In The Shadowfell

The Shadowfell become overwhelming for some of the group. Lirath and Hope fall into despair. Lirath giving up hope of ever seeing his world again, slumps against a withered tree and refuses to move. Hope feels the weight of despair but tries to fend it off, only to have waves of nausea causing her to lean hands on knees. Rook, meanwhile, loses himself in a book. All attempts to distract him from the book fail, until the group begins a tug-of-war with Rook over the book.

Rook even goes so far as to threaten death on anyone who tries to take his book.

Tired of being stuck watching this display of weakness, Smallfang finally gathers up Hope and Lirath under his arms and begins walking in the direction they were previously headed. The others finally coax Rook to walk and read at the same time.

Travelling Through The Despair

They travel like this for sometime. Barb leading the group gets glimpses of movement out of the corner of his eyes every once in a while. Shadows seem to move in the distance between trees. He ignores this as a trick of the land. He's seen what it has done to some of the others. After a while of this slow travel, they decide to rest. It has been hours and they are feeling hungry.

Lirath, finally awakening from his trance-like despair, accompanies Barb as the barbarian swears he can find food even in this gods forsaken place. Heading off into the mist filled sparse forest, Barb busies himself with finding roots, grubs and edible mosses. He's quite proud of himself. Lirath on the other hand, is glancing around constantly and begins to see movement in the trees ahead.

A Dangerous Foraging
10,000 XP

Lirath warns Barb of what he sees but Barb seems unworried. Finally as they move far enough ahead, out of the shadows step several shadow beasts. They have positioned themselves around Lirath and Barb. They move back towards the camp while fending off the creatures finally killing off the creatures as they return to camp.

The group uses various spells and collects their knowledge on how to get to the Raven Queen. She lives in the mountains of Latherna, within a demiplane within the Shadowfell. As protection it is impossible to use spells, such as plane shift, to enter her domain. On top of that, her demiplane sometimes shifts in order to make travel there difficult.

Rook, angered as being brought to the Shadowfell to defend his Raven Queen against the rival god, Vecna, bellows into the Shadowfell. The Raven Queen should give them more assistance if they are to come to her aid. Why would they be stranded in this place with little ability to get to the Castle Of The Raven Queen.

Rook begins to walk and swear into the sky at his patron god and demands that she aid them.

The Blacklantern Inn

At that moment a large inn appears before him. It's two story building is shaped light a horseshoe and the windows are brightly lit which stands in sharp contrast to the landscape around it. In it's courtyard move various ghosts. Each wears a widely different style of clothes as they obviously come from a wide variety of lands and times.

One of the ghosts, a older gentlemen dressed formally, welcomes the group to the Blacklantern Inn. The group asks if he knows the way to the mountains of Latherna. He does not but perhaps they can ask the proprietor of the inn, Yarol. Soon the group finds themselves inside the warm inn. There is an eclectic group of creatures from all over. Behind the bar is a well dressed teifling with large round horns. He introduces himself as Yarol. He tells them that the inn is special. It has the ability to move around the Shadowfell, sometimes sensing when someone is in dire need.

Yarol sets up the group at a table. Rook immediately notices a group of dark skinned creatures and recognizes them as Shadar-kai, creatures associated with The Raven Queen. They are heavily tattooed with multiple piercings all over their scarred bodies. Rook and Lirath approach them and tell them that the Raven Queen is in danger and that they need to get to her as quickly as possible. One of the Shadar-kai spits upon the floor at the mention of the Raven Queen. These Shadar-kai are not loyal to the Raven Queen. They blame the queen for their miserable lives trapped within the Shadowfell. The only thing staving off the despair of the land is constant pain and fighting.

The Eviction Of Unwanted Guests

Lirath pushes into the mind of the Shadar-kai standing in front of them and forces him to attack one of his comrades. This immediately erupts into a fighting frenzy as the group falls upon each other in an orgy of violence.

Yarol begins to shout for them to desist but to no avail. As the Shadar-kai continue to fight, the floor boards and walls of the inn begin to creak and move and the walls begin to shift and grow as the Shadar-kai are ejected from the inn, as the inn itself reforms around them forcing them outside it's walls.

Lirath and Rook then turn to Yarol, the inn's owner. They demand that he make the inn take them to the Raven Queen. Yarol does not take kindly to the demand and subsequent threats. He moves his hands in intricate gestures. The walls and floor boards of the inn begin to creak and move but almost immediately stops. Yarol seems puzzled. and then sighs.

It would seem the Blacklantern Inn does not wish to eject this group of adventurers.

The Inn Has Been Sent To Aid The Group

The group tells them of their mission to save the Raven Queen from Vecna.

Yarol stares at them in disbelief. Vecna is but a legend. A myth. But it would seem the inn believes them. He sets them up in a private area and gives them food and drink as well as lodging for the night. The inn it would seem is not ready to take them just yet. Perhaps they can help with a problem that Yarol has been having.

For A Favor
34,000 XP

Lord Nill, a undead lord who has come to power in the Shadowfell, has been forcing the Inn to pay a "tax" for which Lord Nill will allow the inn the continue to exist. He and his shadow dragon have terrorized the inn for decades. Perhaps the group could find a way out of this before they move on.

Lirath stays outside of his room during the night and soon spots Lord Nill approaching flying upon the back of his shadow dragon. He calls to the others and using his psionic powers pulls Lord Nill off of the dragon and pushes him down to the ground.

The battle was short. The group focused its damage on Lord Nill, who stood now beside his dragon in worn and ancient armor. The dragon using it's breath weapon several times to injure the group. But the dragon eventually takes to the skies but after being damaged enough disappears from the group's sight.

As Lord Nill falls, Rook notices a little girl standing just behind him, as he stands on the walkway on the second floor in front of the rooms looking out over the courtyard. She asks what he is doing. Rook tries to shoo the girl away but the girl soon transforms into a large creature who is loyal to Lord Nill. At the same time, Rook finds the dragon, as it's large head appears in front of him as the dragon, sitting on the roof of the inn, looks down over the roof and begins to inhale, readying it's breath weapon.

Soon all the enemies are defeated and the group gathers in the courtyard of the inn. The air shifts around them, turning cold and they see looming ahead of them the towering peaks of mountains.

The Blacklantern Inn has taken them to the mountains of Latherna. The home of The Raven Queen.

Deeper Into Citadel Cavitus

The group tends to their wounds after the battle with the hoard of zombie goblins, or zoblins, lich hounds and a minotaur skeleton. Lirath and Hope rush into the ancient keep and begin to scour the dirty and decrepit rooms and find a trove of ancient coins, gems and other such treasures.

As the group rests they discuss what their next course of action should be. They are not in any rush to pursue Osterneth immediately after their last battle. They need to restore their health and spell abilities. To rush headlong after the priestess of Vecna would be foolhardy. While they discuss they pass the small griffon statue around trying to puzzle out its riddle.

Relaxed I sit upon my perch 
Till suddenly I give a lurch 
And off I speed on wing-tips three 
Before my prey can think to flee. 
I make its flesh and tendons part 
And claw my way into its heart. 

Now only kin can set me free 
so strike this statue with one Of me.

Inside The Statue
5,000 XP

Finally, Hope takes an arrow from Katya and stabs it into the statue. The head pulls back on unseen hinges to reveal a small hollow inside. Katya reaches inside and pulls out a long and ethereal black arrow. Wisps of black ether fall from the arrow. Katya tucks this away for later.

They decide that they should pursue Osterneth now that they are capable of fight.

They find the stairs that Lirath says he say the priestess descend and they too follow the ancient stone steps downwards. Moving ever downwards, the stairs twist and turn and the air begins to feel cold and damp. When they finally reach the bottom they are in an ancient temple, cold mist flowing a foot deep along the ornate floor tiles.

In the middle of the temple is a black portal. An oval stands 10 feet high, black liquid-like magic separates this world from another as they watch a foot disappear into the black flowing portal. Osterneth, who still stands beside the portal holds in her hand a cylindrical device which has multiple rings surrounding it. She spins these rings, jumbling whatever pattern which held the portal open. The portal collapses silently, leaving only Osterneth standing in front of the group with a sly smile, as she tucks the device into her robes.

Vecna Escapes
26,800 XP

She tells them that they are too late. Vecna has left to kill The Raven Queen. Now it is time for her revenge upon them. They are to be punished for casting her into the Astral Plane, the last time they fought.

Smallfang growls and charges in, Barb right behind him. Osterneth raises her hand and stuns them. As they are unable to move she uses a scepter and uses their inability to defend themselves to inflict grievous damage. She screams and laughs as she takes her revenge upon them.

Lirath, Hope and Katya close in and attack. They land their blows but Osterneths blood, or what passes for blood within the undead creature, splatters back upon them burning into their skin and spreading.

Rook moves back out of harms way. He casts the illusion of a rope over the scepter that Osterneth uses to bash in the skulls of Barb and Smallfang, and then forces it into reality. Osterneth frustrated with this tosses the rope/scepter aside.

As Smallfang and Barb regain their senses they continue their assault on the priestess, getting splashed with her necrotic energy, but again Osterneth raises her hand and casts power word kill upon the dragonborn. Knowing she has beaten him to the point where the spell can now instantly kill him. Laughing as Smallfang drops to his knees but Smallfang's resilience prevents him from being outright killed. He looks up into the eyes of Osterneth and smiles defiantly.

Smallfang's smile instantly fades as the necrotic damage he has sustained, pulses yet again and plunges him into unconsciousness. Smallfang is dying.

Osterneth uses her powers to call upon the dead of the temple to come to her aid. Several mumified skeletal remains rise up out of the mist and begin to attack. These are merely a distraction as they are easily dispatched leaving again only Osterneth to be dealt with.

The Death Of Osterneth

Between Barb and Smallfang's close quarter attacks Hope hopes that Osterneth has been injured enough for her favorite spell, disintegrate, to work. A blast of arcane energy leaves Hope and hits Osterneth directly. When the spell ends, Osterneth collapses on the floor. There is a pulsing arcanic energy which comes from the chest of Osterneth and she rises once more. The power spreading out of her exposed, blackened and shriveled heart fills the priestess' body and she smiles at the group. Clearly she cannot be killed this way.

But while Osterneth is gloating, Katya moving from within the shadows has nocked the black ethereal arrow, which they had found within the statue of the griffon. She uses all of her skill to aim directly for the heart. She releases the arrow and it finds its target.

The black arrow disappears but the heart begins to liquify and Osterneth screams as her body withers and collapses. Black ooze pouring out from where her heart would be.

Katya Destroys The Artifacts

The group stands around the dead priestess and debates whether or not they should destroy all of  Vecna's artifacts. But the debate is soon ended when Katya pulls out of her bag of holding the artifacts she has within her possession and stabs them. The arguing stops as they watch her destroy them and they turn into a puddle of black slimy liquid.

Going through the robes of Osternath they find the cylinrical device which they had seen her close the portal with and they after little time figure it out and open the portal.

They enter in pursuit of Vecna.

On the other side they find themselves within the Shadowfell.

The Shadowfell
10,000 XP

A bleak and stark land perpetually in twilight. The landscape is rough and broken. The sparse forest they find themselves in, has thin and twisted trees with no leaves. Rook, who has for years been hoping to find himself in the Shadowfell in service of The Raven Queen, has read much on the Shadowfell. He prays to his queen and asks for direction.

At this, ravens hidden thus far, in the dead trees of the forest, take flight and head off in a single direction.

They follow.

Soon they come across a pile of dead bodies after a quick inspection, Rook notices they are uniformed as the Deathless Watch, the militia and law enforcement here. He also notices a now familiar look of dead bodies who have died because their skeletons have been liquified. Vecna has passed through here. How long ago is difficult to determine, Rook tells the others that time here runs different. He might have come through here moments ago or days or even weeks ago.

A different group is approaching from near the direction they are headed.

It is a group of fanatics to the Raven Queen, the Ebony Guard. They begin to question the group trying to be friendly at first but soon the group notices their interest in Rook. His odd eye and hidden hands being suspicious. The adventurers attack.

They find the Ebony Guard hard to injure but soon they fall under Rook's hand of Vecna.

The Shadowfell is not very inviting.