YEAR OF THE SERPENT, 1359 DR

April 19 - A group of young, inexperienced characters arrives at the Keep on the Borderlands in search of adventure. Led by the paladin Severian, the group consists of Talvela (ranger), Elessar (elven fighter/magic user), Grymaldus (magic user), Qaryllian (magic user), Wenzel (halfling thief), Brother Bernard (cleric of St. Cuthbert), and Friar Dimas (cleric of St. Cuthbert).  The group is impressed by the strength of the Keep, as well as its isolation - a lone bastion of Lawful Good surrounded by a wilderness of Chaotic Evil.

At the Keep, the group learns of the depredations visited on the surrounding countryside by the Hag of the Shunned Caverns, who rides through the air on a broom, swinging the Censer of Weakness.  They also discover that nearby lie the Caves of Chaos, where many foul creatures dwell.

April 21 - The group travels to the Caves of Chaos and defeat many hobgoblins. They rescue a merchant and his wife from captivity, and use a Sleep spell cast by Qaryllian to capture two evil mages who fought for the hobgoblins. On the way out of the Caves, the group fights the ogre Breeyark to a draw. Breeyark leads the party out of the hobgoblin lair in exchange for his life.

April 23 - On their return to the Keep, the group is honored by the Castellan at a banquet. The Merchant's Guild remits all duties on treasure taken from the Caves of Chaos, in thanks for the rescue of the merchant and his wife. The group is also invited to a private reception by a jovial, travelling cleric and his two silent acolytes. The jovial cleric promises to join the party when they are more experienced.

Interrogation of the two human mage prisoners reveals that they were emissaries, sent from the Hag to the hobgoblins to negotiate an alliance.  The group learns that the Hag is based somewhere inside the Caves of Chaos.  That evening, a nearby village is terrorized by the Hag.

April 24 - After the run-in with Breeyark, the group decides to augment their fighting strength by recruiting another fighter.  Two candidates present themselves: a human fighter, and a dwarven fighter named Giselin.  The two come to blows and Giselin easily defeats the human.  In spite of his rather chaotic nature, Giselin is accepted into the party.

April 26 - After a brief rest, the group returns to the Caves of Chaos. Along the way, they encounter a saintly hermit, who offers to show them a shortcut to the Caves. Unexpectedly, he backstabs Wenzel, and is revealed to be insane.  His pet mountain lion also attacks from ambush.  After a difficult fight, the mad hermit and his pet are slain.

The group reaches the Caves and clears out the remaining hobgoblins and goblins. They again face Breeyark and this time are victorious, with Grymaldus using a newly-found Wand of Paralyzation to stun the ogre.  The paralyzed Breeyark is taken prisoner and brought to the Keep for judgment by the Castellan.  This feat gains the party the respect and admiration of the Castellan and Bishop, and they are granted the Freedom of the Keep.  The group also learns that Lord Balar (a high elf ranger/cleric) will visit the Keep in the near future.

May 3 - After resting at the Keep, the group returns to the Caves.  Along the way they encounter a convoy of wagons guarded by lizard-men. After defeating the lizard men, the party discovers that the wagons were loaded with dried leaves intended for the Hag. Burning the leaves produces a sickly vapor, to be dispensed by the Censer of Weakness.

After reaching the Caves of Chaos, the group invades the section inhabited by orcs.  The orcs drop a net on the party, trapping several characters, but the rest defeat the orcs and clear that section of the Caves.

May 8 - After returning to the Keep, the group learns that Lord Balar has arrived. He tells them that he is searching for his lost sister Bevalar, who was cursed by the Hag and has undergone some kind of transformation.  He believes that his sister is imprisoned somewhere in the Caves of Chaos. Lord Balar is unable to approach the Caves of Chaos because of an enchantment cast by the Monolith of Evil.

Enraged by the destruction of her supply wagons, the Hag flies over the Keep and uses the Censer of Weakness to inflict suffering and woe on many. Severian vows never to rest until the Hag has been defeated.

May 9 - Returning to the Caves, the group discovers that an obelisk (the Monolith of Evil) has been erected at the mouth of the canyon. The obelisk glows with an evil dweomer and prevents anyone from passing unless they can overcome its malign influence.  Searching the surrounding countryside, Wenzel discovers a hidden cave.  It leads down to an area inhabited by gnomes. Fortunately, Grymaldus speaks gnomish, and he converses with them.  The gnomes are delighted that the group intends to defeat the Hag and purge the Caves of their evil inhabitants. The gnomes lead the party to an underground pool with magical healing properties and show them the route to the canyon.

After emerging onto the canyon floor, the party enters another Cave and defeats the bugbear inhabitants. Emboldened by their success, they open a secret door and enter a winding cavern that leads to the lair of a fierce minotaur.  The minotaur fights with great strength and cunning. Finally, Giselin deals the minotaur a deathblow, but not before the minotaur   wounds him grievously.  The party cuts off the minotaur's head and bears it in triumph back to the Keep. Underneath a huge stone the party finds a rich treasure, including a Staff of Healing, which is henceforth carried by Brother Bernard.

After a period of rest, Giselin recovers fully from his wounds, but loses the use of his shield arm. He constructs a helmet from the minotaur horns and is henceforth known as Giselin Minotaurbane.

May 11 - Hearing about the party's victory over the minotaur, the remaining monsters desert the Hag and flee the Caves of Chaos. The Hag decides to take direct action against the party.

May 20 - The Hag dispatches an orcish assassin against the party.  Disguised as a Guardsman of the Keep, the assassin sneaks into the party's lodgings at night and attacks, wounding Elessar and Brother Bernard.  After a brief struggle, the assassin is defeated, with Wenzel backstabbing the assassin. Interrogation of the orc reveals that the Hag is responsible for this dastardly act.

May 24 - The two clerics (Friar Dimas and Brother Bernard) are invited to a theological discussion by the jovial cleric in his quarters.  When the two clerics fail to return after a reasonable interval, the group becomes suspicious.  A quick search of the Keep fails to locate either the jovial cleric or the two missing party members.  Talvela discovers a trail made by three men carrying heavy objects leading away from the Keep, toward the Caves of Chaos. The party follows the trail and eventually catches up to the jovial cleric and his two acolytes, carrying the unconscious bodies of Dimas and Bernard.  They were in the process of rendezvousing with two gargoyles, who intended to carry the helpless clerics to the Hag. A fierce battle ensues. One of the gargoyles attempts to fly away with Brother Bernard, but Giselin grabs onto its leg.  The weight of the dwarf and his plate armor keep the gargoyle from becoming airborne, and Severian slays the evil creature. The jovial cleric and his acolytes are defeated and returned in chains to the Keep. Brother Bernard and Friar Dimas are found to be under the influence of a Hold Person spell, which the Bishop at the Chapel of Cuthbert speedily dispels. Under interrogation, the jovial cleric reveals that he and his acolytes are evil servitors of the Hag.

May 26 - The group returns to the Caves of Chaos and discovers the entrance to the Shrine of Evil Chaos. They find a barred cell containing an attractive elven female. After Wenzel picks the lock, the party cautiously enters the cell. Their caution is well justified, because the woman is Lord Balar’s sister Bevalar, who has been transformed into a medusa.  Avoiding her gaze, they cover her head and treat her with great deference and respect.  They immediately return to the Keep and deliver her to Lord Balar.  He is profoundly grateful to the party and offers them several powerful magical items, including the Lion of Mitra (given to Talvela), the Seeds of Mitra (given to Wenzel), and a Wand of Lightning (given to Qaryllian).

May 28 - Returning to the Shrine of Evil Chaos, the group descends a flight of stairs and discovers a torture chamber.  After slaying the temple torturer, they find a crypt containing many coffins and a large sarcophagus.  Inside the sarcophagus they encounter a wight, which they defeat after a great struggle involving much spellcasting, both clerical and magical. Among the wight's treasure they find a magical sword (+4 vs. undead) which is given to Severian. The group barricade themselves inside the crypt and rest to regain some spells, then attempt to leave the Temple.  At the top of the stairs they encounter many zombies and ghouls, led by four acolytes of Evil.  An epic battle ensues, in which the party eventually triumphs but at the cost of Talvela, who is paralyzed and slain by a ghoul.  The group leaves the Shrine of Evil Chaos bearing Talvela's body and goes to the Pool of Healing. Bathing in the pool cures all of the party's wounds but it does not restore Talvela to life.

May 29 - The group returns to the Keep and asks the Bishop to raise Talvela. Unfortunately, the Bishop is not high enough in level to accomplish this. Placing Talvela's body before the altar, Severian spends the night in a silent vigil, praying to St. Cuthbert to perform a miracle.  At dawn, Talvela awakens as if from a deep sleep, fully healed.

June 1 - The group returns to the Shrine of Evil Chaos and reaches the innermost sanctuary containing the high altar.  An evil compulsion forces all but Brother Bernard and Elessar to sing a hymn to Chaotic Evil, which summons the high priest and his remaining acolytes, including numerous undead.  After another great battle (in which several party members were Held), he party is victorious. Now only the Hag of the Shunned Caverns remains.

June 6 - Returning to the canyon floor through the gnomish caves, the group discovers the entrance to the Shunned Caverns but is immediately set upon by a band of orcs.  Once battle has been joined, two of the orcs reveal themselves to be evil illusionists in disguise.  The two illusionists each cast Color Spray against the party, stunning everyone except Severian, Qaryllian and Wenzel.  The illusionists and orcs are eventually slain, but the Hag suddenly swoops down and prepares to carry off the unconscious party members. To her surprise, Severian risks death repeatedly from the Hag's spells to carry Grymaldus, Giselin, Elessar, Talvela, and Brother Bernard to the safety of the gnome caves.  His heroic actions retrieve all party members except Friar Dimas, who is flown off with by the Hag.  After recovering from the Color Spray, the group returns to the Keep.

June 7 - In need of a replacement for Dimas, the party recruits a cleric named Claud from the Chapel of St. Cuthbert. Claud is a somewhat overweight gourmand who is impressed by the group's deeds but is unused to the hardships of adventuring.  However, Brother Bernard vouches for his clerical abilities and his knowledge of fine wines.

June 8 - The group then returns to the eaves and conceals themselves near the mouth of the gnomish cave.  Wenzel uses Invisibility and his scouting abilities to spy out the Shunned Caverns.  He finds the entrance guarded by gnolls.  A chamber below is filled with huge vats, containing boiling leaves that produce the Vapors of Weakness.  Dimas is alive but suspended in a cage over a boiling vat.  Several guards are present.  Wenzel returns to the group and reports his findings.

The group carefully plans a rescue attempt.  Using Invisibility, Severian and Wenzel slip past the gnolls at the entrance and reach the Chamber where Dimas is held.  Soon after, the rest of the party storm the entrance of the Caverns, with Claud lagging behind.  While they annihilate the gnolls at the entrance, Wenzel backstabs the guard nearest the winch controlling Dimas’ cage, while Severian attacks the remaining guards.  Unfortunately, one of them breaks away and loosens the cable, causing Dimas's cage to drop toward the vat. Severian manages to halt the turning wheel, preventing Dimas from plunging into the boiling liquid, while Wenzel distracts the remaining guards.  The rest of the party then arrives and defeats the guards.  Friar Dimas is released from the cage and found to be unharmed, although somewhat weakened due to exposure to the vapors from the vats.

After further exploration, the group discovers that an iron door has been closed behind them, sealing them in the Shunned Caverns.

June 10 - After spending a day trapped in the Shunned Caverns, Wenzel discovers a secret door leading to the Hag's lair.  They enter the Hag's laboratory and are engulfed in a poisonous gas.  Qaryllian solves a cryptic poem to produce an antidote from ingredients such as powdered iron golem and manticore blood. Eventually, they discover the Hag's chambers and attack. She manages to cast Blindness on Severian and kill Giselin with a Lightning Bolt, but the party prevails and the Hag is slain.  Great treasure is gained, including the Hag's Broom (which allows limited teleportation).
While Qaryllian (LG) is unable to use the Bag's Broom, Grymaldus (N) discovers that it will work for him.  He teleports out of the sealed chamber (with Wenzel riding along) and returns to the Keep.  Help is summoned and the group is freed from the Shunned Caverns.
With the defeat of the Hag and the clearing of the Caves of Chaos, the region surrounding the Keep on the Borderlands is freed from evil and can now be open for settlement.  Lord Balar, the Castellan, and the Bishop praise the party's achievements.  The Bishop is able to cure Severian's blindness but can do nothing for Giselin.  He suggests that they consult the Archbishop in Arabel and gives the group a letter stating the group's accomplishments.  The Bishop informs Grymaldus that the Hag’s Broom is actually a powerful artifact that may influence its owner toward evil.  Grymaldus is willing to accept the risk.

The party puts Giselin's body (magically preserved by the waters of the Pool of Healing) in a crystal coffin on a wagon and sets out for Arabel (June 14).  Lord Balar and his sister return to Rhenovan Foresthall in Arch Wood.

June 18 - The party travels through Gnoll Pass without incident.

June 20 - The party reaches Castle Crag.  The local Baron asks that the party defeat an evil dragon (Reggar the Red) that has been devastating the region.  He states that the Archcleric has provided no assistance, despite his pleas. Severian refuses, on the grounds that the higher duty lies with getting Giselin resurrected.  The Baron responds by threatening to seize Giselin's body, so the group reluctantly agrees to perform the task.

June 21 - Protected by Invisibility and Resist Fire, the group enters the lair of the red dragon and engages it in combat. The dragon breathes fire at the party, but the only person affected is Claud, who is still invisible but gets a thorough singeing. The group defeats the dragon with ease and leaves its treasure to help rebuild the farms and villages in the region.  The Baron (who is heirless) pledges that after his death his castle and lands will belong to Severian.

June 23 - The group arrives at Arabel, capital of the Archclericy of St. Cuthbert. After presenting their credentials to the Herald at the Archcleric's Palace, the group is lodged at The Dragon's Rest, an elegant inn reserved for high-ranking visitors and guests of the Archcleric, Vidicor.  They are promised an audience with the Archcleric on the following day.

June 24 - The group is granted an audience with the Archcleric.  He is highly pleased with their accomplishments and agrees to attempt the resurrection of Giselin, if the group promises to remain in Arabel and perform three quests in support of the Archclericy and Lawful Good.  Despite reservations by Wenzel and Grymaldus, Severian agrees to the Archcleric’s terms.  Later that day, Severian is summoned to a private audience with the Lord Protector of Arabel, Darviathar the Just, a high-level paladin who is responsible for defense and military matters in the Archclericy.  He praises Severian's dedication to the cause of Lawful Good and urges continued devotion and steadfastness.

June 25 - The Archcleric successfully Resurrects Giselin, in an impressive ceremony at the High Cathedral of St. Cuthbert.   The group celebrates Giselin's return that night with a feast at The Dragon's Rest.

June 2-6 - While awaiting instructions from the Archcleric, the party explores Arabel. Elessar, Grymaldus, and Wenzel attempt to purchase magic items, but learn that "unauthorized magic" is forbidden in the city.

June 27 - Wenzel manages to find a merchant who deals in magic items on the side, and a tentative deal is struck. Needing additional cash, Wenzel burgles several wealthy gem merchants.  Elessar, meanwhile, is smitten with Moonglow, the elven apprentice of the storeowner, and spends much of his time with her while the group is in Arabel.

June 28 - In exchange for the pilfered gems and their share of the Hag's treasure, Wenzel obtains a potion of Mass Human Control and a Luckstone, Grymaldus obtains a Wand of Fireball, and Elessar obtains a Blink ring.

June 29 - The group receives a veiled warning from the Archcleric's Herald that the penalty for theft in Arabel is death.  Wenzel takes this news to heart and henceforth avoids burglary (in Arabel, at least).

July 1 - The group is summoned to the Palace of the Archcleric. They are informed that their first quest will be to investigate a report that a temple of evil has been rebuilt near the village of Eveningstar.  Elessar invites Moonglow to accompany them on the adventure, but she refuses.

July 2 - The party sets out from Arabel.

July 3 - Late that evening, the party arrives in Eveningstar.  They find the village square deserted.  As they approach a large stone cross in the center of the square, they notice mystical runes flowing across its face.  Qaryllian deciphers the runes before they vanish. The group spends the night at the Lonesome Tankard inn.

July 4 - The group follows the cryptic instructions set out in the runes.  They visit a grove of trees called All Season's Folly and a black granite bridge, where they find a magical sword.  Returning to Eveningstar, they discover the Road of the Dead, which they follow to the Citadel of Greycrag.  There they defeat the kobold inhabitants and climb to the top of the highest tower, from which they can see the spires of a golden temple to the north.  They travel to the temple and are nearly destroyed by a band of harpies. Only Elessar and Wenzel resist their enchanting song, and the two heroes manage to slay the harpies.  At the top of the temple spire the group discovers a blackened and charred skull, which attacks them with wraithlike powers.  The group manages to avoid being drained by the skull and eventually destroy it.

July 5 - The party leaves Eveningstar.

July 6 - The party arrives in Arabel.  The rest of the summer is spent in training and preparing for the next adventure.

October 12 - The group is summoned to the Palace of the Archcleric.  An urgent message has been received from Lord Balar.  The disembodied spirit of the dead god Bane (slain in the previous year during the Time of Troubles) is attempting to create an avatar and return to life.  On the borders of Arch Wood, in the Lair of the Necromancer, the body of an evil wizard is undergoing a metamorphosis which will enable Bane to animate the body and live again. Emanations of evil have already begun to encroach upon Arch Wood, and it is feared that the transformation will soon be completed.  Lord Balar requests whatever help the Archclericy can offer in preventing the return of Bane.

The Archcleric asks the party to travel to Arch Wood and offer their services to Lord Balar as their second quest. Severian accepts, and the party spends the next day preparing for the arduous and dangerous journey.  Elessar is eager to return to the land of his birth and help defend it against evil.

October 14 - The party leaves Arabel.  Talvela notices that the group is being watched from a distance by strange black flying creatures.

October 18 - At sunset, the group reaches the Immerflow river. The bridge is defended by followers of Bane.  After a fierce struggle, the party is victorious.

October 19 - The party continues to be shadowed by strange flying creatures. A general feeling of dread is pervasive.

October 20 - The group enters the Hullack Forest.  They are met by a band of druids, who inform them that they are allied with Lord Balar against Bane.  The druids heal the party's wounds and provide them with waybread.  In return, the High Druid asks that the party rescue one of their initiates, a young druid named Hawk, from the lair of an ogre mage at the edge of the forest.

October 21 - The party finds the lair of the Ogre Mage (Kunen) and defeats him after an epic struggle.  Talvela is slain, and the Ogre Mage escapes using Invisibility and Gaseous Form.  Kunen vows revenge on the party, particularly Severian.  The young druid, Hawk, is rescued.  In gratitude, the High Druid reincarnates Talvela, who becomes a were-panther.  The High Druid also directs Hawk to join the party.

October 22 - The party leaves Hullack Forest and continues traveling eastwards. A feeling of oppressive evil permeates everything.

October 23 - On the edge of the Thunder Peaks, the party finds a convent devoted to St. Cuthbert.  They are met by three Sisters, who inform them that their Reverend Mother (Marian) is being held captive by the vengeful Ogre Mage.  When the group enters the gates of the convent, ready for battle, Hawk vanishes from their midst!  The voice of the Ogre Mage then informs the group that Severian must enter the convent chapel alone if they ever hope to see Hawk alive.

Inside the chapel, Severian finds the Ogre Mage gloating over a set of five intricately carved statues of a Nixie, a Knight, an Owl, a Tower, and a Ballistae.  The Ogre Mage tells Severian that Hawk and Marian have each been transformed into a statue, and that the remaining statues are ordinary. if Severian can choose the correct statue corresponding to a given person, that person will be reanimated.  Each time Severian chooses wrongly, another party member or Sister will be transformed into a statue.  After each round, the form of the statues will be magically altered to make the task even more difficult. If Severian refuses, both Hawk and Marian will die.  Severian accepts the challenge of the Ogre Mage, then turns to the altar of St. Cuthbert and prays for guidance.  After much contemplation, Severian then selects the statue of the Knight and announces that he has selected "Hawk".  To the astonishment of the Ogre Mage, Hawk then reappears!  Muttering something about a "lucky guess", the Ogre Mage then transforms the statues into the following set of five: a Wolf, a Goblin, a Needle, a Scimitar, and a Chariot.  Having correctly deduced the scheme of the Ogre Mage's puzzle, Severian immediately selects the Needle and announces that he has selected "Marian".  The Reverend Mother Marian then reappears!  Furiously, the Ogre Mage smashes the remaining (nonmagical) statues to bits, cursing Severian, St. Cuthbert, and all paladins.  When Severian draws his sword, the Ogre Mage turns to vapor and escapes, again vowing revenge.

The Sisters are overjoyed at Severian's victory over the Ogre Mage, but Severian gives all the credit to St. Cuthbert and the divine inspiration granted him by the Saint.  He explains that the puzzle scheme was that the last letter of the character name corresponded to the first letter of the statue.  The Sisters prepare a simple but nourishing dinner for the party, and the group rests peacefully for the first time since leaving Arabel.

October 24 - The party is met by an escort of fighter-elves sent by Lord Balar and led by Salreen, an elven ranger and Balar's Herald.  That evening, the group reaches Thunder Gap and is attacked by from both sides by a large force of Baneguard, led by the Shadowlord.  The Baneguard are a special type of skeletal undead that cast Magic Missile and Blink.  The battle that followed was the perilous that the party had yet encountered.  Fortunately, Grymaldus discovered that the Shield spell would protect party members against Magic Missiles cast by the Baneguard.  Qaryllian used Web to immobilize some of the attackers, although Brother Bernard was also caught in the effects of the spell.  The Shadowlord was unaffected by most the weapons wielded by the party, but Hawk was able to call down Lightning from the baleful clouds overhead and inflicted great damage on the evil leader.  Talvela then transformed into a were-panther and shredded the astonished Captain of the Baneguard.  The remaining Baneguard were then destroyed.  Although no party members were killed in the battle, numerous elven fighters died, and Elessar grieved for their loss.  Salreen was also wounded.

October 26 - The group reaches the sanctuary of Rhenovan Foresthall and are greeted by Lord Balar and his sister, the Lady Bevalar, who is the Ruler of Arch Wood.  He thanks the party for their assistance and informs them that the metamorphosis of the avatar of Bane is nearing completion.  Within the Lair of the Necromancer, the avatar of Bane is protected by fiendish guardians and diabolical traps.  Finding and destroying the avatar will be an extremely perilous task. If the party is not successful, Bane will be reborn and Arch Wood will fall into his power.

Lady Bevalar thanks the party for rescuing her from the Hag of the Shunned Caverns. Previously transformed into a medusa by the Hag's Curse, she has recently been restored to her original beauty by the elven mages of Arch Wood. As a token of her gratitude, she gives her amulet to Elessar.  She tells the party that the amulet will protect them against some of Bane's foul sorceries. The party also meets Cyric Forestfriend, a human mage who lives in Arch Wood, and Dorn Blackhammer, leader of the dwarves of the Thunder Peaks.  Both Cyric and Dorn are allies of Lord Balar.  The party spends the rest of the day in rest and contemplation of the great task ahead of them.  All wounds are healed, and the wizards scribe spells from the spellbooks of Cyric Forestfriend.  Dorn Blackhammer presents Giselin with the Hammer of Mitra, a powerful magical weapon forged by the dwarves millennia ago.  Elessar vows to return to the beauty and serenity of Rhenovan Foresthall someday, perhaps to see the Lady Bevalar again.

October 27 - Although the Lair of the Necromancer lies in the Thunder Peaks, many days journey by foot, Lord Balar has a magical flying boat which can transport the party by air.  Wenzel learns how to fly the boat, and the party soars above the Arch Wood.  Despite the fears of Claud and Hawk, Wenzel steers the boat safely through the Thunder Peaks and lands near the Lair of the Necromancer after an hour of flight.
After negating the magical wards on the doors of the Lair, the party encounters a deep chasm spanned by a narrow bridge. Wenzel notices that the bridge is actually an illusion, so Grymaldus ferries the party over the chasm using the Broom.  Halfway through the process, the group on the far side of the chasm is attacked by shadows.

After defeating the shadows, the party enters the main section of the Lair.  Here they encounter numerous magical traps, including invisible Walls of Fire and Ice, and Glyphs of Insanity, Withering, Fire, Warding, Poison, and Plane Shifting.  The party emerges unscathed because Claud had the foresight to cast Find Traps, which revealed the location of each trap before it was encountered.  Dimas and Bernard then cast Dispel Magic to negate each trap before it could harm anyone.

The party discovers the living quarters of the necromancer and finds much treasure, including a Slate Stirge and Gauntlets of Ogre Strength (hereafter worn by Severian).  They also find the Necromancer's Laboratory and Library, including many tomes of evil lore (which are taken by Grymaldus).  Qaryllian finds a Helm of Comprehending Languages and Read Magic.  Their spells depleted, the group spends the night in the chambers of the Necromancer.

October 28 - The group continues to explore the Lair and discovers that passage to the lower level is blocked by a water-filled shaft with a massive stopper at the bottom.  Severian drinks a potion of Water Breathing and swims to the bottom of the shaft.  Using the Gauntlets of Ogre Strength, he unplugs the stopper and avoids being pulled down as the water drains out of the shaft.
Grymaldus uses the Broom to ferry the party to the bottom of the shaft.  There they encounter a room filled with Stone Golems.  By correctly answering several riddles, they deactivate most of the Stone Golems and defeat the remainder in melee.  Qaryllian finds a satchel containing Nolzur's Marvelous Pigments.

After fighting guardian skeletons and doombats, the party then discovers the secret chamber containing the body of the Necromancer.  It is wrapped in a yellowish chrysalis and enveloped in a reddish glow.  The chrysalis is guarded by several cockatrices and two Banite clerics.  The party defeats the evil guardians and destroys the chrysalis.  The body of the Necromancer disappears with a shriek and a clap of thunder, and Bane is forever banished from the Forgotten Realms.

Returning to the surface, Wenzel pilots the flying boat back to Rhenovan Foresthall.  There they are welcomed by Lord Balar and Lady Bevalar with great honor. Each hero is given the Freedom of Arch Wood and is forever welcome in Elven lands.  That night the party is feted at a moonlight banquet beneath the centuries-old trees of Arch Wood.

November 1 - After spending several days resting in the serenity of Arch Wood, the group is transported by Balar's flying boat to Arabel (much to Wenzel's displeasure, the boat flies on autopilot this time).

After returning to Arabel, the party is summoned to the Palace of the Archcleric for an audience.  The Archcleric is greatly pleased with the party's efforts in preventing the return of Bane.