Chronicles

Destiny I : "The Laughter of the Drune Lord"

It warms my heart Scribe that you came all the way across the Northern Sea to my hideout in these dark woods. I know you are eager to record my tales. Please join me here by this small campfire and let me enfold my story

Arrival of the New Tribes

A few months after Athea's return new tribes entered the Mead Hall. Like most of us they arrived into these lands by mysterious ways. The people of these new tribes told us that they all met a strange shaman who had claimed them for his master Slough Feg, the Drune Lord. This all could see, for Feg's mark was painted on all their foreheads. It was growing dark and the night was filled with strange noises.

The Brehan lorekeeper decided that at dawn he would ask a breggan for advice on how the claim of Feg on these people could be undone.

At midnight a man who emitted a foul stench stepped from the shadows in front of the Mead Hall. It was the Drune Lord himself. He claimed these new people and for the injustice of not being invited to this meeting, he proclaimed a duel between his champion and Fin Fir, the champion of Athea. The duel would take place the next morning.

The Duel and the Ice Dagger

During the duel Sloug Feg's champion killed Fin Fir. On the chest of the slain champion a pact with Indek was found written in blood. Those hearing of this could almost feel that a greater scheme had been set in motion. Mountain trolls and formor roamed the forest.

A new champion had to be chosen by means of a number of competitions in which medallions could be won. The true champion should keep the correct medallion (test of fate), show it at the meeting of that night and tell all attending why he should be the new champion of the Queen (test of storytelling).

During the competitions the earth shook and a mysterious man was seen riding the wyrm Crom Cruach. He smashed his staff onto the ground in a clearing. With a flash he disappeared and left a block of ice with ogham writings on it. The ogham translated to "Bind Me". Inside the block of ice there seemed to be a dagger. Meanwhile the members of the new tribes found all components and preformed a ritual together with the breggan to get rid of the claim of Feg (ritual of cleansing).

That night during a meeting the new Champion is chosen.

Hoards of Undead

At the end of the meeting a horrible undead messenger of Feg stumbled into the Mead Hall. His mutilated body was covered with wounds and blood. He told Athea that Feg declared war on all of the new tribes and those who aid them. In the dark of the night hoards of undead swarmed the fortress. Climbing the walls and battling through the entrance. At the same time Maeve was seen holding a strange ritual deep in the forest.

Maeve and Feg occupied the Mead Hall for a while, but by a clever trick of the Brehan, involving a battle wolf, they were forced to flee. The fairies repaired the broken gate of the fortress. Great was the number of wounded.

Retreat from Haven

The next day the battle continued. The block of ice was melting rapidly and half of the dagger was already free of the ice. Connaught stole a magical horn of the Firbolg. Then the size of the scheme became clear as Indek suddenly joined the side of Feg in battle. The forces of evil were too great and the people of Haven had to leave their fortress behind and seek a new safehaven in the North called 'The Crossroads of the World".

What doom will be upon us once the dagger will be free of its icy prison? Will the people of Haven find shelter?

Here my story ends.

At dawn I have to catch up with my people and continue our journey to the new safehaven in the North.

Destiny II : "The Children of Domnu"

Test of Faith - Signs of Prophecy

An unknown person has mingled in the group pretending to be one of the people of Haven. When it's his turn to be washed by the milky white pool called the Tears of Danu. His face turns into a grimace and he spews blood into the pool shouting " and Danu will weep tears of blood!!! it's irreversible She will arrive!"

Kettle the Druid of TCROTR runs to warn all that he just noticed that all his salves and bandages turned bad and have become useless. All healers in the party draw that same conclusion on their own salves and bandages.

A Thiing (Norse Moot) is called for. During the Thiing Pjetre the Champion of the Norse is

presented in his shining armour. The people of Haven represented by the Brehan tell their story to the Norse of the clan of Skald of the Norse.

When the Thiing draws to an end, everyone looks toward the Champion. Something weird has happened. His shiny armour is now completely rusted. Seeing this, an old Norse walks into the circle and whilst mumbling shows a Seal to everyone. This seal has been in his family possession for centuries. Tears roll down his cheeks as he tells those attending: "This has to happen I am destined to bring doom onto this world ". While saying this he breaks the Seal and it is as if the breaking of the seal sends an ancient and foreboding wind through the camp. The old Norse stumbles towards a big pole, cuts his belly open with his knife, hooks his entrails to a nail on the pole and starts stumbling in circles around the pole, thus dragging his entrails and his life out of his body. This old Norse tradition of an honorable death called 'The Walk' is not to be disturbed by anyone.

Inside the seal is a parchment discribing the sign of shining things turning dull and giving a hint about binding something (the icedagger). Later that night some of the long lived races receive strange visions and are marked with a sign. This so happens to be the sign of Domnu

Picti, Kidnappings a Queen's Visit and an Ancient Tomb .

The next morning Kettle the druid organizes a party to buy herbs from the Picti. Near a shrine of the Battle of the Shrines a wounded bard called Owen is brought back to the camp.

Around noon Bronwin (the soon to be bride of Pjetr) is kidnapped by Formor lead by a Formor Shaman. Queen Athea surprises everybody with a visit. Lead to TCROTR by her champion the bard, who had been disguised all that time not to draw to much attention. Festivities start and a meal is being prepared, cooked above the central campfire. Queen Athea presents her child Boediccea. The little girl sleeps happily through most of the festivities. Then it is time for the Queen to leave her people and seek shelter in a most secret place, for the sake of her child.

At dusk Owen turns his head towards a tent that has been protected as long as there have been guardians at TCROTR. An eerie howling sound is heard from inside that tent. Owen's voice changes as he tells those around him, that it is his Third Eye calling him, an eye capable of spitting deadly fire. A number of people recognize his mocking sound for he is Indek who has taken over the body of the slain bard Owen. A final seal is broken by Indek. Telling about the arrival of the Dark Goddess Domnu, whorshipped by all Formor-kin.

The Tomb of Domnu

Later that night a party is formed to enter the tomb (caern) of Domnu.

This turns out to be quite an effort since the place is full of traps. Most of the party has to stay outside the tomb to keep tension on chains that prevent the door of the tomb to close. A shimmering wall of weird energy around the tomb keeps a mob of raging Formor from attacking the people and for anyone to flee outside the tomb. Around midnight an otherworldly hearbeat starts to sound again and all the marked children of Domnu start to chant her name: "Domnu, Domnu, Domnu'. Then a lot of things happen in a short period of time. The wall of weird energy disappears and the formor attack, the party that entered the tomb return, each member arriving at an interval of time. The party that was inside the tomb try to warn those outside that Domnu is coming and that she has a Death Aura (discribed on a banner they found inside the temple), but alas this message is not understood because of the confusion of the attacking Formor and the overall panic. Thus a very great number of the party dies either by Formor hands or by the Death Aura of Domnu exiting her tomb. Luckily one adventurer found 'The temple of Pardur' (an ancient artifact) and brought it back to TCROTR. Inside this portable temple(tent) is a blinded priestess that has the power to bring most of the slain people back to life.

Domnu moves to that what binds here, namely the Shrine of the Battle of the Shrines and destroys it.

The Icedagger, a Bugbeast and a Step into The Unknown

The next day hordes of Formor, enthralled by the arrival of their goddess, try to locate and overrun TCROTR. Those still capable of fighting slay wave after wave of Formor. Finally the remaining Formor retreat.

Kettle the druid has found out a way of binding the Ice Dagger. Drugging herbs of the Picti and the tough skin of a Bugbeast (a ferocious creature the size of a Mountain Troll). The party manages to skin the Bugbeast. The Icedagger is finally bound.

The Brehan tells the people of Haven, that it is time to leave, they all gather around a tree and dance spirally around it. Suddenly a small entrance appear in the bark and through it an elven creature wearing a crown can be seen. Led by the Brehan one after the other the people of Haven step through the entrance and into The Unknown

Here my story ends again...Pray we meet again some time in the not too distant future, farewell my friends

I have many stories to share with you Scribe. These stories meld into the continuing saga of the heroes of Haven, both living and fallen. Since I have not much parchment and a lot to tell, I will have to concise the update. My previous story ended with the heroes stepping into an ancient tree at the Crossroad of the Realms. This oak served as a portal to the realm of the Faery. The journey through the portal had a different destination for some of the people of Haven

Quest I : "Citadel of Lost Souls"

Because Tory Island is packed with Formor, the first task of the evening was to get to the Citadel without being spotted by formorian sentries. The journey led through a dark forest (partly by boat) and ended on a dike, where Formor guards were patrolling. Some of the heroes sneaking over the dike saw two formor in the swampy terrain below. One dead, mutilated formor and a formor sentry wading through the muddy water of the swamp near an entrance to a sinister tomb. The spooky scene was only lit by the faint light of the torch in the hand of the formor sentry.

A scout of the heroes captured this formor, who spoke of an ancient artefact residing inside the tomb. Eventually one brave hero stripped to his underpants and waded on hands and knees through the freezing water into the waterfilled tunnel entrance of the tomb. Suddenly he was attacked from underwater by a giant swampcreature. The party fought bravely and killed the creature.

In the heart of the dark tomb, the hero found the artefact. It was the DragonCloak, an artefact said to have the power to render the wearer virtually invisible.

On went the party to the high gate of the citadel. While trying to activate a hidden switch on the stone head above the gate with bow and arrows, the party could hear the moaning of undead creatures on the other side of the moat. Their red eyes burning with hatred through the small cavities in the walls of the fortress nearby. Inside the citadel the party discovered, a Sanctuary of Danu, the Well of Lost Souls, a catacomb with the name of Domnu carved into the door and at the end of one of the dungeonlike corridors a kind of chapel. The hall of this chapel was dark except for one of the alcoves being illuminated by a faint red light and in the centre of the shrine a hideous book on a pedestal was found inside a celtic maze of white sand.

This was the book of lost souls, it's pages eternally flipping and with a booming voice reminded those foolish enough to enter that "The Keeper will Return!" and "Don't touch my pages unless you wanna die!".

Within the walls of the citadel some souljars were found. Examination of the Ogham script on the jars revealed names of some of the heroes of Haven. But why were their names on the souljars?

A perilous and foremost cold and windy journey along the beach to the Caves of Despair led to the Staff of the Orb and to difficult choices.

The last evening of the quest in the citadel challenged the party with clever traps/puzzles, locked doors, and sultry Boaban Sidhe (pronounce Bavaan Shee) that lured almost the entire male half of the party into a closed catacomb and drained their strength.

The next day the party tried to fulfil their mission and had to stop hordes of formor from entering the Citadel en summoning their goddess Domnu. Most of the party didn't survive the battle. Five of them saw thousands of formor swarming over the hills toward the citadel, led by Balor. Of the five heroes only three heroes made it back to the boat, although they were chased in the icy water by another swampcreature. A lot of souljars (carried in a big piece of cloth) were dropped and some of them broken. The other two heroes were hiding from the formor and didn't make it back to the Wyrd Sinkhole to be teleported back to Oberon The heroic deeds of those fallen in this quest will be remembered in the songs of bards.

This Quest was a memorable event in the continuing Dummnoni Sag

Destiny III : "The Day of Cernuos"

Meanwhile a large part of the people of Haven together with the Brehan arrived in the realm of the faeries. The forest around them was very intense in colors and sounds. Left and right small faeries zipped through the forest. Then the party came to a beautiful hill. This was the court of King Oberon. The party had to walk around the mound while speaking out loud "Time spent laughing is time spent with the gods!". Finally an entrance opened into the court. There was no one to be seen in the court. The party started to light lanterns and candles and suddenly the court was filled with cheerful wee folk.

There was a large kettle and suddenly Puck stepped out of one of the tents in the court. He summoned forth his champion and suddenly smoke rose from the kettle and a person crawled out of the kettle. It was Wild Eye the Sidhe. He was one of the few heroes that had survived the quest to the Citadel of Lost Souls. Wild Eye told the party what had happened during the quest.

That night (the night before the day of Cernuos) the New Horned God had to be chosen. This was done, by letting all worthy heroes step onto a large rock called "The Navel of the Goddess". Wayland smith of the gods was chosen as the new horned God.

This meant that he needed an smithy apprentice quickly.

Next day was full of Dummnoni tribal games and festivities. Kel of the Norse was chosen as the apprentice smith of the gods.

The Day of Cernuos was attended by Queen Athea and her child Boudiccea. Later that night Queen Maeve joined the celebrations. The highlight of the evening was the crowning of the New Horned God by Danu. The goddess in her natural beauty rose out of the kettle and place the helmet on the new horned god. The celebrations with dance and musicians went on till late at night. Next day some heroes who hadn't placed milk and cookies in front of the tents were confronted with faerie mischief.

That same day Feg was challenged to his final battle at the fields of Hazel. Where the heroes fought valiantly against hordes of undead and Fegs minions. Drune Lord Slough Feg was slain with the Ice Dagger and his vile corpse was burned like a wickerman. Maeve succeeded in getting Fegs ashes in a jar and got away in her Skychariot.

Destiny IV : "Skychariots"

It didn't take long for the heroes of Haven to chase her on their own Skychariot. Leaving the lands of the Elven King Oberon far below and behind, the mighty vessels crossed many a realm. Not all heroes were used to not have sturdy land below their feet, let alone sky. So, stomachs were emptied and faces turned white and green of sickness. The Stone that lend the ship it's Wyrd energy was drenched in the blood of bovines provided by Oberon to keep it high in the sky. One day late in the afternoon the Skychariot of Maeve started to drop rapidly above a swampy terrain and crashed in the far distance. Soon after the vessel of the heroes started to shake and loose height. No matter how much blood was spilt over the stone, their Skychariot was bound to crash too. Only by a druid's ingenuity the crash was a mere floating down. The Skychariot landed almost softly in a swamp, but started to sink rapidly.

The people of Haven just barely managed to get their belongings safely to dry land and as they turned around they saw their mighty Skychariot disappear in the dark, murky swamp.

After a dangerous sojourn through the Swamps of Despair, with heroes being abducted by the clan of the Fenris (wolfclan), the party arrived at the crashed Skychariot of Maeve. The only light in the dark night was the interlude of lightning from a distant thunderstorm and in the distance all could still hear the howling of the wolfclan. A terrible rain started and the site was haunted by werecreatures and inside the Skychariot the heroes were confronted by a Connacht that was cocooned by some strange creature and in the higher deck reachable via a ladder and a trapdoor (from which blood seeped), they found Skald of the Norse. He was the victim of an evil ritual performed by Maeve turning him in some kind of demon. By reading a logbook written in Ogham, some party members deducted that Maeve went away with most of the Connacht to find a way out of this swamp ridden realm. That night the party slept in the beds in the Skychariot, while undead Connacht wandered nearby.

The next morning a group of heroes found the camp of Maeve and made an appointment with the leader of the Connacht that Maeve could come to the Skychariot that evening to join forces and discuss the possibilities of leaving the swamps.

That night the party went back to the camp of the Connacht to retrieve an item from one of the tents. Inside the tent the party was quite shocked when a huge creature ripped through the back of the tent and attacked the party.

The party heard from druids that torches sprinkled with specific herbs should keep vile creatures at bay. So that's what the heroes did that night.

The following day the party set out for a hidden place called the Grove of Lamentation, which was once the center of this realm and a place brimful with wyrd. After an encounter with Macha (lesser war goddess), the party solved the riddle to get through the first wyrd barrier of the Grove and than discovered a hidden tunnel leading into the center of the Grove. Then the Globes of Power needed to be placed correctly. All in all everybody was challenged both physically and mentally. The party had their hands on a talking battering ram called Mgahr. The battering ram (shaped like a wolfs head) claimed to be able to break any gate ("Show me any gate "). Unfortunately the battering ram got stolen by the wolfclan . The swampranger led the party out of the swamp and onto the Highroad to Haven. Some of the heroes managed to buy a cart and wagon from two mysterious horsetraders at a small village they called Alderly Edge. After the merchants left, the village disappeared and the heroes found themselves at the highroad to Haven ready to travel by horse and cart.

Quest II : "The High Road to Haven"

The Tale of Alderly Edge

Have you heard? It is rumored that the curse of Alderly Edge was removed from that most damned of villages by a group of valiant heroes. You have never heard of Alderly Edge? Then let me tell you its tale as I heard it told by the bards of old.

Long ago, at the time of he Dark Queens First Awakening, Alderly Edge was an important trading village and their traders were famous for their wares and skills. But with the awakening of the Dread Queen and her spreading Death wherever she stepped, dark times came to Faery. It was from Alderly Edge that came the heroes that returned her to her slumber. But that is another tale.

After the defeat of the Dread Queen, the Free People began to rebuild their homes and holds. In Alderly Edge life also returned to a semblance of normality. But the pride of the villagers for defeating the Queen of Darkness had turned to arrogance and their trading spirit to simple greed. Then, in their folly, they decided to remove a holy shrine of Danu from a sacred site to set it in their village as symbol of their worth and to draw even more people, and thus trade, to their village. But the goddess punished them for the theft of her shrine and removed her blessing from the village and surrounding lands.

Then, one dark winter night the men of Alderly Edge discussed their troubles over many mugs of mead. Whilst the icy winds howled outside and the Moot progressed the talk turned grimmer. And then from a heart as dark and cold as the night outside the Meadhall the Village Elder, Haggar ep Govan, spoke the damning words:

"For years we have paid our tribute to the goddess Danu. We saved the whole of Faery by ending Domnu's reign of Terror. And now we watch our lives and trade take a turn for the worse. We scrape the bottoms of our barrels and purses for great Danu to deliver us from this misery. But she does nothing." And there was none among the drunken men who stood up and shouted "Blasphemy". No, they only sat and nodded and drank. And then their doom was sealed as a sudden gust of wind blew open the doors of the Meadhall and in strode the stranger. He claimed sanctuary and it was granted. And although the men were wary at first they were quickly swayed by the mead and meat the stranger had brought and offered freely. Soon they had accepted the sly talker as one of their own. And the stranger made them the offer:

"I will take your women and children away from your village for one day and one night and during that time you will trade more than you have in all of the last seven years."

And the men of Alderly Edge agreed to this bargain after promises by the stranger that no harm would come to their women and children. And no harm did come to them, for they all died of old age.

The men found that the agreed day and night would last until eternity and they could not leave nor did they age. And every morning was the same morning and all was as it was before. Outsiders that came to the village to trade did not seem to notice anything strange. For in their presence the villagers could do nothing but trade. When strangers were with them the men were unable to speak of their curse. After one century Danu took pity on the men and in a dream prophesied deliverance from their curse:

When Strangers Come to Trade

A Deal will be Done and Paid

Your Wives will be Summoned

And the Earnings Offered

Forgiveness Humbly Asked

Will Then be Granted

When All is Forgiven

And That which was Stolen Returned

To the Ruling Queen of Haven

Then and Only Then

The Curse will be Lifted

And the Suffering End

Thus ends the tale of Alderly Edge as it was told of old. I know not if there is truth in the rumors about the lifting of the curse, for I have not yet heard a Bard tell the tale of the heroes' deeds.

Outlore I : "Siege!"

Alas! We haven't received any stories from our scribe so until then the Chronicles about the Siege of Haven will have to be told at a campfire. We still have hope that a scribe will come along and present us with the Chronicles about this Siege.

Destiny V : "The Dragon's Flame"

If there are any souls out there who can tell us the tale of the Dragon's Flame, please let it be recorded in the Dummnoni Chronicles.

Desting VI : "Root of Evil"

Something dark corrupted the lands, but is there a bard or a chronicler still alive who can tell us this story?

Quest III : "Into The Caves..."

Divine Muse, sing of the courage of those who undertook the Quest to the Hidden Vale in the Earl King Hills. Tell of the heroes who set out to charge the Sword of Deliverance in the Shrine of the Four Winds; speak of the foes they defeated, the hardships they endured, and the loss they suffered.

Who were these stout heroes of the Free Races? Vintorix of the Nervi, clan leader of his tribe; Calandrix, apprentice druid of the Nervi, and Apona, a Nervi scout. And Lord Penn of the Dummnoni, House Master of Caer Math left the safe walls of his home, at his Queen's bidding; and also Marl of the Dummnoni, a heroic fighter, was asked to join the ranks by Vintorix himself. A sixth hero there was, one of the Dwarven race, Degnar, son of Lochnar, well met at the entrance of the Hidden Vale, deep in the lands of the Saxons.

The sky was lit by nothing but the distant stars on the cold winter night when the party met Degnar. And although the night was yet young, everyone was eager to find a roof or some shelter to sleep; for they had travelled far and fast the last few days. Enemies, they knew, would be lurking everywhere. The Saxons, whose lands they were trespassing, could hardly be expected to act friendly; moreover, there were the troops in the service of the Golden General, whose presence was announced by a mysterious whisper during the happenings at the Samhain festivities in Haven. Were they completely on their own, then? No. For such is the way of the Gods, that when people show exceptional courage and endurance, help comes from unexpected places. And so they met Honesty, a travelling merchant who sold them many useful things, including a pair of chattering birds, who would warn the group (by dying and being silent) for the deadly mine-gas. Moreover, there was a mysterious messenger from Queen Ath ea herself. This man, being by nature secretive in his ways, went through many lengths to gain the trust of the travellers; but he gave them a great gift, healing nuts from the Hazel-tree, which were a great blessing, since there was no healer in the group. Moreover, he performed a Ritual of Seeing, which made the happenings in this far territory instantly visible to Queen Athea. Knowing that the Ard Righ, in her court, could live with them during their strife, suffering with them and rejoicing with them, was a strengthening notion to the heroes who felt no longer alone. Finally, he gave a scroll and a warning: a scroll bearing the name of the hag that ruled the Hidden Vale and a warning to beware of a mysterious thief and assassin sent to harm the party; and this man was called 'the Grey Man'.

As expected, some Saxons guarded the way to the entrance to the caves - easily bought with a simple brooch, as Vintorix judged it important to save the strength of his men for the real foes to be fought. One of which they met immediately after, the first soldier in the service of (or rather, enslaved by) the Golden General. This foe was alone, however, and there was no heroism in dealing with him, not even in a single combat. He was let free; a decision wise and just in intent, yet almost disastrous in effect. Some of the party, at least, regretted this decision later in the mission.

As the path led the group deeper into the vale, the first openings into the caves appeared. In one of these, high up in the rocks, a figure appeared, looking somehow familiar. The figure spoke with the voice of a man that introduced himself as being one of the clanless, in spite of his noble countenance and speech. Then, a loud growling noise was heard from within the caves, as if from a giant hound or some other inhabitant of the dreary depths of the hills; and the man, finally calling himself how we knew him: Brehan, ordered the group not too follow him, before jumping into the caves, towards the howling and baying creature. The party chose to obey his order; they had to meet the hag before entering the caves, as she ruled this valley and could tell them useful things.

The hag, Colmwinn, was easily swayed to help the party by calling her by her name. The name gave them some power over the creature, which gave them a bundle of incense, to be used at the Ritual of Charging they were here to perform. She also told them what the ritual would encompass. After activating the Shrine of the Four Winds by placing the Sword of Deliverance in the shrine, a hero should enter the shrine, and pass a test - although his friends were allowed to help; this would happen four times, once for each wind. And these winds were: the wind of fear, the wind of fire, the wind of ice and the wind of death.

A farewell was said by the party to the open skies above, and to the stars. Would that they could have taken leave of the surface at daytime! For the shining wheel of Lugh would have strengthened their hearts. But it was night, and they entered the caves in the Earl King Hills. The ominous darkness tried to quench their lamps. The cave walls were of a ghostly, unreflective white colour, and the floors were covered with dust. Hardly had the first of the group entered the caves (stepping into a trap, dwarf or no - for it was Degnar who was first to enter) or a true ghost came out, charging some Saxons before him; it was the ghost of Lord Cinrik, who fell in Haven at the hands of the Golden General! An ill omen it was, strengthening the feeling of everyone that they were following the way to dusty death.

The caves were ruled not by the hag, but by one who bore no name but 'Master of the Caves'. He made his presence known when we encountered a playing board with some pieces, known (Lord Penn had played this game at court sometimes) as Chess. The Cave master demanded that we played his game before entering his caves. And so we did! That three of the Chess pieces were broken was taken as another ill omen. Bravely, Lord Penn set to his challenge and played the Cave master.

But lo! The first piece of the Cave master's army that Lord Penn wiped off the board was created in the flesh - a large, armed warrior silently posted himself on the edge of our sight. And so it went each time a piece of the Cave master was slain; and by the time the game was won, a little army had formed, and in slow moves, it started the attack. The first skirmish in the dark began, and it was a lesson to the heroes of this story. For in the caves, where there are many winding ways around pillars and walls, it is easy to attack a line, just formed to keep the battle orderly, from behind, creating chaos and disorder on the battlefield. And so it was, that Calandrix and Marl were hit not only by their foes, but also by their friends. A mocking whisper accompanied this dire lesson: 'Losses were supposed to be made...' This warning lingered in the heroes' heads, and it was not forgotten till the dire end. Losses were supposed to be made.

The caves in the Earl King Hills are not uninhabited. On the contrary, many creatures live there - most, in the party's eyes, loathsome. Although the first goblins they met showed them a good and easily defendable place for the night (night? Is there a 'day' and a 'night' in the enduring darkness of the caves?), these greenish, long nosed creatures also stole two of their hats. Not the last piece of thievery of the quest, this. However, Vintorix always had an eye on what mattered most, the Sword of Deliverance, and no one, certainly no mere goblin, could make a claim to the weapon and live. More serious worries were on the clan leader's mind, however. Without light, the group would be helpless in these caves; and they had only a small supply of lamp oil and candles. This meant that they would have to do with as little light as possible all the time. Every second they spent in the accursed caves, everyone (except of course Degnar the dwarf) felt the threat of the darkness.

In spite of the double watch that was set out by the men by the light of a single candle, most of the party was woken the next morning by some especially vile goblins, claiming the right to use their latrine. What delightful humor of last night's creatures. None cared much for this little prank, however, as the responsibility of the mission was felt by everyone. After a short sortie to the outside world - Lugh be praised, that you inspired the heroes with the warming rays of your wheel of fire! - in order to set traps, the Cave master led them to the Shrine of the Four Winds, telling them that the shrine hid itself only a few days ago, when the Golden General passed through these caves. Noting that the shrine opened to Vintorix' troupe, the Cave master trusted their good intentions and left. Vintorix inserted the Sword of Deliverance into the shrine, and the missions could start.

The Lord of Fear resorted to his only weapon. He cast a spell to those who were unfortunate enough to listen, and being in his own realm, the voice of the Maga was dimmed in some by his voice of doom. Not so for everyone. His final threat was defied by Vintorix and Penn, striding abreast to their goal, the first Orb of Power; and though Penn fell, he was carried back to safety and healed by Calandrix, the apprentice druid of the Nervi whose powers grow rapidly.

Who was the hero who was sent on the quest of fire? It was Degnar. But again, he did not wander alone to Magma, Lord of Fire. With the exception of Marl of the Dummnoni, who stayed behind to guard the shrine (and what was left of our packs), everyone entered the blazing furnace of this realm. Soon the party came upon a chamber within the cave system, where a strong and somewhat threatening presence was felt. Warned by their explorer's instincts, they watched around carefully, spotting an unnatural-looking mound. Alas, Lugh had blessed the companions with more fierceness than subtlety, and when they tried to uncover it the trap, which it was, was set off. Burning hot lava splattered mercilessly over the heroes. They retreated quickly to the adjacent room, where three silver plates were lying on the floor. There a voice spoke up, mocking everyone in the charred party. The scoffing voice challenged Apona to choose a plate and take it. Danu, how you had already shown her that scouting wa s not her fate! Another trap was set off and Apona clenched her teeth at the searing pane of molten rock burning out her eyes. The other adventurers now took more heed and Lord Penn cunningly managed to use the plate Apona had recovered to switch it with one of the plates left. All the while the voice was trying to lure the heroes out of their concentration with his tricks, mockeries and illusions. He even summoned up the voice of Gwydion to impress the party with his trickeries, but this was all in vain and when the lava began to flow too abundantly the party continued their search through the maze of tunnels. Before long they ended up in a battle against lethal fire imps. The flames demanded their toll, and the small store of healing nuts given to the party dwindled rapidly. But a small box was retrieved, which would later unfurl as a lifesaving treasure. Finally, a riddle game was played, with the second Orb of Power at the stake. Everyone answering wrongly fell to the ground unco nsciously, and Vintorix, after giving the right answer, still was not done, for he wished his friends to leave this realm with him in good health. After proving his friendship to the Lord of Fire, and accepting another quest (which will not be further spoken of here), the group left this realm again victorious.

Cannons, where were thee on the days of these happenings? No feast didst thou plan for the men: the traps were found empty! No food, yet their strength did not waver. All new that worse trials than a little hunger would be lying ahead. Trials like cold, the cold of the Realm of Ice, ruled by an ancient spirit in the body of a floating creature with many eyes, and inhabited by three icy creatures of promiscuous nature. Each tried to tempt the soldiers into kissing them or hugging them - the horror - changing anyone giving in into a corpsicle statue. What could they do to fight off these fiends of freezing, these harlots of the icy pits? - The heat from the last quest was failing, but a furnace was found: a fire imp, kept as a pet by the Master of Ice for his perverse pleasure. What can a fire imp do when he has no fuel?

Fuel was rapidly provided by the men - for, even if fuel is a precious good in the caves, the immediate situation was pressing. The fire imp blasted his way out of his icy jail with lamp oil and a little flame springing from the creature itself, and the Lord of Ice was soon tired of his games. Another riddle was put to the group in the form of a demonic song from the lips of the ice maidens, and Calandrix the apprentice druid swiftly and accurately answered and obtained the third Orb of Power. But some of us were bewitched and partly frozen by the ice maidens and were not the same as before; and everyone felt the melody jarring away at the base of their skull: Wintertime, and the living is freezing! The fire imp, eager to get away, blasted his exit from the icy prison - for a wall of ice had formed between this realm and safety - and the party followed rapidly.

Returning to the shrine, a couple of adventurers were met, and though the group's distrust had not diminished, the tale they told demanded listening. For they had helped the Brehan, they said, they helped him into the Underworld. Knowing that the final Orb of Power would be here, for it was the fourth quest, the quest of death, which lay before them, Vintorix' men convinced the adventurers into helping them to the Underworld as well.

Gwyn App Nyd, the realm of Indeck! Of course the Ritual of Entering failed, and of course the heroes entered the deeps of death after all! For Indeck was amused, and he sneaked an invitation into place. Morrigu, oh Morrigu, take those who fight bravely and die with honour elsewhere, not into those halls of dread and darkness, where the soulless roam and where pain and misery rule! None of the heroes showed fear, for after all, they had already conquered that enemy; and even in these darkest deeps, the voice of Apona rang out like a bell when an enemy was encountered and battle could begin. And even the undead creatures roaming these halls seemed to shudder at the sound of Marl the Dummnoni, leaping forward in full battle gear and mail and shouting the attack. But there were also wraiths of a kind that could not be harmed by steel, who paralyzed their opponent by touch alone. And there was a hound, fearsome in appearance, but friendly in act, and it loved to be cuddled, the strangest creature they met in the Underworld.

Searching for the fourth and final Orb of Power that would complete their quest, the brave group was captured by the servants of Indeck himself. Here his plans unfolded: he knew of the Spell of Seeing that Athea had cast, and wanted to make her a witness to his dealings with - the Brehan. The Brehan, who dared enter Gwyn App Nyd to retrieve his loved one, Guinevere.

Great was his suffering, as he could not take her home. For Indeck, the foul trickster would not let go of her the Brehan came to get, and he put him before an impossible choice; to bring his wife to the surface, or his children. Danu, earth mother! Even in these cursed caverns thy motherly instincts prevail! For was it not your voice, with which the mother spoke courageously to save her children? Thy tongue lies dry in thy mouth, Divine Muse, were thy to voice the tragedy of the Brehan!

Not everyone present, however, pitied the Brehan, and when released, one of the party spoke up to Indeck without hesitation. For some had come not unscathed from the Realm of Ice, and Lord Penn had spotted the Orb of Power. He voiced his longing to take the Orb with him, as it was his wish from the start to fulfil the quest into the Realm of Death, and what he offered Indeck in return chilled the hearts of everyone who heard. His bargain will not be told here; let it be enough that Indeck gloated over the price offered, and gave up the fourth Orb.

But no deal was struck to leave the halls of the dead. Guinevere, the poor spirit who stayed behind to save her children, voiced a message to her husband to Apona the Nervi scout, and gave her valuable advice: Follow the Valkyrie.

Instead of a Valkyrie, strange creatures were met, who fought together, with poisonous blades. Some of the warriors shivering with fever, all managed to retreat to the shrine. Those in whose veins the venom raged, felt the life flow out of them, but just in time they were rescued by a passing lord who demanded his share of the content of the small box in return for his magical healings. And so all were then ready to follow the Valkyrie who suddenly appeared, leading a valiant Norse warrior fallen in battle with the sword in hand. Indeed, it was no wonder that this particular stout traveller of the skies wandered astray in these caverns, for on her way out of these dungeons to Valhalla, the lofty hall of Odin, she lost her way more than once. But finally, the troupe of seven she led entered a feast hall filled with Norse warriors making the best of death. Some rest for the proud warriors still living, then, with a hearty meal and good stories. Cernunnos, thy golden tongue was not in t heir mouth! After the trials in the ghostly caverns of the Underworld, otherwise bardish Nervi or Dummnoni are no match for the storytelling of the feasting Norse.

However, the Norse, legendary for their hospitality, would not deny their guests a place for the night, and a sleeping place was provided. Pity though, that the master of these wondrous halls was not inclined to the new guests; considering them intruders, Odin himself appeared, and chased them away in the morning. The Curse of the Bear he cast over them, and he threw huge bolts of lightning, and he was terrible to behold in his wrath. Luckily, the helpful Valkyrie showed them to the exit before they were roast on the fires of Valhalla. Hardly awake, they found themselves in a huge pile of leaves in the Hidden Vale.

Maga, Maga, was it thy lust for blood that inspired the heroes in the battle that followed? The lonely soldier of the Golden General released just two days ago, he had gathered his friends and now guarded the entrance to the caves! Standing atop a muddy slope, what chance was there for the party to survive? Yet, some taunting and a cunning challenge by the mouth of Lord Penn brought the two opposing forces close together, and the spirit of war was kindled in the hearts of the heroes. Maga, you roamed amongst them, and who could stand against such force? Howling with pleasure, they smashed the ranks of the servants of death, limbs fell and heads fell, and they gorged themselves with the blood of their enemies. For the last time, the party entered the darkness of the caves.

The fourth orb was delivered, and Calandrix of the Nervi re-told the story of the swords' forging in the shrine, for all that would hear - the heroes, their foes, and the Gods. And the Gods, they heard! And when Vintorix re-claimed the Sword of Deliverance, he spoke thus: "I, Vintorix of the Nervi, re-claim the Sword of Deliverance after its charging the Shrine of the Four Winds; and I claim it in the name of Queen Athea and the people of the Free Races." And as he withdrew the sword, all lights were dimmed, and the party was in darkness. And all could hear a song, a song of blood and death, coming from the sword, and Vintorix almost swayed to this song and baptized the Sword of Deliverance in blood then and there.

Yet, there was no way to judge friend from foe, and he sheathed the sword. In total darkness, the small band of heroes groped their way to the cave entrance. The Brehan they found there, but seeming not himself. For he kicked and bullied one of the few friends they had encountered during their quest, the friendly dog from the underworld. The Brehan quickly explained to them, that the happy hound was in fact a terrible monster, cuddly and nice only because it was put under a spell. The Brehan had found no other way to pass this guardian of the caves, as the beast was immortal. But as long as this guardian was spellbound to the Brehan, the exit would stay closed and the daylight but a dream and a promise. The spell had to be lifted!

Calandrix the Druid had the talents to lift this spell, but he was still exhausted from the ordeal in the Shrine of the Four Winds. So it was that Vintorix had to help, falling back on his talents as a Shaman, long neglected as his task as leader of the Nervi directed his hands to the steel of the sword. Together, the strong but exhausted druid and the shaman lifted the spell; then hell broke loose. For the hound awoke to his true nature, much as Vintorix had just done; and that nature was violent and dark, and the creature immortal.

Losses were supposed to be made, and the hound would not stay unsatisfied! Maga, to you was dedicated the soul of that hero who threw herself on the beast, her cries: "Run, you fools!" almost drowned in the growls of her bane. Maga, to you the soul of this great warrior, as fearless crippled as she was once in good health! Will the Hidden Vale ever forget the rage of the battle Apona could not win? Will the Earl King Hills ever stop resounding the cries of loss from her Nervi friends? And yet, that is the price always paid by this tribe: loss and grief paid for prowess in battle.

Thus the Sword of Deliverance was charged, and more blood flowed for it. Yet no blood was yet spilled by the sword after its reforging. Vintorix carried it to safety in the scabbard, in the company of his fellows. But not before the body of Apona was retrieved, and it was buried with honour in those hostile lands; and the healing nut that could have saved her, had the Maga not claimed her soul, was planted on her grave.