Adventure Log # 45

THE CHARACTERS
Kimi-Manthootian warrior-Has a secret that she doesn't even know.
Fionn Mac Roa-Bard about town-The closest thing to a mage the party has.
Brock-Monk-Until recently the only problem he had was getting killed in a month. His problems have gotten worse.
Garu-Elf Archer-Looking for his animal companion
Jagvoc Mercy-Priest
Kevin-Manthootian Archer-Kimies friend. Thinks he Legolas.
Marcus-Paladin

Characters Waiting to join in Sylvias Rest:
Scalla-Priestess and magic user
Morgan-Head priestess of the temple of Chaldisaya
Kebridane-magic user.

Story so far:
The party was adventuring in an underground warren called The Mound. Having beaten the creatures guarding the gate the party is heading to the surface. On their way out the party encounters the guild mages. They discuss with them what they saw and mention the warded hallway to the underground room (That turned Brok into stone). The mages turn Brok back to flesh and tell the group that they set the wards to keep the gate safe. They wanted the party to ward the gate in the upper room (The gate that they warded).

The party makes their way our of the Mound and head towards Mountain Vale. When they arrive back at the manor house everyone but Jag Voc Mercy are turned away since it's late. Kimi and Kevin head back to their room at The Griffin, everyone else sleeps in the back shed.

The next morning they go to see Kenna Alexander, the commander of the garrison. He's happy to see Paladin Marcus and tells him that some temple soldiers were in town the other day and he heard that they were to take him back to the temple in chains. This confuses Marcus.

Alexander offers Marcus a horse for the trip back to Sylvia’s Rest and after a lot of wrangling as to who is to go Kimi and Kevin decide to stay behind since Kimi is investing in the Inn. On the road to Sylvia’s Rest everything is uneventful until the second night. Marcus is on watch when The Priestess Marcia (Who doesn’t like him very much) steps out of the shadows. She tells Marcus that she's sorry for all of the trouble she's caused him and begs his forgiveness. Marcus says he forgives her but she doesn't agree with him. She says that she needs to be punished and pulls out a whip. At this point Marcus is pretty sure that this isn't Priestess Marcia and he draws his sword. He tells her to take her true form but instead she takes on the likeness of Priestess Morgan (His mother in law). At this point everyone is awake and the creature assumes the form of Durseraye, a demon Brok has had some congress with. She tells Brok that she has come all this way just so they can go have sex. Brok tells her to go away and after lots of whining on her part she leaves.

The rest of the journey as far as the village of Kida is uneventful. At Kida they join the main Southern Trade Road and continue. About two hours outside of Sylvia’s Rest they come upon a lone horsewoman. It's Priestess Marcia, dressed in her robes, one gauntleted arm a remembrance that she was one Prime Paladin of the Chaldite faith. She tells Marcus that she will move that he be removed from the post of Prime paladin and if she gets her way he will have his paladin status revoked. When asked why she says he's a coward and lots of other unkind things. She attempts to get Marcus to draw his weapon on her but he doesn't rise to the challenge. Eventually they part company, no love lost.

The party spends the rest of the night in a roadhouse then heads into Sylvia’s Rest proper. They see that the building of the temple of Chaldisaya is continuing, the basement is done and they are working on the first floor.

Meanwhile in town: Scalla wakes up. She was having bad dreams about what happened to her when she was in the clutches of the evil queen Distaria. She finds Serif in her bed and she's paralyzed. Serif tells her that the control that the evil queen exerts over her is what keeps her frozen and that he is going to visit her from time to time to ply his carnal charms on her. Eventually she will have the damned child that he wants and after that she will come over to the dark queens side. In a flash he leaves and Scalla runs to wake Morgan and tell her the story of what happened. As they're going down stairs discussing it Kebridane meets them and tells them of the strange visit he had from the mage know as Madrigar last night. It turns out that Madrigar a magic user that they've all know for some time came to each of them last night. He told Scalla that she should flee the power of the Dark Queen. He asked Morgan to be kind to his sister (Priestess Marcia) and he gave Kebridane some money he said he owed them.

At this point there is a knock at the door and Paladin Marcus, Brok, Garu and Jag Voc Mercy enter. Just as the introductions are finished there is another knock at the door. It's a Manthootian warrior bearing a letter from Priestess of the Waters Aki. Morgan reads the message to the group. It goes something like this: Aki describes being taken to the evil city of Deserata along with her former "sister" Esnith. They were taken against their will by the mage they had come to trust known as Madrigar. She reminded them that her "sister" Esnith was actually an ancient construct designed to destroy creatures known as Lords of the Starry Sky (Spirit Jewel mages) of which the Queen was one. Once in the city Madrigar took them up to the evil queen. There was a fight between Madrigar and the Evil Queen and during the battle Esnith's powers that had supposedly been destroyed by Madrigar suddenly returned gravely wounding the queen and killing Madrigar, since it turned out that Madrigar had also been a Lord of the Starry Sky but had hidden it from everyone. When the smoke cleared Madrigar was obviously dead, the queen was screaming "I'm blind" and Esnith was nowhere to be found, possibly consumed by the power she wielded. With the dark power in the north weakened the characters discussed what to do.