The City of Crystal

PCs
This campaign follows the efforts of the following characters

Uthyr, a fledgling wizard from the continent of Fae

Diero, a citizen of Crystal recently hiding in the desert

Gauph, a citizen of Crystal with ties to the Assassin's guild

Solicus (Uncle), a Paladin of the Order of the Silver Shard

Vaul, a fighter in the employ of the Academy

Korgoth, a barbarian from the plains north of the Kiranir Desert

Ector, a cleric from the Hollow Hills

Walten Boorm, a forger and white collar criminal from the City of Crystal

Hewlett Aildwel, a noble from Jelt

Xander, a Warlock form the Kiranir Desert

Iados, a Tiefling Bard form Jelt

Zek, a Gnome Artificer originally form Haverun

Chapter 1: The City of Crystal
A Wizard arrives from the isle of Veldore and immediately embarks on a journey to the Academy of Crystal, near the center of the city. A Paladin discovers a magical sickness in the slums and pursues the knowledge of the sorcerers for aide. Finally, A Fighter from the Desert of Kiranir has returned from exile after hearing his hunter has met a grizzly end. He meets with an old companion in the market district and is directed to the Academy to meet with a Sorcerer of ill repute for information on the man who killed his old nemesis.

Upon entering the Academy, our heroes find several helpful halfmen and women behind a large wooden desk. Uncle is the first to arrive at the desk and is directed to look into the sickness on his own on behalf of the Academy, and if he is successful, he can earn another chit or two. The Wizard, upon issuing his request to enter the Academy library, is directed to obtain a chit by inquiring on one of the jobs posted around the lobby; or to help Uncle, if magical sicknesses are his forte. Finally, Diero has overheard this conversation and offers his help to Uncle and this new Wizard.

Investigating the sick, the group finds that more than just one person has fallen ill with the strange sickness. The Wizard is unable to glean any arcane knowledge from the wounds, and so is unable to detect the strange otherworldly worms residing within the victims. Uncle decides that the patients should me moved to a quarantined location. After more attempts to observe this sickness, the worms burst from the chests of their victims and attack.

The heroes overcome the encounter with most of their flesh intact, but are not out of danger. From outside they hear a strange noise, and upon investigation are met with a large red monster with a maw filled with vicious teeth. Telepathically, the monster warns them to flee, but they refuse. Luckily for the heroes, a group of guards happens upon their predicament and help them by attacking the creature. After seeing two of the guards being eaten by the thing, our group of adventurers decide that fleeing is the best option.

After huddling in Uncle’s cabin for the night, the heroes decide to go back to the scene of last night’s activity and are met by a sorcerer from the Academy. After explaining the situation the sorcerer rewards the companions with chits from the Academy and ask them to let the sorcerers of the city take over the investigation. The group agrees easily and decide to get back to their original courses.

Uncle continues to prowl the slums looking for any way to help the poor cope with their meager existence. Luckily there are no other residents that fall to the strange disease today. The Wizard returns to the Academy with Diero and gain admission into the higher chambers. Along the way the magically inclined of the pair spies an illusion, and upon trying to saunter past, finds that the illusion is trapped. Diero chuckles at his companions misfortunes and continues to his meeting with Aielwyn, the Sorcerer of ill repute from before.

They discuss Diero’s future as a member of the thieves’ guild, and Diero states a preference for thefts from the rich part of the city. Aielwyn asks him to patient while she sets something up. Meanwhile, the Wizard has entered the Library of the Academy and searches for hints and reserves of power in the Desert of Kiranir. His chit only allows him one afternoon with the trove of books, but he lucks out after hours of investigation.

Upon discovery of the location of an ancient Wizarding School in the Desert close to the city, a sorcerer named Ribari approaches the Wizard, admitting to watching the man conduct his research, and offers a trade of service for service. He proposes that any extra items that the Wizard may find in the school be brought to him for sale or inspection, so that the knowledge of the Academy can be expanded, as well as the Wizard’s purse.

Afterward, the Wizard seeks the help of the two people who have helped him so far in the city and seem trustworthy. He entices the Fighter through the promise of gold, and the Paladin through the promise of knowledge, possibly concerning the sickness that holds terror over the slums. Diero has the idea to recruit a Dwarf from the desert to help them navigate, and they soon recruit a Dwarven Fighter by the name of Brawl Bronzekeg.

After a long day of walking, the adventurers make it to a trade depot at the edge of the desert. They stock up and the following day make their way into the desert. After a day with nothing but the sweltering sun on their heads, the crew settles in for the night. At the beginning of their restfulness, they begin to hear howling in the night. Readying themselves for whatever horror the desert may hold, a lone rider approaches their came and asks to share their fire. The band welcomes the man into the warmth, and they discover that the howls belong to two Blink Hyenas that the man keeps for companions. He inquires as to the direction the group is travelling. He informs them that he is travelling the opposite direction in the morning.

Late the next day, the crew find the entrance to the Wizarding School, at the bottom of a large sand dune. Upon entering they find themselves blockaded by several magical enemies, including imps and a will o’ the wisp. After clearing the school, the heroes find a magical spell book, and a chest filled with gold.

Chapter 2: A School in the Desert
During the night, the party is attacked without warning by a group of would-be assassins. Upon seeing that one of their targets is the esteemed Uncle of the city, many of the assassin's lay down their arms in opposition of their contract. Enough of them lay down arms to convince Gouph, an urban Ranger from the city, to reconsider his options to gain the 200 gold he was promised. After some heated debate, the entire group of assassins and adventurers decide to further explore the Wizarding School.

After finding a secret door leading further down into the earth, the group came to a landing with a door. Through the door they find the remains of several classrooms, and discover some spell books used in the education of fledgling wizards. Others find, however, a Shadow Demon and another foe. During this confrontation, Gauph was further exploring the school when he came across two peculiar creatures.

With bodies seemingly made out stars, two giant humanoid figures came into Gauph's range of view. When they discovered him they passed him by, saying that he wasn't what they were looking for. Gauph continued down the stairs. When he reached the bottom, he came across an open door that led into a vast study.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group had dispatched the Shadow Demon and its foul companion. When the confrontation was over, they discovered the two celestial beings behind them in the doorway at the end of the hall. They called Uthyr a 'nubbins' and requested that the party follow the two of them to the basement of the school.

In the basement, Gauph made the acquaintance of a rather unique woman. With hair a shocking purple color shaped into a sort of faux hawk and skin the color of alabaster, the woman cut a striking figure in her robes of purple and black. She introduced herself to Gauph as 'Evanescra', the same name as the ancient ruler of the City of Crystal. She offered the ranger a seat while they waited for the rest of the party to join them.

Once reunited in Evanescra's study, the party began to ask some questions of her. What else lay in the school? Many things was the answer, although protected by who knows what. Evanescra had not had time to clear the upper levels of the school. Who was she? A wizard of Drashex, the Lord of the Dead. She offered training and apprenticeship to Uthyr, who accepted conditionally. She gifted him a Staff of the Python in return and bade him deliver an onyx tiger to the sorcerers at the Academy, with whom she regarded with disdain. She asked Gauph whether he would enter her service which he accepted, again with conditions. Do a job, then decide, she asked. The job was to enter the Academy basement and touch a massive gem. She gave no indication as to what the gem did or if anything negative would happen to the person who touched it. She did offer ten thousand gold to the person who achieved it. Lamonel, Ladelin, and Diero all accepted the task as well. Lamonel raced out into the desert and back to Crystal immediately. Uncle refused to work with such a creature as Evanescra, getting a definite sketchy vibe from her.

The group decided to camp overnight before venturing back to the city. The assassins did not seem overly concerned with discarding the contract from the Academy. Many contracts were not followed, and many times the contract was simply dropped. The plans of the sorcerers changing with the failure. While the rest of the party slept, Gauph slipped out into the night and dispatched Lamonel in the desert sands. He returned to the party the next day at the way station outside of Crystal.

Upon return to the city, Diero and his new companion Ladelin bid farewell to the party, continuing his goals with the city's thieves guild. Meanwhile, Uthyr returned to the Academy where he met up with Ribari, who had asked him to bring anything he found back to the Academy for study. Uthyr gifted Ribari with the onyx tiger, and allowed him to inspect the Staff of Pythons. He was rewarded with a year's access to the library for the magical figurine.

After his meeting with Ribari, Uthyr was met in the hall by Aielwyn. She told Uthyr that his presence was being requested by the Third Arna. Uthyr met with Arna and discussed opening a new wing of the Academy for Wizardry, and assigned Aielwyn as Uthyr's personal liason to the Academy.

When Uncle returned to his home, a young man from the Order of the Silver Shard was there to greet him. He plead with Uncle to return to the Order, as the previous leader had died, leaving Albarator in command. Albarator was accusing the young mans family of being demonologists, an outlawed sect of magic users that drew power from the Abyss. Uncle offered to travel to the church to speak on his behalf, but would not get involved any further.

Gauph was welcomed home by Rikka, his assassination guild contact. She had an assassination contract for Gauph that would "set him apart from the rabble". The contract was for Albarator himself, and was offered by the same family accused of demonology by the paladin. Rikka offered to split the contract with him 75/25, with a recommendation for admission into the assassins' guild to sweeten the deal. Gauph prepared for the assassination by acquiring "wheezing death", a mixture of powdered glass and poison. Equipping a few crossbow bolts with the mixture and small explosives, the fledgling assassin planted himself in the quarters of Albarator to await the time when Albarator went to sleep.

Albarator entered his chambers and doffed him armor. He turned down the lamp and climbed into bed. Suddenly, from the shadows over the doorway, two crossbow bolts raced towards him. Just before connecting with his face, the bolts exploded with small thudding concussions, and a mixture of glass and poison entered Albarator's lungs as he drew breath to cry for help. Coughing and spluttering, the Paladin had no time to even crawl from his bed before the assassin was upon him, opening his veins with vicious daggers.

With Albarator's dispatch, Uncle was now the unofficial leader of the Order of the Silver Shard. The following day emissary's from the Order came to his home in the slums to collect him. Uncle immediately used his new position to alter the way the City of Crystal approached poverty and unfair treatment of those the nobility considered "fungible assets".

Chapter 3: The Temple in the Jungle
To celebrate his victory over Albarator, Gauph visited his father in the slums of Crystal. After gifting his father with a sack of gold,Gauph inquired whether his father had any insight regarding the mysterious stranger Uthyr and his identical appearance. His father grew pale, and admitted that he never thought a day would come when Gauph would question his origins. Gauph was found on the edge of the jungle to the south, staring at the city, at a very young age. Without a solid lead to follow Gauph decided that finding Rikka and collecting his reward was the next thing on his agenda for the day.

Meanwhile Uthyr was studying in the library when he was intercepted by Vaul, an armed and armored half orc in the service of Victarius, a high ranking sorcerer in the academy. Vaul had been sent to fetch Uthyr for an interview with Victarius, which Uthyr was reluctant to accept. Victarius' rooms were in the higher reaches of the Academy, and lavishly furnished, much different than the room that Uthyr was assigned. When Uthyr entered, Victarius took his time completing the notes he was writing, then turned to the fledgling wizard.

An offer of service was made. Uthyr, Vaul, and whomever else could be scrounged up would follow an imperial work party to Jiranir Jungle. The work party was in need of guards, and the emperor was paying 150 gold pieces to whomever was willing to guard the caravan for the several weeks it would take to cut and carry lumber back to the city. Uthyr and his hirelings were to escort the caravan to the jungle, then break away from the work party and cut into the Jungle towards an old temple to the god Hiru. Inside this temple, according to Victarius, was an artifact resembling a green pearl. The reason Uthyr was contacted specifically, is that this pearl was surrounded by a magical trap that only a wizard could dispel. Simply survive the jungle, deliver the pearl to Victarius and Uthyr would receive not only valuable wizarding experience, but a personal commendation from Victarius to the Headmaster, Ardegast.

Uthyr accepted the terms of the agreement, and set out to find Gauph, since he could used the killer's well honed skills. Gauph was able to find Rikka and receive his gold, and during the meeting Rikka invited him to be inducted into the assassin's guild if he wishes, and to simply contact her when he's made up his mind. Gauph told her he would let her know, then headed to the academy to meet with his 'other half' to discuss what his father had revealed that morning. Upon their meeting, Uthyr informed Gauph of the contract with Victarius, and Gauph passed on the information he had gathered. After agreeing to do the contract for Victarius, Gauph decided that he was going to attempt to touch the crystal that lay in the basement of the Academy.

When Gauph approaches the Academy with his quarry in mind, a sudden thought occurred to Uthyr, and he altered his evening plans to include hunting the gem as well. Inspecting the entrance hall, both characters find that the only way below the entrance hall is the small staircase leading down behind the front desk, which is a circular desk in the center of the room. The staff manning the front desk are seen coming and going from the staircase, sometimes leaving the desk through a small cutout and going upstairs in the usual way.

Gauph is spotted by another visitor, and Gauph notices the attention. This pinned the would be trespasser to his shadowed nook overlooking the desk with fear of being outed. During this time, Uthyr casts an invisibility spell on himself and sneaks past the visitor and the lone desk clerk down the staircase. Below, he finds a sort of employee lounge with one door, which is closed when he first enters. There is a lone sorcerer here that is sleeping. Uthyr sauntered past the sleeping student, and pulled the door open, which howled with screeching unoiled hinges. The student sorcerer shot up with alarm, but Uthyr had slipped through and ran down the hallway beyond, not muffling his footsteps so that the student would hear someone fleeing down the hall.

The sorcerer who was asleep called out to whomever ran down the hall, asking why anyone would be in such a hurry to get to the store rooms. He walked down the hallway and, spotting no one, shrugged and returned to the lounge. Uthyr was able to keep out of the way of the sorcerous guard and slip down to the end of the hall, which ended in a T intersection, with only one direction leading down. Gauph, meanwhile, waited with furious intent. He had spotted papers shifting on the desk, meaning someone invisible had made a vault over the desk. Probably his 'other half', but perhaps not.

Finally the visitor concluded his business with the desk clerk, and exited the Academy without outing the waiting shady figure in the nook. However, he did not leave with giving Gauph a little smirk. Refusing to listen to the little voice in his head that said, 'kill that guy, how dare he smirk at you?' Gauph continued to sneak past the lone desk clerk and down the stairs. [Finding a way past the guard...] Gauph made his way down the same path Uthyr took on his way down to the basement.

When Uthyr made his way down the sloping walkway to the basement, he passed the storerooms on his left without a second glance. Gauph, however, made a pit stop and relieved the Academy of some of its finest wine. Upon reaching the dead end at the bottom of the slope, Uthyr encountered the door to the basement. Flanking this wrought iron door were two small gargoyles with rubies for eyes. The eyes glowed from within, and from the sending stone in Uthyr's pocket, Evanescra spoke. She praised the young wizard for his craftiness in reaching this far and informed him that the gargoyles were watching and would surely inform someone in the tower if they spotted him.

Suddenly Gauph caught up with Uthyr at the door and inquired as to how they were going to get inside. Asking Evanescra, Uthyr found out that a passphrase was to be uttered to the door's heart, and would let them pass. Peering more closely at the door, the pair found a clear crystal in the shape of a heart at the center of the door, clutched wrought iron claws. Evanescra explained that if the passphrase had not been changed in the intervening years since she lived in the tower, then the pass phrase was surely [...].

Uthyr decided on obscuring the gargoyles vision with a fog spell, and running up to the door and giving the passphrase before the fog dissipated. Having no better ideas, Gauph agreed, and followed the Wizard when his plan was put into action. The heart of the door, upon hearing the passphrase, abruptly filled with a red glow and began to beat, while the door opened inch by inch. Finally being open enough to allow the two entry, the burst into the room beyond the door, which stood mostly empty except for a large topaz crystal embedded in most of the floor. With an effort, Gauph was able to close the door behind the pair.

After a brief discussion, the two companions decided that touching the crystal together was the safest idea they had, and did so. Slowly, and without so much as a grate, the crystal began to dissipate. What was revealed to them was the top floor of the Wizarding school they had found in the desert several days ago. Standing there, waiting, was Evanescra with her starlight companions. She praised the two for their service, and spotting the wine in Gauphs possession, called the spectral servants to gather cups for celebration.

After celebrating the reuniting of the tower, Evanescra awarded the two mirror images with their gold. Ten thousand as promised. She also bade Gauph to show her the small stone she had gifted to him during their previous meeting. Upon relinquishing the stone to her, she spoke several words of power in a flurry which Uthyr could not follow, and the stone began to glow. Several spectral servants erupted from the stone and took their places next to the others. However, these spectral servants were unique in the way that they mirrored the people Gauph had killed. Both Lamonel and Albarator were there. Evanescra told Gauph that she was disappointed in the amount, but satisfied with the quality.

Evanescra then informed the two that she recommended that they continue with Victarius' contract, since there was another artifact at the temple that she desired. The Veil of Stars, a unique item that allowed the wearer to mimic the appearance of anyone in the world for a whole day. The Veil would then have to be recharged under a New Moon, but it was useful. If the two were able to retrieve the Veil for her, then they would be rewarded. Evanescra shielded the door to the rest of the tower in order to keep unwanted visitors from entering, then teleported the twins outside.

The following day Uthyr continued with his Wizardly duties to the Academy, and upon mentioning his deal with Victarius, Aielwyn pounced on the opportunity to add another request to the crew while they raided the temple. Within, a device which determined the magical ability of the holder was sure to be left over from the time when the temple was active. If Uthyr was able to retrieve the device, then they could bolster the ranks of the Academy even further, and identify those among the populace able to wield the Wizardly side of magic.

Gauph met up with Rikka and informed her that he would love to be inducted into the Assassin's guild, but it would have to be the short version since he was going to leave the city the next day. Rikka said that she hoped it could be arranged and to meet her at the entrance to the slums at dusk. When the time came, Gauph was under the gate leading from the Market to the slums. Rikka appeared form the crowd and asked for Gauph to follow. They wound their way through the many dirt roads and alleyways of the slums before coming to an alleyway behind an raucous bar. Finding the hidden trigger in the wall, Rikka pushed the wall on a hinge, and motion Gauph to enter. Following a tight spiraling staircase down into the earth, Gauph found himself in what must be ancient stone tunnels beneath the city. He saw curious metal beams running along the ceilings, and almost lost Rikka in the twists and turns they took through the tunnels.

Finally coming to a small steel doorway in the wall of one of these tunnels Rikka rapped on the small window in the door. It swung open, and Mauran cat eyes peered out. The window slammed shut, and the door scraped open, admitting the two outsiders into the main room of what appeared to be a tavern. There were several tables, a bar, and even a few patrons. The Mauran introduced herself as Naptra, the leader of the Assassin's guild in Crystal. She held her hand out for Gauph to shake in welcome. When he grasped it, she pulled the man closer and rammed a syringe into his gut. The patrons of the bar held Gauph in place while he struggled, and a warm tingling sensation blossomed in his stomach, slowly paralyzing him. The men and women in the bar hauled Gauph over to a table and opened his armor, lifting his shirt as Naptra strolled over to the fireplace in the wall Gauph had not seen before.

She returned to Gauph with a brand she had retrieved from the fire. She strolled over to him and pressed the brand to his side. Miraculously, he did not feel any pain but could smell his own searing flesh. Once satisfied, Naptra removed the brand and placed her hand over it, muttering a spell. She handed the brand to a small impish man that appeared at her side. He kissed her furred hand and ran down a long hallway in the back of the tavern, cackling as he went. Naptra produced another syringe and calmly placed it in Gauphs arm. "Rikka said you wanted the short version, this is usually a more pleasant experience."

Feeling returned to Gauph and still, he did not feel any pain. When searching for the spot where he was branded, he found that he could not feel or sense where the brand had been. Naptra explained that the brand marked him as one of their own, and that when he returned from the Jungle he would be gifted with "the sight" in order to solidify his place in the order. She explained that she hoped to see him in the tavern when he returned, so she could explain more, and wished him good luck in the Jungle. The Mauran leader of the guild then stepped on a teleportation circle in the corner and issued a command word. Just like that, she was gone.

Rikka introduced the other people in the bar and asked Gauph to follow her down the long hallway at the back. The air began to get noticeably warmer as they traveled down the hallway. At the end, Gauph found himself standing in a smithy, seemingly run entirely by the crooked, bent, impish man standing before him. "This is Smithy," Rikka explained. The man stood no more than five feet tall, but with a straight back, might have been over six. His hair stuck out at all angles and was black with soot. One small area near the front of Smithy's forehead stood out white.

Gauph asked the strange smith if there was anything he crafted that would help him in Jiranir Jungle. The man hopped and bobbed his way along a wall of his workshop that was covered from ceiling to floor in weaponry. Finally, his hand shot out and grasped some crossbow bolts. Returning to Gauph, he claimed "First one's free! See any snake men in there you shoot them with these! Now get out!" He pushed the bolts into Gauphs hands and then manhandled, as best as he was able, Gauph and Rikka out of his work area.

When Gauph returned to the tavern, he was greeted by the rest of the patrons. Along the bar top were several shot glasses, one for each person plus Gauph. Rikka explained that the barkeep made this liquor in house, and it was the strongest thing in the world. Some said that it could even bring people back from the brink of death. As an introduction to the guild, a little contest was made. People bet on how much the new guy could drink, then watched as he obliterated himself with the liquor. Gauph got to three before he passed out.

The next morning Gauph awoke just in time to meet with the rest of the party at Jungle Gate, where the work party was to set out. He was paired with Naren, a nomadic ranger from the desert, and another ranger from the city in order to be the forward scouts for the party. They were to make it to the desert before the caravan and scout the area, making sure that no danger was imminent. A second scouting party of guards was to follow, at a more conservative pace, in order to supply backup in case any danger was spotted.

Arriving at the Jungle, Naren took charge of the small band of Rangers, being the most seasoned. She ordered the three of to spread out an call if there was any trouble. After a short time, a cry was heard a short distance away from Gauph, and he witnessed the third Ranger get devoured by a Tiger. The tiger rounded on Gauph and attacked. Unfortunately for the Jungle cat, Gauph was ready. A short volley of crossbow bolts later and Naren walked in on the scene of Gauph standing triumphantly over the corpse of the dangerous predator. What she did not see was that before the tiger had finished off the poor Ranger, Gauph managed to score the final blow, sealing the young mans soul in his Death Stone.

When the secondary scouting party arrived, a Barbarian by the name of Kilreg took command of the scouting party as a whole. His orders were to group in threes and hold a perimeter a few hundred feet into the jungle itself. With Vaul and Uthyr being in this second force, the two grouped with Gauph and stood their turn at guard in the jungle. During their guard, the whole camp was attacked by giant apes. The three adventurers were nearly slaughtered when Naren and Kilreg came to save the day.

Seeing these two experienced adventurers in action, Gauph came up with the idea to hire them away from the guard posting and add them to their mission. Kilreg was easily swayed with the promise of higher payment than the guard posting was giving him. Naren, on the other hand, accepted the same amount of coin as long as she was able to bed the Half Orc, Vaul. Vaul accepted easily enough and the following evening the party sneaked away from the camp and into the jungle. Having seen this temple from the walls on a previous visit to Crystal, Naren was able to guard the party straight to it.

The temple itself appeared to be a square tiered structure, with three tiers in total. The path leading towards the temple was overgrown with grass, vines, and busting with wild snakes. The party was able to spot several snakes which were larger than the normal jungle variety on the different tiers of the temple. Gauph was able to spot two men atop the temple looking out into the jungle. Gauph took it upon himself to circle the temple until he was opposite the remainder of the group, and climb a tree on that side to get a better vantage point. From here he could see into the temple windows where more men patrolled. He could also see that these were no ordinary men, but Yuan-ti. Half snake hybrids.

Attempting to dispatch the two guards in his first volley, Gauph was only half successful. The remaining Yuan-ti called the alarm and the snakes which had covered the temple began to slither in Gauph's direction. Leaving the tree behind, Gauph was able to slip back to his party on the other side of the temple to regroup before the assault. Entering the temple and slaying all those Yuan-ti which were on the first level, the party quickly ascended the stairs leading towards the roof of the temple, electing to search for loot later. On the second level the party encountered two Yuan-ti Abominations. Upon slaying these, the party found what appeared to be a gauntlet made entirely out of earth. Guarded not only by the Yuan-ti but also by a magical trap, the group was able to coax the gauntlet out from its altar with a bit of magic from Uthyr. Upon donning the gauntlet, it was discovered that the earthen glove would enhance the strength of whomever wore it. What other secret could the gauntlet hold?

Ascending the stairs to the roof very stealthily, Gauph discovered am exsanguinated Yuan-ti half man and a towering figure of a man guarding what looked to be a veil. The Veil hung on a stand which sat in a small stone recess behind the towering individual. The giant man noticed Gauph instantly, and motioned for him to have no fear. Gauph asked the rather tall fellow whether he would be willing to part with the veil on peaceful terms. The man replied that the veil was his to guard, unless someone either defeated him or freed him. However, all of that would have to wait since the Yuan-ti which had pursued Gauph into the jungle were now returning to the temple.

What followed was a harrowing assault by the Yuan-ti on the temple they so recently occupied. With the help of Naren and Kilreg, the group was able to repel the force of snake hybrids. Afterward, they headed upstairs to confront the giant. Inquiring as to the method of freeing the man, Uthyr was answered with a peculiar tale. The man standing before them was in fact an angel, shorn of his wings and tasked with guarding the Veil of Stars until his death or reincarnation. Testing one of the good people in the party would allow him the chance to reclaim his wings, if one of them was willing. The alternative was to combat the fallen angel.

When asked about the basement, the angel replied that a demon from the abyss guarded a similarly evil artifact compared to the heavenly one which rested behind him. His answer to the follow on question of can you fight the demon for us was answered with, "This is a temple of balance, I cannot attack it just as it cannot attack me, it would disrupt the balance and the power of this place would be lost." When offered, the chance to be tested was rebuked by the angel, none present except Naren and Kilreg were good enough. Naren offered to be tested after a little coaxing.

The angel asked for the woman to step forward, and placed his huge hand on her shoulders. Slowly, Naren grew in size to match the angel, and her skin seemed to glow with a soft light. "You have taken to my power well, mortal. Now heal me with it as best you can." After a moment Naren was unable to think of anything, and asked the party for input. After none was forthcoming, Kilreg offered, "Heal him like you would any other man." Naren regarded the Barbarian with interest, then shrugged. She turned to the angel and kissed him deeply, just as she would a world weary man in her possession. From the Angel's back sprouted large feathered white wings, and his skin grew darker until it shone like bronze. The now revealed Solar smiled and said in a booming voice, "I relinquish the Veil of Stars to Naren, and give her my thanks."

In a burst of wind the Solar took to the sky and seemed to tear a whole in it. Through the rent he vanished, and it was healed behind him. The party took the Veil from its stand, and Naren shrunk back to almost her normal size, yet the glow of the angel's power remained. The party steadied themselves and then took to the stairs, heading down towards the basement. What they discovered was horrific and disturbing. Two Yuan-ti pure bloods, sorceresses of dark abyssal magic, were entwined with the snake body of a transformed Glabrezu horror. They cast spells as the creature moaned, it's body slowly being transformed into that of a Yuan-ti and demon hybrid.

Immediately the party sought to put an end to the scene with their special brand of violence. Vaul rushed in, his sword flashing to the sorceresses and demon, grasped in his earthen gauntlet. Uthyr cast spell after spell, and Gauph shot his many special crossbow bolts, given to him by Smithy. Kilreg flew into a rage and used his great axe to devastating effect. When Naren pulled her bow back, however, it seemed the arrows shot from it were imbued with holy power, blasting away stone when she missed, and dealing extra damage when flying true. With the sorceresses dispatched and the Glabrezu finally destroyed, the party turned their attention to the abyssal artifact.

The trap surrounding the artifact appeared to Uthyr as a web of strings, all colored differently and waving in the air at different frequencies. Evanescra suddenly spoke to Uthyr then, delighting at the trap. "Alderathan's puzzle! I haven't seen one of these in ages.  You must cast a spell from each school of magic in the puzzle.  Be careful though!  If you cast a spell from a school no longer in the puzzle it will go off.  This is a good test for you, I do hope you survive." During the puzzle a few spells went awry, such as a chain lightning spell that damaged several party members. After poking and prodding and casting spells into the puzzle, the final thread remained, with three schools of magic to choose from. The final spell proved to be divination, but Uthyr did not cast the correct spell.

What followed can be described as a 'scry bomb'. Each member of the party was granted a vision of other parts of the world, important to them and their goals. Uthyr and Gauph shared an experience of overlaying senses with another ten versions of themselves. The were able to see where the other versions were, and hear their thoughts. Several were of deep surprise, but two were distinct. One thought to himself, "Not again! I must flee!" Another, "Oh, interesting, I thought I was the only one left." The visions were gone as suddenly as they occurred, but with a bit of study, perhaps more information could be gathered from the sight.

Vaul was granted a vision of his employer, Victarius, in an altered state. The man was no longer his usual stately self but a tiger in human form. Similar to the Maur but different in that his eyes were different than the cat race's and the palms of his hands seemed to be facing outward instead of in. The other unsettling fact of this vision was that the Tiger that was Victarius was dining on human flesh.

Kilreg, upon regaining his senses, sighed and sat on the stairs. He brought his hand to his forehead and began to stare aimlessly around the room. Naren, on the other hand, shouted with surprise and hastily sprinted up the stairs, shouting "I found her! I found her!" Calling after her, Gauph was unable to stop her from running out of the temple and away from the party. Kilreg, though, after inquiry, admitted to seeing his long lost son. But not as he remembered him. His son had turned into a monster of the night, feeding on the blood of travelers in the desert.

Chapter 7: Victory
With Eridan defeated, the group of adventurers returned to their mistress for instructions. Evanescra inspired her followers to sit back and relax for a time, before they put her full plan in motion. With Jahir under her direct control, she could slowly change the city to reflect her own designs. Uthyr would be promoted to head of the Academy, Korgoth to the leader of Crystal's armies, and Ector raised to be the spiritual leader of the city, as head of the Church of Death. For a few days, the group settled into the new routine of watching the City of Crystal fall further and further into the clutches of Evanescra.

Until one day, a man garbed in clothing from the desert entered the city and sought out Korgoth and Ector, who had been shown to him in a vision. Xander, the Warlock of the nomadic tribes of Kiranir, planted himself in the square in front of the Church of Ramac and shouted his holy message of doom. "Doom is near! The Death of the World comes for us and we do nothing!  You must change your ways!  You must hunt the darkness!  Come to me and I will tell you more!" Another madman to the crowd, Korgoth and Ector included, until Xander caught sight of them and immediately approached. "You are the Mortal Sword! Your are the Shield Anvil! I know you!"

Not wanting to call attention to themselves, Korgoth and Ector ignored the man, and even suffered him following them back to the Academy. Introducing him to Uthyr, the two were not surprised to hear that the madman had given the Wizard a title as well. "A key! You are one of the keys that will save us!" In short order, Uthyr had Xander locked safely away in the brig of the Academy and continued plotting in the time after the civil war victory.

Uthyr, almost on a whim, collected the Warlock from his cell in the Academy brig and shuttled him to his home in the residential district of Crystal. Into the basement they went, where the still sleeping form of Gauph was shackled to the wall of the room. Upon seeing him, Xander shout with joy, "Another key! We are closer to our salvation!" With a creeping feeling, Uthyr felt the gaze of Evanescra upon him, looking at him through the spell that bound them together. Xander, with a smile on his face, turned to Uthyr to share with him the joy of finding another key. Behind the wizard, Xander saw a floating, gazing eye hovering over his head.

Startled and afraid, Xander sprang into action and attacked the floating eye with a blast of edlritch energy. Suddenly, the connection between Evanescra and Uthyr was severed. Shortly after, however, Uthyr received a magical message, "Kill him, and bring me something of his as proof." Uthyr sprang into action, collecting both Xander and Gauph and bringing them to Uncle's house in the slums. Stashing them away, Uthyr asked Xander for an item of his, and Xander helpfully offered a necklace.

Returning to the Academy and descending to Evanescra's lair, Uthyr showed the evil wizardess the necklace taken form Xander's presumable corpse. Evanescra, suspicious of the actions her pet wizard had taken over the last few hours, cast a scrying spell on the necklace. Of course, the vision of Uncles quiet little cabin appeared to her, with the Warlock sitting in the center of the kitchen, mumbling to himself and playing with the dust on the floor. Rage filled the ancient Wizardess, and she rounded on Uthyr, ready to strike him dead. Luckily Uthyr was the faster spell caster, and managed to dimension door away.

Screaming with rage, Evanescra summoned Korgoth and Ector to chase after the rogue wizard and bring him back to her. If they could not bring him back, they were allowed to kill him. Not willing to defy their mistress, the two other adventurers quickly gave chase to the wizard. With all the haste he could muster, Uthyr raced to his rooms in the tower and collected his books. Returning to the hallway he heard Korgoth and Ector running towards him, shouting his name. Looking around he discovered a window had been left open high along the hallway ceiling. Another dimension door brought him outside the tower, and he levitated safely to the ground.

Finding his rooms empty, Korgoth and Ector quickly backtracked towards the front of the Academy where Uthyr was at the same moment hailing a cab to take him away. Once firmly in the carriage, Uthyr focused his mind on the spell connecting himself to Evanescra. He could sense, to his horror, Evanescra's attempt to reforge the connection between them, presumably in order to bring her wrath to bear on her betrayer. Quickly, Uthyr attempted to untangle the spell. Unfortunately for him, his first attempt resulted in disaster. With a crash, and a spraying of prismatic color, the Wizard was whisked away to another plane of existence.

Chapter 9: Haverun
Ector is rescued by the party

Chapter 10: Tol Doru
The group meets DDF and resolves the past of the ghosts of Tol Doru

Chapter 11: Dunnih Digsite
Aliens!

Chapter 12: The Airship
Airship is made, Ector becomes the Shield Anvil of Mesha

Chapter 13: Mesha and The Keys
The portal is opened!