11.1
In Which the Lamplighters cross a bridge

Eegan had spoken back in Tymanther: if Viola sought him, she would find him in Aunoroch. Having departed Zanhoriloch, the Lamplighters travelled northwest, seeking him, and with every step as the party drew closer, Viola’s dread seemed to grow.

Three days into crossing Cormanthor, the party encountered a group of bandits camped at a narrow gulch. The bandits controlled the only bridge across and demanded a hefty fee in gold and food. The Lamplighters attempted to talk sense into them, but the ruffians wouldn’t listen. A fight broke out and the Lamplighters began to make quick work of the highwaymen, but something wasn’t right. With every passing minute, the sky was growing darker, and Viola began to hear strange, distant music in her head. The bandits were no match for the famous Lamplighters, and soon, mostly lay dead or unconscious, but that was not the end; their skeletons tore themselves from the corpses’ flesh to rise again while four trolls with rotten, reeking flesh crawled from the river, which was now running red and beginning to boil. The battle turned; both Kildrack and Thurmack ended up in the boiling river of blood: Kildrak, dragging himself to a rock, was felled by a single shortbow arrow loosed by a lowly skeleton. Thurmack survived, but teetered on the edge of death, while Luna, set upon by the trolls, was savagely mauled and used her magic to flee to the Feywild. Mercy, alone, continued to fight the enemy, a tall, terrible skeleton creature with long, clawed fingers, blind to the plights of her friends. The sky was nearly black and the river boiled, released gouts of red, scalding steam. Viola was alone. Hearing something behind her, she whirled, only to be confronted by Akaarosk, her father, standing beside a black horse with a mane of fire; wordlessly, Akaarosk drew his greatsword and slashed at Viola.

11.2
In Which the Lamplighters enter The Valley

A nightmare, of course. They were getting worse, the nightmares, the closer Viola got to Eegan, and now she stood at the edge of a great valley between two craggy mountain ranges. He was down there somewhere. She could feel it. But was she ready to face him?

The Lamplighters followed the road into the valley until they came to a small church from which singing issued. Creeping in, they were met by an older gentleman who introduced himself as Edwin and welcomed the party to The Church of the Last Rest, which stood at the site where the mortal Lathander died during the Time of Troubles. Fewer than a dozen parishioners were inside, but they were singing a hymn called The Light We Cast–a hymn of the church of Lathander. When the hymn was over, the party met the worshippers, led by Sister Eldra, who said she was a longtime priestess and pilgrim of Lathander, and keeper of a sacred relic known as the Light of Lathander, a silver and gold amulet; Eldra revealed that in Viola’s presence, the amulet had begun to glow. Viola, therefore, was Lathander’s Chosen.

Eldra had another revelation: Eegan himself had once been a pilgrim of Lathander, but his faith had veered–been corrupted–to the cult of the Three-Faced God, which claimed that Lathander, Amaunator, and a No-Named One, a god of darkness and death, were aspects of one deity; Eegan, she said, was attempting to bring about an end to Lathander’s aspect and merge himself with the No-Named One. He could achieve this, Eldra said, by bringing fear and death to Lathander’s faithful, ultimately weakening Lathander himself. Eldra did not know exactly how Viola fit into Eegan’s plan, but did say that she must be vital to it. She implored Viola to stop Eegan by recovering the four remaining Relics of Lathander: his Hand, Heart, Tooth and Eye, each possessed by another Pilgrim in the Valley, and provided their names and locations.

Before departing, the Lamplighters spoke to the other denizens of the Last Rest and learned that Eegan’s monsters and darkness had spread throughout the entirety of the valley. Edwin was the former innkeeper in a town on the river to the north, Doluun; the was abandoned, its citizens having fled, but he asked the party to recover his wife’s pendant from the Inn as a keepsake for a broken-hearted man. In return, he’d give them a magic ring he’d found. Cutter and Wren, uncle and niece, were from the hamlet of Meddinvale at the other end of the Valley, to the north. The village, they said, was overrun with undead. Kill them and burn the village to the ground, so that the dead there might rest, and if possible, see if old Sul Bellow is still alive–his farm is just north of Meddinvale. Quinn and Ophelia, a couple of homesteaders, were getting ready to leave; the valley was doomed, they said, and asked for any gold or silver to help them on their journey. The party obliged. Two people kept close to Eldra: Tavrok, her guardian, and Istrid, a quiet young boy. The party didn’t get much about them beyond their names. Finally, Mirabel, a young woman and faithful of Lathander, made the party a few potions and said a prayer for them.

At last, the Party departed the Church of the Last Rest, and headed west, seeking Revian, keeper of the Hand of Lathander, at a plae called Fort Alder on the edge of the Hurian Mountains. The Valley, as in Viola’s dream, had a clinging darkness, a layer of thick cloud that didn’t let the sun through, even at noontime. The party travelled for two days and saw no one until, by chance, they came across a woman sitting in threadbare clothes in the middle of a field. She had apparently been there for some time; she was emaciated and filthy. In her hand she had a rusty knife. On her chest was a tattoo of the Order of Aster. Seeing Viola, she cried out that ‘She is here; you can let me go’. But whatever magic bound her did not release her. Instead, she fought herself, trying to stop herself from carving the tattoo from her own skin. The party interceded, and saved her life, sending her back to the Last Rest, but the encounter’s strain on Viola’s mind and soul had been not insubstantial.

11.3
In Which the Lamplighters find Fort Alder
The party travelled a further two days and found Fort Alder in the foothills of the Hurian Mountains to the west. En route, they suspected they were being followed, but did not know by what or whom, and opted to await it at the Fort, which they expected to be populated and defensible. It was not.

The fort had already fallen when they reached it, all of its doors smashed down, its courtyard, walls and parapets empty. A murder of crows cried and called on the high roof of its keep, and Mercy took some time to cast Speak with Animals and understand them: Food Scarce. Fly with Caution. What did it mean?

Then: something ambling out of the shadows. A humanoid who parroted Mercy’s “Y’okay, hun?” in a strange, desperate voice. Mercy attempted to clothe it with a sack, and named it Sack Mercy, and allowed it to embrace her, an embrace, she discovered, it wished would never end, even if it had to harm Mercy to maintain it.

Two more of its kind appeared and began approaching the party, who emphatically did not wish to be hugged. A fight broke out, but Mercy discovered that an outward show of positivity and happiness, especially the sharing of happy memories, forced the creatures back, at least for a few moments. The creatures, however, were joined by another sadder, larger, and more dangerous Sorrowsworn–for that is what they were–and it drove them to press the attack. The party did their best to evade and searched for the Hand of Lathander, even as the Sorrowsworn closed in.

11.3 & 11.4
Search for the Hand

Battling the clutch of Sorrowsworn, the party split up to search for the hand; Luna and Viola ducked into a nearby dwelling, finding only a swarm of larval centipede-like creatures which, despite their diminutive size, swarmed in a biting and stinging frenzy. In a nearby room, Thurmack also found the haft of a sword, missing its blade, but it was inscribed with divine writing. He decoded it as best he could: “light” was the only word he could make out without more study or a deeper understanding of Celestial languages.

Outside, there was a commotion: a great creature had emerged from the ruins of the central building. A juggernaut of a creature, armoured and festooned with spikes, on each of which a corpse had been skewered. Kildrak swiftly trapped it in a force cage, and while the remainder of the Sorrowsworn were dispatched, a figure appeared on the high wall nearby and leaped down to join the party. He was bald, in battleworn but gleaming armor, had a shaved pate, and was tattooed from head to toe with what appeared to be scripture. He was Revian, war cleric and keeper of the Hand of Lathander, and he welcomed the party; Viola’s aura had revealed her to him as soon as he beheld her, he said. She was Lathander’s Chosen.

There was a problem, however: the Hand was no longer at Fort Alder. He had sequestered it far away, in the most secure location he knew of, after the Fort had fallen: Ravensfall Prison, in the mountains to the Northeast. The key to its strongbox was in the building, which the great beast, the Cadaver Collector, was currently blocking.

No matter: the party used Stone Shape to make a door and go around the creature. They discovered the centipedes’ mother, a Carrion Crawler, and swiftly killed it, before discovering Revian’s quarters; they were hermetic, but within, the party found his magic Boots of Winter and the key to the strongbox.

Before the party departed, Revian asked: would they stay and kill the creature? If so, perhaps he could return the fort to its former glory: a stronghold and temple to the Morning Lord. In exchange, he said, the enchanted boots would be theirs.

Unable to leave the noble cleric disappointed, the party agreed, and prepared themselves once again for battle.

11.5
The Cadaver Collector

The party battled the cadaver Collector, which produced more Sorrowsworn; Mercy was knocked unconscious but in the end the creature was no match for the legendary Lamplighters. Revian, grateful, offered his Boots of Winter to Viola and told the party that the Hand of Lathander was in the most secure place he could hide it: Ravensfall Prison, to the North East, in the heart of the Dragonmaw Mountains. He also told the party the last place he saw Osen, the blind wanderer of the valley’s vast El-Duraath Forest and keeper of the Eye of Lathander. He marked both locations on the party’s map. He also warned not to attempt to cross the foul waters of the White River, for Eegan’s corrupting influence had rendered its waters were foul and cursed; instead, he recommended heading for the crossing in the village of Doluun–the main road would take them there.

11.6 & 11.7
The party seek Osen, the Blind Wanderer

The Lamplighters headed North-East, toward the last location Revian had seen the blind wanderer Osen, keeper of the Eye of Lathander. Rather than take the treacherous road through Doluun, the party crossed the river using a Walk on Water spell, but suffered the ill effects of its acidic fumes. After the crossing, the party entered the vast El-Duraath Forest; two days’ journey in, they came to the place Revian had marked on their map, and discovered cultists, attracted to the Valley by Eegan’s dark power, attempting some kind of ritual. The Lamplighters intervened, but the ritual was completed and a Devourer rose from the roots of a great tree. Battle commenced; Luna and Viola observed that the terrible, gigantic creature had someone trapped in a cage of flesh and bone within its own body. The party was unsure whether the person within was a prisoner, or had control over the huge thing. In the end, the creature–now destroyed–was revealed to contain not one but two humanoids. Osen, the blind wanderer, who gave Viola the Eye of Lathander, and Hougharth, a curious Firbolg who said that he had once been Guardian of the El-Duraath Forest. Even still, his magic allowed him to see much of what occurred both within the wood and some things outside of it, and in thanks for his rescue, said that each member of the party could ask him One Question to which he would give a revelatory answer.

11.8
Answers from the Firbolg, Hougharth

The party made camp and checked in with one another. Something was troubling Mercy; she sat away from the party, her back turned. Kildrak, too, seemed far-off. Viola held her chin high but it was plain to see that her mind was beginning to crack under the strain of the tortures The Valley was inflicting on her. Luna and Thurmack talked together quietly; even the Moon Daughter was troubled by all they’d seen so far. Everyone seemed to know that the worst was yet to come. Hougharth, true to his word, offered what help he could; to use his magic to aid the party with answers. He was–or had been–a great forest spirit, though his power, like the Valley itself, was dying.
Kildrak wanted to know if he would ever be the same again; whole. Who he was. Hougharth challenged these notions, then showed Kildrak a vision of a great door covered in arcane locks–all were open except one.
Luna wanted to know if there was a way to see her mother again. The answer, sadly, was a simple no. However, Hougarth noted that Luna was out of place here–shouldn’t she be in the Feywild?–But Luna proclaimed that she would not abandon her friends in their hour of need. Hougharth saw also that Luna had begun to feel somewhat unmoored; look more closely, he told her. You are not alone. There is someone with you.
He moved then to Mercy and had a quiet conversation with her; Thurmack overheard him tell Mercy she was right about something.
Then it was Thurmack’s turn. The Firbolg said that Thurmack reminded him of Lathander; the Dawn Lord had walked and lived in this Valley during the Time of Troubles. Thurmack was also strong and kind, but naïve. Hougarth warned Thurmack that Mercy would need his help soon, and that he would know when the time had come.
Finally, Hougarth came to Viola, who had so many questions, she couldn’t choose; Hougharth therefore gave her a choice: did she want to know where Eegan was, or what he was? She chose the latter. Hougharth revealed that during the Time of Troubles, the living avatar of Lathander had been killed and dismembered in this valley by Bhaal, The God of Murder; Bhaal then raised the corpse as his powerful servant: Eegan. The harvested pieced of the corpse–its hand, tooth, eye, and heart–were taken by Bhaal. Hougharth did not say how they relics Viola now sought had come back into the possession of Eldra’s Pilgrims. Hougharth said nothing of Eegan’s or Bhaal’s motivations, admitting he could not know them, but delivered the party a number of gifts: a clutch of better berries, a flask of mysterious liquid, and a lavender gem radiating strong magic. His power spent, Hougharth fell into a deep sleep; the party rested also–except Viola, who was too troubled to sleep–then set off North East in the morning.
During the journey, each member of the party seemed troubled by their thoughts of the road ahead; especially Mercy. Viola, also, seemed filled with dread–moreso than usual–although she would not say why to her companions. The party reached the feet of the Dragonmaw Mountains; somewhere among those cursed peaks, Ravensfall Prison and The Hand of Lathander waited.

11.9
Climb!
The Lamplighters climbed the perilous path to Ravensfall, a magic-mad storm giant ‘twixt them and their goal.

11.10, 11.11., 11.12
The Terror of Ravensfall

The party successfully reached Ravensfall Prison; upon entering, they discovered that a magic book needed to be signed in blood by at least one member of the party to gain access; the book, when written in, wrote back. It was clear that Eegan was in control of it. Kildrak wrote his name in the book and the Lamplighters entered the prison; within, they found it empty of life–only the undead corpses of former prisoners, Beholderkin guards and dust remained. While exploring, the party found a few treasures; a suit of Dragonguard Armor, a phial of Basilisk Venom, a not insignificant amount of gold, and a smutty enchanted novel entitled Tread on Me: Diaries of a Centaur Mistress. Before crossing the bridge into the second half of the edifice, the party encountered now-undead Aelana, a knight of the Order of Aster, who had died inadvertently due to Viola’s actions two years ago in Waterdeep. She said that Lathander’s faithful were perishing or turning to the Three-Faced God due to Eegan’s actions, and told Viola that she could end Lathander’s suffering by giving herself to Eegan once and for all. Viola did not acquiese. Aelana warned Viola about what lay ahead, and let the party pass. Across the bridge, the Lamplighters discovered cells packed with zombies and a large chamber dedicated to autopsy and torture–not unlike the one Viola had found herself in, when Eegan took her eye, so long ago in Waterdeep. There, to her shock, was Ulbeth, locked in a cage, who despaired to see her in such a dire place. To make matters worse, a creature–a flesh golem–made of the dissected parts of Ulbeth’s family then rose from the furthest table and began to advance. Ulbeth’s despair was terrible. The party took up arms against it–and the zombies, which Thurmack annihilated with a powerful call of Turn Undead. As the battle against the golem continued, and it seemed like the party had the upper hand, Eegan himself joined, and began asking Viola which of the party she would choose. She continually refused, which seemed to enrage the Lich. Worse–it seemed the party’s victory was slipping away. The golem doubled in size and its attacks became too brutal to resist and attacks hardly affected the Lich; it almost seemed to toy with Viola and the Lamplighters.