Session #18: The Heroes

The party stopped to catch their breath, reeling a little bit from the fight. As they did, from above, Sheshka applauded their victory. She then informed them that all visitors to her castle are hers to do with as she pleases, and most of the time, for humans, that means they get turned to stone, or worse. Their little vendetta with Zelian has sufficiently amused her, and their victory has sufficiently impressed her that she is willing to give them the gift of leaving with their lives. The party fumed, and Tselem in particular was itching to attack Zelian, but they simply weren't able to mount another attack in their weakened state. So they took her offer, and left the castle. The guards gave them itchy looks as they passed by, but they were able to depart unmolested.

By this time, dusk was hastening on, so the party made their way back to the caves outside of 'town' to rest for the night, and plan their next attempt on Zelian's life. They devised a strategy where they would lead Sheshka to believe that Zelian was about to betray her, and parley another chance to attack him through these means. They wrote fake letters for this purpose, then went to sleep.

The next morning, the 5th day of Dravago, the party awoke, prepared, and headed out. To their surprise and alarm, as soon as they started coming down from the caves, they met Zelian! Their battle commenced, with Zelian being joined shortly by six hulking ogres! The fight was vicious and choatic, but Azeri and Elane surrounded Zelian and laid into him with their most impressive spells. The wicked sorcerer was knocked unconscious by the force of their attacks. At first, Azeri was hesitant to kill him outright, and even persuaded Elane to not go for the killing blow just yet. But then she reconsidered, and Elane needed no encouragement to deliver the final strike.

Moments later, the last of the ogres fell too, and Elane let out a shout of triumph.

Zelian d'Deneith, the power-hungry, filicidal public enemy, was dead!

Rewards

• 3,700 XP. Time to level up to 11, and enter the paragon tier!

Session #17: The Long Fight

The party struggled against the remaining two Medusas. They eventually realized that Tselem's stinking cloud wasn't doing what it was supposed to, since Medusas aren't damaged by poison attacks. Azeri and Elane found themselves being worn down by the powerful warriors. Edge and Taumir landed some serious blows, and finally, both vile creatures were disintegrated by lightning attacks.

Rewards

• 3,125 XP! Time to level up!

Session #16: The Bargins with Monsters

The party roused themselves, as well as Reita & Akta. While gathering some food for breakfast, Azeri and Reita chatted a little bit. As they were all about to continue on their way to Owl's Perch, a few days journey north, they saw some people coming down the road. The party and co. made themselves inconspicuous, only to realize that it was Elane and some of her guards! Taumir and Tselem were still a little apprehensive, but Azeri welcomed her with open arms, and everyone's fears were soon put to rest. Elane expressed astonishment at all that had happened, and then delivered grave news: Zelian had gone Cazhaak Draal, in the heart of Droaam. She feared he was courting the favor of Sheshka, the Queen of Stone, a wicked Medusa, in hopes of gaining dark allies. Elane revealed that she had known for some time that Zelian wants House Deneith to take over the world, and fears this is him escalating his plan.

Troubled by this new development, the party put Reita and Akta into the hands of the Church of the Silver Flame, and then headed back to Varna, along with Elane. Once there, they used Elane's money to teleport them her and themselves to Sylbaran, the last civilized city before the Droaam border. They arrived there around mid-day, and spent the next two and a half days traveling across back roads and increasingly wild territory before finally arriving at Cazhaak Draal.

Cazhaak Draal is a ruin, a crumbling fortress. By human standards it is a haunted, deserted place, but here in Droaam, such places teem with monster life. Creatures of every variety were found roaming, bartering, and fighting with each other. Given the lateness of the hour, the party decided to hole up in one of the caves outside of town, and wiled away the evening sharing stories. The next morning, on the 4th day of Dravago, they went back into 'town', asking questions of the denizens and trying to formulate a plan. They had learned from a friendly Tiefling (Tselem posed as one and won his trust) that Sheshka will tolerate human visitors if they bring her large, expensive presents. The party had been hanging onto some armor that was a little too heavy for them, and they decided to use this as a present to get in the door. They approached the castle, presented their gift, and were admitted.

As they party had discussed, when they were finally permitted to speak to the queen a few hours later, they revealed they had a vendetta against Zelian d'Deneith, and demanded the chance to face him in battle. The queen was amused, and with a wicked smile, agreed to the tournament. The party was ushered into a courtyard, but it appeared the queen had double-crossed them, as she sent two Medusas and two Snaketongue cultists to fight them instead. The cultists proved easy prey, and Tselem was even able to take a potshot at Zelian as he and Sheska watched the fight from box seats. But then the Medusas stepped up their game, and suddenly the outcome didn't seem quite so clear...

Rewards

• (As the fight is not yet finished, no XP rewards just yet. Great role-playing though!)
• You have found an Elemental Twist Dagger (level 10 magic item, Player's Handbook 2, p. 204).
• You have found 1,400 GP (to split amongst yourselves).

Session #15: The Sins of the Innocent

The party approached the house with trepidation, and their worse fears were quickly confirmed - Reita had found Akta dead in her bed that morning. The party, conscious of the rarity of raising someone from the dead, asked if they could go and see what state her body was in. They discovered a priest of the Silver Flame performing ceremonies for the dead over Akta. The party asked for some time alone, and ejected the priest, much to his protests and consternation. The party then brooked the question of whether Reita would like Akta resurrected. Despite the conflict of faith this should have presented for her, she readily agreed.

Casting the ritual took Azeri almost the entire day. That evening Akta finally stirred, and looked around in surprise at the people in her room. She knew nothing had even taken place - aside from the soreness where she had been stabbed, she felt no different than if she'd had a long night's sleep. Apparently she had been murdered while she slept. Reita of course fell on her daughter's neck and wept with joy, which unnerved Akta a bit.

As everyone was re-grouping, Tselem let slip that Zelian was Akta's father. Akta was stunned, and Reita was furious - apparently she had never wanted Akta to know. With this Reita decided to abandon this home and go stay with some family in the city of Owl's Perch, a few days journey to the north. She was so angry that she almost refused the party's help, but they were able to persuade her that she and her daughter didn't stand much of a chance without them.

As the tieflings frantically packed, Azeri decided to go into town and contact the Church of the Silver Flame to try and get a message to Elane. Reita had a message cube specifically for contacting Elane, but it wasn't working, which made the party extremely suspicious. They even started to wonder if maybe they were being double-crossed, or dismissed as collateral damage.

Azeri found a church, and was able to persuade the acolytes there to raise the vicar from his sleep. The vicar was a little put out by her request, but eventually agreed to send a message along.

When Azeri returned to the house, a plan was formulated. Tselem transformed to look like Akta, Azeri and Edge placed "her" in a coffin (not a cheap affair!), and then set off very publicly for a graveyard, staging a funeral procession. With the show distracting everyone else, Taumir took Reita and Akta and headed up the road (somewhat disgruntledly).

The funeral lasted till late at night. Once it was over, the three party members discreetly made their way out of town. They were just about clear when a passing dwarf lady stopped them to talk to Edge. She asked if he was the Edge who had served in the 31st Regiment. He confirmed he was, and she attempted to arrest him for murder! Three other dwarf females came to join in the arrest attempt. Edge and the party resisted for a moment, but then Edge decided to try a different tactic and surrendered to their authority. (These warriors were enforcers of the druidic cabal that tries to keep order in the Reaches; this cabal operates like a national government, but has very little actually power outside the cities that border Lake Galifar.)

Tselem and Azeri ducked into an alley and quickly made a plan. Tselem transformed himself into a nondescript human, and Azeri conjured her phantom steeds to ride with all haste to catch up to Taumir.

Edge's captors brought him to a House Orien teleportation station, and informed him he was being taken to a judge in Greenheart, the capital of the Reaches, some days away. At this Edge decided to drop the ruse and broke his bands. He and Tselem made off into the night, and after a long chase were able to elude the dwarves.

Azeri found Taumir and the tielfings, and after a heated discussion, it was agreed that Azeri would stay with them and camp for the night, waiting for the rest to join up with them again. Taumir rode the phantom steeds back to Varna, and after some searching found Edge and Tselem. The three of them fled town and rendezvoused with Azeri and the sleeping tielflings. Edge confessed that he was more or less guilty of the accusation - he had allowed his terrible, brutal captain to be killed during the war.

By this time it was the dead of night, almost getting into the wee hours of the morning. The party elected to sleep till they woke up, and it was mid-morning on the first day of Dravago before they roused once more.

Rewards

• 1,200 XP each.
• You've found some Hydra Armor (Level 13, Player's Handbook, p. 230).
• You've found a scroll with the ritual "Reversed Portal" (Player's Handbook 2, p. 216).
• You managed to loot 2,400 GP total.

Session #14: The Pursuit of Madness

About halfway through the battle with the golems, the party seemed to find their stride, and hit back against their enemies, eventually polishing them off. Knowing that Zelian had probably teleported somewhere close, they left the house in hurry, slipping past the guards once again, and headed back into Atur. They were able to use the info from Elane to find a House Deneith teleportation 'station' hidden in the back of a shop. Tselem disguised herself as a Deneith official and was able to fool the guard into telling her that Zelian had been there recently, and had teleported back to Korth. The guard got a little suspicious when he saw her then go and talk to the party, so they made haste back to Korth, using phantom steeds to make the trip in about half the time.

By this time it was evening, and the party decided to pack it in for the evening. They found an out-of-the-way inn and settled in. Edge did a little scouting around, and ended up running into Elfrich, the old friend of Taumir who had helped them out before. He said he'd be able to help them again, so Edge arranged a time for them to meet the next day.

The party found Elfrich's turning up right now a little suspicious, so they decided to take a very cautious approach the next morning (which was 28 Eyre). Half the party remained hidden while the other half prepared to meet up. At first it looked like the old spy was going to be a no-show, but then they spotted him hiding somewhere else nearby. Elfrich acted very evasive, telling them Zelian had departed for Varna, and he eventually offered them a teleportation talisman. The party was wary, but accepted, and he invited them back to his apartment to use it. Upon arriving though, the party's magic users realized the talisman was not intended for teleportation, and Edge pinned Elfrich to the wall and demanded some answers. Elrich insisted he was being honest, and offered to use the talisman himself. They agreed, and he did, at which point the talisman exploded!

When the smoke and debris of Elfrich's apartment settled, Elfrich was dead, and the party was injured, but not particularly slowed down. Disgusted, the party stuffed his corpse into their bag of holding so they could question him later, and then headed to a House Orien public teleportation circle. From there they transported directly to Varna - it cost a fortune for each party member, but at least the waiting was over.

Once in Varna, they made a beeline for Reita & Akta's home. As they drew near, they saw a crowd gathered and Reita sobbing, and their hearts sank.

Rewards

• 3,000 XP each! Time to level up!

Session #13: The Luck of the Informed

The party took a deep breath as the last of the snake people dropped dead, and realized they were now alone on a boat a good bit off-shore, in a boat they weren't exactly sure they knew what to do with. They debated swimming, but decided to try sailing it up to Korth themselves. It took some doing, and some false starts, but within an hour, they made a safe (though perhaps clumsy) landing at the docks of the city. They were even able to arrange to sell this boat to a gnome named Veric, scoring 6,000 GP (1,500 GP apiece) for it!  These activities raised the suspicion of the dockmaster, but they got away without any incident.

As evening was now drawing on, the party decided to rent rooms in an inn and rest up for the night. They knew that Zelian had a mansion here in town, and a cabin out in the Karrnwood, but weren't sure which place he would be. Azeri decided to go up to the guards at the mansion and pretend to be a groupie; the guards were friendly, and maybe even a bit smitten, but weren't willing to let her in. They did however mention that there was a festival in about a week that Zelian would be attending. With this, Azeri went back to the inn and got some sleep herself.

The next morning, the 27th day of Eyre, the party woke up, rented some horses, and headed out towards the Karrnwood. They stopped for lunch in the city of Atur, and early in the afternoon found themselves outside Zelian's cabin, hidden in the bushes. Two guards were maintaining a watch, and the party debated for some time what to do. Tselem went invisible, then snuck upstairs and confirmed that Zelian actually was there (and what room he was in). The party debated further, then snuck past the guards and entered the room together.

Zelian was of course surprised to see three strangers and Akta (whom Tselem was currently impersonating) enter his home unannounced. The party kept a close and wary eye on him, mindful that he had kept their friend locked up for years, and had killed all of Taumir's people. They demanded answers, primarily "Akta." Zelian claimed he had kept her locked up for her own good, because her dragonmarked status put her at great risk. When challenged further, he let it slip out that Akta was in fact his daughter!

They party had come to this cabin to question Zelian as to his motives and plans, and were not mollified by his words. They decided to continue with their mission of assassination, and Taumir let an arrow fly. He struck true, but in that moment, Zelian dropped his pleasant pretense and disappeared. In his place appeared two flesh golems! The party founded themselves in a desperate fight in a close space, and one of their tried-and-true attacks, Tselem's stinking cloud, actually did more harm than good.

The battle raged on...

Rewards

• 1,000 XP each (XP for the golem fight hasn't been awarded yet; we'll have to see how that plays out first)
• 6,000 GP (1,500 GP each) [in-game, already awarded]

Session #12: The Battle on the Boat

The party resolved to go by boat. This meant they couldn't leave until the next morning, so they killed some time around town and turned in early.

The next morning, the 26th day of Eyre, Azeri told them all how during the night she had been visited by the spirits of the four townspeople she slew in Askelios and was able to convince these ghosts to forgive her and move on. The party, feeling even more assured from this news, boarded the ship and set sail. The journey took them across the Bay of Thronehold, past Thronehold itself, and up to the mouth of the Karrn River.

As they approach the Karrn River, to their surprise, the captain and his crew piled into a lifeboat and abandoned ship! "Good luck!" they called back, as snake-like humanoids began swarming out of the hold! The party held their ground, fighting back against these things and their poison. The battle was fierce, but when it was over, only the party remained.

Rewards

• 2,025 XP each. Time to level up!
• 2,800 GP total - you looted the whole ship after the crew abandoned it.

Session #11: The Forward Motion

The party met up with Elane the next morning, and started off for Flamekeep. The trip took three days, meaning they arrived in the evening on the 24th day of Eyre. The party took to their lodgings, and the next morning Elane collected them and took them to a quiet, unassuming church on the outskirts of the city. In the basement of the church there was an armory, where Elane let them claim any equipment they liked, much to their delight!

As the party made their selections, Elane pulled Azeri aside and asked her why she was doing this, going on this quest. She was a little unsure, but said it was because we wanted to make herself, and the world, a better place. Elane seemed a little skeptical, and asked her what it would take to get her to walk away. Azeri said that wasn't going to happen. Elane said she just wanted to be sure that she wasn't going to cut and run, and now she knew. With that, she let her get back to her work.

After the party had gathered their equipment, they came upstairs to the church proper, where Elane filled them in on what she knew, some of the intelligence she'd gathered. She also gave them each 1,000 GP for expenses. She told them she'd arranged to have a boat transport them to Korth, where Zelian's home and base of operations is. There was some further discussion and Q&A, and then the party got ready to head out. Elane wished them luck and then went back down to the armory while the party headed for the door.

As they emerged from the church, they were confronted by four humans expressing their desire to avenge the deaths of the people of Askelios. And they had brought a hill giant with them! Tselem's stinking cloud served the party well during the battle, and these enemies were all defeated. One of them was left alive to be questioned; they discovered that these were actually House Deneith mercenaries who had also been persuaded by the widows of Askelios to exact vengeance on their behalf. The party brought some impressive intimidation to bear, and were able to to convince this survivor to go back and tell his superiors that the party has been dispatched. With this cover enacted, Elane said perhaps some more rapid travel might could be arranged.

Rewards

• 1,500 XP each
• You found a Summer's Growth Totem (Player's Handbook 2, p. 209)

Session #10: The Inconvenient Truths

Azeri had a head start and surprising new speed, and the party was not able to catch up with her. Though the distance to Askelios was long, they all ran flat out (except Akta, who jogged behind, and took quite a while to catch up). When Azeri reached the outskirts of the town, she began to attack the townspeople! Some ran for their lives; others turned and fought. Those that did were cut down. The party rushed in to take Azeri down themselves, but Azeri had some new tricks up her sleeve. She put a curse on Edge, making it so anyone who got near to him would be injured. One of the townspeople who stood his ground was unaware of this, and in rushing to defend his town, ran right past Edge and died instantly!

The battle was furious, and when it ended, Azeri had been knocked unconscious, and four of the townspeople lay dead. The party grabbed their fallen comrade and hustled out of sight. It took some time and effort, but they were eventually able to break the dark spirit's hold over Azeri, and she awoke as herself. Immediately, the enormity of what had happened crashed down over her, and she began to weep.

The party made their way back to the camp outside of town, and slept. The next morning, the 19th day of Eyre, they decided to continue their journey to Varna, in part due to Akta's pleadings. They arrived there in the afternoon of the 21st day of Eyre, where Akta went straight to her mother's home. When Reita, Akta's mother, saw her again for the first time in 15 years, both burst into tears. The party was invited in.

When they entered the home, there was another person there, a human woman named Elane, She was dressed in the vestments of the Church of the Silver Flame, and it quickly became clear that she had a position of no small authority in that church. She explained that Reita, a worshiper of the Silver Flame, had years ago reached out to her to help her locate Akta. Elane had eventually learned of Akta's imprisonment by Zelian d'Deneith, and was making plans to get her out, when the party beat her to the punch!

In the course of their conversation, Taumir asked his usual question about the Thirteenth Moon. When Elane realized that he was one of the Whisper Wood elves, she was greatly surprised - she thought they had all been wiped out! She explained that his people had been working on a way to give dragonmarks to any person, regardless of bloodline. Zelian had found out about it, and felt so threatened by it, that he had had them all killed. The party was great relieved to have finally found some answers!

Another shock was coming for Elane, and Reita too - as they all talked the existence of Akta's dragonmark was revealed. Elane was as astonished and stunned as the party had been upon their first learning of it, and Reita too, as Akta had managed to keep it hidden from her too. With all these revelations, Elane seemed to make a decision. She declared that Zelian was dangerous, dangerous to the world, and needed to be stopped. Elane could not get the Church of the Silver Flame involved directly, but she could hire a group like the party to take him out. Would they do it?

Taumir, Tselem, and Azeri did not hesitate. Edge, however, told them they were all insane! Zelian is one of the most powerful men in the world, he reminded them, and House Deneith is already hunting them. The chances that they would even survive this is small, let alone accomplish their goal. The party remained committed though, and Edge grudgingly agreed to come along.

Elane said they would outfitted with whatever equipment they wanted, and given the support they needed to carry out their mission. Tomorrow they would travel to the city of Flamekeep, the headquarters of the Church of the Silver Flame, and start their mission from there. With that, she retired to an inn she was staying at in town, and the party took their leave of Reita and Akta.

Rewards

• 1,000 XP for Edge, Tselem, and Taumir; 200 XP for Azeri. This means leveling up!
• You found 200 GP on the bodies of the townspeople; split it however you wish.

Session #9: The Cleric's Fall

The party talked for a minute to determine their next move, and decided to get in the coach and carry on their way. After only traveling for a few minutes they came upon the rest of the caravan, who were surprised and a little wary to see them. So wary in fact that they sent them on their way, letting them take the couch without any further questions.

The party rode on until late the next afternoon (17 Eyre), when they reached the city of Askelios, at the foot of the Star Peaks. Taumir had been acting aggressive and suspicious all day and now argued that the party should go into town without him so he wouldn't be recognized by anybody. Edge and Akta went into town and asked around about the Whisper Woods. They met a farmer who mentioned that his brother had spent some time in the woods, but was currently doing some woodcutting a long way away.

Returning to the camp outside of town they found that Taumir had fortified the spot by building a moat. The rest of the party was beginning to feel a bit jumpy themselves, but the night passed without incident. The next day (18 Eyre), the party hiked into the Whisper Woods. Before long, they came upon Taumir's old camp, which lay in ruins. It didn't look like anyone had been to this spot in a long time. Edge found a few gold pieces on the ground, and Taumir found a scroll he thought was long lost, but they didn't find much else of value.

While the party was puzzling over what to do next, a fox wandered into the clearing where they stood. They could tell at once that it was not just a fox, but a fox spirit, a fact that intrigued and excited Azeri. To their shock, however, the fox only spoke one word: "Run." And then it ran for its life. The party followed, only to find themselves pursued by an Owl-Bear! They turned, they fought, they defeated, and then they feasted!

After lunch, they heard someone moving in the woods near by them, just down a hill. Azeri and Taumir decided to try to sneak up on them. Taumir failed miserably, falling down the hill to land at their feet. The surprised peasants answered the questions he asked them, and were genuinely startled when Azeri snuck up on them. They didn't have much useful to say, though.

The party was frustrated with their lack of progress in finding out anything about the Thirteenth Moon, so they decided to wait for evening to see if some star-gazing would help. In the meantime, Edge rested, Tselem studied magic, while Taumir took Azeri to see the Whisper Rock, an interesting formation nearby.

That evening, the fox spirit returned, much to Azeri's delight. As it approached, and she prepared to commune with it, a hunter's arrow struck the animal vessel dead! Azeri's shock and rage was palpable - in fact the entire forest suddenly went dark and the party realized that something terrible had just happened. Azeri stood, and turned around, and the party saw literal darkness overtaking her - her eyes had gone black, and they could sense dark magic gathering around her. She rushed the shooter, a poor farmer they could see at the edge of the clearing. She struck him dead with a single blow, and then tore off in the direction of Askelios!

Rewards

• 700 XP each.
• In the forest you found a Watcher's Horn. It's in the Player's Handbook 2, which I have a PDF of. The description: "This small black horn produces no noise when sounded, but it awakens your slumbering friends and makes them ready to fight (as a minor action)."

Session #8: The Escape To Hell

The party headed up the stairs with Akta in tow. At the next floor, they found another long corridor with lots of cells. Azeri briefly checked one or two, but found nothing of interest. They did however run into two more guards, having failed to be particularly stealthy. The guards proved little challenge, though, and the party quickly made their way up to the next floor. From here they could see the exit to the prison, guarded by another human male. They failed to sneak up on this one as well, but he proved no more difficult than the rest of them. (In a particularly epic moment during the fight, the guard shot at Azeri with his crossbow, and both Edge and Taumir used shield effects to turn the attack back on him, killing him with his own attack!)

Exiting the prison, Tselem disguised himself as Regdar, and bluffed the gatekeeper that they were transferring the prisoner to a different location. They made their exit and snuck into the city of Korth. Akta expressed the desire to contact her family, whom she hadn't seen in 15 years. Wary of the House Deneith mercenaries who were surely about to be pursuing them, Taumir suggested they find someplace to hide, then worry about stuff like that. Someone he once knew from his time as a spy lived here in town, a half-elf named Elfrich, so they set out to find him.

Finding Elfrich took some time, but they eventually found his clock shop. He was very surprised to see Taumir, but agreed to help him. He closed the shop, and they all went up into his apartment above it. After some discussion, they asked Elfrich to go and buy them passage on a caravan while they laid low. He agreed, collected 5 GP from each of them, and left. While he was gone, the party and Akta caught up on what she had been doing the last 15 years (not much besides languishing in a dungeon) and how they had come to know she was there. Akta said she didn't really know what Zelian wanted, but had a good idea of what this was about. She pulls up the long sleeve of her dress to reveal that she has a dragonmark! No tiefling has ever, in the entire history of the world, developed a dragonmark, least of all the Mark of Sentinel!

The party was stunned by this development, and realized the danger that this posed. Tselem hit on the idea of hiding the mark using the Conceal Dragonmark ritual. They needed some spell components for it though, so Tselem transformed himself into a nondescript human, went out, bought them, and sent a message that Akta had written down for him. Returning, they performed the ritual, effectively wiping away the dragonmark from her arm. Akta was so relived that she wept.

A few minutes later, Elfrich returned with the tickets, and said they should probably be going now. They snuck out the back of the shop, and found a human guard waiting for them. He was way out of his depth though, and the party eliminated him with a single strike. They quietly but quickly made their way to the caravan office, and within a few minutes boarded the coach that would take them to Varna.

They were able to leave town without further incident, and traveled to a fort across the river (a few hours away). There the caravan camped for the night, and the party was finally able to rest after this exhausting day!

The next morning, the 16th day of Eyre, dawned, and the party roused themselves for breakfast, finally refreshed. As they were about to depart, however, a horrible sound rent the morning air, and a portal opened up in the field nearby them. Out of it spilled three demons and two gnolls. These infernal creatures rushed the party immediately, bent on the their destruction. The party fought responded forcefully, and stood their ground against the beasts. Tselem was particularly effective with a zone of poisonous gas. Before long the abominations had been destroyed. As the dust settled, they realized the other coaches and their passengers had fled, including their own driver, leaving them with a coach but otherwise alone.

Rewards

• 1,750 XP each! Time to level up!
• Edge got 3 GP off that guard.

Session #7: The Dungeon & The Dragon

The party breathed a sigh of relief that they were no longer under attack, but were a little concerned that they were trapped. They tied up the unconscious Regdar, and took a short rest. They then revived the back-stabber and demanded he tell them where Akta was and how to get out of here. He responded by activating another trap. The floor underneath them disintegrated, tossing them into an icy subterranean lake below. As the party surfaced, they realized they were in a huge underground cavern that the prison had been built on top of.

The party was relatively unharmed from the fall, having landed in the water, but Regdar had the wind knocked out of him by landing on the beach. And yet he still tried to wriggle out of his ropes to attack the party as they tried to question him! They were able to intimidate him into not trying to run away, but by this point they realized he was never going to stop resisting them. So they cut him down one last time and left his corpse on the cavern floor.

The party rested for a minute, then began to explore the cavern. They made their way down a long, dark tunnel. At the end of it there was a large room, and although a torch lit their way they were unable to make out much. They loitered cautiously at the entrance, try to determine if there was anything lurking. They realized that there was, but they couldn't figure out what it was. They managed to distract it momentarily, but before they could slip on by, a large skeletal dragon emerged from the shadows and attacked them! The party knew they were up against a dracolich. The beast fought viciously, but the party's weapons, especially Tselem's and Azeri's radiant damage, brought it down. As the final blow shattered its phylactery and blew its bones to ash, they heard it whisper a thanks for ending it's horrible, abominable existence.

During this dungeon crawl, the party found a scroll for the Brew Potion ritual. They weren't so inclined to use that at this time, but they did decide to use Tselem's ability to cast Hand of Fate to let them know where to go next. Leading out of the room they were in was a smaller tunnel, but in front of them was a stone wall, clearly man-made, with a small locked door. Tselem cast Hand of Fate and they inquired of it where they should go to find Akta and get out. The Hand unambiguously pointed to the door every time. Edge, tired of the long fights and mazes, bashed in the door, revealing a very narrow staircase, only wide enough for them to go single file. The party steeled themselves and headed up.

At the top of the staircase, the party found themselves looking down an equally narrow corridor. They were able to sneak down it without being detected, and peered around the corner to find that it opened in a long hallway with only two human guards standing in front of a large door. Azeri tried to sneak out and bluff them into letting her pass, but was unable to extract herself from the narrow passage, and the whole party tumbled out. The guards rushed at them. A short but intense battle followed in which the guards were dispatched.

The party picked the lock on the door and went in. To their surprise, them found themselves in a large and luxurious room. Sitting in a chair in this room was a tiefling female. She arose as they entered, stared, and then said, "Tselem?" It was Akta, at last!

Everyone was bursting with questions. Tselem asked Akta what happened all those years, the night she disappeared. Akta says a wizard came and killed everyone, and since that time he's kept her prisoner here. She reveals that this person was none other than Zelian d'Deneith, the current head of House Deneith! This of course just raised more questions, but Taumir pointed out that they're still in the process of breaking out of this prison, and maybe the reunion should wait till they're someplace safe! The party agreed. Akta dashed into another room and grabbed a bag with some belongings, and then they all left the room. Out in the hall, they stepped over the bodies of the guards and made their way up the stairs at the other end.

Rewards

• 1,100 XP each.

Session #6: The Ally You Don't Know

As the party stood on the platform waiting for the lightning rail to come, a vast crowd of people was walking by. One person in this crowd was a tall human male. He glanced casually at the party as he walked past - and then he did a double-take and stopped in his tracks. His mouth fell open in shock as he stared at Akta. He then drew his sword, shouting, "How the hell did you get out of there?!" and attacked!

The party moved quickly to defend their wizard. Edge bellowed a challenge, and the man practically skidded to halt. His attacks went wildly off course as he tried to avoid the warforged. The party pummeled the man to the platform, while the people around them fled, giving the fight a wide berth. Within seconds the man had been rendered unconscious. The party tied him up and then revived him. He was so thoroughly beaten, physically and mentally, that everything just tumbled out of him. He said he is a prison guard, and his prisoner, for nearly a decade, has been Akta! He says he departed the prison just that morning, and Akta was in her cell! The party was stunned to hear this news, and Akta was initially quite defensive. Everyone demanded some answers.

In response, Akta changed shape. It was instantly clear that Akta is not in fact a tielfing woman, but a changeling male! He revealed that his name is Tselem. He grew up on the streets of Varna in the Eldeen Reaches, using his shape-changing abilities to help him rob unwary people. The only person who knew of his true identity was Akta, a young tiefling woman who worked at a local inn; she sometimes let him sleep (hidden) in the kitchen and gave him food. The two struck up a wary friendship. One night a mysterious wizard came to the inn; the next morning, most of the occupants were dead (clearly killed by magic), and the rest (including Akta) had disappeared. Since that time, he's worn Akta's form and gone by her name.

The attacker, who revealed his name to be Regdar, was exasperated and suspicious. Taumir was surprised and unhappy by this turn of events. Azeri felt betrayed. Edge wasn't sure he could actually tell the difference.

Tselem said they had to rescue the real Akta. Taumir said he would rather keep going on to the Whisper Woods, but his curiosity was piqued enough to help out. Azeri and Edge agreed to help out too. They all dragged Regdar into an alley to avoid the Sentinel Marshalls that had come to investigate the fight, and initially planned to have Tselem pretend to be Regdar to get them into the prison at Korth where Akta was being kept. Regdar was actually pretty cooperative, and said a number of times that it would be easier to just let him take care of things. The party eventually decided to try a different feint - Tselem (posing as Akta once more) would pretend to be captured, while the rest kept a close eye on Regdar (Edge bluffed him into thinking they don't trust Tselem anymore).

Regdar came to Korrenberg in an airship, so the group made their way to the airship port across town, where they boarded a House Deneith vessel. The captain and Regdar appeared to know each other well, and the captain was surprised to see him back from his R&R after only an hour. Regdar said he found an escaped prisoner that he has to bring back. He asked the captain if they can get going back to Korth right away, and the captain agreed. The party and Regdar then retired to some cabins. The party had healed Regdar to make him think they're on his side, but they all needed rest, so they all fell into bed almost as soon as the ship lifted off about an hour later.

In the wee hours of the morning on 15th Eyre, Regdar emerged from his room. Edge had been resting in the hall, and when he saw Regdar going up on deck, he and Azeri followed. (Azeri did not like being up so high, and was more than a little airsick.) Regdar approached the captain and told him to take "the faster route," meaning over the Mournland. The captain said that's crazy; Regdar said it was worth the risk. The airship changed course, and an hour or so later, an ominous looking light could be seen in the distance. (By this point Tselem and Taumir had awakened and come up on deck.) The captain said that it is the light of the Glowing Chasm. He seemed both furious and terrified that they were going anywhere near it.

Thankfully, after a few hours, the Glowing Chasm began to fade behind them, and in the pre-dawn light they passed over a river and began their final approach into Korth. Regdar then took them to a camp of some sort outside of town. They asked what they were doing there, and he said the prison is under the training camp. They descended a long flight of stairs into a chamber.

By this point the party was growing suspicious, so Edge and Taumir elected to stay put and guard the exit while Tselem and Azeri took Regdar to get Akta. Regdar led them into another chamber about 30 feet away, at which point they were attacked by two fire bats while two burning skeletons attacked Edge and Taumir! The men struggled to face the onslaught, while Azeri wailed on Regdar, causing him to actually flee into the midst of the meele. Taumir and Edge dispatched one of the skeletons, then rushed to help their friends, leaving the other skeleton shambling behind them. At this point, Regdar activated a hidden trap, and the entrances crumbled in, trapping all of them in one chamber (with the remaining skeleton outside). The party knocked Regdar unconscious and killed the two bats.

Rewards

• 1,800 XP. You're up to Level 5!
• found a Shield of Defiance (Level 8) (p. 245 PHB)
• found a Belt of Sacrifice (p. 252 PHB)
• looted 470 GP

Session #5: The Debts Owed

It was late in the evening on the 12th day of Eyre when the party arrived in Korranberg. The Library was closed for the evening, so the party decided to head to a local Sentinel Marshall outpost to collect the bounty of 500 GP on the gnome criminal they had apprehended two days before. The bored clerk at the outpost processed the payment in relatively short order, and the party used some of their well-gotten gains to buy rooms in an inn for the night.

The next morning, they made their way to the Library, where Akta and Azeri were eager to do research. The Library is a huge complex of colleges, but they were able to find out where the materials they needed were pretty quickly. As they approached this particular repository, though, they were met by a gnome female librarian, who asked to see a library card before allowing them in. The party was stymied and annoyed. They tried intimating and cajoling her, but she didn't budge (thought she was a little apprehensive). She mentioned that there might be special passes for clerics, so they tried the administration office, but not being worshipers of Ioun, the gnomes weren't inclined to give Azeri any special consideration.

The party decided to track down Lon Visis and cash in the favor he owed them from helping out his people at the lightning rail wreck. After finding the neighborhood that is his 'base', they met the crime boss as he was eating his lunch. He seemed agreeable to their request, but said it would take him a little time, and told them to come back at dinner. The party was grateful, but also a little wary: this invitation smacked of a trap. In the intervening time, Taumir decided to track down an old contact from back in his days with the Royal Eyes, a dwarf named Mordrin. Mordrin was retired, but welcomed the party into his small apartment cheerfully. He was a little concerned to hear they were involved with Lon Visis. He told them that Lon Visis is generally honorable and humane, but still a crook, and is not the kind of person you want owing you anything. He will resent it deeply, and make you pay for it.

With this in mind, the party apprehensively made their way back to Lon Visis' territory for dinner. They were expecting to be ambushed or attacked, but also couldn't risk insulting Lon Visis by refusing or being too defensive. Lon Visis' people, a large group of hired muscle, invited them in to a resturant, and set some food in front of them. Lon Visis emerged from a back room, and presented them with the library card, good for one year and allowing one person to take in 3 guests. Akta nervously expressed their geneorsity, which Lon Visis accepted, and then made it very clear that he never wanted to see or owe them anything ever again. On this tense note, he left the room. The party ate their meal as quickly as was polite, and then were shooed out of the neighborhood.

Somewhat to their surprise, they were able to exit the neighborhood without incident. Almost immediately after leaving it though, they were confronted by two of Lon Horviv's minions (Lon Visis' rival, and the boss of the gnome they collected the bounty on). These two gnomes unleashed ochre jellies on the party, then ran for their halfling lives. The party was able to dispatch these new enemies pretty handily, and Taumir then gave chase to the gnomes, but they had disappeared.

By this time it was getting on toward dusk. The party returned to the Library, was now granted entry, and spent the next hour researching. They weren't able to get to their exact answers, but they made good progress in the hour the Library remained open that evening. When the Library closed, they made their way back to the inn for the night.

The next morning, the 14th day of Eyre, they returned to the Library, and made some startling revelations. It turns out that the Whisper Wood elves, whom Taumir had been affiliated with and who had been seeking the Thirteenth Moon, had been wiped out by a human of House Deneith who believed they were about to discover something about Dragonmarks that would undermine their power and position in the world. This threw the party for quite a loop. They wondered if maybe they should have gone to Karrnath with Zaigot, and if they should go there now to investigate further. In the end though they decided to return to the Whisper Woods and continue their investigation there. They were a little wary of the lightning rail, having had such great luck with it up till now. But an Elemental Galleon would have cost too much, and the Whisper Woods were even farther away than Passage, so travel by carriage would take way too long. So they decided to grit their teeth and get back on board.

At this point an idea came to them - they were worried about the security of the lightning rail, and in need of more cash. They decided to ask the officials at House Orien if they could serve as guards on the rail train they would board. It took a little patience and paperwork, but the officials agreed (though the pay they offered was pretty miserly). So around mid-afternoon, on the 14th day of Eyre, the party was at the major lightning rail station in Korranberg, waiting to board a coach that would take them back to the north and the Whisper Woods.

Rewards

• 600 XP each. This will bring up to Level 4! Have fun upgrading your ability scores and picking a new feat!
• You have found a pair of Shadowfell Gloves (PHB p. 247)
• (I believe you all already divided up the 500 GP from the bounty.)

Session #4: The Slowest Lightning

A half hour later, the lightning rail coach arrived at Hatheril, a small but important cross-roads in this agricultural region of Breland. As they all disembarked (this particular coach wasn't going any further), Zaigot asked the party for their answer. After getting some more details, particularly about the length of the commitment they'd have to make, the party decided against it. Edge didn't really want to work for the Houses again, Akta still had some beefs with House Deneith itself, and while Taumir was interested, Azeri didn't want to be tied down at this point. So they politely declined, and Zaigot accepted their answer.

The party had about an hour to kill before the next coach arrived so they could continue their journey to Korrenberg. They decided to get some lunch in a local tavern. Akta got a little lost looking for the bathroom, but other than that it was a uneventful stay. A little under an hour later, they made their way to the station, and boarded the lightning rail again. A long, boring coach ride ensued, and late that evening they arrived at the city of Starilaskur.

The coach was to remain parked for the next 6 hours, so the party decided to stay put and sleep on the train, and didn't end up seeing any of the city. Bright and early the next morning (now the 11th day of Eyre) the coach started up again. It was afternoon before they made another stop, this time near the fort Sterngate. Here the coach joined a larger train, and the party noticed several individuals of obvious wealth boarding a first-class coach.

Not too long after the train got going again, it passed over the border into Zilargo, the nation with a high population of gnomes. They had now entered a wide, dry valley flanked by two large mountain ranges. There were much fewer trees, and farms were giving way to ranches. The area was still sparsely populated though.

Only minutes after crossing the border, there was a flash and a bang and the coaches derailed! The party's coach flew off the tracks, flipped on its side, and landed with a crash. Taumir was able to stay upright, but everyone else was knocked to the ground (now the right wall of the coach.) Everyone on board was banged up, but the train had slowed down to take a sharp curve, and this reduced speed meant the crash was relatively soft.

The party climbed out of the wreck, only to see a group of three gnomes running out of the woods to attack a group of gnomes climbing out of another wrecked coach! The party was unsure whether to get involved at first, but when their queries as to what the fight was about were met with dismissive, hostile replies, Edge and Azeri felt it was time to knock some heads in. Plus Azeri realized she'd seen one of the gnomes who'd been on the train on a wanted poster some time ago. The gnomes were more interested in attacking each other, but when they party waded into the fray, blows were exchanged between all three factions. The gnomes used their invisibility and teleportation skills to try to get the upper hand, but the party was able to knock four of the six gnomes unconscious. At this point, the leader of the first band of gnomes realized they were out-matched, and in response to a shout from Edge, called off the fighting.

This gnome explained that he and his compatriots worked for Lon Visis, whom the party knew was a somewhat notorious black market dealer. This second group of gnomes (who were all unconscious now, and the party was working to keep from dying) worked for a different black marker dealer that had stolen some of Lon Visis' property, and they were trying to get it back. Edge berated them for bringing down a whole lightning rail train for this; their feeble excuse was that they thought their enemies had brought a lot more muscle. Edge made them offer they didn't refuse: we'll help you look for your property, heal your people, and not attack you, if you'll let us take the bounty on this one guy, and Lon Visis owes us a favor. The gnomes readily agreed.

A search of the coaches though turned up nothing, and after a while they had to admit defeat. At this point, an elemental wagon was pulling up with Sentinel Marshalls, so Lon Visis' gnomes fled the scene. The party was able to bluff some of the witnesses and then the Marshalls themselves into believing that the fleeing gnomes were responsible for the attack on the train. Of the three gnomes who'd been on the train, one had been too badly injured in the fight, and died around the time the Marshalls arrived. One was the person Azeri knew had a bounty on his head, and the party now turned this person over to the Marshalls and demanded the reward. The Marshalls gave them an affidavit stating they could collect the bounty, but told them they'd had to go to Dragonroost to collect it. (The last gnome recovered, and didn't cause any trouble.)

The Marshalls took charge of the scene, and not long after a disaster team from House Orien (the lightning rail owners) arrived. After these authorities evaluated the situation, the Marshalls left with their fugitive in tow, while the House Orien responders informed everyone that a new train could arrive tomorrow morning, and that food and tents would be provided for all passengers tonight. The party sat down to decide what to do. If they traveled to Dragonroost, they wouldn't make it back in time to catch the train, and would have to buy new tickets to make the rest of the way to Korrenberg. There were a little skeptical of the safety of using the lightning rail at this point though. After asking around a little bit, they realized they could collect the bounty in Korrenberg too, the Marshalls had just been blase about the whole thing. They decided to wait it out, and make their way to Korrenberg tomorrow morning.

The evening passed uneventfully, and on the morning of the 12th day of Eyre, a new lightning rail train arrived - this time with heavily armed guards in each coach! Everyone re-boarded, and after a long, boring trip, the party finally arrived that evening in the mighty city of Korrenberg!

Rewards

• 800 XP for everyone!
• From the wreckage of the lightning rail, you found a Resounding Staff (+2) (p. 236 Player's Handbook) and 380 GP.

Session #3: The Opinions of Others

The party moved to cluster around Paik's fallen body. They tied him up and revived him. He was as mean and confrontational now as he had been placid before. At first he swore and spat at them, saying he would kill them, that they were thieves and murderers. Some words from Azeri calmed him down, but only to the point that he was barking at them to leave "his" fort. He said the only thing he knew of elves were the ones he had killed. They showed him the scroll they had gotten from the elves in Passage; he couldn't read Elvish, so they read it to him, to no avail. He didn't know, and he didn't care.

The party elected not to kill him, but Paik showed no gratitude, and began to gnaw through the rope with his wererat teeth. The party took a minute to look around, and did find a treasure stash, with 100 GP! They then discovered a crawlspace underneath the northeast turret of the fort. Akta and Taumir crawled out that way, getting a little stuck in the process, but making it. Edge and Azeri elected to walk up the steps out of the basement door, bashing some rocks and rubble out of their way. They all then made their way back to town. (They untied Paik, retrieving their rope, and left before he could retaliate in his weakened state.)

It was late in the day, but they were not ready to rest yet - the filth fever that Paik had infected Taumir with was concerning them. They asked around for a doctor, and were directed to a Dr. Moran. Moran was skeptical that Taumir could actually have been bitten by a wererat, but became alarmed when he learned they'd been up to the fort. Once he realized they were telling him the truth, he offered his services at a discount rate, but the ritual to cure disease was still a lot more expensive than they could manage. The doctor did a little research, and told Taumir that the disease should go away on its own in a few days. The party was nonplussed, and the doctor dismissed them not un-politely. Azeri felt obliged to pay the man 10 GP for his help; she did so out of the stash they had gotten at the fort.

Azeri (who was holding on the money) then divided up the fort loot among the party. Because Edge had gotten the magical sword, she wasn't going to divide him any, but Akta elected to share her portion with him. So Edge got 10, Taumir got 33, and Akta and Azeri got 23 GP each. They all then retired to the inn, ending the 9th day of Eyre.

The next morning, Taumir was feeling better. The filth fever was not all the way gone, but he was in much better shape. The party took stock of their situation and decided that there was probably nothing further to be gained in this one-horse town. Despite the cost and time involved, they decided to keep heading for Korrenberg. The cost to each party member for tickets the rest of the way was 15 GP (plus the remaining won rail ticket got used up).

They boarded the train, and found themselves in a car with about a half-dozen other travelers, most of whom seemed bland and non-threatening. The next stop on their way was to be Hatheril, a village about four hours journey south. At first, the trip there was uneventful - Edge even spent his time working on making a harmonica. Three and a half hours into the trip though, the rail car was attacked by four human men! These bandits demanded everyone's money. The party lept into action, at which point all the civilians dived under their seats. The battle that followed ended with the bandits plastered against the walls.

When it was over, the rest of the passengers warily made their way back up onto their seats. As the dust settled, however, the party realized that one person had remained seated the whole time: a tall human sitting at the back. He congratulated them on their victory, and introduced himself as Zaigot. From the Mark of Sentinel on his arm, they could tell he was of House Deneith, the martial house. Zaigot actually offered to make them house mercenaries, and to give them some incentives to do so. Edge shunned Zaigot entirely, not even listening to his offer. Taumir seemed interested, but Akta was not so kindly disposed towards House Deneith, having had bad experiences with Sentinel Marshalls in Varna in her youth. Azeri was cautious, and privately voiced a lack of interest.

Zaigot said the offer stood until they reached Hatheril, then he would have to be on his way. If they accepted, he would take them straight to the training camp outside Korth.

Rewards

• You have all gained another 1,000 XP and will advance another level! (Please take care of that before next time.)
• From the bandits you loot:
• A set of Darkleaf Armor (p. 228 in the Player's Handbook)
• A holy symbol, the Symbol of hope (p. 237 Player's Handbook)
• 290 GP
• Once all was said and done, from Paik's stash:
• Azeri gained 8 GP
• Taumir gained 18 GP
• Akta gained 9 GP (this includes the extra 1 GP she found on the ground)
• Edge had to spend 5 GP

Session #2: The Darkness in Fort Light

The party boarded the lightning rail in Passage, and traveled to the city of Fort Light (which is just over the border into Thrane). The journey took several hours, and they arrived there late in the afternoon of the 9th day of Eyre.

Fort Light is a sleepy little town. Years ago, there was an active fort there, but during the Last War, it was sacked by an army from Breland, and now only the ruin remains. The town that grew up around it is hanging on, but is no longer prosperous, and the lightning rail stop seems more like a historical concession.

Once in town, Edge went to a local inn and secured the party rooms. They asked the innkeeper for some information. He wasn't exactly a fount of it, but he did give them enough that they decided to go up to the fort. Finding the fort wasn't difficult - it's presence outside the town was very keenly felt. The locals were very open about it being a haunted place.

Once the party arrived at the fort, however, they realized that getting inside and finding out more wasn't going to be easy. The fort's entrances were all blocked by rubble, and the place was in a very sorry state. They decided to try climbing the walls instead. Edge was able to make it up and over (though not without some difficulty) and then used his rope and strength to get the rest of them over (again, not without some trouble). They explored the top of the walls a little bit, but then all went down inside. The inside was similarly trashed.

As they were looking around, a dirty, surly man approached them. Introducing himself as Paik, he asked what they were doing there. They asked him what he was doing here. He said he lived here, and seemed afronted and suspicious to find them here. In response to inquiries about elves and moons and such, he said the only thing of interest in the fort was down in the basement, and that he would show it to them. Akta and Azeri were suspicious of him, and were not sure they should follow, but they kept their concerns to themselves. Edge made a show of leaving his weapon behind when Paik got skittish, and that seemed to appease him (and Edge retrieved his weapon as soon as Paik's back was turned).

Down in the basement, Paik led them into a largish room - and then activated a trap! Azeri and Akta, thanks to their suspicions, were not surprised by the move, and managed to jump away from the floor as it fell out from underneath them. Taumir and Edge were not so lucky, and fell down into a pit, injuring themselves slightly in the process. A swarm of giant rats and animated skeletons came at them. Taumir and Edge were helped a little by the fact that they fell onto raised mounds, and thus had some advantage over their approaching enemies.

Up on the ledge overlooking the pit, Akta and Paik turned to fight each other. Paik now revealed himself as a wererat, transforming into his rat form. Azeri cut through a giant rat that had climbed its way up, then came to Akta's aid. Paik quickly tired of trying to fight them both, and jumped down into the pit, where Edge and Taumir were making short work of the rats, but having a little trouble with the skeletons and a zombie that had joined the mix. By the time Paik joined their fray though, they had managed to cut down most of their enemies. Seeing his predicament, Paik bit Taumir, infecting him with filth fever. Fortunately, the very next blow brought him down.

Rewards

• 800 XP (you should all be at 1,700 XP, and get to level up!)
• That's another two encounters, so that's a milestone and another action point for everyone!
• You found a Level 2 Vicious Sword (+1) (market value 104 GP)
• Akta found 2 GP while searching the fort
• (Don't forget you still have one lightning rail ticket in someone's possession)

Session #1: The Streets

On the 8th day of the month of Eyre, in the year 998 YK, in the city of Passage in the nation of Aundair, on the continent of Khorvaire:

Azeri, a half-elf cleric of Ioun, was walking down the street, minding her own business, when a Spiretop Drake swooped down, bit her, and made off with her holy symbol! She turned to fight and get her property back. The ensuing commotion attracted the attention of Edge, a taciturn Warforged fighter, Taumir, a friendly elf ranger, and Akta, a reserved Tiefling wizard. They made relatively short work of the creatures, and then decided to go get a drink together to celebrate their victory.

While resting at a nearby tavern, they overheard some street merchant outside, an extremely enthusiastic halfling, trying to get people to enter into a drawing he was running. The prize was 5 tickets to the lightning rail, so the party decided to participate (though some of them took a little while to be convinced). To be entered in the drawing, the players had to be blindfolded and guess what substance was in a series of bowls that the merchant presented to them. They missed most of them, but they got an entry into the drawing anyway. After waiting an hour, the halfling drew a name out of a hat -- it was the party's one entry! They had won 5 tickets to the lightning rail!

They talked about it for a little while and decided to use their lucky tickets to investigate the Library of Korranberg in Zilargo, a good distance away. As they were heading to the rail station, however, they were confronted by two elves with pet hyenas who demanded all their money. The party was declined to acquiesce to their request, and a knock-down drag-out brawl ensued. Edge and Azeri nearly succumbed to the hyena's pack assault, but in the end the four assailants were dispatched.

During the course of the fight, one of the elves yelled out in pain, "By the thirteen moon!" This had piqued Taumir's interest, as he had grown up among a enclave of half-elves living near the Starpeaks who were searching for the thirteenth moon. The party did not leave their enemy alive to question him, but after his demise they searched his person and found a scroll indicating that he had some leads on what happened to the Starpeak enclave, and he was on his way to Fort Light to investigate further. The party decided to modify their plan, and head to Fort Light, at least on the way to the University.

Rewards

• 900 XP each!
• On the elves you found 200 gp, which you can divide among the four of you (50 gp each).
• You can divide up the 5 tickets however you wish. They're worth 5 gp each.