Origins

The events of the past week have rattled me to the bone. I am grateful for the poor condition of the Sacrifice and the lack of crew. The work distracts me from the thoughts that now race through my mind. It is these moments of silence when I find myself alone under the night sky that I begin to question myself. I begin to question all that I thought I was.

Unbidden thoughts surface. How did this dragonmark appear on my skin? Is it related to the flash of light from the altar? Who is my father? Is my blood true? Only my mother and Mikhal know the answers to that question and they are both dead. They will give me know answers.

As I look back at the past work I did for House Orien as a courier in Sharn. Did I seek them out or was I manipulated and placed into that position? If my blood is true, does my father watch over me? Hoping against hope that a mark might manifest? That he might reclaim his son?

It matters not to me who my father is, if he is of House Orien or not. The origins of this mark are of know consequence. What matters is the doors they could open up. As I truly do not know who my father is, it can't hurt to attempt to make a claim to the House. My failing is that I know nothing of their workings, or the politics. I must wait for them to come to me. I will allow the crew to do that work for me, to spread the rumours of a new dragonmark. There may be danger in this course of action, but it is worth the risk.

I do not know how House Orien will think of my work, if they do even embrace me as one of their own. I've successfully eliminated two marks and word is the employers in each case were very impressed with the way it was handled. A note from my handler indicates that there is another job waiting for me. My hope is that there is a House Sivis messaging station at the Fist of Onatar where I can receive instructions.

Perhaps my skills could be put to use by House Orien. I should let my handler know of this development, it should allow me to charge more for my assignments. All I know is this mark is my ticket out of poverty, out of the lower caste and I embrace that!

Recap #27 - Things heat up with Kristoff

2 Vult

• The party carefully descended the stairs within the shrine. As their eyes adjusted to the dim light they could see what looked like a balcony 20 feet up and around most of the pew area where they stood. A stair to the right lead up to the balcony. Hearing very little sound the party moved forward. Nenia decided to move up the stairs first and was greeted by the charges of an elf and a dwarf. From there noise erupted from most of the balcony.
• Two beholders and an elf wizard appeared at the edge of the balcony. The beholders attempted to blast the party with eye rays while the wizard dropped a wall of fire upon the stairs effectively splitting the party and blocking escape.
• All three of the humanoids had glazed eyes as if they had been driven mad.
• Unable to climb the wall, Ethan swung a pew against the wall and used as a ladder. He then moved to engage the wizard. Meanwhile Sterling moved up the stair to assist Nenia as she fell to the swords of her attackers. Braddoc used his "Come and Get It" power to to great effect and pulled the beholders down to him. Meanwhile Delian tried to climb the pew-ladder to no effect.
• Sterling was able to heal Nenia and get her back in the fight. He then tried to draw her attackers away. Braddoc was able to pin down one of the beholders while the other slowly made its way back up to the balcony. Sterling was subsequently knocked unconscious before Delian bolstered him up.
• As Ethan was fighting the wizard he noticed that one of the beholder's eyes was always following the wizard's motions. He quickly surmised that the beholder was somehow controlling the wizard and called for everyone to focus on the beholders.
• Although Ethan's tactic was not followed by all it turned out to be the correct plan. As the first beholder fell the three humanoids were stunned for a few seconds. When the second beholder feel soon after, their thralls fell unconscious to the ground.
• After the party tied up their captives they took a short rest. They then awoke the wizard to find that he was none other than Kristoff! Although his mind was muddled he was able to confirm his identity and give the party a bit of information regarding the shrine they were in.
• He informed them that the shrine was tied to the seal in the valley. Dragonborn sent pilgrimages here to perform a ritual that strengthened the seal. He was not sure what it entailed. He also recalled the a very large beholder and a skeletal dragon in his nightmares. The last thing he mentioned was that the Phoenix item was not actually a sceptre. He had not been able to ascertain its exact form but he was sure it would be obvious to any who saw it as it was very powerful. He then said he would watch the entrance for the party as they ventured further in. He asked that the elf and dwarf remain tied up as he did not know who they were and could not vouch for their intentions. The party agreed to his requests.
• Farther into the dungeon the PCs found a 10 foot deep chasm filled with glowing purple fog. The way forward was 15 feet across the fog and 10 feet up a natural cave wall. Not wanting to enter the fog the party handed a rope to Ethan who attempted to leap the chasm. He was unable to grasp the top of the far cliff face but managed to hang on to the wall and climb up. He secured the rope to a far wall and Sterling did he same down below. Then the party attemped to cross the rope line.
• Sterling and Nenia made it but Braddoc and Delian fell into the pit. The noxious gas of chaos caused him to lose a healing surge. With the assistance of some rope from the party they were able to climb up out of the gas.
• The hallway from where they stood was backdropped by a shaft of light at the far end. It created a silhouette of a large altar surrounded by what looked to be dragon heads. They could also make out a large pile of bones.
• The bones ended up being a dracolich. As it moved into the hall to engage the party a grell joined the fray. Using some solid tactics the party was able to keep the dracolich dazed and unable to use its full fury upon them.
• One thing of note was that the five dragon heads surrounding the large altar began glowing purple as the fight progressed.
• Once it was reduced to a pile of bones the grell fled up the shaft in the ceiling. It called out some words as it disappeared up the shaft that Nenia determined was the end of a ritual.
• As the grell's words trailed off a beam of purple light shot toward the back of the room, hit a mirror and shot up the shaft. The grell fell back down the shaft dead.
• A blinding flash of light then stunned the entire party momentarily. When they regained their senses they discovered they had all manifested Dragonmarks and a door had opened to the west. They also regained 2 healing surges and heard the following words in their heads:
  
  When bones are laid to rest once more and chaos relinquishes the seal
  Destinies are written upon the five who tread the valley
  The ringed prize is won but the priestess’ curse falls upon the innocent
  The fire moons greatest strength brings about her final release
  Her vengeance upon the land will be terrible
  But the Shadow in the Flame will eclipse her fury
  Not until fire adorns the sacrifice will the Five's fury be drowned
  And Flame's Shadow will be returned to its slumber
  
• The hallway led to a T junction. To the left was an ancient, undisturbed ruin containing nothing but rotted manuscript. Nenia found words pertaining to the seal and about something named Tiamat. It mentioned sacrifices of blood to strengthen the seal.
• The hallway right ended in a doorway to a room containing a teleportation circle. After a few moments consideration the party stepped through.

Recap #26 - Picking through the Boneyard

2 Vult

• The party was dropped off an hour before dawn outside the valley known as the Boneyard. They proceeded on foot trying to keep a low profile. As they entered the valley they were amazed by the sheer numbers of skelatal remains protruded through the grass and light shrubs. They decided to follow the path leading along the valley floor.
• A couple hours later the path entered a clearing containing something they had not seen before. Upon the ground was a large stone slab - approximately 40 feet in diameter. It was surrounded by 3 small round altar-like pedestals. Upon closer inspection they noticed runes scribed around the outside of all 4 structures. Although they were unable to determine exactly what the runes said they were able to discern that it was a seal of some sort. In addition the large surface was marked with the symbol of Dolurrh while the top face of each smaller altar bore the symbol of Xoriat.
  
• From this point the path veered up to the left toward the mountain face. The party had followed it only a short way when they heard an eerie call ahead of them. They formed up a defensive order and proceeded forward. They had just rounded a small corner in the path when they were attacked by five tentacled creatures. They quickly dispatched 3 of the 5. The others fled into the shrubs while making frantic screeching sounds. A few moments later they learned that the creatures were calling for assistance.


• Now the party was surrounded by masses of gricks. In addition 4 destrachans and a very large grick were attracted to the sounds of chaos. Nenia's use of her firewall devastated several of the gricks and created a covering wall. Meanwhile the rest of the party made quick work of the smaller creatures. Things were just looking under control when a hideous creatures with multiple mouths burst through the ground in the midst of the party. A dangerous squamous maw was looking to feed.
  
• Using its blast attack to deadly effect it nearly got the best of Nenia. Ethan was able to avoid the bulk of its blasts and kept the grick alpha from harrying the party too much. Finally the party was able to force the beasts into Nenia's firewall and then dispatch them.
  
• Sorely hurt and shaken the party too a few moments to rest. During that time they noticed the remains of caravan wagons a little farther up along the trail. Moving carefully they were able to search the wreckage but found nothing of note except the skeletal remains of many humanoids. They concluded that this was what remained of Kristoff's entourage and continued up the path until they came to a set of stone doors. Braddoc surmised that they were thousands of years old. One of them was propped open so the party entered.


• In front of them a set of stairs dropped 20 feet into an area containing a half dozen rotten wooden pews.

Due to several computer issues this is all we accomplished that night.

Recap #25 - Andred's Report

2 Vult
Andred Wormblade scanned his carefully written report. He had received the report request this morning. That meant the pouch he'd purchased and sent her from Sharn had finally arrived in Lakeview. The set had come at a steep price but it would make contact with his benefactor that much easier. He shook his head and focused on the task at hand. Alara did not pay him for amateur work. More importantly a historian of his caliber didn't omit important details. He knew that the actions of the Clifftoppers had the potential to alter the course of history in ways they couldn't imagine yet and he considered himself to be their witness. He started at the top once again. His eyes caught the major points of the journey since Sharn as he skimmed the writing and mentally recalled his travels.

They had left Sharn on the 21st of Sypheros. Two days later they had made an abrupt stop over a remote forested area East of Delver's Dale. The party had disembarked for a day. When they returned they bore new treasures. Even more impressive than that was the fact that he almost saw the hint of a smile upon the warforged face. He'd never thought it possible. Nenia informed him that the party had dispatched a Green Dragon. He research later told him the creature had been none other than Razcoreth. Andred recalled his previous dealings with the warlock dragon. He would not be missed.

Two days later they had landed in Flamekeep and spent two days talking to Thelio and some madman in the Houses of Healing. While dealing with the broken man had been unpleasant it had been fruitful. The ravings had supported Andred's research of the Boneyard. Even the state of the man confirmed that Xoriat was involved somehow. It gave credence to the rumors of the Xoriat manifest zone.

On the 6th of Aryth they had departed Flamekeep and spent the better part of a week flying to a settlement in Q'barra quaintly named Hope. During this time Andred had spent many hours with Nenia pouring over books and records trying to narrow their upcoming search of the jungle. He knew from his research in Newthrone many years ago that the jungles of Q'barra were an extremely dangerous and foreboding place. Death came quickly to the unprepared. Andred had been impressed when Nenia has stumbled upon a small note on one of the scrolls that indicated the general area they were looking for. he was sure it had saved them weeks of searching.

Even with this new information it had still been a week of waiting in Hope for the signal from the party that indicated they wanted the airship to pick them up. With the help of a Genasi Druid named Cur-ri they had destroyed a cult of Yuan-ti worshippers and obtained the Symbol of Fire. If the story was not embellished it was seem that the young human lad had actually tied a rope around his ankles and leapt into a flooding pit containing a Yuan-Ti Anathema! However when I pressed them on what had become of such a dangerous creature none of them could say. The holy warrior Delian looked particularly disturbed about that detail. My instincts tell me that the area there has become even more dangerous. Regardless, we got what we came for. The jungle can look out for itself.

They party has entrusted me with safeguarding the Symbol of Fire until I can perform the ritual in Onatar so I spent the next two days studying it and recording every detail I find. For two days after plucking the group from the jungle I was able to do so in peace. However as we neared the Boneyard we were attacked by Halflings of the Talenta Plains. They have learned much since they declared their independence. Incredibly they have mastered the use of kegs that burst into flame when dropped. With them they were able to crash our ship into the side of an ancient temple in the foothills of the Endworld Mountains. Many of the crew were lost in the battle and the crash landing. I am amazed that I have survived to make this report. However it turned out that our predicament was about to get much worse. It turned out that the temple - which is older than many I have seen - is considered to be a holy place to the Halfling tribes. To make matters worse it was also being held by a horde of creatures we know as witherlings. There must have been a great battle here at some point in history to account for the magic required to create such sheer numbers of the beasts.

Being caught between an advancing army of Halflings and hordes of Witherlings we wisely chose to hide. Somehow we ended up above the temple and the dwarf Braddoc released a devastating landslide of rock and rubble upon the battle in front of the temple. Luckily the Witherlings caught the brunt of that maneuver and the Halflings offered us quarter in exchange for the assistance we inadvertently granted them. In the nine days that followed we were able to repair the ship to its present condition. During our repair time we were honoured with the presence of Holy Uldra. The party did not share my enthusiasm though. We barely convinced her to grant us permission to enter the Boneyard in search of Kristoff's fate. She also spoke of some curse upon us and the lands if we removed any items from the valley. I hope to someday get a chance to sit down and record the histories locked within the mind of Holy Uldra. It would be a shame for our libraries to one day lose such a valuable source of information.

We now sit within the airship hovering over the mouth of the valley know as the Boneyard. It is an hour before dawn and we have just dropped the Clifftoppers off. It seems they wish to move in on foot in order to avoid any denizens spotting the ship in the air. Only history will tell us whether they find Kristoff or simply meet the same fate as his caravan.

Andred carefully reordered the stack of paper on his desk and counted them once again. Seventeen pages of details, diagrams, and commentary were ready for Alara's study. He rolled the sheets together and pressed his wax seal on the outside. He then waved his hand over the seal and murmured the words that would leave his arcane mark ensuring that Alara knew the words to be his. Placing his findings within the mate of Alara's pouch he closed the flap. It took only a moment for a slight warmth to fill the bag and he knew she had taken the letter from her own pouch. The ship shuddered slightly. He sighed as he repositioned the ritual components on the floor. The airship wasn't nearly as steady as it used to be. But that was understandable considering the damage it had taken in the previous couple of weeks. History predicted that Alara would have words for him to pass along to the group. He reached into his bag and withdrew a tome he had been studying. He may as well pass the time constructively.

Intentions

Ethan sat in the guild masters office marvelling at the many trophies that adorned the walls. The dragon's tooth and basilisk's eye being two of the dominant items in the room. His admiration for Master Dourstone was interrupted by the entrance of Ragnolin himself. Dressed in his normal attire the stout dwarf eased into an arm chair across from the rogue.

The dwarf looked across at Ethan and after some time spoke "So you wanted to meet boy?"

"I did Master Dourstone. As you requested in your note I've obtained the item you desired. None are aware that I have it, much less who it is for." With that said Ethan passed a small parcel over to Ragnolin. The dwarf cradled the parcel in his arms loving for a moment and then carefully laid it aside, his eyes had a strange gleam to them.

"Thank you for this Ethan, I shan't forget this favour."

"It is I who should thank you Master Dourstone, you provided for me when no other would. For that I am in your debt."

A silence fell upon the room and both men were content to endure it for a time. Finally, Ragnolin spoke "I assume there is something else you wish to discuss?"

"There is master," Ethan replied with a serious expression.

"A weighty matter is it, this calls for a drink then." Reaching into his personal cupboard Ragnolin drew out a bottle of Karrnathi Whisky, often known as liquid fire for how it burned the throat as it was drunk and then warmed the body afterwards. Pouring two glasses he passed one to Ethan and raised it in a toast, "To the glorious dead, to the living who will follow and to us. May we live forever."

Drinking deeply the two men regarded one another anew.

"Master, I come before you seeking counsel and requesting aid." Ethan took another drink before continuing. "In this time that I have been serving the guild and travelling I have experienced things beyond my understanding. I have learned and I have grown. Lately, I have feared that which I saw in myself. Killing comes to easily to me Master and I enjoy it too much. I lie awake at night afraid to sleep, fearing I might wake more terrible, more ruthless than before.

"In my time at Lakeview with Alara, I came to realize that perhaps I could harness this ability, the ruthless desire to kill. I thought on it deeply and consulted with Mistress Alara on it. I have come to realize that I am destined to walk the path of the assassin. I would choose this path willingly, though I know it borders on evil. However, I do not want this choice to be my ouster from the guild. So I seek your blessing on what I choose to embark upon.

"Further, I would ask that you or one that you trust be agent to my services. That those I might strike down be evil men. I would know your thoughts on this."

Ragnolin sat across from the rogue for a long time before answering. It seems the missive from Alara was correct and the once innocent boy was choosing to walk a dark path. Oh he knew of evil and evil men, but he always seemed to rise above it. "What have I done to him?" Ragnolin wondered to himself. "I hope that damnable Alara did not have something to do with this." Finally he spoke, "Know this Ethan, I cannot counsel you on this path. It is your own to walk and only you know the right of it. I believe you to be an upright and honourable man. I do not see evil in you, in fact I see much good."

"Should you decide to walk the dark road of the assassin you will not have my blessing. However, neither will I have you removed from this hall for making it. For as I said, I see much good in you. Nor will I act as agent on your behalf, however I know of one who can. Long has he been a friend to me and I trust his discretion." Ragnolin reached into the folds of his surcoat and withdrew a sheet of parchment and a quill. He wrote down a name and handed the sheet to Ethan. "This man makes a living by remaining anonymous, but I can arrange an introduction in time."

"Thank you for your words Master Dourstone, I appreciate your candour. One final thing, if you could keep this discussion from the others. I don't know what they would think of this decision. In time I'm sure things will become apparent to them and I will advise them of my decision in due course."

Meetings

Ethan walked into the common room of the Clifftop Adventurer's Guild hall, his eyes quickly scanning the room. He took in the faces both new and old, searching for the one who didn't belong. Finding her quickly he crossed the room and sat across from the girl. She was attractive, bearing the striking looks of his mother. Smiling he took her hand, glad for her safety.

"You look like mother" he commented, "I'm glad Larien was able to rescue you."

The girl blushed, unsure what to say. Tears rose up in her eyes and she began to sob, fear shaking her body.

With a sigh Ethan took her by the shoulders, "I know you don't know me, nor do you have reason to trust me. This place isn't right for you, you need a change of scenery, something to take away the dark memories. I have arranged transport for you to a town called Lakeview. A women by the name of Alara will find you a place to stay. Give her this letter when you arrive. Take care sister."

With that Ethan gave his sister a kiss on the brow, rising quickly he left the room lest others see the tears forming in his own eyes.

Quick Overview of Some Lands

Assume your characters know the following. Anything else you'd need to research a bit. Mostly this is here just to get your brains in the game and make some decisions on next steps.

Q'Barra
Lying on the eastern front of the Endwall Mountains and the long expanse of The Dragonreach it is easy to see why Q'barra remained untouched by civilized settlements for so long. The steamy jungles and sprawling swamplands that encompasses most of the landscape is a perfect habitat for dire and horrid animals as well as dinosaurs. The small shard of land is not completely inhospitable, however, as a small strip of fertile land lies in the southeast and other open expanses peel away from the jungle in places around the country.

The Bone Yard
The Boneyard is an area in the Talenta Plains filled with many skeletons of dragons. The halfling clans of the Plains consider the place to be cursed and will not willingly enter it. It is extremely ancient and may date from the Demon Wars. Filled with all manner of aberrations, it seems to lie atop a Xoriat manifest zone.

Fist of Onatar
The Fist of Onatar is the name of a volcano in the city of Mroranonhold in the Mror Holds.
The dwarves of the clan protect the site and think that it is a sacred place tied to Onatar, god of fire and the forge. The volcano radiates magical energy, which some Aundairian scholars believe is the result of powerful dragonshards beneath the lava.