I wasn’t able to make it to this session, so I don’t have any notes for it. the DM put together a synopsis of what happened. So in order to keep the story together, I’m tossing that up here. This was the final wrap up of the previous module, and the introduction to the new module.

After the portal was closed, the sword Handahar was given from Sir Keegan’s ghost started to glow and became more powerfull. Kalarel had a +2Mace that was given to Healicus and a Powerful Magc Artifac called The Rod of Ruin.

When Handahar picked The Rod of Ruin up the following happened: As you reach out and grasp the Rod of Ruin a flash appears before your eyes and you feel as though you are pulled away through time and space to an age long forgotten. The brightness clears and you find yourself standing atop a precipice of a mountain, in full battle gear, the rod in your hand. You are commanding legions of demons and the undead as they march upon your enemies. Into the feywild they go, and you suddenly feel a slip of your power as one by one the army falls to the arrows of the fey. You feel each successful hit as suddenly you begin to bleed from the mouth, choking on your own fluids and finally fall, the rod slipping from your grasp and tumbling into the chasm. You awake lying in a pool of sweat back on the floor of shadowfell keep, the rod in your hand. You hear a whisper of a promise of power if only you will keep it safe. The final words you hear before being able to get up is “…seek Karavakos”.

Handahar put the Rod into the bag of holding and carries it on his person. The group decided it was evil.

The group sealed off the keep entrance, rested, and headed back to town. Once they returned to town they were welcomed as heroes and went straight to Lord Padrig who thanked them and announced that he would have a feast in their honor that night. Tapi asked to have Douven Staul summoned for the feast. They then went to Sister Linora to see if she could help them to get a better understanding of the Rod of Ruin. She didn’t know anything regarding the Rod. She was troubled because there have been a series of kidnappings in the area recently and they lead to a group of slave traders in Thunder Spire Mountain. This confirmed information that the party found in Shadowfell Keep and the party decided they were going to Thunderspire to get to the bottom of this.

Tapi bought cool party outfits for everyone. The rest of the party got their equipment repaired, purchased horses, and readied for the trip the next morning.

The entire town and Douven Staul attended the feast. The party spent most of the evening talking to Douven, Lord Padrig, and Valthrum regarding Thundrspire and the slavers.

This is the info that Valthrum had regarding Thunderspire: “Have you ever heard the legends of Thunderspire Mountain? Tales claim that a great city built by minotaurs in the ancient days waits within the depths of the mountain. If you are in search of adventure, then exploring those ruins and bringing back word of the wonders you see would make this old man extremely happy. Think about how strange such a place must be! And imagine the treasures that might remain from such an alien time and location. Long ago, the Nentir Valley was ruled by the minotaur lords of the underground city of Saruun Khel, hidden under the Thunderspire Mountain. It disappeared from history’s stage some three hundred years ago. Very little is known about Saruun Khel and the minotaur civilization, and no one really knows why they died out. The only thing I have managed to find out about the Thunderspire Mountain is two specific parts of the ancient city of the minotaurs—the Labyrinth and the Seven-Pillared Hall—both appear in various texts from explorations of the mountains. More recent sources speak of the Mages of Saruun— modern arcanists who seem to have some lesser or greater influence in what remains of the ruined city. I would greatly appreciate if you could find any clues as to why the minotaur civilization simply vanished!”

Dinner was interrupted by a group of riders approaching the town. The riders consisted of 3 powerful heroes of Theron, Etheran of Theron (Human fighter), Bax (Dragonborn Fighter), Arcon (Eladrin Wizard), and 10 soldiers. They were escorting 7 villagers who they had just rescued from slavers and one prisoner. The group was searching for the remaining 6 missing townsfolk when they came upon Winterfell. The prisoner turned out to be an old acquaintance of the group, Ghrash Vren. Grash is a large, Red Dragonborn Fighter who used to be a ward of Douven. He is a disreputable mercenary and a criminal. Gresh mocked and taunted the party. Gresh claimed that he and his partner Kale Telan were victims who were kidnapped and that he was unjustly accused. He mad a deal with Lord Padrig in which he agreed to give vital information as to where the slavers were going with the remaining captives in exchange for being freed if the party was able to return them safely.

Theron is currently being attacked by Trolls and the heroes of Theron needed to return home as quickly as possible. They asked the party to hunt down the slavers and free the remaining captives. Before heading off Arcon inspected the party and gave Elowyn and Morvek enchantment bonuses to the pact blade and orb.

As the party approached their destination Kale Telan ran towards them warning of a trap. Kale is Ghrash’s partner and is also a former ward of Douven. His appearance was haggard and barely recognizable since the last time you saw him. The party was immediatey attacked back Hobgoblins. Combat ensued and the party was victorious. They quickly found the missing villagers. After the battle it was clear to the group the Kale has been overcome with madness. He was ranting about “finding the pyramid”, “The Place of Power is Mine, not yours”, and “Kravakos has summoned me, not you. Not You!!” When the party tried to get him to return to town with them he became agitated and threatened to kill the innocent villagers if the party didn’t let him leave. Arkash was able to quickly subdue him and they took him back to town.

The party returned to town. They decided that Vresh shouldn’t be allowed to be free; so they when they freed him, they allowed the remaining soldiers from Theron to take him into custody. They left Kale in the custody of Lord Padrig and Valthrum asking that they tried to help him.

The party headed off to Thunderspire. As they approached The Rod of Ruin Gave Handahar the following vision: Suddenly things shifts around you. Startled you look around to find that you are surrounded with legions of walking dead and snarling demonic beasts, climbing the mountain side, but nobody seems to take notice of you – as if you were not there, or as if you were seeing the events play out in front of you like a dream. In front of the hordes you see bleeding and wounded minotaurs being slaughtered by the relentless hordes of undead and demons. Their shrill cries of anguish, pain and doom meets no mercy, and their large fur-clad bodies is trampled upon by the marching hordes. You raise the Rod of Ruin towards the skies and bark out a command in an evil tongue – you feel satisfaction. Tonight the minotaurs dies!

Traveling into the mountain the party came across a group of Hobgoblins claiming to be Blood Reavers who were trying to kidnap a halfling. The party fought and defeated them.