The Keys of Telku / The Final Key pt. 1 / Kith the 9th through the 10th, 3593 CE / 11-28-21

After spending 15 days hiding out under Castle Lidea and training, the former retainers of Tarrus the One-Eyed prepare to set out on their next journey. They know that once they leave the safety of the castle, they will not be welcome in Lidea again until they clear their names. They have been accused of attempting to subvert the dark powers of the artifacts known as the Keys of Telku by their former employer, Tarrus the One-Eyed, Lord of Liem. Ironically, this is the same accusation they have levied against Tarrus himself, and now they must find evidence to prove the Lord of Liem means to use the Keys for evil ends. There are 5 keys in total, and 4 have so far been collected and delivered to the ageless sorcerer. The one which remains at large can be located beneath the Cathedral of Baal in Baali, and though this by rights should mean it is safe from Tarrus's grasp, Night assures the others in the party that her fellow ninjas of the Amita K'un are capable of infiltrating even such a seemingly impenetrable locale in order to retrieve it. She urges to party to join her in venturing to Pandona, and there to confer with the head of her order, Master Sun, in order to alert him of the danger Tarrus poses before the Lord of Liem commissions the Amita K'un to retrieve the key. Shadolok the ranger tells the party that he intends to return home to his ancestral castle, despite the fact that his half-brother Rickard has taken over the title of Lord Argaine from their deceased father. Shadolok offers the resources of Castle Argaine to outfit the party for a longer expedition, if necessary as far as to Baali, and the party agrees this is a good idea. After saying their goodbyes to the guards they have befriended, Dorian Swifthand, the King's Spymaster, once more disguises the Adventurers as wandering penitents of Ciril, and they make their way out of the city. Traveling incognito along the city streets, they spy the traitorous bard Liscales regaling a crowd of onlookers with a less than flattering ballad about Adrienne. The party must calm John, who boils with rage to see the betrayer roaming free, and vows to return one day to exact vengeance. After being deposited outside the gates of Lidea, the party are joined by a newcomer, a dwarf named Koragar Blackiron, an associate of Marrow's. Despite some initial suspicion about the mysterious dwarf, the party is soon on their way, as Shadolok leads them off the main road and onto byways and trails in order to avoid scrutiny from any looking to collect a bounty for Lord Tarrus. After a peaceful and uneventful night camping in the wild, Shadolok informs the party that they are only a day's journey away from Castle Argaine. As they traverse a forest that will lead directly to Argaine lands, they come across a fallen tree. Shadolok immediately alerts the party to a possible trap, even as a shadow that Rados had observed moments before becomes manifest. As John blithely moves to remove the fallen tree, screams and howls are heard as a magical beast descends from the sky to fall upon the Adventurers.