The world, thus far...

[derka110]

"Realms, both wondrous and dire, border the world. One such realm is the Shadowfell. Although not inherently evil, the Shadowfell is fraught with dangers, and the barrier between worlds can be thin. Sometimes the darkness breaks into the light.
Nearly two hundred years ago, a cult of the demon prince Orcus purposely created such a gap, connecting one of Orcus’s unholy Shadowfell sites to the world. Skeletons, zombies, and fouler creatures flooded through the rift into the light of day. The empire of Nerath dispatched legionnaires to eliminate the threat. The empire’s soldiers destroyed the undead, sealed the opening, and built a keep to watch over the location and contain the threat. This is the site known as the Keep on the Shadowfell.
Decades of peace followed, and the village of Winterhaven arose within sight of the keep. Eventually, the great fort fell into ruins and its grand purpose forgotten. Today, it is seen as a harmless tumble of stone and wood.
If only that were true.
Time passes and empires fall, and even Nerath wasn’t immune to the ravages of time. The once-great human empire collapsed almost a century ago, and only memories of its glory remains. Deep within the ruins of the keep, the magic seal crafted by the Nerath wizards continues to protect the rift, but time has begun to erode even this powerful magic. Moreover, the cult of Orcus has returned to the site, intent on finishing what its ancient brethren started.

A young priest of the Great Church of Pelor here in Fallcrest - the once proud capital city of the Nerathian empire - has received word of the cult's activity and implores you and your companions to go to Winterhaven in the west, investigate if there is any death cult activity, and, if so, stamp it out. She recognizes the danger of this endeavor and offers a 300 gp reward for bringing back proof that the cult has been destroyed and its plan disrupted."

[derka110]

So far you and your companions have made it to the small town of Winterhaven, served the town's mayor by eradicating a large contingent of bandits in the area (Remember the cave with the waterfall and the whole prison scene? Remember resorting to sexuality and poo-throwing to escape? Well done.) Upon returning, a distraught wife of paleontologist Douvan Stahl begs you to find the whereabouts of her husband. After a bit of traveling, you discover a bossy gnome backed by a few human rabble and a couple raptors have kidnapped Douvan and hi-jacked his dig site. After defeating the diminutive digger and his companions, you free Douvan and gain a long buried artifact and a small locket from him in reward for your actions. His wife further rewards you upon return to Winterhaven before the two take their leave of the place. After completing these two side quests, you remember your original purpose (to root out any cult activity in the area) and continue on to the Keep on Shadowfell. You fight your way through the first couple of rooms of goblins and end up in a sort of torture chamber. There you free a captured goblin called Splug who seems more than willing to assist you in defeating his captors, so long as he can satisfy the urges of his sticky fingers. However, at this point most of you are feeling rather weary from battle and you decide to lock up the torture room and take a rest.
It is from here you will continue your quest...

Key points to remember:
-Irontooth, the bandit lord, is somehow connected with the cult activity in the area
-Kalarel, the leader of the cultists and Irontooth's employer, intends to reopen the rift under the keep and release all sorts of evil nasties, including Orcus himself, upon the world
-Kalarel has spies in Winterhaven and is aware of your activities. Be prepared for all sorts of traps and ambushes when spelunking the keep.
-With great danger comes great reward. Don't be afraid to request magicky items in the wish list thread. I'll even accept requests for mundane treasures like jewels and expensive art pieces.

[derka110]

Updates: You have explored the first floor of the keep. In your spelunking you have managed to free a very rambunctious yet runty goblin by the name of Splug who was imprisoned by the goblin commander, Bolgran, for having sticky fingers. Since his liberation, he's proven very useful by disarming screaming traps and sniffing out all sorts of shinies for the "heroes". In the process, he's also sniffed out all sorts of nasties, including a horde of rats, a very nasty blue slime, and a hive of kruthiks (lizards mixed with ants). Afterward, a guard from Winterhaven was sent to retrieve you and return you to town to take care of a small zombie problem in the local graveyard. During which you discover that the female elf that you met in the tavern all that time ago just so happened to be working for the mastermind of the Orcus Cult, Kalarel. After thwarting her evil plot, you all returned to the keep to discover Splug waiting patiently for your return. He then leads you on to the second level of the keep where you discover a room full of hobgoblins and their pet spider. After all that, you've managed to reach level four and that's where we shall continue next week.

See you then!

[derka110]

Congratulations!
You've defeated Kalarel and thwarted his attempt to reopen the rift into the Shadowfell. After an extremely arduous battle against Kalarel and a few of his stronger followers, you managed to Smite Kalarel - quite literally, thanks to Li - and send him packing. But this victory was not without cost. A member of your party - Laura's Shifter Shaman - fell in the battle. But she won't be missed for very long because as you all know, characters can die but PC's cannot. Her spirit will live on to inhabit another brave adventurer whom she will no doubt lead on to great fame and adventure along with the rest of you.

Your quest is completed. Where you go from here is entirely up to you. I look forward to seeing your next steps in your paths to becoming heroes.

[vede12]

Since were taking a few weeks off I'll record were we are at.
We began in the fire dwarf keep. We rescued all the people and arramged to meet business suit guy at the inn. We then went to kill the head dwarf and upon slaying him we got a 5000 gp hammer which we sold for 1000gp and a lock box with some gems and an obsidian demon statue wiuth ruby eyes that makes you crazy if you stare at them (asmodeous idol thing?). We then met business guy, I discerned that he was a mage of some kind, and we got a scroll for a meeting place from him. When we got to the meeting place we were ambushed or course and fell two tieflings and a metal minotaur golum. As the tieflings fell they said that they would become even more powerfull in death. We did some souveniere hunting and come up with three scrolls. A map, a message, and another message to address to a gnoll king. We are on our way to kill the gnoll king? and went to the "well of demons". We battled two chokers, a tenticle thingy, and a ghoul. Slaying them all. There are now two doors before us. One is a dark passage way and the other leads to a lit room.

[vede12]

An update for Shawn since he missed the last two Saturdays.

So fare we've been moving through a side corridor of the main under dark passage way. Its been filled mostly with gnolls and hyenas. However, as we've gone deeper we've realized it is a testing ground for cultists and have been forced to over come multiple traps and tests. We have recovered all four keys to this place like the ghosts we met at the beginning said and are now ready to fight a green dragon that is the final test, and collect its many treasures.
Some notes:
1. The bell hurst you if you grab it by the handle.
2. The dragon is poisonous and comes out of a giant pit when summoned.
3. There is a great deal of treasure maybe in its inner sanctum.
4. All the keys have to be set down at the same time and can't leave this dungeon.
5. We have so fare by passed the main tunnel and have not been able to identify scar maker the gnoll king, or paldamar the mage guy (?).
6. Also I remembered that in the store where we fought the first dweger brother we never opened that one magical door, and we have not collected the keep quest reward ywt.

[derka110]

Thanks!
Couldn't have said it better myself.

And rest assured, you will be rewarded for your efforts after Paldemar has been thwarted.
And that random door towards the back of the trading post wasn't a normal door. It was the duergar brothers' personal escape tunnel to their 'home' which would have certainly swallowed you all whole and spat out your bones. In metagame: it led to the underdark. None of you were ready and I didn't want to waste your time by giving you encounters that you would be forced to run from.

But I think I should take this opportunity to give some more background on some of the people and places you've encountered:

Seven Pillared Hall - the sole settlement under the Thunderspire. Hundreds of years ago, minotaurs founded the city of Saruun Khel in the depths below the Thunderspire mountain. Saruun Khel soon became the center of an oppressive minotaur kingdom that subjugated neighboring lands. However, three centuries ago, a battle for the throne of Saruun Khel erupted into a vicious civil war. Out of anger at the minotaurs' growing devotion to the deity Torog, the demon lord Baphomet cursed them with mindless fury. Thus, when one faction was defeated, the survivors took to battling one another until only a few minotaurs remained in the ruins of the once great city. Today, the Seven Pillared Hall is a safe haven to those who wish to prosper from the treasures of the Underdark while skirting the dangers that await so far beneath the earth. The settlement is policed by Brugg, a burly ogre who bears the mantle of Sheriff. However, behind the scenes, the Hall is really run by the Mages of Saruun, a committee formed by mages who came to explore the ruins of Saruun Khel. They found many treasures, developed great power, and established the Seven Pillared Hall to provide safe access to the denizens of the Underdark.

Grimmerzhuul duergars - a family of duergar who have prospered in the Hall from their mining ventures in the Underdark. However, the citizens of the Hall don't know that the Grimmerzhuul are also enjoying the benefits of a booming slave trade. Headed by Murklemor, the duergar deal in kidnapping less prominent members of the Seven Pillared Hall and selling them to anyone who would have use for them. As of late, the grimmerzhuul have had many deals trading their stock to the Blackfang Gnolls.

Horned Hold - residence of the Grimmerzhuul clan. Once a great fortress of the minotaur army, the duergar now use this place to conduct their less than desirable business as well as defend themselves from 'competitors.'

Blackfang Gnolls - a clan of gnolls loyal to Maldrick Scarmaker and the demon lord Yeenoghu. These gnolls are known for their ferocity, blood lust, and association with the demon lords.

Maldrick Scarmaker - leader of the Blackfang Gnolls. Maldrick is a devout cleric to the demon lord Yeenoghu, Prince of the Demons and Lord of the Gnolls. He is the bestial embodiment of savagery and butchery and expects his kin to follow in kind.

Well of Demons - a once thriving temple to the Demon lord, Baphomet, it used to serve as a proving grounds for the Demon's minotaur followers to ensure that only the strongest served the horned demon. Today, the place is inhabited by Maldrick Scarmaker and his clan of Blackfang Gnolls. Maldrick seeks to usurp the powers hidden in the temple and divert them, through the use of some religious ritual, to his lord, Yeenoghu.

Baphomet - Prince of Beasts who holds dominion over a layer of the Abyss called the Endless Maze. He is the self proclaimed Lord of Minotaurs and the embodiment of rage and vengeance. Also known as the Horned Lord and The Trampler.

Paldemar - part of the Mages of Saruun, a council of mages that overlook the Seven Pillared Hall and most everything else in the Thunderspire Labyrinth. You've gathered enough evidence to know that Paldemar is behind a major plot involving the Blood Reavers, the Grimmerzhuul duergar family, and the Blackfang gnolls. You can only guess as to what his plans truly are, but you can tell that you are close to finding out.

If you have any more questions you would like answering, I'd be more than happy to answer, so long as it doesn't give any spoilers away.

[derka110]

As promised, here is some lore on Vecna:

Vecna was a very powerful wizard long ago. In an attempt to escape death, he sacrificed his body and became a lich, granting himself even more power than before. However, he was betrayed by his general and friend, Kas the Bloody-handed. Vecna was cornered and destroyed, leaving only his left hand and left eye intact. Today, those pieces are believed to survive as vestiges of Vecna's remaining power.
After his death, Vecna was elevated to the pantheon of evil gods and still strives to collect as much knowledge and power as possible, searching for ways to come back and exact vengeance on his betrayers.

[vede12]

I have a few questions. What ever happened to that business guy?
Also more loot my other lootz r gettin lonely.

[Empyrium]

The one that took us to that underground city place, right? I thought he left some gold for us at the inn we were staying at, a small fraction of what we were promised.
Or are you talking about the one we rescued from the dwarf things? That businessy guy led us into an ambush, so I vote he be slaughtered on sight.
Or is there a third one I'm forgetting?

[vede12]

We haven't seem the one that led us to that trap yet. I thought he was a mage but that would be unusual since were now helping the mages. I was talking about that guy we met around the time we met Laura's last character. Whatever happened to that guy. I think he paid us for doing nothing.

[derka110]

That guy is mysterious. You're not SUPPOSED to know where he went because he doesn't WANT you to know.
He paid you for "escorting" him there. The reason he didn't pay you quite as much is because he ended up deciding not to use your services any further. Which just furthers the mystery and intrigue.

And the mage you rescued from the Duergar prison was only relaying a message. The Mages that attacked you were sent by Paldemar, who, if you recall, was also on the Council of Mages before you killed him. Your killing him made the other Mages realize that he was bad and you are powerful. That's why they want your help now.