Timeline

While at the Black Swan, a dwarven woman named Elodie Brembar explains that she sailed the rivers and entered JanCastle through the port. She explains that the police are looking for a group that murdered many dwarves, some of which were the children of refugees from Stonehold that left the city when they heard of the Krimkar coming into the south lands.

Avery JanCastle sends word to Tempest that he is looking for someone to travel out of the city to the village of Verdune. Freyda Folen has been taken captive there and has been terrible tortured. Avery wants the group to rescue Freyda, heal her and keep her alive. She is a great warrior and will aid in the war against the Krimkar, particularly since she was raised by the Krimkar.

Tempest speaks with Vane, a lieutenant under Avery's command. Vane explains that if needed, they can give Tempest and his religious order, or consulting company, or whatever it is, a ride up the lake if they agree to rescue Freyda.

Tempest returns to the Warbelly Hideout and finds that it is occupied by refugee's. He agrees to pay their apparent leader, Cadence Hyde, 30 coin in exchange for keeping an eye out on the place and keeping it in good order while they live there.

Drod asks Geira if she would be able to capture any Krimkar warriors. He knows that she has been entering and exiting the city. He will pay 100 coins for every Krimkar warrior she can bring him.

Geira goes to the lower district to find that it is extremly crowded with refugees from the kingdom. The streets are full, many people wait in lines for food, and the locals and business are unhappy with the situation. She arrives at the wall and speaks with a guard of the city, Podai Gerlin, who explains that people are still arriving at the gates of the city and being let in despite the Krimkar battle lines and siege fortifications that are being built. She see's siege towers under construction as well.

One of the locals at the Pit that Ignis has gotten to know is named Hanson. The man heard that in the deep parts of the inner district there is a dwarven mining company that was attacked. All the treasures that they mined out of the depths are laying unprotected.

Ignis goes to Doleb the dwarven lawyer to ask for more information. He learns that the Stonehammer Mining Company had some accident where multiple dwarves died. Doleb agree's to pay 200 coin to Ignis and his consulting company for more information about what happened. Was it a mining accident that the company could be liable for? Was it a monster that attacked?

The dwarves that died were Slavek, Humndo, Vilkal, and Doldin.

The Stonehammer Mining company has a headquarters in the inner district of the city. The owner of the company is named Kolem Godorn.

A man named Rowan Hyde bursts into the Pit. He explains that he was on a walk in the lower district when some of the refugees cam bursting out of an old part of town. A few of them were bloody, and they were all screaming. He stayed only long enough to see that they were using an old crypt as a place to live. He is convinced that the crypt was built by the Krimkar and is cursed and so the cursed inhabitants are coming alive again because the Krimkar have returned to the south lands.

While having drinks at the bar, a woman named Halshar Durn explains that she fled from Frey Wall all the way to JanCastle, avoiding the eyes of the Krimkar the whole way. She explains that the Krimkar have left Frey Wall intact and no longer control the day to day activities of the town. However, a powerful wizard has taken residence in the dungeon of Hakurro and has begun attacking the city of Frey Wall.

Geira, Melody, Ignis, and Tempest prepare fight in their next event at the Pit. A large bugbear becomes quite the crowd pleaser as a few members of the party are wounded but ultimately overtake the beast.

Tempest owes Drod 40 coins for help purchasing some equipment.

Geira, Melody, Ignis, and Tempest gather together at the Blackswan before returning to the warbelly hideout. The attack the four remaining warbellies, who felt like they were being hunted down and were prepared for the attack. Leaving Kreefdin as the sole survivor, they take all of the warbellies loot before working out a deal with Kreefdin to go to the sunken boat coast where lost treasure was supposedly left for the taking.

On the way through the lake side marshes and a few night time encounters with gator pigs, they come to the coast line. Kreefdin searches the shoreline for the sunken boat and is pulled under by lizardmen who attack from the shoreline. The lizardmen are eventually defeated, and Kreefdin clings to a treasure chest as he barely escapes being drug to the bottom of the lake.

After looting the chest they return to the warbelly hideout before sun rise. There they rest up and at last return Kreefdin to his uncle Doleb. Offering 20 more coins each if no warbellies give him trouble for the next few weeks, the dwarf sends them on their way. They finally return to the Pit in time for their next scheduled fight.

Just as they get the feed into the pig sty Stour and Eidelon see smoke rising on the borders of the village of Verdune. Within moments the streets are crowded with people fleeing to the lake. They race back into their homes to find weapons and gather with their friends to aid in the defense of the village. They meet the slaves of Krimkar, who are being forced forward by the trained soldiers behind them. A battle ensues, but quickly turns against the defenders. They defeat the first wave but see that the village is being overrun. As they turn to join in the rout, they hear the Krimkar shouting. "Freyda" they hear shouted over the screams and bloodshed. Stopping for just long enough to see Freyda lifted up and tied to a pole, they turn to make their escape. Leaving the village behind they flee across the newly tilled fields. In all directions smoke rises as the Krimkar army covers the lands. The Jeweled City of JanCastle stands above the mud and blood of the war. Yet the though enters into their heads, a shadow of doubt that cannot be dismissed. Where is Storm? Where is the King?

By the time the sun rose, Freyda had already finished a small breakfast and begun patrolling the edge of the town of Verdune. Before the town was even awake, the banners of the Krimkar could be seen arrayed across the newly tilled, fog laden field. She let out a yell down the road to raise the alarm but received no response. Leaping over the old moss covered fence, she came to the edge of the village commons just as the leading ranks of the Krimkar also arrived. She slew the first two with two well aimed slices of her blade. More stepped up to fill their place.

By now the town was alive with terror. Most the women, children, and elderly had already made it to the shoreline and boarded ships destined for the city. Those that remained were fathers, brothers, and sons. The battle swept up the residents as quickly as the sun's beams sweep over a valley. Men of the kingdom were slain by the superior strength and grit of the Krimkar. Freyda stood as a rock around which the waves of the Krimkar could only splash against, but not overtake.

Infuriated by her defiance, the Krimkar turned all their attention to her even as their bodies piled around her deft blade. The bravest of the JanCastle men sought to make an assault to free her from the tide. Alas she gave a knowing look through the midst of spears and swords. "Flee to the city" she said. The words were quick, but spoken forcefully enough even in the midst of the melee that the men dared not disobey. Soon, Freyda stood alone in the midst of the northerners. None now dared to meet here upon the bloody field of combat.

Gathering her breath, she turned to see a gap form in the lines. A tall man stepped forward, embodying the very essence of the Krimkar. She knew the name of her new opponent. Her former master. The one to whom she swore allegiance the first time she picked up a spear at a young age. Kram.

"What skills have you acquired since you abandoned your own?" His voice demanded attention.

For one who had just slain so many opponents, her voice yet stuttered to speak.

"Show me, if you can't tell me" he added.

This was to her liking, her hand with spear being more steady than her tongue in speech. She leapt forward, expecting her first thrust of spear to be deflected by his own. He refused to retaliate. Again she thrust, but the spear point never found a home in anything but the cool morning air. The dance was now a twosome, as Kram forced her back with a swipe of his own spear handle.

The onlooking Krimkar were engaged in the back and forth, but their expectations were fulfilled. One small mistake, an over step as Freyda was too aggressive with a thrust of her spear, spelled doom. Kram used his spear as a stave and it arrived at the base of her neck. The shock blinded Freyda for a moment but her instinctual reactions were well trained. But Kram knew this, and placed the point of his spear to her shoulder, pinning her to the ground. With a foot on her wrist he pulled his spear out of it's bloody new found home, threating another attack.

"You should have remained loyal" Kram said as Freyda clutched her shoulder with her one free hand.

"Your shamans poison your mind" Freyda replied. "Your allegiance with Eric will end before this war does. You have chosen your allies poorly."

"Bind her, an hang her upon a post" Kram finished the conversation as the Krimkar warriors descended upon her to bind her hands and feet.

With the Krimkar now in the southlands raiding villages, Avery JanCastle and his regiment ended up in a skirmish with one of the Krimkar raiding parties. They fought the Krimkar off long enough to get the villagers onto a boat, and then fought their way up the coastline of the lake until another JanCastle ship could come to them.

They returned to the Port of JanCastle and unloaded their wounded soldiers and setup operations at the black swan. Avery was thankful to Tempest, who assisted his soldiers and even healed his own wounds.

Geira, Melody, Ignis, and Tempest continue investigating the warbellies at the black swan. While debating on what to do in order to find Kreefdin, Tempest suddenly bashes ones skull open. Blood and brain matter cover the other two dwarves. At the same time, the JanCastle military begins shuffling in wounded and dieing soldiers, demanding everyone leave the tavern or help. As they try to make a quiet escape, Ignis slices the throat of another warbelly, leaving one horrified and alone.

Geira, Melody, and Ignis escape the inn with the dwarf tied up below his cloak. Tempest stays back to help heal the wounded soldiers and meets Avery JanCastle, the captain in command, who just returned from a battle with the Krimkar.

The warbelly leads Geira, Melody, and Ignis to their hideout, where there is no sound despite the claim of the dwarf that his friends are inside. They take him to a back alley where Ignis bashes his knee while demanding the truth. The cries of pain bring JanCastle guards to the area. The guards demand everyone follow them. The first guard throws the now dead dwarf on his shoulder while the other stays in the back to make sure everyone follows.

Geira uses a powerful magic missile to silently kill the guard in the back. They make their escape. After much discussion, they go to the gate to the city to find a crowd still gathered demanding to be let in, and also discover a guard with a dead dwarf passed through the gate not too long ago.

Finally, they find a place to hide out for the night. In the morning, Tempest talks to Avery and gets a pass into and out of the city. Fearing that the guards will likely recognize a halfling with a wolf, Ignis stays in the port while the other three pass back into the city and go to the Pit.

Ignis goes to the warbelly hideout and eavesdrops on their conversation. He hears that Kreefdin is among them, and that they have been making money by sneaking people into the city through the sewers and that they had a plan to recover lost treasure that is "up the coastline", but are now worried that someone is hunting them down and killing them one by one.