The path less traveled

Abadius 3, 4713

The riots of Korvosa eventually settle into a simmering low-level civil war, with Korvosian troops putting down roving bands of opponents. Queen Ileosa remains unpopular, but martial law and Hellknight support have now brought the situation to a stalemate. Having returned from their trip to Magnimar as escorts to Duke Mosley's niece Olivia nearly three months ago, the Coopers put their affairs in order and clean Zellara's house to make it their own. Dhukhean pursues his dwarven clan's mission of setting up its embassy despite the troubling times. Thorne secretly conducts several missions for Mosley, while keeping an eye on the local Hellknights for him.

Ruddy McStabby, a rugged gnome slayer bounty hunter, arrived in Korvosa a month ago, hot on the trail of Geralds. He has been hunting them down all over Golarion after receiving a commission from Duke Mosley, who remains holed up in the Emerald Spire, exploiting its magical energy. In the last six months Ruddy has eliminated seven of the pesky Geralds. In Korvasa, he ran into the Cooper sisters and they commiserated over the plague of Geralds that have been unleashed on the continent. The sister loved their triplet brother, but also hated him.

Naga spends the three months following the Breaching Festival in Korvosa working as a mercenary on ships plying the trade routes between Korvosa and Cheliax. Along the way he hears that Duke Mosley has finally been disinherited and disowned from his mother, her Infernal Majestrix, Queen Abrogail II of the Thrice-Damned House of Thrune and a price has been put on his head. Rumors of forces gathering on both sides of what promises to be a bloody conflict for the future of Cheliax are spreading rapidly along the Inner Sea and even faraway coasts.

Early in the morning, Dhukhean receives a messenger from his clan. This dwarf informs him he must travel on the Long Road leading from Korvosa to Kaer Maga. The chief's wife, Zeshan Wayfinder is traveling with a retinue from the Kodar Mountains, where she visited family, and is now heading to Korvosa to inaugurate the clan's new embassy. Dhukhean is instructed to meet her caravan in the village of Red Larch, where she is expected in about ten days, and escort her back to Korvosa. Dhukhean is proud of the honor of being asked, and he decides to ask the Cooper sisters if they would like to accompany him on what he expects to be an uneventful trip.

Gathering together for a communal evening meal at the Pier's Lantern to celebrate the new year, Dhukhean outlines his upcoming travel plans. Darelle and Daryle readily agree to escort the dwarf, happy to be leaving the city behind for a few weeks. Naga, Lawrence, and Ruddy are cajoled in coming with them. Thorne, who arrives late, elects to go with the group as well. Thus, arrangements are made to depart the following morning and head to the village of Red Larch, a few days south of Kaer Maga.



Abadius 12, 4713

For nine days the Coopers' trip is uneventful. Instead of journeying on the Long Road, they choose the Kheldell Path. Less traveled and longer than the Long Road, Kheldell Path avoids many settlements and, paradoxically, offers a speedier trip. The weather remains cold and gloomy, with a few days of sunshine and decent temperatures. Spring is still a few months away in this part of Varisia. The rangers successfully gather food along the path, and for nine days the expedition makes good progress

priest wearing dun colored robes leading the search of the wagon. The priest appears agitated and is clearly looking for something, as he yells at his men to hurry up and find the object he desires. The remaining Coopers cannot see the priest from their vantage point, and Ruddy has no way to notify them. Thorne moves forward and, using a tree for partial cover, fires an arrow at the bandit he deduces is in charge. Surprised by this attack, the bandits are slow to react and the Coopers rain arrows on the hapless bandits. Soon, however, the battle is joined.

When Dhukhean enters the fray, the bandits' attention shift to him. The priest emerges from the shelter of the overturned wagon and casts a spell. The ground in front of Dhukhean erupts like a geyser, spraying stones everywhere and inflicting serious damage to many members of the party. Then, three huge earth elementals emerge from the ground and launch themselves at the dwarf. Lawrence moves through the forest on the opposite side of Ruddy, and stabs a bandit to death. Thorne continues to fire arrows along with Daryle, while Darelle and Dhukhean move in for close quarter combat. Thorne notices that though the elementals appear to collaborate with the bandits, they are not commanded by them. The elementals' movement blocks their view of the rest of the battle, however, and Dhukhean soon finds himself in trouble. Incapacitated by a powerful blow, he is unceremoniously grabbed by an elemental, who attempts to pull him underground. Quick thinking by Naga and Darelle slays the elemental, but Dhukhean is buried to his beard in hard-packed ground. The remaining elementals are soon dispatched, and efforts are undertaken to revive and dig Dhukhean from the ground.

Meanwhile, Ruddy and Lawrence kill several bandits. Seeing his troops depleted, the bandit chief gives the retreat signal, and the remaining bandits, including the priest, manage to slip away back in the forest.

Ruddy boards the wagon and begins searching it. He discovers a crate containing four silver candlesticks marked with a strange symbol, an X with a squiggle line underneath:

 
He also finds evidence that two dwarves were aboard the wagon. Part of a cloak remain behind, and a booth is found partially buried in the road, indicating that the dwarves were most likely pulled underground by elementals. Lawrence, who also climbs aboard the overturned wagon, discovers two books in a secret compartment. Both books are covered in dark leather with iron bindings and inscribed in golden letters. Written in dwarven, the books are eventually shown to Dhukhean, who identifies them as volumes III and IV of the history of Besilmer, a dwarven kingdom which, atypically, was pastoral in nature. They built their capital at Tyar-Besil, site of a mighty battle between dwarves and the last outpost of a Drow empire.

Ruddy shows the cloak and the boot to Dhukhean, who identifies the items as belonging to dwarves of the  Mindspin Mountains to the East and not part of the caravan from the North the party is expecting to meet in Red Larch. The Coopers clean up the battle scene, and after a pause to recuperate continue on their trip, arriving at Red Larch an hour before sunset.

In the village, Darelle, Daryle, Thorne and Ruddy book rooms at the Swinging Sword Inn, a three-story stone inn topped with a very steep slate roof dotted with a multitude of chimneys. The signboard, which hangs from chains above the door, displays a wooden scimitar emblazoned with the inn's name in red paint on each side. The property also features stables and several outbuildings to accommodate patrons' needs. Welcoming and luxurious by the area's otherwise rustic standards, each room features a hearth with a light fire, warm draperies and tapestries illustrating several scenes of recent history of the Dessarin Valley. Each room also has its own private bathroom with running water, provided by an intricate rooftop cisterns and heating system.

Despite the winter cold, Naga and Lawrence look for and locate a barn. The local farmer reluctantly agrees to let the halfling and tiefling use his barn for shelter for the night.


Dhukhean visits the Allfaiths Shrine, and meets both Imdar Relvaunder, a priest of Gorum, and Lymmura Auldarhk, a priestess of Shelyn. The priests are pleased to see the dwarf and agree to let him stay with them for the night.

Of feys and hags

Lamashan 2, 4712

Having survived the Breaching Festival by escaping from the contract devil Chyvvom, the Coopers and the surviving members of their party are invited to attend a large banquet at Castle Korvosa to celebrate the signing of a new trade agreement between a dwarf clan of the Linnorm Kingdoms and Korvosa. A representative of Queen Ileosa personally delivers embossed invitations on golden sheets. The Cooper sisters are leery, but accept the invitation nonetheless. With free time on hand, the sisters decide to explore Korvosa. At Evelyn's Potions and Experiments, Daryle purchases a dozen cure light wounds and a few cure medium wounds. She also purchases two potions of invisibility, and a potion of feather fall. Darelle locates an herbalist shop called Bergman's of Korvosa and purchases three bundles of angel blue herbs, which would make about 6 to 8 doses of the poison. She also acquires a bundle of bishop's weed. A small plant with pale blue flowers and pale green leaves with blue veins, bishop's weed can be crushed and mixed in with wine to provide a certain level of protection (+5 bonus on Fortitude saves to resist a disease or a plague) against non-magical plagues. Its effectiveness lasts for about a week. Over 100 crowns a bundle, the price of bishop's weed goes up rapidly in times when diseases spread far and wide.

Continuing their tour of Korvosa, the sisters come upon a small out of the way magic shop, the Eye of the Beholder. Darelle purchases a rod of escape, while Daryle acquires the Book of Geometry. Their money from the reward spent, the sisters return to the Upslope House, a quaint two stories bed and breakfast located midway up the hill leading to the castle. This building features ten rooms that can accommodate up to twenty-two people. They spend a relaxing afternoon and make last minute preparations to attend the official dinner. Their brother Roscoe has remained in his room since their arrival in Korvosa, and refuses to leave for reasons of his own. The sisters share their invitation with him, then depart for Castle Korvosa.

Dhukhean Grimmail is a dwarf paladin who accompanies the dwarf delegation. Fourth in command, he is there to supervise the security of the delegation. With the official dinner in a few hours but with all preparations done and ready, he decides to explore Korvosa. At first, he searches a shrine to the dwarven got Torag, but even among the multiplicity of gods and goddesses worshiped in the city, this god cannot be found. He turns his attention to the various stores that peddle wares more exotic than what he is used to, and quickly locates the Eye of the Beholder. After arduous negotiations, Dhukhean purchases a  belt of incredible dexterity +2. Pleased with his new acquisition, he returns to the palace and prepares for the official dinner.

Arriving at Castle Korvosa, the sisters are met by a beautiful woman dressed in magnificent full plate armor—the queen’s handmaiden, bodyguard, and closest companion, Sabina Merrin. She examines the sisters' invitation, then allows them to proceed to the Great Hall. The sisters find their seats midway through a long table set for 150 guests. They are sitting next to the dwarven delegation, and find their dining companion to be a talkative dwarf named Dhukhean.

King Eodred II welcomes the guests, and pronounces a short speech on the value of this new commercial alliance. He then introduces his queen, Ileosa, and excuses himself from the dinner. Where the King is clearly in his mid eighties, Ileosa is beautiful and very young, barely in her twenties. It is clear to the sisters that she is the true power in Korvosa.

After the speeches by the Queen and the leader of the dwarf negotiations team, Darelle asks Dhukhean if he knows Grunt Farnsworth. Dhukhean recalls that the Farnsworth clan exiled one of its own about fifteen years ago. Darelle questions the dwarf on what happened, and Dhukhean replies that that Farnsworth individual had insisted upon shaving his beard for a time, to the horror and shame of his clan, forcing his exile. Dhukhean then relates the origins of his name and why he serves the dwarven god Torag.

During the proceedings, Dhukhean detects evil and notices that about a quarter of the guests are of the evil persuasion, especially those sitting in the Queen's entourage, but the sheer number of people makes it impossible to distinguish exactly who possesses evil tendencies. Spotting Sabina, Dhukhean shares with the sisters information that he gathered about the Queen's bodyguard. According to rumors, Sabina was once the protégé of the famed weapons master Vencarlo Orisini, whose family has been influential in Korvosa for generations. Sabina left the school under dubious circumstances after she fought bitter duel with her former master. Since her departure from Orisini’s academy, she found her way into the Korvosan Guard. Her skills has led to a swift rise through the ranks, and her ferocity in battle and her gothic beauty are said to have caught Queen Ileosa’s eye. The queen requested Sabina be discharged from the Guard, then quickly reassigned her to her current role as royal bodyguard, handmaiden, and, according to gossip, lover. Whatever Sabina’s actual relationship with Ileosa, she is rarely seen far from the queen’s side.

Darelle and Dhukhean then discuss the treaty his clan and the Korvosans are signing in the morning. He tells her about the frost giants that plague his land, and she tells him about Zoarth, the cloud giant who dwells in a castle with thousands of cats. Dhukhean had never heard of Zoarth, and finds the concept of a cloud giant owning many cats a wonder.

When the dinner wraps up, Dhukhean and the rest of the delegation return to their lodging. They are  staying at The Wise Dragon Inn, a three level inn with an attached restaurant. They plan on returning in the morning, to sign the treaty. The sisters, meanwhile, also return to their bed and breakfast and spend a quiet night sleeping their worries away.


Lamashan 3, 4712

Unsure why they remain in Korvosa, the Cooper sisters leave the Upslope House and meander through Korvosa. Encountering an old woman peddling on the side of a busy street, Darelle offers her a crown. The old crone in exchange announces she will perform a reading for her. Darelle receives a Harrowing reading from the elder Shoanti woman. Using the sword pattern to answer Darelle's general inquiry abut the future, she lets Darelle pick the first card to determine the alignment of the reading. Darelle draws the Inquisitor, which represents overwhelming strength that catches the subject up in something much more powerful.

The reading indicates that Korvosa is about to endure catastrophic events, driven together by a conjecture of evil intentions and the manipulations of a force beyond their comprehension. However, as outsiders they can save Korvosa from itself. The Shoanti woman then has a vision, and in a small and distant voice relays a cry for help from the forest outside of town. Someone is in desperate need of a ranger.

As Dhukhean's services were not needed for the final signature, he was given leave to wander the town, and came upon the two sisters as the Shoanti woman was performing her reading. He remained in the background, but as the Coopers began to walk towards the North Bridge he joined them, and they agreed to walk in the woods together. The main road quickly became a small path, which forked into an even less traveled passage. They came upon a series of bloody prints that led to a thicket of trees where they found a dead Gerald. He had been badly cut, as if a thousand pieces of paper had been used on him all over his exposed skin. Strangely, there were no footprints other than Gerald's anywhere. Daryle searches the body and finds that this Gerald carried twelve hushing arrows and a small brass key. They burn and bury the body. 

Following the path in the reverse direction, they quickly come to a small pond with a majestic oak tree in the middle of a small island. Carefully, they cross the water and arrive at the island. About 20 feet up the tree they find a small house, with the delectable smell of fresh bread baking wafting down. The Coopers announce their presence, and a small fey creature flutters down to meet them. She introduces herself as Liveoak, queen fey of the oak pond, and welcomes them to her domain. She offers them water and bread. Darelle questions her about other humans that may have passed through here recently, and she can tell that Liveoak is being evasive in her answer. Dhukhean decides to not touch the food. In the conversation that follows, Liveoak reveals that her fey sisters are missing, and she has not seen them for a few days. The Coopers announce they will help her find them.

Dhukhean, who has the brass key, comes up with a clever plan. He inconspicuously casts detect evil, and the fey returns a strong sensation of chaotic evil. He shares this knowledge with Daryle and Darelle, who decide to depart. Politely excusing themselves, they tell Liveoak they will search for the fey and come back with any news.

In the woods on the other side of the pond they locate a large stone that is clearly out of place in this location. They find the likeness of the fey queen carved into the block. Darelle employs a potion of invisibility and uses her hand of glory but sees no invisible creatures nor the fey queen herself. Coming up with a plan, Darelle uses her jar of cloud and flies across the pond to the oak. As she does not see or hear Liveoak, she peeks inside the small house and notices a tidy space with a small kitchen, a bed with four posts, lots of colorful fabric draped everywhere, and a small chest with a brass lock. She takes the chess with her back to her cloud, and opens it. Inside she finds several fey dresses, as well as a glass jar containing a liquid stone-like substance.

She returns to the stone. Dhukhean, careful not to touch the substance, opens the jar and uses a stick to spread the substance on the stone. The stone salve restores the true fey queen to life as she slowly turns back to flesh. Once she has recuperated, she introduces herself as Liveoak, queen fey of the oak pond, and tells the Coopers that a hag has captured her sisters. The Coopers and Dhukhean quickly agree to find this hag. Following the small river that feeds the pond, they come upon a large burrow. Climbing down, Dhukhean is confronted by a hag. Daryle and Darelle join, but are engaged by another hag that was hiding in the roots.

Dhukhean strikes a mighty blow and kill his hag. Beyond her he sees a horrific scene. A third hag stands, holding a small fey in her crooked hand. She snaps the fey's neck, then bites her head off. Next to her is a small cage with five other fey creatures trembling. The hag's hand reaches towards the cage. As Dhukhean enters the room to save the remaining fey, a large earth elemental emerges from the mud and tackles the dwarf to the ground.

The sisters and Liveoak join the fray once again, and they are soon able to defeat the hag and her elemental servant. No other fey is harmed. Liveoak rewards the Coopers for their bravery and help with an onyx ring worth 500 crowns, a pearl necklace worth 500 crowns, and a miniature golden sundial worth 300 crowns. Dhukhean declares that he would like to honor the fallen fey by setting up the sundial at the base of the majestic oak tree to commemorate her passing, and the Cooper sisters agree. Liveoak thanks them profusely. She and her remaining sisters set up the memorial, and pronounce a short service honoring her fallen sister's memory. The queen then thanks the trio for their help in wiping out the hags, and informs them that they are most welcome to visit anytime they wish to escape the hustle and bustle of the big city.

Devils and contracts

Lamashan 1, 4712, continued

With the key in hand, Darelle considers her options. Should she open the magical door ahead of them and step through to claim the prize, or is there a trap awaiting her? Nervously, she inserts the key and turns it slowly. The door opens, and reveals the auditorium of the Hall of Summoning. But something is off. Grunt pushes past Daryle and Darelle. Daryle attempts to trip him but misses. Grunt enters the auditorium first, followed by the rest of the group except Whilelor, who decide to hang back and explore the remaining rooms.

In the balcony of the auditorium stand two devils, a barbed devil and a devourer who are arguing with each other. Daryle senses that they are about to come to blows. Darelle, who can comprehend languages thanks to an item she picked up in the Emerald Spire, understands the conversation perfectly. They are both angrily discussing the future of a soul the devourer has seized but that rightfully belongs to the barbed devil, who had a contract with the soul's owner for possession. Apparently, the barbed devil's contract has been lost in the library and the barbed devil is upset that the devourer is not following hellish law and relinquishing its hold on the soul.

Grunt turns back and motions to the party to be quiet. Darelle, Daryle and Lawrence move quietly into the room. Whilelor follows a moment later, having decided to explore the rooms later. The party stops and observes the discussion. The devils have not noticed them yet. Lawrence can't understand the conversation, but also feels like the devils are about to come to blows. Whilelor sneaks to the door across the auditorium, but Grunt yells out an obscenity, disturbing the devils' argument. They turn and face the Coopers on the main floor. There follows a short discussion during which Grunt convinces the barbed devil that his claim is indeed the right one and that the Coopers are willing to assist him in destroying the devourer. The barbed devil agrees and a fight erupts. Grunt charges up the stairs, but soon finds himself in the middle of a summoning circle, unable to break free. The barbed devil slashes the devourer.. The devourer. in turns offers a deal to the barbed devil. He will relinquish the soul currently in his chest, if the barbed devil will agree that three of the five new souls in the auditorium belong to the devourer., including the fiesty dwarf's soul. The barbed devil agrees.

Daryle and Darelle launch missile attacks against both devils. Daryle notices that the soul inside the devil's chest bears a strange likeness to Lord Garrett, the lich necromancer who entered the Breaching Festival with them earlier in the day. The lich must have gotten here before they did. Grunt insults the devourer. Lawrence breaks the summoning circle and releases Grunt. The devourer slashes at Grunt but the dwarf avoids it. The devourer lashes back, inflicting pain on the dwarf. Lawrence uses his shuriken and reduces the devourer to half his size. He strikes the dwarf again, but a mighty blow from Grunt decapitates it, releasing the soul of Lord Garrett, which floats away accompanied by a sigh.

Meanwhile, Whilelor backtracks through the auditorium and returns to the hallway behind the magical door. He goes to the first of three rooms the Coopers did not explore. He opens the door and spikes it to ensure it does not close behind him, This room is a small lecture hall, with desks on either side of a central aisle. At the back of the room a man is chained by the hands and the feet. Whilelor recognizes the poor tortured soul as Gerald, babbling incomprehensibly. Whilelor casts cure moderate wounds then adds a lesser restoration to provide the sorcerer with some semblance of intelligence. He then removes the bonds that secure Gerald to the wall, then drags him out of the room. The sorcerer babbles incomprehensible words, but Whilelor is able to make sense of "the void behind the door," and "the devil wants a deal."

Back in the auditorium, the fight moves to the barbed devil. As the devil is busy hurling attacks at Daryle and Darelle, Lawrence sneaks behind him and strikes a mighty blow. Unfortunately, in the process he becomes grappled by the devil's barbs. The fight continues but the barbed devil is hopelessly outmatched and Grunt delivers the killing blow. Among the devil's possession, Lawrence finds a magical key as well as a hellish contract, signed by a Gerald. He pockets both, but not before Grunt notices the rogue's movement.

At the other end of the hall, Whilelor and Gerald explore the two remaining rooms and discover several doors that lead to a void of nothing. Whilelor is puzzled. Where are they?

Holding the key, Lawrence descends the stairs back to the main floor and unlocks the magical door and enters the room first, followed by Daryle, Darelle and Grunt. Whilelor and Gerald run down the hall and barely make it in before the halfling closes the door. Inside stands Chyvvom, a contract devil, in the middle of a room similar to the previous one, with balconies on either side. The ceiling features a large mural of a man resembling Toff Ornelos signing a document in the presence of Chyvvom. In each balcony are various devils, clearly part of Chyvvom's court. Chyvvom offers each member of the group the ability to bargain for anything exchange for a day of unfaltering and absolute obedience in the future. Lawrence agrees to such a contract in exchange not to be harmed by Chyvvom, who readily places his signature on top of Lawrence's, sealing the deal. None of the others choose to follow the rogue's example.

Itching for a fight, Grunt challenges Chyvvom, who is too happy to oblige. The rest of the devils, along with the Coopers, join the fray and are quickly bloodied. In a fair fight, the Coopers would have stood a chance, but with the odds stacked against them the combat is much unequal. Chyvvom launches attack after attack, striking blow after blow. The sisters focus their energies on the lesser devils, while Grunt suffers the brunt of the contract devil's wrath. A deadly delayed blast fireball incinerates Gerald and inflicts great damage on the remaining Coopers. Seeking to escape this room, Whilelor rushes past Chyvvom and opens the door at the end of the room. He only finds the void there. Desperate, he throws himself out of the room. Thus ends the life of the great Whilelor, forever lost in the void of Nothingness.

Combat continues, and the Coopers are relentlessly pursued and harried. Grunt takes a lot of punishment, and find himself needing to yield to Chyvvom before he loses his life. He inquires if the contract devil would entertain a bargain. Chyvvom agrees to hear the dwarf out, and they soon agree to the following terms: "In exchange for stopping his attack, Grunt wins the contest of retaining your soul, the gold and the fame, and he leaves immediately to return to the school and nothing more." Grunt signs the contract, and Chyvvom countersigns it. Grunt is immediately transported away from Chyvvom's kingdom.

The remaining Coopers continue the fight but are hopelessly outmatched. Chyvvom offers them another opportunity to negotiate their release, but Daryle and Daryle refuse. Chyvvom disappears in a cloud of smoke, informing them to call him when they are ready to bargain with him. The Cooper sisters and Lawrence are stuck! If they die here, Chyvvom will own their soul. Should they agree to his terms?

Fearing the end, Darelle summons the power of her rainbow star flower and calls upon its power to assist her in her time of great need. Chyvvom's realm is pierced with hundreds of plant tendrils which tear a hole in the demi-plane. Angry, the contract devil reappears with his cronies. The plants strike at the lesser devils, and even push back Chyvvom while an opening large enough for the ranger and her friends. Lawrence and Daryle jump in, followed closely by Darelle to Chyvvom's cries of anguish and dismay. The contract devil has lost!

They reappear in front of the Hall of Summoning, to the applause of the crowd. It is near midday, and only a few hours have elapsed. Toff Ornelos welcomes them back, but informs them that they were not the first ones out. That honor belongs to Grunt, who unfortunately emerged from the Hall of Summoning dead. The dwarf had won the contest and retained his soul, and earned the 153,000 crowns for being first out, but unfortunately fell from the sky and died on impact. Toff thanks the Coopers for participating, and informs them that if Grunt's heirs cannot be located they may receive some of the reward.

Lawrence confronts Toff with the happenings in the Breaching Festival, and focuses on the presence of Chyvvom. Toff professes his innocence and lack of knowledge, but Lawrence knows better and presses on. Queen Ileosa, who is present, orders the wizard's arrest, and thanks the Coopers for the services they rendered. She agrees to resurrect Grunt, and awards each of them 40,000 crowns in thanks from the Crown of Korvosa. Queen Ileosa herself is wearing a beautiful brooch that depicts a pseudodragon and an imp coiled around each other in an almost yin-yang pattern. The pseudodragon’s eye is an amethyst, while the imp’s eye is an emerald. Lawrence is quite fascinated by this one of a kind jewel ...

A rainbow of keylights

Lamashan 1, 4712

About an hour before dawn, the Coopers report to the Ornelos Building, ready for the Breaching Festival to begin. The remaining participants all trickle in over the following quarter of an hour. Toff Ornelos himself finally stands and addresses the crowd. Toff reminds the participants of the rules. They cannot attack other participants directly. They must also find a light key of a different color per individual in a group. He then asks if there are any questions, but no one asks any. His speech is interrupted by the arrival of Queen Ileosa of Korvosa and her large retinue, here to witness the day's graduation challenges.

When the first ray of light hits the Hall of Summoning, the Breaching Festival begins. The Coopers' group decide to start there, since it is the closest building. Darelle and Daryle are joined by Grunt Farnsworth the dwarf and four of his kinsmen, as well as by Lawrence the halfling and two of his henchmen, the Naga, and Whilenor. Mangarad and his crew head to the Hall of Charms. Gerald runs towards the Hall of Lies. Finally, Lord Garrett of Ged glides towards the Hall of Whispers. Roscoe, feeling under the weather, decides not to participates.

The Coopers search the Hall of Summoning. Inside a classroom on the ground floor, they find four red keylights, each hovering eight feet from the ground above a different desk. They carefully enter the classroom and approach the lights. Upon further examination, they are simply floating in the air. Grunt stands on a desk and touches the red light. Three of the lights immediately transform into Furies, while one of the light continues to hover. Whilenor sees that the red key light by him has not changed, so he grabs it. Grunt expected this attack, so he hits his target with his hammer. Lawrence throws two shurikens designed to shrink his target, but unfortunately both miss. The Naga also lands a series of forceful blows. The rest of the Coopers engage the Furies. For a while the combat proceeds in the Furies's favor, but a brilliant move by Whilenor, who transforms the table into a set of jaws which catches one of the monsters, flips the table in the Coopers' favor, and soon the Furies are no more. Grunt grabs one of the +1 longsword and one +1 flaming composite longbow, while Lawrence takes  the remaining three +1 longswords and sets them aside in one of the empty classrooms, hoping to come back for them and eventually sell them.

The Coopers and their allies move next to the Hall of Seeing. This building 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. Inside there is a large hallway stretching from one end to the other. In the middle of the hallway are four mirrors. Each of them reflect an orange key-light in the middle of the room, but the room itself is empty. The Coopers puzzle this challenge for quite some time. Darelle is the first to touch the mirror. She sees a hellish vision. In her mind a large devil appears, and asks her to pose her question. Intimidated by the devil, she has difficulty forming a question. Lawrence and Grunt also touch the mirror, and encounter the same vision. Lawrence agrees to visit hell, but only on the day he can be heard shouting "I invoke the mark of the old god Throth." Grunt makes no bargain with the devil, and instead threatens him with the end of his hammer. Finally, Darelle figures out that by walking backwards she's able to reach the orange light and grabs it.

The Coopers then move to the Hall of Induction. Resembling a cube, this building 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. On the fourth floor the Coopers find some sort of alchemical apparatus. On one side is a large clear tank with a green liquid. On the other side, is a similar tank with a red liquid. In the middle is a pipe linking both tanks. The liquid in this section is yellow, and the Coopers can tell there is a yellow keylight inside the tube. Daryle takes no time and smashes the red tube. An explosion fills the floor, badly injuring he Coopers and their allies. however, they also acquire a yellow keylight.

Moving on to the Hall of Charms, they enter the building and quickly locate a blue keylight. Soon, though, all of the Coopers become confused and attack each other. Darelle lands a few good blows on her sister, who in turns attack Whilenor. Grunt and Lawrence manage to avoid most of the effects of the confusion and retrieve the blue light. They then depart the building.

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. In the basement, they find several crates, one of which contains a purple light. Unfortunately, retrieving it releases a powerful horrid whilting spell that affects everyone in the group.

With enough lights for everyone, the group returns to the Hall of Wards and each person uses one of the keylight to enter the building. They find themselves in a large hall with doors at the end and several doors on either side. Proceeding down, they stop and examine the double doors at the end of the hallway. Grunt is not an expert, but he quickly determines that without a magical key they will be unable to open this door. Meanwhile, Whilenor, possibly in a fit of Geraldicitis (the inability to control's one actions and therefore unleash chaos on unsuspecting friends), decides to open a side door. He discovers a strange library where books fly from one shelf to another in a seemingly random pattern. Bookcases stretch three stories in the air, all around the room, with a desk with two lights in the middle of the room. At any one time there are hundred of books hurling from place to place.

Whilenor hears a voice behind one of the stacks and he discovers a disheveled human desperately searching for a specific book among the thousands of volumes. Every time he has looked at five or six books they quickly rearrange themselves and are replaced with more. Whilenor attempts to communicate with the man and quickly realizes that he's looking for a spellbook. Through careful diplomacy the druid is able to secure a description, and he endeavors to find the book, only to be thwarted by the powers of this room.

Meanwhile, Daryle spikes the doors to the library closed, and Lawrence takes care of the second set of doors leading to this cursed room. They enter the opposite room, and discover another alchemy lab. There they are confronted by Marrijkal, who informs them they have no hope of leaving this place. The Coopers quickly engage in combat against this devil agent and are almost overpowered before finally triumphing, thanks to massive hits by the Naga and Grunt. Amid the equipment, ingredients, body parts and various objects they find a large gold key with a ruby in the handle. Darelle picks it up. They also discover a spellbook. Daryle immediately connects this spellbook to the book the man was looking for in the library.

The Coopers return to the library, only to discover that while they were engaging the devil for half an hour Whilenor was locked in the library for over five days. Haggard, hungry, and disheveled, the druid reports that he had to lay motionless all of this time as the books and the human alternatively attacked him. When the man shows up in the door, Daryle threatens to destroy his spellbook, but Whilenor takes it from her hands and gives it to the man. He exhales slowly, then thanks Whilenor for saving his soul.

Armed with the magical key, the Coopers are ready to open the double doors and exit the building and claim the Breaching Festival's rewards. Only one question remain. Who should walk out first?