The chess game has started

Desnus 4, 4712

Daryle is on Hellknight patrol in the middle of the night walking with her sister Darelle and two other soldiers when the sisters notice suspicious activity near one of the wells. A man is sitting by the well holding a keg of wine singing Hooray, it was inevitable softly to himself. Daryle talks to the man and he is clearly intoxicated. In the conversation, the drunk reveals that he got the keg from Thorne, but he was told he wasn't supposed to say that. Daryle arrests the man and orders the Hellknights to escort him to the drunk tank and to place the keg in evidence. She quickly examines the keg and notices that it is from the Zelnaux winery. They shackle the man's hands, and leave with him and the keg.

Meanwhile, Darelle smells the well and it resembles the plant hoya carnosa, take a sample of the water and notices it is very waxy. This well, much like many others in Fort Inevitable, has been contaminated with a waxy substance. She packages the water in a jar for further study.

After some waiting for the two soldiers to return, the Coopers decide to head back towards the Citadel. They discover the prone figures of the two soldiers. Daryle checks for vital signs but she sees severe puncture wounds. There is no sign of the drunk, but the keg lays on the ground. The wounds are similar to those inflicted to the Juliver Gate guards a month back. Daryle sounds the alarm, and as soldiers arrive on the scene she reports the incident, and she requests that Commander Roscoe be notified as well, even though he is on patrol with a party of Hellknights in the mountains, searching for the giants.

While examining the Zelnaux keg that has been left behind, Darelle discover that the keg has a secret hinge that opens a hole in the top. When leaned over, this hole could be used to dump the contents of the keg out of it without being noticed. Unfortunately the keg is empty, but it still smells like hoya carnosa.

Wanting an explanation, Darelle and Daryle decide to go and find their younger brother Thorne. They locate him in Braddon's General Store as he is about to open his doors. After a headed conversation he reports that he doesn't know anything about the water being poisoned, but he suspects the poisoners from Daggermark. He also acknowledges that he did sell kegs of Zelnaux mead, and his most recent sale, of 7 kegs, was to the Hunters' Lodge. When asked by Daryle, he produces a liquor license he obtained from the Hellknights. He also tells her that he actually doesn't own the mead but acts as a broker between Mayor Dunleaf Appletop and other parties interested in this rare beverage, so even if he did not have a liquor license, which he did, he never owned any liquor himself and therefore would not be in violation of any Hellknight ordinances.

Daryle informs him about the millions of board feet missing.Thorne professes not to know anything about it, and for some unknown reason Daryle believes that his surprise is genuine. Thorne had not heard about the wood being stolen, and he vows to investigate and find out how he can get a cut. Perhaps Gerald has discovered something since he was asked to look into the topic.

Darelle decides to bring the sample of the water she collected from the well to Dr. Mordel. The good doctor agrees to investigate the waxy water and perform alchemy checks. Darelle wonders if there's some illegal dumping going on. It does seem like a strange way to get rid of whatever this substance is. Dr. Mordel tells her the local priests are treating the water, but they can't keep up. Clearly someone is still contaminating the water. In Fort Inevitable, most wells are about one hundred feet deep and reach the water table, but in a few cases the wells had to be dug to about one hundred and fifty feet. It is believed these wells tap a different water table. However, wells from both depth have been contaminated.

The Coopers decide to head over to the Hunting Lodge, on the outskirts of the forest. The place looks as it always does, but there are now three very mean looking and well trained dog, as well as two men on the deck who appear involved in casual conversation but are in fact guarding the place. Daryle approaches and asks to speak with the owner. The lodge's president introduces himself as Vorkstag and listens politely to Daryle's inquiries. After some back and forth he agrees to let her look at his wine cellar even though she doesn't have a search warrant. In the cellar Daryle discovers the lodge only has two barrels and not the seven Thorne claims to have sold. Was their younger brother lying to them?

Back in Fort Inevitable, Daryle and Darelle pay a visit to Karlyle the Butcher. He tells the sister that the last time he had contact with the lodge's president, Peter Dusk, was about two months ago. Come to think of it, he has not seen any of the hunters for at least a month. The sisters consult the tax rolls. The quarterly taxes were paid by Vorkstag, the new club president. Darelle writes down a timeline in a her notebook:

• 73 days ago, Karlyle claims that this is the last time he saw Peter Dusk, the hunter also known to Daryle.
• 36 days ago, an assassin kills Hellknight guards at the Juliver Gate. There are reports that many of the wells in Fort Inevitable have been poisoned, and there's a confrontation between Roscoe and Karlyle the Butcher. An assassination atttempt on Roscoe's life results in the destruction of a newly erected apartment block.
• 34 days ago, all of the ruffians and workers from Daggermark are tricked into leaving Fort Inevitable on rumors of a gold rush in the hills.
• 30 days ago, paperwork is filed with the Hellknights indicating that the Hunting Lodge has a new president.
• 7 days ago, the Cooper sisters resolve the confrontation between the Hellknights and the villagers of Dimsdale.
• 5 days ago, Thorne brokers the sale of 7 kegs of Zelnaux mead with the Hunting Lodge.
• Today, the sisters discover that one of these kegs is used to poison at least one well in Fort Inevitable.

Daryle thinks the wells should be locked. Darelle thinks the wells should be guarded. Both of these measures should be implemented to stop the contaminated process. Plain clothes officers should be placed next to wells. These ideas are suggested to Maralictor Wirt, who agrees to the measures and dispatches soldiers immediately.

Darelle goes back that evening Dr. Mordel's neighborhood patrol could guard the wells. Mordel tells her that his sources report a master alchemist from Daggermark is involved in the plot to poison the residents and the Hellknights of Fort Inevitable. Dr. Mordel says that his agents will keep an eye on the wells. When Darelle questions whether an alliance of assassins and poisoners could truly take place, Mordel responds that if their target was a common enemy, they may be able to put aside their differences.

Daryle tells Mordel about the missing members of the hunter's guild. Mordel replies that he will try to find out as much as possible.

The sisters meet again with Thorne, who claims not knowing why both guilds would want him dead. He speculates that the presence of demons indicate that Duke Mosley, who is a member of the Order of the Nail, and has an not-so-secret interest in demons, might be behind the overall plot, maneuvering pieces like the assassins, the poisoners, the Mistress of Thorns, the giants, and Greenhide and his goblins like so many pieces on a chessboard.

Darelle then talks to Falandra about manufacturing evidence against Thorne to get him demoted. Falandra replies that it shouldn't be too hard, but maybe the sisters should address themselves to Maralictor Wirt while Roscoe is gone first. They do so, and Wirt is more than happy to immediately suspend Thorne's access to the treasury.


Desnus 5, 4712

Passing through town in the morning, Darelle finds a message waiting for her at the Juliver Gate. Dr. Mordel urgently needs to see her. She goes over to his house, and he tells Darelle that there are 22 members of the poisoners' guild in the hunter's lodge. He also shows her the prisoner he captured in the night. The demon is currently captured behind a series of walls of forces in Mordel's basement, and the good doctor will attempt to get as much information as possible from it.

Leaving the house, the sisters run into Gerald who tries to hide that he is carrying a spellbook. He was coming from the direction of Abernard's house, and he looks suspiciously guilty, as if he had borrowed the book without permission.

In the evening, the sisters trek to the Hunters' Lodge. The sisters fire arrows and slay the guard, then Darelle entangles the dogs under the porch. They break into the lodge and interrupt a card game, only to let one of the guards escape. He returns with a team, but in no time the Coopers dispatch them all. Exploring the lodge, they discover an alchemy lab on the second floor. Darelle finds a jar of cloud.

In the basement they discover over 40 barrels of Zelnaux mead behind a secret wall. They then find another trap door leading downward. The latter takes them about 150 feet below ground, in a series of tunnels. Someone has been mining crystals. They locate the rest of the poisoners' crew, who are running away. The sisters manage to eliminate them all, then they track what had scarred them. In a wall at the end of one tunnel, they discover a clear crystal window, and on the other side is a frightening outsider who appears to be trying to break free. The sisters wisely decide to withdraw, and they return to Fort Inevitable.

Seeing the forest for the trees

Gozran 28, 4712

The sisters are summoned to the Citadel early in the morning to meet with their brother Roscoe, commander of Fort Inevitable. Roscoe informs Darelle and Daryle that the halfling population of Dimsdale has risen up against their Hellknight protectors and are preventing any more felling of timber as required in his order of Calistril 28, 4712. Furthermore, they are holding seven Hellknights hostage. Roscoe wants them to head to Dimsdale to settle this dispute with the haflings, but there is neither money to be offered nor flexibility on the amount of wood that needs to be collected. The Hellknights originally estimated that over three million board feet were needed to renovate the town, and currently about 75% of the destroyed part of town has been rebuilt. Roscoe tells the sisters that the most recent estimates from Thorne indicate that another 750,000 board feet of wood is needed to complete the repairs.

Darelle uses her tree token and sends a messenger bird to notify Dunleaf Appletop, Dimsdale's mayor, that they are on their way. Daryle suggests that her sister talk to Mother Holworth about any known way to speed growth of trees. Mother Holworth reports that many decades ago, there was a fey named Eithne. She has met her several times as a small child in the small woods surrounding the pond in the back of the farm. She remembers her being very tall, with long hair stretching down to her feet. She once gave her a pouch of magic seeds. When planted, these seeds immediately grew to their adult size and bore fruit, which retained some of the magic. Over the course of a few years, Mother Holworth's garden grew so fertile and rich that it became the envy of the neighbors. She doesn't know of a way to attract Eithne, and she seems to simply appear and disappear without making a sound or leaving tracks. She also hasn't seen her in many decades.

On the way to Dimsdale, Darelle plays her golden flute in the hopes of attracting fey folks, but either there are none around at the moment or they do not wish to be contacted. She then decides to gathers some fresh healing herbs.

The sisters arrive in Dimsdale midday. A camp of roughly one hundred Hellknights has been erected a mile down the road from Dimsdale, out in the plain. The landscape around is entirely barren. They have cut down everything around the western portion of the village. Dimsdale itself is now protected by a stout stockade fence. Maralictor Gregg is the Hellknight officer in charge of the camp. Darelle introduces herself to the commander and presents her commission. Gregg explains that his orders have been to cut down all of the trees. He reports that the inhabitants of Dimsdale resisted the cuts when it got too close to the village, and there were several incidents that forced the Hellknights to destroy some homesteads. A week ago the halflings stole wood overnight and built a stockade around the village, capturing seven Hellknight soldiers in the process. These soldiers are now being held hostag within the village.

Daryle points out to Gregg, who is not from this area, that most of the mead drunk in Fort Inevitable comes from Dimsdale. More selective cutting would preserve the environment and allow for the necessary shade to protect the plants and flowers that the bees use to produce honey. Gregg admits that he did not know the village derives much of its wealth from alcohol, but he has his orders to enforce. Daryle tells Gregg that the sisters will head into the village and negotiate directly with the Mayer. Perhaps there is a simple way to resolve this issue.

The sisters then move to the village itself. They are refused access at first, but when they introduce themselves they are welcomed with open arms. Dunleaf Appletop is thrilled to see them. He tells them he got their message, and inquires if they have come to help them against the Hellknights. He informs them that he has sent several messages in the last two weeks requesting their assistance, but the sisters never received any of them.

Back at his house, Dunleaf Appletop tells the Coopers that Hellknights have cut trees near houses, and have demolished houses when the residents refused to allow the trees being cut on their properties. No one was killed, but a few people were hurt in the scuffle. He admits that they took the lumber to build the stockade, but only to protect themselves against a Hellknight assault. Appletop realizes that the village does not stand a chance against the large force outside the walls, but if they have to they will resist to the bitter end.

Daryle mentions that everyone has to pitch in to rebuild the damage Fort Inevitable suffered. Appletop replies that Shim Longbranch, local ranger and wood expert, has estimated that the Hellknights have already harvested over four million board feet in the last three months in this area alone, and that there are several other harvesting areas. Darelle sends her tree token to report the problem to Gerald so he can investigate where the wood has gone.

Darelle asks if there are any parts of the forest that are not protected by spirits. Appletop reports that a fey named Eithne, but the fey has not been seen in at least a year. Darelle and Daryle meet Shim, who tells them about the gnarled old man who has moved in to the forest across the river. He's left the path alone, but is protecting the forest with his wolverines. There has been fey folks all around the village, but with the clear cutting they have left, and without Eithne's protection it's not clear what the impact will be on the mead production in the fall.

The Coopers return to meet with Maralictor Gregg, and begin negotiations. They expected Greggg would not see reason, but he seems surprisingly malleable. Daryle examines a copy of the Maralictor's orders, and they do in fact specify clear-cutting all around the village. Gregg agrees that if the wood came from across the bridge, he would not have to cut the remaining trees on this side of the ravine. Darelle states that Appletop is opposed to that, due to the gnarled old man's presence and possible retribution against the village. Gregg replies that he must get the wood as ordered. Daryle asks him how the wood is transported. Gregg replies that every day the same team of oxens, carts, and teamsters arrive, load up the wood, and take it to Fort Inevitable. But according to Shim, most of it does not make it there. Gregg compares his notes with the quantities requested from the Fort and notices the glaring discrepancies. He agrees to escort the carts from now on to ensure their safe delivery. Daryle proposes a compromise. The sisters, Gregg, a couple of Hellknigths, and Appletop should cross the bridge and contact the gnarled old man, then negotiate the harvest of the best trees from the other side. Appletop agrees to this course of action, but only in exchange for the Hellknights leaving Dimsdale alone afterwards. Gregg agrees that if enough wood is harvested, the Hellknights will leave Dimsdale alone.

The party crosses across the river. Darelle yields "We seek to parley," but no one answers. The party gets off the road, and heads into the woods. After ten minutes, they still haven't encountered anyone. Darelle uses her ranger's abilities and talks to a squirrel. The squirrel tells her that the gnarled old man is nearby. They reach a clearing near the river, with a large group of rocks piled together. Eight large wolverines lay on the rocks, sunning themselves in the late afternoon sun. They seemed unfazed to see the Coopers.

Suddenly, an overpowering smell of rot drifts through the clearing, and the gnarled old man comes around the rocks. The wolverines warily eye him. He tells them that they shouldn't have gotten off the road, and that now the village will pay for their temerity. Darelle asks him why he's doing this, and he reveals that he enjoys chaos. It turns out that the old man has only been around a few months. When Daryle reveals that they need to harvest wood from this side, the old man attacks. Six Twigjacks appear and join the fight. The wolverines do not. The battle goes poorly at first, with all members of the party suffering grievous wounds, but eventually the gnarled old man retreats by transporting through plants, leaving his twigjacks behind to die.

Exploring the pile of rocks, Darelle finds a cave. In the cave is a giant about 10 feet tall encased in amber. She has very long hair and fine features. She fits the description Mother Holworth gave of Eithne. The Coopers free the fey from the amber after much effort. Eithne reveals she had been targeted by a spell about a year ago that encased her in this magical cage. Darelle asks Eithne if she has any seeds that would help the Hellknights meet their quota while keeping the village forested. She provides the ranger with enough oak seeds to grow the wood needed.

Darelle plants the trees, then the harvest resumes. As trees are felled, more are planted and immediately grow back. By the end of the day, the Hellknigths have harvested enough wood to meet their quota, while enough seeds remain to replenish the forest around Dimsdale. The Coopers successfully negotiated a settlement between the two groups, much to Maralictor Gregg and Mayor Appletop's appreciation.


Gozran 29, 4712

Having received the message from Darelle, Gerald investigates the lumber's disappearance. The one caravan the Cooper sisters  interacted with took the lumber to Fort Inevitable, but it was accompanied by a Hellknight patrol so there wouldn't have been the opportunity to divert the lumber.  were not able to extract any meaningful information from the teamsters.

Gerald tracks a disgruntled teamster whose tongue gets loose when fueled with free alcohol at the Juliver Arms. After a few drinks, that teamster reveals that large quantities of lumber  are being diverted to a water landing in the suburbs of the dead city of Mosswater. The wagons are unloaded there, then the caravan departs and returns to the harvesting site. When they return with another load a few days later the lumber has been removed. The teamster doesn't know who gets the lumber, and he and the rest of his team do not tarry in the area.

Further inquiries reveal that all caravans are now accompanied by Hellknight patrols, so all of the wood is now being delivered to Fort Inevitable.


Gozran 30, 4712

Despite Gerald's best efforts, he is unable to locate Eithne  in the area of Dimsdale. On his way back he reflects that his membership in the Hellknights might have been a distraction for the fey. However, in talking to Abernard, the old wizard identifies a spell that might be of use. Called Discern location, this spell can find any object or creature anywhere. Due to the difficulty of performing this spell, however, he indicates that it probably will cost 1,800 gold pieces to acquire a one-use scroll. He can arrange to secure such a scroll, which will take 2d8 days, or Gerald can trek up to Starfall, capital of Numeria, which will take you about four days to get there. Either way, getting a load of lumber to Mosswater at the same time should provide enough time to locate its eventual destination. Now, if only Hellknights were not supervising all caravans of lumber...

Playing Catch in the Pleasure Garden

Gozran 3, 4712

On his way out of Fort Inevitable to conduct business, Thorne receives a message from the gate guard. The note, from Roscoe, tells him that the Coopers and Omok headed out to the Emerald Spire yesterday to gain access to the 13th level. Forgetting his business, Thorne rouses Rowen out of bed and the two of them head to the Spire.

Reaching the 12th level, Thorne and Rowen spot Gerald by the control panel of the automaton factory. Gerald appears to be carefully documenting the function of each button. Rowen makes a noise and Gerald attempts to in the shadows. Thorne and Rowen decide to mock Gerald, and Thorne grabs the large parchment Gerald was working on. On it, in a childish hand, Gerald has noted the function on more than half of the symbols. To mess with Gerald, Thorne changes some of the symbols on the parchment. Rowen then grabs the paper and throws it behind him. In an award-winning theatrical performance, Thorne lays it thick by claiming to Rowen that Gerald has always been the best brother and that he would always be there for him. Gerald doesn't buy it and remains hidden. Rowen tires of this little game and pulls Gerald out of his hiding space.

Gerald tells his brother and Rowen that he's trying to figure out how the old Atlanz magic was engineered. He asks Thorne to push four buttons at random. Thorne does so, and then runs away. When nothing happens, Gerald gets closer to the console, only to be zapped. Having wasted enough time, Thorne and Rowen leave Gerald behind and ride the elevator down to the 13th level.

Coming to the room with the two statues, Thorne considers pulling the spikes that hold the double doors open, but decides against it. Inside the large cavern, Thorne goes to the theater and is met by the imp who leads the orchestra. In no time music from demons begin to play, and Thorne suddenly loses the will to live the music is so bad. In fact it is the worst he's ever heard. After twenty minutes Thorne manages to pull himself out of his chair and he drags his carcasse out of the theater, but not after being hit by a bolt of lightning.

Rowen, meanwhile, does not like the look of the alien plant life that fills the underground cave. He casts fly and travels through the cavern. He spots several tracks, and he decide to head to the bathhouse. Landing on the bridge, he knocks on the door. Omok grabs him and brings him in. Rowen has rejoined the party, and Roscoe fills him in on what happened.

Thorne also makes his way to the bathhouse, and knocks on the door. Another lively discussion takes place among the siblings as to whether they should open the door, and they eventually decide to let Rowen open the door. Puzzled by the three bathtubs and not knowing what the third tub does, Rowen dips his toes in the muddy tub. Nothing happens. However, he finds a figurine of wondrous power at the bottom of the tub.

The Coopers explore the rest of the cave on the south side of the river, and find nothing else of interest. They debate how to get across the river. Roscoe decide he will jump the river. The current is very strong and pulls him away quickly, but the Hellknight reaches the other bank and climbs out of the river. He is soon joined by Omok, who transported through the stone wall of the bathhouse. The two of them head down a pathway. They find the body of two dead drow fighters wearing mithril armor and equiped with rapiers. As Roscoe examines the bodies to make sure they are truly dead, Omok disturbs a hellwasp swarm and soon both are engaged in combat. The remaining Coopers on the other side take a few pot shots at the swarm, but when Roscoe notices the drow reanimating he decides he's had enough of both the swarm and the dead drow, so he grabs the first drow and throws it in the river.  

Daryle fishes it out when it passes by her, because she wants to get that armor. Unfortunately, she did not notice it had reanimated, so she is taken by surprise when it attacks her. The Coopers fight courageously and take numerous wounds before they are able to destroy both the swarm and the drow. Roscoe heals everyone, and Omok provides more healing to Rowen.

With everyone now across the river the Coopers enter the hallway and arrive in a museum. There are five pedestals, with objects placed on four of them. The first one features a sleeping yet purring cat. The second is a large dire shark tooth. The third is an oversize brain. The fourth pedestal is empty. The last pedestal features a helmet made of the shrunken head of a cyclop. Roscoe grabs the tooth and considers stabbing the brain, but the sight of the helmet attracts him. The paladin takes the helmet and notices its magical capabilities. He detects evil in the room, and only the brain registers as evil. Daryle and Darelle pet the cat, but it doesn't wake up. Omok dispels the magic that keeps the cat in suspended animation, and it immediately turns into an angry skeleton. Omok throws the cat at Thorne. The undead cat claws Thorne's left eye. Thorne throws the cat back at Omok, and this angry and violent exchange goes for a few minutes, much to the delight of the other Cooper siblings, before Roscoe puts an end to it. exchange the dead cat back and forth.

Darelle examines each pedestal, and discover that there is a small plaque written in Azlant under each. With much difficulty, the cat's is translated as "My very first familiar." The tooth is translated as "Never saw a sea creature so big." The third states "The brain of my enemy." The fourth and empty pedestal's plaque reads "The weapon of my youth." The final pedestal says "This helmet never saw me coming."

While the party is searching the artifact room, Rowen opens the door to the north and walks in the large cavern. At the end of the room he sees both a large undead sitting on a throne and armed with a big sword, as well as a beautiful woman who asks the wizard to come closer. He feels compelled to do so, and closes the door behind him. In no time the undead removes Rowen's soul and eats it. Rowen now feels listless and disconnected from life. Plus, he is under the thrall of the beautiful woman.

Roscoe decides to explore the rest of the cave full of plants. Walking by a large thicket of vines, he is attacked by what looks like a giant alien flytrap that manages to swallow him whole. Luckily, Darelle and Daryle hear the struggle and intervene. The combat with a moving plant is harrowing, but eventually they manage to rescue Roscoe and defeat the flytrap.

Meanwhile, Omok still considers what to do with the brain. He turns around for a moment, and when his gaze returns the brain is gone. Suddenly he is attacked from above and the brain manages to possess him. When the Coopers return, he fires a lightning bolt at the other members of the party. Combat ensures between Omok and the Coopers, and a well targeted hit by Roscoe forces the brain out. As Roscoe, Omok and Daryle fight the brain, Darelle opens the door where Rowen previously ventured and suffers the same fate.

With the brain defeated, the Coopers regroup and notice that there are only four of them left: Omok, Thorne, Roscoe and Daryle. It's clear to them that both Darelle and Rowen must have entered the room. Roscoe rushes in, and is confronted by a Devourer. In the battle that ensues, the party comes close to defeat but successfully manage to slay the guardian. The succubus, meanwhile, once agains teleports away, leaving Rowen and Darelle behind. The Devourer's chest glows with swirling patterns, and Omok identifies them as souls. Thorne carves the souls out, and all but two fly away in the nether. The two remaining souls begin floating above  Rowen and Darelle, respectively, and their condition does not seem to improve. They also spot a hovering platform that can take them down to the next level down.

Omok realizes that their bodies will need to be reunited with their souls, but only a powerful ritual in a temple will be able to manage such a feat. The Coopers decide to head back to Fort Inevitable.

A visit to the Pleasure Gardens

Gozran 2, 4712

Returning from the Emerald Spire,  Omok reports to Roscoe that he met the Mistress of Thorns. He explains to him what "deal" he made with her. Roscoe philosophically ponders whether he should suffer death, then be resurrected, and whether by doing so the Mistress would be able to claim his soul. He questions Omok as a priest, and Omok replies that his god would not allow Roscoe's soul to be claimed.

Roscoe decides to seek a second opinion. He reflects on what he learned as a paladin and he clearly remembers missing that specific lesson in paladin school due to a heavy bout of drinking the night before.

Seeking answers to his questions, Roscoe and the Cooper sisters visits Abernard Royst. There he finds the old wizard hard at work with Gerald. He questions Abernard on devil lore and how one can remove a tether from one's soul to the devil. Abernard reports that there are several options, including contact an infernal lawyer friend of his in Daggermark to find a loop hole in the contract that binds the soul. Another option is to invoke the little known right to annul the contract by single combat.

Roscoe then asks Abernard about creating a phylactery and placing his soul in it. Abernard informs him that in theory one should be able to do so and avoid a devil's claim. However, he says, there is a risk that the ritual required to effect this change could go wrong, causing the individual to transform into a lich. Roscoe is intrigued, but decides not to pursue this possibility at this time. Daryle reveals to Roscoe the history of the Shadowborn and the family curse as well as the fact that demon blood runs in their veins.

Faced with Omok's treachery and the tense situation in Fort Inevitable, the Coopers decide to head back to the Emerald Spire. Along the way Daryle tells them that if they come to doors with runes, they should prop them to keep them open. The Coopers enter the tunnel leading to the third level, then use the Spire transport token to travel down to the twelfth. They ride the elevator from the automaton factory and come out in a small room on the thirteenth level. Daryle spots a symbol of a skull head with a crown on a set of doors inscribed with runes in Azlant. She takes her spikes out of her bag. Omok translates the runes to a warning that an enemy of the Azlants has been sealed behind this door.

There are two armored statues in this room, and after careful examination Darelle notices their eyes are shifting and following their actions. The Coopers tie their legs and remove their weapons. They then place them on the dais by the elevator. Darelle looks for traps but finds none. Daryle then opens the doors. The statues do not move from their pedestals, and there isn't a monster right behind the doors. Daryle spikes the doors open.

The room beyond is a large cavern filled with exotic and strange plants. Darelle has never seen any of these. She begins picking up samples. Daryle finds tracks of creatures through the ground cover. Omok decides to explore the building to the south of the cavern. He opens the doors and steps into a theater. An imp appears, and soon a demonic orchestra begins to play. The music is absolutely terrifying, but because Omok's hearing is bad, he doesn't mind. Darelle follows the music, and closes the door, then returns to tell Roscoe and Daryle about the music room.

The group breaks up and begin to explore on their own. Roscoe goes to the bathhouse across a bridge over a swift flowing current. He finds two beautiful women, one nude in a bathtub filled with steam and bubbles, while the other washes her hair. There are two other tubs in this room. One is filled with mud, while the other one is empty and appears dirty. They begin to talk to Roscoe. He resists their charms and he manages to leave the bathhouse.

Darelle grabs more plant samples. Omok tires of the concert when nothing but bad music occurs, and he rejoins the party in the cavern. Stepping into a section of the cave from two different angles, both Daryle and Omok transform into a stone. Realizing this, Darelle and Roscoe manage to pull her out by using a rope. Looking for help, Darelle goes to the bathhouse. Two beautiful men are busy oiling their finely toned muscles. Darelle asks them for help, and after many tergiversations they finally agree to help the ranger.

Roscoe chisels the Orb of Command out of Omok's statue, and uses it. The Orb indicates that placing a stone statue in one of the tubs will transform it back. Roscoe relays the information to his sister and they manhandle Daryle's statue into the sweet scented tub and the statue begins to sink in the bubbles. Darelle and Roscoe make increasingly painful small talk with the men/women, while waiting for Daryle to return to life. They decide to speed up the process and they go retrieve Omok from the room. They place him in the empty tub for now, and they notice that he begins turning back to flesh. Confused, Darelle grabs Daryle by the legs and pulls her out of the tub. Unfortunately she only manages to get the legs out. Everything else has disappeared in the bath of acid!

Using the wand of resurrection's last charge, Roscoe brings Daryle back, and with Omok regaining consciousness they attack the succubus. They slay one of them, but the other one manages to escape. Since Omok got out early, however, he retains a certain amount of stone on his body, which increases his protection but slows him down.

Roscoe enters the cave where Omok and Daryle were turned to stone, and he spots an eye totem an instant before he's turned to stone. The sisters retrieve him, place him in the empty tub, and eventually Roscoe returns to flesh. Everyone returns to the room, and, carefully avoiding gazing at the eye totem, they destroy it. Darelle harvests a piece of the rainbow star flower, and feels an immediate connection with her deity. For once, she feels at peace in the world...

Are the Coopers responding to chaos, or are they the cause?

Pharast 30, 4712

It's been twelve days since the Coopers have returned to Fort Inevitable following their confrontation with the automatons. They spend time replenishing their equipment, selling gems and other trinkets, and preparing a return to the Emerald Spire. Unfortunately, events conspire to prevent them from heading back today.

Roscoe is bruskly awakened by Maralictor Wirt early in the morning. She reports that the entire night guard at the Juliver Gate has bee slaughtered between the 4th and 5th hour of the watch. No sound was heard, though there seems to have been several attempts at raising the alarm. As Roscoe rushes to dress, the Hellknight's Chancellor intercepts him and tells him that the treasury is empty. It will not be possible to meet the Hellknight payroll in two days' time. Finally, a representative of the civilian town council catches the Hellknight commander as he exits the Citadel and notifies him that all of the town water wells have either run dry overnight or have been contaminated by a strange waxy substance, making the water unfit for drinking purposes. Finally, as Roscoe meets his siblings along the way to the Juliver gate, he notices that there are many newcomers in town who appear to not be doing very much. The arrival of over 2,000 workers to rebuild Fort Inevitable following a devastating fire has caused the population to swell, but now that most of the housing stock has been rebuilt, these newcomers seem to have become a nuisance.

Roscoe questions Thorne on the number of workers should stay and how many should go. Thorne answers that he's discovered a plot. His network of people reports that the laborers, who are not the most skilled, are actually part of a force looking to spread chaos throughout Fort Inevitable. They were sent here by enemies from Daggermark. He proposes mandatory conscription to attack the hill giants. Roscoe says that this is a genius move, but what would prevent the workers from just walking away or turning on the Hellknights? Thorne replies that if they acted switfly, this problem would disappear.

Daryle contacts the Hellknight Spymaster and requests information on this plot. The spymaster advises her that Thorne was responsible for hiring and paying the workers, and he selected the dredges of Daggermark. The spymaster has no proof, but he believes that Thorne was hoping to overthrow the Hellknights. Daryle informs Roscoe of her findings. Thorne points out that Roscoe and the Coopers were often gone in the last few months, yet the workers did not strike. Those must be rumors planned by enemies of Fort Inevitable.

Roscoe asks about the fighting value of these men. Hellknight officers report that all of them are of fighting age and seem to have some experience. Against the full contingent of Hellknights these men would not stand a chance, but if allied with another group, like an army of giants, a victory would not be assured.

While this conversation is taking place, Darelle obtains a leather armor +3 from the Hellknight armory but it will identify her as a Hellknight. She paints it to hide the colors but the symbols are still visible to the perceptive eye. Gerald, meanwhile, requests that a helmet be made to make his new horn appear to be part of this helmet and not his head. He shines it and sharpens it so it can be used as a weapon.

Tired of the discussion taking place in the Citadel, Omok storms off and decides to investigate the murders at the gate. The guards were clearly slaughtered with a piercing weapon and in order, one tower then the next. They appeared to have defended themselves, but neighbors and members of the night watch confirmed they heard nothing. Omok returns to the Citadel and reports this new information to Roscoe. The Hellknight and his entourage head back to Juliver Gate and investigate. Darelle does not find any new information on the town side of the gate, but on the outside Daryle finds a set of tracks that belong to an individual about 140 pounds. The cuts and trusts indicate that the person was about 5'9'. Darelle uses her ranger abilities and speaks with the towers' resident pigeons. They confirm that the attacker was one humanoid, came from inside the town, slaughtered everyone on that side before jumping the wall and attacking the sentries outside. The person then climbed the wall. The birds also tell her that the person was very agile, almost like a cat.

Roscoe questions Maralictor Wirt as to whom inside the wall would have the skills necessary for accomplishing such a feat. Wirt replies that she doesn't know of anyone agile enough to successfully drop from the wall and then climb it back up again without the aid of magic, but as far as the manner of killing, Karlyle the Butcher certainly would be able to pull this off if he were so inclined. Roscoe decides to confront Karlyle, so the Coopers head to his shop. Even this early in the morning, the doors are opened and Karlyle stands inside, processing cuts of beef from this morning's slaughter. Roscoe and Omok stroll in and begin questioning the butcher. Omok successfully intimidates the man, who backs off towards a corner of the shop.

Just as Roscoe accuses Karlyle of killing the Hellknights at the Juliver gate, a volley of arrows slam against all three inside the butcher's shop. Surprised, the other Coopers draw their weapons. The assault is coming from the roof of the third story building across the street from the butcher. Currently in construction, scaffolding surrounds the building on two sides. Roscoe throws himself against Karlyle to protect him. Gerald becomes invisible and flies upwards. Daryle fires off a volley of her own. Rowen uses his sleep spell and manages to incapacitate one of the attackers. More arrows fly down to the Coopers. Omok uses his ring of ram and collapses the building, while Gerald incinerates the ruins with a fireball. The surrounding buildings catch on fire but Darelle is able to put the fire out with a wall of wind. Roscoe uses his paladin's abilities to heal everyone in the group.

In the rubble of the building the Coopers find one of the attackers. The other two are missing. Roscoe interrogates the survivor, and quickly discovers that it is a demon. He decides to cart it off to the temple. Unfortunately, High Mother Sarise Dremagne informs the Hellknight Commander that she can't guarantee that the demon won't escape. Roscoe decides to keep custody of the demon in the prison of the Citadel under triple guard.

Darelle tells Dr. Mordel about what has happened around town in the last ten hours. He does not seem surprised. He tells her that the tensions are high in town with the foreign workers, and could boil over at any time.

The search for the missing two demons continue, but is fruitless.

Back at the Citadel, Thorne proposes a bold scheme for getting rid of the foreign worker problem. The Coopers will plant a fake map indicating that there is gold in the hills north of the Emerald Spire. Rowen will be sent in the hills, and return to Fort Inevitable the next day with a bag full of gold and the map. With a change in personality, Rowen will not remember that this is a set up and will be able to sell this idea to the ruffians. Ideally, all of them will depart Fort Inevitable. They may encounter the giants that are mustering in the hills, or at least act as a buffer between the two sides.

Roscoe approves the plan, and the wheels begin to turn.

Pharast 31, 4712

It's the end of the quarter, and several of the Coopers have set up businesses or work for other people. These are their statements for tax purposes:

• Gerald's message delivery business and his Hellknight wages earned him 62 crowns after expenses.
• Daryle's hunting has earned her 43 crowns after expenses.
• Darelle's employment with Dr. Mordel and Mother Holworth, as well as her herb business earned her 51 crowns after expenses.
• Thorne's general store earned him 139 crowns after expenses.
• Roscoe earned 1,200 crowns as Hellknight Commander.

In the morning, Rowen comes riding into Fort Inevitable carrying gold and a map to a location where the gold was supposedly found. The rumor spreads like wild fire, and by noon most of the riff raff has departed. Thorne's general store makes a fortune selling panning gear. By the end of the day, the overwhelming majority of foreigners have departed for the hills. The town is now very quiet.

All tax payments are made today, and there is enough money in the coffers to meet Hellknight payroll. Somehow Thorne has come through and located enough money to pay the troops. How did he do it? He returned to the Emerald Spire the day before and met with the Mistress of Thorns. In exchange for the gold he needed to replenish the Hellknights's coffers, he traded her the magical name of each level of the Spire. Then, he swore fealty to her and declared that henceforth he would become her agent within Fort Inevitable in exchange for a cloak of invisibility. He also promised her the souls of the Daggermark workers he so cleverly attracted to a deserted location.

Thorne's network also spreads the rumor among the guards and the public that Thorne was responsible for the rebuilding of the city. There wasn't enough money to pay wages, but somehow Thorne intervened and secured enough funds. He hopes this will buy him some goodwill in the city.

Omok departs Fort Inevitable for the Emerald Spire.


Gozran 1, 4712

In the morning, Thorne, disguised as a ruffian, rides into Fort Inevitable with another report that  more gold was found. The remaining ruffians depart, along with several citizens. With the foreign threat now gone, Roscoe orders that all patrols be doubled. Orders are sent out to bring in as much food from surrounding areas while collecting as much water as possible. In two days' time Fort Inevitable's gates will be closed. The Hellknights are also now required to keep a record of who comes and goes, and only taxpayers are allowed to enter Fort Inevitable.

Omok enters the Emerald Spire and meets with the Mistress of Thorns. In exchange for information on the assassin he will perform a service for her. Omok reveals to him that the individual behind the attack is Nagal Imban, someone of considerable means since he or she was able to take control of three demons and order them. The Mistress of Thorns reveals that she knows of Nagal Imban but has nothing to add at this time. In exchange for this, she requires that Omok assassinate Roscoe within the next two weeks.

And Gerald Dies Again, and Again

Pharast 18, 4712, continued

With six automatons activated, the Coopers' combat in the armory continues. Daryle lets a few arrows fly, while Roscoe miss his two attempts. The automatons strike back, but one misses Omok, while two others fail miserably at their attacks. Thorne, who happens to have a small paint vial, throws it against one of the automatons and successfully covers its eyes. Darelle engages a new opponent, and it's general mayhem in the automaton armory. Automatons are slowly being destroyed, but the Coopers all suffer wounds.

As Gerald delivers the killing blow to the automatons standing in front of him, it explodes, embedding a large shard of shrapnel in his skull. Gerald now looks like a shiny unicorn. A giant automaton activates and joins the combat. Thorne uses his wand of webbing and attempts to stop it. Unfortunately it barely stops. The giant automaton heads straight for Gerald. Omok, meanwhile, is engaged in a brutal combat of his own, so he summons a land shark to help him. Darelle, who's fighting another automaton next to him accidentally steps near the shark and gets bitten. Rowen maneuvers himself behind the automaton fighting Darelle and joins that battle.

It eventually takes all of Roscoe, Gerald, Thorne, and Daryle's efforts to slay the large giant. It explodes in a shower of sparks. Most of the party manages to step out of the way but Gerald suffers another wound.

With the battle wrapped up, the Coopers explore the rest of the armory. In the southwest corner they find a curtain of lightning that stretches from wall to wall and from the floor to the ceiling. Rowen comes up with a clever way to walk through the curtain. He will build a circuit that will conduct the current using pieces of the destroyed automatons. Thorne looks at the curtain and attempts to discern a way to disrupt it, but he cannot find one. Gerald steps forward and also looks at it. Omok casts a spell and travels through stone and emerges on the other side. Thorne, sensing a great prank, shoves Gerald through the curtain. The sorcerer makes it across but not before suffering significant damage.

Mad and ticked off at his brother, Gerald drags Omok through the doors and Gerald closes the doors and wizard lock them. Gerald takes the steward's head from his backpack, who survived the lightning curtain. At the back of the room is a large console bearing rows of gems, placed in front of the Emerald Spire. The gems pulse and seem to randomly light. On each side of the room is a large sarcophagus-like structure standing, with a smaller one in the north wall. The air positively shimmers with electricity. Omok takes a step forward, but as soon as he reaches the middle of both large structures on either side, doors slide inward, revealing a brand new automaton. The automatons emerge from their coffins and attack Omok and Gerald. The sorcerer makes a run for the console with the steward's head firmly in his hands, but he is tackled by one of the automatons. At the same time, the smaller structure also opens, and another swarm of reclaimers comes out and joins the fray. Gerald and the head soon disappear under the swarm. Omok manages to flee by merging with the stone wall again and coming out on the other side.

Unaware of the drama taking place next door, Rowen comes up with the clever idea of creating a circuit to discharge the lightning curtain. He will employ bits and pieces of the destroyed automatons, and create an arch that should discharge enough electricity out of the lightning curtain to render it inoffensive.

When Omok emerges from the stone he reports to the Coopers what has happened next door. Roscoe, determined to rescue his brother, braves the lightning curtain, taking some damage. Omok joins him and casts a dispel magic to counteract Gerald's wizard lock. Inside he finds that the room is as the hobgoblin described it, minus the automatons and the reclaimers. In the middle of the room is a bleached skull with a piece of metal sticking out, the last remnants of the sorcerers. The reclaimers devoured everything else. Rowen meanwhile successfully shorts the lightning curtain, and the remaining Coopers enter the heart of this level. A lively discussion ensues as to whether Gerald should be resurrected for the second time, and eventually Roscoe decides that it would benefit the expedition to do so.

Gerald is thus brought back from the dead a second time, and he begins his third life. Confused, Gerald only remembers being attacked by the reclaimers. He doesn't know what happened to the steward. He then notices that his gear is missing. Naked, without spell, and without any equipment save for that piece of metal sticking out of his skull, Gerald enters into a rage and he rushes the console. The automatons and the reclaimer swarm emerge from their resting place and Gerald is soon engulfed again, much to the horror of his friends and family.

Fully engaged in combat, the Coopers have no time to question what just happened. Rowen uses a fly spell to cross the space above the battle and he reaches the console. Omok consults the orb of command and asks which button Rowen should push. The orb tells him to push the 57th button from the top, but because Omok did not think to ask for the proper sequence and not just the first button, Rowen is unable to shut the factory down. With combat going poorly, Thorne spikes the doors to the coffin closed, hoping that more automatons will not come out. The swarm and the automatons already in the room pursue the battle, while Rowen pushes random buttons. More automatons in the hall behind them activate and try to enter the room, but Darelle disactivates the circuit that shorted the lightning circuit and the automatons are effectively locked on the other side.

Noticing that Rowen was not attacked, Darelle realizes that by flying over the enemy she will avoid combat. She summons her blue pegasus and crosses over to the console, then sends the pegasus back to fetch each member of the party. With the automatons defeated, the Coopers find themselves on the safest side of the room. Rowen continues to push buttons, and he eventually discovers the proper sequence to turn the level's defense mechanisms off. 

Once again Roscoe resurrects Gerald. The sorcerer has now been reborn three times, and he suffers from a permanent piece of automaton sticking out of his skull. Nude and without gear, hurt, and badly needing supplies and healing, the Coopers decide to return to Fort Inevitable.

Welcome to the Rendering

Pharast 18, 4712

Following their encounter with the greater fire elemental in the forge, the Coopers decide to head back to the reception room and continue their exploration there. Thorne opens the west door and enters what appears to be a kitchen. Exotic fish and plants fill in an aquaponics area, with mechanical devices that harvest, process and deliver fresh food to the reception area. Gerald admires the machinery while the steward explains how the system works. Each water tank has a summoning device that connects it to the plane of water and when fish deplete or die new fish are summoned to replace them.

The party explores the kitchen and Daryle notices a door behind a deep layer of barricade.Why would someone have barricaded the door on this side? As the Coopers ponder the answer to this question, Rowen searched the pantry and discovers an ancient Azlanti cutlery set for 12 made of platinum. Omok asks the steward what's behind the door. The steward tells the group about the Reclaimers, a swarm of small automatons who disassemble other automatons and reclaim their parts to build newer sets.

While the party remains in the kitchen to discuss what to do about the barricaded door, Thorne returns to the reception area and searches for a secret door, but he doesn't find one. He examines the painting of the Prince, which seems to simmer and switch to a different glorious pose every few minutes. He takes it off the wall before placing by the door so he doesn't forget to take it with him on his way out. Daryle, tired of the arguments in the kitchen, joins Thorne. They decide to proceed through the forge's secret path and explore the rest of the level.

At some point, Gerald decides to return to the reception area and notices that the painting has been moved. He notices that Thorne and Daryle are missing, so he searches for them.

Meanwhile, the remaining Coopers dismantle the barricade and reach the door. Omok seizes the initiative and kicks in the door. He is immediately set upon by a swarm of reclaimers. Roscoe comes to the rescue and enters the fray. Darelle and Rowen are soon involved in this battle. While fighting they come up with a clever plan. Rowen will draw the swarm away, while the others rush through the door. Then he will become invisible and the swarm will be left in this room. They quickly execute the plan. Roscoe, Omok and Darelle find themselves in a room with a small pool of liquid metal in the middle. Rowen, meanwhile, is left invisible in the kitchen.

Omok uses his trident and measures the depth of the pool. He discovers that it is about 2 feet deep. The trident is not affected by the liquid metal, but the Coopers are wary of what may dwell in there.

On the other side of the dungeon, Thorne and Daryle open their door. They are attacked by metallic tentacles that surround a large pool of acid, and they are also set upon by a swarm of reclaimers. Gerald joins the fray and uses fireball. Swarm attacks, but eventually the three siblings are triumphant.

With the swarm defeated, the Coopers are reunited. Gerald suggests a great plan. The Coopers will lead the remaining swarm up the tunnel to invade and clear off the upper levels. They discuss the pros and cons of Gerald's plan. After a short discussion, they agree that this is the best course of action. Thorne uses his scepter to command the swarm of reclaimers into one of the storage room. For now, the swam problem has been solved.

Entering the room next to the Rendering pool, they come upon the armory. Many automatons are lined against the walls. Six automatons activate and attack. The battle goes poorly at first, but then Omok uses his ring of ram and pushes the emerald guardian into the pool of acid. The automaton sinks and disappears from view. But the battle continues ...