The Forbidden Valley

cy 4883 24th Mayan

Reds Dull leads the party towards the Wyvernian dragons, away from the lands of the Kirin. They pick up an Ygran elf called Sklaran lost in the mountains; the elven warrior decides to travel with them. Above them is Rothern, the Morveilian shapechanger who greets them and leads them up into the mountains to meet the proud Wyvernians. "Their lord is called Vaigan," he says, "he is kind and gentle and his wisdom is sought by many races." After a hard climb the party find themselves in a natural amphitheatre, twenty dragons are perched above them on ridges and peaks. A huge dragon - Lord Vaigan - sweeps down to talk to them.

Lord Vaigan explains that some of his kind are reluctant accept that the power of mount and rider is the essence of what Shadazaar's message. As he speaks they hear dissention from several of the younger dragons. Reds is aggressive and informs them that it is the destiny of the dragons to unify against their common threat. "That threat is Malakar!" the paladin screams into the peaks. "Like it or not you must come round to our way of thinking or perish."

Lord Vaigan tells them of a place where no dragon can go. "We call it the Forbidden Valley," he says, his words projected into their minds, "it divides our lands and the Darkland dragons, there is a power there so great that we cannot even fly over it...no dragon can. A vortex of great power that grows in the heart of our lands. It appeared twenty years ago and has remained ever since."

Ariel and Morik discuss this. Twenty years ago Malakar created his bridge to the Abyss, both companions speculate that the two events are connected.

Rothern agrees to take them and they waste no time in moving up the mountain range. They climb all night until Rothern becomes uncomfortable. Above the next ridge the sky is illuminated with a wild mixture of vibrant colours, the radiance coming from the valley beyond...the Forbidden Valley. They all sense Rothern's discomfort, their own senses are in turmoil but they are determined to see what Lord Vaigan was talking about. When they reach the ridge they are astonished by the view.

The valley is a natural bowl half a mile across with a river bisecting it. In the dead centre is a small globe of energy with four prongs of light 'earthing' themselves to four nearby peaks. Their minds reel at the force of the energy. When Reds casts bless smaller shards of energy are diverted around him, though the spell remains intact. They move carefully and cautiously towards the ball of energy. Sklaran looses an arrow into the centre of the energy but the shaft vanishes. A gate? A portal? They move closer still.

The ball is awash with visions and shapes, all manner of swirling scenes; rivers, mountains, clouds, people. Vagran grabs a branch from a nearby tree and lets it fall onto the globe. Once again it vanishes. Morik Hargath creates an explosive device beneath it, channelling the energy up and into the globe itself. He mixes two inert chemicals together and the violent reaction causes a delayed trigger for the bomb itself; the blast shoots up into the energy and vanishes.

Reds hears a scream from within.

But it is Vagran who notices the energy is going in the opposite direction - instead of expanding from the globe to reach the nearest peaks it is coming from the peaks and crashing into the globe. They choose the nearest, easiest peak and make their ascent. At dawn Sklaran is close enough to fire an arrow into the cave entrance where the energy emanates from and the arrow vanishes once more.

After Morik hurls an incendiary poison bomb into the portal the party decide that there is only one thing for it - they jump in as one.

As soon as they breach the threshold of the portal they are transported into a hot, fiery environment. Their dragon-tuned senses return immediately and each one assesses their position within a fraction of a second. They have leapt through to the Abyss! Two gigantic, heavily muscled demons, each with a large single lidless eye, with large shovels are fuelling a furnace-like bowl in the middle of a pentacle (the very same pentacle they have all leapt through). The furnace room is walled and cellar like, souls and mutilated bodies are dropped from eight shafts bored into the ceiling - the demons then shovel them into the pentacle to fuel the energy back on Grayhawk.

Morik reacts first by cracking his staff against the first demon. Vagran kicks the second shovel from a demonic grip as Reds Dull casts bless before ramming his lance into the face of the first attacker. Ariel and Vagran punish the weaponless demon as the two burly opponents are cut down within seconds. In the short fight Morik disturbs the magical bowl, which shatters on the stone, and they watch as the flickering energy is extinguished. Try as they might they can not activate the portal back to Grayhawk.

They sense the chaos above. The furnace room is just one small part of a larger castle, the inhabitants are closing in on them. One spirit is larger than the rest; it is this spirit that hammers against the locked door. "Let me in!" it snarls.

The party have no choice. The demon that stands before them this time is more humanoid. He wears a black cloak and the hilt of a curved demonic scimitar is clearly visible at his hip. The red eyes can barely contain their anger as he regards the party with the dread crimson gaze. "I am Mogaarl," it says confidently as it strides into the room to survey the damage. It's heart sinks when it sees the shattered bowl in the middle of the pentacle.

"Malakar will not be pleased," Mogaarl says but the party are unconcerned. "His plans are foiled and you will pay for your actions!"

Morik spits a poisoned dart into Mogaarl's neck but the demon does not fall, does not flinch, instead he plucks it out and nonchalantly flicks it back at Morik. Sklaran shuts and bolts the door; the signal for attack and as one they leap at Mogaarl. But this demon is swifter, more dangerous than the two who went before. He catches Morik's attempted staff strike in a vice-like grip, strength beyond human and then tries to use the assassin as a shield to deflect the rest of the attacks against him. Reds Dull smashes the hand and releases his friend from the demon's grip but Mogaarl hurls a death spell that catches Vagran and causes awesome damage.

Despite the pain Vagran hefts the broadsword and swings dangerously, his blade bites deep into Mogaarl's midriff, the demon gasps as ribs, sinew and blood erupt from the terrible wound. The rest of the party press on as Mogaarl defends desperately; the demon hurls a harm spell that hits Morik, brings the assassin to his knees and to the very edge of death itself. Ariel bludgeons the demon with a vicious backhand swipe of her katana, more blood flows as Mogaarl staggers back on the verge of collapse. Reds Dull strikes it dead with his lance then drops to his two badly injured friends.

Reds casts a couple of cure light wounds on Morik that enable him to stand but cannot spare any more for Vagran whose wounds are just as shocking. Above the chaos intensifies. Now they sense other demons attacking, more death and destruction as a second force takes control of the castle. All they can do is wait. Soon they sense an even greater spirit than Mogaarl's. Reds Dull grabs the demonic scimitar as Sklaran swings open the door to let in yet another demon.

It stands almost ten feet tall and has the lithe, graceful appearance of a woman. Her eyes are blood red and she wears a constant scowl; beautiful yet malevolent. From her torso sprouts six powerfully muscled arms - three on each side - and in each hand she holds a sword. The power of the spirit alone is suffocating, the soul itself has a dominating presence that none can ignore.

"You have done me a great service today," she says in sibilant tones, "the lord Mogaarl and his Malakarian cohorts have been a constant thorn in my side. For their destruction I will reward you with freedom; freedom to return back to Grayhawk and continue your struggle against the Dread God. His power has grown of late, his influence in the Abyss stronger now. But before you go I have one condition; the weapon of my enemy - the demonic scimitar - must remain. I will torture the demon within for a century or two before releasing it into oblivion."

Reds Dull glares angrily. "No deal! Absolutely no deal demon! The scimitar returns to Grayhawk with me!"

The beautifully dark eyes narrow in an unfathomable expression as the arch demon regards Reds Dull critically. A hint of a smile crosses her dark lips. "You are hardly in a position to argue paladin. My terms are non negotiable. The scimitar remains."

"I said no deal demon and I meant it!"

The six armed arch demon remains very still, like a snake moments before it strikes...