Our hero's ( in No particular order)
Sigmis the Grim (Tiefling Ardent cross class Paladin)
Esnwe Silkfoot (Halfling Rogue)
Ehldran of Kov (Human Cleric)
Urian (Human Ranger)
Bergotim (Dwarf Fighter)
Trovian Endor (Half elf Wizard)
Met at the command of the high priest of the library of Ioun on Fairhaven to investigate apparent proof of the existence of the artefact the Lenz of Timuz, which was hither to believed to be legendary & long destroyed if not mythical a tale thought up to teach mortals that there where limits to mortal reach and ambition.
It seemed that the high priest had evidence of its actual existence some where in the Cairngorm mountains a place of evil reputation & where the last great warrior Emperor had driven the remains of the first Gnoll army a human generation before the troubles which felled the Empire.
The Evidence was in the form of a raving survivor and the journal of an explorer priest of Ioun who's party had gone missing a year previously in the moon hills the survivor was apparently the exploratory party's ranger who had left the temple a lad of seventeen on his first field trip & returned a veteran of thirty seven and apparently incurably insane a year latter having walked unharmed out of the Cairngorms into Winterhaven. Whilst the priests of Ioun where unable to cure the man's mind they did read the party leaders journal and ascertain that the ageing was natural not magical.
Our hero's briefed on the content of the journal became aware that the original team when missing exploring a truly ancient ruin in the Moon hills, little more than lumps & bumps. The original team had found some hitherto unknown under works. Exploring these under works the explorers came across what seemed to be a teleport circle, a very rare find.
Triggering this the original party where transported to an equally ancient underground structure. Seeking a way out the group encountered a great device which if the original party's priest translated the inscriptions on it correctly was the fabled Lenz of Timuz
Unable to find a way out the original party leader decided to use the lenz to escape operating it according to the instructions translated by her the party did indeed go else where. At this point the story from the journal becomes confusing. Shortly after the use of the Lenz the original group leader disappears suddenly & unexpectedly and the writing of the party journal falls into the hands of other members of the party and becomes much more sporadic & confused before eventually petering out completely the time scale of this section is unclear but it seems to be months rather than the years which have passed for the survivor.
Travelling on horse south of
Fairhaven our Hero's moved through farm land and managed woods small villages and hamlets where people tried to get on with their lives as they always had under the watchful eyes of increasingly nervous men at arms and militia.
Finally our hero's encountered a group of mounted militia on the road who gave warning that they had been trying to reach a small settlement called
Eliscote on the edge of the wilderness of the
Moon hills when they had been ambushed in a sunken lane by a company of about thirty Gnolls a creature unknown in this region till a few months ago, the militia turned and ran without engaging and escaped with loss by dint of hard ridding.
Approaching the point of the reported ambush, our hero's saw a dead horse and a slain militia man in a sunken lane ahead but no sign of any Gnolls. Urian the ranger & Esnwe Silkfoot the rogue went ahead to scout but Urian stood on a stick and its snap was answered by an arrow from a hidden Gnoll archer & a wild ululating yell & a spear from a nearer hidden warrior. the Gnolls not having seen Esnwe concentrated on the unlucky Urian whilst Esnwe slid into the shadows of the hedge, quickly dispatching the Gnoll archer with a sling bullet, and eventually the lone warrior whilst it beat on Urien with an axe & Urien missed with his bow, failed to evade gave up and waved his short sword ineffectually at the Gnoll. Whilst Esnwe plied her sling and slew the Gnoll after several shots.
Exploring the ambush site found little of interest and as the day was drawing on our Hero's decided to press on reaching a small farm after darkness.
To be continued.........
Ginger
