One morning, Wolfheir was awoken by Ozark the tower's hired guard. It seemed that Wolfheir's horse had died during the night. Upon inspection of the dead beast of burden it appeared that it's blood had been drained possibly from two distinct punctures upon it's neck. Speculation was raised on a possible attack by Zenopus herself! It is declared that a guard must stand watch during the night. Kardios the guardsman volunteers.
Skwanky, soon came running out of the tower with a meat-cleaver and began to butcher the horse for the evenings meal, with help from Maudlin and Tibag.
Televon headed into Caladan and sought out a silversmith to create a reflective symbol for the Moontower. While in town he ran into Helgrid, the Pig-witch who had helped the party out in weeks past. Helgrid was seeking out Adara in the hopes that the Stygian ranger had completed the quest given to her by the Great Goddess. Alas, the Pig-witch soon discovered that Adara has fallen. Grim tidings indeed! Televon invited the Pig-witch back to the Moon-tower.
At the tower, with the horse roasting on Skwanky's stove, Helgrid was pleased to meet Adessa, a fellow Amazon and a priestess of the Goddess.
Over a meal Helgrid learned of Adara's fall to the wights beneath Zenopus' tower and talk is had about Adara's quest for the Shield of Usk'Tor. Televon decided that he will hold a seance with the body of Adara and try to gain her quest-dreams through the power of Morpheus. Helgrid and Adessa decided to aid in that task.
As the three exhume the body of the Ranger, Wolfheir and Gnarly head into town to seek out any information about strange sightings regarding Zenopus. The two companions headed to the Cloven Hoof. Speaking with Jesse they asked her of any strange happenings. She has not heard of anything related to any vampire but will keep an ear out.
On the way out they talk with Jack the stable boy. Though he too has not heard much talk of stranger than normal happenings around town he did, however, know where the Viking can purchase a new horse - Hamish just outside of the northern gate.
Wolfheir and Gnarly then head on over to the Green Dragon Inn. Purchasing some drinks from the Barkeep and asking about strange occurrences around town, they are approached by a toothless drunk who, after a tongue-loosening pint, spits out that he saw a mysterious mist hovering around the southern wall of the city. The mist appeared to him to move about in a most uncanny way. Wolf and Gnarly felt without a doubt that that mist has something to do with the powers of a Vampire and possibly Zenopus. They head back to the Moon-tower.
Meanwhile, with the body of Adara exhumed, Televon communes with Morpheus to try to gain access to the dreams that were sent through His realm by the Goddess. Soon, the cleric is reliving Adara's dreams. There he sees the bloodied plains and the vision of Usk'Tor the black Paladin slaying armies. Within moments, Televon is within the hall of many caves and sees the Shield of the Black Sun guarded by an eyeless acolyte. Suddenly he felt the dread presence of great darkness and a black amorphous shape approached him. As Televon left the dream-realm he was puzzled by that dark presence. He is reminded by Gnarly that it may be similar to the being that had inhabited Lord Osric's fevered dreams in weeks past.
As the night progressed, Kardios kept guard on the grounds of the Moon-tower, Televon and Gnarly kept watch on Kardios from the upper levels. Suddenly, they see a thin mist surround Kardios and out of the mist a figure appeared. This figure, pale in the moonlight, stood over Kardios who did nothing to resist. The figure embraced the guard and soon the guard fell.
To aid their hired hand, Gnarly ran down the stairs while Televon just leapt out of the tower, thirty feet to the ground! They ran up to the fallen Kardios while the figure disappeared into the mist and was gone. Televon and Gnarly examined the body and discovered that, like the horse before it, it too was drained of blood.
Skwanky, hearing that there may be another meal to be had came running down with his cleaver but had to be persuaded by the rest of the party not to hack Kardios up for a meal!
Gnarly, thinking that the figure believed to be Zenopus had fled into the nearby graveyard, convinces the cleric, Adessa and Wolf to peruse the creature of the night.
In the cemetery they retrace their steps to the crypt where they had found the original entrance to the catacombs of the tower. While searching, out of the darkness stepped a handful of ghouls! Televon raised the symbol of Morpheus. The brilliant holy light caused the Ghouls to flee into the forest. The party followed in pursuit but could not keep up with the fast moving ghouls.
As dawn approached, the four returned to the Moon-tower.
The next morning, Helgrid bade farewell to the party and gave them a warning: "Beware the gift of Mithra!"
Heading into town to buy supplies and to find out if there were any strange happenings Wolf and the party questioned a few towns-folk. It turned out that there was indeed a strange death with the body taken to the Temple of Mithra. Talking with their old friend Nadrak, priest of Mithra, they discovered that the body was none other than the old toothless drunk who's body was also drained of blood!
Thinking that the party's movements are now being followed by Zenopus, Televon desired to speak with Father Halford. Nadrak informs him that Father Harris had left a number of days ago to aid in the construction of a new temple in Morganville. Televon asked about the Crimson Skull which had been in the father's possession but Nadrak did not know much of the artifact.
Picking up vampire hunting supplies, the party headed back to the Moon-tower to begin the hunt for Zenopus in earnest!
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