Following a brief respite in Bluepoint the characters made a few quiet inquiries about the massive book they had discovered and luckily for them a priest of Velena, the Goddess of Luck, was of some assistance. Not only did he indicate that book appeared to be a holy book dedicated to some ancient god but he also told the characters that there was a sage in a city several weeks to the west call Crows Corner that specialized in religious artifacts. Not wanting to return to the Pixiewood and face the wrath of the Elm King the characters instead made the decision to head west. As luck would have it a well-traveled merchant by the name of Azir was heading towards Watchburg, a large city on the westward way. In exchange for their protection the merchant was more than happy to take the characters along with him and even compensate them with some silver coins.

Along the way the characters began to befriend Azir, a gregarious man who originally hailed from the southern lands of Al’Ridar. Towards the end of their journey Azir came to the characters with a proposal. According to the merchant one of his former wives, he claims to still have nine more, took up residence in a small village called Everdowns. Azir claimed to have feelings for the woman and enough concern to ask the characters to travel a day out of their way and make sure his ex-wife isn’t struggling to make a living on her own. He offered the characters a fair amount of silver coins for the simple task.

Agreeing to the deal the characters departed from the caravan and headed back east a day down a side trail towards Everdowns. When they arrived they were shocked to find the town had been attacked and razed. An massive trail of debris headed off to the southeast. While some bodies were discovered it was quickly obvious that a large number of people had gone missing. Not knowing what else to do the valiant band of heroes returned to Watchburg to alert Azir of the situation. With great concern the merchant implored the characters to return to the scene and search for his ex-wife. Reluctantly they agreed and traveled back towards Everdowns.

Upon arrival the characters followed the trail of debris and bodies south and east. After nearly a day of travel the trail led to a large outcropping on rock several hundred feet long and wide and over one hundred feet high. An old, thin trail wound its way up the bluff to the top. There the characters discovered the ruins of an ancient temple. Little remained of the original structure. Several stone walls and a large well were all that was left to mark the site once thought to be a temple dedicated to Sendaria. After some deliberation the characters tossed a torch down the well and located a small tunnel that broke into the side of the well shaft. Typing off some rope the characters descended the well in order to investigate the tunnel.

Inside they discovered a natural cave system with several worked tunnels. Once inside the characters began to investigate and quickly learned the tunnel system was home to a clan of kobolds. After several small skirmishes the party was ambushed in an entrance tunnel and nearly met their demise. Luckily they managed to hold off the kobold assault. Further investigation led to the discovery of the entrance tunnel that burrowed out through the rock. Unfortunately it was too small for anyone larger than a halfling to crawl though. With no other options the characters pushed deeper into the kobold caves searching for another exit and barely surviving several other attacks.

After holing up in a room and camping overnight the characters continued to investigate. Eventually they discovered a back way into the system that was accessed through a larger cavern. While investigating they found the cavern was home to a large ogre. Once dispatched the characters were able to rest and camp in this larger tunnel with little fear of kobold reprisal. Well rested and fully healed they ventured back into the system after discovering a second tunnel from the ogre’s cave. This small tunnel led them into the kobolds leader’s living area. Again several vicious battles took place and eventually the characters were able to dispatch the kobold commanders and a wizard. Afterwards while investigating the lair the characters discovered a halfling slave name Rusty Thistlebottom, the lone halfling survivor from the village. Rusty informed the party that there were several other halfling slaves but the kobolds killed them after a while in boredom. Sadly the delay in investigating the incident had cost several halfling’s their lives.

With the kobold tunnels clear the party rested in the ogre cave. Rusty told the tale of his capture and that the kobolds didn’t act alone. He said they were pawns that worked for a group of Gnoles. The larger creatures took the human hostages farther to the east to a well-known Gonel camp on a small island in a lake. After some debate the party decided to investigate the Gnole camp with the hope of rescuing the other captives. A day to the east they found the halfling’s words were true and they discovered a small island in the center of a lake. On the shore were a dozen rickety boats that the Gnoles used to navigate the water. With the boats on the shore the characters assumed that the Gnoles were once again out hunting. After exploring several options and scouting the area the party decided to boat across the lake and investigate the island. Once there they discovered a small group of Gnoles guarding a mostly empty camp. A quick and brutal battle ensued and the characters were able to vanquish the Gnole guards. Inside the camp they discovered a small band of captives, including Maggie Hort, Azir’s ex-wife. After rescuing them Baralis decided to torch the Gnole dwellings.

Safely away the party returned to ogre cave and rested the evening. That night Maggie sought out Baralis while he was on watch and told the tragic tale of how she was suffering so greatly from the assault and lost everything in the attack. In fact she insisted she wouldn’t be able to make ends meet. After a failed resist persuasion roll Baralis felt compelled to give Maggie a handful of silver coins to assist her in starting her new life. The next day as the characters made their way back to Everdowns Maggie approached the other members of the party and told her tale of woe. Little could be done but pity the woman and hand over a small handful of coins to help ease the burden.

After reaching Everdowns the characters found a patrol of guards and most of the refugees decided to stay and bury the dead and perhaps pick up the pieces of their lives. Rusty had taken a shine to the teachings of Sendaria that Rajendri had been providing him and after some deliberation he asked to accompany the characters to Watchburg so he could learn more about the Goddess of Healing.

In Watchburg the characters returned to Azir and explained what had happened. After rewarding them Azir told the characters that his marriage dissolved with Maggie because he couldn’t trust himself around her. She was always asking for money and fine luxury items and he couldn’t seem to ever say no to her. The next morning Azir left for the south leaving the characters to travel to Crows Corner on their own. They spent several days in Watchburg resting up before finally deciding to head south then east. During their sabbatical Rusty began to learn the art of being a cleric and the party took on another halfling as a torch bearer, a man called Anders “One Shot” Swan. Anders was extremely clear that his pay only required him to hoist a torch and nothing more.

Refreshed with a larger party the group set out south. Along the way they discovered several surprisingly empty farmsteads. After investing a few they eventually discovered a small band of zombies inside of one. Wondering what was going on the characters continued to head south. After making camp they were attacked by a band of marauding orcs and further south they discovered Keller's Inn, a well known, and fortified tavern, in a fiery blaze. Uncertain as to what was going on in the area the characters continued on their journey. Eventually they encountered a lone scout, a member of the Company of the Serrated Sword. The scout indicated that members of his group were in search of a large book like the ones the characters had in their possession. In fact there was a substantial reward for anyone that found it and turned it in. After the brief discussion the man moved on and the character’s made camp with several unanswered questions about what the book is and what is going on in the area known as the Wildlands.