Upon your return to the Prefecture in Wolfberg from your last foray, it was decided by the powers-that-be that your next mission is to deliver Cullen to the Dollmage’s lab so that he may be cured of his mysterious affliction. However, you find that such a seemingly sounding task may actually be quite difficult. Possible treachery from House Laerth in the mysterious disappearance of their forces from their defensive position around the lab, just as Sheriff Dominik of County Laerth advanced with his troops surely complicates matters greatly. Fortunately House Orod already had troops en route, originally intending to reinforce House Laerth’s position. Now, you are to accompany them so that they can retake the lab while you slip in and complete your objective.
On the morning of your departure, High Inquisitor Gurich calls on you once more. He explains that much damage was done in Dunmon approximately 2 weeks ago, which is being attributed to a group of Aegisians. Authorities at the County Laerth seat managed to receive funds from the Black Heron bank in return for a lien on church properties in Dunmon. The bank has graciously agreed to waive the lien granted one of their agents accompany you on further quests to ensure that the bests interests of the bank are served. The bank agent introduces himself as Aram, and with that you once again bid farewell to Gurich and head for the city gates to rendezvous with the House Orod forces.
At the gates, a half-elf wearing a symbol of the Order of the Silver Dragon approaches your group. He introduces himself as Narsane, a friend and colleague of Lyr. He claims that Lyr had asked him to accompany you, because he felt your contribution warranted further assistance from the Order, and the ends you fight for are surely in line with that of the Order’s. Though you have your suspicions, you don’t really have time to rebut his claims, for an individual in military regalia bruskly addresses you and beckons to follow him. As you do, he introduces himself as Darver, First Sergeant of Orod County Mountaineer company.
First Sgt. Darver leads you where the company bivouaced. Darver presents you to Captain Romsdalen, who asks you to act as eyes-and-ears while he leads the company into position. Promptly, the company mobilizes, and you watch as the eighty-some troops march with eight heavily-laden wagons in tow. A day later, the company reaches their destination and establishes position. The troops begin to drill as camp is set up, and war golems unloaded from 4 of the wagons.
The following day, you march on the Dollmage’s estate. The Mountaineer company breaks the siege allowing your party to slip in with little resistance. Once there, you find it curious that, in spite that the place is supposedly under siege, you see people about, apparently tending to the grounds. You draw nearer, pass through the gate, and behold a disturbing sight. The “people” tending to the grounds appear to be undead or constructs of some sort, all in the forms of women and children. You decide to continue toward the manor house. As you pass, each of the workers briefly stop to watch, and you observe that they are working in pairs – one woman and one little girl. An especially gruesome pair of zombies appear before you, gesturing to take the reins of your horses. Unnerved a bit by the help, you explore the grounds and manor, finding more pairs of women and children of the same mold as those that greeted you, all hard at work.
Though you are tripped up a bit by the estate’s defenses, eventually you find the Dollmage hiding in his secret lab below the manor house. He reveals that his daughter, Nina, has been kidnapped in the confusion of the siege on his lab. Though he seems concerned, he also shows no intention of acquiescing to their ransom demands. Instead, he coolly presents you with a list of ingredients that he will need in order to cure Cullen.
Many things on the list are readily available, though some are a bit more difficult to acquire due to the nature of civil war breaking out around you. A couple other items are more difficult to acquire, due to their genuine rarity. The one item that would prove most difficult to get your hands on is a philosopher’s stone. You attempt to be discreet in getting an idea of where you’d find such a thing, and learn that one may exist on the Blighted Coast.
You begin your grand journey, striking out south and crossing in to Grenmond. You travel the Kingsroad to Bre, encountering a few challenges along the way. During this stretch, Cullen’s unnatural hunger manifested, and one evening it became apparent that his disease was part sickness and part possession. Once in Bre, you hop a river barge down to the port city of Matizanga. After a couple days there, you board a trading vessel on its way to New Bolanta.
You gather intelligence on what you might expect to encounter once you reach New Bolanta. Since the residents are formerly from the coast, you learn much of the challenges you face, namely those of the Blight and its remedy, the K’thirian Cure. You are told that the Blight drains life, turning everything to a fine grey powder. The Cure restores life, however it is indiscriminate in how it accomplishes this. Basically, it turns everything it comes in contact with in to plant life, and not just the Blight; animals and humanoids included.
Provisioned with items that should allow you to survive both the Blight and the Cure, you charter a ship of the line in service of the Eryl Consortium. The deal brokered is standard for such an outing, though there is concern that you may not have enough leverage to keep a philosopher’s stone should you succeed in finding one. You decide it best to not worry about such things now; you have to survive both Cure and Blight while striking deep in to the lands that belonged once to the Bolantans.
You take to the sea. About a tenday later, you land in the old port city of Brynvyr, which is consumed by the Cure. You pick your way through the thick growth, encountering one of the components of the Cure along the way; the Seeder looks like a giant tumbleweed, spitting out clouds of spores. The spores choke and try to germinate in your bodies, but you manage to rid yourself of them with the help of a wand of restoration. After that, you strike out in to the desert that is the Blight.
Each day within the Blight drains you both of body and mind. Before you’re drained too much, you use the wand again. And again. And again. Before long, you reach the gates of old Bolanta. The Cure has consumed this city as much as the last. Here, you encounter yet another component of the Cure: a Keeper. The first Keeper you see is being torn apart by a couple vaguely humanoid, vine covered creatures. You learn that they were once residents of the city, turned in to strange plant creatures by the Cure. Your new friends point out places where you may find a philosopher’s stone, should one still exist within the city.
After exploring the remnants of a research lab (wherein you find actual human survivors, untouched by Blight or Cure) and an ancient temple, you find your way to the remnants of the palace. Though crumbling, the palace by large is strangely untouched by vegetation. Your exploration leads you to the dungeons. There you face steel sentinels, constructs that fight intelligently, using the terrain and traps to their advantage. Deep in the dungeons you find what little was left behind; weapons with interchangeable enhancements, and yes, a philosopher’s stone, both closely-guarded secrets of the Transmutation specialists of Bolanta.
On your way out of the city, you encounter the third and final component of the Cure: the Guardians. The massive, spike-covered creatures are fearsome warriors, and surprisingly swift for plants. Your vine-covered friends help cover your escape, though, hoping that some day that they may be rescued and restored. This time around, you find swifter means of travel across the Blight. You use the final charges from your wand, board the waiting ship and travel back to Wolfberg by way of the Porter’s Union in Matizanga.
With all components in hand, you go back to the Dollmage. This time around, the trip from Wolfberg to the Dollmage’s estate seems like nothing, when before it was a long and challenging day and a half. The Dollmage is able to cure Cullen, of a sort. He reveals that the ‘cure’ will not invilve removing the disease, but instead remove Cullen’s consciousness from his diseased body to another, one that has no need for sleep or hunger. In essence, Cullen is to become a living construct. The process is a grisly one, and not all goes to plan. Cullen is successfully moved from one body to another, but his old body is now inhabited by something else, something that proceeds to slay the Dollmage and disappear into shadow before you can react.
Victor, the Dollmage’s silent construct of an assistant, follows you as you head back to Wolfberg to report to the crown. The Queen herself sees you, and she bids that Cullen, whom she refers to as ‘the prototype,’ undergo a field test. You are to find the Dollmage’s missing daughter Nina. Your first clue is to “follow the story,” the fairy-tale version of the Dollmage and his family as he had told you when you first met.
The first snows of winter begin to fall as you set out from Wolfberg once more. Your first interpretation of the clue is to follow the events of the story. In doing this, you come across different tellings of the story and come to the conclusion that if you find the correct version, you may find the girl. You do so, and you are led right back to Wolfberg. Soon you find yourself at the door of an old friend, deacon Norry.
Norry is acting strange, so you decide to act. The deacon and his two friends fight back. After the battle, you find evidence that the good deacon was much more than he seemed. There were many different disguises and traveling papers, and Nina in a back room. Victor made to free her, and once they embraced, he spoke. It seems that the Dollmage had time to transfer his being into his construct companion before he was slain. The Dollmage speaks to you briefly before teleporting Nina and himself to parts unknown.
With your mission complete, you report back to the queen. You are recognized for your accomplishments, but receive no rewards beyond that. Those of you with the church are invited to winter at the Prefecture; Cullen returns to the Queen’s service, Aram back to the bank, and Narsane to his order.
Three months later after the winter snows had melt, each of you receive invitation to speak with high Inquisitor Gurich.