Emerging from the Depths

The party continued to explore the underground passages, coming upon numerous artifacts pointing at a terrible last stand made here by the dwarves. The heroes also discovered that the elves of the forest and the dwarves of the mountain were allied in a distant past, with the eleven king breaking the alliance to wrest from the dwarves a mysterious grimoire of power. The dwarves sent that tome to a nearby monastery that they were building for their human allies, hoping to hide it there. After a few dangerous encounters the party then came upon the water spirit in the depths of the cave, who urged the party to press on towards the top of the mountain to find the answers they seek.

When the party finally left the cave, they set back east only to discover the city of Myrr burning and under attack as they crested the hill on the road back.

Behind the Waterfall

Before long the battle turned against the malevolent water spirit and it fled behind the waterfall to safety. Not being the kind to leave loose ends, the party followed the spirit beyond the falls and discovered a passage to an ancient dwarven ruin in the side of the mountain.

The party explored the ruin and discovered a shrine with a puzzling mechanism within that seems to guard some sort of treasure. The party spent some time exploring the ruin and surrounding caves, fighting off the spectres of long dead dwarves, and trying to solve the puzzle in the shrine.

Two Giants and a Hermit

In a desperate battle the heroes were able to drive off the frost giants and their pets without loosing any of the young northmen. In gratitude the northmen shared the loot that they stole from the frost giants, and told them of their increasing presence in the mountains and frequency of raids on human settlements.

The party then continued up the mountain, both trekking and flying at times. Not far up the mountain the group met a strange hermit and took rest in his cottage while chatting about the mountain and their mission. After regaining their strength up, the group started up the mountain again and eventually arrived at the city of Myrr where they could once again rest. The next morning the party got up to investigate a nearby waterfall in the mountain that is said to be cursed with strange magic. Upon contact with the water a strange force took over Dae and Oytsaein and a desperate battle ensued. A malevolent water spirit eventually revealed itself to be the agitator and the party fought against it to save their companions.

To Ranga and the Mountain

Now installed in the new capital of Humbertia, the heroes sent a message to the Duke to send settlers to start working the land, extracting resources, and rebuilding the castle. After sending out some agents to purchase supplies from the nearest town, two northmen by the names of Oytsaein and Braesi returned with them to learn more about the new lord of the castle and invite him to meet Jarl Austmathr Berggson in Ranga. The two told stories and exchanged information with the party, drinking late into the night. In the morning the party decided to go to Ranga with them to learn more about the mysterious cold plaguing the reason.

Once arrived in Ranga, the party set to work putting together a gift of summer fruit for Jarl Berggson. With a warm reception, the party dined and drank with the Jarl, telling him of their purpose and asking for help in sussing out the problem. The Jarl called forth one of the village elders who recounts a tale of the spirit of the high mountain cursing the northmen with cold if the spirits are not appeased. Hoping to find out more the party set out towards the village of Myrr and on to the high places atop the great mountain. Not long on the trail, the party came across a group of young northman fighting for their life against a pair of frost giants and their white wolves. Among them was Oytsaein's young cousin, who spurs the party to leap into the fray.

Establishing Humbertia

Things were looking grim for our heroes as they fought hard to push back the ambushers in the woods. Just when it seemed like the tide of battle was turning against them, Dae and Tucan entered the fray, having been following the party for some days trying to catch up with them. With fresh allies the ambushers were soon defeated and questioned. It turned out that the ambushers were from a rebel group called the white hand that are against the Duke's vampire aristocracy.

After evading a force of white hand teams searching for the party, the group made their way on northeast to the ruins of an old castle. There they discovered a small settlement of vagrants and squatters living in the ruins. Humbert and crew wasted no time in subjugating the local riffraff, exploring the castle and laying the foundations of what is to become Humbertia. While exploring the ruins of the ancient castle, the party stumbles across a great vault in one of the lower levels of the castle sealed by mystical forces. 

New Beginnings

After resting and recuperating in Lower Benneth over the winter, the snow slowly started to recede from the land. One night while hanging out with Mayor Kleinfeldt and his hangers-on, a stout young vampire named Aldarus came knocking. After catching up with the party Aldarus invited the heroes back to the Blackrock on behalf of the duke. The party spent the night in their cups and set off the next day with the duke's honour guard. 

Two weeks passed and the party finally arrived at the Blackrock citadel. That night they reunited with the Duke and Isabelle and caught up on the Duke's campaign of expansion. The Duke then gifted the party various magic artifacts from his horde as well as lands and a lordship on Humbert Humbert. After the honours were given, the heroes then celebrated with the Duke until dawn. Before dawn, the Duke sent a young vampire named Sadine with the group to be Humbert's bookkeeper and sherif, while also getting some experience out in the world. 

The party set out on the morrow, riding eastward with a team of engineers, planners, and architects to restore Humbert's castle and develop the local economy. The road east led the party past fork Kick-Ass where the party reunited with crusher for a night. The morning after the party set out eastward again. As the party made their way to the coast, they noticed that it was getting colder and colder, eventually finding that winter was still prevailing in the northeast lands. Several days away form the front, the party is ambushed by a group of brigands, fighting desperately against overwhelming numbers.

Epilogue

Exhausted from their struggle, the heroes recuperate in what they discover to be the great monastery of Pelor in Ghelna. Talking with the party as they recover, the high priestess Orina is intrigued by the Duke's actions in the preceding events. When ready to depart, Orina teleports them back to Oym Edhil and requests that the party entreat the Duke for an audience with her in the elven city at a later time. She provides the party with a magic amulet that can turn into a bird and carry a message back to her.

The party returns to the BlackRock citadel where the Duke and his court greet the party as heroes. As a result of recent events, the Duke has restored Oym Edhil and the surrounding lands to the wood elves and has agreed to assist in defending those lands if called upon. In exchange, Oym Edhil now as formal diplomatic relations with the Duke and a small trade has been established between the two kingdoms. Lady Tyrell is named the Duke's trade emissary. The Duke's citizens are allowed peaceful passage to Oym Edhil. The peace between the vampires and the wood elves is uneasy.

The Duke stands by his promise and offers a lordship and lands to Tormund, Sora, Dae, Gallandan, and Humbert. In the alternative, they can refuse the lands and take a title and a position at his court, or a rare gift. He sends the party away to rest and think about his offer while he wraps up his most recent campaign. In the chaos that came from these recent events, the Duke was able to grab more territory and plans to continue to do so through the winter. The party then returns to Lower Benneth to put their feet up while the snow flies.