Journal Entry 12

On the Trail of the Townspeople

The festivities were dying down and it had been a long day. We stood up from the table to bunk down for the night when the door opened to reveal Krova. He entered the inn where we exchanged tales and information learned from our latest exploits. Krova was unfortunately not able to dig up any good information from his sources but was pleased with what we'd unearthed thus far. I was somewhat relieved with Krova's return but then secretly hoped his size and presence wouldn't provoke an incident with the locals. We'd been lucky so far and I hoped that luck will continue. I also wish that Zar'za would rejoin us sometime soon as this seems to be her sort of place.

We trundled off to our rooms. During the middle of the night, I awoke to muffled voices. Krova was entertaining visitors or some such thing. There was a fair amount of confusion from both parts from what I could tell. There were mentions of tombs and resting places and duty not fulfilled. I began to wonder if I should check on this exchange when the voices stopped, only to be replaced by some mumblings that sounded like prayers. Hearing nothing but the ambient noise of the town and the prayers, I went back to sleep deciding that whatever happened could wait until the morning.

Breakfast was made available to us upon our awakening. I made mention of the conversation I overheard to Krova. He shared the tale how the spirit of Sir Keegan in his sword had apperated and was quite confused about where he was. Krova tried to talk with the spirit to let him know we were still on a mission. More importantly though, the Sir Keegan said if he was not at rest, his son was still alive. This was most disturbing news of course as the first encounter with Kalarel nearly snuffed out our lives. I am secretly hoping that there will be no more bad news as we're already pushing our luck here. As there were more pressing engagements at hand ,this matter would need to wait.

Setting Out To The Chamber of Eyes

Bennik joined us mid-way through our breakfast and seemed in fair spirits. I can only guess it is his skill at story-telling and merriment that allows him to remain on this side of the dirt below our feet and not six feet under it. A halfling without any combat skill would seem destined nothing but misery in these dwellings. Somehow he's managed to make a life for himself here, at least for the time being. We finished our meals, gathered our gear and set out for the Chamber of Eyes. With some luck and skill, we'd come across the captured souls before they are ferried too much farther. We left the Halfmoon Inn. Bennik led us across the Seven Pillared Hall to the Dragon Entrance. I was rather surprised to see that the level of activity never seems to change here. Just as many creatures were scurrying about as there were yesterday evening when we first arrived. Refocusing my mind at the journey ahead, I trudged along with my companions.

The sheer number of openings and tunnels were staggering. A cartographer would be here until the end of his days attempting to map out every possible path. As I attempted to take everything in, Bennik piped up stating that there were icons etched in the underground stone. We were seeking out the Chamber of Eyes and sure enough there was a small pictograph of eyes in the stone. Looking back I could see one with seven pillars. Simple and effective. Bennik further pointed out that there are unmarked paths which are absolutely and without question to be avoided should we wish to be seen again. I took that statement to be the holy truth and shuddered as my imagination pictured the horrors that could be dwelling down here.

Bennik led us faithfully up to a set of doors that were atop a set of stairs. Unsettling imagery carved around the portal cast forth an effective message of "Go away". Bennik turned to us to remind us of the icons to follow back to the Halfmoon Inn. He began to head back to town when I inquired how he was going to get the story. He informed us that he'd take careful note of our story upon our return and trusted us not to get the facts mixed up. Before any further objection could be voiced, Bennik was gone. The group turned in unison to again face the doors. Shade went to the front of the group to have a look at the entry. A careful examination of the doors showed no traps or locks of any sort. Who'd need such things given the location and imagery here? Remembering why we were here, we swung open a door and entered the greeting area.

The place was a complete disaster. Rubble was strewn everywhere and the stink of the denizens permeated everything. No one seemed to take note of our entry as no welcoming party appeared. A quick survey of the room showed us a door off to the right and a balcony on the opposite side of the room. Muttered discussion was put forth on the next course of action. I didn't want to get caught flat-footed should the inhabitants decide to check on the front door. I retrieved my grappling hook from my bag and set it up on the edge of the balcony with the assistance of my mage hand. I then ascended up to the balcony. More rubble occupied the balcony but so did a small door. I quietly informed the group of this. Shade came up the rope and ascertained the opportunity the door offered. It seemed to be free of traps and did offer a better opportunity for entrance than the double doors on the main floor. Lodi joined us. With the three of us up at once, the balcony began to shift under our combined weight. We then looked at Krova and decided we'd have a problem getting him up here with the balcony intact.

Before tackling that logistical problem, Shade and Lodi wanted to see if the door would be worth our trouble. Shade quietly slipped through the door. Lodi followed behind. I stuck my head in to see what was happening. Elder Pitnik came up the rope at this point. I hoped the rouge and ranger's stealth would be up to the task so we'd not need Pitnik's healing assistance straight away. Lodi motioned for me to come into the entry. I peeked around and saw a large slumbering beast on a bed and two goblins trying to keep themselves entertained. They acted like a couple of kids with their banter. The beast on the bed woke up with a snort and bellowed in his crude tongue for the smaller creatures to shut up. The beast told them to keep an eye out for trouble while he tried to catch up on sleep.

As the creature settled in, I decided to see if I could provoke a fight. I cast a whisper into the sleeping creatures ear in my best goblin tongue. "Let's kill him." The beast awoke again with much more animation than before. He flew to his feet and cursed out the frightened creatures. As they pissed themselves in fear, insisting that they had made no mention of killing him in his sleep, the large beast kicked them both out the door and demanded the other two come into the room. The two new goblins slinked into the room. They were given their instructions, a smack on the head and then the beast settled down to sleep once more. This situation could work to our advantage.

Shade crept across the darkened hallway passing the small opening to the room. Lodi took up position with Elder Pitnick behind Lodi. Somehow the goblins became aware of our presence in the hallway. Their ears perked up and they crept towards our position. One of them said it was perhaps a rat. Elder Pitnik turned to me and made a motion of a rat to me. I squeaked in an attempt to affirm their suspicion. Unfortunately, it appears goblins like to eat rats and rapidly came up the stairs all the closer to us. Lodi knocked an arrow and took aim. Just as the goblin reached the top of the stairs to where we were, Lodi loosed the arrow. It found its mark but didn't put down the creature. Shade followed up with his arrows to fell the first creature, leaving the other to shout out a warning to the others. Damn.

The beast awoke and quickly grabbed a club. More noise came from the hall. Krova, upon hearing the commotion quickly grabbed the rope and began his climb. He reached the top of the balcony when all support gave way. I had been on the edge of the balcony and started to fall to the ground. I reached out and grasped the edge. Krova landed in a heap below a pile of rocks. I glanced up to see that the large beast, slumbering no more, had closed with our ranged support. The look on Shade's face said it all as I could see him in an instant recollecting the recent times he'd been forced to go toe to toe with our adversaries. Lodi scrambled down the hall firing off his arrows as he repositioned himself. Pitnik took position behind Lodi. I found myself in a bad situation as the majority of my spells do not work properly without some space between me and the adversary. Fortunately, I could call on my thunderwave spell which had a sort enough casting time that any enemy creatures in melee range would not get an opportunity to attack during my incantation. The spell went off although the damage was minimized as I ducked to keep my head amidst all the action. It did create a hole, however and I quickly moved through it to take a spot behind the others.

We brought to bear all our attacks at anything poking its head around the corner. One of the goblins met his end quickly in such an attack. The large beast shouted a defiant cry upon his death and shared his plan for all the pain he was going to bring down upon us. This only intensified our efforts to end this threat as quickly as possible. Krova somehow joined the battle from the other side of the room. This decidedly turned the tide of battle and victory was ours in short order. Just as soon as we were sure there were no more coming, we took stock of the room. There was very little in treasure or information here. We'd have to look further inside for answers.

Chief Krand

We explored further into the area and decided the small passage we had just fought in was the most promising way further into the chamber. We came across a door at the end of the passage. Shade took a listen at the door and heard nothing. He then gestured to the bottom of the door as he noted a shadow moving across the room. Krova exchanged places with Shade. He then blew open the door with a strong shoulder. A hammer flew past his head as this ugly ashen-faced dwarf showed himself. We quickly entered to establish some advantage in the room. There was a second such dwarf who was positioned against the other door. He joined the battle across the room while calling for help from Krand down another hallway. I remembered that was the name of the leader of the Blood Reavers. We were close to finding the townspeople. My thoughts quickly returned to the battle as I hoped we'd cut these two down before having to face whatever was about to join us.

The two dark dwarves engaged Krova. A nasty surprise came about when their beards prickled up and fired darts at Krova. Most were deflected off of his armor and tough hide. A few found purchase in his flesh. I noticed a dark ooze on the darts and knew that couldn't be good. Krova winced a bit and then threw one of the dwarves into the roaring fire in the room. The dwarf smiled as the flames licked at him. I decided my fire based spells would be of little use here and began concentrating on the other spells within my command. Unfortunately I was not the only spell caster anymore. A goblin mage stepped out of the hallway and began casting forth magics. A familiar green magical whip flew out at Shade and drug him across the room. This couldn't be allowed to happen. Just as I set up for a thunderwave spell, the door behind the spellcaster flew open. An archer was setting up for a shot as I loosed the spell. The enemy spellcaster flew into the hallway and the archer tumbled head over teakettle down the stairs he'd just climbed. Smirking a bit at this good fortune, I then grimaced upon seeing the largest hobgoblin ever darken the doorway along with his pet dire wolf.

Krova put an end to one of the dwarves and sped across the room to answer this new threat. A fierce struggle erupted as Krova exchanged blows with Krand and the dire wolf. I continued to let loose with my thunderwave spells that put an end to the spell caster and sent the archer down the stairs a second time. Lodi and Shade were issuing punishment from the far side of the room and Pitnik kept Krova from succumbing to his wounds. We managed to kill the second dwarf and dispatched Krand and his pet. The archer finally made it up the stairs again and knew enough to side-step my spell. He grinned as he drew back his arrow only to discover Lodi had beaten him to the punch. His grin faded quickly as blood spilled from his mouth and he slumped to the floor.

We examined the room and discovered a parchment. It was a receipt for a group of slaves dated two days ago. We were too late to rescue the slaves here. The presence of the dark dwarves led us to our worst suspicions that the townspeople were now in the deeper confines where the dark dwarves lived. Our high from the victory won faded rapidly with this realization. After gathering up what treasure we could find, we dragged ourselves back to the Seven Pillared Hall to regroup. Not much was said on the journey back to the Halfmoon Inn and nothing needed to be said. The thought of those people in the hands of those evil dwarves fueled a fire within me, strengthening my resolve to set them free and put an end to these foul designs.

Journal Entry 11

The Thunderspire

We set out for the Seven Pillared Hall at once. The journey would last the day which would put us in at nightfall. I wasn't thrilled about this and brought up that we might want to find a place to hold up just shy of our destination and approach in the morning light. Lodi and Shade thought speed was more important and Elder Pitnick didn't seem concerned about the time of night either. I put my faith into my comrades as we began our trek.

As expected, we reached the base of Thunderspire just as the sun began to descend below the horizon. Elder Pitnick pointed out the path we'd need to take. Looking up, the road seemed well used and houses could be seen on either side. This almost began to feel like a civilized township but a thunderclap from atop the mountain shocked me back to reality. We traversed the road for a while when I had the thought to approach one of the houses to see if they could offer any bits of wisdom or advice to us. Shade looked at me like I was loopy but went off to the nearest door regardless. I noted that he and Lodi took up concealed positions behind me as I knocked on the door. Instantly a response was shouted from within. "Go away! I have a crossbow." So much for the hopes of an easy chat. I informed the homeowner that I meant no harm and simply was looking for anything regarding the Seven Pillared Hall. He repeated his shout. Seeing as this was going nowhere fast, I plucked a gold piece from my pouch and slid it under the door in hopes that something more constructive would come of this. The mood seemed to lighten a bit although the homeowner still claimed to know nothing and requested I leave. A second gold piece was put under the door. Behind me I could sense Lodi and Shade shaking their heads at me. Even with the additional piece of gold for nothing but information, the homeowner continued to wish me away. Seeing as this wasn't productive, I left the stoop and began to go back to the road. I glanced back to the door and summoned my ghost hand to swipe below the door in an attempt to regain the coins but the denizens within had already claimed them.

The jaunt up the remaining section of road went without incident. As we crested the trail and set eyes upon the entrance to the Seven Pillared Hall, we saw a huge arch carved into the mountain side with two large statues on either side. Elder Pitnick tolerated us taking in the enormity of this work for a few minutes. We then proceeded inside. The hall was lit with ever-burning lanterns and lined with statues, both at regular intervals. There wasn't much cover in the open hallway which made Shade more twitchy than usual. After a long walk, we approached a junction where a smaller hall split off. We heard some talking coming from down this artery and decided to investigate. I began hearing some goblin speak. It sounded like they were bantering a halfling. This was confirmed as we heard some cries of pain and a bit of a scuffle from what I could only guess at the time was indeed a halfling. This is what we had set out to do. It only took a quick glance amongst the party and we were agreed that these goblins would cease their bullying ways one way or the other.

Shade crept up to gain a better vantage point and see more precisely what we were dealing with. As he approached the doorway, he stepped on a rat who squealed in protest. The inhabitants of the room quickly became aware of our presence and immediately took up arms. In mid curse, Shade was suddenly dragged into the room by a glowing magical rope. I cautiously approached the doorway where I saw a wall of four hobgoblins in armor creating an impressive barrier. Behind the wall I saw Shade who was now fighting for his life. I cast off a scorching burst into the ranks, catching one of the hobgoblins within the blast. Elder Pitnick came up to my side and began his attack. Lodi quickly came forward and loosed a pair of arrows, one of which struck true. Shade turned into a fury of swinging steel as he became a blur of action. The hobgoblin mage was struck and struck again with the onslaught of blade work put forth by the elf. Unfortunately no one can maintain that level of martial prowess but when Shade began to slow, the mage was on the ground clutching at his many wounds. With a shout, two of the hobgoblins came to the mage's aid making Shade's position all the more dire.

The remaining two hobgoblins came into the hall and engaged Lodi and Pitnick. Their swings missed the mark. This was enough for Lodi as he tucked, ducked and rolled behind me. The realization quickly set in that I and Pitnick were now fully engaged with the hobgoblins. I took a step back and set off another scorching orb. Again, only one of the beasts was caught. Pitnick attacked with a savage ferocity as his weapons began to draw blood. One of the hobgoblins stepped up and struck me with his blade. I took another step back and let loose with my scorching orb once more. Along with Pitnick and Lodi's withering assault, we brought down the brutes one at a time. Coming into the room, Shade was continuing to fight off the attackers with everything he had. I took note of the wavering hobgoblin mage and fired off my magic missiles. They found their target as the mage looked in alarm at us. Another series of attacks from the party put the mage down permanently. The remaining two guards were now visibly rattled after seeing their boss cut down into a bloody pool but fought on. Now that the hobgoblins weren't facing unarmed halflings, they quickly fell to the floor ceasing to be.

The Seven Pillared Hall

Elder Pitnick saw to Shade's wounds. The elf mentioned that if not for Bairwin's potions, he might not have made it. I went to the halfling who was lying unconscious on the floor. Pitnick came over shortly and began to work his healing magic. The halfling came to, somewhat amazed to still be alive. He gave his name as Randal after taking a moment to gain his bearings. He said that he runs an inn here. The hobgoblins had been causing trouble so he took it upon himself to investigate what they were up to. That was the point where he was captured and beaten and then we came in. He thanked us again and again and insisted that we stay at the inn and join him for a round of ale. Once Randal could walk, we returned to the main hallway and continued deeper into the mountain.

I took the opportunity on the walk to make some inquiries about the area, in particular about the Mages of Saruun. Randel told us that the Mages of Saruun are the keepers of the law in the Seven Pillared Hall. They are a mystical bunch of mages who appear seemingly at will and deliver their idea of justice with relentless authority. Anyone getting on the wrong side of them would certainly not live long to regret it. The mages relied on an ogre named Brug for menial tasks. Brug was an oafish bully who threw around his might. The best option was to avoid Brug as well since a fight with Brug can quickly become a fight with Brug and the mages. I suddenly wished that Zar'za and Krova were here along with an army of knights. Lodi asked about any groups of halflings that have been seen in the area. Randal didn't have any recollection of such but did say we'd need to go to the Chamber of Eyes as that is most likely where any slave trading would occur.

Randal informed us that we would need to pass through a checkpoint to gain admittance. This would also be our first introduction to the Mages of Sarkuun as they collected the tolls to gain entrance. We approached the small building and were told to go inside by a guard standing outside. Without a word we entered. An older decrepit looking man sat inside in front of a tome containing names and fees collected. He glared up at us and asked what our business was within the Seven Pillared Hall. We answered that we were delivering a package to one of the merchants within. He then asked how long we'd be staying. We informed him that our business would take a few days. At that, the man looked up and informed us that a pass will cost 50 gold pieces. I was taken aback although Shade seemed to take this in stride. He asked what he thought about 25 gold pieces and five for himself. The man smirked a bit, accepted the 25 and quickly pocketed the additional five and sent us out. The guard laughed at us as we left and delivered a kick to Lodi's backside. Injured in pride alone, Lodi took the high road. I made a mental note that this guy just made my list should the opportunity for retribution arise.

Utter amazement is the first feeling upon first looking over the former minotaur city. Ever-burning lanterns covered the walls and ceiling casting plenty of light upon the town. A waterfall ran down one wall into a river and flowed across the center part of town. Merchants had shops established throughout along with dwellings for all the people living here. Randal pointed out his inn nearby. I asked if he ever had any trouble as I began to take note of the seedier citizens moving about. Randal replied that only Brug caused any significant problems for him. Randal then pointed out a large statue and circle upon a mound of raised earth in the middle of town. He said that is where Brug summons the mages when trouble is about. Anyone brought there and taken by the mages would never be seen again. Shade and Lodi began to cast glances to me and Pitnick. I couldn't make out what he was trying to tell me. Shade began to wander off when Lodi told me that we were being followed. I chanced a glance backwards and did see a dragonborne who appeared more than casually interested in us. Our new tail took note of Shade's actions and quickly went to ground. We're not here five minutes and already attracting attention. Paranoia began to creep in.

The Shop of Gendar

We continued through the sparse crowds and came to the inn. Randal invited us inside immediately. We politely refused stating we had some business within town. Randal had pointed out Gendar's place of business upon gaining entrance. After parting with Randal, we made our way over to the building being careful to steer clear of any potential problems and to see if our tail would again appear. Deftly we navigated to the door of Gendar's shop and entered.

Gendar was indeed a drow and more so a drow who thought quite highly of himself. His tone and stature reminded me of some of my instructors back in my days at the academy. These were the instructors who could rip out your soul with nothing more than a lengthy lecture about the many uses of grass pollen. Remembering how to address such a person, I introduced the party and informed him that we had brought him a parcel from Bairwin. Gendar's interest was piqued at the mention of this and then Shade stepped in. Before I could offer any protest, he had demanded additional payment to be compensated for the toll incurred. I swore inside my mind knowing this strong arm attempt would not be well received and this indeed was one of those times where I hated being right. Gendar took offense and began to shove us out the door accusing us of either murdering Bairwin or stealing the item from him. I attempted to put all right by saying we had done neither. Gendar was not swayed. I quickly retrieved the case from my pack and set it in front of him, again attempting to bring calm to the situation. This did seem to have some affect as he ceased ushering us to the door. The drow then examined the case and stated that if we had properly understood the agreement, any expenses incurred would be covered by us. Granted this was a grey area in the agreement but I did not want to cause any trouble over a simple case, especially deep within Thunderspire.

Shade changed tact and inquired about the contents of the case. Gendar merely looked down his nose at the elf and with a snort, informed him that he couldn't possibly understand the studies of anthropology and archaeology. Fortunately for us Shade let this slide. I took this moment to ask about the Chamber of Eyes that might be a possible location for the Winterhaven townsfolk and the halfling encampment. Gendar couldn't tell us anything new but did put forth another offer. He had lost a sceptre to someone named Duagar in the Horn Hold. Should we be able to retrieve it, we'd then be rewarded. In addition to this offer, he gave us a package for Bairwin stating that he and Bairwin traded items often. We took the package. Shade then asked about the contents of the shop, specifically weapons. Gendar stated flatly that there were no weapons in his shop but gestured at the curios displayed about the shop. Shade politely declined and we then took our leave.

Tales of Heroism and Fright

We exited the shop and began to head back to the inn. We spied a disturbance moving through the crowds. A large ogre followed by a brute squad was shoving his way through people to make his way to a pub. The pub looked entirely unpleasant to all the five senses and I hope our business would not take us there. Avoiding the commotion, we made our way back to the inn. We entered the inn where we were greeted by a halfling bard who was up on stage singing songs. The crowd was in a jovial mood and obviously fans of the bard. We saw Randal and waved to him. We sat ourselves at a table as a round of ale came out. The song suddenly became more clear on how Randal had come to the rescue of another halfling, a human, an elf and a kobold. We glanced over to the kitchen where Randal quickly vanished behind the doors. The bard finished up his song, took a bow and went into his next song which was all about our party's conquests facing Kalarel. I was amazed that the tale had spread so quickly. As the song progressed, it described our party with some minor errors (I'm not an elf thankyouverymuch) although the most glaring was the leadership position and heroics of Lodi. Don't get me wrong as he certainly was instrumental in Kalarel's defeat but the song was a tad biased.

After the song, I asked the bard to join our table where a drink was brought out to him. I inquired as to where he learned of that song to which he replied Fallcrest. I then took the opportunity to correct some of the minor errors of the song. Shade took note of a man shaking in the corner. He looked as if he'd jump straight up through Thunderspire itself if one were to say "boo" too loudly. I asked one of the waitstaff about the man. The response was that he was a sage researching the ancient city when something terrible happened to him. Shade joined the man and asked him some questions about his work. He nearly made that jump to the summit. After hitting a verbal impasse, I relieved Shade and tried to calm the man down with a cup of green tea. He told me his name was Vadriar and he was indeed attempting to research the ancient city. However, when attempting to communicate what had happened, his voice would fail him. It would just stop. I couldn't get a read as to if this was magical or otherwise. Also reaching an impasse, I rejoined the party at the table where we settled in for the night. Tomorrow would most certainly bring its own new set of adventures.

Journal Entry 10

Winterhaven is Burning

We were met by the dwarven blacksmith as we entered into what remained of Winterhaven. A large raiding party had come through, laying waste to the town, killing the local militia, and taking prisoner the majority of the townsfolk including the halfling encampment just outside of the walls. Lodi's usually high spirits were visibly dampened upon delivery of the grisly tale. Night fell as we discussed what needed to be done. Our party has come together as people are wont to do after facing down doom and decided that this couldn't be allowed to go unanswered. We were the saviors of Winterhaven once and would continue in that capacity reclaiming the livelihood of those taken by force.

The next morning the party met up in the inn after a fitful night's sleep. I thought I would certainly sleep well what with all the activity as of late but the destruction of the town and taking the people for whatever sinister purpose weighed heavily on my mind. As we ate our breakfast in dazed silence, Bairwin the dwarven blacksmith joined us. With him was a kobold who he introduced as Elder Pitnick. This kobold appeared different from the previous creatures I've encountered as there was a glimmer of intellect and wisdom in his eyes. Glancing over to Shade I noticed some apprehension which is the norm. I must admit I have come to appreciate his critical eye so as not to miss any important details or items of interest when new encounters appear.

Bairwin had gotten word that the town's population was taken east to the Seven Pillared Hall by the Blood Reavers who were led by Chief Krand. The Seven Pillared Hall was an ancient minotaur city hollowed out under Thunderspire. It now hosted a booming trade of anything and everything with those of the Underworld. Elder Pitnick actively goes to and from the Seven Pillared Hall and would be our guide. It seemed our path was laid out before us. Krova and Zar'za decided it would be a good idea to go off and gather some more information on this area and the history of the ancient city. I protested the decision although the need for both information and speed seemed to limit our options.

Zar'za and Krova set off as Lodi, Shade, Pitnick and I prepared our gear to make our way to Fallcrest, a town on the way to Thunderspire. As we packed, Bairwin came up to us with a gift and an offer. His gift to us to aid our journey was three healing potions which we accepted graciously. Hopefully we wouldn't need them but with Zar'za and Krova's absence, our ability to heal ourselves was greatly impaired. The offer was then laid before us. Bairwen asked that we take an unknown item of some significance to a drow named Gendar in the Seven Pillared Hall. We'd be compensated for our trouble upfront with our choice of mystical items. Deciding to accept the offer, we choose a protective amulet and hide armor of a fine quality. Shade put on the armor and I donned the amulet. We set off with one last request that we not connect Bairwin with Gendar in front of anyone except Gendar. This bit of subterfuge put me at unease with more questions but I decided to accept Bairwin's word that it would simply be better to keep mum. So be it.

Fallcrest

The journey to Fallcrest went by without incident which I'll attribute to Elder Pitnick's knowledge of the roads. We arrived late afternoon before the gates were closed for the night. After procuring lodging from the inn, I decided to check if there was anyone in town who might be an authority on the Seven Pillared Hall and the denizens within. There appeared to be a rather academic looking building and figured it would hopefully house someone of some knowledge. I approached the door and knocked. Eventually, it opened and I was addressed by a hurried-looking, pale-complected man. He looked at me and spoke with a half-hearted "Yes?" and a pair of arched eyebrows. I introduced myself and inquired if there might per chance be anyone who would know anything of Thunderspire. The man's demeanour instantly changed as his level of interest raised up faster than a shot from Shade's bow.

At once, I became defensive at this excitement. The man abruptly asked if I was the mage who had a hand in Kalarel's demise up north. Taken aback, I could only ask why the interest in my recent activities. With a complete lack of social grace, the man responded even more abruptly than before stating a "yes" or "no" to his inquiry would suffice. I muttered out a "yes" to which he stated that I would need to return before daylight to speak with Archmage Krellus. I attempted to gain more information on what I'd gotten myself and consequently the party into but was shut down in my attempts. Quickly I took stock of the man at the door and could not see any evil or deceitful intent in his manner. He appeared to merely be a belabored scribe. I asked his name quickly before the door slammed shut to which he replied "Geldamar". At that I wished him a good night although it was mainly delivered to the door as it closed with a loud thud. I went back to the inn and shared my adventures. We decided to keep the appointment with the archmage.

The morning came and we had a fast breakfast. I wrapped up some pastries as they were delectable. We traversed over to the hall where Geldamar was waiting for us outside. He was shivering and trying to stave off the morning chill. He greeted us with all the warmth of ice and instructed us to go inside. I gave him a pastry to which he graciously accepted. Geldamar's attitude changed greatly. Seeing this opportunity, I asked if there was anything to know about the archmage. He simply told us to be straight forward in our dealings and not to attempt any flattery. I thanked him for the advice as we entered the hall.

The archmage was a rotund man who must have also greatly enjoyed the pasties at the inn while forgoing anything that might be strenuous. Hopefully his knowledge would be as great as his gut. Archmage Krellus greeted us more warmly than Geldamar and asked of our journeys both past and present. We shared our tales and informed him that we were going to the Seven Pillared Hall to free the townspeople of Winterhaven. He told us that the ancient city was known in the past as Saruun Kell and currently hosted a collection of mages known simply as the Mages of Saruun. The archmage was very interested in their activities and requested that we observe them and report back any findings. If anything useful was gleamed, he would reward us for our work. Archmage Krellus provided us with a map of the Thunderspire underground. It contained some markings although he wasn't aware of their meaning. Mindful of Gledamar's warning we promptly thanked the archmage and took our leave before any other errands were requested of us.

Journal Entry 9

Backstabbing, Lying, Creepy, No Good Pile of Kobold Excrement

Shade, Lodi, Vosh and I spoke amongst ourselves about our next course of action to continue with our fight against the evil denizens of this cursed place. We had heard and seen nothing from the other side of the double doors although the presence of such an elaborate set of traps, we could only conclude that something or someone didn't want company. Our discussions led us to the observation that rash action would only endanger us further. Vosh then decided she had enough talk out of our party. She claimed to have remembered another passage and was determined to examine it and rid it of any further evil. Before any words of protest could be offered up, she had risen up and stomped out of the room. I suspect her pride was wounded when stumbling into the dragon trap and felt the need to redeem herself. This left us now at a disadvantage as we were back to only three combatants in a hostile place.

Fortunately our choice of action was made more clear once Krova and Zar'za came into the room. We exchanged our tales of adventure and filled them in on our current situation at hand. The only real option appeared to be through the doors. Everyone got up and prepared themselves for whatever lie on the other side. Shade performed an examination of the doors and determined them to be neither locked nor trapped. I do suppose filling the room with water would be a sufficient lock and anything further would be redundant.

The adjoining room was dark. A putrid smell of death and decay hit us like a hammer to the face. I covered my mouth and nose with my cloak and cast a light into the room. It lit up to show us that it was not empty of inhabitants. Moaning dead creatures in various stages of rot began to creep towards us. We moved to our defensive positions and readied our weapons to remove this evil blight. I caught the sound of wings flapping in the room between the moans of the undead. Two other figures also caught my attention as being more dangerous than the animated corpses now closing with us. They moved faster and had sharp claws on each of their hands. These three creatures would indeed justify priority in combat.

Krova took the lead and began to engage the evilness. His faith and armor proved to be more than a match as the zombies were laid to rest once again by his hand. I cast forth a scorching orb which exploded in the corner, burning several of the reanimated corpses to the ground in seconds. Lodi and Shade rained down arrows into the undead horde with brutal efficiency. Zar'za's blade swiped again and again laying low the vile creatures. One of the sharp-clawed beasts closed with Krova and struck a blow that sent a shudder through his body. All at once, he seemed rooted to the ground unable to move from his position. The party shifted our attacks onto these nasty ghouls and brought them down before much more damage could be inflicted. The flapping noise was now quite loud. I can only describe it as a lump with wings. Shade took aim and let loose his arrows. Clay bits were dislodged from the thing as it attempted to attack my mind. I saw horrible visions enter my mind and was stunned. I focused my concentration and fought back the attack retaking my thoughts for my own. By this time, my friends had cleared out the room and began to take the fight to this flying lump. It crumbled under our withering attack as I joined in with my magic missiles. Once the room was secured, we began to examine our options available to us.

The room was oddly shaped. We discovered a set of stairs down to a large set of double doors and a smaller hole in the wall on the opposite side of the room. Valthrun took to his journaling as we thought about our next course of action. Shade put forth the idea for Lodi to crawl through the hole and have a look being as he was the smallest of our party and most likely to fit. Lodi put forth some protest but eventually determined that it was worth our time and effort to ensure the hole was safe. I cast forth a light into the room allowing him some sight. He reported back to us that there was a putrid pile of bodies in a small room. Nothing came at him so he entered the room and discovered a very nice short bow amid the rot and muck.

He shimmied back through the hole and rejoined the group. Shade and Lodi better examined the bow. Then suddenly Zar'za noticed Valthrun was now moving down the stairs towards the doors. His demeanor had certainly changed as he cast a scornful look back at us. Krova was quick on his feet and closed the distance with Valthrun in no time. Shade was close behind. Zar'za put dark fears into his mind causing Valthrun to cower in the corner. This was the break we needed. Shade and Krova capitalized on this to put themselves between the sage and the doors. The look on Valthrun's face changed from scorn to hatred. As I approached the top of the stairs, he began conjuring. A million thoughts of anger and betrayal ran through my mind as I brought forth my own magics. A fierce battle occurred as Valthrun's body absorbed blow after blow. He finally was brought down. "About time," is the only thought I had as I felt a satisfaction at finally having a clear opportunity to put an end to him.

We examined Valthrun's pack to find some clue as to his true intentions. His journal was filled with nothing but blank pages. The cloak he wore appeared to have some defensive properties. I donned this as I was the last to wash it anyway and figured I'd be able to use its protection. The crowning discovery was the Sinister Third Rib stowed at the bottom of his pack. We had labored so hard to ensure that this not fall into the wrong hands and had nearly brought it to complete whatever abominable ritual was to occur. I took the rib and placed it in my pack. In my hands I could feel it vibrating and humming. Something had begun and time was running out.

Blood Running Thick

The doors were the only alternative to halting whatever despicable plans were developing. We cast them open. A huge room filled with bluish crystals and a large dais at the opposite end met our eyes. A dark priest had just spilled the blood of an innocent and cast aside the body onto a pile of corpses. The blood of the victims ran in a river from the dais into a hole at the center of the room. The priest instantly looked up after discarding his last victim and yelled out a cry to his minions to stop us from interrupting the ritual.

I summoned my flaming sphere and placed it ahead of us to offer a defence against anything that might come to the priest's aid. Zar'za entered the room to offer more resistance as she came within close proximity to the sphere. Shade, Krova and Lodi all cut out to the right side of the room and I was hit with the sudden realization that I was on my own in the back. Several shapes came into view and I steered my flaming sphere to engage them. Off to the right I heard a huge crash. I hoped that was one of the minions as I further concentrated on what was in front of me. My attention was instantly diverted to the doors on the left of the room as they flung open. Four vampirish creatures and a large beast of a man came through. Their stares bore a hole in me as I fought to control my fear and remain focused enough to hold the flaming sphere. As I screamed out for help, I realized I would have to deal with this on my own as I couldn't see Krova, Lodi or Shade and Zar'za was occupied with two more frenzied brutes.

I managed to maintain my composure and set off my burning hands. The vampire creatures were engulfed in flames, their bodies turning quickly to ash. Rage was the only emotion showing on the remaining brute's blackened face. I hit it with spell after spell and then began to notice a few arrows sticking out of its back. Feeling more confident that I now had some help I brought forth a brutal barrage of offensive magics which tore the life from whatever sort of man was before me. My attention was brought back to Zar'za who was still facing her own brutes. I navigated my flaming sphere and brought its intense heat to bear. After several scorching attacks, they hit the ground and ceased all motion.

Shade and Krova were at the center of the room exchanging blows with the priest and what appeared to be some sort of imp or demon. They made fast work of both servants of evil bringing them down once and for all. No more innocent blood would be spilled here today. Zar'za and I went to work ascertaining the nature of this ritual. The rib continued to vibrate albeit stronger now. Our work was not over yet. We took several minutes to regain ourselves and prepare for the next battle which was certainly nearby.

The Final Act

The only way out of this room appeared to be the hole in the center where the blood flowed. After stopping the flow, we saw four bloody chains extending downwards into some lit room below. Whoever was below would need to be stopped as we'd need to ensure whatever great evil was on the precipice of entering our realm would not be allowed to enter. We attached ropes and slid down into the room. I lost my grip on the way down but had the good fortune of recalling my feather fall spell. Each of us entered the room and took in the tactical situation at hand.

This room was as large as the room above. It had altars on three sides and a dark portal on the fourth. A large dark figure was reading from a book on one side. This must be Kalarel, the fallen son. The one responsible for beginning this course of death and madness. He finished his reading and took instant note of us. He spoke in a dark tone:

"Valthrun must have failed in his task to bring me the rib. The fool actually believed I'd grant him immortality upon completion of this task. No matter as I would have killed him regardless. You have simply saved me the time. Furthermore you have been kind enough to bring me the rib. Most excellent. Bring me the rib!"

Two muscular skeletons and a ghoul began to close the distance. Kalarel then grasped at an amulet around his neck and teleported on to a glowing symbol in front of the dark portal. This was a fight we could not afford to lose at any cost. Zar'za looked at me and shouted that if things should get bad to run from the room. I nodded my head in agreement hoping it wouldn't become that dire.

The book Kalarel was reading from gave me an idea. I thought it might be a source of power. I flung a magic missile at the book. Kalarel instantly shrieked. Lodi took note of the scream and ran up to the altar where the book lie. My attention shifted to the undead minions approaching us. Zar'za and I engaged them while Krova charged to face Kalarel. I lost sight of Shade and hoped he knew what he was doing. Zar'za and I dropped the skeletons and turned to face the ghoul. It mocked us with a wave of its hand that brought life back to the skeletons previously destroyed. I cursed in my mind as I turned my complete attention to putting an end to this creature. The skeletons scored several blows against me, each touch filling me with chills. Zar'za roared a battlecry and brought an end to the ghoul permanently. Upon its demise, the skeletons dropped and rose no more.

Weary and feeling fatigue, both mental and physical I turned to see Krova grappling with Kalarel. It appeared Krova was trying to heal him which mystified me. Must be a paladin thing is the only thought I had. I then noticed that the limp body of Shade was being drug into the portal by some black tentacle. I shouted to Lodi to grab Shade before being carried off into the darkness. He jumped down and closed the distance as fast as his short legs could carry him. He grabbed onto Shade's shoulders and pulled back with all his might. The tentacles released their grip on Shade and attacked Lodi. Fortunately he was too quick for them and stayed away from their grasp. This gave him the opportunity to retreat with Shade to safety, although it most certainly being a relative safety.

As Lodi attended to Shade's wounds, Zar'za and I closed the distance with Kalarel. Each blow Krova would land appeared to begin closing as soon as it was inflicted. We deduced that Kalarel must be drawing power from the symbol. Shade again appeared and jumped into the attack. It was just Kalarel against the five of us. Shade and Krova managed to dislodge Kalarel out of the symbol as we all concentrated our attacks. Out of the circle, Kalarel took note of me. He asked me to give him the third rib in exchange for my life. The only answers given were the magic missiles jetting out of my fingers. Kalarel, now looking fatigued and weakened began to plead for his life while attempting to strike us down. This only provided us with the determination necessary to see the task through. The final blow was landed and Kalarel's life vanished. The dark tentacles reached desperately for anything in their grasp and then disappeared. The dark portal closed leaving behind only a stone wall. The rib ceased vibrating. We had won.

Battered and bruised from the battles, we left the grisly place and headed back to Winterhaven, taking a much needed rest along the way. Upon nearing the city, we saw smoke rising up from the town. Feeling dread, we picked up our pace and entered what was left of Winterhaven. The bodies of the town's militia, along with the Lord and Captain of the Guards were lined up outside. The dwarven blacksmith greeted us with a look of sorrow and concern. He told the tale of a hobgoblin army laying waste to the city and taking many of the townspeople away.

It appears our work isn't done yet.

Journal Entry 8

Into the Breach

Shade came back to the double doors where I was standing. In his usual way, he silently went to work examining the door. After a few mutterings the doors opened. We entered cautiously into what appeared to be a tomb for someone of note. Deciding that rejoining the group was more pressing, we cautiously but expeditiously went out the other side of the room where we entered a long hallway. This passage ended in another room appearing to be an armory. I spoke out loud about how much Krova would enjoy such a room only to have Lodi appear from out of nowhere. Shade and I were startled, then curious which was followed by irritation at Lodi's wide smile and explanation that Krova and Zar'za have ventured off in pursuit of some damn thing. Great. We are in the depths of some hell hole that is about to rupture with evil the likes not seen in eons and our healer and muscle are chasing after who knows what. Oh, and Valthrun was still here. I began to see the wisdom of Krova and Zar'za now.

After we all exchanged our stories it was decided to head down the stairwell to recon the area. Shade and Lodi went into stealth mode while I remained behind with Valthrun. He was instantly curious about what lay at the bottom of the stairs and began to vocalize this to me. I'm going to have to learn a spell of silence sometime in the near future as this sort of thing can get us into serious trouble. Fortunately, Valthrun didn't become too noisy allowing the stealthy duo to perform their tasks. At their signal, I crept down and overheard some talking. It was a Draconic tongue, most likely hobgoblin. The guards in the room were complaining of boredom as I listened in on their conversation. Hopefully that could work to our advantage.

How Did I Get in Front?

Lodi and Shade began to take aim at the nearest two guards with their bows. One shot clipped the shoulder armor of one of the guards while the second shot found its mark and fell one of the beasts into the well. Shouts of alarm instantly arose and we had a fight on our hands. I began furiously chanting my scorching orb spell as the shouts were becoming more numerous. One of the larger hobgoblins shouted instructions to open the cage. I relayed that to Shade and Lodi although there truly was little we could do to prevent this occurrence for the room began to fill with guards. Lodi managed to get off another shot which found its mark as the second guard was sent tumbling backwards down the well. Wishing for the best, we set up a defensive posture on the stairs and hoped our weapons would find their marks.

The scorching orb whooshed to life and took up position at the base of the stairs, giving the hobgoblins pause. The larger beasts managed to get by and engage Shade on the steps. Fortunately Shade was able to make the most of his height advantage and struck several vicious blows. The larger hobgoblins were stalwart unfortunately and managed to put up a solid defense with their shields. Lodi and I fired our missile weapons while the scorching orb continued its steady assault on their backsides. I was able to come forward and push the beasts backwards down the stairs with a thunderwave. While wounded they were not out of the fight just yet. They regained their feet and resumed their attacks. Our attacks had now felled two of the hobgoblins and several of the smaller beasts when we found out what was in the cage.

A giant black spider came streaking across the room with such speed we had no time to react. It was in the stairwell in no time looking us up and down with its evil eyes. The beast instantly jumped upon Shade who did his best to fight off the creature. His previous wounds inflicted from the hobgoblins along with poison from the spider bites laid Shade low. I took up the front position by default as the spider and a hobgoblin closed the gap. They struck at me with their vile pincers and weapons but missed with their attacks. With the scorching orb at the rear and my close assault spells in the front combined with Lodi's arrows, we finally brought down the hideous beast. Taking a moment to say a prayer and count my good fortune, the remaining hobgoblin got in a strike with his flail. The world blurred as I sunk to the ground.

The Cage

I awoke to Lodi starring me in the face. He had a smile as I came back into this world. I sat up and instantly felt a surge of pain. Lying back down again, I saw we were back in the armory. Lodi explained that he managed to take down the last hobgoblin with his withering arrow assault. He and Valthrun then carried me and Shade up to the armory and bound our wounds. I thanked him and promptly fell back asleep. Several hours later, I awoke and found that Shade was up and about. After a bit of food (I have forgotten if this is breakfast, lunch or dinner) we decided to venture back down the stairs to see the condition of the area. Expecting guards and traps, we cautiously looked into the large room. The well in the middle contained two dead bodies but no other corpses could be found.

We made our way back to the cage. Webbing was covering the cell. A shudder went through my spine thinking of how nasty that spider had been. Shade must have had a similar thought as he drew his weapon. The thought of lighting the webbing on fire came to mind when we noticed a large cocoon. It appeared humanoid in shape. I crept in and cleared the webbing where I figured a face should be. A dragonborne face met mine. As the eyes of the figure opened and fluttered, she said to free her or make her death a quick one. I inquired as to her identity and she introduced herself as Vosh Glimmerscale, a paladin of the Silver Flame. Seeing the fierce gaze of the warrior that Korva had shown so many times, I knew she was a good and noble warrior. Shade remained skeptical. Before he could offer any protest, I freed Vosh from the spider's webs. Weakly, she stood up to her full height which towered over us. Searching around the area, we discovered her weapons and armor as well as her holy symbol. Vosh suited up. She told us how she had come down into this pit with her party and had been ambushed. Everyone was captured. Unfortunately we were too late to save her compatriots as she was the last to be a meal for that damn spider. There would be no more deaths from that vile creature we assured her. We told her that we sought to put an end to the evil within these walls. Vosh offered her services which we gladly accepted, given the near fatal experience from our last encounter with the denizens of this area.

The Clean Sweep

We headed down the only hallway heading out of the main room where the previous battle occurred. Another large room opened up in front of us. Again, several doors offered entrance. We examined the nearest door only finding a barracks for the hobgoblins. They'd be sleeping long enough once we found them. A long hall went off to the north from this room. We slowly crept down it when Shade suddenly stopped us. His gaze switched rapidly between the floor and ceiling and back again. He took a moment to determine what this was. I offered up my assistance. With a bit of tinkering and deduction, Shade found the mechanism that would operate a trap door. He disabled it and we stepped around it just to be certain not to set it off. We went down the hall further and found it entered what looked like a deserted eating area. Shade crept in to examine one of two doors in the room. As he approached the door, it flew open and screaming hobgoblins flooded out. The other door in the room also was flung open as more beasts entered the fray.

Vosh instantly ran to meet the attackers from across the room while Shade took a fast tactical evaluation of his position. I conjured the scorching orb once again and Lodi let loose with his arrows. Shade made a hasty retreat from the attackers, taking some hits as he came rounding the corner back into the hall. As he flew by us, I noted that he didn't look very good. I swung the orb around to clear off the smaller attackers that had Vosh flanked. They instantly immolated from the intense heat. The larger hobgoblins wouldn't be so easy to fall.

A fury of sword blows, arrow shots, spells and shurikens rained down upon the brutes. One by one, they succumbed to their wounds until only the leader was left. He fought to his last breath. Upon realization that this was indeed the last breath he would be taking, he uttered something about warning Kalarel. Vosh ended him after that last utterance.

We sat for a moment and then began to search the area. An interesting chest was in the room where the leader had emerged from. A key emerged after searching the boss's body. Shade once again went to work on the chest and discovered it was indeed trapped. After disarming the trap, I suggested that I use my ghost hand to operate the key, in case of any remaining surprises. Shade was all too happy at this recommendation. I opened the chest from a distance. It opened without much fanfare. We discovered some coins and a fine dagger of some sort. Shade and Lodi took great interest in it. I do hope that one of them will put it to good use on our next encounter. Once all the loot was secured, we headed out again.

Statues

Feeling this area to be clean of the hobgoblins, we ventured onward to the great doors. This area was completely dark. Nothing had apparently been down this way for ages. I cast my light spell to offer up some form of illumination. We traveled down the hallway which came into a large room. It was devoid of anything interesting save an exit on the other side. We crossed the large room carefully and found ourselves in another room containing several statues. Shade became fidgety and went into this thief mode, suspicious of anything. One large statue of a warrior holding a sword occupied the center of the room while two dragon statues were on the left wall. Shade approached the center statue carefully. The statue sprang to life and whirled around with its blade. Shade was struck with it on the swing. It revolved once and came to rest in its initial position.

Shade attempted to close the distance with the statue while crawling down on the floor. It came to life once again and adjusted its blade, striking Shade once more. Shade then performed some fancy flip, dodged the blade coming around and landed on the base of the statue. He began to examine the statue for an off switch. I assisted from a distance. At my vantage point, I observed a small access panel at the base of the statue. I directed Shade to my discovery. He popped open the hatch and began to look for a way to deactivate this trap. The mechanism shocked him. At this Vosh displayed her impatience and stormed up onto the statue. There, she and Shade beat it into rubble. Not the elegant solution that I hoped for but effective nonetheless.

Valthrun, Lodi and I went around the back of the statue where we approached a small, rectangular section coming off the main room. There was a door on the other side. Four statues holding vases were in each of the corners. This is certainly a trap given the warm welcome we received from the center statue. I discovered a strange discoloration along the entrance to this section of the room. Shade also discovered some mechanisms on the statues. I began to recall my studies of arcana and determined that a wall of force must appear here when the trigger is activated. Shade also found that the vases would rotate and fill the room with water. A clever but diabolical trap for sure. The two of us set forth and dismantled the trap piece by piece; him working on the mechanical aspects and I on the magical parts. As we neared completion of our work, Vosh once again had grown impatient and stormed over by one of the statues. She set off one of the dragon statue traps and was flung into the center statue. I cast her that look my instructors at the academy had cast me so often and asked if she had learned anything from that experience. She bowed her head and sat down as we completed our tasks.

Upon finishing, we took a moment to sit and reflect on the events of the day and wonder what had become of Krova and Zar'za.

Journal Entry 7

I Must Have Taken a Bad Step

We were at the top of the dark stairwell looking down into a foreboding pit of foulness. Thoughts of better times back in my academy days, especially thoughts of the fair Gisselle, came rushing to my mind. Fear that I wouldn't return began to run up my spine. I pushed back against the distracting throughts and swallowed hard, preparing myself mentally for the descent and what lay in the depths below. As I made some adjustments to my gear, I must have rubbed against the wall triggering some sort of dimensional travel mechanism as suddenly I was in a small, dimly lit room. A fast light spell provided some additional illumination on the situation.

It appeared to be a meditating room of some sort with only a rug and a stool as adornments. The walls were bare and the air choked full of dust which must have been kicked up with my sudden arrival. I pondered how this came to be for a moment and then decided that the source of my unintended travel was moot and then shifted towards working out a solution to rejoin my compatriots.

Looking under the rug seemed to be the first order of business. That revealed nothing but a hard stone floor. I suppose that would have been too easy. Next I examined the stool but found nothing remarkable about it. After several combinations of the rug and stool (stool on rug, rug on stool, stool rolled up in rug, etc.) resulting in no effect, I put them back as I found them. It was time to examine the walls for any form of exit. I tapped the high stones in the wall. I knocked on the low stones by the floor. I pounded on all the other stones I hadn't touched before and was still confined to this cell.

I threw my pack down in frustration, kicking up more dust. After a brief coughing fit, I came to the conclusion that I was going to have to think my way out of this situation. I took a drink of water and a bit of beef jerky and sat on the stool. Thoughts of Gisselle came back into my mind as I calmed down and then felt a vibration from the stool. Without much thought, I snatched up my pack just as a flash of light blinded me momentarily. Next thing I knew I was back in the hallway at the top of the stairs but my companions had gone.

I figured they must have gone down the steps. Avoiding any contact with the wall, I made my way carefully down into the darkness. Death was in the air here, even stronger than was felt above. I do hope that this feeling of ill will vanishes once we've stopped whatever foul plans are unraveling here. Upon entering the room at the base of the stairs, I instantly took note that a fight had broken out here. A bit of fear crept up the back of my throat but was relieved when none of my companions were amongst the dead on the floor. I saw some broken arrows that Lodi employs as well as lightning scorches. This was certainly encouraging.

Following the trail as best I could, I came across a burial chamber of some sort. Once again the area showed signs of battle as bones, arrows and the after effects of magical spells were liberally sprinkled around the room. My heart quivered a moment until I saw that none of the fallen included my friends. I sighed a breath of relief, although I caught myself mid-exhale as I noted that blood was very much present on the implements of the fallen evil. Making haste, I continued onwards.

A set of large double doors seemed to be the next logical place and indeed showed some blood on the handles. While the blood of your friends is normally not a welcome sight (unless you are Zar'za) it told me that I was getting closer. Attempting to open the doors proved futile and I would have to figure out some way to gain entrance. If only Shade were here.

Journal Entry 6

To The Keep

The Lord of Winterhaven has finally come out of his befuddled state and is acting more like a leader. I have high hopes that the town is going to right itself very soon and be back to normal. We each received 100 gold pieces for the salvation of the city which was accepted with gratitude. A hero's work is never done however, and we need be off to see to this keep where great evil lay plotting the demise of this world. We headed out of town under a grand celebration with the Lord of Winterhaven leading the cheers. It was then that we noted our party had gained an additional member. Valthrun, now apparently with a more clear mind and appearing fully clothed was at our sides. I was and still am suspicious of him all of the sudden joining us given how he prefers the shelter of his tower where he can worry himself about trivial things such as the state of his dress. He even had the nerve to hand me his pack to carry like a servant. I let the pack drop and met his eyes straight on. I wanted to be clear with him that his route of solitude and research was not the one I will choose. I've had enough academia for now is the time for action, not study. Valthrun picked up his pack and accepted that I was no longer his apprentice. No longer his indentured servant is more like it.

We set out along the main road towards the keep. The road became more and more overgrown as few travel up this far. Eventually, Shade and Lodi were blazing the trail as we followed. Zar'za and I never let Valthrun out of our sight. There isn't much trust given the shape-shifters as of late. Fortunately, those we have run across are no longer drawing breath. The same will become of Valthrun should we discover he is also a facade. As we continued on the trail, it came to our attention that the Sinister Rib was unguarded as Valthrun was in our company without it. He assured us that it was safe in his tower. His assurances did very little to comfort us given the trouble we had gone through to get it to his tower in the first place. We had little choice in the matter as our only option would be to return to Winterhaven and try to reason with Valthrun which appeared to be futile. The party bucked up and continued on towards the keep.

Evil Ahead

The path eventually became more worn down which normally is a good sign. Unfortunately the tracks belonged to the evil that has come to this part of the world. We were close. Just how close we were became instantly obvious when the forest simply stopped. The land turned to black ash in an instant. Shade and Lodi looked out into the dark land and saw nothing save a large opening in the ground. Certainly not inviting to say the least. Entering onto the black plains instantly brought a coldness and sense of despair. The evil here was great indeed. Zar'za suggested a quick rest before we head on into the depths of whatever hellspawn ruled this land. Entering back into the forest provided an instant sense of relief from the dark feelings of dread. I witnessed Zar'za offering to take Valthrun's pack to which he gladly accepted. I then took note of Shade performing a cursory examination of the pack. I took a moment to smile. The look on Shade's face (what I could see through his hood) did not change any. I took this to mean he did not find anything to change our opinion of Valthrun either way. He shall continue to be under our watchful eye.

After the rest we headed back into the dark land. The evil returned as it fully permeated our beings. We moved out to see the opening in the ground had a set of stairs descending underground within them. Shade and Lodi went into their stealth modes and descended the stairs. Once again, the stealth was uncovered as I saw Shade quickly take out his bow and let loose his arrows. Unfortunately, his arrows did not silence the guard at the bottom of the stairs. I began to furiously recall my spells to put them to the most effective use. I hoped Valthrun would be able to add his magics to our cause but he was much more interested in documenting the entire event. I wondered why we were bothering with this waste for a moment and then concentrated once again on the enemy we faced.

I began my ascent cautiously down the stairs. Two thrown javelins, one striking Shade in the thigh, reaffirmed my cautious approach. The little imps were shouting all kinds of taunts and dares, feeling a bit of courage given their success with the javelin throw. Lodi was a bit more anxious to get into battle as was Korva. They both sped down the steps and into a dark room. Four pillars were arranged and provided Korva, Shade and Lodi some cover. Zar'za drug Valthrun down after all of us. He'd prove to be more than worthless in a fight as we quickly discovered. Coming down to the bottom of the stairs I saw Korva fighting with something. I couldn't get a good look so I threw up a fast light spell against the wall to illuminate the target. That worked wonderfully as I let loose with a magic missile. Shade opened up on a goblin across the room, spilling his guts with several arrow strikes. Lodi looked to press the advantage and close with the opposing crossbow cretins when the floor gave away. I saw him fall into a pit where the floor instantly began to move. In a land this evil, I knew that couldn't be good. Lodi's shrieks confirmed my instinct. Korva finished off the foe and closed the distance with the remaining enemy avoiding the pit while Shade did the same from the opposite side. I had my ghost hand retrieve the rope from my pack and tie it off to a pillar to allow Lodi a better chance at getting out of the pit. I went over and saw that the pit contained a horde of rats. Vile creatures. I put up a light on the wall of the pit to better illuminate the path for Lodi and he came straight up out of it. I came to his aid as I cast a sheet of flame down the hole in an attempt to dissuade the rats. Unfortunately the little beasts that remained were undeterred and continued up after Lodi. The battle on the other side was going much better where Korva and Shade each finished the remaining goblins with their blades along with knocking one of them into the pit before coming back to assist with the rats. Once Lodi was up and out of the pit, he ran back to the safety of the stairs where I saw him bleeding from several open wounds. Zar'za performed her healing magics to the best of her abilities. I did my best to fry more of them with my scorching orb but they were not turned or sated and continued on towards me. I backed away from their scratching and clawing but not before they tasted some of my flesh. Nasty little buggers. Korva came around and was able to stomp out the last remaining rats. We took stock of our situation, noting that our "stealthy" entrance had not drawn out any more of the enemy. We bound our wounds as much as we could and set out to further explore the area.

Where There's a Whip...

Exploring the area didn't reveal much. We found a looted store room behind a tapestry that proved to be flammable. After the pit trap, we didn't want to fall into any other sorts of surprises that might be set. We came across a large iron door which was unlocked. Cautiously, we ventured inside. After descending some stairs, we could hear the sounds of miners coming from an illuminated area ahead of us. The miners spoke in draconic tongue suggesting that they were goblins or the like. One was in charge and shouted obscenities at the laborers to encourage them to dig harder and faster. They were looking for something; whatever it was wasn't clear at all. On our way down the hall to get a better look, we came across another hole in the hall. This one was totally dark. Shade requested I cast a light spell on a rock to which I obliged him. He tossed it down into the hole where nothing could be made out. Some movement was heard from the depths but nothing more. Shade insisted that we need to deal with whatever was down in the hole before going any further. Putting some thought into what might be down there, I figured it was simply some unintelligent creature that was wandering around in the hole and was not worth our time. The light may even keep whatever it was at bay. After a quick debate, the party elected to leave the hole and it's contents be and continue down the hall with Lodi and Shade leading the party. We came to the source of the noise and could see that the area was well lit. Our ranger and spy had a quick glance and reported that this was indeed a dig site. One goblin with a crossbow was overseeing the work while a pair of lizard-like dogs patrolled the area. I recalled them from our encounter in the other dig site where we secured the Sinister Rib and knew they would be trouble. Shade and Lodi figured they could dispatch the overseer quietly. We decided to let them try. Shade came around the corner and let loose with two fast shots. Both found their mark and the overseer fell over dead without so much as a peep. Work continued on below. So far so good.

The party got into a good ambush position and sprung the trap on the remaining workers. Korva stormed down a dirt ramp and engaged one of the workers. Shade and Lodi let fly their arrows while I fired off my magic missiles. Zar'za and Valthrun kept an eye on the hole to ensure we wouldn't have any surprises pop up behind us. My compatriots were much more accurate than I in the fight as I tried to bring down the lizard-dogs. The fight was short and decisive as Korva dispatched the workers while Shade and Lodi eviscerated the lizard-dogs. One of the lizard-dogs took a bite out of Shade before meeting its end however.

We patched up ourselves once again and began to head out further into the depths of this hellhole. Our path became clear as we backtracked towards the initial entrance and discovered another descending stairway. The evil emanating from this fouled land intensified as we looked further downwards. Only our courage allowed us to continue the descent.