The Party Reforms

The five party members had all returned to Specularum and were well-rested after their recent adventuring, but faced uncertainty as to what the future would hold. What motivation could they find for adventuring together, or put differently, what single goal could unite the needs and desires of each of the companions?

A common purpose?

The companions had several options from which to choose. Drewen made clear that he would be happy to remain in Specularum for a while and serve as barman in the Flying Ferret Inn. For too long the companions had delegated responsibility for running their homely establishment to their hired staff, and Drewen for one fancied getting back into hands-on management.

Lana meanwhile, eager as ever pursue her magical studies while putting her dagger skills to use, wished to go dragon-hunting in the Altan Tepe mountain range to the north of Threshold. She informed her friends that she sought the scales of a white dragon to act as component for the Ice Storm spell she had been hoping to research for some time.

There was also the green dragon Korak, who thanks to Karnus having discovered the creature's lair, was known to be at large in the Dymrak Forest. No doubt the dragon was operating as mastermind to the activities of the many goblin tribes which which perpetrated much chaos through the outlying lands, including the village of Glaston where Lana's mother, a healer of the Church of Traladara, had been murdered by humanoid raiders. The party felt certain they would be doing the inhabitants of the Grand Duchy a favour by ridding them of this beast. However, the dragon knew that a mortal had located his lair. The longer the party delayed in confronting Korak, the longer the dragon would have to relocate his treasure hoard, or himself, or both.

It was decided that if the party was to attempt to slay Korak, they would need a powerful weapon to use against him. After all, a single breath from the beast's lungs would be sufficient to obliterate each and every one of them. Therefore it was decided that Karnus should attempt to unlock the powers of the Staff of Hutaaka before any other action.

Karnus managed to persuade Threy into letting him borrow the enchanted silver needle from Golthar's lair. Holding the needle between finger and thumb, he fed the golden thread he had taken from the vault in the Temple of Pflarr through its eye then touched its point to the ageing tapestry which the dryad had gifted to him on the Island of Lost Dreams. The needle darted across the ragged surface, adorning it with a sparkling pattern - a treasure map! It highlighted numerous hutaakan settlements, all now in ruins, but one of which might contain the knowledge Karnus needed to access the powers of the Staff. After studying the scrolls he had removed from the libraries of Xitaqa and Hutaaka, Karnus had deduced that the knowledge he sought stood the best chance of being found in an outpost not far outside Threshold. The others would accompany their comrade on his journey to the north, since Threshold was effectively now their second home and they all looked forward to returning to familiar surroundings.

Therefore the party travelled upriver to the logging town of Threshold. Once there, Lana stopped by her master's tower to recover the magical items which Valtanivark had begrudgingly agreed to evaluate for the party. Golthar's gold ring turned out to be a ring of protection, more powerful than the plain brass ring Lana currently wore. The scarab brooch which Threy had claimed would deflect any curses directed at the wearer; also the quill pen found in the vault below the Temple of Pflarr was a luxury item, capable of scribing any non-magical text which the owner chose to dictate. Lana pondered how she might be able to put this item to clever use.

The male party members packed their belongings to go locate the abandoned Hutaakan ruins where Karnus hoped to unlock the mystery of the Staff. Sounding slightly awkward, Lana announced that she would not be joining the party. The Staff had chosen Karnus as its master, and this was his personal quest. As much as she wished him success with his endeavour, Lana thought it best not to become involved herself. In her view, too many magic-users on a quest such as this risked spoiling the broth. She had no doubt the others would be capable of fending for themselves without her. And so Lana remained at her master's tower while Karnus and the others departed in search of the ruins.

In search of the unknown

The four companions, then, walked a mile or so beyond Threshold's defences and arrived at the cluster of ruined dwellings which had appeared on Karnus' tapestry map. Ironically, Drewen and Threy had known of these ruins for years but hadn't guessed for an instant that there might be a dungeon or settlement beneath the crumbling debris.

As the party approached the centre of the ruins, the Staff of Hutaaka came to life in Karnus' grasp. Its sapphire eyes glowed with mystic light, then a ray of magic shot from their depths. The bolt of force slammed into the ground at Karnus' feet, blasting apart a section of solid bedrock and sending up a cloud of dust. When the air cleared (and Karnus stopped shaking from his excitement!) ancient stone steps could be seen leading down into the darkness.

Lighting torches, the companions ventured into the earth, following a spiralling staircase to the bottom where they found a large crack in one wall, which was large enough for a person to squeeze through. Karnus, leading the others, stepped toward the fissure but recoiled as a gelatinous mass oozed though the gap and moved in the party's direction, evidently having sensed their presence. The party identified the creature as an ochre jelly, a creature which Karnus felt certain could only be harmed by fire. Informing his companions, the party members began swatting at the creature with their torches, fumbling with tinderboxes and flasks of oil. It became clear that this was doing little to harm the jelly, while the companions themselves were taking heavy burn damage from the thing's acidic touch. In desperation, Karnus urged his companions back up the steps in an attempt to clear enough room enough to safely cast a Fireball. After some frantic maneouvering they out-distanced the jelly and Karnus cast his spell in the nick of time. The wall to which the jelly clung erupted in flame, and their foe was no more.

The four companions paused a short while to catch their breath before making the decision to press on.

Squeezing through the crack in the wall, the party found themselves in a long subterranean corridor. The air was dank and stagnant, with a definite stench which increased as the party progressed deeper into the tunnel. The tunnel could be seen to broaden ahead, and after a short distance the companions entered a room. The smell was especially bad here, making Karnus suspect the presence of a sewer nearby. Three humanoids figures were waiting in a shadowy corner. As they advanced into the light, Karnus and his companions instantly recognised the misshapen creatures from their rubbery skin and needle-like teeth - trolls! Such creatures, the companions knew, could only be destroyed using fire and the party had exhausted all its combustible supplies (including Karnus' fire magic) in the fight against the jelly. It was far from an ideal scenario. Nevertheless Drewen charged valiantly forward, with Threy and Vasily following his lead. Karnus held back and called to mind the words of a spell, summoning a wall of flame across the centre of the chamber to trap two of the trolls on the far side. Having cast the spell, its maintenance required Karnus' complete concentration or the illusion (as it was) would fail.

This combined with persistent hammer-swinging from Drewen bought the party enough time to flee down the next corridor, hopefully leaving the trolls far behind them. Here however, they encountered strange, man-sized beings the likes of which they had never encountered before - hook horrors. Combat was entered and the companions emerged victorious but to a man they sustained nasty wounds from their foes' razor-sharp claws. Undeterred the party pressed ever onward.

The High Wokan ... Xaphorteq

Rounding the next corridor and turning left at a junction which presented itself, the companions entered what appeared to be a crypt. In this long and narrow chamber stood a solitary sarcophagus, its lid slightly ajar and from beneath which there seemed to come signs of movement - a hand was slowly emerging from its depths. The stone lid fell to the ground with a shattering crash as a figure rose from the tomb within. He was clothed in ancient, crumbling robes, and his bandaged face clearly possessed the features of a jackal - another Hutaakan undead such as the party had fought in the Lost Valley. The figure raised one arm and unmistakeably pointed at Karnus, whose Staff began to glow with its now-familiar blue light. For a short time nothing happened, then the figure shuffled forward to attack the bearer of the Staff. Drewen intervened to protect his friend and soon put the mummy to rest.

Karnus and the others investigated the crypt, which was found to contain a beautiful ruby brooch. In addition, ancient hieroglyphic script had been carved upon a stone slab on which the mummified figure had been resting. Having prepared for such an eventuality, Karnus placed his hand upon his eyes and incanted the Read Languages spell.

Immediately the writing on the slab became legible, and Karnus pored over the ancient carvings with hungry interest. To his dismay, the tablet did not unlock the secrets of the Staff. There was still hope however for the runes read - "You who seek to master the artifact of Plarr, speak my name into his ears." Scribed beneath was a set of letters - "XAPHORTEQ" - which Karnus presumed must be the name of whoever had carved the tablet. Below the name appeared the title, "High Wokan of Bixata". These words of guidance had been left by the Archwizard of the Hutaaka centuries before, and would surely lead to mastery of the Staff's abilities! However the party would need to find the "ears of Pflarr" to which the legend referred.

The room's only other treasure appeared to be a jade ring on the High Wokan's finger; Karnus pocketed this. It beared a distinct resemblance to the jade ring which Drewen had found on Golthar's hand.

To Drewen's expert eye the ground ahead appeared unstable, and would not have allowed safe crossing, therefore the companions retraced their steps and followed a new route from a crossing back down the trail. This new corridor led into what appeared to be a ceremonial hall, with a carved stone altar at its centre and a plinth spanning the entire length of one wall. All along this plinth stood several dozen silver statuettes, all identical and resembling Hutaakan figures. The party had fought creatures similar to these before, on the moors east of Kelvin, and knew that the vicious objects could spring into animation at any second, should they be provoked. Caution was called for. No-one would speak, or move, or touch anything in the room.

Looking around in dismay, Karnus could see no statues of the Immortal Pflarr into which he might whisper the High Wokan's name, nor any tapestries, nor any effigies other than the scores of tiny statues. Perhaps this was not the right place. But as he surveyed the length of the hall, he considered its peculiar layout. The two faraway corners seemed to be deep triangular alcoves. The whole room, it occurred to him, appeared to have been carved in the shape of a dog's head. Might this very room be a representation of Pflarr?

Stepping forward to indugle his theory, Karnus strode to the left alcove and spoke the High Wokan's name aloud. Drewen, Threy and Vasily exchanged looks of concern as tremors passed through the ground beneath their feet and the silver statuettes teetered on their long plinth. Karnus meanwhile strode to the right-hand alcove and spoke the High Wokan's name a second time, whereupon a massive section of the southernmost wall slid aside to reveal a corridor beyond. Overjoyed, Karnus and companions entered in.

As the party neared the end of the tunnel, their torchlight fell upon a shimmering set of red eyes, glowing in the dark. Could this be another set of foes, they wondered, more trolls perhaps? Instead they discovered two rows of hutaakan statues, one lining each side of the way ahead, thankfully inanimate. The companions were about to breathe sighs of relief when a ray of ruby light shot from the eyes of one statue to those of one opposite, then refracted into several rays which spread out across the corridor again and again, until the entire passage became criss-crossed by a series of intricately angled red beams. Highly distrustful of this, Drewen hefted a rock from by his foot and tossed it between the statues. The stone touched a beam and exploded into a cloud of dust.

Karnus noticed that his staff was glowing, a pale sapphire light radiating from the eyes of the jackal-headed effigy. Feeling compelled not to turn back, and against the advice of his companions, Karnus decided to press on through the beams. There was just enough room for the slender mage to fit between a few of the beams and reach the opposite side. He proved nimble ... and survived the passing, making it to the other side without coming into contact with any of the beams. Leaving Drewen, Vasily and Threy behind for a moment, he headed on alone and rounded the corner of the tunnel. Ahead stood a line of mansize, dog-headed statues, which upon Karnus coming into view lumbered forward to attack. These were not typical living statues, Karnus realised, rather they appeared to be composed of a green-hued material... jade? With a flash of clarity, Karnus knew what to do - he slipped on the jade ring he had taken from the High Wokan's body and bade the statues stand back. They did so unquestioningly.

Pressing onward the light from the Staff became increasingly bright and Karnus emerged into a smallish reading room, which was bare save for a sturdy lecturn against the opposite wall. On top of this lay a closed book, with the star symbol of Pflarr engraved on its ancient leather binding. Karnus advanced toward the lecturn with triumphant confidence, knowing that he had found what he had come seeking.

Mastery of the Staff of Hutaaka was soon to be his.

Lana left alone ... Threshold in danger

Lana strolled toward her master's Tower at a leisurely pace, wondering what adventures might befall her companions in her absence. She hoped Karnus would find the knowledge he desired. From reading the old Hutaakan texts he had theorised that the particular site on the outskirts of Threshold might have been a Hutaakans centre for magical learning. No doubt the blue-robed mage would find much to keep himself busy. In the meantime, Lana ambled around town, reassured that in such familiar territory nobody would attempt to cast Magic Missiles at her, or bury a dagger into her back, or drop from a tree to test whether she was keeping her her dagger skills well honed, or wrap her in an acidic tentacle and drag her toward a gaping maw. For what seemed like the first time in as long as she could remember, Lana savoured the peace and quiet of tranquil surroundings.

That is, until she passed through Threshold's gates and heard the sounds of determined knocking upon wood. Looking around, she noticed one of the townfolk hammering on the front door of the cottage which belonged to none other than her friend Drewen. Knowing that the dwarf was off helping Karnus with his quest, Lana approached the man and asked whether there was anything she might personally assist with. The townsman stared at her for a moment before bursting into explanation. As most people in town had heard, Drewen had informed Lana of his recent return to Rezgale's Ruins with Canerzon, when he had found the dungeon to be crawling with bugbears which he and Can had chased into the wilderness and far away from Threshold. But now, only weeks later, troupes of the same creatures had been seen prowling the forest only a short distance outside of town, by the shores of Lake Windrush. Was some-one using the bugbears to spy on the town?! All thoughts of rest and relaxation flew out the window, as Lana's hand unconsciously strayed to the pommel of her dagger.

As twilight began to descend, the woodsman escorted Lana to one of the spots where bugbears had been seen on the fringes of the nearby forest. Surveying her surroundings, Lana bid the man return home to his family, stating that she would take care of the situation alone. She walked the forest for close to an hour before locating a set of tracks. Following these, she came upon a clearing where a campfire had burnt low one or two nights ago. Lana smiled to herself, fondly recalling her time among the Foresters of Vyalia which had sharpened many of her childhood memories growing up near the Dymrak Forest. Guessing that the bugbears might not be far away, or that they could even be stalking her at that very moment, Lana considered various options before deciding to set a trap. She let out a blood-curdling scream and retreated to behind a large bush, from where she conjured the illusion of a lone wizardess lying bleeding in the middle of the clearing, glittering treasures spilling from her backpack. Bait! For an hour Lana stayed hidden, maintaining her focus on the phantasm, but to no avail. The bugbears must be elsewhere in the forest, she decided. She stood up, dispelling her illusion and picking bits of dry twig from her robes. In that instant, however, there came a scream more bloodcurdling than her own fake attempt had been, from to the north by the Lake. The bugbears had returned!

Lana cast Fly upon herself and rose above the treetops, seeking a birdseye view of the surrounding terrain. By the distant lakeside, she spied steel glinting in the moonlight and could hear the sounds of weapons clashing. Speeding across the treetops she heralded her own arrival at the battle by hurling three bolts of amber magic into the chests of the bugbears she saw present. To her excitement, the other combattants were elves whose armour bore the insignia of Duke Stefan. Whatever were the Elven Guard doing in Threshold, she wondered, fighting bugbears?

As she pondered this, one of the bugbear blades sank into the side of an elven male who dropped and lay unmoving in the sand of the lake shore. Seeing that the elves were losing the fight, Lana acted a little too hastily to lend support. She invoked a reversed Haste spell in an attempt to slow the bloodshed among the combattants and buy herself some time to think, but the spell went awry - one of the bugbears remained unaffacted while one of the elves became slowed! Another elf was slain but Lana closed with her dagger to help aggress the three remaining bugbears, and the battle turned in the elves' favour. She helped the surviving Elfguard to her feet, and after a brief exchange the two females were drawn toward more fighting further along the lakeside. Amid the dark of the night Lana thought she vaguely discerned the outline of a ship, bare-masted and moored at one side of Lake Windrush.

A small contingent of bugbears broke away and fled into the wilderness. Lana saw this, and shouted to the elves that she was going to give chase. She flew over the forest, located the bugbears and swooped down to cut off their retreat. But to her shock she discovered that the bugbears had a master.

A young female appeared from behind a tree, dressed in plain travelling garments. It struck Lana that this girl appeared no older than Lana had been when she was placed into Valtanivark's two years earlier. The girl's demeanour conveyed unmistakable hostility and menace toward Lana; somehow she knew her name and addressed her in a worryingly familiar manner. She spoke of how her master had gone to great lengths to stay informed of Lana's exploits, and had been following her companions' movements for some time. Lana demanded that the girl identify herself and her master, but the girl simply ordered her bugbear minions to attack. Lana was in a weakened physical state by now, and wished to save her strength to fight the enemy mage - so she bid the forest undergrowth to rise and engulf the bugbears in a mass of vines and brambles. As Lana was casting her spell, she became aware of the girl chanting on the opposite side of her plant barricade.

Her own spell complete, Lana stepped back. She had been distracted for a short while and knew that allowed the girl time to invoked her own spell across the thicket barrier. The girl called through the brambles, "My master's spies informed me how you fought well against one of these creatures in the past. Summoned from a device, wasn't it? Let's see whether you fare equally well against MY summoning!"

With these words, a hulking form composed of rocks and undergrowth stepped from behind the screen of plants, at least sixteen feet tall. Lana's breath caught in her chest - the girl had summoned an Earth Elemental! Shocked to her core, she had no time to contemplate how one seemingly so young could wield such powerful conjuration magics. More to the point, she realised that in her weakened form she stood little chance of vanquishing such a powerful foe. Before she could react, the beast hefted a fist and batted the green-robed mage like a fly - crushing half the life out of her. She was left with no choice if she was to survive - the only logical option would be to turn the elemental against its summoner. That way the beast's attention would be diverted from Lana, the girl would have to defend herself and in doing so she would be sure to use up spells which could otherwise obliterate devastate Lana. Drawing a scroll of Magic Missile from a robe sleeve, she prepared to bombard the elemental and its summoner... but too late. The beast's fist slammed into her a second time, before she could unfurl her scroll. The fact she was airborne did little to lessen the damage she suffered. Thinking for a split second that she heard voices coming from a short way off, Lana's world went black and she fell from the skies to land in the bushes beneath.

The end of Lana?

Thankfully not everything was as black as it seemed. Lana awoke moments later, rubbing her sore head and realising no real harm had been caused to her, other than scratches and cuts from falling into the undergrowth. Looking around, she saw no footprints where the massive elemental had been standing, nor any disruption to the ground where it had been summoned. In that instant everything made sense - the beast had been a phantasm, a fake! Lana kicked herself for her stupidity. True enough, she had heard somebody approaching before the elemental had felled - Aleena Halaran, niece of Sherlane Halaran of Threshold, arrived leading a contingent of the Duke's Elven Guard. They explained that they had heard fighting coming from nearby, and had come to lend assistance. They had all witnessed Lana being punched from the air by the earthen giant, but then as Lana fell the beast had vanished and a young girl had been seen fleeing into the depths of the forest. Lana knew now that the girl was little more than an apprentice to a more powerful magic-user. What magic-user could commanding bugbear minions...? Lana and Aleena put their heads together and came to the most logical conclusion - Bargle the Infamous.

Returning to Tarnskeep (the Patriarch's fortified castle home on the outskirts of Threshold) to spend the remainder of the night in peace, Aleena informed her uncle of the role Lana had played in opposing the bugbears. Baron Halaran seemed exceedingly appreciative of the small service Lana had rendered - he told her that he, Aleena and the Elven Guard were sworn to secrecy and could not disclose information about what had transpired on the lakeside that night. For some reason, Bargle had been using Rezgale's Ruins as a den for his bugbear troops, and tonight they had launched a massive assault on the town, as if they were seeking something specific. Lana acknowledged the sensitivity of the matter and promised never to speak of what had happened that night to any person outside the Patriarch's trust.

Walking back to Valtanivark's tower early the next morning, Lana reflected happily on how she had been able to help foil the scheming of an evil wizard such as Bargle. His apprentice had revealed that her master was keeping a close eye on Lana and her companions, that he knew now that it was they who had killed his black dragon Falaryx, and that he knew them all now by name. Dangerous knowledge but good to know, Lana thought and reminded herself to inform her companions when they re-grouped. Then out of nowhere she found herself surrounded by crackling lightning, as her body tensed from the shock and she collapsed to the ground. Yet all was not as it seemed, something about the magical energy seemed amiss. She forced her mind to see through the illusion, and she shook off the harmful effect of the magic. Enraged at the unexpected attack, Lana knew there could be only one possible culprit. As she rose to her feet and turned to face her foe, there stood the young apprentice clutching a wand and glaring malevolently at her rival mage. Lana created a phantasmal Ice Storm in the hope of incapacitating the young woman, but she saw through the illusion. The female spat her disgust at Lana having presumed to attack her with an illusion which she considered her own "speciality" magic. The apprentice hurled a single Magic Missile which fizzled harmlessly as Lana erected a magical Shield ahead of time. Lana could have easily felled the child with a lightning bolt or a salvo of her own missiles, but she had taken enough from this upstart and decided to waste no more spells. Closing for combat, Lana delivered two easy but non-lethal dagger strokes to the side of the young girl's head, and she dropped at Lana's feet. Summoning a Floating Disk, Lana deposited the girl's unconscious form on top and marched straight back in the direction of Tarnskeep.

The girl's malice for the people of Threshold proved insurmountable. She refused to co-operate in interrogation or lower her defences to accept any possible offer of assistance in turning her life around. She had been raised in the Black Eagle Barony, that den of villainy and oppression, ruled by Duke Stefan's cousin, the theatrical but harsh Baron von Hendricks. It was in Fort Doom within the Black Eagle Barony that the wizard Bargle the Infamous, so rumours told, had set up his base of operations. No doubt the evil wizard had taken this girl at an early age and compelled her to become his apprentice. The girl did admit that members of her family were being held captive by Bargle, and would be tortured if she did not return from her mission.

Still the girl would not humble herself to accept the offers of help which were extended to her. Lana begged her to seek shelter from Bargle's prying eyes in Valtanivark's protection, here in Threshold, but the girl laughed. She vowed to reveal her knowledge of what was happening in the town unbeknown to its residents, even Lana. At this point the Patriarch lost no time placing a magical Quest to prevent the girl from speaking of what she knew to anyone. Thus Threshold (and the Duke's secret operation) would be safe. The girl was led away to face trial for the part she had played in the bugbear raid, and Lana was thanked a second time for her assistance with the matter.

Walking home, Lana mused as to what the hidden secret on the shores of Lake Windrush might be. The Patriarch and Aleena were protecting someone or something, that much was sure. And for the Duke and his Elvenguard to be involved made it all the more significant. Curious, she thought. During the fight with the apprentice, Lana had liberated the girl of a magical wand which Bargle had given her to facilitate whatever her mission was. After studying this item Lana deduced that the it detected secret openings. Perhaps one day she might discover what treasure Bargle was seeking so keenly.

In the meantime Lana suspected that Karnus and the others would have returned from their quest by now, hopefully with knowledge of the Staff and its workings. She hastened her step toward the Twisty Beard tavern where her companions would either be toasting their success or drowning their sorrows.

Read on to the party's next adventures