Summer in the Dales

Richard - Seeking a Beast

Richard leaves for the Shadowdale Grove, the secret grove the Shadowdale Circle has retreated to. He seeks out Mourntarn the Master to teach him the mysteries of nature magic. He gone for almost a month, until he returns back to Shadowdale. He then wanders around in Shadowdale and Cormanthor, seeking herbs for some herbal brews, before he spends time in solitude and communing with Silvanus. After this he researches a new spell, Oakskin, an improvement of the Barkskin spell.
On Eleint 8, the Grove is attacked by a band of Malarites. He manages to kill all but one of the Malarites, thanks to his guardian tree. From this lone Malarite he learns that the Beastlord is on the move. Later the same evening he meets with Serack Dragonbeard, Knight Lancer of the Purple Dragons. Serack asks Richard for aid in tracking down and capturing a Beast Master of Malar, known only as the Beast Shadow.
Together they begin to track the Beast Shadow. The next day Serack borrows a helm of teleportation by Storm, and they use magic to reach the ruined Tower of Darkeye in the Vale of Crows (a small valley in the Thunder Peaks, south of Tilverton), seeking the dragon that lives in that vale. After a few hours the dragon appears. He presents himself as Shinystar, and profess to be an electrum dragon. They talk with the dragon for a long time, before he reveals what he knows. They express their gratitude by promising to bring him information about the Dales and Cormyr.
The information they learned from the Dragon confirmed their suspicions that the Beast Shadow is travelling eastward, into the Dales. They journey for three days on the Moonsea Ride, until they they are at the western end of Mistledale. The journey is uneventful besides an orc-ambush.
In the western part of the Dale, they spot smoke rising from a ruin. They approach the ruin, and discovers it to be inhabited by brigands. They defeat the brigands, and Serack manages to learn who their leader is. The bandits are paid by Malarites to harass travelers on the road, keeping any loot they take (except what they give as offerings to Malar). They receive their orders in the form of letters that they find in an old tree. They are told of the location of this tree, and begin to discuss what to do with their prisoners. Serack decides that they are to hand over them to the justice in Ashabenford. As they begin to travel for the village, they meet one of the Riders of Mistledale, Arueene Mistshield. They hand over the prisoners to her, and then makes of to another ruin to make camp. During the night, Richard guards as a panther. He detects a humanoid shape that is approaching. The humanoid reveals himself as a ranger of some note, one Hawkstone. He tells the pair that he is trying to discover the Malarites that is hiding somewhere in this area. The next morning, Richard changes shape into a falcon and flies ahead of Serack toward Ashabenford. There he seeks out the White Hart, as he knows that it is run by a Harper ally, Holfast Harpenshield. There he learns that there are a few rumors speaking of a hunt of Malar active in the eastern part of the Dale, and that several groups of bandits serves this hunt by terrorizing travellers and merchants alike. As the sun lowers itself in the east, Serack arrives into Ashabenford. He seeks out Richard at the White Hart, and after hearing what Richard has found out, they decide that they will leave again the next morning.
They travel back west, and seeks out the old tree the bandit talked about. When they reach the old tree and are scouting the area, Richard discovers Hawkstone well camouflaged near the tree. He reveals himself to Hawkstone, and then they plan together how to capture the ones who leaves the messages. They decide on how to ambush the Malarites, and prepares for it.

They donīt have to wait long. Shortly after the witching hour has started, soemone approaches the tree. Two men comes walking stealthily through the forest and they stop by the tree. As one of them checks out the message cache, Richard and Serack attacks. They capture the man that was to check the message cache, while Hawkstone captures the other man. They discover that both are Malarites and after a short interrogation they learn where the Malarites have their camp. They decide that Hawkstone will take the two men to Ashabenford, where the Riders will decide the fate of the Malarites, while Serack and Richard will seek out the Malarites.
They have no problem in finding the Malarite camp and they capture the Malarites leader, Huntmistress Chemila. They ask her if she knows where Dermath Valusien is. She tells them that they are too late, that Dermath already knows the places where the two parts of the Crown of Wilderness is. The two adventurers discuss with each other what they should do, and decides that they will travel to the closest ruin and hope that Dermoth hasnīt been there yet. Richard kills Chemila while Serack isnīt looking. After a short and hot discussion, they leave for the closest ruin.

They travel for three days until they finally discovers the ruins. They enter and starts to search for the Crown. They have only reached the ruins main chambers when Dermoth makes his presence known. He has his animal followers with him, but after a hard and brutal battle, Dermoth lies dead with one of his animal follower. They continue to search for the Crown and they find it. They let it lie without discussion, together with the magical items they discover (including a magical elven plate mail).
As they are to leave the ruins, they meet with three elves (who are guardians of this ruin) that believe that the two are looters. The two makes some fast explanation, and the elves accept what they say.
After this Serack takes farewell and travels back to Cormyr, while Richard returns to Shadowdale.