Record of the Pheonix

### *Hell Hound Hunting*

Ewiel joined the Seekers. Together they join a large-scale hellound hunt, and collect a reward for it. While discussing their next steps, Ewiel receives a vision the likes and intensity of it he hasn't experienced ever before. It shows an oracle tower exploding and collapsing, surrounded by a forest burried under spiderwebs. A group of fairies wearing uniforms of the Shining Concord Empire narrowly escape the shockwave while an ancient and nearly decipid white-haired elf watches from afar. Then the vison shift. Members of the Night Fangs perform a dark ritual to corrupt a Hundred Eye Viper in a swamp. Then the same people flee through a forest of white wood towards a mountain the with a red peak.

### *Bandit Ambush*

The Seekers report the vison to the local chapter of the Sparrow Jacks. Immediately the other authorities are informed and organize a two-pronged attack. While one group is sent into the Hundred Eye Swamp to stop the corruption of the local wildlife, a second group will travel south to the Red Flower Peak to cut off the Night Fang's escape, as there has to be an Underworld Portal there. Long Fang splits off to join the main force heading into the swamp. Three adventurers Eliana, Kiromia, and Howser join the Seekers on their travel south.

On the second day of travel, they notice tracks of the goblin bandits. The Seekers decide to attack the bandits first so they cannot become a problem later when they deal with the Night Fangs. On the way there they meet a butterfly spirit that seems extremely nervous and twitchy. The spirit directs the Seekers to the bandit camp. The Seekers soon finds out that the Vermin Lord is spreading his influence through the portal, which is what is driving the spirit crazy.

The Seekers find the bandit camp and spy on them for a while. The human bandit leader Ziwa tries to order the goblins around, but struggles to be heared. A male orc warrior named Grombor and his wife Norka, an orc shaman of Isubiar, sit at the campfire, while about a dozen goblins loiter around. The Seekers ambush the bandits. They kill most of the goblins, then the raging Grombor. The surviving goblins flee. The bandit leader Ziwa covers his escape with a smoke bomb. The shaman Norka severely wounds Eliana before Zhang Hong kills the orc. Kiromia trailes the escaping goblins to the portal and removes the key stone.

Loot: Unholy Locket of Isubiar containing one phoenix feather, a battle axe with unholy markings, gold with coinage from various keepers, including some esoteric ones. Keystone of the portal.

Losses: Eliana is badly hurt and unable to fight. The enchantment of her magic armor is destroyed. Zhang Hong's battle fan is destroyed.

### *Pale Stranger in the night*

The Seekers discuss the idea of catching Night Fang and possibly allowing Zhang Hong an attempt to convince them away of their wrongdoings. The group inspects the cave with the portal. The entrance is narrow. Various scribblings cover the walls of the cave. They also find a boulder above the cave entrance could be moved to block the exit once the Night Fang are inside, but it is already too late at night to move it.

In the middle of the night, Ewiel is keeping watch at the portal cave. He befriends a Ho'in, local magical creature, and asks it to assist him. With its superb nightvision it notices a Night Fang scout with a pack of Hellhounds climbing the mountain. Ewiel sends the Ho'in to call backup, then settles down to wait.

The hellhounds spot Ewiel and a fight begins. Backup arrives just in time to see Ewiel being overwhelmed by the pack and goin down. Tao Jie and Howser with minor assistance from Zhang Hong quickly kill the pack and corner the scout. The noble then calms the scout down and convinces him to reconsider the future of his clan. Howser meanwhile recovers the badly wounded Elf.

### *Keeper Ex Machina*

The Seekers recruit the moth spirit. Then they lay an ambush for the approaching Night Fang sect. The goal is trick the disgraced sect into surrendering. When they arrive, they hear noise of an army surrounding them. Zhan Hong then persuades them to surrender and seek redemption. Long Fang catches up just in time to witness the surrender.

Just when they decide to return to Rontian peacefuly, out of nowhere a Dungeon Keeper Shio Long and his warlock Pan Tu appear with a loud thunder that stuns adventurers and sect members alike. The Keeper mentions that he came to investigate what caused the delay of his new minions and the deactivation of the portal, but is disappointed with what he finds. The warlock demands that the Seekers hand over the Phoenix feather. He then summons an army of ghosts that are bound to a focus, a scroll. The Keeper takes out Kiromia and Howser with some powerful lightning strikes. Ewiel hands over the phoenix feather he is carrying to Long Fang, telling the Shinu to escape with the treasure. Long Fang instead attacks first the Warlock, then the Keeper, but with little effect.

After toying with the Seekers for a while, the Keeper and his minions retreat, because the portal can't be kept open indefinitely. Before he disappears though, the Keeper "instructs" Long Fang to collect "his" feathers for him. Shio Long promises to come back to collect the bounty.

The Seekers and their allies take care of their wounded. Lady Nightsong points out that she recognized Pan Tu's voice as the one who persuaded the elders of her clan to abandon the Light. Then Seekers destroy the portal, dig out the hidden key stone, and returned to Rontian. The survivors of the Night Fang sect are offered a chance to redeem themselves and rejoin the Light. The Seekers are rewarded handsomely.

#### Loot

1. Money for four items of wealth level 2.
2. Three immobilizing bombs (10 ft. radius)
3. Fame and glory in Rontian
4. XP to level 2

## The Journey South

### *To Verdant Places*

The Seekers rest withing Rontian for several days, making use of their newfound good reputation and rewards to equip themselves for the journey to come. Once rested, they choose to travel with a small family of merchants and see places of wonder within the land of Wagashi. They also see the more nefarious sides of travel, dealing with a thieving group of goblins that sought to rob them in their sleep.

After some days of travel The Seekers arrived at the Verdant Glade Sect , a smaller sect located south of Rontian. There they rested for a few days (after handing off the captured goblin bandits), learning about the locals, the land and some history. They also made it a point to trade pointers with the locals and hone their skills - even taking part in an exhibition match and earning themselves some more supplies for their journey. Their time spent in the Verdant Glade Sect helped The Seekers come together as a group.

Three days after they arrived, the Seekers continued their journey on.

### *All that just for an omlett*

That evening the Seekers and the the merchants in their accompany were looking for a place to make camp at the Howling Stones. The place is named after the eary sounds that the strong winds from the Sandarren Desert make when rushing through the windy canions.

A loud thunder from the direction of the desert allerts the group to a battle in the distance. Two dark priests were hurling attacks and insults at each other while chasing down a magical beast, a Magmacore Imugi, which is one of the strongest breeds of drake. The seekers prepare an ambush in the canions. But they were not the only one as two armies of ghosts popped into existence just out of arrow range, and swiftly began to fight each other. When the Imugi dashed through the battlefield, the Deekers noticed that it was carrying an egg in its tail pincer. An egg which the dark priests obviously were trying to rob.

After Zhan Hong accidentally kicked lose an avalance that nearly hit the egg, the imugi was about to eat him alive. Ewiel just barely managed to calm it down before it could hurt the noble. In the meantime, both dark priests took several heavy blows and one ofter the other tumbled down into the ravine. Shortly afterwards, the keepers called back their armies of minions.

One of the dark priests was a Shinu with black feathers in the services of Keeper Crimson Blossom who worshipped the Vermin Lord. It is unclear if he survived.

The other priest was an undead worshipping Crowned Death and serving an unknown keeper from Sandarra. He most likely died.

#### Loot

* Some gold coins with the faces of the dungeon keeper fro mSandarra
* A ruby coverred in the black blood of the undead priest
* A staff of Alteration

The next they the seekers met with a patrol from the neearest settlement to the sourth, the Silverleaf Sect. Three days later, our heroes arrived there, delivered their official report and cleansed the loot.