Chronicles of the Consortium

The characters: Sir Blanque  - swordsman and handsome, dashing noble half mer-person Marion  - stabby stabby dagger specialist; Nihrain who currently carries the Runestaff Destiny  - Menastrai sorceress covertly raised on Melnibone Bomilcar  - Weeping Waste nomad from a chieftain's family It's difficult to tell how these would compare to xyzd&d levels, but they are all extremely good. The only one who isn't of Master ability in his main melee weapon is Bomilcar, and even that's not by much. The group openly approaches the ancient, but still reasonably intact, temple that stands at the foot of the enormous pyramid structure in front of them. That thing must be at least 350' high. Intriguingly, there is an exceptionally regular stone-lined canal leading to an enormous bowl-shaped depression in front of the sweeping staircases that lead up to the fore-temple itself. This bowl must the origin of the waters that originally composed what is now called the Ri...

The Lady Amaranth, daughter of Straasha, communicates with Sir Blanque via dream-sending: "Go the source of the River of Sand". The players restored the temple of this particularly powerful water elemental on an earlier occasion, and she took a liking to the dashing Filkharian noble. He is, after all, part mer-person (it's a long story...). Anyway, Sir Blanque relates the dream to his compatriots the next morning. Duke Avan Astran, overall leader of the expedition, is happy for some of the others to head northwards to the indicated location indicated. "After all," he says, "We are in no rush to return westwards just yet. While you are away, I can direct our friends in the two tribes to help rebuild the fort around our lovely blue tower. Just come back whenever you are ready." Marion and Destiny are as usual more than happy to accompany their friend on this side-journey; Sir Blanque also asks Bomilcar to join them, reuniting the four characters ...

Cleaning up in the aftermath of the demise and/or capture of the Slave Lords takes quite a while in the hidden city of Suderham. The remaining members of the inner council of that organisation swear loyalty to the player characters after their show of extreme might, especially the summoning of Grome to finish off Stalman Klim, High Priest of Xiombarg and Pretender to Changshai. The surviving Slave Lords were the guildmasters of thieves and assassins, and had been rather reluctantly forced to come to terms with the Slave Lords in the first place; with a sigh of relief, they can go back to their day jobs. The players obviously don't entirely trust them, but they need help in putting everything back together again after the abortive eruption of the Suderham volcano and the sudden appearance of a 150-odd mile riverway to the sea. The population really needs calming for some reason... Edralve of the Dharzi House Eilservs slips away in the immediate confusion, after promising the PCs h...