The world has never been a safe place. Bastions of civilization
populate a dark, menacing world—islands of order and reason exist in a
land otherwise overrun by dark cults, vile monsters, creatures from the
dark edges of the imagination, and worse. As deadly as the world is on
a normal day, something has begun to stir on the fringes of the civilized
Elsir Vale. Formerly the site of an attack by an army known as the Red
Hand, the Vale has known several years of peace since brave adventurers
stormed into the teeth of the approaching Hand and sent them scurrying
back into the darkness.
But the peace of Elsir Vale—and specifically, the town of Brindol, heart of the former conflict with the Red Hand—has been shattered. The vague shadow of unease the locals have been experiencing lately has crystallized in the form of an attack on the town itself. Now Brindol finds itself once more in need of brave heroes willing to come to the aid of their citizens.
Current Synopsis
During the Siege of Bordrin’s Watch the party discovered that dark creepers had sold arms and tactical intelligence to the orc war chief Tusk, aiding him in his attack against the folk of the Stonehome Mountains. Currently, you investigate the link between the orcs and the dark ones, stumbling into an armsrunning operation bridging two planes. Your main goal is to try to find the charismatic figure behind it all... and bring him down.
What you have learned, so far
Sarshan is an opportunistic shadar-kai arms dealer. For years, he has built an invisible mercantile empire around the sale and brokering of weapons, armor, mercenaries, and intelligence from his domain in the Shadowfell. Though Sarshan plays a significant part, the party's initial focus is on one of his lieutenants; a dark creeper shadowborn stalker named Modra.
You learned through various sources that before the Siege of Bordrin’s Watch Modra was approached by Tusk’s advisor Myrissa, a shadar-kai witch who knew of Sarshan’s operations. However, the success of Sarshan’s arms running and mercenary services turns on his ability to maintain a low profile in his dealings with clients in the world. Sometimes this means turning down jobs that run too much risk of exposure. Tusk’s massive raid, aimed at the heart of the civilized frontier and a stone’s throw from Sarshan’s operations in the city of Overlook, was one of these.
When Sarshan rebuffed Myrissa’s request, Modra approached the witch in secret. He struck a deal to supply Tusk with weapons and intelligence, sending in a group of his followers (the dark creepers in Siege of Bordrin’s Watch, including Iranda) to do the job. In going behind Sarshan’s back, Modra expected that an overwhelming orc victory (won with the help of dark one subterfuge) would win his master’s respect. However, with Tusk’s forces routed and Modra’s servants scattered or killed, the dark creeper has had to go to ground to escape Sarshan's wrath. The brass key that Iranda carried put Modra on your trail, which lead you to the Shadowfell gate underneath the Happy Beggar.
You then briefly faced the one called Modra but before you could square off with him, a group of undead barred your path. Modra managed to pilfer one of the keys during the fight and escaped back through the gate. You have now followed him, hoping to not only end his terror but to discover more about the larger problem at hand... Sarshun's underground arms dealings.
