Adventure Summaries The Fog of War (Prelude, written by Casey McGirt) The characters began their career as part of the same Brelish unit, operating in Cyre against Karrnathi, Thrane, and Cyran forces. In their first battle, they captured the leader of a Karrnathi supply caravan. A few days later, while trying to resupply at a nearby Cyran town, they came upon a massacre caused by Thrane troops. The Thrane troops were then slaughtered in turn by Valanar mercenaries working for Cyre. The only survivor of the massacre was a Thrane chaplain of the Silver Flame, who attempted to stop his commander and was throne in a cistern for his trouble. The group took the chaplain prisoner and reported back to their commander. In the final battle of the war, the group was ordered to engage a special Cyran force that had been blasting Brelish warforged apart from long distances. They confronted the Cyran force, which appeared to be a lone warforged capable of firing eldritch blasts at bow ranges. During the battle, an explosion was heard in the distance, and a dark grey fog approached their position. An observer from House Cannith called for the Cyran warforged to surrender, and the group quickly sought shelter from the fog in a cave. The observer created a wall of force over the entrance to the cave just before the fog reached them. A few minutes later, the fog bank had passed over, leaving the area shadowed in twilight. As the group emerged, they found the forces on both sides decimated, and were attacked by undead and living spells. They defeated their foes and escaped the new Mournland, but not before one of the group was disabled by a living fireball. The observer from House Cannith thanked the group for helping save his life, and promised to repay them in Sharn once the war was over, on the anniversary of the disaster. > Four years later, the group reunited in Sharn, and were met by Wrath, the Cyran warforged. He apologized on behalf of the Cannith observer, and gave them vouchers for a week's lodging in one of the most expensive inns in Sharn. Experience: 1000 XP The Forgotten Forge (judged by Kathy McGirt) Nearly finished with their week of free lodging, the group was low on funds and seeking work. A chance encounter with a dead body and a hostile warforged led them to Elaydren d'Cannith, who hired them to recover a family heirloom from an ancient Cannith foundry hidden in the depths of Sharn. After several close calls (including a battle with Saber, an agent of the Lord of Blades), the group recovered a schema from the forgotten forge. Upon returning to Elaydren (with the disabled Saber in tow), the group was given the agreed upon price and a slight bonus. Elaydren stated that more work may be available, and said to periodically check the House Sivis message station. Experience: 1000 XP Shadows of the Last War (judged by Kitty Curtis) A House Sivis message station clerk tells the party that the station was attacked by a group of kobolds and a dark-cloaked party who stole the message intended for the party. When the party met Lady Elaydren d'Cannith at the Broken Anvil, she is much changed, wearing dirty tattered clothing and missing all her jewelry. She shoved a backpack to Arvin as the Broken Anvil was attacked by kobold mercenaries led by a warforged. As soon as the combat ended, Elaydren ran from the building. The group then took a lightning rail and caravan to the Bloody Market, where they hired transport to the Rose Quarry. After a brief encounter with some angry (and later, confused) bugbears, the party saw that the quarry was still occupied. Soldiers filled the camp, and the ground was covered in a molten glass covering. The party found the refinery, which was also occupied. Daisy wandered off to explore while rest of the party "remedied" that issue, and the party dug up the glass coating to find a detailed map of central Khorvaire. The map led the group to the Mournlands, and an abandoned stronghold of House Cannith. After several harrowing encounters, the party found what they were searching for - an adamantine creation pattern used by the House Cannith creation forges. A copy of the pattern was also found. Upon their departure, the group was met in force by agents of the Emerald Claw. Wrath turned over the copy of the pattern to the Emerald Claw in exchange for payment, and a safe departure. The leader of the enemy forces agreed to Wrath's terms, but ended up betraying them after the trade was made. After defeating their foes, the party returned to Sharn to hand over the creation pattern to Elaydren and receive their payment. Experience: 2000 XP A Threat Returns (written by Calvin Curtis) While playing nursemaid to a rich fop, the party encounters one of their own, and a meteoric guest. Canceling their charge's reservation prompts conflict, opening questions as to the nature of a man. Calls from on high and midnight visitors are answered; a forgotten fortress is explored. The party plays Prometheus, and an untrusted ally tries to buy their silence with blood. Higher powers are consulted, but ultimately give no answer; the chain dissolves. Experience: 2000 XP Whispers of the Vampire's Blade (judged by Erik Robbins) The heroes are hired to recover a potent magic item known as the soul blade from a defecting Brelish spy.  Their employer, a captain in the King's Dark Lanterns, offered a large cash reward for recovery of the blade, with a bonus for capturing Lucan alive.  The party quickly realized from the trail of bodies that the spy Lucan was no longer human, but a vampire. The search turned into a chase, with a high-speed pursuit on stagecoach, a high-society masquerade ball, a three-sided fight with Lucan and the Emerald Claw on an elemental-powered airship (and the inevitable crash that followed), and a running battle with agents of the Lord of Blades aboard the fast-moving lightning rail.  After the coach is disabled, Lucan flees to a ancient ziggurat to make his final stand. Experience: 3000 XP Stolen Shadows (written by Casey McGirt) On a rainy day in Sharn with no prospects for employment, the warforged Wrath comes to the rest of the group with a task - to recover an adamantine cylinder stolen from House Cannith by an unknown group.  Lured by the promise of gold, the party heads to Xen'drik and an ancient structure known as the Shadow Pyramid.  Inside, they battle with dark-skinned, tattooed elves known as the Umbragen, discover the remains of a Cannith recovery expedition, and find portals to the plain of shadow. Traversing the shrouded landscape, Daisy is nearly sucked into eternal darkness by a trap, a finely-crafted mithral gauntlet is discovered, and a fleeing Umbragen is captured.  A shadowy sending tells the group that they have no hope of fighting through the forces of the Umbra Academy, but they can still achieve their goal by making their way to a black monolith in order to bargain for the cylinder.  After overcoming the shadowy guardians of the monolith (including two greenshadow warforged altered by the Umbragen), the party was transported to the lair of the Shadow Seer.  In exchange for Redback's memories of a beautiful summer's day (a trade that had more consequences than first thought), the party acquired the adamantine cylinder and returned to Sharn. Unknown to the rest of the party, the warforged that hired them was not Wrath, but Ruin - Wrath's near-twin.  Ruin used a hat of disguise and a scroll of glibness to deceive the party, in order to acquire the Shadow Shard within the cylinder.  Wrath's arrival uncovered the deception, but by then Ruin was able to escape with the shard. Experience: 2000 XP + 1000 bonus XP The Night of the Elemental's Anguish (written by Matt Riecks) An old friend calls on Arven for help to retain his place in House Cannith.  While he is gone, the group gets some time to relax and shop around Sharn, but they soon learn that adventurers have started disappearing within the city.  An abandoned sword and an attack by House Cannith thugs soon cast Arven's friend in suspicion, and the results are worse than anyone could imagine.  In the end, Brelish soldiers take charge, and order the group away from the scene of the tragedy. Experience:  2000 XP + 1000 bonus XP In The Temple of Mars (by Fred Saberhagen, adapted by Calvin Curtis) When the party -- low on gainful employment -- is approached by a young woman claiming her brother is missing, and offering enough cash to choke a dozen donkeys, there's nothing to do but accept.  But does that man's twisted world of gambling, booze, drugs and extremely disturbing adult entertainment hide something that is better left undiscovered? Following his trail through the underworld, the characters discover a cold place inhabited by beings that would prefer not to see the light of day again.  And in the very depths of the city, they find a temple . . . Ther stood the temple of Mars Armypotente, Wroght al of burned steel, of which the entree Was long and streit, and gastly for to see, And therout came a rage and suche a veze, That it made al the gate for to rese. The northren lyght in at the dores shoon, For wyndowe on the wal ne was ther noon, Thurgh which men myghten any light discerne. The dore was al of adamant eterne, Yclenched overthwart and endelong With iren tough, and for to make it strong Every pyler, the temple to sustene, Was tonne-greet of iren bright and shene. Wherein the duplicity of their contact and her brother is revealed. Experience:  2000 XP Grasp of the Emerald Claw (judged by Kitty Curtis) Deep in the jungles of Xen'drik, a relic of great power has lain hidden for thousands of years.  Now, the PCs race against time and the nefarious agents of the Order of the Emerald Calw to locate the relic, overcome unimagined obstacles, and unlock its ancient secret. Experience:  4000 XP The Flame and the Void (written by Casey McGirt) Awoken in the middle of the night by Sharn guardsmen, the adventurers are brought to King Boranel under the pretext of being recalled to military service. The King explained that Thrane has asked for the group to journey to Flamekeep, and he has agreed on their behalf in exchange for certain concessions. The group is brought to Thrane via teleportation by House Orien, where they are brought before Jaela, Keeper of the Flame. Jaela tells the group of a vision of destruction she has had, and asks them to do what they can to prevent her vision from coming to pass. The adventurers then head to Korth, capital of Karrnath, where they meet with a man named Jarik. Jarik tells the group about the archmagess Cassa, and leads them through the snowy Nightwood to reach her lair. During the journey, Jarik asks Guinevere to take an item of his back to Jaela should he not survive the journey, and gives her a key to a House Kundarak vault. The party encounters both ogres and Emerald Claw cultists, easily defeating both. Entering Cassa's lair through a hidden teleportation circle, the group fights Karrnathi skeletons and Andre Fellstrike, a former paladin of the Silver Flame who turned away from the faith to become a Bone Knight. During the battle, the lich Cassa appears and reveals her plan to destroy Flamekeep with a sphere of annhiliation. Fellstrike flees after his skeletal mount is destroyed. Meanwhile, Arvin uses an ancient artificer device to fight Cassa for control of the sphere, eventually destroying her at the hands of her own creation. As the magics holding the cavern together unravel, Guinevere destroys the sphere with the arrow of purifying flame, and the group runs for the teleportation circle. Because the circle needs someone outside of it to say the command word, Jarik stays behind. As he takes off his hat and throws it to Guinevere, he is revealed to also be a lich. He manages to speak the command word to teleport the party away just before the entire ceiling collapses upon him. After returning to Korth, Guinevere goes to the Kundarik vaults with Jarik's key and finds a sealed metal box, which detects as evil. The group eventually agrees to fulfill Jarik's last request, and books passage on a House Lyrandar sailing ship.  After arriving in Flamekeep and meeting Jaela, they present her with the box only to see Jarik return to (un)life before their eyes.  The group stops the guards from destroying Jarik, and he asks Jaela for a final boon to see his undead existance ended.  Jaela states that she cannot offer him redemption, but agrees to end his unlife. The next day, Jaela undertakes a ritual casting with the Council of Cardinals and the group both in attendance.  At the end of the ritual, Jarik is consumed by fire, which apparently kills him but returns his body to as it was in life.  As Jaela prepares to leave, she states that she could not offer redemption, only peace - at which point Jarik sits up and takes his first breath in nearly a century.  Jaela's final words before leaving the room are, "Redemption must be earned..." Experience:  2000 XP Fear and Loathing (written by Calvin Curtis) A long and strange journey leads to silver spiders, a fiendish dragon, and many other obstacles. Experience:  9000 XP. Kingdom Come (written by Casey McGirt) An announcement that Prince Oagrev is forming the new Kingdom of Galifar leads the group to the border to the Mournlands, where an old acquaintance has created a device to unite the kingdom - but at what cost? Experience:  4000 XP. The Volcano Caves (judged by Casey McGirt) Odd things are happening in the area around Mount Rolnith, a dormant volcano. When spellcasters wield fire magic, they feel drawn to the mountain. Local farmers and their animals disappear, leaving clawed footprints and signs of struggles. Open flames tilt, all pointing to the same spot: a cave in Mount Rolnith's craggy face. The PCs decide to investigate these occurrences, to save a friend who has been captured by a fiendish spider.  Inside, the party finds a link to the Elemental Plane of Fire, and caverns ruled by a powerful efreet.  The foes are eventually defeated, and their friend is freed from the spider's clutches. Experience:  4000 XP. Voyage of the Golden Dragon, Part I (judged by Erik Robbins) To be written. Experience:  2000 XP. © 2005-2006 Casey McGirt Back