Twenty-Sided Tale

This is a complete narrative of our Dungeons & Dragons campaign. It’s a custom campaign written by me, using the 3.5 edition rules. Our group meets at my house Sunday evenings and usually plays for about 5 hours. I run the session while my wife transcribes events as they unfold. After the session I go over our notes (both her live notes and my pre-game notes) and turn them into the story you read here.

This means that what you read is a collaboration between myself and six other people. I design the plot and enforce the rules, but the five players decide how the heroes deal with (or avoid) the challenges they encounter. Finally, the chaos is turned into what is hopefully an interesting narrative.

This is our third campaign together. The other two campaigns are not on-line, although if there is some demand I may post them. All of the characters are currently level 5 at the start of this campaign. The current active players are Skeeve the Wizard, Eomier the Rogue, Thordek the Fighter, Thu’fir the Blade Lord, and Enoch the Cleric.

The campaigns I run are usually a bit more low-key and realistic than your average D&D story. So, likely as not you’ll see orcs, goblins, and Zombies, but I doubt we’ll have stuff like gelatinous cubes, mimics, or dimensional grabbers. Towns are filled with commoners, not extraplaner travelers. You won’t see any talking swords in my world, and dragons are very, very rare. True magic users are about as rare as celebrities or pro athletes in our world. Commoners are aware of magic and deal with it from time to time, but they don’t see it every day. This is just a style thing. I find the world easier to visualize if it looks a bit more like our world. I have a hard time imagining how warfare and commerce would work if a good portion of the populace could teleport or fly around on pet hippogryphs.

I’m writing this campaign because I’d like to see other people doing this sort of thing. Perhaps it will catch on? I’d love to read the campaigns other people come up with. If you blog a campaign like this, please email me and let me know. I’d love to read what you have, and I’d be glad to add you to the links.

Mar Tesaro

Mar Tesaro is the setting of our current campaign. It is a large island (It would take a little better than a week to walk from the north shore to the south) that is inhabited by two separate groups: The Northerners (also called “Lormanites”), and the Alidians.

On the south side of the island is a mountain called “Mount Khelberg.” It is apparently a very large and valuable mountain that contains a lot of precious metals and gems. From what the party has gathered, the war seems to be over who should control the mountain.

Introduction

The characters are in the town of Golgotha. It is late in the month of Suncrest (July). They just helped the city fend off an army of undead, saved everyone, and became the big heroes, thus ending the last campaign. The battle ended three days ago and they have been resting since then. The battle destroyed and burned down a good bit of the town, which is now being rebuilt.

The current party is Skeeve the Wizard, Eomier the Rogue, Thordek the Fighter, and Enoch the Cleric. Lucian the ranger is still part of the group, but that character is being retired (replaced) with another one in the first session.

Endo

Name: Endo
Race: Human
Class: Monk
Played By: Shamus (Endo is an NPC when I’m the dungeon master)

Endo is a follower of the Ki-Tan fighting style. He lived in Highstone Monastery, a large stone structure overlooking the town of Bridgehold in Grey Moor. The town and the monastery formed a sort of symbiotic relationship. The Monks guarded the town (so traditional town guards were not needed) while the townies provided food and clothing for the monks.

Over a few generations various misunderstandings led to quite a bit of animosity between the two, and eventually they came to resent each other. The story is too long to relate here, but the short of it is that at the time of our story it was the custom for select monks to become “guardians” of the town. As part of their guardianship, they take a vow of silence and also a vow never to strike (or even threaten) a resident of the town. After seven years, their guardianship would end (along with their vows of silence and pacifism toward the members of the town) and it was more or less expected that they would leave the monastery to seek their fortune elsewhere, or stay and become teachers.

Young men of the city would often take advantage of this vow and taunt or torment the very guardians that kept them safe from external threats. (A bit like the way people picked on the Amish in “Witness”) Different monks came up with various ways of dealing with this. One simply ran when accosted by surly young men in town. Another avoided coming into town during the day, and instead ran his errands at night. He would sneak into shops, procure what he needed, and leave the money on the counter.

Endo had a different way of dealing with it. He stood there and took it. He would stand still and endure their slaps, insults and spit until they grew bored and left. Eventually the bullies (there were two young men who did this) grew angry that they couldn’t daunt the monk. They became more abusive, eventually punching and kicking Endo in an attempt to get SOME response out of him. Endo never made any attempt to resist them. They would pummel him until they were exhausted. For years Endo was covered in cuts and bruises.

As his guardianship drew to a close, the player characters came into town on their quest. Enoch the cleric encountered Endo on the road and offered him healing, which Endo silently refused.

There was a council at the monastery about the problems that players faced, and the curse on the land. During the council, Endo was released from his seven-year vow and a new guardian was sworn in. Endo spoke for the first time in seven years (his voice is very raspy) to thank his teacher, and then left without hearing the rest of the proceedings. The meeting was long (lots of talk between the players and the leaders of the city / monastery) and a lot of the plot was filled in. Towards the end of the meeting, Endo came in and sat down without saying a word.

As everyone rose to leave, a couple of townies barged in, breathless, shouting that Endo had just walked into town and murdered two men.

This was Endo’s solution to the bullies in town. He fulfilled his oath, and the moment it was over he went and snapped the neck and back of his tormentors. He did NOT do this out of revenge, but out of a desire to end the violence against guardians. From now on if someone abused a guardian, he need only stand still and accept it. His passive attitude would carry a very real implied threat: In seven years I will kill you.

In the meantime, there were a lot of sore feelings in town about what Endo had done. It was decided that he should leave town and travel with the party as a guide through the mountains.

Eomier

Eomier Abrin DeCauste was born to a soldier, Claudius. While he was not afforded luxury, he was not deprived either. By means of his father he was taught at the only established school on the island, which in those times was almost always a church, and this school was no different.

He was often told not only by his father, but at the school, of the crusades of Ubrin Lorich. Three generations had passed since Ubrin and his companions freed the isle of Grey Moor from its natural occupants; the orcs. These stories were grand, elaborate and verbose. I will not burden your ear with the stories in full Elvish song, but know that to the children of Greymoor these songs were as intoxicating as fine wine. Idolization of Ubrin and his friends was assured.

“Ubrin had, with the aid of his friends, hunted down and killed every tribe of orc on the island. Afterwards he declared Grey Moor a free island, that no man should ever rule it. None but those who sought to take from others should be turned away from its shores. Like everyone else, Eomier was astounded that one could be so selfless as to give up an entire island after conquering it almost single-handedly. While many stories circulated as to why Ubrin had such an acute distaste for monarchies or established governments, none were ever proven, and no one really thought it that important.

After Ubrin parted ways with his companions, he constructed the office of the protector of Grey Moor. He did little but watch the city of Bayhaven grow around him till his death, save slaying the occasional band of goblins. He sired and raised a son, Aaron, and instructed him in the way of the sword and the way of the pen. After his death Aaron took over stewardship of the island, keeping to his fathers will that no man should have dominion over another. Aaron lived many years and saw Bayhaven grow from fledgling town to a city that drew trade ships. It was during this time that so many races came to settle in Grey Moor. Despite the usual tensions that exist whenever dwarf, human and halfling live in such close proximity, Greymoor and its (lack of) politics kept these disagreements to a minimum.

It is during Aaron’s tenure that the first mention of the Monks of the Highstone Monastery is made, a passive (but lethal) order of Monks that had taken stewardship of the local town of Bridgehold. It’s not clear if the town or monastery came first, but since the monks had a penchant for vows of silence, no one really knows for sure.

No one knows how long the dwarves had been on the island, but it was also around this time that their presence was discovered. All-the-while this seemingly uninhabited island was home to a clan of dwarven stone masters. Like most dwarves they were very content to live within their mountain, unburdened with anything outside of it. Little was heard from the dwarves, but Aaron did arrange a reasonable trade of goods and foods (mostly ale and textiles) from off-island for whatever valuables the dwarves were willing to part with.

Aaron knew that once word of trade with dwarven miners spread that the trade ships would be more eager to stop at this once small port. Peoples from all over Mar Talos soon came to find their fortunes in the mountains that cut the island in half, find adventure in the north, to free themselves from oppression or to simply claim a strip of land and make a simple living.

During his time as steward Aaron saw Grey Moor’s population grow from a few hundred to almost ten thousand, with roughly 4 thousand in Bayhaven alone. This did, however, cost him quite dearly. He invested much of his families’ fortune out of a sense of obligation to his charge as Protector. Near the end of his wildly successful and peaceful tenure, he made one error that would eventually engulf the island in civil war: He levied a tax on ships stopping in port, simply for upkeep of the docks themselves. While this is customary in all other ports, this was the first time that such a thing had been done on Greymoor. Without knowledge or intent, Aaron created a government. The office of the protector passed to his son, Reginald."

During childhood the fact did not escape Eomier that while there were more than a few thousand families in Bayhaven, there were less than a hundred students. This troubled him greatly, and he sought answers. The head master (and head priest as it was) Tenril at first seemed annoyed that a boy would question such things, and took it as an accusation. He rebuked Eomier, and his father was less than pleased. For 7 years he kept his silence.

By age 11 he was the top student, and his father had advanced to rank of Lieutenant and personal advisor to Reginald the Protector. One day, while walking home from school, as he passed the keep he saw his father and his men taking a young man, not many years older than Eomier, up to the keep. He looked like he had been roughed up quite a bit, and the number of guards escorting him suggested whatever his offense had been, this was a very dangerous man. Eomier asked his father what the man had done. The man had been caught stealing, and his punishment would be imprisonment for 2 years, or banishment to the north. This was basically a death sentence, since no one had come back from the north in 20 years. He was told of how there would ALWAYS be people who will take advantage of others if not kept at bay. And that is what the office of the protector, and in turn Eomier’s father, did. There were always thieves who would pray on the innocent if not dealt with, and dealt with harshly. This is what Ubrin did, and what he had envisioned for Grey Moor. Eomier accepted this.

Days later while again walking home from school Eomier was accosted by several older boys. He did not recognize them and they were much bigger than him. He did what most boys would do, he ran. Fleeing through the streets he turned a corner, ducked into a shop and vanished from his pursuers. As his breath returned, peering out the window as his attackers passed by, he was startled from a gruff voice from behind:

He turned around to see a man not as old as his voice would make him seem. He stood there, frozen, scared and out of breath.

Eomier shook his head, he had no idea. Eldon informed him that his father had become quite well known as Reginald’s lap dog, making more than a few enemies. It was the first time he first heard the other side life on Grey Moor, away from the keep and the school. He heard of how a few days earlier a man had been imprisoned for trying to sneak a few things off a ship without paying the tariff first. He had always paid before; he simply needed to sell the goods first to pay the tax. Instead he was beaten, jailed, and his goods claimed. The story of an entire ships crew banished to the North for a mere casket of wine. Eomier refused to believe it, and left the shop and ran home.

By age 14 he was done with school, and it was time to do what was expected of him and follow in his fathers footsteps. His first assignments were simply escorting goods from the port south to the towns north. He did this often for several months, and it wore on him. He wished to keep the peace, to defend the people of Grey Moor.

While daydreaming of riding with Ubrin one day, three men jumped from the bushes along the road and snatched several bags of grain from a cart right in front of him. Surprised because he wasn’t paying attention, but mostly because these three men hardly looked like the viscous thieves he was trained to look out for. They were dirty, ragged, and very obviously starving. They didn’t look anything like the thieves or evil-doers he had imagined, they were starving peasants. Two of them weren’t even wearing shoes. As he watched them “flee,” still quite surprised at their appearance, he watched as all three were chased down and cut to pieces by other guards on horseback. Shocked at what had just happened, he said nothing as the Captain rebuked him for not paying attention. When he returned home, he asked his father of what had happened, and of his thoughts. Again his father reprimanded him for questioning the way of things, and told him to be more thoughtful of his duty. Troubled by what had happened, he sought advice from an unlikely source: The shopkeeper.

Eldon was all too eager to fill his ears with stories such as the one he had seen. And soon Eomier was starting to question exactly who was oppressing who? Who was the thief? Was he really defending the people? He struggled with his own ideals and began to see not just the world he had been shown, but what was hidden behind strong doors and clean clothes. He used his fathers influence and status (which was now magistrate) to look into some of the accusations levied against the prisoners of the keep. He was shocked to find out that jails were full, usually for the smallest of offenses, but almost always having to do with monies owed to the office of the protector. Crimes against other citizens were dealt with in the harshest manor possible. There were no rights, no appeals, only the decree of the Protector.

Secretly he began to funnel info to his new friend, Eldon. In turn he was taught useful skills, and mostly he felt he was only now really helping people who needed it.

He was still young however, and was soon caught. After a very heated argument with his father, he left the Office of the Protector and found work smuggling goods from the north to escape what was now a ridiculous tax. With every trip back to Bayhaven, a new wing had been added to the keep. It resembled a castle more than anything, and the flags of “The Office of the Protector” flew as a King’s would. Eomier’s contempt grew every trip.

Lucian

Lucian has an interesting backstory about betrayal within his family which sent him into exile (and thus adventuring) but it hasn’t really been introduced in-game.

This character was retired at the end of our second campaign, and Eric rolled up a new character.

Skeeve

Skeeve is an unusual Wizard. While everyone else had more or less serious, Tolkien-esque names, Dan gave his Wizard a more comedic name. Skeeve is also a rustic “farmboy” among elves, and self-taught himself magic instead of being an apprentice or joining a guild.

Dan is also pretty outspoken, impulsive, and foul-mouthed. He tends to blurt out outrageous things, to which I reply, “Did you say that in character?” He’ll often reply, “Um. Sure.”

So what we ended up with was a very brash Wizard with a penchant for shooting off his mouth and dropping the F-bomb.

Yoeg

Yoeg’s father, Keroning (a full orc, and an outcast among his people), rescued Yoeg’s human mother from bandits (possibly rapists). They lived in the hills in secret and had a son. Some humans found out about the grotesque union and attacked the house. They slew his father and mother, and entered the house to find an empty cradle.

Years later (during our first campaign) a Paladin came to Grey Moor, looking for the half-orc. The paladin was large, well-armed, and had several stout people in his party. Fearing him, the party fled north.

He finally caught up with the party in the town of Stackroot. The paladin revealed that his father was one of the people who attacked Yoeg’s house and killed his parents. Keroning had killed his father, and the paladin was here to dispense justice and rid the world of the orc’s vile offspring. He was here to finish the job his father started.

He promised an honorable fight: If Yoeg would fight him one-on-one, none of his friends (the other players) would be harmed. The paladin produced a massive axe, saying he planned on killing the abomination (Yoeg) with it’s fathers own axe.

They fought and Yoeg killed the paladin. He then took his father’s axe as his own.

Thordek

Thordek came from a stout family of miners. He worked as a digger in a family mine for many decades until he was offered a position as foreman in a distant mine. This was his chance to lead the dig, design the shafts, and be the first to see the secrets the ground had to offer. He took the job and traveled a great distance to his new home and dig site. When he arrived, all were dead. They had been slain weeks earlier. With no owner and no crew there was no job for him. Thordek left and began to wander the country, seeking work.

Thu’fir

Name: Thu’fir
Race: Human
Class: Fighter (Special: Blade Lord)
Played By: Eric

Thu’fir is a Blade Lord, a special character class Eric and I came up with. He uses a special gigantic sword (think Final Fantasy) that is magical and gains power, by leveling up, through use. His sword is named Fai.

Enoch

Bogan wrote a great backstory for this character way back during out first campaign. Since then I’ve managed to misplace it. I’ll update this once I find his story. It’s somewhere in my dungeon master notes.

Bogan is quiet, and so Enoch ends up being pretty quiet in-game as well. He’s actually one of the most observant characters, and uses his spells wisely. He’s caught me off guard a few times with suddenly casting a lesser-known (read: non-combat) spell like “zone of truth” when I wasn’t expecting it. As a dungone master, I always find it rewarding when players come up with solutions I hadn’t thought of.

The Setting

Before I became dungeon master, the players were in a campaign run by a guy named Josh, whom I’ve never met. They parted ways with him and I ended up running the campaign. Josh was very much a freestyle dungeon master, with no real shape to the game world. It was just town, woods, town, woods, in some non-specific country.

When I took over I wanted to keep a bit of continuity, but at the same time I needed to place them in some sort of structured world. I came up with the map you see below. I decided that they all came from “Dunlock,” and they were in the coastal town of Djoshport (named after their hapless former dungeon master). In our first session I stuck them on a boat for Grey Moor, the site of our first campaign.

In our first campaign the players went to Grey Moor and broke an evil curse that was killing the crops and draining the land of life, and then joined in a battle to prevent a single greedy nobleman for seizing control of the Island. Along the way they teamed up with Eomier and Endo and attained level 3. The elves of Mar Talos joined in the battle to keep the island free. This brought our first campaign to an end.

At this point one of the players (Joe) became the dungeon master, and I joined the game as a normal player using Endo. Joe’s character stayed on Grey Moor, and the rest of us sailed to Golgotha in northern Dunlock. The party battled an army of the undead, saved the land, and made level 5. I became the dungeon master again, keeping Endo as an NPC that traveled with the party. The party sailed for Mar Talos, but got shipwrecked on Mar Tesaro, which our third campaign is now taking place.

Session 1

22nd of Suncrest, 1501dy

The unlikely band of heroes waits impatiently at the inn, for what they do not know. The town, Golgotha, is swarming with mercenaries but as heroes the party finds that they do not need to pay for anything. All they want and more is at their fingertips, yet they itch to be gone. It has been months since they left Greymoor and some have unfinished business there awaiting their return.

The inn is nothing more than an abandoned house in view of the docks, the old inn having been destroyed in the battle three days earlier. Endo stands in the lobby watching the comings and goings; fighters, merchants, sailors, thieves, all can be seen walking along the road near the docks. The docks themselves are a flurry of excitement. A new ship, rickety and hardly sail worthy, looking to be on its last sails, is in the dock being stocked full of boxes from the blacksmith shop down the road.

A young boy runs in the door asking if an Eomier or an Enoch is at the inn. Endo points toward their rooms. The boy nods and runs off, disappearing into the depths of the inn.

Moments later the others join Endo in the lobby. Eomier has been given the following letter:

Eomier son of Claudius,

We hope you have enjoyed your travels, but the council bids you to come home and lend aid to our country. We are beset and in need of the skills of you and your companions. Troubles have come to our land and we ask that you would remember your obligation to your family and homeland. Please make haste to the Keep in Bayhaven and we will reveal what it is you must do.

With Hope,

The Council of Grey Moor

To Enoch, Servant of Pelor,

Trusted friend, word may reach your ears of the troubles in Grey Moor. The Council of Bayhaven has sent word to many allies in search of aid, and I expect they will contact you as well. I request that you and your friends come see me in Talosport before visiting the council. I realize this will be an inconvenience to you, and I do not make such a request lightly. I do promise that what you hear will be to your advantage. I do not wish to hinder you from acting on events as you choose, but I would like to advise you before you get involved.

Faithfully,

Sagemaster Teerin Forwinol

The party discusses their plans, considering whether to go straight to Greymoor or to stop at Mar Talos on the way back. Lucian decides to stay and help the people rebuild their town. Eomier looks sternly at Lucian and just as sternly says, “Stay away from my girlfriend.”

Eomier wanders off to the docks to speak to the boat-masters. After speaking to several he finds that the only one heading that way is the Ocean’s Majesty, the same decrepit ship Endo had seen being loaded down with cargo. The captain, Captain Purlof, a rather fat, optimistic old soul, is on the deck seated upon a large barrel, rocking slowly back and forth. Behind him stands the XO, First Mate Inorem. He’s a rather sour looking elf, who shows great disdain for everyone, including the only elf in the party, Skeeve.

Eomier leads the negotiations with the Captain, throughout which Inorem contends with whatever the Captain says.

Purlof plans to head for Fort Boland on Mar Tesaro, then proceed to Bayhaven on Grey Moor, and finally to Talosport on Mar Talos. Eomier asks how much he would make per trip, hoping to be able to pay extra to get him to go to Mar Talos first. The elf cuts in, refusing to divert the course, whereas the Captain insists they will gladly divert for 100 gold.

As for passage on the ship, the captain says he will take 25 gold each, but will gladly refund it at the end of the journey if they make themselves useful. Inorem is enraged at this, insisting that they are still passengers and should have to pay full price, regardless of how they spend their time. The Captain gladly welcomes each upon their acceptance of the offer, happily contradicting whatever comment First Mate Inorem makes regarding their uselessness as crew.

A sailor with an air of authority walks, by giving a tour to the other passengers. Meanwhile the other sailors are hard at work loading the ship with more cargo. The party all begins to help with the loading as Enoch goes below decks to pray for a safe journey. With the weight of the new cargo, the ship gradually sinks lower and lower into the water.

As the ship becomes ready to sail, a man comes running towards the ship, yelling for it to wait, wearing only his underwear, his clothing and sword held over his head. Behind him runs the half-orc blacksmith, who’s daughter is waving from the inn window, a sheet clutched to her breast. As the man boards the ship the gang plank is raised leaving the furious smith standing at the docks glaring.

As soon as all are settled the ship sets sail. Eventually they make their way to the mess deck. An unshaven sailor wanders over to their table and joins them. Skeeve greets him as he sits, which is more than enough to loosen the sailor’s tongue. A man who enjoys his own voice, Nobert introduces himself as a member of the crew and cheerfully goes on to fill them in on all the ins and outs of the crew, wandering happily from subject to subject with little prompting from the party.

As it turns out, Endo was right in assuming that boxes coming from the blacksmith were likely war supplies. The ship is selling weapons to the northern states of Mar Tesaro, an island deep in some sort of civil war.

The conversation then turns to Inorem, whom according to Nobert, the crew dislikes. His rudeness and distaste for humans are more than enough to keep him from favor amongst the crew. Inorem used to sail on a much grander elven ship, but it was sunk in the battle of Bayhaven. He’d been forced to take this position on a human crew and he resents it. Half of the cargo hold is his, and he is free to use this ship until he can make enough to buy his own. He does this by stacking it to the rafters with weapons for sale at Mar Tesaro.

Nobert then goes on to explain that Beck used to be first mate, losing the title to Inorem when the Captain offered to help Inorem get funds for a new ship. The crew however misses Beck as such, liking him as much as they hate Inorem. The crew also is very fond of the captain, who they refer to as “Puffins” or “Puff.” He runs a loose ship, but his generosity with his pay make up for any faults.

Nobert rambles on about various things until he settles on his girl Talla in Bayhaven, and he how is looking forward to seeing her. He goes on to describe her many attributes, though none of them seem to be her looks. After some time the men manage to turn his conversation to Bayhaven. Bayhaven is fine, or was when the ship was last there. The old town has been repaired and there was a huge harvest that year up north. Their biggest problem is that goods are piling up on the docks because there aren’t enough ships to move everything. Several were lost in the battle of Bayhaven, and a few others to pirates before that. Other ships are floating goods for the war (which is more profitable) so Bayhaven just isn’t getting enough ships to move everything.

Nobert takes leave when he finishes eating, saying he is needed on deck. The others go to work for a bit then retire to their quarters for the night.

23rd of Suncrest, 1501dy

The next day is clear and bright. Around noon the party, all about their duties, hear a ruckus on the deck. There they see a big crowd gathered, a great conglomeration of sweaty sailors and noise. After some shoving the party manages to work their way towards the innards of the fray, only to find Beck and Nobert in the middle, preparing to fight. The party finally surmises that Nobert and Beck had each had a letter from their girl back home, only to find that she was one and the same AND pregnant. After further discussion the two decide to fight for her. The winner of the fight will get to stay a sailor, loser will get all the money and go back to Bayhaven to marry Talla.

Inorem quickly steps in trying to settle it, pointing out that “This is most certainly not how civilized people settle arguments and certainly not on my… erm… this ship.”

The captain however waves him aside with a brisk, “Go ahead, go ahead, lets see the outcome. This should be a good show.”

Both men quickly throw down their valuables in a pile as the mob of sailors crowds Inorem out of the way. It is no contest. Beck easily wins the fight, knocking Nobert out cold in less than a minute. Beck looks through his pockets, making sure he didn’t miss anything of value to give to Nobert. He goes below, looking sad.

Someone dumps a bucket of sea water over Nobert, who despite the numerous cuts, bruises, and one rather large lump upon the head, wakes immediately, grins a wide, toothy grin, and shouts, “Congratulate me boys, I’m getting married!” The crew all cheers.

24th of Suncrest, 1501dy

The next day arises, sleepy and full of sun. The seas sits calmly, gently rocking the old boat. The party assembles over their evening meal when they are approached by the man they had seen running from the smith. He introduces himself as Thu’fir, settles himself down amongst them and begins to talk. He likes to talk, mainly about himself and his pet sword. He goes on and on about the number of people he had killed with it, though when questioned they find that the number is rather smaller than his bragging implies (namely 11).

25th of Suncrest, 1501dy

The next day is rainy, a steady chill drizzle, in which the crew works steadily in alternating wind and rain.

Enoch, in his rambling about the ship (being a cleric, the crew will not let him help), discovers that there is another cleric aboard and decides to visit him the next day. The crew warns him that the other cleric is a bit of a joke, quite old, blind, and deaf.

Enoch makes his way below decks to the infirmary. There he finds Crolman, a human who looks to be a hundred years old and his attendant, a young sailor who tries continually to make sense of the old man’s mumblings, hoping for a hint at what the weather will be in the coming days. After some time and a bit of halting conversation with the sailor Enoch surmises that Crolman had once been a cleric but has now lost all his powers except for a gift of prophesying the weather, which Crolman foretells in fits and starts amidst numerous comments on food and achy joints. While Enoch listens, Crolman suggests that he is hungry, thirsty, uncomfortable, and that the weather will be fine for the next two days.

While Enoch visits the old cleric, Thordek looks for Beck. He finds him in the carpentry shop of the ship, practicing his sword fighting. Thordek watches as Beck’s sword slices through the air, looking as if it was drawing an elaborate picture in the air as it flashes and swirls, cutting and slicing.

26th of Suncrest, 1501dy

The next day there is much talk amongst the sailors about Crolman as he seems to be very disturbed and more confused and upset than usual. Each has his own opinion about Crolman’s odd sayings that day. Enoch goes below deck to see what is going on.

In the infirmary he finds Crolman and his helper, Crolman going on, mostly about food but quite happily tossing in random, cryptic comments regarding the weather, and in all appearances quite disturbed. The sailor attending him is listening carefully to each word he says, attempting to get a straightforward answer out of him, so intently that he rather absentmindedly gets his food and drink and sets them down before him. Crolman, in his own little world, is quite oblivious to him. Crolman sits in his usual spot feeling around on the table before him obviously looking for his food, “Hungry!? …Thirsty?!”

Crolman mumbles, “They won’t like us. Not gonna be happy. Not our friends.”

“Hungry!?” Crolman exclaims as he feels around for his food. “Gonna rain. Big storm. The ocean’s gonna fall on our heads. Two days off,” Crolman continues, still feeling around for his food, " Watch the sail. Tie it fast. Don’t let it come loose!"

“Wet!” Crolman complains as he finds his food having put his hand in it as he felt for it.

Enoch then goes back on deck to tell the others about the latest, more complete news on the coming storm.

27th of Suncrest, 1501dy

The next morning the captain announces that they are drawing close to Fort Bolland, and should reach it by morning. There is a storm approaching, but they expect to reach shore well before it hit. The men need to work fast to secure the ship and get it unloaded before the storm hit. They need to get some of the dead weight (weapons) out of the hold so they will be less likely to sink with the high waves. Everyone needs to pitch in to make sure they are ready when the storm hit, or the ship risks being smashed into the docks.

The standing rule is no shore leave in Fort Bolland, due to the war. This is still the case, but the captain allows some of the crew to go ashore and seek lodgings, since there is no sense in sleeping on a ship in a storm at port. He asks for volunteers to stay up all night and watch over the ship.

An hour later the island draws near. The storm is a ways off yet. Everyone relaxes. It looks like they will port and unload well ahead of the storm. As they approach, the sailor in the crow’s nest sounds an alarm. They draw closer and see that the city is laid to waste. All has been burned. The lighthouse is dark, and the docks are smoking. A lone and crudely built watchtower had been built on the coast with a sign of an eye with a thorn through it.

The captain concludes the south has conquered the town. Their only hope is to sail around the north end of the island and head for the city of Breakshore. If the city still stands they may buy the weapons in the hold, or at least allow port and re-supply.

The captain replies that now the storm will work in their favor. Ships of the south may well pursue them if not for the bad weather.

They bring the ship about and make for the north. As they turned they see and hear the alarm being raised from the tower on shore. They can see men scurrying about on the shore, archers obviously standing to the ready should they come within range.

The captain orders that all the cargo be dumped overboard. They are too low in the water and too slow to have any hope of reaching Breakshore like this. Inorem protests. The Captain relents. The crew is ordered to empty only the Captains’ share of the cargo.

Beck meets the loaders in the cargo hold and suggests they “accidentally” dump some of Inorem’s stuff as well, since his stuff is towards the front and they will have to climb over and around it to get to the captain’s.

Hours pass. The ship rises out of the water as it gets lighter. The men are sweating and exhausted as they work steadily trying to get ahead of the oncoming storm.

Inorem is furious about the cargo being thrown over. Skeeve tries to calm him down. Inorem assumes it was the humans and dwarf who did it, though Skeeve helped with quite a bit.

A whistle blows, sounding general quarters. The party comes up on deck to see the sky a sick green. The air is still and quiet. The men look apprehensive. It is very warm and humid. The ship stops moving as there is no longer any wind.

The captain orders the men to secure the sails, and the officers and the party are called to the navigation room.

The captain explains the basics of weather navigation, heading into the wind, not worrying about where you’re going, just ride up one side of a wave and down the other, no sails, as the wind will push the ship over, OR the mast will snap like a twig.

The storm draws nearer. The temperature drops quickly. Suddenly it is wet and chilly. The sea begins to churn.

The sky grows black as the sun sets. Rain begins to fall. As the ship is buffeted by the storm, they begin to take on water. The ship is still riding low in the ocean. The captain sits by the wheel upon his barrel. Two stout men, Thordek and Thu’fir are sent to the wheel. The captain explains that the more they aim INTO the wind, the safer they are. The sails are tied up and everyone else is sent below.

Skeeve begins offering random spells he can do. None of them are “make the storm go away,” so the captain sends him below-decks with the rest. Thordek and Thu’fir have no trouble keeping the ship on course.

Night falls. Inorem stands just inside the door and runs the damage control operation. At first he sets the men to bilge, but it is a lost cause. Water comes in too fast. He concludes they need to lift the ship up or they’ll sink. He orders all hands to begin hauling his weapons up from the hold, and shoving them out the door. He goes out and sets to pushing the crates overboard.

Beck is there to remind the party that they could have tossed Inorem’s stuff hours ago, made better time, and saved themselves a lot of trouble during the storm. Inorem’s greed has put them in greater danger.

Sailors (along with Eomier) work furiously to haul the heavy cargo out of the hold and get it overboard. Then, one of them loses his footing on the slick steps. The crate hits the deck and burst open, releasing an avalanche of broadswords down the steps. The hapless sailor is caught in the flow and sliced up as he falls downstairs in the pile of weapons. Eomier is right behind him, but quick enough to leap up and place his feet on the railings, holding himself above the steps as the swords and victim slid by beneath him.

The steps are now coated with seawater, blood, and swords. Enoch is called. He grants healing to the injured man, while everyone else goes about the tricky job of gathering up the swords as they slide back and fourth on the rocking deck. The cargo unloading operation is delayed as all of this happens.

Above deck there is a horrific crack as the mainsail rips free, unfurls and catches the wind. The loose ropes whip about violently in the wind. Beck is sent out with Eomier to secure the sail (if they can) or cut it loose (if they have to) lest the mast be broken.

Eomier and Beck struggle to secure the sail. They have to climb the rope netting and recover the sail. Eomier is blown off as he reaches and misses. He falls into a wet coil of ropes on the deck.

Eomier is still conscious after the fall but is hurt. He gets back to his feet and attempts to climb back up. He climbs back up but nearly falls off again, managing only to catch hold. The mast creaks loudly. The ship is listing heavily as the wind shoves the vessel around. Not wanting to waste any more time, Eomier and Beck draw their swords and cut the sail free.

They climb down and get below-decks again. Inorem stands by, furious that the sail has been cut.

A wave wash over the ship. Thordek losses his grip and is knocked over while sliding across the deck, getting caught in the the ropes. Thu’fir holds on to the wheel.

Beck yells, " Bring us about, we must rescue him!" over the wind.
Inorem shouts, " Belay that! Hold your course!“
Beck, “We can’t leave the captain!”
Inorem, “I’m in charge!”
Beck, “You won’t take his ship!”
Inorem, “Going back is suicide!”
Beck, “Leaving him is suicidal for you!”

They draw their swords and start to fight as they fall down to the quarterdeck. With them gone, Thordek, Thu’fir, and Eomier are free to choose who they will obey. Should they abandon the captain, or risk the entire ship by trying to come about? Cutting across the wind will be very dangerous.

They choose to go back for the captain and begin trying to turn about. As the ship turns across the wind, they loose control of the wheel and the ship turns sideways. Eomier and Thu’fir try to regain course. Waves wash over the deck. Thordek looses his footing and slides away, ramming into the railing.

A flash of lightning reveals the two combatants on the Forecastle Deck. Beck has run Inorem through. He pushes the elf off of his sword and into the sea.

The ship starts to list. A wave comes across the deck and the ship begins to lean to starboard. Water pours over the deck. One of the hatches dips below the water for a moment and the ship takes a big drink. The wave relents and the ship corrects itself. Those at the wheel find it is much easier to steer but nothing happens when they do.

Beck shouts above the din, “The storm has pushed us too far south. We’re being drawn into Stonehelm!”

Lightning flashes, and they can see the dark rocky teeth of Stonehelm jutting out of the water. There is nothing they can do. The ship is beyond their control, and all they can do is wait to be dashed against the rocks.

The rocks are hidden for a moment as they are engulfed by waves. A moment later the wave passes and the rocks are even closer. There is an overpowering crash as the ship is torn apart.

All manage to keep their weapons and armor, but are obliged to leave their packs behind. Thordek and Thu’fir, dressed in scale mail, were sure to sink unless they gave up their armor. Thordek suggests they lock arms over the captain’s barrel. They do so, and jump in, using the barrel as a raft. Skeeve uses his arcane magic and takes to the air. He lights his staff and provides light over a rock jutting from the water. He acts as a beacon to the others. Enoch calls on his holy powers and walks on water with Eomier and 3 other of the crew he grabs. Together they head toward the rock where Skeeve hovers.

The ship slides beneath the waves, and they are left among the churning waves. Everyone ends up at the rock, clinging to it. They have no food, no water, no way to rest, and no idea which way land is. Enoch passes out from exposure. Those that survive are exhausted, hungry, and thirsty, barely holding on in the midst of the storm.

28th of Suncrest, 1501dy

Dawn comes at last to show that most of the crew has drowned. Many bodies are face-down in the shipwreck-filled water about them. As the sky brightens, they can see the island to the south, less than a mile away. Of those Enoch saved, there are only two sailors left. Thordek and Thu’fir are kicking their way toward shore. Enoch helps the others get to shore walking on water.

Thordek and Thu’fir get to shore and are waiting for the rest. Bits of the ship litter the beach.

Way down the beach they find Beck digging a hole with a part of a stool as a shovel, making a grave. Nobert is dead, and Beck wants to bury him. He finishes the shallow grave and puts Nobert in. After a moment of silence, Beck resolves to travel with the party back to Bayhaven and marry Talla.

It is drizzling and cold. Everyone is exhausted and has been without food and fresh water for about 10 hours. Nobody has slept in over 24 hours.

Eomier goes off looking for Endo. Enoch casts helping hand (a mystical floating hand that searches a 5 mile radius) The magical hand drifts away in search of Endo.

Thu’fir and Eomier search for roots etc to eat in the woods. Beck gives them the gist of the island by drawing in the sand (what he has seen on a map.) Obviously they are near Stonehelm and the river. They are not sure however, if the Alidians have taken Breakshore and decide to try to avoid them. Skeeve levitates and finds the river 3/4 of a mile west. Everyone heads to the river except Enoch who decides to stay at the beach in case Endo comes. The dwarf rinses off in the river. Thu’fir cleans up as well.

Enoch rests on the beach with the two who were saved while waiting for the others to return. Everyone else rests by the river. Thordek offers the use of his helmet to carry water back to Enoch. Beck washes it out and fills it. They walk slowly and carefully back to Enoch. Enoch drinks, sharing with the other two who decide to rest a bit before moving on.

The party encounters a group of soldiers coming from the underbrush ahead of them. They are scratched up and covered in leaves from running through the brush. Immediately the soldiers begin to question them. There are three soldiers and one unarmed soldier.

They conclude the party is a group of mercenaries come to help the northerners, and attempt to arrest them.

The party refuses to surrender their weapons. The uniformed unarmed man speaks in the ear of the head soldier and the group spreads out.

The party see this is leading to combat and act first. Skeeve summons a flaming sphere, rolling it toward one of the soldiers. The underbrush catches fire in its wake. Weapons are drawn.

The unarmed soldier stands behind the others, casting magic at the party. It is a hard battle. Both Enoch and Skeeve had spent much of their magic in the night before, and had not had time to refresh themselves.

One by one the soldiers fell. Skeeve and the other wizard end up in a sort of duel, tossing fire magic at one another. Finally the opposing wizard backs into the underbrush for cover. Skeeve commanded a flaming sphere to travel around him in a tight circle, setting the brush on fire. Thus surrounded, the sphere rolls onto the wizard and he perished in flames.

As the last soldier fell, Eomier cries out, “Isn’t anyone ever glad to see us?!?!?!”

The party retreats for a few minutes, as the fire spreads. Eventually it burns itself out on the soaked vegetation and leaves a smoldering hole in the woods. The smell of burning skin and hair surrounds them. The party scavenges for usable items amongst the dead.

Beck points out that these soldiers were without supplies, so therefore they must have had a base or camp nearby. Eomier changes into the guard’s uniform he scavenged from the least damaged soldier, disguising himself as one of the guards, telling his party to stay about 200 hundred yards from him. He follows the way the soldiers had come and finds a clearing with the remains of a fire and camp. While searching the area Eomier finds a cut length of rope, the cloth wrappings from iron rations, a dead soldier, obviously the captain of the band they saw, who was wearing a scale mail and has a horn. His neck has been snapped.

Eomier calls the rest of the party and they join him. Thordek searches and finds four backpacks with bed rolls and three iron rations. He also finds Endo’s staff.

Eomier is concerned at this. He knows Endo would not have left this behind on purpose. He searches as well, and using his knowledge of the wild he determines that a horse had been tied here, then was ridden east, towards Breakshore. Other horses were here and have gone west. Skeeve, Thu’fir, and Beck each take a backpack. The party stays to rest. Thu’fir starts a fire and the rest go to sleep. Thu’fir heads about 100 yards toward the conquered town (west) to watch for any more activity.

1st of Last Summer, 1501dy

The city is a medium-sized village along the coast. There are no ships in the port, which means they will not be escaping the island soon.

Enoch and Skeeve go into town and head for the church. The church is overflowing with books. They speak to the head priest who explains the situation to them.

The Alidians (the southern forces) took the town without much resistance about a fortnight ago. They took the mayor away, but left everyone else alone. They commandeered a few farmhouses, took a goodly supply of food, all of the horses, and slew a few men who resisted, but they departed after a week and headed in the direction of Fort Bolland. The lands here in the north are still under martial law, and nobody is permitted to travel in the north without official papers. Anyone found in the wilderness will be assumed to be part of the resistance (of which there was very, very little) and arrested. The priest suggests they might be able to travel to Crossway and appeal to the local governor for papers if they explain their situation. They might also be able to buy forged papers.

He also tells them he has seen Endo and that he had quickly left town with a friend.

The rest of the party goes to the inn while Eomier goes to the priest and tries get an explanation of whom Endo was traveling with.

The rest of the party goes to the tavern / inn. The bartender welcomes them and says that meals were free for Alidian soldiers. Thu’fir claims to be a soldier for a free meal.

The bartender offers to help. He explains that there were supplies hidden in the smith’s house but that the house had been taken over by the soldiers.

Mar Talos

Mar Talos is home to the elves. Other races are not allowed to roam the land, and must remain in the capital / port city of Talosport. It is also the home of Sagemaster Teerin Forwinol.

Sagemaster was a major figure in our first campaign. He’s over 400 years old. He is respected and known throughout the other islands and Dunlock. He’s wise, thoughtful, and slow to act on anything. He prefers to watch and let things play out instead of getting involved, even when he has the power to intervene. He loves peace, and gets along well with other races.

Mar Talos has benefited over the last 100 years with him as the leader. The island is strong, prosperous and secure.

Session 2

2nd of Last Summer, 1501dy (late morning)

Skeeve and Enoch have a conversation with the head priest. Apparently Alidian solders now roam the land, which is under martial law. Anticipating that perhaps resistance forces might take to the hills and strike at them from the wilderness, the Alidians have decreed that nobody is allowed in the countryside, or even outside of town. To travel abroad openly, they will need travel papers. He suggests such a thing might be obtained in the town of Crossway to the south, either by appealing to the local magistrate and pleading their case, or (perhaps) through forgery.

Skeeve thanks the man for his time, and the two turn their attention to the piles of dusty books in the library. There seems to be far more than one would expect in a town this small. Books fill every shelf, cover every desk, and are piled in various corners of the room.

Most of the books are mundane histories or genealogies. There are also books of heroic deeds. These are books written in flattering terms about various nobles, and usually commissioned by the noble in question. As a nobleman gets old, he will usually hire someone to write a greatly exaggerated version of his life, and have it added to the local library. The books have no value to anyone, except that the nobles generally pay vast sums of money to have them written. The church makes quite a bit from this practice, and so these books are kept in the library alongside more serious works in order to encourage the practice. There are an awful lot of these sorts of books here.

There is also a book of maps. In it, Skeeve finds a handy map of the surrounding area:

Skeeve borrows a nearby stand and spends a few hours making a copy of the map for himself. He also asks one of the scribes handy about the overflow of books. The scribe explains that over a year ago (before Crossway fell to the Alidians) the people of Crossway sent their books north to Woodhurst for safekeeping. When Crossway fell, the people of Woodhurst sent their books here. So, this town has rather a lot of books from other areas.

One of the books catches Enoch’s eye. It seems to be a book written in an archaic form of common, (with bits of other old languages added, seemingly at random) which makes it very hard to decipher. This would seem to suggest that the book is quite old, although from the condition of the book it seems to be new, perhaps less than a decade old. This is sometimes the case when old, tattered books are copied, but it is customary to note the purpose and origin of the original work when doing so. This book has no such markings. Indeed, this book is not signed or dated at all. And finally, every other page has been left blank, as if the author expected someone to translate this work.

Enoch asks the scribe about this and he explains that the book has floated from place to place for some time. Various scholars have taken a crack at the old text, but none of them have been able to successfully translate it. He adds that Chronicler Rhillos in the city of Fol Thron (somewhere south, he doesn’t explain further) has offered a reward – a bounty, if you will – for anyone who can figure out what the book is all about.

Enoch notices that some of the old text seems to be an old form of common from Dunlock, his homeland. He gives it a try. A few hours later, he has managed to translate the following:

Part I: The Mountain Elves

Editor’s Note: What follows is not a proper history, but instead a collection of tales and folklore from the inhabitants of Mar Tesaro. These have passed on through the generations, doubtless with many changes and alterations. The story usually varies greatly depending on the geographical location and race of the storyteller. The most common elements of the differing accounts are gathered here to form a single tale. It is recorded here for archival and reference, not for any supposed historical value. Indeed, many portions of the following are highly unlikely and should be viewed with utmost skepticism.

– Chronicler Norvus

In the earliest days of Mar Tesaro, the southern lands were inhabited by a peaceful clan of mountain elves. They were gentle and kind, slow to quarrel and preferred music and wine above swordplay and bloodshed. They lived on the slopes of the great mountain, which they named Mt. Fiore, which means “the place of flowers.”

The mountain was tall and green in those days, and was fair to behold even in the cold of winter. Fairer still it was in the warm months, when the slender trees would bloom large flowers and clothe the mountain in white and gold. The tall peaks caught the spring rain and made the lands below rich and fertile.

Few others visited the lands. Only a few gnomes and fewer humans had walked the slopes, and no dwarf had even set eyes to the mountain in those days.

But Dwarf-King Thul Marblade came at last to the shores of Mar Tesaro. He came to the elven chieftain Ellas Morad, and asked for leave to climb the mountain. “For,” said he, “it is the way of all dwarves to seek the mountains and learn their ways.”

Morad gave him permission to walk the slopes, and the dwarf departed at once. With him were many strong but grim dwarves of his kind. As they ascended, a powerful greed came over them, for they saw that the stone of the mountain was filled with both silver and gold in plenty, as well as many fair gems and rare stones. Never in all the Earth had any dwarf seen such abundant riches, and they marveled that such wealth had lain undisturbed for so long.

Thul Marblade climbed to the pinnacle of the tallest peak, and there he spoke to his kin, “Brothers, here lies the greatest of all mountains of the Earth. Behold how rich it is with treasure, how bold and strong its rock, and how kingly its shape! Surely we must build here a mine, or we are no dwarves at all.”

His company agreed, and they departed from the mountain.

Enoch shows the scribe his work, and the scribe suggests he take the book with him. He requests that he show it to the scholars in Fol Thron once he completes the task.

While Enoch translates the text at the library, the Eomier and Thu’fir gather at the blacksmith’s shop. Upon learning that the party had lost many of their basic supplies in the shipwreck, he suggests they help him with a problem he’s having.

Before the city fell, he had stored away a cache of weapons, armor, and other provisions in the case of invasion. When the attack came, it happened a bit quicker than he anticipated, and he didn’t have time to reach the supplies or distribute them. Worse, soldiers came and seized his house and have been living there ever since. The supplies are hidden in a secret room in the basement, but he can’t hope to sneak past the guards to reach them.

The blacksmith suggests that the party try to sneak in and retrieve the items. If they do so, they can keep some of the stash for themselves. The only requirement is that they not kill any guards. If they do, the soldiers will simply retaliate by coming into town and killing people in order to exact revenge.

Eomier asks about what uniforms the northerners used. It turns out they didn’t have proper fancy uniforms like the Alidians, but instead wore simple black sashes around their waist or arms.

Thu’fir asks what they have been fighting about. The blacksmith explains that the war was over territory. Apparently there is a valuable mountain here called Mount Khelberg. It seems to be a rich source of both gems and gold. The blacksmith explains that the mountain is the birthright of his people: King Lorman (their leader) is the great great great (etc) grandson of the first foreman of the miners. He dug the first shafts and the land should be his. This is why they attacked the Alidians.

There is a front door on the house that faces west, towards the town. Behind the house is a storm door that leads into the cellar. There is a secret door in the cellar that conceals the goods in question. Unfortunately, the door is barred from the inside, so they can’t just pick the lock to get in. Someone will have to sneak in the front door.

Right behind the house, about ten feet from the rear door, is the woods. Gereg suggests leaving the heavy items there in the woods where he can recover them later.

By this time the sun is going down. Eomier goes east through the woods to the blacksmith’s shop, which is a ten-minute walk. Everyone else gathers at the tavern and waits with a glass of ale. (Skeeve has Tea, Enoch abstains.)

Eomier watches the building as the sun sets. It looks like there is a circle of tents in front of the house, and a number of guards are gathered there, talking. He sneaks up to the back of the house and peeks through the rear window with his mirror.

A soldier is inside, working on something. Eomier can hear the banging of pots. This room is clearly the kitchen. After watching the place a bit longer, he returns to town.

They discuss their plans. Thu’fir suggests that instead of sneaking in the front door, they could just pull off the hinges. They worry that perhaps this would be too noisy. Enoch points out that he could create a zone of silence. This magic power of his will deaden all noise in a 20-foot radius.

They agree on this. Skeeve decides to stay at the tavern. He realizes they have no place to stay for the night. The soldiers took several houses, and the displaced families have filled the small inn.

Beck cuts in, suggesting they go in fighting. He’s clearly drunk. Thu’fir buys him another drink, and gives the bartender enough money to keep them coming all night. They slip out and leave Beck to his ale.

Eomier, Thu’fir, Enoch, and Thordek sneak through the woods to Gereg’s house. Enoch and Thordek stop well short of the house, not wanting to make a lot of noise in their heavy armor. Eomier moves forward silently and looks around.

Jutting from the light, there is a campfire in front of the house. He listens carefully and determines that two guards are having a conversation. Using the mirror, he peeks in the window, but it is dark and quiet inside. He gives the signal, and Enoch casts silence on the door. Eomier takes the hinges off and Thu’fir takes the beam off. The beam falls soundlessly down the steps within the zone of silence.

Eomier sneaks in and goes to the secret door, which is a pegboard of tools. He moves one of the tools and finds it makes a very slight sound. The door is just outside of the silenced area! So, he needs to open a door which is covered in hanging metal tools, and he must do so without making any noise. He takes a deep breath…

…the door opens silently. He signals to Thu’fir, who is at the bottom of the steps looking in, letting him know where the edge of the zone is. They begin moving boxes. There are seven boxes of varying sizes, plus a sack and some other loose goods. Thordek and Enoch help move goods from the house into the woods, just on the edge of the zone. There are seven crates, a sack, a book, a lantern, and a longbow.

The goods unloaded, they realize that Eomier needs to stay inside when they put the door back on. If they want to hide all traces of their work, then he needs to place the bar on the door again, which can only be done once it’s in place and closed.

Enoch casts silence again, since he guesses that the five-minute duration is nearly up. They replace the door, attach the hinges, and Eomier places the bar on the door again. While this is happening, the members outside see a group of five guards head off towards town, carrying a torch. They conclude they can’t do anything about this now. They have to wait for Eomier.

Eomier, still inside, must sneak upstairs, out the front door, around the house, and meet them in back. He makes it upstairs and to the front door without difficulty.

Just before he leaves the house he pauses. He goes around into the kitchen and checks it out. He finds lots of dry goods. He also finds a sack of iron rations. He opens one, pisses on it, and then carefully re-wraps it and places it back in the sack.

While this was going on, Thu’fir had gone through the crates, suspicious of the smith’s story and wanting to make sure the story they had been told was true. He found the following:

They take enough backpacks, blankets and waterskins to supply the party. They take enough food to supply themselves for two days, and they take the horn. They leave everything else hidden in the bushes.

The party sneaks back into town, on the way seeing a number of soldiers leaving, heading back towards the house. They are rolling a large barrel. They crouch down and consider taking these guys out. Eomier points out they could kill these guys and hide the bodies in the woods or dump them in the ocean. Enoch responds that even if the bodies are never recovered, the Alidians will still assume the townies are responsible, and take revenge on them anyway.

The party goes to the tavern. Beck is passed out at the bar. The bartender is red-faced and wearing a large bruise on the side of his face. They realize the soldiers must have come here and taken some ale. They wake Beck.

His head snaps up, “Alright! Let’s go get those guys.” He doesn’t realize they have already finished.

They lead him out of town to where Skeeve has made camp. Skeeve examines the horn and identifies its magic properties. Apparently if you blow the horn it will stun anyone caught in front of it. The horn will be unnaturally loud, as well, perhaps even reaching miles away.

Thu’fir goes to the blacksmith and lets him know how things went. He shows him the horn. The blacksmith tells him the owner of the horn died several days ago, killed by Alidian soldiers. Thu’fir gives him fifty gold for it anyway. They look over Thu’fir’s map and Gereg explains that if they want to avoid the road, then there are two ways they can travel south.

“The first way is that you could head west, cross the bridge, and then head south through Upper Bolwood. The woods are dense and unyielding, and some travelers tell tales of ettins prowling on the edge of the woods from time to time. If you come through the woods you should find yourselves in the village of Woodhurst.

“The other way you could go is to head due south over Tinderward. This would be much faster by my count, but it would take you over flat open grasslands where you have no hope of hiding. If you encounter the enemy soldiers, you’ll be discovered for sure. Furthermore, you would have to pass over the Weather Hills, which are home to a nasty and devious tribe of goblins.”

Thu’fir examines the map before he replies, “Which way would you say is the most dangerous?”

In any case, Gereg has no idea which way Endo went. Thu’fir thanks the blacksmith and returns to the party where they debate over what path they should take. There is much discussion about which path would be better. They argue about which way Endo might have gone, and if he would want them to follow him. Eventually they decide on the south way, over Tinderward. They sleep.

3rd of Last Summer, 1501dy

At dawn they set out. Beck awakens but doesn’t seem to be too hung over. He doesn’t say anything about the night before.

They move south, passing several small farms and into the open grasslands. Eomier leads them at a strenuous pace. As the day wears on, Thu’fir notices that several black birds have been circling them for most of the day. The birds are too distant to be identified, but their dark outlines can be seen clearly against the blue sky of late summer.

The birds are too distant for them to do anything about it. The day passes as the hills to the south draw near.

As the sun drops low they see the outline of Joland Village ahead. They wonder what to do about this. Is the town occupied? Certainly they shouldn’t just march into town together. Eomier puts on the “good” Alidian uniform they own (the other one is bloody and slashed) and walks into town alone, while the others hide in the grass outside of town.

Dusk settles as he enters town. The little village is very quiet. Angry eyes peer out at him from the homes, but nobody speaks. A old man is sitting on the stoop in front of the blacksmith shop. He’s rocking back on his chair, looking thoughtful. He has a hard, creased face and a bushy white mustache.

Eomier is evasive, but as they talk his ruse about being in the army wears thin. He is alone and speaking with the wrong accent to be an Alidian.

The man cheers up at this and introduces himself as Polan. He is the closest thing the town has to a leader. He asks how the towns to the north are doing. It’s clear he doesn’t have any idea the north has lost. When Eomier tells him that Fort Bolland and Breakshore are taken, the man concludes that the war is over. He looks sad.

He asks if Eomier knows anything about missing children. He doesn’t. Polan tells his story:

“About four days ago one of the little ones, a kid about seven years old, disappeared from the fields just north of town. Two days later, other kids were picking hardberries at the bushes over yonder,” He points to an area west of the town, “and the kids say a man jumped out of the bushes and took one of them and carried the little girl off. Now, the soldiers took all our weapons when they took this town. That don’t matter much ’cuz they also took all the young men and women capable of using weapons. All we have left are the sick, the old, and the children.”

Eomier asks where the parents are. Polan explains that the mothers are here in town, but the fathers were taken south weeks ago.

Eomier gets up and calls the other party members into town. It’s obvious the enemy soldiers left this town to its fate ages ago and aren’t likely to come back any time soon.

He explains the situation as the evening closes in. By the time he’s finished the tale, it’s dark out.

Skeeve is not so sure, “Look, we don’t even know if the children are still alive.”

Beck shrugs, “Sure, but the guy who took them is, and we can at least fix that.”

A debate ensues. Skeeve is sensitive to the plight of the villagers, but doesn’t want to get dragged into helping everyone they meet on the way. He reminds them that they are chasing Endo, who left over a day ahead of them, riding horseback.

Thus overruled and outnumbered, Skeeve agrees to go along, but suggests they wait until morning.

Eomier and others protest, wanting to begin now. Polan suggests that trying to track someone in the dark, even with the aid of magical light, is foolish.

4th of Last Summer, 1501dy

At morning they gather and interview a few people. They learn that the children saw a man in a robe with a beard. That is the extent of what they can recall.

The party walks to the fields in the north and looks for clues. They find nothing. They go to the hardberry bushes and look for clues.

They are at the base of a hill, facing west. The bushes are at the foot of the hill. Assuming the kidnapper went west, he must have gone around the hill to the northwest or southwest. The hill is steep enough that it would be impossible for an encumbered human to walk up it without leaving some fairly obvious marks.

Thordek searches. Upon further investigation, he sees an opening in the center of the bush. It looks as though someone hid themselves in the deep parts of the bush and then leaped out, breaking many small branches in the process. The hollowed-out space is barely big enough for a man. Assuming this hole is related to the missing children, then what they seek must be man-sized or smaller.

Thu’fir also searches. He finds a small basket in the deep part of the bush. It is partly filled and looks to have been dropped (not hidden) suddenly.

Thordek and several party members go northwest, and Thu’fir leads the rest southwest.

They come to a point where the southern slope is less steep and it is possible to walk down. From here they can continue to follow the ridge around the hill (heading west) or go south into the valley, towards the river.

There are no visible prints to be seen on the slope going down. Thu’fir’s knowledge of wilderness lore tells him that even a child walking alone could no descend the soft grassy slope without leaving some hint. They continue west.

Both groups reunite at the other side of the hill, which is now east of them. They are on the edge of a watery glade. The water is still and filled with reeds. Insects drone nearby in the early morning sun. If someone passed through the water they would be hard to follow. The party decides to go around the glade to the south.

Eomier does a careful search and finds a hardberry along the way leading southwest. It sits alone in the grass. They do not grow anywhere near wet areas, so this berry must have come from elsewhere. This is the first clue they have seen in some time that suggests they are on the right track.

All the party is now together. As they progress west, the area becomes thicker and many drooping plants grab at them and hinder movement. Jaggers poke them from among the thick weeds. They emerge in a very small clearing, and see that they are at the southern edge of the glade. They have clearly found themselves on a path. They can follow the path west, or south towards the river. To the north is the boggy water.

Thordek searches and finds several strands of light blond hair caught on a jagger bush. They hang at about eye level for a human, (which is above Thordek’s head, since he’s a dwarf) hinting that they either came from an adult or from a child being carried.

They continue. The path is plain and easy to follow. It heads west and then north, tracing the edge of the glade. They come to a group of large dreary willow trees. Their long branches reach down and touch the edge of the water. They look out across the bog, where east of them is the hill where they began their search.

Many large insects and a few butterflies are moving about here. They can hear the chirping of many other insects.

The path turns west from here. The path ahead becomes rocky and begins to climb upward. On either side, tall trees lean inward over the path, forming a great green canopy overhead. Foul black birds caw at them from above as they pass.

They discuss the birds. Are these related to the birds that watched them crossing the plains yesterday? None of them seem to have enough knowledge of the wild to tell. They move on.

A small cliff rises in front of them. The wall is a rough tumble of huge boulders about 20ft high. There is no longer any path visible, but from here they can go north or south along the cliff wall, or climb it.

Eomier searches and notices some moss has been disturbed on the rocky ground to the south. A small patch has been scraped away, which may indicate someone has walked here in the last few days. They decide to go south.

Suddenly Thordek bids the party to halt. He has spotted a tripwire across the path. Eomier examines it, finding that it leads to a pile of large rocks that look out-of-place atop the cliff-like slope. It’s easy for them to figure out that the wire probably causes a torrent of falling rocks to spill across the path. Instead of disabling it, they simply step over the tripwire and move on.

After a few minutes the cliff gives way and they come to an open area. They walk over the green field for several minutes. Ahead, they see a wide stone ruin. It was once tall, but weather and age have thrown the stones down and they now lay in a broad heap. All that remains is a ring of stone making the outer wall of where the structure once stood. Broad steps lead up to what was once the inside of the building. The “interior” floor is covered in scattered stones.

Thordek studies what remains of the stonework. He determines the building was made perhaps 200 years ago. It is not of dwarven make, and is most probably of human design. Given the configuration of blocks, he guesses that the building was probably a church or temple. It was not a fortified structure, at any rate.

Walking around the structure, they find two sets of cold stone steps leading down into the basement.

Grey Moor

Grey Moor was the site of our very first campaign. At level one, the players stepped off the boat in the city of Bayhaven. By the time they were done they had walked all over the island many times, broken an evil curse that was killing the crops and draining the land of life, and then joined in a battle to prevent a single greedy nobleman for seizing control of the Island. Along the way they teamed up with Eomier and Endo and attained level 3.

Grey Moor is about 90% human, 5% halfling, and 5% “everyone else.” Dwarves are known to live in the mountains but their number is not known so they are not included in this total. Elves are very uncommon and usually never leave Bayhaven. The whole island is seen as rather bumpkin-ish to the other islands.

The area north of the mountains is uninhabited. The coast this mostly low rocky cliffs or very steep slopes. In other places, the coastal area is shallow and rocky. This means that for a majority of the island it was difficult or impossible to bring in large ships safely.

Bayhaven was the only good port for ships capable of inter-island travel. The others couldn’t support much more than small fishing vessels. It is also the biggest and most sophisticated city.

The town of Stackroot is home to a modest but profitable gemstone mine. About a third of the population is halfling. The halflings work the mine, while the humans handle the governing of the city and growing of crops.

A little information on the city of Bridgehold and Highstone Monastery can be gleaned from Endo’s backstory.

The other cities are just tiny little farming villages and not worth mentioning here.

At the end of our first campaign, the players had founded a new city, knocked a nobleman out of power, and established the council of Grey Moor.

Session 3

4th of Last Summer, 1501dy (early morning)

The day is overcast. Above ground this church is destroyed. All that remains is a two-foot wall marking the outline where the building once stood. The building was made from large stone block, and large pale stones are scattered throughout the tall grass. Inside, two sets of stairs (one on each side of the building) lead down into the earth.

Thordek notes that a large curving stairway leads down into a dank basement area. Black staining along the bottom of the stone block walls shows that this area is damp or flooded during some parts of the year, although it’s dry right now. At random, they choose the southern set of stairs to investigate.

Thu’fir listens carefully at the top of the stairs. Nothing. They head down. Eomier stays behind to guard the entrance.

The room is empty aside from the door leading north. It is locked. Skeeve goes upstairs and gets Eomier so he can unlock the door for them.

The keyhole is rusty. Eomier attempts to pick it but can not open it. He manages to jam the lock in the attempt. Since they can’t enter this way unless they force the door, the party decides to try the other entrance.

This room is the mirror image of the southern one. There is a large stone block, about 3x3 foot (looks like one of the major blocks from upstairs) The top of the block is stained with old blood. An axe rests on the stone. There is a small pile of chopped firewood here, beside the chopping block. There is a locked door leading south.

Skeeve calls Eomier to help him try this door. Eomier fails again. Once again, the lock is jammed. They have now jammed both entrances. They talk about what to do next. The doors are old rotting wood, but the wood is quite thick and framed in iron.

Thordek finally grows tired of debate and begins hammering on the northern door. The sound is tremendous, and echoes in the small room. They know they have lost any chance at surprise or stealth.

After nearly an hour of labor, Thordek has broken open the bottom half of the door, allowing the party to squeeze through. They find themselves in a hallway that looks like it was once nicely decorated. The remains of a rug, now tattered and consumed by mildew, runs down the center of the floor. Directly opposite of them is the other set of double-doors that they jammed earlier.

They check the hallway. From here they may go south through a new set of double doors, or explore a single door that faces north. They examine the double doors, then turn back and go through the single door.

This is a dining area. A large rustic wooden table sits in the center of the room, along with a single chair. The table looks newer than other wooden items (such as doors) seen about. While suffering from bad moisture damage, it’s certainly “new” compared to other items around. It and the chair look to be poorly made. They are rough and unevenly cut from untreated wood.

Thordek searches the room and finds a silver fork under the table. He also notices a few crumbs on the table and chair that indicate they have been used recently. They note that there is a door in the room but decide to look back the hallway a bit prior to looking in there.

As they move in front of the double doors, a large trapdoor opens beneath them. Thu’fir falls but Skeeve catches himself on the edge, dropping his staff in the process, almost falling in himself.

Thu’fir lands in darkness twenty feet down, on a set of sharp spikes. Thordek pulls Skeeve up. Skeeve cries out the name of his staff, “Sucursis!” The staff obeys and returns to his hand. He casts levitate on Thu’fir and they help him out of the hole. Enoch heals his wounds, which are severe, but not life-threatening.

While still levitating Thu’fir moves over to the door to open it, and floats through. The others prepare to jump across. The jump is a bit difficult, since they must jump diagonally over the pit and through a doorway. The diagonal means they can’t get a good running jump, and the door frame means they can’t shorten the jump by cutting the corner. The jump is only four feet, but will still be a bit tricky. Skeeve casts jump and leaps across without effort. Enoch and Beck follow. Thordek falls in. Skeeve casts levitate to lift him out. They are now in another hallway, similar to the last. There are two doors along the south wall.

Much to the dismay of the others, Skeeve knocks on the first door. When he gets no answer, he shrugs and opens it. A huge, vile centipede, ten feet long and the width of a small tree, scuttles forward as he opens the door. Its ugly, eyeless head raises up and bites him on the chest.

The party wants to move in to attack, but Skeeve is in the way. He wants to retreat but they have all gathered around him. The battle is a disorganized mess. Skeeve hurls magic missiles and the fighters bring their weapons to bear. Skeeve earns himself another severe bite on the chest and passes out. The hammer of Thordek and the blade of Thu’fir begin to tear the creature apart. Enoch burns it with a beam of holy white light. Skeeve wakes up and crawls away. Thu’fir chops part of it off. Beck finishes the thing with two quick stabs from his rapier.

This room looks to have been some sort of dorm room once. The remnants of a ruined bed frame sits in one corner, as well as a few bits from a rotted desk which now sits legless on the floor. Thordek searches the room and finds nothing. They move on to the next room.

Enoch carefully peaks into this room. It is entirely empty, although the northeast corner bears the mark of new construction. There is an area encased in more rough wood. While crude, it is heavy and sturdily made.

Thordek tries to smash it. Bam, bam, bam! The others comment on his obvious dwarvish-ness. “Is he trying to dig a new mine?” says Beck.

After a half hour or so the wooden walls give way to his hammer. He finds that there is a big contraption here with crossbow bolts. It points out into the hallway. If it were to fire, it would come out of a picture frame (through the canvas) and travel north down the hall. They note that out in the hallway there is another picture facing south.

Looking at the pictures more closely, they see that they are “new.” The frames are cheap and the paintings are quick, simple pictures.

Making sure everyone is out of the hallway, Thu’fir attempts to take the crossbow bolts out and disable the machine. He breaks the mechanism.

They leave the room. There is another painting out in the hallway that faces east. Thu’fir takes the painting down, but finds no trap behind this one.

This room looks to have once been some sort of dorm room. The remnants of a ruined bed frame and rotting desk are piled together with newer filth. Several Alidian uniforms are piled here, slashed and burned to rags. There are newer bones (small bones) on top of the pile, and a few iron ration wrappings.

Thordek examines the bones and determines they are probably from small game, and not children as they at first feared.

Thordek looks down the hallway carefully. He finds a painting stuck firmly to the wall. It faces south, opposite the crossbow trap painting they encountered earlier. After some debate, Beck walks over and cuts the canvas off, finding a crossbow trap concealed behind it. They discuss how to disable the trap and whether it needs disabled. They elect to leave it alone for now, since it shouldn’t pose much threat now that they are aware of it.

This room smells like excrement. The stench was bad BEFORE the door was opened, and now it is overpowering. Using his dark-vision, Thordek can see that some of the stones have been pulled loose from the floor and a latrine hole has been dug here. There is a pile of recently cut leaves beside the pile. Thordek quickly shuts the door.

They follow the hallway the rest of the way around, turning west and then going thorough the door at the end, which they already suspect to be the kitchen. Beck stands outside the room and Enoch enters.

The kitchen was obviously as filthy as the rest of the basement, but it is clear that someone has taken time to clean this area. The counter-top looks to have been recently replaced by a fresh piece of raw untreated wood. The wood still bears bloodstains. There is a stone fireplace on the east wall. A cooking pot hangs over the cold ashes.

There is a basket of mushrooms here on the counter, and a stale loaf of bread. A pile of wrappings and strings from iron rations sits in one corner. Also on the counter are a few other food prep items: knives, spoons, and such.

This looks like a small food pantry. The shelves are mostly empty, although there are a few items here: 7 iron rations and a few small vials of spice. There is also a canister of salt. Enoch takes the food.

Thordek comes to the kitchen to see for himself. As he walks to the door, the floor gives way, dropping him and Beck down 20 feet onto more spikes.

At this point they are spent. Everyone is tired and injured a little. They have been in here only a few hours, although this seems like a long time for such a small place. They decide to rest before proceeding. Enoch and Thordek take the table from the dining room and lay it over the hole so the others may use it as a bridge instead of jumping. They retreat to the front door. Beck protests that they ought to sleep outside of the door they smashed in. The hole is a bit difficult to climb through, and Beck believes it would be better if a foe had to emerge from the hole to reach them. Also, he didn’t want everyone to have to struggle through the gap if they needed to escape.

As they rest, Thordek and Enoch ponder the trap doors. Why did they go off when they did? At first they suspect that a certain weight is required to trigger them, but that doesn’t seem to match with events. At last Thordek realizes that the trap doors are activated the third time someone puts his weight on them.

5th of Last Summer, 1501dy

Four hours after the party began their rest, Eomier rouses the them with a yell, “Hey, I heard something!”

Before they can act, another centipede is on them. They leap to their feet and engage it. This time the fight goes more smoothly and the thing dies without inflicting much harm.

Skeeve has recovered his magic, but Enoch has not. They elect to move on at this point anyway. They head down the hallway and find the trap door has been reset, and is now closed again. Not wanting to set it off again, they jump over the solid ground. Thordek mis-jumps and lands on the trap area. This doesn’t set it off. A few other party members make the jump, and then Beck fails. The trap springs, the door opens, and he falls.

They are confused by this. Wasn’t this the second time it was touched? Thordek points out that the centipede would have been the first thing to cross it, making Beck the third.

They levitate him up and Enoch heals him. They lament once again that they lost their ropes in the shipwreck.

They follow the hallway around until they are on the north side, beside the trap door. They go into another room which is not a filthy mess like the others. The door is left open a bit.

A crude bed frame is here, built from newly cut, untreated lumber. The mattress looks like two blankets, sewn together and stuffed full. There is a lantern on the floor by the bed.

They go to the next room. Thordek goes first and a trap door over the entrance to this room drops a pile of stone blocks on him. He is pummeled.

Eomier, sick of waiting outside, decides to join the party. Beck goes outside, since this place seems too crowded for six people.

This room is empty, save for a small wooden chest in the northwest corner. Thordek walks over to it. The brash dwarf attempts to open the chest. Fine powder explodes from the chest, covering everything in the room. Thordek manages to hold his breath, thus saving him from breathing in any of the foul gray dust. He dashes from the room looking like a floured dumpling.

They wait twenty minutes or so for the dust to settle out of the air in the room so that it will be safe to enter. Thordek goes back in and searches the chest.

He finds a book, some gold, and a bleached human skull which is being used as a bowl to hold some strange powder.

They open the next door. It is a simple room with a new wooden bed and a small (unlit) lamp. The bed is poorly built but looks used. The blankets are not filthy, rotting rags at any rate.

They move on to the final door. This is a large door facing east. Before attempting to unlock it, they decide to deal with the trap to the north, since it is pointing right at them and probably tied to the door in some way.

Thordek wants to smash it, but Eomier has him back off so he can try to disable it. He fails and sets it off. He tells Thordek to smash the trap. Thordek walks over and whacks into the center of the mechanism with his hammer. Bam! Four arrows shoot out over Eomier’s head and into the opposite wall. Thordek tries again and breaks the mechanism.

Eomier now moves onto the door. He tries to pick the lock but manages to fail again. It is jammed.

Skeeve tells everyone to stand back, and then uses flaming sphere to burn out the door. The door is engulfed in flames. The aged, thick wood gives off a thick acrid smoke as it burns. The chamber is filled with smoke and they retreat to the entrance for a while until the smoke dissipates. The group is now concerned that if the children are inside they may have asphyxiated.

They return to the door inside. The door frame and the lock are still there but the wood inside the frame is burnt away. Thordek is chosen to go in because he is smallest. He peaks in. He sees no one but sees another set of doors. This is a small vestibule. This area looks well-traveled. There is a series of switches on the north wall. Skeeve and Thordek flip a few switches out of curiosity. Eomier is irritated, but says nothing.

They enter the next room. This well-lit room was once the lower meeting hall and has now been converted into a sacrificial chamber. There are three stone slabs on the floor, tilted towards the middle of the room, two with children lying upon them. Grooves have been carved in the stone floor, leading into a drain in the center of the room, in which a large bronze cup has been placed. As they move towards the children they hear a voice from the front of the room, “Leave the children be! You can’t help them now. Go back to the town.”

At the front of the room is a table with jars and evil books and other nasty stuff. There is also a large spellbook.

The children seem to be under a spell of dreamless sleep. Eomier moves closer to the children.

“Leave them be, none of you have the power to help them now,” the voice says as Eomier leans closer to see if they yet live. He can feel no pulse. He places his mirror in front of the mouth of the boy, and confirms that he is breathing very slightly. The children look deathly pale.

“I am prepared to do what none of you would against the Alidians. It is time that we return to our former glory,” states the voice.

Thu’fir asks, “Murdering children will do that?” The others continue to look for the source of the voice.

“It’s time that we go back to our roots. We’ve abandoned the ways of magic and that’s how we lost the war,” the voice persists, moving around the front of the room accompanied by footsteps.

“Go back! You want to take these children back to their parents? Take them back, so they can become slaves or killed by the Alidians? Their death here will be quick, painless, and nothing like the horrors they would suffer at the hands of the Alidians. If you want to help win this war, go and bring me one last child.”

Eomier figures out pretty much where the wizard is. He nonchalantly chats to the wizard, wanders over to the workbench, and starts tossing and knocking over the stuff on the table. Eomier pulls the leg out from the table and knocks it all over. The wizard appears near Eomier and Enoch suddenly can’t move. Enoch held, Thordek trying to figure out what is wrong with him, starts shaking him trying to get him to wake up.

The battle with the wizard begins. The wizard casts magic missile at the them. Eomier and Skeeve fight him. Thu’fir picks up one of the kids and runs from the room with him. Skeeve has been seriously wounded by the magic missiles, but summons his strength and casts lightning on the wizard. The wizard is thrown back, badly injured. He responds by hitting Skeeve with an acid attack. The acid splashes all over him, and he passes out.

While this is going on, Thordek dashes into a side room, looking for something he might throw at the wizard.

A quick glance around the room reveals this to be a workshop of some sort. He grabs a hammer, and heads out of the room. Eomier attempts to grab the mage but slides right off. Thordek sees that Skeeve is down, drops the hammer, and tries to pick up both the kid and Skeeve. He can’t, so he just takes Skeeve. He realizes that Skeeve has acid burning him and throws off the acid-soaked cloak. Thu’fir continues to try to save the children. The wizard yells as they take the kids. He looks and sees that the battle is against him. He casts another spell and vanishes. Thordek screams for Beck to come help. Eomier uses Endo’s staff to swing in the area that he heard the wizard’s footsteps (who is now invisible) and hits, bringing forth many yells of pain and frustration from the location of the wizard. Thu’fir blows his horn and affects both Eomier and the wizard. They are stunned.

Thordek takes Skeeve out of the room and sets him carefully in the rubbish room. Skeeve stabilizes. Thu’fir drops the kid gently outside of the room and pulls the doors shut, hopefully trapping with wizard inside with the party, and away from the kids. Thordek stays with Skeeve, trying to heal him. The others listen for the invisible wizard, trying to keep track of him. The wizard kicks at Eomier when he tries to grapple him and loses his invisibility. He slips away and shuts himself in the little workshop.

Eomier begins chatting at him through the door. Beck comes in yelling, “What the heck is going on in here?”

Finally Thu’fir kicks the door in and slays the Wizard with his massive blade.

Thordek looks around. He searches some of the rooms they haven’t checked. One room is piled high with old rotting furniture. Many old pews have been shoved in here, along with other broken furniture.

The other room (where the wizard died) is a makeshift workshop. There are many bits of cut wood lying around, along with a layer of sawdust. A crude workbench is built here, which holds some very basic tools: Hammer, nails, vice, and a few different saws. An incomplete chair is on the bench.

On the floor near the overturned table they find a chalice of purification. This strange cup will purify any water placed into it after 10 minutes. Thu’fir claims this prize.

Out in the main hall, they rest. As soon as he has the power, Enoch heals Skeeve.

Once rested, they take an inventory of the items recovered. Several Alidian rank insignia are on the table in the main hall, stripped of their silver and gold trim. The silver & gold are in a separate pile, along with bits removed from jewelry and teeth. Thordek takes these items to sell and divide the proceeds later.

Skeeve finds a Mage’s Guild certificate of membership made out to “Conjurer Vormoth,” good until 1505dy. Skeeve takes this. Being a self-taught wizard, he has never heard of the guild, but figures that being able to pass himself off as a member may come in handy.

Thu’fir finds the wizard’s staff and gives it to Skeeve. Amongst the other things until Skeeve can take a look at everything. Everyone regroups in the main room, bringing the kids in as well, except Thordek who has been checking all the rooms they had missed, gathering up all the things they find.

Thordek searches the workshop and finds a secret room that grants access to the second (northern) crossbow bolt device / trap.

Also in this room is a small wooden box with 800 gold worth of small gems, 500 gold, 2 potions of End Dreamless Sleep, and 1 cloak of absorb fire damage.

They decide when they leave they will burn the wizard in his lair. They fight about how to go about it. They eventually just leave him to rot in his workshop.

Everyone rests and wake up around 5:00 AM. Enoch sets about healing everyone, and they decide to return to town.

Session 4

5th of Last Summer, 1501dy

It is early morning. The group is ready to leave the dungeon and is debating whether to wake the kids now or in town. Eomier doesn’t want to carry the children, but Skeeve doesn’t want to deal with frightened, crying children. They decide to take them back to town first, then wake them. Thordek considers taking the powder in a skull then decides against it.

As they go they are especially careful of the traps on the way back. There is discussion on the way back about how everyone dealt with the situation. Skeeve is irritated that so much valuable stuff was broken, especially by Eomier. Skeeve thinks they should have let the wizard live long enough to gather more information from him. They also discuss the disorganized mayhem of the last battle, and agree they need to use more teamwork in the future. The walk only takes about a half hour, meaning they enter town just as the sun is rising.

They enter town with the kids. One of the mothers, who runs the inn and thus is bustling about preparing for the day, panics about her son being limp. Skeeve quickly explains and give the kids the potions to wake them. The children are given back to their mothers and Polan comes over to talk to them. He thanks them for saving the kids. Skeeve explains about Vormoth being the one who took them. Polan seems to recognize the name, but says nothing.

Eomier presses him on this point, trying to find out more about Vormoth. Polan eventually confides that Vormoth was their mayor before the invasion. When the town was conquered, he disappeared, and they assumed he’d been killed or taken prisoner. He asks the party to keep this quiet. He doesn’t want the other villagers to know their former mayor was the one behind the kidnappings.

Thu’fir asks more about the sacrifice, and mentions that Vormoth said this was part of the “old ways.” He wants to know if this is true, and if Polan’s people really did practice this sort of thing.

Polan hangs his head, “Yes, we used to practice human sacrifice. Well, the wizards did, to make themselves powerful. It hasn’t been done in my lifetime though. Of course, back then the goal was to sacrifice the enemy’s children, not your own.” The group is appalled at the idea that it was all right as long as those being sacrificed were the enemies.

Polan gives them food, ropes, and free meals at the tavern. Thu’fir asks around but there are no grappling hooks for sale. They lost their climbing gear in the shipwreck, and the trouble with the trap doors in Vormoth’s lair reminded him that they needed to get some.

They check the map and plan their route south. The goal is to reach the city of Crossway, where they hope to find their friend Endo, or at least acquire some travel papers so that they may travel the country freely.

They must avoid the road, since it will be patrolled by Alidian soldiers. They don’t have traveling papers, which means the soldiers will try to arrest or kill them if they are caught. They know the Weather Hills are infested with vicious goblins, so they decide to head west, cross the river, and then head south through the woods.

They march west for two hours and come to a river. The river is pretty rough and about 30 feet wide. Enoch walks across the water, helping all but Skeeve across. (His magic can grant water walking to only 5 people at a time) Skeeve flies across using his own magic.

They see a hint of a town to the far west. They decide to head south, up out of the valley which they had been traveling in. They start heading more or less south but heading a bit east due to the landscape. They make excellent time as they get out of the valley.

They are not really sure where they are. From here they can climb a large steep hill directly south, or they can continue southeast and go around the hill. It is nearly 5:00 PM. Eomier requests that Skeeve fly up in order to look ahead and see which direction they should go. Skeeve levitates and can now see where they are. They have covered less than half the distance through Lower Bolwood. Their detour around the weather hills cost them most of the day.

They discuss which direction to go. They consider whether to head towards the road and stay just off it or try going through the woods. They decide to head due south, straight up the hill. The climb is long and wearisome, but at the top they are all treated to a good view of the surrounding country.

To the southeast they see a gap in the trees, hinting that there might be a river that way. They head for the river. As they draw near, the underbrush becomes more thick and tangled. It is getting dark. At last they run into the stream. The stream runs straight north, so they are able to go south along the bank. They need to rest for the night, but don’t want to make camp in this thick, unyielding growth. They go south about half an hour and find a spot with less sticks and brambles.

6th of Last Summer, 1501dy

The night passes, Thu’fir doesn’t notice anything. Skeeve wakes and Thu’fir goes to sleep. In the late morning Skeeve hears some noise around them, to the northeast. The sound comes closer then stops. He suggests to Eomier when he wakes that they might be being followed.

Morning comes, they eat quickly and set out early. They head southwest and come upon a pond. It is directly in their line of travel but is small enough that they can go around it without losing much time. They note a stink in the air. The musky smell doesn’t seem to be coming from the water, which seems wholesome enough. Skeeve skips a rock across the pond.

They hear a crashing in the woods about 50 yards behind them. They can see treetops swaying in the wake of something large headed their way. They decide to walk across the water. Enoch casts water walking again, and five of the party members begin running over the still surface of the pond.

Skeeve wants to stay and see what this thing is. He considers climbing a tree, thinks better of it, and instead jumps into a good covering bush.

An ettin emerges from the woods. The massive creature stands at nearly fourteen feet tall. In one hand he holds a massive club, which is itself longer than any of the party members. He screams at them in some incomprehensible speech. Once it realizes it cannot catch them, it turns away in disgust. Pouting, it smacks a nearby tree with its club, nearly uprooting it.

The ettin starts sniffing. It smells something nearby. Skeeve casts fly and soars out of the bushes, heading for the other side of the pond.

The ettin is enraged by this. He is on the opposite side of the water from them now, and making all kinds of angry noises at them and standing in the mud. Skeeve drops a fireball on his head and angers him more. They have a laugh at him and move on.

Thu’fir explains to them that the ettin was not likely following them, but that they had stumbled into his territory.

They can now either go south west where it is more open or go south which is a little more tangled. They choose the way that is more open. They head south from here. The land here is more open and they are making excellent time. They eventually come to an open, treeless field. A stream divides the field in two. Across the stream they see another ettin. They decide to go around, rather than getting into a fight with the beast.

They travel a bit more south. As they move into late afternoon they come across a major city, obviously Crossway.

They are north of Crossway, standing on the wooded hills looking down on the city. They can see the city is guarded by a massive wall to the south, but on this side they can easily slip in.

They watch the movement below as they discuss how to enter unseen. They know this city is controlled by the Alidians. They want to avoid the attention of the soldiers. Last time they met Alidian soldiers was in the wild. The soldiers demanded to see the party’s travel papers (which they didn’t have) and then assumed they were mercenaries. A battle ensued. Although they won that battle, the odds would surely be against them here in town with hundreds of soldiers about.

They know they must not attract attention. With their backpacks, they will stick out quite a bit in the crowd. Their armor and weapons will make them even more conspicuous.

Eomier plans to go into town to test things out. He wants to wait until dark and hide in the shadows, but the others think they have a better chance if they just hide in the crowd during the day. They debate for a while on the merits of each plan. Finally they decide to separate and slip in among the crowd, since traveling in a group would certainly attract attention. Eomier points out a large tower on the south side of the city. They agree to meet in front of the tower if all goes well.

Enoch and Thordek enter together. They develop a cover story where Enoch is a traveling healer and Thordek is his bodyguard. Eomier and Beck will also enter together. The other two will follow separately.

This city is a hub of activity. The north side of the city is the housing district. Narrow, winding streets snake between the rows of small homes. On the southern side of the city is the shopping bazaar. It is a large circle of shops situated near the tavern. There is a large stone keep overlooking the shopping district. The south side of the city is guarded by a massive wall with a single wide gate, which stands open during the day. A score of Alidian soldiers stands watch at the southern gate.

They melt into the crowd easily as they slip into town one at a time. Nobody gives them any trouble.

Eomier and Beck work their way through the masses, which, as they get closer to the square, seem to be pushing away from the market toward the outlying houses. The market is beginning to empty as the people start heading towards home. Eomier finds that the keep where they are all heading to is covered with Alidian soldiers. This is their base of power in the city, and the party has agreed to make it their meeting point! He waits for the rest outside the market rather than head to the keep.

Thordek and Enoch walk into town together. It is late afternoon, and by now many businesses are closing. The crowd is moving against them as it is moving towards the houses to the north and away from the businesses to the south. They see the keep as they walk through the square. The people here are mostly closing up shop. They make their way to the keep which is crawling with soldiers. They decide to head over to the church nearby. Enoch does his cleric thing, praying to Pelor.

Eomier spots them as they enter the church and decides this is the new meeting point. As the other members of the party approach, he silently indicates they should head there.

Eomier and Beck watch the soldiers at the gate as they wait for the rest. One group of soldiers marches out from the gate and relieves the group there. They note six scattered soldiers different from the rest, not being relieved from duty, wearing plain heavy armor. These soldiers do not move. Their helmets are solid metal, with no holes for eyes. The fronts of the helmets are stamped with the now-familiar symbol of the Alidian army:

The other soldiers seem very well organized as well. They travel in groups of 7. They do not spend time chatting or sitting around. They walk the streets alert and ready for action. People seem to give the soldiers a lot of room.

Once the rest of the party has assembled in the church, Eomier and Beck join them. They share their observations about the city and discuss their next move. Skeeve notes that one of the guards in any group always has a magical aura around him.

Thordek and Enoch will continue traveling together, sticking with the cover story they developed. Beck suddenly announces that he also has a cover story:

“I’m the new drunk in town. And I’m going to get started on my cover story right now.” He then marches over to the tavern and does exactly that.

Skeeve takes a room. The rest of them secure rooms at the inn. As evening draws in, they get meals and Thu’fir goes to the tavern to keep an eye on Beck. He seems to be a quiet drunk and doesn’t cause any trouble.

They all have the first nice bed they have had in a long time. Thu’fir wanders to the tavern and listens carefully, hearing nothing of interest.

Enoch spends the evening working on translating his book. He manages to translate the next section.

Part II: The Conquest of Mar Tesaro

Here the story of Thul Marblade continues. Several aspects of this tale are plainly ridiculous, while others simply stretch the imagination. It is, however, a fascinating piece of folklore.

– Chronicler Norvus

Dwarven King Thul Marblade returned from Mt. Fiore and came again to Ellas Morad, leader of the mountain elves. This time asked for leave to dig deep into the mountain and bring forth its treasure. He promised to pay half of all that was mined in tribute.

But Morad forbade him saying, “Not if you were to surrender every gem brought fourth to the light would I give you permission to do this, for we elves care not for gold or silver or for gems, but love only our homeland. Our desire is not for wealth, but to live in a land unspoiled.”

Marblade became enraged, saying, “We offer to do all of the work, and in return you will receive half of the profit. Never has a dwarf made such a generous offer! You find yourself atop a mountain of gold, and your only thought is to use it as a garden, and will not let the dwarves even peer inside of it! It is unjust that the greatest of all mountains should be in the hands of elves, and not the dwarves. If we had the greatest of all woods in the world, surely we would share it with the elves, who love such things best. Therefore give us now leave to mine the mountain.”

Morad was unmoved, and did not see his peril. For he replied, “Nay! You wish to barter with me a forest you do not own and have not seen, against my home and the home of all my people? No! Cursed are you that look on such a fair place and can think only of tearing it open to find what is underneath. Depart from this land, and come never again to the gentle slopes of Mt. Fiore!”

The Dwarf King’s rage was now fully kindled, and he answered, “You bid me, king of all the dwarves, to depart from the king of all the mountains? I will leave indeed, when I have all the treasure hidden within. But you shall depart now!” And with that word he slew Morad and all his men, for the dwarves were strong and sturdy in battle and the gentle elves could make no contest against them.

Then the dwarves roamed throughout the land, and killed every elf they could find. They hunted them like animals, killing even the youngest, until not a single elf drew breath in the land of Mar Tesaro. Their bodies were thrown down the southern slope into the great chasm, which is now called Bohrung Khel Toten, or “The Chasm of the Dead,” in the common tongue. And so were the fair mountain elves of Mar Tesaro forever wiped from the face of the Earth.

Then Thul Marblade took for himself the mountain, and they renamed it Khelberg, and they set to mine deep into the mountain and take its treasures.

7th of Last Summer, 1501dy

It’s morning. All were up late and trickle into the tavern around nine. Beck is very hung over. Eomier explains what he saw. He wants them to split up, try to get papers, try to find out about Endo. He explains about the soldiers with the helmets and asks the cleric to see what he can discover about them.

They break up to go to work, and Beck goes back to bed. Skeeve heads to a tailor and requests a fancy robe with his insignia, trying to get gossip in the meantime. His old robe is burned and damaged from acid, and he needs to replace it. The shopkeeper is very free with the gossip, telling Skeeve all sorts of gossip about people in the bazaar, but not relating anything interesting or useful to their quest.

The shopkeeper tells him that a 10% discount is available for members of the Mage’s Guild. Skeeve produces the membership they recovered from Vormoth.

The tailor is very receptive but is disconcerted by the name on the membership. He promises to have this ready as soon as possible. He is suddenly going out of his way to get the order done quickly. He promises the robe will be done by afternoon, not tomorrow as he said earlier.

Skeeve is unnerved by this. He’s worried that Vormoth is famous, and the shopkeeper has spotted him as an impostor. Skeeve tips him 30 gold, trying to get him not to say anything about who he is.

Skeeve leaves the shop and looks for a place where someone might be interested in the staff. He finds a small place with lots of fancy canes and sticks, most without magic. The large man behind the counter is nodding a bit. Skeeve hands him the staff and he notices that this is a Lormanite staff. He explains that the Lormanites (the wizards up north) used to make staffs all pointy and evil like this. He pays 500 gold for it. As he is handed the money, Skeeve sees a shadow fall on either side of him. The shop keeper backs away. Skeeve wonders who has just stepped up behind him, but it must be someone imposing. Activity has more or less stopped all around, and the usual chatter of the area has stopped.

He slowly turns around and sees a huge group of soldiers. Two full groups of soldiers (fourteen total) have spread themselves out behind him. They stand in such a way that no fireball could hit more than three of them and Skeeve could not draw a line from himself that intersects with more than one soldier. Apparently these men are familiar with fireballs and lightning bolts, and have dealt with wizards before.

Nevertheless, the men look worried. They all have their hands on their swords. Several of the younger men look like they may piss themselves.

Skeeve now realizes the shopkeeper didn’t think he was a fake: These people really do think he’s Vormoth, and are treating him like a very dangerous threat.

The commander speaks again, “Come now, Vormoth. You don’t want to start trouble here with all of these people about. Be reasonable and come along with us.”

As he waved his arm, the men flinch, as if expecting a blow. He can see there is really no good way out of this, so he agrees to go with them. They lead him (without laying a hand on him or disrespecting him) over to the keep, and up to the magistrate on the second floor.

Magistrate Noreeno shuts the door behind him. The office of Magistrate Noreeno is large and elegantly furnished. There is a large bookshelf on one side of the room, filled with a variety of books. There is a set of double doors, (which are open at the moment) which lead out onto a balcony overlooking the merchant’s square. Wind blows gently in, stirring the curtains while voices from the square drift in from below.

A stout cleric stand beside the desk, and two soldiers are posted in the door, guarding the door. The other soldiers return to their rounds, looking relieved.

The magistrate rolls his eyes, “I just had a terrified shopkeeper in here telling me stories about how he’d just seen Vormoth here in town.”

Noreeno is very impressed by this, “Killed him? I see. Well, well done. I assume you’re here for the reward?”

Skeeve pauses for a moment, and then answers, “Yes. That’s why I’m here.”

Noreeno replies, “I see. Well, in that case I just need to ask you a few questions. Just as a formality you understand. This won’t take long. So, while we talk, Galman is going to make sure neither of us can tell a lie. Then I’m going to ask you some questions.”

“First question. Now, I can tell the answer to this just by looking at you, but I have to ask anyway: Are you with the northern army, the Lormanites?”

“Of course not. Are you employed by them? Gathering information? Mercenary? Spy?”

“I didn’t think so. I just had to ask, you understand. Just routine. Next question…”

Noreeno becomes very stern. The soldiers at the door looked angry. There is a long moment before Noreeno speaks again. He turns to the soldiers at the door, “Gentlemen, would you please leave us alone for now?”

The guards smile and leave. It is a safe guess that Noreeno is about to dispense a little off-the-books justice and wants them out of the room.

He elaborates, “It’s a shame they heard you say that of course, but no harm done. I don’t care if you killed soldiers getting here. I’m sure you didn’t provoke them?”

“Of course not.” At this point Noreeno has Skeeve tell about the fight, how it started, and where it happened. He seems satisfied once he’s heard it. “This is not a big deal. Let’s just continue with the questions. How many people are you traveling with?”

Skeeve doesn’t want to tell him, but he can’t lie and doesn’t want to refuse to answer, “Six.”

“Very good. You’ve done good work, and despite the unfortunate run-in with our forces, you’ve done the Alidian army a great service. You’re entitle to the reward. You earned it.”

Noreeno then tells Skeeve that he is in charge of issuing travel papers. He offers six sets of travel papers if Skeeve and his party will do a job for him. He asks that Skeeve find his friends and bring them in.

Skeeve agrees. They bid one another good day. As Skeeve leaves, Noreeno calls in the captain. He gives instructions that Skeeve and his friends are free to travel the city but they are not allowed to go south.

Thordek and Enoch explore the square. They walk over to the south gate, where the strange guards with the solid (eyeless) metal helmets stand. Enoch cannot sense anything evil or demonic about them.

Thordek shops, looking for better armor in the square or anything else he might find useful. He eventually orders a set of banded mail. They don’t have any ready to fit a dwarf just now, but the smith can size a set for him. It will be done in two days.

As he looks around the shops, he sees a great number of soldiers assemble and lead Skeeve away, into the Keep.

Eomier goes shopping for the things he lost, including a lockpick set and a compass. He starts trying to gather information, specifically about traveling papers.

Eomier ends up talking to a rough-looking guy at a “pawn” shop, who also sells “used” (probably stolen) items along with handy “locksmith tools.” This guy is obviously connected to the criminal side of the city. Eomier drops some coin and gets some information.

He learns that travel papers were instituted when northerners started “leaking” in. Ever since Fort Bolland fell, people have been showing up, telling various stories in an attempt to gain travel papers and go south where they might cause trouble or simply flee the island. The pawn shop owner “knows some guy” who can forge membership papers for the Mage’s Guild. This, Eomier gathers, is very difficult. Despite this he’s never made a counterfeit set of travel papers that worked. Somehow the soldiers always spot the fakes, and nobody can figure out how.

He also learns that papers are definitely needed for going south. If he needs some, he could go to the magistrate, who has been known to give foreigners travel papers. He also learns that in order to leave this island they will need to reach the southernmost city, which is the only major port still in operation. The other major port was Fort Boland, which was recently conquered and isn’t in any shape to engage in any sort of commerce just yet.

Finally, Eomier learns the address of a contact on the northern side of the city who is somehow connected with what is left of the resistance.

Once Skeeve emerges from the keep, the party (minus Beck) meets out front. Skeeve explains what is going on, and also stops at the tailor shop to see if the tailor was really making his robes.

Skeeve tries to convince them that the group should go see Noreeno quickly. They head to the keep, leaving Beck to sleep.

They return to Noreeno’s office. Noreeno introduces himself, and then explains the Zone of Truth again. Galman casts it, and Noreeno begins his questions. He gets their names, makes sure they are not working for the Lormanites, and gets some background.

Finally he offers them a chance to ask him some questions, under the zone of truth.

Eomier asks Noreeno about his position as magistrate. The party has sort of sensed that Noreeno’s loyalties are a bit out of alignment with the Alidians, and he seems to be willing to work against them. Noreeno explains that he was appointed magistrate by the Queen when the city fell a year ago.

Noreeno is surprised, “Queen Alidia. Our leader. Anyway, she appointed me to this position when we took over the city. I’ve run it since then. I’m sure you’ve noticed that I have my own agenda. My loyalties lie not with the Alidians or the Lormanites, but elsewhere. I have my own goals, which is why I’m asking for the services of outsiders like yourselves.”

Eomier asks about Endo. Noreeno hasn’t heard the name, but when Eomier describes a large bald monk with tattoos on his chest Noreeno’s eyes light up. “So! You know him?”

Noreeno explains that yes, Endo was here. Endo was caught trying to sneak around the town. They managed to capture him, but not until he managed to kill several guards. He stood his ground so that his companion might escape. Noreeno then asks the party who Endo was traveling with.

He then returns to the subject of the job he has for them. He can’t discuss the particulars of the job in town, but he admits that the job is dangerous, but he wouldn’t ask them to do it if he didn’t think they could pull it off. This job must be done by outsiders. In exchange for this job, he offers them six sets of travel papers, a membership to the Mage’s Guild for Skeeve, and information on where they can find Endo.

Eomier asks what Endo was trying to do. Noreen explains that he doesn’t know. He’d wanted to interrogate Endo himself, but the Alidian soldiers took him south directly without giving Noreeno a chance to intervene.

They talk a bit more. Eomier and Noreeno make another side deal: If Eomier can find out who Endo’s companion is, Noreeno will reveal how they spot fake travel papers.

Noreeno reveals that he can’t describe more about the job while in town. He points out Vale Calma on their map, and gives them a location where they should meet him, at dawn, in two days.

Eomier asks about the soldiers in masks. Noreeno replies that they are the Queen’s elite guard. They take orders from her only and he has no idea how.

“She is quite vicious. Everybody who rules over this island has to be vicious. Anyone who isn’t, won’t rule long.”

They ask if it this job they have to do is immoral. Noreeno replies, “It depends on who you ask. Certainly if you ask people in town they will think it is immoral.”

Thu’fir asks about horses. Noreeno says they are hard to come by, even for him.

Thordek returns to the smith and asks if he could have the armor done tomorrow. He drops in an extra 46 gold and the smith promises it by tomorrow noon.

As evening approaches, Eomier heads to the north side of town, stealthily, to someone who is a member of the Lormanite resistance. The place is in a shabby house, around the back, past the pigs, and down the steps to the root cellar. A kid in his 20’s seems to run the place. He is scarred and shifty. He seems to be running a safe-house of some sort, where fugitives from the north might hide. Eomier begins bribing information out of him.

The kid talks a lot, lies a lot, is distrusting and untrustworthy. Nevertheless, Eomier manages to drag a good deal of information from him. He learns the following:

Eomier returns to the inn. They have a free day to spend in town, and then they must head off to Vale Calma to meet with Magistrate Noreeno and find out what job he has for them…

Session 5

7th of Last Summer, 1501dy (late afternoon)

Enoch heads back to the Inn. He plans to spend the evening translating another chapter of the old book they found. This takes about five hours, at the end of which he has successfully translated the following:

Part III: Spirit of Fiore

The previous section records the tale of Thul Marblade, how he exterminated a supposedly idyllic race of mountain elves and claimed Khelberg as his own. This section attempts to gather together the different accounts of Marblade’s rule and form a single coherent tale. The varying stories (mostly oral, as a rule) conflict in many ways but all have a few common threads. Most importantly, the actions of the “Spirit of the Mountain” are, in different accounts, attributed to various gods and deities. Nevertheless, the underlying theme of punishment and curse is present in all variants of the tale.

It is recorded here for those curious about ancient myths and folklore. The reader should not view this as a work of history.

– Chronicler Norvus

Thul Marblade took the elven lands of Mt. Fiore, destroyed the elves that dwelt therein, and renamed it Khelberg. Once all was under his dominion, he sought the depths of the mountain.

Yet the Spirit of the Mountain, sometimes called Fiore, did not forget the elves, and greatly lamented their loss. So furious was the spirit of Fiore that it decided that none of the plunderers would have the wealth they sought. So it was that the mountain resisted the dwarves, and fought against them as they dug.

The dwarves found that each new shaft led only to trouble or death. Some caved in or flooded, others gave way suddenly, dropping the diggers into bottomless black holes. Still others issued forth molten rock which flowed from the holes like blood, filling them in and killing many miners.

Despite their masterful skills at digging and the making of mines, the dwarves were defeated at every attempt. Many perished, and they were dismayed, saying that they should leave the mountain be and seek treasure where it may be less plentiful yet more easily obtained. They grew to fear the mountain, and dared not walk on the slopes at night when the land was restless and treacherous.

But Marblade was stubborn and would not turn away. He perceived the Spirit and sought to contain it. He sent word to the many dwarf-clans, calling for the greatest wielders of magic and those with the knowledge of the arcane, that they should come to Mt. Khelberg and aid him in his war against Fiore. In exchange he offered all the gems that the dwarves had managed to wrest from the mines. Many answered his call.

They met at the slopes of Khel Toten to gather their power together, and bind the Spirit of the Mountain. Using both strength and sorcery, both pick axe and spellbook, they drove a single deep shaft into the heart of the mountain. The battle was terrible and numerous dwarves were killed in the making of it, but at last Marblade arrived in the lowest depths of the Earth, and there he cast the great binding-spell to forever contain Fiore.

Even as he did, the Spirit in turn cast one final curse: A voice came from the Earth saying, “Even as you have cursed this land, so now will the land curse you. All who dwell here are doomed to constant war. All who attack the mountain are doomed to also defend it. Foes will come from around the world to plunder this place, and those who gather my riches will only live to see them scattered.”

With that, Fiore was bound and silenced. The dwarves sealed the tunnel they had dug, and called it a tomb, for many had fallen in the making of it.

While Enoch is doing this, the rest of the party heads for the tavern. Eomier spends the evening chatting with the locals. He wants to know what they will find at Vale Calma. His skill at adopting accents and his general charm gets people to drop their guard and reveal a bit more than the average outsider might glean, although he still doesn’t learn a great deal. It seems this area is covered in old ruins and is the site of many old battles. The townies are a bit superstitious and don’t like talking about the dead. However, Eomier does learn that probably heroes or champions from old wars are buried there. Perhaps a destroyed town? Stories conflict. It seems that the island of Mar Tesaro has seen a great deal of war over the centuries and the map has changed a lot. Towns have risen, some were destroyed, and everyone seems to have a different take on the old stories and legends.

Beck arrives much later in the evening and the rest of the party tell him about the job they have with Magistrate Noreeno. After he gets a few mugs into him, Beck opens up to them, and makes a little speech.

“Fellas, I’m glad we could travel together over the past week, but it’s time we parted ways. I’ve been in my share of scrapes over the years, and I like to think I can take care of myself, but you guys are something else. You seem to have a taste for danger. I just can’t keep up with you. I’m just a simple old sailor and traveling with you will be the death of me.”

He then reminds them that he lost just about everyone he knew when the ship went down. All he has left is a pregnant girl back in Bayhaven, and his whole goal is to raise enough money to get back there and settle down with her. He struggles a bit more, and then takes off his hat, “You know I’m proud and I don’t like asking for things. This is a bit hard for me. But if you fellas would like to donate a few coins to help out I’d appreciate it. I’m not asking’ for me, I’m asking’ for Talla and the baby.”

Skeeve and Eomier make no comment, but Thordek drops 150 gold into Beck’s hat. Thu’fir gives 200 gold, and finally Enoch the Cleric gives an astounding 700 gold to him. Beck is moved by this. He thanks them. He tells them his plan is to get some conventional job in town and see if he can earn some travel papers in some other way. He’ll then travel south and leave the island on his own. It might take him longer this way, but it will be safer and he has Talla and the baby to think of now.

8th of Last Summer, 1501dy

They party begins the day by getting ready for their trip tomorrow. Skeeve now has a membership to the Mage’s Guild, which means he can shop at some of the more exclusive places in town. He buys some potions. He purchases a potion of healing, which he presents to Thordek as thanks for saving his life a few days earlier. Thordek is grateful, although Skeeve’s begrudging manner does little to improve elven / dwarven relations.

Thordek picks up his new banded mail and sells off the old. Eomier gets himself some various useful tools.

Skeeve find a place with various maps for sale, and buys a map of the entire island:

Enoch spends the day in his room, translating the book. He has a little success and translates the following:

Part IV: The First Uprising

While other stories in this volume are little more than folklore, the following is very probably a true account. The events outlined here are supported by various other trustworthy documents. (See also: “Reign of King Oemar Vol III” and “The First Uprising of Khelberg”)

– Chronicler Norvus

The Dwarven King Marblade began a great dig within the gem-filled mountain of Khelberg. Several shafts were dug and many heaps of treasure brought into the world. Yet in the forty-second year of his reign over Khelberg, elves came from out of the east. Some came from Dunlock and some from more distant lands. They swept through the country and drove the dwarves away. The dwarves were slow to relinquish their prize, and most were wiped out. The few who escaped were scattered and weakened, and would not return to Khelberg in their lifetimes.

The elves claimed the mountain, saying it was the rightful property of their people, and just reparations for the crimes against their slain kin. Yet they kept the name Khelberg, and sought to continue the plunder begun by the dwarves. They hired many humans and halflings as diggers, and sent them into the dwarven mines. While these new races had less skill at such work than those that first created the mines, they were eager and learned much as they examined the dwarven handiwork. In several years’ time, the mountain flowed with gems and precious metal such as had never been seen by mortals. The elves became among the richest in the world, and their empire grew.

They expanded the number of mines, until the face of the mountain looked like a great hive. The mountain slopes became gray and lifeless as the trees and grass were stripped away to make room for more digging.

More workers of varying races were brought to the mines. Some were orcish or goblin slaves, who were sent to do the most dangerous or back-breaking labor. Others were elves who were guilty of some crime according to elven law, and had been sentenced to work within the mountain as punishment. Some were also of halfling and gnomish kind, although their numbers were always few. Of all the workers, humans were both the most numerous and useful. They were intelligent and strong, and did not hate the underworld as the elves and gnomes do. They came closest to the skill of the dwarves in mine-work, and ever they strove greedily for the richest loads.

Yet less than a single generation later, the workers began to resent their place in the world. They noticed that the work was theirs, while the riches were not. A human rose from among the workers and led them in rebellion. Lorman was his name, and he was both a cunning general and a powerful wizard. They overthrew their elven employers, slaying many elves and at last taking the land as their own. During this time, many orcs and goblins escaped and fled north where they would later multiply and grow strong.

The war was long and bloody, and many lives were lost on both sides. When at last the battle ended, Lorman was crowned their king. Once again the elves had been banished from the mountain.

That afternoon they regroup. Enoch shows the others what he’s translated. Then they discuss their plans for the upcoming job. None of them really trust Noreeno. They were instructed to meet Noreeno at dawn tomorrow. They would like a bit more information going in.

Vale Calma is about three hours away on foot. They decide that Eomier will leave at midnight, which will bring him to the valley at around 3:00 AM. He will go and spy out the meeting site ahead of time to see if Noreeno is planning some sort of ambush. The others will leave later, and will arrive at dawn according to the agreement.

Since they will be getting up very early, they head right to bed to get what rest they can.

9th of Last Summer, 1501dy

In the early hours of the morning Eomier arrives at the field where they are to meet Noreeno at dawn. It is empty. He conceals himself in the bushes at the edge of the field and waits.

After a while he hears some noises in the distance. It could be voices. He moves on carefully, proceeding further into the valley.

Just over a small hill he sees men working. They have a team of four horses and are pulling a massive stone slab. There is shouting and cursing as they struggle with the horses and the ropes that tie them to the stone. As the slab moves, Eomier can see that it is really a lid, covering a long-sealed tomb. Noreeno stands by, overseeing the operation. Eomier remains well hidden beyond the reach of their torchlight.

At last the lid is removed, and some of the men set to taking care of the horses. They remove the pulling harnesses and saddle them for riding. Other men descend the steps. The sounds of metal striking stone can be heard. It is unclear what they might be doing.

The soldiers regroup. All of this has taken a couple of hours, and now dawn is near. The men ride out, past Eomier (who is still hiding) towards the meeting field.

As dawn comes the other members of the party arrive in the field to meet Noreeno and his men. Eomier sneaks up behind him and then joins his friends.

9th of Last Summer, 1501dy (early morning)

They explain that Beck will not be joining them, and that he has moved on. Noreeno explains that he knows, Beck visited him earlier today and appealed to him for travel papers. They will come to some other arrangement.

Once everyone is satisfied, Noreeno relates the details of the job he has for them, “Do not speak of this job in town. The people are very superstitious. If they found you have been here disturbing the tombs they will not be happy. Furthermore, I won’t be able to keep my end of the bargain if you get people riled up. Keep this secret and we can both get what we want. I need you to seek the deepest chamber and find a sphere inside. I don’t know what it looks like, but I’m sure you’ll know it when you see it. I want you to get it and bring it back. Any other loot you find is yours to leave or keep as you choose.”

Noreeno then brings out a necklace, affixed with a large gem. When worn, it seems to give off a warm glow. He explains that the gem gives off light according to the sun. At night, it gives no light. During the day it glows yellow, at sundown it glows red, etc. He explains, “I will give you this necklace that will glow while the sun is up. You must go in during the day. If evening comes, and you are still inside, I beg to to come back out and rest. Do not rest inside. Do not linger inside at night. If night draws near, escape to the surface and try again after the next sunrise. This is a tomb, after all. I don’t know what you’ll find inside. I have no map and no advice to give. I’m sure its dangerous, but I’m sure you figured that out already.”

They confer together. They do not trust him, but they also want the travel papers and they want the information on where they can find their friend Endo.

Skeeve negotiates for the soldiers tents and food rations so they have everything they need for a camp. Noreeno has his men drop their tents and food where they stand, letting the party claim whatever they find useful. They can come out here and make camp at night if they feel the need.

Noreeno seems satisfied. He moves onto how they will meet when the deal is through, “I can’t personally wait for you here. I do have a city to run. I will be back at sundown to meet you. If you are not here, I will come back at sundown the next day, and the day after. If I don’t see you after three sundowns I’ll assume you perished and we will have to put the lid back on the tomb to keep anything from escaping. This is not personal, please don’t be offended. I have a city to protect and we can’t leave this thing open forever.”

Noreeno bids them good-bye, “I’ll be back with your payment at sundown. You bring me what I want, and I’ll bring you the items we agreed on. Good luck.”

Everybody prepares to go in. As Noreeno rides off to town, they make their way over to the ruins.

A set of smooth stone steps goes down into the earth. There is a massive slab of stone to one side, which clearly went over the steps, but has now been pulled off. The exacting stonework reveal this place to be of expert craftsmanship. Perhaps it is of dwarven make, or simply a very skilled stone-wright. Even after many centuries, the gaps between the stones is so slight that the walls are most certainly water tight, and there is a good chance the place could be airtight as well. The door at the base of the steps is fifteen feet wide and six feet high. It looks like a slab of solid stone. There are many writings and symbols all around and the door way has a huge lock in the center and many chisel marks all around. They cannot see which way the door opens. From here it looks like a solid stone wall. There is an ornate fixture in the center of this door. It is made from finely crafted metal, and surrounds a round hole about the width of a hand. This seems to be some sort of keyhole.

After Eomier attempts to pick the lock a handle suddenly comes out of the wall. The handle is very ornate. It is made from finely crafted metal, laced with intricate patterns of gold and silver. A lone gemstone is inset into one end. Eomier pulls the handle and the 15 foot door suddenly drops into the floor with a giant “Boom!” The way is now open.

The top edge of the door is now flush with the floor. There is no handle or any thing they might grasp, even if they could lift such a weight. They observe that there is no way to seal the tomb now that it is open.

Stale air flows from the dark chamber beyond. It is obvious the party will be the first to venture inside since it was sealed. They decide to hold onto the elaborately ornate handle. Eomier turns to everyone and reminds them, “Don’t touch nothing!” Thordek says he is not leaving here with nothing so Eomier gives him the handle.

Before them is an open stone room. Even the slightest footstep seems to travel down the corridors and come back to them as a dreary echo. Aside from the tiny amount of daylight that reaches in from the open door to the south, the place is utterly dark. There are four holes in the floor, one in each corner of the room. There is a stack of metal torch-poles leaning in the south-east corner. There are open corridors to the east and west, and another massive stone slab doorway to the north.

This is a strange sort of tomb. There are no family markers or names engraved anywhere. There are no internment chambers to be seen. The walls don’t have any markings as one might expect in a typical burial chamber.

The stone door ahead is a featureless, smooth stone slab. Definitely undisturbed.

Afternoon arrives and the party has overcome a number of complex doors and traps. They find themselves in a large chamber with a curved north wall, covered in runes and various human, dwarven, and elven names. Among the names they spot the name “Forwinol,” the last name of their friend and ally Sagemaster Teerin Forwinol. They know he is quite old, and wonder if he was involved in the building of this place.

They proceed deeper. Hours pass and they overcome more strange locking mechanisms.

At last they come to a great chamber. It has a long walkway of polished stone, like marble, leading from the door to the western side of the room. Pillars line the north and south walls. The room is unnaturally cold. The air is stagnant.

On the far western side of the hall is a raised dias of pure white stone, which holds a single black coffin. It is chained shut with many (magical) chains and padlocks. It is on a tilted surface, leaning back at a forty-five degree angle. In the center of the lid is a single stone sphere, about the size of a grapefruit. It radiates both good and evil. It pulses with magical energy. This is clearly their goal.

Several trays of gold coins are arranged around the dias. A few gems are scattered in with them as well. Thordek dumps these items into his pack.

Skeeve and Eomier approach the coffin. Everyone else stands back. Skeeve explains that he suspects that the magical sphere probably keeps the chains locked. They all suspect that taking the sphere will open all of the coffins they have passed. They talk about what kind of dangers they might face.

From their view, the tomb is divided into two areas. There are the outer chambers, which are just a few rooms. Then there is the inner chambers, which is everything else. Between these two sections is a single massive door that they can open and shut.

Their plan is that the entire party will wait near the door. Skeeve will stand away from the coffin, at a distance, and use his magic to quickly pull the sphere away and over to where he is standing, and then they will all dash for the entrance. Once they reach the outer chamber, they will shut the large door and hopefully seal these dozens of coffins inside once again. There are only three coffins in the outer chamber. Once the door is shut, they will visit the side-chamber with these coffins and see if they are open and, if so, what is in them.

They get into positions. They count to three, and Skeeve uses his magic. Skeeve finds his magic does not affect the sphere. Reluctantly, he walks over and grasps the sphere. It pulls free. Suddenly the chains break free and drop to the floor, just as they feared. They don’t even wait to see what happens, they just dash. As they run away, they hear a great echo throughout the chamber, the sound of someone drawing in a deep breath. There is a pause and the breath is let out once again, like a great sigh. They keep running.

They pass many coffins on their way out. As they feared, the locks have fallen off, and the chains now hang freely from the walls. The coffins remain closed, but they are no longer locked shut.

They reach the outer chamber and – after some messing around with switches – manage to close the door again. Before they leave, they visit the side chamber and examine the three remaining coffins.

The chains have indeed fallen off. They take positions around the coffin. Everyone gets ready.

Thu’fir pulls the lid away. The coffin is empty. The move onto the next one. Again the lid is pulled away, only this time the coffin is occupied.

The creature moves with inhuman speed and grace. It darts among them during the battle. While clearly undead, it is not a shambling, rotting zombie. Instead of a flimsy corpse, the thing is tough and hard. A dim red light comes from deep within the eye sockets.

The party was well-prepared, and they manage to bring the beast down after a short battle.

The next coffin has another. In this battle, Enoch gets stabbed by the cold, piercing claws and finds himself unable to move. Thu’fir brings his massive sword down and cleaves the thing in two. They take a deep breath. What were these things? They were too meaty to be skeletons, and much too fast to be zombies. They have never faced anything like this.

The mystery will have to wait. They escape to the surface and find themselves in the warm glow of late afternoon. All is quiet behind them, and the door to the inner chambers has remained closed. Enoch consecrates the area around the entrance, hoping that will prevent or impede anything that might follow. He then sees to the wounded and heals their injuries.

Evening is coming. Noreeno will probably arrive in an hour or so, assuming he keeps his end of the deal.

Eomier is concerned that Noreeno will betray them. Now that they have the sphere, Noreeno could simply have his soldiers kill the party and take it. Eomier suggests that they claim they don’t yet have the item. Once Noreeno leaves, they can slip into town and meet him in public the next day, where they can be sure he won’t try to double-cross them.

Enoch points out that his cleric may use Zone of Truth again. This would prevent them from lying about recovering the sphere. They discuss this at length. Eventually, Eomier devises the following:

Skeeve and Thordek will go back inside with the sphere and stand in one of the outer chambers. When Noreeno asks where the sphere is, Eomier will be able to (truthfully) reply that it is still inside. He will also be able to say that the others are inside. Since he won’t know what chamber they are in, he can also say he doesn’t know where they are. This will hopefully be misleading enough to satisfy Noreeno and persuade him to leave.

During this conversation, Skeeve has been studying the sphere. He has more bad news for the party. He has discovered what this sphere is.

Orb of Mordan

A 7 lbs. orb of polished stone with many strange runes engraved into it. It is a little bigger than a closed human fist. Lawful Good and Lawful Evil characters may not use or study this item.

“Grants” -3 HP, +3MP to the owner of this object.

This object is the phylactery for Mordan the Lich King. Normally this is the container of the lich’s life force. As long as a lich’s phylactery remains intact, they will rise again after being defeated. However, this orb seems to have a number of (sometimes conflicting) enchantments which suggest it is more than a “normal” phylactery.

The surface of the orb is covered in many arcane runes and symbols. They are in draconic, infernal, and celestial. Words and phrases intersect in complex ways to form layers of spells and secrets.

The orb seems to drain a bit of life from the owner, resulting in -3HP, while at the same time placing them more in tune to the world of magic. This results in +3MP while they remain the owner of the object. This only applies to users of arcane magic (wizards, sorcerers) and not clerics.

The runes and spells contain a great deal of knowledge. It must be studied to learn more. When examining the orb, it is clear there are four categories of study that are possible: Good, Ownership, Knowledge, and Evil.

At the outset, it will take only 1 hour of study to attempt to gain a level (and thus earn some knowledge) in a particular area. Upon success, it will take 2 hours of time to attempt again in the same area of study. So, the length of time required for each attempt is the current level x 1 hour.

To study the orb:

First, announce an area of study from the four categories.
Roll d20.
Add your INT modifier.
Add +1 for all of the following languages you know: draconic, infernal, and celestial.
If your roll is high enough, you will learn more about your chosen area.

Each level of study will become more difficult as you progress.

This is the phylactery of a lich named Mordan. It is (for some reason) infused with both good and evil magic. The object has an owner. To learn more about how this works, he will need to study the object in depth.

They party is shocked. What have they just done? It seems they have somehow freed or awoken a lich. Does Noreeno even know what this thing is?

They have an hour until Noreeno arrives. Skeeve spends this hour studying the orb, examining the runes and trying to learn its spells and mysteries. He learns the following:

They no longer want to turn this orb over to Noreeno. This is much bigger and more dangerous than they imagined.

9th of Last Summer, 1501dy (near sunset)

At last, as the sun drops to the horizon and sunset approaches, Noreeno arrives. He and a force of ten soldiers arrive at the opposite side of the field. The soldiers stop and dismount. Noreeno and his cleric ride out alone to meet Eomier, Enoch, and Thu’fir.

As they feared, Galman the cleric casts Zone of Truth over the meeting place. None of them may speak any lies now. There is a pause as Noreeno looks to the east, towards the tomb. After a pause he seems satisfied, “Good, I can tell you have released Mordan. Well done.”

They pepper him with questions. How do you know Mordan is free? What are you doing this for? Why did you want him freed? Noreeno finally holds up a hand and answers, “I do not intend to reveal my true goal and nature to you, but I will tell you that this is the culmination of a plan begun by others, over a century ago. It wasn’t until now, with the confusion of the war, a populace that has mostly forgotten what was buried here, being in a place of power close to Mordan’s prison, and the right group of outsiders who were willing to do this. Many long years of careful planning have led to this moment.”

Eomier informs him they they will not give him the Orb. Noreeno laughs, “Oh! I don’t want it. All I wanted was for you to free Mordan. You can deal with the orb yourself.” He smiles. Eomier is boiling with rage.

The party is enraged and horrified as this. Noreeno is calm, and continues, “I realize you are upset. I want to warn you: At sundown Mordan will emerge from his prison. I assure you, you don’t want to be here when he does. He will be seeking you. Yes. He will be hunting for all of you now. I’m sorry for the way things turned out, but I do intend to keep my part of the bargain.”

He produces five sets of travel papers and holds them up, “Here are the papers, as promised. I will give you your papers, and what’s more, I’ll give you three horses to ride out of here. But only if you agree to leave quietly. If you want to make a scene or unpleasantness, then I warn you: The battle would simply delay you, keeping you here until Mordan emerges. You don’t want that.”

Noreeno nods, “Your companion, as I said, was captured and taken south. However, my spies report that he was not sent to work in the mines, but instead was turned into on of the Queen’s special guard. You remember the soldiers with the faceless helmets, with no eye holes? Well, he is one of them now. He will probably not be in the capital city of Fol Theron, but instead will be in on of the smaller towns between there and here. You’ll have to look for him.”

The party listens carefully as Noreeno explains, “Few know this, but the soldiers are controlled through the helmets. You can’t see it, but below the bottom edge of the helmet, just under the chin, is a leather strap holding the helmet in place. Cut it and pull off the helmet, and your friend will be freed.”

The sun is setting soon, but Eomier can’t resist one more question, “What about the travel papers? How do the soldiers always know they are fake?”

Noreeno smiles, “Because we ask them. Even if the forgery is a complete success and is good enough to fool the soldiers, we simply ask the person holding the papers. You know how fond I am of Zone of Truth. Those that have fakes are arrested and never get the chance to explain how they were caught. Up until now the forgers have always assumed they were doing something wrong, or missing some hidden detail. The truth is, the only way someone can use a fake is if they don’t know it’s a fake.”

All of them want to know what cause they just served, and who Noreeno is working for. He answers, “There are two powers you have seen. To the north are the now-defeated Lormanites. To the south are the Alidians. You have just aided a third power. A rising power. You may learn more soon, but now is not the time.”

Noreeno looks at the setting sun, “It’s time to go gentlemen. If you agree to leave quietly you can have the travel papers and the horses. What do you say?”

They cannot lie in the zone of truth. They cannot hope to beat Noreeno and his men. They cannot linger here or they will have to face the lich. Angry and beaten, they agree to leave in peace. Before they go, Eomier makes Noreeno a promise, “Someday, I will kill you.”

They take the horses and flee. As they ride away from the crypt, Enoch can see a dark aura of evil engulfing the site. They head south, back to Crossway. As they ride they discuss their next move. They don’t want to to linger in Crossway. They have no idea what Mordan the Lich will do when he comes out, or what Noreeno is really doing. Eomier suggests that perhaps this third force is the cause of the mountain itself? Of Fiore? They have only just read the account of the conquest of the mountain the day before. The book warned that the tale was merely folklore, but they all suspect there is more to it than just a legend.

Eomier points out that Noreeno is obviously an enemy of Queen Alidia. They have heard that she is cold and ruthless, but she might still be an ally against the lich. Eomier proposes they head to town and find one of her special guards and tell him what has happened. Since she seems to connect with them through magic, she ought to know quickly.

As they ride south, they decide they need to rescue Beck from the town. It is probably no longer safe in Crossway. During the ride, Skeeve studies the Orb some more. He learns:

This doesn’t help him very much, but he does gain some knowledge that will help him in future study attempts.

They arrive in Crossway. It is well past dark now. They ride to the south gate to find the special guards, but find only evidence of battle. The royal guards are gone. They have either fled the city or have been slain by men loyal to Noreeno. The Queen no longer has any royal guards here in Crossway. Could she know already? They are even more convinced that some sort of power struggle is going on, and they must get Beck out of the city as soon as possible.

Beck is not in the tavern as they suspected. Instead, they find him at the Inn. He answers the door in his skivvies, obviously already in bed. He squints in the torchlight as they try to explain that he needs to leave.

He shakes his head, “No more adventures, boys. I got myself a job hauling goods around for a shop and I start tomorrow, I need some sleep…”

Skeeve cuts him off and explains that he has to leave, and the city is no longer safe for him. They relate a few of the events that have happened. Convinced, Beck runs inside to get ready to travel.

The six of them get on their three horses and ride south out of town as if the devil himself pursued them. They are tired. They have had only a few hours of sleep over the last few days, but they want to put some distance between themselves and the city before they can consider rest.

Session 6

9th of Last Summer, 1501dy (night)

Everyone is very tired. Eomier most of all. They left the city of Crossway about a half an hour ago and have been riding south at a steady pace since then. At last they halt and discuss their next move.

Eomier wants to split the party up, sending Enoch and Skeeve back north to the library in Breakshore while the rest of them head south and locate Endo. Beck doesn’t like this plan. There is a heated debate.

They decide to stay together for now and ride south to the next town. They recall that Noreeno said they would find Endo in one of the towns between the rivers. This means there are four towns where he may be found. Perhaps they can learn a bit more and then have a better idea of what they should do next. They review the map…

…and decide to head for the town marked “Dockhouse.” A little after midnight they have to ride over an arching bridge, taking them into central Mar Tesaro.

10th of Last Summer, 1501dy

At about 2:30 AM they come to Dockhouse. The entire “town” is a collection of four buildings. Down by the lakeshore there is a Dockhouse where a large ferry sits quietly in the water. There are two other houses and some stables. The entire population of the town is doubtless less than two dozen. The town seems to exists simply to care for the ferry.

An Alidian solder is here. He has left off most of the standard uniform and is only wearing the red and white shirt. He is standing by the well, holding a lantern. He looks relaxed. This town obviously sees little in the way of excitement. The guard hails them as they approach and examines their travel papers. Once he’s satisfied, they learn that the basement of the largest house serves as a flophouse where they may spend the night. There is also a small stable available for the horses. They drop a few coins to secure the services they need, and then head to bed.

The flophouse is a crowded room with hard, military-style cots along the wall. There are beds for eight, although they are the only ones here tonight. The place is dusty and shabby. They tumble into the beds and begin to sleep. However, Skeeve decides to stay up an hour and work on his orb. He studies, but is very tired and has a rough time of it. Nevertheless, he does meet with some success and learns more about ownership.

They sleep all night and well into the morning. By noon they are up and wondering what to do next. They elect to spend the day here so that Enoch and Skeeve can study some more. The others spend the day outside. They feel safe in this quiet, out-of-the-way little town. Eomier suggests that they make an effort to move around in secret, traveling by night and sleeping by day. The others agree. In the meantime, Skeeve has some more success with his studies:

Night falls. As Enoch and Skeeve complete their studies they hear yelling outside. The party dashes outside.

In the center of town they see a hideous beast looks like an undead human. However, instead of moving zombie-like, it seems to move with inhuman speed and grace. The eyes give off a dim red light. It is dressed in flowing black rags. The body is dried out and wiry, but isn’t falling apart. It looks tough and hard. As the run from the basement into the moonlight, they see the beast is throttling the guard. Eomier concludes that it is after Skeeve. He orders that Enoch and Skeeve make for the stables and try to escape while the rest of the party deals with it. It is fast, but they doubt it can keep up with a horse.

The creature tosses the body of the guard to one side and heads directly for Skeeve. It moves to cut off his escape. The battle is joined.

Their blades flash in the moonlight as they fight. It is terrifyingly fast, but they overcome it with their numbers and fell the beast. Skeeve suggests they break its head to make sure it doesn’t rise again. Enoch decides to check on the guard and see if there is any way to help him. To his surprise, the guard is on his feet, walking towards him.

The guard doesn’t respond. He is pale and silent as he makes his way over to Enoch.

Thu’fir rolls his eyes. He can see where this is going, and he knows its going to end badly.

Enoch tries again to address the guard but is attacked. He is clearly undead. Thu’fir dispatches him easily.

The dock wardens emerge from their homes to see the aftermath. There is a very awkward conversation as they explain why Thu’fir was killing the town guard. Things are tense for a few minutes until everything is explained.

The party realizes that Mordan must know where they are. They are placing this village in danger by staying. They decide to leave now. It is only an hour or so after sunset, and they should be able to cover some distance tonight if they depart quickly. The townspeople make it more or less clear that the party has worn out their welcome. They understand why their friend was killed, but there seem to be some hard feelings that would be best healed by distance.

They head north, out of town. Tal Podere seems to be the next closest town, so they head in that direction…

11th of Last Summer, 1501dy (midnight)

They travel west, heading for the town of Tal Podere. As morning draws near, they pass a number of the Queen’s elite guards walking along the road in the opposite direction.

They have never seen the guards from this close. The helmets completely cover their heads, giving them no way to see out. Each helmet has the symbol of the Alidian army stamped on the front, where the wearer’s face would be:

Clearly the helmets are magical, although perhaps the men that wear them are magical as well. They never seem to get tired or need rest.

The party has discussed these soldiers before. Noreeno implied that these soldiers somehow communicated with the Queen. The soldiers themselves seem a bit mindless. They never speak. How does she control them? Telepathy? Mind control? That have no idea. However, there does seem to be some connection. Perhaps they can use these soldiers to communicate with the Queen and let her know about Mordan.

Eomier yells at them to stop. They ignore him. He gets down from his horse and stands in their path as they march. The leader reaches for his sword. Eomier holds up his hands in a peaceful gesture, which is ignored. He holds his ground and tries to engage the soldier in conversation. The sword is drawn. Eomier backs out of its way. The sword returns to his side.

Eomier gives up and simply jogs alongside them (they march very fast) as he talks. He tells them that Mordan is free and that Noreeno seems to be some sort of betrayer. He relates the important points of the last few days. The solders never acknowledge him in any way.

Shrugging, he returns to the others. He’s done what he could to let the Queen know. They have no idea if it worked or not.

They reach the city in late morning. Tal Podere is a medium-sized city, less than half the size of Crossway. The buildings are low and made of wood. There is very little stonework here in town. Most of the buildings are built along a single street, which is wide and filled with ruts. It has a wide open area around the well in the center of town. The gates are manned by conventional guards; no elite guards are to be seen.

They are pulled over at the gate, and their papers are inspected. Once everything is settled, the enter the city.

They are sent to the magistrate. Magistrate K’dar Stonefist is a wise old dwarf. Once the party has gathered before him, he informs them that he has a notice from Magistrate Noreeno, warning him that five outsiders had killed a number of his soldiers and stolen some horses. Noreeno also suggested in his letter that these men were Lormanites, and that they should be killed on sight.

Stonefist seems unsurprised. He then demands they give an account of themselves. Eomier relates the events of the past few days. The magistrate doesn’t seem to doubt his story at all. Once complete, Stonefist reveals that Noreeno has been distrusted for a long time among the other town leaders.

Eomier asks him about the soldiers they found traveling north. Stonefist explains that they left here yesterday. He doesn’t control them directly, of course. They obey the mysterious will of the Queen from afar. As the magistrate, he can sometimes get the elite guards to obey simple orders, but mostly they come and go according to her will. He expects she is moving troops around, and that they will get more elite guards soon; she never leaves the town without her own guards for long.

Stonefist pronounces them innocent of any wrongdoing, and invites them to make themselves at home in his town. They party bids him good-day and retires to the inn. Later in the day, a note is delivered to Thordek that invites him back to the magistrate’s office.

Thordek visits K’dar Stonefist in his office. The two dwarves begin by speaking of dwarven things: Where they are from and who they are related to. They discuss stonework and family trees for some time before K’dar turns the conversation to business.

That afternoon, the party members are summoned back to the magistrate’s office to attend a town council that has been called. Many of the town leaders have gathered here, and Stonefist wants everyone to hear what Eomier told him earlier.

K’dar does not trust the cleric magic and Zone of Truth. Noreeno used it often and it seemed to be a tool to mislead. K’dar prefers they speak plainly of their business. He will trust the words of another dwarf.

Once the story of Noreeno is finished, the town leaders comment. It seems the name of Mordan is mostly legend, and much of his history has been forgotten. He has become a story to scare children at night, and much of his tale has been twisted. Some tales remember him as a Vampire King, and others as a man who was half-dragon, or half-devil, or any other of a number of variants on the tale.

K’dar has not trusted Noreeno in months. Noreeno has been claiming the resistance has been harassing his borders, taking food and supplies. Over the past few months, he has constantly requested more food, man, and supplies. A month ago, K’dar sent one of his own men to visit the city under the guise of a merchant courier. He reported the city was secure, and the soldiers he had amassed were guarding the city and not searching the countryside for Lormanites.

Noreeno has been moving troops around in odd ways. He sends back some divisions saying they “lack discipline.” The men are fine and fit. K’dar suspects their loyalties are not as flexible enough to suit Noreeno.

Eomier tells him that Noreeno killed their four elite soldiers. Stonefist is not surprised and mentions that same night his four gate soldiers left.

At this point a town guard steps into the room and informs the magistrate that a set of four new elite solders have just arrived and are now guarding the gates of the city.

Outside, it is sunset. The four new royal soldiers have taken their place at the north side of town. The uniform of the elite soldiers is simple: They wear the metal helmets and black pants. They are bare-chested and carry a single broadsword at their side. Eomier draws near to the guards and sees that one of them has tattoos on his chest. It is Endo.

He goes back into the meeting, where the town members are still arguing about the veracity of the various legends of Mordan. Eomier whispers to the group that he has found Endo.

They decide to talk to the magistrate after everyone leaves. Thordek will do the talking.

The meeting ends and everyone heads home. Thordek asks the magistrate for help in recovering their friend.

K’dar replies, “It is treason for me to harm these guards. However, I can command the soldiers to do simple things. If you like, I can order him to patrol north of the city. Perhaps you can catch him alone. You can do as you will then. I doubt he will be missed in the confusion with Noreeno. Don’t tell me anymore about it. Agreed?”

They retire to the inn. The casters go study. Fifteen minutes later there is much yelling and shouting. Eomier sees the guards attacking a creature trying to slink into town. K’dar comes out and checks on things and sees that all is well.

Skeeve and Enoch continue to study. Skeeve learns what happens when the sphere is destroyed.

This at least explains why nobody has destroyed the orb. He also learns that Mordan will appear back at the orb, slightly weaker with each death.

12th of Last Summer, 1501dy

Morning comes and the party continues in their habit of sleeping during the day.

Enoch heads to the library to check and see if there is anything of use. He does find some language books that help. He then studies while he waits.

The day passes and evening comes Just as the sun is setting K’dar marches out to Endo and tells him to go look for another creature like last night. He marches northward at a steady pace.

Beck, Thu’fir, Eomier, and Thordek follow at a discreet distance. They follow him into the dark woods north of town. Once clear of the ears of outlying farms, Eomier attempts to sneak up behind him and knock him out. Endo turns and attacks. His movements seem stiff and slow. He’s using the sword and not his hands. Apparently he is just a simple puppet when under the control of the Queen and not able to make use of martial arts. This makes the fight a lot easier. The party pile onto him in a frantic melee of elbows and knees. Thu’fir manages to pull off the helmet and Endo instantly falls limp. They wake him.

Enoch brings his glowing mace near. Endo lifts his head to reveal that his eyes have been sewn shut. Endo demands, “Where is the prince?”

Despite his blindness, he doesn’t seem to have lost his dedication to whatever task he was on. He then says he feels sick and starts throwing up. Eomier gives him his fighting staff. Endo attempts to put it on his back, but his things are all gone. Eomier takes the knee pads and elbow parts of the armor and puts them in his pack. They lead Endo back into town with Thu’fir’s cloak over him.

They sneak him into the inn. Having just attacked an elite guard, they don’t want to be seen strolling back into town with him. They bring him up to Enoch’s room, where Enoch uses his powers to cure Endo’s blindness.

Endo still looks terrible, however. He looks like he’s lost a bit of weight. Since he was all muscle before, this is a bad thing. He is tired and shaking. They let him sleep. The account of his travels will have to wait until morning.

Session 7

12th of Last Summer, 1501dy (late evening)

Endo asks what has happened to them. He thought his friends had died in the shipwreck. He is also shocked that they went to so much trouble to free him.

Skeeve tells the story of what they have been through. He tells Endo about Breakshore, about Joland Village, about Crossway, Noreeno, the tomb, the freeing of Mordan, and about their struggles since them. Endo realizes that he has missed a great deal.

Thu’fir offers Endo some food, but Endo isn’t up for eating just yet. He looks weak and pale. His eyes show that he is still in some pain, although he is too stoic to mention it. Whatever has happened to him, it is clear the events of the past few weeks have taken their toll on him. After a few minutes of quiet reflection, Endo begins his tale in his deep, raspy voice…

I washed ashore before dawn. I didn’t know if anyone else had survived. The rain was still pouring down as I knelt on the beach and coughed the water from my lungs. As I rested, I could see a light through the trees in the distance. Not knowing if it was from friend or foe, I drew forward towards the campfire of the Alidian soldiers in search of warmth.

As I reached the edge of their camp, I found a number of soldiers beating a young man. They were armed, and there were too many for me to fight alone. Instead, I circled around the camp to where their horses were tied and freed all but one. I spooked the horses and they ran off.

The soldiers stopped and ran off after them, leaving only one man in the camp to guard their prisoner. I drew near and killed him. I did not know at the time that he was their commander.

I freed the prisoner and we mounted the remaining horse for our escape. However, my skill as a rider is limited. The horse bucked and I nearly fell off. I suppose this is when I dropped my staff, although I did not know it at the time. I had given it up for lost by the time I realized it was missing.

My companion’s name was Garret. He knew the ways of this land and how to reach Telwin Port. We traveled together, hoping to escape the island. We rode to Breakshore, where we had a brief rest in secret before moving on.

After a few days of travel, Garret revealed to me that he was the Prince. The Alidians sought to kill him, fearing that he would rise and take his father’s place as Chief Wizard and leader of the Lormanites. However, Garret knew little of magic and even less of commanding an army. When he was young, his father sent him away to study abroad. He spent many years of study in the lands of Dunlock and Mar Talos. He did not have his father’s skills in magic or leadership. When the city fell, he dressed as a peasant and fled into the wilderness, where he was captured. He was sure the enemy would have discovered who he was and put him to death if I hadn’t freed him.

We tried to sneak around Crossway, but scouts spotted us and I was captured. I was drugged and taken south. I remember nothing since then. I do not know what became of the prince.

His story told at last, Endo falls asleep. Everyone else is still on a nighttime schedule. Most of them just got up a few hours ago, near sundown. They let Endo rest and retire to their rooms.

Since they fled Crossway they have been moving during the night, and sleeping during the day, hoping to “hide” their movements from the enemy. Now Skeeve discovers that this is the exact opposite of what they should be doing! They need to keep Mordan’s orb in sunlight as much as possible, so that they can keep him in a weakened state as much as possible.

So now they see what would happen if they did destroy the phylactery. It would kill thousands, weaken the owner, and then allow Mordan to possess the owner if they survived.

Skeeve goes to Enoch and explains what he learned about needing to travel during the day.

Part V: The Building of Fol Thron

The following is a much reduced version of the history of Mar Tesaro between the rule of King Lorman and the rise of the second dwarven king.

– Chronicler Norvus

King Lorman ruled and mined Khelberg for twenty years, when he was assassinated by one of his own lieutenants, a human foreman named Ingol. Ingol was a brutal leader but did not have the insight and cunning of his former master. His chief enforcers were more orcs than humans, and he ruled by fear and cruelty.

The dwarves heard of the fall of Lorman and saw that Ingol was a weak leader. They attempted once again to reclaim Khelberg. Their forces landed on the southern shores of Mar Tesaro and pushed north. Few who worked in the mines were willing to fight to defend their cruel master, and Ingol was defeated before the end of the fifth year of his reign. As the war ended, many humans fled north and settled in those lands.

In those days the mining had begun to take its toll on the valley. The mountain was now naked of trees and grass, and the water that flowed down from the hills was dark and filled with the dust and waste of the mines. The Greenlands turned gray, and crops failed. The inhabitants were obliged to move away from the foot of the mountain.

The dwarves built a great city southwest of the mountain and called it Fol Thron. They ruled from this place and sent many workers to live in harsh camps at the foot of Khelberg.

Although they were invaded twice, the dwarves held the mines for fifty years. Even when not facing full-scale invasion from humans or elves, they were regularly harassed by bands of orcs from out of the north, who came often to raid shipments of food and gold.

13th of Last Summer, 1501dy

The party decides to spend another day in this town, with Skeeve studying the orb and Enoch studying the book. They hope the extra time spent in study will yield the answers they need on the road ahead. They also hope to change their sleep schedule so that they are no longer awake at night and asleep during the day.

But first, it is pointed out to them that Endo has no money. In fact, the only things he owns are the pants he’s wearing and the staff he’s holding. Skeeve takes him shopping for basic supplies: Backpack, bedroll, food, and some basic commoner clothing. Endo spends the remainder of the day at rest, recovering from his ordeal of the last few weeks.

In the meantime, Thordek meets with Magistrate Stonefist and explains that they need travel papers for their two friends. The dwarf offers travel papers for 500 gold a piece. They pay, and the papers are drawn up.

Part VI: Notes on Geographical Names

The name “Khelberg” is simply the dwarven rendering of “The Mountain” in Common Speech. This seems an odd name for the dwarves to have chosen, given their habit of naming mountains after the dwarf who first discovered, owned, or mined them. Perhaps Khelberg was so great in their minds that they did not think any of their names would be worthy, and so left the mountain “nameless” by calling it Khelberg.

It should also be noted that Khelberg is not a single mountain, but a small cluster that is roughly horseshoe-shaped. It was the custom of both dwarves and elves in the Earlier Days to name the hills in groups this way. It is said that the dwarves had names for each of the peaks within Khelberg, although I have not found any record of them. The other races that dwell there now have continued the habit of referring to the entire group as Khelberg, as if it were a single mountain.

In the center of the crescent is a wide flat valley. Of old it was simply called “Greenlands” by the elves, although that name was dropped once it ceased being green. As the valley turned gray and filled with gravel and brackish water, the city was largely abandoned and became little more than mining camps. At one time the elves (when they had control of Khelberg) gave the camps the name Della Minera (“The Mining Valley,” in Common) and the name remained, although the elves did not.

Other notable names on the island include Tal Podere, (in elven, “the Farmlands”), Tal Lengo (in elven, “the woods”), Valle Calma (in elven “Silent Valley”), and Fol Thron (in dwarven “Strong Throne”).

The island itself is still called by its original name Mar Tesaro, which means (very roughly) “Treasures Island,” or perhaps “Island of great value.” Is it possible that the elves were aware of the gold and gems in the mountain, yet chose to leave them be? Or is the name speaking of the value of the island as a place to live, and not of the riches it contained? It is impossible to know, as the legends from those days are few and unreliable.

Another curious fact is that although elves and men have captured the city of Fol Thron many times, it has never been renamed. It has been the capital city of many empires, yet still bears its original dwarven name.

– Chronicler Norvus

The party reads over this latest section of the book. It is not as helpful as they might have hoped.

Skeeve studies as well. He spends his time outside, making sure to keep the orb in daylight so as to keep Mordan in a weakened state.

While they wait, they have a long debate on the rules of Mordan’s phylactery. They discuss various plans, such as dropping it into the ocean, having the owner commit suicide, burying it, and various other things that could be done (not that any of them is seriously contemplating suicide) to defeat Mordan forever. They examine the rules Skeeve has uncovered so far, looking for a weakness or a loophole they might exploit.

The conversation ends without arriving at any answers. Skeeve studies the orb again, and unlocks the final secret:

He can now study the orb without revealing his position to the lich. However, since this was the last secret, he no longer needs to study it. Still this explains how the undead monsters have found them each night: For the last several days they have been keeping the orb in darkness and studying it regularly so that Mordan would always know where they were. They were actually helping him.

Late afternoon becomes early evening. At this point they have been awake for a long time. Having remained awake all day, they now retire for the night. Tomorrow they plan to head south.

14th of Last Summer, 1501dy

They wake after midnight. They plan to leave when the sun comes up. While they wait, Enoch studies and obtains another chapter:

Part VII: The Middle Years

This section will highlight the middle years of Mar Tesaro. Again, a full account would fill many books but the record of conquest is given here in order to complete the timeline of this book. The reader should be aware that this list is very brief and leaves out many important figures and events. True students of history should consult other volumes to learn about these events in detail.

– Chronicler Norvus

The dwarves held the mines for fifty years, enduring two sieges and many orcish raids from out of the north before finally falling to the elves.

The elves appointed a king, who was assassinated within weeks, and then replaced by King Loemus. Loemus survived two attempts on his life, one from human assassins and one from among his own advisers. He was maimed in the second attempt, and as time went on he became more paranoid. He executed countless people he suspected of plotting against him. His purge was so vigorous that work stopped in the mines for some time because he lacked competent leaders.

The kingdom of Loemus collapsed on itself and many other forces moved in to seize the mines. From here a proper account of ownership becomes difficult. War raged around the mountain for several years, and more than once there were multiple factions mining from from different sides of Khelberg.

After a decade of fighting, a human female named Rhone gained the mastery in the conflict, aided by a large group of wizards. They drove the other forces from the mountain, captured Fol Thron, and set up a Mageocracy. This was the most diverse and stable government the land had known since the fall of Ellas Morad and the original mountain elves.

It was during this time that the Mage Wars raged in Dunlock. As that war ended, the Guild of Mages was formed. (See also, The Mage Wars Vol. III and the charter for the Guild of Mages) Since members of the guild were generally discouraged (but not prohibited) from making war openly with one another, this had the effect of strengthening the rule of Mistress Rhone. If anyone sought to oppose or oust her, they could usually only attract non-guild mages, who were generally weaker or less disciplined.

Mistress Rhone was, by all accounts, the most peaceful and patient of all the leaders of Khelberg. While she put down many rebellions, she had a habit of imprisoning her foes instead of the usual policy of public execution that had been the norm for centuries. During her reign she fought two successful wars against foes attempting to reclaim Khelberg, and finally died of an unknown poison after ruling for thirty years.

They have breakfast and prepare their horses for travel. As the sun comes up, they see a crowd has gathered at the northern gate. Some people are weeping and there seems to be some trouble. Thordek heads over and speaks to the magistrate, who is waiting at the gate, looking tense.

Magistrate Stonefist explains that two strange creatures attacked during the night. They tried to enter the town in secret, were discovered, and a battle ensued. The creatures took the lives of two of the guards before they were slain. Then one of the guards, who was clearly dead only moments before, rose up and attacked his former friends. Once defeated, all three bodies were taken to a field north of town and burned.

The magistrate described the creature as a gaunt humanoid with massive claws. Thordek recalls the creatures they fought in Dockhouse days earlier.

Thordek offers assistance, but the magistrate declines. There is nothing more to be done at this point. After saying their goodbyes they set out, heading south. They have seven party members, yet only three horses. They leave town with people taking turns walking and riding.

They have traveled at walking speed heading toward Hillstead. It is getting dark and they decide they need to make camp. Skeeve suggests they have a full camp with a campfire, and that two people stand watch instead of just one. Enoch consecrates the ground and a fire is built. Throughout the night, Skeeve has a creepy feeling – as if someone is watching him.

15th of Last Summer, 1501dy (morning)

Skeeve wakes in the morning, sweaty and full of dread. He dreamed that some black-cloaked being was standing watching, beckoning him to relinquish the orb. In his dream Skeeve stood still, frozen with fear until finally he handed over the orb. He wakes and finds the orb is still at his side. Skeeve quietly tells Enoch about the dream, but no one else.

Thordek notices Skeeve’s obvious panic when waking and asks him about it. Skeeve doesn’t tell him anything.

Endo gets up and wanders around the camp, stretching and doing one single push-up. Endo is still weak and recovering from his ordeal. He does seem to be getting stronger, though.

They determine they are probably halfway from Tal Podere to Hillstead and proceed south.

The hills roll by at a steady pace as the day slips by. To the east is the great expanse of evergreens known as Pinestaff. To the southeast they can see the foreboding peaks of Khelberg reaching up beyond the rolling blue-green of Pinestaff. To the south they can see the woods eventually give way to smooth green fields.

After a few hours they come to a fork in the road. They consult the map and head toward Hillstead. At about mid-afternoon they crest a hill and they see the village of Hillstead below. The huts seem small. They ride into town and find it to be a halfling village. This is obviously a farming community, with many farms dotting the surrounding countryside.

There is a standard detachment of Alidian guards at the entrance to the city: A group of bored Alidian soldiers, and four elite guards. After their papers are checked, they are granted entry into the city proper.

The “streets” of the city are simple dirt paths that wind around the clusters of tidy cottages and small gardens. Many homes have a ribbon of smoke that drifts upward from the chimney. The smell of food is in the air as the halflings ready their evening meals. The town is quiet and unhurried. The party is greeted with polite but uninterested smiles if they are noticed at all.

They check into the inn, which is small by the standards of most towns, although here it towers over the other buildings. There are “big people” rooms available, although the rooms still feel quite small to the humans in the group.

Skeeve visits the Magistrate Witman, who is a stout old halfling. Skeeve asks if there are have been any attacks on the town by undead. Whitman is amused by this, and makes it plain that this town sees little in the way of excitement. Skeeve also tries to see if perhaps Garret came through here. He asks carefully if a lone human, a young adult male, has passed this way. The magistrate hasn’t seen anyone like that lately. Lone travelers are rare these days, and a young human passing through would certainly have caught his notice.

In the meantime, Thu’fir and Thordek visit the blacksmith, hoping to get some new gear. Their hopes are dashed when they see that this blacksmith concentrates on plows, horseshoes, farming tools, and other uninteresting items. He has little in the way of battle gear, and what he does have is fairly basic. Thu’fir is annoyed. He’s been looking for a grapple hook since they left Joland Village, and can’t believe that such a simple item is so difficult to obtain.

However, the blacksmith does have one thing that catches their eye: a horse. The blacksmith owns a single, patchy, old, sick-looking horse. It is a sad, droopy beast with patchy black and gray fur.

Thu’fir inspects the animal. While old, it isn’t dying. It could certainly bear a rider, albeit at a slow pace. Thu’fir negotiates a price of 200 gold for the sick horse, which is named Thunder. They pay for the horse and leave.

16th of Last Summer

In the morning they leave the town of Hillstead. They make much better time today, since they now have enough horses so that everyone can ride. Two people ride each of the Alidian horses, and Beck rides Thunder alone.

During the journey they see more traffic on the road. Some are single horsemen, speeding past them without a word; doubtless Alidian messengers of some sort. They also see merchants and other travelers heading both north and south. They can sense they are drawing nearer to the capital city to the south.

After midday the road turns east. Directly south is a vast expanse of grasslands. In the distance they can see the dark outline of the towering Citadel. The map tells that it lies on the other side of a river. They could cross the grasslands and walk over the river (with Enoch’s help) but then they would be obliged to abandon their horses. Instead, they elect to follow the road east and cross over the bridge. This will take them many miles out of their way, and prevent them from reaching Fol Thron today, but it will let them keep their horses.

They finally come to the river. This is obviously the river that flows from the feet of Khelberg to the western sea. A great stone bridge, obviously old and of dwarven make, spans the wide, slow river. A small camp is built on the southern side of the bridge, and a dozen soldiers stand guard on the bridge itself.

The grass on this side of the river looks pale and unhealthy. The trees are sparse, small, and twisted. Everything seems to be drained of color and life. The gray slopes of Khelberg loom large to the east.

As the sun sets, they come upon Della Minera, which is obviously a human-built mining camp. The western side of town is a collection of various businesses that cater to travelers. There is a large inn, a tavern, some stables, and other places where travel goods might be purchased. The east side of town is a simple collection of shanty buildings near a fire pit and a latrine. Between these two halves of the town is a large fence, watched by guards. The party infers that the eastern side of town is inhabited by slaves who work the mines.

They decide to stay at the inn. Thu’fir goes to the blacksmith and asks about a grappling hook. He’s been trying to get his hands on one since they faced the trap doors in the wizard’s lair outside of Joland Village. He hasn’t been able to find one for sale until now. When he finds they are for sale here, he buys two – along with a good supply of rope. He won’t be caught unprepared again.

During the night, Skeeve has another nightmare in which Mordan asks him for the orb, and he relinquishes it.

17th of Last Summer

Skeeve wakes, shaken from his latest nightmare. He tells Enoch about what he saw in the dream.

The party members meet in Enoch’s room to plan the day. Enoch reveals that during the night he was able to translate another chapter of the book:

Part VIII: Archmage Mordan

Mistress Rhone never married or had any offspring, so at her death her post fell to Archmage Mordan, her chief military adviser. Mordan arrested many foreigners traveling in his lands, including many diplomats. He imprisoned and tortured them, saying they were spies. He sent many antagonizing messages to various dwarven and elven leaders, and did many other deeds to provoke his enemies. While Rhone had sometimes avoided open war when possible, Mordan sought it out at every opportunity.

Even his harshest critics admitted that he was without equal at the business of warfare. He was a great seer, and could at many times view the future actions of his enemies. Within months he had utterly exterminated the orcs to the north. He initiated and won a number of wars against both elves and dwarves, and conquered the northern lands of Mar Tesaro, bringing the entire country under his rule.

While Rhone was among the most gentle of leaders to sit in Fol Thron, Mordan was without question the most ruthless. The common workers in the mines became slaves, which were worked ceaselessly. Mordan decreed that the slaves should work so hard that a third should die each year. He replaced the lost slaves with the captured soldiers he won in his many battles, and with peasants taken from the farms of the north.

The people of the city fared little better. Laws were brutal under his rule, and many perished in his dungeons for the most trivial offenses. He could enter the minds of his subjects, see their thoughts and vex their dreams. Any that might oppose him in secret were known to him, and soon driven mad with visions and nightmares.

Mordan was a student of history, and knew too well how briefly other rulers had held their position as master of Khelberg. He said many times that he planned to be the final master of Khelberg, and that none would supplant him.

The years of his rule grew long. He surpassed a hundred years of age, and although he was thin and gaunt, he retained the vigor of youth. He became reclusive, and ran his empire through his servants, who were all mighty wizards in their own right. They did his will, spreading his cruelty and malice as far as his power would allow.

The years drew on, and the wealth of the mines was used to expand the city. The palace grew, a great trench was dug around it, and was filled with water from the nearby lake. This new moat was filled with many watery beasts and fell creatures of the deep, so that none dared approach the palace for fear of being dragged from the bridge by some unseen horror. The palace was then renamed the Citadel, and began to look unlike the great fortress the dwarves had built. It was dark and twisted, and few dared to lift their eyes to look upon it, even in the daytime.

The power of the Archmage Mordan far surpassed that of any other, until there were none that dared challenge him in battle. His foes relented, and drew back. After centuries of war, Khelberg at last belonged to one man alone, uncontested.

It makes them uneasy to read of Mordan, even in the light of day. However, it is a relief to see the time they’ve invested in the book is finally paying off, and they are learning about their new foe. Enoch estimates that the book is about halfway complete. They are eager to learn more, but decide to push on to Fol Thron instead of lingering here for more studying.

The party heads downstairs where they find Beck in the dining area, having an animated conversation with a one-legged man. The man looks hard and shabby, and is dressed like the slaves that inhabit the eastern side of town. Beck has evidently bought this man a beer and is questioning him. As the rest of the party comes downstairs, they can hear the man telling Beck a story…

As he leans in his chair he rambles on, “…day I wanted to see what it would be like if I left the helmet off. I wanted to see what the place looked like, and what went on while we were wearing the helmets. So I didn’t put my mining helmet on all the way. I sort of held it over my head. Everyone else had put them on like they were supposed to, so they were just mindlessly marching into the mines. I got behind them and followed them in.

“It wasn’t until I was inside that I realized the truth: There are no lights in that mine. Nothing. Quick enough I got lost in the darkness, and had no choice but to drop the helmet onto my head. That evening I ‘woke up’ outside the mine, tired, just like I did every other day. When we took off our helmets, we didn’t remember a thing from what we’d been doing in the mines. It seemed like we’d just put the helmets on a moment before, except we’d be exhausted.”

At this point Beck sets is mug down and asks, “Okay, fair enough. But what happened to your leg?”

The man draws a deep breath, “Oh, that day. Well, we’re used finding ourselves at the end of the day with lots of cuts or bruises. Of course, we didn’t feel it until we took the helmet off. So, every day when I dropped the helmet on my head in the morning, I’d wonder what I’d find when it comes off again in the evening. Sometimes I’d find meself outside with a bad gash, and found I’d I bled all over myself while I worked. Some times I’d have a big scrape or bruise or maybe…”

“Or a leg missing,” Thu’fir added, now that they had joined the two men at the table.

“Yeah. I took the helmet off and almost passed out from the pain. I looked down to see I’d broken my leg. It had snapped just below the knee. The terrible part was that it looked like I just kept working the rest of the day with the broken leg. By the time the helmet came off the bottom of my leg had been ruined.”

The man smiles, “At the time I thought this was a bad deal, but now I’m useless in the mines and I don’t have to work there anymore. So it was really the best thing that ever happened to me. Of course, now they gimmie other duties. These days I stay in town and make rope. And right now, they don’t need no more rope, so it looks like the Queen’s willing to feed me just for sitting around all day doin’ nothing. That’s agreeable enough to me.”

Thu’fir then asks, “So are these the same sort of helmets that are worn by the Queen’s special guards?”

The man shrugs, “I wouldn’t know, I’ve never tried one of those on. They look different, though. Our mining caps just cover the tops of our heads and come down to our cheekbones. They look more or less like regular mining caps except they are too long, and cover the eyes. Most of use like it because you do a full days work without having to do the work, if you take my meaning. We just put on the hats, and at the end of the day they come off and we’re just tired and hungry.”

He takes another drink and continues, “Of course, it wasn’t all good. Sometimes we’d get to the end of the day and find we’d lost somebody. We’d have no idea how or where, or what happened to them. They were just gone. Probably trapped in the mines someplace or killed. For all we know, we could be marching over them every day while we work.”

Thu’fir then asks, “Does your mining camp mine for gems or gold, or what?”

He shrugs again, “I don’t know. By the time we remove the helmets, someone has come and emptied the carts. We can see we dug up something. The carts have bits or rock and dust in them, but whatever we were mining has been taken away by the time the helmets come off.”

“I’m from Woodhurst, to the north. We got conquered about nine months ago. Since I was a soldier, they carted me off, and put me here. I should be grateful, though. Most times, when you get conquered, you get killed. But they let me live. Then I got a lucky break. My leg got broken and then got all nasty and infected and had to get cut off.”

Thu’fir agrees, “I’d rather sit in town weaving rope than spend twelve hours a day being mindless.”

They wish the man well and get ready to leave. They intend to head west, for the capital city of Fol Thron. They gather the horses and prepare for the day’s journey.

17th of Last Summer (morning)

The party sets out, heading for the capital city of Fol Thron to the west. The road between Fol Thron and Della Minera is very busy. They are in the heart of the Alidian territory now, and they see many people along the road as they travel.

Fol Thron is a massive, sprawling city full of stone towers and bridges. If dwarves were to make a habit of building cities above ground, they would doubtless look much like this one. Canals carry a bit of the river through the city in key areas, where mills and other enterprises might make use of its strength.

The city is a semicircle, built in concentric rings emanating from the dark Citadel on the northern edge of town, along the river. Most of the major streets converge on a central district just in front of the Citadel.

Eomier the Rogue, Thordek the Fighter, Enoch the Cleric, Thu’fir the Blade Lord, Endo the Monk, and Beck the (former) first mate of Ocean’s Majesty, all enter the town on horseback. As they enter, their papers are examined and they are questioned thoroughly by the gate guards. At last they are allowed to pass.

Once inside, they stable their horses. The party intends to head for the central district and see what use they can make of the few hours of daylight they have left.

Beck bids them goodnight. There are shabby (but affordable) lodgings available here near the gates of the city. Despite the generous donations the others have given him, he still prefers to live meagerly, hoping to save as much as possible. His mind is still on Talla and the coming baby, and he wants to make sure he has enough to provide for them.

The others wish him well, and head down the broad cobblestone street that leads to the heart of the city. More than once bridges carry the street over the canal as it winds through the buildings. As they proceed, the buildings change from simple two-story human dwellings to ornate and impressive structures owned by various businesses or the governing body of the city.

At last they reach the central square (which, as in Crossway, is called such despite being circular) and stare upwards in wonder. They are now at the feet of the great dark Citadel of Fol Thron. The building bears the frame of dwarven make, although many sharp spikes and pointy towers have been added on since the initial construction, giving the place a malevolent appearance. Many bridges and balconies cling to the sides of the towers as they reach ever upwards. While it once had many hundreds of windows looking outward, they have now all been bricked over or covered with sharp plates of metal, embossed with the symbol of Queen Alidia:

The citadel seems to be on an island all by itself. All around it is a deep, empty chasm. A lone bridge, blocked by a single massive door, allows travel from the central square to the gates of the Citadel. The doors are shut and guarded by a group of severe Alidian soldiers.

Also in the square is the tower of the Mage’s Guild. It is a simple spire of brown stone, crowned with what looks like an observatory. In any other setting it would have looked tall and impressively, although it looks diminutive in the presence of the Citadel.

Elsewhere they see the archives, the city library, a church of impressive proportions, a sprawling inn with many wings, and a number of unidentified government buildings. Around the edges of the square are several specialty shops and booths.

Eomier and Endo check into the Inn. Endo in particular looks tired and in need of rest.

Skeeve heads for the Mage’s guild. Thu’fir and Thordek look for a blacksmith. Enoch visits the archives.

The city archives is a simple building of smooth gray stone positioned opposite the Citadel. It is easily the largest library on the island. Inside, the gloomy light of late afternoon drifts in through the many tall narrow windows, forming fingers of light through the dusty air. There is the murmur of hushed voices from among the shelves of books as Enoch enters. To his left is a large circle of chairs that seems to be some sort of council meeting area. A large set of windows encircles the chairs, wrapping them in pale afternoon light. Opposite this area is the scribarium, where a dozen or so young acolytes work in silence, making copies of books that have become worn or damaged. Directly ahead is the library proper, where towering shelves of books stand beneath the great arched ceiling above.

As Enoch enters, one of the keepers emerges from the shadows and bows respectfully. His deep voice intones, “Welcome your holiness. How may I be of service?”

Enoch casts his eyes about the place, unsure of where he should start. At last he answers, “Well, I’m interested in books.”

The keeper raises and eyebrow, “Indeed. Well we do have some books here. What sorts of books might you be looking for?”

The keeper chuckles, thinking Enoch is speaking in jest, “Oh indeed. I suppose if I were after Mordan I might need some help as well. But come, what is it that you truly need?”

Enoch insists, “I really do need books on Mordan,” and then after a moment’s reflection, “For a… project I’m researching.”

The keeper is a bit alarmed at this, but nevertheless he leads Enoch back into the maze of towering shelves. After a polite moment he finally asks, “If I may sir – Why are you researching… him?”

Enoch follows as they wind their way, deeper into the library, “I’ve been working on translating a book.”

When his eyes fall on the book, the keeper is delighted, “The mysterious book! You’ve managed to make some headway!” He thumbs though the translated pages, “More than half of it, by the looks of things. This is quite exciting. Councilman Relnar will be delighted.”

He stops and gestures about the library, “Most of the members of the council have tried their hand at the book, and none of us could manage to crack it. Everyone has their own theories about what the work contains. I myself suspect that it is a recent copy of a very ancient work. But wait. Let me summon what council members are available and you can tell us what you’ve found.”

Enoch is a bit irritated by this. He was hoping to find help in translating the rest of the book, not give an account of what he’d already done. He says nothing, and lets the keeper have his way.

A council convenes. They meet in the circle of chairs near the large windows. Out of the sixteen available seats, less than half are filled. Councilman Relnar welcomes Enoch and bids him sit with them.

He begins, “So, I understand you’ve manged to translate some of our mysterious book. You know, there’s a reward if you’re able to complete it. This book appeared here, mysteriously, about two years ago. Most of us have tried our hand at translating it and failed. I have to admit that we have been keen to know what secrets it held. The fact that we did not know the source of the book and could not make any headway with it only fed our curiosity. Eventually I sent it north, along with the offer of a reward, in hopes that other scholars might find the book and have better luck with it. So tell us, Enoch servant of Pelor, what have you found? What is the origin of this mysterious tome?”

Enoch stands, “Well, I found the book was written, or at least translated, by someone named Chronicler Norvus.”

At the mention of this name several of the council members become irritated or even openly outraged. They all begin speaking at once.

After a few moments Enoch tries to get some sort of explanation. Relnar waves his question aside and asks, “Very well. So what is the book about?”

Enoch looks down at the book, “Well, it looks like the history of your island…”

One of the other keepers interjects, “Let me guess… a collection of folklore?” The others begin laughing.

Enoch isn’t quite sure what to make of this. Finally Relnar exclaims, “Exile was too good for him.” Others nod in agreement.

Relnar turns to Enoch an explains, “What you have there my friend is a book of banned folk tales, a bunch of heresy and nonsense, set down by a former colleague. He has written this work against both the rules and wishes of this council, in an effort to propagate the ridiculous tales it contains.”

Another keeper inquires, “But why did he write it in such a strange and archaic form? Why not set his story down plainly?”

Relnar answers, “Isn’t it obvious? He did so to conceal the work from us.”

The keeper nods in annoyance, “Yes, yes. But then why did he plant the book here among us, if he were trying to hide it? And what good is the tale if he writes it in a language that none can read?”

Relnar dismisses the question, “Simple enough. The man was a fool. We should not be surprised when such a man perpetrates foolish deeds. In any event, the archaic language did not conceal the meaning from this outsider. Norvus has managed to pass his heresy onto our guest here.” Relnar then turns to Enoch, “I am sorry you were misled by this. If we had any idea that this book was of Norvus’ doing, we would never have sent it abroad, much less offered the reward. Of course, I will not go back on my word. If you complete the translation, I’ll still give your the reward, although I can’t imagine anyone being interested in it.”

Relnar shakes his head in disappointment, “What a shame. We really thought the book held some great mysteries.”

Relnar frowns at him, “Well, just to start: A mountain that curses people? This doesn’t strike you as particularly absurd?”

Several members snicker, others bristle at his words. There is a long silence. At last Relnar responds, “Well friend, believe what you like. I should warn you that these stories are banned by the Queen. They do not cast her in a good light, and you would do well to keep them to yourself.”

Relnar then gestures to one of the empty chairs, “Chronicler Norvus once stood here and debated this with us at length. I doubt you will have anything new to add to his arguments. Now that I recall, it was six months after we dismissed his arguments that this mysterious book appeared on our shelves, was passed around and eventually sent north. How disappointing. Well, he’s in exile now, so hopefully we’ve seen the end of his mischief.”

The talk then turns to the business of the translation itself. Enoch reveals that his knowledge of a few obscure Dunlock forms was what enabled him to understand the difficult script. Relnar offers a few books (on loan) from the library that should aid Enoch in finishing the book. These books help illuminate some of the other difficult languages in the book, and will greatly speed his efforts.

Relnar shrugs, “I’m sure I have no idea. We threw him out. Haven’t heard from him since.”

“Heavens, we threw him out of the room, not the country! We’re not barbarians. He’s still a learned man, I’m sure he’s made use of himself somewhere…”

Enoch thanks them for their time and turns to leave. As he walks out, Relnar gives him a final request, “Good luck to you sir. If you do find him, give him our best and, you know, drop a few coppers into his cup for us.”

7th of Last Summer (evening)

Enoch retires to his room for the evening and sets to work translating the book. With the aid of the reference books on loan from the archives, he is able to make amazing progress. Over the next few hours he manages to translate three new chapters of the book:

Part IX: The Grave Walkers

Much of the following information is guesswork on my part. A great deal of knowledge was lost during this period, and some facts are now beyond the reach of any historian. The reader should be aware that I stand by all of the following as being as accurate as possible, yet incomplete.

– Chronicler Norvus

The reign of Archmage Mordan reached its hundredth year. At length people began to wonder if he had died, and his assistants only pretended he yet lived. Mordan had not been seen in over twenty years, and had long since passed the natural lifespan of his kind. For the first time since his rule began, a small group of slaves dared to challenge their masters and seek freedom. They broke from their prison in Della Minera and sought the open country to the north.

It was then that Mordan at last revealed himself. No longer a man, he was now the unliving master of Khelberg: Mordan the dread Lich King. He appeared amidst the fleeing slaves and slew them with a single word. They gave up their spirits and fell at his feet. Within the hour their bodies had risen again to become the first of his most fearsome servants. They were the grave walkers, the terrible footsoldiers of his lifeless army. He slew many in this way, both foe and servant alike, and their ranks grew.

At length he discovered that the more bitter his victim’s death, the stronger and more viscous they were in unlife. He took many elves and humans and tormented them for years before allowing them to die. He invented many new spells and potions to aid him in extending the lives of his victims and intensifying their agony. So it was that each generation of grave walkers was more fearsome than the one before.

He took all of the people of the north and brought them south as slaves. The men were sent to work in the mines, while the women were made to live in Della Minera and used like cattle for the breeding of more slaves. The children were taken within the Citadel and taught to worship the Lich King as a god.

A decade passed and the first of Mordan’s children emerged from the Citadel. They were twisted and cruel, and wielded many strange magics in his name.

The work in the mines increased, and great smelting furnaces were built on the mountainside to purify his gold and silver. Day and night they burned, until the sky above the mountain was the color of ash.

Despite his boundless supply of gold, the peoples of other nations refused to trade with him, for he would take what he wanted from any ship that came close to his shores. The ships he would plunder and sink, while their crews were sent to his mines to work until they died. He grew bold, doing all he could to provoke war and make enemies. Even the evilest of creatures feared to serve him, for he held all life in contempt.

The gold and riches of the mountain were hoarded deep within the Citadel, where none could reach them or put them to use. He proclaimed loudly that the riches of the world were hidden within his Citadel for any that had the courage to face him. Heroes emerged at the rumor of treasure, and many adventurers traveled to Mar Tesaro to attempt to unseat him. All were slain and added to his army of grave walkers. He feared no foe in all the Earth.

As the power of the Lich King continued to grow beyond measure, the other nations of the world began to wonder if he did not plan to conquer all. The elven kings of southern Dunlock joined together, and called on their sometime enemies of the north to join with them against this common threat, before Mordan became too strong for any to oppose.

Part X: Tomb of The Lich King

The armies of Dunlock, from the greatest to the least of its kingdoms, gathered together to give one final challenge to Mordan the Dread Lich. Elf and dwarf, human and halfling, all met the armies of Mordan at the foot of the cursed mountain. The grave walkers marched into battle along with many slaves and fell beasts under the control of of Mordan. The battle lasted many weeks, and unspeakable magic was unleashed on both sides.

The Dunlock forces, led by the Elven Songmage Lucan Forwinol, at last had the mastery. Mordan’s forces were pushed back and then annihilated. Forwinol advanced and captured – at the expense of many lives – the once-great Citadel.

Forwinol knew Mordan was undefeatable as a lich. If slain, his form would re-appear at the next sundown. The only hope was to find and destroy Mordan’s phylactery, the container of his life-force.

Most lich would hide such an item, but Mordan was proud and cunning, and his phylactery was on display at the Citadel. And then Forwinol at last saw why Mordan was so fearless: The phylactery was trapped with many spells so that none would dare destroy it.

Forwinol was wise and learned in magic, and saw a way to defeat the Dread Lich without breaking the phylactery. Instead he added to the spells of the phylactery, making a new binding spell that would hold Mordan when he re-appeared after a defeat.

A tomb was built in an empty valley north of the mountain. The phylactery was then used to seal his prison. When all was ready, the armies met and defeated Mordan himself, at the cost of many lives. When he rose again, his form took shape within the tomb sealed with his own phylactery. He was trapped, and could not escape without destroying his own phylactery, and thus himself. He had been outsmarted.

But Lucan Forwinol knew this was not enough. Someday one of the many Children of the Citadel may seek to free him, or the tomb forgotten and hapless adventurers discover it. So Forwinol had added one final touch: Whoever freed Mordan would be the subject of one final binding spell. This spell would place Mordan’s power on the head or heads of whoever freed him. He would not be able to recover his former might until he killed them.

Thus, any that freed him would be doomed. Not even his most loyal followers would accept unlife as a Grave Walker to free their master. Warnings were engraved in many languages and placed about the entrance to his tomb, and a great stone slab was placed over it.

Mordan was forever trapped, and none would dare to free him. At last the mighty lich was defeated.

Part XI: The Triumvirate of Fol Thron

While Lucan Forwinol brought Mordan to his final defeat in the north, his allies in war had secured the great city of Fol Thron. Forwinol had taken no plunder, save for the phylactery of the Lich King. No other treasure touched his hands.

Yet so great was the rumor of treasure in the Citadel that many heroes came fourth and challenged the depths of the fortress. The treasure was recovered and taken away, the moat drained, and the many evil spells and traps of the place were removed.

Then began a great debate over who should be the new master of the mines. Forwinol proclaimed to his allies that the place was wholly evil and cursed, that they should set aside the plunder, return to their homes, and leave the mountain empty.

But those that had fought so hard for the prize were slow to release it. Seeing that the debate would lead to war, he proposed that the strongest of the forces should each appoint a leader, and that they should rule together as a triumvirate. Forwinol then decided that his work was done, and returned to his homeland in Mar Talos.

The triumvirate was made from three great leaders: For the dwarves, King Konal Stonefist, the elves had Mistress Myran Alidia, and the humans had King Pallas Lorman.

Lorman was descended through many generations from the King Lorman of old, the first human King of Khelberg. Like his grandsire, Pallas Lorman was a strong leader as well as a fearsome commander of arcane magic.

The Dwarven King Konal Stonefist was the first to betray the triumvirate. During the twentieth year of their reign, he gathered in secret many dwarves and tried to make Fol Thron his own. The other two leaders joined and defeated him.

The remaining two leaders distrusted one another, and accused each other many times of various plots and schemes. Lorman at last rallied many humans to his side, and tried to wrest control of the Citadel from Alidia. He caught her unawares, and used many strange magics against her. She survived his ambush, but was blinded in the attack. Her own forces rallied. Yet another war was fought. Lorman was defeated and fled north with his followers, where his family still rules to this day.

17th of Last Summer (evening)

At the same time Enoch is visiting the archives, Skeeve visits the Mage’s Guild.

The Fol Thron branch of the Mage’s Guild is a simple spire of brown stone, crowned with what looks like an observatory. In any other setting it would look tall and impressively, although it looks diminutive in the presence of the great Citadel.

The building is closed to all non-members, save for a few runners – young boys who loiter in the vestibule and wait for the chance to deliver messages or goods around the city in exchange for a few coppers – so Skeeve’s membership is examined carefully before he is allowed to enter.

The interior is ornate and comfortable. The floor is covered in fine red carpet, and there are many expertly crafted chairs arranged in the lobby area. As in the archives, there is an impressive arc of windows along one wall, filling the room with daylight. This main room seems to be a place for reading and quiet conversation. A spiral stairway leads up from this room as well, although Skeeve does not see where it leads.

He meets a few of the local wizards. They seem to work here in the city, although Skeeve doesn’t learn who employs them or why. Skeeve stands by the window and listens in on some local politics. It seems several of the senior members of this guild office are excited about the recently-won war. They are looking into opening up a new Guildhall in Fort Boland once the post-war cleanup is complete. The conversation seems to center on what sites would be most suitable for this, and who would be in charge of it.

Skeeve meets a few prominent members and makes polite conversation, but doesn’t learn anything of real value. He doesn’t mention the orb or Mordan.

Having learned little, he bids the other wizards good-night and heads back to the inn. Enoch shares the most recent chapters that he’s translated, which they ponder for a while before going to bed.

Session 8

18th of Last Summer

Enoch begins the day by finishing work on the Book of Norvus. With the aid of the books on load from the archives, he is able to make short work of the final two chapters:

Part XII: The Fall of Myran Alidia

Mistress Myran Alidia was the sole ruler of Khelberg. With the other members of the triumvirate defeated, she now became Queen Alidia. Her blindness made her fearful and filled her with a lust for vengeance. Her injury pained her at all times, and no healer could undo the damage she had suffered. She came to hate and despise all humans for Lorman’s betrayal.

The injury dealt her by Lorman had both stolen her sight and disfigured her. She became reclusive, and ordered that the windows of the tower be shut and no lights lit inside. The Citadel was ever dark, for she believed that all of her servants should share in her blindness.

Until this time she did not have great renown with magic, but once blinded she pursued magic both night and day, rarely sleeping or stopping to eat. The years of her rule grew long and she became as strong as many of the great sorcerers of old.

Queen Alidia had been gentle and beautiful to behold when the triumvirate was formed, but the long years of scheming, battles, pain, and arcane studies had left her dark and twisted. Her appearance was almost that of a dark elf, though she would kill any who stated so openly in her presence.

She became a skilled seer, and probed the minds of her subjects, wary of traitors or spies. And so she is, even to this very day.

Part XIII: The Truth Revealed

Few of the scribes of Mar Tesaro have the wit to translate this work as I have written it, and fewer still would bother to translate a work of history that could be read more plainly elsewhere. Therefore you the reader are both a scholar, and an outsider not yet tainted by the curse of this land.

Under the rule of the Sightless Queen it is heresy to proclaim that the curse of Fiore is anything other than a fool’s tale. Although I made it sound like mere folklore at the start, it should be plain to any that have read thus far that the curse is real. In all the long years of war and bloodshed, no leader has ever sought to share the mines, none has ever known peace, and none has been willing to let the mines lay idle long. What else other than curse can explain such madness? What else besides the curse could explain how an entire nation of people could become so full of lust for gold that they would poison their own farmlands in the mining of it? Why did people not flee the lands when war came, even when their defeat was sure? What would make even the gentle elves stand and fight to the death over mere treasure?

I implore you, the reader: Do not take any of the treasure of Khelberg for yourself. If you have any, throw it away. Do not spend it! Do not bring the curse down on your own head, or you will be doomed to forever desire the riches of Khelberg and the blood of those who gather it.

I have hope that it is possible to break the curse, and in my long years of secret study I have found many clues as to how such a deed might be done, although much knowledge has been lost or hidden beyond my reach.

The spirit of Fiore was bound by dwarven magics deep below the mountain. If that work could be undone, perhaps it could be freed again? If Fiore were freed, would it not lift also the curse on the land itself?

But how to free it? Where is Fiore imprisoned, and can such a place still be reached? If so, what would one do to break the spell? Perhaps books existed with the answers long ago, but if so they were lost or destroyed during the rule of the Lich King. There may be some hope, though. To the southeast of the mountains was once the Magus Archives. Many books were kept there and many secrets hidden from the eyes of Mordan. The wizards that kept the place were slain in the battle against the Lich King, and the location of the archives are now lost. But there is a slim hope that if they could be found again, perhaps some hint of the dwarven spell could be learned.

The Magus Archives were built soon after the inception of the Guild of Mages itself. I have sent secret messengers to Dunlock to speak with the Council of Masters, and although their books do record that the Archives on Mar Tesaro existed, they do not have the location.

Since the Archives were constructed by wizards, it would be foolish to go charging blindly into the wilderness in search of the site. The wizards doubtless concealed the site, or at the very least sealed it with magic. It has never been their way to leave knowledge unguarded.

I have done what I am able, but I am no hero. In translating this long and difficult work, you the reader have proved yourself to be both learned and patient. I beg you to act on this knowledge, to break the curse of so many long centuries. I warn you again, do not corrupt yourself with the treasures of Khelberg, or you will join the others in the cycle of violence and betrayal. Use what strength and craft you have to end this misery.

With all hope,

Chronicler Norvus

18th of Last Summer (morning)

While Enoch works to translate the remainder of the book, Skeeve returns to the Mage’s Guild to see if he can learn more.

The Mage’s Guild is much as it was the evening before. A different set of wizards seems to be about at this time of day. Skeeve takes his place among them and slowly joins the conversation. When the time seems right, he off-handedly poses the question, “Gentlemen, whom do you believe to be the greatest of all wizards?”

A few of the older fellows roll their eyes and move on. Apparently they see this an a subject good only for endless idle debate. A few of the younger ones get into the spirit of the thing, and toss out a few quick suggestions. One of the youngest, more likely an apprentice than practicing wizard, suggests, “Dravis Lorman!”

Since their country just annihilated the Lormanites and killed King Dravis in the war, this is a very humorous suggestion and the conversation stops while they have a laugh at Lorman’s expense.

At last the debate resumes. Many names are put fourth and mentally pitted against each other, until at last someone suggests Lucan Forwinol. At the mention of this name Skeeve chimes in, “I completely agree! You know, it’s funny you should bring him up. I’m doing some historical research and… well… is he still around?”

They are amused by the question, “Of course not,” says one, “he died over a century ago.”

Another adds, “Yes. Over a hundred years since he died, and his son hasn’t seemed to have found the same skill that his father possessed. Don’t get me wrong, Teerin is a fine wizard by all accounts and a credit to the people of Mar Talos, but the might of his father is not in him.”

Skeeve then poses another question, “Do you think Teerin could defeat the Lich King the way his father did?”

This question is considered carefully. The conversation takes off on a tangent as they debate about the sorts of magic Teerin has studied and the sorts that were required to defeat Mordan. Unlike the people to the north, these men have not confused or forgotten the old stories, and are well aware of the threat that Mordan once possessed. The conversation circles around until they come back to the main point. The consensus is that it is unlikely Teerin would be capable of defeating Mordan. His father was only just barely capable of it, and Teerin isn’t as strong as his father.

At this point Skeeve notices that the circle of people involved in this conversation has been dwindling as people have moved over to the steps to investigate a rather excited conversation happening over there. Skeeve follows, and has he approaches a circle of chattering scholars and magic users gathered at the foot of the stairs he hears snatches of the debate they’re having over weather patterns. The observatory is mentioned. It seems something unusual has been spotted in the sky.

Skeeve cuts through the crowd and heads directly up the stairs to see for himself.

Skeeve circles around as he ascends the spiral stairs. With each revolution he passes another doorway leading to the next floor of the building. He sees a room filled with mirrors, tinted glass, bent glass lenses, and freestanding prisms the size of a man. For just an instant as he passes the doorway he can see morning sunlight warped and and scattered about the room. The next floor is a library. Another orbit and he passes a doorway into some sort of packed storage area.

Skeeve at last finds himself at the top of the stairway and in the observatory. It is a circular room with open windows on all sides that takes up the entire top floor of the tower. On the north side of the room, several people of various races have gathered around the telescope. The elves peer out the window studying the horizon, while the humans jockey for position to be the next to use the telescope.

The young elf says defensively, “I was just up here getting some morning air when I saw it.”

The human, an old man with a squashed pointed cap, is peering out the window, “What did you hope to see out of the telescope at this hour? It’s daytime.”

The young elf gestures with exasperation out this window, “I wasn’t using the telescope. I was just looking out the window!”

Skeeve squints out the window and, with his elven eyes, can just barely make out a black cloud to the north. It is very low. The rest of the sky is blue, with a few puffs of white strewn about. The dark cloud does not look like weather. It is a dark haze that seems to cling to the earth.

There is an argument going on about what they are seeing. Someone suggests a forest fire. That idea is dismissed: Smoke would be rising up and dissipating, not gathering like a lot storm clouds over a single location.

18th of Last Summer (morning)

While Skeeve is at the Mage’s Guild, Enoch visits the archives to show them the completed book.

Councilman Relnar looks over the completed work. Clearly disappointed he states, “Well, a deal is a deal. Here is the promised reward.” He hands Enoch 5,000 gold. This is quite a sum for such a job.

Enoch offers him the book. Relnar looks down like Enoch is offering him the cookbook of a cannibalistic shaman, “I don’t have any use for it. You may keep it.”

While Enoch is at the archives, Thordek finds a blacksmith that deals in custom-crafted weapons. He negotiates for a new hammer, one with his family crest on the face. The blacksmith tries to up-sell him with a number of useless options like silver trim, gold inlay, fancy types of wood for the shaft, exotic leathers for the handle, and so on. All of these would make the weapon more ornate and less practical. The dwarf isn’t having any of it. At length the smith realizes that this is a hammer for crunching foes, not hanging over the hearth, and so he relents. Since all of the parts of the weapon are stock, only the head needs to be custom-crafted. They agree on a price, and Thordek is told his weapon will be done by tomorrow afternoon.

While this is going on, Thu’fir goes shopping and purchases a few healing potions, and a net.

Above the square where his comrades are engaging in commerce, Skeeve is standing in the observatory, examining the black cloud to the north. He realizes something: This is one of the tallest buildings in town (aside from the windowless Citadel) and yet only an elf could spot the cloud without the aid of a telescope. Since the city isn’t awash in telescope-bearing citizens with a penchant for watching the daytime horizon, it seems safe to conclude that the group of wizards in this room are the only people in town who know of this.

Skeeve suspects the cloud is Mordan’s doing. He feels he must speak to the Queen. Below, he can see the bridge to the citadel is guarded and the gates are closed. He turns to the young elf, “How would someone go about talking to the Queen?”

Several people stiffen at that. They attempt to explain the This Just Is Not Done. You don’t ask to see the Queen. Skeeve insists. Someone suggests going to the office of city affairs and petitioning an official there.

The office in question is just a few doors over. He heads over and sees what can be done. Many commoners are standing in long lines, waiting to talk to an official for various reasons. This place seems to be a point where inhabitants from all over Mar Tesaro can come and appeal to the government. Most people seem to be here so that they can have an official arbiter resolve a civil dispute. Others are here to lodge complaints of one form or another. Skeeve makes some subtle inquiries. He doesn’t want to mention Mordan, so he’s having a hard time convincing people he has some valid reason to be taken seriously, much less have his case brought before a high-ranking official.

There doesn’t seem to be any line that leads to the Queen. In desperation, he simply locates the office of the highest city official he can find, and gets in the appropriate line.

Skeeve stands there for a while. He gathers some gossip on how the city works, but can’t figure out who to see about getting a meeting with the Queen. Finally he gets bored and frustrated. He walks to the front of the line and says to someone, “Can I cut in? It’s very important!”

As evening falls, the Office of City Affairs closes for the evening, and the party is released. However, their travel papers are taken away and they are told not to leave the city.

18th of Last Summer (late afternoon)

The party has spent most of the day dealing with various city officials, trying to get someone to hear their case and alert the Queen to the danger in the north. Thordek seeks out the Embassy and meets with the dwarven diplomat. Perhaps his kin have some sway here.

He is welcomed as a brother, and they spend some time talking about smithing and mining. At length, the dwarf lowers his voice, “So brother, any news?”

Thordek realizes that the he must be talking about the coming invasion the dwarves have been planning.

He answers, “Unfortunately, I seem to be the only one who doesn’t know about this.”

He is exasperated, “I thought for sure, with the war! It seemed like the ideal time to strike. Her forces were to the north, fighting the Lormanites. It was the time to make our move. Why did we not act?”

Thordek concludes there is no help to be had here, and returns to the inn, where he finds a detachment of soldiers and a robed man in the lobby, waiting to speak to the party. Once they are all assembled, the robed man introduces himself as General Tarvin, one of only a a small handful of people who get direct orders from the Queen.

The party is encouraged that they are finally getting to talk to someone of importance. They had given up at the public affairs office for the day, concluding the entire matter to be a dead end and a waste of time. They were at a loss as to how to proceed from here, and now one of her generals has come to see them.

The general is a severe human with long dark hair, a deeply creased face, and an aloof manner. He is dressed in red robes and carries a long staff.

He is secretive. He speaks of their business in roundabout ways, as if he expects the lobby of the inn to be packed with spies. He insists he must speak to the party soon, and asks them to meet him on the south end of town in an hour.

They are perplexed by this. Doesn’t this general have some sort of office or headquarters at the city center? Why meet on the ragged edge of town? Why meet at night? Thu’fir asks about this.

The party discusses this and, with some hesitation, agrees to meet with the general.

18th of Last Summer (night)

The address given by general Tarvin is well on the south side of Fol Thron. It is after dark as the party navigates the increasingly narrow and filthy streets, making their way to the appointed meeting place. They pass a number a barracks that house the portions of the Queen’s army that are currently in town and asleep. At length they come to a series of walled-in areas. Some seem to be drilling grounds (judging by the deep ruts of perfectly aligned footprints) while others are storage areas. There are very few lights in this part of town, and the darkness hampers there search for the right place.

They find general Tarvin and a force of six soldiers inside one of these walled areas. The soldiers stand in a crisp formation line behind him, facing forward, unmoving. The general and his men are in more or less the center of the field of packed dirt (in the center) and trampled grass (at the edges). Unlike other adjacent areas, this one is empty. There are no crates of war material, no archery targets, no shanty buildings, and no siege machines. The walls encompass an area of fifty meters. If the general suddenly decides to play some sort of sporting event, they will have plenty of room. They note that the surrounding stone wall is only five feet high, which is climbable to all but the short and encumbered Thordek (who could be pulled over by taller folks in a pinch). So they won’t be trapped, although scaling the wall in a fight might be tricky. They lament one more time that Eomier could not come with them.

Thu’fir rolls open the heavy black-iron gate and they enter. On the way here they have been talking about what an odd and unlikely meeting place this is. Perhaps the general believes the city to be so infested with spies that they must meet in this remote part of the city. Perhaps he is hiding is business from the Queen. Perhaps he just wants a quiet place to dispatch them.

They cross the field and greet him. Tarvis smiles thinly in the dim moonlight. He welcomes them, and then begins reciting what sounds like a practiced speech, “Gentlemen, I know you are strangers in our land, and that this business is far beyond you. I apologize for the poor treatment given to you by our city today. I would like to make things right. I would also like to see the orb in safer hands. There is no need for you to face the armies of Mordan, and we are eager to see the orb in a more secure location. All you need to do is give me the orb, and you can go on your way,” he holds out his hand to receive the orb as he says this.

The party is a bit shocked at this. They have been looking for a way to unload the orb, but now that they are faced with someone who wants it, they are suspicious.

The party gathers together and begins whispering among themselves. They obviously don’t trust this guy. They don’t know what his angle is, but they don’t want to go along with him, for no other reason than this whole setup feels fishy. Skeeve at last stammers, “I understand that you feel that this orb is not safe with me, but I assure you that Mordan will not find us for the time being. I have…”

Tarvis cuts him off, “What do you care what happens to the orb? This island is not your concern. Just surrender the orb and I will give you safe passage south where you can leave this island, and you need never worry about this again.”

Thu’fir jumps in, “Why do you wish to have the orb? Wouldn’t you rather we gave it directly to the Queen?”

Skeeve can see this last question has angered Tarvis, so he tries to smooth it out, “It’s not that we don’t trust you, it’s that we don’t know you. And it seems it would be wiser that we should…”

The party can see where this is going. He’s not going to let them leave without the orb and they have decided not to let him have it. This saves them a lot of agonizing. This is going to turn into a fight sooner or later, so instead of puzzling over the general and his motives, they simply prepare (being as subtle as possible) for the inevitable. A smile comes over Thu’fir’s face. As a blade lord, he is eager to mix it up with a wizard. Thordek whispers to Skeeve, “I don’t wanna give it up. I got yer back.”

There is a long pause. At last Tarvis makes a gesture towards someone or something behind them, and they hear the heavy iron gate roll shut. His voice lowers, “I tire of debating with you. You are placing my entire island at risk with this nonsense. This will be the last time that I ask.”

Skeeve argues, “By giving you the orb we would be placing the island at even greater risk. You are not of…”

Tarvis is unable to hide his rage. His businesslike demeanor has been eroding as they spoke, and he is now openly threatening, “You are weak! Give me the orb!”

Thu’fir is sick of debate. He sees that battle is coming and doesn’t want to give the general the chance to strike first. He blows his horn at the general and his men. They are all knocked back a step and slightly stunned. The others surround the general and unleash their weapons on him. Thordek, seeing that the general is surrounded, leaps over to the the row of soldiers and attacks the one in the middle. He lets out a battle-cry and swings his mighty hammer. Perhaps his palms are sweaty, or perhaps the weight of the new hammer is unfamiliar to him. At any rate, he loses his balance and his grip on the handle, and manages to fling his weapon away, over the heads of the enemy.

This annoys Skeeve to no end. He was preparing to unload a fireball on the tight group of men, and now Thordek is in the middle of that group, unarmed, and on his ass. Skeeve lobs the fireball over their heads and at a point behind them. The moonlit arena is suddenly bathed in a brilliant orange glow and a few of the soldiers are set alight.

The battle is short. Their quick actions at the start of the fight ensured that the enemy never had the chance to mount a serious offensive. The general is cut down and most of the men die in flames. The smell of burning clothes and flesh fills the battlefield.

They find few clues and little else of use on their fallen foes. The general does have one telling item: A golden ring that is used to conceal one’s evil nature. So Tarvis served evil, whatever his intentions were. While removing his ring, they discover a tattoo on the back of his arm:

They step back and look around. The sounds of Thu’fir’s horn call and the ensuing battle were most likely audible for quite some distance. They are now standing over the slain body of a general and the smoking remains of six soldiers. Black smoke rises from the battlefield, hanging over their heads for all to see. The town watch would have to be blind, deaf, and unable to smell burning flesh in order for this to go unnoticed.

As they expected, a number of city watchmen are heading their way as they emerge from the gate. The guards look a little nervous. They demand the party stand forward and explain themselves. They try to sound menacing, but its clear they are ready to piss themselves. These simple men are not used to all-out combat within the city walls and can see they are outclassed.

The party makes a good show of “surrendering” to the guards, without actually giving up their weapons. The guards seem to be quite relieved when they see they are not going to be roasted on the spot. The party explains what has happened. They are brought (still armed) back to the local guardhouse and make a statement under Zone of Truth.

The watchmen listen to their tale and ponder it for a bit. It does seem strange to find General Tarvis (they are easily able to identify his body) holding a meeting with outsiders at night in this part of town. With the general unable to give his side of the story, the guards are more than happy to let them return to the inn while the city watch launches an investigation.

19th of Last Summer (morning)

In the morning, Skeeve wakes up and heads over to the observatory at the top of the Mage’s Guild. The black cloud still clings to the northern horizon. It is a bit larger today, and can be seen by the humans without the aid of the telescope. The town is buzzing with news of this. Commoners look nervously into the sky.

Back at the inn, the others are surprised to see Eomier is back. He was nowhere to be found yesterday, and they spend some time telling him about the black cloud and the fight with the general the night before. Eomier reveals that he spent all of the previous day looking for Norvus.

A group of officials arrives at the inn to meet with the party. The officials inform them that they have been summoned to meet with the Queen! They do not need to go right away. Instead, they are to present themselves at the front gate of the Citadel when ready and they will be granted entry. Once there, they will be instructed further.

Eomier wants to see if he can find Chronicler Norvus. Yesterday, while his companions were busy getting arrested and getting into a fight with General Tarvis, he was working his way through the underside of the city, looking for traces of the exile. After a lot of information-gathering, bribing, eavesdropping, and brawling, he’s managed to get the name and address of someone who might know where Norvus is.

He’s now on the southern side of town, far from the city center. The dark spires of the Citadel in the distance peer at him over the ramshackle houses and smelly taverns that make up this part of the city. He follows the narrow, meandering streets to his destination. As he stands outside of the tiny squat house of uneven wood, he wonders how anyone in this part of town could have the slightest idea of where to find someone like Norvus, who was a wealthy nobleman until a few months ago. It’s hard to imagine he’d be living here.

Eomier knocks on the door. After a few moments, a barrel-shaped woman pulls the door open and eyes him with suspicion. Her proportions are such that if she were just a bit shorter she could be mistaken for a dwarf. She’s wearing tattered apron and seems to be dusted with a coat of flour.

This place is seeming less and less likely, but Eomier has to follow through at this point, “Excuse me ma’am… is Levim here?”

She nods wearily, as if expecting this. She draws in a deep breath and then lets loose with an unexpected cry that shakes the tiny house, “Levim!”

A young boy, barefoot and shirtless, dashes into the room. Before he can say anything his mother explains, “You’ve a guest. But don’t be takin’ all day. You’ve got a delivery te make.” With she she waddles back into the kitchen. The smell of freshly baked bread covers the more pungent odors for a few moments.

Eomier raises an eyebrow. He looks about as much like a guard as he does an orc, “Do I look like a guard to you?”

The boy grins, “Okay. I’ll take you there.” With that, he takes a basket of bread from the table and hangs it over one arm, “Let’s go.”

He leads Eomier further south, closer to the city walls. The boy takes every conceivable shortcut, crawling over fences and cutting through yards in a way that only a child can do without embarrassment. They cut through a small pig farm and find themselves back on the street proper. They follow this until it ends at a massive wooden gate, which has been nailed shut. This was obviously a side entrance to the city in lighter days, and has now been permanently closed. However, the ground in front of the door seems a little well-worn, suggesting that the gate still sees some use somehow.

The boy pushes on the bottom of the door. The huge timbers that make up the door have come loose and can swing forward a bit, creating a gap that is easily usable by a ten-year-old, but is a bit tight for Eomier. By the time Eomier has wiggled through, he can see the boy is following a well-traveled dirt path up the side of a hill. Eomier jogs after him.

A twenty minute walk takes him to the top of the hill where a modest farmhouse is waiting for them. While this was clearly a full-fledged farm in days past, the fields have been fallow for many years. The barn stands empty. There is no livestock to be seen. The house is clean and tidy. A single thread of smoke rises from the chimney.

“Um. Okay,” the kid looks at Eomier and then back at the door. He can sense that he’s missing some element of protocol by taking a stranger into someone else’s house uninvited, but he doesn’t really know how this should be done. With a shrug he pushes the door open and enters. Eomier follows.

The inside is just as neat as the exterior. The two of them pass through the entry room and into the kitchen where a man in a white robe is looking out the window. He turns to greet Levim, and is alarmed when his eyes fall on Eomier. He eyes dart around, looking for weapons within arms’ reach. He grabs a bread knife and holds it between them, “Stand back!”

19th of Last Summer (morning)

Chronicler Norvus is a human, fiftyish, with a neatly trimmed mustache and a full head of short brown hair. He is tall and narrow, and dressed in expensive robes that look odd in this rustic setting. It looks even more odd because he’s waving a bread knife around, trying to look threatening.

Eomier is unfazed by the haphazard threat, “I read your book,” he says, matter-of-factly.

The look on Norvus’ face shifts from alarm to confusion, “You translated the book? Remarkable!”

He then lifts a loaf of bread out of Levim’s basket and cuts it with the knife he’s holding. One hand plunges into the robe and emerges with a few copper coins, which he deposits into the boy’s hand. Levim, thus paid, scurries out without a word.

Norvus is wearing a sly grin, “You know there’s a reward if you show them the book at the archives.”

Norvus is a bit more cautious now, “Good, good. I hope you enjoyed the… stories.”

Now Norvus is annoyed. Why has this man gone to so much trouble to track him down if he doesn’t have anything to say? He frowns, “So you’ve come here to make fun of me? Perhaps you want me to sign the book for you?”

“Ah! So that’s what you’re after. Well, come in here,” and with that he takes his bread and moves into the dinning room to enjoy his meal. “So you’re looking for the Magus Archives? You don’t look like a wizard. You a wizard hunter so something?”

“Yes. Well, I have no idea where it is. In my studies I tried to locate it, but I was unsuccessful.”

Norvus takes another bite of buttered bread, “Some interesting things, actually. While I was traveling in the north, gathering… folklore for my book, I was in Fort Bolland (this was before the war of course) and they let me into the library. I was granted entry under the pretense of gathering folklore, but when I got the chance I snuck into their private library, which is closed to outsiders. I didn’t get a lot of time in there, just a glimpse. There were indeed references to the Magus Archives. I planned on going back at a later time, and seeing if I could learn more, but then the war came. It was a safe bet that the Lormanite army wouldn’t welcome a fussy old man visiting their capital city just so he can read their books. After the city fell, I returned to see that the building – the library I mean – had been burned to the ground. I can only assume those books are lost forever. Nevertheless, I believe the Lormanites may still know where the Archives can be found.”

He pauses to butter another slab of freshly-baked bread before he continues, “It may have been on their half of the island. Perhaps they still have access to it. Perhaps that is why their magic is so strong.” He reflects for a moment, “Although… it wasn’t very strong this time around. Perhaps it isn’t on their side of the island.”

Norvus shrugs, “I suppose he might have. Of course, I’ve heard the entire Lorman family was wiped out when Fort Bolland fell.”

Eomier nods without commenting on the prince. “Would Sagemaster Teerin know where to find the Magus Archives?”

Norvus continues, “It’s hard to say. His relationship with the guild has always been a bit strained. He’s never approved of their morality-neutral outlook. He’s certainly one of the world’s strongest users of magic, and he does deal with the guild from time to time. But would they tell him the location of their secret library on Mar Tesaro? Would he be able to divine the location on his own? I don’t know.”

“Well, at the time I advocated the position that the folklore in my book is true.”

Norvus looks sly, “Because I’m a harmless old man and because I recanted.”

“No. At least, nobody of any influence on Mar Tesaro. Which is why I wrote the book. I was hoping someone outside of the Alidians would see the story. I think the story speaks for itself for those not clouded by the curse.”

Eomier asks, “This curse… thing. With the mountain. Why do you believe it, when nobody else does?”

“It’s pure conjecture, but I would guess that it’s because I’ve never taken any of the riches of Khelberg. I’ve never profited from the mining here. So, I don’t think the curse is affecting my judgment.”

Eomier raises an eyebrow. This seems strange that Norvus could live here all these years and not take any money.

Norvus explains, “My family is quite wealthy. I have lived on my own reserves since arriving, so I’ve never taken part in the curse. Once someone takes the riches of the mountain, the curse is on them.”

Eomier ponders this, “Even second hand? Like if some farmer sells his food to someone who has gold or whatever from the mountain…”

Norvus looks grim, “I don’t know how it works. Some people – like the leaders, for example – are obsessed, greedy, and often paranoid. They become enraged if you even suggest that the legends are true. Others are annoyed at the stories. Others simply laugh. I don’t understand it myself.”

Eomier thinks about this for a moment, “So you’re saying that the people under the curse don’t believe it, but people not under the curse do?”

Norvus sighs, “I don’t know if I would think of it that way. Try this: People under the curse are driven to acquire more treasure from the mountain, right? We know this to be true. We also know that they hate and distrust others that try to do the same. This breeds conflict and war, which is the whole point of the curse.”

“So, their own actions seem perfectly reasonable to themselves, but an outsider can see they are being irrational, or at least taking their greed to an extreme. Someone under the curse won’t believe in it, because it doesn’t make sense to them. They don’t feel like they are being unreasonable. They don’t feel cursed.”

Eomier nods, “I think I get it.” Then he changes the subject again, “Have you seen the sky?”

It turns out that years of sitting in the dark writing books have taken their toll on Norvus’ eyesight. He can’t see the dark cloud to the north, so Eomier describes it. He tells Norvus that Mordan is free.

There is a long silence. Sun streams in through the small windows of the farmhouse. The morning is slipping away. It will be midday soon. The fire in Norvus’ hearth has gone out and the spent wood sits smoldering under his forgotten teakettle.

At last Norvus nods, as if coming to a decision, “I guess I’d better pack.”

Session 9

19th of Last Summer (afternoon)

They stand outside of the gates of the Citadel. They are in the central square, which is ringed with shops, city buildings, and various meeting places. Numerous inhabitants of the city hurry past them. The afternoon sun washes over them as they look up at the dark, towering spires of the Citadel. A detachment of guards stands before the gate.

This is no small thing they are about to do. From what they have gathered, the Queen rarely has visitors. She lives a reclusive life inside the lightless Citadel, commanding her minions through unknown (probably magical) means. Now she has agreed to meet with them. All five of them. Eomier, Skeeve, Thordek, Enoch and Thu’fir stand together and discuss the coming meeting.

None of them knows what to expect. She rules this land ruthlessly, and has just prosecuted a particularly bloody war against the inhabitants to the north. They have seen the sorts of malice and cruelty of which she is capable. Already one of her generals has tried to kill them. Was he working for her? For someone else? Why would she summon them to the Citadel? Does she know about Mordan? Is she bringing them here for revenge? To take the orb? To extract information?

At length Eomier points out that they should all go in armed. If they are not allowed to take their weapons in with them, then they should leave. Some agree. Others disagree. Skeeve points out that her power is such that their weapons offer them no real comfort: She could kill them all easily, armed or not. A debate ensues.

They present themselves to the commander at the gates and identify themselves. He blows a horn and the massive wooden gate is pulled up, opening the way to the stone bridge that connects the Citadel with the rest of the city. They cross, and are met on the opposite side by the gatemaster.

The gatemaster is a large man. His long dark hair, streaked with gray, is pulled back into a thick ponytail. Beefy arms extend from the embossed plate mail covering his chest, like the limbs of a mighty tree. His beard is well-trimmed, and his face bears the lines of many grim years. With a deep, authoritative voice, he introduces himself as Gatemaster Fulan. The doors stand open behind him, and he beckons the party to enter.

They find themselves is a massive circular hall. The ceiling is obscured in darkness far above. The floor is smooth, polished marble. In the center of the room is a single black pedestal. It holds nothing but a thin layer of dust. There are several closed iron doorways that presumably lead to other areas of the Citadel.

The group gathers before Gatemaster Fulan. He unfolds several papers. He takes their names, and checks each of them off of his list as they introduce themselves.

Finally he begins, “Welcome gentlemen. I assume you are aware of just how rare it is that visitors – particularly foreigners – are given an audience with Queen Alidia.”

“And so I need to give you a bit of a warning. Don’t speak rashly. Speak truthfully. Respectfully. If you kindle her anger, likely as not she’ll just kill you. If anyone dies, you’ll be able to recover the body in the lower morgue, back near the servant’s entrance. You’ll have three days to recover the body of your companions for burial, if you like. If you haven’t come ’round to collect them by the end of three days, the staff will dispose of it as suits them. That usually means incineration. Now, just mind your manners and I doubt we’ll have any problems along these lines. The only other thing is that you’d probably ought not bring up her…” He points to his eyes significantly, indicating the Queen’s blindness.

Fulan nods, “A light will be provided for you. I’d caution you against lighting your own. The Queen is blind but can still see, if you take my meaning. And she would probably take offense if you lit the place up. However, like I said, a light will be provided for you. I’m sure you appreciate how unusual this is.”

He glances down at his paper before he continues, “Now each of you will enter as your names are called.”

They are all shocked by this. They just spent a long time deciding what they would do if they were obliged to leave their weapons behind. Now they find they are free to take their weapons, but that they are not going in together.

They argue on this point, but Fulan seems to have little choice. They may either accept these terms, or leave.

19th of Last Summer (afternoon)

They stand in the open hallway for some time. The Citadel is silent. The only sounds come from the open market outside.

At last, a young woman with a dark veil over her eyes enters the room and rings a small handbell. “Eomier and Thu’fir,” she announces.

Eomier and Thu’fir step forward. A heavy iron door opens on its own, and they enter.

They proceed through through a large black door at the far side of the room. There is no handle, only a single silver eye affixed in the center of the door. The door opens silently as they approach, reveling absolute darkness beyond.

Once through, the door closes behind them. For a while they are in absolute darkness. At length, their eyes adjust and are able to make out a dim red light in the distance.

Their footsteps echo off the smooth marble floor. Despite it being late summer, it is quite cold here. Perhaps if there was enough light they could even see their own breath.

As the two men draw near the source of the light, they can see it comes from a very tall, narrow door ahead. The door is about two feet wide, and perhaps twenty feet tall. Beyond, there is a massive chamber.

Inside the room there is a great throne carved from pure marble. Before the throne is the Queen herself. She is robed, and wears a black mask that covers her eyes. Like the helmets of her soldiers, it bears the symbol of a single pierced eye in the center.

The room is bathed in steady red light, which comes from a point just above the Queen. It is difficult to see the source of this light; it stings the eyes when looked at directly.

“Welcome,” her voice is otherworldly. It seems to come from the walls, echoing throughout the massive throne room. “Welcome, liberators of Mordan.”

There is a long pause. She seems to be waiting for them to reply. Thu’fir nods respectfully, “A pleasure, majesty.”

Her voice rises once again, “Gentlemen, I have a task for you. Mordan gathers power to the north. His power is diminished since last he walked the earth. If it were not so, we would be under siege by now.

“Through my many spies I can see he is sending a servant to parlay with me who, even now, is riding south to this city. He will bring demands from the Dark Lord. I do not wish to hear them. It is forbidden to strike at one who comes as an emissary. All but the Dark Lord himself honor such etiquette. I will not move against him myself. However, you can. You do not serve me and are not under my rule.”

She continues, “I suggest that you ride north at once and slay him before he reaches the city in two days. He travels in a group of eight soldiers. Do not underestimate him. He is a deadly sorcerer. Strike at him while he sleeps if you intend to live. Once defeated, take any rings or small jewelry he wears and bury them at once. Do not take any of his jewelry, unless you mean to reveal to Mordan what you have done. Anything else you find you may keep or leave as you wish. Beware of Mordan. His power is growing. His grave walkers are abroad, hiding, throughout my lands. They are becoming stronger.”

The Queen seems to approve. “You are very wise. It is your old employer, and my former servant, the traitorous Noreeno. He failed his master when he did not have the wit to take the orb from you. His reward is that he must now ride south and act as the mouthpiece for his master.”

She nods. The word “yes” fills the chamber. “I was also aware that Noreeno was not loyal to me as well, but I never guessed that he was a Child of the Citadel. Even the Mighty Lucan Forwinol believed them to be extinct at the end of the dark war against Mordan. Both Lucan and I thought their kind were extinct. Now we learn that it is not so. They have lived among us, in secret, all these long years. They have passed their corruption on through the generations. How they have done this for so long while escaping my notice is unknown to me.

“So I believed Noreeno was one of many fools I allow to serve me, full of schemes and foolishness, but useful at times. If I had even suspected that he was a servant of Mordan I would have slain him at once. The general was of the same kind: another Child of the Citadel.”

Her reply comes, “This is a question I have asked myself many times since Mordan arose. Do not mistake my blindness. I see everything. All that happens within my land is known to me. I saw your ship flee Fort Bolland. I saw you fleeing south over Tinderward. I saw Noreeno hiding war supplies for himself, moving men around, gathering power to himself. I intended to displace him well before he had the might to attempt to overthrow me. But now I see much has been hidden from me. The children have made themselves part of my kingdom, as my servants, my generals and magistrates.”

Eomier asks, “Majesty, if I may: Why would Mordan send a messenger at all? And why would he send this traitor?”

“He means to taunt me, by flaunting this traitor in front of me. Believing that I will not move against one who comes to parlay, that I would not dare kill an emissary. Mordan remembers me from long ago, but my nature has changed since last we faced one another.”

“I would suggest you take such friends as you have. Noreeno will not be easy prey. He may dress and speak like a bureaucrat, but he wields a deadly magic that you should fear.”

“Yes. And you snatched him away. That doesn’t happen very often. But I never learned his name. His mind was too strong to penetrate. His will is great, and I could never learn anything of use from him, even when he wore the helmet.”

“I have a request,” Eomier adds, “I wish for Beck and Endo to be allowed to leave the island.”

“What you ask is not mine to give.” She explains, “Yesternight one of my ships arrived in Telwin port… burning. He has done this in the past, during our last struggle against him. Foul black birds will fly out from land and cover the ship from stem to stern. They sit on the railings, the yardarm, the mast, on every rope and on every place a bird might perch. They cry out with terrible shrieking voices, driving the sailors mad with their noise. When at last a bird is killed, the feathers scatter and burst into flames. Other birds are set alight, and the ship is consumed in the flames. Expect Mordan to block your escape from the island. He is able to block my powers. I can no longer see my lands to the north. Everything from Crossway to Fort Bolwood is dark to me.”

Eomier is getting bold by now, and decides to question her. He does so very politely, “Your majesty, I do not mean to question your motives, but I am curious as to why you have asked us to come in small groups like this instead of allowing all of us to enter…”

She holds up a single silencing hand, “It has been over a century since I had more than two visitors. In this very room, long ago, I had three visitors, who I believed to be friends. And I have never seen the sun since that day.”

Eomier and Thu’fir sense that this might not be the safest topic of conversation, so Eomier changes the subject, “We read a book. It was written by a man named Norvus.”

Well, the book mentions a place called the Magus Archives. We were hoping to learn where that is.

“I was hoping to wrest those secrets from King Dravis Lorman when we took fort Bolland. At the time, then-Commander Noreeno said that Dravis had fought to the death, which surprised me. Now I wonder if Dravis didn’t surrender as I expected, but was slain anyway by Noreeno.”

Their curiosity thus quenched, the Queen concludes the meeting with Thu’fir and Eomier. They bow and are led out by another of the Queen’s veiled servants.

19th of Last Summer (afternoon)

Eomier and Thu’fir arrive back at the entry hall where the others are waiting. Once their eyes adjust to normal light they begin to relay the details of their meeting with the Queen.

While they are still talking, another servant comes out and rings her bell. She speaks a single name, “Thordek Earthguard.”

Thordek follows the same path of darkness that Eomier and Thu’fir traveled. His keen dwarven eyes allow him to navigate more easily than they did in the darkness. At last he arrives alone at the throne room of Queen Alidia.

As a gesture of respect, he places his hammer on the ground, and speaks with her empty-handed.

Her voice echoes from the walls, “Welcome, son of the earth. You are the first dwarf to be allowed within my halls since before you were born. Like all dwarves, it seems you bring trouble with you. So now, shall we be friends or enemies? I have but one question for you. Answer in truth and we will be allies. Answer in deceit and become my enemy.”

She pauses, giving her question the proper weight, “I know the ways of dwarves. They will never rest while Khelberg is ruled by others. It has been many ill years since they last attempted to take the mountain from me. Here now, what whisperings have you heard? Are the dwarves planning to invade me once more?”

Thordek is quiet for a long time, considering her question. At last he replies, “I have gathered many rumors from my brethren in this land. It seems they did indeed have a plan to invade, but have forsaken it. The agents here have waited in vain for an order that never came.”

She replies, “I will remember the words you have spoken to me today. Leave me.”

Thordek is startled by this. She turns away, moving away from the red light that illuminates her and into the darkness. He looks around in confusion for a moment. Is that it?

19th of Last Summer (late afternoon)

Back in the main hall, the other members of the party are surprised to see Thordek return so soon. In fact, Eomier has not yet finished giving an account of his meeting with the Queen when Thordek arrives.

Thu’fir has left the Citadel on an errand. Upon hearing that they should bury Noreeno’s jewelry, he remembered the ring they recovered from General Tarvis. He suspects this ring is exactly the sort of thing she was talking about, and he has hurried off to find a suitable place to bury it.

Before the others can question Thordek about his short interview, a bell rings and a female voice announces, “Enoch and Skeeve.”

The iron door opens, and Enoch and Skeeve enter the darkness. They seek the red light, just as their companions did. At last they find themselves before the throne of Queen Alidia.

She greets them, “Welcome Skeeve, keeper of the orb. And Enoch: My castle is ever dark and I hate the light. It is a strange day indeed when I invite a servant of the sun into my home.”

She continues, “I have no doubt you have both noticed that Mordan is seeking the orb. The fight you had with my traitorous general should be enough of a warning: Many will come forward to claim the orb. Some will serve Mordan. Some will serve themselves. The fact that both my own general and Magistrate Noreeno are allied with Mordan has shown me that the Children of the Citadel are not extinct, as we all thought they were. They have hidden among us, all these long years, waiting for the chance to free their master. Watch for them. You must not give the orb to anyone. Not to a trusted friend. Not to any who claim to serve me or act in my name. Not even for a moment. Guard it with your life. I warn you: Mordan will work to drive you mad through the orb. Soon he will appear in your dreams and fill you with fear. You will be safe from his influence within my city, but be prepared for his deceptions once you leave Fol Thron.”

The Queen answers, “There is no hope. We are now working to delay the inevitable. Perhaps a solution will present itself.”

Enoch poses a question, “Couldn’t we return to orb to where we found it, and then he would be imprisoned again?”

“A cunning thought. It is true that if his crypt is intact he could again be imprisoned. However, I can no longer see my lands to the north. Everything from Crossway to Fort Bolwood is dark to me. I do not know if it is even possible to retake the crypt. Also, Mordan is no fool. He may simply unmake his former prison. If he destroys it, then your hope is lost, for none that now live have the magic to construct another.

“So yes, if you can re-take Crossway. If he has not destroyed his prison. If you can reach the chamber and replace the orb. And then if you can defeat him in battle. Once all of this is done, he will once again be imprisoned.”

This sounds a little unlikely to Enoch and Skeeve. Enoch presents another carefully worded question, “I have read some of the folklore of your land, and read of some of the legends of the mountain. In particular… um… it seems like they are, I mean…” He falters, wary of offending her.

He is encouraged by this, so he pushes on, “What if that curse is lifted? Would that weaken Mordan or…?”

She looks amused, “Lift the curse? You may try if you think you know how. But to answer your question: No, lifting the curse of Fiore would not daunt Mordan. These are two separate challenges. But if you think you have the might to face both Mordan as well as search for the undoing of an ancient curse then by all means do so.”

Enoch is cowed by this, but something has caught Skeeve’s attention, “You say you believe in the curse of Fiore, yet your scholars teach that it is a false heresy. Why do you forbid that which you know to be true?”

At this, she steps back and sits on the great dark throne. She begins her tale, “You have read the history of these lands. You know that none have passed on their power to their own, as is the custom of kings and queens. The history of Mar Tesaro is a history of war, murder, betrayal, and revolution as one power supplants another. Power is never passed on; it has always been taken. Most rulers here have made the mistake of being too weak and allowing their enemies to multiply, or too cruel and forcing them to unite. Mordan: Too cruel. Ingol: too cruel. Rhone: not nearly cruel enough. And so it goes.

“The secret of ruling Khelberg is keeping the right balance of control. This is why I have ruled longer than any other. So to answer your question, if I were to allow that the teachings were true, it would cause my foes among my own people to multiply – to question my strength and my right to rule.

Skeeve and Enoch are not really persuaded by this answer, although they don’t dare question it. She seems to sense it, so she adds, “Perhaps it would help to know that I have not had more than two visitors in over a century. Long ago, Pallas Lorman came to me as a friend, after the war against Mordan. He came and offered me a gift: a spell of magical regeneration. It would heal my wounds, no matter how terrible, as long as I could still draw breath. The spell would preserve me and keep me whole for many long years if I accepted it. He cautioned me that the spell held a danger: If the spell was ever removed, I would instantly die.”

Enoch and Skeeve look at each other. They are not sure what to make of the tale so far.

She continues, “I accepted this gift from my new friend, and I even thanked him for it, though it would be my undoing. His treachery was revealed when he met with me, in this very room, with two of his lieutenants. He began to cast a spell which would lift the healing, causing me to die. Another ran towards me with a sword, seeking to plunge it into my heart. The other cast a spell upon my eyes to blind me. I only had time to stop one of the three. What could I do? If Lorman succeeded, I would die. I slew him, and endured the other two. Lorman’s ‘gift’ saved my life, but I pay the price to this very day. The spell on my eyes caused them to be burned away. The healing gift restores them. The two spells ever work against each other, burning my eyes but never fully consuming them. The pain of this is beyond your imagining.

They aren’t sure if this really answers their question or not, but neither Skeeve nor Enoch is going to press the point with her now.

Now the Queen stands. She steps forward and presents Skeeve with a simple hooded cloak of thin, earth-colored thread, “I give you this gift. When worn, it will shield your mind from the influence of Mordan. It will not keep him at bay forever, but it may delay madness if you wear it in your travels.”

19th of Last Summer (evening)

Once Skeeve and Enoch emerge from the meeting with the Queen, Fulan meets them in the main hall. Their travel papers are returned. Fulan provides them with additional horses, so that they will no longer have to share. This will speed travel for all of them.

The entire party returns to the inn. There is much to discuss. Endo and Beck join them. They debate at length on the job the Queen has given them. She has asked them to kill Noreeno. Now, they are happy to do this job. In fact, Eomier promised Noreeno that he would kill him. However, they have noticed that everyone seems to have secret motives and agendas. They are wary of being used again.

At length they come up with a plan: Endo is to ride south and seek out his friend, the prince. The rest of them will ride north and attempt to intercept Noreeno. However, instead of killing him outright, they plan to capture him and see what information they can extract from him before he dies.

20th of Last Summer (morning)

At dawn the party leaves town. With fresh supplies and Alidian horses they ride swiftly east. Hours pass. They turn north and ride past Della Minera without stopping. At midday they cross the bridge and turn west.

As the sun sets they top the hill and ride into the small halfling village of Hillstead. This is obviously a farming community, with many farms dotting the surrounding countryside. There is a standard detachment of Alidian guards at the entrance to the city: a group of bored Alidian soldiers, and four elite guards. After their papers are checked, they are granted entry into the village proper. The “streets” of the city are simple dirt paths that wind around the clusters of tidy cottages and small gardens. Many homes have a ribbon of smoke that drifts upward from the chimney. The smell of food is in the air as the halflings ready their evening meals. The town is quiet and unhurried. The party is greeted with polite but uninterested smiles if they are noticed at all.

They were here just a few days ago, but a lot has happened since then. They check into the inn.

The place is small by the standards of most towns, although here it towers over the other buildings. The rooms are made for “big people” although they still feel a bit small to the humans in the group. The building has but one main entrance, which leads into the tavern / dinning area. At this time of day the tables are mostly empty, but after mealtime they expect it will be quite crowded as the farmers gather to share some ale together. Through the open doorway to the left is the office where they sign in, and the modest five rooms the place has to offer. There are no other guests in town today, so the party simply takes all of the available rooms for themselves.

The north side of the building (the back) faces a number of small chicken and pig farms. The south side of the building faces what passes for a main street in this town. It is a dirt path that is slightly broader than the others in the village. From the front step of the inn, it is possible to look down this path and see the main gates of the city.

If the Queen was right, then Noreeno should be arriving sometime tomorrow. They have a full day to formulate their plan, whatever it is.

They conclude that Noreeno will certainly come to this town, unless he plans to sleep in the wilderness – which doesn’t sound likely. He will doubtless have a number of men with him, as well as his cleric friend. This inn is the only one in town.

So they can be reasonably sure that Noreeno will be staying in one of these five rooms tomorrow night. By reserving rooms themselves, they can control which rooms will be available for him.

But what of his men? They expect he will have several. Will they all crowd into one room of the inn? Will they stand watch outside his room? Inside his room?

They reserve every room in the inn except one. This means that when Noreeno shows up they know which room he’ll be in.

Evening closes in, and as they hoped he shows up and checks into room 4, which they left open. His bodyguards aren’t around. Perhaps they are staying outside the village, or rooming at the local barracks. If the Queen was correct and he’s traveling with a half dozen men, then it would be unlikely they would fit in the inn, even if the party hadn’t grabbed all of the other rooms. The party remains hidden in their rooms until nightfall.

At midnight they gather outside of Noreeno’s window. Enoch casts silence on the area and Thordek smashes in the window (which makes no sound because it falls within the radius of the silence spell). He crawls in and finds Noreeno asleep in his bed, undisturbed. Just for safety, Thordek gives Noreeno a couple of good whacks with his mighty hammer, to make sure he doesn’t wake up. He then tosses the magistrate out the window and they drag him out into the woods north of town. They manage to pull all of this off without rousing the town watch.

They drag Noreeno out of town and tie him to a tree. They remove his ring and Thu’fir buries it nearby. Then they wake him up.

They learn that Mordan’s followers have been meeting in various basements and secret rooms throughout the kingdom. The meeting places are enchanted in various ways to keep out the prying eyes of the Queen and whatever spies she may employ. Beck learns the locations of some of these meeting places. He also learns that there are not more than 100 followers of Mordan in the land. Finally, they also learn that Mordan is again set on conquering the mountain. Also: war and revenge. Not much of a surprise there, but it was good to have it confirmed.

As the sun rises, Beck returns to the others from his grim night of work. He’s bloody and tired. He reports his findings to the others.

Morning comes and the town gets noisy. Noreeno’s men have discovered his empty room and broken window. The alarm is raised in town and the town guards began to fan out and search for Noreeno.

They make ready to leave and it dawns on them: Their horses are stabled back in town! They can’t hope to sneak into town in broad daylight to recover them. They can’t afford to hang around until nightfall, or they will end up fighting with the town watch or the local soldiers who are now looking for the magistrate.

As the the soldiers draw near, the party silently retreats into the woods and heads south on foot.

Session 10

Eomier talks to the captain in charge of this mining camp. Eomier bluffs his way though this, making the captain think that the players were sent from Fol Thron to deal with the rioting and work stoppage. This is made easier by the fact that they do have papers proclaiming them to be in service on the Queen, and the fact that the captain would really rather let someone else handle this. They get a lot of license for how they want to handle the problem.

The players have already decided they want the slaves free. Now they need to figure out how to pull it off.

There isn’t much in the way of fences. The prisoners are kept in place by keeping them on the edge of starvation. If they escaped, where would they go? It would be a long, hard trip north with no food and no supplies if they just ran off. They would need to stay hidden, and find some way to cross the river without using the bridge. So, their hungry bellies keep them from running off. Also, there is the very real threat of reprisals against their fellow slaves. If someone runs off, everyone else gets punished. These two facts keep the slaves in the camp.

Enoch and Thordek head up the hill to the mines themselves. They journey inward. There are mine carts and some crude tracks at the entrance. Inside, the tunnel heads downward for a while before leveling off into several branching paths. Enoch is able to detect the evil auras of gravewalkers nearby. They head back outside and explain their findings to the others.

Eomier gathers up a group of twelve slaves, which they learn is the size of a normal shift of workers. They lead these slaves up the mountain to the mine entrance. The guards stay at the camp. They trust Eomier to handle the slaves without allowing any of them to escape.

At the entrance, the slaves flat-out refuse to go inside. Eomier explains that they don’t have to. The party then hands over all of their food. The slaves take a few pickaxes from the tools nearby, which seems better than leaving empty-handed. The slaves have no knowledge of how the war went or where they might seek refuge. Skeeve shows them a map of where they are, and where the Alidian guards have their choke points on the road. They suggest to the slaves that Joland Village is a good place to go. Since their young men are gone, the slaves would be most welcome. The Alidians didn’t bother to leave forces in the little village, so it will be a safe place for them to hide out.

Having freed the slaves, all the party has to do now is conceal their crime. They take the remaining tools, drop them into the mining carts, and roll them down into the mines. Then they wait for twelve hours, and head back down to the mining camp.

Eomier explains to the captain that the slaves went in and never came back out. He reports that their cleric has sensed some sort of evil creatures inside. The guards can only conclude that the creatures killed all the slaves.

They could continue to run the camp with a high casualty count, but running it with a casualty rate of 100% is pointless. The captain is pretty scared now, since he is forced to report to his masters that he can’t get anything out of the mines at this point.

The party leaves Della Minera and heads for Fol Thron. They pick up Endo, who has been hanging around town and keeping a low profile. There are conversations at the Mage’s Guild and elsewhere.

They discuss their next move. They want to find the Mage’s Archives. They think (hope) it will have some clue as to what to do with Mordan. They have no idea where to look for it. Their only lead is that Prince Garret Lorman, who traveled with Endo for a while, might know where it is. Garret’s father was King Dravis Lorman, ruler of the northern half of this island. Dravis started the war, and if the rumors are true he died in the battle of Fort Boland. According to Endo, Garret cares nothing for the throne, his former kingdom, or his place as heir. He has been schooled abroad, and his only goal now seems to be getting “home,” which is back to wherever he was attending school. Somewhere off this island, anyway.

Endo doesn’t know where Garret is. The two of them were fleeing south when the Alidian soldiers attempted to arrest them in Crossway. Endo fought them so that Garret could escape. Their goal was to get off the island. Where would Garret go after Endo was captured? They check the map:

They have been to Tal Podere and Hillstead. Garret would stick out too much in the halfling-dominated Hillstead. He wasn’t in Tal Podere when the party stopped there for a few days, and that would be an unlikely hiding place. Dockhouse was much too small to enter unnoticed, and Sar Diga seems a bit too out-of-the-way. He wasn’t in Della Minera on any of their visits to that town. He (hopefully) isn’t stupid enough to try to hide right under the Queen’s nose here in Fol Thron. So, he much be someplace south. Since he was trying to escape the island, it would make sense to head for Telwin Port. The party decides to look for him there.

Beck has been looking ragged and run-down recently, but as they near the town he smells the ocean and perks up. He leaves them and heads to the docks to find work. It appears as though a ship is currently under construction.

They mill around town and look for Garret. There they find that Garret is in jail. Apparently he was in the tavern when someone spoke ill of Dravis Lorman. He unwisely defended his father’s honor (at least he had the wit to leave out the fact that Dravis was his father) and lost badly. The man he attacked was a nobleman, and so Garret was tossed into jail for one month, or until he could come up with the unlikely sum of 15 gold.

The players bail him out. As he sees Endo, he cries out, “Sensei!” and hugs him. Endo stands with his hands at his sides, embarrassed. This is not how you greet a stoic monk. Furthermore, he’s uncomfortable with being called Sensei, particularly by a kid who just lost a fight with a nobleman.

Garret is a young man, not yet twenty. He’s young, eager, and naive. His head is all stubble right now. Apparently he shaved his head recently, probably before he was thrown into jail. Everyone notes Endo’s baldness and sees that the kid is emulating his reluctant “master.”

They grill Garret about the location of the Magus Archives. As they guessed, he does know where to find it. It is in the far southeast of the island.

They rest for the night. Beck decides to take a job on the docks, working on the ship being built there.

The rest of the party leaves town, taking Garret with them. They strike east, heading for the small town of Washport. They arrive without incident. There are no roads going East from here, so they pay to have the horses stabled and plan to proceed on foot.

Session 11

The party loads up on supplies and then heads east from the town of Washport. The terrain ahead looks uneven and rocky, so they head out on foot, leaving their horses behind.

They are looking for the Magus Archives. They are taking young Garret Lorman with them. As the last prince of the Lorman line, he’s the only person who still knows how to find it. The building is obscured by unknown magic, and a full search of the barren wastes of the south would be difficult and dangerous. Without Garret, they would have no hope of finding the place in time to make use of its secrets.

They make decent time, given the nature of the land. By mid-day they are clear of the trees and begin to make their way over the tumbling, rocky hills. There are scruffy patches of green clinging to what little soil can be found amongst the rocks. To the north they can see the near-vertical southern face of Khelberg. It is grim and dark.

Evening comes and they make camp. Thordek watches. Thordek sees movement in the distance during his watch, but it is too distant to see what it is. Something is out there among the moonlit rocks, though.

He decides to stand watch and lets Thordek sleep. Thordek warns Skeeve about the non-specific movement in the distance, and then goes to sleep.

Skeeve decides to check it out. He casts fly and glides into the air, heading north towards whatever Thordek saw.

Skeeve sees a figure walking north, just below him. As he descends, the figure vanishes like a mirage. To his right he sees another, also walking north. Again, as he draws near it becomes more difficult to see. It’s like looking at fog. Up close it’s invisible, but at a distance it can be clearly seen. For a while he doesn’t see any more. Then he sees many. He chases them around for a while, moving steadily north.

Eventually he figures out that the figures can only been seen at a distance, and only when they are illuminated by direct moonlight. They are ghostly figures, and pay him no heed. They are elven in appearance, although their dress is unfamiliar to him and strangely rustic. They gather at the crown of a hill and look up towards the slopes of Khelberg.

He returns to camp and the night passes. In the morning he tells everyone what he saw, and they give him an earful for abandoning his post while on watch, and for not waking them up when there was potential danger nearby.

The next day they continue their journey east. On the way they intrude on the territory of an ettin and are obliged to kill it. It is a quick fight but the smell gives them something to complain about for a while.

To nobody’s great surprise, Garret is nearly useless in combat. He tries to use martial arts, kicking and flailing his arms in a sad imitation of Endo. He mostly ends up just thrashing around and making a fool of himself. He’s like a kid who has just walked out of his first martial art movie and has decided he’s Bruce Lee. He spends most of the fight on his butt. Eomier instructs him to keep out of the fight next time.

The party continues east. Several times throughout the trip they see Garret scanning the horizon through a spyglass, looking at it through the wrong end. They have written Garret off as an idiot by this point, so they let it slide without comment. Eventually this gets on Eomier’s nerves and he tries to show Garret how to use a spyglass.

Garret explains that this is how the Magus Archives can be seen. Up close (within a hundred or so paces) it can be plainly seen, but at a distance it can only be spotted by looking through the wrong end of a spyglass.

They locate the Magus Archives. The building is a modest tower – more of a “lighthouse” style tower than the classic “wizard” spire. The tower is joined to a squat, round building made from the dusty gray stones of this region. The building is perched atop a small cliff that plunges down into the churning sea below. On the southern side of the building are a few stone steps that, if you were to descend them, would drop you down the cliff into the ocean.

The place is sealed tight, and they must break in. The front door is smooth and featureless. They conclude that it must be magical. There are no windows. Tall grass and a few slender vines have embraced the base of the building. The walls are sound. The place is old, but not crumbling.

They walk around the building, looking for clues as to how they might enter. Garret has no idea.

Finally Skeeve uses his magic to fly onto the flat roof of this lower section. A hatch is here, which appears to lead down into the building. The hatch is locked.

Eomier tosses him a rope. Skeeve ties one end to the iron handle of the hatch, and throws the rest back down so the others can climb up. Eomier and Thu’fir come up, and Eomier picks the lock.

All of this is a bit confusing. It seems like there is a lot of security here, all of which can be easily circumvented with a bit of rope. What’s the use of having a magical front door if someone can enter through a mundane, non-magical hatch in the roof?

Eomier slips in through the hatch. As expected, it is quite dark inside with no windows. The air is stagnant. This place was well-sealed, and perhaps very near airtight. From what little daylight makes it in through the hatch, he can see that he is at the top of a rickety wooden staircase leading down to floor level. This room is either a small library or a large study. Bookshelves line the outer wall. Taking a light, he goes down alone and explores the room. He’s careful to remain silent, and keep his eyes open for traps. This place was made by wizards, and there is no telling what sorts of surprises they left for intruders.

In the middle of the room is a statue with a couple of valuables (gear) placed upon it. He doesn’t even bother checking for traps – this is exactly the sort of thing a wizard would put there to lure a thief. He gives the statue a lot of room. He’s not here to rob the place.

There are a couple of tables here, but no chairs. Two doors lead to other areas. One leads to a kitchen, the other leads to a spiral staircase that ascends the tower. He decides to let everyone else in before exploring the rest of the building.

There is a small, narrow entryway on the north wall that leads to the other side of the smooth front door. He sneaks over, checks for traps, and then examines the door itself. It turns out the door is smooth on this side as well. Eomier can see no way of opening it. The only clue is that there is a fine red pull rope here, which leads up into a hole in the ceiling.

Seeing the room is clear of traps, he goes back to the roof and signals for everyone else to climb up. He makes sure to tell them to keep their hands off the statue.

The rest of the party enters except for Garret, who lacks the upper body strength to climb the rope, and for Endo, who stays with him. Everyone else comes in and begins rummaging around carelessly in a way that makes the stealthy and cautious Eomier crazy.

Skeeve looks at the front door. He looks at the fancy red rope. Pondering this, he figures that if he pulls down on the rope it will open the door, and let Garret and Endo in.

Skeeve pulls the rope. The door does not move, but from the tower above they can hear the booming sound of a large bell ringing.

They brace themselves for a some sort of danger or trap, but after a few seconds the ringing dies down and the place is quiet again.

Enoch ascends the spiral stairs. At the top is another hatch (easily unlocked from the inside) which leads to a modest watch-room. There are tall, narrow windows looking out in every direction. There is a rotting desk here, and the frame of a rotting bed. This room was not sealed, and the furniture has obviously decayed in the years this place has stood empty.

Also here is a black, cast-iron bell about the size of a large bowl. It hangs from a rope, which Enoch guesses leads down to the front door. There is another rope nearby. After some experimenting they figure out that this second rope is the one that opens the front door. He uses it and lets Endo and Garret inside.

Back in the library, the rest of the party is still exploring. The books are still on the shelves, but otherwise the place is devoid of furniture. The kitchen has a stove and a table, but otherwise the place is empty. The kitchen also leads to what they assume is the sleeping room. That room is bare. This place was obviously stripped clean before it was abandoned, and it has has remained sealed and unspoiled since then.

Session 12

The party awakens in the Magus Archives. They spend some time going through the library, and find some books of use. They learn the location of the shaft dug by the dwarves who imprisoned Fiore. They decide this is an interesting find. The site is less than a day from here. It is finally decided that they will go there in search of clues.

They want to be able to get back into the archives without breaking in again, so they leave Garret and Endo behind. The party sets out for the mountain.

They head due north for most of the day, and then turn west and travel along the base of the southern cliff. They are looking for the clues and signs that indicate the entrance to the prison of Fiore. Night comes and they are obliged to stop, or risk blundering by the entrance in the dark.

Morning comes and they begin again. At mid-day Thordek finds some subtle hints, some indications of long-past excavations. Moving on, he spots more such signs, which leads them to a heap of loose rocks – nearly gravel – piled against the side of the mountain. Into the cliff face they can see the faded carving of a number of dwarven runes. Thordek can’t make any sense of them, until Skeeve points out that they are only seeing half of the runes, the bottom half of the letters is hidden beneath the dusty rocks. They clear away the rocks and sort out what the runes say. Skeeve reads them. Nothing happens.

Thordek reads them, and there is a rumbling sound. A semicircle crevice appears over the heap of rocks.

Then they realize that what they have been looking at is a round door built into the face of the cliff with the opening words carved into the center. The rocks were piled here, or fell from the face of the mountain, and covered the lower half of the door.

The door is no longer working right, most likely due to the debris stacks against it. It cracks, then splits, then tumbles inward.

Behind the door is a tunnel, reaching into the heart of the mountain. Thordek examines the tunnel work and observes that this was not a proper dwarven mining tunnel. This was dug carelessly and in great haste. The work is rough and ugly to his eyes. They venture inward. Enoch leads, holding his enchanted mace above his head to provide them with a steady white light.

The tunnel branches off from time to time. Some tunnels are partly flooded, which makes progress problematic.

The tunnel continues forward and slightly downwards for what seems like miles. At last they come to an open chamber, illuminated with a faint green glow. In the center of the room is a steel box of obvious dwarven make, and a little smaller than the height of a dwarf. Skeeve can see that the box is bathed in magic.

Even here, deep in the sunless underground, the floor is thick with soft grass. Vines climb up the walls of the chamber. The pools of water in the room have lily pads floating in them.

Around the room is a not insignificant haul of treasure. Dwarven weapons and armor, slightly worn and tarnished by their long years in this cave, are in neat stacks around the room. Thordek notes a shirt of fine chain spread out on the floor. A shield rests neatly atop of it, and a hammer is laid across its breast. These stacks are not heaped here without purpose. These are most likely memorials to the dwarves who perished in the making of this tunnel.

There are also heaps of other treasure in the room. There are very old gold coins here, minted by some long-dead kingdom. There are also rough bits of (they assume) valuable ore or rough gems, most likely broken loose and piled here in this chamber. It is unclear why the dwarves, who waged such war for control of the mountain and its riches, would then leave so much behind.

The box is covered in many cruel dwarven runes, which seem to be giving off the light they are seeing. It is sealed shut and wrapped in many chains and locks. The runes are magical, but neither Skeeve or Thordek can make any sense of them. Whatever magic was used in the making of this thing, it is well beyond any of them.

Then they hear a whisper. The voice sends chills through them. It is a feminine voice, barely audible, coming from the box. It is the voice of Fiore.

The players hear the voice of Fiore. It is a very quiet (they can’t even tell if it is truly audible or simply in their minds) but it is also potent. It is a cold, feminine voice.

They deliberate for a while, but the solution seems too perfect to really consider walking away. They agree to free Fiore.

She thanks them. However, she warns them that they should be quick. Once she is out she is going to kick everyone off of the mountain. Once she is released, they should run. For their lives.

They agree. Eomier picks the locks. The lid is pulled back, and a brilliant light floods out. The ground begins to shake.

Skeeve pitches the Orb of Mordan into the box and they quickly lock it shut once again. Then they make a mad dash for the surface. As they run, they can feel the tunnel collapsing behind them.

They charge out of the broken stone doorway into the late afternoon light. The ground is shaking violently and a gargantuan column of black soot is shooting out of the mountain. The invaders that have made their homes and fortunes on the slopes of Fiore for the past few centuries are going to leave, or die.

They head south as quickly as possible. It is snowing ash. They are tired but they press on, not wanting to rest at the foot of the mountain in its fury. After dark the mountain subsides. Ash fills the air. Enoch’s light can barely penetrate the black fog. They do their best to hold a direct southward course despite their lack of bearings.

By morning they draw near the sea and find they are at last escaping the cloud. They have been awake and on the move for over twenty-four hours by now. They are coated in ash, bruised, and weary.

Summoning the last of their strength, they press on until they reach the Magus Archives. Once there, they collapse and sleep for the next two days. Endo and Garret prepare them a cooked meal in the kitchen. Once they have cleaned up and eaten, they meet in the library to plan their next move.

Mordan’s Orb is imprisoned in a magic-proof box which was strong enough to hold a being as mighty as Fiore. That box in now buried in the unreachable depths of the mountain, and they alone know where it is. This is probably an even better prison than his former one, although they still need to see to the difficult job of getting him into it. They still need to defeat Mordan one last time. If he is struck down now, his spirit will reform within the box, and he will be trapped forever.

The curse of the mountain is also lifted. Everyone wonders what effect this will have on the Queen and her minions.

They have many questions, but they are a two day’s journey from the answers. First things first. They rest.

Session 13

The party spends four days in the Magus Archives. They take a generous and well-deserved rest. There are many challenges ahead, but they sense the tide has turned.

At last they depart, heading west towards Washport. They re-seal the Magus Archives before they leave. As far as Eomier is concerned they own the place now, so they may as well start taking care of it.

The great cloud of ash has dissipated and been blown out to sea, but the ground is still black with it. The wind has tossed it about, leaving gray dust in every opening and on every surface. The mountain is still slightly smoldering in the distance, warning the inhabitants of the land against challenging its slopes once more.

Two days later they arrive in Washport. Everyone is on edge. The guards are jumpy. At first they assume that this is due to the mountain exploding. Then they learn that things have changed in the two weeks they were wandering in the East. The Black Army of Mordan swept south some days ago. Here in Washport there are many halfling farmers from Hillstead. They fled the city as the grave walkers descended on them in the night. To their knowledge, everything north of the river is lost.

The Queen has sent her forces out to hold the bridge. Each night Mordan sends grave walkers at them, and the fighting at the bridge continues until shortly before dawn.

The dwarves of Dunlock arrived! At first the people saw the army and thought reinforcements had arrived to aid in the battle against Mordan. Then the dwarves set up some siege engines and began to pummel Fol Thron. The gossip in town is that the dwarves saw this whole war (er, both wars, against the North and then against Mordan) as their chance to recapture Fol Thron at last. Dwarves have such a gift for holding grudges.

The dwarves have somehow made landfall south of the city and have struck while the army was engaged at The Bridge. The Alidians, already tired from the war with the Lormanites, are now forced to fight on two fronts.

The walls of Fol Thron have been breached. Nobody here in Washport is sure who controls the capital city now.

The party doesn’t waste time here is town. At daybreak they reclaim their horses and ride with speed to the dwarven encampment.

They stop at the edge of the camp and Thordek acts as the leader of the party for the purpose of the conversation. They are less likely to get perforated by dwarven crossbows if everyone thinks the party is under the leadership of a dwarf.

While not given audience with the general (who is very busy right now) Thordek is given an audience with his second in command. He is taken alone to the commander’s tent while the rest of the party waits at the edge of the dwarven encampment.

To help smooth the conversation along, Thordek pretends to be excited about this new conquest of the island by his people. In truth, he is sad that there must be more pointless bloodshed over a mountain which nobody can truly possess. He is otherwise honest with the commander about his comings and goings on the island, and reveals that he has met with Queen Alidia herself. This impresses the commander, and he gets what news he can of the state of the island before their arrival. Thordek then reveals that Mordan is free. Thordek does not tell of the secret chamber of Fiore, now (hopefully) to be Mordan’s prison. (The party has already agreed that they will never tell this secret, lest some idiot followers of the lich try to free him again.)

The dwarves did not know he was free again. They have struck now simply because they expected that the Queen would be weak after her war in the north. They calculated that with her forces engaged in the north, they should be able to make landfall to the south and take the city by surprise. They very nearly did take the city. The walls were breached, and the dwarves entered the city, but then reinforcements arrived from the north and pushed them back. Now that they know the city is all that stands between themselves and Mordan, they are not so keen to take it.

Thordek learns that the dwarves are also fighting in the south, trying to take the city of Telwin Port. The dwarves just want control of the harbor, and they need some food. One of their own ships had a bulk of their foodstores on it, and it was somehow burned into the sea.

Thordek tries to negotiate to go in and rescue their friend Beck in Telwin Port, but that is asking too much. The city is under siege. Even if the dwarves let the party in, the defenders of the city would most likely try to kill them on sight. The commander promises that if the city surrenders or Beck is taken prisoner, that he will be spared.

The party rides away from the dwarf camp, and heads around the southern side of Lake Emlin. By nightfall they reach Della Minera, where they freed the slaves a couple of weeks earlier. To the north is now a huge area of tents and soldiers. The last shreds of the Alidian army are here, defending the bridge nightly against attack.

They head for the Citadel, but as they pass by the Mage’s Guild they see the place is surrounded by a crowd. Skeeve stops to see what is going on. The place is surrounded by town guards, who are keeping everyone at a distance.

Skeeve asks a nearby guard what is going on. The guard begins to explain, but is cut off by a thunderous BOOM from the tower above. Another town guard comes sailing out of one of the second-story windows and lands with a thud nearby. Black smoke pours from the window.

Enoch heals the still-smoldering guard, while Skeeve has the nearby captain explain.

It seems that they located a secret chamber within the Mage’s Guild tower which was being used as a meeting place for some of Mordan’s followers, or the members of his cult, or whatever they are. They arrested these members – who were mostly wizards – and are questioning the other guild members, trying to get a feel for how big this secret group is, who the members are, and how they remained hidden for so long. This has put the guild out of business for a couple of days, and has only added to the chaos of the two-headed invasion they are facing.

His men are now trying to search the place, which tough going because the place is filled with traps. Without the help of a trusted wizard they are running into problems like the one everyone just witnessed.

Skeeve offers to help out. As a member of the party who is (apparently) serving the Queen, as a newcomer to the island, and as someone who was already grilled under Zone of Truth a few weeks earlier, he is above suspicion. The captain takes him to the second floor, where there is a group of very nervous guards trying to search the room without getting crushed, incinerated, poisoned, or blown to bits. Skeeve has them clear out and goes to work.

Skeeve takes Eomier (who is an NPC right now) into the tower and they puzzle their way through the various traps. Once complete, they search the place. They are supposed to tell the guards when they are done, but Skeeve wants a look at the spoils first. He finds a book which details the cure to the Queen’s curse. This is too valuable to pass up, so he grabs it.

They then head downstairs and report that their work is complete. They are paid for their trouble, and then head for the Citadel. They plan to meet with the Queen this time.

Session 14

Having sorted out the problems at the Mage’s Guild and recovered some interesting books, they proceed to the Citadel. Endo takes Garret to an inn, where the boy can hopefully keep a low profile. It is unlikely that anyone will recognize him, but the Queen has many powers of perception and it seems like pushing their luck to get him too close to her. As the last remaining prince of the Lormanites, he would most likely be put to death before he could get any ideas about following in his father’s footsteps / seeking revenge / attempting to reclaim his throne. The Lormans have been a tenacious family over the last few centuries, and the Queen would most likely not pass on the chance to extinguish his bloodline forever.

The entire party is granted entry to meet with the Queen. They are all allowed in at once, which is unexpected. They report to the Queen that Fiore is free and the curse is lifted, but it is obvious she had figured this out. The mountain blew its top a week ago, and nobody could have missed that. If it weren’t for the two-headed invasion of the city this event would be the talk of the town. They do not tell her where the Magus Archives are, or where the Orb of Mordan is buried.

She explains that her mines collapsed and an avalanche covered many of the old ways in. The mountain is sealed now, and nobody will dare to set foot on it.

She offers them a new task: Go to the dwarves and offer them a truce. She is prepared to offer them control of the mountain in exchange for their aid in repelling Mordan. The mountain, being pissed off and erupting, is not the prize it was just a few weeks before. But the dwarves came to claim it, and it’s all she has to bargain with.

They reveal to the Queen the dwarven food shortage. This might be an even better bargaining chip than the mountain. She could probably simply wait for their hungry bellies to prompt their surrender, but Mordan’s attack from the north and her own thinning forces do not afford her this luxury. She adds that she will give the dwarves the provisions they need if they aid her.

They agree to this task and depart. A detachment of soldiers is sent along with the party, under their command. There are enough men to demonstrate that they come in the name of the Queen, but few enough that the dwarves won’t mistake the group for a halfhearted counterattack.

They ride south under a flag of truce and meet with the dwarven general. Thordek puts her offer on the table. There is some negotiation.

The dwarves agree to pull up stakes, take down their siege machinery, and head north. A lot of their forces are concentrated in the south at Telwin Port, and it will take three days to regroup and mobilize. Thordek thanks him, and the group departs.

They return to the city, report the results of the parlay to Fulan at the citadel, and rest for the night. The next morning they leave the town heading east. They head to the bridge to give aid to the crumbling forces holding that last choke-point between Mordan and the lands of the south.

They hold the bridge for several hours. Midnight passes. Then suddenly the grave walkers retreat. This comes as a surprise to everyone. They usually keep up the assault until almost dawn. The soldiers brace themselves, expecting that this is the calm before an even bigger storm, but their fears prove unfounded. Mordan does not strike again that night. His forces were numerous, why would he signal the retreat?

Session 15

Three days later the dwarven army arrives, backed by the last of the Alidian soldiers. Mordan has pulled his army back and has not returned. The time has come for a counterattack. The army marches over the bridge, aiming north.

Many dwarves look back over their shoulders as they travel, gazing up at the dark smoking peak of Khelberg.

The players ride out front. While not formally in command of the army, the commanders are nevertheless following their lead. The players have seen every side of this war, every part of the island, and have a clearer picture of what is going on than anyone else. They do not command the army, but if they tell the generals that a course of action is a good idea, then it is going to happen that way.

The army passes Hillstead, which is a smoking ruin. A few grave walkers are prowling around, gnawing on bones. They are overwhelmed and exterminated by the army without difficulty. They ride further north without contest. Mordan didn’t just pull back a little – he has evidently withdrawn all the way to Crossway.

The army moves slowly. The players are on horseback, but the army is mostly on foot and some of them have siege machinery in tow. The trip to Crossway takes three days, during which they see only single grave walkers or other spies. They feared Mordan would strike while they were in the open, but now they have traveled for three days without answer from him. Nobody knows what to think of this.

They stop a few miles short of the city. Even from here they can see the city is smoking. Did Mordan put his own city to the torch? Did the Lormanites suddenly produce an army and assault him? Is this a trick? What is going on?

Eomier goes ahead and scouts out the town. It is, as they suspected, a smoking ruin. Stone buildings are toppled as if pummeled by siege weapons. Everything burnable has done do. A few grave walkers scamper about. Eomier evades their notice and returns to the others.

They deliberate. There is not much choice. Trick or not, they don’t have any option but to march into the city and see what happens.

The army storms the city of Crossway and slaughters the meager undead forces within. Aside from grave walkers, they find a few shambling zombies. This raises a few eyebrows. Such servants have been beneath the Lich King until now. Is his power failing?

Scouts cover the city and return an hour later with their report: This town was bombarded from the northwest. On that side of town they found evidence that another army had attacked the city. There are broken and burned siege machines that have been pushed off of the road just outside of town.

This explains the sudden withdrawal five days earlier. The party gathers and discusses these signs. Here is how they interpret events: Mordan was battling them at the bridge when he was unexpectedly attacked from the north by forces unknown. He was obliged to recall his forces to the city to defend it. By the time these forces arrived the city was already in ruins. But the unliving have no real need for towns except as a place to find future victims. Undaunted by the destruction of their base, they pushed the Northern attackers back towards Fort Bolland.

It takes the better part of a day to move the army through the ruined city, and another day of travel to reach Fort Bolland. There they find Mordan’s forces swarming around the city, climbing up the walls any trying to overwhelm the defenders. The Alidian / dwarven alliance comes down on the rear of the undead mass, acting as the hammer to the city’s anvil. At last they get a look at the forces that have been troubling Mordan’s rear flank. They are elves! It’s Sagemaster!

The armies crash into one another. The dwarven / Alidian alliance begins hacking at the rear of the undead army, while arrows and spells pummel Mordan’s forces from over the city walls.

As the undead rapidly thin, Mordan rises above the fray and reveals himself at last. He is withered, and his skin is the color of ash. His robes are little more than black tatters that swirl around his gaunt frame. A black crown rests on top of his head, a circle of cruel spikes pointing upward and outward. His eyes are two points of cold light shining from within his empty sockets. He holds his staff aloft and moves his mouth, but they can hear no sound. The undead are driven to a frenzy. The battle intensifies. The heroes rush forward to face him.

Fireballs fly and the players surround Mordan. The soldiers in their company make short work of the various undead, leaving this battle between Mordan and the heroes. Fire falls down on him. He responds in kind. The heroes are tossed about by his spells, but they can see his power has failed him. He is at last truly outmatched. They strike him down. The ground shakes and the remaining undead collapse. A wail escapes his putrid mouth as he collapses in on himself and vanishes.

They look southward. From here the trees and hills of Bolwood block their view of the mountain, but they know he’s there, trapped under a mountain of stone and sealed in magic beyond his power.

Teerin strides out of the city to meet them. He helps tend the wounded and then meets with the party in the remains of Lorman’s castle, which he’s been using as his base since he arrived. They talk about Grey Moor and Eomier gets some news of his homeland.

Teerin explains his side of the story: The moment Mordan had been freed, he sensed it. As soon as he could, he assembled what forces he had and sailed for Fort Bolland. Mordan sent his birds (which would burn ships into the sea) but such tricks were not a problem for Teerin, who is far more in touch with nature and wild beasts than Mordan. He arrived and joined with the few people still alive in Fort Bolland, then moved south to liberate Crossway.

While in Fol Thron, the party meets up with Beck again. He made it through the dwarven assault of Telwin Port, and they gather that he had a big part in rallying the city defense. He’s glad to see everyone pulled through.

In the end, the dwarves do claim the mountain. However, since they can’t set foot on it, they build a city at the foot of the mountain – which they now properly call Fiore. They take control of the city of Della Minera (peacefully, although with some minor political haggling) and expand the town at a rapid pace.

The dwarves act as guardians, telling people to Keep Off The Mountain. This gives them the illusion of ownership and kinship with the mountain that they desired long ago. It really was a point of pride for them, that the greatest mountain in the world wasn’t theirs. Well, it still isn’t theirs, but they are closer to it than anyone else, which makes them about as happy as dwarves ever get. They bow to the mountain and pay it respect from a safe distance.

Once the Queen is healed, she requires several days alone. Then she meets with the Heroes again. With the curse lifted and the searing pain gone, she is a different person. The Citadel is opened up, and light is allowed in for the first time in over a century. Her country is in absolute shambles. Her army is all but gone and their chief source of income is now off limits. However, with the iron grip of the government loosening, there is hope that they can make a healthy recovery over the next few years.

The players negotiate to have the remaining slaves (the Lormanite army) set free. The slaves are freed without ceremony and sent packing. Nobody really likes the Lormanites (they did start the war that set this whole mess in motion) but there is no need for slaves, and nobody wants them around. The Queen renounces her claim to Crossway and all cities North. This gesture is mostly symbolic, as she doesn’t have the forces to control those places, and there are precious few people left there anyway. Crossway itself is more or less obliterated. Most of the population was slain to build Mordan’s army, and the city itself was ravaged by Mordan and then pummeled by Teerin’s forces. It is likely to remain a ruin for a long time to come.

They learn that some of the smaller northern cities escaped Mordan’s wrath. Joland Village and Breakshore were spared. Woodhurst – a small town between Fort Boland and Crossway – was put to the torch, but many of the inhabitants fled to the wilderness and survived.

Garret decides he wants to continue traveling. The players give him a little money and wish him well. He’s not going to be slaying dragons anytime soon, but they do hope he doesn’t get himself into any real trouble. He still has no interest in the crown, which is good for everyone involved.

Beck decides to sail with Sagemaster, who will be stopping at Grey Moor on his way home. He is at last going to get home and marry Talla.

End of the Tale

That campaign was begun in September of 2005, and ran for fifteen weekly sessions. (With the occasional week off for holidays and such.) The whole thing lasted about five months.

Missed Adventures

Upper Bolwood

When I do wilderness travel, I sort of make it a branching maze. For example: “You are in a broad clearing. From here you can go east into the valley or you can ascend the large hill to the southwest. You could also turn around and return to the pine grove to the north, which you just left.” The players understand that I’m presenting them with choices that are likely, given the terrain. Sure, they could choose some unlikely course of action, like going halfway up a hill and then walking around, but this will be slower, pointless, and they will just end up at a recycled version of one of my established locations anyway. This gives them a bit of freedom, and makes wilderness seem less arbitrary. Some ways are faster, some can be very slow (like a valley which gets thick with vegetation once they enter) and some can have encounters.

Upper Bolwood was one such maze, with ettins at a few of the map points. I’d googled around and had pictures for every map point. They managed to route around all of this.

Goblin Hills

The weather hills were infested with goblins, who loved to build traps and ambushes. They were another wilderness maze, although almost every point had some pit or trap which would require some reflex save for the poor slob out in front. Once the trap was sprung, (assuming it took someone down, knocked them over, or otherwise worked) then goblins would emerge from the underbrush and attack. The goblin camp was also in the hills, although it was a little hard to find. If the players stumbled on it or tracked it down they could clean the place out for a little payback.

I thought I’d devised the map so that they would have to journey through Upper Bolwood or the goblin territory, forgetting that with Enoch’s help they could walk on water. They skipped Upper Bolwood, then crossed the river and dodged the Weather Hills.

Carrow Valley Curse

West of Crossway is the Carrow Valley. Early in the island’s history a battle was fought here between the Lormanites and one of the other factions. The battle was long and more or less a mutual slaughter, with both sides taking such massive losses that nobody could really claim victory. There weren’t enough people left to even begin the task of burying the dead, who were left to rot. At some point later folks came along and erected standing stones as a sort of halfhearted memorial / mass tombstone. The valley is quite cursed by now.

If they had entered the valley they would have gotten trapped in the curse, and would have needed to kill some sort of lesser spirit or ghost to break the curse so that they could leave. I didn’t fill in the details of this adventure, since by session 2 it was obvious they were not going to be coming this way, and they were not in the mood to explore.

The Gibbet

In my original plans, the road into Fol Thron was lined with gibbets. The men in the gibbets were Lormanite officers. They were once strong, cruel leaders who had been captured in the war and were now withering in their cages. These really were bad guys, although there was no way for the players to tell at this point. They were dressed in rags and many were dead. As the players approached the city for the first time, I had planned to have one of the men beg to be released. Right over his cage was a warning not to take pity on these men, without further detail. The guy in the cage wasn’t about to explain the slaughter and torture he’d brought to the war, or the zeal with which he pursued it. He was going to play the victim.

If they freed him, the Queen would know. If they were stupid and obvious about it (like if they tried to take gibbet-boy into town with them without cleaning him up and giving him clothes first) then the guards would catch them and question them, and they would have wound up in front of the Queen that much sooner. If they got away with it, the Queen would still know, and when they met with her she would bring it up. In any case she would simply point out what an awful guy he was, and list some of his more horrid crimes. Crimes bad enough that the players would probably really regret freeing him.

It was a good chance to demonstrate that the “good guys” in this war were only just a little better than the bad guys. The Queen would have waived their punishment in any case, in exchange for them hearing her out on the quest to kill Noreeno. So, the quest was harmless either way. I would have given an XP bonus if they had wrung the truth out of the guy in the cage (maybe by using Zone of Truth) and then acted (or not acted) once they knew the whole story. Really, the true goal of the “quest” was to avoid being duped.

Why did I skip this quest? Sigh. I forgot. The gibbet notes were in with the wilderness travel notes, and not with the notes on the city itself. So, I didn’t describe the cages on the way in. Dang. The Mines

As I mentioned in session 10, the mines had a maze and some grave walkers to fight, but they routed around it.

Prison Break

In my original plans, they were going to have to bust Garret out of prison if they wanted to free him. (Or sneak into jail and get the info they needed.) But by the time they got to Telwin Port I felt like they were getting restless, so I made it possible to just bail him out for a few gold.

Dwarven War

I’d planned for the dwarves to arrive after Mordan was defeated. They were originally going to land in Warfield (just north of Fol Thron) and attack the capital from there. This didn’t make a lot of sense. (Why would they land on the opposite side of the river, so that they would have to go all the way to the bridge?)

The players would have enough knowledge at this point that their help could swing the war either way if they decided to take sides. They could give the dwarves a nice map of the city defenses, or reveal to the Queen the dwarven food shortage. Doing one or the other could tip the battle whichever way they wanted, but the real solution was to free Fiore so people would stop fighting over this $#@ing mountain.

I thought they would defeat Mordan, and then worry about lifting the curse of Fiore, which was the real cause of all of these wars.

I changed things around because I thought it was time to start wrapping up the campaign. Then they managed to free Fiore before the dwarves even arrived.

Unanswered Questions

Here is my third and final wrap-up post on the D&D campaign. Hopefully this will answer the last remaining questions anyone might have.

This is a question all of the players and a few readers asked. The short answer: not much.

This whole campaign was a gamble that hinged on them being tricked into freeing Mordan. If they had skipped Crossway, travel on the roads would have been impossible. They would have met a large group of solders (so many that they wouldn’t think about fighting) and would have been arrested and dragged back to Crossway, where Noreeno would make them a deal in exchange for their freedom.

But if they had traveled in the wilderness, they could have eventually reached Telwin Port. Assuming they were willing to leave Endo behind, they could have escaped the campaign altogether.

If they went south, but continued to look for Endo, they might have gotten arrested or met trouble elsewhere. In order to save the campaign, I could have used some yet-unwritten NPC (maybe some other survivors from the ship) to free Mordan, and then had the Queen try to enlist their help. This would have been far, far less interesting. The real hook of the campaign was that they released Mordan, and although it could have played out a lot of different ways, the choices they made in the end were the best, story-wise.

I am guilty of passive railroading. I know the guys I game with, and in many cases I can say “If I put them in situation X I know they will do Y.” Once in a while I’m wrong, but very often I can predict how they will react to a situation before I introduce it. The freeing of Mordan was one such case.

I knew they probably wouldn’t abandon Endo. (But just to be clear: Endo is my character when I’m not the dungeon master, and I was fully prepared to lose him if they didn’t. I would never have forced them to rescue him.) Once they rescued him he gave them the quest hook of looking for the prince, and I suspected they would bite. It took them a while, but they did. I gave them the Book of Norvus, knowing Enoch would translate the sucker.

So I’m a little guilty of “steering” them by putting situations in front of them that will turn them the way I want them to go. The first four sessions had a lot of steering in them.

This isn’t railroading in the sense of telling players “You can’t do that,” but putting them into situations where there are only one or two reasonable choices could still be considered a form of subtle railroading. I leave it for the reader to decide.

I certainly never would have told them, “You can’t do that, I don’t allow.”

Well, I don’t have a group right now. Even if I did, I’m not sure I would try this again. It was too hard to prepare for the next game and log the last one. I certainly couldn’t pull it off while putting out DM of the Rings.

One solution might be to record all of the sessions and transcribe them once the game ends. Actually, that is probably the only way to do it. I could even edit out the useless stuff and turn it into one of those podcast thingies, which wouldn’t have the dungeon master notes but wouldn’t require a lot of work, either.

In any case, next time I play I plan to take better care of the audio recordings. I can’t believe I lost them.

I don’t roll the dice, get a 1, but then just pretend I got a 15. Still, there are all sorts of ways the dungeon master can nudge things without faking dice rolls. If someone is on a narrow ledge on a cliff-side and they fail a climbing roll (or whatever) I won’t just let them fall to their death. I’ll give them a (reflex) saving throw to see if they can grab the ledge. Missed? Then I’ll give the guy behind him a similar roll to see if he can catch him. Missed again? I’ll give him one last throw to see if he can grab that sticking-out branch on the way down, Wile E. Coyote style.

If they miss that then I’ll let it happen, but it’s obvious that the dungeon master can do all sorts of stuff without needing to pretend the dice rolled something they didn’t.

In Session 3, when the players faced Vormoth the Wizard, he had a lightning spell available. They went into that fight low on hitpoints, low on magic, low on healing, with no coherent plan, and then fought like a bunch of numbskulls. They made so much noise that the enemy knew they were coming and when. I’d planned on blasting them with a little lightning, but I realized that I could very easily kill one or two of them that way, which could end up in a total party kill.

So I had Vormoth stick to his lower-level spells. I justified this by saying (to myself) “Vormoth wouldn’t want to risk hitting the kids.” That was true, but more important is the fact that I had planned to blast them with lightning and didn’t.

This was my most “cheating” moment in the campaign, and I regret it. On one hand, I didn’t want to kill off a couple of characters. At the same time, they really did deserve to lose that fight. It’s part of the game.

I’m not going to do that again. If I find myself with a bunch of players who make bad decisions, I’ll let things happen as they do. Better to lose a level 4 character and teach the importance of strategy early, than to teach the players they are invulnerable and let them do something even more stupid in the future that causes them to die at level 8.

Actually, now that I’ve written this I think I’ve made a good case for faking dice rolls. If I had to cheat, it would have been better to let Vormoth bust out his lightning but then make sure his damage roll was low enough that it wouldn’t kill the target. That would have been a better choice than what I did. It would have driven home the point to the players, “this could have killed you.”

This subject almost needs a post of its own. The object of the game is to have fun. The players won’t have fun today if they all die. But they also won’t have fun ever if their actions don’t have consequences. To paraphrase a friend: When it comes to RPGs, it’s better to live a short and exciting life than a long dull one. In fact, that’s the whole point.