The start of what’s to come.
The first gathering of this unlikely company was not destiny, but a summons. Each received a royal quest, each obeyed, and thus an unlikely fellowship was forged in the halls of King Sedulus II: Drachen Lokeriyan, Alyssia, Skapa, Khelek Istar, and Dolomir Bloodmark.
Their charge: to find Dr Zagak Iscara, the royal inventor of Brugrove who recently went missing.
The trail was soon to be paved in blood. Kobolds were slain for daring to “save” Skapa. The Stalker’s Tavern filled with cultists fell under their blades, leaving behind a map to the Doctor’s dwelling. That night, Drachen dreamt of Lord Squark Arrowvis, Earl of Peckersberg, who seemed more parable than prophecy. The dream ending on sight of a withering Feywild.
At the Doctor’s house they found scorch marks, tomes, and the Sword of Sorrow— a relic whose weight Drachen still carries. And a previous master yet unknown: Morningstar. A map led them further: to a burial ground marked by a plinth of names — Kurtulmak, Takhisis, Atropal, & Yondalla.
There, they found Iscara. No longer the man he had been, but a gaunt figure charging something with green flames. They struck him down, though whether they killed him remains a question.
The necklace was taken. The corpse was never found. They returned to Brugrove, claiming the Doctor had gone mad. The King mourned, then offered them another task. The Isle of Black had begun to swallow men whole, and leave behind a calling card: The Black Robin.
Thus ends the first chapter of their tale. Not with triumph, but with suspicion. For the gods named on that plinth were not chosen by chance. And Iscara’s fall was nothing but… a prelude.
Recorded by Douglas Montgomery, Royal Historian of Brugrove