JUNE 716
June 25th – 716 Years In Bastion: Barrian Vale sends a letter to his brother Millikan. It consists of his final wishes, to serve as his will in the event that he is not heard from for one year from this date. It takes approximately 1 month for the letter to reach Millikan, but he tells his nephews nothing of it.
June 25th – 716 Years In Bastion: Barrian Vale sends a letter to his brother Millikan. It consists of his final wishes, to serve as his will in the event that he is not heard from for one year from this date. It takes approximately 1 month for the letter to reach Millikan, but he tells his nephews nothing of it.
JUNE 717
June 26th – 717 Years In Bastion: Millikan has Barrian declared legally dead, finally showing the letter to Dorian and Landon. They begin making plans to go to Haven to settle his affairs.
June 26th – 717 Years In Bastion: Millikan has Barrian declared legally dead, finally showing the letter to Dorian and Landon. They begin making plans to go to Haven to settle his affairs.
JULY 717
July 7th – 717 Years In Bastion: Dorian arrives in Haven with a caravan and begins cleaning his father's house.
July 9th – 717 Years In Bastion: Landon and Millikan are to arrive but are attacked by kobolds outside of town. Dorian discovers his father's spellbook and journal while cleaning and sets off the animate objects trap. The PC's join him in destroying the animated furniture, but the rug escapes. They also assist Dorian in rescuing his family from kobolds, but in the process they “shut off” the river temporarily, which results in severe damage to Orn Merris' watermill. Many of his cows escape.
July 10th – 717 Years In Bastion: The PC's help find and return Orn Merris' cows. When they return home they are arrested by the town guard for their responsibility in a murder caused by the rug.
July 11th – 717 YB: Rogues break into the Vale house in the middle of the night. They have a picture of Barrian's wizarding symbol, and are clearly looking for something. One is driven off and another killed by Alric, Landon and Doug. That same day, the rest of the PC's are put on trial and found guilty of using magic dangerous to the people of Haven. Orn Merris speaks to Peldrin on their behalf, and their sentence is reduced to 100gp and the task of finding and destroying the rug. They are able to do so successfully, and are set free after Alric pays the 100gp for them.
July 12th – 717 YB: The break-in has allowed them to access the basement and new information in Barrian's journal. Spend the day investigating the information herein while looking around town for the theives that broke in. A trip to Linvers is suggested and they look for horses. Orn tells them that a friend of his who could have supplied them with horses had his farm attacked by kobolds this morning and one of his cows was stolen.
July 13th – 717 YB: The PC's head to destroy the kobolds once and for all, but find that the cow was actually stolen by an ogre. They meet a strange young man named Twill near the river who shows them where the ogre has taken the cow (and his cat “Kitty”) into an abandoned house. The PC's defeat the ogre and save the cow, sending it back with Timmos and Demil Merris, but follow Twill through a magical mirror to another world.
Upon their arrival they meet a man who calls himself Tallos. He tells them that the mirror they used is linked to others around the planes, and they can use the one they came through to return to their own world. Unfortunately it takes an enchanted crystal horn to power the mirror, and Twill has wasted the ones Tallos had. Tallos gives the PC's the location of the ruins where he first found his mirror, on the chance that they may find more crystal horns there. Alric also shares the information found in Barrian's journal with Tallos.
The next morning the PC's depart for the ruins accompanied by Tallos' apprentice and travelling companion, a bard named Cadmus. They get lost on the way and are attacked by strange dragon-men before they reach the ruins.
The PC's spend three days exploring the ruins. They defeat spiders, living molds and plants that animate the dead, a demon, and are nearly killed by some creature of pure darkness before they unlock all the secrets of these ruins and discover two crystal horns.
While trying to leave the ruins, the PC's see what looks like a giant shark flying around the tower. Cadmus tells them it is Tallus' flying ship, and he leaps into the shark's open mouth. The rest of the group reluctantly follows suit and find it is indeed a flying vessel called the Vodron. Tallus asks of their success, but is more interested in another look at the journal (see related note).
While discussing with Tallus, the ship is attacked by a black dragon and it's rider, with three draconians in tow and ground troops heading for Tallus' house. The crew flies into action to engage the flying enemies, leaving only the hapless apprentice Gulug to try and engage the forces on the ground. The PC's rush to his aid, and he sends them to the ground via a feather fall spell. The PC's are nearly overwhelmed by a horde of goblins and wolves, and more draconians. They desperately manage to hold their own, until the dragon rider is thrown from his saddle. Even badly wounded, he nearly slays the party on his own and they defeat him only by focusing all their effort and powers against him. The PC's take from him an enchanted silver lance, and a suit of magical armor made from the hide of a black dragon.
The group finally uses the horn to activate the mirror in Tallus' laboratory, and step through into their own world. McMillan is the last to step through, but he is suddenly attacked from behind by one of the surviving draconians, and paralyzed by it's poisonous bite. The creature is puzzled and attempts to step back through the mirror, but finds as the PC's did that it is a one-way trip. He demands they send him back before grabbing the lance and escaping outside.
The PC's leave the house to return to Haven, stopping at the farms they have helped as they pass and getting a heroes welcome when they get back to Colwin's inn. But they discover that more time has passed on Aerth than they expected.
July 26th - 717 YB: After checking up on their friends and re-equipping with healing from Peldrin at the church of Iomedae, the PC's set off again to deal with the menace the kobolds have caused to the local farmers and caravans.
On the way they encounter two wolves fighting over a pig carcass with a mountain lion. The PC’s drive off the mountain lion and one of the wolves shares an odd stare with McMillan before it vanishes into the woods.
The PC’s enter the caves via the stream where they escaped last time. They defeat the white kobold spellcaster and his guards and rest in their chambers before venturing into the deeper cavern the next day. Here they encounter a more organized force of kobolds with complex traps that nearly finish them all. Fighting to a standstill, both sides retreat to regroup. When the PC’s try to advance again, they are met with a deadly trap advancing down the corridor and the sound of a kobold barking orders behind it. Alric calls out in every language he knows, and is finally met with a kobold responding in orcish. The kobold lieutenant Verr says that he hates their leader Gial because he brings danger to the tribe with his risky attacks against caravans and the deals he makes. Verr agrees to pull all of his kobolds out of the caves and leave Gial undefended. In return the PC’s promise to leave Verr and his tribe alone as long as they make no further aggression against Haven. Verr tells them it will take time so the PC’s retreat to rest again.
July 29th – In the morning they discover most of the kobold complex empty and advance to the leader’s chambers with very little resistance. They discover him with only about a dozen guards, two shamans and his concubines, but it still proves a mighty force that the PC’s only barely defeat. The tunnels continue deeper beneath the earth but the group decides to rest here, and exits the next day the way they came in laden with the treasure of the kobold leader.
July 30th – When the PC’s exit through the river they find Killian waiting (a scout they met who operates out of Haven). He tells them that Galavi would like to see them, and leads them north into the forest. In a hidden clearing, Galavi tells the PC’s that there is more happening than kobold raids, and he will tell them everything he knows if the PC’s help him. Someone has been starting fires in the forest and Galavi has been stretching his resources and allies to the limit to contain them. Galavi has been unable to track them and asks for the PC’s help.
Heading for the spot of a recent blaze, the PC’s are attacked by a fire drake, a smaller cousin to a dragon. The PC’s defeat it, but the drake starts an enormous forest fire in the process.
They return to Galavi, who is soaking blankets and making other preparation with Killian and Hob (father-in-law of Orn Merris). They are going to fight the blaze and ask again for the PC’s help. Most of them begin felling trees further up the path of the blaze to create a fire break. Galavi takes McMillan and Killian to the advancing front, and they fire arrows that turn into bursts of water on impact to slow the fire down. While the three are spread out and obscured by smoke, McMillan is attacked by the winged reptile that followed them through the mirror. It demands McMillan tell him how to get home. McMillan tries to fight it off, but is no match for the creature, when it is suddenly knocked off of him by the same wolf he encountered in the forest a few days earlier. The creature thinks better of the situation and disappears into the smoke. The wolf looks oddly at McMillan for a moment and then vanishes as well. The group is successful in creating a break that prevents the fire from spreading through the whole forest.
July 7th – 717 Years In Bastion: Dorian arrives in Haven with a caravan and begins cleaning his father's house.
July 9th – 717 Years In Bastion: Landon and Millikan are to arrive but are attacked by kobolds outside of town. Dorian discovers his father's spellbook and journal while cleaning and sets off the animate objects trap. The PC's join him in destroying the animated furniture, but the rug escapes. They also assist Dorian in rescuing his family from kobolds, but in the process they “shut off” the river temporarily, which results in severe damage to Orn Merris' watermill. Many of his cows escape.
July 10th – 717 Years In Bastion: The PC's help find and return Orn Merris' cows. When they return home they are arrested by the town guard for their responsibility in a murder caused by the rug.
July 11th – 717 YB: Rogues break into the Vale house in the middle of the night. They have a picture of Barrian's wizarding symbol, and are clearly looking for something. One is driven off and another killed by Alric, Landon and Doug. That same day, the rest of the PC's are put on trial and found guilty of using magic dangerous to the people of Haven. Orn Merris speaks to Peldrin on their behalf, and their sentence is reduced to 100gp and the task of finding and destroying the rug. They are able to do so successfully, and are set free after Alric pays the 100gp for them.
July 12th – 717 YB: The break-in has allowed them to access the basement and new information in Barrian's journal. Spend the day investigating the information herein while looking around town for the theives that broke in. A trip to Linvers is suggested and they look for horses. Orn tells them that a friend of his who could have supplied them with horses had his farm attacked by kobolds this morning and one of his cows was stolen.
July 13th – 717 YB: The PC's head to destroy the kobolds once and for all, but find that the cow was actually stolen by an ogre. They meet a strange young man named Twill near the river who shows them where the ogre has taken the cow (and his cat “Kitty”) into an abandoned house. The PC's defeat the ogre and save the cow, sending it back with Timmos and Demil Merris, but follow Twill through a magical mirror to another world.
Upon their arrival they meet a man who calls himself Tallos. He tells them that the mirror they used is linked to others around the planes, and they can use the one they came through to return to their own world. Unfortunately it takes an enchanted crystal horn to power the mirror, and Twill has wasted the ones Tallos had. Tallos gives the PC's the location of the ruins where he first found his mirror, on the chance that they may find more crystal horns there. Alric also shares the information found in Barrian's journal with Tallos.
The next morning the PC's depart for the ruins accompanied by Tallos' apprentice and travelling companion, a bard named Cadmus. They get lost on the way and are attacked by strange dragon-men before they reach the ruins.
The PC's spend three days exploring the ruins. They defeat spiders, living molds and plants that animate the dead, a demon, and are nearly killed by some creature of pure darkness before they unlock all the secrets of these ruins and discover two crystal horns.
While trying to leave the ruins, the PC's see what looks like a giant shark flying around the tower. Cadmus tells them it is Tallus' flying ship, and he leaps into the shark's open mouth. The rest of the group reluctantly follows suit and find it is indeed a flying vessel called the Vodron. Tallus asks of their success, but is more interested in another look at the journal (see related note).
While discussing with Tallus, the ship is attacked by a black dragon and it's rider, with three draconians in tow and ground troops heading for Tallus' house. The crew flies into action to engage the flying enemies, leaving only the hapless apprentice Gulug to try and engage the forces on the ground. The PC's rush to his aid, and he sends them to the ground via a feather fall spell. The PC's are nearly overwhelmed by a horde of goblins and wolves, and more draconians. They desperately manage to hold their own, until the dragon rider is thrown from his saddle. Even badly wounded, he nearly slays the party on his own and they defeat him only by focusing all their effort and powers against him. The PC's take from him an enchanted silver lance, and a suit of magical armor made from the hide of a black dragon.
The group finally uses the horn to activate the mirror in Tallus' laboratory, and step through into their own world. McMillan is the last to step through, but he is suddenly attacked from behind by one of the surviving draconians, and paralyzed by it's poisonous bite. The creature is puzzled and attempts to step back through the mirror, but finds as the PC's did that it is a one-way trip. He demands they send him back before grabbing the lance and escaping outside.
The PC's leave the house to return to Haven, stopping at the farms they have helped as they pass and getting a heroes welcome when they get back to Colwin's inn. But they discover that more time has passed on Aerth than they expected.
July 26th - 717 YB: After checking up on their friends and re-equipping with healing from Peldrin at the church of Iomedae, the PC's set off again to deal with the menace the kobolds have caused to the local farmers and caravans.
On the way they encounter two wolves fighting over a pig carcass with a mountain lion. The PC’s drive off the mountain lion and one of the wolves shares an odd stare with McMillan before it vanishes into the woods.
The PC’s enter the caves via the stream where they escaped last time. They defeat the white kobold spellcaster and his guards and rest in their chambers before venturing into the deeper cavern the next day. Here they encounter a more organized force of kobolds with complex traps that nearly finish them all. Fighting to a standstill, both sides retreat to regroup. When the PC’s try to advance again, they are met with a deadly trap advancing down the corridor and the sound of a kobold barking orders behind it. Alric calls out in every language he knows, and is finally met with a kobold responding in orcish. The kobold lieutenant Verr says that he hates their leader Gial because he brings danger to the tribe with his risky attacks against caravans and the deals he makes. Verr agrees to pull all of his kobolds out of the caves and leave Gial undefended. In return the PC’s promise to leave Verr and his tribe alone as long as they make no further aggression against Haven. Verr tells them it will take time so the PC’s retreat to rest again.
July 29th – In the morning they discover most of the kobold complex empty and advance to the leader’s chambers with very little resistance. They discover him with only about a dozen guards, two shamans and his concubines, but it still proves a mighty force that the PC’s only barely defeat. The tunnels continue deeper beneath the earth but the group decides to rest here, and exits the next day the way they came in laden with the treasure of the kobold leader.
July 30th – When the PC’s exit through the river they find Killian waiting (a scout they met who operates out of Haven). He tells them that Galavi would like to see them, and leads them north into the forest. In a hidden clearing, Galavi tells the PC’s that there is more happening than kobold raids, and he will tell them everything he knows if the PC’s help him. Someone has been starting fires in the forest and Galavi has been stretching his resources and allies to the limit to contain them. Galavi has been unable to track them and asks for the PC’s help.
Heading for the spot of a recent blaze, the PC’s are attacked by a fire drake, a smaller cousin to a dragon. The PC’s defeat it, but the drake starts an enormous forest fire in the process.
They return to Galavi, who is soaking blankets and making other preparation with Killian and Hob (father-in-law of Orn Merris). They are going to fight the blaze and ask again for the PC’s help. Most of them begin felling trees further up the path of the blaze to create a fire break. Galavi takes McMillan and Killian to the advancing front, and they fire arrows that turn into bursts of water on impact to slow the fire down. While the three are spread out and obscured by smoke, McMillan is attacked by the winged reptile that followed them through the mirror. It demands McMillan tell him how to get home. McMillan tries to fight it off, but is no match for the creature, when it is suddenly knocked off of him by the same wolf he encountered in the forest a few days earlier. The creature thinks better of the situation and disappears into the smoke. The wolf looks oddly at McMillan for a moment and then vanishes as well. The group is successful in creating a break that prevents the fire from spreading through the whole forest.
AUGUST 717
August 2nd – After a day’s rest in Galavi’s glade, he tells them all he knows of the canyon. His information focuses on men in black robes he has seen commanding Undead there, and the madness of the orc leader Bnamalsh that threatens the safety of all the north.
The party then returns to town to find the Vale home was robbed while they were away, and all the notes and research equipment from the basement were stolen. The party discusses clues and suspects at length and is suspicious of Kamblin the warehouse owner. They ask Peldrin for an introduction on behalf of the law, and Peldrin agrees. Alric, Cadmus, and Lynnaeth meet with him, but their questioning does not go far before Kamblin asks them to leave, and Alric charms him to learn more. Kamblin tells them that he works with Kissool but that he is in charge of skimming and escorts, he admits that he is afraid of Kissool, but the charm breaks when Alric pushes too hard for information he does not want to give up. Kamblin calls for the guards and draws his sword, and the group quickly knocks him out. Alric casts spells of disguise and invisibility on the three of them, but Lynnaeth tells them this is illegal and has gone way too far. She leaves to find Peldrin, who is furious with what has happened. He places Alric and Cadmus under arrest, and Lynnaeth finds she has lost of her paladin abilities.
August 3rd – Lynnaeth tells the remaining party members that she has a holy quest to rid the canyon of the evil plaguing it if she hopes to make amends to Iomedae. Dorian, Firby and McMillan agree to help her and they depart for the canyon the next day.
August 5th – PC’s scout around the canyon looking for hazards and the best points of entry. They meet a group of kobolds and try to dispatch them, but one of the kobolds recognizes them as the group that struck a deal with Verr and convinces them not to attack. The party meets with Verr and he gives them all the information he has on the inhabitants of the canyon in exchange for a magic ring, and directs them to an uninhabited cave where they may rest safely. The PC’s clear this cave of vermin and set up there.
August 7th – Alric is released from prison and makes his way to the canyon. When he arrives in the evening he sees a group of skeletons and a bugbear entering a cave. The skeletons attack the rest of the party but they do not see the bugbear. He runs back across the canyon after observing the battle. Alric then joins the group and tells them of the bugbear.
August 8th – Dorian tells the group that after everything they have learned, it seems that this was the canyon his father was looking for, but if he believed it was the Deeping Rock then his quest for the Eyes would have taken him far to the northeast. He wished the party luck and any aid he could ever provide in the future, but he needed to find his father, and left.
The group invaded a set of caves following the path of the bugbear. They were set upon by hobgoblins, and a number of skirmishes ensued over the next few days. There is finally an attack by a spellcaster in black robes with a paralyzing wand, and the party is captured.
August 11th – The PC’s awaken in a prison cell. After a botched escape attempt, they are marched by the same spellcaster and others in similar garb to a dark temple. A laboratory is set up here with a stitched together corpse on a table. They are told the paladin’s soul will fuel this device to bring back the Nightmare. Lynnaeth is strapped to the table while the others are chained to the wall by Undead, though Alric uses magic to avoid their notice. The spellcaster begins a ritual while Lynnaeth is bled onto the corpse and a huge diamond embedded in its chest. The body begins to come to life, but Alric disrupts the ritual by destroying the device with a flaming sphere. There is an explosion and the laboratory tables are torn apart. When the smoke clears the parts of the abomination have come to life: two crawling claws leap to tear at everyone, the head shrieks as it flies about on fleshy wings, and charred legs propel the spine about the room, slashing anyone that gets too close. The spellcaster commands his Undead to kill everyone and flees from the room. As the PC’s face this host of evil, Lynnaeth finds the power of Iomedae flowing through and her paladin abilities are returned. After a gruelling battle, the PC’s defeat all the Undead and emerge victorious. They rest in the spellcasters room and discover a number of items and journals that provide clues to their quest.
The spellcaster returns in the night, but Alric spots him taking a golden cylinder hidden in the altar. The PC’s explore the rest of the complex and discover two women that had been held prisoner and another room full of skeletons that they had to fight through. They are able to recover all their equipment and head back to Haven.
August 13th - PC's first morning back in Haven. They spend a week in Haven recuperating, and discussing plans with the town fathers (especially Peldrin and Brakov). In that time McMillan is attacked by the winged beast north of town who demands a way back home, and McMillan tells him about the horn. The group goes to peek in the mirror that brought them here, but seem to be waylaid at the house, though nothing is taken and they cannot remember it. They discover the mirror missing, and something has been nesting in the basement. They follow tracks to the east. Though McMillan loses them in some rocks a couple of miles along the river, they find a tower not too much further along. Heading back to town, they learn this is the home of Kissool.
August 20th - Much of the information they have found leads the PC's and Peldrin to suspect there may be information regarding ancient heroes and holy weapons of Iomedae in this canyon, and the church requests they investigate this orc leader. The PC's journey back to the canyon to confront him, and engage in a battle that nearly decimates the party, though upon finally meeting the orc king, he bears a weapon that seems to stop him when he attempts to attack Lynnaeth. They manage to defeat him, and upon picking up his sword, Lynnaeth is immediately filled with the sense that this is indeed The Holy Flame - the ancient weapon of Castillo, a hero of Iomedae dead for hundreds of years.
The PC's spend the next four days resting and return to clean out the remainder of the orc cave. They fall prey to an ambush of the remaining orcs that they easily best. They find a chamber of stone statues that they suspect may be humanoids turned to stone by some creature, and also find a wall of stone arms and faces that attempts to draw them in. Alric is plagued by nightmares after first seeing the wall, and the group returns to get to the bottom of it. Alric is sucked into the wall, and the group cannot seem to find any way to retrieve him. Firby begins trying to destroy the wall, but McMillan decides it is a lost cause and tries to run. The area is suddenly filled with darkness and other creatures appear to begin attacking. The group is aided without warning by a group they recently met called Blackfist Company. Only with their help is the wall destroyed just as Alric would have suffocated. One of the men of Blackfist Company yells at McMillan for abandoning his brother, and the company claims all the treasure in the next room (of which there is a lot) for themselves, telling the PC's they can consider it their pay for helping them, and if they disagree they can take whatever money they feel is fair out of McMillan's future earnings. After Blackfist Company leaves, the PC's discover one item they missed: another of the silver teeth in the mouth of one of the bodies that fell out of the wall. It would seem this tooth calling to Alric is what caused his Nightmares. The PC's also discover the tomb of Castillo, and bring back a scroll penned in his own hand to Peldrin and Brakov. They also discover an orcish armory, and in selling all the swords and armor to the blacksmith, they make enough in trade to buy horses and tack for the whole party. The group decided their investigations must take them south, and prepare to depart Haven for Bastion.
August 24th - PC's leave for Bastion first thing in the morning, joined by Cadmus who is finally released from jail. They wish to go meet the Iron Duke, whom they have learned has a powerful magical item that may be sought by the evil forces they have encountered.
August 26th - PC's discover a patch of ruined farmland, and upon investigating the farmhouse they find it empty and signs of struggles in the ground outside. They are attacked by ankhegs coming up from below the ground. PC's follow them through their tunnels to look for any signs of people that may have been taken. They find three more ankhegs in their lair and defeat them, and signs of many victims, but no survivors. They decide they cannot spend the time here they wish to give the bodies a proper burial, but will send word back to Haven upon reaching High Ford, and are content that no one else will be killed by these monsters.
August 27th - PC's reach High Ford just after noon today. They are told that they cannot bear open weapons in Bastion unless they are registered, and taken to the registrars office to do so. They register as an adventuring company, and call themselves "The Knights of the Burning Blade." They all sign a charter, agree to have their weapons peace-knotted while inside the city, and go to a tailor to have their emblem created. They are told the clothes will be ready in two days, and find a room at an inn. There they meet two adventurers named Retameron and Halia, whom they share tales with well into the night.
August 28th - The next morning the PC's learn there has been a murder in town. Apparently, it is the second paladin killed in as many nights, and displayed and mutilated in a ritualistic fashion.
August 2nd – After a day’s rest in Galavi’s glade, he tells them all he knows of the canyon. His information focuses on men in black robes he has seen commanding Undead there, and the madness of the orc leader Bnamalsh that threatens the safety of all the north.
The party then returns to town to find the Vale home was robbed while they were away, and all the notes and research equipment from the basement were stolen. The party discusses clues and suspects at length and is suspicious of Kamblin the warehouse owner. They ask Peldrin for an introduction on behalf of the law, and Peldrin agrees. Alric, Cadmus, and Lynnaeth meet with him, but their questioning does not go far before Kamblin asks them to leave, and Alric charms him to learn more. Kamblin tells them that he works with Kissool but that he is in charge of skimming and escorts, he admits that he is afraid of Kissool, but the charm breaks when Alric pushes too hard for information he does not want to give up. Kamblin calls for the guards and draws his sword, and the group quickly knocks him out. Alric casts spells of disguise and invisibility on the three of them, but Lynnaeth tells them this is illegal and has gone way too far. She leaves to find Peldrin, who is furious with what has happened. He places Alric and Cadmus under arrest, and Lynnaeth finds she has lost of her paladin abilities.
August 3rd – Lynnaeth tells the remaining party members that she has a holy quest to rid the canyon of the evil plaguing it if she hopes to make amends to Iomedae. Dorian, Firby and McMillan agree to help her and they depart for the canyon the next day.
August 5th – PC’s scout around the canyon looking for hazards and the best points of entry. They meet a group of kobolds and try to dispatch them, but one of the kobolds recognizes them as the group that struck a deal with Verr and convinces them not to attack. The party meets with Verr and he gives them all the information he has on the inhabitants of the canyon in exchange for a magic ring, and directs them to an uninhabited cave where they may rest safely. The PC’s clear this cave of vermin and set up there.
August 7th – Alric is released from prison and makes his way to the canyon. When he arrives in the evening he sees a group of skeletons and a bugbear entering a cave. The skeletons attack the rest of the party but they do not see the bugbear. He runs back across the canyon after observing the battle. Alric then joins the group and tells them of the bugbear.
August 8th – Dorian tells the group that after everything they have learned, it seems that this was the canyon his father was looking for, but if he believed it was the Deeping Rock then his quest for the Eyes would have taken him far to the northeast. He wished the party luck and any aid he could ever provide in the future, but he needed to find his father, and left.
The group invaded a set of caves following the path of the bugbear. They were set upon by hobgoblins, and a number of skirmishes ensued over the next few days. There is finally an attack by a spellcaster in black robes with a paralyzing wand, and the party is captured.
August 11th – The PC’s awaken in a prison cell. After a botched escape attempt, they are marched by the same spellcaster and others in similar garb to a dark temple. A laboratory is set up here with a stitched together corpse on a table. They are told the paladin’s soul will fuel this device to bring back the Nightmare. Lynnaeth is strapped to the table while the others are chained to the wall by Undead, though Alric uses magic to avoid their notice. The spellcaster begins a ritual while Lynnaeth is bled onto the corpse and a huge diamond embedded in its chest. The body begins to come to life, but Alric disrupts the ritual by destroying the device with a flaming sphere. There is an explosion and the laboratory tables are torn apart. When the smoke clears the parts of the abomination have come to life: two crawling claws leap to tear at everyone, the head shrieks as it flies about on fleshy wings, and charred legs propel the spine about the room, slashing anyone that gets too close. The spellcaster commands his Undead to kill everyone and flees from the room. As the PC’s face this host of evil, Lynnaeth finds the power of Iomedae flowing through and her paladin abilities are returned. After a gruelling battle, the PC’s defeat all the Undead and emerge victorious. They rest in the spellcasters room and discover a number of items and journals that provide clues to their quest.
The spellcaster returns in the night, but Alric spots him taking a golden cylinder hidden in the altar. The PC’s explore the rest of the complex and discover two women that had been held prisoner and another room full of skeletons that they had to fight through. They are able to recover all their equipment and head back to Haven.
August 13th - PC's first morning back in Haven. They spend a week in Haven recuperating, and discussing plans with the town fathers (especially Peldrin and Brakov). In that time McMillan is attacked by the winged beast north of town who demands a way back home, and McMillan tells him about the horn. The group goes to peek in the mirror that brought them here, but seem to be waylaid at the house, though nothing is taken and they cannot remember it. They discover the mirror missing, and something has been nesting in the basement. They follow tracks to the east. Though McMillan loses them in some rocks a couple of miles along the river, they find a tower not too much further along. Heading back to town, they learn this is the home of Kissool.
August 20th - Much of the information they have found leads the PC's and Peldrin to suspect there may be information regarding ancient heroes and holy weapons of Iomedae in this canyon, and the church requests they investigate this orc leader. The PC's journey back to the canyon to confront him, and engage in a battle that nearly decimates the party, though upon finally meeting the orc king, he bears a weapon that seems to stop him when he attempts to attack Lynnaeth. They manage to defeat him, and upon picking up his sword, Lynnaeth is immediately filled with the sense that this is indeed The Holy Flame - the ancient weapon of Castillo, a hero of Iomedae dead for hundreds of years.
The PC's spend the next four days resting and return to clean out the remainder of the orc cave. They fall prey to an ambush of the remaining orcs that they easily best. They find a chamber of stone statues that they suspect may be humanoids turned to stone by some creature, and also find a wall of stone arms and faces that attempts to draw them in. Alric is plagued by nightmares after first seeing the wall, and the group returns to get to the bottom of it. Alric is sucked into the wall, and the group cannot seem to find any way to retrieve him. Firby begins trying to destroy the wall, but McMillan decides it is a lost cause and tries to run. The area is suddenly filled with darkness and other creatures appear to begin attacking. The group is aided without warning by a group they recently met called Blackfist Company. Only with their help is the wall destroyed just as Alric would have suffocated. One of the men of Blackfist Company yells at McMillan for abandoning his brother, and the company claims all the treasure in the next room (of which there is a lot) for themselves, telling the PC's they can consider it their pay for helping them, and if they disagree they can take whatever money they feel is fair out of McMillan's future earnings. After Blackfist Company leaves, the PC's discover one item they missed: another of the silver teeth in the mouth of one of the bodies that fell out of the wall. It would seem this tooth calling to Alric is what caused his Nightmares. The PC's also discover the tomb of Castillo, and bring back a scroll penned in his own hand to Peldrin and Brakov. They also discover an orcish armory, and in selling all the swords and armor to the blacksmith, they make enough in trade to buy horses and tack for the whole party. The group decided their investigations must take them south, and prepare to depart Haven for Bastion.
August 24th - PC's leave for Bastion first thing in the morning, joined by Cadmus who is finally released from jail. They wish to go meet the Iron Duke, whom they have learned has a powerful magical item that may be sought by the evil forces they have encountered.
August 26th - PC's discover a patch of ruined farmland, and upon investigating the farmhouse they find it empty and signs of struggles in the ground outside. They are attacked by ankhegs coming up from below the ground. PC's follow them through their tunnels to look for any signs of people that may have been taken. They find three more ankhegs in their lair and defeat them, and signs of many victims, but no survivors. They decide they cannot spend the time here they wish to give the bodies a proper burial, but will send word back to Haven upon reaching High Ford, and are content that no one else will be killed by these monsters.
August 27th - PC's reach High Ford just after noon today. They are told that they cannot bear open weapons in Bastion unless they are registered, and taken to the registrars office to do so. They register as an adventuring company, and call themselves "The Knights of the Burning Blade." They all sign a charter, agree to have their weapons peace-knotted while inside the city, and go to a tailor to have their emblem created. They are told the clothes will be ready in two days, and find a room at an inn. There they meet two adventurers named Retameron and Halia, whom they share tales with well into the night.
August 28th - The next morning the PC's learn there has been a murder in town. Apparently, it is the second paladin killed in as many nights, and displayed and mutilated in a ritualistic fashion.
SEPTEMBER 717