The Valley of Bomar

## Companion to the Valley

The strange presence of the Lady in the chains was startling, but the scouting group went forth to see what they could do to free her. The Shade Folk woman was bound with heavy Mahdrat chains, a large lock securing the chains and keeping her from moving anything save her eyes, mouth and heart. The three began to investigate the pen in the citadel, and there in the corners, scribed in the dirt, were four sandpaintings. The sandpaintings depicted two sets of two symbols; those for **Ibn'Rex - Suspension**, and **Ipanahtch - Enslaved**. At once, the scouts wiped the sandpaintings away to see whether something would change in the pen by doing so. The Lady Ulutra, as was the Shade Folk woman's name, gained a bit more movement and was thankful that perhaps her imprisonment would soon come to an end.

Zak approached Lady Ulutra and began to view the locks which kept the heavy Mahdrat chains bound around her. The lock had an inscription of Ibn'Rex on one side, and Ipanahtch on the other. The lock would be difficult for some, but after a brief failure, Zak was able to disarm the lock without issue. Tindora then joined Zak in beginning to unravel the heavy chains from Lady Ulutra.

Before the two were done, however, Kazin signaled that they should stop. The Ûr patrols were approaching and would be at the gate of the pen in a matter of seconds. The scouts pressed up against the palisades as the first patrol approached. Without a look into the pen, the guard tossed another log on the small fire out by the gate, and was soon on his way. Another half minute later, and a second patrol passed by - again without the briefest look at the bound Shade Folk noble that was chained in the center of the pen. Another minute later and the scouts had freed the Lady.

The Lady was extremely grateful and offered to help them in whatever they needed. The party was looking for more information about the Ûr, having noticed there had been an unexpected number of detachments from five Clans of the Dark Caste present around the Citadel. The Lady had seen several other Clans move through Shazendrar, just in the past two weeks of her captivity. Full clans, not just detachments. She had no idea where they were going, but she had seen some maps being carried by some of the higher echelon soldiers of the clans. It was likely that these maps and force orders could also be present in the tents around the citadel.

The scouts commiserated with the Lady about what to do next. Zak could sneak into the tents and get information, and Lady Ulutra offered to create diversions if needed, as she was nearly undetectable. Kazin and Tindora would remain behind for the present, keeping the chains propped up in case the patrols decided to peek in the pen the next time they came through.

   Down in the southwest of the citadel, Zak and the Lady Ulutra found one of the officers' tents that was not under much supervision from the night guards. The Lady tipped over some ropes near a crate in the opposite direction from the night guard's watch, drawing their attention away from Zak sneaking into the tent. There were four sleeping soldiers present therein, including one that was most certainly a Fire Knight. Quietly Zak sneaked around their bedsides to a chest that lay towards the back of the tent. The chest was unlocked, mostly because the reputation for vengeance against thieves was legendary in Ûr circles, and Zak was able to procure various parchments, a small leather pouch, and a couple potion flasks. On the makeshift table in the tent, Zak quietly lifted the map away, and quickly departed the tent before his luck ran out.

Lady Ulutra and Zak waited for the next patrol to pass, and then they rejoined Kazin and Tindora to quickly escape. The Lady knew they only had so much time, as once it was discovered that she had gone, a hunting patrol would be sent to trail her, which would most certainly include a few Visages and the dreaded Intersticer.

With a brief discussion, It had been decided upon that the party's next destination would be the Valley of Bomar. The Dreamwarden and Baronet Realnore had both mentioned that the Ûr might be travelling on the old roads across the mountains that passed through the valley, so it was worth investigating. The Lady Ulutra also pleaded with the party to help free her kin from a group of Order & Ûr, who had taken up camp in the Valley of Bomar not long ago.

As it turned out, the Ûr had come to the Valley to investigate the area for staging an attack into the Kreenan Plains of Angleside. The small Shade Folk clan, to which Lady Ulutra belonged, had lived in the Valley on and off for centuries quite peacefully, and so they decided to wait in one of the old dragon caves to see how long the Ûr were planning to stay. For the most part, the Shade Folk had no problem evading observation from the Ûr and Order, at least until the Visages came. There was something strange in these Outsider creatures, the Visages, which enabled them to perceive the movements of the Shade Folk. Some barely perceivable trace of their existence hung between the planes as the Shade Folk moved, and although the this trace decayed over time, it was perceivable enough for several hours to enable the Visages to track the Shade Folk down. As the Visages and Ûr approached the cave in which the Shade Folk were hiding, Lady Ulutra and Lord Udu'rahn made themselves known and attempted to lead their pursuers away. Several of the Shade Folk were able to escape, but unfortunately, the Lord, Lady and a few others were captured. The Lady would now do anything on her return to free her kin from captivity, and from the Order turning them into the aberration which Lord Udu'rahn had unfortunately become.

The party raced on, travelling over thirty hours before fatigue required them to stop. They party had done everything in their power to hide their tracks and travel as quickly as possible. Freya was always a great leader in the hills, and could find the best paths, no matter what the weather. Aterean would scout out as an eagle from time to time, and after any camp, he would always cast *Pass without Trace* to keep their direction hidden. It might be known by their pursuers that the Lady would return to the Valley of Bomar, but since there was no road, at least they would not know the party's exact position.

   When they could rest, the party reviewed the documents that they had recovered from the tent inside Shazendrar. There were scrolls for the spells **Chains of Hell** and **Fire Breath** which Wubba was quite interested in. To help out the Dreamwarden and Baronet Realnore, however, there was a map of planned Ûr movements and various plans for the forces. The map indicated that the entirety of the Ûr was to be mobilized, bringing chaos from their forces to pair with the strange disruptions that the Order were mustering. Attacks to the north, south, east and west were planned, and the kingdoms surrounding the Mote would have to be prepared as soon as possible.
Coupled with the map, there was a document describing the force actions. These actions in the document were directed by three of the Order, the same three that had appeared in the strange vision in the basement of Biergen Keep, namely; Ordahn, Llyddyryan, and Mydroth. The document read as follows:

> *We are now ready for the next stage.  During this stage the glorious Ûr will march with the Order of Uthargot to expand, command and transform, or destroy those opposing.*
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> *The western clans will move through Shazendrar and into the Athro Valley.  Here they will divide into three groups.  One to move south into the southern valley and to lay Banor to waste.  One to move and reinforce the western Ffydd River Blending Circle – then to expand into Coten and to Regent.  One to move to more north through South Gate and into the Kreenan Plains from the south.*
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> *The northwestern clans will divide into two armies.  The greater army will march through the Valley of Bomar and then burst into the Kreenan Plains, laying the east of Angleside in ruins.  The other army will head north into Chwaer Wood, reinforce Canbrunt, and then plunge towards the sea, thereby dividing Wainmouth from the rest of Angleside.*
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> *The northeastern clans will divide into two groups.  One to drive north and begin the subversion of the Moors.  The other to move through Hazad’Gar and on to lay waste to West Eye and Teldor.*
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> *The eastern and southern clans will merge to reinforce Horido’Gaht, and then pour east into the Smothe and crash into Aden Shahn.*
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> *The southern clans are already mustering in great number, preparing for their attack south, first hitting Taitronen, and then on to Katorba and Sadav.*
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> *All armies will have more of the New, brought from the great Rift and then sent to the funnels and circles, ripping apart the worlds to bring in the new order.  The Dreamer dreams, and we use it to create what we need to bring the power of Uthargot to our new world.*
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Another document, issued by Mydroth, supported the story that Lady Ulutra had indicated. The Shade Folk were being hunted to be used by the Order to spread more of their corruption. The work we have done for Uthargot has been bringing great change to the feeble lands around us; protected by nothing, no gods, no people, nothing.

> *We have further learned that our abilities to change and transform can be augmented further by the transformation of the peoples known as the Shade Folk.  Although they are not frequently found, there are some in the Western Mote and Athro Hills, primarily near the Valley of Bomar.  There are not many and they are difficult to find, hiding their nature from us as cowards would.  Any Shade Folk captured for transformation will result in a great boon for those who prove themselves vigilant and strong.  Save them and bring them for our rituals to cleanse them and make them whole for our cause.*
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While he slept, Wubba passed on the information to Dreamwarden Elyndor Eseyn, who was understandably disturbed by the implications in the content.

> *The information you bring us is disturbing, yet important.  We have been gaining some ground about what we know about, what you have told us is that we are not prepared at all.   I will contact Lady Rhiddar, Baronet Realnore, Lady Alurian, Lord Fahnde and Baron Danthar and reveal these plans to help them prepare.  We may have to regroup and muster more forces in order to meet this terrible threat.*
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> *This Shade Folk noble, Lady Ulutra, is bewildering to me as well.  I have believed in their existence, but I never thought I would meet any, except in my dreams.   If you can help them, it might benefit us in ways we may not yet know.*
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> *Seek the Valley of Bomar to assist and also to relay any information about what the Ûr or Order might be doing there, or might be moving through there.  Time is of the essence for us to respond to the threat, and the information you gain will go straight to the King of Angleside to rally the people to defend their lands against this monumental threat.*
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The party pressed on and seven days later, the party arrived on the rim of the valley. The Valley of Bomar was lush and green, not at all like the more barren hills surrounding the Mote. A river flowed from the southern wall of the Valley, heading north through the valley. The Lady believed that the lushness of the valley was due to the dragon bones in the cave, at the source of the river. The waters of the river, especially at the northern pool, was restorative for people to drink from, and the same properties probably had an effect on the environment as well.

The Lady Ulutra was going to scout out the Ûr camp, a couple miles away, but she would meet up with them later, somewhere near their camp. She told the party that the Valley did have some dragon caves, but as far as she knew, there were no living dragons sighted in the area. The Lady also mentioned that should they all need to escape, the cave at the river's source would be the best place. If possible, the party should hold any foe away from the cave until at least one Shade Folk could arrive. With only a few more words, the Lady flew out and disappeared from sight.

The party descended into the valley, but stayed on the hillside so they could see over the canopy of trees nestled on the valley floor. As they got a better view, they espied at least three caves on the hillside walls. Although Lady Ulutra had said to be wary of disturbing the bones of the bygone dragons, the party's curiosity for investigating at least one of the caves was too great.

The party assembled near the cave in the southwestern corner of the valley, while Zak adopted his *Mist Form* to sneak into the cavern. The cavern was strangely lit by some unknown source, revealing a large chamber with the skeleton of a baby dragon. The dragon sat on a massive, pristine rug with two large urns with some sort of succulent plants in them, growing inside this cave. Also on the rug were several humanoid skeletons, lined up in some sort of order, not obvious to Zak as he misted by. In another chamber of the cavern, there was a small, marble dais, topped with yet another urn containing a healthy succulent. In the final section of the cave, there were stalagmites along the sides of the cavern and a throne upon a carpet at the far end. The throne was engraved beautifully, yet there was neither inscription nor wear to be seen upon it. As Zak moved through this section, however, in the corner of his eye, it seemed as though the stalagmites were faces of dragons. Yet, when Zak stared directly at them, he could only see the stalagmites again. Without disturbing anything, Zak returned outside to rejoin the party, revealing what he had seen.

## The Watchers

After Zak returned to the party, the whole group went in to investigate further. They were careful not to disturb the skeleton of the baby dragon, nor the pattern of humanoid skeletons laid out strangely on the carpet in the main hall. Yet, more eyes were wondering what the intent was of this cavern.

Kazin created an illusion of a two-way mirror near the stalagmites to see if it would be possible to stare directly at a dragon's head appearing at the stalagmite. Although some of the stalagmites could only be seen in the corner of one's eye, there was at least one where Kazin could view the dragon's head through the two-way mirror. Wubba and Kazin considered what could be going on. Wubba revealed that the room was filled with enchantment, abjuration and conjuration magic, with a dose of evocation magic around the urns with the succulents in them. Kazin examined the stalagmites further and came to the conclusion that maybe these were each some sort of *Arcane Eye* spell - not specifically, but something akin to it. Not all of the stalagmites were working in unison, so perhaps there were several of these spells present in the chamber.

Meanwhile, Freya and Aterean examined the urns with the succulents. Although not completely certain, Aterean believed these to be a strain of Aloe Polyphylla, a strong healing plant whose sap from the leaves can heal on its own or be used in alchemy. Since the urns were exuding evocation magic, there was some consternation about whether they should take samples from the aloe at all, but in a quick move, one of the leaves was broken off and delivered to Aterean for use in his craft. Fortunately, no large bolts of magic rained out from the urn when the sprig was taken, so all breathed a sigh of relief for the present.

In the southwest corner of the cavern, Brocktharian took a look at the dais again. There was an urn with aloe on that as well, but he also discovered that there were three different plates placed on the dais, each with different currencies and amounts. Brocktharian placed 10 more mithril coins on the dais, but nothing seemed to happen.

At approximately the same time, Kazin and Wubba returned to the room with the humanoid skeletons and tried to determine what the significance of these skeletons lined up in rows were. The first row had 1 skeleton, the 2nd two, the 3rd three, the 4th five, and the 5th eight. The sorcerer and wizard then considered what this could mean, perhaps a Fibonacci sequence of some sort? The next in the sequence would certainly be thirteen.

> *"I don't know about any fib or nacho*," exclaimed Brocktharian, "*but there are 13 mithril coins on this plate by the dais!".*
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Looking again, the plate with mithril coins numbered 13. There was also a plate with gold coins numbering 21. And lastly, a plate with 34 platinum coins lay just beside the other two. Brocktharian reported the coins and their numbers to Kazin and Wubba, asking what the next number in the sequence would be. Kazin responded that 55 would be next, so Brocktharian placed an additional 45 mithril coins on the dais to add to the 10 he had already put there. While putting the coins down next to the urn, he also noticed that the leaves of the Aloe Polyphylla grew in a similar sequence; 1 leaf, then 2, then 3, then 5 and then 8. Each of the sprigs of the aloe followed similar patterns. But now that the 55 mithril coins were on this dais, was anything going to happen?

In the other part of the cavern, Aterean was putting his aloe sap away in the alchemical kit. Although there were still dragon heads appearing on the stalagmites from time to time out of the corner of his eye, he now saw that there was someone sitting on the throne in the northwest corner of the cavern. Zak had been sitting there only a couple minutes ago, but now there was some sort of naked half-drow male sitting nonchalantly on the throne, viewing the party poking about the cavern.

The party slowly gathered in the chamber near the throne and the recently appeared humanoid spoke....

> *I am Urdak'Rai. We appreciate your gifts to commemorate and mourn for our long dead. It is thoughtful and perhaps there will be a time when our kinds can again live in peace in and around this value, but we should abide by our ancient pact and both depart. However, in appreciation for your gifts, I shall answer two questions if you desire.*
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The party then commiserated as to what would make good questions for them to ask. After a brief discussion and before anyone could blurt something out that sounded like they were posing a question to Urdak'Rai, they agreed to make their questions about the cave, the valley and the identity of this being.

Urdak'Rai, a dragon, inhabited this cavern long ago, but left it centuries ago as a memorial to the dead of the species who fought in the valley. This is a place where dragon and humanoid kinds could respect each others dead, and would also offer a place for communication so that the different species could become acquainted again, without the violence that tore the valley apart. Through communication, perhaps trust could be earned again, and all could return to the valley.

Moments later, Urdak'Rai was gone and the cavern grew quiet again. Perhaps the party would return again someday, make an offering and communicate more, but for now, there were other caves in the Valley of Bomar to explore.

The party then travelled northward, crossing a section of the valley to come upon another cave. This cave was brightly lit as well, visible to all who peered from the cave entrance. There was a blue, luminescent, but clear, pool, surrounded by floating glyphs in four different colors. The blue, red and purple glyphs floating above large piles of humanoid skulls, and the glyphs in these cases probably represented one word each. There was also a large number of bronze glyphs next to the pool that was probably a sentence in some bygone language. Only a few yards beyond the blue and red glyphs lay two very large dragon skeletons, sprawled out on the cavern floor. Before the party touched anything, however, they needed to figure out what these glyphs meant.

The glyphs were in the *New Madur* script, commonly used in The Mote, Aden Shahn, Teldor and the gnomes and halflings of the far east. Even though the letters were readable by Wubba, Tindora and Freya, the words did not make any sense. Wubba cast *Detect Magic* to determine what was in the room and then he would begin a ritual of *Comprehend Languages.* The magic in the cave was soaked in divination, abjuration and evocation magic. The piles of skulls, in particular, were almost completely evocation magic, whereas the pool was solely abjuration and divination magic. Brocktharian used his *Divine Sense* to get a feeling for whether this place was aligned with ill or grace, and he found that, indeed, this cavern was *Hallowed*, cleansed and created to respect the fallen. After a brief wait for the ritual, Wubba began his reading of the glyphs.

The language was Helenar, an ancient proto-language derived from the earliest Madur speech. The languages which Tindora, Wubba and Freya knew that used the *New Madur* script all derived from Helenar. Now with the ability to read the ancient words, Wubba was able to ascertain that tThe glyphs above the skulls near one of the dragon skeletons read *Fire*, while the glyphs by the other dragon read *Ice*. The glyphs above the pile of skulls on the other side of the pool read *Mana*. Finally, the bronze glyphs, that floated in the space between the *Fire* and *Ice* glyphs, formed the following sentence:

> *Respect the children by manifesting their strengths*
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The users of magic felt confident in what this meant. Kazin created an illusion just above the pile of skulls with the word *Mana* above them. Nothing happened yet. Aterean *Produced Flame* right above the glyphs of fire, but also nothing happened. However, when Aterean sent the flame into the pile of skulls below the word for *Fire,* the pile of skulls began to glow. Kazin attempted to lower his illusion into the pile of skulls with the word *Mana* above them, but nothing happened still. Then Kazin cast *Shocking Grasp* and grabbed one of the skulls, and then the whole pile began to glow. Now, Wubba cast *Ray of Frost* at the pile of skulls with the word *Ice* above them, and that pile glowed as well.

Now, Brocktharian and Kazin looked at the pool and at the edge, a chalice rose from the waters, levitated by some unknown force. Kazin took a drink and found it quite refreshing, although the chalice disappeared in thin air. The group cast their spells again, and this time Brocktharian took a drink. He, too, was quite refreshed. Now, most of the others also chose to drink from the chalice, save Zak, Freya and Tindora. The party also attempted to pour the liquid from the chalice into a wineskin, but when the chalice was tiled, the water drained out of it, but it never poured into the skin. Drinking was apparently the only way to gain satisfaction from the chalice. Once all who wished to drink had drunk, the party headed back out of the cavern.

The party's travels had permitted them to see three more caves in the valley. There was the cave from which the stream flowed down, central on the southern wall of the valley. Then there were two more caves on the eastern wall of the valley. Lady Ulutra had told the party that the group ran into any major trouble, they should all meet at the cave where the stream emerged. Wanting to investigate this cave further, the party headed across the valley floor and up the hillside along the stream to the south central cavern.

The south central cave was not lit nor adorned with anything bizarre that the party could observe from its entrance. It seemed like a large and simple cave with a shallow, but fast moving stream flowing out of it. The rock walls seemed commonplace, as did the stalagmites. However, as they penetrated the cavern further, they espied two massive bones (femurs probably) crossed in the space. But more strange than that, there was a light pouring out from the center of the stream just a bit further. Zak moved up and found the light quite bright. But even more puzzling than that, Zak clearly observed that the area around the light smelled like the sea. A waft of salt in the air, not unlike Gelden Heights where Zak and Aterean had called home in their youth. The area near the light was clearly smelling like they were near the seashore. Brocktharian reached down, wet his hand in the stream and tasted it. It was salt water. As he moved either closer to the source of the stream or further down, the water tasted like normal mountain fresh spring water, but that was not the case where the light was shining. Wubba cast *Detect Magic* but there was no magic present in the cavern, save a bit of abjuration all throughout the area. Nothing was different about the area with the light, and the party now wondered what was going on.

## Dangerous Shafts and Denizens

The party spent some time investigating the strange area in the southern cave. There was no ingress in the area where the light and salt water was present, other than the normal river bed flowing from further back in the cave. There was no egress in the area either, except to flow out of the cave and down the mountainside. The party tried digging a bit, but no indication of what could actually be causing this strange anomaly could be found. The stones at the bottom of the stream were the same, whether they were in the salt water section or the fresh water section. Something strange was certainly present here, but the party needed to move on.

But before they investigated the ruins far to the north, there were two caves visible on the eastern wall of the valley which intrigued the party members. The party, led by Freya, moved quickly through the dense forest at the bottom of the valley and then rose to arrive at a cave at the eastern wall. The journey was unfettered, but Freya and Aterean noticed that the area surrounding this cave was quite devoid of any game larger than the smallest of woodland creatures. Perhaps this was a sign that predators were near, but no one was yet certain who these predators might be.

From the outside, the cave looked like any other, but as they entered, they found that there were steps carved into the floor by some sort of tool. The steps were quite old, and there were no signs of any recent activity with the walls, ceiling or floors as far as the party could see. Zak and Brocktharian led the way into the cavern, carefully walking down the steps and observing what they could as they descended. Finally, they came to a four-way intersection, and a quandary as to where they should explore next. After a brief discussion, the party elected down the tunnel to the north. Freya left an *Alarm* in the intersection to make sure they knew if something was traveling through the area once they moved on.

The tunnel corridors were generally not more than 8 feet across, and in some places half that width. This made exploration and defensive preparations a bit more difficult. After making a couple turns in this corridor, the party finally did see something out of the ordinary. Something no one had seen before. Something no one wanted to see again.

Floating down the corridor towards the party was what appeared to be a semi-transparent green jellyfish-like creature known as the Oozarb. The Oozarb might have had some of the characteristics of a jelly fish, but it was quite large and had complete control over four massive tentacles which twitched below the bulbous head.

No one had encountered anything like this before. This was not in the known repertoire of fauna in the hills, woods, meadows nor cliffs near Aterean the Druid. Nor was this something that was either prey or predator found in the foothills of the southern Mote where Freya the Ranger did her hunting. This creature was something hidden away in the dark, deserted places, hidden from view, but willing to seek out and make anything they found as their quarry.

The Oozarb was able to wield each of its four tentacles with great force and accuracy, bludgeoning hard, but also leaving a spray of acid with each strike. This power would rend Brynda and Zak quite severely when first encountered. But the other strange power of the Oozarb was its strange *Psychic Burst*, which caused uncertainty, fear and apprehension in all of those near it, while rattling the very brain of any individual incapable of dismissing the horrible sensations the Oozarb was projecting. This initial attack from the Oozarb was indeed dangerous, but fortunately, the party had many veterans capable of withstanding the onslaught as well as land their blows and spells precisely, destroying this denizen of the dark in rather quick measure. The party was amazed at the amount of damage the creature could unleash, so they were determined to keep their guard up, should another of these creatures emerge from the darkness.

Further down this corridor, the party found a hole in the ground, a bit more than a meter in diameter. The shaft extended about 70' down and the walls of the shaft appeared to be tooled - this was not a naturally occurring cavity in the rock. A strong stalagmite stood near the hole, so Freya fastened a rope around the formation and tossed the rest down the hole.

Zak led the party down the rope, moving quietly with other party members following his lead, heading down the shaft with about 15' between each. When Zak finally reached the bottom, however, another Oozarb was waiting for them. Immediately, the Oozarb sent forth a *Psychic Burst* which fortunately had no effect on Zak or Brocktharian, just above. However, Tindora was just within range of the nightmarish projections and succumbed to them. She now became determined that she would not move a bit further down the shaft. The others above Tindora continued to move down, but there was no way for someone to get by in such a small area.

As a bit of strange fortune, Brynda, who had been trying to make her way down the shaft, lost her footing and grip and tumbled down the shaft. She hit Aterean hard and the two fell, smashing into Tindora, who also could not keep her grip, so all three continued to plummet into Brocktharian, who, although quite strong would not be able to hold back the force of several of his falling teammates. The falling group continued to plummet and landed squarely on Zak at the bottom of the shaft, right by the ominous Oozarb.

Those who were not under the spell of the Oozarb dusted themselves off and jumped into action. Again the Oozarb lashed out with its tentacles, but the party was savage with their response, destroying the floating villain quickly, permitting the minds of those it had affected to return to normal.

The party briefly rested and healed, regrouping at the bottom of this shaft to continue their journey. This corridor lead to the west and then turned north, leading the group to yet another shaft downwards. Brocktharian hammered a spike into the wall of the tunnel and fastened a line to it. Zak peered down this shaft and discovered that is was at least 90' deep. Again, Zak took the lead with Brocktharian close behind, while Kazin, Freya and Hormish watched the rear, making sure nothing was following them.

When Zak reached the end of this shaft, there were two Oozarb waiting for them. Each of the Oozarbs attacked Zak with their tentacles, and do to his near defenseless position stretched across a small vertical shaft, Zak was knocked unconscious and dropped to the cavern floor. Brocktharian hastened his pace down the shaft as did the rest of the party, but the Oozarbs responded with both tentacle attacks and another *Psychic Blast*.

This was the moment when another Oozarb began descending at the shaft nearest to Kazin, Freya and Hormish. Kazin shot up a *Fire Bolt* and retreated, letting the warriors move forward against the creature. The Oozarb attacked Freya hard, sending her reeling, but between Kazin, Brynda, Hormish and Freya, the Oozarb would be defeated in no time.

Meanwhile down the other shaft, the party had much to contend with. The fear was instilled in Tindora and Aterean, but Aterean had enough focus to heal the fallen Zak. Brocktharian fought hard against the creatures, but the Oozarbs were still able to knock Zak unconscious again. The fight between the Oozarbs was brutal, and to help break the Oozarbs' focus on Zak, Aterean summoned a polar bear to attack the strange creatures. This worked long enough for Zak to regain consciousness again, even with another *Psychic Burst* penetrating the psyche of the team nearby.

As the party fought below, the group in the rear raced back to help. Kazin polymorphed himself and Freya into bats and flew down the shaft as quickly as they could. With the last *Psychic Burst* killing the polar bear, there was no time to lose. Zak, Wubba and Aterean all attacked one of the Oozarbs, killing it, and thereby freeing the mind of Tindora. Now with Freya and Kazin able to assist, the last Oozarb was quickly dispatched, leaving the cavern quiet for the present.

In this cave at the bottom of the shaft, there were some signs of organic matter caked on the floor, but very little else was seen initially. Around a large stone, however, the party not only found some scattered coin, but also a well-made suit of armor made of bone and leather. The bones were engraved with an ancient script, the language not initially known until Wubba identified it as Ptasaris - an ancient root language. Wubba translated the script to read the following:

> *From the sacred power of Rath'Kai, we are given his protection*
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Wubba remembered who Rath'Kai was. The name was owned by an ancient red dragon who fell at the Battle of Dandren Hill during the Second Fire Sky War. The bones and leather of the armor must have been fabricated from the fallen dragon, Rath'Kai. It was known that Lord Dytrahn of Portmunt had been the wearer of the armor at one time, but he was lost in the Mote and never heard from again.

Now the party briefly rested, but it would not be for long. Freya's alarm sounded again and now the group prepared themselves for another battle with something in these caverns. They would not need to wait long as soon tentacles could be seen, circling the top of the shaft.

Kazin thought quickly to polymorph Freya and Hormish into flies to make their way up the shaft unnoticed. When the flies arrived, they saw that the tunnel above their shaft contained 3 Oozarb, two of which were relatively close to the shaft which the party needed to ascend. The party thought carefully and then dove into action. Wubba cast a *Fireball* up the shaft, blasting the Oozarb that surrounded it. As the rest of the part climbed the shaft to engage these fiends, Aterean summoned a polar bear at the top of the shaft to face the creatures and change their focus to something directly in front of them. Iorek V would not last long, but it would be long enough for the vanguard of the party to ascend and engage these horrible creatures. The Oozarb were cruel adversaries, but the party would not give them opportunity to wreak any further havoc . The first Oozarb fell, and then the second. The third was now being hunted, but it shot up another shaft and out of range of the party's weapons and magic.

Now the party ascended again, this time to the main level of the caverns. The party looked briefly down a couple of the other corridors that were present, but chose not to venture deeply again. Wubba performed a ritual of *Detect Magic* to determine if there were any arcane barriers, portals or traps present at their location in the mines, but none were found. The *Alarm* which Freya had placed had indicated the fleeing Oozarb had probably crossed it, although it was not certain whether the fiend had gone deep down another shaft or out of the caverns. There could be more Oozarb in either direction, either waiting in the dark shadows of the ancient mine, or out on a hunt in the forest surrounding the cave's opening.

The party returned outside the ancient mine for a short rest and to identify the dragon bone and leather armor that they had found. It was indeed the ancient *Armor of Rath'Kai,* made from the remains of the great dragon of the same name who had fallen in the Battle of Dandren Hill during the Second Fire Sky War. The armor was very light and mobile, although it did rattle as it moved. The armor also protected the wearer from fire and cold, as is the ability of red dragons in general. This was quite a find which the party could now relish over while they briefly rested.

## The House in the Lake

The rest outside the cavern of the Oozarb was short-lived as Lady Ulutra appeared before them after her survey of the camp and the perimeter of the Valley of Bomar. The Lady had urgent news about what they were about to face. The camp by the ruins definitely was holding three of her Shade Folk comrades, but they would have to be quick in order to free them from their dire fate. She emphasized that if they are not successful, then those captives would certainly be turned into more *Intersticers,* or potentially something worse. Once her kin could be freed, the party and her folk should meet at the southern cave, where the stream of the valley emerges, and the Shade Folk would facilitate everyone's escape there.

The other important news, and the reason for the party's needed alacrity, was that the Lady had seen a very large force of Ûr approaching from the east, now rising up the foothills from the Chwaer Plains below.   There are thousands of Ûr, by her estimate, many more than she saw at any one time near Shazendrar.   They will arrive over the eastern, northern and southern walls of the valley sometime in the next six to eight hours.  It was dusk now, and it would be prudent to get to the ruins as fast as possible and scout the area in the hours that they had left.

Lastly, Lady Ulutra is aware there is something strange at the north end of the lake.  This is a new aberration potentially coinciding with the rituals that the Order has performed at their camp.   She did not know what this aberration means, but it appears there are rifts opening, perhaps visual, perhaps material.   These rifts manifest themselves by presenting a building floating inches above the lake…sometimes. She dare not investigate, as this aberration is too close to ruins where the Visages are present, but she did notice that these visions or presences were not always there, and not always the same.  She believes that it could just be an image of somewhere else, but it could also be a doorway.  It was too hard to tell without closer observation. With her information, the party moved north through the valley, tracing the west bank of the small lake, just south of the ruins and the camp.

From their vantage point along the coast, they could see the strange scenes appearing above the lake. Only 6" above the lake, there were two randomly appearing segments of another place or time or dimension. From closer observations, it seemed the two segments were connected, but not always present together. What the segments displayed was part of a small wooden house that sat close to a stream. At one point, there was a strange creature present among the segments, but before the party could identify it, the segments and the creature had disappeared.

The party considered their options. Kazin could camouflage scouts by casting a *Fog Cloud* on that area of the lake to obscure the party's transit. But it was determined that Zak would use his *Mist Move* capability to skim the surface of the water and investigate the segments as they appeared.

When Zak arrived at the aberrations, only the exterior house segment was present. Zak moved up on to the land, and found it slightly different from the soil which surrounded the lake. This segment was physically present, but not from this area. A half minute later, the segment on which Zak was present faded back out, plunging the misty Drow back into the lake. However, now the interior house segment had appeared. Zak made his way on to this segment and then saw a note scrawled on the table. Zak could not read the script nor language, but knew he had seen something similar to it before and that both Freya and Wubba had known that script. Zak took out a quill and paper and quickly transcribed the note prior to the segment disappearing again. Fortunately, the segment remained up long enough for Zak to complete the transcription, but another ten seconds later and Zak found himself swimming back to shore.

The paper was partially smudged from the lake water when the party was able to look at Zak's transcription, but most of it was fairly legible. The language was quite familiar to Freya and Wubba had no problem understanding it either, although the smudged words did make it difficult to completely understand.

> I sperch  e to be here, but only for an instant. The next moment I am going again, and in places I do not remember ever seeing. When I go, it wasn’t like before, where I could choose my end worldy time. I feel no wordj hand, but something is leading me – pulling me. I feel no desire to create, but something – someone is force dogging  me.  I would think give for know stuff from the gods, but I do not think I can do me to hear them. I want to leave the house, but I am tired and must sleep again.  And with the sleep comes no rest, but rather the very strange  travel and the end time of creation.
>
>

The note increased the curiosity of the party.

Wubba, having grown up in the Green Cities of Udbotsi, had always been a good swimmer. The lake water was only slightly cooler than the warm shores that surrounded the Green Cities, but it would be no obstacle. Wubba and Zak decided to swim back out and try and see if Wubba could understand anything further from the original text. Wubba cast *Demonic Mist* to conceal himself somewhat, and then the two headed out to swim to the strange house in the lake.

Their observations of the area on this visit provided more insight and questions. The stream of water next to the house was flowing south, and its color and current were definitely both different from the lake's. The wood of the house was made of oak, but the woods in this part of the world were predominantly birch and fir. This house was made in a warmer climate.

The real updated observation, however, would be the investigation of the written note. The handwriting of the note was the same handwriting that was found in several of the documents that the party had seen in the past - this person who was known as ***Gaiddidian***.

* Three books about Esada, Mardank and Girkahd from the swamp room inside the Halls of the Ffydd Dwarves.
	+ The Book to Esada has the following written in the upper right hand corner  "*Of Irddar and Milanna, Ibirahn, Gaiddidian*"
	+ The Book to Mardank has "*Of Irddar and Milanna, Rhidda*".
* Three different books about Esada from the Mud room inside the Halls of the Ffydd Dwarves
	+ **The Teachings of Esada, Mistress of Spirits, Volume 1 Patterns of Nature**: How spirits inhabit every living thing in the world.  How these spirits answer directly to Esada.
	+ **The Teachings of Esada, Mistress of Spirits, Volume 2 Reflections and Echoes of Life**: How living beings present their spirits and how those spirits continue beyond their mortal life, surrounding us at various times everywhere
	+ **The Teachings of Esada, Mistress of Spirits, Volume 3 Existing and Existed**: How the living and the dead merge at times to learn and cooperate, whether on purpose or through direction
	+ The handwriting in the upper right hand corner of each book was *"Of Irddar and Milanna, Ibirahn, Rhidda, Gaiddidian"*
* A note on a kitchen table in a strange house inside the Halls of the Ffydd Dwarves
	+ *I thought the return from Aachnarn to Bog’s Head would help me regain some of my memories, but visions are clouding much of what I have done even yesterday.  I attempt to go deep into trances to dig out what has recently happened, but it seems as though something or someone has clouded them.* *I vaguely remember being in the Great Library tower with my apprentices, working on a new passage into dreams and worlds, but then I was on a ship across The Bryan, heading for Teldor and south.  Then here.  In the house the Idbards once owned when I was a child, next to where I grew up.  Such memories.  If my father was still alive, he would be appalled with my lust for knowledge of the worlds around us.  Such a wondrous multi-verse in which we play a part.  I know I can bring more together…if I can find my friends to help.* *Although my experiments and delvings continue, I think I should go to the small dacha to the west, outside of town rather than continue here.  Perhaps I will do that next week.* *For now, I will seek my friends and pathfinders again, to see if I can find out what happened to fellow scholars in Aachnarn.  I miss Mydroth’s humor.   No matter what ill we might face, he always brought something bright out of the gloom.* *I’ll report more later, after the next travel.*

When Wubba got a final look at the paper, he could see the words now that had been smudged by the water. The transcription that Zak produced had been good, but seeing the original cleared up some of the text.

> *I believe myself to be here, but only for an instant. The next moment I am wandering again, and in places I do not remember ever seeing. When I wander, it wasn’t like before, where I could choose my destiny.   I feel no guiding hand, but something is leading me – pulling me.   I feel no desire to create, but something – someone is compelling me.  I would pray for guidance from the gods, but I do not think I would be permitted to hear them. I want to leave the house, but I am tired and must sleep again.  And with the sleep comes no rest, but rather the frenzied travel and the exhaustion of creation.*
>
>

Wubba grabbed the paper, tucked it safely away, and the two swam back to shore. When they reached the party, the note had disappeared, but at least the party had new words to consider from the house in the lake.

## The Fight in the Ruins

While the group was discussing why there was this strange building floating in the lake and what the note meant, Lady Ulutra reappeared. She was both anxious and determined that time was of the essence. While scouting the perimeter of the valley, she saw that there was a horde of Ûr marching from the Chwaer Plains into the West Mote Hills, surrounding the entire rim of the valley. She had also scouted the camp at the ruins from a distance, so as not to alert the Visages, but she was sure that her kin were still being held captive there. The group would have to move as quickly as possible to rescue them, and to also obtain a *Shade Gauntlet* that the Ûr now possessed. The gauntlet was forged by the Shade Folk originally, and would help the party escape and travel with the Shade Folk if needed.

Now the party turned its focus on how to attack the camp. There were guards on the southern and northern perimeters, who would have to be addressed before entering the camp. The southern guard walked along the shore, but he was in the forest just outside the southwest wall of the ruins for a minute or so, which would make for a good time to take him out. The northern guard was travelling through the forest for the most part, but she made visible contact with a group surrounding a camp fire in the center of the ruins. Once she was taken out, they group would only have a minute or two to act as her absence would certainly be sensed.

The southern guard posed no problem and the group moved up along the southwestern wall, still out of sight from the center of the camp. Fortunately, Wubba had cast *Detect Magic* prior to their advance so that they knew that the guards had put down *Alarm* spells around the perimeter, which now could be avoided. *Invisibility* was cast on Zak as he made his way along the north perimeter. From there, Zak infiltrated the camp and peeked inside one of the tents near the central group. The tent was empty, other than some sacks of food, supplies and a couple of cots. No sign of the captive *Shade Folk* could be seen.

Now the party's plan was to launch a quick attack at the group in the center. There appeared to be a *Doom Knight, Priest* and *Herald* near the fire, any of which would be a formidable enemy. Augmented by Kazin's *Haste* spell, Brocktharian rushed into the center of the camp and invoked the *Circle of Shadows* to lock down the foes as quickly as possible. Fortunately, almost the entire group, including a couple of monks were locked down by the necrotic hands reaching up from the ground, unable to initially break free from the effect. The Doom Knight had attempted to *Counterspell*, but it had failed, leaving the strong beast of a knight locked in place.

Unfortunately for the party, however, there was a *Harbinger* flying above the southwestern wall who now moved into action. He swooped down and sent out their *Shadow Slice ,* cutting through the back ranks of the party while the melee group engaged. Freya and Tindora moved in to protect the casters while heals went out to recover the damage incurred.

Next, Kazin cast a *Slow* over the central group, which would limit the central Ûr group even further, making it even a little bit easier to surpass the challenging armor of the Ûr leaders. The *Herald* attempted to *Counterspell* the Slow, but again, fortune favored the party. Brocktharian, Hormish and Zak all unleashed attacks on the trapped Ûr, weakening them with every second. Calling out to every bit of arcana power from inside him, Wubba was able to throw an amazing *Fireball* into the center of the camp, which promptly obliterated all of the soldiers supporting the Ûr leaders. The *Herald* also attempted to telekinectically move Brocktharian and the *Circle of Shadows* away, but that too failed. And now Aterean summoned another great Polar Bear to intervene and attack the Ûr. Perhaps the fight would be over in the next instant.

But alas, the Ûr were not done yet. A *Dirgein* emerged from one of the tents and began his *Pregheira of Pain*, causing all of the injured foes from all around to suffer their agonies once again. The *Doom Knight* then invoked his *Misty Step* to move out of the *Circle of Shadows* and reappear right next to Wubba and Kazin. The *Herald* then teleported himself and a Monk of the Order out of the *Circle of Shadows,* having the monk engage Freya before she could engage the *Herald.* Then the *Doom Knight* thrust his sword into the ground, rolling out black waves of fire in all directions, causing a *Drain Wave* to lash out at the back line of the party.

Fortunately, however, the *Slow* spell that Kazin had cast was still affecting the Ûr leaders. This made it easier for the melee group to surround the *Doom Knight* and to permit the casters to escape his range. Slash and hammer, claw and bite, arcane chaos and fire - the party lashed back at the Ûr. The *Doom Knight* was constantly hit hard and away from his minions, the vulnerabilities in his armor were becoming all too apparent. In the camp, only a few soldiers, the *Dirgein* and the *Herald* remained. One by one they fell, but the *Herald* and his guardian were only saved by the *Herald's* ability to teleport just out of reach of the party's onslaught.

It was at this time, however, that the party noticed they were not alone in the valley. The vanguard of the Ûr horde was beginning to arrive. There was at least 20 or more that were now visibile near the great Orb that the *Visages* had been protecting. And to the north, just beyond the wall of the ruins, there were pickets starting to appear. Iorek V, the Polar Bear, rushed up to engage with the vanguard, Lady Ulutra helped as well by manifesting some sort of *Hypnotic Patterns* along the northern perimeter in hopes of delaying the soldiers descending upon them.

With little time left, the party began to scramble, checking out each of the tents for the captive *Shade Folk*. Again *Hasted* by Kazin, Brocktharian began to move to investigate the tents. There were two of Lady Ulutra's kin heavily bound with locks in one of the tents. They shouted out that some of the guards had the keys. A body near the tent was quickly searched, and fortunately, the key to unlock the prisoners was found. To the east, another tent had both an ornate chest and another *Shade Folk* captive. The original key didn't work on them, but they tracked down the body of the soldier who had emerged from that tent earlier, and on that body, another key was found. The key didn't work on the chest, but Zak's skills were enough to overcome the mechanism and reveal what was inside; namely, a Chalcedony Amulet, a Blue Topaz ring, a Sea Opal ring, a scroll, and the strange *Shade Gauntlet*. The gauntlet was bizarre in appearance - sometimes translucent - sometimes shimmering - and when it moved, it would leave visual trails of itself behind. Interesting? Yes, but now was not the time to investigate.

The party and the *Shade Folk* now followed Lady Ulutra's suggestion of heading towards the cave at the south end of the valley. It was not known completely why Lady Ulutra thought this would be a good place to escape the valley, but at least they could start creating more distance between themselves and the Ûr horde that was descending into the Valley. Hopefully, the horde would not be able to catch them.

## Race to the Cave

After the Shade Folk were freed, the party broke off into the woods, following Lady Ulutra's suggestion of escaping to the cave on the southern wall of the valley. Freya helped Wubba get on her back while the gnome held on for his life while the giantess led the way through the forest. Aterean assisted their journey by casting *Pass Without Trace,* thereby obfuscating their tracks. The party wasn't certain how many would be following them, but they weren't going to wait around to count. They also were aware that at least some of the Ûr and Order had members who could fly. They would have to keep a keen lookout for them while keeping as hidden as possible as they traveled.

A little ways away from the camp, Freya created *Alarms* to see if anyone was following them on foot. A little less than a minute after the *Alarm* was setup, Freya was notified that at least three humanoids had crossed through. As the river to the cave snaked around the valley, the party was considering crossing the river to make the journey shorter. After discussing it briefly, they decided that staying under the cover of the forest would probably make more sense, so they continued on along the west bank of the river. After another minute, Freya was notified that another eighteen humanoids had crossed through the *Alarms*.

Now, the party decided to lay down some of the *caltrops* that Freya had made back in the Halls of the Ffydd Dwarves. Spreading them out in a pattern through a choke point by a hill, the caltrops might help the party gain even more time against any of the Ûr following them by foot. The party, however, was not going to wait and see if the caltrops were working. They picked up their pace and continued for another couple minutes until they reached the climb and cascades by the southern cave.

A little after the party began to ascend, the party noticed that a bevy of birds had taken to the skies just a little to the east of their position by the river. The party continued to climb up, but then they noticed the presence of three *Visages of Uthargot* that presented themselves just above the treetops. The two Visages to the east were now closing on the position of the party, but the party was ready for action.

Aterean *called lightning* in the area around them to start bring the power of Aluriath against these otherworlders. Blasts of lightning struck out and began the damage against the aberrations. Tindora sent her charged sling bullets against the Visages while Wubba sent *Chromatic Orbs* and Brynda sent *Guiding Bolts*. Still the Visages closed from the east while the party clambered up the cascades. The Visage to the west appeared to be skirting the main party and appeared to be moving up to meet the party at the cave.

At this point, Lady Ulutra, who was invisible to the party, decided to attempt to draw the Visages attention away from the party. She knew that she and her kin were the main quarries, so she wanted to give the party and her kin a bit more time to ascend the hillside. One of the Visages took the bait and closed on the Lady high up in the trees. Unfortunately, the Lady wasn't able to dodge effectively and the Visage knocked her back hard, sending her to the ground. A moment later, the Visage swooped down upon her and grappled her, hoping to carry her off back to the ruins.

Brocktharian and Aterean raced to help Lady Ulutra free herself from the clutches of the Visage. The Lady could not pull away with her own strength, so Brocktharian immediately grappled the Visage in turn, to make sure that he would not carry Lady Ulutra away. When Aterean arrived, he was able to cast *Freedom of Movement* on Lady Ulutra, permitting her freedom from the deadly grip of the Visage. All was going well, except for another Ûr pursuer who had just arrived.

Rising up one of the cascades came a strange woman, an Ûr Black Druid. She did not walk, but instead, the earth moved her as she stood, dominated by her prowess. As she stood by one of the falls, the Black Druid threw a charm into the air near her and it began to spin in mid-air, throwing out helixes of arcane energy all around until it expanded into a portal.

Seeing the portal form before them, the rest of the party did not want to find out what was going to come out of that portal. Zak shot out an arrow. Kazin attempted to use a water blast. Brynda and Wubba blasted energies at her. Another crash of lightning blasted into the Black Druid. Fortunately for the party, most of their hits landed true and ended the threat of the portal as it closed when the Black Druid fell.

Now the party scrambled to the cave, heading to the deep section where the light and smell of salty air had been found earlier. The other three Shade Folk were already there, telling Zak to put on the *Shade Gauntlet* and come to the water where they stood. As Zak entered the water, he could now see that this location was actually two locations. Zak could see the cave and he could see a sunlit beach, both at the same time.

Now the party grabbed the hands, arms and backs of the Shade Folk and Zak, and a second later all were now lying on a beach. The transportation between places was draining, each person now greatly weakened by the transit. The Shade Folk were relieved to no longer be hunted, and the party was now safe on a warm beach...but where? Aterean looked up and saw that there were five moons. This was not Eirethune, but at least they were safe for now.

## Links

Previous, Scouting Shazendrar

Next, Welcome to Haazen'Ra