Breachill, Isger; Rova 3, 4719 AR

The sun rose on another perfect day in Breachill. The city hall remained burnt to the ground, but the heroes of town had just captured the villain Calmont and freed the Bumblebrasher goblins. They were getting ready for another excursion deeper within to get rid of the creatures that remained within the basements, and return the Bumblebrashers to their adopted home.

A small wren tapped at Viggo's window, a curled parchment clutched in it's talons. Wrin swirled his tea gloomily while Greta busied up around him, letting him know that he could leave at any time. Uhn walked among the people of town, curious as to why they didn't flee before him. Inagra, meanwhile, adjusted her pristine robes and marched across town just as the sun was beginning to rise.

The Reliant Book Company, unsurprisingly, was closed up tight. A notion further reinforced by a sign on the door reading, "Closed pending investigation of the Breachill Town Council." The dwarf squinted hard for a moment before trying the handle. Unlocked. She pushed it open, carefully shutting it quietly behind her, and began to look through the stacks of books that spilled out across the aisles. Simple textbooks on the founding of Breachill, guides to local landmarks, and snippets of recent history repackaged into an easy digest. The Kalistocrat idly flipped through their pages, but found very little of use to her. It was at the back of the store that she found a door marked "Staff Only." Unfortuantely, this one came with a lock. While she pondered over how to get past the door, she heard a stack of books tumble to the ground behind her. She whirled on the intruder, words to a spell already dancing along her lips. Instead of a wicked necromancer, however, Inagra found Grandel, one of the members of the militia company known as The Black Lanterns. He explained that he had heard about the commotion going on in town and was doing his part to investigate. Sadly, he was stymied by the locked door as well. The two stayed in uncomfortable silence for a moment; the world had grown so strange, so quickly.

On the opposite end of town, Uhn was casting his fishing line into Breach Creek in hopes of catching a small breakfast. Children laughed and played around the goblin, the mighty warrior, the barbarous savage. He was almost starting to see the appeal of a life here among the longshanks. He packed up his things and began to return to Wizard's Grace when he was stopped by a troupe of men wearing black hauberks. Black Lanterns. Among their numbers, wearing a suit of splint mail, was Rorsk Axebane.

"I'm here to tell ye to get out o' this town, goblin," Axebane growled. "Th' Bumblebrashers were one thing, but ye're another." The Black Lantern men surrounded Uhn, even though they didn't seem too excited about where this encounter might lead. "I spoke to th' council about keepin' you out, but they said tha' you have work to do. But I know better. Monsters like you only know how to kill, to take... to destroy." The dwarf paused, the next words coming harder for him. "Jus' like ye took me wife."

Uhn paused, curious about what would happen next. Back with the Scalehoarders, this would just end with yet another bloody brawl, but the odds didn't look good for him. And the middle-aged militiamen didn't seem too eager to shed blood. Instead he pulled out his mother's dagger and passed it over to Rorsk. "I think you're right, longshank," Uhn said evenly. "We goblins are good at killing. Good at destroying. My mother is the one who owned this knife. You may return it to her. She is who you want to see." The dwarf was confused for a minute, locking eyes with the goblin. "I'll be happy just so long as someone kills her," Uhn added.

Rorsk took his wife's clan dagger and backed away from the goblin. The rest of the Black Lanterns fell in after him, muttering appreciation as they passed. "We're not finished, goblin," Rorsk shouted back. "When I come back, I want you gone." Uhn shrugged. He knew that anyone who tangled with his mother wouldn't be returning any time soon. He felt a pang of pity for the Black Lanterns, but not enough to keep him from enjoying his fish breakfast.

Wizard's Grace, fast becoming the interim city hall, was filled with people wanting answers. What did the council intend to do with Calmont? What of the Bumblebrashers? Was there a necromancer on the loose? Greta Gardania called the impromptu meeting to order with a quick rapping of her gavel. Inagra, seated amongst her Altaerein companions, brought up the issue of the locked door within the Reliant Book Company. Council member Melma Ann Sendari stated that the council was looking into carefully examining the building, and that there were... concerns about recklessly charging in. At the other end of the council table, Trini Sprizzlegig blurted out her concerns that Voz had left behind some sort of magical wards, which sent the gathered public into a panic (calmed quickly by the sharp cracks of Greta's gavel). The Black Lanterns announced their plans to hunt down local goblin bands, though there was no fanfare with this. Rorsk appeared to be joining the militia as a temporary member, but he seemed to take charge quite quickly. For their part, the heroes of the council put forth that they would continue their efforts in Citadel Altaerein, cleansing the lower levels of monsters so that the Bumblebrashers would have homes to return to.

With the emergency meeting ended, the journey once more up the winding road to Hellknight Hill began. The Bumblebrashers had taken to camping outside the keep; nothing but a small fire and some desperate looking tents. Helba greeted their rescuers with a wide smile, excited to know that her home would soon be returned to her. She giddily sketched a map for them, complete with warnings about where not to go. The group nodded, knowing that they still wanted to clear out the upper levels before even thinking about descending below. They thanked the goblins for the advice and went back into the Citadel, curious about what still roamed the upper floors.

Peering through the doorway to the barracks, the group realized that something was amiss already. The singed beds that were once the home of a murderous bugbear were moved. A small bowl of cold gruel and neatly cleaned flatware rested nearby. Everyone in the party tensed up. Someone else was here. Cautiously, the group pushed open a nearby door, weapons at the ready. Instead of a new face, however, they encountered a small kitchen, still recognizable despite the years of abandon. Inagra wasn't taking any chances, however, and kept her eyes roving about the room. As she peered into the shadows of the ceiling, she managed to call out a warning as swarms of small, red spiders fell upon them.

After the group recovered, they marched forward. It wasn't long before they found what looked to be an old training room. Straw dummies filled the room, wooden swords fixed to outstretched mannequin arms. The party kept their distance, not trusting the stationary dolls. While they huddled together, trying to think of the best solution, Viggo spotted the shining glint of metal hidden within the straw men. Wrin mentioned that Hellknights would often pay a "tithe" to the training dummies by sliding a coin into the straw. A strange ritual, but enough to give the group pause. After some more consideration, Wrin strode up to the dummies and unleashed a fan of flames from his outstretched hands, burning the dummies after only a few moments. Inagra gratefully counted up the remaining silver coins. Well, the ones that weren't lost to the fire, that is.

They pressed onward through a secret passage that Inagra spotted, leading to something of a storage closet for strange, esoteric belongings. Before they could truly make heads or tails of the various ungents and reagents, Uhn's curiosity got the better of him and he managed to trigger a trap, leaving him pinned against the wall with a spear jutting from his shoulder. Thankfully, Wrin was on hand to administer medical aid. While the half-orc pulled free the wooden stake, Inagra overheard combat in the room next to theirs. It sounded like someone was in trouble. Wrin argued that they, in fact, were in trouble - gesturing at the gushing wound in Uhn that once held a spear - and that whoever else was here could just wait their turn.

"Snap their little necks and spare them a worse fate in the future." Alak clearly held no love for the puppies. "Monstrous abominations," he spat.

Viggo heard none of that, instead doling out strips of dried boar for the warg puppies to chew on. They seemed to take a shining to him, even calling out to him by name. Soon, their yapping voices echoed throughout the fortress with cries of "Viggo! Viggo!" Wrin rolled his eyes. While the alchemist tidied up their makeshift home, Uhn passed into the room beyond. There, a full grown warg lay upon a small mound of bones, angered at its privacy being intruded upon.

Uhn wasted no time. "I think I found the mother!" he shouted, already drawing his polearm, 'Choppy,' and charging the monster. Battle was joined, with everyone throwing what they had into the warg's demise. Uhn struggled within the beast's jaws, fighting to not be swallowed whole. Fortunately for the morsel-sized goblin, however, the beast was laid low before the jaws could snap shut around his head. With it no longer attacking them, they found out that the creature was no woman, the unspoken realization that the mother was still about somewhere hung in the air.

Their exploration of the upper levels of the citadel continued unabated, with numerous foes falling before them. Before long, they realized that they had secured the ground floor of the keep. All that remained was what lay below. However, the day was getting late, and they agreed to tackle the basement in the morning. The group stumbled back outside to the Bumblebrasher's camp, where Helba was ready with a celebration. After a moment of explanation (and some disappointed sighs from the gathered goblins), the party was invited to spend the night in the goblin camp. Alak and Inagra declined, instead returning to the Hellknight's clearing to discuss matters at hand.

Alak was having a hard time justifying all of the pain and terrors he faced with the party. He didn't quite see eye to eye with them, and instead asked Inagra if she would keep an eye out for his family ring. He would be staying in Breachill for another week if they managed to find it before he returned home. The dwarf agreed, and the two camped for the night while the rest of the party slept among the Bumblebrashers.

The morning was not a kind one for Viggo, however, who awoke in a cold sweat and promptly vomited into a nearby bush. In the night he had come down with some sort of fever. Undeterred, the party made their way to the secret passage that Helba told them about. Behind the stone plug, they found themselves surrounded by darkness. Yet another problem for the half-elf Viggo, whose eyes were unused to such conditions. Wrin enchanted a small rock to glow with light, but asked that the alchemist keep it hidden while they were exploring. The half-elf had little to do but shiver in response, the fever only seeming to be exacerbated by the darkness.

Following Helba's advice, the group moved northward to clear out the Bumblebrasher's home. Viggo held on to Wrin's shoulder as they approached a rickety wooden door at the end of a long hallway. Uhn pushed it open to find two massive frog men laying amid ruined furniture. They two groups stared agog at each other for but a passing moment before they charged into battle, blades and clubs swinging high. The croaks of the creatures, boggards from the looks of them, were unintelligible. It wasn't until Wrin's draconic claws tore through the hide of one that it called out in Draconic. "Why have you turned on us, child of Dahak?!"

Inagra's eyebrows shot up. "It said 'Dahak!' Did you all hear that?"

Undeterred, the group continued their assault on the lower reaches. They found strange baboon-like men working alongside the boggards - Cinderclaws as well, judging from the crimson claw markings on their armor. They were filled with new purpose, however, and the onslaught from the far-off land posed no challenge to the group as they marched on. The dead lay burnt or hacked to pieces as they explored, finding a strange "treasure trove" of old garbage and bent nails. Uhn even had a brief encounter with "Big Bumble," the captive bear that the goblins took as their namesake. Luckily for the goblin, he managed to survive the beast's massive foreclaw scrabbling to reach him.

Satisfied that they had accomplished their job of clearing out the Bumblebrasher's home, but still concerned about the Cinderclaws as well as Alak's family ring, the group moved southward into a wing that was, in Helba's words, "Filled with dead." With that in mind, they cautiously peered through the darkness (Viggo, less so) and found a room with four statues carved to resemble Hellknights. Beneath them, in sepulchral homes, lay their remains. Without missing a beat, Uhn grabbed his crowbar and clambered atop their vaults and readied himself to pop the lids off. Inagra protested, saying that the dead shouldn't be desecrated. She looked for assistance from her allies, but Wrin and Viggo were quiet as they watched the goblin leap to his grisly work. He pulled forth a handful of magical items, some of which Wrin was able to identify at a glance.

Frustrated with her selfish companions, Inagra wandered forward into a room with a floor made of what appeared to be headstones. She wasn't able to investigate much further before a chilling voice cut through the air. "Let those who are unworthy be cut down where they stand within these hallowed halls." Inagra, wisely, backed away, returning to find Uhn wearing a set of bracers that he claimed were "probably not cursed." Sighing, she lead Uhn into a side passage - an ossuary containing the remains of what were presumably fallen Hellknights. Once they stepped within, however, animated armor drew forth into the air and began firing hardened steel nails at the intruders. A battle in the darkness exploded as Inagra channeled positive energy through the air and Wrin set the spirits alight with his draconic flames. In moments, the ghosts were banished back to the Boneyard where they would no longer trouble them.

Uhn continued to puzzle over the words spoken in the previous room. After a minute of thought, he scrabbled together some of the ruined armor from the Hellknights and walked into the chamber. This time, no voice rang out, and he was instead greeted by a cadre of skeletal Hellknights who paid no heed to the impostor. With this discovery, the group slipped past the undead guardians and into a dust and cobweb filled room. In the center was a table covered with ash and melted candle wax. Viggo took to searching the place while Inagra and Wring stared at the table in confusion. It appeared as though someone was down here quite recently enacting some sort of ritual to speak with the dead. They even left a trail of footprints leading out of a nearby door. Before they left, however, Viggo shouted in triumph, his face illuminated by Wrin's still glowing rock. He had found a small silver ring hidden away in a lockbox! Wrin plucked it from his hands and peered at it curiously. Nothing magical about it. The party would discuss later what to do with it. No one seemed ready to hand it over to Alak just yet.

Past the door where the footprints lead, the group found a long tunnel that appeared to stretch on for some time. Without fear, the troupe marched down for nearly a mile before reaching a wooden ladder leading to a trapdoor. They carefully ascended the ladder and pushed open the door to find... a storeroom filled with potatoes, pickled foods, salt. And a very shocked, red-haired woman. "What the hell are you lot doing in here?!" she shouted.

Where has our party ended up? What of the ritual they uncovered down below? How do the Cinderclaws intend to free their god Dahak, and what does that even mean? The secrets that Breachill hides are about to be uncovered.

-Dungeon Master