The Darkness Saga

## **Chapter One: Trouble With Trolls**

Young Ophelia is fleeing her home in the Kingdom of Arendell when she is drawn into a quest to recover a

   lost caravan of supplies in the small town of Riverrun. Joining ranks with Scanlan; a roguish thieve, Tiberius; a scholarly wizard, Crow: a mysterious paladin and Nim; a gnome barbarian, Ophelia journeys to the base of the Sword Mountains where she uncovers the wreckage of the caravan and strange footprints leading into the hills. The group had only begun to follow these tracks when they were ambushed by goblins and the abominations they brought with them; strange creatures that were half animal, half monster. Following the path of these creatures to the dark caves they inhabited, they were further disturbed to find a dark cult within who was performing dark sacrafices and twisted experiments. Though Ophelia and her friends managed a successful assault against the group, their efforts to save the supplies were unsuccessful They only barely managed to save two surviving prisoners and a baby panther before the entire cave collapsed inwards, simulentaneously releasing a dark wave of magical energy and also freeing Riverrun from the dark magic's influence.  Wtih heavy hearts, the group returned to Riverrun. Unfortunately, with winter fast approaching, it was not enough that they had broken the spell over the lands.  At a loss for what to do to save the town, the group found a solution when Scanlan offered up his share of recovered treasure to cover the cost of more supplies. Of course, Scanlan's treasure wasn't the only piece recovered from the strange caves. In the heart of the cult's center, they had also discovered an idol of a demigorgan: a dark god fabled to have once covered the land in darkness.

## Chapter Two: Ophelia & Goliath

   Agreeing to remain together as far as the port city of Novigrad, Ophelia and her friends had only begun their journey when they were attacked by a group of assasins from The Veil.  After managing to defeat her captors, Ophelia admitted the secret of her identity and betrothal to the prince of The Veil.  Though initially reluctant to continue alongside her new companions for fear they would be hurt, she reluctantly agreed to stay at least as far as Novigrad.  The fates, however, seemed to have different plans for them. The group had only begun to resume its long journey when they found the sad, burned remains of a town ransacked by monsters.  Discovering that the town had suffered attack from a group of goliaths, Ophelia and her party volunteered to aid a Reddanian army in finding and killing the monsters. They travelled deep into the mountains, intent on revenge, until Tiberius began to suspect that the goliaths were more than they seemed. He pointed out the fairly advanced steps the goliaths had carved in the mountainside and aruged that this was unlikely to have been accomplished by a group of mindless monsters. Ophelia agreed with Tiberius and the two decided they would first scout out the goliaths and try to learn more about them. Their intentions were dashed, however, when the Reddanian scouts travelling with them attacked the goliaths without warning, starting a bloody fight. By the time Ophelia managed to bring the fighting to a stand still, blood had already been shed on both sides. In spite of this, the group's leader agreed to bring Ophelia and her party back to the goliath encampment where the goliath's chief would decide their fates. . After gaining audience with the chief, Ophelia and her friends were surprised to discover that the goliaths had been victims of Reddanian treachery.  Having been promised peace from the Reddanians and some supplies, the goliaths had attempted to resason with the people in the village below but had instead been forced to take up arms to defend what was theirs. Eager to resolve the conflict with little bloodshed, Ophelia beseeched the chief to allow them to return to Oxenfurt to speak on behalf of their people.  As a counteroffer, the chief agreed to allow one of Ophelia's party to return if they were victorious in a sacred tournament. Discovering the tournament to be little more than a peaceful challenge and a game, the group eagerly agreed to these terms and were surprisingly victorious.. In the midst of the festivities that followed and after much imbibing of wine, Scanlan and Ophelia shared a passionate kiss. Unfortunately, it would come to naught as in the morning when Ophelia discovered that Scanlan had no memory of the night's preceeding events. Quickly volunteering himself thereafter to journey back to town to talk down the Reddanian army, Scanlan left Ophelia on awkward terms.  Fearing that the Reddanian army might be out for blood in spite of their efforts, Crow convinced Ophelia and her friends to join him in preparing the goliaths for the potential conflict ahead. Not long after, the group was disheartened to discover that their efforts had not been in vain.  After the Reddanian commander arrived at the newly fortified village, carrying a tortured, bloodied Scanlan in tow, there was nothing to do but go to war to defend the goliaths  Greatly outnumbered and outgunned, Ophelia and her friends nevertheless managed to rally the goliath forces and in a miraculous turn of events, led them to victory. Though they managed to secure the goliath's village, it came at the great cost of many lives. Unfortunately, this bittersweet victory was to be short lived as Heinrick confronted Ophelia shortly thereafter with a compelling offer. Either she remained with her new allies and he rode back to the capital to rouse the full force of a Reddanian army against hte goliaths or Ophelia returned with him as his prisoner. Knowing she had no choice but to try and do what she could to defend the lives of the goliaths, Ophelia agreed to become Heinrik's prisoner.

## Chapter Three: Ravens Over Redania

After many weeks of travel, Ophelia and her captors arrived at the edge of Redania's capital where they encountered

   a bulette. Though it seemed Heinrik's group was doomed, they managed to defeat the monster with the help of Ophelia and a daring sellsword. Shortly afterwards, Ophelia was delivered to King Visemyr where she was offered fine courtesies and amenities alike by The Blessed King. In spite of this, Ophelia took few pains to conceal her disdain for the King, who had also called upon The Veil shortly after her capture. Ophelia did, however, find an unlikely ally in The King's son, Prince Tibult. Hearing of her plight, he offered to devise a plan to help Ophelia escape from the city and she eagerly accepted. Before their plan could be put into action, The Veil's court arrived and with it, Ophelia's betrothed; the handsome and charming Damasseus. Upon first setting eyes on her betrothed, Ophelia felt a strange connection with him which at once drew her in and set her on edge. Horrified by The Veil's influence over his kingdom, King Visemyr sought to erradicate them once and for all during a feast supposedly held in their honor. Ophelia disagreed with the King's plan, but found she had little choice but to go along. At the moment the plan was

    to be exacted, however, Ophelia had a change of heart and attempted to save Damasseus. She was unsuccessful, however, and the men of The Veil were slaughtered. Much to the horror of everyone there, however, the dead men rose again and exacted their revenge; slaughtering everyone at the feast, save for Ophelia, The King and Queen. After the King and Queen retreated to their chambers, Ophelia was forced to remain in the castle while Damasseus's powerful hold over her continued to grow. Though Ophelia continued to express her reservations about the marriage, she nevertheless turned down Tibult's final offer of escape and marriage and decided to remain with Damasseus feeling that she could one day come to love him. Whatever hopes Ophelia had, however, were irrevocably dashed when she later learned the truth of The Veil's plans and the reason for her betrothal. Discovering that The Veil planned to unleash a great darkness into the world which she would be spared from owing to her marriage, Ophelia bitterly confronted Damasseus and then escaped with the help of Tibult and the sellsword. They had not gone far, however, when Heinrik found and re-captuered Ophelia, also killing Tibult as punishment for her defiance. She was then taken back to the castle where the King, blaming her for everything that had befallen his Kingdom, threw her into the prisons below. After another bitter confrontation with Damasseus, Ophelia seemed hopelessly destined to await her fate; that is until Scanlan and Nim arrived to free her from her cell. After fleeing the castle, Ophelia found herself happily reunited with her friends plus Locag who had pledged himself to Ophelia after she had saved his town. After a brief but happy reunion, the group managed to find passage on a river schooner heading away from the city. Once safety seemed certain, Ophelia told her friends of The Veil's evil scheme. Desperate to save the world from its impending doom, the group formed a pact to stop The Veil and eventually agreed that the first step would be to journey to The LIbrary of Ohgma for answers.

## Chapter Four: The Fields of The Dead

    After arriving at the small town of Drellens Ferry, Ophelia and her companions began the ardous task of deciding on a plan that would safety take them to The Library. In spite of Scanlan's argument that the group ought to simply steal a ship to take them to Novigrad, they decided instead to take the safer route through the Mahakam Mountains in the deep roads. To reach their destination, they decided to buy passage with a trading company passing through town. Though the first few days of travel were relatively uneventful, matters took a turn for the worst when the caravan arrived at The Fields of the Dead; a haunted land allegedy tainted with foul spirits and terrible monsters. After encountering a tree filled with corpses, Ophelia and Crow decided to stay behind in order to cut down the bodies and put the spirits to rest. This proved to be only the start of their troubles. As they continued to travel through the misty lands, Ophelia found herself pursued by ravens and the whispers of her name. A few days into their travels, when Ophelia left the camp to go hunting, she was also attacked by a group of Drowners. During the ensuing conflict, Ophelia discovered that she was capable of imbuing her arrows with a sort of magic; news which she happily shared with the rest of the group upon her return. Her happiness was short lived, however, as the entire caravan was attacked a short time later by a hord of orcs and drowners. Ophelia and her friends managed to defeat the brutal hord, but at the cost of many lives; amongst which was Locag. After a brief funeral, Ophelia sought refuge beside a brook but was beset upon by Damasseus' spell. He put Ophelia into a deep sleep and when he entered her dreams, he warned of his impending arrival and promised he would slaughter her friends if she did not hand herself over freely. Tiberius managed to free her from the spell and, afterwards, Crow offered a surprising solution to their problems. As a prince of Scandavar, he offered to wed Ophelia in order to secure an alliance with his people which could destroy The Veil. Fearing  what would become of Crow if she entered into such an arrangement, Ophelia refused the offer. Shortly after, the group fled the small town in which they had taken rest and made their way to Markarth. In spite of the late hour of their arrival, the haggard group managed to persuade the dwarves to bade them enter. Once inside, they found respite in a local inn where their drinks and the price of their rooms were covered after their surprising victory in a drinking competition against some local dwarves.

## Chapter Five: Two Heads Are Better Than One

    The following morning, Ophelia found herself confronted with the challenge of passing into Krag's Hammer: a dwarven stronghold which did not take kindly to strangers. She managed to find a sort of solution to her problem after speaking with the innkeeper, agreeing to deliver a shipment of his stout in exchange for an invitation from the innkeeper's cousin. Later that morning,  the dragonborn reiterated the offer Crow had made, assuring Ophelia that she could not hope to defeat The Veil unless she prepated for war. In spite of her reluctance, Ophelia agreed to at least entertain the thought. Lacking in coin and supplies, Scanlan also did his part by procuring the group with a contract from the local thane. In exchange for ridding a local gold mine of a mysterious menace and to recover the forekeep's ring, the thane agreed to pay them handsomely. Though irate at Scanlan for signing their names to the contract without first discussing the proposition, the group agreed to the quest. Later in the evening, Ophelia and Crow shared a discussion about his homelands and a surprisingly tender moment. As Ophelia began to seriously entertain the notion of marrying Crow, she tried the ring he had given her on her marriage hand; convincing Scanlan that she had made her choice already. Considerably soured by this, Scanlan continued to lash out against Ophelia as they journeyed to the gold mines and Ophelia was only too happy to retaliate. Their bickering was given pause, however, when they entered the site of the mines to discover the devestation that had been wreaked upon land and dwarves alike. After finding the tracks of her enemies, Ophelia revelead that they were facing a group of goblins, hobgoblins and, worse yet, an Ettin. Though they disagreed bitterly about how best to track and kill the Ettin, they finally agreed to setting a trap for the giant and

    preparing an ambush. Unfortunately, the quarry they attracted was no the Ettin himself, but the goblins and hobgoblins who fought for him. They unleashed a vicious attack upon the group of monsters before agreeing to search the local mountains for the Etin himself. Thanks to the sharp eyes of Scanlan, they succeeded in this and began to make their way into the trap ridden caves. Though nearly beset upon by every trap imagineable, Scanlan proved his skill once again by dissarming each trap and eventually leading them to a room filled with treasure. While seraching through the treasure, Ophelia and her group found themselves beset upon by the Ettin himself who had hidden himself when they entered the room. Fierce and cunning though he was, he proved no match for the determined group who quickly lay waste to him and sent the remaining goblin who served him fleeing for his life. Though Scanlan was eager to set back for the town, Ophelia and the remainder of the group convinced him that it would be better to set up camp and fortify themselves against the dangers prowling in the mountains. A bitter fight ensued between Scanlan and Ophelia afterwards, during which the thief finally admitted the extent of his feelings for her and kissed her. Hear torn, Ophelia went out into the wilderness to clear her head and procure them dinner. Shortly after setting out, she was attacked by a vicious beast which she identified as a manticore. Though she fought valiantly against the monster, it seemed she would've met her end had it not been for the intervention of a dire bear. After defeating the monster, the beast shapeshifted and carried her back to her camp. When Ophelia awoke, she found she was in the arms of Crow. After the two shared a tender moment, she agreed that she would marry him after all.

## Chapter Six: Journey Into The Darkness

A week after their betrothal, the group had begun to grow weary of waiting when a wagon from Krag Hammer arrived

    from the deep roads. As Ophelia watched the wagon enter Markarth through a secret door, she found herself confronted by a strange, blind dwarf by the name of Falin. The dwarf informed her that The Great Stone had sent him to be in this place at this time over a year ago and he also persuaded her to attend the meeting in the Thane's hall that evening. Viewing this as an opportunity to perhaps procure the trust and favor of the dwarves, Ophelia and her friends prepared themselves for the meeting. When Ophelia met the Thane in his hall that evening, it was as the princess of Arendell alongside her betrothed, a prince of Scandivar and her counciler, Tiberius. Though the dwarves were reluctant to allow the "outsiders" to aid them, Balthar in particular, Ophelia found she was able to persuade the Thane when Falin intervened and the mark of the champion appeared upon her hand. The following morning, Ophelia was disturbed when Damasseus appeared in her dreams again, nearly managing to seduce her as she slept. Frightened by the dream and worn down by his evil influence, Ophelia found some small comfort when Falin intervened: offering to prepare a potion for Ophelia which would protect her mind from Damasseus' considerable influence. Afterwards, the group met at the edge of the deep roads and set off. The strange roads in the mountains lived up to their reputation of grandeur, but very quickly became more grim and solemn as they journeyed deeper into the mountain's heart. In spite of Tiberius' warning about foul magic being at work, they were nevertheless surprised when they were beset upon by a group of drow when they reached the edge of the bridge. The dwarves and Ophelia's group fought bravely, eventually managing to defeat the drow but at the cost of many dwarven lifes. Though they believed the battle to be at an end, Ophelia found herself caught off guard yet again when another drow attacked, flying away with her to a crevice in the mountain. During the fight which ensued between her and the drow, a cloaked figure intervened and saved Ophelia. He warned Ophelia that Balthor, the dwarf they followed, was a traitor and after returning Ophelia to her people, disappeared into the shadows. Upon arriving at the King's palace in Krag Hammer, Ophelia found her suspicions confirmed when Balthor attempted to dissuade the King from entering into battle against the Orcs that were sieging them. Convinced that he was set on betraying The King or worse, Ophelia informed Crow of the warning the drow had whispered to her. In spite of the grim shadow her suspicions cast, the two managed to share a moment of happiness in a passionate embrace when Ophelia realized the extent of her growing feelings for Crow.

## Chapter Seven: The Battle of Krag Hammer

That evening, Ophelia wasted little time in sharing her suspicions regarding Balthor's treachery with her friends.

    Divided though they were, the sudden appearance of the drow which had warned her and the affirmation of Ophelia's fear managed to persuade them to at least look for evidence to support their claims. The group divided themselves, with Falin travelling with Scanlan to Balthor's home, Tiberius travelling with Crow to search the wagons and Ophelia accompanying Nim to a local tavern. After procuring the dwarves friendship through generous rounds of ale at their expense, Ophelia and Nim managed to learn a damning story about Balthor's abduction at the hands of The Drow and of the year he spent in their home. In spite of the evidence that Tiberius also managed to find confirming their suspicions, Crow continued to express his reservations: stating that it all seemed to point to Balthor too clearly. Persuaded by Crow's intuition, Ophelia sought to stay her friend's accusations against the dwarf but found that her mind had been changed too late. Spies of the King had overheard her accusations of Balthor's treachery and he was arrested promptly, in spite of Ophelia's protests. After finding Balthor in his cell and winning his forgiveness, the dwarf convinced her to reason with the King and to send for help in Rivea. In spite of Ophelia's efforts, however, the King proved determined to ride to battle and as there was nothing they could do to persuade him otherwise, they took up arms behind him. The war which ensued between the orcs and the dwarves was brutal and bloody. Though they were badly outnumbered, the dwarves:  nevertheless prevailed; eventually managing to drive the orc army back though at the cost of their own King. Though it seemed for a moment the battle was finished, Ophelia found this was not so when the treacherous drow Klaha reappeared in order to take Ophelia to Damasseus. She was saved from this, however, by the

    intervention of Falin who managed to defeat the drow and lead Ophelia to safety just as an army of drow, orcs and stone giants descended upon them. After aiding Scanlan in defeating an army which had invaded the city, the two managed to bring a group of dwarven children to safety at The Iron Vaults. There, they discovered the extent of the dwarves skill, when they released a secret weapon against the drow: dwarf gians made of steel and machinery. Afterwards, the group was rallied by Balthor who revealed the dwarves possesed another secret weapon in the form of the King's tower and the mountains themselves. If they gained access to a machine, they could topple the tower and the cliff side of the mountain upon the invading army, ensuring their victory. After fighting their way up to the tower, the group prepared to activate the machine only to discover that it had broken. When an army of drow, led by Kaha and joined by Narius confronted them shortly thereafter, all seemed lost but for a moment. In a mad act of heroism, Nim dove down into the machine in an attempt to salvage it while the remainder of the group remained above to fight the army. In the brief, bloody battle which ensued, Ophelia and her friends prevailed: defeating the drow and even slaying Kaha and Narius both. Unfortunately, they discovered their victory came at a high price with Nim having sacraficed himself during the battle in order to fix the machine. Eager not to see the brave gnome's sacrafice go in vain, Balthor convinced the group to activate the machine and finally defeat the army below. After the battle, the grief stricken group retired to their chambers only to find that their grief was for naught. At a great cost to himself, Falin managed to revive the gnome and with him, the spirits of the group as well. Though Ophelia and Crow were eager to remain behind in Krag Hammer in order to help restore the city, the new King Balthar convinced them instead to journey on. Though, before they left, he bestowed great gifts upon them and named them friends of the dwarves.

## Chapter Eight: The Deep Road To Waterdeep

As Ophelia and her party began their trek down into the deep roads once more, Ophelia discussed with Falin the

    strange abilities she had displayed during the battle against the orcs and drow. When Falin revealed to Ophelia that she was a druid, Ophelia expressed disbelief but began to wonder if there wasn't something to the stone seer's words. In spite of the surprising uneventfulness of the first few days of their journey, matters took a surprising turn when the party awoke one night to discover that a group of dire spiders had descended upon them. In the midst of the fight, Ophelia transformed into a direwolf: slaughtering the spiders and also a group of drow that were camped nearby. Ophelia was horrified by her transformation, but took comfort when Scanlan affirmed that he did not think any differently of her. On and on they went until one day they came upon a cave of glowing crystals. Captivated by the beauty of the place, Ophelia bounded ahead only to discover that they had walked into the dwelling place of a Fomorian: fabled enemy of the Eladrin. When the giant offered to let all but Scanlan pass, the group took up arms against the monster and a brutal battle ensued. During the battle, Scanlan was cursed by the monster and taken to the brink of death. He was only saved by the timely intervention of Falin, who managed to undo the curse and stabalize him. Back at camp, Ophelia tended to Scanlan and when he awoke, Ophelia found she couldn't help but reveal her true feelings for him. The two snuck away from the camp and shared a passionate night together, causing an awkward tension to erupt thereafter between Scanlan, Ophelia and Crow who was not aware of Ophelia's dalliance. After another week of travel and a brief stop at the underground dwarf town which guarded the entrance to the city of Waterdeep, the group finally found themselves emerging into the great city. Weary from travel, they ventured to The Green Dragon Inn: an inn famed for its welcoming of travelers, adventurers and mercenaries alike. They were not in the common room for long, however, before a bitter fight broke out between Scanlan and Crow. Revealing what had transpired between himself and Ophelia, Scanlan proceeded to taunt the viking who responded with delivering several devastating blows to the thief before storming out of the Inn. Outside of the Inn, Ophelia guiltily confessed the truth of what Scanlan had said and, shortly thereafter, the two agreed to call off the engagement. Though Ophelia tried to give Crow back the ring he had given her, he persuaded her to keep it: saying that if she ever found that she loved only him, they would be together again. In a surprising turn of events, Ophelia also announced to the group her new intention that they would ride South in search of the Eladrin. In spite of Tiberius' reservations, he and the others agreed to follow the princess wherever she would go. Ophelia's announcement was well timed as Scanlan joined the group shortly thereafter, announcing that he had found a ship. Only Ophelia caught on to the fact that the ship he had meant to book passage on was for himself alone. She confronted him shortly thereafter, convincing him to remain with their group.

## Chapter Nine: The Mad Wizard

Deciding to stock up on supplies, Ophelia left her room the next morning and descended into the common room of

    The Green Dragon Inn. While she was admiring the many strange artifacts on display, she met an elf of Evereska named Sovellis who told her of his homeland. The two had only begun to talk, however, when they were interrupted by the elf's companion, a halfling by the name of Barnibus who insisted they needed to register for the upcoming tournament. Shortly thereafter, Ophelia found a shop full of archery supplies nearby. While stocking up, she met the owner of the store: an elf woman who told her of the Citadel of the Arrow which would grant her an enormous discount on supplies. Ophelia agreed to pay the small fee and entered into an archery competition against other would be members. When the competition was over, Ophelia, a fat boy named Pie and a man from the Ironbound Islands named Sven were sent out on a quest to find and kill a dire boar who had been slaughtering cattle in the surrounding country side. The small group tracked the beast only to discover that it was a mother, providing for its young. Before Ophelia could stop Sven, he slaughtered the dire boar's baby which sent the mother into a rage. In spite of Ophelia efforts, Sven continued to fight the dire boar until Pie intervened and knocked Sven out using his nunchucks. Though Ophelia was sure they had failed the test required to enter the guild, she was surprised when the store owner met them just outside of the cave and informed them that they had passed the true test by showing mercy to the dire boar's mother. The following day, Ophelia and her friends decided to attend The Tournament of Flowers at the Fields of Glory. Before the competitions could begin, however, the image of a great wizard named Hallistar The Black

    Cloaked appeared before the crowd, declaring himself Waterdeep's new ruler and demanding the sacrafice of every first born child. After the illusion vanished, a group of monsters known as Slaadi appeared leaving Ophelia, her friends and a few brave souls to fight against them. After managing to defeat the last of them, Ophelia and her party appealed to the high lord of Waterdeep to allow them to assist in defeating the mad wizard once and for all. When the high lord learned of Ophelia's identity, he accepted their aid and had them brought to his palace where they began to strategize. Using her newfound abilities as a druid to see through the eyes of a falcon, Ophelia confirmed the wizard was hiding in a nearby tower. Ophelia convinced the group to strike at the wizard head on while the greycloaks (protectors of Waterdeep) followed close behind. In order to reach the wizard, the group was forced to confront a series of tests and riddles as they made their way up the tower. Thanks to all of their skills, the group succeeded and finally met the Black Cloaked Halistar face to face. The mad wizard attempted to appeal to Ophelia's hatred of The Veil and the darkness, claiming that everything he had been doing was for the ultimate end of driving the great evil back once and for all. Ophelia refused the mad wizard's offer and a brutal battle ensued. During the fight, Ophelia lost control of her magic, transforming into a great direwolf once again. When she awoke, she discovered that the battle had been won and a great feast was being held by the open lord in their honor. Though relieved to discover their victory and delighted at the prospect of the festivities to come, Ophelia's spirits were dampened considerably when Scanlan revealed that the boat they had charted had fled after Halistar's arrival: leaving them shipless and near peniless.

## Chapter Ten: All Hands On Deck

When Scanlan encourages Ophelia to discuss their situation with the Open Lord, Ophelia reluctantly does so; requesting that he aid them by giving them a ship. Though the Council of Secret Lords decide they are not able to

    simply give Ophelia a ship, they do agree to grant her a loan of some ten thousand gold pieces so that she can charter one of her own. Scanlan, Crow and Tiberius went to the docks thereafter to find what captains they could, taking back their choices to a nearby bar so the group could interview them collectively. Though they are divided in their votes, they eventually settle on Scanlan's choice of "Petey The Pirate" as his ship is both the fastest and cheapest. While awaiting the ship's final preparations, Ophelia and the others also take up the task of hiring what officer positions they are unable to fill, taking on Pie as the chef, the halfling Milo Boffin as the carpenter, the Tengu Caw for lookout and a man called Ivar for the pilor. Officially, they had also hired "Sleepy Jack" for the position of lookout, but in truth only took him aboard as they recognized he was homeless and had little other way of getting to the Southern continent. After the hiring had finished, they had but a night to wait before they finally set sail, leaving the city of Waterdeep and the Northern Continent finally behind them.

## Chapter Eleven: Dead On The Water

Four days after The Rum Rat set sail, Ophelia and her new crew mates found trouble on the water when they spotted

    two Ironborn raiding ships on the horizon. Though concerned about the trouble these raiders brought with them, the crew found a moment's distraction from their troubles when they spotted a third vessel. At first glance, the ship appeared to be little more than a fat merchant vessel and potentially the true target of the Ironborn raiders. As they drew closer to the ship, however, they found it was surprisingly empty. When the captain commanded the ship be raided for goods, Ophelia protested but her pleas were ignored. After selecting a crew that would be accompanying her to board the vessel, the captain sent them on their way. Once on the boat, it wasn't long before Ophelia and her group realized the ship wasn't abandoned, but was being manned by the undead. Ophelia led an assault on the skeletal crew members, but was horrified when Boyd (a member of her group) fled the frey and left another to his death. After the fight's conclusion, Ophelia confronted Boyd and angrily struck him with her shileleigh. As the two began an exchange of blows, Irving (a half elf marksman) intervened, killing Boyd with several crossbow bolts. After throwing Boyd's body overboard, the group descended below deck  in search of the oil they would need to burn the ship. They were shocked to discover a mad sorcerer below in the midst of transforming the remainder of the crew into his undead servants. Of the few living which remained was Sovelis, the elf that Ophelia had briefly spoken to in Waterdeep. Ophelia challenged the sorcerer, but when he released the abboration that served him, she claimed the monster as hers. In the midst of the battle that ensued, Sovelis managed to free himself in order to assist her. The fight which ensued was bloody and brutal, but miraculously, the group survived. After taking their fallen comrade and the few survivors safely to their own ship, Ophelia confronted the captain and the two exchanged heated words. She also learned from Sovelis that the elf was travelling with a secret of his own, tucked away in a wooden box that he meant to bring safely to the Southern continent.

## Chapter Twelve: The Lost Kingdom of the Kobolds

Unable to outmanuever the encroaching raider ship, Crow advised the Rum Rat took their enemies by surprise in seizing the initiative and making the first attack. A ruthless exchange of blows were fired thereafter between the ships, but in spite of the substantial damage The Rum Rat had incurred, their crew proved victorious. The few survivors of "The Busty Maiden" were taken aboard thereafter and those who did not agree to pledge their loyalty were brutally executed. Angered by this wanton display of cruelty, Ophelia confronted the captain yet again and even went so far as to reveal her true identity as Princess of Arendell. When the captain rebuttled by threatening the princess, Tiberius intervened and blasted the captain out the window of his cabin and into the sea. Ophelia assumed leadership shortly thereafter and if the crew had reservations, they did not openly express them. Low on supplies and in desperate need of repairs, Ophelia decided to take the ship to a nearby island. Curiously, there was no mention of the island on any of the maps and as they drew close to the island, they noted strange abandonded dwellings just off the coast. In spite of Ophelia's curiosity about the mystery this empty village presented, she decided to focus her crew's efforts on gathering supplies and attending to the ship. Not long after, however, Ophelia and her crew found trouble when a blue dragon descended upon their camp one night. A brief, but brutal battle ensued and when the dust settled, the dragon had taken Crow back to its lair. Determined to defeat the dragon and free Crow, Ophelia led a small group of volunteers into the dragon's dwelling where they were forced to fight their way past waves of kobolds before finally reaching the dragon himself. Ophelia and her crew fought bravely against the dragon, but in spite of their valiant efforts, the dragon's strength far surpassed their own. Seeing the danger she and her comrades were in, Ophelia took her only Ironheart arrow (gifted to her by Bjorn before her departure) and fired it into the dragon's heart. Having ended the battle, she rescued Crow and ordered the others to gather the remains of their fallen comrade. As they were leaving the lair, she was confronted by the remaining living kobolds who happily celebrated the defeat of "the great blue evil" and heralded Rosie as their new goddess, in spite of her efforts. With her new loyal followers in tow, Ophelia and the group returned to camp where a great feast was held. When Crow finally awoke, the two shared a tender moment but Ophelia rejected his offer of forgiveness.

## Chapter Thirteen: The Well of Madness

Upon arriving at the Isle of Arden, Ophelia and her friends are distressed to discover that the endless well supplying the town with water has been poisoned. Owing to the corruption of the water supply and failing resources, the lizard folk had begun leading raids against the village. A mere day after their arrival, Ophelia and her party witnessed one such raid and managed to assist in driving off the creatures. After learning from the town's Burgomaster the cause behind these raids, Ophelia called her comrades to take up arms to defeat the nameless evil poisoning the water and led a march to the distant cave containing the well. After a brief skirmish with a group of giant crabs, the party decided to make camp for the night. Later in the night, Ophelia and her friends found themselves at a stand off with a tribe of local lizard folk who demanded to know the reason for their incursion into their territory. After explaining their quest, the lizard folk elaborated on what the Burgomaster had told them; leading Ophelia to conclude that they were dealing with Sahuagin. Owing to the presence of slime in the water and the knowledge that Sahuagin rarely acted of their own accord, Tiberius also concluded that they were most likely dealing with an Abolith. After leading a quick and brutal assault against the Sahuagin, Ophelia and her group proceeded to the heart of the cave where the endless well and the monster polluting it awaited them. In spite of their prior knowledge of what they were dealing with, the group was overwhelmed by the sheer evil and power of the abolith and were nearly defeated in their quest. Bravely, they fought on and after Ophelia managed to deliver the killing blow, Tiberius bound the abolith to The Maelstrom. Both Scanlan and Crow had been cursed by the creature, but were saved by the potions of remove curse which Tiberius happened to have with him. Rewarded for their efforts with a measley 150 gp, the group happily celebrated their victory at a local tavern. The festivities quickly proved to be short lived, however, when Ophelia discovered afterwards that Crow had sacraficed his paladin powers, and potentially the use of his legs, in order to save her.

## Chapter Fourteen: The Golden Fleece

When orc raiding ships attack, Ophelia and her crew are forced to prepare for battle yet again on the high seas. No longer bound by the paladin code, Crow unleashes the full extent of his battle prowess aginst the orcs. This inspires Ophelia to give the title of captain to Crow, Unfortunately for them, the battle had only just begun. Pursued by more ships, Crow steered their ship to shore: forcing the surviving orcs to take to land. In the midst of the fight, their group was attacked on both sides by boalisks. Before Ophelia could intervene, Falin and Dolem were bitten and poisoned by the snakes.  After the battle, Ophelia received a vision of an island whose entrance was set between the legs of a giant statue.  Describing this vision, Stefan Stefano revealed the he knew the name of the place: Cydonia in Elysia. Later, while tending to Falin and Dolem, Irvine leant her a magical compass which points to where you wish to go. Ophelia used the compass's new bearings to direct Ivar on the new course. Due to an earlier conversation with Tiberius, Ophelia had decided they should first go west to seek out healing for Crow. Though Crow initially resisted her attempts to persuade him, he eventually agreed to go for her sake and the two shared a passionate kiss. Owing to this, Scanlan began to lash out at Ophelia and Crow, having assumed that they had shared more than a kiss and were back together. Once at the Isle of the Damned, Ophelia, Sovelis, Scanlan, Crow and Tiberius set out on their journey. They were stopped at a bridge where an old crone forced Ophelia to choose only two that would come with her. Ophelia chose Sovelis and Tiberius to continue the journey. After being separated and experiencing strange visions in the mist, the group was reunited and made their way to Scylla's Grove. Once there, the three were confronted by a group of shapeshifting minions before they were forced to take on Scila himself. Ophelia eventually defeated the dragon monster and afterwards claimed the golden fleece. Once this was done, the group journeyed back to the city where Ophelia proceeded to use the fleece to heal not only her friends, but all of the men in the sick house. Moved by her display of compassion, six of these men volunteered to join her crew.