1370 DR
Wulgar of Hillsafar Hall in the Galena Mountains is a well respected and accomplished student of Thoror Irondelver, a dwarven defender, who is grooming Wulgar to follow in the traditions of that most respected dwarven dicipline. Until that time, Wulgar is working as a caravan guard for his clan's mining interests, travelling to the human settlements to sell their wares.
Though the entire event is a misunderstanding, Wulgar is found in a compromising position with the daughter of one of Hillsafar Hall's Elder Councilmen, in a bath. Wulgar is proven to be completely innocent of any wrongdoing, but being a very private and prideful dwarf, Wulgar vows to leave until his accomplishments are so great that no in the Hall will remember the embarrasing incident.
Wulgar travels with a caravan into Damara, then hires on as a guard and makes the trek all the way to Cormyr, hoping to find his glory far from the laughing eyes of his clan members. While most of the caravan guards gamble with dice and cards in their free time, Wulgar plays chess with the merchants and passengers, and reads anything relating to history or philosophy that he can get his hands on, at least in part to help him understand the humans that he will be among for a while.
Meriden Greystag, a native Cormyrean, finishes his training as a cleric of Helm at the relatively small Shrine of He Who Watches Over Travelers in Arabel. After his ordination, Novice Watcher Meriden Greystag is assigned to say blessings over the travellers that come to the shrine. While many caravan guards and mercenaries come to receive Helm's blessing, Meriden also hears the grumblings of those who have come to disparage Helm's faith, blaming Helm for the death of many of the gods, and accusing the Helmite priesthood of virtually enslaving the poplation of the far off lands of Maztica. Meriden realizes then that his calling within the priesthood is to restore Helm's good name and the good will of the common folk of the North.
Wulgar and Meriden meet when Wulgar's caravan arrives in Arabel. Wulgar immediately likes the young cleric, and the two spend much of the quiet winter visiting taverns, debating philosophy, and playing chess. The two make plans to travel as soon as Meriden's superiors give him an assignment that allows him to travel.
1371 DR
Meriden eventually receives permision to hire on as a caravan guard and healer for the shrine, allowing him to travel with his friend Wulgar. Before the two can make their first trip together, however, travel is severely limited within Cormyr, first by the wide ranging attacks of the Ghazneths, then by the orc hordes and suddenly proliferating goblin army, and finally due to the sightings of the dragon Nalavara.
When Arabel itself is besieged, Meriden does what he can to heal the purple dragon's that are injured defending the wall. When Arabel is finally compromised and the War Wizards begin to evacuate the population to Suzail, Wulgar and Meriden are among the last to leave, defending the shrine and the wounded nearby until they can be safely moved.
After the death of the dragon Nalavara and King Azoun IV, Meriden travels to Tilverton looking for the other priests of Helm from his shrine, whom he was separated from during the chaos of the evacuation. After he finds a few of them at the shrine, he is told to travel and follow the calling that Helm has given him, that of restoring the name of Helm across the North.
Meriden and Wulgar hit the trade road in the fall, travelling towards the communities of Mistledale.
Elient 30th, 1371 DR
Meriden and Wulgar are nearing Mistledale when the come across an older traveler in worn leathers being accosted by a small band of goblins, which Meriden and Wulgar can place as refugee Grodd goblins that have made their way north out of Cormyr. Wulgar and Meriden dispatch the goblins and help the man up.
The man, who never gives his name, tells them that he is an old ranger, and in exchange for their kindness, he would give them a gift. The old ranger casts a charm on a dog and an eagle that he is travelling with, giving the eagle to Meriden and the dog to Wulgar.
The pair make it into Ashabenford in the evening, and they stay at the White Hart Inn. Holfast Harpenshield tells them of the Highharvestide festival planned for the next day, and they spend some time exchanging news from Cormyr with Holfast old adventuring stories and advice.
Hightharvestide, 1371 DR
Meriden and Wulgar make their rounds of Ashabenford. Wulgar runs afoul of Multhimer the merchant, who finds the dwarf far too pushy and blunt, and the two rapidly begin trading insults before Meriden takes over negotiations and calms both parties down. Wulgar also visits Almaes the Alchemist, an absent minded gnome that drives Wulgar to distraction.
Meriden and Wulgar take in the food and drink at the festival, and they both marvel at the voice of Jhaer Brightsong, and elven bard that makes her home, at least part of the time, in Ashabenford. Wulgar is smitted with the bard and follows her home after her performance, and Meriden has to gently remove Wulgar from Jhaer's front steps before the elf became too uncomfortable around her emphatic new fan.
Marpenoth 1st, 1371 DR
Wulgar and Meriden travel around Ashabenford in order to get familiarized with the town. They witness a situation at Heresk Malorn's pool behind the High Councilor's house, and the dwarf dives into the pool and manages to save a drowning man. Wulgar and Meriden hear a conversation between Haresk Malorn and the town's resident wizard Noristuor. The drowning man and his friend bought a spell from Noristuor to allow them to breathe water. They ran out of time on their spell and nearly drowned, and now blame Noristuor, who agrues that he his spell works perfectly.
Wulgar takes interest in the tales that the pool has treasure at the bottom of it. Meriden makes sure that the nearly drowned men are alright.
Meriden and Wulgar witness a figure leaping from Heresk's second story window and takes off for the forest. Heresk's servants inform him that his youngest daughter was just kidnapped by the figure bounding out of the window. Heresk immediately asks Meriden and Wulgar to go after his daughter, and gives them a compass enchanted to point towards his daughter.
In the mean time, word of a large drow raiding force has drawn off many of the Mistledale Lancers to investigate, and a note has been found in Haresk's house warning the councilor that his daughter's life can be saved if the Lancer patrols begin to ignore areas that are considered the territory of House Jaelre.
Meriden and Wulgar travel allong the path that the compass indicates. Within a few hours, they have travelled into the tree line, and start to take a path parallel to the game trail that the kidnapper apparently has taken. The two walk into a clearing and their animals warn them of a gnoll ambush. The gnoll archer reveals himself, and Wulgar charges him. In the end, the dog given to Wulgar takes a serious chunck out of the gnoll's backside and finishes off the creature.
Meriden and Wulgar cross back onto the path in front of them, as dictated by the compass, and they see their prey and Haresk's daughter in the trees. The figure casts a spell and summons a fiendish scorpion to slow them down. The figure dissappears into the night, and Meriden and Wulgar engage the scorpion briefly, until it dissappears.
Meriden and Wulgar travel off to the side of the road again, hoping to avoid traps, and run across a brownie that is being harrased by a blurry figure that they cannot see. The brownie casts a spell that allows the two travellers to see the creature, a quickling, slowed down greatly. It still moves increadibly fast, but it is visible, and the two manage to dispatch the dark little fey.
Raeilvinorn, the brownie, thanks the two and names them Browniefriends. He also mentions that the drow and the quicklings seem to be reaching some kind of agreement.
Wulgar and Meriden track down a hideout carved into the side of a small hill, and the two manage to open the door to the hideout, and enter a completely dark room. They are attacked by a zombie, while they hear chanting down the hall.
Meriden casts a light spell on his shield, and the two charge down the hallway toward the sound of spellcasting. As they reach the large room, they see Haresk's daughter in a cage in the corner, and the figure they have been chasing, a drow wizard, has just finished casting a spell that causes his image to multiply.
Meriden charges him from one side, mace raised, and Wulgar charges him from the other side with his axe. Both fall into pit traps that the wizard has set up. The drow finishes another defensive spell and sends his flying serpent familiar to harrass the dwarf. Meriden enlarges himself and climbs out of the pit.
The drow wizard casts a spell and hits Meriden in the chest with a sonic orb, injuring him and knocking him senseless, just as Wulgar manages to use his shield to boost him up out of the pit and after the drow wizard.
Wulgar swings and guesses correctly in managing to strike the right wizard, sorely injuring the drow wizard. Meriden rejoins the fight and strikes him with this mace, and the drow wizard falls, unconcious, but not dead.
Meriden frees Haresk's daughter, Wulgar carries the drow wizard out after binding him, and the two scavenge the lair for a few extra coins and scrolls.
Marpenoth 2nd, 1371 DR
Wulgar and Meriden return home into Ashabenford, and Haresk greatfully gives each of them a reward. Heresk's older daughter is so glad that her sister is safe that she gives Meriden a kiss on the cheek.
Wulgar now begins to calculate how he can explore the botten of Haresk's pool, and goes to Multhimer's shop looking for anything that can be used as swimming equipment, such as snorkels.
Wulgar and Meriden make a deal with Holfast at the White Hart in to allow them to use the empty chamber under the floor boards that he once used to hide his treasure.
Marpenoth 3rd-12th, 1371 DR
Meriden spends his time aquiring equipment and getting to know the locals. He is also enquiring with the local business owners and the Mistledale Lancers if a temple to Helm would be accepted in the area. At night he spends his time trying to keep Wulgar out of trouble.
Wulgar reasons that the only reason that Haresk dislikes others diving in the pool looking for treasure is because it is on the edge of his property and because his daughters bathe in the pool. He reasons that if he finds proof of what the treasure in the pool is than no one will bother Heresk any more and he will be happy.
Wulgar spends a week, each night, diving into the pool. Eventually at the end of the last day that he is trying for he finds a large stone arch underwater, a stone arch that is covered in carved runes that he does not recognize.
Wulgar gets up out of the water and writes down the runes as best as he can remember them, then Wulgar and Meriden travel to Noristuror's tower to see if the wizard might know anything about the archway and the runes. Noristuor complains about his lack of time and privacy, but eventually agrees to look into the puzzle. He also tells the pair that within a few days he might be ready to take a last trip before the winter sets in, and he will need bodyguards.
Marpenoth 13th, 1371 DR
A halfling named Nelsmer Longtrail arrives in town and begins inquireing about adventurers. Wulgar and Meriden hear about this and manage to catch up with in at the White Hart Inn. Nelsmer tells them that he has not heard from his gnomish friend and former adventuring party member Gerkricks Cybondan for some time, and he wishes the two adventurers to check in on him. He also says that if anything has happened to the gnome, he wishes to have the gnome's deed so that he can deliver it to the gnome's neice and nephew, his only living relatives, in Damara.
Meriden and Wulgar take the job, and agree to meet the halfling the following afternoon. In the meantime, Naurvintha, Haresk Malorn's older daughter, has come to call on Meriden, trying subtly to let him know that she is interested in him.
Meriden and Wulgar decide to go out on the town this evening. The first place that thay stop in is the Velvet Veil, as both are curious as to the interior of the building. Wulgar is entertained (though only in the most innocent way) by some of the halfing dancers, and Meriden catches the eye of one of the Catfolk dancers, Brealithra.
Outside of the Velvet Veil, Meriden and Wulgar are confronted by a Catfolk male. Saerlith, a Catfok scout, is upset that his sister is working in such an undignified profession and for humans no less. Meriden and Wulgar point out that neither of them made use of her services, but he is unable to be consoled.
Meriden tries to calm everyone down, and Wulgar begins to step down, until Saerlith manages to slash off part of Wulgar's mustache. Wulgar then tackles the catfolk scout, and pummels him until Saerlith is unconcious. Meriden makes sure that the catfolk is alive and well, and the two go back to the White Hart Inn.
Marpenoth 14th, 1371 DR
The pair gather their equipment, and get their directions from the halfling employer, then set off into the north western wilderness from Ashabenford. Just before they set up camp for the evening, the pair run into a wild wandering krenshar.
After the pair set up camp for the night, the two begin to hear voices up ahead in the woods. Trying to investigate, the two find a path that leads down into a rolling wooded dell, that then builds back up into a hill. This correspondes to the location that they were going to, and thus waithing until rested in the morning.
The voices are from a group of goblins that have a treasure chest up ahead, huddled around a campfire. Not wanting the goblins to wander up on them during the night, Meriden and Wulgar decide to check out the camp now.
The goblins notice the pair decending the trail, and the goblin leader Vrulth hails them. Vrulth complains about finding a gnome's house that his goblins had started to loot along with some allied kobolds. The kobolds waited until the goblins started hauling treasure outside, then locked the place up and reset all of their traps.
Vrulth at the very least wants to get into the treasure chest, but it is locked and probably trapped, and none of his goblins have any expertise with opening locks or dealing with traps. As Meriden speaks with the goblins, more goblins circle around behind them and block their path of escape.
Vrulth assumes that dwarves are good with traps, and thus orders Wulgar to open the chest. Meriden calms Wulgar down, and Wulgar convinces Vrulth that the trap is disarmed. Vrulth is struck with the poison as Wulgar and Meriden tear into the nearest goblins, keeping the goblins between them and the goblin archers up the trail.
Wulgar and Meriden then chase down the archers and finish them, then drag the chest back to the camp. Wulgar throws daggers at the chest to try and set off any traps, and then hacks the chest open. Wulgar and Meriden then set up camp, ready to enter the gnome's house on the next morning.
Marpenoth 15th, 1371 DR
Since the goblins have warned them about the traps in the house, upon wandering up to the hill, the two have decided to check the front door for traps. Cutting down smaller trees and scaling them down, the prod the door, then brace another tree against the top of the door frame, saving them from the porcullis trap at the front door.
Upon entering the house, the pair encounter several groups of kobolds, many armed and ready to attack any foes that come into the place, originally expecting their old goblin allies to try to return. Nearly every door is trapped, and Wulgar takes to throwing kobold corpses as hard as possible against doors to set off any traps that might be there.
In one bedroom, the pair manage to find a dead kobold, a dead human female, and a dead gnome. In this room a spirit appears to the two. The spirit appears to be absent minded, and is disoriented, and mentions that he has to get to the deed before anyone else does.
The female body has a holy symbol of Selune on it, and the kobold has a poisoned blade in its hand, and both corpses appear to have been poisoned by the kobold.
In the kitchen the pair rescue a halfling, the gnome's cook Glenim Torncloak, from kobolds. Glenim fills the group in on the history of Gerlricks' adventuring party. Gerlricks Cybondan led a group of adventurers, the Company of Low Ceilings, composed of himself, Runduth and Korad Steelbane, dwarven brothers, and a halfling, Nelsmer Longtrail. Gerlricks created a magical portal to store the groups treasure in, and created a magical deed that would open the portal. Only the four members of the group could use the deed to open the portal, unless everyone on the deed was dead. Nelsmer apparently betrayed the others, and tried to kill them. The rest survived, and Nelsmer was taken off the deed by consent of the other three. The two dwarves left the party to return to Citadel Felbar, and were taken off the list. Now that Gerlricks is dead, the deed opens the portal for anyone.
The dwarf and cleric travel to the second level of the house after making sure that the halfling was barricaded into the kitchen. The fight several more kobolds in the meantime, as well as finding several more traps, especially on the gnome's laboratory and study room. Eventually, they find the gnome's bedroom, which is currently held by the leader of the kobolds, a sorcerer.
The kobold sorcerer manages to blast the dwarf, severely injuring him and knocking him unconcious. The cleric, Meriden, manages to take out the sorcerer from a distance, then heals his dwarven friend. The spirit of the gnome arrives again and explains to them that the halfing wants the parties remaining treasure, and he wishes to pass it on to his nephew and neice in Damara. He bemoans that if he only had some means to write on the deed, he could amend the deed so that only his neice and nephew could open the portal. Meriden remembers the ghost oil that he found back in the drow wizards lair, and soaks a quill with it. Gerlriks' spirit amends the deed, and then asks them to take the deed to his neice and nephew whenever they get the chance to. Meriden and Wulgar agree to this, and the gnome gives them some of the equipment that he was going to give as a gift to his guest, a cleric of Selune that he was wooing.
Marpenoth 16th, 1371 DR
Meriden and Wulgar escort Glenim Torncloak back to Ashabenford, and they give the halfling some gold to help him to start a new life now that he isn't a cook for Gerlrick's any longer. The travel home is not particularly difficult, and when they get back, the two make sure to introduce Glenim to Multhimer's shop to buy some provisions.
Meriden and Wulgar rest up and check in with Noristuor about the job that he wants them for. Noristuor tells them that he will be ready to go two days hence, and to meet him at his tower first thing in the morning on that day.
Naurvintha talks to Meriden, and the two decide to go on a picnic on the next day. Wulgar convinces Meriden to go out with him that evening. They avoid the velvet veil this time, but then they end up going to the Ashabenford Arms Inn. A meeting of the coucilors of Mistledale has just let out, and the two meet up with Ulwen Sharin, Targen Holdfast, Sister Alena, and Dumic the Red.
Wulgar ends up playing chess with Ulwen Sharin, and Meriden decided to have a nice theological discussion with Sister Alena of Chauntea, but soon finds out that Sister Alena has very little use for anyone that does not worship Chauntea, and Sister Alena tries to convert Meriden. Meriden decides to move on from this discussion as gracefully as posssible.
Wulgar and Meriden start to rent out an empty farmhouse on a farmer's property on the edge of Ashabenford. After moving their equipment in (they still leave their treasure under Holfast Hapenshield's hiding place at the White Hart Inn), they go back to White Hart and have a drinking contest, which ends badly for both of them, as Holfast has to have one of his workers throw them in a cart and dump them on their new front porch.
Marpenoth 17th, 1371 DR
Wulgar and Meriden are both in sorry shape. Meriden is awakened by Naurvintha, and tells her that he is feeling “sick” but to check back with him in a bit later. Meriden and Wulgar decide to travel to the temple of Tyr to see if they can be healed of their “poisoning”.
The clerics of Tyr lecture them on the dangers of such reckless behavior, and several of the clerics berate them as being little better than mercenaries, especially considering that as a cleric of Helm, Meriden should be finding a decent cause to support. After being healed, and having their lectures, Meriden and Wulgar go back home.
Wulgar goes to the barracks of the Mistledale Lancers and decides to try and play chess with the drow wizard prisoner. The Lancers tell Wulgar that the prisoner is currently being interrogated by a “guest” and is indisposed.
Meriden goes on his picnic with Naurvintha, and Naurvintha is very enamored of him and impressed with his adventures so far, especially his tales of the war in Cormyr, and his plans for a new temple.
Marpenoth 18th, 1371 DR
Novice Watch Meriden Greystag and Wulgar Browniefriend of Hillsafar Hall report to Noristuor's tower. The tiefling wizard berates them for being late and tells them that he will meet with them in a few moments in the foyer. The wizard proceedes to tell them that he will teleport them just outside of the town of Scardale, as he as enemies within the walls, and he wishes to make sure he enters in a manner that is discreet.
Meriden and Wulgar appear with Noristuor about a days walk from the gates of Scardale. The wizard hardly says anything to his bodyguards. On the road, they encounter a pair of orcish brothers, tribal champions looking to spend their gold in Scardale.
The pair challenges Wulgar and Meriden. The first, brandishing a double axe, charges the pair and is quickly dispatched by Wulgar. His enraged brother, armed with a fullblade, attacks the two and lasts for quite a while until the pair finally knock him unconcious. While the first brother is dead, the second one is merely unconcious, and Wulgar strips him naked and takes all of his possesions.
Within only a few moments of leaving the orcs behind on the road, the pair and Noristuor are attacked by creatures tunneling up from the ground. The beast, a strange cross between dwarf and badger, indentify themselves as groundlings in the employ of the Zhentarim, and tell the two adventurers that if they leave them the tiefling they have no quarrel with them.
Meriden and Wulgar refuse to leave their charge behind, and they fight off the two Zhentarim assasin beasts. Noristuor refuses to say anything on the subject except, “I have many enemies.” After a while, Noristuor seems to fall into deep meditation, then speaks, asking to camp outside of the town gates for the night before entering.
In the middle of the night, the pair are awakened by a wizard demanding a duel with Noristuor. The wizard identifies himself as Mulvrinari the Slighted, and states that Noristuror owes him a spellbook. When his bodyguards refuse the wizard access, the wizard enlarges himself and begins to grapple with the dwarf. After a titanic wrestling match and a horrific beating from the two adventurers, the wizard dimension doors himself away, vowing revenge on Noristuor.
Noristuor only says, “I have many enemies,” and then returns to bed.
Marpenoth 19-20th, 1371 DR
Noristuror leads Meriden and Wulgar to the Thayan Enclave in Scardale to make some purchases. The pair bandy some words with Zhentilar troops as well as Sembian Silver Ravens, but in the end come across no trouble.
When the two adventurers arrive at the Thayan Enclave, they see that Noristuor has already arrived at the Enclave, and that he sent an illusion with the pair in order to distract and draw out any of his foes. He tells them that they are staying in an inn across from the Four Dolphins fountain, and to keep out of trouble until the next day when he will be ready to teleport them home.
Dispite being warned off of them, the pair travels to the Docks. Upon arriving at the docks, they enter a bar, and then run afoul of a pair of halfling toughs, who inform the pair that they are now in Dancer territory, and that they need to pay a tax. Wulgar ends up scaring the two halflings off, and Wulgar and Meriden leave the bar.
In the alleyway outside of the bar, the pair of halflings accost the adventurers again, and this time the altercation almost comes to blows, but the dwarf manages to make a truly horrible threat against that halflings that they are more than willing to believe.
Because of the bravado of the pair against the halflings, before they can leave the docks they are approached by a man in grey robes, adorned with skulls. The human identifies himself as Sentesk of the Long Death, and says that he has been watching them and considers them worthy oponents.
Merdien and Wulgar fight Sentesk, and while the monk severely injures Meriden, Meriden manages to withdraw and renew himself with his healing magic, granted by Helm. Wulgar manages to strike a fatal blow on the monk, and the monk fell, unconcious, but dying from blood loss. His last words were to smile and laugh about serving death one way or another. Wulgar was annoyed by the monks mocking, and Meriden, formerly a battlefiend medic, was offended by the monks disregard for live. Meriden heals the dying monk and stabilizes him, and Wulgar pays an inn keeper nearby to nurse the monk back to health.
The two then return to the inn room that Noristuor secured for them.
The next day when they awaken, they speak with Noristuor, who then teleports all three of them back home.
Marpenoth 21-Uktar 25th,1371 DR
Meriden and Wulgar spend the next month getting their rented homestead up to their standards, Meriden spends time with Naurvintha, and Wulgar puts in inquiries to Multhimer about armor and equipment that he wants. The two ask around about jobs, and speak to locals about what is going on in the region.
Wulgar gets to be a bit friendlier with Almaes, even indulging him with some of his inventions, and Wulgar speaks with all of the councilors, except for Sister Alena, about his proposed new temple to Helm that he wishes to have built outside of Pelden's Helm, near the Beast Country.
On the 25th, a representitive from a merchant in the town of Glen, a dwarf named Chorn Stoneturner, arrives looking for Wulgar of Hillsafar Hall. Aparently Wulgar's fame has spread to Glen, and the merchant, Bronguld Ironfurrow, wishes to invite him to spend some time in Glen before the winter snows make the roads difficult to travel. Chorn tells them they he will buy all of their provisions for the trip.
The pair, tired of networking and training, decide they could use some adventure before the winter snows trap them in town, and so they agree to travel with Chorn.
Uktar 26th-27th, 1371 DR
After the provisioning with Chorn in Ashabenford, the pair set off. The first two days of travel are relatively uneventful, with only a few meetings with some merchants hurrying home before the winter and a patrol of Mistledale Lancers. The pair spend a good deal of time making friends with Chorn and speaking of Glen.
Uktar 28th, 1371 DR
Travelling during the daytime, the group has little to note except for some falling flurries marking the nearness of the coming winter. When the group breaks out the tents for the night, on the second watch, things become far more interesting.
A wandering troll arrives in camp, and Wulgar hurredly awakens Meriden and Chorn. The three fight a furious battle with the troll, and both Chorn and Wulgar get wounded greatly in the fight. Meriden is kept busy by healing both of his companions, and eventually they manage to outfight and outlast the troll.
Wulgar and Chorn throw the troll into the campfire, and all three move their tent further down the trail and set up a new camp away from the burned troll smell.
Uktar 29th-30th, 1371 DR
The rest of the travel on the road, including the crossing of the bridge over bridge at Sword's Creek. They arrive at Glen with little more effort after the attack of the troll, and they have grown close to Chorn. When they first arrive in Glen, however, they find a crisis occuring.
A dwarven young lady is threatened by a magical construct, a hammerer, that has gone wild. Chorn, Wulgar, and Meriden quickly charge the construct in order to save the young lady trapped by the creature.
Wulgar and Meriden are gravely wounded by the automaton, but Meriden manages to heal Wulgar and send him back to the fight. Chorn is then wounded, and while Meriden takes care of their new friends wounds, Wulgar finishes off the hammerer by battering in its control levers.
The young lady, Yrend, is the daughter of Bronguld Ironfurrow. He is quite pleased with the pair, and sets them up in the The Dark Door Inn, a place slightly uncomfortable for Meriden, but which he graciously accepts.
They spend the night drinking dwarven ale and garnet wine (which Wulgar is particularly fond of) and they learn of the Feast of the Dead taking place tomorrow, and are invited to participate. They chat amicably with Bronguld, and Wulgar learns that Yrend is very scholarly and a bit shy, but very knowlagable. Wulgar finds that very intruiging, and Yrend begins to teach him how to play sava.
The Feast of the Moon, 1371 DR
Meriden and Wulgar attend the Feast of the Dead, where they eat dwarven cuisine (such as purple worm soup and roast boar in mushroom sauce) and drink more dwarven ale and garnet wine. After the feast the clan heads recount the deeds of those who have fallen in the last year, and a local dwarven bard sings tales of the most honored dead of the clans of the dwarves dwelling in Glen.
After the clan recitations, the clerics of Moradin, Dumathoin, and Marthamor Duin recited blessings over those in attendance, and ask for their guidance through the winter and into the next year.
Chorn, now good friends with the pair, confides in them the secrets of the Low Road, the route into the Underdark under the Dark Door Inn. He also lets slip the fact that a dwarf in Glen can procure and sell fertilized dragons eggs.
Nightal 1st, 1371 DR
Now knowing that Meriden and Wulgar know of the Low Road, Bronguld asks the two if they will go on a job for him, investigating why a trade route that he uses to trade with deep gnomes has been closed down. Chorn will show them the way.
They travel down the tunnels for hours, and Chorn shows them a gate to the deep gnome trade route. In a mining tunnel that the gnomes have now sealed off, the group finds an aurumvorax, a nasty multi-clawed vicious creature that eats metal. Knowing that the creature's pelt is very valuable, Wulgar tells them all to use blunt items to attack it.
The three finally manage to kill the vicious creature, and begin to carry it home as proof of what was blocking the gnome's trade gate. Chorn and Wulgar discuss how an aurumvorax hide is considered one of the best engagement gifts a female dwarf can receive, and Wulgar decides that he may wish to get engaged to Yrend. He pays his companions the shares of the hide's worth (though Chorn will not take the full value and Meriden refuses payment).
Arriving back through the portal, the dwarves are stricken with fear from the creature waiting for them on the other side of the gate, a rust monster. Chorn looses his armor and his axe, but they manage to kill the nuisance.
Wulgar tells Bronguld of his intentions, and Bronguld is happy beyond words. At this time, Yrend launches into a convulsive fit and begins to throw items around telekenitically. Bronguld is chagrinned.
After a bit of persuasion, Bronguld explains that Yrend is possesed by some kind of spirit, and that he was hoping that Wulgar would fall for her and get married before she had another attack, and then Wulgar's priest friend could exercise her, in Ashabenford, where no word would get back to the other dwarves in Glen about his daughter's infirmity.
Meriden calms Yrend down and manages to converse with the spirit that is possesing her. He finds out that she is actually possesed by the spirit of a still living duergar psion female who was an outcast from her clan. Her body is alive and in a coma near her settlement, and is about to be found.
The duergar possesed Yrend while she was on a scouting trip helping to translate runes. She asks if the adventurers will help her, but she warns them they will need to bring Yrend with them.
Nightal 2nd , 1371 DR
The group travels almost the entire day to find the gate that Yrend and Bronguld's men were examining when the duergar psion found her. They enter the gate, and travel a bit into a side tunnel.
After an hour of searching, they find the body of the duergar, and she begins to revive herself. Chorn, Wulgar, and Meriden are surrounded by a patrol of duergar, who attack them one by one, reavealing themselves as enlarged and weilding huge hammers.
Wulgar especially was battered a bit by the two duergar flanking him, but Chorn and Meriden manage to fight their way to him and dispatch the last of the duergar. The three help the now two separate female dwarves to their feet and hobble to the gate.
Upon returning from the gate, Bronguld is thrilled that his daughter is safe, and the duergar psion assures them that she is grateful, and that she can psionically disguise herself while she begins to travel the surface Realms to sate her curiousity.
Wulgar tells Bronguld that he still wishes to marry his daughter, but that he must spend a bit more time preparing things before he returns to Glen to make final arrangements. Wulgar leaves Yrend with a promise to wed, giving her the aurmvorax hide that he obtained for her.
Nightal 3rd-8th, 1371 DR
Snows remain strangly abset, though flurries continue. Wulgar and Meriden travel home on the cold, clear road, having no particular events happen to them until the last night before arriving back in Ashabenford, the night of the 7th. On this night, several drow of house Jaelre surrond the camp and cloak it in darkness.
They are a slaving band attempting to knock out the adventurers for sale, but Wulgar and Meriden manage to survive, escape the darkness, and defeat the drow male renegades.
Nightal 9th, 1371 DR
Upon arriving home, Meriden and Wulgar celebrate Wulgar's engagement. They first travel to the Velvet Veil to buy a round of drinks for the girls within. As they arrive outside the door, they find their friend, the catfolk dancer Brealithra, being harrased by two local goons, the brothers Heldo and Parvis Ubler, sons of the mill owner in Ashabenford. Wulgar and Meriden interpose themselves, and Heldo and Parvis point out who their father is. Wulgar doesn't care, and proceedes to threaten the two.
Meriden enlarges himself to intimidate them, and Parvis backs down. Heldo is still full of bravado, and Meriden doesn't want Wulgar to get into a fight with the son of a prominent member of the town's infrastructure. Meriden uses a command spell and commands Heldo to urinate. Heldo runs away to clean himself up, and Parvis goes with him. Wulgar follows the pair to the Ubler homestead, where he is stopped by guards, and Meriden calms his dwarven friend down.
Brealithra follows the pair around town as they continue to celebrate, travelling to the White Hart and then to the Ashabenford Arms. At the Arms they run into Haresk, who is not particularly happy with the catfolk dancer on Meriden's arm. He informs Meriden that Naurvintha is away at a relative's farm, as her cousin has just had a baby and Naurvintha is helping her tend the child. Heresk is very upset with Meriden, although Meriden is quite innocent.
Nightal 10-25th, 1371 DR
With Naurvintha gone and Haresk in a bad mood, Meriden and Wulgar decied to spend some time scouting out the Beast Country and locations for the new temple, as well as feeling out the locals in Pelden's Helm.
While travelling in the Beast Country in the winter, the pair run afoul of another troll, and a werewolf as well, which causes them great distress as they lack any silver weapons. After a great battle them manage to defeat the creature, then trudge through the snow to the town of Pelden's Helm.
In Pelden's Helm, they stay at the Inn called the Man with Fire In His Hands, a road house that serves as the tavern to the very small town as well as a place for adventurers from Cormyr that come to explore the Beast Country to stay while exploring.
The locals don't seem to care much about a new temple in the area, taking a “we'll worry about it when we see it,” attitude about the whole thing. Meriden and Wulgar reprovision at the Inn and then set out back to Ashabenford.
They have little trouble on the way back home, except for the difficulty of travelling in the snowed over roads.
Nightal 26th, 1371 DR
As the pair arrive home in Ashabenford, they are approached by a mysterious female elf, a moon elf female still beautiful by appearing strangely detatched and advancing in years. She asks the two adventurers if they would be willing to take a package for her, and escort it to an associate of her. The trip is through a gate to another place, and she needs them to be utterly quiet about the conditions of their employment.
The pair agree, and she tells them that she will meet them outside of their rented home the next day, and to be ready at sun up.
Nightal 27th, 1371 DR
The pair realizes that they have mysteriously not asked their employer about her name or what the pakage is, and that they took the job without asking many questions. Still, when the elf arrives the next day, they pack up their horse and pony, and take their dog and eagle with them, and get ready for their delvery job.
Fully packed up and ready, the pair let the elf know, and she casts a spell that creates a shimmering gateway in front of them, large enough for them to travel through on their horses and herd their animals with them.
Spring 220 DR
Meriden and Wulgar arrive in an area of Faerun that is not in the grips of winter, though they begin to recongnize many of the features that they had assumed were the geographical features of the Dales, and are quite intereseted at the similarities between the region that they are in and the region that they just left.
They realize that they have not asked the elf her name, nor how they are getting back, and begin to wonder if they have been enspelled. They travel deep into the forest, on a path described by their employer, leading to a hill. As they near their destination, they are attacked by hobgoblin raiders.
They defeat many of the raiders, but the last of them they interrogate, and he explains that they are in elven lands, in Cormanthyr, and that they are likely no more welcome than his hobgoblin band is. The pair let the hobgoblin go at this point and stop to make camp.
Meriden has a guess at what might have occurred, and stays deep in prayer until he falls asleep. In his sleep, he is visited by a justicator that tells Meriden that his current job threatens the order and balance of the Realms. He then sees a map showing the elven realm of Myth Drannor, but all around are empires of hobgoblins and orcs, and he has further visions of his native Cormyr under the rule of fiends enslaving primitive humans.
Meriden tells Wulgar that he believes that he has been sent into the past, and that somehow the item they are carrying might strengthen Myth Drannor, but doom the human lands that surround Cormanthyr. They both decide to get some answers from the elf they are to drop the pakage off with.
On the way to the elf's abode, they see a wizards streaking out of the sky, down toward the elf's abode. The elf engages the human in battle, and the human's escorts, abyssal evicerators, attack Meriden and Wulgar.
The two manage to battle the fiends to the death and survive, and then the elf and the human plummet to the ground in a huge ball of flame. A figure crawls out of the crater, and the elf is the survivor.
Kaeldarra Sethdreniil, a moon elf mage, explains to them that the human that she just fought and killed was a netherese refugee, a student of Jeriah Chronos, who had used the Chronomancer's spells to keep himself young for centuries. Kaeldarra claims his spellbook, then asks the pair who they are. Meriden is hesitant to let her know who they are, but lets her know that they have something that they were to give to her, but are reticent to pass on.
At this point, a human male with a sharp hawk-like nose arrives, and tells them that he was guided here by Mystra. He knows that the artifact is something that should not be utilized, and asks about the two adventurers. After hearing about where they have come from, the man burries the artifact and places wards around it, then asks the two about their home. When he learns that they are from the future, he tells them that he cannot send them back, but that he can put them in stasis until someone in their time can retreive them.
The man assures them that Mystra will make sure that someone will bring them out of stasis in the proper time, and introduces himself as Elminster Aumar, late of Athalantar.
The pair goes into stasis, leaving their eagle, dog, and horses behind.
Hammer 25th, 1372 DR
Novice Watcher Meriden Greystag and Wulgar Browniefriend of Hillsafar Hall are dug up from the place in the ground where they have been placed in stasis. When the two come to full conciousness, they meet an old mage with a white beard with a hawk-like nose. Hell tells the two that he is very busy, but he has a gift that Kaeldarra had made for them, a keen bastard sword and a keen dwarven war axe. He then tells them that his pipe will stay behind and lead them to where they need to go in Shadowdale to get them situated.
Meriden and Wulgar are lead to the Old Skull in Shadowdale, and Wulgar meets up with a group of dwarves heading back to Glen. He says his farewell to his friend Meriden, and tells him that he hopes to meet up with him again soon, but for now he has plans to make.
“Axes high friend, I go.”
Hammer 26th-30th, 1372 DR
Meriden checks into the Old Skull Inn, makes inquiries about travelling in the winter, and notices the other people that are currently staying in the Inn. Meriden has now seen an elf, a half-ogre, a red haired warrior woman travelling with a person in deep cloaks and a hood, and two adventuring parties.
Meriden realizes that the half-ogre is a monk dedicated to Helm. He introduces himself to her and finds out that her name is Emen, and that her master was attatched to the temple to Helm in Tilverton. Meriden buys Emen a drink, which immediately has an effect on her.
The pair watch as a young elf, apparently a moon elf, walks up to the red haired swordswoman to talk to her, unsuccessfully. As Meriden moves to talk with the woman himself, the elf speaks with the half-ogre Emen.
At this point in time, a member of one of the adventuring companies begins to make fun of the half-ogres appearance, and to defend his new friend, the elf, named Mourn, transfroms into a wolf in the midddle of the taproom. Someone in one of the company shouts “werewolf!” and several silver weapons are drawn and several spellcasters begin to chant.
Meriden pulls out his own silver bastard sword, but the swordswoman pushes past him, as does the cloaked figure. As the adventurers advance on the wolf-elf, the swordswoman whispers to her hooded companion. She anounces that she will deal with the werewolf, and for everyone else to back off and leave it to her. This gives the wolf time to bound out the window and head toward the trees.
The swordswoman speaks to Meriden and tells him that her friend is a paladin, and that he senses no evil in the elf-wolf. Emen leaves with the swordswoman and the hooded figure to find the elf-wolf.
When Emen catches up with the elf-wolf Mourn, Mourn explains to Emen that he is lythari, elf werewolves that are not evil, but that he needs a body guard and some clothes to disguise himself with. Emen agrees to take the commision, and sets off to find him closthes and tells him that she will leave the window of her room open for him to get back into the inn.
Midwinter, 1372 DR
The bard of Shadowdale, Storm Silverhand, was to perform at Midwinter festivities in Shadowdale, but she has been called away by important matters elsewhere. Meriden asks around among the adventurers that are wintering in the Old Skull, and finds out that there is an altercation in the north that has mobilized a force from Waterdeep, and that a mysterious city has appeared over the desert in Anauroch.
Emen explains to Meriden who Mourn is and that he is under her protection, and Mourn, using a disguise spell he has on a scroll, alters his appearance and does card tricks for money outside of the Old Skull Inn while food is being served for Midwinter.
In the evening, as the three adventurers gather just outside of the Old Skull Inn, a strange figure pushes a young lady over and grabs a bundle, a crying bundle, from her hands, and runs for the tree line across the street. The three give chase, and as they close on the figure, everything around them seems to shift and change into a much stranger forest.
The adventurers are faced with a huge creature with curling ram's horns looks down on them and demands to know why there are here at his backroad. The group explains that they are on their way to catch someone that just stole a baby.
The fey guardian demands to be paid a good story before he lets them into his backroad. Meriden tells the story of Wulgar and himself travelling back in time and being locked in statis for centuries. The guardian calls Meriden a liar but also tells him that it is a good story and lets him by.
As the three follow the path, both Emen and Mourn fall into a pit in the road, and Meriden has to help them get out of the pit. Mourn wanders around the top side of the pit off the path while Emen and Meriden wander the bottom of the pit, and each side erupts in thorny twig creatures, twig blights, as the adventurers take a step of the path.
Mourn rejoins the other two and the three fight off the little plant creatures, with Meriden doing the lion's share of the damage against them.
Further down the path the three run into a group of small humanoids wearing red caps and carrying scythes. The creatures charge forth from their hiding places and quickly knock Mourn out of the fight. Emen seriously wounds one, but then goes down herself. Meriden keeps a close eye on his companions while fending off the three creatures, and manages to kill all three of them in time to revive his badly wounded friends.
After Meriden heals Mourn and Emen, the three meet up with a dryad, who asks them why they are here. After making a good impression, the dryad tells them that there is an evil half fiendish dwarf that has allied to several Unseelie fey and corrupted this backroad. They are up ahead, and she can get the guardian not to let them leave and warns them of traps up ahead.
While they avoid one trap, another trap, collapsing trees fall on Mourn and Emen, and Emen and Meriden have to dig out a wounded Mourn from the trap. As they enter the clearing, they see several dead redcaps and a few dead centuars, as well as a red skinned dwarf with claws waithing for them.
The dwarf offers to deal with them for the price of the baby, and Mourn begins to bargain with the dwarf, but Meriden charges forward to attack before he can hear another word, with Emen directly behind him.
The durzagon enlarges himself, as does Meriden, and the two attack one another, as Emen circles around to engage the durzagon as well. Mourn lobs magic missles at the dwarf from a safe distance.
The durzagon finally falls down, and the party picks up the baby. Briefly the discuss wheather to tromp back through the backroad, or go forward, and eventually, they decide to go forward.
Upon exiting the gateway, the three find themselves near the gates of a city, a city that spans a body of water. Then recognize that the keep flys the pennants of Zhentil Keep, and they realize where they are.
Meriden falls down and prays to Helm, and is given a vision of the rebirth of Bane, and Meriden senses that the child is wanted by the church of Bane. When the vision is over, he checks the child and it has a birthmark that looks like a clawed hand with green eyes in the palm on her shoulder.
Alturiak 1st, 1372 DR
Early in the morning, before the sun comes up, a lone figure in woodland garb “falls” through a tree near the party, closely followed by two werewolves wearing several fetishes and charms.
Meriden and Emen close on the werewolves, as Mourn takes the baby and retreats from the fight, and the new figure, Grim Greycastle, circles wide around the fight with the werewolves.
As Meriden and Emen fight the werewolves, Grim casts entangle on the pair (as well as Meriden and Emen) and Mourn begins to fire magic missles at the werewolves. Emen manages to escape from entanglement often, striking and moving around the lycanthropes, as Grim fires arrows at the beasts. Meriden is stuck, but can reach and injure the nearby werewolves, and kills the first one after taking a single bite from it.
Mourn strikes the remaining werewolf with another magic missle, Emen continues to injure it, and Meriden finishes it off with his silver bastard sword.
One of the fetishes on the werewolves indicates that they are People of the Black Blood, and Grim explains that his master, a druid, gave him the book that he carries and shoved them through the nearest tree as several werewolves attacked his retreat.
Before the sun could rise, several creatures, worm like with insectile legs and bat wings, land near the party. They are confronted with a group of people in black and grey clothing that appear to have shadows rising off them like steam.
The leader of the group, who identifies himself as Ambassador Borsaelis of the City of Shade, and that he wants to calm the populations fears about the return of his city. He has a diplomatic mission to Zhentil Keep to perform, but wishes to give the party gifts as proof of his good will.
He gives each of them a silver ring set with a black stone that he says is a ring of protection and a ring of proof against necromancy. Emen, Meriden, and Grim all accept the gifts but put them in their packs, while Mourn gladly places it on his finger.
Borsaelis asks the group where they are from, and Mourn tells them they came from Shadowdale. Borsaelis tells them that if they wish to travel with the detachment they will gladly drop them off in Shadowdale on their way through to Sembia. He also offers to let them sit in on the meeting between the Shade and the powers that be in Zhentil Keep.
Not wanting to invoke any more questions, and worried about how exposed they are, Meriden and Grim (who gives the false name of Tobias), accept the offer to enter the Keep with the Shadovar group.
Alturiak 2nd, 1372 DR
Meriden, Grim, Emen, and Mourn are shown to the diplomatic hostelry in Zhentil Keep's southern portion, and the Shadovar tell them that they are completely free to do as they will. Grim casts around for some information and finds a brothel that fronts for a fence, and manages to buy a disguise kit. He comes back to the room and uses the disguise to make the baby appear as a half-ogre, and comes up with a story that the half-ogre Emen is his wife and the child is thiers.
Alturiak 3rd-6th, 1372 DR
Meriden and Emen secure supplies for taking care of the baby. Meriden rests, and wakes up to find that Mourn has bought a fighting wolf from an animal handler, as well as two chickens to feed it, and that Grim has travelled to the slave market to buy a young boy that he intends to set free.
Grim explains that he cannot free them all, but that he must do something. Meriden is just worried about how deep in the group is getting.
Alturiak 7th, 1372 DR
Ambassador Borsaelis and his group pick up the party and ask them if they wish to go with him to his audience with the rulers of Zhentil Keep. Grim and Meriden definitely want to see what is going on in this meeting, and so they volunteer. Meriden also manages to notice that one of the armored Shadover is wearing a holy symbol to Shar, and thus realizes what goddess the Shadovar hold dear.
Just after nightfall, the Shadovar and the adventurers travel to the Castellan's Chambers in Zhentil Keep. Scyulla Darkhope, leader of the Keep's military forces, appologizes for the fact that Fzoul Chembryl cannot attend himself, but is otherwise busy.
The Shadovar explain that they now claim all of Anauroch as Netherese territory, and as such, the Zhentil Keep caravan's that pass through it will have to pay to have access to the desert territory, as well as having Shadovar supervision.
Scyulla does not like this concession and tells them to explain why the Keep will have to concent to this. The Shadovar offer to make sure that the desert vermin (the Bedine) are scoured from the desert and thus the Zhentil Keep caravan will bring more profit when then travel across the desert.
Both Meriden and Grim are bristling at the discussion of free people as vermin and the causal way that their extermination is being discussed. Meriden is very uncomfortable in the presense of a cleric of Shar and a blackguard of Bane, and Grim wishes to strike out against oppresion any way he can, but both manage to sit through the audience.
Alturiak 8th, 1372 DR
The Shadovar get ready to leave and offer to fly the party to a new destination, a meeting that the Shades say they have with the Dalelands Council. The group accepts, and they are strapped into the saddles of the Veserabs as they take to the air. The Shadovar then shift into the plane of Shadows as they fly south.
The Shadovar unexpectedly cut the trip short, and drop the party off in Shadowdale, explaining to them that something very important has come up. The party is very thankful to be back in Shadowdale and away from the Shadovar. As they travel in towards the dale, they see a figure lined in silver fire fighing a figure cloaked in shadows, then both dissappear.
Then, Mourn's ring leaks shadows, as the shadow weave magic in the ring shorts out the wards that exist in this area, in the proximity of Elminster's Tower. A rift opens in the sky around the tower, and the Old Sage appears and tries to close the rift.
Mourn frantically tries to take the ring off, and eventually Meriden, barely stopping Grim from taking off Mourn's entire hand, cuts off Mourn's finger to get the ring off.
By this time, Elminster has entered the rift and dissappeared. The rift then closes.
Soon after, a wild haired woman in a tattered dress appears, and gazes wildly at the group standing in front of her. Before anyone can offer an explanation, Mourn panicks and fires a magic missle at her, and the woman blasts them with a spell that knocks them out of the Prime Material Plane of Toril and into a plane of complete gray and silver skies.
The party eventually drifts into a portal, and Mourn launches into a heartfelt prayer to Corellon, asking for forgiveness for every impulsive thing he has ever done, asking for forgiveness for trying to make an icon out of a spoon that he careved to look like Corellon, and promising to take his god far more seriously from now on.
At this point a golden winged creature similar to an elf, but radiant and cloaked with energy, appears to the group, and asks them where they are from. After discussing what all has transpired, the celestial offers to take them home, and Meriden convinces the party that they should go back to Mistledale first to regroup. The celestial takes them back to Meriden's rented home.
Alturiak 9th, 1372 DR
After Meriden shows everyone in the party around the rented house, they group rests and is sleeping the next morning as there is a knock on the door. When Meriden is awakened, he is confronted with Neylessa Sheldean, the leader of the Mistledale Lancers. She asks Meriden and his companions to attend a meeting at Haresk's mansion in Ashabenford at midday.
Grim takes the morning to forage for wolfsbane and belladona in the more wooded areas, and Meriden takes Mourn and Emen into town to do some shopping and selling before the meeting.
Meriden visits Noristuor the Wizard, who tersely examines the rings that the Shadovar had given them, informing Meriden that the rings are shadow weave items and that they break wards that they come in contact with. He offers to buy them and then sends them off.
While Meriden and Emen talk to Noristuor, Mourn stays outside and receives a message from a halfling currier, containing a note that details a business opourtunity. Jarwain, an importer of fine goods, has asked Mourn to talk with his friends about locating dragon eggs that might be for sale, and Jarwain wishes to secure them for an interested third party.
The party meets back up outside of Haresk's house, and is admited to the council room by the Mistledale Lancer guards outside. Indside the room is a collection of important local figures, including the other lords of Mistledale, excepting the High Councilor himself, Alok Silverspear and Luvon Greencloak, Jhaer Brightsong, and Storm Silverhand.
Storm details to the party that the two children in their care are both alright, and that they are currently with Jakert Fleet in Stump Hill, and that Jakert is trustworthy and the mother of an aquaintance of hers. She tells them that she has brought the horses with her from Shadowdale, and warms them to avoid her sister for a while.
Ulwen Sharin, acting High Councilor of Mistledale, informs the assembly that a Dalelands council has been called and Haresk has gone to that council. Ulwen also mentions that the winter has been unusually warm, and the patrol of Lancers has had to start sooner in the year then would be usual. Goblin patrols have started ravaging the Moonsea Ride into Tilverton.
Jhaer mentions that the Shadovar have been sending diplomats into the Moonsea, Sembia, and Cormyr. She and the councilors are afraid that the diplomats in these meetings are simply talking about carving up the dales to go to each respective area in the negotiations.
Storm mentions that the Shadovar are still tenatively allied to the Lord's Alliance in the North, sending aid to her sister Laeral as she tries to punch her way through the Phaerimm armies in order to give aid to the elven realm of Evereska, as well as trying to hear word of her husband Khelbun (at which point several of the Dale councilors are shocked to know that Elminster and Khelbun are both missing). Storm says that the Waterdhavians do not trust the Shadovar either, but currently they are still allied with them against the Phaerimm. She is leaving after the meeting to rejoin her sister.
Since the party has already decided to go to Anauroch to warn the Bedine about the plans of the Shadovar, they volunteer to try and ride ahead and punch a hole in the goblin lines that are blocking the Moonsea Ride.
After the meeting, Mourn explains to the rest of the party what is going on with the job offer from Jarwain, and the group is wary. They draw up plans to keep an eye on Jarwain for the next few days, to see what is going on.
Mourn goes to Jarwain's shop, demanding to see him, but his halfling attendant refuses to let Mourn talk to him.
Alturiak 10th, 1372 DR
Due to Jarwain's interest in the party and the secret information that Meriden has, and his overtures to Mourn, the party decides to delay their departure from Mistledale for one day in order to do some information gathering on Jarwain. Mourn will enter the shop and try to speak with the merchant, while Grim keeps an eye on the back of the shop, looking for any clues.
When Moun discussing the business oppourtunity with Jarwain, Jarwain activates some strange dragon head scupture on the wall, which Mourn assumes is an anti-scrying device. Grim keeps an eye on the back of the shop, and eventually sees a figure teleport in behind the shop, then give a special knock and enter the shop from the back. Grim notices that the teleporting figure seems to be wearing the robes of a Cormyrean War Wizard.
Jarwain tells Mourn that his unnamed client is looking for dragon eggs so that they might train them to help them with security issues that they have been experiencing since an unfortunate recent series of events, and that he could not elaborate further.
Mourn leaves the shop without commiting to anything with Jarwain, and meets up wit Grim. The pair then finds Meriden and Emen, who have finished provisioning for the trip to Tilverton, and from there into the Stonelands and Anauroch.
Alturiak 11th-12th, 1372 DR
The group sets out toward Tilverton down the Moonsea Ride, which is still muddy and snowy from the strange winter weather. After the first day, they take a detour to the north, heading off toward the halfling village of Stumphill, where Jakert Fleet is taking care of the baby they came to take care of, and the child slave that Grim saved from the Zhents.
Emen had a very hard time entering the halfing home, but the rest were put up for the night as Jakert fed them all quite well, and gave them plenty of time with the children. The young boy was already helping immesurably on the farm, and was looking much healthier. Grim gave Jakert some gold to help her take care of the children further, and she refused, but then put it aside to give to the children if they are still in their care when they get older.
After another fine meal from Jakert, the party says their farewells to her and head back onto the Moonsea Ride, and back toward Tilverton.
Alturiak 13th, 1372 DR
The travel down the road is difficult in the snow and mud, and Mourn's horse is injured. Meriden heals the horse, and Grim lectures the whole party on riding horses in such weather (Grim using spells to keep up with the party), and lectures Mourn specifically for not being more careful with his mount.
After nightfall, the party is awakened by several creatures sneaking into the camp. A group of wererats in hybrid form attack the party. Emen draws her silver dagger, and Meriden his silver bastard sword. Grim attempts to slow down the wererats with an entangling spell, and Mourn shifts to wolf form.
Once Mourn reveals himself as a lycanthrope, the wererats shift to using their bites on him. Eventually the party is successful in their defense of the camp, but Mourn is bitten by a wererat. Meriden and Grim clean the wound as best they can.
Alturiak 14th, 1372 DR
As the party continues to travel toward Tilverton, at midday they encounter a wolf the size of a horse. Meriden and Emen stay well away, Mourn shifts to wolf form, and Grim stays close enough to speak with it, still a careful distance away.
Grim cannot calm the beast down, though it does not attack. Mourn speaks to the great wolf in its own language of barks and howls, and finds that the creature is fleeing the Beast Country due to a “wolf thing” that is a very cruel pack leader, and that it is hungry.
Grim and Mourn feed the beast, and it leaves the party to travel further down the road.
That night, just after the party sets up their camp for the evening, Mourn is keeping first watch in wolf form. A strange wolf approaches the camp, and Mourn tries to speak to it as he did the one on the road earlier. The wolf responds to Mourn in common, telling him that he will enjoy devouring his soul.
Mourn barks until the rest of the groups awakens, and begins to back away from the advancing strange wolf thing. Meriden puts the pieces together and recognizes the creature as a Barghest, and he advances on it with his magical bastard sword, and Emen stalks it with her magical butterfly sword. Mourn retreats and returns to elf form, and Grim circles around behind the Barghest with his magical dagger.
Mourn pelts the creature with magical missles from his spells, and Meriden and Emen keep the creature busy while Grim comes up behind the beast and sinks his magical dagger deep into the creatures organs. Meriden then douses the corpse in holy water and burns whatever is left.
Alturiak 15th-17th, 1372 DR
As the party nears the edge of the Dale, they have seen very little and have had a series of uneventful days. The clouds always hang low and grey, and mists rise from the ground constantly, and Grim is on edge with the strange weather.
Grim is on watch at night, and detects a rather unstealthy intruder. A huge troll shambles into the camp. Grim sends his animal companion, the dire rat Dogmeat, to wake up Meriden, and hopefully the rest of the party.
Grim manages to evade the troll until the rest of the party is awake. Emen charges the troll, and it picks up a log in camp and slams her with it, sending her flying. The troll graps Meriden with both of its hands and begins to pull the cleric apart, splitting his skin in an agonizing attack. Mourn stays near the campfire, lighting his arrows on fire and shooting them at the troll. On sticks in the log near the troll, but does not ignite.
Eventually the party wears down the troll, and they drag his corpse to the campfire, thus getting rid of the creature permanently.
Alturiak 18th-22nd, 1372 DR
A few simple mishaps with the horses in the mud (and a few more lectures from Grim) occur, and Mourn begins to feel ill, in general being less reasonable and less nible of (remaining) fingers. Storms always seem to be off in the distance, and the party finds some free wandering cattle that Mourn breifly toys with chasing, though the rest of the party talks the ill lythari out of his plan.
Eventually the group runs into a band of orcs on the road. There are six of them, and the leader demands a tribute to pass on the road, which they claim by right of defeating a Purple Dragon patrol on the road.
Emen and Mourn engage the foot soldiers, and Meriden engages the warrior's leader. Grim closes on the orc's adept, and gets close enough to him to keep him from spellcasting. He begins to ask the adpet why they ended up on this road.
The leader fends off Meriden's attacks for a while, but Mourn and Emen dispatch the other orcs. The adept explains to Grim that they were herded out of the Stonelands during the War with the Devil Dragon and the goblins forced them even farther from home. Meriden breaks off his attack with the leader, and the leader goes to confer with the adept.
Grim explains to Meriden that if the orcs give them any trouble, they can backstab them in their sleep if they travel with them. Meriden expresses a desire to stab them in the front now. The orc leader is similarly not enamored with his adepts conversation with Grim. The leader and Merdien charge one another, and Meriden cuts him down, and Grim ends up killing the adept.
Alturiak 23rd, 1372 DR
The entire day is exceptionally dark, overcast, and foggy. As the group enters the foot hills outside of the Thunder Peaks, they see a horde of charging creatures, a mob of goblins that are charging down the pass down whatever is near them.
Seeing them from a distance up the slope, Grim manages to entangle them as they charge forward, Meriden and Emen charge, and Mourn skulks off to the side to pelt the goblins with magic missles.
Meriden manages a hit and run attack, and the horde is slowed by the entangling plants. Emen does serious damage to the horde of goblins, but is drawn into the mob and trampled beneath them.
Meriden makes another assault on his warhorse, and Grim and Morn attack from a distance. Emen manages to get up from under the trampling feet, and goes on a rampage of destruction, flinging broken goblin bodies to and fro until the entire mob is dispersed and dead.
Several hours later, the group runs into another band of goblins, a group of several warriors, archers, ordered around by two worg riders.
Grim manages to sneak around the warriors to harass the archers, and Dogmeat follows him to attack another archer. Mourn shifts into his wolf form and charges toward the archers as well. Meriden and Emen attack the warriors directly in front of them, and Meriden draws the fire of three of the archers, taking several hits on his shoulder and thigh.
After Emen smashes several of the goblin warriors, she is felled by one of the archers, whose shot is especially well placed and seriously wounds the monk, causing her to fall unconcious. Mourn, Dogmeat, and Grim tear through the archers, and the riders stay back barking orders.
Meriden dispatches the rest of the warriors, and then leaps off his horse to aid Emen. Mourn and Grim finish the archers, and one of the worg riders charges Mourn, injuring the still sick lythari. The lance strikes deep and well, but barely injures the wolf, causing the wolf rider to rethink his attack.
The second wolf rider turns and runs, and Mourn and Grim finish off the first rider. All of the goblins have grim trophies and trinkets from the Purple Dragon Patrols that they have ambushed and slaughtered.
Alturiak 24th, 1372 DR
Deep into Tilver's Gap, the party runs across a column of goblins wearing black leather armor studded in bronze studs. The goblins are commanded by a goblin in relatively fine black and copper robes.
The goblins fall on the band, and the goblin in robes cast a spell that shoots a net made of shadows at the monk Emen. Emen is ensnared and cannot escape the shadow net. Meriden attacks the column of warriors, and Mourn circles around toward the spellcaster on one side, just as Grim does on the other.
Meriden dispatches more goblin warriors, and the goblins spellcaster traps Mourn in another net of shadows. Mourn desperately begins to cast spells trying to escape the net, and ends up freezing a spoon to his nose and casting light on his own forehead.
Grim is near the goblin spellcaster when the goblin manages to shrink the druid rogue. Now only half his size, and a bit smaller than the goblin, Grim attacks and kills the spellcaster.
The goblin warriors start to bear down on Meriden, so Meriden dispels the shadow net over the monk Emen, who promptly charges forward and begins to destroy goblins left and right. The two make short work of the goblins after the monk is free.
Alturiak 25th-26th, 1372 DR
The party travels the rest of the way into Tilver's Gap, and out the other side, into the city of Tilverton. At the front gate, the guards are surprised that the group has made it down the trade road with the goblins about, and tell them about the missing patrols. The guards, upon hearing that the group is seeking to travel to the Altar of Shields, the Temple of Helm, send for a runner to get a member of the Helmite clergy.
The Helmites arrange for the party to receive an adventuring charter and have Mourn Ninefingers registered as a spellcaster with the War Wizards. The group is granted an audience with the leaders of the temple, and Meriden explains what is going on between the Shadovar and the Zhentarim, and asks for Helmite help to aid the Bedine against the Shadovar. The Helmites tell Meriden that the Shadovar are currently helping Regent Alusair rebuild Arabel. They do not wish to upset the Crown. But they are interested in the parties quest, and offer to send some aid in the form of gifts and a ranger to take their animals once they reach the edge of Anauroch. If they can produce proof of the Shadovar's dealings, the church of Helm will aid them in speaking with the Crown.
Meriden and Emen arrange to take vows advancing their rank within their perspective Orders within the church of Helm. Their vows will be taken the following night.
Meriden takes the party's gems, arms, and armor that they no longer need to the Temple of Gond to barter, and to convert their treasure to more portable items. Emen goes with him. Mourn goes to Gahlaerd Mossmere, a local wizard, to buy magical trinkets for the group as well as to purchase the components he needed to summon a familiar. Grim travels to Filani of Tantras to pay her to research some of the magic items the party has found, as well as to take advantage of her forte, political research, to learn more about the Bedine and Anauroch.
Grim, a follower of Mieilikki, goes to the shrine of Silvanus to pick up some scrolls to help him decipher Sylvan, so that he might learn the language, and donates some gold to them as well as picking up some new spell components. Grim takes a room at Grimwald's Revenge while the other members of the party stay at the austere cells in the Altar of Shields.
Mourn asks the clerics of Helm to repair his finger, and they do, though he receives a vision from Helm that indicates that he is somehow not pleasing to the God of Guardians. Mourn is very happy when the experience ends.
Alturiak 27th, 1372 DR
The next day, Grim picks up his notes on the Bedine from Filani, and the party meets with him at Grimwald's Revenge, where they meet their hired ranger, Neddivel, who appears to be a bit touched. They also run into Wulgar Browniefriend of Hillsafar Hall, Meriden's old friend, who has taken an underground route from Glen to the Thunder Peaks just outside of Tilverton, and is relaxing in the bar until he is ready to go home. He decides to join up with the party.
Mourn completes his ritual to find a familiar, and a hawk answers his calling.
Emen and Meriden enter into their rituals in order to ascend in rank. Emen is locked in a meditation chamber, and Meriden is given the sacred sword that he must kneel before and levitate with his own force of will all night long on his vigil.
Both Emen and Meriden manage to complete their trials, and in the morning the clerics of Helm ask for Helm's boon, dispelling all fatigue in the two Helmites that might have afflicted them from their overnight vigil.
Emen is awarded the title of Adept Lady Knight Emen of the Order of Everwatch Knights. Meriden receives the title of Adept Watcher Meriden Greystag of the Order of He Who Watches Over Travelers. Emen is assigned to act as Meriden's bodyguard on this upcoming quest.
Alturiak 28th, 1372 DR
Meriden, Emen, Wulgar, Mourn, Grim, and Neddivel all set off early in the morning. Mourn has sold his horse and travels mainly in wolf form now. The party heads north, along the Thunder Peaks, toward the Stonelands. Neddivel only mutters to himself about the horses for hours.
Out of the hills comes a giant, carrying a rock in its hand. Emen tries to warn the giant off the path, but the hill giant takes the half ogre's warning as some kind of interest in him, and he decides to knock her out and drag her off as his new bride. He begins to hurl rocks at her, and strikes her solidly.
Neddivel fires off a shot from his bow at a long distance and manages to hit the giant in the forehead, causing it great pain, though not mortally warning it. Mourn and Grim both spread out and attack at a distance, while Meriden and Wulgar charge the giant. Emen joins them.
Neddivel continues to fire, but the closer he gets, the worse his aim is. The hill giant hits Emen with his club, knocking her out of the fight, and Meriden and Wulgar engage him at close range, while Grim sneaks in closer, still firing his bow.
The hill giant is frustrated by the dwarf attacking him, and eventually the party dispatches the hill giant, and Meriden takes care of Emen, healing her with his spells.
Alturiak 29th, 1372 DR
The party manages to run into two well armed and armored ogres in the hills. Innitially they want to rob the wandering travellers, but when they see the half-ogre female monk Emen, they are even more interested in her than the hill giant was.
The fight is relatively short, but Emen tells the other members of the party that they are not to kill the last ogre standing, because he has to pay for the untoward interest in her that he has shown. The duel is very short and ends with Emen unscathed.
Alturiak 30th-Chess 3rd, 1372 DR
The party sees a flying group of aarakokra at far range, in part due to Mourn's hawk, though the bird people aren't a threat. They also meet up with a patrol of Purple Dragons, and they compare notes about what they have encountered in the region and what might lie ahead for them.
Chess 4th, 1372 DR
The party is ambushed by a group of gnolls that begin their assault with bows. The party closes on them, and Meriden uses a spell to shatter one of their battle axes. The group makes short work of the beastial creatures.