I'm back in Rutherford for another respite and am taking this opportunity to bring you up to date. The good news is that I and my companions are all still well. Kara has left our group but a timely addition has joined: Arden is a halfling paladin of Yondalla. Also, we have made some progress in our quest to understand the nature of the temple of elemental evil. The bad news is that our worst fears have been confirmed by circumstantial evidence as well as by no less an authority on evil as a large spell-casting green dragon. Perhaps the strongest corroboration however, is the incessant visions afforded to Koshmur by his God Moradin.

This travail has been a challenge on two fronts. First, the physical difficulties and risks we have had breaking into this caldera of evil. However, no less a challenge is the confounding mystery surrounding it. 

Before I get carried away on my suppositions and speculations, let me back up and describe the past few months since I last wrote. 

After setting out from Ruttleford to Rastor, we took a circuitous loop east along the main tradeway in Veronia, south-east by river to a charming halfling community called Goodmead (and it was as good as its name, foul harpies notwithstanding), south along the mountain foothills skirting an large ill-omened wood, and thence briefly back west to the village of Rastor.

This odd town lives in the shadow of the caldera we were seeking and we approached it with some trepidation. Our initial observations re-inforced our worry: it is home to humans, dwarves, and orcs! A more unlikely confluence of back-woods hard-scrabble farmers you could not imagine. None-the-less, we were somewhat reassured by the presence of a priest of Moradin named Rerrid Hammersong. He was able to give us the lay of the land: we learned that the Stalagos (as the caldera is named) was originally home to the dwarves (still extant in these parts) before they delved too deep and exposed some dangerous evil that drove them out. Currently, it is recognized as a dangerous and evil place, but one that conspicuously ignores its neighbours. There is merely a modicum of commerce between the two communities (indeed, as we have since learned, Rastor is by far the smaller of the two!)

[As it turns out, that commerce went through a nasty man named Tal Chammish who had been using an addictive drug to coerce the community leaders. During one of our breaks from our investigation of the Stalagos, we uncovered his plot and were compelled to spend the better part of a month helping the town deal with the withdrawals. The task of breaking the victims' addictions turned our party into nurses and physicians (Koshmur and Kara's ministrations were necessary). Sadly, despite our efforts, a number were unable to fight the pain and died. It was a horrible situation to be in: using force to deny these poor farmers their poisonous solace.]

Back to our first arrival in Rastor: after a very brief stay, we set out almost immediately for the caldera which lies four hours into the hills surrounding Rastor. From our investigations in Hommlet, we were led to believe that there was a west entrance to the old dwarven mines that might be considered safer than the main gate. If that is the case, then I am glad we had the information.  

When we stormed the west gate complex, we found ourselves fighting the largest battle of our lives: the place was crawling with gnolls and human mercenaries. To make matters worse, there was a gigantic ogre and a madman riding a spined horror called a Howler.

After initially believing that we can made a lethal miscalculation, Telos was able to thin out the battlefield using his awesome fireballs. After an eternity lasting perhaps two minutes, we were able to secure the area and begin our investigations in earnest.

From this moment on, our lives have became an endless succession of such battles interspersed with nightmares, depressing omens, guarded sleep, and Koshmur's healing. There is something else that I would confide in you mother: I seem to be having strange visions of my own. Occasionally, when I am spending time recuperating, I spy a shape that I can only describe as a second shadow. It cannot be an artifact of the light for it is much too clear. I can count our party of six and yet find seven shadows. No one else in the party seems to notice. Sometimes, I sense that this shadow is focused on me in some fashion. Whatever it is, I sense no evil and neither can our paladin. For the moment, I have said nothing to my companions. However, it may be important. When we returned to Ruttleford nearly a month ago, the "shadow" was absent for some days. However, it seems to have found me again. Still, there is no malice, (and I have become quite attuned to that aura over the past year), and so for the nonce, I am withholding judgement.

To detail the endless litany of battles would take too much time and would deprive me of the opportunity to see your face when I describe some of the situations in which we have found ourselves.

Instead, I will share with you some of our hard-won knowledge of this evil place. As I said, the Stalagos is a caldera: a circle of low mountain surrounding a stagnant lake. At the center of the lake is an island and at the center of this island is a spire.  

The rim is a rat-warren of tunnels which date back to the Dwarves earlier occupation. Some of these are rough mining tunnels, others are regions of finished rooms and quarters. Today, these tunnels connect four separate evil temples to elemental earth, air, water, and fire. Opposite each temple's position on the compass, is a bridge connecting the rim to the island. Each bridge's access is guarded by a fortified gate complex just as formidable as the two gates to the outside world. Thus, the "Air Bridge" lies between the Earth and Water temples (which stand no longer thanks to our efforts!). The "Water Bridge" is not a physical bridge but we infer its existence from the gate complex that guards it.

The island is referred to as the Outer Fane; the Inner Fane we are assuming is the spire at the center of the island. We have learned that the Inner Fane is home to none other than Hedrack, a villain of Hommlet's past and the Battle of Emridy Meadows (I'm sure that you have done some research since my first letter).

We still do not fully understand the role of these four temples - as I mentioned they are constantly at war with each other. In our battles against earth and water, our adversaries' dying words were always a query: "whom do you serve?". That is, they assumed that we were attacking them on behalf of one of the other temples! ha!

Under normal circumstances, we would be happy to let them war with each other but our need for knowledge compelled us to take more direct action. Whatever the reason for their internecine fighting, it is clear that they are in some fashion rivals vying for the favour of the Inner Fane.

In any event, since our initial foray, we have overthrown the earth and water temples as well as the subtending bridge complex. More interesting however, (and I alluded to this earlier), is the several days we spent hunting the new guardian of the west gate complex - Varanthis, the Green Dragon. He was a formidable foe who can fly blindingly fast: he would attack us and flee before we had a chance to respond. As we played cat-and-mouse in the mine tunnels south of the west gate, he wore us down with acid that he could spew from his maw.

Finally, we were able to find his lair; a watery cavern with a single entrance. We looted it while standing ready for his attack and when he did his rage was such that he could not flee. To help keep him contained, Koshmur also blocked the entrance with a magical wall of stone while Telos dueled with him in mid-air.

[While this was going on, we very nearly lost Arden and Whist to a horrible rending machine - a fiend called a girallon that was guarding Varanthis' treasure.] I used my arrows to dispel the dragon's many mirror images and eventually, Telos was able to cast one of his most potent spells: Form of Carp! Yes, he turned the great green dragon into a fish!

Unfortunately, despite my urgings, Telos refused to dispatch the dragon and we had a great argument over this matter. Instead, believe it if you will, he bargained information out of it in exchange for its life and the promise that it would not directly or indirectly seek to harm us. I will admit that the information has been valuable but perhaps not as valuable as we would like. He did flesh out some of the details of the temple including descriptions of other adversaries we are bound to encounter at some point. (Although, I am planning to avoid one he named: an ancient red dragon!) It is important to realize that the dragon as well as most of the others we have encountered here are nothing more than mercenaries and hangers-on.

After defeating the dragon, we returned to Rastor; it was then that we dealt with Tal Chammish. After that hiatus, we returned and finished off the water temple. And now, we have spent the last month in Ruttleford preparing to continue our fight. We plan first to deal with the remaining elemental temples before proceeding to the Outer Fane. The elemental clerics within the rim may not be a direct threat but we can ill-afford to have them at our backs.

I believe that the clerics of the four factions do not they truly understand what it is that they worship. From what we have learned it seems that the Inner Fane is home to some fabled "Dreamers" that seek to wake this dark god. However, "god" seems an ill-chosen word to describe something that seeks to destroy, or perhaps devour, the entire world. I have begun to think of it as an "anti-god".

As I mentioned at the beginning, Koshmur has been receiving urgings from his God that we return quickly to overthrow this temple before the anti-god awakes (or is woken). For that reason, our sojourn in Ruttleford is coming to an end and we return tomorrow morning to resume the battle. This time however, we have a definite target: apparently there is a Temple to Moradin hidden in the mines that has been discovered by orcs fleeing the excesses of their masters. Tomorrow we will attack the Earth Bridge gate complex and seek out this temple. We are hoping to find some artifact that will aid us in our quest. (Are you confused by the fact that we will attack tomorrow while tonight we are in Ruttleford? Telos has learned how to transport our entire group long distances in the blink of an eye!!)

Finally, let me add one more ominous warning. In addition to the threat we are currently fighting, we have just heard rumours that Bretundy has sent troops to Bards Gate. It seems that our old fears may also be have been well-founded. I fear for your safety south of the mountains, so I will repeat my caution: should ill befall our home, seek refuge using my name first in Rême with Halan Mezzia, second in Fairhill with the Priestess of Freya, third in Khundrukar (if you can find it), and finally, should you be able to get over the mountains, seek the protection of the Baron Euphemes in Ruttleford.

I'll be thinking of you often Mother. Take care.

Your loving daughter,

D'loris