The sound of horse's hooves stomping through the remaining slush on the Bremen Trail broke the silence of the cold morning air as the motley group of mounted figures trudged north from the fading walls of Targos. The breath of both beast and rider froze in the air in tiny plumes of white mist. Not an eye turned back to watch the black smear of the city disappear from view.

    Still drowsy from waking so early, Danot's head bobbed as his pony trotted along behind the larger horses of the rest of the party. He cursed under his breath as he was shaken back to wakefulness by his pony's jostling canter yet again.

    The morning passed quickly on the trail, and they made good time. Bremen was a small patch of dark near the sparkling blue lake as the sun drew nigh overhead. Hunger rumbled in their stomachs, and so they headed for the docks near the lake as they entered the small fishing village, hoping for a vendor to be selling something freshly cooked and edible.

    Near the docks was a small woman wrapped in furs, she was carrying a large basket and was bawling out, "Fish Sticks!" Several of the laborers on the shore stood nearby the woman, and quickly handed their copper for the pieces of fish skewered on sticks that she pulled from her basket.

    Not seeing much else available, the group traded their coin for the same meal of fish that the others in the village were eating. As they quietly ate their lunch, Llynowen noticed a woman with dark skin, taller by nearly a half a foot than anyone in the village. Her mane of silver hair was also a stark contrast to the plain black and brown haired villagers.

    As the woman saw Llynowen, surprise lit up her face, and she quickly crossed the space between them and approached Llynowen. "Hail, and well met, priestess of Mielikki, I am Rissa, Priestess of Rua", the silver-haired, dark skinned woman said, a wide smile plain on her face.

    "Well met, priestess", Llynowen replied, "Forgive me for saying, but it doesn't seem that you are from here."

    "Yes, I am from Leilon in the south, and I am looking to return there. You too, do not look like you are from this village. I wish to return home, perhaps are you heading that way and would allow me to join you?", Rissa answered.

    "We are heading north now, but are adventurers from Talor’s Vale in the south. We will be heading back there eventually, if you wish to join us in our adventures now you can go with us," Llynowen replied.

    Smiling gratefully at the chance to leave the village, Rissa said, "Yes, I would like that very much, thank you. I shall return shortly with my horse and belongings." She ran into the village, and disappeared.

    "Hey! That’s my fish-stick!" cried Triolus, as he abruptly raised the mostly eaten fish up into the air, out of the reach of Danot’s ferrets.

    "Xena, Zanzabar, get over here!" Danot bellowed. Suppressing a smile, Danot told Triolus, ‘I’m really sorry about this, let me buy you a new one."

    Triolus grumped, but did accept the offered fish stick that Danot purchased from the vendor.

    Rissa returned within the half-hour, proudly sitting astride her roan-colored mare. The others remounted and struck off to the north across the snowy plain. The sun had just set when they reached the bent oak, and they quickly hobbled their horses and set up camp. A small campfire was lit and dinner was cooking as the conversation began around the camp.

    Late at night, as Gar and Dardae maintained their watch, Gar noticed movement on the far side of the depression.

    "Pssst…Dardae!" Gar whispered, and pointed across the depression.

    Dardae turned and looked, and as his eyes adjusted to his infravision, the multi-hued forms of seven humanoids took shape on the far side of the depression. They immediately set to waking others as the figures continued down the side of the depression. Once they reached the bottom, two of the figures broke off from the others and continued up the other side towards the party’s camp. As the figures drew near, most of the others sleepily crawled out of their beds and stood on the side of the depression, watching them approach. As they drew near, they noticed that the figures were roughly human in size and shape, wearing green robes, and bearing gnarled staves.

    "Hail, and well met," said the taller of the two robed figures.

    "Well met," was Llynowen’s reply.

    "What are you doing here, and what are your intentions?" asked the tall figure.

    "We are heading north, seeking adventure wherever it leads us," Llynowen answered.

    Nodding, the tall figure spoke again, "Good, we will be performing a ritual here soon, we would appreciate it if you’d refrain from looking in the depression while it’s going on."

    "Most certainly", acquiesced Llynowen, "Pardon, but how long will the ritual continue?"

    "This one will take a day," was the tall figure’s response.

    Nodding in response, Llynowen turned back to the party as the figures turned and moved back down into the depression. The others appeared confused by the strange request of the robed figures, but they adjusted their camp accordingly and most went back to sleep. As the eastern horizon was touched with pink a monotone chanting rose from the depression as the figure’s ritual commenced.

    Those that could sleep through the chanting woke not long after the sun had risen, and they all quietly went about their morning rituals, then packed camp and left. As the bent oak slowly slipped into the horizon, discussion began as to what they should do. The decision was made to travel a half day and setup camp, returning to the depression around midday the next day.

    They pushed on north till near high-sun when a snowy hillock that had been on the horizon grew close enough to see that it was made of stones. They approached it and found one larger, flat stone was set as what seemed to be a door. There were strange, angular carvings that traced the edge of the stone. The mages quickly converged on the door and began trying to interpret the words. After a few minutes they both stood back and shook their heads.

    "Never seen anything like it," Triolus said and sighed.

    Digging in his pack, Dardae pulled out a shiny helmet he kept for occasions such as this. He donned the helmet and began speaking as he read the message on the door, "Within lies the remains of the great evil that plagued this land. May their eternal slumber be without comfort."

    Examining the stone door more carefully they found it to be set into the stone, such that to open it, they’d have to pull it out first, then move it.

    Cautiously looking over the stone mound, Triolus spoke, "I don’t like it, not the kind of thing I’d like to go laying my life on the line for."

    The others silently nodded in acquiescence.

    "So where to then?" asked Gar.

    "We’ll head north-east, back towards the lake, just another hour or so, then camp," replied Triolus.

    They paused for lunch and Gar offered slices of elven bread he had picked up in Targos. Danot hungrily accepted the bread and was half-done before it sunk in that Gar had said this was elven bread. He briefly considered feeding it to the ferrets, but decided against it.

    "Only thing I’ve seen an elf do right", Danot said as he finished his slice of bread.

    After finishing lunch, the remounted and set off to the northeast, leaving the cairn untouched behind. An hour later they pulled in their horses and dismounted, and began making camp.

    Gar set about clearing a spot for the campfire then looked around him at the white plain of snow that surrounded the camp. "Guys, did anyone bring firewood?"

    Triolus looked around him and slapped his forehead as he sighed and shook his head.

    "Well, what now?" asked Rissa.

    "We head back to the cairn, if nothing else it’ll be a wind block," Triolus replied.

    They remounted and rode the hour back to the snow-covered cairn. Upon arriving they set up camp on the wayward side of the stone mound and huddled close to preserve warmth.

    As the sun was setting, Rissa raised her head and smiled. "Rua has shown me the way," she said, and pulled out a torch, lit it, and set it down on the ground. She bowed her head again and began mumbling softly under her breath. Her hands began to glow and a wind picked up around her, lifting her hair up into the air. She extended her hands towards the lit torch and it started burning brighter and hotter. She slowed her speech, then looked up and smiled.

    "Nice," Mazyfum said as he looked at the blazing torch.

    They cooked dinner and settled in for the night. During Rissa and Rael’s watch the silent night air was pierced by a blood-curdling scream. Rissa hissed and looked around surprised. The others were stirring at the sound, and she turned and looked for Rael. She was nowhere to be found, and so Rissa ran and tried to wake Triolus and the others. They quickly rose and donned armor and grabbed weapons. Following the tracks that Rael left while on her watch, Triolus, Dardae and Gar rounded the mound to find the tracks enter the now open cairn.

    Triolus swore under his breath and motioned the others back towards the camp. The others joined them as the returned to the open crypt below the cairn, and descended down the stone stairway into the dark below.

    Cold, cut stone surrounded them on all sides, and their torchlight glinted off a large human statue in the room at the end of the hallway they stood in. The smell of decay was strong, and sounds of flesh tearing screamed in the silent air of the crypt. As they hurried on in to the room beyond the hallway, their torchlight fell on a grisly scene. Several pale-skinned, bulbous eyed creatures were hunched over a vaguely humanoid form lying in a pool of fresh blood.

    Bellowing in rage Danot started to charge forward, axe raised. Llynowen reached out and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, to which he turned and looked into her eyes and lowered his axe.

    Stepping forward and holding her new holy symbol, Llynowen calmly intoned, "Foul creatures of Kelemvor, desist your feeding and flee from the fury of Mielliki, lest ye be blown apart into pieces."

    The creatures stopped feeding, and looked up and into the glowing nimbus that now held Llynowen’s holy symbol. The righteous light shone into their eyes and drove them back, and they fled into a corridor behind the statue and out of view.

    The others surged forward to look at the lifeless corpse lying in the bloody pool on the floor. What was Rael’s face was now missing, but that which was left of the body was definitely Rael, her clothes were torn and tattered, great rends in her flesh exposed muscle and bone below, and her entrails lay in a twisted pile beside her. Gar quickly looked away and gagged, and the others averted their eyes.

    Rage filled the group, and they quickly moved to look down the passageway the creatures had fled down. They saw a smaller room that appeared to be a small burial chamber, complete with empty stone biers. Huddled in a mass in the far corner of the room were the pop-eyed undead, shading their eyes from the light streaming in from the corridor.

    Mazyfum and Triolus began chanting in unison, and when they finished a glowing ball appeared above their raised fingertip. They both pointed down the hallway at the nearest of the undead and the ball shot out, leaving a small trail behind it making it look like a dart. Both missiles crashed unerringly into the creature and it crumbled to the floor.

    With this action, the fear that was in the creature’s eyes bled away and they surged forward, saliva dripping from their gaping maws and claws upraised to strike. When they charged down the hallway, they quickly found out that the party was ready for them.

    Gar cried out ‘Vas Flam!’ and swung a deadly arching blow with his bastard sword. The sword burst into a roaring flame and caught one of the creatures in the chest, throwing it back writhing in the burning kiss of the flames that stuck to it’s body.

    The lead creature sprung at Danot swinging it’s clawed fingers, which found purchase, ripping into Danot’s arms and bit down hard on the exposed flesh. Danot bellowed and smashed down his upraised axe, caving in the creature’s head, and sending it crashing to the ground.

    Triolus stepped forward as Mazyfum backed out and met the next creature with the point of his sword, skewering it. He raised his sword up, then kicked the creature, sending it sprawling back to the ground.

    Rissa lowered her head and began praying, holding her hands in front of her as if she was wielding a sword. "Rua, bind your fury into flame for my hands to bear against these foul creatures," she prayed and a saber-shaped blade made of flames leapt from her hands into existence.

    Gar cried out as claws from another creature raked across his shoulder, leaving a burning trail behind. He pivoted and swung at the creature that clawed him and released its head from its shoulders with a swift, deadly blow.

    Mazyfum stopped chanting and another globe of light sprung forth on his fingertips and flew unerringly at a creature coming down the hallway. It staggered but continued onward to meet Danot's gleaming axe and crumple to the ground.

    With the last of the creatures writhing on the ground, the group peered down the hallway into the room beyond. Carefully stepping over the corpses, they explored the small room and found it to be not more than they had seen before, featureless gray stone with gray stone biers.

    Mazyfum returned to the center room and began casting another spell. When he finished he turned and looked down each corridor. When he finished, he returned to the group and said, "There is a faint magical emanation coming from the room on the statue’s left."

    Heading down the hallway into a near identical room to the other interment room, Danot walked to the corner that Mazyfum pointed out. He examined the stone then reached forward and pushed a stone, causing a section of the wall to open, revealing a small alcove within. Resting in the alcove were two wooden chests.

    Rissa, who had followed them into the room, said, "I will ask Rua if there are any traps on the chests." She lowered her head and began praying again, when she looked up sighed and continued, "There are traps on both of the locks of these chests."

    "Guess we take them with us then," stated Triolus.

    Dardae bent over and hefted each chest out of the crypt and set it in the snow outside the cairn. As the others tried to think of ways to get into the chest, Llynowen and Rissa busily worked on wrapping Rael’s remains in her blanket so that she could be transported back to Targos.

    After several minutes of discussions, Danot grew frustrated and swung his axe, breaking open the lid of the first chest. Coins spewed forth from the newly created hole, and Danot turned and did the same to the other chest. Within the second chest were several sheets of paper. They emptied the first chest into several sacks and found within several gems in addition to many silver, gold and platinum coins. Beneath the papers of the second chest was a broad-bladed dagger with a golden hilt. After some examination the scrolls were handed to Llynowen as they contained priestly writings, and Mazyfum claimed the dagger. Rissa set to counting the coins.

    In the morning they woke early to yet another freezing morning. They stretched and rubbed to get the cold induced aches out of their muscles. They silently ate breakfast, the wrapped blanket nearby a silent testimony to the night's events. They broke camp, remounted and headed back to Targos, avoiding the depression and the tower completely. Late in the evening they reached the gates of Targos and headed straight for the Wolf’s Pelt Inn.

    Karas smiled as the party entered and called them over. "Your employer was in here looking for you," he told them.

    "Good, did he say where he was staying, we need to talk to him ourselves," Llynowen asked.

    Karas nodded and replied, "Yes, he's staying at the Lakeshore Inn, past the market."

    They thanked Karas for the information, and after purchasing rooms for the night, they headed over to the Lakeshore Inn.

    Upon arriving at the inn, Rissa stayed with Rael, as the others went in. They were greeted by a blond-haired youth. The youth sent them directly to Master Peddywinkle's room.

    Master Peddywinkle quickly answered the door after their knock and ushered them in. They detailed what happened to Rael, to which Peddywinkle only raised an eyebrow. As they finished the story he dug around in a pouch at his belt and pulled out a large, beautiful gem. He handed it to Llynowen and told her, "Take this to the House of Helm, they will take care of restoring Rael."

    They departed, and upon finding the House of Helm closed for the night, left Rael's body with the guard, as well as payment, and left to return in the morning. In the morning they found Rael waiting for them at the doorway. She was very terse and didn’t appear to be in a good mood at all. They returned to the Wolf's Pelt to meet Peddywinkle for breakfast. They updated him on their progress, to which he seemed pleased, and urged them to hurry and find the diary.

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