We're off to see the wizards

Erastus 2, 4712

After stopping on the 15th level to allow Kazmauk to transform himself back into a very human Roscoe, the Coopers and their large Hellknight escort emerge from the Emerald Spire to witness a different world. The Spire itself seems to have dimmed and barely glows, though it retains some greenish light. All around the Spire the goblin and giant camps lay in ruins. Hellknights are gathering the bodies of slain goblins and giants and building funeral pyres. In the distance thick columns of black smoke rise in the general area of Fort Inevitable. Hundreds of troops are securing the area and have already begun working on fortifying the approaches to the Spire. Two large army trains are secured and guarded, and a new camp is rising out of the ashes, flying the major Hellknight order pennants, with that of the Order of the Nail in prime position to honor Duke Mosley. The Commander escorting the Coopers invites them on behalf of the Duke to a banquet held in his triumphant honor tonight. The Coopers agree to attend.

As the Coopers debate about their next course of action, Omok simply departs the group, heading eastwards, and without a single glance towards them. The rest of the Coopers return to Fort Inevitable, trekking through Echo Wood before emerging in the farmlands that surround the town. Emerging from the forest, they find another nightmarish vision. Thousands of goblin, emerald automatons and human bodies are spread over several battlefields, and the remains of many farms are still smoldering. The giants and goblins cut through a large swat of land on their way to attack the town. Though outnumbered, Drovust and her Hellknights attacked with gusto and managed to eliminate the entire enemy force at tremendous cost to her own troops. What remains of the Hellknights are huddled on the edge of the field, healing their wounded and dispatching any goblins still living. A makeshift flag flies above the Citadel displaying the symbol of the Seven Foxes, and all of Fort Inevitable's gates remain closed.

Climbing a tree, Daryle takes aim and fires a few arrows at the Hellknights. Three of them are hit and fall to the ground. The remaining force withdraws from the battlefield. Darelle begins examining the ruins, and she discovers eleven Geralds have perished during the fight. Some wore Hellknight uniforms, while others had civilian clothes and even a few looked like they had served on the goblins' side. One Gerald had somehow polymorphed into a giant. Being the considerate sister, she gathers the corpses and builds a funeral pyre for them, incinerating the fallen Geralds.

Roscoe also scours the battlefield and locates several magical items, including a monkey belt, a staff of authority, a ring of protection +3, and a weapon he recognizes as the Everwar Holy Fury. Daryle joins in and find a monkey belt and goggles of the treasure hunter. She looks for evidence that Greenhide perished on the battlefield, but finds none. Talking to survivors and questioning goblins before dispatching them, she finds that the goblin chief was in fact leading his army. All witnesses report seeing him leading a charge against Drovust, but a fireball exploded and it is as if he had been vaporized. His corpse had simply vanishes. 

While moving Geralds, Darelle discovers a magnetist's glove and a necklace of adaptation. She also finds roughly 50,000 crowns' worth of equipment and gems among all of the Gerald bodies. She hides the money in Mother Holworth's farm, which thankfully survived the battle.

After helping the wounded and assisting citizens of Fort Inevitable, the Coopers return to the Spire to attend Duke Mosley's banquet. They are feted as heroes, and the Duke rewards them with estates in Cheliax, to be collected when he wins the fight for the throne. Near the end of the banquet, the Duke takes the Coopers apart and warns them that their help to his cause will not go unnoticed in Cheliax and that they might find it prudent to spend time away from the River Kindgoms for a few months, at least until the dust settles. The Coopers agree to consider his advice. He also tells them that they will always be most welcomed in his halls, except for Gerald of course as his head now has a price attached to it.


Erastus 3, 4712

Leaving the Spire at dawn following Mosley's banquet, the Coopers minus Gerald, who became a victim of the Duke's desire for revenge, return to Shadowborn Manor, mourning Gerald's death, but not really. They are greeted by a woman wearing an immaculate uniform in the livery of House Ornelos, of Korvosa, in the country of Varisia. She delivers them all invitations to participate in this year's Breaching Festival, which takes place every year at the Acadamae of Korvosa. In this festival, participants enter the main building and must compete in a series of challenges and traps designed to test both their survival skills as well as the skills of the crafting wizards who are graduating from the school. The Acadamae of Korvosa is known as the premiere wizard school in Golarion, and wizards attend school for a term of ten years, upon which they must create a challenge for the Breaching Festival. Those wizards who successfully design a challenge that manages to kill an adventurer graduate with honors. Those who manage to maim an adventurer graduate, and those who fail to harm an adventurer must complete a remedial year. The rector of the Acadamae, Toff Ornelos, heard of the Coopers' exploits and especially enjoyed the smash hit It Was Inevitable. He would consider their participation an honor.

Daryle questions the envoy on the nature of the competition. She replies that the contest involves entering the Acadamae at sunrise. The first person out before sunset is the winner of the Breaching Festival, and this year will earn approximately 153,000 crowns. The Festival was last won back in 4551 by Dyson Fordyce, who entered at sunrise and came out of the Hall a few minutes later. Having won on a technicality, the rules were changed and now participants are required to make it to the Hall of Wards. No one has exited the Hall before sundown since. The mortality rate is about 70% among adventurers.

Remembering Duke Mosley's advice to make themselves scarce, the Coopers agree to attend the Festival, to be held on the 1st of Lamashan, which gives them three months to make their way to Varisia. After all, what could possibly go wrong now that Gerald is no longer with them?


Rova 30, 4712

After three months tramping through Golarion, the Coopers get their first glimpse of Korvosa, the fabled magical city and the largest city in Varisia. Stretching for miles, they are awed by its majestic beauty and its grandiose venues, with the Acadamae of Magic clearly visible on top of the city's highest hill. Several large walls protect the city from attacks, and its cosmopolitan citizens are bustling to and fro.

After entering the city, the Coopers are directed to the Acadamae of Magic, located in the middle of the city. They are met there by none other than Toff Ornelos himself. During their months-long trip, the Coopers have discovered that Toff Ornelos is considered one of the top arcane user of this age, having accomplished documented exploits beyond the abilities of most mortals. In the prime of his life, Ornelos has been headmaster for over thirty years and has overseen the instruction of countless wizards throughout Golarion.

Ornelos welcomes them to Korvosa and escorts them to a large auditorium in the Hall of Summoning, where they are introduced to the rest of the competing teams and individuals who will participate in the Breaching Festival. Mangarad is an Ulfen wizard dressed in fur robes and he is accompanied by three henchmen. Knur is a tough-looking dwarf of the Gilded Claw who is accompanied by two of his kinsmen. The halfling male Lawrence is dressed in black and is accompanied by two more halflings. His attire provides no clue as to his profession or skills. The Naga is garbed in a cloak that hides his facial features. Lacking a left arm, he instead sports a knife on his stump. Grunt Farnsworth is a mean-looking dwarf barbarian who is accompanied by four henchmen. The Coopers are surprised to see a Gerald here as well, entering the competition. This Gerald left Fort Inevitable five months ago. He sports a turtle drawing on his horn. Whilenor is a human druid with some ranger skills. The last competitor is introduced as Lord Garrett of Ged, a maleficent lich. He glowers at everyone.

Toff Ornelos then describes the rules of the competition. After signing waivers, participants will enter the Halls of the Acadamae. They will find different challenges and traps in each room. Surviving a challenge will provide a key light, then the room will reset itself within five minutes for the next set of participants. Each participant in a group will need a different colored key light to enter the last part of the competition. Individuals thus have an advantage in that they only need one light, however the challenges can be quite difficult to solve for one person. Over the history of the Breaching Festival, there has been no statistically significant advantage of being either part of a group or playing as an individual.

There are three rules the participants must follow. First, the winner is the first person who exits the doors leading out of the Hall of Calling before sundown. If there are two or more people exiting at exactly the same time, they will divide the prize equally among all winners. Second, groups and individuals can collaborate together to overcome some of the challenges, but they cannot directly harm, interfere, or attack other participants. The challenges are hard enough as is, and there needs to be enough participants to ensure that the graduating wizards' designs are tested. Finally, as mentioned earlier, there is a high risk of death, so each participant will need to sign a waiver explaining they understand the rules and the risks of bodily harm and possible death. The Breaching Festival itself is attended by many folks, including Queen Ileosa of Korvosa.

Ornelos asks if there are any questions. The participants remain quiet, so the headmaster then divides the participants into three groups, so they can tour the different halls of the Acadamae where the challenges will take place. The Coopers end up in the same group as the Naga and Whilenor, and their guide is Jandar Listwin, a junior wizard who plans on graduating next year.

• The Hall of Summoning is the largest building on campus and shows evidence of having been rebuilt in the last few decades. The Hall's main feature is its large auditorium where 333 students can sit comfortably. Final exams for wizards take place here.
• The Hall of Seeing features a set of double doors that display giant harrow cards, which change to reflect the past or the future of the last person to touch the door. There are scrying devices everywhere.
• Resembling a cube, the Hall of Induction is built of thick iron on three sides, and a series of iron plates on the fourth. It contains nothing aside from a spiral staircase and five empty floors. All walls in here are made of force, and keep all evocation spells contained inside the building.
• Forever shifting, the Hall of Lies is the home of the Acadamae's illusionists, and as such not everything is at it seems.
  
• Every part of the Hall of Shaping has been transmuted over the decades, providing the building an eclectic, if worrisome, look.
• The Hall of Whispers is the final home for many of the students (and participants) who were unable to complete their tasks. Home to powerful necromancy, this building is the site of many gruesome experiments.
• Home to the school's enchanters, the Hall of Charms is imbued with power.
• The Hall of Wards is the best guarded and magically protected building in Korvosa, and probably all of Golarion. To complete the last challenge, participants must enter the hall and emerge from it after defeating the challenge inside. The first person to step out wins the Breaching Festival.

As the group returns to Ornelos Hall, site of administrative building, a wizard is thrown out of a window, shattering glass everywhere. A large retriever steps through and pounces on the prone wizard. The Coopers leap to action, and after a few tense moments are able to slay the creature and rescue the wizard. She identifies herself as Seska Imintar, and she tells the Coopers she had been working on a challenge for tomorrow when the beast escaped. Ornelos rushes to the scene, and after listening to Seska for a minute chastises her for failing to constrain her monster. He promises the Coopers that her challenge will be better tomorrow, else she will fail her graduating year. Thanking them for saving her, he bids them goodnight, and looks forward to seeing them an hour before dawn tomorrow. The Coopers withdraw to their lodgings, reading for their big adventure, and, hopefully, their even bigger payoff!

When all the threads tie together

Sarenith 28, 4712

Returning from their latest trip to the Emerald Spire, the Coopers arrive in Fort Inevitable to find the town in uproar. The entire Hellknight guard has been deployed at the gates and on the walls as if an assault was expected. People entering the town as well as people leaving are being thoroughly searched, and traffic is backed up on both sides of the gates. Noticing this, and realizing that there is now a dwarf and a gnome among their party, the Coopers decide to avoid the questions and fees their appearance would receive at the gates and instead enter through the sewer tunnels. Instead of following her siblings, Daryle heads back into the woods. She will hunt for a few hours, then return through the Juliver Gate and see what information she can obtain from the guards.

The gnome Olifrit is the first one to enter the town, followed by the rest of the party through the sewers. They head directly to the secret door that leads into Dr. Mordel's basement. A few creatures are laying in clean beds, while in the corner the silver demon paces his cage relentlessly. They come up the stairs and meet Erynna, who greets them warmly. When questioned by Darelle as to what is happening, she informs them that two nights ago, Duke Mosley returned in a covered wagon. Deathly ill, he has taken residence on the top floor of the Citadel in Roscoe's old quarters. The few that have seen him report that he is bleeding heavily from a large gash on his shoulders. Magical healing has been unable to staunch the flow, and remove curses have all been ineffective. He is ghastly pale and shivers uncontrollably. Even though it is the height of summer, fires burn in all fireplaces of the Citadel. She further tells the Coopers that though Dr. Mordel's healing and alchemy skills are well known, his services have not been called for.

They then join Dr. Mordel himself in his small laboratory on the second floor. He also greets them warmly, and tells them that he suspects Duke Mosley is both dying and highly infectious, if the rumors and gossip reported by his network of informants are to be believed. Most people who can flee the town have already done so, but the Hellknights are ensuring that valuables are left behind. Hence the heavier security details at the gates. Darelle asks him what Mosley might be suffering from. Dr. Mordel replies that to the best of his knowledge the Duke was stabbed by a demon during a campaign in the World Wound, and Mosley has never recovered. He's not sure what it could be, but with magical healing not working, it has to be some seriously powerful demonic magic. Dr. Mordel might be able to analyze the sickness and prepare an antidote, but he would have to get a sample first. Concerned about herself, Olifrit interrupts the discussion and asks Dr. Mordel to restore her hands and her left foot to their proper nature. She confesses that she used to be Gerald. Dr. Mordel agrees to do so but it will require some time, extensive and very painful testing, and most of Dr. Mordel's patience, but it should be possible to at least address some of the issues currently plaguing Olifrit.

Pulling Darelle aside, Dr. Mordel also tells Darelle that her that Fort Inevitable's enemies are marshaling their forces against the town. Events are coming to a head and the fate of the town's citizens hang in the balance, he warns her. Armed with this newfound knowledge, Darelle and the remaining members of the party, minus Olifrit, head back out of town to avoid the contagion.

Thorne enters the town a little later through the same sewers wearing a disguise. He returns to his old shop, and finds it shuttered by Roscoe's orders, but it has not yet been repurposed. The rogue gathers gear, and he bids farewell to his place of commerce. He heads to Dr. Mordel's house, but Erynna turns him away and does not let him in the house. Dejected and sad that no one recognizes his role as a hero and savior of the town, he enters the sewers and heads out. Thorne manages to avoid two Hellknight patrols, but he runs into his siblings right outside Dr. Mordel's basement. As they leave, Darelle fills him on what has happened in town, but tells him flat out that she does not trust him. They emerge from the sewer outside the walls, but unfortunately Thorne is noticed by two guards and the alarm is raised. Thorne runs away, pursued by a Hellknight patrol but eventually manages to lose them.

Daryle comes in a little later with the produce of a hunt through the Juliver Gate. She encounters Bolgur, the Hellknight half-orc who leads the guard detachment. He seems very unhappy to see him, but he's generally unhappy so she's not too worried. She tells him she's been gone for four days, and she inquires as to what is happening in town. Bolgur reports that the Duke has returned with a small escort of four guards, and is now living atop the Citadel. He's real sick, and it is said he's taking it out on the staff. Bolgur then tells Daryle that Maralictor Wirt has left her a letter. He retrieves it and hands it to her. Daryle reads Wirt's message, which tells her not to enter the town but to send word she's back with a place to meet. Daryle tells Bolgur she forgot something at the farm she must get. Could he send Wirt a message? The half-orc replies that he can, but it will cost her. Daryle agrees to leave him the result of her hunt.

Half an hour later, Wirt meets Daryle outside in the shade of a grove by Mother Holworth's farm. The Hellknight reports on the event of the last three days. On top of the information already gathered by the other Coopers, Daryle learns that the Hellknight contingent that transits through Fort Inevitable every three months has disappeared. More than 600 troops have simply vanished. On top of everything else, quarterly taxes are due in three days, the merchants are stuck in Daggermark awaiting their Hellknight troops as escort, and the population is restless and panicky due to persistent rumors of infection. Wirt advises Daryle to avoid entering the town right now due to the possibility of contagion. She also tells the ranger that the Seven Foxes have all left the town. Daryle requests that a meeting be set up at the Hunters' Lodge with everyone to discuss the current situation. Wirt replies that she should be able to get them there in time for supper.

The necromancer Rowen, who has finally recovered from the betrayal of his cult, has spent the greater part of the last months rebuilding his evil forces. Having returned to Fort Inevitable, he decides to investigate Duke Mosley's claims to see if there's any way Mosley might be entreated to join him in his last days. Rowen contacts a highly placed servant in the Citadel, and that servant describes that the mental status of the Duke has deteriorated and he's been abusing his staff. The servant also reports that Duke Mosley is compiling a list of individuals he plans on executing before his death to settle old grudges. No one seems to know who's on the list, but speculations are rife among the Hellknights. Rowen wonders how he can capitalize on this situation. He decides to spread rumors through town and wipe up the hysteria that surrounds the fears of an epidemic. Throughout the day, more and more people gather to listen to speakers at the fountain boasting of the benefits of joining the Death Cult. Rowen rubs his hands in glee.

Daryle and Darelle connect at the Hunters' Lodge. There they are met by Shim Longbranch, who is very much out of breath. He has run all the way from Dimsdale to report that an army of emerald automatons has laid siege to the village. They are left by four different Geralds. Shim reports he barely managed to escape the siege. Gerald has threatened to burn the village down to the ground if a powerful object is not turned over to him before nightfall. Shim tells the Coopers that the inhabitants have fled across the bridge into the forest, but all fighters have remained behind to resist the invasion. The Dimsdalers have some experience with a siege, having suffered one only a few months back. The sisters agree to help Shim. Darelle summons her jar of cloud and they fly south, reaching Dimsdale a half hour later. Shim also mentions that his patrols have discovered that the giants have finally arrived and that they have setup a camp at the base of the Emerald Spire and could attack at any moment.

They spot from the sky four distinct forces arrayed against the village, all led by a different Gerald. They all appear to be collaborating together. Darelle and Daryle land beyond the village, connect with the refugees, and then enter the village. They meet Dunleaf Appletop, Dimsdale's mayor, who informs them of Gerald's demands. He doesn't know what Gerald wants, but he'll fight to protect his village. Daryle heads out and, under a flag of truce, meets with Gerald. He reveals that he has had a vision that the Hellknights have hidden a powerful weapon in Dimsdale. In his vision he has seen Duke Mosley use the weapon to destroy Fort Inevitable, and he wants to prevent that from happening. He's not sure what he is searching for, but he is convinced it is here in the village. If it is not turned over by nightfall, he will order an assault and burn everything to the ground. During this conversation, Gerald is joined by the other Geralds, who all agree that this is the proper course of action. All of them have had similar visions, and they all sincerely believe that they are saving the town from certain doom. Daryle informs the Geralds of the events that have transpired in Fort Inevitable over the last few days. Gerald is encouraged that his vision is coming true, and he threatens his sister with bodily harm if she remains in the village.

Daryle returns to the village and reports what she has discovered from Gerald. Darelle, meanwhile, searches the former Hellknight barrack and discovers a secret space behind a wall. In this small space she finds a lead chest. Even without any particular ability regarding the detection of evil, Darelle feels a faint trace of it emanating from the chest. The sisters remove the chest from Dimsdale and depart on their cloud. The Geralds sense that the object has been removed. One Gerald returns to Fort Inevitable to retrieve his wife and mother and save them from the destruction that's about to take place. One Gerald takes control of some automatons and heads back to the Emerald Spire. Another Gerald decides to search for the missing Hellknights, while the last Gerald launches an assault on Dimsdale with greatly diminished forces and is quickly wiped out. Darelle and Daryle head back to the Hunters' Lodge.

There they meet six members of the Seven Foxes. Dunleaf remained in Dimsdale. The Foxes advise they have about 80 fighters ready to seize key infrastructure areas of Fort Inevitable if an attack by giants and Greenhide leads the Hellknights to attempt a sortie. They are concerned, however, about the remaining civilian population still in the Fort. Darelle and Daryle agree that in case of an assault on the town, the Foxes' forces will need to remain hidden until needed to either turn the tide of battle or to remove weakened Hellknight forces. Abernard Royst identifies the object the Coopers retrieved from Dimsdale as the Octillio Crystal Sphere, a deadly weapon that could destroy a large section of the town.


In the late afternoon, feeling that the Death Cult has been sufficiently frenzied, Rowen leads a group of about 100 individuals out of Fort Inevitable. The Hellknights do not oppose this departure, correctly assuming that these discontented folks were better off beyond the wall, and possibly dead, in their quest to get rid of the powers that dwell in the Emerald Spire. Having taken refuge in a barn, Thorne spots the procession and follows it. The crowd walks down the road and passes in front of the Hunters' Lodge. Rowen senses the evil of the object newly acquired by the Cooper sisters, and he attempts to break into the Lodge. His attempts are repulsed none too gently by Daryle, and Rowen accepts for the time being to move his group away from the Lodge, bidding his time.

Omok, who also joined the Coopers at the Lodge, feels the pull of the object as well. Rowen attempts to convince Omok to join him and take the object by force, but reason prevails and Omok chooses not to align himself with Rowen at this time. Thorne, who has observed this whole exchange, also attempts to enter the Hunters' Lodge, but is turned away by Daryle. She vociferates a series of threats and advises him that he needs to step up. To prove his loyalty to the family, he must organize an evacuation of Fort Inevitable. If an assault does come, he must get as many inhabitants out as possible.

Thorne returns to town and, working with his remaining contacts, creates a plan that will safely see most of the remaining residents depart Fort Inevitable in the first minutes of the conflict. Darelle contacts Zoarth and delivers a message telling him about the alliance between hill and cloud giants and Greenhide, and request any possible assistance the cloud giant could provide. Worried about their new object, the sisters decide to hide it in the dimensional gate below the Hunters' Lodge. It's possible, but improbable, that a creature from that level of the Abyss would stumble upon it, and it would also remove its influence from the Material Plane. The sisters thus take into the basement, through the mine tunnels, and into the Abyss, before using the hand of banishment to block access again from the Abyss.

As night falls, the Coopers feel as ready as they ever will for what is surely to come on the following day.

The Foxes assemble

Gozran 5, 4712

Concerned over the loyalty of the Hellknight command staff, Roscoe and Omok devise a clever strategy to determine whom can be counted on. Every day, they will question the orb of command with the name of a Hellknight on the command staff and determine whether that individual is loyal to Roscoe or not. Over the course of the next 45 days, the same depressing answer is returned: No one is loyal to Roscoe. The entire command is not loyal, nor are any of the senior officers out in the field. Roscoe begins to ponder how to replace the command structure before it is too late.

Three options present themselves to Roscoe. First, he can clean up the command staff of Fort Inevitable either by wholesale replacement or through attrition and appoint a new command staff that will be loyal to him. His second option is to figure a way to exile the Hellknights completely by clever stratagem or rapid battle attrition, and replace them with soldiers loyal to Roscoe before the next quarterly exchange of troops. The third option is to simply walk away from the Fort and its people.

It will take Roscoe a long time to reach a decision, and he wants to talk to his siblings. Unfortunately, none of them are currently around.


Sarenith 12, 4712

Now back from investigating the stealing of lumber, Daryle and Darelle meet with Roscoe and report on their discoveries. First, they mention that one of the conversation they overheard on the Unbroken dealt with the rumor that Duke Mosley's injuries were serious and were getting worse. Such rumors have been swirling around Fort Inevitable for a few months now.

They mention to him that it's time to come up with an exit strategy from Fort Inevitable. Roscoe tells them he's been thinking the same thing, and it is time to implement his strategy. He presents the options he and Omok have been weighing over the last few weeks. The sisters agree that the first option, that of replacing the command staff with new leaders is the best option. There is no realistic way to entirely remove the Hellknights from Fort Inevitable, and as for simply walking away many people in town and around depend on them, including their mother's cousin and others who depend on them for help or for work.

Roscoe mentions that there are references in Hellknight files to an organization in Fort Inevitable called the Seven Foxes. This resistance group was decimated six years ago when two of its leaders were arrested, tried, and executed following the assassination of the former Lord Commander, Emos Varden. Since then there have been hints that this group still operates in the shadows, but none of the remaining principals' identities have been revealed. Perhaps someone can connect Roscoe with this group and survey their interest in participating in a replacement of the Hellknight command staff? Darelle says that she's never heard of this group, but Dr. Mordel probably has. The Coopers decide to go talk to him. Their plan is to invite some of the Foxes at the Hunters' Lodge, then discuss with them Roscoe's plan.

After exchanging pleasantries, Darelle reaches the reason for their visit. She explains the dilemma the Coopers are in, and explains the three options outlined by Roscoe. Mordel agrees that the first option is not the safest, but it provides the most likelyhood of keeping Fort Inevitable away from disaster. Roscoe asks Mordel if he knows of anyone who could serve in a leadership position and be loyal to the town. Mordel provides the names of six people who could form an effective council to govern Fort Inevitable: Falandra Nolm, whom he trusts; Abernard Roysts, whom he does not trust; Karlyle the Butcher, whom he does not trust but knows he has Fort Inevitable's best interests at heart; Doliver Reedbank, owner of the Juliver Arms, whom he trusts; Mormuk Goldfoot, owner of Goldfoot's Mercantile, whom he trust; and Peter Ardra, son of Adrian Ardra, one of the civic leaders of Fort Inevitable. Adrian was executed following the assassination of the Lord Commander Varden in 4706, and Peter is currently in exile. When asked by Darelle whether he could also serve, Dr. Mordel replies that he has no interest being involved in such a leadership entity. He expresses that he has enough work with his research and his patients.

Departing Dr. Mordel's hospital, Roscoe and the sisters decide they need to organize a meeting between themselves and members of the Seven Foxes. Getting the Seven Foxes involved, along with the citizens named by Dr. Mordel would help fill a void left with a dismantling of the Hellknight command staff. Roscoe asks his sisters where they think they should start looking. Daryle mentions that Mordel suggested Karlyle's name. Since she's on friendly terms with Karlyle, and he seems to know everyone that's anyone in Fort Inevitable, he's probably the first one the Coopers should talk to. Roscoe agrees and says that he will talk to Doliver, since he used to live there and knows the halfling pretty well. Darelle agrees to talk to Falandra. The Coopers part ways to talk to their respectives contacts.

Daryle is the first one to reach her destination. The doors are wide open, and Karlyle is busy butchering a sheep with his assistant. They make small talk for a few minutes, and then Daryle intimates that she would like to talk to him alone. Karlyle sends his assistant away, and brings Dayle to his storage area. Daryle uses all of her diplomatic and innuendo to invite Karlyle to a dinner at the Hunters' Lodge that very night. She tells him that he can invite a friend, and intimates that she hopes members of the Seven Foxes will be present. When Karlyle discovers that Roscoe will also be there, he wonders aloud, in these times of trouble, how his return back to the Fort will be made safe. Understanding that he's asking for a guarantee of safety that this is not a Hellknight trap to catch the resistance, Daryle personally vouches that he will neither be harmed not impeded. Karlyle agrees to meet her there at dinner time.

Roscoe arrives at the Juliver Arms. As he enters, the conversation among the numerous guests gathered for lunch swiftly come to an end. He steps to the counter, and is greeted by Doliver Reedbank. They talk for a few minutes, then Roscoe notices that the place has emptied rather quickly. He takes this opportunity to invite the halfling to a meeting at the Hunters' Lodge. Doliver agrees to meet him there at dinner. Roscoe steps outside, and waits around the corner. The departed guests all return inside the inn. Roscoe shakes his head and walks away. This is another reason to implement his plan!

Darelle walks to Nolm Bindery and is greeted by Gerald, who appears to be balancing the books. Something is off, though, and she can't quite put her finger on it. She meets Falandra in the back of the store, and asks her if she's noticed something strange about Gerald. Falandra replies that indeed she has. Gerald has not screwed up anything nor has he destroyed anything of significance in the last month. Darelle shakes this off and invites Falandra to dinner tonight. She agrees to attend.

In the afternoon the Coopers arrive at the Hunters' Lodge. Darelle prepares a sumptuous meal. Daryle patrols the grounds. Roscoe prepares his argument. Around five, the guests begin to arrive. Karlyle is the first one there, followed closely by Falandra and Abernard. Soon, Doliver and his cousin Dunleaf Appletop also cross the bridge. High Mother Sarise Dremagne , head of the Temple of the Golden Key arrives next. This surprises Roscoe, but not as much as the next guest to arrive: Maralictor Wirt! Finally, old Mother Holworth is the last to arrive. There are now seven guests at the Hunters' Lodge.

Roscoe questions Wirt and asks who invited her. Mother Holworth discreetly nods at the group, and Karlyle reveals that he invited her. Wirt may not be loyal to Roscoe, but she appears to be loyal to the people of the Fort. Roscoe then presents his plan, with the hope that the Seven Foxes could take a leadership position. Mother Holworth retorts that they are not willing to stick their neck out at this time in case his plan backfires, but they know some reliable young folks who could step up and fill these roles, with the Seven Foxes remaining in the shadows for the time being. However, Dunleaf adds, they have a condition. Thorne and his various associates and enterprises must be dealt with. Roscoe tells them that Thorne has already lost access to the treasury, and that he is more than willing to deal with his associates if Dunleaf could provide a list of names. Dunleaf agrees to do so. Darelle talks with Dunleaf Appletop about the missing lumber and reports what her sister and her discovered. Dunleaf is pleased that at least the wholesale theft of lumber from Fort Inevitable has been dealt with. Falandra agrees to take a look at the bookkeeping Thorne did while in charge.

Satisfied with their meeting, the Seven Foxes depart. The Coopers return to Fort Inevitable soon after. That very night, Falandra delivers three forged letters to Roscoe.


Sarenith 13, 4712

In the morning, Roscoe requests his top three commanding officers to meet with him, one at a time. Using Falandra's forged letters, he informs them that he has received news from the Hellknight hierarchy that several forts have recently lost their commanding officers, and due to their tireless and devoted services, they are being promoted but most leave immediately. By the end of the day, all three have ridden away. Roscoe's plan has begun!

Seeing the forest for the trees

Gozran 28, 4712

The sisters are summoned to the Citadel early in the morning to meet with their brother Roscoe, commander of Fort Inevitable. Roscoe informs Darelle and Daryle that the halfling population of Dimsdale has risen up against their Hellknight protectors and are preventing any more felling of timber as required in his order of Calistril 28, 4712. Furthermore, they are holding seven Hellknights hostage. Roscoe wants them to head to Dimsdale to settle this dispute with the haflings, but there is neither money to be offered nor flexibility on the amount of wood that needs to be collected. The Hellknights originally estimated that over three million board feet were needed to renovate the town, and currently about 75% of the destroyed part of town has been rebuilt. Roscoe tells the sisters that the most recent estimates from Thorne indicate that another 750,000 board feet of wood is needed to complete the repairs.

Darelle uses her tree token and sends a messenger bird to notify Dunleaf Appletop, Dimsdale's mayor, that they are on their way. Daryle suggests that her sister talk to Mother Holworth about any known way to speed growth of trees. Mother Holworth reports that many decades ago, there was a fey named Eithne. She has met her several times as a small child in the small woods surrounding the pond in the back of the farm. She remembers her being very tall, with long hair stretching down to her feet. She once gave her a pouch of magic seeds. When planted, these seeds immediately grew to their adult size and bore fruit, which retained some of the magic. Over the course of a few years, Mother Holworth's garden grew so fertile and rich that it became the envy of the neighbors. She doesn't know of a way to attract Eithne, and she seems to simply appear and disappear without making a sound or leaving tracks. She also hasn't seen her in many decades.

On the way to Dimsdale, Darelle plays her golden flute in the hopes of attracting fey folks, but either there are none around at the moment or they do not wish to be contacted. She then decides to gathers some fresh healing herbs.

The sisters arrive in Dimsdale midday. A camp of roughly one hundred Hellknights has been erected a mile down the road from Dimsdale, out in the plain. The landscape around is entirely barren. They have cut down everything around the western portion of the village. Dimsdale itself is now protected by a stout stockade fence. Maralictor Gregg is the Hellknight officer in charge of the camp. Darelle introduces herself to the commander and presents her commission. Gregg explains that his orders have been to cut down all of the trees. He reports that the inhabitants of Dimsdale resisted the cuts when it got too close to the village, and there were several incidents that forced the Hellknights to destroy some homesteads. A week ago the halflings stole wood overnight and built a stockade around the village, capturing seven Hellknight soldiers in the process. These soldiers are now being held hostag within the village.

Daryle points out to Gregg, who is not from this area, that most of the mead drunk in Fort Inevitable comes from Dimsdale. More selective cutting would preserve the environment and allow for the necessary shade to protect the plants and flowers that the bees use to produce honey. Gregg admits that he did not know the village derives much of its wealth from alcohol, but he has his orders to enforce. Daryle tells Gregg that the sisters will head into the village and negotiate directly with the Mayer. Perhaps there is a simple way to resolve this issue.

The sisters then move to the village itself. They are refused access at first, but when they introduce themselves they are welcomed with open arms. Dunleaf Appletop is thrilled to see them. He tells them he got their message, and inquires if they have come to help them against the Hellknights. He informs them that he has sent several messages in the last two weeks requesting their assistance, but the sisters never received any of them.

Back at his house, Dunleaf Appletop tells the Coopers that Hellknights have cut trees near houses, and have demolished houses when the residents refused to allow the trees being cut on their properties. No one was killed, but a few people were hurt in the scuffle. He admits that they took the lumber to build the stockade, but only to protect themselves against a Hellknight assault. Appletop realizes that the village does not stand a chance against the large force outside the walls, but if they have to they will resist to the bitter end.

Daryle mentions that everyone has to pitch in to rebuild the damage Fort Inevitable suffered. Appletop replies that Shim Longbranch, local ranger and wood expert, has estimated that the Hellknights have already harvested over four million board feet in the last three months in this area alone, and that there are several other harvesting areas. Darelle sends her tree token to report the problem to Gerald so he can investigate where the wood has gone.

Darelle asks if there are any parts of the forest that are not protected by spirits. Appletop reports that a fey named Eithne, but the fey has not been seen in at least a year. Darelle and Daryle meet Shim, who tells them about the gnarled old man who has moved in to the forest across the river. He's left the path alone, but is protecting the forest with his wolverines. There has been fey folks all around the village, but with the clear cutting they have left, and without Eithne's protection it's not clear what the impact will be on the mead production in the fall.

The Coopers return to meet with Maralictor Gregg, and begin negotiations. They expected Gregg would not see reason, but he seems surprisingly malleable. Daryle examines a copy of the Maralictor's orders, and they do in fact specify clear-cutting all around the village. Gregg agrees that if the wood came from across the bridge, he would not have to cut the remaining trees on this side of the ravine. Darelle states that Appletop is opposed to that, due to the gnarled old man's presence and possible retribution against the village. Gregg replies that he must get the wood as ordered. Daryle asks him how the wood is transported. Gregg replies that every day the same team of oxens, carts, and teamsters arrive, load up the wood, and take it to Fort Inevitable. But according to Shim, most of it does not make it there. Gregg compares his notes with the quantities requested from the Fort and notices the glaring discrepancies. He agrees to escort the carts from now on to ensure their safe delivery. Daryle proposes a compromise. The sisters, Gregg, a couple of Hellknigths, and Appletop should cross the bridge and contact the gnarled old man, then negotiate the harvest of the best trees from the other side. Appletop agrees to this course of action, but only in exchange for the Hellknights leaving Dimsdale alone afterwards. Gregg agrees that if enough wood is harvested, the Hellknights will leave Dimsdale alone.

The party crosses across the river. Darelle yields "We seek to parley," but no one answers. The party gets off the road, and heads into the woods. After ten minutes, they still haven't encountered anyone. Darelle uses her ranger's abilities and talks to a squirrel. The squirrel tells her that the gnarled old man is nearby. They reach a clearing near the river, with a large group of rocks piled together. Eight large wolverines lay on the rocks, sunning themselves in the late afternoon sun. They seemed unfazed to see the Coopers.

Suddenly, an overpowering smell of rot drifts through the clearing, and the gnarled old man comes around the rocks. The wolverines warily eye him. He tells them that they shouldn't have gotten off the road, and that now the village will pay for their temerity. Darelle asks him why he's doing this, and he reveals that he enjoys chaos. It turns out that the old man has only been around a few months. When Daryle reveals that they need to harvest wood from this side, the old man attacks. Six Twigjacks appear and join the fight. The wolverines do not. The battle goes poorly at first, with all members of the party suffering grievous wounds, but eventually the gnarled old man retreats by transporting through plants, leaving his twigjacks behind to die.

Exploring the pile of rocks, Darelle finds a cave. In the cave is a giant about 10 feet tall encased in amber. She has very long hair and fine features. She fits the description Mother Holworth gave of Eithne. The Coopers free the fey from the amber after much effort. Eithne reveals she had been targeted by a spell about a year ago that encased her in this magical cage. Darelle asks Eithne if she has any seeds that would help the Hellknights meet their quota while keeping the village forested. She provides the ranger with enough oak seeds to grow the wood needed.

Darelle plants the trees, then the harvest resumes. As trees are felled, more are planted and immediately grow back. By the end of the day, the Hellknigths have harvested enough wood to meet their quota, while enough seeds remain to replenish the forest around Dimsdale. The Coopers successfully negotiated a settlement between the two groups, much to Maralictor Gregg and Mayor Appletop's appreciation.


Gozran 29, 4712

Having received the message from Darelle, Gerald investigates the lumber's disappearance. The one caravan the Cooper sisters  interacted with took the lumber to Fort Inevitable, but it was accompanied by a Hellknight patrol so there wouldn't have been the opportunity to divert the lumber.  were not able to extract any meaningful information from the teamsters.

Gerald tracks a disgruntled teamster whose tongue gets loose when fueled with free alcohol at the Juliver Arms. After a few drinks, that teamster reveals that large quantities of lumber  are being diverted to a water landing in the suburbs of the dead city of Mosswater. The wagons are unloaded there, then the caravan departs and returns to the harvesting site. When they return with another load a few days later the lumber has been removed. The teamster doesn't know who gets the lumber, and he and the rest of his team do not tarry in the area.

Further inquiries reveal that all caravans are now accompanied by Hellknight patrols, so all of the wood is now being delivered to Fort Inevitable.


Gozran 30, 4712

Despite Gerald's best efforts, he is unable to locate Eithne  in the area of Dimsdale. On his way back he reflects that his membership in the Hellknights might have been a distraction for the fey. However, in talking to Abernard, the old wizard identifies a spell that might be of use. Called Discern location, this spell can find any object or creature anywhere. Due to the difficulty of performing this spell, however, he indicates that it probably will cost 1,800 gold pieces to acquire a one-use scroll. He can arrange to secure such a scroll, which will take 2d8 days, or Gerald can trek up to Starfall, capital of Numeria, which will take you about four days to get there. Either way, getting a load of lumber to Mosswater at the same time should provide enough time to locate its eventual destination. Now, if only Hellknights were not supervising all caravans of lumber...

Are the Coopers responding to chaos, or are they the cause?

Pharast 30, 4712

It's been twelve days since the Coopers have returned to Fort Inevitable following their confrontation with the automatons. They spend time replenishing their equipment, selling gems and other trinkets, and preparing a return to the Emerald Spire. Unfortunately, events conspire to prevent them from heading back today.

Roscoe is bruskly awakened by Maralictor Wirt early in the morning. She reports that the entire night guard at the Juliver Gate has been slaughtered between the 4th and 5th hour of the watch. No sound was heard, though there seems to have been several attempts at raising the alarm. As Roscoe rushes to dress, the Hellknight's Chancellor intercepts him and tells him that the treasury is empty. It will not be possible to meet the Hellknight payroll in two days' time. Finally, a representative of the civilian town council catches the Hellknight commander as he exits the Citadel and notifies him that all of the town water wells have either run dry overnight or have been contaminated by a strange waxy substance, making the water unfit for drinking purposes. Finally, as Roscoe meets his siblings along the way to the Juliver Gate, he notices that there are many newcomers in town who appear to not be doing very much. The arrival of over 2,000 workers to rebuild Fort Inevitable following a devastating fire has caused the population to swell, but now that most of the housing stock has been rebuilt, these newcomers seem to have become a nuisance.

Roscoe questions Thorne on the number of workers should stay and how many should go. Thorne answers that he's discovered a plot. His network of people reports that the laborers, who are not the most skilled, are actually part of a force looking to spread chaos throughout Fort Inevitable. They were sent here by enemies from Daggermark. He proposes mandatory conscription to attack the hill giants. Roscoe says that this is a genius move, but what would prevent the workers from just walking away or turning on the Hellknights? Thorne replies that if they acted switfly, this problem would disappear.

Daryle contacts the Hellknight Spymaster and requests information on this plot. The spymaster advises her that Thorne was responsible for hiring and paying the workers, and he selected the dredges of Daggermark. The spymaster has no proof, but he believes that Thorne was hoping to overthrow the Hellknights. Daryle informs Roscoe of her findings. Thorne points out that Roscoe and the Coopers were often gone in the last few months, yet the workers did not strike. Those must be rumors planned by enemies of Fort Inevitable.

Roscoe asks about the fighting value of these men. Hellknight officers report that all of them are of fighting age and seem to have some experience. Against the full contingent of Hellknights these men would not stand a chance, but if allied with another group, like an army of giants, a victory would not be assured.

While this conversation is taking place, Darelle obtains a leather armor +3 from the Hellknight armory but it will identify her as a Hellknight. She paints it to hide the colors but the symbols are still visible to the perceptive eye. Gerald, meanwhile, requests that a helmet be made to make his new horn appear to be part of this helmet and not his head. He shines it and sharpens it so it can be used as a weapon.

Tired of the discussion taking place in the Citadel, Omok storms off and decides to investigate the murders at the gate. The guards were clearly slaughtered with a piercing weapon and in order, one tower then the next. They appeared to have defended themselves, but neighbors and members of the night watch confirmed they heard nothing. Omok returns to the Citadel and reports this new information to Roscoe. The Hellknight and his entourage head back to Juliver Gate and investigate. Darelle does not find any new information on the town side of the gate, but on the outside Daryle finds a set of tracks that belong to an individual about 140 pounds. The cuts and trusts from the dead bodies indicate that the person who attacked the dead Hellknights was about 5'9'. Darelle uses her ranger abilities and speaks with the towers' resident pigeons. They confirm that the attacker was one humanoid, came from inside the town, slaughtered everyone on that side before jumping the wall and attacking the sentries outside. The person then climbed the wall. The birds also tell her that the person was very agile, almost like a cat.

Roscoe questions Maralictor Wirt as to whom inside the wall would have the skills necessary for accomplishing such a feat. Wirt replies that she doesn't know of anyone agile enough to successfully drop from the wall and then climb it back up again without the aid of magic, but as far as the manner of killing, Karlyle the Butcher certainly would be able to pull this off if he were so inclined. Roscoe decides to confront Karlyle, so the Coopers head to his shop. Even this early in the morning, the doors are opened and Karlyle stands inside, processing cuts of beef from this morning's slaughter. Roscoe and Omok stroll in and begin questioning the butcher. Omok successfully intimidates the man, who backs off towards a corner of the shop.

Just as Roscoe accuses Karlyle of killing the Hellknights at the Juliver Gate, a volley of arrows slam against all three inside the butcher's shop. Surprised, the other Coopers draw their weapons. The assault is coming from the roof of the third story building across the street from the butcher. Currently in construction, scaffolding surrounds the building on two sides. Roscoe throws himself against Karlyle to protect him. Gerald becomes invisible and flies upwards. Daryle fires off a volley of her own. Rowen uses his sleep spell and manages to incapacitate one of the attackers. More arrows fly down to the Coopers. Omok uses his ring of ram and collapses the building, while Gerald incinerates the ruins with a fireball. The surrounding buildings catch on fire but Darelle is able to put the fire out with a wall of wind. Roscoe uses his paladin's abilities to heal everyone in the group.

In the rubble of the building the Coopers find one of the attackers. The other two are missing. Roscoe interrogates the survivor, and quickly discovers that it is a demon. He decides to cart it off to the temple. Unfortunately, High Mother Sarise Dremagne informs the Hellknight Commander that she can't guarantee that the demon won't escape. Roscoe decides to keep custody of the demon in the prison of the Citadel under triple guard.

Darelle tells Dr. Mordel about what has happened around town in the last ten hours. He does not seem surprised. He tells her that the tensions are high in town with the foreign workers, and could boil over at any time.

The search for the missing two demons continue, but is fruitless.

Back at the Citadel, Thorne proposes a bold scheme for getting rid of the foreign worker problem. The Coopers will plant a fake map indicating that there is gold in the hills north of the Emerald Spire. Rowen will be sent in the hills, and return to Fort Inevitable the next day with a bag full of gold and the map. With a change in personality, Rowen will not remember that this is a set up and will be able to sell this idea to the ruffians. Ideally, all of them will depart Fort Inevitable. They may encounter the giants that are mustering in the hills, or at least act as a buffer between the two sides.

Roscoe approves the plan, and the wheels begin to turn.

Pharast 31, 4712

It's the end of the quarter, and several of the Coopers have set up businesses or work for other people. These are their statements for tax purposes:

• Gerald's message delivery business and his Hellknight wages earned him 62 crowns after expenses.
• Daryle's hunting has earned her 43 crowns after expenses.
• Darelle's employment with Dr. Mordel and Mother Holworth, as well as her herb business earned her 51 crowns after expenses.
• Thorne's general store earned him 139 crowns after expenses.
• Roscoe earned 1,200 crowns as Hellknight Commander.

In the morning, Rowen comes riding into Fort Inevitable carrying gold and a map to a location where the gold was supposedly found. The rumor spreads like wild fire, and by noon most of the riff raff has departed. Thorne's general store makes a fortune selling panning gear. By the end of the day, the overwhelming majority of foreigners have departed for the hills. The town is now very quiet.

All tax payments are made today, and there is enough money in the coffers to meet Hellknight payroll. Somehow Thorne has come through and located enough money to pay the troops. How did he do it? He returned to the Emerald Spire the day before and met with the Mistress of Thorns. In exchange for the gold he needed to replenish the Hellknights's coffers, he traded her the magical name of each level of the Spire. Then, he swore fealty to her and declared that henceforth he would become her agent within Fort Inevitable in exchange for a cloak of invisibility. He also promised her the souls of the Daggermark workers he so cleverly attracted to a deserted location.

Thorne's network also spreads the rumor among the guards and the public that Thorne was responsible for the rebuilding of the city. There wasn't enough money to pay wages, but somehow Thorne intervened and secured enough funds. He hopes this will buy him some goodwill in the city.

Omok departs Fort Inevitable for the Emerald Spire.


Gozran 1, 4712

In the morning, Thorne, disguised as a ruffian, rides into Fort Inevitable with another report that  more gold was found. The remaining ruffians depart, along with several citizens. With the foreign threat now gone, Roscoe orders that all patrols be doubled. Orders are sent out to bring in as much food from surrounding areas while collecting as much water as possible. In two days' time Fort Inevitable's gates will be closed. The Hellknights are also now required to keep a record of who comes and goes, and only taxpayers are allowed to enter Fort Inevitable.

Omok enters the Emerald Spire and meets with the Mistress of Thorns. In exchange for information on the assassin he will perform a service for her. Omok reveals to him that the individual behind the attack is Nagal Imban, someone of considerable means since he or she was able to take control of three demons and order them. The Mistress of Thorns reveals that she knows of Nagal Imban but has nothing to add at this time. In exchange for this, she requires that Omok assassinate Roscoe within the next two weeks. Omok agrees to commit the dastardly deed.

The Changing of the Guard

Abadius 1, 4712

As the bells of the temple begin to ring, announcing the birth of the new year,  Daryle begins searching the offices on the ground floor of the Citadel. She finds all the doors locked, so she feels confident Duke Mosley's men must have gone to the upper level to ensure the Lady Commander was dead. She moves up to the second floor.

Meanwhile, Gerald heals himself using a potion of healing he had smuggled inside. He winces a little at the smell, but quaffs it anyway. Feeling better, he also decides to head upstairs, and heads straight to the fourth floor.

Darelle, in the Lady Commander's room, sees the army outside the walls continues to move. Drovust asks Mordel what her next move should be, and he advises her that Duke Mosley has begun his final move, but it is not yet time to intervene.

Arriving on the landing, Gerald notices two Hellknights standing strangely still. He observes the situation for a few minutes but realizes that the Hellknights must be paralyzed. He climbs behind the nearest one and puts a blindfold on him. By doing so, however, Gerald breaks the spell. The Hellknight bites his finger and holds him hostage. Moving forward with a dagger pressed hard under Gerald's chin, the Hellknight pushes the sorcerer forward until he is in striking distance and he throws his knife at one of the two guardsmen by the Lady Commander's door. Gerald trips the man behinds him but ends up underneath him.

Hearing the commotion outside, Darelle removes her skirt and charges out of the Commander's room. A brief but bloody battle ensues, and the Coopers are triumphant. Daryle comes charging up the stairs but finds the situation under control. Mosley's assassins are quickly dispatched. The Coopers return downstairs, but Daryle ties the door to the 2nd floor.

Duke Mosley, having returned from the wall, is once again in the Receiving Hall surrounded by his men when the Coopers return to the ground floor. He tells the ladies to move along, but he takes Gerald with him to the bathroom to wash off some of the demon goo off the sorcerer. Coming out of the restroom, he invites Gerald to accompany him to the treasury to account for the gold that might be missing. He tells the sorcerer that he finds it odd that during a green storm and a battle someone would have been able to physically break through the defenses of the treasury, buried deep under the Citadel, and steal more than 600,000 crowns without being noticed. The Duke tells Gerald he believes it was a set-up from the inside, and he wants to confirm his opinion.

Daryle and Darelle are being pressed to leave the Citadel, but they grab a hold of a drunken Bolgur and decide to carry the stinking half-orc down to the prison floor to find Roscoe's new offices. Mosley's men let them take the drunkard downstairs. In their brother's office they discover the Book of Warrants, that include the warrants served on all the prisoners. They notice that the prison cells are all empty, and that Thorne has successfully escaped. Darelle takes Thorne's warrant and burns it. She then notices that there are no warrant, or even a prisoner file, on Dr. Mordel. It's as if there was no reason for him to be here in the first place.

Daryle decides they must rescue Gerald, or at least follow them to the treasury. Darelle wakens Bolgur, who leads them back to the first basement floor and to an intersection. Unsure of himself, he heads in one direction, while the Coopers head in the other. Fortunately for Daryle and Darelle, their keen ears hear the sounds of a wench coming from Bolgur's hallway, and they retrace their step. They find the sound coming from behind a locked door. They barricade the door from the outside and wait.

Inside the room Duke Mosley, Gerald and the Duke's men are heading down a large platform, more than a hundred feet below the sewers and the base of the Citadel. They arrive in a large antechamber with two large iron-plated doors guarding the way. The doors radiate magic and Gerald is quickly able to determine that several guarding spells have been placed to protect the treasury. The Duke politely asks Gerald to open the door, but the sorcerer declines, finding reason after reason to allow the Duke to do the deed himself. Unfortunately, this is a battle of wits that Gerald cannot win, and, in his last desperate gambit Gerald tells the Duke that only a ranking Hellknight could open the door without triggering the trap. The Duke commissions Gerald on the spot, offering him the grade of Signifier of the Hellknights. Unable to come up with another delay, Gerald comes up with what he thinks is a clever plan. He triggers one of the traps, a fireball spell, but at the same time he casts one of his own and sends both of them towards Mosley and the rest of the group, knowing that he will most likely suffer terribly. And indeed he does. But as he falls towards unconsciousness, he notices four of the Duke's seven men collapse to the ground, crisply burned. The remaining three appear grievously wounded. To his amazement, however, the Duke look as freshly pressed in his white uniform as he did when he first walked in the Receiving Hall.

Daryle and Darelle  wait a while by the door when they finally hear the winch start again. Soon, the sounds of people behind the door can be heard. There is a short struggle with the barricaded door, and then a hush. Suddenly, the wall next to the door begins dripping, and it turns into mud. A hand sticks out, then another, and soon there is a rough doorway. One of Mosley's badly burned man steps through. Daryle quickly dispatches him. Duke Mosley steps through next. Daryle shoots a few arrows at the Duke, two of which hits. But he then rubs his arm and a large fireball discharges, and both Coopers are hit. Mosley's remaining swordsmen charge the sisters, and a fight ensues. Mosley, meanwhile, hangs back, a few small blood stains slowly spreading on his otherwise immaculate uniform.

The Coopers manage to slay one of the swordsmen, but a stalemate is quickly reached, with neither the swordsman nor the sisters able to triumph over the others. Duke Mosley then proposes a truce. He tells the Coopers he is neither after the Hellknight treasury nor does he wish to become Fort Inevitable's master. How is it, he asks the Coopers, that he would know so much about the comings and goings in the area without a spy? He reveals that he has in fact two independent spies who are not aware of each other. He's willing to make a deal with the Coopers to end this stalemate. If they leave the Citadel now, the Duke will go about his business, and he guarantees their safety and that of Gerald and Roscoe. In fact, Roscoe will be appointed Commander of Fort Inevitable. When questioned about Thorne, he tells them there is nothing he can do for the thief. Daryle tells Mosley that she needs a token of good will, and Mosley agrees to reveal that one of his spies is Maralictor Wirt. Daryle realizes that she's the only one who had told them about the thief of the Hellknight treasure. Perhaps they had been set up after all.

After conferring with each other, the Coopers agree to Mosley's terms, but not before they retrieve Gerald from the treasury room. Soon thereafter, all of the Coopers exit the Citadel and retire to Shadowborn Manor.


Abadius 2, 4712

After a restless night, Gerald leaves Shadowborn Manor and heads back to Fort Inevitable to meet with Duke Mosley, who had previously invited him for breakfast. The Duke is enchanted to see him. He tells Gerald that the matter has been resolved, and that he will depart with his army in the afternoon, after the changing of the guard ceremony. Later in the afternoon, Audara Drovust will also depart Fort Inevitable, along with the usual contingent of Hellknights returning to Cheliax. Gerald realizes that the Lady Commander is about to depart with a very large treasure, and there is nothing they can do about it. He does request a letter certifying his commissioning as a Hellknight officer. Duke Mosley laughs and gives this letter to Gerald, certifying his appointment as a Signifier.

Hellknights present themselves to Shadowborn Manor and deliver invitations for the Coopers to attend the Changing of the Guard ceremony where they will be awarded the  receive the Second Level of the Order of the Crow. The Coopers respectfully decline, citing ill health.

Over the next few days, Daryle spends some time hunting, while Darelle returns to visit Mother Holworth. She catches up on the news from Fort Inevitable. Mother Holworth tells her that things have relaxed a little in the area. Taxes were not due until the 2nd instead of the 1st of the quarter. Both Mosley and Drovust have departed, and the garrison is now down to about 1,000 men.

The Coopers head back to Fort Inevitable to pay their taxes and the interest on the late payment. Gerald attempts to convince the Tax Collector that, because of his filial relationship with Roscoe, the charges should be waived. The Tax Collector chuckles and refuses. The Coopers then withdraw money from the bank so they can pay Captain Rémi, when, in the next few days, he returns to Fort Inevitable to collect his fee for transporting them away from Razmiran.

With this first year now over with, the Coopers are faced with five remaining questions:

1. Who is Karlyle the Butcher?
2. What about Greenhide?
3. What's Abernard up to?
4. What is Mordel's role?
5. What are the green storms and what causes them?

What Creepy Crawly dwells in the tunnels?

Gozran 3, 4711

Following their first unsuccessful trip to the Emerald Spire, the triplets awake to the noise of a large caravan passing by the farm. They witness the arrival of about 120 Hellknights, accompanied by a convoy of forty wagons. A few of the wagons are marked as belonging to the Hellknights, but most of the others are merchants plying their wares around the River Kingdoms. Wagons of all shapes and sizes, decorated in different and outlandish colors and flying the flags of several of the Inner Sea kingdoms are arriving in Fort Inevitable for the annual Spring Fair.

Gerald decides to head out to the woods, and see if he can locate himself a familiar. Spending the entire day, he eventually manages to call forth a turtle, which he promptly names Kymdy the turtle. He also discovers that his turtle will reach sexual maturity in 12 years, a topic Gerald is apparently very interested in.

Darelle and Daryle accomplish their daily tasks, and they decide to then head to the Fair. Merchants are selling various wares, and as they set up for the next week they still hope to make a sale. There's a seller of cloth bolts made of the finest silks as well as other fabrics. A spice merchant from Galt has several wares, and Darelle purchases some herbs for Mother Holworth. There's a jeweler, a seller of kitchen utensils, a leather worker, a ropes and adventuring gear, several food vendors and food supplies, a weapons merchant, and a carpet merchant as well as several fortune tellers and entertainers. Daryle explores the leather goods, and notices several bracers she's interested in, but the price, at 6 crowns, is too high for her.

That evening, the triplets return to the Fair to partake in the entertainment of the evening, and Darelle returns to purchase more herbs for Mother Holworth. Leaving the herbalist's wagon, she notices she has a jar of cephalophage mushrooms in her bag, which contains three of them. As they walk through the fair, they notice Thorne talking to another man who towers over him. Daryle overhears Thorne saying to the man “Dr. Mordel has what you’re looking for.” The other man replies “What about the Clockmaster?,” to which Thorne answers, “He’s ready for the exchange,” but then Darelle’s fall interrupts the conversation, and Thorne quickly disappears in the crowd. Despite their best effort, Daryle, Darelle and Gerald are unable to track either Thorne or the man he was talking to.


Gozran 7, 4711

Alina mentions to the triplets that their brother Thorne has not been around for four days. Gerald, Darelle and Daryle realize that he’s been missing since they last saw him at the fair that night, but they had been too busy to notice.

Going into Fort Inevitable, the Coopers make discreet inquiries, and receive two pieces of information. At Braddon's General Store, Thom informs them that he hasn’t seen Thorne either for the last few days, and that he’s missed two days of work. Last he heard Thorne was involved in some smuggling operation through the sewer system with an outsider, an offense punishable by death if caught by the Hellknight patrols send periodically through the sewers.

At Dr. Mordel’s house and office, the Coopers are greeted by Erynna, Dr. Mordel’s assistant, who gets the doctor. He advises the party that he knows Thorne, as he’s been here several times making deliveries to the house from the general store, but that he has not seen him in about a week.

Darelle, who is interested in healing, decides to volunteer with Dr. Mordel, and he welcomes her assistance in help Mrs. Palmgrave with her bunions.

Daryle purchases a leather pouch from the leather merchant in the fair. The pouch features a small rose carved on the belt of the pouch, the merchant’s trademark. On the fairgrounds she hears the rumor that a rich man from Thornkeep plans on mounting an expedition to Mosswater to reclaim the town and its once profitable dye business. She also hears the rumor that Numeria may be getting ready to launch an assault on Pitax.

Gerald researches the origins of the sewer system of Fort Inevitable. A new network of main sewer lines were built by the Hellknights about ten years ago, and connect every area of the town to two central collecting tunnels that then pours into the pond. At some point, the water acquires an acidic level that kills most life in the pond. The new tunnels connected some of the smaller tunnels built decades earlier, as well as to a warren of natural caves and tunnels excavated centuries ago by unknown people.

That night, they decide to explore the sewers, since this is where Thorne was last headed. If they are stopped, Gerald will claim that he is compiling a history of the sewer system, to determine future needs and improved construction methods. Unfortunately, however, they are spotted by Ferdin, the Juliver Arms' stableboy, and they buy his silence for 1 crown.



They begin mapping the sewer system, and realize that one of the side lines passes directly next to the Citadel, while another line passes by Dr. Mordel's house. The tunnel is inscribed with coded words. Eventually, after a few hours of mapping, they reach one of the collection pools, and they disturb a mass of rats attacking two hapless goblins. This is located right underneath Karlyle the butcher, and Daryle notices there is way more blood and body parts down here than a regular butcher operation would suggest.

The triplets decide to intervene, and they quickly chase the rats away, only to disturb a Creepy Crawly creature feeding on the discarded feast. After a brutal combat, they are able to slay it, and manage to harvest a few doses of the creature's poison that causes paralysis.

They discover Thorne bloodied and paralyzed in the creature's nest. He had been gnawed on a little, but he was alive, if unconscious. They take him back to Roscoe's room at the inn, and, the following morning, move him back to the farm. Hopefully he'll make a full recovery.

Time to pay the rent ...

Pharast 30, 4711

In an interesting coincidence, every member of the Cooper family receives a quest from various inhabitants of Fort Inevitable on the same day.

In the morning, Thorne overhears a conversation in the store about a secret organization in Fort Inevitable called the Seven Foxes. This organization is dedicated to relieve some of the harshness of the Hellknights' occupation of the town. Later on that same day, he is approached by one of the frequent customers of Braddon's General Store who insinuates that, should Thorne ever hear of information concerning potential enemies of the Hellknights or plans to attack them, he should report them to him by contacting Ferdin the stableboy at the Juliver Arms. Thorne must now decide whether he will form an alliance with either the Hellknights or the Seven Foxes resistance.

That same day, Darelle overhears a complaint from Mother Holworth about high taxes and how she's most likely not going to be able to make. She decides to help her by giving her three gold crowns from the family's coffers. She also decides to contribute to replenishing these same coffers by discovering the path to reach the dungeons underneath the Emerald Spire, which she has heard would fetch a pretty penny with the Hellknights.

Having established a working relationship with Maralictor Kiera Wirt, Daryle is often in contact with the Commander of Mosswater Gate. On this day, she meets the Commander and Wirt reports that some of the dead goblins that have been turned in for bounty have been sporting an uncharacteristic mark. Three goblins in the last month wore leather armor with the symbol of a crude red crowned skull. Wirt wants Daryle to investigate the matter, and discover and destroy the evil force represented by this evil symbol. She will be rewarded by the Hellknights should she succeed.

Roscoe has started to train as a paladin when he's not performing at the Juliver Arms. Over the last week, he's made friends with Iliara Starcloak, leader of the Goldenfire Order of Thornkeep. In the morning, she informs Roscoe that she must head back to Thornkeep today, but she was not able to locate two missing wizards of her order, Jharun and Tiawask. They sent her a note a few weeks back saying that they were ready to explore the Emerald Spire, but since then, they haven't been seen. She entrusts Roscoe with the mission to find the missing wizards and bring them back alive, or at least bring their bodies back, to the Order. On a personal note, she also tasks Roscoe with finding three pieces of research about the Emerald Spire's portals and bring them back to her. She will reward him handsomely for both quests.

Upon hearing that Gerald is thinking of exploring the Emerald Spire, Abernard Royst proposes him a quest. Inviting him over to his house, Abernard tells the sorcerer that he has been studying the Emerald Spire for over a decade now, and he believes there are unbelievable powers retrenched within the structure. He has been looking for someone willing to head into the Spire and collect as much information from the inside as possible. Should Gerald return with a map of the underground level beneath the Spire, the old sage will reward him handsomely. Gerald readily agrees.

Abernard Royst's house

Pharast 31, 4711

On the last day of the quarter, the Hellknights celebrate their rule in Fort Inevitable by mustering their forces on the town square and executing the criminals condemned to death in the last three months. Because it's their first Mustering, the Coopers are strongly encouraged to attend, so they can be seen by the powers that be to be dedicated citizens, or at least not opposing their rule.

On a sunny morning following a rainy night, a third of the Hellknight force musters on the town square in front of the citadel, wearing their ceremonial uniforms. Pennants and flags fly high in the air as the force separates the crowd from the scaffolding where the Hellknight's swift justice will be dispensed.

Lady Commander Audara Drovust steps out of the Citadel and mounts the scaffolding. "Citizens of Fort Inevitable," she declares, "today we celebrate another successful winter where we protected Fort Inevitable from the perils that dwell in the Echo Woods." The assembled population clap politely.

"We are here today to administer justice to those criminals who have violated the laws of Fort Inevitable." Immediately, seven criminals are paraded in front of the crowd, and one by one, as their name, crimes, and sentences are pronounced, their heads are chopped off. A smuggler, a petty thief, a female hoarder, a merchant, and a tax evader.

The last prisoner, however, receives a special treatment. "Our last criminal is a Razmiran priest of the Living God!" shouts Drovust. At that, the crowd, which had been tepid in its support, hoots loudly as the false priest is hoisted on top of a pyre. The Coopers immediately recognize him. It's one of the local constables that tried to escort them away from their family! They cheer when the pyre is light and the constable burns to death.


Gozran 1, 4711

The Coopers come to Fort Inevitable and make their tax payments to the Hellknights, before heading out to the Emerald Spire. On a beautiful spring day, they head out on their first adventure as a group. The Spire is located about ten miles southeast of Fort Inevitable, and the trek is tense but uneventful, with no evidence of goblins or other monsters lurking in the woods.

The trip lasts six hours, and by the time the Coopers first catch sight of the Spire it is later afternoon. Cresting a small hill, they reach the edge of a large clearing about two miles in diameter. In the middle on top of a promontory rests the ruins of the Spire. A large complex built of glass emerald, the Spire still reaches about 120 feet in the air, but the front of the castle shows significant damage from a violent assault eons ago. The dimming sun bounces off the castle's structures, emitting a soft green light.


Strangely, the first mile or so of the clearing is filled with saplings and tall grasses, but then about a mile into the clearing all vegetation stops and the ground becomes barren. Large pile boxes and crude fortifications stretch around the base of the promontory, and are evidently the work of goblins.


Daryle decides to get closer to the Spire, and walks to the edge of the barren lands. She feels like someone is watching her, but she cannot see anyone. Getting closer, she hears the sounds of barking dogs close to the Spire's entrance. She returns to the edge of the clearing and shares her information with the rest of her family.


The Coopers come up with a clever plan. They will attempt to poison the dogs using natural drugs at night, so Darelle returned in the woods and gathered plants that would do the trick. However, before they were able to execute their plan, the dogs left towards the northwest, and soon the family couldn't hear them at all.


Gozran 2, 4711

After waiting another hour, they decide to approach the Spire and begin their exploration. In the first pile box they encounter they discover old ruined blankets and the pervasive stench of goblins, but nothing else. A crude access ramp has been built from the base of the promontory to the entrance of the Spire, where remnants of the ruined gate lay crumbled about. Large enough for a goblin, the Coopers have a hard time ascending it and must go single filed.

They reach the top of the promontory. In the entryway, the party is surprised by a goblin mounted on a goblin dog. Roscoe is bitten by the dog and fights for his life as Darelle and Daryle pour arrow after arrow into the goblin and his dog. Gerald casts a few spells, then attacks with his dagger. Meanwhile, Thorne sneaks around the goblin and enters the Spire. The magical properties of the Spire are such that any light source only provides five feet of illumination, and Thorne discovers that more goblins are hiding in this room when he is suddenly attacked by them.

The party is eventually able to triumph over the four goblins, but, having suffered significant injuries, they decide to head back to Fort Inevitable and cash in the bounty on four more bodies. Daryle reports to Maralictor Kiera Wirt that some of the coin retrieved from the dungeon was Numerian silver, and that some of the goblins sported a similar tattoo as the ones she had discovered earlier, but this one had a crown embedded in the design...