Myths of the Forgotten

## Premise

Myths of the Forgotten is an ongoing campaign set in the land of Akarros.

## Prologue

It is the year 1446 in the country of Akarros. Akkaros is a nation of ancient history, tracing its origins back to the once mighty Azurite Empire, which used to dominate the continent of the Midrealms. Akkaros now represents the center of culture and influence for the Azurite people, and is a country known for its refined way of life, rich heritage, pristine architecture, seafaring, and science. However, it is also a society of old entrenched values, a nostalgia for the past and an appetite for violence and domination, something reflected in its regional expansion and its brutal gladiatorial games.

This proud nation is one embroiled in conflict, fighting on the side of the dwarven nations of the upper Rinlands in a defensive war against its northern rival, the Empire of Damaria, which is seeking to expand its vast territory, threatening the power of Akkaros.

   Much political drama is taking place in Akkaros. But, our focus turns to elsewhere, as we narrow in on a seemingly unimportant part of the country. A part overlooked in the grand scheme of politics and strategy. For we are in the town of Anemone. Anemone is located in the southern part of the Duchy of Isuraea, the northernmost region of Akkaros. The town lies south of Hastoria, the regional capital and sits on the Oroi River, which flows south towards the grand capital of Tarnassus. This makes Anemone a halfway stop between the two major cities. Aside from trade and military travelling through the town, life in Anemone is quiet and relaxed.

Anemone is aptly named after its traditions for growing the anemone flower from which it derives its name, and its surrounding farmlands consists of anemone fields that are harvested and exported to the rest of the kingdom. Bordering the Isui Forest to its north and west, the town also exports lumber. Splendid nature exists all around the town, with the Little Lukan mountain range to the west and the towering Mount Sula to the east.

The town of Anemone has recently been confronted with a dire challenge. The countryside has experienced attacks from a fierce hydra known as Molysménos. The hydra appears at night, laying waste to farms and orchards. Local rangers have tracked the hydra escaping to Mount Sula at night. With little help coming from the rest of the country due to the war, Anemone is left to fend for itself. Thus, the local lord Amon III Amonos has gathered a team of some of the most capable individuals in town, each possessing different abilities and skillsets.

## Story

### Act I: The Scourge of Anemone

#### The Gathering of Heroes

In 1446, Amon III Amonos, the baron of Anemone had summoned local heroes to deal with the cave hydra known as Molysménos. Molysménos had caused damage and killed civilians in the region. Only 4 heroes heeded the call; Calchas Diakos the aasimar cleric, Grom mercenary barbarian bugbear, Kaali Xochitli the foreign tiefling monk and Reginald the half-elf warlock and travelling archaeologist. Amon and his sheriff Alba Scoio informed the heroes of what they had to do: Kill the hydra and bring back its heart as evidence of its defeat. Faevis, a local elven ranger, was assigned to take the heroes to nearby Mount Sula.

#### Travel towards Mount Sula

The following day, the party set its course for Mount Sula, which was one day's travel away. Whilst passing through the nearby hamlet of Hipion, the party encountered a band of mauraiding gnolls and bugbears and faced them in combat. Amongst the marauders were Trog, son of Grom, and Gulp, an ex-member of the Band of the Crow. Gulp was killed in combat and Trog was captured. Sheriff Alba Scoio appeared alongside her soldiers and captured Trog. Whilst Trog begged Grom to show leniency, Grom showed little regard for his son, letting the soldiers drag him away as a prisoner.

During their travel near Mount Sula, the party encountered a disturbing scene of a destroyed hovel and two butchered inhabitants. Two travellers, an older man named Emorius Eprosion and a Seyanite man named Fezaiyun, were at the scene. They presented themselves as scholars and travelers, looking for ruins of past civilizations. The party was somewhat perplexed at what these travelers were up to, as they seemed reserved about their intentions.

#### **Lair of Molysménos**

The party arrived at the entrance to the lair of Molysménos. Descenting into the large sprawling cave, the adventurers were ambushed by carrion crawlers. Surviving this encounter, the descent continued until the party reached a large chamber in which Molysménos was resting. The party attempted ambushing the hydra but were quickly discovered. A tense fight ensued. Reginald would try using magic tricks to charm the hydra, a trick which backfired. Reginald and Calchas would be knocked out during the fight as Grom and Kaali desperately attempted to protect their incapacitated companions. Finally, after decapitating many a regrowing hydra head, the killing blow was landed and Molysménos was slain. After resting and regaining their strength, the heroes noticed that Molysménos lair was connected to a tunnel leading deeper into the mountain.

#### **The Chamber of Strafaclios**

Curious about what was beyond Molysménos lair, the heroes ventured forth, discovering an ancient tunnel constructed in an archaic style hundreds if not thousands of years ago, ornamented by murals and columns. Reching the end of the tunnel they happened upon a huge chamber wiht a marble sarcophagus in the middle with the golden figure of a person lying on top with 6 indents for a sword, shield, armor, boots, diadem and pendant. At the other end of the room was a large burning sigil, with the flaming insignia of Herdeziel in the middle and a bright sword sigil on top. Exploring a nearby passage, the party happened upon a statue of a demon with a fire in its hands and a plaque saying "Fire will consume life" written in abyssal. By putting a rat into the fire, a hatch opened revealing a locked stash which the party brought with them to open later.

Returning to the main chamber, the party inspected the sarcophagus. Having approached closer to the infernal sigil, Reginald and Kaali would be pulled closer by an unknown force before being dragged into the ground. Kaali and Reginald would be surrounded by demons that were invisible to the rest of the party. Before being surrounded, Fezaiyun appeared, using his magic to contain and stabilize the sigil and rescuing Kaali and Reginald from the demons. Afterwards, Emorius Eprosion appeared, surprising the party. Emorius sat down and said that he would tell them a story:

> *"Long ago, before the current age, The Age of Division, Strafas, the god of war, conceived a child with Stella, an azurite woman. The child she beared would be known as Strafaclios, the demi-god son of Strafas. Strafaclios possessed great strength and an indominable will. When the gods departed our world on The Day of Severance 1446 years ago, Strafaclios swore to use his divine powers to be a protector of mortals.*
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> *The following years were dark indeed. In absence of our gods, many forces outside Cintias vowed to gain influence in our realm. Most vicious were the devils and demons who sought to corrupt and subjugate Cintias. But Strafaclios stood in their way and would be the instrument of their defeat. Many a devil and demon lord would be sent back by Strafaclios. But his final and most enduring opponent was that of Herdeziel, the Demon lord of Death and Destruction. Strafaclios and Herdeziel would fight over the course of many days right here within the very chamber we are standing in, to a standstill! Strafaclios knew that he was becoming fatigued against the mighty Herdeziel. As a final measure, Strafaclios asked his diviners and apostles who assisted him to make a gambit. Strafaclios would, with the assistance from his diviners, turn his own body into a vessel carrying a powerful binding spell which trapped the demon lord within his own realm. That burning sigil you see on the wall, that is the remains of Strafaclios’ body, still holding the demon lord in a bind. However, the power of the seal is getting weak. Supposedly it should have lasted for about 1000 years. We are already a few centuries beyond its expiration date.*
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> *Strafaclios left behind a heritage. For you see, he had sired 6 children. Each child would inherit a quest: To build  kingdom of their own, which would last the test of time and be prepared for the eventual return of Herdeziel. To aid them in their quest, each child would receive one of Strafaclios’ six divine artifacts gifted to him by his father Strafas.*
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> * *To his first son, Simeon the Honorable, he gifted his divine Pendant. Simeon would sail to Epros and become the first king of the island.*
> * *To his second son, Estos the Wise, he gifted his shield. Estos founded the city of Estorion and built a city of mages.*
> * *To his third son, Torgis the Venerable, he gifted his Diadem. Torgis would travel east and found a kingdom somewhen in present day Messilia.*
> * *To his fourth son, Pratos the Diligent, he gifted his breastplate. Pratos would create his own kingdom in Konos and swim in wealth.*
> * *To his fifth son, Hastios the Far-Travelled, he gifted his boots. Hastios would sail to Kesrica, travel far and wide and eventually settle his realm on the north coast of the continent.*
> * *To his sixth son, Asphion the Strong, he gifted his sword. Asphion travelled west to Chernavia and fought the tribesmen in the woods and settled his kingdom.*
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> *A final quest given to his sons was that his lineage should remember his fight against Herdeziel and that they should return with his items after a thousand years. The artifacts were to be inserted into Strafaclios’ sarcophagus, and his avatar would return with renewed strength to fight Herdeziel again. However, this never came to pass. For his strong lineage would eventually fall from grace, corrupted by power and greed. Their kingdoms would be usurped, and their legacy erased as the Azurite Empire spread over these lands. I myself am a descendant of Simeon, Strafaclios’ first born son. Alas, I don’t possess heroic prowess and I possess meager wealth. All I have are my books and my knowledge.*
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>  *Now, the legendary artifacts of Strafaclios are spread far and wide, lost to the memory of time and in the hands of selfish greedy individuals who too are corrupted by the items’ power. And we have no champion to stand against the day Herdeziel would return again. None have been able to prove themselves worthy of going on the quest to recover the artifacts… Perhaps until today. Perhaps the appearance of the Hydra Molysménos served a divine purpose, to find champions worthy of such a quest.*
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> *This town you are from, Anemone. The region of Hastoria, all of Akarros, hell, maybe all of the world, is in grave danger. We don’t know when Herdeziel will return. Maybe it will be in your lifetime. Maybe your children or grandchildren will face Herdeziel’s wrath. But you might just be the champions that could prevent such a future. The lineage of Strafaclios failed the quest that was passed on to them. You could be the ones to pick up that mantle and return the artifacts of Strafaclios to fulfill their rightful purpose.“*
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#### **The Celebration in Anemone**

After hearing Emorius' tale, the party would travel back to Anemone. Emorius told the party that they would meet him again when the time was right. Meeting with baron Amon, the party was rewarded and the joyous baron would organize a festival in 3 days to celebrate the heroes. Whilst waiting the party would rest and regain strength. Reginald would pay back his debts to Mallory, freeing him from the worries of being hunted by loan sharks.

On the day of the celebration on the 6th of September, the party would meet many curious individuals, such as the flower merchants Jasmine and Petunia. Grom would meet Adonis Fairheart who was challenging people to duals. Grom challenged Adonis who, after a long fight, yielded to Grom's superior might. The party then met Theodosia Alenias of House of Alenias, daughter of Alexandros Alenias, the Duke of Hastoria. She expressed admiration and suggested she might request their service in the future as she has recently taken up residence in the Alenias Estate in Anemone.

The party was invited to a podium by Baron Amon to be celebrated by the Anemonians. During this celebration, Sheriff Scoio would announce that the barony would reopen the Guild of Heroes and that the party would be its first members. All party members accepted the invitation to join and the guild was formed. Surprisingly, Emorius was also introduced as a founding member, having been the one to suggest to the baron to form the guild. Emorius would join as an administrator and scholar doing research. Following this, a banquet was held and the heroes gorged in delicious Anemonian cuisine.

**The Old Guildhouse**

The following day the party met at the old guildhouse which once belonged to the Guild of Heroes. Here they encountered a lonesome bloodhound dog. Using his magic, Calchas would allow for communication with the dog and the party befriended it. The dog would be named Woofy and be accepted as a guild pet. Emorius, Fezaiyun and Sheriff Scoio arrived and showed the party around the premises and began a process of refurbishing the guild house with new furniture. During their meeting with Scoio, the party was asked to appoint a guild leader amongst them. Reginald would be made the first guild leader. The party was also tasked with finding a new name for the guild, which they decided upon after a week, going with the name Keepers of Eirene.

After dealing with guild activities, Emorius would tell the party of his findings on three of the six legendary artifacts of Strafaclios.

* The Sword of Strafaclios was in the hands of Xargos the Corruptor, an undead warlord who was a distant descendant of Asphion the Strong, the inheritor of the sword. Xargos .
* The Diadem of Strafaclios had been obtained by the Cult of Pandemonium who donated the artifact to Nebbia of the Blackbark, a woman who is told to be a demigod daughter of Narkis, the god of chaos.
* The Breastplate of Strafaclios was in the hands of a famous gladiator from Cirinia named Victarius, who used the powers of the breastplate to gain success in the colosseum. Victarius was supposedly a descendant of Pratos the Diligent, the original inheritor of the artifact.

The party decided on which artifact to go after first, deciding that the Breastplate of Strafaclios would be the easiest to obtain, and set course for the grand port city of Cirinia.

### **Act II: Victarius' Gauntlet**

#### **The Journey to Cirinia**

The party would quickly depart from Anemone to get to Cirinia and find the Breastplate of Strafaclios. The quickest journey would be by ship and the party set of to find such at the Litos Docks. Unfortunately the party would be rejected by many sailors due to discrimination against bugbears and tieflings. After searching for a while, the party would run into Blackie Blackbeard, an excentric dwarven pirate. Blackie was willing to take the party with him on his ship called The Barracuda.

Sailing on the Barracuda, the party sailed down the Oroi River, passing by Tarnassus, the great capital city of Akarros. The ship entered the open waters of the Azure Sea before entering the Heroes Strait. At the Heroes Strait, the ship was suddenly assaulted by three mighty weresharks who immediately killed a crewmember of the ship. The sharkmen presented themselves as Muncho, Chomp and Scuba and demanded that the ship surrendered all valuable belongings to them or they would all become shark food. Reginald tried to reason with the sharkmen but failed to do so, triggering Grom to start fighting and combat ensued. After a hard battle, Chomp was killed and Muncho and Scuba retreated into the ocean. Blackie Blackbeard was in a state of frustration, as the sharkmen are infamous for their raids and will most likely target his ship again should they notice it.

#### **First days in Cirinia**

After 6 days at sea, the party arrived in Cirinia. Blackie Blackbeard sailed into the harbor at the Seyanite district of the city, a multicultural low-class neighborhood. Blackie recommended the party stay at the affordable inn known as the Betty Blues. The heroes would spend the following day asking around town for information about Victarius and learned of the games known as Victarius' Gauntlet, a gladiatorial competition where teams would go into battle against a variety of monsters before finally facing off with Victarius himself. These celebrated games only accepted seasoned gladiators and were known to be deadly, meaning that the gauntlet is only rarely hosted. The party also decdied to earn some money, accepting a job offer by Niobe Koronoi to catch and kill giant rats infesting the sewers of the city.

Knowing that they would not be able to enter Victarius' Gauntlet without proving themselves, the heroes decided to search for potential sponsors. The party had learned of another gladiatorial venue called the Shark Ring, a somewhat more underground and rough venue. The party went to the venue and would quickly try to make an impression at the scene. Grom and Kaali would sign up for a 2-against-2 fight in the pit, whilst Reginald had eyed out a pair of potential sponsors. Grom entered the pit as Grom the Great and Kaali entered as Anemon. The two opponents were Pauly Skewer, a nimble swashbuckler and, surprisingly, Skash, one of Groms many children, who went by the gladiatorial name Daddy Crusher. The fight was brutal, with Grom immediately charging at his son, beating him to a pulp. Kaali would have a tense fight with Pauly Skewer, who then darted away from Kaali to backstab Grom. Grom managed to knock out his son and Kaali would then maneuver next to Pauly Skewer, using her fighting technique to push Pauly into spikes in the ground and follow it up by jumping on top of him, skewering Pauly Skewer in a gruesome finishing move.

Having emerged victorious, the party was approached by two sponsors named Pugnatius and Rixatia. The two sponsors were interested in outbidding each other to become the party's favored sponsor. Pugnatius would promise wealth and fame and that his gladiators have garnered many big titles. Rixatia could not boast of big titles, but claimed her gladiators had a tendency to stay alive compared to those of Pugnatius whom have died. The sponsors were also interested in seeing the capabilities of Reginald and Calchas who did not fight in the Shark Ring. The party was invited to a sparring ground where Calchas and Reginald would have a sparring match against each other to show off their talents. After a short fight, both Pugnatius and Rixatia was impressed. The party decided that they would meet with the sponsors again the next day and decide who they will choose as their sponsor. The party would choose Pugnatius.

Pugnatius would help sign up the party for Victarius' Gauntlet. The party would train for the games and investigate into the life of Victarius in the days leading up to the games. They would learn that Victarius has a tumultuous private life. According to rumors he is a gambler who has cheated on his pregnant wife Brissa with a much younger Izharian merchant's daughter named Serzha Ashetti.

#### Gauntlet 1: The Beasts of Kesrica

The first gauntlet was named the Beasts of Kesrica. It included various monstrosities imported from Kesrica. The first wave of monsters included two-headed Death Dogs. Second wave included poisonous giant spiders. The final wave consisted of a stone giant named Yuleg and a pair of ogres. During the fight, the heroes noticed that Yuleg was visibly distraught. Calchas managed to communicate with Yuleg during the fight. Yuleg told him that he is fighting against his will. Calchas managed to convince Yuleg to surrender, promising the giant that they would attempt to find a way to release him from captivity as a piece of the colosseum.

#### Gauntlet 2: The Cage of the Dead

The second gauntlet was named the Cage of the Dead. The gauntlet included various undead foes and took place within caged pathways which rotated randomly, resulting in a dizzying and unpredictable fight. The first wave of enemies included tough armored dread warriors. The second wave included swarms of skeletons which would quickly overwhelm the contestants. The final foe consisted of Vix Rotjaw, a famed gnoll vampire gladiator and his gnoll witherling slaves. Vix was ultimately defeated, with Calchas Diakos delivering the final blow with his spiritual weapon.

#### Gauntlet 3: The Arcane Constructs

The third gauntlet was named The Arcane Constructs. The gauntlet included various magical constructs provided by the wizards of Estorion. Dara the Constructor, a wizard from Estorion, used her magic to control the constructs and provide challenges for the party. The constructs included foes such as living furniture and magical armor and construct snakes. The final opponent was a powerful Gearkeeper Construct, a floating orb using many swords to slice and dice its opponents.

#### Gauntlet 4: A Monstrous Surprise

The fourth gauntlet would pit the heroes against a surprise monster. The adventurers attempted to gather information on what type of monster they would face before the gauntlet began. The monster was revealed to be a fallen angel of Ellasil named Errantiel the Accursed. Errantiel was banished after commiting acts of brutal violence. Errantiel would put up a tough fight, using his divine powers to control the minds of the heroes to make them unable to attack him. After being struck with a guiding bolt by Calchas Diakos, Errantiel fell before being decapitated by Grom.

#### Final Gauntlet: Victarius

The Final fight fight against Victarius had finally come. The heroes learned that they would face Victarius and his party of selected gladiators. His party included:

* Kulag the Decapitator, a brutal and bloodthirsty gladiator who collects the heads of those he defeats in the arena.
* Denetios the Viper, a hoplite who creates his own poisons to inflict pain upon his foes.
* Blauchus the Vile, a master of dark arts, using necrotic powers to zap the life out of his opponents.
* Zadis the Scaled King, a lizardfolk warrior known to skewer his opponents with his trident and drink the blood of his victims.

As the fight began, Victarius sat on a throne and watched his team fight. However, he was blasted off his throne by Reginald, triggering him into entering the fight. The heroes defeated Victarius' entire team and he was alone against the party. However, Victarius was a tough foe thanks to his strength and his legendary Breastplate of Strafaclios. After a long fight, Victarius was finally brought to his knees. The party contemplated whether they wanted to kill the legendary gladiator or spare his life. Although Grom argued for killing him, the rest of the party decided to show mercy.

The heroes claimed victory, becoming the first gladiators to best Victarius' Gauntlet, making them gladiator legends in Cirinia. They were rewarded with a large monetary prize and Victarius' equipment, most importantly the Legendary Breastplate of Strafaclios which is what the party had come to Cirinia for.

### **Act III: The Corruption of Xargos**

#### Travel towards Komina

The party decided to travel by land towards Komina where the Twilight Conspiracy of the Ravenbrand was located. The party arrived by boat in Hastoria before travelling west past the border town of Ovinos, travelling with a caraven heading in the same direction. The caravan was ambushed by air elementals in the Robber's Pass in the Lukan Mountains. The party then arrived in the Principality of Vloblin, first in the mining town of Troskin before passing Grezium. Here they encountered a large gathering of zealots led by the bishop Vladislaus Pietski preparing for a crusade against the hordes of Xargos the Corruptor. Travelling further, the party was ambushed yet again, this time by the undead which were killing locals. In a tense fight, the party would fight against a trio of powerful undead warriors named Duvich, Sotmyr and Moslev. Afterwards the party managed to travel safely to Komina.

#### The Twilight Conspiracy

The party arrived in Komina and prepared to search for the Ravenbrand mercenaries who control a base of operations on the outskirts at the Twilight Conspiracy. After searching the outskirts for some time, the party found the hideout. During their visit, they would speak with the camp leader Boric. Boric was hesitant to involve the party in their matters but mentioned that they could seek out Sophinia Greyfeather, a dwarven Ravenbrand operating in the capital city Vloblin, who they were likely to find in the Tavern of the Howling Wolf. The party would set course for the capital afterwards.

#### Arriving in Vloblin

The party arrived in Vloblin. Their introduction to the city started on a sour note after being scammed by two knight named Kilovic and Mogiev, who illegally charged the party gold to enter the city. The party would lodge at the The Best Tavern during their stay. The party went to the Tavern of the Howling Wolf to seek out Sophinia Greyfeather. Sophinia would sneak up from the crowd, pointing a blade at Reginald's neck whilst asking them why they are seeking her out. The party deescalated the situation and they managed to get on Sophinia's good side. Sophinia told the party of her investigations in Vloblin, saying that she has uncovered undead activity at Grozmyr Cemetary and is interested in checking out Catacomb #3.

#### Grozmyr investigation

The party would join Sophinia in exploring Catacomb #3 in Grozmyr Cemetary. Delving into the catacombs, the party would become split from Sophinia after a trap wall separated them from each other. Delving further into the catacombs, the party encountered shadowghasts which they easily dispatched of. The shadowghasts guarded a peculiar double door with a dragon engraved in the design. Two sockets were located in both of the dragon's eyes, suggesting that something could be inserted. The party explored side paths in the catacombs, first encountering a room that was haunted by spirits of children playing games. The party found the bones of the kids in a sarcophagus but decided not to provoke the ire of the dead and left them alone. Afterwards, the players encountered a large room with a seemingly bottomless pit. Several levers were located throughout the room, unlocking new passages depending on which one is pulled. Pulling more than one resulted in the one pulling being electrocuted. After solving the room's puzzle, the party found a blue pearl and a black pearl. Fearing the black pearl was cursed, the party only took the blue pearl. Returning to the dragon door, the party discovered that the pearl fit into the dragon's eye socket.

The search continued in a different branch of the catacombs. The party encountered a suspicious black gooey substance in a room, from which an animated undead hand attacked the party. The party discovered that the gooey substance would dissolve when holy water was applied to it. Afterwards, the party discovered a part of the catacombs that had caved in. This part of the dungeon was littered with the bones of ancient warriors. These skeleton warriors would arise, heavily outnumbering the party. Thanks to the party's superior fire power and Calchas's ability to turn the undead, the party managed this fight exemplary. Beyond this encounter the party would face another daring puzzle, approaching a door shaped like a dragons head with an open mouth. The mouth and eyes of dragon glowed with flames. If approached within 20 feet the door would breath fire. The party discovered that a lever was located inside the mouth of the door. Using his mage hand spell, Reginald could pull down the lever, disabling the fire breath as long as the lever was pulled down. Kaali made a daring venture, going into the mouth of the door. An obelisk burned with a fiery mark was located inside. On top of the obelisk was a Red Pearl. Kaali used her acrobatics to acquire the pearl, realizing that removing the item would initiate a powerful explosion. Kaali made a run from it, with the obelisk exploding. Afterwards, a fire elemental appeared and fought against the intruding party. Upon returning, the party ran into Sophinia, who had found her way back to the party. Returning to the dragon door, the party inserted the pearl into the other socket, thus unlocking the door.

Delving beyond the dragon door, the party encountered a magnificent grave hall dedicated to dragon riders and their mounts from the time of the Azurite Empire, which the city of Vloblin was a part of. The astonishment would be cut short as the party encountered a grueling scene, that of Rancoros the Deathspeaker who was raising the corpses of deceased dragons to do his bidding. Aside from having raised the bones of dragons, he had managed to create a lesser death dragon. Rancoros, angry over the disturbance, ordered his undead draconic minions to dispose of the party. This quickly became a chaotic fight with the party struggling to overcome these powerful entities. However, inthe midst of the battle Mudface snuck up from an elevated position, jumping on Rancoros and assisting in the fight. Sophinia also proved herself to be a powerful ally, revealing that she was a werebear. During the struggle, Rancoros would teleport away from the fighting, leaving the party to deal with the dragons. Reginald was close to death as the death dragon managed to grab hold of him, preparing to deliver a killing blow. Calchas would come to Reginald's aid, managing to banish the dragon from this plane with his holy magic.

After the fight, Mudface revealed his intentions to confront and destroy Rancoros who is the most influential servant of Xargos the Corruptor. Mudface told his earliest memory was being held captive by Rancoros who used the Orb of the Blackened Void to tear apart his soul and make him an undead slave. Rancoros gave Mudface the moniker he goes by. Mudface managed to escape but was left in a state of half-undeath, neither living nor dead, with his soul fractured. Mudface now seeks to destroy Rancoros and acquire the Orb of the Blackened Void and use it to undo the damage caused by Rancoros by releasing the tormented souls inside the orb, his own included. Mudface even revealed his face to the party.

#### The Grand Feast

Following the Grozmyr Cemetary investigation, the heroes were surprised to learn that they had been invited to a grand feast hosted by Sienja Gorzky, the grand princess of the Principality of Vloblin. The heroes naturally decided to participate and figure out why the Grand Princess was interested in them. The heroes arrived at the Henos Palace, the royal residence of the Vloblin rulers. Arriving there, they ran into Goran, a stern and imposing half-orc fighter, who they would get to know during the festivities. After a delicious three course meal, the heroes, along with Goran, were invited in secret to another room with the Grand Princess and her closest advisors. In this room the Grand Princess would pry into the heroes' affairs in Vloblin as well as their aligned goals of defeating Xargos the Corruptor. Spymaster Pris Pezt would use her ability to detect thoughts to learn of the party's quest to gather the artifacts and stop Herdeziel. Sienja would allow the party to keep the Sword of Strafaclios on the condition that they would destroy Xargos and return for a triumph in Vloblin to celebrate Sienja's victory over the undead horde. Goran would also join the party, as he himself had his own personal interest in ridding the land of evil.

Upon returning to the party, the heroes received a lot of attention from the guests who had heard of their exploits as gladiators. During their mingling, a mysterious woman named Morrigan gained their attention. Morrigan told that she had learned of the heroes' quest and wanted to aid them in their struggles against Herdeziel's demons. The heroes joined Morrigan for a private talk outside where she revealed herself to be a devil in service to Fasifer, the Archdevil of Obedience. The party was about to strike Morrigan down where she stood but she managed to convince them that she was no threat and would proceed to offer them an interesting deal. In return accepting Fasifer as their devilish patron, Morrigan promised powers and assistance to help deal with any future threats. Although a tempting offer, the heroes rejected the deal, except Reginald. Reginald was swayed by the power she offered and managed to discuss a deal with his djinni patron Dakarai to accept a second patron. Reginald would gain Morrigan's boon and thus became a servant of the infernal.

On their way home from the feast, the party learned of a strange occurrence at the palace. The party helped investigate, learning that two guards, Niels and Vlad, had gone missing. The party would then continue home, only to discover a suspicious drunkard on the street. This drunkard was revealed to be no threat. Instead, a pair of unassuming guards assaulted them, revealing themselves to be demonic Maurezhi which had consumed and stolen the skin of the missing guards. The fighting was intense but the heroes handled the situation and slew the foul creatures.

#### Zorby

   The party arrived in Zorby during the early evening hours on Friday the 13th of November. To their surprise, Mudface had already arrived and was investigating the town. The party convinced Mudface to join them in their own investigation and inspected many of the buildings in town. The houses told stories of a village which had experienced ominous occurrences with the undead before falling silent. Goran would visit his own home in the town which had been abandoned with no signs of his partner Renna. Upon exploring a small abandoned keep in the village the party discovered notes and maps which suggested activity in a nearby area. The investigation was cut short when Martyn, a straggling soldier from Vladislaus Pietski's crusade, came running. He was fleeing from the undead which had followed him to the town. Soon the party would be overwhelmed by a horde of undead, including a Death Dragon which for some reason ignored combat and flew westward. The party utilized the urban layout of the town to their advantage, giving them a defensive edge. However, Duvich, Sotmyr and Moslev would show up, having reformed and returned to exact their vengeance on the party. Calchas was delivered a nearly fatal blow but was saved by Goran who provided assistance. The party would ultimately drive of the undead.

Following the attack, more straggling soldiers appeared in Zorby. They had deserted the crusading army and said they had fled from a large battle taking place between the crusaders and hordes of undead near the foothills of a forlorn fortress. Igan, one of the soldiers, said he would return to the battlefield after discovering that his sister Mila hadn't escaped. The party would journey towards the battlefield to assess the situation and learn more about what was going on and potentially save the crusaders from defeat.

On the way towards the battlefield, the heroes were suddenly surrounded by a mystical darkness, sending them to a black void. Here, the devil Morrigan appeared. She showed them visions of the battle, explaining how the crusaders were doomed to all die in battle. She offered them to sign contracts to serve her and Fasifer. In return, every follower could perform a blood sacrifice to summon devil minions to aid in the battle. No one accepted the contract. Reginald who was already bound to Morrigan decided to perform the ritual, offering his own blood to summon 16 bearded devils who would fight in the battle ahead.

#### The Battle of Zorby Fortress

The heroes heroes arrived at the Battle of Zorby Fortress. Here they discovered the hopeless situation that the crusaders had walked into, having been surrounded by undead on nearly all flanks, with death dragons flying above delivering swift death to rows of soldiers. In the background was a dark fortress from which the undead were emerging from. The heroes decided to fight their way through the undead to reach the crusader army and convince them to fall back. Thanks to the help of their devil minions, the heroes would swiftly charge through and reach the crusaders. They approached Vladislaus Pietski who in his fervor was convinced that victory was in sight. Rostan, one of Vladislaus' captains, suggested a tactical retreat. Thanks to good diplomacy the heroes convinced Vladislaus to make a tactical retreat.

Following the negotiations, the heroes would attempt to find a way to infiltrate the dark fortress. Rostan would lend assistance to the heroes, providing them with soldiers who would help them break through enemy lines to reach nearby abandoned mines where another infiltration force was operating to find a way into the castle. The fight was hard, with the heroes being attacked by the breath of a death dragon along the way. Upon reaching the mines, the bearded devils was sent back to fight the undead, as they were bound by contract to fight in the battle and not to help infiltrate the castle.

#### Infiltrating the Castle

Entering the abandoned mines, the heroes would track the infiltration party. The heroes encountered the infiltration squad, consisting of 6 soldiers lead by Slatko Buvic. The heroes would join the infiltrators and explore the mines. Delving further, the party would be ambushed by two undead bulettes, Slatko and one of the soldiers would be killed in this fight, leading the infiltration squad without a leader. The party would rest after this fight, ending a long Friday the 13th.

During their rest, Reginald discovered a mystical stone tablet with text written in elvish. The tablet asked the reader to pray to The Blackened Void, an esoteric divine being from a foreign realm. Reginald would ask Calchas Diakos for help in the matter. Calchas, knowing about the evil associated with the Blackened Void, warned against interacting with the tablet. Reginald, tempted by his curiosity, put his hand on the tablet and spoke the prayer displayed on the stone. His hand then stuck to the tablet and he would feel dark necrotic energy surge through him, harming him in the process but leaving him with a sense of dark power within.

After resting, the party discovered a ruined dungeon with dilapidated walls, with a lengthy staircase leading up.

#### Zorby Fortress

The party ascended the old staircase which led to a thick metal door embellished with a skull with an open mouth. A plaque demanded "A tribute of that you hold dear and you may enter." After experimenting with triggering the door to open, Grom inserted his hand into the hole. A magical force held Grom's arm in place and the door started speaking in a low voice that he should offer something of value. Grom offered money and a couple of items, but it did not satisfy the door's demands. Grom finally made a big offering, offering the soul of his next unborn child. This satisfied the door and it opened.

The skull door led to a room which was labelled "Hall of Bones". This room contained a large 75 feet wide and 10 feet deep pit filled with countless skeletons. The party crossed this deadly pit by having Reginald fly over the pit with his magical powers and activate a lever that lowered a wooden bridge, allowing the rest of the party to cross.

Exiting the Hall of Bones, the party entered a courtyard within Zorby Fortress, having infiltrated the forsaken stronghold. Strangely, the miasma infesting the region was not present here. The party started exploring the courtyard and went towards a gatehouse containing an exit to the castle. The gate was closed and guarded by skeleton minions which the party easily disposed of. After taking control of the gatehouse, the party discovered Chops and his band of Ravenbrand mercenaries outside trying to find an entrance. After using the remains of the undead to unsuccessfully intimidate the mercenaries, the party decided to leave their Ravenbrand rivals stranded outside by destroying the mechanism controlling the gate, making it harder for the mercenaries to enter.

After leaving the gatehouse, the party travelled towards a forsaken-looking keep within the fortress complex. They were stopped along the way by skeletal alchemists led by an intimidating cloud giant ghost on a spectral mammoth. This cloud giant would reveal itself to be Olduag, a cloud giant which Goran had slain in his past. Upon seeing Olduag, the soldiers travelling with the heroes fled from battle. The party would defeat Olduag, with Goran defeating the ghost in a fashion similar to how he killed it originally delivering the killing punch with his fist.

Following the battle, the party needed a rest and searched for a safe place to lay low. They managed to break into a larger structure which appeared to be a prison complex. Whilst resting within Reginald's genie lamp for 10 minutes, the party reemerged to find the remaining soldiers travelling with them dead, having had their throats punctured with bite marks. The party made investigations to figure out what killed the soldiers in such a stealthy manner, finding hand marks and blood on walls leading from one room to another. Going into an old prison cell room, the party was suddenly ambushed by vampire spawn hanging on the ceiling of the room, taking most of the party off-guard. The party defeated the spawn and would attempt to harvest their hearts, remembering the assignment given to them to deliver a vampire's heart. Calchas Diakos used his surgical expertise to harvest two of the hearts whilst Grom in his eargerness accidentally destroyed the heart of the third vampire.