It is the 19th day of Scorch in the season of High Sun of the Year of Priest’s Defiance in the 190th King’s Age.

Tyr is a city-state in chaos, and paradigms across Athas are snapping. Kalak, one of the nearly omnipotent sorcerer-kings, is dead. A band of rebels, now known as the Deposers of Kalak, laid low the centuries old tyrant. In the wake of the great arcanist’s downfall, the city’s oppressive order has crumbled. Factions struggle for power, snatching at scraps of influence and wealth as templars, Kalak’s agents, struggle to reassert civic authority. Howls of anarchy mix with the joyous whoops of freed slaves in a cacophony that has yet to quiet since the world was turned on its head.

A Change in Plans
The outcasts Morg and Vinara arrived at the city of Tyr hoping to find food and supplies for the encampment in the Ringing Mountains. Instead they found the city in chaos following the death of the sorcerer-king Kalak, and their hopes were dashed as the turmoil made all resources precious and unobtainable. Hoping to make some money and journey to a more stable city, they hired on with an elven caravan headed to the city of Altaruk…

The Elf Gwyn, hoping to find contacts within the city to aid in her training, found only chaos within the city walls. Inadvertently crossing a couple of well-connected thieves, the city became more dangerous to her than the wastelands. Trying to escape the city undetected, she hired on with an elven merchant of the Moonrunner tribe to guard a caravan heading to the city of Altaruk…

Road to Altaruk
The heroes gathered with the caravan master, Kaldras, outside the city walls and the caravan formed up. The cargo, made up of unassuming ceramic wares, was loaded onto two large kanks and they headed southeast towards their destination. Travelling on foot, the elves kept their distance from the hired guards. Morg, Vinara and Gwyn tried their best to keep up with the fast insects and elves.

The party crossed stony barrens, avoiding the many landslides through a combination of luck and skill, and made their way into the sandy wastes in just over day. Pushing through the deadly sandstorms, freezing nights and blistering days, they managed to not lose their way in the dunes. The dunes gave way into twisting canyons in the badlands on the third day.

Raider Attack
Within hours of entering the badlands the caravan came under attack by a small group of raiders and their slaves. Barely alerted to their approach by falling rocks, the elves hid with the kanks, letting their hired guards deal with the threat.

Moving quickly Morg and Vinara, with her pet Bear, moved to engage the raiders in melee, while Gwyn stayed back. The group made quick work of the slaves, Morg’s axes cutting down several in one blow each. Vinara and Bear helping to protect the cargo from being taken by the flankers. Gwyn slew one of the raiders with a jet of flame she conjured. Although it appeared to be elemental, Morg recognized it as arcane magic.

Recovering from the attack, the caravan regrouped and continued on to Altaruk. Able to reach the city in the morning, Kaldras dispatched one of his sons to run ahead and alert the tribe members of his pending arrival.

Kaldras’s Betrayal
After the long march from Tyr the caravan finally arrived at the city of Altaruk in the early morning. At the gates Kaldras was able to move quickly past the guards with a few well placed bribes and the caravan reached the Elven Market. With the heroes helping to unload the kanks, Kaldras and the elves made arrangements sell their cargo and pay the heroes.

When the elves emerged from the tents, Vinara was quick to notice that they were fingering their blades rather than their coin purses. Alerted to possible trouble, the group was not surprised when a number of elf snipers emerged from the surrounding tents along with several kank spitters. Combat ensued as the elves attempted to subdue the heroes. A decisive blow by Morg, which nearly separated Kaldras’s arm from his shoulder, demoralized the elves. Before the raging barbarian could finish off the elves, the city guards appeared, along with their captain, ordering a halt to the hostilities.

The Captain, a human named Tellemon, who wielded a steel blade, demanded an explanation for the disturbance. Unmoved by the heroes story of betrayal by Kaldras, but not totally trusting the elves, Tellemon ordered the matter to be settled in the arena. With that, the city guards took both the heroes and the elves into the holding pens.

Coins in the Coffer
Locked in cells of the arena barracks, the heroes received their instructions for the games. The two groups were to engage in non-lethal combat by taking large ceramic coins from the center of the arena to one of the large stone coffers at the edge. Each coin scored the team one point, the team with the most points at the end of allotted time wins the arena game and will be judged to have been been telling the truth about the altercation in the Elven Market.

During this preparation time Morg used his gift in the Way to eavesdrop on the elves and learn part of the strategy they intended to employ against the heroes. Without more delay the elves were lead out of the barracks, with the party following a few minutes behind.

The arena has been planted with razor-sharp brambleweed, making it dangerous to move across many parts of the arena floor. A gong sounded the beginning of the contest and both sides moved quickly to gather coins, intercepting the opposing team and stealing coins from the other teams coffer. During the first few minutes Vinara manages to disable a few of the elves using the brambleweed and Gwyn had deposited several coins. A twist in the contest occurred when two large spiders were set free in the arena and begin harassing both groups. Morg decides to distract a spider attacking Gwyn and provide her with more coins by hurling the coins from the center of the arena to the edge.

After the alloted time, the final gong sounded and the heroes were victorious, with a last minute coin swap and steal from Vinara. Disappointed at the loss of the potential slaves as well as the humiliation of being defeated in the arena, the Moonrunner elves paid their fines and skulked off. The heroes were greeted by Tellemon who congratulated them on the victory and complemented them on their use of original tactics. Before departing, he invited them to his villa for dinner that evening for a small social gathering.

Dinner with the Captain
After being released from the arena the heroes split up to take care of personal business within Altaruk before meeting at Tellemon’s villa for the dinner gathering. Morg and Vinara traveled back to the Elven Market where they were able to secure supplies for the encampment in the Ringing Mountains with a shipment of goods purchased from House Wavir. Gwyn spent time searching for signs of those who could help continue her training and then smartened up before dinner.

At Tellemon’s villa the heroes enjoyed an excellent meal and learned more about Tellemon and his views on the situation in Tyr, the governor of Altaruk and arcane magic. The others at the party echoed his views that the chaos in Tyr was a terrible consequence of the Deposers of Kalak’s actions and no good comes from disrupting the order.

The party was interrupted when a messenger arrived telling one of the guests, a Dwarf named Rhotan Vor of House Wavir, of a missing caravan. Morg, using the Way to overhear the conversation, offered to help find the caravan in exchange for regular shipments of supplies to his encampment. Agreeing in principle, the Heroes stayed at Tellemon’s villa and headed out in the morning.

Hunting Party
The heroes set forth the next morning to try and find the missing caravan. The day quickly became brutally hot and although the sandstorms had subsided during the night, there was still a sweltering breeze.

After a few hours of searching the party located some wagon tracks in jumble of boulders and creosote bushes. Unfortunately, the heroes were not alone, and if not for Vinara’s keen senses, the party would have been ambushed by a small pack of silt runners. Although the battle was fierce, the heroes prevailed and none of the silt runners remained.

Plundered Wagon
After a short rest, the search for the wagon continued. With no luck for several hours, the party was about to give up, when the wagon, half buried by sand, was spotted in a jumble of rocks. From the distance there was no sign of the cargo or the drivers, instead the wagon was crawling with a large number of creatures with chitinous shells and spike-like claws, Kruthik. They were so focused on picking over the wagon and chattering to each other that the heroes were not immediately spotted.

Seizing the opportunity, Morg and Vinara managed to sneak close without detection. In unison they charged the largest creature while Gwyn unleashed her magic. Taken by surprise the beast was severely wounded before it knew what happened. Though they fought well, the tenacious creatures managed to inflict many wounds on the heroes before finally falling.

While they rested the heroes discovered more tracks and drag marks leading further into the hills. Although they were nearly spent, they were too close to their goal to give up, and so they continued on.

Broken Tower
The tracks ended at the weathered ruins of an ancient tower. Although nothing remained above ground, a flight of stone stairs were found in the foundation, which ended at a set of wide doors. Fearless, Morg opened the doors revealing a large vault which was home to a small band of silt runners and a Ssurran.

The battle was fierce as the ssurran demonstrated strong mental powers and the silt runners wielded poisoned blades. It took every last ounce of strength the heroes could muster to finally defeat their reptilian adversaries, but they were eventually victorious. Unable to continue, the party found shelter in the vault.

Throughout the vault the heroes were able to recover the majority of the caravan’s cargo and three of the four drivers (the final driver having been the last meal of the silt runners). After resting, the heroes, along with the drivers Milos, Alia and Flaron salvaged all they could and made the journey back to Altaruk.

Matinée of Webs
After returning from the rescue of the House Wavir caravan, the heroes took a few days to recover from their ordeals. Gwyn continued her search for the elusive Veiled Alliance, trusting her friends with her secret. Although she was able to learn a little information that suggested the Alliance did indeed have a chapter in Altaruk, she was unable to uncover much more information.

She decided that the best course of action was to covertly display her magical skills in a more public venue, in the hopes of being noticed by a member of the Veiled Alliance. She and her friends Morg and Vinara signed up for the next available arena match in the city. Their previous victory in the arena gave them the clout needed to be accepted and their match was scheduled for that afternoon.

The late afternoon sun made the stench from the day’s games almost unbearable as they stepped into the arena. The arena had been reworked with half a dozen large columns having been erected, each adorned with razor sharp obsidian spines. Between the columns, massive spiderwebs obscured their view. At the sound of the gong, their opponents, four Gith armed with javelins and spears, entered the arena. Vinara noticed one section of the arena floor shifting and suspected one or more ambush spiders lying in wait.

One of the gith, using its talent with the Way, teleported to the top of one of the columns and began hurling down javelins. The gith moved forward and met the gladiators with spears, however each fell quickly to Morg, Vinara and Bear. Gwyn used her magic to attack the remaining gith with a orb of radiant energy, wounding him badly. However the lurking spiders launched an ambush attack on Morg and Gwyn, wounding each with their poisonous bites. With a mighty blow, Morg split his spider in two, and Gwyn nearly killed her’s with another spell, knocking into the column and impaling it on the spines, to the great joy of the crowd. It was quickly finished off by Morg who then turned to the remaining gith on the column. Eventually it fell to the hail of weapons from the three gladiators.

Murder at the Games
As the gladiators stood victorious after their match, the cheers from the crowd turn into frightened shrieks. Over the cacophony the words “Murder! Guards, help!” could be heard. Within moments guards began to clear the stands and the gladiators were hurried into the staging area and were told to stay put. After waiting for an hour, a hooded half-elf appeared and introduced himself as Selonius, an agent of governor Arisphistaneles.

Selonius informed the group that Tellemon had been killed and that the governor was worried an insider might be involved. The group was charged with investigating the murder and bringing the criminal to the governor’s estate for questioning. They agreed and began a search of the arena and Tellemon’s body and questioned a few witnesses that were detained.

Vinara’s investigations revealed that Tellemon was killed by a poisoned blade, and that the poison was magical in nature. Gwyn, sensing the magic, located the dagger, poison still on the blade, with a cloth glowing with arcane glyphs. Morg strong-armed the witnesses who professed their innocence and claimed that a large man in a white tunic was next to Tellemon just before he died. The guards at the arena exit mentioned seeing a similar individual heading towards the barracks district.

In the barracks district, the off-duty guards were drinking, playing games of chance and participating in contests of strength. Morg eagerly joined in the drinking games, earning the respect of the guards with his fortitude. Meanwhile Gwyn mingled with the guards and learned that a dwarf had been asking questions about Tellemon earlier that day. The dwarf matched the description of a beggar they had encountered their first day in the city. Vinara spotted the dwarf and the group began to tail him.

After almost loosing the dwarf, the group eventually caught up with him in a training hall, talking to a large mul gladiator. Moving close to use his exceptional hearing, Morg overheard a brief exchange and then was spotted. Trying to escape, the dwarf was cutoff by Vinara and Gwyn, while Morg engaged the other gladiator. Although the fight was short, both sides suffered injuries, but the dwarf eventually surrendered along with the gladiator. Under interrogation the dwarf admitted to having the gladiator kill Tellemon, but claimed that if he hadn’t done so, Tellemon would have killed the governor. Both were brought before Arisphistaneles for questioning.

At the governors estates it was revealed that the dwarf, named Birk Suntouched was an associate of the governors, and that both were members of the Veiled Alliance chapter in Altaruk. Birk told the governor that the death of Tellemon was needed because the captain of the guard was spear-heading a True cabal plot to assassinate Arisphistaneles, whose leadership in the Veiled Alliance had become known. The gladiator, Arnye is exonerated for killing Tellemon to protect the governor and the group gains his trust and gratitude. Gwyn is given the chance to undergo the initiation tests to join the governor’s chapter of the Veiled Alliance.

The Mission
After they learned that Governor Arisphistaneles was the leader of the Veiled Alliance chapter in the city of Altaruk, the heroes were asked to decide whether or not to side with them and oppose the socerer-kings. The sorceress Gwyn had been trained by member of the Alliance and she hated the defilers. Morg, a former slave in Gulg, had no love of the sorcerer-kings had no reason to reveal the governors secret. The druid Vinara, already empowered by the primal spirits had interests aligned with the Alliance.

Pleased that he would not have to take radical action to preserve his position, the Governor tasked the group with making a journey to the city-state of Tyr to discover how the sorcerer-king Kalak was killed. Although the situation in Tyr had apparently become more calm, there was little information on the actual events that lead to Kalak’s death. What was known was that the former High Templar Tithian along with a noble named Agis and several slaves were involved.

If the heroes could discover how Kalak was overthrown, other city-states could be freed from their bondage.

Escape the Storm
Several days later the heroes joined a large caravan of House Wavir on it journey to Tyr, posing as guards. The large Inix made slow progress during their first day but Gwyn still found it difficult to keep up, despite her elven traits. During the night, as the group ate its evening meal, a subtle meteor showered appeared in the sky, portending dire events. Gwyn recalled that the last time such a shower was seen was the night before her former master, Gavin.

The next day, a sandstorm erupted early in the morning and quickly turned deadly. The scouring sand was filled with unnatural obsidian shards that tore through the travelers and pierced the thick hide walls of the wagon, shredding the cargo. Familiar with the power of nature, Vinara recognized that only a powerful ritual could bring about such a storm. Gwyn told her companions of her masters death during a similar storm.

After a few hours the winds lessened enough to make it possible to leave their shelter. They were greeted to a gruesome sight, the rest of the caravan had been destroyed by the storm and all the supplies were scattered across the desert. From the swirling dust emerged a number of silt runners and shapes within the dust suggested more were in the area.

Unable to stay within the wreckage of the caravan the heroes attempted to quickly gather supplies and escape the hordes of silt runners. Morg and Gwyn moved to engage the reptiles, picking up what supplies they could, while Vinara focused on supporting them and getting supplies before they took flight. The battle with the silt runners took its toll on the heroes, especially Gwyn, but before they fled they managed to collect enough supplies to ensure their survival in the harsh desert.

Elemental Assistance
Keeping the darkened sky of the obsidian storm behind them and moving far from any known trade routes, the adventurers began to approach the foothills of the Ringing Mountains. The day was brutally hot and the they were forced to keep a quick pace to stay ahead of the storm. Morg’s endurance allowed him to endure with little hardship while Vinara’s knowledge of nature and Gwyn’s athleticism allowed them to make good time. The party saw an oasis in the distance but recognized it as a mirage before too much time was wasted.

From a vantage point, they saw a valley littered with the exotic bones from long-extinct creatures. In a clearing, a mass of flames appeared and began beckoning them towards it. Vinara sent her companion, Bear, to investigate, as they were unsure about the potentially dangerous situation. Vinara sensed that the fire spirit was not dangerous and the group descended into the valley.

The spirit was able to communicate with Vinara and told her his tale…

I am a Spirit of the Flame, an elemental force. I once walked Athas as you do, patrolling these lands as a protector of life. I collected here centuries ago, shortly after the lush Athasian lands were destroyed by warfare. Now I am bound to this place by strong elemental forces unknown to me, awaiting the return of another Green Age to free me.

These bones are the victims of the Dragon – sacrifices made to the beast in order to appease it and preserve the cities. Each year thousands die, consumed by the Dragon to fuel its magic. It has been nearly a year since the last sacrifices were made, soon the Dragon will come to claim more sacrifices.

Athas ruined by the defilers and they must be defeated before the new Green Age can come about. You have the potential to bring about the restoration of Athas, but only a collective effort by all Athasians can restore Atha’s lands to their long-lost fertility.

During the spirits conversation with Vinara, Morg and Gwyn examined the bones. Morg sense they they had some residual primal magic, which might be used to treat some of their injuries. While they were collecting the bones, they began to notice the ground trembling slightly.

With a puff of smoke and the stench of brimstone, the fire spirit winked out of existence and the rumbling ground heaved to reveal a small swarm of kanks. With their feet clicking against the rocky terrain and bones they moved to attack the adventurers. The soldier and spitters ruthlessly attacked using their paralyzing poison to great effect on Vinara and Gwyn. Morg’s dwarf heritage allowed him to ignore the effects of the poison as he cleaved through the insects. Although they managed to defeat the kanks without too much trouble, their exertions began to take their toll, with Gwyn virtually exhausted.

Fruits of the Desert
With only a few moments to catch their breath, the obsidian storm was nearly on them, and the adventurers were forced to continue their flight. Morg’s athleticism helped his companions through increasingly treacherous terrain while Vinara continued to find the best routes through the canyons. Gwyn utilized her arcane talents to try and cover their tracks. Despite the treacherous terrain them managed to gain a good lead on the storm.

In the badland’s canyons, the adventurers lost track of the obsidian shower briefly. They stumbled upon a ripened cactus plant bearing fruit, but as they caught their breath, they were set upon by a group of human wasteland nomads clad is strange bone masks. The nomads, and their tamed spiretop drake, had the adventurers surrounded with bows drawn.

Fortunately for the adventurers, the nomads were more interested in the supplies they carried and maintaining their secret location. After a tense negotiation the two groups reached a compromise: Heroes gave several days worth of supplies and left the fruit, promising to leave quickly so the storm wouldn’t hit the nomads camp and not reveal the location of the nomads. In exchange the nomads granted them safe passage and gave them an enchanted amulet and axe. The goods were exchanged with the aid of the drake, who took a liking to Gwyn, and both groups left as night began to fall.

Devilish Dust
Despite nightfall, the heroes continued to press on, fearful that the Obsidian Storm would catch them. The cold desert mountain night tested their endurance, but persevered and managed to stay ahead of their pursuers. As the first morning light began to appear, a small campfire was noticed and in need of a short rest they decided to investigate.

Sitting near the campfire was an old dwarf who was surprised when the group announced themselves. Morg conversed with the dwarf in his own language asking about the dwarf and telling him of their encounters with the obsidian storm.

My name is Ralo and I was once a miner in the iron mines of Tyr, but my mine was destroyed by a frightening band of brigands known as Hejkin. They burrow through the earth and have a particular dislike for arcanists, even preservers such as myself, and pointy-eared folk.

Sandstorms are commonplace here, but I’ve never seen obsidian rain from the sky before. I have heard tales of a twisted lizardfolk shaman called the Wastewalker who uses storms and other primal forces of the destert to destroy arcane magic users. It could be that you’ve aroused his wrath somehow.

The heroes and Ralo came up with a plan to avoid the obsidian storm by using caves in the area to hide out. Ralo led the way deeper into the mountains where there were likely to be caves. Along the way Gwyn learned some of his magic that he used to escape detection while out in the desert.

After several hours of travel, dust began to kick up all around the party, swirling in ever denser patterns. Steeling themselves against the alkaline taste of the sand in their mouths the heroes were suddenly set upon by the desert itself. The blowing sand coalesced into three whirlwinds which attacked Vinara, Morg and Ralo, while a lizardfolk magus attacked Gwyn from a distance.

Hampered by the blinding dust of the whirlwinds, the heores attacks were much less effective. Vinara, who was able to resist the blinding sands of the whirlwinds, was able to dispatch her foe and assisted Ralo. Morg was able to quickly defeat his attacker but ended up being pushed into a pool of deep silt while helping Ralo and was immobilized. Gwyn was able to defeat the magus with a conjured orb of poison.

After the whirlwinds were defeated, the group attempted to interrogate the shaman before the poison finished its work, however none spoke the creatures hissing language. Just then the small drake they had encountered earlier descended and perched near Gwyn, who was then able to make out some of the creatures words. He was apparently sent by the Wastewalker to find and kill Ralo and Gwyn. He then died, a combination of the poison and a sharp blow to the head by Gwyn’s staff.

Backs Against the Wall
Ralo continued to lead them on into the mountains, searching for the cave entrance. The day was particular dusty and windy, with no relief from the heat of the day. After a few hours their path was blocked by the sheer face of a cliff which towered above. Although the obsidian storm still pursued them throughout the day, it halted it’s advance when the reached the cliff face. In the distance hissing and screeching could be heard while Ralo continued to look for the cave entrance.

With little surprise, the group was set upon by four lizardfolk who attacked with spears and javelins, causing severe injuries to Morg and Vinara. The leader of the ssurrans called forth the power of the sun which barely missed Gwyn and blasted the sand at her feet into glass. The tide of the fight turned with the arrival of a giant scorpion which Vinara was able to influence into attacking the shaman. With the ssurrans distracted by the insect, the heroes made short work of them without taking any more serious injuries.

When the lizardfolk were defeated, the scorpion turned on the heroes, Vinara’s influence broken by the creatures hunger for food. Weakened by the ssurrans, the scorpion was slain in short order. The obsidian storm clouds began to move in again, but Ralo was able to locate the secret cave entrance and they fled underground, and were finally able to rest after their long journey across the desert.

A Broken Bridge
Trapped by the obsidian storm outside, the heroes decided to trade the perils of the wastes for the unknown of a cool, dark cave. Ralo used his magic to create a light as they moved deeper into the underground passageway, and they noticed the caves were not entirely natural. Steps have been carved in the rock to make the route easier and many of the tunnels have been widened. As the heroes passed through larger area, they noticed ruined relics of log ago adorning the walls. Closer examination revealed that these items are likely debris dropped by vandals who previously raided here.

Moving through the caverns, the party reached a large chamber where the air defied their expectations. Instead of the harsh hot air of the desert, the air here was fresh and a slight breeze cooled their backs. Ahead a crude rope bridge was strung across a wide underground canyon. On the other side, a glimmering of metallic objects was barely visible.

Not trusting the rope bridge, Morg climbed down into the canyon in order move to the other side. In doing so, he uncovered a section of the floor containing a sink hole, narrowly escaping being trapped. On the other side he began an examination of the treasure pile, while Gwyn and Vinara examined the bodies.

Without warning, a wave of cold necrotic energy washed over the area and the shriveled bodies of what might have been adventurers began to twitch and quiver, attacking Ralo. At the same instant an incorporeal creature appeared before Morg, pulling the heat out of his body and then vanishing again. Behind Vinara, a large oozing creature dropped from the ceiling and attempted to entrap her, its body beginning to dissolve her armor.

The corpses emitted a foul stench, nauseating all those nearby, and possessed unnatural vitality causing their wounds to regenerate. They mercilessly attacked Ralo, who fell to their claws, and when the others managed to defeat them, they exploded in a blast of gore and necrotic energy. The ooze slowly worse down Vinara who fell unconscious and would have perished without the aid of Gwyn who managed to use a healing fruit to revive her friend. Morg was able to defeat his spectral opponent by carefully anticipating its appearance.

Eventually their foes were defeated, although they suffered many wounds and the death of Ralo was particularly painful for Gwyn. Within the remains they uncovered a piecemeal suit of chain armor, old but still intact. Vinara claimed this for herself, as her armor had become badly damaged by the ooze’s acid.

Crystal Caverns
Now moving forward with crudely fashioned torches, the party pressed onward. Working their way further down into the tomb, the adventurers entered a chamber with crystalline formations and bones littering the area. As they continued downward, the cool air they felt became a small breeze. The heroes found themselves in a large cavern with many purple crystals in the walls. Although not trained in the Way, they could sense psychic energy inside the crystals and each decided to take several for themselves.

Further in the crystal cavern they spotted a large section of crystalline webbing over a large pit in the floor. Near the pit, a number of broken bones were barely visible. Morg positioned himself near the pit while Gwyn and Vinara moved to investigate the corpses. The bones sprang up and attacked, with half a dozen animated crawling gauntlets grasping at their legs. Expecting such an attack Morg cleaved through his attackers with little effort. Gwyn summed magic fire but was surprised by the quickness of her foes. Vinara dispatched one and move out of the way so that Gwyn could use a more powerful spell, which destroyed all but one of the minions with slashing spectral claws.

As Morg moved to help, he was set upon by a large crystal spider who blinded him with a beam of light. Despite his impairment, Morg swung his axe true and caused a serious wound to the beast who attempted to bite the Mul but was unable to overpower his defenses. The combined efforts of Gwyn and Vinara were able to defeat the spider and remaining foes.

The group was able to recover a suit of scale armor made from a crystalline material and although none could easily wear the armor, Morg decided to carry it with him surveying the chamber, the heroes found no means of escape, save for the large pit covered in crystalline webs. Morg was able to removed the webs, but suffered many cuts from the strands snapping. Gwyn sent her dragonling, whom she had named King, down into the pit in order to determine what might be waiting for them. It reported that the room below was man made had the look of a tomb about it. Deciding to investigate further, the heroes prepared to descend into the darkness.

Broken Relics
The heroes descended and discovered a worked stone tomb, the walls of which appeared to be inscribed with the symbols of an unknown language. Most of the delicate items that were once stored here were broken or scattered across the floor. Down a short flight of stairs, however, the relics remained untouched. Barely visible in their torch light, a rusty iron grate was seen, leading into a dark passage.

Vinara moved towards the unbroken relics and found a pair of braziers, still containing oil. The oil sputtered into flame with the touch of her torch, casting a dim light throughout the room. Morg and Gwyn moved to investigate the undamaged relics. When the brazier was lit, two large, man-shaped beings of blue crystal appeared out of the shadows and moved menacingly towards Gwyn and Morg.

The battle was fierce, as the Shard Golems radiated an unnatural aura, stabbing at the minds of those nearest to them. Their fists caused many bruises as well as additional psychic trauma. Morg assaulted one with a series of savage blows, knocking it back and shattering it. The heores were able to defeat the last golem, but both Gwyn and Morg took serious injuries in the process.

Among the ruins for the shard golems, Morg discovered what appeared to be the key to the grate. After quick rest to finish searching the tomb, they unlocked the grate which made a horrible screeching sound as it opened. They passed through and moved down the dark passageway, behind them the grate closed.

Who’s Trespassing?
As the party moved down the passage the sounds of chattering voices were heard. The scent of fresh meat assaulted them, but the darkness beyond their torch’s light concealed the next room’s inhabitants. Throwing caution aside, Morg entered the room, revealing large number of alcoves containing jars and other containers. A large series of cracks in the floor led deeper into the caves. Vinara located and lit several sconces along the outside wall, casting dim illumination across the room.

Apparently drawn by the light, half a dozen creatures emerged from the cracks in the floor, a group of Hejkin. With an evil, murderous glares, they moved to attack the party, hoping for a new source of food and treasure. The heroes were not caught unaware and met their attacks, quickly dispatching two of the hejkin who were babbling mostly unintelligible phrases. Driven deeper into their madness with the loss of their kin, the remaining hejkin waded into battle with slashing claws and two with lightning discharging from their bodies.

The battle was costly for the heroes, with Vinara’s staff breaking and more wounds for the party. However, they were able to defeat their enemies, with the last two bloodied hejkin fleeing into their tunnels. Not accustomed to his enemies living, Morg dumped oil down the tunnels and lit it on fire. The sounds of the Hejkin burning giving him some satisfaction.

Restless Spirits
Taking a moment to catch their breath after the fight with the Hejkin the party took the opportunity to search the room. The majority of the containers contained foul food, but the heroes were able to locate some usable food. In addition, several healing fruits and numerous trade stones were recovered.

Crossing the entrances to the hejkin caves, the party approached the last remaining alcove, containing a sarcophagus. As they approached it, the heroes began to feel a psychic drone in their minds. Their vision began to blur and when it cleared, a human figure was standing before them, wearing archaic robes that flowed into the room like a mist. Its fingers extended into long sharp claws. With it jaw jutting forward, opening, its words infiltrated the heroes minds.

“You should not have come here. The time is not yet right.”

Gwyn attempted to reason with the apparition, but its intentions were clear. It sought punish those who had plundered and desecrated the tomb. Moving swiftly, its claws tore into Morg, freezing his flesh. When Gwyn struck it with lightning, it became enraged at her use of magic, and summoned forth additional specters to attack the party.

Morg and Vinara make quick work of most of the new specters but not before they were assaulted by their chilling claws, and Gwyn finished them off with her magic. The fight against the haunting spirit was long and painful, with all of the heroes suffering serious injuries. At last it was defeated when Morg’s axe decapitated it, causing it to disperse.

In the Presence of Another Time
A heartbeat later, two figures emerged from the ground behind the heroes: a creature with skin like stone and a living wave of water, both vaguely human.

Our wind brother became one of the defilers and brought down death and evil to this peaceful place. But no matter, the time it not right for such trifles. you have proved worthy to carry our message back to the surface to show others that not all arcanists are defilers. You can become examples by preserving the arcane knowledge our people once held. The path you have chose might one day repair the damage done. We can only wait and hope the elemental prophecies are indeed true. Go now, and show the misguided that arcane energy can be used to preserve instead of destroy.

We shall open a way for you out of the mountains, for you are still being hunted. Know too that the one who hunts you is not entirely lost; he can be reformed.

With that the spirit of earth and water moved into the hejkin tunnels, reshaping them into passageways large enough to accommodate their heroes. Exhausted the heroes took a much needed rest before venturing into the tunnels. After several days travel in the tunnels, the party emerged back on the surface.

As they approached the surface, the familiar smell of dusty air entered their lungs, but the air was was strangely cool and humid. As their eyes adjusted to the daylight, it took them several moments to comprehend what they saw – a forest of trees, lush and green stretched before them. A loud crack rung out and they glanced around for the clearing. Unnoticed at first, the party found themselves surrounded by dozens of spears pointed at them.

Their eyes trained downward to the short creature holding the glittering iron spear. Less than four feet tall, and wearing primitive masks and clothes adorned with feathers and other trinkets, their captors were instantly recognizable – halflings. One wearing a headdress of feathers and skulls stepped forward.

“You are our captives now. You will come with us.”

More Than One Way Out
In the middle of the Forest Ridge, the party was surrounded by Halfling warriors who demanded they surrender. Knowing the fate that would likely await them, none of the hero’s wanted to surrender and they prepared for a fight. The halflings, knowing the adventurer’s must be powerful to survive the tomb, were reluctant to fight and a compromise was reached, whereby the adventurers were blindfolded and lead to the halfling village. Vinara’s innate capabilities with the Way allowed her to track their course, unbeknownst to the halflings.

When the long march ended, the heroes had their blindfolds removed found themselves in what appeared to be a ruined temple. A few remains of prior guests of the halflings were visible around a blood-soaked altar. The smell of fresh cooked meat made their stomach’s churn. Distant conversations were heard in the language of the halflings and although what was being said was unknown, the party quickly realized they were near a larger halfling settlement.

Negotiating with the Halfling Elder
Before long a large procession of halflings arrived at the temple. The elder of the Halfling tribe demanded to know why the party had intruded into their sacred forests. The Gwyn told their tale of being pursued by the obsidian storm and their encounters with the elemental spirits of earth, water and fire. The Halfling Elder was delighted with their tale and believed that they could help bring about a new Green Age for Athas.

The elder explained that if they were to pursue their goal, they would need to master the many powers of the world: mental, primal and arcane as well as have sufficient physical prowess to survive the many dangerous encounters that they would face. Their lack of training in the Way would need to be compensated for if they were to have any hope of success.

The halfling elder told the heroes of how the Deposers of Kalak had sought their aid and were gifted with a magical spear they used to help defeat the sorcerer-king Kalak. This spear was crafted from the sacred Tree of Life and could not be made again, unless another tree were found. They also learned how the Dwarves of old were able to resist the sorcerer-kings longer than many others, as evident by their survival of the Cleansing Wars. Finally they told how the sorcerer-kings were on the path to become Dragons and suggested that a powerful preserver could aspire to such powers as well.

As a gift, the heroes were inked with tattoos resembling flame wreathed heart representing their friendship with the halflings and to provide them with assistance in times of need. Gwyn took a particular interest in the tattoos and the process for enchanting them.

Hacking the Thick
The heroes left the halfling village and headed north toward the less treacherous western approaches of the Ringing Mountains. Within the Forest Ridge, the group felt rather odd, as if they were walking through two lands at once. They felt like they were moving between one land with firm earth and another atop clouds of mist. None in the group, including Morg, had ever seen such lush and thick trees with broad leaves. None had ever felt such cool and moist air. Hacking through the forest was difficult and they needed to rest often.

One of their short rests was interrupted by exotic screeching sounds and the underbrush erupted and a large group of Zairtail, vicious reptiles, emerged. The party was stunned by the gaze of a larger lizard, while swarms set upon Vinara and Morg. With some effort Morg cleaved through the swarm to attack the gazer, while Vinara was attacked by anther larger creature who latched on to her leg. Gwyn used her magic to summon flames that consumed a second swarm. Just as the party was gaining control of the fight, a large beast with orange and black stripped fur emerged from the jungle and began to attack Gwyn.

The party eventually defeated their attackers, but suffered serious wounds. Eager to reach Tyr, they only took a short rest to bind their wounds and recover a bit of their strength. With Vinara guiding them, they continued on through the forest.

Clear the Path
Vinara continued to lead her friends through the jungle, stopping only long enough to forage for food, they quickly made their way to edge of the Forest Ridge. As the area cleared, they found a deep divide separating the Forest Ridge from the Ringing Mountains. A long slice of the nearby cliff face had recently sheered off from the mountain and fell, wedging itself precariously between the two sides of the chasm.

Wary of danger, they proceeded cautiously and Gwyn sensed an odd energy about the stones. Carefully making their way across the bridge, avoiding they pockets of energy, they noticed the corpses of several individuals on the ledges below. As they neared the far side of the chasm, they were set up by vicious Gith.

With a burst of arcane energy, Gwyn vaulted over the Gith and landed, knocking several of the piercers off the edge and down into the chasm to their deaths. Morg engaged in a fierce battle with the Gith leader, a spearhead, and was nearly overcome. If not for the vitality granted by his rage and the cackling shruken head he wore around his neck, he would have been killed.

Vinara attempted to keep her companions alive by channeling her primal magic while engaging the spearhead and the hobblers. Eventually their opponents were defeated, but the heroes were greatly weakened by the encounter. While they rested, Morg ventured down the cliff face to the ledge with the corpses. While most was ruined, he recovered some useful gear, and a priceless treasure for Vinara – a bronze staff shaped like a rigid cobra.

Twisted Desert Denizens
As the group descended through the Ringing Mountains back into the desert surrounding Tyr the sun began to move towards the horizon, casting long shadows of the rocky landscape. The shadows were abruptly snuffed out by a bursting darkness that overwhelmed the area. The sickening familiar clatter of falling stone shards rung out once again.

A clutch of warped lizardfolk jumped onto the rocks as the sky continued to darken. One of them lets out a blood-curdling shriek and the others responded in similar tones. With their cries the hero’s skin begins to crawl as a static charge began to build in the dry desert sand.

As they continued to cry out the ssurrans attacked, the three sandwarped ssurrans moving into melee with the group, while the twisted ssurran began chanting. Gwyn’s magic clawed through the attackers, while Morg moved in to interrupt the chanting. Too late a swirling mass of sand formed behind Vinara and blinded her before blasting her with stinging sand.

Once again the party was victorious but greatly weakened from the fight. Gwyn finished off the last of the sandwarped lizardfolk with a burning spray of fire while Vinara and Bear dealt the killing blow to the twisted ssurran. The Dust Devil was finally finished with a combination of Gwyn’s lightning and Morg’s axe.

Wastewalker Assault
With only a few moments to catch their breath, a whirlwind of sand and stone swirls at the top of the nearby boulders. Flanked by three yellow-skinned ssurrans is a black-scaled lizardfolk with deep purple eyes and a spiny back. “You cannot essscape me, arcanisstsss!” Seemingly called into existence by his words, flying bits of obsidian coalesce into two human sized lizard-shaped elementals that pulse with lightning…

Wind and Stone
Finally confronted by their pursuer, and still suffering the wounds of their long journey out of the mountains, Morg, Vinara and Gwyn took stock of the situation. Remembering their encounters over the past days, they prepared to meet the Wastewalker.

Morg moved in quickly to attack the Ssurrans and Storm Shard having trouble connecting with the lizardmen, but greatly wounding the storm. Vinara made the most of her healing to to keep Morg alive during his assault, while wounding several of the lizardmen. Gwyn used her magic from behind the lines, having taken many serious wounds during their march from the Forest Ridge. The group was able to defeat several of their opponents, but the outlook was bleak, as the Wastewalker had yet to enter the combat.

During the battle, the Wastewalker held back, trying to convince Vinara and Morg to turn upon Gwyn, but they never wavered in their support of the friend, knowing that she was one of the few true preservers in Athas. The Wastewalker began to listen as they recounted their encounters with the elemental spirits, who had charged them restoring Athas. Although skeptical, he listened as they told him the information imparted by the Halflings. Finally, when Gwyn herself showed the tattoo given by the Halflings, did he call off the rest of his attackers.

The hero’s debated the fate of the Wastewalker, trying to decided between killing him, taking him to Tyr and setting him free, promising to only hunt defilers. Eventually they settled on sending him and his follower free, trusting that he appreciated the difference between defilers and preservers and knowing that he could be a valuable ally in the future.

The Golden City
With the black clouds that had pursued them for what seemed like ages finally gone, the group approached the gates of the city of Tyr. Looming over the skyline of Tyr, the great Ziggurat of Kalak and the Golden Tower were visible at first, then the rest of the city rose above the horizon. The group entered the Caravan Gate and began their exploration of the free city, determined to continue on their quest to restore Athas to its former state and topple the defilers that were the cause of its fall from Glory.

Setting Up Shop
Having spent a few days in the city of Tyr, the heroes decided that their best course of action was to establish a base of operations in the Elven Market. The new shop, Free City Tattoo, would require an investment in order to set up shop. Gwyn, Morg and Vinara traveled about the city attempting to sell some of the treasures they had uncovered in their flight from the Wastewalker. They had little luck in the Smith’s District, although they located several interesting shops including the Tarnished Cup.

About the same time the disgraced noble, Castri, wandered into the Artisan District to look up an old friend, a Half-Giant named Karlen who was the proprietor of Karlen’s Eye. Although Karlen was unable to directly aid Castri, he did pass along a rumor that he had heard about a recently uncovered ruins called the Face in the Stone, which could contain valuables that he would be happy to sell and give Castri a commission. Karlen also suggested that Castri be on the lookout for new arrivals in the city, a group of adventurers who arrived after the last obsidian storm.

A short while later Castri found the adventurers making their way about the city attempting to finance their new venture. After a brief introduction the entire group returned to Karlen’s Eye and arrived at a satisfactory price that would let the group get enough seed money for their shop. Karlen also suggested that if they needed money and were so inclined the city was holding a gladiatorial contest during the upcoming Festival of the Cooling Sun.

Morg set out to enter the group under the name Obsidian Storm for the five day gladiatorial contest.

First Arena Game
Morg and his companions entered the Arena, not knowing what their first contest would be. The beast masters released a pair of Ankheg and their broodlings, and with that the fight began. The large Ankhegs moved forward towards the gladiators but were unable to close the entire distance. Castri let loose a series of arrows and felled one of the broodlings. Vinara and Bear targeting the closest Ankheg along with Gwyn (who was careful to disguise her arcane abilities) and Morg. The beast was bloodied but still was able to grab and hold Morg, dragging him away to be eaten by the broodlings. Eventually the beast went down under the constant assault of Castri, Vinara and Morg, but not without inflicting serious wounds on the party. The second Ankheg and the remainder of the broodlings were defeated by Vinara, Gwyn and Castri, leaving Team Obsidian Storm victorious.

Personal Business
Following their success in the arena, each of the gladiators placed bets in the Elven Market on the outcome of the next match. Morg also placed bets on him winning the entire competition. After that, they went their own ways to take care of personal business.

Morg and Vinara traveled to the Merchant District to see about securing more supplies to their former village. They were able to locate the warehouses of House Wavir and found their associate Rhotan Vor in Tyr. After arranging for supplies to be sent to the village, Rhotan asked for help in locating the fabled Vault of Darom Madar, a storehouse of treasure for a merchant house that was destroyed many years ago. In exchange for acting as guards, they would receive a cut of the treasure and percentage of the profits.

Gwyn began her search for the Veiled Alliance in the city. Although the group is as elusive in Tyr as any other city, the recent overthrow of Kalak has given the Veiled Alliance a slightly improved reputation in the city. Although she had not made contact with any particular cell, she felt confident that she would be able to be able to subtly use magic in the upcoming arena games to be noticed.

Castri attempted to make contact with Agis a noble of House Asticles and one of the Deposers of Kalak. Although he was only able to make contact with one of his assistants, Castri was determined to continue to pursue this, in hopes of helping his new friends learn more about the events leading up to Kalak’s death.

Later that night, Vinara was awoken by a raspy voice carried on the wind. The unmistakable voice of the Wastewalker simply said “Prepare for my arrival tomorrow night, I bring dire news.”

Coins in the Coffer
After a night of rest, team Obsidian Storm entered the arena once again, this time to find themselves playing against members of the Red Cord mercenary group in a game of coins in the coffer. Morg, Vinara and Gwyn formulated a strategy with Castri as the rules of the game were explained: No attacks on opposing team members, each coin placed in the teams coffer scores one point, the team with the most points after five rounds wins.

During the first round both teams moved quickly towards the center of the area, avoiding the treacherous brambleweed. Morg began to work the crowd as he taunted the other team and moved to block their coffer. Castri attempting to disrupt the charge fired arrows, but his opponents were not deterred. During the second round Castri’s arrows proved equally ineffective, however Gwyn grabbed a coin and deposited it in her team’s coffer. The Red Cord moved to the pile of coins, grabbing three, and headed towards their coffer. The halfling forest keeper conjured vines to ensnare Vinara.

Intercepting his opponents, Morg knocked them back with a ferocious roar. Gwyn’s elven speed allowed her grab a coin and drop it in the coffer, then carefully using her arcane powers, she leapt through the air and knocked the halfling down.

Seeing potential trouble, Castri used his abilities with the Way to move the remaining three coins from the center of the arena to Vinara’s feet. Still entangled by the conjured vines Vinara grabbed and tossed a coin, it just landing short of the coffer. Morg continued to push his opponents back from their coffer and making a good show of it for the crowd. Gwyn chased the halfling, who had ducked beneath he legs and grabbed one of the coins as Vinara’s feet. She used her magic again to summon claws that lifted the halfing and the coin into her coffer. Too late she realized that her attempt to conceal her magic might not have been successful. Vinara, finally free of the halflings vines, deposited the last coin into her coffer and closed the lid, with the halfling still inside.

Morg continued to do battle with his human opponents, with neither side making any real progress. When the final gong signaled the end of the game team Obsidian Storm had won with a score of 4 to 0. The members of the Red Cord retrieved their halfling and walked out the arena as the crowd cheered for team Obsidian Storm.

Finding Friends
After resting, the heroes ventured out into The Warrens to the Elven Market to collect their winnings a place new bets on the outcome of the gladiatorial contest. Although their team was gaining some amount of fame the competition was as well, making the outcome of the tournament still uncertain.

Castri left the Elven Market to meet up with Khalos the aid to Agis who was supposed to be arranging a meeting between them. Pleasantly, Agis had agreed to meet following the third day of the tournament.

Gwyn and Morg made their way from the arena into the Warrens, attempting to create an opportunity to make contact with the Veiled Alliance. After a short while they realized they were being followed and maneuvered to follow their tail. Neither Morg nor Gwyn were particularly subtle and they were lead into a quiet alley where they could converse with some degree of privacy. Their new friend was a red-skinned Tiefling who introduced himself as Jarvix. As they expected, he claimed to be a member of the Veiled Alliance and announced that they had noticed Gwyn and were intending to make her an offer, once she passed their final tests. She was to meet them at dawn on the fifth day of festival.

Later that evening a freak sandstorm blew across the city, and the Wastewalker appeared to Vinara. He spoke of terrible visions that he had where a great sandstorm began to devour the world. In the vision, he saw a lost shrine where evil stirs called the Face in the Stone, and a powerful defiler who is searching for the Face, to unleash the evil. He tasked Vinara with taking up her true destiny and stopping this defiler. However, he felt she was not strong enough to take on this task, and so he offered to train her, starting at dusk on the third night of the festival. He departed with the sandstorm.

The Gaj
The following day was the last of the group battles in the arena, and Obsidian Storm intended to continue their winning streak. The arena was refitted with numerous pillars, blocking their view of the opposing gate. However, the suspense was ended when the announcer revealed that they would be fighting a dreaded Gaj.

Knowing the speed was of the utmost importance to defeat a powerful foe, the team moved quickly. Castri moved to to get a clear shot but his arrow bounced harmlessly off the creatures thick carapace. Gwyn summoned an orb of shifting arcane energy and hurled it toward the Gaj, but the nimble creature ducked just in time avoiding it despite her elven accuracy. Morg and Vinara moved up keeping cover between. The Gaj, slower to react than its opponents, moved forward and unleashed a blast of psychic energy, injuring them both. As Morg’s shrunken head amulet cackled some of the Gaj’s psychic attack was rebounded.

Castri let loose another volley of arrows, but although his aim was true, the arrows failed to penetrate its defenses. Gwyn attempted to assault the Gaj’s mind and remove all evidence from her foe’s senses, however the Gaj’s mental defenses withstood the attack and all she accomplished was to drawn the attention of the beast. Vinara used her primal magic to heal Gwyn and boost her allies defenses. The Gaj moved in while Morg waited for the most opportune moment to strike and sunk its mandibles into Gwyn, holding her in place. She was able to avoid it’s feathery antennae but her wounds were severe. Summoning all his rage, Morg unleashed a furious set of blows on the Gaj, scoring two serious wounds while the creature was occupied with Gwyn.

Finally penetrating the Gaj’s armor, Castri’s arrows finally struck home. Gwyn again failed to wound the Gaj, but she did manage to escape its powerful bite. Vinara moved into melee with burst of primal power trailing after her bronze staff, causing a halo of primal magic to surround her strengthening her allies. The Gaj, its attentions now focused on Morg, savagely ripped into Morg with its mandibles and antennae as it unleashed another blast of mental energy. Morg, barely conscious, was unable to connect with the Gaj, but he was able to escape its grasp.

Castri’s bad luck returned as his arrows bounced off the Gaj’s shell. In desperation Gwyn unleashed a blast of lightning wounding the creature but also Morg and Vinara. Vinara drew the last of the life energy out of the Gaj, renewing Morg’s vitality as it died. Once again team Obsidian Storm was victorious.

Crodlu Racing
The fourth day of the festival opened with a series of crodlu races as the individual contests began. Morg, Gwyn and Castri found themselves competing against each other and two other gladiators. The objective was simple, be the first to guide their crodlu across the finish line after two laps around the area.

The three friends vowed to work together to help Morg win the competition, knowing that only he would be available for the final day of competition. Morg pushed his crodlu hard trusting his athleticism and endurance to help his lizard carry him across the finish line. Gwyn pushed her crodlu hard, while hanging on with all of her strength, all the while maneuvering to prevent the other gladiators from overtaking her friend. Castri had more difficulty keeping up, being unused to the animals, however his skill with the Way caused a great difficulties for the others as he caused debris from the track to blind and hinder them.

Near the finish line Castri collided with another rider sending both of them tumbling across the finish line just behind Morg who finished first and Gwyn who finished in second place. After the race, the three collected their winnings and stayed at the arena to watch the other races. Members of the Red Cord were eliminated but an elf of the Moonrunner tribe showed impressive skills in the racing and looked to be a top contender for the final match of the festival.

Across the Wastes
During the fourth day, Vinara left the city to journey with the Wastewalker to a hidden location to receive training on the ways of a primal guardian. After a day of travel, where she listen to the Wastewalker discuss how all aspects of nature were interconnected, they arrived at a hidden oasis in the foothills of the Ringing Mountains.

The spirits of fire challenged her to destroy the defilers and their allies in order to prevent more damage to the world. The spirit of earth warned her that she would need to endure great hardships if she were to take up the task of restoring Athas to its former state. The spirit of water tasked Vinara with healing the world that had suffered so much at the hands of the sorcerer-kings. Finally the spirit of air challenged Vinara to be cautious in her approach to restoring Athas, knowing that the entrenched power of sorcerer-kings and their allies would not be easily overthrown.

Accepting their challenges and demonstrating her ability to overcome her adversaries, the spirits invested her with the power to become a primal guardian. She learned the power to summon a new companion to help her in quests – a living zephyr that could obscure the vision of her enemies and push them about. Satisfied that her training was complete she began her journey back to Tyr.

The Veiled Alliance
Gwyn journeyed back to the The Warrens to meet her Veiled Alliance contact Jarvix and complete her initiation on the night of the fifth day of the festival. They traveled deep into the Warrens and down into the depths of an abandoned building. From the basement they traveled down into the Under-Tyr, the ruins of the old city of Tyr.

At the gates of an ruined building Gwyn demonstrated her skill in preserving magic by opening the door without harming the fragile lichens nearby. Inside the building she found other members of the Alliance who tested her moral character and dedication to the cause of preserving magic.

More than satisfied with her responses, she was inducted into the Veiled Alliance. She learned that the cells were currently debating divulgence – whether to maintain the secrecy that has protected them for so long, or whether to reveal themselves to the population and capitalize on the death of Kalak to promote good-will towards their members. With the future of such actions uncertain, Gwyn returned to the surface to watch Morg’s final match.

Agis of Asticles
Castri to the estates of Agis in the hopes of learning more about the events surrounding the death of Kalak. Although initially suspect about his motives, Agis eventually divulged much that was previously unknown, hoping that Castri would use such knowledge to help bring about a positive change to the world.

We journeyed to the Forest Ridge where the halflings granted us the use of a Heartwood Spear, pulled from an ancient Tree of Life. They told us that Kalak was attempting to transform into a powerful dragon, and if successful he would bring great destruction to the lands. They instructed us that only by working together could we hope to overcome Kalak’s potent defenses.

During the gladiatorial contest, we struck at once; I used by talents with the Way to weaken his mental defenses, Sadira used her arcane powers to breach his other defenses. Rikus then threw the spear and landed a mortal wound, one that should have killed him, except for the massive life force he was draining from the crowd. We, along with Tithian, followed Kalak into the Ziggurat of Kalak.

Once inside, we found Kalak in the midst of his transformation and attempted to finish him off, but he was too strong, still empowered by the life forces he had stolen. Only the quick actions of Tithian, who began smashing the obsidian orbs around his chamber cut him off from the energies and allowed him to be finally defeated.

If you hope to defeat other sorcerer-kings you will have a much harder time than we did, for the other sorcerer-kings will not be distracted by the rituals that Kalak was attempting when he was slain. Even at your peak, you will need all the help you can receive, you should look find powerful artifacts to aid your quests, but where to start looking is unknown to me.

Armed with this knowledge, Castri returned to watch the final games of the festival.

The Final Duel
The final match of games was between Morg and and elf named Aric, from the Moonrunner tribe, had earned a reputation for ruthlessness. The two gladiators closed on each other taking cover behind pillars as they did so. When they were close Morg stepped out from behind the pillar and taunted the elf into attacking.

Happy to oblige, Aric charged forth swiping with his massive obsidian blade and landing a deep wound on Morg. The wound began to sting and burn from the poison that was coated on the blade, clearly showing his intent to kill. Morg became enraged and his fury gave him the strength to ignore the wounds and continue fighting. Both gladiators maneuvered around the pillars and patches of brambleweed. The elf’s use of poison and magic during the attack gave him a slight advantage, but the crowd clearly favored Morg. A couple attacks that were parried by Aric appeared to be the turning point, but the combat ended quickly as a massive swipe from Morg’s axe removed the elf’s head.

After the celebration, Morg and the others collected the winnings from their bets and began to prepare for their next journey. They decided to search for the Face in the Stone as the urgency seemed greater. They let a disappointed Rhotan Vor of House Wavir know that when they returned, they would help him search for the lost tomb.

Desert Trek
Morg, Vinara and Castri headed to the Merchant District to purchase supplies for their expedition into the desert. Eager to start their trip, the trio did not spend much time listening to news or gossip, but rather made their purchases and headed back.

While the others were busy procuring supplies, Gwyn opened their shop and attempted to attract some business. The day was slow, with only one patron, a merchant named Dalem Shom, of House Shom. While inking his house symbol onto his arm, Dalem expressed concern over a missing caravan and a dramatic increase in raider activity. Gwyn mentioned that when they were in the desert, they would keep a look out for the lost caravan.

The group set out the next day, guided only by the shared visions of Vinara and the Wastewalker, they headed towards the rising sun. Watchful for the vague landmarks seen in the visions, the group struggled against the harsh terrain, with Gwyn suffering the most as they crossed ravines and escarpments.

As the group moved through a particularly narrow section of the badlands, thin strands of nearly invisible crystal suddenly became apparent. As they got closer, it was apparent that the strands formed a large web stretching between several of the boulders. Having seen this type of web before, the heroes were not surprised by the appearance of two large crystal spiders. The battle against the spiders was not difficult for the seasoned adventurers, although the blinding light reflected by the spiders caused Gwyn to be blinded for a short while.

After eight grueling days of travel, the group finally reached what they assumed could only be their destination; a dust storm hanging in place over a cliff wall. The stationary storm, a twisting pillar of blowing dust and sand ascended over 50 feet into the sky. The screaming wind promised stinging death to those who entered.

Storm’s Edge
From their vantage point, the adventurers could see more than a dozen humans and humanoids among the jumble of rocks and dunes ahead of them. Their ragtag and eclectic dress suggested they were raiders. Some were perched atop the rocks as sentries and other gathered farther away, partly sheltered by a large boulder. Numerous bound human captives lay near the edge of the stationary dust devil. While they assessed the situation, three of the raiders began to drag a captive across the sand and tosses him into the swirling dust. The captive screamed and was gone.

Acting quickly to maintain the element of surprise and prevent more of the captives from being killed, the group sprang into action. Castri launched a volley of arrows across the boulder taking out one of the tarek raiders who was throwing captives into the storm. Morg charged the nearest raider while Gwyn used her magic on a tougher looking tarek. Vinara and Bear moved to position themselves but were unable to take down any of the raiders.

Gwyn summoned claws of arcane energy to tear away at the raiders foolish enough to close in with her. Vinara drained the lifeblood from her opponent to heal Morg who had been wounded battling several of the humans. Castri continued to launch arrows into the raiders switching to those near the captives after they tossed another into the storm.

The group suffered a bit under the hail of javelins and stabs of spears, but eventually they emerged victorious. Although one of the raiders was alive, the heroes tossed him into the storm. The surviving captives were discovered to be the missing House Shom caravan and promised to tell of the heroics of their saviors upon their return to Tyr. Although there was little to be found on the raiders, they did share one thing in common – a tattoo of a snakes skull. None knew of the significance.

Dust Devil
After taking a short rest and seeing the merchants of House Shom off, the heroes decided that the only course of action was to attempt to penetrate the sand storm in the hopes of finding the Face in the Stone. Acting on Castri’s advice, the group lashed themselves together and entered the storm with Morg and Vinara leading the way.

Each was challenged to endure the rigors of the dust devil while helping their comrades through the worst parts. Simple brute strength to push through the sandstorm was not enough, in order to withstand the rigors of the dust devil, each had to avoid getting turned around in the swirling sand. As they pushed further in, the intensity worsened and the punishing winds caused sand dunes to form and shift, threatening to bury them.

Suffering many small wounds, the party eventually emerged from the storm to find a hollow area of still air along a high cliff face. The cliff contained the relief carving of a massive humanoid face – clearly the Face in the Stone. The empty eyes were black shadows, but the gaping mouth was set with two granite obelisks that appeared to be massive teeth. There appeared to be flashes of movement within the cave, but who or what it was, was not possible to determine at the distance.