Further Adventures on the Dark Island

General Summary

Thanks to the luck of Bilbo Barbarian, brought about by the convergence of Bahamut and Tymora, the partizans have gained precious information about the layout of the Dark Island and some events taking place there. This means they can set off prepared and to some extent informed, and with the help of careful exploration and planning, they manage to circumvent some of the larger dangers the Dark Island offers. Nonetheless the island is a dangerous and terrible place and the month it takes the Partizans to travel to the Wizard's Tower take a large toll. Every day the group feels the draining effect of the island's negative energy, struggling along through the dead and decaying countryside. And every night the heroes are visited by dark and horrifying nightmares, waking up unrefreshed and often screaming. Randy Jones keeps getting confronted by Gruumsh One-Eye who has taken the place of Hextor in all parts of his religious experiences. Randy is very unhappy with this change and refuses to give in to the reality of being confronted by Gruumsh, or to his suggestions to give in to his orcish side. But this denying of the deity soon leads to Randy becoming ever more exhausted and gradually losing his powers. In the end Randy begrudgingly gives in to this situation and has to kneel to the orcish god of war. This does little good for his temper however and severely dampens his spirit. The others also experience their share of nightmares and horrible nights, but not as specifically involving their actions and emotions as do Razyle and Randy. As said before, the party manages to circumvent running into too much trouble as they make their way across the island, avoiding all manner of terrible foes, ranging all the way from vampiric clouds to a huge dracolich sometimes seen from afar patrolling the skies around its lair. However the island houses a great many threats and terrifying lifeforms, and the party still needs to fight through scores of life draining plants, undead crustaceans, skeletons and zombies. In the end, having gotten close to their goal, the wizard's tower, the party runs into a banshee named Cassandra Phylitha. She is a sister of the one the Partizans came across before, near the town of Conyberry. Although her sister managed to escape the island, this one still lingers near her master Lord Soth. Being wise to not engage her in battle, the party gets engaged in a conversation with this twisted ethereal remainder of a once beautiful elven maiden. She ends up warning them against her master, the death knight, who rules this island and all its undead inhabitants. In an effort to gain goodwill, inspired by Randy Jones, the Partizans suggest to offer to free her and Lord Soth from their everlasting curse of agonizing unlife. Amused the banshee asks if they intend to make Eru Ilúvatar himself return. From this the party learns that Eru Ilúvatar is the creator of all the universe and its original deities, who will return only at the end of the universe. This will be the only event that may release the Death Knight from his curse. The party then wonders if this may be the very same thing The Black Robes are meaning to offer Lord Soth. The banshee doesn't know what the mages are doing on the island or what the mean to offer her lord. But she does know that if her lord does not accept their offer or their presence on his island, he will certainly destroy them.

Campaign

Colonia's Hegemony

Protagonists