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The Return of Peligrun was an Avegost Campaign with its central plot point revolving around a cult, known as the Priory of Peligrun bringing their master Peligrun back to the material plane.

Cast of Heroes

Plot Overview

The Priory of Peligrun wished to create such dismay and disorder that upon Peligrun's return they would be able to present him with a world made for the conquering. It was the priory's actions which began the landslide of rebellion from the Erydian Empire but it was the actions of Aliniadre Amund and Fenton Amund II which caused the rapid decline of Erydian power as the two siblings fought for control of the Empire. Through the plot progression Peligrun was eventually defeated on the material plane forever and would be halted at Demigod status and power. While some would argue that Peligrun's influence is still too great his rapid rise to power was halted.

Plot Synopsis

In 1487 D.H several members of the Erydian nobility, who at the time were involved in pagan and cultic worship, were contacted by members of a forming cult and asked for thier attendance and support. Agreeing, these individuals became the first members of the Priory of the Eye which would later become the Priory of Peligrun.

With the priory operating on their own they attempted to contact the remainder of Peligrun's forces in the Blighted Lands but were met with hostility. Peligrun's remaining forces, mostly composed of Black Orcs and Undead generals had begun worshipping Peligrun as a deity and found any new leadership within their organization to be a violation of their worship. Without an army and some of Peligrun's old possessions the Priory began to fade until being approached by Klaxx, Peligrun's former mentor and eventual servant, with an offer to lead them and assist them in their goals. Klaxx began to supply possessions which were Peligrn's to the Priory while also working with the remainder of Peligrun's forces in The Blight.

The priory had only one thing left; the conversion of an Erydian General with which to start their plan. Admiral Lord Roman Notten was chosen because he was both unmarried and had no heirs to his throne. Using their contacts in the House of Lords they had Notten sent on a mission into the blight in search of a lost legion. Notten would follow orders and would slowly begin to lose his men to the cold of the south and the armies of undead which wandered The Blight. After several months of death and several days of starvation, Notten was approached by a man claiming to be the heir to the throne of Erydia, Relan Amund, who had been missing for years and presumed dead. Relan, actually Klaxx in disguise, would convince Roman of his wish to reascend to the throne and the plot made by Erydian nobility to keep him from claiming it. Notten agreed to help and was an official member of the Priory of Peligrun.

After fifteen years of careful planning, recruiting, and using the nobles donations for devious goals the Priory would execute their plan on Blisinu 27th, 1502 D.H by having Admiral Lord Roman Notten attack the vassal state of Dunslan. This attack would spark a rebellion and the heroes of Dunslan would lead this rebellion against Erydia. While the heroes of Dunslan did have to flee the nation it was not without first striking a blow to Notten's forces, and Notten himself, which would cripple the effort of conquering Dunslan. This however fell in line with the Priory's goals which were to have Erydia defeated by Dunslan and Dunslan to claim independence. Dunslan did and the Fall of the Empire began.

In-Depth Plot Synopsis

This synopsis was written by Leo Negron, Adam Bush, and Joe Landolfi. It is incomplete.

Darkness Whispers

The shores washed up more than flotsam as several bodies dragged themselves out of the cold ocean. Their belogings tied to their feet, the elusive heroes were rather safe from their previous encounter. They had gone from war, to escape, to being trapped inside someone's mind to finally being the target of a guild type murder. The nasty type of guilds...

But as the individuals gathered themselves the skies turned dark quickly and the elf Elinos, ears snapping to attention, eyes wrestling with the clouds, explained that this was not normal. As if speaking straight from the mough of a fortune telling gypsy the ground near the forest, less than 40 yards away, begins to break open and unspeakable horrors pour out from it. Demons and devils, sporting wicked weapons and power amass for an ambush.

The air crackles with energy between the men and woman about to be waylaid by these beasts. A lone elf with golden hair, wearing midnight blue robes appears out of nowhere. With arcane words he holds his hands towards the attackers as if willing them to stop in place. He shouts a warning about his spell not being able to contain them for long as the first demon slams into the invisible wall.

The party quickly gathers themselves, preparing for a tense fight. With depleted resources and a thirst for rest they wonder who is this stranger yet silently accept his help, albeit shortlived. One of the larger demons, sporting wicked wings and an ominous belt with writhing faces dispels the wall with but a word. The battle is joined and casualties on both sides litter the field.

During the chaos of combat two of the more powerful demons teleport in the middle of the would-be heroes. They are taken mostly by surprise and an aura of fear washes over the party, promising eternal damnation whether theyr survive or not. The exchange is bloody and the Pit Fiend is not only taking down allies, he's taking their souls. With renewed vigor and a desperate resolve the rest of the demons are dropped and only the wicked Pit Fiend remains. But as the strength of desperation and fear empowers their steel, the fiend thrives on such chaotic situations. With a word four fireballs envelop the field. For a moment all seems lost and time itself seems to stop. . . . . . . . . . .

Sound and breath return and many are still standing. The demon scowls but continues his attack. As if walking in through a storm one of the gods suddenly shows himself, manifesting himself through the blade of his champion, Darethelle. The demon is both goaded and almost killed by holy light emanating from a paladin, whose battlecry fills the heavens calling his god to arms. It is then that the fiend, realizing his mistake at attacking this group, teleports away leaving behind a battered and severely crippled group of friends...

As the din of combat eases so does the stability of self held in combat wanes. Tears flow freely as friends are mourned. An attempt at ressurection fails, for the Pit Fiend had stolen their souls as he killed them. Three have fallen this day: Lavitz, Travicks and George. All good friends, all great warriors.

Elinos, his face a mask of pain and resolve takes the body of the druid Lavitz to the water, letting nature take back on of his own. But Clive, apprentice to Lavitz, has been given word by his former master. He swims to the body and finds a root which he promptly eats. Soon after the party finds out Clive's body is meant to be the host for Peligrun.

As this enfolds the newcomer elf, Arkhelos, speaks with Avernus about Zastorian, otherwise known as Gnome. He explains he was looking for him, for he is important and powerful. He was also looking for Jacia, who he says is Gnome's sister. Although Avernus seems to take it all in stride, he is intrigued by this new information.

A campfire is started and the remaining friends sit to speak of the events of the day, their contiued existence despite insurmountable odds, and the ominous realization that power seldom comes with peace.

Pt. 32

The Jade Demon

With the town mostly empty of jade skinned humanoids, the small team of heroes approaches the chapel at the far end. With steel resolve Darethelle narrows his eyes in anger thinking the orcs have defiled holy ground. He moves fowards, blade in hand and no remorse on the actions he was about to take. It is then that Clive, calling the power of the water element, drowns the chapel in 748 gallons on water. Some of the orcs fall flat on their faces, and all except one are drenched. The elven wizard, Arkhelos, still flying and invisible after his aerial recon of the town, drops in to watch the outcome and realizes the orc shaman seems to be untouched by the water and also seems to be able to see him.

Just before steel meets flesh Silvaya calls upon her powers. From her fingertip a curved azure bolt of lightning hits one of the orcs and quickly bounces to hit every green skinned enemy inside the chapel. Once again the shaman seems unscathed by the raw power of lightning running through him. Darethelle moves in, confident blade in hand, a prayer on his lips and his god by his side. His blade strikes true and the battle is joined.

While Darethelle holds the door and the only entrance and escape, Clive climbs the wall quickly and jumps in through the stained glass window. The elusive shaman is surprised but he squirms through Clive's grapple attempt. Darethelle continues to systematically down every orc in sight, with Silvaya close by. Avernus takes a hint and flies above into the window, his wings taking him quickly inside. His arrows pierce the shaman and kill him quickly. The bastion of raw martial power that is Darethelle dominates the center of the chapel and soon all that remains of the orcs is a scout and a warrior. With their apparent leader down you would think their crimson eyes woudl show fear... yet instead rage courses through their veins and bloodlust is clearly seen in the deathly grip of their weapons.

Their rage is shortlived, however, as Arkhelos weakens the warrior with five energy missiles and Darethelle procedes to slash through them nonchalantly. With a brief respite from an easy combat the air is pierced by a roar of rage and power. From a nearby building a large orc charges into the chapel. A double bladed wicked looking axe on his hands he procedes to fight the would be town saviors, even while surrounded.

Darethelle and Clive don't hesitate. They begin to fight toe to toe with the Jade Demon, who procedes to move around them, trying to position himself with the wall against his back. Both seasoned combatants follow him through, Silvaya healing them as the orc's mighty axe bites deep into Darethelle's chest.

With enough wounds to stop a giant, the orc roars and slams his fist on his chest, breaking an unseen vial inside his armor. He suddenly grows stronger and his wounds visibly heal completely. Darethelle and Clive watch in horror as he procedes to once again meet them axe to blade. Silvaya, her god quite close to her, continues her healing as the battle is rejoined.

Once again the orc seems to be near death when he spits blood at Darethelle. The wicked blood burns through cloth and armor, biting into the holy skin of the paladin and blinding him. The party is wounded, Arkhelos is out of spells and Silvaya is worries that she might not be able to heal them further, yet they all remain resolute seeing the wounds on the orc slowing him down. As if mocking their thoughts the orc once again slams his chest and his wounds once again heal. His horrid red eyes bore into a sightless Darethelle slamming his axe once again into his flesh.

But the two champions, Clive representing nature and Darethelle representing Pelor continue their perilous fight. Ironically it is neither of these juggernauts of good that down the orc. With a well placed arrow to the chest the orc's fire suddenly dims. He staggers and falls back against the wall, axe still held high trying to fight the obvious lack of thumping in his heart. With a weakened fist he tries desperately to slam his chest again, and this time the vial does not break. He slumps down, red eyes dimming to a soft sickly pink, jade skin turning slightly pale. With a groan he drops dead.

The party stays there for some seconds, their eyes transfixed on the arrow. The soft padding of hoofed feet wakes them as the cloak once again covers his wings. Avernus, bow in hand moves forward to scan his handiwork.

Arkhelos procedes to take the remaining vials off the orc, tryign to discern their nature while Clive moves the body outside, intent of finding out what made this orc so tough and what he can do to get that way. As the din of combat ends Silvaya procedes to find a way to heal Darethelle's eyes. Avernus remains at watch while Clive and Arkhelos study the orc more. The elven wizard notices the tattooed back of the orc and asks Clive to cut it out, realizing this is part of the puzzle of his strength.

The party reunites back inside the chapel when Darethelle finds a letter written by Elinos. Soon after the party once again falls into bickering when Clive suddenly hears something. He quickly goes to the building where the orc chieftain came from and finds women and children, many dead, some tortured and all tied up. The party procedes to help them and soon find out that the men were in the building that Silvaya had called a tornado on. Their fears are quickly subsided when they find them alive inside a basement.

With the town mostly saved the heroes prepare to journey back and speak their tale. In their minds the events of the past several days remain: the mystery of Elinos' dissapearance, his lost blade and the bittersweet letter remains transfixed on their minds.

A Tomb of Snow

Using his guile and cunning but mostly a paladin's weakness: guilt, Arkhelos manipulated the heroes to staying just enough time for him to study the orc's skin, and not do any work on the houses... They had also separated whatever items they had been carrying around their backpacks with little use. Two days later they had a plan: to teleport into the drow city. There was little said on what to do next, but unaware of the recent world events, Arkhelos agreed. Silvaya provided information of an alley she had been on once, triggering no questions from anyone, despite her hesitation.

The teleportation was successful but the outcomer a disaster. The city was pitch black and Avernus had murdered a commoner before the anyone had a chance to say: "This is a bad idea!" Soon after the former mercenary turned druid, Clive, brought daylight into the area. Arkhelos, confused and wondering what had happened and why Avernus was attacking, decided to use the a teleport scroll to get them out.

With Silvaya cringing in fear Darethelle quickly grabs her and Arkhelos grabs him. Avernus touches the elf and so does Clive. Their destination? Obviously where they came from, but the spell from the scroll was not powerful enough, instead they ended up in the mountain, literally. After being expunged by the magic and dumped unceremoniously into something soft and white, they realized their problem... they were surrounded by snow.

With rage the elf berates Avernus on why he attacked the drow, to which Avernus stays silent, probably figuring out a way to silence the elf. Silvaya remains fearstruck and Darethelle tries to calm her. Clive is torn between Silvaya and the raging elf, but he casts a spell to calm him down. Needing some shelter Avernus steps up to the plate.

Rigging a deadly lookin contraption he causes an explosion that shakes the foundations of the world, or so it seems. With a new formed hole in the snow the elven wizard creates a wall of stone to protect them from a snow-in and covers half of it as well.

Now the would be heroes sit and wonder what to do next and waiting for Arkhelos to study his teleport spell to get them out of here.

It is extremely cold and they carry little protection. Will they survive and escape an early tomb? Or will the snow claim them as a trophy of stupidity and bad planning?

The Hand of Chaos pt. 1

The Hand of Chaos pt. 2

The Hand of Chaos pt. 3

Scene I: A Cold Welcome -The PCs find themselves attacked by dwarves. Arkhelos and Clive catch up with them and try to calm them down. Unable to speak any other common tongue but Orcish, Clive becomes the party's spokesperson. The mistake is quickly revealed as their verbal banter becomes hostile. A horn is blown and a dwarven armed squad comes to the rescue. -During the uneasy stalemate Arkhelos uses a spell to have the whole party understand and be able to speak to the dwarves. Once the dwarves are properly calmed the party is invited to the nearby city. -In the city the party rests for the night and decides to find a way to get to Crownrut. After finding drawings and with some explaining, Arkhelos teleports them to the mighty capital of the dwarves. -At Crownrut the party speaks to each other of what to do next. They decide to try to find a way to speak to the king. During their talk with the gate guards they find out Sir Gorgon must be seen first. Darethelle explains to the oblivious Arkhelos that sir Gorgon is dead. Realizing Peligrun might have already made a move for Crownrut's political leadership they quickly ask for an audience with Sir Gorgon. As they walk in spells of Domination assail them and their suspicions become reality. Unable to discern friend from foe Silvaya casts a spell on Avernus to protect him from the Domination. Unfortunately the dwarves see this as a hostile action.

Scene II: Undeniable Fate -Arkhelos, in his Thirlindin arrogance, accuses Sir Gorgon of treason and tells himt o reveal himself for who he truly is. This causes havoc as the dwarves begin attacking Avernus and Silvaya and Sir Gorgon procedes to allow the PCs one last chance to surrender and not give out his cover. Thick-headed Arkhelos disagrees and the combat begins. -The imposter, being more prepared, procedes to systematically kill the heroes. Both Silvaya and Avernus are paralyzed and killed as the other dwarves continue to block the way out. an influx of more royal guards begins moving in but Arkhelos closes them all out by creating a wall. For several tense seconds the imposter is not seen. -Without the Domination focus in the room and with the heroes still trying to explain that Gorgon is dead, the dwarves come to their senses. The elven wizard believes then that the next target is most likely the king, for he has no idea that the true target are the elusive Orbs of the Aurai. Running towards the throne room the heroes find themselves trying to explain to the king what's going on. But the king mentions the Orbs and a panicked Arkhelos bolts to find the treasure room, where the Orbs reside because they were recently moved. -As Arkhelos and Clive run towards the Orbs the rest of the party remains to finish the story for the king. Elf and Erydian mercenary learn that the Orbs were moved because of a recent anonymous tip that someone would try to take them. As they reach the room they meet the face behind the Gorgon: a lich. -Clive, Arkhelos and a royal guard try desperately to fight the lich, but at a serious disadvantage. Without a plan and lacking the support of their friends Clive falls to a Maze spell and Arkhelos must retreat just soon after the royal guard was killed. -Meanwhile Darethelle, Silvaya and Avernus are witnessing the trial of a Jelurian wizard. The king is trying to coroborate the recent information he gathered from the heroes with the Jelurian representative. Unfortunately Arkhelos and his invisible force sphere appear in the middle of the room. As all eyes fal on him the Jelurian wizard teleports away. -As Clive emerges from the Maze the lich explains to him that he is destined for greatness. In usual bull-headed fashion Clive disagrees marking his first legitimate disagreement since he joined the heroes. Unfortunately he falls to the lich's paralyzing touch and thus begins the ritual of binding Peligrun into Clive's body.

Scene III: Opening Moves -Arkhelos explains what happened to the party and soon everyone is on their way back to the throne room. When they reach it they find Clive covered in blood and heavily wounded. In the back of the throne room they find the lich trying desperately to hide, and somewhat wounded as well. -Silvaya procedes to heal Clive as Darethelle, Avernus and Arkhelos interrogate the lich. They find out he has many names but the one that strikes a chord with Arkhelos is Klaxx, the Thirlindin traitor of long ago. The lich wants to spill his secrets but asks for protection. Although Arkhelos wishes to kill him, he also understands the need for more information. Klaxx begs for his life and explains his phylactery has been destroyed. -Clive comes over and tries to destroy the lich. At this time Arkhelos takes the blow instead and casts Feeblemind on Clive. He then procedes to Geas him so he won't damage the lich. As he does this Avernus finds one of the Orbs, which puts the dwarven guard ill at ease. After the ritual is finished he quickly ushers them out and back to the king. -The king thanks the party and says he will reward them. He also explains he plans to attack the drow in hopes of destroying them outright. -In two weeks the army will march and they expect to reach the borders of the drow lands by the end of the third week.

A Comprehensive Guide to Making Mistakes

Three weeks have passed and the heroes have been prearing themselves for their trek under the tunnels towards the Forest of Lives. They speak to one of the dwarves who gives them some information on the tunnels. He explains there was a flood at some point and some dwarves never made it out. The heroes prepare themselves for an easy trek down the tunnels. There was one specific piece of information that was given to them about dwarven tunnelers. They were some kind of huge worm construct that were used at some point to create these tunnels. They were told they had runes of magic to make them work and if dispelled they could be paralyzed for a short time.

It wasn't long when they found the first problem. A group of ghostly dwarves had apparently not taken it light that they had been left behind. As the heroes approached they were attacked. Caught of guard and slightly weakened by their attacks Silvaya stepped up and commanded them to leave. Three of them winked out of existence. The party did short work of the remaining few and began to heal themselves and prep to continue.

As they went down they found a flood stone and thus a closed off tunnel. According to their map they had few other options. They continued down until they found one of the feared tunnelers. A behemoth of a beast, three times as tall as any of them and twice as long. Its arms had some kind of mechanism that could shred a man to pieces in mere seconds. Darethelle slowly steps up trying to gauge the beast's reaction radius. Unfortunately he triggers it and the beast quickly attacks him. A chunk of his armor and skin are taken into the huge clockwork arm. The sound of metal being ripped to shreds fills the dark corridor. Arkhelos and Silvaya try fruitlessly to dispel the beast's runes which puts them in a bind. Thinking teleporting them forward might work the Thirlindin wizard casts Dimension Door from Klaxx's necklace as everyone touches him.

Woe is to the elf who doesn't understand dwarven tunnels. Without a clear location to end his spell at the magic backfires and drops them in the middle of a flooded room, once part of these tunnels. Avernus, always the survivor, begins to rig a trap on one of the walls that had remnants of a door. Arkhelos tries to signal everyone to come to him btu no one can see him with no light. Darethelle sinks as well as Clive. Silvaya remains panicked in place. Before Avernus finishes Arkhelos grabs Silvaya and Darethelle and opens another door in the hopes he'll end up somewhere dry. It succeeds but he needs to go back down. Meanwhile Avernus' trap goes off bringing the weight of the ocean into the tunnels. As Arkhelos comes back via teleport he finds himself being rushed out into the tunnels where Avernus and Clive try to get their footing. Once standing up a very frustrated Arkhelos brings them back to Silvaya and Darethelle.

The party begins to realize the tunnels will flood soon and Arkhelos is out of teleportation spells. He explains the only option is to go up to the surface. They all agree and he opens another door in the middle of the air. With some hesitation they all walk in and find themselves head first in mud surrounded by drow.

The Breaking

The heroes find themselves surrounded by drow, who are equally as surprised. As the heroes stand up and prepare an ice storm covers them. Unable to see outside and hoping no one else can see inside they procede to fight the oncoming drow. Arkhelos, the only one able to see, was able dispel one of the storms but has not had time to work on the second one. After consulting with Darethelle he finally dispels the storm and the party procedes to systematically drop the drow. Some of them begin to run but Arkhelos' casts a spell to produce Black Tentacles on the floor to grab them.

Darethelle barks an order to Avernus, who quickly dissapears into the shadows and begins finding them a way out. The battle was not long but also not short enough. Before death many of the drow managed to call for help. In a desperate race against time the heroes begin running through the dark woods hoping to come up with a plan. Once again Arkhelos explains he can bring them temporary peace so they can properly plan. He fears there is little that can be done.

Arkhelos brings them more than 1000 feet above the forest, standing on a transparent wall of force. The confer and speak and realize the problem. Neither elven wizard or avariel cleric are able to bring them out of this mess. Arkhelos proposes leaving Clive and Darethelle behind in an attempt to reach the edge of the forest and rest enough to teleport to Thirlindin and find a way to come back tomorrow. Darethelle accepts while Silvaya promptly disagrees, voicing her concerns, her voice cracking as she looks at Darethelle's somber eyes.

With Peligrun speaking in Clive's ear he continues to say he needs to be the only one to stay and no one else. Avernus, resigned to Darethelle's choice, somberly agrees. Arkhelos, sure that he is able to save them, and unaware of Clive's parasite, sends the paladin and the mercenary down into the woods. Before doing so Arkhelos grabs Darethelle's holy symbol and Clive's belt.

Wizard, Cleric and Rogue find a location where to meet on their map and Arkhelos prompty leaves, explaining that his flying spells might end prematurely. Avernus, unacustomed to flying for long distances begins his trek. Silvaya, however, stays with him shortly and promptly dissapears.

Silvaya returns to the drow lands hoping to save her would be lover and the man who will be Peligrun. The drow are there en masse and so is Lolth. In a desperate call to her goddess Silvaya screams to the heavens and they answer. A tornado flings several drow away but Lolth quickly addrsses the matter, dropping Silvaya with but a word from her Book of Vile Darkness. With her victory assured and the priors ready to explain to her Peligrun already resides inside Clive, Lolth prepares herself for ascension into godhood. All she needs now is a sacrifice. Her eyes hungrily devour Silvaya a wicked smile forming on her black stained lips.

This Has All Happened Before

Arkhelos and Avernus find themselves at the northern edge of the forest of lives. Avernus gasps for air as the wizard badgers him with questions of Silvaya. It is clear she stayed behind to Arkhelos, but the half-demon gives her the benefit of the doubt. Its not until they see the heavens roil and tumble that the wizard decides Silvaya stayed behind and was casting her tornado. He was mistaken, however, for the ritual was actually that of Peligrun's ascendance and maybe even Lolth's. Transfixed by the spiral of magical darkness above the forest both would-be heroes are startled when Gnome walks into their ranks. He has a warm gaze for Avernus, but no so with Arkhelos.

He explains his powers have been awakened and know of the Thirlindin attempts to block them. Arkhelos assures him he disagreed with the council, chief reason why he left in the first place. Gnome already knows and decides to help them. He explains to them that delving into time has already brought much strife and grief on the world. He blames his actions for the death of Sir Gorgon and explains to them Klaxx brought Peligrun into Clive. Visibly surprised but not yet daunted, Arkhelos asks him why he can't simply fix all this. Gnome replies with a cryptic: "This has all happened before, and it will happen again..." He then procedes to show them their fight aganist Peligrun in a myriad of scenarios. Arkhelos and Avernus at the lead storming Peligrun and dying promptly.

The three men speak with this backdrop, trying to figure out what to do next. As they watch the events unfold they realize there is no hope. In one of the instances Lady Cross fights alongside Arkhelos and Avernus and still they all fall to Peligrun’s might. Gnome then proceeds to show them the first time Peligrun was defeated. With open eyes the two would-be heroes watch as the dwarf slams an unassuming looking dagger into Peligrun and he seems to die despite his cryptic “This has all happened before.” Avernus asks where the dagger is and Gnome says it must still be down there where the dwarf dropped it. Peligrun’s castle, however, lies underwater. Gnome also tells them only one of pure heart can wield the dagger. When asked who can wield such a weapon he tells them Darethelle Black. This brings Avernus and Arkhelos renewed vigor to go save Darethelle. Gnome says he can’t interfere anymore and puts them back where they were to witness they the broken sky near the Forest of Lives as Peligrun joins the Material Plane.

Both men go to Portgard and stay the night. Arkhelos teleports them to Thirlindin in the morning, hoping to speak to the council. They are told the Orbs have been retrieved from the dwarves. The elf then proceeds to explain the current situation, how Peligrun is back and Zastorian (Gnome) has broken the containment spell that was set on him. After hearing these news they tell Arkhelos Zastorian must die for he is Jelurian and will bring strife to the Thirlindin in the future. Arkhelos wizard explains he needs to scry the drow lands to find his friends and save them. The council agrees to let him use the scrying pool and dismisses them, telling them to return before attempting a rescue.

Arkhelos begins scrying and finds Darethelle naked in a cell. He uses a Message spell and begins to speak to him. Darethelle uses Thieve’s Cant to relay information to Avernus as he translates to Arkhelos so he can whisper him questions. They find out Silvaya and Djarum are at Lolth’s estate. They also find out that Darethelle seems to be under some domination spell because he wants to stay and thinks Lolth is not as evil as everyone makes her sound. Both heroes decide to go back to the council and explain their findings. When they get there all council members are present.

The council explains to Arkhelos and Avernus that they must go to war for Jeluria has sided with Peligrun and the drow and they fear what might come of that alliance. They explain that Klaxx must be retrieved as well. Suddenly council members begin disappearing at random and Arkhelos speaks: “We must be under attack!” before Gnome grabs them both from behind. They appear at the time junction.

Gnome says the have been successful in killing Peligrun then he mentions Myrmir. He explains who she is (a rogue timelord who created Peligrun) and how she must not be able to see him. With this knew knowledge in his invisibility to her he figures he can fight her now. Arkhelos proposes for them to help him and Gnome apparently agrees. He takes them back to the dwarven tunnels just as they begin their trek to find Djarum. They find themselves once again among friends: Silvaya, Darethelle and Clive are there oblivious to what the elf and the half-demon have witnessed.

They both know that Clive has Peligrun inside him and know Gnome will call on them soon to fight Myrmir. Will they spill out their story, or will they keep their secrets and attempt to unmake mistakes that have been made before, but have not been made yet?

The future is unclear but one thing is certain: This has all happened before…

Masked in Time

Arkhelos and Avernus find themselves in front of the cave again. Their friends intact, their minds a jumble of questions. But the last thing Arkhelos remembers is that Gnome agreed to let them help him fight Myrmir. The Thirlindin elf begins explaining hastily the situation and warns them to be ready for a fight. He asks Gnome for a sign and he gets it as Darethelle's shirt turns from red to blue. Gnome altered the time stream to make it happen.

The party quickly gathers themselves, the wind howling as it finds itself directed into the cavern by the landscape. The nearby cliff overlooks a barren landscape with little vegetation. All party members begin casting protection spells and taking potions. Then suddenly she is there. Myrmir, in her long flowing robes, her white mask only showing red slits of anger as slightly glowing red eyes.

She looks at them, either in wonderment or surprise. The party hesitates at first, not really knowing what's going on. Arkhelos urges them on to attack but neither Darethelle nor Clive heed his words, confused onto what is really going on. It is then that Gnome appears. Myrmir then attacks Darethelle, unravelling him from time. His body breaks into little square pieces and his voice echoes in the distance getting lower and lower. But Gnome was ready, he stretches his hand and stops her. The unravelling is undone and Darethelle comes back, whole.

It is then that her purpose is clear and the party procedes to attack her. The silent battle ensues with Myrmir taking damage and Silvaya placing a blade barrier on her. The rogue time lord then casts Time Stop and causes some mild havoc on the battlefield. Arkhelos asks Gnome to change his spell repertoire and procedes to perform logistical functions by moving both Darethelle and Clive using Dimension Door accross the battlefield, trying to keep both of them on Myrmir at all times. It pays off for the time lord is, ironically, unable to get some time to gather herself.

The heroes pound her, blades falling on her like hail on a tavern's roof. Gnome continues to try to stop her from using her powerful time abilities. As she nears death she points at Darethelle in an attempt to dislodge him from time forever. Pelor stands by his knight as the powerful spell almost succeeds but fail, Darethelle's indomitable will coming out in a yell of defiance. He then slams his blade onto her, calling for his God. Myrmir is barely conscious when Gnome runs at her and grapples her.

Both of them disappear into nothingness and a shockwave of energy reverbrates atop the cliff, destroying everything in its path. The heroes are badly wounded, but none ready to give in. Myrmir is gone, Gnome is gone. Atop the cliff, in front of a cave they had been through but have never seen they fear for their friend and wonder at power of a rogue time lord.

The Return of Peligrun (Campaign)