The party met with Oscar Yoren to nail down the details of their employment with him, which resulted in some answers and observations. Judging by the octarine eyes and yellowed fingernails, it was obvious that Mr. Yoren had been experimenting on himself. Nix was the most curious member of the group.

Bombastic as ever, Yoren spoke. "Your cooperation will ensure that I can continue my valuable research. I am refining a way to prevent contamination. And soon, I hope to have a way to reverse the effects altogether. But I need more lilies."

"I think we've agreed in principle, Mr. Yoren, but earlier, you mentioned that there were more ingredients involved in "Aqua Expurgium if I'm saying that right. What other ingredients are there, I mean, if we happen to walk right past them, it would be a shame."

 "Aqua Expurgo is the proper term....," he started. But at that moment, one of Oscar's apprentices came into the room and whispered something into his ear while darting suspicious glances at us. Oscar Yoren's eyebrows raised and he left the room. Armand the fiendish cat followed on padded feet to eavesdrop on the conversation, which was essentially the apprentices expressing distrust while the voice of Oscar Yoren agreed with them. They decided to send their familiars, a bat, and a rat into the room with us to eavesdrop. As Armand heard the footsteps he darted back into the Potion Lab with the Doom Slingers and settled beneath a table, nonchalantly lickling his arsehole as if nothing had happened. 

As the magical familiars entered the room, Nix and Cokolkhan put on a show. "How much do you do you think they charge for these potions," Nix asked Coko. "Probably the going rate, I'd think," replied the druid, "But I'd hate to cheat them."

 "Yes," added Slick, with a smirk, "The work Mr. Yoren is doing is important, and the sale of these potions is supporting that fully legitimate science."

The door opened and Oscar Yoren walked in, letting out a breath to indicate he had come to a decision.

"I want you to fully appreciate my work," he said. "Follow me."

He led the party down into the basement, past a hexagonal room emanating unspeakable evil. As they walked, the wall of the hallway seemed to close in on them. This place was more of what was wrong with Drakkenheim. Inside, the lab featured two slabs with "works in progress" atop them. Armand purred and jumped up on the slab with a fish person, its guts spilling from a ragged incision. A quick sniff verified that this was tasty food, and Armand licked the creature several times. The rest of the party stood in horror, taking it all in. Devices for cutting, pulling, magnifying, ripping, and crushing extended from mechanical armatures from the ceiling. Notebooks, tinctures, severed hands, eyeballs, and alembics, some filled with what must be brains and other... other unspeakable substances, were piled haphazardly on any horizontal surface.

Slick eyed the desk while feigning disgust at the arcane lab. He'd spotted evidence of demonic summoning upstairs and pocketed those notes. More notebooks and papers covered this desktop, again showing arcane and infernal writings. He desperately wanted to examine that desk. Eli, not entering the room, stood tensed just outside the door, halfway between the horrors of the claustrophobic hallway and the terrifying surgery of Dr. Yoren. 

The others were distracted while Cokolkhan approached the fish person and shooed Armand from the slab. As he approached, a sort of peculiar wild magic from his chest area shot forth into the hacksawed form lying on the table. It bolted upright and grabbed Coko's face. What passed between the two is not known to anyone, but as Coko drew away, wiping his cheek, Nix thought he heard two words. "...unmatchable power!"

 And then it screamed, a piercing lamenting cry that stabbed into the Doom Slingers' ears. Oscar promptly disappeared. The shriek rendered Laika Reyndzher stricken. Toxic mash poured from the creature, striking many of the Doom Slingers. But they, too, struck back. It was not magic that defeated the creature, for both Nix and Coko felt their magic fizzle in this room... Nix, with the added curse of raven scat upon his head as he invoked the eldritch blast. Eli, Slick, and Laika finished the creature. Yoren reappeared, casting high-level blasts at the creature, but it was already quite dead.

A baffled Oscar Yoren now appeared to fully trust the party and he handed them the following: Two syringes of Aqua Expurgo (3 uses each) - for use in the deep haze, said to last 6 hours... but with dangers. Two potions of healing - Possibly contaminated  Oh... and Oscar shared that he would like monster parts..... Particularly the brains of monsters. This was to come back and bite the party in the butt about an hour later. The Doom Slingers departed toward the Queen's Park, for that is where the Eldritch Lilies were said to bloom in the contaminated ponds. later deciding that perhaps a rest was in order before taking their first venture into the deep haze.

Before long they came across a group of Hooded Lanterns and decided to walk together to the Shepherd's Gate.  It was a much shorter walk than Embrwood Village, and the Lanterns offered them a safe place to rest before braving the horrors of the inner city. As they walked, the Lanterns heard an eerie sound.

"I hope it accepts the sacrifice this time," said one nervously, and in that moment the Chimera topped the nearby building and roared approval watching the rat's corpse fall to the ground. Nix knew this was precisely the sort of creature Oscar Yoren needed to continue his experiments and he urged the party into battle as the Lanterns disappeared up a side street.

The battle was brutal, and the Chimera, its many mutated heads not at all frightened of the Doom Slingers, attacked each party member in turn. First, Laika and then Slick struck what might have been devastating blows, but the creature seemed barely injured, and worse, it responded with a swipe of its tail, thunderous buffets from its wings, and horrible mind-bending roars from its lungs. All the Doom Slingers took damage. With the beast now glowing with faerie fire from Slick's invocation, Eli 'misty stepped' up to its level and cut at the creature with his axe, only to find himself entangled in its great claws.

Nix formed an ill-fated rescue plan, as he watched Slick fall to the ground, incapacitated. Reaching into a pouch he withdrew a delerium crystal and invoked a special spell called "ride the rift" and a lightning bolt shot forth striking at the heads. In that same moment Nix teleported along the lightning energy and grasped Eli... if either survived, he would have cast ThunderStep and ported the two of them to safety... to Slick's side where they could revive him.

 One by one, the party fell: Slick, Nix, Eli, and Laika, each suffering the consequences of every blow they delivered as the beast weakened but did not die. Finally, there was only Cokolkhan, who fought in the form of a bear until, with the bear defeated, he fought briefly as a man and finally as a bear again. It was at this moment, as the life breath was leaving Laika and Nix, that Coko's bear form made one final swipe and dropped the Chimera. 

Slick and Eli were brought back with healing spells, and Nix with a revivify spell, but Laika was a problem, for they had neither the material component nor the spell slots to bring her back. Nix handed his book of secrets to Coko, and as the druid read the spell of "Gentle Repose" from the page, the golden letters vanished from the book...but Laika’s corpse was preserved for later restoration.

After defeating the hideous chimera, the party decided to find the Hooded Lanterns’ Drakkenheim Garrison even though the Hooded Lanterns who were guarding them “opted out” of the fight. Beneath the dismembered corpse, they found three slimy kits: one herbalist and two healing. Hauling the brains of each of the three heads and various other monster parts that Cokolkhan claimed, they headed towards the Garrison. Nix carefully guarded Laika Reyndzher's body. Preserved by the Gentle Repose spell, she rode a floating disc Nix had conjured. Only a few moments later, they heard the sounds of battle — screams and swords. Rounding the corner, they found the Hooded Lanterns. Many of them stood mesmerized by a pattern of swirling lights. One struggled to remove his head from the mouth of a large creature that was also immobilized by the lights, while 2 or 3 attacked the monster with longswords. Suddenly, three more cloakers appeared — outside the pattern — and attacked. The creatures seemed to move in sync. A blow landed on one, causing all three to disappear.

Eventually, the Lanterns’ captain broke free from the hypnotic pattern and, with their help, the Doom Slingers dispatched the ugly beast. Of course, Coko was the first to get to the body, removing one of the tail stingers and stashing it in his bag. As they trekked to the barracks, the Lanterns apologized for abandoning them. By the Lord Commander’s orders, no one was to engage the Cacophonus Chimera without at least a full company. The creatures had taken too many Lanterns. The captain also mentioned that as soon as she cast Walk Without Trace, the strange pattern of lights appeared, catching her entire squad and the monster in its range. “It seemed to appear from the walls as soon as the spell took hold.”

The group arrived at the barracks gate around dinnertime. Darkness was falling, and the dim glow of the city increased. Petra Lang greeted them and escorted them to the mess hall. Along the way, they saw soldiers finishing up drills and stowing their weapons, two tall towers with ballistas trained on the city, and the keep where Elias Drexel's office and residence were located. They heard a dwarf dressing down someone for making bad ammunition. 

After dinner, Petra took the group to their quarters for the night — prison cells located far below one of the outbuildings, and below the effects of the haze. The cells had been modified into bedrooms with 4 cots each. “We can sleep about 200 here, so we rotate with the troops in the Watchtower at Emberwood Village." Once they had some privacy, Eli used the purging rod on Nix, who had traded a level of contamination for a powerful delerium-infused spell. They sent him to the privy to vomit in privacy. Uppermost on their minds was reviving Laika. After considering several options, Coko volunteered to cast Revivify using delerium as a spell component, pulling a shard from his pocket. “I have to sleep first, though. My magic is depleted.”

A long rest restored magic and hit points and recharged the purging rod. Coko glowed with octarine light as he uttered the incantations to raise Laika from the Shadowfell. She regaled the group with some of her experiences, especially the thin thread that seemed to connect Eli’s and her emotional states. She almost surrendered to Eli’s big, brotherly hug but stiffened at the last moment. Petra appeared to guide them to breakfast and a meeting with Elias Drexel.

Waves of hatred rolled off Eli as he looked upon the man rumored to have killed his father and the rest of his paternal relatives. His hand tensed and stretched toward Hew as he gritted his teeth. The Lord Commander thanked them profusely for eliminating the chimera and rescuing his scouts, promising a generous reward as soon as he could think of one sufficient for the tasks.

Rising to shake hands, his eyes locked on Eli’s cloak clasp. It bore the crest of House von Kessel. Eli’s face was vaguely familiar. He asked who Eli was and the answer was, “You know who I am.” After a tense exchange of words, Elias accepted the truth standing before him. He fell to one knee, saying,” Majesty, I deserve to die for what I did to your family. It was the most shameful deed of my life. My life is yours.”

Eli immediately reached for Hew but stopped as Slick pointed out the need for witnesses. He pulled Petra into the room and had her adoptive father repeat what he had just said. Elias handed Eli the Lord Commander’s Badge, one of the 6 seals of Drakkenheim that govern the city’s defenses.

The execution was fast and public. A just punishment for murder. A representative of the Hooded Lanterns spoke earnestly against beheading their leader. Eli hesitated a moment, and Slick took the opportunity to remind him of his oath. The axe fell, as did Elias Drexel’s head. Blood splattered Eli. In the wake of the execution, Eli appointed Petra as Lord Commander due to her position as a Lieutenant and daughter of the former Commander. The assembled Lanterns, still in shock, appeared to have accepted Drexel’s word. They saluted Petra and knelt before the heir-apparent to the throne of Westemär. If some were slow to kneel perhaps their joints were stiff from age or training. Or not.

The Party, sensing tension in the air, decided to leave quickly and complete their mission for Oscar Yoren. Entering the inner city of Drakkenheim for the first time, they could almost feel the haze gathering around them. Coko and Nix pointed out that they were out of delerium, and they searched the ruins for an hour, uncovering a 600 gp shard. A bit high-priced for some of the spells, but just what they needed for revivification. They had a feeling they were going to need both the spell and the crystal.

In that first hour, they encountered a group of 10 fish-folk and a chuul emerging from a sewer grate. Their progress up the ladder slowed the attack and the party was almost able to pick them off one by one. The chuul took a little more effort as it continued to grab adventurers one by one with its huge pincers. Finally, the crab-like creature lay motionless. Seeing the defeat of their “muscle” and the slaughter of their friends, the remaining fish folk beat a hasty retreat to the sewers.

Slick quipped that he had drawn butter in his pack and someone suggested crab legs for dinner. The party laughed as they quickly searched the area while Coko claimed some unknown chuul parts for his collection. A crumbling mansion loomed over the street. Slick was sorely tempted to search on his own, but several party members went with him to take a look. They found a piece of artwork that Slick’s experienced eye valued at 250 gp.

The Doom Slingers made their way carefully through the ruined streets. The haze grew thicker, choking their throats and filling their nostrils with noxious pollen.  It seemed the so-called respirators did nothing! As they entered the deep haze for the first time, Nix felt the octarine fog creep under his clothing and over his skin. Scratching wildly, he suffered a level of contamination — a herald of things to come.

They encountered a creature called a Liminal Herald,

a powerful edritch monster hovering over their heads — A Portugese Man-of-War from another plane. Striking at a small group of you, only Laika was trapped by its otherworldly nature, leaving her dazed in a labyrinthine dream. Getting near this thing was deadly, so the rest of the party destroyed it with ranged weapons. Like a punctured balloon, the creature fell to the ground, disintegrating into a puddle of goop and freeing Laika Reyndzher from its grasp. As they struggled through the haze, their vision was nearly obscured by the thick fog. It swirled around them, almost like fingers trying to grab at them as they walked.

They finally arrived at the ornate archway that marked the entrance to Queen's Park Garden. Built long ago to honor the valiant women who served Drakkenheim, its former splendor was reduced to crumbling rock and creeping vines. Though the grass and flowers were brightly colored, the colors seemed wrong. Hew sang softly to Eli, heralding its hunger for plants.

Through architecture designed to amaze and confound, they stumbled upon a path Nix recognized — maybe it was the entry to the Royal Grotto. They walked into the formerly exquisite garden. Once, grand marble walls and staircases graced this formal garden. There had been statues throughout. Now, the walls were imprisoned in clinging vines and defaced by graffiti that looked like it had come from bands of Queen’s Men. They noticed that every statue had had its face chiseled or broken off.

In that grotto, they stumbled upon an artificial pond covered in water lilies and attended by a number of mutated women. Mossy, lanky hair, features like gnarled branches, faintly glowing purple eyes, limbs like roots and vines — these creatures appeared to be what was left of Queen Lenore's handmaidens. They seemed docile at first. Nix, Cokolkhan, and Slick entered the water, ready to "help" the dryads with their work. Still, it seemed that their songs were not for the Eldritch Lilies, but to encourage the more sinister, yellow hypnotic lotus flowers that now assailed their senses. Pollen shot forth, directed at their faces threatening to immobilize them.

The dryad-monsters, now thoroughly enraged, moved to attack, summoning two huge mounds of aggressive vegetation. Arrows and crossbow bolts flew, eldritch blasts struck the water and all trace of yellow was blasted out of the water, but now it was clear they'd upset the dryads.

As the rest of the party engaged with the monsters, the leader fastened her eyes on Laika. In a strange but definite voice, she intoned, “Mine.” First a statement, then a question, then an exclamation. Though Laika was but a baby when her mother returned to Drakkenheim and was lost, visions of her parents had plagued her entire life. Laika froze for half a second on seeing this woman, a snarl twitching across her juvenile face. "Mother!" She stepped into the pond, carefully approaching the puzzled creature.

Elivalor and Laika harvested two of the five lilies as the hostilities began. It wasn't clear if a battle in the pond would destroy the precious blooms, so this seemed prudent. Laika's mother shot her an outraged glance as the older dryad summoned two Shambling Mounds

Cokolkhan soon found himself trapped in a morass of leaves, vines, and sticks, held tightly and unable to move or breathe freely. Nix went to free him, but the dryad nearest him placed a hand on the goat's shoulder.

"You must not harm the lady’s creatures," and Nix was compelled to follow this suggestion. Instead, he cast darkness on the pond so that no one might be harmed.

Eli waded into the dark waters with Hew and dropped two dryads, including the one compelling Nix. It seemed that 'Hew' was uniquely designed for these situations and combined with divine smite they fell to the woodsman's axe. Nix removed the darkness spell.

Slick aggressively attacked the mound holding Coko who had turned into a brown bear in an attempt to struggle free. Nix too fired, but the creature was little affected though stabbed, slashed pierced and struck by magical blasts. At one point it struck Nix who retaliated with hellish rebuke.

"Dance in flames," he snarled, but only the smell of wet leaves filled the air.

"Stop that, Laika. Put those lilies back. They are for the lady," chided Laika's mother.

Laika said not a word but instead held eye contact with the mother she seemed to hate, just waded in and took two more lilies for her growing collection.

Eli was the one who turned the tide, for as he smote the creatures, Hew seemed to positively sing and soon there was no one left making noise except Laika’s now enraged mother.

"STOP, you petulant wretch," she yelled as Laika took the last lilly. 

"Are we to kill her," Slick asked Laika.

"One lily at a time," replied Nix.

But the battle was over, the lilies harvested. Laika’s mother watched them leave, a puzzled look on her bark-like face. This was the strongest memory she had had in many years.

Our heroes left the garden with their treasures and returned to face a journey through the deep haze and hazardous streets, seeking a place to rest and make plans for their next step.

Leaving behind the horrors of Queen's Park the Doom Slingers made their way through the deadly deep haze. Elivalor got a message from the Queen of Thieves demanding the Lord Commander's Badge in return for a reward, threatening dire consequences if they did not bring it to her, and thanking them for dispatching Elias Drexel.

The city itself rose against them. On a street filled with the remains of alchemist’s labs and apothecary shops, the ground collapsed beneath them, leaving them in an alchemical lab strewn with tinker’s tools, body parts, and equipment for brewing potions. A crude well at one end began to spawn small, furry, black creatures with bellies made of sharp teeth. Bean Leeches filled the area. The party dispatched them easily, but the well continuously fed more and more of the little beasts into the room. Finally, Nix and Slick cooperated to seal the well by dumping a flask of oil over the murky water and lighting it afire.

At that moment, they heard a clanking noise coming from behind a metal door. Blocking the door did no good and a fearsome construct appeared, waving arms made of giant hypodermic needles. Unlike other constructs, humanoid parts were incorporated into the structure. A pitched battle ensued, leaving the companions reeling, but alive. They climbed out of the hole and finally emerged from the Deep Haze with some injuries and some contamination but no mutations.

They found  Shepherd's Gate guarded by 2 grim Hooded Lanterns who allowed them to leave the city after paying the 10% duty required by the former Lord Commander’s letter of marque. Of course, Laika Reyndzher was having none of that, but the party overruled her, choosing instead to comply rather than argue. As they passed through the gate, noting the murder holes in the ceiling and arrow slits in the walls, Eli observed the gargoyles perched on the high city walls. (60’) — stone creatures meant to protect the city.

The Drakkenheim Garrison, where they had hoped to rest, was barred against them. Arguments rose from the training grounds. Guards posted by Ansom Lang refused entry while others trained the ballistas directly at the party. After exchanging heated words, the Doomslingers moved on, seeking refuge at Eckerman Mill. They elected to table issues with the Hooded Lanterns for another day.

During the night, Nix thrashed and muttered in his sleep, but the rest of the group slept soundly. Awakening at the Mill, the entire party felt refreshed and somehow stronger and wiser. They saw a group of four names on the wall, three of which were crossed out. This sad graffiti was followed by “Stay away from Slaughterstone Square.” The letter trailed off weakly. Cokolkhan, in particular, felt strange. He peered under his cot to find a small tan bag, the fabric shot with octarine threads. If you saw him in the right light, his eyes shone with a faint purple light. Over Laika’s amazingly delicious breakfast, they decided to take the eldritch lilies directly to Oscar Yoren and claim their reward. What were they promised? As they prepared to leave, Nix shared the puzzling and disturbing content of his nightmare…

The Doom Slingers moved like a whirlwind through Drakkenheim, defeating monsters, gathering information, making decisions, and renewing promises. As they left Reed Manor, they passed Oscar Yoren's "meditation room," a place that had emitted consistently disturbing vibes. As usual, the door was ajar, flickering light and the smell of nauseating incense leaking through the crack. A deep, otherworldly voice boomed. 

"I am He Who Laughs Last. I have arrived." They heard no more as Oscar slammed the door closed. But the sound of that voice was enough to raise the hairs on the backs of everyone's necks. Was this Orcus?

Back to the streets, they headed for Emberwood Village to rest. It had been a long month of study and work at Oscar's, but the rewards were worth it -- a full transition to the Circle of Contamination for Cokolkhan, a prerequisite spell to the rumored spell that could reverse permanent mutations for Nix, a Skymetal Shield for Eli, and Hardened Delerium tipped crossbow bolts for Slick and Laika. Oscar had also gifted them enough Aqua Expurgo for each adventurer to have one and a few possibly suspect healing potions.

When they encountered a group of ratlings, Slick persuaded them to serve as guides to visit the Rat Prince. As entry to the city through Shepherd's Gate was impossible at present, the ratlings were known to have knowledge of the sewer system, an ideal and probably easy access to the inner city. The ratlings began to consume what appeared to be a dead horse until it exploded into a mass of spider-like legs and waving tentacles. The party fought valiantly against the acid-spewing abomination. Once the fight ensued, they were surprised as the ratlings began to attack them from behind. They finally vanquished the Bojack and turned to face a group of confused ratlings milling around. It seemed like the monster had enspelled them and forced them to fight the party.

Eli received another unwelcome arrow-gram from the Queen of Thieves:  “The seal, imbecile. Or face my wrath. I am losing patience quickly.” zhe shrugged, valiantly accepting the fact that the artifact he now carried was attracting the Queen's deadly intent.

Reaching Emberwood Village in dire need of rest, they found the once-friendly town defaced with wanted posters with their names and crude pictures posted all over town. Nix immediately started defacing the posters, altering the drawings to unrecognizable blurs. They decided to take care of some business before retiring. Coko's spy mission in the guise of a rat revealed River and Eldrick Runeweaverincensed with the group. Their month-long delay in delivering Oscar's notes and any samples were interfering with an arcane experiment. They delivered a scrap of paper with the formula for Aqua Expurgo, never revealing that they carried samples and had harvested Eldritch Lilies for Oscar.

A visit to the Bark and Buzzard resulted in some interesting rumors. Petra Lang and 100 Hooded Lanterns were staying at the Watchtower, currently unwelcome at the Drakkenheim Garrison. A new group of adventurers, the Dusk Wardens, were exploring the ruins. One of them was allegedly an heir to the throne. Elivalor visited the Chapel of Saint Ardenna looking for Sara, his childhood companion who held the remaining proof of his ancestry. She had followed her calling as a Flamekeeper and gone to Camp Dawn. After a night's rest, with all wounds healed and all spell slots refilled, the party left for Camp Dawn.

They found a disciplined military encampment housing a large contingent of Knights of the Silver Order, stores of food and weapons, including the flame lances they had encountered earlier, and a building that resembled an aerie. Gate guards refused to admit them until they spoke up and said that Eli was there to talk to Sara. The guards sent a messenger for confirmation, and the party was allowed to enter.  Sara was able to give Eli a box containing his parents' marriage license, his birth certificate dated after the marriage license, and a vial containing a blood sample taken at birth. Everything needed to prove his legitimacy. They also met with Theodore Marshal, Knight Captian of the Silver Order, who explained that they intended to purify Drakkenheim -- raze it to the ground and destroy all the delerium so the city could start over and the ground would be sanctified. The area would be uninhabitable for a long time, but Drakkenheim could be relocated to a new place. All of this sounded sensible to the company.

Now, they are ready to move on, headed to the Rats Nest Tavern in search of the Rat Prince and a way into the city, looking for the Cosmological Clocktower, a building tall enough to offer a place safe from the haze. It's rumored to be a harpy's nest, but rumors can be wrong.

After an encouraging visit to Camp Dawn, the Doom Slingers departed with a pig - generously donated by the Knights of the Silver Order - which they intended to use to bribe the Rat Prince to get them into the city through the sewers. Elivalor paid Sara a fond farewell. Ophelia Reed gave the party a Scroll of Bless to aid them on their dangerous trip.

Hearing a woman apparently scolding someone about how to measure a delerium crater, a couple of Nix and Slick snuck up on the ruined building to find an academy mage and her apprentice doing some research. After listening for a few moments and observing that the only delerium was the motes glittering in the sunshine, they decided to move on.

Arriving at the Rats Nest Tavern, they deftly navigated the slip ‘n slide and the pit trap, holding the squealing, wriggling pig. Confronted by a couple of guards, they were admitted and guided to see the Rat Prince with their tasty offering in tow. Between the pig and the rats assuming that Cokolkhan was a messenger of the Rat God the prince agreed to guide them through the sewers, even offering to take them as far as Market Square. They departed amid awed squeals of “Ooooo! Rat God!”

Traveling the winding sewers slowed their progress considerably. Good thing they had a guide or they would have been hopelessly lost. The water flowed sluggishly, but the sewer tunnels seemed to be in pretty good condition. Far below the haze, they felt like they could possibly rest here, but the water glowed faintly purple and carried a risk of contamination just from breathing the moist atmosphere.

Four hours into their journey, they found a room with a squishy, mattress-like floor. It looked like a great place to find Eldritch Lilies, so they entered. The Rat Prince disappeared, running back the way they had come, screaming, “No, no, no! Bad monster kill.” 

They encountered a huge Troll Hag bent on either feeding you her nasty soup or using you for ingredients. Every time an attack hit, she spawned giant fungus troll babies that exploded on death with mind-altering spores. The hag could spit acid and had some kind of psychic powers. Plus she just wouldn't die!

The party decided that retreat was in order and did their best to disengage and make for the door. Nix, however, had a different idea. Addled by the psychedelic spores, he decided to confront the hag, thinking it was his patron, the Raven Queen. He ran across the spongy floor, dumped her kettle of acidic soup, and stood before her with Armand on his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw reality tear and swallow up Cokolkhan in a cloud of dust, the rift snapping closed behind the druid like a hungry maw.

The Doom Slingers completed their escape from Haggitha, but not before the addled Nix, thinking the hag was his patron the Raven Queen, uttered a curse and openly refused the task she had set to prove his loyalty - returning Laika to the Shadowfell. Armand arched its back, hissed, and swiped its claws against Nix’s arm, leaving 4 sharp lines. The familiar reverted to its natural form, that of a fiend, and deserted Nix.

The hag’s last spitball and the sound of Slick promising that Candy was with them, shook Nix out of his trance and he moved towards the exit.

The squeaks and squeals of the Rat Prince and Supreme Seer Squeaks echoed through the sewers. RAt Prince had gone for help, not deserted them. He screamed for them to close the door. As they escaped, Slick remained behind to cast an illusory door across the opening. The original door had retracted into the wall. The hag rammed the illusion at full speed, causing it to waver, but it remained stuck — possibly anchored to the room.

As they progressed through the sewers, they entered an area that seemed cleaner than the others they’d been in. Rat Prince in the lead, they kept moving, more eager than ever to get out of the sewers. Rat Prince walked straight into a gelatinous cube, taking acid damage and writhing in pain. The invisible monster was revealed, and Laika threw her boomerang, dealing a bit of damage. Cokolkahn used ghostly hands and dragged the cub into the drainage channel. Nix plunged his arms into the acid gel and yanked the Rat Prince free with a Thunderstep spell. The Raven Queen had left Nix. His scale mail and shield were no longer protecting him, his book of shadows was dust, and all her supposed blessings were revoked. Nix was a warlock without a patron.

Contamination and mutations were starting to take hold. Each hour they remained beneath the streets proved more deadly than the last. They came upon a creature the size of a small cottage. Sharp lances of protruding bone, extraneous mouths and eyes, oozing boils — all the things they’d come to expect from Drakkenheim. It had emerged from walls coated with slime and gibbering mouths. The ratlings fled up a narrow passage and relied on the party of heroes to handle the fight.

Combat was fierce and quick as the party dispatched the protean abomination. But Eli and Cokolkhan each received a level of contamination, with the druid gaining a hungry maw in his midsection and the paladin sprouting tentacles from his shoulders. They took a short rest, during which Cokolkhan was unable to recover any hit points owing to the 3rd level of contamination he'd suffered.

At last, they emerged from a sewer grate to stand in the chaos of the Market Square. The ratlings dashed past them, each grabbing a rat to snack on as they headed back into the sewer. Not 300 meters away they could see the Cosmological Clocktower, the hands stopped at 11 hours, 11 minutes, and 11 seconds, 100 years before the meteor struck Drakkenheim. It was strange, but also their destination.

As they regarded the edifice, a stone fell from the sky, wrapped in paper, it rolled to Eli's feet and he reached down to unwrap it.

"My patience is gone," was all it said.

Laika got a strange sense of foreboding. She knew this was a message from the Queen of Thieves but they'd always been delivered at a greater range, with paper-wrapped arrows. This was a rock...  close range. She unlimbered her boomerang and crossbow as they walked, putting herself on high alert.

Five hooded and cloaked figures appeared out of nowhere about 30 feet in front of the party. Backlit by the setting sun, they were just black blots against the hazy sky. A fireball landed behind the party, illuminating the figures and revealing their scowling faces as the assassins launched a barrage of poisonous crossbow bolts, striking Eli, Slick, and Laika. 

”That was a warning shot,” the leader spoke. “Get ‘em boys!” As one, the attackers dropped their crossbows and charged into melee, brandishing their shortswords and attacking fiercely. Laika, unsurprised, was able to return fire.

After a vicious battle with assassins sent by the Queen of Thieves to retrieve the Lord Commander's Badge, the Doom Slingers finally approached their original objective — the Cosmological Clocktower. Securing this location will allow them to rest in Inner Drakkenheim, safely above the haze After hearing a cry that sounded suspiciously like a griffon, Slick and Laika stood lookout outside the tower as the rest of the party entered. 

They saw signs of a recent campfire, and a huge bronze bell lay on the floor. It had obviously fallen from the belfry a couple of floors above. There were no sounds of harpies, but the place did stink of bird droppings. And feathers littered the floor, along with bones of all kinds, picked mostly clean. 

Eli heard a groan coming from behind one of the pillars and felt drawn to investigate. He found a hooded man lying in a slowly seeping pool of blood. As Eli lifted his hood, the man looked up with his one good eye and a spark of recognition flew between the men. Eli recognized an older version of the face he saw in his vision from the mirrored street — this was his father, Wilhelm Wolfsbane (von Kessel).

“Eli? My Elivalor?” He squinted his good eye, struggling to see in the gathering darkness. His face and eye patch are spattered with blood. “You have the look of her about you.” He smiles, wavering in and out of consciousness.

From his mumblings, Eli could tell that his companions went for help. He had been attacked by a wraith. It was some kind of life drain. Then, he could only pick up words. Inscrutable, Sebastian, hopeless…

Wilhelm, in a moment of clarity, looked at Eli.

 “From my father to me, from me to you, son. Rule # 65 - The dead have no need of trinkets.” He handed Eli his Moon-Touched Rapier still in its battered leather sheath. It was a razor-sharp blade with a silvered edge. He also pressed a signet ring identical to the one Eli kept in his pocket, but slightly larger, into Eli’s palm. He lapsed into unconsciousness.

As Eli was caring for his father, a group of harpies appeared. Heralded by an enchanting song that captured Nix in its charms, a group of 10 of the fierce creatures descended from broken windows high above. Their height put them out of reach of the party’s weapons for a couple of turns. As the harpies descended, the characters scrambled to get ready to attack.

A ferocious battle ensued as Eli tried desperately to care for his father between attacks. At last, 9 of the harpies lay slain on the floor while one escaped into the night sky.

As the party ascended the rickety staircase, Elivalor carrying his barely conscious father, two figures entered the tower. The first was an older woman with slightly wolfish features bearing a magnificent axe. The second, garbed in the purple robes of the Amethyst Academy and sporting a bright purple mohawk, carried a large cat in his arms, petting it softly.

Rudi’s gruff voice echoed up the hollow tower. “What are you doing with Wilhelm " She was already reaching for her axe.

Eli’s defiant voice rang down the stairs. “Who’s asking?”

Rudi’s gruff voice became soft, almost motherly. “Ah’m Rudi Whittaker, and this here’s Wrath. We’re Wilhelm’s companions.”

Eli breathed a sigh of relief. He recognized those names from his father’s ramblings. “We’re taking my father to the top of the tower. You’re supposed to be able to rest there. I don’t know what’s wrong, but he needs care we can’t give him down here.”

Rudi was a broad-shouldered, compact woman. She strode up the stairs with her arms open. “Ah’m strong enough to carry him. And you look tuckered out, son.” Eli relinquished his burden reluctantly, but he could see the love and concern in Rudi’s eyes.

The group began climbing the stairs, carefully navigating the piles of sticks, half-chewed bones, and assorted trinkets perched on the landings. Wrath trailed the group, petting his cat and murmuring to it from time to time.

The air within the Cosmological Clocktower hung thick and cold; dampness clung to their skins like a shroud. The Doom Slingers, a motley band bound by fate and a shared thirst for survival, resumed their ascent, their footsteps echoing in the oppressive silence. The spiral stairway, significantly less impressive than the ornate exterior of the tower, clung precariously to the inner walls. As they approached the rotting scaffolding that traversed the next level, stillness fell upon the group. Nix worked his way to the back of the group, his face a mask of grim determination. Eli, Slick, Laika, and Cokolkhan continued a few paces, their footsteps muffled by the tower's echoing depths. Rudi and Wrath shuffled aside to let the warlock pass. Then, Nix's voice, raspy and resonant, broke the silence. He unfurled a mildewed scroll, its parchment brittle with age, and began to read aloud, the words of the 'Danse Macabre' spell filling the stagnant air.

'From shadowed tombs and forgotten graves, I summon forth the spectral waves…'

The words, imbued with arcane power, resonated through the tower, a chilling incantation that promised to weave a tapestry of death and shadow. The air grew colder, the darkness deepened, and a sense of unease settled upon the DoomSlingers. This was no mere spell; it was a pact with the very essence of mortality, a promise that the dance of death would guide their path through the tower's treacherous heights. The 'Danse Macabre' had begun, and the Doom Slingerswere now bound to its grim rhythm.

The final words of the incantation faded, leaving a pregnant silence in their wake. Then, a horrifying spectacle unfolded. Five of the harpies, mangled and broken from the Doom Slingers' earlier encounter, began to twitch. Their limbs, once still in death, jerked and spasmed, their broken wings snapping with a sickening crackle. Their heads lolled, then snapped upright, their eyes glowing with an unnatural, spectral light. With a chorus of rasping breaths and the rustle of decaying feathers, the harpies rose, their forms defying gravity as they ascended into the darkness. Their movements were jerky and unnatural, causing the Doom Slingers to recoil, a wave of horror washing over them. 

Eli's hand tightened on the haft of Hew, his righteous fury momentarily overshadowed by a primal dread. Laika, her youthful bravado faltering, instinctively reached for an arrow, her eyes wide with fear and fascination. Slick, ever the pragmatist, scanned the shadows, his rapier drawn, ready for any further surprises. Cokolkhan, his face a mask of primal concern, watched the undead harpies, a low growl rumbling in his throat.

Nix, however, remained calm, his expression a mask of grim satisfaction. He raised a hand, a silent command, and the harpies responded, their movements precise and obedient. "Fear not," he said, his voice echoing through the tower, a chilling reassurance. "They are bound to my will, instruments of our survival. They are the dancers of the 'Danse Macabre,' and they will serve us well." 

The Doom Slingers, though still unsettled, trusted Nix, if only because they had to. 

Climbing the narrow, creaking iron of the rusting scaffolding, they found a space dominated by massive, cast bells. Once proud instruments serenading a bustling metropolis, they now stood as silent sentinels, their surfaces coated in dust and shadow. The air here was thick with the metallic tang of old bronze, and the silence was heavy, broken only by the rhythmic rasp of the undead harpies' wings. Then, the silence shattered.

Two manticores, their bestial forms lurking amongst the bells, unleashed their fury. Gutteral, menacing roars echoed through the chamber, a stark warning of the coming battle. The Doom Slingers, their senses heightened by the 'Danse Macabre's' chilling influence, instantly readied themselves for battle.

Slick, his movements fluid and precise, drew his crossbow, the click of the mechanism a sharp counterpoint to the manticores' roars. He fired, the bolt whistling through the air. He deftly maintained his footing on the precarious ledge. One misstep, one moment of carelessness, and he would plummet into the abyss below. The manticore shot three painful spikes into his flesh. Slick responded by making an illusionary wall to hide behind.

Laika, her youthful energy undimmed by the danger, mirrored Slick's actions, her boomerang and crossbow bolts finding their marks with uncanny accuracy. Small and unassuming, the manticores assumed she was harmless — not a worthy target.

Cokolkhan, his form shifting with primal grace, moved with confident agility. He flung toxic darts, their tips coated with potent venom, at the creatures, his movements a dance as deadly as that of the undead harpies. 

Eli, his face a mask of righteous fury, hurled two javelins, to no avail. One struck a baritone bell and fell into the darkness below, a grim reminder of their deadly distance from the floor. He then brandished his shield, its surface gleaming in the dim light, and unleashed a torrent of Abyssal, the guttural language of demons, daring them to face him.

Nix, standing behind Eli's formidable shield, remained a silent conductor. His undead harpies, their forms spectral and menacing, swarmed the manticores, their claws and teeth tearing at the beasts' hides. The 'Danse Macabre' had transformed them into a macabre aerial assault, a swirling cloud of death that harassed and distracted the manticores. The battle raged, a chaotic symphony of steel, magic, and bestial fury, played out against the backdrop of the silent, colossal bells. 

Wrath stayed in the rear and hurled eldritch blasts at the horrors, covering Rudi as she carried Wilhelm out of the manticores’ sight. She laid him gently on the uneven floor and drew her axe, standing guard over the man she regarded as a son.

Harpies joined the battle, but the Doom Slingers prevailed. Bound by their shared purpose to find the topmost floor of the tower and the promise of a long rest they continued upwards.

The next level was a stark departure from the bestial chaos below. Here, the air hummed with the whirring of gears and the clicking of intricate mechanisms. The space was a labyrinth of broken clockwork, a testament to a bygone era when ingenuity sought to capture the movement of the stars and the planes of existence in mechanical form. Relics of that time, intricate automatons were the source of the mechanical sounds as they tried to repair the clock and the Carillion.

The Doom Slingers moved with cautious stealth. The robots, their metallic forms gleaming in the dim light, were oblivious to their presence, their movements driven by ancient programming. They were engaged in a Sisyphean task, attempting to repair mechanisms beyond saving, their metallic limbs twitching and whirring as they struggled with broken gears and tangled wires. A granite obelisk in the center of the room showed blast marks surrounding a hole in the structure as if something powerful had been removed.

 “Zero, one, zero zero one,” they repeated, their words a meaningless mantra as the party continued up to the next level.

The Doom Slingers ascended into the Rookery, a bizarre space that defied easy categorization. It was a blend of a bird's nest and a luxurious boudoir, a testament to the Crimson Countess' strange tastes. Silken fabrics lay draped over rough-hewn branches, and glittering jewels were strewn amidst piles of feathers. The air was thick with the scent of musk and something else, something metallic and faintly unsettling. They had only a few moments to take in the bizarre scene when a terrifying shriek echoed through the chamber.

It was the Crimson Countess, a legendary creature whose name was whispered through the shadowed corners of Drakkenheim. Her shriek was a primal challenge, a declaration of her power. The sound chilled the Doom Slingers to their bones, a wave of fear washing over them, making them question their resolve. This was no ordinary foe; this was a creature of legend, a being of immense power.

Everyone fought bravely, their actions a testament to their courage in the face of fearsome odds. Wrath, his magic nearly spent, stood guard over Wilhelm, sending Bruce, his cat, into battle. Rudi stepped forward, wielding her axe with murderous intent; but her heart was with Wilhelm and her blows went wide. It was Cokolkhan, his form shifting with the raw power of the wild, who seized the initiative. He unleashed a spell of infection — a wave of virulent energy that sought to overwhelm the Countess' defenses. At first, she resisted, her will a bulwark against the druid's magic. But Slick, ever the opportunist, saw Cokolkhan's intent. With a flick of his wrist and a sharp, salty curse, he spat a hex at the Countess, weakening her resolve. The Countess, her defenses faltering, failed her next saving throw. The infection took hold, its insidious tendrils spreading through her body, sapping her strength and vitality.

The harpy’s face contorted in pain and rage, it staggered backward, eyes wide with a dawning horror. Eli, seeing his chance, strode forward, his righteous fury burning like a beacon. He raised Hew, the magical axe gleaming in the dim light, and struck, the blow landing with a resounding thud. He struck again, this time invoking a divine smite. A surge of holy energy crackled through the axe and into the Countess' flesh. The Countess, her body wracked with pain, crumpled to the ground, its life extinguished by the paladin's righteous might.

With the Countess vanquished, the Rookery fell silent, the echoes of battle fading into the stillness. The DoomSlingers, their breaths ragged, their bodies weary, took a moment to assess their surroundings. Amidst the scattered debris and the Countess' fallen form, they discovered a javelin of lightning, its tip crackling with residual energy and a Seal of Drakkenheim. Slick, always on the lookout for treasure, recognized the Steward’s Seal, an amulet imbued with spells and able to control some of the city’s stone defenders. It was wrapped in a cryptic note. The note said:

"My child—Take this treasure of mine and run. Hide it in a safe place outside the castle, then flee the city. No matter what happens, know that I will always love you.—Papa"

Slick, his eyes gleaming with triumph and anticipation, discovered the treasure he’d been seeking — a familiar eyepatch hanging from a twig. Rudi grabbed the blood-flecked scrap of leather. “That belongs to Wilhelm.”

In a soft, uncharacteristically gentle voice, Slick replied, “It belonged to my family first.”  His nimble fingers peeled away the padding inside Wilhelm Wolfsbane's eyepatch, revealing a map, its edges worn and faded. “This,” he declared, his voice filled with a quiet intensity, “Is what I've been searching for.” He explained that the ratty scrap of spider silk was a treasure map, the one he had sought for years, the key to his family’s fortune. Speaking hesitantly, he gave them one more piece of information. "My name is Erasmus Do’Adeer. But please, call me Slick." The brief moment of vulnerability vanished as the flippant rogue they had come to know reappeared.

With their newfound treasures and the secrets revealed, the Doom Slingers ascended to the attic, the tower's highest point. It was a safe haven, far above the choking haze, a place to rest and recover from the grueling battle. They settled in as Nix released the harpies, letting them depart to the netherworlds. 

Morning came too soon, but everyone awoke refreshed and feeling strangely invigorated. Except for Nix. As the Doom Slingers discussed their good fortune, Nix sat in a corner, quietly bemoaning his fate. He didn’t feel invigorated. As a matter of fact, without the vicious Raven Queen’s presence, he felt like something you’d scrape off the bottom of your shoe. He idly reached for the amulet, studying it intently as he slipped it over his head. He felt a buzz of magic as it settled into place. It felt almost as if he had the power to conjure sandwiches. And abjure gargoyles. Or conjure gargoyles and abjure sandwiches. 

Even Wilhelm felt slightly better. He could walk, but not without someone to lean on. His eyes fixed on Eli, seeing his late wife’s visage in the face of his son.