After leaving Seren, Stryder and Justin made their way across the Wastelands of Anun (Anun is the Goddess of Death and Sand in this land).  None ever attempt to transverse this barren waste where no water lies, as beyond the wastelands are mountains that were, according to legend, created by demons.  Thus they were called Demon's Arm, as the entire range is shaped like a demonic arm...  This is where the adventurers came across the first piece of the ancient artifact.
	There is one path under Demon's Arm that foolish or insane mortals will take, named after the insane Dwarf-lord's Clan name:   The Path of Dunakar.  Once inside this dark tunnel, Justin and Stryder were confronted with a long dead skeleton lying in front of them.  By his side lay a sword that seemed as if it had just left the forge:  Its edge still magnificently sharp, no evidence of wear or use, and the shining diamond pommel still glistening in the torchlight.  That was not what excited Justin, however.  He knew that this sword belonged to one of the Holy Knights, and after a quick search, he found what he knew was there:  A shard of a violet crystal about half the size of a dagger.  This was a piece of the artifact.
	Before moving on, Justin took a moment to place the sword in the skeleton's hand, telling Stryder of that custom for fallen warriors of the Diamond Kingdom.  After a quick, yet ancient prayer, the two were off into the innards of Demon's Arm, making their way as quickly as they could through the dark passages.  After six days journey, they had come to the other side of the dark tunnel, but they were now confronted with a puzzle door.  It's mystic magics enchanted it so that none would pass unless they were able to solve the riddle on either side.  And so it read...
	"What do you use to hoe a row, slay a foe, and wring with woe?"
	Such a riddle was easy to both adventurers, though through different means.  As Justin had loved riddles all his life, it took him but a couple moments to recall this same riddle.  Stryder was able to come across the answer from his days as a barbarian of the north.  They answered simultaneously, "Your hands" and the door slowly opened, revealing a lit tunnel and another Holy Knight's sword and body.  A second piece of the artifact was now gained, and another soul set to rest in peace.
	The two rushed off toward The Rift of Screaming Souls, a deep valley that light never reached the bottom of.  All the while of marching so deeply, it seemed as though that all the dead of the world were now in this rift, screaming and wailing at the two living beings.  Such noise was more than enough to make a man lose his mind.  Had it not been for the urgency of their quest, the adventurers would have surely gone insane.  Three days into the rift, they found another of the swords and another crystal, but they were at least seven more days from the end of the screams of the dead.  It was nearly impossible to sleep with the wailing.
	By the seventh day into their journey through the rift, both Stryder and Justin were exhausted.  Since neither could sleep, their would be no regaining their energy that was needed so badly.  And so, Justin pulled his lute off his back and began to sing a song of heroes, the very same song his father used to sing to him.  He had never sang it to anyone except his sister.  A song in its own right, but backed with the magical powers Justin had learned to create, the two were invigorated, and marched on.  That night (or at least they thought it was night), Stryder was able to sleep as Justin continued playing, blocking out all the screams and wails in Stryder's mind.
	Stryder awoke, refreshed, and found that Justin still had not slept and had finally stopped playing.  Due to the vicious torment of the last seven days, Stryder was unable to recall Justin's song at all, though he knew that Justin had played one.  Justin, having barely slept in the last seven days was hardly able to stumble, so Stryder carried the poor bard.  With his father's song in his head, Justin passed out, completely exhausted.  He awoke to find that Stryder had made two days of travel in one, but they now had to climb out of the deep valley.
	With all the strength and speed the two could muster, they began their ascent up the steep slope of the rift's end.  Nearly halfway to the top, Justin slipped and began sliding back down the way they had come, but caught himself by a shining sword that they had passed.  After a brief dig, he found a fifth shard of the artifact.  By the end of the day, the adventurers were again exhausted, but they had finally made it out of Rift of Screaming Souls.  And for the first time in nearly ten days, they slept peacefully.
	Stryder awoke to find Justin gone.  He scrambled to his feet and quickly looked about.  He was relieved to find that the bard had only gone about forty paces away from their camp, but he was staring at something.  Stryder came over to find that another skeleton lay before them, but this one different.  There was no sword or shard, but there were the remnants of a lute.  Evinil, the bard that had been the guide of Adunadain, lay here.  Beside the skeleton lay an old scroll tube and a rusted rapier.  "So it came to be that he was forgotten..."  Justin said sadly.  He reached down, taking the scroll tube and laying the rapier across the skeleton's chest as he had done before.  He placed the scroll tube in his backpack, and headed off, into the dark forest looming before him.
	Stryder followed as Justin led on with great speed.  Justin knew that the forest they were now in had been given its name for a reason:  The Forest of Forgetfulness caused those foolish enough to enter to slowly forget where they had come from and where they were going and how to get there.  If one spent too long in the forest, he would begin to forget his life.  Several months among the dark trees would turn into a mindless servant of evil.
	And so, with all the speed the two could gather, they rushed through the dark forest, toward the Temple of Baazelu:  The temple that held a portal to one of the many hells.  As the sky darkened for the coming night, Justin broke into a mad run, straight northeast.  Stryder followed and would have overtaken Justin, but he knew not the way.  He soon realized why Justin had dashed off like that:  There was a ghoulish figure in the distance with a diamond pommeled sword strapped to his side.  Justin called to Stryder, "Kill him!  He is and Undead minion of this forest."  Stryder only needed to hear "kill undead."  He overtook Justin, charging at the Undead Holy Knight, with a burning fire of violence in his eyes.
	It was short work.  Stryder struck once with his mighty axe and the creature was destroyed.  Justin arrived a moment later, grinning at his friend's victory.  He again performed the burial ceremony and took the shard, combining it with the other five  into one jagged crystal.  Each piece was identifiable, yet they were now all one.  "Seven pieces left, Stryder.  They're all in that temple,"  Justin said, pointing.  In his rush, Stryder hadn't noticed the dark structure off to his right, but he was now glad he hadn't.  The temple instilled fear into even the fearless Stryder, yet Justin seemed unaffected as he rushed into the Temple of Baazelu.
	The cracks in the floor of the temple seemed to glow with an evil light.  While Stryder would assume his friend to be wary and cautious, Justin rushed down the halls as if he knew exactly where to turn.  At the end of one hall lay a body of the seventh Holy Knight.  Justin had already combined the new shard with the others as Stryder arrived.  Justin nodded with a grin as he started off, back down the hall.  Stryder turned to follow, but scratches on the wall caught his eye.  It seemed to have been written quickly and poorly, but Stryder was able to make out this:
	"......... MUST BE .......  .. ... .... MAD  .. ... THE FAITHE"
Stryder hurried to catch up with Justin, who seemed not to be worried about Stryder.  Stryder understood.  He was able to take care of himself.  Justin had already grabbed the eighth shard and combined it with the others and was heading back out of the hall when Stryder turned the corner.  He now walked just behind Justin through the maze of tunnels.  One of the four remaining shards lie with a crushed skeleton in the middle of the main hall.  Two lay together in one of the large rooms housed in the temple.  That left one final shard:  Adunadain's.  Justin started off, slowly.  Stryder matched his every step, worried that Justin knew of some lurking darkness and had failed to mention it.  He stopped suddenly and turned to Stryder.  "Stay here for a moment.  There are traps ahead and I can step more lightly than you.  I know that there's a lever down that hall that disables the traps," Justin said before moving off.
	As Justin passed a large entryway, he tripped and fell to the floor.  He lay there a moment, waiting for certain doom to come from some form of trap.  His luck came through and saved him once again, as he hadn't landed on any triggers.  He stood up slowly and made his way further down the hall, until he came to the passage he had pointed to.  He turned and, for several moments (though it felt like hours to Stryder), he was neither seen nor heard by his companion.  After a loud click, Justin soon reappeared and headed for the doorway he had tripped in front of, motioning for Stryder to come.
	They entered the huge room together.  Straight across from the door was a large, burning red portal.  Near the portal lay another sword, though this one was much grander than the other twelve.  By the door lay the skeleton of an Elf.  Adunadain.  Justin bent down to retrieve the last shard, but stood back up quickly.  "It's not on him..."  he said, confused.  "Stryder, check by the portal, if anything pops out, you'll be better for taking it down."  Stryder did as told, heading directly for the sword.  Just as he reached the it, the huge stone door slid down from the ceiling, trapping Justin and Stryder inside.
	Justin didn't seem worried.  In fact, he started laughing maniacally.  "You are far too trusting, Stryder of the Faithe."  Justin said, bowing.  Stryder was utterly speechless at this.  "Do you really think that I'd trust you with the power of the gods?  You see, when I tripped, I did two things.  First, I grabbed the last shard from the doorway.  I also decided that you have been a good friend and if you look, there is a scroll in there that even you could figure out how to use.  It will return you to your home.  As for me...  I am but an illusion."  Justin's figure phased out of view, but his voice continued through the door.  "I knew that I could lead you into this trap if I just had a chance to reactivate it...  But I shall take my leave, Stryder of the Faithe.  I may see you at the inn..."