Well, last even contained as many twists and turns as a silver serpent and with as deadly an intent. The evening began quietly enough with a few folks gathered at their local tavern. Suddenly the patrons of the Whispering Pines Tavern in Edinburgh found themselves besieged by reapers and giant serpents. Pigeons were sent flying and members of the Defenders of Justice and others of the Justice Alliance sped to the defense of the hapless village. Wave upon wave of evil beset the brave defenders with undead of every ilk, mages and even swamp tentacles taking part in the attack. Yet again virtue triumphed over evil and the enemy was repulsed.

After the corpses of the enemies were cleared away, the defenders retired again to their homes, but some few remained at the Whispering Pines to discuss the events of the night. A stranger appeared at the door of the tavern, a man of loathsome visage who carried with him the stench of rotting carrion. He introduced himself as Aenid of Namaracsa, one of the Necromari of Wrong. Aneid claimed he wishes to betray his comrades of old but needs the help of the Justice Alliance to secure a true copy of the Spell of Focusing. This is the spell that Scaramandine II and Armande sought in order to control the power of the Orb of Soul Seeking. Aneid told us that Scaramandine the Elder is a Nosferatu, a form of vampire, who feed upon the blood and flesh of those who fall in these attacks upon our village. Aneid claims he will use the Spell of Focusing to vanquish Scaramandine the Elder to another plane where no flesh or blood exists. There deprived of his energy source, Scar will wither away and truly die. Our experience with the Necromari, however, made us doubt the veracity of his claim of noble intent. Power seems to be the only motivator of this nefarious crew who know nothing of the virtues save their hatred for them and all who cleave to them.

After Aneid’s departure, talk turned to our friend Deminzata. She had given over her soul, becoming an unborn of the Undead for 14 days in hopes of saving her friend, Scaramandine II. Though today was to be the day of her release we had heard naught from her. The Undead were to free Diminzata if the phylactery of Scar II could not be located within the two-week period. As far as we knew, the phylactery had not been recovered. It has been given into the keeping of Watts thinking Scar the Elder would overlook so innocuous and weak a personage. However, Watts felt the Elder had come to suspect him and he had given the amulet back to Scaramandine II. Watts the dwarf sent a pigeon winging to her. The news it brought in return was dire—the Undead would not release Deminzata.

We called upon our allies and heroes from throughout Sosaria answered our call, gathering at the Keep of the Undead in Necropolis to regain our friend whatever the cost. A fierce battle ensued with much loss of life but neither side seemed able to gain an advantage. At last Void of the Undead came forth and spoke with members of the Justice Alliance. She said the Undead had not refused to release Deminzata, but that Demi refused to go. In answer to our cries of disbelief, she invited one member of the Alliance to go inside the keep and speak with Deminzata directly. If she asked to be set free, the Undead would allow her to depart. If she did not, her soul would remain theirs for eternity. As one of Demi’s closest friends, I was chosen to accompany Void. I cannot describe the unspeakable horror I witnessed in that foul place—bones, corpses in all stages of decay, a stench so vile as to be scarcely tolerable by mortal woman. Then I saw my friend. Demi hung listless, chained to the wall, her face bruised and bloody, her hands—the hands of a bard—horribly disfigured. Now I learned from whence came Void's confidence that Deminzata would not ask for her own release. She held the phylactery of Scar, the ArchLiche. As I begged Demi so say the words, that she wished to be released, Void toyed with the amulet, making it clear to Deminzata that if she spoke those words Scar would pay the forfeit. I finally convinced Demi that she must ask for her release, that if the Undead held the phylctery, Scar was lost in any case. To sacrifice herself would be for naught. At last she consented to my pleas, stating her wish to be set free. With that, Void hurled the amulet against the floor with explosive force, destroying the phylactery in a burst of flame.

Now however the true evil of this archfiend shone true. They would release my friend, but only in her death. If I would restore Deminzata to her friends and family, I must slay her with my own hands. Faced with no other recourse, tears streaming down my face, I begged Demi’s forgiveness and slew her with two blows of my mighty axe.

Reunited with our friends outside the Keep of the Undead, we resurrected our friend and gated back to the Brazen Monkey Tavern. There yet another surprise awaited us. In the tavern, drunk as a lord, stood Dale Larkspur. Four generations ago, Dale Larkspur was a ranger, a man of virtue who opposed the Scar the Elder and the Necromari. He was killed however and lost his soul to the Orb of Soul Seeking. Imprisoned by the Orb and later by the wand Scaramandine had fashioned from shards when it was shattered, Dale had become an agent of evil. These past seven weeks the members of the Justice Alliance have completed a series of riddles to locate clues—each a word that together spelled out a phrase which would reveal why Scaramandine the Elder desired the Plate Armor of Shielding. Taken together, the words spelled out the phrase: Minions must not don the enchanted plate. Dale is one of the minions who serve Scaramandine, commanded by the power of the wand. Interpreting the sentence, it was surmised that donning the Enchanted Plate Armor of Shielding would protect the wearer from the power of the wand, allowing these formerly good people to return to their senses. The patrons of the tavern, knowing this had skillfully manipulated Dale into imbibing too much of the tavern’s fine stock. In his weakened state, it was possible to cast a spell and paralyze Dale enabling Telos to force him to don the Enchanted Plate Armor of Shielding. Once the armor was on, Dale came to himself, seemingly unaware of the evil he had wrought at Scaramandine the Elders behest. The poor man seemed to itch and burn beneath the plate then suddenly, in a flash of ligh,t he vanished, the plate falling empty to the floor, the soul of this poor tormented man finally allowed to rest in peace.

Niamb Goldenhair
Mayor of Edinburgh