11 Flamerule, 1371

Dear Master Zorthaster,

We have rescued a Netherese Lich, traveled to Shade Enclave and destroyed a gate to the plane of Shadow.  Now we need to prevent a dracolich from being created.  It has been a busy day and I’m getting tired.

Following our battle with the Nightwalker, I received a sending from Master Wands.  His news focused on things that seemed less than urgent, though he mentioned that he would be looking younger next time I saw him.  I don’t know if that meant something about his chronomancy or if it was related to his comment about getting his beard caught in the printing press.  I took the opportunity to tell him about our recent battle with the Nightwalker, and mentioned the shadovar, Roakshane, Kilsek, and the shadow weave.  I suspect the spell deserted me in mid sentence, as I was blabbering on for a while.  Hopefully a little of my news got through to him.

We had little time to dally, for we still had not found Master Kareel.  As Perenor directed the way, Oskar warned of great evil ahead.  We prepared for the battle by renewing a few spells that had dissipated and we moved on quickly.  We soon came to a door behind which Oskar sensed powerful evil as well as lesser spirits.  Carefully positioning ourselves around the door we opened it to discover five shadowy beasts prowling about in a gloomy room.  In the room was a huge dark tree growing around and over a skeletal figure.  When asked, Perenor confirmed that the figure was his trapped master.  Master Kareel was held in place by black lines of dark, cloud-like ribbons of energy originating from four pillars, one in each corner of the room. 

The dark beasts attacked, but our positions were well chosen.  Only two beasts could attack at a time while most of our warriors could reach them.  They fell, two by two, as they sprang to attack.  Kilsek and I kept close guard on two other doors in our room in case more shadovar arrived, alerted by the sounds of battle.  It turns out that while they were alerted, they chose not to assault us just yet. 

When the shadow monsters were destroyed, Shane, Oskar, the cat and Primula rushed into the room to attack the dark tree holding Master Kareel.  It was badly damaged but managed to entwine my friends and planeshift away with them.  Hoping to help both them and Master Kareel, those of us that remained began to attack the pillars.  As each fell, the cloud-like ribbons of magic force fell away and the Lich’s bonds weakened.  As soon as the last was dispelled, Master Kareel disappeared.  He returned an instant later with our missing companions.  The tree had shifted to the plane of Shadow where our missing adventurers had succeeded in killing it.  The arcanist brought them back. 

He wasted no time in directing us to attack the shadovar in another part of the complex.  He took Kilsek and Roakshane to destroy the gate to Pandemonium.  The shadovar, given plenty of warning by our noisy battle, were ready for us.  They had positioned themselves with fighters by the door and spellcasters in the rear.  Kerith very cleverly used a clairvoyance scroll to spy out their positions before we stumbled onto them.  I lead off with a fireball that was followed by Primula’s holy smite.  The warriors rushed in.  Xan was flying and invisible.  So was I.  He went in and attacked a priestess cloaked in shadows.  She responded with an invisibility purge, into which I inadvertently flew.  I had not planned on being visible.  Even so, I used a lightning bolt on the priestess and a shadow monk.  There were only a couple of shadovar left, including the priestess.  They bolted out of the room through a back way.  We gave chase.  The next room appeared at first to just be a more ornate section of the complex.  The two surviving shadovar raced through the room, trying to escape.  I transmuted the fleeing priestess of Shar into a tiny golden shiner. 

I lost track of the other fleeing enemy as soon as I looked up from the battle and realized that we were no longer in Master Kareel’s desert lair.  Across the room, the view opened to reveal a courtyard full of finely dressed people in dark, ornate clothes.  They were staring at us.  One man, wearing a huge cape made of liquid shadow drew an evil looking greatsword and bared white fangs as he spotted us.  Unnatural white eyes glinted.  He began moving towards us.  Xan drove him to his knees with an arrow.  I was fleeing for my life, racing back and shouting for Master Kareel.  Xan and Oskar were close behind. 

The Arcanist arrived quickly and warned us away from the gate to Shade.  He then used a spell that, while I was outside its area of affect, still left me shaken and nauseated.  I believe it was Mordenkainen’s disjunction, but I am not sure, never having seen the spell cast before.  All I can say is that it shut down the gate in an instant and left me traumatized.  Master Kareel muttered something about earning the enmity of Captain Leevoth. 

Perhaps we will have a moment or two to catch our breaths now.  I suspect that we will all be a bit uneasy, even if our recently freed lich companion is as helpful and thankful as we hope.  May the light of Selûne see us to a new dawn. 

Cedar