The Prophet of Water

Pharast 22, 4713, part 2

With combat already engaged and with the wall of force blocking their escape from the throne room, the Coopers have no choice but to pursue their attack against Thurl Merosska and cultists of the Howling Hatred. Ruddy fires an arrow from his crossbow, and Thurl is blinded. Earl strikes one of the Feathergale Knights down to the ground, while Thorne lands several blows on the other Knight. Struck by a cold ice strike, Naga uses his vampiric touch ability to heal himself.

Now blinded, Thurl teleports away from the battle. As the knights fight back and the priests casts spells, Earl crushes one of the knights' skull in. Naga casts fireball, blasting all of the enemies along with Thorne. Whalerider and Daryle attack the other wall of force that blocks the staircase and manage to break through. At the same time, Thurl's delayed blast fireballs explode, killing the remaining Howling Hatred members and severely injuring Thorne. 

With the battle now over, Earl picks up the great horn hung on the wall behind the marble throne. He blows in it, which calls forth the djinni Daryle and her sister Darelle had previously encountered. The djinni is clearly unimpressed with a new master summoning him, and he inquires as to which favor his master would like to see accomplished. Earl looks at the djinni, and immediately wishes that the djinni would grant him the ability to free him. The djinni tells him what words should be said to free him, and Earl utters them. The djinni, visibly relieved, bows low to the monk, then departs the Material Plane in a puff of blue smoke.

The party takes a breath before discussing what to do next. Should they return to Red Larch to check on the threat of releasing an orb of destruction Aerisi's minions had made? Should they pursue their exploration of the tunnels leading either towards the Black Earth or the Crushing Wave? Should they continue investigating how Thorne and Dhukhean were transported away from Tyar-Besil?
 Coopers decide to head towards the section of Tyar-Besil controlled by the Crushing Wave, the only of the four cults they have yet to overtly confront.

Once again they pass through the heavy iron door, and enter a residential section of Tyar-Besil.After about two miles of travel through endless ruins of houses that have been thoroughly looted over the ages, the party finds itself in front of a similar iron door. This one is covered in graffiti left by Howling Hatred cultists. Thorne takes a quick look at the heavy lock, grabs his tools, and picks the lock opened. Carefully pushing the door, they come into a short tunnel leading to another commercial area of Tyar-Besil.

This area is well traveled here, and Daryle easily finds footsteps on the floor leading away from this room. Thorne enters one of the rooms, and is ambushed by bugbears wearing uniforms of the Crushing Wave. He attempts to convince them he's from the Crushing Wave, but he accidentally insults them, and they slash at the rogue. He runs away back to his party, closely followed by two of the bugbears. Seeing the large group, the lead bugbear yells to the others behind him to get reinforcements.

As the battle rages, a large bearded man with lightning shooting out of a missing eye joins the fray with six other cultists. Earl yells that it's all a misunderstanding, that he and the party are agents of the Crushing Wave who have infiltrated the Black Earth and were reporting back. The fighting subsides, and Thorne is eventually able to convince Morbeoth to take them to the Crushing Wave leadership.

Accompanied by heavily armed guards, the Coopers cross two bridges and enter a large room currently converted into the Temple of Elemental Water, where a religious service is taking place. Darelle, Naga, Ruddy and Daryle recognize one of the men at the front of the room as Joliver Grimsaw, the man in charge of Rivergard Keep.

When the service concludes, the party is escorted to the altar, where they are confronted by Gar Shatterkeel, prophet of the Crushing Wave. Grimsaw recognizes them as agents he sent to attack the Eternal Flame earlier in the year. They report their exploits and how they destroyed the tower, only to find themselves underground in an epic struggle with the Howling Hatred. Thorne mentions that the cultists of the Howling Hatred have captured a dwarf and are bleeding him in their ultimate redoubt.

After a lengthy conversation, Gar Shatterkeel agrees to outfit the Coopers and provide them with shock troops and directions to infiltrate the Howling Hatred once again, free the dwarf, and bring him to the Crushing Wave. The Coopers begin their preparations...

Fighting the Howling Hatred

Pharast 22, 4713, part 1

After a restful night spent in the Great Hall, the Coopers wake up and prepare a hearty breakfast. Now healed and ready for more adventure, they take the barricade apart and pursue their exploration of Tyar-Besil. They return to the marketplace, looking inside every doorway to make sure enemies are not waiting for them. Ruddy returns to one of the doors they haven't yet opened. He carefully listens, but hears nothing. Slowly, the gnome pushes the door open, revealing the forge. Rubble covers most of the floor, and all that remains are an anvil weighing over 800 pounds, and a set of large bellows broken beyond repair. In one of the corners, he spots Thorne covered in chains and gagged.

Having disappeared a few hours earlier, the rogue is bloodied and exhausted. After his long trip to the sacrificial stone where he last saw Dhukhean tied and left bleeding to death, Thorne was transported back to this room by several cultists who discussed among themselves Aerisi Kalinoth's plans to release an orb of destruction in Red Larch. Though the thugs were whispering among themselves, Thorne was fairly certain that this was all a performance directed at him.

Ruddy ungags the rogue. Thorne tells him about Aerisi Kalinoth's plans with the orb of destruction. The gnome is concerned, but, with Thorne's assessment, assumes the threat was made to get them to leave Tyar-Besil. Nevertheless, Ruddy shares this information with the rest of the Coopers. After a short conversation, the party decides to continue their exploration.

Entering a large room, they find that an enormous purple worm once chewed its way through the floor, but was felled by dwarves. The dead worm's skeleton remains lodged in the ground, providing access to a tunnel heading further underground. Earl and Naga climb down the tunnel, and walk for over six miles, slowly dropping deeper into the earth, until they make the decision to return back to Tyar-Besil.

Continuing their exploration, Daryle and Darelle come upon a djinni carving a stone pillar. He looks mightily displeased to be here, but appears to be performing an assigned task. He tells the sisters that finding the horn will grant him his freedom.

At the same time and pursuing by now a patented Cooper policy of exploring multiple areas with significant distances between them at once, Whalerider  heads towards a tunnel heading north, only to stumble upon a patrol of bugbears wearing the livery of the Black Earth. He makes an expeditious retreat, meets up with Ruddy, and the two of them quickly dispatch the bugbears. Returning from their exploration, Daryle suggests building a barricade in the tunnel to prevent access to Black Earth patrols. The Coopers quickly do so, and proceed to return near their original entry point into Tyar-Besil.

Carefully walking into a hallway heading east, they arrive near another door. Ruddy listens to the door, hears nothing. Whalerider listens and hears stone on stone grinding. The catfolk opens the door quietly, and takes a look. Inside are two large wheels being spun by eight Howling Hatred initiates, who in turn are being whipped by two Howling Hatred priests. A quick conference among the Coopers, and they determine not to enter. Daryle spikes the spinning door shut, and the party moves on.

Returning from their escapade in the tunnel, Naga and Earl come across the body of Whalerider's dead cat. It has been slain by several arrows, and Naga recognizes the fletching as being Daryle's. They track the Coopers down, and encounter them as they stand by a heavy iron door barred on their side. Whalerider listens to the door, but he hears nothing. He attempts to pick the locks, but fails miserably. Thorne steps up and uses his great tools, but he too fails and breaks his favorite lockpick. Ruddy smashes the locks, but notices that there are traps placed on the door. Earl goes through the door and doesn't trigger the trap. On the other side are several signs displaying warnings that this is Howling Hatred territories, but they have been angrily defaced. Earl returns to his side and reports what he saw. Naga angrily returns the arrows to Daryle. The ranger is confused as to how her arrows could have killed the cat.

Returning to the Great Hall, they are confronted by none other than Thurl Merosska and his Howling Hatred accomplices. The battle begins in earnest, with a similar strategy once encountered by the Coopers on the previous day when the Howling Hatred priests used walls of forces to effectively split the party apart. Can the Coopers survive such a concentrated assault?

Of shops and cultists

Pharast 21, 4713, part 3

The Coopers enter the great hall and find no trace of the enemy they sought to surprise. Instead, they find carbon scoring on the ground and the outline of a toasted dwarf, but no trace of their dwarf friend Dhukhean or of the rogue Thorne can be found. Ruddy scoops up some of the ashes on the ground and bottles them with the hope that he can eventually return them to Dhukhean's dwarven clan. He then urinates on what' left of the ashes. Regrouping, the Coopers say a short prayer for the fallen dwarf, and after an appropriate moment of silence, they exit the great hall and continue their exploration of the Howling Hatred's underground lair.

Returning to the statue of Moradin where Ruddy and Darelle were attacked, the party take the opportunity to explore the area. They find themselves in what were previously shops, but now stand only as ruined spaces that have been thoroughly looted. The party splits up, and search various of the shops. Naga enters what once was a jewelry store and finds a large dwarven golden brooch the size of a fist with an inlaid sapphire the size of a large egg. Daryle enters the bakery and discovers a cast iron bread pan among the rubble. The pan is surprising light and appears to be in excellent condition despite the years since the collapse of Tyar-Besil. Ruddy opens the door to what was the tailor's shop. He is immediately surprised to see a cloaker rising from a fresh cadaver. The cloaker launches itself at the gnome and attempts to affect him with stupor, but Ruddy runs out of the room and takes position by the door, ready to ambush the creature as it comes out. More interested in feeding, however, the cloaker returns to his victim and continues to feed.

Heading west, Naga enters a large cavern with numerous above-ground stone graves, all of them inscribed with elaborate dwarven relief carvings showing scenes of daily life and heroic deeds. His arrival attracts the attention of seven very hungry ghouls and rush the tiefling. To defend himself, he casts fireball and incinerates all of them, leaving only ashes behind. Quickly searching the area, he finds the mostly devoured corpse of a Howling Hatred cultist.

Exiting the cemetery, Naga retraces his steps and finds Ruddy in a fighting stance. Ruddy explains what he found inside the tailor's shop, and it takes very little convincing for Naga to follow the gnome back inside, making quick work of the cloaker. Ruddy then examines the dead corpse, which is dressed like a pirate and not like any of the cultists they have encountered so far. He finds a finely crafted purple wood tobacco box, with very fine smelling tobacco inside of it. He pockets it. Then both he and Naga notice heavy purring coming from above.

Watching through a large hole in the upper wall, Surmont Whalerider and his cat observe the scene carefully. Whalerider and his acquaintance Paul, both of them sailors, found themselves in Red Larch when they ran into the Coopers at the Swinging Sword Inn. Recognizing the Cooper sisters from a previous trip they had taken aboard his ship, the Last Song a few years back in the River Kingdom, he decided to follow them around and see what they were up to. Tracking them to the Shrine of the Tender Oath, they sneaked inside the monastery a few minutes behind the Coopers, located the secret access point to the staircase descending to Tyar-Besil, managed to follow the Coopers through it before it closed and without any of them noticing, then down the stairs and through through the first battle with the featherbeaks, only splitting away when the wyvern and its rider came out to battle. Paul and Whalerider ran in the opposite direction, managed to avoid all of the cultists guarding the dungeon and the other members of the Coopers, and sneaked into the tailor's shop, only to be ambushed by a hungry cloaker. Paul was immediately stunned, but Whalerider and his cat managed to escape and climb up to the second floor of the leather goods shop next door. He'd been pondering what to do when Naga and Ruddy showed up. Now his cat has betrayed him by purring loudly.

In the hallway next to the leather goods shop, Daryle also hears the purring. The entire facade of this store has collapsed in a pile of rubble, revealing the interior. The ranger pulls out some jerky from her backpack and calls the cat to her. The kitty jumps from the second floor and comes to the ranger. It bats at the jerky once, before taking it in his mouth. Realizing that he is in a precarious position as Naga climbs the wall in the tailor's shop, Whalerider hides in a corner. Naga walks right by him and reaches the edge of the shop's second floor. Spotting Daryle, Naga comes down and pets the kitty. Ruddy also climbs the wall, but he is more perceptive than the tiefling and he spots a humanoid cloaked in darkness in the corner. He throws three daggers in the stranger's direction. Hiding his face behind a cloak, and with his eyes glowing, Whalerider performs a panache by blocking Ruddy's attack, and lands in the hallway a floor below. The Coopers pull their weapons out and assume a fighting stance.

Whalerider removes his cloak and reveals he's a catfolk, triggering Ruddy's cat allergy. Whalerider explains that he acquired his name because his family were fresh water fishermen. When he was old enough he joined a fishing crew, but he wanted to explore more than the region around their home. He joined a seawater fishing crew and headed out to sea. On one of those voyages, he spotted a whale, swam to it, and rode it by grabbing on to it with his catfolk claws, thus acquiring his name. The pirate explains that he and his friend Paul were following the party because they wanted to join them.

Reluctantly, the Coopers agree to let the swashbuckler join them in their exploration of the Howling Hatred's base. Looking into the remaining shops, Whalerider finds a magical loom which has clearly not been affected by the passage of time. Large piles of broken weapons and debris indicate that many have attempted to break it apart but have all failed.

Entering the Hall of Feasts, Naga is surprised to find five cultists and two priests, all wearing the distinctive clothes of the Howling Hatred. The priests had heard the commotion in the hallway, and had prepared an ambush. Naga is attacked, but he manages to alert the other Coopers. All of them enter the room from the many doors and engage the cultists. Darelle is paralyzed by a priest who manages to escape, but the remaining cultists are killed by the party. With the threat eliminated, the Coopers regroup and return to the Great Hall. They barricade the doors, and ready themselves to spend the rest of the night so they can recuperate..

The Coopers encounter their first Prophet

Pharast 21, 4713, part 2

As the distant chorus resumes its dreadful hymn, the Coopers continue their exploration of the Howling Hatred Temple. Turning a corner, they see the swiftly flowing river on their left a water fall dropping beyond view, with a roar almost covering the hymn. The path continues and meets two stone doors on the east side.

Dhukhean checks the stone doors for any dwarven markings, and he finds an antique dwarven script that indicates this room to be the great hall. Thorne steps to one of the door, oils the central pole, and quietly pushes it open. The great hall's ceiling is over twenty feet tall, and is supported by large stone pillars on both side. In the middle is a central pit from which blows a hurricane-force wind, moving upwards and disappearing in a similarly-sized opening in the ceiling. On the other side of the pit stand seven humans wearing Howling Hatred vestments. Four of them are cloaked in a light blue cape and wear feather masks covering most of their faces.

Howling Hatred Hurricanes

Two more individuals wear armor and stand behind the central figure, clearly a Howling Hatred priest. He faces the wind blowing from the pit, and thought the roars of the wind are so loud nothing else can be heard, he is clearly conducting some sort of religious service. Behind them are two stately stair cases, which climb past the great hall's ceiling.

Howling Hatred Priest

Thorne enters the room and stealthily hides behind a pillar. Daryle follows him and takes point on the other side, followed by Ruddy. Dhukhean assumes the rear but remains outside. Naga, Earl and Darelle, for their part, noticed the double stone doors behind the cultists on the other side of the great hall and decide to circle back on the path and take the enemy by surprise.

Ruddy shoots an arrow, hitting one of the initiates, quickly followed by Daryle. Thorne maneuvers himself and stabs another one of the initiates. Alerted to their presence, the cultists assume a combat position. Two of the initiates charge Thorne, while one of the Hurricanes casts a spell and creates a wall of force separating the room in two. The priest moves towards Thorne and casts hold person, paralyzing the rogue. The remaining cultists assume a fighting position next to the wall of force, ready to strike when the wall collapses.

Seeing this turn of events, Dhukhean opens the door with a flourish, hoping to attract the cult's attention, and walks to the wall of force, hitting it as hard as he can. It doesn't make a dent. Concentrating, the dwarf swings again, and this time he notices some of the magical energy is dissipated and the wall wobbles a bit. Encouraged, the dwarf continues to hit it, while the initiates on the other side make rude gestures at him strongly implying that his mother was nothing more than a lilly-livered slate-carving dung-eating pebble. In the back, both Hurricanes have been performing arcane motions, but Dhukhean is not able to decipher their meaning.

Sensing the futility of attempting to penetrate the wall, Daryle and Ruddy decide to follow the other group and round the great hall, use the back entrance and surprise the priest and his acolytes. They exit the great hall and turn right, heading north.

In the great hall, Thorne is roughly grabbed by two initiates, and he is carried up the stairs, followed by the priest. The two Hurricanes move back, then as Dhukhean strikes the wall of force one more time, it shatters on impact. The dwarf barely has time to enjoy his success, however, before he is engulfed in two delayed blast fireballs and one fireball, all cast at the center of the room. A well-toasted Dhukhean, his beard singed, falls to the floor, unconscious.

Meanwhile, even before the confrontation in the great hall begun, Naga, Earl and Darelle traversed the bridge and headed east, rounding the corner and seeing the east doors of the great hall. Unfortunately, sitting on top of a pillar bridge stood a large purple wyvern and its rider, clad in metal garb. Darelle sends a tree token to inform her sister Daryle they are being attacked by a wyvern and therefore will be delayed.  

Naga is the first to react, and he casts phantasmal killer at the rider and the wyvern. The fear is too much for the rider, who falls to his death in the lake. The wyvern, however is unaffected and immediately swoops down from the pillar, striking the tiefling. Earl the monk, almost as if he was someone completely different during this encounter, suddenly lose his monk abilities and acquires sorcerous powers. He casts black tentacles on the wyvern, which gets entangled, while Darelle summons a griffon that attacks the wyvern, and launches her own strikes against it. The lizard manages to free itself, and the combat continues. Naga is thrown in the fast-moving waters, but flies out and lands on the path again, only to be struck by the wyvern. Earl becomes invisible, casts form of the dragon II on himself, and attacks the wyvern. Turning away from the tiefling, the wyvern strikes at Earl's dragon form, and the two become entangled. A few good hits finally finish the wyvern off, and it falls on the bridge. Naga emerges from his rage and drops to the floor, too winded to do much of anything else.

Emerging from the great hall, Daryle receives her sister's message. Turning the corner, she and Ruddy run into a patrol of two initiates, a Howling Hatred priest, and one of the bird men. They were already on the move, attracted by the sounds of battle on the other bridge. They instead divert their attention to the ranger and the gnome.

Howling Hatred Featherbeaks

Ruddy and Daryle fire their weapons and manage to knock the two acolytes into the river, and they are soon swallowed by the water fall. The Howling Hatred priest and the featherbeak, however, are not so easily dealt with. The priest casts plague storm but it has no effect on the gnome and the ranger, while the featherbeak charges the two of them. Violent combat continues for a few minutes, but eventually the Coopers are triumphant. Daryle loots the priest's body, while Ruddy searches the dead featherbeak. This accomplished, they pursue the path around the outside of the great hall. Daryle turns the corner and proudly holds up the priest's feather mask, only to see the dead wyren draped over the bridge, and her friends taking a well-deserved rest.

While most of the Coopers recover by the great hall, Thorne is carried to a large room. The floor of this room features an extensive map of the Sumber Hills, showing the location of Tyar-Besil as well as several other cities within the dwarven kingdom of Belsimer. Sitting on a marble throne at the end of the chamber is a beautiful winged elf maiden, holding a elegantly crafted spear in her right hand. The initiates slap heavy magical irons on the rogue's hands and legs, binding them. Releasing the hold person spell, she welcomes Thorne by name, and thanks him for bringing her the dwarf. She informs the rogue she sees great potential in a profitable relationship between him and her. Thorne thanks her, and inquires what that might be. She tells she she will show him. First, she asks her Howling Hatred Priest to secure Dhukhean. The priest walks over, and drops a small blue fluorite of slumber on the dwarf's chest. The initiates pick up the dwarf with difficulty, while the Hurricane guides the rogue down the stairs, into the pit where the wind has inexplicably changed directions, and through a system of caves.

Aerisi Kalinoth, Prophet of Elemental Air

Thus, a chained Thorne and an unconscious Dhukhean are brought to the altar of the Howling Hatred caves. While still in his bindings Thorne is chained to the floor about 30 feet away from the altar, while Dhukhean is laid on top of the altar. As Aerisi walks away, she whispers to the rogue that his contribution to the success of the Howling Hatred will be to assist her in opening the portal to release Yan-C-Bin from his elemental prison ...

The Ruins of Tyar-Besil

Pharast 19, 4713

The Coopers regroup at the Swinging Sword Inn in Red Larch for a hearty breakfast. Thorne and Earl do not join them, and when Daryle looks for them, she finds that they did not sleep in their oom. Even though the snow has held off for the last few days, the temperature remains below freezing, and locals grumble that it has never been this cold, and furthermore, the snow should be melting by now. Naga reveals to Dhukhean that they discovered a secret passage in the Shrine of the Tender Oath that supposedly lead to Tyar-Besil. 

After discussing the potential implications of this discovery, Dhukhean proposes that they should enter the city first, and summon one of the Princes of the Apocalypse so they could kill it. The rest of the party shouts his idea down. It seems like a bad idea to help one of the cults achieve its objective. The Coopers decide to head out back to the Shrine of the Tender Oath and explore the tunnel to make sure that it does in fact connect to the ancient dwarven stronghold. After acquiring provisions and settling their affairs, they board Darelle's cloud and they float away.


Pharast 21, 4713

The Cooper's cloud arrives over the Vale of Dancing Waters. After landing, they meet with Ingrard, the dwarven priestess who's in charge of the Shrine of the Tender Oats. She's surprised to see them return so soon, but she's pleased and hopeful that they brought food to allay their worries. Unfortunately they did not, but they ask her again if they can pursue their exploration of the shrine. She readily agrees, and also shares with them that last evening, as the sun set, she saw a large dragon fling towards the west. The light that glittered off it was red. The Eternal Flame appears to be on the move.

Dhukhean inquires if Ingrard knows anyone who has studied the weather patterns and could help figure out what is happening. She replies in the negative, but mentions that Bernard Lachance, a sage in Yartar, might be able to help them. She also knows of a few druids who dwell in the Sumber Hills, but they are harder to find this time of year.

Leaving the priestess behind, the Coopers return to the old temple and place the great axe on the altar to open the secret door. As they head down, Dhukhean notices that the stairs were clearly built by dwarves, but that their uneven construction either suggests carelessness or some sort of devious trap. The group proceeds carefully down the stairs. The tunnel is very narrow, and everyone aside from Dhukhean and Ruddy has to bend down and walk sideways to avoid touching the stone wall. Over the next four hours they travel approximately four miles, and Dhukhean informs them that they are now about 1 mile underground.

At the end of the tunnel Dhukhean finds a secret door activated by a push button in the ceiling. This reveals another tunnel, and a large stone wall blocking one end of it. In the wall is a stone door. The ceiling here stretches to over 15 feet. As they enter the tunnel, they hear a series of tormented wails. When those stop, a chorus, which sounds further away, picks up. Both the wails and the chorus speak in languages unknown to the Coopers.

Examining the door, Dhukhean identifies it as a dwarven type that involves a central pivot, creating two openings when the door is opened. Darelle becomes invisible and she enters through the door. She is immediately struck by crossbolts shot through arrow slits, and Naga rushes in to pull her away. The tormented wails start again, but this time they are directed at the Coopers, and all but Dhukhean and Darelle are affected. Ruddy, Naga and Daryle drop to the floor, curl into the fetal position and cradle their ears. When the wailing stops, the chorus begins anew and stops a few minutes later.

Back in full control of himself, Naga launches a fireball inside the fortified hallway, and hears scream of pain. Ruddy charges through, and emerges in a large hallway where four bird-like creatures wearing armor await. They fire their crossbows, and soon both groups are fighting each other. The bird-men charge headlessly into battle, yelling the name of Aerisi, but their skills are no match for the Coopers. Emerging triumphant from the battle, Darelle reflects that she and Daryle have seen these types of bird-men before.

During the battle, Ruddy notices three gaunt and starving faces tied to obelisks in a side hallway. After the battle, Naga approaches them, and discovers that the are initiates of the Howling Hatred, and that they are following the instructions of their prophet, Aerisi, who ordered them to survive only on air for two weeks before being allowed to become full members of the cult. Naga slits their throats, and Dhukhean sanctifies them.

Hearing the sound of rushing water, they proceed down the hallway and emerge on a stone bridge about five feet over a swift river. The waters are clouded but the dwarf guesses the depth at about 20 feet. Ruddy lowers a cup in the water, and brings it back. It is refreshingly cold, and it reminds the gnome of water that emerge from glaciers. Proceeding further, they see a waterfall disappearing in the depths of the underground.

Suddenly, the chorus begins again ...

A dwarven wedding!

Pharast 12, 4713

While the Cooper sisters and their allies were negotiating with the Dark Lady, Thorne was also busy gather information by talking to some of Red Larch's denizens. Over the course of a few weeks, he discovers pieces of a puzzle about the dwarven kingdom of Besilmer, and he heads to the Allsfaith Shrine to consult their extensive library and do further research. After looking at several old and musty tomes, Thorne assembles a clear picture of an important dwarven temple built by the dwarves of Belsimer to celebrate nature.

Carved out of a mountain, the place known as the Shrine of the Tender Oath served as a contemplative temple where every dwarven deity could be worshipped, but where specially dedicated to rest, healing, meditation, and prayer. Nestled between two cascading waterfalls that flowed through the northeast Sumber Hills and from there into the Dessarin River, the area was known as the Vale of Dancing Waters. The fall of Tyar-Besil, the last dwarven city of Besilmer, severed the last link between the Shrine and those who built it, but the building and its dwarven monks endured for centuries, pursuing their contemplative ways. To this day, it is rumored that dwarven monks continue to worship in this otherwise secluded temple. More importantly, several texts mention that the Shrine of the Tender Oath may be connected through a system of tunnels to Tyar-Besil itself.

Consulting old maps, Thorne is fairly certain he has ascertained the location of the Shrine of the Tender Oath. A set of runes on two large stones will indicate the presence of a staircase others will miss. Armed with these directions, Thorne awaits the return of his sisters.


Pharast 15, 4713

The Coopers return from their encounter with the Dark Lady, and while Daryle, Dhukhean and Ruddy retire for the night, Thorne approaches Darelle, his favorite sister. He lays out the information he discovered in front of her, and asks if she'd be willing to go explore with him to see if there is indeed a link between the Shrine of the Tender Oath and Tyar-Besil. Thorne tells her he'd like to present these findings to Dhukhean after they are certain it is in fact true, so as not to go on a wild goose chase. Darelle has misgivings, but she senses that Thorne will go without her, so she agrees to accompany him. Thorne tells her that Naga and Earl will also be coming with them on what he expects to be a short quest. That very night, they head out on the cloud.


Pharast 16, 4713

Favorable winds propulse the cloud to a spot Thorne has identified as the most likely path to lead the party to the stone markers. They begin trekking through the snow, and after about an hour the rogue finds a faint dwarven rune on a stone by the path, with another one three feet away. As he looks, a staircase emerge from the side of the cliff next to the path.

The Coopers follow the staircase for over a thousand steps before it levels off. The path continues, but Darelle spots a small line in the snow indicating a trip wire. She follows the line and sees that the entire cliff face has been rigged to fall. The Coopers avoid the trap, and continue on. After another fifteen minutes of climbing, they reach a large flat area leading to three steps. All of them are awed by the magnificent dwarven stonework surrounded by large cascades of frozen water covered in ice. Two large statues of Moradin flank the entryway, which is guarded by two dwarves wearing ceremonial full plates and wielding halberds.

Inquiries with the dwarves indicate that this is indeed the Shrine of Tender Oaths, but the dwarves are confused as to why the Coopers are here. They finally ask if the Coopers are planning to attend the wedding. Thorne replies in the affirmative, so the priestess is sent for. She arrives a few instants later, and introduces herself as Ingrard, head of the Shrine. She thanks the Coopers for arriving, and tells them the ceremony is about to start.

In the main chamber the party comes upon six dwarves, three to a side and separated by a small fountain, all of them wearing armor and armed with heavy weapons. The priestess herself stands in front of a bride and groom, who seem very much happy. The rest of the dwarves seem very unhappy to be here.

As the wedding ceremony proceeds, the Coopers can feel the tension in the room is about to boil over, but soon the bride and groom are pronounced man and wife. The wedding feast follows, with tensions so high a knife could cut it. The Coopers talk with the monks, and discover that the wedding party arrived three days ago unexpectedly. There isn't enough food in the pantry to feed everyone, and the monks are upset at this lack of decorum. The Coopers use this occasion to explore this area of the Shrine but do not find a secret passage heading down.

Ingrard joins the Coopers at their table. Thorne discusses with her the recent happenings in the Dessarin Valley and the presence of the four cults. She is astonished that cultists seek to acquire dwarven blood, but it does not surprise her as the monks and herself have seen strange happenings around the Shrine. Darelle tells her they met with a drow in the last week, and there might be a connection there with the old Tyar-Besil. Thorne asks her why the two dwarven families are angry at each other. Ingrard tells them there was a betrayal many generations ago, and dwarves enjoy keeping grudges alive. The two lovebirds were able to overlook their differences, but their families can't seem to let it go. Thorne asks the priestess if they can explore the rest of the temple, and she readily grants the Coopers permission to explore the rest of the Shrine.

In the Hall of Vows, where the ceremony took place earlier, Darelle notices that the lifelike relief contains a very real great axe. She removes it from the wall. Walking up a set of stairs, they find themselves in a small temple, with dim rays of light from the falling sun illuminating a small stone altar. The Coopers examine the room and discover a secret door, but it appears impossible to open. Darelle figures out that placing the great axe triggers the opening, and Thorne is the first one down the staircase that has been revealed. The presence of dust indicates that no one has used this secret passage in eons.

The noise made by the opening of the secret door alerted one of the dwarf parties, however, and the Coopers find themselves violently confronted by the groom's family, who look very eager to explore this passage. As a battle erupts, the dwarves cause some trouble for the Coopers, but the sounds of people confronting each other also draws in the other family, and it immediately turns into a free for all. Naga lands several massive blows, while Earl finds himself disabled. He takes shelter in the secret passage before Darelle removes the great axe from the altar, a gesture that doesn't go unnoticed by the dwarves.

After much difficulty, the Coopers emerge triumphant from the battle, just as Ingrard and her monk guards arrive. Thorne wisely decides to keep their discovery of a staircase down to Tyar-Besil a secret for now, but he relates their encounter with the dwarves. The newlyweds shed a few tears over the death of their kinsmen, but quickly get over it.

Now that they know how to get down to the old dwarven city, the Coopers bid goodbye to the dwarven monks but promise to return visit soon and bring further news from the outside. They head head back to Red Larch to inform Dhukhean and the rest of the party of their discovery.

The Dark Lady

Pharast 5, 4713

Since the defeat of the Burning Man, the region has been buffered by a blizzard that has dumped over five feet of snow and brought along freezing temperatures. People have been staying indoors, and only the occasional desperate soul has braved the weather to seek a bit of solace and company at the Swinging Sword Inn, leaving the Coopers, their associates, and proprietor Kayless Irkell as the only residents.

The last remnants of the storm moved on during the night, and the village of Red Larch slowly emerges back to life. The Long Road is cleared by sturdy teams of draft horses and heavy metal plows, while everywhere else businesses and residences dig themselves out. The Coopers spend most of their morning helping out. Midmorning, the first southern wagon pulls in the village with a load of much needed food and news from Varisia and beyond.

At noon time, Maegla Tarnlar enters the Swinging Sword Inn and sits at Dhukhean's table. The local contact for the Lord's Alliance, Maegla tells the dwarf she has received information she thought he should know. Down south, about 110 miles from Red Larch, atop a barren hill overlooking the Long Road less than a day’s travel north-east of Amphail and about a hundred and ten miles south of Red Larch stands ruined Rundreth Manor. This large stone mansion, now roofless and overgrown, is home to a mysterious and terrifying figure known far and wide as the Dark Lady. Locals warn everyone to stay well away from the ruins, but Maegla tells Dhukhean that over the last two weeks spies have observed three different delegations of cultists visit the Dark Lady, who is in fact a shadow dragon who often takes the appearance of a female drow. It is believed that representatives from the Black Earth, the Eternal Flame, and the Howling Hatred came to seek the Dark Lady's support. None of the cultists emerged from Rundreth Manor, but the Lord's Alliance is worried that she may decide to throw her support to one of the cults. The leaders of the Lord's Alliance have asked their contacts throughout the Dessarin Valley and beyond to find volunteers to attempt to make contact with the Dark Lady and discover, if possible, her intentions.

Dhukhean asks if his friends may join the conversation, and Maeglar agrees. Following a summary of the conversation, Daryle expresses concern that if one of the three cults ally themselves with the Dark Lady, this would make their lives extremely difficult. However, attempting to make contact with the dragon could prove deadly. Dhukhean states that the Dark Lady might in fact be quite opposed to another dragon in the Dessarin Valley, especially a Red. As an incentive in recognition that this is a dangerous mission, Maegla offers each participant 5,000 crowns if they are able to ascertain the Dark Lady's objective. The Coopers accept the mission, and after finishing their meal they pack up their gear and they head out south through the snow.


Pharast 10, 4713

After four hard days of travel on the road, the Coopers arrive near Rundreth Manor. The rangers notice neither tracks, nor any signs of life in the area surrounding the hill. Getting closer, they see a ruined large mansion. Dhukhean easily determine that the structure was blown up from the inside. Only the two wings of the mansion remain intact. The remaining walls of the central building still stand three stories tall, but large sections have collapsed outward, and no signs of a roof remain. Dark trees grow within the perimeter of the building. All of the windows have been shattered, and sections of the roof on the wings have sagged. The entire structure is in a state of advanced disrepair. Snow piles in large drifts, burying some of the ground floor under a thick blanket.

As they get closer, Daryle notices a dark shimmering atop the south wall. Taking a closer look, she sees that the darkness evolves into five dark eyes standing on the top of the ruined wall. The eyes follow them along as the party moves. Dhukhean senses a terrible evil upon this area. The Coopers decide to engage the eyes, and quickly defeat them, only to be ambushed by strange dark creatures that emerge from the trees. Darelle identify them as the Dark Young, and as they shift from tree to tree, the Coopers find themselves flanked. Naga and Ruddy land a few good hits, while Dhukhean suffers the brunt of their assault. He treats them back to their own medicine, however, and soon both Dark Young are dead. Dhukhean senses evil again, but now only the latent evil of a building too long occupied by evil forces.

Proceeding with caution, they enter the north wing of the mansion, in what used to be a kitchen. Snow has drifted inside the house, and broken dishes still litter the few cabinets barely hanging on the wall. In the northwest corner is a staircase going down to the cellar. The Coopers head down. In the cellar they find several bottles of Whiterose Abbey wine, vintage 4591. Behind a large wooden shelf Ruddy discovers a secret staircase that leads down. They carefully follow the steps as they descend over three hundred feet, only to emerge in a large cave. The ceiling lost in the darkness above.

Near the edge of the cavern stands a female drow. Her eyes betray a fantastic intelligence. She welcomes them to her lair, and asks why they would so rudely violate her peace. Knowing they are dealing with a very cunning dragon, Naga proposes an exchange of information. The Dark Lady agrees, and during their exchange the Coopers learn that each cult is led by a prophet who wields a powerful weapon that was found in the ruins of an ancient drow shrine located under Tyar-Besil, one of the dwarven strongholds of the ancient kingdom of Besilmer. Each prophet seeks to unleash the strengths of an Elemental Prince. The four elemental princes, which are known as the Princes of the Apocalypse, are themselves devoted to freeing the Elder Elemental Eye and bringing chaos to Golarion. She also tells them she has no interest in joining any of the cults, and has violently dealt with their delegations.

The Coopers, for their part, relate their dealings with the various cults, and reveal the existence of devastation orbs, which peeks the Dark Lady's interest. Daryle also tells her of the untold powers of the Emerald Spire, in faraway Fort Inevitable. Finally, they reveal the presence of an ancient red dragon working with the Eternal Flame. The Dark Lady thanks them for their information by telling Dhukhean that the various cults are collecting dwarven blood to open the gate allowing their Prince to come through. And with that, she bids them goodbye and tells them to never return to Rundreth Manor.

After putting a safe distance between themselves and Rundreth Manor, Darelle activates her cloud and the Coopers head back to Red Larch. During the night, Dhukhean awakens with a start. A large evil presence brushes against the cloud, flying fast towards the north. The Dark Lady is on the move ...

The Burning Man takes a bath!

Calistril 24, 4713

After two days of traveling through the Sumber Hills following their escape from the Scarlet Moon Hall, members of the party finally regroup at the Swinging Sword Inn in Red Larch. Naga and Thorne are the first to return to the inn, followed by Darelle, Daryle and Dhukhean a few hours later on the cloud. Missing from the group are Lawrence and Ruddy.

Thorne introduces the group to Earl Aberford, a monk. He tells them that Lawence, after being stabbed one too many times by Naga, had decided to leave this group after Naga dropped them off in Red Larch. Earl is a humble monk of the half-orc variety who has been sent by the Sacred Stone Monastery to investigate the happenings in this area. However, following conversations with Thorne, he realized the errors of his way and is now willing to help the Coopers with their plans to destroy the elemental cults. Thorne brings Earl up to speed on the happenings and their successful mission to Scarlet Moon Hall.

The Coopers then return to the situation at hand. At the rate at which the Burning Man was traveling, Darelle estimates he will arrive in three days. The party discusses various options on how to handle the Burning Man, including laying a trap and attempting to redirect him towards Rivergard Keep. Thorne suggests to use the town's laborers to build a stone tower. Daryle proposes that the tower could be packed with snow, linking the town to the Crushing Wave. Thorne counters that maybe Red Larch's frozen pond could be used. If the Burning Man could be lured onto the pond, it would melt the ice and force it into water.

After a discussion that involves Harbuck Thuthmarillar and other town notables, the Coopers finalize a plan to build a two stories snow tower and cover it with pine needles so that it looks like wood from a distance. Harbuck assures the party that he can muster enough workers to also construct five small buildings around the tower to make it look like it is part of the village. When the Burning Man arrives, the women and children will shelter in the Mellikho Stoneworks quarry. Dhukhean will contribute a shiny crystal imbued with magical powers that will attract the Burning Man. 


Thorne proposes that someone be sent to Rivergard Keep to get some support from the Crushing Wave. Naga volunteers to fly to Rivergard Keep, deliver a message, and return with help if the Crushing Wave will grant it. Thorne and Daryle agree that they need to promote the idea that the cult would be crushing the Eternal Flame's champion, and would earn influence and gratefulness from the citizens of Red Larch.


Calistril 27, 4713

The skies remain clear, but the temperature remains bitterly and unseasonably cold. It has now been seven days since the last snow storm. After three days of building, the villagers have constructed the tower and several blockhouses to create a leading path that will lead the Burning Man towards the tower. Daryle spinkles pine needles on the path she expects the Burning Man to take, to lead him towards the tower.

Red Larch Lake fortifications

Around mid-morning, a pillar of smoke appears in the distance. The Burning Man is on his way. With about three hours left before he arrives, Naga returns to Red Larch with a Crushing Wave cultist. The cultist informs the Coopers that Grimsaw sends his regards. He brings with him five scrolls of summon greater water elemental to help in this situation, but tells them that he himself will not join but rather observe the battle from afar, so that at least one survivor can report back to Rivergard Keep.

The Burning Man reaches the edge of the pond. He is heading towards the village, but several delaying actions by Earl change his trajectory. He subtly switches towards the snow tower. After several exchanges of fiery blows, Thorne summons his water elemental and orders it to wait. The others quickly summon theirs too, and they swim under the ice to emerge around the Burning Man. As the ice melts underneath the Burning Man, he continues to move forward towards the snow tower, but the water elementals eventually manage to stop the Burning Man and trip him into the pond.

Earl enters the Burning Man, and finds a person inside. The man's face is half melted. His glowing red eyes show the depth of a depraved soul. A metal horn sticks out of his forehead. On his left hand he wears a turtle shell and a tattoo that says "I remember," while on his right hand he wears elven wedding lace inscribed with the name Miévi. He maniacally looks at Earl, and, as he waves his hands casting a spell, he cackles. He vanishes in a puff of smoke, leaving the monk along in the steaming wreckage of the Burning Man. Earl reflects on the fact that he has seen a very similar man in the Sacred Stone Monastery, but this one has black hair parted at the horn, and seems saner than this version. When he tells the Coopers, a shiver runs up their spine. There are at least two Geralds in the Sumber Hills.

With the village saved from the Burning Man, the Coopers are hailed as heroes...

Burn that tower!

Calistril 19, 4713

Shoalar and Grimsaw finish their meeting and announce their plans to launch an attack against the Eternal Flame. They propose to send a team to Scarlet Moon Hall and lay waste to the Eternal Flame's outpost. Volunteers are solicited. All of the workers and cultists take a step back, and the Coopers find themselves in the middle of the yard. Sholar and Grimsaw thank them for stepping up, and invite them inside the keep.

Grimsaw unrolls a map of the Dessarin Valley and points to the location of the Hall. He gives them rough directions, and agrees to  provide them with three potions of cure critical wounds each, and directions to a small cave where two ice trolls working for the Crushing Wave currently hide. He also draws them a map they can take with them. He tells them that on foot, it should take them about seven days to get there. He therefore expects them to report in a fortnight with a vivid description of their success. The Coopers thank Grimsaw and depart Rivergard Keep. They trek away from the keep for a few miles. Darelle then summons her cloud and the Coopers travel in style above the snowy hills of the Dessarin Valley.


Calistril 21, 4713

After two days of travel, the Coopers see a large stone tower emerge in the cold but sunny morning, surrounded by a ring of ruined walls. Large bonfires burn in the middle of several tent sites scattered around the base of the hill upon which sits Scarlet Moon Hall. Humanoid figures huddle around these fires, evidently preparing meals. From these campsites a small trail crisscrosses the hill to its summit, which is surrounded on three sides by sheer cliffs. The stone tower itself is under repair, with several sections of wooden scaffolding reaching 50 feet up to the tower's roof. Rubble litter the inside of the ring, showing that the tower's renovations are in their early phase.

The Coopers' cloud stands out like a sore thumb as it is the only one in the sky, and, despite the wind, it remain stationary above Scarlet Moon Hall. Individuals on the ground have noticed, and a messenger is sent from one of the camp sites to the tower to report. Dhukhean propose to bluff their way into the tower by pretending they are from Feathergale Spire. Naga suggests that they drop fireballs on the structure. The Coopers discuss several ways to infiltrate the tower, but their plans are interrupted when a human clad in fire appears on the cloud. The Coopers all land blows on him and manage to kill him before he's able to deliver an attack. Now aware that their enemy knows they are here, the Coopers prepare for attack.

The cloud lands at the top of the stone keep while Thorne searches the body of their dead opponent. He finds a pouch of granite and diamond dust, as well as a wand of fireballs containing four charge. Thorne fires the wand at the roof, and it ignites. He unleashes all but one of the remaining charges into the structure. Despite the intense heat from the large amount of timber inside and surrounding the structure, the stone tower remains standing, but the inferno caused by what is effectively a giant chimney reduces everything else around it to ashes. Using her ring of protection against heat, Darelle plunges inside the tower, looking for survivors or a tunnel leading down, but finds neither due to the debris.

As the Coopers clear the structure, they decide to head down to the campsites. Perhaps they will find answers there. Carefully making their way down the cliff, they find that all campsites have been suddenly abandoned by their occupants. Dishes, meals being cooked, and bedrolls are spread everywhere, indicating that the camp has been abandoned quickly. Ruddy enters one of the tents, while Lawrence searches another one. They discover bedding, clothes, and various camp items, along with several drawings of a large wicker figure. Thorne takes a few of the drawings. The remaining camp sites contain similar items. There is no evidence on the hill of large groups of people heading up or down in the snow or on the path, so the Coopers are curious as to where they all went.

They return to the cloud and float around the mountain. On the backside of the mountain, Darelle notices a few inconsistencies in the shape and colors, and she realizes that it is an illusion. Darelle maneuvers the cloud in place and allows Lawrence to use the last charge on the wand of fireball, while the ranger creates a slide out of the cloud. The ice trolls slide down and disappear through the illusion inside the cave. Naga quickly follows them in.

Entering the cave, Naga finds a large wicker man fully engulfed in flames. Lawrence's strike hit it square in the middle. But instead of burning, the wicker man glows red, and begins to move. Next to the Burning Man, a large red dragon stands, and he releases a stream of fire that consume the ice trolls. Upon the dragon sits a rider, who warns Naga that the Crushing Wave just made its final mistake. Naga turns and flees the cave, transforming into a bird.

The man and his dragon then emerge from the cave. Darelle jumps down the slide and enters the cave, and notices the carnage. She also sees the Burning Man starting to move towards the cave's entrance. As the dragon engages the Coopers remaining on the cloud, the Burning Man crosses the illusory barrier and falls down the side of the mountain, almost crushing Ruddy. The Burning Man gets up and begins walking away, inflicting massive damage on Dhukhean in the process. Naga plunges down and rescues Lawrence and Thorne, and flies away towards Red Larch.

Darelle sends a tree token to Grimsaw and Shoalar telling them about the burning man and the dragon but the stronghold has been destroyed. Returning to her cloud, Darelle follows the Burning Man, and realizes with horror that it is heading to Red Larch as well, trailed by the red dragon and its rider.

Somehow, despite the lack of a plan, all three Coopers survive the encounter with the dragon unharmed, while their friends all suffer painful wounds. With the Burning Man on his way to their current base of operations, what will the Coopers do?

Infiltrating Rivergard Keep

Calistril 11, 4713, continued

The chaos caused by Ruddy's stealing of religious artifacts from the Rivergard Keep chapel spreads to the rest of the compound as workers and guards run around, evidently searching for something, but with a clear lack of enthusiasm. Watching the chaos, the Coopers snicker at the gnome's cleverness.

Given that they now find themselves in possession of two of the Crushing Wave's sacred (if nonmagical) items, the Coopers discuss what they should do with them. Eventually they agree that disposing of one near the Sacred Stone Monastery is the better plan, as they reason that finding such an item near their lair, the Black Earth most would not accept such an insult.

Naga transforms into a hawk and carrying the plate, which Darelle places into a sack, to the Sacred Stone Monastery and drops it in the garden to be discovered by the contemplative monks that use the space for their daily reflections. It takes him a full day of flying to reach the Monastery and return to their camp of fortune.

Meanwhile, Ruddy proposes to hide the defaced chalice into Gar Shutterkeel's quarter, and arrange for Grimsaw to find it. This, hopefully, would be the impetus for a confrontation between Grimsaw and Shoalar. Darelle agrees to carry the plate into Rivergard Keep.

Tom the gatekeeper greets Ruddy and Darelle when they present themselves at the door. Ruddy attempts to convince Tom that he's returning with an expert. Tom is confused, and seems reluctant to let them enter the Keep, and Ruddy's poorly attempt at distracting the gatekeeper is saved when Mikael runs in the gatehouse, and he engages the gnome in a conversation. Tom becomes even more confues. Mikael reports that Drosnin, the cleric who runs the chapel, ordered everyone to look for her missing chalice and plate. Mikael also informs Ruddy that if the dishes are found, they are to be brought back to Grimsaw for inspection before he gives them back to Drosnin. Tom lets Ruddy and Darelle enter the Keep.

Meanwhile, Daryle goes hunting and she catches three rabbits. Using some of her sister's herbs, she laces them with hallucinogens. At the gatehouse Tom is even more confused, and attempts to sort out the fact that he just let her in a few minutes ago. He agrees to lets her in after she gives him a few coppers. She spots the gnome and her sister heading towards the old keep. She heads down to the boat to meet with Shoalar and try to sell him her rabbits. Pike intercepts her, however, and agrees purchases them for 3 silvers.

Ruddy and Darelle drink potions of invisibility and enter the keep. Grimsaw looks up at the open door and tells a worker to close it. He seems puzzled and stares intently at the invisible figures, but he goes back to his paperwork after a few moments. Carefully, the two climb the stairs on the left side of the keep and reach the wooden balcony above the dining hall. A hallway leads to three closed doors. Behind one of them they can hear the sound of people arguing in low voices. The second one is quiet. The third one, at the end of the hallway, is locked. Darelle uses her gloves of magnetism and unlocks the door. They enter a sparsely furnished room, with a chest, a dresser, a bed, a chair, and little else.

Darelle spots a button on the wall. She pushes it, and a ladder falls down from the ceiling. The voices in the room next door stop, and the door opens as four guards emerge. Ruddy and Darelle climb the ladder and find themselves in the rafters. This is not Gar Shatterkeel's room after all. Guards also climb the ladder, but thanks to their invisibility they remain hidden. Grimsaw, who was alerted to the commotion, stands in the room below and looks at the chest, making sure that it is still locked.

Ruddy and Darelle shimmer down the ladder and avoid Grimsaw. They make their way down the stairs and out of the keep, and become visible again.

Midday, the dwarf makes his way to Rivergard Keep. Dhukhean is welcomed by Tom, who directs him to meet with Grimsaw. He notices Ruddy and Darelle reappear outside of the old keep. When the dwarf enters the dining hall, he sees Grimsaw berating his guards. The old man then turns to him and tells him to report to Jubber, the foreman. Dhukhean mentions to Grimsaw the weaknesses he discovered in the curtain walls.

Working on Jubber's crew, Dhukhean meets Belsun, a local dwarf who's been working on the keep for the last three months. Belsun tells Dhukhean that he's treated well. He's been searching for the lost kingdom of Tyar-Besil, but he ran out of money and has taken employment with the keep to replenish his resources.

At the end of the day, Jubber reports to Grimsaw that Dhukhean is not that great of a stone worker, and the dwarf is downgraded to three coppers a day to haul construction debris in a wheelbarrow. All of the Coopers aside from Naga are now inside the walls.



Calistril 12, 4713

In the morning, having returned from the Sacred Stone Monastery, Naga presents himself at the gate with a deer. Tom the Gatekeeper asks for it, and Naga graciously offers it to him. Tom lets him inside, and tells him to go and meet with Grimsaw in the old keep. Naga meets with the old man and introduces himself as Wyatt Gray, a man looking for work. Grimsaw tells him to go see Ankos, the foreman on the western curtain wall. The rest of the Coopers continue to work with various crews around the keep.

Following his performance as a worker, Grimsaw appoints Naga as a foreman on the south curtain wall for 7 silver pieces a day.


Calistril 18, 4713

Over the next week, the Coopers continue their work and their observation of Rivergard Keep. A storm that lasts three days dumps four feet of snow, and Dhukhean is tasked with shoveling all of it out of the keep. Naga manages to get all of the Coopers to be assigned to his work detail.With access to blueprints, Naga is able to determine that Gar Shutterkeel does not have a room in Rivergard Keep.

Late in the afternoon two monks from the Sacred Stone Monastery arrive at the keep and meet with Grimsaw. When they emerge from the old keep the Coopers notice Grimsaw slapping the monks on the back. That evening, Grimsaw tells the assembled workers that brothers from the Black Earth have returned holy objects that were stolen, and tomorrow morning at dawn all workers are expected in the chapel.

Calistril 19, 4713

Following the morning ritual packed with all workers, Naga quietly talks to Drosnin, thanking her for an inspiring sermon. After carefully asking questions, the cleric is more than happy to explain the relationship between the cults. The followers of the Crushing Wave detest the Cult of the Eternal Flame, because they find the fire cultists to be hostile, short-tempered, and unforgivably rash. They aren't as hostile towards the Howling Hatred cultists, but because they are given to sudden impulses the Crushing Wave finds them unreliable. The Crushing Wave cultists get along with the Cult of the Black Earth. The earth cultists are deliberate and dependable, if perhaps too inflexible for their own good.
Naga reports his conversation with Drosnin to the remaining Coopers. Now that they know the relationships between the various cults, they have a better idea how to strike back. Naga uses his fire abilities to damage the chalice and inscribes it with the symbol of the Eternal Flame.

Darelle drinks another potion of invisibility and enters Sholar's cabin. He harps about the events in Yartar, ranting that surely the Eternal Flame is about to make a move since they detonated one of their orbs of destruction. The ranger carefully places the chalice on a shelf, but it falls and clatters to the ground. Sholar turns around and grabs it. Startled, he wonders aloud where it came from when he notices the symbol of the Eternal Flame. He hurries out of his cabin. Darelle follows him up the stairs, and into the old keep.  

Grimsaw is visibly upset that Sholar has interrupted his work, and his guards close in. Sholar hold the chalice up and shows the damage to Grimsaw. The two agree to put their claims to leadership aside, for surely the desecration of a Crushing Wave chalice by the Eternal Flame means war!

Assault on the Monastery

Abadius 27, 4713

After a successful hunt of the manticore, but following an unsuccessful attempt at finding Dhukhean. Ruddy and Savra return to Feathergale Spire and join the Feathergale Knights to celebrate. Before he knows it, the gnome has been partying hard for five days. Awakening with a hangover, Ruddy realizes that he hasn't seen any member of his party since his return to the Spire. Discret inquiries indicate that none of them have been spotted, but the knights suspect that they sabotaged the flying animals' pens in the basement, as about half of the creatures had to be guided back to their stable. Ruddy decides to head back to Red Larch. 

Naga has spent an entire week alone in his room in Feathergale Spire, surviving on the rations in his adventurer's pack. He has been waiting for others to come and get him, but it has now become obvious that no one will retrieve him. Spotting Ruddy leaving the Spire, Naga flies out of the window and joins the gnome for the long trip back to Red Larch.

Thorne and Lawrence spend a week exploring the Spire, staying away from Thurl and his men. Aside from the prisoners they previously located in the basement of the tower, they find no additional victims of the Howling Hatred. Their investigation reveals that about a third of the Spire's personnel are members of the cult. The knights are oblivious, but the rest of the staff give the cultists a wide berth. Thorne also discovered several letters that strongly suggest a link between Thurl Merosska, commander of the Feathergale Knights and the Howling Hatred. Desiring to share their discoveries, they surmise that their friends most likely headed back to Red Larch. Even if they didn't, the village seems like a good place to look for them.

All four of them meet on the road. Arriving late in Red Larch, they are informed that the Cooper sisters and the dwarf Dhukhean were here four days ago with a female dwarf and a female elf. They left early in the morning following breakfast, and have not returned since. Ruddy decides to order a late dinner, and they then head up to their rooms for a well-deserved rest.


Abadius 28, 4713

Dhukhean and the Cooper sisters return to Red Larch on the cloud following their accidental destruction of Yartar's merchant quarter. Landing a mile outside of the village, they trek in, and arrive at the Swinging Sword Inn in time to join their friends for lunch. Reunited, the group share news of what they learned over the last week. Ruddy regale the dwarf with his exploits with Savra, much to the sisters' dismay.

Now aware that there are several cults operating in the Sumber Hills, the party argues as to their next location to explore. Eventually, Dhukhean convinces everyone else that the Sacred Stone Monastery might be the place that holds information about Tyar-Besil. After packing their gear and bundling in their winter clothes, the Coopers head out in the cold afternoon, and trek towards the Monastery.


Abadius 30, 4713

Light flurries are the only events that change the monotony of trekking in the wilderness of the Sumber Hills. Darelle and Daryle successfully hunt winter hare, but larger game proves elusive. During the trip Dhukhean asks Ruddy for advice on how to disguise himself as a gnome, given that he has been attacked several times for being a dwarf. Ruddy suggests that only shaving his beard would help. Dhukhean is opposed to the idea, so Ruddy proposes using a high collar to hide most of his face and walk hunched over. Dhukhean agrees that this is a good idea, and he modifies his outfit to hide as much of his true nature as possible.

Late in the morning, they clear the treeline and see, sitting on a small hill, an imposing stone structure about fifty feet tall, with two large metal doors up three steps. Windows about four inches wide and four feet tall sprinkle the facade of the building. A dozen chimneys on top of the structure release smoke in the air, indicating that the building is occupied. The fresh coat of snow that fell on their way here shows no tracks in or out of the Sacred Stone Monastery.

Carefully, the party approaches the building. Stepping up the three steps, Thorne reaches the stone porch. The metal doors are twelve feet tall, and each has a large iron knocker attached to it. The rogue uses the knocker to rap against the door. A few moments pass, and the door silently cracks open. A monk dressed in robes of various shades of brown informs Thorne and his friends that the Monastery does not receive guests. Using his intimidate stature, Naga pushes the monk aside and enters the Monastery. He is immediately attacked by four stone golems, while the receiving monk and one of his colleagues engage as well. Overpowered and outmatched, Naga manage to leave the Monastery's receiving hall. The golems do not exit, and the door is soon closed.

Dismayed, the party attempts to attract the occupants' attention by yelling in dwarven, but they get no reaction. Dhukhean's disguise worked as planned. The dwarf steps up to the door, but the door has been locked. Thorne tries to wedge the visor opened, and is almost successful. While the dwarf and the rogue struggle with the front door, the rest of the party splits up. Darelle and Daryle head left. Lawrence and Naga move right. Ruddy climbs the Monastery's facade, and makes for the roof.

Lawrence discovers a small metal door on the side of the Monastery. It is locked. Using his magic, he shrinks the door, which falls the ground, making a clattering sound that reverberates throughout the structure. The door's absence reveals a hallway with a corner heading west. Lawrence enters the hallway, but he hears footsteps and jumps against the wall. His attempt is clumsy, however, and he is ambushed by three monks. The rogue's yells for help reach Naga, who also enters the hallway. The battle immediately goes poorly for both of them, and Naga is forced to cast shout. The sound travels throughout the Monastery, affecting one of the monks who immediately drops to the ground, bood dripping out of her ears. The other two keep on fighting, however, and soon Naga and Lawrence are forced to flee. On the way out Naga casts a lightning bolt, killing one monk. Two stone golems soon arrive and take a defending position, protecting the breach. Lawrence can see a set of legs behind the golems, and he hears the melodious sound of a spell being cast. Stones stitch themselves together, closing the space where the door used to be.

Daryle and Darelle walk around the building. They find a locked door next to a snow-covered path. This appears to be a delivery area. Darelle checks the door, but it is locked. Using her gloves of magnetism Darelle unlocks the door and pushes it open, revealing a busy kitchen, with sweet and savory smells fighting with that of freshly bread. She notices four apprentices laying prone on the floor, holding their bleeding ears, while a monk stands. She attempts to strike a conversation with the monk, but he inform her that no one is allowed in the Sacred Stone Monastery. The sisters depart the building.

Ruddy climbs the roof and looks for an entrance. He finds several chimneys, but all of them are releasing smoke. He rigs a chimney so that its flue is blocked, forcing the smoke back inside the building. Meanwhile, Dhukhean tires of standing at the front door, and he heads left. At the building's corner, he enters a gully, and misses the sisters coming out of the kitchen. He walks an arm's length away from the building, slowing exploring its perimeter. Hearing noises, Ruddy peers over the edge and spots the dwarf. Standing on the edge, he urinates on him. Bent on his quest to find an opening, Dhukhean does not notice and continues on. Ruddy returns to his blocked chimney, chuckling. He is soon joined on the roof by Naga and Lawrence, who are still bleeding from their previous encounter.

Two monks use abundant step and come to the roof to investigate. They are surprised to see enemies on the roof, but Ruddy is able to convince them they are simply lost. Dubious, the monks explain that the Sacred Stone Monastery is run by Hellenrae, an abbess. Monks and priests who spend their time here worship Ferrakus, the Lord Beneath. Lawrence questions how one could join the Monastery. The monks reply that in order to petition admittance to the Sacred Stone Monastery as an acolyte, one must present himself or herself to the front door with a precious stone or precious sand as an offering. The person must use the knocker on the door, then kneel with palms open upwards with their offering. Once admitted, they must undergo several trials and indoctrination sessions, and their faith will be severely tested. Only the righteous are allowed to become members of the Sacred Stone Monastery.

Dhukhean walks back on the path, and meets the sisters. He smells strongly of urine, and Daryle asks him: "Dhukhean, what did you do? Make out with a bobcat in a gully?" The dwarf appears confused, and only now notices the strong smell. The three of them are soon joined by Thorne, who reports seeing Lawrence and Naga join Ruddy on the roof.

Having failed to find an opening to enter the Sacred Stone Monastery, the Coopers regroup at dusk about a  mile from the Sacred Stone Monastery. With the sun about to set, the party decides to spend the night here, then head out to Yartar to purchase magical equipment that would help them in their quest. Darelle sends a tree token to each of the acolyte she saw in the kitchen to begin a whisper campaign against the monks of the monastery. She tells them that the monastery has been infiltrated by a death cult planning to kill them for their own evil purposes.


Calistril 4, 4713

Arriving in Yartar, the party discovers that though the fires are now out, the town has not recovered from its destruction. The Cooper sisters and Dhukhean decide to remain outside, knowing that they are most unwelcomed. The rest of the party heads in town and locate shops. At the Forsaken Pixie, Thorne purchases a +3 gravity bow and bracers of armor +1, which he swipes for the +5 next to them with a successful sleight of hand. Naga buys a +3 breastplate of the planes and a +3 gloom blade, while Ruddy purchases a +3 wasp's kiss crossbow. Feigning an interest in the recent incident that destroyed part of the town, Thorne questions the merchant on its causes, and reports that the Coopers have been spotted hiding at the Sacred Stone Monastery. At the Raven's Quill, Lawrence purchases the amazing I heart Kenny belt and a rod of shrinkage. 

Now armed with better weapons and equipment, the Coopers head back to the Sumber Hills, hoping for a more successful trip.