We stumbled upon a curious scene: the Obsidian Dragon in their humanoid form, engaged in conversation with Thol Mak. They spoke of powerful artifacts, the Gauntlet of Bane and the Eye of Vecna, though the latter was only referred to as “The Whispered One,” lest its true name draw unwanted attention. Thol Mak introduced us to the dragon, Ignisvitrumsable, also known as Ebonfrost.

A long journey then took us back to Rookroost, a twenty-eight day trek to update Alexander Engel on our progress with the keeps. He, too, sought the artifact we’d agreed to retrieve for Thol Mak. Zelrog, ever the diplomat, explained our agreement with the Necromongers. Alexander, though initially hesitant, accepted the situation, but on one condition: we swore a verbal, binding contract to aid Ulrich Stein in overthrowing Lord Mortoth and establishing him as the new ruler of Rookroost. Alexander emphasized the necessity of martial law until the city’s corruption could be purged.

We learned a disturbing truth: Lord Mortoth possessed the Eye of Vecna. This revelation explained his recent distancing from Iuz, who, driven by his hatred for Vecna, now sought the Eye and Hand of Vecna for himself. We were regaled with the history of these dread artifacts, and told of the only known way to destroy them: the Sword of Kas. But the Hand and the Sword remained lost, their whereabouts a mystery.

Another sixteen days of travel brought us to the Bastions, where we attended to matters within the keeps. From there, we ventured towards the mines, some fifteen miles distant. We decided to bypass the keeps for now, focusing instead on the mines which took another taxing sixteen days of travel. Rumor had it that they were more than just a source of ore; they were a pathway, a route to the Gauntlet of Bane.

Alten – Wolf Sentinel