Scouting Shazendrar

## Only a Moment To Rest

Now that the siege of Barren Biergen Keep was relieved, the party and the force from Angleside recovered and rested. Pickets were sent out to make sure no further Ûr detachments were arriving while the rest commiserated about what they had found in the delves and tents of the keep. Besides the letter to Zangmar indicating reinforcements were coming, the map and the letters to Hortoth were of grave importance. In the first letter, a person named Mydroth that the Order or Ûr are now using Bomar as staging area to attack into Angleside. In addition, there is a Circle near the Firch Wood to the west which will be used to muster more creatures and send them into the Kreenan Plains and Derrin Dale.

> *Progress continues to expand our domain.  Bomar is strong and fertile and they truly bring havoc to the northwest.  That world will not know what has hit them soon enough. When you have enough births, bring them to the Circle near the Firch Wood, join with them and consume the plains.  Send another group to reinforce the South Gate.*
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> *Leave orders to continue to bring in more guests…more births are required for the transformation.*
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> *Mydroth*
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The second letter to Hortoth from Mydroth had a few more intriguing notes.

> *Setup the keep to create and open as many rifts as you can. Time is of the essence.  Aglorn, in the Valley of Bomar, has been successful in finding more of the Shade to grow into Intersticers.  These, Visages and the Ûr will continue to feast on the north. The Chwaer Wood will soon be ours and then we will consume the marshes beyond.   We will inform you when you should move ahead.*
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> *We will be gathering more at Shazendrar from the plains.   The Ûr are arriving and growing our Order.*
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> *Mydroth*
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The keep was certainly an engine for the funnels that had been seen, but what else was occurring in the area? Aglorn must be one of their captains, now positioned in Bomar to work with *Shade* and *Intersticers*. Shade could be a reference to anything, but what was an Intersticer, other than another heinous being to accompany the Visages into perverting the landscape of our world. In addition, it appears that some sort of gathering could be present as Shazendrar as well.

The map that was found would corroborate some of the movements indicated in the letters, but there were still more questions than answers.

Baronet Realnore was promised more troops by the Kreenan Court to assist in the defense of the realm and the investigation of the threat of the Order, so he would be need to return to muster and add them to his ranks. The Baronet would therefore investigate the other abandoned Athro Keeps to the west and head towards the Circle which Mydroth had alluded to along the Firch Wood.

The Baronet sat with the party and requested if they would help out again, this time to investigate the Valley of Bomar and to scout the old citadel of Shazendrar along the way. If Angleside was to survive, they would need to be prepared for what was coming to face them. A few clans of Ûr would not pose a threat, but the emptying of the Mote would be disastrous. The party would not need to thwart any of the forces at Shazendrar, nor Bomar, but information would be greatly of use. Communicating with Dreamward Elyndor Eseyn would be sufficient in getting the information to the Baronet to help prepare for whatever they would need to face. The party took no time to respond to the request. They had been in it from nearly the start and there would be no stopping the Order without them.

The party and the Baronet rested up, and shared supplies. Na'awoorda would bid a sad farewell to the party, but performed a ritual with them so that they could bolster themselves with a *Group Haste* spell when they most needed it. Na'awoorda would leave with the Baronet to help out at the Circle, but would then seek out his clan in the Southern Athro Valley, to insure their safety. After a fine feast provided by Freya, the party gathered their supplies and headed to the northeast, along the old broken road to Shazendrar.

For the two days, the trip was relatively uneventful. Only some lesser game and a few brown bears would venture anywhere near the party as they ascended into the West Mote Hills. On the second night, however, something stirred up on the rocks high above Zak's resting spot, barely visible in the corner of Brocktharian's eye during his midnight shift. Nothing was there, but something may have been there.

Zak stealthily ascended the cliff face, peeking just over the edge and saw a couple shadowy shapes of large cats moving, almost floating above the ground. Zak kept cover and watched with barely an eye upon the large, black cats.

Brocktharian and Hormish attempted to wake a few more of the party quietly, to prepare them just in case. Wubba sent Cooper XVIII up to investigate, but alas, the poor pigeon approached too closely. Survivor of the multiple sieges and battles of Biergen Keep, Cooper XVIII would prove to be a tasty treat for the shadow cat.

Brynda and Brocktharian lit themselves up with magic to help view these barely perceptible great cats, but they still eluded contact. Zak sent some dancing lights down the cliffside, and Kazin howled, which caused the cats to notice and stir, but they still did not engage the party directly. Even when Kazin turned Brocktharian and Freya into large, carnivorous dinosaurs, the cats remained hidden and relatively unphased, choosing instead to bound off to the north, away from the party for the present. Perhaps if more isolated targets were possible, the cloud panthers may have chosen to test their skills against the party. For now, however, the party would continue their respite for the rest of the night.

## A Surprise Suggestion

The party awoke from their sleep and continued forth along the abandoned trail. Cooper XIX, the reincarnate familiar of Wubba, flew ahead relaying information as they traveled to the east into the West Mote Hills. The little vanguard would not falter in his eagle, rather pigeon eyes, and was able to warn the group that a small patrol of Ûr were descending towards them. The party split up across the ancient trail in order to prepare for an ambush against the unaware Ûr. Tindora and Hormish hid behind bushes to the west, while the bulk of the party hid behind an escarpment and a couple large trees to the west. Zak climbed up into the trees and notched an arrow, peering down the road for the best opportunity.

It wouldn't be long before that opportunity would come. Brynda stealthily moved up the slope and hid behind a large boulder, while the others peered out behind the foliage in the depression in which they lay. Kazin quickly created two illusions to intrigue the approaching Ûr. Firstly, he placed an illusory chest on the trail between the split party; the chest was partially open, but whose contents could not be easily determined from afar. Secondly, Kazin donned his special chapeau which allowed him to manifest the image of one of the Ûr's own; stumbling across the trail and then disappearing behind a boulder.

The Ûr were intrigued by both, and so one of the leaders called out for the patrol to prepare themselves. The patrol spread out with Eagle Totem berserkers at the front and rear, while the two leaders were surrounded by Wolf and Bear Totems. As they moved down, the pressure to act prior to the Ûr bolstering themselves any further became to great, and Zak's arrow needed to find its quarry in the chest of one of the Eagle Totem berserkers.

From that moment forward, the party would act quickly. Aterean summoned a polar bear to block the road, and Brocktharian rushed forward to complete the blockade. Tindora, Wubba and Kazin followed in suit, firing and blasting the surprised Ûr, dropping three in quick measure. Brynda shattered one of the Ûr with a *Guiding Bolt* guided straight from the gods. Freya pulled forth her twin engraved hand axes, which she had crafted in the Royal Workshop of the Ffydd Dwarves, and threw them true into the skull of yet another Ûr. The coup de grace, however, was the *Hypnotic Pattern* cast upon the bulk of the Ûr, none of whom were prepared for such a mind-numbing experience.

After taking care of the Ûr unaffected by the *Hypnotic Pattern,* the party carefully attacked and killed all but one of the Ûr that was left. The last was to be targeted as a prisoner; bound to keep whatever Ûr tricks they could muster. Brocktharian grappled him quickly, and then Zak (not so successfully) and Tindora (with great ease) tied up one of the patrol leaders. Although the Ûr was fully bound, he did have the ability to summon a spiritual guardian to cause injury to the Polar Bear, Brocktharian, Tindora, Kazin and Hormish. Fortunately, Kazin had another trick up his sleeve, and in an instant, he cast a magical *Suggestion* on the Ûr to keep any further of his tricks at bay. Kazin told the Ûr priest that if he answered their questions, they would let him go, and the Ûr complied. Brocktharian's *Zone of Truth* would also insure the Ûr's stories would be a clear reflection of what he knew...even if it may not be quite correct.

The Ûr Priest told the party of what lay ahead in Shazendrar. There were, at last count, three clans of Ûr present at the citadel; Clans Voglok, Iz'Gaag and Gargunth, all in all totaling around 400-500 warriors. The party had run into a detachment of Gargunth when they first arrived at Biergen Keep, fighting the demons that were spawning in through the great funnel. They had also run into a detachment of Iz'Gaag who had come to Biergen Keep as reinforcements, but had ended up assaulting the keep instead...rather unsuccessfully. Nevertheless, the sound of 400 more warriors was not only striking, but uncommon for them to be present in such a group in the citadel. The Ûr more commonly stay apart, but the Priest indicated that the Founders of the Order were providing an opportunity for the Ûr to join together with them and bring the *Dark Caste* to the nations of the Southern Continent. The Priest indicated that the Order were not their leaders, but they did respect the Order's power and promise of change. There were strange rituals and creatures that the Order could bring to bear, which impressed the Ûr Clan leadership. In Shazendrar, there were Visages present, although not many, but what the Priest truly found overwhelming was the creature known as the *Intersticer*; a creature who was able to modify the world around him. Although the Priest had never seen the *Intersticer* in combat, the creature was a sight to see, and the tales of its prowess were beyond imagination. There was one *Intersticer* at the citadel, brought forth from some ritual conducted by the Order, which transformed a specific type of creature into this new being. Supposedly there were more of these creatures in the Valley of Bomar to be found and trapped, but one was awaiting transformation soon, waiting in the prison pen in the center of the citadel.

With the party's questions answered, the Ûr Priest was allowed to continue his way to Biergen Keep, where the Priest thought he would find more of his own kind. Little did he know, the keep was again barren, as it had been for centuries.

## Raining Rocks

The following day went with incident. The light game provided Freya with substance for some new treats, Kazin enjoyed reading a book much faster than usual during the breaks, Aterean finished up some potions that he finally got around to making. During the day, Cooper XIX had noticed some giants in the hills nearby, consuming a couple bighorn sheep. With that information, the party skirted the main road, which had incidentally grown much wider now in these higher altitudes, and were able to avoid conflict with these great humanoids for the present.

When evening came, however, it would not all be peace and quiet. The party had camped on a small rise next to the wide ancient road climbing into the mountains. Sometime just before midnight, Aterean, Tindora and Kazin, were on watch and fortunately viewed a few large humanoids coming over a rise to the south. They also saw that one of these ragged giants, covered in matted hair with glimmering eyes was indeed pointing at them and saying something to the others. The three immediately began waking the rest of the party in preparation to get ready for a potential battle, but as they did so, a few massive rocks rained down upon members of the party who were still prone on the ground. These giants meant business and it was time for the party to defend themselves.

Freya and Tindora, both with a common understanding of much of the beings near the Mote, could not expound on what these creatures were. They were definitely not relatives to Freya, or at least Freya hoped so, since the smell pervading the area around these *Barrowes* was quite bad, and who would keep their hair so matted. Regardless, it was quite evident that these creatures were hostile and needed to be taken care of.

The fighters rushed forward to block these giants from the others. The great clubs of the *Barrowes* hit hard, initially scaring the group with the danger they posed. Brocktharian had to take a moment to increase his defense even further, for only a couple successful hits from these harrowing giants could take down anyone in their path. Kazin cast a *Haste* spell upon Freya and Zak, and the two raced forward to engage these deadly giants. Meanwhile, Aterean brought forth a polar bear, Iorek IV, and the ursine defender raced up to keep the Barrowes at bay. Kazin broke out his *Black Feather,* while Wubba and Brynda both evoked magic to assist in the demise of these brutes.

The speed at which Freya and Zak did damage was amazing, taking down one of the Barrowes with ease. However, after that success, Zak found that his confidence probably got to his head, and he spent a few moments clumsily maneuvering down the ravines, hoping no one saw that he had pretty much forgotten that he was far better in mobility and acrobatics than anyone else in the party. Nonetheless, the rest of the party rose to the challenge of taking down the rest of the Barrowe before they could wreak havoc. Spells and slashes and hammerings continued and fortunately, the party would be able to end the threat before anyone fell to the great clubs of the giants. As the last Barrowe fell, the glimmer in each of their eyes subsided, leaving only the matted, fetid remains behind. Aterean got to work quickly , thinking of more potions to brew, while Freya quashed the thought that maybe these very long pigs would be good on the fire pit. The disheveled hair would be horrible to remove. The rest of the evening was quiet, and the party achieved the peaceful rest they needed.

## The Revenants

The next day was again quiet and eventless. The ancient wide road continue to rise into the West Mote Hills as the party closed on their mission of scouting Shazendrar. However, it would be the evening again which brought potential dangers to the party. Again, Tindora, Aterean and Kazin wee awake when they barely espied some sort of humanoids across the road on the other bluffs shouldering the road. These creatures seemed humanoid, carrying large swords, but something in their movement made them difficult to clearly identify. They moved quickly, furtively and parallel to the road's direction. Kazin yelled out to hail them, while the others began waking the party. Who were these beings and what were they doing in the mountains?

As the party got up, they took defensive positions around the west side of the ancient road. Defensive spells were cast and a few of the party made their way towards the edge of the road to potentially engage the strange shadows of men. Kazin cast *Friendship* and attempted to speak with these figures. One came forward and appeared to be considering Kazin's actions, but nothing clearly hostile nor amicable was displayed. The figure that varied between material form when stationary, and a wisp of a shadow when moving, moved forward towards Kazin. The figure was holding their great sword, but with the tip pointed down in a non-menacing fashion. Then the figure took their sword, let it stand point down on the earth, and then placed both of their hands on top of the hilt. Was the figure barring movement from the party, or waiting for something else?

The other two shadow figures remained closer to the slopes on the eastern side of the road. They did not join the single shadow near Kazin, but rather watched the actions near the road from the hillside.

Hormish, Brocktharian and Freya moved forward with Kazin to approach the strange figure. As each moved, the figure watched them, but regardless of what the party would say, the figure did not vocally respond. Freya attempted to give the figure food, but the figure only followed Freya's movements with their eyes. When Kazin dropped to his knees, the figure watched but then finally did something with their hand. The figure brought one hand up off of the sword and performed two gestures: one beckoning the party forward and another halting or dismissing the party. The party was nonplused, and perhaps the figure was as well.

Eventually the party began to move back to the western side of the road, and as they did so, the figures faded into their ghostly mobile form and disappeared to the east.

The party discussed for a while what these creatures might have been. Although none had specific memories or information about what these creatures specifically were, a consensus began to form that these creatures were some sort of revenants of battles of long ago. There were stories of revenants walking over battle fields or following old patrol routes. There were stories of other revenants who were in search of creatures that had killed them or cause them to be trapped between the living and the dead. There were further stories of revenants waiting for some action which might unlock their lives perpetually stuck in the lands around their death. Who knew what these revenants needed, but at least it wasn't clearly combat with the living.

## A Dangerous Road

On the next day, the party travelled further up the mountain road, and again Cooper came in useful, warning the party that a patrol of Ûr were coming southerly towards them. The party split aside the road as their enemy approached. This was a large group, a bit more spread out than the last, but the party was ready to face these foes with great resolve.

There appeared to be three captains in the Ûr group, a Dirgein, a Fire Knight and a Hexer. They were surrounded by stalwart berserkers with the Totem of the Bear, ready to intervene and protect them. Next out, were the soldiers bearing the Totem of the Wolf, capable of bolstering the rest, ready to launch and support wherever conflict arose. Furthest out, wandering the hillsides, were the agile scouts bearing the Totem of the Eagle, attempting to inform the rest of what they might face.

This group also wore the symbols of *Clan Gargunth*. The party had run into member of this clan twice before. Once in the pocket dimension which had entrapped Na'awoorda, and then again at the first battle of Barren Biergen Keep when the funnel spewed forth Outsiders from other realms. Clan Gargunth did posses the strange ability to chill the bones of anyone they faced, but they would suffer the chill themselves when they faced the party.

Although the party was prepared, the Ûr used their Eagle warriors as pickets, scanning at a distance from the center of the patrol. These Eagle warriors, however, were fairly far apart, not always in visual sight of each other. On the south side of the road, Zak hid himself well in the upper branches of a tree, and from there, had a clean shot with his Living Bow against one of the Eagle pickets. To the north, one of these Eagle scouts was almost approaching the party from above their position, but this would not stop Freya from dashing up the slopes and defeating the Ûr with a few well-placed blows. Now, the party waited for the patrol to move further closer to them, but they knew they would not be able to escape this engagement.

They would only have to wait a few more moments as the Ûr had began to make their way around the bend in the road. At once, the party lashed out. Brocktharian charged into the center of the group near the Dirgein to draw them in, waiting for Wubba to send a *Fireball* upon them, but Wubba cast a *Storm Sphere* on the group near the Fire Knight, hoping to shock and dismay them. Zak targeted and shot true at the Dirgein, trying to down him before his nefarious tones began to disrupt the assault. Freya charged down upon a couple more of the Eagle warriors, clefting them rapidly, preparing to encounter more. Aterean sent forth Iorek IV, the great polar bear, to engage the Ûr and keep them from advancing any further. The Ûr were disrupted, to say the least, but they were battle trained as well, and were ready to engage their enemies.

The *Symbol of Exsanguination* arose atop of the Hexer, and quickly the dastardly foe threw Hexes of Vulnerability upon a few members of the party. The Dirgein began his *Pregheira of Pain* which caused the wounds of any foe who heard the dire dirge to suffer their pain again and again. And in the rear, the Fire Knight fled the *Storm Sphere* and headed up the hillside towards Freya. The remaining berserkers charged forward at the party, towards Hormish in the south, Brocktharian in the center and Freya to the north.

The *Fireball* came and singed and charred the Ûr in the center. Several fell, but several remained to engage Brocktharian. The paladin then broke out the *Black Opal Necklace of Akakruhn* and invoked the **Circle of Shadows**, releasing the hands of darkness from the ground, locking down the warriors and the Hexer for at least a moment. Yet, still the Ûr struck forward. The Hexer was stuck in the *Circle of Shadows,* but his *Hex of Pain* could still be felt, especially by those who were vulnerable to his Dark Magic. The Fire Knight's body was covered in fire and then chose to engage the Half-Giantess. The Dirgein was no longer currently seen, yet his dark song still rang out, reopening the wounds of his enemies.

*Chaos bolts, Guiding bolts, Ice Storms* and more, shot from the casters into the Ûr patrol. Freya dropped more of the berserkers, but found the Fire Knight a horror to face as the fire of the Ûr Knight lashed out every time Freya brought *Hrongmar* down upon him. Kazin unleashed the devastating forces of the *Black Feather* to assist Freya, although it would be a tough fight. Aterean made his way to a position to help heal Freya, for the slashes from the Fire Knight were devastating, let alone the blows from the berserkers. Hormish found himself surrounded by the brutes of the Bear Totem and fought desperately until his fatigue finally overwhelmed him. Iorek had fallen, but Brocktharian, Zak and Tindora surged forward to protect Hormish from the cold hands of death.

The battle was savage and exhausting, but slowly and surely, the party was gaining the upper hand. Freya was close to falling several times, and Hormish was barely able to rejoin the fight, but the party helped each other to defeat the remaining Ûr , including the Hexer and Fire Knight. Only one berserker, who had been stunned by Brocktharian's blast from the *Horn of Sonic Burst,* had been left alive and captured. The only Ûr to have escaped was the Dirgein. Somehow in the shadows or on another plane, this dark bard had found his way from the battle. Although Kazin had been temporarily blessed with the ability to see the unseen, no trace of the Dirgein was discovered or found.

## Shazendrar Citadel and Environs

Now the party wondered what to do with the Ûr captive, Zuundaq. Brocktharian truly did not want to just kill the prisoner outright, although there may have been other votes in the party to do just that. Instead, the paladin brought up a *Zone of Truth* around himself and gathered the party to converse with the prisoner for more information. The captive revealed that their patrol was a standard road patrol that watches the western road from Shazendrar, looking not only for enemy forces, but also for some of the unbound *Outsiders* who had been released by the funnels. The party had experience a wide range of Outsiders when they were at Biergen Keep, and could understand why getting rid of them, or attempting to bind them would make sense. When asked about Shazendrar and the Clans present, Zuundaq revealed that there were detachments from three clans present inside the walls of the citadel - Clans Voglok, Iz'Gaag and Gargunth. Wubba was concerned that the clans might be receiving help from potential traitors in the more civilized world, but Zuundaq did not know of any. Rather, there were prisoners that had been taken, but no agreements had been made between Ûr and anyone other than the Order. In fact, there were some Order in Shazendrar, some Heralds in particular who were responsible for the rituals that created the strange Intersticer in the magic circle in the citadel proper. Zuundaq knew little about this Intersticer, other than it was strange, more often than not, keeping to itself inside the magic circle. Zuundaq knew that there was some creature that had been transformed via the ritual that the Herald performed, and there was supposedly one such creature in the pens. "*A creature seen and not seen. An elf but not an elf."* It wasn't clear what he meant, but he was not lying. Although the party had heard that there were three clans in the citadel, Zuundaq surprised them by indicating that there were two more *feeble clans* on the outside walls to the east - Narvûn and Ab'Ankh. All in all, perhaps 500 Ûr were present in and around the citadel. He also indicated that there was only one clan leader present in the citadel, Inthor of Clan Iz'Gaag, but the many other champions present there were formidable on their own.

The party discussed the fate of Zuundaq. Freya and Tindora's knowledge of the Ûr knew that if given Honors of War to leave alive, Zuundaq would honor any reasonable direction given to him. That, and a sensible direction from Kazin through a *Suggestion* spell would be enough to send Zuundaq traveling to Biergen Keep, more than a week away at this point. Who knows what Zuundaq would encounter there or along the way, but at least the berserker was out of the party's way.

The party had healed up, rested up and headed out. After a couple of uneventful days, the party arrived at the outskirts to the party. Zak knew he could use his *Mist Form* to make his way around the perimeter of the citadel, investigating any of the camps or gates better than most. To assist in the investigation, Kazin chose to *Polymorph* Freya and Brocktharian as Owls. Now the party had a good hour to determine how to best approach this citadel.

Freya headed south. There was the top of a wooden watchtower visible from where the party was camped, and Freya head their first. Over the initial set of hills, there was a 40' wooden tower, partially enclosed at the top. With a closer look, Freya was able to see a single Ûr guard present there, with a couple of lit lanterns near the open portals, and at least one more unlit on the floor of the tower. From the tower, Freya could also see there was a small camp 300' to the southwest of the tower. With closer observation, Freya could tell there were at least two present at the camp, but more investigation of the perimeter was required.

Zak was keeping close to the citadel's walls. Checking for any weakness or entrance to gain entry into the citadel. The mist moved down the hills along the southern wall until Zak could see the camps of Clan Ab'Ankh. There were a few campfires active among the camps, as well as a corral with their horse mounts. There was also a patrol moving from the Ab'Ankh camp to another wooden watchtower out in the eastern plains surrounding the citadel.

Brocktharian flew around to the north, investigating another watchtower near some large boulder fields. There, too, the tower was manned by a berserker with several lanterns, although he could see no supporting camp nearby as Freya had found. Brocktharian continued his flight to the east and found the camps of Clan Narvûn scattered along the northern and eastern walls of the citadel. There were campfires, but only a single patrol moving from the camps to another watchtower out in the eastern plains.

After investigating the south, Freya flew out over the center of the citadel; not stopping to investigate to closely, Freya was able to see the camps of the other three clans inside. Clan Gargunth along the western walls, Clan Voglok to the northeast and Iz'Gaag to the southeast. There was an emptiness in the center of the citadel, save a campfire and some sort of palisade. Near Clan Voglok was the magic circle that Zuundaq had spoken of, with some strange being in the center.

The time was getting short, so the owls moved back to where the party was waiting for them. Aterean could *Speak with Animals* to learn what the two owls had to offer while making the most of the rest of the *Polymorph* spell. Meanwhile, Zak began to furtively climb up one of the towers in the eastern plain. When he reached the top, the guard there had their weapons out and was madly signaling with one of the lanterns. Zak wasn't ready to see who would come to the guard's aid, so he quickly shifted back into *Mist Form* and headed away from the tower and back towards the party.

When the party had fully regrouped, they discussed what to do next. The consensus was to check out the northwestern tower and discover what they could from there. There was obviously some sort of signal between the watchtowers and the citadel every 15 minutes or so, so they would have to be careful. The party moved up and around the hills to a large boulder field near the watchtower. Then the owls and Zak approached the northwestern tower. With a careful observation, the group found that there were tracks from the tower leading to another boulder field to the southeast of the tower. Zak followed them and he discovered the footsteps leading into a cave. Zak reported back to the others and now they would discuss what to do next.

## A Fiend in the Caves

The party spent some time considering different ideas for ingress. Everything from a full-out assault to a furtive slow approach were being considered. There were a lot of Ûr present in and around the citadel. The earlier stories of detachments from 3 clans were woefully underestimating the current strength present at Shazendrar. However, there were not many of the hundreds currently active so perhaps a night time foray would be best to investigate and learn more about what was going on at the citadel, and what perhaps the Order and Ûr were planning.

The party spent an hour or two watching the patterns of the patrols and watchtowers. Their lantern signals were committed to memory so that in case they did need to remove a patrol or tower sentinel from their post, they would have a buffer of time before a reaction occurred from others in the citadel. The first endeavor the party would undertake, however, would be to investigate the cave near the northwestern watchtower. Zak would transform into *Mist Form* and creep through the caverns to see what was present. The party would remain hidden outside the cavern, awaiting for Zak's return. Aterean cast *Pass without Trace* on the party so that they could easily move around the northwestern watchtower and hide themselves well amidst the large stones of the boulder field near the entrance to the cave.

Zak transformed into the mist and began his travels into the caverns below. There were a couple cavernous rooms with makeshift stairs leading down into the mountain. In the second room, there was a circular hole with a rope leading down, one end tied to a steel ringlet near the rim of the hole. In mist form, Zak cannot climb so for now, the hole would remain unexplored. However, there was another stair leading down to the south, which Zak set out to investigate.

At the bottom of the stair was another cavernous room, with stalagmite pillars scattered about the perimeter. In the southeastern corner was a pile of withered corpses, which Zak did not yet fully investigate. It would take the eyes of other members of the party to identify these bodies sufficiently for them to learn that these humanoids had been either Ûr berserkers, while others were soldiers from Angleside. Regardless of what their origin had been, they had died in some sort of horrible manner, a form of *Enervation* being the cause of their deaths.

Zak continued through a corridor to the west, which ended in an intersection where corridors dropped down to the north and south. To the north, Zak could see what appeared to be one of the magic circles that the Order of the Silent Fist had used in Canthur. There was no tripod to be seen, but it did bear the 7 stars and swirl painted in a bloody mixture, and surrounded with some of the corruption that they had encountered before. To the south, the stairs lead down to a large circular room with a grand stone pillar in the center. There were no exits off of the room, but there was a niche in which stood one of the *Visage of Uthargot.* With this level mostly scouted, the mists of Zak returned to the cave mouth to report to the party.

The party now headed in to investigate. Those with *Darkvision* would lead the way, while Brynda lit up the earthen spaces for the rest in the rear. The party passed by the circular hole, peering down briefly to discover there was a floor visible 80' below. The party did investigate the corpses, but their real concern was the circle and the Visage. A few of the party dropped down towards the circle but it became instantly obvious that the circle emanated a deep sense of foreboding and fear. This sense of dread resonated particularly strongly with Zak and Kazin.

As Aterean, Freya, and Tindora stood guard at the intersection, the Visage appeared at the base of the stairs on the southern corridor. Instantly, the Visage cast a *Column of Undoing* at the intersection, catching all three in flames of light and dark. All at once, the party members scrambled to get out of the column, with Freya rushing down to engage the Visage. Tindora followed suit and Brynda dashed through the column to assist in the battle. Aterean retreated slightly to heal himself while the others on the north side of the intersection wondered how they would pass through this horrible barrier.

As Zak ran up and into the column, the foreboding that he had felt took hold of him, forcing him back again towards the nefarious circle. Kazin, too, was struck by dread, but was gaining some wild magical abilities that would help him overcome the distance to the Visage. Freya brought Hrongmar down on the Visage, smiting it verily, but the Visage's *Shield of Balance* shot out and surrounded Freya with tongues of radiant and necrotic flame. In addition, the Visage sent out a *Eldritch Wave* which blasted hard into Freya, Tindora and Brynda. If the damage wasn't enough, the wave also sent Brynda tumbling up the stairs back into the *Column of Undoing*, knocking Brynda out cold for the present.

Wubba had had enough of this and with great determination to make it beyond the *Column*, Wubba cast *Dispel Magic* at it and removed the impediment from their path. Now, the party could save Brynda and focus their attention on the Visage. Given her small size and dexterous composition, Tindora tumbled through by Freya's feet, reaching a point in the chamber beyond so she could start attacking the Visage from another angle. Kazin followed suit, gaining a temporary ability for short teleportation from a recent spell, using it to side along with Tindora. Aterean helped Brynda recover a bit, but then had to focus on Freya for the Visage was still a formidable foe, dealing horrific damage to the giantess. However, it would be Freya and Hrongmar in the end who would be victorious. No matter what damage this perversion of reality that Visage could put out, the giantess was focused on ending this enemy once and for all.

## Voices in the Dark

In the dark cavern, the party rested and reflected after the demise of yet another horror brought to Eirethune by the Order of the Silent Fist. What misery these followers of Uthargot have wrought since their inception! Who knows what the world would be like if they were able to bring Uthargot to Eirethune from whatever plane of destruction and perversion they inhabit? The party looked at the body of the Visage, now transforming into that of a half-orc male, and then to the bloody pool of corruption surrounding the magic circle of 7 stars and swirls down the corridor. These dedicated followers are terrorizing the world through their insidious and insane actions, and must certainly be stopped.

The party healed up from their fight and then returned to the hole in the cavern floor that they had passed. Again, Zak transformed into Mist and drifted down the 80' vertical shaft, landing gently in a niche in the cavern corridor. To the south, there was a corridor leading out, on to the slopes at the northwest corner interior of the citadel. Outside the tunnel sat two Ûr guards next to a firepit, and two tents which might hold more of the soldiers of the Mote. Zak returned and then went north to find a quick loop of corridors, in which were some supplies, armor and weapons that the Ûr guards must use to support patrols and the watchtowers outside the walls. They also found components for the *Alarm* spell among their storage; a clear sign that they would need to be careful when moving around the citadel and its outposts.

The party now considered their options for entry into the citadel proper. There were approximately 500 Ûr in and around Shazendrar, and letting their foes know of their presence too early on would more than likely result in the party's doom. After a few moments, it was decided that Brynda would cast a *Silence* spell on the tents and guards while Kazin, Tindora, Freya and Zak would rush in to attempt to end the guards before anyone could find out. The latter two would be *Hasted* to attempt to get as many attacks on their enemies as possible. If they had any problem, then Brocktharian would march in and lock the Ûr down in the *Silenced* area by using the *Black Opal Necklace of Akakruhn* to create the nefarious *Circle of Shadows.* Wubba cast *Detect Magic* as they approached the outside, and it was good that he did, as he found an *Alarm* right at the mouth of the cavern tunnel. A *Dispel Magic,* a *Blood Memory* and a quick heal later, everyone was ready to go.

Brynda cast the *Silence* right between the two guards with Freya and Zak charging in, leaping over the firepit as they approached. Although Freya's *Fast* and *Furious* hand axes were fumbling about, Zak, Tindora and Kazin were able to finish off the two Ûr guards without anyone noticing. Quickly, Brocktharian moved up to stand at the ready if the *Circle of Shadows* was going to be necessary, as the others took a peek inside the two tents. Fortunately, each of the tents only had one sleeping guard inside, so dispatching them in their slumber would be no problem for the fearsome party.

It was now decided that the more quiet of the party, Tindora, Zak and Kazin, would scout around the citadel a bit with an *Invisibility* spell cast upon them. Meanwhile, Brynda donned some Ûr armor and sat outside by the firepit to make sure the guards at the tents would still seem to be present. Brocktharian borrowed Kazin's *Hat of Disguise* and sat alongside Brynda, completing the ruse. The rest of the party waited patiently in the tents by the firepit, waiting to hear what the scouts had discovered.

The three moved down the slope from their position towards the northeastern gate. There were more tents here from the Dark Caste Clan Voglok, with a few guards scattered between near firepits. Only a couple patrols moved about, either up on the walls, or a couple on the ground.

Slowly, but surely, the invisible group moved about the ruins and tents and came ever closer to the Magic Circle they had seen before when Freya and Brocktharian were polymorphed into birds. However, before they could get too close to the magic circle, a being of strange countenance appeared and started to smoothly and silently move towards them. A strange creature, not quite touching the ground as it walked. Although it had two legs, a myriad of arms comprised its upper body; almost all of these arms reaching up towards a strange black orb floating above the body. Another arm gripped a massive 7' sword which trailed behind, creating furrows of cubist distortions in the rock and dirt over which the being floated.

The invisible scouts turned away from this being, and began to head back to the west. Almost immediately, each of them heard voices in their head. Three strange phrases, "***forstahnd me, cavir lim, yordam bering***", were heard, though it was not clear from where. Although the root languages were not known to any, each of the three could understand some part of what was being said. Kazin and Tindora heard ***forstand me*** and thought it was very similar to a common phrase heard amidst how the gnomes and halflings of the Southland. Zak heard ***yordham bering*** and thought it was very similar to a common phrase known to the Orcs of the far north. In both cases, however, the phrase simply meant "***Help Me***".

The scouts all attempted to respond to the voice by thinking different questions or thoughts. It wasn't clear at first if what was talking to them was the creature with the massive sword or something else, but whomever it was, the voice continued to ring in their ears. The group moved to the west, towards the western wall and the encampment of Dark Caste Clan Gargunth. There was a patrol nearby, but it was moving away from the scouts. Meanwhile, it appeared the strange floating creature with the sword was no longer following them. Yet still, there were voices coming from somewhere.

To Kazin, the voice said, ***"I am bound and immobile - help me - keep moving to the west for a while to keep my Lord, my poor Lord in whatever form he is in now, from getting you - come back after my Lord moves to the circle of his destruction - my poor Lord"***

To Zak, the voice said, "***I am the Lady Ulutra - please save me - I am locked in the pen - but please head west still - My poor Lord may have sense of you - please - he is destroyed, but must be avoided - so sad "***

To Tindora, the voice said, "***I need your help - I am trapped in the pen in the center - but please continue west - My Lord is tracking - he is destroyed, yes - horrible - we must avoid him now - wait a few more seconds and it should be safe to come closer to the palisades"***

The party waited for a bit and then furtively returned towards the center of the citadel. There, between the encampments, lay a high palisade of strong wooden spikes, keeping eyes from peering in and something from getting out. Kazin and Tindora moved around to the northern side of the palisade, while Zak climbed the posts to peer inside. Kazin and Tindora found a firepit and a simple gate at the northern side, which appeared to not have a lock. When the party looked inside, however, all they could see was a clump of heavy chains, piled 5' from the ground, held together by a massive lock. As the scouts peered down, the voice resounded in their heads. ***"Please help me - there are symbols in the corners keeping me from moving more than my heart or mouth - you must help us before it's too late."***

With that, someone appeared in the middle of the chains. She may have been invisible before, but now she was slowly appearing in bewildering form. Semi-transparent and outlined in silver, the dreamy form of a Shade Folk woman appeared. Although all had heard stories about the Shade Folk, they were exactly that, stories. They were creatures believed to have existed in the First Age, thousands of years ago, as part of the Creation Story. But who believes in all of the myths of the long ago past? The Shade Folk had never been seen by anyone in a thousand years. They were common to nursery rhymes and children's games more than moments in history.

> "*Don't look under your bed, there's a shade crawling up to tickle you!"*
> "*When you look in the dark of the forest, and see a light dotting about, it's the eyes of the Shade Folk blinking at you"*
>
>

Not even the Fey have seen the Shade Folk. The stories of the Shade Folk are ancient and unclear. They have ties to the elves, especially to the Drow creation story, but no one really believes they exist. At least until now.

## Links

Previous, To the Funnels

Next, The Valley of Bomar