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?

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.

The hospitality of the Feathergale Society

Abadius 21, 4713 

The sun rises on a beautiful if cold winter day in Red Larch. Following the blizzard that has affected the area, the Coopers are happy to have a second straight day without any snow precipitation. Last night, when the party had returned to the Swinging Sword Inn, Ruddy had retold their fight against the Lord of Lance Rock, embellishing some of the encounters. The patrons present in the inn's common room had listened to the gnome, mesmerized by the tale. So it is not surprising, when the Coopers and their friends come downstairs for breakfast, that every seat in the  common room is taken by locals, who cheer and demand to hear the story again. Ruddy regales them again, adding even more fanciful details. Kaylessa Irkell, proprietress of the inn, thanks the gnome and his friends profusely for drawing such a large crowd and offers them a free breakfast. Thorne uses the occasion to pick some pockets and collects 24 crowns during Ruddy's tale.

Following this hearty breakfast, the Coopers pack their gear and head out to Feathergale Spire. They lost track of the raiders they were trailing in the area, and their morning encounter with Savra Belabranta, a griffon rider who invited them to visit, seals the deal. Hopefully this trip will prove less dangerous than that to Lance Rock.

Though no snow falls from the sky, the winds blow hard enough that large snow drifts have formed, and visibility is limited. Darelle uses her jar of cloud to protect the party from the worst of the elements. In the late afternoon, as the sun begins to set, the party reaches the imposing structure of the Feathergale Spire. Standing hundreds of feet higher than the surrounding hills, the Spire can be approached by a large road climbing a steep hill to a drawbridge. The base of the tower is about a hundred feet lower, with wide arches about halfway up. Aside from the drawbridge level, there are two more stories above, and the structure is topped by a parapet. Throughout the afternoon, the Coopers have kept their eyes on flying patrols high up in the sky.

As they near the structure, Ruddy suggest they approach the main entrance in a sign of respect, instead of the usual sneaking the party is known for. Climbing the path, they reach the top and stand on the edge of a lowered drawbridge. A large set of double doors stand at the other end of the drawbridge. Ruddy calmly strolls on the bridge and knocks on the door. Darelle, who followed the gnome, rings the bell attached to the wall. Daryle and the remaining party members stand on the other side, ready if combat proves necessary.

A small panel soon opens, and the familiar face of Savra Belabranta appears. Upon seeing Ruddy, her face lights up, and she gushes her excitement at seeing him, and his friends, again. Opening one of the doors, she welcomes them to Feathergale Spire. The Coopers enter the main hall, made of marble with a giant iron eagle hanging from the ceiling. Two other guards stand in this room, but a quick assessment reveal that they are poorly trained. Savra questions them on the newest developments since their last encounter, and Ruddy tells her he has a tale to recount. She invites them to the Great Hall, where they are joined by four Feathergale knights, as well as Thurl Merosska, leader of the Feathergale Spire. Over a delicious meal, Ruddy once again retells the tale once again. Savra offers a toast, and the knights heartily partake. Ruddy draws the symbol they observed at Lance Rock. Thurl closely examines the symbol. He shows the parchment to everyone, and during the discussion he pockets the drawing. Dhukean notices and attempts to discern Thurl's  motive. The dwarf suspects that Thurl has seen this symbol before. When questioned, Thurl replies that he wishes to compare this drawing to information he has in his chambers.

The knights are clearly unaware of the larger happenings in the Dessarin Valley, for they relentlessly question the Coopers about happenings around them. Darelle questions Savra about the Spire. Savra replies that the Feathergale Society moved in a dozen years ago in what was then an abandoned keep, and made it their own. Dhukhean overhears the exchange between Savra and Darelle about the tower being empty before the Feathergale Society's arrival. He suspects that this might have been part of the Bessamir kingdom, but the tower is clearly of human craftmanship.

Seeing that it is late, Thurl invites the Coopers to spend the night with them. Savra and the other knights can barely contain their excitement. Thurl then excuses himself,  claiming a headache. However, he invites the Coopers to participate in a manticore hunt on the morrow. The Coopers are assigned three bunk rooms that usually serve as bedrooms to the knights. One for the ladies, one for the men, and one for the short people. Of course, everyone is invited to remain in the Great Hall and enjoy the knights' hospitality. Every member of the party claims to be tired, however, and they withdraw to their lodgings. 

After about an hour, Thorne opens the window and sees two knights flying in the air. Carefully hiding in the shadows, he climbs to the third floor. In the first window he sees a room very much like his own. A man is sleeping in one of the bunks. He maneuvers to the next window on his left. Through the panes of glass he sees Thurl, sitting at a desk and writing a letter. Thorne returns to the other window, and breaks in without waking up the sleeping knight. He then sneaks out through the door, and moves to Thurl's door. His attempt to pick the lock is noisy, however, and he suddenly hears footsteps from the other side. Thurl has gotten up and is coming this way. Thorne rushes back to the room and closes the door. Thurl's door does not immediately open, however. It takes a few minutes, but eventually Thurl himself steps on the landing and goes downstairs.

Not knowing that Thorne is gone, Lawrence silently opens his door, and steps in the short hallway leading back to the Great Hall. He plans on moving down the stairs, but is unfortunately spotted by the partying knights and is invited to join them. Unable to leave without arising suspicion, the thief stays with the crowd.

A knock on the short people's door awakens Ruddy. Savra is at the door, and invites the gnome to her chambers. He readily agrees, proving the old adage, "Once you go gnome you never go home."

With Thurl gone, Thorne enters his room. He finds a letter scribbled in a child's hand writing. He memorizes it, before putting it back on Thurl's desk. Who is this Aerisi Kalinoth?

Merosska,
We are pleased to hear about the outcome of
your altercation with the Black Earth cult, 

and we praise you for the capture of one of their
prisoners. This noblewoman from Ustalav
has an interesting tale to tell, 

and we shall enjoy interrogating her further. 

Keep a close watch on the Sacred Stone Monastery. 

I want to know what our enemy is planning next.
Your beloved queen,  

Aerisi Kalinoth

As Lawrence pretends to laugh at the antics of the drunken knights, he notices four burly guards make their ways to his room. The guards knock on the door, and awaken the dwarf. They politely request that Dhukhean follow them, as Thurl wants to share a startling discovery. The dwarf grabs his weapons and agrees to go with them. The noise was loud enough to alert the Cooper sisters, who also emerge from their room. Lawrence joins the party as well, and the now large group heads back to the ground floor. They are led to a conservatory where they find Thurl. The master of Feathergale Spire is clearly unhappy to see that Dhukhean is not alone, but he makes the most of it by showing the group what he discovered. One of the exotic plants in the conservatory features a similar pattern to the symbol Ruddy drew on its leaves. Darelle cannot identify the plant, but knows that it is very poisonous. The ranger takes a few cuttings. Dhukhean suspects it could be used in ceremonies by cult members.

Map of Feathergale Spire

The party then returns to their respective rooms accompanied by their guards. Thorne, meanwhile, had rejoined his bedroom and shares what he learned with Naga.


Abadius 22, 4713 

The Coopers awaken in the morning to find a clear sky but bitterly cold temperature. As they come out of their respective rooms, Thorne informs the rest of the party about the letter he discovered in Thurl's room. Welcomed to breakfast by the knights, they are soon joined by Thurl, who appears not to have slept very well. Thorne questions Thurl about the Black Earth Cult. Thurl tells them this renegade cult is made up of scoundrels and beggars who hide their desire for wealth behind a facade of worshiping the ground. He then shares with them the location of the Sacred Stone Monastery, the headquarters of the Black Earth Cult.

As the Coopers ready to hunt the manticore, Thorne, Daryle and Lawrence decide to stay behind and investigate Feathergale Spire. While the Coopers ready their mounts, Thorne begins exploring the Spire. He first stops in the kitchen. A team of servants is busy preparing the noon meal. The rogue approaches one of the servants, and quietly engages in conversation with him. After he pays the servant five crowns, Thorne hears about the prisoner the knights are keeping in the basement of the Spire. He decides to return to the basement and watch the remaining members of the party outfit themselves for the hunt.

In the basement the Coopers find stables. Though most of the alcoves are empty, there are three giant vultures, two griffons, and one hippogriff. Ruddy agrees to ride with Savra her griffon. Darelle and Dhukhean also ride on a griffon. Two knights accompany them on their own mounts. As they fly away, Lawrence realizes that he had not seen the two riders accompanying the party before.

The mounts quick rise above the clouds, and begin searching the canyon where the manticore dwells. Savra explains to Ruddy that the Feathergale Knights have been hunting it for months, but have never successfully gotten close enough to kill it. They've struck a few blows, but have been unable to wound it enough to force it to land.

The group separates but remain within visual range. As they fly, Savra points out evidence of the manticore's passage to Ruddy. The canyon where they are flying is filled with low-level fog, making the ground all but impossible to spot. Darelle is the first one to spot the creature, and she banks her flying mount. Spotting the maneuver, Ruddy points, and Savra imitates the ranger. The other knights follow suit. A pursuit ensues, and when they get close enough the party engage the manticore. While Darelle fires volleys of magic missiles at it, Savra launches arrows. Ruddy, not to be outdone and perhaps showing off for Savra, signs that he wants to get closer, and when above the monster he jumps out of the saddle and on its back. The manticore attempts to shake him off, but is unable to do so.

As Ruddy lands a series of blows, the two knights spring a surprise attack on Darelle and Dhukhean's mount, which is quickly killed. Plummeting out of the sky, Darelle jumps on the jar of cloud, while Dhukhean, perhaps not thinking as clearly due to the altitude, tergiversates. As the ground rapidly approaches, he attempts an escape, but the straps holding him in place prevent him from doing so, and he hits the ground at a prodigious speed. The last conscious thing he sees before passing out are two pairs of heavy combat boots walking towards him. Darelle spends some time on the cloud looking for the paladin, but does not find him. The fog is just too thick. She decides to return to Feathergale Spire and report the treacherous news.

Meanwhile, flying now at a fair distance, Ruddy successfully kills the manticore. As it too falls to the ground, the gnome realizes his predicament. Fortunately, Savra closes the gap again, and Ruddy performs a manly jump back on her mount. When the falling body of the manticore disappears in the fog, Savra proposes that they return to Feathergale Spire. The cold will keep the body, and they can come back when the fog clears off. Ruddy ponders on why there would be fog on this freezingly clear day...

After watching their friends fly away, the remaining Coopers continue their exploration of Feathergale Spire. Carefully pacing around the stable, they come upon an angry hippogriff. When questioned, one of the stable boys informs them that this mount was hurt in a battle with the manticore a few weeks ago, and its rider was killed. It is ill tempered, and lets no one approach it. Daryle enters its stall, and uses her ranger skills to heal the hippogriff. Still distrustful, the creature nonetheless appears thankful. Lawrence then notices a trap door in the floor of the hippogriff's stall. While no one is looking, Daryle opens the door, and lowers herself in it. She is quickly followed by Lawrence and Thorne, who closes the door behind him.

In the dungeon below the stable floor, they discover a series of twelve jail cells. Each cell is occupied by a humanoid. One female dwarf is present, but she is clearly not Zeshan Wayfinder, the wife of Dhukhean's cheftain. Though the creatures are mostly human, there is an elf, a halfling, and a bugbear. The bugbear sports this symbol tattooed on his large arm. They have seen this sign before, and Daryle remembers that the tube and the message they found in the brigands' camp bore a similar triangular symbol.

Black Earth Cult

Thorne questions the bugbear, who grudgingly reveals that he was on a mission to find and make prisonners any dwarf he could find, before he was captured by knights and imprisoned here. The female dwarf, Broga, is more talkative, and tells the Coopers she was captured by the Howling Hatred Cult, but their plans for her are not clear. She doesn't know much about them, nor how they are associated with the Feathergale Society, but she does know that they worship Yan-C Bin. Unfortunately, this name doesn't mean anything to the Coopers.

When a guard comes to check on the prisoners, the Coopers quickly dispatch him. Armed with the keys, they decide to free the prisoners ...