Fifteen years have passed since the destruction of the Orb of Golden Death.   Thecla (Archcleric of St. Cuthbert) continues to rule the Archclericy of Arabel with the assistance of  Lord Protector Severian (paladin of St. Cuthbert and Grand Master of the Order of the Lance and Staff).

Under the leadership of Calmert (Bishop of Hommlet), Imelda (Mage), and Elmo (retired ranger, now Mayor),  the village of Hommlet has prospered and grown into a small town.  The damage suffered under the Cormyrean and Sembian occupation has been fully repaired.

The largest temple in Hommlet is that of St. Cuthbert.   The elderly druid Jaroo still lives in the Grove, providing guidance for those of the Old Faith.   A temple of Tymora has been built,  led by the halfling cleric Iyix.  A small Pantheon has also been constructed, with shrines to all the non-evil deities.  A garrison of troops from Arabel, commanded by Captain Gundar, protect the town from brigands and raiders.

In the center of the marketplace, a monument has been erected with the following inscription:

"In honor of the heroes who contributed to the downfall of the Temple of Elemental Evil"

There follows a list of names:  Alenzur, Artemis, Ashlar, Calmert, Charon, Claud, Dolinkas, Elmo Eugene, Flint, Glimmerwood, Gordon, Gorenwyl, Grymaldus, Gundar, Hallie, Hawk, Hershorn, Hollen, Hudjen, Icasus, Imelda, Iona, Iyix, Ka (rest of name illegible), Kearine, Kirchen, Krier, Kunan, Maldred,  Jagger, (entire name illegible), Merkury, Murfles, Nemesis, Otis, Primax, Raven, Selene, Sir Leuhr, Teal Sonya, Terelin, Teresa, Titus, Zeph, Y'Dey.

A crypt has been excavated beneath the Temple of St. Cuthbert where those who fell in the campaign against the Temple (and whose bodies were recovered) were interred with honor in a ceremony many years ago.  A shrine to Tempus (and memorial to the fallen priest Gordon) was built near the Keep by the High Battlelord of Westgate.

Occasionally adventurers visit Hommlet with the intention of digging through the ruins of the nearby Moathouse and the more distant Temple of Elemental Evil, in search of any treasure that might have survived the destruction.   To date little has been found, although recent travellers report that brigands have been active in the vicinity of the Temple and the abandoned village of Nulb.

Bishop Calmert, ever vigilant regarding the possibility of renewed activity at the Temple, has written Archbishop Y'Dey in Arabel requesting an investigation.

March 10 - A group of adventurers consisting of Tero (paladin), Gandalf (mage/rogue), Motley Crude (bard), Brute Farce (fighter), Qey (monk), Satchel (mage), and Anti-Orc (fighter) arrive in Hommlet.   They have been sent from Arabel in response to Bishop Calmert's request for assistance.

As soon as they reach town, the group splits up.  Brute and AO head for the nearest tavern, Qey visits the Pantheon to meditate, Motley visits the inn to see if he can perform that evening, Satchel visits the Keep to speak with Imelda (town mage), while Gandalf and Tero meet with Calmert at the Church of St. Cuthbert.

Calmert tells Tero that he suspects that illicit activities are occurring at the nearby Moathouse (thoroughly looted and sacked repeatedly in the past 15 years) and that his group should investigate.  Gandalf then visits the town sage and purchases a book entitled The Downfall of Elemental Evil , which chronicles the destruction of the Temple of Elemental Evil 15 years ago.

At the Pantheon, Qey meets a Monk/Ranger named Ingrith.

At the Keep, Satchel manages to persuade the gatekeeper that he should speak with Imelda.  Satchel asks the Mage about demons and how to combat them.  Imelda suggests that he sign up for her course Demonology 101, which includes a field trip to the Abyss.  Satchel declines, as he is unsure how long he will be in town.

That evening, the group meets for dinner at the Inn of the Welcome Wench (dinner music provided by Motley).  The audience is quite enthusiastic, and one patron (Chatrillon) buys Motley an ale.  Upon learning that the group intends to investigate the Moathouse, Chatrillon offers his services as a scout and adventurer.

AO notices a man drinking heavily and wearing a Holy Symbol of Tyr.  AO accosts the man, and upon learning that he is a paladin, insults him.  The drunken paladin punches AO in the face, and Tero breaks up the fight.  AO is ejected from the Inn, to the jeers of the crowd.

March 11 - The group assembles in the common room of the Inn.  Tero rejects Chatrillon's bid to join the group.  Following Calmert's map, the group travels about four hours along a disused trail through scrub brush and marsh to the site of the old Moathouse.  Along the way they meet two rangers (Selene and Krier) and their wolf companion (Notomo).  The rangers warn the group that increased activity has been observed near the Moathouse.  Brute is ordered to scout ahead and is attacked by a giant frog lurking in the weed-choked, stagnant moat.

The entire group then approaches the Moathouse and crosses the newly-repaired drawbridge.  To their complete amazement they are attacked by a young black dragon that has been lairing in the dilapidated great hall!  After a desperate struggle the dragon is slain.  In the courtyard the group finds two corpses clad in ochre robes and wearing a strange amulet, bearing the symbol of an inverted ziggurat.

After further exploration of the above-ground buildings the group finds a stairway leading down (aided by the map in Gandalf's tome).  In an abandoned torture chamber they battle ghouls led by a ghast (Satchel is paralyzed).

Using the map, the group finds a secret door.  This leads them to another room they battle a cleric who summons a fire elemental, augmenting her force of gnolls and skeletons.    Tero turns the skeletons, and Satchel slays the cleric with a lightning bolt before she can do any further mischief.  Several unusual items are found in the room, including a torch, black cones, and a cubic sculpture.  They also find a journal that indicates that a number of cultists have infiltrated Hommlet, in support of ongoing excavations at the Moathouse.

Motley explores ahead and encounters Obliviax, losing all memory of the past 24 hours and causing the group to briefly suspect him of being a doppelganger.  While the group is resting, Qey is ambushed by a gnoll-ranger who hates humans.  The gnoll is defeated with the help of the entire party.  Motley and Qey find a corridor blocked by a stone wall that the map clearly indicates leads to the Chamber of the New Master.

While the group is debating what to do next, they are attacked by a ghast (Satchel is paralyzed again).  The sound of the battle alerts two nearby clerics, and they attack as well (one summons an Earth elemental).  Gandalf uses his scroll of Cloudkill to annihilate the foe.

At the bottom the the stairs the group finds a drained pool and a shaft leading downwards.  A platform supported by a rope/pulley/winch assembly appears to provide a means of descent.  The group decides to defer exploration.

Using the map, the group reaches the crypt room.  Satchel preps the area with a Fireball, then searches the room for treasure.  He is ambushed by a ghoul that survived the inferno, and Satchel is paralyzed for the third time again.

After rescuing Satchel, the group decides to explore a warren of earthen tunnels that have been dug behind one of the crypt chambers.  The group quickly become disoriented and Qey is snatched by a ghoul.  Qey is rescued and the group eventually finds their way out of the tunnels, crypt, and Moathouse.

Back in Hommlet, Gandalf takes the amulets to the sage, who identifies them as belonging to the Cult of Tharizdun, a deity whose portfolios are madness, evil, and global destruction.  Satchel makes a deal whereby Imelda and her students will analyze some of the treasure from the Moathouse.