**12th of \[\[Calendar|Firewane\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** Gotri Burloksson, Ceallach Stonecipher, Tarlow Stonecipher, Alister Cousland, and Jules met the dwarf Tygus Fierybraids in \[\[Sothhaven\]\] and agreed to lend him aid in his endeavor to lay claim to the riches of "Silver Valley" near \[\[Avashen Ford\]\]. **13th of \[\[Calendar|Firewane\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** The party gathered the list of prospecting and mining supplies requested by Tygus and set off south for their weeklong trip on the \[\[Sofort Road\]\] to meet him in \[\[Avashen Ford\]\]. **14th of \[\[Calendar|Firewane\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** While resting for the night along the \[\[Sofort Road\]\], the party was set upon by strange plant creatures. Upon investigation, it appeared the deadliest of the attackers was a lumberjack who had been killed partially consumed by plant matter. **16th of \[\[Calendar|Firewane\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** Nearly to the village of \[\[Harn\]\], the party encountered an dark scene - highwaymen have ambushed a trade cart coming from Harn. The party dispatched the bandits, one of whom appeared to be dressed in ragged \[\[Silverheart Alliance\]\] gear, and rushed the wounded Loris and Ala Helder back to Harn where they learned of the town's circumstances. Harn has been besieged by this group of highwaymen for about 3 weeks now - and have been unable to harvest their summer's work as the bandits have seized all the outlying homesteads and fields. The town sent a militia, lead by Luthan, to drive off the bandits a little over a week ago, but they have not returned. Kara, the daughter of Davin, the town elder, asked the characters to aid the town by bringing a cart of goods to trade for food and armed help in \[\[Sothhaven\]\]. **17th - 19th of \[\[Calendar|Firewane\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** Though short, rest was found in the town of \[\[Harn\]\] as the party stewed on their options. They could take the offered trade supplies to \[\[Sothhaven\]\] in exchange for food and possible aid, though they knew Sothhaven was experiencing their own troubles with attacks on their logging camps. Their second option was to head toward \[\[Avashen Ford\]\] which, while a bit closer than Sothhaven, does not have a standing militia they could call on for aid. To check the severity of the situation, the choice was made to investigate the bandit stronghold in the forest east of town a few miles. **20th of \[\[Calendar|Firewane\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** Well rested, the party got an early start on their journey to the ruined fort the bandits had taken as a base. On the trail, the party encountered ill omens for Harn's militia, scattered remains of a few of them were being fought over by coyotes near the trail. Following the discovery, a mote of hope appeared in the recently escaped \__\_ , who broke out of the dungeons of the fort that morning. Deciding to lend the party aid, he showed them to the tunnel he'd found at the back of his cell that would lead them into the dungeon. Upon deciding to dash for the entrance for the tunnel, Tarlow, Ceallach, and Gotri were able to go unnoticed, but Alister and Jules were caught out in the open. While the dwarves were able to put down the guards and break Luthan and two elven prisoners out of the dungeon, Alister quickly grabbed Jules, pretending to be a guard taking him in as a prisoner. sith some luck and quick thinking, the two humans took advantage of the crowds in the fort and made their way to the dungeon as well. While disguised though, they noticed a few of the bandits were preparing for a trek with surveying equipment, much of which looked like the goods taken from Elji and Gotri! Somehow unscathed, the party made their way out of the fort toward Harn, though along the trail they found more signs of the decimated militia, the remains of the others were found in a clearing guarded by a partially sated brown bear. Deciding not to fight for now, they backed off to Harn. **21st of \[\[Calendar|Firewane\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** The elven prisoners were passed to Marina for care while Luthan was gladly reunited with Kara and Davin. While the town mourned the news of the lost militia members, the party started out to retrieve what remains they could from the ambush site. Upon arrival, they were relieved to find the bear had wandered off, but hadn't noticed that the site was a trap for them. A new ambush had been set over the site of the old one, and the rescue party found themselves under attack. The fight nearly fell a few members, but they were able to subdue the bandits and investigate the site. One of the militia men had been strung up in a tree, and though obviously dead, still twitched and writhed upon prodding. After dispatching the zombified man, they found strange runes carved into his head - likely the source of the magic that had animated him. **22nd - 25th of \[\[Calendar|Firewane\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** The party tended to their wounds during their last days in Harn, which were marked by a startling sendoff - one of the bandits fired an arrow in town, striking down a young woman in the street. Gotri, first to the scene, found a note wrapped around the arrow shaft that read, *""You have two weeks to decide your fates. On the sun's rise in fourteen days, those of you who wish to live will gather amongst the headstones on the hill to the north. When Harn is ours, the wise among you who follow orders will be allowed safe passage north on the Sofort." Realizing their time was running short, the party headed south to \[\[Avashen Ford\]\] for aid. **27th of \[\[Calendar|Firewane\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** *12 days until invasion of Harn.* Upon arrival in \[\[Avashen Ford\]\], it was apparent that something was off - men were apathetic and negligent of their work. During their supper at the town's inn, the party interrupted a date gone violent and a few of them decided to drink away their sorrows of lost love - a feeling they hadn't been able to ignore since their arrival. Sometime during the night, Gotri, who had gone to bed early to be alone with his thoughts, fell into a trance of sorts and headed off into the swamp alone. Finding their friend missing and unable to track him, Rooster let himself succumb to the curse over the town and was drawn into the swamp on the same path. After fending off oozes, the party found themselves at the cottage of a hag with Gotri headed inside. Uncertain of the situation, but needing to save their friend, the party entered tense negotiations with the hag, Mona. Fully admitting to cursing the town to gain a "plaything", Mona also implied that she was the only thing standing between the townsfolk and the stray \[\[Morgaal\]\] that crossed the wall on occasion. After finding her combat prowess to be overwhelming, Alister begrudgingly agreed to her proposition: in exchange for Gotri and lifting the curse on Avashen Ford, the party would bring her a new "plaything" and deliver a rose to her adopted niece in \[\[Merrimarsh\]\]. The catch, though, if the rose was not delivered before the first snows fell on her niece's roof, Alister would become her "plaything". **28th of \[\[Calendar|Firewane\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** *11 days until invasion of Harn.* Covered in swamp muck and doing their best to ignore the growing welts of mosquito bites, the party stumbled back into \[\[Avashen Ford\]\] with the cure to to Mona's curse over the town. While in a position to hold the cure ransom in exchange for help in \[\[Harn\]\], the party instead allowed Meinan to brew the concoction into a tea to pass through town. In exchange, Menian explained that Hulda, a retired commander of the \[\[Silverheart Alliance\]\] had built her home just over the bridge and that she may be of help. A quick explanation of the situation to Hulda, and the party expanded Harn's only hope to include themselves, Hulda, Svarn, Liam Casmaark, the priest Hyatt Mutsk, and eight able-bodied men from around town. Before heading north again, Hyatt put his devotion into the smithing of some fine steel weapons for the party, hoping they may help turn the tides of battle. **31st of \[\[Calendar|Firewane\]\] - 8th of \[\[Calendar|Lowsun\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** *9 days until invasion of Harn.* Nine days to prepare the village for the onslaught of Kort's forces. No time to rest. As the weary villagers put their skills and effort behind the party's preparations, a plan started to unfold. The moat would be dug out and the mud used to slather the buildings, rendering them resistant to fire. Bridest over the now-flowing moat were destroyed or weakened - the village could rebuild if they survived. Finally, the gates and walls were reinforced, leaving only one breach in the northeast wall. That would funnel the invaders to a single defensible point... hopefully. Scattered amongst other duties, bouts of training and rest boosted morale, though the invasion hung over town like a dark cloud. Alister, a beacon in that dark, took young Jules aside and, with the force of his oath, gave him the 'Coming of Age' ceremony that he remembered from his own youth. **8th of \[\[Calendar|Lowsun\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** *The invasion of Harn.* First signs of the incoming forces were constrastingly cute - a pair of squirrels Jep had sent off to harass the bandits. While their warning sounded like chitters and chirps to the others, Jep explained that they warned of siege implements being hauled toward the town. Sure enough, as the sun passed overhead, glimpses of soldiers on the hill could be had. Hauling massive timbers to the top of the hill, the bandits began the construction of a massive catapult. Out of range of most of Harn's defenses, and protected by archers, the party watched as the structure took shape. Desperate for a counter to the siege engine, Gotri hastily drew up plans for a catapult of their own and oversaw it's hidden construction. Preparations complete, Harn waited for the invasion to start... Flashes of steel and faces lit up in the hillside as Jep's arrow carried a light toward the siege engine in the dark. Soldiers rushing down toward Harn yelled battle cries as they hit the icy waters of the moat, and the clash of steel could be heard as Alister, Svarn, and others met them at the breach. In the dark, arrows clattered against mud-hardened roofs, and the blows of catapult stones rocked the village. Minute after minute, volley after volley, the invaders pressed Harn's defenses in a stalemate. Though halted, the invasion's threat grew, it was only a matter of time. Checking the undefended southern gate, Jules found only a small, quiet force blocked by their reinforced timbers. A robed figure among them enveloped himself in shadow just as Jules released a bolt of psychic energy. Marked by Jules spell, the figure teleported into the village and dashed toward Davin's house, harried by the young Jules who called for aid. Rooster and Gotri, close enough to lend a hand, stepped into combat with the dark elf Vaelris. While Vaelris' shadow spears and hounds were deadly, the three defenders were able to drive him into retreat. Simultaneously, Alister met court blade to blade in the breach, though the leader's blows dug deep into the wearied paladin. Hyatt, expending the last of his magics to restore Alister, watched as Ceallach and his prison chains warped into the fray. Flanking the bandit leader, Alister and Ceallach bore down on him blow after blow, until the invaders saw their captain face down in the bloody water. Reeling from the loss of their leader, the bandits began their retreat just as a horn of the \[\[Silverheart Alliance\]\] blew from the south... Hulda had sent for reinforcements from Fort Greystone, and their arrival could not have come at a more desperate time - the perks of being a retired commander. The party convened at Davin's residence to learn Vaelris had meant to interrogate him about the location of a map. Pulling up the floorboards by the stove, they revealed a chest of gold belonging to a dwarven merchant and the pack of Tygus Fierybraids containg a map of the area. Kara explained that the chest of gold belonged to a merchant who she killed when he tried to kidnap her when Davin refused to sell her as a wife. Tygus' pack though, she didn't recognize - Davin explained though, that he had Luthan throw Tygus out of town for fear that Tygus had come for revenge for the merchant's murder. Tygus' pack however, was not thrown out with the dwarf. **9th of \[\[Calendar|Lowsun\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** With the threat over Harn defeated, the party joined the townsfolk in a bittersweet day of repairs, mourning, celebration, and rest. With Jules' knowledge that Vaelris had fled back toward the ruined keep, a plan was made to raid the keep the next day to retrieve supplies for Harn and find out why Vaelris was so keen on finding Tygus' map. **10th of \[\[Calendar|Lowsun\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** After a short, but needed rest in Harn, the party set out to the bandit's ruined keep. While Rooster and Jep snuck into the fort via a ruined wall, the rest of the party openly entered through the front gate. As the two teams met at the main fort, they were assaulted by a number of shade zombies. During the fight, Vaelris was found attempting to flee with a bound Tygus and Elji. After quickly dispatching the Zombies a violent 6 vs. 1 fight ensued with Vaelris nearly ending the lives of a few party members, though luck was on their side as they finally put an end to Vaelris and his tyranny over Harn. While the party rejoiced in finding Tygus and Elji alive and began piecing together the story that had separated them, Ceallach quietly pocketed a hint at his past - Slave Tokens from the Underdark slave trade that he had escaped from just a few short years ago, each token valued at a single humanoid life. Additionally, the party took note of a tattoo symbolizing Vaelris' membership in the Ebonclad thieves guild and on signifying his relatively high rank in the dark elf House Yauntyrr. Taking a wagon load of supplies back to Harn, the party started a very much needed period of recovery. **13th - 15th of \[\[Calendar|Lowsun\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** Though the deadline of Mona's pact with Alister loomed over the party, they decided to make a quick journey to the area on Tygus' map that supposedly held the Silver Valley. Taking Elji's prospecting innovations along, they made the three day trek to the area hopefully holding untold riches. Along the path, the party encountered a set of strange ruins surrounding a six-sided pyramid capped with a grey crystal that swirled with oily magics. After fending off local undead, they discovered the ruin to be a \[\[Ley Lines and Shade Courses|Shadecourse\]\] nexus. Presented with three valleys that could hold the supposed "Silver Valley", the party opted to first explore the southernmost. Here, they found a strangely warm breeze, odd columns of smoke, and a valley packed with Silver Maples. Not sure of the signs, they backtracked to the valley just to the north after using Elji's Orefinder to locate a source of silver there. Arriving the next day, they found the valley rather unremarkable, though it likely did have an extensive silver vein that could be mined. Realizing their mistake, they headed back to the valley of Silver Maples. **16th - 19th of \[\[Calendar|Lowsun\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** Exploring the valley of Silver Maples, the party found it to be rich in thermal activity with steam vents and fissures expelling sulfuric gases. Navigating to the valley's origin, they spied an old rope bridge crossing a ravine that they were in the bottom of. Carefully, they climbed the cliff wall beside a waterfall to find themselves on a cliff bench in front of a metallic door set into the cliffside. Inspection of this oddity set off the place's security, unleashing bloodstone-powered golems. After some heavy blows from the security team, the party finally put the arcane powered beings to rest and began figuring out how to pass the door in front of them. Once inside, the party found themselves in a strange, underground keep with mixed imagery of elven and dwarven make. First encountering a handful of severely charred undead, the party found signs of significant fire damage throughout the passageways. The party split up to explore different passageways - Gotri and Jep opening a secret passage into stores of forge goods, including precious metals and significant quantities of \[\[Bloodstone\]\]. Rooster and Ceallach, exploring the southern reaches of the complex, encountered chambers dedicated to separate dwarven and elven preparatory rituals complete with garments and a research library full of sung enchantments. Jules and Alister pressed toward the source of heat and sulfur in the complex, opening into the main chamber containing the Cinderheart Forge and overlooking a sea of lava upon which sits a tear into the plane of fire. Scanning the area, they observed two massive, serpentlike-creatures - one red dragon and one feathered couatl - locked in stasis mid-battle by six wraithlike figures. Though obviously a scene of powerful arcana, no movement could be seen through its stasis ward. Reconvening, the party headed to the meeting hall to the north to confront the nest of fume drakes living there. A brief encounter with them and the roaming black pudding ensued. Retrieving a magical cloak, a dozen arcane amulets, and a couple fume drake nestlings, they headed back above ground to recuperate. **20th of \[\[Calendar|Lowsun\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** Deciding to further investigate the stasis-locked battle below, the party headed back into the cinderheart forge. **12th of \[\[Calendar|Firewane\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** Gotri Burloksson, Ceallach Stonecipher, Tarlow Stonecipher, Alister Cousland, and Jules met the dwarf Tygus Fierybraids in \[\[Sothhaven\]\] and agreed to lend him aid in his endeavor to lay claim to the riches of "Silver Valley" near \[\[Avashen Ford\]\]. **13th of \[\[Calendar|Firewane\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** The party gathered the list of prospecting and mining supplies requested by Tygus and set off south for their weeklong trip on the \[\[Sofort Road\]\] to meet him in \[\[Avashen Ford\]\]. **14th of \[\[Calendar|Firewane\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** While resting for the night along the \[\[Sofort Road\]\], the party was set upon by strange plant creatures. Upon investigation, it appeared the deadliest of the attackers was a lumberjack who had been killed partially consumed by plant matter. **16th of \[\[Calendar|Firewane\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** Nearly to the village of \[\[Harn\]\], the party encountered an dark scene - highwaymen have ambushed a trade cart coming from Harn. The party dispatched the bandits, one of whom appeared to be dressed in ragged \[\[Silverheart Alliance\]\] gear, and rushed the wounded Loris and Ala Helder back to Harn where they learned of the town's circumstances. Harn has been besieged by this group of highwaymen for about 3 weeks now - and have been unable to harvest their summer's work as the bandits have seized all the outlying homesteads and fields. The town sent a militia, lead by Luthan, to drive off the bandits a little over a week ago, but they have not returned. Kara, the daughter of Davin, the town elder, asked the characters to aid the town by bringing a cart of goods to trade for food and armed help in \[\[Sothhaven\]\]. **17th - 19th of \[\[Calendar|Firewane\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** Though short, rest was found in the town of \[\[Harn\]\] as the party stewed on their options. They could take the offered trade supplies to \[\[Sothhaven\]\] in exchange for food and possible aid, though they knew Sothhaven was experiencing their own troubles with attacks on their logging camps. Their second option was to head toward \[\[Avashen Ford\]\] which, while a bit closer than Sothhaven, does not have a standing militia they could call on for aid. To check the severity of the situation, the choice was made to investigate the bandit stronghold in the forest east of town a few miles. **20th of \[\[Calendar|Firewane\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** Well rested, the party got an early start on their journey to the ruined fort the bandits had taken as a base. On the trail, the party encountered ill omens for Harn's militia, scattered remains of a few of them were being fought over by coyotes near the trail. Following the discovery, a mote of hope appeared in the recently escaped \__\_ , who broke out of the dungeons of the fort that morning. Deciding to lend the party aid, he showed them to the tunnel he'd found at the back of his cell that would lead them into the dungeon. Upon deciding to dash for the entrance for the tunnel, Tarlow, Ceallach, and Gotri were able to go unnoticed, but Alister and Jules were caught out in the open. While the dwarves were able to put down the guards and break Luthan and two elven prisoners out of the dungeon, Alister quickly grabbed Jules, pretending to be a guard taking him in as a prisoner. sith some luck and quick thinking, the two humans took advantage of the crowds in the fort and made their way to the dungeon as well. While disguised though, they noticed a few of the bandits were preparing for a trek with surveying equipment, much of which looked like the goods taken from Elji and Gotri! Somehow unscathed, the party made their way out of the fort toward Harn, though along the trail they found more signs of the decimated militia, the remains of the others were found in a clearing guarded by a partially sated brown bear. Deciding not to fight for now, they backed off to Harn. **21st of \[\[Calendar|Firewane\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** The elven prisoners were passed to Marina for care while Luthan was gladly reunited with Kara and Davin. While the town mourned the news of the lost militia members, the party started out to retrieve what remains they could from the ambush site. Upon arrival, they were relieved to find the bear had wandered off, but hadn't noticed that the site was a trap for them. A new ambush had been set over the site of the old one, and the rescue party found themselves under attack. The fight nearly fell a few members, but they were able to subdue the bandits and investigate the site. One of the militia men had been strung up in a tree, and though obviously dead, still twitched and writhed upon prodding. After dispatching the zombified man, they found strange runes carved into his head - likely the source of the magic that had animated him. **22nd - 25th of \[\[Calendar|Firewane\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** The party tended to their wounds during their last days in Harn, which were marked by a startling sendoff - one of the bandits fired an arrow in town, striking down a young woman in the street. Gotri, first to the scene, found a note wrapped around the arrow shaft that read, *""You have two weeks to decide your fates. On the sun's rise in fourteen days, those of you who wish to live will gather amongst the headstones on the hill to the north. When Harn is ours, the wise among you who follow orders will be allowed safe passage north on the Sofort." Realizing their time was running short, the party headed south to \[\[Avashen Ford\]\] for aid. **27th of \[\[Calendar|Firewane\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** *12 days until invasion of Harn.* Upon arrival in \[\[Avashen Ford\]\], it was apparent that something was off - men were apathetic and negligent of their work. During their supper at the town's inn, the party interrupted a date gone violent and a few of them decided to drink away their sorrows of lost love - a feeling they hadn't been able to ignore since their arrival. Sometime during the night, Gotri, who had gone to bed early to be alone with his thoughts, fell into a trance of sorts and headed off into the swamp alone. Finding their friend missing and unable to track him, Rooster let himself succumb to the curse over the town and was drawn into the swamp on the same path. After fending off oozes, the party found themselves at the cottage of a hag with Gotri headed inside. Uncertain of the situation, but needing to save their friend, the party entered tense negotiations with the hag, Mona. Fully admitting to cursing the town to gain a "plaything", Mona also implied that she was the only thing standing between the townsfolk and the stray \[\[Morgaal\]\] that crossed the wall on occasion. After finding her combat prowess to be overwhelming, Alister begrudgingly agreed to her proposition: in exchange for Gotri and lifting the curse on Avashen Ford, the party would bring her a new "plaything" and deliver a rose to her adopted niece in \[\[Merrimarsh\]\]. The catch, though, if the rose was not delivered before the first snows fell on her niece's roof, Alister would become her "plaything". **28th of \[\[Calendar|Firewane\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** *11 days until invasion of Harn.* Covered in swamp muck and doing their best to ignore the growing welts of mosquito bites, the party stumbled back into \[\[Avashen Ford\]\] with the cure to to Mona's curse over the town. While in a position to hold the cure ransom in exchange for help in \[\[Harn\]\], the party instead allowed Meinan to brew the concoction into a tea to pass through town. In exchange, Menian explained that Hulda, a retired commander of the \[\[Silverheart Alliance\]\] had built her home just over the bridge and that she may be of help. A quick explanation of the situation to Hulda, and the party expanded Harn's only hope to include themselves, Hulda, Svarn, Liam Casmaark, the priest Hyatt Mutsk, and eight able-bodied men from around town. Before heading north again, Hyatt put his devotion into the smithing of some fine steel weapons for the party, hoping they may help turn the tides of battle. **31st of \[\[Calendar|Firewane\]\] - 8th of \[\[Calendar|Lowsun\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** *9 days until invasion of Harn.* Nine days to prepare the village for the onslaught of Kort's forces. No time to rest. As the weary villagers put their skills and effort behind the party's preparations, a plan started to unfold. The moat would be dug out and the mud used to slather the buildings, rendering them resistant to fire. Bridest over the now-flowing moat were destroyed or weakened - the village could rebuild if they survived. Finally, the gates and walls were reinforced, leaving only one breach in the northeast wall. That would funnel the invaders to a single defensible point... hopefully. Scattered amongst other duties, bouts of training and rest boosted morale, though the invasion hung over town like a dark cloud. Alister, a beacon in that dark, took young Jules aside and, with the force of his oath, gave him the 'Coming of Age' ceremony that he remembered from his own youth. **8th of \[\[Calendar|Lowsun\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** *The invasion of Harn.* First signs of the incoming forces were constrastingly cute - a pair of squirrels Jep had sent off to harass the bandits. While their warning sounded like chitters and chirps to the others, Jep explained that they warned of siege implements being hauled toward the town. Sure enough, as the sun passed overhead, glimpses of soldiers on the hill could be had. Hauling massive timbers to the top of the hill, the bandits began the construction of a massive catapult. Out of range of most of Harn's defenses, and protected by archers, the party watched as the structure took shape. Desperate for a counter to the siege engine, Gotri hastily drew up plans for a catapult of their own and oversaw it's hidden construction. Preparations complete, Harn waited for the invasion to start... Flashes of steel and faces lit up in the hillside as Jep's arrow carried a light toward the siege engine in the dark. Soldiers rushing down toward Harn yelled battle cries as they hit the icy waters of the moat, and the clash of steel could be heard as Alister, Svarn, and others met them at the breach. In the dark, arrows clattered against mud-hardened roofs, and the blows of catapult stones rocked the village. Minute after minute, volley after volley, the invaders pressed Harn's defenses in a stalemate. Though halted, the invasion's threat grew, it was only a matter of time. Checking the undefended southern gate, Jules found only a small, quiet force blocked by their reinforced timbers. A robed figure among them enveloped himself in shadow just as Jules released a bolt of psychic energy. Marked by Jules spell, the figure teleported into the village and dashed toward Davin's house, harried by the young Jules who called for aid. Rooster and Gotri, close enough to lend a hand, stepped into combat with the dark elf Vaelris. While Vaelris' shadow spears and hounds were deadly, the three defenders were able to drive him into retreat. Simultaneously, Alister met court blade to blade in the breach, though the leader's blows dug deep into the wearied paladin. Hyatt, expending the last of his magics to restore Alister, watched as Ceallach and his prison chains warped into the fray. Flanking the bandit leader, Alister and Ceallach bore down on him blow after blow, until the invaders saw their captain face down in the bloody water. Reeling from the loss of their leader, the bandits began their retreat just as a horn of the \[\[Silverheart Alliance\]\] blew from the south... Hulda had sent for reinforcements from Fort Greystone, and their arrival could not have come at a more desperate time - the perks of being a retired commander. The party convened at Davin's residence to learn Vaelris had meant to interrogate him about the location of a map. Pulling up the floorboards by the stove, they revealed a chest of gold belonging to a dwarven merchant and the pack of Tygus Fierybraids containg a map of the area. Kara explained that the chest of gold belonged to a merchant who she killed when he tried to kidnap her when Davin refused to sell her as a wife. Tygus' pack though, she didn't recognize - Davin explained though, that he had Luthan throw Tygus out of town for fear that Tygus had come for revenge for the merchant's murder. Tygus' pack however, was not thrown out with the dwarf. **9th of \[\[Calendar|Lowsun\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** With the threat over Harn defeated, the party joined the townsfolk in a bittersweet day of repairs, mourning, celebration, and rest. With Jules' knowledge that Vaelris had fled back toward the ruined keep, a plan was made to raid the keep the next day to retrieve supplies for Harn and find out why Vaelris was so keen on finding Tygus' map. **10th of \[\[Calendar|Lowsun\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** After a short, but needed rest in Harn, the party set out to the bandit's ruined keep. While Rooster and Jep snuck into the fort via a ruined wall, the rest of the party openly entered through the front gate. As the two teams met at the main fort, they were assaulted by a number of shade zombies. During the fight, Vaelris was found attempting to flee with a bound Tygus and Elji. After quickly dispatching the Zombies a violent 6 vs. 1 fight ensued with Vaelris nearly ending the lives of a few party members, though luck was on their side as they finally put an end to Vaelris and his tyranny over Harn. While the party rejoiced in finding Tygus and Elji alive and began piecing together the story that had separated them, Ceallach quietly pocketed a hint at his past - Slave Tokens from the Underdark slave trade that he had escaped from just a few short years ago, each token valued at a single humanoid life. Additionally, the party took note of a tattoo symbolizing Vaelris' membership in the Ebonclad thieves guild and on signifying his relatively high rank in the dark elf House Yauntyrr. Taking a wagon load of supplies back to Harn, the party started a very much needed period of recovery. **13th - 15th of \[\[Calendar|Lowsun\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** Though the deadline of Mona's pact with Alister loomed over the party, they decided to make a quick journey to the area on Tygus' map that supposedly held the Silver Valley. Taking Elji's prospecting innovations along, they made the three day trek to the area hopefully holding untold riches. Along the path, the party encountered a set of strange ruins surrounding a six-sided pyramid capped with a grey crystal that swirled with oily magics. After fending off local undead, they discovered the ruin to be a \[\[Ley Lines and Shade Courses|Shadecourse\]\] nexus. Presented with three valleys that could hold the supposed "Silver Valley", the party opted to first explore the southernmost. Here, they found a strangely warm breeze, odd columns of smoke, and a valley packed with Silver Maples. Not sure of the signs, they backtracked to the valley just to the north after using Elji's Orefinder to locate a source of silver there. Arriving the next day, they found the valley rather unremarkable, though it likely did have an extensive silver vein that could be mined. Realizing their mistake, they headed back to the valley of Silver Maples. **16th of \[\[Calendar|Lowsun\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** Exploring the valley of Silver Maples, the party found it to be rich in thermal activity with steam vents and fissures expelling sulfuric gases. Navigating to the valley's origin, they spied an old rope bridge crossing a ravine that they were in the bottom of. Carefully, they climbed the cliff wall beside a waterfall to find themselves on a cliff bench in front of a metallic door set into the cliffside. Inspection of this oddity set off the place's security, unleashing bloodstone-powered golems. After some heavy blows from the security team, the party finally put the arcane powered beings to rest and began figuring out how to pass the door in front of them. **17th of \[\[Calendar|Lowsun\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** After a quick rest to recuperate, the party passed below the mountain into the Cinderheart Forge. Their initial wariness was cooled somewhat as no immediate dangers were met, though signs of a fiery struggle, a millenia before, were obvious. Exploring the underground complex, the party collected a number of rare materials used in the making of metallic arms and armor, including a healthy amount of purified Bloodstone. The explored chambers told a story of elves and dwarves laboring in unison under the guidance of a celestial being. A coat of Couatl feathers, now a nest for juvenile fume drakes, identified the celestial, which was later found, in its entirety, frozen in time - mid-battle with a much larger red dragon. The scene in the forge itself gave the party pause - six wights in the raiment of the Cinderheart laborers, held an arcane barrier that paused the battle between the two giant winged creatures. The party retreated to rest and plan. **20th of \[\[Calendar|Lowsun\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** Deciding the only path forward was to disrupt the arcane barrier and end the battle, the party dove into the Cinderheart Forge once more. After disrupting the barrier by putting the wights to their final rest, the party took the side of Pocyocouatl and pitted their steel, spells, and might against Mimir, the Firestarter. Mimrir's strikes were often accompanied by the appearance of a mephit, causing momentary confusion amongst the party, but the battle soon turned in favor of the heroes. Mimrir, desparate to escape, dove toward the planar tear leading to the Plane of Fire, but was too late - Jules and Rooster managed to unweave the planar tear and Mimrir was put down in the river of lava. After the battle, Pocyocouatl expressed his gratitude for the aid, but mourned for his lost followers, explaining that he created the Cinderheart Forge for "the creative pursuit of implements to augment the fighting spirit. Not the fighting spirit itself, nor the finished state of it's tools, but of the path of their creation. I am a concept difficult to express in this tongue." He blessed each party member and told them he needed time to process the recent events. **24th of \[\[Calendar|Lowsun\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** The newly named \____\_, found a warm welcome back in Harn where they rested before heading toward Merrimarsh to locate niece of Mona, the hag of Avashen Ford. On their way out, Hulda stopped them to deliver a document from General Bernard Shipley, First Stone of the Great Southern Bulwark that gave the party express audience with the Silverheart Alliance and aid in any of their strongholds. **30th of \[\[Calendar|Lowsun\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** The first half of the journey to Merrimarsh was met with decent weather and few setbacks, until the party reached a toll gate through a pass on the road between Sothhaven and Merimarsh. A group of Hill Giants had raided the Silverheart outpost and ambushed a trade caravan, leaving no survivors. As night approached, the party launched an attack on the vile creatures and, while unable to aid the soldiers or merchants, at least left the road safer for those passing later. **3th of \[\[Calendar|Redfall\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** A day out from Merrimarsh, the party found a dark scene, ghouls were ravaging the remnants of a small travelling troupe that had camped at a wayside in the road. Further inspection revealed the slaughter to be the doing of men, not the ghouls, and that the attackers seemed to have hastily marked the scene, a small grotto dedicated to Sylvana, to make it appear the troupe had desecrated it. **4th of \[\[Calendar|Redfall\]\] 1864 \[\[AE\]\]** Just outside Merrimarsh, the party rushed to the scene of a burning cottage, only to find it's destruction purposeful at the hands of paladins in the service of the Cleansing Flame. Taking no gruff, the paladins drew steel and the battle that ensued took the life of Gotri. A thirst for vengeance stewed as the party mourned the loss of their friend. Reconnaissance by Rooster revealed a Merrimarsh overrun by the Cleansing Flame who seemed to be after a witch in the area who harbored a powerful tome. The paladin's had resorted to stringing suspected witches up on poles in the town square to force the townsfolk into cooperation. Three individuals had been strung up so far: Caroline Hedge - an older woman with obvious mental disabilities, Marcel Gathwright - a defiant man with striking resemblance to one of the slaughtered troupe found just a day before, and a Caliope Bordley - a younger woman and owner of the cottage the party fought over. **5th of [[Calendar|Redfall]] 1864 [[AE]]** While lying in wait for the witch, the party encountered a Cleansing Flame paladin planting evidence of witchcraft at a local homestead. **6th - 9th of [[Calendar|Redfall]] 1864 [[AE]]** Makin' grain bombs! **10th of [[Calendar|Redfall]] 1864 [[AE]]** Setting fire to the Cleansing Flame. **11th - 14th of [[Calendar|Redfall]] 1864 [[AE]]** Recuperating and delivering the rose to Solina. **15th - 22nd of [[Calendar|Redfall]] 1864 [[AE]]** Traveling from Merrimarsh to Sothhaven. **23rd of [[Calendar|Redfall]] to 2nd of [[Calendar|Frostmoot]] 1864 [[AE]]** Traveling to Fort Greystone. Encounter with Morgaal north of the Great Southern Bulwark. **3rd - 6th of [[Calendar|Frostmoot]] 1864 [[AE]]** Recovery **7th of [[Calendar|Frostmoot]] to 7th of [[Calendar|Deepsnow]] 1864 [[AE]]** Downtime!