The Wasted Wanderers

The Wasted Wanderers were an adventuring party that traveled across Gaia starting in 1000 AFA. They were composed at various times of Lord Natuc the goliath barbarian, Las'Lego (Lego) the elven wizard, Marteen the aasimar paladin, N'Taba the fire genasi druid, Jonkie the human monk, Martin the aasimar paladin, Lola the fire genasi witch, Barnaby the human bard, Dr. Karate James Jefferstone the loxodon artificer, and Brooks O’Millien, the Tiefling blood hunter.

Humble Beginnings - The Search for the Moonstone
The Wasted Wanderers were originally comprised of Natuc, a former militia man from Kell, Lego, an academy drop-out and longtime drifter, and Marteen, a paladin who himself had also been in a militia. The three met in the town of Stonehaven, a mining town in northern Delmar, having been hired by a woman named Anna Reynolds to find her missing son, Arnold. Arnold had been hired by an elven woman named Illana days prior, on the pretenses of an expedition for some sort of artifact contained in the nearby village of Foxglenn. Unbeknownst to Natuc, Lego had also joined up to fulfill a contract he'd taken with a gang called the Brand, who wanted Natuc dead for breaking up their activities in Sleetwood during his time in the city militia there. However, Lego ultimately decided not to kill Natuc.

Before leaving town, the group took a brief detour into the local mines, where strange creatures had attacked some of the miners recently. After questioning an injured miner and negotiating with the mine’s foreman, they ventured into the tunnel where the reptilian creatures had been seen. They encountered lizard-like troglodytes, and after a tense battle, slayed the creatures.

Despite being more dangerous than anticipated, the foreman refused to pay more than he initially agreed to. Unhappy with their reward, Lego hurled a sack of coins at the foreman, and the group left town before the guards could arrive to punish them.

Travelling through the Forest of Draenor, the group encountered and killed a large spider that had caught an old man in its web. Though they briefly considered killing and robbing him, they ultimately let him go. Shortly afterwards, they met a monk in the woods named Jonkie, who had recently left the monastery where he’d grown up just outside the forest. Hearing of their quest to Foxglenn, he decided to join them.

Foxglenn - Friends Fall and Rise
In Foxglenn, the group were horrified to find the city completely devoid of life except for a strange purple fungus. Black streaks of some sort of magical energy covered the streets, walls and even the people, who lay dead in the streets, shriveled and lifeless. After confronting a group of bandits who were looting one of the nearby shops, the group eventually found that the source of the black streaks was a tomb in the city graveyard. Pushing open the coffin within, they found a stairway leading to several underground chambers.

It was here that the group found N'Taba, trapped behind a doorway marked with the symbol of Orcus, god of death. N'Taba had also been hired by Illana as part of her expedition, yet had been locked in this room when the door sealed behind her. Apparently, the divine seal on the door had protected her from whatever dark magic had destroyed the rest of Foxglenn.

Travelling on, the group encountered a group of myconids: mushroom-like creatures born from the purple fungus. Tragedy struck when Marteen was killed outright by one of the creatures, struck with it’s poisonous fist. Moving on without their fallen friend (after Lego *defiled* the body), the group found the bodies of Illana's expedition team (including Arnold) and the pedestal that had once held whatever artifact Illana was looking for. But it was gone, and her with it.

Retreating back to the surface, the group were greeted by Martin, Marteen's brother who had been searching for him. Learning of his brother's death and the group's cause, Martin decided to join them. They fought some orcs that had found their way to what remained of Foxglenn, then returned to Stonehaven, Jonkie failing to climb a tree along the way. It would not be the last time.

Pazaak, Prison and Percy's Pub
Having returned to Stonehaven, the group set out to buy supplies and plan their next course of action. However, upon entering the city one of the guards told them to speak to Sergeant Clarabelle, in the northern guard station, who was looking for Lego. Though Lego didn’t want to go, the rest of the group dragged him there, creating tension between the Wanderers.

Once at the station, Clarabelle informed them that the foreman Lego had "assaulted" previously was pressing charges, and offered them a deal: Using her station within the city, the sergeant had been collecting “protection” fees from lower-class citizens, using her guards as her own personal muscle. She wanted the Wanderers to extort a shop owner who owes her money in exchange for their “assault” problem going away. They declined, deciding to risk the charges making it further up the chain rather than working with her.

They soon realized they were being followed by a Tiefling woman, and after Martin confronted her, she agreed to meet them at Percy's Pub to explain what was going on. Lego branched off from the rest of the troop, eventually making his way to the Miner's Axe Tavern, where he proceeded to get wasted with a man named Marty, one of his old pals from his time at the Kurazan Academy in Raiko. He soon found himself black-out drunk.

The Tiefling woman, named Azara, revealed to the rest of the group that she was a member of the prestigious Knights of Helena, a secret group working for Delmar’s queen, there on her initiation mission. She was tracking Illana, who was well-known in Kingsforge, Delmar’s capital, for acquiring and selling powerful magical items. After hearing of Foxglenn's fate, she urged the group to find out any information they could of Illana's whereabouts, while she researched what the magical artifact could be. She told them it was likely she had a secret lair somewhere, possibly one she had teleported to, but someone in town may know where it is.

After learning that they should speak to Marty, as he was well-known around town as a solid source of information, the group found Lego being escorted by the town guard for public urination. They took him from the guards, and made their way to the Miner's Axe, knocking out the drunken Lego when they arrived. They played Marty in a game of Pazaak for information, the man himself being an avid gambler. N'Taba got the better of him, and he reluctantly told her that Rordan, the head cleric at the temple of Rakanos, had dealt with Illana in the past.

The next morning, tensions were rising between the group. A now conscious Lego threatened to Thunderwave anyone who picked him up again, making it clear he disliked being manhandled. When they set out to inform Anna Reynolds of her son’s passing, Lego slathered a health potion with poison, leaving it as a trap for his teammates. Jonkie fell for it, the poison seeping into his skin and sickening him. Satisfied with his revenge, things between Lego and the rest of the Wanderers began to smooth over.

After bluntly informing Anna of the fate of her son, and a surprisingly compassionate Lego inheriting a set of spell-storing bracers from the grateful widow, the group entered the Temple of Rakanos in the hope of finding Rordan. While their plan was a valiant one - Martin cast light on his own eyes, pretending to be a prophet of Helena and convincing several patrons that the temple was fraudulent - ultimately they couldn't find their way through the back door of the temple, and Natuc was captured by the town guard. Once more they were forced to interact with Sergeant Clarabelle, this time accepting her offer in exchange for Natuc's freedom. However, Martin refused to harm the scared shopkeeper, and in the end they paid the Sergeant the money that he owed, settling the man's debt and earning their own freedom.

They returned to the temple of Rakanos that night, this time successfully finding their way past the locked door in the back of the temple's main chamber and into the cult's chambers below. However, they were quickly spotted, and a bloody fight ensued. They fought their way to Rordan's office, eventually capturing him. However, their interrogation of him was fruitless, and when Jonkie released him from his bindings in a bid to get him to trust them more, he attacked again. They killed him this time around.

The city guard were alerted, but the group had found evidence that the temple had been funneling money from the city's lord into their own accounts. This proof of corruption was enough to see them freed. They had also found a note from Illana and a keystone that could be used to teleport to her lair.

After finding Azara, she informed them that the artifact taken by Illana was likely the Moonstone - a powerful item of necromantic energy capable of draining the life-force of nearby creatures. If left in the wrong hands, the stone could destroy entire cities. The group informed her of the keystone they had found, and Azara said she knew of a teleportation circle they could use to find her.

Inside Illana's Lair
The next morning, the group made their way to the Library of Delphine, where they met Boromir, the head librarian. Boromir allowed them to use his teleportation circle in exchange for a favor that they would complete for him in the near future. The group agreed, and were whisked away to Illana's lair.

Inside, the group made it past various illusions and traps designed to ensnare and confuse any potential intruders. They fought a mimic, animated plants and undead skeletons, slowly delving deeper and deeper into her lair. Eventually they made their way to Illana herself, who offered them wealth and power in exchange for betraying Azara. But the group refused, and an intense fight ensued, where Illana used enchanted swords to aid her. However, she was ultimately struck down, and the Moonstone fell from her grasp.

The resulting moments were tense, as various people attempted to grab the Moonstone but ultimately fell under its influence. Natuc, Martin and N’Taba all succumbed to it’s power, before Martin eventually managed to stash it away in some cloth. The group agreed to allow Azara to return it to Kingsforge, where the Knights of Helena could watch over it. She bid them goodbye, promising them help in the capital should they ever head that way. Then the group returned to Stonehaven, to continue their journey.

Riverbend - Feys and Fishing
After returning to Stonehaven, the group was invited into the manor of Lord Marston, who wished to speak with them. However, they were quickly escorted out after turning into a snake, pooping in a corner, and various other shenanigans. They were given a small reward, however.

After a few days of relaxing in town (and purchasing Devil's Eye mushroom spores, in the case of Natuc and Lego), the group was summoned by Boromir to complete the favor they owed him. He requested that they deliver a book to Josiah, the head cleric at the Skyward Temple in Cliffport, a seaside town in western Delmar known for its bustling trade economy. After collecting supplies, the group set out for Riverbend, a small town straddling the Ebony River.

While camping out on their way there, they were ambushed by thugs from the Brand, and discovered that the gang's leader in Cliffport was angered by Lego failing to fulfill their agreed upon contract. They also learned that the Brand was based out of Draven's Den, the famous tavern in the city's center. Both Lego and Natuc were now in their crosshairs.

Upon reaching Riverbend and speaking with a few citizens, including a man named Radolf who headed the anglers guild in town, the group learned that various people had gone missing recently. Having last been seen heading up river toward the Thorngrove - a thick forest of vines and brush - the group set out to find them.

They eventually made their way through the Thorngrove to a small clearing, following a trail of cloven footprints that they believed was related to the kidnappings. At the clearing, they were attacked by dryads, fey creatures who protect forests in the form of beautiful women. They successfully defeated the creatures (to the sadness of Martin, who had been charmed into loving one of them that he dubbed Natasha), but during the brawl an errant Firebolt spell from Lego lit several trees on fire. They watched as a large portion of the Thorngrove burned to the ground.

At the center of the clearing was a small mushroom circle, which the Wanderers learned was a portal to the Feywild, another plane of existence that mirrors the Prime Material Plane, though more magical and nature-based. When the portal opened and they passed through, they found themselves at a crossroads, with various paths leading off in different directions. They followed two of the paths - one leading them to pools of water being infested by sea hags, and another to a tavern known as the Hero's Hollow - before settling on the correct one.

Along this path, they encountered a boggle named Grimley that had taken up residence inside the captured anglers' boat. Though he was reluctant to talk with them at first - and tried to escape several times - the allure of wealth and shiny things was enough to convince Grimley to join them on their journey. Scholars still debate whether or not this was a good decision, but Natuc was very happy.

Upon reaching a large chasm at the end of the path, the group found several floating islands suspended above the large drop-off, the furthest of which held a hut aloft. They fought a group of quicklings - small, fast fey creatures that were attempting to break into the hut - and eventually found their way inside. There they met Cyrus, a satyr that had charmed the anglers as well as several other humanoids to forever listen to him play his music.

Resisting the effects of his charms, the group challenged him to a musician's duel for the lives he had captured, offering their own lives for his audience if he won. Though Martin performed admirably - equally to Cyrus, in fact - the charmed audience overwhelmingly ruled in favor of the satyr. Feigning a handshake, Martin grabbed Cyrus's pan flute, shattering the instrument and causing the audience to all attack at once. But the evil Satyr was slain, and the members of his once-charmed audience regained their senses.

The group returned to the Prime Material Plane with the missing people, finding that the fire they had started was eventually quelled (though they did find the burned body of a druid who had unfortunately perished in the fire). The citizens were returned to Riverbend, one of which was a man named David, known as the best angler in town.

At Martin's behest, the group engaged in a day-long fishing tournament, consisting of the Wasted Wanderers, David, Radolf and Old Man Waters, a tavern owner and former fisherman living in town. Though it was an incredibly close contest, Martin ultimately fell short, losing by barely an inch to Radolf, the head of the guild. Though he was granted free entrance into the guild for his valiant performance, Martin vowed to return to claim his title as the best fisherman in Baelor.

Arriving in Cliffport and Confrontation with The Brand
Opting to travel through the Hundred Hills rather than take the safer but longer route along the main road, the Wanderers set out for Cliffport once more. The journey was tough, seeing them fight both a band of goblins and a subterranean monster known as a bulette along the way, but they pushed on. They also encountered a destroyed obelisk, which they reassembled. When Martin spoke the celestial phrase inscribed upon it, his mind was filled with visions of elemental destruction - entire cities destroyed by wind, waves, fire and tremors. A vision of the future? They resolved to find out.

Upon reaching Cliffport, the group helped a merchant named Coriander, a sentient frog who ran a magical item shop. He was being accosted by several members of the Brand, but the group intimidated them into leaving. After shopping at Coriander's for a bit, the group split: Martin, N'Taba and Jonkie headed for the Skyward Temple to complete their delivery, while Natuc and Lego headed to Draven's Den to do some drinking and gambling. Reaching the temple, Josiah greeted the three who head that way, telling them about the city and asking them to stick around for a few days, sensing he may need their aid once more.

Having found their way to Draven's Den, and forgetting that it was the headquarters of the Brand, Natuc and Lego offered some of the gang members to play them in pazaak. To their surprise, they were offered entrance into the exclusive portion of the tavern, and told that they would be with them momentarily. Though they sensed something shady was happening, they weren't completely aware of the danger they were in.

Approaching them from the bar, the Brand's head enforcer, a goliath named Fang, began to question the two adventurers. They stalled for time, but sensing that a brawl was inevitable, they eventually began to fight with the gang. While the two were vastly outnumbered, N'Taba realized that they probably shouldn't leave Lego and Natuc alone for too long, and the remaining Wanderers managed to make it to the Den in time to help with most of the fighting.

The ensuing brawl was the bloodiest the Wanderers had gotten themselves into yet, with gang member after gang member pouring out of a door in the back of the room. Fang was eventually felled, only to be replaced by the head of the gang himself, a half-orc named Scourge. When Scourge saw the tide of battle shifting against him and his gang, he retreated below the tavern, only to return with a spectator - a many-eyed monster that served as his last line of defense. Still, the Wanderers fought bravely, and ultimately overcame Scourge and his beast.

When the dust had settled, the Wanderers now found themselves in an empty tavern strewn with bodies. Luckily, the city guard had heard of the Brand and their activities, and thus knew about their criminal endeavors. With Josiah vouching for them as well, the group was allowed to leave, though they were under close watch from the city guard.

Tempest - Elemental Titan of Air
Having escaped the Brand, the Wanderers regrouped by purchasing supplies, including various pets (Jonkie purchased a monkey, Monkie, and N'Taba purchased a blink dog, Blinky). That night, N'Taba, Natuc and Grimley went to an underground pseudodragon fighting ring, winning some money by placing bets and spying on some of the patrons, including an older elven man that appeared to be part of the Brand.

Early the next morning, the group was awoken by Craig, one of the clerics at the Skyward Temple. The temple was under attack, and the city guard wasn't sure what to do. The group made their way to the temple, where they found it besieged by a large being made entirely of air. The being greeted them as Tempest, a titan of the element of air, and demanded they bow to it. As anyone who knew the Wanderers would have guessed, they refused, and a fight broke out.

Grimley managed to land the final blow on the titan, and its form broke and coalesced into an orb. Those who had met with Josiah earlier recognized it as the orb that had sat atop his staff. They also recognized Josiah himself, his body limp and lifeless, apparently killed by the titan.

Soon after defeating the being, Boromir the librarian arrived via teleportation circle. He explained that Tempest was one of four elemental titans from before the gods had traveled from the plane of Celestia into this realm. When Dais arrived, he slew the four titans, using their essences to create the elements and the prime material plane, thus allowing life to flourish. He gave his four sons domain over the elements, and all that remained of the titans (four orbs) were hidden away in temples by followers of the gods.

Boromir, Josiah and several others across Baelor had been attempting to track down these orbs for some time now. They had found one - the orb of air that Tempest had emerged from. The book the Wanderers had been tasked with delivering was supposed to give them clues as to the whereabouts of the other orbs.

Boromir wasn't sure why the titans were awakening or how, but he was certain that the longer they were allowed to roam, the stronger they would grow. He tasked the Wasted Wanderers with tracking down the remaining three orbs and bringing them to him in Stonehaven for safe keeping. They agreed - for a price, of course.

While the titans of earth and fire would take some time to track down, Boromir and the others had narrowed down the location of the orb of water: An island known as Aquas off the coast of Cliffport, across the Spraying Sea. Transportation had been arranged for them aboard a ship known as the Misty Merrow, and the journey would take about a week. The group gathered their things and various pets, and departed for Aquas.

Tsuna - Elemental Titan of Water
After being attacked by aquatic raiders known as Sahuagin, the rest of the group's journey to Aquas was relatively uneventful. Eventually they made it to the small port of Maelstrom, a pirate town filled with smugglers and rogues. It was here they hoped to learn more about where they may find information on Tsuna’s whereabouts.

Finding their way into the Bloody Cutlass, a small tavern, they saw several pirates who held a young woman in chains. Following them to a brothel, they learned the pirates were slavers, intending to sell the young woman here. They slew the pirates, and at the behest of the now freed woman, stormed the pirate’s ship, killing the crew and saving those held aboard.

Asking around the small port, the group learned that a tribe of water genasi living in the swamps that took up most of Aquas may know more about the temple they were seeking. They ventured into the swamp, pushing through quicksand and thick vegetation until they reached a small clearing. There they were attacked by a young hydra, and although it was a tough fight, the group succeeded in slaying the beast. Their efforts attracted the attention of a water genasi hunting party, and seeing N'Taba among the Wanderers, they took the group back to their village.

The Wanderers met with the village elder, Nala, who agreed to help lead them to the temple where the orb was supposedly held - a dark place, one that the tribe members were forbidden to go to. The next morning, they found they were briefly down one party member, as Jonkie had fallen ill over night. Pushing on, they were lead to the edge of a cliff overlooking a cove filled with whirlpools and jagged rocks, and using some rope and N'Taba's ability to change into a bird, managed to get everyone to the bottom safely. Upon reaching the small rocky landing at the bottom of the cliff, they met Lola, a shipwrecked fire genasi witch.

Upon entering the temple, the Wanderers made their way through the various traps and obstacles that had been laid by the temple's creators. Upon reaching the temple's central chamber, they found an awakened Tsuna, and a fierce battle followed. Tragedy struck when Grimley perished during the fray, but Natuc was finally able to land the killing blow on the titan. Her destroyed form coalesced back into the orb that had originally held her, and the Wanderers had downed two titans.

Escape from Aquas
Leaving the temple with Grimley's lifeless body, Lola decided to stay behind and search for any other survivors of her wrecked ship, promising that she could catch up with the Wanderers if she so desired. Though they struggled for a bit to climb back up the cliff above the temple, the Wanderers eventually made their way back to the water genasi village.

Speaking with Elder Nala, they learned that the genasi could possibly perform a resurrection ritual that could bring Grimley back from the dead. Before preparing the ritual, the elder briefly spoke with N'Taba, giving her a letter from a fire genasi named Raya. Apparently, many genasi were assembling to retake the city of Emeril, once a haven for the earth genasi that had been taken over by serpentine beings known as Yuan-Ti. N'Taba's own tribe had been slaughtered and enslaved by the Yuan-Ti when she was a child.

Preparing the ritual with several of the other elder druids in the village, Elder Nala attempted to reach out to Grimley's soul and return it to a newly formed, human body. However, the ritual failed, and a confused Nala asked the Wanderers if Grimley was truly dead. Unsure of the fate of Grimley's soul, or if he even wanted to come back, the Wanderers held a small funeral for their dead boggle just outside the village.

However, that night N'Taba, Martin and Natuc all shared the same dream - they were traveling deep in the Forest of Draenor outside Stonehaven, eventually reaching an old, crumbling tower of stone. A mysterious entity from within called out to them, beckoning them to come to the temple so that they may make a deal for what it had that they wanted.

When they awoke, they found Jonkie in a trance-like state, with golden light coming from his eyes. Recognizing it as a form of "vision quest" monks can occasionally achieve, they left him in the care of the water genasi, who gave them a gate stone that Jonkie could then use to travel to them when he awoke.

Heading back toward Maelstrom (and digging up Grimley’s body, just in case), they noticed thick columns of smoke rising up past the treeline in the direction of the port. Soon after, they were attacked by a group of lizardfolk (who were decimated by a well-placed fireball from Lego), and afterwards assaulted by a wyvern. Curious as to what was going on, they made their way to the port, finding it in ruins. Buildings had been burnt and destroyed, ships lay wrecked in the harbor, and lizardfolk swarmed the area. They seemed to be lead by an older lizardfolk in elegant clothing, commanding a red, toad-like creature known as a slaad. Only three large ships remained in tact in the harbor - all made of a dark wood, and flying a purple flag emblazoned with the head of a black dragon. Two were docked in the port, while one remained sailing at the mouth of the harbor.

Unsure of what to do, the Wanderers ultimately decided to travel back to the water genasi to seek help. But on the way there, they were attacked by another group of lizardfolk. This time they took one prisoner, and began to question him. Named Artesh, the lizardfolk told them that they had been sent by Vorza, a dragon pirate who was searching for the orb on the island. Expressing a desire to leave Vorza's service - and that now was when the ships were most vulnerable - Artesh agreed to help them with a daring plan: To capture the still sailing pirate ship and escape the attack on Aquas.

Using various abilities, including Lego's ability to alter self, N'Taba's ring and amulet, and Natuc's ring of water-breathing, the group swam and flew out to the sailing ship. But upon arriving, Artesh betrayed the Wanderers, sounding the alarm and alerting all to their presence. While the ship was more heavily guarded then Artesh had initially let on, it seemed as though the Wanderers had the upper hand. Until another wyvern showed up.

Slashing through the Wanderers with its claws and deadly poison stinger, it looked as though the Wanderer's journey was coming to an end. Lego, Natuc and N'Taba lay dying on the ground, and only Martin stood face-to-face with the creature. But summoning all that remained of his divine energy, Martin managed to slay the flying menace, stabbing it through its skull. Martin was able to cure Lego as he lay on the brink of death, Natuc stabilized, and N'Taba miraculously recovered. Just like that, the Wanderers had turned the tide, and once more knocked out Artesh to capture him. They had escaped, but only barely.

Return to Stonehaven
Having taken over the ship, the group decided to sail back to Cliffport. They discovered a passenger on the ship named Barnaby, a young bard from Kalzan who had been captured by the pirates. Hearing of their mission and deciding it could be a good way to spread the word of Marcos, his beloved deity, he decided to join them.

They interrogated Artesh, with Lego slicing off several of his fingers in a bid to get him to talk. Artesh was eager to guide the Wanderers to Vorza's hidden lair, but the Wanderers thought better of facing the black dragon. As Lego tried to sever another of Artesh's fingers, the lizardfolk wrestled the knife away from him, slitting his own throat rather than continuing to be caputured.

Once the Wanderers had reached Cliffport, their ship was quickly flagged down by two ships from Delmar's navy: They had forgotten to take down the pirate's flag. Though Barnaby did manage to cast Suggestion on one of the ship captains, the other captain confiscated their ship, and the crew were escorted to the Temple of Tydas, where they met with Boonie, one of the clerics working with Boromir. Boonie confirmed that Vorza was a powerful dragon who had plundered ships across the Spraying Sea around 20 years prior, and who had since amassed a small fleet of followers. He cautioned the group that he was a dangerous enemy.

As they left the temple, a messenger from a group known as the Syndicate, a criminal organization with ties across western Baelor, left a note for the group telling them to meet a man named Dor'El in the VIP section of Draven's Den. When they met the elf, N'Taba recognized him as the man she had spied on briefly while at the pseudodragon fighting ring. Dor'El explained that the vacancy left by the Brand had been filled by his organization, who were now running Draven's Den. As an offer of peace between their two groups - to ensure neither meddled in the other’s business going forward - he offered the Wanderers a job: Return a satchel unopened that had been lost in the sewers beneath the city, in exchange for some gold. The group accepted.

Travelling through the town's sewers, they eventually reached a junction marked with the Syndicate's symbol. They were attacked by two otyughs - hideous creatures that live in refuse and decay - that had apparently killed the original carriers of the satchel, and two syndicate members sent to find them. The creatures were slain, and the satchel was recovered, as well as a new axe for Natuc. When he attuned to it, he heard it speak inside his mind about smashing his enemies: The axe was sentient.

Though they initially decided not to open the satchel as instructed, after Lego shot a firebolt at N'Taba, she opened the package out of spite and left the rest of the group for a bit, wanting some time on her own. Inside the package was a small teleportation stone. The rest of the group returned to Draven's Den, and while Barnaby got distracted by the band and Lego got distracted by a drunk Dwarven woman, Natuc and Martin entered the Syndicate's lair beneath the tavern.

The two made their way to Dor'El's office, where the elven man inspected the satchel. Determining that it had been opened - there had been a small bit of string attached to the latch that had been broken - he accosted the two for not following their instructions, and demanded they leave without payment. Outnumbered and in unfamiliar territory, the two left, though Martin swore vengeance on the gang.

As the rest of the group headed to the Seabreaze tavern to regroup with N'Taba and settle in for the night, Martin visited Boonie and asked about the Syndicate. Boonie warned that the crime lords had a large organization that was very powerful, much more so than the Brand. Martin enquired where he could get help, and while Boonie cautioned that the Syndicate may have moles within the city guard, Martin decided the navy may be his best hope for getting help. Boonie told him Delmar's navy was based out of the seaside city of Hull Harbor, and Martin put it on his list of places to visit.

That night, Martin, Natuc and N'Taba shared another dream. The same demonic entity that had called out to them before once more beckoned for them to find it in the Forest of Draenor. This time they explicitly referenced their friend, hinting at the possibility that they had captured Grimley's soul.

In the morning, the group headed to the Skyward Temple, where they met High Cleric Andres, who had replaced the now deceased Josiah. Barnaby was taken by Andres's words on Stratos and his holy ways, and decided to convert to worshipping Stratos instead of Marcos. Andres allowed the group to use the temple's teleportation circle, and soon they were back in the Library of Delphine in Stonehaven.

Boromir greeted them upon their return, taking the water orb and paying them for their efforts. He then informed them that they had a choice: He had leads on both the fire titan, Lavar, and the earth titan, Krakkan. For Lavar, they would have to travel to the dwarven capital, Roarkstead, where the High Cleric of Mondo there, a man named Brogan, had apparently found information on the titan's whereabouts. He had recently stopped replying to Boromir's messages, however. For Krakkan, the group would have to follow in the footsteps of Bri, a human explorer who had agreed to help Boromir track down the titans. She had been heading to Emeril to look for any clues as to the titan's location, but Boromir had since lost contact with her. Deciding to head to Emeril first, Boromir began to arrange for them to teleport to Kingsforge, Delmar's capital and the closest he could get them to Emeril.

Having the day to themselves, the group headed into town. As they left the library, Natuc once more heard the many voices of the entity from his dreams calling to him within his head. The creature implored him to visit that night. The group stumbled upon Coriander's Curios, now having appeared in the town square, and upon entering were greeted by the frog himself. He thanked them for saving him a few weeks prior in Cliffport, and gave them a necklace attached to a mysterious platinum stone. Though unassuming, they didn’t realize it’s importance at the time.

After shopping, the group split up. Martin headed to the south guard station, to speak with Captain Abraham. He tried to convince the guard captain to investigate Sergeant Clarabelle, the gnome woman who had previously extorted the group for her own gain. While Norris was suspicious of Martin, and expressed his faith in Clarabelle, he reluctantly agreed to look into it.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group headed to the Miner's Axe Tavern. Upon arriving, Lego was concerned that his old pal Marty wasn't around. Talking to the barkeep, they learned that Marty had been attacked several days prior, and was being tended to at a nearby clinic. Lego rushed to his side, finding Marty battered and bruised but in good spirits, as always.

Marty informed them that he had been attacked by Sergeant Clarabelle's goons: When one of the mines in town had been abandoned (the one the group had cleared of Troglodytes previously), Sergeant Clarabelle forged the deed to it, alleging that it had been sold to her rather than abandoned. Little did she know that Marty had actually purchased the mine for cheap before the original owners left town, and his deed could prove that Sergeant Clarabelle committed fraud. After hearing about Marty's purchase, and not wanting her secret to get out, she had ordered Marty killed, though he had barely escaped with his life. If they could bring the original deed to Captain Abraham, he'd be forced to arrest Clarabelle.

The group met up with Martin, and together they rushed to Marty's home to find the deed. They found it under his toilet, but as the group went to leave, a number of armed individuals stepped out of the large building across the street, including the Sergeant herself. Though she offered the Wanderers wealth and status within the city, they declined. It was time to fight.

Aided by black bears summoned by N'Taba, the group made quick work of most of Clarabelle's lackeys, despite Natuc almost killing Barnaby when his new axe gained control of his mind. Clarabelle, flushed out of hiding behind an illusion due to Martin's ability to instill fear in his enemies, tried to escape, but a fireball from Lego and divine strikes from Martin ended her life.

Having captured her remaining thugs, the group (minus Barnaby, who soaked his wounds in a well and lost the group for a while) made their way to the guard station. Though Captain Abraham was initially shocked, throwing the group in jail, they were eventually released after confessions from the thugs and Marty's testimony. Marty and Lego shared a somewhat touching moment, and then the group was off to meet whatever entity had been haunting their dreams from the Forest of Draenor.

On their way, they discovered a small hut, and it appeared the inhabitant had been killed in some sort of an attack. On the corpse's body, they found a map apparently leading to something in the Spraying Sea. The group stashed the map for later, and continued on.

Upon reaching the dark tower in the woods, the Wanderers were attacked by a group of zombie ogres, lead by an undead creature known as a wight. Though the zombies absorbed a lot of damage, they were no match for the group, especially after N'Taba summoned eight panthers to fight with them. Entering the tower, they found themselves inside a bleak, prison-like chamber.

Speaking to them telepathically and unseen, the demonic entity that had been contacting them told the Wanderers their terms: In exchange for Grimley's soul, they wanted a soul gem that could be found deep in the Frozen Peaks. It lay in the tomb of a frost giant king, who had slain his subjects and had their souls imprisoned upon his death, so he may rule over them forever. They were given two weeks to complete this task.

Conspiracy in Kingsforge
Making their way back to Stonehaven, the Wanderers had a decision to make: Go after Grimley's soul, or continue on their quest to defeat the titans. Resting for most of the day, they made their way to Boromir without Barnaby, who decided to play some music for the townsfolk. He was approached by a man who tried to recruit him to a band called the Jaunty Orcs, but Barnaby used Suggestion to steal a ring off him instead. He then rejoined the group.

Boromir informed them that he could help them teleport to Thronehold, the capital city of Kell and closer to the Frozen Peaks. But the longer they delayed, he warned, the stronger the titans would become. In the end, they decided to head toward Emiril, to both stop the earth titan Krakkan and help free N'Taba's people.

To do that, they would teleport to Kingsforge, the capital of Delmar and closer to the Windswept Desert where Emeril was. But there was a problem: the entire city was on lockdown due to an ongoing investigation, and the only way Boromir could get them access was to promise they'd assist. They agreed, and were off to the capital.

Upon arriving in the bustling city, they were escorted to the palace by Sergeant Amos, a rather annoyed member of the city guard. He took them to meet Fyrax, the Queen's royal advisor, who informed them of the situation: Ailwyn, a member of the Knights of Helena, had gone rogue, stealing an artifact known as the Eye of the Beholder. They were tasked with helping the investigation into his whereabouts, though Fyrax seemed less than hopeful they would succeed.

Passing through the bustling city streets, the group made their way to the city's Helena District, where the City Guard's fort resided. As they entered, they saw the Queen's prized airship sitting nearby, a marvel of navy blue and gold. Upon entering, they spoke with General Corbin, the head of Delmar's military and security within the city. He informed them that while he believed Ailwyn was still in the city, they had few leads. The only one they had, a bar Ailwyn frequented known as Patch's, had turned up nothing when Sergeant Amos's troops had searched it.

Leaving the general, they headed down into the Knights of Helena’s headquarters, where the knights had been put on house arrest. They met with their old acquaintance, Azara, and another knight, a dwarven man named Bruno. They told them about Ailwyn, and showed them the vault where the knights kept the most powerful artifacts they had recovered over the years. Azara also gave them a token and instructions for meeting with the Walkers, a guild that specialized in theft, assassination and espionage, thinking they may know something about Ailwyn. Though both Bruno and Azara thought she should accompany them, the Wanderers turned down her help, not sure of who to trust.

Making their way to Patch's, they questioned the owner of the small bar. He revealed that Ailwyn would often frequent the bar with another man named Randall, a member of the Mechropolis, or the artificer's guild. He also revealed that the guards who had come before hadn't asked many questions during their investigation, a strange fact.

When leaving, N'Taba was approached by a woman who gave her instructions for meeting in an alley behind the bar. She insisted they not be followed. When they arrived looking for answers, the woman and her crew of mercenaries ambushed them, hoping to take them out. But with the help of two brown bears courtesy of N'Taba, the assailants were defeated, and the woman questioned. Named Amanda, she told the Wanderers they had been hired by Sergeant Amos to eliminate them. She was supposed to meet him in the catacombs beneath the city when they were disposed of. She hoped they would let her go - Natuc had other plans. She died.

The group went back to Patch's, and in a flash of purple energy, Jonkie was back. He had recovered from the comatose state that he had been in, and had returned using the gate stones provided by the Aquas genasi. While in his enlightened state, he had a vision of his old master, Sensei Nu, urging him to investigate his old pupil, named Kendo. Confused, Jonkie wasn’t sure how best to proceed, but went along with the group for the time being.

As Jonkie reacclimatized to the group, they questioned Patch once more, learning that Amos had also visited the bar sometimes with Ailwyn. Other attempts at gathering information from the tavern were fruitless, so they decided to meet up with the Walkers. Entering the catacombs through a shop known as Wonderful Wears, they eventually found the entrance to a secret meeting room, where members of the shady guild were waiting.

They spoke with a man named Grand Eye Jocard, who offered them information on Ailwyn in return for payment. Not wanting to pay the high monetary price that had been set, or give up any sensitive information in a trade, the Wanderers decided to instead offer a favor for what they wanted. Jocard agreed, and Martin signed a contract completing the pact. Jocard was good on his word: He told them that Ailwyn had last been spotted visiting Randall's house in the Delphine District. They had also been joined by Sergeant Amos, who had recently been seen entering the catacombs himself. Randall on the other hand had been missing work at the Mechropolis recently, instead working on something in his home. But what, they weren't sure.

Not wanting to tip the conspirators off, they decided to forego a meeting with Amos in the catacombs and instead head to Randall's house first thing in the morning. Lego unsuccessfully tried to flirt with N'Taba (disguised as a fire genasi), Martin and Barnaby earned some cash playing music, and Jonkie and Lego bought a bottle of very strong alcohol known as Maguara. A typical night for the Wanderers.

Waking up early the next day, they made their way to Randall's home, breaking in through his wine cellar. Finding the home empty, they dodged traps and magical obstacles to reach his private workshop, where they found a few things hidden in his desk: First, a book detailing notes on a gauntlet he was designing, one that could be fitted with the Eye of the Beholder. Second, detailed schematics on the Queen's flying ship and the key that controls it. And third, a schedule for guard posts around the city, showing that in only half an hour, Sergeant Amos's troops were scheduled to be protecting the Queen's ship.

Putting all the pieces together, the Wanderers rushed through the city to stop the theft of the Queen's airship. Lego fell behind, crashing into a vendor's cart in the busy Keeli District, but Natuc scooped him up and kept running. Reaching the ship platform, they arrived to find Amos' troops preparing the ship for takeoff. A well-timed fireball from Lego threw the ship off balance, giving the Wanderers just enough time to reach it before it took off. N'Taba flew to the ship's deck with Martin in her ring, who tossed some ropes over the side for Natuc and Jonkie, while Lego used his cloak to Dimension Door himself and Barnaby over. They had made it just in time.

A fight broke out between the Wanderers and the conspirators. Amos was blown off the ship twice by magical blasts from Barnaby, the second time proving fatal. Ailwyn, wearing the gauntlet that controlled the Eye (and by extension, the ship), had his arm severed by Martin before being split in half. And Randall, pushed into roaring flames set by a Lego fireball, eventually surrendered.

Harnessing the gauntlet's power, Lego just managed to keep the ship from crashing into the ground just outside Kingsforge. Using magic to put out the fires, the ship remained relatively intact. The conspirators had been defeated, and the Wanderers had saved the day.

After General Corbin arrived on the scene, and Randall admitted to everything due to a Suggestion spell from Barnaby, the Wanderers were taken to meet with Queen Tyra and the city council. Thanking them for saving the ship and city, she rewarded each of them with gold, and promised to grant their requests if they were within her power. Natuc was knighted, becoming a Knight of Kingsforge. Martin and Lego both asked for improved armor (plus a new "fit" for Monkie), and Forge Mistress Nox, head of the Archforge, agreed to make it for them. Lego asked for a kiss, and while that wasn't granted, he was promised a magic item from the Arcane Prometheum, the city's wizard college. Barnaby was granted a performance at Maestro, the city's famous music hall. And N'Taba was given a promise that when the time came, Delmar would send aid to her people's fight for freedom in Emeril.

After resting in their palace suites and checking out various parts of town, the group met up at Maestro for Barnaby's performance. Playing under the stage name of Barnes and Noble, he was the final act of the evening. The group watched on from box seats, attended to by their very own butler.

As the performance began, Barnaby's style of rock n roll soon won over the crowd. Having never heard anything like it, the audience began to get rowdier as the performance went on. The group's butler was nearly killed by a flaming sphere N'Taba had set by the door, though the group quickly healed him and convinced the poor man that he had imagined it. This was before things got out of hand.

By his final song of the night, the crowd had been worked into a fever. Most people had left their seats, dancing and attempting to sing along with Barnaby's frantic performance on stage. They demanded an encore, and Barnaby obliged. Some of the Wanderers were quite drunk at this point, and as Barnaby began to glow with divine light from one of Martin's spells, Lego set off a fireball above the stage. Chaos ensued.

Some people started to panic. Others began partying harder, believing it all to be a part of the performance. Part of the stage curtains caught fire, and began to burn behind the 15 dancers Barnaby was using in his show. The city guard were summoned to calm things down, but only got caught up in the fray. At some point Lego got naked, and Martin summoned a magical steed to carry Barnaby as he played. The entire place was a madhouse, and through it all, Barnaby continued to shred.

By the time the guards finally got everyone out of the building, the stage was partially destroyed, and Barnaby was exhausted. The group made their way back to the palace, in various states of intoxication. One thing was certain: Kingsforge had never seen a show like it.

The Road to Emeril
The next day, Natuc was awoken by Fyrax, who explained all of his new responsibilities and benefits being a Knight of Kingsforge. Among them were the title of Sir, land in Kingsforge, and a young squire named Gavin. Natuc quickly went about getting Gavin acquired to the Wanderers lifestyle: Namely, getting him drunk and well equipped.

Natuc wasn’t the only one adjusting to a big change. As he had been playing the night before, Barnaby had begun getting strange thoughts and feelings, visions from another life. He realized his true name was Nathaniel, and that somehow his memory had been altered. He resolves to learn more about his past.

That morning, the group was brought to the Queen, who informed them that while she couldn't offer many troops to support whatever rebellion they had planned against the Yuan-Ti in Emeril, she could promise air support in the form of the airship they had saved. It could fly them to Cactus Point, the southernmost town in Delmar on the edge of the Windswept Desert, where it would be retrofitted for combat. There it would wait until signaled by the Wanderers.

She also told the group that, while she couldn't get them to the Frozen Peaks as they had desired, she could possibly help. Sophocles, the Archmage of the Arcane Prometheum, presented them with a small bead that would allow them to cast Wind Walk, a spell that lets its users travel great distances very quickly. He cautioned that it could only be used once, however, so it must be used wisely.

Boarding the airship, the group began to enjoy their flight, playing a card game called Dragon's Hoard with one of the ship's crewman, a man named Jacques. Their leisure time was cut short when the ship was attacked by a deranged wizard and his flock of Manticores. Though he nearly killed Gavin and several of the Wanderers, he was slain, and his manticores defeated. The rest of the trip went smoothly.

Arriving at Fort Stallworth in Cactus Point, they were met by General Atkins, who gave them several sending scrolls that could be used to contact him when the time came for battle. From there, N'Taba lead the group to a tavern known as Tumbleweed, as was instructed in the letter she received from Elder Nala. There they met Ex'Un, an earth genasi man who agreed to lead them through the desert to the genasi's gathering area.

They set out, battling their way across the harsh red rock desert. On their first day of travel, they were ambushed by purple wormlings, only to have their battle attract two hungry Red-Tailed Scorpions. In turn, this attracted a huge bulette, who nearly crushed several party members under its girth. Luckily, Barnaby was able to convince the Bulette it was wrapped in chains through magic, and the party was able to take it down.

As they rested that night, Barnaby dreamed he was in a city far away. He was playing for a crowd of people, including two that seemed familiar: One, an elegant woman in fine clothes. The other, a burly man who spoke of revolution. The dream ended right as their gathering was found by… Someone. Barnaby wasn’t sure, but knew this related to Nathaniel.

The next day, the party was assaulted by an enormous bird known as a Roc. While it tried to pick up and flee back to its roost with Natuc, Martin was able to use his various abilities to keep the bird from fleeing. Though Natuc did plummet back to earth several times - crushing Gavin underneath the second time - the Roc was eventually slain.

As the group continued on, they saw a small pool of water, with a rare Nirava tree growing next to it, the fruit of which could enervate even the most tired of warriors, according to Ex’Un. The group attempted to pick the fruit, only for a fiendish entity within the pool to begin luring them in, charming several of the warriors under its influence. However, they managed to shrug off the effects of the entity, battle its shadow-like tentacles, and retrieve all 8 fruit from the tree.

After traveling for a few more hours, the group stopped to camp at some nearby ruins in the desert. That night they were assaulted by a group of bandits lead by a scarred warrior. It was a vicious conflict, and while it at first appeared the Wanderers would win easily, Natuc’s cursed axe began attacking everyone indiscriminately, friends and foe alike. Gavin, Ex’Un and Barnaby all went down during the conflict, and several times Barnaby was nearly killed. But eventually the bandits were beaten, and Natuc was knocked unconscious by Martin, ending his rampage.

Ex’Un was furious with the group, angered that they allowed one as reckless as Natuc to travel with them. They managed to calm him down, though his trust in Natuc was broken. They all found themselves to an uneasy sleep that night.

Carrying on the next morning, the group began to approach the red rock ridge that Ex’Un informed them sat outside Emeril. As they approached through a landscape of broken rock, they came upon a group of hyena-like Gnolls that had apparently captured several fire genasi. Learning from their previous battle, they were able to easily defeat the Gnolls, and the now freed fire genasi joined up with them, having been captured while heading to Emeril themselves.

The Emeril Rebellion
Ascending the ridge lying just north of the city, the Wanderers finally got their first look at Emeril - a city of red and orange rock buildings, but now surrounded by walls and towers of grey-white stone. The canals that bisected the city, once flowing with emerald green water, were now brown and ruined. They watched as enslaved genasi were escorted back into the walls, forced to work in mines dug into the ridge. They had made it to Emeril.

Descending into the ridge through a secret tunnel, Ex’Un lead the group to the genasi rebellion’s secret base - a huge underground cavern lying beneath the city. Bustling with genasi of all types, young and old alike, further tunnels led outward to different portions of the city. They were lead into a side chamber that served as a basic war room, and there they met two members of the rag-tag rebel’s leadership - Virala, an air genasi that served as head scout, and Raya, who had sent out the letters recruiting other genasi to their cause.

After a short reunion between Raya and N’Taba, the Wanderers learned that the rebels were in crisis mode: Their leader, an earth genasi man named Por’Kal, had been captured by the Yuan-Ti, and was going to be sold at the slave market the next day. He had been looking for information on how to access the two stone towers that loomed over the east and west portions of the city, as the Viridium gems inside were what powered the enchantment keeping the genasi enslaved. In order to succeed, they would need the genasi in the city on their side, and their leader safe.

As they discussed their next step, a strange persona came over Barnaby. Gone was the timid bard of old, and in his place, a more intense and confident bard had taken over. This was Nathaniel, now communicating with both Barnaby and the group, inspired by talk of revolution. While Barnaby would remain in control going forward, Nathaniel would occasionally take over, or speak with Barnaby within his mind.

Hashing out several different plans, but ultimately worried what the Yuan-Ti may find out if they chose to interrogate Por’Kal, the group decided that freeing him that night from where he was being held was the best option. Joined by Virala and Raya - and down Jonkie, who had once more fallen into a meditative trance - the Wanderers stealthily made their way through one of the underground tunnels into the quiet streets of the city. Disguised as a Yuan-Ti guard - and being chased by N’Taba in the form of a giant wasp - Lego successfully led the door guards away, where the group could sneakily dispatch them. He then resurrected them, adding the first two zombies to his horde.

Entering the prison, the Wanderers fought their way through Purebloods and Malisons, eventually reaching a torture chamber where Por’Kal was being questioned. They freed him, and though some in the group wanted to leave then, they decided to brave the holding cells on the second floor, to free those held within. After killing the Warden above - even after he came back in an undead form - they freed those captive within. This included Bri, the human explorer working with Boromir, and several water genasi from Aquas, including the warrior, Hara.

By the time the Wanderers escaped the prison, they could hear other Yuan-Ti descending on their position. But N’Taba’s nature-based magic helped them escape detection, even from the flying serpents that patrolled the skies over the city. Making their way back into the underground tunnels, their mission was a success: Por’Kal had been saved.

Returning back to the rebel’s base, the Wanderers learned that Por’Kal had been successful: He’d discovered that to access the top of each tower, they would need a set of keys held by 3 of the city’s most prominent officials. Two sets were kept by Hassan and Heshna, the city’s leaders who resided within a central dome that once housed the earth genasi leaders of the city. The other set was held by the city’s high priestess, Nariti. She would be an easier target.

The party also spoke with Bri, who mentioned that she herself had been captured trying to infiltrate the city’s dome. She also spoke of a being called The Immortal, one the Yuan-Ti spoke of with hushed tones. She wasn’t sure who or what it was, however.

After resting, the Wanderers awoke the next day to troubling news from the war room: The Yuan-Ti had declared that, due to their break-in at the holding cells, several genasi would be executed that day at noon, with the promise of more to come. Though the leaders were mostly in agreement that it was a trap, a frustrated Raya left the war room in a huff.

Pushing on, Por’Kal, Virala and Ex’Un informed them that a decision had been made: The attack on Emeril would be launched the next day at sun down. While they finalized their plans for the assault, the leaders tasked the Wanderers with three missions: Dealing with a facility that seemed to be producing deadly smog, infiltrating a guarded pit to see what lay below and gathering intel from the guard’s barracks and the warden’s office within.

Choosing to take on the barracks first, Lego and Barnaby disguised themselves as Yuan-Ti guards, sneaking into the base with N’Taba transformed into a rat. Barnaby’s charm and Lego’s quick thinking saw the group make their way to the Warden’s office unscathed, and after N’Taba released a swarm of hornets into the barrack’s mess hall as a distraction, the group made it inside. There they found a powerful spell scroll, codes for guard switches, and some info on their other targets: The poisonous smog being produced was apparently a defense mechanism for the city, and the pit seemingly contained eggs of creatures called Broodguards. They teleported out using Lego’s cloak just before being found.

With this information in hand, the group waited until nightfall to strike their other targets. While most of the group made their way to the smog facility with Ex’Un, who agreed to help with this mission, Martin and Lego once more disguised themselves as guards to take on the pit. After using their found codes to relieve the guards on duty, Martin lured the now hatching Broodguards together with a large leg of meat, and Lego decimated their numbers with back to back fireballs. Satisfied that most of what was down there had been destroyed, the two teleported back to the rest of the Wanderers using their gate stones.

Reaching the smog facility - and once more relieving the guards with their stolen codes - the group found two of the city’s head arcanists inside, directing assistants in the creation of a boiling potion that was creating the deadly smog. The Wanderers decided to attack the arcanists within after Martin cleverly replaced one of their assistants (in disguise, of course). The arcanists proved to be more powerful than anticipated, paralyzing the Wanderers with magic and blasting them with fireballs. First Gavin was killed, then Ex’Un, and as the flames subsided once more only Martin stood conscious. It seemed as though the Wanderers may have truly met their end.

But using every ounce of magic, potions and tricks up their sleeves, the Wanderers clawed their way back, healing one another and desperately staving off the arcanists attempts to finish them. Summoning one final fireball, Lego incinerated the two evil enchanters in a blast of blinding light, and the Wanderers stood victorious once again.

Yet that victory came at a cost. The smoldering bodies of Ex’Un and Gavin lay lifeless on the ground, but they had been given a lifeline: The platinum stone Coriander had given them was activated, and the group realized it could be used to bring someone back from the grave. Natuc chose to save his squire, and Gavin was returned to life, though heavily scarred.

After unbalancing the roiling smog concoction, smashing the alchemist’s tools and stashing one of their gate stones inside in case they needed to come back, it was time for them to run. With Ex’Un’s body sealed in N’Taba’s ring, the Wanderers raced back to the underground tunnels. Once more aided by N’Taba’s magic, they managed to make it out of sight without being seen. Licking their wounds, they headed back to the rebel’s base to break the news.

While Por’Kal, Virala and Raya were devastated by Ex’Un’s death - Raya took it especially hard, blaming herself for not being there and lashing out at the Wanderers - they knew they had to focus: Final preparations for the battle would be made the following day. They agreed to take the night to mourn their friend, and reconvene in the morning.

Finding themselves to a well-earned rest, Natuc, N’Taba and Martin were pulled into a familiar dream. They were once more brought before the fiendish entity in the crumbling tower, who this time expressed concern that they hadn’t gone after Grimley. Reassuring the Wanderers that they could be trusted, they gave the group one extra week to complete their task. But that came with a threat: That no amount of magic or divine intervention would be able to bring Grimley back once they devoured his soul if they failed.

The Battle of Emeril
Waking the next day, the Wanderers we’re back to full strength: Jonkie had come to, once more having received a vision from his dead Sensei. He had seen his monastery falling to ruin, and Sensei Nu had urged him to seek the help of the masters there in finding Kendo. He resolved to head there in the near future.

The group joined the genasi leaders and other important figures in the war room. They learned the plan: As the genasi forces waited below ground at points throughout the city, the Wanderers and another team helmed by Raya and Bri would make their way to Nariti’s temple. Once they killed her and had her keys, they’d split up and head to opposite towers, each team making their way to the top and destroying the gem inside. With all of the city’s enslaved genasi freed, the rest of the forces could launch their attack.

But there was a problem: Bri had seen a third Viridium gem within the central dome, and they had confirmed that it was indeed linked to the gems controlling each enslaved genasi. That gem was inert at the moment, but could be activated as a back-up if the tower gems failed. If that happened, the battle would be all but lost. Thus the Wanderers had a second mission: Once the tower was dealt with, they would have to make their way to the central dome, fight the Yuan-Ti’s leaders, and destroy that gem before it activated. To their end, Virala and Por’Kal would be leading the bulk of the genasi’s forces to the northern and southern gates of the wall surrounding the dome, drawing the Yuan-Ti protecting it there and leaving the east and west gates exposed for the tower teams.

With their task laid out before them, and after hashing out some details of the plan, the Wanderers set about helping with the battle’s preparations. As they left the war room, Raya pulled N’Taba aside, apologizing for her outburst the night before. She spoke of living in the shadow of the Yuan-Ti, wondering what life would’ve been like if they never came. Feelings N’Taba herself knew well. Raya requested that if she died, N’Taba scatter her ashes across the desert, their shared home. But N’Taba reassured her that they were going to win, and the two set out to prepare.

Brewing potions, training soldiers, giving intel, boosting morale - the Wanderers spent the day bolstering the war effort. As the battle began to loom near, they lead chants of “For Ex’Un!” and “Ge-na-si!” throughout the rebel’s base. Por’Kal stepped forward, rallying the troops with a pre-battle speech before they all began breaking into their battalions and making final preparations. The Wanderers and Raya’s team entered the tunnels below the city. The time for battle had come.

Racing through the underground tunnels, the two teams eventually came to a point where one tunnel ran below the temple. Casting major image in the room above, Barnaby distracted the priestess and her protectors with a 20-foot tall visage of their goddess, Minerva. Bursting out from below, and catching the Yuan-Ti completely off guard, the two teams made short work of the priestess and her guards (with help from some apes courtesy of N’Taba). Grabbing the keys from her bodies, the two teams said one last goodbye before splitting up abd heading to their towers.

Upon reaching the tower, Martin managed to get one of the guards to leave, and the Wanderers quickly subdued the other. Knowing they had little time before more showed up, they raced to the top of the tower, unlocking the top section with their key. There they found the Viridium gem, and for iron cobras protecting it. After defeating the magical constructs, and signaling to Raya that it was time, Martin and Natuc smashed the gem, and for the first time in 15 years, the genasi of the city were free.

Racing back down the stairs, the Wanderers were met with several Yuan-Ti - and soon after, several recently freed genasi. The Wanderers battled their way through the city, flanked by a group of genasi fighting alongside them. They took down flying serpents, defeated a few heavily scarred but alive Broodguards, dodged volleys of arrows and blew up a group of Yuan-Ti archers. Along the way, they saw a familiar but terrifying sight: A wyvern flying over the city streets, which attempted to drop acid on them from above. The fight for the city was in full swing.

Meanwhile. they watched as from above the queen’s airship, summoned to aid them in the battle, rained fireballs from above. Most of the flying serpents defending the city attacked the ship and its crew, nullifying most of the Yuan-Ti’s advantage in the air. The ship slowly made its way inward, following instructions from the Wanderers to reach the central dome.

As the battle began to reach a fever pitch, the sounds of war defeating, the Wanderers reached a plaza where they could see tons of genasi and Yuan-Ti fighting inside. The genasi, lead by Hara and K’Dar, looked as though they would soon be overwhelmed, as malison, flying serpents and a giant constrictor snake lead the Yuan-Ti to an advantage. Though the genasi following the rushed in to the fray, the Wanderers - afraid they were running low on time and needing to conserve their resources for the final fight - chose to go around, putting the need of the many over those of the few.

Reaching the wall surrounding the central dome, the Wanderers found it relatively unguarded, as most of the guards had now been drawn to the northern and southern gates. Barnaby charmed the malison who was leading the guards posted on the gate, convincing him to begin opening the gate. Just as they started rushing under, the wyvern they’d seen early soared into the fray, and N’Taba summoned two vultures to hold it off.

As they began to breach the iron doors leading inside, the queen’s airship crested over the top of the dome. Still harried by flying serpents, their shot went just over the dome, exploding the gate the Wanderers had been passing through. Both Martin and Gavin were caught in the blast, and as it subsided, Gavin lay unconscious in the rubble.

Having been blown from atop the wall, but still alive, the malison stabbed Gavin’s unconscious form, killing the squire. The group got their revenge, with Barnaby causing his head to explode with Vicious Mockery, but Gavin was finished. With heavy hearts, and the Wyvern still being assaulted by N’Taba’s last vulture, the Wanderers rushed inside the dome.

Hit by the smell of rot and decay, they saw the spring at the heart of the city in the center of the dome’s main chamber. Blackened water flowed out into canals bisecting the room, and four crystals surrounded the spring: 3 sky blue and arcing with electrical energy, and one large Viridium gem, slowly beginning to activate.

Emerging from the shadows, the group were met by the city’s leaders, Hassan and Heshna. And bursting from the center spring, the Wanderers came face to face with the one they called The Immortal: an enormous undead abomination, snake-like in appearance, but with arms protruding from the torso. It smelled of rotting flesh, and was held together in places by black tendrils of shadowy energy.

The final fight had begun. Natuc found himself forced under his axe’s control, the weapon keying in on the black blade the Immortal was wielding. Counter spells from Lego and Ki-infused punches from Jonkie gave them an early advantage, but the Wanderers soon found themselves surrounded as giant poisonous snakes entered the fray. But bursting in through the opposite wall, Raya and Bri joined the fight, lending the Wanderers their aid.

As the fight raged on, the Wanderers found themselves taking hits on all sides. Some were incapacitated by spells, others blasted by lightning, and unable to rage, Natuc took blow after blow from The Immortal’s wicked sword. Tired from the long battle beforehand, the Wanderers began to fall, but each time they rallied, raising their fallen comrade.

The Immortal was struck down, only to rise once more in a final act of defiance. But Lego managed to put both him and Heshna to sleep, and taking this opening, Natuc - fueled by the fury of his weapon - smashed The Immortal into paste. Martin soon sent Heshna to her end, and Raya smashed the final Viridium gem. Hassan fled, but outside the Wanderers saw a welcome sight: Por’Kal’s forces had breached the wall.

Emeril was free.

The Titan’s Wrath
Addressing his now freed citizens, Por’Kal declared a new era for the genasi, one of unity between the different elements. He venerated the Wanderers, ensuring their heroics would be remembered in Emeril for generations to come. With that, the Wanderers had earned a rest.

Taking some time to examine the remains of the Immortal, the Wanderers found the black blade it had been wielding. Natuc’s axe called it his brother, declaring that once their final “sibling” was found, they could destroy their creator. Pledging himself to his axe, Natuc gained a bit of control over it, though their relationship remained tenuous. Meanwhile, Martin attuned to the sword, and while he found it to be powerful, it came at a cost: Any time he healed, part of the life force seemed to drain into the sword.

The night was spent partying in the streets. Barnaby played for the masses, losing himself in the music and getting a vision of his past as Nathaniel, speaking with a Sultan’s wife about treason. Lego found drugs. Natuc drank, thinking of Gavin and Grimley. A pretty typical night for the Wanderers.

Finding Bri the next morning, the group learned she had some information for them regarding Krakkan, the elemental titan of earth. Going through the genasi’s ancestral records, she’d found the location of an ancient temple to Mondo, god of earth. Much like Tsuna had been imprisoned in a temple dedicated to Tydas, perhaps Krakkan was held there.

Setting out on axe beaks - and making sure the Queen’s Airship would be waiting to take them back to Kingsforge when they returned - the crew travelled to the site of the temple: A large stone formation called Burning Rock Ridge. Entering a slot canyon into the ridge, they came across an all too familiar site: A camp of lizardfolk, led by the same older ones they had seen when escaping Aquas.

Assaulting the camp - which started with Lego fireballing the canyon, destroying their main tent with rocks - the Wanderers dispatched of the lizardfolk, their leader and the red slaad they had working for them. Searching the rubble, they came across a statue of a black dragon clutching a translucent orb, and soon a voice started emanating from it: Vorza himself. Recognizing the Wanderers, he threatened them, claiming that when all was said and done, he’d be the one wielding the four titan’s orbs. The voice fell silent, and the Wanderers pressed on.

Entering the temple after solving a riddle on the canyon wall, the group found themselves fighting waves of enemies to enter. A knock spell from Barnaby helped circumvent one wave, and the Wanderer’s skill in battle knocked out the rest. Breezing through, they found the rest of the temple a much harder challenge.

Hallways of smashing pillars and acid vapors weakened the Wanderers, who soon found themselves split between different parts of the temple. As Barnaby and Jonkie pieced together a puzzle on one side, Natuc triggered a fight on the other, and soon found himself outmatched my two giant stone statues. The Wanderers came to his aid, and eventually the statues were beaten and the puzzle solved. But the traps and battles had taken their toll on the Wanderers.

Knowing a battle with Krakkan drew near, the adventurers attempted to rest in the depths of the temple. But the tremors that shook the entire chamber mixed with the ever-present sense of danger provided a less-than-restful sleep. Still somewhat sore, but more confidant than before, the Wanderers were ready. They entered into the final chamber of the temple - a large, domed cavern topped with glittering green elysium crystals - to face the enormous titan.

Krakkan's strength and rocky form proved formidable, but the Wanderers were prepared for a fight. Twice Krakkan fell, and twice he drew rocks and crystals to his form to rejuvenate himself. But the Wanderers spells and weapons were too much - one final blow delivered via summoned skeleton (and flung by Natuc) finished the titan, and his form returned to his orb-like prison. Three titans had been felled.

The Search for Grimley
With Krakkan's remains in tow, the group now decided to fully focus their attention on rescuing Grimley's soul. Heading back to Emeril, the group said their goodbyes and boarded the Queen's airship. After a brief stop in Cactus Point to drop off General Atkins and his soldiers, the ship coasted back to Kingsforge. Lego and Martin leapt from the ship, feather falling to safety and dazzling nearby onlookers. The rest of the group landed and disembarked like normal people.

Heading to the center of the city to try and meet with the Queen, the group were happy to find Coriander's shop amidst the hustle and bustle of the city. Stepping inside, they began purchasing and bargaining with the frog merchant, and Natuc decided to see if Coriander knew anything about his axe. Coriander's eyes widened as he saw the enchanted weapon: He told Natuc that the Berserker Axe was one of three weapons created by Novak, the first Arcanus Major of the Darman Empire on Arcos. In an attempt to extend his own life, he'd placed aspects of his own personality into three weapons, in the hope that should he expire they could guide others to revive him. But in his madness the weapons became corrupted, instead only seeking his destruction. He fled into the jungle, never to be seen again, though many believed he lived on in the form of a lich, a powerful undead spellcaster.

Coriander even gave them a hint on where to find the third weapon: Hidden under the Sunset Sea, a Marid named King Coral was said to stash numerous magical items and weapons beneath the waves in his opulent palace. One of which was supposedly Novak's final weapon. With this knowledge in hand, and his axe desperate to destroy his creator, Natuc and the group left Coriander's Curios behind, headed for the castle.

Though the Queen was busy when they arrived, the group spoke with her advisor, Fyrax. He informed Natuc that it would take about a week for them to find a suitable replacement squire. Lego, desperate to win the Queen's affection, left a poem for her with Fyrax, and a gift: Tombcrasher, the axe Natuc had found in the Foxglenn tomb. Hopeful of his chances, the Wanderers teleported out of Kingsforge to Boromir's library in Stonehaven.

Finding the hallway outside Boromir's teleportation chamber empty, the group were worried that something had happened to Boromir. A mysterious door at the end of the hall opened, and stepping inside, the group were transported underneath the library, to a secret cavern filled with gold, jewels and old artifacts. Emerging from the mounds of treasure, a glittering golden dragon revealed itself to the Wanderers: It was Boromir in his true form, that of the dragon Zavarin. He thanked the Wanderers for upholding his honor in Kingsforge, paid them for retrieving the orb, and promised them aid in retrieving Grimley's body: A teleportation key to his friend in Thronehold.

Teleporting to the capital of Kell, the group was treated to a beautiful view of the city-scape atop a large tower in the city's Verdant College. Greeted by an older wizard named Professor Avalon Pendleton, head of the School of Arcana at the college, they inquired about the fiendish entity that had apparently trapped Grimley's soul, and its connection to the Moonstone. Professor Pendleton informed them of artifacts known as Divine Relics, creations of mortals during the Celestial War and the intervening years from Abyssal and Celestial Shards. Originally used by champions of the gods, these Relics are now scattered across Gaia, granting devastating power to those who wield them.

He told them the story of an old sorcerer, a man who dreamed of creating one of these Divine Relics. After communing with Orcus, the god of death and undeath, he was tasked with combining his Abyssal Shard with a demon lord known as the Endless, a creature of unending hunger for souls. He travelled to the Abyss, and initially was able to capture the Endless - however, the ritual went south, and he soon found himself in a struggle with the demon lord. The ritual was completed, but at a cost: The sorceror had been joined with the Endless, creating an unholy abomination with the intellect of the sorcerer but the strength and soul-consuming powers of the Endless. A divine relic was created that day as well: The Moonstone, of which the Wanderers had already once witnessed its soul-harvesting abilities.

Bidding goodbye to the Professor, the Wanderers cast Wind Walk on themselves with the bead the Queen had given them. Turning into gaseous forms and able to move incredibly quickly, they set out for Sleetwood, a city at the base of the Frozen Peaks and Natuc's home. Passing over colorful pools that dotted the tundra-like landscape, they eventually reached the Colossal Timberland, and enormous forest of Titan trees that surrounded Sleetwood. Coasting over the top, they quickly reached the city, making their way to the home of Natuc's parents.

Meeting with Dantuk and Arma, Natuc's parents, as well as his Babushka, the group learned the lumber yard Dantuk worked for had been closed for several days. A beast out in the Timberland had been killing fur trappers recently, and only three days prior had attacked one of the lumber yards outside the city. The lumber yard had been closed since, putting Dantuk out of work. Natuc promised to take care of it, and as the Wanderers gathered more info from his parents and the militia outpost in town, they soon learned that a different group also had their sights set on taking down the beast: The Fantastic/Furious/Fiendish/Festive/Fantabulous/Feverish Five.

While Lego and Natuc spent the night at his parents' house, the rest of the gang headed to the Crackling Hearth, the tavern in town where the Five were staying. Outside they saw a hooded wagon emblazoned with two F's, pulled by a large cow-like creature called an auroch. Making their way inside, they met the various members of the monster slaying party: Their leader, a brash man in red and gold armor named Victor Champion; an elvish archer who spoke little common named Teo; an enormous orc with hairy arms and bear tattoos named Crusher; Vandra, a purple tiefling bard with a penchant for the fiddle; and Raven, a drow elf who wore a dark leather cape.

Drinking with the Five, who had won over most of the tavern with their partying and bravado, the Wanderers debated whether or not they should leave the monster slaying to the Five while they searched for Grimley. Victor seemed confident the creature was an ancient red dragon, and that he and his team could take it down. N'Taba was somewhat suspicious of the group, but unable to find them at fault for anything slinked off to drink alone. As the rest of the group mingled, Jonkie approached Raven in an attempt to seduce her. To everyone's surprise, she was game, and invited him up to her room.

Upon entering the darkened room, Jonkie was hit by a crossbow bolt, and soon lay on the floor, unconscious. Awaking the next day, he found all of his gold and magical items had been stolen, and his wound leaked with Hollowroot poison, a rare plant that can be used to magically put people to sleep. As the rest of the Wanderers learned of this betrayal, they found the Five were long gone, having left town earlier that morning.

Reconvening with Lego and Natuc and the lumber yard, the group checked out the site of the monster attack. They found burnt trees and broken branches, as well as law paw prings: Not what you'd expect from a dragon. Speaking with some nearby trees, N'Taba learned the Five - which they had now dubbed the Fibbing Five - had headed deeper into the Timberland. She summoned some wolves to search for them, hoping to follow the scent of the Hollowroot that had poisoned Jonkie. Though her wolves were unsuccessful in tracking the Five, one did manage to lead them to something interesting: A small camp in the woods, that had apparently been torn to pieces. They found the same large paw prints as at the lumber yard, heading deeper into the forest.

Using her ability to locate creatures, N'Taba focused on the auroch that had pulled the Five's wagon. Locating it a few miles north, the group split up: Martin, Natuc and Lego headed south following the paw prints, while N'Taba, Jonkie and Barnaby made their way back north toward the Five. The second group was the first to arrive at their quarry: They found the Five in a small glade, standing around their wagon. Barnaby snuck closer, hearing Raven reveal that she had been tracking them through the Timberland, but had returned to the group when they turned around. Enthralled by what he was hearing, Barnaby failed to notice a large branch on the ground, and with a crack, he was found.

The Five attacked, throwing daggers, casting spells and firing bows. Crusher's form grew and changed into that of a werebear, rushing the group with an enormous axe. N'Taba called for help, using their Sending Stones to contact the first group. Having just arrived outside a cave that seemed to be the lair of the beast they were hunting, the first group now had a decision to make: They could use their gate stones to travel to the other team, but only two of them could teleport. Choosing to leave Martin behind, since he had summoned a horse and could travel faster than them, Lego and Natuc teleported to rejoin the others. The fight was on.

It looked as though the Wanderers may be in trouble, as the Five unleashed a flurry of attacks against the heroes. But a gravity well summoned by Barnaby combined with a fireball from Lego quickly turned things in the Wanderers’ favor. Vandra was left a smoking pile of ash, and Victor soon followed as N’Taba erupted the earth beneath his feet. While Crusher and their auroch fought to the death (until N’Taba charmed the auroch to be their friend, that is), Teo and Raven ran for it.

Pursuing them as they fled, the Wanderers managed to catch up with Teo, bringing him back to the glade. But Raven was slippery, managing to escape with Jonkie’s blade. Resigning themselves to the loss, they questioned Teo about the Five’s plan: They had planned to track the Wanderers until they fought the beast harrying Sleetwood, at which point they’d ambush them and claim the kill for themselves.

As Martin finally caught up with the group, they made the grim decision to execute Teo. Leading him out into the woods from the clearing, the ranger made one last attempt to escape, but Natuc struck him down with his axe. The hit wasn’t clean though - as he bled out, Natuc finished the job.

With their brand new cart in tow, the Wanderers headed back to the cave Lego, Natuc and Martin had found previously. Stepping inside quietly, they found a dank cavern littered with the bones of animals and people. Reaching a small stream and a rock shelf, Jonkie stepped on the rib cage of some unfortunate creature, altering those inside to their presence: A 3-headed chimera at the top of the shelf, and a second coasting into the cavern behind them.

What looked like a tough fight was quickly simplified, as Lego banished one of the beasts to another plane temporarily. Able to focus on one before dealing with the other, the Wanderers dispatched the two monsters. Searching the cavern, they found a matted nest of wood and bone, and a large egg inside. Barnaby grabbed it, and quickly began keeping it warm, seeing it as an opportunity for a new ally.

Collecting several of the creatures’ heads to use as proof, the crew headed back to Sleetwood, reaching the gates just as nightfall hit. At the militia outpost, they claimed their reward for the bounties, made even better when General Gwendolyn, the head of the militia, personally thanked them by doubling the reward. Recognizing Natuc, she asked if he’d be willing to rejoin the militia: A hard no from Natuc.

The Wanderers spent the rest of their night eating a home-cooked meal with Natuc’s family and hanging out in the local tavern. They decided to give the reward for their kills to Natuc’s parents, a life-changing amount of money for the two goliaths. Many tears were shed.

Awaking the next day, the Wanderers did some shopping around town, finding some suitable clothing for the warm weather ahead. Lego flirted with a herbalist, N’Taba purchased her own herbalism kit and Barnaby got a commission for an egg-harness, leaving his baby with Natuc’s parents for the time being.

Having been tipped off by Natuc’s family, the group met Trapper Ford, and old Goliath man with intricate knowledge of the Frozen Peaks. He told them of a cave deep in the mountains, colder the frozen air around it. If there was an ancient frost giant tomb out there, he reckoned that was it.

To reach the tomb, they’d have to take Dead Man’s Pass into the mountain range, to woods known as the Frostladen Forest. From there, they’d travel northwest until they found three frozen ponds called the Glassy Pools, then head due north. Once they reached the ridge surrounding the forest, they’d have to climb up and over into the valley on the other side, following it west until they reached the icy glacier that had carved it over the millennia. Summiting the glacier, they’d be able to see Giant’s Thumb, the peak contains the tomb.

The Wanderers set out that morning, following Dead Man’s Pass into the mountains. On the way, they passed a group of trappers carrying beasts that they hoped to sell back in Thronehold. The group instead purchased all 3 of their captives: An owl bear, a white drake and a baby yeti. As the travelers moved on, N’Taba pushed the owlbear back down the slope toward them, damaging its cage and allowing it to escape. The now free owlbear ran down the trappers, their screams fading in the swirling wind.

Able to communicate with the Yeti, Barnaby named it You, promising to bring it “home” in the forest. Natuc attempted to train his new drake, which resisted at every turn. Pushing into the forest proper, the day passed as they walked between snow-covered trees. Just as the sun was setting, they reached the glassy pools, choosing to make camp there. Within one of the pools, below its frozen surface, Barnaby found a set of white dragon scale armor, which Martin managed to snag with his fishing rod.

Settling in for the night, the group was ambushed by three trolls storming their camp. The trolls proved more bumbling than threatening, though things got more exciting when a large owlbear burst on to the scene as well. Still, the Wanderers - aided by 8 boars summoned by N’Taba - overcame the creatures, eventually learning they needed fire to finish off the trolls for good. With the attack defeated, they settled back in for an uneasy sleep.

Pressing on the next day, Barnaby and Jonkie briefly broke from the rest of the group to return You to his family. Entering yeti territory, they were confronted by the hairy apes, but were quickly vindicated by You and Barnaby’s ability to speak their language. With You safely returned to his family, the two rejoined the group via gate stone.

Breaching the edge of the forest, the Wanderers slowly climbed over the mountainous ridge that marked the edge of the woods. Finding their way into the valley below (through a combo of flight, feather fall and partially-successful shield surfing), the group travelled west, heading for the glacier. But they soon found themselves running for their lives, as an avalanche tumbled down into the valley.

Racing against the massive landslide on horses summoned by N’Taba, some of the group narrowly avoided disaster. But N’Taba, Lego and Natuc were all caught up in the slide, their horses destroyed and themselves buried under rock and ice. Thankfully, their fire magic, raw strength and shapeshifting abilities allowed them to escape, and the group travelled on.

Reaching the glacier, the group summoned the icy wall to reach the frozen landscape on its surface just as the sun was setting. Picking up the next day, a furious blizzard found the Wanderers aimlessly retreating their steps, unsure how to move forward. But just as they seemed to be getting further and further lost, a small hut appeared before them, untouched by the blizzard.

Inside, they met an old woman named Ellowyn, who promised to dispel the storm in exchange for various “gifts,” such as their youth or luck. Not trusting the strange woman, Barnaby instead charmed her, convincing Elloeyn to dispel the blizzard. But as the spell faded, the now angered hag attacked, summoning mimics and animated creatures to fight beside her.

Surrounded by enemies and blasted with the hag’s ice magic, the Wanderers found themselves split between those outside and inside the hut. But it wasn’t enough to stop them, and as they stormed her abode, a moonbeam from Barnaby melted the old hag.

With the air now cleared, the Wanderers set their sights on Giant’s Thumb. Ascending the mountain, they reached a frigid cave, even colder than the outside air. The bodies of frost giants long dead were encased in the icy walls, and two double doors marked the entrance to the tomb. They had arrived.

Entering the crypt, the Wanderers fought and thought their way through the freezing tomb, dismantling or dodging traps as they went. They cleaned out a treasure room full of undead specters known as Allips, and battled young Remorhazes, insect-like creatures of ice and fire. They eventually reached the tomb’s inner sanctum, where they came face to face with their adversary: The undead frost giant King Offenvir and his undead polar bear pets.

Battling the giant, the Wanderers dodged blow after blow from his enormous battle axes. N’Taba and Lego burned him with fire, Jonkie pounded him with ki-powered fists, and Barnaby and Natuc struck him with magic and might. But it was Martin who landed the final blow: An enormous strike bathed in radiant energy, which lifted Martin into the air on his skeletal wings and split the undead king in two. As the frost giant’s form fell away, the soul gem embedded in his crown came loose. The Wanderers had their prize.

Snatching up the soul gem, they began to make the trek back to Sleetwood. Barnaby, hoping to better connect with his other half, decided to stay behind, looking forward solitude atop the mountain. Descending back into the valley, the rest of the group were ambushed by scaly basilisks, contending with their hard hides and petrifying gazes. To make things worse, a behir - an elongated creature with many legs - was attracted by the fighting.

Down a group member and caught off guard by the creatures’ strength, the Wanderers found themselves in a desperate spot. Jonkie was turned to stone by the basilisks, unable to shake off their petrifying effects. Lego - constricted by the Behir’s powerful body - constantly sat on the edge of death, nearly dying several times. Even Martin fell, the basilisks jaws piercing his normally sturdy armor. Once again, the group hung on by a thread.

But they battled back. N’Taba used Blinky to administer potions across the battlefield while summoning vultures to aid in the battle. Natuc tanked hits from the Behir, his sheer strength keeping them in the fight. Martin healed himself with divine power, hearing a voice call out to him in the fray: “I’m with you.”

Eventually the behir was slain, and soon after the basilisks followed. Miraculously, the Wanderers had come out with no casualties.

Licking their wounds, the group found themselves with a lesser crisis: While crossing the ridge back into the Frostladen Forest, Natuc’s drake, now named Barles, managed to escape, skittering down the side of the ridge. It took shield surfing from Jonkie, flight and grappling from N’Taba and Martin’s frightful presence to finally catch the creature. Natuc was grateful, and the group pressed on.

While camping at the glassy pools again, the group noticed some firelight in the distance. Investigating early the next morning, they found a lizardfolk camp, lead by a slash with grey scales. Their attempts at stealth failed, but the ensuing fight proved easier than their last: The lizardfolk were dispatched, abd the slaad felled by Jonkie. Finding a small totem of a black dragon in their belongings, the Wanderers deduced that once more Vorza’s forces had been seeking them out.

Finally arriving back at Sleetwood beaten and bruised, the Wanderers settled in for a night of drinking. But there would be little rest that evening: Arriving at his home, Natuc found his family murdered, placed in the living room with their throats slit. Written in blood above the hearth were two words: “You’re next.”

Questioning a barmaid she had paid to keep an eye out for them, N’Taba learned that Raven - the Fibbing Five’s resident rogue - had been asking around about them a few days prior. She’d learned of Natuc’s connection to the town, and his family ties. It didn’t take much to deduce what had happened.

Natuc dug his family’s graves by their home, the rest of the group helping him bury them. The burial brought up difficult memories: Martin’s mother, Jonkie’s parents, N’Taba’s tribe. Many of them had lost family in the past. Now Natuc joined that list.

The group spent a somber evening at the Crackling Hearth tavern. While Natuc and Lego drank themselves into stupors, N’Taba created posters advertising a reward for Raven being brought to them alive in Stonehaven, with Marty as their contact. Martin spent some time alone, attempting to contact whoever had reached out to him during the battle, but was unsuccessful. As the evening came to a close, it was time to head for Thronehold.

Waking the next day, Barnaby teleported back to the group during breakfast. Stop the mountain, he had received another vision of his past: This time of his first meeting with Corvo, leader of the rebellion in Kalzan. The group caught him up to speed as to what had transpired, just as N’Taba noticed a group of guards entering the tavern.

Escorted to General Gwendolyn, the militia leader questioned the Wanderers about the bounties they had posted around town. Though their attempts at deception were less than convincing, the General allowed them to leave, making it clear that posting unauthorized bounties is a serious offense. Gathering the cart that belonged to Natuc’s father and some rented horses, they left town heading south.

Entering the Colossal Timberland, the Wanderers weaved their way through enormous Titan trees. On their way, they spotted a hollowed out tree, filled with small stone markers are one large central rock. Speaking with the tree, N’Taba learned it was a grave site, though none of them could speak the language on the rocks. Martin took a rubbing of the inscription on the main boulder, and they trekked on.

Not much deeper into the Timberland, the group realized they were being followed. Calling out to their stalker, they met an injured Firbolg man named Kurt. He and his siblings had been ambushed by goblins, and his brother and sister captured. He had hoped the Wanderers might help him find them, and they obliged.

With Kurt tracking the goblins movements, the group began to head to their camp. Along the way, Kurt was able to translate the inscription Martin had kept from the gravesite: It spoke of Ankala, an ancestral leader of the Firbolgs who had been killed by forces of the Antillian Empire thousands of years ago. Natuc pretended to listen to him.

Finding the camp, the Wanderers snuck in, seemingly unnoticed. They found goblins and bugbears sitting around a campfire, eating meats and lounging. A Gravity Sinkhole from Barnaby and Fireball from Lego quickly thinned their numbers. Though their hobgoblin leaders proved tougher to handle, the Wanderers ultimately won the day.

His siblings now freed, Kurt bid the Wanderers farewell, and they went on their way. After camping near the tree line, the Wanderers left to Timberland for the tundra-like landscape north of Thronehold.

As they headed south, colorful pools of various liquids began pockmarking the ground - the Prismatic Pools. Green, orange, red, blue and purple - the Wanderers began investigating the liquids and minerals in each pool. But this land was far from safe: The Wanderers passed a horde of orcs heading west, and only narrowly escaped crustacean-like Chuul that erupted out of several pools. But eventually they left the pools behind, seeing Thronehold’s cityscape on the horizon.

Approaching the city gates, the Wanderers decided to make an entrance. They had Jonkie stand on Natuc’s shoulders, dressed in fine clothing, presenting him as the true prince of Kell. Martin and Lego heralded their approach, the latter disguised as a beautiful woman wrapped in snakes summoned by N’Taba. Barnaby played music while creating an illusory block of gold for Jonkie to hold. As they entered the city gates, the city guard looked confused by the display - though one ran off in a hurry.

Winding through Thronehold’s glittering streets of green and silver, the group began to attract the crowd. Even more people joined in as Barnaby started tossing hundreds of coins into the crowd. The group continued to herald Jonkie as the true prince of the land, the crowd swelling with each passing minute. All the while, they steadily made their way toward the Verdant College, from which they could teleport back to Thronehold.

Things were about to get complicated. As they neared the final stretch to the college, a group of about 20 guards began to approach, javelins drawn, having been alerted to the “prince” parading through the streets. The Wanderers took off, with Barnaby sending an illusion of their cart to head off the guards. Though the guards saw through it, not all of the crowd did: Half followed the illusion, slowing the guards’ approach, while half kept swarming the cart, which was beginning to pick up speed.

As other guards joined the chase, Barnaby leapt off the cart, trying to distract the guards. As several went to seize him, he gate stoned back to the group, buying them a few more seconds. Careening into the college’s courtyard with Lego dumping acid behind them, the Wanderers abandoned the cart, dashing for the college’s arcane tower where Professor Pendleton’s study was.

With the guards still hot on their tail, and his horse unable to go up stairs quick enough, Martin sent his party horse with a flagon of ale and N’Taba’s snakes in one last attempt to placate the guards. The guards weren’t buying it though, their javelin’s dispersing the steed.

Racing up the stairs, the Wanderers reached Pendleton’s study. Barnaby opened the door with knock, finding a confused Pendleton inside. As the guards pounded on the door behind them, the Wanderers dashed to the teleportation circle within, and soon found themselves safely within the confines of Stonehaven. Crisis averted.

Greeting them in his library, Boromir listened as the Wanderers told him about the Endless, and their predicament with Grimley. He cautioned them against making deals with demons, but assured them they had earned his trust. He also handed Lego a letter from the Queen, thanking him for the axe and inviting him and the Wanderers to meet her next time they’re in Kingsforge.

The Wanderers spent the evening in Stonehaven, taking a last night of calm before embarking on their long-awaited confrontation with the Endless. Several spent time in the library, reading up on various topics. Natuc and N’Taba had armor commissioned for their pets. Lego reunited with Marty, and Barnaby played for the patrons of the Miner’s Axe Tavern. While partying himself, Martin noticed a woman watching him from the corner of the tavern.

Named Stella, the woman was a member of the militia in Rockfell, who had come to find Martin and his brother. Abrasive and blunt, she explained why she had been tracking him: To deal with his father. He had been having his lackeys patrol the roads outside Rockfell for years, robbing merchants and paying him a cut. But recently he’d turned down an even darker path: Dealing with the Syndicate.

Stella believed that the Syndicate had been growing Devil’s Eye Mushrooms - which produced spores used recreationally as a drug - within the fern forest outside the city. By working with Martin’s father, they could ensure safe passage of their shipments along the roads, while everyone profited. She needed Martin’s help, agreeing to wait while the group sorted out their current affairs.

Processing this info, Martin once more found a quiet place to meditate, trying to connect with whatever had reached out to him before. This time he was successful: He had visions of his past, times when he’d drawn on divine strength and heard that same voice. The unseen entity promised that when he was ready, Martin could draw on even more of that power.

Waking up the next day, the Wanderers did some shopping, killing some time before heading out into the forest. They travelled the familiar path through the woods, one N’Taba, Martin and Natuc knew well from their dreams. Under the cover of darkness, they arrived at the broken tower. It was time.

Ascending to the top, the Wanderers finally came face-to-faces with the Endless: A writhing mass of faces, bones and stray limbs. Standing before a small altar, it presented Grimley’s soul to the group, concealed within a magical sphere. It commanded then to place Grimley’s body on the altar, and to smash the soul gem upon it. Natuc obliged, shattering the gem with his axe.

Thousands of souls spilled out of the broken crystal, filling the night air with shining beads of light. The Wanderers watched as they were all slowly siphoned into the Endless’s many mouths, save for one: Grimley’s. With the souls consumed, the Endless bid them farewell, gliding over the side of the tower and out of view.

As Grimley’s soul, now free of the sphere, began descending toward his body, shadows along the edges of the tower top began to shift and move. The the Wanderer’s surprise, they began taking the forms of those they’d slain: Illana, Artesh, Segeant Clarabelle, the Immortal and Victor Champion, all back for revenge. And to their horror, two more forms emerged: Their former friend Ex’Un, and Natuc’s fallen squire, Gavin.

The battle for Grimley’s soul was on. The Wanderers fought their old foes, one by one taking down those who had once stood in their way. Eventually only Victor stood, and N’Taba - having taken the form of a fire elemental - burned him away (again).

As Natuc caressed Grimley in his arms, still lifeless, The faint glow in his chest faded… And he began to move. Grimley was back.

Racing to the edge of the clearing, the Wanderers had a choice: Try to pursue the Endless, or move on. Figuring he was likely long gone, and happy to have saved Grimley, they turned back. Only time would tell if they made the right choice.

The Party of A Lifetime
As the group retreated back into the forest, Jonkie informed them that he would be leaving for a while: In order to better understand the visions he’d been having - and possibly get some training for the battles to come - he would be returning to his old monastery at Darkspire, a peak just beyond the Forest of Draenor. He promised to return to the Wanderers when he felt he was ready.

Trekking back to Stonehaven, the Wanderers were met at the gates by one of the town guards. A summons had arrived for the them while they were away, beckoning them to meet with the Queen in Kingsforge. Not wanting to delay their meeting - and with Lego looking forward to a chance to impress her - they set out the next day through Boromir’s teleportation circle.

Before they left, Boromir gave them some updates on their quest. First, he had learned why he’s lost contact with High Cleric Brogan in Roarkstead. Apparently he had been charged with murdering the Dwarven queen, and was being held in a prison known as the Obsidian. How they got him out, or learn what he knew about the fire Titan, he left up to them.

Secondly, their associate Boonie seemed to be closing in on the whereabouts of the dragon, Vorza. He was sailing for what he hoped to be Vorza’s lair, and would likely know more soon. With any luck, they wouldn’t need that info, but Boromir was happy to have it regardless.

Arriving in Kingsforge, the Wanderers set about preparing Lego for his meeting with the Queen. He purchased fine clothing, got a shave, cut his hair and had his shoes shined. Looking better than ever, Lego lead the group to the Queen’s throne room.

The reception wasn’t as warm as they’d hoped. The Queen laid into the Wanderers for their stunt in Thronehold, detailing how she’d had to smooth things over with the leaders there. Taxes had to be lowered which were being used to fund the restoration of Foxglenn, the small town that the Wanderers had seen destroyed by the Moonstone. While upset, she let the Wanderers off with a warning due to the good will they’d built up over the last few months, and invited them to dinner to discuss things further.

Taking the day to themselves, the group found their way to Natuc’s home in Knight’s Row, an elite avenue of houses reserved for the Knights of Kingsforge within the city’s central Gilded Quarter. Finding his new squire Bradley there (who Natuc insisted on calling Gavin), the Wanderers cooked up a plan: Break in the new home with an epic party, raising money for Foxglenn at the same time.

The Wanderers spread out, preparing for their impromptu event. Natuc and N’Taba bought up ale from Patch’s, parading it through the streets and spreading the word about the party to the masses. Barnaby helped spread the word through local show shiners before hiring a band to play with him. Natuc alerted the neighbors (two knights named Declan and Aria), while Lego secured drugs. The guards were warned of the party, and members of the Fighter’s Guild in town were hired as security, though nothing could prepare them for what was to come.

Meeting with the Queen for dinner, the group enjoyed find food and drinks while they told her tales of their adventures. Eventually, they brought up the party. While Queen Tyra was less than thrilled about the prospects of a large party so close to the castle, she trusted the Wanderers and asked them to keep things civil.

She also had a request for them: She’d heard from Boromir that the Wanderers may be heading to Roarkstead soon, and there was something there she wanted them to find. A sword known as Stonekiller had been stolen from her family years ago, a sword said to have killed the legendary Dwarven leader, Roark Stoneshield. She’d learned that it had resurfaced in the possession of a wealthy family in the Dwarven capital, and asked the Wanderers to try to retrieve it for her. They agreed to see what they could do.

Leaving dinner, they found that guests had already started making their way to Natuc’s home. Worse still, a massive crowd had begun to form around the gates into the Gilded Quarter: Hundreds of commoners clambering to get in, having heard about the party. Despite attempts to slow the crowd with walls of wind and Martin’s frightening presence, the crowd was too large to be contained.

As the masses poured in, chaos overtook Knight’s Row. Ale was flowing, Barnaby was shredding on his lute from the roof of Natuc’s home, Grimley robbed partygoers, and people young and old danced and drank the night away. With Natuc’s home and courtyard full, guests began spilling into the street, even breaking into other knights courtyards. Natuc and the group’s hired hands did their best to keep the peace, while N’Taba summoned panthers to guard the other homes.

Hoping to warn the Queen of the chaos engulfing the Quarter, Martin rode to the castle only to find the whole place on lockdown. Meanwhile, Lego began to distribute his drugs, with his first patron violently hallucinating as a result of a bad trip. A fight broke out in the street as a result, only adding to the chaos.

With the Wanderers spread out and putting out both literal and proverbial fires, Barnaby (now being controlled by Nathaniel) leapt from the roof to join the crowd and help restore order. And just in time, too: As he landed, Natuc’s hone erupted in a fireball from the inside, collapsing in on itself. Watching his house go up in flames, Natuc heard a voice whisper in his ear: “Raven sends her regards.”

Attacked by assassins and surrounded by fleeing civilians, the Wanderers fought off the assailants. A couple of well-timed counterspells from Lego kept civilian casualties to a minimum, while the rest of the group rallied to defeat the enemies, taking one as a prisoner. With the crowds now flocking out of Knight’s Row and the guards doing their best to calm things down, the Wanderers were left to figure out what had happened.

Sifting through the rubble of the home, they found the bodies of numerous partygoers caught in the blast. Included was Bradley, clinging to life, who Barnaby saved. Barles was not as lucky, killed by the explosion. It seemed to have been detonated from the cellar, no doubt involving a fireball and the copious amounts of ale they’d bought.

Questioning their captive, they learned the assassins were members of the Shroud, and elite guild of bounty hunters. Known for taking on high profile jobs, they had been hired by Raven to track down and kill the Wanderers. At this point the guards finally caught up with them, and the group was less to throne room to meet with the Queen.

Explaining the situation, the Wanderers tried their best to smooth things over with the Queen. But a line had been crossed that night: No longer trusting the Wanderers and seeing the destruction their enemies could bring upon the city, the Queen banished them from Kingsforge until they killed or captured Raven and proved they could once more be trusted. As such, Natuc was stripped of his knighthood, and the group escorted out of the castle.

With heavy hearts and lots to think over, the Wanderers headed back to the teleportation junction. Less than a day since arriving - and one massive party later - they left for Stonehaven, unsure if they’d ever see Kingsforge again.

Redemption in Rockfell
Now back in Stonehaven, the Wanderers set about learning what they could about the Shroud. Through chatting with Boromir and Marty, they learned the Shroud can be contacted through a special ritual involving fire, bones and gem dust, after which they contact prospective clients in their dreams. Though they briefly considered hiring one of the various drunkards at the Miner’s Axe Tavern to contact the Shroud for them, they ultimately figured it would be best for them to do the talking themselves.

After purchasing the necessary gem dust the next day, the Wanderers decided to do the ritual in Rapidrun, a small town along the Nexus River and the first stop on their journey to Rockfell and eventually Roarkstead. Teleporting there with Boromir’s help, and with Martin’s old militia contact Stella in tow, the Wanderers quickly found themselves enjoying the town’s sea food and less-than-stellar establishments.

Gravitating toward Rapidrun’s anglers guild, Martin met Rory, the head of the guild and the brother of Radolf, who had defeated Martin in their Riverbend fishing contest. Wanting to see his brother defeated, Rory made him a deal: Beat him in a fishing contest, and his special fish hook would be his. Martin gladly accepted, taking Lego along for the ride.

Sadly, fate was not on Martin’s side. Though he fished well, his biggest catch narrowly came up short of Rory’s. But it was Lego who miraculously managed to land the biggest fish, and this Rory gave him his prized fish hook. Though Martin stormed off in defeat, he later returned to the docks, where Rory took him out fishing and lectured him on humility. Though he may have lost this day, by the end Martin was a better angler than when he arrived.

Spending the night at the rundown Whitewater tavern, and enjoying a crawfish boil cooked up by Barnaby, it was time to contract the Shroud. Heading out into the fields outside the city, Lego, Natuc and Martin all conducted the ritual together, speaking the words as one: “I call upon death.”

As they slept that night, a representative of the Shroud came to Martin and Natuc as they slept (Lego, being an elf, didn’t dream). Though they refused to reverse the contract on Raven, citing their guild’s sense of honor, they would postpone the contract for 10 days, in the event Raven was no longer able to pay (due to death by Wanderers). The Wanderers would have to agree to pay the contract in full, however: 10,000 gold pieces. They agreed, accepting their reprieve.

Awaking the next morning, the Wanderers decided to use their window of freedom to deal with Martin’s father and the Syndicate in Rockfell. Heeding Stella’s advice, they would need to deal with the Syndicate first: While all of Marvin’s (Martin’s father) power lied in Rockfell, if they took him down first the Syndicate might catch wind and move their operations. To do this, they’d need to find where they’re operating within Rockfell, which would hopefully lead them to their growing facility in the Fern Forest.

As they headed out of town, the group met Frederick, a loud-mouthed halfling salesman, and Garth, his mild-mannered half-orc business partner. Having been kicked out of town for selling snake oil (though they insisted their elixirs were legitimate), they were looking for hired guards to protect them on the road. Never ones to turn down gold, the Wanderers agreed, and together their strange band hit the road.

Passing by rolling hills and sprawling fields, the Wanderers lazily made their way along the road to Rockfell. Nearing the forest, they found a group of traders whose cart had broken a wheel on the side of the road. Sensing something was off, the group posed as militia members, inspecting their goods. When that didn’t work, they changed tactics: Namedropping the Syndicate, they convinced the traders that they were all in cahoots. Only them did their true cargo get revealed: Devil’s Eye spores.

As they attempted to get some more info out of the traders, Lego accidentally blew their cover. Martin quickly knocked out one of the drug mules, and as the others fled, Lego held their cart in place using magic. Now captured, Lego water-boarded one of the members, not afraid to use dark methods to get the info he wanted. They learned that within Rockfell, the Syndicate operated out of a storefront called Careful Crafts. With nothing else to learn, Lego drowned his captive while Stella and Martin executed the others. No witnesses.

Back on the road, the Wanderers reached the Fern Forest, a dangerous woodland that surrounded Rockfell. Traveling through the night at Barnaby’s behest, their wagon was stopped by militia members under the guise of an “inspection.” Recognizing it as a shakedown, Natuc attacked their leader, and a fight ensued.

Though Lego momentarily set the forest and ferns ablaze with a fireball, N’Taba managed to quench the flames with a tidal wave of her own. The bandits were defeated, and the Wanderers had been given a taste of the very corruption they now sought to end.

Arriving at the city the next day, the Wanderers happened upon a public execution happening that day. In the shadow of the militia headquarters, Martin saw for the first time in a long time the man he’d sworn revenge on: His father, Marvin. Carrying out the execution, Marvin spoke of rooting out crime and protecting his city. Though unable to stop the preceding a without drawing attention to themselves, the Wanderers knew his reign of corruption needed to be put to rest.

As the proceedings ended, Barnaby charmed one of the city’s guards into meeting them later, hoping he could give them more info on Marvin’s dealings. With the day to spend, the Wanderers split up: Lego and N’Taba went shopping, Martin visited his mother’s resting place with Barnaby (and Lego following), and Natuc got drunk with Grimley.

When the charmed guard finally showed up that evening, a human man named Tony, he proved to be less than useful, as he wasn’t on Marvin’s payroll. He did give the Wanderers some info on the militia headquarters and Marvin’s whereabouts within, and if nothing else, he was somewhat entertaining.

Making their way to Careful Crafts, a modest furniture and wood-working store, the party scoped out the shop using spiders summoned by N’Taba. Trying to find a way in, Grimley teleported inside using his portals, only to be attacked by the furniture come to life. Rushing in, and aided by satyrs courtesy of N’Taba, the Wanderers saved Grimley, but at the cost of making plenty of noise.

Finding a secret door in the back, the Wanderers rushed inside, using the satyrs as a distraction for the guards that had been attracted by their fighting. Now beneath the shop, the party found themselves in the Syndicate’s secret base within the city. But the Syndicate’s mercenaries were ready for them, having been tipped off by an alarm on the door.

The ensuing battle was intense, as the Wanderers were swarmed by sword swinging mercenaries and magic missile-slinging sorcerers. Caught under the influence of his axe, Natuc attacked Grimley, causing him to hide in fear. The Wand of Possible Power even did something, backfiring on Lego. It took a lot of their arsenal, but eventually the Wanderers won the day - but there was still more to come.

Taking a moment to breathe and heal, Lego animated a couple of the enemy corpses, naming them Zach and Cody. Heading deeper into the lair, the party passed through the Syndicate’s store room - filled with Devil’s Eye spores - before reaching a small prison area. Fighting fire-breathing hell hounds, they rescued a mom and son named Aria and Steven, as well as a former member of the Syndicate jailed for failing to sell enough product. They left them in their cells for the time being, while they headed to deal with the leader of the base.

Stepping into an office with a ceiling lined with swaying chains, the Wanderers came face to face with Izkal, the leader of this chapter of the Syndicate. The horned devil plunged the room in magical darkness, blinding the Wanderers and complicating the battle. Wounded and down most of their spells and abilities, the Wanderers battles the fiend, with Martin eventually managing to fell the creature. With one final puff of sulfurous smoke, Izkal was defeated.

Searching the office, the Wanderers found several soul gems containing what remained of some of Izkal’s victims, plus two letters: One from Dor’El in the Draven’s Den, mentioning missing shipments and a figure known as the Don; the other, a letter directing them to Frogwater Pond in the Fern Forest, where a marker may lead them to the Syndicate’s growing facility in the forest. While searching Izkal’s desk, N’taba also found a small, cloudy orb, and upon touching it, they heard a familiar voice emanating from inside: Marvin, Martin’s father.

Impersonating Izkal, Natuc managed to convince Marvin that all was clear in the base. The militia leader called off his guards, leaving the path out safe for the Wanderers. On their way out, they freed Aria and Steven, while killing the imprisoned dealer, not wanting to have a potentially dangerous witness out on the streets.

Desperate to rest up and heal their wounds, the party found that Frederick and Garth had packed up and left while they were away, spooked by the groups antics. Needing a place to stay, the group made their way to Tammy’s, a small tavern in town. Lego instantly picked a fight with Tammy’s husband, a large Goliath man named Helgen, and called Zach and Cody in for back-up. Chaos ensued as Helgen and two Dwarven onlookers chased Lego out of the tavern, alarmed by his necromancy, but Lego managed to escape thanks to his Misty Step spell. With the city guards on high alert, he managed to get back to the group, going inside N’Taba’s ring for protection.

While the rest of the group slept, Barnaby stayed down in Tammy’s tavern, using his charm to help defuse things. He spoke with some of the locals, learning of their hardy existence in Rockfell and how they leaned on one another to survive and stay positive. While most people were outwardly very thankful for Marvin and the militia (mostly due to their efforts protecting the town from orcs and goblins), he could sense a bit of discontent with the more frequent public executions as of late. Satisfied with his intel, he retired to his room, and the Wanderers prepared for a trek into the forest.

The Wanderers left town in the morning, making their way through the primal fern forest. Stepping on mushrooms and attacked by swarming beetles, the party found the woodlands to be more inhospitable than others they’d trekked through. But eventually they reached Frogwater Pond, only to find one resident who wasn’t too fond of their intrusion: A giant, toad-like beast known as a Froghemoth. Though the creature swallowed Lego whole, he managed to escape thanks to his cloak, and the Wanderers took down the beast.

At the edge of the pond, the group found a stump that had been marked with the Syndicate’s sigil. Using it as a starting point, they spotted similar markets throughout the forest, leading them deeper into the fern-laden woods. Eventually they came to a large clearing, and could see their quarry within: The Syndicate’s growing facility.

Towering 20-foot high walls surrounded the compound, guarding fields of Devil’s Eye mushrooms. Archers walked along the walls, while other armed workers tended to the fields. They seemed to be lead by a hulking figure with blue skin and stringy, white hair. At the center of the complex, a 50-foot tall watch tower loomed over the entire area. As far as the Wanderers could tell, there was only one gate in or out.

As the Wanderers plotted their next move, Lego, who had been bickering with Stella for a while, bopped her on the nose, warning himself a punch in the back of the head. N’Taba stuck him in the ring for a few minutes to cool off, but when she released him, he ran off. Though he briefly considered leaving the group entirely, he decided to return, watching from afar while invisible.

Tired of planning, Barnaby conjured up an illusion of Izkal, walking right up to the gate. Fooling the guards, they were allowed inside, and Martin, Natuc and Stella followed him in. But as their true leader showed herself - a seemingly beautiful elven woman who stood atop the tower - she saw through the illusion. As Barnaby tried to lie his way out of things, Lego misty-stepped to the top of the wall, trying to see what was happening. The criminals were spooked, and a fight was on.

Switching to her true form, the woman revealed herself to be the devil Marizza. Taking to the air, she reigned arrows down on the Wanderers, as her hulking minions assaulted them from the ground. Lego and Barnaby went down early, the latter trapped on the tower staircase by the hulking, blue behemoth. But as things looked bleak, the Wanderers rallied, taking down the ogre-like minion and felling most of the criminals. Natuc managed to wrangle Marizza to the ground with his axe as she tried to flee, and in a puff of sulphur, he vanquished the devil.

Beaten and bruised from the conflict, Martin went atop the tower to search Marizza’s office. Sadly, the room was trapped, sending him flying off the tower in a fiery explosion. One healing spell later, Natuc took a crack at looking through things. He found a black gem, a contract signed by Marvin detailing his relationship with the Syndicate, and a mysterious soul gem. Speaking with the trapped soul inside, a human man named Gwent, they decided to deal with him later.

With the Syndicate’s Devil’s Eye operation in shambles, Lego set fire to the fields, and the complex slowly burned down overnight. After a well-earned rest, the party knew it was time to deal with Marvin. Hashing out a couple potential options, they eventually decided to split up: Martin would head to the militia headquarters with Lego, N’Taba and Stella all polymorphed into flies by pixies (summoned by their Druid), where he’d attempt to get an audience with his father to potentially get some intel or surprise attack him. Meanwhile, Natuc and Barnaby would head to the mayor’s estate, in the hope of getting past his corrupt guards and presenting the evidence they’d found incriminating Marvin.

Reaching the outskirts of town, the sky opened up, pouring rain across the weathered walls of Rockfell. One way or another, Martin knew it was time to finish this. They dropped off Blinky and Grimley at Tammy’s Lodge, to free up spaces in N’Taba’s ring and for gate stoning, and we’re ready to go.

First up was Natuc and Barnaby, who was being controlled by Nathaniel at this point. Nathaniel’s acting skills and quick wit got them access to the estate, pretending to be there to fix his toilet. Going along with the gambit, he used Suggestion to get one of the guards to bring him the mayor. But she returned with several other guards, alerted by the fact that nothing was actually wrong with the toilet (before Nathaniel got to it anyway).

Thing went downhill from there. The guards attempted to arrest them, but we’re out to sleep by two trailing pixies or compelled to flee by Nathaniel. Panicking, Nathaniel and Natuc hid in an impenetrable bubble summoned by the bard, but were soon surrounded by guards. “Negotiating” with a rather enthusiastic member of the militia, the duo had the pixies turn them into flies, allowing them to sneak away and get access to the mayor.

Turning back into themselves with the help of the mayor (who smacked them), Nathaniel slapped down Marvin’s Syndicate contract on his desk. With the guards descending on them, they used the gate stone to get back to the rest of the party. Step one hadn’t gone to plan, but it was time for part two.

Riding up to the militia headquarters, Martin showed the guards his family crest, revealing himself as Marvin’s son. One of his father’s confidants, Errol, came to greet him, shackling him in manacles and taking him up to see his father. As he entered the low-lit room, Martin faced his father for the first time since he’d fled the city.

After being told of Marteen’s death, Marvin furiously laid into Martin, accusing him of being the one who lead the attack on the Syndicate base within town. It was too much of a coincidence that he would show up now, so soon after. But Marvin had bigger plans: No longer content with his tenuous hold on the city, he was planning a coup to overthrow the mayor. And Martin would be his fall guy, taking the blame for the mayor’s death.

Martin angrily fired back that Marvin never loved his mother. To his surprise, Marvin revealed that his mother’s death was no accident: He had arranged for her to be killed. He had used his power to get rid of her, and now he was going to use it to take the city. He ordered the coup, and Martin knew it was time to act.

Summoning Natuc, the Wanderers sprang into action. N’Taba transformed into a polar bear, Natuc flew into a rage, and Martin dueled with his father sword to sword, though hampered by the manacles on his wrist. Meanwhile, Barnaby attempted to ride Martin’s horse straight into the HQ… Where he was met by dozens of armed guards. Not sure what was going on, they knocked him unconscious and began taking him prisoner.

Inside Marvin’s office, the Wanderers held the upper hand. A fireball from Lego wiped out many of the guards outside the room. Most of Marvin’s inner circle were being dispatched by N’Taba and Natuc, while Marvin wore down his father. An errant swing by Marvin shattered Martin’s shackles, and channeling his divine fury, he finally had the opportunity he’d waited so long for.

Driving his blade through his father, Martin slew his nemesis. Reaching out one last time for his son, Marvin fell limp against the sword, and his soul was absorbed into it. Marvin was slain, as well as his inner circle, but it was too late: The mayor had been killed, and the coup was in effect.

Polymorphed to look like Marvin, Martin and Stella headed downstairs to find Barnaby, while Lego and N’Taba used his cloak to get outside with Natuc in her ring. Finding Barnaby being bound in chains in the courtyard, Martin told Stella to ride off on his horse. But Stella had other plans: She outed Martin to the rest of the guards, declaring that he’d killed Marvin. She was a deserter no more.

Surrounded by guards and with the city in chaos, Martin grabbed Barnaby abd used the gate stone to get back to the rest of the group. Picking up Grimley and Blinky, they knew they needed to get out of the city. As the spell on him faded, Martin was confronted by Tony, the clueless guard they’d questioned before. Confused and not sure what was going on, he lashed out at Martin (who easily took his sword and broke it) before running off.

Summoning horses to ride on, the Wanderers took off for the city gates. Pursuing them was a familiar foe: The guard who’d been interrogating Natuc and Barnaby in the mayor’s estate. Outrunning him on their mounts, Lego conjured an earthen hand to hold open the gate, and Barnaby blasted a few guards on horseback as they ran through the fields. Breaking for the forest, the guards ended their chase, and the Wanderers had escaped. Martin had gotten his revenge, but the future of Rockfell was still uncertain.

Murder in Roarkstead
Leaving Rockfell behind, the Wanderers set out for Roarkstead, in search of the final Titan in their path, Lavar. Following the road into the Endless Peaks, the group quickly got a taste of how dangerous these mountains could be: While resting in a mountain tunnel, they were ambushed by massive, insect-like creatures known as Umberhulks. Though tired from the previous day’s events, the party overcame thd creature’s confusing gaze, slaying them and finally earning some sleep.

Before bedding down for the night, both Natuc and Martin were contacted by their enchanted weapons, with very different results. Natuc’s ace was growing tired of waiting to go after Novak, decreeing that from then on he wanted more control. Meanwhile, Soul Render seemed pleased with how many souls Martin had “fed” to it, and thus asked Martin to pledge himself to their cause of destroying their creator. He agreed, and both set their sights on the final weapon: a wand.

Traversing the mountains over the next few days, the Wanderers met a couple of… interesting characters. First came a slaver dealing in captured goblins, which he used to pull his cart. Clearly crazy, N’Taba held him in place with magic while Lego grabbed their chains, effectively freeing them. The goblins tore the strange man limb from limb before running off. Barnaby freed the rest held in cages in the back of the cart, and as thanks, they tried to steal from him. His Gravity Sinkhole ensured they would never steal from anyone again. Because he killed them.

After another run in with the still-chained goblins that night (they wanted food, and Lego provided… by magic missile-ing one of them), the next day they came across an Aaracokra bard named Leek. Apparently a hermit out here in the mountains, Barnaby challenged him to a musicians duel, loot to loot. It was an intense contest, with both bards taking to the air as they played (Barnaby assisted by Lego), but in the end, Barnaby was clearly the winner.

Defeated and very high after getting some Devil’s Eye from Lego, Leek pulled Barnaby aside to ask for some help. His real name was apparently Amadeus, and he had run into some troubles in Roarkstead: His band mates had been arrested, and he owed a man named Skorr 1,000 gold. He implored Barnaby to pay off his debts, before setting out for Thronehold himself.

Their last night on the road, the group camped with sibling farmers named Milly and Gruff. After an intense round of the dice game Pig (won by N’Taba), the group questioned the two dwarves about Roarkstead. Apparently their contact Brogan had been caught stabbing the former queen to death, and the new King Tanglebeard was set to be coronated in 3 days. To make matters worse, the climax of his coronation tournament would be Brogan’s trial by combat. The Wanderers would have to work fast to get the info they needed.

Awaking the next day, Natuc learned Grimley had lost quite a bit of gold playing dice the previous night. The little boggle tried to steal from the farmers as revenge, but after Martin made him realize that stealing’s not great, Grimley shockingly returned the gold. Whether the lesson would stick was another matter, however.

Pushing on, the party finally got a glimpse of Roarkstead: Carved from a mountain peak, the Dwarven capital was the largest city they’d visited yet. The streets were bustling with people - almost exclusively dwarves - and jam packed with stores, taverns and casinos. But they quickly found the best store of all: Coriander’s Curios, where they once more purchased and traded items with the frog merchant.

Once their shopping had been completed, they decided to head to a local watering hole to both find information and settle some debts. Arriving at the Gurgling Goblin, Natuc quickly set about facing their resident arm wrestling champ, the one-eyed goblin, Ripper. It was a tense contest, but in the end, Natuc pulled through, winning free drinks for all.

As the group celebrated, Nathaniel (who had taken control upon arriving in the city) found who he was looking for: Skorr Ironfist, a gruff dwarf of House Silver who owned the bar. He learned that his new acquaintance, Amadeus, and his band had stolen a shield dear to Skorr’s family. The rest of the band members had been arrested, and Amadeus owed Skorr 1000 gold pieces for the infraction.

Settling the debt (and purchasing some expensive ale for him), Nathaniel began acquiring information from the Dwarven brute: The coronation tournament set for 3 days time would consist of several events before the trial by combat. There were to be an opening chariot race, a test of strength (which Skorr seemed confident of winning), a test of agility, beast fights, and finally the trial by combat. As a House-less member of the clergy, Brogan would have to fight his own battle, but Brogan wasn’t quite sure if outsiders could fight in his stead.

Charming his new “friend,” Nathaniel and N’Taba got him to write them a letter granting them access to the tournament. Meanwhile, Martin and Natuc had gotten very drunk by this point. Martin stumbled out to ask for directions to Daphne’s Apothecary, their lead on Brogan, while Natuc passed out at the bar. After altering herself to look like a dwarf (a very Italian-sounding dwarf), N’Taba and Martin are their way in the general direction of their destination.

While he was passed out, a young Dwarven boy attempted to steal from Natuc. The Goliath noticed just in time, and as the boy fled, he flung Grimley at him. Grimley did what he does best: In one swift motion, he stabbed the child’s jugular, killing him instantly.

The bar fell silent, unsure of what to do. A few people ran out to get guards. Skorr stepped forward, demanding justice. When he pulled out his battle hammer, Natuc didn’t fight back: He was knocked unconscious, and placed in chains. Grimley had dipped by this point.

As guards entered the tavern to figure out what was happening, Nathaniel knew he had to act fast. He concocted a story about Grimley being a powerful wizard, and how he might have been controlling Natuc. The story was corroborated by others who had seen Grimley’s portal magic, and helped by these guards being particularly gullible. Natuc was dragged off to a holding cell, but the seeds of doubt had been planted in the guard’s heads.

As this chaos was breaking out, Martin and N’Taba were having a difficult time getting into the Mithras District. Outside of the city’s opening Silver District, the rest of the town wasn’t usually open to outsiders. N’Taba may have looked like a dwarf, but the guards were less than thrilled to let the belligerently drunken Martin in.

Claiming to be living above Daphne’s shop, one of the guards escorted N’Taba there to check this story. Upon arriving, N’Taba quickly embraced the Dwarven herbalist, whispering that she was there for Brogan. Though confused, Daphne played along, and eventually Martin was brought there as well.

Speaking with Daphne, they learned that she was questioning her brother’s innocence. While she’d heard the rumors he may have been charmed, she wasn’t sure who would do this or why. She hasn’t brought herself to go visit him in the Obsidian yet. But hearing of the importance of the Wanderers mission, she agreed to take them.

Back in his holding cell, Natuc was visited by Grimley, who had so far remained undetected. He instructed the boggle to get him a Gate Stone, as it could be his only method of escape. Grimley agreed, disappearing to go try and find the rest of the party.

With the help of a fellow musician he’s befriended at the Gurgling Goblin, Nathaniel had made his way to Daphne’s at this point. Wanting to get a bit more info, they headed to the nearby Twisted Wand to try and find help. There they found folks less than excited to talk with them. As Martin got up charged for drinks, Nathaniel spoke with a Dwarven scholar who was studying alone at a table. Mostly humoring him, she explained that there had been times when outsiders had fought for House-less dwarves in trials by combat. There was a precedent for the Wanderers, if they wanted it.

But as Nathaniel started pressuring her on the murder, specifically what it might mean for one of their own to have murdered a queen (Brogan was previously a member of House Mithral), the scholar’s attitude changed. No longer wanting to speak with the outsider, their conversation ended on a sour note. Satisfied with what they’d found, they headed back to Daphne’s.

When they got there, they were found by Lego, who had also disguised himself as a dwarf to get in. And he had Grimley in tow, who quickly tried to get a Gate Stone from them. As they were discussing their next move, they overheard a rather loud mage being lead through the streets by a couple guards. He seemed to be heading to question Natuc, and very his story.

As a last attempt to help his friend, Nathaniel cast Suggestion on the mage to convince him of Natuc’s innocence. The mage failed to shrug off the effect, and Natuc had a life line. Sending Grimley back to Natuc with a gate stone (to be used as a last resort) and a note instructing him on what was happening, the rest of the Wanderers headed for the Obsidian with Daphne.

After receiving the stone and note from Grimley, Natuc was greeted by the mage and some guards. Convinced Natuc was innocent, the mage questioned him under a zone of truth, picking his words carefully, Natuc feigned innocence. Between the stories Nathaniel had concocted, Grimley’s delivering the killing blow, the mage’s insistence on his innocence and perhaps the guard’s failing patience, Natuc was set free. Disaster has been averted, for now.

Teleporting back to the group with the Gate Stone, Daphne was mortified to hear what Natuc had done. But they managed to talk her off the ledge, using the same story of him being charmed by Grimley. As the sun began setting over Endless Peaks, the Wanderers finally approached the Obsidian.

Entering the prison, the Wanderers encountered security unlike any they’d seen before: Anti-magic fields, countless defensive runes, trained soldiers and iron golems all guarded the prison. After relinquishing their weapons - or being bound in chains, as was the case for Natuc - the Wanderers were brought to Brogan’s cell.

The old cleric was quick to appeal to the group. Pleading his innocence, he asked them to take his spot in his Trial by Combat. He would still be exiled, but he reckoned that was better than being dead. In return, he had information on Lavar. He was confidant he knew the titan’s location, but would only reveal it to the Wanderers once he was free.

Pressing him on the murder, the party got his side of events: While heading to Daphne’s, a visit he would make weekly, he felt something come over him, that compelled him to return and kill the queen. He found it odd that the guards allowed him into her room unwatched (and later he described the guards to the group), and was sure whoever charmed him must have been a powerful spell caster.

With everything in mind, the Wanderers agreed to fight for him in his trial by combat. Brogan informed the guards, and told the Wanderers to speak with Tilgar, the tournament’s master of ceremonies and the one in charge of his trial. He could tell them more about the tournament.

By the time they left the Obsidian, night had fallen on Roarkstead. After collecting Grimley and finding a room at a different tavern, the Wanderers night wasn’t done yet. They decided the local brothel might be a good place to dig up secrets, and so Martin and Barnaby (now back in control) headed to an establishment called Lucky Lenny’s.

Inside the sleazy establishment, Barnaby and Martin rented out their most expensive escort, a trifling named Sheila. Upon arriving to her room, they bribed her into giving them information on some of her more prominent clients. She revealed that recently Kroger Tanglebeard, the elder brother of the new king, had been visiting her frequently, and he was probably still in the lobby below. He had been passed up to be king in favor of his younger brother, and had been inconsolable for weeks.

As they pressed for more details, Sheila pressed them for more money. In turn, Barnaby threatened her with a knife, and then after Martin threatened her with words. Terrified, she kicked them out of her room, secretly alerting the head of the establishment of their threats.

Back in the lobby, Martin and Barnaby found Kroger wasted, deep in the cups. Questioning him, he wouldn’t reveal much about what was going on behind the scenes, only a vague hint that his father had done something. After trying to… seduce him maybe? Barnaby ran out, and Martin soon followed. But not before N’Taba joined them, gate—stoning in disguised as a beautiful Dwarven woman.

After getting the lay of the land from the creepy purveyor of Lucky Lenny’s, N’Taba pretended to be interested in Kroger to get him to talk. The drunken dwarf didn’t outright admit anything, but implied that his father gets what he wants - in this case, his son as king. That was all N’Taba needed: She was sure Tyberius was behind the murder, and no longer in need of info, convinced Kroger she would meet him at their estate with Sheila as well. She’d played the idiot for a fool, and was ready to leave.

But as she was leaving, she found Martin being arrested outside: Apparently, the threats he and Barnaby had made against Sheila had been reported. Rather than resist, he had opted to be taken in. Pretending to be his sister-in-law, N’Taba paid his fine with a little extra to the guards to let him go. With him freed, they returned to the tavern, and hearing of his impending arrest, Barnaby turned himself in and paid the fine.

Finally getting to rest, the Wanderers headed to the Arena of Ancients early the next day, guided by Daphne. As they headed through some of the Silver District’s side streets, a few figures stepped out and confronted them, headed by Skorr. Though they’d convince the guards of Natuc’s innocence, Skorr wasn’t fooled: He wanted justice, and demanded they turn Natuc over to him.

Rather than fight, the Wanderers mentioned they’d be fighting in a trial by combat, and that an honorable man would rather see them die in the trial than kill them in the streets. Skorr was happy to hear that, because he himself had been tapped to represent House Silver in the trial. Eager to meet them on the battlefield, he called off his men, promising to end them later.

Reaching the Arena in tact, the party met with Tilgar, a former champion of tournaments himself. As participants through the Trial by Combat, each Wanderer could choose a different event to participate in as well: A chariot race, a test of strength, a test of agility, or beast fights. Natuc went for the test of strength, Barnaby took up the test of agility, and Martin and N’Taba teamed up for the beast fights.

The Wanderers now stood at a crossroads: Do they continue to investigate the murder, to try and get Brogan off scot free? Or do they put all their faith in the trial by combat, the admittedly more exciting option? After deliberating, they decided the trial by combat was the way forward, and so spent the next few days preparing for the tournament (and reading, in Natuc’s case).

On the day of the tournament, the entire city was buzzing with excitement. Dwarves of all class and status flocked to the arena, wearing their various house colors. And so to did the Wanderers, with the knowledge that by day’s end, they’d either have saved Brogan or died trying.

After watching the opening chariot race (and betting on a losing side), it was time for the Test of Strength. Natuc stepped into the arena to overwhelming boos from the crowd, and saw that one of his opponents would be Skorr himself. Lifting a series of increasingly heavier stone and metal objects, Natuc slowly turned the crowd to his side, especially after Skorr went down unexpectedly early. Reaching the final lift, Natuc was presented with the Abyssal Stones, unnaturally dense rocks that had only been lifted by a few dwarves in history. Straining every muscle in his body, Natuc raised the stones, and the arena erupted in cheers. A new legend had been written.

Next up was the Test of Agility, and Barnaby stepped forward for the challenge. Climbing walls, spire jumping, swinging from ropes and leaping through flaming hoops - Barnaby raced to an early lead before falling behind, the obstacle course proving to be a real challenge. Heading into the final obstacle - two adjacent walls that he’d need to shimmy up to reach the final bell - he found himself just behind the leader. Leaping up the wall, he summoned every ounce of athleticism and acrobatics he had left… and reached the top first! Two Wanderers had earned glory in the arena, and the crowd was beginning to look more favorably on these strange outsiders.

The final event before their trial would be the beast fights, a series of duels between dwarves and beasts. First up would be Martin and N’Taba. Charging into the arena to face them was a massive saber-toothed cat, and an owl bear that looked familiar to N’Taba: It was the one she’d once released on a group of trappers, re-caught and as angry as ever. These two beasts would have proven to be a challenge for two regular fighters - but Martin and N’Taba were seasoned adventurers. They easily handled the two beasts, and once again the Wanderers had come out on top.

As the rest of the beast fights raged on, the party awaited the oncoming trial by combat. But as they rested, they were summoned by an unlikely figure: Tyberius Tanglebeard, the father of the new king. Going to his luxurious box in the arena. Tyberius made it clear he hoped the Wanderers would die in the trial (he’s been part of the group who picked their opposition). But if they were to survive, Tyberius was worried many in Roarkstead would see it as proof Brogan was actually innocent. If that were the case, rumors of foul play might continue to spread.

So he made them an offer: If they did survive, he wanted them all to use their platform to endorse the new king. They had earned themselves a lot of glory in the arena that day, and he wanted them to cash it in. In return, he’d pay them each 15,000 gold pieces.

Discussing the deal, Martin thought the whole thing was fishy. Why pay them off to do this if he was actually innocent of the Queen’s murder? But the allure of money was strong, and only made stronger when upon a return to Tyberius, Barnaby convinced him to also acquire Stonekiller for them, the famous sword Queen Tyra had asked them to retrieve. The Wanderers agreed to the deal, with a warning that if they crossed him, it would be a grave mistake.

It was time for their Trial by Combat. Stepping into the arena as a group, the Wanderers were met with a few cheers, having won over parts of the crowd. But as the champions of Roarkstead stepped out from the opposite end, they knew they’d have their hands full. Each of the houses and the clergy had sent one of their best to compete - including their rival, Skorr. There was no turning back now.

The fight was on. The Wanderers fought like a well-oiled machine, quickly gaining the upper hand. One of their competitors, a knight in plate armor, was incapacitated by a spell from Lego, while their team’s mage was frightened of Martin, only ale to run and hide. Two of their competitors - a Dwarven warrior enlarged by gauntlets and a Cleric - were banished by Lego, and it looked like the Wanderers would make quick work of their trial.

But it wasn’t so. Though vultures from N’Taba were able to eviscerate the mage, he was first able to get off a powerful fireball that sent Barnaby and Martin to the floor, and left Lego clinging to life. Skorr too was killed by the vultures (after being worn down by Natuc), but before his death, was able to break Lego’s concentration, returning the Cleric and warrior to the battlefield. It was tense, but it seemed as though the Wanderers would still close things out.

Then everything changed. Sensing she could no longer win, but wanting to hurt the Wanderers, the warrior attacked Barnaby as he was down, finishing off the bard. As he may dying, Nathaniel’s last words implored the Wanderers to fight corruption and do the right thing. Martin quickly swept in to revive their dead comrade, but with Nathaniel wishing to reunite with his fallen friends and family, it was only Barnaby who returned to life.

Twisting Nathaniel’s final words, Barnaby conjured a gravity sinkhole right in the king’s private box. The new king and his father were both pulled into the gravity well - as well as about 20 onlookers. Their bodies were crushed and broken, and chaos erupted in the arena. The Wanderers were now king slayers.

Natuc fled for the exit, taking out guards and grabbing Brogan in his holding cell. N’Taba popped Barnaby into her ring, releasing Grimley once more. She, Martin and Lego dueled with the warrior and the town guards who had come into the arena, and while they were nearly killed, they managed to take out the warrior and her back-up. All together again, N’Taba turned the party into birds, and before more guards could arrive, the Wanderers fled Roarkstead.

Reconvening on a mountain peak, Martin grabbed Barnaby, demanding he explain his actions. Barnaby had no remorse, expressing it was worth killing civilians since he got the king. N’Taba was angry he’d cost them all the gold they were promised - so Barnaby paid them all he had. He needed to take some time to figure things out, so after accepting a sending stone from Natuc, Barnaby descended the mountain, and was gone.

Down one team member, the Wanderers turned their sights toward Lavar. Brogan informed them that across a feature known as Rendar’s Ridge, there was a small glade of trees growing in the mountains. Once a volcanic area, the site had been dormant for years, but recently there had been reports of smoke rising from the glade. He’d done some research, and centuries ago there had been a settlement of Pyra worshippers there, the god of fire. Perhaps, like the other Titans, Lavar had been imprisoned in a temple there.

It was the best lead they had. Taking a night to rest and recover, Natuc and Martin found themselves sharing a dream. The Shroud was calling, and their time was up. With Raven still out there, the Shroud promised their assassins would be coming soon. Just another thing the Wanderers would need to worry about.

The next day, still sore from the Trial abd its aftermath, the Wanderers set out for Rendar’s Ridge. Coasting through the air as birds, they could eventually see a rocky ridge in the mountains, and beyond, a glade of grey, ashy trees. And ridding from within, two smoke columns signaled the volcanic activity below.

It was time to confront Lavar.

Lavar’s Emergence
Resting for the rest of the day, knowing they had a big fight ahead, the Wanderers took some time to recover from and reflect on their tumultuous time in Roarkstead. As they camped, they were visited by a strange figure: A loxodon researcher named Dr. Karate James Jefferstone. An artificer from a place called the College of Yore, his library had been visited by Boromir months before, and the quest for the Titans had intrigued him. He’s tracked Lavar’s whereabouts this far, and with his and the Wanderer’s goals aligned, he agreed to help them battle Lavar.

Early the next day, it was time for battle. The Wanderers crossed Rendar’s Ridge into the glade of ashy trees, which N’Taba noted to be Sootseed trees. They typically only grew in volcanic environments, even more proof that Lavar was here.

Emerging in a small clearing, the Wanderers found a stone that seemed to mark the entrance to Lavar’s prison. Black smoke billowed up from two fissures in the ground, and they could hear the rumbling of magma beneath their feet. But they weren’t alone in this clearing: Stepping out from within the trees, several lizardfolk lead by a green, toad-like salad confronted the Wanderers. Followers of Vorza, here for the final orb.

The battle was quick and bloody. Aided by his various magical creations, Dr. Karate helped buff the rest of the group and blast the slaad with beams of energy. N’Taba burned them away in her fire elemental form, Martin used the power of fear to keep the slaad and bay, and Natuc cut down foe after foe with his axe. The slaad fell, but the battle was only beginning.

The ground beneath their feet erupted, sending the Wanderers flying in an explosion of fire and force. The glade was now a roiling pool of magma, and rising from the burning rock, Lavar now emerged to face them. The final Titan had broken free of its prison.

The Wanderers leapt into action, burned but determined to finish the fight. Natuc laid into her with his axe, but with each blow, flames licked up his arms and legs, burning him in the process. Lavar set a few of them ablaze, catching them up in a swirling firestorm or landing blows with her fiery fists. Martin, though badly injured, stood tall right in the thick of things, keeping her at bay with his frightening capabilities.

But things began to look bleak. Martin went down, Natuc was worn out, and N’Taba had been blinded by Lavar’s magic. When they needed him most, Dr. Karate came through. Risking his own health, he ran in to heal Martin and Natuc, keeping them in the fight.

In the end, it was Grimley who landed the final blow on Lavar. Tearing open a portal in space, he fired a final arrow through the void, piercing through the fire titan’s form. Scattered and destroyed, what remained of the monster coalesced into a single, fiery orb.

The Wanderers had finally done it. They’d defeated the elemental titans.

Vorza’s Ascension
Victorious at last, the Wanderers headed back to Stonehaven, using Lego’s new ability to teleport to get there. They expected a warm reception. Instead, they found a library in ruin.

The Library of Delphine had been destroyed, the stone building strewn across multiple blocks. Deep grooves of melted stone traced their way through nearby buildings and streets. Stonehaven had been attacked.

Clambering down into Boromir’s treasure chamber, they found the room barren. The orbs were gone, and across the way, lay the single, battered corpse of a golden dragon. Boromir was dead, and carved into his side were the words: “My ascension begins.”

Vorza.

As they processed what was going on, they heard voices near the top of the chamber entrance. A couple of the Queen’s guard had been watching for them, and apparently, Queen Tyra was here herself aboard her airship. As they began to head over to meet with her, the group was stopped by a Tiefling investigator named Brooks O’Millien.

Apparently he’d been following a lead that had lead him to the Wanderers. He was hoping to tag along with them, and seeing no reason not to let him, the group agreed. With a new member in tow, most headed for the airship, while Lego and Martin ran to the Miner’s Axe to look for Marty.

Arriving at the tavern, they found the Miner’s Axe completely destroyed. One of Vorza’s acid blasts had torn straight through it, collapsing the building. Sifting through the rubble, the two feared the worst had befallen Marty… Until they saw him running up the road to meet him.

Having worked late for the first time in his life, Marty had survived the attack. After a short reunion, the two rendezvoused with the rest of the group back at the airship. Climbing aboard, they were met by General Corbin, the head of Delmar’s military, and Queen Tyra, decked out in golden plate armor.

Furious with the attacks on her subjects, the Queen demanded to know everything the Wanderers knew about Vorza. They told her about the orbs, now missing, and how Boromir had sent his friend Boonie to find Vorza’s hideout. Pulling out a spell scroll for Sending, she implored one of them to use it to contact Boonie, if he was still alive.

Choosing his words carefully, Lego took the scroll and sent a message to Boonie. And he heard back - Boonie was alive, but just barely. He’d been captured by Vorza, and was being held at his lair in the Antioch Archipelago. Vorza had stolen his teleportation stone, giving him access directly to the library. He asked Lego to tell his wife he loved her, and the cleric went silent.

With a location set, the Queen laid out her plan: She wanted the Wanderers to fly with her to Hull Harbor, where Admiral Hayes was assembling a fleet. Together they’d assault Vorza’s lair, and SIR Natuc and the Wanderers would be in charge of slaying Vorza. They readily agreed.

As they prepared to depart, they learned a few familiar faces would be tagging along as well. First was Natuc’s squire, Bradley, who was less than thrilled to be assigned to him again. Next was Azara, the Knight of Helena, who was happy to see the Wanderers and fight with them once more. And last was Declan, the partying Knight of Kingsforge who was excited to get in some action.

With the crew assembled, Dr. Karate decided it was time to take his leave. He resolved to stay behind and begin the process of restoring the library and its contents. He implored the Wanderers not to die, remarking that at the moment they were only a footnote in his journals, but perhaps someday they could be a whole chapter. And he was off.

After a quick stop to pick up some enchanted items, it was time to set out. The Queen’s airship took to the sky, and the Wanderers were heading for a date with destiny.

As the ship took flight, Martin took a moment to reach out to the entity that had been contacting him. In a vision, he found himself on a misty battlefield, facing a massive man with glowing eyes. Named Xerias, he explained that he was once Helena’s greatest champion, but now spent his days touching the souls of those with potential, watching their progress. He was impressed with Martin, and wanted to see him grow into a legendary warrior. To that end, he offered Martin more of his powers - and Martin agreed. Their partnership was official.

While aboard the airship, the group briefly reunited with Jacques, the boisterous store master who had cheated them in cards before. But he was happy to see them, welcoming them to the ship and offering a game if they were interested. Over the next couple days in the air, the Wanderers began preparing for the fight ahead.

On the second night aboard the airship, Martin found a gift had been left for them in their room: A couple of fancy wine bottles from the Queen’s private stores. Instantly suspicious, their new friend Brooks took a look at the scene: He noted that the wine bottle had been previously opened, and that the hand-writing on the note they’d been left didn’t match that of the Queen’s on the letter she wrote Lego.

After alerting the Queen and testing that the wine was indeed poisoned, they had a mystery to solve. Since the wine came from the Queen’s private stores, they knew it had to be someone that had entered her chambers that day. That meant Declan, Azara, Flight Captain Oberlin, Jacques, General Corbin and Bradley were all suspects.

Bringing them in for questioning, the Wanderers began by pretending not to know the wine was poisoned, carefully watching their fellow passengers for signs of lying. After revealing the ruse, they began questioning each person as to their whereabouts and dealings that day. General Corbin seemed generally annoyed, Declan seemed generally oblivious, but most of the people they questioned had alibis.

While Martin, Natuc and Lego continued questioning the group of suspects, N’Taba and Brooks took a pass around the ship looking for stow-aways or evidence of poison. With her Druidic abilities, N’Taba was able to sense a bit of poison within their own quarters: the remains of a shattered vial. With his keen ability to pick up details, Brooks found an even bigger clue: a single blonde hair by the broken vial. That narrowed things down to Declan or Bradley.

Presenting their findings to the group, Martin cast Zone of Truth, confident that they could now get a straight answer. Everyone they asked refuted poisoning the wine… Except for Bradley. The saboteur had been revealed. He admitted to the crime, detailing how he was approached by a hooded figure in Stonehaven. They had offered to pay him 2000 gold pieces in return for poisoning the Wanderers - most likely the Shroud, who seemed to be making good on their word to come after the party.

Disgusted, Natuc asked to partake in Bradley’s execution once they landed. In need of a new squire, he had the Queen deputize Grimley. In a weird way, things had come full circle.

With no other distractions, the Wanderers finally arrived in Hull Harbor on the first day of autumn. Finding a moderate village made of discarded ship parts and driftwood, they landed at Fort Andall, the command site for Delmar’s navy. There they were greeted by Admiral Hayes, a half-elven woman who serves as leader of the naval forces. Declining rooms within the fort, they decided to spend the night drinking at a local tavern.

After a bit of shopping, the group decided to question their newest member over a round of drinks. Driven by his wife’s death, Brooks had spent the last 40 years investigating chaos, and the links between different events that seemed disparate, but perhaps weren’t. But every time he’d get close to figuring things out, he’d be confronted by a large, eldritch entity, and “reset”: Sent back home to start again. Each time details would change, like the existence of a mine or other small things, and he would have to pick up the trail once more, with things getting more and more complicated. This time he’d found the Wanderers, and was hoping they could help shed some light on things.

Retiring for the evening, the Wanderers drifted to sleep, unaware of the danger awaiting them. That night, Shroud assassins snuck into their rooms, assaulting Natuc, Martin and N’Taba as they slept. The ensuing fight was quick and bloody: Both Martin and Lego went down, Brooks sniped with his crossbow, Natuc nearly killed Grimley while controlled by his axe. But the Wanderers won out, escaping with all of their lives.

Shaken by the encounter, they decided to spend the rest of the night in the safer confines of the fort. Rising the next day sore but alive, they joined up with the rest of Delmar’s military leadership to discuss the attack on Vorza’s base. It was going to be more complicated then they’d thought.

Vorza had several things going for him. First, the island his lair was on was surrounded by rocky cliff-faces, making it possible to land ships on only one of its shores. Second, he had his own fleet of ships patrolling that coastline, and the entire island was crawling with Lizardfolk. Third, various flying creatures served Vorza, which would make landing the airship on the island difficult. And last but not least, Vorza himself was a formidable foe. If he entered the battle, things could turn south quickly.

Their plan would be 3-fold. Vorza had assembled these followers for a reason - so long as he didn’t feel too threatened, he’d most likely be inclined to let his minions do the fighting for him. That meant they’d need to engage his forces without overwhelming them. Admiral Hayes would lead a small naval fleet against Vorza’s ships, paving the way for ground troops to the land on the island. They would draw out Vorza’s minions on land, while the Queen’s airship drew out his flying followers. Once above the island, the Wanderers would drop in using Feather Fall, and find Vorza’s lair before he joined the battle. The plan revolved around them slaying him - if they failed, their chances of winning were slim.

Satisfied with this plan, the Wanderers spent the day preparing. Natuc executed Bradley, settling that loose thread before moving forward. N’Taba awakened some vines, turning them into a primordial plant creature. A typical day. The next morning, the Wanderers gathered with the rest of the fleet, and departed for the Antioch Archipelago.

Over the next few days the Wanderers prepared for battle by hyping up the troops, concocting potions and pouring over the battle plans. By their third day at sea, under an over ast sky, they were ready. And appearing over the horizon was the Antioch Archipelago.

A few spits of rocky, barren land, the archipelago was nothing special. But it's central and largest island was more than just a rocky shoreline: They could see the mist-laden swamp that encompassed most if the island's interior, and the fleet of pirate ships protecting it. It was time.

Just as rain began to fall across the deck of the airship, the naval fleet below surged forward, preparing to engage Vorza's ships. The booming of arcane cannon fire soon mingled with the sound of crashing thunder, as the two ship fleets began to duel. The battle was on.

Lifting up from the island, a first wave of pterodactyl-like creatures descended on the airship, their lizardfolk riders leaping onto the deck. The Wanderers flew into action, summoning vultures, sniping with crossbows and striking them down with axes. The Queen and Azara joined in too, as well as a number of soldiers stationed on the ship. Though the creatures tore through some of Delmar's warriors - and took out Flight Captain Oberlin, causing the Queen to have to take the helm - the Wanderers handled this first wave.

Leaving his perch in the crow's nest, Brooks took the helm from the Queen as she went to fetch their back-up pilot. But before they could catch their breath, they heard the sound of crashing water below them. Rising from the ocean was a massive elemental creature, serpentine in appearance, who tore through one of Delmar's ships with it's strength and icy breath.

Recognizing this threat to the fleet, Brooks pushed the ship right into the fray. Dueling with the creature, he maneuvered the airship expertly, avoiding most of it's icy blasts and keeping it in position for his teammates. The rest of the party assaulted the beast with ballista, their weapons and, in N'Taba's case, octopus tentacles. With one final surge, Brooks rammed the ship through the creature, and attacked from the inside, the elemental fell. With one less threat to the fleet, the airship headed toward the island once more.

With the danger cleared, the Queen returned with their back-up pilot: Jacques, the store master. Though nervous at first, a swift punch from Brooks got him in the game. But there was more trouble on the way. A flock of dragon-esque creatures had taken off from the island, headed by a familiar foe: A wyvern. But the Wanderers stood firm, and another wave fell before them.

At this point, boats had begun leaving Delmar's fleet packed with soldiers, headed ashore. And on the beach, Vorza's minions had begun to assemble, preparing for the ground assault on their island. But as the boats made their way toward land, black, shadowy tendrils began pushing up out of the sea, ensnaring the boats and drowning soldiers. Their ground assault was threatened before they even made it.

The Wanderers jumped in, commanding Jacques to guide them down. One by one they began taking out tendrils, hacking, slashing and burning their way through. By the time they took off again for the island, most of the tendrils had been decimated, and Delmar's boats were clear to land.

The airship reached the beach just as the first wave of boats did, and even from afar they could hear the angry shouts and clashing of weapons from the intense battle below. It looked like more of Vorza's minions were coming to aid the fight - his lair potentially exposed. For a brief moment, it seemed as though Vorza's minions had found an upper hand: Arcane cannons firing magic missiles began targeting the incoming boats of Delmar's second wave of soldiers. But fireballs from the Queen's Airship and Lego decimated the cannons, ending that threat.

Now flying above the swamp, the Wanderers knew it was only a matter of time before they'd need to head to the ground. But first, one last wave of fliers: Two wyverns, and a draconic fiend wielding a sabre. Though these foes seemed imposing at first, the Wanderers hacked through the wyverns one by one, while the fiend couldn't get last Martin's armor and shield. Natuc finished the job, and the airship was now flying clear over the heart of the swamp.

It was time to go. With one last goodbye to the Queen, the group leapt off the airship, plummeting to the swamp below. Lego cast Feater Fall just as another group of wyverns and fliers took off toward the ship, and the last thing they saw before plunging into the swamp was the airship attacked. But they had to focus: After all this time, they were finally going to face Vorza.

Plummeting to the surface and crashing through the canopy, the Wanderers reached the soft mud below. Sulfurous and creepy, the swamp was a foreboding place to enter, but the party were prepared. Striding between trees, N’Taba eventually found signs of something moving through the swamp, and following the tracks, they came upon the black dragon’s lair.

Mostly submerged in the swamp’s thick mud, the roof of an ancient temple stuck out of the ground in a small clearing. The remnants of a once beautiful stained glass window offered the only entrance in or out. A few lizardfolk stood guard - which were quickly dispatched by the Wanderers. All that was left was to head inside.

Dropping in, the group found a cavernous cathedral, 40 feet high from floor to ceiling. But the once impressive temple has fallen to ruin - grime and muck covered the space, chunks of stone had fallen from the wall and ceilings, and pools of filthy water filled parts of the floor. As soon as they touched down, the entire cavern began to shake, and across the way, the largest pool of water began to bubble faster and faster.

Bursting into the chamber, rising from the filthy water, was Vorza. His black scales shimmered and glistened with muck water, horns flanked his draconic snout, and two leathery wings stretched out from his shoulders. Embedded in his chest were three orbs: The remains of Tsuna, Tempest and Krakkan. His ascension had begun.

Taking to the sky, Vorza blasted the Wanderers with acid as they scrambled to fight back. Brooks fired off bolts from his crossbow, N’Taba summoned giant owls to aid them, Natuc chucked his axe at the dragon, Lego sniper with spells and Martin attempted to frighten the beast. But Vorza struck back just as ferociously, laying into them with his claws and teeth or beating them back with his powerful wings.

Attempting to blind the dragon, Brooks cast darkness around the beast, only to realize that Vorza could fight even in total darkness. Assisted with Lego’s magic, Natuc flew into the void, lashing out at Vorza. His axe blows weakened the creature, and for a moment, it seemed as though victory was within their reach.

But as Vorza’s body tired, the orbs began to glow brighter. The magical darkness burned away, revealing changes in the dragon’s form: His eyes shined with different colors, stone began replacing scales, ice encased his wings and lightning began coursing from his wounds. The power of the titans was fueling him, and now the fight had truly begun.

A blast of sand from Vorza’s new powers sent the Wanderers reeling, knocking Lego out. Shards of ice flew from his wings, tossing Natuc off his back. He lashed out with claws of electricity and gusts of powerful winds. But through it all, the Wanderers hung tough.

They healed each other. They attacked with spells, bows and axes. They refused to give in, weathering blow after blow and pushing on. And as both sides tired, the dragon and the heroes giving their all, it was N’Taba who finally landed the killing blow.

Focusing her strength into one final spell, she cast Blight on the wicked dragon, wrapping him in dark tendrils. His life force began to be sucked away, shriveling his flesh as cracking his scales. The beast fell to the floor, letting out one final roar. But he was beaten: Vorza crumpled the ground, defeated. The Wanderers had won.

Catching their breath, the group reaped the rewards of their efforts: The dragon’s hoard. They found piles of gold and platinum, interesting trinkets and powerful magical artifacts. The treasure was theirs for the taking.

While investigating, Brooks noticed a strange symbol carved into the wall: A spider web made of tentacles. For some reason, it felt familiar to him, like a long-lost memory. Could it be a clue as to what this temple did purpose was? Perhaps, but he stored this knowledge for later.

As they reveled on their riches, the Wanderers were eventually found by soldiers of Delmar. The battle had been won. Led to the beach (with Vorza’s head in tow), the group were met by the Queen, as soldiers celebrated all around them. Brought to the deck of the airship, they were presented before the crowd as the saviors of Delmar. It had been a long few months, filled with triumph and heartache, but for now, the Wasted Wanderers were heroes.

High Seas Hijinks
With Vorza defeated, Queen Tyra thanked the Wanderers for all they had done. The orbs were given to Azara for safe keeping, ready to be held within the vault of the Knights of Helena. As when they saved her airship, the Queen offered to grant any requests the Wanderers had, so long as it was within her power.

Natuc asked to be made a lord, and his request was granted, with the details to be settled next time they were in Kingsforge. Martin asked if the Queen could look into the situation in Rockfell, and while the city fell outside Delmar’s borders, she promised to have someone check it out. A humble man, Brooks asked for nothing, happy to just help out. And Lego asked to be deeded the Miner’s Axe, so he could rebuild it with Marty.

Thinking ahead, N’Taba requested a ship: They would need to sail in order to reach Koa, where they new Raven and the Lion’s Mane were. Having just captured several of Vorza’s ships, the Queen offered them one to keep as their own. The Wanderers had a new ride.

Before joining the rest of the celebrations, Lego pulled the group aside. The last few months had been a whirlwind, and after nearly dying many times over, he needed a break. He planned to head back to Stonehaven, to oversee the rebuilding of his beloved tavern. If the group needed him, they knew where to look.

With that, the wizard was gone. The rest of the group spent the night partying away, enjoying their success. When the morning rolled around, it was time to set out on their new ship.

As none of them had much sailing experience (besides when they’d previously commandeered one of Vorza’s ships), they knew they would need some help. They had recruited Jacques to help crew their ship, and so he helped show them the ropes. First order of business: The ship needed a name. After some deliberation, they settled on the Wasted Wumpus. The sea had never seen a finer vessel.

With that settled, the party would each need to assume a role on the ship, to help coordinate things in and out of combat. Martin took up the mantle of Captain, N’Taba chose to be the Quartermaster, Brooks took the helm as Navigator, and Natuc manned the cannons as Gunner. As they sailed, Jacques set about teaching them their new roles aboard their vessel. And they would quickly be put to the test.

On their second day sailing, they were intercepted by an enemy vessel: Pirates, flying a flag emblazoned with the head of a wolf. The Wasted Wumpus flew their own flag in response: A skull stabbed on both sides with daggers, which they had found in Vorza’s hoard. The two were on a collision course: It was time for battle.

The Wanderers struggled a bit to get their sea legs: Brooks did his best to outmaneuver the enemy, trying to give their ship a tactical edge. Martin tried leading the charge, though his own lack of experience made it difficult. N’Taba did her best to make repairs, though without a crew it proved challenging. Only Natuc seemed fully in his element, blasting the pirates with their cannons.

As the battle went on, the Wanderers began to grow into their roles. Martin took command, Brooks took out the enemy’s Navigator, and Natuc took out their rudder and mast. With victory firmly in their sights, the pirates flew a white flag of surrender. As captain, Martin decided to have a chat with the sailors.

Approaching with guns still drawn, the group spoke with their enemy’s leader, an orc named Captain Greytooth. Martin had a proposal: Swear fealty to the Wumpus, sailing under them and giving them some of their plunder, and they’d let them go. With a bit of gold as an advance, and knowledge that this ragtag group had killed Vorza (as evidenced by his head), Captain Greytooth agreed. The Wanderers now had underlings.

Questioning their new ally, Captain Greytooth gave them some info on their quarry: The Lion’s Mane. It was led by a man named Captain Leonel, a privateer for Kell who delighted in plundering ships across the Spraying Sea. Known for being ruthless, Greytooth had seen Leonel at a pirate port town called Treasure Cove a few times, but not for a few months. Rumor was that Leonel was searching for something, but what he wasn’t sure.

Before bidding ado to their new officer, the Wanderers took a few of their crew mates to serve on the Wumpus. This included Martin, an apprentice navigator and strange fellow; Sean, a deckhand and lover of musical theater; and Darryl, a gunner who seemed invested in his craft. Together they formed a strange crew.

With clear skies above and calm seas below, the Wanderers continued to Koa. On the way, they made one more stop: While working above deck, N’Taba spotted a pile rocks on a nearby tiny island. Heading over to inspect it, they found the rocks marked a drop-off pint for smugglers. Syndicate smugglers.

Searching in their small holding cellar, the group found some crates of Devil’s Eye, and one store of a drug known as Brek. Incredibly addictive, Brek was highly illegal outside Kalzan, where it was cultivated. Choosing to burn their store rather than take any, Brooks left a note for the Syndicate carved into the stonework: A bit of a taint for the group’s old rivals. N’Taba also had Natuc grab one of the island’s palm trees for good measure, to use it for teleportation purposes. Nature magic is crazy.

After a beautiful meal magically provided by N’Taba, the Wanderers reached the island of Koa. Monolithic and imposing, the isle rose from the sea like a massive mound of rock and vegetation. But carved into one side, the group could see a tiered island town, built along shelves in the stone face. It was here that they hoped to find Raven, or information that could lead them to the Lion’s Mane.

While they docked the ship, they bribed the dock master who had greeted them to get some information on the Lion’s Mane. It had been in port only a few days prior, but had since left the city. But the Rum Runner’s Retreat, a local tavern, was the best place to ask around for more information.

After negotiating some upgrades for their ship, including more canons, better armor plating and a new flag with Grimley’s likeness, they headed to the watering hole, finding a lively establishment on the bow of an old ship. They were able recruit a crew by asking around and finding some folks who seemed interested in serving on the Wumpus. Hitting it off with the half-orc bartender, Durmstra, they decided to recruit him for their ship as well, adding a bar to their list of needed upgrades. While Natuc was busy showing their new worker around the Wumpus and Martin filled in for him behind the bar, N’Taba and Brooks decided to look for some info.

Using a magic mirror he’s found in Vorza’s hoard, Brooks asked for the destination of the Lion’s Mane. It showed him an isle covered in a thick jungle, with three large stones jutting out of it. Not recognizing the place, he decided to check the bar for any Thieves Cant, and found two words: Secret Cove.

Meanwhile, N’Taba worked the room, buying drinks for folks and asking questions. She learned that the city’s best navigator, a man named Dantias, had gone missing recently, and his shop was robbed. An interesting revelation, since she knew Dantias was supposedly involved with Raven and Captain Leonel. She also discovered that the Secret Cove was a small store on Koa’s second level, known for its array of strange trinkets and objects.

After a night’s rest, the group used the mirror again, this time asking it who had kidnapped Dantias. It showed them an image of a large red manor, a rose with a bee on it, and an older woman. Following the leads from their previous day’s search, the Wanderers headed for the Secret Cove, finding the store carved out of the rock itself. There they met the store’s Vedalken shopkeep, a lanky woman with blue skin and a flat nose.

Conversing in Thieves Cant, Brooks asked about any interesting happenings, and she was happy to oblige: Apparently, the Havella family, leaders of the city, had been robbed recently. She believed it had been the work of Dantias and Leonel: the Captain needed something from the navigator, and in return Dantias wanted charts and maps from the Havella family. While the Lion’s Mane had left the island, Dantias wasn’t so lucky. He had been captured by guards, and most likely taken to the Flooded Dungeon beneath the island.

After purchasing a tiny chrome fly that they could use for recon, the Wanderers decided to do a quick search of Dantias’s business. Finding it torn through by those who had kidnapped him, Brooks and N’Taba searched the place for clues. The druid uncovered a small rose pendant, which they’d spotted being worn by the town guards. Brooks found a couple old sketches Dantias had worked on of an island similar to the one they’d seen in the mirror. There was a name attached: The forgotten isle.

With this knew knowledge in hand, the group decided an investigation of the Havellas was in order. Using a small, chrome fly they’d purchased from the Secret Cove, capable of sneaking into places and allowing them to see through it, they infiltrated the Havella’s manor on Koa’s highest tier. Finding the family preparing for lunch, they managed to listen in undetected as they spoke of Dantias. He was indeed being held in the flooded dungeon, and the family was planning on how to potentially deal with the Lion’s Mane, though at the moment they were outside their grasp.

Looking over all their options, it seemed likely Dantias had helped Captain Leonel find the forgotten isle in exchange for Raven stealing charts for him. That was the likely destination of the Lion’s Mane, but how to get there was another story. While the group discussed potentially breaking Dantias out, N’Taba focused on her connection with nature, upon seeing what powers she may be able to conjure up. As she focused on the isle, she realized she could use her nature magic to map out the best course there, rendering Dantias unnecessary.

Race to the Forgotten Isle
Having gathered everything they needed and with the Wumpus now fully upgraded, the Wanderers set sail. Passing a slaver ship along the way, and giving it a wide birth, they began to make way for the Leviathan Ocean. But on their second day of sailing, they found themselves in a pickle: A storm was approaching, and to sail around would cost them valuable time on their chase. They decided to go through, preparing their makeshift crew for the ride.

The storm battered their ship as it plunged through the surging waves, the winds nearly tearing their sails. N’Taba did her best the calm the waves, and Brooks guided the ship from the helm, but the storm was rocking the Wumpus from side to side, threatening to capsize the vessel. Framed by thunder and lightning, Martin took charge, barking orders and inspiring the crew. Natuc secured the sails, Brooks righted the ship, and the Wanderers weathered the storm, making it out the other side.

But this would be the least of their worries on the trip. On their fourth day of sailing, just as the crew were waking for their daily duties, the entire ship lurched to a halt. Unsure of what was going on, the Wanderers gathered on the deck of the Wumpus, just as a slorping, squelching sound began to ring out around the ship. Rising from the sea and clinging to their vessel, powerful tentacles began climbing up the sides of the ship. Captain Martin shouted their foe to the crew: “Kraken!”

The Wanderers leapt into action, slashing and firing arrows at the creature’s tentacles. N’Taba began heating up the Adamantine plating they’d had installed around the edge of the deck, searing the creature’s tentacles and inhibiting it’s ability to fight. But this was an ancient and powerful creature, and it began stroking back with both its tentacles and storms of lightning summoned from above.

Natuc was flung from the edge of the ship, tossed to the sea and forced to swim his way back. Brooks was snatched up by a tentacle, misty-stepping his was back to freedom. N’Taba attempted hide below deck, only for the creature to break through part of the hull to reach her. But the Wanderers we’re doing damage too, severing tentacles and causing the beast to roar and shake.

With several tentacles down, the Kraken rose from the sea, revealing it’s transformed body: Sharp teeth, wide maw, flipper-like arms and tangled barbels. They battled on, stroking at their foe as it once more dragged Brooks and N’Taba into its clutches. As Martin stepped forward to lash out at the beast, it attempted to swallow the paladin while, but he was just able to avoid the blow with his shield.

Burnt and bloody from the battle, and with both Brooks and N’Taba teetering on the edge of death in its clutches, the Kraken attempted to dive back to the depth of the ocean. But Martin wasn’t letting it escape: He leapt from the side of the ship, his sword bathed in holy light, and jammed Soul Render into the creature’s face. With that final blow, the kraken had been slain, and the Wanderers collectively caught their breath from what was one of their toughest foes yet.

After harvesting some of the kraken's parts as proof of their kill, the Wumpus sailed on. The next morning brought fog, and as it burned away, the Wanderers got their first glimpse of the Forgotten Isle. Covered in a jungle of palms and shrubs, the three stones at the island's center rose above the trees like a trident, an obvious sign that they had reached their destination. As Brooks carefully guided the ship through the reefs that surrounded the isle, N'Taba took to the air to get a better look at what they were headed towards. What she found on the other side of the island proved more pressing, however: The Lion's Mane, slowly making its way around the island.

The Wanderers decided to fight them head on, but not without a little assistance. As they prepared for battle, N'Taba summoned a water elemental to aid them, sending it through the sea to go attack the Lion's Mane. When she felt her connection to it severed moments later, she could only hope it had done some damage. And as they watched, the Lion's Mane - larger than the Wumpus, and painted grey as a storm cloud - rounded the tip of the island, heading straight for their vessel.

The sea battle had begun. The two ships exchanged blows, their foe proving to be just as armed with arcane cannons as they were. Brooks took out both the ship's navigator and their back-up for good measure, allowing him to get the Wumpus in a better position. From the deck, Martin's intimidating presence kept the crew in line, while N'Taba helped direct efforts to batten down the hatches and repair what damage was being done to their ship. Down below, Natuc was commanding his gunners, firing round after round at the Lion's Mane.

Unable to get back into a good position, the Lion's Mane was slowly overwhelmed by the Wumpus, culminating in one of their masts being destroyed by the Wumpus's fiery cannon blasts. With no other option, their enemies flew the white flag of surrender, and the Wumpus had won the day. As the battle was winding down, the Wanderers heard the sound of grinding stone echoing out across the sea. From the island, the largest and most central stone had begun to move, slowly rising into the air. Clearly something had happened - perhaps not all their foes were aboard the Lion's Mane.

As Brooks and Martin went to board the enemy ship, N'Taba and Natuc (in her ring) took off for the island to check out what was happening. Brooks and Martin quickly questioned the Mane's first mate, Jenkins Moorbrook, demanding that he sail under them or they'd sink the vessel. He reluctantly agreed - provided they took out Captain Leonel, who was on the island searching for what he called "the mantle." Ashore, N'Taba and Natuc found that when the central stone had lifted, it had revealed a staircase into the ground beneath.

Using their gate stones, Brooks and Martin teleported to their two companions, and slowly they made their way down. Though they attempted to be stealthy, they found it difficult to keep quiet along the stone staircase. Seeing light at the bottom, they sent in their new chrome fly to investigate, and as N'Taba peered through its eyes, she found a grizzly scene. The staircase emptied into a round chamber, with cubbies all along the walls holding vases, gemstone and coffins. The coffins were open and empty, and litering the floor were the bones of fallen skeletons, as well as fresher bodies of dead pirates. A few pirates remained alive in the room as well as three figures that stood out: A dwarven woman with tattoos down both arms, Captain Leonel, and Raven herself.

Unfortunately, Leonel seemed to realize that they were no longer alone. Sensing that the element of surprise was lost, Natuc rushed into the room in a rage, and the battle was on. Finally face to face, Raven slashed into Natuc with the stolen Vicious Blade, as the rest of the Wanderers rushed in to aid him. As they all began to fight, a haunting voice rang out through the chamber, insisting that none of them would get away with the mantle. Rising from the floor, the ghostly form of an old pirate captain appeared, draped in a seafoam blue and white mantle. He summoned several undead pirates to fight alongside him, adding to the fray.

Things only got more hectic from there. N'Taba transformed into a fire elemental, burning through Leonel's pirates. Martin used his magic to strike fear into both Raven and the Captain, who hid along the back wall to get away. Brooks sniped with his arrows, while the dwarven woman they'd seen began conjuring lightning and fire from her tattoos. As he took down pirate after pirate, Natuc finally closed in Raven, now face to face with the woman who'd murdered his parents.

Though she tried to fight back, her fate was sealed. Natuc's carved into her with his axe, his rage fueling every blow. She managed to stumble away... And right into the firing line of Brooks. With one final arrow, he pierced Raven's skull, ending the drow and finally ridding the Wanderers of one of their greatest enemies. With Raven down, Captain Leonel soon followed, also struck down by one of Brooks arrows. The Wanderers were winning.

But their victory wouldn't come without a bit of tension. Knocked out of her firey form, N'Taba found herself trapped between the undead pirate captain and one of his thralls. She soon fell, and was brought to the brink of death by the ghost's strikes. Martin rushed forward to save her, and with their companion saved, the group finished off the skeletal captain, leaving nothing but his skull behind. The dwarven caster soon fell as well, and the Wanderers stood alone.

But as the ghostly captain's form scattered, the chamber around them began to collapse. As Natuc and N'Taba grabbed Raven's things and ran, Brooks and Martin rushed to the back of the chamber, finding a sealed door. Using the captain's skull, they unlocked it to find a treasure trove of gold, art and other trinkets. But the chamber was getting closer and closer to complete collapse, and tired from the fight, Martin was knocked unconscious by the falling rubble. Scrambling to revive his friend, Brooks used his mage hand to grab the nearest thing he could see: A tiny fortress. Just as the entire chamber collapsed, the two used the gate stones to escape, and the Wanderers had safely made it out.

Or so they thought. As they stood in the sand just outside the staircase, the three stones that marked the center of the island began to fall. Most of them managed to get out of the way - except for Martin, who was partially crushed by the falling rock. Pulling him into her ring for safety, the rest of the Wanderers fled the scene. They had made it out alive - but only just.

Treasure on the Waves
With Raven defeated and the mantle secured, the Wanderers headed back to the Wumpus victorious. They found the Lion’s Mane still mostly in shambles, and with Captain Leonel no longer living, Jenkins agreed to helm the ship under command of the party. The group took the rest of the day off, eating a magical meal provided by N’Taba and lounging on the sandy shores of the Forgotten Isle.

Well-rested and ready to go, the Wanderers set their sights on a treasure map they’d found weeks before in the Forest of Draenor. Unsure of what it may lead to, they could head in that direction before sailing further south to the Sunset Sea to find King Coral’s palace. A few days into the journey, Martin and Natuc were visited in their dreams by a familiar foe: An emissary of the Shroud.

Having learned of Raven’s death, the elite bounty hunting guild no longer had a monetary reason to pursue the Wanderers. That said, they still had a reputation to uphold, so they offered them a deal. For 12,000 gold, they would end their pursuit, and the Wanderers could rest easy.

At first Natuc and Martin scoffed at the deal, more willing to take their chances being attacked than pay that much money. Their tone changed when the Shroud’s emissary began to threaten Lego and Marty - isolated in Stonehaven, they’d be easy targets while the rest of the Wanderers were occupied.

Not wanting to risk the lives of their friends, Natuc and Martin agreed to the deal begrudgingly. Satisfied, the emissary agreed that the attacks would stop, provided payment was forthcoming. They agreed that when the Wanderers next made port - in the city of Darma they decided - the deal would be completed.

Though annoyed with this arrangement, the Wanderers’ were in store for a treat. A few days later, while steering the Wumpus, Brooks spotted a small boat riding the waves. There seemed to be a small structure propped up on it - one the rest of the group quickly recognized as Coriander’s Curios. Greeting the frog merchant inside, the party bought and sold various magic items and weapons, including a magical book of languages that Brooks purchased.

With their dealings done, Coriander set off, and Brooks revealed why he’d purchased the book: The time could teach one language to anyone capable of reading it… Including Blinky, who was smart enough to understand written language but not physically able to speak it. With the magic of the book, over the next few days Blinky learned Common, and now the Wanderers had a talking dog at their disposal. Whether this was a good or a bad thing is up for interpretation.

After days of sailing, the group finally arrived at the island on their treasure map. A small sandy key nestled between three smaller islands, their destination wasn’t much to look at. But as they searched the island, they found a ring of stones at its center, each with a magical tune carved into it. And at one end of the circle, a similarly-marked limestone obelisk spoke of moonlight and challenges.

Not wanting to wait around until nighttime, N’Taba used her nature magic to hit the stones with moonlight, causing their runes to glow. They found a pattern in the ancient glyphs: three of the six were matching, two others matched as well, and the one on the obelisk was unique. Touching the three matching runes as they were bathed in moonlight, three shadow demons were conjured from the sands of the island, attacking the party.

Unfortunately for the demons, sunlight was not kind to them. Caught in the light of day, the Wanderers quickly smote their adversaries. But three runes remained, and it became clear that to get the treasure, they’d have to fight more foes. Touching the next two matching runes, more demons were summoned, these in the form of massive insects with strangely human hair.

Dueling with these new threats, Natuc and N’Taba fell unconscious from the creature’s droning noises, overwhelming by the demonic sound. But the others were more than a match for the insect-like demons, and once the other two were back in the fray, these latest challengers fell as well. All that was left was the obelisk, and once activated, it summoned the most fearsome demon yet: Cloven legs, feathered wings and a boar-like head all marked the visage of the Nalfeshnee.

Taking to the skies, the demon filled the Wanderers heads with demonic laughter while blasting them from afar with beams of dark energy. When they could get up close, it’s claws and tasks proved nearly as formidable as it’s beams. The Wanderers dug in, fighting it with spells, swords and arrows. But they soon began to tire, worn down from their previous fights.

Taking massive hits from the creature, Natuc was nearly done in by the flying demon. But through sheer force of will, he was able to stay on his feet, absorbing blows that could’ve taken out one of his allies. Martin closed in with his sword, N’Taba turned into a giant octopus and Brooks sniped at it from distance. Slowly they gained ground, and eventually the creature took to the air in an attempt to escape.

But Natuc wasn’t letting it get far. Running up one of the rocks in the circle, he leapt into the creature, hacking away at it with the Berserker Axe. Slowly but surely he cleaved through the beast, and as it fell, the Wanderers were victorious. Emerging from the center of the sandy island, a chest appeared as their reward.

As soon as the chest was revealed, the entire island began to sink into the sea. It began collapsing from the inside out, and the party had to flee to their row boat. They managed to escape the sinking sand just in time, and returned to the Wumpus with their prize.

Popping open the chest as the rest of their crew looked on, the Wanderers found a treasure trove of platinum pieces. As they divvied up their loot, they discovered something else buried within the coins: A broken stone tablet. Brooks recognized the symbol on the back of it as the same one he’s seen in Vorza’s lair, and while it was only partially legible, what little he could read spoke of an unending web of lies. Food for thought for the investigator.

The Mind Master
With the treasure collected, the Wanderers set their sights on their next goal: Finding all of Novak’s arcane weapons and destroying the Lich. The gang already had the Berserker Axe and Soul Render, and from conversations with the weapons, knew they would need the third to destroy him - a wand called the Mind Master.

With their destination gleaned from Brooks’ magic mirror (which subsequently shattered), they headed out for the Sunset Sea. They knew the wand was being held in the Royal Reef Palace of King Coral, a marid who held court at the bottom of the sea. They began to devise a plan for how they’d actually get to the sea floor once they arrived.

One night along the way, Brooks had a familiar dream: He found himself in a dimly lit stone chamber, with blackened tendrils that traced all across the room. A strange clicking noise filled the air, loud and ominous. Stepping out of the shadows was a massive form, with a head covered in barbels, massive crab claws for hands and a huge torso. Though the rest of its body was obscured, Brooks recognized this hulking figure as his patron.

His patron questioned Brooks on why he was following the Wanderers, wondering if Brooks had strayed from his path of investigation. To the contrary, Brooks believed he was making more progress with the Wanderers than ever before, and had perhaps just made a breakthrough with the tablet he’s found. But his patron disagreed, deciding it was time for another reset. Brooks tried to resist, only to be overwhelmed, falling into darkness.

Back on board the Wumpus, Martin was awoken in the night by the other Martin, who had seen Brooks attempting to steal one of the ship’s lifeboats. Racing over to his friend, Martin discovered that Brooks was possessed, his eyes clouded over and doing everything he could to get off the ship. Though he nearly escaped, the ruckus woke N’Taba and Natuc, and the Goliath was able to swim down Brooks’ boat and drag the Tiefling back on deck.

Once they had him secured, Martin tapped into his paladin magic, dispelling the charm that held control over Brooks. Though he was shaken a bit at first, Brooks took this as a sign he was on the right path. If his patron wanted to reset him so badly, perhaps he was close to something important.

As they sailed for the Palace over the next few days, the Wanderers spent some time with their crew. N’Taba lead some ill-fated Kraken drills, Natuc played catch with his gunner Darryl, and Durmstra began putting the final touches as the party’s very own brand of rum: The Wanderer. On one of these quiet days of sailing, the group noticed what looked like the remnants of a ship in the distance, and among them, a sole survivor.

Pulling her aboard, the group met Marble, a halfling bosun who had been serving on the wrecked ship. Her vessel had been attacked by a pirate ship known as the Mirage, and she was the only one to survive the assault. A former vessel of Second Munari Empire’s navy, the Mirage was one of a kind, able to turn invisible to ambush unsuspecting ships. With this new knowledge, the Wanderers welcomed her into the crew, keeping an eye out for any marauding ships.

After days of sailing - and navigating with N’Taba’s nature magic - the Wumpus finally reached the Royal Reef Palace. Or at least, the patch of ocean above the palace. The Wanderers would still need a way inside. Instilling the ability to breath water in all of them, N’Taba lead the gang (plus Grimley) down below, slowly descending into the murky depths.

As they floated deeper and deeper into the sea, they began to see light piercing through the darkness. Along the sandy seafloor, a shimmering palace of coral sat within a dome of some sort, with light shining from within. Around the bubble protecting the castle, dozens of fish-like humanoids guarded the perimeter, spears in hand. While Martin and N'Taba (transformed into an octopus) decided to try and speak with these creatures, Natuc and Brooks stealthily entered the bubble, hoping to keep out of sight.

Greeted by these creatures known as Kuo-toa, Martin introduced himself and the Wanderers. After some short deliberation, he and N'Taba were invited inside the dome, where they met Gilligan, a Triton man who served as the advisor to King Coral, the marid they were after. Meanwhile, Natuc and Brooks ahd successfully snuck into the dome, hiding around the various statue-like coral and sponge formation that surrounded the massive coral palace. Unsure of what the plan was, Brooks - who had turned invisible - shouted as a distraction, causing the guards to start searching for him.

Amused but seemingly commiting to the peaceful approach, Martin diffused the situation and called for Natuc and Brooks to join them. Though surprised, Gilligan was pleased to see the whole group together, and announced that while King Coral had heard of the Wasted Wanderers and was excited to meet them, he was currently indisposed. He invited them on a tour of the castle grounds while a feast was prepared in their honor, at which King Coral would be in attendance. The Wanderers hastily agreed, enjoying the wine and snacks they were provided (after N'Taba checked them for poison, of course).

Once they had toured the castle grounds, Gilligan brought the Wanderers inside the resplendent Royal Reef Palace. The entryway was lined with gold, an entire waterfall cascading down from a second-floor landing into the space. The Wanderers were allowed access to the castle's plush guest rooms, as well a moderate bar - where Grimley proceeded to get completely wasted. After a bit of lounging, it was time to meet the king: Gilligan lead the heroes into a large banquet hall, where a table had been set up with all manner of sea food delicacies.

After situating themselves around the table, Gilligan announced the arrival of the man of the hour. Rising to take his seat on a platform that sat above the rest of the table, King Coral magnanimously greeted the party. A marid or water genie, his form was fish-like, with a wide smile and spines and fins along his head and neck. His lower body was a swirling mass of water, propelling him forward without the use of legs. Flanking either side of his platform were two water elementals adorned in plate armor, joining the ranks of Kuo-Toa guards already within the banquet hall. The king was excited to meet the Wanderers, having heard of their slaying of Vorza weeks prior. He eagerly listened in as the group told him stories of their exploits over the last few months.

Downing plate after plate of seafood, King Coral then began bragging about his own exploits: The wealth he'd accumulated (and his treasure vault, which piqued the party's interest), his relations with other marids that existed beneath the waves... And his collection of slaves. While the Wanderers sat uncomfortably, he brought in several slaves to be the mealtime entertainment. As the captured bards and dancers performed to the King's delight, the Wanderers began figuring out how to broach the subject of the Mind Master so they could get out of this palace.

After subtly bringing up Novak's arcane weapons, the mood in the room shifted. King Coral remarked that he was looking forward to having the Wanderers as part of his collection - and asked Gilligan to take them alive. His true intentions revealed, Gilligan blasted the heroes with arcane lightning. Dinner was over - it was time to fight for their freedom.

As a legion of Kuo-Toa guards rushed in, the Wanderers quickly got to work. Brooks ducked under the table while Martin leapt on top of it, challenging Gilligan directly. Natuc began cutting down the fish people one by one, and found himself under fire from one of the elemental's tridents. N'Taba attempted to summon a cloud of insects to aid them - only for it to be countered by Gilligan, who then unleashed a torrent of ice shards on most of the group. All the while King Coral watched from above, occasionally sending blasts of water towards the Wanderers.

Hurt but still fighting strong, Brooks popped up from beneath the table and took aim at Gilligan. His shots hit true, and he was able to down the powerful wizard. Though N'Taba was surrounded and getting weaker, the rest of the Wanderers were beginning to gain an upper hand over the remaining Kuo-Toa and elementals. Seeing a chance to flee, King Coral headed for the door in the back he'd entered through, trusting his guards to finish the job.

Though N'Taba did fall, the guards didn't finish her off: They were under orders to take the Wanderers alive, to become part of the King's collection. The party had other plans, finishing off the guards that were left and downing some potions to regroup. As they began to hear other guards attempting to open the banquet hall's main doors, Natuc barricaded the entrance to buy them some time. Martin examined the exit that King Coral had fled through - it was magically sealed, but he was able to dispel the magical effect and get them entry.

Racing up a flight of stairs, the Wanderers reached the palace's highest floor. At the end of a long hall, they could see a large golden door - King Coral's treasure vault, no doubt. But as they approached, they realized the vault door was protected by an anti-magic field. Wildshaping, their weapons, all of their spells - none seemed to have an effect on the locked entrance. Blinky tried to teleport in and open the door from the opposite side - and came back soaking wet, blasted by King Coral. At least they knew he was inside.

With all of their usual tricks failing, Brooks decided to try some old-fashioned lock-picking. The vault door's lock was extremely complicated, one of the most difficult locks to crack Brooks had ever come across - but he was a professional. With one final click, door began to open, and the Wanderers rushed into the most impressive treasure vault they had ever set foot in.

Shelves of trinkets, art pieces and magical baubles spread throughout the floor space of the coral cavern, while all along the walls, cubbies filled with magical items were embedded in the design of the room. Across from where they'd entered, a massive pile of gold, gems and jewels took up most of the far-side of the room, a veritable treasure trove of money. And standing before his huge mound of wealth was King Coral, rounding to face the Wanderers. As the door slowly closed behind him, he accosted them for thinking they could come into his castle and rob them - and summoned his pet to aid him. The Wanderers watched in horror as a giant, blue dragon emerged from the piles of gold - perhaps they had bitten off more than they could chew.

As the dragon took to the air, the Wanderers rushed in to deal with the marid first. Natuc downed a potion and swelled in size, slashing at the King with his now massive axe, but was met by the genie's own trident in return. N'Taba, transformed into a dire wolf, attacked with claws and teeth. Brooks shot from afar, while Martin attempted to draw the attention of the dragon away from he rest of the group. As the dragon circled the Wanderers, it unleashed a blast of lightning that rocked Martin and Natuc to their very core - things were looking bleak for the Wanderers.

But as they'd done so many times before, the Wanderers persevered. As King Coral, now badly wounded, attempted to get some distance between him and his two assailants, N'Taba knocked him out of the air with a massive hit from her claws. Now sprawled out on the ground, the King could only watch as Brooks closed the distance - and sent two arrows straight through his head. Melting into seafoam, King Coral had been dethroned,

Yet there was still a dragon to deal with. Lashing out with his claws and jaws, the dragon managed to take down Martin before rounding on the rest of the group. But the Wanderers were confident they could win, and between Brooks arrows, N'Taba's magic and Natuc's axe, they opened a gaping hole in the dragon's chest. It's heart now exposed, Martin - brought back from the brink by his allies - spring-boarded off Natuc and leapt through the dragon, piercing it's heart and exploding through it's back. With one final roar the dragon collapsed to the ground. Against all odds, the Wanderers were victorious again.

What followed was utter chaos. The Wanderers began frantically looting the room, grabbing as much gold as they could carry. Finding the Mind Master in one of the cubbies along the room's wall and ceiling, Natuc broke through the glass and presented the wand to N'Taba, before preceeding to break open as many other cubbies as he could for the items within. As they looted, the door to the vault began to open, with about eight Kuo-Toa guards on the other side. Martin was able to use fear to keep them from entering, while N'Taba created a wall of fire to block off their entrance.

Having bought a bit more time, the Wanderers continued to grab whatever they could. Grimley was brought out of the ring to snatch some gold, still in a mostly drunken state. Natuc and Brooks worked on grabbing magic items - a sword, boots, a crossbow, a shield - whatever they could find. N'Taba found some opals that seemed to react to her circlet, attaching themselves to it on their own and instilling her with the ability to wildshape into a water elemental.

As the flames began to wear off, Brooks decided to try and barricade the door more permanently. Using the instant fortess they'd found on the Forgotten Isle, he had the fortress be summoned right in front of the doorway - on the third floor of a palace made of coral. As the massive fort slammed into the ground, cracks began to form along the rooms walls and ceiling. The structural integrity of the castle was breaking.

Having snagged as much as they could carry, the Wanderers ran inside the fortress just as the treasure vault collapsed around them. As the fortress fell through the floor, it caused a chain reaction throughout the palace, and the entire structure began to fall apart. Thrown about as the once beautiful castle crumbled around them, the Wanderers managed to survive the implosion... Only for the dome around the palace to break as well, and water to flood into their fortress.

Still able to breathe under water thanks to N'Taba, the Wanderers slowly exited their fortress, surveying the rubble of the palace around them. But while the castle had collapsed, the guards that had been watching the dome were still out there, and they began rapidly swimming towards the Wanderers. N'Taba had other ideas. She cast Water Walk on all of her allies, sending them hurtling toward the surface and out of harm's way. As the broke through the ocean waves and back into the open air, the group sprinted back to the Wumpus, putting some distance between them and the palace.

The party had killed King Coral, stolen his money and detroyed his home. Truly, he had messed with the wrong group of heroes.

Darma and Beyond
With all three of Novak's weapons now in their possession, the Wanderers could focus on the lich himself. To do so, they'd need to head for Darma, the capital of the Darman Empire and a town notorious for its slavery. It was here that they had also agreed to meet up with the Shroud once more, so a visit to the capital seemed inevitable.

With their course plotted, the gang spent a few days relaxing aboard the ship. Brooks did some reading, N'Taba began brewing up some potions, Natuc played catch down on the weapons deck. The trip seemed to be going well... Until they weren't.

The Wanderers were shaken from their malaise by the sounds of firing cannons, as powerful explosions rocked the Wumpus. Appearing from thin air was a massive warship, much larger than the Wumpus, and intricate in its design and details. The Mirage had spotted them, and the crew scrambled to get into their battle positions. The fight was on.

Trading blows with the massive ship, the Mirage slipped invisible once more, presenting a more difficult target than the Wanderers had faced previously. The Wumpus was at a disadvantage in a straight fire fight, but Brooks had other plans: He sailed straight for the Mirage, putting the ship in danger but getting within boarding range. Once they had pulled alongside, Brooks leapt atop the still invisible Mirage, and it wasn't long before Natuc and Martin joined him.

Aided by bears summoned by N'Taba, the gang cut down pirate after pirate, as the ship and crew continued to shift between visible and invisible. Martin charged downstairs to the gun deck, where he found a mage in wait with the ships cannon crew. Though she put up more resistance than the rank and file pirates, once Natuc joined him downstairs it was a slaughter. One of the pirates nearly died from fear, while the others quickly surrendered.

Back above deck, Brooks made a dash for the captain's quarters, finding a man inside in full plate armor. A former soldier turned pirate, the captain was far more formidable than the rest of his crew. Stuck in tight quarters and taking blow after blow from the captain's sword, Brooks decided it was time to retreat. But the captain wasn't going to let him get away, and Brooks was cut down just beyond the doorway.

Thankfully for the tiefling, Natuc was done cleaning things up downstairs. He managed to finish off the captain, and Brooks was brought back to consciousness. With their captain defeated, the Mirage had been taken, and the Wanderers had themselves a second ship. Renaming it the Wanderlust Wumpus, they decided that this would be their new flagship, with the Wasted Wumpus serving as their second.

Incorporating the surviving pirates into their crew, the group set about re-assigning roles. Jacques was made captain of the Wasted Wumpus, with the other Martin serving as his chief navigator. Marble was upgraded from bosun to quartermaster, while Darryl became the ship's gunner. As they began assigning new roles and positions, it became clear that they had a problem - N'Taba had been (not so) secretly telling folks that she was the real person in charge of the ship, while Martin had been using his commanding presence to run the ship as the official captain. This had lasted for weeks, but now the power struggle between Martin and N'Taba was coming to a head. Martin confronted N'Taba before the entire crew, demanding a vote be taken for who everyone wanted to be captain. But N'Taba refused, stating unequivocally that Martin was the captain, and even setting out a feast to celebrate their newfound understanding.

But secretly, they all still knew who the real captain was.

With both ships now operating at full speed, the Wanderers made the last leg of their journey to Darma. From afar, they could see the massive city taking form in the distance: The docks filled with ships baring all sorts of flags, the many buildings of hardened earth and mud, and rising above it all, an enormous pyramid of gold glittering in the daylight. They had reached their destination.

Upon arriving at port, the Wanderers were met by a dock master dressed in silver and gold flanked by plate-armor clad guards. From the get-go, it was clear the Darman Empire was not a benevolent state: They were informed that if they wished to sell or purchase any slaves they should head to the Shackled Market nearby. After leaving the ship, Brooks spotted the dockmaster whisper something to the soldiers, who then began to head deeper into the city. Curious the Wanderers trailed them for a bit, passing between winding streets and open town squares, but ultimately decided to let them go, opting to purchase upgrades for their new flag ship instead.

When they arrived back at their boats, they were informed they had a visitor. Dressed in black leather armor and a cloak that concealed most of their appearance, a representative from the Shroud was there to collect. The payment was relatively painless, with the Wanderers forking over the cash and the assassin leaving them be. Unhappy with the amount spent but satisfied that one less threat was after them, the group began plotting their next move.

Their conversation was cut short by the sound of blasting horns and marching soldiers. A procession of guards was leading a golden chariot through the streets, straight for their ship. Stepping out was an elf with flowing brown hair, immaculate gold and silver robes, and one missing eye. Introducing himself as Viceroy Charlemagne, he informed the Wanderers that the Trinity - leaders of the Darman Empire - had heard of their arrival, and wished to speak with them within the Pyramid of Azul. Wary but willing to hear them out, the game stepped into the carriage, and were whisked back into the streets of the massive city.

Along the ride to the pyramid, it became clear the Empire had been watching the Wanderers for some time. The viceroy revealed that the Trinity were aware the Wanderers had been collecting the arcane weapons, and were very interested in their services. He also informed them that they're reputation as "king killers" would have already made them persons of interest - it seemed word of Barnaby's actions in Roarkstead had spread over the past few months.

Arriving at the massive golden pyramid, the viceroy lead the Wanderers inside, finding the entire ground floor to be a small gardenscape. Filled with fountains, flowers and boutique shops, it was a far cry from the dusty streets and peasantry found outside the pyramid. Guiding them between shopping nobles and manicured trees, they were lead to lifts along the far wall, which brought them up out of the garden level and higher into the pyramid. They passed a housing level, a bureaucratic section and one that seemed to house and monastery and arcane center, but eventually the Wanderers reached the pyramid's apex.

Sitting in huge thrones before them, and surrounded by at least 20 guards, the Wanderers came face to face with the Trinity. To their left, sitting in a throne of turquoise stone, was a one-armed elven man named Axel Effreni, the city's Arcanus Major (head mage). To their right, atop a jagged throne of iron, was a woman clad in chainmail and an iron helmet: the city's Priori Maxima (head priest) named Viola Tenaris. Directly before them, on a throne of pure platinum, sat an incredibly aged human man, sporting a jagged gold crown. This was the Golden Emperor himself, Raxin Kazar.

Though initially told they must follow all of the formalities, the Emperor quickly dismissed such claims, immediately getting down to business. He requested the Wanderers present the arcane weapons to him, and once he had verified that they did indeed have them, he laid out their deal: Novak's continued existence was a blight on the Empire's reputation, an affront to their power. To destroy the lich, they would need to take out his phylactery, the vessel that contained the mage's soul. For this they would need the weapons, and it just so happened that the Trinity knew of Novak's whereabout.

Axel explained that in order to be given Novak's location - a secret temple that had once been dedicated to Gyllian, the goddess of anger and rage - they would need to agree to return Novak's personal journals to the Trinity. These journals detailed his life's work, containing valubale information on his enchanting process and the weapons he had designed. In exchange, the Wanderers would be allowed to keep the arcane weapons, and would be paid - at their request - 100,000 gold pieces. N'Taba also asked to be given a slave, which the Trinity found acceptable.

Unsure whether they truly had a choice, the Wanderers agreed, and were given the location of the secret temple. With their business done, the group were quickly escorted out of the pyramid's apex and back onto the streets of Darma, promised reentry upon the successful completion of their mission. Not eager to work with slavers, the Wanderers decided to figure out exactly what their long term plans were once Novak was dealt with. For now, they needed to focus on slaying a lich.

Before leaving the city, the Wanderers did some shopping to replenish their supplies. Hoping to find their favorite frog merchant lurking amongst Darma's shops and bazaars, N'Taba tried to find Coriander's Curios, but instead came upon a rug shop baring the same crescent moon symbol. But the shopkeep was decidedly not a frog, and though her rugs and carpets looked fancy, it seemed she was just an ordinary merchant. Settling for a banged up, dirty old rug that N'Taba hoped to prank Martin with, the group headed back to their ships to inform the crew of their leave.

After learning of N'Taba's plan to soil his captain's quarters with such an ugly rug, Martin attempted to toss the dirty thing overboard - only for it to remain suspended in mid-air, a flying carpet after all. Now much happier with their purchase, the Wanderers clambored aboard, taking flight over Darma and eventually the Coroco Jungle beyond. Soaring through the air for the rest of the day, the misty jungle below them, they eventually bedded down in a small clearing for the night.

While keeping first watch, Brooks and Martin got into a spirited discussion on the rules and regulations of a children's game, pick up sticks. While looking over Martin's shoulder, Brooks noticed a pair of yellow eyes looming at them from the brush... Only to be attacked from behind by an enormous troll! This troll was much larger than others they'd faced, sporting multiple limbs and heads to boot. Two other trolls rushed from the tree line as well, and the Wanderers found themselves in a full-fledged fight.

Brought to the edge of consciousness by the deformed troll, Brooks was able to barely escape, hiding in the bushes and sniping from there. Calling out that trolls hated fire, N'Taba used a wall of fire to burn the two regularly sized trolls, while Martin and Natuc hacked away at the with their sword and axe respectively. Soon one of the trolls had been burnt to a crisp, and with one more well-placed wall of flames, N'Taba was able to destroy the other two disgusting creatures.

The rest of their trip through and above the jungle was much less eventful, as the Wanderers slowly but surely coasted above the huge jungle below. After a few days of flight, they could finally see their destination: A river that cut through the trees of the rainforest, and a cascading waterfall where the river tumbled over the edge of a cliff. They knew that behind that waterfall lay their hidden temple... The lair of Novak.

Parting the waterfall with a fallen log courtesy of Brooks’ ring of telekinesis, the Wanderers found a tunnel into darkness behind. The path lead to a large, stone orc head, with blue and red crystals embedded in the eyes. Blasting them with ice and fire magic respectively opened a door through the statue - the temple’s entrance. But just beyond this entrance, the ceiling of the tunnel collapsed, forcing the party to dodge falling rocks. This whole place would clearly be trapped.

Inside the former temple, the Wanderers began making their way through different chambers that had been retrofitted to the lich’s liking: The entryway now contained a “statue” of Novak, guarded by spirit warriors. An old crypt was filled with reanimated corpses, some baring additional traps. A ritual room would now fill with blood upon intrusion, and elementals that formed from the thick liquid. But the Wanderers slowly made their way past the traps and barriers, eventually reaching the lair’s second floor.

Here they found a workshop split into three parts: A research chamber with the remains of former subjects, an alchemical lab complete with broken equipment, and an enchanting station with old bits of material like iron and silver. At the center was an old transmutation circle, activated by blood. It was in this workshop that the Wanderers found two of the journals they had been tasked with recovering, and after using the circle to craft several keys, the party pressed onwards.

Soon they found themselves in the lair’s inner sanctum - a massive chamber centered around a tiered altar. Rising to the top of the platform was a figure in red and gold robes, their skin greying and decayed. They had reached Novak himself. As guard of wind began picking up around the room, and magical energy sparked off the ends of the lich’s fingers, it was finally time for battle.

Novak wasted no time putting the Wanderers on their heels. He summoned the spirits of the undead to attack Natuc, and when the barbarian rushed in for revenge, he was paralyzed by the lich’s touch. Brooks attended to strike from afar with his bow, but Novak was able to deflect the blows with an arcane shield. Before N’Taba could react, Novak reached out and spoke a single word: Die. The Druid crumpled to the ground, dead. The situation already looked dire.

But the Wanderers had come too far to give up so easily. With the last ounces of his most powerful magic, Martin was able to bring N’Taba back from the grave. She in turn cast Faerie Fire on the Lich, bathing him in sparkling lights and making him easier to target. Brooks ducked between broken pillars for cover, keeping the pressure on Novak with arrows. And Natuc managed to shake free of his paralysis through force of Will, tanking powerful magic from the Lich and delivering strong blows with his axe.

The Wanderers began surrounding Novak - Natuc on one side, Martin on the other, and N’Taba closing in as a water elemental. Novak teleported away, popping up next to Brooks and attempting to paralyze him with his deadly grasp. But the Tiefling managed to get away, sniping the Lich and creating a perfect opening for his allies.

As N’Taba engulfed the Lich in her watery form, Natuc rounded one of the fallen pillars. Swinging the axe on his chain of returning - the weapon that had first set them all on this quest - he flung it at Novak, striking him through the chest. The lich’s form was destroyed, and the Wanderers had won.

As the intensity of the battle died down, the Wanderers began pouring over the chamber for any signs of Novak’s phylactery. While the other two enchanted weapons seemed keen on destroying their creator once and for all, Soul Render had other plans - his revenge now exacted, he attempted to wrestle control of Martin’s mind from him. But the paladin held out, and the sword revealed his true intentions: To lay waste to the world, destroying all in his path.

With Soul Render under control, the rest of the group managed to find a secret chamber containing a single, old chest. Inside was the last of Novak’s private journals, as well as a small glass object containing swirling souls inside - the phylactery. All together, N’Taba, Brooks and Martin attacked with their weapons as one… And the phylactery was destroyed. The voices in their heads slowly faded, and their curses had finally been broken.

Leaving the lich’s lair behind (and grabbing the rest of his books on the way out), the Wanderers now had a choice to make: Should they honor their agreement with Darma? After resting up, they took a look through the arcane journals. While a lot of it was lost on them, they did find the designs for the enchanted weapons they had been carrying, as well as a planned weapon to top the apex of the Pyramid of Azul.

Not wanting this info to fall into the hands of slavers, they decided it was time to leave Darma behind. As night fell, N’Taba was able to create a bridge between one of the jungle trees and the palm tree aboard the Wasted Wumpus, and from here they staged a daring escape. Summoning pixies to aid them, N’Taba was able to turn most of the guards watching into flies, while Brooks sniped the last. With this small window, they set sail in the hopes of reaching open water before they were discovered, and nearly made it out…

Before alarm bells began to ring along the docks. They’d been discovered. While the Wanderlust Wumpus was able to coast by u detected, kept invisible by Martin and Natuc on board, the Wasted Wumpus had no such luck. War ships patrolling the edge of the harbor began to descend on the smaller vessel, and while N’Taba’s control of the winds and Brooks skills at the helm kept them afloat, the ship was taking major damage from the enemy’s cannons.

The Wanderlust has to aid. Coming back into view, they fired on the enemy ships, drawing attention away from the Wasted and giving them a window to escape. Now coasting dude by side, the two made for the open ocean, the winds N’Taba was creating giving them an edge over Darma’s vessels. The trailing war ships let out one final volley, but they were too late: The Wanderer’s ships sailed into the night, and the city of Darma slowly faded behind them.

Thus the Wanderers closed the book on this chapter of their story, but new adventures were just on the horizon.