The Chronicles of the Seventh Moon, Session 3 (Part I)

Days 26 and 27, Month of the Festival, 757 years since the Fall of the Gods, end of spring

The Hammers of the Dawn were moving across the west borders of the Shinning Principalities, north of the Emerald Valleys, to the Mountains of Eternal Fire. Warnings of a gathering of goblinoid tribes were spread far and wide by the bards, urging all the local groups of adventurers to journey to Hammer Pass, above the village of Baer’s Tower.
The maiden-priestess Drícia stayed behind, to help the injured villagers of Silvery Palms, while the rest of the party reached the Twin Valleys of the Isidror River, midway to the mountains. Crossing the bucolic Bountiful Fields, the heroes spent the next night at the Old Gate Inn, where they rested and drank from the famous local beer. They were now in the Duchy of Lionis.

Everything seemed peaceful in this placid land. The group didn’t suspect that the goblinoids were already pretty close. While resting at one of the Isidror’s ford, by the light of the moons, the party’s camp was suddenly rampaged by a horse engulfed in flames. While recovering from the confusion, goblinoid arrows started to rain down, shot from a nearby hill. Although wounded, Garet, and his wardog Higgi moved uphill against the monsters, joined by Nogard. The archers were bugbears. Hilguen quickly followed his friend but, alerted by Heian, retreated – more bugbears were coming from behind. The party was quickly overcome by the barbarian humanoids. Even after assuming the shape of its familiar and taking to the skies, Heian was assaulted by arcane bolts shot by the goblinoid’s leader – a giggling and tattooed goblin warlock.

The battle seemed lost, for Nogard has fallen and Garet was severely wounded, but Hilguen managed to defeat his closer opponents and reach the hilltop. Summoning the Divine Spark, the aasimar radiated pure daylight, at the same time sundering in half the biggest bugbear with a perfect strike. Their morale gone, the goblinoids promptly fled away. Finally, Heian managed to decapitate the goblin warlock – whose body erupted into dark flames, while its spirit attempted to possess the fey before dissipating in the night.

 

Investigating the bodies of the goblinoids, the group found few valuables and some stolen wheat. However, Heian found small glass fragments with the warlock. These shards still radiated a strange magical aura, a blend of the schools of divination, illusion and necromancy. Putted together, the pieces resembled a small black crystal ball. The elf wizard discovered a strange fact about the destroyed item – it was not broken by the warlock’s death throes, but by the command of something (or someone) before.