2 Illumination 509

After defeating the spellcasting ghouls in the room, the party searches the rooms and the bodies they encountered them all. Though they find some magical objects on the bodies—including magical silken ceremonial armor on the spellcasters—they find little else of interest in the rooms.

Mõrvar brings up the possibility of using a dimensional door to pass through the walls of the rooms to shorten their route through the lair. After a lengthy discussion, the plan is nixed due to the fact that the spell won’t be able to transport everyone into the guardian’s lair, thus putting those that did travel at risk.

However, Mõrvar also speculates on the location of a possible secret door that, if actually there, would also shorten their route to the guardian chamber. Surm agrees that this would be a good idea, if the door is there. So this is the plan the party decides to pursue.

While the room where they fought with the ghoul warriors is being searched, Tarben, Sorcha, and Brother Caric take the loot back to the entry chamber of the lair.

In this chamber, Surm finds an illusionary wall is blocking a secret door. However, following the door where it leads would lead them away from their goal, so they decided not to pursue it.

They make their way further along their route, out of the ghoul rooms and down a corridor. Savaric searches along the way. They find their way into an empty room. They search this room out and find nothing really of interest. They move on to the next room.

This large room has several doors and a portcullis that leads toward the direction they wish to go. As he is searching the room, Savaric can hear snarls, growls, and movement from beyond the portcullis.

After a brief planning session, Savaric and Ilona agree to venture down the corridor that is blocked by the portcullis. They hit the lever and the gate opens noisily. Then Savaric, invisible thanks to Ilona, cautiously makes his way down the corridor. He finds himself at another portcullis. Beyond it he sees two hideous undead creatures, skeletal with entrails writhing in their bony guts that twine upward to form a long tongue that lolls out of the mouth of the creature. Six more are lounging about in the room beyond, making eight altogether. Savaric cautiously makes his way back to report.

After consulting those with religious knowledge, it is determined that the creatures are Mohrgs, undead that spawn from the corpses of dead serial killers. Their tongues can paralyze and if you are slain by a Mohrg, you quickly rise as a fast-moving zombie in service to that Mohrg.

After a long planning session, the party decides to send Surm and Prioress Drenham down the corridor to make the first strike against the Mohrg. Surm can entangle them in black tentacles while the Prioress can call holy fire down upon them. Surm can then encase them all (or as many as he can) in a fireball. The tentacles will make it harder for them to dodge the flames.

As Surm makes his way down, Prioress Drenham opts to cast her spell from the main room instead of the corridor, leaving Surm alone in the corridor. As he continues down the hall, he sees the Mohrgs straining against the portcullis—and then hears the distinctive sound of gears turning. The portcullis begins to rise.

He quickly casts his spell. Prioress Drenham casts hers as well. Mõrvar and Rilka ready themselves to enter the corridor and change places with Surm. The portcullis continues to rise and the Mohrgs begin to move forward, undeterred by the black tentacles. As the party repositions, the portcullis opens all the way and the Mohrgs begin to move. Rilka casts a burst of radiance into the room. Mõrvar casts scorching rays into the room. Then the fight begins.

While Mõrvar engages with the lead Mohrg, Surm casts fireball into the group behind them, catching the one Mõrvar is fighting in its outer rim. Mõrvar slays the lead Mohrg and another moves forward to take its place, filling the narrow corridor with Mohrgs. As the fight goes on, the Mohrgs prove to be resilient opponents, but are eventually falling to Deathblow and the barrage of spells. The tentacles finally manage to entangle them as well, impeding the creatures’ abilities to fight. Surm launches a lightning bolt from a wand at the line of Mohrgs, doing a great deal of harm to them.

Finally, between the spells, the tentacles, and the blades, the Mohrgs are all dispatched.

Moving into the next room, Savaric searches it out and does find another secret door, leading away from the direction the party wants to go. Where the party wants to go, is a locked door.

After Surm takes a go at the lock and fails, the party decides to break the door open. Mõrvar takes a crowbow and pries it open, revealing an expected short corridor with a dead end.

Savaric comes forward to search the area—this is where Mõrvar thinks a secret door should be. Sure enough—-Savaric finds one. It is free of traps and unlocked.

The party fortifies themselves with a battery of protective spells (prayer, bull’s strength, shield other, etc.). Then Rilka, followed by Mõrvar, enter the secret door.

Rilka finds herself in complete, impenetrable darkness. Even the light of her magic falchion is doused. She cannot even see with her Orcish darkvision. Suddenly, she feels a great deal of pain as something very large bites her. The bite sends cold and poison coursing through her veins. She cries out in alarm and pain, but manages to move forward to allow Mõrvar passage into the room. Prioress Drenham calls upon the light of Halor, casting daylight, to illuminate the area and dispel the magical darkness, allowing Rilka and Mõrvar to now see with the light of her falchion.

What they see is a hideous, huge, black, spiderlike creature surrounded in umbral webs of shadow.

The two warriors engage the creature poison continues to course through Rilka’s veins. It bites Mõrvar, but he manages to fight off the venom—for now. Eventually, after some very nasty bites, the two take down the Nightskitter.

Mõrvar cuts off its “head.”

Now the party can either wait to enter the Inner Sanctum of the necromancer or go now, while their protective magics are still in effect…

2 Illumination 509

The Crimson Cord, accompanied by two of their guards and a troupe of priests of Halor, continue to explore the Tomb of Secrets in hopes of rescuing the sorceress, Hekia Stormwing from the clutches of the necromancer, Kelthior.

After ensuring that the last chamber they encountered was free of spectres, the troupe decides to move on. Having examined the map provided to them by the halfling, Torvald, who was a former companion of Hekia, Surm determines the shortest route to the inner sanctum of the necromancer.

As they head out of the room on their chosen route, they are stymied by a wooden portcullis. It has no apparent mechanism to raise or lower. Savaric finds a hidden panel shielding a mechanism of some sort, but has no idea what it’s about. Mõrvar determines that is a mechanism associated with the portcullis, but no more. Surm says that it has nothing to do with the portcullis and that the group shouldn’t touch it because it’s probably a trap of some sort. He insists that Savaric should just lift or break the gate so that they can pass through, but Savaric refuses, opting, instead, to search the room for some means of using the mechanism: a rod, a key, whatever.

Mõrvar notes the hole in the top of the mechanism and decides that he’s going to try and manipulate the it. Everybody steps away from him and the panel. He places his multi-tool in the hole and turns It. A “click” is heard and the portcullis starts to raise. He manages to figure out how to secure the gate from shutting again. He looks at Surm and says wryly, “It has nothing to do with the portcullis.”

The troupe lines back up in marching order and heads down the corridor, with Savaric at the head looking for traps.

The corridor leads to a locked door. Surm is brought forward to pick the lock. It seems to give him a bit of trouble, but eventually, he manages to get it unlocked. He returns to his place in line. Savaric then bursts through the door to find that a large group of ghouls waiting for him.

The fight between the group and the ghouls doesn’t last too long, with Savaric and Mõrvar making a good showing. The group clambers into the chamber and then heads to the next door along their route—except for Savaric. He feels the need to the check an open archway on the opposite side of the room. He walks up and looks in—and spots another group of ghouls staring at him in anticipation!

Savaric backs away, hoping to leave some room for his compatriots to come to his aid. This allows the ghouls to come forward and surround him in the lower chamber. They all attack, and while he does take some damage, none of the ghouls manage to paralyze him or pass on their deadly disease.

The rest of the party manages to arrange themselves in a manner in which to help their friend by attacking the ghouls. Soon, the ghouls are sent to their final rest.

Savaric takes another look in the room where the ghouls came from and spots a charred shield lying in a corner, a fountain in the center of the room, and a strange, abstract statue of a swirling vortex at the back of the room. Mõrvar comes forward to detect magic on the finds before heading in detects none—however, he does note that the statue is a probably a representation of The Nazul, a force of chaos and destruction that works in opposition to the Acheran god, Azumazran. The rest clerics in the party start discussing what they know—or don’t know—about this evil being and Surm enlightens them with more information—including the fact that there is a “Vortex Grimoire” that details how to bring The Nazul to this world from its home plane.

After the theological discussion dies down, Savaric and Mõrvar both, but especially Savaric, are sore tempted to go and explore the statue room. The rest of the party talks them out of it and the troupe lines up and moves into through the next door on their route.

After traveling a brief corridor, they come to another locked door. Surm is brought forward again and spends some time working on the lock. He pops it open and heads back to his former place in line. Savaric opens the door and peers inside. Gasping, he notes that the room has five wraiths in it—and they all seem to notice him. They float down toward the doorway and start attacking.

Savaric manages to maneuver his way through the wraiths and into the room, allowing Mõrvar space to attack as well. Prioress Drenham assists with guidance spells along the way. Eventually, all of the wraiths are dispatched. Mõrvar and Savaric take a fair amount of damage, but neither succumb to the creatures’ life drain abilities.

Nothing useful is found in this room and the troupe moves further along on their chosen route. They follow a corridor down to an unlocked door, which leads to a large, empty, room. Here the troupe regroups a bit and performs some healing magics to recover from their previous encounters. The door that will take them further along their chosen route is also unlocked. Savaric opens the door and sees a strange sight.

There are a total of 6 ghouls in the room, but these are unlike most of the monstrous, feral ghouls he is used to fighting. Two, the ones facing him, are dressed in robes, headbands, and strange masks made up of pieces of human faces. The other four are wearing breastplates and wielding greataxes. One of the two robed ones facing him points at him and says in a strange, hissing voice, “Intruders!”

Savaric backs away and the rest of the party form a gauntlet for any incoming ghouls to run through. The first of the armored ghouls comes through, and is peppered with shots from Savaric, and attacked by Mõrvar and Rilka. It is quickly brought to its second death. Surm, in the meantime, uses sorcery to cause stones to spontaneously appear and fill the room with the robed ones; the stones and earth fall on the ghouls and cause the floor in their to be more treacherous. Two of the others run through, facing the gauntlet. All of the party members take an opportunity to attack the lead ghoul, while Rilka is skilled enough to get to attack both. Then, everyone is wracked in pain as negative energy bursts through the room, not once, but twice, each from the ghouls that just made it through the gauntlet. They also seem to emit an aura of cowardice about them, making everyone more vulnerable to fear.

The party attacks the ghouls in earnest and, fortunately, make short work of the two before they do more harm.

The last of the armored ghouls makes its way out and is attacked by Mõrvar, Rilka, Savaric, and a couple of the clerics. Rilka takes an especial interest in this one, making two critical hits in a row against, severing tendons and disemboweling it. Still he, fights on—though not for long, as the others all take a whack at him and bring him down.

Then, a single bolt of lightning comes zipping out of the room and striking Surm, though he manages to dodge some of the effect. “Oh, now it’s on,” he mutters as he prepares a return volley. He casts fireball into the room, hoping to hit both of the robed ones.

The troupe is now in a quandary—do they cross the difficult terrain of the dead ghouls and the falling stone that Surm set up in the other room to pursue their quarry or wait and see if these robed ghouls decided to walk their gauntlet?

Mõrvar uses his power to step all the way across the room, through the robed ghoul that attacked his brother, and arrive on the other side of him, shocking it along the way.

Surm cleverly uses a dimensional door spell to take himself and three of the others—Rilka, Brother Thoras, and Prioress Drenham, into the room and into position, instantly. The other robed ghoul manages to send a bolt of lightning into Thoras at point blank range. Unfortunately for it, it is in a position in which Savric can hit it with his bow. He fires and does a massive amount of damage to the creature with a single shot The creature is standing—but is not feeling at all well. Rilka and Mõrvar manage to dispatch their robed one, with help from magic missiles from Surm.

The final ghoul, turns to look at Rilka and casts a spell. She starts to cough and wheeze for a moment, but is otherwise okay—but she figures that the spell was meant to suffocate her.

Eventually, the final ghoul is brought down by the multiple attacks leveled at it.

The group now stands in the room, preparing to search the ghouls for loot, They note that the chamber is decorated with a mural on the ceiling depicting ghouls feasting on corpses.

21 Growth 509

After receiving their information and map from Torvald the halfling about the Tomb of Secrets, the Crimson Cord head to the University of Aldasar to set their sages to work on information about the Shadow Plane and creatures known as Nightshades. According to Torvald, the necromancer Kalthior has two such creatures guarding his inner sanctum. They give the sage until the next morning to gather what information they can. Then they head out to the market place to purchase spells and for Mõrvar to purchase a pair of magic boots.

After this foray into the city, they head back to Lord Cannach’s estate.

22 Growth 509

That morning, they all head back into the city to consult with the sage to see what they had to offer concerning the Shadow Plane and Nightshades. According to the sage:

The Shadow Plane is a dimly lit dimension that is both coterminous to and coexistent with the Material Plane. It overlaps the Material Plane much as the Ethereal Plane does, so a planar traveler can use the Shadow Plane to cover great distances quickly. The Shadow Plane is also coterminous to other planes. With the right spell, a character can use the Shadow Plane to visit other realities. The Shadow Plane is a world of black and white; color itself has been bleached from the environment. It otherwise appears similar to the Material Plane. Despite the lack of light sources, various plants, animals, and humanoids call the Shadow Plane home.

As far as Nightshades, these creatures are monstrous undead composed of shadow and evil. They all emit a desecrating aura about them for 30’, essentially treating the area around them as desecrated ground. They have the ability to channel negative energy. They are light-averse, being sickened by bright light and more so by natural sunlight. The various iterations of Nightshades can summon a variety of undead creatures.

One of the creatures described by Torvald was a spider-like creature. This is probably the Nightskitterer Nightshade. It is a huge creature with the ability to spin umbral webs, summon a greater shadow, and whose bite is highly poisonous. It is immune to cold and is resistant to all damage but that from good-aligned or silver weapons.

The sage did not have time to get information the other creature, the huge ram-horned, bi-pedal creature that Torvald described.

After speaking with sage, the group decides that they need to enlist the aid of the church of Halor on this quest. So Surm and Rilka head to that temple while Mõrvar and Savaric head to the Tavern of the Blue Moon to wait for them.

At the temple of Halor, Surm speaks with the Abbot Padraig Ororke, who listens to the story of the quest they propose, as well as the fact that one of their own, a cleric named Thalia, died at the hands of this necromancer. Abbot Ororke tells them that he will send 6 priests with them and that they will be ready to leave by the morning.

Surm and Rilka head back to the tavern and gather up their companions to head back to Lord Cannach’s.

23 Growth 509

The Crimson Cord, their retinue of guards, and the group of six priests of Halor, lead by the Prioress Drenham, all head out of Aldasar toward the east to the awaiting Tomb of Secrets.

After about 10 miles, they cross the bridge over the Mondira River into Borael. The Boraelan troops inquire as to their business, but Surm manages to talk their way through, helped by the presence of the benevolent priests. On the other side of the bridge is a clearing with a group of bronze statures venerating The Five, a legendary group of adventures from the early days of civilization.

The column moves on after a brief discussion of the group and makes their way to the other side of the city of Whitheron where the troupe makes camp on the road.

24 Growth 509

The troupe continues down the road toward Yulania. At the end of the day, they pull over to the side to make camp and note that a small adventuring party made up of three human’s and a dwarf are making their own camp on the other side of the road. The two camps do not interact.

27 Growth 509

After a few more days of travel, the party makes to the other side of the city of Ebongate, the capital of Borael and into Yulania. As they pass the city, it appears that there is a fair going on there, based on the people heading inside. Nevertheless, the troupe moves on.

28 Growth 509

After traveling through the wooded hills of eastern Yulania, the troupe makes camp for the night. During the second watch, Rilka hears movement heading out of the camp. She tries to pursue it with stealth, but fails and hears the sound of someone running off. She calls for help and Leif and Jerrik come up with torches. She loses track of the runner and starts rousing the camp.

Savaric armors up and starts tracking. He finds a trail fairly quickly and he and Mõrvar start following it. As Savaric armors up and finds the initial trail, Rilka determines that 5 days of food are missing from their stores. Surm hints strongly that Rilka should accompany Mõrvar and Savaric in chasing down the thief and orders Mahgnus to check all of their gear to ensure that the food was all that was stolen.

Savaric tracks down the thief to a group of scrub brush and spots him hiding. He draws his bow and orders the figure to come out. The others, who did not see him, watch warily. A man dressed in a tattered Boraelan prison tunic comes crawling out. Savaric recognizes him a Trews Hanric, an Ornish thief. Mõrvar pats him down and finds nothing more than a shiv, which the thief apparently used to kill a guard during his escape. The three, after a brief discussion, decide to let him go after recovering the five days of food. They head back to the camp.

Surm seems upset that they let the man go, especially as he had apparently murdered a guard. But there was nothing to be done about it at the time and everyone went back to bed.

30 Growth 509

After another couple of days of travel, the party pass by the city of Edeva and move on toward the Tomb of Secrets.\

1 Illumination 509

After another day of travel, the troupe makes camp some five miles from the entrance to the sanctum of the necromancer. As they make camp, rain begins to fall and thunder begins to roll.

That night, during the second watch, Rilka hears a thunderous sound that is definitely not from the storm. She rouses the camp and as Mõrvar and Savaric get ready, they see three hill giants lumbering toward camp from the nearby mountains. Savaric fires repeatedly with his bow, as does Mõrvar. Surm even casts fireball between two of them to bring them down. Finally, before any of them can strike a single blow, they are killed. Everyone works together to move the giant bodies out of camp and the rest of the night passes without incident.

2 Illumination 509

That morning, the troupe arrives outside the entrance to the Tomb of Secrets. It is a cleft in the side of a mountain from which an eldritch green glow can be seen emitting from the inside.

After a discussion, the party elects to only bring in two of the guards. Alasir calls for volunteers and Tarben and Sorcha step forward.

The tunnel appears to lit by eerie green witchlight that casts many shadows along the corridor. Surm stands at the head of the tunnel and casts dancing lights down the hall, illuminating it more fully.

The party lines up to head down the narrow corridor. Savaric takes the lead, followed by Mõrvar, then the Prioress, Brother Thoras, Rilka, then Surm, Brother Caric, Sister Senna, Sister Prinella, Sister Aria, Tarben, and finally Sorcha. They finally head inside.

Savaric searches for traps all the way down and finds none. He finds the secret door marked on the map at the end of the corridor—and also discovers that it is trapped. Surm makes his way forward to try and disarm it. Instead, he sets it off and two greataxe blades spring forth from the walls and cut through him. Fortunately, one of the priests has iron spikes and the party is able to jam the blades into the walls to keep the trap from springing again.

The map has the next room marked as “ghouls.” Mõrvar, Rilka, and the Prioress come forward, ready to address the threat. Mõrvar darts inside and side-steps to allow Rilka to come in. He is immediately facing off with a ghoul wearing a breastplate and wielding a greataxe surrounded by four other lesser examples of the species in the room. In short order, between the Prioress’ channeling of energy and the blades of the two Crimson Corders, the lesser ghouls are dealt with, as well as greater one.

As per usual, Mõrvar decapitates the bodies.

Savaric searches the room and finds nothing of interest. They do find a magical belt of giant strength +2 on the armored ghoul and opt to let Savaric wear that for now.

Checking one of the north doors, Savaric finds that it is not trapped, but it is locked. Surm comes forward and manages to unlock it on the second try. Savaric then carefully opens the door onto a large room that appears to have 8 spectral beings floating in it. He shuts the door and reports to the group.

While the group decides what to do, and how to do it, one of the spectres comes floating through the door. They all work together to dispatch it, though the priests are clearly expending a lot of their channel energy abilities. The spectres keep coming, one by one, and soon two by two, through the walls. Eventually, all eight are finally dispatched.

3 Growth 509

The Crimson Cord sets out from Aeth, across Jossia, heading southeast toward the city of Aldasar, the capital of Leilior. Surm says farewell to the King and the Aethyngs, with special good-byes to his mother and his brother. Surm announces that “the Ulrichs are children of Aeth and the Crimson Cord is a ready ally should they be needed!”

4 Growth 509

Along the way, traveling across the northern plains, Rilka spots a cairn of stones with a crude, makeshift grave marker. Scrawled in Tradespeak on a piece of sandstone is:

TIRZON LIES HERE. HE WAS BRAVE. HE WAS MY FRIEND. AN ORC KILLED HIM. 507

Savaric searches for tracks and other evidence around the grave. At the grave marker, Mõrvar points out that it was marked two years ago. “That grave has been there longer than we be traveling together,” he observes, and then displays no more interest in it.

5 Growth 509

Around noon, the group passes through (or around) Josemeedt in central Jossia.

6 Growth 509

As the sun is setting and the time to camp approaches, the group finds their path crossed by a decent-sized caravan of Yulanian merchants and performers. They, too, appear to be settling in and making a camp. The atmosphere is joyful as musicians play jaunty tunes while folks work on pitching tents and tending to their livestock.

The caravan is made up of colorful box-wagons, cloth-covered wagons, and flamboyantly-dressed folks riding horses and ponies. They appear to setting up a central “square” with their wagons. There are small merchant wagons, tinkerers, and other such salesmen. There are also performers—jugglers, musicians, clowns, acrobats, and the like.

Two wagons are set off a little from the others—a small, red box-wagon with the words ZENYA ZAORAVARIAN’S TRAVELING SHOW stenciled in Tradespeak on both sides of it in big black letters, and a mid-sized, multi-colored wooden wagon with a banner hanging on it reading “ARINNA’S WAGON OF EXOTIC TREASURES!” Various signs in multiple languages hang from the wagon’s walls inviting the public to “VIEW AND PURCHASE MAGICAL WONDERS FROM AROUND THE KNOWN WORLD!” or “SEEK THE SAGE COUNSEL OF RESIDENT FORTUNE TELLERS!” and “RECEIVE TATTOOS FROM SKILLED ARTISANS!”

Several of the members of the caravan’s crew wave to the Crimson Cord in welcome as they work, clearly inviting them to come and join their encampment.

It is clear from the set-up of the encampment that the “Zenya Zaoravarian” wagon is probably that of the person “in charge”. There are probably a good 80-90 people in the encampment from what can be seen, mostly humans, though they can spot a few dwarves, halflings, elves, half-elves, and even a couple of half-orcs in the mix.

As the party makes its way closer to the encampment, they are met by a colorfully-dressed woman who has emerged from the box wagon marked as “Zenya Zaoravarian’s.” She is smiling as she approaches. She is apparently unarmed.

“Hail, fellow travelers. I am Zenya. Do you come to share our camp? We’re not offering our show tonight, but we do offer fellowship, good food, and fair trade from our merchants. Here you can find goods both mundane and exotic. I, myself, can even offer you a glance into the past or the future, for a few coins, of course.”

She gives them a winning smile and spreads her arms wide in welcome.

Savaric asks, “How few coins for the fortune telling?”

Zenya smiles at Savaric and says, “I can already see that you are one that values your coins. Only five pieces of silver.”

Savaric says, “I’ll follow you,” to Zenya.

“Then we shall go,” Zenya says and leads the way to her wagon.

Inside the narrow confines of the box wagon are many colorful scarves, pillow, and curtains with beads and other accessories hanging from the ceiling and walls. The small quarters smells of spices, wine, and incense. Hanging on the wall is a small, well-wrought, portrait of a handsome Yulanian man in his prime. Below it is a small nook where a small unlit candle sits. She lights the candle with a piece of flint and steel and directs the half-orc to sit at a small table in the center of the “room.”

Zenya goes to a cabinet and pulls out a small wooden box. She opens it carefully, almost reverently, and removes a burgundy velvet bag. From within the bag she withdraws a deck of cards. She kisses the top of the deck gently and delicately places the it on the table as she takes her own seat across from Savaric.

“Now then, my large friend, you must tell me, what is it you seek? Is it Love? Honor? Fortune? What is it you wish to explore?”

Savaric replies, “I don’t know…”

Zenya chuckles amiably. “Oh, you are shy. That is adorable. You like your money, yes? Let’s look at that…”

She pulls out one suit of the cards from the deck and shuffles them. She then spreads them out before you, face down.

“Pick a card, my dear…”

As Savaric picks a card, Savaric insists, and truthfully, “I really don’t know what I want. Money and fortune are a clear path to the THINGS I seek but those are only means to help me protect me and my mismatched family; as dysfunctional as we are. We seek Glory, we each have our own call to honor, fame, and all the what-not with Mirka. I feel as if I don’t know my ultimate goal or how to get there. I had hoped that was something you could help me with,” Savaric breaths out somewhat lackadaisically as he pulls his card.

Before he pulls his card, Zenya stops him. “Ah, a very thoughtful answer to a not-easy question. The first step in this reading is called The Choosing. We will explore your current place in the world and see if the cards have a message for you in relation to question at hand. Then we will delve deeper into the timeline of your life. Perhaps by looking mindfully at the past, present, and future, you can find for yourself the answers you seek. Wait.”

She returns the cards she withdrew from the deck and pulls out another suit. “Now draw,” she says.

Savaric draws “The Owl.”

“The Owl represents the eternal Wisdom of natural order. It is the harsh reality that causes a pack of wolves to cull the weak in the herd—it is tragic for the culled deer, but through such actions the herd grows stronger. See here, the needle The Owl holds binds life together, but can just as easily pick that life apart.

“This is you, is it not? It shows us what you ultimately seek—Wisdom. The Wisdom that comes with the balance of what others term “good” and “bad”. For you, there is only life and it is made of both. You are the binder, the one that brings disparate forces together.

“I see a role for you as a guide, bringing others to the truth of the order of things. Others are blinded by their dedication to god, to glory, or to themselves. Your influence will be a weight in a balance that will tip the scales in one direction or the other, depending upon the needs of the natural order.”

Zenya then takes the card back and places them all back in the deck and begins shuffling.

“Now, we will begin the reading in earnest.”

She takes out top nine cards of the deck and lays them out face down, in a spread—a 3 × 3 square. Then she smiles and “And so, we begin.”

She turns over the one at the upper left—“The Wanderer.”

“In the past you have gone through life as a collector, appreciating the things that others find worthless. Indeed, much of your life has centered around the acquisition of Things—wandering about the world, finding new things, selling things, buying things, trading things…”

She then turns over the card in the center row at the far left—“The Rabbit Prince.”

“Now, here is a quirky fellow. Here is where the path of your past becomes more filled with shadows and moonlight—clear in some places, hidden in others. Here we have the vagaries of battle personified—note the broken sword in the Prince’s hand. I think you have seen many battles, and have seen that anyone—no matter how skilled or prepared—can fall. Perhaps you have even fallen yourself.” She shrugs. “As I said, shadows and moonlight.”

Then she turns over the last card in the left-hand column: “The Paladin.”

“Here we see a symbol of strength against adversity. But, in your past, I think this has been seen this as something that was foolhardy, yes? Perhaps you encountered a situation in which the wisest course was to run—but that has it’s own consequences, does it not?”

Now she turns to the middle column. “But that all is in the past. Let us look at the present.” She turns over the card in top row, middle column: “The Courtesan.”

“Here we have political intrigue. Perhaps you are involved in matters of the court or other important factions. You have striven and come much higher in the world than your station would normally indicate. You wear one face for the public, but quite another amongst those that know you well. I think you often find yourself in situations now that require the niceties of society and that your actions, the way that you shape events, depends largely upon how you are treated.”

Next she turns over the card in the center of the spread. “The Demon’s Lantern.”

“Here, the present situation is unclear, but perhaps an opportunity is at hand to guide your way, if you but reach out for it. I think you find yourself presently in an impossible situation—or at least, it seems to be. You are looking for a guiding light to keep you from sinking into the mire. Be careful, though, of these will o’ the wisps, leading you astray and to your doom. Not all that shines is a light.”

She turns over the card in the middle column, bottom row: “The Publican.”

“Here I see that you have in your life a place of refuge and safety, fellowship and camaraderie. But it is tainted—something is wrong with your safe haven and it is no longer the refuge it once was. The cause is unclear—I cannot see if it is from without or from within. But your fellowship is now a place of strife and acrimony.”

She turns to the final column of the spread. “Now we look to the future.” She turns over the top card of the last column. “The Crows.”

“Now this is a dangerous bunch. They have eye to taking that which you love. Perhaps you have gained an enemy, or some new danger lurks that threatens that which you hold dear. But, I see that calamity is likely to be averted—though never without consequences.”

She turns over the middle card in the column: “The Eclipse.”

“Things are bit more hazy here. But I see you questioning yourself more and more in future. You will be filled with self-doubt and loss of purpose. I know that it is purpose that you seek now—but from what I can see here, you may not find it in the short term.”

Then she turns over the final card: “The Liar.”

“The lamia shows a future for you in which you discover love at its most treacherous. This is not the love that moves mountains—this is the love that rips the heart in two and causes lovers to leap to their deaths. It may mean obsession, unrequited passion, or doomed love. Expect the passion and the fire—but beware the burn and always sleep with your eyes open.”

Zenya sits back and sighs. “Now, my friend, we have glimpsed into your past, your present, and your future. It is possible, and even normal, to have more questions than when you came in! But, my sincere hope for you, is that you find the wisdom you seek. Many do not have the presence of mind to seek out their purpose, expecting it to be handed to them. I have found, and this only the wisdom of experience that speaks, that purpose must be made for one’s self, it must be forged, if it is to be strong. Now, go with the blessing of the gods and spirits, my friend, and think on what we have seen together.”

Savaric says, “This gives me much to ponder. You’re definitely right about it bringing up more questions than answers. Is there anything more concrete you see in these cards. Some thing more in the way of direction other than just, ‘make your own path?’”

Zenya smiles as she leads you from her wagon, "Ah, my boy, if the cards were THAT precise, I’d charge you much more than 5 silver. No, the cards give you some clarity—they illuminate the past, present, and future in the hopes that you can see some places in which to blaze a path—they do not dictate, they illuminate. They cast light into the shadows. Only you can decide the direction.

“Besides, and here is some free advice, worth exactly what you pay for it, but if you follow a path someone else lays out for you, then aren’t you living their life, not your own? Isn’t the entire point of life to make your own path?”

Savaric and Zenya emerge from the wagon. Zenya has her hand on Savaric’s shoulder in a friendly gesture of guidance.

When Savaric and Zenya emerge from her wagon, Surm simply shakes his head disapprovingly. He then moves to intercept Savaric after he walks away from Zenya.

“Put no stock into what you have heard in that wagon. She is a Charlatan speaking of vagaries and ambiguities that provide nothing useful. Her ‘wisdom and magic’ is the ability to read a person, then speak of vague situations and circumstances that encourage that person to apply whatever she is saying to their own circumstances. It is entertainment only Savaric, do not waste thought on her words and do not be disturbed or excited about anything she said. She is a performer and the cards are only painted pictures with no meaning other than what she decides in the moment depending on who is sitting across from her. If anything, be sad at the 5 silver you just lost and learn a lesson from this experience.”

Surm does not visit any wagons and encourages the others to avoid the theatrics and guard their pouches.

Mõrvar approaches the wagon marked as having tattoo artists, as does Rilka. “Am I to understand tattoo’s of a mystical nature can be purchased and applied here?” Mõrvar asks.

At the wagon, a Yulanian woman greets them warmly and says, “That’s right. We have artisans that can apply such things inside. Follow me.” She leads them inside the box wagon.

Inside—they are surprised to see that the inside is clearly bigger than the outside. There are rows of potions, wands, scrolls, and other objects from around the world. She motions for Mõrvar to follow and takes him toward the back where the tattoo artists are.

“As far as mystical tattoos, we usually offer these,” and she motions to a sign on the wall:

Animal Totem Tattoo : 12,000 gp
Hypnotic Tattoo : 900 gp
Runeward Tattoo: : 1000 gp
Serpentine Tattoo : 2000 gp

“Does anything catch your eye?”

Rilka stops at the counter and sees a waifish Yulanian woman, who greets her. “Welcome, friend. How can we help you today?”

Rilka expresses wonder at the size of the wagon and browses some of the wares. She decides that she’s not buying today and goes outside to join Savaric in sitting by the fire and listening to music. She inquires if they know any Northron sons. They do and they oblige by playing some.

Meanwhile, Mõrvar says, “Not anything I was really considering. I was curious about the caster’s tattoo. I will admit, the animal totem is intriguing, but 12,000 turns it from intriguing to un-interesting. So, you’re traveling, no long lines waiting, is that your best price?”

Arinna smiles. “I have been known to give some credit, some mind you, for a tale well-told. Do you have any tales, pale one?”

Mõrvar will grin, “Ms. Arinna, I have tales of love, hate, friendship and fear. Tales of justice being brought to those who exploit the weak, and tales of journeys that brought riches. I have tales of adventure and glory and tales of fallen friends. I have tales that will leave you smiling or crying, leaving you feeling warm and fuzzy or a bit shaken with butterflies. I can tell you tales of Warlords, radicals, Frost Giants, Drow, dwarves, elves, and even the Adonii. I can tell you tales of ancient artifacts and hoards of orcs, of skeletons, bloodbeasts, drakes, griffons, pegasus, and winter wolves. I have a tale where I beheaded the same lich three times before we found his soul and crushed it. I even have a tale of coming face to face with a red dragon, and having a conversation that, in a strange way, was pleasant. Are these the tales you would like to hear about?”

Arinna crosses her arms. “Then impress me, tale-spinner. Tell me your tale.”

Mõrvar asks her, “Tell me, with all of your travels, have you ever heard of the Cursed Isle of Salvi?” She arches and eyebrow and nods, “I’ve heard the name and a few things.”

And with that, Mõrvar begins his tale.

After he is done, Arinna gives him a slow, respectful clap. “A tale well-told. I salute you, Northron. I tell you what, I will give you the totem tattoo for 9000 gold.”

Mõrvar will smile, “That is very generous of you. Still, I am on the fence. This is a lot of money for something I wasn’t sure about to begin with.” Mõrvar contemplates for a moment, “Tell you what, if you will take 6000, and allow me to cover the other 3000 by trading you a cloak of resistance and an amulet of natural armor, and a promise that you’re a fantastic tattoo artist, then we have a deal.”

Mõrvar then smiles, “And I’ll even tell you a tale about that amulet I took off the lich I beheaded three separate times before finally destroying him in our fourth meeting.”

“I suppose I can live with that arrangement,” Arinna says. “I, actually, won’t be administering the tattoo. But my cousin, Maella, is a fantastic tattoo artist.” She smiles. “And save your tale. Don’t give them away for free. You may need that for trade sometime.”

Arinna warns him that the working of the tattoo will take about twelve hours, which will make them late in leaving the next day.

Mõrvar lets the rest of the party know of his plans. Surm will ask, “What tattoo and why? Do you even know the details of how they work? Why don’t you wait and think about it first? If you still want one, get it in Aldasar. This seems like an impulse buy that a bunch of creepy carnies sold you and you’ll regret buying later.”

In the end, Mõrvar decided against the tattoo.

7 Growth 509

That morning, the party breaks away from the encampment and heads further down the road toward Aldasar. Later that afternoon, they encounter the city of Skeene. They go around that city and move on, camping off the road later that night.

8 Growth 509

The party sets off once again, southward, in the morning.

Later that morning, they encounter the city of Kivley. They move around the city and travel onward.

9 Growth 509

On this day of traveling, as they take a break for a rest, Savaric finds, discarded in the brush, a battered and muddy wizard’s hat. Examining the hat, he finds a note inside written in Leilioran:

Upon the 8th day of the Reign of Charity, when the Black Serpent lies in blood and the Moon is crowned, the Lich Tyrant shall be slain.

Later that afternoon, they arrive at the city of Aldasar. Instead of the going into the city, they head straight to the estate of their friend, Lord Cannach.

As they approach the front gates of Lord Cannach’s lands, they recognize one of the guards—Tarben! He greets them and assures his compatriot that they are welcome here and to lets them inside. He escorts them into the estate proper.

When asked, he indicates that Lord Cannach’s guard captain has been working them into their rotation while they are staying on the lands and drilling. It’s easy work and Lord Cannach is a good boss. They’ve had one other job while they’ve been here—a cushy guarding gig at a social function. It was easy work and there was free food afterwards—-it’s been a semi-vacation, but most of the guards are ready to go back on the march.

Tarben drops them off at the manor house where they are greeted by Lord Cannach’s chamberlain, who fetches the lord of the manor. Lord Cannach greets them all warmly and welcomes them into his home.

As usual, his hospitality is impeccable and he brings them food and drink and sits them down in his parlor to hear about their exploits and future plans.

Surm tells the story of the frost giants, demon skulls, and victory. Lord Cannach enjoys the story thoroughly, wishing he had more exciting things to report of life here in Aldasar. Not much has been going on in his world, of late.

Surm also gets with Mahgnus about his progress on the orphan-retrieval front. The valet has been putting out feelers for wet-nurses that will be available for travel in month of Ardor. They are to inquire of him at the estate.

The Cord asks for, and receives, permission, of Lord Cannach to stay on his lands while they are conducting business for a couple of weeks here in the capital. Surm and Mõrvar arrange to do some retraining while Rilka arranges to have a magical item enhanced. Savaric seeks for, and finds, work to build capital for his dream of an inn.

They all settle into their work, ready to pass the next two weeks in peace.

11 Growth 509

On his way back from his retraining, Mõrvar is walking down the streets of Aldasar toward Lord Cannach’s when out of nowhere a halfling appears out of the crowd, walking beside him.

“Say, I know you. You’re Mõrvar Ulrich, aren’t you? Of the Crimson Cord?” he says.

“Why, yes, I am,” Mõrvar says, full of pride. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Daveth. Yeah, I’ve heard of you. I heard you carry that big sword around because you’ve got a little dick.”

Mõrvar is struck speechless for a second and then says something about showing the halfling his dick. The halfling says, “Oh, no, I don’t swing that way, thank you very much. Bye!” and disappears into the crowd.

When Mõrvar gets back to the estate, he shares his encounter with his friends. They all warn him that its a trap, not to fall for it and to ignore it. They also decide to travel with a “buddy” in the city in case they’re targeting the whole group. Nobody walks alone back from their retraining. Rilka will walk with Mõrvar, Savaric with Surm.

12 Growth 509

As Mõrvar and Rilka are walking back from Mõrvar’s retraining session, once again the halfling pops up out of the crowd and says to Rilka, “You don’t want to hang out with this guy! He’s all talk, no action!”

After a brief exchange of insults, the halfling disappears again into the crowd.

When they get back to the estate, Mõrvar is fuming. He wants to concoct a plan in which Savaric follows them and tracks the halfling back to whoever hired him to antagonize him. The rest of the party try to warn him off of this plan, advising him to leave it alone, that if he ignores the trap, the trap can’t spring. Mõrvar insists that he needs to do something about this or its going to happen every time he comes into this city. The rest of the party can’t seem to dissuade Mõrvar from pursuing the matter.

13 Growth 509

Sure enough, the following day, as Mõrvar and Rilka make their way back from retraining, the halfling appears again. “Oh, you’re on the wrong side of town for pliable, young boys. They’re much cheaper on the other side of the river.”

Mõrvar puts his arm around Rilka and says, “Come on, let’s get out of here. Ignore him,” and leads Rilka down the road, not looking back. He seems to be taking his friends’ advice!

Rilka hears a disturbance behind her and a gasp from some of the walking throngs. She sees the halfling dusting himself off as he waves at them. “Have good night!” he says.

14 Growth 509

This time, Mõrvar’s final day of retraining, Rilka and Mõrvar take an entirely different route home, away from the neighborhood that they they had been traveling through. They made it through their trip unaccosted by halflings.

15 Growth 509

Surm completes his retraining efforts on this day and begins looking for rumors and leads for potential work for the next month or so.

He hears about about a sorceress named Hekia who is imprisoned in the Tomb of Secrets by “chains of magical shadow.” Following up, he learns that the Tomb of Secrets is in the Uralda Mountains of eastern Yulania.

He also hears about a magical fountain reputed to grant strength to those that bathe in it. However, the fountain is located in the Gauntlet of Emirkol the Chaotic, a stronghold in the Jorani Mountains.

Surm takes these rumors to the party to judge their potential for the Crimson Cord’s next undertaking before escorting the half-orc orphans back to Yrda.

It is decided that he will seek more information from the sages at the University of Aldasar.

16 Growth 509

Surm takes his information to the University and makes arrangements with two sages to look into the two quests. He gives them until the 21st (the day Rilka’s belt will be ready) to come up with the information.

21 Growth 509

On the 21st, Surm goes to the sages to pay them and collect the information they have gathered while Rilka goes to collect her magical belt.

Hekia was a heroic sorceress from an adventuring party styling themselves as “The Sableflames.” She was captured by their archnemesis, a necromancer by the name of Kalthior, when the party attempted to slay said necromancer in his base of operations, the Tomb of Secrets. Kalthior had previously unleashed a horde of undead on a small village in Yulania and the Sableflames had been brought in to protect it. They followed him to his lair and went inside.

The sole survivor of the encounter was a halfling by the name of Torvald. He came out of the lair, determined to have his friend rescued. He spent all of his money to hire another adventuring troupe to go in and get Hekia. None returned and now Torvald is penniless and hopeless, living in the slums of Aldasar.

This expedition took place nine months ago.

The sage offers Surm a map to the Tomb of Secrets, as well as directions to the neighborhood in which Torvald now lives.

Emirkol the Chaotic was (or is, according to some tales), by all accounts, mad. This is no wonder, as he is also purported to be/have been a worshiper of Sabreel, the old Midron god of madness. The summoner created his Gauntlet as a test for adventurers to go through to test their mettle. He felt that the “adventuring class” was bloated and needed some thinning.

Survivors of the Gauntlet—of which there are very few recorded—tell of a maddening place that threatened their bodies and warped their minds. One such survivor spends his days reliving the experience in his mind while sitting in an asylum. The Gauntlet has been reputed to have existed for over a century.

The sage can, once again, provide a map to the destination of the purported whereabouts of the Gauntlet.

After Surm takes his information back to the Cord, they decide to pursue the quest for Hekia—though the thought of more strength clearly intrigued Mõrvar. They decide to look up Torvald to get more details.

They all head into the city and to a run-down part of town near the city center. According to their information, Torvald lives in a shack a block from The Three-Billed Duck Tavern.

They arrive at the shack and Rilka knocks on the door, asking for Torvald. After a few seconds, the door opens slightly and a milky blue eye gazes back out. “Yes? I am Torvald.”

Surm explains that they are there for information on the Tomb of Secrets and his last expedition there. At first, the halfling behind the door is reluctant to help the party. He doesn’t want to talk about that because it is “too sad.” But once it is clear that the Cord is going after Hekia, he lets them inside to discuss the matter.

Inside, the furnishings are sparse, spartan, but clean. And presiding over them is a the oldest halfling any of them have ever seen. He has no place on his face without wrinkles. His hair is white and wispy. He also carries a small, wooden, walking stick for support. He motions for them to sit down, ignoring their expressions of dismay at his aged frame.

He confirms that he is, indeed the Torvald that went on that failed expedition to the Tomb of Secrets. When the party went into the necromancer’s lair, there were four of them altogether.

“Thalia, the cleric, she was the first to fall. It was ghouls that did her in. Next went Landros. Even his mighty greatsword couldn’t save him from that trap. He was disembowled.” That left he and his friend, Hekia Stormwing, to persevere and complete the mission so that the others will not have died in vain.

They made their way to the inner sanctum of the necromancer. Torvald stuck to shadows, trying to get an advantage over the spellcaster and stab him from behind while he and Hekia battled. But Torvald wasn’t good enough and was spotted. The necromancer uttered a word and suddenly Torvald was an old, wizened halfling. Soon, Hekia was bound in “chains of magical shadow” and Torvald, now old and afraid, ran from that place, leaving his friend behind to her fate.

As soon as he got back, he gathered all of his resources to launch another expedition to save Hekia. The necromancer had a special hatred for the young sorceress, and the feeling was mutual. Torvald was sure that the necromancer was keeping her alive and in pain. He spent all of his money—and the expedition never returned.

The party asks the halfling what else he can tell them about the necromancer Kelthior. Torvald knows that he is “old beyond his time” and that he is also resistant to magic. He is not a lich or another sort of undead, but is a master necromancer, a wizard of the arts of death magic.

Torvald states that he can offer no recompense for the rescue of his friend. Surm assures him that none is needed. Then Surm asks if Torvald can give them a map of the lair and Torvald says that, yes, he will draw out a map based on what he can remember.

After thanking Torvald provides them a map and thanks them profusely, Surm and the others head back into the city to research and purchase the necessary spells they’ll need for the expedition. They speculate that the spell used to age Torvald is an enhancement of a known spell, Sands of Time, but obviously more powerful and probably of his own devising. It is also thought that it is probably through the use of ritual blood magic that Kelthior is keeping himself “old beyond his time.”

18 Awakening 509

Before the expeditionary forces and the Aethyngs make to return to Soos, Rilka says a blessing to Bruni over all. Surm and Mõrvar finish up identifying magical items for everyone. Then the ships head out of the narrow harbor and back south toward Soos.

The Crimson Cord head back across the city and below the cathedral to where the huge viper skull is located.

After a long, logistical discussion, it is decided on how they will teleport with the skull to Kalimsport involving a combination of bull’s strength spells, communal ant haul spells, magical belts, and the like. They then decide to explore the cathedral before leaving.

They head upstairs and Savaric finds some food stores near the site of the slaughter of the thralls. He takes some picked fish.

Exploring the other floors, the eventually find a large stash of mundane items that Savaric goes through to find items to sell later. They find their way back to the eighth floor bedroom of the priest. Savaric searches it again and finds a secret compartment. It is magically trapped. Surm fails to dispel the trap—twice—so the rest of the party head downstairs while Savaric opens the compartment.

An arced chain of lightning shoots across the room toward Savaric, but he manages to fully evade it. Inside the compartment is a large chest. The chest is not trapped, but it is locked. Surm cannot disable the lock so each of the Cord take a turn at trying to pry it open and eventually it is broken into.

Inside is a neat horde of treasures—coin, gemstones, scrolls, potions, and wands.

They gather the bed clothes of the priest in hopes of carrying out some of the Ysar remains with them back to Kalimsport.

In going through the mundane items, Savaric comes across a signet ring depicting a rose and a trident. Surm identifies it as a noble signet for a branch of the Cantrill family in Borael out of Northold.

Rilka says a prayer over the bodies of the slaughtered thralls. She and Savaric also gather fuel to make a pyre to burn their bodies.

The party then descends into the chambers beneath the cathedral.

They explore all of the chambers save those that delve deeper into the city and the deep, dark pit at the center. They find nothing. Savaric keeps wanting Surm to cast dancing lights into the pit, but Surm refuses, not wanting to draw the attention of anything large enough to call that pit home.

They return to the skull chamber. Surm and Mõrvar determine that the skull is emitting what is essentially the equivalent of an unhallow spell—making all the area around it unhallowed ground. This may explain the reaction of the Aethyngs. While it only seems to be lightly affecting them—it could have a more repellent affect on others.

Finally, they make their preparations to teleport and do so—into Lecture Hall #12 of the University of Kalimsport.

19 Awakening 509

It is late at night/early in the morning when they arrive. Fortunately, no one is in the lecture hall, as the huge skull takes up most of the room. The Cord makes their way out and heads to the offices of Mandreth Kerendal.

They find the sage in his office, dozing at his desk. They apprise him of the current situation in lecture hall #12 and Surm also explains that they would like to discuss arranging an expedition to explore an Ysar city (as they realized now that they forgot to gather up the Ysar remains). Would Master Kerendal make arrangements for them to meet with Chancellor Valtaer in the morning? Around 10 am? Master Kerendal is a bit overwhelmed, but happy to help. He will also arrange for no one to go into lecture hall #12.

That morning, the group sorts out their magical gear and goes to the markets to sell. Rilka goes and gets her falchion mended.

At 10 o’clock, they return to the University to meet with Chancellor Valtaer. It is clear that he is not pleased. He chastises them for not notifying them of their return with a giant, evil skull before teleporting into one of their lecture halls. Surm tries to placate him and wants to make arrangements for a pre-assigned point in case such a need comes up again. The Chancellor assigns them Simdak Hall in Choynden College, an older hall that is probably no longer in use.

Surm then talks up the Ysar site, though he does caution that they cannot guarantee that the site is 100% safe. But if they are interested in sending an expedition there, the Crimson Cord can help them do that. The Chancellor seems interested, but says that he will have to consult with the Master Bevins, the Master of Antiquities, to be sure. He will get back with them at noon. The Chancellor also bluntly asks Surm for his terms. Surm says that, of course, the University will need to provide the means to teleport them there and back. Further, he will require two caster level thirteen greater teleport scrolls for his trouble. The Chancellor says that if the Master of Antiquities wishes to launch an expedition, that the terms are acceptable.

While the party waits for the Master of Antiquities to be consulted, Mõrvar goes to see if Beldis is in town. He finds out that she has been seen around in a week—the theory is that she’s lying low for some reason. Mõrvar comes back and tells the others, wondering if they want to help him find Beldis. No one else is really interested. He grows angry, saying that they don’t care about his feelings, and then he sits and broods.

At noon, Chancellor Valtaer lets them know that the Master Bevins is, indeed, interested, and is sending Esteemed Professor Lanara Tevis to lead the expedition. What they can do is take their wizard, Magus Solman Barrow, to the site so that he can be familiar with it and plot out a place to put a teleportation circle in order to bring others. Professor Tevis wants to come on this outing if there is space. There is.

Tevis and Barrow have their cold weather gear ready and they all gather for the greater teleport. Surm readies the scroll and casts, taking them into the first floor of the cathedral. Magus Barrow starts plotting where he is going to set his circle and Surm takes Professor Tevis down below to see the Ysar remains.

She’s clearly taking it all in. She confirms that it is Ysar architecture, but it is also different than that she has seen—much more twisted and dark. She also doesn’t know what being these Ysar were worshipping but is clearly different than the ones presented at other Ysar sites. She also confirms that the remains are Ysar. She is clearly fascinated and happy to be there.

Finally, they gather up to return. Magus Barrow handles the return trip.

Chancellor Valtaer hands the two requested scrolls of greater teleport over to Surm.

The Cord then head out and scroll over to Soos. They arrive just outside the village. They then walk in after being greeted by the sentries and reacquaint themselves with their horses. The people of the village recognize them and inquire about the success of the, which Surm is happy to report. Then they start asking about the individual fates of their loved ones, which makes Surm uncomfortable. He persuades them all to wait for the rest of the force to arrive before worrying about it, and they all take it in stride, just being thankful that the raid was successful.

Savaric goes out and hunts, finding food for day for the Cord.

Everyone finds a place to sleep for the night, between offers from townsfolk or the main longhouse.

20 Awakening 509

That morning, the ships arrive from Jarlheim. There is much rejoicing from the people on the shore as the raiders disembark. Kremlach declares that the journey back was easy—smooth sailing all the way back. It’s also clear that he and the majority of the expedition are a little bit drunk.

Surm gives Kremlach the money from their sale of the magical treasures and Kremlach thanks him.

A feast is prepared in the longhouse. Many songs are song and speeches made. Their victory is attributed to strength of arms, the blessings of the gods, and their strong brotherhood. The only somber moment is when Kremlach calls out the names of all 140 fallen warriors and then leads the room in a song of Valhalla. Then the festivities begin again and last into the night. Eventually, the feast dwindles down people start heading off to their beds.

21 Awakening 509

The Crimson Cord and the victorious Aethyngs ready themselves and begin their march west to Aeth.

27 Awakening 509

As the column marches along, Surm and Savaric notice that two winged creatures are flying overhead. One, a dragon, continues flying to the west, toward the mountains. The other, a strange creature with the body and head of a lion, accompanied by the heads of a dragon and a goat, is plummeting to the earth.

Savaric shouts a warning, debates whether or not to fire on the flying dragon, and eventually settles on keeping an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t double-back. Surm casts feather fall on the strange falling creature.

As the creature gently wafts to the earth, the column forms a circle around the site of its landing and readies itself. It alights and the creatures rights itself, puffs itself up with a defiant roar, and attacks. The Cord and the Aethyngs are ready for it and make short work of the creature that Surm identifies as a chimera.

Mõrvar decapitates it and Savaric cuts out its teeth.

2 Growth 509

The troupe finally arrives in Aeth. The King is hale and healthy and eager to hear of their victory. Surm tells a passable version of the tale, but promises more at the feast. Rilka and Savaric are less than helpful with their interruptions and attempts at tale-telling.

The Ulrich’s visit with their family while feast preparations take place. Mõrvar broods the entire time.

That night, the Aethyngs feast and Surm tells a more rousing version of the tale. The Crimson Cord sit at the King’s right and left hand. In the course of his speech praising the Aethyings, he thanks the Crimson Cord for presenting Aeth this opportunity for glory.

The seven elite Aethyngs and Brythia present the King with the Viper banner and the twin war hammers of the frost giant leader. King Alrik is well-pleased.

After the feast dies down, people head to bed. The Crimson Cord plan to head to Aldasar in the morning.

17 Awakening 509

The four primary members of the Crimson Cord and an elite team of seven Aethyngs are below a cathedral in the frost giant city of Jarlheim. They have just dispatched three frost giant guards that had attempted to ambush them from a series of alcoves.

Surm shows the rest of the party the bridge he’s encountered and the chamber it leads to. The party lines up to continue through the strange ruins that have attributed to the long-extinct Ysar.

Mõrvar and Savaric lead the way, with Surm and the Aethyngs following, and with Rilka watching their backs.

They walk into a what appears to be a crypt. There are six alcoves with stone sarcophagi sitting within them. Surm sets about trying to open one. They discover that the sarcophagus has a curse lain upon it, a trap of sorts, to punish the disrespectful. Surm dispels it and removes the lid. He finds a strange, humanoid, skeleton inside and magical scroll of mage’s faithful hound. He takes the scroll and decides to deal with the rest of the sarcophagi. He manages to remove some curses—and just flat out risk a few—and take out a phylactery of negative channeling and a potion of endure elements to add to the party’s growing horde of treasure.

After this, the party moves on through the ruins. They eventually make it around to a large sanctuary where 5 guards and 3 other frost giants await—with a huge viper skull what has a vapor of darkness bleeding from its oversized fangs.

A major fight ensues, where the Cord manages to bottleneck the frost giant guards into the doorway and then proceed to take on the remaining frost giants. One of the giants, the last one they fight, has twin hammers that he throws and retrieves with deadly effect. Nevertheless, the Cord emerges victorious.

The skull gives off an unholy aura that the heroes of the Cord can withstand quite well, but the Aethyngs wish to avoid and so they refuse to enter the sanctuary chamber. Savaric manages to find a secret door and Surm dispels a magical trap on it. Inside, they find a horde of goods.

They figure out how to carry their newfound riches and decide to leave the huge skull—for now. They leave the sanctuary and head back out into the cathedral and into the city to see how the main battle has fared.

They discover that the main force is fighting a huge, draconic ice worm called a linnorm that is guarding the treasures of the amphitheater. Many frost giant bodies lay about, looted. The party witnesses the Northon finish off the linnorm and open the doors of the amphitheater. Inside, is another large horde of loot.

Surm finds Kremlach and says that the Crimson Cord is willing to forego taking a share of the amphitheater loot if they can claim only the horde found in the cathedral. Kremlach agrees that that is fair. The war leader also reports that the Northrons overwhelmed the frost giants and took them handily. There were, of course, some casualties, but not near as many as there could have been.

The Crimson Cord and the Aethyngs camp for the night as the shouts of celebration go up in the night.

17 Awakening 509

As the Northron raiders approach through the harbor in Jarlheim, the longship from Soos carrying the Crimson Cord and the Aethyngs has veered to the east to deposit that smaller team that will be going in to raid on their own. Savaric has felled one of three giants on the shore with a volley of flaming arrows as the ship approached the shore.

Savaric targets another of the giants as they begin chucking stones at the ship. The raiders are not equipped with missile weapons—only Savaric.

As the ship moves inexorably closer to the shore, a stone hits the ship, causing it to shake. Surm comes forward and casts a fireball at the giants on the shore while Savaric continues to fire. Between the two of them, the giants are dispatched and the ship makes landfall.

The four members of the Crimson Cord—Surm, Savaric, Mõrvar, and Rilka, as well as seven hand-picked Aethyng warriors, disembark and head deeper into the city while the ship turns and heads deeper into harbor with its brethren.

As the stone city looms, Mõrvar notes that the architecture is not designed for giants but for human-sized creatures. In fact he believes that it is similar to Ysar architecture.

Rilka takes a high position on top of one of the buildings and scouts the area. She sees a tall building to the northwest—a cathedral, maybe? It’s clearly a landmark and easily distinctive. Maybe the skull is being kept there? She can also see that battle has begun in earnest in the harbor and on shore near a huge amphitheater.

As the party makes their way through the streets, they notice that many of the dwellings are abandoned—most are simply too small for a frost giant. However, they do see some that have been made into make-shift homes for giants. In fact, they see one emerge from such a dwelling and engage with it, eventually dispatching in the street. They leave its corpse—not before Mõrvar decapitates it—and move on, moving northwest through the city.

It appears that most of the frost giants must be on shore fighting the Northron raiders. The streets are quiet.

They eventually make it to the far northwest corner of the city. Approaching the large cathedral quietly, they see that the broad entry way is guarded by four frost giants warriors.

Savaric has Ilona make him invisible and the two head through and around the guards and into the cathedral. Once inside, he avoids another couple of warriors and finds a huge spiral staircase that heads both up into the heights of the building and down into its depths. He heads up.

On the third level, he sees what appears to be a frost giant priest of some sort on the landing. He begins firing arrows into him, eventually taking the giant down. Savaric crosses the landing and peers into the doorway to see a roomful of human thralls chained together. He signals for them to be quiet and he returns to the staircase and invisibility. A frost giant guard starts coming up and sees the dead priest. The guard starts calling for his compatriots.

Savaric uses the distraction to start heading out the way he came in. He eventually makes it back to his friends and reports on what he sees. They decide to assault the cathedral.

The Crimson Cord and the seven Aethyngs advance on the four guards. Between Savaric’s arrows, Surm’s fireball spell, and the force of arms of Rilka and Mõrvar, the four guards are dispatched. The group heads inside the structure.

They check out the bottom floor, secure it, and leave three Aethyngs on the bottom floor while the four members of the Cord and four Aethyngs ascend the staircase.

On the third floor they find the corpse of the giant Savaric slew. They also find the slaughtered corpses of the thralls, apparently slain in retaliation for the murder of the priest.

The group head up the stairs to the eighth floor—the only floor large enough to bear the size of a frost giant. It is single chamber that is apparently been set up as the bed chamber for the priest. Here they take the Viper banner and the priest’s battle axe that is hanging on the wall. They head back down the stairs to rejoin the other Aethyngs, who have encountered no troubles since they were separated.

They decide to head down the stairs and see what is beneath the cathedral.

Carefully they go down and find themselves in a smallish chamber—still large enough for a frost giant, but not grand in any sense.

They follow the old, moldy hall the only way it goes. It winds a bit and then gets into an area where the outer wall falls way into an abyssal pit. The pit is so huge that even Savaric and Rilka, with their darkvision, can’t see the bottom or across it. They move on apprehensively, not knowing if that deep darkness is truly empty.

Eventually they come to a area with three (relatively) narrow alcoves—relatively narrow because they are large enough to contain ambushing frost giants!

A fight ensues between them and the Crimson Cord, who are bottle-necked into the preceding corridor. As members of the party fight their way through to take on the foes, Mõrvar manages to intimidate on into running into the next chamber, clearing a path for more of the Cord to come through.

Surm moves on even beyond the shaken the giant and his brother to a narrow bridge that crosses over a passage heading into the that deep darkness. Their passage heads into another chamber. Behind him, the rest of the party dispatches the three frost giant guards.