Start in Fallcrest

We start our story with the travels of Kalen and Cormick. Their journeys both begin in the small town of Harkenwood, on their way to the town of Fallcrest. They independently learn that there is a small merchant train headed towards Fallcrest before the mid morning. Cormick approaches the head caravan master Eleon and stands idly by as the caravan master directs the packing of the wagons. Kalen is not far behind and asks the caravan master for work. Cormick chimes in and soon both Cormick and Kalen have agreed to guard the caravan for 5 silver a day and are headed towards Fallcrest.

Meanwhile Baelor and Ben are half way on their travels from Hammerfast to Fallcrest when they meet a strange old man with a small sparrow named Jack. The old man was sitting on a log next to the road playing a set of pan pipes. As the two travelers approach, the old man paid them a good day and offered the fairer of the two men a rose as if out of thin air. Perhaps not taken in all the best regards, Baelor blushed profusely at the gesture, "Ahem! I'm a man! But I thank you." The two quickly asked the man some mundane questions and then bid him farewell and a good day.

As sundown approaches both groups of travelers cross paths at the crossroads a half days journey east of Fallcrest. Ben, eager to make friends, and fill his stomach, starts waving intently welcoming the oncoming caravan. Baelor stood slightly behind Ben, but held a firm grin on his face in an attempt to seem good and friendly. The first in the caravan to notice the two travelers just so happen to be Kalen and Cormick, who invite the two to join the caravan, and to dinner, by introducing them to the caravan master. Eleon offered them 2 silver and food for the rest of the trip to Fallcrest, and they accepted.

The new group of friends was intrigued to find a large group of halfing cooks in the caravan, and some of the best food that any of them had had in many months. Snooping by the cooking supplies, several of the party members helped their bags to a few helpings of nuts and berries for the sake of additional travel rations. The rogue, Ben, also attempted to help himself to the silver of the traveling merchants by playing a few gambling games. Fortunately for him, and for the merchant travelers, all bets ended the night dead even. The travelers also attempted to gain some small reconnaissance about their destination, but gleamed very little, as these were traveling folk, and not the kind of people that stayed long in any kind of towns or cities.

The next day, after a short morning walk, they reached the city of Fallcrest at noon. The two tall gate towers at the Knight's Gate gleamed in the mid day sun. The banners of Fallcrest waved in the light breeze, shimmering red and gold. The symbol was a golden sun. As they entered the town the group of travelers received their payment from the caravan master, with Cormick attempting to get into line twice for double the payment. It is amazing how one could attempt to be unrecognized when they are the only one standing over 6 foot tall, and wearing dark black plate mail with a shining symbol of the Raven Queen etched in silver, black hair, black eyes, and pale complexion. Such an easy individual to forget?

From there they split their ways, Kalen headed for the temple of Bahamut to beseech his god to remind him of the finer details of his quest. Cormick, without a temple in the town, decided to go to the closest place that he could consider a temple. The city graveyard. Meanwhile Baelor and Ben decide to try and find some leads on Baelor's missing family heirloom by following a shifty looking dwarf that was strolling through town. Following him from a staggeringly obvious seven feet behind, as seen by the dwarfs other companions, they pursued him into a dark ally, only to find two knives in the back of Baelor and a small crossbow leveled at Ben.

Quickly dismissing the notion of other reasons for following the hefty dwarf, Baelor inquires him about anyone in town with an obsidian pendant. Barstomun Strong Beard introduces himself, and has his companions drop their weapons in an attempt to start a business transaction. He invites the two companions to the Blue Moon Ale House for a drink, and a much finer place to discuss such matters.

As Cormick ventures into the graveyard he notices the looming trees impeaching over the graveyard wall, and is determined to beat back the forest from encroaching on his Queen's hallowed place. To the confusion of the grounds keeper, he borrows his axe and starts a several hours labor to remove several of the larger trees, and to turn them into fire wood. By the time his is done the entire back wall of the groundskeepers cabin is surrounded by wood, enough to keep him warm all winter long. Cormick then tosses him a gold and insists that he keep the trees at bay. Still confused, but immensely grateful, the groundskeeper takes the gold coin and swears that he shall do as the knight asks.

After several hours of prayers, Kalen is granted a vision of his quest to more detail. He knows now exactly what is needed of him to appease the great Lord Bahamut. He asks around town about a symbol that he is seeking, and is directly to the Blue Moon Ale House.

At the Blue Moon Ale House, Ben and Baelor enter into a negotiation with Barstomun for information about the missing pendant. They find out that a man named Reith came into town a week prior looking for obsidian artifacts. Specifically one of which being an obsidian blade. Through heavy bartering, Barstomun parted them of their hard earned cash, only to tell them that they could find Reith and his companions out near the Gardmore Abbey.

Kalen and Cormick seem to be guided by fate again, and end up outside of the Blue Moon Ale House nearly a the same time. Cormick spends some of his soap and a bucket of water to wash away his sweat, and then joins Kalen inside to discover something about his quest. As it turns out both the Raven Queen and Bahamut have sent the holy men seeking the same symbol, and as the two appraise the ale house common room, they notice upstairs a well groomed dwarf wearing the Fallcrest guard tabard drinking ale with a few of his younger guardsmen underneath the symbol that their gods had sent them seeking.

Cormick approaches the dwarf and tells him flat to his face that he has some information that the Raven Queen sent him to retrieve. Confused at this statement Sergeant Murgeddin introduces himself, and invites the two men to join him at his table, and as he is the proprietor of the Ale House, invites them to drink with him on his coin. The two holy men accept, and Cormick retrieves his other two new friends from the common room to join them.

After several rounds of drinks, Murgeddin shares a story about how the old Lord Markelhay fled during the Bloodspear War to the crypt under the Gardmore Abbey, and was never seen again. He had taken the Markelhay ancestral sword "Moonebane" with him. A sword made of a strange black stone.

Kalen and Cormick, satisfied that they had found the next clue in their divine quests, decide to call it a night, and head towards the Moonsong Temple to seek shelter for the night. Once there they are greeted by a kindly old priest that quickly invites them in, and showing a great warmth to both the Cleric of Bahamut, and the Knight of the Raven Queen, gives them both private accommodations for the night, and shrines at which to let them pray.

Meanwhile, Baelor and Ben decide to call it a night by heading to the most secure Inn in town. As they enter the Silver Unicorn Inn, they are greeted by the bartender as they seek room. No longer ready to part easily with their gold, Baelor barters for a single room, and then drags the be-drunken Ben up three flights of stairs before calling it a night in a lavishly comfortable feather bed.

To be continued...