Future of Fire (D&Dvil Campaign)

Future of Fire, also known as the D&Dvil (pronounced D&D-evil) Campaign is an experimental campaign created by Jared. The players are evil and do evil things, slay good things, or do things for evil reasons or an evil endgame. Hilarity, uncomfortable situations, and occasional dramatics ensue.

Player Characters
Dungeon Master: Jared
 * Yenmorn Strongsteel
 * Edgidus Bastardus
 * Billius Haeds
 * Diana Cross
 * Daeren Ilgaran

Deceased Characters

 * Nuranna Haeds
 * Anavel Maltae

"I Seek the Strongest of Adventurers."
The story begins with all of the characters in the city of Grotto, a sketchy gambling town that is a seedy breeding ground for crime and illegal dealings. The players are all there for their own reasons, whether it be for business, fun, or both. But for some reason or another, they end up in the Black Cat Inn, which is owned by Anavel "Vel" Maltae.

While there, a messenger in black plate mail arrives, requesting only the strongest and most daring of adventurers accept a task. He mentions a very large reward. Several people stand and begin to walk over to him. The man holds up his hand and adds that this is a quest from Roland the Black. At this, many people sit back down. The party remains standing and begins to speak with the man. He refuses to answer many questions until they get to Roland, so they go off to his tower.

Once there, Roland tells them their quest: retrieval of an orb from a cave. One of the catches is that there is a dragon that is supposedly guarding this artifact. The party accepts the reward (a large amount of gold, except for Nuranna, who convinces Roland to part with his assistant on completion). They travel to the cave of the dragon, going inside and slaying the beasts within. Mostly Umberhulks and Ogres. Eventually they get to the dragon's "chamber." Instead of fighting the dragon, they strike up a conversation. Dar, the dragon, offers the party his own deal: bring Roland's head to him and they may have the orb for themselves. The party learns from Dominic (the soul of an ancient, powerful necromancer housed in the gauntlet of Edgidus) that the Orb is an extremely powerful artifact He tells only Edgidus that the Orb is one of the ten world changing artifacts known as the Orbs of Dragonkind. The party accepts the dragon's deal, and ventures back to Grotto to form a plan. They decide to stock up on special weapons and purchase protective magic before they face Roland. After their shopping, they go to the Black Cat and rest for the night.

The next day, they begin to put their plan into action. After many mishaps that involve starting a bar fight in the Black Cat that destroys everything, they finally kidnap and capture Roland's henchman, whom they begin to interrogate. This does not seem to achieve anything, as the henchman (whose name is revealed to be Macius) tells them nothing. As Dominic discovers, this is because of the geas on Macius' neck. Daeren convinces him to tell them what they want, since it is obvious that he will die anyway. He begins to tell a very important secret about Roland, but his head explodes before he has a chance to say anything. It is a huge mess.

They disregard the mostly botched plan and just go to Roland to do battle. Once there, they fight the wizard and prevail with, surprisingly, no casualties. However, Vel's pride is injured as she is turned into a mouse, and Yenmorn has "one strike" against Nuranna for attacking him while she was under Roland's control. After looking around the study, they find an amount of loot: two rings (which Yenmorn takes), a journal (which Daeren takes), an amulet, and a wand (both of which Edgidus takes).

The journal tells of Roland's quest for the Orbs of Dragonkind, one of which Roland owned. That orb was modified, as were most of them (so the journal says), and now holds the form of a ring, one that Yenmorn took. They take Roland's head and go back to the Black Cat to regroup and rest. Yenmorn experiments with the ring and Daeren studies the journal. Upon the new day, they go to Dar and give him the head.

They gain the orb after a somewhat threatening exchange with Dar and go back into town, with most everyone going to the Black Cat, now mostly repaired by Paul. Edgidus instead goes to the Red Apple. While there, he speaks to the Orb, which has not been modified and retains its full power. The Orb identifies itself as Kuraba, and tells Edgidus of another person searching for the Orbs. Kuraba describes this person as "either a great threat or a powerful ally." While this is going on, everyone goes about their business at the Black Cat. The next day, everyone meets in the Black Cat's common room. Not long after Edgidus arrives, the door is kicked open and a huge, seven-foot-tall, dark-armored half-orc busts in. He says that the Imperceptor demands the assistance of Vel and Edgidus, who had sought his help when Vel was turned into a mouse. The man says that they are able to bring any companions, but they must follow.

For the Church
Once in the Church of Bane, they head up to the Imperceptor's study. During the discussion they have, the group is told that they will be paid to destroy a newly made Temple of Torm to the north-east of Grotto. He says that they must slay everyone inside and that blood must be spilled within. He gives them an unholy-looking scroll of magic that he tells them had "been written by the Black Hand itself." He warns them that, if they want to survive, they must use it far away from the church after killing everyone inside. Even so, it is obvious that his only real concern is that the Tormites be reminded that they are in Banite territory. The group agrees, with a good bit of reluctance from Vel and Nuranna, and heads out of the Church and to the front of the town to begin their travel to the Temple. Yenmorn and Nuranna have a brief disagreement about her annoying the Imperceptor with nagging about using his torture chambers. That results in the ranger nearly killing the rogue and another strike against her.

En route, a member of the Se'let accosts them. He delivers a message before killing himself before them. The group is mystified and perturbed.

After reaching the new Temple, the Tormites welcome them as travelers and usher them in for healing. When they are healed, they head back once more into the woods surrounding the Temple, deciding to wait until night to attack. They are found by a sentry and brought back to the church. Once inside the Temple, they begin their slaughtering. Nuranna kills a group of injured that the healers were assisting, and Daeren fireballs a group of toddlers. After this, they head to the back of the Temple where they do battle with a visiting Primarch, managing to kill the Primarch. During their battles, they come in contact with a mysterious group of people known as the Exarchs, which prove to be quite formidable. After making sure that they had killed everyone in the Temple, the party goes outside and opens the scroll. The ink comes off the page and turns into a shadow, which introduces itself as the Shadow of Bane. The Shadow waves its hand in front of the Temple, and a large green fire engulfs the entire building. An explosion takes place, and when the fire and light clears, the party sees that the Temple is not only gone, but looks like it had never been there to begin with. The scroll then turns to ash, and the party heads back to Grotto to speak with the Imperceptor. Once back, he is pleased to hear of their success, paying them and saying that they now have a favor that can be called in at a later date. Lars, the half-orc from earlier, recommends that the party leaves while the Imperceptor is in a decent mood.

The Bamor Job
The party once again finds themselves in the Black Cat. Everyone is going about their business as usual until a cloaked man walks in and demands to speak to Vel in private, saying that he has business. The man is old, and his face shows many wrinkles, though his hood covers most of it. Vel takes the man into the back of the inn, where no one will overhear them. He says he will pay very handsomely if she were to assassinate the Baron of the city Bamor, Baron Yule. He gives no reason, but shows her a small chest full to the brim with platinum. With greed in her eyes, she accepts the proposition and tells the man to return after a few days. As he leaves, he bumps into Nuranna, and she notices that the man is not what he appears to be, feeling metal where there should have been the soft cloth of his robe. Angered, the man pushes past her and everyone else, leaving the inn. Vel, while packing up for her trip, is advised by Paul to bring along the party, since Bamor has recently increased security. Reluctantly, she admits that it is a good idea and brings them along.

After learning that it would take a day or two to get to Bamor, they decide to take a carriage. They find one for cheap, with a canvas cover and a door that closes, and all pile into the back. Inside they see a round table with a small gnomish man sitting at it. The gnome wears a wide-brimmed hat with a huge purple feather. He introduces himself as "Ghan" and begins to have a conversation with the party. They instantly realize that this man has some sort of magic, as he knows some things that he is not supposed to (mostly their names and their pasts). He asks if they want to play a card game, bringing out a deck of cards. He shuffles and tells them all to draw a card. Their suspicions of magic are proven when the card game turns out to be a magical gamble. Fortunately, none of them actually lose anything, though Edgidus receives Yenmorn's hatred. When they are done, they are all surprised by the carriage driver opening the door, telling them that they have arrived at Bamor. When they turn around, they see neither Ghan nor the table, but they leave regardless. Having arrived at a late hour, they all go to the nearest inn to sleep. While there, they all have strange dreams.

Nuranna has a dream in which she sees a huge throne made of bones, a man with a huge hammer with a blue sphere fixed into the head sitting on it. Edgidus has a dream in which he stands in front of a bald man in robed plate mail. Edgidus is not alone, however, and although he does not know who his companion is, he feels as if he knows them. The robed man is holding an orb that flashes different colors, and as he raises it into the air, it floats toward a stone throne. Yenmorn dreams of his home town being burned to the ground, its dragon killed. Vel has a strange dream of a man's face. He is pale, with dark messy hair that comes to his neck. He only has one eye, and his non-natural one seems to only be made of dark clouds. She awakens when a small purple pupil appears and locks onto her. Daeren has a dream where he talks with Ghan. There he reveals his full name, Ghanishan, and says that he likes Daeren, who has "potential for amusement." He tells Daeren that if he ever wishes to become a literal dragon and bring fire to the world, then he would need to speak with a man named Crowley in Dunwich. But before Daeren can ask any other questions, he wakes up.

Later that day, while doing some recon to find out when they would be able to kill the Baron, Nuranna is arrested for pickpocketing. While being escorted to trial, she attempts to escape by attacking a guard. After a short battle with the guards, and some convincing from Vel, the guards end up taking Nuranna as well as Vel and Yenmorn to holding before court the next day. Due to not committing any crimes in the city, Vel and Yenmorn are set free. Because of the resisting arrest and threatening the life of a guard, Nuranna is sentenced to death. But because of the Baron's mercy, as he is the one presiding over the court, he only chops off her left hand. After recovering and much more recon, they are able to sneak into the Tower of Wisdom, where the Baron lives. They climb up, sneaking past some guards and killing those which detect them, reaching the bedroom of the Baron. He is not there, but the party finds a secret door leading up. Going upward, they find the Baron screaming at a staff. The party sees that the staff holds the Red Dragon Orb. Corrupted by the powers of the orb, Yule is in possession of a great deal of fire magic, which he uses against the party. After a dangerous battle, the Baron is slain. Daeren takes the staff, which still houses the spirit of a great dragon, which refuses to identify itself to the "undeserving." Needless to say, after killing the leader of the city, they all leave with haste back to Grotto.

Enforcing the Taxes
Once back in Grotto, the party lays low for a few days while they recover from the battle and while Vel waits for her payment. Daeren manages to get on the dragon's good side by burning the small village Ingford to the ground; because of this, Daeren is able to use the staff's powers and now knows the name of the dragon: Tyrasmus. Finally, the robed man returns and wishes to speak to Vel. Going into the back room, he tells her that he is very satisfied and pays her a substantial amount of platinum pieces. Afterward, the man asks for Vel's help with one more thing. He tells her of the town Helenport, a small place that is in a state of unrest and has always had a habit of withholding taxes from Bamor. He says he will pay her again to go and collect his taxes and bring them back to Grotto, where he will be waiting to take them away. She, of course, agrees, and the man leaves.

While Vel is conducting business, Yenmorn listens to some gossip around town. The town is abuzz with talk of the new shop that opened a day or two ago, "The Gods' Scorn." They say that it sells enchanted items and artifacts. Daeren learns of this as well and decides to check out the shop. The owner of the Gods' Scorn is a man named Dante. After asking Dante about the more powerful artifacts of which he is in possession, Daeren learns that he does not sell them to anyone. Dante says that they are earned. Daeren inquires about how he would earn one, and Dante says that he would have to do an "inventory run" - he must go to the treasury of the Lich Duke and take an artifact without the Lich Duke finding out. When Daeren brings a suitable one back, Dante will trade for what he has. Daeren agrees to this and leaves, telling his companions about the job as well.

Paul tells Vel that a letter sealed with wax came for her. Reading it, she finds that it is a note from a certain "D," telling her that he has been hired to assassinate her. However, he respects her ability, and says if she pays him a certain (outstanding) amount of money, he will postpone her death. He gives her a few days to respond. Furious, paranoid, and unwilling to part with her gold, she goes to speak to the Imperceptor. While there, she talks with him about cashing in on her favor that he owes her. After some banter, he accepts, but says that it must be a trade. He tells her of a talisman that the Gods' Scorn is holding. He says that he needs it, but he cannot just take it; it would cause too much trouble. Vel agrees to get it for him, thinking that she could get an artifact from the treasury and trade it in.

Nuranna, too, finds it necessary to do an inventory run for the Gods' Scorn. Seeking a replacement hand, as the hook she has been using is not particularly useful, she learns that Dante has one. Though she is suspicious of the details surrounding it, she decides it is her best bet and supports the trip to the Lich Duke's treasury.

Regrouping at the Black Cat, the party decides to go to Helenport first. Going there and intimidating a town official, they are able to get the supplies and move out back to Grotto, with Yenmorn noticing that all of the guards there are watching them. While on the road back, they are ambushed by a group of attackers. One is a huge man with a large hammer wearing a tabard with a burning gauntlet on it, which is recognized by the party as the emblem of the Hand of Light. Dispatching these attackers takes much effort and a smashed lute, but they manage to survive with all of the goods intact and, after cleaning themselves up and tending to the horse that was wounded by bolt fire, they head to Grotto. Once there, they hand off the supplies to the employer, who has his own posse and horses. He pays them and leaves without much ceremony. Deciding to rest a bit before tackling their next quest, the party returns to the Black Cat.

The Treasury of the Lich Duke
Traveling westward, they head towards the Citadel of the Lich Duke. Led by a dwarven guide, they enter through a hidden opening in the back of the citadel, which was built into a mountain. As they walk around, Dominic tells Edgidus that the Lich Duke was once a powerful mage by the name of Matthas Silvertongue, his rival that defeated him and trapped him in a gauntlet. After moving through some traps and opening several doors (and fighting a mimic), they open up a gigantic room. This room is a huge room, with several arcane runes carved into the ground. The runes change colors and give off an obscenely powerful magical aura. Daeren is able to tell that this room is something extremely arcane and powerful, and Tyrasmus tells him that this room could be used to bring about his burning future. Dominic tells Edgidus the same thing, but not for an apocalypse. He tells Edgidus that this is where they can use all of the Dragon Orbs and activate their power at once. However, none of them can use this at that time. They continue to explore. One of the doors of the room opens to what seems to be mausoleum hallway, with slots of dead bodies in the walls. Another is paneled with mirrors. This hallway seems to go on forever and emits an eerie aura, and Edgidus shuts the door, saying that he does not want to deal with that.

Opening the last door, they find their goal: the treasury. Inside is a huge hoard of gold and items, piling up to the ceiling. They all take something, Yenmorn and Edgidus finding some weapons, Daeren finding some small things that he is able to tell hold immense power, Nuranna picking up a skin-bound manual on creating flesh golems, and Vel finding a large, wicked-looking black mace. Before they leave, they notice something special at the top of the hoard: a floating, brass orb. Immediately recognizing a Dragon Orb, Vel jumps up and grabs it. After some introductions, this orb being a complete orb and holding the full spirit of a dragon, they hear a scream. Nuranna collapses, having picked up an item that shrieks so loudly it incapacitates those nearest it. Another, more substantial scream answers. Dominic quickly tells the party that the noise was Silvertongue in response to an intrusion to his treasury. The party does not need any more encouragement to sprint out of there (levitate under another's spell, in Nuranna's case), and they did so gladly.

Arriving in Grotto with their lives, they almost immediately go to the Gods' Scorn. They do their trading, with everyone coming out of the deal with something unique. Edgidus earns a book which will, according to Dante, teach him the basic fundamentals of wizardry. Daeren trades for a small mirror, a metal box, and an orb that allows communication with demon. Vel barters for the talisman that the Imperceptor wanted, and also intends to give him the mace. Nuranna decides to keep the manual for now, intending to make a copy and a golem (without using the book's magic) to send to her brother. She then asks the Imperceptor for her favor: a weekly delivery of six corpses to the Black Cat. Yenmorn receives an artifact known as the Tome of Tongues, which enables the person who reads it to magically learn every single language known to mortals. It has a chance to "shove" one of the languages already known by the reader out of their mind, making them forget it.

Everyone, except for Vel, goes back to the Black Cat, having had enough adventure for the day, tired from running from an angry, extremely powerful Lich. Yenmorn reads the book to learn all languages, but the magic of the book makes him lose his ability to speak Common. Nuranna sets to familiarizing herself with the manual. Vel goes to the church to speak with the Imperceptor. When she gets there, she hands him the small leather pouch with the talisman. He accepts and brings out a box with a sizable brick of platinum, saying that this should be more than enough. She takes it, but before she leaves, she gives him the mace. Excitedly, he takes the mace from her. He says that she has done a great service to the church, and that she now can consider herself a friend of the church because of this service. Confused, she leaves and goes back to the Black Cat to sleep. As she leaves and shuts the door to the study, she hears laughter coming from inside.

A Long Awaited Development
While the rest relax at the Black Cat, Yenmorn investigates a rumor regarding a half-orc bandit asking for assistance. The bandit says that he is a recruiter for the White Hammer bandit clan, a rather infamous and old group of marauders. He tells Yenmorn that he was sent to Grotto to gather a group of people to be paid to help the White Hammer with a "delivery." Yenmorn goes back to inform the rest of the group about this job opportunity. All of them decide to go, except Daeren, who is stuck in infernal stasis communing with some dark power. The orc, who decides to remain nameless, informs the party that they need to go to Gliney in order to get more information on the job from the employer directly. He hires a carriage and takes the party that way. Before they leave, Nuranna makes a few posters and puts them up around town, calling for the assistance of a wizard and telling them to go to the Black Cat.

Some time later, they arrive outside the walls of the city. They meet their employer in the woods, far from the eyes of any watchmen. He is a nervous man introducing himself as Klimmik, the leader of the White Hammer. The job details are these: they are to deliver a "package," which happens to be a kidnapped child, to someone named Labrula, whom Klimmik describes as a "tentacle-faced bastard," east of Bamor. He also gives them a box full of strange crystals, which Klimmik says will help "keep the bastard out" of their head. The party has no problems with this, except for Nuranna, who does not attempt to hide her displeasure with the nature of this job. Regardless, they accept the payment and begin to make their way to Labrula. All the while, Nuranna argues with the rest of her crew about the job, saying they should just take the money and leave, not delivering the girl. They disregard her, keeping her away from the child, and continue to walk.

After traveling a ways, they take a pit stop in the city of Bargar. Edgidus decides to go to a blacksmith and attempts to peddle some of his spare weaponry and supplies. Nuranna goes off to do the same, shopping for some general goods. Yenmorn, Vel, and the girl go to a tavern and find some food, Vel intimidating the girl into silence before she talks to anyone. Edgidus joins them for food as well, and they begin to walk towards the exit and resume their journey. Nuranna never rejoins the party. Instead, she disguises herself and goes to one of the guards, giving a detailed description of the rest of the party and the girl, telling the guard that they are assisting in the kidnapping and selling of the girl on behalf of the White Hammer. She then goes around the back way, hiring a carriage to Gliney. Her actions cause a guard checkpoint at the gates of the city, and the guards question the party as they try to leave. Vel tries to explain what is going on, saying that she is good friends with her mother and is taking the girl to her. The guard asks the girl the same question, and the girl begins to cry. This is all the information the guards need, and they demand their surrender, placing them under arrest. Vel peaces out, using the power of the brass orb to teleport out of the city to return later. Yenmorn tells Edgidus to run with the girl, and Yenmorn uses the power of the White Orb to blast the guards with magical ice. It does not do much to stop the guards, who then proceed to pepper Yenmorn with crossbow bolts. Edgidus assesses the situation and sees it as too much effort to fight, surrendering. Yenmorn is mad but realizes that there is no way that he would survive a fight against the guards. He joins his companion in surrender. The guards proceed to arrest and shackle Yenmorn and Edgidus, leading them to the prison. Vel sneaks back into the city, disguising herself so no one will pay any attention to her. There she begins to scope out the prison, formulating a plan to break them out.

All the while, Nuranna has been going to Gliney. Whenever she arrives, she seeks out a construct wizard to make her a magical hand. She finds a woman that is able to do that for her, and Nuranna pays outright. She is told to come back in a few days, and Nuranna agrees. After that is done, she hires another carriage to Grotto. Convinced that her former companions will seek revenge, she intends to deal with the flesh golem's creation before returning for the hand. Reaching Grotto, she speaks to Paul, attempting to convince him to leave the Black Cat and help her. He says the only thing that would allow him to leave is a resurrection spell. Giving up, she gives him a note for Daeren, full of lies in an attempt to convince him to help her. She heads for her room to grab the manual and finds that her requested wizard has arrived. He introduces himself as Delron, and they agree to discuss business at the tower Nuranna realizes once belonged to Roland. She pretends not to know anything about Roland's death as they ascend into the tower, Delron's homunculus carrying the corpses delivered by the church of Bane. Delron sets to work, and Nuranna stays in a guest room. The next morning, she borrows a map and a cloak from him, saying she will return them when she comes for the golem. To her brother mailing the manual and a note requesting a false corpse in her likeness be sent to the Black Cat, and to the Bamor guard mailing a tip on the location of the previous mayor's murderers, she attempts to make a short-cut through the woods on her way to retrieve her new hand.

Meanwhile, with the help of Vel and a dwarven monk named Kor, the rest of the party escapes from Bargar and heads back to Grotto. Kor finds employment with the Church of Bane, and the party begins worrying about their next move: revenge. Daeren is especially angered, having detected Nuranna's attempt to deceive him into helping her. An official from Bamor delays them briefly, having come to warn them to stay out of Bamor given the delicate situation regarding the murder and the tip, but otherwise Nuranna's schemes create little chaos.

Death of the Back-Stabber
With Yenmorn heading the party, they delve into the woods outside of Grotto, following Nuranna's scent from her bed sheets. After the hunting party's near-fatal encounter with a displacer beast pack lord, night falls. Thinking she has enough time to rest before the hand's enchantment wears off, and being extremely exhausted from two days of walking, Nuranna climbs into a tree and sleeps for a while. The rest of the party decides not to sleep or rest, traveling onward through the night. Eventually, they stumble upon a campsite. There, they see the familiar, now horribly scarred, face of Klimmik, the leader of the White Hammer. Enraged, he tells the party that Labrula blamed him for their incomplete job, messing up his face and decimating his clan. Attempting to take revenge on the party, he tells his crew to attack. Though still wounded from the displacer beast attack, they manage to dispatch the rest of the bandits and continue looking for Nuranna.

After more traveling, the party finally finds her. She attempts to hide in the tree in which she slept while using her grappling hook and the cloak to send a decoy flying through the trees. This fails. Daeren casts a magical spell enabling him to fly, starting to hover towards the tree. Vel gives an impassioned speech on vengeance, and Yenmorn trains his bow on Nuranna. She tries to escape using the treetops, jumping from one branch to another. Yenmorn shoots her, wounding her and making her unable to move as quickly. When Daeren finally reaches her, he tries to knock her out of the tree. After the arrow and the attack, she falls out, unable to keep her balance. She tries one last time to escape, sprinting once she hits the ground. Yenmorn tags her with an arrow, wounding her again, yet not killing her. Before she is able to escape, though, Daeren blasts her with a ball of fire, incinerating her. Yenmorn stabs her through the heart with the Crimson Blade, raising her as an undead before lopping off her head to prevent her being able to rise again. The party takes some of her things, divvying it up between them, before burning the body and going back to Grotto, most of them satisfied with their revenge.

They arrive back late at night. Exhausted, they decide to sleep, except for Edgidus. He goes outside into the back of the inn with Nuranna's remaining belongings in her old backpack, including her hook hand. He digs a small grave and buries her belongings, her corpse being annihilated. After this, he goes back inside, sleeping after studying his book.

Journey to Castle Dunwich
When the party awakens, they go downstairs. Surprisingly, there is only one person there, not including Paul: a bald man with strange tattoos and wearing fancy looking robes. He is drinking from a goblet that he obviously did not get from the Black Cat. He introduces himself as Kale, saying he is an emissary of the New Order. He goes on to say that he has a business opportunity for them. Lord Crowley, the leader of the New Order, is revealed to be the one Kuraba had spoken of long ago, the other player in the Orb game. Kale tells them that Crowley wants the Orbs for his own reasons, and already has many of them. Due to reasons both political and personal, he cannot go and get them himself. So, he wishes to become the party's patron, paying them when they bring him an orb. They are told that if they accept, they will be allowed to keep their Orbs while they gather the other ones, only "returning" them when they have found the rest. Kale warns of what will happen if they decline, saying that they will gain quite a powerful adversary. The party, somewhat reluctantly, agrees to Kale's proposal. After taking a toast, Kale tells them the location of the next Orb, which they are to retrieve by any means necessary.

The Blue Orb is in the possession of the Ulagar Kingdom. It is a ceremonial hammer given to those in high authority, now being held by the Ulagar Ambassador to the New Order. However, it is warned that the hammer is still functional, and highly dangerous. Kale says that the ambassador will be headed back to the Ulagar capital city in the next few days, and he gives the party the route. After the party once again agrees, he bids them farewell and leaves for Castle Dunwich, which he tells the party to go to once they gain possession of the Orb. Before they leave, Vel goes to the church to speak with the Imperceptor about the New Order. Malbourne tells her that the New Order is of no real threat to the Church of Bane, but gives her instruction to plant a very powerful espionage enchantment wherever Lord Crowley might happen to be, just to keep tabs on him. She agrees and after meeting up with the rest of the party, they head west to head off the ambassador.

They pass through several towns and villages on their way to Dunwich. While in one of these towns, they stay in a tavern for the night. After dealing with a petty thief that made off with some of their gold, they meet a young half-elven girl named Sylva. She talks to the party, and soon the party learns of her lust for adventure and to escape the boredom of her mundane life as an innkeeper's granddaughter. Whether it is out of pity, interest, apathy, or even plain malice, they allow the girl to join them, at least to Dunwich. Ecstatic and exited, she packs up her things and joins the party on the walk to Dunwich. She proves to be chatty, but actually amiable, with Daeren of all people seeming to be okay with her. Vel, however, dislikes her and wishes to be rid of her as soon as possible. On the road to Dunwich, they pass a somewhat familiar looking covered carriage. Nearby there is a sign that reads "Free Card Readings." Ignoring the words of warning from the party, and spurred by Vel's words of encouragement, Sylva goes inside. Once there, she meets a familiar face: Ghanishan. He convinces her to draw from his deck, and she draws a card that changes her significantly, although no one could tell how so. After she drew the card, Ghanishan left, and the party continued to walk towards Dunwich.

The party arrives late at night, so they decide to wait until morning to start working on a plan of action regarding the Orb. They buy rooms at an inn and sleep. However, Edgidus goes to Sylva before she can go off to sleep. He tells her to leave, warning her about the dangers of both the life they lead and the people he associates with, listing all of the evils the party members had done. Sylva, feeling betrayed and heartbroken, runs away in tears. Edgidus chases after her, telling her to live her life how she wants it, and gives her the Darkblade for protection. She says that she is going to dedicate her life to stopping people like Vel, Yenmorn, and Daeren. She bids Edgidus farewell and leaves. Edgidus goes back to the inn and takes the room that Sylva was about to use, then goes to sleep.

The Ambush
The next morning, they begin to plan for their ambush. They purchase a map of the surrounding area, and they decide to travel to Wayminster and wait in the woods near the road and ambush the ambassador there. They purchase the help of a carriage driver, making their way to Wayminster. It takes them some time to get there, but they are still ahead of the ambassador and his posse. They get food and a room, given that they have not eaten for a significant amount of time and that it is close to night when they arrive. Yenmorn, ever the listener for gossip, picks up on something about someone seeing the "Devil of Sidalgo" around the forest. The party asks about this, and they learn that a logger, Sidalgo, acquired a book of great magic. After reading it, he began to change mentally. He became paranoid and irrational, eventually running into the surrounding woods. Days later, as the loggers were chopping down trees, they heard his voice. Running to the sound, they saw a hideous creature with red skin, cloven hooves, thin membranous wings, huge ram horns, and a horrible disfigured looking human face. The logger said that the face looked a bit like Sidalgo. The town is now convinced that the beast is their friend, and they all refuse to go back out there. Of course, the party does not take it for much more than a story, and they go about their business as usual.

They set up a small camp on the edge of the Ihaupin Forest on the road between Wayminster and Hebrook, a town from which they know the ambassador would be coming. While they wait, prepared for battle, Vel hears something behind them, calling for assistance. She looks back and sees the creature the logger described to them earlier, far, far away from the rest of the party. She tries to warn the party, but when they look back, they see nothing out of the ordinary. The Devil walks towards her, muttering about being given "release." Daeren decides to take a look through the lenses of a magic user and casts a spell which allows for seeing through invisibility. That allows him to see the beast, and the beast immediately turns towards him. The beast whispers "sorcerer" and again demands for release. Daeren takes that to mean "shoot me with magic missiles," because that is what he does. As soon as he does so, the beast disappears, but not before he tells Daeren that he has been "marked." The party tries to shake off this strange occurrence, waiting longer for the ambassador.

Eventually they see a foreign-looking carriage being carried by four large orcs, three in plate mail and one in robes. Daeren tries to cut any future battle short and immediately fireballs the group, but it does not affect them, sizzling out due to a dome of magical immunity. This leads to an intense and long, grueling battle between a group composed of a warrior, man-hunter, magus, and cleric of the God-King Ulagar and the villains. This proves almost fatal to the entire party. However, due to some quick thinking from Daeren and all around excellent cooperation (and much healing), they kill the guards, except for the magus, who escapes.

They bust open the door, prepared to fight even more against an angry orc with a hammer, but instead find a fat, terrified orc. When interrogated, he identifies himself as the ambassador for which they have been searching, and he tells them that he was instructed to put it in a nearby fort for protection. The party quickly decides on a plan. They threaten the orc with death, which surprisingly works, and force him to cooperate with their plan. They tell him that he is to go to the fort and get the hammer back, bringing it to them. Daeren even puts a geas on him to further seal the deal. With hatred and terror in his eyes, the ambassador begins walking back to Froyley Keep, east of Hebrook, leaving the party where they stand.

Siege of Froyley
The party waits for a while, but then travels to Hebrook in order to make sure that the ambassador is doing a good job. Hugging the edge of the woods, they stealthily approach Froyley Keep, and watch him enter the front door. They decide to wait out there for a while for him to come back out with the hammer, making camp in the woods. During their camp, Daeren has another encounter with the Devil of Sidalgo, again dismissing it with a blast of magic missile. Yenmorn, while keeping watch, sees a robed orc come out with a long stick, and places the stick into the ground in the middle of the road. When the sun begins to come up hours later, the party sees that the stick is a pike upon which the head of the ambassador has been impaled. Realizing that this is going to be more difficult than they thought, they decide to hang back and make a new plan of action.

They decide that Vel will go in and find the hammer while the guards at the front gate are distracted. Then she will either take the hammer or come back out and tell the party what needs to happen. Everything goes as well as they could have hoped, the guards being distracted Vel making it close to where her orb says that the hammer is located. However, the rest of the stealth mission goes poorly, and after one unlucky event after another, Vel finds herself fighting four orcs on her own. She battles valiantly but is slain by an angry orc with an axe, who savagely chops into her, almost rending her completely in half. The rest of the party eventually decides to go in after her, and after some sneaky things, they find the same area. Unfortunately, they are much too late and overhear their enemies talking, in orcish, about chopping off her head and putting it on a pike. Daeren roasts them all with Tyrasmus, filling the room with the flames of the ancient dragon (and destroying everything in the room except for the Brass Orb, which Vel dropped), and they proceed to battle. Yenmorn and Daeren almost join their companion in death, but they are able to pull through with victory. They find the hammer, and the Blue Orb, behind a secret door. Edgidus picks it up and they use the power of the Brass Orb to teleport out towards Castle Dunwich to give the hammer to Kale.

While they travel to Dunwich, a young wizard named Billius Haeds arrives in Grotto. He heads to the Black Cat and asks for some information from the owner (now Paul). Billius says that he is searching for a party of adventurers that made their headquarters there, and Paul says that he will have to wait for them to get back. Billius decides to do so, purchasing a room when night falls and the party is still not back.

Arriving at Dunwich, the party is escorted to the throne room of the magnificent castle from which Dunwich derives its name. Through a door with engravings carved in it depicting a man standing on a mountain with dragons surrounding him, they see the marvelous throne room of High Lord Torum Crowley. He radiates power, and the party is taken aback at this. The spirits of the dragons within their respective artifacts are silent in his presence, and in the presence of the large, multicolored orb seated in the top of the throne. He walks towards them, allowing them to pay their respects to one of his status, and they begin to talk. He is very friendly towards them all, which surprises everyone. The party gives him the hammer, and he takes it to the throne, setting it against it. The hammer glows and the multicolored orb shines and hums a bit, before they both return to dormancy. As reward for assisting him and his New Order, as well as for incentive to continue to work for him, he gives them the village of Shyfall and the land surrounding it, dubbing the three Counts. He tells them to return to Grotto to await the papers declaring them such. He dismisses Edgidus and Yenmorn but has a private conversation with Daeren, wherein he describes his perfect world to him: a world where mortals are swept clean from the land and the land is given to the supreme draconic race. He wishes for Daeren to be a part of that, knowing what he does of Daeren's cult. Daeren agrees to assist him in gaining all of the Orbs (though no one knows of his true allegiances) and departs with his companions, heading to Grotto.

While they travel to Grotto, a young cleric by the name of Diana speaks to the Imperceptor, now known as Lord Imperceptor Malbourne. They seem to have some sort of relationship where they are close (as close to a mortal as someone like Malbourne can get), and he gives her the task of infiltrating the group that he knows to be searching for the Dragon Orbs (the party). He tells her that she is to do whatever it takes to get ownership of as many Orbs as she can and bring them to him, for the good of the Church. She agrees and goes to the Black Cat, where she knows the party has been staying. She gets a room and is immediately disliked by Paul due to her "accidental" murder of the seven commoners who were passed out on their tables (she is brutally reprimanded by Paul for this, which is a surprising development to the party when they see this the next morning, noting a change in personality). She stays there for the night, waiting for the party to arrive.

The party arrives there several hours later, near the middle of the night. A change has come over Grotto; the Banite influence has gained power and spread. Watchtowers outside the gates fly the Banite colors, and an increase in power and affluence sheaths the town. They enter the Black Cat and tell Paul that he now owns the Inn, since Vel has passed away. He gives a slight celebration of this, giving a cynical "maybe the gods do show mercy," and gives them permanent stay in the Inn. They all go to bed.

Awaking the next morning, the party is confronted by both Billius and Diana. The two newcomers are interrogated by Edgidus, since they both want to join them for reasons of their own. Billius is the brother of the late Nuranna, who had written to him about the Orbs, and Diana has her own secret agenda. After what he deems as sufficient interrogation, Edgidus allows them to join the crew. Billius inquires about his sister's possessions, and Edgidus shows him the "grave". He digs this up and finds a severed hand in her bag. Having scried her and noticed her lack of a hand, he suspects this might be hers. Reburying the rest, he returns to the Black Cat. After getting food and supplies, they decide that they are going to take a visit to Shyfall and see what their new land is like (though they still do not have the proper paperwork proving their ownership and title).

The Split
The day begins with everyone waking up in the Black Cat. Daeren has been once again incapacitated by the Orb of Infernal Communion, so he remains in his bedroom at the inn. After much time is spent shopping and burning time around the town, they decide to make their way to Shyfall. Before they go, Diana decides to test her luck trying to learn about the Dragon Orbs in the Banite library at the church. While she does not find anything, she does meet Maurice, a bookkeeper that the others in the church seem to avoid. Edgidus tries to find out more about his late companion Vel from Paul. While that happens, the two seem to develop a bond, and Paul says that Edgidus was the only one in the group that he was okay with. He then tells Edgidus his real name, Victarian. They all stay a bit longer, spending just a few more days in Grotto while Edgidus waits for his armor order to finish. On the last morning they spend in Grotto, they wake to find Kale in the Black Cat. He gives the paperwork and bestows the title of "Count" to Yenmorn and Edgidus. Daeren is not there, so Edgidus is instructed to give him the papers when he is able. After this, Kale leaves for Dunwich. Not long after, the party ventures to Shyfall.

On their way to Shyfall, a robed man gives them a small copper idol. The party figures out that it is in the image of the god Malygygg. The man does not give any more information on the item, and just leaves after Billius takes it, walking the way the party came. Despite Edgidus's concerns, Billius decides to keep it for now, and the party continues to their destination. They notice that the town Erwich has been taken under Banite control, which comes as a surprise to everyone. Regardless, before the day is over, the party arrives in Shyfall, now under the control of the Edgidus, Daeren, and Yenmorn. Billius and Edgidus speak to a priest about the former finding employment as an undertaker. Afterward, they all head to bed, Edgidus and Yenmorn going to the mayoral mansion, Billius and Diana going to the Red Chalice, one of the local inns. There, Billius communes with a god about the statue but learns nothing. Before midnight, however, he is awoken by a noise in his room. Looking up, he sees a goblin, bowing towards the small idol. They both freak out, and the goblin, who calls himself Snik, tells Billius what has happened: obviously, Billius has been chosen by Malygygg the Task Master, and he must follow Snik to his cave and speak with Raug, their Speaker. Billius wants none of this nonsense and tries to pass off the idol to Diana, who also does not want anything to do with this nonsense. So, Billius instructs Snik to stay put, and he does so. After that, Billius sprints out of the inn and accompanies Diana to the cemetery for her midnight prayers. He stays after she leaves, sleeping in his tent and not in a goblin-inhabited room. The next night, he decides to stay somewhere else: the Melted Candle Inn, staffed by a nervous looking man with a kitchen that reeks of rot.

For the next few days, Yenmorn becomes more acquainted with the people of his town, going around and learning the names of the shop keepers and what they do. He also learns what has happened to the old mayor: he has been thrown in jail for going against the will of the High Lord. During this time, Billius has finally given the idol away to Edgidus, who accepts Snik's offer and follows him from the town. Billius starts his job as an undertaker in the cemetery near the church, a large temple dedicated to the Draconic Matron, Tiamat. He meets his coworker Joshua, who seems to be a nice man. The priest of the temple appears to be extremely ill, and tells Billius of a traveler who came into town several days ago who might be the culprit. Billius files this information away for now in favor of undertaking. Diana travels back to Grotto to find a method of calming people for reasons that remain her own, then travels back to Shyfall. After deciding that she does not like Shyfall, she uses her divine magic to teleport back to Grotto. Once there, she goes to the church to pass some time.

While all of this is happening, Edgidus is having his own adventure. He is brought to the goblin cave, a large cavern that is filled with hundreds of goblins. Snik leads him to a throne room with a throne made up of bones in front of a statue that looks like a larger version of the idol that Edgidus possesses, but holding a unicorn head. Seated on the steps of the throne is a hobgoblin dressed in skins (and not from animals). He identifies himself as Raug, and tells Edgidus of the Trial of Blood that he must pass in order to prove himself worthy of being Malygygg's chosen. Raug says that he must perform an act of extreme subjugation or destruction. However, he also mentions that the ritual sacrifice of Malygygg's hated enemy, the unicorn, would suffice. He then says that he knows of a unicorn that goes by the name of Virtue, that is worshiped deep within the Twilight Vale. Edgidus realizes this might be a challenge, but accepts the trial, leaving them and going to Grotto. When he arrives, he stops by the Black Cat to catch up with Paul. He seems to be changing Black Cat for the better, and after wishing him luck, Edgidus leaves for the church, intent on calling in a few favors. He finds Lars, the large blackguard that they had befriended earlier, and asks if he wants a chance to actually kill something, with that something being a unicorn. Lars happily accepts, gathering his things before heading with Edgidus. However, before he leaves, Edgidus also conscripts the assistance of Kor the dwarf, who accepts because he wishes to travel with Edgidus again. They all begin to walk out of the church; however, they run into Diana, who has been spending some time there. He talks her into joining them, and they begin to travel towards the Vale.

During this time, Yenmorn has wandered into the Melted Candle to speak with the owner. After noticing the suspicious air of the place, he investigates the back room. Inside, he finds a pile of dead bodies and a large hole going down into the ground, a surprised innkeeper there as well. After a quick interrogation, Yenmorn goes out and finds the only other party member present, Billius, telling him that there can be some adventure to be had. He accepts and follows Yenmorn, who makes one more stop before heading back to the Melted Candle. He goes to some random guards and, after dropping title, gains a small following of five of their strongest men. Once his party is made, Yenmorn leads his troops and Billius to the Melted Candle. The bodies have vanished, but the hole has not. They head down and encounter a bunch of ghouls composed of scraps of different people. One of the guards is ripped apart in the fight, but the rest manage to push on. A voice speaks to Yenmorn, encouraging him. They reach a large door, and here one of the guards panics and crumples, convinced they are all gong to perish. Nothing can convince him to stand and fight. A man emerges from the doors. Yenmorn demands to know what is going on and for him to stand aside so he can investigate the voice, but the man insists that his master would not speak to any but him. Billius attempts to establish a rapport with the man in order to better eke information from him, but Yenmorn's pushiness foils him, and the man retreats behind the door. However, whatever has been speaking to Yenmorn opens the doors for them. The other guards, frozen in fear, refuse to join their captain and the two as they enter. In the room beyond the doors, the man is shocked that his master would open the doors to others and attacks them. The ensuing fight is brutal, and by the time Billius disintegrates the man, all of them are barely alive. Yenmorn investigates the desk and finds a journal, which reveals this place to be a shrine of some ancient, evil entity known as the Dread Lord. This entity is what has developed an interest in Yenmorn. The last page of the journal mentions a "cleric of bones" and a "crown of horns." He remembers that Diana introduced herself as a "cleric of the Lord of Bones" and files the information away for later. As they return to the surface, they pass the corpses of the rest of the guards, who have been slain by something while the three were fighting. Yenmorn commands the place condemned and guarded to keep others out. As the group drifts apart to their various tasks, Billius alerts Yenmorn to the curse on one of his important citizens. He tries to convince him to help him find out more about it, but Yenmorn returns to ignoring him. Billius returns to the condemned inn to sleep while Yenmorn returns to the mansion.

Meanwhile, Edgidus, Diana, and their two new companions begin the long journey to the Twilight Vale. Diana offers to use her divine magic to get them there faster, but Edgidus declines. Instead, they rent a carriage. The atmosphere is tense and awkward, with both Edgidus and Lars being as intentionally sullen as possible. Diana is desperate to break the tension and so strikes up a conversation with Kor. The two chat for a bit and even manage to get Edgidus to converse with them. Diana reveals a bit of her backstory when asked, saying that she grew up in Helenport. Edgidus recognizes that as the city they collected taxes from once upon a time and quickly changes the subject. He asks if any of them have ever been to the Twilight Vale before. Diana tells of the one time she tried to venture inside but was turned away by a rude elven man. They eventually reach Cabluff, a town on the edge of the Twilight Vale. As it is almost nightfall, they decide to rest in an inn for the night. When morning comes, Edgidus, Kor, and Diana wake to find Lars attempting to beat up another half-orc. Diana, wanting to avoid any trouble, casts a calming spell over Lars' victim and convinces him to deal with the man after they leave the inn. He begrudgingly agrees, and Edgidus reminds them of their mission. The four approach the edge of the Vale, but before they can step inside, they are stopped by an angry looking elf. He tells them that only other elves may enter the Vale and orders them to leave. The party agrees, and wanders out of eyesight of the elf. Once they're sure he can't see them, they again try to enter, and are again stopped, this time by a female elf. She, too, orders them to leave. She notes the evil nature of three fourths of the party, and Edgidus uses this to his advantage. He claims that he intends to get Virtue to purify the others. The female elf is suspicious, but agrees to take them to the unicorn.

They reach the shrine of Virtue and are ushered inside. There, they find the beautiful beast sleeping peacefully. The elf wakes the unicorn and explains that there are people in desperate need of purification. With a wicked smile on her face, Diana tells Virtue that they have one more companion to be purified and summons a Bone Devil, sending it to attack the unicorn. Their vile intentions revealed, combat begins. They are able to slay Virtue and her three guards with relative ease, but more elven guards begin to flood inside and complicate matters. Edgidus uses his portable hole and shoves the unicorn's corpse inside while Kor, Lars, and the Bone Devil try to fight off the elves. Realizing that their situation is dire, Diana orders everyone to close ranks on her, and everyone does so (Lars suffering a terrible wound and Kor nearly tackling her in the process). She tells her Devil to hold the entrance and calls down a flame strike to burn the place to the ground. Before they are engulfed in flame, she teleports them to the safety of Grotto. Edgidus gives Lars the unicorn's heart as promised, shoves the unicorn back in the hole, pulls out the Black Orb, and flies away, leaving the other three baffled and confused. Lars recovers first and heals his wounds. He bids the two farewell and departs. Kor and Diana share a moment of absolute befuddlement, then the two begin the walk back to the church of Bane, making pleasant small-talk on the way. Once they arrive, Kor returns to his job, and Diana gets healing before finding a place to sleep. Edgidus, meanwhile, lands outside the goblin cave and goes to find Raug. He presents the unicorn's body (minus the heart, obviously) to the hobgoblin. Raug is extremely pleased by this. He offers to craft a weapon for Edgidus from Virtue's horn, and says that they will hold a feast in his honor. This makes for a very happy Edgidus, who asks if he can bring his companions. The Speaker agrees, and Edgidus heads back to Shyfall.

The next day, the party is reunited at last (with the exception of the still-preoccupied Daeren). Edgidus tells all of them that there is to be a banquet at nightfall and requests their presence. They all agree and go off to do their own thing before the feast. Edgidus is approached by the now-familiar High Advisor Kale, who gives him the location of the next Dragon Orb. The time eventually comes for them to head out, and they all approach the designated meeting place. Billius, Diana, and Edgidus have dressed up for the occasion. Yenmorn has not. Before they can depart, Yenmorn asks Diana about the last entry in the journal he had found. Diana immediately reacts to the mention of the Crown and nearly rips the journal out of his grasp. Moving it out of her reach, Yenmorn demands an explanation. The cleric hastily explains that a "cleric of Bones" is a title given to high-ranking members of her clergy, and the Crown of Horns is an ancient artifact. Satisfied, Yenmorn tears out the last page and gives it to her. Edgidus leads the party to the goblin cave, much to their confusion. A cave is, after all, no place for a banquet. Once inside, he introduces them all to Raug, who tells them that they will have only a few minutes to eat in peace before the rest of the goblins will descend upon the food. In all the confusion, Diana pulls Yenmorn aside and demands that he tell her where he found the journal. He tells her of the Dread Lord's shrine underneath the city. That troubles Diana, and she explains to Yenmorn that this Dread Lord is a very bad man, god of all things evil and nasty. The ranger asks if she would be willing to go back to the shrine with him the following day to investigate. She agrees, and then flees the banquet, claiming to have very important business to take care of. Meanwhile, Edgidus takes the throne and is presented with his unicorn horn sword. He smirks, clearly overjoyed with this development.

While the rest of the party goes to sleep, Diana word-of-recalls her way to Grotto and sprints through the streets at breakneck speed on her way to the Banite Church. She all but kicks down the doors in her haste and skids to a stop in front of the startled escritoire. When Frederick questions her as to her purpose in coming, she demands an audience with the Lord Imperceptor immediately. He is hesitant, but changes his mind when she shows him the journal entry she still clutches. Despite the late hours, he takes her to see Malbourne. The Lord Imperceptor is not exactly happy about his apprentice's sudden and uncalled for appearance, and tells her that she better have a "damn good reason" for the intrusion. She practically shoves the page in his face while hopping up and down excitedly, monumental grin never wavering. Upon reading the journal entry, the Imperceptor's annoyance disappears and is replaced with his own (less giddy and girlish) brand of excitement. He tells her that this lead takes priority over her current assignment, should she get the chance to follow up on it. She mentions that it was found in a shrine to the Dread Lord underneath Shyfall, and they both agree that that is bad. He gives her a black scroll and instructions to destroy the shrine before shooing her away. Diana all but skips out, girlish squeals of glee fading into maniacal laughter.

The Legend of Diana, Wind Walker
Daeren wakes from his coma-like trance speaking to some outsider to find that a lot of stuff has changed (Banite Nation, Paul owns the Black Cat, everyone is gone). He finds some notes on his door, one from Edgidus telling him where to find his party. After speaking with Paul and deciding that he has had enough of this town, he leaves for Shyfall and his party. Diana leaves the Church of Bane, heading for Shyfall as well. Edgidus wakes up and leaves his cave, Billius the Melted Candle, and Yenmorn the mayoral mansion. They eventually find each other and fill Daeren in on what he has missed these past several days. They all check out the shrine to Destun the Dread Lord under the Melted Candle Inn. The Dread Lord menaces in general, particularly Yenmorn, in whom he had previously developed an interest, and Diana, who tries to speak to him. Unsure what to do, they leave, Billius inquiring about possibly renovating the inn. The villains pass some time with almost mundane actions. Daeren sets up his magical tower fort near the edge of Shyfall. While he is exploring the rooms, Yenmorn approaches him to identify some items. One, a ring carved from stone, is not particularly specific but seems to want a command. The other, a purple diamond, is not of a magic that Daeren can identify. Leaving, Yenmorn practices using the ring, which he discovers creates a humanoid creature out of dirt and stone. Edgidus talks with Daeren regarding his plans with Highlord Crowley. Daeren explains that he does not "deal" with him but tolerates him. Billius works at the cemetery making money.

While no one is around, Diana takes the scroll that the Lord Imperceptor gave her to the Melted Candle Inn. After checking to see if anyone is around or inside, she uses it, calling upon the aspect of Bane himself (displeased at being summoned) to destroy the inn and the shrine to the Old God. After a dramatic light show and a huge demonstration of power, the aspect disappears, leaving a crater where the inn and shrine used to be. Diana uses her magic to teleport back to Grotto, frightened at the prospect of Bane's anger. During the dramatics, the entire town shows up. Daeren questions some of the people while Yenmorn has his guards try and keep the peace. Daeren finds a witness that tells him a woman in a red dress caused a horrible monster to appear, and then she vanished. Satisfied, Daeren leaves the man. Yenmorn sends a letter regarding that occurance to the Highlord.

While at Grotto, Diana runs into the Church to be told that Malbourne has stepped out on business. Frederick, the person who works the front area of the Church, tells Diana that he actually sent a courier to Shyfall for her not an hour ago. He tells her that it was from Malbourne himself, and she rushes out to try and find the courier before he reaches the town, renting a horse to assist her. She eventually finds him, halfway to Shyfall. He gives her an official-looking letter, relieved to be done carrying it, and another one. She reads them both before giving the courier her horse to ride back to Grotto.

Edgidus decides that it is time to set out on their journey to Fiminster and retrieve the Bronze Orb. He meets up with Diana (unaware of what just happened with the courier), and they decide that they will leave in the morning. Billius closes up shop at the mortuary, taking the time alone to ask a god about the hand he found in his sister's belongings. Upon learning that it is Nuranna's, he immediately severs the connection and takes a moment to regain his composure, having placed himself in grave danger by speaking to the higher being. Borrowing one of the corpses, he celebrates still being alive. Afterward, he sets the corpse back the way it was, sans its tongue, and cleans up before heading to the mayoral mansion to sleep. Both he and Diana were earlier given permission to stay there by Edgidus.

Everyone wakes up the next morning ready to travel on Crowley's next assignment. Though the Counts receive their official signet rings, Yenmorn is angered to find that someone stole his Amulet of Truth during the night, and no one knows who it could be. The crew decides to worry about that later as they prepare for the long journey to a town called Fiminster, a place to the east in the land of the Council's Republic. Before they are able to start planning, Diana mentions that she has magic that can assist them in traveling there. Using this magic, what would have taken them more than a week takes them around five hours of straight travel. They use this magic, turning into wind and air, shooting off into the direction of the town. After flying over many places (including the sea and a burning town), they arrive outside of Fiminster. Hungry, they go to the nearest inn, the Fiminster Inn, and order food.

Fully satiated, they get to work and find out that they do not have to look hard for the Collector, as everyone knows of him and where he lives: the largest mansion in town, a building that dwarfs the others. They go, convincing the guards that they are on business, and one of them leads the party into the manor, leaving them in the care of an old man named Sam, as they are unable to gain an immediate audience with the Collector. The party tells Sam what they need: the Orb, though it appears to have taken the form of a scepter. Diana adds that she wants the Crown of Horns. Sam, again and again, tells the party that he is unable to just give them away. Instead, he tells them that the Collector would be willing to either sell the artifacts or trade them for something equal in value, or a mix of both. The party, begrudgingly, accepts this and leaves to go back to the inn to make plans in private. Billius stays behind to ask about another object before joining them. Once all together, they start coming up with ideas, ranging from killing the Collector, burning down his manor, burning down the town and leaving the manor, and burning down the town including the manor. However, they are unable to decide on one specific plan. Diana identifies Yenmorn's purple gem that he had recovered from the Shrine of Destun. It is a window to some other plane, and the party considers using this as a trade.

Edgidus goes to the Collector's manor himself, seeking an audience with Sam. Instead of the bald, elderly man, he finds a young boy answering to that name. Sam talks to Edgidus as he offers his Tome of Wizardry. There he learns that the Tome is quite valuable, and Sam tells him that the Collector would be interested in owning it, though he would not be willing to part with the Crown and scepter for the Tome alone. Edgidus accepts this and goes back to the Inn, where he finds Diana just pacing around, upset that she is so close to completing her quest to find the Crown but unable to finally take it. Yenmorn practices with his magical ring, summoning dirt men over and over again, trying to unlock the secrets that the artifact holds, failing though he feels so close. Billius finds a notice board, taking up a day job as some hired muscle for a meeting in town that pays ten gold. He does the job and is paid, nice and simple. After that, he goes to the Inn with the others.

Triumph
The party wakes and they meet over breakfast. Diana is practically bouncing with excitement, claiming she's come up with a foolproof plan. The others humor her and head to her room to hear her out. She explains that she has a ritual that will allow her to enlist the services of an "entity" to steal the items she needs. Conveniently failing to explain the exact nature of the ritual or where she found it, she asks that the group help her pay the price the entity will demand. They rather reluctantly agree, seeing as they have no better plan. Since the ritual must be done at midnight, the group splits up to pass the time.

Billius stays behind for a moment in order to ask Diana something. He requests she keep what he has to say between the two of them, and she has no problem agreeing. Billius asks if he could use her ritual to steal an item that would resurrect the dead. Disgusted by the thought, Diana tells him that she cannot help him with such a task.

Yenmorn spends his day fighting bears.

Daeren and Billius (after leaving Diana's room) go back to the Collector's mansion to do some unrelated shopping. Sam, appearing as a middle aged man, gives them a tour, showing off many impressive items. None really seem to catch Daeren's interest, but Billius asks in a language that Daeren does not know about resurrecting the dead. After discussing the lack of much of a body to work with, Sam directs him to a jar that contains an Efreeti (a sort of evil fire genie). He asks Sam what it would take to obtain such an item, and Sam says they can discuss cost once the other customers leave. Meanwhile, Edgidus wanders around the city for a while looking for work while Diana tags along behind him. Having found no tasks suitable for his skill set (stabbing things), Edgidus and Diana return to the Collector, where they join Daeren and Billius in their tour. Everyone except for Billius eventually leaves, having not found anything to purchase.

Sam and Billius then begin to talk business. The older man agrees to part with the Efreeti if Billius is willing to risk his life in order to achieve his wish. When Billius says he will do so, Sam shakes his hand and gives him the jar, telling him to open it inside and away from anyone else. Billius returns to the inn and immediately locks himself in his room. He wastes no time in rubbing the jar, summoning a terrifying entity from the Plane of Fire. The Efreeti, who introduces himself as Daravari, is not at all happy with his job, and it is with greatest disgust that he asks Billius what his wish is. After thinking long and hard about how to word his wish, he explains it to the Efreeti. While all this is happening, several other patrons of the inn hear the explosion that comes from the wizard's room, including Diana, Daeren, and another man. The two party members go to investigate, and Daeren scares away the other man. Diana touches the door, realizes it is burning hot, decides that whatever is happening is none of her business, and begins to wander away. Daeren, however, stays and eavesdrops on the second half of the conversation.

The Efreeti explains that the cost for this wish is life-long servitude. He asks Billius if he is sure, and after he agrees, begins to chant in an unfamiliar language. Then, in the corner of the room, the body of an unconscious and resurrected Nuranna Haeds materializes. Billius covers her with his robe. The Efreeti then places his hand upon the wizard's neck and burns a handprint into his flesh. The pain is so unbearable that Billius lets out a blood-curdling scream. The rest of the party -- and in fact the rest of the inn -- hears this and runs to investigate. Outside Billius' room, Daeren suddenly finds himself surrounded by curious and alarmed inn patrons, along with Edgidus, Yenmorn, and Diana. The young cleric tries and fails to disperse the crowd, so Yenmorn screeches in an eldritch language for them to leave. They do so. Edgidus kicks down the door and comes face-to-face with Billius, standing in the middle of a soot-covered room, with an angry red handprint on his neck. The wizard asks them to leave, but Daeren pushes in, so he instead asks Edgidus to keep Daeren and the others out. The fighter attempts to do so, preventing the masked sorcerer from making much progress. The party demands to know what is going on, and Billius tries to assure them (with little to no success) that everything is fine. While he is stalling, he manages to teleport his sleeping sister away. Diana, meanwhile, manages to put two and two together and realizes what Billius must have done. She loses her cutesy, friendly air as she demands to know if Billius brought a soul back from the dead. He admits to intending and hoping that he did, and Diana explains that such an act is viewed as sacrilege to Clerics of Myrkul. However, since Billius is helping her retrieve the Crown of Horns, she agrees to let Nuranna live as long as she would have if she had not been murdered, on the condition that Billius do everything in his power to retrieve the Crown. Daeren and Yenmorn discuss the possibility of a resurrected Nuranna, neither of them being thrilled at the idea. Edgidus, however, warns Billius of the danger the sorcerer and ranger pose to his sister, and tells him the story of how she died. He does not take this well but thanks Edgidus for the warning.

With the help of a sleep aid, Billius studies and tries to nap to recover his spells, but the Efreeti's handprint keeps him awake. He summons the Efreeti, who demands that he always speak to him before resting and to keep the jar with him at all times. The wizard agrees and finally sleeps until midnight, when he and the rest of the group gather in Diana's room to preform the ritual. Diana mixes a potion and chants a strange chant, then all the lights in the room go out. Diana then has a conversation with a voice only she can hear. Once it is over, she tells the others that the "entity" (in truth, just a skilled thief) will get the scepter and Crown, in return for 500 platinum. They agree to help her pay. She says it should take two days. She omits, however, the part where the Collector will be assassinated.

Two days pass uneventfully. Daeren tries unsuccessfully to recruit people in a nearby village. Billius visits his sister to determine if what was brought into this world is truly her. She is, but she says that something is hunting her and she must keep on the move, inside at night, and away from water. He helps outfit her for possible adventures and general running before teleporting her to Grotto with instructions on where to head to next. He also receives the manual for creating flesh golems from their parents, which Nuranna had mailed home to him some time ago. Diana has been holed up in her room waiting to hear back from her contacts. At the end of the two days, she finds a note stuck to her wall by way of a wicked-looking knife. Scrawled in blood upon the parchment are the words, "Your friends failed."

Diana informs the group of the bad news. They decide that they will make one final attempt to bargain with the Collector, and if that fails, they will simply kill him. So, wasting no time, they hurry to the mansion and request an audience with the Collector. Sam leads them to his office, where a grotesque and horrific, pale and skeletal, gigantic and bent man waits for them. Behind him sits the Crown of Horns and the scepter. The group presents a collection of magical items they have collected over the weeks in hope that it will be enough. However, it is Yenmorn's Crown of the Gods that tips the scale in their favor. Losing that, Edgidus' Tome of Wizardry, and Daeren's Multi-gate, they leave the mansion with the scepter and Crown of Horns.

Outside, the Crown fills Diana with an overwhelming sense of completeness, although she does not wear it. Not trusting Diana to carry both it and the scepter, Daeren attempts to take the Crown from her. She protests, and Edgidus manages to diffuse tensions by convincing Diana to give him the scepter, which she does more than willingly. Their mission complete, the party gathers around the cleric as she uses her magic to fly them to Dunwich. She drops them off outside the gate and tells them she will go back to Shyfall, as she feels it would be bad for the Highlord to know about her. Instead, she teleports herself to Grotto and heads immediately to the Church of Bane.

Edgidus experiments with the scepter before they enter the city, using its ability to observe the world around him to look for Diana, first in Shyfall, and then in Grotto. He finds her, but is unable to keep track of her. He attempts to find her in the church, suspecting her destination, but cannot. Giving up, he stows away the scepter, and the party continues on to Castle Dunwich. They are escorted into Crowley's throne room, where they present him with the bronze scepter. Crowley is pleased, but somewhat annoyed that someone would tamper with an Orb in such a way. He thanks the party, after introducing himself to Billius, and orders Kale to show them out. Once they leave the room, Kale begins discussing their reward. He proposes they wait, and receive an even greater boon on a later date. He also mentions that they will soon be employed to complete a much different, greater mission that would affect the politics of Dremida, but before he can elaborate, they are interrupted by the appearance of a daunting figure. Seven feet tall and wearing platinum armor made of dragon scales, sporting a huge shield and glowing blade, the newcomer storms into Crowley's throne room. The evil members of the party are filled with feelings of immense dread at his mere presence. As the Highlord stands to meet the newcomer, they get the impression something very bad is about to happen. The glowing man points towards Crowley, calling him a Tyrant. After announcing that he has one month (to do what is up to the interpretation of the listener), he turns to leave. Kale frantically orders the guards to attack, but he simply cuts them down. Crowley is in a rather upset mood after that, and the party is told to leave (first by Kale, but after he is reminded of his place by his friend, Crowley orders them to leave, addressing them as his Champions as he does so). Outside of Castle Dunwich, Yenmorn's brass orb and Daeren's staff explain to their wielders what they had just witnessed. They explain that the armored man was a vassal of Bahamut, the king of the dragons, and incredibly powerful. They discuss this for a bit before deciding to return to Shyfall.

Meanwhile in Grotto, Diana seeks an audience with the Lord Imperceptor. Seeing that she is clutching the Crown of Horns, she has no difficulty convincing the guards to let her in. Malbourne is at first furious at being interrupted while doing whatever it is he does during the day, but falls silent when he sees his apprentice and what she holds. The Lord Imperceptor congratulates her on this tremendous accomplishment. He then instructs her to hand over the Crown. Diana is reluctant to do so, as the essence of her god is whispering to her, telling her to free him. It attempts to convince her to put it upon her head, but she insists she would not be strong enough to succeed. With difficulty, and assuring herself that it is for the best, that she could not save her god by herself, she gives Malbourne the Crown. He tells her that they will succeed and the Dead Three will rise again. Ordering her to resume her hunt for the Orbs, he dismisses her. Diana bows graciously and leaves, though the feeling of loss and betrayal that comes with releasing the Crown dampens any joy she might have felt at completing her mission and making her patron proud.

The Return/More Dragon Nonsense
A week goes by after the events of the last session. During this time, the players go about doing their own business, whether that be checking up on cultists, doing spy stuff, undertaking, or simply ordering magical items from a craftsman. Regardless, after a week of downtime, the party somehow winds up back in Shyfall. Changes that have occurred in the town include the arrival of a cult and the depletion of the gold in the town treasury, but that is not the focus. Kale, advisor to the Highlord and quest-giver on his behalf, commands the party to meet in the Mayoral Mansion (which is also the town hall) and informs them of a new mission from the Highlord himself. This has nothing to do with the Orbs, instead dealing with the Highlord's fascination with dragon artifacts. Kale tells the party (sans Diana, who noped out as soon as she saw Kale) that they have recently discovered the location of a Dracolyte Tomb. As the party eventually learns, the Dracolytes were a group of people who worshiped all dragons, both good and evil. As such, they were disliked by both sides of the spectrum, and eventually were wiped out. According to the information that the Highlord learned, this Tomb holds an artifact of great power: The Bulwark of the Great Dragon. The party is told that they will be paid when they bring the artifact to Kale, and they are also welcome to any magical items (and he is sure that there are some) that they find in the Tomb. This gets everyone on board, and they depart immediately.

They search the Tomb, finding magical items and defeating undead guards (one of which Billius masters via command undead), until they find the last room, which should contain the Bulwark. However, opening the door and peeking in, Edgidus finds the man in platinum armor taking the shield from its resting place. After they watch the man leave the Tomb, Bulwark in hand, they go back to Grotto to have the magical items identified. Delron, at the God's Scorn, tells them that he has no idea what the items are or what they do, and the party departs from there. Edgidus, Yenmorn, and Daeren all return to Shyfall. Billius, needing assistance in finding out the mystery behind the "Town That Should Not Be," hires a mercenary to help him. After that, he also goes back to Shyfall. Diana sees some interesting individuals outside of the Church of Bane at Grotto, which are technically three of the most important people in the Nation. She is rightfully made nervous by their presence (except maybe High Inquisitor Silas, whom she knows is very friendly), and, after a brief talk with the Lord Imperceptor, goes to the Library to speak with Maurice about the Dracolytes. She finds a copy of the book Edgidus found in the Tomb and reads as much as she can before her comprehend languages spell wears off.

Events

 * The party again encounters the Vassal, who made off with the Bulwark.
 * The party gained possession of the Tabard, Amulet, Dagger, and Spear of the Dracolyte.
 * Kale did not seem too pleased (and was a bit nervous) when he was informed of the issue with the Vassal and went back to Dunwich to tell the Highlord.
 * The Hand of Ilgaren relocated to Shyfall.
 * Billius has an undead construct under his command for over a week, and also has a mercenary under his employ. Billius also learned more about the "Town That Should Not Be," Chumagorod.
 * Diana was told to be prepared for a very important mission in the near future.

"The Angry Wagon From the West"
The next day, the party (sans Diana, who is supposedly still in Grotto) plan to take a trip to Dunwich to appraise the Dracolyte relics that they got from the Crypt the other day, but when they realize that it would take a few days of travel to reach the city, they decide to investigate the mystery behind Chumagorod, much to Billius's appreciation. After they get the party together (including Matt the mercenary and the undead that Billius commands), Highlord Crowley arrives to speak with them in the Mayoral Mansion. As they speak to him, they notice that he is in a very bad mood about the Vassal stealing the Bulwark from the party. Kale is not with him, for some reason. Crowley tells the group that his spies have gathered some information on the Vassal, and this includes his name, organization, location, and the fact that he possesses the next orb: the Silver Orb. The Vassal, whose name is Gabriel Lancer, is the head of the Hand of Light, and Crowley wants the party to destroy the entire group in retribution. He says that his spies have also gathered information on the rest of the Hand of Light, and says that if they die, then the entire group should crumble. Billius says something (quite astutely) about the creation of a power vacuum, but Crowley disregards it, saying that he will "take care of it." After he makes sure the party knows of the importance of this mission and that they can take their time with it, he leaves for Dunwich.

The party gather themselves together, mentally and physically, and decide to find out what is happening in Chumagorod before they do anything else. Traveling to where the town used to be, they find ruins of buildings, but also one that remains standing. They enter, fighting undead and giant spiders along the way, until they find a man praying at an altar. Instead of attacking them, he speaks to them in a friendly, grandfatherly way. After some dialogue (and after Yenmorn shoots him with an arrow), he says that he is one of the devout of Zhantol (the Ancient god of pestilence, vermin, and plague), that his name is Sairas, and that he is one of the people that helped destroy Chumagorod. He and his other cultists did this by creating a "perfect" plague, which killed all of the people inside of the town, and he and his brothers and sisters destroyed the buildings "for fun." While they speak, he says that he was just ordered by Zhantol to "spread the infection." He admits that order is vague, and says that he interprets it to mean to infect a town with his perfect plague. After Daeren suggests that he infects Grotto, which Edgidus is very against, Sairas comes up with a better idea and gives them an offer: take a vial of the plague, infect a town in the name of Zhantol, and be rewarded with an item blessed by Zhantol himself. To keep the other party members from doing anything too dangerous with it, Billius agrees to do so (in a controlled situation). Sairas is excited about this, and bids them farewell. The party then returns to Shyfall, where they depart on their own for the rest of the day, and they ponder what to do about the Sairas situation, as well as the new information and orders regarding the Hand of Light.

Events

 * Billius accepted a request of Sairas, who wants him to spread his "perfect infection" to another town, at the order of Zhantol.
 * Edgidus learns how to (probably) contact Malygygg.
 * Diana spent the session in Grotto, spending time with Dreadmistress Octavia.
 * Billius learned that Matt's group can supply Shyfall with mercenary guards.
 * The party was ordered to kill the leaders of the Hand of Light, and they now know who they are and where they were last seen.
 * The New Order and the Banite Nation apparently have an "Agreement of No Hostility" with one another.
 * The Black Cat looks so much better, and Paul/Victarian now has employees that call him "Mr. Vic."

Progress and Intrigue
Date: 46, Month of Sun.

The next morning, Diana arrives in Shyfall after spending some time in Grotto the previous day. She goes to Billius at the mortuary and gives him a note, the contents of which are currently unknown except to those two, and then goes to the mayoral mansion to speak to Edgidus. In the meantime, Edgidus and Yenmorn are stuck in a town meeting regarding taxes, and they remain there until about two in the afternoon.

Billius, after reading Diana's note and finishing his shift at the mortuary, goes to speak with the sick priest that pointed him in the direction of Chumagorod. At the Church of the Matron, Billius discovers that Father Gyles had passed, quite horribly, to the illness that he caught. Billius speaks with his replacement, Father Narder, afterwards.

Daeren spends most of his time in his tower, conversing with his cultists. He sends one of his cultists out to find where Billius sleeps, and they succeed. Daeren, due to the presence of guards, does not act on anything for now.

While waiting for Edgidus, Diana notices that there is a man watching her from across the room. When she confronts him, he acts dodgy, saying that she just "looked familiar," eventually leaving. Secretly, Diana follows him to the "Bane Hole District," where he goes into a house. After entering the house (going through various threats and locks), she sees people playing a card game and smoking pipes. When she seems to be getting nowhere with her questions, one of the guys at the table mentions that she looks familiar, and asks if she has ever been to Helenport. After more interrogation, Diana deduces that they were talking about her resemblance to her mother, who lives in Helenport. She demands to speak with the guy from the Town Hall, and one of the guys takes her to him. When they meet, he introduces himself as Tuso. When she introduces herself as Diana Cross, Tuso opens up more to the "Lord Imperceptor's favorite." Tuso is apparently a member of the Banite Inquisition, as are the people playing cards down the stairs. There was something that called the attention of the Inquisition in Helenport, but Tuso refused to expand on that, saying that she could learn more information in Grotto. Diana, though troubled, was satisfied with her questions, and left.

Meanwhile, Edgidus and Yenmorn are released from their meeting, and converse with the party for a while. When they all meet up, after most of the day goes by, they attempt to decide what they should do next. They vote on beginning their hunt for the Hand of Light, starting with Sir Marcus. Based on the information in the scroll given to them by Highlord Crowley, he was last seen in a fort just outside Tilea in the Kingdom of Aaron. They decide that the next morning, they would use Diana's magic to travel there. After a good night's sleep, they meet up outside of Ilgaran Keep and travel to Tilea.

Events:

 * It was revealed that there is a Banite Inquisition presence in Shyfall.
 * Something happened in Helenport regarding Diana's mother.
 * The party started the quest to hunt down the Hand of Light by making there way to Sir Marcus in Tilea.
 * It was decided that the taxes of Shyfall should be increased.

Tilea
It does not take long for the party to arrive, given that they are being transported via cleric magic. Once they get there, they are questioned by the city guard, who really just tells them not to cause any trouble. The exception is Daeren, whom they tell that they will be keeping an eye on. Given that they do not know the layout and have no plan except "find the dude," they decide to wait until nightfall, spending time looking for information on Sir Marcus.

So, of course, the party splits. Billius, Diana, and Edgidus go shopping, finding nothing of (affordable) interest. Diana questions a shady trinket dealer for information, but all she gets is the name of an information broker in the Rubble District, the "sketchy" part of town: Mr. Varner. After this, they decide to find this man.

While this happens, Daeren goes to recruit for his cult, Yenmorn accompanying him (probably because he did not want to spend time with the others). Trying to get directions to the Rubble District, the first man he asks apparently recognizes him from somewhere. Daeren is confused and is unable to remember this man from anywhere (though he knows his symbol, a white claw, is important), but the stranger seems excited. He welcomes Daeren to the Kingdom of Aaron, and then leaves. While Daeren goes to the Rubble District, Yenmorn tails the man (who seems normal and boring, just going to shops and then eventually home).

In the Rubble District, Daeren begins to preach. A good amount of people flock to him, but when a gnomish man with two half-orc (though what the other half is can only be guessed) guards shows up, things get hairy. The gnome, who giggles a bit too much, says that Daeren is intruding on his territory (in so many words), and orders one of his boys to break one of the new cultist's legs. Daeren uses his fire breath to defend his flock, toasting the guards near death, however leaving the gnome without so much as a scratch. This interests the gnome, who identifies himself as Mr. Varner, and tells Daeren to leave.

Later, the other half of the party catch up to Mr. Varner in his office in the Rubble District. After some discussion, and 1000 gold, Varner tells Diana all she needs to know about Sir Marcus and the people inside and around the fort. She thanks him, and the whole party meets up.

Waiting until nightfall, they attempt to infiltrate the fort. Edgidus helps with this plan by incapacitating a guard and using magic to look like him. However, when he attacks another guard within the fort, the "sneak" part of the plan fails, and combat ensues. Guards and blindfolded people with armored robes accost and battle with the party, Diana being seriously injured, but the party coming out on top. They prepare themselves, mentally and physically, to battle Sir Marcus, who Diana can feel just beyond a door.

Events

 * The party found their way into the fort.
 * The pattern of "weird gnomish men" continues
 * Daeren is being watched.
 * The party encounters Exarchs once more, and they prove to be much more challenging, seriously injuring Diana with powerful magic.

Important NPCs

 * Paul/Victarian - The only remaining employee at the Black Cat Inn. He is a very hard worker who stays when everyone else has left, either due to the violent clientele or the violent nature of their employer. Why he stays, no one really knows, except for him. He has proven himself to be a very talented man, good with his hands (an example being when he seamlessly repairs the wall in which Daeren has made a large hole), and quite dexterous. Once upon a time, Paul was a very enthusiastic and happy person, but his personality has changed drastically. His real name is not actually "Paul." Anavel did not care to learn his actual name, instead just calling him "Paul." He does not care to correct anyone, because, like a lot of things, he stopped caring about it a long time ago. Unknown to most, he hides a sad past. When the party comes back and tells him that Vel is dead, he changes a bit. He becomes less submissive, outright telling Diana that she will not be using killing magic in his inn again. He has begun improving the Inn, making it a more comfortable place to stay, attracting people that would normally not be there. He has formed a sort of friendship with Edgidus and has told him his real name: Victarian.
 * Dominic Morte - An ancient and extremely powerful necromancer that has his soul trapped in a gauntlet, which is now in possession of Edgidus. So great was his power in life, that even in death, he is able to allow Edgidus limited magical abilities. He is very knowledgeable in most things related to the arcane, and Edgidus has learned to consult with him on matters such as magic and history. Since learning that the Orbs are on their plane, and technically within his grasp, he seems to have developed an obsession. Every time Edgidus goes "off course," Dominic is there to remind him, "The Orbs, Edgidus!"
 * Julius Malbourne - The leader of the Church of Bane in Grotto, and recently the person in charge of the city itself. The Imperceptor is usually a very business-like, no-nonsense kind of man. He dislikes repeating himself and being back-talked. He is a terrifying man who is capable of terrifying things, and who demands respect. Those who know him or know of him fear the Imperceptor, for good reason. He is constantly thinking about how to further the cause of the Church, and so the cause of Bane. Recently, two very powerful dark artifacts have come into his possession, greatly increasing his power and leaving those who would challenge the church with an even greater adversary. He is now the leader of the Banite Nation, and goes by the title of Lord Imperceptor. He also seems to know Crowley, and knows Diana in a familiar way.
 * Highlord Torum Crowley - The leader of the nation known as the New Order. Not much is known about him by the party, but he seems to have some sort of presence in the Orb game. Torum is a large, muscly man whose every movement causes a pulsation of hidden power. He has an aura of extreme potency and ability, causing those who are around him to be immediately intimidated and awestruck. He, like all who are in high positions of power in the New Order, is bald. He has a dream in which all mortals are eradicated, replaced with the perfect draconic race, which he tells to Daeren. How he goes about this is known only to him, though it has much to do with the Dragon Orbs.
 * Delron the Mage - An old wizard who has returned to Grotto due to reasons mostly known to himself, but also because of a call for wizards in the area. A drow, he is a very unusual sight. He travels around with his homunculus familiar named Lor. He is now staying in the newly revamped Wizard Tower outside of Grotto, which he says belonged to his old master Roland the Black. He has also taken over the Gods' Scorn, selling magical items and poisons there.
 * High Advisor Kale - An emissary of High Lord Crowley. He comes to Grotto to converse with the party and give them a job on behalf of the High Lord. He is bald and has many strange symbols tattooed on his head.
 * Sylva - A nice, energetic, and excitable young woman from the small farming town of Baygrove. She convinces the party to let her join them to their destination, swaying them with her speech of wanting something better for herself than working at her grandfather's inn. On their way to Dunwich, she plays Ghanishan's card game. Ignorant of the evil nature that her new companions possess, she grows to enjoy their company and begins to look forward to adventures with them. Those dreams are smashed the night they arrive at Dunwich when Edgidus tells her of the party's true nature and convinces her to leave before anyone hurts her. Feeling disgusted, hurt, and betrayed, she runs out of the inn in tears. Edgidus catches up to her, wishing her well and giving her the Darkblade for protection. She accepts and gives him an oath that she will work towards "stopping people like [Vel, Daeren, and Yenmorn]."
 * Captain Lee Brittle-Spine - Half-orc captain of the guard in Shyfall. He proves his loyalty to the Counts, mainly Yenmorn, when he and a group of his most elite venture into a lair of the Dread Lord beneath the Melted Candle. He is the only one to remain when his terrified subordinates refuse to continue further into the den of malevolence - and thus, the only one to survive.
 * Sir Gabriel Lancer - An incredibly imposing figure whose aura seems to scream righteousness, his name is given to the party by Crowley. He is seven feet tall, glows with a shining light, wields a huge shield and a glowing blade, and wears a suit of shining armor of platinum scales obtained from slaughtering red dragons. He made off with the Bulwark of the Great Dragon, which the party was sent to collect. He is revealed to be the main leader of the militant group known as the Hand of Light, and is also the possessor of the Silver Dragon Orb.

Notable Places

 * Grotto - Though it is now the capital of the Banite Nation, at the beginning of the campaign, it was a corrupt gambling town ruled by an equally corrupt mayor. It was gross, harsh, and one had to be willing to lie, steal, and kill in order to survive there. However, the Church has brought order to this place, however rough and unforgiving it may be.
 * The Citadel of the Lich Duke - The home of the Lich Duke, rival of Dominic Morte, known also as Matthas Silvertongue. The Citadel holds an important key involving the use of the Orbs.
 * Shyfall - A small town that has been given over to Edgidus, Daeren, and Yenmorn for their service to the Highlord.

Notable Groups

 * The Hand of Light - A group of militant fanatics that worship the god Torm. They have been put up against the party many times and have proven to be a threat. The party now knows the names and last location of the leaders of the Hand of Light, and have been ordered to kill them all. They are in possession of the Silver Orb.
 * The Se'let - Not much is known about this group. What is known, however, is that they have interest in Daeren. If they are benign or malicious, however, has yet to be determined.
 * Banite Nation - During the events of the campaign, the Imperceptor takes control of Grotto and makes it the capital of a new nation. He subsequently takes over territories that once belonged to the Council's Republic, expanding both their borders and their powers.
 * The New Order - The ruler of this nation happens to be the party's most recent patron, Highlord Torum Crowley.

Notable Items

 * The Orbs of Dragonkind - A group of powerful artifacts created around the different types of dragon. Each one does something different, and they are coveted by different groups with conflicting interests.
 * Owned by the party: Red, Black, Brass, White
 * Given to Crowley: Blue, Bronze
 * Roland's Ring (Ring of the Rock Fury)
 * Roland's Amulet (Amulet of Truth)
 * Mysterious Mirror (The Multi-Gate)
 * Orb of Infernal Communion
 * Mysterious Metal Box (Dwarven Fort in a Box)
 * Tome of Tongues
 * The Bloodfeeder
 * The Darkblade
 * The Crown of the Gods
 * The Staff of Tyrasmus
 * The Blue Warhammer
 * Orcbane
 * The Shock Blade
 * The Crown of Horns
 * The Scepter of Third Sight (Bronze Orb)