Moonbow’s Closed Door

• Characters: Dak, Hlinthi, Marlet, Trizoon, V.L.
• NPCs: Galt Pendle, Julbin Cometstrike, Aramus Moonbow, Quint the Navigator, Sol of Dweomerheart
• Synopsis: Presenting Rordic’s lost seed to Julbin Cometstrike the group prepares for the next leg of the adventure. The guild master of the Naturalists says that Alyssic heard Trizoon’s songs detailing the ancient battlefield of Geron, a hamlet she once passed in her travels. In Geron resides an angel named Aramus Moonbow who is bound to the barren field. On a previous adventure guild members defeated the evil surface guardians and spoke with the “Angel of Geron”. Moonbow had necessitated that they return with a follower of Heironeous. Because of Alyssic’s focus on Westgate, she has passed along the task of representing her god to Galt Pendle, the ex-squire of the Gold Knight and paladin of Heironeous. Wielding the long sword Holy Avenger, Galt promises to lead the group to victory and discover the mystery of Moonbow. But time is of the essence as a major war threatens to shatter the Dragon Coast. Julbin must work quickly with the reestablished Guilid of the Naturalists which has added Maralea Darkwood to its ranks. In order to expedite their travels, Julbin summons Quint the Navigator from the nearby city of Reddansyr. The trip will take most of the following day, but Julbin says that he can use Dak’s latent sorcerer skills to retrieve them once their mission is complete. The following morning finds the group gathered amidst the frozen marketplace. The winter season is worsening. Raxel the Rancher is seen distributing fresh food with the help of Kirken Trumpetnose to the beleagured citizens of Threshold. The Beast Tamers have put the portal to Delzimmer into immediate use for long needed supplies and resources. Quint arrives and has his gnome first mates escort the group, now outfitted with heavy furs for the expedition. The flight is long, taking most of the day, but the trip is revealing. Along the way, masses of troops prepare for battle, massive sections of the forest are destroyed rumored to be done at the hands of a powerful blighter, and a massive storm hovers in place over the Orsraun Mountains. Heavy snowfall is unavoidable. Another troubling sight is the construction of an ice wall on the edge of the ravine by a construction crew consisting of a frost giant protecting huge slugs excreting the icy slush shaped to form the wall. An additional crew works further away and the ice wall is estimated to be some 200 feet in height already. Quint has flown these parts many times and this is the first time he has seen this activity. Landing in the ancient battlefield, the group reconnects with the angel Aramus Moonbow. The angel has been bound to the Material Plane by devils, tortured to remain in place for almost a ten-year. He stands before the entrance to a crypt of Heironeous, long since overrun with devils and others. After his initial confinement, the crypt itself has remained silent for years. But contained within is the locked portal to the celestial plane Dweomerheart, the only of its kind. His kind has been barred from entering the Material Plane since his imprisonment. Moonbow suggests that this plan of the devils was not limited to Dweomerheart, but all of the good planes. Moonbow cannot be freed until his warden is destroyed. If the group can destroy the warden, it would shatter his binds and open the portal to Dweomerheart, allowing angels to return to the Material Plane and bring war against the devils. Galt Pendle is brazen and leads the party into the crypt below. Descending an abandoned stairwell some 80’ beneath the surface the party finds the vandalized Heironeous’ Hall of Heroes. Just beyond is the Great Hall of Heironeous, a massive chamber desecrated almost beyond recognition. Two golem sentinels stand ready for the entruders, attacking immediately by spewing foul blood-colored spray upon anyone within reach. They are quickly and resoundly defeated. Adorned on their faceless heads are runes representing the drow goddess Kiaransalee, the Lady of the Dead. A massive shaft allows the group access to the tomb below the great hall. Bypassing three sealed tomb doors, the group moves through the Arch of Heironeous, entering the Chamber of Heroes Rest, where an altar to Heironeous has been defecated upon enough to almost bury it completely. Individual burial chambers have been violated, the sarcaphogii defiled and the skeletal remains despoiled. Below the Platform of the Heroes Rest is a pool of slick liquid with a phosphorescence glow. Marlet and V.L. are first to see Moonbow’s warden, a towering devil black as night emerging from beneath the pool’s surface. The warriors charge to battle but find the creature’s power overwhelming, its fear a palpable weapon in and of itself. Hlinithi revives injured companions as Marlet blasts the devil from afar. Dak tumbles away from the warden only to wade back into the madness after receiving blessings from Garl Glittergold’s servant. V.L. tries desparately to battle the winged beast but its might is overbearing and the elven warrior dies heroically. Dak is next to fall, mortally wounded, and in a critical moment, Galt slips upon the pool’s edge, spinning to the stone tiled floor, knocking himself dazed and losing his helmet in the process. Trizoon stands alone and is battered for it. But as the party is on its last legs, so is the devil. Hlinthi calls upon his god once again reviving the almost lost Dak. And it is the avenging Dak that destroys the devil with a crushing blow, sending it crashing into the depths of the glowing pool. Massive light erupts as the beast breaks apart, revealing a hidden portal within its own body. The devil is turned inside out as it sinks to the bottom of the pool. Only seconds later does the liquid begin to spiral out of existence, leaving an open portal to a land of beauty and wonder. Vigilant angels stand guard outside, just as stunned as the party that the path to the Material Plane has been restored. The angel sentries are lead by Sol, a towering angel that praises the bravery of the group and blesses them for opening the path of angels back to the Material Plane. Moonbow appears before the group as well, as his infernal chains dissipate to floating debris and ash. The shock of events subsides and Hlinthi and Dak ask Sol if there is anything to be done for their fallen comrade. V.L. stands at the gates of a city absent of color, seeped in shades of gray. Mysteriously devoid of souls, the barren city shows almost no signs of afterlife. It is almost as if V.L.’s spirit is the first to reach the gates for some time. But a guiding hand retrieves the warrior’s soul, bringing the elf warrior back to the Heironeous’ Crypt on the Material Plane. The massive angel grants their wish, retrieving V.L. from the City of the Dead. The revived elf celebrates with his friends in their hard fought victory. Now they must return word of their accomplishments back to the Guild of Naturalists.
• Encounters: two rogue eidolons, a Malebranche devil
• Achievements: witnessed the destruction of parts of Gulthmere Forest by a blighter, discovered the secret construction of an ice wall on the outskirts of the Orsraun Mountains, through the representative of Heironeous learned of the plight of the angels of Dweomerheart and Moonbow’s imprisonment, infiltrated the desecrated tomb of Heironeous’ warriors, destroyed the guardians of the devils, and opened the pathway to the celestial plane Dweomerheart.

The Great Ball of Lightning, Part III – Assault on Assam

• Characters: Bixtbie, Cromwell, Dak, Forkbeard, Jebeddo, Rog, Sentalial, V.L, Wicasa, X-Requinn
• NPCs: Julbin, Quint, Uljary Blackshore
• Synopsis: Erupting from the source, the ball of lightning breaks free from the ruins and collects in the sky. But it has ceased to be anchored to the Giant’s Plain and begins moving over the Giant’s Run Mountains. Quint assesses the path and determines that the target destination is the city of Assam. The party decides to seek reinforcements from Treshold and return to the small town. After hearing of their tales and the coincidental connection to Assam, several of the Defenders of the Dragon Coast join the group to continue the investigation. Traveling to Assam is a simple spell as the enlarged group appears in the midst of chaos. Outside of the city walls, merchants and city folk are in sheer agony and panic. With an unseen possession or some type of horrific curse, the affected begin collapsing or running in random directions. The Assam Captain of the Guard Uljary Blackshore intercepts the group with three of her captains in-command, investigating their strange appearance of the party. As the interview turns confrontational the welcoming committee sets up a barrier fire wall and retreats to the city. Jebeddo and X-Requinn combine to allow the party to fly invisibly over the city where they find mysterious stone coffins, one bordering on the outside of each city wall in all four directions. Without a doubt the focus of the disturbance emminates from these coffins. Choosing the east wall coffin, Dak cracks it up and is inundated with obscuring mist. Hidden darts target the group, but the attackers are nowhere to be seen. As the adventurers spread out, Dak draws the ire of one of their invisible assailants. Now visible to everyone, the group pounces on the muscular humanoid with leathery black skin and massive claws. After surrounding the newly found foe, another appears in a flanking position and drops Wicassa Wakan. The group works together to support and flank their opponents as yet a third demonic creature appears. Battling against the injured, the initial two beasts are destroyed, and the third is killed after attempting to flee. Before any inspection can be made the corpses vaporize in a cloud a blackened dust and smoke. It bodes poorly for the adventurers that there are still three coffins left surrounding Assam.
• Encounters: Assam’s captain of the guard, three astral stalkers
• Achievements: followed the ball of lightning to the city of Assam, discovered a city under attack by an unseen curse, and defeated the occupants of one of the offending coffins.

The Great Ball of Lightning, Part II

• Characters: Hlinthi, Rog, Roywyn, Trebbor, Wicasa
• NPCs: Sky Captain Quint
• Synopsis: Following the split of the adventurers, Rog, Wicasa, and Quint move the volcano shaft being protected by dwarf warriors of the Small Canyon clan. The egress leads to an underground river which eventually and unnaturally climbs uphill before leading to a set of massive stone doors. Adorning the portals are images of the god Cyric, who replaced Bane during the Time of Troubles. Staring down the Prince of Lies, the Black Son, the three adventurers open the doors revealing a circular chamber. The river spirals into a whirlpool at the center of the room, but the group’s presence is detected as a massive humanoid with elephant features emerges. The battle is treacherous, but is eventually joined by Hlinthi, Roywyn and Trebbor from a shaft leading to the surface above. Again the chamber is alight with battle, and ultimately the guardian is defeated. The Skeletal Ruins above seem to be the source of the ball of lightning phenomenon. The group begins moving from the central fountain to explore the ruins, discovering a hall of statues surrounding a vase. Embedded within the vase is a gem of blue lightning. Below is the river of water, but above is a floating river of fire! Further exploration leads to a brief encounter with two humanoid guardians, each containing a massive toothy maw. They are dispatched, leaving the mystery of the great ball of lightning unsolved.
• Encounters: Two sonic watchers, an elephant-humanoid guardian
• Achievements: investigated the Skeletal Ruins, discovered a potential source of the ball of lightning, linked to strange elemental phenomenon.
  

The Great Ball of Lightning, Part I

Roywyn has been in seclusion at an undisclosed, secret location in order to make a greater wondrous magic item, gloves of dexterity. Some of her companions believed she was given haven in one of Gallipolas’s hidden groves where he has been known to craft items too. After nearly three weeks, thousands of gold pieces and some of her precious life-energy, the bard is able to create the special gloves. Upon ending her seclusion she receives news that the Bocklesdin Brothers have been commissioned by High Priest Hlinthi Crystalfist and Priestess Nilmith to build a temple in dedication to Garl Glittergold. She rushes to her old friend’s side in order to help his congregation in anyway she can.

Hlinthi speaks with Roywyn about crafting magical boots so that he may be quicker on the battlefield in order to better get to the wounded. “Curse me short kicking stumps!” After discussing this they decide to wait until they can get more resources together and garner more power in order to help fashion the greatest of all boots, those of speed.

The Sky Captain Quint flies into Threshold on his gnome-made flying ship. After a bit of fanfare and fireworks he lands his ship near the bazaar. With entourage in tow, he heads to the Verse looking for Trizoon in order to discuss some bizarre meteorological phenomenon he witnessed over the Giant’s Plain. “Where is my exuberant friend Trizoon this night?” Although he can’t find the bard, he sees two gnomes, Hlinthi and Roywyn, sharing a meal with pints of beer, singing and laughing all the while. Quint smiles and waves to them as he approaches, eventually sweeping into a low bow before joining them, “Well met to you friends!” After exchanging pleasantries and a few beers more, he shares his story about his latest travels with them.

“I have sailed from one end of Faerun to the other and I’ve never seen anything like the great ball of lightning that hovers over the Giant’s plain,” Quint tells them. Furthermore, he explains that this has been a reoccurring phenomenon and he needs some help investigating the remote region. “Great balls of lighting appearing in my skies pose a threat to my ship, my crew and my ladies this cannot stand,” Quint continues. He offers to fund an exploration of the skeletal ruins that he found in the area of the lightning as it is an expedition that only heroes can undertake. The gnomes explain to Quint that Trizoon is conducting a night-long ceremony with Priestess Nilmith in order to consecrate the new temple. Quint does however, manage to capture their interest and convince the heroes to explore the phenomenon. He insists upon a daybreak departure, but this strikes the gnomes as a bit strange as Quint is rarely up early considering his nightly exploits.

Quint also secures the services of the dwarf barbarian Trebbor Smallcanyon to serve as the party’s scout. In addition he enlists both Wicasa and Rog to round out the talents of the party. They plan to rendezvous with some of Trebbor’s kinfolk in the tunnels of the Giant’s Run Mountains on the western border. There they’ll set up camp in order to view the nightly phenomenon over the Giant’s Plain from the superior vantage point. Soon after midnight a giant ball of blue lightning appears, nearing 100 feet in diameter, and hovered hundreds of feet above the plain and several miles to the southwest of their camp. The ball flickers like a giant firefly and rains hundreds of small bolts of energy toward the ground. Although this goes on for only a half hour before the ball winks out of sight, the companions are able to pinpoint its rough position and take off in the Sky Ship at daybreak with Roywyn, Trebbor and Hlinthi. However they go without Rog and Wicasa as they were sent to approach the ruins from a secret tunnel system from below. They will rendezvous with their companions at the ruins.

Quint drops within fifty yards of the ruins which they pinpointed as the ball’s rough location. Once the heroes are ready Quint flies his ship back to their camp to await the heroes’ signals when evacuation is needed. Quint had given the heroes a set of Murty’s Magical Markers which were special magical lights that he used for landing his ship at night or inclement weather.

Hlinthi casts clerical protective spells protection from evil to add to their muscle, Trebbor and blesses the party with the favor of Garl Glittergold. Hlinthi then activates his ring of invisibility while Trebbor and Roywyn down invisibility potions and sneak into the Skeletal Ruins. “Its not dwarf construction so it’s no wonder why the ruins became skeletal,” Trebbor proclaims. The gnomes agree that the inferior construction was likely human-made. “The ruins aren’t even a century old and already crumbled? Hlinthi grumbled.

But one thing they all feel is that the ruins’ eyes looking for them even though they were invisible. On both the sides of the ruins along the remnants of the east and west outer walls, they see two red-skinned, hairless humanoid creatures skulking about standing approximately seven feet tall, but it would be taller if it stood erect. They move silently and swiftly, making their way towards the location where the part now held on the east wall. The combination of short legs, long arms, and stooped posture causes its hands to drag on the ground. One creature runs at them but does not leap from the wall halting just above their position.

It is then that they get a good look at the creature. It has massive shoulders and an enormous chest, which tapers down to a narrow waist and hips. Its head is triangular and its neck attaches near the top of its head, causing its leering, toothy face and pointed chin to hang below its shoulders. With eyes ablaze it lets loose a booming shout which resembles a loud, rasping cough. The shout becomes a sonic blast that makes the party’s very bones shake causing deep pain in their bodies.

But this attack did not ruin their invisibility or other spells. Roywyn is quick to act leveling her staff of frost at the creature looming above them and lets loose a cone of cold freezing the creature, blistering its face and red skin. Hlinthi casts his first healing spells to mend their wounds as Trebbor spies the second creature closing fast from the other side of the ruins. Trebbor readies her dwarven urgosh to take it out, but it too unleashes a painful sonic shout. This time the heroes resist its stunning affect. It continues to run blindly to their position where Trebbor, springing from her invisibility, makes short work of the monster.

The creature on the wall continues its attacks trading shouts for Roywyn’s staff of frost. Hlinthi administers healing throughout the melee. Roywyn breaks into a battle song that galvanizes Trebbor a she chops and dices. Soon Roywyn provides the party with a haste spell and in no time at all the second creatures is killed before it can flee.

Just then the heroes feel the ground tremor as a cloud of sand shoots into the air announcing the giant stone doors that fly open from the ground near a dried up fountain. The tremors continue as something rumbles out. The creature is humanoid in basic shape, standing nine feet tall and weighing a ton. Its hands appear oversized for its body and are tipped with claws. Its head is similar to a small-eared elephant’s head, having a mouth filled with tiny teeth, small rheumy red eyes, and a long, coiling trunk tipped with a long, thin spike. With eyes filled with malice it turns toward the companions. “It doesn’t look like a giant, but I’m gonna chop it down anyways!” Trebbor yells as she charges the new foe.

Melgornarni’s Dance of the Purple Worm

• Characters: Dalthon, JadeBlade, Jebeddo, Sentalial, Teldowen, V.L., Wicasa
• NPCs: Melgornarni, Nilmith, Quint
• Synopsis: Quint the Navigator escorts V.L. and others from the Circle of Holundi rebel camp to Threshold and discovers an operation destroying a tract of forest. Nilmith, a deep gnome priestess hears of the mass grave that was uncovered and retrieves the body of JadeBlade still clutching his father’s waraxe. Using one of the scrolls of Beldishor, Nilmith brings the dwarf back from the Hall of Moradin and Clanggedin Silverbeard and returns him to life. A consensus is drawn that a doppelganger has infiltrated Threshold. The group leaves town to investigate the unnatural clearing to find a continuing operation to clear the forest niche. Orchestrating the operation is Melgonarni, an evil wizard from Teziir who seeks magical artifacts. He has uncovered a long lost shrine to Holundi, along with two of Holundi’s belongings. Melgornarni is subdued and captured, and the group splits up. Dalthon, Jebeddo, Teldowen and Wicasa escort the evil wizard back to Teziir while Sentalial and JadeBlade return to Threshold with the fallen V.L. and the artifacts of Holundi. Nilmith once again uses one of the Scrolls of Beldishor and revives V.L.
• Encounters: Gray Render, Purple Worm, Melgornarni
• Achievements: The group uncovered Holundi’s artifacts and returned them to Julbin. The sage identifies them as the Robe of the Archmage and the Staff of Enchantment. The evil wizard is being brought back to Teziir for justice, but Melgornarni has promised a fortune of gems for his release.