- The Dark Knight's Plot.
- Enter the PCs.
- Deep Hollow.
- The Plot Thickens.
- The Thirteen Mages.
- The Oracles and a Trip to Jotunland.
- The Death of Maelwyth.
The Dark Knight's Plot.
Addryn Thane, ex-paladin of Orloth has been denied a place in the afterlife for his sins against the God Orloth. While traveling the world he has discovered the fate of the Elder Dragon Maelwyth, who was bound in magical chains by thirteen Annan mages in the year 3843SA. Addryn hopes to free the Elder Dragon and bring destruction upon the north.
Addryn begins to seek for the bodies of the thirteen mages and a means by which he can communicate with their souls to learn the secret of the binding spell. He begins to search for two ancient artifacts, Turan's Grail and the Staff of Lyr. With the Grail he can resurrect the souls of the dead and with the staff he can bind them to his power. Addryn orders his minion, Thilas Baccan, to search for the artifacts, while he seeks the bodies of the mages. Thilas in turn orders Barrig Ilcondor, a necromancer, to find Turan's Grail and Salenor Ereni a warrior-mage to find the staff.
Barrig uses Addryn's spies within the church to steal the body of the grail and begins to search for the rubies that empower it. He discovers that the parts of the Grail are buried in a barrow near the village of Tanglewood in the Wildlands. Investigations lead him to the mage, Zendaryth, who recently commissioned a survey of the barrows in the area. Barrig then begins to amass a force of undead to attack Zendaryth's tower.
Enter the PCs.
Here enters the PC party. Buckminster the paladin is ordered by his church to investigate strange goings on in the Tanglewood area. He enlists the help of Allanon Velwyth the mage, Sparrow the ranger, Callum the bard, Eric the rogue and Tanith the priestess. Together they uncover Barrig's evil doings and destroy his undead army. Unfortunately, with the help of Thilas Baccan's mercenaries he is able to find the pieces of the grail and assemble it. The PCs mount a daring raid on the necromancer's hideaway. The necromancer is killed along with Allanon, but the completed Grail is recovered, though they do not understand it's importance. A search of Barrig's belongings and papers tells the party that he was working for Thilas Baccan along with a man named Salenor Ereni.
The name Thilas Baccan is known to Sparrow from his murky past. Sparrow and Allanon had been friends for many years fighting against Thilas, the despotic ruler of the city of Deep Hollow. They return to Tanglewood to discuss their next move. There, Sparrow is contacted by one of his old friends, Huw Vallyn, who had fought with him against Thilas. Huw has received a letter from Thilas saying he has kidnapped another resistance member, Lyssa Gwiran, and will kill her unless they go to Deep Hollow. Together the party travel to Deep Hollow to discover more about the plot and rescue Lyssa.
Deep Hollow.
Huw and Sparrow convince the party to enter Deep Hollow for two purposes, to find and information and to free some of their fellow freedom fighters. The party enter the castle and make their way to the dungeons to free the prisoners, including Lyssa and another old companion Alex. They are disturbed and flee after only exploring the upper dungeons. On the way out, they overhear Thilas talking to Addryn Thane.
After escaping, Bucky, who recognised the knights crest, relates Thane’s history to the party. The root of the Evil has been revealed. Bucky contacts the head of his church, Gwedoc Gorvan, to ask for assistance. Gwedoc tells Bucky that he is worried about traitors in the church and that he is pretty much on his own. He does give them the location of an old Paladin, Vareth Halgrin, Gwedoc’s old friend who they can ask for help.
The party set of to the Stonelands to track down Salenor Ereni and the Staff of Lyr. They succeed in their quest, but are horrified to see that Ereni was aided by Orlothian Paladins. They quickly set out for Zale and Vareth Halgrin.
The Plot Thickens.
While traveling to Zale, they are attacked by a young fire dragon. The party defeat the dragon, but at the last moment he begs for mercy in exchange for information. The dragon informs the party that he was working for Addryn Thane and had been told to apprehend the party. He also tells them what he knows of Addryn’s plans. The party learn that he is searching for the bodies of thirteen ancient mages, he already has three, and needs the artifacts to raise them from the dead.
The party find Vareth in the south, he takes the artifacts and deposits them on the elemental plane of fire, under the control of an elemental prince. He tells the party to travel to the temple of Orloth in Eastgate. The temple there has the most extensive library of any Orlothian sites. He tells them to speak to a man named Roddyn Halgrin, his brother, who is an archivist there.
The Thirteen Mages.
They travel to Eastgate and meet Roddyn. He comes up with the journal remains of the bard Adweas Aleann who lived at the beginning of the third age. Aleann was present at the funeral of Ethaya Taleniver, a mage and there met Keinnan Kerenard. Kerenard told Aleann that he and Taleniver were the last of thirteen responsible for saving the world. From the journal they discover the resting place of Taleniver and Kerenard’s home.
The party travel to Blackfire Hill, the dwelling of Keinnan Kerenard. Atop the hill is a strange magical circle of twelve Ironwood trees. They are surrounded by unpassable undergrowth. Together Bucky and Tanith detect a hidden entrance which open to their touch and leads within the grove. Here they meet the shade of Kerenard, who tells them that he and his fellow twelve mages were responsible for binding and imprisoning the elder dragon Maelwyth, the location of the body and that blood of the thirteen mages can be used to dispel the binding. Kerenard also warns that as each of the thirteen wards is broken, he chance of Maelwyth breaking free rises.
Amongst Kerenard’s personal effects they find a letter from Lielin Agalla, one of the thirteen mages. She tells Kerenard that Maelwyth’s bane is mentioned in the Lathwyn Oracles. The party next head to Deep Hollow to find the body of Ethaya Taleniver, there they meet Addryn Thane. After a long battle they destroy the body Thane’s spirit is inhabiting. Thilas Baccan flees the city and the party lead a revolt against his remaining mercenaries. They enter the deeper dungeons and free the prisoners there. One of the prisoners is Alannon’s father, the old leader of Deep Hollow before Baccan’s takeover.
The Oracles and a Trip to Jotunland.
Leaving Deep Hollow, the party set forth in search of the Oracles. The party travel to Lathwyn and find the original, uninterpreted Oracles. They set off for the Tamaraith Highlands to get the Oracles translated. The eleventh Oracle says that the bane of Maelwyth lies in the scourge of Jotunland, the elder dragon Kaelvaz.
The party set sail for Jotunland. Upon arrival, Tanith and Bucky attempt to sway the Giant rulers to help in their quest. They refuse, believing that if they have Maelwyth’s bane, why should give it to the humans. The party escape from the giant’s city in search of the Keep of Mugnar, who was given a battle axe made from Kaelvaz’ bones.
The party break into the keep and steal the battle axe. They head back to the Wildlands and the site of Maelwyth’s body. They enter a series of caverns guarded by Baccan's mutated giants. Inside they find the body of Maelwyth, Thilas Baccan and Addryn Thane. Thane's spirit has taken over a new body.
The Death of Maelwyth.
Alex jumps atop Maelwyth’s neck and begins his assault while the rest fight Thane and Baccan. Baccan flees with Huw and Callum in hot pursuit. Sparrow and Bucky destroy Addryn’s body again. Maelwyth begins to awake under Alex’s assault and Bucky, overcome by dragon fear, flees the caverns. Alex is badly hurt as Maelwyth begins to break free from his bonds. Sparrow takes up the bone axe and leaps within the dragon’s ear, and after a battle against searing dragon blood and ear wax kills Maelwyth.
The death throes of the dragon begin to bring down the mountain, Sparrow grabs the body of Alex and flees the caverns followed by Huw, Tanith and Callum. Thilas Baccan escapes again. The mountain collapses, burying the body of the last elder dragon Maelwyth.
As the dust settles the party takes stock of their situation. Alex critically injured. Sparrow is burned, battered and bruised. Bucky feels ashamed of his own cowardice when he was needed.Huw is angry, his enemy Thilas Baccan has escaped again. Most of their equipment has been buried under the rock fall.
The quest continues, a search for the means to kill Addryn Thane once and for all.
On to Part 2 of the Chronicle.
