The Early Days
In the Beginning... 
Our party started adventuring in the year 1004AC in Threshold, a town at the foot of hills leading into the Black Mountains, in the Grand Duchy of Karameikos, part of the greater realm of Mystara. First and foremost a mining and logging community, Threshold held the reputation of having nurtured countless adventuring parties through their early careers. At some point all such individuals left to pursue adventure on a grander scale, no doubt finding themselves embroiled in adventures across the length and breadth of the Known World.
The party came together through a common desire to explore wilderness to the north, beyond the safety of Threshold's town walls. The ageing wizard Valtanivark informed his young apprentice Lana of a ruined tower many miles to the north, at the base of the mountains. Rumour told of a dungeon beneath the ruins, in which lurked mysterious creatures, guardians and hoarders of treasure and knowledge. A fervent desire grew within the young girl to set out and explore the ruins in the hope of gaining valuable experience. For too long she had been immersed in arduous study, without opportunity to gain an insight into the practical applications of magic, let alone life outside her master's tower. True power, she knew, could only come from learning the ways of the wider world.
Magic-user and dwarf
Lana went first to the home of Drewen Goldenhammer, a dwarf who by his people's standards was young but was in any event over 90 years of age. Despite being a newcomer in town, local folk had come to know Drewen as a kind and merry soul, also trustworthy and strong of heart. Upon her first visit to Drewen's cottage Lana had eyed the hammer hanging above his fireplace. No doubt the weapon longed to be put to use. The adventure to the ruined tower would no doubt lead below the earth's surface, where Drewen's dwarven senses would prove invaluable against traps and the like. To Lana's delight the jovial dwarf declared himself happy to accompany his friend on their first quest together. In Drewen's words, "somebody needed to look after the young ones".
...and cleric
Next to lend his skills to the party was Threy, a novice priest from a small (and seemingly anarchical) church which had recently settled in town. Perceiving this new faith as a cult, local folk remained suspicious of Threy and his fellow clergy, whose motives and teachings remained largely unknown. One evening in the town's Misty Beard Inn, Lana and Drewen lent a sympathetic ear as the young acolyte explained how his church's sacred idol, a statue, had been stolen by a band of rival clerics. Threy had been sent by his elders to trace the statue's whereabouts, and in so doing perhaps acquire some treasure for himself and the Church. Lana and Drewen considered themselves reasonable individuals, never quick to judge, but nevertheless found this man self-centered, cynical and untrustworthy. Threy was evidently motivated first and foremost by personal gain. However, his clerical abilities against the creatures of the undead would make Threy a useful addition to the party. So the party gained a third member.
It was clear the party needed extra fighting prowess. Lana bore only a small knife, Threy could wield a clerical mace but with no great talent - thus all the party had for its defense was Drewen's warhammer. Feeling uneasy about being the principal fighter, the dwarf thought hard then recalled making the acquantaince of an eager young fighter named Canerzon in a tavern several weeks before. Canerzon was a member of Threshold's Town Guard, and was known to wield a sword capably having received weapons training as part of his induction into service. Can was introduced to Lana and Threy and seemed a courageous and likeable sort. Thus the party was complete.
Lana recounted her master's story - how a rival wizard had built a tower some time ago, a dozen miles to the north, with a dungeon which harboured monsters and treasure. Concerned for the wellbeing of Threshold's inhabitants, Valtanivark had travelled to the tower and discovered that its master was using dark magic to summon creatures from beyond the grave. Rezgale (as was the wizard's name) undoubtedly posed a threat to Threshold therefore Valtanivark confronted his rival in a magical duel. The lengthy battle culminated in the devastation of the tower and much of the surrounding countryside. Rezgale fled during the final stages of the battle, and his fate remained a mystery.
Townsfolk spread rumours of their own - tales of walking skeletons, goblins and over-sized types of everyday animals. This struck fear into the would-be adventurers, but the prospect of treasure filled them with anticipation. Lana in particular imagined uncovering Rezgale's magical library, if it had survived, discovering books and scrolls filled with knowledge beyond what she could dream.
The Quest to the Tower
With great excitement, the foursome purchased standard adventuring equipment - rations, lantern oil, rope, and other useful items. Even a few vials of costly holy water, blessed by a local priest, were purchased as protection against Rezgale's undead minions. No doubt many had survived their master's demise.
It took the party a full day of trekking to reach the ruined tower. For miles around was wasteland and desolation. They located a wide hole amid some of the debris and lowered themselves down into the darkness of tunnels beneath. There in the bowels of the earth they would encounter foes such as goblins and hobgoblins, walking skeletons, a zombie, giant rats and bats and shrews, even a deadly tarantella spider, around ten feet long! Drewen was savagely bitten in the fight, but the hardy dwarf fought off the onset of the monster's venom and survived. Canerzon proved his worth time and time again, valiantly drawing Lana behind his shield when the mage was at her most vulnerable. Lana tried her best to aid her companions in combat, but being physically weak and armed only with a dagger, there was little she do to turn the tide of battle. Threy used his mace but was constantly poised to flee if he foresaw personal danger. The party quickly learned that Threy was not to be relied upon.
Emerging from the ruins at the end of their adventure, Canerzon possessed a magical ring which could render him invisible, while Lana had unearthed two scrolls, each bearing a magical spell. These excited her, since she would be able to scribe the new incantations into her spellbook thus increasing her spellcasting repertoire.
A tidy amount of gold had been acquired along with several gems, thus it was agreed that the foursome made a good team. And so further adventures were sought.
In the months that followed the party were reluctant to stray far from Threshold; opportunities for adventuring proved plentiful nevertheless.
The companions investigated catacombs beneath a toppled temple in Threshold's very town centre, suspected to have been a cult of the Immortal Thanatos. The competing faiths in Threshold had united to cause an earthquake which destroyed the death-priests' upper complex, revealing a dungeon-like area beneath. Drewen, Lana, Threy and Canerzon found this to contain goblins and other creatures such as oozes and carrion crawlers, even a pack of werewolves. A mysterious chasm was found in a lower level, its depths filled with swirling lights of every colour imaginable. Here Lana also befriended a starve-maddened giant ferret, one of several which had been kept in squalor by the clerics to rid the tunnels of rats and other lowlife. This ferret has been adopted and domesticated, now named Whiskers. Lana also chanced upon a scroll within a hidden closet; thinking the writing to contain a magical spell she read the scroll in haste but too late discovered that she had succumbed to a magical curse. She would be compelled in all future battles not to withdraw from combat until she or her opponent were dead. This powerful curse was one of "Bloodlust" and could only be removed by a high-level cleric, for whom Lana would be required to perform a favour or quest.
Also in this quest the party was set upon by a creature composed of shadows, whose chilling touch drained the heroes of their physical fortitude. It became clear only magical weapons could defend the party against such a foe. A dying cleric named Ceredict took pity on the adventurers, bidding Threy with his dying breath to take up his mace, which it transpired was magical. And so the party managed to escape.
The four also ventured further into the nearby Black Peak mountains, uncovering a hostile tribe of orcs named the BoneBreaker Tribe, this name coming from an ogre who lived alongside the humanoids. By this stage Canerzon was increasingly less able to accompany the party - as a Town Guard, he was kept busy by the threat of werewolves amassing and preying on the farms around Threshold. The remaining party-members therefore hired a retainer to escort them on this quest - the man who responded to their advertisement was a surly fighter named Scaramon, who fought well but died defending his employers against the attacks of the ogre BoneBreaker. Fighter and ogre exchanged killing blows, both their lifeless bodies falling into a freezing undergound river to be carried away into darkness. During this quest, Drewen confronted the chieftain of the orc tribe and defeated him, returning his beaten body to the church in Threshold. Lana in this quest acquired a bronze ring of protection, given to her by the Elder of the Church.
Other exploits included:-
- within a derelict mine, a Mirror of Life Trapping was found. Drewen and Lana were drawn into the mirror's depths, requiring Threy to destroy the item to liberate his companions. Trapped within the mirror had also been a medusa who, once her true nature was revealed, attempted to turn the companions to stone. This highly magical creature possessed a silver ring of telekinesis, which at a later stage in the adventure Lana and Drewen put to excellent use in obtaining a massive ruby which otherwise would have been beyond their reach;
- in Threshold an elderly widow named Lynneth complained about noises coming from her attic, which her neighbours attributed to nothing more than the onset of old age. Drewen sympathised with the woman's plight and offered to investigate, finding her loft to be infested by a flock of deadly stirges! The needle-beaked creatures left the companions nursing heavy wounds but were cleared out nevertheless;
- as payment for identifying the party's magical items, Valtanivark asked Lana to obtain a component for a spell he was working on - magical honey from a giant bee hive. Such a hive was located not far from the shores of Lake Windrush. Smoke was used to disorientate the bees while the companions snook inside the hive to fill a flask to brimming with honey from the hive's core. Upon exiting however the party was confronted not only by the angry bees but also by several ferocious robber flies. Whereas the bees could only sting once before dying, the robber flies who preyed upon them were capable of stinging repeatedly which made them even more dangerous opponents;
- a young boy went missing from Threshold and his family became distraught when he could not be located. Search parties were formed and Drewen's team discovered the child's shoe in marshland along the Foamfire River. It transpired that the child had been drawn into a nearby cave complex, where monsters such as giant leeches, serpents and lizardmen abounded. Thankfully the child was rescued and returned to his family.
Enter Maximus
Further adventures followed. In one such quest the party met their first magic-using foe - the wizard Maximus. This man reminded Lana of her master's rival Rezgale, since both harboured unwholesome fixations with the undead. Maximus had filled his lair with images of skulls and carvings of bone - indeed the mage's foremost creation was a four-armed golem, made entirely from human bones. The dungeon exhausted the party on their first visit, so the three plus their new retainer (a Traladaran thief named Otto, from Threshold) were forced to retreat back to town but later returned - defeating the golem and gaining access to Maximus' bedchamber. Although the necromancer escaped by use of his magic, Lana accquired two new treasures, both of considerable power. One was a wand of paralysation; the other a magical dagger. The dagger's hilt was marked with the effigy of a skull and, it transpired, had been cursed by Maximus. The dagger took hold of Lana's free will - binding her to use only that weapon and no other, while at the same time sapping the young mage of what little physical fortitude she possessed. Once again Lana had been cursed! A second quest for the Church of Karameikos was required - this time not simply to remove the curse but to reverse it, so that the dagger might be used for some good purpose. It took Lana months to accomplish her quest for the Church Elders, but having done so the dagger was finally hers, the marking upon its hilt now a rose with a tiny amber at the centre.
And the party's adventures continued...
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