At the party’s hideout in Balic, the sorcerer-king Andropinis and his remaining templars approached Daqiq, still within the cage. Daqiq was not in a good place, both hopelessly outmatched by the Dictator and because he had witnessed the death of his wife. When the sorcerer-king asked “What shall we do with you?” he sipmly replied that he wanted to search the Gray for Jax. Andropinis, aslo weary of the conflict, agreed and opened a portal for Daqiq, who stepped through into the Gray.

Turning to the unconscious Jarvix, Andropinis, considered his options carefully. Jarvix was stripped of all his possessions and then they waited for his to regain consciousness. When Jarvix did come to, it took only moments for him to realize the severity of the situation. Using the power gained from the magical deck of cards, he turned back time and altered his fate. Instead of being knocked unconscious during the fight, he was barely able to join with Gwyn when she teleported out. To everyone else, that was the sequence of events, but Jarvix remebered the original events as well.

The surviving party members arrived in the plains east of the Pristine Tower, grateful for their escape, but saddened for the loss of their friends. The journey to the Tower was mostly uneventful, save for a few beasts that were no match for the party, even in their weakened state. Gwyn was pleased that she suffered no ill effects from having used the Dark Lens.

At the Tower, they were allowed entry by the Shadow Giants and debated their next course of action. After much discussion, the party decided that the risks were not as great as the potential benefits and they allowed the giants to perform the ritual to re-energize the sun. Taking the Crown of Dust, which contained the souls of both Ul-Athra and Yarnath, and the dangerous deck of cards, the giants worked their magic, which culminated in a powerful beam of energy lancing into the sun and turning it slightly more yellow.

With the ritual complete, Thea could feel a connection to the divine partially restored and the party decided to offer up more items. This time the Censer of the Morninglord and the Axe of Rkard were given to the giants. More energy was injected into the Sun, and the connection to the divine strengthened.

The party began to plan their next move while concerned about the attention that the Pristine Tower might have drawn from the sorcerer-kings and other powerful individuals of Athas.

To the party’s surprise, Andropinis made them an offer. They could surrender their artifcats, including the Dark Lens, and depart Athas, never to return. If they did so, the sorcerer-king promised to resurrect Banoc and insinuated that the world would be a better place. If they did not, the Dictator intended to take the Lens by force and implied that the deaths of the inhabitants of the Tyr Region would be on the party’s hands.

The party was not about to surrender and engaged Andropinis and this templar soldiers (who were surrounding the safe-house). The battle was fierce. The templars were mostly disabled by Jax’s magic, however, the sorcer-king was much more resilient than any other foe they had encountered before. His balck shield of magic and psionic energy absorbed many of the attacks on him. His own magic locked Daqiq in a cage of force, preventing him from participating in the battle.

While the party wore him down, Andropinis was able to defeat many of them. Jax was the first to fall to the sorcerer-king, eventually dying from her wounds. Elleandra fell was well, but was only knocked unconscious. Iorskan was the next to feel the wrath of the sorcerer-king and the party was unable to reach him before his wounds got the better of him. Jarvix faced several of the rallied templars and, being unaccustomed to the front line, was knocked out during the fight as well.

Gwyn sized up the situation and the paryt rallied to her. She remained unwilling to use the full power of the Dark Lens, but did use it to teleport herself and the surviviors out of the fight. Her intended destination was the Pristine Tower, but she was slightly off target, arriving about two days travel to the east.

In the end, Gwyn, Way-lynn, Kira, Thea and Elleandra were able to survive the fight. They had managed to bring Iorskan’s body with them, but the bodies of Banoc and Jax had to be left behind. Jarvix was also left beind, his fate unknown. Daqiq was last seen inside the cage of force facing the sorcerer-king and his surviving templars.

At their safe house in an abandoned building, the party debated what to do and how to proceed without Banoc. Gwyn was unwilling to use the Dark Lens, out of concern about how she might

During the night, Daqiq struggled with the Crown of Dust, and eventually lost to the powerful will of Ul-Athra. He snuck out in the early morning and headed twoards the Sea of Silt. Too late, did the rest of the party notice he was missing, and tossing the Crown into the silt, Ul-Athra began to reform once again.

Moments later, the party ruhsed down towards the silt to find Daqiq struggleing to recover the crown and the massive form of Ul-Athra regenerating. Elleandra used her broom to fly out over the silt and rescue Daqiq and the Crown, while Way-lynn waded out to engage the primordial. Stunned for a few moments, the rest of the party finally engaged with weapons and magic, attempting to stop Ul-Athra from completely regenerating.

They were successful and Ul-Athra’s soul entered the Crown of Dust once again. However, they party suffered many wounds, and without Banoc, the prospect of healing was daunting. While the party wanted to take enough time to fully recover, they were unlucky. After only a few hours, with a loud “boom” the front door to the building burst out of the frame the the sorcerer-king of Balic, Andropinis himself stood in the doorway.

After their fight with Ul-Athra, the party retreated to a safe house in Balic. There, Banoc used much of his remaining spells to cure the party of the wounds they suffered during the fight. While resting, Daqiq attuned to the Crown of Dust, and although it attempted to assert influence over the rogue, the crown was not successful.

While resting, a large disturbance was seen moving from the Guilder’s Precinct towards the safe house, and the party assumed that it might be Ehwahla. Moving out to meet her in the open, they discovered that she traveled alongside a number of silt elementals.

Without any attempts at a diplomatic solution, the two forces engaged in a bloody combat. Although the party had the advantage of numbers, the silt elementals were able to pin down some of the party in sinkholes created in the ground. Banoc was unfortunately caught in a sinkhole and pinned by Ehwahlah, slowing suffocating and being crushed at the same time. Although Thea started to move to try and help him, Banoc urged her to take down Ehwahlah.

Eventualy the party was successful and Ul-Athra’s mate was defeated, however, Banoc also perished. They carried his body back to the safe house and rested once again, attempting to determine what their next move should be.

After the initial diorientation, the party found itself in the city of Balic, however, it was not as they remembered it. Most of the eastern districts were consumed by the Silt Sea. The remaining districts were burned and blasted with minimal signs of life. The level of destruction was far beyond anything that they had expected to see.

Hoping to find Andropinis, the party left he Villa Precinct and headed to the Meagleneon. There were signs of living inhabitants but despite the groups best efforts, they remained hidden, appearing to be afraid to show themselves. At the Megaleneon, the party encountered Ul-Athra, who was slowly consuming the land.

With one of their targets in sight, the party engaged the primordial and a titanic battle ensued, with meteors falling from the sky and Banoc, Iorskan and Way-lynn all being swallowed by Ul-Athra. Despite suffereing many severe wounds, the party emerged victorious and the remains sank back into the Silt Sea.

Gwyn used her magic to store Ul-Athra’s soul in the Dark Lens, Daqiq recovered the Crown of Dust and the party began searching for a place to rest while they planned their search for Yarnath, their next target.

Nibenay was curious about the partys intentions towards himself, the other sorcerer-kings and the world in general. Gwyn and Banoc carefully steered the conversation to avoid potentially dangerous topics and did not want to reveal too much about their specfic plans. During the conversation Nibenay revealed more of the history of the world, Rajaat and the champions, including the true purpose of the dragon’s levy – to power magic that contains Rajaat. If the magic were to fail, Rajaat would gain his freedom and the world would suffer greatly. Nibenay reveled the Rajaat’s plan was to return Athas to the Blue Age where halflings ruled.

In the catacombs beneath Nibenay, Jax and the other searched for more lost treasures. They happened across many of their corpses and remained confused as to what that meant for them. They found a magical deck of cards and Iorskan and Jarvix drew from it – each was affected by the magic. Jarvix lost some of his intelligence but gained the knowledge he could undue one event. Iorskan ended up loosing all of the magical items he possesed. None else dared to draw from the deck and Thea, being protective of the group, took the deck before any further trouble could be caused.

Way-lynn, Daqiq and Elleandra felt the best course of action was to head to Balic and confront Ul-Athra before the city-state was completely consumed. Having no further need to bother Nibenay, they left, and were allowed to leave without incident. The group reconnected in the catacombs and searched for the remainder of the day, eventually finding the Standard of Arkhosia as well as the Axe of Rkard. A number of other items were found, but they appeared to be cursed.

Iorskan arranged for the unwanted items to be sold and Gwyn used her magic to teleport the group to Balic, hoping they could defeat Ul-Athra and claim his power to help restore the dark sun.

The party left the safety of the Pristine Tower and journeyed west towards the city-state of Nibeany. The increasing heat of the High Sun Season was a shock after the relatively cool environment inside the Tower. Their first stop was Fort Inix, a trading outpost of House Shom. However, instead of finding a decadent fort, they found death and destruction. The fort and been attacked about a week ago, and although there were some dead, the group suspected that many had been taken away. All items of value, save the ceramic coins, had been plundered from the fort. They suspected that githyanki raiders from the nearby Black Spine Mountains were responsible. Although they were curious about the motivations, all felt that sticking to their current objective was the best choice for now.

They continued west toward the Bremil Pass at the southern edge of the mountains. While travelling over the pass, they were setup by githyanki raiders. The raiders were well armed and armored and would have been more than a match for a normal caravan or group of travelers. However, the party easily dispatched them. During the conflict, Kira and Banoc went missing, victims of the githyanki’s planar magic. Both found there way back to Athas – Kira from the elemental plane of Earth where she navigated the merchants in the City of Jewels, and Banoc from the elemental plane of Air.

Despite this setback, the party eventually arrived at the city-state of Nibeany, which they found to have mostly recovered from the cataclysm that had affected it months ago. They split into their two groups and Kira led half the party to the catacombs. In the catacombs, luck was with them as they located the Seventh Sword of Tyr, and Jax merged it with her other swords. Later they discovered the body of Elleandra, still wrapped in the burial cloth. They decided to leave it untouched.

Gwyn led the others into the Temple of Law to arrange an audience with her father – the sorcerer-king. There they were joined by Siemhouk and eventually Nibenay arrived, curious about his daughter’s intentions.

Inside the Pristine Tower, the party got down to the business of gathering information and planning their next moves. Through a combination of magic, the Way and informatoin gained through more mundane methods, they learned about the current state of affairs in the Tyr Region. The process took several weeks, but their combined efforts revealed information regarding…

• Borys, the Dragon of Tyr, and his domain in the Sea of Silt
• Dregoth and his activities in the city-state of Raam
• The city-state of Nibenay and the action of Siemhouk
• The current status of the Blue Waters Oasis
• A bit of information on the history of Sacha and Wyan

After discussing the current situation, the group decided to travel to Nibenay and learn of the Shadow King’s motives and goals, as well as attempt to recover the items held by him. Gwyn planned to take Banoc, Way-lynn, Daqiq and Elleandra to gain an audience with Nibenay. Jax planned to take Kira, Iorskan, Thea and Jarvix into the crypts below the city, where they felt many of their items would be.

Elleandra was greeted warmly by those she know and introduced to those that she had never met before. The excitment of the reunion was dampened by the injuries they had sustained. They were quickly causing transformations into beasts, an unfortunate side effect of the Beastbarrens. None of the cures Banoc tried could remedy the situation. While they waited, the area outside the Pristine Tower was searched, without much success, as only Iorskan had been there before.

Iorskan eventually made contact with the inhabitants of the Tower, the Shadow Giants, who were convinced to allow the party to enter. The inside of the tower was significantly larger than should be possible, with a smal village of white stone, alabaster and quartz contained. After much discussion an agreement was reached and the Shadow Giants cured the corrupted wounds, removing the effects of the transformations.

While the party had some lingering suspicions about the Shadow Giants, an agreement was reached. The shadow giants claimed that with the Dark Lens, they could restore the sun to a former stage. However, it would require a tremendous amount of energy – from the sorcerer-kings or other beings or items of similar power. They told the party how a simple spell, but only one Gwyn could recreate with her most powerful magic, could trap the energy of a slain sorcercre king in the Dark Lens and then recharge some of the crystals in the tower. It would be a long and dangerous series of quests, but the only know way to restore Athas to a new Green Age Green Age.

The party had been missing from Athas for over a month, and their information was out of date. They contemplated their next moves and the information they would need to be successful…

The party moved towards the Pristine Tower, being mindful of their surroundings and vigilent for additional Githyanki forces (or other terrors of the desert). as they approached the tower, passing through different rings of vegetation, they saw a large army of Githyanki, including a red dragon, camped outside the tower. The seige engines left no doubt they were attempting to break in, yet the tower itself appeared undamaged.

The Githyanki scouts quickly spotted the adventurers and moved to engage them. The army outnumbered them, 12:1, but the party did not falter. Daqiq shot arrows, taking down the dragon before it could enter the combat. Banoc unleashed a powerful earthquake causing the land to buckle and heave. Gwyn used her fire magic to contain and incinerate the Githyanki. Iorskan and Way-lynn charged forward into the fray, neither having any weapons that were effective at range. Thea, cut off from the source of her magic, managed to help where she could, creating beams of sunlight from her spear. Jarvix used his skills with the Way to attack from a distance. Jax and Kira occupied the middle ground lending aid with spells and weapons.

The power of the adventurers proved to be more than a match for the more numerous invaders and the Githyanki eventually routed. Their escape was cut off by a large army of metal armored dwarved led by Elleandra! The few remaining Githyanki were defeated and he party contemplated how they might get into the Pristine Tower, when an army of Githyanki failed to do so.

The reunion with Thea was made even more joyous by the nature of Elysium. Everyone shared stories about what had transpired since Thea fell in the Ruins of Pluton. Thea listened with care and sympathy at the struggles the party had endured and they were fascinated by Thea’s dream-like adventures to other worlds and times. Eventually the current situation on Athas was discussed and the party wished to return, except for Birk who elected to remain in Elysium, having endured too much on Athas. Thea offered to join the group not only to help her friends overcome a great evil, but for other reasons, which she elected to put aside for the time being.

Inti guided them across the water to a trading post called Portico where they resupplied and The left to gather her gear. When she returned they feasted and Thea told them of how she journeyed into Avernus to try and help save a city from being consumed. There she met an old friend of the party – Jarvix – who had ended up there after the defeat at the hands of Nibenay. She aslo told how, she encountered the archmage Evan Moreau and his friend Kira who Gwyn and others had adventured with.

Thea produced a strange cube and using its magic, brought both Kira and Jarvix to Portico. Another sweet reunion between old friends was enjoyed by all. And a plan was hatched – they would return to Athas, attempt to locate the Pristine Tower, bargain with the Shadow Giants there and learn how to use the Dark Lens to recharge Athas’ sun, and hopefully bring about a new Green Age.

Thea used the cube one final time and, guided by Iorskan, they traveled back to Athas, arriving within sight of the Pristine Tower. However, as they traveled through the Beastbarrens, they encountered a large patrol of Githyanki. Although the Githyanki were defeated, the party learned that they had begun to spread out from the Arkhosian stronghold and conquer the surrounding lands.

Exhange of Information
After gathering what information they could on the history of Athas, the librarian Edna approached the party with an offer. If the party would hadn over some of the books of lore and magic they acquired from Sielba’s palace in Yaramuke, the party would be allowed access to some magical tomes to enhance themselves. While eager for the opportunity, Gwyn and Way-lynn were reluctatnt to hand over the information on the defiler metamorphosis. Eventually it was agreed upon for the party to hold the dragon magic tomes and Birk and Phyll would not be allowed access to the magical tomes.

River Cruise
After a week studying the magical tomes, the party departed the Library of All Knowledge and, guided by Gem, made their way back to Krigala and to the banks of the River Oceanus. On they banks of the river, the party said goodbye to Gem and boarded a boat captained by an elephant creature called Inti.

Elysium
After several weeks of travel through strange lands filled with wondrous sites, the boat approached the waterfall leading to Elysium. Although the drop was dangerous, Inti was an experienced captain and her boat was sound.

Arriving in Elysium, ther found themselves in a paradise of crystal clear waters and scattered islands, home to the warriors of good who served their causes faithfully. Banoc prayed for guidance and, to his surprise, the vial of tears he carried led them to a tropical island.

On the island they found a simple dwelling with a solitary figure asleep. They recognized the friend Thea! She was in a deep, magical slumber, but a drop from the vial caused her to wake. With tears of happiness, she embraced each of her friends and introduced herself to those she did not know.

The feeling of pure joy they all felt upon their arrival in Elysium, swelled within them.

Shortly after their arrival, Gwyn’s dragonling flew off on its own down a game trail. The party decided to follow seaching for signs of life. They saw numerous animal tracks and heard many sounds, but no animals were found. As they traveled, each felt a hunger within to partake in a hunt and feel the wind on their face. Although the sensation was powerful, each resisted the urge.

A Test of Morality
After many hours of travel the sounds of a struggle and a cry for help broke through the background noise of the mangrove forest. When they moved to investigate, they saw an odd sight – a large jackalope was perched on a limb of a tree. Below it was a fox, also of large proportions, which was trying to attack the jackalope.

The jackalope looked over to your group and shouted – “Help me, this foul beast intends to make me its meal!” Equally strange, the fox turned to the party as well and spoke – “This vermin is my lunch and has great treasure. Help me defeat it and I’ll let you have first pick of his loot.”

After a heated debate, and many questions, the party decided to try and diffuse the situation by offering the fox, Lizzy, some gems in order for it to stop attacking the jackalope, Herman. Jax hoped that the animals might provide information or be guides in the strange land. Before too much more could be discussed, there was a disturbance in the forest, and two new creatures appeared.

New Friends
Bursting through the underbrush two creatures emerged. A tall, muscular and hairless male humanoid with opalescent green skin and white-feathered wings, brandishing a massive sword appeared first. It was followed by a small creature that appeared to be a miniature elephant with luminous gold fur and small, rapidly fluttering wings.

The humanoid, Abehk, and his companion, Gem, learned what had transpired and then revealed the situation was a test of the party’s intentions. Abehk appeared satisfied that the party was of a generally good heart and agreed to provide information and assistance. They party learned many things…

• They were in a place called Krigala, on another plane of existance called the Beastlands where all manner of beasts can be found. The beasts here are the souls of animals and others of kindred lives who have died.
• Abehk appeared unconcerned about the activities of Trinth and her Githyanki, as it was a mortal matter.
• Abehk and the others served the god Zivilyn and were totally unfamiliar with Athas.
• Abehk suggested that the knowledge the party sought might be found in a different level of the Beastlands called Brux, in a place know as the Library of All Knowledge.

Gem agreed to escort the party to the library and the party set off travelling through the Beastlands and now seeing a stunning variety of animals many of whom struck up conversations as they passed by. After a few days of travel the swampy mangrove forest became a temperate forest of decidious trees. A day later Gem announded they had reached the passage to Brux and, passing between two large trees, disappeared. The party followed.

The Library of All Knowledge
The party found themsleves in a similar forest, but now in twilight with the trees stretching towards the western horizon where the sun was setting. The contrast to the perpetual noon of Krigala was intense.

After another day, the Library of All Knoweldge was reached, a massive structure the size of a city. Animals and humanoids roamed the book-lined halls, going about their business. While the party did get a lot of curious looks, they were generally left alone. They obtained the assistance of the librarian, Edna, who escorted them to a particularly dusty section of the library where the history of Athas could be found.

As the literate members of the party, Gwyn, Iorskan, Jax and Way-lynn led the effort. Birk, Banoc, Daqiq and Phyll did their best to assist in locating tomes and scrolls as best they could. A week of searching finally allowed many of the pieces to fall into place and the party learned about the Blue Age and the Green Age as well as the start of the Cleansing Wars and the start of the Red Age.

The party passed through Trinth’s portal and found themselves in a chamber looking at Trinth and her guards. The queen was an impressive figure, standing over 9 feet tall. She was dressed in clothing and armor that could purchase a city on Athas. She held a scepter with a pulsing ruby in one hand and a large silver greatsword in the other.

I have decided to allow you a rare honor – to become my Adlishar, the first of many who will serve me. Kneel before me and pledge your undying fidelity me.

The party debated the lich-queen’s offer, but were split in their opinions about the best decision. They questioned Trinth and believed that she was not completely honest about her intentions. Birk, Phyll, Daqiq and Jax felt allying with Trinth was the better option, as the destruction of the sorcerer-kings would be for the benefit of all Athas. Gwyn, Way-lynn, Banoc and Iorskan felt that exchanging one tyrrant for another was not an acceptable option.

The situation changed when Birk knelt and Trinth used her scepter to magically compell him to follow her orders. This was unacceptable to Phyll, Daqiq and Jax who decided to leave, however, Trinth’s true definition of freedom was death and a battle ensued. Banoc, who was severely injured from the arena fights dropped to a lightning blast from Trinth. An attempt was made to push past the guards and Trinth, but the party was cut off.

Gwyn used the last of her magic to wish the party back to the gateway they used to enter the Astral Sea. Once again, her focus was off and they all arrived in a remote and empty region of the Astral Sea. They stabilized Banoc and rested, recovering their strength. For lack of any better option, they followed Way-lynn’s lead and started moving through the Astral Sea. After over a day of travel, they happened across an emeral green portal. Entering the portal, the party found themselves in a dark forest growing from swampy, brackish water. Phyll believed that they were now all in the outer plane known as the Beastlands.

The swarms of cranium rats attacked both physically and psychically, their massive numbers causing the party to be worn down by the repeated attacks. However, with the continued support of Iorskan and Birk, Gwyn and her allies were able to emerge victorious.

The final two doors were opened and a massive tree blight and black dragon emerged. Trinth justified this with the party having “cheated” by allying with Iorskan and Birk. Fighting two creatures after the swarms caused the party to adjust their tactics. These fierce creatues were tough and strong and during the fight Banoc Ma’an fell, but was kept from dying by Jax.

Following the death of the dragon, Trinth addressed the party…

Congratulations, you have survived my trials and earned your freedom. I am surprised by your fortitude and prowess in battle, perhaps you Athasians are not as primitive as we suspected. Exit the arena through the doorway before you so that you may kneel and receive my blessing. Should you not wish to join my cause and liberate Athas, you shall be granted your freedom.

The battle in the arena of Trinth continued. The golems released from the white door were defeated with great effort as the creatures were resistant to the majority of the weapons and spells used by the party. The red door was opened next, revealing a group of gladiators from Athas and other lands. Two of these gladiators were known to Gwyn – Birk and Iorskan – her former adventuring companions. Birk and Iorskan joined forces with Gwyn and the others, easily dispacting the other gladiators.

More winnings were exhanged and additional bets were placed on the outcome of the next battle. Despite the turn of events, Trnith continued to look on and appeared to be satisfied with the outcome of each fight.

The green door was opened next and a monstrous undead lizard appeared. Although this lizard was capable of swallowing gladiators and vomiting forth zombies, the beast was defeated with ease.Only a three doors remained, their odds of finding freedom increasing with each combat.

The purple door was opened next and massive swarms of rats emerged. The rats had a strange purple glow about them, which could be seen coming from their exposed brains…

In the arena, the party was given magical daggers to defend themselves as their weapons were still in the possession of Trinth’s guards. Phyll’s spear was availabe to him and he was able to create a crude bow for Daqiq. Jax was able to summon her Sword of Tyr into the arena, but the rest were left without their weapons. Way-lynn in particular felt the hardship. Banoc detected that there were undead behind the green door, but no other door registered anything unusual.

Each door that was picked released a different creature that the party. The yellow door released a multi-headed draconic creature that attacked with claws and breath weapons. The block door released another draconic creature, made of an unusual black metal, which attacked with beams of radiant energy.

The party successfully defeated their two opponents with a mixture of cheers and jeers from the audience. Most were placing bets on the outcome of the matches. The lich-queen Trinth looked on commenting on the performance of the creatures and the party.

The third door opened, the white door, revealed a small group of constructs – golems made of flesh or stone.

Stepping through the portal the party found themselves in the Astral Sea, a new experience for Phyll, but somewhat familiar for the others. As they looked out onto an endless silver sea numerous color pools were visible. The spellcasters felt cut off from their sources of magic, without land or access to the elements. As the contemplated their next move, a shape began to form in the distance. As the shape came closer it appeared to be some type of sailing ship, moving through the Astral Sea, accompanied by a large winged lizard with deep red scales.

Prepared for battle the party was surprised to find the crew of the ship somewhat friendly and eager to talk. They learned that the crew of the ship were part of an army lead by a queen with plans to rule over Athas. The captain, Raskine, invited to party to return to their city and learn more their queen and her plans. Along the way some of the features of the Astral Sea were discussed including color pools that allow travelers to enter other worlds and the psychic wind which assaulted the mind more than the body.

Eventually the group arrived at Galanaki, the city of the Githyanki in the Astral Sea. Their shipped docked at a tall tower and the group was escorted through the city towards the large central palace. Once their more guards joined the procession, which eventually ended at the throne room of the queen, Trinth. Trinth questioned them regarding what she called the unusual powers of the mind that the people of Athas possessed. After additional questions and answers, the party came to the decision that Trinth, although not trustworthy, might prove to be a valuable ally against the sorcerer-kings and a potential tool to bring about a change and a new Green Age.

Offering themselves to Trinth, the queen agreed to accept their service, if they could prove themselves in an arena. The party agreed any they were dropped some 30 feet into a large area with numerous colored doors. The queen proclaimed "You must now choose your fate. One of these doors leads to freedom, the rest have an inhabitant that will be most pleased to see you. You must select the correct door, or die trying. If you choose incorrectly and survive, you may choose again.”

“See, I told you they wouldn’t be able to handle this!” Wyan said with a sneer. “They either were killed, captured or fled like scared crodlu.”

“It would appear that they did manage to defeat some of the simulacrum.” Sacha countered, nodding over towards the piles of sand in the large octagonal room. “I’m guessing they left for some reason, as all the door here are still closed.”

“Kalid’Ma’s forces probably just closed the doors behind them. Who knows where they are now! I don’t want to waste any more time on them.” Wyan sighed heavily, “We’ll have to start looking for others who will be able to help defeat Borys. Let get out of here before we get into trouble.”

Wyan and Sacha headed back to the elevator passageway leading back down and they floated down the passageway and out of the tower.

The room was quite for many long hours, then with a pop Gwyn and her allies teleported back into the tower, using the teleportation circle as a focus to avoid the mishap that had brought them to the stony barrens near the ruins of Yaramuke. They searched through the six doorways using Banoc’s magic or Way-Lynn’s strength to open them. Two doorways had warnings of evil and were not opened.

Each of the six rooms beyond appeared to contain portals to different locations. Although none were experts on planar travel, they deduced a few of the locations: Astral Sea, The Lands within the Wind, the Elemental Plane of Fire, and the Elemental Plane of Earth. Phyll greatly desired to journey to the forests of the Feywild, Daqiq was curious about the evils contained (and if they might actually be allies for the party). However, Jax and the rest felt that the Astral Sea should be the first portal they explored.

“Well, it was worth a try, and she did say yes.” Wyan said as he spat out fine sand from his mouth. “I guess Kalid-Ma hasn’t perfected his technique yet.”

“Not surprising as his talents always did focus on the Gray.” Sacha commented.

“They just went up a short time ago, I’m sure you could catch your friends.” The Elleandra simulacrum mentioned casually as she returned to the couch and continued to read her book.

“They are not our friends!” the two heads said in unison.

“As you say, it really isn’t any of my business. Nor is your desire to see Kalid-Ma and Li-Am defeated.” And with that the Elleandra simulacrum paid Sacha and Wyan no further attention.

“Kalak squandered the wealth of the city on building his ziggurat, I wonder what he’s done to the rooms the next level up. I doubt that they are full of treasures once again, unless Kalid-Ma brought some with him from the Gray.” There was a mixture of curiosity and anger in Sacha’s voice.

“Maybe more guest rooms? This was a surprise to find her here,” Wyan’s floating head sharply turned and his top knot jerked in the direction of Elleandra’s simulacrum. “and it appears that this Li-Am is far more social than the sorcerer-king.”

“He’ll have to get over that if he wants to attain real power. I’m sure there are banquet halls, recreation rooms and library for entertaining.” What started as a chuckle quickly turned into a dry cough. “The blood just doesn’t last like it used to does it.”

“I’m afraid not. Let’s head up and see if Gwyn and her friends have somehow managed to survive.” Sacha floated over to the concealed stairs and began to silently ascend.

“After you.” Wyan commented as he followed. He paused and looked back at the Elleandra simulacrum. “I wonder where the real you is and if she’d let me take a tiny little sip.”

Two old friends silently moved down a corridor in the Under-Tyr. Their normally withered and parched skin looked almost healthy, and were they not literally two disembodied heads, they would have appeared almost jubilant.

Licking its lips to recover a small spot of dried blood, the head with the top-knot speaks to his companion. “I bet they didn’t follow our advice Sacha. I’ll bet they just went into the false tower and didn’t follow the signs of their Veiled Alliance. How typical.”

“Well Wyan,” Sacha retorts, “you could have made it easier for them and just told them where to go.”

“They’ll need to clever if they are to defeat the sorcerer-kings and bring about their new Green Age. And besides,” he nods in the direction of an open door and floats closer, “they defeated Kalid-Ma’s simulacrum and didn’t die. They might be capable after all.”

“We’ll see.” Sacha snorts. “I wonder of Kalid-Ma has kept up all of old defenses or if he’s been so obsessed with revenge on Manu and Borys, that he hasn’t taken the time.”

Wyan floats around to the back side of the tower towards a concealed door, slowing as cautiously tests the threshold. “Well, he doesn’t appear to have strengthened them, at least not as far as I can tell. We should go in and see how things have changed.”

“You’re not thinking of going in to help them are you? I thought you’d decided to test their cleverness.”

“Oh, they are on their own, but should they succeed, I have a feeling we’ll have much to discuss.”

“And if they fail?”

“Then hopefully we can drink the last of their blood before it get’s too cold.”

“Fine with me.”

Combat with the Anathema began with the monstrosity taking a particular interest in Jax. Daqiq unleashed arrows while Jax and Gwyn fired off spells and Way-lynn mercilessly cut at it with his axe. Banoc did his best to damage the fiend while keeping his party members standing. After the Anathema was defeated, the party raced after Phyll.

Phyll continued to chase down the defiler, encountering more Yuan-ti along the way. The defiler drew life out of Phyll’s body to fuel the arcane spells he cast. The defiler was eventually caught in a flooded cavern and dispatched with a series of blows from the Heartwood Spear. From the water emerged another multi-headed creature – a hydra. The beast was able to inflict some wounds on the party, but was banished to another realm by Gwyn’s magic.

With the Hydra and Anathema vanquished, the remainder of the Yuan-ti proved little threat to the battle-hardened adventurers. As they cleared the temple they uncovered additional prisoners who had not yet been sacrificed to Dendar the Night Serpent, the god of the Yuan-ti. The temple also contained a modest amount of treasure, however, the defiler carried a longsword with a crystalline hilt. Banoc and Jax recognized this as the Sixth Sword of Tyr. She took the sword and performed the ritual to combine it with the other swords.

Romila was very pleased with the success of the quest and started preparations for moving their headquarters. The party assisted over the next week with the purification and fortification of the Fane. Banoc formally joined the Veiled Alliance of Tyr, having proven himself to be an ally. Romila was true to her word and provided the party with the location of a secret tunnel that would lead them to the sublevels of the Golden Tower of Kalak. She did warn the party that her information might be slightly dated as she had no knowledge of what Kalid-Ma may have changed since is occupation.

They checked in with Karlen and learned that his contacts were able to procure one item, a magical crystal ball of scrying. Although it was exorbitantly expensive, they had acquired a tremendous amount of treasure from the ruins of Yaramuke and the party was able to pay Karlen’s asking price. Phyll took possession of the crystal ball and began to study its properties.

After a week of rest the party now felt prepared to enter the Golden Tower and deal with Li-Am and Kalid-Ma…

Phyll stood guard as the rest of the party tried to recover their strength while discussing what to do about the petrified Banoc. Some of the options discussed were rather gruesome as none had any experience dealing with this condition before. Before a plan of action could be initiated, they were interrupted by a small patrol of Yuan-ti who spotted Phyll and engaged. The rest of the party soon woke to the sounds of battle and joined in.

The fight raged down the hallway, alerting more Yuan-ti, who had moved around in their stronghold while the party attempted to rest. The Yuan-ti fought along with their broodguard and undead minions, including a pair of minotaur skeletons and an undead skeletal snake. Phyll and Way-lynn led the attack to the Yuan-ti and the minions, taking the brunt of the attacks. Daqiq’s arrows were deadly as ever and Gwyn unleashed several fireballs, decimating their opponents. Still suffering from the previous fight, Jax stayed back and supported as best she could.

After the combat was over, Gwyn used her magic to restore the health or her companions and simultaneous restored Banoc to life. They proceeded to explore more of the stronghold and discovered evidence of a horrible ritual having taken place while they were attempting to rest. Phyll suffered hallucinations of snake imagery after attempting to determine the nature of a foul liquid in one chamber. Following the sounds of chanting, they came to a large cathedral with a pool of blood and several Yuan-ti who were finishing a ritual of some kind.

Wasting no time Phyll started to attack and Daqiq dropped a heavily armored Yuan-ti with two arrows. Way-lynn tossed a Malison into the pool of blood and the remaining Yuan-ti fled casting a fireball at the party. His defiling nature was clear and Phyll pursued him down a narrow passage. Arising from the blood pool, a horrible creature with six snake head arose, splashing gore throughout the room and onto the party members.

The group stared at the foul abomination and wondered what it was capable of…

After resting and recovering from their combat with the Crimson Knights, the party prepared to cleanse the temple of the Yuan-ti for Romila and the Veiled Alliance. Banoc communed with his elemental patrons and learned that the Yuan-ti were not the only dangers they wound face within the temple but that there were items of value within the temple that would aid them in their struggle against the sorcerer-kings, including a Sword of Tyr.

With the preparations complete, the party journeyed in the Under Tyr for an hour and arrived at a pair of bronze doors embossed with snake images. Banoc detected no magical wards and Daqiq could not locate any physical traps, so Way-lynn used his massive strength to open the doors, revealing an entry hall with several humanoid, snake-like creatures, who were caught by surprise. Combat ensued and the commotion of spells and weapons drew additional defenders including a giant crocodile, a pair of basilisks and an air elemental. Gwyn’s magical summons of an incendiary cloud spelled doom for the bulk of the forces and the rest were quickly defeated.

However, Jax suffered numerous poisonous attacks but Phyll was able to save her before she perished. Banoc was turned to stone from the gaze of the basilisks and none of his allies could reverse the condition. With a moment or two to catch their breath, the party dragged Banoc into a side-chamber and attempted to rest for a bit.

However, they were not so lucky…

In the Under-Tyr, the battle with the crimson knights continued to attack Way-lynn, Daqiq, Phyll and Jax. The knights absorbed hit after hit, showing little damage and no sign of stopping. They pressed forward as the party moved back, hoping that the advance would halt. Phyll should have fallen to the attacks, but somehow managed to keep standing.

While the rest of the party continued to retreat, Gwyn joined Banoc in exploring the structure, looking for something to help their friends. They found altars with a few lit candles on them and eventually realized that there was a candle for each of the knights. Hoping they could help their friends, the pair started to extinguish candle after candle, and when each was snuffed out, a knight crumbled to the ground.

With the knights defeated, the party regrouped inside the structure and was startled by the arrival of a lone figure, that Gwyn recognized at Romila, a member of the Veiled Alliance. There was initially a good deal of hostility and tension as the party learned that the knights were defending an Alliance safehouse and that they could not be restored by any known methods.

Romila filled in the party on the events leading to the destruction of the Veiled Alliance and the terrible news that the safehouse they were in might be the last of the Veiled Alliance in Tyr. When Romila learned of the groups desire to infiltrate the Golden Tower and deal with Li-Am and Kalid-Ma, a bargain was struck. If the party could help clear out a new safehouse of the Yuan-ti that currently inhabited it, the party would be shown a secret way into the Golden Tower.

With the bargain struck, the party purchased some supplies and items from the Veiled Alliance and headed out…

The party ventured into the Under-Tyr entering from the Warrens district. After many hours of searching through the catacombs and sewers of ancient Tyr, they began to sense ancient protective magics and started following the traces. Eventually the party arrived at an ancient structure that appeared to be temple dedicated to some, long-forgotten gods. Way-lynn was able to open the doors with their massive strength and a half-dozen undead knights appeared to block their entry. The creatures simply stated that only those who were pure of heart would be allowed to pass.

Banoc entered the structure without resistance but when Phyll attempted to do the knights attacked him. Daqiq, Jax and Way-lynn engaged the undead guardians as they were sure that “pure of heart” did not apply to them. Gwyn had a vague recollection of this area from her initiation into the Veiled Alliance, but was more concerned with defending her friends than attempting enter the structure. Phyll took the the brunt of the attacks and suffered serious injuries, forcing him to start retreating.

After attempting to disguise themselves, especially Phyll, the party ventured out onto the streets of Tyr to get a feel for the city and attempt to make contact with the Veiled Alliance. At the Drunken Giant, Banoc and Gwyn attempted to find members of the Alliance, but they were unsuccessful. It appeared that the Alliance in Tyr was driven into hiding following the occupation of the city by Kalid-Ma and were even more suspicious of outsiders than normal.

Gwyn headed to an old ally, Karlen, at his store, Karlen’s Eye. They found him still running the shop and he provided information on the current state of Tyr. He told them of the arrival of Kalid-Ma and his high templar Li-Am from the south and their easy defeat of the city’s guard. With a sorcerer-king once again in control of the city, the old ways had returned – templars and nobles were scheming as even and the brief freedom enjoyed was gone. Kalid-Ma had only just returned from his defeat at Urik in the north, although Karlen mentioned that the sorcerer-king had returned from the south.

Karlen agreed to fence a number of items the party had discovered and use the proceeds to try and obtain useful items and components need for Gwyn to create powerful magic tattoos. With some relief, Banoc gave up the Blade Perilous into Karlen’s care. It would be a few day’s before his contacts returned with the items the party requested.

While they roamed the city, Phyll sensed the powerful primal energy of the sorcerer-king’s gardens and suspected that there were many Trees of Life there. Had the rest of the party not intervened, he would have attempt to open the garden to the city, surely earning the wrath of Kalid-Ma. As they made their way back to Free City Tattoo, they encountered a press gang, conscripting citizens into Kalid-Ma’s new army.

The party decided that enough was enough and a fight ensued. The thugs of Kalid-Ma were tough, but not a match for the seasoned adventurers. The combat was over quickly, with Way-lynn, Phyll and Daqiq making a good show of defeating their opponents. The crowd of citizens watch with a mixture of awe and horror. Daqiq, Jax and Phyll freed the prisoners, gave them weapons and told them to earn their freedom.

Leaving before more templars and guards arrived, the party headed to the Warrens and the Under-Tyr in an attempt to find the Alliance and escape pursuit.

The discussions continued late into the night. The success a purifying the water and the brief rains that fell had invigorated the party and the survivors of the curse, which now numbered almost 200. The optimism was an unusual feeling for everyone. Everyone had their plans regarding the Blue Waters Oasis and their next steps…

• Banoc selected this oasis as his new home.
• Phyll was eager to help Phabum start training druids.
• Gwyn was eager to return to Nibenay and reclaim their lost possessions.
• Jax was eager to research the lore that was recovered from the ruins of Sielba’s palace.
• Way-lynn was concerned about the defense of the Oasis and began preperations for fortifying the area and training defense forces.
• Daqiq desired to return to the ruins and reclaim more treasure.

The following morning, Way-lynn awoke to a surprise – they had returned to a half-giant. The Scroll of Blue Waters appeared to have reversed the effects suffered during their time in the Ruins of Pluton. They also were surprised by the arrival of a contingent of half-giants on a nearby ridge. When they were approached the party discovered that Siemhouk, the high templar of Nibenay, was with the half-giants.

The young girl was her usual mysterious self, however, they learned from Seimhouk that Dregoth was active in Raam, Kalid-Ma had indeed been defeated at Urik and retreated and that Balic was being destroyed by the forces of Ul-Athra and Yarnath. She implied, in an unsubtle way, that if the party didn’t clean up the messes they made, she would expose this Blue Waters Oasis to Nibenay. Hostilities almost broke out, but Daqiq was a calming influence on Banoc.

Siemhouk left the party to decide their fate and after much discussion, they elected to help Tyr out first. Gwyn teleported them to the Free City Tattoo shop they once called home…

After a long, slow march from the Ruins of Yaramuke to the Black Waters Oasis, the party encountered a strange hermit named Phabum who they learned was a druid that tended the Oasis. The party was able to convince him to assist in the purification of the water and they began to cast the spell from the Scroll of Blue Waters. As they did so, hundreds of undead began to rise from the ground and attack the party.

Phyll protected Phabum and Banoc as they worked to complete the ritual. Daqiq and Way-lynn attacked the undead, attempting to thin the numbers as best they could. Gwyn used her magic to summon a ring of fire around the casters, attempting to shield them from attacks while blasting other undead with fireballs. Jax used her magic to push back the mass of undead and summoned spiritual guardians to protect the party as they fell back into the oasis to protect Phabum and Banoc.

The spell was completed and the scroll melted into water and the oasis turned a healthy shade of blue. Some of the zombies faded into dust, but those remaining become rejuvenated and are alive once again. A thundercloud formed above the oasis, lightning crashed, hitting the monument, and rain fell for a few moments. Phyll caught Banoc and Phaebum as they fell to their knees, exhausted. The rain renewed the refugees’ health and Gwyn and Way-lynn found that they were now fully alive.

All enjoyed the cool, clear waters of the Oasis and discussed where they would go next…

In the ruins of Sielba’s palace, they party found no rest, for what they thought were the denizens of desert that were howling and screaming was more in their minds. This haunting persisted and they eventually gave up and continued to search the lowest level of the palace. There they found something more precious than the gold above – knowledge. Sielba’s chambers were filled with wonderous knowledge of magic, nature and otherworldly machines. There were also tomes of history that appeared to contain knowledge of Athas that none but the sorcerer-kings knew. They, somewhat reluctantly, dropped most of their coins so that they could bring this knowledge back to the surface.

Banoc discovered a powerful scroll that he was barely able to decipher. This Scroll of Blue Waters appeared to be capable of reversing the curse on the Black Waters Oasis as well as restoring those who had drank from it. They needed to be journey to the oasis to use it, and the spell was so complex that Banoc was not sure he could successfully use it. Knowing that their refugees were running low on time, they hurried back to the surface.

Their path was blocked by animated obsidian statues that appeared to have been activated by the group attempting to leave with the treasure. Although the party could have defeated them, their animation also triggered a collapse of the ceiling. Daqiq lead the charge with Phyll and Way-lynn covering the rest of the party as they attempted to escape. Jax was brilliant and used her magic to temporarily banish the golems from Athas to avoid the majority of them. Gwyn used her staff to create an impenetrable wall of force blocking their pursuit.

Eventually clear of the ruins and running as fast as they could through the rising heat of day, the party reached the gith water cave and began to mobilize the refugees. They could only hope to reach the oasis and complete the spell before the golems caught up with them.

With the last rays of the setting sun, the Cerulean Orb and the Eye of Earth blazed to life and illuminated the entrance to the palace of Sielba. The party decided to leave the refugees in the gith cave as they were deteriorating quickly and would likely be of little use in the palace. Banoc feared that without additional intervention by Gwyn, the refugees would not last more than 2 days.

The party made their way through the palace finding little of interest, save for some loose coins and half-giant skeletons that appeared to be guarding long-forgotten chambers. Much to Phyll’s dismay, there was not sign of the druidic lore rumored to have been sequestered by Sielba. A secret door was discovered leading down to a lower level and Daqiq lead the way.

The lower level held the treasury of the sorcerer-queen and many more skeletons, who were alerted to the groups presence by a crack of thunder created by Jax. Banoc blasted the majority of the skeletons into dust and the rest were destroyed by a combination of Gwyn’s magic and Way-lynn’s weapons. Hundreds of metal coins of all types were found in the rooms and they all loaded up as much as they could carry.

In a magnificent bedroom, which they assumed belonged to Sielba, another stairway leading down was uncovered. As hour was getting very late, they only briefly looked below before retreating to a safe room to try and rest before exploring further

The party continued to explore the ruins in an attempt to location the proper positions for Earth’s Eye and the Cerulean Orb, and although they encountered many difficulties, they faced no opposition. Gwyn detected a spectral sensor that was trying to spy on her. Banoc fell into a trap and found himself stranded in the Astral Sea for some time. Phyll fell into a sinkhole and would have suffocated had he needed to breathe. Daqiq and Way-lynn discovered a warehouse with construction supplies and an unstable floor filled with obsidian shard lined pits.

Jax located the statue with an outstretched hand that accepted the Cerulean Orb and they were confident they found the location of the tower to hold Earth’s Eye. As the tower was in ruins they didn’t know the height that was needed to reveal the palace of Sielba. Banoc communed with his elemental patron and narrowed down the location, but when the sun set the beams did not converge.

Their night was interrupted with screams so horrible they none were able to get rest. The following day they continued their search and discovered a mural depicting the statue and tower as it was during the rule of Sielba. With this information they could accurately place the Eye. And at the next sunset, the beams united to reveal the entrance to Sielba’s palace.

WIth the ruins of Yaramuke the adventurers have embarked on a quest to recover knowledge stolen by the sorcerer-queen Sielba from druids and preservers of old. They hope to use the knowledge to reverse a powerful curse on the nearby Black Waters Oasis and possibly to bring about a new Green Age of Athas. They race against the hours as their survival supplies are limited an the cursed refugees continue to wither, despite the efforts of Banoc and Gwynn.

At the Temple of Earth, the party wrestled with how to obtain the Earth’s Eye from the Dwarven Banshee guarding it. They had learned that in order to reveal the location of Sielba’s palace, they would need the Earth’s Eye and the Cerulean Orb in their proper places as sunset. However, the structures had been destroyed when Yaramuke was sacked by Hamanu, making it impossible for task to be completed. After all their attempts to reason with the creature had failed, Daqiq resorted to sleight of hand, but the Banshee was not deceived and attacked. The party was easily able to defeat the undead and gained possession of the Eye.

The following day, the group continued to explore the ruins, discovering a cave inhabited by silt runners. The weak reptilian humanoids were easily defeated by Banoc and Jax who took their supply of water for their own. Gwyn and Way-lynn were less successful in finding anything of interest, but were affected by some strange magic which hurled Way-lynn into the air and caused Gwyn to temporarily grow a third eye.

In the afternoon, the party unearthed the ruins of a museum containing many displays of art from the past. After exploring rooms filled with mirrors and statues, they removed rubble blocking a chamber containing many different orbs of all makes, shapes and colors. Using a dagger they found the templar barracks days earlier, they were able to deduce which of the orbs was the object of their quest.

Now in possession of both Earth’s Eye and the Cerulean Orb, the party only needs to discover how to use them to reveal the palace of the sorcerer-queen…

The Gith Cave
Given the size of the ruins of Yaramuke, the party decided to split up to cover more ground and hopefully locate a safe place to rest.

Daqiq, Jax and Gwyn searched in the northeast corner of the ruins but found nothing except an aggressive patch of spider cacti. They suffered a few injuries, but nothing too serious.

Banoc, Way-lynn and Phyll had more success and discovered a cave entrance in the side of a small cliff. Alerting the other half of the party, they headed in. The cave showed signs of inhabitants, and they were quickly discovered to be gith. The gith tried to ambush the adventurers, but it was no contest. After having slain all but two of the gith, the party explored the rest of the caves and discovered a room with gith young cowering in fear.

Taken aback, the party tried to make amends, but the gith were not willing to trust those who had invaded the caves and slaughtered their family. In the morning the party left, leaving the gith and their treasure behind. Phyll created extra food for the gith, to appease the guilt.

The Temple of Earth
Banoc and Phyll used their magic to try and learn about the ruins and what else they may encounter there. Banoc’s elemental spirits lead him to believe that the palace was protected by powerful magics making it difficult to discover even when the city wasn’t in ruins. Phyll sensed a strong elemental presence and the party headed towards it, having no better course to take.

Eventually they found what appeared to be the entrance to a temple. The doors were barely visible and covered in an immense pile of sand and rubble. The party and the refugees worked for several hours to clear it all out and gain access to the interior.

Inside the discovered several rooms each containing an ancient relic from the past. One room contained an ancient fountain that still had stale, but drinkable, water. Another room appeared to be a workshop of some type that had several desiccated corpses.

The final room held an altar to the elements of earth and resting atop was a large crystal sphere made to look like an eyeball. Pictograms of mountains and earthen wonders decorated the white of the eye. As the party moved to take the orb, a corpse emerged from the shadows . The party recognized it as a dwarven banshee and prepared for combat. The creature instead spoke, warning the party to not disrupt the eye.

The conversation continued and the party learned that the dwarf was tasked to place the eye atop a tower which allowed Sielba’s palace to be blessed and its location revealed. As the tower was destroyed the dwarf was unable to fulfill his focus and became cursed to undeath. The dwarf was stubborn in death, presumably as it was in life, and unwilling to entertain alternatives to his focus.

The party pondered how to obtain the eye…

Reflections
Looking out over unending stony barrens, the party realized they were nowhere near Nibenay and only had Gwyn’s sense they were north of Nibenay to help. To the north and east, the land appeared to give way into scrub plains while the south and west appeared to be all stony barrens as far as they could see. Although the scrub plains might have been slightly more hospitable, they decided to travel south in the hopes of getting their bearings.

Phyll proved to be a valuable asset as his mere presence invigorated the party and allowed them to travel longer during the days. He also used his primal magic to create some food and water which helped stretch their supplies. Having fled the Shadow Viper quickly, they were low on the essentials needed to survive in the hot deserts of Athas.

As the party traveled for days, their thoughts turned towards the recent events and they reflected on their actions and the consequences…

• Gwyn felt overwhelmed and that she had betrayed her personal beliefs. Their actions regarding the giants and dwarves horrified her.
• Daqiq cared less about the dwarves and gaints and felt they were simply obstacles for a greater good. He was worried about the return of Ul-Athra and the safety of people in the cities.
• Jax shared her husband’s worries about the common people but that the ends justify the means. She was slightly more hopeful about the eventual outcome.
• Way-lynn was rather stoic, but admitted leaving behind the crew of the Sinful Kraken was wrong. They felt unfocused and really wasn’t sure what they were fighting for.
• Banoc felt lost and as questioning his beliefs. He had no real issues with leaving behind the crew as he admitted to himself he was somewhat of a coward.
• Phyll simply wanted to restore Athas and put an end to the defilers, no mater the cost.

During their first night Banoc communed with his elemental and felt better about their decision to travel south. According to his divinations, they had enough supplies to reach civilization and that going further north would not have been helpful for their cause.

Kenku Traders
The following morning, the group awoke to a horrific discovery – Gwyn’s lips and nose had fallen off leaving her face terribly disfigured. Too shocked and disturbed to offer any guidance, Gwyn stood still as Banoc used his magic once again to restore her body. They worried about her deterioration but could think of nothing to do except try and repair the damage once it happened.

During the following day, they happened across a group of Kenku traders. These merchants only communicated using phrases they had heard before, but the general meaning was ascertained without too much trouble. The party purchased a large number of supplies to make their journey easier as well as provide some comforts – wine, food and water were to top priorities. Banoc purchased some diamonds to use with his spells and a toy Wooshwagon was found a purchased by Way-lynn.

They parted ways with the Kenku and continued south until they needed rest. Banoc felt as if the elements had spoke truly to him and that the Kenku were some form of a blessing.

The Walking Dead
The next morning came with more horrifying events. All of the goods obtained by the Kenku had turned to ash overnight. The food was gone, the water was gone, the diamonds were gone, everything. Phyll was on watch and there were no intruders in the camp. They could only guess that they had been deceived by the Kenku. Daqiq was furious and wanted to track them down for revenge. The rest of the party decided that while they were poorer of coin they were richer of knowledge and that is was best to let the Kenku go. Reluctantly Daqiq agreed.

Additionally, Gwyn’s ears had fallen off over night. Once again Banoc’s magic was able to reattach her body parts, but he still could not determine for sure what was causing the decay. The parts that he had previously restored appeared to be just fine, although every so slightly more draconic in appearance. Gwyn suffered no pain or other debilitating effects, so no believed it was the same affliction that Thea suffered from.

This next day and night were without incident or encounter and the following morning Gwyn remained whole.

Around mid-day, the party encountered a group of thirty individuals wandering from the southwest and the two groups approached each other. Never had they seen such a dismal lot of humanity. Mostly humans, they were all limping and walking somewhat erratically. As they got closer still, the traveler’s tattered clothes became apparent and their exposed flesh was seen to be covered in boils and suppurating abscesses of the skin. They were moaning unintelligibly at first, but soon a few words could be made out – “food” “water” “help us”.

The leader introduced himself as Sil Dresh, and Way-lynn knew of him from their time in the Shadow Guard of Nibenay. They learned that this group was made up of refugees from the battle at Urik, which did not go well for most of the troops, even though a shadowy dragon was driven off with the combined power of Hamanu, Lalali-Puy, Nibenay and the Dragon itself. This group had fled and wandered for several days before coming upon the Black Waters Oasis. So great was their thirst that they drank from the cursed waters and now were wasting away.

Phyll tried to help by making more food and water. Although the refugees were able to eat and drink, they were unable to hold down the food and came back up within seconds. Gwyn dared to use the Dark Lens to try and restore the refugee’s to health, but even her wishes were unable to completely restore them. They symptoms decreased in intensity, but the underlying affliction remained. Whatever the cause, it was more powerful than her wishes.

The Ruins of Yaramuke
The refugees elected to remain with the party as they had no better option and felt that the party was their best chance for salvation. They party was glad to have the extra hands as they decided to head toward the Ruins of Yaramuke, which were just north of the Oasis. They now knew their approximate location and that gave them a slight bit of hope.

Jax knew a little of the story of Yaramuke, a tale that she had heard from another bard. Phyll knew a little as well, that the sorcerer-queen Sielba was particularly vengeful in the purging of the druids and preservers, but that it was rumored she kept their knowledge for herself rather than destroy it like the other sorcerer-kings. They hoped that her knowledge might help in their quest to restore Athas.

With the refugees following them, the party made the journey to the ruins of Yaramuke, arriving there in the early afternoon of the following day. The treacherous ruins would not provide a safe place to rest, unless an intact building could be located. They prepared to search the ruins, looking for a secure place to act as a base of operations. The size of the ruins and their treacherous nature would likely require days to explore.

Gwyn falls into a dreamlike state as she is transported across Athas by her Wish spell. Though the Teleportation is instantaneous, it is as though she has hours to contemplate her journey.

Where are we going? I can tell just by the pull of the wind that we aren’t headed to Nibenay. Why should we be? What’s one more thing going wrong? Shit.

Gwyn sees the forms of two noble men, each decorated with the signets of great houses of Athas. They rise up toward her from the desert, before vanishing into dust.

Even as a child among the Sky Singers I knew I had the power to preserve, to respect and maintain balance among the life contained within my arcane gifts. As I mastered this art I came to believe that it might allow me to become a hero…to bring growth and vibrancy to this place. Was that too naive? Perhaps in the unforgiving dryness of Athas no one is able to become a hero. Vinara, Morg, Elleandra, Jarvix, Kelvor, Thea, and the others…they came so close, and now they are dead. And for what? So that I and my current compatriots can let loose Ul-Athra? Allow a sorcerer-king to roam the Silt Sea and do as he pleases with our crew? I fear we have made one too many mistakes.

Gwyn has visions of two hideous floating heads bouncing around in the ether – each growling hungrily. One of them snarls, “We will never taste your blood now.”

I’ve never believed in fate. My mother and my birth father were both evil – I never once allowed myself to think I would go down a similar path, instead believing that I would make my own meaning. Now I question whether there is even such a thing. After leaving Moil, which nearly broke me, I was ready to start anew, taking flight on these scaled wings and moving ever faster toward our triumph – toward a brighter day for Athas. Now I can’t bring myself to imagine that this day will ever come.

Fleeing the Island of Mytilene aboard the Shadow Viper, the party traveled east deeper into the Sea of Silt looking for Ehwahla and the final piece of the Crown of Dust. As they searched they discussed their actions on Mytilene and their next steps. All agreed that Ul-Athra was a dangerous ally, but they felt that the rewards were worth the risk.

Banoc and Phyll use their magic to help guide the boat and eventually the reach a small island where they find Ehwahla. After some negotiations, the Crown of Dust is handed over the Ehwahla and she completes the Crown, allowing Ul-Athra to be reborn. For a moment they party has some hope, but Ul-Athra proclaims that to save Athas it must be torn down and rebuilt from the ruins. To further complicate matters Ul-Athra used the Crown to summon the party’s old nemesis Yarnath back to Athas.

Realizing the error, the party launched themselves at their enemies attempting to catch them by surprise. Daqiq fired a series of arrows at Yarnath and dusted him, the Blood Jewel in the Crown flashing brightly. Ul-Athra and Ehwahla were not so easily defeated and proved too much for the group. Phyll, Gwyn and Banoc were flung back when they were hit by a wall of dust and sand. Jax, Daqiq and Way-lynn managed to keep their footing, but retreated to stand with their friends. Gwyn used her magic to teleport the party to the Elven Market in Nibenay, but something went wrong…

New Hope
With their plan for stealing the Oracle set, they started to execute it. Sacha and Wyan reminded them it would be easier to just slaughter the giants and take the Oracle, but the party was not swayed by the heads. Daqiq took the helm of the Shadow Viper and moved it to a closer location to the giant’s cave, in case things went wrong and they needed a quick escape. Although he only had some experience controlling vessels such as this, he more more than up to the task.

As they left the vessel and prepared to let Jax’s magic turn them into sand, a strange being entered their sight. As tall as an elf, but not quite as large as a half-giant, the creature appeared to be made of wood and stone. Banoc felt the power of nature from the creature, who introduced itself as Phyll. They quickly learned that it was drawn to the magic of Banoc and appeared to be interested in rejuvenating the world. Wary, but in need of allies, the allowed Phyll to join their quest to steal the Oracle.

Complications
Assuming the form of sand and dust, they moved past the guards in the giant’s cave and settled near the Oracle. Jax materialized first and as she did so, she assumed the form of Jo’orsh. She got the attention of the nearby giants and when she had an audience, Jax told a tale of the Saram conspiring with evil beings in an attempt to steal the the Oracle. Her words were inflammatory and the giants appeared to believe every word of it, as they gathered themselves into a mod and moved out to bring the fight to their neighbors.

After they were sure the giants were gone, Gwyn materialized and flames erupted from her. She touched the Oracle and attempted to bond with it. As she did Jo’orsh and Sa’ram materialized and attacked. The group had been so concerned with the sorcerer-king and the giants that they forgot about the dwarven banshees. Even as the two told Gwyn to stop they moved to attack her.

The rest of the party was helpless as Jax battled the two banshees while they attacked Gwyn who was focused on bonding with the Oracle. Jax alternated using her magic to attack and heal, and found that the undead were very resilient to her magic and still capable warriors. Gwyn made progress with the Oracle bu the wounds started to accumulate faster than Jax could restore. Gwyn unleashed a powerful wave of healing to restored her and Jax to full health.

Jo’orsh finally fell to Jax’s magic and was banished for a time. Just as the others finally reformed into their bodies Gwyn finished her bonding to the Oracle and gained access to its tremendous powers. They all joined the fight with Way-lynn and Phyll moving up close to attack the undead. Banoc bolstered his friend with his healing magic while Daqiq rained arrows down on the creatures, turning Jo’orsh into dust.

Not wanting to leave loose ends, they ambushed Sa’ram when he returned from his banishment. Out numbered and already wounded, the banshee was finally defeated as Gwyn launched volley after volley of rays of fire.

With the threats eliminated, Gwyn caused the Dark Lens to shrink in side and placed it in the magic bag she took from Krampus. They all assumed the form of dust again and returned to the Shadow Viper, amazed that they were successful in the heist.

Hard Choices
In the biting sand and intense wind, a debate among the party raged on whether to go back to their ship to try and save the crew or follow the head’s advice and leave them to die. The party was split and arguments were made that swayed everyone back and forth. Way-Lynn in particular was conflicted while Daqiq was steadfast in his belief that there was nothing they could actually do for the crew.

Eventually everyone’s minds were made up and the party spit. Iulius and Lena could not leave the crew to the whims of Andropinis and headed west towards the landing point. The rest of the party followed Sacha and Wyan towards their vessel.

Although none said it, they all feared it would be the last time they saw each other….

The Shadow Viper
After a half-day march through the terrible weather, the party found themselves in a somewhat sheltered part of the island. There, partially covered by the sand and silt, was the vessel that the head spoke of. Gathering inside the hull, the party found two corpses that had been badly bludgeoned, by the giants according to Sacha. Gwyn recognized them as Tithian, the king of Tyr and Agis, a noble of House Asticles, both of whom were responsible for the death of Kalak.

Although they had been dead for months, some of their gear was still in excellent condition and the party recovered two magic rings, a sword and a pair of bracers. Within the ship itself were a pair of goggles fitted with purple crystal lenses. The party had no problem helping themselves to the items, as the former owners were clearly not needing them. Banoc briefly contemplated using his magic to try and return one to life, but that wouldn’t be feasible until the present situation was resolved.

Dictator Andropinis
Lena and Iulius marched through the wind-blown sand, attempting not to choke on the silt. As they neared the shores, the weather abruptly calmed. They had spent enough time around Banoc to recognize when the weather was being controlled.

As they arrived at the shore, they saw a magnificent vessel out on the Silt Sea and the wreckage of the Sinful Kraken on the shore. A small army of half-giants and soldiers from Balic were on the beach, with the crew of the Sinful Kraken bound and on their knees before them. Andropinis stood in the middle of them.

Lena attempted a diplomatic approach and tried to bargain with information on Dregoth’s plans as well as invoking the name Rajaat. Andropinis appeared to be mostly confused by Lena’s “knowledge” and apparently knew much of it already. Lena’s guesses about Rajaat appeared to amuse the sorcerer-king more than intrigue him. However, hard Lena tried, she could not get the Dictator of Balic to release the crew and eventually grew frustrated and called him out.

The sorcerer-king obliged and engaged with Lena while his troops looked on. Lena’s lance was able to make contact with the monarch, but was unable to pierce his preternatural flesh. Drawing a flaming sword and conjuring a black shield of arcane and psionic energy, Andropinis continued to deflect Lena’s attacks are rained blow after blow onto her. As tough as she was, there was no contest and she was battered down in seconds.

The last thing she saw was Iulius being taken captive by the soldiers of Balic.

A New Plan
While huddling in the boat, which they learned was called the Shadow Viper, another debate began on how long to wait for Lena and what the next actions should be. Wyan told them that unless they obtained the Oracle, they would have no chance of defeating Borys and the sorcerer-kings. He proposed a simple solution of slaughtering all of the giants, but the party was not keen on that plan.

The eventually decided on moving the Shadow Viper closer to the crystal caves and having Jax assume the form of one of the dwarven banshees to try and draw out the giants. She could also use her magic to let the party infiltrate the caves and there, Gwyn would attempt to take control of the Oracle and they could then all escape. It was a bold plan, but the best they could come up with.

Tense Negotiations
Although the dwarven banshees were guarded Lena and Jax were able to coax some information out of them. Jo’orsh and Sa’ram told of their oath to protect Kemalok and avenge the dwarven people against Borys. However, they admitted to abandoning this focus and cursing themselves to eternal unlife when they found that to destroy Borys would unleash far greater evils.

If the Dragon dies, Rajaat will be freed. He’ll resume his wars on the Green Races and won’t stop until all of them have perished. We cannot condemn all the races of Athas to death to avenge the dwarves on Borys, or even to spare ourselves an eternity of suffering.

All the while the giants looked on with fear and awe unsure what to make of the situation. Way-lynn, Lena and Iulius stayed at the ready, prepared to strike should any hostilities start up again.

Wreathed in flames, Gwyn tried to be subtle and worked to make a connection to the Oracle, drawn to its power and curious about what she could learn from it. As the conversation turned and Banoc felt they had reached an agreement that would let them leave, Gwyn slipped up and Sa’ram charged at her. Lena’s quick strike stopped him before he could reach her.

Jax was able to persuade Sa’ram to let them go, as no harm was done. The banshee agreed, but warned the group to never mention the Lens or there would be the most dire consequences. To the rest of the groups amazement, they were able to exit the caves without any trouble from the giants or the dwarven banshees.

Two Heads are Better…
The weather outside the caves had turned worse with Banoc’s weather control magic failing. The temperature had risen to unbearable conditions and the winds were raging. As best they could, the party debated the next course of action. Daqiq wanted to find the beast-headed giants and return to attack the human-headed giants.

Jax used her magic to send a message to the crew of the Slutty Kraken and the only reply was “Help, come quick”. Fearful the giants had betrayed them, Lena mounted her crodlu and prepared to march off with Iulius behind her. As she did two figures appeared out of the blowing sand – the two disembodied heads Sacha and Wyan.

I wouldn’t head in that direction, unless you’d like an untimely death."

The heads greeted Gwyn and told the group that the sorcerer-king of Balic was waiting for them. The head suggested that the party head with them to another boat on the island, one they claimed was used by Tithian and Agis, who had both been killed by the giants.

They party did not know what to do – they didn’t want to abandon the crew and didn’t trust the heads (who kept asking to drink their blood). In the midst of a raging sandstorm, they pondered their next move…

Last Stand
With both the giants and the adventurers expecting the worst from each other, neither side was surprised that combat erupted…

Lena’s spear thrust was easily dodged by the chieftain but Way-Lynn took advantage of the opportunity and decapitated the giant with one swing of the Headsman’s Axe…

Although taken aback by the loss of their leader, the chieftess and the giants continued their attacks. The surrounding giants started moving into melee with those who were at range pelting the party with spears and rocks….

Banoc was hit several times with the thrown rocks, losing his control over the weather, however this allowed him to more fully focus on the fight at hand…

A distant horn blast brought a moment of hope that the beastheaded giants might have arrived, but after a few moments, there was no sign of them, and the hope dwindled…

Gwyn summoned a ring of flame attempting to hold off a group of the younger giants and, although they were burned by the flames, they pushed through…

Daqiq brought down the chieftess with a volley of perfectly aimed arrows…

More giants from the surrounding rooms moved in and the party could hear the sounds of bears as well…

Jax and Banoc used their magic to keep the party fighting as long as they could, but as they tired and the giants kept coming, a change in tactics was needed…

At the urging of Iulius and Lena, the party fell back towards the Oracle, hoping to use it as cover or possibly threaten to destroy it as a last resort to gain their freedom…

Banoc attempted to conjure a wall of blades to cover their retreat but mis-judged things and a well-timed blow from a giant’s club broke his concentration causing the wall to disappear…

Flames raced across Gwyn’s body as her wing’s came out, shedding bright light and empowering her fire magic…

Lena threatened to destroy the Oracle and the giants paused for a moment…

Jo’orsh and Sa’ram
On the platform holding the orb, Jax could sense two powerful spirits and attempted to contact them…

The spirits of Jo’orsh and Sa’ram appeared and gained physical form standing near the Oracle…

When questioned, they revealed that they had been using the giants to guard the Lens (as they called the Oracle) and cared not who was in control as long as they were strong and could defend it…

When the party tried to sway their opinions by mentioning that the death of Borys was one of their goals, the undead dwarves responded that despite their hatred of the Butcher of Dwarves, Borys must not be destroyed…

Liars and Giants and Bears
The party decides that entering the cave cautiously was the best plan, as they did not know how the Joorsh giants would be positioned to defend their lair. Jax and Daqiq went ahead of the group to sneak in and scout out the caverns. Jax demonstrated that she more than equal to Daqiq in her ability to remain hidden. They found several guards but were able to sneak past them without any trouble. The majority of the accessible passageways they found were dead ends, but they did encounter some bears which appeared to be somewhat domesticated by the giants. They were able to keep the bears calm by providing them some food and the bears were curious but content to let them be.

After giving Jax and Daqiq some time, Lena and the others approached the guards who were surprised but not immediately hostile. Lena, acting as the spokesperson for the group was able to convince the giants that they should be given an audience with the chief. Although somewhat suspicious, because of recent encounters with other humans, they agreed. However, only Banoc and Lena were allowed to meet with the chief.

Lena and Banoc were escorted to the chief past many other guards and even what appeared to be a classroom. At the far south end of the cavern, they saw what they assumed was the Oracle, a massive polished piece of obsidian, which radiated intense heat. When they met the chief they proposed that Banoc could control the weather for them in return for access to the Oracle. The subtle details of the deal changed several times with Lena attempting to get more, and planning on deceiving at least one of the giant groups.

Eventually the bargain was struck and they all went to the entrance to witness Banoc controlling the weather. At the mouth of the caverns, Banoc concentrated and showed that he could manipulate the winds and temperatures. The giant chief was impressed and pleased withe the results.

Bored of waiting, Gwyn distracted the remaining guard while Iulius and Way-Lynn uncovered a chamber with more bears and a sizeable amount of treasure. Joined by Dax and Daqiq they managed to grab the more valuable pieces in time to join the Lena as they returned from the cave. They all traveled back into the caves and found themselves before the Oracle.

Oh My!
With the permission of the chief, Gwyn and Jax attempted to use the Oracle to learn about the Green Age and the location of Ehwahla. Banoc used his magic to try and determine the nature of the Oracle and was amazed at the intensity of the magic it possessed. The Oracle appeared to be strong in all types of magic that Banoc was familiar with, including dragon magic, as well as other types he could not identify. The rest watched and waited.

Gwyn experienced a vision of a white tower in the middle of a forested land. The tower was surrounded by a group of humanoids performing some ritual. As the ritual was completed, the sun changed from blue to yellow and the humanoids left the tower. As they did so, they transformed into various familiar races and some that Gwyn had only heard about or seen in ancient carvings. Although it was difficult to tell for sure, Gwyn felt that she knew the approximate location of the white tower.

The vision seen by Jax took her from Mytilene to the east for several hundred miles to a region of the Sea of Silt that churned and undulated. From beneath the silt arose a great worm-like creature, more massive than the large sink worm they encountered. A single piece of gold could be seen near the being’s head. After the vision faded, Jax retained a sense of direction to the location of Ehwahla.

As Lena attempted to work out the fine details with the chief, hoping that these giants would help them in the near future before they demanded that Banoc be turned over to them. The giant chief stated that he felt the bargain was unfair and decided that Banoc should remain with the giants and the others could leave, without any future help. Lena sounded shocked and asked how the giant could go back on his word after promising the help the party.

The giant chief simply leaned forward and responded “I lied”. Lena’s response was simple – she tried to drive a spear into the giants face…

Sailing to the Island
Having decided to head towards the giant’s island, the party turns the Sinful Kraken northward and follows the edge of the Silt Sea and their giant guides. Although they might have been able to move faster with the giant’s carrying them, the party did not want to abandon the ship and its crew for fear of being stranded on a strange island. The giants complained a bit about the slower pace, but the promise of the power to control weather was enough to placate them.

The weather took a turn for the worse as the temperatures and winds increased significantly, threatening the party and the giants with the gray death. Banoc was able to continue to use his magic during the day to suppress the winds and bring the temperatures down. During the cooler nights, he rested for the next day.

The pirates and the legionaires found something to agree on – their distrust of the giants and began to question the wisdom of the party’s plan. Lena and Jax were able to convince them that the plan was sound and ultimately in their best interests. Their travel was mercifully free from encounters, no doubt to the presence of the giants and other than the weather, they encountered no hardships.

After four day’s of travel, they arrived in at the island of Mytilene, the home of the giants. Daqiq had learned that the two clans of giants, the Jorsh and the Saram had traded possession of the Oracle and gained wisdom from it for as long as they could remember. From time to time, when one clan became more powerful than the other, they refused to let go of the Oracle. This was one of those times. The Saram were clear that they didn’t want the Jorsh slaughtered, but just driven from the caves.

The Dwarven Ruins
Just east of the shore the party discovered some curious ruins. They deduced that the ruins were ancient dwarven buildings, which had withstood the ravages of time. There were other ruins of lesser quality and built for larger beings that had not held up as well.

In one of the more intact ruins, Way-Lynn discovered a stone chest containing an ancient book. Gwyn had seen a book nearly identical to this one in the village of Kled – a copy of the Book of Kemalok Kings. Jax used her magic to help translate the ancient writing and they made a profound discovery. This tome contained more information about the fate of the last dwarven knights of Kemalok – Jo’orsh and Sa’ram. They deduced that the two dwarves had ended up on this island and were somehow the progenitors of the two giant clans whose names were very similar.

The Plan
As the party made the long journey to the crystal caves they discussed many options on how to deal with the giants. The crew of the Sinful Kraken remained with the boat to guard it, but Iulius was convinced to join with the rest of the adventurers. They had learned from the giants that the cave system had but one entrance and that they would like have to face several dozen giants.

Although they prepared themselves as best they could for a battle with all the giants, they felt it was much more likely they would have to face the giants in small groups and hopefully be able to break their morale and force them to flee. They decided that, while they would not attempt to kill more than they were forced to, they would be prepared to do what was needed to obtain access to the Oracle.

Along the way the were attacked by a flock of wyverns, but the beasts proved to be little more than a minor distraction to the battle-hardened adventurers.

Small Distractions
As the Sinful Kraken headed away from the site of the roc attack, there was more rumblings among the crew that that ship was being targeted by some unknown force. Even the party had to admit that the string of attacks they had suffered felt like more than coincidence. Banoc communed with the elemental spirits trying to determine if the ship or those aboard were being attacked for a purpose and the elements responded that the attacks were simply chance.

The crew and adventurers passed the remainder of the day socializing and gambling. Gwyn and Way-lynn joined some of the crew in a lizard racing game. Each chose one small lizard that raced through a maze. Despite Gwyn’s good intuition and Way-lynn’s coaxing of the lizard, one of the crew, Salty Kester, had luck on his side and won the race. Lena and Daqiq played a dice game called “portholes” and soundly beat the crew, although an older pirate, Blue, gave them a good challenge. Jax and one of the legionary captains, Aurelius, played a game of Balican Chess and although she rarely played the game, Jax was able to best the more experienced player.

Later that night, Lena was on watch and noticed that there was a disturbance ahead. After being alerted to the danger, the deck psion, Gloomy Rashad, identified it as a bloom of floaters. Barking orders, Lena helped secure the ship quickly to minimize the chance of a floater contacting the crew or ship and exploding. Lena’s fast action proved more than adequate and the ship passed through without any trouble.

Unseen Dangers
Shortly after midnight, Way-lynn noticed that the Sinful Kraken was slowing down and veering off course. When they confronted the deck psion on duty, Gloomy Rashad appeared calm, perhaps a little too much. However, Way-lynn soon felt it was the right choice as well. The rest of the adventurers awoke to the ship coming to a stop and moved out to see Way-lynn and Rashad heading out to a small mudflat.

Banoc guessed they might be under some type of external influence and attempted to dispel the effect on Way-lynn, but there was no change in his behavior. Before they could be reached by the party, they were found by a brown silt horror, that had apparently been calling them to their doom. Rashad was badly injured in the attacks, but the horror was easily defeated.

In the predawn hours, Gwyn was on watch and noticed a strange depression in the silt, moving towards the vessel. When alerted, the crew became panicked as it was the clear sign of a sink worm, a gargantuan creature which could easily destroy ships. They prepared as best they could, but were unable to attack the creature until it emerged from beneath the silt close to the ship.

The party unleashed a series of spells and attacks on the worm, injuring it horribly, but it continued its attack. Jax suffered some injuries but managed to avoid being swallowed by the monstrosity. Daqiq shot deadly arrow after deadly arrow into it and eventually the beast was driven off or killed. Once again, the crew looked at the adventurers with a sense of awe.

Giant Problems
Continuing on towards the Sea of Silt, the day brought temperatures rising to an unbearable level of heat. Banoc was able to use his control of the elements to make the temperature more tolerable around the ship, although doing so taxed him greatly. Mid-morning brought a new threat to the ship and crew – a group of beastheaded giants moving to intercept the Sinful Kraken. The giants did not appear hostile, but the crew manned the vessel’s weapons, just in case. They warned the adventurers that the giants were unpredictable and easily angered.

The giants stopped at a respectful distance and asked why the weather was so nice around the ship. As they talked, the party learned that the giants were hunting roc and came within range of Banoc’s weather control and investigated. The giants, who called themselves the Saram, wanted to learn how to control the weather and became somewhat agitated when Banoc didn’t think they were capable.

The groups negotiated for a bit and eventually decided that the vessel would accompany the giants back to their island and help them regain their Oracle, who had been taken by a rival group of giants, the Jorsh, and not given back. The beastheads thought that the Oracle could help them locate Ehwahla and perhaps be useful in controlling the weather.

The Plan of Attack
The Sinful Kraken headed east towards the Sea of Silt without incident until the early afternoon when they encountered at mudflat. Regulus asked the party to spend some time and explore the mudflat, as they often contain water and possibly vegetation to help provision the ship. Banoc didn’t sense that there was any ill intent, but had noticed a growing tension between Regulus and his pirates and Iulius and the legionary troops. However, all three groups needed each other, so the uneasy alliance held.

On the mudflat, the party discovered some relatively clean water but no plant life, suggesting that the mudflat was relatively new. While they were gathering the water, they were set upon by a small group of black silt horrors that burst from beneath the mud. Although initially caught off guard, they creatures were defeated without too many injuries being taken. In less than an hour, they were back underway.

Later in the afternoon, Iulius approached the party and wanted to know more about their plans for bringing about a new age of Athas. As a strategist and military captain, he was apparently uneasy about not knowing their plan. The group described many of the wonders that they had seen in their encounters including the other planes of existence, the knowledge of the true history of Athas and the powerful weapons useful for taking down the sorcerer-kings. These stories, along with the camaraderie with Lena and Way-lynn helped dispel his concerns.

Iulius shared that the stories of the giants preparing to march on Balic were a ruse to keep the citizens in a heightened state of alert. An unknown army had sacked Tyr and was marching towards Urik in the north. According to Iulius, the forces of Gulg and Nibeany were marching towards Urik as well to defend it against the unknown aggressor. He was terrified to think about what creature or army could be such a threat to Urik that two other sorcerer-kings would be willing to set aside their differences. Gwyn and Banoc recalled the tales of the sorcerer-kings moving to destroy Dregoth thousands of years ago and thought that it could be a similar situation. Banoc remembered the legends of Kalak of Tyr, Hamanu of Urik and Borys the Dragon marching on Kalidnay to stop Kalid-Ma after his transformation. With the two city-states the targets, and the forces moving from the south, they felt like the unknown aggressor might be Kalid-Ma.

Threat From Below
Early the next morning, just as dawn’s light was starting to show, Gwyn was on watch and noticed a disturbance in the silt headed towards the Sinful Kraken. It was quickly revealed to be a gray silt horror, a huge beast far more powerful and deadly than the silt horrors encountered in the mudflat. Thanks to the keen eyes of Gwyn, she and her friends had time to prepare for the attack. The horror lashed out with barbed tentacles that threatened to pull them overboard. Way-lynn started hacking at the tentacles, severing them with each powerful blow from their axe. Gwyn and Banoc launched fire spells at the creatures body, while Daqiq shot one deadly arrow after another into its partially exposed head. Just as it was about to pull Jax overboard, it was defeated and sank beneath the silt.

Later that day, while Lena and Daqiq were learning about the operation of the psionic orb Regulus approached the others to complain about Iulius and his soldiers making too many demands on the pirates. They listened to his concerns and attempted to smooth over the differences, emphasizing that they all needed each other at this time. After promising to speak to Iulius and get him to ease up a bit, Regulus appeared to feel better about the situation. Iulius and his men were unhappy about the perceived lazy attitude of the pirates but was eventually convinced that the common good would require sacrifices on everyone’s part.

Threat From Above
Just as things were starting to calm down, Daqiq noticed a large bird diving for the Sinful Kraken. The bird, a roc, was moving fast and they only had moments to prepare. Way-Lynn and Lena manned the ships weapons and fired at the gargantuan bird of prey. Although the bird was struck several times and shot by Daqiq, it was barely injured and dove towards Jax, biting her and grasping her in its talons. As it flew off it took more hits but still held onto Jax until it was over a hundred feet in the air when it let go. Luckily she landed on the deck of the Sinful Kraken instead of the silt. A final arrow from Daqiq finished off the bird and it fell into the Sea of Silt.

The crew and adventurers began to wonder if something wasn’t putting its will against their own. Each of these encounters would not be a cause for concern, but together it appeared to be suspicious. Although they were concerned, there was nothing to do but keep moving on towards the east.

Boarding Action
The battle simply began as the crew of the Sinful Kraken attempted to defend themselves against the forces of the Sand Dragon. The fires started by Gwyn and Banoc occupied many of the Sand Dragon’s crew, otherwise the battle would have been even more uneven. Fireballs and flamestrikes flew back and forth attempting to kill as many of the opposing crew as possible before they became so intermixed that it would be impossible to target foes without hitting friends.

Daqiq took the high ground on a mast and fired arrow after arrow at the defiler and praetor on the Sand Dragon. Way-Lynn held the line and attempted to prevent too many enemies from reaching the Sinful Kraken, but the numbers were too great. Lena lead a charge onto the Sand Dragon hoping to do further damage to the ship and slow the advance of the crew and draw attacks away from her crew. Unfortunately she was successful and fell under the numerous attacks directed at her. Banoc moved quickly to get her back on her feet, but the tide of battle was clearly going against the adventurers.

Gwyn was able to take down the praetor but his surviving guards knocked Banoc down and if not for the quick action of Jax, he would have perished. Daqiq, ever practical, read the current situation and laid down his weapons, the other’s did so as well. Lena, however, made a desperate attempt and challenged the legionary captain, Iulius, to single-combat.

The Duel
Iulius agreed, much to Gwyn’s surprise, and even gave Lena a few moments to catch her breath and compose herself. The two combatants squared off on the deck of the Sand Dragon and Lena, seizing the moment, charged at Iulius and with a skillful lunge, knocked him over the edge of the ship into the silt. Although he began sinking quickly, his crew was able to toss him a rope and pull him out before he suffocated.

Gwyn was once again surprised when Iulius honored the outcome of the single combat and agreed to let them go. The crew of the Sinful Kraken grabbed the majority of supplies from the Sand Dragon to provision their ship for the long journey ahead. They left enough so that the other crew could make it back to Balic without danger and keep their ship in good repair.

A Change of Heart
While the supplies were being transferred to the Sinful Kraken, the adventurers had a chance to converse with Iulius. Gwyn and Way-lynn told him more about their adventures with his brother Dravus. Lena listened to the stories and attempted to convince the captain that he was better off coming with them than returning to Balic to face punishment for his failure.

Iulius was eventually convinced to join the crew of the Sinful Kraken and air them in the quest. Despite his military training and loyalty to Balic, he appeared to be genuinely interested in the groups quest to try and make Athas into a better place. He said that he would be dishonoring his ancestors and the people of Balic if he were to pass up a change to truly improve the lives of all.

Iulius was such a charismatic and popular leader that a number of the Sand Dragon’s crew and some of the legionary joined with him. The combined crew was enough to keep the vessel moving and they could function in combat, although they would not be at optimal efficiency. Once everything was secured, the Sinful Kraken started east towards the Sea of Silt.

Convincing the Crew
After two hours of sailing into the rising sun, Banoc’s charm on the officer began to diminish. The adventurers quickly tried to convince the crew of their vessel, the Sinful Kraken, that templar Haraxes (still being impersonated by Jax) had a change of heart and was heading out on a mission to make Athas into a better world. Although Jax was convincing, the party, especially Way-Lynn, Lena and Gwyn, tried a heavy-handed approach and it was not well received by the crew. In a moment of desperation, Banoc revealed himself as a water genasi, but the crew turned out to be superstitious about water elementals, and thought that he was an ill omen.

Despite their best efforts, the crew was not convinced and decided to attack the party, hoping they could turn around and make it back to Balic quickly to sort things out. The crew underestimated the abilities of the adventurers and the battle was over quickly, with the last half-dozen crew surrendering rather than be killed. They held fast to their sense of duty and were confined to the lower deck as prisoners.

The group decided to take the south turn around the Dragon’s Palate in hopes of making it to the Sea of Silt as quickly as possible. Tired from their long night, the party rested, although they still took watch, not fully trusting the pirate crew. Banoc did not take to their mode of travel well and suffered from silt sickness for the first few hours. Eventually he got a bit of rest and was refreshed.

The Sand Dragon
Daqiq startled from his nap to a commotion on the upper deck. He ran up to see what was the matter and found everyone looking behind at another silt dromond moving to intercept them. The vessel was similar to their own, but moving much faster, indicating a more powerful psion at the helm. As it approached they could see the sail had a icon of a dragon atop a mound of sand.

Helpless, the pirates and adventurers watched as the Sand Dragon closed on them. Banoc thought of trying to cover their movements by controlling the weather, but the Sand Dragon would be in range to fire long before his magic could start to take effect. They crew prepared for battle, knowing that they were outnumbered by least a factor of two.

As the Sand Dragon neared to two-hundred feet, they party heard the voice of the Sand Dragon’s commander ordering them to stand down and prepare to be boarded. Gwyn recognized the voice as that of Kelvor’s brother. He had apparently decided to hunt down their group personally. The party unanimously agreed to not give up without a fight. Banoc and Gwyn moved to the back of the Sinful Kraken while the rest started to man the ship’s weapons.

The two ships exchanged a volley of shots from ballista and mangonel with only minimal damage to either ship. Gwyn and Banoc release a storm of fire at the Sand Dragon as it closed to just over a hundred feet. The fire ripped through the vessel, destroying most of its weapons and setting it ablaze. The Sand Dragon’s crew was able to take cover and avoid the majority of the fire, but now had to concern themselves with the ship, which was damaged.

The Sand Dragon’s helm was becoming mangled by fire as it continued on at full speed directly into the aft of the Sinful Kraken. The horrible sounds of splintering wood and bone from the ships was soon quieted and overtaken by the shouts of both crews as they prepared to do battle. To the surprise and terror of those aboard the Sinful Kraken, they appeared to be outnumbered three-to-one.

Infiltrating the Arsenal
Jax (still in the form of Darian Haraxes), Gwyn (still posing as Darian’s companion for the evening) and Lena made their way towards the Arsenal. Trusting in Jax’s ability to convincingly play the part of the templar, they simply marched up to one of the gates and demanded entrance. Although there was a little confusion about the unorthodox nature of an inspection so early in the morning and the presence of an elf companion, the gate guards decided not to question the powerful templar and allowed them in.

As Gwyn passed but the gate captain, she his face and thought for a moment that he was Kelvor! The resemblance was very striking, but she knew that he was lost in Moil to the Tortured Vestige. She tried to get the captains attention in a subtle way, but he either did not notice or did not recognize Gwyn. They moved on quickly to avoid suspicions, but Gwyn was very curious about this other “Kelvor”.

The group began to search along the wall of the Arsenal for an ideal spot to help the others over. The Arsenal was well guarded and the walls were tall making the search difficult. Eventually the settled on an out-of-the-way spot that appeared to be slightly less guarded than the rest. There they waited for their friends to arrive.

Old Friends and New Enemies
Daqiq, Way-Lynn and Banoc accompanied Regulus and his crew through the Harbor Precinct towards the Arsenal. They didn’t know how long it would take for their friends to get in and find a spot, so they waited in an area that provided a good view for Daqiq. The rest tried to be as inconspicuous as possible for a group of over forty people.

While they were waiting Banoc saw his Veiled Alliance friend Sestus nearby and the two had a brief conversation. Banoc explained that the city was no longer safe for himself and his friends and, trusting Sestus, confessed to killing Darian Haraxes. Sestus was confused and shocked to hear the Praetor responsible for the virtual destruction of the Veiled Alliance was now dead. Banoc was likewise confused and shocked when Sestus turned on him and attacked, backed up by assassins and thugs.

Banoc took numerous injuries before his allies could come to his aid. He survived but Sestus did not, falling victim to several of Daqiq’s arrows. The thugs stood their ground and were likewise dispatched, however, the assassins stayed in the shadows and not even Daqiq could find them until they were almost out of range. Daqiq and Lena’s crodlu gave chase, but the assassin disappeared from sight.

With the assassin likely reporting in, the sense of urgency was even greater than before. Luckily, not long after the fight had concluded, Daqiq spotted his allies and the two groups joined back up. Through combination of Way-lynn’s massive strength and Banoc’s intuition about the patrols, the majority of the group was able to scale the wall quickly. Jax was able to distract the one patrol that got too close and the rest of the crew got over the wall with help from Daqiq to keep them in the shadows and out of sight.

The Heist
Daqiq and some of the crew went up ahead quickly and quietly to scout out a ship and hopefully start to prepare it for departure. Deciding that one ship was as good as the next, they moved to the closest dromond and started to make the adjustments to the rigging. Regulus’ crew was experienced, and this vessel was considerably better maintained, and they appeared to have no trouble.

A commotion from below deck stopped Daqiq cold – apparently the ship still had crew aboard and the activities above deck drew their attention. Doing their best to hide, Daqiq and his scouts could do nothing but wait…

Hoping they had given Daqiq enough time, the rest of the party and crew started to move out. Luck appeared to be against them as they ran into a Legionary patrol lead by the gate captain, who resembled Kelvor. Gwyn, determined to not let the opportunity slip by again addressed the captain as “Dravus” (Kelvor’s real name) while using her talent with the Way to try and determine if he was a human or something less natural. To her surprise, he did appear to be human, but her allies, except for Lena, all appeared to be undead. There was no time to explore this, but she wondered if it had something to do with the long time they had spent in the Gray.

The captain, spit at the mention of the name Dravus, who was his brother. The captain believed that Dravus had abandoned his city, his post and his family and was a traitor. Gwyn tried to convince him that that wasn’t the case and told him of how he had been subjected to horrible experiments by Tethrades and had to flee to save himself. She also told of how he had sacrificed himself to protect his friends and that he was a hero. All of the conversation appeared to shake the captains sense of reality and he was visibly having trouble processing the information. Jax was easily able to use this confusion to convince him to let the group pass without further delays.

They arrived at the silt dromond just as its crew was about to find Daqiq. Quickly Jax tried to convince them that this was a readiness drill and that he needed to take the ship out quickly. The officer appeared to believe Jax, but was required to verify the command while the prepared the ship – a new protocol. Banoc used his gift with the Way to charm the officer into believing that it wasn’t needed, and to their relief, the officer agreed. Less than 20 minutes later, the vessel was heading away from the dock, the City of Sails starting to grow smaller…

After an uneventful night in Villa Nauripides the party woke and ate together as they continued their discussion about current events. Eventually they agreed to split up and pursue several different goals simultaneously. They also agreed to meet back at the villa in the early evening and share information and devise a more coherent plan.

Hunting the Hunter
Daqiq and Jax set out to do what they did best, learn about their prey and set a plan in motion to take him out. Today their prey was the templar Darian Haraxes who was responsible for the destruction of the Veiled Alliance in Balic. After Daqiq eliminated a minor templar guard and Jax assume her persona of a minor patrician, the pair entered The Praetorium and began to investigate. Through several conversations they learned the following…

• Since the recent election of Darian Haraxes he has been rising in influence among the ranks of the templars with his successful purge of the Veiled Alliance.
• His campaign against the Veiled Alliance began with applying pressure to businesses and individuals who were sympathetic to the Veiled Alliance and culminated three months ago following the removal of an Alliance member from the Ivory Dungeon.
• Haraxes likes to spend his off hours drinking at the Parched Throat in the Market Precinct. He also has a fondness for elven women.
• Since his success, there has been an increase in the number of elf murders. There are whispers, but nobody has been able to trace it to Haraxes.
• The monthly arena matches were set to begin in a week and many of the templars are likely to be in attendance at the games.

Armed Forces
Lena and Way-lynn headed to the Guilder’s Precinct to look for weapons, armor and information about the current events in Balic and the other city-states. Lena stuck to the shops pretending to be a soldier of fortune and Way-lynn stuck to the drinking establishments attempting to learn any information that they could. After the day was spent, they learned the following…

• The threat of giants is believed to be a cover for other larger issues at work across the entire Tyr Region, as the crops are not ready for harvesting and that is the time for the normal incursions by giants from the Sea of Silt.
• Darian Haraxes spent a lot of good money hiring mercenaries to rough up merchants and shop owners who might be sympathetic to the Veiled Alliance. This undermining of their support structure helped to bring about their eradication.
• The upcoming games at The Criterion will feature a week-long event with many different daily events and registration will begin in a few days. The matches are deadly but have the potential to make the winners rich. The most influential templars and Andropinis himself usually attend the games near the end of the week.
• The Wounded Lirr, an inn, is a reputable location and Lena requested information about the availability of high-quality weapons be sent there for her.

Transportation
Gwyn traveled to the Elven Market outside the Agora, to try and gather information about passage out of the city to the deep Sea of Silt. She found that the market was really a collection of peddlers and not a permanent establishment like the one in Nibenayshe grew up in. She was shocked at how shabby the merchandise was and for once realized why the elves had such a poor reputation. After carefully observing, she made contact with Karis, of the Wind Dancer tribe, and learned the following…

• Those looking for transportation out of the city via the Sea of Silt should go to the Furled Sail in the Harbor Precinct.
• The days of relatively easy access to the silt dromonds is over and all the under heavy guard in the Arsenal.
• The pirates, smugglers and merchant ships with psionically powered vessels stay away from Balic for fear of their ships being commandeered. As such only silt skimmers are available for hire.

The Veiled Alliance
Banoc went searching for any signs of surviving members of the Veiled Alliance. He was not hopeful, given the efficiency of the eradication, but there were some newer members, Sestus for one, who might have escaped based on their relatively unknown status. The Elven Market did not turn up any clues but he did find Sestus at the Sandtiger’s Tail, a seedy establishment used from time to time as a meeting point for Alliance members.

Although both men were somewhat reluctant to divulge too much information, Banoc was convinced that Sestus was a good man. As they talked, Banoc learned the following…

• During the purge the veiled alliance cells were systematically compromised and eliminated. The Alliance attempted to reorganize and scatter, but the templars were too efficient.
• Darian Haraxes had already laid a foundation in the businesses and applied pressure to discover the new cells.
• Rumors persisted that some of the Alliance members are being held in the Ivory Dungeon, but nobody knows for sure.
• Sestus was attending a meeting at the Nauripdes Villa when it was attacked. He was knocked out early in the fight and does not know what happened to Zaethias or Venithia. He is certain that he saw Ramphion taken down by the templars.
• Sestus has been hiding for the last few months and only just now started venturing out to look for other Alliance members.
• There is a meeting of Alliance sympathizers in the ruins of Mount Laeron and Sestus wanted Banoc to be there as a face of the Alliance and to provide hope. Banoc would not commit to the meeting as he wanted to check with his companions.

Assassination
Jax and the others returned to the Villa while Daqiq stalked his prey inside the Parched Throat. After discussing the situation they agreed to head over to the Parched Throat and see if they couldn’t take out Haraxes tonight. While the others were at a nearby tavern, Jax assumed the form of an elven woman and went into the Parched Throat. This was not her and Daqiq first set-up and it worked well.

Darian Haraxes took a liking to Jax and after a while he suggested that they leave and go some place more quiet. Daqiq had set himself up on a nearby roof and was waiting to ambush the praetor. As the pair came out, and Daqiq drew his bow, something alerted the praetor to trouble and he quickly cast a protective spell, Daqiq’s arrow hit and hit hard, but the spell absorbed most of the damage. The fight became more complicated as two other rooftop assassins, likely guards of the praetor, started firing at Jax. Jax summoned her Sword of Tyr and she and Daqiq manged to finish off the praetor. There was a brief chase and exchange of arrows, but the other assassins were defeated.

Lena and the others arrived to help clean up and they put the praetor’s body in Gwyn’s bag. Feeling pleased with the justice they dispensed, the group was also suddenly rather nervous and eager to leave the city before they were found out. At Gwyn’s suggestion they headed to the Furled Sail to attempt find a way out of Balic and onto the Sea of Silt.

Fleeing the City
At the Furled Sail, Jax assumed the form of Darian Haraxes and stayed off to the side with Gwyn. Daqiq kept his distance acting as a look out in case they were followed. The rest made contact with Regulus, the captain of a silt skimmer who was available and able to take people out of the city with no questions asked. Unfortunately, although he was willing, his price was too high and he couldn’t be talked down to a an amount that the party could afford. However, there was another, more dangerous option – to steal a silt dromond from the Arsenal.

Regulus agreed to provide the crew for the ship, including a psion who would be able to power the helm and take the party into the Sea of Silt. The party agreed to steal the vessel and give it to Regulus. They decided the best course of action would be for Jax (still in the form of Darian Haraxes), Gwyn (posing as his companion) and Daqiq (in the templar guard attire) to make their way into the Arsenal. They felt that they could allow the others, Regulus and his crew into the Arsenal and steal a ship.

Given the urgency, they immediately headed for the Arsenal…

The Astral Engine
Deep in the Ruins of Pluton the situation was dire. Jax was dead, her life snuffed out by Dregoth. Gwyn, Banoc and Lena were dying quickly for each had been battered by Dregoth and their life drained to fuel his spells. Only Way-lynn and Daqiq were standing and neither was normally one that someone would turn to fore healing.

Daqiq knew that Banoc was the key to surviving and he did his best to patch up his wounds and stabilize him, as Banoc had done many time to Daqiq in the past. Banoc’s, breathing eased and the blood stopped flowing from his wounds. Daqiq breathed a sigh of relief as it looked like he would live.

Way-lynn attempted to follow Banoc’s instructions, but the new halfling was not as successful and they were unable to make any progress towards stabilizing their dying friends. In the commotion, Lena’s life slipped away and she grew still.

Gwyn managed to find the will to keep going and she also stabilized with the help of Daqiq.

For the next several hours all Daqiq could do is wait and hope for the best. As time slowly passed he felt a wide range of emotions – hopelessness, anger, fear and more. After about two hours Gwyn slowly came back to consciousness, but Daqiq was still inconsolable at the loss of Jax. An hour or so later Banoc woke from unconsciousness and Daqiq became manic, wanting Jax brought back to life. Weakened from his near death experience, Banoc did his best to curb the mania.

Searching through the components of Absalom, Banoc discovered that he had all he needed. He proclaimed that he would be able to revive both Lena and Jax, but needed time. Waiting was not what Daqiq wanted to do, but there was little choice. After regaining his strength and meditating on the elements, Banoc used his magic to restore life to Jax and Lena – an impressive display of power.

For two more days, the party rested and regained their strength while they pondered their options for getting out of the chamber. They could find no exits or portals and there was nothing of value that survived the explosion of the dragon skull phylactery of Dregoth.

Banoc calmly announced that he could use his magic to send them back to Athas, assuming that the chamber was not warded against such magics. However, he and Gwyn felt confident that the protections on the room only prevented people from entering, not leaving. Banoc warned the group that they would travel to a Veiled Alliance safe house in the city-state of Balic and that there was no telling what they would find there.

Villa Nauripides
With a strange sensation of being immersed in cool water, Banoc’s magic transported them to a shrine to the elements of water. Banoc explained that they were beneath Villa Nauripides on the southern edge of Balic and that this was a concealed room beneath the basement of the villa. They cautiously exited and found that the villa had been ransacked leaving nothing of value and no inhabitants.

Unsure what to do or where to go, they separated and headed into the city-state to look for supplies and information. Those that needed new gear were able to procure it and there was enough gems and jewelry to obtain a large number of survival days and food for whatever journey they decided to embark on. They also gained a lot of useful information regarding current events…

• Although it had been three weeks for Banoc, Jax and Daqiq since they left Balic, three months had passed making what little information they had horribly outdated.
• The Veiled Alliance appeared to have been completely wiped out by a Praetor named Darian Haraxes following the raid on the Ivory Dungeon.
• Tyr had been sacked by a mysterious gray warrior and that most of the population was stricken by some sort of plague.
• Urik was likely going to come under siege within a few days bu the armies of Nibenay and Glug were marching to Urik’s defense. Some even whispered that the Dragon itself would be aiding the city-state.
• Raam was still in chaos and the situation there was worsening. Rumors of the undead and dray marching on the city-state from Giustenal were plentiful.
• The Black Spine Mountains had grown more dangerous with strange armies of well-armed gith attacking the slave tribes and anyone else who dared come too close to the mountains.
• Gwyn felt urging from the Crown of Dust, pushing her towards the Silt Sea and the last fragment held by Ul-Athra’s consort Ehwahla.

That night they all returned to the villa and discussed what they learned and where they wanted to go.

Liquid Night
The party was able to tend to their wounds and recover their strength without interruption in the ruins of the rusted tower. As the hours passed, the intensity and pulsing of the colors, now only red and blue noticeably increased. Once they were ready, the group hurried towards the red beam, however, it was too late…

Just as they reached an area filled with dead vegetation where all of the grass and the few trees were dried and brittle to the touch, there was one final flash and the beams stopped. Those that had recovered gems saw that, although they still shone, their light was diminished. Unsure what to expect, the party continued on with the earth beneath their feet leaving puffs of dust ans ash.

They approached the nearest structure and found a small shrine and graveyard with a circular wall and a twisted and rusted gate. There was no red beam coming from the structure and when they entered they found a dull gray gem resting on the floor. The room was filled with shelves containing nick-knacks that were mostly decayed and nothing of value was found. Jax took the gem, which appeared to be utterly mundane.

There was a great debate on whether or not to grab the last gem or head back to the skull mountain. While they argued, several saw a large shadow move across the land. They could not be sure, but Way-lynn believed that whatever created the shadow was flying and ended at the skull mountain. Finally a decision was made to head towards the mountain, and they did so with haste and dread.

Reaper’s End
They reached the skull mountain and found it to be dark and lifeless. The once bright device that merged the individual beams was now floating above a central air shaft and a narrow staircase could be seen leading down. The party tried their gems in the various sockets in the floor and found a few that would fit, but when nothing happened, they stopped trying and headed down.

They followed the cramped staircase down for several hundred feet, eventually arriving in a chamber of red and black stone. Another crowned skull image was carved into the floor and the skull’s mouth was positioned to receive the beam of white light from above.

Out of one alcove stepped a tall dray with decaying black scales that Gwyn recognized as Abaslom. In one hand he wielding a large black blade – The Blade Perilous. The party was unwilling to talk or listen and simply launched an attack on the dray. The battle was fierce for Absalom was a powerful master of the Way as well as a Templar of Dregoth. The earth shook and fire rained down from the sky as he swung the evil blade, but the combined strength of the party was too much and he was defeated. For good measure, Way-lynn used the Headsman’s Axe of Moil to decapitate him. Banoc wrapped the black blade in his cloak and carried it, careful not to touch it.

After the fight, they wondered how he got the blade and how he had returned from the dead – questions that they would likely never get answers to. They also searched the room and found that there was a shimmering portal in the skull’s mouth. Although they could see nothing through it, it appeared to be the only exit from the room. There was some discussion, but eventually they all went through the portal.

Astral Engine
They passed into a vast chamber whose floor as covered with bones. Arcs of lightning illuminated the enormous eldritch engine that was floating in the center of the chamber. Tightly wound cables and rods of silvery metal twisted along rune-covered walls like a spider’s web. Beneath the engine was an enormous dragon skull with two large glowing rubies for eyes. From behind the skull stepped a massive dray with blue scales, a swirl of energy moved between him and the skull.

As they feared the dray was Dregoth come to complete this part of his plan for godhood. Despite herself, Gwyn simply laughed at the dragon king. Banoc cast aside his hood and revealed himself for the first time as a agent of the element of water. However, Dregoth did not appear to be impressed. Lena attempted to contact him using her skill with the Way, but he was ready for such an attack and battle ensued.

The party felt their life being drained by Dregoth to power a spell and with a single word, Lena fell over dead. Gwyn summoned an incendiary cloud which burned away some of Dregoth’s flesh, but he appeared to take little damage. With another word Jax dropped lifeless to the ground, enraging Daqiq. Banoc started throwing tears from his vial at Dregoth and, although the tears struck true, the sorcerer-king did not succumb to their power.

Gwyn, Way-lynn and Banoc shifted their target to the giant skull and quickly began to damage it, chipping away at bone and gem. Way-lynn was the next target of Dregoth, but they were able to resist the magic, Daqiq died shortly thereafter with another word of power. Suddenly the skull exploded in a powerful flash of energy, knocking everyone to the ground. Daqiq and Lena rose up from the ground, having been restored by the energy of their gems.

Enraged, Dregoth used his magic to drain the life out of the party and teleport away. Although the dragon king fled, the effect of his magic was too great and only Way-lynn and Daqiq were left standing. Jax remained dead and Banoc, Gwyn and Lena were an inch away from death. They appeared to have thwarted Dregoth’s plans, but the price was higher than they could have imagined.

Wild Game
Having exhausted the staff’s power, Gwyn and the other could find now way to the island with the pyramid and decide to move further inland towards the purple light. They found the violet beam to be coming from a tower that was overgrown with vines and other plant life. Gwyn could feel the energy of the Feywild radiating from the tower.

The interior of the tower was easily accessible and consisted of a large ground floor chamber and an array of wooden platforms and walkways which provided access to the violet gem floating in the center of the tower. As they took in the sights and attempted to figure out the best way to reach the gem, a garishly dressed figure appeared out of thin air. He introduced himself as Hespotherad and insisted that the party play a game with him. He agreed to let the party retrieve the gem if they bested him in a contest call the “Cones of Dunshire” an obtuse game of strategy, bluffing, resource management and luck.

While the party played Jax learned that Hespotherad was from the Lands within the Wind and that it had continued to deteriorate despite the destruction of the Fey Engine. Hespotherad spoke of a new primordial tree of life that started to grow but recently had begun to wither. Only Gwyn knew of Elleandra’s tree of life beneath Kled, and she feared for what the dying tree might mean for her friend. Hespotherad became irrationally angry when he was out-maneuvered and even more upset when he thought the party deliberately tried to throw the game. In the end the party was able to best him and the close final score, as well as Lena intimidating presence, caused him to storm off instead of attacking the party.

Moving quickly, before he returned, the group studied the gem and felt sure that in order to master it, someone would need exceptional strength. Way-Lynn was the obvious choice and grasped the gem in his large had. Although Way-lynn was by far the strongest, there was a backlash of energy and Way-lynn was thrown back and crashed to the floor. The others rushed to his side and watched as his body contorted and began to shrink. Within moments, the once gargantuan half-giant had shrunk to the size of a halfling. After a few minutes, Way-lynn came back to consciousness and although very confused, appeared okay.

Unsure if the condition was temporary or permanent, and having no ideas on how to correct it, Way-lynn soldiered on and attempted to obtain the violet gem again. This time Way-lynn was successful and he attuned to the gem. Once again the energy beam ceased.

A Prayer For He Who Was

Back outside, Banoc said a desperate prayer and was able to summon several strange winged-creatures that they used to travel to the island with the pyramid. The creatures waited at the edge of the land although Banoc knew they would only remain for short period of time. They group entered the pyramid and followed the orange light as it reflected off of polished mirrors to go around corners. Eventually they reached a large central chamber.

The chamber had a wide pool of red liquid in the center, above which floated the orange gem. The slanted white marble walls of the chamber are decorated with corpses of numerous humanoid species. Their blood once flowed in small rivers down the walls and into the pool. In the shadows behind it, a half-dozen alcoves can be seen on the back wall of the chamber.

While the rest of the party was discussing the ominous nature of the room and trying to determine the best way to obtain the gem, Lena moved into action. Before anyone could stop her, she struck the nearest mirror with the haft of her spear and shattered it. The resulting breaks sent numerous small orange beams firing off in random directions. Way-lynn and Gwyn were hit hard and fell unconscious, nearly drained of all their vitality. Banoc and Lena were hit by a lesser strength beam and were only severely weakened.

In the chaos following the destruction of the mirror, five women emerged from the shadows. They moved unnaturally fast and had very pale skin an long fangs. Their murderous intent was obvious. Daqiq shot the lead creature with an arrow and although the aim was true, the arrow only wounded the creature. Banoc rushed to the aid of Gwyn and Way-lynn attempting to bring them back to life. The wounded creature compelled Lena to start to position herself against the wall next to the corpses and she was powerless to resist.

Gwyn and Way-lynn were able to stand and the group began a fighting retreat. They were able to lure the lesser creatures out and barely defeated the leader before her ritual was completed on Lena. Once she came to her senses, Lena was able to attune to the orange gem and took possession of it, although she was badly injured during the attempt.

A Slime Party
Heading back to the center portion of the island, the group followed the yellow beam to the mouth of a cave. As they descended into the cave, the walls became damp and dripped with a viscous slime. The rough cavern had several pools of slime and the yellow gem was floating in the air above one of the large pools. A woman was seated next to the slime pool and rose to her feet when the party entered.

The woman appeared to be a human female with long blonde hair and a shimmering, flowing blue gown made of many layers of thin cloth. She spoke in an excited tone…

“I’m so glad that you are here, there was nothing to do for the longest time. Nothing fun at all since Ania was taken away. But now that you are here you can play with Elsia!” She is clearly referring to herself in the third person. She continues, “What are we going to do?” They party made several suggestions, all of which she rejected. At last she spoke excitedly again – “Oh, of course. We can have a slime party. This will be so much fun!” As she spoke, the slime on the walls and from the pools began to move. “Woah, there is so much slime!”

The group found themselves surrounded by animated puddles and cubes of slimes that moved threateningly towards them. Elsia start to hum a tune and twirled around, a spray of slime issuing from her and striking the party members. The woman and the slimes were much harder to defeat than they looked, being resistant to most of the weapons and spells the party had prepared. Elsia was eventually struck down by Daqiq’s arrows and the slimes were burned awayed.

Banoc was able to retrieve the yellow gem of insight and the exhausted party retreated to the rusted tower to tend to their wound and get some much needed rest.

New Allies
After a few tense moments, the survivor and party started to talk. The group learned that the Urikite warrior, a woman named Lena, had been controlled by the Draxans for quite some time. Her memories were hazy and she was unable to recall a lot of information about her past, however she claimed to have deserted the army and taken up as a freedom fighter against slavers. Although wary, the party detected no deception and they accepted her.

The group headed towards the skull-shaped mountain and entered through the mouth. The passageway descended several hundred paces and runes consistent with dragon magic were seen along the walls. The chamber the found themselves in with likewise covered with runes and from six arches, six beams of light converged on an apparatus blazing with white light. Two shattered obsidian altars, each with a statue behind it, lay in ruins on either side of the apparatus. The floor of the chamber was decorated with a large skull and crown with six empty sockets.

The party started to explore and was somewhat caught off-guard when the statues animated and attacked. Although resistant to damage, the combined strength of the party was more than enough to overcome the statues and turn them into rubble. Way-lynn’s axe was very effective at carving up the statues, as was Jax’s blade.

The party spent some time exploring the room and trying to make sense of the situation. They discovered that the beams of energy were striking the apparatus, which appeared to be suspended over an air shaft, that they could not see. They had no luck in disrupting the beams and Lena was struck twice by the green beam causing her massive headache and dulling her wit considerably. They came to believe that each of the obsidian altars were connected to the Shadow Engine and Fey Engine that Gwyn had encountered. The device in the center of the room did not appear to be of similar construction was was likely not the Astral Engine.

Having no other ideas on how to deal with the machine, they party decided to follow the beams to their source and see what they could find there. Although they were operating in the dark with regards to the purpose of the beams and devices, they all agreed that if Dregoth was using them, they should be destroyed.

Chains of Binding
The followed the green and orange beams into a new region of the land. The expanse was filled with ruined tombs, tattered clothing and the ashes from offerings burned in tribute to unknown entities. The green beam originated from a tower on the edge of the land. On an island, many hundreds of feet beyond the main land, a pyramid with visible with the orange beam issuing from it.

The tower was closer and easier and it was not difficult to reach it. It was mostly in ruins with the green beam shining from a large hole in one side. The main door was blocked by rubble likely fallen from an upper floor that was no longer there. Daqiq scouted the tower and found it filled with rubble from collapsed floors, a green gem was visible floating in air.

The rubble blocking the door was easily removed, allowing access to the ruined tower. The floor was covered in rubble and rusted metal. As the party approached the floating gem, the stench of sulfur and brimstone filled the air. A rattling of metal quickly became painful as a large mass of rusted and spiked chains animated around the gem and started lashing out at the party.

The group battled the chain which attacked both physically and conjured the worst fears into the minds of the party. The stalwart adventurers were able to shake fear and push the images out of their minds as they battled the chains. The chain demon was able to resist Gwyn’s fire magic and Lena’s simple weapons were unable to harm it until Thea used her magic to enhance it. Eventually the chains collapsed as the animating entity was driven off.

Banoc tried to grab the gem without touching the beam and although he was successful, his intellect was not able to overpower the gem and he only managed to burn his hand. Daqiq was eventually successful and pried the gem out of the air. When he did so, the beam stopped immediately. The party guessed that the six gems might be keyed to different attributes and that by taking possession of all six, they might be able to foil Dregoth’s plans.

Death of an Angel
The party took cover outside the tower and tended to their wounds before heading out to search for the other gems. They were awoken by horrible coughing and retching sounds coming from Thea. It appeared that she took a turn for the worse during their rest.

She was wrapped in her wings, but pools of sick, most with blood revealed that all was not well. She uncovered herself and many of her feathers fell off her wings to the ground. Her body was covered in sweat and her skin was red and peeling. More of her hair had fallen out and numerous blisters covered he exposed flesh. With tears of pain, she looks up at the group…

“Its okay. The device gave me more time that I was supposed to have and at least I was freed from that awful place.”

“I don’t know if Dregoth will be successful in his quest, but I know that countless innocents will suffer in his attempt and that he must be stopped. I’m afraid that I wont be able to help you any longer.”

“I hope that I was able to help enough to make up for my weakness and giving Dregoth the information he needed. I only wish that I had been able to stop Torakas from staying behind. He would have most helpful in dismantling Dregoth’s last engine.”

Thea stretched out her hands to Gwyn and Banoc…

“Keep the others on the right path. I don’t know who placed such a heavy burden on your shoulders, but I believe that you’ll be able to save your world by working together and realizing the good in yourselves and others.”

Her hands clenched tightly as another fit of coughing started. When it passed, she turns to Banoc.

“Its okay. Believe in the gods, they do exist. Take my tears, perhaps they will make a powerful weapon against your foes.”

Thea took Banoc’s vial of elemental water and held it to her eyes. Several of her tears mingled with the water, which started to glow. She handed the vial back to Banoc who took it reverently.

“Its okay. It doesn’t hurt that much anymore. And soon I hope I’ll be back with Lathander.”

“Its okay… I’m ready now… Oh no!”

With that her eyes became dull and lifeless and she slowly dissolved into nothingness, with not trace of her remaining.

The Hunted Lands
The party spent a bit of time trying to get information out of Rhys, but he had little to say and even less patience for the group, now that their money was spent. Daqiq asked about his experiments and, sighing as if talking to a child who doesn’t understand, explained what he was doing. None of what he said made sense to any of the party.

The group moved west, following the ravine and looking for a way to cross it. The lands before them appeared to be dotted with the ruins of courtyards and possible gardens. Numerous shattered stone tables and benches were arranged around what once might have been tranquil settings. Empty pools and shattered statues conjured images of long destroyed fountains. As they moved further west, the area slowly became covered with slime, fungus and other signs of rot.

With little notice the Daqiq found himself face-to-face with five humanoid creatures that appeared to be walking diseases. Their green bodies were covered with all types of sores, wounds and other signs of disease. They spoke in the language of dragons, and Gwyn translated for the group.

Who has drawn us to this land? Who smells so sweet? Who carries the sickness? We will not hurt her, we want to save her from death. She will live with us and we shall tell you a secret of this place?

Thea did not know these creatures but could tell they were demons and thus not to be trusted. Although the party wanted to know the secrets of this place, none were willing to sacrifice Thea to learn them. The creatures foul intentions were made more clear when they revealed they wanted to keep Thea alive forever and worship her and her sickness.

The plaguebearers would not take “no” for an answer and moved to try and take Thea when it became clear she would not go willingly. Banoc and Way-lynn moved to protect their ally and Daqiq and Gwyn attacked with bow and spell. Gwyn stayed back, too weak to aid in combat and used her magic to try and cleanse the rot of the demons. The foul beasts were surrounded by a horrible stench and biting flies, making it difficult to engage them in melee. To make matters worse they were exceptionally resistant to magic and Gwyn’s fire was useless. Eventually the constant attacks wore the creatures down and they were defeated.

They continued to explore the land and the ravine but found way to cross even the narrowest gap. The ravine floor was covered in a haze and appeared to be about 400 feet deep. There were no easy ways to make the descent as the party left all of their rope in Moil. Daqiq thought he spotted some movement in the haze, but couldn’t tell what made it nor did he see it again.

The Dead Gods Tomb
The party decided to take a rest to tend to their wounds and discuss the options.Thea’s conditioned worsened and she became feverish and dizzy and her nausea and skin conditions intensified. Daqiq and Gwyn familiarized themselves with their new items and Gwyn discovered that her staff was capable of being used to create a wall of force that would be large enough to span the ravine. The group also noticed that the northern lights were pulsing faster and faster as time progressed. None could guess as to what that meant.

The ruined courtyards containing shattered fountains and benches became slightly less common, but as they moved through this area a large feature that appeared to be giant skull-shaped mountain became visible. The strange, multi-colored glow was coming from the far side of the mountain. As the party moved nearer to the mountain, they realized that what appeared to be the multi-colored glow was light from six different beams of energy coming from distant structures into the skull mountain.

Before moving closer, they decided to explore the lands a bit further to the west, in hopes of not missing something important and getting a better perspective on the skull-mountain.

The Draxans
The landscape gave way to ruing battlefields covered with the remnants of wars. Rusted armor and weapons are next to skeletons on the ground that is still red with spilled blood. Some of the fallen warriors appear to still be in a state of decay. The landscape had another large circular ravine similar in depth to the others and just as obscured by a dirty haze.

Daqiq spotted a group of a half-dozen humanoids, clearly of Athasian origin. Their clothing, weapons and armor were unusual, appearing to be of an old style, but clearly new and containing metal buckles. He could not place the city-state that they might have originated from. Although Daqiq was quiet and attempting to remain unseen, the other saw him and turned. In a strange dialect, of which he only understood half the words, they ordered him and the others to join them with the supplies they had requested. Clearly the group though that the adventurers were someone else.

Thea and Jax attempted to reason with the Athasians, and learned the they were servants of the Dragon and intended to make them their slaves. Gwyn attempted to intimidate them with her draconic form, and although they were confused, they called her an imposter that would submit like all the others.

Daqiq answered back by whispering words to him bow and firing an arrow at the templar, the arrow struck true and the templar fell to the ground. The other Athasians became enraged and charged in. As they moved closer, one of the Athasians stood out from the rest – she appeared to be moving stiffly and her clothing was that of the city-state of Urik.

A fierce battle ensued with the Athasians using spells, the Way and raw skill effectively. However, without their templar, the group was no match for the battle-hardened adventurers. After the initial barrage of flame and necrotic energy, Gwyn did her best to counter their magic and was mostly successful at nullifying their abilities. Way-lynn took many hard hits from a psionically enhanced warrior and an assassin, but was kept standing by the powers of water that Banoc commanded.

The last of their opponents was the Urikite, who, upon the death of the others appeared to come out of her trance and dropped her weapons… The adventurers surrounded her and contemplated their next move…

Race to Freedom
In the library, the group had finished their preparations to fight the hordes of undead and opened the door to see dozens of skeletons and zombies amassed outside. Both sides were prepared for a fight, but the party was faster and used their magic and weapons to quickly defeat the hordes. Gwyn summoned walls of fire that incinerated her foes and Banoc channeled the power of his elemental patrons to destroy dozens at once and drove away the giant skeleton after his had been injured by a powerful attack from Daqiq.

During the fight Thea, held back to finish her reading of the last writing they uncovered another volume discussing Planar Travel. During the fight Torakas was compelled by the Blade Perilous and started towards Thea, but fortunately Jax was able to use her magic to neutralize the influence the sword had over him. They collected their belongings and found that there was a large stash of valuables in the library. Gwyn filled up up the Krampus’ sack and Way-lynn carried the rest of the coins.

With Daqiq leading the way and attempting to avoid any encounters, the party raced towards the Spire of Black Ice and the portal out of Moil. Although they weren’t exactly sure what they would find in the Realm of the Dead Gods, they doubted it could be worse than Moil. For eight hours they made their way through the towers and across the frosty bridges of Moil, seeing several groups of undead, but never getting close enough for and encounter.

When the reached the Tower of Salt they traveled up into new areas. The upper levels of the tower were rusted and corroded much as the lower levels. The smaller rooms, which the party assumed were once residences, gave way to larger and larger rooms that appeared to have once been used for storage. At the upper level they finally discovered the bridge leading out of the tower and, to their horror, found that it was being guarded by the Tortured Vestige, which stood in front of a massive iron portcullis.

They backed away quickly and the Vestige did not appear to notice them. Searching the surrounding areas, they could find no other way to leave the tower. The group was tempted to try and travel the ground between towers again, but felt that it would be too much for Thea to handle in her deteriorating state. Not wanting to spend more time searching for other options, the group decided to try and defeat the mass of undead once again.

Rushing in, Gwyn unleashed a blast of multi-colored light striking the creature with two rays and immobilizing it. The others came in and were preparing to draw it away from the portcullis so that Way-lynn could try and open it. Daqiq landed a deadly blow on the creature, which recoiled in pain, but before anyone else to do anything it was overpowered by Gwyn’s spell and it disappeared. Although she wasn’t sure where, she knew that it was likely on some other plane of existence and shouldn’t trouble them again.

Nearing exhaustion from their journey across the city, the group decided to rest before heading out. Although time was precious to them, they didn’t know what to expect and wanted to be as ready as they could for whatever they might find on the other side of the portal.

During the rest Banoc and Thea spent a lot a time together trying to determine the nature of her sickness and discussing matters of faith and gods. Banoc tried his healing magics but was unable to make Thea’s condition better. During the rest she started vomiting up blood and it was obvious that large clumps of hair were starting to fall out. She tried her best to remain optimistic about the future, but everyone could tell that her time was limited.

The Spire of Black Ice
With great effort, Way-lynn was able to lift the gate once Torakas had used his skills to remove the rust from it, and they headed out towards the spire of black ice. Their first obstacle was a ruined tower that had only the smallest ledges for walking. Moving slowly and carefully, they crossed through the tower without serious difficulty. After getting back onto a more normal bridge they saw below them the Tortured Vestige. Some how it had returned or another had formed. Luckily, it was far away and not a threat at the moment, but its reappearance was disturbing.

The bridge connecting to the spire ended on a small landing built from the same material as the tower – ice. Deep within the ice of the tower, the party could see a structure of stone and metal which was the skeleton of the tower. Suspended in the ice were countless frozen corpses.

The landing had neither an entrance nor any other means of ingress and no window or opening was visible on the surface of the tower. From the landing there were a set of steep, narrow, ice-covered stairs that had been cut into the outer wall of the spire. They descended down the side of the tower towards some questionable destination below. The far limit of the stairs was lost around the side of the tower.

None relished the idea of traveling down the outside of the building then back up through the interior. The information they had on the tower suggested they would have to deal with a gauntlet of undead. Gwyn decided to fly up to the roof level and see what was up there. She found it to be empty except for a large stone archway covered in frost.

Thea and Gwyn flew back to the top and secured the last of their rope to make assist in the climb. Although it was not easy going, the entire party eventually made it with only a few minor bumps and bruises. The party found the roof level to only have a set of stairs leading down into the interior and the archway. The arch was set at the top of a small flight of stairs and they could see a small, silver panel on one side.

Jax approached the gate and put the silver key into the key hole…

A building sound of energy started from the portal and the runes carved into it started to produce a golden glow…

The gate flashed with orange light and a portal opened leading to an unfamilar land with a starry sky…

Warmth flooding into Moil and the ice of the tower started to melt, threatening to expose the trapped corpses…

Thea began to glow and her spectral wings transformed into feathered wing and although still sick, she was radiant…

Jax wasted no time and moved through the portal. They other started to as well when Daqiq wondered how the portal would be closed…

The sound of cracking ice filled the air and several corpses were freed from the ice and started to move towards the party…

Everyone rushed through the portal with Torakas being the last. He removed the key and tried to jump through the portal, but the instant the key was removed the portal closed. He muttered “ah butts” to no one in particular…

By this time several dozen corpses were freed, but with the portal closed, it appeared that no more were going to be free. Torakas dodged out of the way of the zombies and tried to make a run for the stairs. He quickly discovered the internal passageways were lined with frozen zombies that started to drain the life from him. He quickly reasoned it would be virtually impossible for him to make it out of the tower. He fought off a few of the zombies, but the numbers were too great and he knew he wouldn’t be able to survive. Gripping the sword and key tightly, he backed off and fell toward the ground at the base of the tower. As he fell, he hoped his sacrifice would make up in some small part for the work he did for Dregoth.

The Astral Sea
On the other side of the portal, the party helped Thea down the stairs from a nearly identical gate. The surrounding area was a crumbling courtyard. They stood at the center of a field of blasted dark red stones, beyond which was a field of gray stone.

They saw the portal close as Torakas removed the sliver key and waited for the gate to reopen. When it didn’t they feared that Torakas had fallen. With no silver key to open the portal on this side, there was nothing they could do at the moment. Thea in particular was devastated that Torakas sacrificed himself when her life was measured in hours, or days at the most.

The sky overhead was a bright starry field and filled with swirling with colors never before seen by their eyes. Behind them was a steep drop-off into the swirling void, suggesting they were at the edge of an island. They saw before them a shadowed landscape where pulsing colors shone like a beacon on the horizon, its distance impossible to determine.

The explored the area a bit and a large canyon to the north and a steep drop-off the the south and east. The proceeded to the west. The new region appeared to contain scattered ruins of tombs and mausoleums. Most were damaged, perhaps broken into and looted, and it looked as if nothing more than tattered cloth and rubble remained. In the distance, towards the southern edge of the land, they saw a faint blue glow, separate from the other light sources.

As they approached the source of the blue light, they see a rather odd sight. In the middle of a clearing, there was a large wooden chair with intricate carvings and a strong blue aura. Sitting next to the chair, cross legged on the ground, was a blue-skinned humanoid figure.

The party approached, with Thea in the lead, to take with the the blue humanoid stood up to a surprising height of about 12 feet. As he did so, his elongated features became quite apparent, as did his hands, each with six fingers and an extra knuckle. He cleared his throat and speaks slowly…

“Greetings… travelers. It is not often that I encounter your kind… let alone two groups in as many… days. Perhaps you will have… currency?… and an interest in trade? If you are… like your kinsmen… with nothing of real value… then I will bid you a good… day.”

They discovered that the individual, Rhys, was a merchant and interested in buying and selling magical items. The previous group he mentioned appeared to be another party of Athasians, but as all they had were ceramic coins, he had no interest in them. He also confirmed that they were on Pluton, but provided little useful information.

After some negotiations, the party arrived at a deal on a staff forGwyn, a sword for Way-lynn and a bow and bracers for Daqiq as well as a few potions. The party was unsure where to go next in this strange land…

The Search
The group quickly discovered that their task of finding knowledge about Dregoth’s plans would be hindered by enchantments placed on the library. The books and other writings could not be removed from the library and they appeared to be enchanted to return to the shelves after about an hour or so. Finally, the information on a particular topic appeared to be spread out across several different works, requiring both to be found and brought together for translation. Only then could the meaning of the work be determined and hopefully provide useful information.

The party started searching for writings until pairs were found after which the difficult task of translating the works fell to Torakas and Jax. Torakas, Thea and Gwyn had the difficult task of comprehending the esoteric knowledge described by the writings. Banoc and Way-lynn spent the majority of their time searching for writings. Daqiq was instrumental in organizing their findings to help them remember where various writings were located for future reference. The task was slow and exhausting, both mentally and physically, for everyone.

After being interrupted by a skeleton work crew, they spent some time checking on the entrance to the library and trying to secure it against more interruptions. They found, however, that the spectral undead of the city were easily able to move into the library and a second fight almost destroyed several of the writings after Gwyn unleashed are blast of fire.

During that fight, Thea gave into the urging of The Blade Perilous, and attacked Torakas. Horrified by her actions she surrendered the sword to the dray artificer who agreed to take up the weapon, as he had wanted all along.

Things That Go Bump in the Night
After about 12 hours, the party decided to stop and rest. The physical stress of running around the library, the mental exhaustion from the reading and the constant threat of attacks had taken a toll on them and they decided it would be most productive to take a break and rest. They posted guards at the library entrance and, mercifully, they had no spectral visitors to interrupt them.

After eating a bland meal prepared by Torakas, they resumed their work. The party also felt the effects of the Gray and they each knew that they were dangerously close to being overwhelmed. Thea’s condition worsened although she did not let on to the others in her party and carried on as best she could.

Shortly after the resumed work, a pounding was heard and felt on the main library entrance. It was as if numerous fists were trying to beat down the door to gain access. Way-lynn and Banoc shifted their attention to making sure the door held. While this allowed the others a safe working place, the constant pounding did little to help them concentrate. A few hours later there was an increase in the intensity, as if more creatures had arrived.

The Last Stand
After over 30 hours in the library, they decided that it was time to go. The party had uncovered a fair amount of information that was useful, and although they knew where the rest was in the library, they felt that they were out of time. They uncovered significant information in writings…

The Ascension
The Astral Sea
The Feywild
New Worlds
Of Gods
Planar Travel
Pluton
The Time of Troubles

Jax and Thea took the last remaining work to be translated and studied to the back of the library, while the rest made ready to open the doors and face whatever was out there waiting for them. With luck they would be able to defeat the creatures and make it to the Spire of Black Ice before being overwhelmed by the Gray.

They piled many of the flammable materials in front of the doors. With everyone as ready as they could be, they pulled open the doors and saw a horde of zombies which started to rush in…

A New Direction
While the party rested, healing their wounds and allowing Thea to recover from the effects of the machine that brought her back to life. The debate was between leaving Moil as quickly as possible or making their way to the library of Dregoth in the Shadow Gate Tower. The party was evenly split on what they thought was best, with Thea deciding to go along with the majority. Eventually Gwyn was convinced by Torakas and Jax that the library was the better option and the group headed out towards the northeast corner of the city.

The group moved with as much speed as they could with Daqiq leading the way and attempting to avoid any undead they might encounter. He was able to avoid groups of banshees and zombies but stumbled directly into a skeletal work crew. They also spotted the Vestige, or a similar creature, roaming the bridges of the city. They were terrified by the through that they had not defeated the creature or that there were multiple vestiges within the city.

Temptations
After several hours the party moved into into a tower the Torakas referred to as the Tower of Chance. In one room, a mysterious wheel floated above a table. Although they were hurried, Way-lynn gave into temptation and activated the wheel. The wheel came to a stop and Way-lynn visibly aged from the magic of the wheel and the rest of his friends could see that his health was affected as well. Torakas provided an elixir that restored most of his lost youth, but Way-lynn still felt weaker than before.

Torakas also spun the wheel hoping that he would have better luck than Way-Lynn. Much to his dismay, the wheel did not land on the number he selected and he was wracked with pain as the device drain energy out of him, leaving him tired like he had never been before. The decided to move on, not trusting that the wheel would ever provide a benefit.

In the shadow mine tower, they encountered a strange room with obsidian eggs on an alter. Banoc detected magic within them, but was unable to determine the functions of the eggs. After the dangers in the Tower of Chance, they decided not to tempt fate and left the eggs undisturbed.

As they left the mine, they were attacked by another group of banshees and this time they had no choice but to fight the spectral creatures. The banshees’ screams knocked Banoc, Thea and Way-lynn unconscious and into a near-death state. The creatures were eventually defeated and the party was able to revive their allies and heal up.

The Shadow Gate Tower
At long last the party reached the Shadow Gate Tower and it was still as Gwyn remembered. The tower had been struck by another falling tower and the top was broken off. The faint glow of the portal to the Shadow Tomb was barely visible from the bridge as they approached. They worked their way inside and discovered a recently renovated room that appeared to have once been a chapel. The original iconography was dedicated to a creature that Thea knew as Orcus, but had been replaced by a symbol of a dragon skull within a sun – which Torakas confirmed was the symbol of Dregoth.

They also discovered that the interior of the tower had been badly damaged in the collision and there were no access points to the lower levels where the library was. They made their way to the top most level and avoided the Shadow Gate. From the edge, they peered over and saw some damaged walkways on the exterior of the tower and several access points that might lead into unexplored portions of the tower. However, they couldn’t see if the access points had been damaged from their vantage point.

Gwyn surprised all of the others as she sprouted dragon wings from her back and launched off the side of the tower to explore. After a few minutes, she returned and confidently said that if they could get down, they could access the lower level of the tower. Thea also surprised the group as she produced a set of ethereal, feathered wings and made the initial descent with some rope to help the others. Everyone was in awe of the newfound abilities of Thea and Gwyn.

The descent along the outside of the tower was treacherous and Banoc and Torakas both fell but landed on the ruined scaffolding only suffering a few bumps and bruises. Once they all reached the lowest access doorway, they entered the tower again and quickly discovered the library, which occupied a large portion of the ground floor. The room contained a vast assortment of books, scrolls, tablets and other forms of written information. The walls and rooms were demolished at one point, but recently renovated and are in rather good condition, considering the state of the rest of the tower. They realized that finding the library was only the first step and that sorting through the information contained here could take days.

The Key Guardian
Although the party had seen many terrible things on Athas, the totally alien nature of the Key Guardian was enough to unsettle them. Jax collapsed to the floor of the cavern, unresponsive and curled in the fetal position. Daqiq looked at the creature and cried uncontrollably. The rest were able to master their terror and proceeded to launch attacks at it. Torakas used his skills to calm Jax and Daqiq, enabling them to fight after a few minutes.

Shortly after the creature appeared, there was a disturbance in the cavern, and Delen appeared with an entourage of undead around him. Delen sent his undead to attack and delay his former allies, while he used powerful magic against them. His betrayal was not surprising to the party, but his newfound strength was. Gwyn and Banoc attacked Delen at range as he floated above the battle. The rest of the group concentrated on his undead and the Guardian.

Delen focused his attacks on Way-lynn, disintegrating a large portion of Way-lynn’s leg. A blow from Banoc’s spiritual weapon sent Delen crashing to the floor of the cavern, alive but unconscious. Jax moved near him and with an unsympathetic thrust of her sword, she performed a coup de grâce, ending his life. His severed head rolled away into the water.

Between the attacks of the Guardian and Delen’s magic, Way-Lynn was overwhelmed and fell. None were able to get to Way-Lynn in time and Way-Lynn died, partially submerged in the cold water of the cavern. Saddened by the loss of her ally, Thea attacked with The Blade Perilous and managed to land a killing blow on the Guardian. The remains of the creature sank beneath the cold water.

The party was uneasy about spending more time in the cavern, but needed to tend to their wounds and decided to risk it. Thea performed another miracle and raised Way-Lynn from death. Jax used her own magic to summon the spirit of Delen to answer her questions. She learned that Delen had made a bargain with the Key Guardian and other undead in the city – in exchange for betraying the party, he learned that the library of Degoth was located in the lower levels of the Shadow Gate Tower in the northeastern portion of the city. Jax was unsettled by her contact with his spirit, but shrugged it off.

The Tortured Vestige
As they rested, eating bland food created by Torakas, the party discussed their next move. Although everyone wanted to leave Moil as soon as possible, the lure of the knowledge of Dregoth was strong. Gwyn knew the location of the tower from her last visit to Moil, and it was there that they fought the Tortured Vestige, loosing Kelvor in the battle. The party discussed for hours, but could not reach a final decision.

Their rest and discussion were interrupted by a low rumbling from the passageway, which grew louder and louder. The party prepared themselves for this new threat but were totally unprepared for the appearance of the Tortured Vestige. The mass of undead bodies squeezed its way out of the tunnel entrance and poured into the cave.

Daqiq directed the group to stay at range as best they could, moving around the outside of the lake. Gwyn used her magic to try and contain the creature with a wall of fire and was successful for a time. Unfortunately the creature was able to break free and caught Torakas and Thea in its grasp. Torakas was knocked unconscious, but Thea was dragged inside of the Vestige, to the horror of her allies.

Although the creature was immensely strong, the party had the advantage of the terrain and tactics. They continued their attacks, hoping to reach Thea before the Vestige consumed her. Eventually their efforts were rewarded and with a blast of fire, Gwyn blew the creature apart. Burning bodies and body parts flew across the cavern as the being fell apart. Amidst the carnage, Gwyn recovered many of the items that had been lost when Kelvor died. They also found Thea, but she was dead as a result of the prolonged time inside the Vestige.

The Rebirth
The loss of Thea was a blow to the moral of the party and they were unsure how to proceed. As they patched up their new wounds they realized that there was a slim chance to bring Thea back – the machine at the top of the Tower of Health. Jax had some additional information about the device from her conversation with Delen, but they still knew almost nothing about its capabilities. They decided the potential was worth the risk and when they were ready, they left the cavern, heading back to the Tower of Health.

The water was just as cold as before, but Torakas was able to create tokens that allowed them to breathe under water and their knowledge of the passageways allowed them to make it through without significant difficulties. They came near several groups of undead, but were able to avoid any encounters. They reached the chamber of the device and strapped Thea into it, then they waited…

The device came alive and started repairing her body…

When it was finished, there were a few more actions and then the machine went quiet as it returned to its resting state…

Thea did not stir…

Suddenly her eyes opened and she gasped, alive…

She was freed from the restraints and looked at each of the party with a look of happiness, friendship and love. Then, abruptly, a look of absolute terror came upon her and she sunk to the floor shaking and barely able to speak…

I remember my home – a far away place of goodness and beauty.

I remember finding this city by accident and wanting to provide peace to the inhabitants.

I remember serving a being of joy and light – Lathander, the Morninglord.

I remember having to put down many of the undead inhabitants, for there was no way to save them.

I remember a new arrival in the city – a undead dragon of power and abilities I’d never seen before – a being called Dregoth.

I remember spying on Dregoth, attempting to learn his weakness and his plans for the city.

I remember being caught by Dregoth and being questioned mercilessly about the various planes of existence and their inhabitants.

I defied Dregoth, confident that my faith would protect and preserve me.

I remember unrelenting torment by Dregoth and the pain when my wings were ripped from me.

I remember eventually succumbing and telling Dregoth of the Gods and how they gained power from worshipers or from defeated gods.

I remember retreating into my own mind to preserve my sanity.

I remember Dregoth reaching into my mind and locking my memories as he imprisoned me in a tower.

I remember keeping my sanity by knowing that there was no way Dregoth would be able to collect enough power to further his goals of becoming a true God.

Torakas stepped forward and offered a horrifying suggestion – that the devices he helped create, that Gwyn had found in the Lands within the Wind and the Shadow Tomb could be part of Dregoth’s plans to channel the energy needed to become a god. The sorcerer-king was already worshiped as one by the majority of the dray. The party agreed that if that was Dregoth’s goal, he must not be allowed to complete it.

The Tower of Health
Daqiq watched the woman for a few moments as the rest of his friends quietly moved up to his position. From what they could tell, the woman did not appear to be one of the undead creatures of the city. Daqiq quietly cleared his throat and she looked up with anger that quickly turned to surprise and then a multitude of other emotions flashed across her face. She begged for them to enter the room, stating that the city was dangerous for the living and that they would be safer in her room. Although they were skeptical, they sensed nothing of genuine concern and entered.

Way-lynn was the last to enter, carrying the body of Torakas. At the sight of the dead dray, the woman gasped and started to panic. She asked that he be laid down so that she could tend to him, and mentioned that the city was not a good place to die in. Daqiq initially refused, holding her back, but with each passing moment she became more emotional and tears fell from her eyes. Again sensing no ill will, they released her and she rushed to the side of Torakas and placed a hand on his chest. A moment later he coughed up blood and began to breathe again.

The majority of the party was shocked by her miraculous touch, but Way-lynn drew The Blade Perilous and charged Torakas. Banoc moved to intercept and tried to use his elemental powers to break the sword’s hold over the half-giant, but the bond was too strong. Jax used her charms to convince Way-lynn to let Banoc break the curse on the sword, and Way-lynn agreed, standing down once free of the weapon’s influence. The woman was shocked, appearing incapable of believing that someone would want to harm the living.

The tension of the situation lasted for a time, but ultimately calm emotions prevailed and everyone began to discuss recent events. The woman, who introduced herself as Thea, was unable to recall anything beyond this room and was discovered to have two large vertical wounds on her back that Banoc was unable to heal. She claimed to be trapped in the room and a careful inspection revealed the room was indeed a prison formed by runes of dragon magic inscribed in the walls.

Torakas claimed to be the chief artificer of Dregoth and responsible for most of the modifications and additions to the city of Moil at the request of Dregoth. Although he spoke of the sorcerer-king of Giustenal reverently, he appeared willing to aid the party, but demanded the Blade Perilous in return, for he did not trust anyone else to wield it. At the end, it was decided that Thea would hold the blade, for everyone agreed that she was the most trustworthy, and she expressed no interest in wielding it. Torakas set to work dismantling the prison with the assistance of Gwyn and Banoc. Daqiq scouted the rest of the tower and reported several interesting finds.

The ground floor of the tower was a mess of debris and crumbling walls. Throughout this level there was little to take notice of. At the end of one long passageway there was a single intact door that was ajar. The room beyond held shelves along every wall and stood in two high rows down the center of the chamber. The shelves were filled with all manner of containers, but the frost gave every vial, bottle, packet and pouch the same ominous, crusted while pallor. Here and there, some past disturbance had toppled bottles and vials to the ground as evidenced by debris on the floor of the chamber. In the southern corner of the room, an entire shelf unit had toppled forward. The former contents lie in a heaped pile of glass, ceramic, cloth and bone beneath the shelf unit.

Given the potential dangers, the group rested in Thea’s room to tend to their injuries and recover their strength. Each could feel the pull of the Gray weakening them further, but Torakas and Thea appeared to be resistant to this effect. Torakas spent the time searching the shelves and selected a large number for himself, promising to share, but arrogantly assumed the party would not understand what they were.

In the middle level of the tower, the group discovered a room containing a bulbous-looking metal container. It was about 5 feet in diameter where it rested against the floor and expanded to a 10-foot diameter near the ceiling, 12 feet above. Small glass pods protruded from the surface, and most of the glass pods shone with pinpoints of green light, but some were shattered and dark. On the facing side of this apparatus, there was a deep indentation visible, shaped like a humanoid body. The once comfortable-looking leather padding within the cavity was now cracked and peeling.

There was a single zombie patrolling the room and it was easily dispatched by Daqiq. Torakas examined the device and declared that it was used for curing injuries although he could not guarantee how effective it would be given the damage. To test it they decided to put the zombie into the device. It whirred to life, repairing it’s most recent injuries, but nothing else happened. The party tried to convince Thea to try the machine out, but she declined.

The Tower of Salt
Having fully explored the Tower of Health the group decided to move on. Torakas took great pride in explaining the name and purpose of the major towers in Moil, and his contributions to each. One nearby tower he described as the Tower of Salt, for the basement was flooded with icy cold saltwater. This description closely matched Banoc’s vision of where the key to escaping the city might be and the entire party decided to head there and investigate.

Along the way they encountered a group of wraiths and were easily able to dispatch them. Thea wielded the sword with far more skill than expected and her attacks were filled with a radiant energy that obliterated the spectral foes. This convinced everyone that there was much more to this woman than was first apparent.

The bridge ended at a dark opening within the side of a tower constructed of steel. No symbols or glyphs marked the entrance to this tower, and an unmistakably briny odor emanated from the dark portal. There was no bridge or support beyond the tower portal, just a black chasm of the tower interior. The noise of what sounded like waves lapping against a shoreline echoed up from the darkness below with a relaxed rhythm. The sharp odor of salt hung heavy in the air, its source not immediately apparent. Immediately to the right of the portal was an iron ladder bolted to the interior of the tower. The ladder, pitted and rusted in spots, lead down into the blackness below.

The cold, murky depths seemed to pull the heat from everyone’s bodies and the light from their eyes. The party saw what appeared to be a wide cave mouth in the rough salt crystal wall. A closer looked revealed a narrow passageway leading under the water. Torakas worked his magic and produced tokens for each of the party members that allowed them to breathe underwater.

Daqiq lead the group through the freezing water and after several hours they emerged into a grotto formed from discolored salt. Daqiq was exhausted and barely able to move. Torakas produced a vial that he had found in the Tower of Health and with one sip, Daqiq was invigorated and able to carry on. On the far north wall was a perfectly circular hole with bits of rusted metal attached to the stone walls of the cave, an odd sight that none in the party could make sense of.

Following a twisting passage, the party found a very large cavern. Unlike the barren, salt-enclosed expanses encountered up to this point, this room contained something of interest – a large mound of glinting coins, gems, sculptures and other finery on a small island in the middle of a frosty lake. Rising from the center of the pile was pillar of salt, atop of which was a large key. This was the location of Banoc’s vision and the key was the key to their escape.

The party, ever cautious, checked the room and although they could not see anything Banoc’s magic revealed two interesting facts. First, there was an aberration beneath the water – a creature not of the normal world. Secondly, Thea was a celestial – a creature from the outer planes. No more information was gained on either discovery, and the mystery of Thea remained.

As the party stepped into the cavern, each received a telepathic message. The voice that spoke to them felt like a thousand needles in their minds and attempted to convince them to leave without disturbing the key. Each message was unique and played to their individual fears and desires. However, the party was unconvinced to heed the message, as they so strongly wished to leave Moil. Jax used her magic to try and grab the key from the island but before she could the water erupted and a gigantic creature with numerous eyes and tentacles burst forth from the water. It was likely they would have to defeat the guardian before they could safely obtain the key.

The Tower of Discipline
Although the companions were eager to get moving, Banoc was in no shape for travel. The injuries he sustained during the fight with Krampus had nearly cost him his life. Reluctantly, the group retreated into the relative safety of the tower and tended to his wounds. During there rest, they saw the passing of several groups of undead, but none approached their position.

When they were ready to head out, they noticed that Delen was no longer with the group. Those who were on watch did not recall seeing him leave. Although they were concerned about his departure – for many different reasons – they could find no trace of him and so decided to head out towards the southwest most tower. They trusted that he would catch up with him at some point, and most suspected he was more than capable of surviving in Moil.

As they were leaving the tower and heading out onto one of the lower bridges, Daqiq spotted a group of banshees approaching their position. They retreated into the tower and attempted to hide, but the banshee’s ability to track the living proved potent. Banoc jumped forward and, presented his holy vial of water, channeled elemental energy to force the spirits back and all but one of them fled. With Way-lynn’s new weapons and Gwyn and Banoc’s magic, the banshees were defeated one at a time as they continued to flee across the bridges.

Forsaken Tower
The banshees moved to the east, away from the party’s intended destination, but by the time the banshees were defeated they were almost to another tower. They decided to investigate, guessing they would not come back this way again.

The tower at the end of the the bridge was windowless and featureless and, unlike many of the other towers, the entrance was blocked by a door of rough granite. Above the entryway was a carving of the head of horned animal, beneath which was an inscription that read “Ware the weaver in her lair”. There was a brief discussion, but the consensus was to explore the tower.

Way-lynn opened the heavy door revealing a long passageway filled with webs of inky blackness. The strands were clearly magical in origin, but none knew what could have created them. Jax and Banoc used their magic to create magical light that appeared to burn away the strands and the party slowly entered to tower. They found many dead ends and passageways bricked off creating a maze. Had it not been for their light, they would have certainly become hopelessly lost.

At some of the dead ends, there were bodies that were broken and hideously emaciated. Banoc and Daqiq found that each had a single large puncture wound and that their interior organs and fluids had been drawn out in some terrible bloodletting. Everyone in the party was uneasy about the prospect of facing a creature that could do it and Banoc almost convinced them to leave, but they persisted and chose to head to the upper level of the tower.

The webs of darkness thickened and it became more difficult to move against the darkness. They began to hear a sound like dry leaves scraping on a stony surface and they knew something was stirring in the heart of darkness. They began to hear whispering and all tried to prepare for what they felt was an inevitable attack. The inky darkness made preparation quite difficult and it was too late when they saw a many-legged creature apparently made or or plated in metal emerge from the darkness.

The creature attack with beams of darkness and stabs with its front legs. Way-lynn, Jax and Banoc took the majority of the attacks, with Banoc becoming paralyzed for most of the combat. The creature itself appeared to be immune to most of the party’s attacks, with Gwyn’s fire and Jax’s sonic attacks proving to be the most damaging. Way-lynn hacked with their weapons, cutting off portions of the legs until landing a mighty blow that severed the creatures head.

While Jax tended to Banoc’s wounds, Daqiq searched the chamber finding a significant amount of treasure among the numerous corpses. He also found a belt that was in remarkably condition and suspected that it might be enchanted. Without Delen, they could not identify any powers that it might have. The rest of the tower was empty except for the ever-present strands of shadow and the party moved back outside and headed to the southwest most tower.

The Tower of Health
They encountered nothing but cold and ice on the way to the tower. Above the arched entrance to this tower a single image was inscribed upon the stone: a humanoid figure wrapped in many lengths of cloth, about which two dragons were intertwined. About the head of the wrapped figure, the serpents stared at each other eye to eye. They entered the lower level of the tower, and found mostly empty rooms with the remains of beds. They suspected that the tower was a place for the sick or injured.

In the lower level of the tower Daqiq found a single room that was illuminated. He approached carefully, scanning the room while trying to remain hidden. He saw a bed crumpled against the far wall and a wooden armoire smashed almost beyond recognizability. What was once probably a mirror had been reduced to reflective splinters. Squatting in the middle of all this destruction was what looked to be a youthful woman wearing a gray robe with a long white coat over it. Her skin was grayish white and her hair platinum blonde. She supported her head in her hands, as if she were suffering or sobbing.

The Tower Of Discipline
The party decided to finishing exploring the Tower of Discipline before continuing on to other towers in the of the city. They had little to go on, except for Banoc’s vision of key in the southwest portion of the city. They left the torture room and moved up to the middle level of the tower. Delen’s undead servants carried the body of the slain dray, Torakas.

The middle level of the tower contained mostly empty rooms that had decayed over time. Nothing of interest was discovered and the party was about to move on, when they stumbled upon a pie-shaped room that was decorated with Headsman’s axes. A jumble of broken and smashed wooden chairs and other cluttered debris filled most of the room. As they surveyed the room, they saw a stone dais upon which was set a large block of stone that showed many nick and cuts. Standing menacingly behind the stone block was a humanoid figure wearing a sack like black hood and wielding a nasty-looking headsman’s axe in gauntleted hands.

While everyone else kept their distance, Daqiq moved around behind the figure and attempted to grab the axe from the figure. As he did so, the armor animated and they began to struggle. Although the construct was powerful, it was no match for the group and eventually collapsed into a pile of armor scraps. Its axe was claimed by Way-lynn and determined to be powerfully enchanted when Delen examined it.

The group decided to rest in the secluded chamber, tending to their wounds and hopeful that they would not be disturbed by the denizens of Moil. The hours past with only a single interruption – a group of Moilian zombies approached but when they came within sight of the party, they stopped, bowed respectfully and departed. None in the party knew what to make of it, but were pleased and their good fortune.

While the rested, they could hear a storm beginning to rage outside and eventually heard scraping and clawing sounds on the outside of the tower. The sounds were not like those of the Vestige and the party moved to the roof to investigate further.

Krampusnacht
On the roof, there was a swirling storm of ice and snow a lone figure stood in the middle, attending to some business of its own. The figure was large and cloaked, with chains wrapped around it. Horns protruded from its forehead and cloven feet could be seen on the ends of strong legs. At the group’s arrival, the being turned its attention to them.

Gwyn met the creatures gaze and fell under its power – she was compelled, for some basic reason she did not understand, to do no harm to the being. The creature shouted at Delen, “you’ve been a very naughty boy!” and attempt to use some type of magic against him, but Delen resisted. Jax and Way-lynn moved in, avoiding an icy blast that destroyed most of Delen’s undead allies. Daqiq stayed at ranged and fired arrow after arrow into it, but the creature was barely slowed.

Banoc too moved in and engaged the beast in melee while attempting to keep the others alive and fighting. Delen eventually failed to resist the creatures magic and found himself trapped within a magically constructed cage of rusted steel. Gwyn finally escaped the compulsion and launched a fireball at their foe, burning him badly as it was unable to resist her draconic fire. Delen freed himself, only to be trapped again within the cage, but managed to use some of his magic to weakened the horned fiend. Banoc fell under the onslaught of attacks, but Jax seized the opportunity and landed a blow with her psychic blades.

With a howl of rage, the creature collapsed into a pile of ash, only a large bag and the chains remained. WIth the creatures defeat, the storm subsided quickly. Banoc was stabilized and his wounds tended to. Delen examined the chains and bag, finding them both magical. Way-lynn recovered the axe, which the beast had stolen from them during the fight.

Battered but alive, the group contemplated where they would go next…

The Weak Tower
Many hours passed without interruption, enough that the party was as rested as they could be given the increasing cold and dread they felt. It was clear that their life was being drained away with each passing hour they spent in Moil. None knew what would happen if they stayed too long, but all assumed that it wouldn’t be good.

Banoc shared that while they rested, he had a vision from his elemental patron. In this vision he was drawn to a tower in the southwestern portion of the city where he saw a key that he believed to be a key to exiting the city. Having no other incentive to travel to any other portion of the city, the group decided to follow his lead and sought out the tower from his vision.

The Tower of Test
The thin trestle connected to the side of a nearby tower leading to an open archway which beckoned with its quiet darkness. Above the archway, the unmistakable symbols of martial implements have been inscribed into the metallic surface; a sword, an axe, a gauntleted fist and a cocked crossbow.

They moved through the archway into the middle of the tower and after some exploration they discovered a room with the exterior wall of the chamber missing. The held dozens of 2-foot-diameter colored glass spheres strung from the ceiling on corroded copper chains. A barely audible hum filled the area and no other exits from the room could be seen.

Daqiq was the first to enter the room and others followed, with only Banoc staying outside the room. A series of musical tomes started to play when the room was entered, rising to a chaotic din. The orbs shimmered in time with the storm of sound and their ears started to pound as their stomach’s churned. Each tried to master themselves and deal with the sounds in their own way. Delen and Way-lynn tried to destroy the orbs but found that had little effect. Gwyn and Daqiq fared much better using their discipline and self-control. Jax tried her best to sing with the music of the orbs and ease the effects for herself and the others.

After a few moments of concentration, the sounds stopped for Gwyn and Daqiq. Eventually they realized that destroying the orbs had no effect and only caused the process to reset. Banoc noticed that a circular icon became illuminated when the first person stopped hearing the music. He began to suspect the nature of the tower.

When they moved to the upper level of the tower and found it to be almost completely bare; an echoing space tiled with wide slabs of white marble. The walls of the massive chamber seemed to be the curved walls of the tower itself. Swords, axes, polearms, dirks, spike gauntlets, and more esoteric weaponry hung along the wall in a display that traced the entire circumference of the room. Against the far wall, three curved walls blocked a direct view of a circular arena in the center of the chamber. On each wall, was a single icon – a sphere, a scythe blade and a pillar. The spherical icon was illuminated.

The other two main levels of the tower contained two other tests – one involving dozens of scythe blades suspended on lines of magic and the other a massive room that had its floor composed on dozens of moving pillars. In each case the objective was to cross the room and Daqiq was able to do so with ease. Each success caused an icon to illuminate and after the third test was complete and the party returned to the upper level, they saw that a lone figure stood in the arena.

The figure spoke…

You have passed the three trials and now must face me, the Lord High Exultant. Succeed and you shall be granted fame, loose and you shall not be remembered at all.

Never a group that backs down from a challenge, they decided to face the Lord High Exultant and tried to best him. He proved to be a formidable master of weapons and magic, but not a match for the combined power of the party. He was defeated, collapsing into a pile of bones, his large black sword clattering to the ground. The group recovered weapons and armor from the room and Way-lynn claimed the sword.

The group determined that the most direct route to the southwest tower was going outside the towers and bridges and braving the dark, shadowy land itself. Along the way the encountered a skeletal work crew and a patrol of zombies. Both of which were quickly dispatched without serious injuries to the party.

The freezing cold outside made the passage exhausting for all as the very warmth of their souls felt as if it were being drained away. They reached the nearest tower and proceeded in to the ground floor.

The Tower of Discipline
The lower level appeared to contain empty prison cells. One cell had a humanoid figure shackled below a dim light. The shackles were positioned such that the figure’s arms were stretched straight out to each side. The figure was wearing a voluminous brown robe of frayed cloth. A hood of leather was drawn over its head and appeared to be securely fastened with a silver chain under the chin. The figure was unmoving, and the head lolled down upon the chest.

Delen used his magic to summon an even larger number of undead servants – skeletons and ghouls. They party decided to free the chained prisoner who turned out to be a dray, named Torakas, who claimed to have been imprisoned here by Dregoth because he knew too much about the work Dregoth was trying to accomplish. The party decided to free him but when the did, Way-lynn attacked and slew the dray before the others could interrupt.

Way-lynn claimed that the sword they recently acquired had controlled them and forced the attack. Delen was allowed to examine the weapon and confirmed that it possessed some amount of intelligence and will. The party took the dray’s body with them and Way-lynn appeared to regain control of their actions.

Moving up the tower to access the bridges, the party discovered an elongated, pie-shaped room that had bare walls, but held many strange devices, some two dozen in all. Each device was different from the next. Most of these constructions seemed to be designed to restrain human-sized creatures so that some sort of infernal rig could be connected to them. Some devices were immediately recognizable as torture equipment. There was a rack for stretching of limbs, a table positioned beneath a set of mechanical arms outfitted with various razors and pincers, a steel harness suspended above a fire pit, an iron maiden, and a seat fitted with foot, hand and head-screws.

One of the device near the center of the chamber appears to be occupied by a corpse. Jax risked using her magic on the corpse in the hopes of getting some answers. They learned that this individual was a warrior who was attacking Moil for making pacts with a demon named Orcus. The warrior was captured, tried for sedition and died while being tortured. The spirit faded before more information could be obtained.

The party debated their next move…