The Tellenmae Crystals

Masquerade Madness
Daryll received instructions from Father Frederickson to attend a Masquerade Ball in Minnongate, representing the good name of the Church of Ted. The Ball was an annual event hosted by Lord Thomas Beckenwith the 3rd and the guests hail from all around, notably nobles and individuals or groups of high standing.

As his new-found companions, most of the others in the group agreed to make the journey with him. Robyn, however, had personal matters to attend to and bidding farewell headed off on her own, promising to return when she was finished. The group travelled South as part of a Caravan along the Merchant’s Road, arriving at the cheerful port town of Minnongate after a couple of days of easy travelling.

On their arrival in Minnongate, Lord Beckenwith asked for a private meeting with them prior to the party. At this meeting, he disclosed that in recent weeks a number of his peers had mysteriously been killed and their homes ransacked - and he feared that he may be next. He wished to use the Ball to bait out the evil perpetrators and confront them. The Crimson company readily agreed to help.

Meanwhile, at the local Torm Temple on the outskirts of Minnongate, the young priest Xalanth had learned of the recent spate of murders. Seeing that justice was going unserved and the law being flouted, he decided to travel to Minnongate to, for the protection of all.

The veiled nature of the Ball allowed everyone to don disguises and hold conversations with various guests. Some of the party took on the role of guests, others pretended to be servants of Beckenwith Manor. One guest finally made their move and broke into Lord Beckenwith’s trophy room. Xalnath and the Crimson Company apprehended the intruder and learned the truth about why Beckenwith was a target…

Many years ago, a mage named Tellenmae created a mighty magic ritual, devised over long years of study, to harness the powers of the elements and bind them to her will. Many mages coveted this secret but Tellenmae refused to share it. Then, for nebulous reasons, shortly before her death she poured the last of her power into creating a magic item that could replicate this ritual...The Tellenmae Crystal. After her death the crystal through means unknown came into the possession of the red dragon Arzosah and, as the stories go, used it to wreak havoc on the world around him. He was finally defeated by a band of brave heroes and the crystal was retrieved. Fearing a repeat of these terrible events, this band of heroes tried to destroy the crystal but were unable to do so. One of the group, a learned wizard, was eventually able to split the crystal into 4 pieces. Each piece was given to a trusted person to keep safe. These crystals have passed down the generations in peace..and Lord Beckenwith was in possession of one of them, a transparent crystal left by his grandfather.

Earth to Earth
Worried that the other crystals were also in danger of being uncovered, Beckenwith decided it was high time that they were moved on to new owners. He also decided that Xalanth and the group from the North had proven themselves trustworthy and so asked them to help him in this task. Xalanth agreed to join the Crimson Company and they all headed out to the suspected location of the green crystal…the graveyard!

On arrival at the graveyard the party soon discovered things was definitely wrong. A dark, unnatural fog hung over the Eastern section of the graveyard and the groundskeeper warned them not to enter that area. Undeterred, the brave adventurers bravely crossed the threshold into the unknown. The fog was so thick and dark that visibility was down to a few feet in any direction. The group pushed on but were soon met by the evil they were warned of. To make their through they were forced to battle with terrible undead and foul creatures of the dark…the very ground seemed to want you dead - and all but succeeded with the party bard Chip.

Eventually, tired and worn, they reached the grave they were searching for. The family who were last known to protect the Green Crystal, the Purcells, had a private plot with 3 graves. Hovering above the central grave, a spectral being floated, watching you with her face of a child. Beneath her lay a music box, the perceptive amongst you spotting the green crystal within it.

The ghost defended the Crystal fiercely, possessing Daryll and forcing him to turn on his allies. It was clear that the ghost was beyond your abilities to defeat; there was no way to defeat her directly. However, some quick thinking saved the day. As a group you managed to distract the ghost long enough to destroy the music box. As soon as the box disintegrated, the powers that held the child to this world vanished and her ghost was set free. All that was left behind was the crystal.

Forgotten Fire
Following your terrifying encounter at the graveyard, you returned to Lord Beckenwith and rested at the Manor whilst he continued his research. After a short time he discovered an article in a book that perhaps gave you your next location…

““You see,” he explained, “when the red dragon Arzosah had this area in his grip, he took the temple on the hill for his own. Everyone here in Minnongate was at his mercy, but from what I’ve found in my research, the members of the Kossuth Temple were particularly mistreated. I suppose, as they were fire worshipers, the dragon felt that he was some sort of self-appointed god to them and he certainly abused this. One source claims that their families were slain to ensure that their servitude was focused purely on the dragon himself.”

Beckenwith referred directly to an open book on his desk.

“After the downfall of Arzosah, the Kossuth Clerics were released from their suffering. To recognize and honour the pain they had endured and the sacrifices they had made, the town of Minnongate bestowed upon them a gift.”

Based on this, the party headed to the Kossuth Temple, hoping that the “gift” referred to was the crystal they sought. Stephen stayed behind to offer help with Beckenwith’s research.

The Temple was in a state of disrepair. Signs had been put up to ask people to stay away and the main doors had even been trapped to emit flames when the bell was pulled. Thankfully, the Crimson Company thought quickly and managed to evade the traps and make their way inside. A Kossuth Fire test barred entrance to the main hall, but again, this posed no challenge to our intrepid adventurers.

Within the temple they met an solitary aged acolyte. He introduced himself as Brother Ember... and he was clearly terrified of Xalanth. He advised that the crystal was indeed entrusted to the temple and had been hidden in the catacombs beneath. In his aged and frail state however this was all the help he could offer. And so, they made their way cautiously into the darkness below.

The Catacombs offered many challenges and tested all of your skills as heroes. The most challenging, perhaps, was a cruel floor puzzle leading to the crystal itself. After much deliberation, and one or two nasty burns, this conundrum was finally side-stepped by Berzeli’s Spider Climbing ability and some of the fire-resistant liquid cleverly saved by Daryll from earlier.

After gaining the red crystal, you made a quick exit, leaving on good terms with Brother Ember. You headed straight back to Beckenwith Manor to share your accomplishment.

Beckenwith Manor, unfortunately, held a surprise for you.

Whilst you were away, a group of Dragon Cultists had taken over the Manor. Beckenwith was nowhere to be found and Stephen was being held in the ballroom. They wanted the Crystals in return for Stephens life. Luckily, Berzeli had thought quickly and hidden the Red Crystal, ensuring its safety regardless of the outcome.

After negotiations broke down, the ballroom turned into a battlefield. The fight was vicious and was nearly ended at one point by a knife at Stephen’s throat. This was thwarted, however, by Chips talented spellcasting. The cultists were defeated and the leader was questioned before being served the harsh justice of Torm. His revelations, however, were not so easily silenced. Arzosah was returning. And not only that, the secret of Xalanth’s past and parentage was revealed to everyone.

Smugglers Secrets
With Beckenwith gone, the party had to discover for themselves where the final crystal was hidden. Some of them felt that a trip to the town hall was in order, to find out if there were any other noteworthy persons in town who may have been entrusted with a crystal fragment. Other members of the party suspected that the crystals each represented the four base elements and so surmised that the Docks, representing water, may hold the answer. After a nights rest, the adventurers split up and followed each of the leads.

At the Town Hall, Chip and Berzeli hit a dead end, finding no records to help them. They did find out one interesting, if unhelpful, fact… the Green Crystal had been entrusted to the family of one of the original adventurers who defeated Arzosah. Although, now that they were dead, this information was of little help.

The others found the trip to the docks much more enlightening. An old sailor named Jeremiah revealed that he was a smuggler in his youth and knew that a heavily guarded treasure still existed hidden in a black chest in the abandoned smugglers caves to the East. Not only that, but for a small fee he agreed to take them there in his boat. Once the party was united, they took Jeremiah up on his offer and set out towards the caves.

The caves proved hazardous. Even though most of the treasure had been removed long ago, creatures and foul things had made it their home. Of particular note was a clever Mimic that nearly de-limbed Xalanth and a Gelatinous Cube that engulfed Daryll and Xalanth, very nearly killing them. They did, eventually, find the black chest and used keys that had been discovered in the caves to unlock it. After everything they had been through, the last crystal fragment was in their grasp.

== The Great Escape == The cave exit brought the Company down to the Minnongate River, depositing them in the rushing water. The smell of burning and sting of smoke alerted the Crimson Company to trouble. One look at the soaring silhouette above and they knew Arzosah had returned for his Crystal.

Before they could take any action, Brother Ember rushed down from the village towards them having been waiting for them to emerge. He advised the party to run and told them that the only way to save the town now was to ensure the crystals never fell into the dragon's clutches. This advice they followed and made their way North along the river and away from the town, dispatching any of the Dragons followers who tried to stop them. When Minnongate was just a bright smudge in the distance, they heard the defiant roar of a Dragon who had lost his prey. Soon they reached their destination - the Temple of Torm outside Minnongate, Xalnath's home temple.

It seems over...for now. The one called Arzosah had been evaded and The Realm was safe from the powers lurking in these innocent looking stones. What will now become of the crystals is up to the Crimson Company, but one thing is sure… Arzosah will not forget them or the crystal fragments they possess.