Book I - A Song of Shadows
Chapter 14 - The Siege of Shadowdale
The end of one story and the begining of a new one. The heroes met Storm Silverhand, the Bard of Shadowdale; and followed her request to look into the drow threat in the Cormanthor. Along their way they met Halinor and his band of wood elf rangers. As the two companies spoke, the drow ambushed them, only to be driven back and destroyed. The heroes found a recall stone on the drow, and used it to teleport to the drow camp and ambush them in return. With the help of Halinor and his gang, the heroes took out the camp of Jezz the Lame, and discovered that the drow were going to attack the Tower of Ashaba, and the town of Shadowdale. As the heroes returned to tell the town, the ran into an outcast ogre named Larn, who was happy to follow the group and help fight the drow. As the heroes entered Shadowdale, they discovered that they were too late, and that siege had already begun. The heroes barged into the tower and began to assist in clearing the halls of goblins, orcs and drow. During this time, they discovered that there was a spy for the drow in the tower, and that Scotti(the lord's son) had been replaced with a doppleganger. So, began the quest to find Scotti and stop the drow matron from sacrificing him. Through legions of gobinoids and orcs, the heroes waded, pools of blood and gore a trail for the Knights of Myth Drannor to follow. The heroes would not be denied as they tore apart the duergar that guarded the main halls, nor would they be delayed by the derro that protected the entrance to the Ritual Chamber. It was there in the chamber, that the heroes struck down the Matron behind the plot, and saved Scotti, suspending the drows innate abilities on the surface, only to learn that the invasion was to continue under the Hidden Ones command. This was learned when the heroes attempted to leave the underdark, only to face a being of shadow known as Malauntyr. He challenged the heroes to face him at the summit of the Old Skull. Stepping through a portal created by the shadow fiend, the heroes found themselves at the base of the Old Skull, where they hid Scotti before ascending the drow covered hilltop. It was at the top, that the heroes finally faced Malauntyr, a master mage of shadow, who sent duplicates of himself after the heroes as he summoned forth undead creatures to face the heroes. They battled across the entire summit, as sword and spell clashed, until Malauntyr found himself surrounded and his protection spells waning. Malauntyr enveloped himself in darkness, and teleported to safety as he summoned the Hidden One to face the heroes. The Hidden One was revealed to be none other than Tristan himself, and he had grown tired of Winter's interference. With a gentle wave of his hand, phantamal barbed tentacles appeared and began to crush the life out the heroes. All except for Doan. In a rage, Doan charged at Tristan, only to have his axe blocked by the double axe of the monsterous gnoll, Kren'ensher. Doan held his ground, and soon the two berserkers were raging across the summit, as Lachlan watched. With a deft chop, Doan ended the gnoll's life, but Doan was bloodied, he was surrounded by summoned creatures, his friends were being crushed by the phantom vines, and the wizard was preparing to finish him with a powerful blast from his Netherese gauntlet. Doan closed his eyes for a second, but somehow when he opened them, he and his companions were no longer in dangers way, but were about 100 feet away from Tristan by the summits edge. A beam of light erupted from the sky, and struck the earth, ripping it asunder, and destroying the summoned creatures and the altar that Malauntyr had on the top of the summit. As the dust settled, the heroes were shocked to see that Tristan still stood, even though the blast had hit him directly. Thats when an old man in simple red garbs and a pointed hat walked out to face Tristan, and all those who were there knew it was none other than Elminster himself who had come. Knowing himself outclassed, Tristan decided it was time to leave, but he would not leave empty handed. Tristan had said to Doan a few months ago, he could have used anyone from his tribe, his son had simply been available at the time. Tritan extends his hand, and with a flick of his fingers, Doan falls to his knee and in a pulsating heat within his own body begins to sweat as if in a room of flame, his vision blurs, doubles then triples, he goes numb, his heart rate reaches its peak, and his tongue tastes of copper, with a hot arid breath coming forth with a hint of sulfur, his usual steel blue gaze burns to the color of red and flame, he yanks off his gauntlet to reveal the sigil of the drake wing, he looks to it with a blurred eye but with an odd sight see's nothing but the sigil now burning along with rest of his body, he begins chanting in draconic, and giving a small guttural growl in between chants "THE BLOOD OF MY KIN IT BURNS, IT BURNS WITH THE RAGE OF DRAKEWING!!!." ((thats in draconic)) Finally, Doan stands, "Yes, Master" in a voice alien to his companions, Doan walks towards Tristan, who grabs his hands, and both of them vanish. Before the group can mourn the loss of Doan, Malauntyr reveals himself in the form of a shadow dragon to exact his vengence upon Elminster. The dragon and the wizard battled under the moonless night, the only light, the flames of the town below and the glow of the spells they unleashed at eachother. Alania grabbed Lachlan, who had been severely injuried, and attempted to flee down the hill. Malauntyr pushed the old mage away as he ran after the woman fleeing with the child, each step gaining on her, the dragon readying its breath attack. But the dragon breath was stayed and Alania saved as Cyquis attempted to hold the dragon at bay. Cyquis tried his best, but the dragon was to fast and strong to hold for long and he woul have perished had Elminster not returned once more to finish the dragon off with his thundering longsword. As the dragon perished, and the heroes collected their thoughts, Elminster pointed out how the battle was changing course. Elminster had been gone at the Sword Coast all this time, but before he returned, he brought the aid of Cin Okami and his mercenary band to change the tide of battle. He explaned that Tristan had worked with Malauntyr to get into his tower to recover to artifacts: the Shadow Orb, and a helmet once worn by Mekerion of Ravonia. and now the heroes will discover the answers to their questions, and more questions to their answers, as one book ends and anothr begins.
