Part I: Chaos Rising
Crydee sewers
The Drow spits out blood as Barrett's gauntleted fist makes contact with his face again. Still silent the Paladin strikes again and again, but the dark-elf does not speak. Finally, as the Paladin moves to draw his execution sword from his pack the huddled form speaks.
"There is a new power. One that will cast down your false gods and burn all those who oppose it. And all who do not serve it will be cursed for an eternity".
Barrett lifts his blade above the head of the drow, and the creature utters a few final words.
"Chaos is rising."
[Returning to Crydee]
After a long arduous journey through the forest the group returns to the well worn road to Crydee. Their travel is uneventful, the odd group of bandits or goblins that had once troubled them not foolish enough to engage with such a fearsome group. One day however, the group stops the cart as they hear the clashing of metal on rock from further down the road. To their shock around the corner walks a strange mechanical beast. Appearing at first to be a massive scorpion, as it comes closer it is revealed to be not flesh but steel, moving by some miraculous collection of pistons and gears. Their jaws drop further when the beast stops in the middle of the road, and its torso lifting upwards reveals and small man clad in strange goggles within its belly. Bowing to the shocked figures before him he introduces himself as Roland, a travelling seller of magical antiquities. He produces a shelf of magical items from his machine, and goes on to spruik each of his wares. Many seem to amazing to be real, and at prices as high as 2000 platinum some seem to expensive for a lunatic like this man to be walking around with. Eventually the group says they goodbyes to the strange little man and his machine, and he creaks off down the road. A few days later, now travelling through the forest heartland around Crydee, the group are set upon as they sleep. A pair of drow try to sneak into the camp, but are spotted by an alert Lorgar. Roused to action the party cut the drow down, taking one as a prisoner. The captured drow speaks of a chaos rising in the region that is drawing the drow out of hiding. He references a great power from beyond, and says the drow have been waiting for it for many centuries. Eventually Barrett cuts off his head, but few sleep well after this troubling news.
The following morning the group rides into the outskirts of Crydee, the massive city a welcome sight after so long in the wilderness. Pierce takes his leave, agreeing to meet the group in Karse if they are ever visiting his city. Outside the walls a young farmer challenges the party to a duel, a fine duelling sword buckled atop his rough clothes. Stevie indulges the child, beating him with his fists and accepting his bet of a home cooked meal. Their bellies full of a meaty broth the party rides into the city. Barrett makes at once for the household of Albrecht's aunt Leslie, returning his possessions to her and making his apologies about the death of her nephew. His horse is transferred to a young knight in the service of the Duke, as per Albrecht's instructions. Lorgar makes his way to the docks, while Stevie and Clarence return to their regular inn the Heroes Tankard. Set to meet the Duke the following morning the group settles in for a night in civilisation, hitting the many taverns and ale-houses across the city. Lorgar finds a crew of dwarven sailors, while Stevie and Clarence drink together. Barrett takes his armour to a blacksmith and has all signs of its Orcish heritage removed, with spikes and foul symbols chiselled off for a menial fee. In the early hours of the morning Stevie finds himself alone in the Heroes Tankard, Clarence having gone to bed hours earlier. As he moves to leave the common room a set of figures stand from the crowd, drawing weapons and moving towards him. As they move their faces twist and change, and their daemonic presence is revealed. Leaping over the tables Stevie slays the foul creatures, before falling to the ground in exhaustion.
The next morning Clarence, Barrett and Lorgar are delayed in their meeting with the Duke as half a dozen bodies are found in the common room of the Heroes Tankard. Barrett and Lorgar investigate, and find that the people who had been killed had been poisoned during the night with an unknown concoction. Suspecting foul play they none-the-less hurry to their meeting with the Duke. Duke con Doin greets the group warmly, welcoming them back to his table and listening intently of their stories of the elven forest. He had recently discovered the location of a large group of Surani, and was sending out an expedition to investigate and destroy it. He asks the group to accompany them, and offers them swift horses and bountiful rewards if they could help. Roland Orville, the High Priest, and the captain of the Duke's army Kirk would accompany the party two days hence. When inquiring about the reason for their lateness the Duke's face grows dark. He knows of these "barhouse slaughters", and suspects foul play, but so far his town guards have been unable to find any leads. As the party indulge in the foods of court far away Stevie J wakes up in a dark and dank cell. Kept in total darkness, he gains light only from a small hole that opens in his wall to give him a plate of food. Hours later he emerges into a dark sand-floored room, and is faced with a fearsome white dire wolf. Above him men with shadowed faces cheer as he slays the beast, and is forced back into the darkness of his cell.
With Stevie still missing the party sets to trying to find him. Lorgar uses a clerical ritual, and manages to establish that Stevie is underground. Using a map of the city, they manage to establish that he is located directly underneath the market and dock district. Accessing the sewer through an access gate in the district, the group find themselves sloshing through the mossy mud beneath the city. Following Lorgar's lead the group comes upon a pair of dark leather armoured men sitting at a desk upon which tokens and gold are stacked. Seeing the group approaching the two men run, cutting lose a chain that releases a grey-furred owl-bear from its hiding place in the sewer walls. The creature eats a package on the floor, and seems to enter some sort of frenzy. Barrett barely keeps the creature at bay with his shield as it lashes at him with its beak, and finally with a burst of magical energy Clarence burnts a hole through the creatures hide and it falls to the ground dead. Elsewhere Stevie J sits patiently in his cell. A small meal is pushed forward and he gobbles it down quickly, eager for his next fight. Emerging he faces off against a giant spider, ripping its legs off its body to the roars of the crowd. He returned to his cell, fuming at the ease of his fight. Stevie no longer minded the killing. In fact he longed for more bloodshed.
Back in the sewers the group investigate the tokens on the desk, finding they are a dwarven symbol roughly translated to "paid". They move further into the sewers and come out into an area of ancient stone, where large groups of men and women mill around a series of holes in the floor. The gathered people shout and jeer as they watch men fighting beasts in pits below, betting amongst themselves and revelling in the blood spilled on the sand below. In one arena finely dressed men and women watch man fighting man, as desperate figures slash at each other with rusty shortswords. Furious, Barrett bellows at the top of his lungs and begins announcing that those present were under arrest. The crowd scatters, and heavy set men in dark leathers move to attack the interlopers. The guards draw shortswords and cudgels, but find they are quickly outmatched by blasts of magic and an explosion of ice from Lorgar, calling on what he learned in the Winter Shrine of Elvandar. Barrett smites the guards with a snarl, and rushes after those who flee through a hidden corridor behind the higher pits. Far below a guard opens Stevie's door to bring him food, but the Halfling is ready. Pulling the guards arm through the gap he breaks it, smashing the guards head against the floor until it is a bloody mess and pulling the keys from his belt.
Barrett catches a glimpse of a woman fleeing down the hidden passageway and gives chase, catching glimpses of dark skin and black robes as she ducks from passageway to passageway. The fleeing figure pulls a series of levers, and in the dark below the fighting pits the assembled creatures and men are released from their cages. Stevie lashes out with his fists, slaying his fellow prisoners as they rush him in a maddened frenzy. Barrett, now joined by Lorgar, run full pelt into the monsters that had been released. Lorgar blasts the creatures back with lightning and Barrett continues his pursuit, while the dwarf turns to face the spiders, lions and creatures attacking each other in a frenzy of tooth and claw. His foes defeated but his blood still up Stevie runs towards the only living foe he can see, a startled Clarence. As he closes on him his fever breaks, the sight of his old friend overpowering even his blood-craze. In the dark sewer corridors the fleeing figure is resolved before Barrett, and he cuts her down without mercy. Pulling back her hood she is revealed to be a drow. Alerted by the party, the town guard move in the arrest the remaining criminals. The last of the beasts are put down, and the underground lair is searched from top to bottom. They find the remains of poisoned foodstuffs, intended to be distributed across the city. Although this problem is dealt with, the group is shocked by how far the drow had infiltrated the city.
Part II: Ferryman's Due
The Dwarven tunnels
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[Travelling to the Rift]
While Stevie recovers from his strange drug-induced rage at the hands of the Drow, the rest of the group prepare for their journey to the alleged source of the Surani in the region. The journey will be a long one, far to the north-east to near the city of Armengar. They are encouraged to find, however, that Punchcat had resurfaced in the city, eager to join the party after hearing that they were making their way near the fabled “Thunderhell Mountains”, where he had heard giants as large as castles often dwelled. While recovering Stevie is contacted by a group of secretive monks within Crydee, the Cult of Shadows, and in a private initiation ceremony becomes one of their members. A few days after breaking up the underground fighting ring, the group finds themselves riding out of town with the sun at their backs. Only the Warlock Kulgan and High Priest Orville accompany them, as Captain Kirk and his men are required to stay in the city and deal with Drow infiltration. Passing the great forest of Elvandar the wagon is wracked with wind and sleet storms, the seasons of that land still righting themselves after the treachery of Malfeas. Unpleasant days and nights follow, as bitter cold makes the nights long and uncomfortable. The adventurers are not the weathers only victims; a group of traveller bards are trapped upon the road as a massive tree has barred their passage. The group help to remove the tree, and spend a night of frivolity in the bard’s camp once the storm passes. The following morning with slightly lighter purses and rumours circulating about Punchcat’s trist with a bardic druid the group departs the camp.
Scouting the road ahead the following day Stevie spots the familiar coloured armour of a Surani warband, a small group obviously scouting the region. Leaving Kulgan and Orville with the cart the group moves through the forest to ambush the group. Taken by surprise many of the soldiers are grabbed by Clarence as he reaches out with his mind, and the rest of the group moves forward to slay the survivors. Even as they do so a black robed figure steps from amongst the Surani, raising his hands and sending a fireball hurtling towards the party. Clarence is blasted from his horse, while Barrett and Punchcat are sent flying back into the undergrowth. Suddenly unbound, the soldiers spill forward and are met by the arrows and lightning blasts of Stevie and Lorgar. While they hold off the soldiers Clarence summons forth his black magic, summoning black tentacles from the forest floor that reach up and rip the black robed figure to pieces in a splash of blood and bone. The remaining Surani are captured, but even under Barrett’s watchful eyes they do not reveal anything.
Burying the bodies of the prisoners, the group sets out on the road again.
Moving past the edge of Elvandar they endure the last of the storms, eventually reaching a large river that leads northeast to the Lake of the Sky. Further down the river is a ferry, run by an old local man with a single good eye. He is cranky, but agrees to take the group for an extremely steep price. The shifty mans true colours are revealed midway across the river, when his "sons" turn on the group with cudgels and shortswords drawn. The guards throw Stevie J into the water, where he begins to struggle in the fast flowing river. Back on the barge Punchcat picks up two of the guards and throws them into the river, while Lorgar calls down lightning that smites the drowning men. Back on the shore Barrett, Clarence and Stevie are attacked by more bandits that appear from the nearby woods. Biting off more than they can chew the men are quickly driven off, while Barrett begins to pursue those who would dare try to escape. Eventually in their haste the men flee off a small cliff, and their legs broken are put down by the vengeful Barrett. Using magic to push the ferry to the other side Lorgar discovers the bandit hideout, bearing evidence of months of raiding at the ferry, and two young female prisoners bound in the basement.
Using the barge to transport the last of the horses across the road the group rides for the farm belonging to the captive girls. Unfortunately within they find their mother and father with their throats slit, and Barrett oversees a small funeral in the yard with the bawling girls. The group camps outside the farmhouse that night, the place long since ransacked by the river bandits. Calmed down, the girls agree to accompany the group as far as Armengar, where they can find work and a new life. With their new companions the group hits the road once again, passing the massive Lake of the Sky where Lorgar stops to make an offering to his god. Camping by the lakeside the group is troubled by fey spirits, but with Barrett’s magic and Stevie’s skill at archery the pesky glowing orbs are easily dispatched. Still marching along the side of the lake the group comes across a small shrine to a local deity, where many who live nearby come to pray. A sly grin on his face, Stevie shoots a web into their midst and giggles as they run screaming away from the shrine. Barrett, incensed at this outrage, announces his wish to punish Stevie immediately. It takes the cooler heads of Lorgar and Roland to calm Barrett down, with the paladin suggesting everything from lashings to execution as the halflings fate. Agreeing to leave the trouble behind them, a slightly less harmonious group makes their way away from the Lake of the Sky and into the foothills of the nearby mountains.
Travelling through the foothills the group spots a large army of Drow, marching through the forest. The scouts of the army run into the travellers, firing poisoned arrows that strike down Clarence and the two girls. Barrett rides his horse towards the hiding spots of the Drow, striking them down as they clamber the trees to escape, while Drow are struck from trees by arrows and bolts of energy. Jumping back onto the Admiral and the horses the group gallops down the road away from the Drow force, pursued by more outriders from the force. The horses break off into the undergrowth to lead the force away from the cart, and are pursued by mounted Drow through razor-vine invested forest. Eventually, dusty and worn out, they lose their pursuers and regroup. Camping that night the camp is approached by a single figure, a Dwarven ranger sent to aid the group in travelling through the mountains.
Narude, the dwarven ranger, leads the group through a tunnel into the mountain. Although the Admiral’s cart barely fits, the smooth dwarven made tunnels make for quick travel into the depths of the mountain. That night Stevie and Barrett spot a shadow in the tunnels, and move to follow it. Moving through winding half-carved corridors the two soon find themselves lost, before stumbling into what appears to be a massive long-abandoned cathedral. At the centre of the cathedral sits a massive pile of gold, weapons and armour, and upon that horde a gargantuan red dragon. The dragon is slouched, his scales a light red and the strength of his limbs seemingly gone. As the group approaches he rises up, blowing fire from his mouth that lights the nearby candelabras and cast the room into a dim light. The massive red dragon speaks directly into the minds of those present, introducing himself as Rhuar the Golden. The dragon eases the minds of those present, and discusses with them their quest. He knows of their encounters with the Surani, and can sense the thinning of the walls between the worlds. He says it is because the Old Gods are gaining strength, and the Drow and other servants of Chaos. Although once a servant of chaos, Rhuar was now allied with the forces of good. To aid the group in their quest he would given to them tokens to aid them in fighting the darkness. To Barrett he gives plate armour in gold and red, and to Punchcat armoured gauntlets in the same shades. To Clarence and Stevie golden jewellery with rubies, each with a special property. And to Lorgar an obsidian staff carved with images of storms that crackles with energy. His final task completed, Rhuar breathes his final breaths before turning himself and his hoard to stone.
Part III: The Veil Weakens
The Deserts of Suran
The slaves mill about, trying to loot the weapons and rations of their former owners. Observing the confused men and women, Clarence’s wrinkled face breaks a grin. “More meat for the grinder”…
[Halting the Rising Threat]
The others returning to the campsite Punchcat's eyes widen and the story of Rhuar, and he rushes back into the tunnels to spot the giant stone dragon. The Punchcat returning with a stone token, the group breaks camp and moves further into the tunnels behind their dwarven guide Darude. After a few hours they begin to hear the sounds of metal on stone, and peeking around a corner spot a group of Surani guards watching over a minesite. Surani slaves seem to mine the walls of the tunnel, joined by heavy chains and watched carefully by whip wielding guards. Moving forward the group wades into the Surani guards, Punchcat leading the way with his new magical gauntlets. Slaying the guards, Barrett and Orville move to talk to the slaves, but even with Orville's knowledge of their language it is slow going. They discover the slaves were forced to mine rocks to take back to a camp for an unknown purpose. As the group talks to the slaves a surprised black robed man walks around the next corner, quickly fleeing back the way he came upon spotting the freed slaves and slain guards. Stepping into a portal, he escapes just as Stevie gets him in his sights with his shortbow. Cutting off the last of the shackles, Punchcat gives the slaves some advice on surviving in the wild before sending them on their way.
Rushing through the final tunnel the group walks straight over a trap left by the fleeing Great One. Flame explodes from beneath the wagon, and the Admiral is burst into pieces by the force of the magic. The group stands stunned for a moment, shocked at the death of their loyal and longstanding animal companion. Moving out into the light, the scorched wagon plods onwards pulled by Punchcat's horse Ser Cheeseberger. Burying the remains of their companion they move on into the forest, following Kulgan's lead towards the location of the Surani incursions. Moving closer the group starts to come across roaming patrols of the strange multi-coloured armoured foes. Although many are dealt with stealthily, one patrol manages to alert the main base about the location of the group. Pulling out a rod from his coat, the scout presses a button at its top, and behind him a magical portal opens. Soldiers flow from the portal, followed by a pair of the black robed mage Great Ones. The soldiers are blasted apart by Clarence's magic as they move forward, the Warlock standing atop the cart and blasting purple and black flames at the figures. The two Great Ones deal with this quickly, throwing a pair of fireballs towards the cart. The explosions washes over Clarence, the cart and the two farm girls who cower within it, turning over the cart and killing the horse Ser Cheeseberger instantly. Barrett and Punchcat move to hold off the Surani forces, while Stevie continues to fire arrows into the melee. Lorgar pulls himself from the charred remains of the cart, passing the two now dead farm girls and calling down a bolt of lightning in rage. The bolts obliterates the two Great Ones, and the remaining troops are slaughtered as they try to flee back to the portal. Catching their breath, the group looks at the three more lives that had been lost in their quest.
Their location revealed, the group makes haste back into the forest, unable to stop even to bury the dead. Stevie J runs at the back of the group, concealing their tracks and allowing them to pass without trace. Many hours off the group makes camp, with Barrett holding a small funeral for the dead and Lorgar healing their many wounds. Sharing a drink for their fallen allies the group enjoys a blissfully quiet evening in the depths of the forest. Moving out the next day the patrols become more and more common, but without the wagon they are easily avoided. Eventually, cresting a large hill into a clearing, the group spots the Surani encampment. It is difficult to see from this distance, but the camp seems to be built around four main structures. The structures feature conveyer belts where rocks are pulled up into rooms where Clarence's owl spots Great Ones weaving a large amount of magic. In the centre of the camp, surrounded by the buildings and numerous tents, is a large portal. Almost 20 metres across, the portal is guarded by half a dozen Great Ones, and a wooden palisade surrounds the entire encampment. All up Clarence estimates over one hundred Surani in the camp, as well as 30 or so Great Ones.
Sitting in darkness beyond the encampment the group discusses the matter with Kulgan and Orville. While the pair remind the party their responsibility is only to report the camp's purpose, the group feels it is their duty to try and stop whatever the Surani are doing. They are at a loss however, of how they could face so many enemies and hope to survive. Clarence's owl provides a way out, as during his scouting he spots a small army of drow approaching the encampment. Approaching from the east, the group is unsure what the intentions of the drow are, but decide to strike in the confusion of their arrival. Moving to the hill above the camp, they wait until the drow army arrives. Splitting in two, the drow attack the camp from both sides. Great Ones and Surani rush out of the camp to clash with the drow, while drow outriders on strange dark beasts sneak into the camp and slay the Great Ones guarding the portal. See a drow leader walking towards the portal the group moves, running down the hill towards the camp to stop whatever goal the drow are pursuing.
Moving in through the chaos of the camp, the heroes rush towards the portal. The drow move out to protect their leader, riding strange massive dark cats with multiple tails. As they move Lorgar chants to himself, blessing his allies in the name of the Stormlord. Stevie J shoots as he runs, putting arrow after arrow into the beasts before they fall. Barrett rides forward, smashing another creature aside and casting his rider down to the ground. Slightly behind his mounted friends Punchcat barrels into the remaining drow, his golden and red armoured fists smashing aside the black armour of the drow. Eventually, wounded and bleeding, the group dispatches the last of the drow. Feeling themselves tiring from the poisons coating their weapons, they move towards the kneeling man. Much to their surprise he does not rise, his eyes pure black and chanting a strange language. His chanting is put to rest by an arrow to the back of the head.
Kulgan and Orville kneel down at what appears to be a command console at the base of the portal, Orville recoiling as he is sickened by what he describes as an overload of chaos energy in the portals aura. Kulgan has no such issues, and informs the heroes that he can close the portal, but is being challenged by some force inside that threatens to overwhelm him. The heroes look at one another, knowing what needed to be done but reluctant to do it. Hefting their weapons once again, stepping into the portal to buy Kulgan the time to close the gate. Moving through the semi-solid wall of energy the group finds themselves being pulled apart by the maelstrom of non-reality. Nearly overcome, they are brought back together by the artefacts given to them by the red dragon. Each finds themselves reforming on these artefacts, their form held together by these reality anchors. Eventually the maddenly fall lands them in a large room carved from obsidian, featuring only a single figure sitting in a throne. As they dust themselves off he stands, addressing each by name and introducing himself as Ashan. He explains that he was a servant of Chaos in the time before Order, and was trapped in this place long long ago. The drow are his servants, and were attempting to use the portal created by the Surani to help him escape. He offers the group a chance to join him, allowing him to pass in return for a place at the head of his army. Stevie and Punchcat seem to consider his offer, their chaotic nature easily influenced by the man's silver tongue. Ignoring the protests of Lorgar and Barrett they are eventually swayed back by Clarence, whose experience with the Chaos powers had led him to know what it was like to be bound to one. Rebuked, the man tries to simply unmake the party, using his control over this realm to utterly destroy them. Once again the dragon artefacts keep them together, and angered the man rises from his chair.
A blade of pure darkness manifests in the man's hand, and he steps through his realm towards the group. Lorgar strikes back, pushing a beam of light forwards so bright that it nearly blinds those present. The figure of darkness pushes back against it, struggling with the light even as he parries and thrusts with his sword. The heroes rush to engage him, slashing with sword, fist and magical bolt against his unnatural swirling dark armour. The figure sends out bursts of chaos energy that wrack those present or send them flying back, but the heroes continue to lay into him. As their blows bounce of his armour his slashes at Stevie and Lorgar, sending them sprawling to the grounds in blossoms of blood. Barrett steps over his allies, taking blow after blow on his shield while lashing out with Brightwood. Eventually he tires, and is cast down himself. Stepping over his downed foes the man raises his sword…
With a pop and a wrenching sensation the figures, bloodied and exhausted, are flung back out into reality. A heavy heat assaults their senses at once as they rise on dark yellow sand, looking around them at the strange desert they had emerged into. Turning to his allies Barrett face is white. "I've been here…Suran…"
The Admiral a loyal oxen who had travelled far and wide with the party, burned to a crisp by a Surani fireball
Part IV: Another World
Stuck in the deserts of Suran for the foreseeable future the heroes move to do what they can to survive in the harsh land. Moving to the nearest settlement they go their separate ways, promising to meet back up every month and each try to find their way back to their own world.
Finding the local people to be hardworking and honourable but lacking in any formal religion, Barrett sets to work starting a small chapel to honour the Lord of Light. Selling his extra weapons for local currency, he purchases an abandoned Surani fort and begins repairs. Strangely aided by Clarence, he sets about converting the locals to his God, and soon finds their beliefs similar to his own. After a year he is reluctant to leave his new followers, but after praying on the matter he leaves them in the hands of a local man he had trained up as a priest.
Lorgar accompanied Barrett to his new fortress monastery, helping the Paladin set up his religion. Working with a local stone-mason he helped refit and repair the chapel, his natural dwarven skill put to use. He put some time into studying the magic of the Great Ones, but found it too complicated. Eventually, the fortress repaired, he took to wandering the lands, healing and helping the Surani people as he could. When the time came to return he brought back with him some new skills, but was glad to return to somewhere he knew.
Punchcat's first appearance in a Surani village caused a mild outbreak of panic. Chased into the outlands by a torch-wielding mob, he established a lair and staked out territory in a monster-infested region known as the Bloodhills. Provided with ample prey and entertainment, Punchcat's hunting made the lands gradually safer, until he had been cautiously accepted by the peasants. Inevitably though, word reached the military that smallfolk were paying illegal tribute to some kind of violent local spirit. As the party of Hunters were slaughtered, a panicking Great One fled into the other world, leaving the semi-permanent rift open behind him.
Stevie moved from town to town, stealing what he needed to survive and integrating himself with the thieves and charlatans of his new land. The culture was a bit odd for the halfling, but all the more fun making the locals feel awkward at his lack of understanding. He impersonated, drank and revelled across the land, even travelling as far as the ill-reputed Bloodhills. Meeting his old comrade Punchcat, he makes a small fortune selling monster-parts to alchemists, before losing it all in gambling games he did not understand. When Clarence called the company together again, he eagerly returned to travel home.
Accompanying Barrett, Clarence set about earning back some favour with the Paladin. He helped set up his monastery, and taught some locals to read the holy texts Barrett presented to them. Meanwhile he researched the local magic, knowing the power of the Great Ones to be beyond even his own. He researched their means of tapping into the winds of magic, and when an open portal was reported by his comrades, he took the opportunity and travelled to conduct practical experiments. In a few weeks, he had fully grasped the portal ritual, and offered the Heroes a chance to return to their homeland.
Campaign Appendixes
Dramatis Persona:
Adventurers:
- Barrett Bray: Golden haired and fair skinned half-elf Paladin. Worships the Father with utter devotion, and is disdainful of any who breaks his convents. Wanders the land bringing justice to those who have fallen into darkness. Believes himself chosen by the Lord of Light, after an encounter with a Unicorn.
- Clarence the Wizened: Clarence stands with years of experience swindling and manipulating his betters. A simple forger and con artist Clarence found his true calling through a magical oath to one of the Old Gods. From this Old God he gains powers to defend himself and destroy those who oppose him. As time passes he seems to become more physically able, his youth returned by his dark patron.
- Stevie Jayleaf: A halfling thief who follows a strict code to keep his body and mind in perfect shape. His training allows him to perform acts beyond others, even those twice his height and bulk. A good hearted trickster by nature, he sometimes gets himself into trouble with pranks and hi-jinx.
- Lorgar Thunderheart: Dwarven Cleric of the Stormlord who met the party in Elvandar while investigating the corrupted weather patterns in the region.
- Punchcat: Unique barbarian warrior who fights with armoured fists. Occasionally joins the Heroes as they roam the land. Despite his playful demeanour, he is fierce in defence of his friends.
Associates & NPCs:
- Doric: Named the effusive, silvertongue or "the handsome", Doric is a bard and storyteller. He is an enigma, dropping in and out of lives just long enough to compose a tale or inspire others to greatness. Has been tailing the party for some time, and now follows them south.
- The Admiral: Strong oxen, loyal friend. Originating in Fandolin, this fine beast of burden has pulled his wagon all across the Kingdom.
- Roland Orville: High Priest of the Lord of Light, accompanied the party from Neverwinter to Crydee to investigate the strangers. Ex-Soldier who became a Paladin after facing the horrors of the Great War.
- Duke con Doin: Ruler of Crydee and cousin to the king. Has a blonde bearded and pleasant face, and is beloved by his subjects, who he gives a fine life in his port city.
- Kulgan: Warlock of Duke con Doin. Slightly sinister in appearance, his research covers study into other planes and dimensions.
Locations:
- Crydee: Trading hub of the Green Heart, set upon the river that runs to the sea. A large city ruled by the King's cousin Duke con Doin.
- Yabon Hills: Mountains between the Green Heart and the Thunderhells. Riddled with long forgotten Dwarven tunnels from an unknown settlement.