished killing all 40 or so of his tribesmates. Hirex bragged that he had been hired by mercenaries. Neretris was particularly angered by the monster hunter's callousness. Within the cave, Snow found a letter from the "King of Clubs" (later identified as Ahrima) to the "Ten of Clubs" (later identified as Elsen Bayard), explaining that "Genzo" was part of the Black Deck's plan. The group agreed to help Acky and bring him to a safer location.

Elven Secrets learned that the kobolds had also attacked Hazleton, among other things killing Phinneas and the mayor. While meeting with Mayor Lauris of Asterold, two members of the Sand Vipers mercenary group showed up, their leader Des Fall (an elf, covered in tattoos) and his associate Jimidar (a dwarf). They explained that Araven had declared independence, and that they had been paid by the city-state's rich merchant houses to defend it against Victoria. The Sand Vipers are headquartered in the Kalim Desert, and their second-in-command is Snow's former "acquaintance" Kairn of the Hollow Stones. Asterold refused the Sand Vipers' "help".

The party chartered another boat, the *Rust Bucket*, captained by a friendly half-orc named Captain Russet. He took them to New Newton, a walled city famous for its universities. Outside the walls were a large number of refugees from the nearby war. The crowd had attracted further hangers-on, including more proselytizers from the Church of Dragons, as well as a stall manned by representatives of the Necromancy school of the city's Arcane University. The necromancers were offering the refugees money in exchange for the rights to their bodies after death. Many of the refugees, desperately needing money, were signing the contracts.

Cedric snuck away from the group to try to find Mendes, who was associated with one of the town's universities. Mendes's receptionist Melinda informed Cedric that Mendes was in the Aenin'wyyn Forest with the elven ranger Talia Arisana, trying to protect the forest from an expected attack. Cedric told Elven Secrets about his mission to meet Mendes. The group agreed to take on the task.

#### Detour to Aenin'wyyn

Elven Secrets' trip to the Aenin'wyyn Forest turned out to be a dangerous one that revealed much ancient history. They first had to defeat Seyawon, a former elf who had fallen in love with a human, but became a corrupted dryad after her lover died. They then met Truffir, a firbolg who served as a "rotwarden", combating the corruption that continues to eat away at the forest.

In order to find Mendes, Elven Secrets had to delve into a fortress that was the site of a long-ago wrongdoing. Lindis was unable to handle the negative energy associated with the fortress. But she lent some of her power to access the celestial rhythms to Cedric, allowing him to uncover the fortress's story as the party moved through it. During the Dreams of the Moon age, elves, dwarves, and humans banded together to fight against the dragons who dominated the age, and cohabited in this fortress. After the threat was over, the elves requested that the humans leave. Although the human general was willing to do so, his underling Yuki refused and led a massacre of the elves. The party defeated Yuki's spirit, helping fight back the corruption within the forest, and also located Mendes.

The group escorted Mendes to his meeting with Van'driel, the Keeper of the Waters of Life. Van'driel and Mendes needed to work together to prevent a portal to the plane of fire from opening, presumably avoiding another attack from Leopold, whom Cedric had encountered prior to joining the party. The party would later learn that Van'driel's magic staff, the Aspect of Life, is one of several powerful weapons granted to mortals by the gods. The others are the Aspect of Valor, a sword now owned by Lord Commander Jacques of Augustine; the Aspect of Resolve, a sphere which has been lost; and the mysterious Aspect of Destruction.

As Elven Secrets attempted to make their way back towards Araven, they were attacked while resting in the forest by Elsen Bayard, whom they killed. Observing this was Trey, a ranger from Gwendalia, who then revealed himself. Trey and the party exchanged information. Trey gave some insight into the Black Deck.

#### Arrival at Araven

Elven Secrets finally arrived in Araven, and placed the artifact within the city's legendary vault, renowned as the safest place in the realm. They learned that one of the city's four prominent merchant houses, House Falladren, had been the victim of a burglary. An "enchanting table", useful in the creation of magic items, had been stolen. Elven Secrets eventually discovered that Ravanna, the Queen of Diamonds, had been using her enchantment magic to compel servants of House Falladren to steal various items, and that Ravanna -- along with Korren, the Jack of Diamonds -- had fled to Rushgram. The party had also formed a business relationship with crime boss Melian Amarak, who wanted Korren dead for his own reasons.

### Adventures in the Northwest

Elven Secrets proceeded to the frigid and difficult to navigate realm of Rushgram. While staying at a friendly settlement, they were told about a fortunetelling hag. The hag provided them with some foreboding visions of the future. The party also learned that their quarry had split up: Ravanna was moving towards Whiteholme, while Korren was proceeding to the town of Trouve in Augustine.

#### Augustine and the Battle of Pasguard

The group chose to proceed to Trouve, where they made new friends and dug up more information. Albert, a wayward cleric of Aziz attempting to atone for past sins, joined them for some of their adventures. Augustine was divided by tensions between humans and non-humans. The party found out that Korren was a member of the Serpents, a group dedicated to maintaining human superiority. The Serpents had been robbing non-human victims in the city... as well as the Princess of the realm herself, Ellena, who was in favor of dwarven citizenship. Ellena's lady-in-waiting Marjorie joined the party in order to recover the necklace that had been stolen.

The group tracked down both the necklace and Korren himself, but the thief turned invisible and escaped. "Marjorie" revealed herself as the actual Princess Ellena, a talented fencer. This introduced the party to the royal family of Augustine. The King, Sylvain, was a traditionalist who allegedly tried to kill dwarven separatists. His son Akili, the heir to the throne, felt similarly. Ellena's husband Thierry was a kind intellectual in frail health.

Ellena was even able to win over Snow, whose father had been killed by Augustinian Knights. Snow confronted his past further when he learned that his old schoolmate Harry was a member of Ellena's court. In their youth, Harry had told their professor Anvarr Whiffstriker that Snow had started a fight. Whiffstriker then punished Snow by removing his eye. Harry apologized, and Snow forgave him.

It became apparent that the Serpents had made significant progress towards infiltrating the Augustinian military. Elven Secrets went into the catacombs below Trouve to investigate. There they discovered and killed Commandant Bane, a Serpent who was using non-humans as sacrifices.

Another Knight, Captain Kumar, informed the group that Korren had gone to Hammerand, a dwarven community on the border between Augustine and Rushgram. Arriving there, they found that a dwarf named Numnus was trying to take advantage of the community's justified anger at their poor treatment, and to turn them against the innocent human residents. Elven Secrets defeated Numnus and then Korren himself, with the help of a surprising and unexpected ally: Jonah, the Jack of Hearts. Jonah parted with the comment "see you in Whitestone."