DRAMATIS PERSONAE:
Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 9 / Thief 8)
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 7 / Fighter 7)
Solcha (Elf Fighter 6 / Magic User 8)
Chanee (Human Paladin 7) & Bobert the Warhorse
[Baqua Irontoes (Halfling Fighter 4 / Thief 7)]
Settling into the capital of the March of Bissel for a week of rest and training, the party tries it's best to keep a low profile. As much as obviously treasure-laden adventurers can in a small military outpost. While Solcha, Skeef and Baqua train, Chanee and Goro experiment with the Lanthorn. In the process they learn how to use the powers of the 4 gem lenses; and have a minor disaster when they try to stack the emerald and ruby lenses, which ends in the emerald shattering. Goro was also troubled to note the paladins' increasing possessiveness of the Lanthorn, refusing to let the half-orc even touch it.
Goro also makes his way to the temple of Heironeous to gather news of the realm. He is told that the forces of Iuz have been on the march since mid-year, pushing south into the Verse Forest. The demihumans of the wood have been supported by the armies of Veluna and the navy of Furyondy, but as the snow starts to fall the humanoids and fiends of the Old Wicked One are in firm control of most of the wood. Curiously, agents of Iuz have been seen in the Yatil Mountains, searching for someone or something of great interest. The half orc also learns news of their homeland; Duke Ehyeh III has fallen in battle in against the barbarians of Stonefist and the duchy stands leaderless until a new duke can be selected by the Conclave in the new year.
Goro is also informed that the Margrave Walgar likes to speak to adventurers in his town, to gather news and possibly offer a place in the Border Companies or the Knights of the Watch. But the party opts to take a pass on the summons. Once training is complete, they get some horses and slip out of town to head towards Mitrik in Veluna. There they hope to find help with the three strange magic items they'd recovered from the lost caverns. Chanee takes this chance to summon his warhorse, and thus Bobert the destrier joins the party.
The first four days on the mostly deserted road are uneventful. On the fifth day, just after getting on the road in the morning, Solcha alerts the party to the presence of something hiding in a copse of trees some 50 yards ahead of them. The elf uses ESP to scan the wood for useful thoughts, but gets little more than a lust for battle and murder. As the party advances, parties of gnolls and bugbears burst out of the foliage and attack. Behind the murderous humanoids, a human figure lurks at the edge of the trees casting spells. The party overwhelms their attackers without too much difficulty. But they find it curious that the creatures seem to be focusing mostly on capturing Goro and Skeef (and anyone else unlucky enough to be easily snatched) rather than actual murder and mayhem. At least until the supporting spellcaster is battered into a bloody pulp by Solcha's ice storm, at which point the remaining attackers try to flee.
As they strip the armour and weapons from the fallen caster, they note his holy symbol shows the grinning skull of Iuz. Continuing on their way towards Mitirk, the party wonders what they have done to attract the attention of another relentless foe ...
