GM Notes: This is the winner of the longest day, at least as far as covering the events of one single game. This thread covers ONLY this one day. Normally I only add GM Notes at the end of a recap, but given just how long the New Frontiers recap is, I'll be placing the GM Notes in the body of the text so that I'm not referring to something I wrote pages earlier.
October 24th -
(The Frontier) The Seekers of the Sword travel from Reedle to High Pass, a stop-over in the mountains. (TF#140)
(New Frontiers) The morning starts bleak and overcast, but eventually the clouds break and blue sky can be seen. A horn is heard blowing outside the Vesubian Gatehouse from the outside. There, the Guardians find over 150 soldiers carrying the banner of Corunglain led by a woodsman and a lady dwarf. Valena recognizes them as Rathlar, the head ranger of Corunglain, and Aria Stonehand, a dwarven warrior. The name Opikus is known to Rathlar, as being a reclusive mage who dwells far to the north in a place called the Valley of Fire. A plan to counter-attack the humanoid horde is conceived. Valena noted that they seemed to come from two warehouses elsewhere in the city. The Guardians will deal with one of these warehouses, while the location of the other is passed on to Drakkimor. Arocken and Lord Rowan are summoned back to the Vesubian Gatehouse and then the Guardians and their allies move out on foot.
GM Notes: Rathlar was actually a character I played in a short lived live game back in the Q-Link days. That game was run in chapters, so to speak. We finished up one chapter, but the next never occurred. There is a character who will turn up in The Frontier named Gloria who was also in this game. While Aria was a new character, her family was not. Way back in the 80's while playing the C64 D&D computer games, I usually had a dwarf named Arak Stonehand. In Cynalon he became part of the Swords of Cynalon. Aria's sister, Gilantia appeared in Borderlands during Q and she was a nasty customer and the black sheep of the family. Valena was a character that I created to run in one of our side games that never really went any where.
The warehouse is reached and no tracks show in the snow. It seems that when the weather turned foul, the humanoids retreated back from where they came. A few goblins are found inside the warehouse and are easily overpowered. A large tunnel leading down into the earth is found. The tracks of thousands fill the area. A plan to use several wagons filled with oil to soften up the enemy is hatched. Two wagons are filled with oil and a third with spare arrows and bolts. Traveling down the tunnel, the Guardians find that it mostly goes to the northwest and numerous side passages are found. A large side passage leading up to the other warehouse is found. Instead of exploring the tunnel, Drakkimor covered the opening with a Wall of Stone. After traveling over 2000' below the ground, the Guardians find a gigantic cavern filled with the humanoid army. They are camped out around numerous fires and are celebrating their victory.
The Guardians attack the camping humanoid horde. Argent casts Pyrotechnics on one of the camp fires, summoning a thick, blinding smoke. The oil-bearing wagons are set alight and let loose. The wagons tumble down the ramp and crash into the humanoids in a shower of oil and exploding fire. Archers fire at the enemy while the front line fighters take their positions. Argent and Chareos send Fireballs into the enemy while Lyonessa uses the Wand of Lightning. The stronger humanoids move to attack, while the lesser flee. The front line is assaulted by the enemy horde. Trolls come forth from a cavern on the right, while bugbears emerge on the left. Farther out in the cavern the enemy leaders, fought in the park the day before, are spotted. Argent webs the cavern the trolls are coming from, but a few slip pass and attack. The trolls attack Ivy and she is killed by them. An orc priest dispels the magic around Argent and many of the Guardians making them more vulnerable. The enemy leaders are targeted and quickly go down. The orc leader is the last to fall due to spells and arrows. The enemy morale threatens to break when their seemingly invincible leader falls!
A moment after that, an image of an old wizard shimmers into existence by the fallen orc leader. “Dek, you fool!” he curses. “Fight, you worthless vermin! Fight or death will be the least of your worries!” Turning, the old mage unleashes his rage towards the group. "This is all your doing! You dared to interfere with my plans and now you will pay the price of your meddling! Now you will all die!" Opikus starts to cast a spell but Grondar silences him first, ruining the magic. Opikus is attacked, but those attacks pass harmlessly through him. Argent realizes that the enemy mage is just an illusion, the real target is elsewhere in the vast cavern. Lyonessa falls from arrows and spears being thrown at her. Chareos further traps the trolls within a second web. Lord Vanarkus orders everyone to target the real Opikus if they can find him. Argent casts a Wall of Fire separating the Guardians from the attacking horde, giving the heroes a few moments of rest. Grondar reaches Ivy's holy mace and begs for assistance from it. His prayer is answered and the healing spell cast upon the Kiss of Azrella is spread to all within the area!
CR 571 October 24th
CR 571 October 24th
Try it and find out!
Re: CR 571 October 24th
Lyonessa finds her immortal spirit freed from her body and it passes into the afterlife. There, she finds Ivy who tells the Songstress that she's in the City of the Dead. After a time, the two feel like something far off is calling them. Before they can travel far, they are approached by a man who has a strong resemblance to Lord Kalindor. He introduces himself as Hasverion, and says that he is Lord Kalindor's father. Hasverion informs Ivy and Lyonessa that he has been asked to put messages into their minds, with their permission of course, that will rise up when the proper times comes. For after the two are restored to life, they will not remember their time in the afterlife. The women are unsure of this and if Hasverion can be trusted. Hasverion suggests a solution. Travel to their local temples and ask their fellow followers. Lyonessa and Ivy agree and they move deeper into the City of the Dead.
GM Notes: The deaths of Ivy and Lyonessa were not planned. They were results from the rolling of the dice. I had worked out the stuff with Hasverion giving Ivy a message when she was killed and just expanded it when Lyonessa also perished. If Lyonessa had not perished, I wouldn't have shown the stuff in the City of the Dead. In these kind of games you try to give everyone something to do and this was that sort of thing.
Back in the cavern, the Guardians short reprieve is over as they hear a thunderous footfall and feel like something gigantic is on the other side of the Wall of Fire. Grondar uses the Kiss of Azrella to heal those close to him once more. Preparations are made and Sherra uses her Boots of Levitation to rise up and spots a gigantic dragon eye on the other side of the Wall of Fire. The dragon toys with its enemies by blowing on the Wall of Fire, causing it to bow outwards. Instead of waiting to be attacked Lord Vanarkus orders the Guardians to rush the dragon through the Wall of Fire. Lord Vanarkus and Lord Rowan pass through the wall and they are surrounded by a silvery-blue aura that protects them from harm. Laucian dispels the Wall of Fire before anyone else can reach it. With the wall gone, all can see the gigantic dragon. Its head is as large as a room and it fills what had been a wide open cavern. The Guardians attack with swords and spells. Lord Rowan slashes the monster's neck severely wounding it. The dragon turns and breathes on Lord Rowan, but once more the silvery-blue aura protects him from damage. The fiery breath destroys the trolls still trapped in the webs. More attacks land and then the dragon simply vanishes! Even the great monster seemed surprised by this. Just that suddenly, the Guardians find themselves in a mostly empty cavern, as the rest of the humanoids fled into the depths of the earth. It is believed that Contingency magic was used to prevent Ember from dying in battle.
GM Notes: While Ember had been referenced as far back as the Frontier on Q-Link, this was his first appearance in game. Ember's hatred of Cynalon goes back to Victor the First slaying his mother. More on that in a bit.
Back in the City of the Dead, Hasverion leads Ivy and Lyonessa to their temples located in a great plaza. All the gods of Arret seem to be located here and the Temple of Mystra is located right next to Azrella's Temple. Hasverion suggest that the girls go forth and speak to their own kind whether he can be trusted. They learn that Hasverion is an Aasimon, a good being from the other planes and a celestial steward of Heironeous. Embarrassed to have not trusted the angel, Lyonessa and Ivy agree and Hasverion implants the memories into them. As he works he shifts into his angelic form and the girls fall into blackness once more.
Believing that Opikus used the magic mirror that Crysania mentioned earlier to arrive in the caverns, the scouts spread out to find its arrival point. While searching, Laucian finds a small black kitten that was caged and tormented by the orcs. He heals the feline, befriending it in the process. Laucian names the cat Onyx. Valena finds the portal and informs the others. At the cavern entry area, a flying carpet enters bearing four individuals. Lord Sharadin leads the way along with his daughters Sherry and Terry. The last person is an exquisitely beautiful elfin woman with silvery hair and blue eyes. The elf leaps off the carpet before it lands and announces that, “He was here, but no longer. Ember has fled the cavern. We were so close!” The elf maiden is introduced by Lord Sharadin as Silvarn and that she should be treated with the utmost respect.
Lord Vanarkus reports the Guardians of Light's activities in the liberation of Corunglain. In return Lord Sharadin reports what else has been going on. After sealing the other entrance, Drakkimor and his band engaged the fire giants and drove them away, ending the siege on the Duke's fortress. But that is not all. For the events in Corunglain have finally made the old king turn over the kingdom to his son. Cynalon now has a new king who will not stand back and let events happen, but one who will be proactive. A few river barrages made the trip downstream and word eventually reached the Lady Sallavarian and she contacted Lord Sharadin. Gathering troops and supplies, the new king dug into the old magic items belonging to his family. One of these items, the Stone House, was used to transport troops and supplies to Corunglain. The whole group arrived about an hour ago. While scouring the city for more enemies, Silvarn noted the presence of Ember leading the group into the caverns. The dragon the Guardians fought was Ember, a vile enemy of Cynalon and an arch foe of Lord Sharadin. The whole siege of Corunglain was designed to lure Lord Sharadin here so that Ember could destroy him. Lord Sharadin also states that the new king awaits the lords at the Duke's fortress in Corunglain and that he has been planning for this day for many years. The bodies of Ivy and Lyonessa are placed on the flying carpet and Sherry and Terry take them to the surface. The rest of the Guardians follow Lord Sharadin and Silvarn through the portal.
GM Notes: The deaths of Ivy and Lyonessa were not planned. They were results from the rolling of the dice. I had worked out the stuff with Hasverion giving Ivy a message when she was killed and just expanded it when Lyonessa also perished. If Lyonessa had not perished, I wouldn't have shown the stuff in the City of the Dead. In these kind of games you try to give everyone something to do and this was that sort of thing.
Back in the cavern, the Guardians short reprieve is over as they hear a thunderous footfall and feel like something gigantic is on the other side of the Wall of Fire. Grondar uses the Kiss of Azrella to heal those close to him once more. Preparations are made and Sherra uses her Boots of Levitation to rise up and spots a gigantic dragon eye on the other side of the Wall of Fire. The dragon toys with its enemies by blowing on the Wall of Fire, causing it to bow outwards. Instead of waiting to be attacked Lord Vanarkus orders the Guardians to rush the dragon through the Wall of Fire. Lord Vanarkus and Lord Rowan pass through the wall and they are surrounded by a silvery-blue aura that protects them from harm. Laucian dispels the Wall of Fire before anyone else can reach it. With the wall gone, all can see the gigantic dragon. Its head is as large as a room and it fills what had been a wide open cavern. The Guardians attack with swords and spells. Lord Rowan slashes the monster's neck severely wounding it. The dragon turns and breathes on Lord Rowan, but once more the silvery-blue aura protects him from damage. The fiery breath destroys the trolls still trapped in the webs. More attacks land and then the dragon simply vanishes! Even the great monster seemed surprised by this. Just that suddenly, the Guardians find themselves in a mostly empty cavern, as the rest of the humanoids fled into the depths of the earth. It is believed that Contingency magic was used to prevent Ember from dying in battle.
GM Notes: While Ember had been referenced as far back as the Frontier on Q-Link, this was his first appearance in game. Ember's hatred of Cynalon goes back to Victor the First slaying his mother. More on that in a bit.
Back in the City of the Dead, Hasverion leads Ivy and Lyonessa to their temples located in a great plaza. All the gods of Arret seem to be located here and the Temple of Mystra is located right next to Azrella's Temple. Hasverion suggest that the girls go forth and speak to their own kind whether he can be trusted. They learn that Hasverion is an Aasimon, a good being from the other planes and a celestial steward of Heironeous. Embarrassed to have not trusted the angel, Lyonessa and Ivy agree and Hasverion implants the memories into them. As he works he shifts into his angelic form and the girls fall into blackness once more.
Believing that Opikus used the magic mirror that Crysania mentioned earlier to arrive in the caverns, the scouts spread out to find its arrival point. While searching, Laucian finds a small black kitten that was caged and tormented by the orcs. He heals the feline, befriending it in the process. Laucian names the cat Onyx. Valena finds the portal and informs the others. At the cavern entry area, a flying carpet enters bearing four individuals. Lord Sharadin leads the way along with his daughters Sherry and Terry. The last person is an exquisitely beautiful elfin woman with silvery hair and blue eyes. The elf leaps off the carpet before it lands and announces that, “He was here, but no longer. Ember has fled the cavern. We were so close!” The elf maiden is introduced by Lord Sharadin as Silvarn and that she should be treated with the utmost respect.
Lord Vanarkus reports the Guardians of Light's activities in the liberation of Corunglain. In return Lord Sharadin reports what else has been going on. After sealing the other entrance, Drakkimor and his band engaged the fire giants and drove them away, ending the siege on the Duke's fortress. But that is not all. For the events in Corunglain have finally made the old king turn over the kingdom to his son. Cynalon now has a new king who will not stand back and let events happen, but one who will be proactive. A few river barrages made the trip downstream and word eventually reached the Lady Sallavarian and she contacted Lord Sharadin. Gathering troops and supplies, the new king dug into the old magic items belonging to his family. One of these items, the Stone House, was used to transport troops and supplies to Corunglain. The whole group arrived about an hour ago. While scouring the city for more enemies, Silvarn noted the presence of Ember leading the group into the caverns. The dragon the Guardians fought was Ember, a vile enemy of Cynalon and an arch foe of Lord Sharadin. The whole siege of Corunglain was designed to lure Lord Sharadin here so that Ember could destroy him. Lord Sharadin also states that the new king awaits the lords at the Duke's fortress in Corunglain and that he has been planning for this day for many years. The bodies of Ivy and Lyonessa are placed on the flying carpet and Sherry and Terry take them to the surface. The rest of the Guardians follow Lord Sharadin and Silvarn through the portal.
Try it and find out!
Re: CR 571 October 24th
Those passing through the portal find themselves in an elegant and well-stated place seemingly carved out of a gigantic translucent crystal. Silvarn reports that Ember was here, but not currently. The area is too small for him to have used for a teleport via a Contingency spell. Moving out, the Guardians find an opulent living area where the real Opikus must have been living. The finding of his rotted corpse confirms this. Finding no other way out of this area, the group passes through a portal hidden in a demonic-looking sculpture's mouth. The portal leads to another demonic statue in a deserted hallway. The hallways seems to have been a gauntlet of some type in the past. Doors lead into passages running parallel to the hallway and there are numerous arrow slits in the walls. A mundane door at the far end is a portal that leads into the next area. A maze of hallways lies beyond and Silvarn reports that Ember is near! Splitting into two groups, the heroes make their way deeper into the maze and towards Ember.
Back in the Duke's Star-Shaped Fortress in Corunglain Ivy and Lyonessa regain consciousness. They both feel weak and are lying in beds. A woman present introduces herself as Olivia of Azrella. Both realize that they have been restored to life. A short time later, there is a scratching at the room's window and Dusk is there. Olivia opens the window reuniting Lyonessa with her familiar.
Ember is found and the evil dragon casts a bundled pair of spells at Silvarn. A combination of a Fireball coupled with a Lightning Bolt fills the area and fells Lord Rowan. Spells and swords land on Ember before he can cast another spell doing tremendous damage. Ember is dying, but not before saying one last thing. “I may be dying… but I won’t be going alone,” Opikus gloats. “This whole place… Will plunge… into the Ring of Flame… All of you… Will burn!” Lord Sharadin immediately realizes the implication of what his enemy is saying and orders everyone to retreat back to the portal. Ember starts to revert back to his true form, that of a gigantic dragon! Everyone runs back to the portal and passes through. Cracks appear in the crystal structure as Ember continues to grow. Lord Sharadin attempts to teleport away with part of the group, but finds he cannot. Barriers must be in place that block teleportation. The Guardians rush towards the next portal only to see it fracture and fall away. Looking around everyone realizes that Opikus' lair hovers over a valley of lava! The outside is now open to the group and Lord Sharadin teleports away taking Aria, Argent, Chareos, Lord Kalindor, Lord Rowan and Sherra away with him. Silvarn reveals that she's really a silver dragon and steps off the crystal citadel. She returns in her dragon from and tells those who remain to climb on her back. Silvarn then flies away and using dragonic magic accelerates to a fast velocity.
GM Notes: The setting where Ember was fought and what had been Opikus' home was from an adventure in the Dungeon magazine called “Out of the Ashes”. The ironic thing about it is that this adventure is a sequel to an earlier one called “Into the Fire”. Into the Fire was an adventure that I ran in an attempt to reboot Victor the First that ran for a little bit when Battlesystem first came out. It was in that adventure that Victor killed Ember's mother. While the Battlesystem Victor the First stuff does not fit this setting, I did lift a few things from it.
Lord Sharadin and those teleported with him appear at the Duke's Fortress in Corunglain. They are greeted by Lady Teris Penhaligon who sends Lord Sharadin off to report to the king. The rest of the adventurers are given a place to rest and food and drink. They are told that Ivy and Lyonessa were raised and where they are recovering. A healer is on hand, Faith of Azrella, and she heals Lord Corley, restoring him to full health and seemingly giving the young noble the ability to fully focus on things. Those riding with Silvarn arrive at the Duke's Fortress far faster than they could ever imagine. The silver dragon asks them to get down from her back and she reverts to her elfin form. Silvarn then ends her spell and the group is at the Duke's Fortress. Sir Alon Teramar is on hand to greet them. Many of the Guardians go to see Lyonessa and Ivy. Grondar returns Ivy's holy weapon to her. (NF#52-63)
GM Notes: Now THAT was a long day! The events at the Duke's Fortress was stretched out to occur over multiple days as another form of padding.
Back in the Duke's Star-Shaped Fortress in Corunglain Ivy and Lyonessa regain consciousness. They both feel weak and are lying in beds. A woman present introduces herself as Olivia of Azrella. Both realize that they have been restored to life. A short time later, there is a scratching at the room's window and Dusk is there. Olivia opens the window reuniting Lyonessa with her familiar.
Ember is found and the evil dragon casts a bundled pair of spells at Silvarn. A combination of a Fireball coupled with a Lightning Bolt fills the area and fells Lord Rowan. Spells and swords land on Ember before he can cast another spell doing tremendous damage. Ember is dying, but not before saying one last thing. “I may be dying… but I won’t be going alone,” Opikus gloats. “This whole place… Will plunge… into the Ring of Flame… All of you… Will burn!” Lord Sharadin immediately realizes the implication of what his enemy is saying and orders everyone to retreat back to the portal. Ember starts to revert back to his true form, that of a gigantic dragon! Everyone runs back to the portal and passes through. Cracks appear in the crystal structure as Ember continues to grow. Lord Sharadin attempts to teleport away with part of the group, but finds he cannot. Barriers must be in place that block teleportation. The Guardians rush towards the next portal only to see it fracture and fall away. Looking around everyone realizes that Opikus' lair hovers over a valley of lava! The outside is now open to the group and Lord Sharadin teleports away taking Aria, Argent, Chareos, Lord Kalindor, Lord Rowan and Sherra away with him. Silvarn reveals that she's really a silver dragon and steps off the crystal citadel. She returns in her dragon from and tells those who remain to climb on her back. Silvarn then flies away and using dragonic magic accelerates to a fast velocity.
GM Notes: The setting where Ember was fought and what had been Opikus' home was from an adventure in the Dungeon magazine called “Out of the Ashes”. The ironic thing about it is that this adventure is a sequel to an earlier one called “Into the Fire”. Into the Fire was an adventure that I ran in an attempt to reboot Victor the First that ran for a little bit when Battlesystem first came out. It was in that adventure that Victor killed Ember's mother. While the Battlesystem Victor the First stuff does not fit this setting, I did lift a few things from it.
Lord Sharadin and those teleported with him appear at the Duke's Fortress in Corunglain. They are greeted by Lady Teris Penhaligon who sends Lord Sharadin off to report to the king. The rest of the adventurers are given a place to rest and food and drink. They are told that Ivy and Lyonessa were raised and where they are recovering. A healer is on hand, Faith of Azrella, and she heals Lord Corley, restoring him to full health and seemingly giving the young noble the ability to fully focus on things. Those riding with Silvarn arrive at the Duke's Fortress far faster than they could ever imagine. The silver dragon asks them to get down from her back and she reverts to her elfin form. Silvarn then ends her spell and the group is at the Duke's Fortress. Sir Alon Teramar is on hand to greet them. Many of the Guardians go to see Lyonessa and Ivy. Grondar returns Ivy's holy weapon to her. (NF#52-63)
GM Notes: Now THAT was a long day! The events at the Duke's Fortress was stretched out to occur over multiple days as another form of padding.
Try it and find out!
Re: CR 571 October 24th
(Blackflame) After breakfast, Sherwood and his companions set out with Lia and Talen on their journey to find Nightmist. The twins say that she lives in a place called Byxata deeper in the Lost Valley. As the group walks along they pass more abandoned villages along the way. Talen says that a race call the Hutaaka built them, but they are a dying race nowadays. Only a handful of them remain in a single village near Byxata. Lilia recalls stories of the Hutaaka as they were the beings that lived in this land before humans came into power.
Later in the day, the explorers come across what appears to be a goblin village. Goblin children and females are seen and even a half-ogre. If not for the races involved, it would be a normal village. The goblins are friendly and will openly chat with Lia and Talen. As the group nears Byxata more humanoids are spotted but none of them are hostile. These include bugbears, orcs, more goblins, half-orcs and half-ogres. Drow and even humans are seen as well.
The group arrives at Nightmist's home and they meet her and Sabal, who the twins say is like their great-grandmother. Nightmist is indeed a drow elf, but unlike any they have ever seen. She is exotically beautiful, but plainly dressed and has a wide smile on her face. Nightmist leads the group into her home where she was finishing up the evening meal, a hearty stew with fresh bread. As everyone eats, Nightmist tells what she knows about the Lost Valley.
The Lost Valley was discovered by the Crown Prince Victor the Second during his adventuring days. This valley was the seat of Hutaaka civilization, but as other more aggressive races emerged they withdrew from the lands below and returned to their valley. When Victor the Second was here, he found that the Hutaaka were a dying race and that they posed no threat to Cynalon, so he had the Archmage put a Permanent Illusion over the entrance to isolate the valley.
One hundred and fifty years ago, Nightmist escaped the Underdark with the help of Sabal. They traveled through ancient tunnels and emerged here in the Lost Valley. Nightmist befriended the surviving Hutaaka and realized why Eilistraee had led her to this place. While the Hutaaka were dying out, this Lost Valley could be come a refuge for those who yearned to live in peace. This required Nightmist to go out into the outside world. Eventually, she encountered James the Red and he gave a her a magic item that allowed her to appear as a normal elf. James helped Nightmist set up this refuge and she adventured with him for a time as a member of the Swords of Cynalon.
Sherwood explains why he has come seeking Nightmist in regards to the Cult of the Blackflame. Nightmist tells the tale of how they rescued the Crown Prince and found a Blackflame outpost in an abandoned fortress in the swamp south of Elcadan. Nightmist recalls a strange chamber in the fortress and that they never did find the Princess. Perhaps this fortress will have clues to the present location of the Cult of the Blackflame. Sherwood speaks with Nightmist late into the night. (BF #8)
GM Notes: Threshold, the Lost Valley itself and all the maps that I posted in the private area were all from the Module B10 - “Night's Dark Terror”. As I typical for me, I used parts of it, but adjusted for my use. It was not run as originally intended.
And that brings us to the end of the longest day!
Later in the day, the explorers come across what appears to be a goblin village. Goblin children and females are seen and even a half-ogre. If not for the races involved, it would be a normal village. The goblins are friendly and will openly chat with Lia and Talen. As the group nears Byxata more humanoids are spotted but none of them are hostile. These include bugbears, orcs, more goblins, half-orcs and half-ogres. Drow and even humans are seen as well.
The group arrives at Nightmist's home and they meet her and Sabal, who the twins say is like their great-grandmother. Nightmist is indeed a drow elf, but unlike any they have ever seen. She is exotically beautiful, but plainly dressed and has a wide smile on her face. Nightmist leads the group into her home where she was finishing up the evening meal, a hearty stew with fresh bread. As everyone eats, Nightmist tells what she knows about the Lost Valley.
The Lost Valley was discovered by the Crown Prince Victor the Second during his adventuring days. This valley was the seat of Hutaaka civilization, but as other more aggressive races emerged they withdrew from the lands below and returned to their valley. When Victor the Second was here, he found that the Hutaaka were a dying race and that they posed no threat to Cynalon, so he had the Archmage put a Permanent Illusion over the entrance to isolate the valley.
One hundred and fifty years ago, Nightmist escaped the Underdark with the help of Sabal. They traveled through ancient tunnels and emerged here in the Lost Valley. Nightmist befriended the surviving Hutaaka and realized why Eilistraee had led her to this place. While the Hutaaka were dying out, this Lost Valley could be come a refuge for those who yearned to live in peace. This required Nightmist to go out into the outside world. Eventually, she encountered James the Red and he gave a her a magic item that allowed her to appear as a normal elf. James helped Nightmist set up this refuge and she adventured with him for a time as a member of the Swords of Cynalon.
Sherwood explains why he has come seeking Nightmist in regards to the Cult of the Blackflame. Nightmist tells the tale of how they rescued the Crown Prince and found a Blackflame outpost in an abandoned fortress in the swamp south of Elcadan. Nightmist recalls a strange chamber in the fortress and that they never did find the Princess. Perhaps this fortress will have clues to the present location of the Cult of the Blackflame. Sherwood speaks with Nightmist late into the night. (BF #8)
GM Notes: Threshold, the Lost Valley itself and all the maps that I posted in the private area were all from the Module B10 - “Night's Dark Terror”. As I typical for me, I used parts of it, but adjusted for my use. It was not run as originally intended.
And that brings us to the end of the longest day!
Try it and find out!