A group of young people band together to prevent a powerful secret from falling into the wrong hands.

Cast of Characters:
H'ar Gnogr, a Duratem Fighter (Dennis) who grew up in a travelling caravan
Viima, a Ialan Human Druid (Christina) from the Dry Steppe
Rik (?), a Ialan Human Ranger (Steve) also from the Dry Steppe
Preston, a Half Elf Bard (Warren) from Raicliffe, now deceased
Draak, a Kinot (Halfling) Sorcerer (Carl) also from Raicliffe
Sarah, a Kinot (Halfling) Rogue (Patrick) from Carse
Callien of House Jalmar, a Kroshki Human Oracle (Andy) from Rothe Fayine
Lady Amelia Llanegwynn, a Ialan Human Cavalier (Todd) from Carbas
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:16, Tue 05 July 2016.

The Market Square Fall Festival brings people from all along the Crescent Coast to the city of Raicliffe. The afternoon before the festival, as many trader and performer caravans gathered in Market Square, there is a shriek of terror. The widow Inla Salmons, well known in town for her spellbinding rhubarb pies, is horrified that her husband had returned. Unfortunately, Rone Salmons died four years before in a mine collapse. A stalwart group of youths responds to the widow Salmons’ screams and soon after finds the zombie of Mr. Salmons in a nearby toolshed. After a brief fight the zombie is vanquished, and the youths turn their attention to larger matters: what could have caused Rone Salmons to rise from the dead and appear some 10 days walk south of his final resting place? They decide to take action and investigate the matter at its source.

Mounted and well provisioned, the group treks north toward the caved-in Cloud Break Mine. Along the way, they discover a series of circular, loosely filled-in, yard-wide holes in the ground. The broken ground is speckled with the odd animal bone shard. The holes mark the passage of the dreaded plains grick. A clutch of gricks finds the party and attacks, hungry for their next meal. But the group survive and turns the dinner table, so to speak, by making spit roast grick for supper.

Two days later, when the group passes by a small underground spring-fed wetlands, they find the area swarmed over with lungpiercers: half vulture, half mosquito creatures that inject their eggs into their victim's lungs. A flight of lungpiercers attacks but the group fights them off and the group leaves the area before more of the vile beasts arrive.

Four days out from Raicliffe, the group mounts a rock strewn hillock and finds an abandoned battlefield memorial.



While taking refuge for the night in the memorial’s weather beaten hospitality building, the group is awakened by a frightful sound.  Dozens of slain soldiers interred just beneath the surface, now undead, claw their way out to attack the party. After a furious battle under the pale moonlight, the group breaks camp early and makes their way north toward their destination.

At the abandoned mine, the group finds the miners who lost their lives to the cave-in four years ago. They are zombies, like poor Rone Salmons, milling around performing menial tasks poorly. Empty husks of their former lives. After defeating the zombies, the group is surprised by a band of ghoul-like, death worshipping kobolds who are living in the remnants of the mine. Kobolds defeated, the party prepares to capture their leader, but the creature escapes up a narrow fissure in the mine wall. Circling around the back of the escarpment, the group winds its way up to the cliff edge overlooking the mine entrance. There they find the kobold leader preparing to sacrifice a living creature wrapped in an oily tarp. Dead bodies litter the ground. The kobold leader is clearly insane—it dies without a fight.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:31, Tue 05 July 2016.

At the Cloud Break Mine the group buries the dead miners and camps in the lee of the collapsed mine opening.  When searching the goblin ghoul encampment they find three items of interest: 1. a magic ironwood and adamantite scroll case missing the scrolls; 2. the supplies at the encampment are recent and stamped with the logo of Worthy Outfitters from Carse; and 3. a heavy iron torc engraved with symbols of Ozar that radiates evil.

While setting up camp the group scouts three riders far off in the distant west.  That night, the watch falls asleep: the camp is searched by thieves and the Torc of Ozar is stolen.  The party makes its best time but doesn't gain on the thieves. After two days across the steppe they find a recently abandoned camp with dead wolves presumably killed by the thieves.  They next day they are attacked by the same wolves--zombies apparently raised by the Torc of Ozar.  A day later a pack of goblin riders paces the group, but gives up the chase when a heavy thunderstorm rolls through.

Two days later the group finds an abandoned way station where the thieves apparently took shelter from the thunderstorm.  The party tracks the thieves to the north where they are ambushed by ogres.  Sadly, Preston is killed by an ogre and buried nearby.  The party continues to track the thieves, but find a dead end and realize they were tricked into passing by the ogre's cave and have lost the trail.

The group returns to the abandoned way station and finds a secret passage into a buried city, but poisonous gases prevent them from exploring it.  They toy with the idea of using explosive powder to close the secret entrance but eventually decide it is too dangerous.  That night the watch falls asleep and the group is set upon by the goblin riders and most of the party nearly dies defeating the enemies.  Fortunate to survive, the group makes its way three days southwest to Carse and take rooms at The Blue Djinn Inn.

During the last few days of travel, Sarah the Scout shares some information about Carse:

Carse was an inland town with a modest military garrison at the time of Second Dark War.  It was under siege by goblins, hobgoblins, and orcs when the Pestilence struck.  Eight years after the Pestilence a massive earthquake sunk the northern half of the Sheppard's Peninsula into the sea.  Ket Maray, the great city of the ocean, was lost, and inland Carse became a sea harbor practically overnight.  The only survivors of Ket Maray were the fisher folk (castermen) who were out to sea.  The Castermens Guild became the only organization left of Ket Maray.  After the Pestilence the guilds and leadership positions in the Empire remained in place, but with the population so much smaller it has caused tension of the use of political power.  Ever since the Great Flood there has been tension in Carse between a number of factions.

Notable people and such:
Baron Bogardis Stiv is the lord of Carse.  He is a Ialan Human descendant of the town's mayors who declared themselves a Barony after the fall of the Empire.
Baroness Winoa Almaret is the lady of Carse,  She is a Kroshki descendant, though distantly, of House Mar, the former rulers of Ket Maray.
Castermens Guild is the fishermen's guild from Ket Maray transplanted to Carse in the Great Flood.  They are the only formal organization from Ket Maray to survive.
The Iron Hand is a 'social club' of Carse Ialan guards and militiamen and their retirees.  The Iron Hand is openly opposed to Castermen and former Ket Maray peoples owning land or business in Carse.  It is rumored that they are not pleased with Bogardis marrying Winoa, even some twelve years after their wedding.
The Sharwen are a semi-public group of descendants of the Ket Maray worshippers of Kresh Onther who plan the social dominace of women.
Chamberlain Gran Dorwellan is the Baron's right hand man.  A Half Elf, Half Maevar, he is just but stern, and his loyalty is impeccable.
Sheriff Lakven, Captian Redhand, and Magistrate Gehazi are three men with overlapping responsibilties for the castle guards, militia and the dispensing of justice.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:32, Tue 05 July 2016.