I found Beladur easily enough, breaking his fast with a few companions. I joined him for a second breakfast to be sociable, and told him the message from Godfrey. Godfrey was calling in the favor Beladur owed him, the price of his being brought back to life.

I offered to join him in the trip back to Old Fawn, and he gladly accepted, saying he’d feared I’d fallen overboard or some other nautical nonsense. We ended up with a good group of adventurers – Grel, Sally, Itsy, Mazlor, Fergus, Pyrea, Belaldur, Ceresei and of course Willie and Josef I knew. Another mage, Taron, was also heading back to Old Fawn and traveled with us. Grel had hired a trainer, Yasir, who likewise came with.

On our second day, we met a man named Almund. He had a 3-legged dog and carried a raven on his shoulder, leaned on a staff and had a cloak of many shifting colors. We greeted him, and several of us felt moved to give him some coin, which he accepted gravely and for which he thanked us. He was pleased to see a follower of Tangadorin and a priest of the Light traveling together. Grel was awestruck, and I was stirred to remember a tale of an old sage named Almund, who had protected the littlelings when we first came into these lands. Fergus, too, seemed amazed. When we were done talking, Almund leapt high in the air and sailed on in the direction of Yew.

That night, we all shared a dream. Grel was standing on a plain, the rest of us behind him. He faced an iron door and he hammered on it, asked his god for help, pushed and pulled at it with assistance from Taron. Then Ceresei slapped him and we all woke, without the door opening.

In Old Fawn, Godfrey told us of a plot to kill the Duke in or around Enonia and blame the followers of the old gods. Belaldur was charged to protect the Duke. We all thought to help him in this, for our own reasons, but as the Duke had not yet left for Enonia, decided to first try to get Anastasia out of Upland Keep. Belaldur and Grel, joined by Fergus and Mazlor, pay a visit to two sage sisters known to Belaldur, and get intelligence on the chaos tower, the Natass family, and Upland Keep.

We headed to Upland Keep by way of Yew. Near the village of Arwith, we picked up a tail of thugs intent on talking to Pyria and Taron, and recruiting them to the Virridviola Guild.

We reach Yew to find Reynault has already left with his men for Pencurth. We hurry after him, as we have ambitions of sneaking into Upland Keep and opening it up for him. On the way, we run into Ivan Nattus, who does not seem to like us. The next day we rendezvous with Reynault and make our plans.

We set out for Upland Keep, slipping in through the cliff and caves. There is a bit of a fright with an undead creature, but we make it past and we all climb up the well. We quietly make our way to the main building, fight our way through the audience chamber, then upstairs. We kill the leaders, then take the gate towers and open the gates – just as Reynault’s men appear in the dawn light. We harry from inside the tower as Reynault’s men make short work of the massed forces outside the castle. After a parley, the Black Riders of Upland Keep surrender, and relinquish their treasures, in exchange for a promise of a fair hearing before the Marshal.