The Festival of Songs

Rova 2, 4711

The arrival of the fall merchants' caravan heralds the start of the Festival of Songs and the beginning of the harvest season. New Hellknights recruits relieve guards from Fort Inevitable, while seasoned soldiers take a few days of rest before heading north to the Mendev crusades.

The Festival of Songs celebrates both the musical talent (good and bad) of the inhabitants of Fort Inevitable and their drunken propensities. This is the one festival where the taps flow freely and public drunkenness is allowed, and it ranks as the most preferred holiday by the residents of the area.

Having spend a few days resting, the Coopers are looking forward to this festival, of which they have heard much praise. Along with the vast numbers of stands serving everything from foods to spices, clothes, weapons, and other exotic services, there are ale stations at just about every street corner, and four main events highlight this day: Hell's Race, which takes place around the training fields and on Juliver Way; the Dueling Song Blades, where opponents fight with musical reed swords and attempt to make the best song while delivering blows on each other; the Drunken Daggers feat, where opponents throw daggers at a target; and the main event, the Songs of Fools, where participants are encouraged to pen and perform an original bawdy song in as bad a manner as possible. The worst performance, as judged by the crowd, wins the grand prize.

The quarterly mustering of the Hellknights takes place in the morning, along with the usual execution of criminals. One of the executed individuals was caught smuggling, and he forfeited both his life and his house, which will be used as tonight's prize for the Songs of Fools.

Darelle decides she will participates in Hell's Race. Starting on the mustering field, participants will first drink a tankard, then run down the road to the corner, where they must clear a ditch. After the ditch they drink a tankard, then head to a wall made up of odd wagons and furniture. They must climb the wall, then drink a tankard before coming down. At the second corner they must spin around six times, before drinking another tankard. A mad dash to the statue in the main square, where participants must jump the ledge, land on the status, kiss it, and then make the other ledge and spring to the third corner, where they drink another tankard. Participants must then walk on a thirty feet beam to the fourth corner, have one more tankard, and make a mad dash to the finish line. The winner of this event receives a golden tankard worth about 150 crowns. The field of participants is large, but Darelle manages to sprint ahead of the crowd. After a few fumbles along the way and much drinking. Thankfully, however, she is not as inebriated as the rest of the field by the end and manages to cross the finish line first.

Later on in the afternoon, both Thorne and Darelle decide to enter the Dueling Song Blades event, taking place on the mustering field. Armed with reed swords shaped like flutes, participants in this event attempt to hit each other by swinging the sword, creating music. The harder the hit, the better the music. Participants play against an opponent, and winners advance to the next round. For every three consecutive misses, a participant must drink a tankard. Thorne wins his first bout but must drink a few tankards. Darelle wins her first bout as well. Eventually both Coopers meet in the final round, and Darelle wins against Thorne. She receives a golden flute about 150 crowns.

Before the evening meal, the crowd gathers back on the field for the Drunken Daggers. In this event, one participant stands in front of a target while another throws daggers at the target. If the target is hit, the thrower moves back, increasing the difficulty. If the person standing in front of the target is hit, the thrower is eliminated. If the target is missed the thrower must drink a tankard. If the person standing in front of the target moves out of the way of the knife, he must also drink a tankard. Daryle decides to enter this event, and though she is hit once she eventually triumphs over a crowded field, and she wins a golden dagger worth about 150 crowns.

 Finally, the main event takes place after a communal meal on the mustering field. Everyone can participate in The Songs of Fools, either individually or as a group. This is the event that is most appreciated by the crowd, and the music and lyrics are so bad but the free ale makes it all better. Gerald decides to participate in this event, and he pens and sings Hooray, it was inevitable! at the Songs of Fools, to much applause. At the end of the night it is deemed the worst performance, and this earns him the top prize, a house formerly owned by a smuggler who was executed in the morning. Gerald can pick up the keys the following day.

It's been so lonesome since my horse died

Hooray, it was inevitable!

The goblins killed my favorite ride

Hooray, it was inevitable!

And I barely got away with my hide

Hooray, it was inevitable!

I almost never got back home today.

Hooray, it was inevitable!

Because my horse being slightly smarter

Hooray, it was inevitable!

Than me in every way.

Hooray, it was inevitable!

For he was the only one who knew the way

Hooray, it was inevitable!

Back home

After the festivities, the Coopers head out to see their new house. On the way there Gerald notices movement in the back of the house. The Coopers capture a teenage girl, who professes to being chased by thugs. A nearby Hellknight patrol is alerted, and the captain announces he will take the girl in custody and question her. At that exact moment, a drunken group of men comes through and assaults the patrol. In the fray the girl manages to escape, but Gerald catches up with her. She tells Gerald that she has a tuning key, and the Black Circle must not get their hands on the key. She entrusts the key to Gerald, and then disappears in the night. Meanwhile, Daryle and Darelle assist the patrol and manage to slay all of the assailants. Darelle uses her healing skills to save the life of the Hellknight captain

The Key of Micharmus is wrapped in a green silk pouch. When revealed, the tuning key appears to have been made of the purest silver, and shines brightly even in darkness. When struck, a single pure C note spreads and can be heard up to a mile away. As the sound fades, a silvery image begins to glow above the key. A set of stairs being to unfurl downwards, leading to a ghostly library. Large wooden bookcases are heavy with books and maps

Gerald wraps the tuning key snuggly into a black pouch, and will go talk to the silversmith to find out how much it would cost to make a tuning key and then place it in the original pouch.

Rova 3, 4711

In the morning, Gerald visits Goldfoot's Mercantile, where he purchases a silver tuning key of roughly the same shape as the Key of Micharmus. He takes the new tuning key to Abernard and asks him about putting some enchantments on the tuning key. Abernard tells him that it will not be a problem, and by the time all is done the fake tuning key looks fairly close to the original.

How Quickly a Two-Headed Serpent Becomes Jealous of Sartoss

Arodus 26, 4711, continued

The Coopers spend a few moments gathering themselves and banding their wounds. Finally regrouped, they leave the temple and enter through the next room. They discover two ogres guarding a barred gate, and, strangely, the bars are on the inside of the room. Clearly, Sartoss was worried about something on the other side of this door.

Combat ensues, and the Coopers quickly dispatch the two rather clumsy ogres. Roscoe searches the dead bodies and discovers a large bronze key. The room's door is barred with four heavy rods locked in place by four bronze locks. Roscoe then unlocks and removes the bars. Behind the door, the Coopers discover a staircase heading down into the depths. Deciding against exploring the remaining of the 7th level, they head down the stairs.

After a hundred steps, they arrive on the 8th level. The last step leads to a small room with a large serpent statue against one of the walls, surrounded by a five-feet radius of water. There does not appear to be a door anywhere. Atop the statue is a large green emerald.

The Coopers begin to discuss what to do next. Thorne jumps the small distance between the ledge of the pool and the statue and tries to pry the emerald out of the serpent's mouth. He immediately disappears. Eventually, every Cooper touches the emerald and is transported away to be reunited with the thief.

The Coopers find themselves in a small hallway. A shaking and the rattling sound of a snake can be heard, and suddenly a large snake head, looking like the serpent statue and occupying the entire hallway, begins to push against the Coopers. Daryle gets pushed twice, and then begins to fight back, along with Darelle. Their attacks strike true, but do not stop the serpent's head. Thorne abandons the party and follows the path, reaching a small room. Slowly herded towards the room, the remaining Coopers end up in the same room. The serpent's head reaches the edge of the room and stops, followed by another head in the exiting hallway. The Coopers are caught! A gas comes out of the serpents' heads, and they all fall asleep.

Arodus 27, 4711

Gerald is the first one to awaken. He is shackled to a low wall, with his brothers and sisters shackled in similar positions. Their gear has been piled along wall next to a large stone platform twenty feet away. With them is another person also shackled to the wall. Gerald questions the woman and discover that she is Tiavask, a missing wizard from the Goldenfire Order of Thornkeep. The remaining Coopers regain consciousness. While discussing among themselves how to escape from their predicament, a large double-headed serpent similar to Sartoss walks in on the platform, accompanied by more serpentfolk.

The leader introduces himself as Uzar-Kus, leader of this level and true high priest of Kro'akoth, unlike that pretender Sartoss. He advises the Coopers that they will be sacrificed to release the demon into the prime material plane, which will lead Uzar-Kus to dominate both the 8th and the 7th level of the Emerald Spire. Thorne bluffs Uzar-Kus and tells him that Sartoss has already succeeded in summoning Kro'akoth. Uzar-Kus is unable to maintain his facade of power and storms out of the room with his sycophants.

This allows the Coopers to escape their shackles. After a short conversation, they decide to free Tiavask as well. The wizard tells them where the exit is. The Coopers maneuver down the many hallways, when they discover a large set of golden double doors with a serpent head similar to the moving walls. Opposite the door is a large serpent statue. Roscoe takes this opportunity to detects evil on Tiavask and he discovers that she has a faint aura of evil. Thorne defeats the trap on the large  serpent door and he opens it.

Beyond is the Temple of the Serpent, a large shrine dedicated to Ydersius. A large stone path bridges a greenish pool, with two flights of stairs ascending towards a gigantic serpent statue. Uzar-Kus stands at the top of the stairs. Upon Thorne's entrance, he berates them, asking why they seek him while he wallows in despair at Satross' supposed success in summoning their demon. Gerald immediately unleashes a fireball at Uzar-Kus, and battle ensues...

The demon lord Kro'akoth - NOT DONE

Arodus 24, 4711

After spending a night in Karklosh's quarters, the Coopers decide to return home to restock supplies, especially for healing potions. Following their beating at the gate of the 7th level, this seems like a reasonable decision. They climb back to the third level through using a transport token and exit through the tunnel about a mile away from the Emerald Spire.

Roscoe obtains his free potions of cure medium wounds from the Hellknights while Daryle purchases them from the Temple of the Golden Keys. They all spend the night back in their own quarters, happy to have returned above ground.

Arodus 25, 4711


After a good night's rest, the Coopers trek back to the Spire and return to the entrance of the 7th level, encountering no enemies along the way.

Darelle carefully walks through the trellises of candles, while Roscoe decides to walk with his back against the wall. Daryle is not so lucky, and triggers the candles of penitence trap. An explosion detonates and hurts all three members of the party. The candles immediately turn off. Carefully, Darelle opens the heavily fortified but unlocked door, revealing a short corridor leading to another similar door.

When she opens the second door, she sees a large room filled with a barricade made up of rubble and wood poles. Six fiendish troglodytes stand behind the barricade, weapons at the ready. Darelle attempts to jump the barricade but misses and impales herself on a pole sticking out. She pulls herself free but she has lost valuable time. Roscoe attempts the same. He clears the barricade but unfortunately drops his weapon. Meanwhile, Daryle fires two arrows at the same time and hits one of the troglodytes through the rubble. The combat continues for a while, but eventually the Coopers are triumphant. 

After drinking a few potions of cure medium wounds, the Coopers loot the bodies. All of the troglodytes are armed with mastercraft falchions inscribed with the symbol of a flaming serpent. Each weapon radiates a faint evil signature. The dead monsters also all have an amulet bearing the same symbol. Roscoe identifies the symbol as that of the demon lord Kro'akoth. Alarmed at the presence of supporters of Kro'akoth, the Coopers decide they must return to Fort Inevitable to alert the Hellknights.

They trek back to town, where they meet the Lady Commander Audara Drovust and report to her what they discovered. The Lady Commander is obviously concerned and disconcerted at the news, and she decides to upgrade the Coopers' equipment so they can fight the followers of Kro'akoth on the Hellknights' behalf. To her trusted soldier Roscoe she gives a falchion of fury +2, following the rebranding of the very weapon he brought back as a warning. She also gives him a Rod of the Python to help him fight the Serpents. To Darelle she gives a short sword of defiance +2, which will help her remain alive when most would have surrended to death. She also receives a pair of Acrobat Slippers to help her fight on difficult terrain. Finally, Daryle is entrusted with a bow of impact +2, along with a Vanishing Sheath to keep a weapon hidden. Thus equipped, the Coopers should be better able to face the threat of Kro'akoth's worshippers.

Arodus 26, 4711

In the morning the Coopers return to the Emerald Spire. This time, they bring Gerald along since he returned from studying at the College of Magic. He has been working on an enchanted weapon. It is a short bow that when you fire an arrow the bow also fires a magic missile spell. The missile hits the target even if the arrow misses. Damage will be 1d6 + 3d4+1 if both attacks hit.

They descend back to the 7th level, and they carefully cross the fire trap. Back in the ambush room they discover that there has been an attempt at reinforcing the barricades, and the bodies have been removed. Roscoe listens to the south door, while Daryle places her ear to the west door. Roscoe hears sounds of bones snapping and loud chewing, while Daryle hears snoring. The group decides to open the south door. They will hide against the wall, while Thorne stands in view of the door and acts as bait. The plan works too well. Two fiendish troglodytes who were eating come rushing out and land blows that drop Thorne down. Roscoe and Daryle successfully attack and slay the fiends. 

In the troglodytes' dining room they find barrels, one filled with javelins, and the others with rotten food. The last barrel, however, contains a strange dark blue crystal powder. Darelle collects a vial full of the powder.

In the other room they stumble upon two sleeping troglodytes that are quickly dispatched. However, Gerald decides to use a javelin from the dining room so he returns to the room to grab one. He is immediately attacked by a necrophedius which emerges from the fire pit. During the battle Thorne is incapacitated again. The construct, however, is quickly dispatched. Thorne is healed again.

The party continues their exploration, and finds a long corridor with two iron doors. The first one is hot to the touch, while the second is at room temperature. Thorne opens the door. Inside, the Coopers discover Sartoss' jail.  

The jail with  

Gerald summons a wolf that kills the troglodytes 

Thorne takes six scales.

Statue with heads chopped off.

Battle with Sartoss



Thorne takes the two fangs of Kro'akoth, and the pearl of power. Gerald finds six funeral masks used in Sartoss' evil rituals.