After plundering the Sparlklestone mines Melkor decided that it was time to pursue his own agendas for a while. As our heroes ravaged the supper that Tremeld Sinivihta served them in the Foresthouse Inn, Melkor revealed that their next destination would be the city of Asbravn, Darnons biggest city after the capital Iriaebor. They would cross the Hasturs Crossing and travel to the town of Darkshallow, and after resting there for a night, they would continue to Asbravn.
Before taking the path to Asbravn, our fellowship decided to update their pseudonyms. And thus Melkor became Lemor, Arius became Suira the Slayer, Douglas chose the name of Keldorn and Jared wished to be Valygar Blackbag. And together they would be called the Luskan Renegades, group of fearless mercenaries from Luskan.
To Darkshallow!
June 5th or 5th of Kythorn in Faerunian calendar our proud posse left for their quest. Their able steeds galloped to the Crossing of Hastur where they helped to farmers, Krent and Urvald to cross the stream with their donkey. After this valiant act they continued to east, towards the town of Darkshallows. It was almost an evening and it was grievously clear that they wouldn't make it to the town this day. To crown all, they saw riders in eastern horizon. Luckily for our "Luskanian mercenaries", the riders weren't the notorious Riders of the Black Cliff, popularly known as Skull Riders. They were Lieutenant Conder and his men, soldiers from the city of Asbravn on their way to the western borders. Little did Lieutenant Conder know when he started to question our heroes about their origins, that those few questions with bit too sharp tongue would turn to demise for him and his men.
It was 'bout noon next day when our merry brotherhood reached the town. If a little town can be a dead place, Darkshallow was even worse. Everything was grey and way beyond the best before-date. Old wooden church with unmarked belfry governed the center of the town, while housing gave room for the fishermens huts in the waterfront of lake Darkshallow. After questioning the barsmaid Adele in the Red Apple Inn it became clear that the new priest Father Lonhard with his men had become a hammer of tyranny and oppression, murdering three fishermen without a trial on a charge of devil worshipping acts of treachery. Old fisherman Keoff Nattarley knew few details more and advised our heroes to inquire man called Mulroon, Father Lonhards right hand, fat & drunk mercenary often seen rumbling in the Red Apple.
Terrible setback!
Day became night and our heroes cunningly digged the facts out of Mulroon while he was drinking heavily. Three executed boys were innocent and father Lonhard had framed them up for his own motives. Along theu inquiry, Arius and Douglas challanged Mulroon to a drinking game, resulting in small bar fight which ended when Douglas kicked Mulroons knee-cap to smithereens. While Melkor and Jared were sober next morning, Arius and Douglas were far from it. Troubled by massive hangover, they fought themselves up as Adele came knocking in, warning our heroes from a lynching mob waiting outside the Inn. Our fearless party decided to face the villains as there were no other exit than the front door, even though the dusty windowpanes of the Inn didn't clearly show what they were up against.
On the yard there were father Lonhard and his four men. Accusing our heroes of devilish treason, Lonhard launched an sudden attack against them, summoning a fiendish dire wolf (horrible beast from the Monster Manual) to aid his dark cause. Battle ravaged terribly, wounding our heroes badly, but leaving the enemy dead and maimed. Only Lonhard managed to escape, even though Melkor launched a lightning bolt against the evil cleric. Following the priest to the church, the
fellowship ascended steep stairway into a small chapel or chamber which revealed a secret tunnel into a small underground pond most likely linked into the lake itself. There was father Lonhard fording into the body of water, while a altar of stone stand on the edge, and on the altar there were three skulls, still covered in recently dried blood. Melkor finished the crazened cleric with yet again precise bolt of lightning, but the battle was far from being over. From the pond arose a slimy being later identified as Uchuulon (search from the Stormwreck guidebook), a horrible a crustacean aberration with loads of slime and tentacles. The creature suprised everyone with it's speed and before Arius even managed to lift his shield the unearthly beast punctured it, piercing it's deadly crab-like claws into poor prince's stomach, raveling his guts and pulling the life out of him (The DM Jakubias rolled 20 + 20 + success, scoring a instant kill, which he celebrated shortly). This atrocious act shocked everyone, as Arius's mangled corpse fell to the floor.
Altought horrified by the creatures blow, rest of our heroes quickly resumed in action, dragging Arius away from the creature, grabbing Lonhards golden medallion that Douglas had spotted earlier and escaping through the tunnel. The monstrosity was hampered by the cramped tunnel so our heroes had time to set the whole church in fire, burning away the devil and the slaughtered corpses of their enemies.
As the heroes watched yet another religious building reducing to ashes the few villagers thanked them from their heroic act and oathed to help them whenever they would need assistance. Rest of the day our shattered fellows gathered themselves up and mourned their fallen comrade. Melkor knew that in order to pursue his own goals, the revival of Arius would crucial, so they mustered old cart from the townsfolk and begun their slow journey towards Asbravn, Arius laying cold in the cart.
To AsbravnNext day, after succesfull campnight beside the road, our fellows were getting closer to the city, they rescued a injured man from small group of marauding commoners. Man was Nemerd Stonetower, an official in the city of Asbravn, in his way to Darkshallow for statistics and drafting. He demanded to be escorted to Asbravn, and promised speak the heroes in no matter what time it would be when they would reach the gates. The man stood behind his words, and even recommended a tavern/inn called Whispering Maiden near the gates. From there the heroes began their quest of finding out a person suitable to improve the general condition of poor Arius. Cuven the Whispering Maidens innkeeper knew old man called Sembor, who once long time before the current state of tyranny and intolerance, operated as a powerfull cleric. And so our heroes met the old priest and convinced him to help Arius.
Upon the resurrection of Arius, old man Sembor demanded to hear the boys full name, and as Melkor pronounced the boy to be Ariendur Grivald, the long lost prince of Darnon, the old geezer was petrified. So honoured by the chance to save the prince and maybe save the whole kingdom, the old cleric began chanting powerfull mantras for his deity Lathander, who shone his brilliant light upon the body of Arius who soon rose alive yet again but still confused by the terrible depths of faithless death. This act drained the last og Sembor, who fell on his chair, propably knowing that his deed would later change the future of the kingdom.
The fellowship was whole again, and there was no better way to bring Arius back in business than going on as usual. And so Melkor began searching the house of Four Winds, a possible site holding valuable writings which could reveal secrets that Melkor was looking for. Instead of finding a huge library, Melkor found out that the house was turned to a guard post. Luckily a man called Walther Purpletide, former apprentice of Ulverus the Sage, the master of lore who once lived in the house of Four Winds. Purpletide told Melkor that the texts he was after were carried into ancient dungons below Asbravn, shortly before Ulverus was captured and convicted for life in prison as a traitor. And so Melkor knew the next step of his quest.
Meanwhile Jared and Arius were searching for new shield for Arius to replace the pierced one. But this search soon escalated into a sidequest where they were searching for the urn of Brella Kempwoods husband. A burglar who stole the urn, called Mulk, was found in Rustys, old rundown boozer, but he escaped to the roofs, resulting in spectacular rooftop chase scene. But as always, the heroes caught the villain, and they received tons of gratitude from Brella, who even gave her husbands young dog called Hero to Arius, who promised to raise the dog to be a ferocious beast but also a loyal friend.
In search for the ancient texts
Next morning Walther showed up ready to take the reunited heroes to old waterdrill, situated near the keep of Asbravn. After dealing with two guardsmen patrolling the waterdrill, our heroes managed to ascend in to the well, and found a collapsed
section of wall revealing the old dungeons. There they moved through the ruins consisting of ancient houses and streets, partially buried in rubble and soil over the long centuries. They found three old metal sheets, size of a small book, covered in strange writings. Melkor promised to study it's secrets later. They also encountered horrible carrion crawlers with their paralyizing tentacles. Business as usual, the critters were soonm slaughtered with ways untold. After the crawlers, the heroes were also encountered a rapture locust swarm, horrible creature that hypnotized and filled it's victim with euphoria as it was eaten alive by the swarm. The swarm also was utterly destroyed. And soon after the swarm, as the company reached the safe deposit of Ulverus the Sage's books, they realized that the swarm had destoyed the books.
After long minutes of searching, they were lucky to discover a metal chest holdin Ulverus's journal infused with drivel about the apocalypse soon coming because of the actions of Red Wizard Alzarseth who was in high standings in the King Osander II court in Iriaebor. In the chest there also was a small but potent book, Tome of Worldy Memory which Melkor identified to be useful whenever a knowldege about anything was needed. And then Melkor found what he was looking for, a withered book which soon deteriorated into his hands, but a important page survived, which he preserved in his pocket, not showing it's content to the others, insisting that it would play key factor with Arius and his sword.
As the merry band surfaced and moved to the Whispering Maiden, their thoughts were set into the Sunset Mountains, the next waypoint on their incredible adventures, where Arius's sword would find it's true powers. But what secrets Melkor kept hidden from the others...
