The Union of Fenwyck and Waer fantasy role-playing campaign

Adventure synopsis: Act 3. Blood from a Stone

All we need now is a plague of locusts...

Act 3 Scene 1
28 to 43 Artusum III 986
(Session 17, 1 August 1998)

The week following Kaliya's funeral sees the PCs undertaking various tasks and jobs as life returns to normal in Rising Sun. On the 40th they are to leave once again for the Gap, this time to map the deep tunnels they found while chasing Thwarkin and the starstone. In the meantime, Eofor and Bleys are hired by the Expeditions Office (a new branch of the Union Cartographic and Antiquities Office, recently invested in Rising Sun) to accompany Sagart Albert on a trip to map Holden Hill as a possible future signal tower site between Rising Sun and Blue Bells. Watkyn is hired by the recently invested Corps of Engineers, and helps with the reconstruction of the Fort. Melea returns to her master Kighvoron's tower near Gyfron, where she and Watkyn continue learning about the sufacht under Kighvoron's tutelage. During this time, the first issue of the Sun Post appeared, a sheet of news items printed by Baarda Printsmith.

On the 37th, Kighvoron and Melea return to town to see the others and to meet the cartographer. In the office Sagart Meryck introduces everyone to Nefud and his apprentice Gnompf --- both dwarves from the Ligden Hush. Nefud is aging, yet spry, with a bald pate and flowing white beard. Gnompf is quite young and rather colorfully dressed. Kighvoron and Nefud are apparently old friends or acquaintances. The mission is to head back into the Gap of Dunloe and into the artificial tunnels under the end of the Gap, exploring them and mapping their extent. Some discussion of the dangers ensues, primarily of the pentagrams (or whatever they are) and what creatures they may be binding or protecting against or holding at bay --- and the fact that one of them was broken, meaning something may be lurking down below.

Nefud and Kighvoron head off somewhere for a drink, and Gnompf is left to get to know the others. As they chat over a meal in the Wolfsstunde, a crier comes by with the second issue of the Sun Post, which announces (among other things) the executions of Teanoc Lem, Hazel Brenner, Ranulf, and Corbek, to take place on the morning of the 39th.

The 39th arrives, and with it four hangings. A crowd of a few hundred is gathered on the grounds around the Assembly Hall, and as the PCs arrive they are greeted with cheers. Some demand to see Lem's sword, "taken from the Captain in single combat!" The prisoners arrive, hooded, followed up onto the gallows platform by three judges and the executioner. Awaiting a signal from the Hall, one of the judges motions to the executioner, who pulls the lever, dropping the convicts through trap doors. With the exception of Lem, it's over within seconds --- Lem however struggles against his bonds, kicking and writhing for a good fifteen seconds.

His struggling ends, and something dark trickles out from under his hood --- and down his body, dropping below the gallows. A brief gasp goes up from the crowd, and a few spiders can be seen crawling from under the gallows, only to be crushed under foot. The crowd and the PCs disperse, the corpses carted off, and soon enough the gallows are dismantled. Watkyn sticks around, snooping under the gallows, and finds several dead spider husks and some webbing. In view of the connection between Lem and the spider-creature that was Shipwright, he voices his concerns to Captain Aschl later that day; she dismisses it as a prank played on Lem by spiteful guards, but will nonetheless ask around the fort jail about the incident.

The first two days of the full moon begins, and after sunset Bleys, Eofor, Melea, and Watkyn head to the cemetery with Sagart Meryck for Kaliya's final rites. The skies are quickly darkening and clouds roll in from the east. Several other small groups are present at other graves. Meryck pours her ashes into a small grave with a Minrosi cross as a marker, saying a few prayers and some final words, afterwards heading back and leaving the others with their silent thoughts. As they stand there, it begins to snow --- however it's not snow that's falling from the sky, but ashes. Eofor and Bleys rush back to the tavern, followed eventually by Watkyn and Melea. Chastised by Conrad for tracking in ashes, Watkyn leaves everyone sparkling clean with a few arcane gestures. Nefud explains that this is associated with volcanic activity, undoubtedly from the nearby Anvil mountain range.

The 40th dawns upon an ash-covered Rising Sun: less than an inch of ash fell, but the wind has produced bare patches and drifts here and there. The party gets underway, Nefud and his mule Obbo bringing up the rear, heading up-river. Within hours the ground is clear of ash. That evening Melea volunteers to cook Eofor's catch, and is a bit surprised and ticked at Gnompf's assumption that she, as a woman, always does the cooking. Gnompf offers to help with some spices, but Melea rejects his offer. Instead, Watkyn, Nefud, and Gnompf add some of Gnompf's special spices afterwards. Nefud places Bleys in charge of the watch, and asks for some lullaby music from Watkyn before everyone tucks in for the night.

The night passes uneventfully for the party --- at least, they are unmolested as they sleep. Gnompf, however, falls asleep on his watch, and is awakened at swordpoint by an irate Eofor. The next day, Watkyn has some intestinal discomfort, and decides to avoid Gnompf's spices in the future. The 41st and 42nd pass without incident. Eofor and Bleys's hunting forays are supplemented by some arcane(!) fishing by Watkyn and Melea.

In the wee hours of the morning of the 43rd, as Nefud is on watch, the ground begins to rumble and the trees sway a little, waking everyone just in time to feel the earthquake end. Nefud, wise dwarf that he is, explains this is also sometimes associated with volcanoes, as the earth and fire elementals wrestle for power.

The river is running a bit higher in the morning as the party breaks camp and continues up-river. By late morning they arrive at Lough Gur, and find it rapidly flooding as the river continues to rise. The villagers, roughly a hundred of them, are in the process of gathering their belongings and herding their livestock up a nearby hill overlooking the village, nestled between the river and its south branch. Within an hour, the waters have reached the village and are rapidly submerging the houses. The swirling, muddy waters cut off the hill, making it an island.

A cry goes out --- two large, dark figures with long, dangling arms and a slight greenish hue wade through the swollen river, heading for the hill and dry ground. "Kill them! Kill the trolls!" shouts one villager. Eofor, Bleys, and Gnompf oblige, peppering them with arrows. Despite the hundred-yard distance, they skewer one with a few arrows before the trolls drop to the ground and behind some cover.

The trolls remain pinned down as Watkyn and Melea begin building an earthen dike around the top of the hill. After more than hour, they have a semi-circular dike, three feet high, around the hill crest. As they rest and others keep watch on the trolls and around the hill, they see a figure clinging onto a log in the river and being swept by the hill --- "Bearn! It's Bearn!" cries a villager. Bearn desperately swims towards shore as he is swept ever closer towards the trolls.

The party decides upon an attempt at rescue and reconnaissance. Gnompf volunteers to be levitated down the hill over the trolls; Melea fails her first casting, but succeeds at the second, and Gnompf floats down the hill to the trolls' hiding spot. Unfortunately exact navigation is difficult at one hundred yards, and Gnompf sails several yards past his targets. Twisting around to get a shot off at them from his crossbow, he is gashed in the leg as they leap up to snatch him from the air. Melea levitates him further away and spins him around, and Gnompf skewers one with a quarrel. The other, catches sight of Bearn, who is just now crawling over a low ridge on his belly, bedraggled and obviously exhausted. The troll grabs him, holding him around the neck, and waves off Gnompf. Gnompf signals to Melea, who brings him back up the hill.

Shortly thereafter, the two trolls slowly made their way up the hill, one with Bearn firmly clutched in front of him as a shield, the other directly behind the first. They get to within thirty yards or so, and are approached by Bleys. Everyone (aside from Gnompf) gets their first close-up look at the trolls: dark green-skinned giants, twice man-sized, with disproportionately long arms and wicked claws almost scraping the ground, with strange hair reminiscent of dreadlocks, naked save for their human shield. Surprisingly, the first one address them in broken Wattish: "I, Ball-Tongue, tell you: I kill man! You not shoot us!" Bleys suggests they release the man, giving his word they may return unharmed to the base of the hill. They refuse, and warily march back down, Bearn tucked under one arm.

Watkyn tends to Gnompf's wounded leg, but badly botches his spell which backfires and opens it further, blood spilling out as Gnompf screams in agony. Quickly trying his spell again, Watkyn repairs the damage he caused, but no more. Bleys and Eofor apply traditional first aid to stop the bleeding and bandage the wound. Nefud is surprised and says cryptically, "Boy, didn't anyone ever tell you about that?" This seems to have put a damper on Gnompf's desire to learn how to pull fish out of the water with a wave of the hand....

The evening wears on, the water cresting, and night soon falls. Melea conjures a bonfire on the hilltop for warmth and cooking, and to provide a little light on the overcast night. Pondering the darkness, she decides to cast a spell and brightly illuminate a stone, the first of many to place around the perimeter as lanterns. Unfortunately it is not a good night for spellcasting, as she fumbles the spell and accidentally brightly illuminates all the hair on Watkyn's body --- his head, eyebrows and eyelashes, moustache and beard, the hair on his knuckles and forearms, in his ears and his nose --- illuminating everyone around him with a bright yellow-white light. Glowing quite unnaturally and partially blinded by his own eyelashes, Watkyn curses his misfortune. Melea consoles him --- it should only last a few days. In the meantime, she can put him to sleep with a spell at night, if his eyelids prove too thin to shield him from the glare.

Eofor camouflages himself and reconnoiters the trolls' last known position. He finds them (and Bearn) gone, with two sets of troll footprints leading downhill to the receding water line. He scouts the whole hill, finding no other signs; Bleys joins him for a second look around, again finding no sign of Bearn.

---

...but I'll settle for a rain of spiders

Act 3 Scene 2
43 Artusum to 1 Harvest III 986
(Session 18, 20 September 1998)

Early the next morning (44th), as Eofor and several villagers are on last watch, the hermit Bearn is spotted crawling back to Lough Gur through the muck left by the receding waters. Eofor rushes down from the hilltop encampment to help. Bearn is apparently taken aback by Eofor's tattooed hands, but nearly falls unconscious before saying much and is taken up to the camp, where he recovers in Eofor's tent. Apparently as the night fell and the waters receded, Ball-tongue and the other troll, with Bearn in tow, headed for high ground along the South Branch, where they were all attacked by a swarm of poisonous spiders no doubt swept downstream from the Spider Wood. In the ensuing confusion Bearn made his escape. Indeed, his leg bears the marks of spider bites, and is in fact red and swollen; Watkyn boils the party's only kadje root in hopes of counteracting the spider poison, with unknown results. Bearn asks Eofor to go to his home, just a few miles up the South Branch, and retrieve his cats.

Nefud stays behind to look after Gnompf, who despite the magical healing efforts of Watkyn and Melea is somewhat feverish and whose leg is infected where he was gashed by one of the trolls. The others make the short trip to the hermit's home, following his directions along the South Branch to a small creek, following it about a hundred yards into the woods, finding a moderate vegetable garden but no sign of a house. Upon closer inspection, Bleys discerns a curtain-like doorway of vines and branches between the trees at one end of the garden. This turns out to be the entrance to a home with four walls and a roof consisting of a combination of thickly woven vines and live and dead branches.

The darkness inside is banished as Watkyn's glowing form enters the "house." Inside is a stone hearth in the center of the single, roughly twenty-foot square room, a table to one side, a pallet to another, and various herbs and plants hanging from the sloping ceiling. They find one cat with a litter of kittens about a month old; Eofor carefully puts them in a sack for transport. Melea discovers what she thinks is some kadje root in one of the many clay pots on the hermit's table, and takes them.

They make the trip there and back before mid-day. Back in what remains of Lough Gur, the villagers try to piece their homes back together with the help of Watkyn and Eofor; Bleys looks down on them from the hilltop as he practices his swordsmanship, and Melea tries concocting a foul brew of kadje root in the hopes its healing powers may help Gnompf. Bearn seems keenly interested in Eofor for some reason, but no one asks and neither offers to talk about it.

The night is uneventful, and the next day sees Gnompf feeling much improved, although not entirely up to peak performance. Before the party departs, Melea manages to wrangle Bearn down the hill and into the woods nearby to show her how to find the kadje root. They depart in the morning, making good progress into the foothills of the Anvil along the right-hand bank of the river. Bleys casts a warning spell on the camp to keep animals out and dissuade enemies from entering. On the morning of the 46th, everyone awakens to find a curious stone hemisphere near camp, the results of some magical fiddling on the part of Watkyn (whose hair still shines brightly). They break camp and continue their march upstream, Gnompf keeping better pace today.

Around noon the party decides it best to cross to the other side of the river, away from the Spider Wood; unfortunately, as previous trips have shown, crossings are few and far between. Melea levitates across the river, ferrying everyone's equipment and attaching a rope to the opposite bank for the others. With the exception of Watkyn, who slips and is saved from drowning by Eofor, everyone makes it across without incident. Finally, Melea levitates the calm mule, who much to her dismay weighs considerably more than she had thought. A tiny trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth betrays the effort required.That evening Bleys again casts his spell of protection on the camp, circling the site while mumbling and gesturing for several minutes.

Much to Watkyn's relief, the morning of the 47th sees a return of his hair to its naturally non-luminescent state. Eofor discovers a hungry little stowaway in his backpack: one of the hermit's kittens, the black one with white paws, who was slightly larger than its siblings. Eofor names her "Yrsa," and keeps her at the top of his backpack while travelling.

Halfway through the lunch break later that day, the ground begins to tremble -- faintly at first, but gradually becoming stronger and accompanied by an audible rumble. Melea, levitating up through the trees, spots a cloud of dust stretching to the left and right into the distance, growing in size and approaching the river. A stampede of wisents (buffalo) is heading straight for them! She levitates Nefud into the air and out of harm's way. Bleys and Eofor take shelter behind some sturdy trees, while Watkyn quickly forms an earthen wall where he and Gnompf take shelter. The mule bolts.

As the herd stampedes through the camp, trampling and scattering food, supplies, and equipment, Melea finds that the oncoming dust cloud has some rather strange qualities to it, swirling patterns reminiscent of flocks or swarms....

Spiders! Spiders falling from the sky, floating on long wispy tendrils, heading her way! Returning quickly to ground, with only moments to spare, she informs the others, and Watkyn transforms his earthen wall into a large protective dome as the spiders rain down around them. After about ten minutes, a hole is made and Melea floats out to see what the situation is. The forest is littered with spiders and webbing; as Melea begins to scorch the earth around the dome with conjured flames, a few spiders drop down on her from the trees, and she retreats back to the safety of the dome.

Inside, Melea magically determines the rough location of Nefud's brass instruments, close to the river bank. Exhibiting extraordinary control over the dome, Watkyn transforms it into a tunnel which he then slides forward over the ground, everyone walking under its protection. With an open mouth at the front protected by Melea's magic flames, they make it to the river's edge, skirting trees along the way, but unfortunately missing Nefud's equipment.

Watkyn forms a mobile pillar/platform with which to transport everyone (that is, everyone who isn't levitating) across to the unusual relative safety of the Spider Wood side of the river. Webbing is everywhere in the trees, several dozen wisents are dead or struggling at the steep base of the river bank, and more are rapidly being cocooned. As the others make their crossing, Melea floats back up over the forest to get another look. In the distance, perhaps a hundred yards away, is a giant spider floating over the treetops on many tendrils. Then a nearby giant black spider, larger than a man and moving through the trees, catches her eye.

Unwisely approaching nearer, she forms a ball of fire which she drops down onto the beast -- and is snared by a quick shot of webbing which catches her foot! Quickly working on the web from the other end with her flames, and on the near end with her knife, another strand flies out and catches her staff arm. Dropping her knife and desperately casting another fire spell, the monster draws her closer and closer. Within mere yards, the briefest wave of mental confusion hits her as the creature tries but fails some magical attack on her mind. The strands finally break and Melea retreats up and away as fast as possible as the spider flees into the trees and away from her flames.

Showing uncanny nerve, Melea returns to the campsite to find what remnants she can of Nefud's instruments. Although they are broken and missing pieces, Watkyn believes he can fix them.

The party continues onward, skirting the edge of the Spider Wood. Although there are old webs, shriveled animal husks and cocoons, there is no evidence of recent activity here. As they travel up-river, the webs and cocoons continue in the opposite woods for miles; at one point the party spots a giant spider hauling a cocooned wisent out of the river. Eventually as evening arrives and signs of spider activity thins to nothing, low banks on both sides of the river allow easy crossing, and the party makes camp. Bleys is concerned that they make camp while the sun is still up, in order for him to be able to cast his warding spell.

Around midnight, as Bleys and Eofor are on double-watch, a wisent is heard splashing downriver. Thinking of all the victuals lost in the stampede earlier, Eofor knocks an arrow, takes aim, and skewers the wisent. It is not pleased. Seconds later Eofor and the wisent are in a deadly dance, culminating in the wisent's death (thanks in part to Bleys) and Eofor's collapse from goring and trampling wounds. His injuries, while serious, present no obstacle to Watkyn and Melea's healing magics.

With Eofor out for the rest of the night, the others take turns on watch, Bleys dresses some of the meat, and Watkyn buries the remains. The rest of the night on to the morning of the 1st of Harvest passes without event.

---

I think the Blood King wants a donation

Act 3 Scene 3
1 to 2 Harvest III 986
(Session 19, 3 October 1998)

Eofor awakes on the morning of the 1st, aching and tired, but otherwise none the worse for wear thanks to Watkyn and Melea. Watkyn and Nefud decide the broken surveying equipment can wait to be fixed. The party breaks camp, heading gradually northeast away from the river, skirting around the north side of Obstacle Peak, passing an old abandoned mining camp late in the morning. The trees thin in the east-west valley as the party marches on towards the Gap of Dunloe, and Eofor and Bleys spot tracks from several dozen horses and men, heading the same way.

At the mid-day break, Gnompf prompts Watkyn to tell the tale of the previous trip into the Gap. As he struggles to get the details right and keep the order of events straight, Watkyn is aided by Eofor, and together they thoroughly butcher the story. Melea butts in when the tale turns to Kighvoron, and during the whole mess Bleys more than once barks out, "One at a time!"

Late in the afternoon the party travels by the pass to the north which leads to Blackbird and the Himmelturm, the pass between snow-capped peaks of the part of the Anvil Mountains known as the Spike. By nightfall, still following the trail of men and horses, they arrive at a low wooded ridge overlooking the entrance to the Gap, where Bleys spots a thin wisp of smoke trailing into the sky from the top of the butte where the old tower stands, about two miles to the east. The trail of horses and men apparently heads in that direction.

Bleys again casts his spell of protection on the camp before sundown. As Melea searches in vain for the kadje root, Watkyn successfully repairs Nefud's sextant. Aside from a single deer near the camp, the night passes quietly.

On the morning of the 2nd, Bleys spots a group of a few dozen humanoids and dogs heading to the butte. Over breakfast a tediously long discussion ensues (during which time Gnompf wanders off in search of game): whether to openly approach the people on the butte, to reconnoiter, or carefully avoid them. In the end they decide to simply pass by the butte on their way into the valley.

The valley floor is dotted with standing pools of water, and debris and mud can be found just about everywhere. The party passes unmolested and apparently unnoticed on the south side of the butte. After about ten miles, halfway to the opposite end of the valley where the lake and the crater lie, they cross the river and head for the forest and hills on the southern border of the Gap, on the way to search for the giant Grumbleweather, also known as Derwyth, who may have some information on the activity near the butte. Shortly after crossing, they discover a set of tracks dried in the mud, heading east. Bleys and Melea think they're dwarven, while Eofor contends they were made by men. In any case, they number roughly one dozen.

By mid-afternoon they arrive at the thickly wooded area where Watkyn and Eofor remember the giant's home lies. There is, however, no sign of the trail which they recall leads through the dense forest and to the hermitage. They plunge in anyway, and it becomes rapidly apparent that something unusual is going on, as they come crashing back out of the forest about twenty minutes later, not far from where they entered it.

Turning around and heading back in, Melea makes use of her spellcasting powers and periodically levitates up above the canopy to determine course corrections. This stops after Melea gets separated from the rest and they spend fifteen or twenty minutes shouting out and searching for her. Watkyn hits upon a clever idea involving some rope, Gnompf, an illusory bird, and Melea to retreat out of the forest, which they do after another half hour in the trees. Melea, saying she'll catch up in ten minutes or so, stays behind, meditating in the forest. After nearly thirty minutes, Eofor and Watkyn, highly annoyed, turn back to retrieve her.

By early evening they reach the eastern end of the valley, where not only do they find the crater, but clear and recent evidence of a campsite, the obvious destination of the dwarves or men whose tracks they've followed here. The old mine entrance into the hillside beneath the crater is open, and fresh tracks lead in. The campfire is still smoldering.

They head up the sparsely wooded hillside, their ultimate destination the hall carved into the mountain with the long, spiral staircase leading directly down to the artificial passages. After a few hours, above the treeline, and as sunset fast approaches, they spy the carved entrance: fifty feet wide, twenty to thirty feet high, with stone pillars to either side, surmounted by a cornice. On the sloping ledge in front of the entrance are two large, smoking braziers, and a four-foot high stone obelisk with strange runes painted on it stands between them. Nefud thinks they vaguely resemble ancient dwarven runescript, while Melea recognizes definite similarities with the pre-Minrosi runes for ``water'' and ``the dead'' or ``undead.'' They soon discover the runes are writ in blood, and a foul odor emanates from the gaping entrance.

Before they can explore any further, the sounds of rockfalls and footsteps behind them diverts their attention. Coming up the sloping ledge are a dozen dwarves, followed shortly by six enormous humanoids. The dwarves are fully armed with swords, axes, and crossbows, armored, and wearing long travelling cloaks. The humanoids are eight feet tall and bulging with muscles, with heavy jaws, sloping foreheads and ridged brows, clothed with furs and wielding clubs. The giant brutes hardly arrive behind the dwarves when they start shoving each other around and grunting. The whole group stops a hundred feet from the party, from the mountainside entrance.

Nefud and Bleys go down to talk to the dwarves, and confront the apparent leader, a bald dwarf with a beard painted bright red and carefully styled into a stiff fan, wielding a staff. With him is a humanoid completely cloaked in grey robes, presumably another dwarf.

Had Bleys been with Watkyn and Eofor a mere three months earlier at the end of this very same valley, the following words would have been all too familiar: ``We demand the surrender of your party. You will work for us in the tunnels beneath the mountain.''

Bleys retorts, ``On whose authority?'' ``On the authority of Sabet-tesher. You have five minutes to inform the rest of your party.''

Melea heads into the dark depths of the cavern as the others discuss options -- at the top of the list is retreat into the cavern (and presumably from there down into the deep tunnels). She returns a minute later to report that retreat into the cavern is not an option -- sitting in the darkness in the back is a troll who calls himself the ``Blood King.'' This Blood King is apparently associated with the dwarves, for he reportedly told Melea, ``Surrender to the dwarves, your destiny lies underground.''

Their time running short, Melea hits upon the idea of retreating to the shadows, then using an illusion of the party to draw the dwarves and others away. They look to Watkyn, who agrees, and they head into the shadows. As they do, the dwarves ready their arms. No sooner do they start for the entrance than they see the party dash out of the shadows and across the rocky slope, and they pursue.

After their would-be captors are hundreds of feet away, pursuing Watkyn's illusion over a distant ridge, the PCs dart out and in the opposite direction (from whence they came) -- at which point Melea suddenly reappears from the depths of the cavern.

Barely have they gotten out into the open when the a deep-throated rumble erupts from the cavern: ``Betrayal!'' The Blood King, a fifteen-foot tall troll, dark green, with long arms and vicious claws, appears at the cavern entrance. He is joined almost immediately by two others, slightly shorter, if a twelve-foot tall humanoid can be considered ``short.''

Gnompf and Bleys confront the two trolls as the others run down the slope -- Eofor pausing to draw a bead and plunk a few arrows into the enemy. Nefud trips and tumbles on his way down. As he passes Gnompf, who has just turned to face the battle, he yells, ``Keep running boy!'' The two trolls don't seem to be faring that well, however -- Gnompf severely slices into one with his axe, and Bleys nearly severs the leg of his opponent, who goes down. Watkyn conjures a noxious cloud to distract Gnompf's opponent.

And then a cloud of darkness enshrouds Bleys's opponent -- and the Blood King steps from the cavern entrance and onto the battlefield. Everyone takes advantage of the brief pause to continue their retreat. After a pause, Gnompf's opponent, newly invigorated but still showing signs of tangling with Gnompf, and the Blood King continue the pursuit. Gnompf swings his axe clear through the arm of his opponent -- which immediately re-integrates with its stump! Uh-oh. Bleys is having similar results with the Blood King, although his blows do seem to have some minor effect. Eofor's arrows likewise seem ineffective. Melea, in the meantime, floating several yards above the ground, abandons her fire spells and attempts to levitate Gnompf to safety. Gnompf's opponent flexes in front of him and gives a mighty scream at the top of its lungs.

A crack and puff of smoke issue from Nefud's pistol and the Blood King is hit. Nefud turns and continues his flight. After an unsuccessful attempt, Melea gets Gnompf off the ground and away from the trolls. Until now, his armor and shield have served him well. Bleys -- injured, but not badly -- turns and retreats with the others. The third troll -- Bleys's original opponent -- emerges from the shadows to stand by the side of the Blood King, who calls off the pursuit with a wave. By now the light is fast failing, and the PCs swiftly make their way back down the mountainside.

---

We came, we saw, we left town

Act 3 Scene 4
6 to 8 Harvest III 986
(Session 20, 7 November 1998)

Melea ran down the rocky slope, through the trees in the darkness, branches and needles scratching her face, catching her hair and clothing. Panting and tired, her vision grew dim and her surroundings blurred, when with a sudden, brilliant, blinding flash of blue light, she unexpectedly found herself in a richly decorated bedchamber. Light from a full moon illuminated the room, splashing across a giant tapestry depicting the Wild Hunt, a handsomely carved dresser with a large mirror, the tiled floor and fur carpeting, and onto a massive canopied bed. On the stone wall by the bed hung a banner decorated with a griffon, the royal Zooten coat of arms.

Her vision still hazy, Melea crossed the room to see the full moon from the window, when her attention was diverted to the bed, where a beautiful, black-haired woman was fitfully sleeping. The woman sat up suddenly in bed with a scream, and the door burst open as an older woman came rushing into the room. ``Die Untoten kommen! Die Untoten kommen!'' screamed the young woman repeatedly as the older woman comforted her and calmed her down. Neither seemed to notice Melea observing them.

A wave of fatigue swept over Melea, and before she knew it, she was opening her eyes, feeling achy and sore. She found herself lying on a straw bed in a darkened room. From the window above her she could hear birdsong, and thin beams of sunlight pierced the shutters, falling on the stone masonry. The familiar sharp scent of a healing ointment was in the air. Heavy breathing drew her attention to the other bed in this small room, where Watkyn, bandaged and bruised, lay sleeping. The wooden door at the foot of the bed slowly opened, and Watkyn sat up with a groan. Two familiar figures appeared: a middle-aged blond-haired woman, dressed in orange and white robes, and a slightly younger, dark-haired man with a neatly trimmed moustache and beard, wearing blue and white robes -- the sages Gwynnyth and Anders of the Himmelturm.

They were, in fact, back at the Himmelturm. The entire party was present, and soon gathered for a meal in the central banquet hall, where they were informed by the sages that it was the late morning of the 6th -- the party, beaten and bruised, had arrived at the tower in the wee hours of the morning of the 5th, demanding sanctuary. In addition to their wounds, signs of battle were evident in damaged armor, bloodied weapons, and a strange ichor on Bleys's sword. But no one could clearly recall any of the events between the battle with the Blood King and his minions and awakening in the Himmelturm. Aside from the obvious signs of some subsequent battle, it was clear that some intense marching must have been involved to get to the Himmelturm from the far end of the Gap of Dunloe in under 72 hours.

After a hearty meal the tired and sore adventurers returned again to their rooms in the Himmelturm for some much needed rest. So tired were they that they slept the rest of the day away, awakening late the next morning. As they dined in the main hall, the sages informed them that they could not stay another evening in the tower, and should consider lodging in the nearby village of Schwartzvögel (Blackbird) if they intended to stay in the area. The party discussed the situation, and found that Melea's vision of the sleeping woman was not shared by anyone else; the one phrase she remembered hearing, ``die Untoten kommen,'' was translated from Zooten by Bleys as ``the undead are coming.'' Anders related the story that the previous queen of the Zootenrijk, Gisela I, ordered the Zooten armies to abandon efforts to retake the Waer colony in the Union War more than 50 years ago, after she had some sort of vision or revelation.

After eating, Watkyn and Melea tended to some of the more serious wounds of their companions, such as Eofor's broken arm and Bleys's chest wound, using their magic healing spells. Eofor searched the grounds for his missing cat, and Gnompf went into town to look for materials to repair his armor. Bleys went into the courtyard for sword practice, where he met Georg, captain of the Himmelturm guard, and Wilhelm, his lieutenant, who (apparently impressed with Bleys's swordsmanship) challenged Bleys to a friendly contest of arms.

Unable to disarm Bleys after several minutes, Wilhelm called an end to the contest. Bleys discovered that Georg and Wilhelm had only been at the tower for a few weeks, hired to augment the guards already living here. They told Bleys of a strange incident two weeks ago when a small group of local Frowen tried to gain entrance to the gatehouse late at night. They refused to leave, ignoring all warnings, and were finally cut down by the guards.

In the meantime, the others in the tower proper discovered that the students and most of the staff had been dismissed from the Himmelturm. Only the senior sages (Gwynnyth, Anders, Eamon, and Ardwyn), the guards, and a skeleton staff remained. Ardwyn (master of the Himmelturm) and Eamon (master Historian) were now spending their days apparently shut in the ``Old Tower'' and the Dome, respectively. Efforts to see either of them were met with silence and locked doors.

The party left the tower together later in the day, heading along the dirt road leading down the wooded hill on which the Himmelturm sits, and into Blackbird, a small village of a few hundred Zooten-speakers along the banks of the Waer River, surrounded by a wooden palisade and a few stone towers. No sooner had they passed the gate than Eofor spotted a black cat with white paws heading his way -- Yrsa, to be sure, but seemingly larger than he remembered. They obtained lodging at the ``Der Schaumige Krug'' (The Foamy Tankard), a rustic little inn near the center of town, which quickly filled up with hungry & thirsty patrons as the lunch hour arrived.

A few free drinks loosened the tongues of some of the other patrons, who were more than happy to recount their version of the ``attack'' on the Himmelturm by four Frowen trappers two weeks ago. The tale they heard from the Frowen villagers was that the bodies of the trappers, who had all four met an untimely death, were dug up by the henchmen of the Himmelturm wizards for necromantic purposes, then hacked up and left outside the tower's walls.

In the late afternoon the party decided to cross the bridge to the small Frowen settlement in the woods on the opposite shore, in the hopes of finding more information about this strange event. There, amongst the small enclave of thatched-roof houses, Eofor spoke to a Frowen washer-woman who confirmed the story the adventurers most recently heard in the tavern, telling him that the four trappers had all perished from something they had eaten. Bleys and Melea took a quick look around, discovering four relatively fresh graves in the Frowen cemetery before joining the others back at the inn.

Unable to quickly unravel this mystery, and with the mysterious memory gap and their uncompleted expedition still weighing heavily upon them, Nefud considered the input from all party members before deciding to head to Tweepijk on the morrow, where they would hopefully be able to send word to the Rising Sun cartographic office.

On the morning of the 8th of Harvest, the party departed Blackbird on the Tweepijk road along the Waer River, anticipating an evening arrival in Tweepijk on the 9th.

---

Night messages, part 1

Act 3 Scene 5
8 to 11 Harvest III 986
(Session 21, 12 December 1998)

The two-day journey to Tweepijk was easy, the days were warm and sunny, the nights pleasant. The only event of note was the coming of the new moon late on the 8th, and the consequent waning of the mana in the world. On Midweek, the 9th of Harvest, with the Anvil Mountains behind them, party entered Tweepijk, a town roughly the size of Rising Sun, if perhaps a bit smaller. In the distance beyond the town they saw two closely spaced, snow-capped peaks jutting up from the foothills. They entered through a gatehouse, paid the sweating guards the 1 farthing road tax, and got a recommendation from the guards to stay at ``der Rote Faß'' (the Red Barrel), a tavern Watkyn and Eofor stayed at the last time they were in Tweekpijk.

Walking down the narrow lanes, by the wooden houses and shops closing for the day, the party arrived at a large town square, the central market, where many traveller's inns were located. There they found the Red Barrel, a large inn filled with the sounds of loud Zooten voices and the clatter of dishes and tankards. As Watkyn arranged for dinner and lodging with the owner Udo, Nefud, Melea, and Bleys (acting as translator) went to the fort where the signal tower was located, hoping to send a message to Rising Sun using the towers. Instead, they encountered Sergeant Joschka, who after looking over Nefud's papers suggested they get a writ from the local Cartographic Office if they had any hope of sending a message with the signal tower.

After dining at the inn, Nefud and the others obtained a hastily written note from a sleepy Sergeant Heino at the rather small Cartographic Office, and returned to the fort. There, Sgt. Joschka admitted them entry to the tower, where a youthful signalman named Karl took their message for transmission later that night. Joschka would send word to them at the inn when a reply was received. They shouldn't expect a return message until the morning of the 11th or later (overnight transmission, delivery on the 10th and reply the night of the 10th at the soonest).

zH Sgrt Meryck UCAEO RS (3986.246-12)
Mission aborted due to hostile force in the Gap. Send Kaveron or advice to Twaepike.

The 10th saw the party largely just passing the time waiting for a reply message from Rising Sun. Eofor, his cat Yrsa tucked away in his backpack, went to the Frowen quarter for a little diversion and learned that the weekly ``großer Markt'' was tomorrow; some of his drinking companions were interested to know if Eofor had seen a small fur caravan from Blackbird -- they were apparently overdue. Nefud stopped at the Cartographic Office again and left what remained of his broken instruments with Heino for possible repair.

Melea and Watkyn sought the advice of at the local Union Church temple/meeting house regarding recovery of memories, where they found Sagarts Otto and Rolf. Otto invited them to spend the night at the temple quarters, where Rolf would use their dreams to guide them back to the time of their memory gaps -- for a small donation to the Church, of course.

That evening, back in the temple, Melea and Watkyn were led by Otto and Rolf into a small room with two pallets and two chairs. A lantern and several candles illuminated the room as the last rays of the summer sun faded away, and the strong, sweet scent of incense hung in the air. After putting Watkyn into a slumber with a magic spell, Rolf began a slow, meticulous, ritualistic dance lasting perhaps 20 minutes, as Melea and Otto looked on. Rolf then sat down by Watkyn's side, his eyes closed in concentration for another fifteen minutes or more, his eyes and Watkyn's moving back and forth beneath their closed lids. Fifteen, twenty minutes passed, then Rolf slowly opened his eyes and gently woke Watkyn. Melea was next.

Excerpted from Melea's journal:

In the dream, the monk and I float back to the gap and witness our flight down the hillside from the Blood King. Time then seems to shift forward through a haze and we are at the Himmelturm. The monk turns me around and points me back towards the pass that leads into the valley where the Himmelturm is situated. We floated back up the pass to a scene where I can see our group trudging away from a badly mangled insect-looking corpse. My guess is that it is a memory spider, but the details are not that clear. Stalking behind us is a black panther.

Melea and Watkyn returned to the inn in the morning, where they ate with their companions and related their experiences of the night before. The sounds of buyers and sellers at the weekly ``Grand Market'' on the square outside could be heard in the inn. A messenger from the fort arrived with a short message from the signal tower:

zH Nefud UCAEO TwPk (3986.247-1)
Wait. Will inform. Meryck.

---

Night messages, part 2

Act 3 Scene 6
11 Harvest III 986
(Session 22, 23 January 1999)

The adventurers, having finished their morning meal at the Red Barrel, stepped outside onto the square where they were greeted by the sights, sounds, and smells of der Große Markt, or the Grand Market: wine and ale, spices, fresh bread and other baked goods, cheeses, vegetables and fruits, meats, chickens; pelts, furs, blankets, candles, soaps, oils; baskets, boxes, hats; and various and sundry other items. The square, some hundred yards on a side, bustled with merchants and customers.

Barely a few steps beyond the door of the Red Barrel the question of the identity of Sabettesher was raised -- Bleys recalling the phrase used by their would-be dwarven captors at the end of the Gap of Dunloe a week ago: ``On whose authority are we to be taken prisoner?'' ``On authority of Sabettesher.'' Nefud and Gnompf, the obvious candidates to significate the obviously dwarven words or name, yet overlooked perhaps due to their stature, chimed in with a helpful translation: sabettesher is dwarven for ``red mountain.'' The conversation moved to Nefud and Bleys's recollection of the ornate beard of the apparent dwarven leader, lacquered into a tremendous comb with some rather bright red grease or paint.

Eofor's Frowen acquaintance from the previous day's tavern visit, the old man Balra, then appeared with another Frowen, Schéattle; in making introductions, Balra mentioned Schéattle's interest in the Cartographic Office, his thinking being: who better to talk to about such matters than our stalwart heroes? At which point Gnompf, having lost interest, could be found spice-hunting elsewhere in the market.

After some discussion about the Cartographic Office, and some hints at the dangerous adventures a certain party has had while in its employ, Schéattle and Nefud made for the Fort to look for maps; although Nefud had picked through the feeble collection at the local UCAEO, he hoped to find more detailed information about the area. With Schéattle as translator, after obtaining permission from the sweaty guards to enter the fort and the equally sweaty though more lightly armored Sergeant Joschka to peruse what passes for their library, an hour or two yielded up nothing of consequence in the collection.

Meanwhile the others were at the Union temple, primarily seeking information regarding sabettesher. As pupils transcribed books by hand in one corner of the spacious ground floor of the Meeting House, Sagart Otto -- while having no information regarding sabettesher other than ``it sounds dwarvish'' -- told them that Sagart Rolf was looking over his tomes and scrolls, and that the power of a group dream -- a dream journey en masse -- might unlock the party's missing memories more effectively than their previous night's efforts. They would be in touch later in the day to make plans for those interested in participating.

Noon-time in the marketplace: the party gathered again to sample some of foods and ales; Watkyn took the opportunity to satisfy his sweet-tooth. A crowd surrounded a pickle seller to hear the old man Balra tell the tale of Eower, an ancient Frowen hero in the days right after the fall of the Minrosi Empire. Eower was reknowned for feats of strength, attributed by some to giant blood in his veins. While out uprooting trees and single-handedly digging miles of trenches for more farming land, his people were beset by a vampire: a giant beast, twenty feet tall, black as night, with hideous fangs and wicked talons, demanding a tribute of blood and slaves to eat. Messengers were sent out by King Aeloc to find help, but they all fell victim to the vampire and its minions. Finally Eower, returning from his mighty tasks, with one giant uprooted tree impaled the vampire and released his people. Melea (hearing the tale second-hand, so to speak, through Watkyn's translation from Zooten) was particularly interested at the mention of King Aeloc, buying the suddenly thirsty Balra a beer in exchange for more information.

His knowledge regarding King Aeloc sadly lacking, Balra happily described the (now) thirty-foot tall vampire again as he slurped his beer and everyone munched on pickles. After a sloppy group effort at recounting the tale of their journey to the Spider Wood barrow and what they found inside, Watkyn recounted the tale of a religious cult around a vampire and the heroes that saved the town from her evil clutches.

The group decided to take the sagarts up on their offer this evening. Bleys, Eofor, Gnompf, and Schéattle then headed out of town into the nearby woods for a little target practice and friendly competition (easily won by the nigh-celestial prowess of Eofor). Back at the Union temple, Melea inquired about old Frowen tales, in particular about Eower and King Aeloc. According to Otto, Eower was a popular folk hero, but he had only heard of Aeloc tangentially, in connection with Eower.

As the evening approached, many of the merchants at the market were gradually replaced by singers, dancers, musicians, jongleurs, and other performers. The PCs dined togther at the Red Barrel. The sun dipped behind the hills to the west, and they headed across the square to the temple. Otto and Rolf greeted them and led them upstairs to a back room. The smell of incense hit them as the door was opened. In the middle of the room were cushions arranged in a circle around a brazier with hot coals, smoke rising from it and filling yet not quite obscuring the rest of the room, lit by candles and the faint glow of the western sky from the window.

Otto and Schéattle sat in the corner observing as Rolf and the others took positions in the circle. Yrsa poked its feline head from Eofor's backpack, and was handed over to Schéattle for the duration of the ceremony. Rolf, in his subdued manner and quiet voice, asked the circle to meditate, to concentrate on the rising smoke, then began to mumble a quiet chant as he rocked back and forth. Gnompf: ``Am I doing it right?'' Everyone else: ``shhh!'' Presently he told them to close their eyes as he performed some type of ritual spell, carefully moving his hands, arms, head and upper body.

The minutes passed. Nothing seemed to be happening. Gradually they opened their eyes. The room had changed: everything outside of the circle had disappeared. The light from the window had faded away entirely. As Rolf sat still meditating, entranced, or asleep, they ventured to the door, and opening it found leading from it a dirt road in the woods! Turning back they discovered the room and Sagart Rolf had disappeard, leaving in their place only the road leading in the other direction.

The stars were shining, but there was no moon and little light. Melea had trouble conjuring a magical light, succeeding after a few attempts; Watkyn as well noticed the increased effort required, and discerned that there was now a new moon -- which it certainly wasn't when they entered the temple, new moon having ended the previous evening. After a few minutes of walking they realized they were on the road from Tweepijk to Blackbird, and in fact could see the Waer river every now and again to their left. A sound caught their attention -- a faint meowing, followed by a small black cat, with white paws, dashing from the underbrush and into the road in front of them -- Yrsa. ``Here kitty kitty!'' -- Schéattle close behind. He was unable to tell how he got here, any more than the others could.

Soon Blackbird came into view -- the town mostly dark in the night save for several small fires around the town's perimeter, some moving. Coming within a hundred yards of the town's north gate, still within the surrounding woods, they saw armed human horsemen riding back and forth, fires coming from within the town walls, and closer at hand a group of large humanoids attempting to batter down the gate. Sounds of fighting could be heard coming from the town. A muffled ``whumph'' and a flash issued from the hilltop to their right, where the Himmelturm sits. Schéattle hid in the woods with Yrsa as the others continued further along the road and into the open area before the town wall, where they were spotted by some of the horsemen.

In the darkness and confusion about a half-dozen to a dozen horsemen assaulted the party with arrow and sword, wounding Eofor and Bleys but paying a heavy price themselves with several dead and wounded. All the attackers appeared to be Frowen, probably bandits judging by the way they were outfitted. Bleys and Watkyn managed to take the reins of two riderless horses just as a group of perhaps ten archers took up position near the gate, accompanied by a half-dozen riders circling in an attempt to cut off the party's access to the woods. Not quickly enough, however, and the horsemen turned back as the party reached the woods. In the darkness they began to pick their way carefully through the trees and up the hillside to the Himmelturm.

---

Wanweird of the philomaths

Act 3 Scene 7
11 Harvest III 986
(Session 23, 27 February 1999)

The PCs climbed further up the hillside through the woods, when they were confronted by a sudden wind, seemingly from nowhere, blowing through the trees, picking up dust, and gently buffeting the adventurers. A strange flickering light filtered down through the canopy, and in a moment, their heads spinning just a little, the PCs found themselves still in the same spot, but in the daytime. Watkyn quickly discovered that the mana level had returned to its normal strength -- it was no longer new moon.

Melea, having cast her levitation spell extraordinarily well, soared up above the treetops to survey their surroundings. The Himmelturm, nearby at the top of the hill, looked unremarkable and quiet. Blackbird, on the other hand, was in partial ruin, the wooden pallisade breached in many places, some towers torn down, pillars of smoke rising from many buildings. On the small plain between the town and the treeline to the west several hundred people were gathered, some on horseback, and apparently heading into the mountains, in the direction of the Gap of Dunloe. Her attention was suddenly diverted to two shapes hovering over the field -- two large spiders on the wind!

After Melea relayed what she saw to the others, they set off again towards the tower, when Yrsa suddenly jumped from Schéattle's backpack and into the underbrush. Within moments a breeze again picked up, the light began to flicker and fade and it was dusk. Eofor, pursuing Yrsa, heard movement up ahead -- but in the trees above, where he found himself uncomfortably close to a man-sized, eight-legged dark shape. Before anyone had time to react or reflect on this development, they heard a woman's voice coming from close behind them: "Hold! Back slowly away." Behind them stood a figure dressed in a simple grey robe from head to toe, her face covered by the robe's hood. She continued, "It has recently fed and will not attack unless provoked." Ignoring the questions of the adventurers, the figure continued, "You must not allow that which is not of Feorha fall into the hands of the dark servants. I may tell you no more." Gnompf's protestations ("What is that supposed to mean?") were answered by Melea -- the starstone, of course! A sudden, loud "meow" diverted the attention of the PCs, who upon turning back found the figure had vanished.

Eofor picked up Yrsa, plopped her in his backpack, and the adventurers once again continued their march uphill where they soon reached the outer perimeter wall of the Himmelturm compound. Melea flew up the wall and after a brief visual survey found no movement in the compound or on the walls, and the chapel/library windows all broken. Within a few minutes they arrived at the gatehouse, the doors standing open and severely battered. On the gatehouse roof Melea found two dead guards, skewered with arrows. She scavanged some of their equipment for the others (who for the most part were ill-prepared for any kind of combat -- having appeared here in much the same state as they had entered their group dream; of course for Eofor this meant he had everything but his tent) before heading into the inner courtyard. There they found the main doors to the Himmelturm proper standing wide open, the entry hall dark.

Beyond the entry hall the adventurers carefully, quietly ventured forth into the tower, onto the first floor balcony. Torches here and there cast their feeble glow about. Directly below them on the ground floor they first heard then spied two giant green creatures, maybe twice man-sized and with long arms, wicked talons, and very odd, thick fleshy-looking strands of black hair, and conversing in an unfamiliar tongue -- these were Ball-tongue and the other troll first seen at Lough Gur, then later in the Gap of Dunloe. Two smaller humanoids (of the same ilk seen with the dwarves and trolls in the Gap, seen more recently assaulting the gates of Blackbird) -- yet still larger than man-sized, massively built, with a brutish cast to their features, wearing furs and generally quite hairy, were gnawing on human limbs, as several wolves dined on other body parts, remnants of tower guards.

A quick, quiet discussion ensued -- how best to retrieve the starstone? As far as the adventurers knew, it was still locked up in the Old Tower, which could be entered only on the floor above. They headed carefully towards the stairs, any noise masked by the snarling wolves and rumblings of the trolls, when Gnompf spotted movement in the shadows on the balcony above. A quick peek up the stairs revealed a half-dozen dwarves -- including one with an unusual fan-shaped, red beard, and one heavily cloaked head to toe in grey robes -- gathered around the Old Tower entrance.

At this point the bodies of three more guards were discovered lying in the shadows on the PCs' entry level. But there was little time to make any coordinated plan as Eofor, warily eyeing the trolls along his readied arrow, let loose into one's skull as it made for the stairs!

Nearly immediate darkness followed, enveloping the entire ground level where the trolls, brutish giant humanoids, and wolves stood. Bleys took position on the stairs, with Watkyn nearby, as Schéattle, Nefud, and Gnompf entered the second floor to confront the dwarves. Melea flew over to take position just under the dwarves and get a surreptitious peek at them.

Two of the brutes ascended the stairs and attacked Bleys, who received a vicious blow from a club before dispatching one. Watkyn drove the other off, back down the stairs with tactical use of magic flames. But soon enough the two trolls and remaining brute appeared from out of another tower on the entrance floor and again advanced upon Bleys and Watkyn.

In the meantime, Redbeard had cast some sort of spell which formed a shimmering curtain blocking the stairs directly behind Nefud, Gnompf, and Schéattle, who were now forced to face the four oncoming, heavily armed and armored dwarved warriors. Nefud and Schéattle effectively kept some of the dwarves occupied as Gnompf bashed his way through them, lopping off one's head with his axe. As Melea prepared a spell and watched Redbeard manipulating some odd stones in his hands, she and the others on the second floor were stunned by a brilliant flash of light, which disoriented them for the next minute or so.

By this time Eofor had climbed up to the second floor by scaling the balcony, and viciously punched and kicked a few opponents into unconsciousness with a little help from Schéattle and Nefud. Schéattle had been impaled in the shoulder by a warhammer at this point, and was barely holding onto consciousness in a bloody haze. Melea had not only succeeded in dazing Redbeard, but had also resisted some strong mind-control attempt by the grey figure.

As Gnompf and Eofor waded through the carnage and over to the two spellcasters, Melea used the tried-and-true magic flame tactic. As Greyrobes revived Redbeard from his daze, Eofor and Gnompf pounced, putting Redbeard out of action. Greyrobes couldn't flee fast enough from Melea's flames, however, and was soon enveloped. But within seconds Greyrobes seemed to melt away -- the robes collapsing to the floor as a black swarms scurried away in all directions and into the darkness!

Bleys and Watkyn were trapped on the stairs, caught between the two trolls and the magical barrier on the second floor. The trolls were nearly too large to fit into the stairwell, however, and the larger one (Ball-tongue) tried to taunt Bleys into coming out. ("Why don't you come out and play?" "Afraid to come in after me?") Possibly dismayed that Bleys did not just fall off the turnip truck (or wagon, depending on the Tech Level...), Ball-tongue pressed the attack into the stairwell, but was thoroughly skewered not once, not twice, but three times by the expert swordsman from Onderberg before collapsing into a heap on the stairs. That same familiar inky blackness followed, quenching Watkyn's magically lit staff and the light from the flames lower down on the stairs. After a few unsuccessful swings from the second troll, Bleys heard the distinct sounds of the first being dragged away, down the stairs (apparently through the flames). At this point the second brute had been driven off and out of the tower by Melea's magic flames.

Hardly a minute had passed, yet the carnage was substantial. Those dwarves who hadn't had their throats slit by an overzealous Schéattle (who by now had passed out from his wounds) were bleeding, one brute was dead, one driven off, and there was no sign of the trolls or the wolves. Battered, bleeding, and bruised, the adventurers had survived, some just barely. Bleys made rounds of the tower and perimeter wall, keeping an eye out for trouble, as the others bound wounds, tried to discover more about their foes, or contemplated entering the Old Tower.

The latter seemed to be no easy task. There were obvious burns and blast marks on the floor, walls, and ceiling surrounding the door into the Old Tower, itself slightly charred yet still (in Nefud's expert opinion) in quite sturdy condition. Elsewhere on the second floor the bodies of two brutes had been stacked in a corner, blackened and burned. The door had a magical feel about it -- but not the surrounding stonework. Melea and Watkyn began to concentrate near the door, meditating for several minutes. When they were done, Watkyn cast a spell and reshaped the stone away from one side of the door, scooping it out as if made of clay, until the breach was large enough for a man.

The inky darkness zones and the magical barrier had in the meantime vanished, and Bleys had returned from his survey, having found that the first-floor room in the southeast tower had been devastated by some sort of explosion, bits of glass, pottery, and wood littering that part of the tower.

Watkyn entered the Old Tower, followed by Melea and some of the others. The tower seemed to consist of one single 40-foot high room, a spiral stair leading down into the near-darkness far below and to a nearby landing above, where a large iron chandelier hung from the ceiling, its magical lights faintly illuminating the interior. At the bottom, in the center of a circle of a dozen man-sized stones partly buried in the ground, was an old, white-haired, emaciated figure: Ardwyn, master of the Himmelturm, curled up around the melon-sized, pearly-white, opalescent starstone. He was dead.

Without skipping a beat, Melea bent down and picked up the stone, whereupon everyone suddenly found themselves slightly dizzy and opening their eyes back in the temple in Tweepijk. What wounds they had suffered were still present, and in Melea's lap sat the starstone.

---

That which is not of Feorha

Act 3 Scene 8
11 to 12 Harvest III 986
(Session 24, 20 March 1999)

11 Harvest III 986 – continued

Magus Valdo, a slender brown-haired youth with training in the healing arts, was sent for to tend to the wounded. Exhausted from the collective dreaming, but too rattled from the experience to sleep, the party discussed their apparent journey into the past with Rolf and Otto, and the retrieval of the starstone. Watkyn asked Melea to see the starstone. At first, Melea was reluctant to release it from her grasp. However, she quickly realized that sole possession of the starstone was an untenable position, at least until Kighvoron arrived, so she offered it to him for examination. The stone was much the same as when they turned it over to Ardwyn at the end of the first expedition to the Gap. Both Melea and Watkyn could tell that the mana flow around the stone was normal, and the opalescent pearl-white exterior showed no damage from its travels.

Satisfied with his initial examination of the starstone, Watkyn asked Melea about the stones that Redbeard was manipulating to cast spells. She feigned ignorance about the stones, but Watkyn persisted, pointing out that he saw her take the stones off Redbeard's fallen body. Nefud suddenly became very interested in the conversation, and insisted on seeing the stones. Reluctantly, Melea produced a pouch and spilled some of the rune tablets into the palm of her hand. Watkyn was content to look at the stones in this fashion, and asked if he might study them later, to which Melea agreed. Nefud was of a different mind, however, and flatly stated that he should take the runes back to a dwarven religious shrine, since they were sacred objects to the dwarves. Melea quickly stuffed them back into the pouch, saying that she would not part with them until Kighvoron had examined them. Nefud's protestation of an outsider defiling the dwarven religious objects was rebuffed by Melea's argument that the previous owner was far worse, and that if they indeed proved to be sacred runes, she would turn them over.

Otto and Bleys sought out Sergeant Joschka, and told him of the night's events and the probable destruction of the Himmelturm and razing of Blackbird. Joschka was quite dubious, yet promised to send a few men out in the morning anyway on the road to Blackbird.

Though some tension remained between Nefud and Melea, the party managed to settle down for the night at the temple, hoping to get some rest before morning. All of them hoped Kighvoron would contact them tomorrow with further instructions. After everyone else was asleep, Melea quietly sketched the symbols from the rune stones into her journal, just in case Nefud became more forceful later.

That night, Watkyn dreamt of a shadowy figure dressed in grey, similar to the person they encountered in their dream-trip to the Himmelturm. The figure repeated again and again to Watkyn, "You know what to do. That which is not of Feorha must be returned."

12 Harvest III 986

A shooting pain woke Melea shortly after sunrise, like icepicks being driven through her temples. Kighvoron's telepathic voice filled her mind, and told her to gather the others and meet him at the Red Barrel. Knowing that he was unaware of the previous evening's developments, she informed him that the party had recovered the starstone. Kighvoron was most pleased, and he told her he would be in Tweepijk shortly.

Partially roused by Melea's stifled yelp of pain, the party arose and gathered their gear. Eofor and Watkyn expressed misgivings about allowing Kighvoron to handle the starstone, but there was no resolve to prevent him from examining it.

Half an hour later, the party was eating breakfast at the Red Barrel when Kighvoron strode in, a wide grin on his face. The exchange of pleasantries was short and sweet, and members of the party took turns describing all that had happened since they left Rising Sun for the Gap of Dunloe. Kighvoron listened patiently until he was brought up to speed, then he asked Melea if they had brought the starstone with them. She nodded, and began to pull it out of her backpack, when Kighvoron gestured for her to wait. He went to the bar, requested a private room, and returned a moment later with a key.

The party followed Kighvoron to a room upstairs, and behind closed doors Melea presented the starstone to him. He enigmatically examined it for a few moments, keeping his thoughts to himself. Finally, Kighvoron stated that it would be easier to make some progress with the starstone back at his tower. Several party members protested, but Kighvoron pointed out that the Blood King's servants were seeking the starstone; in the interest of its safety (not to mention the party's), Kighvoron suggested he should transport it back to his tower by magical means. Further arguments were cut short when Kighvoron suddenly disappeared, teleporting away in a flash of light, followed by a solid thud a split second later. The starstone did not disappear with him.

Melea scooped up the starstone and returned it to her pack, prompting further arguments, since she is Kighvoron's loyal apprentice. The arguing continued as they descended the stairs to settle the morning's meal tab. Their discussion was interrupted by a frail looking man with watery eyes approaching the group, flanked by two stout looking Frowen men. Eofor recoiled when he suddenly recognized the man as Ardwyn, whose corpse he had seen the night before at the Himmelturm!

To those in the familiar with magic, it was apparent that Ardwyn had been somehow unnaturally revived, and was under some form of control. Ardwyn demanded the return of the starstone, claiming it as his. Bleys and Eofor interposed themselves between Ardwyn's associates and Melea, to prevent them from making a sudden grab for the stone.

Udo, proprietor of the Red Barrel, demanded everyone just get the hell out of his inn. No one paid him any attention, locked as they were in a standoff over the starstone. The party refused to hand over the stone, and Eofor began pressing the Frowen bodyguards about their duty to Ardwyn, and working with the dark ones. The Frowen guards became visibly uncomfortable and withdrew from the room for the street outside, with Eofor following closely after them, continuing his questions, and ignoring their obvious nervousness. As Eofor emerged from the Red Barrel into the square, the two men suddenly turned and attacked!

Eofor was badly injured by the surprise attack, but thanks to a just-in-time miraculous healing spell cast by Watkyn, managed to remain standing as Bleys and Scheattle joined the fray. The rest of the party poured out of the Red Barrel to assist, and soon the two guards were felled. Eofor promptly passed out after the fighting ended, and was tended to by Watkyn. Ardwyn stepped placidly into the doorway, again demanding the return of the starstone, a bold demand, given that his two guards had just been slain.

A small crowd formed outside the Red Barrel to see what was happening. Two town guards rushed in to restore order, but before any explanations could be made, the two dead Frowen leapt to life again. One of them seized Melea by the throat and started to wring her neck, while the other tried to grab her backpack to seize the stone. The others managed to subdue the undead warriors just as the town guards reached them, demanding an explanation.

After Nefud and Watkyn had explained the sudden attack by the two Frowen, and the ensuing battle, Ardwyn interrupted to tell the guards that Melea had something of his, and if she would simply return the object, there would be no more trouble. The guards ordered Melea to place the starstone in their custody until the matter was resolved. Melea flatly refused, trying to convince the guards that Ardwyn was not simply some frail old man come to claim a rock. Although at first glance the former master of the Himmelturm did appear to be simply sickly and stooped with age, to their credit – and to their horror – the guards soon enough realized there was definitely something not right, something unnatural about Ardwyn. Sagart Otto arrived, vouching for the party and bolstering their case, telling the guards the party would be with him at the temple if the guards needed any further information. This seemed to satisfy them, and the guards departed with Ardwyn in custody, while others hauled off the corpses of his bodyguards by cart.

The PCs returned to the temple to decide what to do next. For some, such as Melea and Nefud, it was clear that they should leave Tweepijk and make haste for Kighvoron's tower as soon as possible. Others were not so sure, and suggested that maybe the starstone was a source of great power, which would explain why the Blood King sought it. As such, it might never be safe, and should therefore be destroyed. They decided to wait for further instructions from Kighvoron, and while waiting to learn as much as they could about the starstone.

Melea and Watkyn performed many experiments on the stone, and discovered that when used in conjunction with sufacht spells, it allowed them to see the flow of mana around them. They also discovered that it was practically indestructible, with no mortal means available to them in the temple capable of making a mark!

That evening, another stabbing pain shot through Melea's skull as Kighvoron again made telepathic contact. He was safe, though the teleport took everything out of him, far more than it should have. Melea summarized the day's events, including the encounter with Ardwyn. Kighvoron informed her that he was gathering reinforcements to help secure the starstone. He instructed her to sit tight for the time being.

As the pain from the message subsided, Melea could hear a knocking on the door over the throbbing of blood in her ears. Sgt. Joschka entered with two guards to speak with the party. He explained that Ardwyn had made a threat, that Tweepijk would be attacked unless the starstone is given to him. He had also learned of the fate of Blackbird, and it was clear he took Ardwyn's threats seriously. He made a half-hearted attempt to convince the party to turn over the starstone, but they refused. He then strongly suggested that the party leave town with the starstone to prevent further unrest. News of the threats, the destruction of Blackbird and this mysterious object that was with the party at the temple had started spreading throughout town, and the guards would not be able to guarantee the party's safety. The group promised to leave at first light in the morning.

After Joschka departed, Eofor, who had been in and out of conciousness since the fight, finally regained his faculties. The others brought him up to speed.

Nefud then announced that he and Gnompf would not be traveling with the party. He explained that he was hired for a cartographic expedition, not a mission to keep enigmatic sky rocks from trolls and spiders. He also insisted that Melea turn over the sacred stone tablets that she took from Redbeard. She again refused, but it was clear that Nefud had spoken with Gnompf on the topic, because both of them threatened to draw weapons to make the point. With no one to back up her side of the argument, Melea reluctantly turned over the pouch of runes.

Late that night while he was sleeping, Bleys, like Watkyn, dreamt of the grey-robed figure, who told him to trust his feelings and that he would know what to do.

---

Flight from Tweepijk

Act 3 Scene 9
13 to 17 Harvest III 986
(Session 25, 17 April 1999)

13 Harvest III 986

After a fitful night of rest, the party roused at morning's twilight and gathered their belongings. Sgt. Joschka and four guards arrived to escort the party to the gates. As they made their way from the temple, an angry mob, which had formed in the square, confronted the group, demanding that Joschka step aside and allow them to deal with the "troublemakers" before the fate of Blackbird befell them. Sgt. Joschka stood his ground, and through force of personality and will managed to get the crowd to back away and allow the party to pass.

Without warning, a screaming figure plummeted from the sky and splattered on the square's flagstones. A second later, another person came crashing down on the panicking crowd. Suddenly, a giant spider dropped from the sky, grabbed a man and leapt back into the air! People were now running screaming in all directions. The chaos was furthered a moment later when the man was released by the spider and splattered on the ground a few feet from where he was seized.

The party could see dozens of Spiders on the wind above Tweepijk, and before they could react further, two more spiders dropped, one making a grab for Melea and another seizing Gnompf! Melea managed to elude the spider's grasp before it leapt back into the air, but Gnompf was not so lucky. With a deftly cast levitation spell, Melea managed to slow Gnompf's fall after the spider dropped him, saving his life but not preventing two broken legs.

Under cover of Bleys and Eofor's arrows, the party and Sgt Joschka's men retreated back to the refuge of the temple. Once inside, they secured the temple from further spider attacks and plotted their next move. A plan was devised where the party would slip out of Tweepijk disguised as guardsmen dispatched to summon help for the city. With the broad brimmed helmets of the guards, along with their tabards, the spiders should be fooled long enough for the party to slip away.

Nefud raised concerns that the Blood King's minions might magically scry the location of the starstone, making disguise useless – that in fact the party might have been tracked to Tweepijk in just such a manner. They quickly concluded however that the starstone's magical interference prevented its direct detection, and that it is they themselves who might have been magically located. A mage with knowledge of such matters would be required.

Outside, the siege continued, with spiders terrorizing the city. Sgt. Joschka and his guards left to gather the uniforms and to fetch Scrymaster Maarten. While waiting for their return, Melea was contacted again by Kighvoron. She explained the situation and their plan. Kighvoron was not happy with it, and insisted that they stay put until his reinforcements arrived. Melea explained that everyone else was set on leaving, and she was sure that she would not be able to maintain custody of the starstone if she insisted on staying. Kighvoron told her to stay put and broke contact.

Seeing Melea wince with pain, Watkyn asked her what Kighvoron had to say. She smiled weakly and lied, telling him that she apprised Kighvoron of the situation, and that he would rendezvous with the party with reinforcements as soon as possible, though it might be several days. She said he approved of their subterfuge and wished the party the best of luck.

An hour later, Sgt. Joschka returned with Magus Maarten and five scouts on horseback, wearing the tabard and helmet of the Tweepijk guard. After discussing the matter and arranging fees with the odd, wizened mage, Maarten cast a scry-fool spell upon Melea, Eofor, Bleys, Watkyn, and Scheattle, transferring their "presence" to Nefud – any attempt to magically located them would yield the location of Nefud, who planned to stay in town and look after the gravely injured Gnompf.

The party donned the guards' uniforms and mounted the horses, making a speedy exit from the southern gate of Tweepijk. Two spiders followed them on the wind for a short time, but eventually broke off to fly back to the siege. The deception worked!

Along the road south from Tweepijk, the party traveled quickly and quietly, speaking little until evening's twilight had come. They paused beside the road for a quick meal, to discuss what should be done. Though so far unmolested, they knew their subterfuge will not last, and that the Blood King's minions could be at their throats at any time.

Melea proposed making haste to Kighvoron's tower, to secure the starstone for further study. Watkyn seemed open to the idea of discussing that option, but was clearly inclined to favor any other course of action that would take the starstone out of play permanently. Unlike previous arguments, the nature of Kighvoron and his associates was left aside, with the discussion focused on how the starstone could ever be safe, given the power of the Blood King's minions and their apparent infiltration into Union society.

With dinner finished, the party continued its quick pace down the road, intent on making as much progress as possible before taking another rest. By midnight, the horses required more rest, so the party stopped again to get a few hours of uneasy sleep.

They would spend the following three days riding westwards and looping south around the mountains which lay south of Tweepijk, finally heading for the hills along the North Branch of the River Fenwyck, and onward into the Spider Wood.

14 Harvest III 986

At first twilight, the party started down the road again, discussing the options for how to proceed. Slowly, a plan emerged to dispose of the starstone through the portal at the bottom of the Spider Wood barrow that they had surveyed several months ago. Melea still favored racing to Giffron with the starstone, but reluctantly agreed that the safest course of action was to throw the starstone into the great abyss beyond the portal.

Shortly after noon, the party turned from the road to head due south toward the Spider Wood. A few moments later, Melea winced as Kighvoron made contact again. She explained the proposed course of action to him. It was clear he was very displeased that they had left Tweepijk, and that the party was intent on disposing of the starstone. Melea silently agreed with him, but explained that there was little she could do if she wished to continue having access to the stone. Kighvoron did not respond to her explanation, but told her that it was taking longer to gather reinforcements than he initially thought, and that help might still be several days away.

After Kighvoron severed the connection, Melea told the others that reinforcements would be at least a few more days, so they should keep moving. When asked what Kighvoron thought about the plan, she said that he thought destroying the starstone was a waste, but might be necessary if the enemy proved to be too strong or resourceful. She omitted the fact that Kighvoron made it quite clear to her that the Covedi wanted the stone, and would not allow its destruction if they could prevent it.

The warm afternoon sun bathed the party as it made its way across a wide-open grassy expanse surrounded by forest. It was clear that Eofor was greatly affected by his companionship with his horse, because he seemed like a completely different person with his mount nearby. For the first time since many of the others knew him, he seemed happy. Though he shared little of his past, his people's connection to horses, and to the land, was quite clear.

After sunset, the party made camp and tended to saddle sores. Watkyn asked Melea to help him with a powerstone enchantment, but she was too tired to assist. She promised to help him with it tomorrow.

15 Harvest III 986

While crossing the plains, the party passed a huge herd of grazing wisents – numbering at least a couple thousand.

Long after dark, the group stopped to rest at the edge of the plain. The terrain was becoming rocky, and thick with trees, making the passage for horses slow and difficult. Though it was unspoken, everyone knew the horses would have to be left behind soon.

16 Harvest III 986

The party spotted a large flight of spiders to the northwest in the morning. A large dust cloud was seen rising in the same area about an hour later. By the end of the day, the party reached the foothills. That night, Eofor had a dream about an ominous presence gathering force in the Gap.

17 Harvest III 986

Rising again at first twilight, the party shouldered their possessions, and turned loose the horses. Eofor was inconsolable, but he knew it was necessary if they were going to reach the Spider Wood before the Blood King's trolls found them.

At mid-day, the party reached the crest of a hill overlooking the valley carved by the North Branch of the River Fenwyck. Across the river, the party could see the Spider Wood, and the hill that hosted the barrow they needed to reach. The party hastened to river-bank, discussing how to cross it.

As they reached the edge of the river, there was a sudden crashing through the brush, and Ball-Tongue ripped through into the clearing, flanked by several other trolls. "I'm going to rip you limb from limb!" Spider swarms could be seen moving through the trees above them.

Before the troll could make good on his promise, a shimmering portal opened, and Kighvoron stepped through. Behind him, though the haze of the portal, the party could see his brother Girovon, a squad of warriors clad in armor and wearing kilts, what appeared to be a giant, and a circle of mages joined in a ceremonial casting.

---

Futures passed

Act 3 Scene 10
17 Harvest III 986
(Session 26, 12 June 1999)

Seeing the portal, Melea moved toward it, hoping to step through and bring the starstone to safety. As she approached, Girovon started to step through, but let out a scream as the portal collapsed and closed. At that moment, everyone knew there would be no further reinforcements... they would have to face the trolls on their own.

Seeing the portal close, the trolls screamed their blood-thirsty cheer and rushed forward to attack. Eofor, Bleys and Scheattle surged forward to intercept the trolls, while Watkyn, Kighvoron and Melea unleashed magical fury and fire on the trolls and spiders. In a few short moments, the last troll fell to the ground, skewered by an arrow through the eye from Eofor.

Without the reinforcements, Kighvoron agreed that the starstone must be taken to the barrow, and the party set about crossing the river. With everyone but Melea and Kighvoron across the fifty foot span of the river, the others watched in shock and fury as Melea and Kighvoron leapt into the air, flying away in the direction of Rising Sun. Melea still had the starstone in her backpack!

A cry went out from the others, abandoned on the far side of the river. Bleys, scouting ahead in the forest, heard Watkyn clearly shouting "Melea! Don't do this! Come back!" "Verdammt!" Bleys hissed through gritted teeth. He rushed through the trees back to the banks. The maze of branches and leaves seemed somehow thicker than he recalled on his way from the river, and the voices of the others were growing fainter. The rustling of the leaves and creaking of the branches intensified as a wind picked up, and Bleys's vision dimmed. He felt a coldness grip him, and his head swam and all grew dark.

Warmth spread into his back. As his vision cleared, Bleys heard the crackling of a fire behind him. He found himself seated across from Watkyn at a table in the Wulfstunde. The fireplace in the main room was at his back; he could see snow falling on Rising Sun's town square through the tavern's frost-fringed windows.

"Ahem." A young soldier hovering over Bleys cleared his throat, his hand raised in salute. Bleys looked to Watkyn, whose facial expression – much like Bleys's own – betrayed a confusion not quite masked by a desperate attempt at comprehension. The youth's eyes wandered to Watkyn, and back to Bleys. "Yes," stated Bleys flatly, returning the salute.

"Corporal Donard, with the fortification status you requested, Lieutenant de Rejk." Bleys nodded. "Construction on the lake wall is nearly complete. The South Gate has been reinforced and the archer stations are in place along all but the northern wall. The canal gates should be completed by tomorrow." Bleys again nodded. "Captain Aschl requests your presence at the fort at your earliest convenience."

A brief moment of silence ensued. "Sir? Anything else, sir?" asked the soldier. "No," responded Bleys. They again exchanged salutes. A short burst of cold air and snowflakes entered the Wulfstunde as the soldier exited.

Bleys immediately leaned in towards Watkyn, and in a lowered voice said, "What are we doing here? What happened? Another dream vision?"

"I don't know," responded Watkyn. Glancing down he noticed a printed sheet lying on the table in front of him. As he picked it up he said, "Well, here's something: apparently it's Winter, the year after next." He turned the sheet to face Bleys, pointing at the top of the page, which read in part: "Sun Post, No. 61, IV 1 Hedram 9." And, in large type, the headline read "Blue Bells Falls."

Watkyn continued to read. "Okay, so you're a lieutenant now, under the promoted Captain Aschl. According to this, I'm a bigwig in the Engineer's Corps. The town is under siege, Blue Bells having fallen just days ago to the Troll Lords, supposedly commanding undead troops. Here, see for yourself."

As Bleys scanned the paper, a familiar figure approached. "Here you are, boys," said an obviously pregnant Michaela Wulf as she placed two steaming mugs on the table in front of them. She walked behind Watkyn, kissing him on the top of his head and draping her arms over his shoulders, giving him a quick hug. "Well, back to the oven for me. Try to stay warm out there." She smiled, caressed Watkyn's cheek, and headed back to the kitchen.

The door opened and permitted another harsh blast of cold air and snow as another customer came into the tavern. The swirling snow grew brighter, thicker, and soon a roaring whiteness engulfed Bleys's and Watkyn's senses.

....

"I knew it!" shouted Eofor as he rushed back to the river's edge, desperate thoughts of hunting down Kighvoron and Melea racing through his mind. A strong wind sprang up, causing the river's even flow to turn to choppy waves; the dappled sunlight through the forest canopy shifted in unnatural patterns, and Eofor was momentarily blinded by the strange reflections off the water.

He blinked, shielding his eyes from the sun with his upraised hand. Before him was the vast expanse of the Rodor, its rolling, grassy plains tantalizingly near. Eofor's horse snorted as he dismounted. Beside Eofor stood Scheattle with his own horse's reins in his hands. They looked visibly older to each other, perhaps another decade of weatherbeaten lines showing on their faces. A group of about 100 Frowen men, women, and children, mostly on foot, were with them.

"What the..." began Eofor.

"Is that the Rodor?" asked Scheattle.

A voice behind them replied, "Yes, of course!" They turned to look at the speaker, a wizened but hearty-looking old man who was walking up to them. Hnaef, from Lough Gur, thought Eofor. "After all these years, after all the horrors our people have endured, I thought I'd never see our ancestral homelands."

"Do not speak in haste, father," said Hama, son of Hnaef. "Our trials may not yet be over. Look." A small squad of well-armed mounted goblin soldiers approached. As they neared, Eofor realized one was actually a dwarf, a Ukharite, riding along on a pony. "Adzeku border patrol," said Hama in a lowered voice. "What's that damned squat doing here?"

One of the goblins spoke out in a thick accent, "Who for you gives the voice?"

Everyone turned to Eofor, who only hesitated a moment before replying, "I do."

"There back, not through here not allowed," said the goblin.

"We've traveled a long way, we are going to the Rodor. We are leaving your territory. Allow us to pass."

"Not pass here. Back."

"Look," replied Eofor, his voice rising, "we're just passing through, we'll be gone, gone from your lands by the end of the day! Let us pass!"

The not-so-subtle sounds of clanking metal armor and weapons arose from the goblin soldiers as they shifted in their saddles. Their leader looked to their dwarven companion. "Your horses, to us they are ours. You go to Rodor."

A shout erupted from the dwarf. The dwarf and the goblin leader exchanged sharp words in the goblin tongue. Then the dwarf fell into a sullen silence.

The goblin leader turned back to Eofor and Scheattle. "Your horses." He said something else in his native tongue, eliciting laughter from his troops as he licked his lips. Eofor shuddered in disgust, thought about the horses, tried not to think about what might be in store for them here at this remote border outpost should they be given up. He looked over to Scheattle, who shrugged his shoulders. He looked at the ragged, weary group of Frowen, who were looking to him as their leader.

Hnaef spoke up. "Eofor, we have come so far, have survived much. Our people have suffered severely under the Troll Lords and the Watts! And now we are within sight of our goal! I know it is hard, I do not like it, but we, the survivors, must be true to those who did not make it here. I see no alternative."

Reluctantly Eofor said to the few riders, "Dismount and take your gear. We will give up our horses, but I promise, tonight we will be free."

As they unloaded their packs, a lump arose in Eofor's throat. He felt flush, and fought hard to hold back his anger. Hot tears welled in his eyes, and as he wiped them away, he found himself back at the river's edge in the Spider Wood.

....

Of the others, Melea knew that only Watkyn would be able to follow them, and she was confident that with Kighvoron at her side, they would have nothing to fear from him. She was also sure that they had enough mana to reach Rising Sun using the spell, so she was confident that they were safe.

Then darkness enveloped her, and a familiar voice was speaking. Melea opened her eyes, and saw that she was standing in a long corridor of polished stone, flanked to her left by a bald man in green robes who she realized was Owen, Girovon's apprentice. Except Owen looked far older than the last time she saw him, and had lost all his hair. He was muttering about some meeting with the Legate. He stopped when he realized that Melea was no longer walking with him.

Behind her, she could see two guards, with helmets that completely covered their faces, and Girovon's Golem Ohnighvee. Taking a quick survey of her own person, she found herself dressed in long, dark velvet robes bearing embroidery along the front quarter of the garment. Then she realized she wasn't carrying her own plain wooden staff, but the Staff of Naimh, the staff which Kighvoron had inherited from his teacher long ago. Melea thought to herself: If I have the Staff of Naimh, then Kighvoron is dead! Her stomach turned.

"Are you ok?" Owen said, looking at Melea with curiosity.

Melea looked at Owen for a moment, then moved toward the window, noting any movement by the guards to stop or restrain her. They stood motionless, with an air of deference to her. Through the window, a grim sight greeted her. Guards patrolled the wall surrounding a gated courtyard, and decapitated heads on pikes looked out over the city of Op de Waer. Her childhood home.

"Melea? We shouldn't keep the Legate waiting." Owen said, with growing concern.

Unsure of what was happening, Melea nodded and began walking slowly again with Owen beside her. "This meeting." She said. "My memory has slipped I'm afraid. What is it about?"

Owen's brow furrowed, and he stared at Melea again. "You don't remember?"

"Look, I'm not feeling myself just now." Melea snarled, "Just answer the question!"

"Ok, ok!" Owen raised his hands, feigning self-defense. "Representatives of the Kingdom of Blood and of the Fenwyck Republic have come to discuss a cessation of hostilities over the disputed territories. They have come to the Anvil Protectorate for mediation by Legate Sianduir. The Republican representatives arrived in Op de Waer yesterday, and the Blood King's delegation have just now arrived."

Melea and Owen passed through the doors of the Legate's audience chamber, and took their places beside a low dais where an important looking figure sat conferring with an advisor. Around the room were functionaries consulting maps and discussing quietly papers that were circulating.

"I'm sorry for biting your head off, Owen," Melea whispered. "If I could explain what was going on, I would but..." Melea stopped in mid sentence when she saw three figures, flanked by Frowen guards, enter the room. The three black-skinned creatures had smooth, nearly featureless egg-shaped heads, with small slit-like mouths with snakelike tongues flicking into view.

The Republican diplomat sat up in his chair, and nodded toward the three figures. They exchanged pleasantries, which Melea only peripherally paid attention to. The hissing manner of speech from the three enemy representatives was hard to understand, and distracting to listen to.

After opening statements, where both sides expressed an interest in peace after almost twenty years of war, the negotiations for territory began in earnest. With no indication that she was needed, Melea leaned toward Owen and whispered: "What's my role in this again?"

"Well, aside from the security check, you're just supposed to observe and offer opinions if asked."

"Security check." Melea echoed.

Owen looked at her with wide eyes, and nodded eagerly.

Melea looked about the room. It was clear that in the twenty years that had transpired, she must have learned many spells that were applicable, but she wondered how to use them. She thought about spells that she had read about while studying with Kighvoron, and tried to cast a knowledge spell on one of the enemy guards. To her surprise, she was able to read his surface emotions and found them non-aggressive.

She studied each person in the room, until she came to one of the Republican soldiers, whom she was about to skip. She could feel the hatred boiling off him, and a grim determination to go through with his plan. As if he could sense Melea touching his mind, he startled and quickly reached into his jersey to retrieve a grenade. He screamed "LONG LIVE THE UNION!" and pitched the grenade into the middle of the room.

Just like the one that killed Kaliya, Melea thought. Time seemed to slow as she watched the grenade with an extremely short fuse arc toward the center of the room. Her reflex response took over, and she quickly cast a spell to grab the grenade and throw it through the nearest window. I hope this works!

The glass shattered as the grenade smashed through to the courtyard beyond. A shimmering force shield sprang up around the Legate a split second before detonation. The wall took the brunt of the explosion, but everyone in the room was thrown to the ground by the blast, those nearest to the wall impaled by shards of glass and covered with stone.

Melea looked up through a haze of her own blood to the ruin of the chamber. Then all faded to black.

For a moment, all was darkness. Then she could feel someone shaking her. She could hear Kighvoron's voice, and she opened her eyes to see him in front of her, holding her shoulders. "What did you stop for? This is no time for a nap!"

"I..." Melea shook her head, trying to comprehend all she had just seen. "I had another aisling."

Kighvoron's brow furrowed, and his voice reflected exasperation. "The timing is impeccable. Tell me about it while we stay on the move."

Melea nodded, and resumed flying beside Kighvoron. She considered all the possible meanings of the aisling, but the timing of it told her there was only one correct interpretation. If she continued with her present course of action, the future was grim for many in the Union, and Kighvoron would be dead.

"I think we should go back." Melea stopped again. "That aisling I just had was terrible, and I think it was a warning."

Kighvoron looked at Melea in disbelief. "After what you have endured, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you have doubts. But I don't." Kighvoron moved closer to Melea. "If you want to return to your friends, give me the starstone and do so."

Melea shook her head, and she managed to keep control over the emotions tearing her apart. "We don't have time for me to explain now..."

Kighvoron interrupted, "You're right," he pointed to a pair of spiders in the distance, "We don't. Come with me, or give me the starstone."

Melea started flying again toward Rising Sun, and Kighvoron fell in beside her. Her mind raced with all the possibilities and options, but they all came back to the conclusion that the starstone had to be taken through the portal. Melea looked at Kighvoron, who seemed to be preoccupied with other thoughts. I'm about to make the biggest mistake of my life, Melea thought, and quickly reversed course back towards the rest of the party.

Kighvoron was sufficiently surprised that Melea had a fifty-foot lead on him before he turned around to pursue her. He tried a spell to stun her, but she managed to resist it. The distance was too great, and Kighvoron cursed as he burned more mana to cast a faster flight spell.

Melea dropped into the trees to evade Kighvoron, but he finally caught up with her and forced her to the ground. They were close to where they had taken off just a moment earlier. Melea prayed that Watkyn and the others had seen her and were coming.

"Give me the stone, Melea." Kighvoron moved toward his apprentice. "Whatever you saw, you're not thinking rationally. Once you have calmed down, you will see that destroying the starstone is insanity."

Melea tried to maneuver, hoping to keep a tree between her and Kighvoron. "Master, please!" Melea pleaded. "You must trust me, I would never..."

Melea was interrupted by the arrival of Watkyn by air and Bleys, Eofor and Scheattle running close behind. While Kighvoron had reservations for attacking his apprentice, he felt no reluctance to casting against the others. Melea yelled to the others to stay back, but they did not listen and closed quickly.

Melea tried to interpose herself between the others and Kighvoron to prevent the fight, but found herself defending from all sides. Bleys and Eofor flanked Melea with ease and hit Kighvoron several times, disrupting his spellcasting, while Watkyn faced off against Melea.

The fight with Kighvoron was short, with three expert warriors concentrating on the Covedi mage. With one last expert shot, Eofor felled him and then turned his attention to Melea.

Watkyn managed to thump Melea several times, disrupting her spellcasting against him until finally she surrendered. She tossed her pack to him, and he retrieved the starstone, placing it in his own pack.

Melea rushed over to Kighvoron and started to heal him, but Eofor surged forward and threw her back. "What do you think you're doing?" he yelled.

"You can't let him die!" Melea yelled back. "You have what you want. Go!"

Watkyn moved to search Kighvoron, and Melea threw herself across Kighvoron's unconscious form. "You are NOT going to search him. Time is short and we don't have time for this. The spiders will be here any minute, and you have to get the starstone to the barrow!"

"Now you want to destroy it?" Scheattle blurted. "You just stole it a minute ago!"

Melea looked at Watkyn. "I had another aisling. A premonition." Melea looked at Kighvoron, his breathing growing ragged. "A future I do not want to see. The stone must be destroyed, so go and do it."

Melea started to cast healing on Kighvoron again, and this time no one stopped her. "I'll stay here with Kighvoron until he wakes."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Bleys said. "He tried to kill you. What's to stop him from attacking us after he's woken up and killed you?"

"Bring him with us." Watkyn said. "Melea can keep him asleep magically until we've disposed of the starstone."

The party crossed the river again, this time with Kighvoron levitated by Melea, and held asleep by one of her spells. From their prior experience with the Spider Wood, the party decided to make its way directly uphill rather than following deer paths, as a means of avoiding web traps of the giant spiders.

By late afternoon, they emerged at the top of the hill and crossed to the barrow at the center of a large clearing. Entering the barrow, the party returned to the ceremonial chamber at the end of the central passage, and Watkyn opened a hole into the domed room below. With Kighvoron in tow, the party descended the spiral passage beyond the domed room and found the portal, still active.

Knowing that the Blood King's minions could be right behind them, the party passed through the portal into the otherworldly forest on the other side. Approaching the cliff edge they found in their last expedition, Watkyn fished the starstone out of his pack, and looked at it for a moment. Then he heaved it over the edge, and the party watched as it fell into the deep, gone forever.

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Last significant update: 16 June 2003
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