Interlude

Emeris the half-dragon shadowcaster, Early the human warblade, Dziga the human rogue, and Vatex the elven tempest have been pulled into a battle against the forces of chaos. It was not a fight they asked for, but it is a fight they will finish. At the Temple of the Rat God they first learned of the Galchutt, or the "Ancients" -- strange beings worshipped in the philosophy of "deep chaos". At the Pythoness House they learned about the cults and their "Night of Dissolution", and met their mortal enemy, Khyron. This powerful cultist and his entourage defeated the companions in battle and robbed them of their hard-earned treasure.

In their quest for revenge they have infiltrated secret cult meetings, destroyed the lab of the Surgeon in the Shadows, and saved innocents from terrible experiments. Yet they have not found Khyron. Is the culmination of their journey the Temple of Deep Chaos, the chaos stronghold beneath the city? Is it the location of the "Final Ritual"? What of is the "huge machine" mentioned in Ibulli's letter?

But the servants of chaos are not the only villains who have crossed paths with the company. The Banewarrens have been breached, and a mysterious group of monsters called the Pactlords of the Quaan are seeking something inside. The company tangled with one group of Pactlords, called the Grailquest Team, but they know there are others, and they have great resources. Other factions, the Holy Order of Vigoor, the Inverted Pyramid, the shadowcaster Saharasahla, and possibly more, also have competing interests involving that ancient vault of evil. Why was the Pactlord Ibulli spying on the cultists? What has happened behind the scenes while the company has been satisfying its desire to spill the blood of the cultists and their allies?

Other issues remain unresolved as well. Why did the entity inside the star-headed thing compel Dziga to take the statuette to Goth Gulgamel? What of the recent dreams involving the hag Keziah? Who is "the Black Man" she serves?

Will the group take on Shilukar's contact to kill Doctor Feagus of the Shuul, and destroy his anti-chaositech machine? And what are Shilukar's true goals?

What of Brugul and Angash and the gnolls, presumably still hiding in Shilukar's former lair?

What of Helmut Itlstein and the runechildren? He should have returned to the city by now and found that Phon is no longer his prisoner. Will the strange events described in his prophecies come to pass? Do the runechildren indeed spell doom for the city of Elan, as Helmut believes?

What of the barbarian armies marching toward the City of Elan?

Will Emeris ever learn the identity of his dragon parent?

Will Vatex be the most famous urban ranger in the Empire?

Will Early fulfill his destiny and destroy Kyuss, the Worm that Walks?

And on and on, the Ancients slumber beneath the earth until the time of their awakening...

TO BE CONTINUED?