The story thus far…

In the city of Neverwinter, a dwarf named Gundren Rockseeker recruited a party that included T’Sai the yuan-ti pureblood rogue, Sigismund the human paladin of Mystra, Tarn the dwarf cleric, and Bob the tabaxi druid, to bring a wagon load of provisions to the rough-and-tumble settlement of Westhill, a couple of days’ travel southeast of the city. En route, Gundren was kidnapped and the party barely survived a goblin ambush! They tracked the creatures to a multi-caved hideout, which they cleared out and saved two prisoners, Gundren’s bodyguard Sildar and Turgen the human mage.

The party managed to get the provisions to Westhill, but Gundren was missing! Sildar hired the party to find Cragmaw Castle, eliminate the root of the goblinoid threat there, and return with Gundren or news of him. The Townmaster asked the group to eliminate an orc threat from Wyvern Tor, on the eastern Triboar Trail. Daran Aldermath asked the group to look into an undead threat that seemed to be eminating from the Netherese ruins at Old Owl Well, southeast of the ruins of Conyberry. Finally, Sister Garaele tasked the group to treat with a banshee named Agatha for information. The trio hired Bearkiller the goliath barbarian and Reynard the tiefling ranger to join them, and accomplished these tasks within a ride.

Back in Westhill, negotiations with the Townmaster earned the party free room and board at the Stonehill Inn. A spurned proposition from the Yuan-ti resulted in the barmaid Elsa walking out of the Inn. When T’Sai went to find her, she was nowhere to be found. The last place to look was the Sleeping Giant taproom… where a brawl broke out with some local ruffians that called themselves the Redbrands, leaving the taproom ablaze. After asking some questions around town, the party learned that the Redbrands (named for the simple, dirty scarlet cloaks they wore) have been terrorizing the locals with threats and demands for protection money, and more recently have escalated into murder and kidnapping. They were led by a mysterious wizard who they called the Glasstaff. Halia, of the Phandalin Miner’s Exchange, recommended three recent caravan escorts to assist our party: Thaminor the moon elven Eldritch Knight, Pix the gnomish Wizard, and Sum the mute human monk.

The party Descended into the Redbrand base of operations beneath the ruins of Tresendar Manor, clearing it of Ruffians and bugbears alike. They rescued Elsa, a local family, and Droop the goblin cook… but the leader, the Glasstaff, fled. Back in Westhill, Townmaster Wester demanded to know why the party would do such a thing, when Sir Sig remembered that the former banker was revealed as the owner of the recently burned Sleeping Giant tavern… Where the Redbrands frequented.

Droop led the party north, towards Cragmaw Castle, where they encountered and defeated a warband of goblinoid near the border to Neverwinter Woods. Bob the druid shapeshifted into a goblin himself and donned the warband leader’s Cragmaw necklace as he approached the ruined entrance to Cragmaw Castle with a goliath of a door kicker as his “prisoner”… Several tough fights later, Cragmaw Castle was cleared of its goblinoid infection and Gundren was found alive! While the dwarven prospector could barely walk, they were able to escort him back to Westhill for a night of revelry!

After Tarn, Bob, and Bearkiller decided to go their separate ways, Gundren asked the remaining group of adventurers to escort him back to Phandalin Cave and its fabled lost ancient mine, to find the fate of his two brothers and uncover the truth behind the “Black Spider,” whom the dwarf learned has orchestrated the chaos around Westhill. For the group’s assistance, he has promised them 10% of the famous mine’s proceeds when he resumes operations. En route to the mine, the group was ambushed by the Glasstaff and the last of the Redbrands… and the last of the Redbrands it was! #firstfireball

Finally, the party made it to the long-lost cave, where Gundren was overcome with grief at the discovery of his brother Tharden’s body by their campsite. He implored our group to find his other brother, Nundro, and to rid the caves of the Black Spider. After several stirges, skeletons, poison clouds, and a wraith, our party met another ‘Bob,’ a Spectator guarding an eerie green flame that he called the “Flame of the Forge.”  Continuing on, they eventually came to a room with a giant water wheel-powered smelter that was populated by several skeletons and a floating skull with green flames. This flameskull was very fond of fire, as it dropped a fireball on most of the party, and shot rays of flame out of its eyes… Rays that took Turgen from our company forevermore. #firstpcdeath

When the party, battered after the flameskull battle, pressed on, they found a smelly guard barracks… And the world went black. Beset by five bugbears and led by a drow, it was a tough fight. Things weren’t looking good for the talkative monk, but the crew prevailed! T’Sai managed to take the drow female fighter, Zesstra, captive. While he and Thaminor interrogated her, Sig & Sum Chi led an expedition through some more of the unscouted tunnels. In exchange for her freedom, Zesstra provided information on the area and the Black Spider: he is a drow mage that has broken away from Bregan D’aerthe—a mercenary band from the drow city of Menzoberranzan. He came here to claim the magic of the Forge of Spells.

In the mine’s old dwarven temple, the party found and defeated the Black Spider and rescued Nundro, Gundren’s brother. Pix claimed the Spider Staff, a black adamantine staff with a top shaped like a spider, which can be removed. When found, the spider’s legs held a separate 4″ black rod of some unknown metal, black as obsidian. Upon closer inspection, it appears as if the stars of an entire galaxy swirled inside. A command word, “Ut” was inscribed on its side in an ancient elven tongue. With Phandalin Cave cleared, the Forge of Spells has a new Spellmaster: the ghost of Turgen. Gundren named the members of our party as 10% owners of the mine. The party returned to Westhill for another night of celebration!

Entrance to the old Tresendar Manor was blocked by some magical force until some astute observation recognized a crest over the entrance as the same as a necklace that the barmaid Elsa wore… uncovering that Elsa is the Tresendar heir! With funds from Phandalin as collateral, restoration of the Manor was begun. Westhill’s Townmaster fled town after the discovery of his connection to the Redbrands, and the town called for an election of a three-member council to replace him.

Rumors of a green dragon terrorizing the countryside north of Westhill sent the party on an expedition to the ruins of the small town of Thundertree, where it was defeated along with its half dozen Cult of the Dragon servants. The local druid, Reidoth, was freed and returned to his protection of the area. The night they returned to Westhill, the party was awoken by an attack on the town by several shadow mastiffs and their Shade handlers. A few of the townsfolk joined in the battle, including Sildar and an older human female mage. A couple of townsfolk were killed, and a pair of the shadow mastiffs were defeated, before one of the shades cast a mass hold person and immobilized the defenders. They were looking for something they called “the Rod,” and they wanted it back. When no one volunteered to return the item they sought, the shade promised that they would regret their decision where they were going, and cast another spell. Pix noted that the unknown mage was also casting a spell, as their world dimmed and they were all seemingly enveloped in thick mist and shadows…

T’Sai, Sigismund, Pix, Thaminor, Sum, Reynard, and Sildar (all but the mysterious old mage) were lost in shadows… with no idea when, or if, they would be returning to Westhill. After an indeterminate length of time, the shadows coalesced into a fog and a tunnel opened up in front of the group. As they began moving forward through the tunnel, it was obviously closing behind them. With a wall of mist behind them and an open courtyard in front, the party, ventured into this new location, for they were very obviously not in the Realms anymore. Investigating the ruins, the party finds a group of ruffians tormenting a young woman. Before they could act, everyone experiences a wrenching pain and reality appeared to shift. The group found themselves within the same structure, but it was now intact and appeared to be a hospital of some sort.

Over the next couple days, the party experienced several shifts through time, encountering the ruins, the hospital, and what appeared to be the original state of the manor. They eventually saved a young woman, named Miko, and were joined by Maekon the traveling minstral. However, they lost Sildar and Rozleen, another endangered woman, in their fight to unravel the mystery of the time loop and defeat its creator, the evil Lord Ashington. Sig made the decision to bury Ashington and Rozleen in front of the mansion’s shrine. Following the delivery of last rights, Rozleen’s ghost appeared and thanked the group for giving her a proper burial… breaking the curse and freeing the party from the time loop.

Rozleen asked that her Tarroka deck be returned to her tribe, as it was a family heirloom, and then disappeared. Maekon advised that the area itself would soon disappear, as the forces holding it together were now dispersed. After departing through the mists, the party emerged into a forest. Having no point of reference, they wearily pushed forward, hoping they were moving in a direction that would lead them to some sort of civilization. Peace was not to be had, however, as they were accosted multiple times by packs of dire wolves. Maekon stated that, given the prevelance of canine activity and the nature of the terrain, it was safe to say they had found their way to Kartakoss. Once the party managed to get their bearings, Maekon guided them Harmonia, one of the major cities of the region and Miko’s home.

Miko was reunited with her family, and Sum saved a young woman by the name of Arkiel from being kidnapped by a hooded man. Arkiel explained that he was a dark woodsman that sought her hand in marriage… and would not take no for an answer. He was pursuing her relentlessly and she had begun to fear for her safety.

Arkiel further explained she was in love with Dr. Dominiari from Gundark, the land next to Kartakass. She wanted the party to retrieve a magic item called the Crown of Soldiers. It was a family heirloom that had been lost, but Arkiel believed she had located it and wanted to use it to protect herself. Dr. Dominiari would happily compensate the group for their efforts, and any other treasure they found was theirs to keep.

The group reasoned that a search for Rozleen’s Vistani clan could be effected while running Arkiel’s errand, and agreed to help. Arkiel asked the group to meet her in Skald in seven days time. The group, including Maekon, left Harmonia the next morning for Skald. They decided to take a very scenic route in the hope of finding some sign of the Vistani.

Just before nightfall, the party heard a woman sobbing. Investigating revealed a woman crying in front of a fresh grave. Sig spoke to the woman and found out the grave was her son’s, who had just recently been killed by some kind of monster that had been terrorizing the family. The woman, Maria, led the group to her home so they could speak to her husband, who had broken his leg running from the monster. Sig and Reynard spoke to the husband and learned that this creature was stalking the family. It had been doing so for over a week and had killed their livestock and their son the previous evening. Reynard and Sig healed the man’s leg, and the group decided to settle in for the evening.

While patrolling that night, Sum noticed a large pack of wolves approaching the barn. Behind them walked what could only be described as a wolf-man. While clearly a wolfen creature, it walked on two legs. The pack split in two, with three dire wolves approaching the barn, and the other three heading for the house. Hearing the wolves nearby, Sig lit a torch to be able to see. This spurred the wolves approaching the barn into action and they charged in. The others began running for the house. The wolf-man hung back between the barn and the house. Hostilities had begun.

With the majority of the party fighting dire wolves, Sum was locked in single combat with the wolf-man. Sum quickly realized the fight was going against him and tried to extricate himself. He retreated back to the roof of the barn, but his enemy followed to continue the fight. Sig remained busy with the wolves in the barn. Thaminor, Pix and Maekon continued to fight the wolves in the house. T’Sai assisted Thaminor by killing the wolf at the door and Reynard threw himself off the roof to help Sig fight the wolves at the barn. Once again, Sum was alone with his enemy. Unable to adequately defend himself, Sum was ripped apart by the wolf-man, who then began feasting on his body. The rest of the party finished their skirmishes and launched attacks on the wolf-man, killing him, but it was too late to save Sum.

The party made it to Skald a couple days before their meeting with Arkiel. They met Molish the cleric, and welcomed him into their ranks. Once in town, Arkiel told the group where to find the Crown: It was in the possession of someone named Radaga, located somewhere between Kartakass and Bluetspur. The trip was relatively uneventful until they entered some canyons, warily pressing forward when they discovered the walls and floor were constructed of bones…

The canyon opened into a crossroad of sorts, with three distinct paths available. At the top of the canyon walls, giant skeleton sentinels sat astride lizard mounts, apparently paying no mind to the group’s presence. To their left, a large tree sat within a small box canyon; the only vegetation to be seen since entering the canyons. Directly ahead and some distance away, what appeared to be some sort of gigantic cage awaited. To their right, an adobe ziggurat rising 50 feet high with a giant crow statue at its zenith lie in sight. Its three lower tiers were covered in skeletal guards with spears.

The party explored the region, encountering some enemies but prevailing without much difficulty. As they entered another cul-de-sac, they found a skeleton staked to the ground, which Thaminor and Sig examined. In spite of being entirely bereft of any flesh, tendons or connective tissue, the skeleton was clearly intact, and for all intent looked like a body lying on the ground. Thaminor decided to try cutting it free. As soon as he came into contact with the skeleton, a wracking pain shot up his arm. Thaminor’s muscles twisted and his joints locked, causing him to drop his dagger. The pain subsided, but the arm remained unwell and appeared slightly withered.

Continuing on, the party eventually discovered another bone pile, similar to several already encountered. This one had a red glow and smoke coming from within it. Thaminor began digging in the pile and promptly disappeared. Sig decided to do the same and also disappeared. The rest of the party eventually followed along and found themselves in a room with a statue of a six armed, snake bodied woman. In each of the woman’s hands was a rod with a skull on the end. Everyone heard a telepathic command to choose their fate. Thaminor selected one of the Skulls and the statue animated and attacked. Once defeated, the statue returned to its former state, with all six skulls in place. After much trial and error, resulting in Thaminor becoming sort of transparent and some other unknown effects on others, the party finally made it back to the original room and took a much needed rest.

Eventually, the party found a room with stairs at the far end that led to a black pedestal. On this pedestal sat a red pillow, upon which sat a golden crown. T’Sai and the party checked out the room and found no traps, only what appeared to be a cut out of the stairs (but no apparent way to move them). The party decided to have Thaminor use Mage Hand to lift up the crown, and drop it into Pix’s Handy Haversack. As soon as the crown lifted off the pillow, everyone in the room was hit with metal spikes from the outside walls, and the stairs descended to become stairs down into another tunnel.

Continuing through the macabre environment, the party came to a room with an old hag on a throne of bones. The old hag fixed her gaze upon the party, and the throne transformed into yet another giant skeleton, with her inside its rib cage! The entire party banded together, defeating first her skeleton, then her. A crown rolled off her head, and a black smoke began spreading from it. Sir Sig picked up the crown, as the smoke coalesced into a gaunt old man in black robes. Identifying himself as Daglan, he thanked the party for killing his descendant Radaga. Demanding the return of his property (his crown), he offered the party the reward of Radaga’s treasure and to be transported home. After a brief exchange, the paladin returned the crown… after which a black aura formed around him. He smiled, teleported to a corner of the room, and made a gesture that caused the throne to slide to the side and reveal a treasure room. “Choose quickly, for once you do, you shall be returned home.”

Daglan gestured, and the world faded away into the mists.
This time, however, the party wasn’t floating together… each person found themselves flying through a tunnel of mists so thick, they could be clouds.  It was as if they were being hurled somewhere.  Soon, there started to be breaks in the mist, and glimpses of strange… worlds? could be seen in those breaks.  A land seeming of lava, with everything on fire.  A beautiful paradise.  Machines as far as the eye could see.  Dark, desolate lands.  Fertile, lush gardens.  After what seemed like both mere moments yet forever at the same time, the mists started to part for some.  A few even say they thought they saw the entire world below them…



…and, then, each person described that they seemed to be hurling through the clouds. As the clouds broke, those knowledgeable about such things, could tell that they were not heading towards their homeland in the northwest of Faerun, but instead were heading towards the Great Sand Sea of Anauroch.

The clouds were growing fewer, and the land closer. Oddly, there was no sense of gravity pulling our adventurers back to the surface, but they were each hurling towards it nonetheless. There still has been no sign of any other companions. Later, a few would describe having seen what looked like an upside-down mountain, floating in the air, with what looked like a city built on top of its shorn base.



No one has ever quite shared what happened next. While everyone’s stories are similar thus far, it seems to universally vague here. All they seem to agree upon is that, without knowing how, they were suddenly standing on the road to Westhill, not far from their home. Approaching the town, a few of the farms on the outskirts seemed to have grown larger than remembered. As they neared the ruins of the old town wall, a small guard tower stood, with a sentry looking out into the far hills. The road to Daran’s orchard had recently constructed houses that were not there when last this road was walked.

The first stop was the town hall. There, the party learned from a (less than helpful) clerk no one recognized that Daran, Halia, and Gundren were elected to the town council… a year ago; the current date is 3 Tarsakh, in the Year of Three Ships Sailing (1492 DR). Just outside the town hall, a small stone monument had been erected, carved with the names of our party, Sildar, and others that died or disappeared that fateful night. Curiously, Eudora’s name was not on the list. The next stop was the Phandalin Miner’s Exchange, where T’Sai was able to catch up with Halia and get a quick update on their business ventures.

En route to Tresendar Manor, the party continued to note the number of new houses that had been built, a rebuilt Sleeping Giant Tavern (now the Giant’s Awakening), and a new road heading along the hill of the manor to what was once the secret entrance of the Redbrands. As they reached the rebuilt entrance, T’Sai found it curious that no guards were about… and even concerning that the doors were apparently unlocked when he was able to walk right in.

A minute later, Zesstra charged through the same door, with two guards in tow.  She skidded to an abrupt stop upon seeing our party—a year later than expected.  After having her companions lower their arms, Zesstra welcomed everyone home, and explained to T’Sai that security was generally not needed here, as the ancient wards placed on the doors prevented them from being opened by one that is not related to the Tresendar family, or otherwise added to the wardpassing… That’s right, related to the Tresendar family.  While he was trapped in the other realm, Elsa Tresendar had given birth to T’Sai’s daughter.

Once T’Sai reunited with Elsa, the party received a tour of the Manor and the Tresendar Talons barracks.  Each person was shown their room… as Sister Garaele’s divinations had told the women that majority of our party was still alive, somewhere.  As night settled, everyone began to retire to their room.

The party has been gone for a year, and has returned with far more questions than answers!  The group came to the consensus that they needed at least six weeks to be able to take care of business in Westhill, and to try to find answers to some of these questions.  First, a trip to Phandalin Mine was in order, where they caught up with Gundren and Turgen.  The liberators of the Mine received their percentage of the profits thus far, and Gundren also presented them with gifts from the Forge of Spells.  After, everyone branched off to pursue their own interests.

Molish’s shield.	Pix’s bracers.	Reynard’s Bow.
Sig’s blade.	T’Sai’s short sword.	Thaminor’s half plate.

Molish spent some time working around town, including making some improvements to, and consecrating, the cemetery. Any friend of the party is a friend of Gundren, so Molish received a shield, originally intended for Sildar upon his return.

Pix spent his weeks sequestered in the library, researching the Rod, the City of Shade, and the returned Netherese themselves.  He did report that the Rod is most useful and most powerful in the hands of a gnome. With some of the little time he left his books, Pix started inquiring into possible locations to build himself a tower.

Reynard played with his puppy, and spent time in the stables with Josh. Having never really spent time in the village, he took the time to get to know the area. When he stepped up to defend Westhill against the shades a year ago, he earned himself an item from Gundren as thanks, and received a finely tuned longbow.

Sig dedicated himself to learning all that he could about the Rod, and wove himself a new cloak that represents his shift in duty. He received a reforged elven blade from Gundren.

T’Sai spent time studying in the library, and has learned a passing amount of the ancient Netherese language. He also caught up with his business interests, touching base with Zesstra and Halia.  Many of his evenings were spent with Elsa, and he named his daughter Chara Fan Tressendar.  He received a fine-edged short sword from Gundren.

Thaminor researched the Shadowfell, and touched base with Sister Garaele. He received half plate armor, forged of dwarven mail and accented with green dragon scale.

All together, the party’s research and shared stories have uncovered useful information:

The Netherese, the Shadowfell, and the Rod of the Seven

Thousands of years ago, the Netherese were a powerful civilization of magic users that created marvelous floating cities.  Their homeland was the center of northern Faerûn, where today the great desert of Anauroch exists.  One of their archmages created a spell powerful enough to steal divine power from the goddess of magic, Mystryl.  Mystryl, in turn, had to sacrifice herself to protect the Weave.  In her moment of sacrifice, all magic failed.  Most of the Netherese floating cities crashed to the ground, killing their inhabitants.  The only city that survived was Thultanthar, for its Shar-worshiping priests had foreseen the fall of their empire, and cast a great magic to shift their city into the Plane of Shadow.

For over 1,700 years, each generation became gradually more attuned to the plane itself, transforming its inhabitants into what are known as shadovar: a race of humans with a dusky tint to their skin. The ruling class and most powerful wizards of the City of Shade became twisted, dark, humanoid creatures who had merged with the essence of shadowstuff itself, and are known as shades. In the Year of Wild Magic (1372 DR), 120 years ago, a High Magic ritual brought Thultanthar back to Faerûn. This drastic increase in the number of Shar’s worshipers, along with their attunement to the Plane of Shadow, brought with it a great increase in the power of the Shadow Weave, a dark reflection of the Weave that Shar had created long before.

In response to this growing threat, the Chosen of Mystra created the Rod of the Seven in the Year of the Lightning Storms (1374 DR). It is an artifact that is powerful enough to kill another god’s Chosen. Information around the creation of the Rod was rumored to have been secured in Blackstaff Tower in Waterdeep, until Khelben Arunsun’s disappearance and possible death later that year. Majority of Khelben’s library was moved to Candlekeep when his wife, Laeral Silverhand, moved out of Blackstaff tower.

Thirteen years after the Netherese returned, in the Year of Blue Fire (1385 DR), the god Cyric attempted to assassinate Mystra, resulting in the chaos of the Spellplague. When the Weave fell, the Rod also broke apart, and its pieces were scattered. Shar took advantage of the Spellplague to transform the Plane of Shadow into the Shadowfell.  Thultanthar’s leaders have spent the time since their return looking for Netherese ruins and artifacts, as part of their ultimate goal of creating a new Netheril in their image.

The beings that attacked Westhill a year ago, and banished the party to the Shadowfell were clearly Shades, and possibly were drawn to the town by Sum Chi’s use of the Rod segment’s powers. Each segment of the Rod can somehow lead its bearer to the next part. Once found, the rod must be carefully assembled. Doing it wrong will cause at least one piece to vanish and appear somewhere random, up to 100 miles away.

Realizing that they need still more information, specifically how to find and reassemble the segments of the Rod, our party decided to travel to Silverymoon. Hopefully, the libraries located there would hold the information they seek. They advised the town council to build up the town’s defenses, and hired a carriage to start the 500 mile, 16-day journey to the Gem of the North.

Their trip was uneventful through Triboar, but the party was ambushed by an orc raiding party the day after. Only one orc lived long enough to regret this decision, but even those thoughts did not have a living host for long. The party continued along the Evermoor Way, stopping in Yartar and at the Calling Horns inn. They slew some giants and spotted a purple worm… which thankfully continued on its way without engaging. A short distance down the Evermoor Way, with Sig scouting ahead.


Soon, the party came upon the abandoned hamlet of Olostin’s Hold. Near the center of town, the party came upon an old stone mansion. What appeared to be Sig’s horse was hobbled out front on the wrought iron fence. Entering the mansion, the party encountered a spooky series of events, full of specters and a killer doll. It took the combined efforts of our party to capture and take the doll out, breaking the spell and revealing the true evil that haunted the mansion: a night hag! The battle against the night hag and its summoned ghouls was hard fought, with the destruction of the night hag also destroying the magic that was holding the mansion together. The party triumphed, making it out of the new pile of rubble and taking a much needed long rest.

Two days later, and nearly two tendays since leaving Westhill, the party finally made it to the Gem of the North. Sig went to the High Palace and requested an audience with High Mage Taern Hornblade. The highest ranking member of the court that was available, however, was Alvaerelle of the Spellguard. Sig’s attempts to share the important threats to the Weave seemed to be ignored… Pix made his way to the Vault of the Sages at the University so he could do research on the Rod of the Seven and the Netherese threat. While Pix learned some more about the Rod, he could not uncover the command word needed to find the next fragment. He shared with the party what he learned about the Netherese:

Back in the last days of Netheril, the flying city of Thultanthar was ruled by the powerful wizard Telamont Tanthul, known as Lord Shadow. He is the man who discovered how to travel to other planes of existence and return safely with treasure and magic. One of these places was the Plane of Shadow. While the other people of Netheril eventually welcomed his discovery as a source of slaves and a place to dispose of unwanted things, Lord Shadow saw it as much more than that. He loved the strange realm, its responsiveness to his magic, and the things he could learn from its strange energies. Over time, he developed ways to transport more and more material to and from the Plane of Shadow, and he eventually completed a spell to send his entire city to the Plane of Shadow. Unknown to him, he saved his city from destruction, for the day after his city vanished, magic stopped working in Faerûn, causing all of Netheril’s flying cities to plummet to the ground. When magic was restored on Faerûn, Lord Shadow transported his city back again, but they found nothing but ruins and the dead.

The people of Shade were horrified and cried for vengeance, assuming that their enemies the phaerimms (a bizarre subterranean race of spellcasting monsters) had caused this destruction. Lord Shadow grieved, but he knew that one flying city was no match for the might of the phaerimms, so he vowed that some day his city would return, avenge the Netherese, and recreate the old empire in its former glory. He then transported the city back to the Plane of Shadow, where (due to unforeseen circumstances) it remained for centuries. In the year 1,372 DR, the city once again returned to Faerûn.

Like all of Netheril’s flying cities, City of Shade, as it is commonly called, was made from the severed top of a mountain. At the center of its flat surface is a powerful magic item called a mythallar that allows the city to fly and provides magical power to many of the city’s magic items. The rest of the city is covered in large and small buildings like most large cities, except that very few places exist for housing large animals. Shade has no large roads suitable for wagon traffic, nor does it have any docks, for from the moment of its creation it was meant to be a flying city and never touched the ground. People had trade goods flown or teleported to and from the city by magic. The entire architecture is archaic and carefully maintained by the residents. Residents do not allow radical change, and much of the city’s resources are dedicated to preserving the existing buildings rather than renovating them or building new ones in their place.

The city is home to approximately 25,000 people, who are called the Shadovar. Most of the people of Shade are normal humans just like those that lived in Netheril thousands of years ago. They are mortal and descend from the original inhabitants of the city from centuries before. A few hundred have sacrificed part of their souls to infuse their bodies with Shadowstuff, the energy of the Shadowfell, becoming the beings known as shades. These shades are the leaders of the city and the architects of their plans in the Faerûn. Shades in shadow or darkness are more powerful than normal humans. They can heal from mortal wounds, become invisible, see in absolute darkness, shrug off magical attacks, and live much longer than a human. The highest level of the Shade nobility is Lord Shadow himself and his twelve sons. These thirteen men, all shades, are very old and very powerful.

The Shadovar dress in the style of clothing worn in old Netheril, which is a courtly style emulating that of powerful wizards. They favor dark colors such as black, burgundy, charcoal gray, dark green, and midnight blue. Those who can afford it wear a great deal of jewelry. Their patron deity is Shar, the evil goddess of darkness and unrevealed secrets. The Shadovar feel that Shar, who was worshiped back in ancient Netheril, protected them during their long time in the Plane of Shadow. They also believe that the Shadovar will play some key role in her plans to plunge the world into eternal darkness.

While Pix researched and Sig attempted to gain an audience with the High Mage, Molish visited each of the major temples in Silverymoon, conferring with their leaders and offering help where he could. Utilizing a newfound level of magic bestowed upon him by his Lord of the Dead, Molish attempted to cure Thaminor of his, uh, affliction… but without success. Thaminor took the time to confer with the Loremaster of Everdusk Hall (Silverymoon’s temple to the Seldarine) himself to discover a possible cure, and was informed that nothing short of a True Resurrection spell would suffice.

The morning after spending a tenday in Silverymoon, Sigismund received a knock on the door to his room. A page stood there, delivering a writ summoning him to the High Palace for an audience. Departing at once, the paladin was joined by T’Sai the moment he stepped out of the Golden Oak’s doors. Upon arrival at the High Palace, they were escorted to an audience hall and asked to wait. From a door on the opposite side entered someone not expected: Eudora. Last seen in Westhill the night that the Shades attacked and sent the party to the Domains of Dread. Stating that she had expected the entire party would be present, the apparent Warder of the Spellguard cast a conjuration that teleported the remaining four members of the party into their room.

Over the course of their conversation, Eudora let on that she knew much of the party’s quest, activities, and history. She bade them to travel to Candlekeep, where they would find the rest of the information they sought on the Rod of the Seven. To aid in their journey, she conjured and presented to them the seven Simul Stones. When Thaminor questioned what they would do with their new stagecoach if they used the Harper Portal Network to travel to Candlekeep and then home, Eudora transmuted their new upgrade into a figurine of wonderous power.

To allow Pix time to visit his parents, the party waited until the next day to depart the city. Leaving Silverymoon’s mythallar behind, the party used the Harper Portal Network to travel to Baldur’s Gate in an instant, rather than a month. Pix grabbed a copy of Volo’s Guide (excerpt), and the party planned on departing for Candlekeep in the morning…


As it usually happens when they reach a town, the party split up in Baldur’s Gate to tackle individual pursuits:

Reynard returned to Westhill, citing his dislike for “civilized” lands, and his need to return to the wilds.

Sigismund stated he had a lead to pursue at Candlekeep. When the party went to get him the next morning, his bed appeared unslept and a sheet of parchment on the small desk read simply, “I must save the Weave.” Attempts to contact him with a Simul Stone received no answer.

T’Sai stayed in Baldur’s Gate, taking in the sights of a new city.

Molish took the opportunity of being home to visit his church. He hoped they had received word from his missing mentor. While there was nothing from him directly, they had received word from Waterdeep that he had passed through there. Apparently, he was obsessively talking about the Mad Mage’s dungeon during his entire visit.

Thaminor utilized his copy of An Aryvandaan History of Illefarn to gain entrance in to the research halls, and purchased a translated copy for himself to peruse.  Further consultation with the wisdom of the sages revealed a similar prognosis for his current affliction: a True Resurrection spell will be needed.

Pix utilized his GOOGLE to gain entrance to the research halls and learned seemingly all that remained about the Rod of the Seven, most importantly the command word to locate the next piece.

Speaking the command word, “designandum,” Pix identified that the next piece of the Rod was located far to the northeast.  In an attempt to narrow down their search, Pix utilized the Harper Portal Network to teleport to Evereska, where he then sensed the Rod to the northwest. Teleporting once more to Sundabar, Pix realized he was close, not far west of the Rod’s location. He sent a message with his Simul Stone to the remaining three members of the party, and they joined him in Sundabar.  Without delay, they summoned the stagecoach and followed the Rod and departed the dwarfhold for the Nether Mountain range to the east-northeast of the city.

As they grew near their destination, they observed a curious sight: a small earthmote sticking out the side of a tall peak. As they climbed (and levitated) up to the earthmote, it became obvious that it had crashed into the side of the mountain millennia ago.

Upon reaching the (slightly slanted) surface of the earthmote, they observed a small collection of Netherese ruins. The Rod led them to the largest, most intact structure in the center. The structure’s massive doors appeared to be made of solid obsidian, and were covered in symbols of darkness, night, Shar and ancient Netheril. Behind those doors, the party encountered multiple puzzles, traps, riddles, and a couple clockwork wyverns.

After taking a moment to catch their breath, the party opened a door and found a 20’x20′ room of plain black walls, floor, and ceiling. In the center was a stone pedestal, with symbology of the Church of Shar carved on its sides. As the last of the party entered the room, the door closed and disappeared behind them.

On top of the pedestal sat a leather book, a black 6″x6″x12″ box, and a bronze bowl full of gemstones. Upon closer inspection:

• Molish was able to determine that the leather book contained rites and rituals of the Sharran faith.
• The gemstones were a mixed variety, totaling 550gp in value.
• The black box was made out of some black mithril-like metal, but sounded and weighed as if hollow. It did not seem to have any seams or means with which to open.

Thaminor and Pix examined the three items thoroughly: dumping out the gemstones, stacking them in every possible order, touching the book and then storing the gemstones with the Rod… all without effect. While they were examining the items, T’Sai and Molish inspected the pedestal and walls, looking for any clues or means with which to exit the room. Hoping for some insight, Pix decided to use the Rod’s detect magic daily power.

Pix was nearly blinded with the powerful glowing radiance of the black box. Soon after focusing their attention on solving the puzzle of the box, the party felt–and heard–a couple explosions elsewhere in the complex… time was running short. Having not done so since their arrival, and hoping for some direction, Pix retrieved and spoke the Rod’s locator command word, “designandum!” He was only partially surprised to find the Rod pointing him towards the box… Which Thaminor later noted was made of a similar material to the Rod. Since the box was the only object Pix had not previously touched with the Rod, he did so now… and the box disintegrated, leaving behind the 5″ second fragment of the Rod of the Seven. Thaminor and Pix inspected the two parts to identify the proper ends to reconnect, and did so–watching the two fragments fuse into one.

Since the party had set out of Sundabar immediately after their arrival, their Simul Stones did not have enough charge to teleport them back to Westhill. Instead, they set up a watch schedule and settled down for a long rest. Just before dawn, they heard the sounds of fighting in the clockwork room. The door never opened, though, before they were able to teleport home. Once in Westhill, Pix took the opportunity to attune to the now 9″ Rod, while Thaminor checked in with Sister Garaele and T’Sai caught up with Zesstra and his family.

After a day in Westhill, the party decided that they needed head out in search of the third fragment of the Rod.  This piece was much closer than the last, and led them north-northwest, to Helm’s Hold and the Old Dirty Dwarf Inn…

With the Rod directing Pix under the town of Helm’s Hold, the party found a human male that had the look of an experienced fighter, wearing chainmail and carrying a battleaxe. Introducing himself as Becket, the mercenary agreed to lead the party through Scar Alley and into the tunnels underground. The natural tunnels and caverns on their descent held a few shriekers and an umber hulk, yet the Rod continued to led them further underground. Eventually, they entered a large cavern that reeked like a barnyard on a hot day, despite the air being cool and damp. The floor was covered in a spongy carpet of lichen and moss. A hodgepodge of of mushrooms grew throughout the cavern, with normal specimens a few inches high and others as tall as Pix.

As the party moved into the cavern, several squat humanoids with fish-like tails and vacant eyes emerged from behind the stalagmites and rushed the intruders. They had slimy-looking gray skin, and were armed with some kind of crude polearm. Pix identified these creatures as skum, humanoid slaves of the ancient aboleths. It didn’t take long for our party to defeat these aberrations and move on to explore the cavern and the pool of water at its southern tip. Molish patched up any wounds, and the adventurers continued on…

Continuing to wind their way further underground, the party encountered giant spiders and monstrous driders (scoring Pix a helpful wand), more shriekers and skum, and even a cave fisher. While the driders put up a tough fight, the rest were mere inconveniences. As the party entered a narrow tunnel, a lightning bolt lashed out at them–a deadly prospect in such tight quarters! Pursuing the caster into a water-filled cavern, they eventually realized that two kuo-toa they were fighting were not there at all, but were merely illusions… by an aboleth!

Once the aberration was defeated, the party continued through the subterranean complex. In one chamber, they came across a craggy old man in an alchemist’s workshop. In the conversation that followed, the party learned that a larger, older aboleth was the true master of the creatures here, controlling things from deeper in the complex. Istovahn, as he introduced himself, was here against his wishes, but of his own will–unwilling to risk his life in a failed attempt at escaping. He gave the party a few jars of ointment that would help them in their travels, but refused to join them as they progressed further. Promising to return once the elder aboleth was defeated, the party continued on.

Pix cast water breathing to allow the party to breath in the underwater caverns that followed a few more battles with skum and some giant crayfish. Eventually, illusionary obstacles gave way to a much larger (and some might say apparently older) aboleth, which attacked fiercely with tentacles and tail. Splitting up to surround it, the party began to throw all they could at the master of this complex… or so they thought, as Molish turned on his own party and began to attack! Realizing that he must be under the creature’s control, Becket quickly fought him back, imploring him to fight the mental control. It worked–Molish was free to join his companions as they took their turns beating back the evil creature of the deep. T’Sai circled around to flank while Pix lashed out with arcane fury Thaminor attacked with all his might and Molish summoned divine power. The aboleth lashed out with tentacle and tail, all while attempting to mentally assault anyone who let their guard down. T’Sai would later say that it appeared as if the aberration was trying to flee when the final blow was struck, and it stopped moving forever. Eventually, the third segment of the rod was found encased in the slime on the body of the aboleth itself.

Upon returning to Westhill, the party took a couple tendays to follow up on their individual interests. Pix copied some of the new spells he had found and pursued other arcane studies. Thaminor did some research and made a donation to Sister Garaele to expand the Shrine of Luck. Molish tended the local burial ground. T’Sai caught up with Zesstra, and disappeared with Elsa and their child for a time. Becket spent some time with the Tresendar Talons, and decided to join their ranks.

Using the power of the Rod, Pix determined that the next segment was far to the east. In order to get a more accurate baring, Pix recommended and led the party through the Harper Portal Network to Evereska. Pix was, of course, quite happy to see Azier again, and did his best to charm the sun elf tavern keeper… who was less than amused. Desiring to recharge their Simul Stones, the party booked rooms at the Halfway Inn for the night–all the better to sample the Inn’s famous Elquesstria spirits.

In the morning, Pix’s divination with the Rod led them to teleport to Sundabar, then take their stagecoach south along River Rauvin and into the High Forest. Shortly after entering the ancient woods, the party was attacked by Fey’ri along the road. During the encounter, an earth elemental joined the fight, pummeling the demonic elves with fury. Once the battle was over, the elemental burrowed toward the party, launched out of the ground, landing just in front of them–and transformed into a solid, moderately built wood elven druid with slicked back green hair and green eyes. He wore crusty clothing in natural hues, carried a wooden antler staff, and wore two pinky rings. Introducing himself as Leoneiros, he agreed to travel with group for a time. Further down the dilapidated road the party was beset upon by more demonic kin as a group of gnolls attacked from all sides… though it was not long before they would never attack another creature again.

Soon, the party passed through the northern entrance into Mhiilamniir and began to make their way through the once great city’s ruins. In the southeastern corner of the city, they found a stone-and-open-air structure with a three story tower in the back. Inside, the party found living quarters, study rooms, a lecture hall, and a shrine to Angharradh. Deeper inside one of the greatest libraries any of them had ever seen, they found elven ghosts going about their “lives” throughout the complex. On the third floor, Pix found the next segment of the Rod, suspended in a blue light, and attempted to retrieve it…

…Pix‘s mage hand was repulsed by the magic encasing the Rod. Suddenly, an undead elven wizard flew up the stairwell and moved to engage the gnome while elven ghosts from throughout the Great Library began converging upon the party.  There was something eerily familiar about this undead creature, and Thaminor had to trust his gut and question:

“Aelar Oakenshield?!”

The wizard stopped and turned to him, asking “Who are you?”

Removing his helmet, the eldritch knight replied, “Thaminor Oakenshield, your grandson.”

Over the next few minutes, the party learned that Aelar had indeed slain members of the Starclover clan the night he disappeared so long ago. The Starclovers were working for Netherese, and were after the fourth piece of the Rod. Aelar, barely clinging to life, traveled to Mhiilamniir and pledged himself to the Seldarine. He become a baelnorn, pledged to protect the Rod segment from the Shades in his undeath.

Thaminor assured Aelar that the party was collecting the Rod in order to defeat the Shades and protect the Weave. Aelar informed them that the protective spell around the Rod was tied to another artifact–the Oakenshield. Thaminor had heard of their family’s namesake heirloom in his youth, but it was lost in the Giants’ War millennia ago. Aelar informed him that it was still in the possession of the giants, in Deadstone Cleft.

The next morning, Leo called upon his divine blessing to transform the party into wisps of clouds and they took to the air, flying twenty times their walking pace towards their destination in the Star Mounts. As they entered the valley, the party was set upon by a roc and attacked by stone giants that stepped literally out of the valley walls. Soon, the tables turned and the party became the ones hunting the giants throughout the caverns.

Eventually, they came upon a female stone giant, carving into a stalactite. She was wearing more hunting adornments than the other giants thus far and a mithral belt across her waist held three (giant-sized) pouches. Strapped to her forearm as a bracer was an elven shield made of wood, reinforced by an emerald-hued metal, and adorned with a golden oak leaf in the center. This giant could only be the current Thane. Thaminor’s eyes went wide upon seeing that shield, and exclaimed to the party, “That’s the Oakenshield!” Looking over from the stalactite, the stone giant uttered what sounded like some type of curse or insult as she threw a boulder and engaged! Following a hard-fought battle that left Molish petrified, the party eventually prevailed.

Thaminor claimed his birthright from the dead Thane’s forearm, while Leo and T’Sai checked the corpse and Pix examined the stalactite. In the first two stone giant’s pouches, the party found several gemstones and an orb of granite about the size of an adult human’s fist. Crystalline veins ran across the surface, which appeared to form a rune that means “stone.” The third pouch held a rock gnome clockmaker named Elister Noggins. The affable rock gnome promised them “a hefty reward” if the characters would see him safely to his shop in Loudwater.

After resting, the party encountered rust monsters, ropers, piercers, and more stone giants as they exited the caverns. Leo cast Wind Walk once more, and the party escorted Elister southeast to his home in Loudwater. Elister’s concern that Zhentarim traders were upsetting the local economy inspired Pix to lead a contingent to the local lord’s hall… which did not go well. Upon hearing of the exchange at the hall, Elister expressed his fear that he would be the target of retaliation once the party left Loudwater. Thaminor reiterated his prior offer for Elister to move his business to Westhill, and the gnome decided to take him up on that. The party helped Elister pack his shop in their Stagecoach, and T’Sai departed with him for Westhill.

Leo’s Wind Walk allowed the party to return to Mhiilamniir with haste. Upon their arrival, however, they discovered that the Great Library was under attack from the Netherese! The ghosts of the Library battled Shadovar both inside the library and out, while Aelar himself battled the Shade that led them. As their numbers fell, the final Netherese fled. Aware that their time was likely limited before the Shade returned with reinforcements, the party acted quickly to claim a few helpful books from the Library while Thaminor used the Oakenshield to break the protection spell on the Rod segment. Once the spell was broken, it was if time was playing catch-up: the walls and contents of the Library began to rapidly decay and the ghosts faded away. Aelar said goodbye to Thaminor as he too faded away, his promise to the Seldarine fulfilled.

The party Wind Walked to Westhill, but did not tarry, since they did not know how the Netherese had found the Great Library.  They delivered the books picked up in Mhiilamniir, and recruited Shady, a tabaxi monk, from the Tresendar Talons to take over some of T’Sai’s duties while he was absent. Pix used the Rod to divine the location of the next piece, they requisitioned horses from the stables, and began to trek south, along the High Road.  Just outside the Mere of Dead Men, they were momentarily delayed by an ambush of sahuagin.  Eventually, however, the Rod led them to Waterdeep…

Upon arrival in the City of Splendors, the party split to cover the most ground. While Molish visited the Chapel of Bones to hopefully discover more about his missing mentor, the party did some shopping, visited the famous Yawning Portal Inn, and otherwise pursued some personal interested. Pix’s divinations with the Rod seemed to indicate that the next piece was located deep beneath the city… that could only mean one thing: they would be descending into the Dungeon of the Mad Mage.

Wether it was coincidence or destiny is for the scholars and bards to decide, but Molish’s investigation also led him to Undermountain. Following a ritual from his mentor, Molish transported the party deep beneath Mount Waterdeep, to a stone chamber (1) with 30-foot-high ceilings. Behind them, a wide stone arch set into the south wall was decorated with gold-inlaid images of a dragon in flight. Pix read the following words, carved into the wall above the arch in Draconic: “Only a dragon can unlock this gate.”

Outside the chamber, Shady led the party through finished stone hallways (7) with sconces that held torches coated in a black wax and burned with a purple flame. While their first encounter (3) was with some vampire spawn, their next (10) was with a dozen Sharran fanatics performing some vile ritual. Upon their defeat, the party found a silver rod with one end formed in the shape of a key, and rescued (11) a Tel’Quessir that introduced himself as Nym, an archer from the High Forest. He claimed to be sent here by his grandfather, Aelar Oakenshield. However, Thaminor was not convinced…

As the party continued, Shady began experiencing a series of visions as he entered various rooms. They seemed to be flashbacks to the experiences of someone named Glyster, as he traveled the Realms with a Waterdhavian noble named Vanrak Moonstar. Seemingly straight from one of those visions, Shady found multiple items on their journey, including a mithral chain shirt (6), a polished coral ring (16), a magical black cloak (19), a dwarven war horn (21), and the shiny hilt (14) of a longsword–carved to resemble a bronze dragon with its wings spread and its mouth agape.

Multiple encounters with Sharran cultists and vampire spawn were defeated by the party: Pix wielding arcane might, Thaminor tanking the front line, Nym peppering the enemies with his arrows, Shady stepping out of the shadows to pummel the undead, Leo leveraging the forces of nature, and Molish keeping everyone alive.

As they stepped over one threshold (24), a wave pushed through the party as if they had just dived into a black sea. The world seemed to drain away, colorless and forlorn, dark and foreboding, as the depths of the lightless earth. Thaminor, Pix, and Molish would make no mistake: they had left Faerûn for another plane, one all too familiar: a world without light, without warmth, and certainly without hope. They knew, deep in their bones, the merciless truth: they had once again entered the Shadowfell.

As he entered a grand hall (27), Shady knew in his very bones that this was a place no mortal ought to tread. The darkness was smothering, tyrannical. It clung to his sides, snaking its way into his throat and laying a primal dread in his very stomach. He felt as if he was nothing more than an up-jumped lizard, scared witless by that which lurked in the dark. And it slithered. In that inky blackness slithered a leviathan, its scales rasping against the stones. The courage in his heart nearly bled out on the floor, threatening to leave only terror behind—but he fought it with all his willpower. Then it spoke, this darkness. Its voice was midnight hanging over dead woods. It spoke, and everyone listened, like doomed prey lucky enough to hear its own inevitable doom:

“You know as well as I,” the leviathan said, “that this place will be your grave. I have sensed you since you first stepped foot into my domain. Upon the shoulder of the Shadowfell, I lay in gloom… Join me.”

The 40-foot-high vaulted ceiling was buttressed by eight stone columns, around which gathered fifteen shadows, seemingly right at home in this slice of the Plane of Shadow. To the south, stone steps climbed 10 feet to a dais, where this leviathan, Umbraxakar the shadow dragon was perched. A double door at the back of the dais was flanked by two 20-foot-tall, black marble statues, one depicting Shar as a cloaked woman wielding a dagger in each hand, and the other showing Halaster Blackcloak, the Mad Mage, clutching a staff. The statues glared at one another like mortal enemies.

Shady overcame his fear, and greeted the great wyrm, while Thaminor, made his way into the room, standing like an iron golem (now with glowing red eyes) between the shadows and his friends. Nym and Leo stepped in to the room, forming the second ring of defense in front of the wizard and cleric. The gnome opened with his trademark salutation:

Pix: “Hi!!! I’m Pix Wimbee, nice to meet you!”

Umbraxakar: “You were fools to come here! To leave the love you once had. Misery is the currency of our realm… may you die rich!”

No matter how he tried, Pix could not make any progress with the dragon… the gnome’s questions about Vanrak were met with the dragon’s dismissal of Vanrak, Umbraxakar stating that the Dark Ranger turned against Shar and left the dragon here alone. Molish‘s attempts to question the great wyrm in regards to the whereabouts of his mentor were met with cryptic answers. The slowly advancing shadows seemed to indicate that Umbraxakar was growing impatient, so Molish took one last gamble. He stepped back into the hallway outside the wyrm’s lair and conferred with Pix…

Charging back into the room, the Lord of the Dead‘s faithful servant was nearly unrecognizable, for Molish had donned the treasures found in Vanrakdoom: the black cloak, dwarven horn, coral ring, sword hilt, and mithral chain shirt. Running back in to the room, Molish franticly beseeched the great wyrm listen to him, using the bronze dragon’s true name: Glyster. One by one, Molish referred to the items they had found, alternating between playing the role of Vanrak and deceiving the dragon, and speaking to the bronze dragon’s noble heritage. Whenever he struck a chord with the dragon’s true self, moonlight rippled across the dragon’s scales as it was reminded of the life it once had, the friendship it enjoyed, the memories made and the victories won. Molish reminded him of all that is good and right and worthwhile in the world—-a different world than that deleterious plane! Finally, as Molish made his final bid and held forth the sword hilt…

Heaving a sigh of relief, the dragon clawed at the stone, as if releasing every toxin left in its body. The darkness slipped from his scales, evaporating as shadows that shrieked and snarled with disappointment, curling up like smoke. With his every shiver, color surged back into the world, banishing the Shadowfell’s dismal taint to the pit from whence it came! The dragon wretched, vomiting out a blood-streaked curd of solid shadows across the stone floor. The party watched with rapt horror as the mass moved on its own accord, sliming its way across the chamber.

“I…” the dragon sighed. “I… feel once again! By the graces of Selûne… I am forgiven—and at last I can forgive myself! It was by no fault of mine that my dearest Vanrak fell to darkness. It was by his own hand that he sought redemption—and so too do I! I am alive! Begone Shar, goddess of loss! Begone shadow-mine! Begone!”

With a mighty roar, Glyster lanced the shadows with a gout of lightning! The mass shrieked and flailed as if it was alive—but in mere moments, all that was left on the floor of Vanrakdoom was a scorch mark.

“Come,” said the wyrm, “let us purge this dungeon of the darkness and all who dwell within it!”

Molish had done it. He had broken the Dark Lady’s hold over the noble dragon, allowing him to shake off the despair that had corrupted his soul. Not only was the bronze dragon returned to his rightful form, the shadows disbursed, and their surroundings had shifted fully back to Toril, leaving the Shadowfell behind. Shifting form, the dragon changed in to the human form that Shady had seen in his visions throughout Vanrakdoom. Glyster thanked the party again, and answered some questions:

• Yes, he believed Molish’s mentor was still alive, held by the Sharites that remained.
• Yes, there was a segment of the Rod here. The Sharite priests had used it to help anchor Vanrakdoom to the Shadowfell.
• No, he did not believe that the Rod was still here–believing that it was banished from this place when the spell was broken. [Confirmed by Pix’s divination.]
• The room to the west contained his treasure, of which he no longer had need for.

Molish asked Glyster if he wanted Vanrak’s belongings returned, and Glyster stated that he would greatly appreciate keeping the coral ring, as it was a symbol of the friendship he had with the Waterdhavian noble. When no one else in the party had use for Scintilmorn in the upcoming fight, Molish passed the sun blade to Glyster to use.

With no other business to attend to, the party passed through the double doors to the east and into a massive octagonal chamber (28). While the ceilings may have been 30-feet high, the bottom two feet was blanketed in a thick fog. A few vampire spawn roamed around the chamber, but the scene in the middle identified this as the dark heart of the cult of Shar: in the center stood a wooden table carpeted with maps—and studying them was a pale woman dressed in black and purple, with a pendant in the shape of Shar’s holy symbol. Behind her loomed an 18-foot tall furred behemoth: a yeti, imposing and abominable. The vampiress turned and gave them a colorless smile, addressing the invaders in a raspy voice that magically echoed about the great chamber:

“The Lady of Loss whispered of this day. Welcome, ‘heroes’!
Welcome to your well-deserved end. All will fall before the Shadow!”

As the split party came around the column, an additional dozen vampire spawn rose from the fog and attacked! Seeing the odds horribly stacked against the outnumbered party, Molish stepped forward and called upon the divine might of the Lord of Bones, sending two-thirds of the undead fleeing the room! Glyster, having taken the southern route, engaged multiple spawn as he wielded Scintilmorn with deadly precision. Keresta moved north, blasting the party with deadly waves of necromantic energy. The vampire moved with legendary speed, seemingly crossing the battlefield at a supernatural speed as she brought the battle to our party. Shady and Leo took on the challenge of the abominable yeti, and its freezing cone of arctic breath. The battles were hard-fought and not without some close calls, but soon enough Keresta transformed into a mist and fled the battle, only to be pursued by the party.

Leo cast locate creature, and the party soon caught up to their target in an old dining hall. Before the table lay a dozen slaughtered vampires, the floor littered with undead limbs and heads. Standing amid his handiwork was Glyster, Scintilmorn at his feet… and Keresta’s fangs in his neck. As the party neared, the final two vampire spawn moved to intercept and Keresta dropped Glyster to the ground, where he lay still. With the strength of their numbers, the party advanced on the remaining children of the night…

The vampire spawn fell quickly, and the net closed around their creator. The seekers of the Rod advanced with sword, shaft, and spell, putting Keresta on the defensive. Molish quickly knelt beside Glyster, calling forth Kelemvor’s aid to bring the noble vampire slayer back to his feet. Keresta realized that remaining in battle would bring about her final death, and quickly fled south down the hall (24) with her supernatural speed. Shady swiftly returned to the grand octagonal chamber, seeking to prevent a second escape… only to lose her when she once again took to her mist form in the fog.

With his divination still active to locate Keresta, Leo called upon the elemental forces to shift his form into that of an air elemental, matching the vampire’s speed while negating her ability to hide. Chasing her through the northwestern room (36) and back up the northern hallway. Realizing she would not escape, Keresta returned to her corporeal form to resume battle… only to be grabbed by Bigby’s Hand and restrained while the party put an end to their undead foe, driving a stake through her heart to seal her final death.

While the thick fog finally started to dissipate from the last of Vanrakdoom, Molish resumed the search for his lost mentor. To the east, he found an oval room (40) where black mold clung to the walls and the air was heavy with the scent of rot. Though stripped, bound, and gagged, Molish found Master Mantartis at long last!

With Keresta defeated and stripped of valuables, the party made their rounds to ensure that the place was clear. Leo skinned and harvested the Yeti, Thaminor collected the maps and papers off Keresta’s table, and Molish tended his mentor. Far to the west, Glyster opened the doors to his treasure vault (42). The next segment of the Rod, however, was nowhere to be found… In fact, Pix’s divinations with the Rod said it was far to the south. Glyster surmised that breaking the curse that had turned him into Umbraxakar also broke the magic holding the segment of the Rod in Undermountain, and that it had returned to where they found it–the Black Jungles of Chult. After the party collected their spoils, Glyster lead the party back through Vanrakdoom, to the chamber (1) of their original arrival. There, he opened a portal and led them through… to the garden of the Moonstar Villa in Waterdeep.

Lady Wylynd Moonstar returned home soon thereafter, and the party learned much from Vanrak’s granddaughter, Glyster, and Master Montantis:

• Vanrak found the Rod in the Black Jungles of Chult, where the yuan-ti Ras Nsi was using its powers to create an undead army. Vanrak and Glyster stole it and brought it back to Undermountain.
• Shady’s parents were traders that worked with the Moonstars, and had disappeared when traveling to Mezro, in Chult, during the Second Sundering.
  Mezro was not destroyed, as many believed, but rather transported to a demiplane to escape Ras Nsi.
• Defeating Ras Nsi should be the catalyst for Mezro to return to this plane, and may allow Shady to find his parents.
• The Moonstars still have a successful trading business with Chult, with their ship, the, the Tear of Selûne, leaving in but two days…

While Molish, Shady, and Nym stayed in the City of Splendors with Glyster and Brother Montantis, Pix, Thaminor, and Leo returned to Westhill to check in with T’Sai and Zesstra… only to learn that T’Sai had never returned. Attempts to contact T’Sai with the Simul Stone were met with… nothing. Leo performed the ritual to wind walk, talking Pix and Thaminor straight back to Loudwater, where they began to follow the stagecoach’s planned route. They finally found the abandoned stagecoach… with no signs of a stuggle. In a nearby cave, they found Elister hiding, frightened. He didn’t make much sense at first, but it sounded like they were ambushed by the Shades, and T’Sai was taken. They collected the stagecoach and brought Elister back to Westhill, where Zesstra promised to launch a search for T’Sai.

After stops in Baldur’s Gate and Candlekeep, and a quick run in with some pirates, the Tear of Selûne sailed into the Bay of Chult right on schedule. The party asked for recommendations for an inn, and made their way to Kaya’s House of Repose in the Market Ward. The next day, Thaminor and Pix remained behind at Kaya’s so the wizard could study, while Shady led Leo and Molish on the search for a guide that could help escort the party through the jungles of Chult. Following up on a posting to the notice board outside Kaya’s, the trio made their way to the slums of Malar’s Throat, where Shady interviewed and hired two other tabaxi to guide them, River Mist and Flask of Wine.

The next morning, as the party broke their fast at Kaya’s and discussed their plans for the week, Skald rushed into the inn and frantically beseeched them to return to the Tear of Selûne, for there’s been a murder! Leo ate the last of his bacon, and the party sped to the harbor, where the Tear’s crew was armed and pacing the deck. In the forward cabin, they found Captain Amella, a wounded Lars, and the body of Lirith. They not only questioned Lars, but Lirith as well, as Molish‘s prayers to Kelemvor allowed him to speak with the dead and uncover what happened: Jakob had cornered Lirith, demanding she sell Brymu to him. When she refused, Jakob attacked her. As Jakob was fleeing, Lars came upon the scene and Jakob stabbed him too. As Shady went to inform Zindar, the harbormaster of Port Nyanzaru, about the murder in port, Molish asked Lirith one last question: “Do you want to live?” When Lirith’s answer was “Yes,” Molish¹ raised her from the dead and healed Lars’ wounds.

Questions around the dock revealed that Jakob fled towards Malar’s Throat. Pix attempted to locate Jakob, but had no success… they had to start asking around, the oldfashioned way. A man matching Jakob’s description had been seen, heading towards a run-down manor on the upper southern ridge. As the party made their way up, they saw the referenced building, a giant crack seemingly splitting it in two. The windows and doors were boarded and chained, and the property was surrounded by a rusty iron fence.

Circling the property, the found a rear second story window that was unboarded and open. Using a rope of climbing, the party ascended and found a once-ornate study. Now, however, most of the books and papers had been scattered across the room, a broken chair laid smashed against a wall and the glass that lined the cabinet doors had been smashed and broken. The bust of a goddess was perched above the doorway. Those of the party that had previously traveled to the Shadowfell recognized it as the Raven Queen, the shadar-kai goddess of tragedy and loss. On the western wall was an oil painting of a couple posed in regal-looking armchairs. The man was handsome, with wild black hair and a thin mustache over his smiling lips. His hand rested on the shoulder of a beautiful woman with long, dark hair, pale skin, and ruby red lips. The painting had been torn, slashed from top to bottom. A plaque below the painting read “E & L“.

Throughout their exploration of the once-stately manor, the party learned that it had belonged to a wealthy bookdealer named Ed and his pregnant wife Lenore. Unfortunately, Lenore became sick and lost the child. Unable to cope with the grief, she poisoned herself shortly thereafter. In his own despair and madness, Ed turned to dark magics in a desperate attempt to bring his wife back to life. Supernatural forces had taken hold of the manor, resulting in bizarre oddities throughout the house such as the persistent sounds of tapping (as of some one gently rapping, rapping at a chamber door), a room filled with the sound of a heartbeat, and servants both dead and undead.

Eventually, the party made it to the pitch black basement, where Shady could just faintly make out a figure standing near the center of the room. As the party entered the room, candles on the far side illuminated, their glow tinged with black energy. From that light, they could see a small wall extending outward, beyond which was a dirty and disheveled cot, stained with dirt, located next to an open and unoccupied coffin with dirt pouring out of the opening. As the last party member stepped through the doorway, candles around the entire room began to illuminate. They could then see a female figure standing in the far end of the room with her back to the group. Her long dark hair was set in a beautiful braid, and she appeared to be wearing a white dress made to resemble a wedding dress.

As the monk made his way across the room, the tall figure in the center turned around. This pale individual with messy, almost greasy black hair and a thick black mustache was clearly the same from the painting in the study. His sickly frame was gaunt and almost skeletal, his fingers were like bones, and his eyes and teeth had yellowed significantly. He warned the tabaxi to stay away from his wife, “Lenore.” Ignoring him, Shady stepped through the shadows to face Lenore. She had pale white skin, green eyes, and ruby lips… yet part of her face had been eaten away by worms, one of which was currently crawling out of her eye socket. She stared back at Shady with a vacant, almost dream-like quality. Ed whirled around, “Get away from her!”

The necromancer lashed out with tendrils of inky darkness as the party encircled him. Lenore mindlessly came to his aid, only to be returned to death once more. As she fell, the entire manor shuttered, as if heaving a sigh of release. This only enraged Ed further as he continued to lash out with the dark arts… until… he disappeared? Suddenly, Ed was on the other side of the room! This parlor trick did little to prolong his life, however, as the party soon sent him to his own next life as well.

The battle done and the Necromancer slain, the candles began to lose their black-edged flames. As they reverted to normal, a soft glow emerged from Lenore’s body and a spectral form rose from the corpse. The spirit of Lenore hovered there, restored to the beauty that she had in life, and kindly nodded to each of the party.

“Thank you, brave heroes, for releasing me from my husbands spell. You have done well to end his magic; his obsession of bringing me back became his undoing.”

She stared at his crumpled form and smiled sadly to herself.

“We were so young and foolish when we met. But he gave me the world, saw beauty in my work, and gave me such happiness. For me to not return that happiness, to become sick and lose Annabel… I could not live with myself. I did not think my husband would turn to such madness. I apologize.”

She suddenly turned back towards the party, a stern look across her face.

“Do me this one favor, my last request. Bury Annabel and I with my husband. Do not separate our family in death. Madness may have clouded his mind, but I will always love that bookseller named Edgar Allan.”

And with that, her form faded, vanishing into the ether.

As Thaminor looked around the room, he recognized that a freshly-built wall in the southeast corner was likely enclosing a new room. Leo called upon his shapeshifting powers of the earth to validate this theory and bring the wall down. Inside lay Jakob’s body, holding a bottle of Amontillado…


…the party searched Jakob’s body, finding a small cage in his pocket with a miniature Brymu inside. The party returned upstairs to find that the magic circle was dormant, and that the servant upstairs was finally at peace. Edgar, Lenore, and Annabel were laid to rest together, with the maid and servant given a proper burial as well. Once that work was done, the party returned to the Tear of Selûne at the docks to reunite Brymu with Lirith and let Captain Amella know what they found in the House on the Hill. With a few days until their planned departure, the group began debating what to do in the meantime.

Remembering the news of the Order of the Gauntlet‘s fallen outpost at Camp Righteous and subsequent relocation further up river to Camp Vengeance, the party decided to see if there was anything more to learn. Once outside the city’s limits, Leo called upon Silvanus to transform the group into a gaseous mist once more, and they wind walked southwest along the banks of the River Soshenstar. They flew past the remains of Camp Righteous, built in front of the ancient temple known as the House of the Crocodile, and transformed back to their corporeal forms just outside Camp Vengeance. When they encountered an Order patrol, the party asked to be taken to the camp commander, and were escorted in to see Commander Niles Breakbone. When asked what assistance the Order needed, the Commander invited the party to join a patrol that was leaving in the morning.

Patience is not a virtue for these heroes. The party left almost immediately, their mist forms continuing to follow the River Soshenstar to its source in the Aldani Basin, and then River Tath south to the jungle’s edge. There was no riverbank to follow to their destination, so the party entered the jungles and pressed on to the south. Soon after, the vegetation grew thick enough to block out the sky… and they found themselves surrounded by a score of humanoid zombies: humans, goblins and even ogres! The undead ogress hit hard, but the party ultimately hit harder… giving a second and final death to their foes. Deciding that it was best to regain some strength before continuing on, the party took a short rest before resuming their journey to the Black Jungle…