It has been said that it all began with a simple band of heroes. Heroes who chose to side with an orcish warrior, instead of a thief.

A thief who called himself ‘king’.

Once upon a time, in the ancient city of Aquitaine …

… the attack had been well planned to catch the heroes while the slept. But fate had other plans, as the heroes managed to throw off the Graveknight’s spells and confound his skeletal troops. In the end, it was the Graveknight who was trapped, not the heroes.

Now, after a well-deserved rest and meal, one of Aquitaine’s guards arrives at the Rusty Dragon Inn with a message. The Aquitaine council needs to speak to the heroes right away.

Across Sog’s Lake to the south, Nualia stalks through the tunnels beneath the ruins of Thistletop in a rage. The quasit is gone, as is one of the graveknights. She talks deeper into the ancient corridors, intent on completing her fiendish plan. She grabs a Leiterkern and sends a furious message to the kobold tribes, bugbear cultists and graveknights. The message is just one word: “now”

Dramatis Personae

Julienne
Aedilred Runecutter
Miro Teague
Lee Chung
Marco Galvos

It has been said that it all began with a simple band of heroes. Heroes who chose to side with an orcish warrior, instead of a thief.

A thief who called himself ‘king’.

Once upon a time, in the ancient city of Aquitaine on the northern shores of Sog’s Lake …

the heroes emerged from the ancient Catacombs under the city. Behind them, the city guard enter to begin the work of securing the ancient tunnels so they cannot be used to invade Aquitaine again.

Despite the plans of Nualia still hanging over their heads, the heroes retire to the Rusty Dragon Inn to rest. Through the evening, they relax as Ameiko makes her best dishes of grilled herb chicken, hot and sour soup, plum rolls and piles of her own special recipe of spiced triple-tang spring rolls.

While they sleep, dark clouds gather across Aquitaine’s night sky. The walls are quiet. Other than the night watch of the city guard, a lone raven is out for the night. It’s pitch black eyes stare unblinking at the Rusty Dragon Inn, while the chill of undeath rolls off its feathers.

Dramatis Personae

Julienne
Aedilred Runecutter
Miro Teague
Lee Chung
Marco Galvos

It has been said that it all began with a simple band of heroes. Heroes who chose to side with an orcish warrior, instead of a thief.

A thief who called himself ‘king’.

Once upon a time, beneath the ancient city of Aquitaine on the northern shores of Sog’s Lake …

the dust settled in the ancient catacombs. With the quasit killed, her grotesque magespawn creations seem to be less directed, if they have not exploded. The statue of Alaznist returns to its pedestal. Her trident remains with the heroes for the sole purpose of ending the threat posed by the plans of “Lamashtu”.

More questions remain. Aedlered’s axe, just what does it contain? Who made it? What role did the Erylium, the quasit that rebelled against Alaznist, play in Nualia’s plans?

While the heroes secure Alaznist’s catacombs, the Stalker slips through the dark pathways of the Mosswood. No kobold, fey, or even redcap challenges the undead creature.

Dramatis Personae

Julienne
Aedilred Runecutter
Miro Teague
Lee Chung
Marco Galvos

*Map of the catacombs so far (select map for a larger view) *

It has been said that it all began with a simple band of heroes. Heroes who chose to side with an orcish warrior, instead of a thief.

A thief who called himself ‘king’.

Once upon a time, beneath the ancient city of Aquitaine on the northern shores of Sog’s Lake …

… the heroes followed the old smuggler tunnels and uncovered an ancient complex guarded by vargoulle, and pairs of magespawn guards. The stones in the complex are old, much older than any of the brick of Aquitaine above. Carvings and a statue date the location to the bygone days of the Thassalonian Empire and its Runelord masters.

These chambers seemed dedicated to the Runelord Alaznist. But what does Alaznist or the seven tyrannical Runelords have with Nualia’s plans? And who is this mysterious “Lamashtu” that Tsuto spoke of?

Above, another of the obsidian robed ‘attendants’ to Nualia leaves the rocky crags of the Devil’s Platter and begins his travel through the Mosswood towards Aquitaine.

Dramatis Personae

Julienne
Aedilred Runecutter
Miro Teague
Lee Chung
Marco Galvos

It has been said that it all began with a simple band of heroes. Heroes who chose to side with an orcish warrior, instead of a thief.

A thief who called himself ‘king’.

Once upon a time, beneath the ancient city of Aquitaine on the northern shores of Sog’s Lake …

While they rescued Ameiko Kaijutsu from her deranged half-brother, the heroes are faced with the dilemma of who built the brick walls to seal off the ancient tunnels? Who tore them down? And why?

They could investigate further, heading deeper underground. But they also have Tsuto in custody, the half-elf possibly responsible for several of the recent events. They know he was not acting alone, but as an agent of someone named Nualia. Of all the things Tsuto’s diary did make clear, it was that Nualia’s plans may spell a bloody end to Aquitaine, if the heroes do not find a way to curb the evil that has yet to come.

Dramatis Personae

Julienne
Aedilred Runecutter
Miro Teague
Lee Chung
Marco Galvos

It has been said that it all began with a simple band of heroes. Heroes who chose to side with an orcish warrior, instead of a thief.

A thief who called himself ‘king’.

Once upon a time, at the ancient city of Aquitaine on the northern shores of Sog’s Lake …

A letter to Ameiko from a mysterious person named Tsuto leads the heroes to investigate the Aquitaine Glassworks. The same Glassworks factory owned by Amieko’s father, Lonjiku Kaijitsu.

From the outside, the heroes see the smoke of the great furnaces used to fashion the glass. Inside, the story is different. Kobolds of multiple tribes are there and had turned the factory into a tomb.

Now with the kobolds eliminated, the heroes can return to their search for Tsuto and the missing owner of the Red Dragon Inn … Amieko Kaijitsu.

Dramatis Personae

Julienne
Aedilred Runecutter
Miro Teague
Lee Chung
Marco Galvos

It has been said that it all began with a simple band of heroes. Heroes who chose to side with an orcish warrior, instead of a thief.

A thief who called himself ‘king’.

Once upon a time, at the ancient city of Aquitaine on the northern shores of Sog’s Lake …

Once the mysterious white-haired woman fled through the magic door, the undead troops ceased to menace the Licktoad tribe. With an hour’s hard work, the undead had been swept away and destroyed. After some rest, the fellowship traveled north along Sog’s Lake. Far ahead, a gray-black column of smoke lifted up from Aquitaine and smeared the sky. Something dire had happened, yet there had been no word from Aedlered.

Once they arrived at the city, the source of the smoke is obvious: dozens upon dozens of zombie kobold bodies being burned en-masse outside the city gates. On seeing this, Bruthazmus and Shelelu leave the group to scout for any indication of stray kobold zombies in the woods outside the city.

City guards attend the bonfire and Father Zanatus blesses the ground around it to ensure nothing else undead will rise there. Meanwhile, a bandaged Aedilred Runecutter waits by Aquitaine’s bloodied gate to greet the other heroes and explain not all has been well while they were away …

Dramatis Personae

Julienne
Aedilred Runecutter
Miro Teague
Lee Chung
Marco Galvos

It has been said that it all began with a simple band of heroes. Heroes who chose to side with an orcish warrior, instead of a thief.

A thief who called himself ‘king’.

Once upon a time, North of the ancient ruins of Thistletop Keep on the shores of Sog’s Lake …

In an abandoned Goblin watchpost, the heroes settle in for a rest outside the Licktoad Kobold tribe. A well-earned rest from warning the other tribes that they might be targeted for death. But, can these ‘Licktoad’ Kobolds be trusted? Or is this Kobold tribe part of the actual threat against the city of Aquitaine?

Dusk becomes a cool evening and the wind stirs the trees of Tickwood forest. Red petals float in from deeper in the woods. The woodland seems to hold its breath, as the faint sound of dry twigs rattles in the shadows.

Dramatis Personae

Julienne
Miro Teague
Lee Chung
Marco Galvos

It has been said that it all began with a simple band of heroes. Heroes who chose to side with an orcish warrior, instead of a thief.

A thief who called himself ‘king’.

Once upon a time, in the ancient city of Aquitaine on the northern shores of Sog’s Lake …

… the locals of Aquitaine were tense. Their Swallowtail Festival had been attacked. The kobold tribes, despite all precautions by Sheriff Hemlock and his city guard, managed to raid the fortified town. Then it nearly happened once more, if not for the brave actions of Aedlered Runecutter and the young scribe Silus McGains. Their kobold captives now sat in the stockade to be questioned. Yet, Aquitaine still felt vulnerable._

With that vulnerability came a sort of restlessness. A need to act.

There are those in Aquitaine that trust Sheriff Hemlock, Father Zanatus and the city’s mage, Ilsorai Gandethus to protect them. But others are not so content, they would rather end this threat once and for all, by any means necessary.

Dramatis Personae

Aedilred Runecutter

It has been said that it all began with a simple band of heroes. Heroes who chose to side with an orcish warrior, instead of a thief.

A thief who called himself ‘king’.

Once upon a time, South of Morodar in the ancient city of Aquitaine …

To the southeast of the city, deep in the rocky hills of the Devil’s Platter, the attack by the necromancy-crazed bugbears was thwarted. The bugbears were killed, but so were several of the the Birdcrucher tribe. Even with the bugbear threat removed, the tribe has been weakened.

Several gemelkern stones, and their leiterkern overseer stone, were found among the bugbears. But not who taught the bugbears runic necromancy, or who used the leiterkern master stone. The threat to the Birdcruncher tribe, Licktoad tribe and even Aquitaine may be even more dire than before.

To the north of Sog’s Lake in Aquitaine, Aedlered Runecutter and Silus McGains recover from their ordeal against the dire eel in the city storm drains. They have recounted their story more than once to Sheriff Hemlock, Father Zanatus, and the city’s wizard, Ilsorai Gandethus.

The dire eel was a deadly surprise, but the greater threat lay in the second kobold warband comprised of mostly Birdcruncher, Mosswood and Licktoad tribal warriors. Those captives remain in the stockade, but for how long? Some in Aquitaine are content to wait to let the city leaders do their job, but others may not be willing to wait.

There are some that are willing to take the fight back to the kobold tribes, and end the threat once and for all.

Dramatis Personae

Julienne
Aedilred Runecutter
Miro Teague
Lee Chung
Marco Galvos