“Tell me again why we're sailing to Aetos?” A blonde young man clung to the rail of the 'Windjammer'. Shorter than average, but strong of build with adventurous eyes, he looked up toward his mentor who seemed to have no problem with the rolling sea. Tanan, taller, leaner and wiry of frame gave a pitiful smile to his companion and new apprentice. With every deep swell, the ship listed heavily to one side and made the passage worse for nearly all aboard. Two days of endless rocking had taken their toll on all but the hardiest folk on board. The captain even admitted to having sailed his prized vessel through gentler hurricanes.

Despite the rough sea, Tanan rested his back lazily against the rail, turning his back to the turbulent water.

“Have you truly forgotten, Mahon, about the Duchess? She who came out of Kahras and stood against those chosen by the land, by Aetos herself, to be her protectors.”

Mahon's reply was slow in coming, fighting bouts of sickness brought on by the rocking ship on tumultuous seas.

“I have not forgotten that we seek her personal log, but do we not already know the stories of these heroes?”

“Ah yes, we know the legends, tales of bright shining paragons. But I know, and have said before that these people were not the heroes of legend. Many were reformed villains themselves, mercenaries and pirates. I have heard variations of the tales and seek to find the truth of the matter.

“A hero is measured by the steel of his enemies, it is said. And in her own right, the Duchess was as dangerous a foe as Jasaad himself, possibly more so. I believe she saw herself as the hero and them the rough, craven mercenaries. After all they had invaded her fortress.”

Mahon looked quizzically at his master, his seasickness lifting slightly as Tanan weaved the tale.

“The companions had left the keep and abandoned it, returning to Daedalan for a time. In that time Kahras had come to claim it and even fought off a small army of ogres to do so. It was theirs by right and by blood when the heroes returned. And they needed it if they were to gain enough strength and promethium to take on Kheldaril, recently weakened by Jasaad's campaign. Any aid she could give her king in his campaign would strengthen her own power and acclaim.”

“I was this intrigue that the companions had returned to when they stepped through the portal they had opened leading back to Fort Brink.”


WELCOME TO FORT DUNN

When the portal opened outside the keep, it was not a storm of steel and spells as some would tell it. Rather it was a trickle. The first few to come forth were Aeryc, Gators, Rowan, Lucky and Darr.

Ruins of an ogre army were strewn about the field before the keep, and evidence of those who had defeated them, Kaharasians. When they reached the gates of the keep, they were greeted by Sheriff Dunn and his men. The new holders of the keep offered welcome in the form of disarming the new arrivals, unless they paid 10 copper per weapon. Though they did allow a simple wooden staff, carried by Aeryc through, considering it no threat.

Immediately, the group begins to whisper amongst themselves that they need to recapture the keep. With an entire garrison surrounding them and few weapons in hand, it is obvious that the group will need help in storming the keep. Word slipped out that the Duchess herself was en-route and they expected her the following day. The group can think of two possible allies immediately, the half ogres to the north and the savage tribes scattered throughout the land. A firm alliance had been formed in the recent past with these two groups.

The five men headed out to scout the surrounding area and find any allies possible, leaving the keep behind them. Shortly after leaving, Darr pulled a map of the land out from under his breastplate with a grin. Map in hand, a plan began to form. But it was quickly rendered moot, Faerynn continuously popped out of the ground and attacked the small band unprovoked! Knowing that to travel in this land would require more sword arms and spell casters to fend off the flying nuisances. Lucky took the map and discretely discarded it, to keep it from being found on the party when they returned to the keep.

Lucky's discretion turned out to be astute. Upon returning to the main hall, each person was searched for the map. Sheriff Dunn was livid and demanded the return of the valuable map. When each party member played dumb, he began charging for basic services that he had originally offered out of hospitality. More of the party arrived and were all treated with the same lack of hospitality.

Finally Aeryc became so frustrated with this treatment that he upended a vial of liquid into the brew set out in the main hall. The poison was not harmful, but rather would intoxicate any who imbibed it. After warning his own comrades of the tonic, the group decided to see what could be done about the Faerynn problem. Until that was resolved, there could be little progress made in any other endeavor.


GAH! BEES!

By this time there was a larger group gathering, including one strange local who was carrying an odd club looking device that had a metal haft and a wider wood end. In the first skirmish with the Faerynn it surprised all when he pointed the metal end at his foe and with a loud boom, it shot fire at his foe, felling it. All were impressed.

Following the Faerynn wherever they could, and trying to find the central hive, the adventurers fought many a drone. Anyone who knew about the reclusive Faerynn could tell that this behavior was out of place for them.

Eventually they entered a hole which was longer and darker than the others, also it was trapped, which was different than any of those they had gone through. At last, burned, scraped, squeezed and bloodied, the mighty heroes entered a large chamber within the hive of the Faerynn. Immediately, any nearby drones took to the fight, defending their home.

The fighting lead trough many caverns, up and down through traps, gorges and even through the hatchery, holding the next generation of the Faerynn At last, the adventurers fought their way to the center of the hive. Immediately, it was plain that these were not the normal Faerynn They displayed the characteristics of the zombies encountered in the halls of the manor house they had recently visited. The zombified Faerynn proved to be brutal, vicious foes. Only a small handful of adventurers did not have to be revived during the fight or saved by the ritual which Sachi was able to complete, breaking the curse.

The Faerynn were freed from their curse, but were not trustful of the adventurers. It took diplomacy rarely seen within the group to calm the Faerynn queen and her warriors. After explanations and introductions, the queen could finally see that she was lucky to have been visited by the heroic group. A new alliance was formed between the protectors of Aetos and the Faerynn. They would stand together against the Kahrasian invaders who had “murdered the young Faerynn eggs”.

Weary, the group headed back to the keep. Not looking forward to seeing the good sheriff again.


REBELLION

When the companions returned to the keep, they found it in even more of an uproar than they had left it. Henstrom Generator had arrived at the main hall in his usual “appear out of nowhere” fashion. Immediately when he found himself surrounded by angry Kahrasians, he erected a wall of force around himself. Now the current masters of the keep were not only angry, but they were unable to apprehend the offending magician. The current masters of the keep placed the group under arrest and insisted they surrender. Between the sheriff's ill temper and the stubbornness of the heroes, the situation soon came to a head when the sheriff unleashed the full force of his fire powers on the group. Devastating was the force he unleashed, but stalwart were the defenders of Aetos. Footmen clamored into the room, only to be soundly defeated, many by a knife in the back, and their weapons taken from them. But Sheriff Dunn was the true threat and it took the entire group of adventurers to bring him to his knees. It was truly more a blunt effort than a coordinated assault which defeated him. Much to their surprise, when he was defeated, his body burst into flames which engulfed the room, taking most of the heroes with him.

Immediately, the main hall was sealed off and then wounds were tended to. It took the better part of the rest of the day to clear out remaining opposition, but the keep was finally re-claimed by the defenders of Aetos. Fort Dunn was restored to its original name, Fort Brink.

Not all the men under the sheriff were loyal to Kahras. Even before the fighting broke out, a few had befriended the adventurers, and these few now came forward with information concerning the mines and the families of those who had been pressed into service under Dunn.

The mines had been facing strange and mysterious problems of late, and it became immediately clear what task the Defenders of Aetos had to undertake next.


DELVING TOO DEEP

By nightfall, the force had been assembled and was ready to storm the mines. But upon entering, it became clear that this endeavor was more than simple brute force could solve. The miners themselves spoke all together, with a disembodied voice, not their own. The miners attacked any who came too close, and to fight back seemed to bring about a confusion which overpowered the mind. Once overpowered, the confused individual attacked their own team mates with reckless abandon.

Using guile, and occasionally fighting off their own, confused party members, the companions made their way deeper and deeper into the mine. One group of mindless tunnel workers was accompanied by Braig McHammer himself! And getting past him turned out to be no simple feat. But slowly, inexorably, more and more miners were freed, and sent away, until the group found the rear of the cave and a prisoner recently escaped from the keep prison.

A master of snakes he was, his body seemed to writhe and seethe as he moved about. Serpents of all colors and sized covered him from neck to foot. The Snake Charmer's eyes were bright in the eerie darkness, which seemed to sink even darker in his presence, and looking into those eyes brought even more confusion and willingness to attack allies.

As the consortium of allies closed on the lone figure, he reached for snakes hanging on his person and hurled them at his new foes. Poisons which dazed and paralyzed afflicted the companions. Flashes of magic power erupted in the deep mine, obliterating the darkness for moments at a time. Steel struck sinew and blood flowed freely onto the dank, earthen floor.

More than once was the Snake Charmer cornered, only to free himself by confusing and poisoning his foes. But powerful though he was, no single combatant can stand forever against the onslaught brought forward by the Defenders of Aetos. He fell, he died. Before the party could celebrate a victory hard won, a device was placed in the heart of the mine and all had to evacuate the area before they were engulfed within the collapse of the deep tunnel.


UNINVITED GUESTS

There was not a man or woman among the adventurers who was fresh and eager for more action. But rest was not yet in the cards for the beleaguered group. Upon returning to the keep, they found themselves once more under attack. This time by werewolves. These beasts were not unfamiliar to the defenders of Fort Brink. Werewolves seemed to be a part of the landscape on this distant land. The beast-men seemed to lack any organization, and possibly only wanted easy prey. Each assault fell before the swords, magic and skill of the adventurers. The fights were one sided, but they lasted deep into the night, and some found themselves bitten or clawed by the beasts. Soon worries of lycanthropy were abound. But that too faded when something else entirely came to the keep.

The Duchess had arrived. Early.

Only the Duchess herself and her handmaiden were allowed inside the main hall. Her honor guard were left out in their camp.

No servants brought food or drink to the Duchess, she was served by the very hands that had taken the keep from her, only hours before. She and her handmaid were even served the brew tainted by Aeryc's tonic, but their lack of a reaction told of some protection, mystic or otherwise.

She boldly sat, showing no fear in the face of her antagonists, and gave them a treaty to consider. The terms of the treaty gave control of the keep to the adventurers and in return they would give tribute and assistance to her cause. They would become agents of New Kahras. The option if they refused was open war and a promise of death in short order.

You and I know that threatening these individuals is dangerous. Doing so when several of them had been drinking from the tainted brew and were deep in their cups was downright foolish. The treaty was thrown into the fire, and the Duchess was forced from the heart of the keep, followed by jeers and profanity. Her departure was far less cordial than that to which she was accustomed.


A STEALTHY BREAKFAST

Graham, as always, hosted a magnificent breakfast. And, as always, refused to let Darr have seconds until everyone was fed. But it was not the conversations of castle defense or needing information that brought everyone together. It was the strange old man, dressed in a manner similar to Natsumi with a long, white mustache. Though many at first taunted him for his strange manner of speaking, eventually his message was heard. The group was to be tested by a mysterious sect of individuals, calling themselves ninjas. True to his word, throughout the day members of the adventuring party were taken two and three at a time to a proving ground. Some were tested in combat, others by their wits, others yet by balance. The test given was determined by lottery, drawn at the hand of those who took the test. Some tests were passed, others failed. But in the end, the group as a whole were determined to be worthy.


THE CURSE OF THE VAMPIRE DRUID

Before plans and defenses could be put into place there were other matters to be taken care of, a few of the hearty warriors had on earlier occasion desecrated the grove of a once mighty vampire hunter turned vampire himself, a druid named Titus. from that time foreword the people of fort Brigg had been plagued by the minions of the undead, elves who otherwise acted entirely like wolves. He vowed to stop the assault if the heroes would assist him in the task of cleansing his grove. Four light shards needed to be recharged and replaced. Titus explained that his undead hands would obliterate the shards and so he need the aid of these heroes to complete the task.

The first shard was protected by gelatinous beings, corrupting the very ground on which they stood. The fighters rushed to the call of battle, but were quickly terrified to find their weapons taken by the sticky goop and held within. It was quickly discerned that only magic could hurt them. The fighters did their best to distract the goopeople while the mages disposed of them. So many weapons were lost to battling these things, that even Darr was completely disarmed. Eventually resourcefulness won the day and our heroes were free to follow the disturbances further into the woods and surrounding hills.

Another shard was surrounded by rust monsters who also seemed to render the fighters useless. it took the rogue element to fell the beasts at this encounter.

Fire beings blocked the way of our stalwart companions, only to be brought low, again mostly through the skills of the mages. But when the group began encountering the undead, and in broad daylight, they knew something was not right. Eventually their struggles led them to a tall hill. On that top a mighty beast of seeming undead origin accosted those who had made the treacherous journey.

Unbeknownst to the heroes, a man named Renny watched, hidden within a nearby crevice as they fought the towering wight. When it seemed that victory was certain for the inhabitants of the keep, he leaped out, eyes wide and wild, to aid in the fray against the heroes. it was this man who had on numerous occations taunted the group with swarmes of undead, once again he placed his summoned minions into the path of our hero's.

The wraith eventually fell in battle, as is common to those who fight against the protectors of Aetos. Gators, who had been raising the fallen soldiers of his enemies as skeletons to aid in their mission attempted the same on this man. But, he did not become a skeleton. He was however under the reptiliann's control. Apparently, he had been cursed and was under the control of a mysterious woman who called herself only “the Mistress.” Gator's spell of raise dead had somehow broken the spell over this man and restored his life essence, rather than making him a mindless construct.

In his gratitude, the man explained that the Mistress was, in fact, a powerful vampire. And it seemed that any who had accepted her aid in learning to speak the local dialect was under some sort of curse themselves.

Though this was all very interesting, with the threat of the large beast removed, it was time to prepare for battle and to defend the keep.


REMEMBER FORT BRINK

The army that marched on the keep was vast. Though the protectors had allies among the ogres, the Faerynn and even possibly the mysterious ninjas, they feared it would not be nearly enough. Then the warden appeared baring good tidings.

The Warden explained that the castle would help them. Several barricades would be constructed to create strategic choke points within the castle, restricting the movement of a large company. Also, the mages tower would grant power so long as focusing stones stayed in their proper alignment. The forge would grant rapid repair of armor and weapons, and the main hall would greatly aid in any healing endeavors. But each defense had a weakness that needed guarding.

Thought he army of Kahras could not take any path through the keep, single individuals could. So the rogues of the group would need to watch within the keep. They also set several nasty traps where unsuspecting interlopers may get caught.

Nima, the healer, manned the main hall with but a single guard to protect from attack at the makeshift hospital. Since the fighters would be constantly in and out of the forge, it was not manned.

What few fighters were left at the keep, took to the front line. Support was to be the mages and any who could wield a shield or weapon. Everyone had a post, either on the front line, or within the keep protecting the magical aid. Soon, everyone braced themselves for the ocean of steel blood and fury.

A battle to be told for the ages it was. It is said that if you dig in that earth, you can still find the blood spilled that day. Hundreds they came, thousands. But the passage through the keep was narrow and only a few could fight at any given time. The first wave of Kahrasians crashed upon the defenders of the keep. Steel and magic filled the inches between the two lines. Men and women bled and died. But for each foe felled, two rose up to take their place. Battle cries, shouts of fear and pain, battle commands all filled the air. The pungent smell of sweat mixed with that of oil and leather. Weapons were shattered, armor torn asunder. When a fighter fell, he was dragged to the healer. When equipment was ruined it was replaced and taken to the forge.

The mighty heroes of legend held their ground. Then something happened. Impossibly, slowly, they gained ground. Inch by inch, the invaders were pushed back. Hope grew within the small ranks. The rogues reported having seen the ninjas slaying invading spies. The healer kept busy repairing damaged flesh and setting bone into place, enacting miraculous feats of medicine impossible without the aid of the keep its self.

When the Faerynn struck, it was obvious. Suddenly there were cries from the far end of the battle field. Then the ogres made their presence known. Not long after that, the battle spilled away from the entrance of the castle and into the grounds leading up to it. When the first ballista bolt sailed over the combatants and struck an invading soldier, the battle seemed to stop, and all looked to the parapet. There stood Aeryc. After a little trial and error and a bit of lucky insight, he managed to figure out the ballista and catapult. Soon death rained from the sky as well as from the man and women on the ground. Soon the Duchess's general too the fight directly to the adventurers.

Filling the air with his own battle cry, and wielding mighty weapons of war, he made his presence known. Soon the battle raged around the small band of heroes and the lone general. On all sides, the allies of Fort Brink were laying waste to the army of the Duchess.

Before long, the general himself fell. Howling, flailing, defiant to the end, he fell, defeated to the damp grass. And with his loss, the army could no longer stand. Every remaining soldier fled the field. The Duchess seemed to have abandoned the field long before, favoring discretion over valor.



The day was won. The keep was theirs. The heroes stood proudly in the afternoon sun, having earned their thirst that day.