Tales of Our Heroes

Volume III, Death and Rebirth

[The gaming session switches days causing Lucky  to leave the party and prompting the addition of three newcomers - a Half-Elven Druid named Able, an Elven "scout" (Thief/Mage) named Layne Fairwood, and a Human healer and Priestess of Aristaeus]

In chronological order, with the most recent last: 

• Act I: The Day the Music Died - The party's trusty NPC companion, John Windsong is struck dead and asks not to be brought back.
• Act II: Rusty Never Sleeps . . . - The party loses another friend, Kaleb, when he departs for home to take care of his sick mother.  The remaining trio makes it to Kalfeg where their numbers are bolstered by three new members, and they head off towards an ominous mountain fort.  They are plagued by nightmares.
• Interlude: Should We Stay or Should We Go? - Our heroes wrestle with how and when to enter the mysterious mountain fort, trying to make sense of a strange situation.  [e-mail results]
• Act III: Enter the Gargoyle - Our heroes press on into the mountain fort, unsure what fate awaits them, but certain that it is likely no worse than that face outside.
• Act IV: Trouble in the Forest / Mila's Challenge - Our heroes venture into the dark, magical, Elven woods of the West Moon Forest in search of Morilus Silverspear, who is believed to be in the trading town of West Moon.  Mila has problems of her own.
• Act V: What's Ettin You? - Our heroes are imprisoned in a dungeon and their Ettin jailer is quite formidable, what will they do?
• Act VI: Friend or Foe? - Our heroes become thoroughly confused as Kobolds become informants, mighty wizards become dinner guests, and Bulettes reappear in their lives to plague them.
• Epilogue: Demons, Devils, and Defilers, Oh My! - Our heroes wrap things up and learn more about Henri are charged with noble tasks for an oncoming conflict. 

Act I: The Day the Music Died

Two days into the trip, the dull boredom of the trip is shattered when two huge beasts spring forth from the ground (loosely based on the Bulette from the Monstrous Compendium).  They tear into the caravan, rending people into pieces and devouring them.  Within seconds, two wagons are overturned, two of the six guards are down, five horses are dead, and eight wagon riders are down.  Magnus tries to stop the beasts with a cloud of noxious vapors and then a spray of dazzling lights, while Lucky attempts to blind one with magical light cast at its eyes, but the juggernauts continue their rampage of death.  Sid and Lucky both launch missiles at them, Sid observing that the rear and eyes of the beasts are considerably less well protected.  Sid informs his fellow combatants.  The remaining four guards manage to wound the beasts mildly and Mila rushes up and finishes off the more wounded one, as it thrashes about in a wagon, dropping it conveniently while it is in the wagon so that they might return with the body.  Momentarily John is glimpsed propping himself on a wagon.  His legs are missing, blood gushing from the ragged stumps, and he fires two sheaf arrows at the remaining beast. 

Magnus joins Lucky, off to the side of the carnage and begins to use his new sling to rain down bullets on the beast.  The creature takes down two guards, three more wagon riders, and one horse, then spins around and bites and claws Mila, dropping her in seconds.  It reels about in it's rapacious frenzy and charges Lucky, but only manages to land a blow with its massive claw.  Lucky hops out of his saddle and launches himself onto the creature's back.  Magnus continues to launch sling bullets at it and Sid continues to rain arrows on it.  The two remaining guards, emboldened by Lucky's actions strike at the beast's flank.  The creature swats Magnus with his huge claw, wounding him badly and knocking him from his saddle.  Magnus hits the ground uncomfortably and is knocked out.  Lucky brings down his mace on the beast and the guards and Sid continue to press the attack.  Then suddenly, the massive form of the creature collapses under Lucky. 

An eerie silence settles, but is quickly broken as people work to consolidate the caravan and tend to wounded.  Lucky stabilizes Mila then moves onto John, finding that he is dead and beyond help.  Lucky does manage to save three guards and five of the people from the wagons.  Our heroes decide to return to Seahaven, as does the caravan. 

The Octagon takes the bodies of the Bulette and pays the party 1000 platinum pieces.  They pay another 500 for the location of the other body, which they are able to recover safely and quickly with liberal application of magic. Some of the advanced students of the Octagon are tasked with determining if there is a magician in the area conducting experiments that might produce such beasts.  Failing that, they are to determine if there is another cause. The Octagon did gut the beast and find John's legs not yet devoured.  Actually, not even fully swallowed yet.  Our heroes manage to return him to Muellerville intact (sort of). 

Our heroes, uncertain as to whether or not to pursue the magics necessary to have John risen from the dead, ask Joseph of the Temple of Tyche if he would speak with John's spirit.  Joseph refuses due to his personal belief system, but refers the party to the Temple of Osiris.  There, a priest helps them talk to John. 

The group is taken to a darkened, quiet room, where they are instructed hold hands and think of their friend John.  After a short time, a ghostly image of John sits up from the remains.  He looks about the room, not seeming to see the people around him.  The priest beckons the party to ask the questions and they do.  Lucky begins by asking if John wants the group to have him raised from the dead.  John slowly seems to find Lucky with his gaze and then answers: 

"Dear friends, I have had a wondrous, fruitful life.  I am lucky to have lived this long.  Many times in our journey I feel I have cheated death.  I am satisfied with my time on the earth and I leave no great task unfinished.  I feel it would be wrong to try to take any more." 

His gaze fades back out to a thousand yard stare, an expression of bemused confusion on his face.  Next Sid and Mila essentially ask for his last will and testament.  He answers: 

"Please give my belongings to Clauss.  He is the only father I have known and will know better than I what to do with them." 

With that, his gaze fixes on something beyond the confines of the room and he fades from sight.  The priest explains that John's spirit has departed and that the temple is equipped to place the remains in stasis.  A messenger from the Octagon arrives with John's legs, and the priests reattach them, heal the body, and then place John in stasis inside a simple casket.  Our heroes give a generous donation to the temple and make preparations to leave the next day. 

They join another caravan and make their way to Seahaven.  This time the only unusual encounters they have are with a merchant selling potions and scrolls.  Sid purchases a Potion of Invisibility from him for a lofty price of 2,000 GP, and Magnus tries to buy a scroll of Fireball or Lightning Bolt from him.  The merchant chats with Magnus about Magnus and quickly surmises that Magnus is not able to cast such spells.  he informs Magnus of this and refuses to sell him a scroll, "for everyone's benefit."  Magnus pushes the issue and the merchant agrees to sell one scroll of Fireball for 3,000 GP.  Magnus finds the price to rich for his blood and declines.  Soon the party is back on the road. 

They meet a traveling group of priests of Aristaeus, but little else.  They pass through Ballast and Ferryton, finally arriving in Muellerville, where they turn over the belongings and body of John to Clauss.  The next day a sorrowful funeral is held.  Many people attend and it grows into a celebration, as John would have wanted it.  Clauss gives the party some potions John had purchased, one Extra Healing and three Healing.  The next day the party hits the road, resuming their task. 

They reach Riverton with little difficulty and meet with Captain Marshall.  he explains that his friend, General cane, a.k.a. "Rusty" has been sending increasingly more erratic letters which have recently stopped coming at all.  The Castellan at Kalfeg Keep (where Rusty is commander) reports that the General has had great difficulty sleeping and that some soldiers have gone missing on patrol and from within the city walls.  The guard there has been unable to determine what is going on, and the General has not been authorized to commit his thinly spread forces to investigating.  Rather, the troops are tied up with keeping the trade routes open as always, in this more hostile part of the land. 

The Castellan is expecting the party and knows why they are there, but the General will be told that they are simply guests visiting the Keep.  One possible story would be that they are investigating the Malachite Ring and the Reavers from their earlier escapades.  This topic is something the General is well versed in, having been a soldier of Gonthe, the Isle of Warriors. 

Before the party departs Riverton, Lucky receives a letter, via a messenger, from Clauss Müller: 

Kaleb,

Something very unusual happened after you and your friends left.  John's natural father arrived in force and demanded the body of his son.  I did not want to give him up, but after much discussion and legal bantering, Gabe advised me to concede.

I suppose Gabe knows best and John's body will rest more peacefully in the Elven woods, but I feel as though something has been lost . . . taken from me.  I know not why I am writing to you, but I felt that you should know.  You were close to him as well as us, and I consider you family.

Gabe has agreed to follow them to insure that they are in fact going to the Elven woods as they claimed.  He has always been such a good man, our community is lucky to have him as a member.  We all at some point have owed our lives to him.  I pray no harm comes to him in his journey.

I also pray Tyche smiles on your group.  Too much grief has befallen us already, I suspect it would be very hard on me if I were to lose another person dear to us.  Don't let this old man down, Kaleb.  Be careful.

Love,

Clauss

Kaleb also receives an urgent message from his family.  He does not divulge the details to his comrades, saying only that his parents need him to return home immediately.  Our heroes say their good byes and part ways.

Act II: Rusty Never Sleeps . . .

A few confused moments pass as our heroes try to find some sign of the men, but ot no avail.  Suddenly, as quickly as it came, the darkness goes and the campfire relights of its own accord.  An ominous event, perhaps.

Aug 25 (Mer):  Magnus, Mila, and Sid arrive at the keep without difficulty and are given elegant quarters in the keep proper (as opposed to the town within the outer walls).  Little time is wasted before our heroes are called before the Castellan, Captain Fenris. 

Fenris introduces them to a trio of new companions.  The first, Layne, is an Elven scout with magical ability.  He will provide our heroes with valuable knowledge of the terrain around Kalfeg.  The second, Genevieve, a human Priestess of Aristaeus, will provide them with healing.  The third, and final is somewhat of a mystery.  His name is Able, he has dark brown skin and an unusual hairstyle (dreadlocks).  He is described as a Druid and should provide the heroes with valuable abilities innate to such people. 

Fenris explains:

"The Commander, General Cane, better known to you by his nickname, "Rusty", has fallen under hard times.  He has been increasingly unable to sleep.  As of late, he can not sleep at all.  His mental state is becoming more disjointed. I fear that he will soon need to be relieved from his command.  He will not discuss the nature of his difficulties.  I can only guess that it is nightmares that plague him."

"These problems started when scouts began to go missing.  I fear the two may be related.  Thirty seven scouts have gone missing thus far and one homestead has been reported void of its residents.  Regardless of any connection this must be put to a stop.  Please use my briefing room to discuss strategies.  Call me or my attaché, Lieutenant Tomas, if you need further resources."

The party adjourns to the Castellan's military briefing room to discuss plans.  After some discussion, it is determined that all of the scouts that patrolled a certain region near an abandoned mountain fort are the ones going missing.  If the figures are correct, Layne believes he is one of the last ones remaining that has been near the fort.  He reports an odd observation that he did not really remember being near the fort until this moment.  He can not remember exactly why his patrol did not investigate it at the time.  The party latches on to these peculiarities and decides to seek out this fort as a starting point for their investigations.

Suddenly, they are interrupted by calls of alarm.  They rush to answer calls for aid only to find that another guard has been abducted, this time during daylight and from the very tower itself.  This differs from the typical night time disappearances in the wilderness.  The party takes this as a sign that the situation is quickly coming to a head.

Able quickly moves to the base of the tower from which the guard was abducted and finds a squirrel to talk to.  A few fresh acorns later, the squirrel relates having seen a big flying thing something like Able, but with wings.  When asked, the squirrel confirms that the beast has skin like the stone picnic table Able is sitting at.

Gen talks to the High Priestess of her temple and she shares that the General is in fact plagued with dreams that he vaguely remembers.  What details he recalls relate to him trying to get some bright object.  He thinks that he is thwarted each time by some clawed being.  She also reports concerns that she will soon be forced to deem Rusty unfit for duty and relieve him of his command, something she is very loathe to do.

Magnus and Mila decide to talk with Rusty, masquerading as being on an important mission from Riverton, looking into reports of Kobold activity.  They learn little, in spite of Magnus' not-so-subtle mentions of bad dreams.  They do convince themselves that Rusty is remarkably stoic, trying to hide his haggard visage behind a grim expression and a stiff posture.

Sid and Lane decide to scope out their favorite locales, the taverns.  They find nothing of immediate interest.

The party debates watching over the window to General Cane's bedroom, but finally determine that anything that could successfully get by the combat mages of the Keep and not be spotted by the townsfolk and soldiers is likely able to slip past them as well.  Besides, sitting and waiting would take up valuable time, and there are potentially brave scouts in dire need somewhere out there.

Aug 26 (Thor): The group heads to the mountain fort in search of answers.  The trip is tiring as the party tries to keep good time.  Layne finds himself waiting on his comrades most of the time, their inexperience with the terrain painfully apparent.

Our heroes bed down for the night and set watches.

[The party was given dreams, but I did not tell them in advance that they were dreams, only as the killing stroke was delivered to their character . . . a lot of fun.]

Gen dreams of an entrance cut into the stone of a mountain face.  She is with the party, walking into a stone corridor.  Suddenly, her comrades are being cut down by large, gray, stony, winged beasts, like sheep led to the slaughter.  As the blood of her comrades rains down on her, the beasts lunge at her and she awakens.

Layne, has a similar dream.

Mila and Magnus see a little more.  In their dreams, they make it down the corridor to a "T" intersection before the attack occurs.  They still fall in the end.

Able sees a slightly different story.  He sees a medallion.  When he tries to grab it, he hears a fearsome voice bellow "You will never have it!" and he is beset by a dozen beasts.  He awakens.

Our heroes still try to get some sleep, but the dreams continue and they can get no rest.  Other images are seen, including one of six of the stony beasts leaving the mountain entrance at sunset.  Mila has one more remarkable dream.  She has the same dream as before, but after the "T", everything fades to black and she appears in a room before a glass coffin.  The body inside has a medallion which glows and she feels compelled to take it.  As she steps up, a huge beast, easily twice the size of those seen thus far, steps between her and the medallion.  It looks ate her with it's smooth, featureless eyes.  It says in a deep, resonant voice, "Seek me if you are strong."  Then it rears back with lightning speed and rakes one of its claws across her chest.

She awakens with a yell.  She finds her clothes are damp, presumably from sweat.  Further inspection reveals her chest is bleeding from a large claw wound.  Magical healing is applied, but the scar does not disappear . . .

Aug 27 (Freya): The next day, our weary party finally reaches the mountain entrance they have dreamed about.  Unable to get more than 30 minutes of sleep at a time, they are eager to have some respite, but fate has other plans.

Sid explores the entrance a little, exploiting his cloak to get himself past arrow slits in the main entry corridor.  He looks about a bit and promptly alerts two beasts which he leads outside for the entertainment of his companions.  The two soon become four.

The combat that follows is interesting to say the least.  Mila, not equipped with a magic weapon tries various tactics against the beasts including clubbing it with a large branch the attempting Wrestling to take them down so as to make them better targets for better-equipped comrades.  Magnus finds no favor from Tyche as he slings Chromatic Orbs to no effect.  Sid goes to work with his magical and highly useful Longtooth.  Layne turns attention from Sid by way of his Tumbling abilities.  Layne's capering about saves Sid from a great number of attacks which miss Layne due to his great skill.  Gen and Able, armed magical weapons, swing away at their foes, but have remarkably little luck.  After a long, hard-fought battle, our heroes manage to vanquish the stony foes.

Sid finishes off the fourth stone-like creature with his magical Longtooth dagger, hoping that none will follow.  Our heroes do not wait long.  The unnatural, bloodless corpses are a stark and grim reminder that everything is not right here and is, at the every least, dangerous.

Interlude: Should We Stay or Should We Go?

"There do not seem to be any more of these foul creatures on the horizon," says Magnus as he trots over to the rest of the team. He glances over his shoulder through the trees and into the mountains beyond. A strong sense of urgency seems to permeate his expression.

Magnus returns to the party and looks into the fortress entrance while speaking. "Quickly now. Do we press onward or regroup and rest for the night? Night will be upon us within an hour, maybe two. Layne and I have exhausted our magical abilities, however we have the upper hand and the momentum right now. I also have little doubt that Able and Gen will be able to heal our current wounds. We must decide quickly before more creatures emerge." Magnus pauses for his compatriots to respond, and is quickly answered.

Layne speaks up first, "If there is some way that we can rest and allow Magnus and I to
study our spells, then this would obviously be the most favorable course of action.  However, I do not see how this will be possible.  Someone knows we are here, and it seems that we will not be able to hide from them.  Perhaps the only reasonable option is to continue onward into the fort?"

"I possess a magical healing potion that I would be willing to share, so that Genevieve and Able can retain their spells for later use if we should choose to continue.  It could be spread among three of you so that some of your wounds could be healed."

"You know, I seem to remember some heavy timbers obstructing this entrance when I first encountered it while scouting the area.  It's so hard to remember, though.  My memory is very fuzzy..."

Magnus pauses and seems to gaze beyond the party members as if performing mental calculations or analyses. He then changes to looking about the battle site; to the bodies of the gargoyles, to the entrance, and to the various party members.

"Something troubles me. These were not the tactics of a skilled predator, like I would expect these creatures to be. Near the end, they were very clearly out numbered and made no attempt to escape or retreat or even call for aid. It was as if they were under the control of some unearthly force. We may be facing a foe far more cunning and powerful then a purely mundane force."

Magnus pauses to hear other peoples opinions and then interjects one last time, hoping to sway any doubts or opinions, "I believe we should fall back a kilometer or so and regain our strength, both physically and magically. If it is a magical nemesis we face, both Layne and I should be at our maximum abilities. Yes?"

Sid wipes his trusty blade with an oilcloth instinctively even though the magic of the blade is powerful enough that his efforts are unnecessary and would be ineffectual in helping any damage that could mark the blade.  It does shine a little better, and he seems satisfied, sheathing it while he answers Layne, "Agreed.  But is a kilometer enough?  And how will you regain your magical abilities without sleeping?  Is there any way we can protect ourselves from this nighttime curse, or from other magics its creator might send upon us?"

Genevieve interjects, "I believe we need to regain some strength, although Sid brought up the point that worries me most . . . how can we guarantee sleep?  It will do us no good if Layne and Magnus cannot regain their spells.  Um, did anyone else notice that our wounds tend to be smaller in size than Mila's scar?  I'm scared there might be something bigger out here.  I don't know if the kilometer is far enough."

Sid cuts her off, "Or the dreams are meant to exaggerate the danger.  Weren't the creatures in the dream just like the ones we just fought?

Gen finishes, "If we decide to press on, I have not called on the power of Aristaeus and I believe he would grant me the ability to aid my fellows up to four times."

Sid adds, "Regarding the fort, the arrow slits were unmanned, at least on the left side where I was.  No one had been in there for a long time.  In the dream, weren't they manned?  I'm more worried about the power that commands the fort than the minions that defend it . . . unless there are a lot of them."

Magnus listens to his companions concerns while periodically glancing towards the stone entrance. Sid finishes speaking and Magnus adds, "Agreed Sid. We should withdraw from this clearing before continuing this conversation. Time may be of the essence, but an ambush is definitely uninviting."

Magnus begins falling back from the entrance, encouraging the rest to follow.  Mila holds up her hand and speaks, "Magnus stop.  This is a bad idea, we should go in now. I think going off and resting is going to get us killed." Her face is quite grim as she continues, "whatever is giving us these dreams is our enemy, and the more we slept the worse the dreams got until eventually injury in the dream became real".

She glances about the party, pausing dramatically, and continues, "what if next time we dream, the cuts get deeper and one of us does not wake up at all?  And if this evil powerful person is in there, why would he send us dreams to warn us about the evil stuff inside, giving us a chance to plan our attack and organize ourselves, where he could have just set up an ambush to an unsuspecting party, thus taking us out more easily when we are inside the dark cave in the passageways where we cannot surround these stone monsters, but be surrounded ourselves?"

"Look, I think the dead warrior and his amulet are the key to defeating this evil, we need to go in there and find him as soon as possible." She shrugs her shoulder and looks at magnus: " I think these dreams are like your danger or alarm or whatever the hell that spell is called, that is set off when people come close to this place, so that it will scare them away.  which means that the evil powerful man is probably not in there, he probably left this permanent nightmare spell around this place so that no one will dare to come in and accidentally (or intentionally) find this tomb. He probably made this spell, not that I really know if that is possible,  so that the dreams get worse and worse, and he probably left these stone monsters here to guard this place while he is
gone just in case the dream spell is not enough to stop people like us".

"There might be more powerful monsters in there, but they would have probably come out and helped the weaker ones out here, right?  Or maybe these more powerful monsters only come out at night, which means that we need to go in there as quickly as possible and find the coffin before they wake up.  In fact, if these monsters wake up at night, we are dead for sure, because they will find their dead friends, realize that there is an enemy near by, and then gather up their forces and hunt us down.  It will not be hard for them to find us since we can't move very far away from here before dark, and we will definitely be defenseless because none of you will have your spells back and we would be fighting a tougher enemy, or at least more of the weaker ones."

She sighs, as if weary of too much discussion without action, "in any case, something in there is going to find out that there was a fight out here and get more help, probably before all your spells come back, lets go in right now, find the coffin and hope that the amulet will help us destroy this evil.  ARE YOU WITH ME?"

Layne snaps to lucidity as if her plan makes innate sense to him, "I agree with Mila.  The nightmare scared me.  Mila's scar scares me, too.  I don't know if I will be able to sleep tonight, and Mila has made some good points.  I vote to press onward..."

Suddenly aware that Able has walked away from them, they look over to see their new companion closer to the entrance, peering earnestly as if gleaning some knowledge from simply looking at it.  It becomes suddenly apparent that he has been standing there for a few minutes as their debate raged on.

His silence is at last broken by a weary groan as he falls to his knees, desperately clutching his staff once again for support.  Bringing a hand against his temple, as if to quell a tempest raging within, he cries quietly, yet with great earnest, "Such . . . abomination!"

Regaining his feet, he turns and approaches his companions, addressing them in a hushed voice as he enters their circle. "Friends, it would seem I have touched the heart of this stone fortress. An unnatural force feeds the furnace that drives this horror. It rends the very fabric of the world, leaving naught but sickening black ash in its wake. Though caution would seem the wisest of choices, our reserves now at a minimum, I am unable to comply. I must continue onward to stop the heart that drives this . . . abomination, or it stops my own."

Sid glances back over his shoulder as he pulls on his leather greaves.  He shrugs.  "It's the same to me if you want to go on.  I was stuck here for the night either way."  With a grimace, he adds, "In any case, there's no sense shouting about it."

His armor complete, Sid swirls the midnight black cloak about him.  His left arm disappears completely in the shadow of a tree.  He begins to stump toward the corridor, grumbling.  "So . . . this time do you want me to come back before the guards are chasing me, or after?"  After a few seconds, he pauses, scratches his nose, and turns to the party.  "Ya know, that *is* going to happen again.  Why don't we use a signal?  I'll yell 'Fish' if I'm coming out with beasties on my tail.  That way, you will have a few seconds to get ready for them."

Seemingly the only strong opponent to Mila's impulse, the party turns to magnus and awaits his response.  He looks to each of them, sighs, and speaks, "I can see in your eyes that you are determined to face this evil head-on and as quickly as possible. Although I believe caution is the better choice here, I will follow if that is the course of action."

"Do not mistake my withdrawing as a sign of cowardice, but as a sign of tactical caution. These creatures and their master are powerful, both in combat and in magics that I can not discern. However, I will face them along side of my companions regardless of whether the battle take place now or in the morn."

Finishing, Magnus checks the daggers at his side reassuringly, rolls his neck as if loosening any remaining kinks of tension or fear, and stands ready to head into the dark mountain entrance.

Act III: Enter the Gargoyle

Some tension relieved by the guard encountered, our heroes press on.  They start clearing a hallway.  Layne and Sid listen at a door and are unsure if they hear a faint sound inside.  Their doubts are soon erased.  Sid readies his weapon and Layne quietly opens the door only to be immediately flung out of the room his blood spraying from his body in a great font that showers down on Sid.  Sid's survival instincts choose fight over flight and he the grim, blood-soaked Gnome steps up to a pair of the stony beasts.  The party quickly rallies.  Gen rushes forward to save Layne, while the rest of our heroes move in quickly and vanquish their foes.

Magnus gets a nasty surprise when he opens a store room and a ballista is fired at him.  Luckily, he escapes with only a nasty scratch [he still had a good number of hit points left by sheer luck].  He finds another survival-oriented scout inside which he coaxes out.  Our heroes straighten him out some and send him to help keep guard outside as well.

A secret door is found that opens onto a small room.  After a while [a LOT of real time] it is determined that the room is an elevator that will go from the main fort to a magically dark region.  From the magically dark region, it travels to the back of a bear cave.  From the bear cave, it travels back to the room.

The party is soon down in the dark area.  They walk forward from the elevator about 20 feet and find a lit area.  They try hard to ignore the almost deafening rasping sounds of stone against stone that seem to surrounds them.  They see before them the coffin in Mila's dream.  The party moves slowly forward in a wedge, with Mila at the center.  About ten feet into the room, a pair of creatures like those encountered thus far drop down in front of every member of the party except Mila.  The party backs up slightly and the creatures disappear back into the darkness overhead.

Mila moves forward and when she is about 15 feet from the coffin, the enormous beast from her dreams drops down in front of her.  She thinks for a moment then simply walks around him.  He watches her and then, as she moves forward to the coffin, he leaps to its foot in one great bound.

Mila moves to the head of the coffin and ponders her situation.  She looks to the beast and asks for guidance but she is answered with silence.  She grips the coffin lid and hefts it, finding that it is considerably too heavy to be glass.  The muscles of her whole body ripple and tense with her effort and she finally lifts the mighty lid and places it carefully on the floor.  Inside she sees a small treasure horde scattered about the body of a beneficent form and a medallion about its neck, like that from the dream.  She decides the path of restraint is best and seizes only the medallion.

Perplexed, she beseeches the body for guidance.  In answer, a glowing form emerges from it and begins answering her few simple questions with remarkably laconic answers.  When asked what to do with it, it tells her to give the medallion to the "Commander of Kalfeg Keep".  The party does not see this exchange and begins to wonder if Mila is possessed or confused.

Mila replaces the lid and rejoins her party, and the large beast leaves.  Our heroes begin to depart and Mila, now wearing the medallion, casts a quick glance backward to see that the darkness, now no longer affecting her held some secrets.  The walls of the room tower overhead and scores of the stony beasts roost upon it, above the region of darkness.  Mila breathes a sigh of relief, convinced she has done the right thing. 

As the party begins a hushed discussion on their way out, a voice booms out, "You may rest here if you like."  The party eventually decides to sleep here so that they will have their magic fully restored before exiting the fort.

Aug 28 (Sat): As our heroes leave the fort and begin heading back home, they are flanked by the 35 missing scouts unaccounted for thus far.  All of them seem stuporous as if bewitched, and they are pursuing the party with great speed.  Gen and Able spin about to Entangle the scouts and Mila, Able, and Gen move forward to subdue the  men.  Suddenly a fireball explodes over the scouts, wounding most, killing some, and injuring three of our heroes.

Sid, Magnus, and Layne make their way through the trees towards the offending Mage.  Magic Missiles take their toll, but Sid, Magnus, and Layne soon close and a well placed Chromatic Orb hits him, igniting him.  Magnus is rewarded with an explosion from the enemy Mage's backpack.  The Mage, having been flying, makes a direct line for a nearby pond and dives in.  Magnus, knife in his teeth, leaps in and pursues.  Trying to out swim a boy that grew up on the mighty Tieffblaue River is not a smart thing.  Magnus soon dispatches the Mage and returns to his comrades.  The party continues on and travels hard back to Kalfeg Keep, getting there without any further problems.

Sep 2, 163 (Moon):  Mila gives the medallion to Rusty who immediately looks in the prime of his health.  His visage clears and he begins barking out orders for his troops to assemble.  Magnus and Mila finally distract him long enough to ask him what they should do.

Rusty turns towards them and his expression and voice change considerably as he says, "Seek out Silverspear."  Magnus explains that Morilus Silverspear is his father.  He is uncertain if the Silverspear they are to seek out is the same one, but he is confident that it will be a good starting point if not.  Our heroes prepare to move out, heading to the West Moon Forest, via Riverton, the following morning.

Sep 8, 163 (Sun): Our heroes arrive in Riverton and spend a few hours resting.  They make contact with Father MacMurphy and Rocko, of the floating Temple of Tyche, a gambling riverboat named the "Lucky Lady".  One of our heroes thinks they spot someone that looks just like John Windsong in a distant crowd, but the party dismisses it.  The party heads to the edge of the West Moon Forest the next day.

Act IV: Trouble in the Forest / Mila's Challenge

That night, Sid and Mila are on watch when they hear a noise.  They investigate, Sid in the lead.  Suddenly Sid is downed by darts, apparently tipped with some form of drug.  Mila is confronted by a man that looks to be an exact double of the dead body she saw in the mountain fort.  The man describes himself as the brother of the dead man, referring to having "taken different path."  He explains to Mila that she needs to return to Kalfeg Keep for an important task.  She is not to bring anyone nor let anyone know of her mission or destination, for the presence of her companions would very likely result in their death(s) and/or compromise the mission.

Mila ultimately agrees and returns to camp, Sid's tiny limp body in her huge arms.  She gathers her gear and sets Sid down in his bunk.  Layne awakens as she is leaving and he is alarmed by her silence and unexpected departure.  He follows after her with great difficulty as she strides purposefully through the forest.  He calls after her for an explanation, but is also laid low by darts.  A ranger steps forward to carry Layne back to camp and she continues to her rendezvous.

Soon she is standing in a clearing with her warhorse, awaiting whatever is to happen.  Suddenly, large winged forms crash through the canopy of the forest.  The massive stony form of the apparent leader of the creatures from the mountain fort stands before her.  Four others accompany him.  She rigs a harness for her horse and they fly off out of the forest.

[The party splits here.  Reema had to finish her thesis, so she was unable to play on the usual gaming day and I ran a solo encounter with her later]

The next day, the party awakes, except for Sid who still sleeps deeply.  Layne awakes and relates the tale of the night's activities.  Magnus uses his Elixir of the White Viper to neutralize the poison in Sid's body and Sid quickly comes around.  He relates what little he saw.

Suppositions run rampant until the party holds off for Able to consult the animals of the forest.  He talks to a squirrel living in one of the trees near where Mila's tracks end.  The squirrel relates that there was a big crashing noise in the trees, but little else, as she fled into her tree when she heard the noises.  It was the only sane thing to do, of course.  Able also consults an owl that relates the creatures were humanoid in shape with wings like bats.

Ultimately, the party decides that Mila left of her own accord and if she did not there is little they can do about it, as they can do little to chase a flying menace through the woods.  They have had little success keeping their normal pace thus far.  So, they decide to continue on with their task.

The day wears on and our heroes become numb to the sounds of the thriving forest.  They are finally getting used to it when the Woods decide to remind them it has teeth.  Poisoned spikes rip through their footgear and the very forest floor wraps around them.  Our heroes respond quickly, those that are not paralyzed by the foul ichor from the spikes freeing weapons and striking at the beast.  In spite of their efforts, within seconds, our heroes are near death with no recourse in sight.  Then, as suddenly, it is over.  Well placed sword strokes slice into the creature and it collapses.

As the beast falls away, the party sees ten grim looking figures in hooded cloaks with long swords drawn.  Able related that they are from the Bloodthorn League.  The Leaguers seem completely oblivious of everyone but Able.  Able steps aside and talks to them.  When he returns, he is accompanied by two of them.  He explains that he has convinced them to escort them as far as possible.  The party continues on.  That night goes quietly.

Sep 12 (Thor): The day is uneventful.  Our heroes try to converse with the two Leaguers, but they continue to be standoffish and dismissive.

Sep 13 (Freya): The Leaguers are a little more friendly but are still quite laconic.

Meanwhile, at Kalfeg Keep . . .

Sep 16 (Moon): Mila arrives and learns that the humanoids in the area are massing to take advantage of the low garrison size to attack.  In itself, not much of a threat, but they are known to be recruiting one or more Green Dragons, which would most certainly turn a certain defeat into a smashing victory for them.  That's where Mila comes in.  She is to accompany some scouts to their lair and vanquish them.  Ever confident and noble, Mila accepts.  She is led to a scholarly Mage known as Nigel.  He answers here questions about tactics, defenses and such.  He loans her a magic ring of spells that will allow her to fly, turn Invisible, and produce illusionary doubles of herself to fool her enemies, but once each.  She is also given two scrolls to protect her from Dragon breath.  To cap it off, he gives her a potion that will make her an even greater warrior for a short time.  She sets out immediately and reaches the lair within one and a half days, thanks to the scouts accompanying her.

Meanwhile, back in the West Moon Forest . . .

Sep 17 (Tyr): Our heroes arrive at a trading center and their escort departs.  A tavern is there and they partake of its offerings.  Magnus tries talking *at* a table of six grim, hooded Leaguers.  After a great deal of one-sided conversation and numerous attempts at levity, one of them suddenly responds to Magnus and a conversation ensues.  Topics are discussed and as the conversation closes the man that is talking with Magnus, a Ranger named Tom, gives him a simple leather thong bracelet with a wooden plate upon which is a carved a circular thorn symbol.  He explains to Magnus that he should wear it to identify himself as a friend to Leaguers.  Our heroes spend the night and then head out the next morning.

Meanwhile, in the mountains near Kalfeg Keep . . .

Sep 18 (Mer): The scouts explain that they have been given explicit orders not to enter the lair, but they plan to do everything they can within the limits of that.  Mila, set on her task does not bother to inquire what that means.  They point out three entrances to the mountain and point out which is known to lead to the dragons.  Mila decides to try one of the other caves.  The scouts lead her there and she enters.  She turns herself Invisible and begins to Fly via the ring's magic.  She races down the tunnel and investigates.  She makes a noise that causes one Dragon to investigate, but it finally returns to its slumber.  She spies three dragons, all somewhat small by Nigel's descriptions, but one distinctly smaller than the other two.

She musters up her courage, uses a scroll, drinks the potion, and descends on them.  She strikes the largest one first, luckily stunning it just long enough to fell it with three more mighty strokes of her swords.  Luck is with her as the other large one rears back and breathes on her to no effect due to the scroll's magic.  She strikes it and it returns the favor.  Within seconds, she has her back to the wall and is nigh dead.  A flurry of combat ensues and she manages to kill the second dragon as the third, child dragon attacks her.  With a combination of skill and healing potions, she defeats them all.

She begins heading back to the main entrance to notify the scouts when she comes upon the Orcs that were apparently trying to hire the Dragons.  A Chieftain, his Shaman, and a half dozen bodyguards await her.  She rushes toward them, swords ready.  The Shaman calls upon his deity and stops her, frozen,  in her tracks. [Hold Person]  The Chieftain chuckles and sends a man forward to deliver the killing blow.  The pathetic little smelly Orc prepares to snuff out our mighty hero with a simple stroke of his cheap, rusted blade . . .

Suddenly, the cavern mouth explodes in fire and arrows pin cushion the Orcs.  The scouts, awaiting Mila's return, have sprung a fire trap they had set for the dragons, should they exit the cave.  They quickly dispose of the Orcs, much to Mila's relief.  All of the scouts rendezvous with Mila and they return to Kalfeg.

Sep 20 (Freya): Mila wraps up her affairs at Kalfeg, returning the ring and distributing the treasure.  Nigel offers most of the magic items, but Kalfeg will keep the money obtained.  As this will include the beautiful and no doubt magical bastard sword she found in the lair, she agrees.  Nigel even agrees to help her Identify some of the items.  When asked about the winged stony beasts that brought her, Nigel only relates that he does not know their place, but they reputedly are not allowed to directly intervene in the affairs of man . . . yet.  Mila retires for the night.

Sep 21 (Sat): A small festival is given in Mila's honor in the morning, and Mila Dragonslayer is the heroine of the day.  After the festivities, she begins her trip back with her stony flying friends.

Meanwhile, back in the West Moon Forest . . .

After a few days of trouble free travel, our heroes are beset at night by ten Ogres.  They manage to fight them off, but are somewhat wounded.  That same night, a wave of kobolds arises around our heroes and launches scores of darts.  Within seconds, the party is laying unconscious in a drugged sleep.  To be continued . . .

Act V: What's Ettin You?

The party has little time to act when the door to the dungeon is heard opening.  A loud heavy pair of footsteps approach the party.  Magnus quickly levitates Able in the hopes of some daring surprise attack after he gets the guard into the cell.  Well, that's the plan at least.

When the guard gets close enough to see, they realize it is a great, two headed, twelve foot tall, hunched, man beast with spiked clubs larger than most of the party members [An Ettin].  Magnus tries to lure him in to spring his trap but, fortunately for Able's continued existence, it does not succeed.  Incensed, Magnus grabs some offal from his former resting place and flings it at the Ettin.  The Ettin turns to Magnus in irritation and swiftly rams one of his mighty clubs into the cell, slamming Magnus hard and knocking him on the ground. 

However, as it retracts it's club, one of the spikes falls from it.  The beast continues down the dungeon and eventually grabs a prisoner from another cell and walks out slowly.  Sid rushes forward to seize the spike and try to use it as a pick.  He fails and gives the pick to Layne who remarkably succeeds, much to everyone's surprise and to Sid's (and Deron's) chagrin.

The party gets out of their cell and frees the other prisoners.  The prisoners mill about and discuss random plans until the door is heard opening again.  Everyone scampers into a cell, except for Sid.  Sid chooses to hide behind the massive, iron dungeon door that the Ettin throws open.  This turns out very poorly for Sid who is slammed rudely between the door and the wall and promptly falls unconscious.  Able continues to float over his comrades.  He and Magnus are still convinced the death from above will bear fruit eventually.

The Ettin grabs a prisoner and does not seem to notice the changes in arrangement of prisoners in their cells.  It leaves without further adieu, much to everyone's relief.  After a little discussion, the captives decide to go with a simple plan - get out now.  As Able quietly floats above, Bjorn, a human block of muscle, and Gecia Ironsplitter, Dwarven woman, also a block of muscle, and Sam Goodpipe, an unusually brawny Halfling, pull at the door with an effort of heroic proportions and manage to open the huge portal.

Our prisoners boil out of the dungeon and into a large room that appears to be home to the Ettin, Able levitating above.  It has but one exit.  It is sparsely accoutered, with only one table, one chair, and a single, hug, filthy bed.  Unfortunately for our motley band, the Ettin is just returning to his room.  Bjorn, Gecia, and Sam rush forward to engage the creature, ripping legs off his chair for weapons.  Sid tries to sneak by to flank it, spotting the half eaten Gnome leg on the Ettin's dinner plate as he passes the table.  Gary, a human Rogue, slips in beside it and joins the attack.  Magnus finally gives up on the levitating Druid death machine approach and Able happily returns to mother Earth to join the fray.

Magnus leaps on the foul bed and snatches up the fetid blanket, intending to cast the Ettin into darkness.  A noble effort, but the powerful stench and tangibly filthy and moist blanket overwhelms Magnus's, the final straw for his poor senses.  He collapses, dropping the blanket, retching violently.  A fitting fate for a man slinging feces just minutes before.  Layne, in no shape to fight, hangs back looking for a chance to assist.  Gen remains in reserve, waiting to heal those who need it.

The battle goes fairly well.  Victoria, a human female Mage, helps with her spells, though they fatigue her considerably.  The Ettin deals out wounds with frightening ease, but our heroes valiantly oppose him with their every fiber.  Then a shadow falls across the shining moment and Bjorn falls, his head crushed by the mighty Ettin's spiked club.

Our heroes finally manage to down the huge beast, just as two more captors are reaching the fray.  One of the responders pulls out a wand and fires off a Lightning Bolt.  Sid's knowledge of magic gives him just enough advance warning to jump out of the entryway in time, but his good fortune is questionable.  He lands in the foul pool of emesis that Magnus has freshly generated and begins to add his own contributions (ick).

The Lightning Bolt races down the corridor and rips through the room, felling a number of prisoners, including Gary and Gecia.  Victoria collapsed from fatigue and Bjorn bleeding his life away, the situation looks grim.

The vomit, filth, and feces covered Magnus recovers and runs up the stairs, intent on thwarting further attacks from the Mage and launches himself on him.  Sid regains his wits and bravely (or perhaps foolhardily?) rushes the other captor, a fighter brandishing a long sword, receiving a vicious stab for his efforts.  Able follows Sid's lead, but brings the training from one of his mentors, a Pugilist named Alexander, to bear.  Able sidesteps the blade and engages the warrior with his feet of fury.

Magnus manages to wrest the wand from the Mage and fires off a Lightning Bolt at the Fighter, narrowly missing his brave friends.  The fighter drops, barely, then the tongue of electricity dances up the stairs harmlessly.  Our heroic trio tries to convince the Mage to surrender, but when he begins to draw a dagger, Sid grows suddenly impatient and stabs him.

The immediate threat gone, Gen and Able begin patching people up.  Gen, a priestess of a healing deity, follows her compulsions and aids the fallen Fighter and Mage that had opposed her friends moments earlier.  She feels no such concern for the foul, Gnome-eating beast, however.

Our heroes limp upstairs and discover a storeroom and a large room in which the last prisoner brought up is being interrogated.  They also discover their equipment, which they quickly don.  Sam whips about a beautiful rapier, Gecia hefts a fearsome two-handed axe, Able grips his trusty Quarterstaff, Sid straps on his favored Longtooth, and so on.

Sid is turned Invisible and begins advancing across the room containing foes.  Somehow, a guard is alerted and soldiers begin pouring into the room.  The interrogator pulls his chairbound prisoner back against the wall with him.  Magnus in an unusual and memorable display, fires the wand at the interrogator.  The bolt streaks out, striking the captive and captor, strikes the wall behind them, strikes them again, charring their fresh corpses, and then races back to strike the novice user of the wand, Magnus.  He falls from the damage and the wand is destroyed by the stroke.

Guards continue to respond, then Sam Goodpipe, Gecia Ironsplitter, and Able rush forward to engage them.  Gecia cuts them down with single strokes of her mighty axe, and Able and Sam do their share of damage.  Almost immediately, the guards execute a withdrawal.  Our heroes decide not to press the attack.

Meanwhile, outside the keep . . .

Mila has been returned to the forest by the stony beasts that brought her and instructed that her friends are in a nearby keep.  She makes here way to the keep and comes upon a bridge.  On the other side of the bridge (near the keep) is a small tent.  Bloodstains and some gobbets of rotting flesh litter the moat/stream near the bridge.  As if sent to answer questions for her on cue, a quartet of men equipped like soldiers run out of the keep towards the bridge. [The men fleeing from our heroes inside]

An armored man with a shield and long sword readied moves out of the tent and blocks their way across the bridge.  They plea with him to let them cross to which he answers, "you can not pass dogs!"  Two of them attack and are cut down by the warrior with such incredible ease that it almost literally takes Mila's breath away.  Before the bodies hit the ground, he is standing motionless awaiting another attack.

The other two decide to try an alternate plan and begin to ford the stream.  Within seconds, the water begins to froth and the men are dragged suddenly and violently under, their blood-soaked screams stifled by the water.  A piece of one man's arm pops out of the water and lands on the stream bank near Mila, but she maintains her composure.

Meanwhile, inside the keep . . .

After a few minutes, there is a call from outside.  A large force has assembled and the sounds of commands for burning oil and other unpleasantness is heard.  The heroes are informed that the soldiers have nothing to do with the people they have fought and the heroes may have their equipment and leave, but they must leave via the bridge.  Otherwise, they will burn down the building the heroes occupy.  After some debate, our heroes comply, wary.  After a little tension, especially when one person was momentarily unaccounted for until he returned to visibility, our heroes are walking their horses out of a small forest keep that stood over the dungeon.

[BTW, the rest of the party was not aware Mila was outside, it was kept as a surprise]

As they near the bridge, they spot the fearsome looking foe that Mila has seen in action.  He addresses the party "None shall pass unchallenged.  Will any of you fight me?"  Able looks about at his battered comrades and surmises that he is the unfortunate soul that is best suited for the task.  With a heavy and fatalistic sigh and a shrug he starts to volunteer when Mila appear from the other side and say boldly "I will fight you!"

Caught off guard for only an instant, the man turns and smiles, and walks to the top of the bridge, where Mila joins him.  Battle is joined.  The man's blade flashes from his scabbard and strikes her head viciously shattering her helmet and stunning her.  She stumbles back and falls down.  He stops and silently waits for her to regain her sense.  The battle is rejoined.  They exchange blows until Mila is all but dead, when the battle suddenly stops.  The man announces "You have challenged me far more than any I have fought of late.  Your friends may pass."

The party is stunned but manages to hustle across the bridge and get out of sight of the keep.  They eventually make camp and discuss plans.  After much debate, they decide to continue on to West Moon and not return to the keep for more answers.  Bjorn, Sam, Victoria, Gecia, and Gary agree to accompany them and help transport the other fallen prisoners to West Moon.

Oct 6 (Freya): The party reaches West Moon in the evening and gets a room at the Drooping Willow Inn.  They discover that travel around the town at night is discouraged, especially around the homes of the noble and wealthy, where Morilus lives.

Oct 7 (Sat): Magnus dispatches a messenger and soon dinner with Morilus is arranged.  That night, the party dines with Morilus.  He explains that the dead man that they saw in the glass coffin was a powerful Paladin of the Whitefire League, an alliance of Paladins and like-minded individuals.  He knows little else.  As for why they are here, he can only guess that it has to do with the disappearance of John Windsong.

Our heroes are stunned to hear John still lives.  Morilus relates that he was revived to fulfill a prophecy.  The prophecy foretells of a great evil and the "chosen one" that will stop this evil is "one who is from the forest but not of the forest".  He also explains that the prophecy also speaks of musical ability and John fits the bill completely.  The problem is that John went missing and was last reported in/near Riverton.  Morilus charges the party with seeking out John for "Windsong is not ready yet.  He must complete his training."

Magnus steps off to the side for a heart-to-heart with his reputed father.  Morilus is somewhat standoffish, having just found out that Magnus may be his son.  They agree to pursue this at a later time when things are less urgent.

Oct 8 (Sun): The party departs the next morning, led by a full dozen Bloodthorn League Rangers.  They make great time . . .

Act VI: Friend or Foe?

• Damien Swift (Jack of Diamonds)
• Windsong was seeking the Kobolds Roland had hired
• John visited with the Kobolds twice, on/about the first and fourteenth of this month.
• John may have journeyed to Kalfeg Keep between the second and twelfth of this month.
• John is going by a pseudonym - Mikhail Water<something>
• Greasy Swan: Owner is still Joseph Fink, a middle aged man with light brown balding hair and a mustache.
• Sweaty Wench (Damien Swift's old hangout): nothing new

• Layne & Able head into the woods mostly west and somewhat north of town:
• Falcon (the animal) - "People and not short people moved towards setting sun."
• Kobold hunters spotted
• Kobolds spotted with a cart full of bloody, dirty armor, headed towards town.  They followed them back to a warehouse behind the Greasy Swan.  They dropped off their gear there, presumably to fence.  A man from the Greasy Swan in a hooded cloak talks to them in Kobold and pays them.  Later investigation reveals nothing exciting or informative in the warehouse.
• Gen and Magnus talk to Faith, a Priestess at the temple of Aristaeus
• Kobolds have been occasionally waylaying people on the trade roads
• Kobolds have been in the region for a few months
• Sid and Mila talk to Marshall and the town guard, they only get Windsong's full pseudonym - Mikhail Waterford.
• Stakeout of Greasy Swan
• 0300 Light goes out in office upstairs
• 0400 Thugs drop off goods to fence in warehouse
• 0430 Repeat investigation of warehouse turns up nothing exciting
• 0445 Sid enters the office, finds little, knocks over a brazier, but his cloak catches it before it hits the ground and set it upright again. [Note: Sid did not tell this to anyone, so remember this is not character knowledge!]

Mila, Able, and Magnus enter the bar and demand beer.  They are served by an ebullient wench.  They commence with their rowdiness and she nimbly steps back as if performing a well practiced move, while a huge mountain of a bouncer steps out of the kitchen, a remarkably muscular Half-Ogre.

Sid tries to climb the wall to the window.  Just as he reaches the window, he falls, plunging into the sanitation trench, i.e. a small river of human waste.

Mila takes a shot at him and a slugfest ensues.  They exchange blows.  Mila is knocked solidly on her butt, much to her surprise.  The Half-Ogre can seemingly do no wrong, unlike Mila who seems to be doing everything wrong.

Sid shakes off most of the human offal and tries again . . . and falls again, back into the trench.

Suddenly, Magnus and Able are facing a perturbed manager and a combat-ready Half-Ogre standing over their unconscious would be juggernaut, Mila. [Reema was rolling really bad on her dice and the not very remarkable bouncer (except for his strength) cleaned her clock].

Sid makes one last attempt . . . and fails again.  Sh*tfaced, literally, he decides the secrets of the office are not that important after all. [Sid has a low Willpower, 9, and failed a check against it to continue flinging his urine soaked body up the wall]

Magnus and Able babble something, pay for the damages and leave with Mila.  The Half-Ogre finds it impossible to stop smiling smugly.

Dissatisfied with subterfuge, our heroes decide to be more direct and try talking to the same Kobolds that John reputedly sought out.  They leave Riverton that night and head into the woods, leaving the bulk of their adventuring gear in their hotel.  They finally meet up with the Kobolds, led by a sincerely dangerous looking pair of Kobolds.  The apparent leader of the Kobolds defers to the warrior of the pair, who describes himself as Mugmok Elfeater.  He is a dangerous looking fellow with a battle worn but high quality blade at his side, well kept banded armor, and an Elf ear suspended from a thong about his neck.  Layne pulls his cloak more fully over his head . . . and ears.

He refers to his companion as Thax, but neglects to mention his honorific, "Gnomekiller".  Thax appears to be a shaman.  After the party pays them some money, they relate that "Mikhail Waterford" did talk to them and they referred him to Big George in Ferryton.  They say little else of use and the party soon becomes uncomfortable being surrounded by potential foes.

Our heroes decide that time is of the essence, fearing John may be dead.  They head straight to Ferryton.

Oct 27 (Freya): They locate Big George at a whorehouse.  They meet with him later in a tavern, the Pickled Trout, and he easily offers up that he took "Mikhail Waterford" to meet some bandits across the lake.  He agrees to take two of them to the bandits.  Sid tries to follow Invisibly, but abandons this plan when Big George identifies that someone invisible is approaching and set two guards to block the entrance to the pier.

Soon, Able and Mila are under way.  They talk to the bandits and for a small price find out that "Mikhail Waterford" wanted to find a wizard's tower.  They show Magnus and Mila where it is and the party quickly puts together some adventuring gear and heads out to the tower location.

Bandits

Nov 5, 163 (Thor): Late in the afternoon, they locate the trail to the wizard's tower and begin down it.  They notice almost no sounds of nature.  Suddenly the ground erupts and two Bulettes swiftly dart out and engage the party.  Our heroes fight well and no one is killed.  A second rumbling starts and our heroes move away just in time to avoid a gigantic, purple worm about 35 meters long and 10 meters wide that surges out of the ground below and swallows the beasts.  It gently arcs and returns back into the ground.

Sid forages off on his own and comes face to face with an eight legged lizard about twice as long as a horse, head to tail.  A bird chirps, breaking the silence.  The lizard spins to look at it and the bird turns to stone and falls from the tree, shattering.  Sid proceeds to engage the beast, usually averting his gaze and having a hard time hitting it.  He finally succeeds in downing the beast, but just barely.

Finally the party gathers at the edge of the 100 meter clearing and decides to approach the tower.  Sid discovers a pit trap that appears to ring the tower completely.  It is quite thick, a full 10 meters from the outer to inner ring.  After some falls and scrapes, the heroes decide to climb into the pit and then back out on the inner side.  When they round the tower and approach the entrance, they see that the pit trap does not include the proper entrance path to the front door.

Magnus moves to the door just as the party notices two freakish beasts slowly approaching them from the forest edge.  They are large, black cats with wicked, ebony ridged tentacles protruding from their backs.  A Magic Mouth appears on the door and says "State your name and business."  Magnus answers using proper academic etiquettes, but nothing happens.  The creatures come closer, he knocks again.  The mouth speaks again.  This time, the creatures nearer, he yells his answer.  The beasts start loping towards them as the door is opened and a man begins chatting with Magnus.  Magnus politely points out the danger and the man raises up a staff and fires off two bolts of lighting at the beasts, sending them scampering off.

He invites them in and gives them a room to rest in.  He describes himself as Hank, a wizard.  He departs to continue working until dinner, leaving them with snacks and grim, Viking guards to keep them company.  Eventually, the party learns another wounded traveller is in the tower and Gen is taken to heal him.  It turns out to be Mikhail Waterford.  He explains that he is John's long lost half brother.  He was also abandoned on the Tieffblaue in a basket, but he was found by a lumberjack's wife in Riverton.  John convinced him of their relationship and called upon his better nature to assist him.

Mikhail relates a tale that confirms the trail the party has followed thus far, then explains what happened recently.  He and John were outside when they were attacked by Bulettes.  They split up and fled, losing them in the denser trees.  Mikhail has no idea what happened to John.  Mikhail joins our intrepid band and they dine with Hank.  Hank is asked about the beasts outside and explains that they only recently showed up.  He is not certain why.  Magnus indirectly suggests a relation to the magic being worked by Hank which Hank summarily dismisses as unrelated, and the night wears on.

Nov 6, 163 (Freya): The party leaves the safety of Hank's tower and continues their search for John Windsong, afraid that the beasts outside Hank's tower may have claimed his life.  They discover some patches of land that are dead and black, seemingly devoid of all life, even at the tiniest scale.  Able describes these miniature blights upon the land as the hallmark of a Defiler, one that depletes the very life force around him to fuel his magic.

The party continues finding these circles and finally finds a small hut which they investigate.  The hut is in a clearing consisting of the same lifeless earth they have seen throughout the day.  Layne pulls out his bow and remains outside the clearing while they look around inside.  Layne spots a robed figure at the opposite edge of the clearing and notices him pointing a short piece of wood at the hut.  Being a Mage as well as a Rogue, he deduces it is a wand and when he sees the spark of flames begin to sputter from its tip, he yells for the party to get out of the hut.

Our heroes don't waste time in honoring his request and they boil out of the hut an instant before it explodes in a ball of fire.  The party immediately notices the robed figure and the presence of storm clouds that they had not noticed earlier.  A mighty battle ensues with Sid and Layne raining down arrows on the man without effect.  He throws up Walls of Fire and teleports about with impunity.  Confounding the party's attempts to fell him.  Meanwhile he grievously injures Layne with a lightning bolt he calls down from the storm cloud overhead.

Mila, prepared for such an occurrence with a scroll that confers protection from magic soon rejoins the fray with renewed vigor.  She charges through a Wall of Fire that the wicked man has hidden himself within, protecting himself from Able's martial arts fury.  Unharmed due to her protection, she startles the fiend, but as she zeros in on him, he teleports out again.

He ends up flanking Sid and prepares to destroy him when Mila, by sheer random chance charges out of the wall right into the villain and knocks him to the ground with a mighty blow from her sword.  Sid spins about and he and Mila prepare to gut the spell caster quickly.  Before the killing blow is delivered, a weary and wounded John Windsong appears at the edge of the clearing and yells for the party not to kill him."

Epilogue: Demons, Devils, and Defilers, Oh My!

Genevieve falls to healing Layne. Shortly after, Genevieve and a healthier Layne join the group.  They both appear perplexed and excited, the recent battle, powerful magics, and near disaster still paying havoc with their sensibilities.

Mila and Sid continue to sit on the limp form of the spell caster that they barely managed to down.  Sid flicks aside the wand that had called forth the walls of flame that had almost led to the party's defeat.  Magnus handily snatches it up.

Magnus, his expression a mixture of joy, surprise, relief, and confusion, moves over to Windsong, addressing him, "John!  You are alive!  Who is this man and why are you so concerned for his life?"  Windsong puts up a hand for Magnus to pause until he can get into earshot of the group.

Able winces in sympathetic pain as he takes in the carnage of the charred plants and animals.  His quarterstaff quivering slightly as he squeezes it in a white-knuckle grip, barely containing his rage.  The muscles in his jaw writhe, and his breathing is distinctly louder and heavier than normal.

Mila looks up at Able "I suppose guys like him really piss you off, huh?"

Able quietly hisses from between clenched teeth, "The Circle will decide his fate.  It is not my place."

Sid hefts his Longtooth, "I could take care of his fate."

Mila look sidelong at Sid and grunts her retort "Get in line Sid.  Anyone gets a piece of him, it's gonna be me."

Able answers, "No, it is for the Circle to decide, he must be taken back to the West Moon Forest."  It is painfully obvious that he has to force the words out.

Layne retorts to Able "Yeah, but does he need to be alive when he gets there?"

Genevieve, visibly distressed at the dark thoughts of the party speaks up, "How much blood is enough?  There has already been too much violence done this day.  This man has been vanquished and he is no threat to you.  Killing is often neither necessary nor wise, and it is hard to remedy.

John steps up to the party and gestures to the man, "He is Henri, Henri Marniet, a nobleman that decided to shed his worldly belongings and become a Druid.  It is neither necessary nor wise to kill him.  He disappeared from the circles of the Druids a few years ago.  It was uncertain if he was still alive.  I was separated from my traveling companion when we were faced with hideous beasts near Hank's tower.  I still made a scheduled rendezvous with a group of Bloodthorn League scouts that were to accompany me.   Henri used his Druidic knowledge to ambush my men and I.  He killed them all.  I managed to escape him by running back through the very beasts that had threatened me earlier.  I suspect he is in league with Malikos, whether he knows it or not.  However, I am equally convinced that he was not following me, which means he may know of the magic I seek here."

Windsong pauses and looks at Magnus "I can see your next question in your eyes, friend.  I woke up in West Moon, feeling none the worse for wear, but surprisingly alive for a dead person.  I was then told of some ancient prophecy, is there any other kind?  Apparently, the people that brought me back were convinced that I was part of said prophecy and that I would be pivotal in defeating some great evil, which they suspect is Malikos."

"Regardless, I am seeking out a great magical tool with which to fight the prophesied "tide of darkness" that will ravage our lands.  It is called the Song of Life.  I have come here seeking this song and, I suspect so has Henri.  However, I am not certain of his faculties.  He seemed quite strange when he attacked us, gibbering and screaming as he did.  He was like some maniacal zealot.  I can only hope that his mind is intact enough to give me the information I need.

Mila smiles coldly and offers "I could get him to talk."

Windsong answers "No, I think his mind has been altered in some way.  We need extremely skilled healers . . ."

Genevieve perks up at the mention of her vocation, "There is a substantial temple dedicated to Ibis in the nearby town of Ballast.  The healers there should be able to help."

Able offers "He is . . . was a Druid.  Druids would know better what to do with him."

Windsong adopts a sad, compassionate, serious look, "I fear that what has been done to him has nothing to do with Druids, and perhaps nothing to do with the world in which we live.  Besides, it is imperative that the information he has is discovered quickly, and it will take us a few days to reach another group of Bloodthorn League members."

Further discussion ensues, Henri is bound up, and the party travels to Ballast, stopping by Hank's tower momentarily for Magnus to exchange a few words with him.  Hank makes plans with Magnus to travel back to Seahaven with him and sends one of his runners to accompany the party so that he might return with information about their travel plans, allowing Hank to rendezvous with them.

En route to Ballast, Magnus brings up the topic of Windsong disappearing and the concerns raised by Magnus's reputed natural father, Morilus Silverspear.  Windsong explains that the League had been compromised and he felt he had to drop out of sight to continue his search.  In Riverton, he looked up his twin brother, Mikhail Waterford, apparently abandoned on the Tieffblaue River as he was, but Mikhail washed up in a ford near Riverton (hence the name) and was taken in by a Lumberjack and his family and raised among them.  John had been told of Mikhail after he was raised from the dead.  Apparently the League had kept track of him to use as a decoy if needed.

"I entreated Mikhail to aid me.  I had my reasons, but they would probably not hold up under scrutiny.  He was a brother I had never known and I sincerely felt that together we could accomplish something.  He did not let me down.  He understood the sincerity and magnitude of my claims and we soon were heading west into the forest to find a kobold by the name of Mugmok Elfeater, who would reputedly have some information for us.  We were not disappointed and a few tense days later we had made it to the environs of Hank's tower, probably in a similar fashion to you, and you know the rest.

Magnus interjects “But Morilus spoke of your training being incomplete, that you were not ready.  Foolhardiness in this mission could cost thousands of lives.  Your role is too important for you to go running off with thoughts of being a lone crusader.”

Windsong, seemingly surprised that anyone would question his actions, takes a moment to think before answering, during which Layne turns to Sid and says just loud enough for all to hear, “Yeah, I'd rather not see the Colonies left a smoking ruin because your buddy their had feelings of grandeur.”

Windsong seems to come to a satisfactory decision and speaks again, “Perhaps Morilus is correct, but he knows only what he has been told.  He lacks the position and power to help me in spite of the traitors, if they are where I suspect.  Even then, I am not certain who the traitors are, so I assume everyone I am not certain of is.  The stakes are too high.  If my ‘teachers’ had their way, I would train for a hundred years before leaving the forest, but we are talking about Elves after all.  Also realize that the danger to them is not as great.  The prophecy does not describe a direct threat to them, so they see this as altruistic assistance anyway.  I fear they are not worried enough about Malikos and their different perspective of time could be our undoing.  Malikos is human after all, so I suspect he is working faster than my Elven mentors would have liked.  Thus far, I have not been disappointed in my decision.  The power of the spell songs continues to grow in me.  However, I digress.”

“I do know that people that Morilus relies on for information and support are traitors to the cause.  I am very confident that any assistance I receive in West Moon has a very high likelihood of involving such traitors.”

Magnus entreats John, “How can you be so certain?”

John adopts a wry smile, “I first suspected when they tried to kill me.  I was being trained to walk among the tree branches, one of the many little things that I think my Elven instructors were misguided about teaching me.  Regardless, I was following a training path I had many times before and the branch gave way.  It was startling as the branch should easily have held my weight.  I managed not to fall, but when I was examining the sword marks I found in the branch that had apparently weakened it artificially, I was confronted by my would-be assassin.  It was one of the Leaguers that was helping train me.  He drew his blade and I thought I was lost, having naught but my clothes.”

“He made cryptic references to the training progressing too quickly and that he could not allow me to reach my full potential this soon.  True or not, he made further comments that suggested that a number of my trainers were compromised in one way or another.  Fortunately, I remembered a maneuver a swashbuckling friend had used in a tavern brawl that turned ugly.  I used my cloak to trap the traitor's blade.  When I tried to disarm him, he fell to his death.  I will not profess to be sad that he is dead, but I wish I had gathered more information from him.  I rushed back to my room, gathered my equipment as quickly as possible and contacted a more trusted Leaguer to help me get back to Riverton, which we did.”

“No, returning to West Moon is out of the question.  I am certain that the traitors pose no immediate threat, and I am equally certain that most of them do not realize that their actions betray their cause.  Many of them have simply been led to believe a slower course of action is preferable.  Trust me, it's not hard to convince an Elf to take it easy and look at the big picture or the long road.  I would go crazy living in that forest.  Give me Seahaven any day.”  John actually cracks a smile for the first time in a while, a welcome reminder of better, less complicated days.

Magnus reflexively answers the smile in kind, saying simply “Yeah,” then returns to sobriety, “but is Morilus in danger?  I would rather not lose my father after just discovering him.”

Windsong does not hesitate to say, “No, I do not think so.  I feel that if nothing else, the Leaguers and Elves have few full-fledged traitors among them.  The problem is that the traitors that are present have managed to nudge them into a slower course of action while keeping our enemies reasonably well informed.  Luckily, the forest is still a barrier to quick communication for most people.  No, the threat is much more subtle and Morilus is frankly not important enough to the cause to be in danger.”

With that, the conversation abruptly ends as everyone present wrestles with the information and turns their thoughts to reaching Ballast and deciding where to go from there.  The group arrives without difficulty in Ballast, occasionally disturbed by the rants of Henri:

Yelling "Murderers!"
Hissing "The world eaters are everywhere!"
Crying out defiantly "You will not take this life!"
Screaming "Damn you Gan'Ziron!" then weeping
Sobbing quietly "Where are the birds?"

The healers take Henri in and the party takes up lodgings near the temple, keeping a rotating guard outside his room.  Two days later, the high priest reports that Henri can entertain visitors.

With occasional relapses of confusion and anxiety, Henri relates a wicked tale.  With information interjected by Magnus and Windsong, it is determined that Henri was abducted from the forest then left to the tender mercies of demons in some sort of planar fortress.  Once his mind was shattered, he was given a new version of reality.  Generally, Henri viewed everyone around him as part of a great plot to take the very life of the planet.  In his altered reality, Malikos was the chosen one of the prophecy Windsong spoke of, and Windsong was the great master of evil.  He is still visibly uncomfortable in John's presence.

Henri, haggard and still visibly fractious explains, “I think it was many years ago that they came, the knights . . . I mean demons.  They took me to an extraplanar fortress that served as my prison.  They did . . . unspeakable things to me.  I held firm . . .” he begins to cry suddenly, “<sob> but they did <sob> such things to me <sob> . . . I eventually lost my grip on who I was <sob> and where I came from <sob>.”

He suddenly stops crying and adopts a straight-forward tone, “the mission was crucial – find the Song of Life and return it to Malikos, the chosen one of the prophecy, so that he could stem the tide of darkness and prevent the hordes of evil from devouring the life of the land.”  He shakes his head as if clearing it, “but that was a fabrication, right?”  His questioning look contains such profound desperation that it makes you uneasy.  “I remember the League . . . my old grove . . .” he trails off and begins weeping again.

Windsong, seemingly ignorant of the man's trauma demands “What of the Song?  What do you know of it?  Malikos?”

Henri turns quickly to Windsong as if physically slapped to alertness, “Yes, the Song.”  His voice changes timbre to a mantra of sorts, as if he is quoting prophecy, “The Song will be found with one who has little use for it.”

Windsong's exasperation and fatigue suddenly rush into his face.  “That's it?  Answers more mysterious than the riddles?  Is there nothing else?”

Henri becomes remarkably lucid and answers “No, that is all that is written.  The oral legends speak no more of it, but I have heard of a holy site in the eastern mountains with a series of carvings that resembled the prophecy.

Mila breaks in, somewhat to everyone's surprise, “In the lands of the Chrogahri?”

Henri looks to Mila as if she is a beacon of clarity, “Yes, exactly, the Chrogahri!”

Henri is taken back to the forest by a group of Druids and Rangers that show up suddenly.  When the party inquires, Able explains: "He will be confined to a Grove of Balance.  Basically, it is a small piece of the earth that it isolated from its environment.  It is whole and complete, subject to the same fluctuations present in all nature.  Any damage done to the Grove through the use of defiling magic tips the balance toward its overall death.  If Henri fails to rediscover his path as one that coexists with life, rather than in spite of it, then he will likely waste away and die a slow, wretched death, starving on the very earth made barren by his defiling ways.  He helps maintain balance or is removed from the scales of life altogether."

Windsong explains that in spite of Henri's confusion, there was enough useful information for him to work on.  He and the party are convinced:

1) Malikos has or knows of the prophecy, so he may be preparing to move sooner
2) Malikos does not know the whereabouts of the Song of Life
3) Malikos's forces are still too weak to enact his final plans
4) The Song of Life is truly a great danger to Malikos

Windsong explains, “I will organize the small unit of scouts I know I can trust and seek out this site.  If and when I find it, I will send messengers to all of you.  Until that time I beseech you to aid me in preparing for the dark tide and seeking the Song of Life as best fits your abilities.

“Magnus, you would best serve this cause by enlisting all of your research resources towards finding information on the Song of Life and any prophecies that might shed light on this.  Perhaps you could also quietly bend others to the task?  Only those you trust completely, of course.  I feel that the knowledge of the New World and the Druids has been exhausted.  Perhaps the knowledge of the Old World holds some hidden treasures.  Start in Seahaven and work your way back towards Kalfeg, so that you may be close at hand, if and when I call on you.”

“Mila, you are a great blacksmith and a greater warrior.  I know of your slaying of the dragons.  People like you are needed to recruit, train, and oversee soldiers and smiths alike.  We need strong equipment and strong hearts to carry it.  Perhaps your Uncle Brahk can be enlisted to lend his skillful anvil to the task.  It needs to be done without raising too much attention.  Perhaps bolstering and swelling the ranks of the militias would be less noticeable?  I do not profess to be a tactician.  Ultimately, these forces will be needed at Kalfeg, the prophesied site from which the forces of light will have their final chance to stem the tide.”

“Sid, your ear to the streets is priceless. You could plug into the network of cities in the colonies and coax secrets from the shadows.”  Sid seems to find this unusually funny for some reason, and chuckles momentarily, causing Windsong to pause, but not stopping him.  “Also, perhaps your people have answers I could not obtain.  A trip to Gladshire might bear fruit.  Again, I would suggest that you start with Seahaven and work back towards Kalfeg so that you can be summoned quickly if the need arises.”

“As for the rest of you, I would not think to ask . . .” He pauses for a short moment, awaiting volunteers

[He does not ask anything of Genevieve, Layne, or Able, but if they prod him, he will suggest that Gen and Layne get to Kalfeg and do what they do best, healing and scouting.  Able should continue with the Bloodthorn League trying to gain information on the Song of Life and ferret out traitors to the BtL.

“I may need to call on some of you sooner than others, perhaps if and when I find these Chrogahri carvings.  I know where to contact some Chrogahri guides, but the mountains are a big place.  It could take months or years to find them.  I am sure Mila will be invaluable when I do make the trek.”

“Well friends, I realize that I am asking a lot of you, but the need is great.  What say you?”  Windsong finishes with an inspiring flair.