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.

The Face
The heroes cautiously approached the entrance to the face and as they did so, it became apparent that the movement within was caused by a small group of hejkin. Castri decided to remain outside the face, standing guard in case any of the marauder’s allies attempted to breech the dust storm surrounding the Face.

Gwyn moved forward past the obelisks, which crackled with lightning, striking her. Not seriously injured, she continued in and attempted to intimidate the hejkin into fleeing, bu they were not routed and battle commenced. Morg and Vinara rushed into the cave as the hejkin unleashed lightning attacks of their own. Despite her magic claws tearing into the hejkin, Gwyn suffered the worst under their attack. Two of the hejkin were defeated by Vinara and her entourage, while Morg and Gwyn slew the others.

The group retreated out past the Obelisks, which eventually went dark again. Carefully approaching them, they attempted to discover a way to disable the trap. Unfortunately their actions caused the traps to explode, causing further injuries.

Hejkin Lair
Venturing down the left-hand passage, the group heard a strange sound, akin to a breeze through a fine crystal chime. The source of the sound was found to be the most unusual sight the adventurer’s had seen – running water. Free running water falling down one side of the corridor, pooled in the center of the runnel and flowed away down another constricted channel. Vinara’s keen eyes spotted a shape resting 10 feet below the surface of the water. The creature, resembling a scorpion with tentacles in it’s mouth, was recognized as a chuul. Wary of disturbing the beast, the group vaulted over the stream and continued on down the corridor.

Past the pool of water, the twisting corridor ended in a wide chamber stinking of rotting carrion and spoor. Piles of debris were scattered like nests, and large hole was visible in the center of the chamber. Barely visible in their flickering torchlight, several more hejkin were visible.

Hurt and tired, the heroes charged in to try and make quick work of their foes. Gwyn summoned a blast of fire, burning the hejkin chief as he rang a gong near the entrance. Vinara and Bear took down two of the hejkin quickly before being attacked by the chuul who approached from behind. Morg charged the chief and knocked him into a pit in the room, but its quick reflexes saved it from certain death. Pulling itself out of the pit the chief tossed Bear into the pit and savagely tore into Morg with its claws.

Eventually the hejkin were defeated and Bear was able to climb out of the pit. The group, now completely exhausted was forced to rest in the foul lair of the hejkin. During their rest they uncovered some coins that the hejkin were hoarding, but very little else of value.

Cult of Dust
The group headed back towards the entrance and then proceeded down the eastern passage. Their progress was blocked by a set of doors bearing markings similar to those found on the Obelisks out front. Cautious of a trap, Morg attempted to disable the device but found as he went through the door that the trap was still active and received a nasty shock. The rest followed him down a long hallway with a large crack in the floor, which had three sets of doors near the far end.

The door at the end of the hallway was closed, but they could hear a crackling sound coming from the other side. Wary of traps, but having no other option, they opened the door to reveal a large room light by four massive braziers, one in each corner of the room. The skeleton of a snake-like creature lay crumbling on the floor. In the flickering light, an altar of carved bone was visible along the northern wall.

When Vinara moved up to the altar to investigate a skeletal figure appeared in each of the two northern braziers, burning but undamaged by the flames. Fire flared in the eye sockets of the skeletal creature on the floor; its tail rising and lashing out sending shards of bone and stone flying. Smoke puffs in the two southern braziers appeared and then faded, revealing several shambling corpses. Two of the corpses were crusted with salt.

The corpses moved with surprising speed and surrounded Vinara, clawing and biting her. She swung her bronze staff, a halo of primal magic surrounding her, the undead quickly falling to her attacks. As the whipping tail of the skeleton continued to blast the room with poisonous bone and stone fragments, Gwyn summoned spectral claws that slashed into a burning skeleton and a salt zombie. Bear and Morg tore into the blazing skeleton and the second salt zombie, taking them down quickly. Morg hacked at the skeletal tail until nothing was left.

After the battle was concluded the group searched the room and found only writing above a picture of a massive serpent with a golden crown on it’s head carved into the altar. Vinara could barely translate the writing.

In the beginning, Ul-Athra and its siblings created the world. For a time, each primordial claimed a domain among the formless, empty regions. Ul-Athra, a creature of wind and rage, had dominion over the fury of the dust storm. It wore upon its brow the Crown of Dust, into which the primordial had invested a considerable sum of its power. When Ul-Athra was lost to the world, fragments of the Crown remained.

Storm Seat
Continuing straight down a hallway, ignoring two side doors, the group found themselves in front of another pair of doors. Tired of caution, Morg flung open the doors and walked inside of a large natural chamber. In a niche in the southern wall, a massive, vaguely humanoid creature made of fused bone was resting on the ground. Four statues, apparently carved from the floor were visible in the chamber. A great stone cauldron was visible on the northern side of the chamber.

As the heroes moved into the room, they could hear low whispers coming from the cauldron. The ghostly mutterings continued without end, mixing words from many languages without meaning. As Vinara moved towards the cauldron, she avoided getting too close to the statues, as the air around them seemed disturbed. The cauldron was large enough to hold the entire party, but was empty except for what appeared to be a faint mist.

Ancestor Hall
Deciding that their need to find the artifact was greater than the need to satisfy their curiosity, the group moved out of the room. Once again they avoided getting too close to the statues. The hallway was light from the far end and had two side passages that each had a large stone urn at the far side.

The southern passage had a snake design decorated on the floor tiles in what appeared to be charcoal. The northern passage was similarly decorated, but the design was painted in a dark green fluid. Both hallways had strange writing which Vinara translated as the phrase “Our ancestors require obeisance” etched in the walls. The large urns remained untouched as the group ventured towards the source of the light.

Wide steps lead down into a grand chamber. Crackling fire burned in two braziers that flanked the stairs. The flames bathed the room in oddly inconstant light, throwing shadows across a floor covered in skeletal and mummified humanoid remains. Vinara moved forward, heading to the southern doors leading out of the room, when she was wracked with pain.

With a shriek, several bodies scattered across the floor began to rise, the sickly sweet odor of decaying flesh blowing through the chamber. A snake sigil, previously obscured by the bodies began to glow with a scarlet light. Around the sigil, a number of ghostly figures appeared moving towards the immobilized Vinara, caressing her with shadowy hands. Morg charged the wraiths, cleaving them with his axe. Vinara and Bear defeated the remaining two with a combined attack.

Gwyn flung her arms in a wide arc spraying the zombies and skeletons with liquid fire. Although Vinara was in constant pain as the sigil continued to drain her energy, their remaining foes were dispatched quickly. Gwyn used her magic to disrupt the sigil long enough for the group to leave the room and head deeper into the Face in the Stone. The exit from the room eventually forked with doors visible at the end of each branch.

Rhotan’s Caravan
Almost a week had passed since Rhotan Vor of House Wavir had asked Morg and his companions to help him search for the fabled Vault of Darom Madar. The dwarf was getting impatient as he felt sure that other were searching for the Vault as well, given that the drunk that gave him the information would certainly have talked to others. Unwilling to wait any longer or to give up on finding such lucrative treasure, Rhotan began to search for other adventurers.

The tough times were getting tougher in Tyr as the economy continued to sink and envoy’s from the other city-states demanded that the iron mines be reopened. Rhotan gathered a half-dozen guards, only one of which had seen any real action, a man named Kelvor. All required their pay up front and the expense of preparing a large caravan taxes Rhotan’s finances to the limit.

The next day, the caravan set out, the hired guards moving quickly ahead to scout out their path. The rest of the caravan consisted of three sand skiffs. Each of the three-wheeled vehicles was propelled by a single sailed and manned by a pilot and a couple of deck hands. The group headed towards the elven village of Silver Spring Oasis to resupply and gather more information.

The Crimson Oasis
The journey across the deserts taxed the caravan’s members as they suffered under the relentless heat of the crimson sun. Kelvor and the scouts tried to keep the caravan headed in the right direction despite the blowing winds and dangers of the wilderness, but they faltered several times. Eventually they reached a small oasis where they made camp.

The oasis was not much more than a muddy hole in the ground surrounded by desert scrub, but even its foul tasting water was a welcome relief from the desert. Before the first sip of water was taken, the oasis erupted into violent action as three armed men burst from cover and charged the caravan. Safely behind the cover of some rocks a dwarf and halfling emerged and slowly moved towards the battle.

Although Kelvor tried be organize a defense, the other guards were caught by surprise as the raiders ran several of them through with their spears. The dwarf called down a blinding ray of light into the melee, hampering the defense of the caravan, while the halfling used the Way to confuse the befuddle the guards.

Kelvor’s whirling defenses kept the raiders attention on him for the remainder of the skirmish and his harmony of body and mind allowed him to survive several deadly attacks by the wilder and sun priest. Eventually the bandits were defeated, although half of the guards had perished and several more were severely wounded.

Wasteland Assassins
Undeterred by their struggle at the oasis, Rhotan continued on towards Silver Springs, confident that they could resupply there. He thought that with some luck they might even be able to hire on replacements. As the caravan moved through a ceaseless blur of sun-scorched sand and rolling dunes, there was little to break the monotony of heat and thirst. When the barbed arrows began hissing form the sky, fired by a trio of dark shapes on the crest of a nearby dune, it was almost a welcome break to the drudgery of travel.

The elven assassin’s aim was superb quickly cutting down more of the remaining guards before they could reach the top of the dune. Just as the survivors reached the top of the dune, they were wracked with pain as the ground around them turned into dark ash. Riding atop a crodlu was a hooded man that summoned a whip of fire that wrapped around Kelvor, burning his skin and leaving a trail of ash. Wounded as they were, the remaining members of the caravan were no match for the defiler assassin and his troops.

When Kelvor awoke, he was bruised and battered. There were no signs of the assassins, except for several areas of ash on the desert floor and a few bodies, already burned in the sun. As he searched the area, the only signs of the caravan were the wheel marks of the sand skiffs, already being covered by the blowing sands. All but one of the bodies, Rhotan’s, were dead and already the victim of desert scavengers. Rhotan was alive, but only barely, apparently the victim of a severe blow to the head. The vast majority of their supplies were missing, including all of Rhotan’s information on the Vault.

The Walk of Shame
With virtually no other options, Kelvor and Rhotan turned back towards Tyr. Their vitality leeched by the sun’s punishing rays and already weakened by their ordeals, the pair barely made it back alive. Word of their failure spread quickly, as did rumors that House Wavir’s long time enemy, House Tsalaxa, was likely to be blamed. Others simply pointed to the folly of searching for things that are best left alone.

Regardless of the truth to those rumors the consequences were immediate and dire. Rhotan had invested a considerable some of money in the caravan, and House Wavir had suffered for his expedition’s failure. Within two days, the merchant house had closed its operations in Tyr and moved out. Rhotan left as well, heading out to Altaruk to try and salvage his position in the merchant house.

Kelvor remained in Tyr. Rhotan thought that should Morg and his companions return, they might be able to team up and track down those responsible for the attack. A desperate hope that House Wavir’s fortunes might change.

Crown Wyrm
As Morg, Vinara and Gwyn were making up their minds about which way to go, a rumbling sound was heard in front of them. The wall in front of the group began to shift and Castri appeared, torch in hand. He informed his allies that he had grown impatient waiting and located a secret door while searching for artifacts for his friend Karlen. Once Castri was brought up to speed on the encounters they had, the group decided to investigate the western door.

The doors to the room were heavy, but unlocked and with a little effort, they were pushed open to reveal a cavernous chamber, illuminated with a flickering purple light that shone up from a pit in the floor. The source of the light could not be seen from the doorway. The room also had two large fountains on the northern edge, from which water could be heard. To the south there was a large obsidian slab, from which Gwyn detected powerful defiling magic.

Castri and Gwyn moved into the room and were lowered into the pit by Morg, while Vinara went to investigate the fountains. Gwyn could detect magic, but not defiling in nature coming from the source of the light – a fragment of a golden crown. Castri decided to pick it up and as he did so, the room was plunged into darkness. All at once, the party shared a vision…

Through the vast desert a gigantic worm with numerous tentacles traveled at great speed, approaching a rocky outcropping. A golden crown was visible on the worm’s head. Perched on top of the rock loomed what could only be the great Dragon of Tyr. As the worm neared the rocks the Dragon took flight and the two were quickly engaged in a titanic battle. The land around the Dragon turned to ash as it’s powerful magic assaulted the worm. Eventually the Dragon dealt a fatal blow to the worm, shattering the crown. As the dragon flew away, the worm and the crown were swallowed by the desert.

As soon as the vision ended, Vinara screamed in pain. Still in total darkness, Gwyn and Vinara attempted to light torches while Castri climbed out of the pit, assisted by Morg. When the torches were finally lit a massive serpent could be seen biting at Vinara, while around the room nearly a dozen wraiths were seen moving out of the walls.

Morg charged into the nearest group of wraiths, defeating them with several swings of his axe. Gwyn, surrounded by wraiths as well used her magic and was propelled out of the pit on a thunderclap, destroying the wraiths in the pit and those near where she landed.

Vinara, her zephyr and Bear struck back at the wyrm, while Castri fired arrows into it. Although the beast was struck many times it kept attacking Vinara and Bear. Morg enraged and joined the fight while Gwyn let loose bolts of lighting at the creature. The worm latched onto Morg’s chest, sucking the life out of him and healing its own wounds.

While the group continued to attack the creature, another wave of wraiths appeared. Castri turned on them and managed to destroy them all with few volley’s from his great bow. Eventually the wyrm was defeated by Gwyn, who blasted it with an orb of fire as Morg’s axe nearly took off its head.

After the long fight, the party’s wounds were too great to continue, so they rested for several hours before continuing on. During this time they all searched the room, looking for any secrets, but none were found. They decided to finish the exploration of the Face before heading back outside.

Rot Bloom
As the heroes made their way out of the room and headed towards the other unopened door, the air became slightly damp and began to smell of rot. The passage ended at a door which was covered in an uneven layer of slightly phosphorescent fungus. Opening the door they were surprised to see fungus blanketing the floor. The moist cavern walls and ceiling were glowing dimly in cool tones of green, blue and yellow. The rotted detritus of barrels, crates ans shelves littered the side walls. Fungal stalks, a few of which read 5 or 6 feet in height were growing from the debris. The floor appeared to have collapsed, leaving a dark cavity in the center of the room.

Seeing nothing unusual and curious about the fungus, Morg ventured into the room and moved to cut down some of the stalks to investigate further. Just as he was about to strike, the fungus turned and released a cloud of spores, temporarily pacifying him. Another clump of fungus moved towards the Mul and released spores as well. Morg, severely wounded, was still unable to act because of the spores.

Only able to see the moving fungus creatures from the doorway, Gwyen rushed into the room and attempted to communicate with the creatures. One of the larger creatures appeared to be able to communicate telepathically and demanded why they were attacked. Although they were angry and being disturbed and attacked, Gwyn was able to convince them that it was a misunderstanding. The heroes promised to leave them in peace and left the room cautiously, in case they fungus creatures changed their minds.

Storm Seat
Curious about the sections of the Face in the Stone that they passed by, the group retraced their steps through the Ancestor Hall and back towards the Storm Seat. Along the way the noticed the the braziers had gone out. They investigated the large stone urns, and heedless of the warnings, opened them. After an explosion of blinding ash, all they found inside were dust and bones.

In the Storm Seat, Morg wanted to investigate the cauldron more and ventured too close to the statues. With a powerful gust of wind, he was tossed into the cauldron and was immediately wracked with pain as if his very essence was being pulled out of his body. At the same moment, the giant skeleton moved from its resting place and hurried over the the cauldron, ready to strike at Morg.

Castri opened fire on the skeleton as it marched towards the cauldron, but failed to dissuade it from attacking Morg. Gwyen stepped into the room and used her arcane magic to damage the skeleton and make Morg invisible to it. Vinara moved in as well, hurling stones from her dejada. Morg became enraged and with fresh vitality he struck a mighty blow with his axe, causing bone fragments to fly out from the skeleton. Within moments it succumbed to the assault of magic and weapons and as it fell, another blast of bone shards hit the party.

While they were searching the room, Castri felt an urge to sit upon the throne and did so. When he did so, he saw a vision of Ul-Athra – a massive worm slithering across a green Athas. The worm wore a a crown that shone with gold and shed whirlwinds of spectacular grandeur. Castri couldn’t help but be impressed by the vision of the Green Age.

Leaving the Face
After a quick rest to treat their wounds, the party journeyed further back in the the Face, through the room that held the whipping skeletal tail. Here too the braziers that had once been burning, were now dark. Down the southern hallway they moved until they came upon the last two unopened doorways.

Through the eastern door was only a large empty room with a stone basin in it. Inside the basin was an aquamarine colored liquid. Behind the western door they found any empty room with a basin containing a maroon liquid. The group took samples of each liquid into their water skins and tried mixing them, creating a foul smelling purple liquid. The effect was the same when mixed in the basin or when they tried to mix it in the whispering cauldron.

Confused as to the nature of the fluid or its purpose, they kept the samples and made their way back into the Face so as to avoid the lightning traps and headed out through the secret passage uncovered by Castri. As they emerged from the dark corridor into the bright sunlight, they immediately noticed that the awful roar of the dust storm that had raged outside the Face in the Stone had ceased.

The outside air was clear and free of whirling sand; the cloaking wind storm had collapsed. They then noticed several raiders arrayed around the entrance to the Face. They all appeared to be elves, with a tattoo of a snake skull branded on their forehead. Behind the rocks came several shambling human forms, each caked in what looked like salt.

Leaving the Face
The elves appeared shocked to see the party emerge from the Face in the Stone and hailed them. The group claimed to have seen the collapse of the dust storm and went to investigate, looking for ancient treasures, asking the heroes if they had uncovered anything inside the Face. The heroes claimed to have have been simple guards who fled into the Face when the dust storm arose and didn’t venture far into it.

Stating a desire to return to their leader with treasures, the elves proposed that the heroes could search some additional locations that the elves would provide, and all could share in the profit. Vinara sensed that the elves might be stalling, but Morg went over to them to check their map. Without warning Morg was attacked by the elves and the zombies servants, as a group of Tarek raiders appeared over a nearby dune.

Morg fell to the zombies who began to feast on him after the dune striders severely wounded him in the surprise attack. The zombies and the elves suffered under the hail of arrows from Castri, who also unleashed the power of the Crown of Dust to create a whirlwind of sand striking at those nearest to Morg. One of the elves managed to reach Castri who suffered a serious wound before finishing off the elves.

Vinara and Gwyn and bear combined their attacks systematically taking down one Tarek after another. Gwyn conjured blast after blast of fire, slowly cooking them as they pressed their attack. Both of the ladies suffered greatly, but held their ground against the brutes. Vinara was able to work her way towards the dying Morg and eventually used her healing magic to revive him.

Finally on his feet again, he charged the remaining two elves and took them down with a mighty swing of his axe. The elf peddler, Parleth was barely alive and Morg and Castri learned that the group worked for a raider named Yarnath who was rumored to be a powerful defiler. Having learned all they could, the two put the dying elf out of his misery.

The Crawling Citadel
Before they could catch their breath, Vinara spotted a colossal object grinding its way across the sandy desert. The animated skeletons of several giant desert creatures have been fused together into a ghastly structure, well over a hundred feet in length. Built within and upon the animate skeletal construct was an articulated citadel of bones and quarried stone. Humanoids could be seen standing on lookout platforms and peering form turrets and spires. It crawled closer to the Face in the Stone, making a sound like distant thunder.

After a bit of debate, Morg convinced Vinara that hiding within the Face would be a poor choice and the group fled, attempting to evade the citadel and make their way back to Tyr. Gwyn used her magic to summon a mirage about the group, in an effort to obscure them from sight. It took all of the groups strength and endurance to move across the desert quickly, but Castri faltered several times, the visions from the Crown he still wore, causing confusion and disorientation.

Still suffering from the earlier fights, the group stumbled into a patrol of seven Tarek raiders, who set upon them, thinking they had found easy prey. Gwyn’s magic bathed them in sheets of fire while Castri launched arrow after arrow into the oncoming group. Morg summoned every ounce of dwarven endurance in his blood and charged in, swinging his axe wildly. Vinara focused her attacks on Bear’s foes, while attempting to aid the group as best she could.

Miraculously the group survived, but their wounds continued to sap their energy and the week long march back to Tyr would have been too much if they had not happened upon a caravan as they approached to main trade roads.

The Caravan Gate
The entrance into Tyr was slowed by long lines at the Caravan Gate. The Half-Giant guards were thoroughly searching everyone entering the city and assessing new taxes. The group managed to get inside without incident, but found trouble within the city walls. The crowded streets were filled with angry merchants and citizens. In their absence the fragile economy of the free city was beginning to falter.

The precious iron mines had not reopened as it was too expensive to operate without the slave labor used in the past. The iron, which all the other city-states depended on, had stopped flowing and rumors flew about an army marching from Urik to seize control of the city and the mines. In addition, House Wavir had abandoned its position in Tyr, after a failed expedition into the desert left them financially devastated. All of the assets, including a large amount of Morg’s money, had been moved out of the city. Few knew the details of the expedition, but only a few people survived and made it back to Tyr alive.

The heroes were relieved to find that Free City Tattoo had survived the recent turmoil within the city and they all got some much needed rest. Castri visited his friend Karlen to deliver the relics he had found at the Face and collect his cut of the pay. Morg went out to try and find more information about the survivors of the House Wavir expedition and to hire a henchmen who could assist the party in future dungeon explorations.

Lost Treasure
Morg spent the next day going around the city, looking for anyone with more knowledge on the failed House Wavir expedition. Much what he heard confirmed the rumors of a failed journey to find the Vault of Darom Madar and the economic hardship that the house was was under. Eventually he was able to locate the only other survivor, a man named Kelvor. Kelvor told Morg the story of the caravan being ambushed by members of House Tsalaxa and the death of all the members except himself and Rhotan Vor.

Kelvor was asked to look out for Morg and his friends in the hope they would take the opportunity to find the caravan and return the treasures to House Wavir. By doing so they would help restore House Wavir and punish House Tsalaxa, who is well known for nefarious deeds. Morg, keenly interested in helping Rhotan and recovering the treasure, agreed and the two started making arrangements.

Morg was still concerned about the difficulties he and his friends had in overcoming the lightning traps in the Face in the Stone. He felt that if they continued to explore the ancient ruins in Athas, they would surely need assistance to deal with other such obstacles. With a little luck, he found a few candidates that appeared to have the talents for such adventures. One in particular, Merric, stood out as competent and possessing the right personality.

As the two agreed upon a fee for his services, Merric proposed an intriguing offer: He had discovered secret entrance to the Ziggurat of Kalak. Merric felt that Morg and his companions were better suited to deal with the dangers that likely lurked within, while he was the most skilled to deal with the traps. They could explore it together and share in whatever treasures were found. Morg, while extremely interested, felt it might be best to wait before embarking on that exploration.

The Veiled Alliance
Gwyn spent most of her time exploring the city and making contact with the other tattoo artists. Her natural charm was more than enough to over come the distrust that any had because of her elven ancestry. She was pleased that, in a small way, she was a part of the resurgence of art in Tyr.

As the evening approached, Gwyn made her way into the Under-Tyr to meet with her Veiled Alliance cell. The focus of the meeting was Divulgence – should the alliance end their secretive ways and go public. Both supporters and opponents of divulgence spoke with great passion but they could not reach an agreement on how to proceed. Gwyn felt that divulgence should happen, but suggested caution to make sure public would not react violently, after years of being told to hate all arcane casters. It was clear that the debate would continue for some time.

After the formal meeting, Gwyn spent time with her main contact, Jarvix whom she told of the adventures at the Face in the Stone (although nothing was mentioned about the Crown of Dust). The appearance of Yarnath was disturbing, as defilers such as he are the primary reason wizards are outlawed and hated. Jarvix introduced Gwyn to another member of the cell, an elf named Kivrin. Kivrin knew something of Yarnath and suspected that he was searching for the Crown of Dust, and may have already obtained one piece of it. Anxious about such a powerful artifact in the hands of the defiler, Kivrin thought that a small group might be able to sneak aboard Slither and steal the artifact. Gwyn said that she would consider such a quest, but needed to confer with her friends.

After several more hour discussing various magical principles and how she might apply them to her tattoo work, Gwyn, Jarvix and Kivrin let the Alliance meeting and went drinking at the Stiff Wench. They drank broy late into the night and the next morning Gwyn awoke with a massive hangover, and a new tattoo.

Communing with Nature
Vinara spent two days in the desert outside of the city-state conversing with the Wastewalker. The enemy turned ally was most interested in her story of the Face in the Stone, uncovering the fragment of the Crown of Dust and the appearance of Yarnath. The Wastewalker knew a little about Ul-Athra and thought that the creature could be a powerful ally against the Dragon, but cautioned that the primordials are creatures of chaos and very unpredictable in the actions.

The pair was joined by a halfling that the Wastewalker introduced as Nok. Nok had traveled far to bring news of a possible ancient Tree of Life that might exist outside of the sorcerer-king’s control. Such a tree could be used for nearly limitless power for a defiler, such as Yarnath, and must be found and protected at all costs. The Tree might also be used to construct a Heartwood Spear that would be a powerful weapon against the sorcerer-kings. Vinara was to be mindful of signs and dreams about this tree and seek it out, before it is discovered by the wrong people.

A Conflict of Interests
Castri stayed behind at Free City Tattoo and studied the fragment of the Crown of Dust. He had hoped to learn more of its secrets but all he received were strong urges to seek out the other fragments and use the Crown to restore Ul-Athra. Feeling that he had learned all that was possible for the time being, he left the parlor and wandered around the street of Tyr heading towards the Artisan District.

In the district he used some of the money he received from Karlen to commission some art work for the tattoo shop – a statue of himself. He found a skilled Mul stone cutter named Xalos who was looking for work and the two arranged a fair price. As he was leaving the artists shop he was approached by well-dressed man who greeted him by name. An agent of Murter Dyan, the man, asked if Castri could be of service to House Dyan, an enemy of Castri’s former noble house. The service was to search out a potential water source that had come to the attention of Murter, a place call the Cistern of Aravek, so that the water could help the citizens of Tyr. In exchange for location of the Cistern, House Dyan would furnish Castri and his allies with a precious metal weapon each. Cautious, Castri agreed to look into it.

On his way out of the Artisan District, another familiar face Khalos, an agent of Agis, hailed Castri. The pair made their way outside of the city to the House Asticles estates where he met with Agis himself. Direct and to the point, Agis asked if Castri could help locate the Cistern of Aravek, located in the foothills of the Ringing Mountains. Agis desired to control the renewable water source so that all within the city of Tyr could benefit from it. Agis promised to reward Castri and his allies with favors from his House.

Intrigued by the turn of events, Castri made his way back to the tattoo parlor where he was reunited with his companions. Each explained their day’s activities and discussed how best to proceed with the many options in front of them. After a lengthy discussion, they agreed that searching for the Cistern of Aravek was the best choice, after which they would head to the east in an attempt to find the House Tsalaxa caravan.

An Early Morning
Although their course of action had been decided earlier, Morg made one last-ditch effort to convince the group that they should head directly for the House Tsalaxa caravan. The rest of the heroes were still firmly set on finding the Cistern and the all-important water it might contain. Morg sent Merric out to find information on the Cistern of Aravek while he and the others prepared to venture out into the wilderness. Merric found only a little, stories of dwarf tribes in the desert that use a type of “wind trap” to cool their stone dwellings. He thought that, with a bit of magical aid, the traps could collect water. However Merric doubted that a sufficient amount of water could be collected in a reasonable time.

At the same time, Gwyn, still recovering from her wild evening, found her Veiled Alliance contact Jarvix and inquired about what he might know. Jarvix knew something about Aravek, as he was a preserver and a member of the Veiled Alliance in Tyr many centuries ago. Although he was reclusive, his obsession with creating water was well known. Many suspected he was successful, as Kalak, ordered his tower in the Ringing Mountains destroyed and the preserver killed.

Armed with the information and equipped for a journey into the harsh desert, the group set out attempting to find the Cistern as quickly as possible.

The Trail of Aravek
The sun-scorched hills of the Tyr Region stretched before the group as they exited the gates of Tyr. A shimmering heat mirage painted the false lure of water across the horizon before giving way to the soaring peaks of the Ringing Mountains to the west. Compared to this desolate wasteland, the chaos of the great thronging city-state behind you seemed a virtual paradise.

The group made good time through the rough terrain, however, Gwyn’s exertions the previous night slowed her down considerably and Morg needed to support his elf friend for the first few hours. Every vigilant about the dangers of the desert Vinara and Kelvor kept a close watch on their surroundings. When some signs of possible pursuit were noticed Castri quickly (and quietly) located the pursuing group about an hour behind them. The group, a half-dozen strong, was clearly following them and it was decided to set an ambush, should their tail prove to be hostile or competition.

Templar Trouble
Morg and Kelvor remained on the trail, while the others continued ahead and then circled back to hide in the rocks. They didn’t have to wait too long before a small group of humans and dwarves, all armed, came into view and came to a halt when they saw the pair on the trail ahead of them. The group appeared to be lead by a man in white robes who spoke to Morg. Although his story of being lost from a caravan was plausible, his accent revealed him as an Urikite.

Quickly the conversation turned into combat, however, the heroes were more than prepared and not at all surprised when the robed man shouted “We shall return to Tyr as conquerors! For Hamanu and Urik! Kill them!” Castri moved quickly from the rocks and used the Crown of Dust to knock four of the group to the ground. The robed man, most likely a templar of Hamanu, let forth a blast of lightning striking Morg and Kelvor, the ground at his feet turning black with his defiling magic. Morg rushed forward, past the prone guards, and landed a might blow on the templar.

Vinara and Bear closed in as well, finishing off one of the raiders and bolstering Morg’s stamina for the retaliation he was sure to face. The two dwarves were reluctant, but under threats from the templar, they charged Castri and Morg, each inflicting serious wounds. The female, who appeared to be a gladiator, hopped to her feet while smashing Morgs legs, causing him to buckle and fall to the ground. Gwyn continued the assault on the templar, blinding him to her with one of her spells. Kelvor moved in drawing the attention of most of their foes in melee.

In short order the group finishing off their attackers, except for the dwarves, who surrendered as soon as the templar was killed. They explained that the army from Urik had seized control of their village, Kled, and that they had joined the templars group under threats of harm to their families. They confirmed that the templar, Anukim, had been following the heroes in an attempt to ambush them after they located the Cistern. The dwarves were set free with most of the food carried by the Urikite’s.

The Lost Cistern of Aravek
After their brief rest and meal with the dwarves, the heroes continued in their search for the Cistern. Although they were still cautions for signs of pursuit or other dangers, they made good time. Skillfully guided by Vinara’s nature sense and Gwyn’s sense of growing magic, they found that the endless barren landscape suddenly gave way to a lush patch of vegetation near a large hill. Although they could see no water source, there was thriving plant life. A tall rocky spire jutted from the hillside and a cave entrance was visible, yawning open, below it. The entire valley was filled with a strange noise: a thick whistling that sounded much like the world’s largest pair of lungs sucking in a single, great, continuous breath.

It was immediately apparent to the group that they had found their destination and that there was a striking resemblance to the Face in the Stone.

Gith Cave
Even cautious of others attempting to locate this cistern, Castri set out on patrol while his companions decided on a course of action. Morg moved through the thick plant life towards the mouth of the cave. There he could hear the whistling shriek of wind echoing through the cavern. Sunlight lanced down from a hole in the ceiling, painting a bright circle of yellow light over a similar hollow shaft in the cavern floor. The walls glistened with moisture and softly glowing runes around the ceiling opening pulsed in time to the intake of air. Clumps of luminescent fungi could be seen growing from the moist ground, adding an eerie green glow to the shadows beyond the bright circle of light. Morg could make out tall, emaciated humanoids, gith, lounging about the cavern, drinking water from large gourds. Their weapons were close at hand, but they were hardly prepared for battle.

Motioning for the others to join him, the rest of the group moved quietly up to the mouth of the cave as well. Unfortunately, Kelvor was not accustomed to the dangers of plant life and tripped over some fallen branches, making enough of a disturbance that the gith detected it, even over the sound of the wind. Within moments they were armed and ready for battle.

The gith leader and his savages charged into melee with the heroes, inflicting serious wounds on Morg and Kelvor. The drones attempted to use the Way to push the heroes into the pit. Although Morg initially resisted their pull, he eventually succumbed and nearly fell in, barely saving himself at the last moment. The gith hobblers lobbed one javelin after another at the melee, striking their targets many times, but never completely pinning them down.

Locked in melee with the creatures, Morg and Kelvor attempted to keep their allies from harm, and were mostly successful. However each suffered numerous injuries and if not for the healing powers of Vinara, they surely would have perished. She and her companions held their own in melee and were quick to finish off the wounded gith. Gwyn used her magic to take down their enemies as quickly as she could, while also keeping herself shielded from attacks. Although the battle was fierce and the situation desperate at times, she resisted the urge to defile in the lush vegetation.

In the end, two of the gith ended up being pushed into the hole in the floor, while the rest will killed. When the combat was finished, the group too a quick rest to tend to their wounds and search the cave. Although none of the food the gith had was edible, there was plenty of fresh water. The gith leader carried a small quartz lens that Gwyn identified as magical, although its properties were still a mystery, as were the precise workings of the magic runes in the cavern.

The Cistern
After recovering from the fight with the gith, Morg descended down the hollow shaft into the cistern below. The bright light and howling winds above gave way to the cool darkness of the cistern. The only light below was a wan, green glow produced by clumps of fungi that did little to dispel the gloom of the cramped space.

Although the cistern was obviously not full, Morg had never imagined that so much water could exist in one place. As Morg finished his descent, he landed in a wide, irregularly shaped pool that divided the cistern in half. The waters were still, clear and came up to his knees. The ceiling of the cistern was only about 6 feet above the ground causing him to stoop over awkwardly.

Seeing no immediate danger and no sign of the two gith that were tossed into the cistern, the rest of the group lit their torches and followed Morg down. They spread out and began to search the cave. Vinara and the rest of the group uncovered signs of a struggle and a the remains of the gith, which appeared to have been badly mauled and partially eaten. Morg, off on his own, found nothing, unfortunately, something found him.

A horrific beast, roughly the size of an erdlu, appeared out of the darkness. It was a quadruped and covered in a rock-like hide with jutting spikes of stone and crystal. Its cat-like head had large ears, reddish eyes and a wide jaw filled with dagger-like fangs. The malign intelligence behind its glowing eyes was the most horrific aspect. This creature could only be a tembo.

The tembo tore into Morg with its claws and fangs and draining him of the will to fight. It only switched to attack Kelvor when he used the Way to get the beasts attention. The beasts mere presence was draining the life from the heroes as the fought it. Its great speed and ferocity left none safe. The heroes were unable to consistently inflict damage, as the beasts hide was tough and its magical nature made is resistant to Gwyn’s spells.

The group had to use every trick they could think of to keep the creature for killing them all outright. Morg’s training in the arena and Kelvor’s use of the Way allowed them some degree of control over the creature, but it was far stronger than the realized. Vinara kept them both alive while she and her companions attempted to help take down the monster. Gwyn, although her spells were often resisted, was able to severely wound the tembo. Morg eventually fell to it and was knocked unconscious, only kept alive by his hardy mul heritage. Eventually Vinara was able to revive Morg and the beast finally fell to her staff and Gwyn’s fire.

More exhausted than ever before the group collapsed in the cistern and rested until their strength returned. During their rest, they searched the cistern but found nothing of value, other than the water itself. Morg hauled the carcass of the tembo up into the main cave in order to bring it back to Tyr as a trophy. During their rest Vinara sense that they were further from the Tree of Life then they were in Tyr.

Return to Tyr
Outside of the cave they reunited with Castri and made an uneventful journey back to Tyr. Outside of the city they stopped by the House Asticles estates to confer with Agis. They informed him of the location of the Cistern and the senator immediately dispatched his remaining personal guards to secure the precious water supply. The heroes were invited to spend a few days resting at the estates.

While at the estates Agis offered to train them, so that they would have stronger defenses against users of the Way. Those who fought the tembo found themselves strangely strengthened by the experience. Agis was able to arrange for the hide of the tembo to be turned into a suit of armor for Morg.

They also learned from Agis that the looming war with Urik was beginning to take its toll on the city. The former gladiators were anxious to see combat and unwilling to wait until all of the army was ready to march. He feared that if they weren’t controlled they would march out to certain doom and the safety of Tyr would be in more jeopardy. However, the gladiators were not the only problem – there was growing tension between the craftsmen and the merchant houses with accusations of price-gouging on war supplies and worries of a trade embargo threatened to undermine the war preparations. Morg and Kelvor agreed to investigate the situations.

Blood Lust
Morg, Castri, Vinara and Kelvor journeyed to meet up with the gladiators and try and convince them to wait to march until the rest of the army was ready. They found the gladiators assembled near the arena being addressed by the veteran gladiator Quick Wenzer. He was talking to the gladiators and encouraging them to leave Tyr early and march out against the army from Urik. Tired of waiting on the “fat nobles” and eager for action, the gladiators were clearly in agreement.

When Morg and his allies attempts to sway the gladiators opinion met with mixed success. While the crowd acknowledged Morg’s skill during the Festival of the Cooling Sun tournament and their fame at killing a tembo swayed some, most were not convinced that such a young gladiator knew more than the veteran.

Muscling his way onto the stage where Wenzer was speaking, Morg challenged him to a duel, to prove who was the superior warrior. A long and bloody battle ensued, with both combatants having their share of successes and failures. Morg’s rage kept able to fight, despite Wenzer’s more mobile style and precise strikes with his swords. Several times Morg fell as his legs were targetted, but each time he managed to get up and keep fighting. When both combatants were nearly exhausted, Morg dealt a powerful blow, shattering his axe and knocking Wenzer down. Mercifully, Morg allowed Wenzer to live, and the gladiators were convinced that the best course of action was to wait and fight with the rest of the army from Tyr.

Divulgence
While the others were off trying to keep the gladiators under control, Gwyn met with some of her contacts in the Veiled Alliance to discuss the matter of their divulgence. The hotly debated topic had been debated since the fall of Kalak but no agreement was reached. Many feared that openly announcing their magical ways would invite violence again them by the citizens. Others countered that in a free society they wouldn’t need to fear such reprisals and could do more good then they could as a secret society.

At her cell’s meeting Gwyn met with Jarvix, Kivrin and others to discuss their plan for going forward, hoping that if they could reach a decision, it might inspire the other cells to follow their lead. Gwyn argued that they should not be forced to simply survive as outlaws but that they deserved to thrive and work to change the opinions of common people. She felt that with the gladiators of Tyr as their allies (not knowing that Morg would be successful in his quest), they would have less to fear. She also suggested that if they publicly defended Tyr against the invading Urik army, that they would do well to show their good intentions.

Easily swaying her associates to her way of thinking, the group decided to go public and lend their support to the war effort. They meeting broke up and the members went to meet their other cells and spread word. Hopeful that the decision was correct, Gwyn left and went to meet up with her friends back at Free City Tattoo.

Voice of the People
On their way back to Free City Tattoo, the encountered a mob a people near their shop. The mob was listening to a human speak and as the group moved closer, they could hear his words…

People of Tyr, hear me! You are being deceived! In your blindness for freedom you have only traded one tyrant for an-other. Gone is Kalak the Murderous; here is Tithian and his lying council. Even now they lie and plot against you.

“Were you not told that an army marched upon Tyr, intent on destroying you all? That if you did not rise up and take arms the evil King Hamanu of Urik would slaughter your men, torture your women, and enslave your children? Was this not the truth, you say? I tell you these were lies! Who among you has spoken to King Hamanu of Urik? Who among you has asked him why he comes to the aid of riot-torn Tyr? Only those, your councilors, who claim he is an enemy —only those whose wealth and power is threatened!

“King Hamanu comes not to enslave but to free you from your slave-lords. Even as far as distant Urik, he has heard the cries of the oppressed and injured and those cries moved him. Who among you feels safe at night from the gangs and thugs of our ‘elected’ councilors? Who among you will speak out against this tyranny and stand against this unjust war? Resist injustice! Fight the true enemy!”

Castri, having no patience for such speeches, loosed an arrow from his bow and struck the speaker dead. Stunned and enraged, the crowd turned towards the ranger with malice in their eyes and moved to attack him and his friends. Soothing magic from Gwyn stalled the crowd long enough for Morg, Castri and Kelvor to stop the crowd from assaulting them. However, it was only when the clothing of the man, named Puram, was found to be matching the robes of the Templar of Urik that Morg carried, was the crowd finally convinced that they were deceived by his speeches.

Although some were embarrassed by such deception most turned their anger towards Urik and many left the gathering to enlist in the army. Able to finally return to their home, the friends took a much needed rest, although morning would come far too soon for most.

Supply and Demand
The following morning the group traveled to the merchant district to try and solve the dispute between the craftsmen and the merchant houses. The Caravan District was in total chaos as tensions between the craftsmen and the merchant houses had reached new peak. The craftsmen, convinced that the merchant houses were gouging the prices because of the war, had blocked the doors to the merchant emporiums, trapping the merchant house representative Sintha in his offices, with only a handful of guards keeping him safe. Out from the storefront, the craftsmen representative, Turloff, could be seen standing on a wagon, haranguing the crowd.

Accurately gauging the mood of the crowd and the mercenaries (who were wearing the markings of the Red Cord), the party moved quickly to try and diffuse the situation. First going to Turloff, they listen to his accusations of the merchant house’s price gouging and the hardships that the craftsmen are having to endure. He reluctantly agrees to another meeting with Sintha, with the party as moderators.

It took more effort to get to Sintha, as the Red Cord guards were unwilling to let them pass into the emporium. Eventually the party bribed them to let them pass, appealing to their mercenary nature. Sintha was quite displeased at the intrusion and refuted all of Turloff’s claims, stating that is was an unfortunate reality of the impending war. With some convincing, he was convinced to meet with Turloff.

Their meeting was hot-tempered and filled with a great many accusations of corruption and unfair business practices. Eventually the party was able to find a compromise to the situation: Obsidian. One of the steepest cost increases was on the supply of obsidian, as Urik had stopped shipments and now occupied the dwarven village of Kled. Sintha’s merchant houses were forced to raise all their prices to compensate for the extreme losses they were having to take. The party agreed that they would work to secure obsidian shipments from Kled if Sintha would lower the prices somewhat.

Lost Treasure
While the rest of the group rested, Merric uncovered an interesting piece of news – the local House Tsalaxa representative recently received a message and shortly afterwards, started to make preparation to leave the city. Most thought that he was heading out to avoid trouble with Urik, but Merric wondered if they might be heading out to help deal with the treasure recovered from the Vault of Darom Madar.

Having no other leads on how to find the caravan after so much time, the group decided that they would follow the House Tsalaxa expedition and hope that it will lead them to their objective.

Evening Preparations
The rest of the evening was mostly uneventful for the group, as they prepared for the journey the following morning. Gwyn opened the tattoo shop and had some customers; gladiators who were inspired to join the army and wanted a tattoo for their regiment. She carefully used her magic to aid her work. After the shop had been closed, Morg asked Gwyn about the possibility of repairing his magical axe, having broken it during his fight with Quick Wenzer. Gwyn, becoming more experienced in her magical abilities, knew that it could be repaired and arranged for it to be worked on while they were away.

Merric set about gathering information on House Tsalaxa in the hope of finding out something useful before they started to follow them. He was only able to uncover rumors of the house’s involvement in espionage, assassination and blackmailing schemes. They also had a reputation for dealing in “recovered” cargo, furthering their suspicions that they were responsible for the attack on the House Wavir caravan and Kelvor. During this time Castri went to the Artisan District to check on the statue that he had commissioned. With the war effort going on, he found it would be at least a few weeks before it was finished.

House Tsalaxa
In the early morning the group gathered their belongings and headed out of the city, while Castri waited near the House Tsalaxa warehouses. Shortly a group emerged from the warehouses and headed out of the city. The group consisted of three kanks, a pair of half-giants and a half-dozen men. Castri joined up with his companions and they followed about a mile behind them.

For three days they trailed the House Tsalaxa group, making sure that they appeared to be nothing more than a small group that happened to be travelling in the same direction. While they did encounter other travelers on their journey, most were hurrying on their way and did not stop to talk. After the third day the group turned east, following the road leading to the Silver Spring Oasis.

One caravan that was encountered during the fourth day was a House M’ke caravan headed west towards Tyr with a load of nuts and spices. They stopped to talk for a few moments when Gwyn hailed them as they passed. They had nothing of value to say about the group from House Tsalaxa nor did they have any knowledge of any recently uncovered ruins. They did mention that their caravans were having a number of run-ins with raiders bearing a snake skull mark, but they mysteriously stopped recently.

Night Terrors
On their fifth night, they group decided to investigate the Tsalaxa camp and try and learn more. Gwyn and Castri crept up to their camp and saw two of the men discussing a map while the others were either resting or taking turns watching with the half-giants. After observing them for a while, they overheard them mentioning it was a week further until they reached the “fort”. Shortly after they put the map away into a large pack and settled in for the night.

Castri started to head back to his camp, but Gwyn, in an impulsive moment used her magic to turn herself invisible and moved into the Tsalaxa camp. She reached the large pack without being noticed and rather than try to search for the map case, she grabbed the entire pack and started to run. One of the goliath’s noticed the missing pack and just caught sight of Gwyn as her magic faded. Rousing the camp, they all chased after Gwyn into the night.

Gwyn’s long elven strides allowed her to slowly gain ground on her pursuers, but several of the guards were able to keep pace long enough to fire arrows, several of which wounded her. Before too long she caught up with Castri, who had turned around when he heard the commotion and realized that Gwyn had stayed behind. The two continued to run, hoping to rejoin their group before having to face the wrath of House Tsalaxa.

Vinara, Morg and Kelvor had heard the sounds of trouble and, fearing that Castri and Gwyn had gotten into trouble, began to run to help them. They met up with each other near some low rocks and quickly took cover and the House Tsalaxa forces descended upon them. Kelvor lured a robed human into a poor position and he was quickly cut down. The half-giants and the other human proved much harder to take down and the party suffered many serious wounds. Vinara and Morg were both briefly knocked out during the fight and everyone, except for Castri were badly wounded before the fight ended.

Things took a turn for the worse when the archers arrived and began pelting the group with arrows. The party was not able to concentrate on any one particular target effectively, causing the fight to last a long time. Eventually they wore down their opponents and the House Tsalaxa forces began to fall one by one, with Merric dealing most of the final blows. Exhausted and bloody, the group subdued the human instead of killing him, hopeful that he would rather answer questions then be put to death.

A Not-So-Peaceful Night
While the group was resting from the long battle and tending to their wounds, they went through the stolen backpack and examined the map. The map appeared to be a mundane map of the tablelands and the backpack contained various supplies and several survival days, and a green crystal. Gwyn could tell that the crystal possessed some form of arcane magic although she wasn’t completely familiar with it.

While the rest of the group decided what to do with the captives from the House Tsalaxa caravan, Gwyn moved off by herself and attempted to discover how to use the crystal. As she concentrated on it, attempting to use its powers, she detected strong divination magic. Shortly thereafter a face appeared in her mind, as though he was recently awoken from sleep.

“What is it? Is everything okay? Who are you?” the man asked, clearly not expecting Gwyn.
Quickly thinking, Gwyn answered, “Everything’s fine, I’m Esmerelda.”
The man grunted, “Tell Haneth that he shouldn’t let his whores go through his belongings, now put that away and stop bothering me.”

Gwyn, recognizing that she had narrowly avoided a potentially awkward situation, decided to put the crystal away and return to the camp. There she found the others in discussion about what to ask their captives. They had also decided that they should return to the House Tsalaxa camp and recover any other supplies. It was agreed that Gwyn, Merric and Kelvor would interrogate their prisoners and that Morg, Castri and Vinara would go raid the camp.

Morg, Castri and Vinara found their way back to the camp without incident and were able to get the three kanks under control. They picked up all the equipment and survival supplies they could, loaded the kanks up and headed back. Along the way, Castri spotted a female elf, perhaps the one that they had captured, in the distance. Acting on instinct he fired a shot and struck her down. When the searched her body, they found some survival supplies and a several gold in ceramic coins. They continued back to their camp, unsure as to what really transpired.

Shortly before…

Gwyn, Kelvor and Merric began by interrogating their human captive. After several threats to him, he revealed his name – Tyron Tsalaxa of House Tsalaxa. He claimed to be heading out of Tyr after closing up their operations before the armies of Urik arrived and heading to Raam. With further pressure applied he claimed to have no direct knowledge of the Vault of Darom Madar or what happened to the House Wavir caravan. Although he did appear to be telling the truth, everyone felt he might be holding back.

They switched to the captive elf, who appeared much more willing to cooperate, as she claimed to be a hired mercenary. She confirmed that they were heading to Raam by way of the Silver Spring Oasis but claimed to be ignorant of anything else regarding House Wavir or the Vault. Kelvor gave her some coins for her trouble as well as some supplies to help her survive the trip to the Oasis and let her go. Her journey was cut short by an arrow from Castri…

When the whole group got back together and the truth about the elf captive was revealed, there was little remorse by anyone other that Gwyn and Kelvor. Castri lead a brutal interrogation of Tyron but not additional information was gained. They all felt he would be too much trouble if he were set free and so bound him to a kank.

The group had a lively discussion on how they should proceed from their current location. Morg pushed for continuing to search for the treasure, but none of them knew where to start looking. Kelvor wanted to head north to Kled to aid the dwarves, repay their debt to the merchant houses of Tyr, and possible disrupt the forces of King Hamanu. Gwyn and Castri were concerned about the activities of Yarnath and his search for the other pieces of the Crown of Dust. Eventually they agreed with Vinara, that finding the Tree of Life would be the best option and that they could regroup at the Silver Springs Oasis.

Silver Springs Oasis
In the cooler morning air, they headed east towards the Oasis and three days later they arrived at the gates to the Silver Spring Oasis, the looming fortress-like stone walls providing protection against the desert creatures. After paying a large fee for entrance of their caravan, the group was admitted into the interior of the compound. Free to explore around the group split up, each trying to accomplish their objectives while spending as little time in the Silver Hands’ compound.

Vinara made her way to the actual oasis inside the compound and began to commune with her spirit allies, attempting to ascertain the location of the Tree of Life. The abundant life around the Oasis filled her with hope for the future of Athas and allowed her to start searching for the Tree. After many hours she felt a strong primal presence to the southeast and felt the call of a primal spirit in need. Feeling sure that she could guide the party to the location, she felt a renewed sense of purpose.

Gwyn wandered about and, after seeing tents clearly intended for use by defilers, she made her way into the Tent of Delights to listen to general gossip. She discovered that the Silver Hand elves’ chief, Toramund, was actively recruiting defilers to help defend the compound. What she found more disturbing was that most of the people there were more concerned with the fact that none of their own had the power he wanted and that he was looking outside of the tribe. The Oasis had been attacked in the past by their main rivals, the Sun Runners, and Toramund wanted to be able to defend the Oasis better than they had in the past.

Castri and Morg attempted to ransom Tyron to Toramund, hoping the elf chief would be interested and find him to be a valuable captive. Merric stayed behind to guard Tyron until the deal could be struck. After bribing their way past his guards, the pair were admitted to see Toramund. With some negotiations, they agreed on a reasonable price for Tyron and the deal was struck and Tyron was released into the elf’s custody. Tyron was silent throughout this entire ordeal.

Kelvor wandered around the traveler’s camp and a few other areas attempting to make contact with mercenaries and learn anything he could. A lot of the discussion was on the war between Urik and Tyr and the increased danger creating good opportunities for guard duty. He attempted to sell the kanks, but was unable to arrive at a price that was satisfactory.

When they met back up at their tents, they shared their activities and the coins from Toramund. Gwyn and Kelvor found their purses to be lighter than they expected, undoubtedly the victim of their hosts light fingers. They all slept well that night, getting a much needed rest, except for Castri who stood watch the entire night.

Eyes in the Dark
Castri’s watch over his friends in the traveler’s camp of the Silver Spring Oasis was interrupted when he felt like someone or something was watching him. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary, but, just to be sure, he woke Morg and then slipped into the shadows and tried to determine who might be spying on them. Neither were able to discover who, if anyone, was observing them. The rest of the night passes without incident.

In the morning, the others in the group were informed of the night’s events as they prepared to leave the Oasis and travel in search of the Tree of Life. Gwyn finally realized that she had been sensing magic from the oasis market and decided to take a quick trip to see if there was anything of interest. While most of the merchandise was junk, at worst, or poorly crafted, at best, there were two items that caught her attention – a suit of scorpion scale armor and a set of scrolls.

Although she was unable to tell what the scrolls contained, she was able to sense strong magic from them. With the help of Vinara and Castri she was able to purchase the scrolls after some hard bargaining. Upon further study she found that it contained an enchantment that would sharpen the perception and other senses of the one who read the scrolls. Although she offered the scrolls to her friends, they all agreed that it would be more beneficial for her to use their magic.

The suit of armor was not only magical, but possessed power of the Way as well. Although Gwyn was able to bargain with the seller of this item, he would not go as low as they had hoped. Ultimately they pooled the last of their cash and used it, along with two of their kanks, to purchase the armor. Kelvor found that the armor was a perfect fit and that the power imbued into it would help protect him from some attacks against his mind.

A Storm of Revelation
For three days the group traveled south and east out of the Silver Spring Oasis and into the rocky badlands. Kelvor and Merric took the bulk of the supplies that the kanks had been carrying. Morg help clear a path at Vinara’s direction while Castri and Gwyn kept an eye out for any pursuit or trouble. Each had become accustomed to the harsh travel conditions, and they all made their way through without incident.

On the morning of the forth day, while the crimson sun was still low on the horizon, the wind began to steadily increase. Guided by Vinara, they headed towards something flickering on the horizon, what appeared to be towering cyclone of dust, confined to a small area. Moving closer still, two large rocky outcroppings could be glimpsed in the circling dust.

The group was forced to cover their mouths to shield against the choking dust as they moved into the edges of the storm. Sparks of energy were seen flickering throughout the dust, but quickly disappearing. Occasional gaps in the dust allowed them to make out a flat area between the rocks. Suddenly, from the whipping dust, a snarling tembo emerged. It is emaciated, scarred and slightly unsteady on its feet, but its eyes gleamed with ferocity. A second tembo, much healthier looking than the first emerged from behind the party.

Having faced a tembo before, the group knew their nature, but two tembos was something that was extraordinarily rare. The fight was intense and required an unprecedented amount of teamwork, with Morg engaging the wounded tembo and Kelvor keeping the rear tembo occupied. Vinara and Bear help against both tembos, tending to the wounds of their companions. Castri and Merric concentrated their attacks on one tembo at a time. Gwyn used her magic to disguise her allies from the tembo’s senses. The group emerged victorious from the fight, but injured. Unfortunately the howling winds prevented them from taking a moment to rest.

An Entrance Long Awaited
Still battered by the winds, the group was unable to take any time to tend to the injuries they suffered from the fight with the tembos. Vinara used her magic to try and calm the spirits of the land which were causing the cyclone of dust and sand. She appeased the spirits, and when the winds died down a clump of exposed boulders in the ravine could be seen. Among the freshly exposed rocks, they saw a green vine pushing up through a crack between the rocks. Looking closer, the crack that the vine emerged from look like it could be edge of a stone trapdoor.

Castri scouted out now that the blowing sand was not obscuring the visibility. To their relief, there was nothing visible as far as he could see. Morg quickly skinned the hides of the tembos to gather more materials for another suit of hide armor and then helped remove the rubble from on top of the trap door. Cautious, based on their previous experiences in ancient crypts, Merric checked the door for traps, but found nothing. Gwyn was unable to sense magic from the door, but felt a powerful font of arcane energy from deep within the earth. With no immediate danger or winds, they were able to tend to their wounds quickly.

Vinara easily lifted the heavy stone door to reveal a dark sloping passageway which lead underground. As they descended, they saw signs of battle – skeletons littered the floor and rotted weapons of ancient design were scattered among them. So old were the weapons that no metal or anything of value remained. The walls of the chamber were covered in growing vines. As the group lit torches and started to move forward, a faint scratching sounds could be heard coming from ahead of them. Suddenly, a rasping voice called out from the darkness…

“Leafnes, ambitmeges of Lubar. We laestan to Avor Faeroath, voo nerians gafolmanug on his Treow.”

The language was old a difficult to understand, although some of the words were familiar. Castri and Vinara thought the voice was addressing them as members of House Lubar and told them to leave. They recognized Avor Firesworn as a proper name, but the context was unclear to them. Gwyn, having spent more time at study than the others, had a different interpretation..

“Be gone, servants of House Lubar. We harken to Avor Firesworn, who defends still this refuge and its tree.”

Not wanting to waste time or try and negotiate the group moved deeper into the chamber. The scraping sounds increased and flickering shadows at the edge of their torchlight could be seen. When they came to an intersection, the group split up, two going down each of the three passageways. As they rounded the corners, three ghostly figures appeared out of the walls. At the same time, pallid grey zombies emerged from the darkness, crawling on the ceilings and walls, dropping down and moving towards the group.

The fight was nearly too much for the group to handle. Castri was brutally attacked by one of the spirits and although Vinara lifted him to safety with her magic, the spirit continued to pursue him. A few volley’s from his bow took down the majority of the zombies, but eventually he was knocked unconscious by the cold claws of the ghosts. Kelvor and Morg engaged a second ghost and were unable to injure it before it could land several horrible wounds on Kelvor. Eventually they recovered from the numbing cold and were able to defeat their ghost, but Morg’s axe broke in the conflict, forcing him to rely on his handaxe instead.

Gwyn unleashed a fury of burning fire and lightning at the spirits, but they were more resilient to her magic then she expected. She was so focues that her staff and dagger were both consumed in her casting. Merric was able to toss her a dagger to use as a new implement during the fight. Merric’s own combat with the ghosts did not go well either, their claws easily piercing his flesh and chilling his soul. Vinara was able to call upon her primal magic and the spirits of the land to help ease the pain of her companions wounds.

Eventually the group was able to overcome the vengeful ghosts and their zombie minions. Their wounds were severe and Vinara’s companion, Bear, was overcome by one of the ghosts. Vinara was able to call back his spirit and restore him to life before they moved on further into the chamber.

Competitors?
The group limped along the central passageway for several hundred feet before it stopped descending and opened into a large natural cavern. A thick carpet of glowing moss covered the walls and floor. The air was cool and sweet with moisture and the smell of flowers. Pools of water could be seen in shallow depressions and the faint trickling of water down the walls could be heard.

The group explored the cavern quickly and found a second passageway out of the caver on the north side. While they explored, a clicking sound could be heard from the northern passageway. Soon, a thri-kreen with mottled brown, yellow and greed carapace emerged from the shadows and faced the party. More thri-kreen began to emerge from the tunnel, five in all. The group of insect-men were armed and outfitted as adventuring types. The one in front spoke in a clicking form of common, saying…

“Our clutch has come for the life-seed. Drop your pointed sticks and depart, or we consume your hind-limb meat.”

Castri reached for his bow, but the others calmed him down and attempted to negotiate. Gwyn addressed the thri-kreen telling them that they had been sent here to protect the tree. Vinara demonstrated that she was adept at nature magic which calmed some of their fears. They appeared to begin to trust the heroes when Gwyn demonstrated her preserving magic and they become much more agitated. The thri-kreen appeared to be on a mission recover a “life seed” and were willing to die to protect it.

Eventually a compromised was reached – the thri-kreen were convinced that Gwyn and the others were meant to help them reach the seed. The thri-kreen were insistent that they would take the seed back to help bring about a new time of growing for their land, called Ka-la-tak. With an uneasy truce made, both groups took a moment to rest before continuing to explore the caverns.

Cycles of Life
During their short rest, the heroes learned a bit more of about their Thri-Kreen competitors and their journey to look for the seed. Before venturing further into the caverns, Chao-ka (the thri-kreen’s leader) insisted that they leave behind guards as “we have felt the footsteps of others who seek this place”. Castri volunteered to remain behind with three of the thri-kreen, while Chao-ka and Chai-Tak made the descent with the rest of the group.

The spiral stairs opened into a cool, fresh cavern that was blanketed with growing plants. Grass covered the floor, and vines clung to the walls and dangled from the ceiling. Water poured from two small fountains carved in the shape of a lion’s head. A beautiful and ancient conifer tree stood at the far end of the room, and a faint green radiance seemed to emanate from it.

In contrast to that idyllic scene, several skeletons stood at attention. Their empty, malevolent eye sockets were turned directly toward the heroes. Other forms that seemed to be composed of little more than the desiccated remains of dismembered and mummified arms, legs, and hands began to drag themselves across the room.

Hovering in front of the tree was a humanoid figure. What remained of its flesh and its ancient armor were blackened and charred. Fire crackled from its burnt fingers, and its voice echoed telepathically. “Doth House Lubar still desire to torment us after so long an age? We welcome you, and we shall render unto you the wages of hate that we have nursed these many long years.”

A deadly battle ensued between the guardians of the tree and the heroes. The swarms of arms and hangs proved exceptionally resilient to the attacks of Kelvor and Morg. Avor targeted the two warriors with fiery attacks knocking Morg unconscious several times. Gwyn, who’s magic was more effective against the creatures fell under the relentless attacks of claws and hands. Only a supreme act of willpower allowed her to regain consciousness.

Chao-ka was not as lucky and was consumed by the crawling masses. Although Vinara could have used her magic to restore him to life, she chose to save her powers for her close friends. Merric was slowly moving around the edges of the cavern in an attempt to get into good position against Avor and joined with Morg and Kevlor in taking him down. The swarms of limbs continued to harass the party but were eventually destroyed.

Hard Choices
The battered adventurers tended their wounds, attempting to determine what to do next. There was a great debate between the heroes on the best course of action with their thri-kreen and the seed of life. Eventually they agreed that it would be best to honor their bargain and allow the seed to be taken the the thri-kreen lands, where it would be safe from the sorcerer-kings.

Morg and Merric searched the room and discovered a small chest buried beneath the tree’s roots. Inside Merric discovered a silver headband and a pair of leather boots, both bearing strange markings and designs that appeared to be elven, but were obviously ancient. Morg kept the headband and gave the boots to Merric.

There were also a set of stone tablets with strange writing on them that none could decipher. Chai-Tak gave Gwyn a scroll for the body of Chao-ka, that contained a magical ritual. Gwyn was able to use the ritual to decipher the writing and learn a bit about what befell Avor Firesworn and his followers.

Vinara, Gwyn and Kelvor used their combined talent to attempt to draw forth the Heartwood Spear from the Tree of Life. It took all of their effort, but the tree yielded to them and Vinara withdrew a wooden spear. As she did so, the ancient tree finally yielded to the centuries and died, its wood turning grey and the last leaves falling.

Chai-Tak moved to the tree of life and plucked the seed from its limb. Content to let his new allies discuss and search. He patiently waited to return to his clutch-mates and begin the journey home. Morg and Vinara meditated on the seed as instructed by the tablets and they felt a great sense of responsibility towards the seed. Neither could tell if the emotion was theirs or whether the seed was attempting to communicate with them.

Castri and the other thri-kreen were not to be found in the first cave. Their tracks appear to lead back along the path taken by the heroes. Assuming that they sought to secure the main entrance, the group continued on. Along the way back to the surface, Kelvor kicked one of the skulls in the first passageway. As he did so, something caught his eye, shining in the torchlight. Digging through the rubble and remains, he found two silver pendants each portraying a lion’s head. He quietly picked them up and caught up with the group.

At the entrance to the surface, the group met with an unexpected, and unwelcome surprise. Instead of Castri and the other thri-kreen, they found a literal army. Two humans, each bearing the snake-skull mark of Yarnath the defiler. They were surrounded by a number of skeletal warriors and other humanoids wrapped in rotting rags. In the back a large figure that appeared to be made of salt stood at attention. The group quickly backed into the tunnel and prepared for a siege.

More Hard Choices
The group could hear the shuffling of Yarnath’s forces outside the door, but there were no other sounds or indications of what might be going on. Deciding that, while they could try to find the other exit from the cave system, they couldn’t in good conscience leave Castri to a horrible fate, assuming that he was still out there.

Vinara used her primal magic to bolster Gwyn’s health, having been severely wounded during the previous fights while searching for the Tree of Life. Kevlor focused on his body and spirit, channeling the Way and preparing for a deadly fight. When they were as prepared as possible, Morg and Kelvor opened the door and rushed out into the dazzling sunlight.

The forces of Yarnath were prepared for an attack, but their spokesman addressed the charging mul and human. “Yarnath has read the prophetic signs. We know that you retrieved a seed from a primordial tree of life in these ruins. Hand it over or die.” Not wanting to have such a powerful object in the hands of the defiler as well as not trusting his forces to let them live, they pressed the attack.

The forces of Yarnath set up an effective line with the zombies and mummies screening the two defilers and a legion of skeletons. Morg, Merric and Kelvor attempted to break through the line with Vinara, Chai-Tak and Gwyn provided support. Their previous combats had left them all exhausted and they quickly were worn down in the prolonged fight.

The Soul Collector
All around the party was the fury and chaos of battle. Blood from numerous cuts was streaming down their armor. Suddenly, all sound stopped. Everything that had been a blur of motion moments ago, including the party, was locked in place. Somehow they were still aware of their surroundings and the passage of time.

An unearthly, metallic message echoed in each of their minds;

“Your flesh unwinds. Soon, your projection will pass across the barrier to this side. You will not be able to protect the life seed. Your quest need not end this way. I offer my protection to you, if you desire it. There is a price. Do you accept it?”

Kelvor wondered what the price would be. In response to his thought, the voice spoke to each of them again;

“My covenant with you would be this: My shadow will reside near your flesh. When projections are unbound from the flesh, I will be there to collect them. In return, I will confound your enemies so that you might go away from this place. This covenant will bind you for three cycles.”

Morg was concerned about what harm might befall those that accepted, as this situation was similar to the one described in Avor Firesworn’s writings. Once again the voice spoke to each of them;

“No direct harm will accrue to you from my shadow’s presence. Indeed, when it rides upon you, you will have less reason to fear the son of air, but more fear for air’s daughters.”

Unsure as to the exact meaning of the voice’s words, there was some hesitancy, but knowing the dire situation, all of the party felt they had little choice but to hope for the best and accept the entities offer. Once they made up their minds, it spoke once again;

“The covenant is bound, the the ether resumes its flow.”

Time began to flow normally once again, but many of the heroes foes remained frozen, including the two spell casters and the large salt golem. The heroes felt the intensity of the sun lessen slightly, no doubt a result of the “shadow” they had associated themselves with. Despite a number of their foes being incapacitated, the rest of the fight was fought tooth and nail. Their resources exhausted, Merric was knock unconscious, Vinara and Kelvor were barely able to stand and Morg was knocked down and began to be eaten by one of the zombies.

Eventually the group was able to defeat the last of their foes, but only with moments to spare. Vinara was to stabilize Merric and they searched the bodies of their foes. Gwyn claimed the spellbook and staff from the defiler but there was little else besides a few days worth of supplies. Within the nearby rocks, they found the bodies of the three missing thri-kreen, all having signs of being beaten and burned.

Vinara located some tracks which appeared to be several humanoids, some wearing boots and others apparently barefoot. She spotted on the northern horizon a few figures just disappearing over a sand dune. Beyond that she saw some movement, perhaps the citadel of Yarnath.

They retreated back into the caverns for a much needed rest before heading out after Castri. They all agreed that rescuing him and preventing Yarnath from having both pieces of the Crown, was of the utmost importance. Vinara was able to summon enough strength, aided by Gwyn and Kelvor, to revive Morg, although he spoke cryptically of a gray land where he felt as if he was beginning to dissolve.

Entering Slither
As the group rested after their long fight with the forces of Yarnath, they each noticed something unsettling: they appeared to cast darker shadows than normal, their torches appeared to burn less brightly, fleeting shadows could be seen in their peripheral vision and images of flowing darkness and anguished souls filled their dreams. They did not speak of their observations.

Morg and Gwyn found the wounds they had suffered from the mummy’s attack were particularly painful, but otherwise there didn’t appear to be any lasting ill effects. Morg and Vinara felt particularly refreshed after resting near the seed of the Tree of Life. After their rest, the companions headed out to find Castri and the recover another piece of the Crown of Dust.

They were able to pick up the trail of slither and although it had several hours head start, they pushed hard and were able to catch up to it in the night, making their approach safer. As they approached, they were awed by its massive size. Turrets and sharp spires rising crookedly from the mekillot shell structure. Several shapes could be seen moving on top of most of the towers. Gwyn couldn’t remember many of the details of her conversation with her associate Kivrin of the Veiled Alliance, but she remembered that approaching from the front would be suicide.

The group decided to approach from the side and scale the monstrosity and enter from the roof of one of the read towers. The approach was not easy and Kelvor and Merric quickly fell behind Gwyn, Chai-Tak and Morg, who easily reached the top of the tower, with Vinara not far behind.

Gold Tower Top
A top the tower, Gwyn, Morg and Chai-Tak came face to face with a small contingent of Dray who were startled to see the adventurers hop over the edge of tower. The commander and the troops rushed forward to engage once the initial surprise wore off. One held back and began using arcane magic to attack.

A fierce but brief battle was had atop the tower. Most of the group took some injuries but the dray were defeated. With the top secured, the group propped up their defeated enemies and took a short rest, which was interrupted by another dray defiler who emerged through a trap door in the floor of the tower top. Vinara’s Heartwood Spear proved to be very capable of defeating defilers and with each death, the spear appeared to grow and strengthen.

The remainder of their rest was undisturbed, and Gwyn was able to better sense a strong aura of magic coming from the central tower of Slither. They also could not see any paths along the back of Slither leading into the tower. They couldn’t see anything on the roof of the tower, some 15 feet away, and decided to explore it rather than continue down into the gold tower. Chai-Tak and Morg made the leap with relative ease, carrying a rope across the gap.

Ritual Tower Top
The crenelated tower top was strewn with humanoid bones, some still fresh with gnawed meat. Among the older bones, thick spider webs could be seen. In the deck at the center of tower is an opening onto a set of spiral stairs. Four statues of elf raiders with crossbows stand at silent attention surrounding the stairs.

As Chai-Tak was beginning to tie off the rope, a gravelly voice spoke, “The master will not be pleased at this disturbance.” Appearing out of thin air, a tembo appeared and raked Morg with its claws. At the same time the four statues turned and let loose crossbow bolts at the mul and Thri-Kreen, with some of the bolts striking true. To make matters worse, large, fist-sized hairy spiders appeared out of every nook and cranny, making the roof treacherous.

The rest of the party hurried over quickly to help the pair against the vile creature. Only Merric had difficulty in making the crossing, nearly falling in the process. Gwyn’s fire magic was effective against the swarm of spiders, but it drew the attention of the tembo, who savagely bit into her, draining some of her life energy in the process. The tembo proved a challenging foe, but the groups experience fighting such creatures aided them and they were eventually able to defeat it, drive off the spiders and break the statues which continued to fire the crossbows at the party during the fight.

Fortune smiled on the group and they were able to tend to their wounds without interruption. From the floor below they could hear some scuffling sounds but see very little. Gwyn was certain that a source of the magic she detected was coming from below them in the tower, but she couldn’t be certain of its exact location or precise nature.

Test Subjects
Kelvor was the first to head down to the next level. The spiral staircase ended in a chamber, descending no further. He could see a dank, gloomy chamber layered in shadows, dimly illuminated by flickering candles. One section of the room appeared to be closed off behind bars. Opposite the barred cell was a room without a door. On the forward side of the tower a magic circle appeared to be inscribed on the floor, and opposite that a shaft leading down. The floor of the entire level was littered with corpses in various states of decay.

All appeared clear, and Kelvor yelled up for his companions to come down. Just then a pair of zombies rose from the floor and charged Kelvor, darkness engulfed his, blinding him as the zombies began to bite at him. Gwyn headed down the stair to a grisly sight, a dozen or so zombies had stood up and were beginning to move towards where Kelvor had disappeared into darkness.

Gwyn, followed closely by Morg and Chai-Tak, were able to cut down a number of zombies, but Kelvor fell to the hordes. From the shadows emerged another dray who conjured up a blast of burning salt. He charged at Morg, pushing him back towards the shaft. Although he was wounded, the dray was able to force Morg over the edge, who fell down the shaft. Gwyn used her magic and the dray was knocked into the shaft as well. He was able to hold onto the edge, but a quick shot by Chai-Tak’s bow sent his body into the depths.

Vinara’s magic was able to get Kelvor onto his feet, just as the last of the zombies was finished off. The party approached the shaft that Morg had fallen into…

The Laboratory
A few moments earlier…

Morg landed hard on the floor beneath the shaft. The room he was now in was covered in the remains of prisoners dropped from above and left for dead. Although most had decayed to bones and powdered carcasses, some relatively intact corpses remained. On either side of the shaft’s detritus stood two statues of elf raiders holding crossbows, similar to those encountered at the top of this tower. The central chamber held all manner of strange equipment scattered on tables and shelves, including several chairs with restraints; tow of them holding corpses that remain upright because of the chair’s numerous straps. In the center of the chamber, a circle of sigils on the floor casts a green radiance.

Morg got to his feet, careful to avoid several pressure plates that were likely linked to the elf statues. As he did so, a half-dozen zombies rose from the ground and moved towards him. Accustomed to fighting against mobs from his days in the arena of Gulg, Morg moved quickly cutting down the zombies quickly. So hungry were the zombies that they attempted one last desperate bite even as they were hacked apart.

Vinara was the first to descend into the chamber from above, quickly followed by the rest of her allies. No sooner had they all arrived then three figures appeared from thin air on the far side of the room. Two large, armored skeletons flanked a tall bearded Half-Elf… none other than Castri. Before anyone in the party could react the skeletons took up a defensive position and, with a hateful glint in his eye, Castri drew arrows and started firing on the party.

Vinara and Gwyn acted quickly to close the distance and attack the skeletons inflicting many wounds, but unable to take down them down. Vinara used her primal magic to bolster Gwyn’s health during the battle, as the previous fights had exhausted the Elf. Castri’s arrows struck true on Morg and the mul was taken down twice during the fight but not before he was able to separate Castri from his skeleton guards. Merric was able to move around the guards and struck a serious wound on Castri.

His advantage of range taken away, Castri was quickly overcome by the party and eventually knocked out by Vinara. The group decided that they couldn’t just kill Castri and they wanted to know more about what was going on. They removed his gear and weapons, including an odd looking short sword which they gave to Merric, and restrained him in one of the chairs.

A quick search of the room revealed many strange devices, several vats filled with foul chemicals and a number of books that appeared to be books on magic theory, specifically that related to necromancy. Gwyn burned the books to prevent their dangerous pages from ever being read again, while the others interrogated Castri.

Castri appeared to have been won over by the promises of power from Yarnath regarding the return of Ul-Athra. He relished the thought of the great worm’s return, the destruction of the dragon and the power over the city-states he would have. Although his friends didn’t want to believe that Castri had those beliefs, they could not deny what he had become. None could bring themselves to harm him further, and so the knocked him out and left him strapped to the chair.

The Vault
A treacherous spiral staircase led further down into the tower. The chamber they came to was bare of any decoration except a magical circle in the floor. Three sets of doors provided entry further into the tower; two single doors and a double door.

Morg and Kelvor moved quickly through the double doors, not wanting to delay any longer inside the tower. It appeared as if all the doors opened into a larger chamber. The room was painted with a single bizarre scene: the body of a massive snake depicted on the wall, completely surrounding the room. On the snakes head, which was more human than ophidian, rested a glowing crown. The snake’s tailed coiled inward along the floor from the wall and rose like a stinger in the center of the chamber. The stinger formed a stone pedestal topped with a crystal dome. Several stone chests were arrayed along the far wall.

As they moved into the chamber, out of the shadows three figures emerged. The smell of roasted meat was overpowering and the zombies gave off a dull red light as bits of ash and charred flesh. Morg and Kelvor moved to engage them quickly. Morg landed a massive blow with his axe, nearly decapitating the zombie, but the creature was imbued with such power that it continued to attack the group. Although they were not powerful, the party discovered that upon their death, they exploded into a dangerous cloud of hot acidic gas.

Severely burned by their encounter with the zombies, the party took a moment to rest and treat their wounds. Merric and Gwyn were able to deactivate a trap they detected and examined the contents of the chests. Inside they found several pieces of magical gear and a dozen gemstones. As they began to look around the tower for another exit, a flash of light alerted them to arrival of several creatures in the magical circle.

Yarnath the Skull
In the center of the circle, flanked by two more of the guardian skeletons, was a creature that appeared to be a mul in life. Upon his head was a golden crown set with a red gem His appearance left no doubt as to his nature as an undead creature or his name… Yarnath the Skull. With a wave of his hands several corpses emerged from the floor forming a line between him and the party.

Gwyn worked her magic to distract their foes and Morg and Vinara seized the initiative moving up and cutting down several of the zombies. To their horror, the creatures hands continued to move and try to grapple them despite the destruction of their body. The majority of the zombies were destroyed when Yarnath unleashed a powerful blast of necrotic energy, injuring most of the party and destroying Bear and Vinara’s spirit ally.

A vicious battle ensued with the party forced to work together like never before in order to survive the onslaught of Yarnath’s attacks. Gwyn narrowly avoided death several times aided by Vinara’s healing and her emerging draconic nature. Vinara revived her allies and was able to land a blow with her Heartwood Spear severely injuring Yarnath and weakening him. Kelvor kept the fight focused on him which allowed the others to move into good positions and wear Yarnath down. Merric’s new sword prevented Yarnath from healing for the majority of the fight while Chai-Tak’s bow, recovered from Castri, was able to consistently strike his foe.

They were finally able to defeat Yarnath, but the fight left Gwyn on the floor with mortal injuries. They were able to stabilize her and recover the crown. The mobile fortress lurched to a halt when Yarnath was slain and sounds of his raiders panicking and fleeing could be heard. Kelvor recovered the Crown and they left using the commotion as cover. They headed into the desert, pleased to be alive and in possession of the Crown.

After a long rest in a small oasis, the group headed out to the north, hoping to make it to Kled as quickly as possible.

Prologue
Elleandra and Paelias had been travelling together near the villages of Dempsy for some time searching for clues as to the nature of the recent changes that had been occurring in the Lands Within the Wind. In hopes of finding answers, they had visited a mage Bartleby who had sometimes instructed Elleandra in the arcane arts. Although Bartleby had no immediate answers, he asked for the pair’s help in locating an apprentice of his and promised to help research their concerns. The two agreed and went in search of Redra who Bartleby thought might be heading to an old graveyard near the towns…

Kelvor awoke to find himself in a strange and terrifying land. The familiar desert had been replace with tall trees and the hot wind that normally accompanied the morning was replaced with a cooling breeze of evening. He had heard of the forests and even witnessed some from afar. The shock of finding himself in one was an experience he was all together unprepared for. Unsure if the hyper-realistic land he appeared to be in was a dream or real, he pinched himself until it hurt. He decided that it was real, but how he was transported here remained a mystery.

Far off in the distance a flashing of blue light caught his attention. Having no other course of action he hugged his clothes tight for warmth, and journeyed down a small path towards the lights. Along the way he encountered two strangely dressed individuals – a unearthly beautiful woman and a short elf. Both were adorned with items of metal, the likes of which Kelvor had only heard of. The two found him equally strange with his carapace shield and armor and bone weapons.

His fears calmed by the beautiful woman and charismatic man, the three quickly realized that Kelvor had somehow traveled from Athas to the Lands Within the Wind. Although none of them could explain how he got there, they though that Bartleby might be able to help, once Redra was found. The three headed out…

Skitters in the Dark
The trio came to a bank of a gully with a wide river at its bottom. The sides of the gully were steep and thickly overgrown with thorny brush. They exact depth of the gully was difficult to tell in the darkness. A single log bridge provided the only obvious method to reach the other side, but it was far more treacherous than it originally appeared. Paelias was able to cross by using the Way and Elleandra was able to navigate the log with carefully placed footing. Kelvor, who had never encountered such a natural obstacle, fell, and only barely managed to prevent himself from being injured.

With the party split, a half-dozen of large spiders and several swarms of small spiders emerged from the brush below the bank with loud clicking and chittering. Paelias suffered the worst of the spiders attacks, as their bites carried a poison he appeared to be especially susceptible to. His mastery of the Way allowed him to remain fighting and bolstered his new allies. Elleandra used her magic to great effect to stun and push the spiders while also effectively dealing with the small swarms. Kelvor was able to maneuver across the log and join his new allies, making several deadly strikes against the largest of the spiders.

The Crazed Woman and the Dream Portal
After tending to their wounds, the group moved on and the forest opened up to reveal a small graveyard. Around three dozen grave markers of stone and wood dotted the clearing. The scene was lit by the ghostly blue glow Kelvor had seen earlier. The light came from a blue miasma of magical energy swirling above one of the wooden markers. A hazy alien landscape could be dimly seen within the pulsing glow. A young, human woman lay on the the ground near the swirling light, covered in blood. As the group approached, her head tilted toward them, her eyes open wide. Cackling loudly, she spoke with labored breath “Not…dead”.

Paelias moved to aid the woman and tend to her wounds. His healing skill was enough to slow the flow of blood, but it took his skill in the Way to allow the wounds to begin to close. Kelvor examined the scene in the portal, hopeful that it might be his homeland, but it was a nightmarish gray land. Elleandra could not close the portal with her arcane skill, but she did determine that something had recently entered these land through it but had moved on.

The trio began to try and calm the woman, Redra, who was clearly traumatized by her wounds and whatever events had befallen her. Although they were able to calm her suspicions she still babbled answers to their questions and it took some time to deduce what had happened in the graveyard.

Mother’s dead. I saw. Now it’s mine. All mine!

Sleep, die, sleep, die, sleep, die, sleep, die! Two thousand and five hundred nights! Don’t let me die again!

The nightmare is real! It was never only a dream!

The nightmare is here! Red eyes and red death! Red eyes and red blade!

Not alone, Death is not alone! It has friends. Not friends… fiends! They killed mother!

The group pieced together that some nightmare creature had been released by Redra and was now likely moving towards the towns. Hoping that Redra would be safe and nothing else would come through the portal, the group moved on towards the nearest group of homes, hoping they weren’t too late to stop the nightmare creature.

Redra’s Nightmare
They arrived at a small village consisting of small two-story wooden homes. Two fenced areas, one a garden, the other likely a corral, stood next to small, sparsely-decorated houses. What might have been an otherwise idyllic hometown was marred by blood-curdling screams of fear as several villagers fled the scene. Ahead, of the group a pair of humanoids bearing daggers and other weapons were moving through the town, apparently unaware of the trio’s arrival.

A great bellow came from the far side of one of the houses. A deep voice echoed “Flee, little ones, or be the next morsel on my table.” The trio rushed into the middle of the houses, hoping to draw the attention of the attackers. They were successful and Redra’s Nightmare charged into their midst, while the other two creatures moved forward cutting down a villager along the way.

Paelias used his skill in the Way to daze the Nightmare and Elleandra used her magic to immobilize the other creatures. Kelvor attempted to draw the attention of the Nightmare and have it focus on him. The creature kept attacking Kelvor and Paelias, who suffered the worst of his wrath. The group was able to defeat the Nightmare and its allies and prevent more death in the villages.

Epilogue
Paelias, Elleandra and Kelvor backtracked to find Redra still in the graveyard and still alive. They escorted her back to Bartleby and as she became less panicked, they learned more of what had transpired before. Redra’s mother had a nightmare every night for many years and eventually she had succumb to the nightmare and withered away from the fear and paranoia. One night Redra’s mother sprang from her bed and rand screaming into the night. When Redra found her she was being torn to pieces by large spiders, just as her dream her had prophesied.

That same night Redra had her mother’s dream, down to every exact detail. Hoping to avoid her mother’s fate, she sought out Bartleby and learned of magic over the next seven years. Redra discovered a ritual in Bartleby’s library and she decided to end her nightmare. She traveled to her mother’s grave and cast the ritual opening a portal to the dream world and call forth the nightmare and destroy it. Sadly she was not powerful enough and was overwhelmed.

Paelias and Elleandra were determined to investigate this and other strange occurrences in their land, fearful that it is a sign of something larger happening. Bridging the gap between Athas and the Lands Within the Winds was not difficult for Bartleby and after a strange, but good, meal, Kelvor was returned.

Journey to Kled
After recovering from their ordeal in Slither, the group headed away from the wreckage, careful to avoid any remnants of Yarnath’s forces. The terrain they took was very treacherous, but the group was accustomed to such difficulties and had little trouble. Gwyn and Kelvor were able to locate water but discovered too late that it was unfit for drinking. Morg’s endurance and Vinara’s skill at avoiding the natural predators allowed them to press on without further difficulty.

During the first night on their journey to resupply at the Silver Spring Oasis the party was awoken to sounds of a struggle and found Merric and Chai-Tak facing off against each other. If that wasn’t bad enough, Kelvor was missing with no signs indicating where he went. The rest of the group was paralyzed with indecision and did nothing until Merric lunged at Chai-Tak who fired his bow. The arrow went wild and Merric struck true with his sword. Gwyn and Morg stepped in to end the scuffle. Chai-Tak accused Merric of attempting to steal the Seed and Merric accused Chai-Tak of attempting to poison him.

The two were separated and Vinara took the Seed herself. The group waited several hours for Kelvor who suddenly appeared, unnoticed by the others. He claimed to have been transported to the Lands Within the Wind where he traveled through a forest, across a river and battle a nightmare creature with a beautiful woman and a noble elf. Dismissing his tale as a dream brought on by the tainted water, the group finally resumed their journey to the Oasis.

Another day of hot and dusty travel brought them out of the wastes and to the gates of the Silver Spring Oasis. It had only been a week since they left it felt like it had been much longer. At the gate the hailed the guards and asked for entrance. After a long pause the guard dismissed them, saying they were not welcome at the Oasis. After a few arguments two things became clear: they were not going to be allowed entrance into the compound and that their actions with their House Tsalaxa captive had come back to haunt them.

Ashamed and dangerously low on supplies, they continued on the road towards Tyr.

Fey Crossing
The first night away from the Oasis the party fell asleep, despite their intention to keep a watch. They all awoke with a sudden feeling that they were falling. The feeling lasted only a moment and then they found themselves standing on a narrow trail running through thick grass. The air was heavy with the scent of greenery and there were large trees looming over the group. Vines and heavy foliage was strung between them and the air was cool and damp. Everything seemed abnormally clear: Colors were brighter, sounds were sharper, and objects – for lack of any better way of thinking about it – were more real.

The consensus was that they were within the Land Within the Wind, but how they got there was unknown to any of them. Kelvor was relieved that he was not going mad; that it appeared far more likely that his dream had been real. Gwyn was overwhelmed with the raw magic of the place.

As they were still getting adjusted to their new surroundings, they noticed two figures walking down the road towards them. The group prepared for trouble, but Kelvor recognized them as the individuals he had previously met here – Paelias and Elleandra. When the two were close, Paelias greeted Kelvor and told him of the continued growing evil in these lands. He had hoped that the malignant power was isolated to the dream portal, but it now appeared to only be a symptom of a larger issue. He and Elleandra had tracked down a possible source of the corruption to an ancient site known as the Garden of Graves.

Paelias explained that he believed that if the corruption of this realm were not stopped it might have drastic consequences for Athas. The group, especially Morg, was less than enthusiastic about dealing with another set of problems. Somewhat taken aback, Paelias offered Morg a small purse filled with coins as a reward for his assistance. Morg, and the othera accepted. Paelias was needed elsewhere and did not accompany them, but the group was joined by Elleandra who knew the way to the Garden.

Woodland Woes
With Elleandra guiding them, the party made good time towards the Garden. After several hours the trail they were following came upon a clearing with a crystal clear pond of water. Around the pond was a small group of humans a couple men and a woman and two small children. With them was a large white beast with a single horn and some type of hairy tail – nothing the adventurers had every heard of before. Although suspicious, there was no immediate danger so the group approached the pond and was greeted warmly by the woman.

The woman told her tale of woe: her group were refugees from a nearby village that had been attacked by creatures she called goblins. Although the descriptions were strange to everyone be Elleandra, the scenario was all too familiar – a marauding band of raiders. As the conversation was made and the cool water was had by all, Merric began to become uneasy with the situation, sensing something wasn’t right. Gwyn detected some type of magic at work, but it was Elleandra (who was far more familiar with this world) who was able to break the illusion.

The two children shrank and turned into small furry creatures with antlers on their heads. The two men grew into monstrous green brutes with clubs and leathery skin. The animal remained much the same, but the pure white coloration turned to dark ebony and the horn turned a sinister red. The woman became wrinkled and purplish in color with with wild hair and tattered clothes. Without another word, the transformed creatures rushed to attack.

The unusual nature of the creatures proved to be quite a challenge to the group during the combat. When the creatures were thought to be killed, the reanimated and continued to attack for a brief period of time. This was likely another side effect of the corruption in the area. The brutes took a liking to Gwyn and knocked her out twice during the combat. They appeared to possess an ability to regenerate naturally and only Kelvor’s torch put them down for good. The small furred creatures proved exceptionally difficult to defeat and they had vicious teeth that tore into Kelvor’s neck. The horned creature’s mere presence aided its allies and it healed the woman when she was near death.

Although the group didn’t work together exceptionally well, they were able to defeat the strange creatures. Elleandra’s magic was able to distract and incapacitate many of the foes. Gwyn’s magic was a combination of misdirection with her Veiled Alliance training and powerful sorcery. Vinara was able to keep the party alive and she and bear focued on the woman and the horned animal. Kelvor moved all over the fight attempting to keep control. Morg engaged the woman and attempted to keep the small animals in check. In the end they all collapsed near the pond, in much need of a rest.

The Path of Broken Stones
After the long fight against the fey creatures, the party decided to take a few hours near the pond to recover their strength. Instead, the found that something was draining their energy while they tried to rest. Gwyn and the others recognized this as a tell-tale sign of defiling magic. Unwilling to wait longer, the group continued on through the thick woods and waving grasses, seemingly without a definite directions.

Finally the trees began to thin somewhat and they spotted an enormous ridge of dark stone looming ahead. The sounds of rushing water could be heard in the distance, but the dense trees prevented them from finding the source. From where they stood, a narrow tunnel could be seen piercing the dark-hued rock. Some writing was chiseled into the stone, a form of Elven that only Elleandra was able to translate.

Like lustful swain or panicked child
Who beg another’s gentle hand,
The fool delves heedless through the wild.
The wise are not so soon beguiled.

Let art and image point the way,
Abandon all you think you know,
For common sense leads fool astray
The key is simply this: Obey.

The wise must ever strategize;
They never play, unless to win.
They see the harm in comfort’s lies,
And seek to open weary eyes.

You’ve fought your way, you’ve risked demise,
To view the ivy heart within.
Now as the soul within you dies,
This knowledge is your only prize:
You’d never have come, were you truly wise.

Although they were unsure of the true meaning of the poem, they saw no other way to get to the Garden of Graves and so entered the tunnel.

The Cave of Entry
The adventurers found themselves in a simple cavern in the rock cliff that looked as though it hadn’t been used in some time. Not all of the stone was natural, however. A trio of statues stood along the far wall, forming a portion of the wall. Each statue depicted a humanoid female clad in rags and tatters with her right hand out, palm up, as though expecting to receive some gift. The figure on the left was a young female, her beauty apparent even given the poor condition of the stone. The center figure was older, her face kind and matronly. The figure on the right was stooped with age, her face a maze of lines and wrinkles.

Gwyn and Elleandra could sense powerful magic within the cavern, coming both from beyond the carved figures, and from the statues themselves. The magic coming from the statues was not the powerful defiling energy they had been feeling, that appeared to be coming from beyond the cave. The group was unsure on how they could get past the statues, knowing that it was some type of puzzle.

They decided and Elleandra placed a small number of gold coins in the palm of the middle statue. They disappeared but the crone statute moved to attack, placing her hand of Elleandra who began to wither and age. The group battled the animated crone statue, attempting to appease it with coins, but not being successful. Kelvor too suffered the touch of the crone statue, but was able to overcome its withering magic.

Once the statue was battered down, it reformed and continued to block their way. Eventually the group decided that the gift should go to the crone statue and when Kelvor placed a few gems into her open palm, they disappeared and the statues moved aside, allowing them access to the the exit from the cave.

Twisting Passages
As they emerged from the passage, they found themselves at a crossroad. A path lead to the left around the base of the cliff and it appeared that their other option was to make a climb up the 60 foot cliff face to reach the top. They could not see the top of the rocky cliff, but felt that the climb might be too dangerous, especially given the condition of Elleandra.

The path lead to a series of old tunnels that cut their way into the living rock of the cliff. These tunnels were obviously quite old, and appeared to be unused. They group explored the tunnels for a few hours, making note of many dead ends and finding no other exit than the entrance they used. Just as they were about to give up and attempt the treacherous ascent, Vinara noticed that one of the dead ends had as small amount of light coming from above and with Merric’s help a secret door was located which lead to a narrow staircase leading upwards.

Game Room
They emerged from a trap door into a room that appeared out of place. The chamber before them was luxurious, sporting a rich carpet, a gleaming chandelier in the cent of the ceiling, and five large tables each with a haphazard collection of dice, cards and gaming pieces. Every surface of the floors, walls and ceilings were covered in carved eldritch runes. There were two sets of massive double doors providing exits from the room.

As the room and tables were explored, each felt a compulsion to sit and play one of the games. Heeding the suggestion of the poem, none resisted this compulsion. Although none had ever played these games before, they knew the rules once they sat at the table and began to play against their unseen opponents. Merric and Chai-Tak had no game to play and each took up a position near one of the doors.

Vinara played a card game whereby the winner is determined by the ranks and combinations of their cards, some of which remain hidden until the end of the game. For her game, Gwyn moved around a game board buying or trading properties, developing them, and collecting rent from their opponents, the ultimate goal being to drive them into bankruptcy. Morg played a comparing card game against a dealer where a specific number was reached but not exceeded. Elleandra played a game on a board depicting a political map of a fictional land where the primary object of the game was to occupy every territory on the board and in so doing, eliminate all other players. In Kelvor’s game, he assumed the role of a settler, attempting to build and develop holdings while trading and acquiring resources.

Each person eventually won their games, however, each player suffered as mistakes were made, the game punishing them. However, as each game was overcome, one of the doors leading out of the room opened slightly. With the last game completed, the door opened all the way, revealing a passageway headed deeper into the building. The other door easily opened to the outside, where the graveyard could be seen.

Chamber of Tapestries
The group followed the interior hallway, which was also covered with the same strange runes. They found themselves in a chamber adorned with about a dozen tapestries. One had an image of fey dancing in a ring of toadstools as thunderclouds gather overhead and another showed a young man weeping over the corpse of a murdered maiden in a glade.

One tapestry against the western wall shows an almost life-sized double door, bounded in iron and silver and covered in arcane runes. A figure clad in black is being hurled back from the door by a bolt of lightning, with obvious lock picks flying from his fingers. His companion, who is dressed in chainmail, is leaning forward as though to stop him. The second figure is holding a key in his open hand. It’s the only tapestry that shows an indoor scene.

The room had no obvious exit, but behind one of the tapestries was a hidden door. The door opened easily enough and the group proceeded on. The power of the magic growing steadily stronger as they moved through the rune-etched hallway.

Wild at Heart
A much larger chamber opened before the group when they exited the hallway. A raised dais on one side had a large pile of stones resting atop it. It looked to be a cairn, but if so, it was the resting place of something truly enormous. Three smaller cairns lay clustered on the floor on the far side of the room. Like the other rooms in this structure, the walls and floors of the chamber were covered in runes. Vines and other plants could be seen growing throughout this room as many cracks and holes in the walls and ceiling allowed ample sunlight through.

Vinara and the others began to examine the contents of this room. It was clear that the cairn stones didn’t belong here, as they appeared to have once lain outside. On the opposite side of the room from where they entered, a large set of double doors, similar to the ones depicted in the tapestry, were closed. These enormous double doors were covered in runes and bound in iron and silver.

During their examination of the room, one of the stone coffins was opened, causing a great disturbance. From the raised dais, the large pile of cairn stones began to move and a leathery shell of a giant emerged from beneath them. The smaller piles also shifted, revealing three humanoid figures dressed in rags and decaying armor. From all around, the vines began to shift and twist on their own as a massive plant emerged from the rubble.

Surrounded and already weakened by their encounter with the crone and the combat was brutal. Both Gwyn and Vinara were knocked unconscious at the same time and only the quick actions of Elleandra allowed them to survive. Morg and Kelvor both suffered as the giant drained their vitality to feed its own. Merric was slain by a combination of the plants poisonous vines and the zombie knights attacks. Eventually the giant was over powered and the other opponents finished off.

The group took a brief rest and Vinara used her magic to bring Merric back from death, although the ritual sapped some of the last reserves from her companions…

The Double Doors
The enormous set of double doors stood in front of the group as they took a few minutes to recover from their battle. The combat and the subsequent spell from Vinara to bring Merric back from the Gray had exhausted the party and their rest only helped a little.

Gwyn and Elleandra were quite sure that the doors were magically reinforced, making any attempt to physically open them futile. They found nothing but rubble and the remains of their foes in room after a thorough search. Merric braved getting close to the doors to examine the lock, fearful of being shocked as they saw the man depicted in the tapestry. His fears came true as he was hit by a blast of lightning from the doors. Although in pain, he finished his examination of the lock before backing away from the door.

Remembering the poem the group attempted to not follow their “common sense” in different attempts to open the door. Gwyn thought to throw a rock at the door, but was so badly hurt that she wanted someone else to throw it. None of these solutions caused the doors to open and Kelvor was badly injured in the process. Seeing no other option, the group decided to head back to the game room and search the outside for any clues or for the key itself.

Pool Chamber
Outside the main structure, there were many ruined mausoleums and other structures. The group split up and began searching for anything that might help them bypass the doors. An hour of searching revealed no signs of a key or anything else of interest in the graveyard. Only one other building was found to be mostly intact with small amounts of water issuing forth. The group ventured inside, wary of trouble.

The walls within the chamber were covered in the same peculiar runes. A stone-rimmed pool was burbling at one end, with water overflowing. The overflowing water ran down the side and trickled in various rivulets across the floor. Instead of randomly flowing through the rough floor, the water made twisting, snaky patterns that appeared to have the same eldritch designs.

Vinara approached the pool, intending to take a drink (having quite enough of the riddles in this place), but she noticed a pale metal key laying at the base of the pool. It was slightly distorted by ripples in the water. Vinara was able to see past the surface distortions and grab the key. As she did the rippling in the water intensified and a strange watery serpent formed and lashed out at her. She deflected the attack with her spear. Morg rushed in slashing it with his axe and disrupting the serpent. A brief combat ensued with a constantly appearing water serpent. Each successful strike on the entity caused it to disappear. Only Morg was struck by the serpent and when he was, he disappeared from the room.

The party discovered that the water serpents range was limited and when Vinara left the building with the key, the serpent ceased its attack. About the time that the party returned to the main building, Morg rejoined them, drenched. He told the group that he had been transported to a fast moving river and was barely able to stop himself before plummeting over the edge to a 60 foot fall. The group re-entered the structure and quickly went to the double doors. Vinara walked up to the door and tried the key, only to find that it didn’t fit. She quickly backed away as the lightning from the doors blasted at the floor behind her feet.

Frustrated by another set back, the party was unsure of what to do. Elleandra suggested they try putting the key into the tapestry and so the group moved back to the tapestry. With the key in hand, it was obvious that the key depicted in the tapestry was the same one that was in their hand. They also realized that the lock on the door in the tapestry was too large. Although the door and the figures beside it were almost life-sized, the lock was fully life-sized. Vinara inserted the key into the lock on the tapestry and heard an echoing click as the key made contact with the fabric lock.

There was no visible change in the room or in the tapestry, the sound obviously coming from some place else. They returned to find the double doors opened, revealing another hallway. They lit their torches and proceeded down a twisting passageway.

The Fey Engine
The chamber ahead of the group was clearly the heart of some sort of eldritch design. Runes such as those that had been seen elsewhere in the complex spiral along the walls and floor in various intertwining patterns, all finally culminating in the precise center of the room. An intricate contraption of iron rods and wooden shafts, crossing and crisscrossing each other stood at that point. At each intersection, a rune could be seen on wood and metal, and several of the larger joints were adorned with gemstones. At its top, the device came to a pyramidal peak, with prongs holding a gleaming emerald.

Although Gwyn and Vinara had no doubt that the device was the source of the draining energy they had all been feeling and experiencing, neither had any idea how the device functioned. It was magic far beyond their abilities. One thing was certain, the device, although powerful, was likely to be quite fragile. Kelvor stepped forward and swung a mighty blow with his scimitar.

A sudden flash of energy erupted from the emerald, nearly blinding the party with the intensity. The engine began to shatter and collapse in upon itself as the iron bars began to rust and gemstones turned to dust as they fell to the group. From an unimaginable distance, they heard what sounded like a shriek of frustrated rage, cut off in mid breath.

Admist the wreckage of the engine, Vinara located several precious gemstones that survived the destruction. In addition, one piece of the engine that was apparently obscured by the wood and iron survived. The piece appeared to be a staff made of twisted strands of smoky black glass, but it was obviously harder than the iron supports. Vinara gave the staff to Gwyn who felt strengthened by the shadowy energy the staff infused her with.

Morg took all of the iron bars that appeared to be mostly intact from the wreckage and the group headed back out of the complex. As they did so, they noted that the structure appeared to be decaying rapidly – the remaining tapestries were fading, the game room was in disarray with the boards and pieces broken and lying on the ground.

A Well-Deserved Rest
The group made camp near the pool and enjoyed an uneventful evening with Morg and Kelvor on watch. The following morning they met Paelias along the trail and exchanged news of their adventures. Paelias confirmed that the destruction of the engine had halted the destruction of the land and appeared to be returning the creatures to their normal temperaments. He invited all of the group to join him in the nearby village of Dempsy before returning them to Athas.

At the village they restocked their supplies of food and water and were able to take some time to pursue some individual activities. Although not all had much that was acceptable currency in Dempsy, they were able to secure enough provisions to make the passage to Kled. Kelvor asked Paelias if he had any advice or knowledge regarding the crown. Unfortunately, the only assistance that Paelias could provide was generalities about the difficulty in destroying powerful magic artifacts. Morg and Merric spent some actual gold coins on buying a metal weapons.

Gwyn and Vinara tended to the recovery of Elleandra, who was still under the effects of the Crone Statue. Paelias provided Gwyn with instruction on a power ritual that could remove her affliction. With Vinara’s assistance, Gwyn was able to complete the ritual and restored Elleandra to her original health, although it took her a bit of time to recover fully from the ordeal. Gwyn’s companions had not realized how powerful she was becoming in her magic studies and were impressed.

The Village of Kled
Eventually the group decided that it was time for them leave the Lands Within the Wind and to return to Athas so they could continue their quest to free the dwarves of Kled. Elleandra decided to join them, feeling that the connection she felt to Vinara, the spear and the seed was no mere coincidence. Paelias, with the assistance of Gwyn and Elleandra was able to send them back to Athas much closer to Kled then they had origianlly thought.

They found themselves on a large hill overlooking the village of Kled. None had been to it before and were shocked to see that the squat buildings had no roofs and that the entire town was arranged in a series of concentric circles. Clearly visible, even from the hill, were the banners of Urik – a golden lion walking like a man on a red background. Also visible were green banners with a red emblem of a two-headed snake. Kelvor recognized those as the crest of House Lubar.

An Occupied Village
After leaving the Lands Within the Wind, the group found themselves standing beneath an arch of golden sandstone, taking what shelter they could find from the white-hot sky. Below them was the dwarf village of Kled. The blazing heat was comforting to all in the group except for Elleandra, who was unaccustomed to such conditions.

The central plaza of the village, with a jagged edge of curving salients that resembled tongues of flame, could be seen from their vantage point. The circle was paved with cobblestones of crimson sandstone and a small windmill with slowing spinning sails could be seen in the middle of a round plaza. With each rotation, the mill pumped a few gallons of cool, clear water from a deep well and dumped it into a covered cistern.

The residences of the village were arranged in a series of concentric circles enclosed by a single low wall of red brick. The huts themselves were made of rounded red flagstone walls. The buildings stood only about five feet high, and none were covered by any semblance of a roof. Their interiors were visible and stone tables, benches, beds and other furnishings could be seen.

Looking out of place were several huts constructed of wooden and cloth just outside the city. The banners of Urik and House Lubar could be seen fluttering in the afternoon breeze. A large number of soldiers, all wearing the red tunics of Urik were marching in and around the village. Kelvor estimated the there were about 200 soldiers occupying the village of about 400 dwarves.

The group quickly realized that there was virtually no chance of a successful assault on the village and so they decided to ambush a patrol and sneak into the city to attempt to contact, or start, a resistance to the occupation. After moving to a better location to ambush a patrol, they waited patiently under the hot sun until their prey appeared. Although they were hidden well, the patrol was alert and ready for trouble. A brief combat ensued between them and the forces of Urik, lead by a templar and his half-giant guards.

Gwyn dressed herself in the templar’s robes and Morg and Kelvor made makeshift outfits from the half-giant’s tunics. The rest of the group donned the garb of the soldiers and they all headed into the village. Because of Chai-Tak’s size and appearance it was decided that he remain behind. Kelvor was able to lead the party past several Urikite patrols. Morg used his gift with the Way to eavesdrop, attempting to find the dwarves they had freed from the Urikite templar on the way to the Cistern. Eventually they heard that Niva and Marok were being forced to work in the obsidian mines.

The Obsidian Mines
Still disguised as a templar and guards, the group made their way from the city into the foothills of the mountains towards the obsidian mine. They were briefly stopped along the way at a guard station, but Gwyn was able to bluff her way past the guards with very little difficulty. Once the mines were reached, more guards were convinced to fetch Niva and Marok for “interrogation” by the templar.

Taken out of sight, the two dwarves were relieved to see Morg and his companions and told of the occupation of Kled by a powerful psionicist named Maetan Lubar. Although the dwarves did not like the occupation, they were unwilling to cause trouble for the forces of Urik or do anything that would endanger their village. During this exchange an mine Overseer challenged Gwyn for taking away his workers during their shift. She put on her best act and succeeded in turning him away with an arrogant flip of her hair. Confused by this stubborness and illogical attitude the group started to make their own plans for attacking the forces of Urik. The dwarves were adamant that nothing endanger the safety of the village.

Just as the the group was about to leave the mines and head back towards the village to start trouble, the Overseer returned with a number of guards, prepared for combat. It appeared that Gwyn was not as convincing as she thought. Although the skilled forces of Urik fought well, they were little match for the seasoned veterans of the desert and the combat was over quickly. Niva and Marok were in awe of the the groups skill, especially that of Morg who they claimed fought like a warrior of legend.

The dwarves escorted the party out of the mine area and south of the village. Just as the sun was setting, they arrived at a hill of sand partially covering a section of ruins. What they saw at the hill was barely comprehensible – two dwarves wearing full plate armor made of steel and holding steel great axes were standing guard over two enormous bronze doors. With a few words the guards allowed the party to pass through the doors and into a cool tunnel.

The Ruins of Kemalok
The tunnel they moved down was lined with wide strips of animal hide, gray and cracked with age. The lining was supported with wooden beams to keep the sand from cascading in an burying the excavation. The corridor was so low that everyone had to practically crawl through it. Eventually the tunnel opened into a small chamber, where a makeshift camp had been set up.

A venerable dwarf emerged from a tent and greeted Niva and Marok, he was introduced as Lyanius, the village Urhonomus. The previous exploits of Morg and his companions were retold as well as a description of the fight with the mine overseer. Nodding throughout the telling Lyanius welcomed the group to the ancient dwarven city of Kemalok…

“I found Kemalok 200 years ago when I happened upon a short section of parapet the wind had uncovered. I knew instantly that I had uncovered a dwarven city form the time of the ancients. The merlons were too short for your people, and the stonecraft was far beyond anything the paltry mason or our age can achieve."

“I spent the next century and a half excavating the ruins, first working alone and eventually coming to be a leader of an entire village focused upon eventual reestablishment of Kemalok.”

“Since the arrival of the Urikites, our work on Kemalok has nearly halted, robbing us of our focus. We cannot let them discover its location and plunder its treasures. The spirits of our ancestors have become restless with the presence of the Urikites, futher hindering our ability to make progress.”

“I believe that you may have the ability to calm these restless spirits and if you can, you will prove that you are truely heroes and we will fight the Urikites along side of you.”

Morg was especially unnerved by his comments, but the group agreed to follow the old dwarf. The tunnel opens up into a small chamber. The path they took lead to a small stone walkway that looked as though it had once been a bridge. Beside the causeway lay more than a dozen weapons of various materials. Several of them looked to be quite ancient, judging by the rot of their wooden handles or the yellowed brittleness of their bone blades. Lyanius commented often as they made their way through the excavation.

“The remains of those who entered here uninvited.”

On the other end of the bridge, there was an arched gateway in a magnificent stone wall. Inscribed into the stone were several strange runes which none could read. A few feet above the gateway hung a portcullis of rusty-red iron. It was supported by thick iron chains that disappeared through a set of openings into the gatehouses that flanked the pathway. The walls of these buildings were constructed of white marble, so finely cut and carefully fit together that even a sliver of torchlight could not have slipped between them. The group was impressed with the craftsmanship from another age.

“Beyond this gate, place your trust in the strength of your friendship, not the temper of your blade. You may go no further unless you leave your blades behind.”

The group deposited their daggers, axes and sword outside the gatehouse, except for Merric who refused to go unarmed. As the group moved through the archway, a chest-high figure steped from around the gatehouse corner. It wore a complete suit of black metal plate mail, trimmed at every joint in silver and gold. In its hand the figure held a battle-axe of polished steel with scintillating lights and its helm was capped by a jewel-studded crown of galeaming white metal. The only thing visible of a face was swaddled in green bandages, and the eyes burned with a glow as yellow as the afternoon sky.

“This is Rkard, the last of the dwarven kings. Show him you bear no weapons and he will let you pass.”

On the other side of the gatehouse, a confusing warren of tunnels branched off in a dozen directions, leading down what had once been the grand avenues and hidden alleys of a sizable metropolis. The greatest part of Kemalok still ay buried under mounds of sand, but enough of it showed to see that most of the buildings were constructed of granite block. The five-foot doors and narrow, chest-high windows left no doubt that this had indeed been a dwarven city.

Eventually they came to another bridge leading to a gate. This bridge was made of wooden planks, half-rotten and patched here and there with the wide, flat ribs of a mekillot. An immense set of iron doors blocked further passage once the bridge had been crossed. Lyanius pushed open easily, as much a testament to his strength as the engineering. A short tunnel lined with chest-high arrow loops leads to a series of vaults, revealing the outer bailey of a once great castle.

Passing through this area, the party was able to peer into what had been the shops and homes of the castle’s smiths, tanners, fletchers, armorers and dozens of other craftsmen. Their tools, made mostly from steel and iron, still hung in the racks where they had been neatly stored thousands of years ago. The amount of metal the party saw was staggering and beyond anything they had ever seen, or dreamed.

Moving through another gate and into the inner bailey, they arrived at a courtyard before a square keep of white marble. The keep rose high overhead and the roof was lost in the sand overhead. At each corner of the keep stood a round tower, its arrow loops commanding much of the courtyard below.

“The Tower of Buryen, home to the dwarven kings for 3000 years.”

On each side of the entrance foyer sat a pair of stone benches, one sized for the short legs of the dwarves and one for the longer legs of humans. In the corners stood full suits of dwarven plate mail, the shaft of a double-bladed battle-axe gripped in the armor’s gauntlets. Both the armor and the weapons were made of polished steel, gleaming as brilliantly as the day they had been forged.

Vinara noticed that there was no sign of life in the suits of armor and that they were much too small for a dwarf. Although they were about the right height, they were far from broad enough for the massive shoulders and bulging limbs typical of the dwarven race.

“Our ancestors were not as robust as we are today. They even had some hair.”

The next area they moved through was a huge hallway running the perimeter of the keep. The floor was arranged in a pattern of polished black and white squares. At even spaces along the walls, tall white columns supported the vaulted ceiling above. Between each set of arches was a mural painted directly onto the wall.

The first painting before them portrayed a dwarf dressed in a full suit of golden plate armor, a huge warclub cradled in his arms. From beneath his golden crown cascaded a huge mop of unruly hair that hung well past his shoulders. That was not the “worst” of it, either. His face was lost beneath a thick beard that started just below his eyes and tumbled in a tangled mass clear down to his belly. The party was shocked as such a depiction of a dwarf.

“Come along! I didn’t bring you hear to mock my ancestors.”

The other murals in the hallway portrayed grossly bearded dwarves as well. The paintings usually depicted dwarves standing in the somber halls of dimly lit keeps or in the dark chambers of some vast cave. The last mural in line depicted the guardian of the city, King Rkard. Like the figure that met them at the city gate, the dwarf in the painting had golden-yellow eyes and wore black plate mail trimmed in silver and gold. His helm was crowned by a jewel-studded crown of strange white metal. In his hands, the picture king even held a battle-axe identical to the one carried by the gate-guardian. Behind Rkard, the ground sloped down a gentle hill blanketed by the green stalks and red blossoms of some broad-leafed plant. At the bottom of the slope, a wide ribbon of blue water meandered through a series of lush meadows. In the fields grew food crops of every imaginable color and shape. In the far background of the painting, the river finally disappeared into a forest of billowing trees ranging in color from amber to russet to maroon. Behind this timberland rose a mountain range, its peaks and high slopes strangely covered with white.

“Dwarven artists painted only what they saw.”

Finally the group reached a pair of massive wooden doors so infested with dry rot that it was surprising they still hung on their hinges. Despite the deterioration of the doors, the strange animals carved into each one remained handsome and distinct. The snarling beasts resembled bears, save that, instead of the articulated shells armoring the creatures, these were covered with nothing more protective than a thick mat of long fur.

“Beyond these doors lie the crypts of Kemalok. Here the spirits of our ancestors are unquiet. Go forth and put their souls at ease. If you convince them, then you shall have earned our help against the forces of Urik, and proven that you are heroes.”

The Crypts of Kemalok
Tasked with quieting the restless spirits of the ancient dwarves of Kemalok, the group cautiously entered the crypts. If successful they would convince the dwarves of their good intentions and would gain their support in overthrowing the forces of Urik. If they failed, they would likely become the dead themselves.

They found the crypt to be a large central chamber with four side chambers that were partially collapsed from the passage of time. The central chamber had a number of small graves along the walls and one large monument to the dwarves of ages past. All was covered in a thick layer of dust, sand and dirt, with much rubble strewn about.

As the group explored the ruins it became obvious that the monument had become damaged at some point in the past. Speculating that restoring the monument would help quiet the spirits of the dwarves the group began searching for the pieces that would restore it. Morg was able to shift rocks and debris from a large pile in one of the rooms and unearthed what appeared to be a religious icon. As he took it, the ground shifted and an undead dwarf emerged and began to move towards him. Kelvor intercepted and kept the creature occupied as best he could with only his shield.

Morg was unable to determine how to fit the icon onto the monument, although Elleandra had little difficulties working it out. As the party worked to uncover additional pieces, more undead dwarves began to appear and it became apparent that those best suited to restoring the monument were also the best suited to fighting the increasing number of undead. Gwyn with her magic and VInara with her Heartwood Spear were the the most capable fighters, but the undead were ferocious and quickly began to wear down their strength.

Although Elleandra was badly wounded, she was able to slip past one of the undead to search for the final piece to the monument. Kelvor fell to the constant attacks of the undead, although Vinara was able to revive him with her healing magic. Eventually finding it, Elleandra raced back to finish the repairs on the monument with the last of strength. As she did so, the undead halted their attacks, gave a nod of acknowledgement and departed the tomb.

Alone on A Hill
Chai-Tak had been alone in the hills overlooking the village of Kled for many hours. He had at first enjoyed the wonderful meal that was the remains of his former opponents, a patrol of the forces of Urik, but soon the boredom set in and he missed his new clutch. He began to wander in the hills, careful to stay out of sight on the off chance that another patrol was nearby.

Without warning Chai-Tak nearly ran into a halfling wearing the red tunic of the army of Urik. Equally surprised to see a lone thri-kreen, both stood starring at each other for a moment. Suddenly the halfling launched a javelin at Chai-Tak, but it flew wide. Chai-Tak drew back on his greatbow and loosed an arrow, striking the halfling squarely in the shoulder. A fierce combat ensued with the halfling charging into melee and Chai-Tak attempting to keep some distance and use his bow.

Chai-Tak was able to land a number of hits on the halfling without suffering too many injuries himself. The toughness of the halfling was such that he appeared to ignore most of the wounds. Eventually the scout landed a series of blows with wicked daggers and another javelin, which was tipped with a poison. Chai-Tak was quickly worn down and eventually collapsed, his last sight was the halfling looming over him with a hungry look in his eyes.

To Save the Village
When they returned from the catacombs, the party was met with a mixture of awe and respect. They had clearly demonstrated that they had the best interests of Kemalok as their concern. Lyanius agreed to lend their support in the hero’s attempt to overthrow the forces of Urik occupying the village of Kled. After their combat in the quarry, the forces of Urik were alerted to the heroes activities. They were now fortifying their position in the village.

Before they left, the corpse of Rkard, the last king of Kemalok presented Morg with his axe, a magnificent steel weapon. Morg felt the weight of the responsiblity of the gift more than the weight of the weapon itsefl. Rkard gave to Gwyn a tome written in an ancient dwarven language that none alive could translate. Her magic would allow her to decipher the ancient text, given enough time.

Morg and Vinara were each given their own group of dwarf soldiers for support and went out into the village, moving into the city towards the central well. After securing the well from a group of templars who appeared to be attempting to poison the water supply, a crashing sound from the north, the direction of the obsidian quarry, shook the village. They moved into the mine and prevented the Urikites from collapsing the entrance. Along the way they were able to recruit more dwarves, but also lost many in their fierce combat.

Kelvor, Elleandra and Gwyn took their dwarves and moved around the south edge of the city towards the detention area. They were forced to move slowly as they encountered heavy resistance from the Urikites and their halfling scouts. After picking up additional dwarves who were willing to fight, they stormed the detention area to find a great many of the dwarves had been slaughtered by their captors. In one cell they found the body of Chai-Tak, who had apparently been taken captive and executed.

The two groups eventually joined up outside the commanders tent and proceeded in. Having secured the important village locations and cut off all escape routes, they felt confident that the command would have not option but to surrender or fight.

Final Confrontation
The dwarf soldiers were left to prevent Urikite reinforcements from entering the battle. The heroes found the Urikite commander surrounded by a number of robed allies and a small group of halflings armed with viscous looking weapons. Introducing himself as Maetan Lubar, he offered a chance to surrender and be spared, which was declined. A deadly combat ensued with many dwarves sacrificing themselves too keep the Urikite troops away from the combat.

Maetan and his robed allies proved to be powerful masters of the Way, causing a great deal of harm to the heroes. His mental powers manifested in their minds taking form of numerous serpents all striking with deadly precision. The halflings used poisoned weapons whose slightest nick caused debilitating pain. The mindbenders used their powers to blind and confuse their enemies.

During the fight both Merric and Kelvor suffered nearly-fatal injuries but managed to not succumb to death. As powerful as he was, and with the assistance of an enchanted obsidian orb, Maetan eventually fell to the group’s attacks. WIth their leader defeated, the remaining Urik army scattered to the deserts. Although tempted to pursue, neither the dwarves nor their leaders were in any shape to make a pursuit across the desert.

Return to Tyr
After a few days of much needed rest, the companions decided to return to Tyr ahead of the first shipment of obsidian from Kled. It had been too long since they left the city and everyone was keenly interested to learn the outcome of the recent war with Urik. The dwarves supplied them with fresh food and water and reminded them of their promise to keep the secret of Kemalok.

Before departing Gwyn was given a magnificent platinum tiara as a gift for her translation of the Book of Kemalok Kings. The crown was imbued with magic that allowed her to retain the knowledge of the ancients, according to the dwarves. Kelvor was given a ancient steel shield of the Knights of Kemalok to defend himself and his allies. Morg was allowed to keep the Axe of Rkard and was given the title of Knight of Kemalok. Elleandra had recovered the orb used by Maetan Lubar and had begun to unlock her talents with the Way.

The four day trip from Kled to Tyr was uneventful during their march through the stony badlands and sandy wastes at the foothills of the Ringing Mountains. Along the road, they met no travelers and began to fear the worst. When Tyr came into view, they stopped to try and observe the state of the city. To their pleasant surprise the banners of the free city could be seen and all looked normal.

Not seeing anything to fear the group made the journey to the Caravan Gate and awaited their turn to be admitted into the city. As they waited they drew many stares for they were clearly no ordinary travelers with their steel weapons and exotic armor. The group was reminded just how far they had come since last leaving the city. As they were allowed to enter, they paid their fees with a single gold metal coin, a rare sight in Tyr, or any other city.

Recent History
Eager to find out what had transpired in their absence, the group split up and began to learn as much as they could. They all agreed to meet at the end of the day at Free City Tattoo to share what they had uncovered. The tattoo parlor was opened and Gwyn gave Elleandra a tattoo similar to the ones they had received from the halflings of the Forest Ridge. The Veiled Alliance had become more open, following Gwyn’s suggestion and their participation in the war against Urik had given them some popular support. Gwyn was able to make contact with Jarvix from the Veiled Alliance, who the group shared their tales with. Although he was unable to answer all their questions he agreed to set up a meeting that night with Kivrin at an alliance safe house.

They learned that war with Urik initially went well and the army was able to turn back the forces of Urik before they were able to lay siege to the city. A few days after the heroes left the army marched forth under the command of Rikus. He led them into the plains and surprised the Urikites with their numbers and ferocity. The main army was routed with some of the survivors fleeing to regroup at Kled while the others returned to Urik. Rikus, a former slave in Urik, pursued the forces to the city walls. Emboldened by his victory he lead the army to assault the city itself. Although skilled, he was no match for Hamanu and the few survivors could not tell of his fate, only that they last saw him fighting the sorcerer-king.

Merric was able to arrange brief meetings with several key individuals of the city, attempting to tie up several loose ends. Quick Wenzer, one of the few survivors of the attack on Urik, confirmed the rumors of Rikus’ death at the hands of Hamanu. Wenzer was not actively trying to recruit and train new members for the Tyrian Guard. Master Sintha was pleased and surprised to hear of the upcoming shipment of obsidian from Kled and promised to send a unit of guards to escort the caravan safely to Tyr. Much of the economic turmoil within the city had settled following the war, but the iron mines had yet to fully open making the future of the city uncertain. Agis was pleased to see that the companions had survived their ordeals and was happy to report the the Cistern of Aravek was supplying the city with much needed water. He reported that the king, Tithian, was increasingly absent from city meetings and that the Council of Advisors was starting to push through laws without his approval. No one knews what was occupying Tithian’s time.

Morg went out of his way to contact Castri’s former friend Karlen and inform him of his treachery and loss. Karlen was sad to hear that his friend had succumbed to the temptations of power. He also mentioned that Castri’s mother had been by looking for him shortly after they had left the city. He promised to inform her of the loss of her son.

Kelvor spent some of that afternoon learning of the history of the Ziggurat and the fall of Kalak. He heard the stories of Kalak’s mad desire to complete the Ziggurat nearly bankrupting the city. He learned of the gladiatorial games held on the day of its completion where virtually the entire city attended and was subsequently locked in the area. He heard the stories of terrible magic drawing forth the life of the spectators. He heard how Sadira, Agis, Rikus and Tithian fought the sorcerer-king, killing him inside the Ziggurat after driving him from the arena.

Veiled Surprise
After meeting up at Free City Tattoo and exchanging what they had learned, the entire group left for the Veiled Alliance safe house and a meeting with Kivrin and Jarvix. Each of the heroes was hoping that their questions would be answered at this meeting. Kelvor was hoping that Kivrin might provide him with more knowledge regarding the Crown of Dust. Jarvix had promised to look into the strange Fey Engine that had been discovered in Elleandra’s home, the Land Within the WInds. Merric was hoping the the mysterious sword they had recovered might have some of its secrets revealed. Morg simply wanted his original axe back.

They arrived at the safe house a little early and while they were waiting for Kivrin and Jarvix, the pondered over the rumors of the upcoming levy to the Dragon. The annual event would be the first when the city would not pay the tribute of 1000 slaves since Kalak came to power several thousand years ago. There was a certain amount of fear regarding the consequences of not paying the levy and without a sorcerer-king to defend them, the threat of Urik was but a fond memory.

Jarvix and Kivrin became severely late, something that was quite out of the ordinary for a Veiled Alliance meeting. Just as the group was deciding to investigate, the wood and leather door burst forth and a group of humans and half-giants started to come into the room. Sounds of serious conflict could be heard once the magically warded doors were opened. Somehow the safe house had been compromised!

A vicious battle ensued with the companions temporarily trapped in the safe house. One of the humans made no secret of his defiling ways, withering the plants in the room with each spell he cast. Vinara made a mighty thrust with her spear, a burst of primal power trailing after it. The spear struck true, leaving a mortal wound in his chest. Focusing her mind through the obsidian orb, Elleandra unleashed a psychic assault on the half-giants, the intensity of the attack weakening their defenses.

Although the combat was intense, the battle-hardened heroes were able to easily dispatch their attackers. It was only after the fight was over did they realize that Merric was nowhere to be found. They recalled him moving about the room to attain an advantageous position near Vinara, but after that he disappeared. Vinara quickly realized that the seed from the Tree of Life was missing. They all concluded that Merric had betrayed them and taken the seed for his own purposes, whatever they might be.

As they exited the safe house, the group saw the extent of the conflict in the city. It looked as if the entire district was on fire with total chaos in the streets. Numerous other groups of marauders could be seen moving through the streets. There was no sign of Merric.

Rending the Veil
The group emerged from the Veiled Alliance safe house into the Warrens. The extent of the True’s attack was evident – the entire district was in chaos with True agents attacking and destroying everything in sight. They reasoned that the only way to track down Merric and the stolen seed was to get out of the Warrens as quickly as possible. Everyone suspected that he might be heading to the Ziggurat, but it was impossible to tell.

They felt the best course of action was to make as quiet an exit from the district as possible towards the Elven Market and then assess the situation. They all prepared for what the thought would be an inevitable fight with the True. As they started to move out, Elleandra suddenly became weak and faint. She was barely able to move at all, and had to be helped by Morg. No one knew what had come over her and they didn’t feel as if they could spare a moment to figure it out.

Gwyn and Morg were able to maneuver past a few True with Vinara acting as a lookout and Kelvor using the Way to help bolster the group’s stamina. About halfway out of the Warrens, they came upon a body that they recognized at Jarvix. He appeared to have been badly beaten and was almost dead. Vinara gave him one of her healing berries which was enough to bring him back to consciousness. Gwyn told her friend of Merric’s betrayal and Jarvix voiced his concerns that Merric may be attempting to use the seed to restore Kalak to life. He recommended attempting to break into the Ziggurat with all haste. To aid them he told them of a secret entrance on the south side that they could recognize by an arcane sigil – the same sigil that Gwyn had tattooed on her back.

Into the Belly of the Beast
Leaving Elleandra with Jarvix, the remaining four companions continued to make their way out of the Warrens. The group made their way quickly out of the Warrens and as the entered the Elven Market then ran across Kivrin who was seeking to escape the chaos as well. The group didn’t share all the details with Kivrin, but were eager to know what he had uncovered regarding the crown. Kivrin told them that he believed the final piece of the crown might be held by Ewalu, a great silt horror consort of Ul-Athra. The crown could be used to restore Ul-Athra and although it could be an ally against the Dragon, the primordial has no love for Athas. If the crown itself could be returned to the Elemental Chaos, and might prevent Ul-Athra from returning to the world.

Free from the Warrens, the heroes quickly made their way towards the south side of the Ziggurat and began to search for the hidden entrance. It took all of their cunning to quickly search for the sigil without drawing too much attention to themselves. The Ziggurat was built to channel powerful arcane energies which clouded her ability to sense magic, but eventually Gwyn was able to help locate the entrance. Morg’s strength, along with Gwyn’s magic was able to open the sealed door.

Dead End Beginning
They entered to Ziggurat and lit torches as they began to wander through a series of twisting and turning passageways. Before venturing too far, Gwyn used her magic to seal the door behind them, not wanting to have anyone sneak up on them from behind. Before long they came across a grisly scene. A small shaft of moonlight illuminated the room before them, revealing dozens of bodies. The corpses faces were contorted in agony with blackened tongues visible between foam-flecked lips. Some of the bodies had the amulets of the True.

Several warped forms were hunched over the bodies, and they slowly turned towards the group as it entered the room. The creatures eyes were unfocused and bits of flesh fell from their mouths as they consumed the bodies on the floor. Gwyn and Kelvor recognized these creatures as Withering Ones – zombies that are used to hunt preservers and who react violently to arcane energies.

Kelvor, Vinara and Morg all moved up to block the creatures advance towards Gwyn. Each struck the creatures with their weapons, but only slightly slowed them down. Kelvor was able to defend himself against their attacks, but Morg was grabbed and the Withering One began to eat at his arm and shoulder. Gwyn conjured a sparkling mist that swirled around and covered some of the zombies, attempting to lock them in place and obscure their vision. When the mist made contact with the creature’s flesh, a blast of necrotic energy emanated from it. This started a massive chain reaction which ultimately destroyed all of the zombies and knocked Morg and Kelvor down, draining them to within an inch of true death. Only Vinara was unharmed, a benefit of the life giving Heartwood Spear.

Vinara quickly used her healing spells to restore Kelvor and Morg, but the group was forced to take another quick rest before venturing further into the Ziggurat. They were hopeful that not too much time had passed for them to stop Merric from completing his objectives.

Foil the True
Left on their own, Jarvix and Elleandra took a few minutes to rest in relative safety. The continuing attacks of the True could be heard around them. Although she still felt drained and queasy, Elleandra was able to compose herself enough to travel. Jarvix was not much better, still weakened after his near-death experience. The cries of the inhabitants of the Warrens spurred them into action. The decided that it was up to them to put an end to the rampaging True.

Elleandra was able to use her charms to good effect and the people they found in hiding were convinced to follow them and find more secure shelter. Jarvix, having spent a lot of time in the Warrens, was able to point out safer locations that could hide people from the attackers. The pair worked furiously to hold back the attackers and counter their defiling. After what felt like hours they were able to route the attackers.

Just as it looked like there would be no further trouble, a defiler with several human and half-giant bodyguards came into view. Calling Jarvix and Elleandra by name he offered them a chance to surrender. Refusing his offer, the two prepared for a deadly conflict.

Weakened by their exertions, they were slow to react, Jarvix took a deep wound from one of the Half-Giant’s bone greataxe. The humans moved in quickly and slashed with obsidian greatswords wounding both. Although they were caught somewhat unprepared, Jarvix and Elleandra were not about to go down without a fight. Jarvix used his powerful abilities with the Way to daze and distract his foes, while Elleandra harried her attackers with her spells. The defiler, pulling life energy from the ground, let loose blasts of fiery darts and crimson fire, causing more injuries to the already wounded heroes.

The guards quickly fell as both Jarvix and Elleandra unleashed powerful mental attacks, Elleandra aided by her newly acquired orb. Despite the loss of his guards, the defiler sensed his advantage and continued to press his attack, drawing more and more life energy to fuel his spells. The constant mental assault eventually proved too much for him and he collapsed to the ground blood running from his ears and eyes.

Into the Belly of the Beast
After the fight, Jarvix cautioned Elleandra with regards to her orb. Although he wasn’t completely sure, he felt that there was something dangerous about it. While they were recovering from their combat, a strange blast of energy erupted from the Ziggurat and Elleandra could sense the powerful defiling energy. She also felt a new wave of nausea that seemed to be coming from the Ziggurat.

The two picked themselves up and headed towards the Ziggurat. Jarvix’s knowledge of the pyramid and the Veiled Alliance, along with Elleandra’s arcane skills, allowed them to quickly locate another secret entrance to the pyramid. This one appeared to have been recently opened as there were disturbances in the dust and sand in the passageway. The pair entered to dark and twisting tunnels, hoping they would find Merric or their allies before it was too late.

Moon Chamber
As Morg, Vinara, Kelvor and Gwyn were recovering from their encounter with the exploding zombies each could feel the Ziggurat come “alive” in different ways. It appeared as if massive amounts of arcane, primal and psionic energy were being channeled somewhere. Although none knew for sure what was happening, they all agreed that it was bad and that there wasn’t much time.

Jarvix and Elleandra moved into the Ziggurat through dim passages. The pair stumbled into their friends and everyone was relieved to see that their friends were alright, at least for the moment. Everyone had a sense of unease and urgency about continuing into the Ziggurat and attempting to stop Merric from resurrecting Kalak.

The group wandered through the passages and descended a flight of stairs sized for something much taller than a human. The eventually reached a large chamber that appeared to be carved from a single enormous block of obsidian. Holes in the ceiling revealed focused beams of pale green moonlight which bounced off of smooth obsidian mirrors. The floor was covered in mosaics of draconic figures in various states of metamorphosis. The room contained numerous clay urns carved to resemble a creature contorted in pain, trying to push the lids free.

Cautiously the group entered the room and moved towards the only exit. As they did so they began to feel energy stir as if the shadows were shifting within the stone. Foul apparitions rose from the clay urns and obsidian floor and walls. Their baleful gazes turned towards the party and the reached out with deadly intent. A few of the specters, sensing the power within Gwyn, Elleandra and Jarvix fled, but the rest proceeded to engage the party.

Most of the spirits were swiftly dispatched, but their large numbers proved to make them a difficult challenge and they moved in and out of the walls surrounding the group. Two of the wraiths were significantly more powerful then the others, radiating a foul cold that pierced flesh. The immaterial forms continued to regenerate and took little damage from weapons and spells used against them. The group eventually felled the spirits, but took many wounds. Vinara was able to heal the group, but they decided to push on deeper into the ZIggurat, rather than loose more time resting.

Fly Trap
Weary, but determined, the party descended more stair covered in tiled obsidian. The obsidian all around them began to glow as if humming with power. The passageway opened a larger room containing a half-dozen cells of various sizes and shapes, their bars composed entirely of obsidian. Each cell contained several gaunt bodies apparently pinned to the the walls, as if the obsidian was slowly absorbing them.

As the party surveyed the room, the tortured voices of the captives gasped and pleaded to be set free. With everyone talking at once, it was difficult to make out what was being said, but several phrases were repeated again and again.

“He left us here!”
“Merric traded us the these reavers for safe passage.”
“They are consuming us.”
“Free us from this torment.”

Wary of traps or deception the group questioned the captives attempting to determine if they were telling the truth. Several of the captives did actually appear to be member of the True, sacrificed by Merric for quick passage through this room, but about a half dozen did not. While the party debated what to do with the members of the True, the other bodies became insubstantial and moved from the walls, through the bars and began to attack. Not completely surprised by this turn of events, the party reacted quickly, but the reavers were empowered by the obsidian and proved to be more dangerous they expected.

Kelvor did his best to keep their attention and was successful although he suffered several nearly-fatal injuries, which only appeared to strengthen the foul undead. Elleandra’s magic kept her opponents distracted allowing her allies to maneuver into better positions, but still the fight took far longer than anticipated as each hero mainly attacked separate foes.

Although the creatures were defeated the combat consumed precious time and forced the to rest and tend to their wounds. The group pulled the members of the True from the walls and they all fled the chamber as quickly as they could. As they rested, the party began to wonder – “Are we too late?”

Race Against the True
The group moved deeper through the Ziggurat, Morg and Vinara noticed they were moving from beneath the Ziggurat and likely near the Golden Tower. They eventually found themselves before a room that looked to have once contained a great wealth of items, but was now filled with debris. Badly burned bookshelves, empty and broken chests and stone tables with broken items were all that was left of the room’s contents. As they took in the scene, two bloated mummified heads appeared from behind a bookshelf and floated a little closer to the party.

“Looks like they need our help, Sacha.”
“Most certainly. We know what they need to know, Wyan.”
“We saw him pass… quite some time ago… you need our help to catch him.”
“We know what he is up to, yes. Terrible.”

Curious and disgusted by the foul creatures, the group wanted to know about what the help they offered. The heads promised to show them short cut through the passageways so they could catch up with Merric. They claimed that without their help, it would be too late. When asked what the help would cost, they licked their lips and replied…

“We are so hungry. We need to drink from you.”
“A curse.”
“A terrible curse.”
“Not our fault. The treachery of others.”

Nobody in the party felt particularly comfortable with letting the creatures drink from them, nor were the heads willing to bargain with Morg. Feeling they were at an impasse, the group cautiously moved passed Sacha and Wyan, who continued to beg for a drink and to try and convince them of the need for help. However, they did let them pass. While moving through the room, Jarvix noticed an unusual bone scimitar and collected it, suspecting what he had found, he gave it to Kelvor.

The group made their way slowly through the maze of tunnels and rooms. They encountered many traps and narrowly avoided wandering shades. The dark energy flowing through the passageways served to guide them, but also took its toll, beginning to tax their stamina. It was difficult for them to tell how long they traveled and they began to question their decision to not accept the offer of assistance.

The Return of the King
Finally reaching the end of the twisting, horrifying corridors, the party came to a long hallway, the walls of which were covered in murals made of gems and bone. The murals depicted a male human in black metal armor battling brutish humanoids, with what looked very similar to the city of Tyr in the background. As they moved down the hallway, the human took on more and more draconic features, almost transforming iuntil he matched the image on the amulets of the True. The archway at the end of the hallway had a human figure on one side and a full draconic one on the other.

The archway opened into a large, circular room filled with a swirling cloud of ash. At the far side of the room they saw Merric and three robed figures around a pitted basalt alter. On the altar were four intact obsidian spheres and several broken orbs. Elleandra could feel one of the orbs calling to her orb. Also visible on the altar was the seed from the Tree of LIfe. Off to the sides, partially obscured by the ash a dozen or so True guards could be seen as well.

Morg announced their presence and combat ensured with the guards attempting to stall the party long enough for Merric’s ritual to be completed. Kelvor moved to engage Merric while Gwyn and the others focused their attacks on the guards. Using his skill with the Way, Jarvix slipped passed a number of the guards and pulled the seed from the altar to himself. The guards proved relatively easy to dispatch, but the robed defilers caused a great deal of trouble as the hurled ashen bolts.

Not long after the combat started, the altar erupted, sending the orbs scattering and a large draconic figure emerged – a resurrected Kalak! Emboldened by his presence the True followers surged forward in a more vigorous attack. Aided by Elleandra and Kelvor, Morg swung his dwarven axe and struck true on the sorcerer-king, causing a massive wound that would have killed any normal person. So strong was his magic, that the wound, while painful, did not slow the beast down.

Kelvor was able to distract Merric with his scimitar and used a spike of psionic energy to cause him to harm himself. The blow from his own short sword was fatal and he collapsed to the ground. Elleandra summoned a jet of silver flame burning Kalak badly and forcing him to start draining the life energy from the robed cultists to restore his own health. The attacks of the sorcerer-king caused Gwyn and Jarvix to fall, but through the magic of Elleandra and Vinara, they were kept from death.

Morg struck the fatal blow on the former king of Tyr, causing his body to fall to the ground and crumble into dust. Elleandra recovered the orb and Kelvor retrieved the short sword form Merric’s corpse. Weary, wounded and grateful to be alive, the group found there way out of the Ziggurat, without encountering Sacha or Wyan, and prepared for a much needed rest.

In the weeks following the death of the resurrected sorcerer-king Kalak, the heroes were able to take a much deserved rest and took time to reflect on recent events. They attempted to put perspective on events and to begin to plan their next course of action…

• The Veiled Alliance and Tyrian Guard have once again attempted to seal the Ziggurat and Golden Tower from the general public. The strange heads discovered in the chambers beneath the Golden Tower, Sacha and Wyan, have not been encountered again. What secrets might be held in the two structures or by the two heads?

• The seed from the Tree of Life was badly damaged when it was used to resurrect Kalak, and appears to have been drained of much of its power. The seed has begun to start to open, suggesting that it must be planted soon or risk it dying. What is to be done with the powerful relic from Athas’ past?

• The halflings of the Forest Ridge and the enigmatic Wastewalker appear to know much of the history of Athas. What other advice and insight could they offer to help the heroes accomplish the task set before them by the elemental spirits – the restoration of the Green Age? Are the heroes willing to continue on such dangerous quests?

• The heroes continue to ponder the strange engine that was draining Elleandra’s home, the Lands Within the Wind, but are no closer to discovering its creator. The energy stolen from her lands was likely being transferred to some other realm. Who could have created such a powerful device and why?

• The groups collection of powerful magic items has been growing, but the true natures of many are still uncertain. The Orbs of Kalid-Ma and The Shadowstaff are among the most enigmatic and very little information has been discovered about their true origins and purposes. Can these answers be found or have they been lost to the sands of time?

• The two Swords of Tyr now possessed by Kelvor are powerful weapons clearly designed for a purpose. Kelvor has joined to two known swords together into a single weapon. The location of the other swords is unknown but the power of the weapon created by uniting them all would be incredible, if they could be found. What are the swords true purpose and where are they?

• The Crown of Dust still remains with the group. Will all that use it fall to the same fate of their former ally Castri? If the crown is to be destroyed, where can such a feat be accomplished? What is the fate of Castri and his master Yarnath?

• The regular shipments of obsidian from Kled have continued, bringing prosperity to the dwarves and the citizens of Tyr. A messenger accompanied that last delivery with news that the continued, secret restoration of Kemalok has continued but that a strange discovery was made deep beneath the tombs. Lyanius has asked for help from the heroes who help save their city. What has been uncovered beneath the sands?

• It is said that the gods have long been absent from Athas, although many doubt if they ever had any real power. In the ruins beneath Kled, there was some tangible evidence of divinity and the power that it once had, a revelation that has been weighing heavily on Kelvor’s mind. What would be revealed by searching for the gods and what befell them?

• The leaders of Tyr have been seen less and less often. There was no word regarding Rikus after his failed attempt to siege the city-state of Urik. King Tithian has not made a public appearance since before the attack by the True. Now Agis and Sadira have not been seen is some time. What could be attracting the attention of these powerful protectors of Tyr?

• The time of the Dragon’s levy is rapidly approaching and how Tyr intends to satisfy the Dragon is unclear at this time. Legends tell of city-states that were decimated for refusing its demand, although for the only free city to surrender a thousand souls to certain doom is unthinkable for most of its residents. What course of action will be taken?

Rest and Recovery
Several weeks passed after the events at the Ziggurat, giving the heroes time to take a much needed rest and plan out their course of action. Life in Tyr settled down after the defeat of the True, although the leaders of Tyr still had not returned.

Vinara communed with the Wastewalker and the elemental spirits in an attempt to determine the best location to plant the seed from the Tree of Life. She received conflicting advice but one thing became clear, they had less then a month to plant the seed before it would die. After discussing with her allies, they decided to travel to the village of Kled and plant the seed there, hoping it would be safe in the hidden city and also help restore Kemalok to its former glory.

Morg made contact with Quick Wenzer to try and gain more insight into the whereabouts of the leaders of Tyr. Unfortunately no new information was gained, simply that they had disappeared before the events at the Ziggurat. In the king’s absence, the ruling council has begun to pass laws and take a more commanding role in the governing of the city. The hottest topic is what to do about the Dragon’s Levy, which is coming due in a few months. Morg’s personal interests in the events at Kled aligned with Vinara’s, and he was eager to join her.

Kelvor spent a good deal of his time trying to research the history of the Swords of Tyr and Jarvix was able to provide some of the answers he spoken. All of the indications were that the remaining swords were not likely to be in Tyr. His friend Karlen did not have any leads on swords matching the general description, but did pass along information that Castri’s mother had been by looking for him. Kelvor also learned a bit about the route the Dragon was likely to take when collecting the Levy and that there was an increase in patrol from the city-state of Balic. The knowledge likely to be contained in the ruins of Kled was of great interest for Kelvor, so he agreed to join the others on the journey to Kled.

Jarvix was able to use his influence in the Veiled Alliance to gain access to some of the restricted materials in the Golden Tower. In addition to helping get information on Kelvor’s swords, he found some records pertaining to the Orb of Kalid-Ma, once owned by the sorcerer-king of the city-state of Kalidnay. He also uncovered some additional lore regarding the Dragon’s Levy and the strange magic seen in the Fey Engine. Although somewhat unsure, Jarvix agreed to travel to Kled in the hopes of learning more and helping his friends.

Elleandra also talked with the more knowledgeable members of the Veiled Alliance regarding dragon magic and she decided to join the group on their journey to Kled to safeguard the seed and hopefully see it grow into a new tree. Her connection to the seed was evident although the exact nature was still somewhat uncertain. He also spent a good deal of time with Kelvor and Jarvix learning to focus her abilities withe the Way.

Gwyn too decided to join in the with her friends and travel to Kled. After reviewing what she learned in the Book of Kemalok Kings, some of the pieces of the past began to fall together. She was hopeful that there would be more information in the ruins of Kemalok and that her ability to decipher the ancient dwarven texts would continue to be useful.

The Snow Queen
As the group was preparing to leave for Kled, they were interrupted by a visitor to the tattoo shop. A woman, who introduced herself as Krystin, invited Gwyn, Morg, Vinara and Kelvor to a meeting with her mistress, a lady of House Arynd. Kelvor recognized the name Arynd, but knew little about them. Although they felt a sense of urgency regarding their trip to Kled, as well as some suspicion regarding the meeting, they accepted and left for the Noble District. Elleandra and Jarvix followed behind, attempting to not draw attention to themselves.

Inside a darkened building on the edge of the Noble District and Merchant District they were introduced to Adina Arynd who provided them with water and invited them to sit down. She asked about the whereabouts of her son, Castri, claiming to want to attempt a reconciliation with him. Kelvor evaded a direct answer to her question and both sides quickly realized that each new more than they were saying. Adina’s questioning became more direct and she became more upset as the conversation continued. Gwyn was the first to notice that the room felt as if it was getting colder.

Outside the building, Jarvix and Elleandra had moved as close as they could and spotted Krystin in one of the adjacent buildings. Inside raised voices could be heard as Adina became more agitated as her questions about her son started to include the Crown of Dust. The room continued to become colder and Gwyn could feel the defiling power of Adina. In a fit of rage, she proclaimed that the Broken Builders would unravel the world once they had the crown and that the heroes would meet their death if they tried to interfere.

Elleandra moved quickly to be in position to engage Krystin or Adina, harassing them with images of flesh-eating sprites. Kelvor moved to into melee with Adina, drawing her attention away from the rest of the group. To everyone’s horror, Adina knocked over the pitcher of water and it swirled and solidified into an abomination. She called out to the creature directing to to kill the Gwyn, who she referred to as ‘stupid elven scum, like the rest of them.’ The creature slamed into Gwyn with tremendous strength, releasing a blast of intense cold that burned her.

The party quickly realized the severity of the situation as many of their attacks were dodged or deflected by the trio. Jarvix was able to engage and contain Krystin while the others worked to bring down Olafra and Adina, each surviving several perfectly placed blows by Morg and Vinara. Morg drew the attention of Olafra and was briefly knocked unconscious by the ice creature before being revived by Vinara.

Despite limiting themselves to the confines of the meeting room, the group was eventually successful at overcoming the agents of the Broken Builders. Their attackers had little wealth on them and the precious water used to make Olafra quickly disappeared as the heat returned to the room. Jarvix had heard of these cultists and passed what he knew to the rest of the group as they rested and tended to their wounds.

Journey to Kled
After tending to their injuries from the conflict with the Broken Builder cultists, the group set out towards Kled early the following morning, well before the heat of day set in. Eager to plant a new Tree of Life quickly, they tried their best to make good time on their week-long journey. All of the group, except Elleandra and Jarvix were accustomed by now to the rigors to overland travel, but the speed at which they attempted to move at was taxing to all of them.

After about four days of travel, Jarvix thought he recognized a particular landmark in the foothillls of the Ringing Mountains, one that he had read about. Certain that he could save some time, the party followed his lead. Unfortunately, his information was somewhat outdated and the group reached a dead end. Having to backtrack quite a ways, the frustrated group was startled when they came under attack by swarms of scorpions which were quickly joined by a single gigantic scorpion.

Morg moved quickly to engage the swarms before they could cause too much damage and Kelvor moved to get the gigantic scorpions attention while Jarvix also befuddled it. Several well-timed spells by Gwyn and attacks quickly wore down their attackers, but Elleandra was held in the pincers of the large scorpion. Vinara used her magic to lift her to safety as Bear was overcome by the swarms. Morg dealt a fatal blow to the massive scorpion and the rest of the group finished off the smaller beasts.

Yarnath’s Return
Vinara coaxed Bear back to health and the others had only enough time to notice that the largest scorpion was unnatural in origin before a disturbance on a nearby hill drew their attention from the remains of the creatures. Behind a company of skeletal archers were two familiar figures – Castri and Yarnath.

With little pleasantries, Yarnath demanded the return of the Crown and Kelvor declined. An opening volley of arrows from the archers was targeted at Vinara, attempting to neutralize her. Both sides having faced each other before, each new how to counter the other’s strengths. Jarvix used his powers with the Way to weaken Yarnath’s defenses. Eventually Vinara landed a massive strike with the Heartwood Spear, crippling Yarnath. However it was a spell from Elleandra that finally finished off the terrifying undead defiler. Vinara dealt the final blow to their former comrade and Castri finally found peace.

Arrival at Kled
The group rested in the foothills as best they could and buried the remains of Castri. Yarnth’s body was dismembered and burned to prevent his return from death, again. The following morning they group moved on towards Kled. The rest of their journey was uneventful, although in total it took them nine days to reach the village.

Ancient Discovery
Upon their arrival at Keld, the group was escorted to meet with Lyanius, the village elder. With typical dwarf brevity, a few pleasantries were exchanged and then he got down to business. A few weeks earlier a new excavation in the ruins of Kemalok opened a passageway that clearly had not been open in a very long time. A group of explorers ventured in, but were not heard from again. A second group went in to locate the missing dwarves but only located ancient scrolls. Leaving the scrolls behind, they went back in to try their luck, but were not heard from since.

Lyanius tasked Morg with going in and searching for the missing dwarves and discovering if there were any threats to Kled in the tunnels. Morg and the rest agreed and sought to use this opportunity to look for a suitable location to plant the seed to the Tree of Life. Before departing, Kelvor asked if they had any information relating to the Swords of Tyr. Unfortunately the dwarves had nothing to share on those weapons of the Veiled Alliance.

Curious about the recovered scrolls, the group examined them, but found that the language was not familiar to any of them. Using her ritual magic, with the assistance of Jarvix, Elleandra and Vinara, Gwyn was able to translate the writing on the scrolls, which were referred to as the Scrolls of the Sonlinor. With new insight into the history of their world and possibly the sorcerer-kings, they felt as prepared as they could be.

Travelling Underground
Escorted by dwarven guards, the group passed by the Tower of Buren and headed into the newly opened areas. At the entrance to the tunnels, they left their escorts behind and began their search. The tunnels all began to look the same and they risked getting lost, but Vinara’s keen eyes kept them on the trail left by the dwarves. Their path led them to a section of the tunnels that had sharp rocks jutting out from the floor and walls. The brute strength of the party was sufficient to push through and not suffer too many cuts, although a few injuries were taken.

Not far beyond the sharp rocks, a sinkhole had formed in the passageway, blocking their progress. Although the hole didn’t appear too deep and Gwyn’s dragonling was able to bring ropes across without trouble, most of the group ended up in the pit and suffered some injuries, although mostly to their pride.

Their wanderings led them deeper into the earth and although the trail became more difficult to follow, Gwyn and Vinara were sure they were headed the right direction. The path before them became slightly obstructed with strange red and silver crystalline growths. These crystals were unfamiliar to any in the group and appeared to be solid and liquid at the same time. Unsure of how to proceed, Gwyn tried touching one of the crystals were her hand; immediately regretting it as it caused her intense pain. They managed to pass by the crystals without suffering to much, although they found that completely avoid contact was virtually impossible.

The passageway came to an end where fresh boulders appeared to have fallen, blocking the way. Gwyn and Morg were able to pry many of the rock out of the passageway, while Jarvix made sure that they would not cause a further cave in. When enough of the rocks were moved, they could see a large chamber ahead of them, with a faintly glowing crystal on a raised pedestal.

The Crystal of Ebon Flame
The chamber before them was empty except for a few traces of the crystalline material found earlier. Feeling they had found what they were looking for, and seeing no immediate danger in the room, the group moved forward towards the pedestal. Still seeing no threats Morg moved up on to the raised platform and grasped the crystal. He looked distracted for a moment and then tossed the crystal to Elleandra, who caught it instinctively. She too looked distracted for a moment, and then stowed the crystal.

When the crystal was removed shuffling and skittering was heard in the previous silence. From around several pillars, a dozen dwarves moved out into sight. It was obvious that the missing dwarves were no longer alive, as these could be seen to be grey and decaying with red crystals protruding from their skin and dark red liquid oozing from their eyes, mouths and open wounds. Between the dwarves, swarms of tiny red beetles with barbed pincers dripping red liquid from their crystalline bodes.

The party quickly formed a ring around bear and began to defend themselves against the deadly creatures. The battle was joined by four 10 foot tall creatures resembling crystalline spiders. Elleandra, Jarvix and Gwyn attempted to destroy the swarms and dwarves with their spells, while Kelvor and Morg concentrated on the larger creatures. Vinara assisted where needed and used her healing abilities to keep the party from being overcome by the deadly creatures.

During the attack, the swarms approached and, horrifyingly, entered Elleandra, Morg, Kelvor and Jarvix who briefly turned on their allies. Fortunately, they were able to shake off the effects of the beetles and expelled them from their bodies. Kelvor used his abilities with the Way to attract and keep the attention of as many of the creatures as possible, but he was overwhelmed at one point, briefly dropping unconscious.

In the end, the group was able to defeat these foul beasts and was able to take a brief rest before returning to the surface.

Reflection
The battle with the demons had been intense and while they recovered, the group came together to reflect on what they have been trying to accomplish over the last few months. They discussed their individual goals as well as their overall objective of trying to help restore Athas to the Green Age. Although everyone had their own reasons they reaffirmed their commitment to each other. Morg in particular attempted to set forth a strategy of gathering allies and weapons that would be essential to the success of their endeavors, framing it in the context of a gladiatorial combat.

While recovering from the battle with the demons, the group recalled various stories they had heard about similar creatures and the strange red crystals. While most of the legends were vague and shrouded in the distant past, they commonly referred to a disease called the Abyssal Plague; a highly contagious disease that gives the infected great strength but also an insatiable hunger for destruction. Each of the party had come into contact with the disease while fighting the creatures, but only Jarvix and Elleandra showed signs of infection.

Concerned for their health, but unable to do anything at the moment, the group collected their strength and returned to the surface. Having overcome the hazards on their way to the cavern of the Crystal of Ebon Flame, it was relatively easy for them to make it out without any hardship.

Planting the Tree
Upon returning to Kled the group met with Lyanius to discuss their discovery and their plans for planting the seed. Once again they were treated as heroes for surviving the perilous caverns and returning with news of the missing dwarves. Lyanius was very wary of the crystal, even though it could contain a divine spark, the curse by the primordials made him unwilling to have it remain in Kled. It was agreed that the crystal would remain with Morg and his allies and that the dwarves would seal off that section of the caverns.

When they presented their case for growing a Tree of Life in the ruins of Kemalok, Lyanius was initially quite concerned about the attention that it might draw to his city. The secrecy of Kemalok was paramount in his mind. The group was able to convince him that they would be able to help protect the tree and Kled while ensuring the safety of Kemalok. Jarvix offered to enlist the Veiled Alliance of Tyr to provide training and to help defend the dwarves.

Eventually Lyanius was swayed and they decided that the seed we be planted outside the Tower of Buryn where Rkard could also watch over it. A small group of chosen guardians accompanied Lyanius and the party into the ruins of Kemalok where Rkard allowed them to pass into the courtyard. Vinara planted the seed of life in a small mound of sandy earth and precious water was sprinkled upon the ground.

When the seed was planted in the sandy earth, silence fell upon the courtyard. Within moments a tiny pale green shoot could be seen rising out of the small mound in which the seed was planted. It began to sprout and take root quickly growing into a small sapling. However, the growth slowed and stopped as suddenly as it began. Knowing that the seed had been drained during the resurrection of Kalak, Vinara, Gwyn, Morg and Kelvor all sacrificed some of their life force to the seed to allow it to continue to grow. The sapling grew into a sturdy tree about 15 feet tall before settling down.

Vinara announced her intention to become the guardian druid of this tree of life. She hoped that by protecting and nurturing this tree, more trees could be grown, potentially creating more Heartwood Spears to be used against the sorcerer-kings and other defilers.

A change came over Elleandra as well – she became elated and began to dance around and climb on the tree. As she did so, she shed her clothes and changed her physical form to match that of the tree – barky skin, leaves and vines. Nothing like this had happened in Athas for thousands of years.

Festival of the Soaring Sun
Elleandra needed time to bond with her new tree and the others utilized this time to help train the dwarves to better be able to defend their home. Lyanius requested the Morg stay through the upcoming festival of the soaring sun, which was just over a month away, and he agreed. During the following month, each of the party members worked with the dwarves.

WIth the efforts of Jarvix and Gwyn, the Veiled Alliance sent a small group to establish an outpost in Kled to speed up communications in the event of trouble. A few of the dwarves even showed some aptitude with the Way or preserving and the Veiled Alliance worked to train them to use their powers.

Elleandra and Vinara spent most of there time with the new tree and showing the dwarves how best to care for it. The new tree took root quickly, and over the weeks, flowers spring across the cavern floor, vines began to snake across the slopes, and the tree of life began to flourish.

Morg and Kelvor saw to the organization of the dwarves into a more well-defined fighting force. Much to Morg’s surprise, he discovered that when he was holding the Axe of Rkard he was able to now read the dwarven writings, and the two also spent time pouring over the many of the old writings that had been discovered in the ruins.

The festival itself was a very important time for the dwarves, who practically revered the sun. The festival marked the turning point where the sun began to be higher in the sky and shine more intensely. Lyanius felt that this change in the seasons coinciding with the possible change in Athas that started with the planting of the Tree of Life was no mere coincidence, but rather a sign confirming the party’s role in the restoration of Athas.

On the last day, as the party began their preparations to head south to the ruins of Kalidnay, Lyanius presented Morg with the Belt of Kings as a gift for dedication to the protection of the Kemalok.

A New Journey
Following The Festival of the Soaring Sun, the group prepared to head out from the village of Kled to the find the ruins of Kalidnay. The weeks they had spent training the dwarves appeared to have been successful, and they felt confident that the new Tree of Life was in good hands.

The party realized the first of many difficulties with the two week journey – survival. The food, water and other supplies for such an extended journey we’re more than they could carry, and they didn’t know if there were any friendly places to really on the way. Jarvix provided the solution as he was able to create a floating disc using his powers with the Way which could support the weight.

The group traveled for three days through the stony barrens around Kled and then for a day along the road south. The party passed several small caravans but there was little to distract them during their travels.

House Shom
Along the road the party slowy overtook a large caravan of kanks and mekillots, bearing banners of three dragonflies on a red and black background – the symbol of House Shom. Having helped House Shom in the past, the party hailed them as the passed by. To their surprise, Dalem Shom emerged from the caravan. Gwyn and Kelvor were particularly surprised to see a member of the Shom family outside of a city-state. They struck up a brief conversation that was interrupted by another surprise – an elf emerged from inside the howdah who addressed Gwyn by name. Gwyn introduced the elf as Marisol, her mother.

The party learned that the caravan was headed to Fort Melidor, near the Lost Oasis, on a secret project devised by Dalem that would help restore the fortunes of House Shom. Marisol was working with Dalem to allow the Sky Singers tribe to get a cut of the profits. The party joined with the caravan as they were curious about the project, Gwyn and Marisol were eager to catch up, and the Lost Oasis was close to the rounds of Kalidnay. Vinara was the least eager to join with them, wanting to stay focused on their goal, but agreed nonetheless.

The next few days were mostly uneventful, with the regular House Shom employees taking care of the mundane tasks. Marisol and Gwyn spent most of the time talking. Although Marisol had a harsh view of arcane magic, Gwyn was able to reconcile most of their differences and a better understanding was reached between mother and daughter. Morg and Kelvor spent most of their time outside on guard duty, unsure about the nature of the cargo and what dangers it might attract. Vinara tended to the caravan’s animals, that were being pushed too hard by indifferent caravan handlers.

Jarvix spent the days pondering the nature of the cargo. One day he used his talents with the Way to gain access to the cargo. Although he only had moments, he was able to determine the caravan was hauling hundreds of metal cylinders – a precious cargo. He was not able to determine what the cylinders’ purpose. That night the party was approached by Marisol. She confided with them and revealed that she was not with the House Shom caravan as a member of the Sky Singer elf tribe, but rather as an agent of The Order. She asked Gwyn and her allies to help uncover Dalem’s true objectives and they agreed.

One afternoon the caravan was set upon by raiders from one of the many nameless bands. The caravan guards were aided by the party and repelled the dozen or so attackers. Only a few of the guards suffered critical injuries. Jarvix stayed out of the fight and looked into the caravan’s cargo again. He was able to determine that the cylinders were hollow and had screw-caps. However, their true purpose was still unknown.

Later that night, the group was attacked by a dozen or so abyssal plague zombies and a larger demon. The plague zombies were the remains of the raiders that attacked earlier and were quickly taken down by the party. The larger demon was more of a threat, but it was destroyed before the caravan guards could respond. Dalem was so impressed by them that he offered them employment with his House to guard the caravans. He revealed that his associates were altering Shaqat Beetles to carry a disease that inhibited a persons use of the Way. He planned to sell the weapon and use it against rivals or uncooperative customers. The party agreed to his terms when he mentioned the source of the disease was in the ruins of Kalidnay, which was their final destination.

Kalidnay
At last the caravan arrived at Fort Melidor, a sleepy outpost on the edge of the verdant belt north if the Lost Oasis. The fort was surrounded by earthen ramparts and a ditch filled with brambleweed. The caravan was let into a dusty square and everyone waited for Dalem to conduct business at the palatial manor inside a lush garden at the center of the compound. Once finished the caravan headed south for the last leg of their journey.

As the afternoon wore on, the caravan started passing ruined buildings and small fortifications, ancient fields and the defenses of the city. Skeletons of hundreds of people were visible, scattered along the weathered road. The skeletons could be seen slumped in their seats, suggesting that whatever happened to Kalidnay struck swiftly and without warning. The city itself was almost completely ruined, but the looming shape of a ziggurat in the center of the city could still be seen.

The caravan followed the main road to the center of the city and stopped outside the ziggurat. Dalem’s crew set about unloading the caravan while he, Marisol and the party entered the main floor of the ziggurat. The central chamber contained cages full of shaqat beetles along the walls and a strange apparatus on a central table. Several guards stood around the room and agents worked over the apparatus.

One of the agents approached Dalem and the two began discussing the logistics of the operation. As they talked the party got a good view of the process. The agents passed shaqat beetles into a glass box, operate the device and then transfer the beetles to a metal tube which is then sealed. The whole process appeared to take only minutes and the number of beetles in the room could easily fill the containers brought by the caravan.

The conversation between the agent and Dalem abruptly halted as the agent starred at Kelvor. A look of recognition could be seen on both their faces. The agent addressed Kelvor…

“Dravus, it has been a long time my friend. I was disgraced when you left us in Balic, but now that I have you and my project here, Andropinis will reward me greatly.”

Confusion spread quickly to everyone in the chamber. Dalem appeared panicked about the possibility that his plans were in jeopardy and kept asking the agent, who he addressed as Tethrades, to explain what was going on. Kelvor was shocked at the situation and was unable to answer his friends questions. Kelvor’s friends rejected the assertions that Tethrades would take Kelvor against his will, although they were confused as well. Only Marisol remained silent, observing the situation as it unfolded. The tension broke when the guards moved towards Kelvor and Morg charged to intercept them.

Secrets Revealed
Although the party was unsure what to make of the possible relationship between Kelvor and the defiler Tethrades, they knew they didn’t want to simply hand him over without answers. Jarvix used the Way to summon motes of nothingness to hold the House Shom troops in place. Elleandra’s magic caused they to experience visions of hordes of flesh-devouring sprites and she summoned a small tornado to lift one of the muls into the air. Gwyn wrapped her foes in fiery serpents dragging two of the guards and holding them together.

The House Shom forces were well trained and caused many injuries to the party. Morg was overwhelmed by the three warriors he was facing and briefly fell. Vinara was able call upon her primal powers to keep Morg and the rest alive, but it was a deadly combat. Kelvor engaged Tethrades with a passion – his focus on the defiler was an indication that there may be some relationship between the two.

During the fight Tethrades provided critiques on Kelvor’s use of the Way, praising him for his abilities and taking credit for helping him reach such power. Dalem and Marisol remained mostly neutral in the conflict, apparently each being confused by the turn of events. Only when Gwyn was severely injured by some caravan guards that came in to investigate the disturbances did Marisol use her powers of the Way to defeat them.

Finally free of some of the restraining magic that was affecting him, Dalem made a break for it and disappeared through a secret door behind of the statues in the room. Along the way he grabbed one of the metal cylinders containing the plague infested shaqat beetles. Marisol broke free from the combat and headed after him, saying nothing to the others.

As the tide of the battle had clearly shifted away from the forces of House Shom, Tethrades used his magic to open a doorway and disappear from sight. The party quickly mopped up the remaining forces and the additional caravan guards that had just entered dropped their weapons and fled from the ziggurat. Although they wanted to pursue Dalem, Marisol and Tethrades, the party demanded answers from Kelvor.

Kelvor reluctantly explained that his true name was Dravus and in his past he had been a member of the Balic navy as was tradition in his family. He had been approached by Tethrades, a praetor of Andropinis, to be recruited for a special project and to defy a preator meant death. The special project was designed to unlock psionic potential in its subjects, but was more akin to sadistic torture than true research. Eventually he fled the city and adopted a new name and life for himself.

Satisfied with Kelvor’s answer, for now, the party decided to search the ziggurat.

Betrayal
The first floor of the ziggurat contained a spiral staircase heading up to the second floor. There were two other rooms on this level, both open to the outside through large cracks in the structure. One room was completely filled with rubble, its contents and purpose unknown. The other larger room appeared to be a laboratory where research was being conducted, likely on the shaqat beetles. The crack in this room appeared to be a mix of natural and worked stone, suggesting a passageway may have once connected this room to the outside.

The second floor contained four small rooms around the central stairs that continued up. A throne room and dining room were in obvious disrepair, but not open to the outside. The large crack in the ziggurat did break through in to the other two rooms. One of which had a large crack and hole in the floor the purpose of which was not readily understood. The final room on the floor appeared to hold a number of writings and tables but the weather and time had all but destroyed the contents.

On the third floor there were only two rooms, neither of which was affected by the crack in the side of the ziggurat. One room appeared to have been a library of some kind, but the contents were is complete disarray and it would have taken a significant amount of time to piece together anything, time that the party did not have. The second room was relatively intact but empty. There were strange markings on the floor but that was all. The central staircase ended here, but a secondary staircase continued up.

The fourth floor was a single large room with an arcane circle on the floor. The exact nature of the circle was undetermined, but it appeared to be for some type of summoning magic. The circle appeared to be inactive and possibly damaged. From the roof of the ziggurat above, sounds of a struggle were heard and the party ascended the stairs quickly.

On the top of the roof Dalem and Marisol were locked in a struggle and as they fought, the party could overhear what they were saying…

“You promised to help my family regain their fortunes!” Dalem cried out “We both could have been rich beyond measure. How could you betray me?”
Marisol retorted with a stony look in her eyes, “Yes I promised Dalem, but I lied. The Shadow King will not allow your plan to succeed!”

The party was more confused than ever to have Marisol invoke the name of the Shadow King, the sorcerer-king of the city-state of Nibenay. Noticing her daughter for the first time, Marisol called out to her, “Gwyn, help me defeat this scum and make your father proud. Not that fool Jalek. Haven’t you wondered about the source of your draconic nature?”

Unable to hold back any longer, the party attacked Marisol and Dalem. Gwyn pleaded with the party to subdue Marisol so she could be answers she needed. Her friends didn’t appear to care that much and some of their attacks were lethal in nature. Dalem was the first to drop, nearly pushed over the edge several times. Gwyn’s magic finally hurled him and the canister off the top of the ziggurat. Marisol called out to Gwyn one last time; “Your father will reward you for your assistance. Now convince your friends to join us in the service of the Shadow King or they will perish.”

As the fight continued a hot dusty wind began to blow around the ziggurat, intensifying every moment and obscuring the ruined city below. Vinara’s magic was able to keep the storm off of the ziggurat itself, but outside here influence it became stronger and stronger every moment. The speed and intensity of the storm was clearly not natural.

Gwyn and the party had no desire to serve any sorcerer-king and combat continued, again with Gwyn pleading to capture Marisol and not kill her. Kelvor and Elleandra showed restraint in their attacks, but the others appeared more eager to dispatch an agent of a sorcerer-king. Kelvor was overwhelmed by Marisol’s use of the Way and fell. However, eventually Marisol fell to their attacks, Elleandra’s psychic assault knocking her unconscious.

As they tended to Kelvor the sand storm dissipated as quickly as it started and the party was shocked to see that beneath them was a city that appeared to be inhabited. The ziggurat, that moments before was cracked and ruined, appeared to have been repaired. Although it was difficult to make our from this height, there were no signs of the House Shom caravan and the people below appeared to be dressed in archaic clothing. It was then that the party noticed Marisol was not to be found.

The Descent
A small commotion below alerted the party that their presence on the top of the ziggurat was likely noticed. Rather than attempt to scale down the side of the steep structure, they descended down into the ziggurat through the stairs. Elleandra noticed that her tree felt incredibly distant and that Morg was unable to clearly hear the spirits that usually spoke to him. The party suspected that the strange storm had transported them to some different place and time.

The summoning circle on the fourth floor was intact and clearly active. The entire room was protected by physical and magical wards, nothing like the ruined room they had just left moments before. The party was able to locate and suppress the wards long enough to exit the room safely.

On the third floor the found that the library was intact and well stocked with books, scrolls tablets and other writings. Jarvix investigated this area and found several intact works that were of interest to him. Elleandra’s orb was confused, excited and terrified but it urged her to investigate the other room on this floor, the door to which was closed and warded as well. After bypassing the protection, she, Vinara and Morg entered a room to find a closed sarcophagus where nothing had been before. Cautiously opening it, they found a body inside, completely still, and Elleandra recognized it as the body of Kalid-Ma. Vinara gently poked the body with her spear and seeing no response, she slid the spear into his chest as Morg used his axe to chop off the head. With his typical style, he took the severed head as they left the room.

The rooms on the second floor were closed in this ziggurat and the group took a few moments to investigate. The throne room was intact and dusty as if it hadn’t been used too frequently. What had been the room with the hole in the floor now held a large cistern of water – a precious treasure. Where ruined tables and papers had been there was an organized collection of documents that appeared to pertain to the normal operation of the city. Strangely the dates on the paper showed the current year to be Mountain’s Reverence in the 176 King’s Age. Some commotion could be heard from the first floor, but nothing specific could be determined.

The party cautiously headed down the to main floor and discovered that the secret door to the main entry hall was closed. The small room contained a large brazier and it was obvious that the crack had been repaired. Instead of a laboratory, it appeared that a holding area or jail was in the larger room. The broken wall in that room too had been repaired offering no exit from the ziggurat. The party could make out some of the content of the conversation in the main entry room – there appeared to be a disagreement about whether or not intruders were in the pyramid. A slight shuffling could be heard and it was then that the party noticed that in the jail cells were three women…

The Enemy of my Enemy…
Kelvor and his allies took in the captives in the jail cell and they were amazed by their appearance – the three women appeared to be smaller and frailer than most on Athas, with paler skin (one of the captives was exceptionally pale) and their clothing had an exceptional amount of metal. The weary party was unsure what the next best course of action was when the extremely pale one suggested that they be set free.

The captives spoke with strange accents, talked of places unknown and claimed to have been imprisoned for nothing more than being outsiders in this strange land. They were ignorant of many things the party took for granted making it clear that they were outsiders in this shadow Kalidnay. The party, naturally being skeptical, was somewhat reluctant to trust them, but the sounds of approaching creatures pushed them into action. The extremely pale woman, who was called Kazandra, removed a slender metal pin and deftly unlocked the cell. Morg moved into action breaking open a cell with his axe while the third woman was freed from her cell by the other party members.

Just as the captive women had recovered their gear, several ghosts entered the jail through the walls, while a pair of devils entered through the doorway. Gwyn and her allies quickly adapted to fighting alongside Melantha and her allies, but the combination of the devils weakening aura and the ghosts ability to resist damage made if very difficult to overcome their foes.

Melantha had spotted what might have been a secret door leading out of the jail, but it was forgotten about in the heat of combat. The devils tried to focus on Morg, but Kelvor was able to keep them occupied for most of the fight. The ghosts began shrieking so powerfully that they pushed the two groups back and immobilized some with fear. They appeared motivated to slay the heroes as they had been slain by Thakok-An. Eventually Kazandra realized the futility of the combat and activated the secret door, fleeing outside the pyramid before more opponents entered the combat.

Slowly the party made a strategic withdrawal from the ziggurat with Melantha and Jarvix staying behind. The devils moved to pursue Morg, who was still carrying the head of Kalid-Ma. Hoping to stall any pursuit, Kazandra grabbed the head from Morg and tossed it to the devils, who gleefully picked it up. Jarvix was the last in the jail and closed the secret door sealing himself in. He made one attempt to use the Way to retrieve the head, but the devils had too tight a hold on it. He then disappeared, teleporting through the wall to his friends on the other side.

Going to Ground
The large group found themselves in a deserted section of the city, and had brief moment to discuss their next move. The Melantha and Kira appeared to be searching for a friend that they were travelling with, who they had lost contact with during their capture (something that they blamed Kazandra for). Kazandra claimed to know how to find their friend, a wizard by the name of Evan.

Kelvor wanted to locate safe location where they could form a long-term plan. He thought that there might be an area of abandoned warehouses that would serve them well. Other options and concerns were discussed but none of the other plans appeared viable at the time. Fed up with the debate, and returning with some stolen clothes, a less-pale Kazandra started out in the same general direction that Kelvor wanted to go, saying that they could follow her and live or stay and be captured again. They all decided to follow her.

For three difficult hours they made their way through the city, without attracting attention from any guard patrols, attempting to throw off any pursuers by climbing walls and muscling around the many impediments. The makeshift disguises they were able to piece together from the stolen clothes helped them blend in when they were spotted by locals. Although they were mostly successful, the group’s luck eventually ran out and they stumbled into a group of well armed individuals.

Fearing another combat, Jarvix and Gwyn were relieved to see one of the individuals make a sign of the Veiled Alliance. When they reciprocated, they were escorted into an abandoned villa and asked to wait. The party noticed a number of tattered banners with a black diamond on them, the symbol of House Vordon. After a small wait, an undead creature, who looked to have once been a human female came out of one of the buildings. Seeing the resemblance to Yarnath, they prepared for a fight.

The undead bowed to them, introduced herself as Laylon-Ka, and invited them into a building for rest and discussion. Unsure of her true intentions, the party was eventually convinced that she might not be out to kill them, having appeared to taken great offense at the accusation that she might practice defiling magic. They entered what appeared to be a meeting hall and found several individuals seated around a long table eating and discussing. Kira and Melantha recognized one of them as their friend Evan.

Answers and Questions
Pleased at being reunited with their friend, Evan explained how, during their capture, he was pushed aside by Kazandra so that he wasn’t captured. He had been found by Laylon-Ka and only recently had he been strong enough to start planning a rescue. When asked how they had come to be in Kalidnay, he told of his discovery of an powerful magic object that hinted at being of great power. He was searching for the power to break free from the grips of a powerful wizard in his own lands. He produced an obsidian orb from beneath his cloak – an Orb of Kalid-Ma.

Elleandra was very interested in acquiring the orb and eventually a deal was struck – Evan would give the orb over to her, in exchange for the tomes recovered from the Ziggurat. Although reluctant to hand over such information to a stranger, Jarvix was convinced that he had no intention of becoming a sorcerer-king, even if the books contained enough information to do so. Evan also offered to help send the party back to Athas, although he wasn’t exactly sure how to accomplish it.

They all took a much needed rest and learned a bit of the events that transpired in Kalidnay. Laylon-Ka, was a member of the Veiled Alliance and House Vordon, 200 years ago, when Kalidnay shifted into the Gray. It was because of the actions of his high Templar, Thakok-An, that the sorcerer-kings transformation into a Dragon failed. She had no knowledge of the other sorcerer-kings marching on the city, nor was there an explanation in the apparent differences between the passage of time, for on Athas it is believed that Kalidnay was destroyed some 1200 years ago.

The rest and discussions were interrupted by a commotion in the courtyard, apparently the forces of Thakok-An had breached the defenses and begun an attack. Everyone rushed to the courtyard, except Evan, who’s magic was useless in this land. A massive army surrounded the templar who appeared quite pleased. Neither side wasted time with with false pleasantries.

Jarvix hoped to used his skills with the Way to ensnare many of the weaker soldiers found that Thakok-An’s own templars were projecting auras that blocked him. While the others made subtle maneuvers to get into an optimal position, Morg charged in towards Thakok-An. Her half-giant guards intercepted him and quickly knocked him down, barely alive. Thakok-An moved over him and jabbed her spear into his chest, calling out…

“Accept this sacrifice and aid me as you have in the past, destroy my enemies and feast upon their souls!”

A cloud of black smoke gathered around Morg’s lifeless body and a terrible demon emerged. Looking hungrily at his enemies, he waded into battle quickly reaching the larger group. They threw weapons and spells at the beast and slowly began to weaken it, but it gave as good as it got and severely wounded many of those in combat, including some of its allies. Kira finally defeated the foul creature as she assumed the form of a large tiger and decapitated it with a savage bite.

Melantha and Kazandra skirted the main fight and worked their way around to try and attack Thakok-An from behind. Their strategy proved very effective, but Thakok-An dominated Melantha’s mind with her own, forcing her out of position, attacking her friends instead. Eventually the Melantha was able to break free of the domination and she and Kazandra, who had once again become pale and bore fangs, were finally able to strike at Thakok-An, who somehow managed to stay on her feet.

Vinara was efficiently dispatching the defilers and their guards during the fight with her spear. She also managed to get Morg up onto his feet and back into the fray before he truly died. Gwyn magic was strong and she wrapped her enemies in fiery serpents, binding them together, while her dragon scales help her resist the attacks of the soldiers.

Thakok-An finally fell as Kira transformed into her human form again and hurled a radiant ball of energy, striking the templar squarely in the chest. As she fell a strange transformation of the land began to occur with mists rising up from the sand. Kira, Elleandra and Vinara felt a disturbing sensation as if the land itself was being erased. Not only the land, but also many of the inhabitants themselves were consumed by the Mists. When it was over only a few dozen people remained around Vinara and her allies.

A Parting in the Mists
The unlikely collection of individuals stood in the Mists unsure of their surroundings. Eventually Laylon-Ka spoke and asked Vinara and Morg to join her and a number of the surviving members of her resistance group to determine the final fate of Kalid-Ma, for she was not convinced that he had truly died. She asked that two of her newer members, Kezmit and Li-Am to stay with Gwyn and her allies for their protection as well as a possible means to keep communication open.

Vinara and Morg accepted her invitation and they walked off into the Mists. Those that remained behind were very confused regarding the final events and what happened to shadow Kalidnay. Evan Moreau attempted to explain although the fine details were lost. He suggested that the lands are tied to powerful individuals and if they die without another suitable replacement, the lands, and sometimes people, disappear into the Mists.

Intending to make good on his bargain he made with Jarvix and Elleandra, Evan invited them back to his library where he could research a way to send them back to Athas. After all agreed, Evan created a glowing circle of sigils on the ground nearby, and a hazy vision of dark room lined with books could be seen. Kira Javed, Kazandra and Melantha stepped through together with the others following them.

The Moreau LIbrary
They arrived in a cool, dark, slightly musty room filled to the ceiling with book shelves, a sight that few had ever thought possible. Melantha quickly and quietly escorted Kazandra out of the room without so much as a word to the others. Evan told them that they were in his private library in the ruins of his families estates in a nation called Dementlieu. He then excused himself to research how to get the party back to Athas. Kira escorted the group around the library while they waited for Evan and the group took advantage of the opportunity to learn as much as they could on a number of topics that were of interest.

Kelvor was keenly interested in what they could find out about the gods. They learned that in this land they gods were real, or at least those who worshiped them were granted extraordinary powers. They learned of Moradin, the god of dwarves, and found some cryptic and disturbing information on the Chained God. They also learned that the primordials lost the war with the gods in this land and thus their power remained.

Kezmit was very curious as to how Kalidnay appeared to exist in two places with two different histories. Kira explained that there were many tales of outsiders to her lands that appeared out of the Mists. They sometimes spoke of strange sounding lands that none here had ever heard of. Kira and Evan believe that strong events of evil can draw the Mists into other worlds and rip the lands into their own. Thakok-An’s betrayal of her family and the powerful magic of Kalid-Ma could certainly have been strong enough to attract the attention of the Mists.

There was also interest in the nature of Kazandra and the similarity between her hunger for blood and that of Sacha and Wyan. Kira did not think that the two were the same type of creatures, for in her experience, a beheaded vampire was a dead vampire. They still wondered what would have happened had they allowed the floating heads to drink from them in the depths of the Ziggurat of Kalak.

Evan returned from his research and they discussed his findings over a meal of strange foods with strange customs. The formality and decadence, compared to most meals they were accustomed to, was amazing, as were the metal utensils used to eat the food. Although it was strange to them, they found it agreeable and this small comfort after so many hardships was very welcome.

Evan informed them that he could not find a way to return them directly to Athas as such magic was beyond him, if it was possible at all. He had located what could be another source of magic from Athas and believed that if they investigated it, they might find a way home. Unfortunately the source of this magic was located in the city of Moil, know as the City that Waits, a place where the dead have consumed the living. Having no other viable options, the group decided to search Moil for a way home.

Before they left, Evan presented Gwyn and Kelvor with magical rings and also gave Kezmit a pouch of bone dust that would aid them in fighting ghosts and other immaterial creatures. Evan was able to instruct Jarvix in the rituals to open portals between magic circles. Although of limited use at this time, should they encounter these circles in Athas, it could be a substantial advantage. With that, Evan opened another portal to the city of Moil and they bid their farewells to Evan, including Kira, who decided to take a leave of absence from her studies with Evan and accompany the party.

Moil
When they stepped through the portal, an ice-shrouded city of shattered stone spires and decaying arched bridges came into view from out of the swirling grey mist. Gray lightning occasionally surged within the clouds providing some illumination. and a boiling sea of black surrounded the base of the tower a hundred feet below. Several other spires connected to the one closest to the group, but uncounted hundreds more spread further in the distance, their shattered bridges out of reach.

Freezing air and a sullen darkness enveloped the party as a series of fractured black columns come into view when they adjusted to the dim light. The cracked stone floor sloped steeply down toward an archway opening onto a dead black mist, and above them a partial domed ceiling framed the sky. However, the howling creatures lurching forward to attack were a more immediate concern. The experienced adventurers were able to brace themselves for the attack and made short work of their opponents. Jarvix conjured shards of nothingness to hold fast the zombies while Li-Am’s was able to conjure waves of flame that blasted his foes. Two of the creatures had powerful chilling claws and Kelvor nearly perished before he was able to shake off the effects. In fact most of the party were unable to shake off the lingering wounds in this cold realm.

The group began to explore the city, slowly making their way across the icy bridges, even watchful for enemies or signs of the magic they were looking for. Elleandra and Gwyn were able to navigate slightly within the strange dead city, but so much was ruined that there didn’t appear to be a direct path. Along the way they saw many groups of different types of undead, including a large formation of tightly packed bodies slowly making its way across a nearby bridge.

At an intersection of bridges, the party barely avoided an unpleasant surprise by a group of several different types of spectral beings. The party was harassed by the banshee’s cries, the necrotic aura of the wraiths, and the nighthaunt’s constant attempts to feed off of their very souls. Kezmit chose not to use the limited supply of bone dust on these foes and the party was fortunately able to vanquish them.

The party moved on, heading to the northeast, in the general direction of the dragon magic they were attempting to find. Unfortunately the bridge they were on collapsed partway to their destination and there was no method of crossing it. Before they could turn around, the adventurers were set upon by a group of zombies that appeared to be patrolling the city…

City of the Dead
The party was trapped by the zombie patrol, but Kira and Gwyn finally caught up with the rest of the group and were flanking the zombies. Most of the zombies were easily taken down, Kira in her tiger form was able to quickly dispatch three of them. However, their limbs continued to grasp and harass those that had slain them and inflicted several wounds before they were finally quieted. Other zombies had chilling breath which sapped the strength out of those that felt its touch. During the fight Kelvor used his crown to summon a spirit of wind to buffet several of the zombies. Elleandra likewise gave into the temptation to use the crystal and utterly destroyed one of the more powerful zombies, using some of its energy to reinvigorate herself.

During and after the fight, Kezmit noticed that the deep chill of Moil was dampening his healing magic. The precariousness of the situation was not lost and they resolved to move through the ruined city as quickly as possible. As the party continued to explore the ice-shrouded city of shattered spires, hoping that each turn ultimately lead them closer to their destination – whatever that might be. As they traveled the city, they saw another group of ghosts moving parallel to them, however, the paths never crossed.

On one bridge, they came across a force of skeletons hauling crumbling stone in an effort to rebuild the bridge. Although they took notice of the party, neither the workers nor the overseers made an aggressive move. Jarvix used his skill in the Way to dispose of the majority of the workers and Li-Am helped mop up the rest quickly and efficiently.

As they moved through the ruined city, gray lightning continued to provide poor illumination but allowed for glimpses of the hundreds of spires spread farther across is the distance, their shattered bridges out of reach. Flying high above a great winged shape could be seen, however it either did not notice the party or care, as it never investigated.

Dark Barrow
The next large tower that the party encountered had been sheared off at an angle, as if it had been struck by another spire. As they approached they noticed movement in the rubble – bones and body parts began to knit themselves together into a larger humanoid figure which approached them.

Li-Am was able to use his magic to lock down the creature, preventing it from moving into a more advantageous position. However, Kelvor drew the brutes attention and it began to crush him with its huge hands. Elleandra conjured a sphere around the creature making it experience pain with each of its attacks. Jarvix was finally able to deal a killing blow to the creature. After the fight, the group was exhausted and risked a short rest, although the lingering cold of the city prevented anyone from truly regaining all of their strength.

Moving on from the battle with the stitched monster, a quick series of lightning flashes allowed them to glimpse a boiling sea of black mist surrounding the base of the towers a hundred feet below. Far below the party spotted a group of zombies marching along one of the bridges. They were too far away to pose a threat and the group decided not to linger.

The Shadow Gate
At last the party reached what they assumed was their destination. The fallen spire before them was open to the darkness. Its central stone core appeared to have been cleanly broken to create a platform of glowing black stone. The party moved closer to the glowing platform but stopped when they realized powerful spellcraft was protecting the portal against access. Those familiar with warding magic all agreed that the wards were newly made, perhaps a few weeks ago.

As they continued to study the glowing platform, they determined that it was imbued with powerful planar and teleportation magic. Although they were convinced that it was a portal to somewhere else, they could not determine the destination. Hopeful that if they could breach the wards, they would know more, they started to work on taking down the defenses.

Before the first attempt could be made, they were interrupted by a sound from behind them. Turning they saw a massive shape composed of dead creatures climbed up from beneath the platform to block the bridge. Close to 20 feet in diameter this horrible swarm of death moved quickly to attack, with tendrils of bone and flesh flailing around it. A host of voices screamed in a twisted chorus of pain and fear.

The Shadow Gate
The party was surprised and terrified by the arrival of the Tortured Vestige, a horrible monstrosity created when the citizens of the city perished in the Gray. There was confusion within the group about the best course of action – to try and fight or to try and flee through the portal. Any plans they had were thrown aside as their foe reacted much more quickly than the expected lashing out with tendrils of bone and flesh piercing and entwining around Gwyn and Elleandra. The tendrils pulled at Elleandra and although she was initially able to resist, she was eventually pulled into the mass and began to be torn apart.

Kelvor dislodged some of the stonework around the portal and moved up drawing the attention of the Vestige while Kira transformed into a wolf, jumping forward to strike then shifted into a rat and fled back to the portal. Li-Am worked to disrupt the wards by diverting the energies into the surroundings. Jarvix used the Way to pull at the threads of time and daze the vestige while teleporting to the top of column where he could focus on the wards in relative safety accelerating their breakdown. Gwyn used her Veiled Alliance training to mask her presence from the Vestige and was able to use her magic to greatly weaken the barriers around the portal. Kezmit conjured spirits to allow his allies to maneuver around the rubble strewn tower. Elleandra transformed into a diaphonus spirit and slid out of the grasp of the Vestige.

Although dazed by the attack of Jarvix the Vestige was still able to lash out with more tendrils, striking Kelvor and Gwyn. Kelvor was pulled inside the of the abomination, disappearing from sight but he was still able to strike out at his foe continuing to daze it and buying time for his allies. Kira and Li-Am continued to break down the wards around the portal by disrupting the foundation stones while Jarvix continued to assault it with his mind. Gwyn was unable to break free of the Vestiges tendrils but was kept alive by Kezmit’s spirits. Elleandra, bolstered by Kezmit summoned the strength to finally break through the defenses around the gate and seeing no other opportunity, she ran through the portal, disappearing.

Continuing to be affected by Kelvor’s attack, the Vestige was only able to rip apart Kelvor, who was only still alive by virtue of his ceaseless resilience. Kelvor continued to attack the Vestige from within, pushing it away from Gwyn who was finally able to break free of its tendrils. Kira and Li-Am jumped through the portal while Jarvix made an attempt to pull Kelvor out of the mass of undeath. He was not able to affect the Vestige and jumped off the platform into the portal. Gwyn and Kezmit also fled into the portal leaving Kelvor to be torn apart even as his attacks pushed the vestige off of the spire.

Perilous Archways
Elleandra and the others struck a hard floor as they passed through the shadow gate. The impact knocked Elleandra unconscious but she recovered, although still badly injured. Looking around the party found themselves in a vast domed chamber with a circle of runes in the ceiling marking the portal through which they just passed. A great stone dragon skull was carved into the floor beside the party – its eyes blank and mouth opened to reveal a space of dead black within.

This darkness in the mouth swallowed the light of the glowing runes that covered the walls- the same sort of sigils that were seen in the Garden of Graves. A dozen glowing stone archways were set around the chamber, each with white mist swirling inside it. Between the arches, some twenty well-rotted humanoid corpses could be seen hanging from the ceiling, entwined by chains that were dripping black ichor to the floor.

More confused than ever, the party began to look around the room inspecting the archways and the carved dragon skull. They were interrupted when a large dray dropped from the chains above, wounded but alive. The dray, who introduced himself as Iorskan, claimed to have no knowledge of this place and little memory of his arrival. There was mutual distrust given some of the party’s encounters with the dray warriors of Yarnath and their general reputation for being ruthless mercenary warriors. However an uneasy alliance was struck in the interests of self-preservation.

As they continued to explore the room it became clear that the magic of this chamber was similar to that of the Garden of Graves and the ziggurats of Kalak and Kalid-Ma – dragon magic. They attempted to discover the nature of the archways and found that they radiated many different types of magic, but mostly teleportation. The general consensus of Jarvix and Iorskan was that the dragon skull looked similar to sigil of Dregoth, the slain sorcerer-king of Giustenal, although the eyes were not closed.

As they explored, several of the party had visions of different locations, similar to the visions that were had in the Garden of Graves. Three visions were repeated during this exploration…

With a shimmer, the ever-present necrotic seepage from the walls vanished, replaced by pale green vines and gray mold. The air washeavy with the scent of decay.

The stillness of dusty stone replaced the dread darkness. Emptiness pervades a desolate ruin, its decaying walls untouched by life or magic.

The stones of a floor were inlaid with sigils and holy symbols, most unrecognizable. Faint on the air, a lament in an unknown tongue carried echoes of a nameless dread.

Jarvix was the first to go through one of the archways, hoping that it would be a way out. Instead of an exit, Jarvix found himself inside the dragon’s mouth injured. A number of other portals were explored by Jarvix and the other, none of which were an exit from the room. During the exploration, the group was attacked by two wraiths which emerged from the shadows. Kezmit’s pouch, a gift from Evan, proved useful in making the ethereal creatures vulnerable to attacks. The two wraiths were quickly defeated with only minimal injuries to the party. The exploration of the archways continued…

• Jarvix emerged completely naked, with all of his mundane gear and clothing gone. A second archway he explored caused him to fall unconscious for a few minutes.
• Gwyn went through one portal which dramatically aged her, making her weak and unable to move quickly. This effect was similar to what Elleandra experienced in the Garden of Graves.
• Kira traveled through another portal and found herself reduced in size to the height of a dwarf.
• Li-Am suffered some undefined injury that made him fatigued.
• Kezmit emerged from a portal and attacked Jarvix for a few moments before regaining his senses.
• Iorskan found one of his items was removed but nothing else was out of place.

Coming to the realization that the portals were likely too dangerous for further exploration and unlikely to provide the exit they were seeking, they returned to their study of the dragon skull. Kira and Gwyn thought to focus on the eyes, which were unusual for this icon in that they were closed. With some trial and error it was discovered that the eyelid could be damaged. Li-Am was finally able to break the eyelid, causing the darkness in the dragon’s mouth to fade, revealing a portal. Without any hesitation, they party jumped through the portal before it could close.

They found themselves in an alcove looking upon a great feast hall…

Tapestries of Time
From the alcove, a great feast hall could be seen shrouded in shadow, and a fire pit blazing with a bright white flame illuminated numerous tapestries long the walls. A number of high tables were scattered throughout this area, each set with fine silver and porcelain plates and heaped high with succulent roast meats and sweet fruits. There was one place setting for each of the heroes. Kezmit and the others examined the food and although it appeared to have been created by magic, there was no sign of poison, disease or other harmful effects. Starving and exhausted from their ordeals, they ate and drank the food.

Brightly colored tapestries were hung along the walls and between the tables displaying scenes of battle, with hundreds of heroes of a dozen races rendered life-sized detail – all of them swarmed by swirling shadows as they fight for their lives. Jarvix noted that the armor and clothing of those portrayed in the tapestries was an odd mix of times and places. Ancient warriors in full suits of metal armor could be seen fighting alongside what appeared to be contemporary gladiators of Athas. In addition, many of the races observed were not recognized as those of Athas, although Kira was able to name them.

Still suffering from from the effects of the portals, Gwyn attempted to use her ritual magic to remove the afflictions lingering on her and Kira. Aided by Li-Am and Elleandra, the afflictions were removed, returning Kira to her normal size and restoring Gwyn to her proper age. However, the process was very taxing and both were left tired, even with the rest they were enjoying.

Elleandra used her magic to read the mystic signs and glean a notion of the future. She and the rest of her companions were intensely curious if the path they were following to find the next orb would also bring them back to Athas. Peering into the patterns created by the bones and drippings from the meat along with a few drops of wine, she had a vision of a new orb being united with the ones she carries and a pathway to Athas opening before them. Satisfied that their present course of action was right, the group decided to get a few hours of rest and then continue to explore this new structure. They set watch and all was uneventful, however, Kira was unable to stay awake during her watch and drifted off to sleep as well.

The Vernal Grove
The party all awoke at the same time to find themselves is strange surroundings – what appeared to be the ruins of a town. They sky overhead was dark and cloudy, the town appeared to have been abandoned and the few remaining buildings that were intact showed signs of neglect. The confusion over where they were only increased as Elleandra was sure that they were in the Lands Within the Wind, while Li-Am was convinced they still remained in the Gray. Iorskan suggested that they could be a a crossing point between the two realms. Elleandra remembered vague stories of a place called the Vernal Grove that fit the general description of where they were. Kira too had some vague recollection regarding the Vernal Grove from her studies with Evan.

Seeing no other immediate options, they began to explore the few intact buildings that remained in the town, starting with what appeared to be a house. The outside was run down and as the group peered through the boarded windows, there were no signs of inhabitants. Li-Am kicked down the door and they began to search the house finding little more than rubble. Jarvix located a fragment of a journal in the upper level of the house which contained some information…

He has come again to me in my dreams, a horrible evil creature that torments me. I am sure that my parents know of him and the evil he committed in life.

I learned that he was killed by my parents twenty years ago and supposedly buried in the town graveyard. However I am not sure my parents have told me everything. I’m sure that I am being punished for their crimes.

I have arranged a carriage to carry my daughter Kristal and newborn granddaughter Redra far from this place. Hopefully they will escape my fate and the fate of the other children.

Elleandra was able to decipher a bit more information that suggested her tormentor drew strength from the fear it created. The author believed that by turning her back on the fiend, it would loose some of its strength. Nothing else was located in the house, and the group moved on to a large building that Kira described as a church.

The church also showed signs of massive neglect, although there was some evidence to suggest that a struggle took place at some point in the distant past. Kira uncovered fragments of a broken mirror as well as some church documents, one of which was coded. Together the group worked out the coding and learned more about the town’s past and a rhyme…

It is with great sadness that Sister Amelia has left us. Her choice to return to Occidental Mountain Asylum, the site of the most unfortunate incident, is surprising. Still, the staff there might help her to deal with the recent event regarding her son.

I can’t help think that I should not have told her of the trouble with her son. The adopted parents at 1428 appeared to be a good fit, but the troubles he is having too cannot be denied.

We must trust that there is a reason for all this, but to have so many buried so young is our graveyard is so tragic.

Now I lay me down to sleep, the Soul Collector my life shall keep. In the reflection of my minds eye, evil will see itself and it shall die.

The Iorskan surmised that they could use the mirror as a weapon and Jarvix used his talents with the Way to reforge the mirror using some of the items they found in the church. They headed out to the large intact building with a growing sense of apprehension.

The large building appeared to be the Aslym mentioned in the church notes. They found that it was unlocked and began to search. A few pages from what appeared to be a log book were found, providing more of the history of this place.

941: A terrible tragedy occurred over the holiday weekend – Sister Amelia was trapped with the inmates and brutally assaulted. She is now with child.

966: Sister Amelia has returned to us following the death of her son at the hands of an angry mob. She has locked herself away in one of the unused rooms and will not see anyone.

999: We are overrun with adults who are overcome with grief at the loss of so many children. The parents blame themselves and a supernatural force they refer to only as the Soul Collector. Our new administrator knows little of the town history.

1025: The last of the town has moved away or died, the Asylum will be closed.

In the uppermost floor of the asylum, the parts found a locked room and when it was opened they saw the dead body of a woman in white, kneeling as if in prayer. They assumed this to be sister Amelia, and when Kira examined her, she saw the spirit of Amelia. She silently responded to their questions by pointing to the house, the church and the graveyard, then to the center of the town. Her spirit departed, but Elleandra felt sure that she would be a help in the fight against the mysterious Soul Collector.

The party made the trip to the graveyard and found a massive number of graves having deaths between the years 981 and 995. Most of the dead appeared to have been between 12 and 20 years old. Many of the gravestones had been damaged by what appeared to be three cuts or slash marks. Finding nothing else in the graveyard, they moved back into the center of town. Throughout the investigation of the town most of the party began to find themselves preoccupied with fears from their pasts. Only Jarvix and Gwyn appeared to be untroubled by their fears.

The Soul Collector
As they explored the center of the town, several creatures appeared and moved towards the party, with obvious evil intent. Each of the creatures appeared to be one of the fears that they had been dwelling upon… Kira was approached by a being that appeared to be Evan Moreau, Elleandra’s fear too the shape of a twisted version of her tree, Li-Am was approached by Thakok-An, Iorskan by Yarnath and Kezmit by a great nothingness.

The party reacted quickly thanks to Iorskan’s encouragement and Gwyn’s magic. Although these creatures were born out of their fears, they did not hesitate to act, although Kira refused to attack Evan and helped to bring down Yarnath. Gwyn disposed of the Thakok-An after it was damaged by Li-Am’s magic. During the fight the fears were joined by a being in a dirty brown hat, tattered red and green sweater and a bladed glove in his right hand – the Soul Collector.

The Soul Collector moved towards Gwyn calling out to her that she was the last left and that the bargain she made was over. He pushed away Gwyn’s nearby allies and brutally slashed her with his clawed glove, leaving three cuts in her back. The group largely focused on the Soul Collector who proved to be incredibly resilient to injuries. Eventually Iorskan was able to defeat the fear of Evan, allowing everyone to concentrate on the Soul Collector.

The Soul Collector had been pushed closer to Elleandra and called out to her that she wouldn’t escape like she did in Dempsy. He was able to push away her allies and nearly killed her with his glove, but somehow she managed to cling to life. Iorskan and Kezmit used their powers to heal the majority of the injuries and bolster their friends but their resources appeared more limited than the Soul Collectors.

Using what they learned in the town, Iorskan and Elleandra were able to seriously injure the Soul Collector. Iorskan was able to force him to look upon the mirror carried by Jarvix causing the creature much anguish as it looked upon its own hideous nature. Elleandra called for the spirit of Amelia whose love for the creature drained away its power. Summoning her our courage, Elleandra turned her back on the Soul Collector in an act of defiance, causing it to scream in rage and once again set its sight on Gwyn. Screaming “I’m what’s up Bitch!” he cut her again with the balded glove.

Li-Am unleashed a blast of hellfire that burned the already burned creature and he was eventually defeated, collapsing into a heap with only the sweater, hat and glove remaining. Kira collected the hat as a memento of the event, thought about taking the glove for Evan, but decided to leave it alone. Moments later, the party awoke back in the feast hall. The entire adventure appeared to have been a dream, but they all bore the scars the suffered in the encounters and Kira had the dirty brown hat in her hand.

Shrine of Skulls
After awaking from the dream the party decided to take some additional time to recover from their adventures in the dreamland. Their rest was uneventful this time and they felt ready to face any challenge that they would encounter. Before leaving the room, Li-Am and Iorskan pocketed the silverware, knowing that the metal would be very valuable when they returned to Athas. Elleandra performed another augury, curious as to the nature of the dangers they might encounter. She learned that danger was all around her, but those closest were aligned in their goals. When they were finally ready, the group moved out into the only exit from the hall of tapestries with Kira and Li-Am in the lead.

The group passed down a hallway with several empty rooms off to the sides arriving at an apparent dead end. The large room contained many cracked onyx alters set around the crumbling chamber, each piled high with a cluster of blackened skulls. While searching the room for clues or possible exits, a pit trap was located and easily disarmed. At the bottom of the 20-foot deep pit was a passageway leading away from the room. Although the pit had some amount of the necrotic seepage present, most of the hardened adventurers were able to go through it without difficulty. While the rest of the group was working on the pit, Li-Am examined the piles of skulls and found a pair of enchanted bracers that he kept form himself.

Black Well
Moving through the cramped and twisting passage the group came to a chamber that had collapsed into a great chasm. A steady outpouring of black necrotic sludge flowed over the edge from great cracks in the walls. A greater torrent jetted out from faults in the rough rock of the chasm, falling as a hissing curtain of necrotic rain. In the dim light of their torches, rough ledges jutting out form the chasm’s walls could be barely made out. The bottom of the chasm appeared to be about 70 feet down, and partially filled with a pool created by the necrotic rain. Above the surface of the pool, a circular slab of white stone could be seen with for large dragon skulls, each a top a colored door.

Iorskan and Li-Am worked together to tie off a rope and lower Li-Am down onto the first ledge. The ledge gave way almost as soon as Li-Am’s weight was placed on it, crumbling down to the bottom of the chasm. They tried to lower Li-Am again on the next most accessible ledge, but that ledge also crumbled beneath Li-Am’s weight. None were willing to risk the climb down through the necrotic rain and Kira provided a solution – using her ritual magic, she summoned the spirits of giant eagles, as she had done in the past, to fly them down to the bottom of the chasm.

As the group descended the 70 feet, they began to notice that the necrotic rain had unnatural twists and patterns as it fell. As they circled down, tendrils of the black rain formed and lashed out at the adventurers. Kezmit, Li-Am and Kira failed to avoid the tendrils and suffered burns from the seepage. All managed to land at the bottom, with the eagle spirit patiently waiting with them. Kezmit noticed on his way down that there was an unusual echoing of the rain along one section of the wall and, hoping for the best, he directed the eagle through the curtain of of black rain.

At the bottom, Li-Am tried to open the yellow door just as Elleandra noticed the glyphs of warding around it. Too late an explosion of acid erupted from the door burning Li-Am and Kira. The door was revealed to be a fake, with no exit underneath it. Fearing the other doors were also trapped, the remounted their spirit eagles and headed to meet Kezmit who had called down saying that he had found a passageway.

Dead Tiles
The rough stone passage twisted and turned through black rock, wet the the necrotic seepage eventually opening into a ruined hall paved in 1-foot-square green tiles bearing arcane sigils and glyphs. At the far end of the hall a draconic skull could be see mounted to the wall. Cautious about further traps, Li-Am made his way down the hallway towards the skull and found no evidence of danger. The others followed him and to their relief there were no traps set off. Without much difficulty a secret door was located behind the draconic skull and it was forced opened.

Gifts From the Dead
Beyond the secret door was a wide hallway carved from black stone. The passageway had one branching path and lead to a small room that appeared to be a dead-end. After a bit of searching the party could find no signs of hidden doors or anything else unusual, so they backtracked and took the side passage which ended in a five-sided room. Carved stone pillars stood at each corner of the chamber and mystic runes wound around the walls. Weapons, clothing and armor could be seen atop a red stone dais at the center of the room.

Jarvix found his missing clothes and Iorskan noticed that his missing necklace of keys was atop the pile of gear and he went to retrieve it. Li-Am became very suspicious of Iorskan and threatened him. After a few moments of tension Elleandra reminded everyone of the her augury and their common goals. Li-Am backed down but there were some unresolved issues. Kezmit began to examine the equipment, attempting to determine their powers and who might benefit the most from them.

The room had a one exit, but instead of opening the doors, the party decided to backtrack to the fork in the passageway before the tiled hallway.

Sphere of Pain
The passageway lead to a spherical chamber with rune-covered walls and a unusual silvery sheen. The room was explored and another trap door was found on the far side. As they were disabling the trap, the silver sheen fell off the wall, covering the party. The silver substance began to eat away their flesh. Although everyone suffered painful blisters, Elleandra suffered the most.

The party took a few minutes to rest and tend to their wounds once the silver substance was neutralized. Then Li-Am dropped down into the pit followed by Kira and the others.

Planar Archways
The party followed a winding carved stone passageway with walls covered with mystic runes which came to an end with three stone archways. The archways appeared identical to those found in the entrance hall, save for the mists within were gray. Like those in the entrance hall, the mist obscured what lay beyond them. Elleandra and Gwyn could sense strong planar magic emanating form the arches.

After a brief debate, Kira decided to pass through one of the portals and vanished. Those left behind thought they detected a faint flash reminiscent of the Lands Within the Wind and decided to follow her. They found themselves facing a wooden doorway with luminescent gray moss growing between the stones of the walls. Flickering firelight was shining beyond the wooden door. They felt that they had left the Gray and returned to the Lands Within the Wind.

Feywild Ruin
The rest of the party followed Kira through the misty archway and with a lurch, they found themselves in another passageway facing a weathered wooden door. The passageway was illuminated with luminescent gray moss which was growing between the stones of the walls. Flickering firelight shone beyond the wooden door.

Although the group briefly debated on whether or not to take a rest, they decided to push on and see if they had indeed been transported to the Lands Within the Wind. The door opened easily enough and a rotting shambles of a laboratory was revealed. Sheets of red-gray mold were lining the walls and an oily black fungus appeared to have consumed most of a few large tables. Three stone vats stood on the far side of the room.

The group began to examine the room and made several interesting discoveries. Kira and Kezmit determined that the black mold was foul, but not harmful but the the red-gray mold had many spores and could be quite harmful. Li-Am searched the tables and Jarvix searched the rest of the room being careful not to disturb the molds. He found a slight draft in one corner, and believed there to be a concealed passageway. Heedless of the dangers, Iorskan set some of the mold on fire with his torch and partially revealed the concealed door.

The burning of the mold didn’t harm Iorsaskan, but it appeared to enrage the room’s inhabitatnts – strange fungus men similar to those encountered in the Face in the Stone. These however appeared to be twisted and could not be reasoned with. The fight was not long, with Li-Am burning the fungus creatures with power hellfire. Jarvix used his skills with the Way to move the creatures around but in doing so disturbed one of the vats, releasing swarms of angry scarabs.

In the aftermath of the combat, Gwyn discovered a gem-studded mithral key in the vat containing the beetles. Elleandra looked over the contents of the tables and book shelves, but found nothing of any value. The group finished clearing away the mold around the concealed door and moved down a short section of hallway before coming to another obstacle. An open pit about 10 feet deep and forty feet long filled the passageway in front of them. A thick layer of dripping yellow-green fungus could be seen covering its floor.

After a bit of discussion Jarvix summoned a floating disk to help ferry the group across the pit, avoiding the dangerous molds. Once safely across a quick search of the remaining sections of hallways discovered only one exit, a stone archway. Suspecting it was the way out of the tomb, the group entered the archway.

Dark Laboratory
The party found themselves back in the hallway with three stone arches in the Shadow Tomb. Having only one arch unexplored, the party decided to venture through it. Once again there was a lurching sensation and they appeared in a small hallway ending in a weathered wooden door. This hallway was filled with unrecognizable glyphs and sigils, some vaguely reminiscent of holy symbols. The symbols were flaring with a violet light along the walls.

When the door was opened, a dark laboratory could be seen with cluttered shelves and over-sized table strewn with equipment and scrolls. A faint haze of mist could barely be seen twisting above three stone vats set across the chamber. As the party was taking in the room and attempting to determine the next course of action, they were set upon by a trio of ghouls.

Although the party was surprised, the ghouls were quickly finished off. Jarvix ensnared them with a shard conjured with the Way while Elleandra assaulted the creatures already unstable minds with images of flesh-devouring sprites. Gwyn finished off the last as she channeled her magic into her dagger, striking true.

A thorough search of this room revealed many interesting piece of information. Elleandra discovered the remnants of what appeared to be plans for the Fey Engine discovered in the Garden of Graves as well a plans for a different, but similar device that they suspected could be a Shadow Engine. She also discovered another strange key around the neck of one of the ghouls. Satisfied with their findings, they proceeded out of the room and down a flight of stairs.

They came upon a shimmering bridge of force that was covering a 30-foot-long and 10-foot-deep pit. Hundreds of sharpened spikes could be seen at the bottom of the pit. Jarvix discovered the hard way that the force bridge would sometimes give out and he found himself trapped in the pit for quite some time. Eventually the party was able to use the magical hook they had discovered earlier to traverse the trap and they discovered another archway leading back to the hallway.

Boneyard Bridge
Back in the shadow tomb, the party retraced their steps to the only unexplored passage they were aware of. Following the hallway for a short distance, they came across a foul ossuary filled with shattered bones, dismembered bodies, and the stench of death was before the party. The boneyard was crossed by twisting bridges of flesh and bone rising 20 feet above the floor.

Elleandra moved out onto the bridge, holding tight the the hook and rope, trusting that if she fell, her allies would be able to save her. Faint at first, an unearthly moaning began to rise. From the boneyard, ghostly shapes began to take form in tight ranks, shrieking as they soared onto the bridges. Several dozen phantoms stood along the bridge blocking all the avenues of escape.

The party determined that the ghosts were intelligent guardians protecting the sanctity of this mass grave, when the spirits were willing to discuss rather than simply fight. The spirits did not trust that the party’s intentions were good and Li-Am’s attempt to convince them with promises was not well received. After a bit of debate they spirits were finally convinced when the party offered up a magical rod that was discovered earlier. This, somewhat symbolic sacrifice, was well received and the spirits moved aside to let the party pass.

Sepulcher
Rough walls of black stone glistened with necrotic fluid and the sounds of its steady drip echoed in the darkness beyond. The party moved through a series of twisting passageways, leading to many dead ends. There appeared to be many buried within the walls and small chambers, but nothing of value was immediately detected.

Li-Am discovered a small pouch that appeared to be intact and containing coins and possibly gems. Tempted by the treasure, he eventually decided to leave it be, much to the relief of his companions, who reminded him of the encounter with the ghosts that they just had.

At the end of the corridors stood a pair of rune-scribed mithral doors. Wide keyholes in each door pulsed with white light – one in the shape of a skull; the other, a faceted gem. Elleandra and Gwyn placed the keys they had recovered in the matching doors and with a shimmering of powerful magic, they doors dissolved away revealing a large chamber beyond.

The Shadow Engine
A broad circular chamber was revealed beyond the doors, its floor sunken 20 feet below. In the center of the chamber, a fantastic device could be seen suspended on top of a pillar of shadow energy. The fantastic device consisted of a spinning web of platinum cables and black iron rods set with hundreds of blazing gems. The crackling pillar of energy could be seen rising from the floor and disappearing into the engine…

The Shadow Engine
The broad circular chamber before the party had its floor sunken 20 feet below the doorway in which they stood, with the ceilings rising 20 feet above. The Shadow Engine stood supported on a pillar of necrotic energy in the center of the chamber. The rest of the chamber was littered with small amounts of rubble and bones. The room appeared to be old with new elements added, although the exact age was difficult for them to determine, for as they watched parts of the room were decaying under the stress of the terrible energy being channeled in the room.

The party descended to the floor on Kezmit’s flying hook, mindful of any changes to the room as they did so. To their relief nothing reacted to their presence. Elleandra was certain that an Orb of Kalid-Ma was present in the engine and her Orb was eager to be reunited with it. Further inspection of the room confirmed what they had already suspected – much like the Fey Engine, this device appeared to be channeling the raw energy of the Gray to an unknown location. The similarity of design left little doubt that the architect of the engines was the same being.

Feeling there was little other choice, Elleandra leapt into the air and, borne aloft on wings of magic, landed on the Shadow Engine’s platform. When touched down, the bones around the room quickly started to swirl and formed into a monstrous skeletal dragon, as it did so each of the party heard a sepulchral voice in their heads and most appeared taken aback by what they heard, but Jarvix fell to the the ground, unconscious.

Iorskan moved up to the Engine’s base and attempted to destabilize the device by tampering with the arcane stones. Kira conjured a brightly shining orb of swirling color and threw it at the creature, striking true and dazing it. Li-Am joined Iorskan in his attempts to disrupt the workings of the device, apparently making some gains as the column of energy became less stable. Kezmit conjured a spirit to assist his companions and, following the advice of the whispers, was able to partially disrupt the transfer of energy at a basic level, hastening the decay of the engine.

Atop of the Engine, Elleandra, took her Orb and thrust it into the machine, attempting to merge it with its twin inside. The joining was successful, but the combined Orb remained inside the machine. At the moment of the merging, she knew that the final Orb was in the possession of a being called Absalom who was currently in the ruins of Giustenal. She also knew that the Orb was now powerful enough to transport her and her allies, if they were close enough, to either Kalidnay on Athas or the shadow Kalidnay in the Gray.

The dragon, who they suspected was the sorcerer-king Dregoth, focused on Gwyn and, managing to break free of Kira’s magic, took flight and charged while breathing a blast of necrotic energy over the party. Although the breath injured several in the party, only Kira was immobilized by it. His great claws struck home on Gwyn and severely wounded her.

Gwyn retaliated by summoning an orb of shifting energy which hurtled toward the dragon exploding with a blinding yellow light, dazing it again. Iorskan spotted a possible weakness in the dragon and called it out to his allies, hoping to make their attacks more effective. He then called out a challenge to Dregoth, who moved towards him allowing Kezmit and Li-Am to make attacks of their own. With a mighty effort Iorskan was able to make a few probing strikes before landing a blow that caused the dragon to reel, making it more vulnerable for a few moments.

Kira caused barbed vines to whip out of her totem attempting to ensnare Dregoth, but they were unable to hold onto the massive creature. Li-Am attempted to follow Kezmit’s example and disrupt the energy column itself and, although initially unsuccessful was able to reach into the Gray and pull some of the energy into himself causing an instability to form. Kezmit attempted to continue his own efforts to destabilize the Engine while using his spirits to heal the wounds of Gwyn and Kira. Dregoth took advantage of his concentration and struck Kezmit with his tail, knocking him off balance for a moment.

Jarvix was able to regain consciousness and stood up and focused his will onto the dragon, ensnaring it with his mind and tossing it backwards into the pillar of energy. Although Dregoth appeared unharmed by the energy, it did cause damage to the supporting structures, further weakening the device. Able to keep her balance atop the Engine, Elleandra desperately struggled to free the Orb and although unsuccessful, she did manage to break some of the intricate devices on top.

Enraged by the assaults, Dregoth once again took flight and moved towards Gwyn with deadly intent, savagely cutting her with teeth and claws. Although hardened by life on Athas and her draconic nature, Gwyn collapsed under the furious blows. The party was stunned by Gwyn’s collapse and hoped that Iorskan or Kezmit would be able to tend to her wounds.

Finding himself out of position, Iorskan moved towards Gwyn’s body, attacking Dregoth with his dejada as he did so. At Kira’s command, dark clouds formed within the chamber causing lightning to rain down upon Dregoth, splintering some of his bones. Li-Am used his templar training to command Dregoth to submit, crushing its spirit and slowing its flight. Although the sorcerer-king would not submit so easily, Li-Am’s allies were filled with with brutal zeal. Kezmit’s efforts to disrupt the energy flow finally stopped having any effect and he changed tactics, summoning a great gust of winds allowing his friends to move freely about the room. Jarvix was able to force Dregoth back into the column of energy once again, causing more damage while at the same time, he focused his powers with the Way to further disrupt the Engine.

With a horrible, evil intent in his eyes, Dregoth continued to slash as Gwyn’s body, tearing her into pieces, leaving no doubt that she was beyond help. He then turned his attention to Elleandra, still atop the Engine and still causing damage to the device, ever closer to freeing the Orb in her hand. Iorskan breathed a gout of fire onto the underside of Dregoth causing some remaining bits of flesh to burn and fall away. He then hurled himself at the stones forming the base of the engine, hoping to cause enough physical damage to destroy it. Although it was weakened, the Engine was still intact.

Kira’s thorny vines finally grabbed ahold of Dregoth pulling him out of an optimal position to attack Elleandra. Li-Am rushed over to the remains of Gwyn and grabbed the Shadowstaff and the gruesome remains that held the tattoo given to her by the Veiled Alliance. Kezmit summoned forth spirits that started to consume Dregoth, passing that energy to his wounded allies. At the same time he fanned the flames created by Iorskan’s breath further charring him while the warmth given off comforted his injured allies. Jarvix unleashed a massive torrent of psychic energy at Dregoth and so intense was the assault on his mental pathways, that he became stunned and unable to act for a few moments.

Things began to look even worse for the party as Iorksan was unable to cause further disruption to the Engine and Kira was unable to latch a hold of Dregoth again with her vines, although she finally broke free of the immobilizing cold from his breath weapon. Li-Am continued to recover some of Gwyn’s other belongings, this time taking the steel swords she was carrying and the tiara given to her by the dwarves of Kled. Kezmit attempted to continue to have his spirits attack Dregoth but the Dragon was able to resist their attacks.

Jarvix focused all his will into another massive attack, but this time struck the Engine and with a thunderous explosion the device blew itself apart showering gems throughout the room and plunging the room into near darkness. An energy feedback surged from the engine towards Dregoth, sending him spinning as shards of bones were blasted from his body. Elleandra, grasping the Orb in her hand came flying down summoning Illusory barriers around the dragon and collecting the gems from the room.

Furious at the destruction of his device, Dregoth cut her deeply with his claws. Iorskan made a powerful strike against Dregoth and called to his comrades, lifting their spirits and restoring their battle lust. Kira, finally able to move, shifted into the form of a tiger and pounced onto Dregoth’s back, sinking her teeth and claws into his foul body. Li-Am swung with his spectral scourge striking the dragons hind quarter. Kezmit’s spirit companion lunged in for a viscous attack while the fire spirit moved in and exploded causing the room to fall into total darkness.

Seeing more with his mind than his eyes, Jarvix found Dregoth and focused on the weakened Dregoth. The sorcerer-king was finally overpowered and his consciousness faded into nothing while the entire chamber became to crumble and collapse. In the darkness, the companions found each other and joining hands, Elleandra used the Orb to transport them to Shadow Kalidnay.

Shadow Kalidnay
When their sense of nausea faded and their visions cleared, the group found themselves in the outskirts of the city of Klaidnay then had been in a week prior. The heat and dryness was in stark contrast to the cold frozen atmosphere of the Shadow Tomb. There was some confusion as well, for they had thought the lands were destroyed with the death of Thakok-An. Of them, only Kira was familiar with the strange nature of the Gray.

While they took a moment to compose themselves and remember Gwyn, they also reflected on, and shared with their friends, the words that Dregoth had spoken to each of them.

The voice in Kira’s head said…

You are an outsider here – I have no quarrel with you and you should have none with me. Stay out of matters that do not concern you and you will lead a longer life.

Dregoth told Iorksan…

Why do you align yourselves with these lesser creatures? I expect more from my progeny. Help me defeat these interlopers and I shall show you wonders of knowledge and treasure that you cannot possibly imagine. You can lead my armies if you so desire, but you must aid me now.

Kezmit head the following when the dragon spoke…

I know the longing in your heart, the hope for something more than the dreary existence you know so well. I can be what you are looking for, I will be what you are looking for. Join me and you shall be my prophet, my herald, my chosen one. Help me defeat those you call friends and I shall be a God, and you shall search no more.

The voice in Elleandra’s head told her…

Poor little forest daughter, you and your kind are relics of ancient days. My coming will burn away the last of your kind and a new world shall rise from the ashes. I will consume you and drain your precious tree of every last shred of life.

Jarvix heard the following before falling unconscious…

One of the Lord of Winters bloodline seeks to defeat me? Your sire was imprisoned long ago by us and I thought his line was wiped out long ago. I have been absent for far too long. No matter, you and your friends will no longer be a thorn in my side. Now my little gate-hopper, sleep…

Li-Am declined to share what he heard and none knew what Gwyn heard, but they remembered her calling the dragon a liar during the furious combat.

Outskirts
The group took in their surroundings and recognized that they were in the northern outskirts of the city, a relatively deserted section. From their position they could see the Ziggurat of Kalid-Ma and noticed that the top of the structure was slightly different from what they remembered, although no details were visible at this distance. There was still some general confusion as they were all under the impression that the land of Kalidnay in the Gray had dissolved following the death of Thankok-An. Kira had no answers other than that the Mists work in mysterious ways.

Eager to find Vinara and Morg, Jarvix sent out a telepathic message to Morg, telling the Mul of their location and asking him to come find them. Within a few minutes Morg replied, asking Jarvix to stay put and letting him know that the resistance would be coming with Morg. Feeling they were safe, for the moment, the group set about tending to their wounds and recovering from the fight against Dregoth. During their rest, Kira heard heavy footsteps approaching their position.

Instead of Morg and Vinara, the party was surprised to see a templar and a retinue of half-giant and human guards. The templar asked for the party’s surrender and although she was refused, she didn’t order an immediate attack. Elleandra attempted to ask questions of the templar but was dismissed. Similarly Iorskan’s attempts to intimidate them were met with failure as well. During the conversations, Jarvix noticed that all of the guards and the templar were wearing identical symbols, one that reminded him of a piece of jewelry worn by Gwyn’s mother, Marisol.

After the templar mentioned in hushed tones that she would take them to the resistance, the two groups agreed that the party would be allowed to keep there weapons as they were escorted through town. Although suspicious, the templar appeared sincere so they set out. Their winding path through the back streets of Kalidnay were taking them closer and closer to the Ziggurat. Kira was the first to notice that atop the structure several bodies were apparently on display. This observation was shared between her, Jarvix, Li-Am and Iorskan before the half-giant guards caught on.

Feeling they had been duped, Jarvix used the Way to control one of the half-giants and make him attack another. Chaos quickly ensued but the party was able to defeat the templar and her guards quickly, although Iorskan was badly injured during the conflict.

As they took a quick rest in an abandoned building, they realized they were close enough to the Ziggurat to make out the differences. Several bodies had been staked to the top, on display for the entire city to see. There appeared to be two women and one man, along with an insect of some type.

The Ziggurat
The group moved out of sight and pondered the strange turn of events. Jarvix was certain that he had contacted Morg and that Morg had replied to him. Iorskan suggested that Morg, whom he had never met, might have betrayed the party. None of the party was willing to entertain such a notion. While they rested they took the patrols clothes for disguised, with Kezmit and Li-Am posing as guards and Elleandra masquerading as the templar.

Jarvix sent another message to Morg using the Way, asking what had happened and for them to meet back at their initial location in the outskirts of the city. Morg quickly replied that the templars are everywhere and that he and the resistance members had to deal with a patrol. Again Iorskan scoffed and voiced his concerns that Morg had turned on them. Again the rest of the party dismissed the notion.

The party head back towards the edge of town, avoiding any encounters with the population as best they could and pretending to be a templar and her prisoners when needed. They were successful and their subterfuge appeared to work. At the last minute, they decided to go to a different building and see if there was an ambush at the original meeting place. Kira was able to change forms and sneak into the building, discovering another templar patrol, larger than the last.

Upon Kira’s return, the party could no longer deny that they were compromised in some way, although none, except Iorskan, were willing to believe Morg had turned on them. Jarvix sent another message to Morg, for final confirmation, saying that they had been held up by templars and needed to meet at a new location. Much to everyone’s dismay, the templar group waiting to ambush the party moved out within a few minutes.

They decided that the Ziggurat would be the most likely place to get answers, as they were determined to know who or what had betrayed them, as well as to confirm the identity of the bodies atop the Ziggurat. As they marched through the streets they overheard a few conversations and learned a bit about what had been happening over the last few weeks.

Marisol had risen to power following the death of Thakok-An and the entire city had been converted to be followers of the Shadow King. Marisol had been instrumental in defending the city against demon attacks, so the populace said, and had squashed a minor revolution. She had reopened the games and a new champion of her, a mul, had been undefeated. Many of the citizens were eager to see a match scheduled for that evening.

Deciding that the best course of action was to infiltrate the ZIggurat, the group used their knowledge of the secret entrance into the jail to slip past the main guards. Once inside, they were able to use Elleandra’s charms to get past the guards and head to the top. The Ziggurat was not heavily occupied, so they had little trouble reaching the top. There they found answers they didn’t want to find. The bodies of Vinara, Bear, Kalid-Ma (whose head was attached once again) and Laylon-Ka were impaled upon spears.

Within moments of setting foot on the top of the Ziggurat, Jarvix and Elleandra sensed a psionic alarm sounding and suddenly the top of the Ziggurat was filled with a large number of new arrivals. Marisol was at the center of a group of half-giants, templars and guards. In addition there were a number of gladiators lead by a Mul with an eye patch wielding a large metal axe and a spear – Morg. There was no time wasted with false pleasantries and viscous combat ensured.

The party focused everything on taking down Morg so that they could use the Orbs of Kalid-Ma to escape once he was unconscious. Their opponents were attempting to divide and conquer the party and the combination of military training and gladiatorial skills were quite effective. Marisol briefly dominated some of the party, but her control over Morg only allowed it to be temporary. During the fight Kezmit was knocked over the edge of the ziggurat and fell down several levels. Just after that Morg was knocked unconscious and the rest of the party joined hands while grabbing him and Elleandra used the orbs, leaving Kezmit behind.

The Ruins of Kalidnay
The world was whirling about them and everyone was briefly overcome with a sense of nausea. The world quickly settled and they found themselves in the outskirts of the ruins of Kalidnay looking towards the center of the town at the Ziggurat. There were no bodies impaled atop the structure, the sun shown bright and the pervasive sense of dread and fear that all experienced while in the Gray vanished. They were back in Athas.

Morg slowly regained his senses and looked around with a great sense of confusion…

One week earlier…

The New Kalidnay
Laylon-Ka, Morg and Vinara set out into the Mists with the remaining member of the resistance cell in the hopes of finding out the true fate of Kalid-Ma. Their sense of time and distance was distorted by the Mists, but it felt like they had been traveling for days before Laylon-Ka announced that she had picked up the trail of the sorcerer-king.

The group arrived quickly at the outskirts of a city they knew well – Kalidnay of the Gray, a place they thought had been absorbed by the Mists. Unsure as to where, or even when, they might be, the group set out to investigate the present situation by making contact with the resistance cell that Laylon-Ka commanded. As they moved through the city, careful to avoid any inhabitants, they noticed subtle differences from they city they had known before. However, Laylon-Ka was able to quickly locate members of her resistance cell.

Once getting to a safe house, they learned some information that raised more questions then it answered. None of the resistance members had any memory of the lands dissolving into the Mists, it was as if the event never happened for them. Although they remembered the fight at the resistance compound the destruction of the land apparently never happened for them. A new high Templar had stepped up to bring order to land – an elf named Marisol.

What they learned about Kalid-Ma only added to their confusion. Marisol had taken over following the death of Thakok-An and proclaimed that the city was now under the protection of Shadow King of Nibenay. Marisol had proclaimed that with the power of the Shadow King, she had defeated Kalid-Ma and his body was mounted on the top of the Ziggurat as a warning to those who would defy her.

The Ziggurat of Kalid-Ma
Intrigued and concerned about these events, they decided to try and sneak into the Ziggurat and verify the claims. Morg and Vinara knew of the secret passage from the outside into the jails on the main level and felt that they could sneak in, confirm the fate of Kalid-Ma and possibly deal with Marisol.

In order to minimize the chances of meeting heavy resistance, they hatched a plan to create diversions across the city and draw out as many guards as possible. Vinara used her training from the Wastewalker to create a storm of obsidian shards while other member of the resistance group started fires and other disruptions throughout the city. As expected many groups of guards were seen moving from the Ziggurat out into the city to restore order.

When the the timing was right, Morg, Vinara moved into the Ziggurat with Laylon-Ka and a few other resistance members. They were able to access the secret door and enter the jail room without trouble. However as they moved through the Ziggurat, they encountered a few guards. The battle-hardened party was able to defeat them without much difficulty and without raising any alarms.

At the top of the Ziggurat, the party came upon the body of Kalid-Ma, staked to a wooden frame, his head reattached with only a scar to indicate it had previously been removed by Morg’s axe. His body was still in the same preserved, catatonic condition as when they last saw it. Before they could act, Marisol materialized with a number of half-giant guards.

Recognizing Morg and Vinara, she wasted little time and sent her guards in to attack, while she remained at a safe distance. The brutal half-giants were able to defeat the resistance warriors without difficulty. Marisol was able to overcome Laylon-Ka and the Kaisharga collapsed to the floor. Once Morg and Vinara had defeated a couple of Marisol’s guards and moved in to attack her, wounding her with a devastating strike that left a large cut on her face. She was able to use her considerable talent with the Way and focus on Morg, dominating him.

Morg was forced to turn on Vinara and the two friends battled each other – Morg attempting to kill Vinara while Vinara attempted to defend herself and break the control Marisol had over him. In the heat of the combat, Vinara lashed out at Morg with her Heartwood Spear and it jabbed his face, taking out one of his eyes. Despite the injury Morg and the half-giants were able to wear down Bear and Vinara, and under the command of Marisol, Morg landed a killing blow on Vinara. Morg collapsed to the floor, tears streaming from his eyes, while Marisol watched with a wicked smile on her face…

Ruins of Kalidnay
After the nausea faded, the party found themselves in the outskirts of Kalidnay on Athas. The familiar bright sun and oppressive heat was a welcome change from the Gray. Exhausted from their ordeals, the party took rested in one of the more intact buildings. They discovered that all of the metal they had brought from the Gray had turned to wood, making it mostly worthless. Their sleep was fitful and each shared their experiences with each other in the morning…

• Jarvix had a vision/dream from a member of The Order
• Elleandra had dream of a forest in the middle of the desert and a being of light.
• Kira dreamed of her friends back in her world
• Li-Am was unable to sleep
• Morg looked disturbed and mentioned his “past mistakes”
• Iorsakn dreamed about the ruins of Giusental

Although reluctant to spend more time in the ruins, they decided to head towards the Ziggurat and see what had happened to the laboratory used by Tethrades. Along the way they noticed some of the silvery-red crystals that they had seen before in the caverns beneath Kemalok. The occurrences of the crystals increased as the party approached the Ziggurat.

At the Ziggurat they found that the equipment had been destroyed and they layers of sand and dust over the remains suggested that more time time had passed on Athas then had passed for them in the Gray. Morg estimated that about 6 weeks had passed here for the 1 week that they had experienced. Morg took a few of the canisters that remained avoiding the red crystals and finding many of the dead shaqat beetles.

The party debated on how to get to Altaruk, which they agreed was the best place to go for supplies and information Although the route via Fort Melidor was more direct, there was concerns about how the party treated Dalem Shom and what kind of reception they might receive. The ruins of Celik provided another option, but the path was less direct and the current state of Celik was unknown. Eventually it was decided to head to the Lost Oasis then Fort Melidor before making the long journey to Altaruk.

The Lost Oasis
After a day of travel from Kalidnay through salt flats the party arrived at the Lost Oasis. The mud pots, geysers and sparse trees were a welcome relief from the barren salt flats. At the Oasis they were able to find food and water to help provide for the journey to Fort Melidor.

At the Oasis, they encountered a man who introduced himself as Lionus. Jarvix remembered a story of a Veiled Alliance member who journeyed from Tyr to Balic and then vanished, although he was uncertain if this was the same individual. Lionus appeared to be somewhat excitable and incoherent, but Li-Am suspected him of having all manner of deviancy.

In their conversations with Lionus, the party learned that he was the only inhabitant of the Oasis although it was occasionally visited by someone called Durwadala. They also discovered that he had strong emotions regarding the ruins of Kalidnay and had claimed to recover several “trade documents”. Upon closer inspection, Li-Am was able to decipher part of the documents before Lionus decided he needed to leave. The documents were notes apparently from the sorcerer-king Kalid-Ma himself.

The rest of the evening and night was uneventful although the strange sounds of the Oasis were disconcerting. They party moved out in the early morning and made the day-long march to Fort Melidor without encountering any trouble.

Fort Melidor
Their arrival at Fort Melidor was anything but eventful as the little outpost of House Shom appeared even more sleepy than on their previous visit. The party was allowed to enter without any trouble and the party decided to split up. Elleandra and Iorskan headed to find supplies for the long trip to Altaruk while the rest headed to the Broken Tankard, the only bar in the fort, to try and gather information.

At the House Shom warehouses, negotiated for a weeks worth of food, water and other survival goods for each member of their party – sufficient to supplement their existing supplies and get them to Altaruk. Although the cost was quite a bit higher than normal, the remote location and desperate need of the party left little room for negotiations. Elleandra paid for the goods with some of the gems recovered from the wreckage of the Shadow Engine.

Morg and Li-Am struck up a conversation with a guard named Ridorn who was in the Broken Tankard. After buying him a drink, they learned that he was rather bored and disgruntled at the lack of activity in the Fort. There appeared to be little trade traffic to the fort recently and everyone was concerned about the effect that would have on House Shom.

An elven bard named Jarvi was in such a state of depression that he had no stories to share with Kira. The Shom family members at the fort were no longer interested in social events and spent all their time within the walls of their garden and had not entertained for several weeks.

The bartender was a scarred female mul named Thera who was a former gladiator. She had little information to offer the party as the fort appeared to be waiting for something to happen. The loss of the caravan the the party was a part of undoubtedly hurt the fortunes of House Shom and as a consequence the fort has had little activity.

The party was able to secure food and lodging for the night and took turns on watch, although nothing disturbed their rest.

Altaruk
Shortly before dawn the party headed out for a long journey to Altaruk. With the heavily armored companions and the absence of Gwyn, the party moved more slowly than they were accustomed to, but still made good time. They were able to forage for supplemental food and water along the way and Morg and Kira were particularly successful.

The party traveled around the south side of the Giant’s Ribs Mountains and into the sandy wastes until after three days they found the remains of the trade road. Turning eastward they followed the road for two days through stony barrens and rocky badlands until the expanse of the Great Alluvial Sand Wastes stretched before them. Three days of following the remains of the road through sandy wastes, that were mercifully free of large dunes, brought them to the trade road between Tyr and Altaruk.

They party turned southeast and followed the road. Along the way they came across several groups of pilgrims who appeared oblivious to their surroundings and ignored all attempts and communication. Their tattered clothes and sunburned skin made it obvious they were not taking care of themselves as any normal traveler would. The party overtook a caravan from Tyr and inquired about the pilgrims and learned that they had starting appearing about a month ago from all parts of the Tyr region and they were generally headed in the direction of Altaruk.

After two more days of travel, the party reached Altaruk and saw a huge number of pilgrims congregating outside the high walls. Concerned about the state of things, Jarvix sent a message using the Way to the Veiled Alliance in Tyr, hoping that they had more information…

Arrival at Altaruk
The trade fortress of Altaruk loomed in front of the party. With walls about 15ft high and 10ft thick, it was an impressive sight. Each corner was capped with a 20ft high tower and guards with spears could be seen patrolling the parapets. Roughly every third guard was watching the interior of the fort, instilling a sense of safety uncommon in the harsh land. They party approached and could see the south gate standing open in the early afternoon. The huge doors, fashioned of granite and metal, had exteriors carved with reliefs of merchants doing business.

Outside the fortress a vast throng of pilgrims could be seen milling about at the walls, sitting on the ground, and staring in to space. The assembly is eerily quiet; the only noises come from the fort’s normal occupants as they go about their business. It seemed as if the citizens were determined to ignore the pilgrim hordes.

At the front gate there was a short wait before they reached the guards. Morg took the opportunity to inspect the pilgrims a little more closely, but he learned little more than they already knew. The pilgrims here were as unresponsive as those they passed on the road and none knew what to make of them.

When their turn came, the guards asked basic questions and took payment for entry into the fort. Although Morg had been an arena star here, the guards did not recognize him or give him any special consideration. Perhaps it was the many months that had passed since he was last here, or perhaps it was the eye patch he now wore. As the party moved through, the guards consulted a crystal and asked that Elleandra and Li-Am demonstrate their magical skill. As they did so, the guards payed close attention to the thorny bushes planted along the wall. The guards were satisfied and allowed the two to enter.

News, Rumors and Shopping
Inside the walls of the fort, Altaruk could be seen to be bustling, prosperous trading village. The party decided that the best places for information would be the inn, The Four Bits, the market area and the keep and home of Arisphistaneles the governor of the fort and Veiled Alliance member.

The keep guards refused to allow them entry as the captain was occupied at the moment and could not be disturbed. As they chatted with the guards the party learned that the thorny bushes were part of a green test to ensure that no defilers were allowed inside the fort. Altaruk had begun openly supporting the Veiled Alliance and arcane spellcasters were now welcome as long as they were not defilers. After some some time, Selonius emerged from the keep and greeted Morg. He arranged for the party to have dinner with Arisphistaneles later in the evening, giving the party more time to explore the fort.

As they group wandered through Trader’s Row, they stopped to do some shopping and gather more information. Kira purchased clothing more fitting for the desert environment and she and Elleandra both obtained clothing suitable for dinner. Jarvix acquired components for his rituals and looked over the selection of books but found nothing of interest much to the dismay of the elf proprietor. Morg commissioned a high quality traveling cloak and metal clasp, paying extra for fine details and for it to be completed quickly.

After shopping the party headed to The Four Bits to get rooms and to clean up before dinner. They found the common room inn to be crowded with all manner of races and occupations. The cool room was abuzz with conversation and merriment, with plentiful food and drink. Without too much difficulty the innkeeper, Gelrade, was located and three rooms were reserved with Kira and Elleandra, Jarvix and Iorskan and Morg and Li-Am sharing. The party cleaned up and did their best to be presentable and then met down in the common room.

When they returned to the common room it was a little less crowded and they found a table. Jarvix noticed that the elf who was selling books in the market place was now here and appeared to be making numerous advances on the three half-elf barmaids. Hoping to spare the bar maids any further trouble, the group got his attention and learned that he was a bard named Twon. After a few drinks he told them the Nomad’s Tale and when they appeared interested he offered to tell them another tale – a legend of the Valley of Dust and Fire.

Afterwards Twon announced that he was in possession of the Journal of Galek Sunstrider. After much negotiation, they agreed on a price and Jarvix took possession of the journal. Following the transaction Morg told his tale, which he called the tale of the Knight of Kemalok. Twon listened politely although it was obvious that he wasn’t focused on the story. After he was finished Morg sensed that his Axe was displeased.

Although they would be a little early, the party decided to head to the keep and their dinner appointment with Arisphistaneles. Along they way they came within earshot of the south gate and there appeared to be a disturbance. They were shocked to find that Tethrades was there and demanding entrance to the fort. The gate guards had blocked him from entering after he had refused to take the green test. Morg offered his assistance, as he was eager for revenge on the defiler and former praetor of Balic, but the guards refused his help and ordered him back.

In the end Tethrades left with his guards and party was torn between following him and keeping with dinner. Morg initially lobbied for following the defiler while Kira and Jarvix wanted to keep their dinner plans, as they thought the governor would be a useful source of information. Eventually it was decided that the dinner plans would stand and the group headed to the keep.

Dinner with Arisphistaneles
The party was let in to the home of Arisphistaneles and found it to be richly appointed, tastefully decorated and achieving a fine balance between opulence and functionality. The party was greeted by domestic help (servants, not slaves) and provided with water and face cloths to clean and refresh themselves. The party asked to see the governor as quickly as possible and they were shown to a spacious dining room where Arisphistaneles greeted them.

They discussed a variety of topics as they ate and drank. The encounter at the gates with Tethrades did not appear to concern Arisphistaneles too much as the fort was accustomed to dealing with defilers. Still the extend of Tethrades’ dealings did give him pause and he promised to look into it more. While they discussed the defiler and his possible involvement with the pilgrims they were served cool wine and dates.

The numerous pilgrims outside the fort was a topic of conversation that carried on through a lavish dinner of fine Asticles wine, rare faro fruit, and mouth-watering chathrang steaks. He confirmed that the pilgrims had been showing up for about a month or so and that they are completely unresponsive to any outside stimuli. He suspects that they are caught up in a fervor toward some unknown goal or they are being controlled somehow. He was able to get a single word – Rafernard – out of one of them, but has been unable to determine who or what that is.

Arisphistaneles said that he had never been able to follow the pilgrims as they head to the northeast, but he sent a ranger and Roc rider by the name of Culler after them. She was now missing and Airisphistaneles was beginning to worry about her fate. The party decided that the best course of action would be to follow the pilgrims and hope that they lead them to answers and possibly the missing ranger.

As the meal concluded with large helpings of bulis berry, Arisphistaneles changed the topic and wanted to learn about the party’s adventures. He was saddened to learn of the death of Vinara and Gwyn and was very interested in Kira and Elleandra, as they had experiences and knowledge of places he did not know existed.

Eventually the evening came to and end and the party returned back to the Four Bits for much needed rest before their new journey the following day.

Midnight Intruders
Kira’s sleep was interrupted and she woke with a start and she quickly realized that she and Elleandra were not alone in their room – three large half-giants were present and rummaging through her belongings. Kira shifted form and bit into the nearest thief with jaws of ice. Elleandra woke and quickly charmed them into attacking each other for a moment.

The commotion woke their friends who came to investigate with Li-Am and Morg the first to arrive and Iorskan and Jarvix taking a bit longer to wake up and realize the situation. The half-giants focused their attacks on Elleandra knocking her unconscious. Li-Am killed one of the half-giants with his conjured scourge and Kira was able to knock a second one out. The third managed to grab something from the unconscious Elleandra and then flung himself into the shadows and disappeared.

Iorskan tended to Elleandra’s wounds and the Altaruk guards, along with several guests at the inn, showed up moments later attempting to determine what was going on. Elleandra quickly realized that the half-giant had stolen the Crystal of Ebon Flame from her…

Scorched Earth
Following the attack on Kira and Elleandra, there was a flurry of activity at the inn. The guards who showed up first questioned the party about the incident and appeared confused about the specifics of the attack. The party became somewhat angry and defensive, but the situation calmed down when Arisphistaneles and the captain of the guard, Zul, arrived.

It was quickly realized that the half-giants were the same ones that the party saw earlier with Tethrades when he attempted to enter Altaruk. The party was taken to the north wall and shown a defiled section of ground where it was likely that Tethrades used his magic to allow the half-giants entry into the inn. Zul also informed everyone that a small section of wilted bushes was found near the south gate and that he suspected a defiler had slipped into the fort.

Kira was studying the defiled earth and as she walked into the center of the zone, her feet began to take root into the soil. The others watched in awe and disbelief. Kira had a look of pain and elation on her face as she stood in the defiled land. Then, with a surge of power, the land began to change into a rich earth with small plants rapidly growing from it. With another surge, the area of fertile land expanded to nearly 100 feet in diameter.

Amazed at what they witnessed, Arisphistaneles ordered the area sealed off until he could determine the best course of action. The rest of the party was moved into the barracks where they could discuss what to do next without being overheard by the citizens of Altaruk. Morg inspected the dead half-giant and discovered that he had some of the silver-red crystals on him. Iorskan questioned the captured half-giant who revealed he had been hired by a man matching Tethrades’ description to steal the crystal. The half-giant had been paid in advance at Grak’s Pool and Iorskan examined the coins that he was paid with.

The party eventually decided that they would head out and follow a group of pilgrims while the Veiled Alliance agents Birk and Arnye would attempt to track down Tethrades. They learned from the captured half-giant that the most likely route for Tethrades was north along the road towards Silver Spring, although his ultimate destination was unknown.

Desert Madness
At dawn the party headed out from Altaruk, following behind a group of about two dozen pilgrims. Li-Am trailed after the party, keeping to himself and keeping an eye open for trouble. As they followed the pilgrims Morg brought up his concerns that this may be part of the Dragon’s Levy, which was due to occur soon. Jarvix used the Way to probe the pilgrims minds again, and all he saw was a vision of a forest. Iorskan shared with the rest of the group that some of the coins carried by the half-giant were ancient metal coins of House Madar and wondered what the implications were.

The day’s journey had been an exhausting one for the group, both physically and mentally, as the pilgrims took no rest, marching on through the hottest parts of the day. The party marched on for nearly nine hours, heading east and southeast through the shifting dunes. The desolate sands began to change into sparse grasslands and on the horizon a forest was barely visible, a forest where none should have been.

Without warning, an odd noise came from behind the party and as they turned to investigate they saw a figure on an immense bird. The figure appeared to be a human female, and she appeared to be wearing brown armor of some sort and clutching a large sword. As the giant bird flew closer, the group could make out some words the woman was screeching…

Away! Away, servants of Rafernard! Your blasphemous devotions shall not reach your master! Death to the Forest Maker! Death to her followers!

With this, the woman dismounted the bird and the two charged at the party. Jarvix used his powers on the woman, who the party recognized as the missing ranger Culler Aktryn, and determined that something had unhinged her mind. Although the ranger and her bird were worthy opponents they ultimately were no match for the battle-hardened adventurers. However, the bird’s tactics of grabbing and dropping its prey was too much for Li-Am who fell unconscious after his second fall. Iorskan finally knocked out Culler, causing the the bird to flee, and then revived Li-Am.

Culler was tied up in some modest shade and Jarvix sent a message to Arisphistaneles letting him know where his friend could be found. Jarvix had recognized the ranger’s sword as one of the fabled Swords of Tyr, and Iorskan claimed the blade for himself.

Kira, who had adopted the form of a tiger during the combat, noticed an odor coming from Li-Am and it was discovered that the remains of Gwyn that he carried were beginning to rot. Kira used her skills to treat the remains and keep them from deteriorating further. After a few minutes rest, the party raced to catch up with the pilgrims.

The Forest of Rafernard
Rising up in front of of the party was a beautiful forest, with varieties of trees both commonplace and legendary. The forest was several hundred yards wide and shrubs and grasses covered the ground, extending far beyond the borders of the trees. The grassland and bushes extended about a half mile to their left and right. The sounds of birds singing in the leafy green trees, and an unexpected but nonetheless refreshing cool breeze wafted over them, carrying the scent of fresh flowers.

Before the party could enter the forest, there was a great rustling, followed by a burst of bright light. Before anyone could react, a humanoid with radiant skin and gossamer wings appeared from the trees and hovered in the air above, its wings unfurling majestically.

As a tremendous feeling of well-being flooded the party, a melodic voice, soft as a summer breeze, yet impossible to ignore, addressed the party…

Welcome to the Forest Reborn, you poor, mere mortals! I am Rafernard, and I have created this impressive miracle you see before you.

Well done, worthy pilgrims, on your surviving the grueling trek! For now, wander the woods at your leisure; eat of the fruit of the trees, drink the cold, clean water. Follow the path to the right and you shall find places to sleep built on the branches of the big trees.

There is still much to be done, and we have enemies who would see this forest destroyed. Rest for now, for soon we must decide what actions to take against our oppressors. The battle will be difficult, but the end result, the reforestation of your land, will be worth the struggle.

Once again, welcome! Eat and rest now. You are safe. Any questions you have you may ask of me tomorrow.

The party had questions and didn’t want to wait until the morning. Rafernard listened and answered for a while, before declaring that further questions would have to wait until the morning. She declared that she was an Avangion and the restoration of Athas was her objective. The enemies spoken of were the sorcerer-kings and their boot-licking templars who would oppose a shift in power. She had no idea why the pilgrims were compelled to seek out the forest, but has welcomed them and provided for them.

After Rafernard’s departure the party headed to the right through a curving trail between the trees. They occasionally passed a small group of pilgrims who appeared to be in much the same stupor although there was a look of contentment on their faces now. After a few hundred yards, the party reached a fork in the trail, they headed to the left, towards the center of the forest.

The woods ended at a circular plaza measuring almost 200 feet in diameter with paved stone and low-slung benches for visitor’s comfort. Around the circumference of the plaza were various statues of numerous races all with the look of wisdom on their carved faces. The party noticed that there were a number of races they could not identify, the dwarven statues had beards and there did not appear to be any statues of Dray.

In the center of the plaza stood a massive tree growing in and around a short stone tower. The tree’s appearance left no doubt that it was a Tree of Life. Song birds could be seen picking at seeds scattered on the tiles and flitting from statue to statue. The area emanated a quiet power of peace and tranquility unlike anything ever seen in the world.

The party looked around the plaza for a few minutes and found that the tower had a door in the floor leading down into the earth and a staircase leading upwards. They decided to rest in the trees and discuss what they should do next. Although the forest was a miracle they remained suspicious of the situation which appeared too good to be true. Before falling asleep, Jarvix sent another message to Arisphistaneles informing him of the forest and its location.

Earlier that day…

Swift Pursuit
Birk and Arnye gathered supplies and then headed out from Altaruk in pursuit of Tethrades. The pair of Veiled Alliance members moved swiftly as the defiler had at least a 4 hour head start on them. Birk was able to quickly locate his tracks and they followed the main road north towards Silver Spring. Despite the head start, Birk and Arnye were able to catch up to their prey after about nine hours of travel.

Tethrades and his guards had made a small camp off of the main road and Birk was able to maneuver around the rocky terrain to get close enough to hear their conversations with his hearing augmented by the Way. The guards, which consisted mainly of humans, appeared tired and were complaining that Tethrades had pushed them too hard in the cold early morning hours. Tethrades himself appeared exhausted and remained slightly apart from his guards, his attention focused on the stolen Crystal.

Birk and Arnye debated on the best course of action. They were instructed by Arisphistaneles to follow Tethrades but the opportunity to attack while the guards were exhausted was tempting. They initially decided to wait until dusk, but realized that Tethrades and his guards might have recovered their strength by then, so ultimately the decision was made to attack then.

The two attempted to sneak into the camp and attack with the element of surprise, but a bad step by Arnye sent rocks tumbling and alerted the guards to their presence. Arnye and Tethrades’ guards clashed into each other and the mul was quickly surrounded but able to hold this own for a while. Birk began circling the battle attempting to assist Arnye while making his was over to engage Tethrades. Eventually his guards were defeated and both Birk and Arnye caused serious injuries. Tethrades used his magic to severely wound Arnye and then to escape. Birk tended his friend’s wounds and then the pair set out after the lone defiler.

Defiler’s End
Tethrades was moving quickly and using his magic to teleport, making tracking him very difficult. Birk was able to keep on his trail and the pair eventually caught site of their prey. Knowing that he couldn’t outrun his pursuers, Tethrades began launching bolts of lightning at Birk and Arnye attempting to force them to halt their advance. Although his spells struck true, the toughness of the pair allowed them to continue despite their injuries.

The fight was quickly ended although as he was about to fall, Tethrades used the Crystal to summon large swarms of beetles which attempted to infest Birk and Arnye. Neither were overcome by the beetles but Arnye was forced to flee from the battle as Birk danced around repeatedly striking with this staff and scattering the beetles. When the last of the beetles were destroyed, Birk was able to locate the Crystal and carefully avoided touching it as he took possession.

Arnye beheaded Tethrades to ensure his death and provide a gift for Morg, who was sure to be upset at not being able to enact his revenge. Other personal possessions of Tethrades were recovered including his spell scrolls and large number of coins – ceramic coins from Balic and Draj and metal coins with the stamp of House Madar on them.

After resting and tending to their wounds again, the pair headed back towards Altaruk, eventually reaching it around noon the day after they left.

Unquiet Night
The party decided to rest in the trees of Rafernard’s Forest and discuss what they should do next. Although the forest was a miracle they remained suspicious of the situation which appeared too good to be true. As they rested they decided to keep a watch and Morg, Li-Am and Iorskan volunteered for the duty. The party decided that they would explore the tower as soon as they were rested, curious about what secrets it might hold.

The night passed without incident until just after midnight when the party was waking up and preparing to head towards the tower. With barely any warning, a group of Gith emerged from the forest, surrounding the party wielding spears and clad with insect shell armor. They Gith appeared to be much hardier than those that had been encountered previously and the quality of the equipment was visibly better than was typical.

The Gith engaged the party at range hurling many spears at the group, a tactic that proved effective for a short time while the party grouped up to make a defense. The Gith used their a mastery of the Way to augment their attacks and caused many injuries to the party. Iorskan was able to keep his allies alive and the Gith were eventually defeated with only two survivors feeling into the woods.

The fallen Gith were examined and found to have nothing particularly remarkable although they were carrying coins bearing the marking of the city-state of Raam. After treating their wounds, the party decided to continue with their plan and investigate the tower at the center of the forest.

The Underground
The party approached the tower with even more caution after their attack by the Gith but found it unguarded. Along the way they passed several small groups of pilgrims who still had the vacant expression of happiness on their faces. As before the pilgrims were unresponsive to the presence or actions of the party.

At the tower, the party found a trap door leading down into the earth and stairs winding upwards. Feeling that there was little that could be in the upper ruins of the tower, they decided to go down. When the trap door was opened, they saw stairs made of gray granite winding downward. The air was cool and comfortable as they made their way down the spiraling staircase, although there was a feeling of ancient power that could be felt by all.

The stairs descended the only sounds that the party heard were the echoing of their footfalls. After they had gone about 20 feet down into the earth, they reached a landing which was lit by a soft, magical light. The stairs continued down, but the party stepped off of them to explore the small room. Without the echoing of their steps, some slight background noise of unknown nature or origin was heard.

The small landing contained no furniture or objects, but each of the four wall was decorated with murals showing an illuminated, winged being restoring the earth to a green paradise. The being had a remarkable similarity to Rafernard. The party quickly searched the room and found nothing else.

Seeing no other exits, the party descended deeper into the earth. The granite stairs continued to wind down about another 20 feet until reaching a second landing. The stairs continued down from this level as well.

The room was roughly twice the size of the previous level and contained a large number of chairs and tables of fine quality. The walls were decorated with similar murals as the room above, but appeared to be more faded. The entire room was brightly illuminated with magical light. The chill in the air was deeper than at the previous level and the indistinct noises were louder.

A thorough search of the room revealed nothing out of the ordinary and although the party felt they were missing something, they were unable to determine what that might be.

Pitfalls and Perils
After following the stairs downwards another 20 feet the party reached a small landing with two short passages, one to the north and one to the east. The stairs continued further into the deep earth.

The party followed the northern passage a short way before it opened onto a huge pit about 30 feet across and about 80 feet wide, with the party on a small ledge in the center of the long side. In their torch light, they guessed that the pit was about 70 feet deep, although they couldn’t make out the bottom clearly. In the shadows at the bottom of the pit they could see numerous skeletons and what appeared to be discarded gear. There was something imbedded in the walls of the pit that reflected light like metal, but none could get a close look at it. There was no obvious way to investigate the pit, the party moved to try the other passageway.

The eastern passage quickly reached a wooden door bound in iron. Trying the door the party found it to be unlocked and the proceeded in to the room. Rounding a corner of the room the party came into what was apparently the barracks of a large force of Gith. Over twenty armed Gith were present in the room and immediately took to arms when the party came into view.

The battle was quick and the close quarters favored the party with Jarvix and Elleandra able to affect large numbers. Kira, who shifted form several times attacking with her magic and claws, was able to bring about the death of many Gith as well. Only when Gith reinforcements came from behind the party was there a real threat, but this was quickly overcome as well.

Beds, chests and table suggested the room could accommodate over 40 gith. The corpses and room were searched turning up more ceramic coins from Raam, but nothing else of any value. The party discovered nothing else in the room. The heroes took a few minutes to recover their strength and tend to their wounds.

Dead Ends
Returning to the granite stairs once again, the party moved downwards. This time the stairs descended some 40 feet before reaching the bottom. At this level there were doors on the west and east side of the stairs. The western doors were 10 feet wide and made of stone reinforced with metal banding and the eastern door was made of iron.

The party discovered that both doors were locked and trapped with Iorskan and Morg receiving electrical shocks from arcane wards placed upon them. The party was unable to overcome the locks and wards by any means they could think of. A feeling of frustration began to build as they felt something and been missed but they didn’t have a clear idea what to attempt next.

Second Chances
Perplexed by their lack of progress, the party decided to head back up to further investigate the pit. Before making the decision on whether to enter the pit or not, the party threw one of the gith corpses into the pit, to see what would happen. Elleandra and Kira noticed that the shadows appeared to move a bit which increased their wariness. Next Morg tossed a torch into the pit doing his best to land near the corpse. Although his aim was a little off, he was close and the shadows recoiled from the light.

Kira decided that the risk was worth the possibility of discovering any secrets in the pit and changed form into a large raven. She began to slowly descend into the pit and saw that the metal inlaid into the walls was arranged in distinct patterns. Although she was not familiar with it, there were some similarities to the various protection runes that she had seen Evan use in his rituals. As she neared the bottom, about 20 feet up, she spied about a half dozen large, horned and scaled creatures that the party had described to her as tembo. These beasts looked well fed and were watching her intently.

Not willing to risk a confrontation with so many powerful creatures, she flew back up to the rest of her companions and reported in. The group decided that they should not risk a fight at this time and returned to exploring the underground structure.

The decided to start at the top and take another look at the murals in the entry way. Jarvix examined the walls looking for any signs of illusions or other concealed features in the images of the Avangion. Li-Am and Iorskan also examined the murals and estimated that they were hundreds of years old. There was nothing else discovered in the room.

There was much speculation regarding the presence of Tembo, traditionally beasts of the sorcerer-kings, the well-equipped Gith with coins from Raam and the nature of Rafernard, a being who appeared too good to be true. While they continued to be suspicious, they felt there wast little else to do except explore while they waited for dawn and their meeting with Rafernard. The party went down to try their luck at the warded doors on the lowest level.

At the wooden door, Li-Am was able to finally disable the traps and working together, Morg and Iorskan pried open the door. The large room beyond with filled with numerous haggard looking individuals who appeared equally surprised to see the party at the door. After much commotion, the story became clear. These were about two dozen individuals who had followed the pilgrims to this forest over the last month or so. They had not been compelled to do so, but followed for their own reasons. All of these people had been attacked and subdued by gith or some unknown force and found themselves here in a dungeon. Some of the people who had been in here previously had been taken away and not returned.

Among the prisoners were several Dray, one of whom Iorskan recognized – a female named Heskana. She claimed to have information for him about their clan, but that now was not the time for the story. She and about half of the others were willing to join with the party and stop Rafernard, who they believed was not truly what it claimed. The others were demoralized by their captivity and only desired to escape. Elleandra was able to convince them that staying and fighting was the only hope they had of being free. The prisoners were equipped with the gear from the slain Gith.

While Morg, Jarvix and Kira saw to the needs of the prisoners, Li-Am Iorskan and Elleandra attempted to break through the other door. Although similar to the wooden door, this metal door was more difficult to break into and they were unsuccessful in bypassing the physical protection placed upon it. Elleandra attempted to use her powers to slip past via the Lands Within the Wind.

Moving through the metal door felt cold and unnatural to her but she was successful. The room on the other side was magically illuminated and filled wall to wall with chests, urns and bags all overflowing with golden coins. Many tens of thousands of coins by her estimate were in the room and they had all manner of markings on them from many different city-states. She gathered a small pouch of them and after a short rest moved back across the door too rejoin the party.

Although the party was eager to gain access to the treasure, they were unsuccessful at breaking into the room. Eventually they decided to head up to the forest and wait for Rafernard. They positioned themselves around the perimeter of the plaza with the prisoners and waited for dawn. Jarvix sent another message to Arisphistaneles informing him of their suspicions and discoveries.

Rafernard’s Last Spell
At last dawn broke over the lush forest and Rafernard appeared atop the intertwined tower and tree. With her appearance the party and their allies felt an overwhelming power calling them to attention. They were not alone as out of the forest hundreds of pilgrims arrived at the plaza. Morg, Elleandra and Iorskan became entranced and could do nothing except stand as zombie-like automatons.

When the push of the pilgrims stops, Rafernard reveled as the center of attention. She pulled forth a glowing human skull with gem-packed eyes and vines wrapped about it. For a moment Rafernard existed as the great avangion that the party had seen before. Then she changed.

The illusions fell away revealing a tall regal, evil-looking woman in ornate robes. “Who am I?” the woman called out. “Sing my name before you give me your lives!”. The pilgrims began to sway in time as if to some unheard song. They then began to chant, slowly at first then faster and louder.

“Abalach-Re! Abalach-Re! Abalach-Re!”

The party realized the terrible truth – before them was the sorcerer-queen of Raam, Abalach-Re!

Abalach-Re lifted one claw-like hand and utter twisted words of dragon magic. In an instant the Tree of Life turned to ash and the stone tower transformed into a pillar of stone, carved to resembled giant human skulls. As she emphasized each terrible syllable, seven obsidian spheres rose out of the ground and began to twirl about. Uttering phrases that were actually painful for the party to hear she turned to look at the few who have been able to ignore her summons. There was a smug look of triumph on her draconic features. Then crackling black energy issued from her hands, slamming into the oblivious pilgrims and bathing Abalach-Re in energy.

Those that were free of her compulsion moved quickly, attempting to prevent her spell from being completed. Morg’s Mul heritage allowed him to break free of the charm and he charged forth and swung his axe at the nearest obsidian orb striking true but not shattering it. Abalach-Re summoned that orb to her and consumed it, her mouth opening unnaturally wide to swallow it in a single gulp. As she did her form grew and became more draconic.

Kira and Li-Am attacked the pilgrims hoping to slay them and perhaps prevent Abalach-Re from drawing their energy for her foul magic. Jarvix used his talents with the Way to try at attack Abalach-Re from a distance, but her defenses simply deflected the attack towards the pilgrims.

The battle continued with Iorskan and Elleandra breaking free from the terrible magic, but everyone’s life was being drained by the dragon magic. Kira, already weakened from her restoration of the land was knocked unconscious and only Iorskan’s healing was able to keep her alive.

Although the party fought well Abalach-Re was able to stay one-step ahead of them, consuming more orbs and becoming more draconic. Just as the last of the pilgrims was slain, she consumed the final orb and with a roar of triumph her change was complete – she was now a dragon-queen.

Morg hurled the Heartwood Spear at her and he succeeded in wounding her and drawing her attention. She teleported down from the tower of skulls and began to rip him apart with her claws. None of the attacks of the party were able to do more than minor wounds to her.

Li-Am saw through the battle field carnage the skull that had been held by Abalach-Re but was dropped when her transformation was complete. He raced towards in and picked it up off the ground. Transfixed by it for a moment, he then cried out to his companions they they must flee or they would perish. Realizing the truth of his words, the party converged on Li-Am and Elleandra used her orb to transport them all to the ruins of Kalidnay.

Later that day…

Birk and Arnye had traveled throughout the early morning and at around noon them crested a hill and looked upon the trade fortress of Altaruk. Despite the blazing heat of the day, a chill ran down their spines as they saw standing before the north gate, a huge draconic figure. The battlements were packed with the fort’s archers and spread out on the sand around the gate were hundreds of guards armed with long trikals.

Leading the defenders of Altaruk were Birk and Aryne’s friends: Arisphistaneles, Zul, Selonius and Culler. Even from this distance, they could see the grim look of determination on each of their faces. It was obvious that none expected to live.

An epic battle began between Abalach-Re and the defenders of Altaruk. The archers fired volley after volley of bone and obsidian tipped arrows at the dragon queen, most of which bounced harmlessly off of her thick scales. The ground troops hurled themselves at her legs, attempting to immobilize her or at the very least wound her. Again only a small fraction of the attacks were successful in wounding her.

Abalach-Re moved through these attackers and used her defiling magic to slay scores of guards at a time. Her raw power was obviously countered by her inexperience and desire to kill as many of the defenders as possible. Under the barrage of attacks Abalach-Re began to weaken, the numerous injuries began to take their toll.

Arisphistaneles and the others pressed their attacks as well, although they had little more success then the rest of the soldiers. A few well-placed hits by Culler and Zul actually caused the sorcerer-queen injuries, but her preternatural stamina allowed her to keep fighting. Abalach-Re turned her attention to the heroes and they began to fall under her attacks. Selonius, Arnye and Culler’s companion Sundiver were all knocked unconscious. Birk was also within an inch of death but Zul was able to keep them all from dying.

Just as things appeared to be taking a turn for the worse, Abalach-Re decided to withdraw from the fight, teleporting to safety and then flying away. The numerous small wounds inflicted had finally caused her concern and she retreated. The defenders of Altaruk simply watched in amazement as she flew away. Over half of the 400-some guards were dead and all of the heroes had suffered some serious injuries. While they were happy to have survived, they all wondered how well they might fare if she were to return.

Retreat to Kalidnay
When the nausea passed, the party found themselves in the ruins of Kalidnay, where they were several weeks earlier. Relieved to have escaped from certain death at the hands of the transformed Abalach-Re, they were nonetheless discouraged about their failure to stop her and their need to retreat. The party made camp in a nearby building to try and determine their next course of action.

Jarvix sent out several messages to his contacts in the Veiled Alliance to inform them of the new threat that Abalach-Re presented. Arisphistaneles in Altaruk, Mathias in Tyr, Lyanius in Kled were all contacted by Jarvix and thanked him for the warning, although they were barely able to comprehend the danger.

Iorskan had a long private conversation with one of the survivors from the battle at Rafernard’s Forest who was brought along with them when they fled. He appeared to know the female Dray named Heskan, but did not divulge the subject of his conversations to any of the other party members.

After much discussion, the party decided to travel to the city-state of Balic via Celik, hoping to avoid any further encounters with Abalach-Re and follow-up on Tethrades. They also hoped that they could perhaps find passage to the final Orb over the Sea of Silt. Jarvix made contact with Maserak, a Veiled Alliance member in Balic, to let him know of their impending arrival.

At the end of their rest Jarvix contacted Arisphistaneles again to find out any news regarding Abalach-Re. He was horrified to learn that the sorcerer-queen had attacked the trade fort and amazed to learn that she had been repelled. There was little detail about the encounter but casualties sounded severe.

Demonic Messengers
After finishing their rest, the party headed southeast out of Kalidnay’s ruins towards the settlement of Celik. As they were approaching the edge of the ruins, the unnatural quiet was disturbed and the party came face to face with a horde of demonic creatures lead by a large being which bore a striking resemblance to the fiend that was summoned by Thakok-An. A brief parlay was had and the demon demanded Morg for its mistress – Marisol.

Without hesitation, the party came to the defense of Morg and a brief but intense battle ensued. Although the party suffered some injuries, they emerged relatively unscathed. Kira once again focused her attacks on the larger demon and was able to cripple it early in the fight. As they recovered from the fight there was much speculation on the current state of affairs in Shadow Kalidnay and how Marisol was able to exert her influence over these foul creatures. However, there were no answers.

Journey to Balic
The journey from Kalidnay to Celik took the adventurers six days to complete and mercifully was uneventful. The settlement of Celik lived up to its reputation as a gathering of slaves, outcasts and criminals seeking refuge and opportunity. The party paid an exorbitant entry fee and managed to find reasonably safe accommodations.

Li-Am, Morg and Kira spent their time attempting to learn any information about the current events while the others gathered supplies for the remainder of their trip to Balic. The supplies were of dubious quality and overpriced but Elleandra was able to charm the merchants into a better deal.

The talk in Celik was mostly about dragons – the Dragon was believed to be in the north on its journey to collect its levy from the various city-states. There were many rumors about another dragon in the west going on a rampage destroying the land and many small settlements. There was also some talk about rampaging giants from Silt Sea and the Legionnaires of Balic continuing to search for something – although none knew what they were searching for.

Thankful for avoiding trouble in the settlement, the group left Celik behind and made the 10 day trip to Balic without incident. A day outside of the city-state the land turned to verdant farmlands of grain fields, vineyards and olive groves – a sharp contrast to Tyr. As the party moved along the Road of Legions they approached the Great Gate, the western entrance to the city.

Two weeks earlier…

It was early morning when the gongs sounded the call to battle. Birk and Selonius had just finished escorting the last of the non-combatants out of the fortress and into the mountains a few hours ago. The gongs could mean only one thing, Abalach-Re had returned.

Zul and Arnye heard the gongs and sprang to their feet. Fear set in among the remaining guards and those who had offered to stay behind. The two muls tried to reassure them, but their words were of little comfort. Everyone knew what was about to happen, but still had hope they would be lucky and drive the Dragon Queen away one more time.

Arisphistaneles and Culler had just finished another call for help. His contacts with the Veiled Alliance in Tyr and the patricians in Balic were willing to aid the vital trade fort, but it would be days before they could arrive. Culler had tried to reach out to the giants, for even though they were at odds, the rampaging dragon was a threat to all. They refused to help, hiding away and hoping that the threat would pass them by. Help was needed now and it would not come.

They all gathered in front of the eastern walls and prepared for battle. All of them had sacrificed much to make Altaruk a prosperous trade outpost as well as a bastion of enlightenment in the harsh lands. There was little hope, but still they had to try, if for no other reason than to prevent Abalach-Re from finding the civilians and merchants who were hiding nearby.

---

She came again, dropping down out of the sky and using her terrible defiling magic to skill scores of the guards at a time. Already diminished from the first attack, their numbers were just too few. Arrows were unleashed, Arisphistaneles used his magic and the rest hacked at her legs, but most attacks bounced harmlessly off her thick scales. She continued to slash with claws and consume them with horrible defiling magic.

Culler was performing her own hit and run attacks on Abalache-Re and providing an excellent distraction even when her attacks missed. Then, the dragon struck Sundiver with a series of attacks, knocking him out of the sky.

Birk saw Culler torn apart, her head separated from her neck with a powerful bite. Zul was working with Selonius to keep the others fighting using words of encouragement and the Way. The injuries were coming too quickly and were too severe for them to counter. Seeking to put an end to his efforts the dragon focused on Selonius and he was her next victim. With a powerful thrust from her tail, he pierced through his chest and crumpled to the ground.

Arnye charged in to draw her attention as she was starting to show signs of fatigue. He parried several attacks, but his weapons were of no use against her defiling magic and he collapsed under a volley of psionic attacks. Birk, ever at his side, was overwhelmed shortly thereafter and collapsed, face first into the defiled ash forming on the ground.

Then the dragon landed near Zul and began to tear into him with claws, sharper than steel swords. He fell into merciful unconsciousness, his last sight was Abalach-Re turning towards Arisphistaneles.

It was no accident that Arisphistaneles was the last to fall. The Dragon knew of him and relished his agony at seeing his friends cut down. Still he continued to hurl energy missiles at her, each one causing a small wound.

---

Birk rose to his feet and spat blood and sand from his mouth. How long had he been unconscious? What had happened? Looking around at the destroyed buildings that were once Altaruk, the memories of the last few hours came back to him and he wished that he had remained unconscious.

---

Zul woke as the few survivors began to trickle back into the remains of Altaruk. He struggled to his feet and began to organize the few guards. Once word of the attack got out there would be attacks by all sorts of raiders, looking to steel anything of value that survived the attack. He would not allow that to happen under his watch.

---

Arnye was found by Birk and nursed back to health over the next few days. The two friends were grateful to be alive, but deeply saddened by the loss of Airsphistaneles, Selonius and Culler. Neither knew what the future would bring for Altaruk, but it would never be the same again.

Three days later…
He waited alone several miles off the People’s Road, having left his praetors and servants behind. They were carefully hidden and he had no fear that they would be found by her. They were capable, well trained and smart enough to know when they would be no help. Plus they, like all in his city, were expendable. He had no fear for he did not care for them. He did fear what was about to happen, for a threat such as this had not been seen in the last 12 centuries. He feared meeting the other two, for they had not meet since the fall of Dregoth some 1700 years ago. Still, he was a powerful defiler and master of the Way and would not be easily defeated this day. He was, afterall, Andropinis the Dictator of Balic.

---

Her keen eyes spotted the old man and saw that he appeared fit and well. She could tell that he had gained in power since their last meeting, the golden and slightly reptilian features gave that away. She guessed, correctly, that she had progress further than he had and felt a moment of pity for Andropinis, for this encounter might prove too much for him. She felt only a little hesitation as she stopped near him and nodded slightly. The spirits she had consulted prior to their departure all agreed that this was where the confrontation would take place. The hot sun burned down on her dark skin, but she barely noticed – she was Lalali-Puy, the Oba of Gulg and such mundane forces were not a concern.

---

The bright light and hot sun was a stark contrast to the dark and cool libraries that Nibenay had spent time in during the majority of the last millennia. He was loathe to leave them behind and other plans of his were coming to close to completion, but the situation demanded his attention and the others would need his assistance in order to defeat their former ally. She had tried to accelerate the process and succeeded. She neither remembered or cared about the insanity that followed such a transformation and that made her very dangerous. His path was safer, his path would not destroy the rest of the world, he only had to be patient.

Andropinis and Lalali-Puy were visibly startled by Nibenay’s appearance. They knew he had grown in power but had not realized the extent. He towered above them and wore his draconic appearance with pride. “Where is Unyess?” Nibeany asked without any attempt at courtesy.

“You know she be ’ere very soon. Da spirits never been wrong before; they no be wrong now. I sure, you know dis.” Lalali-Puy responded with not attempt to conceal her dislike for Nibeany.

“Of course I have methods, Inenek, and my results agreed with yours, which is the only reason I’m here. If this had been another of you endless attempts to deceive me, we would not be speaking now.”

“We be putin’ aside our differences Gallard. Dis be som’ing more important.” Lalali-Puy said, using Nibenay’s old name.

“We did.” Andropinis interrupted. “We agreed to deal with Uyness and put an end to her rampage before she can do any more damage. She will be here any moment, if your divination is accurate. Then we can be on our way.”

“Only after we exchange information regarding the adventurers who failed to stop her.” Nibenay reminded the others. “They are a variable that we have not accounted for. If what we have ascertained is true, they will have much to answer for.”

“O’ly one of us be gettin’ to them first, and da spirits say dat it be me.”

A disturbance on the horizon stopped their conversation short. Moving quickly eastward, the shape grew larger and larger. It was unmistakable, it was Abalach-Re the Dragon Queen.

---

Abalach-Re looked down at the three fools who dared stand against her. Despite her insanity, she knew the faces of the three but did not care that they had stood together to overcome impossible threats before. She cared nothing for their history and she cared nothing for the future. The hatred in her knew no limits and would not be satisfied until she had consumed everything. The Crescent Forest would be a fine starting place. All she had to do was eliminate these three and she would be unstoppable.

She flew down with powerful thrusts of her wings straight towards Lalali-Puy, but changed direction at the last moment and turned on Andropinis, catching him offguard. “Die old man!” she screamed and unleashed a torrent of attacks, blasting him backwards. He was completely unprepared for the power she possessed and she continued to assail him, attacking all of his defenses.

Lalali-Puy countered with her own attacks, but found that they were far less effective than she expected. Despite unleashing a gale of spirits, Abalach-Re remained relatively unharmed. Nibenay fared only slightly better, lashing out psychically and dazing the dragon queen. Andropinis managed to stay afoot and used his powers to not only attack, but also to infuse his two allies with strength and power, while summoning the spirits of loyal Balican soldiers to guard him.

Eventually Andropinis’ defenses failed and he was briefly disabled by her attacks. After regaining his footing, he worked to stay at a greater distance, outside the range of Abalach-Re’s powers but still close enough to able to affect her. Nibeany managed to keep her immobilized with his relentless attacks and his own shroud of shadows kept her from attacking him. Lalali-Puy bore the brunt of the dragon’s attacks, but it was only a matter of time before the battle was concluded.

---

Nibenay, Lalali-Puy and a severely injured Andropinis stood over the lifeless form of Abalach-Re. The ground around them was barren and covered in black ash which stirred in the slight breeze. They regarded her with mixed feelings, for while she had to be stopped, her death was another reminder that the world was changing and that their power was not as absolute as it once might have been.

Lalali-Puy, without a word, bent over the corpse and pulled out a long obsidian dagger. She reached down and cut out Abalach-Re’s heart from her chest. She quietly stowed it in a thick leather pouch at her waist and then returned to the others.

---

As they rested and tended to their wounds, they discussed what they knew of a group of adventurers. Each had heard different stories form their spies and informants. Other information had come through merchant houses and dune traders who had seen and encountered them. This group, originating in Tyr had shown themselves to be resourceful, powerful and lucky. None of the three knew what the groups goals were, but each had a strong desire to find them for their own purposes.

If the rumors were true, this group was actively working to destabilize the existing power structures and succeeding rather effectively. The sorcerer-kings had spent too long trying to maintain a delicate balance and if this group thought they could disrupt the balance without consequences, they had made a mistake. A mistake that could ruin everything.

Arrival in Balic
The outlying farmlands were some of the most lush and productive lands the party had ever seen. Grain fields, vineyards, olive groves and pastures stretched as far as they could see. The Road was well maintained and patrolled. In the fields slaves and land owners could be seen working side-by-side. The differences between Balic and Tyr were too numerous to count and almost too much to comprehend.

At the Great Gate, the party was stopped and briefly questioned by the Legionaries and Praetors on duty. Although the party knew the officials were searching for something, it did not appear to be them and they were allowed to enter the city with a casual warning against causing any trouble within the city. They first sight inside the walls was over the Megaleneon, towering above the rest of the city.

Inside the city they hired a guide and transportation to take them into the Market Precinct to meet their contact in the Veiled Alliance. As they traveled across the city from west to east they became familiar with the different precincts and their guide was happy to answer some of their questions. They moved through the Arena Precinct and the slave market of House Jarko eventually ending at the Criterion. Turning northwards they entered the Harbor Precinct and were able to get a good view of the Arsenal and The Slave Auction. Finally rounding the base of the Megaleneon they moved into the Market Precinct, through the Agora, near the Elven Market and passing the warehouses of Wavir, Rees and Tomblador.

The Thespian House
Without any trouble the party located the Thespian House and entered, hoping that their luck would continue to hold and they could arrange for passage out of the city. The party entered the common room outside of the performance hall and took seats. When they could do so discretely, they asked for Maserak and within a few minutes a half-elf approached their table and gave the sign of the Veiled Alliance, which Jarvix returned. After a few more formalities Maserak was satisfied with their attitude and appeared more willing to answer their questions. The party was still somewhat on edge as Maserak appeared to be very reserved and somewhat paranoid.

The party received very little information from Maserak about Tethrades. Although he know of him, Maserak had no current information or idea about his whereabouts. All he knew was that he hadn’t been seen in the city for quite some time. The party, especially Morg, was frustrated by this apparent dead-end. Somewhat taken aback by their anger, Maserak said he would check in with some others who might have more information.

The transportation out of the city was equally frustrating for the party who had hoped for a quick exit from Balic. Maserak said that he could help them arrange passage on a silt skimmer but that it would take several days before the vessel was ready. His explanations about the need for discretion in a city-state still ruled by a sorcerer-king appeared to fall on deaf ears. Eventually the party accepted the reality of the situation.

Maserak then asked for a show of good faith by the party and had a mission for them. A Veiled Alliance member in Balic had gone missing months before and was believed to be held in The Ivory Dungeon. Fearing that she would eventually crack under torture, Maserak wanted the party to enter the Dungeon through a secret entrance, locate the operative and eliminate her before she revealed any of the Alliance’s secrets.

This mission did not sit well with most of the group and they felt as if there was more going on then they were told. Eventually Maserak was able to convince the party that it was necessary and that the Veiled Alliance simply didn’t have the resources to conduct a raid – the presence of an experienced group of adventurers was too good of an opportunity to waste.

The Ivory Dungeon
Maserak’s directions were vague at best, but the party headed into the Agora late at night to try and locate the secret entrance the Ivory Dungeon. Kira used her shapechanging abilities to locate the secret door after Jarvix had narrowed down the possible entrance points. The door was protected by both physical locks and arcane wards. The locks were beyond the skill of Iorskan, but Li-Am was able to bypass them without too much difficulty. Elleandra was unable to get past the arcane protection, but with the help of Morg, Jarvix and Li-Am the protections were burned out, although each suffered some injuries as a result.

Once inside the Dungeon, they began to search for the operative, Zaldanis, without attracting any attention. Jarvix’s knowledge of building designs allowed them to make good progress towards the prison cells while Kira was able to navigate some treacherous sections of the Dungeon with ease. As they traveled through, the stark beauty of the white marble walls and polished bone bars was not lost on them. At any other time, this building would have been a wondrous sight. Eventually the party reached the prison cells and Iorskan attempted to get the location of Zaldanis out of a prisoner with threats. The prisoner complied, fearful of the powerful Dray and the party found the operative with relative ease.

Knowing what to expect, the party was able to bypass the protections on her cell and freed Zaldanis. There was a brief debate on what to do with her. She had obviously suffered much in the prison and the majority of the party felt sorry for her and decided that the right thing was to return her to Maserak alive. Just after reaching the decision, a half-dozen guards arrived, apparently tipped off to the party’s actions by the prisoner that Iorskan threatened.

A deadly struggle ensued between the party and the guards. Although the guards were well-trained and well-armed, they were no match for the experienced adventurers. Elleandra personally slew two of the guards and the rest fell to the combined attacks of the party. The last guard used some arcane talent to disappear as the combat concluded. They party could not detect where he had gone. The party decided to make a run for the secret door and flee the Dungeon before more guards found them.

As they readied to leave, the rest of the party found Li-Am over the corpse of Zaldanis – he had slain her during the fight. Horrified by their “friend’s” actions there was a brief confrontation. Li-Am’s explained that he completed the job they agreed to do and that there was nothing more to it. Had they not been ready to flee for their lives, they would have pressed the issue, but for now they grabbed the body of Zaldanis and ran.

The party ran faster than they had thought possible and managed to avoid any other patrols, although they were exhausted when they reached the secret door. Exiting back into the Agora, they closed and attempted to seal the door before heading back to the Thespian House. Safely arriving they informed Maserak of their success and presented him with the body. Visibly saddened by the loss of his friend, he nonetheless congratulated them on accomplishing their task, something that the Veiled Alliance in Balic needed but was unable to accomplish themselves.

House Wavir
The party rested that night in the safe house beneath the Thespian House and in the morning Morg and Iorskan headed to the House Wavir compound to make some additional inquires about leaving the city. They were also eager for any additional news and Morg was hoping to be able to recover some of the money that he had loaned the merchant house months ago to fund the expedition to find Vault of Darom Madar, which had ended in failure.

Morg was pleased to be reunited with Rhotan Vor who appeared to genuinely happy to see the mul, despite some lingering bad feelings between the two. Rhotan had apparently returned to Balic after closing shops in Tyr and had been doing well for himself. Morg was frustrated to learn that his money was gone and there was no way to get it back. He was ready to leave when Iorskan struck up a conversation.

Although they had never met, Iorskan had some dealings with House Wavir before and appeared to be on good terms with them. Iorskan produced the coins from House Madar that he had taken off the half-giant assassins sent by Tethrades in Altaruk. After some discussions and much speculation, Iorskan and Rhotan arrived at an interesting theory – Tethrades may have a connection to House Tsalaxa.

House Tsalaxa ambushed Rhotan’s expedition to recover the treasure from the Vault of Darom Madar. It was always suspected, but never confirmed, that House Tsalaxa found the Vault later and recovered the wealth, explaining how their influence had increased so quickly. The only known source of House Madar coins would be House Tsalaxa and with the agents of Tethrades in possession of those coins, it reasoned that Tethrades was working with House Tsalaxa.

Rhotan Vor knew of the approximate location of a House Tsalaxa compound between Raam and Draj. The party’s current plans were to enter the ruins of Giustenal, just on the other side of the Bay of Maray off the Sea of Silt. Rhotan happily gave the location to Morg and Iorskan, hoping that they could deal a blow to House Tsalaxa, which would indirectly aid House Wavir.

That afternoon the party quietly purchased supplies for a month-long journey across the Sea of Silt. Deciding to not draw too much attention, they spread the purchases across several merchant houses. The rest of the day was spent in the Thespian House, in case there were any Praetors searching for the group that had infiltrated the Ivory Dungeon.

The next morning they prepared to depart Balic…

Swift Departure
Early in the morning, the party was awoken by Maserak telling them that it was time to go. They were to meet their contact, Captain Daclimitus, at the eastern most dock. He would take them where they wished to go. Maserak cautioned that the Captain was trustworthy, but not a member of the Alliance.

Maserak was visibly shaken and informed them that time was of the essence because he believed that a group of Templars was on their way to the hideout. He feared that they had learned of his location at the Thespian House. The party suggested that he come with them, but Maserak was unwilling to abandon his post. The party had no wish to get involved with a fight and left him behind and they fled.

Although the morning was still early and the winds had picked up blowing fine silt into the town, the party was unlucky and the Templar patrol spotted them. A swift pursuit ensued with the party heading towards the Harbor Precinct. The party made excellent progress, pushing themselves to the limits of the endurance. Although not very familiar with the streets of Balic, they were able to distract their pursuers.

Elleandra made use of her magic skills while within sight of several local shopkeepers setting up for the day and she was not careful enough to disguise her abilities. The phobic shopkeepers were horrified by the display of arcane power and a small mob quickly formed around the party, attempting to overpower the party. Li-Am, Jarvix and Morg attempted to escape the mob, while the rest turned to face them. Their intent was to not harm the people and eventually they demonstrated that they were beyond the abilities of the mob and it dispersed.

The short engagement with the mob did not allow the pursuing Templars to catch up to the party and the group was able to reach the eastern most dock. They found their ship waiting for them as promised and were greeted by a man who introduced himself as Daclimitus. Daclimitus provided some basic ground rules for the voyage and then they set out on the Dusty Breeze, a craft powered by a psionic orb and capable of levitating above the silt.

The Sea of Silt
Out on the Sea of Silt, the party settled into a routine. Most stayed out of the way of the crew as much as possible and kept below deck. Jarvix was keenly interested in the psionic helm and spent his time learning how it worked. Iorskan spent his time above deck, for he alone was made uneasy and somewhat ill by the Journey. During the first day the vessel rounded the Dragon’s Palate on the south side to avoid the majority of the outposts of Balic and then headed into more open silt.

During their second day, a terrible silt storm raged halting them for the day. It was during this time when all were below deck that the party had an uncomfortable series of conversations. Li-Am was confronted about his past and his recent actions. Jarvix lead the questioning but the others in the party supported him. The primary concern was his recent obsession with the Skull of Dorag Thel and his intentions regarding it. Jarvix felt that it would be better in another’s possession. Only Morg spoke out in support of Li-Am, to the surprise of Jarvix, and pointed out that nobody was questioning the motive of Kira or Iorskan, who they had known for the same length of time. Li-Am said that he would have none of the conversation and refused to take part in any further discussion. As a show of trust Morg presented Kira with the Heartwood Spear that he had been carrying since Vinara’s death.

The third day was calm and the Dusty Breeze was able to get underway again. However, their travel was briefly halted when the ship came under attack by a giant Silt Horror. The beast latched onto the ship and started to pull it apart and attack the crew and passengers. The party was able to successfully defend the ship and prevented any of the crew from being dragged into the silt. Daclimitus surveyed the ship and found it to be capable of travel, but suggested they make for the island of Waverly for repairs and supplies. Trusting the Captain’s judgement, the party did not argue.

The remaining journey to Waverly took another four days. The winds continued to swirl up silt, but the ship was able to continue moving. During these days, the party mostly kept to themselves, as there was still tension regarding their earlier conversation. There was a brief discussion on where exactly to go after Waverly. Li-Am suggested making landfall sooner near the Pristine Tower and making an overland journey to Giustenal through the Beastbarrens. Another option was to round Giustenal and land in the trade village of Cromlin. A decision was not reached by the time they reached Waverly.

Isle of Waverly
According to Daclimitus, the Isle of Waverly was a long abandoned city that was commonly used by Silt Sailors for resupply of fresh water. There were no permanent settlements on the island and an unspoken covenant allowed sailors to come and go with little fear. When the isle came into sight, things were not as the captain said they would be.

A large encampment was visible on the western beaches and dozens of humanoids could be see seen moving about a large number of carefully laid out tents. The humanoids were large and could barely be made out to be Dray. There were banners laid out in the encampment each with the symbol of a large dragon skull with its eyes closed – the sigil of Dregoth.

Confused by the presence of the Dray, Daclimitus rounded the isle to the south and made landing on the western shore. Hopeful that they were not noticed, the crew began to make repairs as quickly as possible.

Ruins of Waverly
The crew of the Dusty Breeze began to repair the vessel, moving a quickly as possible for the presence of the large Dray force on the island. Although the ship had supplies to make repairs, they would not be able to make more repairs should the need arise. The party decided to venture into the island to gather more supplies and explore a bit while the crew was working.

The party headed out in a but quickly realized that they had very little idea where they should go. Elleandra used her magic to fly upwards and get a better idea of the layout of the island. She spent only a short time in the air to reduce the risk of being seen, but was able to see several promising areas that might provide supplies. They decided to head towards the southern end of the island, where there appeared to be more plant life.

After many hours moving across the island and searching Kira discovered a small stream of foul water emerging from behind a large pile of rubble. The rubble was easily cleared and a passageway was revealed leading under the ruins of the city. The sewer captured the interest of the party and they proceeded in after Jarvix used the Way to check in with Captain Daclimitus on the repair progress.

After an hour of so of searching, the encountered a group of Dray in a chamber. Although the Dray were surprised to see the adventurers, they were not immediately hostile and the two groups had a guarded conversation. Iorskan became the spokesperson for the adventurers as the leader of the Dray would not condescend to talk with the other party members.

The party learned that the dray were on a mission for their god, Dregoth, although they would not disclose any specifics to the party. They did appear to almost be expecting Iorskan and suggested that they present themselves to the dray encampment to be judged worthy. There were subtle intonations of other, darker, events taking place, but the party was unable to get more information, as they had not been deemed worthy yet.

Fearful that if they left the dray alone that the party’s presence would be reported to the main dray encampment the party decided to take action. The dray put up a good fight, but proved to be no match for the adventurers. Kira and Li-Am prevented the leader from casting any spells and finished off the majority of the soldiers. Morg took several serious injuries but Iorskan was able to keep him alive.

Lost Lore
After recovering from the fight, the party spent several more hours in the sewers attempting to discover what the dray were up to. Their investigations were yielding no results and they were just about to give up when a faint glow caught their attention. Following the light, they came upon a large room off of the main sewer line occupied by a half-dozen spectral figures.

Expecting trouble, the party was relieved to find that the spirits were not immediately hostile to the group. Elleandra spoke with the spirits and discovered that they had perished almost two thousand years ago when Uyness, the ruler of the city, betrayed them and left the city in ruins.

Elleandra was able to convince the spirits that she and the rest of the party were on a mission to restore the world. The spirits offered the party their choice of either riches or knowledge. Although some were tempted by the riches, they eventually decided that the knowledge would be the best choice. The spirits lead them through twisting passages eventually arriving at an apparent dead-end. Iorskan and Li-Am were able to uncover a hidden door which opened into a large room filled with books and scrolls.

When the party tried to enter the room they found that Li-Am and Elleandra were unable to enter the library. The ghosts explained that the library was warded against arcane magic users. Those two waited while the others searched the library for any useful information. The majority of the writings were historical records of Waverly and it appeared that Uyness of Waverly might have been another named used by Abalach-Re. Other records appeared to have more information related to the Cleansing Wars but the party did not spend time to review everything they found. While the literate adventurers were scouring the books, Morg noticed that there were a large number of metal candlesticks, scroll cases and other paraphernalia and helped himself to as much as he could carry.

After gathering all that they could, the party started retracing their steps through the sewers and back to the landing point of the Dusty Breeze. The day had been long and the party pushed themselves hard to reach the landing as quickly as possible. When they reached the ship, they found it destroyed and the crew missing. It was not difficult to put together what had happened as there were numerous Dray footprints near the wreckage. Jarvix risked attempting to contact the captain with the Way and was relieved that he was still alive. Daclimitus said that he and the crew had indeed been captured and were being help and the Dray encampment.

The Dray Encampment
The party took some time to recover their strength and formulate a plan for rescuing the crew and getting them all off the island. Once they had agreed, the party began marching west towards the Dray encampment, with Kira shape-shifted as a songbird and scouting ahead. They encountered nothing but a few wild animals on their journey until they were near to the camp and a patrol spotted them.

Iorskan demanded to see the camp commander and pretended to be delivering the rest of the party to the camp commander. Much to the surprise of the party, the ruse appeared to work and they were allowed entry into the camp. Li-Am and Iorskan were escorted to a comfortable tent while the rest were hauled into a pen on the north side of the camp where many other prisoners, including the crew of the Dusty Breeze were being held.

Kira remained shape-shifted and was able to move about with relative ease. She relayed information to those in the pen. She reported that Li-Am and Iorskan were being treated well and had toured the camp with several disturbing revelations. Firstly, the Dray forces were amassing an army of undead and dray to begin to lay siege to Balic and the other city-states. These Dray were of a different breed than those seen in the Tyr Region (which they called outcasts) and had the outcasts performing all sorts of menial tasks for them. Secondly, the undead that they were creating were from the former inhabitants of the island as well as any non-humans that this army had captured. They were being interrogated and then slain and raised as zombies to be disposable troops. Finally, the humans that were captured were being sent back to Giusetnal to undergo transformation into Dray. The party learned that Absalom had perfected this process and they believed he was so successful by using an Orb of Kalid-Ma.

Before too long the captives and a large number of undead were loaded into one of the Dray ships and the vessel began its journey to Giustenal. Iorskan and Li-Am were aboard as well and being treated as honored guests. Kira, still assuming animal form, followed along, unsure where the loyalties of Li-Am and Iorskan were and unable to help those help prisoner by the Dray. After a week-long journey the vessel came within sight of the ruins of Giustenal.

Giustenal
As the silt skimmer approached the ruins of Giustenal, Jarvix had some time to review what he had learned from the writings recovered from Waverly. Although he found no mention of dragons, avangions, or Rajaat, there were some discussions of other champions. Dregoth was mentioned as the Ravager of Giants and Kalid-Ma was named as the Minotaur Terror. One champion, Myron, was called the Troll Scorcher and he was apparently killed and replaced by Manu who took on the same title. None had heard the name Manu, but it had a striking similarity to Hamanu, the sorcerer-king of Urik.

When the vessel finally arrived at Giustenal, it slowed to maneuver among the ruins of the city which stretched out into the Sea of Silt. The hordes of undead were unloaded and sent off into the ruins and the party and the other captives were escorted up to the surface. There they could see the massive city of Giustenal half buried by the Sea of Silt and positioned at an odd angle, as if the entire city had been sunken. Off in the distance a haze created by boiling tar pits blocked most of the view of the ruins.

The party waited on what appeared to be an old wall and was told that they would be momentarily taken to Absalom. The dray captain cautioned Jarvix about using the Way and informed him that their books and other heavy gear would be carried down for them. The party was tempted to escape, as there were only nine guards including the captain, but decided against it as their options for getting off the wall were not apparent.

Within a few moments a platform rose from the ruins of a tower connected to the wall and another party of dray, half of whom appeared to guards joined the first group of guards. The other half of the party appeared to be outcast dray and were assigned the menial task of carrying the books and mundane gear of the party. Once all were positioned on the platform one of the guards, who appeared to be a defiler, spoke words of magic and the platform began to descend through a series of tunnels.

Morg studied the walls and was amazed to find they were not constructed by any craft known to him – they appeared to almost have been grown. Jarvix was studying the walls as well when he suddenly appeared to dissociate and then collapsed to the floor of the platform, visibly shaken by something. There was no opportunity to discuss his condition as the platform moved through a series of tunnels. After a few minutes, the platform leveled out, moved horizontally and then stopped at the entrance to a massive cavern.

New Giustenal
The entrance to the cavern was secured by a massive gate and two towers. The gates were made from a combination of stone and large bones, giving the entry way a grand and ominous appearance. Dray guards could be seen in the towers and as the party approached, the gates appeared to open on their own. As they approached, the more observant members noted that the bones of the gates appeared animated as some horrific golem and that was what caused the gates to open.

Beyond the gate the adventurers were amazed to see a small city spreading out before them. As they were escorted through the city, they saw sights that they might see above the surface. Merchant shops and other businesses were mixed with residential areas along a large central avenue. Although the buildings were familiar, the inhabitants were all dray.

The party could make out a magnificent structure made from gray stone with crimson scales, trim and other draconic decorations. In the center of the building a large steeple could be seen, decorated with dragon scales. The doorway was carved to appear to be a dragon’s mouth, with the portcullis being formed by the creatures teeth. This was a temple of the Dragon, where the faithful gather to hear the words of Dregoth.

The wonder continued as off in the distance the party could see fields of strange plants and pens of even stranger beasts. The most amazing sight was a large river of cool, clear water, flowing through the center of the cavern. The river was over 200 feet wide and numerous floating ships could be seen moving up and down the visible section. This was another of the many gifts that Dregoth had bestowed upon his chosen people, according to their guards.

Beyond the river were more homes and shops but as the avenue rounded to the left a strange forest was visible on the right. Trees were growing from the ceiling, their limbs reaching down and stretching out into a canopy of leaves, their roots winding their way upward. The trees were bearing fruit.

More wonders of the city were revealed to the party as they continued. A beautiful building of ivory sandstone was capped in black obsidian, as towers of similar design rose behind it at varying heights. The party’s eyes were drawn away from that structure to their final destination: a stark and oppressive structure set behind a wall of black obsidian, its surface decorated with giant bones. A huge ribcage of bones made a walkway from the gates to the palace.

Absalom
The guards led the party through the ribcage of bone and up through a massive set of doors into an entrance hall. The massive doors were opened and the party was taken into a huge chamber made of gray marble inlaid with a turquoise image of a dragon. Atop a stepped platform sat a throne of polished marble. The guard captain left them in the company of the other guards to go find Absalom.

Although their guards were attentive, the did not appear to care if the party explored the room or talked amongst themselves. Jarvix took this time to tell the party about the vision he had on the platform. They had a brief discussion but it was cut short by the arrival of Absalom. He was a tall dray with black scales and appeared to be not entirely alive. He carried a large sword in one hand and an obsidian Orb in another.

He greeted Li-Am and Iorskan, thanking them for delivering the party. He promised that Iorskan would be the general of the outcast dray, and that Li-Am would be the high templar of Dregoth. The party was taken aback and unsure of where the loyalties of their two friends were. Without warning Li-Am and Elleandra dove for the Orb, attempting to wrest it from his hands. Neither was able to secure the Orb but it created a momentary distraction and Kira shifted from a small lizard into her favorite form of a tiger and pounced on Absalom, savagely ripping into him.

Jarvix emanated a hypnotic ripple of psychic influence among the dray, stunning the majority of them, while conjuring a shard of nothingness to hold them fast. Iorskan let his true loyalties be know and orchestrated a devastating coordinated attack on Absalom as he called out “You did a shitty job of making these dray!” Elleandra made another grab for the Orb, but Absalom twisted away and Elleandra summoned illusory barriers around him causing him pain when he attacked. Morg called upon his reserves of strength and made a strike at Absalom at an odd angle catching the dray off guard and wounding him deeply.

Absalom teleported to a more advantageous position, slashing at Iorskan and siphoning his spirit. As Iorskan’s spirit faded, some of Absalom’s wounds healed. The dray guards rushed in attacking Elleandra and Morg. and wounding them deeply. Jarvix and Iorskan attempted to keep their friends standing despite the damage being inflicted on them. Iorskan attempted to keep Absalom’s attention on him by continuing to insult Absalom’s potency as a dray.

The battle continued back and forth until Elleandra finally managed to grab Absalom’s Orb, a look of triumph on her face. Before she could merge the Orb, Li-Am snatched Absalom’s Orb from her. The party breathed a collective sigh of relief as the all too real prospect of the return of Kalid-Ma suddenly didn’t feel like a good idea. Still urged on by her Orbs, Elleandra tried to grab the Orb back from Li-Am, but was unable wrest it from his hands. Li-Am turned her lunge to his advantage and barely managed to get a hold of her Orb. With a swift motion and a smile on his face, Li-Am combined the Orbs.

With a pulse of dark energy and a snapping sound, the Orb flared and cracked issuing forth a stream of black smoke. Helpless to do anything except watch, the smoke coalesced into an ordinary seeming man. Within a look of satisfaction on his face, his body grew and changed into a magnificent and terrifying form of a mighty dragon composed of living shadow, a being of darkness and defiling magic – a creature of nightmares. Its large hand extended towards Li-Am “Your loyalty will be rewarded, you shall be my High Templar”. Too stunned to react, all the party could do was wait to hear Li-Am’s response…

The Dread Palace
With a look of satisfaction Li-Am took Kalid-Ma’s hand and accepted his offer, revealing his true intentions to continue serving as the sorcerer-king’s templar. The rest of the party was shocked at his betrayal, although there was little time to ponder this, as the battle continued.

Kira switched from Absalom and attacked Li-Am, wounding him greatly, but he still found the strength to stand. Kalid-Ma swept the room with his claws and then began to draw the life out of his enemies. Elleandra was overwhelmed, fell unconscious and then died. Although blinded by Kalid-Ma’s attacks, Jarvix sprinted out of the room, as if answering a call that only he heard.

Iorskan and Morg continued to attack Absalom, eager to finish what they had started. To everyone’s surprise, Elleandra rose from death, an odd light about her. Completely restored to health by a lingering blessing from her time holding the Crystal of Ebon Flame, she tried to attack Kalid-Ma, but found herself unable to break through his defenses with her magic.

Li-Am turned on his former allies and attacked them with his spectral weapon and magic. He wounded Kira, Iorsakn and Morg, and killed Absalom with his combined attacks. Kalid-Ma continued to attack, biting into Iorskan and Morg, and knocking Iorskan to the floor. Only Morg’s incredible toughness allowed him to keep fighting.

The room rumbled and the main doors opened to reveal another massive dragon, whose decaying form could only be that of Dregoth. He let loose with a blast of necrotic energy aimed at Kalid-Ma, but that was large enough to injure most everyone in the room. Li-Am fell to the ground, unable to keep standing with his injuries.

The party was on the verge of despair, when a large portal opened in the room and they could see Jarvix on the other side, concentrating hard, but motioning them towards him. Not wanting to die again, Elleandra used her magic to become insubstantial and slip past the few remaining dray guards. Along the way she stopped by the unconscious Li-Am and grabbed the Skull of Dorag Thel.

Morg, having seen too many foes return from the dead, moved over to Li-Am and proceeded to hack at him with his Axe. Satisfied that he was truly dead, he grabbed the Shadowstaff and moved through the gate dragging the unconscious Iorskan with him.

The party found themselves in a large room with walls covered in bookshelves overflowing with books and scrolls. One wall was dominated with the large ornate mirror through which they had just stepped. Jarvix appeared to be in contact with the mirror and began to concentrate to try and change the mirror’s focus. Kira grabbed several nearby books, having learned the potential value of the information contained within them. Before Jarvix could complete his work, Dregoth stepped through the portal squeezing his massive form into the library.

Dregoth let loose a blast of defiling magic and the entire party doubled over in pain as their life energy was drained from them. Unwilling to risk further attacks by the undead sorcerer-king, the party joined hands and jumped through the portal, which was flashing seemingly random locations that they had visited. With a scream of rage, they left Dregoth behind and hoped that he would not be able to follow them.

Rafernard’s Forest
The adventurers opened their eyes and looked around, immediately recognizing their location – they were in the central plaza within Rafernard’s Forest. It looked much as it had when they had left it following Abalach-Re’s transformation over a month ago. The land surrounding the skull tower was still defiled and there were remains of hundreds of corpses.

They quickly retreated into the forested areas and found that food and water were still abundant. After tending to their wounds, taking stock of their gear and getting some much needed rest, they started out towards Altaruk, where they hoped to find friends and get information on what had been happening in this part of Athas since they left.

Their rest was not interrupted and their journey across the hot desert between the forest and Altaruk was dusty but otherwise uneventful. When they reached Altaruk, they found that it had changed significantly. The walls were badly damaged and instead of the usual guards, the Legions of Balic now stood watch. Elleandra used her magic to charm one of the guard captains and learned some of what had happened here.

According to the guard captain, Abalach-Re had attacked the fort and was driven away, although when she attacked again the defenders fell. The vast majority of the guards were slain in her attacks as were several prominent leaders. The guards also told how Abalach-Re was defeated by the combined efforts of Andropinis of Balic, Lalali-Puy of Gulg and the Shadow King of Nibenay. Lastly the party learned that they were wanted by Andropinis for breaking into The Ivory Dungeon several weeks back. Fortunately Elleandra’s charms prevented these guards from turning them in, but they decided to not linger and headed out on the road to Tyr.

Attacks in the Night
Moving as quickly as possible the adventurer’s headed out from Altaruk towards Tyr. They had already been marching for many hours, but they pushed on as best they could. After three hours they decided to stop and take shelter in the rocky terrain. Morg took watch while the others rested and regained their strength. After a few hours Morg spotted a patrol of Balic legionaries that were following the same path and heading into the rocks. Morg woke his companions and they prepared for battle.

The legionaries consisted of praetor, a half-giant and half a dozen soldiers. Jarvix briefly contemplated attempting to talk with the praetor, but at the last moment he changed his mind and lashed out with the Way, catching the soldiers off guard. The rest of the party followed his lead and unleashed a flurry of attacks. The soldiers were tough and stood their ground neither running nor being overwhelmed.

Morg was immobilized by the praetor’s magic and the soldiers surrounded Kira and Iorskan knocking Kira unconscious at several points. Elleandra kept working her magic and distracting the soldiers with visions of flesh-devouring spirits while the rest of the group continued to eliminate the soldiers.

In the heat of the battle, the half-giant turned on the Balic soldiers and started attacking the praetor. The party was thoroughly confused by this, but gave the half-giant space and watched him carefully. With only one soldier left, Jarvix made obscene thrusting gestures towards him as he tried to use the Way to finish him. Either as a result of fatigue from the long march or extreme overconfidence, Jarvix slipped and fell off the rocks injuring himself instead of his target. However, with their new ally, the Balic forces were finally defeated and the party was able to catch their breath and meet their new ally.

New Allies and New Directions
The half-giant introduced himself as Way-lynn and told Jarvix and the others how he had been in the army of Nibenay and more recently a guard in Altaruk, but now was looking for a way to help stop the sorcerer-kings. He witnessed and survived the attacks of Abalach-Re on Altaruk so knew first hand the magnitude of his self-appointed task. The party realized that they had seen Way-lynn before in their visit to Altaruk before heading to Rafernard’s Forest. Happy to have another strong warrior with them, Iorskan and the others accepted him into their group.

Way-lynn filled in the party about the attacks on Altaruk by Abalach-Re and the deaths of Arisphistaneles, Selonius and Culler. Way-lynn also confirmed that the three sorcerer-kings did fight and kill Abalach-Re between Altaruk and Gulg. Jarvix contacted Birk and learned that the party was wanted by the forces of Gulg, Balic and Nibenay. He also learned that Birk and Arnye had defeated Tethrades and recovered the Crystal of Ebon Flame, but that it was lost in the turmoil following the attacks on Altaruk.

As they rested, they discussed their next move. Their original plan to head towards Tyr now felt like a long march in the wrong direction. Although they wanted information from the Veiled Alliance, there was little else to be gained there. Iorskan told the party about his desire to find his clan’s old stronghold and try and unite the dray outcasts into an army to help fight the sorcerer-kings. The stronghold was located in the Black Spine Mountains between Nibenay and Cromlin.

Feeling that this was one of the only concrete actions they could take to further their goals, the party agreed to help Iorskan. They decided that after a good nights rest they would turn back and head towards Altaruk, but try and avoid the trade fort and any complications with the forces of Balic encamped there. With luck they hoped to reach the relative safety of Rafernard’s Forest.

Taking Flight
Before the party turned around and headed southwest towards their goal of Rafernard’s Forest, they had a serious discussion about what they were trying to to and how they were hoping to accomplish their goals. The sorcerer-kings were the problem and through their reckless use of defiling they had destroyed the world and the group felt that diminishing their power and influence would help start the restoration. Jarvix complied what they new about the various sorcerer-kings and attempted to rank them in terms of power.

Jarvix received a reply to the message he sent the Veiled Alliance in Tyr. Mathias said that Tyr was fine, although the political infighting continued, Kled and the Tree of Life there were still safe and it appeared that the Dragon had finished its collection and returned its domain. Mathias also passed along a Veiled Alliance contact in the city-state of Gulg – a woman named Narissa.

The discussion moved to whether to take the road, making better time but risking more encounters with the forces of the sorcerer-kings, or to travel more slowly overland. Kira reminded her friends that she could possibly summon bird spirits that could move them at great speed through the air, as she had done in the Shadow Tomb. With the help of Morg, Elleandra and Way-lynn, Kira was able to summon enough spirits for the entire group, although they took the form of kestrekels and gave everyone an uneasy feeling.

The Battle of the Sorcerer-Kings
The spirits took them swiftly east towards the site of the battle of the sorcerer-kings, where they hoped to gain more information on what happened with Abalach-Re. They made the 125 mile trip in just over 8 hours and touched down in an area of scrub plains on the edge of a verdant belt on the southern end of the Crescent Forest. They located the battle site with ease, as the land had been turned to ash from defiling magic and the corpse of Abalach-Re still remained.

Kira used her magic to speak with the surviving plants and few animals that remained in the area. They related much of what happened during the battle of the sorcerer-kings that took place here. Kira relayed the information and they were all horrified to learn that the three sorcerer-kings knew much about them and their activities. The actions of Lalali-Puy put their minds at ease regarding the possible return of Abalach-Re, but the entire description of the time left them uneasy.

Kira also saw images of the sorcerer-kings and was shocked that although Lalali-puy and Andropinis appeared to be human, the Shadow King of Nibenay was very draconic in his appearance. There was only speculation as to why he was allowed to progress in his transformation when Abalach-Re was being hunted.

Headhunters
While processing the information and preparing to take flight again, a dozen individuals emerged from the nearby scrub brush and quickly surrounded the party. Morg immediately recognized them as judaga (headhunters) and a nganga (witch doctor) from Gulg. Without a word the two groups started attacking each other.

The battle was bloody, with the Gulgan forces far stronger than the party anticipated. It was all that Jarvix and Iorskan could do to keep everyone else alive. Way-lynn proved capable of keeping most of the judaga focused on him, his body assuming the form of unworked stone. Morg struck hard and often at the judaga, a fierce sirocco scouring even the distant enemies. Jarvix used the Way to move his enemies about consolidating them into one area where Elleandra could unleash her magic upon them. Kira shifted in and out of her tiger form, alternately attacking them with spells and claws.

The judaga lasted far longer then the party expected and they came dangerously close to being defeated, but eventually the headhunters of Glug fell. The party took a moment to catch their breath and Elleandra rose up on wings of magic to check if the area was clear of other hostiles while Kira prowled around as well. Their hears sank when they spotted a group of soldiers clad in the raiment of Nibenay. By the time the party regrouped, the Nibenese forces were on them, although they did not appear immediately hostile…

Entrance to Gulg
Although the party had recovered some of their strength from the fight with the Gulgans, they were in no shape to contend with the well-trained Nibenese forces. The keen eyes of Elleandra and Kira gave the party enough warning to leave the area before the troops arrived. They quickly gathered the clothing of the nganga and judaga foes and Kira summoned the bird spirits to take them to safety. They flew northeast above the Crescent Forest towards the city-state of Gulg. After about an hour, the spirits began to fade and the party set down.

Morg told his allies all that he knew of his former city-state as they donned the gear of the Gulgan warriors. They decided that the safest course of action would be to leave Way-lynn and Iorskan outside the city as dray and half-giants were rarely seen. The rest of the party would enter the city-state by the Queen’s Gate, meet up with the Veiled Alliance contact, procure survival days and spell components and then leave the city.

The spirit eagles landed a few miles outside the city and the party headed towards Gulg from the south. Their first sight was the 20 foot tall hedge of tightly woven razor-sharp brambles, the Mopti Wall. As they approached numerous guards could be seen but the group was allowed to enter the city without any significant challenge. A feeling of unease came over Elleandra as she moved closer to the city – she could feel the anguish of the nature spirits enslaved by the sorcerer-queen. Jarvix directed them to the House of Outsiders where he was to make contact with the Veiled Alliance.

After arranging the meeting and purchasing some supplies they waited for the Veiled Alliance contact to show in a secluded section of the dagada. As they waited, the light crowd dispersed until they were all alone. Suddenly a large group of judagas surrounded them and demanded that the party accompany the warriors to have an audience before the Oba. Out numbered and still weakened from their earlier encounters, the party did not resist.

As the party was escorted deeper into the city, they were awestruck by the lushness of Gulg but also its primitive appearance. The city itself consisted of circular mud and thatch huts arranged into the dagadas – small community groups. Along the way, the party passed near to the city’s arena – the Field of Spears, but their attention was quickly drawn to the center of the city, where an impossibly gigantic agafari tree could be seen. Perched in its highest branches was a wondrous sight – Lalali-Puy’s palace. Beneath the bright and beautiful palace, deep in the shadows, the party could make out the houses of the nganga – foreboding and grim, decorated with ghoulish embellishments, bones, dessicated trophies, and the like.

Entering through the trunk of the mighty tree the party was led up winding stairs. At length, they entered a gleaming white, high-ceilinged chamber. Various slaves, courtiers and soldiers stood around the room, and at one end grew several large, gnarled trees which the party recognized as trees of life. “Abase yourselves in the presence of the Forest Queen!” bellowed a voice. At the other and of the room, seated on a throne carved from the wood of the agafari tree, was Lalali-Puy herself.

“Welcome bold adventurers!” She began with a heavy accent. “We have been told of your bravery and many adventures. We would hear one of your tales as told by you.” There was no mistaking her words as a request and Jarvix told of their encounter with Abalach-Re and her transformation. His tale was slightly embellished to downplay their involvement and ended with Lalali-Puy defeating the dragon. The sorcerer-queen and others in the hall appeared pleased with the story.

“Ah!” She breathed, “It is everything we had hoped for. Please, brave adventurers, accept our hospitality for a few days as an expression of our gratitude. Enjoy your stay in our palace. Everything you see is for your use and pleasure.”

Trouble in Paradise
With that the party was escorted to a guest suite where they were reunited with Way-lynn and Iorskan, who had been discovered earlier by a patrol of Gulgan soldiers. Although they were unharmed and allowed to keep their weapons, it was clear they were prisoners and would not be allowed to leave the palace. Jarvix attempted to use the Way to get help, but it was blocked by some power greater than his. Elleandra assisted Kira in communing with nearby plants and animals and received confirmation that the sorcerer-queen and her templars were controlling most of the spirits of nature for their own dark purposes.

They next day the group roamed throughout the palace. Compared to all the other area of Athas they had seen, this was a lush, tropical paradise amid the broad branches of the agafari tree. They found large, luxurious huts, vast meeting chambers, pleasant sitting chambers, and a magnificent view of Gulg and the Crescent Forest beyond. Colorful birds filled the air with song, and iridescent lizards and insects decorated the mighty tree’s trunk and branches. The party was housed in great luxury, and were offered numerous delicacies and as much water and wine as they could drink.

As they rested back in their rooms, they had a visitor who introduced himself as Habban the Fetish Keeper, chief Nganga. Habban was very interested in Elleandra, her background and her magic. They conversed for several hours and it became apparent that he was much more interested in gaining information than giving it. Although he appeared confident, Elleandra sensed that he was rather insecure in his position and nervous about her and her companions.

The discussions were cut short when the party was interrupted by Mogansho the War Chief who was sent to bring them before the sorcerer-queen. They were asked to tell another story and this time Iorskan spoke about their encounters with the forces of Dregoth from the island of Waverly to the ruins beneath Giustenal. He mentioned the return of Kalid-Ma and the mirror they used to escape, both of which the queen and her court listened to intently. At the conclusion of they story, they were dismissed again.

The next day passed much as the previous day had and once again they were summoned before the queen and her court. This time Jarvix told the stories they had learned about the Cleansing Wars, the champions and their tasks. He used many of the sorcerer-kings’ true names during the telling and this caused Lalalai-Puy to become visibly annoyed for a few seconds. There was a brief moment when the party was tempted to start a slow clap, but the mood of the queen stopped them quickly. One member of the queen’s entourage, Shala the Hunt Mistress, spoke up apparently taking offense at the implication that the Oba was anything other than the Forest Goddess. She suggested the party be punished for their disrespect, but the request was not granted and the party was allowed to leave once again.

The following day Kira assumed the form of a colorful songbird and attempted to scout some of the areas of the palace they had not been allowed to enter. She uncovered a library filled with spellbooks of dragon magic and other mundane tomes. Another room held artwork of ancient origins, showing places and creatures never seen in modern times. The last room was a menagerie containing creatures from all over Athas. She returned shortly before the party was summoned before the queen for next story.

This time, the queen’s throne room was almost empty except for the queen, Habban, Shala, Mogansho and another woman. The queen addressed the party with a severe tone in her voice, “So, you have chosen to reject the hospitality that we so generously offered. What are the charges?” Habban spoke first accusing Elleandra of being an evil spirit of nature sent as a spy. According to him the rest of the party was guilty of treachery by not reporting her to the templars. The other woman, Taibela the Chief of Thieves, accused Kira of violating the restricted areas of the Palace and communing with evil nature spirits. Then Shala the Hunt Mistress slyly interjected, suggesting they give the prisoners a fighting chance by having them participate in the Red Moon Hunt in two nights. At this Lalali-Puy smiled and nodded ordering the party to be taken to the dungeons.

Mogansho began to lead them down from the throne room into the dungeons beneath the great agafari tree. The party began looking for an opportune time to escape…

Prison Escape
The Forest-Queen’s guards escorted the party deep into the interior of the great tree, down narrow stairs carved from the living wood. Mogansho and the muls kept a close eye on the party allowing them no chance to form a plan. The corridors were numerous, and their ability to observe and mentally map them was limited. Twisted corridors and gnarled passageways followed the giant tree’s roots and finally they reached the dungeons.

Mud and entangling roots hung from the ceiling in places, and the dampness was most unusual. Many prison cells were carved out of the roots with strong wooden doors barred from the outside. The passageway they were traveling lead to a heavy, guarded door. The door itself is made of thick wood and reinforced with a fortune in iron bars. The mul guards wore steel armor and had steel weapons in their hands and kept a grim eye on the party as they were lead up to it.

Mogansho ordered the party to surrender their gear as, according to the law in Gulg, the sorcerer-queen owned all property. The party, especially Morg, was unwilling to release their weapons and they charged the guards and Mogansho hoping to catch them by surprise. They guards were anticipating such action and were ready for trouble. A fierce battle began in the dungeons with the party attempting to defeat the guards and find a way out. As excepted the steel-clad muls were expert warriors and Mogansho was a battle-hardened commander. Way-lynn did his best to keep the guards focused on him, but as the fight continued, the party became separated from each other and were unable to present a unified front.

Several of the mul guards were defeated but more entered the fight, altered to trouble by the sounds of conflict or some other means. The battle turned against the party when Lalali-Puy herself appeared in the dungeons and proceeded to attack Morg. Kira was cursed by the Forest-Queen and suffered the same injuries as Morg. Iorskan and Jarvix did there best to keep the party standing under the assaults, but they were quickly becoming overwhelmed. Mogansho was eventually knocked down by Morg but Morg fell under the magical attacks of the queen.

Elleandra discovered what appeared to be a way out of the dungeons and the party moved with great haste to leave. Elleandra and Jarvix were able to distract the guards with their magic and powers of the Way, allowing the rest of the party to move past them without fear. Jarvix was the last to leave the dungeon and they hoped the distractions would give them a few moments head-start.

The Crescent Forest
They party found themselves outside the Mopti Wall in the Crescent Forest, surrounded by thick, tangled vegetation growing in a rich loamy soil with insects and birds everywhere. Like the Forest Ridge, the forest is a reminder of how Athas once was. Way-lynn knew that the isolated nature of the forest makes it a highly competitive environment and creatures in it were prepared to fight to survive and cautioned the party to be ready for anything. The setting sun gave the party a rough idea of the direction of Nibenay and they decided to head there as quickly as possible. The hope was that the unknown dangers in Nibenay would be better than returning to Gulg.

Kira used her magic to cloak them in the colors and textures of the forest, hoping that they would be much harder to track. Although they were tempted to have her summon the bird spirits again, Lalali-Puy’s affinity for nature made them reluctant to use such magic. They pressed on through the dense forest moving as quickly as they dared. As they traveled, they were constantly tempted to investigate areas of the forest that they came across and sent Kira in first.

The party stumbled into a patch of Blossomkiller plants and had to fight their way out. They party encountered a group of runaway slaves from Gulg, who did not trust the party, and a party of half-giants who attacked the party on sight. Kira found a spring in the forest with restorative properties, helping to refresh them after a long night of travel. After about 10 hours the party reached a clearing and decided to risk stopping to rest and recover some of their strength.

After a few hours their rest was interrupted when a group of well-armed warriors emerged from the forest. Way-lynn immediately recognized them as soldiers in the army of Nibenay, including half-giants of the Shadow Guard. They were shocked that Kira’s camouflage was penetrated and even more shocked when a woman in templar garb stepped forward and addressed the party…

“I am the templar Marika of Nibenay. We are here to escort you to the Shadow King!”

Guests of the Shadow King
As they emerged from the forest into a clearing, the party was confronted by a large number of well-armed warriors. A young woman in the garb of a templar of Nibenay stepped forward.

I am the templar Marika of Nibenay. We mean you no harm – we know you are enemies of the Forest Queen, and only wish to escort you to meet with our king.

The party was too tired and injured to fight and, as they detected no deception from the templar, they agreed to be escorted to Nibenay. Marika gave them each some fruits, which restored their vitality, letting them continue despite their weariness from their escape from Gulg. As they traveled, the party was surrounded by the human and half-giant soldiers, presenting not opportunity for escape. Marika pushed the party hard, moving for 12 hours a day and the forest made it difficult to move quickly. Along the way there was some brief discussions, but little information was gained from the Templar. The party came within sight of the city-state of Nibenay around on the third day.

Meeting the Shadow King
The vast walled city of Nibenay was before the party, every structure intricately carved with dancing figures, fantastic monsters and elaborate scenes. Rising from the center of the city was a fantastic form of the Shadow King’s palace, the Naggaramakam, carved in the shape of an enormous head. Passing through substantial rice paddies that lay around and even within the city itself the party saw a legion of slaves tending the fields under the eyes of overseers.

Inside Nibenay seethed with activity. Ordinary citizens hurried from place with place under the watchful eye of the Shadow King’s warriors. Slaves were hauling goods for merchants with crodlu and inix crowding the streets. As they were lead to the center of the city, they noted that even the paving stones were carved individually, although most of the decorations had been worn down by centuries of traffic. As they approached the palace, Marika spoke.

No mortal my enter the Shadow King’s demesne. His majesty will speak with you in one of his lesser palaces.

The interior of the palace was every bit as impressive as the exterior. At one end of the chamber was a massive statue with glowing blue eyes, recognized as that of the Shadow King. Waiting in the chamber were two of Nibenary’s consorts, one human and one mul each one wearing nothing more than some jewelry. A pair of half-giant guards stood beside each of them. Way-lynn recognized the mul as the High Consort of War, Bamandji.

The stone busts lips began to move forming words in a deep booming voice…

There have been many rumors regarding your little band of trouble-makers. There are many questions to be answered. Speak truthfully or there will be consequences most dire.

The party was questioned for a while about their past exploits – Kira’s restoration of the land around Altaruk, their encounters with Dregoth, Kalid-Ma and Abalach-Re. Their goals for all of their actions were as important as their actions themselves. For the moment, the Shadow King pondered their conversations..

If you truly wish to make this world a better place, you will perform a task for me, one which I think you will find to your liking. The Forest Queen is in possession of an artifact that will enable her to completely dominate the spirits in the forest, increasing her power dramatically.”

I will transport you into the dungeons of Glug tonight. Lalali-Puy will be engaged in her Red Moon Hunt and her defenses will be weakened. Make your way to the iron door and retrieve the Stone of Abraxas which is held in the room beyond the door. Once you are in possession of the crystal, my connection with you will be amplified and I will be able to return you to this room.

By performing this task you will demonstrate to me that you are not merely anarchists who wish to see the remnants of civilization burn. You will also have revenge upon the Forest Queen for you imprisonment and there is a good chance that you will be able to recover what you have lost.

The party discussed their options and felt that to defy Nibenay at this time was not in their best interests. Jarvix and Iorskan were eager to get revenge on the Forest Queen as well as have a chance at the treasure they thought might be hidden in the dungeons. Elleandra performed an augury which revealed that either option presented danger, but aiding the Shadow King in recovering the Stone of Abraxas was the least dangerous path. “Delightful” was the only word spoken by the statue after they agreed.

Dungeons of Gulg
The party was treated to an excellent meal of meats, rice and exotic fruits from within the Crescent Forest. There was only a little time for social interaction with the High Consorts, but Nibenese culture frowned upon discussing outside business in the evenings. The party was allowed to rest until near midnight, when they were summoned again to the statue chamber. The statue’s eyes flashed blue and the party found themselves back in the dungeons of Glug.

The somewhat familiar mud and entangling roots were still confusing as the adventurers worked their way through narrow passages trying to find their way back to the iron-bound door they had seen during their last time in Gulg. They soon discovered they were not alone and encountered several mul guards while they wandered to dungeons. Elleandra and Way-lynn helped to control the guards and prevented them from surrounding the other party members.

As Jarvix wandered the dungeons he encountered Mogansho, who had recovered from their previous fight. Jarvix ensnared him with a thought and began hurling him about like a living weapon. Mogansho was knocked unconscious and Jarvix left him to rejoin the rest of his party. Taibela was also stalking the party and attacked Iorskan from the shadows. She disappeared and struck Elleandra, knocking her unconscious. When Taibela appeared again, Kira was ready and pounced on her, taking her head off.

Way-lynn located the iron-bound door and found it still guarded by the steel-clad Mul warriors. As they were engaged, the rest of the party moved towards the door, eager to acquire the Stone and any other treasures they might acquire. Mogansho was able to recover from Jarvix’s attack and made a desperate attack on the party. Iorskan turned to meet him and after a brief exchange Mogansho fell, this time for good.

The iron-bound door was protected by physical and magical protections and although there were keys found on Mogansho which opened the lock, it still took the group some time to bypass the other protections. With the door open, they saw a large room before them filled with all types of treasures. The center of the room contained a large pedestal, on top of which was a stone that could only be the Stone of Abraxas.

Way-lynn searched the room and discovered some of Morg’s gear and Elleandra searched for anything of significance. Elleandra, Jarvix, Kira and Iorskan worked feverishly to bypass the protections around the Stone, suspecting that they hadn’t much time before more guards, or worse the sorcerer-queen herself, showed up. Luck was with the party as they were able to acquire the stone before any more Gulgans arrived. Moments after the Stone was in their possession there was a flash of blue light and they were once again in the chamber with the stone statue of Nibenay.

An Early Morning
Delen was asleep in his modest dwelling and the sun had not yet risen. Suddenly a loud banging on his door startled him to consciousness and a booming voice on the other side caused him to snap to attention. “Delen wake yourself.” Delen found four very large half-giants wearing the garb of the Shadow Guard at his door. They have come to escort Delen to the Temple of Thought. Fearing that some of his evening activities had been discovered, he followed the guards and prepared himself for the worst.

Delen was escorted to the Temple of Thought near the Naggaramakam. Along the way, he saw shadows moving out of the corner of his eye, but did not recognize them. He was escorted to a large receiving chamber with a stone statue of the sorcerer-king himself. Three of Nibenay’s high consorts were present with their guards, but none acknowledge Delen’s arrival. Delen recognized the consorts as Siemhouk, Djena and Rejan.

After almost an hour, the statue of Nibenay stirred to life and its eyes flashed blue and the party appeared looking haggard. Djena asked for the Stone and Iorskan handed it to her. Smiling she left the room with her guards. The statue then spoke…

Well done adventurers, you have helped secure the safety of our city. There is another task that you will perform for me.”

There is no doubt that this was an order and not a request. Rejan spoke of recent attempts to open an iron mine in the Black Spine Mountains about 2 days travel from the city. While the initial prospects appeared good, once digging started, there had been no word from the mines. Since the loss of communication, there were increases in attacks by gith. The survivors reported that the gith were armed with metal weapons and wore metal armor, something most unusual. A small patrol was sent to investigate and they have not been heard from since. Rejan commanded the party to travel to the mine and determine the fate of the miners and investigate the strange gith activity.

A journey to the Black Spine Mountains was in line with Iorskan’s desires to find his clan’s ancient stronghold and the party accepted to mission. Siemhouk stepped forward and promised a reward for the party’s service to the city. The gift, she says, is to help Kira unlock her potential. She addressed Delen…

We shall see how much knowledge you have uncovered since your training ended. Where do souls go when the body dies?”

Delen attempted to answer the questions accurately, but not too quickly. He had guessed that he was not being brought here for punishment but for some other purpose. He felt confident that he was able to answer her questions well, but not too well.

Yes, the souls travel to the Gray where they dissolve into nothingness. It is because of this that he raising of the dead is nearly impossible and always fraught with peril. However, we have among us someone from the Gray who is not a soul from our world. She has powers over life that have not been seen on Athas in thousands of years. I will help her unlock some of her potential and a gift from the past will be yours.

Seimhouk motioned Kira over to her and laid her hands on Kira’s head. Kira felt a calming presence, totally quieting the animal rage that she had learned to control. Kira will feel Seimhouk sifting through her memories of past events, spending time on her revitalization of the land outside Altaruk and her restoration of the dead in Necropolis. Seimhouk then pointed to Iorskan and commanded that he hand over The Shadowstaff, the scrap of Gwyn’s flesh and her dragonling. With all those components, and an enormous effort of will, Kira pulled Gwyn’s soul from King and caused the scrap of flesh to reform into Gwyn! Kira then fell to the floor exhausted.

Seimhouk addressed Delen again…

Delen, you will accompany them and keep an eye on Gwyn. Make sure that there are no lingering, undesirable consequences. Kira is exhausted and may remain here with me to recover her strength and learn more of her powers. You will start your journey today and must return to the city by the third day of the Festival of the Highest Sun.

House Shom Caravan
Kira agreed to stay behind and the rest of the party retired to a dining room to rest before heading out to the Black Spine Mountains. Delen was introduced to the rest of the party and Gwyn told them of the fuzzy memories that she had from the last two months. Jarvix and Elleandra were both very excited that she had returned and Iorskan grudgingly admitted that he was impressed. Way-lynn and Delen, having never met Gwyn were more impressed with her return from death.

After resting and checking their supplies the party headed out from the city, northeast along the road towards the Black Spine Mountains. They reached the crossroads and decided to camp for the night before heading into the wilderness. As they were making camp a large caravan flying the colors of House Shom approached and also made camp. This was one of the largest caravans they had seen with three giant mekillot wagons and over a hundred soldiers.

To the party’s surprise, one of the guards approached their camp with an offer of hospitality. The caravan had been away from Nibenay for almost a month and was eager for news. They offered to trade information about the city-state of Raam, where they were returning from. The party agreed and was escorted to the camp where they met Temmnya Shom, daughter of the the head of House Shom.

Iorskan told of the dangers around Giustenal and the potential for serious conflict in the region in the near future. Jarvix mentioned what they knew of the fate of Abalach-Re, although he mentioned nothing of his group’s involvement in the events. Gwyn and Delen offered information on potential sources of profit for House Shom. Temmnya listened and responded with information on the current groups attempting to control of Raam, after the disappearance of its sorcerer-queen. The party found Temmnya to be more friendly and likeable than any other member of House Shom they had met, although they were still cautious around her.

The following morning the two groups went their separate ways; Temmnya headed towards Nibenay and the party venturing into the foothills of the Black Spine Mountains.

Black Spine Mountains
The party decided to search for the dray stronghold, much to the excitement of Iorskan. All throughout the day, they searched for signs of the fortress, each helping as best they could. Way-lynn focused on searching for natural features that might indicate the presence of trails or roads used long ago. Delen, who appeared to have an excellent head for history, spent the day pointing out features in the mountains that he recognized from ancient legends.

Elleandra attempted to move quickly about the mountains in an effort to scout out as many locations as possible. She relied on her magic to ease the effort less but drew the attention of a small patrol of gith, including a gith adept with the Way. The party easily defeated them and discovered they were indeed using metal weapons and wearing metal armor.

Jarvix and Gwyn moved about the mountains together. Jarvix keeping his keen eyes open for the fortress or markers that might indicate they were headed in the right direction. Gwyn used her strength to push past the numerous piles of stone that blocked their way. Unfortunately she was apparently still recovering from her death and carelessly caused an avalanche of rock which drew the attention of another gith patrol. It was larger than before and included a strange gith knight wearing metal armor of an outlandish design. Once again the party was victorious and continued their search.

Delen eventually was able to sense the location of a strong source of arcane magic and directed the party to what he hoped was the stronghold. He uncovered what appeared to be the entrance to the mine instead. Since the day was spent and the party did want to investigate the mine, they made camp for the night with the intention of investigating the iron mine in the morning. They only had three days to explore the mines, find the stronghold and travel back to Nibenay by the third day of The Festival of the Highest Sun.

Black Spine Iron Mine
Before venturing into the mines, the party took a brief rest and, as usual, reflected on the current situation. The conversation had a different tone than normal because of the presence of Delen, and somewhat Way-lynn. Despite the different goals and views, each agreed that it was still in their best interest to continue working together.

Delen felt that their adventures had been and would continue to be a source of great knowledge, which appeared to interest him greatly. Elleandra still believed that her home in the Lands Within the Wind was still in danger and with her tree in the village of Kled, she had strong protective feelings towards this world. Gwyn wanted to resume her quest to stop the use of destructive magic. Iorskan felt that he was destined to unite his people and wanted the freedom from slavery at the hands of Dregoth. Jarvix enjoyed the prospect of uncovering more of the true history of the world and his loyalty to the Veiled Alliance shaped his desire to put an end to the tyranny of the sorcerer-kings. Way-lynn had seen too much corruption in his city-state of Nibenay and knew that only by preserving the little remaining nature could the death of the world be halted.

They all headed into the iron mines, hoping to discover what had happened to the Nibanese miners and soldiers that disappeared. Delen, feeling most comfortable in the dark tunnels, lead the way, constantly searching for clues and traps. Before long they ran into groups of gith miners, equipped with steel mauls for breaking the rocks. The mauls were also equally good as weapons against the party and despite their lack of training, the gith were able to inflict many injuries in the ensuing combats.

In addition to the gith miners, Elleandra encountered another of the mysterious warriors that resembled more intelligent gith. There was no conversation with it and although it was defeated, there was still no indication as to who they were or what they wanted. The party was able to defeat the gith they encountered very quickly and they hoped their presence was mostly unnoticed in the mines. They realized that the mines were far more expansive then expected based on the short time it since it had supposedly been discovered. The party was not sure if the mine had been operating longer then they thought, or if it had broken through to older tunnels.

After many hours of searching and fighting, Elleandra discovered a secret cave which lead to a tunnel rising upwards towards the center of the Black Spine Mountains. Hopeful that this might lead to the dray stronghold, the party decided to abandon the mines and see where this lead them. They followed the tunnel for many miles, going further into the Black Spine Mountains. Along they way they found increasing numbers of runes and symbols in old draconic and Iorskan’s hope began to rise that they were headed to the ancient fortress of his clan.

Arkhosian Crypts
Eventually the tunnel they were following reached a very old and broken stone door. Beyond the door was what appeared to be a crypt. The slightly larger proportions and iconography left little doubt that it was a crypt of the dray. There were no immediate signs of dangers in the dark expanse before them, but when they crossed the doorway, a number of skeletal dray rose from the ground and began to approach. Wanting to avoid conflict with his ancestors, Iorskan attempted to persuade the undead that he was on a mission to restore their clan. Although the others in his group showed respect for the dead, the dead would not let them pass through the crypts.

Reluctantly Iorskan decided that moving through the crypts was the best option and so they fought their way through the Arkhosian undead. The skeletons still possessed much of the prowess they had in life and the battles were hard fought. Although the group attempted to move through as quickly as possible and avoid the crypt guardians, they were not particularly successful. During the fights, Delen displayed several unusual capabilities that they first dismissed as simply unusual gifts. However, it soon became clear that Delen was gifted with the arcane arts, although the exact nature of his magic was unclear.

During the exploration of the crypts, Jarvix made another amazing discovery – and arcane circle. This circle was similar to, but much older than the other’s he had seen in the ruins of Kalidnay and the city of Moil. With some time and study, he felt that he’d be able to use the Way to teleport himself and others to this circle from great distances. Near to the arcane circle, the party discovered a stairway leading up to higher levels of the fortress. The group had defeated all of the skeletons they had encountered and decided to risk taking a quick rest to tend to their wounds.

Strange Magic
As the group rested following their escape from the crypts, they questioned Delen about the magic he displayed during their combat with the undead dray. Delen explained that he was indeed trained in the arcane arts, but he explained that his magic drew energy from the Gray. Although those necromantic powers were not unheard of, they were quite uncommon and somewhat sinister in reputation. The party conceded that he had done nothing to make them suspicious of his motives and so they were willing to accept his explanations, for now.

After their rest, they proceeded up the stairs until the reached a landing which appeared to open to the main floor of the fortress…

Main Floor
The main floor was sprawling and the party took a long time exploring the many rooms. They encountered many gith fighters wearing metal armor and wielding metal spears. The gith were fierce combatants and more well-trained than those previously encountered by the party while in the Black Spine Mountains. After dispatching about a dozen of the gith, the party discovered two exits from this level. The first they found appeared to be the main exit leading to the outside, while the second was another stairway leading to the upper level of the fortress.

Most of the fortress was in ruins and appeared to have been looted. The party discovered what looked like a large vault that perhaps once held the fortress’ treasure. This too was empty and the doors appeared to have been torn away from the walls.

Although they were tempted to leave the dangers of the fortress for the more familiar dangers of the outside world, they eventually chose to continue their search for the banner and entered the upper levels…

Upper Level
The party found the upper level to be slightly smaller than the main level and infested with mindless zombies that appeared to be the missing miners and soldiers from Nibenay. Each zombie was easily defeated, but their numbers made them quite dangerous.

As Delen rounded a corner he came face to face with one of the strange gith warriors, armored in black metal and wielding a massive silver sword. Behind him a large banner with a draconic image was visible, undoubtedly the Standard of Arkhosia. With a wave of his hand, the warrior pushed Delen prone and immobilized him. With a cruel thrust of the silver sword, Delen was impaled and fell unconscious.

Gwyn, who was close behind Delen, was able to injure the warrior, but was quickly put down as well. The ease with which he incapacitated their allies greatly concerned Jarvix and Iorskan, who were barely able to keep the two alive. The warrior’s position prevented any type of direct assault and they feared they were outmatched in any event. Elleandra was able to maneuver around the warrior after Jarvix blinded him to her movement. She retrieved the standard and fled as fast as possible towards the main level and out of the fortress.

Jarvix, Iorskan, Gwyn and Delen all followed Elleandra out of the fortress as fast as they could, with Way-lynn the last to leave the warrior behind. The warrior pursued and Way-lynn feared he would be overtaken, but luck was with him and he was able to outpace the warrior.

Flight to Nibenay
The group did not stop once they lost sight of the warrior, for they feared he would keep up the pursuit. They decided to head back towards the city-state of Nibenay. They hoped that there they could rest and regroup. Although they did not have a full picture of the situation in the mines, they hoped that the templar-wives of the Shadow King would be satisfied.

As they retreated from the fortress, they discussed the possibilities of returned and claiming the fortress for themselves. The arcane circle they discovered would be a powerful tool for consolidating their forces for their eventual engagements against the sorcerer-kings and their armies. The close proximity to the ruins of Giusental made them wonder if the strange gith were another of the armies under the command of Dregoth.

They traveled with great speed over the next two days, stopping only to rest when they were too tired to continue. They used their combined skills to avoid all of the gith patrols that may have been looking for them while they were in the mountains. Once in the open desert, they made good speed back to the crossroads and came within sight of Nibenay.

Return to Nibenay
The party entered the city-state of Nibenay without any trouble as Delen’s credentials allowed them to bypass much of the bureaucracy. None of the party felt comfortable walking through the city with the Standard and it was decided that they would store the it at Delen’s house. Jarvix felt the most uncomfortable with this plan and attempted to contact the Veiled Alliance in Tyr, hoping to set up a meeting with the local Alliance, which might have a more secure location for the Standard. Oddly, he did not receive a reply from Mathias in Tyr, which left Jarvix very nervous.

Having no better option, they left the Standard and proceeded to the Temple of Trade. There they met with a lower-level templar named Caletta who questioned them about their trip to the Black Spine Mountains. Although she agreed that they fulfilled the letter of their agreement, she was obviously displeased that the source of the unusual gith was not discovered and dealt with. When she was asked about the other templar-wives and Kira, the party was given vague and curt answers. They were simply told that Kira would be busy until after the Starlight Pageant concluded.

Recognizing that they were unlikely to get any better answers, they decided to rest for the remainder of the day and then head out into the city at dusk to experience the Starlight Pageant.

The Starlight Pageant
As the crimson sun fell beneath the horizon, the gates of the sorcerer-king’s sanctuary opened and dozens of female dancers poured into the streets. As they moved down the High Road toward the Reservoir Gardens, crowds of people joined the celebration. At last, amid the pounding drums and blowing horns, they entered the gardens and begin a series of dance performances that were to last until dawn. The various presentations recounted the history of Nibenay and the mysterious ruler who bestowed his own name on the city.

Iorskan and Way-lynn headed to the Kank’s Den where Iorskan knew the drinks would be cheap and the patrons dangerous but useful sources of information. The festivities of the Pageant were in full swing and the pair were caught up in drinking games where Iorskan won some ceramic coins but Way-lynn lost a large wager. Iorskan was able to meet with some of his contacts and found that there was a general glut in artifacts as much of the trade was being diverted away from Raam. During the night thieves attempted to pick their pockets. Way-lynn caught a thief in the act and felt that a punch in the face was fitting punishment, however, Iorskan was not so observant and lost most of his winnings. Way-lynn quickly grew tired of the Pageant and returned to Delen’s house early.

Gwyn and Jarvix headed to a more upscale drinking establishment, the Silty Mug, and proceeded to catch up on the adventures of the group, which Gwyn only had fuzzy memories of. They also discussed the implications of being unable to contact the Alliance in Tyr. The two friends were happy to be in each other’s company, but as the drink flowed, they found themselves participating in drinking games. Each was an accomplished drinker and was able to best their opponents, earning more than enough coins to cover their drinks for the evening. Numerous pick-pockets were in the Silty Mug as well, but neither Gwyn nor Jarvix lost any coins to them. Gwyn was satisfied to send the would-be thief off with an evil look, but Jarvix felt more villainous and used his skills with the Way to dominate the thief.

Elleandra decided to spend some time alone and was swept away with the dancers in the gardens. Along the way she spotted a pick-pocket attempting to rob her and sent him off without turning him in to the Templars. At the gardens, she watched the dancers as they performed intricate maneuvers and told the history of their city-state. She attempted to join in with the performers but was not familiar enough with the dances to participate without mistakes. Although she made many errors, the crowd was mostly forgiving of her mistakes.

Delen did not join his new friends and instead took advantage of the distraction caused by the Pageant to sneak into a number of libraries that were forbidden to him. He had made such expeditions before and was able to sneak past the guards. He spent the majority of the festival night reading in dim light.

Tired from the dancing, Elleandra started to make her way back the Delen’s house when she happened upon a fortune teller. Having an interest in divination, she agreed to have her fortune read. The astrologer told her…

Born in the month of Breeze, under the sign of Hortle the Spider; get organized because later you’re going to be more scattered. If you start with a solid plan for how to tackle the day’s tasks, you’re more likely to accomplish everything. If you don’t remain strong and on task, other people will take advantage of your generous nature. You could end up doing more favors than you would prefer.

Elleandra found the reading to be vague but detected no deceit from the astrologer. Her questions sparked a conversation with the astrologer who was interested in Elleandra’s foreign ways of telling the future. Elleandra performed an augury, with unusual results – an unearthly voice issued forth the following prophecy…

When the brides of death become the marauders of Nibenay, the dead must die, the unsleeping must wake, and the Dragon must stand triumphant.

The meaning of the words was not readily apparent to the fortune teller, or Elleandra, and she decided to tell her companions when then met up with each other.

The Alliance Offer
Gwyn and Jarvix decided to attempt to find the Veiled Alliance in Nibenay on their own and took to starting up a street performance with the unwilling help of Jarvix’s thrall. After locating an ideal spot they started to perform, attempting to strike a balance between showing enough arcane magic to draw the attention of the Alliance, but not so much as to enrage the crowds.

As the night passed, the twin moons of Athas leisurely traced twin arcs across the dark sky. Gradually, Gwyn and Jarvix begin to suspect that they were being watched. A slender man seemed to be watching their performance. His thin features gave him a look of keen intelligence, but his frail physique made it difficult to think of him as a threat.

When the opportunity presented itself, the man approached Gwyn and Jarvix, moving his hand down his face, a common sign of the Veiled Alliance. They discovered that the man, Johrd, was indeed an Alliance operative and was willing to provide some assistance but needed a show of trust before divulging any information to Gwyn and Jarvix.

Johrd told them that a band of elves was bringing a magical object into the city, an object that the Alliance needed to help defend themselves against the attacks of the templar-wives. He told them that any significant gathering of Alliance members would likely be noticed, but that they, as a third party, would have an easier time making contact. Johrd simply wanted them to make contact with the elves in the Hill District at dawn and exchange a pouch of herbs for the magical object and return the object to him.

Gwyn and Jarvix detected no deception from Johrd and agreed to perform the service in exchange for a safe place to hide if needed and additional attempts to contact the Alliance in Tyr. Not wanting to make the rendezvous by themselves, they went to Delen’s house and met with their friends. All agreed to help make the exchange and they caught a few hours of rest before heading to the infamous Hill District.

As the sun began to lighten the eastern sky, the time came to carry out their mission for Johrd. Moving quickly through the crowds of celebrants, they arrived at the alley where the elves were supposed to appear. While they waited the inspected the pouch of herbs and found them to be Nahre Lotus, magical plants that can satisfy an individual’s daily need for water.

The elves arrived on time and produced a canvas sack, containing a large crystal. The exchange happened as expected and, as the elves turned to leave, a team of templars dropped from the surrounding rooftops and attacked. The elves fled without a word and the templars did not appear interested in apprehending them. The fight was brutal but quick and in the end nine templars lay at the feet of the party.

Delen was horrified at the consequences of their actions and urged them to get away from the scene as quickly as possible. The party split up and headed out in different directions, with Gwyn and Jarvix making their way to the meeting with Johrd. They were relieved to find him safe and recounted their encounter with the templars. Johrd took the crystal and agreed to try and contact the Alliance in Tyr and help cover up the bodies in the Hill District. Promising to be in contact, Gwyn and Jarvix left and returned to Delen’s house.

The Holocaust
The party woke late in the morning the following day and spent the day around the city on various tasks. Delen, still shaken by his part in the death of the templar-wives, made arrangements to sell most of his belongings, in preparation for a quick escape from the city if needed. Most of the other party members acquired traveling supplies.

Gwyn returned to the Hill District and made contact with her elf tribe, the Sky Singers. Her family was not currently in town. However some of her extended family was and they agreed to pass on messages to Gwyn’s father and sisters.

The party made a trip to the Temple of Thought, hoping to find out more information on Kira and perhaps a way to sneak her out of the city sooner than expected. At the temple they were kept waiting for a long time and were eventually greeted by Kadya, a assistant to Siemhouk. She provided no new information about Kira, simply stating that she was going to be occupied until the end of the festival. Delen was visibly panicked during the exchange and Kadya appeared to notice.

As the sun set, the party made their way to the Pageant once again and tried to act normally, despite a collective unease. Iorskan and Way-lynn participated in games of strength and were more successful than not, earning money to pay for the traveling supplies. Delen and Elleandra participated in games of skill and were also very successful. Gwyn and Iorskan had their fortunes read and were generally unimpressed with the astrologers words of wisdom…

Jarvix, you were born in the month of Sorrow, under the sign of Scratch the Basilisk; unexpected people, especially women, will surprise you with what they say. Be open to ideas that you hadn’t even considered. Perhaps your emotions get stirred when you recall something that a significant woman in your life said. Your feelings are bouncing from your heart to your head and back again. Take the feelings into account, but don’t let them dominate your decisions.

Gwyn, you were born in the month of Bloom, under the sign of Pyrus the Wheel; you’re at an emotionally climactic time, and your feelings are erratic and perhaps unmanageable. Don’t feel pressured into making logic out of anything. Your job is to take a deep breath and relax. Remember that life is an exciting adventure full of twists and turns. Erratic emotions are a reminder of that. Enjoy the ride.

Suddenly, the evening sky was shattered by a brilliant blue flash. Without warning, a tremendous fork of lightning sprung from the Naggaramakam, Nibenay’s mysterious citadel at the center of the city. It raced across the sky, unleashing a deafening roar of thunder in its wake. With a great explosion the lightning slammed into the Plain of Smoking Waters south of the city, sending a great shudder through the earth and causing a great cloud of sparkling steam to rise up into the twilight sky.

The ground heaved and buckled. Cracks ripped across the land, forming a great lattice work of fissures, and through these burst clouds of scalding, white steam. Buildings swayed and rocked, wells crackle and shattered, towers collapsed in greet explosions of stone. The cheerful sounds of the Starlight Pageant faded away, the din replaced by screams of agony, torment, and fear.

Cracks of Doom
Suddenly, the evening sky was shattered by a brilliant blue flash. Without warning, a tremendous fork of lightning sprung from the Naggaramakam, Nibenay’s mysterious citadel at the center of the city. It raced across the sky, unleashing a deafening roar of thunder in its wake. With a great explosion, the lightning slammed into the Plain of Smoking Waters south of the city, sending a great shudder through the earth and causing a great cloud of sparkling steam to rise up into the twilight sky.

A great hush fell over the city. After the shock wore off, the average citizen of Nibenay believed that this display was simply part of the Starlight Pageant. In the streets, a cheer gradually built into a great explosion of appreciation.

Suddenly, the ground began to heave and buckle – cracks ripped across the land, forming a great lattice work of fissures, and through these burst clouds of scalding, white steam. Buildings swayed and rocked, wells crackled and shattered, towers collapsed in greet explosions of stone. The cheerful sounds of the Starlight Pageant faded away, the din replaced by screams of agony, torment, and fear.

Unsure of where to go or what to do, they party made their way toward the Temple of Thought. As they did they passed a large number of stone structures about to collapse. A number of helpless, shocked people were about to be crushed to death. Elleandra, Gwyn and Way-lynn tried to save as many as they could, while Delen, Jarvix and Iorskan were more concerned with moving quickly through the streets. Sadly the efforts, while they saved many people, could not save the majority. As the party moved through one street, they notice that many of those crushed by the falling rocks bore an emblem of three dragonflies – the symbol of House Shom.

Huge fissure split the surface of the earth near the party. Several innocent people fell into the chasm, dying horribly in the steaming depths. Others, however, were more fortunate and managed to grab exposed roots or anchored rocks on the sides of the fracture. The party was more quick to react and worked together to try and save as many of the citizens as possible. Many of those saved appeared to be members of one of the noble families.

However, out of the fissures arose a new threat, a small number of corpses began to climb out of the cracks in the earth. Delen could tell at once that these were the bodies of the cities’ dead, who had been entombed beneath the streets since the city was founded. They were easily defeated, but the thought of all the dead buried beneath the city becoming undead was unsettling.

The Burning Rain
At long last, the earth stilled and the trembling aftershocks faded. Still, all was far from quiet in the city. Cries of pain and fear could be heard everywhere, fires burned throughout the city, and geysers of scalding steam roared out of the ground. The sky above Nibenay darkened as the black smoke mingled with white steam to form a sticky gray cloud. Slender traces of blue-white lightning flashed back and forth in the tumbling vapor, producing not thunder, but an eerie crackling sound.

As people begin to gather their wits there was much speculation regarding the nature of the mysterious catastrophe that had befallen Nibenay. The strange cloud of steam continued to grow and darken. After a few minutes, a spitting rain began to fall from the sky and the crowds of people rejoiced. The rain quickly increased in intensity until it became a pounding downpour. Shouts of joy turned into screams of pain once more, for this was not life-giving water, however, but a caustic chemical that burned flesh like acid.

The acid was too much for many people in Nibenay, many of those injured from the other catastrophes were not strong enough and perished in the the burning rain. They party, lead by Delen, ran for cover into the passages beneath the city. The brief directions given by Elleandra and Gwyn to those they passed were not enough and many people perished, including a large group of monks.

Beneath the streets the party was safe from the burning rain but encountered large numbers of the undead. These too were easily defeated, but it was clear the their numbers were growing. Delen estimated the dead outnumbered the living a hundred times over. It was clear that if not checked, the entire city could be overrun.

Delen managed to get the party out of the sewers with only minimal encounters with the undead that continued to rise. They reached the surface as the sun began to rise in the east. They could see more clearly than ever that the city of Nibenay was in ruins. Shattered buildings had strewn debris across the streets, pools of acidic rain were spread everywhere, and the bodies of the dead and wounded littered the city. They could see teams of people clearing away rubble to rescue those trapped beneath, templars using magical powers to heal the injured, and members of the city watch policing the streets, controlling lawlessness and preventing looting.

Council of Peace
Jarvix and the rest of the group were anxious to avoid the templar patrols because of their encounter the previous day in the Hill District. Delen lead them down some back alleys of the district but luck was not with them and they ran into a patrol including a half-dozen half-giants. Their anxiousness turned to fear as they realized the leader of this patrol was a surviving templar from the Hill District. The templar questioned the party about their activities and appeared to be satisfied that they were not trying to cause trouble. Delen was sure that she recognized him from the Hill District but no mention of that was made.

The Templar commanded the party to accompany her to a meeting and gave the impression that refusal would not be accepted. Having no other viable choice, they agreed. Along the way they asked about Kira, but the templar said she did not know her location or if she survived the cataclysm. They arrived at the meeting site and had some time to discuss their situation. Delen advocated leaving the city as quickly as possible, still feeling that they would pay for their attacks on the Templars. Jarvix wanted to stay and find Kira and put an end to the rising tide of undead. Iorskan speculated that if the sorcerer-king was injured, there would never be a better time to strike at him.

While they waited, the party observed the other guests and saw that their Veiled Alliance contact Johrd. In the few minutes before the meeting started Johrd told Jarvix that the Veiled Alliance has been unable to contact their ally, the Zwuun, and their attempts to scry into the Naggaramakam have been utterly futile. All those you have made such attempts have been filled with rage, and they fear that the rage may be coming from the Zwuun. Johrd excused himself and the meeting began in earnest.

The templar-wife spoke first, “I am Leaza, templar-wife of Nibenay. To the best of my knowledge, I am the highest ranking templar to have survived the cataclysm. I charge you to heed my words and obey them as you would Nibenay’s own.” With that, Leaza yielded to Johrd. "I am Johrd of the Veiled Alliance, he says. Leaza and I have agreed to set aside our differences and join forces to salvage what we can from this terrible calamity.”

Other members stepped forward and introduced themselves as well and shared information about the recent events. Temmnya Shom, representing the surviving merchants, informed everyone that there is little edible food or drinkable water left in the city. She had sent runners to divert caravans to bring emergency supplies to Nibenay.

A human male stepped forward and introduced himself as Pahleek, the representative of the School of Augurs. The Augurs have discovered that all attempts to use the Way explore the sorcerer-king’s citadel have resulted in failure. Some terrible force seemed to have infused the Naggaramakam, creating an aura of hatred and anger so great that nothing can pierce it. The effect that this might have on those within the citadel is unknown.

A man introduced himself as Kayardi, assistant Master of the Monks of the Exalted Path. He claimed to have made a careful study of the stars and recent omens. Taken individually, these portents showed nothing unusual, but when examined together, however, they were more foreboding. Kayardi insisted that all the might of the templars, the magic of the Veiled Alliance, and the wisdom of his people will not save Nibenay. That, he claimed, that a child must be the one to save the city.

A woman spoke last and introduced herself as Ahli Kiaka, head of House Kiaka. She informed the council that the vast majority of Nibenay’s most important nobles were called to meet with the king just before the disaster struck. Since no word has come from Nibenay’s citadel, she has assumed that she may be the highest ranking noble left alive in the city. “I believe that Nibenay planned to destroy the Veiled Alliance by unleashing a tremendous magical assault on the mysterious Zwuun. He had long believed that the information this creature supplied to the Alliance was a great threat to him. With the Zwuun gone, he had always said, the Alliance would crumble.”

The party described their encounters and after a robust discussion, it was generally agreed upon that the party would head to the Naggramakam and determine the fate of the sorcerer-king and hopefully stop the powerful rage that is animating the dead.

The High Road
The party left the meeting of the Council of Peace and followed the main road through the city and to the Naggaramakam. It was a wide avenue, grandly decorated for the aborted Starlight Pageant. The many colorful banners and ornate decorations that hung there contrast sharply with the shattered buildings and scattered corpses, giving this place a terrible, macabre appearance.

They reached the Bone Gate, the mighty portal now standing twisted and broken in the wake of the great disaster. The proud stone towers flanking the gate were cracked, splintered, and half-collapsed. The bodies of several templar-wives could be seen partially buried under fallen debris of the gatehouse, but no living guards stood to their entrance into the mysterious Naggaramakam.

The High Road passed through a terraced garden that was once quite splendid. The grounds on both sides of the road had been tilled and planted with colorful, decorative grasses. There were flower boxes lining the walls, and ornate urns, filled with the most delicate of flowers, hanging from crossbars overhead. Sadly, the violent tremors that so recently swept the city left the place in ruin, and the fall of the burning rain poisoned even the plants that survived the first calamity.

As they looked around this area, several shrubs decorated with brilliant blossoms caught the attention of Way-lynn who peer closer. Unlike the other plants in this place that were withered, faded, and dying, those flowers dazzling. In the split second that it took Way-lynn to realize how out of place this plant is, a
burst of prismatic light exploded from the bloom, showering him and his friends is a bust of fire and poison. None were seriously injured and the party moved on.

The High Road ended abruptly at a mighty stone gatehouse with a pair of great, ornate doors that appeared to be fashioned of solid iron. A faint vibration was visible in the air around the doors, marking them as magical. The arcane glyphs, sigils, and runes that covered the doors seem to burn like brilliant sapphires. Despite being cracked and damaged, this structure seamed to be largely intact. Like the outer bone gates, however, there were no signs of guards to keep intruders out of Nibenay’s sanctum. Seeing no obvious way to open the doors or bypass the protections, the party decided to move around the outlying structures.

Exploring the Naggaramakam
The Houses of Commerce were a claustrophobic array of low stone structures. Many of the buildings had collapsed, no doubt killing those inside. The bodies of dozens of Nibenay’s templar-wives littered the streets. While many were obviously killed by falling debris, others appear to have been tom apart by savage creatures. The party found little here except for scores of the undead.

The Houses of Education were neat and orderly rows of low buildings fashioned from smooth slabs of stone. Although the earthquake and the burning rain had destroyed many of them and littered the streets with scores of bodies, it still retained a look of calm symmetry. After dispatching more of the undead, the party discovered a few sets of scrolls that appeared useful.

The Houses of War were squat stone buildings that were all marked with the emblems and devices of war. Some great firestorm, one that must have spared the rest of the city, appeared to have swept through this place, for the walls were scorched and nothing flammable remained. Blackened skeletons, clearly those of countless templar-wives, were strewn about. Paying extra attention to their surroundings, the party was able to discover several items of interest along with more zombies.

Most of the buildings making up the Houses of Law were shattered and collapsed. Most of the streets, narrow to begin with, were choked with fallen stone and the bodies of the templar-wives. Scattered fires burned around the area, marking the last remains of temporary wooden structures or stores of combustible materials. Only undead creatures were found by the party, despite their best efforts.

The Houses of Magic were twisted and confusing. Like the other area that lay between the inner and outer walls, it was a maze of narrow, claustrophobic passages, but here the turns and angles were difficult to focus on or to follow with the eye. This was clearly the home of Nibenay’s defilers, for only the effects of magical spells could have created the wild and impossible paths that snaked through this place. Here there were no undead but inside the shell of a half-collapsed building was a whirling pinwheel of light some 3 feet across, hanging quietly in the air. While the object was magnificent and beautiful, there was something darkly disturbing about it. Elleandra, Gwyn and Delen were able to destabilize the magic and a crystal cube fell toward the ground but was caught by Delen. Although it appeared to contain something, none could figure out how to open it and so they moved on.

The Houses of Agriculture were a tightly packed maze of narrow streets running between countless low stone buildings. Most of the structures were still standing, although heavily damaged from the earthquake. Many bodies, all of them Nibenay’s templar-wives, were scattered among buildings and although a few seemed to have been killed by falling debris or the burning rain, but most showed signs of having died very violently at the hands of something terrible. The undead encountered left little doubt as to what that something was.

Outside the Palace
The group returned to the iron doors and found them to be still closed and warded by magic. After a while, Elleandra tried a use her magic to simply fly over the walls. To everyone’s surprise, she encountered no difficulties and safely landed on the other side. Using the Skull of Dorag Thel, she created a number of vines to help her friends climb over the walls and into the courtyard of the Naggaramakam.

They found themselves on a section of road built from slabs of gleaming black obsidian. It lead from the Iron Door to gates of Nibenay’s fortress, passing through what was once a magnificent garden. Convolutions in
earth, no doubt caused by the earthquakes, left the path twisted and difficult to walk upon. To either side there what was once a great park decorated with tall trees, delicate green grasses, and flowering shrubs. The fall of the burning rain left it a mottled and scorched expanse of tortured plants that were either dead or dying. Here and there, they caught glimpses of movement in the withering foliage, but it was impossible to say exactly what kinds of animals might still be alive in this fortress of death. Elleandra spotted a large lake behind the fortress, but everyone agreed to try and enter the building first.

Before them stood the heart of the Naggaramakam, an incredible fortress of epic power. High atop this immense bastion, a huge effigy that was the gaunt skeletal face of the Shadow King himself. The citadel beneath this great bust was built from colossal blocks of stone, etched from top to bottom with twisted carvings of the Shadow King’s countless templar-wives, depicted as if they were locks of their master’s hair.

Their attempts to bypass the door caused them to be filled to rage and briefly attack each other. Once their emotions calmed, they searched and found what appeared to be a key hole. The crystal cube came back to mind, but no amount of effort could open it. Eventually, the simple solution succeeded and when the crystal cube was smashed against the obsidian stones, it broke, revealing and iron key. They key fit perfectly and the palace doors opened.

The Jade Hall
A great hallway with a floor of hexagonal jade tiles opened before the party. On the walls were carved countless twisted, jade-accented figures of death, suffering, and torment that could hardly have been created by anyone but a madman. There were great doors on the northern ends of the room and a pair of lesser apertures in the east and west walls. The entire length of this gigantic room was illuminated by some three dozen dimly glowing jade spheres, hanging from bone chains set in the ceiling, 50 feet above their heads. An inescapable feeling of hatred hung in the air.

The party moved towards one of the smaller doors and as they were about to open it, a great stroke of lightning burst from above and struck the jade tiled floor. The tiles were the lightning hit began to take the shape of two great figures. The jade golems moved to attack. Jarvix and Iorskan were able to use their skills to coordinate the actions of their allies, and the two creatures fell quickly, although the wounds they inflicted were severe.

The party prepared to move into the new room, uncertain of what it might contain…

The Orrery
With the golems defeated, the party moved into a large rectangular room which was completely given over to one of the most amazing machines they had ever seen. The heart of the device was a large, spherical clockwork mechanism that contained thousands of delicate looking metal gears, wheels, and springs, all moving with what appeared to be absolute precision. A dozen slender metal rods jutted out from the massive central sphere, each ending in an assembly of globes that appeared to move in circles, about each other and then (as a group) about the mechanism itself.

The convolutions of the machine made moving around the room a very difficult task, but Delen was impossibly curious about the workings and the knowledge it might hold. Unfortunately his eagerness for the power of the Orrery outweighed his caution. As he attempted to work his way inside the device, he misjudged the timing and was struck by one of the moving arms. He was hurled across the room and the resulting damage caused the device to start throwing random components inside the room. Elleandra, Iorsakn and Jarvix dove back into the crystal hallway, while Way-lynn, Gwyn and Delen dove the opposite direction into the next room. The device continued to break itself apart so the two groups each headed out to try and meet up in another part of the fortress.

The Bone Hall
Delen, Elleandra and Gwyn found themselves in a narrow chamber stretching nearly 150 feet in front of them. Three pairs of very slender, hourglass-shaped pillars rose from the floor of the room and stretched all the way to the ceiling some 50 feet above. The columns were built from some sort of unusual crystal and glowed so brightly that they were difficult to look at directly. The walls and floor were tiled in elegant white marble that gleamed brightly in the radiance of the six pillars.

As if all this were not wondrous enough, the room was filled with the skeletons of great animals. The largest of which was roughly five times the height of a man and looked something like a giant silt runner. The smallest was twice the height of a man and resembled a hejkin with an extra pair of arms. All told, there were some three dozen skeletons standing there.

The ever impulsive Delen used his magic on one of the skeletons to animate it, knowing that they would need more muscle if other golems were encountered. His spell was a success and the skeleton started to move under his control. A fraction of a second later, he lost control to the force of rage that had animated the dead of the city into zombies. The skeletal monster charged him and knocked him down into unconsciousness. A fight ensued with Way-lynn using every trick they had to keep the beast immobilized while Gwyn and Delen assaulted it with their spells. The beast fell into a heap of bones and they moved on.

The Southeast Tower
Back in the Jade Hall, Jarvix, Iorskan and Elleandra headed toward the east door and when they were about to open it, a flash of lightning struck the floor and two golems appeared blocking their path and attacking the party. As before, the party was able to defeat them, but not without suffering injuries themselves. Once the golems were defeated, the group passed through the doors without hindrance.

They entered a large domed chamber some 100 feet in diameter and 75 feet high. The floor and walls were tiled with hexagonal slabs of obsidian, making the entire chamber seem dark and foreboding, like an open grave. Dozens of cages, each fashioned from polished obsidian cylinders and large enough to hold a thri-kreen, hung from the ceiling on long bone chains. The lowest of these were some 30 feet over their heads, and the majority of them hung some 10 to 20 feet higher. It was difficult to see what the cages contained, but moans of suffering and agony drifted out of them, giving the entire area a heavy, macabre atmosphere.

Having had their fill of strange necromantic magics, Jarvix and the others turned away from the room and headed down the hallway eventually meeting up with Way-lynn and the others.

Old and New Friends
A wall of sparkling energy hung across the entrance to the northwest tower. Through the translucent barrier, a magnificent dome some 100 feet in diameter and 75 feet in height could be seen. The floor and walls appeared to have been cut from a single sheet of charcoal gray granite. At the center of the room, a bone tube jutted some 20 feet into the air, where it unleashed a cloud of blue-white fire that provided an unnatural illumination. The place was adorned with harsh, utilitarian furnishings fashioned mainly from bone and hardwoods. An uncomfortable bed and several other items gave the impression that that this place might be the living quarters of Nibenay himself. A great maze of shelves and cabinets fills the far half of the room, providing storage space for countless scrolls, trinkets, and macabre-looking devices.

Delen attempted to enter the room but only succeeded in burning his hand when it made contact with the barrier. He was tormented by the items in the room, but knew that it would take far more time than they had to breach the barriers, if it could be accomplished at all.

They reached the northwest tower and saw a sprawling dome some 100 feet in diameter and 75 feet in height. Comfortable furnishings and pleasant adornments gave the place a look of intimacy that belies the vast openness of the chamber. From the nature of the items in this room, it was clearly a private living area. Near the center of the room was the body of a young girl – Siemhouk. She lay crumpled on a sleeping cushion, her unmoving, willowy form was draped in a shimmering black aura.

Having some experience with the various wards around the Naggaramakam, it was not terribly difficult for Elleandra and Delen to undo the magic that kept Siemhouk asleep. When freed, she was even more strange and ethereal than when the encountered her the first time. She gave only vague one-word answers to the questions she was asked. Eventually the party learned that she knew where Kira was and they were lead to a nearby room.

The party entered a poorly lit room some 50 feet wide end three times that long. The walls and floor were polished to a rough, dull finish the color of slate and they seem to absorb all the light that fell on them. The entire place is filled with a maze of ornate wooden shelves holding en incalculable umber of clay tablets. Asleep at one of the tables, was Kira. When the magic keeping her asleep was lifted, they found that she was only slightly more coherent than Siemhouk. They learned that she had been studying for the past week but had been asleep since the strange lightning storm happened.

The Throne Room
Although her friends were concerned about her mental state, Kira did not want to discuss the matter and so the group decided to move on. Delen attempted to acquire some of the books, but Siemhouk simply said “no” and he decided to not press the issue. Siemhouk lend them to the southwest tower, where they saw yet another wonderful sight.

The floor was tiled in 6-inch hexagonal slabs of turquoise, while the walls had been polished smooth and painted a pleasant aquamarine. In the center of the room was a grand fountain seemingly fashioned from a single piece of blue-white marble. Clear, sparkling water shot high in to the air from the center, then splashed into a broad basin some 30 feet in diameter. The echoes of the cascading water were relaxing and comfortable, but they made quiet conversation impossible. Something about this place seemed to lessen the feeling of hatred and anger that had been gnawing at them ever since you entered the fortress.

Around the fountain the party rested for a bit and tended to their wounds. The fountain water was cool, clear and refreshing and did much to invigorate them after their many battles. Nothing further was learned for Kira and Siemhouk stared quietly into nothing while the party rested. Eventually, she announced it was time to see the throne room and they moved back into the Jade Hall.

As they drew near the north door of the Jade Hall, the hanging orbs grew dark. The only light in the room now came from the doors; which radiated a pulsating emerald aura. Siemhouk stepped forward, her frail body trembling. As she reached the door, the priest child stretched out a slender arm and touched the surface of the portal. Suddenly, all lights were extinguished and the area fell into absolute darkness. For a second, all was still. Then a minute trace of blue light appeared before them as the mighty doors began to open. Blinking, they looked into the strange room beyond, gasping at the sight.

The room itself was an immense rectangle, easily 200 feet wide end 150 feet deep. A great domed ceiling extended up nearly 100 feet above they floor, supported by a pair of massive arches. The inside of the dome was painted to resemble the night sky with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and other jewels marking the positions of various stars. A step pyramid some 40 feet high was beneath the center of the dome, and a greet obsidian throne stood at its peak.

Seated in the throne was a mighty figure. If it was to stand, the creature could easily be 12 feet tall and might weigh 700 pounds. Although more or less humanoid in shape, its body was a mess of tightly packed muscles covered with the scaled skin of a black reptile. A whip-like tail curled around the base of the throne, gripping it tightly, and a slender neck lifted an almost serpentine head some 2 feet above the shoulders.

The beast did not seem to notice their presence. Its reptilian features were set in a grimace of pain and its mouth was open as if to scream. A great sphere of energy and mist hung about the creature, pulsing and throbbing with electrical discharges that filled the room with an unending cacophony of hissing static and booming thunder. A veritable storm of hatred hammered into their minds with such force that they almost believed they were under attack.

In a barely audible voice Siemhouk said: “Behold the sorcerer-king, Nibenay.”

The Throne Room
The room before the party was immense with massive arches supporting a great domed ceiling painted to resemble the night sky with diamonds, emeralds, and other jewels marking the positions of various stars. The far end of the room was dominated by a step pyramid and a great obsidian throne resting at its peak. Seated in the throne was the mighty sorcerer-king Nibenay. His face set in a grimace of pain as he struggled silently against the cloud of mist and energy that could only be the Zwuun.

Siemhouk strode forward into the room with the rest following her. As she did, the air in the room swirled about two of the pillars coalescing into vaguely humanoid shapes. Siemhouk quietly stated that the air elementals were some of the defenses Nibenay had created for his throne room. She then moved up closer to her king and entered a trance-like state focusing on her activity to the exclusion of all else. Two different pillars burst into flames which moved of their own accord toward the templar.

Iorskan, Jarvix and Way-lynn moved up and focused their attacks on the right hand air elemental. Gwyn and Elleandra followed them, attacking the same elemental with their magic. Kira turned back into her human form and tossed an orb of energy at the elemental which burst causing the elemental to dissipate.

The fight against the air and fire elementals continued as the party wrestled internally, trying to determine who they should be helping. Iorskan was reveling the the combat, taking particular joy when an elemental was defeated. Gwyn used her magic to briefly transform into a dragon, breathing fire hot enough to even injure the fire elementals. Her allies were simultaneously impressed and concerned about her increasing draconic power.

Siemhouk was completely focused on her task, and the party could only guess at what she was trying to accomplish. Delen, while attempting to avoid being attacked by the elementals, was trying to figure out what Siemhouk was up to. Although exactly what she was doing was still eluding him, Delen did surmise that she was attempting to affect the Zwuun. He trusted the child-templar enough to try and lend his aid to help her complete the ritual sooner.

The tide of battle slowed briefly and Way-lynn and Gwyn, still in the form of a dragon, were far removed from the elementals. Acting on instinct more than rational thought, they both launched attacks at Nibenay himself. Way-lynn’s axe was unable to damage the supernaturally tough hide of the sorcerer-king. Gwyn’s magic, more powerful than ever, was still unable to affect the distracted Nibenay.

Iorskan, Jarvix and Way-lynn were able to defeat the last air elemental, giving the group a brief reprieve from the combat. Jarvix attempted to contact Siemhouk to determine what she was trying to achieve with her ritual. She responded that she was fighting for Nibenay. Seeing no other threats, the party decided to try and defeat Nibenay is his somewhat-vulnerable state. However, their conviction was short-lived and Delen and Elleandra continued to help Siemhouk complete her ritual while the others defended her from additional elementals that appeared.

The Dragon Triumphant
Gwyn moved too close the Zwuun and became affected by the rage of the creature, lashing out at Kira with her magic, and nearly killing the druid. Kira was forced to attack Gwyn, as there appeared little chance that she could break free of the creatures control. Gwyn was pulled away from the Zwuun and knocked unconscious just as Siemhouk completed her ritual. Jarvix used his powers to heal Gwyn and she regained her senses in time to see the results of the ritual.

The ritual Siemhouk was performing calmed the rage of the Zwuun and Nibeany rose to his feet and released a terrifying scream. The days of conflict with the Zwuun were over. Siemhouk moved next to her king and softly spoke to him of the party’s actions over the last few days. Nibenay remained quiet, lost in thought or perhaps using his great power to survey the city.

At last his eyes focused on the party and he tilted his head towards the group, who could do nothing but wait. With a deep, inhuman voice, Nibenay finally spoke…

It would appear that you have some explaining to do…

The Reckoning
Nibenay sat motionless on his throne and listened carefully as Siemhouk told him of the party’s actions during the cataclysm. Everyone attempted to overhear what she was saying, and although they couldn’t catch it all, she appeared to be favorably about them. When she finished, the towering dragon king tilted his head, looking down at the group before him.

It would appear that you have some explaining to do.

Nibenay stares each of the heroes in turn. Only Kira, Jarvix and Iorskan could hold his gaze. The sorcerer-king was silent for a few moments, but none dared to speak. After a few moments Nibenay spoke…

I foresaw that a time of great change was coming. I was shown a time in which the internal struggles of the city were diminished. I assumed that this meant the destruction of my enemies and the cleansing of the rebels from my city. I see now that I was wrong. Throughout the city, I sense great suffering and torment. Truly, this is the darkest day of my long reign.

Gwyn spoke, casting the blame for the cataclysm on Nibenay, to which he barely responded with a snort of disbelief. He then spoke with almost a hint of joy and hope in his voice.

I sense, however, that it is also one of the brightest. Throughout Nibenay, people who should be battling each other worked together to heal the wounded and rebuild that which has been destroyed. Perhaps this is the way of the future.

When he spoke again, there was sadness in his voice and a hint of anger.

Then again, perhaps it is not. I have seen you and I have seen your actions. You who claim to want to bring about a new Green Age, yet cause scant more than chaos by overthrowing the rightful rulers of the cities. I am reminded of the true way of the world.

The anger in his voice, rising with each word, could now be heard and almost felt.

You meddle in events that are beyond you in every way and you seek to undo a history that you know nothing about. You try to inflict your will upon the world without knowledge of, or regard for, the consequences. You are but children at play.

Iorskan dared to speak during a brief moment where Nibenay contemplated his next works, but the dragon king was unmoved.

You worked against my interests by aiding the Veiled Alliance and their plot to destroy me. Had you not aided them, my magic would have finally torn apart the Zwuun and peace would have settled across the land. It is because of you that the cataclysm happened.

There is another pause, before Nibeany addresses the party again, where the party could speak. There is no more emotion in his voice, only cold logic.

Your attack on my Templars can be overlooked, as can your petty thefts. Truly such events help me to separate the strong from the weak. However, take care that you do not deprive me of anything that I do value, or the cost shall be very dear.

Nibeany arose from his throne and moved towards the party. His heavy clawed feet making a horrible scraping sound on the tiled floor. Siemhouk remained still and continued to intently watch the party.

He approached Delen who remained face down on the floor.

Your assistance with Siemhouk’s ritual is appreciated and it shall be rewarded. You will be allowed to live. However, you are dismissed from my service and will never be allowed to access that which you cherish most – the libraries of this city are forever out of your reach.

Delen could barely express his gratitude for being spared and remained facing the floor. Nibenay turned to Way-lynn, speaking with anger once again.

You were once my guard, sworn to protect me and the interests of our city. As payment for your service you were released from my service. In any other city-state you would have been a slave your entire life. You abandoned your home when you found your new sense of morality. And today you attack me while I was defenseless. Well, as defenseless as I can be.

Nibenay then turned to Kira, his anger rising.

I had you trained in powers that you could only have dreamed of, powers over nature that none on this world have possessed for millennia. Those gifts would have allowed you to restore the vitality of Athas. You repaid my generosity with treachery and have proven that you are more trouble than you are worth.

Nibenay finally faced Gwyn, his anger was now mixed with sadness.

You had the spark of a dragon in your soul and I have watched you for many years. You persisted when Dregoth’s construct destroyed your mortal form. You alone out of all my children have had the potential to make real change in the world. But what kind of king would I be if my own child could defy me?

Endgame
Nibenay’s intentions were clear – Gwyn, Kira and Way-lynn were to be punished for their actions with death. The others knew that if they did nothing and let their friends die, they would live. Only by working together could they have a chance of saving their friends, but the sorcerer-king would be unlike any foe they had tried to overcome.

After the many adventures and shared dangers, the party decided to fight. Even Delen, who had been the most loyal to Nibeany, decided to tempt fate and try and defend his friends. The battle that followed was intense as the group endured assaults from Siemhouk, newly conjured fire and air elementals and the sorcerer-king himself.

Kira assumed the form of a primal wolf and pounced on Nibeany, catching him by surprise and knocking him to the ground. Elleandra used her magic on Siemhouk and, although the child resisted, she eventually was overcome and placed in an enchanted slumber for the rest of the fight.

Iorskan found himself in combat with the air elementals and he fell to their attacks. Jarvix attempted to enlist aid from the Zwuun, sending out a message for help. He heard nothing in response and assumed that the enigmatic being simply did not care. He attempted to stay out of the way while aiding his friends and taunting Nibenay. He even went so far as to sit on the throne in defiance of the sorcerer-king.

Delen attempted to stand his ground against Nibenay, but the sorcerer-king had little patience and Delen fell. Gwyn fell next, her mind crushed by her father’s attacks. Kira was unable to sustain her attacks and Nibenay defeated her next. Way-lynn attempted to leave the throne room with Elleandra, and both were defeated when Nibenay teleported next to them. Jarvix was the last to fall to the sorcerer-king.

Everything faded to gray for the adventurers…