Summer Break Recap

Our story began with 6 childhood friends reuniting in Pinefarrow, the town they grew up in, after 5 years of adventuring on their own. Upon arriving, they learned that their mentor Sir Bryce Greenwood had died, leaving his tower, title, and his final quest for them to complete. They also learned the fate of two more of their companions. Astara, who had left to become a priestess of Nimue, had returned to the tower two years past to tend to Sir Greenwood in his final days, then left once more after he passed. Tristain, the leader of your group as children and scion of an ancient knightly family, had achieved his dream of becoming a Knight of Lyonesse and reuniting with his father, only to fall at his side in battle. Finally, the group learned of a massive gathering of orcs to the north, united under a warlord known as Ghazram the Conqueror, whose very presence was driving other monstrous races south into Prydain.

Journeying to Greenwood Tower, the group dispatched the goblins that had taken root there, and found a hidden shrine to Visian the Stormhawk, patron ancestor of adventurers and heroes. A note from Sir Greenwood told them of the quest he had left undone; long ago, Prydain was threatened by a being known as the Witch-King Balor. Sir Greenwood and his companions had managed to defeat the creature, but could not destroy it, though it cost them everything, including the life of Silver Fox, his wife. Knowing it would return, he dedicated his remaining years to learning how to fell it for good, and training you all as the next generation of heroes. In his final days, he had learned of a weapon powerful enough to defeat the Witch King, and that the secrets to its whereabouts could be discovered at the Vault of Tenebriel. The group was then drawn back to Pinefarrow, seeing fire on the horizon. They arrived to find the town burning, and a figure that looked like Astara calling down the flames, though she disappeared before they could confront her.

Helping the surviving villagers save what they could, the town leaders decided to relocate to be closer to Greenwood Tower, creating the town of New Pinefarrow. Once construction was underway, the group visited the Vault of Tenebriel, a magical creature created to safeguard magical knowledge. It told them that weapon had been broken and hidden. The first piece could be found in Hadrian's Tower, and that it would lead them to the next piece. It also told them that they were not the first to visit it asking for this weapon, though it would say no more.

While trying to find the location of Hadrian's Tower, the group defended loggers from orcs, defeated a gorgon in the ruins of Old Pinefarrow, met a halfling archaeologist in dwarven ruins, attempted to rescue a friend from a bandit fortress, rescued relics from the Cult of Radament and promptly had them stolen. All the while, New Pinefarrow continued to grow into a bustling small town.

Having learned of the location of Hadrian's Tower in the Wyvern Wastes, the group set out north. After winning the friendship of a Satyr king, they arrived at the tower, only to see Astara and a dark knight breaching its doors. The group rushed to confront them, but Astara brought the tower crashing down around them. The group was thrown into the lower levels of the tower, yet eventually found what they sought in Hadrian's personal study. A mural depicting a warrior with a golden halo battled a creature of darkness that wore a green-gemmed crown burning with witchlight. Along with the mural, they found half a shield - the same shield that the warrior bore. Along with the shield was an inscription, which they copied but could not decipher, before escaping the slowly awakening Hadrian the lich.

The group returned to New Pinefarrow and slowly attempted to decipher the shield, all while dealing with cattle poachers, hags, a full hobgoblin attack on the city, discovering an ancient dragon's horde, and a demonic ooze. During that time, Dalia, childhood friend and paramour of Rudy, vanished from the tower and returned to Thorborimm. When a dwarven priest visited town and helped decipher the shield's text as a portion of the Testament of Radament, the group decided to travel to Thorborimm to find one of the only known copies of the text, as well as find Dalia. Along the way, they helped a cursed village and plundered an ancient ruin, yet when they arrived at Thorborimm they discovered the city was closed while the council of dwarven lords was in session. After several failed attempts to gain entry, the group was attacked by assassins from the duergar, the deep dwarves. Learning of this attack, Dalia was able to bring the group into the city at last.

Now in Thorborimm, the group learned that Dalia was the heir to a powerful dwarven merchant clan, but was being held to a marriage contract with a rival clan of duergar, who Dalia suspected of murdering the rest of her family to take over the clan. The council was to vote on whether the marriage contract should be upheld. The group also spoke with the Temple of Vashaul, and learned that the master of the temple was the only one that could grant them permission to view the Testament of Radament, and he had fallen ill and gone to pray in a remote temple. With only a few days before the vote, and a missing temple elder, we pick back up with our group of heroes.