Yesterday, we finished up the year 1623: a group of odd trollkin calling themselves the Neepspawn and claiming allegiance to Neep Trollsbane, famed trollkin runelord in Dragon Pass, visited the fort and offered their services for a meager sum. They seemed like decent warriors, so they were hired. Odd bunch: one is almost supernaturally ugly (APP 0, -50% to be hit in close combat), the "four friends" work together but worship Humakt, Babeester Gor, Seven Mothers, and Zorak Zoran, and the sixth party member, called The Feet, is the wierdest. Seems to be a decent trollkin specimen who is controlled by the magical Babeester Gor axe that he wields, called Nose-Biter. They seem trustworthy enough to guard the outer compound of the fort at night, so they do.
The Lunar Provincial Field Survey team contacted the party thru Caernak and offered to do a joint mission to the Tien shrine. How they found out, who knows, although they seemed to know little of what the party knows. All are 7 Mothers inits. The leader, Dalamides Aveticus, is a rune lord, plus there is a scholar named Hazphar Pharates, a priest named Reskil, and a nomad tracker named Antonia Blackhock. The party met and dined at Erigio's with them and negotiated a deal: the lunars could document the site before the party ravaged it, and any spoils would be split.
You left on the first day of the year, went south near Arrowsands without problems (thanks to Lunar paperwork), hiked east to Condor Crags (encountered odd mercenaries who warned them of Morokanth), saw giant condors and morokanth slavers at Condor Crags, then headed into Vulture Country. Many misadventures along the way including poison gas storm, quicksand, heat wave, impala rider skirmishers, some giant black tarry amoebae that stuck to weapons (Except fire!), and a giant slimy fanged worm that bit Pachala's abdomen before it was slain by Dalamides and Pachala. Pachala's wound got infected and later he found that the disease had eaten 1 SIZ! D'oh.
Eventually you found the Gates of Dusk Canyon and Noway Canyon that lead toward the Devil's Knob, and you searched for the shrine. Lots of broo tracks around. Arcus found the entrance: a long staircase down from a cave set in the cliff wall. Plenty of recent broo and booted tracks. You split the group into one half left to gaurd the beasts and sent good warriors in to investigate that night. The stairs lead 800m down into the earth, to a great pool with a passage leading out the other side. The crossing seemed easy enough but the bodies at the bottom of the pool made you uneasy: no wounds! Soon the cause was apparent, for when Dalamides and Pachala stepped in the water, Mad Head Ghosts manifested and attacked with spirit combat and spells.
You fought them off as you crossed the pool and moved on down the passage ahead. There you found a pillar with an exposed skull (many more probably covered by plaster) and a Darkwall blocking the space behind it. Dalamides rushed through while Pachala smashed the skull. You heard Dalamides say "put down your weapons, we can negotiate" then you rushed in. Inside there was a small shrine with Thanatari waiting in ambush. Yep, the same Dyskund Thanatari, as expected. You handed them a resounding defeat in short time; Arcus and Pachala slew the broo priest while the others fought the lackeys. No well dressed broo this time. A POW 26 ghost named Ormelius Dragonchilde was attacking Pachala the whole time, so you made haste. Unfortunately Reskil and Dalamides insisted that you wait for them to document the shrine before destroying it. Dalamides let the ghost attack him for a while, then left the shrine while Reskil took notes and let the ghost whack at him. In the meantime he had an interesting conversation with the polite, chatty ghost and learned that he was a Lhankor Mhy from about 800 years ago, bound reluctantly to the shrine's defenses.
Arcus hit the altar with a sledgehammer and was struck by a Sever Spirit spell that failed to cream him. Reskil warned you to avoid that shrine, and pointed out a secret door in the corner that no one could figure out how to open. Then he said that Dalamides told him that he was bound to a crystal on the altar... dilemma: smash the crystal and risk another Sever Spirit or not? Not was the choice; Reskil spent a few more rounds and then you fled with the bodies of the Thanatari. The ghost seemed to be bound to the shrine area and didn't pursue.
You looted what you could and left. Built a big fire outside the shrine to mark its location.