The retrieval of the
Banner of Athena by the party enables
the city of
Zothay and the Temple of
Athena to start planning
the last phase of their scheme to liberate the city.
Zothay first of all wish to neutralise the Redrock Orcs who were the allies of the
Skandiks in the last war.
In a covert operation the party infiltrate the town of
Horaja and take out the Orcs leaders including their feared
magic users.
Zothay declares is independence from
Ossary to great jubilation from the population. The Temple of Athena
assures the citizens that the city will not fall a second time.
The Temple of
Odin in Zothay throws its weight behind the rebellion leading
to many Skandiks siding with the citizens.
The party are sent to
infiltrate Ossary and discover in the Temple of
Loki that Zothay's move has been anticipated and the warfleet
of Ossary has already set sail. Further Loki has made an alliance with an evil sea god to
use a fiendish kraken to cause a tsunami to swamp Zothay. The party ask the
Seer for help and he provides them with the location of the
portal the kraken uses to enter the Material Plane. The party ambush and kill the kraken at
the portal and then catch up with the Skandik fleet just as it reaches Zothay. Ossary's leaders
(which include an avatar of Loki himself)
are dismayed that the kraken has not appeared and soon find that the city's defences have
been upgraded. They are even more dismayed when the party drop in on their boat which leads to
a complete route of the invasion.
The party are richly rewarded both by the city and the Temple for their efforts. News soon
arrives that the Temple of Odin in Ossary has regained its power and influence in that city.
The party are now free to help Sir Isfahan in his quest but the Seer cautions them that their
task is more complex than it seems. First they must discover what the Black Adders of
Viridistan are up to in
the southern city of
Rallu. Midge goes to Rallu to find the Black
Adders are interested in the followers of
Natch Ur and
Mycr in that city. Receiving word that the Black Adders are also
in Zothay Midge returns to that city and sends for
Hanna, leaving a mercenary warlock (on 20,000gp/day plus expenses)
to watch Black Adders in Rallu.
The party descend on Rallu intent on finding out what is going on by hook or by crook (mostly
the latter). By observing and interrogating the Black Adders they piece together the following
story. A long time ago a Natch Ur priest defected to the Mycretians. He fled to Rallu where there
was a Mycretian community. The Natch Ur hierarchy was furious and pursued him there but never
found him (although they have maintained a presence in the city ever since). In the coup
that brought the current Green Emperor to power it was widely believed that all the family
of the old Emperor had been slaughtered. There was, however, a rumour that the Mycretians had
managed to smuggle a child out of the palace and that it had been taken to Rallu. The Black
Adders, however, pursued the lead at the time but could find no trace of him/her.
Now suddenly the Green Emperor has ordered the Black Adders to re-investigate the rumour.
They themselves think they are on a wild goosechase.
Midge decides to find out what the Mycretians know and they explain that they have ways
of keeping secrets so that they cannot be revealed. After attending a Mycretian service outside
the city they are taken to a secret site in the jungle. There in a hidden chamber a young
Mycretian boy is given the information needed to track down the lost heir to the Imperial Throne.
After a long sea voyage the party are taken to an island where they find an abandoned homestead and
a grave. There the lost heir is buried as was his wife 'Gilraen daughter of Henna'. The trail seems
to have ended until they work out that the couple might have had offspring and that they know
someone called Henna. Could it be the same person (she would have to be at least 150 years old now
but they know she is at least 97 and looks 40)?
The party track down Henna in
Damkina where she is staying with her younger brother,
a charmingly reckless youth who appears to answer only to the name 'Speedy'. She does
admit that she is indeed the mother of Gilrean and that she also knows the whereabouts
of her granddaughter, Keva, namely nearby in the keep belonging to Eluriel where she is
acting as steward (small world eh?). The party explain to Keva that their forthcoming
exploits (rescuing a mer-queen from the dungeons of the Emperor) might mean that a
new Emperor will be needed (they omit to mention the very real risk of a new palace also being
needed). While they prepare for their rescue mission news comes that Henna has been
kidnapped by agents of the Emperor and that 'Speedy' is also nowhere to be found.
A ransom note suggests that Henna will only be released if 'the girl' is brought to
the Emperor.
Via the Mycretians the party find that Henna is being held in a maze beneath
the palace from which noone has ever emerged alive. The party break into the palace
and then the maze leaving Hanna Sir Isfahan and the warlock on the outside as insurance just in
case everything goes horribly wrong. The maze has an anti-magic field and lots of traps
and the party are pursued by Black Adders. Happily someone appears to have disarmed all
the traps and the party slay all the Black Adders that pursue them even without the use of
their magic items