Lighting the Way (day 1)

The heroes wanted to learn a few things about the disappearance of the five children. They find out the following about the missing kids:

Kimi Eavewalker: Daughter of the famed elven ranger Idris and a beautiful seamstress named Kitani, Kimi has not seen her father in two years. The ranger is constantly away adventuring and tracking down relics for a mysterious patron. Kimi has grown into a fearless tomboy. Kimi is the protector of this band of friends, often scrapping with boys twice her age who try to bully the others. She usually wins these bouts, and many of the town's children are afraid of her.

Hollin Hebbradan: Hollin is a freckly-faced ten-year-old boy missing his two front teeth (from a bad spill off the waterwheel at the old mill). Hollin's mother died in childbirth and his father was savaged by an owlbear two years ago. Now Hollin's older sister, a beautiful young red-haired woman named Ralla, looks after him. The two have struggled to make ends meet and rumor has it Ralla works on one of the pleasure dens on Mud Street to keep food on the table. Hollin is a skilled woodcarver and he manages to earn a few copper pieces hawking his statuettes.

Mikra Jabbs: The thirteeen-year-old of the town butcher, Colbrin Jabbs, Mikra's difficult birth resulted in several mental deficiencies. He cannot read and believes almost everything he is told. Mikra is well-liked by everyone. His bright smile wins the hearts of almost anyone who meets him. Though the oldest of the bunch, Mikra is looked after by the others.

Jurin Kreed: Son of the wealthiest, most powerful, and evilest man in Falcon's Hollow, Jurin Kreed is a boy of eleven. Jurin behaves insufferably, snarling at the other children and threatening to have his dad's bodyguards beat them if they don't do everything he says. People wonder why the other children don't simply avoid the spoiled bully. Jurin spends many hours at the Jabbs' house.

Savram Vade: Son of the mysterious wizard Sharvaros, Savram is a quiet, withdrawn nine-year-old boy, whose bright eyes betray intelligence far beyond his years.

The heroes convince a few neighborhood kids with loose lips to reveal "the secret dare" taken by the five missing kids: to spend the night at the burned-out ruin of Elara's halfway house up on a mournful hill next to Darkmoon Wood.

The heroes asked around about the burnt orphanage, and they learned that a middle-aged silver-haired human woman named Elara opened the orphanage ten years ago, hard on the heels of the Gobliblood War. The atrocities committed by marauding bands of goblins left dozens of children without parents, and Elara took in droves of them.

Elara was a selfless woman who spent the greater part of her life caring for those no on else wanted. The fire was a horrible tragedy.

The fire started out of nowhere and spread so fast, by the time the town's volunteer brigade arrived all that was left was a smoking ruin, every child dead, and Elara burnt to cinders. Hard to believe a blaze that fierce could start as an accident. The locals were always afraid for the safety of that place. Elara built her halfway house far away from town and much too close to that haunted wood.

The last few months or so before the fire people claimed to hear all manner of clatter from the orphanage at night. Screams they say. Terrible screams. Some even claimed Elara lost her mind, took to torturing the children in the dead of night. That's why she built the place outside of town.

Darkmoon Wood (days 5-14)

After retrieving all the ingredients needed, the heroes rushed back to Falcon's Hollow without further delay. Three inexpert and slightly drunk human hunters traveled the forest, trapping rabbits and tracking larger game, specifically dunlied. The heroes got lost, so these woodsmen pointed them back to their path with somewhat questionable expertise. The heroes crossed the water on the return trip with the construction of a crude raft.

On the next day, the heroes got lost again, and two wolves viciously attacked them on sight, but both wolves fled when one was severely wounded.

When they finally made it back to Falcon's Hollow on the third day of travel, Laurel was glad to see them and immediately set out to brew the remedy. Laurel payed the characters their due and offered them a discount on any future services.

Hrol offered his services to the Church of Iomedae for the next 2.5 years, in return for atoning for breaking his code of conduct.

After a week of quiet, Lady Cirthana of the Church of Iomedae informs Hrol that the whole town is talking about some missing children, and she tasks him with finding them.

Ruined Monastery (day 5, part 2)

Among the other relics in the kobold's room, the heroes found a ruby. When they placed it in one of the depressions in the desecrated shrine's anvil, a wave of positive energy washed out form the altar, hitting everyone in the room and causing an unearthly dwarven choir to spring up from the darkness before fading away. All creatures in the room had their wounds healed and their morale heightened. A pair of creatures had taken up residence in this chamber and roosted on the ceiling above. The creatures waited until the entire group was inside the chamber before dropping down to strike. Just before the creatures dropped down to attack, the illumination in the room dropped one step. Each creature targeted a different foe, attempting to grapple as quickly as possible. The creatures were in their lair and fought to the death.

North of the desecrated shrine is a long hallway which ends with a ruined dwarven statue. The statue is smashed and barely recognizable as a dwarven monk. His stone hammer rests on the ground next to the shattered remains of his head.

The first door from the hallway leads to a small study that looks like it has been lived in recently. Gnawed bones litter the floor and tufts of gray fur can be seen here and there. An old stone desk sits in the center of the chamber, scratched and cracked in many places. The stench of wet fur hung heavy in the air. It was the den of a pair of wolves, the consorts of the large wolf in the adjoining chamber. The pair attacked as soon as they spotted intruders. They howled loudly so as to alert the large wolf in the adjoining chamber of intruders. The wolves singled out one opponent but were swiftly killed by the heroes. The desk is completely empty except for a few scraps of ancient parchment and an old quill. One of the drawers has a secret compartment, though, that the heroes found. Inside was a masterwork handaxe, a small pouch containing 100 pp, and a prayer book. The book is written in Dwarven and describes the worship of Droskar. A small note on the inside cover reads "Torag is no longer worthy of our devotion. Only Droskar can deliver us from the failings of King Garbold".

The adjoining ruined chamber has gaping holes in the roof that allow faint light to enter. One of the stone columns that once supported the ceiling is toppled, its broken pieces littering the floor. A thick patch of black mushrooms hides in the nearby corner, giving the room an earthy scent that was barely noticeable above the stench of wet fur. This chamber was the home of a large wolf who saw himself as the ruler of the ruins. He was a cunning foe that recognized the heroes as a serious threat the moment they entered. With his consorts wounded or dead, he was cautious in dealing with the intruders, His first act was to spring from hiding atop the ruined column, baring his teeth in an attempt to demoralize them. The heroes were unimpressed so he spoke, demanding to know why they had disturbed his rest. After a sorry attempt at diplomacy by Wrackomelor, Hrol lost his patience and attacked first. The large wolf singled out Wrackomelor in combat, targeting him. This was the large wolf's home and he fought to the death to protect it. Tucked behind the pillar were a few things of value hidden by him, including a bag with 354 gp, a masterwork light crossbow, a ceramic vial and a crystal wand. In the dark corner of the wood grew a small patch of ironbloom mushrooms, six in all.

The second door from the hallway leads to a small chamber dominated by old cobweb-covered racks and armor stands. What must have once been a well-tended armory is now devoid of arms and armor. A secret door is located on the northeaster corner of this room. Four masterwork bolts were underneath one of the racks.

The secret door swung open to reveal a short corridor with a wall of bars running down one side. Four rusted doors open in this wall into four cramped cells. The locks on the cell doors have rusted away, making them easy to open. While all of the cells contain the bones of long-dead dwarves, three of them were actually skeletons that rose up to attack the heroes as soon as they opened the last cell door. The skeletons moved to attack the nearest living creature. They used their claws and they were wearing leather aprons. They fought to the death. The only skeleton here that does not animate lies in a peaceful posture on its simple straw cot. On one of his hands was a simple golden ring with a large red gemstone in it that sparkles with an inner fire. Growing inside the skeleton's ribcage was a pair of ironbloom mushrooms.

Ruined Monastery (day 5)

The door to the room north of the entry hall was stuck. With a loud crack, the door finally gave way and opened, shattering an ancient wooden chair propped against it on the other side. The room beyond is dark and smells deeply of dust and decay. The mummified remains of a dwarf rest in the middle of the chamber. Wearing the garb of a blacksmith, the dwarf has the shattered shards of a glass vial in one hand and a scrap of ancient parchment in the other. Written in dwarven, the parchment reads, "Forgive me, dark father of the forge, my toils shall never be enough". Tucked into the belt of the long-dead dwarf is a silver light hammer with an unknown religious symbol carved into the head.

The small room south of the entry hall has a few moth-eaten rags hanging on pegs and a single soiled hat resting on a table.

The double doors leading into a chamber southwest of the entry hall are shattered and broken, one of them lying on the floor. The room beyond is in an equal state of disrepair. What was once a library is now a shattered mess with one corner being completely collapsed and dominated by a wide pool of stagnant water. Thick fungus grows on most of the books that still remain on the shelves lining the walls. The fungus that lines the shelves in this room is hazardous if disturbed. When Tok moved the books the fungus let off a puff of spores that damaged his constitution. In addition, he has strange shadows and flittering movement appear in the corners of his vision. Atop one of the bookshelves is a single tome that has managed to avoid the destructive fungus. This book is written in Dwarven and contains hymns to Torag. The book is beautifully illustrated. Folded into the last page of the book is a scroll.

The door leading into the chamber across the library from the hallway was locked. The device was quite ancient and Hrol broke down the door. This small chamber appears to be some sort of sitting room, complete with a single table and a pair of chairs, both in relatively good condition. Resting atop the table is a half-eaten crow next to a crude knife and a cracked mug. A net sprung up near the ceiling held a number of stones and a small metal anvil, which fell on the room when the heroes kicked in the door. The heroes, thinking this trap was made to warn a creature further in the ruins, bluffed cries of alarm and pain, without much success.

The small cramped chamber past the guest quarters holds two beds (one of which is covered in bird bones), a small sack, and an array of old tools. The other bed looks recently slept in. A kobold hid under the bed, gaining total cover. The kobold used the cramped space to his advantage whenever possible, preventing others from entering the room. He focused his attacks on Mrunk, but was eventually bested by the heroes, who nevertheless stemmed his bleeding. On the spare bed is a complete set of masterwork artisan's tools useful for Craft (stonemasonry). In addition, these is a small sack containing 62 gp in assorted coins and a single ruby gemstone.