Connections emerge

After handing over the Mind's Eye gem to She'dra and sharing the vision of Malcolm and his party with the rest of the group, Driari and Zerin spoke about the various other gems and their guardians. But it was really when he mentioned that "they killed Taeren..." that things started to get ugly. Well, unless you count Lunk's insistance, upon seeing and hearing his brother, that everyone would be slaughtered...

Storming off like a petulant child, Driari seemed determined to escape the Underdark as quickly as possible. The others were a little slower to react, but soon followed after...

As they emerged from the great column, they were greeted by the sight of their Drow contact Trys Brin' Tha'ra and his remaining group. Citing the fact that they had been useful to the Drow, a very generous offer was extended to sign on as slaves for the Valsharess. Not quite ready to hop on board for this exciting endeavor, the group inquired as to alternatives. The only one presented was death, at which point it was revealed that the previously poisoned party members had been given a false antidote.

She'dra cast a locate object spell, curious to see if the Drow had with them the actual antidote. It seemed they did. Things were going downhill fast, so Trys decided his best course of action would be to destroy the slaves and return with whatever trinket they had come looking for. Commanding his archer to fire at She'dra was all for naught when Driari stepped forward and blocked the arrow with her shield.

All of the party fought valiantly, especially Damas, Ryo, and Emerys who were suffering from the effects of the spiders' poison.The real story though may have been Driari and the way she cut loose on the Drow. Stepping up and uttering words of divin might, she invoked the name of "Morgos..." persumably a god that none of the party had ever heard of. An explosion of light burst forth from her hand, blinding the drow (and Ricky the blade), and wracking them with pain as well.

The battle was pretty much academic as the Drow had severely underestimated the power of our heroes. Zerin stepped forward and stripped Tris of his weapon as Damas stepped forward and knocked his legs from beneath him, taking him to the ground. Helpess and disarmed, Driari brought her axe down upon his head twice anyway, brutally murdering the dark elf. The one remaining member of his party turned to flee and get reinforcements, but She'dra ended him with a fiery burst.

Furious with Driari for showing her power, invoking the name Morgos, and murdering Trys, Zerin yelled at her in draconian for quite a while. It never once slowed her from making her way out of the Underdark though. It was a mostly uneventful trip, with the exception of two large holes and a trail of slime nearby where the group had encountered the spiders. No one stuck around to find out what fearsome menace of the Underdark caused the disturbance. Also, passing by the scene of the earlier Mind Flayer battle with Trys' group, She'dra decided to search their mage and came up with an all new spellbook to study...

The group continued to backtrack, never really slowing their pace until they had reached the exit in the Order of the Little Trees. Greeted by master Lee Chun Soo, the group was proud to report that they had finally accomplished their goal. Emerys asked master Lee about the possibility of getting to the Island of the Onyx Veil in less than 7 days. Weighing his options, he decided that natural travel would be impossible and that perhaps they ought to seek magical aid in Fujoo.

Hearing a disturbance outside, the men rushed out to the frightening rope bridge where they found Zerin and Driari heatedly yelling at one another in Draconian. Picking up on most of it, it would seem that Driari had had it and is fed up with her order. She removed her helmet and breastplate, tossing them to the ground and revealing bronzish leathery wings. Leaping from the side of the mountain she angrily took flight and disappeared into the distance.

Some of the group members pressed Zerin for answers, but he was as stoic and uninformative as ever. He wrote them off to the tune of... "we don't really have time to get into this... Let's go."

Ever in a rush, the group decided to push themselves further and travel down the mountain before finally getting some rest. One long arduous trip down the mountain later, and the men got the rest they so deserved...

Waking the next day sometime in the mid-afternoon, the group split in two and went about their business. One thing that each noticed... it seemed that the missing gem was starting to have some effect. Mages all over were having trouble completing their spells. In some of the further out sections of town, hopefuls who had come in tents were packing up ready to give up on their magical ambitions. Emerys and Edge cast glances back and forth to one another indicating that they each agreed that these gems needed to be returned as soon as possible.

Feeling unwelcome in the town, Emerys' decided to follow Edge back to Zellwyn's Hollow, where Edge's sword would hopefully be finished. As it turned out, Zellwyn had finished the Falchion, and handed it back to Edge. Inspecting the sword, Edge found that it did indeed appear to be even sharper than when he had left it behind. An almost imperceptible blue glow seemed to hover in front of the sharpest part of the blade, a physical representation of the powerful magic imbued into the weapon.

Window shopping at the extremely expensive wizard's shop, Emerys asked about any enchanted arrows. They did not have any in stock, but Zellwyn did notice his fine bow and the magic ring upon his finger. Very interested in the bow he offered Emerys 2500 gold for it. Emrerys responded that it was a family heirloom and not for sale. Zellwyn countered with 2700, but that got little from Emerys but a dirty look. Asking about the ring, Zellwyn said that it was of no interest to him, but that "Scooter" at the conclave may be interested in one of that type. With nothing better to do, the men set off for the conclave.

Speaking of the conclave, She'dra and Ryo headed right there looking to find a way to transport the group to the Island of the Onyx Veil as soon as possible. Returning to the head of research, She'dra asked about the possibility, cutting off the head's attempts to tell him that they were having difficulty receiving payment from Ridgeshire...

Scoffing at the idea that anyone could transport that many people that far away to that part of the world, he suggested that it was probably impossible... as much as it pained him to say anything was impossible with magic. Turning to his aide for affirmation, the aide suggested that anyone short of the Grand Archmage himself probably couldn't do it... but that the Grand Archmage might be worth a try.

The head of research, Colin Noseworthy, scoffed again and was about to dismiss She'dra... but catching a possible break She'dra pressed the line and asked what the aide had said. Laughing the suggestion off, he said that aide suggested that the Grand Archmage may be powerful enough to accomplish the task... but that he saw no one. The aide shrugged and said "I guess it's worth a shot."

Taking the same attitude, She'dra and Ryo followed Mr. Noseworthy's directions and ended up in a room of teleporting rings. Stepping through they found themselves in the outer chambers of the Grand Archmage's very own wing of the conclave. It seemed that the title "Grand Archmage" was a measure of the man's power and not his social standing. Apparently he never emerged from his chambers, and never allowed anyone in either.

Stepping up to a man at a large desk in front of the large wooden doors, She'dra introduced himself. A small, excitable man with glasses and about 1,000 books open at once responded cheerfully to She'dra and introduced himself as Solomon McGrooder. "Everyone just calls me 'Scooter.'"

Apologizing for not being able to help, Scooter explained that he doesn't even have a way of opening the Grand Archmage's door... he's simply there to turn people away. If the Grand Archmage really wanted to see someone, the doors would open... and the only people he's ever opened his door to were Defenders of the Realm.

Going off on a tangent Scooter's eyes lit up as he spoke of his joy... The Defenders of the Realm... Mentioning that he wrote the second best selling book of all time on the subject, he nearly jumped out of his chair as She'dra professed to have read it in the library in Pungumplia.

Talking about how he was probably the world's foremost expert on what has happened to the Defenders in the days since their great adventures, the topic of Ralphus Claussen came up. She'dra responded about how great a hero he was... to which Scooter replied... "What do you mean 'was?' Aren't you here to see Ralphus?" He pointed behind him to the Grand Archmage's doors.

Knowing that Ralphus only ever saw other Defenders of the Realm, She'dra and Ryo let Scooter talk about the subject... and talk he did! Some of the follow ups...

Barnabus Huxley: Taken from the world sometime in his fifties, Barnabus never reproduced... Although he did inspire countless Clerics by the name "Father Barnabus." His trusty Fire Beetle Fahrvergnügen stayed by his side to the end. After his passing he flew off and no one has heard from him since... but given the average life span of a fire beetle, it's assumed that he passed some time ago.

Laudandis Razorshade: Found dead amidst what turned out to be the largest troll encampment recorded in the history of Galen Tur. It is believed that his battle with this village caused the great fire in Greyfold. Since that time, the troll population of Galen Tur has been almost nil. A touching memorial was erected to him in Greyfold containing his body and his flaming sword.

Rassan: Rassan was Scooter's favorite... Rumored at some point to have had his bloodline cursed, Rassan never lived to see age 30. He spawned many children via many various women in all sorts of places all over the world. Each of his children also passed before reaching age 30. A few of them had children, with the same outcome. And on and on until now there exists but a single member of the bloodline. Some of the Wizards have prophecied that when Rassan's bloodline ends it is a bad omen, and terrible events will follow. Which is a shame because the remaining survivor is near 30... and never reproduced... More on that later.

Evan Darkmoor: The final surviving member of the Defenders, Evan had since withdrawn from society, like Ralphus. Although he kept in contact with Rassan's kids and Ralphus on occasion, little is known of where he actually lives now...

Bartley Barton: Controversial amongst Defenders scholars. Some don't believe that Bartley ever existed, and that he was retroactively inserted into the stories by jealous Gnomes. Others believe he fell at some point in his adventures. The jury is still out.

Darton Brighttooth: No one know what happened to Darton either, but trusty sources indicate that he is no longer on this same plane of existence.

Calmly listening to Scooter babble on forever, She'dra picked up on the fact that Rassan's relative seemed like the best option. Asking his name, She'dra and Ryo got another shock to hear that it was "Quintin, the sailor." Quint, their ex-travelling companion... now dead.

About this time, Edge and Emerys showed up, and after a while they too were talking with Scooter. Greatly interested in Emerys' ring (the genuine ring that belonged to Rassan himself), as well as in any information on Quint's passing, a deal was struck. She'dra asked for all the information that Scooter had on Evan Darkmoor (seemingly their only option), and in exchange they would tell him about Quint's passing, and maybe work on getting him the ring.

So while She'dra looked over what information Scooter had handy, he awaited a detailed report from Scooter. Hours later it came. She'dra ripped into all of the information. One thing that Scooter had said on the subject ran through his mind... "If Quint was captured, why wouldn't he go to Evan to get him out of it? I mean... he never met with him? Or even mentioned him? That's so strange..."

It was strange... but he couldn't seem to get it... Tossing a bit of the paper away in frustration, Ryo picked it up and examined it. "Evander Darkmoor? Wait... didn't we meet someone named Vander?"

That was the connection... "No! Ander. The woodsman!" Ready to slap hismelf for not seeing it before, the connections all come together in the elf wizard's mind. The recluse away from society helping people, someone who looked human, but was elf sized... Quint's excuse of "I met a guy" was suddenly as weak as it should have been all along.

Crunching the numbers, the group figured that a small party racing on horseback could get there and back in 3 days, still leaving them 2 days or so to beat Malcolm.

Damas, Emerys, Edge and Ryo set off to the cabin while She'dra stuck with Zerin and the prisoners, taking the opportunity to learn from the Drow wizard's spellbook...

Zipping down the continent, the group eventually found their way back to the spot where about a month ago they had broken a wheel. Checking out the giant's forest, they encountered fallen trees, huge limp flowers, and some enormous bugs, no longer able to support their own weight to fly. The entire land was overgrown and could no longer support its own weight.

Heading through the tunnel system to Ander's cabin, the men approached and inspected the scene. Emerys knocked while Ryo peered into the window. A boiling pot and a bowl on the table suggested that Ander/Evan was nearby... but he was nowhere to be found in the tiny cabin.

Quickly, and out of nowhere, Emerys had a dagger to his throat. "Where's Quint?" was the only question.

Informing him of Quint's passing, Evan let him loose. Expressing some sadness but not much surprise, he asked what they wanted with him... being a simple woodsman as he was.

Ryo replied "We know exactly what you are... Evan."

Stripping himself of his fake beard and hat that hid his elven ears, Evan unmasked and asked the group what they wanted, letting him know that he no longer adventured. The group said that all they needed was for him to speak to Ralphus so that he could provide them with transportation. After being assured that that was the only reason, Evan agreed to help... perhaps out of respect to Quint's memory.

The group rode backtowards Fujoo, Evan telling stories and showing off the entire way. He did his best to teach Emerys how to trick shoot, but the result was a nasty spill and a horse that would have gotten away had Edge not raced him down and reigned him in. Sticking to business they upped the pace and soon were about to enter the Fujoo city limits...

A gem in the hand

After the difficulties they've already encountered, the group was glad to find that the rest of the journey to Fujoo city was uneventful. Passing through the magic filled streets, they are treated to all sorts of strange sights and sounds... and the more heavily armed members of the group are treated to more than a few dirty looks.

Nevertheless, the group presses forward...

She'dra moves as fast as his elven legs will carry him towards the great conclave at the center of town. Seeing an opportunity to study new spells from the vast collection of Fujoo, he enters the conclave and begins (unknowingly) negotiating for the right to use their resources. Mentioning in the same sentence Ridgeshire's great resources and his brilliant research, he offers to share with Fujoo... The mage with whom he's negotiating believes he means to share Ridgeshire's great resources, while She'dra is innocently offering to share the fruits of his research. And so with that misunderstanding in place, She'dra studies.

Edge, meanwhile, is ever looking for ways to improve his swordsmanship. He's gotten a fine Falchion from Pungumplia, but perhaps now he could find a wizard in Fujoo to enhance it magically! Coming across a small shop named Zellwyn's Hollow, Edge begins the process. Asking for a way to further sharpen the blade without weakening the structure, he hands his sword over to Zellwyn who knows immediately what to do. He claims the whole thing will take a few days, and in the meantime offers the shop's backup weapons to Edgerrin. After some pause for consternation, Edge selects the most pathetic piece of steel he's ever laid eyes upon. If he holds it at just the right angle and squints just so... he could almost call it "sword."

Enchanting is a not a pleasant process. To be honest, most wizards can't stand it. The effort required is monumental, and often times the rewards for it just don't measure up. So when a wizard enchants something he has absolutely no use for... say a sword... he will tend to charge an exorbitant amount of money. This is no exception. After the price hits several thousand gold pieces, Edge is relieved to see the charges stop rolling in. Strangely though, he doesn't get as much gold in return from his promisary note as he thought he would. Quickly following the paper trail, it seems the gold was spent for "mental healing."

Not sure of what was going on, but with a pretty damned good idea, Edge thanked the wizard and set off to confront She'dra. The two of them began to verbally spar back and forth, shooting out accusations about being selfish and misusing resources that could better serve the group. Surprisingly quickly, however, the conversation lost it's nasty undertone and became a constructive discussion about trust. What seemed to be a wedge to drive the group further apart may have served to bring the group closer together.

Ryo, on the other hand, was cleverly looking for a way to get a little distance from the group... via the removal of his mark of justice! Striking up a conversation with a mage standing guard at the conclave, Ryo found little but a dead end. Although the mage was more than willing to listen to Ryo's problems, he had neither the arcane power to remove his curse, nor the political power to allow a warrior entrance to mage's conclave. Wishing Ryo luck, the guard went back about his watch.

After a quick attempt to get some rest at a local inn (and eating I assume? Everyone has to be starved!), Zerin lead the group further north into the mountains and up a long, winding staircase built into the side of the mountain. Up and up and up they go all the way to the top of the mountain. It is there that they come across a spot of great importance in the history of Galen Tur... the Temple of the Little Trees.

Greeted warmly by the monks, the group was allowed entry into the courtyard where they caught a glimpse of the inner workings of the monastery. Explaining their position to the acting head monk Kong Jing Ou, he found that he was in a little bit over his head. Turning the group over to someone more qualified to handle these inquiries, he lead them across a rickety rope bridge to another building upon the mountaintop.

Taking his leave of the men, Kong suggested that his master may be able to help them further. Scanning the room however, the group saw nothing but a statue of a slightly overweight monk with a long gray beard and a half eaten bowl of rice. Of course that was before the statue spoke!!

As it turned out, the group was conversing with Lee Chun Soo, one of the chosen children at the Academy of Galen Tur! It seems that when monks reach a certain state of enlightenment, mortality is no longer a concern. Once again having to explain their situation, the group says that they need entrance into the passages that lead to the underdark. Knowing that this is not a place ventured to lightly, Lee Chun Soo offers the group a deal. He hands to them a wand with an inscription upon it and says that "the great power offered by the gem is nothing if not balanced with wisdom. Figure out the riddle, and I shall take care of our golden man defenses for you, and I will also even let you keep the wand."

Rather than risk crossing the temple's gold men defending the entrance, the party gave the riddle a shot...

"My first is born once and dies Nine Deaths.
My middle is the Heart of Alarm.
My last arranges lock of Golden Thread.
And can be found on the Morning Caller's head"

She'dra and Edge did most of the brain work, tossing out theories and possibilities, while Emerys took the path of pestering Lee Chun Soo for answers. Ryo, meanwhile, seemed to write the whole thing off. "I do not have a mind for such riddles."

Pestering Lee Chun Soo wasn't getting Emerys much of anything, but it did seem to amuse the old monk. Asking for the answer right out yielded nothing, but Emerys did pry a small hint... "The answer will be easier if you know where you are going."

She'dra and Edge decided that each bit was seemingly asking for a word that composed another word. They then found that "cat" seemed to answer the first part of the riddle, and that "a" would qualify as the heart of alarm. The end of the riddle had them stumped though...

"Cat...a...Cat...a..."

"Combs! Catacombs!" exclaimed Ryo. Indeed, the samurai had come across the correct answer that unlocked the power of the wand. (a healing item, so it seemed.)

Pleased that the party had solved the problem (especially that the one without the mind for riddles had given the answer), Lee slowly waddled his way down another set of steps where he disabled the gold man trap in a flash. The seemingly harmless olf man who looked as if he had trouble simply moving suddenly showed signs of exactly how powerful he really was. Smiling at the group, he allowed them to enter the dark doorway and slowly descend deeper and deeper into the earth.

After seemingly heading down forever further and further into darkness, the group came upon what seemed to be a former dwelling of some sort. Some old beds, an old temple, and an armory that has been long ignored. It seems that everything is covered in dust and cobwebs and has been abandoned for years. Heading deeper through the caverns the group finally found their way to an opening... an opening that seemed to lead outside. An all new outside that is! Walking out of the cave the place seemed to open up again into a whole 'nother world... the world beneath the world. Seemingly just as massive as what they knew of the surface... perhaps moreso.

With Zerin leading the way, they marched on despite the eerie silence and the heavy, musty stale air. Then, a break in the silence... A sound coming from... directly above!!

Before our heroes knew it, they were besieged by large spiders, ready to enjoy a rare snack from the surface. The only problem was that a quick sword swipe went right through a spider without harming it!

Theories shot around between the group. Perhaps they needed to be harmed by magic, or magical weapons only... The spiders moved in on their opponents and clamped down their powerful jaws, dripping with poison. Upon being bitten, Emerys felt extremely weak, almost as if he was going to lose consiousness from the strain of merely standing.

The battle went back and forth with the party eventually figuring out that the spiders were making quick jaunts to the ethereal plane, only become corporeal again to strike at the group. Once this was discovered the party coordinated their efforts and quickly disposed of the beasts. Although well after the battle ended Emerys, Ryo and Damas continued to feel the effects of their attacks.

Continuing on land, the silence of the underdark slowly began to disappear, replaced by the sounds of war! They came across a large battle taking place between two cities. It appeared to be a group of black skinned, white haired elves fighting against a series of slimy, purple monsters with tentacles waving over their mouths. While I'm sure the party would have been happy to avoid the conflict altogether, Zerin pointed to a large natural stone structure off in the distance behind the fighting. It was this large column created from a stalactite and a stalagmite that housed the Mind's Eye gem.

Not far from their location, the group spied a version of the battle in miniature! A handful of the dark skinned elves (later found out to be Drow) were facing a few of the tentacled monsters (later found to be called Ilithids, or "Mind Flayers"). Back and forth the two sides went with each claiming casualties. Finally, down to the last Ilithid, he wrapped his tentacles around the head of one of the drow and violently ripped his brain from his head. As the drow slumped to the ground it seemed to laugh... a vile, snarling laughter no doubt made even more sinister because of the various fluids from the drow's head dripping down the beasts chin. A moment later the Mind Flayer was full of arrows, joining his fallen companions on the ground.

Crying out in extreme anger and frustration, the head of the Drow party searches for a solution... and seems to find one. Gathering his remaining allies and moving close to our group he speaks to She'dra in a strange sort of elven...

"Why are you here, surface dwellers??"

They explained that they were searching for a rare stone, but the Drow leader obviously had other plans. "You are a wizard," he said to She'dra. "We could make use of you..."

Apparently this small group of drow was supposed to infiltrate the Ilithid territory and destroy a strategic structure, catching the Ilithid by surprise and turning the tide of the battle. The problem stemmed from the fact that they needed a mage to cast the spell that would destroy the building. Suggesting that an alliance may benefit them both, the Drow party said that should She'dra be able to accomplish the mission, that they would be allowed passage to the great column.

Adding the additional stipulation that the Drow provide a cure for their poisoned companions, the two sides agreed and the mission was on. She'dra, Edgerrin and Bubo travelled lightly favoring stealth over brawn. It made more sense to leave the infected behind, but they could always be summoned by Bubo if need be.

Coming to a path that lead up into the air, the two men saw the way they needed to head to get to the building. It sat on top of a large plateau, overlooking the entire area. Conversely, the entire area could see the building... this should be some explosion.

Running into a slight hiccup in the plan... Edge and She'dra came across a Mind Flayer seemingly in charge of a few axe weilding savages with no eyes. (Grimlocks, it would seem.) Casting a web spell, She'dra held the monster party fast. Responding with a mind blast, the Ilithid knocked She'dra for a loop, stunning him for a few moments. Edge tried to snap She'dra out of it as the Flayer and the Grimlocks struggled to free themselves from the webs.

When he finally recovered, She'dra saw how well the monsters were held, and decided that speed would be the key in this instance. Staying out of the range of the Mind Flayers attacks, the men headed up the ridge and continued their mission. "I WILL EAT YOUR BRAINNSSSS!!!" hissed into their minds, but the unflappable adventurers knew these threats to be the hallow variety.

Reaching an ideal spot, She'dra summoned his arcane power and read from the scroll. Disappearing in a burst of flame, the scroll was replaced by a pulsating orange circle hanging in the air. The countdown had begun, and the mage and the swordsman beat feet to escape as quickly as possible. Somewhere on the run down, they heard the sound of the fireball forming and blasting through the air... then... impact!! The building was rocked, and finally another loud explosion as the building became fully engulfed, lighting up the plateau for half of the underdark to see.

The battlefield shifted. Mind Flayer forces retreated and feel back to defend their city while the Drow pushed forward and began to turn the tide of the battle. The shift cleared the way for the group which was soon to be reunited. All that was left was for Edge and She'dra to return... which they did with no problems. As they got back to the scene from before, they found the Grimlocks all helping the Mind Flayer to tug helplessly at the webs. Impotently screaming in the party's minds again, the Flayer gurgled in what almost seemed to be a sort of sobbing...

Reuniting the Ridgeshire group, they set off to the great column. Along they way they ran into Trys Brin'Thara and his Drow party again. Congratulating the surface dwellers for their job well done, they allowed them access to the column, and gave them a vial of what they claimed to be a cure for the poison.

Wasting no more time, the group entered the great column to find a familiar scene... Although this time it was a female member of Zerin's order, by the name of Driari. Coming to the same conclusion they always have, it seemed that Zerin's people would have to trust the Ridgeshire group to get back the other gems. Searching through the group, Driari picked out She'dra. "You," she said. "You shall take this gem. Do you understand the great power which is about to enter your hands? Do we have your word that you will fight not to be corrupted by this power?

She'dra nodded.

Moving aside, She'dra strode up to the altar rising from the earth and grabbed the brightly glowing blue gem. As soon as he touched it... FLASH!!

The entire group saw the scene of Malcolm, Sir Phobos, Kae, and Edwin Faerber marching on the southern part of the continent down by the plains. Edwin seemed to be bothering Malcolm...

"Malcolm! Speak to me, mage!!! When do we get my brother back??"

Scowling at the bruising brawler, he sneered. "We'll track down She'dra and his pathetic band soon enough. We still have to kill them remember? But before that we have to investigate this next jewel... It's on an island south of here, right Kae?"

"That's what I've heard." She went on playing her lute, mostly ignoring everyone else.

"Well good. We're a few days from Ocan Cite... from there we sail south for another few days... Let's say it will take about a week, and then we'll set off to find your brother."

"Good. He'd better be ok."

And as the group comes back to their senses, they see Sir Phobos marching silently, an angry scowl tattooed to his face.

Driari looked to her companion... "They're on the path to the Nimblestone... and they have about a seven day head start on us."

"Well, we have to beat them there," said Zerin. "We have to find another way."

Emerys' past/the group's future

A solemn start to this chapter of the adventure as the group licked their wounds, cut their losses, and buried their dead. Specifically... Quint. Emerys lead what proved to be a small, solemn funeral, burying their companion in the nearby woods. No one had much to say, which isn't necessarily a surprise. This man wasn't a lifelong companion or even a close friend... but he did make things seem a little lighter. Although it goes unspoken, he will be missed.

With the group prepared to travel once again, it was time to figure out a destination. Things went back and forth talking about whether or not returning to Ridgeshire was a good idea... The pros? They would find out some answers. The cons? Those answers could lead to their arrest and or executions! In the end it was decided that the group would follow Zerin who knew the location of the next nearest gem... The Mind's Eye.

As he began to lead them northwest, She'dra was the first to figure it out. "We're headed towards Fujoo!"

And so as they crossed the border into Ristania, Emerys was careful to have Bubo circle the wagon being always cautious as to the location of Malcolm. She'dra especially saw Malcolm at every turn... or at least he saw his fingerprints upon everything. So naturally he suspected that Malcolm may be following them to each of the gems...

They were a few miles down the road when a sinking feeling hit Emerys... He no longer heard the flapping, or Bubo's occasional hoots... his friend was gone! He wasn't sure how long Bubo had been missing. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes, but it was enough to worry Emerys sick.

Ordering the wagon to stop, Emerys went to search for his companion. Slightly annoyed at the delay, Damas nevertheless allowed for the stop. After all, it could be Malcom's handywork...

Gathering from his people's knowledge, Emerys focused his divine power and called forth for another owl to aid him in his search. Instructing him to find Bubo, he followed the owl's flight as it headed back down the road before veering sharply into the woods. In a flash Emerys was gone. Ryo followed behind as best he could in his heavier plate armor. Emerys dashed into the tree line where he got the sensation of falling. And then nothing. Black. Ryo meanwhile was following the woodsman's path with his eyes, but when Emerys disappeared behind a tree, he actually disappeared. Breaking the treeline himself, Ryo searched to no avail. "Impossible!"

The group back at the wagon, meanwhile, found that they had company. It started in the form of a rumbling from the trees. Edge heard it first and grabbed She'dra from the path of danger! Had the men stayed where they were, they would have been bowled over by a pair of large bruisers dressed in furs and carrying axes twice the size of She'dra.

Turning to come back and aid his companions, Ryo found that these two men had more allies yet. This time in the form of roots and underbrush rising from the ground wrapping around the samurai's feet and legs and attempting to impede his path! More men emerged from the woods, some firing arrows, and others casting spells! Who was this group that had ambushed our heroes??

The answer was lying not far off, under the ground. Emerys awoke to his friend Bubo gently nuzzling against his cheek. A most welcome sight. Followed immediately by a most unnerving, but easily recognizable voice.

"Good morning, son. It is nice to see you again. We got your note." Standing there, arms folded, with the same stern look that always lives on his face was Emerys' father and head of the Irendu people, Rane the druid. Informing Emerys of the situation, he said that a group of his people's finest warriors were laying waste to the rest of his party as they spoke. Rane stated that they had gotten Emerys' note and begun tracking him as soon as they could. He did, however, wish for Emerys to fill in some of the blanks. Teling his father of the powerful stones and the desolation he found in the Nymph's grove, Emerys made a case that he was doing good work with his group.

Rane who had always wanted Emerys to settle in with his people and take over as the druidic head of his tribe was reticent to acknowledge that his son had perhaps made a good choice after all. Swallowing his pride, however, he apologized to his son for all the pressure he'd always put on him and offered to call off the Irendu tribesmen if he saw fit to save his group.

Emerys thought for a moment before telling his father "Yes, please. Call off the attack so that our group can continue its good work." And so Emerys had spared the lives of his teammates and captors. One can only hope that it was the correct move.

And so, returning to the scene of the battle, Rane bellowed out to his people to call off the attack. And so the battle ended, just in time to frustrate the recently untied Lunk. Seeing the battle go poorly, She'dra decided to allow Lunk to add his axe to the battle. Shortly before he got a chance, the battle ended though. Lunk was crestfallen. If by crestfallen I mean ready to rip someone's lungs out through their nose.

Apologizing for the attack, Rane left some of his druids with the group to watch over their camp that night. Finally, he gave Emerys his magical bow, telling him for the first time that Emerys can recall that he was proud of him.

The group camped and received healing via the Irendu druids. As camp broke in the morning, the druids gave Emerys one final piece of advice that strange things tended to happen ina valley to the north. Large group of people simply never made it to the other end, and no one had any idea why.

Taking the warning to heart the group set about travelling north to Fujoo. Eventually they did come across such a valley... The path leading around wound up through the mountains and looked to add at least two days to their journey. In the interest of time, they decided to take their lives into their own hands and head through the mysterious valley! After all, with all they've faced and overcome so far, it seems like it would take a lot to stop our faithful group.

At first heading through the twisting path between the bogs, geysers and hot springs it seemed that the reason for the disappearances could easily be attributed to flash floods! A simple rainstorm and this whole valley would fill up like a tankard of meade! Somewhat more confindent about the strange disappearances they were warned of, the group pressed on.

Little signs started to escape their notice. A few dead animals here and there seemed pretty normal. The air seemed a bit heavier... nothing to worry about. Maybe there was a slight smell of rotten eggs? No, had to be imagination...

Emerys was the first to notice that his breathing had stopped. For whatever reason he was holding his breath. When he tried to take a breath was when he realized that none of the group was breathing and that the oxygen was gone! Quickly warning the others, they discovered that Emerys' warning was correct... they were all slowly suffocating. She'dra squinted his elven eyes and focused enough to see a hint of discoloration in the air, almost imperceptible... like a light smoke or fog... Pointing through the bog and off of the narrow path, She'dra lead the charge away from the wagon. Quickly grabbing all of their supplies, eachmember of the group managed to make it off of the cart. However, Emerys had done a little too much experimenting prior to warning the group, and found that his oxygen supply was entirely gone! Gasping for air, his world began to spin and for the second time in two days, he blacked out.

Picking up the slack, She'dra grabbed Emerys and kept moving, slogging his way through the muck with the rest of his compatriots. Shortly before reaching safety, She'dra too passed out from the strain of carrying Emerys. Each man was pulled up onto the nearby shore and revived. So there they all lay, filthy and gasping for air.

And so the group discovered the secret of the valley. Fortunately all it cost them was a pair of horses... So the group continued northbound, through the trees this time, and on foot. As they moved the win whispered through the branches above, sounding like a voice... "miserable rootless things... lurching around the forest..."

Taking interest, Emerys called out to the trees above, only to take sight of a tree beginning to move and opening what appeared to be a pair of eyes and a mouth. Striking up a conversation, the tree had this to say: "I am Diobemun, protector of the wood, friend of forest creatures, maintainer of the balance, slayer of the stup -- I mean, player of the lute. What brings you to invade -- I mean, visit -- our forest today?"

Asking simply to make their way through the forest and showing no interest in treasure or salvaging any of the wrecked caravans, Diobemun showed them the path northward and settled back to the appearance of a normal tree. Before leaving, Emerys did notice the presence of Blackwood trees around the area, which struck him as very strange. The blackwood tree's bark could be harvested to work wonders in herbal concoctions... So much so that they were harvested to extinction. As far as Emerys knew, the last of them had disappeared when he was but a child. Sadly, they had more pressing issues to attend to...

And so the party managed to emerge from the dangerous valley and were in the home stretch to Fujoo when they came upon another group... Another similar group... She'dra and Damas recognized the state officials with this group. First was Rintrah, a soldier turned apprentice wizard that She'dra considered little more than a dabbler... certainly not on the level of any of the true magic users of Ridgeshire. And secondly was the knight of Ridgeshire Sir Vellis the Honest, a younger but no less capable knight than Damas himself.

Panicking, Rintrah let the group know that orders had come from Ridgeshire itself that She'dra and Damas and their group were to be dealt with swiftly and with extreme prejudice. Explaining that his rag tag group was sent out as some of the stronger groups were called back in case they returned to Ridgeshire, Rintrah apologized but told She'dra that he had no choice but to attack. Doing his best to convince him otherwise, She'dra tried and tried and tried to be diplomatic... but to no avail. A magic missle sailed out and struck She'dra in the chest, starting the battle.

Immediately Sir Vellis called Sir Damas to the side and saluted. It was not a sign of respect, but a challenge... The two knights began to duel and discuss Damas' status as "traitor."

And so the two groups clashed! Rounding out Rintrah's group was a small but extremely well muscled gnomish barbarian named Gorkosh, a capable archer by the name of Franklin, a well armed warrior named Geoff, and what looked like a middle aged shopkeeper named Phillip, who could barely hang onto his short sword.

The battle raged back and forth with each side inflicting some damage upon the other. (Even Phillip managed to accidentally hit someone.) She'dra used his superior magic skills to convince Rintrah that he was covered with bugs biting and crawling on his skin, ruining his concentration. Ryo meanwhile tried to take Rintrah down and talk some sense into him while Franklin peppered him with arrow after arrow. Gorkosh and Geoff squared off with Edge and and Zerin, while Emerys made his way around adding arrow fire where needed.

Emerys was in mid-battle when he heard a voice calling out and begging to him... "Hey, owl-boy... Let me in." It was Lunk, pleading for all he was worth to get into the battle again. Thinking over the offer, Emerys got Lunk to swear to attack "only our enemies." Agreeing to anything to get into the battle, Lunk laughed heartily when his rope was cut and he got hold of his axe once again. Charging over to Zerin, Edge, Geoff and Gorkosh, Lunk entered the fray.

As the battle raged, Ryo eventually got Rintrah near enough to death that he would listen to reason. Telling him once and for all to stand down and surrender, Rintrah did, and called off his men. Each of them complied (save Gorkosh, who was tossed aside by Edge... but fighting his way through a web spell eventually allowed his rage to wear off.), but one man didn't. In on most of the tough fighting, and pretty near death himself, Geoff had fought valiantly until he made his big mistake. He turned his back on Lunk. Screaming out wildly as he got a free shot at his enemy's back, he nearly cut the man in half with two great swings from his greataxe.

Laughing as they tied him up again, he stared at Emerys and mocked "Only our enemies! HAHAHAHAHA!!!"

With the battle ended, Rintrah and She'dra discussed the terms of the surrender and what was to happen next. Initially She'dra instructed his group to return to Ridgeshire, but that was almost universally shot down. Rintrah himself shared that his feeling was that if the group returned claiming to have encountered She'dra and Damas but also with the news they had failed that the governor may decide to make an example of them.

She'dra, still convinced that Malcolm had gone rogue and fooled the governor got some shocking news from Sir Vellis... "I was there in the court... The governor most definitely instructed Malcolm to hunt and kill your group... Not vice versa."

Sir Damas, assuring She'dra that knights did not receive ironic titles upon reaching the knighthood, claimed that he trusted Vellis' word as much or more than any knight's.

Finally deciding that they would lay low in Greyfold for a while, Rintrah and his remaining group took with them a note from Ryo to be delivered to his clan. Parting ways, the group was left to chew on this last startling revelation.

Still trying to figure out what was going on, who to trust and what to believe, the party made their way into Fujoo, the city of magic at the base of the mountains. Perhaps there they would find more answers in their quest for the Mind's Eye.

Question for the players....

What did you think of this weeks troubles in the valley?

Obviously you are aware I pulled it from an outside source, and tried to build it into the adventure. My goal was to add a little flavor to the land that wasn't necessarily story related. Also, I got a little tired of "You guys wanna go to ____? Ok, you're in the cart. It's uneventful and you arrive." I also don't like the idea of too many random encounters for fighting's sake... there are enough planned encounters for that type of thing...

Anyway, this week I wasn't even sure I was going to use it, so it may have been a little rushed. And of course there was more to be explored with the treant and whatnot if you had chosen... but I think Adam and I decided that ona time sensitive mission, side things like that might just always be ignored. But in general, do you like the idea of this type of thing showing up now and again? I'd just like to get some feedback. Thanks!

Finally, a gem!

Taking more time out of their adventure to rest and recuperate (hey, it's been no pleasure cruise!), the band of adeventurers got a few things accomplished back in Ridgeshire. Damas managed to secure an audience with the governor. She'dra had tried to as well, but was less successful... On the plus side for the elven wizard though, is the fact that he made great personal strides and managed to repair a great deal of his damaged brain which in turn returned his behavior to (relatively more) normal.

Edge spent the week scouring his shop for helpful items, and returning to his first love... crafting magnificent weapons. The beneficiary of this finely crafted katana was Ryo, who also found a set of plate armor in Edgerrin's shop. With a minor donation from Quint the armor was refitted, and suddenly Ryo looked a great deal more threatening! Ryo briefly considered sending amessage to his clan in Greyfold, but recalling what happened the last time he tried to send correspondence to the capital, he chose not to waste his time. Emerys, however, did his best to send a message to his people. Worried that his sudden disappearance would worry his father and his tribe, he hired a carrier pigeon to follow Bubo with a message. Between the two of them he was hoping they would be able to find his wandering tribesmen... Bubo and the pigeon both returned without the note, but with no return letter.

Finally, when everyone else was gathered back together, Damas informed them that the governor was not happy that they had returned empty handed, and demanded that they return to the giants' den to follow up on their best lead. Packing up their wagon they set off on an all too familiar path.

Arriving back at the site of their original tire blow out, the group secured the wagon and once again headed southbound. Following Emerys' lead, the crew managed to find their way back to their friend Ander's small cabin. If they were looking for help though, they'd have to look elsewhere. Ander wasn't home!

Assuming that he wouldn't mind them using his tunnels, Emerys hopped in to scout the area. Weaving through the underground he soon popped up out of a tree stump opening and made his way to the woodline. What he discovered was another clearing with several giants. Several dead giants! Making a quick trip back to retrieve his companions, Emerys soon returned to explore the area further. Just as it had seemed, the giants were slain in some sort of battle! As the group continued to slowly make their way south, they found more clearings and more dead giants! What could have happened?

The answer, it seemed, was their new friend Zerin! Engaged in a battle with the largest giant any of the group had ever seen, Zerin was actually holding his own. That is, until a few other giants made their way to the scene, ready to smash Zerin to bits. That was enough for our plucky heroes, as they sprung to action!

She'dra took a couple of them out of the battle with a giant web and some magical caltrops, severely restricting the giants movement around the field. All the while he was casting spells, Edge made good on his recent promises and split his time between dishing out damage and playing bodyguard for the fragile wizard. Speaking of fragile, it would seem that that is a word that no longer applies to Ryo! Holding his own much better now with his superior equipment, Ryo contributed to slicing and dicing the giants in record time. All the while, Emerys was blur, popping in and out of the tree line and sending arrows flying from all directions. And Quint... well... we love Quint. He didn't get squished too bad.

Before you knew it, the head of the giants had fallen, and the group was victorious! In a race to head downstairs into the nearby cave, some of our group beat Zerin only to discover... another man dressed almost the same as him! There next to the man, sitting on an altar of earth that had risen from the ground was a red glowing gem that could only be the jewel of might.

After that explanations flew. Zerin explained that the Trueheart gem was missing, which elicited a strong response from his "twin" (later discovered to be named Malik). Discussing the disastrous nature of this news, the two tried to devise a plan. She'dra, doing his best to be diplomatic, stated their case and offered to take possession of this gem and all of the others to keep them safe.

Stepping away from the group, Malik and Zerin had their own conversation in Draconic, away from the prying ears of all but She'dra and Edge who could make out bits and pieces... Something about using the gem... getting the other gem back... and a few other words for disaster and failure... After a few moments, the two approached the group and made them an offer.

If the group would be willing to retrieve the other missing gem, they would be allowed to take this gem. The reasoning being that facing off against someone in control of that much power without similar power on their side was a suicide mission. Trusting that Sir Damas would be honorable enough to trust with the power, Zerin and Malik allowed him up to the altar where he removed the jewel of might.

"Not so fast!" the voice echoed through the cavern, sending chills down She'dra's spine. He'd recognize the voice as easily as his own mother's... or his worst enemy's. Malcolm, his rival from the court of Ridgeshire stood in the doorway with a defiant smirk on his weasely little face.

She'dra asked Malcolm why he was there, to which Malcolm coldly stated: "Oh, hadn't you heard? The governor gave me a new mission... to KILL your group!"

Summoning just a fraction of arcane might, he shot a bright stream of light and heat right into Sir Damas' eyes, causing him to drop the stone and clutch his face in confusion. Disbelief was in each of the ever widening eyes of the companions as the jewel bounced across the floor of the cave, making impossibly loud echoing noises as it slowly bounced away.

Being first to act and last to think, as usual, Quint was off in a flash and with the grace of a cat he grasped the gem in his hand and held it up for all to see. "*Whew* That was a close one, huh?"

Relief turned to panic as Quint's eyes went wide and all color left his face. He slowly went limp and slumped to the ground, his lips pursed to ask a question that never hit the air. As he fell, he revealed a form behind him... that of Ricky "the Blade" who's invisibility spell was wearing off. He snickered and began to run as he now had grabbed a hold of the gem.

And the battle was on! She'dra immediately and spitefully centered a web on Malcolm who was recently joined by the rest of his group. Ricky the blade ducked and dodged as he was assualted by several different combatants. Eventually he charged straight into the webs where his movement was slowed to a crawl. Sir Phobos the Mighty bellowed across the battlefield at Sir Damas asking him to deny the charges against him that were labeling him a traitor. Other people were sizing up the battlefield, with the exception of Lunk who was slowly but surely making a Lunk sized trail through the webs.

Malcolm had taken a few hits from various members of our group, and began to worry about escaping intact. Shouting out the command, he ordered Ricky to toss him the jewel of might. So once again the powerful artifact went careening through the air! This time, however, it did land at its intended target... Malcolm's outstretched hand. Ready to take the gem and return later to finish off Damas' group, Malcolm was ready to cut his losses... Which in this case included the now thoroughly webbed Ricky "the blade," and the ever forward charging wildman Lunk Faerber. Malcolm grabbed something around his neck, and the group began to teleport away despite the protests from Lunk's brother Edwin.

And like that the jewel of might was gone. It took little convincing to get Ricky to surrender. Lunk was a bit more of a chore... but Ryo managed to calm the wild man with his best samurai stare.

Comforting their friend in his last moments, Quint had nothing to say but to apologize for not being a better companion and for abandoning the party so early. He pulled a ring off of his finger and handed it to Emerys... he said he hoped that it would be of some use to them. And then he passed for good.

Securing their prisoners and searching through the giants' camp, the group had to figure out their next course of action. It seemed generally agreed upon that it may behoove the group to return to Ridgeshire to see where the truth really lies. Has Malcolm's group gone rogue? Could they have been telling the truth? If so, why would the governor turn on them? One way or another, where are both of powerful gems?

And so the group began to talk....