07. Chapter Seven

Erich and Pock open up with blasts that stun two zombies and bloody one of them. The zombies remain stunned and dazed, Flynn moves around and uses jumping blade assault on the bloodied zombie. Baltazar moves in and attacks the zombie as well, killing him. Eldaen uses radiant smite to attack another zombie, and his holy outrage destroys the downed zombie.

Pock fires an eldritch blast at a zombie, bloodying him. Erich uses mind thrust on the bloodied zombie. The other zombie attacks Flynn and immobilizes him, the other one remains stunned. Flynn misses the zombie. Baltazar swings and misses. Eldaen hits the stunned zombie with holy strike then moves to mark and engage the other.

Pock fires and misses the stunned zombie. Erich uses mind blast to hit the stunned zombie, knocking him down. He wakes back up and shakes off being stunned. The other one attacks and bloodies Eldaen. Flynn moves away and attacks the risen zombie but misses. Baltazar lets Flynn shift out of harms' way, but misses his target. Eldaen swings and misses the other zombie.

Pock fires and blasts the risen zombie and knocks it down. Erich uses hypnotic pulse on the other zombie, dazing him. The risen zombie gets back up again and misses Baltazar, the dazed zombie hits Eldaen for a lot of damage. Flynn moves in and hits the other zombie with clever strike. Baltazar moves in with his allies and uses defensive rally. Eldaen swings at the unbloodied zombie with holy strike, bloodying him.

Pock blasts the newly bloodied zombie. Erich uses dishearten on bloodied zombie. The bloodied zombie misses Eldaen, the other one moves in to attack Baltazar, bloodying, dazing and immobilizing him. Flynn attacks the bloodied zombie with clever strike, dropping him. Baltazar orders Eldaen to hit the risen zombie. Eldaen critically smites the zombie on the ground, destroying it.

Pock blasts the last zombie standing, and he falls. Erich uses telekinesis to pick up a rock from the cairn and drop it on him. The zombie stands up and attacks Eldaen, who is nearly down. Flynn hits the zombie with clever strike, knocking it down. Baltazar attacks the downed zombie. Eldaen hits the downed zombie with holy strike and critically smites him as well.

We take a brief rest. Pock and Erich begin investigating the arcane runes on the wall, and find a wellspring of energy, but they can't quite figure out what it is. It's channeling eldritch energy into the next room, but they cannot figure out any more. They then ignore cautionary words from Baltazar and Eldaen and go into the next room, finding an intricate contraption of iron rods and wooden shafts crisscrossing one another. Runes are stamped on various places, and the prongs hold a gleaming emerald. It appears to be some kind of arcane engine, and seems to be channeling eldritch energy from the feywild to somewhere else.

Erich pulls out the magic item at the center, causing a blinding flash. A loud shriek of rage is heard from an unfathomable distance, and all the runes stop glowing. The structure starts to fall apart and disintegrate, and Pock blasts a hole in the wall to let us out. Paleus shows up and begins walking towards us, and there are eladrin workers behind him to fix the Garden of Graves. We spend the night resting and talking with Paleus, and are given a feast.

They give us gifts, and the Seer comes out to praise us for clearing the Garden of Graves. The gifts are to defeat the "evil we will face" and "seek the answers that we will find." The gifts include a crystal orb for Erich, a belt of vigor for Eldaen, a newly-forged flail for Baltazar, magic boots for Flynn and a cloak of distortion for Pock. Pock asks the Seer to look into the identity of the being behind the desecration, and she has convulsions, declares him to be a great darkness from the early times, intending to throw down the heavens, and then passes out. She tells us the answers we seek lie in the history of our own world, not that of the feywild, and that she feels sure the answers are somewhere in the Prophecy.

In the lands of the Winter Court, there is a cave of shadow called Kragmorrah, and the creatures that dwell there are of a different plane, and we might be able to make a deal and pass through there. Or there is a human, a worldwalker, called the Greensinger, being held prisoner by a Duke of Winter. We decide to go to the Duke of Winter and try to free the Greensinger. Knights ride us out to the borders of the Winter Court, and we enter the Winter Court lands.

Four eladrin knights on Winter Wolves approach us, with a Cyclops walking beside them. They escort us into the Duke of Winter's court, and tell us to keep our weapons sheathed and we will remain unharmed. We are escorted into guest quarters, adorned with the skins of various hunted animals, including a dire polar bear, a white dragon and a Remorhaz. We are in a large dining hall, and there are chimes, and when everyone turns, Flynn and Eldaen sneak out to look around for the Greensinger.

The Duke and his lady come in and food is being served. After a brief excursion, Flynn and Eldaen think they see the Greensinger going into the great hall, so they go back. The Duke says "Bring in the singer!" He is about 5'2", fat, bald with a red beard, and dressed all in green. It becomes clear that they have the Greensinger's harp, and that's how they're keeping him prisoner. The Greensinger tells a story ridiculing the Duke and his retinue, then goes back to his room after pissing off the Duke.

The Duke calls upon Pock, asking what brings the "servant of his cousin Khalid" to the Winter Court. Pock asks about Kragmorrah, and is asked what he brings in return. Baltazar stands and explains that we recently ended a threat to the Feywild, which closed the passage to take us home. Erich offers to trade his music for information. The Duke tells us there is an entity outside Kragmorrah that can be contacted through the cavern using a pool at the base, the "Pool of Three Darknesses." Dwelling within the cavern is an old mistress of the entity who will have to let us pass, or we will have to defeat her and her minions.

While Erich plays Sarlonan music, Flynn goes to talk to the Greensinger. The Greensinger tells Flynn that he made a deal to sing a certain number of songs for the Duke, and then the Duke took his harp and traded it to someone else so he couldn't fulfill his end of the bargain. As we discuss what to do in our quarters, a servant brings Erich a scroll saying "Meet me in the tower garden." The rest of us are similarly accosted by feminine company.

After an evening with the Duchess, Erich finds out that the harp belongs to a dragon named Carynnthurax, who has made the arrangement to keep the Greensinger here. She then makes every effort to convince Erich to stay in the Feywild after we've gotten the harp back from Carynnthurax.

When we're leaving, we ask which way to the Summer Court, and manage to get general notions of where Carynnthurax is, and that he is a mirage dragon. It has a fight with another dragon, named Blizzard or "The Old Man" which is an older, more powerful dragon.

We begin making our way out toward Carynnthurax's lair. We make our way across the Feywild, using skills of Arcana and Nature, but our Endurance fails us and we lose a healing surge, and on the second night, we lose another. Flynn takes us into a thicket of woods following tracks, and something is rattling around in the trees.

Flynn moves toward the source of the sound, and it is revealed to be a huge polar owlbear. The owlbear crits Eldaen and hits Flynn, slowing them both with cold. Baltazar gives Flynn orders that let him flank and attack the owlbear, but he misses, as does Baltazar. Erich uses augmented dishearten on the owlbear. Pock curses the owlbear, teleports to an advantageous position and uses a blast of fire on the owlbear. Eldaen swings and misses badly.

Flynn swings and misses. Owlbear swings and misses due to the effects of Erich and Pock. Baltazar uses bastion of defense. Erich uses augmented dishearten again. Pock fires a psychic blast at the owlbear, making us all invisible to him. Eldaen hits him with his light of the living.

Flynn hits with Fox's Gambit. The owlbear, unable to see any targets, waits until something appears. Baltazar attacks with guarding attack, protecting Eldaen and wounding the owlbear. Erich uses augmented dishearten on the owlbear. Pock uses shared agony on the owlbear. Eldaen becomes visible, the owlbear attacks him and misses twice. Eldaen hits him with radiant smite and bloodies him.

Flynn uses Rogue's Luck and misses the owlbear. Baltazar orders hiim to attack again and he hits. Erich blasts the owlbear again with dishearten. Pock tries to intimidate the owlbear into surrendering. The owlbear attacks Eldaen and misses. Eldaen swings and hits with resurgent smite.

Flynn misses. Baltazar hits with Wolf Pack tactics and kills it.

Uneventful travel through the Feywild into the mountain.

We bargain with the dragon for three services. One is for Erich to play for a day, another is for Palleus to do something that will not cause a war, and the third is Pock making a new pact with the dragon.

He gives us the harp, and we determine to go back to give it to the Greensinger.

Flynn sneaks in to give him the harp, surprises the Greensinger, alerts the guards. Pock screams bloody murder and distracts one guard, Eldaen fights and distracts the other. Eldaen drops and replaces one guard, Pock sends the other running using ghost sound and concealment. We gather up Erich and Baltazar, ask the Greensinger to return us to the Wandering Inn. We learn that we've only been gone a day.

06. Chapter Six

Erich picks up corpse with living missile and throws him at the other one down the hall, putting them both next to Pock. Flynn moves up and misses with a strike. Pock curses downed undead and shifts back, then becomes hidden and fires off his forceful assault. Eldaen moves up and misses badly, then is told to attack by Baltazar and misses almost as badly. Both undead miss.

Flynn uses riposte strike on downed undead. Erich flings the living missile into the downed undead, then back down the hall. Pock steps to the end of the hall away from the undead and fires an eldritch blast that misses. Eldaen swings and misses. Baltazar gives Eldaen an inspiring word, orders Flynn to strike the downed undead. Slowed living missile stands and moves closer, other undead stands up and attacks Eldaen and misses.

Flynn misses. Erich flings the living missile at the other undead again. Pock fires and misses with Eldritch blast. Eldaen hits with holy strike. Baltazar orders Flynn to strike and he misses, then he moves back to the door. Living missile stands and moves closer again, the other one stands and attacks Eldaen.

Flynn attacks the undead and hits. Erich steps out the door and finds himself on a rickety bridge. Pock follows him out, and the two of them are heading around to flank the undead. Eldaen slashes undead with holy strike, holy outrage hits the other one, then Baltazar orders him to strike again for the same effect. Baltazar runs out the door to follow the others. The undead both attack Eldaen, one misses the other uses impaling burst against Eldaen and Flynn.

Flynn misses the undead. Erich moves toward the door. Pock follows him and they settle in for a five minute rest. Eldaen swings and misses, lays hands on himself. Baltazar moves to join Erich and Pock. Undead hits Eldaen, then the other one unleashes impaling burst against Eldaen and Flynn.

Flynn retreats out the door. Erich and Pock begin chatting about what is spawning the undead. Eldaen draws an attack of opportunity against undead, then runs out the door.

We take a short rest and determine our course of action. Eldaen, while thinking through how the corpses kept appearing, gets the impression it has something to do with the desecrated graves in the tomb. We return using another door to get back to the pile of discarded holy symbols.

The zombie meets up with Baltazar, who is holding them off. Flynn finds a piece that he recognizes from the other room. Pock sorts out the good from the bad in the pile. Eldaen recognizes one that will be easy to spot the sarcophagi for. Erich tries to use history to think of burial customs and find important pieces. Baltazar attacks the zombie with blood designation.

The zombie attacks Baltazar, the other one with reach attacks as well and he is down. Flynn uses his thievery skill to try and find something useful. Pock moves up to see unconscious Baltazar and calls upon his feywild patron to command them to go away and hit each other. Eldaen moves up to heal Baltazar and stand in front of the zombies. Erich uses sky hook to fly up and grabs pieces from everyone else, he takes a threatening reach from one of the zombies. Baltazar stands up and uses inspiring word on himself, then orders Pock to use eyebite on one of them.

Zombie attacks Eldaen, the other one attacks Erich and misses. Flynn moves up and throws a dagger at the cursed zombie and misses. Pock blasts and bloodies the cursed zombie, and a wave of necrotic damage hits all of us. Eldaen misses with radiant smite and marks the bloodied zombie. Erich telekinetically blasts the other zombie away from him, uses mind blast on both zombies, then flies down to the coffin and tries to find the right piece to restore it. Baltazar orders Flynn to throw a dagger again, and he hits the bloodied zombie.

Zombie in front saves against Baltazar, they both remain stunned. Flynn throws dagger at the bloodied zombie again and misses. Pock uses shared agony on bloodied zombie. Eldaen hits with heedless fury. Erich flies into the other sarcophagus room. Baltazar orders Pock to blast the bloodied zombie and uses inspiring word to heal himself.

Zombie in front still stunned, zombie in back is not. Flynn throws dagger at bloodied zombie and misses. Pock uses mire the mind on the bloodied zombie, then steps back and hides. Eldaen throws a trident at the zombie in the back and moves divine challenge onto him. Erich tries and fails to put the pieces back onto the right sarcophagi. Baltazar orders Flynn to throw his dagger at the bloodied zombie and kills it.

Zombie attacks Eldaen and misses, the newly arrived one moves toward Erich, then spends his action point to attack Erich with impaling burst. Flynn tries to acrobatically leap past the zombie, but lands prone in Eldaen's space and uses bat aside from prone. Pock moves invisibly out into the corridor and past the zombie. Eldaen moves up and misses with holy strike. Erich heals himself with bardic song, attempts again to re-consecrate and manages to do it, destroying the zombies.

We take an extended rest and then head back to the axe-head shaped room to fight the zombies again. After some debate, Pock blasts the Firbolg Cairn to kick off the fight.

Firbolg attacks Eldaen and misses. Erich blasts the Firbolg with mindbreak, making him vulnerable to psychic damage. Pock uses shared agony on the Firbolg. The eladrin zombies appear amidst our group and attack, one attacks Pock and he turns invisible, another one hits Erich and suffers his infernal wrath, the other attacks Baltazar. Flynn shifts and uses aerial assault on the Firbolg, missing but doing half damage. Baltazar shifts forward and attacks the Firbolg with blood designation. Eldaen hits him with blood of the mighty and uses his action point to hit with heedless fury.

Firbolg attacks Eldaen and misses, uses his action point and grabs Eldaen, draining his lifeforce, then shifts back. The plant creature emerges to fight as well and sends out a vine at Flynn, grabbing him, and sends another one at Baltazar, grabbing him and bloodying him. Pock moves invisibly out and uses Decree of Kharad on all enemies, the Firbolg and zombie attack each other, another zombie attacks the plant. Erich uses mindbreak on the Firbolg and misses, then shifts and uses his action point to turn the plant into a living missile, bouncing him off the Firbolg. Eladrin zombies move to surround Erich and attack him, missing due to his Intellect Fortress. Flynn uses handspring assault on Firbolg, killing him. Baltazar moves toward the plant and uses inspiring word on Erich. Eldaen moves over, hits the plant with his righteous Holy Outrage.

Plant creature attacks Eldaen and Baltazar and bloodies him. Pock teleports closer to the plant and away from the zombies and curses the plant and misses, uses his action point and misses with Ring of Pain. Erich uses sky hook to take flight and fly up, drawing an attack of opportunity, then he flings the plant into one of the eladrin zombies. Eladrin zombie misses Flynn, another misses Baltazar, the dazed one moves toward the plant and is no longer dazed. Flynn tumbles away from the zombies, uses sly flourish with thrown dagger on the plant. Baltazar uses stand tough to heal the group, then moves in to attack the plant with bastion of defense. Eldaen hits plant with Martyr's Retribution, heals Baltazar.

Plant creature uses twin vine attack on Baltazar and Eldaen. Pock fires at the plant and misses, moves into the plant's aura and becomes concealed. Erich uses mindbreak on the plant and misses. Eladrin zombies close in on us, hit Pock and miss Eldaen and Flynn. Flynn shifts back and throws his dagger at the plant with Rogue's Luck and misses. Baltazar takes poison damage and inspires himself, then attacks the plant and heals the group. Eldaen swings and misses the plant with valiant strike, marks one of the zombies.

Plant uses twin vine and misses Eldaen, hits Baltazar. Pock teleports next to Erich and blasts the plant, bloodying him. Erich uses mindbreak on the plant, making him vulnerable to psychic, then uses Majestic Word to heal Baltazar, who is still slightly bloodied. Eladrin zombies attack Eldaen and bloody him. Flynn throws dagger at the plant. Baltazar takes his second wind and gives us all temporary hit points, spends his action point to hit the plant with war of attrition. Eldaen hits the plant with Resurgent Smite, healing Baltazar and doing Holy Outrage to the zombies, then lays hands on himself.

Plant grabs Erich, who telekinetically shifts out of the grab, then slashes at Eldaen. Pock misses the plant. Erich fires mindbreak at the plant and crits him, keeping him vulnerable to psychic damage. Eladrin zombies attack Eldaen and one hits. Flynn moves past eladrin zombie, taking damage from attack of opportunity which radiant damages the eladrin, then spends his action point to bat aside the plant. Baltazar uses Warlord's Strike on plant and misses. Eldaen uses Valiant Strike and hits the plant, doing Holy Outrage to the eladrin.

The plant brings out the gem, leading to attacks of opportunity from Baltazar, Eldaen and Flynn, only Flynn hits and he kills it.

Tomb of Horrors Chapter Five

The lever is pulled, and there is an audible click. After a brief rest, we descend back into the tunnels and begin exploring again. Eldaen peers out of an exit in a cliff-face, and sees the first entrance where we came in. We go back and look for more trouble instead. We come to a dead-end, cannot find a secret door that Pock is *sure* is there, so he blasts it. Eldaen climbs up, and a sudden dizziness comes over him, as if he had been partially teleported. The stone and brick walls around him are pitted, there is a faint chill emitting from the walls.

Eldaen checks in with Baltazar, and then goes back in and is in a different place with broken stones surrounding a filthy pool of water. He drops a rope down to Pock and the others. Erich recognizes it as the room he ran from when we were fighting gray angels. Flynn and Eldaen scout ahead and find an open door. Outside, we do not see the Garden of Graves, and it appears we aren't in Thelanis anymore, but there is a smoky wasteland. It looks like the Demon Wastes, which makes all of us very nervous.

Flynn and Eldaen go forward to explore the rest of the building. It looks like it's been abandoned for years. After exhaustive analysis of what turns out to be ordinary double doors, it turns out that the *stairs* exit back into the Garden of Graves. We find skeletal adventurers, search them for their gold. Then we head back in to find whatever the lever opened, by way of a clearing with some obelisks. Erich finds a round stone with some runes on it, and believes it is a beacon of sorts to teleport to the Garden of Graves. When we get back in, we find the door that opened when we clicked the lever.

When Eldaen and Erich try to unbury a cairn, an undead firbolg emerges and attacks Eldaen, grabbing him. Flynn moves in with an aerial assault and lands on the Firbolg, then moves into its space. The other cairns spawn undead fey knight zombies, and they attack Pock and Baltazar. Erich uses living missile on one of the knights to fling him into the firbolg and then away. An ivy creature emerges from where the knight has been flung, and then it attacks Baltazar and grabs him, bloodying him and then swings again and misses Flynn. Baltazar attacks the vine creature with blood designation. Eldaen uses radiant smite on the firbolg, then lays hands to heal Baltazar. Pock moves invisibly next to Flynn, curses the Firbolg and takes his second wind.

Firbolg slaps Eldaen, bloodying him. Flynn uses Rogue's Luck on the firbolg. The fey knight attacks Baltazar and misses, the other one moves to attack Flynn and misses. Erich uses living missile to fling the knight into the vine creature, then force pushes Baltazar out of harm's way and mind blasts the firbolg with a crit, bloodying him and uses an action point to use mind thrust on the firbolg. The ivy creature reveals a gem where its head should be and blasts Erich, dazing and restraining him and suffering infernal wrath damage. Baltazar uses war of attrition on the firbolg and misses. Eldaen breaks free of grab, lays hands on himself and hits the Firbolg with martyr's retribution. Pock drops a curse on a fey knight, then uses ethereal stride to get out of the corner he was in, then blasts the Firbolg with shared agony, destroying him.

Flynn uses jumping blade assault on fey knight and misses. The fey knight swings back and hits Flynn, immobilizing him, the other one moves in to Eldaen and crits him, immobilizing him, and the other one saves against being a living missile. Erich uses mind break on the fey knight next to Eldaen, and is now stunned. Ivy creature fires at Pock, damaging, dazing and grabbing him, then swings another vine at him. Baltazar fires off defensive rally, then shifts up to the fey knight and hit him with a guarding attack and hits him. Eldaen negates Erich's stun with divine mettle, hits the fey knight with resurgent smite, healing Pock back to full, then uses shield of discipline to resist damage. Pock uses mire the mind on the fey knight and crits him, bloodying him, then shakes off the poison.

Flynn hits the other fey knight with his sword. The fey knight attacks Flynn and misses. Erich uses dishearten on two of the fey knights and the ivy creature, hitting the knights. Ivyheart shoots more vines out at Erich, grabbing and dazing him and poisoning him. Baltazar swings warlord's strike at bloodied fey knight and misses. Eldaen moves and swings at the fey knight with holy strike, killing him and allowing Pock to misty step away. He uses witchfire and misses the Ivyheart.

Flynn tumbles behind the Ivyheart to flank with Eldaen and misses. The fey knights move to attack Eldaen and Flynn and miss them. Erich uses dishearten on the ivyheart and fey knight, hitting the knight. Ivyheart grabs Eldaen and fucks him up, leaving him at 9 hp and no healing surges. Eldaen falls and begins dying from poison. Pock moves next to Erich and bull rushes him free of the vine.

Flynn swings and misses the fey knight. The fey knight misses Flynn, the other one moves to attack Erich and misses. Erich uses dishearten on ivyheart and fey knight. Ivyheart strikes Baltazar with a vine, and he activates his recoil shield. Eldaen briefly regains consciousness. Pock tries to blast the vine holding Baltazar.

Flynn misses. The fey knight hits and immobilizes Flynn. Erich activates sky hook and flies away, using a blast to sever the vine. Ivyheart stands, fires a vine to grab Erich, Baltazar and Flynn, dropping Baltazar.

Flynn uses his drowmesh to become invisible, takes his second wind. Erich is also knocked out. Flynn flees, leaving Pock hiding and Erich, Baltazar and Eldaen dying. Eldaen shakes off the poison and wakes up, just barely, and feigns unconsciousness. The fey knights return to its cairn, Pock and Eldaen watch the Ivyheart beginning to move away. Flynn hides outside. Eldaen stealthily wakes Baltazar and tells him not to move.

The Ivyheart, having seen Eldaen, charges him and knocks him out. Baltazar stands and wakes up Erich, who grabs Eldaen and flees. The Ivyheart blasts Baltazar and drops him. Flynn gives Eldaen a healing potion to wake him up. Flynn passes another healing potion to Erich, who wakes up Baltazar, and they all flee down the hallway as the enraged Ivyheart comes at them again.

Pock hides and rests until he's sure he can get out, then sneaks back out of the room. We go to the map room and take an extended rest, then decide to explore the room that kept changing. We explore the room, which is tinged with Dolurrh. A walking corpse comes into the room.

Flynn, out of sight of the undead, takes a moment to become hidden. Undead moves in and fires bone shards at Eldaen, Baltazar and Erich, hitting Baltazar. Pock curses the undead, fires witchfire, but the creature dodges, then Erich force pushes it into the rubble. Eldaen swings his radiant smite and hits, then swings with heedless fury and misses. Baltazar grants us all bonus damage.

Flynn swings and misses. Erich fires mind break at the undead. The undead hits Eldaen, who is vulnerable due to his heedless fury. Pock takes an attack of opportunity from the undead, which takes radiant damage, then fires ring of pain at the creature. Eldaen misses with resurgent smite. Baltazar uses inspiring word on Pock, then attacks with guarding attack.

Flynn attacks and bloodies the undead, and a necrotic wave comes out and we take damage and he heals. Erich uses mind break on him again, and bloodies him. The undead takes ongoing psychic, hits Flynn and takes radiant damage. Pock uses shared agony on the undead and misses, doing damage only to himself. Eldaen misses with a holy strike. Baltazar directs Flynn to backstab the undead.

Flynn attacks with jumping blade assault. Erich blasts the undead with psychic damage, continuing the psychic vulnerability. Undead fires spines out again, hitting Flynn and Eldaen, then spends an action point to hit them again and hit Erich as well, dropping Flynn. Pock destroys him with a blast. Eldaen stabilizes Flynn. We try to take a brief rest, but are interrupted by a shadow humanoid.

The shadow attacks and misses Pock, who teleports away and becomes concealed. Flynn leaps over the head of the undead and attacks him. Erich steps back and misses. Pock misses. Eldaen moves up and misses with blood of the mighty. Baltazar uses bastion of defense, hitting the shadow and granting defenses to all allies.

Shadow uses vision of darkness, then slashes at Eldaen, who cancels most of the damage with divine counter. Flynn attacks and misses. Erich uses mind break on the shadow, making him vulnerable to psychic. Pock blasts him with eyebite, then uses his action point to blast him again. Eldaen hits him with blood of mighty. Baltazar orders Flynn to attack, and he misses.

Shadow attacks Eldaen. Flynn swings and misses. Erich uses mind break on the shadow. Pock uses eyebite. Eldaen misses with holy strike. Baltazar orders Erich to mind thrust, and he misses.

Shadow misses Eldaen. Flynn attacks and crits the shadow. Erich and Pock finish him off with psychic damage. We move out to explore and are attacked by another corpse.

The corpse attacks, Flynn returns. Erich mind breaks him, Pock teleports to the end of the hallway to continue investigation. Eldaen marks and misses. Another one comes down the hallway to join him.

4. Tomb of Horrors Chapter Four

We cross the bridge and see buildings comprised of randomly sized stones mortared together into uneven walls. The rocks are from cairns that were destroyed to make the building. There are a number of tapestries in the room, including one that looks like it's wrong, with a human in the tapestry who appears to have been trapped in it. We recognize him as Flynn Romani. Another one seems to be a warning about a trapped door. Some of them are mundane, but the one with Flynn inside has some sort of temporal magic. Erich pulls Flynn out of the tapestry, and Flynn relates that he ran into Quiver, and used that information to trace us here.

Erich and Eldaen go into the next room and see two series of numbers on the wall in brass and black iron. Pock theorizes that it is temporal based, like the sundial we saw earlier, which is proven correct when Baltazar stands in front off the flame and casts his shadow on the numbers. Baltazar stands in front of the number for the hour of the day, and five mad wraith terrors emerge to attack us.

Erich launches a psionic attack on two of the wraiths. Flynn swings his broadsword to bat aside of those wraiths and slides him back, knocking three of the wraiths prone. Pock fires ring of pain at another wraith, leaving him with resounding psychic pain. Eldaen swings a radiant smite at another wraith, and Baltazar follows up with a swing that misses.

Erich uses mind break on Pock's target, making him vulnerable to psychic damage. Flynn moves in to flank with Eldaen. Wraith attacks Eldaen and forces him to attack Baltazar. The wraith targeted by Erich is bloodied, and he moves in to attack Erich, who attacks Pock. missing and letting Pock shadow slip away. Erich reacts with infernal wrath to hit the wraith with fire, then uses his forceful push to send him out of the room. The others float back into the room. Pock uses shared agony on the bloodied wraith, destroying it. Eldaen swings a holy strike at the wraith in front of him. Baltazar orders Flynn to attack that wraith, and he bloodies him.

Erich unleashes a mind blast on the three other wraiths, stunning them. Flynn uses jumping blade assault on the bloodied wraith, knocking him prone. He stands up and swings his claws at Flynn, but he uses his bracer of defense to reduce damage. Pock blasts the bloodied wraith, making us invisible to him. Eldaen hits him with a holy strike, destroying it. Baltazar orders Erich to use mind break on the wraith in front of him, making him vulnerable to psychic damage.

Erich is bloodied by the wraiths' aura, uses a blast on all three wraiths, missing one and critically hitting another. Flynn tumbles past the wraiths to get into flanking position. One wraith is stunned, the others strike at Erich, hurting him fairly badly, and Flynn, bloodying him and sending him to attack Erich, but he misses. Pock launches witchfire at one of the wraiths, bloodying him. Eldaen moves in, uses his resurgent smite to attack a wraith, helping to heal both Erich and Pock. Baltazar heals Erich.

Erich uses dishearten on two of the wraiths. Flynn takes his second wind, and is no longer bloodied. The wraiths miss Eldaen and Erich, due to his intellect fortress. Pock fires eldritch blast at the bloodied wraith. Eldaen swings with heedless fury, and he is bloodied, but Baltazar immediately heals him with inspiring word.

Erich uses dishearten on two of the wraiths, hitting the non-bloodied one. Flynn uses rogue's luck on the bloodied wraith, but it isn't quite destroyed. Two of them swing back at him, bloodying him, and the other swings and misses Eldaen. Pock moves up, spends his action point, uses word of kharad to force them to move and hit one another, killing the bloodied wraith. Eldaen charges and crits a wraith, bloodying him. Baltazar orders him to do it again, and he misses.

Erich tries and fails to pick up the staff. Flynn moves to the back of the room, away from the aura, and is nearly unconscious. One wraith hits Eldaen, who resists with divine counter, and another misses him. Pock fires an eldritch blast at the bloodied wraith. Eldaen attacks the bloodied wraith with holy strike. Baltazar orders him to strike again, and he crits and destroys it.

Erich fires mind break at the remaining wraith, making him vulnerable to psychic damage and bloodying him. Wraith hits Eldaen. Pock fires an eldritch blast at the wraith. Eldaen hits the last wraith with holy strike, negating its aura. Baltazar moves forward and uses war of attrition on it, missing, then uses stand tough to heal the party.

Erich uses mind thrust on the wraith. Flynn moves out, draws a dagger and throws it with a sly flourish. Wraith hits Eldaen and bloodies him. Pock curses him, fires and misses. Eldaen swings a holy strike at the wraith, Baltazar follows up with a guarding attack and destroys it.

With the combat over, we take a brief rest, and begin inspecting the tapestries. One of them radiates illusion and weak teleportation magic. Baltazar puts the key in the lock of the tapestry, and there is a click. Flynn inspects it but can't make anything of it. Erich thinks back to the sun dial to figure out what time to match up on the torch, and he matches it, and a secret door reveals itself. We follow the corridor down and see a series of rooms. The chamber is luxurious, with five small gaming tables around the edge. Eldaen, hearing voices, closes his eyes and moves to put his hand on a table. Baltazar, Flynn and Eldaen are drawn into games with phantoms.

Flynn resists, and takes psychic damage for his troubles, at which point he sits down and begins playing. Eldaen uses insight to play against his foe, and tells the others to open their eyes. Erich, irritated at being excluded, runs over and demands to be let into a game, but his innate mental defenses resist it. Pock fires a bolt of fire at Eldaen's table, setting it alight. Baltazar intimidates his opponent.

Flynn and Eldaen continue playing, as Erich continues to try and get into a game, and Pock fires an eldritch blast at Eldaen's table again. Baltazar calls upon historical knowledge to try and win his game. Erich is finally dominated into a game.

We all continue playing except for Pock, who continues blasting Eldaen's table and discovers some teleportation magic preparing itself in the other room. Flynn, using cheating and bluff, manages to win his game. Pock blows up Eldaen's table, "winning" his game. Using his streetwise skills, Baltazar wins his game. Flynn goes over to try the last table, as Erich knocks the pieces over and leaves his game. Pock moves into the room and blasts another table.

Baltazar runs over to the table and hits it with his flail. Flynn is once again dominated by the table, and begins playing. Eldaen runs over and attacks the table Pock and Baltazar are attacking. Erich launches a psychic attack on the table. Pock destroys it with an eldritch blast. The table dominates Baltazar to defend him, and Flynn tries to use streetwise but is unsuccessful. Eldaen, Pock and Erich continue attacking the table, and Baltazar swings at Eldaen but misses him. Flynn defeats the game, and then we finish smashing the table.

We find a trap door, and Pock opens the lock so that we can go into some underground tunnels, where we find an entrance into an oddly shaped room. Eldaen stealthily scouts ahead, spotting runes on the walls and discovers something similar to Pock. The whole group advances into the room, and the runes begin lighting up again. Erich determines that illusion and teleportation magic is coming from the room. The lights go out, and when they come back up there are duplicates of each of us.

Pock's duplicate attacks him, and he becomes invisible in reaction. Flynn's duplicate attacks and misses him. Erich's duplicate steps back and attacks, missing him. Baltazar's duplicate blasts Erich, Eldaen and Baltazar, knocking them prone. Eldaen's duplicate reaches out and attacks him, bloodying him. Flynn uses his armor to turn invisible, then uses an action point to jump and attack Eldaen's duplicate. Eldaen moves up, attacks his duplicate with holy outrage, bloodying him, and spends an action point to lay hands on himself. Erich fires a hypnotic pattern at three of the duplicates, then spends an action point to dishearten all three of them. Pock teleports into the room, then teleports again to see the rest of the combat and curses Eldaen's duplicate, firing a blast of forceful assault at him. Baltazar stands and moves up, uses an action point to attack Eldaen's duplicate with bastion of defense.

Pock's duplicate moves in and hits him. Flynn's duplicate moves to attack Flynn. Erich's duplicate fires at Flynn with fire and radiant damage. Baltazar's duplicate tries to withering touch Eldaen, but he misses, and Eldaen's duplicate misses Eldaen. Erich slides Eldaen away from his duplicate, allowing Flynn a clear shot at Eldaen's duplicate, but he misses. Erich blasts three of the duplicates with dishearten, hitting Baltazar, Eldaen and his own duplicates. Eldaen moves up, finishes off his duplicate, which triggers Pock's curse on the remaining enemies. Pock uses shared agony on Erich's duplicate, destroying it, and then teleports next to Flynn. Baltazar misses his own duplicate.

Flynn's duplicate attacks and misses Eldaen. Pock's duplicate moves up and attacks Baltazar, and is knocked prone in response. Erich's duplicate rises up, spewing gray mist, and fires a flattering wind at Flynn and Pock, hitting Flynn and knocking him prone. Baltazar's duplicate misses. Eldaen's duplicate rises up and attacks Eldaen, missing him. Flynn charges Baltazar's duplicate, but he hits Baltazar instead. Eldaen swings at Baltazar's duplicate, who uses a power to swap places, so that Eldaen hits Baltazar and heals his duplicate. Erich blasts Pock's duplicate and Baltazar's duplicate, killing Baltazar's duplicate. Pock blasts Flynn's duplicate with witchfire. Baltazar uses inspiring fortitude to heal himself, and is no longer bloodied.

Pock's duplicate uses phase shift to teleport next to Pock. Flynn's duplicate moves past Eldaen and next to Flynn, drawing an attack from Eldaen. Baltazar's duplicate rises up, full of gray mist, uses flattering wind on Flynn and Erich, hitting only Flynn. Flynn stands and attacks his duplicate. Eldaen moves in, attacks Flynn, but holy outrage bloodies his duplicate. Erich uses mind thrust on Flynn's duplicate, but hits Flynn instead. He feels bad, so he uses Majestic Word to heal him. Pock shifts away from his duplicate and eldritch blasts Flynn's duplicate, missing him. Baltazar attacks Flynn's duplicate with war of attrition and misses, gives inspiring word to Flynn to end his bloodied condition.

Pock's duplicate moves up to attack Pock. Flynn's duplicate phase shifts next to Flynn. Flynn uses riposte strike on his duplicate, steps back. We finish them off. We find a weird lever in another room.

3. Tomb of Horrors Chapter Three

After a near fall off the bridge by Erich, the entire group nearly falls off grabbing him.

We enter a room and see runes. Erich notes that the rune-shaped patterns look like the buildings are part of the same runic family. We hear whimpering, and Erich & Pock see a beetle scurry in the darkness. Baltazar calls out in common, and we hear a female common voice tinged with an elven accent. Pock believes she's a Lamia, warns the others, Eldaen picks up on her deception and we talk to her briefly before she attacks us.

Lamia uses pacifying burst, stunning Eldaen and Erich. Beetles swarm out of the wall and bite Erich and Eldaen. Pock moves up with shadow step and fires forceful assault at the swarm near Erich, dazing it. Erich wakes up from stun. Eldaen takes an assload of poison damage and is still stunned. Baltazar shifts and uses warlord strike on the swarm and misses, uses inspiring word on Eldaen, and Erich slides Eldaen away from immediate danger.

Swarms move in to encircle Erich and Baltazar, and Erich triggers his infernal wrath. Lamia sends forth a stream of scarabs and misses Erich, Baltazar and Eldaen. Pock uses witchfire on the beetle swarm. Erich uses mind blast on two swarms, stunning them and dazing the Lamia, then uses his action point to dishearten the swarms. Eldaen takes aura damage, saves against stun and poison. Baltazar takes poison and aura damage, attacks the weakest swarm, bloodying it, and shifts out of the auras.

Swarms move to attack Baltazar, one draws an attack of opportunity from Eldaen. Lamia fires streams of bugs at Eldaen, Baltazar and Erich. Pock blasts the bloodied swarm with psychic energy. Erich uses dishearten on the swarms, bloodying the other two. Eldaen uses divine strength and resurgent smite on swarm, healing Baltazar, then uses lay on hands on himself and spends action point to miss with heedless fury. Baltazar uses stand the fallen on the swarm, moves and uses action point to get Eldaen to attack another bloodied swarm.

Swarms attack Baltazar, Lamia fires stream of bugs and hits Eldaen. Pock uses mire the mind on swarm. Erich uses hypnotic pulse on swarms and Lamia, then moves back to join Pock. Eldaen moves in between all the enemies, lays hands on Baltazar and strikes the most wounded swarm with valiant strike. Baltazar attacks swarm with guarding attack, killing it.

Swarms attack Eldaen, Lamia fires stream of bugs at Baltazar. Pock uses shared agony on swarm, killing it and teleporting to just outside. Erich uses dishearten on Lamia and remaining swarm. Eldaen lays hands on Baltazar, shifts back and takes his second wind, saves against poison. Baltazar attacks swarm and is still poisoned.

Swarm attacks Baltazar, bloodying him again. Lamia fires tendrils at Baltazar and misses Eldaen. Pock uses curse of hadrai on swarm, nearly killing it. Erich uses dishearten on Lamia and swarm, destroying the swarm. Eldaen moves in, uses blood of the mighty on the Lamia and dazes her with his righteous blade. Baltazar drinks a potion of vigor, moves to flank her and hits her with bastion of defense, missing her but healing others.

Lamia uses accursed flurry on Baltazar and Eldaen, but misses them both. Pock uses eldritch blast on Lamia. Erich misses her with mind break. Eldaen swings a holy strike at the Lamia and misses, then withdraws, leaving Baltazar to fall unconscious when the aura hits him.

Lamia attacks downed Baltazar, but misses, although she saves against her daze. Pock blasts Lamia again. Erich gives Eldaen a healing potion with telekinesis, then grabs Lamia with telekinetic powers and immobilizes her and flings her into the next room. Eldaen runs up, uses heal to wake up Baltazar. Baltazar takes poison damage, runs away and saves against poison.

Lamia is still immobilized. Pock moves in and becomes hidden. Erich runs up and smashes her against the wall telekinetically, then uses dishearten on her with a crit. Eldaen runs back, uses last lay on hands on Baltazar, throws trident at Lamia. Baltazar orders him to do it again, and he misses.

Lamia is still immobilized. Pock moves up and blasts the Lamia. Erich steps forward, uses dishearten on Lamia and misses, then smashes her into the wall. Eldaen moves up and throws his trident, but misses. Baltazar orders Erich to use mind break on her.

Lamia saves against immobilize. Pock blasts the Lamia. Erich moves into the next room and sees a bronze brazier floating around a large sundial casting a shadow and uses dishearten on Lamia. Eldaen throws trident, then moves back to the rear of the room. Baltazar orders Erich to use mind break on her.

Lamia moves up and uses accursed fury on Erich. Pock uses eyebite on Lamia with a crit. Erich blasts Lamia. Eldaen misses with trident. Baltazar moves up and uses stand tough, healing the party, and then orders Erich to mind break her.

Lamia moves to the center of the room, drawing an attack of opportunity from Baltazar, bloodying her, and she uses pacifying burst, hitting Pock, who uses his steadfast amulet to interrupt the effect. Pock misses the Lamia. Erich uses dishearten on Lamia. Eldaen marks her, throws his trident and flees outside. Baltazar runs back, orders Erich to use mind break on her.

Lamia moves up and uses devouring swarm on Erich, Baltazar and Pock, hitting only Erich. Pock moves to the back of the room, fires eldritch blast at Lamia. Erich uses dishearten on Lamia. Eldaen throws trident and misses. Baltazar uses blood designation on Lamia.

Lamia uses accursed flurry on Baltazar and misses. Pock fires eldritch blast at Lamia. Erich blasts Lamia with dishearten again, finally saves against daze and is no longer poisoned. Eldaen moves up and misses with radiant smite. Baltazar orders him to attack and he hits her.

Lamia uses pacifying burst, stunning Baltazar and Eldaen, then moves toward Pock. Pock runs past her, drawing an attack of opportunity, which misses, letting him teleport next to Erich, then fires eldritch blast at her. Erich uses dishearten on Lamia. Eldaen saves against stun. Baltazar is no longer stunned.

Lamia moves next to Baltazar and Eldaen and uses accursed fury, bloodying Eldaen and dazing him and missing Baltazar. Pock fires eldritch blast at Lamia, then moves deeper into the other room. Erich uses dishearten on Lamia. Eldaen hits with critical on martyr's retribution, and still she lives. Baltazar orders Eldaen to swing, and he misses.

Lamia uses accursed fury on Eldaen. Pock blasts her with eldritch blast. Erich uses dishearten on Lamia and misses. Eldaen falls due to the aura. Baltazar orders Erich to blast her with dishearten and he kills her. Pock moves order and stailibizes Eldaen.

We go in to check out the brazier and figure out the time pattern of the sundial. While Baltazar and Eldaen take a brief rest, Erich studies the sundial and Pock goes to see the room with the mystic water. Pock and Erich determine that the water is drawing power from the Feywild, and notice a key beneath the water. Erich uses his telekinesis to draw the key out, and a big watery snake emerges from the water, snapping at Erich. Then it bites Pock and he vanishes, re-emerging in the river below.

Tomb of Horrors Chapter Two

Pock examines the stone and sees that there are older runes on the stone and other runes floating around the stone, very otherworldly, visible to someone trained in arcana but not with the naked eye. They appear to be from the Age of Monsters. It looks like it used to mark an area coterminous with Thelanis.

Erich stops the runes with his telekinetic powers and holds them still. Quiver notices that this provided a slight change, as the runes on the stone started to begin a bit more readable. Pock tries to disrupt the runes, but he hears an annoyed voice in his head that throws him off, and they begin spinning again. Eldaen, using what he knows about elven, sees the elven rune for tree, and thinks that if we decipher the rest, it will provide clues. Baltazar recalls studying a battle here between elves and fey that was being reinforced from a portal in the area, and that this stone directed fey to the portal. Eldaen discovers that it is a rhyming code, meant to be spoken in Common. Pock tries again to disrupt the runes, and finds himself briefly in an empty, haunted place. Frustrated, Erich and Pock blast away at the runes and gray mist comes off the rock, revealing the poem.

"Walk to the sun, three by three... turn to the snow, find the tree." Eldaen, Quiver and Baltazar decide to walk to the west and see if it takes us where it goes. After walking about nine paces, Baltazar turns to the north and sees a configuration of trees, growing together as a single clump that seem to shun the rest of the forest, and realizes that this is the portal. We walk through the portal and find ourselves on a narrow trail in Thelanis.

Erich calls out Paleius's name three times, and he appears. He begins singing, and wherever he goes, there is a path. He points out the way to the Garden of Graves. A pair of hags riding crocodiles emerge from the forest. Pock goes to greet them, and they say "They're outsiders, sister! Is this where it comes from!"

Baltazar tells them that we seek the corruption to undo it, and one of the hags dismounts her crocodile, starts walking toward him and shifts form into a beautiful maiden. "I want to believe you, mortal... where do you think the corruption comes from?"

"We've been told it comes from the garden of graves... it is infecting our world as well."

The other one says "We did not know that. Let them go, sister!"

"If you do not end the corruption, we will not let you leave here."

"If we do not end it, we will perish."

She goes back and gets on her crocodile and rides away. We decide to take the path on the right, which looks slightly more difficult as it has water. We jump across the river and continue to follow the path. There is a ridge looming ahead of us, and a tunnel in the middle of the ridge, with a message carved into the stone next to the tunnel. Eldaen reads the ancient elven script, which seems mostly to be an intimidating message warning us not to enter.

Despite misgivings, we enter the cave. There are statues of maiden, mother and crone with their hands outstretched. Pock examines them with his arcane knowledge, sending him briefly into a different place, where he sees oozing black goo pouring from the walls and moans of despair, and senses powerful magic both from the statues and from beyond them, radiating energy related to polymorphing. Pock puts a gold piece in the maiden's hand, and she crushes it and the crone animates.

Eldaen swings a radiant smite at the crone, and Pock moves back and misses her with a blast of eldritch energy. Quiver fires a poison wasp sting at the crone, which bounces off her stony hide, and then moves to cover behind one of the other statues. Baltazar uses his warlord strike on the crone to mark her for his allies. Crone attacks Eldaen, who touches him and makes him feel older and weakened. Erich uses forceful push to slide her back and uses memory hole.

Eldaen takes a defensive stance and waits for his weakened state to wear off. Pock throws a witchfire blast at the crone and misses, Quiver moves to get a clearer shot and fires an arrow at the crone with a critical hit, pushing her back and knocking her prone. Baltazar orders Quiver to fire again, but he is disconcerted by his orders to "shoot her in the cooch" and misses. She stands and moves up behind the statue, and screams wordlessly at her. Erich uses dishearten to weaken her resolve slightly.

Eldaen puts a coin in the mother's hand, but there's no effect. Pock moves up and fires an eldritch blast and misses. Quiver fires at the crone and misses. Baltazar takes the coin from the mother's hand and tries the crone, but nothing happens. Crone teleports from the statue to where she is next to everyone but Eldaen and swings her whirlwind of claws, hitting them all and knocking them all prone. In response, Erich unleashes infernal wrath that bloodies her, Baltazar's shield knocks her prone, and Pock fades away. Erich uses his acrobat boots to stand, shifts away from her and tries to use memory hole, but she resists. He uses his action point to take a second wind.

Eldaen moves in, swings and hits her with strength from valor. Pock uses ghost sound to fake his location, then teleports away past the statues and uses his second wind. Quiver stands, fires an escaping shot at her, missing her and shifting back away. Baltazar stands up, strikes with a guarding attack, spends an action point to use inspiring word on himself. Crone stands up, reaches out to attack Eldaen but misses. Erich moves to the rear of the cave, uses dishearten and misses.

Eldaen swings twice and misses. Pock stands up, but can't see the crone yet. Quiver fires an arrow at the crone, uses action point to draw and fire again, but misses the second shot. Baltazar uses war of attrition to hit the crone and give everyone else a better shot. The crone swings at Eldaen but misses. Erich disheartens the crone, destroying her.

As we take a short rest, Pock decides to stay on the other side of the statues and tells us he sees paths and a cliff. Baltazar puts the coin in the mother's hand, and the crone reanimates.

Quiver fires and, using elven accuracy, crits the crone but she is immune to poison damage. She uses whirlwind of claws on Eldaen, but misses Baltaar. Pock teleports and uses mire the mind on the crone, making us all temprorarily invisible to her. Eldaen invisibly uses his radiant smite and valiant strike, bloodying her, but misses when Baltazar tells him to swing again. Erich augments dishearten and misses.

Quiver crits again. Crone swings at Baltazar, because she can't see, takes divine sanction damage and misses Baltazar. Pock uses witchfire on the crone and misses. Eldaen moves to flank the crone, hits her with a holy strike. Baltazar uses war of attrition on the crone. Erich uses memory hole and destroys her.

Third time is the charm, as we put a gold piece in the crone's palm and the statue move aside. We spin the gnome, who directs us to go to the right. The path travels about fifty feet and comes into a clearing. There are tents and camping tools, as well as a strange obelisk at the center of the clearing. We check the obelisk, thinking it might be the "weary eye."

As Quiver tries to climb the obelisk, Pock moves to inspect the tools. Everyone else moves over to Quiver and the obelisk. A bright glow emerges from the forest and drags Quiver to it. Then the logs, tools and tents start flying at us. Baltazar is hit by hammers and nails and nailed to the floor, then blasted by flaming logs. Another flaming log sparks and hits Eldaen. Baltazar uses warlord's strike on a flaming log, destroying it, and gives himself an inspiring word. Eldaen moves to the will o wisp, marks it and swings and misses. A powerful lethargy overcomes Quiver and Erich.

Quiver steps back and puts an assassin's shroud on the will o wisp, then fires at it with a poisoned arrow and falls asleep. Pock uses the decree of queen of errant darkness to force all the animated tools and logs to attack one another, killing eight of the twelve, then curses the will o wisp. Erich uses dishearten and destroys most of the rest of the tents and logs, and then shakes off the weariness. The nails try again to strike at Baltazar, who dodges. Eldaen uses his Blood of the Mighty on the Will o Wisp, then lays hands on himself to heal. Baltazar swings at the tools and destroys them. The obelisk wearies Baltazar and Erich.

Quiver is still asleep. Pock uses an eldritch blast on the will o wisp and misses. Will o wisp attacks Eldaen and then shifts back a bit. Erich uses dishearten and misses, falling asleep. Eldaen hits the Will o Wisp with strength from valor, bloodying it. Wearied Baltazar steps up to flank the Will o Wisp and uses stand the fallen, healing Eldaen from bloodied, and wakes himiself up. The obelisk wearies Eldaen.

Quiver is still asleep. Pock uses shared agony on Will o wisp, destroying it and teleporting closer to the obelisk, then uses teleport to try and get to the top, then uses his action point to try and disarm the obelisk. Erich is still asleep. Eldaen wakes Quiver with divine mettle, then shakes off his weariness. Baltazar moves to the obelisk and shouts encouragement to Pock. Obelisk wearies Quiver and Pock.

Quiver fires at the obelisk with his assassin's shroud and shifts away from it. Pock tries to disarm the trap, opens the sleeping eye and it is disarmed. After a short rest, we send Quiver up to scout the building, and sees that it has weird angles, and is clearly new and not of fey design. There is a spiral staircase. We take an extended rest.

Quiver climbs the staircase up into the building, and sees a table that seems to be a map of the area. Pock moves something on the map to see if it affects the world, but it doesn't. The map leads to a Garden of Graves by following the rope bridge to the west. Someone has built a number of stone structures that does not match the maps, and we follow the rope bridge into the structures.

Quiver steps into the hallway and vanishes, and suffers a sudden sense of vertigo, and is surrounded by rough hewn rock. However, he can still see the doorway behind him, and he re-emerges, tells us what he saw and then goes back in. Then when he went in, everything changes and he comes back to warn us that we all need to go in together. Baltazar unfurls a rope, we all link together and go in. There are echoing screams resounding off the walls, and the agony of loss passes through us, leaving behind a lingering gloom in our souls. An angelic-looking gray being emerges, seemingly bearing the lost mark of death, we try to talk to it.

Quiver offers up a "Hello, friend, we mean you no harm" and puts away his bow. Erich offers up "Hello, gray sir, we're sorry to intrude in your house. You look like you need some cheering up? Would you like me to play you a tune?" and begins playing a jaunty tune. It lets out a scream, steps forward and attacks Baltazar with his scythe. Eldaen swings and misses, then lays hands to heal Baltazar. Baltazar swings and misses. Pock fires witchfire at the angel.

Quiver puts a shroud on the other angel, then fires at it and knocks it further down the hallway, creating a swarm of bats around it. Erich uses memory hole on the same angel, making himself invisible to that angel. One angel attacks and retreats, then the other one retreats. Eldaen chases it down and swings at it, but misses. Baltazar chases it down and uses blood designation, missing it. Pock fires shared agony at the angel and moves, gaining concealment.

Quiver fires and misses the angel after moving the bats to surround it. Erich recognizes these as corrupted angels, and realizes that we're on some sort of constructed pocket plane, then moves invisibly down the hallway to see hundreds or thousands of humanoid bones jutting from the walls, and there is a robed and crowned statue in the middle of the room. There are carved footprints in the floor that lead to the eastern wall. He begins walking in the carved footprints, ends at the wall. Angel's dragonmark activates and he launches a burst of necrotic damage, the other angel moves out of the statue and attacks Erich with a mark, then uses his scythe, which triggers his wrath of hellfire. Eldaen swings and misses, then draws a brutal attack of opportunity and runs toward the other room to help Erich. Baltazar attacks the angel with bastion of defense, then uses stand tough. Pock uses forceful assault on the angel, dazing him.

Quiver fires an arrow of fiery and cold shadow at the angel, immobilizing him, calls on the spirits of his ancestors to push him back, bloodying him. Erich uses his telekinetic push to get the angel away, mind blasts him and stuns him, then runs down the hallway. Bloodied angel marks Baltazar, shakes off the effects on him. The other angel shakes off being stunned. Eldaen rushes back, charges the bloodied angel and misses. Baltazar moves to the bloodied angel and misses with furious smash. Pock blasts the angel, making us all invisible to the angel.

Quiver fires a swarm of arrows at the bloodied angel, poisoning him. Erich runs back in the room and critically uses hypnotic pulse on the bloodied angel and dazes him. Bloodied angel takes poison damage, swings at Baltazar and misses, saves against daze. The other angel moves and charges Pock, bloodying him, and he fades away. Eldaen strikes the bloodied angel with Blood of the Mighty and Valiant Strike, nearly killing it. Baltazar swings and misses the angel. Pock moves up next to Eldaen, takes a second wind and is no longer bloodied, then uses his action point to use ring of pain on the bloodied angel.

Quiver puts a shroud on the angel coming at him, drinks a potion of necrotic resistance and fires biting swarm at the other angel, missing it. Erich fires at the bloodied angel and destroys it, exploding him, but Pock is able to teleport away from it, so it only hits Eldaen and Baltazar, knocking them prone. Then Erich retreats back to the defenders. Angel attacks Quiver. Eldaen stands up and charges the angel. Baltazar stands and orders Eldaen to strike again, and he misses. Pock uses incisive dagger to cut a hole in the plane and teleport to the other end of the hallway, then curses the angel and fires an eldritch blast at it.

Quiver fires escaping shot at the angel, triggering his shrouds, dazing him. Erich uses memory hole on the angel and misses. Angel attacks Eldaen and bloodies him. Eldaen shifts and hits the angel with valiant strike. Baltazar charges through the crowd of bats to attack the angel, missing him. Pock blasts the angel and misses him.

Quiver fires a shadowy burst arrow at the angel, slowing him. Erich fires an augmented dishearten and misses. Angel hits Eldaen, damaging him badly. Eldaen swings and misses the angel, and lays hands on himself. Baltazar uses stand the fallen, missing but healing allies, then uses his action point to miss again. Pock fires and misses the angel.

Quiver fires and hits the angel, spirits biting at his eyes to make it harder for him to hit. Erich fires an augmented dishearten at the angel, making it even harder for him to hit, then uses his action point to blast him again, turning invisible and bloodying him. Angel misses. Eldaen uses divine strength and hits the angel with valiant strike, lays hands to heal himself almost to full. Baltazar orders Eldaen to attack and misses. Pock misses.

Quiver fires grappling spirits and misses. Erich uses memory hole and misses the angel. Angel uses his necrotic burst on Eldaen, Baltazar and Erich, then moves back, drawing attacks from Baltazar and Eldaen. Eldaen heals Baltazar, moves up and misses the angel. Baltazar moves, orders Eldaen and he misses. Pock comes back, but can't see his target.

Quiver runs down the hall, fires grappling spirits at the angel. Erich misses. Angel misses Eldaen, moves and draws an AOO. Eldaen moves in and misses, quarries the Angel. Baltazar orders Quiver to fire, and he misses, then runs up next to Eldaen. Pock runs up and fires his eldritch blast at him.

Quiver fires and misses. Erich uses memory hole and misses. Angel attacks Eldaen, then moves back. Eldaen moves up and hits him with valiant strike. Baltazar orders Eldaen to hit him, and he finally does. Pock sneaks forward.

Quiver moves up and fires at the angel, missing. Erich steps back, can't get into the room. Angel attacks Eldaen and bloodies him, then disappears into the statue. Eldaen moves up and hits the statue. Baltazar moves up and examines the statue. Pock moves into the room and uses arcana to examine the statue.

Quiver examines the statue from a distance, is pretty sure it's a statue, then moves into the hallway and runs to see the other statue. Erich steps into the room and walks in the footsteps. Angel emerges from the statue and attacks Quiver, missing him. Eldaen runs up to back up Quiver. Pock starts moving toward the group.

Quiver fires an explosion of shadowy spirits at the angel, pushing him back, and then he shoots at him, killing him and he explodes, knocking Eldaen out. Baltazar uses inspiring word to heal him back up, and he spends his second wind.

Tomb of Horrors Chapter One

We have been in the Mournland for days, we are battered and weakened by the Dead Gray Mist and several battles. We have been seeking a wizard's tower in a mountain area that had some archival evidence that would point to the origins of the Day of Mourning. Warforged approach us on the road and tell us to stand down in the name of the Lord of the Blades.

Quiver fires a swarm of shadow demons at one of the warforged, hitting him, destroying him and causing poison damage to him and the two around him. Erich begins playing a mournful tune on his flute, causing a psionic burst of damage on the four warforged at the end of the pass, destroying three of them. Eldaen summons the divine strength of Teros and swings a resurgent strike through one of the warforged, destroying him and healing Baltazar. The Warforged leader charges and slashes Erich. Baltazar calls out for us to stand tough, healing the group, and then orders Eldaen to strike and finish the last Warforged soldier, except for the leader. Pock launches witchfire at the warforged leader, and then becomes shadowy with his shadow walk.

Quiver fires a burst of shadows at the warforged leader and becomes visible, then lays an assassin's shroud on him. Erich slides the warforged leader off the edge, but he grabs onto the ledge and avoids falling. Erich then plays a soft tune that invades his memory, augmenting it with his psionic power, but the warforged leader resists. Eldaen moves up on the leader, uses his divine sanction and swings his radiant smite on him. The warforged leader shifts in to swing at Eldaen and Baltazar, missing Erich. He mends some of his broken parts with a blue patch of magic. Baltazar uses inspiring word on himself, then uses Stand the Fallen to swing his triple-headed flail, missing him but healing the group. Pock uses Mire the Mind, but he misses.

Quiver fires an arrow, pushing the warforged back, and the grappling spirits swirl around him and miss him. Erich misses the warforged with his disheartening strike. Eldaen uses his divine shield and hunter's quarry and swings his holy strike, missing the warforged. The warforged leader shifts and uses his knight's honor again, hitting Eldaen. Baltazar uses his Warlord's Strike and misses the warforged. Pock assaults him with spirits of the feywild, bloodying him, then casts an illusory sound of the cliff cracking behind him.

Quiver lays assassin's shroud on warforged, fires a swirling burst of spirits at him and releases the shrouds, damaging the warforged further. Erich uses disheartening strike, augmented, on the warforged and misses. Eldaen lays hands on Baltazar, then swings and misses a holy strike. The warforged, dazed by Quiver's attack and affected by Pock's illusion, shifts away from the edge and to a position next to only Eldaen. Baltazar uses a furious smash on the warforged, setting him up for a hit by Eldaen. Pock fires an eldritch blast from his dagger at the warforged, missing.

Quiver fires and misses the warforged, and he shakes off his dazed effect. Erich, now convinced that the warforged is immune to his psionic, begins playing a jaunty tune. Eldaen swings his holy strike at the warforged, leaving a huge scorch mark across his chest. The warforged swings and misses Eldaen. Baltazar uses guarding attack and misses the warforged. Pock fires an eldritch blast and misses.

Quiver fires and hits the warforged, binding him in shadows and casting him to the ground, where he is torn apart.

We take a five minute rest, and Pock sneaks into the tower to look around. He sees that the passage doesn't continue, but is covered in rubble. There is a magic circle engraved in the floor in a room with crates, a ladder and a trap door. After resting, Baltazar leads us into the tower. Erich and Pock identify the magic circle as a Cannith mark used as a small creation forge, as well as for summoning. Quiver looks at the crates and the rest of the room, noticing that there is some sort of copper wiring running underneath the floor, and some of the runes are also filled with copper. One crate looks like it was carted here and left, and doesn't appear to be locked.

Quiver investigates the unusual crate, and finds that it looks like someone's personal affects, including Cyran gold pieces and a sheaf of papers. This includes a list of people's names and supplies, as well as coded sections, and Baltazar determines they are from a caravan that left Metrol three days before the Day of Mourning. The small locked crates, unlocked by Pock, contained the missing seven square tiles and a crystal inscribed with a House Cannith rune that goes in the middle and copper wire to complete the runes.

Before giving in to Erich and Pock's desire to reactivate the runes, Eldaen and Quiver scout the upper floor. They don't find much of anything. Erich and Pock, given dispensation from Baltazar, use mage hand to put the pattern together.

They discover that it could be used to summon elementals, empower magic items or create a portal. Eldaen believes that a portal could be created to Thelanis. As Pock begins trying to put it together, Baltazar tries to recall anything he knows about the history of the area, but can't recall anything in particular. Quiver tries to recognize the pattern to help Pock and Erich put it together, and Erich applies his arcane knowledge, and they believe they've completed the portal correctly. Pock tries to climb up to get a bird's eye (gnome's eye?) view, but the floor is not stable enough for him. However, he does examine it to determine if it's a trap, and realizes that we're putting together an electrical trap.

With that knowledge, Erich tries to put the pattern together differently, realizing that removing the copper wire would only affect the creation aspect of the pattern. Eldaen and Quiver try to examine the new pattern, and try to figure out what we're doing wrong. Baltazar begins barking orders at us, but it doesn't particularly help. Eldaen uses his insight to try and see what the pattern is, and Erich tries again to use his arcana to put the pattern together.

Pock puts the crystal in as Baltazar orders the rest of us to back up and runs in to clear extra debris and crates out. The rune lights up, and a glow fills the area. There is a smell reminiscent of spring. Something begins to manifest in the circle, and a tall, pale-skinned eladrin wearing leather engraved with runes holds his arms out to us, palms up and says in elven "I bring you greetings."

He says that he has heard our names in Thelanis, and that he hopes to call us friends. "The great oracle of my people told me that you might help us." He introduces himself as Paleus of the Gloaming Fey of Quiet Hall, and tells us we'll have to find our own portal into the Feywild. "My people keep a cemetery, the Garden of Graves, that has been a place of peace and reflection for centuries. However, several years ago, a force moved in from outside and began to taint the countryside around it. They've changed the construction, and created buildings, desecrating the gravesite."

He tells us to return to the Wandering Inn, and the prophecy will lead us to the Thelanis portal that we need to find. Pock subtly pockets the crystal used to open the portal. Quiver buries one of the components nearby to prevent anyone from using it. We spend the night to rest in the tower, and head out of the Mournland, three days' journey to reach the Wandering Inn. The bard, known as the Silver Fox, immediately greets us and we are given a warm greeting by the inhabitants.

Telaran d'Ghallanda comes to our table to greet us. She tells us that their Orien contacts are moving them to the edge of Q'barra tomorrow. Baltazar knows of a Cyran refugee town in Q'barra that he wants to check into. We sell the copper wiring for gold.

Early the next morning, there is a big free breakfast and several guests leave, and the rest of us help pack everything up. Baltazar gathers the Ravens together to pitch in, and we gather together into the wagons so that the contracted House Orien operatives can transport us to the new location. We help pack everything back out.

After a day of rest, early the next morning, an alarm horn sounds, and one of the scouts comes running in. The Ravens are planting torches, and a couple of logging wagons, badly torn up, are making their way to the Inn. Baltazar and Eldaen move in to help heal the wounded, and discover that they are covered in tiny cuts and arrows. Pock, after terrifying one of the loggers, determines that it was done by pixies, which is unusual behavior for them.

We set off into Q'barra to find the origin of the pixie attack. Quiver thinks he sees something, and he and Pock scout ahead and find either a human child or a halfling. "What is a little girl doing in the middle of the jungle of Q'barra?" Quiver wonders. When Quiver doesn't move, Pock moves toward the child. Pock makes himself visible and causes the child to scream, drawing Eldaen to the area. She says her name is Mara, and that she isn't lost. She says she lives in the forest with her parents, and a "horse" came and stabbed her dad with its horn. Then it killed her mom by trampling her, and Mara ran.

The rest of us come out and meet Mara, except for Quiver, who is stalking alongside the group. Baltazar picks her up and carries her, giving her some Sarlonan candy. We move up on their cabin, and the place is cleared. Quiver examines the wound on her parents to determine that it is a unicorn wound, and spots blood-ridden tracks into the forest. We go into the house to scout it and get a toy for Mara. There's no indication that they drew this down on themselves.

We go to take the girl to her relatives, and Baltazar tells them that the Wandering Inn is nearby. The uncle tells us that there is a clearing with a standing stone nearby, and Eldaen takes them back to the Inn and then returns.

There are three dead bodies, all young women, surrounding the standing stone, and it looks like they may have been laying here for a while. Eldaen moves up to inspect one of the bodies, and recognizes some sort of illusion magic at work. As he moves back to report, we hear screeches and the dead bodies are revealed as dryads, and harpies fly in to attack.

Dryads move in on Eldaen, and two of them claw him viciously. Two of the harpies begin singing their alluring song, pulling Quiver, Eldaen, Baltazar, Pock and Erich and immobilizing them, and Erich causes infernal wrath damage to one of the harpies. Quiver fires an arrow at the harpy in the midst of the rest of the group, hitting it and anchoring it to the ground with shadow energy, then he activates his cloak of shades. Erich grabs a harpy with telekinetic force and turns it into a living missile, flinging her into the anchored harpy and knocking the original target done, and he is no longer immobilized. Pock curses the anchored harpy and uses shared agony on her, drawing psychic damage on himself for a deadly blast that bloodies her, then teleports back into the woods and is no longer immobilized. Eldaen misses with his holy outrage, but the burning anger of Teros still surrounds him. Baltazar uses war of attrition on the anchored harpy, killing it and giving all of his allies a bonus to attack. As the harpy dies, Pock curses all of the remaining enemies.

Dryads close in around Eldaen, only one of them hits him, bloodying him. The prone (living missile) harpy stands and unleashes a brutal scream on everyone but Quiver, hitting Baltazar and Eldaen. The other harpy uses alluring song on everyone, although Pock avoids it by teleporting deeper into the woods, and then it flies away. Quiver casts a shroud on one of the dryads, then fires a shadow wasp strike at that dryad. Erich pulls the harpy and swings it through the wasps and smashes it into a dryad, knocking it prone, then pulls the other harpy next to Eldaen, causing it to attack the prone harpy, then he moves out of the range of the harpies. Pock moves closer, still in the woods, and fires an eldritch blast at the prone harpy that bloodies it. Eldaen misses the harpy and uses lay on hands on himself. Baltazar uses inspiring word on Eldaen, then orders Eldaen to attack the prone harpy.

Dryad rushes into the woods past Pock, the other two chase after it. The prone harpy gets up and flies away slowly, the other one claws Eldaen. Quiver fires an arrow that bursts into a cloud of bats around the dryads, bloodying one of them. Erich uses betrayal on one of the harpies and misses. Pock uses forceful assault and misses the dryad, doing a bit of collateral damage. Eldaen misses and then saves against being immobilized. Baltazar orders him to strike and he swings and hits the harpy, then uses his circlet to save against being immobilized.

Dryads merge into the tree and then teleport to a different tree. Harpies use their alluring songs on Baltazar, Eldaen and Quiver. Quiver moves the crowd of bats and uses encaging spirits to burst the dryads and harpy away from him, then fires possessing spirits at bloodied Dryad, causing it to attack the other Dryad, and saves against immobilized. Erich uses betrayal and misses. Pock moves in, fires witchfire at the bloodied harpy, and mist seems to be emerging from its fingers and eyes, then uses his action point to mire the mind of that harpy. Eldaen hits other harpy with martyr's retribution. Baltazar misses with bastion of defense.

Dryads move to attack Erich and miss. The bloodied harpy disintegrates into mist, the other harpy claws Eldaen. Quiver fires an escaping shot at the bloodied Dryad, then moves the cloud of bats. Erich uses betrayal on one of the dryads to cause it to attack the bloodied Dryad, turning her into another gray mist undead, and Erich runs away from all that. Pock uses a ring of pain on the remaining harpy, leaving her with a nasty psychic echo. Eldaen throws his trident at the harpy and misses. Baltazar orders Quiver to fire a biting swarm at the harpy.

Dryad moves to attack Erich and misses, the mist one disintegrates. The harpy takes psychic damage and is bloodied, sings its alluring song and pushing Eldaen and Baltazar away. Quiver fires at the harpy. Erich shifts out of the cloud of bats and uses memory hole on the harpy and misses. Pock fires and misses. Eldaen throws and misses with his trident, and is still immobilized. Baltazar uses blood designation on the harpy next to him and misses, uses his action point to order Quiver to shoot the harpy with grappling spirits.

Dryads take ongoing damage from blood designation and ring of pain, move to attack Baltazar, who activates his recoil shield to knock that dryad prone. Harpy takes ring of pain damage, flies out of the cloud of bats and saves versus the psychic damage. Quiver fires an arrow at the harpy, activating the gray mist effect. Erich uses dishearten on the dryads, hitting one of them. Pock blasts that dryad as well. Eldaen uses divine mettle, runs over to flank the dryad and hits with holy strike, bloodying it. Baltazar misses the dryad.

Dryad hits Eldaen, the other one misses Baltazar, and the harpy expires. Quiver fires at the dryad with biting swarm, and Erich uses dishearten on the same one with a critical hit, killing it. Pock fires at the remaining dryad with eyebite, missing it. Eldaen moves between the dryads and swings his strength from valor at them. Baltazar attacks the dryad and sets it up for attack by Eldaen.

Dryad claws Eldaen, bloodying him. Quiver fires a biting swarm ino the dryad, bloodying it. Erich and Pock blast it, reducing it to misty undead. Eldaen takes his second wind, then hits it when Baltazar orders him to. It claws at Eldaen one last time, but can't hit.

Io’Lokar, The Bastion, Argonessen-approximately 984

"Your Grace," said the aged Elven woman without turning or hearing a spoken word, the very gravity of the room had seemed to change. "Thank you for seeing me."

"I would find it hard not to answer and urgent summons from you, youngling," rumbled a voice like mountain roots. The elf turned towards the voice.

"It has been many an era since anyone could call me youngling, Your Grace." Her many-lined face broke open with a smile from emotions now centuries old. She gazed up adoringly at the huge golden shape as he squeezed into the Hall of Records. After navigating the door Rutilisincendiaxx cocked his old head to one side, there was a sharp echoing crack as his neck again moved as he intended.

"That is perhaps true, Elebenna, but I reserve the right, I believe I am entitled," he paused, "by heritage and by experience, yes?"

"Yes, Your Grace," again she smiled at ancient memories, "You are entitled."

"What is it you have found?" He laid his claw open before her and she stepped in, her white robes a whisper along the floor. He raised her up and sat her on his shoulder her long, silver braid trailed her in her flight. She faced the configuration of multi colored crystals on the south wall of the huge chamber and waving her hands she spoke words that were ancient to both of them. Lights bloomed in the crystals and images began to appear on the wall.

"One of my searchers found this new pattern, Your grace, in Khorvaire, the region now called The Demon Wastes. It appeared etched in some ancient standing stones." An image of a menhir appeared, covered with the curving graceful runes that had intrigued the dragons for age upon age. "Now look at the same rune pattern appearing in this lava flow. And then on this Hobgoblin ruin. And then, oddly, in this painting by that so-called, 'mad' prophet in Cyre, the blind one that I spoke to you about? I believe these marks constitute a pattern that we have been looking for."

"I see," said the dragon, "and what do you think it means?"

"I believe it's a key. Look at this piece of undecipherable coutal journal from the Age of Demons." It appeared on the wall. There was silence.

"So then," whispered the ancient gold, "What have we here?"

"You see it then, Ruti?" she asked in a schoolgirl voice, decorum forgotten. "The Ancient Flame of Darkness-Spawn of Traitor and Mother, shall rise and fall twice, and then rise a third time." The dragon took over.

"A third time to grasp the heart of Siberys and lift himself above all powers, bending even the Word of the Progenitors to his will?' By Bahamut's silky beard, that can't be right!" This time the voice shook the hall.

"Wait, Your Grace, there is more. 'Unless he be opposed by broken powers from the Contagion Kingdom, the blackened iron scavengers, Khyber will open….' There's no more."

"There doesn't need to be anymore, youngling! Have you had a vision of this? When does it occur?"

"I know not, Your Grace." She lowered her head. "It must be after the birth of whatever the Contagion Kingdom is, that term appears repeatedly the last few decades. What is a 'black iron scavenger?"

"Black iron is what the dwarves call steel. That particular rune configuration for 'scavenger' is referring to a bird, a raven I think. What do you suggest we do youngling?" he lowered her to the ground. She stepped out and turn to face him, in a moment he was a golden clothed elf, ancient in years, but full of life.

"I suggest we wait for this Contagion Kingdom, and then watch for 'steel scavenger birds.' What do you think?"

"I think you are correct, and we should hold our findings close to us. There is no need for the 'Eyes' to know, nor the Order. I will inform our contacts in the Chamber. Keep your best long term searchers on it."

"Will I see you tonight?" she asked tentatively, "it's been a long time since you visited, Your Grace." She bowed her head, blushing.

"Yes, my love. You will."

Dame Tularin d’Ghallanda (as portrayed by Linda Hunt) on the Exiled, The Wandering Inn, Talenta, 998

Candy brought them in that first time. He had led them into the Mournland again looking for survivors and they had a rough go. How much sorrow can men take? Most of 'em already carrying the scars from what that big ruby made them do to those Hobgoblin children, and the one's that weren't there? They all had sorrow etched into their faces. So I offered him sanctuary, that's what we do on the Plains. And I quickly became friends with that motley bunch of vagabonds. The ones from Cyre? They still wear their Raven patches but that's all that separates them from the rest of the crew that Sandesh runs around with. The found us with amazing regularity whenever they were in need. Candy says it's because of the elf, not the Valenar, the one they call Quiver. He kept finding the Inn.

They helped us out of a couple of situations and I asked for and received permission to hire the Steel Ravens for security. So now the Steel Ravens are contracted with the Wandering Inn and headquarter out of it. Ostensibly that includes Sandesh (Candyman) but his group of friends, called the Exiled by our bard, work away from the Inn and only return between jobs, quests, what have you. They're good boys.

Candy you know about, and I mentioned Quiver, scary that one, and I think I mentioned the other elf? Eldaen? Holy warrior, but still Valenaran, not someone you want on the wrong side of you. Pock, the gnome, he's been with them since their first visit. Hiding something or I don't know anything, but hey, we keep your secrets, with no extra charge. Erich the tiefling, I don't get him, he seems…..distracted. And then came the day that brought Krotos into the Inn, it was silent as the grave, I knew we were in deep trouble and was already looking for the order forms for new furniture, but he was self-controlled and polite, and had a sense of humor! A minotaur! And he does flips!!!

They've called the Inn home for some time now. Most of their interests and connections are in this part of Khorvaire. I find them alternately amusing and scary as Khyber. But they always help, and they always pay their tab.

I just wish they could find peace. But so few of us have.

Cyran forces special note-

Cyre was, of course, noted for fielding fiercely independent, uniquely manned, free companies (detached) and squads. These seemed to work well in that the Cyrans were (and are, of course) independent, creative, technologically, and artistically advanced. The reader may find it strange to hear those adjectives used to positively describe military units, but consider: When warfare becomes art, when weapons are crafted rather than forged, when creativity paints itself in bold, unexpected colors across a battlefield canvas and the commander becomes the artist, victory cannot help but follow his banner.

One such commander was Captain Tiriel Alden of the famed Steel Ravens. Alden formed his company from the melting pot that was created by the open accepting nature of Cyrian culture. The Gem of Galifar drew settlers from far and near and made Cyre a repository of Eberron's culture, not just Khorvaire's. In the streets of Metrol, one could encounter any race of creature known the world over, and not just view them with the arrogant 'tolerance' of Brelish culture, but with an eye that beholds wonder and art in every living thing.

Alden recruited his company himself and trained them for guerilla strikes and recon missions. They were so successful at sabotage and quick strike that Alden was awarded a Cyran title and a gift. We can only speculate where the gift came from but it seems to have been a warforged raven. The company's men dubbed it Quickbeak because of its' propensity towards sarcasm and it's fiery temper. They adopted the moniker for themselves and Quickbeak became the model for their standard.

Two incidents towards the end of the war drove the Ravens from the pages of current events. One was the Massacre at Khreelic-tor and the other was the Valeran incident. Khreelic-tor, of course, was the complete annihilation of a goblinoid township in Darguun. Women, children, cattle, nothing was left alive. It was here that Alden lost his will to live. Some of his men say he was so disgusted with the loss of life, apparently caused by a mind affecting artifact within the township, that during their embattled retreat from Darguun he purposely left his guard down to be killed by an aged Hobgoblin . Said Goblin was then poleaxed by a Goliath soldier in the company. Quickbeak flew away upon the death of his master and one Baltazar "Candyman" Sandesh assumed command of the Ravens, leading them into the Valenaran incident which I have discussed in a separate volume.

Excerpted from A History of Cyre in Seventeen Volumes by Jelary Glenharrow, Korranberg

Tomb of Horrors-Character Gen Guidelines

Hey gang. Okay, looks like Eberron for sure, just a few hoops to jump through for me, no sweat.

Characters are to be of NINTH level. This is a change based on an extra pc and some guidelines from the adventure. Standard array, just like our other Ebberon campaigns. Assign equipment and gold as per the rules for higher level pc's (it's in the character generator).

The first adventure will begin in the Spring of 998, location on Khorvaire tbd after I see the character builds.

It is imperative because of level and the start year that you know what your character was doing during the Last War because undoubtedly you were of a level to be involved just a few short years ago, four since the fall of Cyre, two since the Treaty of Thronehold. Background may not always affect this particular adventure cycle, but it does affect what happens in between and how you deal with each other, of course.

You will begin play as an established adventuring company in part or as a whole so previous connections are necessary. You will begin play with a drama die if you are connected to another pc in a significant way. Make sure you know your character because I am likely to put you in bonus situations where it will matter. :)

It is generally my style to smooth out problems during play so play what you want, I dig variety as long as it doesn't cross over into silly, not something I expect from this group.

So far I have these sketches:

Ben-Hafling Rogue-Traditional Sneak

Chris-Human Warlord-Did I hear that right?, Cyran would be great, angst!

Randy-Elven Paladin from Aerenal-Cool and prolly a hair creepy, much fun.

Nate-Minotaur Monk-Cannot. Wait. For. This.

Dan-Cool Psion with a touch of Bard or Gnome Slinger Rogue or something else....

Paul-I can't remember what you told me, sorry, I wouldn't know the others if they weren't written.

So:

Striker, Leader, Defender, Striker, and Controller or Striker (ranged) and Paul. (I think Paul is a Bard with a touch of Psion! LOL)

Okay, let the games begin. Send me some backgrounds! I'll post this on the blog.

Oh, yeah, it is possible, however unlikely, that you will need a backup character. Or, um, two. :) tie them to your PC or the party and they will start with a drama die as well.