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.

Journal Entry 5

The Veil Drops

Once feeling more like ourselves again, the quest to see what is happening in this town needed to be addressed. Given the appearance of shape-shifting beings was enough to cause some alarm. No one was to be trusted completely but we needed to continue the investigation somewhere. The leaders of the village seemed a good place to begin.

A brief journey and we were at the lord's keep. The typical befuddled guard as is more and more common here was out front "keeping watch". Some fast talking from Krova convinced him we had urgent business with the lord of the town and we were expected. The poor guy most likely forgot about us completely once we passed through the door which is no easy task being as the group contains a dragonborne and a tiefling.

Entrance was granted to us where we met the lord and a local healer; an elderly lady assigned to the local church. The lord had fallen ill and was being looked after although to what affect the healing had was negligible. Zar'za attempted to find out what might be causing this disease but was unable to come to any conclusions. We would need to seek out answers elsewhere. The flower girl Delphina Moongem would appear be the next best source for answers.

Following Delphina Moongem seemed to be a hopeless task given the lack of success our most stealthy party members have had in tailing her. I decided it was time to let her come to us. Amanda and I decided to talk to the innkeeper about Delphina. She was in her usual, forgetful frame of mind but did manage to tell us that she had been acting a bit more cold than was typical. We offered to bring her a pot of soup which the innkeeper thought a terrific idea. After a few hours enjoying the hospitality of the inn, a soup was produced. We then set off to Delphina's house to see what state she was in. Shade thought it best to watch our backs and did so from a handy rain barrel. Amanda and I went up to the house which was dark. Summoning to Shade, he quickly came over and opened the door. The inside of the house was truly shocking. The place was a disaster, looking and smelling like a kobold hovel. Something foul was most certainly at work.

Our group reassembled and discussed this turn of events. A decision was reached where we'd all travel out to the fields where Delphina had gone. Talking to the townspeople gave us a better sense of direction and distance to the fields. We managed to locate the trail and with the great assistance of Shade we made it to our destination. Making an examination of the plants, it was determined that they could be used to concoct a sort of poison. Zar'za figured she could come up with an antidote now that the root ingredient was identified in the poison. We gathered up as much of the plant as we could and set back to town. Zar'za worked with our assistance in brewing the cure.

Another thought also came to mind. The town well would be the most likely place to dump poison into. The feeble-mindedness of the townsfolk was nearly proof positive that this is what had happened. We elected to stake out the well to see who would be making the dump. The antidote we had concocted was not enough to counter the effects of a foul well and would be overwhelmed should the water continue to be poisoned. Zar'za went up to Valthrun's tower which provided a superior view of the courtyard. Krova and I stayed on the street level to keep an eye out as well. The watch went without incident. Zar'za decided it would be a good idea to let the healer know about the poisoning to better help the king. She left the tower and went over to the church along with Shade and Amanda.

It wasn't long before they returned with horrible news that the old healer was dead in the church. A second shape-shifter must be in town. We'd need to move swiftly and silently to ensure we catch this foul creature unaware. Quickly we returned to the keep and gained entrance. After a bit of fast talking, we entered the main chamber where the king was convalescing. The old healer was there at his side. Zar'za acted quickly as she closed the distance and swung her sword, connecting with the impostor. I fired off my magic missile which also struck true. Krova, Shade and Amanda joined in as we subdued the creature. It turned into a white, humanoid shape. We administered the cure to the king and the head of the guard. Its healing took noticeable effect immediately as their heads began to clear.

The shape-shifter came to and began pleading with the king after changing back to the old healer's form. It then changed form several other times trying to escape. Krova wanted to ensure that justice, not revenge was to be served in this case. Yes, it was a terrible thing that almost happened but ultimately, we cannot allow ourselves to sink to the depths of the evil ones. The shape-shifter continued to make a case for its release but its pleas fell on deaf ears as the king declared it to be executed by hanging until dead. I noted that Zar'za had a fond look in her eye upon hearing that proclamation. The shape-shifter made one last speech about how it was far too late for us and our deaths would be imminent. We'll see about that.

Journal Entry 4

Not All Is What It Seems

My companions come back into the common room and share what they learned about the current situation with the rib and the state of the town. I am less than enthused about that crazy, obsessive wizard trying to find out what to do with the rib and our other contact skipping out at his first opportunity to figure out what to do. Make no mistake. We are on our own. To make matters worse, Lodi was desperately needed by his tribe so we'd be without his bow in the near future. Who said this hero stuff would be easy anyway?

Sleep would be the next stop and would have been most welcome if not for the pounding on the door. The ranger woman Ninaran came to us spouting off about knowing where the folks in the caravan are being kept. Taking a moment to ascertain what is happening, I gathered up my gear and prepared to head out. Fortunately, there was a meal ready for us before we left. Another traveller practiced in the magical arts had also been woken and decided to join up with our cause. After a bit of chatting we learned our new Eladrin companion Amanda was adept with spells of a more violent nature. That should be useful and will hopefully take the place of Lodi without too much interuption.

After a bit of travel up into the woods, Ninaran stopped the group and tells us of what she has seen of the attackers. She then decides it would be best for her to find some higher ground where her bow is more accurate. As she wanders off I catch Zar'za watching her leave. Once the ranger was out of earshot, she shared with us that something was not right here. I am much more apt to trust Zar'za on this than the excitable ranger who I hardly know. Granted I don't know Zar'za that well yet but my gut tells me she is worthy of my trust. With that, Shade decides to set out and do some sleuthing to acquire some intel of our own.

Now I know elves are supposed to be "one with the woods" while moving through them but Shade was not at the top of his game. Must have been the lack of sleep we were all feeling. I heard a branch snap, a rock move and something about a damn four. I acted quickly with Krova and distracted the would be ambushers away from his direction; me with my spells and Krova with himself. That was enough to make all hell break loose.

The Blood Flows

Goblinesque creatures came storming out of the woods shouting their battle cries. They poured from the woods and closed the distance with Krova. I truly hoped that armor and thick hide of his is resilient enough to withstand this onslaught. I turned my attention to the nearby hill which seemed to also bring life to two forms. Arrows began to rain down upon our position. One of the archers seemed to have a bow that looked remarkably like that of the ranger who led us here. She would be dealt with severely should we make it out of this trap.

Krova was becoming bogged down by shear numbers, Shade was trying to come out of the woods, Zar'za ran into the woods to assist Shade, Amanda began chanting behind me and I worked up my magic as well. This was getting ugly in a hurry so my tactical sense told me to bring up the serious magic. Krova summoned up that awful breath of his and let loose with his lightning attack. A few fell as the rest began to arc and smolder. I saw a slight smirk from Krova before the remaining beasts charged. A furious exchange of blows began as I shifted my concentration.

As the archers on the hillside were taking too many shots of opportunity, it was time to let them feel the heat of battle. I summoned forth my flaming sphere and let it dance along the hilltop. It did the job and sent them running. This provided some bit of relief to Krova who was holding his own. I did see him falter a few times only to be brought back to life by the hand of Zar'za. Shade appeared out of the woods and began to draw blood. Unfortunately my flaming sphere brought about undo attention as the archers paid me back. Damn those arrows do hurt but nothing to do except grit my teeth and keep my composure.

The last blow was felled upon the remaining hobgoblin. We wandered over to the what was the ranger and took note that it was a dust hag. Strange creature who was surely working for the evil that is encroaching on the land. It looks like we are attracting some attention for the resistance provided. We found the caravan survivors and released them. They were of course quite thankful to have their necks sparred. We took them back to Winterhaven where we attempted to get some rest once again. This time we were more successful. After feeling refreshed, it was time to root out the remaining evil in this town as this sort of thing was becoming quite annoying. Suspect number one is the flower girl.

Journal Entry 3

To Arms

We set back into town and spent the night at the inn, only having a rough idea of what we'd face the next day. There must be quite a sizable nest of nasty in the hills given the state of my new compatriots. While I'm not new to combat given my previous, albeit brief assignment of guarding the lightning rail, I had my own doubts. Those doubts were quelled given the large and scary stature of the dragonborn paladin. A holy warrior on our side certainly can only help, not to mention I've seen dragonborn breathe death upon their foes.

The next morning came and we set out to the encampment. The elf, being a cautious sort, wanted to go out first for a cursory glance. This sounded like a good idea...unless he becomes cut off and struck down. Fortunately our newest adventuring companion Lodi has some stealthy skills and joined the elf. Staying back with the paladin and cleric sat just fine with me. The stealthy pair returned shortly after their scouting trip although Lodi had a few more holes than he ought to have and was partially covered in dung. Those bastards fight dirty. Zar'za went to work using her divine healing powers to put Lodi right again. No one craps on us and gets away with it. So off we went to put an end to this foulness.

The waterfall looked quite pleasant. Possibly a nice place for a picnic although a site had been cleared and had some magical marking on it. That couldn't be good but further examination would have to wait. Danger was most certainly afoot. We noticed a few patches of grass that didn't seem to match the surrounding blades. The stealthy duo went about their forward recon once again but with danger this close, we wanted to make sure they didn't get into trouble. We crept up to keep an eye on them and bring down the pain upon those that foul the serenity of this place should the opportunity become available. Zar'za was clever enough to snap a few twigs and branches. One of the brigands opened up the hatch to his ambush hole which offered a wonderful opportunity for Shade to give him an eyeful of his blade. Wow, can those bastards squeal when poked. Shade was later upset by Zar'za's noise although I thought it was a wonderful plan.

His friends came out of the remaining holes and a fight was on. As I didn't want a repeat of the last battle, I moved around to prevent any of them escaping. I was able to score several hits with my magic missile spell while blades and arrows piled into these beasts to bring a swift end to their pitiful existence. More shouts could be heard after the last was slain meaning this wasn't over. We quickly decided to take the fight to them before large, concentrated numbers could be brought against us. A small door nearby offered the closest entrance and we took it. Knock, knock.

Inside, the shouts grew louder and we were spotted. We struck a defensive posture waiting for the enemy to close. Krova took the lead spot to blunt any attack, followed by myself and Zar'za. Shade and Lodi provided shuriken and bow coverage. Bring it on. They did as movement came from the shadows in a number of different directions. I summoned up a flaming sphere to give them something more to think about in their charge against us. The pawns closed the distance and began to fall to our fierce weapons. Then came a huge bellow from the depths of the tunnels. Some ugly beast with two sets of mouths came up shouting about how painful our deaths were going to be. Fortunately for us he decided to deliver his soliloquy next to the flaming sphere. Once he came to realize that he was getting too warm he charged straight in aiming for me and calling for my death. This was something I'd have to deal with although my companions wouldn't really like being next to the flaming sphere.

Fortunately Lodi and Zar'za were able to hold this monstrosity off supported by Shade. At one point in the battle he unleashed this flurry of shurikens that I could hear buzzing by like a swarm of bees. They found their marks on most of the smaller skirmishers but the larger creatures came through the storm unharmed. Their luck would end as Korva unleashed that breath of his thinning out the attack. The two mouthed beast managed to hit Zar'za and knock her to the ground. Korva heroically stepped through the attackers and gave life back to Zar'za. She came to her feet as attacks were now concentrated on bringing an end to this hellspawn. His end came about quickly but not before landing a blow on me. Fortunately it wasn't too severe but that hurt.

With the falling of their leader, the remaining forces fell without too much more trouble. The fight had left them and thanks to us so did their miserable lives. The surrounding area would not be troubled by these miscreants. It feels good to be a hero. It felt even better finding more than enough coin to live comfortably for at least a short while. A note was found making mention of a camp further away. It mentioned a third dragon rib which we were seeking. Our task was not over yet as we'd need to head out and claim this artifact before it fell into the hands of more evil.

Pursuit of the Rib

We set off to find the camp. After a fair journey we came to a mountain. The stealthy duo of Lodi and Shade set off once again to get some intel on the area. I have to admit I didn't much care for the idea of having them set off once again on their own but they were gone before much of a protest could be made. We sat back waiting for their return. Shouts rose out of the mountain's center which only meant trouble for our scouts. We set out to offer our help in what would be an ensuing battle, only to be met by our companions. They looked at us smugly as if to say we meant for that to happen.

The recon did prove to be fruitful as we know knew what we were dealing with. One irritating gnome was in charge of a labor camp. They seemed to be digging for something. We set up an ambush taking advantage of some rubble and loose rock that the sentry dogs would have to cross before closing with us. At just the right point we hit the dogs with our ranged weapons. One fell before any reaction could be made. A second gnome set into position and began pelting Lodi and Shade with sling stones. Wow but that guy had some skill with the stones. Zar'za put a halt to that by putting the fear of whatever gods he prayed to into his heart. This stalwart gnome lead a yellow trail away from us with his feet barely touching the ground. I had to chuckle to myself and then set about casting more magic missiles.

The lead gnome swore our heads would be his at the end of the day. We made sure that didn't happen as Korva slid down into the mining camp and closed with the defenders. The leader and his remaining dog fell to our massed firepower along with most of the conscripted humans. The gnome with the sling found some courage to continue the battle but it was too late for him to bring about any serious offense. We ended his life quickly. The remaining human was all to happy to be done with the gnomes and gladly took up our offer of a goldpiece to help search the camp and head back into town.

Checking out the camp, we came across the rib we coveted along with another cryptic note. Knowing the power this rib possessed we quickly set out for town. We came back into Winterhaven where my friends brought the rib to Valthrun to see what could be done to ensure the rib is not used for evil. I did not attend this meeting as my leaving was quite sudden and his clothes were still in the street on our return. I await the next part of our journey as this hero stuff is quite addicting and much more exhilarating than laundry.

Journal Entry 2

A Way Out

Okay, so the opportunity presented itself in the form of two black horns over two red eyes. At this point I wasn't going to be picky. The offer for some real adventure was too much for me to resist and I've never been one to judge on outward appearances. The excitement was so much I dropped the clothes I was carrying right then and there and headed off to new prospects with the tiefling. She didn't say too much on the way back to the inn where I met her other traveling companions. I was introduced to Krova who was a dragonborn paladin and Shade who was obviously an elven spy given the way he continuously darted his eyes around the room.

I must admit I was a bit giddy and hadn't even heard any offers of treasure or payment. It was this giddiness that had me jump at the opportunity to go out and attempt to secure another for our group. They did look a bit beat down although certainly not out. There was fight left in them. I could see it in their eyes. But I digress.

The halfing camp they described wasn't too difficult to find as I just followed my nose. The smell of their stew pots was certainly pleasant. Halflings do cook well. I came across the spokesman for the group. He was a polite although disagreeable sort. After a bit of dialog where the elder halfling was searching for an unspecified offer of coin to hire on one of his warriors, I finally came to my senses realizing that I had only just joined the group and had a meager coin purse. It made sense that the elder needed to look out for his tribe and the loss of one warrior would be noticed. I then traveled back to the inn to inform my new friends of the impasse I had reached.

We decided that a showing of solidarity would be a wise course of action to speed things along. All of us made our way to the camp. I couldn't help but notice Zar'za kept her hands on her weapons most of the time. She stayed her weapons but I need to keep a mental note of that for future dealings. An outburst of violence seldom furthers the course of talks.

We finally made some headway with the halflings and at least got to see what we were trying to acquire. A demonstration was set between the halfling ranger and our elven spy. Only after the deal was set where backing down would mean a serious blow to the honor of the halflings did the elder halfling realize the mistake he had made going up against an elf in an archery contest. Both shot well as far as archery goes. Give me a magic missile any day of the week. Fortunately the elf won the contest and allowed for us to set a fair price for the halfling's services. He joined the group and introduced himself properly as Lodi Fairfield. We were now a formidable group of five with talents as diverse as our group makeup. This was going to get interesting.

Journal Entry 1

How could I have not seen it coming? Top marks at the Academy, a solid job on the Lightning Rail, and the support of a nurturing family prepared me well in the ways of academia and magic but little in the ways of politics and power. So here I am. Run out of Passage to this hole in the world called Winterhaven performing menial chores for this insufferable self-important wizard Valthrun. Do his clothes really need to be washed in lukewarm water, scrubbed lightly but thoroughly with a fine brush and precisely one and three quarters teaspoon of Turing's Inspiringly Deceptively Easy soap (TIDE, like that is going to be anything worthy in the future), rinsed in tepid water and then hung on a silken line (inspected on every inch for imperfections by yours truly) tied to two ivory poles exactly seven and five eighth feet above the ground? What have I done to deserve this?

I suppose I will have to look to the bright side. I am alive and healthy. An opportunity is sure to present itself as a way out of this mess.