A strong knock at the gatehouse should have the doors opened and a warm welcome awaiting us, but instead only a question "What'd your business traveller?" What could you expect from this beaten down frontier keep and its inhabitants I suppose. Who knows if these rumors are true. Distant caves harbor a cult religion? Bandits attacking the trail? What opportunities await within...

That is right, our campaign started with the pre-fabricated Return to the Keep on the Borderlands. But I have been building on that! Ancient fresco's found on a moss covered wall in the fungus caves indicate that these tunnels once housed slaves serving the Elder Elves... who were constructing some sort of magical portal in the nearby hills...

Having cleaned out the Caves of Chaos (well, the main threat at least), the party forged an alliance with the bugbears who inhabit the caves. To the south, the lizardmen who once defended their homelands and hated the humans, facing utter destruction, forged a difficult alliance with the keep. Benjamin became knighted and recognized by the Storm-Lord at Storm East, a small city which lies a day to the west... Sir Benjamin attained permission to erect a church in the name of his god, as did Kormyr, who built a fire hazard in the middle of the forest :)

Control of the keep, and all the lands around it passed to Paldros, who defeated Benjamin in the tournament and gained the title of Lord Paldros, now seeks power in Storm East. Rumors of a possible Storm War are abound, but there are many other threats on the horizen for the party to concern themselves with politics at this time.

To the south, what horrors lie within the Spider Wood that lizardmen will not cross through the forest?

Two rangers missing near the Shy Tower. What is the purpose of that lone spire? And what was that large pseudopod footprint found nearby? Is that monster somehow connected with whatever reclusive inhabitant lives within the tower?

The daring group chased down some leads to clean out the undead threat, but turned up clues that an old necromancer that they once defeated and buried is no longer entomed. Instead, the claw marks and tracks indicate that the necromancer somehow dug out of the grave, cheating death in the process. Perhaps this evil still creeps across the land?

In the spring, after a narrow victory against a band of Fire Giants, the party discovered a book containing clues leading to the location of Tyranon, ruined city from the first age, and resting place of the fabled Sword of Valkyr, the holy quest of Paladin Benjamin.

Looking for clues to discover what they can about whatever nameless evil lies behind that ancient dwarven stronghold, the party began a tretcherous journey towards fabled coastal city of Storm North. Apparently deep in the dwarven stronghold lies a portal, built by the elder elves with powerful magicks... powered by a device which opens doorways to other worlds, and somehow, for some reason, is mutating the animals near the stronghold!

On the week long journey to Storm North, Argoth and Benjamin began a dialog with several clans with the possibility of forging an alliance against the lowland forces of Paldros. Clan MacCollough offered food and sanctuary, and the party in turn rid the area of some pesky Wyverns. The brave warriors also came across a delerious lone clansmen, whose story and tales of bravery led them to believe he is the surviving member and Clan Chief of MacMorgan. They pushed further into the hills, to the mist shrouded mountain known as Firestorm Peak where the abandoned Dwarven Sabak remains locked behind enchanted doors. There, they tithed to an old Copper Wyrm named Glittershard who exchanged gifts for riddles and offered to play a game of chance with a Deck of Many Things. Ah, poor Espen...

Beyond Firestorm Peak lay the Bridge of Sorrows, a large natural bridge spanning a chasm of severl hundred feet dropping into a deep gorge. A pink fleshed troll proved to be resistant to fire, but the wize wizards Yandig and Dubricus soon discovered that cold shatters them. Dubricus, however, damaged the bridge, and the party wishes to return and fix it on the trip home.

An Assassin Vine also guards the pass, as the party discovered to their surprise. Still, they were no match for Espens' bow and Argoths sword, and once again the wagon train pushed northward to Clan MacAndrew, where tales of Paldros' Army and the defeat of the highland clans disturbed the Paladin of Tyr and rumors of Argoths father Bruce MacAulay death brought him deep sorrow.

Before leaving Clan MacAndrew, the party followed clues to a wise oracles cave to the west, where Argoth was foretold to be a great king who would unite the lowland cities and highland clans. Argoth of course responded with "Sounds like a lot of responsibility..."

Pushing further north past some unruly clans, the caravan arrived at Argoths' Clan MacAulay. Confirming his fathers' death, and the loss of many of his clansmen, he mourned for several days while rekindling a love for a maiden Fiona. The gnome Yandig found a gnomish village that was almost destroyed by wizards of The Assembly, and there witnessed a great gnomish machine, which predicts the path of stars in the heavens, and saw there an Omen of great events, where a great Astral Alignment was to take place. Still, what Yandig didn't know was that the machine was slightly off, and what was rumored to take place at the summer solstice two years from now actually happens at the spring equinox next year!

Durnin uncovered a cherished piece of Lifestone, rumored to be the ash created when Morading forged the dwarves upon the anvil of life, and not able to be forged by any but a few dwarves... and it turns out Durnin has the gift! The dwarf borrowed funds, and with his great reputation and notable quest gathered a number of dwarf smiths and dwarf clerics to help. Now a team of 20, Durnin begins to forge the lifestone into an artifact weapon of power unheard of in these times... and Durnin does this knowin it will be many moons before the work is complete.

In Storm North, a citadel built by unknown hands into the mountain itself, the party sees master craftsmen of almost every trade, and they purchase a number of fine silks there. Argoth is set upon by a demonic humaniod weilding an assassins' blade! he narrowly defeats the intruder with the help of Fionas' whip, and is taken in by the clerics of Braggi for healing. Argoth later proposed to Fiona, and she accepts even though he is incapable of drinking her under the table :) This marriage will solidify Argoths claim in the clan and bring honor to his family.

The Storm contains a vast and ancient library with hopefully the resources they need to discover what evil stalks the stronghold, and where the ancient City of Tyr lies. The problem is that there is no order to the immense library, and finding the right collection proves to be difficult. Still, a map is uncovered of Tyranon! Also, there is evidence that Mendre the Black is actually Falstaff the Gold. No legend at all exists about the mystical Covenant of the Planes, but a few letters are found stating that parts of the dwarven sabak were collapsed to stop the great evil from coming to the surface... also, a map of the early dwarven sabak is found!

Sir Benjamin calls his mount, and a great winged pagasus answers his call. Truly he is meant to weild the Sword of Valkyr! Rumors are confirmed that the Ancient Wyrm Glittershard has taken the life of Storm-Lord Richard, and Paldros now has taken Storm East with an army of highland conscripts. Rumors abound about the southern country of Shannon taking Storm South, and the winds of war now blow across the lands of Dublin...

With the knowledge and location of Tyranon the party has left Durnin at the anvil in Storm North and heads south to secure the defense of Kendall Keep against the forces of Storm East and to recover Benjamins' sword, hopefully in time to assail the Dwarven Sabak and destroy the great demons that lie within it...

The Journey South and East towards the Lair of Glitttershard is not nearly as tretcherous. The eastern monk suggestions that a search through the now dead vines may reveal treasure turns out to be a gold mine. While repairing the Bridge of Sorrows to it state before Dubricus assailed it with spells, it was obvious that an ambush was afoot, but the party soon discovered that their foes have heard their legend and feared facing them, instead begging them to pass. Some minor reconaissance reveals that a troup of less than a dozen men and two wizards of notable rank await on the other side of the bridge, and that was all that was needed to awake Alicar, notable druidic sacrificial dagger that detested arcane wizards and the powers they weild. Unknown even now whether it was a magical domination or conspiracy that drove Aeilia to a rage, she crept across the bridge in a confusion caused by a dense fog, and with a few fortunate strokes felled both wizards, consuming their souls in the process. It was only fortune and the efforts of the party that stopped Aeilia from striking at the the wizard Yandig, and perhaps delivering him also to Bel...

Recovering their wits, the brave band pressed onward again to Glittershards lair and warned of the rare astral alignment which will occur directly over the mountain range. After a quick rest, they pressed onward to explore the lost Ruins of Tyranon, where Benjamin recovered the Sword of Valkyr without alerting the inhabiting Fire Giants (who can take on a score of fire giants nowadays!)

Further exploration under Tyranon led the party to a buried wizards tower, specifically the chambers of Mendre the Black! Undisturbed for over 2000 years, this ancient tower was still being kept up by invisible servants and what a surprise when they discovered that a age old spell still functioned and alerted Mendre, who was considered dead, that intruders were in their tower. Who showed up, but the good Wizard Falstaff. Unbelievable that Falstaff could have once been the dark wizard Mendre the Black before he came to worship Illios and serve the powers of light. More unbelievable that Falstaff was over 2000 years old and seemingly immortal! A dark story related by Falstaff confirmed the existence of the Covenant of the Planes and the purpose of the dark gate, which is to travel and control other worlds. Of great concern was that whatever assumed control of the gate and killed the wizards may still yet live, locked up for over 3000 years! A brief discussion occured concerning an alliance and Kormyr was called a martyr the second time by a prophet... what could this mean.

However what they also discovered was that a large raiding party of fire giants was heading south towards Kendal Keep to fulful some dark purpose, and they were not about to let that happen. Setting up a careful ambush, the fire giants fell like sheep to the slaughter. Aeilia felled the shaman leader with the help of Alicar, and almost fell to the powerful charm of her dagger to strike at her dearest Wizard Dubricus. As a DM note, acid fog and ice storm is a vicious combination in an ambush! One day I'll have to return the favor to the players :)

Finally, the brave party arrived once again in Kendal Keep, to find that God of Death and Disease Shakak has had the latest word on revenge as a wicked pestilance spreads across the lands, killing many a brave man and child. Kormyr communes with his god Frey and is quested to find the source of this vile pestilance and destroy it before it destroys the land.