18th Altruiak

Overlooking Zhentil Keep. The northern half of the city is half ruin, the new part at the heart of the city along the river banks.  The souther half looks largly untouched, but in poor repair.  An unnatural dark or pall hangs over both. (History note: The guy we turned over was malnutritioned.)

Arust leads us to the northwest, and while leading us through gullies and low spots to avoid being seen. He sees a large dragon, large enough to have a rider, descend from the earth mote hanging over the city. Its a Gray dragon, and has a forked tail.  It has detachable spikes to pinning people. I whisper down at Straelyn to get him to come up and get a look at it. Straelyn knows they are called spike Dragons because of their spikes, Stone dragons because of their petrification ability, and Fang Dragons because they like to hunting as their method of feeding. He also knows they are resistant to acid, and has alot of slowing and imobilizing effects. We get to the cliffs overlooking the river, and belay Flick down to check the ice.  We are all tied together, I go last, and Flick climbs up first as well.  He makes it across safely and begins climbing. At the top, he helps everyone else climb up the north side. On the north side we continue on our way.

The path into the keep is through abandoned farmland that looks like it hasn't been ploughed in two or three decades. Old fallow fields full of weeds, and broken down stone fences. After an hour of crawling and creeping we begin to come into the darkness, its like a deep overcast. Arust has found a hide for us and we bed down and set guards. Along the way we pass a few patrols. They are primarily made up of humans, who look hungry. As we come into the ruins, we've taken up hiding in a three story building that can see over the wall into the inner part of the city. Some patrols in the city are undead, made up of zombies and one catches our eye, made up of eight putrescent zombies, cyclops rambler zombie, and high perceptor (vampire). This group is working with a Beholder Eye-Tyrant, solo artillery (fear, sleep, disintegrate, death, etc rays up to 10 eyes), center eye dazes. They continue by and don't see us.

Over the wall, it seems slummy and sparse, and there are people out. A couple hours later, the dragon flies back up. We are hiding in the old tavern, Axe in a Minoutar. No guards partol the inner wall crest, and there are some taller buildings inside the walls.  There is a solid stone keep inside the wall near us, it is a temple to bane and it is in use and guarded. The dragon landed at the most prominent tower/keep inside the inner wall, which is just inside the inner wall on the north side.

At nightfall, Arust sends to info update to Og. Count up, figure people here, church, armory, tower, patrols, dragons. While talking to Og, a huge eyeball drops into the center of the city from the Mote. A beholder ultimate tyrant, epic, immune to zone effects. The mote is large and over the majority of the inner city. Five guards ride out to a tower once the tyrant has dropped, to where the tryant dropped. Dragon is flying down too.

Brenna, and Cynrain head out to look for a manifest or other troop info, Arust gives them his stone. The rest of us stay at the old inn, two on guard, two sleeping. 

Then they come back, we call Og and Straelyn starts the ritual. He ports us out and Arust starts the building on fire and then runs up to the portal. Him and Straelyn come through last. Back at the public Myth-Drannor portal guards question us about our identity. A High Mage is there with a Helmed Horror and they question us to. Once they know we're us, we ride to a guard station and the MDIA leiutenant questions us some more. He thanks us, and we leave.  We go our seperate ways and agree to meet at Og's bar tomorrow for lunch.

19th Altruiak

We go to Og's bar for lunch. Wait for air ship, run the trap line, and see whats going on. Arust spends the day with me until Straelyn gets us because he's looking for information out of a scholar who thinks he has seen an Omen. We talk him into telling us more, so he shuts the shop. He tells us that the events in the sky fortell of the rise of a new Exarch of Orcus (Demon Prince of the Undead). He's got more divinations brewing that might tell more, but this is bad. Then a disembodied hand walks in and he brings us into the next room.  He has an elaborate ritual, blood on a map, floating feather, and burned marks. He tells us that the Exarch will appear under Cairngore's Peak, and a shaft called the Miser's Pit that goes into the Underdark is likely the path down. Ask him about the Orcs, he says it seems like the Orcs are converging. The Dragonspire is a likely converging point for the Horde. We say goodbye Valthrue the Presentient. He's been communicating to Evereska, Evermeet, a human land, and Silverymoon. I ask Og to follow him to his meeting with the Coronal.

20th Altruiak 

Airship arrives.