Meeting the Mistress of Thorns

Abadius 20, 4712, part 3

Tired and bloodied from their battle against the raging morlock, the Coopers withdraw back to the room where they left Gerald, Thorne and the two remaining Hellknight soldiers. After bandaging their wounds, they decide to rest and heal.


Abadius 21, 4712, part 1

After an uneventful night, the Coopers and their guards continue to explore this level of the Emerald Spire. Returning to the scene of last night's battle, they begin clearing some of the debris piled around the room. One of the Hellknights discover a door buried in the rubble. Since it is locked, Thorne attempts to disable the lock, but fails miserably. Gerald uses knock and the door opens. Behind it is a hallway stretching north and south. A quick peek reveals another door in the north wall around a bend. The Coopers decide to check it out.

Of course that door is also locked, but this time Thorne's skills open it. The Coopers enter a virtual chamber of horrors. There are cages hung from the ceiling, and a large table in the back corner is covered with entrails and torture implements. Only one of the five cages is currently occupied by a barely alive male nephilim. Darelle heals him and eventually discovers that his name is Jherao. Both Thorne and Darelle attempt to pick the lock, but they fail. Jherao reveals that the Mistress of Thorns, who rules this level, captures creatures and executes them in strange and cruel rituals. The Coopers decide they will remain here and they will ambush the Mistress of Thorns when she comes in to claim Jherao. Roscoe hides behind the door, while Daryle, Darelle and the Hellknights stand in the next room with their bows drawn. Gerald hides under the torture table, and Thorne stand behind the cage.

They wait, and wait, and wait some more. Getting restless, the Coopers wonder how long they will have to stand here. Jherao tells them that the Mistress doesn't come in regularly. Suddenly they hear noises in the hallway outside. Three morlocks dressed in disgusting priestly garbs enter the room and head toward Jherao's cage. The Coopers jump into action and the priests are swiftly dispatched.

Gerald clads himself in the nasty garments of the priest. He plans on surprising the Mistress when she comes to investigates what happened to her priests. The rest of the group returns to their positions and the waiting begins again.

A few hours slowly pass. No noise can be heard in the hallway outside the door. Suddenly, a shimmering purple globe appears nears Jherao's cage and out steps a large devil, about seven and a half feet tall and over three hundred pounds with barbs protuding from her shoulders and back. With a wicked smile, the Mistress of Thorns steps forward and looks at the captive.

The Coopers spring into action, and the battle begins. They are able to score a few hits, but the Mistress' violent attack forces Roscoe back. Then something stops her counter attack. She seems pleasantly surprised to see a Hellknight in her abode. With everyone holding their attack, she tells Roscoe that it's a pleasure to once again have a Hellknight visit her. It turns out that she has encountered Hellknights before, and has the utmost respect for the work they do. She tells them she's researching how to retrieve the morlock chief who has been imprisoned in the Emerald Spire, and she seeks more tokens. Darelle reveals that they have one in their possession, but they are not willing to give it to her at this point. The Mistress replies she understands, and she hopes that when they are done exploring they'll reconsider. She suddenly opens the cage, grabs Jherao, and disappears in a purple shimmering.

Surprised at this turn of events, the Coopers decide to continue their exploration but will stir clear of the Mistress. Gerald removes his stinky garb, and the party proceeds down the hall. They come upon a large room featuring the green glow of the Spire. There, the Mistress appears to be conducting some sort of ritual with Jherao's dead body, surrounded with dozens of morlocks. The Coopers wisely decide to avoid this room.

They eventually discover a short hallway that leads to the staircase heading down. This hallway looks and feels similar to several others they encountered on this level, with large debris piles lined on either side. Gerald casts flaming sphere and clears the hallway. If there was a trap, the morlocks are now dead. The Coopers enter the hallway and head for the staircase ...

Love is in the air

Calistril 1, 4712

It's a beautiful winter day in Fort Inevitable. Snow fell last night, and the entire town is covered by about six inches. Children are outside playing, and Hellknights patrol the streets with a smile on their faces.

For the last few days, Gerald has been feeling sick. He finally decides to talk to Doctor Mordel about the scar on the chest. Mordel examines him and advises him that whomever did this to him was very skilled, and either took something out of him or put something in. Unfortunately, the good doctor has no way of telling which of the two happened. Gerald asks him if using a gem of true seeing would reveal what had happened to him. Mordel looks pleased at the idea. He tells Gerald that this is brilliant and may lead to a novel way of treating patients. The doctor does not have such a gem on hand. Mordel tells Gerald that if he brings in this gem, he will gladly examine the sorcerer, and he will then write a paper about it for the Daggermark's Medical Treatises.

Gerald thinks that the Hellknights may have such a gem, so he heads to the citadel to talk with Léonche de Moustiers, Chamberlain of the Citadel. de Moustiers informs Gerald that the Hellknights have such a gem, but Gerald would need to leave behind enough valuable collateral. The sorcerer tells him that he has such an item, and he presents one of the funeral masks he discovered on the 7th level of the Emerald Spire. de Moustiers appraises the mask, and tells Gerald that it would be more than adequate. However, he flips through a large ledger book and advises Gerald that this item had not been declared at the last tax payment. Gerald is thus assessed 130 crowns for the underpayment of taxes, as well as 140 crowns more in penalties for non-payment of taxes. Furthermore, he says, this is a first offense and thus he is being fined. On a second offense, the penalties will be doubled, and on a third offense the penalty is death. Gerald states that if he finds the masks he will surrender them to the Hellknights in case they are dangerous. de Moustiers thanks Gerald and will take him up on that offer. Gerald makes an appointment to get the gem on Calistril 9.

Meanwhile, Darelle decides she will investigate the vial of dark blue crystal powder she collected on the 7th level of the Emerald Spire. She asks Mordel if he knows what it is, and he replies that he doesn't, but that there are a few people in town who might: Abernard Royst, and Falandra Nolm, Gerald's employer. Darelle knows that Abernard is out of town, so she decides to talk to Falandra Nolm. Falandra agrees to look at the material, but her fee is a quarter of the item, in kind preferably, but she will take the value in gold if she must. Darelle agrees, and she takes out the vial. Falandra is stumped, but after some research she discovers a tome with information on this type of powder. She tells Darelle that when mixed with horse manure, it will create a small ball. When the ball is flattened and then thrown on the ground, it will transform into a crystal pegasus in various shades of blue. Darelle has enough to make six pegasus.

At the same time, Daryle drops off some of her skins to Karlyle the Butcher, then walks in the Juliver Arms to get the scuttlebutt on the Millers family. Word on the street is that they are preparing to head out to the Emerald Spire. Unlike the Coopers, they claim they should be able to clear the tower in no time.

Finally, in the late afternoon, the three siblings meet again in the street on their way to Darelle's house for dinner. Suddenly Gerald gets hit in the head by a large snowball, and he falls face first in the snow covering the ground. Laughter can be heard from behind the Coopers. Daryle turns around quickly, and sees a bunch of kids a few houses back. One the children moves forward and taunts Gerald. The Coopers recognize Nissa, Abernard's niece, whom they encountered a few months ago. When Gerald refuses to get up, she casts a spell and a giant snowbank falls on him, burying him under a gigantic pile of snow. The children laugh louder. Gerald grumbles from his snow pile that he is a Hellknight officer and he could arrest Nissa for violating the anti-spellcasting provisions, but Nissa only throws another snow ball at the pile of snow. When Daryle and Darelle begin to chase them, they all scatter, and Nissa runs to her uncle's house and closes the door.

The sisters wait for Gerald to pull himself out of the snow pile, and when he catches up with them Daryle knocks on the door to Abernard's residence. After a few seconds the door opens and a tall and beautiful woman appears. Daryle explains why they are here, and the woman invites them inside. She tells them her name is Cassandra, and she is Nissa's mother and Abernard's niece. She calls Nissa down to apologize to Gerald, but the child instead taunts him again before running upstairs. Cassandra tells them that Nissa's innate magical abilities have been hard to control, and that she's getting herself in quite a bit of trouble.

As they discuss the situation in town and recent events, it becomes clear to Daryle and Darelle that Cassandra has more than a passing interest in Gerald. The house has resumed its actual proportions, and a loud crash can be heard from upstairs. Daryle decides to investigates, and she ascends to the third floor, where she finds the door to the library closed. Nissa is on the other side and she seems to be searching something. The child has wizard locked the doors and Daryle can't get in. She runs downstairs and tells Cassandra. She runs up the stairs and returns with a chastised Nissa, who does give Gerald a heartfelt apology before going to her room.

Gerald then tells Cassandra that he is feeling sick. Cassandra examines his scar and tells him that she concurs with Dr. Mordel's opinion. She herself dabbles in healing and has some experience in the matter. Gerald invites her to participate in Dr. Mordel's examination on the 9th. She agrees.

After a few more moments, the Coopers leave Abernard's house and return to Darelle's house. Cassandra invites Gerald over any time. The sorcerer politely declines. The Coopers have dinner, then they retire by the fireplace and spend the evening in quiet contemplation.

A few hours after midnight, they are awakened by the sound of wolf howls in the distance. There are no wolves in the area, having been hunted down decades ago. As the rangers listen, they can hear at leas three wolves, maybe four. Daryle wonders if it is due to a green storm. They dress quickly, then head out of Darelle's house and to the wall. Daryle tells the others she suspects that the wolves may be none other than the Millers, which would explain a few things.

The Coopers find Walter and Rainulf on guard duty on that particular section of the wall.They report that they haven't seen the wolves, but they definitely heard them in the northeast fields. That's in the direction of the Emerald Spire. The Coopers resolve to go hunting the next day.


Calistril 2, 4712

As soon as the gates open the Coopers race out of Fort Inevitable and head towards the Emerald Spire. Darelle is worried about her dry blue crystals, while Daryle and Gerald are eager to catch up to the wolves. They quickly locate tracks, which indicate that there are three wolves. But the tracks are huge, half as big as the biggest wolves. Darelle spots some loose fur, so Daryle collects a few samples to bring back to Dr. Mordel.


Eventually the tracks indicate that the wolves took off very quickly. The Coopers pick up the pace, and come upon a bloody scene. The wolf tracks merge with the tracks of a human, and a bloody scene shows that human came to a brutal end. Gerald examines the boot tracks and discovers that they are Hellknight booths. The body seems to have been pulled away by the wolves.

A few clearings away, they discover a badly chewed up body, with the head missing. The body is still garbed in a Hellknight uniform. Daryle collects personnel effects from the pockets, and they bury the body under a cairn.

Following the wolf tracks, they then discover that the wolves themselves fell into a goblin trap. Two were captured in nets, while one fought but was eventually subdued. All three wolves were dragged back to the Emerald Spire.

The Coopers enter the Emerald Spire through the secret tunnel and then descend to the 7th level, where they collect the barrel of dark blue crystal. They then head home again. Returning to Fort Inevitable, Daryle hands the pouch back to Maralictor Wirt. She tells them that these effects belonged to Armand, a Hellknight who was posted in Dimsdale. The closest farm was that of the Redwoods. What was Armand doing out there?

As they head home, the Coopers come upon a commotion outside of the Juliver Arms. The crowd is cheering loudly. Taking a closer look, they see that the Millers are showing off their sled and their equipment, claiming that they will storm the Spire tomorrow and will do a better job than the Coopers. If the Millers are here, who are the wolves?

Hunting Morlocks

Abadius 19, 4712, part 2

Following the morlock assault, the Coopers take a short breather. Thorne announces he will take care of the unconscious Gerald while the rest of them continue on their trek. Roscoe orders the Hellknights to stay behind as well. He then decides to head first in the tunnel. He crawls a short distance, and reaches a dead end. Looking around, he discovers a trap door above him. He pushes the trap door, and notices that it is very heavy. He heaves again, and this time the trap door opens. On top were the bodies of two now dead morlocks. They show evidence of having suffered a fire attack.

Roscoe crawls out of the hole, and helps his sisters out. They trudge down the hall, but as soon as Roscoe takes a step around the corner, he triggers a trap. A large blade comes rushing out of the wall at a horizontal angle, nearly slicing his head off. Unlike the paladin, the sisters successfully dodge this attack. Having been almost decapitated, Roscoe requires healing. Darelle provides him with a few scrolls and uses her gem of healing as well. Roscoe feels better, if not completely healed.

The Coopers find two doors on the right side of a short corridor. Daryle takes a peek through the door, and sees six adult morlocks and four children in what appears to be a common room. A large number of mangy pelts are laid about, and four large rats are slowly roasting over open flames. Taking position by both doors, Daryle and Darelle fire their bows, while Roscoe charges the room. The combat is quickly over. With the children still screaming and throwing feces, Daryle slaughters them all to put them out of their misery.

They search the room. Darelle discovers a human skull with an aquamarine fake eye worth about 500 crowns half buried under hot coals. After disposing of the bodies, the Coopers go through the doors across the common room and find themselves standing in a small alcove. A large statue of a bird-headed humanoid with snakes for legs stands in the corner, with large tubes lining the wall behind it. The statue has been heavily vandalized, and any riches it may have held have long since disappeared. Upon closer inspection, Daryle recognizes the statue as being that of Abraxas, a demon lord from the Abyss. Roscoe casts detect evil on it, but finds nothing. It is only a statue.

Continuing their exploration, Roscoe discovers another secret tunnel that connects two rooms. In the second room he finds a sleeping morlock that should have been standing guard instead, and he kills it. This room is a complete mess, with smashed furniture and tiles, which have been piled against a wall. Intrigued, Roscoe looks at the pile, and discover yet another secret tunnel. He returns to get his sisters, and together they proceed down this longer tunnel.  

Roscoe opens up the hatch at the end of the tunnel, but despite his best efforts it makes enough noise to warn the occupants. Three morlocks have hidden behind a pile of rubble. Roscoe climbs out of the tunnel, and walks towards the morlocks. However, one of them is very much taller and bigger than the others, and wields a great club. He leaps down from the rubble pile and charges the paladin. Together they become entangled in a fight to the death. They exchange mighty blows, but the morlock begins to gain the upper hand on Roscoe. His sisters climb out of the hole, and also focus their attacks on this raging morlock. Though the monster successfully disables Roscoe, Darelle and Daryle are able to land enough blows to kill him. Soon, the other morlocks are dispatched as well. Now the party is thoroughly bloodied and bruised, and running low on healing spells. What other horrible surprises does the 9th level of the Emerald Spire have in store for them?

Morlock Muck

Abadius 14, 4712

Gerald presents himself to Roscoe and requests a uniform. Roscoe inquires as to why his brother would like a Hellknight uniform. Gerald presents his commission, and Roscoe can only shake his head. After some back and forth, he agrees to provide Gerald with a Signifier uniform. The sorceror looks fabulous wearing the Hellknight colors.


Abadius 17, 4712

Captain Rémi arrives in town and meets the Coopers to collect their 50 crowns per person for their safe passage a year ago. He introduces the Millers, a new family coming from Razmiran that has just arrived on his ship. First there is Rexhall, about 25 years old and rippling with muscles. Second is Card, about 19, a spellcaster of some kind. Then there are the female twins, Ace and Spades, both fighter types. Finally, the youngest member of the Miller family is Rose, a girl quick on her feet. The Coopers have an uneasy feeling at the arrival of these strange Millers.


Abadius 18, 4712

Now that matters are back in order, the Coopers are edging to a fight and are ready to head back to the Emerald Spire. As commander, Roscoe leaves Maralictor Wirt in charge of Fort Inevitable, and he and the four siblings, along with five Hellknight soldiers, depart the town in the Spire's direction. The trek takes most of the morning and enter the underground through the third level tunnel. Nothing much has changed since the last time the Coopers were here.

Using a spire transport, they move from the third to the 7th level, then descend the stairs to the 8th level where Darelle acquires the runes that will allow them to directly transport to this level. They then descend the stairs for about 250 feet before reaching the landing for the 9th level. It is pitch black, so the Coopers light up torches and lanterns.

In the first room, they encounter collapsed walls. One direction looks like it has been there for a long time. The second, however, looks like it was recently built. A small hole in the rubble provides access to the room beyond. Thorne throws a torch in the small hole, sees nothing but another set of decayed walls.

Roscoe examines both walls, and makes a decision. The Hellknight soldiers will dig the western tunnel. The soldiers obey immediately. Gerald, meanwhile, begins digging the southern wall. During the digging, Thorne removes the lock from the door to the 8th level and studies it to figure out how he failed. The sisters just stand around, telling each other stories and exchanging beauty tips. After five hours the soldiers manage to make a hole big enough to crawl through the three and a half feet of dirt and loose stones to the continuing hallway behind, while Gerald has successfully move seven stones and has progressed a hand's width.

Thorne crawls through the tunnel, and throws another torch beyond the rubble. Taking a quick peek, he notices four morlocks clinging to the wall, ready to pounce on the first person through the tunnel. Deciding that the situation would be too difficult to fight in, he returns and discusses the dilemma with the rest of the group. It is quickly agreed that Gerald should deal with this situation. The sorcerer  kneels by the tunnel's entrance, and casts a fireball, killing the morlocks but collapsing the tunnel. The Coopers won't be heading that way.

The soldiers begin digging again, this time in the southern wall. After two hours they are through. Thorne steps through, but sees nothing. Darelle steps into the room, then turns a corner. She is attacked by four morlocks, but Roscoe manages to kill them off. Unfortunately, one of them has escaped, no doubt to warn the others.

Thorne sets up a trip wire in the hallway leading south and rejoins the group. After a short discussion the party begins moving south. Thorne remains behind and convinces a soldier to push Gerald in the tripwire. Meanwhile, he will search this room and see if there are any secret passages or doors.

The hallway in which the Coopers find themselves has several branches, and stinks to high heaven. Clearly, they have stumbled into the morlocks' latrine. Roscoe is in the lead, and he triggers a trap that inflicts significant damage on the party. Three soldiers die. There is no time to mourn them, however, as Gerald steps near the tripwire, and is immediately pushed by one of the soldiers. He falls face first into the four inch muck.

Thorne discovers a secret door. He opens it, and finds a room that, unlike the rest of the dungeon so far, shows no sign of having been looted or defaced. The walls still feature ancient Azlan pictures. And in the middle of the room is a pile of treasure, including coins, gems, and items. Thorne greedily walks towards the treasure, but falls in a pit trap along with the treasure, hurting himself. He takes some of the jewelry and the sword. He attempts to climb the ten feet distance back tot he floor, but is unable to do so. He yells for help, and the only person who hears him is Gerald. Reluctantly, the sorcerer backtracks and helps Thorne climb out of the pit.


Abadius 19, 4712

Proceeding down the tunnel, the Coopers and their two remaining soldiers enter another room. A large berm of rubble separates the room into two different parts, and a wooden door is set against the south wall. Roscoe cautiously steps over the berm, then heads for the door. Several pieces of wood wedge the door from this side. Roscoe removes the wedges and steps through the door into the passageway beyond. Everyone else follows. The passageway twists and turns but terminates in a dead end. Roscoe and the rest of the party search for secret doors, but find none.

Gerald, being the last one in, notices that the door closed behind them. He opens it and steps back into the room, only to be attacked by more morlocks armed with repeating crossbows. Gerald is cribbed with bolts. He steps back in the passageway, then emerges again to unleash a fireball, killing all of them. Unfortunately, three of them were hiding in the rubble and escape the terrible fate suffered by the others, and they step out once the fire dies down. Gerald is surprised and finds himself clubbed. Hearing the sounds of battle, Daryle tells the soldier in front of her to open the door. He does so, and she readies an arrow. However, she can't tell which of the four darkened figures is Gerald, so she yells at him. Gerald responds, but gets attacked again, and he is once again wounded, this time falling unconscious.

Daryle lets an arrow fly, and one of the three morlocks dies. A second one jumps back into the rubble and escapes, while the third strikes Gerald again. He is brought down by Daryle, but not before the sorcerer is brought to the very edge of death. With a wounded party and three soldiers dead, what will the Coopers do? The story continues in Hunting Morlocks.

The Changing of the Guard

Abadius 1, 4712

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Abadius 2, 4712

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

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

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

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

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

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

Duke Mosley Makes a Play

Nehn 31, 4711

Remembering what happened at the Summer's Ball and how constrained she felt at having to fight in a dress, Darelle decides she will wear pants under her dress in case another battle ensues.

Roscoe returns to the Citadel and meets with the Lady Commander Drovust one more time. She tells him of the plan, such as it is. She plans on "dying" then being immediately taken back to her room. Only six other Hellknights will know she has not passed. She will then await Duke Mosley's move. Roscoe can enter in contact with her through Alfred the pageboy. She also tells him that if things go horribly wrong, he is to return to Cheliax and report to Citadel Gheradesca where he is to deliver a report she hid in the cornerstone of the fountain.

Daryle decides she will be violently ill a few minutes after shaking the Lady Commander's hand and will use this excuse to leave the Citadel and flee to Gerald's house. She will also shake many people's hand, including Gerald's, so that she's not accused of being responsible for Drovust's sickness and apparent death.

Still in his prison cell, Thorne talks to Dr. Mordel to see if the vampire will escape with him and the rest of the prisoners when the time comes. Mordel tells him no, he will remain here. Thorne briefly entertains the idea of capturing and sacrificing one of the prisoners to Mordel, but then abandons it as impractical.

At ten o'clock, the carillon begins to ring, and the New Year's Eve party starts. Over the course of twenty minutes, over 150 civilian guests join the 90 Hellknights already present. Drovust has positioned armed guards every few feet along the wall to keep an eye on the hall, and all the guests are searched when they enter. A valet announces every guest, and as they enter they are welcomed by Drovust. The first Cooper to arrive is Darelle. Gerald is next. Duke Mosley makes an entrance after the sorcerer. At 5'1 and wearing a full military uniform, he looks ridiculous yet it is undeniable he exerts a certain magnetism. Accompanied by 17 unarmed guards and companions, he occupies a large space. Finally, Daryle arrives at the Citadel. She goes down the receiving line, and she shakes every person's hand, including the Lady Commander's. The assassination plot is now in motion.

As they gather together by the refreshment table for some small talk, Roscoe mentions to his siblings that nine of Mosley's men are expert swordsmen, and the others may be veteran spellcasters. Clearly the Duke is up to no good. Speaking of the short man, he leaves his guards behind and he approaches the Coopers. "Hello, Riverbottoms triplets," he says in a high-pitched voice. The Coopers look at each other. Does the Duke know about their past? Daryle corrects him, telling him that their surname is Cooper and not Riverbottom. The Duke winks at them, and replies that, of course, he was mistaken. He questions Roscoe on the apparent lack of leadership within the Fort Inevitable Hellknights, especially given the destruction of the northern wall and the too close for comfort failed invasion led by Greenhide and ilk. Roscoe plays it cool and admits that it could have gone better, but under the circumstances as the commander he did the best he could. Gerald then brings up the green storms and the monsters that afflict the area at seemingly random intervals. Mosley seems very interested in that phenomenon. The Duke then turns to the Emerald Spire and the adventures the Coopers have had there over the last year. Once again, Gerald is careless with his words and begins to tell a few stories until Daryle pokes him in the ribs to shut him up. The Duke thanks the Coopers and moves on to other guests.

A few minutes later, Drovust collapses on the ground. The crowd immediately goes silent. Several Hellknights rush in and carry her away back to her room. Maralictor Wirt requests a doctor or a healer, and Darelle volunteers. They rush upstairs. Darelle mentions to Wirt that Mordel, the town's best physician, is in a jail cell, so the Hellknight orders he be brought up to the Lady Commander's room, and asks Darelle to fill him in on the details as they climb the stairs.

The assembled crowd in the hall is now quiet and contemplative, and it is clear many of them are now calculating new odds of various plots succeeding. Sensing the tension ratcheting up, Roscoe steps forward and assumes temporary command, telling the crowd that the Lady Commander will be fine, and that they need to enjoy themselves in the meantime.

These words are unfortunately pronounced at the same time as a flash of blinding light in the center of the room reveals a large demon wearing chains and a sharp-looking silver scythe. Pandemonium breaks out. The demon swings his weapon and decapitates one of the civilian guests. Hellknights pull out weapons and join the fray against the demon. Civilians scream and run wild, trying to escape. While a ring of guards form around Duke Mosley, Roscoe notices that half of his entourage has disappeared up the stairs towards the Lady Commander's private apartments. The Duke himself seems neither surprised by the demon's appearance, and he simply stands there, surveying the chaos. Daryle jumps into action and helps civilians escape the Citadel's receiving hall. Roscoe and Gerald attack the demon.


While the demon causes panic in the hall, Dr. Mordel and Darelle rapidly climb on the 4th floor and see five Hellknights wearing Duke Mosley's colors in the hallway near the door. The Hellknights inform Darelle to return downstairs. The ranger refuses, and a violent confrontation ensues. With Darelle's life in danger, Dr. Mordel casts darkness. In the few moments that everything is black, Darelle hears the faint noises of battle, as if she was wrapped in heavy covers, and when the light returns Dr. Mordel stands sagely next to her, while Mosley's men lay dead on the floor, each with a broken neck. Darelle and Dr. Mordel are admitted to Drovust's room. Dr. Mordel and Drovust stand together, looking outside the window and whispering to each other.

Down in the prison, the chaos draws away all of the guards. Using his amazing thieving skills, Thorne escapes from his cell, to the delight and derision of the other prisoners, who beg him to free them. Thorne walks into the guard post, and searching through the pile of paper he finds his arrest warrant. He pockets it and heads out. Carefully climbing the stairs, he hears the sounds of battle. When the opportunity presents itself, the rogue jumps out of his hiding spot and joins the fleeing crowd.

After several blows and many dead bodies, Roscoe strikes the demon and manages to slay it. Having escorted the last of the civilians out of the Citadel, Daryle locks the gates and remains inside to support her brother. Finding himself free again, Thorne elaborates a plan. He goes to the store, packs his gear, and heads out of town through the sewers hoping that the heat will drop and that his disappearance will be unnoticed for a while.

Back in the Citadel, Roscoe receives the disturbing news that the Hellknights camping outside the wall around Fort Inevitable have mustered and are massing around the gates. When confronted with this information, Duke Mosley tells Roscoe that his men must be worried for the Duke's safety since they probably heard the battle taking place inside the Citadel and the screams of a terrified populace. Roscoe escorts Duke Mosley and some of his men to the Juliver Gate. Duke Mosley observes his army moving towards the Fort for a few minutes, but then dispatches Roscoe with a message to stand down, the situation in the Fort has been rectified.

Gerald notices that some of Duke Mosley's men remained in the hall and are now issuing orders. When questioned, they tell Gerald that with the Lady Commander gravely ill and possibly dead, Duke Mosley thought it best to assume temporary command of the Fort until a local commander could be appointed. Daryle, meanwhile, spots Bolgur and tells him the Lady Commander is in danger and that five of Mosley's people are missing...

New Year's Eve

Nehn 18, 4711

Darelle and Daryle discover Gerald meandering the forest early in the morning, following his ill-fated encounter with Greenhide. After a few hours of rest and healing, Gerald reveals that he sat at the table with Greenhide and the goblin revealed to him that his informant inside the Hellknight compound thought that there was to be a civil war soon. The goblin chief is planning to sit this one out and take on the winners of this bloody and debilitating conflict. After that, he remembers that Greenhide had him escorted away from the Spire and he spent the night in the forest, with wolves howling all around him.

Strangely, Gerald does not recall how he received the large scar on his breastbone. The scar looks angry but it does not appear to have been infected.

Roscoe is summoned to Lady Commander Drovust's office. There he is met by the Commander as well as all of the high-ranking Hellknight officers. Roscoe is officially granted all rights to carry the title of Hellknight, due to his slaughtering the demon Sartoss. He is also appointed as the warden of the Citadel's goal, a series of twelve cells in the second basement where criminals and enemies of the Hellknights are kept.

Nehn 21, 4711

Roscoe overhears a conversation between the Lady Commander Drovust and Maralictor Wirt concerning the arrival of Duke Mosley and a few thousands Hellknights, who are heading to the Wound of the World. Drovust expresses her worries that the Duke may be making a power play to remove her from her office, so the guard must be deployed to protect Fort Inevitable. Hellknight soldiers loyal to Drovust will remain inside the walls, while newly arrived soldiers will not be permitted inside Fort Inevitable.


Nehn 30, 4711

Duke Mosley and his troops arrive, as well as a large merchants' caravan. The merchants set up by the commons outside the gates, while the newly arrived Helknights pitch camp in a crescent formation around the southeastern section of Fort Inevitable. With over 4,000 troops, this camp is huge.

A siege mentality quickly spreads through Fort Inevitable. Local citizens are allowed in and out of the Fort, but newly arrived Hellknights must remain outside the walls. Local Hellknights provide as an excuse that the town is overcrowded with the merchants' arrival and that, to maintain law and order, the number of soldiers inside the walls must be kept to a minimum.


Nehn 31, 4711

With the New Year only hours away, the Hellknights deliver golden embossed invitations to each of the Coopers at their residences, except for Thorne. Each of them is invited to attend the celebration at the Citadel. Darelle and Gerald are inclined to go, but Daryle remembers the last time she participated in a Hellknight celebration and does not want to go. She tells the Hellknights delivering the invitation that she's not feeling well and will most likely not be there.

A few minutes later, someone knocks on Gerald's door in Fort Inevitable. He answers in his bathrobe, and is greeted by a messenger boy who's delivering a letter from his mother, Gertrude.

At the same time, Erynna, Dr. Mordel's personal assistant, delivers a letter from Dr. Mordel to Darelle. She tells her that Dr. Mordel is in grave danger in prison and is likely to die there.

Finally, an armored Hellknight imp delivers a letter to Daryle. It looks like she must attend the New Year ceremony after all.

 

Given these two rather poor options, Daryle decides she must consult with her siblings. First, she checks to make sure their treasure remains undiscovered. She then heads to Fort Inevitable to visit the merchants and gets a nice walking stick she can take into town.

Meanwhile, six burly Hellknights come to Tom Braddon's General Store shortly after it opens. Thorne is the only employee there. A Hellknight hands him an arrest warrant with Thorne's name on it. The rogue quickly thinks about fleeing, but he realizes he is hopelessly outnumbered, so he accompanies them to the Citadel.

Gerald is still on his porch, pondering his mother's letter and the meaning of his large scar when he sees Thorne being led away in handcuffs. He shrugs, then decides to go see Dr. Mordel. He carefully gets dressed then heads out. The town is packed with soldiers, more than usual, and it seems like every Hellknight in Fort Inevitable is out on the walls and throughout the streets.

Darelle, meanwhile, goes to Dr. Mordel's house and meets the four patients currently under the doctor's care. It is clear that two of them are under palliative care and do not have long left to live. But the other two have exotic diseases. The first one, a woman, has strange purple plaques on most of her body. These plaques appear to move randomly, and sometimes angry blue dots appear and disappear in the middle. Her chart's information informs Darelle that Dr. Mordel believes the woman to suffer from papura tohu disease, a disease common on the elemental plane of water but that generally only affects amphibian species. Mordel speculates that she came in contact with the frogmen during the most recent green storm. The second patient appears to be a dwarf whose right side has been transformed and looks like a scaly lobster. Even his arm has been changed into a claw. Mordel has not arrived at a diagnostic but he recorded that the claw arm can be cut and it regrows. She begins to take care of them.

Arriving at Dr. Mordel, Gerald instead meets Erynna, who tells him it looks like the good doctor has been detained by the Hellknights. Darelle returns upstairs, and she tells Gerald what she knows about Mordel's arrest.

Thorne lucks out and is locked into the same cell as Mordel. A quick verbal exchange between prisoners on this level indicate that many of the leading citizens are currently housed here, and most have been arrested since sundown. Thorne tells Mordel he plans on escaping, but Mordel tells him he will remain behind. Mordel appears dejected and seems to have lost the will to live. He reveals to Thorne that he is sort of a vampire, but he believes in facing justice, even the harsh judgment of the Hellknights.

Meanwhile, Roscoe reads the prisoners' report, and realizes that Thorne is now a resident of his facility. He takes a walk down to the second basement, and finds his younger brother spending quality time with Dr. Mordel. According to the gaol's roster, Thorne has not currently been scheduled for execution. Nevertheless, he decides he must somehow arrange to free his brother. Roscoe thus returns and passes a note and a key to Thorne to escape.

Eventually, Daryle enters Fort Inevitable and locates Darelle and Gerald. She decides to call a family meeting. Gerald tells her he saw Thorne being hauled away to the Citadel. Daryle decides to ignore that for now, and a message is sent to Roscoe. About an hour later, the four Coopers are reunited. After a quick conversation, it is clear that the Coopers are in danger. They agree that the assassination attempt must take place, but the course of action is to reveal this attempt to the Lady Commander Drovust so she can fake her own death. Duke Mosley will then spring his plan into action, and the Lady Commander with her trusted guard can thwart him. Roscoe says he will approach Drovust and share this information with her.

Thorne unlocks the door and discovers that the other prisoners are willing to attempt an escape. He comes up with a quick plan. They will overpower the night guard, when the staff is reduced inside the Citadel's lower levels, and make their way to the sewer system.

Roscoe returns to the Citadel and talks to the Lady Commander Drovust alone in her office, and reveals his information. Drovust eventually agrees to fake her own death, and tells Roscoe to tell no one else about this subject.

Darelle and Gerald try to visit Dr. Mordel in the gaol, but are turned away. The Hellknights are on edge and will not let anyone in, even if they appear sick.

So the plan is set. Daryle will fake being ill and will shake the Lady Commander's hand after using a dose of the calamby poison from Daggermark. An hour later, the Lady Commander will convulse and will apparently die. The trap will be set.