A Letter of Validation

Mendez dresses and packs quickly but quietly. Leaving the two girls wages and an equal amount again on the bed side dresser, he slips out the door.
At the reception, he orders some breakfeast to be sent to the room with his compliments. He then strides outside and while waiting for his horse, re-reads the letter.

Dear Son Mendez,
Although I disaproved of you leaving for a life of adventure, I have need of your skills now.
A large band of bandits have been raiding the neighbouring farms recently and yesterday we were targeted. Your Uncle Mendoza and some of the farm hands attempted to stop them, but there were too many. Several of our men were killed and your Uncle was lucky to escape with his life.
Please come home as quickly as you can. I have sent Sinbad of the Hampster men in his skyboat to meet you in Seawells main harbour.
Your loving Father,
Esteban.

Mendez stuffs the letter into his shirt as a stable boys leads up his horse. Tossing the boy a gold coin and whistling for his falcon, Mendez spurs on his horse and gallops toward the harbour.

What’s this Adventurer doing in my Wood?

Using his meagre survival skills, Thesis makes do with wild berries and what are hopefully mushrooms. Moving deeper into the forest, Thesis is surprised a few days later by four Elves dressed in camouflage greens. They appear out of the foliage with their long swords drawn, but signal that the hulking Thesis should not draw his.
Without the back-up of his friends, Thesis capitulates. He could probably take out these four without much effort, but what if he’s being over confident?
“What are you doing near the hidden Elven village?”
“What hidden Elven village?”
“What?”
“What?”
“Is there a hidden Elven village around here?”
“What have you heard? Who's been talking?”
Realising that he’s going to get nothing from these overtly defensive Elves, Thesis begs for some food and continues on.

Bear Faced Cheek

The trees become more and more intrusive until finally Thesis can no longer gallop atop his horse. It’s actually a relief to dismount and lead his horse along the forest tracks.
On the first night within the forest though, he is awakened by his whinnying horse. Grabbing his mighty sword, Thesis roars as he springs to his feet.
He’s too late. All he can see is a massive, shaggy shape disappear into the undergrowth. An unbelievably impudent bear has made off with the majority of his food supplies.
Thesis shakes his head. What fool taught a wild bear that food was easily found near humans?

One is the Loneliest Number

Riding at a fast trot, Thesis swiftly passes farm after farm. After a few days though, they begin to thin out until he finds himself riding through open land.
There are paths to follow and although confident he is on the right track, he would prefer to be with his friends… Especially during the night.

The:sis/ology

Thesis staggers down the stairs from his room in the Inn. His head's pounding from too much ale the night before. What he needs to alleviate it, is a large plate, piled high with various deep fried meats.
Looking around Thesis is puzzled to see none of his friends, but a few mumbled questions solves the query.
They’ve all left!
Several hours ago!
Without him!
Reassuring himself that it must be an oversight, Thesis stumbles back upstairs to pack his belongings.
After an hour or so, he’s ready to leave. First though he quickly visits the nearest church of Kord. It’s not much of a church, more of a Gym really. Still there's a cleric of greater theological experience than himself.
Thesis is greeted by Nold-Ar, a large muscular man in his late 40’s. “Welcome Thesis. How's the world with you today?”
Thesis explains his situation and his disbelief regarding his friends leaving without him.
“Frankly my boy, I cannot fathom how you put up with the Elf, Eolar and all his holier than thou ways. Doesn’t he make your blood boil?”
Thesis can’t help but agree. Still Eolar is a friend.
“Listen, I happen to know that he's taken a band of St Cuthbertian acolytes up towards the Forbidden lands in the hope of taking over some church of Chaos. I think some of your other friends went along with him. Follow them and if you want. Catch up to them if you can. Remember this though… Do you really want to help Eolar destroy and then take over a church of Chaos? Hell, it might even be one of ours!”

Law and (K)order

At the end of the meeting, Cabel En guestures Eolar forward. “All of your friends… other than Thesis. From what I’ve been informed, he’s a follower of Kord. Why are you travelling with such a man?”
Eolar shrugs an apology but can’t really dispute his leaders question.
“Tolerating some erratic behaviour is one thing, but accepting a cleric of one of the Gods of Chaos is quite another. Even if it is one of the minor ones.”
Again, Eolar can’t argue. Thesis’ allegiance to Kord has rankled ever since he anounced it.
After leaving Cabel En’s chambers and meeting his eager if unprepared acolytes, Eolar recruits all of his old friends except Thesis, the errant Bodush and Mendez. He would have asked Mendez too, but he had left suddenly the day before without a word to anyone.

A Letter (from) Home

A timid knock on the door rouses Mendez from his slumber. Slipping from the King sized bed and flinging open the door, he stands unembarrased by his nakedness or the two women fast asleep on the bed behind him.
The boy messenger passes over a sealed envelope which Mendez tears open immediately.
After a few seconds, Mendez orders the boy to fetch his horse and slams the door.

A Short Interruption

Durin comes looking for Mendez, hoping to borrow some gold from his unbelievably prosperous friend.
Mendez takes a break from his whoring and drinking to listen to his Dwarven friend’s request. With a smile he tosses Durin a small leather bag containing 4,000gp worth of gems. Several hundred more than Durin had requested. "It's always better to have some spare cash. Pay me back when you're able."
With a wink, Mendez buries his face back between the large, milky white breasts of the hostess on his lap.

Better Late Than Never

Before setting off with his companions on their new quest to restore an ancient church, Chen releases the carrier pigeon. The story it carries, he feels, would sit well amongst the other historical tomes back at the monastery. An epic tale of power struggles, good versus evil, mythological creatures, sacrifice and heroism. At last! He is finally a part of these stories himself.

Until now his reports had only included the savage slaughter of defenseless zombies and the accidental killing of stubborn guards. This tale, however, was far different - and much more worthy of being told to the acolytes.

He recalls how he wrote about the powerful druids, the massive elementals, and the horde of werewolves who all but overwhelmed his brave companions. Of course modesty forced him to play down his role. Yes - it was he who 'rescued' the White Lady, thus saving Mendez and Durin, but to imply that he had singlehandedly resolved the situation would be too far a stretch of the truth! While he might wish for those days to come, he knew his limits. Could he ever dream to be as powerful as the White Lady? Should he ever dream to be as powerful as the White Lady? What would he do with this power if he did ever possess it?

A shudder went through him. He had sworn to protect Balance, but would power tempt him one way or the other? He already had witnessed how 'good' people behaved once they were given an opening - the Church of St Cuthbert was supposed to be good, but the power vacuum in Seawell had a strange effect on these clerics and they had dispatched Hextor's clerics with such pre-meditated precision that it had seemed almost... evil?

And now of course, he was supposed to help them spread their word even further - into the Forbidden Lands. While he had no hesitation in helping his friends Eolar and Elogyn, he was concerned that the line between Good and Evil was becoming somewhat unclear to him. With such actions taking place in the name of Good, he could only hope that Evil was thriving elsewhere!

The thought occured to him that, should this trend continue, he may be oathbound to take action to restore Balance to the area himself...

The XP-Factor

The trouble with being kind and groovy is that you don't kill anything and steal their stuff.
Apart from the 500gp each of you got from the Church of St Cuthbert, you got nothing!

As for experience...

Eolar: Level 11, 63534 xp
Elogyn: Level 8, 33497 xp
Durin: Level 10, 51667 xp
Wer: Level 10, 51570 xp
Chen Yong: Level 8, 35656 xp
Ned: Level 6, 19264 xp
Thesis: Level 10, 45174 xp
Bodush: Level 9, 40431 xp
Mendez: Level 11, 65421 xp

No one went up a level. Not even Ned and Chen! (Sorry Chen.)

Still you're moving up towards the Chaos of the forbidden lands where the villains are more obvious.

Magic from the Valley

Shown below is what people wanted and the price they have to pay to get them.

Thesis:
Full plate +3 (Silent Moves) (7,200gp)

Durin:
Shield (heavy metal)+1 (Bashing) (2085gp) or Shield (heavy metal)+4 (Ghost touch) (24,585gp) Which one can he afford?
Dwarfen waraxe +1 (20ft light radius around axe): (1,165gp)

Wer:
Small Leather armour +1 (580gp)
Cloak of Elvenkind :(1,250gp)

Mendez:
Studded leather +3 (Slick) (6,387gp)
Potion: Shield of Faith +2 (25gp)
Potion: Shield of Faith +2 (25gp)
Potion: Hide from Undead (25gp)
Potion of moderate healing: (150gp)
Potion of moderate healing: (150gp)

Chen:
Bag of Holding (Type 1) :(1,250gp)

Who got what from Telfis and when will they pay for it?

Eolar:
Crossbow +2 (Light/Frost dmg+1d6)
(Eolar has to find an additional 1,970gp to buy this items!)
Not worth buying the bolts as they don't stack with magic crossbow.

Chen:
6x Dust of Dryness
Plus: 4,648gp

Durin:
Horn of Blasting
(Durin has to find an additional 2,802gp to buy this item!)

Ned:
Jewel encrusted dagger (+1)
Plus: 6,047gp

Mendez:
Ring of Feather Falling
Potion of Sanctuary
Plus: 6,073gp

Unclaimed: Headband of Intellect +6 (18000gp)
Studded Leather +1 (588gp)

Eolar vs the Mountain

Elolar spreads his hands in petition, “Oh Great St Cuthbert, answer me please. If I summon an Earth elemental, will it be able to protect us from the bolders?”

There is a (very) long delay before the answer comes…

“OVER THE WATER IT WILL NOT GO.
AGAINST THE ROCKS IT WILL STUMBLE AND SLOW.
A BARRIER PERHAPS FOR A MOMENT OR SO.
ULTIMATELY A FAILURE. THE ANSWER IS NO!”

Regarding the Troops

Eolar looked at the group that gathered in front of him in the yard. His six old students were standing on the left. Next to them he could see the ten students Cabal En had sent to meet him. He looked at the list: Adalard, Baltasar, Eckerd, Griswald, Verner, Halag, Kathe, Magnilda and Selma. How should he be able to remember all these names? He looked up. They didn't really look like fighters, except for the one at the back. That must be the young fighter Cabal En was talking about. Cotis was his name. Also not the determined look of an experienced fighter! How should he fulfill his mission with this bunch?
He looked to Elogyn who was standing next to him. "Not really the same fighting power as a group of well trained mercenaries, is it? And from what I could gather from the old reports, that would be what we need to take this church!"
Elogyn looked at the faces of the group. "With St.Cuthbert on our side, we can achieve everything...but I agree, it would be easier with some experienced fighters".

Eolar went over to the group. "Hands up, who has some experience using these weapons you are holding? Yes?" He looked at a taller cleric "Griswald, Master. We all had fighting lessons from Gondart who has taught us how to use the weapon of St.Cuthbert" "Ok, Griswald, step forward and show what old Gondart taught you about mace fighting!"
Griswald moved forward, looking nervously at the others who slowly moved round to form a semi-circle. Some of the old students started smiling and sniggering. Gondart took a classic by-the-book defense position, holding his shield in front and the mace shakily in his right hand. Eolar looked at Elogyn who tried to hide her smile. He feinted twice and then, with a quick movement to the left, disarmed the surprised Gondart. The new students stopped smiling and Eolar could hear them gasp. He looked again at Elogyn "I'll go to the pub and will try to find and convince the others. We need some help!"

Another Year Wiser

We've been adventuring a while now and there have been breaks between adventures, so everyone's character excluding the newcomers Chen and Ned (and obviously not the currently dead Telfis) should age themselves one year.
Also, everyone should have an exact knowledge of how much money they have. If you're not sure, then all you have is your haul from your last adventure.
If you can't keep track of your wealth, neither can your character and they have squandered it away.
I'll be checking on Thursday!
Everyone debit one of the following amounts for living expenses:
Free board and food (e.g. Eolar): 0gp
Frugal living (e.g. Chen): 50gp
Standard adventurer's living (e.g. Thesis): 500gp
Extravagent living (e.g. Mendez): 1000gp
Lastly anyone who wants any of the equipment from the last adventure should make their request on Dungeon Tales before the game tomorrow. It's too late for arguments now, so first come, first get.

Two’s Company, Twenty One’s a Flock.

It’s a few weeks later when Eolar receives the call he’s been waiting for. He is in Cabal En’s chamber within minutes of the summons.
“That was quick Eolar. Are you in such a hurry to be away from here?”
The old man’s smile disarms any offense.
“As you are well aware from your past exploits, we of the order of St Cuthbert see it as our duty to eradicate Chaos and disorder. We want you to take over a so called temple of Chaos on the boarders of the ‘Forbidden lands’. Not much is known about it other that it promotes both War and Chaos.”
The High priest pauses for a moment and smiles again.
“The council thinks you are the perfect candidate for this mission. No pure cleric could find their way through such difficult terrain or be able to combat such disorder. It is supposedly difficult to access but little is truly known about it as no-one from our Order has been in that region for centuries.”
On noticing that Eolar is no longer smiling, the old priest continues.
“Remember, you will have the now Paladin Elogyn to help you as well as fifteen acolytes. I will even send one of the Cathedral guards to aid you. Brave Cotis has specifically requested he accompanies you and the young priests. You'll also have those two magnificent war horses of yours... And that old mule. If you still feel the need for you ‘friends’ help, the church is prepared to offer a ‘protection’ fee of say five hundred gold coins… each?”

A New Mission

While studying the ancient texts in the Cathedral’s private library, Eolar is summoned before the High priest Cabal En.
Entering the grand chamber with his head bowed, Eolar speaks softly, “You called for me your Holiness?”.
“Ah Eolar, come and kneel before me. I wanted to thank you for your part in the rout of the clerics of Hextor. Your combat prowess proved most useful and the young acolytes you led spoke very highly of you.”
Eolar swells with pride as Cabal En continues.
“The problem the council has is that, despite your best efforts, they don’t think you fit very well into this cloistered environment. Perhaps it’s your insistence to further your childhood forest ways. Perhaps your half blood heritage makes it impossible for you to focus fully on the teachings of St Cuthbert?”.
Anger starts to replace the pride Eolar felt moments before.
“Ah Eolar, don’t be upset. I didn’t mean to imply you weren’t worthy. The council simply feels that your talents could be used to better effect. We want you to take the zealot Elogyn, your current students and possibly nine or ten more, and establish your own church in the less established lands.”
Eolar continues to listen and a smile forms on his lips.
“As soon as we discover a suitable area we’ll let you know.”
Eolar retreats backwards from the room and, as soon as he’s out of sight from the old man, the smile turns into a beam. His own church!

Telfis' legacy

Ok, my last post now to finish everything from my adventure!!

After Telfis' heroic showdown, his possessions have to be distributed! Here is a list:

7 Crossbow bolts (Frost dmg+1d6) (58gp/each)
Crossbow +2 (Light/Frost dmg+1d6) (9168gp)
6x Dust of Dryness (425gp/each)
Headband of Intellect +6 (18000gp)
Horn of Blasting (10000gp)
Jewel encrusted dagger (+1) (1151gp)
Masterwork Thieves tools (50gp)
MWk Fife (50gp)
Piton (0.1)
Potion of Sanctuary (25gp)
Ring of Feather Falling (1100gp)
Studded Leather +1 (588gp)

+ standard adventuring goods

This small guy was loaded with stuff!!! :D
Ok, we have to distribute that. Who is interested? Eolar might be interested in the crossbow as he doesn't want to be front-line fighter anymore ;-)

A Fight for St.Cuthbert

The wooden door opened after Eolar knocked in a strange pattern. An old man nodded at them and Eolar and Elogyn walked in. The old man led them silently down to the basement and lifted a wooden trapdoor in the floor of one of the rooms. They entered a tunnel made of stone which, from the looks of it, definitely wasn't used for a while. Elogyn looked around "Where are we??" The door above them closed and Eolar made his holy symbol glow in a silvery light. "We are in one of the old tunnels that connect some of the more important buildings in Seawell. They are almost forgotten and had been used in old times by the leaders of the churches and councils. We still have the maps in the library, but the tunnels were mostly sealed a long time ago."
"And what are our orders here?" "To wait" Eolar smiled and sat down.

Over the day more and more fighters arrived at the door - alone or in small groups - and were led down to the tunnel. In the late afternoon a group of 20 fighters - humans and dwarfs - were sitting silently in the tunnel around small light sources. After another two dwarfen paladins arrived, Eolar got up. It was already dark outside now and the group got ready. Eolar lead them down the tunnel for 30mins and Elogyn guessed that they must be close to the main temple of Hextor. They stopped and Eolar gave out orders. Finally Elogyn understood what their purpose was. They would break through a wall into the main temple and overwhelm the high priests in a short but effective attack. Eolar said there shouldn't be much resistance as the majority of the guards was sent away and only a small core force was left. The group prepared for battle and moved on silently till they reached a dead end.

After a short preparation and some hand signs, two of the clerics put their hands on the wall at the end and the stone crumbled down as mud. Still moving silently the group went through the basement of the temple and worked their way up. Eolar had distributed maps of the temple and at some corridors parts of the group nodded and went another way. It was all over within 30 minutes. As Eolar had said, there was only a core guard left and they were easily overpowered. They found the high council in the main meeting room debating over a map of an area outside Seawell. It was short but fierce fight. After it was over, they forced the unconscious or bound and gagged priests into a smaller room guarding them well. Eolar sent two of the fighters back to the church of St.Cuthbert to report back. It all had happened so fast and without problems and Elogyn was wondering what all the other paladins and clerics that she had seen the day before, were doing. She had heard that even more had gathered outside Seawell.

At the first light of the next day a few carriages arrived and brought the prisoners back to the church. The temple was locked and Elogyn could see a group of fighters and craftsmen fortifying it. "What are they doing?" "We don't expect the church of Hextor giving up on their main temple. A major attack is expected, but we will be prepared!"
Back at the church Elogyn saw Eolar going to the main council and took the time to ask around for information. She found out that their raid was only a small part of a massive coordinated attack on all temples and meeting places of Hextor within Seawell. And some dwarfs said they are still waiting for word from the attacks outside the walls. She could see prisoners coming in from all over Seawell but also news about friends killed in action reached the church. She could feel a mixed mood in the yard. It was a mixture of excitement, grief and expectation. They were all waiting for some news on the success of the whole battle.

The news arrived later that afternoon in form of a speech by the high council from one of the balconies. The crowd cheered after full success was announced! The united forces of St.Cuthbert and Moradin had crushed the forces of Hextor all along the line. All major council members had been imprisoned and only few others were still being hunted down. It had all begun with a fake attack on some outlying paladin barracks of Hextor, information of which had been leaked to people of Hextor the days before. The plan had been to lure the main strike force of Hextor to this region to then attack all 12 temples in and around Seawell at the same time. The council of Hextor in their arrogance had fallen for it. After news about the attacks had reached the forces of Hextor and forced them to hurry back, they were ambushed by a main strike force half way to Seawell and after a short but bloody battle had been forced to surrender. It would take years for Hextors followers who had tried to undermine and replace the city council, to recover and the church of St.Cuthbert, now the strongest church in Seawell, could now start to rebuild the local government. The position of Boscorm as major was now strengthened and the towns' council backed up by the church. The church was holding all strings in their hands. Order was restored.

Treasure Update

They were walking away from the small ceremony at Telfis' statue near the white tower when the white lady lead them to one of the lower rooms of the tower. "After the battle we found many items on the yard and the rest of the battlefield. I think it is more than fair that this should be yours as you fought the battle and saved our lives. Take whatever you want. I know it is only a small reward but we hope we can make up for what you did sometime in the future".
The heroes gathered round a few shelves with items and started to have a look:

fancy cloak, silver wolf fur (610 gp)
ancient calendar, embellished with turquoise (729.2 gp)
anklechain, made of wrought silver and gold (181.3 gp)
black velvet mask with numerous citrines (62.9 gp)
gold medallion with a ruby gemstone (1,436.7 gp)
gold platter, beaten and pierced, 2 feet x 1 foot oval (76.6 gp)
miniature scale airship (961.8 gp)
ornamental silver skullcap, with gold inlaid runes and an onyx set above the brow (796.3 gp)
platinum bottle stopper with emerald crown (926.2 gp)
red gold ring, coiled snake with ruby eyes (105.8 gp)
509 pp

Experience from the Valley

Finally the experience from last adventure! Although you were facing a whole army, you had mighty players on your side (elder elementals, Lorna). So you didn't get experience for 100 healthy wolves :)

Here we go:

Mendez: Level 11, 64475 xp
Eolar: Level 11, 62674 xp
Durin: Level 10, 50807 xp
Wer: Level 10, 50710 xp
Thesis: Level 10, 45174 xp
Bodush: Level 9, 40431 xp
Chen Yong: Level 8, 34896 xp
Elogyn: Level 8, 32873 xp
Ned: Level 6, 18404 xp (UP!)

That means (under normal circumstances) that Mendez, Eolar, Chen, Ned and Elogyn level next adventure!

Monsters for Good

Eight Months Ago, at the lower gate of Owlbear valley, a small group of survivors debate their future.
Princess Lyseu places her delicate white hand on Ortos’ now shaggy forearm. “We can’t go back home. Not looking the way we do.”
Although avoiding looking at her ruined face, the massive Ortos stoops to answer her. “You’re wrong. Although your Father, the King, would be upset, he would make sure you were safe and well cared for.”
“Safe perhaps, but he would lock me away from prying eyes. I would never be free again. You and the Orcs would be killed as monsters and poor Selmars and Gellis would be reduced to begging in the streets”
“What then? Where can we go?”
Selmars and Gelless join them. They are getting quite used to the harness created by the Dwarves. Armless Selmars does the carrying; trucated Gelless does the holding.
“Well we can’t go home looking like this and there’s no point going on to our appointment with the prince. I suppose we could try to make a life here?”
The two Orcs shrug as best they can considering their missing arms. The Broken Lance tribe is no more and no other Orc war camp would take them now. They'd be killed on sight.
Ortos looks at his enormous clawed hands and then he looks at his companions: the piggy backed Selmars and Gelless, the two one armed Orcs and his faceless princess.
“I suppose just because we look like monsters, we don't have to behave like it”

What, No Reward?!

I can't believe that we got no financial reward for saving the Green lady (Younger) or the White lady!
Assuming the party travels back to Seawell unmolested and also assuming any magical items wanted are purchased from the party at the costs listed below, these are our monetary rewards:

Wer: 1x Fiery yellow Corundum (1200gp)/ 1 x orange Spinel (525gp) / 25pp / 16,221gp / 8sp

Thesis: 1x Fiery yellow Corundum (1200gp)/ 1 x Emerald (500 gp) / 25pp / 16,246gp / 8sp

Chen: 2 x Blue Saphire (950gp each) / 25pp / 16,146gp / 8sp

Mendez: 1x Star Ruby (1500gp) / 1 x Demantoid (118gp) / 3 x Chrystolite (50gp each) / 25pp / 16,175gp / 8sp

Durin: 1 x Fiery yellow Corundum (1200gp) / 1 x Fire Opal (800gp) / 14,146gp / 8sp

Bodush: 25pp / 796gp

Ned: Ned risked her life for nothing. That sucks!

Mark this up on your character sheets. Everyone should know exactly how much treasure they have.

All the magic listed below is assumed sold already. If any party member wants anything from it though, declare what you want and deduct the price shown from personal gold. If there is any item wanted by two or more characters, highest bid wins.

Longsword +2/Defending (9,008gp)
Composite Longbow+1Str (+1) +1 (1250gp)
Full plate +3 (Silent Moves) (7,200gp)
Hide armour +1 (582gp)
Shield (heavy,metal) +1 (Bashing) (2085gp )
Shield (heavy,metal) +4 (Ghost touch) (24,585gp)
Shield (heavy,steel) +1 (585gp)
Leather armour +1 (580gp)
Studded leather +3 (Slick) (6,387gp)
Half plate +3 (Fortification, light) (8,375gp)
Bastard sword +1 (1,167gp)
Bastard sword +1 (Defending) (4,175gp)
Dwarven Urgrosh +2 (4,175gp)
Potion: Shield of Faith +2 (25gp)
Potion: Shield of Faith +2 (25gp)
Potion: Hide from Undead (25gp)
Scroll 1: Invisibility (L2,CL3) : (75gp)
Scroll 2: Flaming Sphere (L2,CL3) : (75gp)
Scroll 3: Shocking Grasp (L1,CL1), Mage Armour (L1,CL1), Haste (L3,CL5): (212gp)
Dwarfen waraxe +1 (20ft light radius around axe): (1,165gp)
Bag of Holding (Type 1) :(1,250gp)
Cloak of Elvenkind :(1,250gp)
Potion of moderate healing: (150gp)
Potion of moderate healing: (150gp)

Here Lies Telfis Banner

And what a fantastic liar he was.

Drowning in Bosoms and Brandy

Life in his home city had always been easy for Mendez. Easy women, easy friendships and a rich father to bail him out. It was all such a game.
Now though, after a year of adventuring, life doesn’t seem so simple.
Risking his life hadn’t felt real until his young companion Telfis lay dead at his feet. He had initially dismissed the boy as a ragamuffin, but over time he realised that they were very much alike. If Mendez hadn’t had the love and security of a wealthy family, he would probably have ended up much the same way.
So now, after the dust of battle has settled, Mendez mopes in a bar. Despite the women and booze, he can’t help feeling lost.

Celebrated Heroes

It was the day of the big celebration! They had spent two relaxing days at the green tower and had been treated like heroes. It seemed as every valley dweller wanted to meet and thank them for their help. But they also sensed the sadness and grief behind the scenes. Most people they had met had lost one or more family members in the fights. Mendez and Durin mostly enjoyed the food and drink that had been available all the time while Chen studied the history of the valley. Ned and Wer could feel the energy of the tower flowing through them, strengthening their powers and had followed the local druids to learn as much as they can.
On Mendez' request, Lorna had sent a group of people to the dwarf's fortress to pick up the belongings they had to leave behind and most importantly recover Telfis' mortal remains. Chen had suggested that the remaining villagers who had accomodated them twice should get the remaining goods and tools to rebuild their village. Lorna also agreed to identify all magic items after Mendez had asked her for help.

They arrived together with all the druids at the centre of the valley where the four paths met two hours before sunset. They had once camped not far from here and were astonished how much the place had changed. While traces of the battle could still be seen in the forests, the simple crossing had disappeared. A large marble-like square had been built out of a hat, surrounded by pillars and covered by a flat stone roof, covered with ornate carvings. The whole structure was tripartite, each part in the colour of the corresponding tower and was obviously designed as a meeting place. Loranna told them that they had decided to rule the valley together from now on so that recent history would not repeat itself. The rulers of the three towers would act as a triumvirate to ensure peace and solve discrepancies. Chen looked surprised "But there is no black ruler I thought?" "True, but sooner or later a worthy successor will emerge and he or she will then be part of this council!"

After the celebrations which went on far into the night, the party left together with Lorna, Loranna and the white lady for the white tower. There was one thing left to do: They had to say good-bye to their friend. They were standing in a circle around the white statue of Telfis near the white tower overlooking the lake and the valley. It was made out of the same white chrystal and even in the night was glowing with a faint white light. They had placed Telfis' body on an altar underneath the statue and one by one had spoken a few words in commemoration. The white lady had sealed the chamber with Tefis' body and the group stayed at the white tower before heading for the valley mouth the next morning, where the two mistresses bid the party farewell. "We are going to hide the entrance for now to keep unwanted visitors outside. You know the way and are always welcome to return. The songs with your names will be heard for a long time within these mountains and don't hesitate to ask for help if in need!" Attired with pride and joined by Feren, the boy they had saved, the heroes left for the village. After a mile of silence, Mendez was the first to ask "How do you think they can hide the whole valley?" Chen just smiled an pointed backwards. All they could see was a mountain range stretching all the way from left to right. "It seems that the illusionary power of the white tower is immense!"

They reached the village a day later and brought Feren to his mother Sibilla who cried in joy. Just before they left, Sibilla handed Chen a longsword wrapped in cloth. "It was the sword of his father. Please take it! He will never be a fighter and I think you or one of your friends can use it to do good. It will be more use in the hands of heroes." After visiting the major and telling him that he needn't worry any more about the wolves they went to the inn "Three Witches" again to stay for the night. The major had asked them to keep the 10000gp they had recovered from the mercenaries. Sitting in the pub and trying to answer all the questions without giving away any information about the valley, they saw the confused hunter coming in "The...the..valley is gone! There is just mountain where the entrance once was" All the people looked surprised at the group. They just smiled at each other "As we said, you don't have to fear the valley anymore. It is gone!"