Shadows of things to come...

As Cormick and Keera are finishing up their breakfast, Baelor and Ben walk down the stairs in the Inn.

"Good Morning!" Cormick greeted them, "So did the two of you find your amulet?"

"Actually all we found were a lot of sticks, some rocks, and a few lost trails in the woods," Ben said with a dilapidated grin, "But that's ok, we made our way back here!"

Baelor sat down with a grimace, "I'll take some breakfast please!"

"No worries," Cormick said with a stout laugh, "We were just about to head off in that direction anyways!"

---

Kalen awoke to the fresh morning air and performed his normal prayers. He then went to talk with the old priest to see if his friend had passed by.

The priest was saying good by to the morning worshipers as Kalen came to greet him. "Good morning my son, did you sleep well? And did the gods watch over thee?" The priest said.

"Good morning father, I slept well enough." Kalen replied, "Have you seen my friend Cormick this morning?"

"Nay I have not, but I'd wager he'd be at breakfast. However, the smith came by with a package for you, I set it over there." He said pointing to the far end of one of the pews.

Kalen walked over and unwrapped the parcel revealing a nice set of scale armor with a note:

This should do ye better than yer chain until I have finished your dragon hide.

Kalen smiled and then went back into his bed chamber to try it on. To his surprise it fit perfectly. He felt his hands across the scale mail, Definitely a bit sturdier than my chain. He thought to himself. He pulled his tabard over the chainmail and reassembled his gear, and then set out to find his companions.

---

Kalen found his friends, plus the two that had disappeared the day before, at the Silver Unicorn Inn enjoying a rather tasty looking breakfast. He joined them until breakfast was done.

"So, shall we head off to find this amulet of yours?" Cormick asked Baelor as they headed for the door.

"That would be most satisfactory indeed." Baelor said.

Just before they reached the door, the guard that had assisted them the previous day entered.

"Ah just the people I was looking for." He said reaching his hand out for Cormick's. "I'm sorry to say that I may not be able to join you today, other pressing matters have come up."

Cormick took his arm in a firm shake, "Sorry to hear that my friend, very well then, no hard feelings." Gus said his adieus to the rest of the party and then headed out.

"Shall we?" Keera asked as he motioned towards the city gate. "We really should get a start on the day."

And the party headed out towards the Guardmoore Abby.

---

Upon reaching the Abby, the group noticed that there were about a dozen of the "rougher" types lingering around outside. Two tents and a wagon where set up around a camp fire just off to the side of one of the ruined sections of the old abbey. Unperturbed at the number of them, Cormick decided to go and play the Holy man card. He marched right up to the closest one with his sword slanted over his shoulder and the group in tow.

"Good morning!" Cormick said.

"Hey! What are you doing here!" One in chain armor said as he hefted his halberd to block Cormick's path, "You don't belong here, I suggest you and your friends leave."

As he eyed the group approaching one of his friends whistled from behind him. About half a dozen more stepped out of the surrounding structures.

"I'll say it one more time mate, you and your companions might want to leave before things get rough!" He pushed Cormick back slightly.

"I am here to bless the grave sites and to pray to the Raven Queen." Cormick said with a simple nod of his head.

"Alright, you asked for it." The ruffian said as he pulled his blade towards Cormick.

Cormick responded quickly by slamming his blade from off of his shoulder into the ruffian. Quickly he was surrounded as the rest of them moved to flank him.

---

A few short moments later, all of the ruffians lay dead and the party sorted through their belongings.

"Not much here." Keera said, "It looked like that last one was headed down there." She pointed towards a old stony stairway that lead down into the earth.

Ben moved over to the steps and held his hands to his ear.

"Nothing." He said after a moment, and then he disappeared down the steps.

"Did he just go down there all by himself?" Kalen asked.

"He'll be alright, he knows what he's doing." Baelor chimed in.

After a few minutes Ben popped his head out.

"Well I think I found the rest of them." Ben said.

"How many were there?" Cormick asked.

"I'd say at least three of them!" Ben said.

"Are they human?" Keera asked.

"Well, they sounded human to me. Maybe at least two of them are human?" Ben shrugged.

"Alright then, lead the way." Cormick motioned.

The party made their way as quietly as they could down beneath the surface. The walls turned to smooth sandstone and was cluttered with debris. Torches were lit on either side down the hallway. They came to a small intersection and the each of the two side passages was blocked by rubble.

"I heard the voices down that way." Ben said pointing towards the room straight ahead.

Cormick motioned for him to continue and Ben moved slyly ahead, seeming to stop every so often to check the ground or a wall for anything that might stand out as out of the ordinary.

After a few moments the group made it through the next room uneventfully, with Ben in the lead attempting to listen for anything.

"Nothing." He said, "They must have moved ahead."

The group continue through the next hallway and into a room with four sarcophagi.

"I knew I heard people behind us!" Said a gruff voice.

Two dwarves in chain armor stepped out of another passage off to the side of the room with the sarcophagi. He leveled their crossbows and show at the group. Two men clad in leather rushed the party setting up a front line defense. While a woman dressed in a dark red robe withdrew to the back of the room for cover.

After a few grievous injuries the party successfully defeated the party of bandits and recovered a magic wand that found a home with the Warlock. They also found a note that read:

“Master Reith,
The high priest is growing weary of the waiting. It has been nearly four years since our search has begun, and but a few more before the dawning of the prophecy. All four keys must be found before the merging of the shadows may occur. I know Lord Orcus would be most displeased by your lack of enthusiasm in discovering the final two keys. You have been keeping us out of the loop quite frequently as of late, and we would like to have a bit more information. Why do you think that the next clue to the missing keys is found is Restharven? I am sending one of my men to meet you there once you are done with Fallcrest. Meet him in the Deluded Bulge Inn in Restharven on the 18th day of the 8th Month. He says that he has a few clues of his own as to the location to one of the missing keys.

Tasha”

"Orcus!" Cormick said, "This area must be sanctified!"

Looking down the next doorway out of the room Keera froze, and any color that could be seen beneath her white makeup drained from her face, and her knees nearly went out from under here.

"What's wrong?" Cormick said as he stepped over to keep her from falling.

The hallway before them was covered in ancient runes, a language that was ancient enough to be nearly unreadable. At the end of the hall was a large room lit with scones lining each wall and a raised dais with a large sarcophagus.

"We need to leave this place." Keera said weakly, "We cannot go in there!"

Cormick, filled with a fervor to serve the Raven Queen moved in against Keera's pleas. She grabbed onto his arm as he dragged her forward into the room. The rest of the party carefully followed. Once they entered the room an unearthly scream filled their ears.

The lid to the sarcophagi flew backwards and a skeletal being rose from the stony tomb. He was clothed in ancient battle mail, the chain links broken and aged with time. Long white hair flowed from out of his helm, and dust and webs hung between his bones. In his hands he wielded a sword of glowing black obsidian, etched runes flowed down either side of the blade, and the hilt was silver and steel woven together by a maker of legendary skill.

"The seal has been broken! Rise and kill those that desecrate this place!" The undead knight screamed.

The room filled quickly with undead, and the party in a disheveled state struggled to set itself right against such odds.

---

After a long and grueling battle the party defeated the undead minions, and their lord. Claiming the dark obsidian blade for his own (assuming it was the Moonbane), Cormick proceeded to cleanse the tomb. Keera fell to her knees sobbing and wrecked with emotional stress. While the rest of the party licked their battle wounds.

The party then retreated outside of the crypt back to the camp, where they loaded everyone into the wagon and Cormick took the yoke and began towing the wagon back towards town.

After a few enduring comments Baelor found himself walking next to the Paladin of the Raven Queen, unhappy that he had to walk the remaining miles back to town.

Once in town, Cormick delivered the wagon to the priest at the Moonsong Temple in thanks for his kindness, and then carried Keera back to a room at the Silver Unicorn Inn. The entire party took baths and readied themselves for bed.

---

The next morning, after a hearty breakfast, they took the Moonbane before Lord Markelhay. Nimozaran the Green was also present and it was decided that it was in the best interest of the town, and perhaps the world at large, for the party to keep the Moonbane for safe protection. Nimozaran identified it as the Blade of the Shadow keeper, although he was surprised at it's lack in power for such a legendary artifact.

The party now needed to decide what it's plans were for the next leg of their journey. Paladin and Priest compelled by their deities to pursue this seeming unholy crusade, Wizard in figuring out who the mysterious Reith is, and the Warlock and his shifty companion to find his still unrecovered amulet.

The Adventure Continues!!