The party had entered the Hall of Seven Pillars. We paid our “tax” to security. We were free to move about the cabin/cavern. We were also filthy, stinking, exhausted, bloody, and wounded.

Preamble#

There were webs everywhere, though not in the secret room at (C), where it was spotless, no dust. Gonchar pushed the gray gems into the appropriate openings in the room. There was a slot in each of the four corners. As soon as he slid the 4th gem into place, a yellow, glowing field appeared on the floor along the eastern wall. Immediately, a disembodied voice was heard to say:

Having more or less successfully crossed the bridge we arrived at the door into Pippen’s chamber to find it blocked somehow. Cathal smashed his way through and we re-entered Pippen’s room. Inside we found Ilierann - dead and drained, with his throat ripped out. His floating bag had disappeared or been taken.

We started out at the crypt entrance marked in yellow. We have something like 33 hours left until the underground river gate opens and are trying to decide what to do with the two very evil swords we found. Cathal wants nothing to do with them and tells us that anyone who picks up either one is in trouble, right away.

We gave Heimdell’s crowns to Harald and Maeve. Menka returned the holy symbol of Odin to Harald’s curate, Olaf Iverson.

Kyril

• 2 vials of holy water
• Oil of Fiery Burning

Cathal

• Gamred the Golden (+3 two-handed sword, double-damage vs clerics in case Menka gets mouthy, plus user can Detect Magic and Remove Fear 30’ radius 1x/day)

Harald and Ninax, Menka and Cathal discussed the orcish incursions . Cragenheim will be levying troops from the surrounding area in the near future. Priest and knight assured them we would be back through at some point.

Menka, Cathal and Seamus planned to travel to the Hall of Seven Pillars the following morning. Ninax offered to ride with us to the block house. With the cessation of the frigid, lingering winter the road to Westkeep was re-opened, though only a well-protected caravan dare make the journey.

With the portal below the tower closed and danger at least temporarily averted, Creel advised the party that he had sent messages out to his fellow 8 wizards (of ‘The Nine’) asking for assistance. While the party bivouacked at the tower, some of this aid arrived.

Osgoth Map Key#

Note to players: this is a map of the ‘known world’. The major regions are denoted by numbers, with descriptions of each set forth below. Each region is summarized in terms of political situations, rulers, gods, terrain and some description of note to adventurers. It is all ‘common knowledge’ a resident of Osgoth such as yourselves would know. Only major cities are noted (and described below) - no cities are named on the map, because an 8x12 piece of paper didn’t allow room. Major geographical features (large mountain ranges, hilled areas, forests (temperate and pine), large lakes, huge swamps, major deserts/steppes, significant islands and the largest rivers) are noted. This is not to say that ‘clear’ areas on the map do not include smaller forests, mountain/hill regions, lakes, ponds, smaller rivers, swamps or other terrain. Only the major areas are noted. Further, countless smaller keeps, cities, towns and villages exist throughout the continent, and none are noted on this map.

During the first night of the party’s second stay at the Hall of Seven Pillars ^[1], Thoth granted Menka a vision in dreams.

Menka was at the top level of Guldar Heel’s tower, standing before the huge mirror the party used to teleport to the desert south. In the room with him, oddly, was a larger-than-human-sized Ibis ^[2]. The bird towered over Menka, yet Menka felt only a sense of wisdom and awe in the presence of the creature. It nodded toward the mirror, and, seemingly with its mind, placed the blocks used to operate the magical mirror in the slots in matching holes at its base. The mirror crackled, and a familiar, desolate desert scene appeared in the mirror. The Ibis nodded toward the mirror and Menka