The Luminous Order is Revealed

SWAG returned to Sumburton, training on the 10th and 11th days of Planting for their newly acquired 3rd level. While in town, Carrack received a note from Chimera, Ltd., stating that the strange shop would be open from high noon to two minutes past high noon. At noon, the shop appeared out of nowhere, surrounded by a magically electrified fence. In the shop, time seemed to stand still. Carrack purchased alchemical fireworks and put a down payment on a handy haversack.

Meanwhile, Quintavian and Petra chatted up the city guard and Sumburton militia, engaging in "extracurricular activites" with two of the finer men of the lot. Petra took the dark creeper's notes to Chandrea at Sumberton Scriviners, who translated them, revealing that something was hidden at the Surrinak hunting lodge. Chandrea noted that, although she was not a member of the Ebon Cabal, the Cabal might be interested in any magic found there, but that they might be hesitant to approach if they learned that SWAG was conspiring with the Luminous Order to stifle magical discoveries in the name of unbending rules of law.

The group also met Armand Herrick, Champion of the Luminous Order over a fine dinner at Kennick's. He explained that the Luminous Order patrols the Valley, fighting evil and watching for any demonic activity. Political difficulties would prevent overt questions of the reclusive Surrinak clan by the Order, but the Order agreed to pay SWAG to privately investigate. He also warned to steer clear of the greedy, lawless Ebon Cabal. He told the long story of a battle a millenia ago of celestial and human forces against demon hordes, transported directly from the planes of hell. They were beaten back by magical obelisks that drained away the demon's magic, and these obelisks remain today, scattered and their history forgotten by most in the Valley. The teleportation gates were also destroyed, and the crater of the Slaughterscar was all that remained of the demon's invasion, or so they thought.

SWAG took up the Order's challenge, and headed first to clear any remaining evil in the Kurkle Ridge. The group encountered an ancient, extraplanar maug, patrolling a pit of summoning circles to prevent a demon onslought. The mercenary maug said that for hundreds of years it followed its mission to protect the celestial army, awaiting further orders. SWAG then fought dire rats and an ankheg, but all other evil seemed to have been killed or fled.

SWAG journeyed back to Sumberton, and then on to the Surrinak lands. They travelled through Dondorran, bought some fine apples, pears and pies, and on the 15th day of Planting, encountered a group of mercenaries patrolling Surranik territory. The group, called the Police Forces of Surrinak (PFOS), was led by Stank the flying drawf fighter, Perchance the cleric, the ugly rogue Raisin the Fork, a girly bard Bonobo, and an unseen, invisible ally. PFOS escorted SWAG to town. They spent the night in a small inn in the village of Castle Surrinak, hearing strange wolf-like howls at night. On Planting 16, they awakened, prepared to explore the mysteries of the Surrinak lands.

Into the depths of the fissure

The group descended the stairs to the east, encountering a large lizard in a muddy cave. The lizard tried to eat some of the group, but was killed without inflicting injury. Around the corner from the lizard cave was a strange old library with a red carpet. The shelves were filled with ancient books and the room was guarded by a goblin named Bruntalgoik and his hyena. Bruntalgoik wielded a masterwork scimitar, which was promptly ripped from his hands by Carrack's whip as his hyena fell in battle. With no weapon to defend himself, Bruntalgoik lept up and repeatedly tried to grab Petra's sword, but failed as Petra elbowed him away. And there he fell, weaponless.

Around the bend was another, smaller muddy cave with wooden planks across it. Red and Quintavian repeatedly fell in the quicksand mud, but were rescued after many harrowing attempts across the muddy pit. Chanting filled the air from around the corner, where a hobgoblin cleric and three skeletons swayed before an altar and a pile of coins. Nambrakh the cleric cast hold person on Petra and cause fear on Red, temporarily disabling them as the skeletons fell in battle. He then cast inflict moderate wounds on Erlwyn, severely injuring her. But SWAG fought back, and Nambrakh turned invisible and fled. Four zombies from an adjacent room then attacked. They were beaten down, but Nambrakh was able to make his escape.

In an adjacent room, the group barged through barred doors to encounter dark creepers, who fought with a mysterious magical shadow cloak protecting them. SWAG overcame this obstacle, taking down the creepers and finding scrawled notes in undercommon and a map. Carrack deciphered some of the script, and saw that the notes said that a gate (which later was discovered to look like the gate in the next room) was "ruined." The map mentioned a building and a stone, but the other words were too hard to decipher.

Continuing past the indeed ruined gate, the group busted through doors to battle hobgoblins and goblins. The final goblin surrendered, stating in goblin that he just worked there after being recruited from his nearby village. He said he knew nothing of the map or the rest of the complex. At Petra's urging, the party reluctantly sent him packing back to his village.

Nearby, the party saw a howler in a room, in the center of a magical patten painted in lines and circles all around the chamber. Red lept a balcony to fight the howler, and was quickly shredded to -6 hp. Petra ran down to grab him while the rest of the group pelted the howler with ranged attacks. Petra managed to drag Red away, while the group killed the howler from above.

After a long day of battle, the group gained enough experience to gain a level. They used their mule to pull the heavy crates of spices and trade goods up to the surface and began the journey back to Sumberton to train for their new level.