The party of four - consisting of Drewen, Karnus, Vasily and Threy – set out from Specularum following the northern road toward Highforge, where rumours had been circulating of missing gnome and dwarf miners. It seemed likely the dark cleric Jolenta, Mistress of the Iron Ring slavers, would be at the centre of the disturbances… The party made it to the elven trading post of Rifflian and were being transported across the river when Karnus became wary of the shady ferryman… Use of ESP revealed the man's true nature - that he was indeed an operative of the Ring, and that the heroes were being purposely led in the wrong direction.
In Search of Jolenta
Back in Rifflian the ferryman was apprehended and handed over to townsmistress Prestel, to be placed in jail in the elfmaiden's wine cellar. The party then headed west to investigate ogre activity in the outlying regions - could Jolenta have forged an alliance with the humanoids? Sure enough by sunset the next day plumes of smoke were seen rising from nearby hill, and an ogre encampment was located. Muffled sounds could also be heard coming from a set of wagons stationed to one side… Venturing forward to reconnoitre the camp, Vasily discerned a large tent at the centre, from which were coming sounds of vigorous activity involving two ogresses and an immense male. It was eventually deduced that this ringleader was no normal ogre, and was in fact the offspring of an ogre male and a giantess.
The party launched a surprise attack, and managed to obliterate the ogre contingent. The ogre chieftain proved practically impervious to harm, possessing a reserve of strength which rivalled the giant Garamundvar. At long last the tide turned in the party's favour and five wagonloads of gnome and dwarf captives were set free.
Amid the celebrations a voice called out from the midst of a blazing campfire. A man in leather armour was standing amid the roaring flames, totally unharmed. Simultaneously a ghostly image began to coalesce above his head. "Thank you for ridding us of the ogre threat," the man spoke in charming tones. "They would have proved an annoyance for us to engage in battle. Now you will return our property, or face my forces in combat, weakened as you are."
Threy stuck out his chest defiantly toward the mystery speaker before any of the others could speak, a sudden logic entering his mind. "Well," spoke the cleric, "the slaves are our property now. You may purchase them from us if you wish to have th - oooomph!" Threy choked as Karnus' elbow found its way forcefully into the cleric's ribs.
"We will strike no bargain with petty thieves such as yourself," the blue-robed mage stated flatly. "Do your worst and let us see who emerges victorious!" Speaking thus, Karnus hurled a dagger toward the ghostly demon above the man's head. True to his hunch, the phantasm shimmered and vanished.
Battle erupted as armed Iron Ring hounds emerged from bushes on all sides of the camp, but were fought back by the slaves the heroes had released. Even in their starved and weakened states the gnomes and dwarves were capable of strong resistance. Distracted amid the combat Drewen felt the thief's dagger upon his back but the stabbing blade failed to pierce the dwarf's armour. In retaliation it took two swings of Drewen's hammer and the pesky thief was laid flat at his feet. "You fools!" came a call from the dark undergrowth. "Retreat!" The slavers slunk back into the dark bearing a few of the weaker slaves with them, but the heroes decided to let them go… There could be little hope of effective pursuit on such a dark night, and besides the party needed to recoup its strength after the fight with the ogres.
Following the slavers' trail next morning (relying on the tracking abilities of a gnome bearing a useful helmet device) Threy's danger sense suddenly grew keen. Whirling around, there was a shimmer in the air behind the party and a man appeared beside them - Tolkus of the Iron Ring! The man proved highly co-operative and almost pleasant, the two sides had a brief parley then their separate ways. Later came an ambush. Tolkus was Held by Threy's magic - the party did not wish to harm him since he seemed a decent enough (if misguided) individual. His bodyguards put up a strong fight however, and a young female magic-user even dared to Fireball Karnus and Drewen through use of a wand. Enraged, Karnus decided to make a show of real magic to the girl. After a barrage of Magic Missiles the girl's magical defences failed and she was no more. Tolkus was subsequently placed into custody of the slaves, to be escorted to Highforge and stand trial for his crimes.
The party was now returning to Highforge. Lana, who had finally been released from her three day trial at the hands of the gnomes, was flying along the main path to the east and met up with the freed slaves. Here she had a brief chat with Tolkus, who surely would be condemned to be put to death back in Highforge. Despite his charismatic manner, the man could see no lucrative side to obeying the law, therefore it seemed there was little hope that he might turn over a new leaf.
Jolenta makes her appearance
The party became five once more in the elvish outpost of Rifflian. Lana rejoined her companions and listened to their tales of the ogre and Iron Ring skirmishes over a tankard of ale later that evening. The relaxed atmosphere was spoiled however as word reached the tavern of sounds of fighting coming from within the townsmistress's home. All the windows and doors were magically locked so it required Karnus to cast a Dispel before anyone could gain entry to the property. Jolenta was within, having apparantly slain townsmistress Prestel and rescued her agent, the ferryman, from her basement. A brief fight ensued, during which Jolenta found time to invoke a Hold, paralysing all of the party save Lana. Jolenta refused to hand back the party's belongings, and even threatened to have her henchman slit the throats of Lana's companions unless she was allowed to go free. So Jolenta made her escape. A short while later an out-of-breath elf came running forward with a scroll of Free Person to release Lana's companions. That night was spent making a thorough search of the Forest , but no trace of the fugitives could be found. At last through use of scrying, it became clear that Jolenta was heading north along a road… toward Threshold of all places.
It became obvious that the party would not be able to catch up with Jolenta using conventional means, since she had a good day's headstart. Therefore Karnus declared to employ the powers of the Staff of Hutaaka in order to cut her off before she reached Threshold and hatched whatever foul scheme she was planning. Taking hold of the Staff, the mage murmured incomprehensible words of the ancient hutaakan language, his face bearing an expression of utmost resolve. As he concentrated, a disc formed in the air before the mage, outlined in shimmering blue fire. Beyond could be seen the familiar skyline of Threshold's town defences. Lana's heart sank at the sight of the now-desolate Tower looming in the background, dark and empty, the first visual evidence of her late master's demise. Taking leave of his companions, Karnus stepped through the portal and re-emerged with a flare of magic at his intended destination.
Karnus now had the lead on Jolenta, and went to inform Patriarch Sherlane of the impending threat, providing a description of the dark cleric. Sherlane in turn spoke of the Valtanivark's passing, mentioning that he had been surprised to have not yet been visited by Lana. He spoke also of the consultation he had held with Valtanivark's spirit, whereby he learned that the ancient wizard now longed only to rest. He was tired of life but would watch with interest the downfall which Fate had laid out for his ex-apprentice Bargle. Fate, both Valtanivark and Sherlane knew, would elect an agent to bring the conniving magic-user to justice. Jolenta was startled later that day to see Karnus standing on the trail before her, barring the way to Threshold. A stalemate arose, leaving the cleric no recourse but to propose a partnership to her opponent. She claimed to have acquired knowledge of an ancient hutaakan site, whose secrets she could only hope to uncover with the aid of one versed in the hutaakan language and traditions. Would Karnus be tempted by such a liaison? Through Lana's crystal ball, his companions watched in horror as the blue-robed mage stepped forward… and shook Jolenta's outstretched hand. A deal had been struck.
The remainder of the party reached Verge, where the night was spent at the home of the Antonics. All were made welcome and tales were traded across the dining table, and at long last Lana had no choice but to confront the reality of losing Valtanivark. Halia described the modest funeral service which had been held in the wizard's honour, attended by all the local townsfolk in addition to herself and Retameron, the Patriarch and Aleena Halaran. Lana could not help but break down into tears, though she found some small comfort in Halia's reassuring embrace.
The heroes departed Verge early the next morning, eager to reach to Threshold and confront Jolenta, and Karnus if need be. The truth behind the vision from the ball was not clear - on which side did the mage's true loyalties lie?
By this point the duo of mage and cleric were attempting to gain entry to the town, and found their way barred by the Patriarch's troops, having ironically been warned by Karnus only an hour previously. Jolenta viciously hurled her mace at one guard, crushing his skull with the single blow. Would Karnus fight too? Retreating from combat, Jolenta decreed that the two of them should lay low from the town patrols for the night and spend the night in a nearby cave.
By the next morning Karnus had bought time for the rest of his party to catch up, what with fresh and Hasted horses being ridden from Verge before the break of dawn. Use of Lana's crystal ball revealed that their quarry were to be found in a cave. Vasily invoked a Locate Object prayer to seek the Staff of Healing, and at the last moment, before the spell was about to run out, the range was close. The staff was nearby, strapped to Jolenta's back! The cave was located and the party closed in, weapons in hand.
Lana summoned a phantasmal image of Jolenta’s former cohort - the dead wizard Golthar, his robes stained with blood, his eyes drawn and weeping. The dead mage raised a hand to point at Jolenta, and amid her concentration Lana allowed herself a smile as an earsplitting scream of terror issued from the depths of the cave. Hurling a stone missed due to the cleric's nerves, and Jolenta's attempt to turn the "spectre" proved equally futile. Golthar raised a bag from his belt, and drew out an object… Jolenta's severed head.
Lana willed the image to step out of vision, and it did so. Jolenta grabbed her enchanted mace, and with a shriek of fury she raced from the cave to do battle with the undead minion. The image vanished however, and the cleric found herself staring into the angry faces of the party. Drewen gave a mock bow and charged, his hammer at the ready.
The party slew the treacherous cleric, reclaiming their missing treasures and laying her body to rest in a shallow grave within the cave, beneath a makeshift cairn of rocks. Karnus relayed news of Jolenta's discovery to his companions, and all were keen to explore the lands around Highforge. Lana stressed the unpleasantness of her ordeal at the hands of the gnomes however, suggesting it might be better to seek permission from their King, lest they all be strapped into interrogation devices. So, after the trip to Highforge had been made, an audience was sought with the local ruler.
The ceiling of the gnomes' throne room was a mere five feet high, thus everyone save Drewen was obliged to remain kneeling before the diminutive ruler. The King gave the party his thanks for having disposed of the troublesome Iron Ring operatives and returned his subjects - his people were now all safely back in their homes. For this service the heroes were bestowed a reward of 20,000gp, to be delivered to their homes in Specularum and distributed among their number as they saw fit. Lana, who had not been present for most of the adventure, did not seek any portion of the reward (her bag of holding was full enough for the time being).
The hutaakan vault
Permission was granted to investigate the site Jolenta had located, and which she had forced the gnomes to mine and excavate. Some sort of ancient religious complex had been uncovered, that much was clear, however none of the gnomes has been brave enough to investigate. The gnomes had spoken of dog-headed statues they noticed within the unearthed catacombs. Karnus' eyes gleamed at mention of hutaakan remains. The five heroes stepped aboard a gnomish contraption and were lowered hundreds of feet into the bowels of the earth, and into certain danger.
Age-old, intricate runes were carved around an entrance portal, which Karnus was able to translate using the Staff of Hutaaka. The writings spoke of Baqaphix, high priestess of the Lowlands , who had been laid to rest one thousand years before involving a complex ritual in honour of the Immortal Pflarr. It was written that Baqaphix would one day rise to lead her ancient hutaakan army and recapture their former glory... Her tomb, and her dormant spirit, had recently been disturbed by Jolenta, the party realised.
Passing through the ancient portal, the hairs on the backs of the heroes' necks stood on end as they recalled memories of similar settlements such as Xitaqa, Bixata and Kizraaka. The five entered a long chamber filled with stone plinths, each plinth bearing the mummified remains of ancient dog-headed priests. As Lana warily waved the wand she had acquired from the white dragon hoard, a pale fire began to lick along the prostate forms. The wand was not of secret door detection, as she had guessed, but was a wand of enemy detection… and these corpses were far from inanimate! As Lana gasped at this revelation, the ghouls sprang to their feet but were commanded back by Karnus bearing the Staff of Hutaaka - its eyes glowing with sapphire intensity. The party proceeded into the adjoining chamber, where a stone sarcophagus stood at the centre of the otherwise barren room. As the heroes drew near, a pair of mummies rose from the chest, proving near invincible in the ensuing fight and inflicting a hideous wasting disease upon Lana. Once the creatures were slain, the heroes checked their tomb for hidden treasures but found nothing. Surely there was more to this place than met the eye…
Inspecting the rear wall a short search yielded what the companions had suspected - a second burial chamber concealed beyond the first one! A section of ancient stone wall moved aside, revealing an expanse of glimmering golden coins, multicoloured gems of different shapes and sizes, a table bearing several potions, and an empty tomb. Most disturbingly, the Staff was drawing Karnus toward a section of the back wall which was sheer darkness. Stepping through, Karnus felt himself being dragged in a thousand different directions… then his vision cleared.
He was standing on a hillside, overlooking the merchant city of Kelvin . A scene of horror met the mage's eyes, as the undead priestess Baqaphix was seen surrounded by her mummified followers, at the head of an army of over a hundred zombie minions ... The undead army was preparing to march on Kelvin! Perhaps worst of all, to one side a group of priests were chanting, causing the nearby river to turn black and boil furiously. Over and over they intoned a single horribly-familiar word ... Kartoeba.
Read on to the exciting conclusion -
The Battle to Save Kelvin