Medriev's FR Keep on the Shadowfell - Concluded Nov 7

[Medriev]

Chapter 1 - Shadows of the Past

This is a novelisation of a solo (yes, solo) game using the above adventure. An excellent explanation of the concept has been posted here: Dungeons and Dragons Solitaire (first attempt at explaining it) - Wizards Community for those interested.

Anyway, the start of Chapter 1 follows, grateful for feedback, comments but mainly hope others enjoy reading this as much as I have writing it.

Arabel bustled as it always had despite the chill of mid winter and the thick ice that covered gutters and limned roof edges. Trade along the East Way and Calantar’s Way slowed with the cold but never dried up altogether. As the day waned, Lavren found himself as usual seeking out a tavern in which to make himself comfortable and find some warmth. Coming across a sign that marked an alehouse as the Gilded Lady, and noting that he had never come to the place before, he motioned to the man beside him and they stepped inside.

A low fire burned in the hearth of the comfortable common room but the tavern was empty of patrons except for a lone man and a group of apparent mercenaries on a table next to the one Lavren and his friend made their way to. Not long after the two had sat down with their drinks, a group of tough-looking men sauntered into the tavern to the center of the room. The man in the corner leaned back into the shadows of his booth but the seven new arrivals spotted him. Four moved to the front and back doors, while three crossed the room, cornering the patron. A raven haired woman amongst the mercenaries whispered something to her companions but even with his finely tuned elf senses, he could not make out what she said. It seemed that the mercenaries were content in their drinks and so Lavren pushed back his chair, curious to learn what went on in the tavern.

“What happens here?” he asked.
“Mind your own business,” grunted the leader of the group, a scarred man in chainmail. He turned back to the booth and leaned menacingly over the table of the loan man.
“You’re the one, ain’t you?” he asked. The other man recoiled in the booth, mumbling.
“I—I—d-don’t know what you’re talking about.” Lavren heard him manage to stutter
The scarred man seized the shirt of the tavern patron, fumbled with the man’s shirt collar, and yanked out a holy symbol. Lavren saw his friend rise and reach out a restraining hand.
“Leave it Mandratan,” snarled the elf.
“He’s the one,” said the scarred man with a sneer, ignoring the two newcomers. He reached for his sword and, pulling it out, lunged for the terrified man.
Mandratan shoved his chair back hard enough to knock it over and with a snarl of his own, turned to face the scarred man. The scarred man shoved the cowering man back into the booth and turned towards Lavren and his friend.
“Take care of that rabble,” he growled.

At the doors, the men that guarded there reached for weapons while at the booth all turned away from the man and faced the common room at large. One man took a dagger from his belt and strode across the room until he stood before the fire before hurling it at Lavren. The elf panicked then for a moment, realizing that he was truly in battle for the first time. He raised his arm and swatted the dagger aside but felt it nick his arm as it tore through his sleeve. A second man strode forward and hurled a dagger at Mandratan, striking the brown haired man in the shoulder. He cried out and also felt panic seize him as the rough looking men came forward. Luckily, the mercenaries were more interested in the happenings in the tavern than they seemed and at that moment they began to rise from their table. The first was a dwarf who pushed back his chair, drew forth a warhammer and strode to meet the men who had hurled daggers. Another, a woman with short dark hair rose from her seat, unshouldered a bow and loosed an arrow at the scarred man. It nicked his shoulder but she strode forward, drawing another arrow from the quiver on her back.

One of the men from the front door rushed at the mercenaries’ table, flailing wildly with his club. The raven haired woman ducked and then rose but the creature beside her was quicker. It was a black scaled lizard like humanoid which Lavren guessed to be a dragonborn though he had never seen one in the century and more that he had lived. The dragonborn rose, pulled a huge sword from its back and turned to face the dagger throwers and the scarred man. The raven haired woman rose, drew her blade from her back and plunged it into the chest of the club wielding man. He fell to the floor, dropping his club and collapsing in a rapidly growing pool of blood.

From the back door came two more men, the first rushing at Mandratan, his club held high. He swung it and the man raised his arm taking a stinging blow there but the fury of battle was upon him by then and he ignored the pain. The other rushed at the dwarf but the stout warrior turned aside and the wild swing missed. The scarred man snarled his anger then and rushed to join the battle. He barreled past a table, upending a chair and slashed at the dragonborn, striking its shoulder plate and forcing it back two steps.
All this Lavren watched until suddenly, the second man from the door came at him from his left and swung out with his club. The elf ducked instinctively and retreated towards Mandratan, upending his chair between him and his enemy as he did so. He lashed out with his hand and loosed a crackling bolt of dark energy at the man. Alas, his aim was wild and the bolt blasted out a window behind the man with a loud smash and a show of broken. The barkeep cried out and then ducked down behind the bar while at Lavren’s back Mandratan lashed out with his stave. The club man he faced ducked under the wild swing and then came on again. Together, the two faught back to back while around them the rest of the battle raged.

Lavren saw the dwarf struck on the helm by a mace blow from one of the ruffians who had been menacing the man in the booth. The dwarf reeled away seemingly stunned and the other ruffian seized his chance, drawing his own mace and striking the dwarf on the arm as he staggered. With a roar, the dwarf lashed out at both in fury, striking one a ringing blow on the arm and driving both back. The short haired bow-woman moved to cover the door then, loosing arrows as she went. The thugs had only the back door through which to flee now and faught more ferociously. The dragonborn meanwhile pointed its sword at the scarred man.
“We fight to the death, bully man,” growled the dragonborn and then strode to meet the leader of the thugs.

He slashed out with his sword but the man ducked back and then raised his own blade, seemingly accepting the challenge. The raven haired woman moved past Lavren then to meet the club wielding foe who had attacked the elf earlier. She drove her blade into his belly and he fell beside his companion, soaking the floor with more blood. Mandratan ducked as his foe swiped at him again and the dwarf did likewise as the other who wielded a club swung at him. Lavren thought then that the battle would swiftly be won for the thugs faught poorly but then the dragonborn cried out and staggered back from the scarred man, clutching at his belly while still just holding his sword. He seemed sorely wounded and staggered again as he retreated. The scarred man came on and Lavren felt a furious anger rise within him. He lashed his hand out, wand held tightly in its grasp and loosed another blast of dark energy. It seared through the chest of one of the men and pitched him over a table. The elf felt an exhilaration he had never felt before as he used his fey powers to slay for the first time. He strode into the centre of the common room and surveyed the battle, seeking more enemies who could taste of his wrath.

Lavren watched as Mandratan retreated from the foe he faced just far enough to loose a silvery bolt of force at his enemy. Another foe fell then with a smoking black wound in his chest. Mandratan smiled stoically and then moved along the bar until he faced the flank of the remainder of the battle where the dwarf and the dragonborn faced the three ruffians that remained.
“I said to take care of them,” roared the scarred man then. “Not to dance with them!” The ruffians surged forward and drove back the dwarf and the dragonborn.
“Hold here!” called the dwarf to the dragonborn and the scaled creature seemed to recover for a moment, lashing out with its sword, cutting one of the ruffians. An arrow drove into the shoulder of the scarred man from the bow-woman near the door and he staggered, cursing. Lavren felt his confidence returning then and as he did, the dragonborn seemed to gain renewed strength, surging forward himself. The raven haired woman charged into the battle then, driving her sword into the leg of one of the ruffians and slowly, the three began to retreat towards the fireplace.

The scarred man lashed out with his blade but the dragonborn leaned back and avoided the swing. Lavren past another table and reached the row of booths, turning to wink at the archer who now stood behind him. Calling upon the mystic energy of the Feywild as he had rarely done before, he drew a brilliant white flame and sought to set it in the mind and body of the scarred man. Instead, the ragged curtains of the booth next to the man caught alight suddenly and burned with a bright white flame. Lavren cursed and from behind him, he heard the bow-woman do likewise. From the left of the battle, Mandratan called forth a rolling ball of fire that he hurled towards the nearest of the ruffians but alas all ducked or dodged and this too flew into the booth that had already been singed by Lavren. As it burst and set the drapes once more alight, all heard the barkeep squeal his frustration at the damage that was being done to his tavern.

The battle became more fierce then as the three thugs faught with more and more desperation. The short haired woman put aside her bow and pushed past Lavren with a wink of her own. She drove her blade into the thigh of the scarred man and he staggered, sinking to one knee. The dragonborn took a step forward and smashed the hilt of his sword into the man’s face, shattering his nose in a spray of blood. Beside them, the dwarf and the raven haired woman drove one of the ruffians back against the back of a couch that stood before the fire. Panic seemed to grip the thugs then. The scarred man turned to flee but both the short haired woman and the dragonborn brought their blades down upon him and cut him down. Lavren moved over to where Mandratan stood and loosed another blast of dark energy that struck the nearest of the ruffians, hurling him onto the back of the couch. Mandratan extended his hand and launched another silvery bolt of force at the stricken man. It seared through his chest, rolling him over the back of the couch onto its down-filled cushions. He did not rise.

The last of the ruffians darted around the couch and the seats before the fire and rushed to the back door. Pulling the portal open he made to dart out but the dwarf was upon him a heartbeat later. The short haired woman followed as did the others. Lavren raised a hand towards the man and loosed more dark energy that struck the door frame. The man made to duck through the door but Mandratan raised his own hand and struck the man in the back with a silvery bolt. He staggered and ducked through the door at the last as the short haired woman and the dwarf swiped at empty air.

The man huddled in the booth was dressed in plain clothes, indistinguishable from a craftsman or farmer were it not for the holy symbol that he now clutched in white-knuckled hands. The man’s brown hair was in utter disarray, and even after the battle, his thin, wiry frame quivered from the traumatic experience. He looked up at his rescuers with wide, blue eyes as they approached.
“Th-th-thank you so much for saving me,” he said. “Chauntea bless you; bless all of you! I thought for sure I was d-d-dead. My name is Gevarn, and I’m an acolyte of Chauntea.”

There was a brief commotion at the door then as the watch arrived to investigate the battle. The barkeep, despite much hand wringing at the damage, blood and bodies explained well what had occurred and the good deed that had been done and soon, the watchmen went on their way. Slowly, the barkeep began to tidy up, dragging the bodies to the door and bringing rags to mop up the pools of blood.
“Who were those men?” asked the raven haired woman who called herself Dulvarna and came from Eveningstar west of Arabel.
“Hired street thugs,” answered Gevarn, “ruffians sent by the forces of evil to stop me on my mission.”
“Your mission,” asked Lavren, his curiosity piqued once more. “Why were those men after you?”
“I come from a town called Winterhaven up in the Thunder Peaks,” Gevarn replied. “The cleric I serve, Sister Linora, has learned that a cult of Shar has asserted itself in our town. She sent me to go find help, but I’m afraid I’m not well-educated in the ways of the world, and those men must have tracked me down to stop me from finding aid.”
“We could help you find the aid you seek,” said Mandratan. “Where were you bound?”
“In truth I know not,” said Gevarn. “But having seen the way you battled my attackers here, perhaps you are the aid I am seeking.”
“Perhaps we are,” said Lavren. “And though I have travelled the Realms for a century or more I confess that I have never been to Winterhaven.”

The others nodded their approval of this without one pointing out that they had arrived as three groups and would leave as one.

 

[Medriev]

Chapter 1 - Shadows of the Past (Continued)

Enlishia looked ahead down the trail and as a pleasant evening breeze touched her face she was momentarily reminded of Knightswood and the peace of her home. The day had been pleasant for the time of year despite the climb into the high vales of the Thunder Peaks along the East Road and after the exertions of the road, the cool of the breeze was actually soothing. The road beneath Enlishia’s feet was level here while an occasional cobblestone peaked through the dirt indicating decades of neglect. Looking down, she noticed footprints leading up and down the road, many of which were seemingly made by small, clawed feet.

“Have a care hear,” Enlishia said softly. “We may be watched.”
The others moved forward cautiously and Enlishia marveled for a moment at the trust they had built in one battle. Lavren and Mandratan were a part of their band now as much as she was, as much as Dulvarna was. The raven haired woman pulled ahead of the group as usual and Enlishia felt edgy. She reached for an arrow from the quiver from her back and as she did so, Dulvarna passed between two piles of boulders. Small creatures hiding behind the rocks sprung into view and began to move towards Dulvarna and to block the road. Scaled and rust-coloured, they had reptilian heads and tails.

Enlishia rushed forward, an arrow already nocked to her bowstring and let loose at one of the creatures to the right of the road. It fell with the shaft through its chest.

“They are kobolds,” she called back to the others. “Have a care for they are sly and tricky.”
From close to the fallen kobold another rose, this one with a sling in its hands and a clay pot loaded to it. The creature let fly at Dulvarna but she ducked and the clay pot flew into the undergrowth at the left of the road. The pot burst and flames came forth only to be smothered in a hiss of steam by the snow that still covered the ground hereabouts. Javelins came from the kobolds at the right of the road, while Mandratan loosed a silvery bolt that seared through the chest of a kobold and felled it. Two more surged forward from the left of the road, these with short swords and shields that looked to be dragon scales. Lavren called out to Dulvarna and rushed forward. He saw a move from his right and lashed out with his hand sending crackling dark energy there. His foe ducked back and the eldritch power seared only leaves and branches. Deloak roared and surged forward, hammer in hand, taking to the grass beside the road where he was met by another foe. Hammer clashed with sword and neither gave ground as the battle became more fierce.

Another fell to Enlishia’s bow and behind her another pot of flame burst against a rock. The enemy surged forward from the right then but Erlmoor was ready and met them with his blade. Mandratan loosed another silvery bolt, this towards Dulvarna and the enemy she faught. It flew past both and struck the road a way ahead of all. Beside him, Erlmoor met a kobold that came from the right and drove his blade into its belly. It fell gasping to the floor and blood poured from the terrible wound. The dragonborn stepped over the kobold and circled around the rocks, heading for the kobold with the sling and his last companion. The kobolds saw him come and one moved to meet him with a sword. It stabbed at him feebly and he swatted the blade away.

Lavren saw Dulvarna step back, her leg bleeding and moved forward to aid her. Again he tried to summon terrible witchfire within the kobold and again, as in Arabel, it failed. Instead, part of the grass beside the road was seared by white flame. The moon elf cursed in elven. As he did so, Deloak stepped back towards him, drawing a kobold on towards him. At the last he moved to protect the elf and lashed out with his hammer. The kobold stepped back to evade the mighty blow and then darted forward, plunging his blade into the dwarf’s leg. The dwarf grunted and then shoved the kobold back and away.

Dulvarna drove the kobold back before her, cutting a shallow wound in its chest and thanked Lathander as she advanced. The Morning Lord had blessed her with the skills of a warrior and she intended to use them to take his message into the wider world. Further back Enlishia loosed another arrow and once more the shaft struck true. This drove into the shoulder of the sling wielding kobold who fell back against the rock beside him. The slinger twirled the sling over his head having put another clay pot into it but no sooner had he done so than the accursed archer had ducked back behind a
rock. He loosed the pot instead at Lavren and this time it struck home.

Lavren cried out as the heavy missile struck him and then cursed again as glue, rather than fire, spilled out down his legs and onto his feet, rooting him to the spot. Mandratan moved past him, winked at him and then reached out with the wand he carried. Another silvery bolt burst forth, seared through the chest of the slinger and hurled him back against the rock. He did not rise again. Erlmoor lashed out with his blade and cut down the kobold before him and again he stepped over his foe and moved to aid Dulvarna. The kobold before her retreated before the onslaught then, backing towards its last companion who faught Deloak. It came back at the pair fiercely but both were ready and parried expertly. Lavren loosed dark crackling energy at it again then but again his spell flew wide. For a third time he cursed and drew his sword from his belt.

Deloak fell back against Lavren bleeding from the shoulder now and despite his anger and desire to aid Dulvarna, Lavren turned towards the dwarf. He glanced back towards Dulvarna and as he did so, the raven haired woman ducked low and swept the legs from beneath the kobold she faced. It fell to its back before Dulvarna and Erlmoor. Enlishia too saw the chance. Shouldering her bow and drawing her sword from her back, she charged to aid the woman and the dragonborn. Mandratan, meanwhile, turned towards Deloak and his foe as Lavren had. He lashed out with his wand and loosed a silvery bolt that struck the kobold in the shoulder and forced it back a step. Further ahead, Erlmoor drove his blade into the belly of the fallen kobold but still it scrabbled away and rose to its feet. It backed away then and stabbed its blade at Enlishia who parried. Lavren darted around the snow covered boulders and darted in at the other kobold from its right. He thrust at it, driving his blade into its side and it staggered back another step.

“Honourable warriors never fall!” roared Deloak then and with a huge blow he smote the kobold’s skull with his hammer shattering it utterly and spraying Lavren and himself with blood and brains. The kobold fell and the others took up the cry, surging forward. The last of the kobolds, wounded and fearful stood not a chance as Dulvarna surged at it and drove her blade into its chest. It fell amongst the others and the battle was won.

******​

The rutted East Way wound through the Thunder Peaks fro the rest of the day until eventually coming upon the walled town of Winterhaven. The town was nestled in a forested valley in the midst of the mountains, the stone walls appearing weathered but still managing to support the defensive palisades. Small thatched homes stood around the town, each fronting a small piece of farmland that had been cleared of trees. Beyond the farms, to the west and south, were dark woods, and in all directions rose tall mountain peaks. The gates were open and two guards pointed the newcomers towards and inn just inside.

“I must leave you here,” said Gevarn then. “My temple lies against the west wall and I must go and see Sister Linora. I shall tell her of your bravery both in Arabel and on the road and please, come to speak with her as soon as you are settled.”

“We shall learn what we may first,” said Lavren. “Winterhaven seems and intriguing place and a difficult place to hide a cult.”
“Aye, lad,” said Deloak, “we’ll come if we learn nothing more here.”

Gevarn left them then, his shoulders slumping at the less than enthusiastic words of Lavren and Deloak. The six turned towards the inn and made their way inside. Within, Wrafton’s Inn was a spacious place with a wide, long common room in which a scattering of villagers drank and ate. A middle-aged woman with short, black hair served behind the bar and soon the travelers had rooms arranged and food, ale and wine brought to them at a table near one of the two hearths.

“Think you a dark cult lurks here?” said Deloak. “They say that Shar created this world with Selûne her sister but that Shar longs only to see a desolate world filled only with evil and despair.”
“How can a cult lurk here?” said Lavren. “We are so close to Cormyr and to the north my kin guard ancient ways while to the east, the Sembians ever reach forth with gold and goods. Surely the East Way cannot be as dangerous as this?”
“Ever it has been thus, though friend,” said Mandratan. “These peaks are the border between Cormyr and the Dalelands beyond and the Dalesmen have no Purple Dragons to guard every trail and road. These mountains have become riddled with dangers of late as many frontiers have. It is even said that a dracolich known as the Sibilant Shade prowls the mountains. Though she sleeps often of late, she stirs sometimes to prey on particularly treasure-laden caravans that pass through the Thun¬der Gap along the East Way. Know you not that when Cormyr absorbed the nations of Esparin and Orva at its founding, it created a series of fortresses in the Thunder Peaks to guard its east¬ern border but for reasons now lost to time, the keeps failed and Cormyr withdrew its might to instead guard the lower lands. Even the Purple Dragons could not keep this mountain roads safe. There could yet be a cult here.”

“Then if there is one here,” said Dulvarna, “surely someone would know about it. We should ask amongst the townsfolk to learn what we may as we said we would. We must give Lathander the chance to shed light upon the darkness.”
“Lathander aids those who aid themselves,” rumbled Erlmoor. “Though I am sworn to his service I rely on him little. Shar gains much power from servants on the Plane of Shadow, which some call the Shadowfell. The Shadowfell is a dark reflection of Toril, where undead and shadowy humanoids stalk the land. If any such servants lurk here they would be hidden in dark places where we could not see. Like as not none would know unless they were in league with them. Sister Linora it was who sought aid and it is she who likely will know as much as any could in this town. We should see her when morning comes.”

It was agreed then and as platters began arriving of smoked meats and bread and cheese, silence descended on the table and all took to eating and drinking. They retired to their beds satisfied and sated, with new business before them at the dawn.

 

[Medriev]

Chapter 2 - Answers and Questions (Part 1)

“Shar is the Mistress of Night,” said Sister Linora casting a wary glance towards the shadows of her small work chamber. “One of the greater gods, she is and she has only evil in her heart. Out of the primordial chaos, she and her sister, Selûne, created the world. However, unlike her good sister, Shar longs to see the world fall into darkness and evil.” Sister Linora was middle-aged woman with shoulder length mousy brown hair. She seemed quiet, humble and soft-spoken for the most part but had come to life when Deloak had asked her about Shar.
“And what of this cult?” asked Lavren. “Do you know where they might lair?”
“I have only guesses thanks to Lord Padraig and his unwillingness to give me men to seek answers,” she said then. “I am only grateful that Gevarn has been able to bring you here for you at least may be able to do something.”
“And what of your guesses?” pressed Lavren. “Where would you have us look first?”
“I have thought long on this,” answered Linora, “and think it likely that they lair outside of Winterhaven. The most likely place is the dragon burial site to the south of here.”
“Then that is where we will go,” said Erlmoor in his typical baritone. “Tell us the way and we will begin looking.”

They set out from Winterhaven perhaps an hour later turning east along the road to a point where fallen standing stones lay and there they would turn off to the south west along a narrow trail. The day was colder than the last and the skies were leaden as though more snow threatened before darkness came once more. All were eying the sky warily when sudden war cries broke from the underbrush as several small figures darted from hiding places. All knew them to be kobolds as soon as they appeared, each wielding a sword and shield or a spear.

The kobolds charged forth with swords and shields held before them while another who wore a bone mask carved to resemble the head of a dragon moved along the grass to the left of the road until he deemed himself close enough to strike. All heard his voice raised in prayer then but none bar Erlmoor understood the words. Lashing out with a clawed hand the kobold hurled a blue orb at Lavren that struck the elf in the shoulder and sent him reeling. The elf’s shoulder burned and he cried out before he could stifle his voice.

One kobold darted in from the left then, thrusting a spear at Erlmoor but the dragonborn brought his blade down and knocked the thrust aside. Another came at him from in front then and he could not bring his blade back in time. He leapt back but the sword thrust drove painfully into his thigh.
“Strike back, quickly!” called out Deloak and Erlmoor did as he was bade but the attack was clumsy and the kobold ducked back and away from it.

Lavren retreated from the kobolds and lashed out with his wand loosing black, crackling energy at the spear wielding kobold. It struck the kobold in the shoulder and threw him back. A heartbeat later, Enlishia surged forward and barreled into the kobold, smashing her sword hilt into the creature’s face. Dulvarna followed, driving her blade into the kobold’s side. It staggered away from the two warrior women trying desperately to bring its spear up to defend itself. The dragon masked kobold called out something then and the other kobolds, three armed with swords and dragon scale shields, surged forward. One stabbed out at Deloak and drove its blade into his hip but then Erlmoor roared and the kobolds paused. He roared again and this time he surged forward, breathing a shower of burning acid from his mouth. He slashed out with his sword but the kobolds before him stepped back and he clove only air. Meanwhile, the dragon masked kobold rushed from the rocks he hid behind to a clump of bushes and then he emerged, chanting a prayer as he came. He extended his hand and another glowing orb of blue energy flew out towards Lavren. The elf ducked but the orb burst over his back and singed his leather jerkin and burned the skin beneath. The kobolds surged forward again then and as they did so, one drove his blade into Erlmoor’s shoulder. Mandratan moved out to the left and hurled a silvery bolt at the kobold at the right of the line but the creature ducked back behind his shield and the bolt flew over his head. Mandratan cursed and the kobolds surged forward again.

Erlmoor parried desperately now, bringing his blade left to parry a spear thrust and then back to parry a sword thrust. The sword was turned aside but still it drove into his unwounded leg and he staggered.
“With me, lad, with me,” called out Deloak as he smashed forward with the haft of his hammer driving the kobold before him back a step. Erlmoor followed while behind them, Lavren turned aside to face the dragon masked kobold.
“I come for you dragonskull,” Lavren called out. “And know that I curse you with all the power of my fey ancestors.”

Lavren reached out with his hand and loosed more crackling dark energy towards his foe and once again his aim was true. It struck the kobold in the chest and the creature staggered but did not cry out. Enlishia moved behind Lavren, sheathing her sword and unshouldering her bow. She took an arrow from her quiver and loosed it quickly, the shaft driving into the shoulder of the dragon masked kobold. Lavren snarled at the woman’s interference.
“He’s mine!” he sneered at her over his shoulder.

Enlishia was taken aback at that and turned to seek other foes. As she did, Dulvarna smashed her sword hilt into the face of the spear bearing kobold and then swept its head from its shoulders. She moved forward beside Erlmoor then and the dragonborn snarled his wrath at the kobold before him now that he faced even odds. He slashed out with his sword but the kobold blocked with his shield and then stabbed out with his sword. Erlmoor parried and the pair dodged back and forth once more.
Behind the dragonborn, Lavren ducked as he strode towards the masked kobold. The creature had hurled another orb of blue energy but this one, the elf avoided. He strode on in anger while the battle ranged behind him. Lavren hurled another blast of dark energy at the kobold and then drew his sword before covering the last few yards to his foe. Just as he reached the kobold and raised his blade the creature froze, his eyes wide. Reaching down, the creature grasped the arrow shaft that protruded from its breastbone and fell backwards onto the cold grass.
“I said he was mine!”, Lavren called out, turning back towards Enlishia who had slain his foe.
“Don’t be so selfish,” the young woman replied with a wink and a smile.

Lavren turned from her, fuming and looked down at the kobold. There, hanging about its neck was a black disk with a thin, outer ring of purple. Shar’s symbol. The symbol of a cult and a sign that the kobolds were no mere brigands and raiders after all.

Dulvarna pushed forward and slashed at the kobold before her but it met her blow with its shield. Erlmoor was praying beside her as he drove forward but the kobold before him stepped back and he struck only the dust and stones of the road. The kobold leapt back again and drove its blade into the dragonborn’s shoulder. He was tired and wounded sorely now, Erlmoor knew and he needed to catch his breath. Another of Mandratan’s silvery bolt’s struck the road behind the kobolds and, sensing victory, the kobolds came forward once more.

“Hold! Hold!” called out Deloak as the kobolds came but Dulvarna had to step back before a sword thrust. As she did, she knocked the blade downwards only for it to cut the side of her calf. She cursed but then she heard Lavren calling to the kobold in elven and cursing it as a foe. A dark blast of energy struck the creature from its right then and sent it reeling. Enlishia loosed an arrow from the left a heartbeat later that drove into the kobold’s side. It staggered and Dulvarna saw her chance, slashing and thrusting at the kobold and forcing it back and back. Erlmoor came forward with her but each blow struck the kobold’s shield and he knew the deadly reposted was coming. It came quick and low but the dragonborn was ready and he sidestepped and parried with a deftness that he was surprised his tired limbs could muster. He felt heat on his face then as a fierce burst of flame erupted from Mandratan’s hands and seared the kobolds. Only the kobold before Dulvarna, already sorely wounded and fearful, survived the flame unscathed, raising its shield over its head and cowering before Dulvarna.

The kobold roared its anger then and surged forward toward Dulvarna to strike at her once more before it breathed its last. She stepped back and parried when the blade was mere inches from her body.

“Slay him!” called Deloak and Dulvarna brought her blade down on the kobold’s head sundering helm and skull and felling it at her feet. She heard Lavren curse in elven and as he did so, the elf loosed more dark, crackling energy at another kobold. This blast hurled the next kobold from its feet and sent it barreling into its companion before it fell to the blood stained road. Enlishia loosed an arrow that missed the last kobold and flew close past Mandratan and Dulvarna surged forward to surround the last enemy. She slashed and thrust at the creature and it retreated, parrying as best it could with sword and shield. Desperately, the kobold stabbed at Deloak, driving its blade into the dwarf’s belly. He gasped and staggered but then Erlmoor moved to aid the dwarf. The dragonborn drove his blade into the creature’s belly, forcing it to stagger back. Mandratan extended his hand and felled the creature with a silvery blue bolt.

 

[Medriev]

Chapter 2 - Answers and Questions (Part 2)

The companions rested for a little then and took care of their hurts while Dulvarna and Lavren made a pyre of the kobolds. They followed the trail onward then until finally it lopped around a rise in the ground and turned back northward towards the shores of a high lake and there a steep-sided crater punctured the wilderness. Near the centre of the depression, several humanoid figures clustered around a collection of bones while two small, dragonlike creatures stood alert near the crater rim. They stared at the approach of the newcomers.

“You can’t fully appreciate what we’ve uncovered from up above,” called out a small and slender gnome with long pointed ears, dark eyes and grey skin. “Come down towards the dragon bones and see what the workers have discovered.”
“This seems no cult,” said Dulvarna. “They seem simply to dig at the bones there.”
“It seems so,” agreed Mandratan. “Perhaps Sister Linora has misjudged things here.”
“Or perhaps the cult is elsewhere,” said Lavren. “It seems that they are not here.”
“Let us see what occurs here then,” said Erlmoor and at that, the companions started down into the crater.

They began their descent but no sooner had they got close to the four-legged, dragonlike creatures than the gnome barked a word in his own tongue and the creatures sprang forward to the attack. The nearest ran at Deloak and leapt at him, teeth tearing at his throat before he could push the creature away. He drew forth his hammer but his breath was ragged now and blood welled in his mouth.

“Honourable warriors never fall!” Deloak cried out and the others took up the cry though blood came forth from the dwarf’s lips as he called out to them.
He brought his hammer down hard on the back of the dragon creature and it scuttled back a step before darting back in. The men surged forward then with clubs held before them but Erlmoor was ready and met them with his blade. Dulvarna moved forward to aid Deloak, stabbing her sword into the flank of the dragon beast and forcing it further back. Alongside her, Lavren cursed the other beast in elven and then loosed black energy at it, striking the creature on the snout and forcing it to recoil. The creature came forward then, rushing at Deloak as the other had done. The dwarf was ready now, though, and he ducked back as the creature snapped at him. The gnome moved along the edge of the bone pit and then fired his crossbow at Enlishia. The bolt drove into the archer’s shoulder and drew a cry of pain from her but still she drew her bow and fired back at the gnome. The arrow pierced the gnome’s leg and almost at once he began to fade from sight. A heartbeat later he had vanished and was nowhere to be seen. Erlmoor swung out at the men who faced him then while calling forth to Lathander in his own tongue. The men leapt back but another came forward, charging through the bone pit to reach the dragonborn. Mandratan met this new foe with his stave and held him there, beside Erlmoor.

The dragon creatures darted at Deloak once more and he retreated this time, knowing he needed to bind the wound at his neck. He stepped back and as he did so, he recognised them for what they are.

“Guard drakes,” he called to the others. “Some keep these as pets for they are fierce guard beasts and hunt many beasts in the wilds.”
Dulvarna held the drakes at bay with her blade while Lavren hurled more dark, crackling energy at the beasts. They darted away from blow and spell alike, keeping themselves from hurt for the moment. The men, meanwhile, struck at Erlmoor with clubs, bruising arms and legs but doing little serious hurt. Enlishia shouldered her bow and drew forth her sword before moving to aid Dulvarna while Erlmoor slashed out with his blade, trying to keep the club men at bay. Just behind the drakes, the gnome reappeared, a smug smile on his face as he surveyed the beleaguered companions.
“It seems you should have stayed at home,” he called out.

Deloak roared his response and surged back into battle against the drakes bringing his hammer down in a mighty strike that struck only stone as the drake darted backwards. Dulvarna stepped forward and swept her blade across the chest of the drake before her and then slashed her blade into the flank of the other beast. Behind the drakes, Lavren saw a halfling darting back and forth with sling and stone poised but he could not yet find a target. He moved to the right and Lavren moved to where he could see him. Then, from the mystic energy of the Feywild where the moon elves were born he drew a brilliant white flame and set it in the halfling’s mind and body. Rivulets of argent fire streamed up into the air from his eyes, mouth, and hands as agony disrupted his very thoughts. The halfling cried out and staggered and the club men around Erlmoor glanced at the halfling nervously. They pushed forward at Erlmoor then but he swept their blows aside. The gnome barked a command and the drakes attacked again, both leaping at Deloak. The dwarf fell as the first struck him and with its teeth the beast tore the cloth from his neck wound and opened his throat. The gnome rushed forward then, almost gleefully, and rushed at Dulvarna from behind with a pick in his hands. Dulvarna ducked back, turning to face both foes with Enlishia at her back. She stepped away from the pick blow and it struck only stone. From behind Dulvarna, Erlmoor roared his anger and breathed acid at the club men but they leapt back. He stepped forward and swept his sword downwards only to strike unyielding stone. Mandratan retreated and loosed a silvery bolt that seared through the chest of the club man he had been fighting. The man crumpled and fell to the stone floor of the crater.

Dulvarna backed away from the drakes but then they came at her. One leapt, bearing her to the floor and tearing at her belly with its teeth. Blackness took her then and she fell beside Deloak. The club men surged forward again then, despite the loss that they had suffered and again Erlmoor had to hold his ground. The halfling, meanwhile, loosed a stone at Lavren that struck him painfully in the shoulder and spun him against the steep slope of the crater. Lavren pointed at the halfling, angry now, and uttered fey words, trying desperately to summon a terrible dream into the halfling’s mind. Alas he could not, the halfling’s mind was too strong and he cursed then. A club struck Erlmoor in the chest and he fell back towards the elf and as Lavren looked around he wondered if the crater was what defeat looked like. The gnome came at Mandratan from the left while the two drakes now faught Enlishia who was defending desperately. She slashed her blade across the snout of one of the drakes and retreated while Mandratan prepared a spell. At the right, Erlmoor plunged his blade into the belly of one of the men and felled him at his feet. The club men hesitated and then Mandratan summoned a fierce burst of flame that erupted from his hands and seared drake and man alike. The gnome struck at the wizard but was too slow and flames seared his underlings despite his efforts.

The burned and wounded drake screeched and came forward once more and snapped at Enlishia but she stepped back and evaded the bite. The halfling loosed another stone that struck Lavren in the side and so he turned away from the slinger then. With a rasped curse, he loosed black energy at the gnome, who ducked under it, and then drew his sword from his belt and moved to meet him in battle. The second drake came forward then and seized Mandratan’s arm in its jaws, tearing at him until he finally pulled back and got free of the beast. The gnome came at Lavren but his swing was clumsy and struck the stone at the elf’s feet. Enlishia stepped back again from the drakes and then, drawing it on, plunged her blade into the skull of the beast before her. It screeched and then fell at her feet. Behind her, Erlmoor feinted to the right and then drove his blade into the belly of the club man before him. The man fell, clutching at the terrible wound as blood and entrails seeped between his fingers. He roared his anger and charged at the halfling then and the slinger quailed before him. Behind him, Mandratan retreated from the drake before him and hurled forth a silvery bolt that struck the creature in the shoulder. It staggered and whimpered and looked towards the gnome for a moment.

The halfling threw sown his sling and drew a dagger from his belt, darting forward to thrust it at Erlmoor. The dragonborn swatted it aside and stepped closer to the fearful halfling. Behind him, Lavren darted forward and drove his sword into the thigh of the gnome, forcing him to stagger back a step. The gnome lashed out with his pick but the elf stepped back out of reach. The remaining drake darted at Enlishia but she stepped back and slashed at it with her sword, forcing it away from her again. Still it seemed to await a command from the gnome. Alas, it had run out of time. Mandratan extended his hand and loosed another silvery bolt of energy. This seared through the skull of the drake and felled it where it stood.

The halfling came at Erlmoor fiercely and stabbed his blade into the dragonborn’s arm. He stepped back and slashed out with his blade. Behind him Lavren retreated from the gnome and sheathed his sword. Lashing out with his hand he loosed dark energy once and then a second time. The second struck the gnome in the chest and drove him to his knees.
“I yield!” he called out. “I have information that will aid you.”
“Very well then,” said Lavren. “Call off your men and we will talk.”
The last man threw down his club and the halfling threw down his dagger. The battle was over.

 

[Medriev]

Chapter 2 - Answers and Questions (Part 3)

“Kalarel is the mastermind!” said the gnome once Dulvarna and Deloak had been tended to. “He wanted the mirror in that crate over there for some ritual in the keep in the mountains. I don’t know why. My contact in the town was a shopkeeper named Bairwin. He was the one who paid me and told me where to find that old fool, Douven.” Douven was Douven Staul , the companions had learned and he had been a bound prisoner sheltered under the western wall of the crater when the companions arrived.
“Are you alright?” asked Erlmoor, moving over to the man.
“I am now,” answered the man. “But something is amiss here. When I set out to dig, I had thought this was the burial site of the great wyrm, Shadraxil. He was a terrible shadow dragon slain by a group of Cormyrian soldiers led by the knight, Sir Keegan. However, the skeleton of the dragon here is much too small to be that of Shadraxil. I can only wonder what became of the great beast.”
They made camp in the crater then, gathering the treasures of the digging band and burying the fallen beside the dragon bones. By morning Dulvarna and Deloak were awake and, though weak, were fit to travel. Slowly, the company and its three prisoners along with Douven Staul made their way back to Winterhaven.

 

[Medriev]

Chapter 3 - Shadows of Winterhaven (Part 1)

Enlishia looked across to Valthrun’s Tower and the smithy across from Bairwin’s Grand Shoppe and, deciding all was quiet, unshouldered her longbow and pulled an arrow from the quiver on her back. They had returned to Winterhaven that morning with their prisoners and, as Lord Padraig had taken them off their hands he had taken them aside. A delegation of Purple Dragons were in Winterhaven from Cormyr and the Lord wanted them to see only a peaceful village. Handing them a pouch of a hundred gold coins he had asked them to deal with Bairwin’s treachery and the kobolds that remained abroad outside the town, quietly. It was now just after dark and the first part of that instruction was about to be carried out. Enlishia glanced over at Mandratan who held the map that the Lord had given them showing them the location of the kobold lair. She hoped the wizard would take good care of it.
“Quietly now,” said Dulvarna softly. “Lathander protect us though night hides you from us.” The last was more quietly to herself and Enlishia could not help but roll her eyes. The ebon-haired woman had proved herself a fiercesome warrior even in the battle at the burial site yesterday where she had fallen wounded, but Enlishia disliked her constant entreaties to the god of the dawn.

“Can’t we just go in?” asked Lavren, eager as ever.
“Agreed, the longer we wait, the more likely we are to be seen,” said Mandratan. “And we have more kobolds to kill after this.”
“Alright,” said Dulvarna. “We go, but quietly.” She pushed open the shop door and stepped into the dimly lit interior, the others following.
“We’re closed,” came the gruff response from a bespectacled man behind the counter who was writing in a ledger by the light of two candles.
“We’re not here to buy,” growled Deloak.

The man looked up sharply and then bolted through a doorway into the back room of the shop. Dulvarna and Enlishia led the charge after him. In the corner of the back room, a portion of the wall had been slid to one side to expose an otherwise hidden doorway and the companions rushed towards that. Within, a spiral staircase descended steeply into a dark cellar. Mandratan conjured light to his staff and they rushed down the stairway. There, at the bottom, was a room consumed in a pall of dim purple light. Candles lined the walls, burning with flickering, purple flames and between them, three rows of pews led up to an altar. A long carpet with a repeated symbol—a black disk surrounded by a thin purple circle—led up to the front. Several dark-clad figures stood around the room, poised for action.

One of the black clad figures reacted first, leaping over the pews to reach Enlishia, a sword in his hand. He stabbed at her and she drew back, the blade scoring the deerskin jerkin she wore along her left side. Another came along the right side of the room, a sallow skinned man with dark, sunken eyes. Deloak surged through the group from the bottom of the stairs, his hammer in his hand and struck at the nearest foe while from the far end of the chamber, behind the altar, the spectacled shop keeper began chanting in a black tongue that none knew. At the last he slashed out with his hand and loosed a black ray that struck Dulvarna in the face. She staggered and reeled and then cried out for she could not see.

“He has blinded me,” she cried out. “Lathander’s searing curses upon him.”
Erlmoor came forward then and turned to face Dulvarna, placing both clawed hands upon her shoulders. He spoke some words in his own Draconic tongue and then in Common.

“Let the light banish the darkness,” he said and just as suddenly as she had been blinded, Dulvarna could see once more. Erlmoor nodded to her and then turned away to defend her, drawing his sword from his back. Lavren came past Dulvarna then, cursing the nearest of the cultists in Elvish. He threw out his hand and loosed black, crackling energy at another of the advancing cultists. It struck the chest of one of the pale-skinned men and forced him clattering back against the pew behind him.

The other two cultists came forward then and these seemed to be wraith-like figures cloaked in dark, voluminous robes. One came at Deloak and slashed out with the scythe it carried, gouging a wound in the dwarf’s arm that was surrounded by seeping black shadowstuff once the scythe was gone. He felt a coldness spread from her arm then until his limbs became numb and sluggish and he could barely move. He cursed the robed creature then in the dwarvish tongue.

Enlishia rushed to aid Lavren, squeezing behind Erlmoor and the elf until she stood at his side, bow in hand and arrow nocked. She loosed the arrow swiftly and it flew wide of her target, driving into the far wall of the shrine. The other wraith-like creature emerged from the pews into the aisle and rushed at Erlmoor. The scythe slashed out and though the dragonborn ducked back, it scored a wound along his belly between the plates of his armour. He staggered and then cursed as the cold of the Shadowfell spread through his body and made him numb and all but immobile. From behind him, Mandratan loosed a silvery bolt of force at the nearest pale-skinned man but at the last, the man ducked back behind the stone wall of the stairwell chamber and evaded the bolt. It seared on into the wall of the shrine, toppling a candle to the floor. Dulvarna charged at the man then, slashing out with her blade and riving him back before her. The companions surged forward and the cultists fell back.

A cultist stabbed at Dulvarna but she parried the blow while the other pale skinned man leapt over the last of the pews and stabbed his sword into Enlishia’s thigh. She staggered and then cursed as the dread cold of the Shadowfell seized hold of her leg around the wound and caused her pain that pierced to the bone. Deloak urged Dulvarna on as he struggled to free himself from the numbing cold. She slashed out with her blade and cut across the chest of the cultist before her, tearing his robes and the flesh beneath and sending him reeling. A dark bolt shot out from the back of the shrine and struck Lavren blind then leaving the elf cursing in darkness while Erlmoor, beside him, looked at him helpless for he could not again aid another as he had aided Dulvarna without rest. Instead, he breathed acid into the face of the wraith-like cultist before him and then struck out with his blade, praying as he did so. His blade struck the creature and as it did so, a translucent shield formed in front of Lavren to protect him while he could not see. Lavren fumbled his way back from the battle then until he stood beside Mandratan and then, just as suddenly as it had been taken, his vision was returned.

The wraith-like cultists came forward then, one slashing its scythe into Deloak’s scythe, splitting his mail and drawing blood. Enlishia shouldered her bow, drew her sword, and slashed out wildly, her foe ducking back beyond reach. She sidestepped then, drawing closer to the others so that she could not be cut off from them. Still, the chilling pain around her leg wound troubled her and seemed to be spreading but with steely resolve she raised her blade as her foe came on after her. Dulvarna, meanwhile, plunged the blade of her sword into the belly of the wounded cultist before her and felled the man. She stepped over his fallen form and moved to aid Deloak who still struggled against numbness.

The dwarf swung his hammer at the wraith-creature before him but the cultists ducked back and evaded the blow. Still the dwarf could barely move through the numbness that pervaded his body and he cursed once again. From the back of the shrine came dark chanting once more and again a black bolt lanced out, this striking Enlishia and leaving her sightless. She staggered and Erlmoor roared his anger, smiting the foe before him, tearing its robes and the shadowy form beneath. The cultist screeched unnaturally and staggered. Behind the dragonborn, Lavren closed his eyes and with a burst of white motes, he vanished, only to reappear behind the cultists halfway up the aisle to the altar. He turned towards the altar where the bespectacled shopkeeper, Bairwin yet stood and started towards the cult leader. With a word, he called forth searing white fire within Bairwin and with a cry of pain, the cult leader staggered and fell against the altar stone.

The cultists came forward again then, one slashing out with its scythe and burying the blade in Deloak’s shoulder. He grunted and staggered, all but falling to one knee. Enlishia heard her foe come at her and drove her blade forward into the leg of the pale skinned man. He cried out and the ranger ducked back past Erlmoor to escape the riposte. Erlmoor’s held his ground, keeping foes from the blinded Enlishia who was now behind him and then Mandratan came forward, his staff in hand, light shining from one end. He swung out with the stave and kept the cultists at bay while on the other flank, Dulvarna came forward and slashed out at another cultist, tearing robe and shadowy flesh. The cultists screeched almost as one and drew back a little more.

Bairwin urged the cultists forward again and they came at the companions with a fierce desperation now. Mandratan was stabbed in the leg by a short sword while Deloak was forced to defend himself while he gathered what remained of his strength. At the far end of the shrine, Bairwin pushed himself upright and came towards Lavren, uttering a chanted prayer as he came. He extended a hand and from him burst a wave of blackness that engulfed Lavren but, though it chilled the elf and buffeted him, he strode through it. Behind him, Erlmoor plunged his blade into the cultist before him and the wraith-like figure fell to the floor at his feet, bleeding blood and shadowstuff before the paladin. He slashed at the other of the robed figures, forcing it back from him. Lavren, meanwhile, strode towards Bairwin, uttering fey incantations as he advanced.
“Stop them, you fools!” urged Bairwin then and the cultists came forward once more.

 

[Medriev]

Chapter 3 - Shadows of Winterhaven (Part 2)

A scythe pierced Deloak’s already wounded shoulder and he gasped in pain, staggering despite the numbness that fixed him to the spot. Enlishia pushed blindly between the dwarf and Erlmoor, her sword cutting to her left to keep the cultist at bay while beside Erlmoor, Mandratan kept the other surviving cultist at bay. Dulvarna stabbed and slashed at the other cultist, tearing at robes and nicking flesh. It fell back before her onslaught. Enlishia gasped as her sight returned then and a furious onslaught burst upon the two cultists.

Mandratan stepped forward and felt a blade drive into his hip, forcing him back again as warm blood began to flow down his leg. Deloak roared and surged forward, the numbness finally leaving him.

“We have them now, friends,” he called out. “Honourable warriors never fall!”
At the far end of the shrine, Bairwin raised his voice in another dark prayer and then hurled a black bolt at Lavren that struck him and sent him reeling. Once more, his eyes grew dark and he stumbled, hurling crackling black fire blindly towards the cult leader. His blast struck the altar stone. Behind him, Erlmoor stabbed at the cultist nearest to him and then cried out in joy as he realised that the numbness had left him at last. The cultists shrieked and came forward, one plunging its scythe downward at Deloak once more. It pierced the dwarf’s breast just above his heart and with a gurgled gasp, Deloak fell to the floor of the shrine. Enlishia backed away form the battle then, sheathing her sword as she did so and unshouldering her bow. She loosed an arrow into the side of the cultist that had felled Deloak and the robed form shrieked in pain. Dulvarna surged forward and drove the cultist back further down the aisle with thrusts and cuts from her blade.

Mandratan parried the sword of his own foe but he was desperate now, knowing that he could not hold the cultist at bay for much longer. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Lavren was blinded again and that Bairwin was coming at him now with a stave in his hands. The cult leader struck the elf on his shoulder and sent him spinning around in the aisle while his hands flailed out for something to balance himself. At last, Lavren grabbed the end of a pew with his left hand and drew his sword with the other. Spinning around, he slashed out blindly at the cult leader, cutting open his robes across his chest and drawing blood from the flesh beneath. The elf’s eyes cleared then and he let go of the pew, advancing on the cult leader with a smile on his face. Enlishia retreated up the aisle until she was back to back with Lavren and then she loosed another arrow into the back of the robed cultist. The cultists shrieked again and staggered while at its back, Mandratan retreated into the aisle, drawing his own foe on, towards Erlmoor. Dulvarna stabbed at the enemy behind the wizard and it cried out as more blood was drawn from it. From the altar, Bairwin cried out desperately and the cultists came forward for one last time.

A blade nicked Erlmoor’s side before he swatted it aside and in the aisle, Bairwin drove Lavren back with another blow until he stood back to back with Enlishia again. Dulvarna fell back, wounded by the scythe that had felled Deloak. An arrow flew part the cultist and close to Dulvarna before burying itself in the wall behind the ebon haired woman. Enlishia nodded an apology to her friend and Dulvarna acknowledged with a nod of her own. Mandratan struck out with his stave and broke the nose of the cultist before him before retreating into the aisle. Even as he did so, Dulvarna stepped forward, plunged her blade into the belly of the cultist before her and dropped the man next to Deloak. The last cultist stabbed at Erlmoor and nicked his leg as the dragonborn knocked the blow aside. He looked down anxiously towards Deloak who lay behind him. Even as he looked, the dwarf’s breathing grew shallower and then as the dwarf gasped, it stopped.

Bairwin drove his stave into Lavren’s ribs and with a gasp, the elf staggered as the wind was driven from his lungs. Lavren stopped for a moment, panting for breath and then, with a deep breath he came back at the cult leader, his sword before him. The man parried with his stave until the pair reached stalemate once more. Behind him, Enlishia loosed another arrow that struck the last cultist in the arm. He cried out and then ducked back as Mandratan hurled a silvery bolt towards the man. Dulvarna leaped over her fallen foe and charged down the aisle towards Bairwin who was fearful now.

The cultist retreated, tearing cloth from its robes to bind its arm and pulling the arrow from the wound. The man cried out again and then Erlmoor was upon him in all his wrath. In the aisle, Bairwin retreated before Dulvarna and hurled a black bolt of shadow at the ebon-haired woman. It struck her but hurt her not at all and she came on at him, blade first. Behind her, Erlmoor cut down on the shoulder of the cultist before him, drawing forth another cry of pain from the man. He retreated another step but had nowhere to go even if he had been minded to flee. Lavren lashed out with his hand now and loosed black, crackling energy that struck Bairwin in the chest and drove him back a step. Behind Lavren, Enlishia continued her onslaught of arrows and beside him. Dulvarna rushed the cult leader.

The end was swift when it came. Mandratan hurled another silvery bolt at the last cultist that threw the man against the back wall of the shrine where he crumpled and fell. Dulvarna rushed Bairwin and at the last swept out with her sword, cleaving into his side, through ribs, lungs and then to his heart. He fell before her and she had to place her boot on his chest to draw forth her bloodied blade. She turned back towards the others and the carnage that surrounded them, her eyes settling at last on the fallen form of Deloak who Erlmoor now knelt beside. Slowly, the dragonborn looked up and shook his head.
“He is slain,” said the paladin then and grief took the companions.

 

[Medriev]

Chapter 3 - Shadows of Winterhaven (Part 3)

Grimly, Erlmoor and Dulvarna carried the fallen Deloak into the common room of Wrafton’s Inn which was dark and all but empty.
“What happened?” said Salvana Wrafton, rushing from behind the bar, turning to meet curious glances from patrons.
“He fell,” answered Lavren. “In Bairwin’s cellar where dark cultists have been worshipping.”
“But they are gone now,” said Enlishia quickly, glaring at the elf. “Slain at Lord Padraig’s behest.”

They had left the shop troubled by more than their grief for the pews meant the shrine could hold more than the five who had fallen there and letter they had found in a hidden room showed that Bairwin served some other dark leader who planned a fell ritual at the ruined keep north of the village. Despite this, they planned to rest at the inn for the night, take Deloak’s body to the Sister Linora’s shrine at dawn and then go forth to defeat the kobolds. Only then would they turn their eyes towards the keep.
“Food and ale?” Salvana asked but the companions brushed her aside.
“We will trouble you now more,” said Lavren. “Our friend will rest in his room this night until he can be taken to the shrine at dawn. We will set out again then.”

They climbed the stairs to the inn’s upper floor and went first to Deloak’s room to lay him upon his bed and to stand watch over him in turn, as the dwarves did for their own, until the dawn came and he could be taken to the shrine. Dulvarna opened the door with Enlishia beside her and at once, both saw an elf crouched beside the bed, searching through the chest that stood next to it. From the shadows came the click of crossbows and bolts flew at Dulvarna and Enlishia seemingly fire by figures in the shadows. One struck Enlishia in the wrist, a small bolt seemingly fire from a hand crossbow. She yanked it from her arm while Mandratan conjured light with a word. The wizard strode into the room, held forth his wand and filled the chamber with fire before him. A crossbow bolt struck the wizard in the left arm then and he cursed as he reached to pull the bolt free. The elf leapt to his feet and ran at the wizard from the shadows. The elf feinted and as Mandratan lashed out with his stave he darted back and then around, drawing the wizard into the room and darting around behind him. The elf came from the side next and it was only Lavren’s hurled eldritch blast of dark, crackling energy that stopped the elf from finishing the wizard there and then. Erlmoor surged into the chamber then, smashing the hilt of his sword into the face of the elf and sending him reeling. Enlishia came into the room behind the dragonborn and began firing as soon as she did so. An arrow drove into the shoulder of one of the small figures and as it did so, she realised that the three were gnomes, short humanoids who dwelt in homes burrowed under the roots of trees. Dulvarna came last into the room then and as the elf still reeled she plunged her blade into his side. He gasped, staggered, and fell, his own blade clattering to the floor of the chamber.

The gnomes rushed forward then, crying incoherent battle cries and clearly seeking to rush the door and escape. One hacked at Mandratan’s back with a pick and brought him to his knees while the others sought to drive their way through. Mandratan retreated from them, pushing himself to his feet and desperately trying to stanch the blood flowing from his wounds. Another came at him from the other side of the room but Dulvarna intervened, barring its path. Lavren hurled more fey energy but the gnome ducked beneath the blast and the black, crackling eldritch power seared into the side of Deloak’s bed. Erlmoor came forward praying and slashed left and right with his sword while calling forth a golden shield to protect Mandratan. Enlishia transfixed a gnome with an arrow, dropping it where it stood and then she darted around the edge of the room to the far side by the window, pulling forth two arrows from her quiver. One gnome looked back towards the archer and with a cry, surged at Mandratan.

Mandratan was helpless before the gnome’s charge. It swung out with its pick, gouging into his belly and he fell in a spray of blood. Blinding agony filled his mind and then nausea and finally blackness took him. Lavren was speaking out in elvish now and Erlmoor was wrathful. He came fiercely at the gnome that had felled Mandratan. With a roar, he breathed acid on the gnome and then brought his sword down upon its shoulder. It sank to its knees and there, threw down its war pick.
“Please dragonborn,” said the gnome. “I yield.”

The other gnome seemed hesitant then for it was unwounded and saw no reason to yield. It eyed the door and darted for it, seeking to dive between Lavren and Dulvarna. The ebon-haired woman brought her blade down and drew blood from his back but then the gnome was gone, darting out into the corridor and turning right towards the stairs.
“Let him go,” said Lavren. “These are thieves only.”
“The elf is right,” rumbled Erlmoor. “We have one captive and the others will trouble us no more.” He knelt beside Mandratan and began to tend to the wizard’s wounds while Enlishia covered the captive with her bow.

 

[Medriev]

Chapter 4 - Valiant Defeat (Part 1)

Small glades of trees led up to a cliffside waterfall, where a stream tumbled from the top of a rocky overhang. The water descended the side of the hill and flowed away to the southwest. This was the place marked on Lord Padraig’s map and as they reached it the companions were in a grim mood. They had taken Deloak to Sister Linora’s shrine that morning and promised to take word to his family in Eveningstar once the kobolds had been dealt with. Sister Linora, meanwhile, had agreed to send word quietly to Lord Padraig that the cultists had been dealt with so that his men could clear the cellar of its bodies.

“I hear something,” said Enlishia. “I hear voices despite the waterfall.”
“Kobolds,” said Mandratan then. “Several kobolds lurk in the trees to the right.”

A javelin came from the trees to the right then, driving into Lavren’s leg. He cursed, annoyed more than anything that the crimson tinged leather armour that he had taken from the thief at the inn had been damaged. Another javelin struck his shoulder and he turned towards the trees where two kobolds lurked. Another javelin drove into Lavren’s leg then and he staggered, fearful he would be felled without even seeing his foe. Erlmoor drew forth his sword and charged at the kobolds in the trees. When he reached them he swung out with his blade and cut one down in a heartbeat. Lavren loosed crackling black energy in a bolt towards the nearest kobold and blasted it from its feet to land in the undergrowth. From the trees ahead then came a clay slingshot much as they had seen when first they had been attacked on the East Way. This struck Mandratan on the left arm and then burst, covering that side in a stinking liquid that made the wizard retch as he smelt it. More came from the trees around Erlmoor then, these armed with spears, one of which was stabbed into the dragonborn’s leg.
“Deal with the others,” he called back to his companions. “I shall slay these.”

Enlishia began loosing arrows into the trees though whether she struck any foes she could not tell. Dulvarna charged into the trees and cut down the first kobold she met. Two others were ahead of her, one the sling wielder and another with a spear. Another emerged from the trees and crossed the path before the companions to more trees to the left of them. How many there were, Dulvarna did not know. She hoped only that they had not walked into a trap.

Behind Dulvarna, Erlmoor saw another kobold burst from the trees to stab at him with a short sword. He parried the blow downwards but still it drove painfully into his left leg just above his knee. This new foe drew back then and Erlmoor saw that it held a dragon scale shield on its left arm as some that they had faced on the East Way. Mandratan moved forward to stand beside Dulvarna and then extended his wand, uttering a spell. Flames burst from the ornately carved wooden stick then, searing through the trees in front of him. A kobold fell amongst the trees while the others who were there shrank back and cowered. As the flames cleared, leaving only smoldering trees and undergrowth, another kobold burst through the trees to block Dulvarna’s way. It thrust its spear at her and then cursed as she ducked back.

More came from the trees at the front of the group then while at the right, Erlmoor faught on, cutting down another kobold with a mighty swing of his blade. Lavren lent aid by hurling black blasts of crackling energy into the trees wherever a kobold could be seen. Ahead of him a spear pierced Dulvarna’s thigh and forced her back a step. Enlishia moved to the left to attack the slinger and another kobold with arrows from her bow. She began firing into the trees but heard no foe fall and cursed her aim again. A javelin was hurled back at her, striking a tree next to the archer. She smiled then, thankful that she was not the only who was aiming poorly this day.

Mandratan retreated before the kobolds and loosed a silvery bolt from his wand that struck an enemy in the chest. Another came forth from the right then, stabbing clumsily at Dulvarna. The warrior stepped back and then parried another spear thrust. To his right Erlmoor cut down another kobold and with a roar, turned on the other foes he faced. He would breath soon, Erlmoor decided as his rage mounted and all of these dark creatures would fall before him. Lavren loosed more dark fey energy into the trees and the slinger responded, hurling a clay shot at Enlishia. It struck her in the chest and covered her in sticky glue that ran down her and then hardened quickly, freezing her in place. She answered with arrows, felling a kobold warrior and then turning her bow upon the slinger. In front of her, Dulvarna faught fiercely, slashing her blade into the shoulder of one kobold and then driving it on into the side of another. Both fell to the ground before her, bleeding heavily, their lives ebbing away. The last two kobolds that Erlmoor faced came at him then, one driving its spear into his hip and forcing him back. He staggered and another drove its spear into his shoulder. He gathered his acid breath in his throat, ready to wrathfully bring down his foes. Behind him, Mandratan loosed another silvery bolt that struck the last kobold before Dulvarna. It struck the creature in the belly and the kobold sank to its knees. It stayed there, desperately seeking to summon its strength to rise.

Erlmoor roared and breathed acid at last, felling another of the kobolds in screaming agony. The dragonborn began to pray then, calling forth a golden to guard Dulvarna while he pressed forward against the dragon shield kobold before him. Behind the paladin, Lavren began cursing the dragon shield in elvish and then uttering an incantation that would call forth flames from within the small humanoid. The flames fizzled and died before they were born and Lavren cursed himself then. To his left, Enlishia was struck by a sling stone and sent reeling. She turned back and threw down her bow then, drawing forth her sword. She charged the kobold, smiting him in the shoulder with her blade as she reached him. On the right, Erlmoor staggered as the dragon shield drove his spear into his side this time, driving the plate there into his flesh. Mandratan saw his plight and loosed a silvery bolt at the last kobold before him in haste, seeking to aid the dragonborn. Alas, the bolt flew wide and the kobold yet lived.

Erlmoor slashed at the dragon shield who took the blow on his shield and then he retreated, seeking to drawn the creature out of the trees. It came forward and Lavren lashed out with his wand, hurling crackling black energy that struck the kobold in the side. It faltered but came on with its sword before it. Meanwhile, the kobold sling wielder fell back before Enlishia and then fled through the trees until it emerged on the trail that led to the waterfall. It loosed a stone then that struck Enlishia on the top of the head and sent her reeling. She spun, felt dizzy nausea and then she fell as blackness took her. Dulvarna saw Enlishia fall and, with a cry of anguish, drove her blade into the belly of the kobold before her and rushed after the slinger. To the right, the dragon shield emerged from the trees and dived at Erlmoor but the dragonborn stepped back. Mandratan saw it come forth and turned, loosing a silvery bolt of force at the creature that struck it in the shoulder. Again it faltered but still came forward.

Erlmoor struck at the kobold but it took his sword easily on its shield. Black, crackling energy seared past it as it ducked down and then it was surging at Erlmoor once more. Dulvarna reached the slinger just as it wildly loosed a stone towards her. She drove her blade into its chest and let it fall at her feet. Behind her, the last kobold surged at Erlmoor and drove its blade into his hip, forcing him to stagger and all but fall to one knee. A silver bolt from Mandratan struck it in the side then and stopped the killing blow. Erlmoor lashed out as the kobold faltered and split open the kobold’s breastbone. It fell to the cold grass at his feet and died there.

 

[Medriev]

Chapter 4 - Valiant Defeat (Part 2)

The five entered the cave cautiously with weapons drawn and spells ready. Within, the lair was dark and shadowy but by the light of Mandratan’s staff, all could see that more than a dozen kobolds scurried in and out of sight through the cave. Screams, shouts, and cries of alarm reverberated throughout the torch lit hollow.

The kobolds came forward then, spears in hand and Mandratan met them with a burst of flame that threw one against a wall and felled it. A javelin came from the left and drove painfully into the wizard’s leg forcing him to stagger. Another drove into his shoulder and sent him reeling away. Enlishia turned towards them and fired two arrows at once. They separated in flight and each struck a kobold in the chest. Both fell, to the cavern floor, slain. Dulvarna strode forward and cut down another with her sword while behind her, another javelin came from the left and flew past Enlishia’s head. Dulvarna glanced back over her shoulder and then turned back to look ahead just as another kobold emerged from an alcove to her left and stabbed a spear into the armour that covered her thigh. She cried out and turned to swat the spear away with her blade.

Another javelin struck Enlishia’s shoulder and spin her around to the left as she reached for another arrow. Another shaft flew past her then, clattering into the cave wall beside Lavren. Another kobold came from the right towards Dulvarna but she parried its spear thrust and backed away a step. A third rounded a corner and advanced carefully to aid it companions. Lavren was at Dulvarna’s shoulder then, cursing the kobold in elvish and then loosing black crackling energy that flew past the kobold’s shoulder. Another javelin flew from the massed kobolds to the right and then they cried out and surged forward with spears in hand.

Erlmoor came forward and met the kobold charge while Mandratan hurled silvery bolts that felled each creature it struck. Enlishia shouldered her bow and drew forth her sword to stand beside Erlmoor. She slashed out with the blade and cut down the first kobold that came near. Behind her, Dulvarna retreated as the kobolds she faced stabbed at her and at that moment, the full weight of kobold charge crashed into Erlmoor and Enlishia.

A spear grazed Enlishia’s side while Erlmoor parried the spears thrust at him. A high spear thrust nicked Dulvarna’s cheek and she stepped back another step, now facing three fierce kobolds that were bigger than the rest. Lavren hurled more black fire but again it flew wide of the kobold and left it unharmed. The lizard-like humanoids cried out taunts and battle cries and surged forward again. Erlmoor roared his anger then and breathed acid from his mouth that showered the kobolds before him. Two fell to the cavern floor, their skin and flesh burning and smoking as they went down. The dragonborn slashed out wildly with his blade and dared the last two kobolds before him to come at him. Mandratan lashed out with a silvery bolt that seared through the chest of one of the kobolds and felled it while Enlishia surged forward to meet the last with her blade.

Dulvarna stepped towards her enemies then and slashed out with her blade, cutting across the chest of one of the kobolds and slashing the blade down into the leg of another kobold. One stabbed a spear into her shoulder and the other two drove their own weapons at her. She stepped back and swept her blade down to knock both spears aside. Lavren loosed more black flame but again it flew wide of the kobolds but Erlmoor saw Dulvarna’s plight and turned aside to aid her, leaving the last of the other group of kobolds to Enlishia. He thought victory was in sight then but at that moment, a harsh, bleating horn heralded the appearance of a burly, battle-scarred goblin. Around him, kobolds scurried as if afraid to get too close. A great tattoo depicting a skeletal ram’s head marked the goblin’s face and he wore a wolf fur cloak and a chain shirt. In both hands, he wielded a large battle axe.
Dulvarna slashed her blade across the belly of the kobold before her and then drove it into the side of another. Both roared their anger and surged forward, apparently buoyed by the arrival of the goblin. The kobold before Enlishia also came forward then and drove its spear into her stomach just above her hip. She cried out and staggered back and away. Lavren tried to call forth fire from within the kobold before him but instead flame burst behind the creature and the kobold taunted him again. Erlmoor instead surged forward, slashing his blade across the belly of the kobold before him and forced the creature back. He searched around for the goblin then and could not see him. Then he heard cries from behind him and glancing back saw more kobolds rounding the rock wall at his right to charge at Mandratan and Enlishia.

Mandratan loosed flame that felled another kobold and halted another but more were coming and he knew his plight was desperate. Enlishia rushed to his aid then, driving her blade into the side of the kobold and twisting around on the spot to block its path to the wizard. Mandratan saw Dulvarna draw back, breathing heavily and bleeding from several wounds. The kobolds watched her then and waited for a moment before they came at her fiercely again. She parried, seemingly banishing her tiredness and the kobolds were held at bay. Before Mandratan, another kobold, robed and with a spear strapped to its back rounded the rock wall and with a roar, it unleashed fiery breath on the gathered companions. All cowered and ducked but then another kobold rounded the rock wall, passing the robed creature. It charged at Enlishia, stabbed out with its sword and drove the blade into the archer’s stomach. She cried out, gasped and fell to the cavern floor. The goblin surged through its kobold minions then and hacked at Mandratan with his axe, slashing a wound in his forearm. He drew back and the goblin slashed the other blade of its axe into the back of Lavren’s thigh. The elf cried out and reeled while Mandratan felt cold fear seize him.

A spear drove into Erlmoor’s thigh as he parried the shaft downwards and he cursed himself silently. He knew their plight was desperate and each small wound sapped some of his strength and so he channeled the pain he felt into wrathful anger. Behind him he heard Lavren chanting desperately and then the goblin cried out, reaching up to grab its head with the hands that still held its bloodied axe. Erlmoor glanced over his shoulder and saw the goblin stagger back as though dazed and confused. Its kobold minions let it pass through them and wavered and Erlmoor took his chance. He stepped forward with a prayer on his lips and drove his sword into the belly of the kobold before him. It fell, blood pouring from the wound and grasping desperately at its stomach. Erlmoor heard Mandratan chanting behind him and felt comforted by the fact that the wizard yet lived and then turned on the next foe before him.

Dulvarna looked back at Enlishia and noted that her friend yet breathed and then turned back to her enemies. She feinted to the left and then swept her blade down from the right, cutting open the belly of the kobold before her and then slashing her sword on into the hip of the last kobold. From behind her she heard one of the kobolds raising its voice in some chant or exhortation and the foe before her roared its answer and came at her. The other kobolds surged forward at Lavren and Mandratan and Dulvarna heard the wizard cry out. Lavren cursed and gasped and, glancing back, Dulvarna saw him fall. She parried the spear that was thrust at her then and stepped back as she desperately tried to think of a way to aid her companions.
The same thoughts raced through Erlmoor’s mind as he turned away from the fallen kobold at his feet and moved to aid his fallen friends. He uttered a prayer and extended a hand, engulfing the goblin in searing ribbons of radiance. The goblin cried out and Erlmoor moved to meet it.

“We fight to the death, goblin scum,” the paladin called out and then blade met axe and the last battle began. Another kobold came at Erlmoor from the left and stabbed its blade into his hip. He staggered and cried out and reeled away, knowing that he would fall in this cavern beside his companions. He saw a flash of movement from the left as the robed kobold hurled an orb of blue flame. It flew straight and true and struck the dragonborn in the chest. He fell back as his ribs cracked and his skin burned and then he staggered and fell.

Dulvarna had similarly decided that she too would fall here and the realization made her angry. She had not served Lathander as she would have liked and falling to kobold blades was not the fate she had imagined for herself. She lashed out with her blade and then reversed the swing, drawing blood from the kobold but her foe faught on ferociously. She heard rushing steps at her back and twisted to the right, a blade slicing along the bottom of her back. Another kobold was behind her and this foe held a sword, now stained with her blood. The goblin looked down at Erlmoor who lay, burned and wounded at his feet, and then the war leader leapt over the fallen form and slashed at Dulvarna with his axe. She parried desperately, surrounded by enemies now. She dodged to the right and turned her back to the cavern wall as her original enemy stabbed his spear at her. It struck the rock next to her and she swatted it away with her blade. Another kobold came at her from the left of the goblin, stabbing with a sword and she parried. She could fall or flee now, she realised and then made a decision. With a sudden stab and slash of her sword to drive her enemies back, she turned and fled, darting around the rock wall and running towards the pale light that filtered through the waterfall. An orb of blue flame flew past her and struck another wall of rock to her left. She readied herself to leap through the waterfall and out of the cavern but then a kobold rushed at her from the right. She could not stop and parry as the enemy drove its blade forward and into her side. Dulvarna staggered, stumbled and then fell headlong, her head striking the cavern floor beneath the cooling water of the waterfall. She smiled for a moment then as she felt the cool water and then blackness took her.

Mandratan’s eyes flicked open and he turned his head towards the kobolds, all facing away from him and pawing the bodies of Erlmoor and Enlishia. Quietly and slowly he slid on his back towards the cavern entrance, glancing back towards the goblin and the kobolds to be sure they had not turned to look at him. They had not and so, with a sudden effort, he pushed himself over and rolled out of the cavern onto the grass beneath the winter sunlight. Rising to his feet he started to run then, heading back towards the trail and Winterhaven beyond that seemed a world away.