TurahasEnd

The End of the Local 509 Campaign

The Local 509 campaign started over a period of 3 months between November 1989 and January of 1990. It's been a great way to spend Saturday nights for 20 years! For the last year I've been working on a new campaign to take it's place and I can only hope that it finds the same welcome audience that the current one has. Thank one and all for your participation and for making it such a fun 20 years. Obviously, it wouldn't have worked without you!

The High Forest Adventure - 1/17/2009
I just checked and this adventure began on 1/17/2009. Once again, what I thought was going to be a short adventure of about 6 or 8 months has become a year and almost a half long adventure! The plot is that an evil wizard is trying to turn the High Forest into a private preserve by driving out all creatures not under his control. Through the various steps of the adventure, I planted clues that led them deeper and deeper into the forest and finally led them to Myth Andoufhaur; the Lost Mythal. The heart of the plot was the great wizard Turaha.
I have long had a character sheet for Turaha and much of his abilities were documented, but I never felt (and still don't feel) like he was completed. I think this is because I could never decide on his "end game". He has tried everything to drive the party away and preserve the Mythal that he loves. Fear, threats, waves of killing beasts, insects and monsters have not deterred them. At the end, what will he do? Will he fight, run away, cower and beg for his life, or what?
Finally, it is the end. The Dread Wraiths are the last creatures besides Turaha himself that the party must overcome.
It is also the end of the Quest of the Fifteen and the Local 509 campaign.

Saturday Morning 4/10/2010
It just came to me this second! This will be a retrospective and perspective of the whole campaign as seen through the precognitive abilities of Turaha!. I have just come from outside where I was considering this plan and a omen told me I am on the right track. I heard a sound like a giant bee and turned thinking to find one of the carpenter bees that live in the horses head. Instead it was a humming bird sipping from the blossoms of the liman tree. It was brightly colored with bottle green body and a blood red patch on it's lower throat beneath a black head. It flitted from blossom to blossom not more than 6 feet away. It is a good omen!
The play of this encounter is to be almost like the last moments of King Kong where the destructive beast is cornered and becomes a sympathetic character in the end. Freed from the madness of his desire to rule the High Forest, Turaha is revealed as a soul tortured by pain, wracked with guilt with what he has done.

In the game ...
As the party is fighting the wraiths, a command will come from the darkened room beyond and the wraiths will flee. The voice will then say
"Parlay please! I swear by Lathander that I will not hurt you or take action against you".
It is not a loud voice. It almost seems to be the sound of old parchment being rubbed together; it is soft and sibilant.

Turaha then dispels the darkness spell that covered the room and it is revealed to the party. He can clearly be seen at the back of the room covered with the shimmering layers of his Prismatic Sphere spell and levitating about 2' off the floor.
The room is fabulous! It has obviously been his living quarters for a long time. It is a large place of 100' by 140'. The area directly in front of the entrance is open and covered with runes, symbols and signs of powerful summonings. There are dozens of scorch marks and one area is stained with the dark rust color of old blood. The whole length of the eastern wall is covered with book cases that hold thousands of books and scrolls neatly arraigned and wholly free of dust although many are in very bad condition. A workbench runs almost the entire length of the western wall. It is covered with open books, alchemical and magical equipment of all sorts. Some of the items are obviously magical. Stacked in neat piles under the workbench are ingots of metal; many of them obviously gold and silver. There are also 2 chests and a large wooden box underneath as well. In the NW corner is a huge canopied bed. The upper frame is draped with dark green silk and the bed linens are bright yellow. Dozens of books are scatter in front of it. In the center of the N wall is a giant fireplace that has a roaring fire that does not consume the wood. The party notices then that the room is over warm; about 78 degrees. In front of the fireplace is a huge banquet table 70'x15'. There are a dozen chairs around it. All but one of the chairs are covered with books, strange items, and the like. A fortune in antique gold and silver place settings are placed as if in readiness for a dinner party with a dozen guests. The plates are made of finely carved ivory, the flatware is gold, there are gem studded gold goblets and wine glasses made of carved semiprecious stones. The serving items are made of gold inlaid silver and of incomparable elven workman ship from a previous millennium. All of these are covered with scrolls, books, carved items, stuffed animals and many things that can not easily be identified.

Turaha is standing with his back to the fire and behind the long table. He still has his Prismatic Sphere up, so it is unlikely the party will be able to do much to end his speech. He will continue to talk to the party to convince them to trust him for a time. When they give him a chance he will say:

"I know you don't trust me and you have reason not to. But I tell you I am now having what drunkards and mad men like me call a 'moment of clarity'. The darkness that possessed me has lifted for a time and I see that I am too old and that it is time to die. My great dream has broken and this has freed my mind. But I would not die at the hands of enemies even ones so noble as you. If you will let me, I will take my own life this very day. This I swear to you by the Mythal I helped create and still love even more than my life. If you will give me your word that you will not kill me, I will dispel the protective magics that surround me and I will put myself at your mercy, for I know you have this quality in abundance. Odysseus's, you would be wise to keep your bow to hand and an arrow notched as I fear the madness may take me again, but I feel it has passed like my dreams of invincibility."

The party will no doubt ready spells and actions at this time in case his statement is a ruse, but it is not and with any encouragement at all he will drop the sphere and the ring and rod effects appearing as the "Slimjim Man".
The party will want to ask questions. He will try to put them off by saying "we have much to talk about, but if you are patient with an old man all will be revealed".
At some point he will continue saying

"I see many of you are wounded. They are marks of your nobility! Cast what spells you will and cure yourself if you like. At the end of the corner of the workbench you can find a green flask marked with a lazy 8. It contains a powerful healing drought. You may come forward or not as you please. If you approach, do not step in the spot marked with the circled pentagram unless you wish to die horribly. Here, allow me to clear the table for you. I am going to cast a spell of telekinesis."

If the party doesn't freak out, he will use his telekinetic spell to lift all the misc. stuff off the table and lower it to a spot in front of the book case to the E. If the party stays on guard he will shrug and say "as you wish" with a disappointed tone. If they agree he will smile and say

"I have not eaten or drunk anything in 900 years and have lost the ability to do so. Thus I fear I have no food to offer you. However, I have many bottles of ancient wines that may still be good in the large wooden box under the workbench" and points to it.

There are 40 bottles inside. 12 of them are vinegar (very fine and tasty vinegar), but the rest are still good. There are 10 bottles of Elven Dream wine, 6 bottles of ancient port, 3 bottles of distilled dandelion vodka (pale yellow colored) 7 bottles of sherry and 2 of an unknown high proof dark brown booze.

"Please forgive me if I do not sit down. A host should sit down with his guests, but it is painful for me to touch anything but the silks of my bed. <Sigh> It is far to painful for me to walk as well so all my waking hours are spent as you see me. I can't touch anything without feeling like I have been burned."

He looks quickly and inquisitively at each of the party members.

"You are one and all heroes of the High Forest and perhaps the most heroic in all the land. I salute you! For hundreds of years I considered my little realm and myself as impregnable. You dispelled that illusion and with it went the mad dream that I could rule the whole High Forest. It is a painful realization. I have watched you for many weeks. Long before you came to this place, my minions and spells watched you. At first I rejoiced in your pain and expected each battle to be your last. But despite it all you lived and continued to approach me.
I have tried everything to drive you away. I have threatened you, menaced you, sent insects, beasts and monsters to bedevil you. I've threatened those you love, tempted you and bribed you but through it all, you persevered and were true to your quest and to each other. That which treated you well, you respected while dealing death to those who opposed you. And through it all, you acted as one although you are all as different and individual as any group I've ever known. I know you call yourself the Local 509. For you, truly, the ancient phrase 'E ' pluribus unim' is your ideal. You didn't know what lie at the end of your quest. You sought only to protect the forest from me. Let me tell you how it will end.

As the sun goes down this day, I shall take my life by drinking the milk of the poppy. The golden flask by my bed contains enough to let me sleep forever. Then, all that you see and have seen is yours to do with as you will. I say now with all the gods hearing that I shall do this thing without any harm to anyone anymore. When I am gone, Myth Andoufhaur is your to do with it as you please. You have earned it.
I would ask you not for me, but for the Mythal that you return it to the elves. I would have it peopled again. In my madness I sought to people it with my thralls and all who lived here would obey me. But this will never be and it it best that the trees have families again and that the great amphitheater host poetry and music again. Still, you are it's saviour and the responsibility for it passes to you.
When I spoke of a hidden treasure I did not lie. If you walk along a path due N by NE 1600 paces from the Stone wall, you will find a single redwood tree within a copse of 8 oak tress that surround it. Dig beneath the roots of the redwood and you will find gold, gems and krosnium enough to support all of you like kings into your old age. It is yours now.

But enough of things. I have never been interested in things. I have always sought to know more of magic and living things. In my last hours, I would most like to hear the stories of past glory from the heros who have restored my sanity."

The Story of the Local 509

You tell him the story of your journeys and quests. <This is a quick overview of the chronology of the Local 509. The main idea is to be nostalgic about the end of the campaign and to prove to them how incredable it is that they have stayed a group for so long and through so many dangers. They are heros and should know it!>

Zheban and the Condom Tower - Early '90
The local 509 met in the city of Waterdeep with the members finding each other by chance. One day they were approached by a dapper man with a foreign (german) accent named Zebhan Strien DeGoosta. He was a down on his luck noble that had title to a ruined castle and the lands around it. But it had been long abandon by his folk and had become a dangerous place with undead creatures and beastly lairs that no workman would brave. He hired the Local 509 to go with him and clear the ancient halls so he could take possession once again. He led them to the place of the ruins where they found an invisible tower they named Condom Tower from its blunt roof. All went well for a week or two but then a barbarian by the name of Waybad killed Zebhan over a disagreement in the division of the treasure.With his death, they have no job and no reason to continue clearing the castle. So they left.

The House of Stone - '90 - '91
In going through the possessions of Zheban, they found a map of the Ruined Kingdoms shows a spot marked in his hand saying "great treasure lies within the House of Stone". With only this thin clue, the Local 509 decided to go to that place and try to find the great treasure. At the spot maked on the map the found the tiny town of Katina. It was little more than a couple of dozen small homes and perhaps a dozen businesses supported by the farmer folk. On the top of a hill ouside of town was a unnatural, unmoving always present shroud of fog that covered the House. The folk around there told of occassional monsters and undead creatures that came out of the fog. They offered the party a bounty for every monster body part that they brought back to the elders of Katina. Thus began the Local 509 tradition of collecting parts from everything the party kills!

The House of Stone turned out to be a sentient dwelling that was made of living rock. It could open passages, remove doors, shift rooms and fight back when the stone was attacked. Inside were all kinds of creatures. They found devils and demons, captive dwarves, humans and creatures. The encounted wonders of all sorts, bad and good undead and magics both deadly and helpful. They rescued an alien from a cage named Dio Mas and she would become a valuable ally and patron for them. But most importantly, they found treasure! Enough to keep them going back for more. They were so successful in killing monsters that the Katina elders ran out of bounty money!

Despite their success in Katina, many of the party longed for civilization again so they retured to Waterdeep. There they found a tavern called "The Yawning Portal" that had an entrance to a vast dungeon. They paid their gold piece to be lowered into the dungeon where they sought treasure there like so many others before and since. They found enough loot to provide them with many rich parties in the most expensive bars and brothals.

They rescued an alien named Dio Mas from a cage in the House of Stone. She is from a planet named Greld and she much desires to return there. She learns of another Greldian named Io Do who is living in the town of Calimport far down the coast. She meets him and it is not a good meeting. On the way back to Waterdeep, their ship is attacked and sunk. They have to find their own way back through the jungle. After a long and dangerous trip they arrive back in Waterdeep and go from there to Katina. Dio Mas meets them there and offers each of the party a KP if they will go with her to find a flying ship that will travel through wildspace and return her to her home. The party goes to the Marshes of Celember where the find the ship in ruins and guarded by dragons. They manage to kill the dragons (Dromar killed one with arrows all by himself) and take the ship. But it is in very bad shape so they go up to an island like planet named the Rock of Brall that lies by itself in the vastness of space. On this asteroid they find a thriving city full of strange creatures. Once the ship that they name "Dragons Bane 509" is repaired they journey on to the home planet of Dio Mas named Greld.

Dia Mas and Local 509 On Greld - Late '91
Everything is very different there. The whole world is covered in a gray lawn and all their homes are underground. They're mastery of both magic and technology confuse the two and meld them into something that is neighter. The strangest place they find is the Jebble which is a living machine made out of gigantic crystals that allow them to astral travel to any time or place they wish.

Isis and Cheesy Hill - Part 1 - '92
The elders of Dio Mas's family tell them of a world named Isis where a great danger is likely to kill millions of people. A thing called a "Mubomb" that is left over from the war preceeding the dark millenium is about to explode accidentally. The 509 agree to travel there with Dio Mas and prevent the bomb from going off. This planet is different place their their home world mostly by the strange customs of those how live there. The people have wierd names, dress is loud garish colors and are much poorer than they are used to. After much travel they arrive at a spot where a large hillock rises up from level ground that is covered with holes. They call it Cheesy Hill. They fight many creatures in Cheesy Hill but the most deadly are the Battle Beasts. These are creatures created by genetics to be weapons in the war before the Dark Time. They also encounter Octapeds who are monsters with tenticles like an octapus that they use to walk on the ground. They also encounter a degraded race of humans called Heurmans. The Heurmans trap them underground, but with the help of a djinn they find a dungeon room with a magic mirror that teleports them back to the Undermountian dungeon beneath Waterdeep. Realizing they are now far from their quest, they seek a way to return. They hear a legend of a room of Portals in the Undermountain dungeon. After much searching they find it and return to Isis.

Isis and Cheesy Hill - Part 2
Unfortunately, they come out of the portal on a different contanant than the one Cheesy Hill is on! They travel down the mountain they arrived on a meet a tribe of nature dwelling people called the Yanihogani who are so impressed by their arrival and martial prowess that they agree to take them to the city of New Kelshire on the coast which has ship to carry them back. When they arrive there, they find people freaking out at their appearance and attcking them for no apparant reason. A kind person conducts them to the Temple of Saint Edwar where the meet Ziadoo who explains that the people on this contanent are incurably afrade of people from other planets. Ziadoo teaches them how to blend in and keep their alien nature hidden. They book a ship and begin their journey across a wide sea toward Rivermouton that lies on the coast near Cheesy Hill.

On the way, the see a lonley island with a castle rising above it. They stop to try and get fresh supplies. The two mages that lived there wanted the ship and it's goods for their own. But the Local 509 killed them and took to themselves their island. It became a retirement home for them!
Finally they reached Rivermouton and traveled overland back to Cheesy Hill. They found a shaft that led them deep underground. The shaft is called Deepway and has many levels of dungeon connected to it. The party hunts for the Mubomb for a long time. On the tenth level they encounter a giant walrus like Battle Beast that is to powerful for them to overcome. They flee to the Etherial plane using a magical cube. Many of the party are unconsious and all are badly wounded, so they decide to go to the Postive Material plane hoping they will be healed. This works to well and those less wounded find they have to injure themselves to prevent dying from an overdose of positive energy. They return to the prime plane but soon realize they are lost and are miles from Cheesy Hill.

Having their asses collectivly kicked and longing for civilization, they go to the city of Tilden. During their stay they find out about a magical council that has been known to grant spells for a cost. They are a haughty bunch and Dromar, enraged by their arrogence, attacks them and the Local 509 are taken to jail to be tried by the Court of Nobles. The Court questions them while a magical truth tell spell ensures they do not lie. They reveal their off world origin and their quest. Realizing for the first time the danger from the Mubomb, the nobles muster an army to go with the Local 509 and ensure the bomb is disposed of. On their way to the Castle, they are joined by elves who want to help in the battle.
The castle of the Lich is guarded by hundreds of his minions and a pitched battle takes place. While brave elves and men fought and died outside, the Local 509 were able to get into the castle to kill the Lich. They find him, but he is clever and promices to send them to the Mubomb if they call off the attacking elves. On their agreement, the lich teleports the Local 509 to the lowest level of Deepway to a room where the Mubomb lies. They are immediatly attacked by Battle Beasts in the form of giant lobstermen. As most of the party fights a failing battle against the beasts, the mubomb is disarmed. But knowing they will be killed if they stay in that place any longer, the cube of travel is used. Alas, it is miss rolled and they end up on a strange moon that circles their home planet by the name of Selune.It is a damp and dismal place. The party call the Dragons Bane to come get them and then return to Kopeta. Dio Mas is on the ship and tells them they should go to see Elminster in Shadowdale. Once there they learn of Myth Dranor and decide to go there and get some treasure. They find it a strange and deadly place and soon decide to return to the House of Stone. They all felt they would return someday.

The Death of the House of Stone - '93
They are welcomed back by the people of Katina who encourage them to continue in their efforts to defeat the forces of evil in the House. After many, many battles, they found the living heart of the House being guarded by devils. After a pitched battle where 2 of the Local 509 are killed, the party watches as the mortal remains of the heart stop beating. As soon as it beats it's last, the House of Stone turns into sand and is sucked up in a tornado that dissappears into the sky.

Once the house is removed the party can see many openings in the ground. They find a dungeon that lay under the house that extends deep into the ground and they spend many days clearing it of monsters and preparing it for their own uses. Returning to Waterdeep they find their victory over the evil house has been heard of and recognized. In hopes that Local 509 will assist in settling the Northern Wilderness they are deeded the lands around the house of stone and many acres south of it.

They spend many months traveling between Waterdeep and the Undermountain dungeon and Katina and the Dungeons of the House building their strength and their wealth. But finding themselves stronger and desiring more of a challenge (and richer treasure) they return to Myth Dranor and make a fortune. Back in Waterdeep again, they contract with builders and archetects to come with them to Katina to begin work on their grand plan for making it a wilderness outpost of comfort and schooling.

The House of Stone in Ravenloft - '94 - '95
When they arrive back they find that the fog has returned around the House of Stone. They Investigate the fog and it turns into a giant hand that grabs them and pulls them into a dark wet tunnel. They discover it is a mouth when they are swallowed! They come out in another dimension where the House of Stone still lives and is occuped by evil creatures (surprise!). They disguise themselves as the Fantastic Travelling Show to get into the House without a battle. To everyones surprise, it works. They find out that Dr. Mordicanin is the keeper of the heart on this plane. They find him and force him to give up the beating heart. But it can only be destroyed in a particular room. In that room the spirit of the house hovers over a glowing fountain. It agrees to send them back to their own plane if they throw the heart into the fountain. But it lied and when the heart is in the fountain the spirit turns into a giant skull that laughing, casts a mighty curse on them "that they shall never be at peace in one place". It then attacks them. But the Local 509 stand fast and fearing death, the soul of the heart attempts to flee to another dimension. Dromar throws himself through the dimensional opening. The party follows and they all track the Heart through the Astral plane and into a red whirlpool of energy. They find that it leads to hell! They use a magic item that takes them out of hell and into the plane of concordiant opposition. It is not a happy place and as soon as they are healed, they return to Katina to find the fog is gone once more.

Isis Again and the Attack on the Dam - '95
Dio Mas tells them the result of their abandonment of the Elvin army of the Lich. Although the Mubomb did not go off, the Elves were to weak to stand before the forces of the Lich and were almost all killed. The Battle Beasts drove all the way to the coast. The Lich nows rules all within that land. Dio Mas says she is going to return to Isis to try and make amends. Feeling guilty, the Local 509 decide to go with her. On Isis they find that Cheesy Hill is now the center island of a lake filled with evil creatures. They have built a dam that creates the lake and increases the watery area they like. It is forcing the good people out and endangering all the towns between the dam and the sea. Dio Mas says they must see what the party can do to eliminate the evil that still remains there. They find all manner of nasty things in the water. Battle Beasts in the form Lobster Men, Elephant Fish (nicknamed an Elafish) Octapeds and other monsters are formidable foes and impossible to overcome once they are in the water, so they decide to destroy the dam. In a coordinated attack, they begin raining spells down on the dam from 2 different locations. But they hadn't planned on what would happen when all that water got loose. One of the 2 groups is washed away in the tidal wave, while the other group flees, chased into the wilderness by a group of monsters to large for them to even consider an attack. Eventually, each of the groups was dispersed into ones and twos. But the dam is gone, most of the monsters destroyed and with them goes a large threat to the people of Isis. But when they regroup and return to the towns downriver from the dam, they see vast destruction with one town almost completely wiped out in the deluge. They fell more guilty than ever! After some feeble attempts to rebuild the town, they sail away from Isis and back to their own world of Kopeta.

Beourn and Ulla Arrive - 11/'95
In Katina again they continue to map and remove the pests from the dungeon under the House of Stone while the workmen work on the buildings that will become the frontier fortress of the Local 509 until their fate is altered one dark and stormy night. They were all in the Hero's Rest Inn enjoing quiet conversion and after dinner drinks when 2 men came in. One of them is a tall skinny man in plate armor. He is leading the other by a chain attached around the throat. They clink forward and it is obvious that they are a madman and his keeper. Introducing themselves as Beourn and Ullahavgoingin. The thin one gets them a room and they retire upstairs. Then a blast of magical power envelops the Inn in a voice that says "All within shall assist in the reconstruction of the Sundered God Gaga". It was a powerful Geas spell and with this short sentence, the fortunes of the Local 509 changed forever.

The next morning the strange pair came down and explained that Beourn was the mortal remains of a god who was "killed" in the war preceeding the Dark Millenium. Betrayed by other gods, Gaga's physical form was torn into 15 pieces and his soul likewise dismembered. Although they could not be destroyed, the parts were so seperated and guarded that it was considered impossible to rejoin them. This is the task set for the Local 509. Find each of the 15 body parts and rejoin them with the 15 soul parts to ressurect the great god Gaga. This became known as the "Quest of the Fifteen".

The Feet of Gaga and Shou Lung - '96 - '97
For months, Beourn recovered his strength with Ulla's help until eventually they spoke of the first body part they had to aquire. The closest body part was to be found in the lands to the East called Shou Lung in an abandoned city named Kou Melian. They loaded the Dragons Bane 509 with a full crew and food for months then to off always toward the rising sun. After days of travel and several stops for directions, they find Kou Melian. As they are flying overhead, the magic helm the keeps the ship aloft stops working and the ship crashes to the sandy desert that surrounds the city. Everyone is injured in the crash and many of the crew die. It takes weeks for them to drag the ship away from the area where magic doesn't work so they can fly away. The ship is badly in need of repair, so they slowly and unsteadily fly the ship to the nearest port for repairs. Realizing they need a guide who knows about things like magic dead areas, they hire Te Zieah who quickly becomes indespensible if annoying.

On his advice they buy horses and set off across Shou Lung returning to Kou Melian leaving their ship behind. On the way they encounter bandits, monsters and hungry animals, but they all arrive at the ruined city intact. It is a haunted place. Although most of the vast city is in ruins that which remains is of an awesome scale. Once they are inside the city walls, mad Beourn becomes almost uncontrolable and leads them uneeringly toward ... what?

They travel all day and do not reach beyond the outskirts of the enormous abandon city. The rest in an abandon home that night and a spirit comes to them and tells them of what lies along the path they tred. It is the Impossible Palace of the Silver Domes. For days they walk through the city and encounter creatures no longer living from the long past glory days of the city.

From the merpeople living in the pool before the Palace they learn the proper incantation to open the doors that have remained closed for hundreds of years. As the doors open Beourn begins straining at his chains and frothing at the mouth. Like a bloodhound following a scent, he leads them across huge rooms with floors made of precious stones, through winding mazes and down to the vast necropolis under the palace. The plain earthen "soul jars" that contain the ashes of 3 hundred generations lie on sheves in their millions. Shelves upon shelffs, level by level, they descend into they graveyard of an entire civilization. By the time the party reaches their goal, the realize there are more dead in this place that are now living in all of Shou Lung. Undead spirits and creatures of darkness attacked them and sought to steal their souls, but they battled through all dangers and arrived at last at the bottom burrial chamber where the last emperor was interred with his golden burrial barge and elegant carved statues. Enshrined within the incredable opulence of the last Emperor of Ancient Shou Lung are a pair of golden finely carved feet. Beourn rushes forward and begins talking to them while Ulla lays out chains and a sharp sword. Suddenly, Ulla chains Beourn so he can't move and cuts off his feet in one quick blow. He then pushes forward the golden feet toward the stumpxs and the golden feet (which are the actual bones of the god encased within a shell of gold). White tendons and red muscles appear and grow toward the cauterized stumps and dig into the flesh like questing worms. The skin then grows toward the feet long and the the flesh under the new skin seems to writhe as they the fill out. The look of madness and fear is removed from Beourn’s face.

The look pain quietly leaves him, replaced by a look of wonder and revelation. The years seem to pass in reverse as Beourn’s apparent age goes from 85 to 70 and althoug he is still infirm, his madness leaves him and he draws power unto himself and proclames "Too long has this city been denied the people of Chow and too long has the wealth of this place been hoarded from the people who are it’s rightful owners.". A psysic shout can be heard saying "Kou Melan is real and its wonders await". His voice then says "Too long has the evil festered therein." Wails of pain and shouts of joy can faintly be heard as the evil spirits trapped here depart for the outer planes where they belong. "Gaga has found you worthy of praise. Return to the place of your ancestors and remember the name of your saviors. Too long have the family spirits waited for a reunion with the living members they desire to serve". A bubble seems to burst and triumphant angelic shout is heard as all the spirits within the remaining houses is loosed and allowed to seek worth members of the family to serve. One of them appears in the crypt near Te Ziah. "Too long have the ancestral dead been bereft of the companionship their living relatives provide and to long have the living done without the wisdom of their progenitors". The voices of the millions of souls in the crypts and the rest of the city crying out "I am the ancestor of your father (or mother or whatever) and I long to speak with you. Make the pilgrimage to Kou Melian." "Too long has the magic of this place been unbalanced." And with these words the very culture of Shou Lung is remade. The souls of all the "honored dead" and the ancestors are freed to return and guard their descendants now living.

An exhausted Beorn then tells them they must go to Sigil, the town at the center of the outer plane where they will find the way to the soul portion of the feet. While in Sigil they are shown one of the entrances to the World Serpent Inn and they meet a friend named Bebe Rebozo who shows them how to get to the plane the soul of the feet are located in a portion of the plane they are in called Glorium. There they meet a race of men who live only to sing praises of Odin the Mighty. They travel across that area of the Outlands to a place called tnhe Mausoleum of Chronipsis. There they battle the Crystal Dragon guardian and overcome him. A glowing ball of light streaks toward Beorn and melds into him removing all signs of the pain and madness that still remained.

Katina Attacked! - Late '97
Using his newly found power, Beorn returns them to Katina where they find they have been gone for months. During this time all has been well with Katina. The building continues, the people prosper and the party recovers from the wounds and labors of the adventure. But then without warning the city of Katina is attacked by maurauding Orks. Although many townpeople are killed in the attack, the orks are driven off and the party follows them intending to wipe them out once and for all. The orks lead them to their lair which is an underground area known as the Crumbling Stair. The party kills the Orks even to the little ones and search much of the area beneath the ruins to make sure no orks remain. When they are sure their task is complete, the call for the Dragons Bane 509 which takes them to Waterdeep and many pleasures! But at last they are saited and return to Katina where Beourn and Ulla await them. Beorun tells them of their next task which is to recover his mouth which is on the planet Seker.

The Mouth of Gaga and the Red Planet Seker - '98 '99
They travel there in their ship and find a world with almost no water on it. A vast desert planet with only yellow fungus covering the sandy ground. Beourn feels his mouth part is in the north and they head in that direction through the desert Their way through desert is blocked by fighting Tharks, the giant green men with 4 arms. They are captured by a Thark army to numberous for them to overcome and are imprisoned. But finding they are warriors, they are released and allowed to live with the green men for a time. One night the Thark city is attacked by air vehicles driven by humans with red skin. But the red men are overcome and the survivors also imprisoned. The next day the party is taken to an ancient amphitheater where the surviving red men are ritually tortured and killed by ripping the hearts out of the ruined bodies. The last of the surviving red men to be brought forth is actually a woman of rare beauty. On the table of torture her eyes lock with Krom's and he goes crazy. He breaks his chains, and darts forward to the table and attacks and kills the torturer. The party is then banished from the city. The beautiful red woman is named Deja Thoris and she leads them to a spot where one of the abandoned air craft lies. They kill the guards and fly the air car away toward the S until Deja locates the city of Helium.

Arriving in the city of mile high towers and metal buildings they find that Deja is the princess of a vast kingdom and the whole city turns out in celebration of her return. The party is given their own house (a tall thin metal building of great age). They are also given a guide name Leeana to help them enjoy their stay until the Mouth of Beourn can be found. Magic is known only as a legend in this city and the party cooperates with the city university who study their magical powers. After much training in how to blend with the population, they are taken to a party. Unfortunately the strict rules of genetic purity were not a part of that training and the digression of one of the party lead to threats of castration and finally their banishment. The grateful family of Deja Thoris provides the party with an air car and under Dejas guidance they travel to the South pole to find a way to return to Helium and prove their innocence of the crime. They find a city there living within a valley warmed by volcanic springs. An outpost of Greldians rule here. They have built a miniature Jebel and the party uses it to discover the plot against them. They return to helium and gather the evidence needed to cause the judges there to reverse their opinion. Now cleared of the charges against them, Dejas father agrees to Krom's' marriage to Deja and arranges to help them recover the mouth. It is located on the Northern contanent. The party finds the way blocked by the dead zone. This is a 50 mile wide area around the equator which is devoid of moisture and even atmosphere. Using a combination of technology and magic, they pass through the dead zone. and into the Northern hemisphere. Here they find an incredably hostile environment where every creature ruthlessly defending it's right to live. Beorn leads them across a sandy desert to a violent city named Tur filled with dangers. In the center of the city is a pyramid called the Ziggurat and in the lowest levels below that pyramid is that which they seek.After a long battle through the underground, they find a shrine of fine carved stone surrounding what looks like the remains of a statues mouth. Beourn rushes forward and grabs it while Ulla grimly prepares. Ulla knocked Beourn down then uses his sword to cut off Beourn's lips and knock out all his teeth. When this is done Beourn has passed out. Ulla places the statue mouth in Beourn's and it becomes a part of the body. Beorn assumes his god like power again and declares that "the sundered planet shall become one". A great wind rises up and a sand storm starts that lasts for years. Deja is shocked by the destruction of her world as she knows it and although she is pregnant with Krom's child, she becomes a priestess and walks into the desert on a "walkabout" to find her true calling leaving Krom behind. Years later, the dust has settled and the planet of Seker has been remade into a more hospitable place.

The party teleports back to Katina for a short rest before they travel to the outer plane of Celestina to recover the soul of the mouth. Beourn senses that the mouth's soul lies at the top of a mountain. They find the way up the mountain and recover the soul of the mouth without much trouble as they are aided by holy creatures called Trumpets. They then find an entrance to the World Serpent Inn and from there find they way back to Kopeta and Waterdeep. They return to Katina and find all is well then return to Waterdeep to spend the summer there in a villa by the sea that is named Stormwatch. While in Waterdeep they continue to investigate Undermountain. Their villa is robbed one night. They track the thieves, and discover the underground port named Skullport. They recover their stolen goods and kill the thieves in their lair.

The Legs of Gaga, Grawk and the Puzzle Dungeon of Ralishaz - 2000 - 2001
They alternate between Waterdeep and Katina until Beourn becomes restless again and says they must now find the Leg on the planet Grawk.
They travel there in the Dragons Bane 509. They arrive in Greyhawk city and find the location of the Legs from Beourn's sense. The follow his direction to a spot that leads underground. The god Ralishaz has built an entire dungeon to protect them that is designed to puzzle and bedevil the party. To encourage them he has scatted clue coins that lead them toward the legs, but has stocked the place with power monsters to kill them if they try. The whole place is made inside a gigantic geode with the legs being located in the center. The mosters in this place worship Ralishaz by excreeting everything into his statues the party calls potty shrines which teleport them into either the top level where they are eaten by slimes or to the 4th level where they drop into pools of mushroom farms.

For months they travel down from level to level with the clue coins leading them on until they reach the 6th level where they find the silver statue of the legs. Ulla asks the party to hold Beourn down and while they do, he cuts off the legs and the silver legs attach themselves and he stands up on them. Using his new god like powers he casts out the Illithids and frees the humans the giants had imprisoned. He then plane travels them to recover the soul of the legs in Pandimonium. This place hurts their brains and tries to drive them insane. But by sticking together and protecting each other they won their way through and defeated the legendary Fendris Wolf to recover the soul of the legs.

Katina, the Dungeon and the Lich - 2002
They were somewhat shaken by their time in Pandimonium and even Beourn is ready for a break from adventuring. In Katina, the construction is going well although the severe winter that year shortened the time they could work. While Ulla and Beourn kept to themselves and spent their time walking and conversing quietly in the Hero's Rest Inn, Local 509 members alternated between the comforts of home and the more exciting recreations of Waterdeep where they spend the summer. But cursed as they are to know no peace, they begin once again to delve into the dungeons below the foundations of the House of Stone. But like the legendary Dwarves, they delved to deeply and on entering the 9th level they discovered the most fearsome enemy they had yet faced. A member of the Rolmph family who "owned" the House of Stone had retreated into the dungone to concentrate on his evel magics. The sane members of the family had walled him off and left powerful guardians at the doors to the levels below to prevent him from emerging. Ignoring the warnings and killing the guards the Local 509 released him. To late they realize what they have done and retreat back to the surface to consider what they can do to prevent the Lich from destroying all they have worked for. As they converse in the Hero's Rest Inn, a flying sleigh drawn by reigndeer flies down and lands in front of the Inn. A man with a great white beard dressed all in red greets them and introduces himself as Saint Slacu. He gives them encouragement in this dark time and presents them with the gift of a scroll of a Limited Wish for each of them. With a final word of praise and an expression of his admiration, he rises back into the sky and dissappears.

But the pleasent emotions of this happy meeting are short lived when the next day, the bodies of several guards around the walled compound are found horribly rended. The minions of the Lich have come to the surface! For weeks the people of Katina are subjected to gurilla like nightly attacks from the creatures summoned by the Lich while 509 sought allies from the Waterdeep Militia and their friends from Goldenfields. Their combined forces are successful in driving the Lich's minions back into the dungeon and at last he is forced to retreat through a gate on the 9th level. But before he leaves he promices to return and wreak havoc as soon as his strength returns. Realizing they can't allow this to happen, they go through the gate and find themselves on Moonshae island. There they find that the Lich has occupied a castle and is quickly raising undead to rejoin the battle. They travel across the island looking for allies to storm the castle. It is difficult, but they finally are able to recruit a force large enough for them to chance an assult. It is successful in defeating the forces of the Lich, but are unable to kill him. In the end, the best they can do is to force the Lich into a mighty oath swearing that he will not return to Katina.

The Lungs of Gaga and the Water World Tefnut - 2003 - 2004
When they return to Katina from the Moonshae Isles, they find Beourn going crazy again. He feels a undeniable pressure to obtain the next body part specifically the Lungs. His scrying spells have revealed that they are located on Tefnut the Water World. Only a few scatted islands break up the sea engulphing this planet. Knowing they will need to be able to travel unhindered through the watery realms, they set out to the lands far to the south where legend has it that a magical realm called Al Sa'adat has discovered a way to make masks allowing the wearer to breath underwater. After removing the threat of Shaugin from that island they are gifted with enough of the masks for all the Local 509 to remaine underwater indeffinatly. They travel in the Dragons Bane 509 to the Rock of Brall for a short stay and then on to Tefnut.

Once on the planet, Beourn is able to sense the lungs and takes them to Tonobonko, the city of the Merpeople. It is a huge city built inside a massive kelp forest. On the oceans floor is a temple where the lungs are revered as a holy item they are reluctant to give up. After much negotiation, the King of the Merpeople agrees to give them the lungs if they will perform "a few simple tasks". They agree.

The first task is to cap a volcano that is about to erupt and destroy a underwater settlement nearby. After a underwater investigation they find a Fireworms areis responsible for this as they attempt to expand its fiery territory. Realizing they need help to battle them they fly back to the Rock of Brall in hopes of finding protective magic against the lava. They pay dearly for a Protection from Energy Heat spell powerful enough to protect them and return to the nacient volcano. Inside the volcano the discover the Fireworms are actually Lava Dragons. Once they have killed the dragons, the volcano cools and colapses back on itself.

Their next task is to find out why the humans on Kano are fleeing to the island Hoana and allow them to return if possible. The fly to that island in the Dragons Bane 509 and find it is one of twin islands. They soon discover that Hoana is populated with what seem to be intellegent dinosaurs. It turns out they are not intellegent, but are controlled by non-magical devices imbedded in their bodies (technology!). They track the beasts to their point of origin which is an underground city peopled by strange looking gnomes. They storm the gnome warrens and corner their leaders. They force an agreement on the Gnomes that if they will stop their dinosaurs from damaging the human settlements that the humans will agree to trade with them for the surface goods they need. In the end, the two parties are surprised to find themselves becoming fast friends.

The last task is to rid the planet of the Pirates who are raiding both underwarter and island settlements unhindered. The are far to powerful for anyone on the planet to oppose them and their numbers are growing quickly. The Local 509 persue them from island to sea and island again in a series of pitched battles. The task is now recognized as a war of attrition. One ship at a time they eliminate the pirates until there is a final battle on the Pirate Isle where a mighty fortress has been constructed using slaves taken from all the other islands. A tightly coordinated attack by the Local 509 destroys the fortress and kills the leaders of the pirates. The island they turn over to the freed slaves.

They return to the Tonobonko to claim the Lungs. At first the King refuses to turn over the lugs as he never expected them to succeed. But finally he agrees and the King relutantly hands over the lungs. At that moment, Ulla opens up Beourn's chest with a single might stroke of his sword, cuts out his lungs and shoves the golden lungs of the merpeople into his chest where they quickly turn into flesh and become part of Beourn's body.

After a brief return to Katina and a trip to Waterdeep for a bit of relaxation, Beourn pesters them until they agree to accompany him to the outer plane of Arcadia to obtain the soul portion of the lungs. Something happened to them on Arcadia that still remains a mystery. After recovering the soul of the lungs, they find they have no memories of what happened. When they return to Katina, they find a number of strange changes. Old friends look different. For instance,Chickolini has a cockney accent and Phantoze has turned into Groucho Marx. Some members of Local 509 discover they have new abilities and things that previously were simple have become difficult or impossible. (This was the time of the conversion from AD&D to 3rd edition).

Back at Katina they are told of an abandoned mine discovered when townspeople were investigating the lands on the other side of the river for room to expand their farms and holdings. After several profitable investigations of the mine, they arise one morning to find a vision of the House of Stone floating over the original site. When they enter the area of the vision a voice in their minds tells them the House has one more incarnation they must destroy. Learning it is on Isis, a collective groan is heard as they have never faired well on the planet and the House has ever been their nemisis. But they learn that the reason they have been persicuted by the house is that the heart of the house is really the Heart of Gaga! They must travel to Isis and fight through the House of Stone there and this time capture the heart and give it to Beourn.

The House of Stone On Isis - 2004 - 2005
But true to their heroic nature, they load up their new Wildspace ship which they name the "Baracude". It is a larger, fancier one replacing the Dragonsbane that was badly damaged in the battle with the pirates on Tefnut. They find the Isis House of Stone on a hillside surrounded by blasted land that was once rich farmland that is now occupied by roaming undead. Some things never change and the House is again a source of deadly combat and strange magic. However, a bizzare occurrance interrupts them in the middle of the battle. Although they are still in the House of Stone, their senses tells them that months have passed! There is never an explaination of this gap in their memories.

(Please allow me a partenthetical break here and do a bit of metagaming. In a fit of pique, while engaging in yet another debate on the still new 3.5 rules, I stopped the game determined to not to play D&D again until I had the rules down. I had stopped having fun DMing. I won't bore you with unnessary explainations or appologies. I will just say I don't regret this decision at all!)

They did seem to have a collective dream in this pause. They dreamed:

Traveller Adventure - In the Future of the Future - 2005
They became completely different people in a completly different world in a completely different time. In this world there was no magic but manufactured items had almost magical powers. They were all interested in traveling between the stars. One by one they came together and by pooling their resources, they managed to lease an old starship. They intended to trade between planets and carry passengers to allow them to buy the ship they "owned". But alas! On their first voyage they carried as a passenger an old man. They didn't know he was a physisist famous long ago who has developed a device to replace the hyperspace drive used on every other starship in the known universe. Without their knowledge or agreement he activated this device. It went badly wrong. They arrived in the same place in the universe, but there were no signs of civilization on any of the nearby planets.

They had jumped hundreds, perhaps thousands of years into their future and something very, very bad had happened in that time. They travelled from world to empty world gathering clues to what had happened. They began to beleave that a plague had depopulated entire planets. Most of the people who remain are either hostile, crazy or completely devoid of technology. They heard tales that civilization could be found coreward and they decided to get back there even if it took years. Just as they were about to enter an area of space where they began receiving sub-space messages for the first time, their souls were brought back to the House of Stone again.

(I was really having fun with Traveller, but I felt most people prefered D&D, so after about 8 months we went back to the adventure where it had left off. Given the nature of the new campaign, don't be surprised to find this adventure resumed at some time.)

Back at the Isis House of Stone - 2005-2006
Strange things have always happened in the House of Stone, so they soon recover their aplomb and redouble their attempts to once again banish the House from their plane of existance. After many battles they find the Heart is located in a high tower of the house.
One night as they rested at a safe distance from the House of Stone, they are surprised by a visit from their friend Saint Slacu. He tells them that they are at a critical point in their adventurers. They may continue their efforts to kill the House of Stone on Isis or abandon the quest. Saint Slacu gives them visions of their possible futures. They loyaly decide to continue to quest with Beourn. With a last battle in the tower they find the heart and Ulla cuts open Beourn's chest to place it inside him. But the Heart of the House is evil and Beourn's personality takes a violent turn. Worse still they learn the soul portion of the Heart is in Hell. Somewhat depressed they climb into the Barracuda which takes them back to Katina.

Although Beourn is bad off, the Local 509 are tired of the constant battling and decide to take a break. They want to build up Katina and learn more about the lands and villages around them. They find a lake not far to the north of Katina called Lake Watsamata. It is a beautiful place and they plan on making a hunting lodge there. Unfortunately they discover a Black Dragon is living in the lake so they must once again fight for what they want. They drive off the dragon, but don't kill it. They will regret this before long!

While camping around the lake, they see a flashing light and follow it to a hollow behind the waterfall that feeds the lake. Here they encounter a pair of mysterious men who gift them 2 griffin eggs. Zoe and Timber agree to raise them and train them as steeds. The party returns to Katina to allow the pair a chance to care for the eggs and prepare for the hatching.

While they wait for the birth they are attacked by the Black Dragon who has recruited his brother to aid him in his revenge for the loss of his lake. They do great damage to Katina and the school and then fly away. Using all their flying spells the party follows them to their new lair. In a pitched battle in a marshy area hundreds of miles from their homes they kill the brother of the dragon from the lake and drive off the other.

When they return to Katina from the marsh they find morale is very low as the repairs on the damage done by the dragons take place. They decide to hold a Wilderness Faire. This goes a long way toward cheering up the followers and people of Katina. Before long, all the damage to the fort and the city is repaired. Local 509 makes a lot of funds available so that the whole city can be spruced up. They journey to all the small villages in the are to announce the Faire and begin buying tons of supplies for the expected crowds the Faire will (hopefully) bring. But once again, the black dragon returns. This time they are prepared and drive him off before he can do any damage. A golden man appears that they recognize as the human form of Drachole, a Gold Dragon they befriended long ago. He tells them that he approves of what they are doing in Katina and promise to help them with the Faire. He brings some fellow dragons to Katina to provide protection from any other dragons that may try to upset the festivities.

The Faire is an enormous hit and attracts people from hundreds of miles around. Those who come all vow to return anytime another Faire is held. The dragons are satisfied that Katina has succeeded in becoming a focal point for the frontier area of the Forgotten Kingdoms that far surpasses even Goldenfields in it's influence.

Local 509 In Hell - 2007
During this time Beourn has been traveling all over Kopeta trying to find a plan that will let the party obtain the soul of the heart in hell. He decides on using the Styx as the easiest way to get around in hell. The problem is, the waters of the river will cause anyone ingesting it to lose all their memories. Beourn hears of a wondrous craft that will allow the whole party (albeit with some shrunken members) underwater and be protected. It is called The Apparatus of the Crab, but is refereed to by the Local 509 as The Crabaratus. This fabulous device is located in the waters off the Island of Nimbral.

The people of Nimbral have been battle ready for decades because of regular attacks from Shaughn who come up from their huge city off shore and attack anyone trying to use the land around their waters. The people of Nimbral have heard of the item and confirm that the legends of it's location are correct. They tell the party it is located in the Underwater Palace of the Sahuagin. Hearing the party plans to retrieve the item and that they have magic that will allow them to stay underwater the War Council of Nimbral offer their help. In a bid to force the water lizards to allow development of the lands to the south, they step up their war plans timetable and work with Local 509 to attack on the surface at the same time the party attacks the Palace.

For once, their strategy works! The Shaughn army is drawn to the surface by the Nimbral combined air and sea attack. The party is able to fight their way through the few guards and monsters that remain behind to guard the item. Once inside the device they are able to return to the Barracuda with the Crabaratus. The Sahuagin are put down and the Elders of Nimbral begin to make plans on how best to use the new lands to the south.

Local 509 returns to Katina and make their final preparations for their trip into Hell. Beourn continues to act strangely (more strange than usual) and Ulla is worried about him. When all is ready, they go to the World Serpent Inn and Bebe Rebozo sells them the location of a doorway that will take them to a spot near the river Styx. They know they are in trouble the minute they open the door when a furnace blast of heat strikes them.

Walking through a city in ruins, they find the River Styx and launch the Crabaratus. It isn't easy floating down the Styx and they are challenged and attacked by underwater devils. When they surface to get their bearings, they are again attacked by flying devils. Beourn is able to lead them to the spot where the soul of the heart is located. The path leads them to the city Dis and to an underground area that is home to the Great Devil Hextor. They are discovered by him and quickly find they are over matched, but it is too late. They are overcome and fall one by one.

But it's not the end.

Local 509 in the Weird West - 2007 - 2008
They come to clawing they way up out of total darkness from their shallow graves in a high desert. Lead bullet are pushed out of their bodies and death dealing wounds are healed within moments. They are naked and remember nothing. They don't even know their own names, much less remember each other. Unknown to them, a god (who wishes to remain anonymous) rescued the party the only way possible. They were sent to a different part of the multiverse so they would not be perused by Hextor who now believes the Local 509 are dead. Naturally, they were sent to a part of the multiverse where a body part is located.

This part of the multi-verse is very much like Earth during the year 1882. Although the United States is still in power, the Civil War has not ended. The diversion of this reality from the one the players know occurred when the means to perform magic become known. Once this became possible all sorts of Good and Evil also became possible. Creatures previously unknown only in legend are seen within the United States. The common people still don't believe in magic and often refuse to even recognize it when it's used!

Without so much as a scrap of clothing to shield them the party travels across the desert. Almost dead they find a ghost town with a real ghost that provides them with clothing and things to carry water in. This allows them to make it to a small village and civilization. Along they way they are all subjected to strange waking dreams. Often these give them glimpses of events that occurred before their "death" or bring back confusing messages. As they pass by any mirror they see not the reflection as they appear, but an image of a strange looking person often not even a race known on earth! No one else sees this strange effect.

Beourn tells them to travel west as he feels a body part is located there. With nothing else to do, the party begins walking that way. They are soon approached in subtle ways by people who seem to know them. Revelation by revelation they begin to peace together some of their past. Before their death (everyone they meet say "I though you were dead!") they were an elite force of people with special magical abilities. They were used as "troubleshooters" for the Union Army. During a covert operation against a Rebel force conspiring to take over Nevada their cover was blown, they were identified as spy's and ambushed. They were stripped of everything so their identities couldn't be determined then buried in shallow graves where they fell.

The westward road is long and the party seems to attract difficulty. In one tiny town there is a fight and one of the Local 509 kills a towns person or two. When they enter Yuma they are identified, arrested and thrown into prison. While in court they are recognized by an agent of Section 509; a secret service under direct orders from the President of the United States. The Section 509 agent gives them a "Hobbs choice". They can reenlist in the army or rot in jail.

They are quickly given a task to prove they are still able to perform the wonders as they had done before. A Rebel force thought to be small has taken over the Town of Tempi, Arizona. They are to meet the remainder of the Union force driven out of the city and help them retake the town. Everything goes wrong from the start. The Rebels have been reinforced and have further fortified the city. The Union force is small and hiding in a cave near the city. They find that evil priests have been terrorizing the remaining citizens and raising undead to bolster the Rebel numbers.

They adopt guerrilla tactics and fight many battles. Alternating between the cave where they rest and heal then finding a way to strike against the larger force, they succeed in stopping the Rebel plan to use Tempi as a jumping off point for further expansion of the war for Arizona.

After a particularly deadly battle, an apparition appears to them in the cave. It is an alien looking creature. She is tall, unnaturally thin with metal nipples. Introducing herself as Dio Mas, she tells them they are needed "back at their real home". They agree to accompany her to this other place and she opens a dimensional door then leads them toward a sound that leads into bright whiteness.

The High Forest Adventure - 2009 - 2010
They arrive back at Katina! They are their old selves again, but they find that 5 years have past and they are all thought long dead. There is a huge party to welcome them back. They discover the growth of the village has been surprisingly good. They spend weeks just getting familiar with the changes and trying to clear the confusing thoughts about a place where they used short metal clubs with fires that shoot sling bullets. Beourn and Ulla leave Katina to continue their investigation of how they soul of the Heart of Gaga can be obtained.

Visiting her mother in the forest near Longsaddle Galranwyn hears about terrible attacks on elf cities in the High Forest. The party decides to investigate and they travel to the largest elf city in the forest called Nordhaerel. They find their old friend Bilibong being cared for as he is insane. After being healed he tells them of a great evil in the High Forest that is spreading a plague of killing creatures spreading through the west of the forest.

Although Bilibong remembers little of what happened to him, he leads them to the general area and they follow what he remembers of his path north toward where they think the problem is coming from. The soon find towns and settlements destroyed by swarms of pests and other monstrous creatures. They follow the path of destruction and finally reach the legendary city of Myth Andofhaur. This is the site of the first Mythal ever created whose location was lost when the city was abandoned for reasons unknown.

Inside the walls of Myth Andoufhaur they find a beautiful park where everything is artistically laid out and magic abounds. There are fabulously huge trees here that are sentient and guard the homes they contain. Among them are set conventional buildings of rare and stunning design. Although the buildings here are in ruins, they are still marvels of architecture. Unfortunately, the magic has become fractured as it has in Myth Dranor resulting in Wild Magic and magic dead areas. They search the park looking for the source of the evil and are constantly attacked by controlled monsters and animals. Nightly, they shelter in the Home Trees or in a standing stone temple. Turaha destroys the places they have rested in to prevent them from being used again.

After much searching the find a spot where the controlled creatures seemed to return to. It is a large, dead tree home. They stand off at a distance and use their spells to blow the tree to hell. Not content with that, an earthquake is summoned and huge cracks appear in the ground revealing an underground system of tunnels. Investigating these tunnels they find the Redoubt of the creature they seek. He is an ancient mage named Turaha. The dungeon is guarded by dozens of construct creatures and deadly traps, but the Local 509 perseveres and at last find their way through the final maze. When the party reaches the room where Turaha has holed up, something strange happens to him.

Faced with his inevitable capture or death, the madness that has held him for hunderads of years clears and he becomes lucid again. He talks calmly with the party and apologies for all the evil he has done. He promises to kill himself to eliminate himself as a threat for he is unsure that his moment of clarity will last. Turaha heaps praise on the Local 509 and names them Heros and Saviour's of the High Forest. He gives them Myth Andoufhaur and tells them where they can find a vast treasure looted from the city when the inhabitants were driven from it by Turaha. He then asks the party to recount their adventures as he would hear the adventurous tales of the most able adventurers he has ever heard of."

After the tale of your adventures is completed, the sun is going down. He floats over to the bottle next to his bed then sits down with obvious discomfort. Facing the party he says sadly

"You have done great and terrible things. But always you have tried to do the right thing and to help people. In my early life this was my goal too. I helped create this Mythal to make a paradise in the forest. And it was for centuries! But then my mind began to turn and in the end I ruined what I had created and drove away all those who I had intended to share it with. Now, at the end, it is me that is ruined. Take care of Myth Andoufhaur."
With tears running down his leathery cheeks he drinks the deadly drought.
"Good by my saviors. Tell the elves I love them still".
His eyelids flutter and he lies down on the bed. He looks at the Local 509 with an unreadable expression, waves goodbye and within seconds he stops breathing without another word.