Chapter Six:

Day 46, Hour 2 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : I must believe that each
generation regrets the passing of centuries-old monuments and nations
that expired just before their coming.  To see the look in elders'
eyes when they speak in reverential tones of ancient cities, terrible
generals and the change that they affected - it plants a longing in
one's heart for the unattainable.  For me, it was the Severed Hand. 
Iselore had walked its silent halls, Uncle Oswald had flown above its
crumbling towers.  Even ill mannered Jermsy had crept through the
foreboding Fields of Slaughter.  They, too, must have longed to see
the Hand at its height, elven philosophers and nobles reclining in
its beautiful chambers, elven maidens dancing in the halls.

But their longing, their desires could be sated through the
imagination.  Where pillars fell, the mind erected a double.  Where
paint faded, the heart restored what the eyes could not see.  Iselore
told me for years that I was too young to explore what remained, that
a danger remained there still.  When I was twenty-five, my curiosity
was piqued.  I moved down the restored mountain trails to the Fields
of Slaughter, the fog of the valley glowing in the moonlight.  As
dawn approached, I awaited the silhouette of the Severed Hand from
the rock I had perched upon.  The fog lifted, the sun rose, and my
heart faltered.  Iselore had told the truth.

Day 46, Hour 2 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We were unsuccessful in our
attempt to bluff our way past the Guard Commander in front of the
Severed Hand entrance.  However, she did let slip that the Minister
of Foreign Affairs, Xavier Torsend, has the power to hand out
delegate passes.  Perhaps he would be a good person to see first,
once we get inside.

Day 46, Hour 3 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : A demon stands watch at the exit
to the Severed Hand.  We questioned the creature about its name and
purpose, but it refused to answer.  In any case, the creature does
not seem to be hostile.  Perhaps we should look into what purpose it
serves.

Day 46, Hour 3 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We met Jerre Stoh, the slave
foreman.  He told us of three unusual demons that inhabit the Severed
Hand.  It seems that the creatures have been enchanted with
immortality and can not be slain by normal means.  Two of the
creatures act as guards for Isair and Madae.  The third guards the
slaves and prevents their escape.  He suggested we search for the
secret of these demons and learn how to defeat them.

Day 46, Hour 3 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : Jerre Stoh, the slave foreman,
asked a boon of us.  When we learn the secret of the demons, and how
to defeat them, he asked that we slay the demon guarding the slaves. 
This would grant them their freedom.  A reasonable request.

Day 46, Hour 4 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We met a slave girl named Ysha. 
It seems that she delivered the wrong set of plans to one of the
construction crews.  As a result, an area on the first floor of the
fortress was reconstructed incorrectly.  We offered to help her by
altering the plans to fit the construction that was done.  A deceit
maybe, but one that could save her life and the lives of the work
crew.

Day 46, Hour 4 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We met Xavier Torsend, the
Minister of Foreign Affairs.  We asked him his opinion of the war
between the Legion of the Chimera and the Ten-Towns.  He believes the
war to be a senseless misunderstanding.

Day 46, Hour 4 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : Xavier told us that the war was
caused by Betran Weaver, the mayor of Bryn Shander, and his advisor
Cardaf, a priest of Helm.  It seems that they sent Isair and Madae
cakes made with holy water, knowing that the twins were cambions and
would come to harm when they ate them.  An act of stupidity that has
cost many their lives.

Day 46, Hour 4 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : The envoy who delivered the cakes
has been imprisoned in one of the towers of the Severed Hand. 
Perhaps a rescue would be in order.

Day 46, Hour 4 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We asked Xavier if we could see
the envoy imprisoned in the tower.  He was unable to help us, but
says that we can speak to the captain of the guard about the matter. 
He is in the Officer's Tower, off of the fourth floor of the
fortress.

Day 46, Hour 4 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We have been given a delegate
pass.  With it we can travel unmolested through most of the Severed
Hand.

Day 46, Hour 4 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We asked Xavier about the slaves
working at the Severed Hand.  Incredibly, he did not know they were
slaves.  We pressed the matter and he decided to look into it for
himself.  When he discovered the truth of the matter, he resigned his
position and left.

Day 46, Hour 4 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We met a woman named Vashti, the
assistant foreman to the work crews.  It seems that someone is
stealing food from the slave's food store.

Day 46, Hour 4 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : Vashti has asked us to speak to
the cook about getting more food allocated to the slaves.  We have
agreed to do this.  The cook can be found in the kitchen on the
fourth floor.

Day 46, Hour 5 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We spoke with Vese Nejj, a
Thayvian mage.  He asked us to find a solution to a portal puzzle. 
It seems that the Mage's Tower can only be accessed via a series of
portals.  These portals need to be activated in a certain order.  We
have agreed to do this.  If we are successful, we will be offered
membership in the enclave.

Day 46, Hour 5 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We spoke with a priest named
Garuk Katah.  He said that he was a guardian for a holy artifact of
Iyachtu Xvim.  However, he would not reveal what the artifact does. 
The artifact itself was a large stone with a pulsing purple glow.  It
sits upon a pedestal in the middle of the shrine.

Day 46, Hour 5 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We think we were just used as
test subjects in some sort of examination.  We came upon two mages
who appeared to be menaced by a demon.  After the battle, the mages
began to discuss the merits of the creatures, and whether or not some
sort of test had been passed.  They then teleported away to celebrate
the promotion of the junior mage to the status of apprentice.

Day 46, Hour 5 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : Kav Lathram has some skill in
restoring documents so we asked if he could alter the Severed Hand
plans for Ysha.  He was able to do so.

Day 46, Hour 5 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We met a man named Cedrin Zil. 
He is the curator for a library on the second floor of the Severed
Hand.

Day 46, Hour 6 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We met a man named Roga Thulc,
the assistant foreman for the work crews.  It seems that one of his
workers, Vylu Prehv, has gone rogue.  She is apparently pulling
pranks using some earth elementals that she claims kinship with.

Day 46, Hour 6 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : Roga Thulc has asked us to
convince Vylu to stop her pranks.  We have agreed to do so.  She can
be found on the second floor of the Severed Hand, in the room next to
the library. Oh, and he does not want her harmed.

Day 46, Hour 6 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We spoke with Vylu Prehv.  She
seems to be suffering from some sort of mental disorder.  She is
incoherent to say the least.

Day 46, Hour 9 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We spoke with the cook about
getting more food for the slaves, but she would not listen to us.  We
should speak with Vashti again.  Maybe there is another solution to
this problem.

Day 46, Hour 10 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We spoke with a drow rogue by
the name of Riki.  She warned us of a guard barracks on the fourth
floor of the Severed Hand.  She feels that there are too many guards
to defeat in combat.  She suggested using a powerful poison potion on
their food supply.  We have agreed to do this.

Day 46, Hour 10 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : Riki gave us the recipe for a
poison potion.  We need to find a virulent agent, a bonding agent,
and demon's blood.  We can combine these ingredients using an alchemy
laboratory.  Riki says that such a laboratory exists in the Thayvian
enclave on the second floor of the Severed Hand.

Day 46, Hour 12 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We met a priest of Iyachtu Xvim
named Drothan.  He claimed that he was becoming disillusioned with
the church and losing his faith.  Perhaps he would be willing to
answer some questions.

Day 46, Hour 13 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We spoke with Weenagoo, Orrick
the Grey's apprentice.  He told us that Orrick can be found on the
third floor of the Mage's Tower.

Day 46, Hour 14 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We spoke with the librarian in
the Mage's Tower.  He told us we can find Orrick the Grey on the
third floor of the tower.

Day 46, Hour 14 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We spoke with Orrick the Grey
and asked him if he is in league with the Legion of the Chimera.  He
said that he is not, but that he does not openly oppose them either. 
Apparently, he and the inhabitants of the Severed Hand are in a
stalemate.  Neither side knows if they can defeat the other so they
watch each other for signs of weakness.

Day 46, Hour 14 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We asked Orrick if he would aid
us in our battle against Isair and Madae.  He refused to oppose them
openly, but he did give us some important information.  Apparently,
there is a radiant pool here at the Severed Hand, somewhere on the
third floor.  With this pool, Isair and Madae can heal and refresh
their magical powers.  This could make them a formidable foe indeed. 
We must find a way to taint this pool.  Orrick believes that the pool
is somehow linked to Madae's deity, Iyachtu Xvim.  He has suggested
that we seek out a priest to find a way to eliminate the pool.  We
doubt that a priest of Xvim would aid us, so we seek one of another
faith.

Day 46, Hour 14 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : Orrick believes that the mythal
protecting the Severed Hand has become corrupt.  He said that he must
investigate the matter some more before he can tell us the nature of
the corruption.

Day 46, Hour 14 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : Orrick has completed his
investigation into the mythal corruption.  He has found that the
mythal has activated and bound itself to the plane of limbo.  He
speculates that it is going to shift the Severed Hand onto that
plane.  He has warned us to be prepared to flee for our lives at a
moment's notice.

Day 46, Hour 15 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We freed a gnome, named Puddy
Talltale, from the torturing of a greater feyr.  However, even though
we unlocked his prison cell, he said he would not leave unless there
was a safe way to get him to his home in Bryn Shander.  We promised
to find safe passage for Puddy, for we agreed that he would not
survive long in the frigid Dales by himself.

Day 46, Hour 15 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We found a lemure and three
other monks in the War Tower's central jail cell.  As it turns out,
the lemure was actually an archimandrite from the Black Raven
Monastery, named Ormis Dohor. He said Isair and Madae, as punishment
for not aligning with them, transformed him into a lemure. He asked
us if we could find the antidote to remedy his condition, held by one
named the Tyrannar Brutai Mar.

Day 46, Hour 15 (17 Kythorn, 1312) : We met a cleric of Ilmater
jailed in the eastern cell of the War Tower.  His name is Toral Sorn,
and he was sent here to try and convert Madae back to her faith in
Ilmater.  It did not work.  However, he said he had a second mission,
which was to sanctify the waters of Severed Hand at Ilmater's statue
in the Cleric's Tower.  He asked if we could carry out the task for
him, now that he was too weak to carry it out himself.  We agreed and
learned that we must gather four items to make the sanctification
ritual work:  The Tome of Ilmater, which might be in the Mage Tower
library;  Torals Bonds of Suffering, which were lost during a torture
session;  Madae's Ilmater medallion, which we hope Madae still has
somewhere in one of Severed Hand's many chambers;  and Tears of the
Suffering, which we probably can get from a slave.  He then asked us
to return once we have completed the ritual.

An additional note, Toral mentioned that performing this ritual might
have a direct affect on the Globe of Essence; a device that keeps the
glabrezu guards immortal.  Successfully performing the Ilmater ritual
could make the globe vulnerable to attack, which would then allow us
to permanently destroy the glabrezu guards.  

Day 47, Hour 1 (18 Kythorn, 1312) : We returned the altered plans to
Ysha.  She was grateful for our aid.

Day 47, Hour 2 (18 Kythorn, 1312) : We told Vashti that the cook has
refused to allocate more food for the slaves.  That being the case,
we have been asked to find the food thief and put an end to the
thefts.  We have agreed to do this.

Day 47, Hour 2 (18 Kythorn, 1312) : We met with Roga Thulc after
speaking with Vylu.  After hearing of her confused condition, he felt
that she may be suffering from some mental ailment.  He suggested we
speak with a priest in the infirmary about a cure.  The infirmary is
on the fourth floor.

Day 47, Hour 2 (18 Kythorn, 1312) : According to Drothan, there are
special holy symbols that give access to the priest's chambers in the
Cleric's Tower.

Day 47, Hour 2 (18 Kythorn, 1312) : Drothan told us about an artifact
called the Globe of Essence.  This globe contains the life force of
three special demons.  So long as the globe is intact, the demons
cannot be slain.

Day 47, Hour 2 (18 Kythorn, 1312) : We asked Drothan how to destroy
the Globe of Essence.  He does not know how this can be accomplished,
but he told us of a priest of Ilmater who may be able to help us. 
The priest is imprisoned in one of the towers.  The globe is located
in a temple on the second floor of the Severed Hand.

Day 47, Hour 2 (18 Kythorn, 1312) : We spoke with the priest, Eradru
in the infirmary about Vylu.  He gave us a potion that may cure her
condition.

Day 47, Hour 2 (18 Kythorn, 1312) : We gave Vylu the potion provided
by the priest Eradru.  It has cured her of her ailment.

Day 47, Hour 3 (18 Kythorn, 1312) : We informed Roga Thulc that Vylu
Prehv has been cured of her ailment.  She has agreed to stop the
pranks.  He seemed overjoyed.

Day 47, Hour 5 (18 Kythorn, 1312) : We informed Riki that we have
dealt with the guard barracks.

Day 47, Hour 5 (18 Kythorn, 1312) : Riki informed us that Isair and
Madae have allied with a deity named Iyachtu Xvim.  She said that
severing their ties with him would severely weaken them.  We are to
seek out a priest of Ilmater imprisoned in the War Tower and ask him
about a purification ritual.

Day 47, Hour 6 (18 Kythorn, 1312) : Iyachtu Xvim interrupted our
performing of the Ilmater Ritual.  Depending on the outcome of our
conversation with Iyachtu Xvim, we may need to continue with the
ritual.

Day 47, Hour 8 (18 Kythorn, 1312) : We have successfully completed
the Ilmater Sanctification Ritual.  Already we can see a visible,
cleansed change in the water that surrounds the statues.  In
addition, we obtained a vial of the newly sanctified water, which we
may use on the mythal.

Day 48, Hour 0 (19 Kythorn, 1312) : Riki warned us of a potential
alliance between the Cabal of Dragonkin and Isair and Madae.  An
envoy from the Cabal will be arriving at the Severed Hand soon.  We
have decided to intercept this envoy and prevent this alliance.  The
envoy will arrive at the aerie atop the War Tower.

Day 48, Hour 0 (19 Kythorn, 1312) : We successfully performed the
Ilmater Sanctification Ritual and informed Toral Sorn.  He was very
pleased with our accomplishment.  Hopefully this will help to turn
Severed Hand against Isair and Madae.

Day 48, Hour 0 (19 Kythorn, 1312) : By purifying the radiant pool
that Isair and Madae have been using for their own, twisted purpose,
we should gain an edge in battle against them.  Already, the Severed
Hand seems to be changing for the better.

Day 48, Hour 1 (19 Kythorn, 1312) : We gained access to the Tyrannar
Brutai Mar's lair, where the Tyrannar himself, and three of his
Ruinlords, attacked us.

Day 48, Hour 3 (19 Kythorn, 1312) : We gave Ormis the antidote to his
lemure condition.  In return, he vowed to aid us in our final
confrontation with Isair and Madae.

Day 48, Hour 3 (19 Kythorn, 1312) : The War Tower gate guard,
Stubnok, informed us that the only ones who have access keys to the
landing pad are Captain Pudu and Captain Malign.  Stubnok also said
that we could possibly find Captain Pudu on the top floor of the
Officer's Tower, evidently entertaining one of the half-dragon
delegates.

Day 48, Hour 3 (19 Kythorn, 1312) : We could not fool Captain Pudu
into giving us his keys, so our only other resort was to kill him and
his half-dragon friend.

Day 48, Hour 5 (19 Kythorn, 1312) : We have destroyed the Globe of
Essence and denied the demon's their immortality.  The slaves of the
Hand can now be freed.

Day 48, Hour 5 (19 Kythorn, 1312) : Having discovered the secret of
the immortal demons, we slew the one guarding the slaves.  They are
now free.

Day 48, Hour 14 (19 Kythorn, 1312) : We intercepted the half-dragon
envoy.  Unfortunately, the escort guard arrived a few moments after
we did, thus surrounding us between three powerful half-dragons and a
battalion of Legion of Chimera guards.