NEW CAMPAIGNERS

QUOTE FOR THE DAY
"We must believe in luck. For how else can we explain the success of those we don't like? --Jean Cocteau "

CURRENT MEMBERS

• Josiah Morsai, Human Male, Cleric (Remaht) 7th, 28
• Jagda, Dwarf Female, Fighter 7th

INACTIVE MEMBERS

• Arla, Human Female, Ranger 2nd/Rogue 2nd, 27
• Sativa, Human Female, Ranger 5th, 25
• Adeon Morsai, Human Male, Paladin (Auteil: Signal Fire Order) 7th, 25

VALHALLA

Talon, Tiefling Male, Conjurer slain by Jagda, Enchanted by some fell spawn in the Moorish Wastes.

Dammerung, Drow Elf Male, Abjurer 5th slain by Ghasts of the Moorish Wastes

Kelendril Shadowbow, Wild Elf Male, Barbarian4th/Rogue3th slain by Ghasts of the Moorish Wastes

Rayne, Human Druid, slain by Ghasts of the Moorish Wastes [FangZ a.ka. 'Spot',the lucky leopard, also slain]

Links

Link to Rules Clarifications

Link to the Campaigners' Homepage (Previous Generation)

Link to map of the Moorlands

Link to a list of NPCs at the Campaigners' Retreat.

Link to a treatise on the Deh'wheri Faith

Brief History:

The New Campaigners were the second generation of adventures, the children of the band known as "the Campaigners" made famous by Kite Talek. They were raised together as brothers and sisters in the unlikely homestead of the Campaigner's Retreat. With adventurers as parents and cousins, it was no surprise that they would also have the wanderlust. After reaching adulthood they began to find their own places. But now, they've been brought together from their travels by the death of a favorite aunt. The New Campaigners now seek to complete the quest given to them by the departed soul, a quest from beyond the grave.

 

Adventure Summary

1. After Aunt Copper's death the uneasily titled "New Campaigners" set out to fulfill her dead request. To return her first prize to Saint Cicelli's. After discovering that Saint Cicelli's may be a temple in the vicinity of Oxbow and the first prize is most likely a alter torch (and a trade of a pie for said alter torch) the party sets out for Daneshill Borrough. However at the broken wheel ranch on the way all does not appear well, it looks like foul play may have had a hand.
2. Hooves and Darkness
   The comrades depart Broken Wheel ranch for Daneshill Borrough, but quickly come across tracks of several sheep and a female leading from the road. The trail leads to a battered and unresponsive shepherdess and her apparent wards (the missing sheep). Perplexed by the riddle, the comrades’ camp for the night and attempt to coax conversation from the woman. Night brings a surprise attack by the flock of sheep however, and a pitched battle ensues, with the young woman fleeing into the darkness. Dämmerung, Josiah and Talon are gravely wounded in the struggle, by Adeon manages to halt their descent into death through the powers of Auteil. Quickly breaking camp, the company gives chase onto the moors in hopes of locating the mysterious woman. Once more, the bloodthirsty flock attacks, this time led by a massive black ram. Spells flash across the moor, and the sounds of battle and prayers to the divine echo in the night. Finally, Adeon deals the black ram a killing blow with Steel Driver and carries the unconscious young woman to safety. The party, exhausted and worn by the trials of the evening, collapse to rest out the remainder of the evening.
3. Finally arriving at Daneshill Borrough, the New Campaigners speak with Mal (the Sheriff's Lieutenant) and then the Lord Sheriff himself concerning the tragic events at the Broken Wheel Ranch. They are skeptical at first, but eventually agree to watch over Laila, the orphaned shepherdess. The group learns the location of Oxbow Lake, and that there is indeed a temple that was named St. Cecilli's in that location. They travel to Oxbow Lake and fulfill Aunt Copper's dead quest. While returning to Daneshill Borrough, they meet the Scarlet Coursers. They claim to be "travelers," but raise the group's suspicions. Upon return to the Borrough, they learn that the Scarlet Coursers are indeed wanted brigands -- and Adeon, fearing they might prey on the unprotected inhabitants of Oxbow Lake, urges the tired party after them. They give chase, and come morning face off against the Scarlet Coursers. A battle ensues, and a few well-placed blows combined with a potent mix of Arcane and Divine magic incapacitates most of the brigands relatively quickly.
4. The beginning of our episode found the New Campaigners returning to Daneshill Borough with the wanted foursome called the Scarlet Coursers and the sheriffs warhorses. Three of the Coursers were weakened but alive while the fate of the fourth was not so fortunate as he met his maker in battle. Rested and ready to go the party set off to defeat the ogre. After the first night of travel they discovered the dead body of a pirate. After properly disposing the body they followed the horse tracks leading away from the body. A few hours later they found the horse, alive but wounded and frothing from exhaustion. The horse (named Harpie)said that he and his rider were attacked and had been riding for days until his master fell. During the watches that night, several horsemen were sighted along the beach but they did not approach the group. Upon investigating the next morning the found a camp set up near the funeral pyre and a band of pirates with an elf speaking for them. They asked for the return of their horse but ultimately settled for the items the fallen pirate had been carrying, a crude amulet, a couple of daggers and a gem and allowed the Campaigners to keep the horse. That night they made it to the town of Osric, located on the beach. The town was deserted and found that it had been looted rather quickly and one building burned to the ground. A 30-foot vessel was anchored about 300 feet out in the harbor. They set up camp in one of the abandoned buildings for the night. At the crack of dawn they noticed a boat coming to shore. Adeon and Talon met the group and after Adeon identified himself as a knight the villagers informed them of the raid the night before their arrival. The group discovered that the ogre and his gang of kobolds had sacked the village. They followed the nearby wagon tracks until coming across what looked like an abandoned keep just off the road. Still a flag hung there. Upon closer investigation the flag was old and tattered but they continued the search. After sending in Sniper to do surveillance from outside the building, Talon learned nothing was inside but bodies in suits of armor. He and Adeon went inside. Upon checking out the bodies (which were later found to be just decoys) Adeon fell into a pit where he immediately encountered three kobolds and a dire weasel. More kobolds surfaced but stayed well out of combat range with their missile weapons. Thick foliage also kept them well concealed. The following skirmish managed to dispatch one of the kobolds on the outside and Adeon dispatched his opponents with no damage other than the damage taken fro the fall. The well booby trapped keep did its share of damage as Arla took strength damage and Josiah was impeded by well placed caltrops. After regrouping and getting Adeon out of the pit the party adjourned about a half mile away to heal and plot their next plan of attack.
5. Suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous kobolds, the party makes it through the night. Still somewhat tired and sleepy, the band makes its way by following the deep ruts made by the heavy war wagon. They track for 2 days, breaking to try and rest and recover. At dawn, the morning of the second day, the heroes come toe to toe with the Ogre and the war wagon. A pitched battle leaves many kobolds dead and the party suffering the loss of a horse. Sensing the weakness of the heroes, the villains press their advantage nearly overwhelming the party. A retreat is called and the party manages to escape death. The party finds solace in Osric, the village near the bay. After healing and much needed rest, the heroes continue their quest to rid the land of this ogre and his minions. They follow the tracks once more to an old, run down castle. Arla, ranging ahead of the party assess the castle defenses and the party starts planning.
6. The comrades decide to siege the ruined castlehold. Adeon is neutralized by a hidden water trap, but his cousins manage to slay the Ogre Rasher and several of his kobold "warriors", before his remaining allies flee or surrender. One of the kobolds, named Flea, turns out to be a valuable source of information (revealing that Rasher utilized a sprite trapped within a magic jar to control the kobold adepts) and joins the party to help rescue his enslaved family. In the night, the companions are visited by Spider, a kobold adept who throws a bag of gold at their feet and denies the existence of the magical jar. After a brief discussion with Flea Dammerung suspects another trap and attempts to tackle the envoy, preventing him from returning to the dangers below. The kobold however escapes and when the party ventures below in the morning, they discover the chambers abandoned and a magic jar containing the sprite Starglow--who perplexes the party with her intentions, history and value. Hooking the giant horses to the war wagon, and with Flea by their side, the adventures return to the Campaigners' Retreat, stopping along the way to collect Lelia and the various bounties for the slain creatures.
7. While enjoying the locals of Freeport we spotted what turned out to be a sailor floating in the harbor. After talking to him it appeared that a group of Sezari lizardmen or something similar was attacking ships in a "safe" harbor area up the coast, unusual behavior as normally they don't like quite that amount of water. Chartering a ship, The Guppy, to take us up the coast to that bay we headed out to investigate. Arriving at the bay we investigated and through fortuitous error found the group of Sezari hiding out in a cave at the base of the cliffs of the bay. A magic wielding Sezari almost got away from us, but some quick thinking (and running) by Adeon managed to bring him to heel and gained us a small booty.
8. Foreseeing the arrival of his Paladin Warhorse, Adeon convinces the group to travel with him to the city of Candu, where he plans to return his current steed to the church that gave it to him. En route the come across a battered and abandoned cart, and the corpse of a slaughtered ox a short distance from it. The good priest Josiah tracks the attacker into the wilderness, and the group encounters a lone centaur who may have been responsible for the attack. A mid-evening altercation between the Centaur and the New Campaigners results in wounds on both sides, but nothing is decided and the Centaur flees. Later that evening, the group is attacked by a lone displacer beast, slain when Dammerung nullifies its defenses with a well-placed faerie fire spell. The following day, the group comes across a house that has been boarded up and sealed with a symbol that Talon recognizes as a ward against evil. Deciding to deal with the evil the following morning, Adeon wanders off to call for his warhorse, leaving him unable to assist his comrades when zombies stream out of the house to attack their camp. Josiah calls upon the holy power of the Hawk to incinerate the undead, but not before one of the horses has fled in terror. Searching the now empty house, the group finds a rotted egg, the symbol of the Dark Brother, sitting at the family table, which Adeon destroys in disgust...
9. With Josiah busy cleansing the desecrated farm, his brothers set out to track down the missing horse. They soon encounter an elven party, lead by the wizard Elmior who carries a writ of passage. They too were searching for the steed Dauntless, but because the beast was gifted to them by the Baron Henner, but somehow managed to escape from their control. Adeon quickly admits to his holy link with the warhorse, and while there is no immediate answer to the dilemma, the parties agree to search together. During the evening, as Adeon sets off to call the horse once more, Dammerung and Talon are surprised as their elven "friends" (Illuniaual, Arelias, Cemeril) turn treacherous and attack. Poorly matched against the band of elves, the battle looked grim until the Ranger Sativa (a distant cousin of the Campaigners) burst from the forest and dealt quick death to the fey traitors. Elmior managed to escape. Sativa was greeted warmly as she revealed that the elves had in fact stolen the horse, and that she was tracking them. With morning's light came another surprise, Adeon's magnificent warhorse, Dauntless, had apparently accepted him and joined the paladin, bringing with it the missing giant horse. Gathering Josiah and Flea, the Campaigners travel to to Donnaley. They were greeted warmly and Adeon quickly demonstrated his link to Dauntless, winning the Baron's approval. The campaigners rest and enjoy the Baron's hospitality.
10. With the other members of the party off tending to their own affairs, Josiah attempts to sell the magical items found on the bodies of the elves, eventually meeting up with Veril, a bard with a proposition. For 10% he can find a top dollar buyer. Bravely risking himself for the good of the group he follows Verril into an underground chamber and procedes to make the deal. After this ordeal was over the adventurers where then invited to the a council meeting by the Baron. There they were introduced to several Lords and Ladies, including Lord Kelbran who told of some slightly disturbing movements by the elves. More disturbing than that, though, was the story told by his companion, Rojan, a youth fromthe small town of Iocalus. He told the adventurers of several disapearences in his town and of the strange behavior of his Uncle. It seemed that his uncle had taken to conversing with a bird of late and had ordered the excavation of a site that had once been the site of great black magiks. Also there was rumored to be a portal of some kind near the town. At the request of the Baron the group agrees to travel to Iocalus to investigate. On the way there they noticed a Raven that seemed to be following them and when they camped for the night a large rat kept nosing around and several members found there belongings had been rummaged through. It seemed that the raven and the rat must be familiars but who they belonged to they did not know. On arrival at the town the next night they were greeted warily but allowed to speak to the Mayor of the town, who turned out to be Rojan's uncle. He spoke of the disapearances but implied that Rojan himself may have had something to do with them as one of the bodies had washed up on shore not long after Rojan ran off. The mayor offered the use of his house to the adventurers and went to sleep at his cousins house. One strange thing was that the guard spoke of a young messenger that had been sent to Highwater Keep. The group checked the house for evil and such and brought some things into town before retiring for the night.
11. The story picks up with the campaigners turning in for the night. Even though they secure themselves in the mayors house and lock the doors and close all the windows, a watch is still set. This turned out to be a good idea as during Dammerung's watch, he realizes that they are being boarded into the house. The rising heat and smoke makes him aware that the house is being set ablaze. He scrambles to awaken the others and calls forth a warhorse to break down the barricaded door. The horse does so a few rounds later revealing villagers, who then roll a flaming bale of hay into the doorway. Quickly knocking out a window, Flea, Sativa and Talon escape while Adeon, Josiah and Dammerung face the mob after moving the makeshift fireball. Using subdual attacks, only two guards die. The villagers realize they had been enchanted and remember nothing of their actions, only of a town meeting a few nights prior by the mayor fortelling the arrival of the capaigners and marks them as 'An evil that will claim to be good.' In this meeting he also demonstrates magic he says were granted to him by an angel (deva). The final guard, after being revived, defiantly shuns the campaigners request to give the location of the mayor, conspicuous by his absence in the fray. The campaigners than set up camp by the horses at the edge of town where they are attacked by a hellhound a few hours later. After driving the creature away, they set out on its trail the next morning. The trail leads back into town where it heads one way and a trai of the villagers is found headed the opposite way. Opting to follow the beast, they stand in disbelief at what they find: giant wooden spires spaced equally holding crucified bodies on each. Figuring this is the way to the excavation site they seek, they take a moment to confer.
12. The Road of Sacrifice led the adventurers into the bad lands. After 2 waves of undead, the party came to the excavation site. Greatly outnumbered, out of spells and wounded, the heroes managed to fell most of the creatures within the collosal cave. Still victory was denied when Josiah fell. Full of scorn and derision, the Infernal Lordling mocked the heroes. Demoralized and defeated, the beaten party flee for their lives.
13. Evading a night time search party, the heros spend a tense night resting. The next day brings the following answers: The Infernal Beast, Black Bone, is a type of Bone Devil. The portal is not yet opened, and there is some connection between this place, Black Bone and the original Campaigners. The day doesn't end without loss. Friend and companion, Flee is found dead, the war wagon destroyed, the heros possessions gone and Sativa under the spell of Black Bone. Indeed, the spell Sativa is under can only temporarily be broken causing unease among the party. Using the Soul Amulet, the party is hopeful that Sativa will not be subject to Black Bone's influence and begin their journey to Candu seeking assistance.
14. The adventures travel on to Candu in hopes of finding aid in defeating Blackbone and closing the portal. After gaining a brief audience at St. Embers Cathedral, they retire to the inn owned by Kite Talek, a halfling and friend of the first generation ³Campaigners². While gathering information from the church regarding the demon threat, the band also seeks to gather answers from the Bardic College regarding the entrapped sprite Starglow. Looking for guidance on how to dispose of the magical jar, Talon returns to the Cathedral only to be attacked by the clergy from which he sought guidance. Imprisoned, his brothers come to his aid and convince him to allow a local priest to release Starglow but bind her from returning to the city. The priest¹s magic fails however, and the angry sprite escapes into the city.
15. After a few days of pursuing their own goals, Dammerung, Josiah and Adeon meet back at the Last Campaign and discover that Talon is being held in "protective custody" by the Paladins at the Sea Fire Order. Going to their tower, they learn that Talon has spent the last few days being tormented by Starglow, forced into the form of his father and raising the suspicion of the entire city. Released into the groups custody, the New Campaigners leave the city and head for Iocalus. En route they meet a group of five "disciples" who claim to have been sent to aid them by their Aunt, and a wild elf named Kelendril who informed the group that the disciples were not what they appeared. Combat ensues, and the disciples reveal their true natures -- servants of the bone devil. Kelendril is welcomed into the party, and the group pushes their way into the lair of Black Bones. More combat ensues, Kelendril nearly meets his doom twice, and though Black Bones teleports away, Dammerung is able to close the portal through the use of one of his scrolls. The party debates what to do next...
16. After a brief conference, the Campaigners continue on their hunt for Black Bones in the underground labyrinth that is its lair. After fighting off undead and other diabolical beings, the group discovers more villagers, shackeled together and chiselling away at a large deposit of gold. The four frightened villagers stay close to the party as the hunt continues. Another portal is then found with a large tentacled creature trying to emerge. A scroll spell successfully closes the portal and ends the threat. Black Bones uses his illusion and domination abilities on the villagers but they are contained by the campaigners without casualty. Retreating for the night Black bones visits the group during Josiah's watch, using one of the captured villagers as his medium. Despite the threats the party forges back into the lair and face the devil head on. After getting through spells used to slow the group down, they track him to his true lair where Kelendril and Adeon deliver the killing blows. After retrieving a chest from an adjoining room, the party closes the entrance with large rocks and emerge from the excavation site victorious.
17. Making a hasty (albeit victorious) retreat from the lair of Black Bone, due to an infestation of vile worms, the New Campaigners wisely decide to rest for the night. The party decides that they will need more gold to purchase the items needed to close the last remaining open portal so they take a peek to see if the worms are still there to block the way. Upon opening the previously blocked entrance, the group finds that the worms have in fact multiplied exponentially and with the opening now cleared they spill out of the lair into the bowl shaped excavation area. The party is once again forced to flee due to the vile worms (held up briefly by a harrowing rope climbing issue). Adeon rightly fears that the worms will continue to spread, possibly threatening all of Malaan, and insists on stopping them immediately. Unfortunately no one in the group has any ideas as to how to do that. The party decides to attempt a conversation with the spirit of the slain paladin of Velrey, the body of whom had previously been removed from the lair. After deciphering the cryptic answers to their well thought out questions, the consensus of the divine spellcasters is to use the holy power of the goddess to destroy the worms. With the power of The Lady and The Hawk backing them, the party makes surprisingly quick work of the vile worm menace. They even manage to destroy the remains of Black Bone as well. After removing this threat, they conduct a thorough search of the cavern. The search turns up the party's stolen possessions as well as some new and interesting items. In removing some of the gold ore from the wall the party unearths yet another portal. Having no way to close the two remaining portals the party decides to seal up the cavern, leaving a warning of "Danger!" behind, and they head towards Donnaley to retrieve Adeon's warhorse. En route to Donnaley, the party is ambushed by the elven wizard Elmior and his speedy centaur companion. The centaur is brought down by the persistence of a severely hurt Adeon, a spell-blinded and also badly wounded Kelendril and the timely summoning of a bear by Talon. Seeing his companion go down, and nearly surrounded by enemies, Elmior casts some type of increased movement spell and makes a break for it. Not wanting him to escape, Adeon and Talon give chase and they are nearly successful at catching him. Unfortunately Elmior manages to elude the party's grasp once again. There is little doubt among the group that they will be seeing more of their foe in the future.
18. The New Campaigners return to Donnely, recovering Dauntless and arranging the sale of a few minor magical weapons through the bard Veril. The transaction takes place, but the would be buyers decide later to "lighten" the characters load with an attack. Kelendril is wounded, but manages to thwart the thieves efforts with gentle persuasion via Ent Breaker. Reaching the Retreat, the company discovers their home to be emptied of most retainers and haunted by spirits linked to the recent dismantling of an old building on the property. Going against the original contract of purchase for the Retreat, (which specified the structure was to be left intact), Colin elected to have the ruined building collapsed. With nightfall, spirits begin wandering the halls of the Retreat, ambiguous in their intentions. Discovering the wooden leg of Saulte in the summoning room, the party decides to venture into the night and investigate further the site of the collapsed building. There they are attacked by an apparently indestructible creature of darkness. Exhausted of their magic's, unable to turn the beast and with no foreseeable way of harming the creature, the company falls back into the "apparent" safety of the Retreat's walls.
19. Weary from the previous nights events, the New Campaigners seek out Amdarin upon their return to the Retreat. It is decided that Amdarin and Dammerung will head into Freeport to consult a diviner friend and to search for other answers to the dilemma of the creature of darkness. Using the safety of the daylight the party decides to clear the rubble of the shack in order to see what is underneath. They uncover the site to reveal a poured concrete slab (a lost architectural wonder of the empire) several inches thick with the inscription "Here lies the body of Rula Velmori - Her soul scattered to the winds." During the search of the shack Kelendril spies some unusual tracks at the edge of the woods. The tracks lead the party to a clearing in which they find the unconscious, weakened and possibly feebleminded form of Saulte. The group spends another harrowing night at the retreat, suffering night attacks by several Shadows and a Wraith. All were destroyed or turned, but not without injury. Josiah allows his body to be entered by a ghostly female figure, which then uses his body to attempt communication with Adeon. Unfortunately Adeon is only able to communicate in broken Tesouvi. The decision was made to leave for Freeport in the morning and to completely evacuate the Retreat, except for Dalia who refuses to go. The party stops at the Breaching Whale and then takes Saulte to Mother Charane of Auteil for restoration. Talon is given some spiritual advice during a conversation with Mother Charane. The party then seeks out a bard named Izmalic who gives them some good information about the Velmori family history. It seems that Rula Velmori was to be a human sacrifice to some sort of dark god known as the "Bringer of Nightmares" whom the Velmoris were said to have worshipped. According to legend Rula knew that she was to be sacrificed and was able to bind her soul to some sort of Talisman in an attempt to preserve her soul. Her body was sacrificed to the Dark God, but her soul remains still. It is unknown what became of the Talisman although there are theories about it being broken apart and speak across the land. The party returns to the Breaching Whale for the night and considers what to do next.
20. Taking time to reequip themselves with armor and other needed items, the foursome spent the night in Freeport. The next morning, after getting independent councel from Mother Charane, the campaigners returned to the retreat to face the horrors there. On the second night there, the foursome encountered the still unnamed evil being. After a long battle proved unsuccessful and Kelendril falling unconscious, a retreat was signaled without recovering Kelendril, hidden within a darkness spell. Upon getting inside Talon, Josiah and Adeon are surprised to see the spirit of Rula with the body of Kelendril before her. Moments later, the evil being bursts in through the window. Josiah turns the creature and the ghost of Rula, standing near him. After a short conference, Josiah puts a invisibility to undead spell in effect. The creature reenters, also invisible but unable to spot the others. Time passes, nothing happens and the threat seemingly abates.
21. After surviving the night, the party is relieved to find Dammerung ride into the Retreat. He arrives with tales of evil Drow and foul artifacts, and has learned much the same information that the rest of the group did the night before. Steeling their resolve, they decide to destroy the fell beast the next night. Before doing so, they unseal the tomb of Lady Velmori, and to their surprise her corpse asks if they have released her soul. On her body is a piece of a strange talisman and a dagger that radiates enchantment and necromantic energies. That night, the party engages the fell creature once more, and after a nearly disastrous first assault (leaving three of the members confused and unable to engage) they are able to regroup and press the attack in earnest. With weapons blessed by the Lady, Adeon and Kelendril are able to do significant damage to it, and Kelendril lands the final blow just as it tries to escape. Later that evening, the ghost urges them to cast the piece of the talisman into the fire, whereupon it floats into the air and points in the direction they are to travel next. The group returns to Freeport, to heal and prepare for the next leg of their journey...
22. Plans to rest and research are interrupted by a dwarvish fighter. Assaulted and slandered, the party is caught between the temptation of leaving the city of Freeport to escape her onslaught and the temptation of following the lies and misinformation back to the group's arch enemy - Elmior.
23. Dammerung and Josiah manage to remove Jagda's geas through subtlety and subterfuge. After trying (and failing) to retreive Talon's dagger from the Diviner's dwelling in Freeport, the as yet not formally named group decides to travel to Candu. En route they encounter burned, scarred land and they stop at Donnelly to investigate, where they learn a pack of horses from the Isle of Porsche escaped from the castle of Hightower and are wreaking havoc on the land. They travel to Hightower to offer their services, where they learn that the horses are being controlled by a fell mockery of a horse that flies and breathes fire. They track the pack and its evil master, and after a nearly fatal combat Kelendril lands the killing blow on the fell beast. They return to Hightower with two surviving Porscian steeds and recieve a generous reward. Dammerung checks the talisman, and finds it pointing into the north, towards the lands of Kelendril's people. The group sadly parts ways with Adeon, who must still travel to Candu with the reborn De'Wheri saint...
24. Their journeys lead them deep into the Moorish Wastes. They encounter a sinister Aboleth who plies illusion and mind control against them. By possessing Jagda and creating confusion it causes her to turn on Talon. She slays him and is eventually calmed. The party's spirits are low and they give their brother a poor man's burial on a pyre on a bit of dry land. The smoke attracts, Rayne, a wandering druid who briefly joins the party. But the death of Talon spells a portent for the team at large. While resting in the marsh, they are attacked by a pack of ghouls. Taken by suprise they are unable to avoid the ghouls paralyzing touchs. In the end the ghouls and marches take the New Campaigners, the Talisman Company. They are no more.