Eberron Mystery Theatre - Die Hard. With a Vengeance.

In our final instalment of Eberron Mystery Theatre, our heroes - Jacquesaurs, Jalros, Picadilly, Vicks, Sir Colin and Palladium brave Hell's Heart, where they discover that the prison and it's supervisor have been suborned by the criminal genius Victor Saint-Demain.

Following their adventures in Stormreach, where they foiled an invasion by an ancient, bodysnatching evil from the Age of the Giants and halted the zombie invasion, our inquisitives are informed that the papers have come in from official sources, allowing them to finally serve a writ of execution to Victor, who has been incarcerated in Hell's Heart. Baron d'Medani has requested their presence as witnesses and executioners at the proceedings, and the entourage visit the prison compound, which is suspended in mid air above Sharn via skyship. Along the way, they meet Khielas Mourn, a magistrate from the Citadel, who has also taken a personal interest in the proceedings.

Arriving at Hell's Heart, the inquisitives meet Warden Krebowski, a jovial gnome who takes great delight in showing the group around and pointing out the amazing qualities of the prison complex and it's amenities. The group also notices that all the prison staff are warforged, and that the gnome is the only living staff member - a curious fact indeed.

They are led to lunch, where a feast was prepared by the prison cook - a warforged with a chef's hat and painted on moustache called "Cook". However, it seems that the situation between the Baron and Khielas Mourn is tense and there is some bad blood between the two. Jacquesaurs attempts to find out more from Khielas by convincing him to step outside, while the rest of the adventurers continue to eat. Little did they know that treachery was afoot. Jacquesaurs was smacked unconscious from behind as he and Khielas visited the privy, while the party was disabled by magical spells and sleeping poisons in the feast hall.

Waking up, our inquisitives found themselves in the lowest level of the prison - the solitary cells, trapped behind a wall of force without their weapons or gear. As everyone attempted to find a way to escape, Jalros noticed that he could loosen a brick in his cell, which allowed Jacquesaurs to squeeze into his cell. Further scrutiny also revealed that there were loose tiles in the ceiling above Jalros's cell, which Jacquesaurs managed to dislodge with magic. Climbing through the hole in the ceiling, Jalros and Jacquesaurs retrieved the key stone lying in a corner, and freed the others. Together, the party entered the teleporter on this floor, and were sped into another layer of the prison.

This time, our inquisitives found their geared chained to a pillar beneath a grille, and a series of levers. Attempting to pull the levers randomly caused the chains to snap, and their items to fall into a pit to oblivion. With some clever manipulating, the adventurers managed to bust open the grille and retrieved their gear, and not a moment too soon. They were attacked by slime monsters as soon as the grille dropped, and barely managed to escape after fending them off.

Stepping into the teleporter, the adventurers found themselves in a blasted battlefield suspended in a black void. There, they encountered three former inmates - a duskblade, a wizard and a skilled dervish, and had to fight their way past to freedom. It was a difficult fight, and Jacquesaurs was knocked out, but the group eventually persevered. Securing their freedom, they stepped through the teleporter into the next area - a sea of floating rocks suspended in mid air, between the upper prison and lower prison.

Swimming through the air and dodging the revolving rocks, the inquisitives found their way to the upper prison chute barred by two cloud drakes. These drakes were initially non-hostile, but as they came closer, frayed nerves and paranoia took hold, and the party attacked. The drakes were quickly dispatched with Vicks's magic and everyone's combined effort, and the party made their way to the chute, and into the next area.

The next area was dark, and dimly lit. It was a circular chamber, with several sectioned off rooms. Picadilly stepped towards the room labelled garden, and sniffing apples inside, opened the door. It led to a large garden that was bigger than it seemed, with an apple tree in the very center. Sensing something amiss, Palladium instantly recognized it as an illusion. He alerted the others as well, but Picadilly was not able to resist the lure of the apples and stepped inside. And that was when enemies attacked, and not a moment too soon either. The apple tree was actually a giant meat grinder, and if Picadilly had stepped closer, she would have turned into corned beef.

Their assailants this time were a wizard and two spearmen, who wielded their polearms dextrously. A gust of wind stopped the party from escaping, while the threatening polearms tripped anybody who tried to make their way through the doorway. Vicks halted the meat grinding blade barrier with magic, and Palladium summoned up a wall of sand to disrupt the attackers, while Picadilly started pounding on the wall to make a hole the others could escape through. Jacquesaurs was trapped outside, but he managed to turn invisible. The wizard dismissed the wall of sand, and then proceeded to fling spells at the group, while the spearmen tripped and hampered their attempts to escape the room. Jacquesaurs attacked one of the spearmen with a sound lance, blowing him to bits, but also breaking cover. That was when the wizard struck. He hit Jacquesaurs with a disintegration spell, and turned the gnome to dust almost instantly.

Sir Colin charged the wizard, and skewered him, killing him instantly, while Vicks turned into a bear and mauled the remaining spearman. Scooping up the dust that remained of Jacquesaurs, the party pressed on while Vicks performed a ritual to bring the gnome back - as an elf.

The new elf Jacquesaurs quickly clothed himself, and the party proceeded to explore the rest of this level. The pantry proved to be stocked with food, while the laboratory harbored an actual prisoner in addition to lab equipment. Freeing the prisoner, the party discovered he was called Sigmund Fraud, a dwarf who had once worked at the prison before being turned into a lab rat. The party also discovered that said dwarf was probably crazy, even if he possessed some powerful spells. They released the dwarf, and convinced him, on pain of death and beard burning, to join the group and help them get away from the prison.

Searching the lab, the party discovered a vial of the warden's extracted memories, and Vicks drank it. He soon discovered Victor's nefarious plot through the warden's memories, as well as important details about how to utilize the prison's security features including the teleportation commands and the warforged. Armed with this knowledge, the party could now confront and foil Victor's schemes once and for all.

After overriding the warforged using the observation chamber, the party quickly commanded the entire garrison to go with them to the viaducts, where Victor was currently gloating about his soon to be complete victory. The Baron and Lady Zalina were trapped in an adamantite cage that was rapidly filling with water, and would drown if the device were not switched off. However, there was a bomb attached to the console, rigged to detonate and drop the entire prison colony on Sharn if it were tampered with.

Things looked bleak indeed. Picadilly used her cloak to translocate up to the grille where Victor and his accomplices were standing and gloating at the adventurers, while Vicks turned into an octopus and casted water breathing on everyone, allowing them to ignore the flooding chamber. The warforged garrison started making their slow way up the ladders at the sides, and both Palladium and Sigmund Fraud started hovering towards the platform. Jacqeusaurs conjured black tentacles to grope the villains, but only managed to grab the other gnome.

As it turned out, Khielas was in fact the changeling Vrinn, and he started pelting the unfortunate party with lightning from a wand. Warden Krebowski used his spells to free himself, and scurried away. Victor activated a scroll, and attacked both paladins with a prismatic spray. He cooked Picadilly halfway through with two magic rays, while Sir Colin managed to avoid the worst of the spell. Palladium then cast Silence on the holy cow, causing confusion amongst Victor and his cronies.

Sir Colin smacked Vrinn as the changeling tried to use his wand again, and this time, the changeling fell off the platform, plunging down onto the top of the adamantite cage and to his doom. Warden Krebowski retreated away from the silence, and used an item to cast a Polar Ray in the direction of Palladium. Palladium activated his protective ring, and caused the spell to rebound to Victor. Victor was surprised by the attack, and thinking that the warden had betrayed him, shot the warden with a poisoned crossbow bolt before doing the same to Picadilly. As Picadilly fell down, Victor retreated and brandished another scroll.

Down below, Vicks summoned elementals and arrowhawks in the direction of Victor, while Jacquesaurs casted dimension door and made his way up to the platform. Now outmatched, and bereft of his allies, Victor began to incant from his scroll, claiming that he would not soon be defeated. Meteors exploded from the scroll and rained down on the platform, knocking the party off their feet and collapsing the platform. Fortunately, having had their share of falling encounters, the adventurers had equipped their rings of feather falling. All except Jacquesaurs, who started plummeting to his death. Luckily, Vicks was able to get his arrow hawk to rescue the falling elf before he hit the ground and went splat.

Vicks was also able to raise the level of water in the room, and this cushioned the falling platform. Instead of crushing everyone down below, it only made a large splash. The impact also freed the Baron and Lady Zalina from the cage, allowing them to slip free. Sigmund Fraud finally made his way onto the platform, and tried to snipe Victor with a spell. But he missed!

The distraction though, allowed Palladium to drop a huge ice storm on Victor, battering the villain off the platform. Victor plunged down, onto the ruins of the cage, and was impaled. He was finally dead.

The adventurers had their victory, but they hadn't diffused the bomb. Quickly, the adventurers teleported out of the viaducts, and not a moment too soon. As they rushed to the Baron's skyship, explosions resonated through the lower prison compound. Flying away from the prison colony, the adventurers saw the upper compound catch on fire, and start plummeting towards Sharn.

In the days to come, it was discovered that the prison complex had missed Sharn by a hair, though it did scrape a new groove on Clifftop. The adventurers were lauded for their bravery and quick thinking, and their agency was given an award by House Medani, the city of Sharn, and the Citadel. Having finally established themselves, after numerous trials, tribulations and misadventures, our adventurers had finally come full circle.

They had solved all the mysteries that had come their way, overcome danger, had their share of alley and rooftop confrontations, and finally won through to be lauded as heroes.

And thus concludes the adventures of Jacquesaurs the Bard, Picadilly the Holy Cow, Sir Colin the Paladin, Vicks the Druid, Palladium the Cleric and Jalros the Ranger.

Thus concludes Eberron Mystery Theatre.

Thanks for playing!

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Experience, Loot and so Forth:

Everyone gains enough experience points to level them to 13th.

You are all also given an item:

1. Jacquesaurs - A Cli Lyre. (MIC p. 154)

2. Picadilly - A Overhead Shield (MIC p. 20)

3. Sir Colin - A Shirt of Ironskin (MIC p. 135)

4. Vicks - A pair of rings. Ring of Mystic Fire and Ring of Mystic Lightning (MIC p. 125/126)

5. Palladium - A Circlet of Rapid Casting (MIC p. 86)

6. Jalros - A Quiver of Energy (MIC p. 172). You choose what energy type when you draw the arrow.

Eberron Mystery Theatre - Night of the Living Dead

In this instalment of Eberron Mystery Theatre, our heroes - Jacquesaurs, Jalros, Picadilly, Vicks, Sir Colin and Palladium discover the truth behind Stormreach's zombie apocalypse, and even manage to stop the masterminds, though at the expense of one gnome.

The long awaited day when the duke's mages completed the teleporting circle finally arrived, and a celebration was held in the honor of the party and survivors. Liberal amounts of alcohol and food from the duke's personal larders was served, and the adventurers turned in happy and content in the fact that tomorrow, they would be back in Sharn, and this mess with the zombies behind them.

And it would have ended happily ever after too, except something rotten was afoot. As Jalros woke up from his reverie on the airship, he noticed that the courtyard was quiet - too quiet. The mages had all disappeared, and the guards were standing still in a daze. He approached them to investigate, and realized too late that the guards had all been slain. That was when he noticed that the gate of the keep was unbarred, and that somebody was tampering with the airship.

True enough, the escaped rogue had lain low in the keep in the past few days, and had finally made her move. Jalros sent for help, and had his bird alert the others. Those who slept in the keep though discovered that apart from the rogue and the dead guards, the survivors, all 150 of them in the keep had been poisoned and were dead. What was going on? :o

As Vicks and Jalros rushed to subdue the rogue, Jacquesaurs ran to Captain Seele's quarters, and discovered that she was dead, with a second grin from ear to ear carved in her throat. Vicks attacked the rogue, and their struggle resulted in the ship's hold catching on fire. As the fire spread, the rogue jumped out of a porthole, only to be shot dead by Jalros. Vicks then quickly tried to put out the fire, and Picadilly and Sir Colin helped. By now, zombies had entered the keep, and Jalros was hard pressed to fend them off by firing arrows.

Jacquesaurs took the helm of the ship, and managed to put it on course. As the party jumped aboard, and as the ship flew skywards, everyone spotted some furtive movement on the third floor of the keep, where the keep had a balcony and audience hall. True enough, Duke Thoric was inside, and so was Zan Zar the merchant and the mages from downstairs. As soon as they spotted the ship, two of the mages headed towards the balcony, and sent a volley of fireballs to detonate against the ship, blasting holes in the wood and causing the fires to spread.

Vicks retaliated with spells of his own, as more mages joined the fray. Picadilly teleported to the roof of the audience chamber and began to smash it with her hammer, while Jalros returned fire with arrows. However, the magical onslaught proved difficult for Vicks to defend against, and Jacquesaurs had to ram the ship into the balcony so the melee combatants could disembark to help out.

Zan Zar struck up a dirge song, causing the party to feel sickened and demoralized, and Duke Thoric, whose shadow seemed unusually large and almost solid, leapt to attack the group. With a devastating charge and a jump, he cleaved his sword into Jalros, badly injuring him. Jalros was then knocked down by a fireball from one of the wizards. More spells slammed into the party as the wizards redoubled their efforts, though some of them pinged off Sir Colin's magic shields with little effect. One of Sir Colin's fellow adventurers, who holed up in the bell tower when treachery took place, quickly joined the fray. This mystic was called Palladium, and he flew up to offer what healing aid he could.

Sir Colin activated Angel's Ashes, causing it to burn with brillance at the expense of his own health. As Sir Colin crumpled over, the undead in the courtyard, the skeleton mages, Duke Thoric and Zan Zar felt the wrath of the heavens. The zombies and skeleton mages turned to ash, and Duke Thoric was blinded. Zan Zar smoked and charred, but was mostly unhurt. Zan Zar retaliated with a spell as Duke Thoric flailed with his sword blindly. The sonic vibrations smashed into Sir Colin, killing him. But the miraculous Angel's Ashes took effect again, and Sir Colin came back to life, a little worse for wear as the power of the orb was completely spent. With a charge, Sir Colin skewered Zan Zar, and at the same time, Picadilly finally smashed the roof, causing it to fall on the fat merchant.

Duke Thoric used some foul magic to revive the skeleton mages, and they began casting magic missiles at the party. Most of the missiles that struck Sir Colin and Palladium were negated by their protections, but Jacqeusaurs was not so lucky. He had been doing his best to pilot the ship, so when the missiles slammed home, he had no way to defend against them. Jacquesaurs was drilled through by the missiles and slain outright.

The ship started listing and sinking towards the glowing magic circle in the courtyard. With no one to control the ship now, it would land in the circle and be teleported, likely to Sharn. Angered, Sir Colin charged Duke Thoric, lancing him through the chest and causing him to fall off the balcony. As the body of Duke Thoric pulped on the ground, the shadow detached from his body and made towards the magic circle. Jalros fired arrows at it, but the arrows failed to cause significant harm. Jalros's pet managed to snag the Amulet of the Keeper from Zan Zar's corpse, which quickly decomposed.

Palladium tried to freeze the shadow in place with a moon bolt, causing it to falter, and then Sir Colin hit it with magic missiles, which shredded it to pieces. As the shadow faded away, Palladium casted a dispelling on the teleporting circle, snuffing its magic. The undead outside the keep seemed to stop collectively, fell flat on the ground, and were still.

The party stopped to rest and recover from their ordeal. Searching Zan Zar's body, they retrieved a sending stone, which turned out to belong to Simon the Necromancer. Speaking into the sending stone summoned the wizard to the group, and as they conversed, it seemed more of the mystery came to light. Piecing all the information they had together, the adventurers then could logically conclude that Zan Zar and the Duke were either possessed by the giant spirits that had been loosed from the dragonshards, or were in cahoots with the spirits. The spirits had orchestrated the zombie apocalypse, and the amulet Zan Zar had tricked Simon into retrieving amplified their command of the undead to all undead in the city.

It was fortunate then that the party had put paid to the evil scheme when they did. What if the undead had crossed the portal and attacked Sharn?

Eventually, the party sailed back to Sharn, where they revived Jacquesaurs. They also came out of the adventure stronger, wiser and more powerful. All in time too, since they had to contend with Lord d'Medani's scheduled prison visit on the morrow.

There was ample time though, for Jacquesaurs, who had just recovered from death, to gain some much needed experience before the coming trials. So that was why he and the others descended into a newly opened shaft in Under Sharn to do some exploring.

But that's a story for another time, and best said in Jacquesaurs' own words.

What else will the party come up against in the weeks to come? Stay tuned to Eberron Mystery Theatre to find out!

Eberron Mystery Theatre - Magnifique?

In this instalment of Eberron Mystery Theatre, our heroes - Picadilly, Jacquesaurs, Jalros and Sir Colin conclude their investigation of the alchemy lab, and also rescue a group of survivors, with repercussions.

Where we last left off, the party had just descended into the waterlogged tunnel beneath the burnt out apothecary. Disabling a second puzzle door, the group entered what appeared to be a well stocked alchemy lab, replete with all the tools of the alchemists' trade, a live sized skeleton of a pterodactyl hanging from the ceiling, and the requisite book shelves filled with tomes of formulae. Careful searching revealed that the pterodactyl was a dud, and that it was actually a mechanism to open a hidden door in the ceiling. Pulling on it, Picadilly dislodged a large block of stone, which landed on her, but it also revealed a 30-ft shaft ascending into the rock and an oiled rope ladder. Jalros clambered up the rope to another door in the chamber above, but before he could open the door, he triggered a trap, which caused the rope ladder to catch on fire.

Fortunately, the ranger was nimble, and managed to secure himself in the tunnel, whilst letting the rope ladder burn out. He dextrously kicked down the door, and found himself in a square chamber with a plinth in the center, and four mirrored columns. Eventually, Jacquesaurs clambered up to join him, and after awhile, they puzzled out the mechanism. Using the bunch of potion bottles and scrolls in the lab beneath, Jacquesaurs changed three of the pillars into colored pillars, and he released a searing light from the scroll. As the light linked all four mirrors together, a beam cut through the center of the plinth, revealing a glowing white orb. The two also discovered that the door leading out of the plinth room led nowhere, but into a deep, star filled void where no sound was heard. They hastily closed the door, in case they fell inside. :P

After examination, the orb was eventually revealed to be an Angel's Ashes, and Jacquesaurs happily pocketed it because it was so powerful. And then Sir Colin noticed it and confiscated it. XD

The Angel's Ashes though bonded with Sir Colin, granting him angelic powers to help save the people of this place. Armed with this new item, the heroes left the alchemy lab, and proceeded to fly back to the keep. En route, they noticed the Maiden's Head tavern was sending out smoke signals, that it was fortified, and there was an armed dwarf on the rooftop waving his arms at the airship and prodding suspiciously.

Stopping at the Maiden's Head, the party picked up the dwarf and several other survivors - some adventurers had stayed at the Maiden's Head before the zombie attack, and were now eager to be rescued since supplies were low. There was a feral halfling from the Talenta Plains, a goblin ranger who turned out to be pretty righteous, a couple clad in leather armor with no visible weapons, the tavern keeper in his frilly tutu, a dwarven cleric who quickly retired below decks to pray for his spells, the dwarf, and a cloaked elf with a slimey expression.

Shortly after the group boarded however, the party noticed the sinister looking elf, who claimed to be called Martineau the Magnifique fiddling with the ship's elemental ring. When the ship stalled, the party discovered that the elf had in fact disabled the magic and was taking the ship captain hostage.

A battle soon ensued, and the party realized to their detriment that the dwarf, as well as a human couple were all in cahoots with the elf. The elf was a wizard of some power, and he flooded the deck of the airship with choking gas, poisonous gas, and solid fog. He also tried to mind control Jalros, threw people into the clouds, and practiced all sorts of shady magic. The dwarf charged at Picadilly, but was swiftly dispatched by her mooing horns and swinging hammer, as well as Sir Colin's dangerous spear from behind. The couple though had a field day with Jacquesaurs, who stumbled out of the cloud into their arms, to be backstabbed multiple times. They were rogues, the lot of them.

The battle was hard fought, and Jacquesaurs thought he hovered on death's door thrice, but everyone worked together to overcome Martineau. Eventually, they slew the hijacker, rescued Captain Seele, and liberated the ship. The female of the roguish couple though had fled during the fight, and nobody knew where she went. Picadilly thought that maybe she jumped ship.

Once the poisonous gases dissipated, the party returned to the keep, where everyone got some much deserved rest.

But that wouldn't be the end of it, would it? Such a bland ending to Eberron Mystery Theatre? Certainly not. There's still Zombies At The Gates, as our adventurers find out next week. So stay tuned, for the next installment of Eberron Mystery Theatre.

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Treasure and Experience

1. Everyone gains 1,500 xp.

2. Scroll of Fireball, Scroll of Polymorph - found in a scroll case in the alchemy lab hidden under the apothecary's shop.

3. Angel's Ashes - Said to contain a real angel's remains. Grants Sir Colin the ability to use Sunburst 1/day. It can also Heal (150 hp) a person it touches 1/day. If Sir Colin uses the Sunburst power, it is Maximized (15d6), but he also takes the same amount of damage as was inflicted to the enemy. Both abilities are used as if by a 15th level caster.

4. Martineau's Cloak - A Minor Cloak of Displacement. Grants 20% miss chance against enemy attacks that require an attack roll.

5. Martineau's Spellbook - A book containing powerful conjuration, enchantment and illusion spells. It has the following spells: 1st - Color Spray, Disguise Self, Hypnotism, Mage Armor, Mount, Unseen Servant; 2nd - Hideous Laughter, Invisibility, Glitterdust, Web; 3rd - Hold Person, Stinking Cloud, Suggestion; 4th - Charm Monster, Phantasmal Killer, Solid Fog; 5th - Cloudkill, Dominate Person, Telekinesis

6. Battlerager's Helm - A dwarven war helm with one broken horn and one intact horn. It allows the wearer to enter a Barbarian Rage 1/day.

7. Blood slick dagger - A dagger of venom. It has a +1 enhancement bonus, and can cast Poison (DC 14) 1/day. This dagger seems to have taken many lives and is EVIL.

Eberron Mystery Theatre - Resident Snivel

In this instalment of Eberron Mystery Theatre, our heroes - Picadilly, Jacquesaurs, Chris, Vicks, Jalros and Stab continue to investigate the zombie apocalypse in Stormreach, with some fatal consequences.

Picking up where we left off, Stab was dangling on a limp piece of rope from the railing of the airship, and any negotiations with Simon the Necromancer seemed like they were breaking down. In exasperation, Chris decided to curse the rope holding Stab safely in mid air, causing the poor stubby spellthief to fall onto the demonic summoning circle in the center of the tent.

This turned out to be A VERY BAD THING, because Stab's falling into the circle disrupted the magic holding the demon in place, and caused it to break free. It also affected the protections surrounding Zan Zar's tent, and allowed the zombies, all 300 of them, to start breaking through.

The demon was an insectile creature with a scorpion like tail and cockroach features called a Gelugon, and it made short work of Stab. Stab was pierced by the tail and poisoned, turned instantly into a weak, helpless lump of dwarf flesh. Chris and Picadilly jumped down to help, while Vicks, Jalros and Jacquesaurs supported the group from the railing of the ship with arrows and spells. Frustrated, Simon attacked the demon with magic as well, hitting it with a prismatic spray. Unfortunately, Stab was in the vicinity of the demon, and was also hit. Needless to say, he was instantly vaporized. The demon survived though.

Zan Zar panicked and ran towards the tent entrance as the hooded figures in the tent, revealed to be death knights under the control of Simon the Necromancer, moved to engage the zombies. Jacquesaurs polymorphed himself into a bird using his cloak, and flew after Zan Zar, casting a Hold Person spell after to try to stop the fat merchant from fleeing. But Zan Zar shrugged off the spell, and darted away. As he fled through the zombie hordes, Jacquesaurs spied a very sinister look on Zan Zar's face.

But the group didn't have enough time to think about it. The demon was still active, and the zombies were pressing in. With Simon's help, they made quick work of the demon, but the necromancer refused to have anything further to do with the zombies. Zan Zar had hired him to solve the problem, but the party had messed it up. He was not interested in cleaning up after them, so he picked up his payment - a powerful magic staff and a bag of coins from the till, and teleported away with his servants.

This left the party in A VERY BAD PLACE. Vicks turned into a giant eagle, and flew Picadilly back up to the ship and safety, while the others began to gather what treasure they could, before making their way back to the ship. Chris held back the zombies with his fire staff, but to little avail. There were too many, and he was soon overwhelmed. However, he managed to grab hold of another one of Zan Zar's treasures, a staff with a dragon's claw on it, and used it to summon a dragon to help him. He quickly flew away on dragonback, scoffing at the party.

And then, of course, the tent blew up. The explosion rocked the airship, but thankfully, only Jalros's bird was killed. Returning to the keep, the group dropped off the survivors they had rescued, turned in the supplies they had found, and helped with the fortifications.

The following day, a knight in shiny armor rode up to the keep gate, seeking sanctuary. As it turned out, this knight was a paladin of Aureon, the god of knowledge and magic. His name was Sir Colin, and he was quickly integrated into the party after he volunteered to help.

Discovering that there was an apothecary's shop on the third tier that could have valuable supplies, the group set off again. Dispatching the zombies in the shop easily, the group soon found a magical glow coming from underneath an intact cupboard of ironwood. They flipped it over, and discovered that they had freed a trapped air elemental. The air elemental parleyed with the party, and informed them that there was magic beneath the shop that could aid them.

Searching around, the party uncovered a sealed hatch inscribed with symbols that had 30 buttons on its surface. It took the group several attempts to puzzle through the mechanism, since they no longer had a rogue who could disable devices with them. The party also triggered several traps in the process, and Jacquesaurs was turned into a chicken.

Fortunately, the magic was not beyond dispelling, and after entering the water filled tunnel beneath the shop, Vicks was able to magic Jacquesaurs back to normal. Of course, there was another door in the basement. With another magical mechanism looking strangely like the first.

What lies beneath (and by association beyond)? Will Jacquesaurs be turned into another fluffy animal? Will somebody cry FOWL? All this and more in next week's installment of Eberron Mystery Theatre.

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Treasure and Experience

1. Jacquesaurs finally reaches Level 11.

2. Magic Map - found in a scroll case in Zan Zar's shop. This map allows you to detect the layout (but not features) of a dungeon or compound up to 1-mile wide. It is usable 1/day.

3. Beastbane Axe - +1 Battleaxe, Beastbane. Counts as a +3 weapon that also inflicts an additional 2d6 bonus damage against Beast type monsters.

4. Enchanted Spear - A +1 Cold Iron Spear.

5. Everfull Quiver - This quiver looks like it can contain 20 arrows. However, so long as there is at least 1 mundane arrow remaining in this quiver, it will never run out of arrows, since it magically produces mundane arrows to replace any that are drawn.

6. Wand of Restoration - 10 charges.

Eberron Mystery Theatre - Curse of the Golden Door (also the Zombie Apocalypse, but more on that later)

In this instalment of Eberron Mystery Theatre, our heroes - Picadilly, Jacquesaurs, Stab, Vicks, Jalros and Ellis, fresh from their defeat of the Raven, discover that downtime's not all about rest and relaxation - there's still adventure to be had, and these adventures, as they soon realize, can prove to be quite deadly.

With two weeks to spare before a scheduled inspection of the Hell's Heart Prison, where the mastermind behind the Raven's killing spree - their archnemesis Victor Saint-Demain - has been imprisoned, our heroes realize that they have some time to spare before they are called upon to finally indict the old bastard, and see to his execution for crimes against the goodly folk of the city of Sharn.

Thusly, they decided to take up some work to earn them extra money, money that would help them refurbish their new lodgings in Morgrave University's Old Quarter, and as it turned out, there were quite a few quests to be had.

The Church of the Silver Flame was financing an expedition to the Eldeen Reaches, where a sliver of rock and a dreaded rift from the great dark beyond had appeared.

In the same vein, the Merchant's Concern, chaired by Lord Hubert ir'Maron, had received a somewhat sensitive request. One of their members, an artificer called Frederick, an excoriate of the House of Cannith, was seeking aid with the retrieval of a precious medallion and scepter from the crypt of Lord Valkar, which the adventurers had attempted to pillage previously. Of course, the medallion had been sold by Jacquesaurs on the black market, but the scepter was still somewhere within the crypt, or so it seemed.

Seizing the opportunity to finally acquire the golden doors they'd left in Lord Valkar's crypt, and seeing this quest as a sign of providence, the inquisitives, together with a reluctant Picadilly, traveled through Undersharn towards Valkar's resting spot, and there they began to tear the crypt apart. The shadows that spawned now were not a match for the group, and Jalros easily dispatched the lone shadow that materialized in response to Picadilly's presence.

True enough, there was a hidden compartment in the portrait in Lord Valkar's crypt. A cunning shelf of rock was hidden behind the picture frame, and there was something caught inside it. Vicks used his ability to soften earth and stone to break open the stone shelf and secure the scepter within. But the scepter was clearly a foul relic. As soon as Vicks touched it, he felt his lifeforce being drained away. Picadilly retreated out of the chamber, and Vicks tried to do the same, but Vicks realized that he couldn't exit the chamber.

Jacquesaurs entered the chamber to help, and so did Ellis, and the both of them were stuck. It was then that they realized that something was wrong, and that their presence had caused a shadowy creature to spawn in the center of the room - an abomination that was an amalgamation of all their images.

Outside, the other adventurers realized that they couldn't hear what transpired within, or affect the interior. Even worse, Picadilly and Jalros couldn't enter the chamber. A potent magical force kept them at bay. Stab, who was naturally cautious, hung back and began to observe his surroundings for a clue.

Inside, the trapped adventurers found a talisman, which Ellis attempted to use on the magical symbol of the Keeper that they had suspected was responsible for the magic keeping them in the chamber and summoning the shadow creature. Unfortunately, the talisman only sped up the process of summoning the shadow, and it quickly grew active. Swinging one of its four arms up, it grappled Ellis, and started draining the poor rogue's strength. It then moved closer to Jacquesaurs and Vicks, and began threatening them.

Outside, Picadilly, Jalros, his bird and Stab started poking at the runes and symbols around the door, which were designed to prevent them from entering. It was tough work, and as they watched, the shadow monster snapped Ellis like a twig, and then proceeded to squeeze the life out of Jacquesaurs. Vicks hurled several Flame Strikes at the monster, and then wailed at it with his paws in bear form, but those attacks didn't seem to hurt too much. Ellis rose up as a shadow creature, but was incinerated by a Flame Strike.

Eventually, the outside group managed to break down the magical symbols, but it was too late for Jacquesaurs. The monster smacked Jacquesaurs about, and Jacquesaurs died, drained to a withered husk. Jalros feathered the monster now that the room was back in phase in the real world, and exploded it, and then Jacquesaurs, who had been killed, turned into a shadow creature. Vicks flailed him and destroyed his remains quickly, before he could take an offensive action.

Now that the group had lost two of their members, very likely permanently, they quickly packed the scepter, retrieved the golden doors of Lord Valkar's tomb, and beat a hasty retreat. Eventually, they decided to consult with the goodly temple of Dol Arrah that Picadilly was from, and sought help bringing Jacquesaurs back to life. It was an expensive proposition, however, which would eat up any profit they would make out of selling the golden doors. But the gnome was a good friend who would be sorely missed otherwise.

So they steeled themselves, and requested the high cleric to pray for a Miracle. The Miracle was granted, and Jacquesaurs was returned to the land of the living, none the worse for wear, and heavily in debt to the party.

With the gnome bard alive again, the party decided to pursue their other lead. They had to track down the other part of their mission - the amulet that Jacquesaurs had sold away on the Tyrants' black market. They visited the Tyrants, only to realize that the amulet had recently been purchased by an agent of Zan Zar, the merchant the party had crossed in Xen'drik. The agent was none other than Simon, the Necromancer. It seemed that some characters from their past had cropped up. How odd was that?

Resolving to pursue Simon and collect the amulet, the adventurers boarded the White Seele, bound for Stormreach, where Zan Zar was based. But when they arrived, they discovered Stormreach to be devoid of life - it looked as if some disaster had swept the streets - not a soul was in sight, and what movement they saw was due to zombies. The city was filled with those undead things, crawling with zombies, and the living, or what was left of them, were scattered in tiny pockets across the three tiered city.

Flying up to Stormreach Keep, the adventurers encountered the one remaining lord of the city, Lord Thoric, and his ragtag group of survivors. He had managed to keep some 300 of the citizens, members of the watch, and several members from the Dragonmarked houses safe, and they were doing their best to make a spirited, if somewhat futile defense against the zombies. Somehow, all divine magic in the city had failed, and with no clerics to stem the undead tide, they had washed over the city quickly. The city watch had fallen within a day, riots had broken out in the lower levels, adventurers had caused more harm than help, and everything had bloody went to hell in a handbasket, or so Lord Thoric claimed.

Our inquisitives decided to pitch in, since they had an airship. They offered to take some of Lord Thoric's men on a supply run, and ended up rescuing some additional members of the town watch who had been sent for supplies and were waylaid, as well as a bunch of survivors who had hidden themselves in a tavern.

The airship hovered towards Zan Zar's tent, which seemed to be zombie free, and Stab rappelled down to spy. He poked a hole through the canvas, and noticed Zan Zar in communion with a cloaked figure, talking in Abyssal. Using the sending stone in his possession, he attempted to transmit the conversation to the others so they could figure out what was going on. However, he was noticed, and barely escaped being incinerated by a blast of acid.

As the tent dissolved away, everyone discovered that Zan Zar was in the tent with several other hooded figures, and Simon the Necromancer. There was also a magic circle with a bound demon in it, and their conversation, which revolved around demons and sacrifices, sounded rather sketchy.

It was a surprising reveal. There was obviously something going on here, and clearly both Zan Zar, who was spotted wearing the evil amulet, and Simon the Necromancer, were involved somehow.

But what was going on exactly? What will the party get up to next in Eberron Mystery Theatre? Stay tuned to find out.

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Treasure and Experience

1. All adventurers gain enough XP to put them at Level 11. Those who perished today however only gain 1,500 xp. Please update your character sheets accordingly.

2. Golden Doors - From Lord Valkar's crypt. Sold for 25,000 gp.

3. Scepter of the Keeper - A quest item, claimed by Frederick the Excoriate to possess the ability to act as a power source. Currently possesses undocumented powers.

Eberron Mystery Theatre - Quoth the Raven, Nevermore

In this instalment of Eberron Mystery Theatre, our heroes - Picadilly, Jacquesaurs, Chris, Stab, and their new friends Jalros (the stalker) and Ellis (a rogue) uncovered the Raven's hidden lair, braved a series of nefarious traps and dangerous tests, and finally fought him on the rooftops of a clock tower, where they finally defeated him and ended his killing spree.

Rushing back from the Orien train yards, our heroes discovered that Clifftop was, in fact, burning. A thick blanket of ash, filled the skies above the water tower, and flames that burnt black and red and orange in the night flickered ominously in the distance. Rubble rained down from the edge of the cliff - bits of detritus, loose bricks, debris, a half eaten hand, and Diaspo, whose broken and battered body had been shot full of holes and eaten by some sort of carnivorous plant.

Arriving at Clifftop, the party witnessed first hand the destruction wrought by the Raven. The ground was pitted and charred, rocks blasted black and broken. Nearby oak trees had been blasted apart by lightning, and continued to smoke intermittantly. The water tower was in shambles, a collapsed, smoking ruin, and bodies - those of Chris's hirelings, littered the area. They had tried to put up a fight - that much was obvious, but it was clearly one sided.

A murder of crows flocked ominously above the water tower, and as the party scrambled onto the scene, one of them grew larger, changing shape into a robed figure clad in black feathers. The crows parted, as if following his mental command, and hovered around him sinisterly, their darkness blocking out all light, their wings blotting the sky.

Gloating, the figure introduced himself as the Raven, and after raining a few lightning bolts down on the party, flew away, leaving only a vellum note - a challenge for the party to find him, before he killed off the hostages he had taken from Clifftop.

Jalros joined the group immediately, eager to take revenge on the Raven for his murder of Star, but a passer-by, who had joined the fray with his crossbow in hand, slipped away before the party could question him further. Who was this mystery helper? The party wondered, but they had more pressing concerns before them. They only had 24 hours before the Raven would kill the hostages, and not much of a clue to start with.

Everyone examined the note anxiously, and then Stab had an epiphany. The note hinted at a clock tower, and there were only three such places in Sharn. The most likely one, though, was the one in the orphanage at Aureon's Gate, where everything had started.

The party passed into the Gate of Gold, and into Aureon's Gate, where they spied somebody lurking about in one of the rooms. Jacquesaurs casted an invisibility spell on himself, and sneaked in, only to spot that the lurker was none other than Star - who had been presumed dead. Jacquesaurs sneaked closer for a look, only to step on some bits of spikey broken glass in the doorway, cutting his foot and giving his position away. Held at sword point, Jacquesaurs was forced to drop his invisibility and fast talk his way out of the situation. It seemed that Star had escaped from the Raven, and was ready to flee the town. But Picadilly, observing the exchange from a nearby window, noticed something strange. Star's nose was glowing an unhealthy shade of red, a sure sign of evil. Stab pulled out a placard and stuck it on the window to alert Jacquesaurs, and as the bard stalled for time, Picadilly busted through the wall with her hammer, and conked the imposter senseless.

The imposter quickly surrendered, revealing himself to the be none other than Vrinn the changeling. He had been alternately hired and blackmailed by the Raven into masquerading as Star, and everything had been an elaborate set up. The real exotic dancer had been killed several days ago, and left to rot in the rail car, while Vrinn had adapted himself into Star's life, and pretended to be kidnapped while dancing on stage. The flash of light was a careful ruse to blind anyone who might be able to spot him while he drank a potion of invisibility and fled into the rafters. He was the one who had dropped the note on the stage in the Glitterdust, and also disguised himself as one of the stage hands after the act.

The plan, it seemed, was motivated by revenge. The Raven was out to get the party because of their involvement in the capture of Victor Saint-Demain, whom the Raven admired. In exchange for his life, Vrinn took the party to the place where he normally met the Raven, an open area beneath a large tree at Skysedge Park. From there, the party quickly traced the Raven's animal messenger, a small crow, to Morgrave University's sealed section.

After gaining entry into the University and asking the permission of Headmaster Larrian, the party converged on the sealed section - an old quarter of the university comprising several hostels, classrooms, and a clock tower, long since abandoned. There, they found the Raven's telltale pets hovering about, and the clock tower's hands moving, counting backwards, to the 12 'o clock.

Entering the clock tower, the party found Chris's dwarf chained to a marble slab. Ominous music played from a pipe organ set in the walls, and steam jets and chains manipulated a crushing weight above the slab. As the music went up a key, the weight lowered, pressing closer onto the poor dwarf. Eager to save his hireling, Chris cursed the organ with his magic. But his Baleful Utterance backfired, and released the weight immediately, flattening the poor dwarf and turning him into paste. At least the way was clear up to the second level.

On the second level, the party discovered Chris's artificer friend tied to a chair, with long needles stuck into his arms and legs, bleeding him for 'ink'. Wires and pulleys connected the chair to a printing press, and the printing press to a large ladder that dangled from the ceiling. This trap was more elaborate than the last, and as the adventurers tried to puzzle out the way to disable the trap, they thought they heard the Raven's mocking laugh echoing down.

Faced with little time or choice, the adventurers quickly cut the cables connecting the artificer to the machine. True enough, it dropped the ladder, allowing entry to the third level, but it also caused a sudden spurt of blood to pour out of the artificer, causing his death.

The third, and final trap that awaited them was a true marvel of evil engineering. In the center of the chamber was a large glass jar, and in it, Chris saw Cassandra Seele, the ship captain he had recently sponsored. Tubes poured a nasty chemical into the glass jar, and four sconces at the edges of the room were directed towards the gas pipes, likely to ignite them. Everyone noticed this immediately, and quickly disabled the torches. However, their efforts only caused the gas to be emitted faster. Chris was flustered, and tried to curse the bell jar open, to no avail. Picadilly helped to bash the jar with her hammer, and the others joined in as well.

Eventually, with great effort, the party managed to break enough of the bell jar to allow the poisonous gas to disperse, and pulled Cassandra to safety. The doorway to the fourth level was unbarred, but this led to a precarious, one foot wide ledge that circled around the outside of the tower, to a ladder up to the fourth floor.

Jacquesaurs, being the lightest, was the first one to brave the ladder. He managed to climb up, and opened the door to the fourth floor, only to trigger a trap that hit him with a big gust of wind. Fortunately, he was tied to a rope, and did not fall to his death. It was, however a near thing. The party made their way up more carefully after that, and as they piled into the fourth floor chamber, realized that it was the Raven's laboratory and study. Sifting through the notes, they discovered that the Raven had plotted everything in great detail. They also discovered damning letters between the Raven and Victor, who was supposedly locked away in Hell's Heart, a maximum security prison floating on a rock outside of Sharn.

They had everything they needed to convict the villainous Raven now. All they needed was to find him. Hearing another cackle from the top of the tower, the adventurers decided that instead of climbing up to face him, they would fireball the top of the tower, blowing it up, and the Raven with it.

Rappeling down the rope to the ground floor, the party took cover, and both Chris and Jacquesaurs used fireball charges to destroy the fifth floor of the tower. Both fireballs impacted the clock face, blowing it to smithereens. As the parts of the clock rained down on the ground, the party noticed the figure of the Raven unfurling his cloak and taking to the air, seemingly unscathed.

What followed was a long battle where the party and the Raven traded spells and attacks. Lightning bolts, scorching flame strikes, swarms of stinging insects and even a water elemental were summoned by the Raven, who seemed to have the upper hand from his perch. Picadilly teleported both Stab and Jacquesaurs to the top of the tower, but to no avail. The Raven simply blew Stab off the tower with a gust of wind, and sent his elemental after Jacquesaurs, causing Jacquesaurs to fall off.

That was when the mysterious helper - Ellis the rogue, joined the fray. He levitated cunningly up from the rear of the tower, and took several shots at the Raven. With the addition of a new member, the tide of battle slowly turned. The Raven's magical protections were whittled away, and he was forced to cast a spell of acid rain to take out the adventurers. But by then, the Raven was on his last legs, and the combined effort of the party, and a well placed crossbow bolt from the friendly rogue took care of him, ending the Raven's spree forever.

With the threat of the Raven neutralized, there were still questions to be answered. Victor was obviously involved somehow, and there was the question of finding a new place of business and refurbishing it.

What will the party get up to next in Eberron Mystery Theatre? Stay tuned to find out.

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Treasure and Experience

1. All adventurers gain 1,500 xp.

2. Keen Rapier +1 - From Vrinn.

3. Wand of Call Lightning - 5 charges

4. Wand of Invisibility - 7 charges

5. Cloak of Black Feathers - 3/day Polymorph into a raven for up to 10 minutes.

6. Stonebark Armor - Hide Armor +3. 1/day Stoneskin (DR 10/-, Absorb up to 70 damage) for 7 rounds.

Eberron Mystery Theatre: Quoth the Raven, Once More.

In this instalment of Eberron Mystery Theatre, our heroes - Picadilly, Jacquesaurs, Chris and Stab attempt to discover the whereabouts of Star, the abducted exotic dancer from the Glitterdust tavern, and how the elusive Raven factors into this strange and certainly sketchy mystery.

After subduing and questioning the mysterious stalker in the Glitterdust tavern, our adventurers realize that he is a Valanar elf named Jalros, a hapless fan who has been keeping an eye on Star upon realizing that somebody or something was stalking her. He had attempted to break into the tavern to warn her after discovering some raven feathers near her abode, but had been delayed by the party. In the confusion, the Raven had done the deed, and abducted Star, or so it seemed.

True enough, there was another warning, penned in red ink, left in the center of the stage, where Star had last been seen. It described a graveyard of warforged and discarded rail cars, deep in the Cogs. Tapping their contacts for more information, our adventurers realized that there were tales of a spider creature in that particular sector that was dangerous and threatening, and they resolved to visit the House Cannith enclave to seek advice from the artificers.

Both Stab and Jacquesaurs decided to infiltrate one of the staff rooms of the Cannith enclave while Picadilly and Chris waited in line for their consultation. Both our roguish adventurers bit off a whole lot more than they could chew though, and Jacquesaurs ended up indebted to Patriarch Merrix, the chief artificer and leader of the Cannith house in Sharn! :o

Still, they managed to wrangle enough information out of the Cannith artificers about the spider. It was likely an adamantite spider walker from the Last War that had been experimented on and decommissioned. Somehow it must have been brought back to life, and it would prove difficult to put the creation down. Armed with what knowledge they discovered, the adventurers headed deep into the Cogs, past the poisonous coal vents and burning fires in Khyber's Gate and Blackbones, to Orien's Graveyard, where Star was presumably held.

Our adventurers were ambushed in the fog as they poked through the burned and wrecked husks of carriages and lightning rail cars by primitive looking warforged made of brass and bronze that wielded fire throwers and sharp spears. They easily dispatched these annoyances, but these turned out to be purely fodder. The spider construct took the opportunity to surprise them and joined the fray, lobbing steel cables and fire balls left and right, while at the same time stamping and stabbing with its adamantite legs.

The battle was hard fought, with Jacquesaurs doing all he could to hide and bolster his companions with his rousing songs, with Chris zapping willy nilly, and Stab stabbing the spider whenever he could. Picadilly clobbered the spider too, but was toasted and made into beef jerky by a fireball. As more fireballs landed in the yard, causing rail cars to explode and shower the party with debris, Stab found an opening, and hurled his meteoric knife. It stuck in a vital piece of arcane circuitry, and caused the spider to implode.

Chunks of the spider landed haphazardly in the yard, and as it rolled to a stop in front of the adventurers, they realized that it was indeed a cross between a warforged and a mechanical spider contraption, armed with wands and other such implements. Implements which they of course looted.

Now that the danger was out of the way, the adventurers continued to search the train yard, kicking down doors as they came across them. One of the train cars, a group of three cargo cars chained together, smelt funny, and they decided to investigate it. True enough, the smell of dried blood, rotten meat and decay permeated the place, and it was all the adventurers could do to keep their dinners and not gag.

Chains hung from the ceilings in these cars, or lay in piles on the ground, mixed with crates containing rotting foodstuffs and rubbish. Bugs creeped and crawled through the melange, and a half dozen putrid cow carcasses hung, strung up, from the rafters. The party split up, with Chris and Stab moving to investigate the cow carcasses, while Picadilly and Jacquesaurs proceeded to the final cart, where they discovered Star's flensed body, hanging from a meat hook.

Before they could liberate her body however, the chains in the cart started to dance, and the doors all slammed shut, sealed by dancing, clanging and whipping chains. A lithe, naked creature with glowering yellow eyes descended from the darkness, and started flailing at the party. Another guardian had been placed here - a chain devil.

Once again, Stab won the day. As the party wailed at the chain devil with weapons and spells, he shivved the devil but good with his knife, killing it. This stopped the chains from moving magically, and released Star from her hook as well.

As Jacquesaurs inspected Star's body, he discovered a note shoved halfway down her throat. It was the third piece of the Raven's tale, and it held ominous portents. It was scrawled, rather than written, in a hasty hand, and it described how the adventurers had gone about their investigation, how they had fought the warforged and the spider thing, and even their battle with the chain devil. It was as if the Raven had been nearby, watching all along.

It also portended something sinister and grim. The adventurers were the true targets of the Raven, and he promised them a surprise when they returned to Clifftop. They would arrive in time to see it burn.

And that was when Jacquesaurs read the final line, which described how the Raven had rigged the note with magic. And then the note exploded in his face.

Will the adventurers rush back to Clifftop in time to stop the Raven, or will they arrive too late to defeat this new nemesis?

Stay tuned to Eberron Mystery Theatre to find out.

Eberron Mystery Theatre: Murder, Mystery, Bad Prose, oh my~!

In today's instalment of Eberron Mystery Theatre, our heroes - Picadilly, Jacquesaurs, Chris, Stab and Vicks returned to Sharn, the fabled City of Towers, but not before leaving a fair bit of mayhem and confusion in their wake in distant Stormreach.

Having vanquished Hrothgarr the Terrible in Dulled Quartz, our inquisitives decided to visit the Thieves' Market in Stormreach before hitching a ride back to Sharn in the White Seele, both to pawn off their ill gotten gains, and to secure an elemental core for the airship. It would have been a relatively uneventful shopping trip too, if not for Chris shooting his mouth off whilst bartering for a better price on above said ill gotten gains.

As it turned out, his rude comments angered a Cleric of Kol'Korran, and things quickly went south from there. Jacquesaurs turned invisible and retreated really quickly, singing an Allegro as he did so. Stab too, tried to hide in plain sight, leaving Chris to fend for himself. Fortunately, Chris was not a complete pansy, and ducked onto a table, where he erected a wall of fire to shelter himself. Eventually, Stab passed our errant warlock a gas form potion, which he quaffed, before he too, ran away. Chris oozed his way past his attackers, and flowed into a drain pipe, only to find himself flushed by a gush of water, and later stoppered in a jar. Stab's quick thinking, and a helpful disguise that turned him into the chief cleric of the adjacent temple though, allowed him to rescue Chris before his gassy ass was toasted.

Returning to Sharn, our inquisitives discovered that much had changed in the past two weeks - a fire had ravaged the Cogs. One of the coal shafts deep in Blackbones and Khyber's Gate had ignited, and the blaze still raged two weeks on. The air in Sharn was black and choked with soot, and a perpetual ash fell like dirty snow, blanketing the town. Martial law and a curfew had been put in effect for the sake of public safety, public sky coaches were inoperable, and flying of any sort was hazardous, thanks to the low visibility.

Similarly, a string of sensational murders had taken place in the past two weeks, murders that taxed the already strained resources of the Sharn Watch to the breaking point. There was a serial killer on the loose, one with a self-styled artistic flair and an unusual modus operandi - he would send gaudily descriptive prose, written in blood or red ink to the Sharn Watch and the Sharn Inquisitive to publicize and describe his deeds in gory detail. Already, a Morgrave University professor of literature and a prostitute from Firelight had fallen prey to this depraved murderer, and it seemed, there was soon to be a third.

Of course, not all news was bad news. Stab had in fact received a letter from Lady Zelina suggesting that they date (which was exaggerated wildly in the press as an engagement) and our dear 'locksmith' had been informed that the good Baron had set him up with a deputy-ship with the Sharn Watch that included a decent salary and staff benefits. And then there was the mandatory letter in the inbox from Captain Travish of the Sharn Watch. Demanding that the group head down to see her as soon as they were back.

So they did.

As it turned out, Captain Travish was keen to start Stab off on his road to becoming a Watch officer. The Baron had insisted, very strongly, that they give Stab a chance to prove himself, and the perfect opportunity had presented itself. With the Watch's manpower bollocksed by the fire and the pollution, the inquisitives were given the task of tracking down the serial killer, dubbed the Raven, and stopping him before he strikes next.

After checking the handwritten notes sent to the Sharn Watch, and the sizeable collection of cleric's reports about the first two murders, our inquisitives decided to split up into three groups - Stab and Chris headed to Firelight to look for the house of the second victim - Elisna e'Claire, while Jacquesaurs and Vicks went to Morgrave University to interview people who might know Professor Litan ir'Tassan. Picadilly stayed behind at the watch house to puzzle over the latest note, which described a Star in the Darkness.

The investigation turned out to be full of strange twists and turns. Interviewing one of the prostitutes' colleagues in the skin trade, Chris and Stab discovered that the victim was a typical prostitute - promiscuous, cheap, and with a distaste for gnomes. Nothing that would have gotten her killed. They did however discover that she had complained about being watched by a bird and losing sleep. A crow's feather was also found stuck under one of her bed posts at the site of her murder.

At Morgrave, Jacquesaurs and Vicks questioned the staff and students, and even had their helpers from the agency sift through the writing samples of the professor's students to cross reference for similar writing styles with the culprit, but this turned up a blank. The maid Fennel, who had discovered the professor's body, professed no knowledge of the crime, other than that she had taken him his dinner several days before, and that she'd discovered the body after three days, and had detected a bad smell from the professor's room.

Opening the door, Jacquesaurs and Vicks discovered the window ajar, and everything else otherwise neat and tidy (if ash coated). They spotted several black feathers in the chamber, and a tiny, clawed footprint near the window sill, but nothing truly incriminating.

Later on, once the party reconvened, Picadilly suggested checking the latest note for clues, and after wracking their brains, the inquisitives discovered that there were several paragraphs, just like the notes before, which described a possible victim. The victim would be a famous Star, and there was only one really popular one in town - the Star of Glitterdust, a high classed tavern with cabaret acts complete with magical light shows in the Menthis area.

Travelling there, our inquisitives made the acquaintance of the club bouncers and their badly dressed half-ogre leader Ursk. It didn't take them long to convince the bouncers that they were watch members, and they were led backstage to interview Star. Her initial reaction to the party was cold, and she dismissed them until they mentioned their exploits. She listened with especial interest when they described how they had taken care of Victor Saint-Demain, and consented to let them stay backstage till after her show tonight. She also confessed that she felt like she was being watched in the past week or so, and hoped the inquisitives could be an effective deterrent.

Chris and Vicks blended into the club crowd as the show began, while Jacquesaurs stayed on stage, close enough to protect Star, but far enough away to not interfere with her performance. Picadilly stayed backstage to keep a watchful eye for suspicious activity, while Stab chose to hide in the cabinet in Star's backstage area, in case somebody sneaked in from behind.

True enough, as the show began, Stab noticed the back door creaking open, and something come in. He quickly flipped his eye patch, and discovered a tall, slender figure in a black cape standing over the dresser table. He seemed to be fiddling with some of Star's make up, and even had a large black feather in one hand.

The figure eventually made its way to the cabinet, and that was when Stab attacked and stabbed the figure. As the two tussled, Stab realized that he was squaring off against an elf with a double scimitar, an exotic weapon from distant Valenar. The elf had a crazed look in his eyes, and seemed eager to run Stab through. Stab quickly called for help using his sending stone, and also summoned a beetle from his necklace to buy him time. It worked, and Jacquesaurs rushed in from behind the curtains leading to the main stage to help, a Hold spell at the ready.

The spell took effect, but the figure shrugged it off and pressed the assault. Picadilly heard the noise and joined in, and found the others trying to wrest the scimitar out of the elf's hands. She proceeded to help, but wasn't very effective since the elf was surprisingly stubborn. He shrugged off the spell again, and tried to run away, only to be forced into a corner. He pressed and attacked while he retreated.

Outside, the lights flashed dramatically and there was a puff of wind and smoke. When the smoke cleared, the idol Star was gone. But that wasn't the part of the show. It was then that our inquisitives realized too late that as they were busy stopping the interloper, the Raven had snatched Star from under their noses.

What will happen next week in our energy charged and highly investigative murder mystery?

Same time, same day. Stay tuned to Eberron Mystery Theatre to find out.

Eberron Mystery Theatre: The 6 o'clock Shadow

In today's instalment of Eberron Mystery Theatre, our heroes - Picadilly, Jacquesaurs, Chris and Vicks continue their adventures in Xen'drik, at the shadow infested town of Dulled Quartz, where they experience an earth shattering supernatural occurrence, and more danger than they'd ever faced before.

Seeking shelter at the temple of Arawai, our inquisitives chanced upon Sir Herman and his sister, the cleric Fiona Flamehair investigating a series of crypts in the temple catacombs. As it turned out, Vicks also discovered, upon setting foot in this hallowed place, that he could once again seek the divine intercession of Arawai, and quickly proceeded to offer up ablutions and prayers at the altar while his friends continued their search.

The underground catacombs, as it turned out, were treacherously dark and the ground uneven. Approaching the largest crypt, where Sister Flamehair was scrutinizing something, the party discovered that it was in fact a sarcophagus of stone that interred the bones of an ancient warlord - Hrothgarr the Terrible, Scourge of the Dragon Lands. Further investigation also revealed that other sarcophagi in various sealed crypts near to this place contained the remains of his numerous sons and daughters. and his close to two score sons and daughters. The tomb of Hrothgarr had been destroyed somehow, split in twain as if by a great blow, and the rest of the sarcophagi bore marks of wear and tear.

Sniffing about, Picadilly also discovered a bunch of tracks leading up to the tomb of Hrothgarr and a brass button - the sort worn by the clergy of the Host. Curious indeed. Following up on this lead, Picadilly decided to hunt for the temple's keeper, and clambered up to the chambers above to investigate, while Chris and Jaq decided to unseal some of the crypts, to nose around for more information about the tomb's denizens. Understandably, both Sir Herman and Sister Flamehair chose to have no part of this sacrilege, and excused themselves to investigate the town further.

Though the temple keeper was nowhere to be found, Picadilly did discover the cleric's effects left in a dresser in the room, and a journal describing the goings on in the past tenday. It seemed everything had started with a curious storm brewing on the horizon, and a strange sound in the sealed chambers below.

Meanwhile, Chris and Jaq were happily busting the sealed crypts open, and had come into the possession of an incredibly sharp bronze sword and what appeared to be a cruelly barbed spear with a blood groove. Gripping the spear, Jaq was possessed by an evil force, and a voice in his head shouted for him to stab Chris with it. So he did. As blood ran down the blade, the two finally realized what the item was, and its cursed nature, and quickly ran towards the ladder leading up. They slammed the trap door down as the spear animated and chased after them, causing it to lodge in the planking. Their antics gained the attention of Vicks, who had just about finished his ritual ablutions, and with Vicks's help, they managed to subdue the weapon. Jaq then grabbed hold of it and stuck it in his pack for safe keeping.

After securing the temple, and finding no sign of the brother sister duo, the party decided to rest for the night. The following morning, they were woken up by the sound of bird song and the ringing of the church bell signalling the morning mass. As sunlight streamed into the temple, they discovered that every thing about the town seemed to be well. People were in the streets, going about their business, and the temple keeper was pottering about cleaning around the altar.

Everything in Dulled Quartz seemed to be well. The blasted cart stood in the street, but already it was being cleared away by the townsfolk. A gruff dwarf was supervising the clean up, and all along the main thoroughfare and the square, it seemed the town was one full of life, instead of one wracked by death. Still, there were houses that were marked off and quarantined, and as the cleric explained, there was a strange illness about. People were falling ill, turning pale and sickly and weak, and dying.

As our adventurers made their rounds with the cleric to administer to the sick, they began to notice a strange pattern to the casualties. Some ten of them had perished over the course of the night, and some of these people looked, if anything, strangely familiar. Like the shades that had been slaughtered to a man by the inquisitives the night before. Also, Jaq began to notice a curious pattern in the way each house was positioned. They formed a rather ominous symbol, when joined together by lines on the town map.

Something was definitely wrong here.

Picadilly wandered the streets as Chris, Jaq and Vicks conferred. She was happily munching on apples bought from a nice, old lady when she reached the perimeter of the town. Biting down on the apple left a strange after taste, and when she gave it a closer look and a sniff, she discovered that the apple tasted chalky and wormy. It was, in fact, rotten. And the basket the old lady had given her was tattered and charred. After alerting the others, it became apparent that something, or someone, had cast a powerful pall over the village. Now that they were aware of the truth, the party finally saw the village for what it was - a ruined husk, burnt and rotted and twisted, and the people were shadows - murky blobs that only marginally resembled their former selves.

Truly, something terrifying and nefarious was afoot here.

Rushing back to the church, where everything strange had began, the party discovered the source of the corruption. Evil bled from the depths of the catacombs, and descending deep beneath the church, everyone discovered a mountain of bones and the remains of the townsfolk, as well as Hrothgarr the Terrible, risen to a state of gruesome unlife.

Mocking the party, and thanking Vicks for helping to bring his soul back to the body locked within the sarcophagi, Hrothgarr summoned his children and pressed forth his attack. The two crypts that were already open spilled forth their inhabitants - two skeletons clad in ancient armor, who called the weapons they had wielded in life back into their hands, out of the possession of Chris and Jaq.

A tough battle ensued, though Jaq's dragon touched music, Vicks's flame strikes, Chris's eldritch blasts, and Picadilly's hammer smites won the day. After ploughing through Hrothgarr's initial children and braving his magical assaults, the party finally smote him and brought him low. As Hrothgarr's earthly shell dissolved into ash, black flames erupted in the remaining crypts, incinerating everything.

As the flames burned, so too did the magic around the town, The town revealed itself for what it was - a ghost town populated by ghosts who knew nothing about their own unearthly conditions, wrapped up as they were in the illusion as well. And thusly, did our inquisitives uncover the source of the trouble at Dulled Quartz. They also discovered the remains of Sir Herman and Sister Flamehair merged amongst the bones of those who had been slain.

Taking responsibility for the evil they had unleashed in their previous quest to procure the dragon shard, they decided to spend the better part of the next two days laying the victims in this town to their final rest.

Their holiday time in Xen'drik, as it were, was finally up. With only a day left to spare, they had just about enough time to do some souvenir shopping before heading back to Sharn in Cassandra Seele's newly refurbished airship.

What will their return to Sharn bring? And what news, since it's been a week since the inquisitives left the fabled City of Towers.

All this and more in next week's installment of Eberron Mystery Theatre.

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Treasure and Experience

1. All adventurers gain enough XP to reach level 10.

2. Bronze longsword +2 - +2 keen longsword

3. Blood Seeker Longspear +1 - +1 magebane, seeking longspear

4. Hrothgarr's Sword - +1 Unholy greatsword. Additional powers unknown.

Eberron Mystery Theatre: The Shadow(s)

In today's instalment of Eberron Mystery Theatre, our heroes - Picadilly, Chris, Stab, Vicks, Diaspo and their probational members Akamiya and Saren continued their adventures in Xen'drik, this time to rid Vicks off a fiendishly clever curse.

After returning to Stormreach, our adventurers found themselves in the possession of a chunk of dragon shard almost a full 5-ft tall, some three days to spare before their holiday was over, a tribe of three barbarians, and Vicks possessed with a sleeping disorder and bereft of his spells. After cashing in the dragon shard for a hefty 21,000 gold at Zan Zar's Magic Emporium, our adventurers decided finally, after several distractions, including an act of vandalism, a run-in with a fire belching drunk in the slums, and general sketchiness, to investigate the cause for Vicks' distress. Afterall, if the party's one life line back to the land of the living was unable to in fact revive anybody, then it would be quite the pain.

Returning to Zan Zar, Vicks discovers that help might only be a short few days trek away. The paladin Sir Herman, recently rescued from the Demonweb Pits, was in fact a capable exorcist of the Silver Flame, and could likely liberate Vicks from whatever night terrors were plaguing him with his powerful prayers. Of course, finding Sir Herman was another issue, and that meant tracking him down. Zan Zar also sold Vicks a Khyber shard, a piece of the original shard that the possessing spirit supposedly had come from.

With receptacle in hand, the party began making their inquiries about town, and through some stroke of good fortune, discovered that Simon the necromancer, who was a part of the group Sir Herman and Lady Alanis were with, was in fact still in town and was staying at the Culled Swine Tavern.

Visiting the necromancer was an unnerving experience. The group was teleported into an extradimensional plane, where they were quizzed about Vicks's problem. Simon though proved that he could in fact offer a solution; with the Khyber shard, Simon could transfer the curse on Vicks to somebody else in the group. And all for the low low price of a soul. It was not a goodly act, however and Vicks refused. This meant, of course, that they had to go after Sir Herman after all.

The trip to the town of Dulled Quartz proved uneventful. The party chartered a wagon, and led by Korf and his fellow barbarians, made good time through the forests of Xen'drik. A strange silence permeated the forest, and as they got closer to the tiny hamlet, chanced upon a caravan, abandoned by the roadside. It's cargo was still intact, and the horses unharmed, but the teamsters were all missing, vanished without a trace. Searching the caravan for loot, the adventurers discovered that the cargo was in fact sundries and provisions ordered by the Builder's Guild, the Adventurer's Guild, and the Merchant's Union in Stormreach, and resolved to return the lot for a reward. Sending Korf and friends back to Stormreach with news of their find, the party pressed on to Dulled Quartz in their newly commandeered caravan, and made the town by nightfall.

Dulled Quartz was a sleepy hamlet, about two score thatched buildings surrounding a circular town square. A beaten dirt road ran down its middle, while a creek, flowing from a lake over yonder, ran through it and joined with the river down south. The lone temple, a small shrine to Arawai, stood in the distance, atop a stumpy hillock. The atmosphere was was cold and lifeless, and the air felt thick with evil. Evil so strong it made Picadilly's eyes cross and squint in the darkness. Vicks lit a lantern and hung it from the caravan post as he drove the caravan along the dirt road, and our adventurers made themselves ready. Eyes peeled and weapons drawn, they spread out and advanced cautiously towards the temple.

But all their preparations weren't enough to stay the creatures that assailed them. First, the two horses pulling the caravan neighed, quietly, and dropped dead, forcing the caravan to grind to a halt. Then peeling themselves off the walls, wispy shades that looked like villagers swarmed over the party, assaulting them with insubstantial hands that thirsted after life force.

These beings, shadows of their former selves, looked pallid and miserable. Their visages were crooked and twisted, and their eyes hollow, black pits. They swarmed over Akamiya, who had chosen to creep around near one of the buildings, and then the others, draining their strength and numbing their bones.

It was hard for our adventurers to strike back. The creatures were incorporeal, and proved difficult to hit with weapons, even enchanted ones. Spells and powers alone seemed to have some effect - Chris and Diaspo blew some of the shadows to bits with eldritch blasts and thundering cones. Saren lobbed an exploding sonic stone in the direction of the shadows assaulting Akamiya and distracted them, while Akamiya fought back, and stabbed a shadow in the face with his magic knife. Picadilly swung her hammer blindly, and missed on both counts, while Stab, too, stabbed ineffectually at the shadow next to him, drawing only thin lines.

But it wasn't quite enough. There were 10 shadows assaulting the group, a veritable mob. Even as Chris and Diaspo blew three of them to pieces, the others renewed their assault. Akamiya collapsed under the onslaught, drained off color and vitality, and Saren soon followed. Pulling out his staff of fire, Chris lobbed a big one at the rear of the wagon where the shadows had converged, blowing several of them to bits. The wagon too, exploded into flinders. Vicks then took the staff, and conjured a wall of fire on the shadows, searing them again.

The group finally overcame the shadows, thinning their ranks with more spell attacks. However, it was too late to save Akamiya and Saren. No sooner had the group dispatched the last of the shadows, that Saren and Akamiya's bodies become the same as the creatures that had slain them, turning into beings composed of shadow stuff. Reluctantly (or perhaps happily, depending on how you look at it) the party dispatched off their newly turned friends, and lamenting the loss of their erstwhile probationary companions (and all the phat lewt they carried), sped their way to the temple.

What further shenanigans await our party in Xen'drik? Will Vicks' curse be lifted? Will there be new party members?

All this and more in next week's installment of Eberron Mystery Theatre.

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Treasure and Experience

1. All adventurers gain 1,500 xp, and an additional 500 xp for roleplaying. That makes 2,000 xp in all. Vicks reaches Level 9.

2. Since the caravan was blown up, and there are still shadows encroaching, you don't get the chance to scavenge from the caravan or search for treasure. Perhaps you will be able to do so when the next day dawns. :P If you survive.

Eberron Mystery Theatre: To Xen'drik!

In today's instalment of Eberron Mystery Theatre, our heroes - Picadilly, Chris, Stab, Jacquesaurs and their probational members Akamiya and Seran ventured into the ruins of Xen'drik, where much adventure, death and disaster awaited.

While seeking prospective work and income in Xen'drik, our adventurers chanced upon a posting at the Maiden's Head, advertising an easy scouting mission - uncover whether a dragon still dwells in a suspected dragon's lair. Thinking that it would no doubt lead to an easy source of treasure, our adventurers took the bait, and proceeded to meet the client in the lower parts of town, by the wharfs. As it turned out, their prospective employers were a tribe of dragon worshiping barbarians, led by a shaman called Krish. After promising to meet a scout appointed by Krish at the outskirts of the city in two candlemarks, the party proceeded to the local adventurer's guild house, to gather additional information about said lair, hire additional help, and to check out another prospective employer.

True enough, Picadilly picked up another member - a doped up, dreamlily addicted druid named Vicks who worshipped Arawai in her bovine incarnation. This supporter of the sacred cows decided to serve Picadilly, and tagged along. The adventurers then went on to visit Zan Zar, a merchant dealing in magical artifacts who wanted them to chart out and prospect a lode of dragon shards. This merchant, as it proved, was a cunning and witty bargainer. He did, grudgingly, ink the deal, and provided a map to the supposed dragon shard lode. Curiously the map looked similar to the scrawls from the barbarians, which was cause for much rejoicing. They could kill two dragons with one shard, so to speak.

Thus prepared, everyone left Xen'drik, and followed Korf the barbarian into the forests of Xen'drik. The trek was swift and uneventful, and after two candlemarks, Korf suggested taking a break in a forest clearing to break for dinner. As Korf sidled off, the party proceeded to make camp, and that was when a large glob of acid rained down on everyone.

It was an ambush, and the barbarians from the wharf attacked. :o It was a battle of attrition. Led by the dragon shaman, the barbarians pressed their surprise advantage, cutting savagely into the group with their weapons and their longbows. Akamiya retreated swiftly after several telling sword strikes. Even her luck couldn't save her from a concerted assault. The others too were hurting badly. Jacquesaurs started singing, calling upon dragonfire inspiration, while the others retaliated. Stab vanished, as was typical of him, and proceeded to sneak towards the shaman. Chris lobbed eldritch blasts left and right, while Picadilly and Seran wailed away at nearby barbarians. Vicks turned into a bear, and started mauling people too.

Eventually, the barbarian ranks thinned, but the respite was short lived. The dragon shaman called upon his powers once more, and mired everyone in a patch of sticky, acidic tar to which the shaman's brethren seemed strangely resistant. The adventurers scrambled to escape the caustic mire, and Seran popped forward to tap Akamiya with a healing wand. The others continued to beat back the barbarians, and started finally gaining ground. However, the barbarians scored a quick casualty. As they fell back, one of them smashed Akamiya into the ground, knocking her out with a well placed swing.

Stab popped out of invisibility and ran the dragon shaman through from behind, but surprisingly enough, the wound closed quickly, and the shaman showed no signs of falling. Vicks charged, and took several swats at the shaman as well, and both gnomes in the party took potshots with their crossbows. Enraged now, the dragon shaman retaliated by calling upon his totem, and breathing a stream of acid in the party's direction. The acid seared everyone, including Akamiya. The helpless Akamiya was melted beyond recognition.

The adventurers continued harrying the barbarians, and this time, Jacquesaurs managed to feather the shaman through the chest with a crossbow bolt. He hit something vital, and the shaman finally gave up the ghost, and Stab managed to grab the shaman's staff of office before it tumbled into a crevice. With the shaman dead, the barbarians gave up the fight and surrendered. Stab was also appointed the new Chieftain of the tribe for wresting the staff from the shaman's control.

It turned out that the dragon shaman had ousted the previous chieftain of these barbarians - the Black Dragon's Tooth tribe, and had been using them to waylay prospective adventurers and sacrificing them at an altar somewhere in the mountains. Everything was a scam. The barbarians though were glad to be finally rid of the shaman, and more than happy to serve Stab even though their tribe was greatly diminished, and they were only three now. In uncharacteristic magnanimity, Stab allowed them to live and return to Stormreach, where they would await the party's return.

Resting a day in the clearing, the adventurers performed a ritual to bring Akamiya back from the dead, this time as a half-orc, and then proceeded to follow the lay of the river north. The river ended in a basin fed by a tall waterfall, framed by rocks shaped like a dragon's maw. Picadilly activated her water walking ring, and wandered across the basin towards the water fall, where true enough, she discovered a hidden entryway. She ferried the entire party into the concealed area, and then the party started down the corridor, which seemed strangely fashioned out of either magic, or some ancient hand. They stopped after a twist and a turn, at a yawning portal, carved from stone, embossed with giantish script.

The portal said "Seek ye not to disturb the rest of those who dwell here. For they 'wake, though their bodies lie."

It was a strange message, but everyone was egged on by the prospect of treasure, and continued through. Down a stairway that seemed to have grown itself out of the very foundations of the earth they went, until they arrived in a rectangular chamber that seemed to be a sort of a crypt. There were no visible openings here, though the place was lit by lightless sconces carved from the wall. The chamber's walls depicted carvings of giants doing battle with dragons, and the sarcophagus too, was decorated with symbols in giantish and shaped in the form of a large, burly warrior clad from head to foot in plate armor, wearing a horned helm and carrying a double headed axe.

Chris decided to scan the area for magic. Then his eyes crossed, and he dropped dead as a cold draught filled the chamber, and the symbols around the eyes of the sarcophagus started to glow. Stab quivered and keeled over next, before the symbol finally faded away. They had uncovered a Glyph of Warding empowered with a death spell. :o

The adventurers were forced to rest again, and to revive their fallen comrades. Chris was reincarnated as an elf, and Stab as a dwarf. The party was indeed becoming very very diverse and multiracial. Eventually, Stab discovered a catch on the sarcophagus that caused it to spring open. Within it was a short stair, that led to a tunnel that angled into what could only be the mountains. The walls too had taken on a granite quality.

Another pair of double doors halted the party, sealed by a complex mechanism of cogs, gears and pulleys. Akamiya managed to disable the mechanism, causing the doors to spring open, revealing a long, narrow corridor lined with statues of giant warriors. She crept in stealthily, checking each individual statue for traps. She discovered none, until she neared the middle of the tunnel. The doors at the entryway slammed shut, sealing her in, and the statues proceeded to give her a sound thrashing. The party managed to break through just in time, before Akamiya was killed (again), and battered the statues down. The statues proved surprisingly resistant to slashing and piercing blows, and if not for Picadilly's immense strength and magic hammer, would probably have been a much harder fight.

Busting down the next door, everyone discovered another corridor, spaced similarly, and this time spared no expense in breaking the statues. The statues didn't activate this time, but there were pressure plates beneath the statues. As these pressure plates popped up, the doors slammed shut again, and a poisonous gas started filtering through a vent in the ceiling. Vicks quickly casted Gust of Wind to blow the gas away, while the rogues started working feverishly to beat the mechanism keeping the doors shut. They managed it, just barely, as Vicks's spell gave up.

The party barreled out of the death trap into the next chamber, which turned out to be a large, circular area with numerous statues placed against the walls, and a square altar in the middle. The altar was inscribed with giantish symbols, and the walls were carved with more friezes and frescoes depicting the war between the giants and the dragons.

On the altar were the words: "We are immortal. Though our bodies sleep, we yet live on. We will come again to reclaim this world."

Though there was a pall of religious magic in the chamber, it was surprisingly (or perhaps fortunately) free of traps. Yet both paladins detected an overwhelming evil from beyond the doors. Evil so strong they were at a loss for words.

Opening the double doors at the other end of the chamber, everyone beheld an amazing sight. Beyond the altar room was a massive chamber that stretched high up above them. It was as if an entire mountain was hollowed out, and in this area were many dragon shards, growing naturally out of the ground. The entire room glittered with gold and purple radiance, and the shards, sharp and jagged, stretched between ten to thirty feet tall. In the center of the area was a massive shard, almost fifty feet high, and half as wide, that seemed to be bathed with moonlight. Something... large and human shaped swam within. Closer inspection also revealed that these dark shapes swam in the other crystals as well, and there was no shaking off the uneasy feeling that everyone was being watched.

Vicks touched one of the orange crystals, and was burned by the dire radiance of the crystal. It was so cold it hurt. Quickly, Picadilly tossed a swatch of canvas over the crystal, muting its light. She then swung her hammer at it, to knock off a chunk. Vicks peered under the canvas, and beheld something. Something shadowy pressed itself to the edge of the crystal, and leapt out at him. As he scooted back, Picadilly hammered the chunk off, and wrapped it in the canvas.

Whatever it was the group had come here to do, they had done it. At least now they had proof that the merchant's lode indeed existed, and they could probably give some credible directions to this place. The party exited swiftly, through the hole at the top of the chamber. Picadilly teleported everyone up with her cloak, while Vicks flew up with another in tow. They halted on a grassy verge at the top of a mountain, not too far from the waterfall. The area was littered with standing stones, and at the edge of it was an altar.

The altar was stained with splotches of dried blood, and upon closer inspection, the broken stones echoed a sinister warning in the divine and druidic languages.

"Imprisoned beneath are beings of unspeakable evil. Disturb not their slumber, nor shed blood herein."

What does this chilling warning bode, and is there more to these happenings on Xen'drik than meets the eye? All this and more next week, in Eberron Mystery Theatre.

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Treasure and Experience

1. All adventurers gain a level. Chris, Stab, Picadilly, Jacquesaurs and Diaspo gain enough XP to place them at 36,000 (Level 9). Seran, Akamiya and Vicks gain 4,000 xp.

2. You acquired the following treasure:

a. Black Dragon Scepter - A symbol of the barbarian chieftains, and possessed of potent acid based magic. (11/25 charges, Acid Arrow 1 charge, Caustic Mire 2 charges, Vitriolic Sphere 3 charges). This scepter is light enough to be held in one hand as an off-hand item and inflicts damage as a light mace. It also grants Resist Acid 10 to its owner when held. Claimed by Stab.

b. Belt of Dragon's Teeth - A belt of 8 dragon's teeth. Each tooth can be used create a skeleton or several skeletons as if using the Animate Dead (as a cleric of 8th level, maximum 16 HD) spell once. So long as at least one tooth remains on the belt, the wearer also gains a +2 bonus on Fort saves. This belt radiates evil magic. Claimed by Chris.

c. A Tongue Piercing of Tongues - Whoever wears this tongue piercing gains the ability to speak any language as if using the Tongues spell. This ability is usable at will. Being able to speak any language does not mean you are able to understand it.

d. A Ring of Protection +1 - +1 deflection bonus to AC.

e. A bag of dragon scales - Party reagents and components worth 500 gold.

f. A gigantic chunk of Khyber dragon shard [QUEST] - A ridiculously huge dragon shard that glows orange and purple under its canvas wrapping. It is still cold to the touch, weighs a ton, and is probably worth a small kingdom. You get to keep 20% of this kingdom. :P

g. Miscellaneous Gold and Treasure awarded worth 50 gp each from selling the barbarian's and shaman's equipment.