After Loren Abbey

Once the characters have left Loren Abbey, they will then proceed to make their way back to Blackoak. It will be four days travel back to the city, and if they arrive on schedule, they should meet up with the dwarf Ranvil who's making his way to Blackoak with the PC's equipment that very same day. Once in Blackoak, they need to notify authorities (town guard, Sasarian religion) of what has occurred at the Abbey and return Angelica to her father, thereby collecting the rest of their payment.

It is the journey back that this adventure begins, and the characters receive a subtle omen of what is to come. They will have one days travel without coming to any harm - this is mainly to recover from what happened at the Abbey. However, the next day, things begin to go awry:

"You have been riding for a half day through Sirilax Wood when you notice that the trees are beginning to thin out, and a far off glitter upon what you see of the horizon indicates that you are nearing the edge of the wood and coming closer to Lake Reflect - perhaps reaching it at nightfall. The forest is silent now, even the wind seems to have retreated from the treetops. In fact, the quiet is almost eerie, and extremely unsettling. The only noise is the monotonous stamping of horse-hooves on the dry soil. A sense of uncertainty fills your party, the air is thick with the smell of pine and dust. Looking to the path, you notice an area to the right up ahead where pine needles have failed to gather. The soil in this particular spot is particularly dry, and almost has the consistency of powder. As you watch the ground there begins to churn. Angelica gasps as the sand begins to move upwards in a column, and then forms itself into the likeness of a huge serpent. Rooted to the spot, like a vine sprouting from the earth, the serpent coils and turns to face your party. Rocks jut from its back like spikes jutting from a snakes spine, and a pair of grassy weeds fan out on both sides of the earthern serpents head, giving the appearance of sail-like ears."

This creature is an Earth Weird, and has its origins on the Elemental Plane of Earth, yet it is frequently found on the Prime Material. This particular Earth Weird has 62 hit points. This battle will continue until, preferably, the PC's are near death, and the Earth Weird is about to give the killing stroke to one PC. Suddenly it begins to convulse.

"As the creature looms over you, arching its back of rock and soil for the killing stroke, its pupilless eyes of polished white rock suddenly open wide. The serpent rears back, its body convulsing and thrashing madly. Then it falls heavily to the soil, twitching, before becoming still...and returning to dust as it crumbles away."

If the creature itself dies (reaches 0 hp), it will suddenly fall into a mountain of earth. Four turns later it will reform and attack again. The PC's will have to reduce it to -10 hp before it is truly dead. If they haven't killed it after two battles, and/or the PC's may destroy the animal, read the following smaller passage

"Suddenly, as you prepare to give the killing stroketo the beast its pupilless eyes of polished white rock suddenly open wide. The serpent rears back, its body convulsing and thrashing madly. Then it falls heavily to the soil, twitching, before becoming still ... and returning to the dust as it crumbles away."

Either passage will lead the PC's to wonder if other factors are at play in the creatures death, and so they are.

The Mage and the Tower

"Suddenly a man with a long white beard and moustache, with a lavender hat, steps from the trees to your left. His robes, covered with stars on a dark purple background, flow about him as he strides over the path to where the serpent lies - a heap of dust. "Stubborn bugger, you were" he mutters, reaching for a sack tied to his belt "Weren't going without a fight were you?" He talks to the pile of dust, completely ignoring the party, and piling handful after handful into the sack in his other hand. He finishes, tightens the top of the small pouch, and ties it back onto his belt. He then looks up at the party, holding a hand as if to block the sun. "Oh, hello, nice to meet you, Contabris is the name." He shakes the hand of the nearest person vigorously."

Contabris is actually the Player Characters Blackoak contact, and they may recognise his name. If so, no doubt, a discusion will result. Contabris will welcome them back to his tower for a nights rest and cleaning of their wounds. They will reach his tower by nightfall. DM's must refer to the notes entitled "Contabris' Tower" for details on the wizard and his home. This adventure now ties in with the adventure listed as "The Magic of Nature", the DM is advised to convert to this scenario in order to play the three days with Contabris. Roleplay this particular scenario carefully.

PC's will then continue to Blackoak, either by denying Contabris' invitation, or by leaving the next day in order to meet up with Ranvil on time. Even so, Contabris will invite one of the wizard PC's (Mandril specifically) to stay for a couple of days, and he will teleport them to Blackoak in order to meet up with their friends in three days. Contabris instructs the PC's to meet their friends at the well behind the "Warm Hearts Inn".

"By all means, my friends, stay in this inn that night, for the atmosphere is as warm as the fire. The innkeeper's name is Ronald, a friend of mine, mention my name and he may give you a discount on board...or at least, I hope he does."

Dreams and Discoveries

Whatever the PC's decide to do, travel back to Blackoak is inevitable. If they are still weak, characters may not encounter anything. However, a Random Encounter may occur as the PC's follow the edge of Lake Reflect on their way back to town.

ROLL 1D4 FOR ENCOUNTER TYPE.
1) Green hag(1)
2) Freshwater Troll - Scrag (1-2)
3) Orcs (1d12+1)
4) Giant Leech (3)
If not, the trip is uneventful. However, back in town, Shantra McTavish is coming to the end of her terrible illness. She has sought sanctuary in the church of her religion, and a priest known as Mark will find her at this point, in the morning, sweating heavily, her forehead lined and her lips moving silently. He will try to awaken her, and then ask what she was dreaming. The dream is as follows:

"Shantra walks alone, in her ceremonial robes through darkness. Her footsteps echo into the distance, she is barefoot. Suddenly, four glowing circles appear before her hovering in the air - one is green, one is blue, one is red and the last is white. They intertwine slowly, and then plunge into the ground at her feet. Suddenly a grotesque shape rears from the soil and reaches for her. It climbs out of a rift in the ground, a rift of fire, and walks toward her. It is humanoid with glowing red eyes and is twice her size. Shantra puts her arms over her head as massive fists descend. Then, the beast and the rift are gone. Shantra finds herself in tunnels far beneath the earth, and looking to her left, sees a strange glyph or symbol. It is a pentagram in a circle, with a question mark within the pupil of an eye in it's centre. She reaches out and touches it, suddenly a hand erupts from the wall and grabs her wrist - she awakens to find Mark holding her hand."

The First Steps Are Taken

The following transcript is an account of how things would occur in Blackoak for the next two days starting from 12:00pm the same day Shantra completes the adventure that fills the three day gap between her dream and the day Orion arrives in town ("Warm Hearts"). First, a number of things must occur before this adventure may progress to any great degree:

*Orion is to meet with the dwarf Ranvil, carrying the characters gear from The Black Circle after they were seperated when the PC's accidentally discovered a one-way portal to Blackoak.

**Mandril will also have been teleported to the back of the Warm Hearts Inn on the very same day Orion arrives on the borders of Blackoak at about 10:00am. He has dire news for the others as the warrior-mage Castor has perished at the hands of a Dragon-kin leading a small band of his brethren. He also has a prisnor, one of the creatures responsible, and a scenario may follow in which he explains these things and decides what to do with the prisnor. No doubt the local townsfolk will respond to some degree!!

12:00pm - The thief known as Saiph enters Blackoak at this time and makes his way (he is on foot leading his horse) to the inn known as the "Warm Hearts". A stableboy at the door takes his horse, and Saiph flicks him a silver piece, before walking inside. If the characters are present within the tavern at this time, read the following.

"As it is lunchtime, business picks up in the tavern-hall as patrons come in for a meal. One group of three ladies laden with several items, obviously purchased that day walk in and take a table in one of the meal booths on the other side of the room, they chatter to themselves lightly, and every so often one nods or makes an expression of feigned shock or surprise. Obviously they are gossiping about something, or someone. Minutes later, as a serving girl takes the gossips orders, two men come in wearing leather and walk straight to the bar, asking prices for rooms and meals. After sorting out accomadation they take a free table close to the bar in the middle of the room, then proceeding to glance about the room at others, before roving in your direction, you quickly glance away to avoid unsettling the newcomers, and perhaps starting something nasty"

(Note: If the characters want to glance back and study these men, so be it, but they will probably notice the attention. In fact, if Mandril still has his Dragon-kin on a leash nearby, these men will no doubt notice the PC's. They are not stupid drunks, and are quite courteous. If the PC's continue to stare in their direction they will approach with an "excuse me, is their some reason we acquire your interests my friends? Or do you often stare at strangers?" Indeed, they will also approach to ask why the PC's have the Dragon-kin in their possession, if so. Named Joseph Morley and Peter Morley, these two are themselves fortune-hunters. Peter is quite young and still somewhat innocent. They have traveled from Serpentine on the trail of adventure. Their tales are pretty mediocre, but Peter tells them with gusto, as he is new to the trade of being a fighter. The DM can make up something to do with any non-magical creature such as Lizard-men of the Forakken Marsh, Orcs or Kobolds, which are quite common to this region. Joseph is Peters father, and has seen some adventuring with a small party of three in his younger days as well. He has seen better. He quit upon discovering he had pregnant girlfriend in Serpentine. His wife died seven weeks ago from pneumonia, and he talks little of this but to mention it when pressed, and looks at his feet, eyebrows knit. He is now searching for his old adventuring pals, one who dwells here in Blackoak (a fighter-Mark Woodbridge), and another in Ripwood (a mage-Darick Tryst). He hopes to get the party going again. If the PC's offer their assistance, Joseph will decline. He prefers that he and his son go it alone for a while. "He turns to look at his son, who has gone to the bar for drinks. 'You see, he's still a little naive, and needs to learn to survive by himself. There are far to many dangers out there for a boy such as himself to be relying on assistance and companionship all his life. I'll guide him, and relax my grip on the boy so that he tastes a little independence, even gets his eye-blackened or nose broken, or a good gash from some blood-thirsty creature, so that he learns to use his head before his sword. I want to teach the boy a little on the cruelty he ignores out there. I'll always be with him to protect him from anything real bad, but I want him to become a little more wise before I seek a number of companions. It's my way of passing on my wisdom to the boy, rather than sitting him down and embarassing him. He's a young man now, he needs to learn his own lessons".)

"Just then, another walks in. This stranger is all alone and by the look of his cloak has traveled for some distance. His knee high leather boots are splashed with dried mud up to the fur around the top, and the base of his cloak, which flows behind him, also to his knees, is in the same condition. He unfastens the collar of his grey tunic as he walks in and takes of his hood to reveal golden hair and a lined, stern face. He walks to the bar and repeats the earlier enquiries on room and meals before ordering a small glass of the cheapest elvish spirits. He then turns and surveys the room (his grey eyes studying the Dragon-kin intently,) and then your group for an instant before he turns back and pays for the drink which has arrived, he then motions to a shapely barmaid with a smile, intending to order a meal. She approaches him, swinging her hips a little more than usual. As he orders, four noisy men walk in, who have obviously made a start on the booze even though it is only early afternoon. They are slapping each other on the back and laughing, saying something about "...last days of bachelorhood" to one guy in the middle of the group. They take a meal booth two down from your own, and start whistling for the serving girl who is dishing out meals to the gossips, she initially frowns, but then approaches them courteously. They begin to order, slipping in some harassing comments as well about what's on offer. You turn back to your own affairs."

Meanwhile; Contabris, in his tower receives news from Corvus (his familiar has been out flying) that a party of Cryptics is approaching Blackoak on the north side of town, still a day and a half out and he teleports to them to learn of their purpose in Blackoak. He has long been an associate member of this enigmatic organisation, and is interested in their affairs. He will join them on their quest, which is to be revealed. They will not reach town till lunchtime tomorrow.

The rest of the afternoon is open to the PC's, and they may concern themselves with shopping and settling into the Inn. Whatever they do, they will hopefully be back in the Inn at 6:45pm for tea, regardless if they are or not, it starts raining outside, and great black clouds make the approach of night even faster, serving to drive almost everyone off the streets. The tavern of the inn is bustling with activity when the PC's come in for a meal, and they are lucky to gain their regular table near the door.

"The Inn is unbelievably busy tonight, and no doubt due to the rain you listen to pouring down outside. Four serving girls rush about taking orders for food and serving dishes to the many customers whose combined talk makes the room a noisy medley of stories and banter from all directions. The chatter will force you to talk amongst yourselves in more than hushed tones, and positively yell your orders at the approaching serving-girl"

Hopefully the PC's will want to survey the room for familiar faces or to scout for trouble, if they do, read the following (and give a 20 point role-playing bonus to the player who brings it up):

"You survey the room slowly, focusing one-by-one on the many faces in the tavern-hall tonight. Unfortunately, the four boisterous men that came in at lunchtime are still here, now drunk as skunks and singing songs. The next table from you holds a man studying a book as he spoons soup to himself, occasionally glancing at the wall behind him which seperates his booth from the drunks with some annoyance. He has the book propped against a mug, and careful scrutiny from where you sit reveals its title to be "The Life of B.P. Barnsworth, Merchant and Bard". He looks up as you read, peering from behind the wall to your meal-booth, and rolls his eyes, indicating the singing group with a movement of his head. You smile in return and continue to survey the other patrons. Sitting directly across from you in a meal-booth on the other side of the room you see a huge shape sitting in the shadows of his booth, eating. the candle in the middle of his table has been snuffed, presumably by him. His massive shape, obviously testimony to a great strength, is further indistinguishable from where you sit by the fact that he wears a long, thick, black cloak with the hood over. You notice a great two-handed bastard sword in its sheath lying on the chair opposite him, alongside a large, stuffed backpack which huddles in the corner. He obviously wants privacy as he eats. With a sudden shock you note that the character is slowly turning, looking at you from deep within the dark confines of his black hood, and he stops moving for an instant as he acknowledges your scrutiny of him, by his pausing you are to assume he has taken offense to you staring. You continue to survey the other patrons and in the corner of your eye notice he has returned to his meal upon your eyes leaving him. As you do so, the traveler with the metal-grey tunic and braies that came in at lunchtime has come from his quarters and again taken a seat at the bar, his black hood is hanging low on his back, showing that he has loosened his cloak a little but has not taken it off. It has been cleaned of mud however, as well as his boots. He motions to the same barmaid and she acknowledges winking flirtatiously before approaching for him to order his evening meal. She leans in close over the bar, showing a great deal of her ample cleavage. you turn away smiling. Two men stand by the great fireplace on the rug, leaning against the mantle on which they have placed their drinks. By their dress you assume them to be a bard and a well-dressed commoner. The bard, as flamboyantly attired as any in his trade, leading to your assumption, has a long sword on his belt, and wears gloves of lightly tanned leather that dance about as he gesticulates with his speech. The other man, dressed smartly in a red doublet and brown braies has no visible weoponry on him and nods and smiles emphatically with the bards talk. Just then, laughing boisterously, one of the drunks gets up and swaggers over to the bar to order "..another round" slapping down some silver. He turns and winks at his friends, who laugh, and you recognise him as the one who is presumably about to be married. He gets the drinks, two to each hand, and doing a remarkably good job at not spilling a drop in his drunken state, turns to make his way back to the table. Suddenly, he trips on the corner of the grey man's stool and falls flat on his face. The ale, splashes on the floor, spilling towards your table and the readers table, who looks up from his book. The whole room goes dead silent. The man gets up from the floor and turns to face the grey man. "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing, kobold-features! Huh? You trying to kill me? You smug son of a bitch!" He swings at the man with his fist, but being sober, he dodges the drunken swing easily, jumping from his stool. "Look, friend, I don't want any trouble. Why don't you just go back to your table and sing a few more songs off-key". The bard at the fireplace moves closer and smiles at the last comment. He jumps to the grey man's defense, "He's right in desiring to avoid anything unnecessary my friend, He has not tripped you intentionally and I'm sure the good tender, Roland, would be happy to replace the spilt drinks. Am I right, Roland?". The bartender nods, "most assuredly, Stephen Mystborn". You get the impression that this name was mentioned to deter the drunk from a fight due to this bards reputation, but it had no effect. The other three drunks stand and walk up behind their companion. A slight mutter ripples through the other patrons. "Like hell I'm gunna let this weasel go!" screams the drunk and takes another swing, his companions dash forward to hold back the bard. The grey clothed man dodges the blow again and this time ducks low, punching the drunk in the stomach. He then runs backward panicing until his back is to the wall near the fireplace, a window to hi other side where he stands fumbling in his pockets for something as the drunk regains his footing, clutching his stomach. He soon pulls out a ring and slips it on his finger. The bard sends one drunk cartwheeling into a table at which sit a family eating, their food flying in all directions. Another drunk sits on the floor near the bar, clutching his head after being slammed into a nearby support beam. Suddenly the grey-suited man holds his hands high and mutters "FLORMA HACKTAIN, ARALAM, FLORMA PROMBIL". The ring he has on his right hand glows for an instant before the fire in the heath roars outwards nearly scorching the man that was originally conversing with the bard, Stephen Mystborn. Suddenly, as the man in grey opens the window near him and climbs out into the rain, four creatures jump from the enlarged flames, which then go back to normal. These four entities step out into the tavern and immediately start to wreak havoc. Three of the creatures look like small alligators standing on their hind legs. Their eyes face forward and a crest of stiff looking tentacles sprout from their heads. They are covered in tiny red scales that flicker and spark with a firey red glow. Each of these tiny creatures only stands about twenty-five to thirty centimetres tall. The other creature is nowhere near as small, standing around five feet. It is a wirey looking humanoid with a pointed nose and long chin with a goatee. It has bright red skin, a long tail and bats wings. It holds up a clawed hand and stares evilly about the room. The little glowing crocodile things scatter, one of them climbing up onto the bar. You are about to respond when the humanoid thing steps toward the four drunks, opens its mouth and wheezes inward before discharging a sheet of flame a full foot wide, ten feet across the room to ignite the fleeing drunk who started the whole thing. He screams as he falls to the floor almost at your Mandrils feet, burning. Everyone seems to be streaming towards the door and so restricting your view of the situation across the room near the fireplace and of course your movements toward that area. The panic is incredible. The mother who was sitting at the smashed table screams in unison with the serving-girls as she grabs her small daughter in her arms and runs with everyone else. The serving girls, flirtatious barmaid and those with rooms head for the back door to the rooms and kitchen beyond. The bard and a few other brave men steady their footing and grab weapons."

*Saiph has summoned a fire mephit (PLANESCAPE COMPENDIUM pg.73) and three flamelings (Elemental Vermin). The people in the inn scatter and run for the door.

"One of the remaining drunks finds himself the target of tiny fire-balls thrown like ping-pong balls by two alligator creatures. The other one is bothering Ronald, setting the bar alight. Ronald throws a cloth over it and tries to grab the tiny creature, but the towel ignites and soon falls burning around the monster. The other humanoid horror turns to face its attackers, one being the bard (the other may be a PC)."

*Unbeknownst to anyone else, other things have occurred. An anti-paladin by the name of Rusaall watched the proceedings from his dark corner of the room from the depths of his black hood. He left as soon as Saiph started scrampling out the window in order to pursue the thief. He has recognised the use of a very powerful magical ring.

Meanwhile; on the outskirts of town, in his study, the mage Draco Vilmont watches the proceedings through a crystal ball (from the point where the thief punches the drunk in the stomach) - an imp knon as Pollux also watches, crouching on the table and grinning horribly, displaying a row of needle-like teeth. He tells the wizard he must obtain the ring that the thief used for it contained a great deal of power. Draco nods and looks at the ring he has on his own finger. He has the water ring, brother to the ring Saiph has. "We must have that ring Draco, for when combined with the one you have, your summoning power increases!" says Pollux as he watches the drunk burn in the crystal ball. Draco and Pollux do not know that the thief has come to town in order to retrieve that very same ring he has - the water ring. OR, that Saiph also possesses the ring of earth in conjunction to the ring of fire.

That night, Saiph heads toward the trashier parts of town and soon meets up with Taurill, leader of the local thieves guild and some of his cohorts in the rain. Saiph knows Taurill by reputation, and through some sweet talking and demonstration of his wealth (jiggles a small purse of copper and silver, actually only a third of what he actually has) manages to ask for sanctuary in the headquarters of the local guild. Looking behind Saiph, Rusaall steps from the shadows and nods. Saiph also sees this and turns pale. Rusaall has removed his hood in the rain but is now wearing his helmet - and a terrible horned visage the helm gives him in the gloom too. "Agreed, Saiph" says Taurill, Saiph turns back to him and then back to see the black knight...but he has vanished as swiftly as he came back into the night "you may find sanctuary amongst our numbers. Come, let us get out of this rain, I'll show you were you'll be staying".

Rusaall follows silently behind soon after, he is interested in the thief and what he has. He has followed closely up until Saiph's meeting with Taurill from the Inn, and any PC's who may have tried to follow Saiph after he fled through the window and into the rain would have soon felt a crossbow bolt. No doubt Saiph had no idea he was being followed but would have been thankful for the bizarre escort. rusaall tips his quarrels with a hallucinogenic drug, the hallucinations the PC's suffer a round later and for a whole turn are up to the DM, but are recommended as terrifying and horrible visions.

The Next Day

The thief awakens the next day to a sword at his throat, the anti-paladin Rusaall knows that magical items have key words and he wants them. The thief, Saiph, refuses to talk unless he gets some help himself. Four Cryptics have followed him from Redstaff, as to recover the rings stolen from a now 'defunct' wizard. Unless Rusaall and the thieves help eliminate these guys and give him his freedom afterwards - no words. Reluctantly, the anti-paladin agrees, as long as he ends up with the power of that ring (he to still thinks there is only one)

Lunchtime that same day, four Cryptics arrive in town and immediately go to the inn in which the summonings took place. They've been talking to Contabris who again recommended the Inn to someone he has met, and arrive only by chance at the place where they occurred. They lodge here, and then begin asking questions about what happened. The four Cryptics - Arcturus, Claudia "The Opal" Stone, Torpin and Sharon "The Sharp" - are intent on capturing Saiph and returning the elemental rings to the care of the Redstaff mage guild. They will question those who were present in the inn last night, including PC's. They have the thief's trail again!

Meanwhile a member of the local thieves guild slips out the door to tell the others that the Cryptics have arrived. Arcturus notices him edging his way out and employs ESP (contact) to learn of what he's up to. he turns to his friend and indicates the thief, the thief notices this and suddenly bolts out the door. Sharon and Arcturus pursue. The chase in this town is not going to be easy, it's market day. The thief runs straight to the market gardens intent on getting lost in the crowd. Fortunately for him, six other thieves, including Taurill, are at the market 'gleaning' stuff from the general populace.

Recognising the Cryptics seal, the thieves take Sharon and Arcturus prisnor (as well as any PC's who may have run after the thief). And dragging them away from the public view at knife-point, knock them unconcious and take them to the thieves guild headquarters. Before being knocked senseless, Arcturus sends out a message of warning to Torpin the dwarven crystallite - along with images of a scarred forearm, daggers and a face (Taurills).

Torpin goes, along with Claudia Stone, to the local authorities (town guard) and any PC's who wish to come along may do so. Torpin and the guard cannot act without knowledge of Arcturus and Sharon's whereabouts. Torpin sends a quick plea for help to Contabris the mage.

Arcturus and Sharon awake bound and gagged in a cellar, with Rusaall, Taurill, Saiph and three thieves standing over them. Saiph mocks the efforts of the Cryptics, and draws his sword, intent on killing them - Rusaall holds him back, deciding to use the Cryptics as bait for the others.

Torpin receives his images - along with a description of Rusaall - and the chase is on. Meanwhile, back in the cellar, Draco Vilmont and Pollux suddenly appear in front of everyone and casually Draco demands the rings. Rusaall draws his bastard sword, Taurill his twin blades and Sai