The Dark Rossari Prey

After surviving the demon haunted Vekken Wilds, Aro and Gnomer spend a few days as guests of the Synenca people. While their, another refugee of Harrah arrived in the village, a tall and powerfully built blond woman on a fine steed, Cleopatra. Between Aro, Gnomer and Cleopatra, they found a common goal; flee to Dammara. They banded together on their way to the city.

Leaving the Vekken Wilds the companions encountered a few refugees, and many signs of refugees having passed their way on the way to Dammara. The trail was marked by shallow unmarked graves of all sizes. Sometimes, no grave at all. The trail left the Vekken Wilds and continued nearly due east into the Chindi A-Woh, a terrible mountian range.

The travel was mostly uneventful up into the Chindi A-Woh, until they reached the pass. In the pass they found a broken down wagon and a small lean-to tent with a pair of fresh graves nearby. As they approached a gaunt man bearing a small staff called a challenge to the approaching companions. Once they proved they were not bandits and were willing to assist him, he introduced his son and explained how his wife and baby daughter had died from bad water and now his son too was sick. Aro and Cleopatra began repairing the wagon while Gnomer went ahead to investigate a large encampment in a valley below the pass.

Alone in the woods, Gnomer dreamt of her beloved city. She passed from shadow to shadow quietly approaching the large camp. After a long journey alone through the woods, finally she approached the camp. The sentries were hidden well in the trees, but her sharp eyes caught them, and like a shadow Gnomer slipped past. The camp was beautiful. Gigantic multi-colored tents, three of them, a large circle of wagons and seven large camp fires. The wagons had various contents, from magical beasts to supplies, some covered, and others with the bars and beasts bare to the view of all. She counted at least fifty gnomes running the camp, plus any in the tents, and however many sentries she had not seen. The temptation to investigate the contents of the covered wagons was too much.

Gnomer attempted to sneak out of the bushes into the clearing and into a wagon. Just before reaching a wagon, a crossbow bolt found the back of her thigh. After a moment, a dozen Rossari gnomes caught and bound Gnomer.

Night came and Aro began to fear for his friend. She was due back a while ago. He set a watch and the night went by uneventful. With morning, there was still no sign of Gnomer. Aro and Cleopatra led their new companions Marco and his ill son, Lukka with their hardly mobile wagon and horse. Aro led them straight to the large camp.

A fair way out of the camp, sentries called from hiding spots in the trees to halt and identify themselves. Aro promptly identifies himself and asks if they've seen a halfling female. The gnomes come out and offer to lead them to camp. The camp was large with bright colored tents and wagons with all manner of goods and exotic creatures. The gnomes welcomed their guest with a feast. The food and wine was poisoned.

When Aro and his companions awoke they were stripped of their arms and armor and hanging from a chain in a glass prison about thirty feet above the glowing pink ground in a chamber walled with mirrors. Eventually Gnomer freed the party from the glass prison and they climbed a rope down to the glowing pink ground. They traveled the mirrored corridors until they found themselves in an strange pub that could only be described as dreamlike... and not in a good way. Dwarves played musical chairs while drinking from a bottomless keg, gnomes sang happy birthday around a three foot tall cake, savage elves drank wine while eyeing down the intruders. The bar keep seemed almost normal, except for his immaculately clean white shirt. The keg eventually attacked Aro and the companions fled out the back of the pub. Back into the mirrored corridor. The corridor slowly led to an icy chamber; a dragon's lair. After defeating the dragon with makeshift weapons, they opened the dragons treasure horde and fell in.

Suddenly locked in Gnomer's wagon prison with none of their loot or weapons, the companions fought their guard and won. With his keys, they managed to escape and steal horses, a wagon and their loot from the dragon. But not before the Rossari matriarch cursed the group with death from the swamp.