Adventuring Journal

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Olarin 1425

25th Olarin 1425

Jarek Mace, Kaldir Ratharin and Marinus B Willard meet in the Lucky Lady Inn, in the city of Ventelas. Jarek is accosted by some other bar patrons, who are slightly the worse for wear. They believe Jarek has been involved in a "minor indiscretion" with their ring-leader's wife. A short scuffle breaks out, and Jarek swiftly knocks the leader unconscious before drawing his weapon on the remaining assailants, who immediately flee the inn.

Marinus and Kaldir, who were already acquainted, were watching all of this, and even placed a small wager on the outcome. The three men get chatting and make their introductions. They are joined shortly by another man, Berrigon. After the usual pleasantries, he outlines a mission that he believes they may be interested in. He wants them to deliver some supplies to bandits in the Inglewood, a few hours to the north-east along the main road. The party accepts, but Berrigon has an additional mission which he will only discuss with Kaldir and Marinus. Jarek takes the opportunity to visit the local Mercenaries' Guild.

Berrigon confirms he is a member of the Black Tendril, an organisation which Kaldir and Marinus are also loosely associated with. Berrigon asks the pair to hunt down and gather information concerning a field agent of one of his rivals. The agent has known aliases of Varic Sellash and Drakus Brayden. Berrigon insists that Jarek is not made aware of this, as he is not yet known to the Black Tendril.

At the Mercenaries' Guild, Jarek speaks to the head of recruitment, Enris, with whom he is already well acquainted due to his previous mercenary work. Jarek is able to convince Enris that he is now part of an adventuring company, which, on the spur of the moment, he names as the Wyvern's Talon. Jarek picks up a number of jobs on the party's behalf:

• An Elven man by the name of Elodor Dy'nesh offers a substantial reward for information leading to the safe return of his missing daughter, Ariala Dy'nesh, last seen heading south out of Arabor Forest, potentially towards Riddlebeck.

• The League of Enlightenment require the removal of a "potential trouble source" on the outskirts of Riddlebeck. A sealed letter provides details of a cult of necromancers and demon worshippers operating from an abandoned tomb on the outskirts of Riddlebeck.

• A merchant woman by the name of Antonia Sedgewick requires an escort to Little Dingle, a small hamlet a day's travel through the Inglewood towards Riddlebeck.

The Party turns down an opportunity to work for Duke Irasmus Parvellian, to clear out the bandits in the Inglewood, as it is felt this would clash with their mission for Berrigon. The party agree to meet Antonia early the next morning and to collect the supply wagon from Berrigon.

26th Olarin 1425

The party get an early start and pickup both the merchant and the supply wagon before heading off along the main road towards the Inglewood.

On the way, in lightly forested terrain, the party are ambushed by a group of four Orcs. The Orcs easily get the drop on the party as they trundle along the main road in their horse drawn wagon. Unfortunately, due to the positioning of the attack and the fact that Antonia is sat up front (so as not to see the contents of the wagon), she is hit and killed outright by the Orcs' initial volley of javelins. Their first escort mission comes to a tragic end. Marinus is also harmed but heals himself with Cure Light Wounds. Kaldir quickly takes a concealed position behind the wagon and incants a well-positioned Sleep spell upon 3 of the Orcs, sending each of them into a deep, magical slumber. The remaining Orc, who was out of range of the spell, decides to flee into the forest and escapes. The party kills two of the incapacitated Orcs and attempts to interrogate the other, after binding it tightly. Unfortunately, none of them are able to speak Orcish so they decide to just kill it instead.

The party then heads on to the rendezvous point and delivers the supplies to the bandit camp, as directed by Berrigon. They then continue to Little Dingle, where they deliver the body of Antonia to her fiancee, the local Lord, Lord Margorus. Naturally, he is not best pleased with the outcome and demonstrates his feelings using clear, concise language. The party spend the evening in The Wayfarer's Rest, and stable the horses and wagon.

27th Olarin 1425

The party leave Little Dingle and reach the outskirts of the village of Riddlebeck by dusk. They approach the tomb that the League of Enlightenment have tasked them with investigating, passing through an abandoned cemetery. Here, they are attacked by four Skeletons and two Ghouls. During the combat, Jarek is paralysed and Kaldir is knocked unconscious, and bleeding. A couple of the undead are killed outright and the rest are turned by Marinus. He heals Kaldir and after Jarek's paralysis has worn off, the party beat a hasty retreat to The Riddlebeck Arms to lick their wounds and formulate a new approach.

Here, they meet a Sorcerer by the name of Korwyn Valamir. Korwyn has previous experience of the cult which has taken over the abandoned tomb. They are known as the Cult of the Goat and Korwyn was recently imprisoned in Ventelas by one of their leaders, Balim, whilst seeking his services as a sage. Korwyn is eager to avenge himself upon Balim and agrees to join the party for their return visit to the abandoned tomb. He also lets slip his true identity as a Prince of Elingor and that it was his interest in a distant ancestor, Karina Valamir, and her death in Milandor centuries ago, which seemed to attract Balim's ire.

Korwyn shares the little that he learnt from Balim concerning Milandor: the Elves, now living in scattered communes, know the truth about what happened there and the conventional wisdom that states they brought the cataclysm upon themselves by meddling with ancient magic is not necessarily true. He also learned that the Elves to this day particularly revile one they call "The King of Brutes - The Betrayer".

Kaldir uses his 'Gather Information' skill to find out about Drakus Brayden / Varic Sellash. He learns that "A small group with a man using that name (Drakus), along with an Elven woman and a couple of "foresty types", were in the village briefly a few weeks ago. The Elven woman was asking about her brother, Andrius Dy'nesh. They left, heading towards Ventelas." Kaldir also hears some rumours concerning the local fort, which has been out of contact for a couple of days now, apparently.

28th Olarin 1425

The party visit the local temple of Pelor, to seek assistance with ridding the tomb of the Necromancers. Veros Bant, the high priest, is at first reluctant and instead offers to put together a small team of Clerics and Paladins of Pelor to investigate, although he admits this could take a couple of days. Jarek manages to convince/bluff Veros that they are working for the Duke and on urgent business, and eventually he relents and assigns Rodan Jard, who is little more than an Acolyte, to assist them.

Before leaving for the tomb, Kaldir visits the manor house and speaks to the steward, offering his party's services in investigating the lack of communication with the local fort. The steward, one Jodan Burh, is not especially receptive to the idea, especially when an upfront payment is suggested by Kaldir. However, it is agreed in principal that a reward may be due should the party discover something is amiss and resolves the situation. Kaldir also learns that the local lord, Lord Treygal, was inspecting the fort recently.

The party visit the tomb afterwards, and successfully clear it of the undead and also Balim and a few other cultists. When they encountered Balim, he was attempting to finish a ritual which would have banished Andrius Dy'nesh's soul to the Abyss. Fortunately, they were able to interrupt this horrible process so that the elven Spellsword could at least rest in peace (he was already dead before this particular part of the ceremony had begun).

The party recover a scroll, written in a language they are not able to decipher, and a spell book marked in Elven as the property of Andrius Dy'nesh. They find a human skull with an emerald in each eye socket, along with five goat-headed amulets - one of which radiates abjuration magic, according to a Detect Magic spell. They also retrieve a sizable haul of 1200 gold pieces, some magical scrolls and a few potions of Cure Light Wounds. Andrius's body is taken to the temple of Pelor in the village, where it is left with Veros Bant to dispose of in a manner suitable to the Elven tradition. Rodan returns to his duties and studies.

29th Olarin 1425

The party composition is now Jarek, Kaldir, Marinus and Korwyn. They spend the day in Riddlebeck, resting and recuperating, and use divination magic on the items acquired from the tomb.

30th Olarin 1425

The party decide to return to Ventelas, so head off back towards Little Dingle on foot. During the journey, they are attacked by two Ogres, which they defeat. They spend the night at The Wayfarer's Rest.

31st Olarin 1425

The wagon and horses are reclaimed from the stable, and the party continue their journey towards Ventelas, through the Inglewood. They encounter the bandits they re-supplied for Berrigon, who have ambushed a merchant caravan. Jarak recognises the two escorts as mercenaries he has worked with in the past - Kail Lorton and Honard Morcray. Unwilling to leave his former allies to die, Jarek leads the party in an attack against the bandits. In the ensuing battle, three of the bandits and their leader are killed, but one is able to flee into the forest.

The group continue their journey and arrive in the city of Ventelas by early evening. They spend the night in the Lucky Lady Inn.

Jalin 1425

1st Jalin 1425

The party spend a relatively quiet day in Ventelas. They visit Berrigon in the morning and return the wagon, and are paid the rest of their reward for their services, despite the fact they have killed most of the bandits they have re-supplied. Marinus attempts a Gather Information check, to find out any information regarding Drakus Brayden, but fails to turn up anything of interest. Kaldir scribes an Identify spell into his spell book.

Jarek indulges himself in a little entertainment at The Winking Vixen bath house.

2nd Jalin 1425

Kaldir casts Identify on the magical goat head amulet recovered from the tomb. He discovers it is an Amulet of Natural Armour +1. Jarek takes ownership of the item and wears it concealed under his clothing/armour. The party return to the Mercenaries' Guild, where Enris pays them 1,000gp on behalf of the League of Enlightenment for clearing the tomb of Necromancers. He also advises them that a representative of the League wishes to meet them the same evening to thank them in person.

Kaldir makes a Gather Information attempt regarding Drakus Brayden and learns some rumours. Apparently, he is an orphan who has fallen into petty thievery, and some suspect him of having some kind of telepathic power. He has not been seen in the city for a number of weeks. Kaldir also bribes Gerald Grabbit, the Innkeeper, who confirms that Brayden works for Berrigon's rival in the Black Tendril - Virannon. Meanwhile, Jarek is able to negotiate a sale of the emeralds prised from the demonic artefact found in the tomb. Using a combination of Bluff and Diplomacy, he is able to agree upon an excellent price with a local jeweller.

In the evening, the party meet with Alicia Rynem, a city councillor and member of the League of Enlightenment. The meeting takes place in an up-market tavern, The Half Moon, not far from the Home of the Enlightened; a luxurious, walled estate in one of the finest districts of the city. She thanks them for their assistance in Riddlebeck, informing them that their actions have almost certainly saved innocent lives there. They also learn a little about the League of Enlightenment - Alicia tells them that "The Path of Enlightenment dispels the darkness - those who are black of heart cannot hide from us."

Alicia shares the organisation's first tenet with the party: "The Path of Enlightenment leads to personal success and contentment. This benefits everyone, including the unenlightened." When asked about how one might join the League, she responds "Perhaps later, when I am confident you are truly worthy of following our path. We may need your services again, we will find you when we are ready".

After leaving the inn, Kaldir tails Alicia and sees her entering a high quality town house not far from the tavern. He also observes armed guards patrolling the walled estate of the Home of the Enlightened.

3rd Jalin 1425

The party buy horses and ride towards Riddlebeck, arriving by early evening. However, as they approach, they realise all is not well - farmsteads on the far outskirts of the village are in flames. Leaving their horses tethered on the edge of the village, they advance cautiously into Riddlebeck proper and are soon locked in a fierce battle with the Orc invaders.

This particular raiding party of seven Orcs is led by a Cleric of Gruumsh, and proves to be a dangerous adversary. On the verge of defeat, a last ditch Charm Person spell from Korwyn converts their assailant to the party's side, allowing them a brief respite and giving Korwyn an opportunity to question the Orc about what has happened here. The Riddlebeck Arms is close by, and fires from barns and farmsteads can be seen in the distance - but the village itself is not yet on fire.

Questioning the Orc Cleric, the party learn his name is Ulag and that he has just killed the High Priest Veros Bant, whom he bludgeoned into a "bloody mush" in the "pathetic human temple". They also learn that the main force are heading towards the manor house, and Ulag urges Korwyn and the others to help destroy it for the glory of Gruumsh. He says the war band leader, Vlog, should be there soon. Ulag boasts that "the glorious Orcs have already crushed the feeble Lord and his troops when we took over the fort. Now we will kill his woman and vile little sproglings". When pressed on their motives, he merely responds, laughing, "Because we can".

Spotting another small band of Orcs heading towards The Riddlebeck Arms, the party decide it would be wiser to kill Ulag now rather than risk any complications that could arise from fighting other Orcs in his presence. Therefore, they surround him and attack by surprise - killing him in short order. Approaching the inn, the doors suddenly burst open as four Orcs beat a hasty fighting withdrawal and the head of one of their less fortunate allies sails through the air, landing in the street behind the party.

These Orcs have picked a fight with a Ranger, Culain, and his Druid friend and mentor, Danril Eridrith. With the party's help, the Orcs are soon dispatched and introductions are made. Culain and Danril have been tracking the Orcs for a while, which has led them to Riddlebeck. They have helped to secure the inn and save the innkeeper and his daughters and believe that the Orcs are targetting key buildings such as the temple of Pelor and the manor house. The newly expanded party decide to head to the temple first, taking cover as much as possible and killing Orcs on the way.

At the temple, they kill another raiding band including another Cleric and an Orc Sorcerer. They are able to save Rodan Jard who is holed up in the temple, protecting a couple of young female acolytes who are visibly upset by the death of Veros Bant. Rodan is unwilling to leave the temple for fear of what could happen to the acolytes, but all three clerics are able to provide some healing to the party.

Finally, the party make their way to the manor house, once again picking off Orcs as carefully as possible en route. Here, a small force of militia are fighting a losing battle against a strong band of elite Orcs. Amongst them is Vlog, the war band leader. He is assisted by a Cleric and a Sorcerer, along with a group of normal Orcs as support. A fierce battle ensues, but the patry emerge victorious and Vlog and his war band lay dead at their feet.

The village liberated, the steward, Jodan Burh, rushes out from the manor house to thank the party and is followed shortly by Lady Treygal and her two children. Jodan is rather sheepish, especially considering how dismissive he had previously been towards Kaldir's offer to investigate the local fort. Naturally, he has now had a change of heart and offers to reward the party handsomely if they can destroy the Orcs who are no doubt controlling the fort, and return with news of Lord Treygal.

The party spend the rest of the evening in the The Riddlebeck Arms, where they are treated as heroes. They enjoy getting to know eachother a little better over a few ales. Culain and Danril tell the party of their search for Ariala Dy'nesh, and how they were tricked and left to die by one "Drakus Brayden". Korwyn shares more information about his reason for leaving Elingor, including his father's murder of his mother on trumped-up charges of helping a slave uprising, and Korwyn's seduction of his father's pretty young bride as a special leaving present.

Danril and Culain share a little of their background, too. The party learn of Culain's escape from Ardonia where he was being indoctrinated as a Paladin of the goddess, Ardona, and how he fled to Arabor Forest where he was taught the ways of a Ranger by Danril. Danril explains his hatred for the Paladins with the story of how his father was executed for using "heathen" druidic magic to save a villager.

A bard, Rosiri, arrives in the village that evening. He headed there after hearing rumours of potential troubles in Riddlebeck. His curiosity is rewarded as he is able to "interview" the heroes of Riddlebeck first hand. No doubt he will pen ballads and poems to immortalise their exploits! Rosiri tells them the story of the current Lord's grandfather, who wielded a powerful sword called "The Reckoner" against a band of Hill Giants who threatened Riddlebeck many years ago. This sword was passed down through the family and is still used by the current Lord.

4th Jalin 1425

The party set off early next morning and head towards the fort, which is a few miles away. After observing the fortress from the edge of the woods around it, Culain and Kaldir sneak around the edge of the treeline and find a hidden cave entrance. The party use this to enter into a small natural cave passage which opens into the dungeons.

They fight their way through the caves and dungeon, finding and freeing an imprisoned Paladin of Ardonia, Tordel, who was languishing in a cell. Incarcerated by the former occupants, Lord Treygal's forces, the Paladin is arrogant and aloof but agrees a short-term truce with the party. This proves to be particularly difficult for Culain and Danril, who hate his kind with a passion. Unwilling to use the common and unsophisticated weapons which are available, the Paladin remains essentially unarmed and soon perishes when confronting the remaining Orc forces.

The party press on towards the main keep, where they can see Lord Treygal's body impaled on a spike atop the central tower. They fight their way up the keep, having to cross a room full of barricaded Orcs on each level to reach the stairs on alternate sides every time. Finally, they reach the Lord’s bed chamber, which is now occupied by the Orc leader, Garrash. He is assisted by an Orc Cleric of Gruumsh and an Orc Sorcerer. Four Orc archers round out his remaining forces.

Jarek decides to challenge Garrash to a duel, which, unwilling to show weakness in front of his followers, Garrash accepts. Jarek's companions spread out in a semi-circle around him, while the orcs do the same to Garrash. Naturally, both sides are ready to attack should their champion look as though they are in trouble. The fight goes badly for Jarek, and he gives a signal to the others to aid him after a few rounds of combat. By this time, unfortunately, the party are on the back foot and are unable to recover. Despite a valiant, brutal battle, a tactical mistake allows the Orc Cleric to keep Garrash healed via Cure spells and a wand of Cure Light Wounds.

While Jarek is dangerously low on health, Garrash administers a cleaving blow and slices him in two. The rest of the party fights on bravely, but are unable to overcome the remaining Orcs. As they continue to drop, Kaldir sees that their position is hopeless and flees back down the stairs, heading for the bottom of the keep. Jarek is killed outright and the others are left by Kaldir to bleed to death.

Pelting back through the keep, Kaldir is startled when he runs into another person heading towards him. Kaldir pushes past him, encouraging the stranger to run. The man, one Idris Falco, decides to do just that and the pair rush back through the dungeon and into the cavern. At the cavern exit, they encounter a small group of Orcs but surprise them and decide to run past without engaging. Eventually, they flee far enough into the forest that they feel it is safe to stop. Naturally, Kaldir has a number of questions for his new companion. As the pair walk back to Riddlebeck, they exchange stories. Idris informs Kaldir that he had been working in the fort when the Orcs attacked, and managed to bluff them into thinking he was a wealthy noble whose family would pay a rich ransom if he was spared. He hid when the party initially came through the cells, but then picked his way out and decided to follow them, explaining why he was headed in the opposite direction when he first encountered Kaldir.

The pair share their stories as they walk back towards Riddlebeck, eventually returning to the Riddlebeck Arms by late afternoon. Here, they meet Finn Tahmuras, a mercenary and former associate of Jarek Mace. Finn had travelled to Riddlebeck after hearing rumours of an Orc invasion, hoping to earn some fame and fortune if the rumours were true. Also waiting here is Daxia, a mysterious young woman from Elingor. She is lying in wait in Kaldir's room, mistaking it for Korwyn's. Kaldir notices her as he enters and a tense stand-off occurs. Ultimately, Daxia learns of Korwyn’s demise at the local fort and eventually agrees to join Kaldir, Idris and Finn to clear the fort once and for all and attempt to recover the bodies of those slain there. Rodan Jard, the acting high priest of Pelor in Riddlebeck following the bloody death of Veros Bant during the recent Orc invasion, is horrified to learn of the deaths of the party at the fort. Wracked by guilt, he agrees to join the new group.

5th Jalin 1425

Party composition: Daxia, Finn, Idris, Kaldir and Rodan. Daxia's two lieutenants, Ranley and Caulder, are also present and operating under her direct command. The newly reformed Wyvern's Talon head to the fort, only to find a struggle taking place between Garrash's Orc forces and a group of Ogres under the command of an Ogre Mage. The party kill two Ogres and two Orcs as they make their way into the fort, but mostly hold back to witness the battle between Garrash and the Ogre Mage. Despite Garrash's forces seemingly having an advantage due to some potent magical arrows and Lord Treygal's old longsword, the Ogre Mage uses his flight and Cone of Cold abilities to secure victory. He is weakened by this point, however, and he flees the party under cover of invisibility rather than risk defeat at their hands.

The party are able to loot the bodies of the fallen, the most significant reward being 'The Reckoner' – the longsword used by Lord Treygal. They are also able to return his body to the village, after retrieving it from the spike it is impaled upon on the top of the Keep’s central tower. Unfortunately, the bodies of their fallen comrades are nowhere to be seen. They return to the Riddlebeck Arms to rest and consider their next move.

6th Jalin 1425

Working from a suspicion that the slain members of the Wyvern's Talon may have ended up in the clutches of the Necromancers, Daxia leads the party to the abandoned tomb on the outskirts of the village to attempt to find Korwyn. Daxia's theory proves to be correct, and the party find that the tomb is once again occupied by members of the Cult of the Goat. The lead Necromancer, Morvior the Malignant, assisted by three followers, has already been able to bring back Danril and Culain as Ghouls. He is preparing to animate Korwyn as a zombie when the party encounter him.

A fierce battle ensues, during which much foul magic is unleashed. Finn is temporarily incapacitated by a Wither Limb spell, and bursts of negative energy fill the chamber as the party struggle to defeat this new threat. With little hope of returning Danril and Culain from their horrific fate, Rodan channels his faith and obliterates their new, twisted forms – at least granting them peace from an eternity of torment. Caulder is killed during the battle, but eventually the new-look Wyvern's Talon stands victorious amongst the carnage. With his dying breath, Morvior warns the party that Karzoun the Revelator will avenge him…

Daxia is able to recover Korwyn's still intact body from the altar, and Kaldir is able to find Morvior's spell book. The party returns with the following loot, which they are later able to appraise or identify:

• 3 Goat Head Amulets (Natural Amour +1)
• 6 scrolls of Animate Dead (Mage)
• 12 Onyx gems (50gp each)

Korwyn's body is taken to the temple of Pelor, where it rests in the mortuary while Daxia finds a way to have him resurrected. The group return to the Riddlebeck Arms to rest, where Ranley mysteriously goes missing in the night.

7th Jalin 1425

Kaldir spends most of the day summoning a raven Familiar. The new High Priest of Pelor, Tolris Sard, arrives in Riddlebeck to replace Veros Bant. Following a conversation with Daxia and Rodan, it is agreed in principle that a sufficiently powerful priest in Ventelas would be willing to resurrect Korwyn for a sum in the region of 900gp. Although Korwyn was not a worshipper of Pelor, he was partly responsible for defending the village from both the Necromancers and the Orcs. Tolris charges Rodan with finding out more about the Cult of the Goat, and relieves him of his duties in Riddlebeck. Rodan therefore joins the group on a semi-permanent basis.

The party meet with Lady Treygal, and learn that she is moving back to Gloradin to live with family following the death of her husband. She would like the party to escort her and a wagon as far as Ventelas, if possible. She will pay 20gp. Idris lies about her husband's sword, saying that he did not find it at the fort. Lady Treygal says that should it be recovered, she would be happy for the party to use it until her son is old enough to learn to wield it himself.

8th Jalin 1425

Kaldir begins scribing spells. A contingent of fifty of the Duke’s best troops arrive in Riddlebeck, led by the new Lord of the Manor, Lord Harlex. The majority of the troops are stationed in the fort, with some remaining in the village. The party meet the new Lord, who is already aware of them and their deeds. He thanks them on behalf of Duke Parvellian, who has invited them to join him at a future banquet in Ventelas. The Duke is currently away in Gloradin for the foreseeable future, but the offer stands when he returns.

Harlex asks the party about the magical sword that belonged to Lord Treygal. Once again, Idris denies any knowledge of it. Harlex asks them to inform him should they learn anything about its current location, as he feels it should be rightly wielded by the Lord of Riddlebeck.

9th Jalin 1425

Daxia returns to see Lord Harlex, and manages to secure a donation of 100gp towards resurrecting Korwyn, who fell in the defence of the village. By early evening, Kaldir finishes scribing spells: Mage Armour (copied from Andrius's book), Expeditious Retreat (free) and Spider Climb (free). He expends 200gp on scribing Mage Armour.

Whilst relaxing in the Riddlebeck Arms, the party are disturbed by a local farmer and his family. Farmer Bosworth comes bursting into the Inn, with his wife and two children in tow, short of breath and ranting about Ogres who have stolen his cattle. Apparently, the family fled when they saw the Ogres approach, rather than risk being attacked. It would seem that the Ogres were led by an unusual blue-skinned leader, who possessed the power of flight. His description matches that of the Ogre Mage the party met at the fort, battling the Orc leader, Garrash, and his forces.

The party discuss this event with Lord Harlex, who is reluctant to risk sending troops from the fort. He asks the party to perform a recce of the farm and to report back if they think they will require more support to deal with the Ogres. The party agree and set off towards Bosworth's farm, which is no more than a half hour walk away to the north west. The party locate the farm easily and find a straightforward trail that leads back to the Ogres' cavernous lair in the foothills of the Brightpeak Mountains, on the edge of a light forest. Using good tactics and the powerful magical items recovered from the fort, the party are able to defeat the Ogres and their over-confident Ogre Mage leader. All of the magical arrows of Ogre Slaying are expended in the assault, in fact Kaldir just manages to slay the Ogre Mage with his last arrow, fired as the creature attempts to cast a Charm Person spell on Finn.

A grand total of 850gp are retrieved from the cavern, along with a Great Sword, which they detect magic upon and later determnie to be a +1 weapon. Four amber gems are also prised from a crude wooden throne which the Ogre Mage had been using, presumably as some symbol of his power over his Ogre followers. After defeating the Ogre menace, the party return to the village and report back to Lord Harlex. He is of course thankful for their intervention, and under pressure from the party regarding a reward for their services, he writes a letter, which he seals, and instructs them to take it to the Duke.

10th Jalin 1425

The party set off towards Little Dingle, escorting Lady Treygal, her two children and a wagon loaded with her belongings. She is bound for Gloradin, but has agreed passage as far as Ventelas with the party. The body of Korwyn Valamir, preserved by a Gentle Repose spell cast by Rodan, is also in the wagon, covered in a shroud. The day passes without incident and the party arrive at Little Dingle by early evening, where they stay overnight in a local Inn.

11th Jalin 1425

The party make an early start and set off towards Ventelas, following the road which takes them through the Inglewood. Idris and Kaldir are positioned ahead of the rest of the party – Lady Treygal and her children sit inside the wagon while Daxia, Finn and Rodan walk alongside.

Around late afternoon, the party are surprised by an attack from a Displacer Beast which had been lying in wait in the thick trees alongside the main trail. Idris takes the brunt of its initial attack, and is quite badly injured. However, bad luck on the creature's part results in its displacement ability failing to protect it and the group make short work of dispatching it. Rodan heals Idris and the party decide to take the body of the beast with them. Lacking any more room in an already crowded wagon, and realising they are not too far from Ventelas, Finn and Daxia carry the dead creature between them while remaining on foot.

The party arrive in the city by early evening, heading for the Lucky Lady Inn which is their usual haunt while in Ventelas. Kaldir has a private conversation here with Berrigon in the back room, and is reprimanded for not making significant progress with tracking down Drakus Brayden. Kaldir defends himself, saying that he had encountered some of Brayden's former companions and that they informed him that Drakus was last headed towards Ventelas, but it seems that the trail has now gone cold. Berrigon is displeased, and suggests that Kaldir would be well advised to keep his goals aligned with his own, rather than playing the hero in Riddlebeck.

During this time, Idris heads to the Winking Vixen bath house and Finn visits his father, who tells him about his employer's woes. Finn's father is a blacksmith working for Cedric Drade, who has recently lost an important contract to supply the city watch and blames this upon scurrilous rumours set about by Drade's rival, Malcolm Widbert. Finn promises his father he will look into this, but his father begs him not to cause any trouble and make things worse.

Despite his frustrations with Kaldir's lack of progress, Berrigon nevertheless agrees to trust Kaldir with another task. Kaldir wishes to include Idris with this next mission, and Berrigon leaves that to Kaldir's discretion. Kaldir and Idris are tasked with persuading a young guard captain, one Raberoth Brend, to take a more relaxed view with regards to Berrigon's activities in this district. They are given a pouch containing 100gp and advised that anything left over will form their fee. They are granted authority to terminate the man's life as a last resort, and only if it can be done discreetly.

The party travel to the Mercenaries' Guild to see Enris. Kaldir fills him in with what has happened to the rest of the party, and gets the new members added to the roster, granting them access to the party bank. Enris is already familiar with Finn, of course, but has not worked with Daxia or Idris before. Enris has a number of jobs available, but the group choose not to take any on at this time. However, they learn that there was a bounty of 400gp for the head of the Displacer Beast which was attacking travellers in the Inglewood. As they have the body of the creature with them, they are able to take the reward which was offered by Duke Parvellian.

Kaldir and Idris head to the Angry Rat tavern, a known drinking location of Brend when he is off-duty. Here, they wait until Raberoth's drinking companions have left before pulling up a chair and buying him a drink. They first try a diplomatic approach, backed with a promise of financial benefits, if Brend would be willing to turn a blind eye to Berrigon's activities. The young guard captain, however, is not interested so Kaldir and Idris attempt a more intimidatory tactic. This approach also fails, and in fact it merely angers Brend who demands that they leave him alone.

The pair agree, but after leaving the tavern they find a suitable hiding place across the street and wait for Raberoth to leave. After around twenty minutes, Brend leaves the tavern and Kaldir sneaks up on him from behind, holding a dagger to his throat. Idris then steps out in front of him, and they threaten Brend with his life if he doesn't agree to the bribe. This time, in fear of his life, he agrees to accept a bribe of 50gp. Kaldir hands over the money and, after skulking off into the dusky streets, splits the remaining 50gp with Idris. They head back to the Lucky Lady to report their success to Berrigon. Upon quieter reflection, it occurs to Idris that he saw Raberoth Brend earlier in the Winking Vixen bath house.

Meanwhile, Daxia has withdrawn 1000gp from the party bank account and taken Korwyn's preserved corpse to the temple of Pelor. Here, a high priest called Atham Nare casts Raise Dead upon Korwyn and returns him to life, and also enough Cure spells to restore him to full health. Korwyn returns to life with a jolt, screaming the names of Jarek and Marinus as he relives the last few moments before his demise. As he slowly regains his composure, he quizzes Daxia (whom he refers to as Alyssa) to find out what is going on.

Although he doesn't immediately share this information with the others, Korwyn discovers that she is now calling herself Daxia, which he realises can mean only one thing: she has joined his father's elite group of enforcers and therefore has come here to return him to Elingor to face the King's wrath. Despite being mistrustful, he decides to stay with her for the time being until he can get a clearer idea of her true motives, especially as he learns she has now joined what remains of the Wyvern's Talon.

Korwyn stays in the temple to recuperate, while Daxia heads back to the Lucky Lady to meet up with the others. By this time, Kaldir and Idris have been set another mission by Berrigon. An urgent situation has arisen and one of Berrigon's agents has been captured by Virannon's interrogation team. He has good reason to believe that his agent is being held in an abandoned warehouse by the riverside, and time is of the essence if they are to rescue her before she reveals too much to her captors. Berrigon wants Kaldir and Idris to break into the warehouse, eliminate the interrogation team and return his agent to safety. However, should any of her interrogators escape, he needs them to terminate the agent as her cover will be blown and she'll therefore be a liability to him. Berrigon warns them to expect stiff resistance, including both stealth and magical support.

Kaldir and Idris realise that this scenario won’t exactly play well with the rest of the party, especially Rodan, so they concoct a story regarding an innocent young woman who has been kidnapped by thugs. Despite his not being fully recovered, it is also decided to bring along Korwyn to assist with combating the spell caster(s) they expect to meet at the warehouse.

The party group up down by the riverside, and Korwyn is introduced to Finn and Idris. He has a brief exchange with Kaldir, to question him regarding Jarek and Marinus. Time is short as they need to move on the warehouse location, but it is clear that Korwyn doesn’t understand why Kaldir has not tried to recover the bodies of Jarek and Marinus, as Daxia has with his own. Rodan brings Korwyn up to speed with the Necromancers in Riddlebeck, and what happened to Danril and Culain.

Kaldir uses his raven Familiar, Malek, to scout around the warehouse. They learn it's a single storey building with two entrances. One which opens to a wooden jetty in the river, and another dead opposite which opens into the street. The party split up with half standing by the door on the jetty, and the other half standing by the other door. Kaldir and Idris unlock their respective doors, and Kaldir advances into the dimly lit warehouse. Unfortunately, he triggers a blade trap in the floor but he suffers only a minor injury. Idris, alerted by this trap, wisely searches and finds a corresponding trap in front of his door. They are able to disable this trap, allowing Idris's group to pass through safely. The rest of Kaldir's group step over the trap mechanism in front of their door, leaving it primed.

The party spot two rogues, one armed with dual short swords and another with a short bow, attempting to hide in the shadowy reaches of the warehouse, behind empty crates and barrels. Their surprise attacks nullified, the rogues cry out to their associates. A Half Orc fighter bursts through a door from the office in the corner of the warehouse, where he and a sorceress were interrogating Berrigon's agent. The sorceress remains hidden for now, casting a Mirror Image spell as a defensive measure.

A fight breaks out, but the Wyvern's Talon have a strong advantage. Denied their hiding places, the rogues are quickly dispatched – in fact, after being almost killed in one hit from Finn's powerful great sword, Halsan Ferth collapses to the floor begging for his life. A well placed Hold Person spell from Rodan renders the Half Orc entirely helpless. The sorceress, Merissi Olosa, sees that she is outmatched and uses her tumble skill to slip past her opponents, relying on her dexterity and Mirror Image spell to protect her. She is able to slip outside the warehouse and into the streets, and casts Expeditious Retreat from a scroll hanging from her belt. Meanwhile, the two rogues are finished off, one of whom with a Magic Missile from Korwyn.

Kaldir also casts Expeditious Retreat and sets off in pursuit of the sorceress, using Malek as aerial reconnaissance to help track her down. With assistance from his Familiar, he is actually able to take a short cut to intercept her. However, by this stage he has lost track of the rest of the party and is left alone to confront the sorceress. She proves too strong for him, hitting him with two Lesser Acid Orb spells, one of which is a Sneak Attack. Kaldir is badly wounded and decides he is outmatched, especially as his Shield spell is about to expire. He turns and runs back towards the warehouse, hoping to meet up with the others on the way. He orders Malek to stay airborne and attempt to track the sorceress, with the hope that the party can regroup and find her before she escapes to safety. Malek continues to track the sorceress as she heads towards a back-street drinking pit called 'The Blind Troll Tavern'. Using his active Spider Climb spell, Kaldir takes to a roof-top to keep an eye out for the rest of the party, who he left behind in the warehouse by the docks. He recognises the tavern as being closely associated with Berrigon's rival, Virannon.

Back in the warehouse, despite his protestations, Rodan joins Daxia and Idris to head out to look for Kaldir and his escaped quarry. Finn and Korwyn turn their attention towards the captive – Berrigon's operative. She reveals her name to be Loren Glinn, and has been bound by the feet and hung upside down from a large hook. Finn uses a first aid kit to tend her wounds and she regains consciousness. She is very fearful and insists that she must be allowed to leave – she is involved with some very bad people and her life will remain in danger if she doesn't leave immediately. She is able to bluff both Finn and Korwyn and as a result they let her leave – putting Kaldir and Idris's mission with Berrigon in jeopardy if they are unable to stop Merissi from escaping.

Kaldir spots Daxia, Idris and Rodan approaching and climbs down to meet them. While they discuss their next move, they are shortly joined by Finn and Korwyn who inform them that they have let Loren go as she was fearful for her life, and refused their offer of a safe escort. Finn is somewhat suspicious, however, as Loren's claims of working for some "bad people" didn’t fit with the story that Kaldir and Idris had spun – namely that she was an innocent daughter of a wealthy family, kidnapped by thugs for ransom. The party decide that they will head to the Blind Troll tavern to see if they can find the escaped sorceress. Using Malek to scout out the building, they discover it is a two storey structure with a rear door in addition to its main public entrance. The tavern is occupied and busy. Daxia, Idris and Korwyn enter through the main doors, while Finn, Kaldir and Rodan head towards the rear entrance. Kaldir makes a successful listen check at the door, and overhears a brief conversation between a man and a woman. It is clear that the woman is the escaped sorceress, as she warns her male comrade that she cannot be certain that she is not being followed. He tells her not to worry, and he starts to "kit-up" to ensure he is ready for any potential battle that may occur - he starts putting on his armour and readies his weapon and shield.

Meanwhile, Daxia, Idris and Korwyn order some drinks from the barman, and make light conversation while scanning the crowded tavern for the missing sorceress. Unable to spot her, Daxia heads back outside to meet up with the other three at the back entrance. Learning from Kaldir that the sorceress is in the back room, she heads back to the bar and informs Idris and Korwyn. While Daxia is out of ear-shot, Korwyn opens up to Idris about his relationship with Daxia and of her true nature as a member of his father’s elite, psionically-endowed enforcers - The Ten. Korwyn confesses that he is not sure where Daxia's loyalties now lie, as she was not a member of this order when she helped him to escape Elingor. The two seem to bond to an extent, and Idris promises to keep an eye out for Korwyn – potentially leaving the group to travel together if things with Daxia take a bad turn.

Finn, Kaldir and Rodan burst through the back door and surprise Merissi, her fighter body guard Garvann Drudd and another mage – the conjuror Nasdra Syl. Hearing the commotion, the barman, Grod Dunman, grabs a weapon from behind the bar and starts shouting that they are under attack. The bar crowd immediately becomes agitated, some stand up to head for the exits while others make a bee-line for the door at the back of the bar which leads to the back room. In the confusion, and having not yet showed his allegiance, Korwyn takes the opportunity to exit through the main doors and heads to the back entrance, where he takes up a position in the doorway. Daxia and Idris head for the door at the back of the bar, and get embroiled in the melee with thugs loyal to Virannon, who have the same idea.

With the element of surprise, Finn is able to kill the already wounded Merissi before she can get a spell off. Garvann Drudd engages him in melee, while Kaldir enters the back room and looks for a position from which to launch ranged attacks. Korwyn remains in the door way, while Nasdra Syl attempts to use her magic to aid her allies. Also joining the fight in the main bar room are a pair of experienced rogues, one skilled with bow and the other with dual-wield short swords, and a priest of Olidammara, Morash Cren.

A long battle ensues, including a memorable use of a web spell by Nasdra which incapacitates the party for a long while but also nullifies her main ally, Garvann. Idris takes a position in the doorway between the back room and the bar, holding off the swarms of thugs for many rounds before finally succumbing to their assault and dropping unconscious. Fortunately, he is able to delay their progress long enough to buy the others enough time to escape the web spell (Kaldir, by use of a wand of burning hands) and with Finn and Daxia free the tide is soon turned. Korwyn, once again using his Magic Missiles, is able to interrupt the conjuror while she is attempting to summon a creature to assist her. The barman, Grod Dunman, runs into the streets screaming for the guards because his tavern is under attack. The priest, Morash Cren, uses his Invisibilty spell to escape when he senses the battle is going against him.

The battle essentially over, the party decide to beat a hasty retreat (after bringing Idris to his feet with a cure spell). Finn can’t resist heading upstairs to check for anything worth taking, but finds little of value during his brief search. With the potential fear of city guards arriving on the scene, the party hurry off into the night and head back towards the Lucky Lady. Here, Berrigon is initially pleased but by the next day is furious with Kaldir when he learns that he initiated an all-out assault on one of Virannon's known power-bases, despite Kaldir's protestations that he had no choice because one of the interrogators had fled to the tavern.

12th Jalin 1425

Berrigon confronts Kaldir regarding the attack on the Blind Troll Tavern. Daxia uses gather information regarding Virannon / Black Tendril and Ariala / Drakus. Idris crafts a reversible cloak using his tailoring skill. Daxia learns rumours that Drakus Brayden may have either been killed or "gone rogue" – it would seem he has not checked in with his handler. She also hears more general rumours which are now circulating town, regarding potential trouble in Ardonia: apparently some ancient portent has allegedly come to pass, and as a result the Order of the Burning Sword is demanding power over the Stalwart Justicars, who have ruled for centuries. Concerns this could destabilise the already frosty relationship between Granthis and Ardonia.

Kaldir casts Identify on The Reckoner, learning that it's a +1 longsword and also the greatsword recovered from the Ogre Mage - it is also a +1 weapon.

13th Jalin 1425

Idris crafts another reversible cloak. Kaldir casts Identify on the one-eyed Orc amulet recovered from the Half Orc fighter in the warehouse (Amulet of Natural Armour +2) and the bracers recovered from Merissi Olosa (Bracers of Armour +2).

Rodan visits the Temple of Pelor and learns of the forthcoming (un)holy day for Orcus's cultists ( 20th Jalin). Apparently on this day, cultists compete for the favour of Orcus by attempting to kill as many innocents as possible and animate them as undead – Abyssal energy is thought to be at its most potent on this day. It is believed that whomever causes the most terror and destruction is granted a special favour by the Dark Prince.

The party visit the Duke's castle where they are greeted by the Seneschal, Galwin. They hand him the sealed letter from Lord Harlex of Riddlebeck. Galwin arranges for 1000gp to be credited to their account (c/o Enris at the Mercenaries’ Guild) for dealing with the Ogres near the village. Galwin informs them that Duke Parvellian is out of town for a few weeks but would like to meet them when he returns as he has an interesting proposal for them. In the evening, the party visit the fighting pits to watch and bet upon the combatants. On the way, a shady character deliberately bumps into Idris: "Come to the Blind Troll tavern. Bring Kaldir. Ask for Inga. She has a genuine offer for you…"

14th Jalin 1425

Morning – the party visits Widbert Arms to investigate the claims from Finn's father. He believes that Malcolm Widbert had been intentionally bad-mouthing Cedric Drade's weapons and armour (Finn's father's employer) to secure a valuable contract with the city watch. Widbert is not present but one of his employees essentially confirms this to be true. Daxia and Finn keep him talking while Kaldir breaks into the back office to check the ledgers. Nothing unusual is found – the books confirm that regular orders are now being placed by Alicia Rynem of the city council – the contract is for two years, initially. Daxia orders a pair of manacles and agrees on a price of 12gp – 6gp paid up-front. Finn claims he would like to commission a master-work great sword, and thus wishes to speak to Widbert directly. The employee thinks for a moment and then reveals that Widbert will most likely be at his "club" this evening – held in the Half Moon Inn in an upmarket part of town. This is near the "Home of the Enlightened" – Kaldir and Korywn have been to this inn before to meet Alicia when she thanked them for their work in tackling the initial wave of Necromancers in Riddlebeck.

Kaldir visits a Sage, Artip Earhart, and learns a little more about Corrupt Magic. The spells are neither arcane nor divine, and require no material components. However, they draw upon the caster's own physical or mental attributes (ability loss in game terms). Artip relates the story of a Necromancer who purportedly used Corrupt Magic to take the place of a high-ranking Ardonian priest, by consuming his brain and flesh as part of the casting. However, the spell took such a toll on the caster's mental faculties that he was unable to maintain the deception for long. He was duly found guilty and executed by the priesthood. Kaldir returns to the Lucky Lady and spends the rest of the day studying Melf's Acid Arrow from Morvior's spellbook. Kaldir is able to understand the spell and can begin scribing it from tomorrow onwards. He finishes around 7pm, just in time to join the rest of the party as they head to the Half Moon Inn to speak to Malcolm Widbert.

The party arrive at the Half Moon Inn to find Malcolm Widbert about to go into a meeting for new members of the League of Enlightenment. Alicia Rynem is hosting, and immediately recognises Kaldir and Korwyn (she has not met the others before). She greets them warmly and Kaldir updates her with the personnel changes to the Wyvern's Talon since their last meeting. Alicia asks if she could speak to the party in private before the meeting starts, and they all head to the back room – the League of Enlightenment members who have arrived for the meeting remain in the bar for now.

Alicia tells them that their timing is most serendipitous as she was about to send a messenger to call for them. The League have learnt that the Cult of the Goat are planning an atrocity on the 20th Jalin, which is one of their (un)holy days – a day when Abyssal energy is supposedly at its most potent. They have determined a number of potential locations but believe the most likely target to be Little Dingle. She would like the party to travel there to investigate and mount a defence, if they are agreeable – other agents are already in position in the other potential target locations. She also tells the party of the last recorded atrocity, when around 70 years ago a small Ardonian village suffered an attack led by a Necromancer known as Kothmar the Revelator. His band of cultists cut down the villagers and re-animated them as undead, further swelling their invasion force as they progressed through the village. Ultimately, the Paladins of Ardonia had little choice but to burn the village to defeat the threat. Some believed that Kothmar survived, but he was never heard from again. Kaldir also mentions to Alicia that the party found a letter when they initially investigated the tomb near Riddlebeck and fought Balim. He keeps hold of it, but shows it to her.

The discussion regarding the Necromancers over, Alicia asks if any of the party would like to join the meeting. It is clear that this does not extend to Rodan, who has no desire to join anyway. Idris feels the same way and they both leave. Kaldir, Korwyn, Finn and Daxia remain, however, and take part in the meeting along with Malcolm Widbert (the owner of Widbert's Arms), Cadasa Serachi (of the Serachi merchant company) and Ephes Payne (a mage studying at the Ventelas Magical Academy). The group initially discuss the public tenet of the League of Enlightenment: "Through study, self-reflection and helping our brothers and sisters, we travel a path of enlightenment where we make sense of our world and how we can best find a valuable place with it". Discussion also turns to Salvator Kimbard, the founder of the League thirty years ago and his discovery of a tome of ancient knowledge written by the philosopher Orah-locbar. The three new members present all have a story of rather shameful behaviour which they attempt to justify. This ties into the first two tenets which Alicia reveals: "The path of the Enlightened leads to personal success and contentment. This benefits everyone, including the Unenlightened" and "The Enlightened should try to help the Unenlightened, but should not feel guilty of their personal success".

The latter tenet is particularly irritating to Daxia and Finn, who challenge Alicia and the other new members to justify this selfish behaviour. It is soon clear that neither of them will be a good fit for the organisation – in fact Daxia deliberately mentions the Necromancers in front of the rest of the group, presumably to get a rise out of Alicia. She glares at Daxia and reminds her that information formed part of a private conversation. Daxia and Finn leave shortly after. Korwyn, perhaps not the most perceptive of individuals, seems to be taken in by Alicia. However, when speaking to Kaldir afterwards, it could just be that he sees it as "a good place to meet women". Kaldir plays along with the new members of the group and Alicia in particular – he expresses a strong interest in the teachings and would like to attend future meetings, to which Alicia is more than agreeable. Kaldir also takes an opportunity to mingle with the other new members following the meeting. Cadasa Serachi promises to offer him some valuable information regarding her clients if he can steal some rather embarrassing letters which she wrote to a former lover, who is now blackmailing her and threatening to release them to Cadasa's husband. He also agrees to deliver rare components from the corpses of magical creatures to Ephes Payne in return for half priced scribing materials.

Kaldir and Finn talk to Malcolm Widbert following the meeting, sensing that he did feel somewhat guilty for slurring Cedric Drade to win the City Watch arms contract (which Alicia, in her day job as city councillor, signed off). Kaldir attempts to convince Malcolm to offer Cedric a minor contract from his books now that he has won the big City Watch order. Malcolm seems to be thinking about it, but it’s not entirely clear yet if he will go ahead with it.

Following the meeting, the group return to the Blind Troll tavern to meet Inga Tol'neth. The barman, Grod Dunman, looks at them with disgust but sees Kaldir and Finn through to the back room to meet Inga. The rest of the party take up positions outside, by the back door. Inga, surrounded by a mixed group of Virannon's enforcers, greets the pair in a somewhat sarcastic manner. She outlines her "employer's" disappointment with the attack on the tavern, but offers them an opportunity to switch sides if they will help her eradicate Berrigon in a forthcoming assault on the Lucky Lady. Kaldir, sensing that the Wyvern's Talon would be the determining factor to the outcome of the conflict, refuses to assist in an attack but instead tells Inga that he will remain neutral, leaving the way open for her associates to assault the inn without interference. Inga is unhappy with this arrangement and starts to threaten him, but Kaldir says that he has defeated the Blind Troll tavern once already, and alludes to the rest of the party being close by. Inga reluctantly reconsiders, and agrees to Kaldir's suggestion but warns him not to cross her by telling Berrigon of what she has planned. Kaldir agrees, and he and Finn leave the tavern, meeting back up with the others outside and heading to the Dancing Dryad Inn – a new venue, recommended by Finn.

15th Jalin 1425

Rodan casts Comprehend Languages on Kaldir's puzzle box, and informs him that the words read "Displacement / Restoration Material". The party visit Enris at the Mercenaries' Guild and pick up a couple of jobs. The first mission is to investigate missing lumberjacks at a logging site on the outskirts of the Inglewood. The second is offered by the Duke and requires the group to travel a few hours north of the city to eliminate a few Ettins which have been spotted by his rangers while out on patrol.

The party initially head out to the outskirts of the Inglewood and find the logging camp. Two large wagons are partially loaded with felled trees, and webbed up high in the trees above are the party-consumed bodies of six lumberjacks. There is no sign of the horses. Whilst carefully exploring the scene, a Phase Spider materialises and attacks Finn before phasing back to the Ethereal Plane. Finn resists the poison bite and the party spread out, readying attacks. Using this strategy, the party are able to destroy the creature with minimal danger. They load its dead body onto the wagon and head back to the city, where the wagon is returned to the logging company and Enris pays them their reward of 500gp.

Noon: The party leaves Ventelas and heads for Little Dingle, arriving there around 8 o'clock in the evening. The closer they get to Little Dingle, the more oppressive and overcast the weather becomes. Upon entering the village, the party head to the inn, The Wayfarer's Rest. They are met by the inn keeper, Garth Cansom. He tells them that the summer fayre is about to start in the village, and as a result the party will have to share rooms. They settle into their rooms and come back down stairs for an evening meal. They chat to Garth and learn a little about him. A widower in his 60s, he lost his wife a couple of years ago from a fever that the local cleric, Sonward, was unable to cure despite his best efforts. He doesn't blame the priest, however, and the pair remain on good terms. Garth's only daughter, Eleanor, is in her mid-thirties and works in the inn along with her best friend, Daleera. The party learn that Garth is not a particular fan of Lord Margorus, whom he considers to be somewhat aloof. He does know that Margorus recently lost his fiancee, however, so he does sympathise with him. He thinks this is why Margorus has likely been very withdrawn recently.

Also dining in the inn are Yort and Sophia Silverthread, tailors from Gloradin. Daxia has a short conversation with them, and learns they will be attending the fayre from tomorrow and have a number of fine Elingorian fashions with them. Also present are the wrestler, Ricton the Insurmountable and his manager, Regor.

16th Jalin 1425

The party have breakfast in the inn and find that the summer fayre has already begun. They spend the morning speaking to revellers, travelling merchants and most of the local business owners. They speak to Sonward at the temple of Obad-Hai. He tells them that he has been busy recently with his prayer rituals and such like, and explains a few basic details of Oba-Hai's doctrine, namely that of living as one with nature. Kaldir tells him that the party are in Little Dingle to investigate rumours of a Necromantic cult which is thought to be planning an atrocity in the village. Sonward tells them that he's sure there is nothing to worry about and that the party should just enjoy the summer fayre. The party also speak to the blacksmith, Brock Steelmore, a man in his mid-forties who has worked in the village all of his life. They learn that he is on good terms with the local lord, and helps with the upkeep of the armour and weapons for the manor house guards. However, Brock has not seen much of Margorus for the past few weeks. The party visit the eccentric, elderly twins, Matilda and Millicent, who run the general store in the village. They have little interest in ongoing events and the group's time spent here is brief and ultimately of little value.

The summer fayre is in its initial stages, and the party get chatting to some of the early revellers. These include Rufus Windsong and Petal Moonray who have some rather poor hand crafted items which they are hoping to sell (pots, paintings, baskets etc). The party learn they hail from another small village close to Ventelas, called North Meadow. The group sample some speciality ales brought by Harris Grimton. They partake of such intoxicating delights as Old Orc Basher, Giant Gut Wrencher and Idris's personal favourite, Breakfast Beer. The Riddlebeck Players are rehearsing their latest play, entitled 'The Battle of Riddlebeck'. This is a fictionalised account of Lord Treygal's defeat at the Riddblebeck Fort. A wrestler, Ricton the Insurmountable, and his manager, Regor, offers the party a chance to win 10gp in prize money for a 1sp stake, if they are able to pin him for 3 consecutive rounds. Finn, Daxia and Idris each attempt to defeat Ricton, but are unsuccessful.

After spending much of the morning at the fayre, the party head to the manor house to seek an audience with Lord Margorus. The two guards at the front door eventually agree to fetch Lord Margorus, but he is unwilling to spend too much time speaking to the party, and advises them to go and enjoy the fayre and leave him to grieve in peace. They leave Margorus who returns back into the manor house. Idris and Kaldir scope out the house from the outside, by hiding in the woods which surround it and climbing trees to get a better view. Kaldir spots a cowled cultist through an upstairs window, but is not noticed in return. Finn takes a wide detour through the forest to approach the manor house from the rear, and in so doing stumbles upon the Margorus family's mausoleum. Idris is also able to spot this from his vantage point when he climbs a tree on the east side of the house.

The party return to the inn to eat, and decide to investigate the mausoleum. The heavy iron doors are locked but they are able to pick them open. Inside are a number of sealed coffins, which, according to the plaques above them, contain members of the Margorus family dating back over 150 years. The tomb for Andell Margorus bears a plaque showing a birth date of 1375 but no date of death has yet been inscribed. The lid on his tomb is loose and the tomb next to it, for Antonia Margorus (nee Sedgewick), shows dates of 1383 – 1425. This tomb is also empty. A thorough search of the mausoleum reveals that pressing the plaque above Andrell Margorus's tomb opens a wall in the far right corner, which provides access to a spiral stone staircase, leading down to a small dungeon below. A short corridor appears to end at a T-junction. Choosing to take the left branch, the party advance forwards, opening a door at the far end of the corridor. This opens into a large chamber, containing a gruesome bone altar in the middle of the room. A Necromancer, Mogdresh the Maleficent, is magically disguised as Lord Margorus. He stands behind a small desk poring over a large tome, while another cultist, Kolos the Morbid, is seen studying a spectral figure seemingly imprisoned within a thaumaturgic circle. To those who know him, this is unmistakably the disembodied form of Jarek Mace. Also present are the re-animated forms of Ogres and Orcs, in Skeleton and Zombie form.

As the party bursts into the room, Mogdresh drops his disguise and returns to his true form, fully armed and armoured. He points at the spectral form of Jarek: "Behold, an ally of Nessus who dared to assault us. He now serves the master of the dead!"