The Knights of the Silver Horn constructed Scarlet Moon Hall in antiquity. Recently, as indicated by the helpful man at Dellmon Ranch, the Rite of the Wicker Giant occupies the keep as part of their druidic program to restore the balance of nature. The party suspects that this group may be involved with the elemental evil, just like the cults at Feathergale, Rivergard, and now Sacred Stone.
Traveling north through the Sumber Hills for the Hall, the weary adventurers halt for the evening at a large, fallen log in a patch of forest. As the party sets up camp, Allana feels a searing pain, hears, “We’re lost,” from the Opeth, and falls unconscious. She does not respond to attempts to wake her, but nor does she seem physically afflicted by any conditions of the appendix. Lacking any remedy, camp is moved a little farther from the path and the night passes somewhat uneventfully.
The next day, Allana awakens and reports the Opeth’s lost cry, but the Opeth, codename “Jerry”, still hangs from a chain around Allana’s neck so lost may be metaphysical. Theren checks on Simon, just like he always does first thing in the morning, and finds he alas wandered off in the night.
Theren leads the party tracking Simon through the woods. Haerelben spots three Quastarte Spellguard ahead busily spotting the party in return. Allana parlays with Captain Orin Tremorshield and learns from him of a great catastrophe in Quastarte. The Spellguard General has, not implausibly, sent these three Spellguard to retrieve the adventurers who are heroically useful in any dire situation.
The Captain agrees to help search for Simon, especially since the track leads exactly to his encampment of nine additional Spellguard. A dozen Spellguard force sent to retrieve six adventurers seems slightly less plausible.
Theren loses Simon’s track amidst the bustling Spellguard encampment so Allana inquires of the nearest fellow whether they might have seen an ambling old sorzard pass through. The Spellguarder checks his six most wanted list and indicates that, indeed, he thinks that particular individual is resting right over there in that ruined structure. As the party enters the ruined structure they find no Simon. Plausibility slips off like the gag around the mouth of the bound halfling prisoner triggering his catchphrase, “THEY’RE GOING TO EAT ME!”
Only veterans of the Feathergale Spire eradication campaign recognize Welby, but everyone recognizes that these goons are not Spellguard when they encircle and attack Theren and Allana. Allana mirror images herself and eldritch blasts the goons, throwing them back violently and killing them, but not always in that order. Theridan transforms into a huge snake and constricts his targets. Welby escapes his bonds, spider-climbs the ruin walls, and lobs arrows at Captain Tremorshield. Theren rapidly fires his crossbow, starting with his first mark, the captain, and Meega chops through goons until she also reaches the captain. Haerelben tentatively tosses a thunderstone, gained from Hellenrae’s stash, into a clump of aggressors. The thunderclap is followed by a horn blown by an unseen attacker lurking behind the ruins.
Most of the imposters dogpile Snake Theridan, even causing him acute filth fever. Captain Tremorshield attempts to bull rush Meega only to bounce off her. Welby sneaks an attack from behind and Theren lands a killing bolt on him. Despite the loss of their captain, the remaining soldiers beat Snake Theridan back into elf form. He rejoins the melee with his magic shillelagh. The party continues to eradicate the phony Spellguard until none remain.
Inspection beneath the attackers’ new Spellguard studded armor reveals magical leather flying suits adorned with symbols of the air elemental cult found at Feathergale Spire. A nearby tent contains a shrine with the same symbol of Yan-C-Bin’s followers. Also in the tent is a small backpack stuffed with leather, some leather tubes, and a pull cord which Theren pulls. A balloon inflates pinning him and Meega to the floor. Meega crawls out of the tent but Theren punctures the bladder with his hand crossbow, liberating the air elemental trapped inside. Win-win.
The flying suits are commandeered and Allana excitedly dons one immediately. The bodies are dragged into the ruins as Welby hears hoof thunder about half a minute away. The party slips into the woods where they stealth with Theridan’s help to observe the approaching riders, undoubtedly summoned by the earlier horn blowing.
Six riders arrive moments later: four Spellguard-dressed cultists, a half orc, and their air cultist leader who surveys the battlefield and enters the tent. She casts a windy spell which blows the tent walls and knocks over a couple of her henchmen and a whirling air elemental emerges and takes off in a direction fortunately away from the hiding adventurers. Leader declares this hunter will find those responsible and they follow it.
Welby suggests the group makes an urgent getaway, but Theren is eager to find Simon. Haerelben convinces them to stay and rest an hour in hiding, but that plan is interrupted by an invisible assailant trying to pull Allana’s chain free from her neck or her neck away from her head, whichever happens first. It brutally slams her.
Haerelben cures Allana’s light wounds while Theren, Meega, and Welby strike at what Allana believes is the invisible stalker earlier released by Leader. Theridan, with the copious and persistent encouragement of his team, casts faerie fire across the area, revealing the stalker in advantageously luminous fashion. The visible stalker gives Allana one good parting slam and then flees, hounded by sacred flame and a hail of thorns and a pair of hand axes that got pretty close. Welby makes an excellent critical strike and Theridan produces some flame. The visible stalker unexpectedly reverses direction allowing Meega to smack it once more as it returns to yank Allana’s and drag her, hanging, upward. Theren places the fatal crossbow bolt that disperses the stalker and gravity returns Allana to the party. Discouraged from hanging around any longer, they pick up Simon’s trail and set off after him again.
Simon is tracked to the entrance of a cave where the group finally gets its short rest. Refreshed, Haerelben follows the left wall carrying a torch for Welby while Welby looks for traps. Theren loses Simon’s trail because of the notable lack of dust as they find themselves in a carved stone chamber. Haerelben casts a spell to locate Simon’s monocle which leads them to a narrow hallway where Welby finds and disarms a trip wire. Welby scouts ahead as the hallway opens into a round chamber decorated with a vivid mural enhanced by sculpted texturing in the curved stone walls. Welby spies a prone Simon, but his sense of success is attenuated by the presence of a stone giant. Welby returns to report the good news.
Allana recalls some knowledge of Giant sociology, in that they have a fairly complex and advanced history of civilization beyond their reputation for clubbing everyone they meet. The party convenes to elect Allana for the making of friendly introductions while everyone else hangs back to either trickle in or run away as the situation necessitates. As Allana enters, Simon appears in the entrance and boisterously greets them, “Hai, guys!”
Binrus’s artistic aptitude excels even his friendly nature. His prosthetic orange eye, fetched from a cluster at the the bottom of a well in the center of the chamber, gives him vivid visions which he transfers to the mural masterpiece. The apocalyptic scene depicts, on one side, a bear with crystal orange claws, a half orc with a crystal orange axe, a moon elf with a crystal orange shield wielding an unstrung bow, a wood elf with a crystal orange crossbow loaded with a crystal orange bolt, and a half elf with a crystal orange monocle. Allies depicted nearby include a muscular half dwarf paladin of the Raven Queen accompanied by a cadre. On the opposite side of the mural, physically and metaphysically, the evil eye is accompanied by a Medusa-like figure, a giant single-crab-clawed figure, a Tiefling female with long black hair, and a winged figure. The elemental fire, air, water, and earth are represented.
In accordance with Binrus’s vision, Allana offers to remove the remaining crystals but Binrus corrects her interpretation: the vision foretells his destiny to fashion equipment for the adventurers with delivery scheduled in two moon cycles. Meanwhile, Binrus gives permission for the party to rest in his home, but only if they promise not to stay long or eat all his kobolds.