Hollow Banner - Book I - Act I

Tales of Atriea







The Hollow Banner



Book 1

By Dodger Mcfillian






"I think I speak for everyone here when I say, I don't have a lack of friends nor comrades." ~ Arcturus Darkrend
"I know you want to help, and maybe you already forgiven me, but I can't forgive myself." ~ Miller Rein

"We must set aside our differences, if we are to prevail against any unfavourable odds. ~ Minks Silversteel
"This party I am with, I believe I am destined to be with them, for better or worse." ~ Calen Vengeiros

Demise at Claymouth - Session 1 to 8








The newly acquainted party that had accepted a mission to take down bandits came to an agreement to stick
together, out for debt in both coin and life, they struck a bargain to help the locals of Athalan against a bandit
incursion that seemingly abducted children. Though they tracked their quarry to their encampment, the
children were still missing and the head-honcho still at large.

Nevertheless, their next assignment comes from a kid named Mikel who requested to the Zephyr priest that
his sister has gone missing and the perpetrator could be the village’s alderman. Sent to investigate, these novel
adventurers would make their way to the village of Claymouth. There at the resident tavern, the Wanderer’s
Lodge, they convened to ask for information.

Information which led them to the village centre, where they seek unsuspecting residents’ opinions to the
mysterious abductions. With a series of events that beckons the party’s heroic interventions, they meet Kaylee,
a gullible yet confident girl selling apples, who eventually leads them to a man named Mr Pipperpapperdink,
also known as the famous Grey-fox Paul Green of the Kazahrum Order.
Paul Green had suspicion that another abduction on that same night would occur, and the party would
assemble themselves to set a trap to the would-be assailant, narrowing their target to be Mosin and his son
Karin.
Letting one of their party members get abducted, they trailed it to the linen store owner Mr and Ms Long
resides. The captain of the guard took care of Mosin to tie up loose ends, however the party infiltrates quickly
enough to deal with the henchmen and restrained the captain and the townsman both. Unwillingly to provide
answers, the party sought out a plan.
Together with Green, the party takes on the alderman’s house to interrogate the alderman, however they are
met instead with a mysterious messenger who tries to negotiate terms that the party could not agree with.
With inner-conflict among the group, one decided to set the messenger free.

The party took no chance and time and immediately set out that same evening to make cover for the morning
route besides the Thorn River. However the party would recuperate and come up with a battle-plan as they lay
rest.
One fruitful night of silent serene encampment, the party grew closer together as each would learn one
another’s intention and ambitions, solidifying themselves as adventurers of equal goal. Come morning they set
out, only to interfere with a kobold patrol heading to what they could only guess as the destination. It is here
where they receive the Thorner’s Horn.

As such, they have reach their destination by a cave to the west where the river runs
through, here they also meet up with Miller's closest companion; Fenris. Now fiercer than
they were before, the party intrudes a sacrificial ritual of men robed in red against the now
identified missing children of Claymouth, as well as a pixie named Jessilyn Florena.

The party succeeded in neutralizing their enemies, but with the cost of Miller’s life at the
hands of none other than the same messenger they gave pardon to, as well as the slow
demise of Arcturus almost drowning within a whirlpool of death. However, the Grey-fox
would sacrifice his one chance of revivify using the diamond engraved on his sword’s hilt.

They then proceeded to return to Claymouth where an incursion of kobolds led by a
mysterious mage would terrorize its’ denizens. Valiantly fighting them, with the mage
luckily fleeing from the party’s grasp, they’ve saved what was left of the townsfolk, and
together they had rebuilt what they could. Arcturus gave out a speech and offered the
alderman to the people (the children maiming the man). But to solidify their heroic deed,
they would grab the alderman and take him to Athalan where he will be trialed and justice
would appease, announcing themselves in name and finally their guild title; thus a legend
was born, the legend of the Hollow Banner.

In celebration, the party departed back to the Wanderer’s Lodge to reconvene with their
merits and rewards from the barkeep, and it is at this time they meet with a notoriously
dashing Athalanian noble; Mathias of House Moltare. Mathias spoke to the Hollow
Banner of an agreement of passage, that they are to slay the rumoured Red Dragon that
scours the lands under the name of his House, and offers his services and sponsorship to
their official guild title. However, the Hollow Banner outright refused, for they saw motive
behind his slithering words.
With Mikel reuniting with his sister Melifia, and Jessilyn travelling with the party, they went
back to Claymouth to return them to their family before lodging back to the Wanderer’s
Lodge to share each other’s experience of the previous encounters and their past lives.

Uncrowned and Unbound - Session 9 to 15







Come morning they make their trek west to the City of Athalan by the King’s road with the
alderman in tow, a few hours after they had set out early morning, they are met by a group of
wanderers, one being a magical trinket peddler by the name Dodger Mcfillian, who sells to the
party a series of little trinkets that may come to their favour.
A few moments later, Paul Green subsides to a sickening state which warrants the immediate
attention of a healer, and so the party travels to the capital in quick haste. But arriving to the
city entrance, the weather breaks and a large amount of denizens are stuck outside the city
walls awaiting the death ceremony of the late king of Athalan.
With Paul Green behind Arcturus’ back, he takes him to a recently arrived sorceress by the
name of Vainamoina, who happens to know Paul personally. However, Paul Green would
soon succumb to his strange illness and pass away, which angers the party greatly. They make
for lodging at the Gorn’s Lounge, where the party is amidst conflict once again.
With a few of them running personal errands after a heated conversation, they set out their
apologies and to find common ground to find out what really is going on. Some would travel
to see Paul Green offered to his kinsman from Jorden, and others would meet Lady Elise
from a brothel called The Exotic Wife. As the day came to a close, they decided to return to
Vainamoina, who happens to have found a letter written in Elvish which addresses a
conspiracy against the Queen of Athalan.
Paul and a woman named Heisha were to assassinate the queen and a rendezvous, points the
party to a bath house in the Noble District at midnight. Once they arrived, they were too late
as Heisha was deceased and her killer runs loose, but they encounter a hooded individual
named Roeman who happens to be working with Paul as well and speaks to the party of an
enemy called The Bloodied Coven.
After a conversation at the Inquisitive Arms, the party learns of Paul's associates the Sons of
Alvarion. Over the course of a week, the Hollow Banner is shown to a now revealed state of
Roeman being the infamous Flamespyre Leliana Valen, who takes them to the mage
councillor Violetta Ashfield.
With the alderman, they visited the sorceress’ magical shop, there they bare witnessed the
transformation of the alderman into a hideous behemoth monster. The party managed to
quell the beast, the party surmised that a curse was bestowed upon the alderman from the
Lineage Castle. Violetta arranges for the Hollow Banner to meet with the Queen and get
answers from her.

As the day came to a close, they reconvened back to the Inquisitive Arms and settled for the day to
run different errands in the morning. Violetta and Arturus ventures out to the noble district library,
and discovers much of the Great Cataclysm that broke the city of the Aasimars, Elysea, asunder.
Violetta learns of a man who witnessed such an event first hand, an elf named Lenfar who works at
the Master’s Diagram and immediately led Arcturus to this quarry. Meeting this elf, he spoke of
another that lived in Lisia for some time, known as Talnial – the Song Master. Meanwhile Miller
convened to a local Embassy from the north country of Luvis. There he is greeted by a long lost
familiar kin, to his surprise, with open arms. His Uncle, Auntie and cousins all lived lavishly in such a
fine estate.
But in learning that his cousin Lenia is being held captive, he strove to find her captors with leads
from the rest of the party, to the Outer Catacombs beyond the city walls. Managing to win against
unfavourable odds, slaying fallen paladins of the Zephyrs of Light and the mage Zane with an
impossible arrow shot. They brought Lenia back to the Embassy where the rest of the party is
greeted by Miller’s uncle Solomon Rein.

As the afternoon comes to a close, and evening sets in, the party finds comfort in such extravagantly
lifestyle the Reins had set up. Miller finding out his entire family were exiled out of Luvis in defiance
against the King from the North.
As the next morning rises, the party finally sets out to meet with the Queen of Athalan, where they
are at first, greatly intimidated, but assured comfort that she is a mute and in possession of one of the
crystals that the Bastion of the Cycle are hunting; hinting why Paul and his accomplices are trying to
assassinate her.
The meeting ends with the Queen cordially inviting the Hollow Banner to a dinner party at the
Lineage Castle, to which they agreed, returning back to the Northern Embassies. Once again they run
into the Bloodied Coven, the leader, Bruton, warns them of their interference, the warning came at a
price; the lives of Elia and Solomon Rein.
The party then lingers about until they find news of Paul’s desecrated dead body used by alchemical
methods in typical tactics known from an organization called the Creed. They gathered his ashen
remains and decides to take Paul and Elia to the High Priestess within the Sanctorium of Dwayna to
recover.

Elia is revived and the party returns her back to the Embassy, whilst Paul’s ashes could not be
convalesced to a proper state. Convening back to the Embassy with several conversations related to
party members being associated with the Creed and the killing of Paul, a wounded guardsman alerts
the party of an attack occurring at nearby herbalist store.

The party took into action and immediately rescued the people in danger, one of which is Princess
Charlotte of House Echethier, the party takes her back to the Lineage Castle, where she and her
grandmother are staying.

Shadows in Red: Session 16 to 23








Later that early evening, the party adorn themselves with doublets and dresses as they attend
the party at the lineage castle. Here the party meets several aristocrats and knights. Avel of
House Goodfield, with his assistant mage Elliot Folquret, and Arthur of House Thornwallow.
Meeting at the table is once again Charlotte, and her grandmother Teresa Echethier. Others
they’ve had the pleasure in meeting; such as the Illustrious Mathias of House Moltare, Knight
Commander Tylani Evergreen and the youngest child of the Queen, Valkin Fairborne.

While dinner’s conversation grew daunting and threatening, the party set out to their individual
tasks of suspecting the Queen, others mingle for information; Arcturus having to be requested
an audience alone with Avel and Charlotte who shares the same suspicion of the Queen. While
others like Miller, prefer the hands-on approach into sneaking his way past guards with sleeping
antidotes and making his way into the Queen’s own chambers.
In a few series of events, the party uncovers the truth that it is indeed the Queen being the Red
Dragon they aim to slay, almost once again, costing Miller’s life to finding the truth with an
ultimate gamble of killing the false-mimic enacting as the Queen at her bedside. With invinisble
assailants running rampant after Miller and Arcturus, eventually they succeeded in quelling
them.

With that resolved, the party then convenes back to the Embassy, with an invitation of the
Rein family to be part of a Summit Meeting in the Lineage Castle, announced by the Queen
herself. As they await the day of the Summit, the members of the Hollow Banner planned to
further investigate the history of the Queen, Arcturus speaking to the High Priestess about his
ascendance, and later meeting up with Miller to assess a certain bandit group that supposedly
had ties with his old companions.

In confirming that Miller’s old gang, the Shrouded Renegades, being the perpetrators of
abducting Violetta, they sent a ransom to the Royal Crown to which Charlotte Echethier visits
the Hollow Banner in the Rein Embassy to tell them about the impending negotiation.
With meeting Apollo and several other members of Miller’s old crew, the party is sent a
warning by their buyer, to not interfere with the plans set in motion in the city and that they do
not wish to quarrel with their guild. Miller advises the party that he alone will try to negotiate
with his former leader; Sandor Bladebone with the negotiation unfruitful. And it is at this time
the party meets with a blacksmith called Joll Ironbrigg, a Dwarven smith from the northern
crag of Val’drak.

With Joll explaining the ban of magical weapons of Athalan by the decree of the royal crown
not two months passed, the Party investigates the reasoning behind the motive. The party also
looking into the official creation of the guild via sponsorship from Charlotte Echethier.

As the new problem with the Shrouded Renegades’ meddling with the Hollow Banner’s
affairs, the party then ensued to deal with them first, as well as their ties with the
possible buyer working for the Bloodied Coven. It is back at the Inquisitive Arms they
find themselves at formalities with Princess Ayesha of House Redmane, asking the
location of a witch known to them as Leliana, and threatens the party not to be cohorts
of House Echethier.

The Hollow Banner then took off to do their own errands once again in the city,
Arcturus visiting Lady Teresa’s meeting with the brother of Mathias Moltare; Tyrus
Moltare. However, amidst the meeting, found Lady Teresa deceased, and immediately
lynched Tyrus as the culprit with a swift neck grab by Arcturus. Miller gone to find
Violetta’s state at the hands of his former companions, to which he finds out of their
idea to auction her off to a highest bidder from a faraway continent.
All the while, the others specified a location of agreement that the royal crown had
revised, Avel Goodfield notified the Hollow Banner of further abductions taking place
east of the Capitol, where he suspects Violetta’s assistant Pelene Fonnes might be held
captive, and with rescuing her might give them information to the exact locations of
Violetta.

With further events taking place in between, such as Miller’s trail to his quarry in a
gambling estate owned by none other than Mathias Moltare; he finds himself acquainted
by his prior partner in-crime; Daniella Redleaf, whom to be in close company with
Mathias himself. This is followed by a rogue Paladin of the Kazahrum Order and the
party is asked by the High Priestess Helga Caffare to have him dealt with.
And with the rogue Paladin falling and his final words uttering a ritual summoning that
was of the same kind used against Jessilyn in the cave near Claymouth. And thus as that
day came to a close, the Summit Ball begins, and once again the Hollow Banner jumps
into the political theatre.

The Hollow Banner obtaining evidence that would suggest an assassination attempt of
foreign ambassadors at the hands of the Creed, they attend the ball with caution,
however amid the tribulations of the Summit, Arcturus had his mind warped by the
Queen's gaze, in the same instance the alderman spoke of her charm. While Miller
pursues the interests of Daniella, and her ties with Mathias Moltare or even the Coven
as a whole.
The Summit Ball concludes with assassins of the Creed being apprehended and
defeated by the Hollow Banner, and mainly; Queen Evette of House Fairborne
announcing herself as Queen Regent and the transformation of Athalan's royal decree
into a full Matriarchal Society.
Now that the enemy's plans are set into motion, the party makes quick haste to the
location Avel Goodfield had informed them about. However, with reassurances the
party does not lose anymore allies, Arcturus makes plans for Charlotte Echethier to
retreat back to her House' residence at Emberward, and escorts her half-way toward
Midkeep.

Bolstered and Hindered -Session 24 - 29





However, on the way of escorting Princess Charlotte to Midkeep where her men was
posted, it was attacked by a goblin ambush, and amongst the assailants came to the rescue
of the Princess’ short-demise, a female goblin attuned to the ways of magic; Minks
Silversteel. With Charlotte safely escorted, Arcturus and Minks makes their way back to the
Embassy to reconvene with the rest of the party, whom have also acquired an elven druid;
Calen Vengeiros of Athel Dorei.
The two would make arrangements that would benefit the Hollow Banner, and seemingly,
their goals align with stopping the Queen and her plans with the Bloodied Coven. Thus the
party quickly enacted on the previous missing children and people via a dungeon east-ward
of the city, which held Pelene Fonnes and Miller's trusty companion Fenris captive. There
they battled one of the Bloodied Coven who was trying to summon an aberration of
Alvarion; Shaze Gatrinel.
By slaying and defeating him, at the cost of Minks' rose, the party finally gets a glimpse of
the Bloodied Coven’s plans, to stop an impending second cataclysm by summoning their
desired God and to devour him. To which the Hollow Banner takes to their allies, and that
the crystal bestowed upon the Queen is the key to their succession.
As they make their way to the rendezvous area where the negotiation for Violetta's release
would ensue, they were too late. Saving Avel who was badly wounded, as well as a Creed
member Ment, they took both of them back to the Embassy to interrogate what happened.
Calen then proceeded to explain his previous mission against the Queen and that he was
separated from the rest of his Druid Circle during an undead incursion at Felfall Town.
The Hollow Banner is informed that Violetta possesses information that might get them to
take the Queen and usurp her rule over Athalan, and bring the truth to the public with
undeniable evidence, and thus the party starts with taking out the Queen's greatest
supporters and criminal underlords; Mathias Moltare.
It is at this time, the Hollow Banner would be given the procured magical weapons from
the hidden coffers of the Echethier House, given under the instructions of Charlotte and
from the creation of Joll the smith himself. With the newly acquired weapons, the Hollow
Banner confidently makes their next move.
They started with Mathias' connections with the criminal underworld, and that he is a
frequent guest at the Scrimmage Cage, a fighting pit under the supervision of Hilly, a goblin
fighter extraordinaire. The Hollow Banner quickly revised a plan with none other than the
older brother Tyrus Moltare, who has shunned Mathias because of his plausible
involvement with the Bloodied Coven which tarnishes their House’ name, as well as the
abduction of their darling sister Serena Moltare.
With the help of their newfound allies, Minks and Calen, the Hollow Banner achieved their
goal into eliminating Mathias Moltare from the fold, as well as a passive member of the
Bloodied Coven; Melva Airenheart. But, their fruitful labours did not come without a cost,
for Avel Goodfield also fell in battle.

With the battle in the fighting pits being won, they're next goal was the military commander of the
Queen, Corban Redmane. Alas, as they resurfaced they were met with steel by the Royal
Lionsguard, led by the Queen's first born Wulfric Fairborne, and upon his side, Tyrus Moltare,
accusing the Hollow Banner for royal extortion and plausible assassination of the head of a royal
House.

So they were then taken prisoner, far from the city, west to Midkeep’s Alavaster Mining Prison.
There, they laid for a week, unrested and maltreated, until the party is taken individually by a Spy-
master of the Queen, to the whereabouts of Charlotte Echethier, and the involvement of other
third-party members such as the Rein family with their charges of treason.

Howeverso, partly, the members of the Hollow Banner were broken, some gave in to the torturer,
while others stood headfast until his very mind was melded and deformed. With Arcturus’ mind
physically incapable of leading the Hollow Banner, the rest of the party devised a strategy to
escape. Their belongings were scarce, but they had help with certain individuals who had
intentions to leave the prison as well; a kenku named Caharis and a lizardman named Lawrg.

The Hollow Banner would then set their plans into motion of escaping the inescapable prison,
they battled their way through the prison, and whilst doing so, acquired help from Ment and
Daniella, who were tasked by Paul Green to rescue them. Acquiring their weapons, they were led
back to Clarence Forest inside a getaway estate of the Creed. There they strategized their next
destination, for they were informed that Paul Green is out of the capitol and revising their own
agendas into fighting the Queen and her mobilizing armies.
Though wanting to finish their preparations with summoning the Queen as per Charlotte’s plan to
summon her by the Valley of Dwayna where the most magical condensed area is located, they
needed to fix Arcturus’ predicament, and with the suggestion of Calen Vengeiros, he advised the
party to journey north, to the Valley of Lye Entheas, to the city of Athel Dorei.

And thus, the party sets out to the long roads away from the main Kings’ highway to their first
destination; Claymouth. There they saved the town from an impending Giant attack, ones that are
mindless and seemingly charmed with purple eyes. They then proceeded to Thurtchurch, where
the Zephyrs of Light base their main orthodox church of Dwayna in the southern realms.

There they meet the youngest son of the Queen once again, Valkin Fairborne, whom to their
surprise, is trying to plan a coup with the Kazahrum Order against his mother the Queen, who he
accepts to be the Red Dragon terrorizing the people of Athalan. In political intrigue the party
condones the involvement of the Empire, however much the Fioravontes could assist the Hollow
Banner and the upcoming rebellion, they could not do so with the rebellion’s intent of having the
Elves of Athel Dorei taken into the fold.

With an agreement being settled for persuading the cooperation of the elves of Lye Entheas,
Calen takes the party to a local druid grove within the Timberwoods, east of Thurtchurch. There,
with the help of Minks, the Hollow Banner activates a portal to the north, which attracts
unwanted attention. With the undead almost collapsing onto the group, they managed to open the
portal and interact with it, traversing to the otherside. Which then takes them to the Serene
Valley, also known as Lye Entheas.

Melandru's Passage - Session 30 to 36








Now within the arrival of the Hollow Banner within the vast and heavily obscured forests of Lye Entheas, known to the common tongue
as Melandru's Passage, they make their way west to the City of Athel Dorei, the Kingdom of the Wood Elves. Along the way the party
meets the ever-beautiful Elven lady, Auntie of Calen; Leora Vengeiros who took care of Calen when he was but an adolescent elf.
Advising the Hollow Banner to refrain from being human in the eyes of the Wood Elves, who only rarely accepted outsiders into their
city, she gives them a pardoning chip to be taken to the Gateswarden of one of Athel Dorei’s gates. There the party is welcomed to the
gates of the ever-beauty sights of the Wood Elves’ grand home of the Everqueen.
They wasted no time into trying to persuade anyone within the city grounds of Arcturus’ ailment, but luckily for them, Leora sent early
word to Calen’s father who cordially invites the Hollow Banner to stay at the Vengeiros Manor. There they are greeted by Lord
Daedalion Vengeiros and accepts them as honoured guests so that they may tread anywhere in the city limits without hindrance.
Taking into account of Arcturus’ state, the party takes him to a female elf, Archmage Sienna Spellsinger at the behest of Lord Vengeiros.
Sienna then mends Arcturus back to his original state, and the party is whole once more. With a bit of mingling occurring with
Daedalion’s position with joining the upcoming rebellion and the notification from Paul Green that the Redmane army is advancing
toward the borders of Athalan and Lye Entheas.
The Hollow Banner now aims to persuade the Everqueen into joining their cause against the Red Dragon as well as obtain a Pale Seed to
the behest of Charlotte Echethier, assisting her with the summoning ritual.
When the party is told when they can visit the Pale Tree to seek audience with the Everqueen, they gathered themselves to the city
central hub where they shop for magical items. Here they meet a human mage by the name of Hecheril Dawnscorcher, the supposed
mage that could have also healed Arcturus, and they also went to see the Glade’s army General Elrid Aefren.
The General speaking that the elves should not meddle with human affairs and that dire consequences on both sides would be
catastrophic, is swayed to give at least some measure of thought to the rebellion’s cause for Athalan’s peace and prosperity. However
sceptical Elrid Aefren would be to the rebellion’s truthful intentions, he speaks to the priority of elven lives.
The Hollow Banner then finally proceeded into the Glade central gardens, in front of the centre tree known as the Great Pale Tree.
Within, lies the Pale Throne of which the Everqueen sits upon, ever gazing to monitor the valley of Lye Entheas. Given into her prying
eyes, the Hollow Banner is given glimpses of their past and future, riddles to which they themselves need to solve on their own.
Miller's with recounts of his faceless mother and father whose characteristics is all but forgotten and an ill omen of their last words;
"reach the gateway." Minks with her mentor failing magic, and she herself is cast aside to witness a valley burn. Calen, witnessing the
green of the earth rotten to the core and a crystal storm washes over. And finally, Arcturus, with nothing but a giant Eye gazing back to
the room with ill intent, speaking; "the awakening has begun".
The Everqueen then directs the Hollow Banner to traverse between planes toward the Astral Sea, known preferably as the Great Mists,
and within it, the plane from which the Elves comes from, the Feywild; toward the Glades of Thorns. If they are to acquire a Pale Seed,
they must first obtain certain items and knowledge to traversing from the material plane.
The request of the pale seed that sits upon the crown of the Everqueen baffles her yet astonished toward the information given to the
Hollow Banner of its’ acquisition. She then instructs the party to seek an elven scholar within the north deepening woods, a Vanyar Elf
named Calliope Airheart. The party continued their way out toward the Deepening forests, there they find themselves with the presence
of another scholar named Dr Rubhan Candleburn of the Auronian Magistrate Academy, an assistant of Calliope.

They hunt for an egg that the party requires, to the bewilderment of the Hollow Banner, they ensued to
follow Rubhan’s directions of Calliopes’ trail, to which they find themselves at a hunting ground. With a
giant Roc attempting to abduct one of them to it’s nest, the Roc managed to grasp one of the members to
feed to its young’uns. The party then individually climbed or flew their way upwards, with a giant eagle in
tow to aid them.

Calen, familiar with the form the eagle imposes, signifies to his party that it was Calliope, assisting the
Hollow Banner in rescuing their fellow member. An encounter ensued against the Roc, although they
aimed not to harm the mother nor the young rocs on the nest, they distracted them well enough with
Calliope’s help to take one of the unhatched eggs.
With the egg obtained they return back to Athel Dorei with both Calliope and Dr Rubhan accompanying
them. Calliope then explains that the Everqueen has a gift of foresight and she had already made plans to
assist the Hollow Banner of their quest into summoning the Red Dragon in the hollowed grounds of the
Valley of Dwayna.
With the battle taking a toll on most of the members of the party, they laid rest inside Vengeiros Manor
and resolve the Queen’s request in the morrow. However within the dead of night, the party is attacked
by the Bloodied Coven, even in such sacred grounds. With the confrontation ending with a seemingly
easy kill on one of the Coven’s members, they taunt the party’s progression to be futile and that they
should join the Bloodied Coven instead of being against them.
As such, the Hollow Banner remained alarmed even after hours had passed since the Bloodied Coven left
the Vengeiros Manor, in pursuit of how they got inside, they warned the Gladesguard and they scoured
the city central following Fenris’ scent of one of the assailants. Following the scent to a nearby elven
residential house, the house was acquired by none other than Dr Rubhan Candleburn, whom the Hollow
Banner found out to be an accomplice of the Bloodied Coven.
Promising him treasure in form of knowledge, they took him before the Queen, and thus he was exiled.
The elven residential house contained the explanation on how the Bloodied Coven got within the wards
of the city, via plane teleportation and hemocraft. The party decides, whether to pursue them from their
escape route or to take the passage the Queen had prepared them. Nevertheless, Ruhban was sent into
the teleportation inside his house to fates unknown.
But before they ultimately decided, they had one quarry left to settle, the Elven Council meeting that
would discuss the involvement of the Elves in the upcoming Athalanian rebellion. It is here they had the
audience of the Elven King of Feldeep Jithriel, to which his wife and children explicitly backs Calliope’s
preference of Elven intervention.
As the party members mainly giving evidence which suggest the lives of the Fey being involved in the
endeavours of the Bloodied Coven and the Red Dragon, much could be persuaded when they are met by
Tyrus Moltare and Ayesha Redmane; both attempting to plea the Elves to withdraw to such conclusions
and accusations.
The meeting ended as most the Elven consulates agreed and adhered to the undeniable proof that the
Queen intends to expand her operations with the Bloodied Coven and that she must be stopped at all
costs, even to the prospering lives of the Elves that neglected war for a millennia.

Wandering in the Mists - Session 37 to 39









After the meeting was resolved, accompanied by Calliope as their plane-guide, the
Hollow Banner attends the Queens’ chambers at her own behest, to traverse into a stable
plane-shift circle which takes the Hollow Banner toward the Great Mists.
They stumbled to a watery plane, where they are plunged at the very depths of the sea,
beneath them lies a glowing effigy and a large pedestal constructed with gravel stone long
eroded. Calliope tells them to not panic, and magically, the party can speak to one
another underwater. They await the opening of a planar teleport emerging upon the ruins
below, until a sudden shift of pressure alerts the party that they have company. The
teleportation portal appears and the party gets attacked by a ginormous sea creature.
All of them managed to reach into the portal in time, and their next portal led them to a
place of fear and darkness, into the Casm of Undeath. Here neither the living nor dead
wallows in eternity, ever succumbing to the fear of those who control power over the
planes. Separated from their guide, the Hollow Banner followed her instructions to move
north west, from the Weeping grounds of Aleth to the River of Grenth. There by the
river styx, a ferryman named Mr Dory would entail to the party that to cross the bridge
they must first resolve their fellow members tainted by the Deathmark. And thus they
successfully elucidated those who have died from those who have not. It is here when
Miller successfully steals a wand from a stranger named Selena Frost.
Two more portals lies beyond the River of Grenth, and the Hollow Banner chose the
portal toward the Realm of Torment. There they hear pain and agony, intimidating roars
and terrifying screams, the party did not want to linger at such a place for long, and they
chose a direction away from the thumbing sound emanating from far away. They journey
towards an abandoned church, which to their surprise and comfort, a friendly undead
invites them inside, sheltering them to whatever had caught their scent.
The friendly undead is revealed to be none other than the infamous Skulduggery Pleasant,
of the Pleasant Party, whom Paul Green had told stories of, about his brother and his
friends ending the Third Imperial War.
The party, acquianted but still suspect of their new undead friend, requested for safe
passage into the planes of the Fey, within the Glade of Thorns, to which Skulduggery
happily obliged, but forewarns them that they may not return to the material world from
there. Granting them information about Miller’s missing parents, Arcturus’ parents’
whereabouts, Calen’s destiny and Minks’ teacher’s true identity, Skulduggery bade them
farewell and transported them to their desired destination; the Glade of Thorns in the
Feywild.

On arrival, the party views a magnificent mushroom forest, a passive yellow sky with
grey clouds overhead, and nearby a running river which glows in purple hue.
Quickly, Calen gets bewitched by an unknown source, which have him moving to a
random direction. Fell omens and warnings came about sourceless within the minds
of each members of the party, cautioning the iron fist of an Eldarin of Summer.
The party presses on, journeying their way through the ever-lively forests of the
Glades, wherever they stood would glow, and whispers of sylvan filled the air, as if a
powerful presence marked them as unwanted. They then stumble across a dryad that
informs the Hollow Banner of Faren Zithilius, an Eldarin that made the stuff of
nightmares the elves from the material plane spoke to their children.
She warns them that Faren controls the influence of the Glade of Thorns in the
absence of the Mother Melandru, and reaching to where they need to go, the sister
of the pale tree in the feywild, the Everbark, would be considered suicide. But
undeterred the Hollow Banner presses on, and in reaching the water bridge which
leads to the portal they need access to, Faren introduces himself with resolve to stop
them.
The battle ended with Faren fleeing, but spoke of the inevitable demise that would
befall the Hollow Banner for intruding in his territory uninvited. The party then
extends their reach to the water gate where each individual is sent to a plane of
existence associated to their destinies.
Others find themselves in the darkness, while a few are confounded with who or
what they witnessed beyond the veil of the Mists. But they all returned back to the
Water Gate where Minks manipulated the leylines to transport them to the
Everbark. There, Arcturus offers the pale seed, to which it briefly blooms to a pale
fruit. The Hollow Banner then sees a maimed Bloodied Coven member offered to
them by the Everbark, restrained by its roots, it notifies them of a decision to end
the life of the trespasser, or if they would hold her life responsible and take her back
to the material plane.

The Hollow Banner agreed to take her, and thus the Everbark opens a portal back to
the material realm, transferring the party nowhither toward their destination. As they
realized themselves back in the material plane, Calliope notifies them that three
weeks had past and that the war for the Crown has already begun, the Glade Army
has mobilized against the Redmane army, and Calen’s father requests for their
attendance to a rendezvous point, and that they must make quick haste toward a
nearby town Slyborrow to speak to a spy.

Being granted information about the Bloodied Coven captive as a royalty from a
faraway land by the name of Vinette Vanderwalde who had lost her memories ever
since being associated with the Bloodied Coven. Calliope agrees to take her back to
further investigate, and the party sets out to Slyborrow post-haste.

Decadence of Ernmore - Session 40 - 50






On arrival, the party traverses to a local tavern called the Ink’n’Keep where they talk to the spy of Athel Dorei, to be
none other than Dodger Mcfillian. He speaks of the war stratagems that the Redmane army employs, harvesting mobile
advancements routes from Elven spies, to which Miller eavesdrop on an elf named Zeriel Pairugal selling information to
the enemy.
As they make their way toward their next destination Oakenstop, Miller decided to let the elf traitor go for a second
chance in life, in agreement to never come back. The party then reaches the town to rendezvous with Daedalion
Vengeiros under the supervision of another spy Monto Carlisle. Quickly realizing the town is occupied by Redmane
soldiers, the Hollow Banner are categorized as wanted fugitives escaped from Alavaster Prison.
It is in Oakenstop where Calen is reunited with one of his young pupil Feebee Silverose whom is enacting as carer to a
girl named Kaylee. Arcturus also reminisces the town and visits a local friendly baker Wynn Gerrick where one of
Daedalion's druids delivers letters to the Hollow Banner; Miller from his past companions, Arcturus with letters from
Charlotte and about Violetta’s whereabouts and Minks with a letter of acceptance to the Auronian Magistrate University.
As they reconvened back to Kaylee, the party witnesses Feebee being taken by the Redmane soldiers to which they
intervene.
Wynn distracts the Redmane soldiers and takes the party back to her homestead for safety. But as soon as they found
themselves comfortable, hints begins to emerge as they start to suspect something was awry with Wynn’s behaviour.
Finding out she was a Redmane sympathizer and a witch working with Faren the Eladrin of Summer, the party
encounters aberrations out to attack them
After striking Wynn down, Miller notifies the party that her true self was dead long before the perpetrator who disguised
and replaced her got to the material realm. The Hollow Banner stood in silence while Arcturus mourns for Wynn's death.
Later that evening, Daedalion visits the Hollow Banner and talks to them about the war efforts, and a plausible allegiance
to be made in Ernmore. He directs the Hollow Banner to travel toward the tavern called The Ivory Lantern, to which a
man named Varrick would give them the next details that they need to acquire.
Soon after, Wynn’s homestead is attacked by assassins from the Brotherhood, a splinter group from the Creed. With help
of Daedalion’s druid circle, the party makes an escape but are still pursued by the assassins on the road toward Ernmore .
As they settled to remove their pursuers, the Hollow Banner walks on foot throughout the night, hearing sounds of a
major battle from a nearby field as the Glade army and the Redmane army clashes.

Toward the next morning, the party witnesses a pillaged house, with Redmane soldiers out for a bandit gang that shares
the same characteristics as Miller’s old crew. And along the path just by the outskirts of Ernmore, the party encounters
Redmane soldiers discriminating a foreign prince and saves him. The prince is none other than the youngest prince of the
Shah of Amnoon; Prince Dalan Aljarazi.
With the young Amnoonian Prince and his chaperons, the Hollow Banner rode with their newly found horses; Dalathan,
Brightmane and Refair. Upon reaching the entrance of the city, successfully obtaining a map of the city, they made their
way toward the inn Daedalion directed them to; the Ivory Lantern. There they met up with the Innkeep Noella Carlisle.
There they met their quarry, Lord Shane Varrick, who owned the establishment. The Hollow Banner received news of an
execution taking place in the Central District the next day, involving one of Calen’s pupil and the other being Miller’s
former partner. The party at this time also meets up with their long lost escapees, Lawrg the lizardman and Cahris the
Kenku.
Soon after a brief catch-up with the two, the party went and resolved into saving Thaddeus, one of Calen’s pupil,
however losing sight of Daniella amidst the chaos that ensued. After reconvening back at the Ivory Lantern, the party
settled upon taking up their own errands that would need to be resolved individually.

Arcturus’s Conquest







First it was Arcturus, mingling with Noella under different aliases, and goes off to the Central Hub
where he witnesses the guards he met the day prior, impaled on spears and labelled traitors to the
cause. There he asks the city populace if he might perchance speak to an individual that can be
hired to help him, and a local gave him directions to a red-head individual living in Eastmain.

With curfew about, curiosity led him to observe a drug operation forgoing in a nearby warehouse,
and soon after he finds and saves the individual he sought after; Astrid Freydis, a Norn born from
the regions of Tharsten. Before the night came to a close, Arcturus and Astrid travelled to the
District’s Warden-stead to meet with Astrid’s military conformant; Marina Lionbrace, who gave
them full support of her guards to find Charlotte Echethier who was rumoured to be somewhere
in Ernmore.
The two then went to settle a meeting with a crime-lord Tovo Titus, who is masterful in first
impressions but changes his utterance albeit a slight shift of conversation toward Arcturus’ attempt
at intimidation. Arcturus then accepts his proposal of being one of his selected champions for the
upcoming matches of the Clash Podium.

The next morning, the two then proceeded to move to Little Atharas, where supposedly, Charlotte
was located. There the two would reunite and follow up on each of their recent events. Charlotte
was explicitly told to stay in the confines of Ernmore whilst Paul Green peered into an artefact
bestowed by the Ernmore duke.

After the visit, Astrid and Arcturus heads off the Clash Podium as the Conquerer and the
Nailbiter, and his familiar Odynn as the Stormcrusher. The three would fight several times, the
first match, a chance to befriend a native elysian animal called Memix. The second a beastly ape
that decimated Astrid but was later impaled by Arcturus’ greatsword Dusk. And lastly, to battle
Astrid’s companion, Manfred Throvard, a Faedas druid, both charmed by Tovo’s champion; the
warmongering chieftan of Urvang, Chief Nosnra.

The battle was hard fought but Arcturus managed to stand triumphant as the crowd praised him
and his crew, and dubbed Arcturus the champion of the clash, rather, the Conquerer of the Clash.
With Astrid reuniting with Mannfred, in customary practices from Tharsten, Arcturus was given
the reward due, to which is his constitution had lacked after the fight. The three would then travel
the following afternoon back to the Ivory Lantern.

Miller’s Confrontation

Secondly, Miller sleeps and takes toward the morning where he soon finds himself being
attempted to be mobbed by bandits but quickly evaluates and solves the situation. He meets
up with Charlotte Echethier in Little Atharas with her friend Rowan, there they reconvene
and trade information. Charlotte Echethier gets informed of the Hollow Banner's arrival to
Ernmore and Miller gets her ladyship's permission to take her military to help. He then
witnesses a very percurious group of Tieflings with large horns committing murder and
seemingly out on a hunt.
He then travels to Little Atheras at Keylode avenue 45th where he checks in to a residence
where Daniella who almost, kills him for sneaking in. Miller then gets information about a
specific procurement of art from a faraway land. He then sees that the letter at hand, notes
the buyer's address was at the Lower Favelar Port, and thus the two of them surmises that the
art piece is in the Jubilee Castle.
He takes the information to Charlotte, together with Daniella, discovering that the Duke
must've bought it. Miller then gets gifted 1500gp to which he adorns himself with Medium
Armor and also re-embellishing his face to a more acute and neat look and gave Charlotte an
armband to help her move to the Inn.

He then takes to the Strands of Bahler where he met and spoke with one of his previous
family bandits; Enfel, with a series of argumentative ploy from both sides, Miller successfully
persuaded Enfel to be at his side and take information about Sandor.

He then went out from Ernmore and toward the Northern Eastern side of the border to
which Enfel hinted Miller's Keep were also spotted to be. He sees the dead redmane guards
who they found attempting to track the bandits who attacked a house by the road to
Ernmore. He then proceeded to be ambushed by the Royal Knoxes of House Echethier who
he tells that he was given a sign from Charlotte whom enabled him aid from House
Echethier. Obliging to the call, Captain Felix accepts this and offers Miller the full force of
the Royal Knoxes at his disposal. Nearing the location of his family's hidden Keep, with the
magical letter that his parents' left him to guide him.
Halting the advancement of the Echethier bowmen as a backup, he helmed the infiltration of
the keep, followed by Daniella, Enfel and his trusty dog Fenris. Miller managed to convince
one by one, the members of the Shrouded Renegades to see reason and side with him; a new
member to the group, a monk named Henry Cloudeyes asked Miller of his intentions.
He also gets the chance to see the memories within the ownership of the castle, The Howling
Keep. After successfully attuning himself to his keep, Miller goes to confront Sandor once
and for all, who is amidst a transaction with a man named Tovo Titus.

Giving him an ultimatum and brilliantly persuading Sandor himself to avoid an encounter,
Sandor's sentinel, an abyssal construct takes Sandor to another location as it planeshifts. With
this, Miller finally sets Violetta free, who is known to have vital information indicating that
Queen Evette is not the rightful ruler of Athalan.

Calen’s Mercy





Thirdly, Calen has sought to carry out his mission with his trusted pupil Thadeus, to confront a menace that had beset the
Lower Districts of Ernmore. The perpetrator being Ponji, the youngest druid pupil of Calen's Druid Circle. Turning into
something inconspicuous such as a little rat, both Calen and Thadeus made off in the middle of the night to the destination
of which where Ponji was rumoured to be spotted; the southern districts.
Amidst the middle of the night, soon after they passed the lower city walls into the peasantries, the two, witnesses a
Redmane patrol attacked by unknown assailants; large tieflings with fury and raw power. A single combatant took out the
entire patrol in one fell swoop, and fortunately, Calen was not noticed albeit close to be. The reasons for these tieflings'
arrival did not deter Calen and Thadeus' from their course, and they did not follow to find out.
Instead they waited patiently for the unknown tieflings to wander off, and rescue the Redmane captain who was only
unconcious, but gravely wounded. The captain introduced himself as Cedric Rammiel, a Captain's guard of the Redmane
army posted in Ernmore. He gladly offered his help with finding Ponji's last sighting in thankful favor for saving his life.
Calen and Thadeus decided to rest as Cedric promised to give them information by the morrow's sunrise. And as the
morning came to, Calen was greeted by two Redmane soldiers notifying him of the exact area where the beast was last
sighted, down the peasantries of the Lower Traverse District. And they were also given detail that Cedric would rendezvous
with them at a later time with an investigator from Lanor at said location.
As the two reached the Lower Traverse District, they panned out to find clues, ones that indicated that it was indeed Ponji
had gone feral and attacked the innocent denizens of Ernmore. They were then met with Cedric and the investigator
aforementioned, introducing herself as Nina De Ville.
Nina gave information to Calen that Ponji was apprehended by the Redmane army and was taken to the Harrock Keep, a
once fortified prison, now turned over to a man named Emir Tal'Aval and renovated the Keep into a science facility.

Calen and Thadeus was then assisted by Nina and Cedric down to the sewers to which the group had deduced to be the
location Ponji was moving and operating from district to district.
With finding Ponji, Calen and Thadeus were warned by Ponji that the Redmane were using third-party sources to create a
science division that manipulated the shape-shifting form of Wood Elves' druids, thus explaining Ponji's feral state and his
forceful wildshape.
At this time Nina De Ville explained her motives of obtaining Ponji's essence to be conducive of a cure but only by
extracting the entirety of the host, which she means to kill Ponji. However Calen detested and negotiated a more peaceful
solution, to which Nina was disinclined to accept, thus an encounter ensued.
Emerging victorious in the fight, Calen managed to persuade Nina of an alternative course, but Ponji could not control his
ability to wildshape and thus asked his master to end his life to the state of which he could still control.
However amidst the battle, Calen was wounded by Ponji's feral werewolf form and is marked to transform unwillingly in a
few days time. Nina vowed to save Calen from the same demise as Ponji for sparing her life, and cordially invites him to the
Harvest Festival Ball as the means to find the culprit behind the experiments done in Fort Harrock.

Mink’s Wisdom





Fourthly, after her rest from the previous encounter with an assassin, Minks decides to pursue her
teacher's wishes of attending the Auronian Magistrate Academy by visiting a local magic school in
Ernmore; the Vaenarts Arcane Institute, to which she would give her acceptance letter from the
Crucible Assembly to be granted a passage for the Cerberus Trials.
There she acquaints herself with fellow Half-orc student Kassie Greenblight and Archivist Sigfried
Mannevond, a scholar hailing from the Auronian Magistrate Academy; whom welcomes Minks into
the Academic front of magical arts. Upon her approval of her acceptance letter she needs to forgo
a Trial of Magistrate, that would signify her worthiness as a magical scholar.

As she awaits to attend her first class, she rescues a girl named Leila Wildbloom against bullies who
sought to challenge her to a magic duel, to which Minks easily bested them all at once.
When Minks attends her classes in Historical Arts and Sorcery in Conjuration, she's hinted the
inconsistency of information among the Athalanian bloodline, as well as more research regarding
the "Antikytheria" and her Purple Rose from her visit beyond the Material Plane, in attempt to
piece her own as well as her party's glimpses of their past and future.
Before the trial initiates, Minks also sought details regarding her mentor Minerva, but no hard
evidence came about except one particular knowledge; her mentor ran with another alias and was
referred by others of the academic as 'Veera Caine'. Minks then delved deeper into the confounding
connection she familiarizes with one of the Coven members the Hollow Banner apprehended
under the name Vanderwal. It is at this time Minks found out about her secret arcane mark that
was attached behind her neck. A symbol of Faren, the Eladrin of Summer, a sigil that bore great
omen.

Knowing that answers may lie further into the libraries of the Auronian Magistrate Academy, Minks
took no hesitation and made full preparation for that afternoon to ace her trials. As Archavist
Mannevond opens the portal into an isolated plane of existence conjoining the elemental planes,
she instructs the class to work together, however half the students had dubious or reckless plans
already set into motion.

While the trial was to aim at the inclusivity of the magic user's ability to hone their spells in
accordance to a particular element, an incident ensued that threatened the lives of the class, and
Minks at the forefront decides to lead her fellow students in unison.
Saving one of the bullies she encountered before, as well as standing triumphant with the trial,
Minks gained respect and admiration through her peers. After returning back into the material
plane, Archivist Mannevond assures her that the Trials of Magistrate results would be referred to
one of the Preceptors of the Academy and thus awarded her full disclosure of information at their
disposal in the Vaenarts Academy within Minks' discretion.

As the entire Hollow Banner reconvened back to the Ivory Tavern, albeit Miller, they were all greeted by a hooded figure to be
discovered as Charlotte, whom spoke to them about the upcoming Harvest Festival, and that the Duke announced the arrival of
none other than Tyrus Moltaire.

The party would also learn of letters given by Miller and to read the contents within if news indicates of his death, though the
Hollow Banner eagerly awaits their comrade’s return. Meanwhile, Calen discloses his curse of lycanthrope to the party to which he
had a solution, he would ask the Hollow Banner’s cooperation in aiding him of his ailment.
With the cure being told to be in progress by his newly acquainted friend Nina De Ville, Minks offers assistance from her
connection with the local city academy. But she also mentions the events regarding back at Wynn's homestead where the Hollow
Banner got attacked by mysterious aberrations; that each of them were marked by Faren Zithilius as they left the Feywild, leaving
the party as conduits that ties in the material plane and the Outer planes.
The Fey Curse of the mark would only cease once they have defeated Faren, although Minks had other preparations of research to
consider as an alternative. At which point the party embarks toward Lower Main District, to speak with Nina. However before
doing so, the party was met with Captain Cedric's attention that offers information to Calen and the party that his father has been
apprehended.
Arcturus leads the party to Marina, the ex-warden of Harrock Keep, but once again the party is interrupted by another messenger
who claims to be under the employ of the Duke’s daughter, Erin Laveoure. The Hollow Banner made quick haste to the Mouldy
Prince, there they met Erin, whom offered a proposition of mutual interests; convincing her father to assist the Rebellion’s side of
the war-effort, in exchange to dealing with an arms dealer known as Emir Tal’aval, the current owner of Harrock Keep.

It is at this time, the party is introduced to Jaime Deidrah, an Archivist from the scholarly organization from Tharsten, known only
as the Durmand Priory. The Hollow Banner took back to the Ivory Lantern where they suspect a treason from Lord Verrick, and
took a magically sealed letter that confirms his affiliation with the Redmane commander that is stationed in Ernmore; Commander
Cornelius.

Moving on to their next quarry; the Eonian Mosque to meet with Prince Dalan Aljarazi and his parents for their support of the
Rebellion. The party convoked with aristocrats and Dalan’s father; Nadal Aljarazi, who concluded their cooperation to be
imperative with Ernmore’s Duke and his decision of neutrality.

The party would then gather again back at the Ivory Tavern and settle for the morrow. At morning’s first light, Miller arrives to give
news to the party of his successful errand and his attainment of his family’s hidden castle from within the Howling Valley. The
Hollow Banner would then proceed to their next target, a sauna owned by a familiar man, Zod.
There they would learn of his association with the Undertakers, a criminal network of Ernmore spanning the entirety of the
Athalanian realm. It is here Miller denounces his Uncles’ claims of unlawful properties to Zod in exchange to his support with the
Rebellion, to which Zod settles upon an agreement.

A forewarning was given when Zod agreed to help the Hollow Banner with their matters that concerns Emir Tal'aval; that he is well
protected by a man known by a disturbing title; "The Scratcher". But this did not deter the party to alter their course.
Upon arrival and meeting Emir face-to-face, the party quickly learned that Erin was conspiring with the Redmanes as well and his
own war profiteering came from her very orders. With the Hollow Banner offering to spare Emir’s life by releasing Calen’s father
from custody, Emir surrendered him but their intimidation would also be challenged by the Scratcher’s presence.

Coming with an agreement that the Ivory Lantern was no longer safe, and that they were compromised, Miller suggested
to the party that they would regroup in respite back to his keep. Accompanied by Charlotte, Manfred, Astrid, Kassie,
Thadeus and Renara, the party takes a tour at their new grounds of operation.
The Hollow Banner would then take their brief momentary respite; Miller understanding the inner-workings of the Keep,
its' primary designation as the Keeps' analytical defense moderator, or to simply named as Adam.
Minks would investigate the Keeps' dormant teleportation circles, having to learn one of the destinations' arcane telemetry
to be Mirkewalde. She then takes off to the library with her friend Kassie, all the while Arcturus and Jaime better acquiant
themselves and their past of being of the same kin, for neither remember nothing.
The crew would revel on through the night as they drown in hardy liquor and play games to strengthen their bonds as
comrades. As a new morning came through, the Hollow Banner all made their preparations as they would travel two days
back to Ernmore and arrive at the day of the annual New Harvest Feast Festival as well as the commemration of House
Moltare's arrival at the city on the behest of the Duke.
The party still settled to plan for a way to deal with their Marks of Faren, in accordance to Minks' mentor at the local
academy; they posses a curse that can only be broken within the realm the curse originated, the Feywild.

Participating in events requiring skills or by a few, notably a marksman challenge, an Ainu riding rodeo, a cake eating
contest and an introduction of a well-famous artist Vander Rogh whom created a painting of Rein and Darkrend; all while
a sneaky Goblin explores the great Jubilee Castle and an elven prince meeting his quarry.
With the afternoon's rest, the lower and middle class folk go on home as the Festivities by the Castle Gardens comes to a
close, the Carnival King proclaimed and announced for their reward to be claimed, while the nobles go on to celebrate
further to a classical soiree to warm welcome House Moltaire to Ernmore.
As the party, along with Charlotte Echethier and Miller's cousin Simon, enters the grand interior of the castle, they are met
by none other than Commander Cornelius, the right hand man of Corban Redmane, charge of the frontlines against the
rebellion. Though he is merciless to his enemies, he finds respect toward the Hollow Banner's unwavering dedication to
their cause to be just. He allows them to attend the meeting, assuring them safety by the word of the Duke himself, Mason
Laveoure.
The party also meets Erin's twin brother Aaron, whom clarifies the intentions of his sister, to abolish her family's purpose
to vie for the Dukedom of Ernmore. Mingling and gossiping with the other aristocrats and fancy nobles, they meet an elf
named Efran Hisitzul, who greets them and supports their rebellion.
Shortly after, the Hollow Banner partook with the meeting underway, which would either keep Ernmore and its' trade
routes neutral or sided with the Redmanes for the civil war, along with their allegiances with foreign powers such as the
Amnoonian Delegates of the Republic of Eonia. All the while Arcturus finds the particular painting by Vander Rogh that
depicts Charlotte's claim to the throne.
However, with the artist being stabbed by the Scratcher, who took the painting itself, Arcturus calls for help and the
Hollow Banner immediately pursued him to the garden where they eventually apprehended him. With the painting secured,
the entirety of the party except Miller was transported to another plane of existence, to the pocket realm of Faren, the fey-
nightmare. There the Hollow Banner witnessed Charlotte and Calliope imprisoned, their souls being siphoned and
harnessed.
As they decline to join Faren and the Bloodied Coven's cause to preventing an impending cataclysm by sacrificing a few
for the many, the battle was hard fought with the Hollow Banner ending Faren's attempt of entrapping them forever. With
both Charlotte and Calliope saved, they transport themselves back into the material plane, there two days had passed, and
the entire party wakes up as if taken from a living nightmare.

Amidst Fire and Smoke - Session 50 - 60






After a day and a half comatose from their plane shift to the Feywild to battle Faren, they
awoken to a city devoid of the Redmane army, to which Paul Green arrives to tell the Hollow
Banner they retreated at the behest of Commander Cornelius.

With a transitory time of relief, the party gathered themselves at the Jubilee Castle to plan their
next move; Calen reuniting with his father and auntie to establish their military's advancements.
Miller, Arcturus and Jaime speaking to Paul Green and their next quarry being a man who was
part of the Shrouded Renegades holding vital information about their plans to summon and
isolate the red dragon. All the while Minks eagerly speaks to Calliope with her past connections
to the Bloodied Coven member they've apprehended, Vinette Vanderwalde.
Soon they travelled to the Centre Square of Ernmore, there Charlotte Echethier announced
and declared her rightful claim to the throne, appeasing the citizens as well as the foreign
powers that attended the hearing. With the speech ending the Hollow Banner made haste to
prepare their leave of the city and speaks to the Duke.

With the trade-routes toward the Brookwin channel being halted by the Wynmier Fleet's
embargo line, the party attempts to find a bold captain that would take them to their next
destination; Felfall Town. They managed to speak to a few sailors at Lower Favelar Port, one
referring them to a halfling named Fontopo who was located in the Lower First District, within
a brothel called the Beguiling Whim.
Once there, they introduced themselves to Fontopo who then took them to the Mouldy Prince,
where they meet the sails master Duncan. They travel back to Favelar Port and there docked
the Stormstalker, an infamous ship who had an infamous captain. With distrust and suspicion
among the party toward Captain Hawke, they decided to instead travel by road and took their
horses instead.
With three days travel to Felfall Town, they did their farewells to Charlotte Echethier who
would be under the supervision of Paul Green and two compatriots of Arcturus. Calliope
would return to Athel'dorei with Calen's auntie Leora, and the party will be given information
by the Bloodied Coven member they have apprehended previously.

Calen’s Trial




With three days travel to Felfall Town they ventured forth on horse back, at their 2nd night upon camping besides the
Brookwin river, the Hollow Banner was suddenly attacked by unknown assailants with magic and steel.
They were caught unawared and the party stood their ground against these fiendish brutes, hulking in stature and horns on
their heads, too big to be a tiefling and too cunning for a goliath. With closer inspection, Calen announces they were the
same group of warriors he had encountered back in Ernmore.
Although the party fought valiantly, they themselves were quelled. The unknown leader spoke to the party, demanding their
Horn to be returned, to which non gave out the location; with Charlotte Echethier. The party members were then given
mercy through chance of fate as each of their bodies were dumped into the river.
Calen, dreaming of his beloved Calliope and a storm unending and unruly, wakes up within a tent, his wounds tended to,
though exhaustion maims his entire body as he tries to get up from his bed. He found his belongings and wore them, he
took off into a cloudy day, the winds hustling through the trees, with flags and banners flapping, signifying the Feldeep sigil
of the Elven House of Jithriel.
A high elf soldier greets Calen and informed him his presence was demanded in the war-tent. There he meets King Jithriel
and his commanding officers. Clarifying to Calen the certain situation of the warfront was against their advancements to a
town called Miron Town. The Elven scouts reported instances of whole villages becoming silent near Pygmy forest, and the
enemy was pressing for an advantage by the Torvan Fjord.
A nullifying field encompassed the land and directly distorts the Vanyar communication to their elven kin, the Glade Army
of Athel'dorei. Calen is sent to the eastern frontier with a high elf scout party to investigate a Redmane encampment, as well
as meet at a rendezvous point to establish mutual communication between battle plans of both the High elves and Wood
elves.
After Calen witnessed the aftermath battle of Torvan fjord, he took off to the rendezvous point to meet up with his kin at a
ruined tower within Pygmy forest. There he and his elven scouting party was met by unknown monsters of fiendish nature.
Relentless and rabid, these monstrosities annihilated Calen's party, but he himself managed to escape.
Not long after the same day, at the dead of night, Calen was found by the Wood Elves' messenger party who he was meant
to meet. Detailing the slow progression of the Glade Army's advancement against the Redmanes, and soon, the Dwarves of
Val'drak, Calen continued to pursue a lead given to him by one of the wood elves, depicting one of his pupils to be in a
nearby village with a mage from Lanor.
Arriving at the village of Cathos, heavily barricaded yet silent, he sees the mage from Lanor to be none other than Nina De
Ville. With her hypothesis leading to the suggestion that the monstrosities Calen encountered were of the same nature as
what befell his youngest pupil Ponji; turning druids to abberations.
As the night presses, Calen accepts Nina's proposition of obtaining a live abberant to study and create a plausible antidote.
In succeeding to both survive the night and apprehending one, Calen takes off with his pupil Naya back toward the Feldeep
camp where his presence is needed.
Upon arriving at the camp, Calen was given authority by King Jithriel to be one of his leading commanders of an upcoming
battle, to which Calen accepts, however, his attention rests within the Goodfield Camp, where the rest of the Hollow Banner
are said to be regrouping in.

Arcturus’ Battle







As the summer heat emblazing upon his skin, as his body trudges from the constant impact of
waves that slowly drifts him toward the sea, Arcturus’ mind comes to, with the piercing light of
the midday sun hovering over the coast of the peninsula. Hearing the light squawking of
seagulls and waves crashing in between moments, Arcturus is netted onto a ship unbeknownst
to him. A silhouette brazened by the sunlight offers him a hand, to which he reluctantly accepts
and gets to his two feet, the stranger is none other than his friend Avel Goodfield.

With the two exchanging stories, they waste no time moving onto their next objective; to meet
the Great House of Catharel, who holds the bank of Athalan. Upon reaching Casteport, the
two successfully negotiates with Lady Elina Catharel, securing ships for their fleet, the support
of the Bank, as well as a reunion to a familiar pirate crew that works as open-hired smugglers
for the war.

Now in meeting with the Stormstalker crew once again, Arcturus decides to trust in their
captain, as long as they provide assistance in the upcoming battle for the Brookwin mouth and
the procurement of mithril sand. Riding upon their ship for a brief time before the battle,
Captain Hawke explains her situation in relative to Arcturus’ origins. With the understanding of
both parties, Arcturus fought against the Athalanian Redmane Embargo Fleet under the
command of Admiral Coss Wynmier.

During the battle, Arcturus boards the flagship of the Redmanes, and convinces the Admiral to
fight for their cause instead. The battle ends with the Athalanian fleet destroyed, and the
rebellion fleet taking minimal casualties, securing the brookwin mouth for tariffs and supplies
offered by the Amnoonian Delegates.

With the Stormstalker landing and supplying a full batch of mithril sand, Arcturus makes his
way toward the Goodfield camp to rendezvous with the rest of Avel Goodfield’s army. With
assisting local denizens with the tyrannical onslaught of the Redmane occupation, Arcturus
meets and befriends one of Calen’s lost pupil Syldos Harpstrudder.

Minks’ Quest




With water rushing onto her face, submerging and resurfacing continuously within a large body of water,
Minks finds herself close to a pier, and upon that pier is a boy who throws rope close to her location. He
reels her onto the pier where Minks gasps for air, followed by croaky coughs. The boy leads her to his
house where danger follows; a redmane patrol taking the father of the boy into custody. However, the
redmane captain murders the father and mentions loose ends to be cut by the order of Ayesha Redmane.

The boy, who introduces himself as Gustav, takes Minks to his uncle’s abode near Bilgemill. There, with
a series of events taking place, meeting a familiar Tiefling the Hollow Banner have seen before in
Oakenstop named Shyrmyl, Minks finds herself into a situation of saving the local tavern from
Redmanes finding gifted children.

In meeting with a group of insurrectionists by the leftover army of the House of Thornwallow, Lady
Penelope Thornwallow asks Minks and her new found acquaintance Tiefling fighter to do a mission, and
acquiring the location of a hidden mine. Apprehending the very same redmane captain who killed
Gustav’s family, Minks was able to pinpoint where the mine would be, and that it was occupied by the
Felhammer Dwarves.
But before they investigated their quarry, they follow Penelope toward a local mage, by the name of
Keetha. They reach their destination to what appeared to have been a magical shop, and the assistant of
Keetha, Sevis Vilani, a sorceress gnome gives them fair warning with how there is a nullifying field that
surrounds the eastern front. Giving Minks a Safeward sigil that enabled her to use her powers, a trinket
made by the very material that the dwarves are mining; mithril sand.

Visiting the mine and having a situation where Minks and her party is attacked by ginormous spiders that
dwell within it, they managed to survive and grab a manifest that clues them to a hidden cove near a
village of Bilgemill. There she sees an operation of mithril sand under the labour of the Redmane
military, notably, under the supervision of Ayesha Redmane and the Scarlet Flame.
Taken under custody by Field Marshal Kroft and a meeting being taken by different Military Officials
and Representatives of the Redmane Army within the confines of this hidden cove, Minks finds out that
they’re procuring mithril sand to the dwarves. But with Shyrmyl infiltrating into the cove itself, the two
find themselves being introduced to another prisoner by the name of Joll Ironfoot. It didn’t take long for
Minks and Shyrmyl to alert the sentries, to which they decide to split up and leave the vicinity.

Miller’s Mission










Sparkling sunlight amidst the canopies of the forest, a slight nudge of the caravan awakens Miller, his
body completely battered with fatigue, he squirms as he attempts to raise his upper body to examine
where he is, to which a voice sounds off and greets him. It is none other than Ment and another to
Miller’s surprise, being none other than the Scatcher himself. Pursued by a patrol of Redmane Knights,
they manage to deal with them in quick succession.
Miller is then taken to a hidden encampment, there he meets a band of assassins as well as some
mercenaries. He meets a foreign creature named Raknan Fairfang, a familiar elf spy, Zeriel and two ex-
assassins from the Creed; Fiana and Cawen. Having to accept the next mission, which is to eliminate
Commander Cornelius of the Redmane army, the contraband needed one more member to be recruited,
a man with the alias Crosshairs.

However, intel suggests that Crosshair was already paid for by the Redmane army, Miller and his group of
mercenaries decides to confront Crosshair’s whereabouts, acting as a sniper to cut out supply lines of the
Elven armies. Upon apprehending Crosshairs, who reluctantly agreed to join the hitman group, Miller
sets his eyes on a nearby camp that housed one of his previous targets named Henry, who had vital
information regarding the plan of the Hollow Banner summoning the Red Dragon forcefully.

As the group infiltrated the Redmane camp, they realized their main target, the commander, was present
as well as some of the Creed members. Miller, reunited with his companion Fenris as well as Raknan in
tow, they proceeded to isolate the Commander and take him out. However, with the situation growing
dire as they quickly learned how formidable the Commander was, as well as a wyvern aiding him, they
decided to flee, with Miller convincing Henry to withstand his agenda of telling the enemy of their plans.

With only Miller to escape the mission, with help of a man named Calvin and rescued captive elf Mazi,
the three would flee the scene toward Camp Goodfield.

The Ophidian Offensive








As both the Wood Elves’ Glade Army and the High Elves’ Feldeep Army
advance the Redmane frontier, the Athalanian Rebellion Front decides to
blitz their army into sieging the Redmane’s forward operation base at
Neverground Castle within Mirion village.

Now, with Hollow Banner reunited, they set out their plans and strategies
accordingly. With Minks giving vital information regarding the location of
a Bloodied Coven ritual site at an abandoned fort inside Pygmy Grove,
Miller specifying the Commander’s whereabouts to be at Mirion Village,
where Calen confirms to be the same location where the last druid acolyte
of his circle is being held captive.

Arcturus mentions a large procurement of mithril sand to Charlotte as
well as its’ potency to be effectiveness to be able to use magic within the
nullifying field that encompasses the entire eastern front. Minks then
follows with the inclination that Sevis had created a safeward sigil to
enable all the spell wielders of the Elven army, and that the very same
material was being used by the Dwarves, to what reason she did not
know.

With a plan set in motion, they did not dally, and took off the following
morning to Pygmy Grove to rescue children who were captive at the
ritual site located upon Fort Harrion, the abandoned fort.

There they meet up with an Elven scouting party, led by one of the
Faeden Elves who volunteered to help; Gilgalion Hithrieve.