The Harvest Moon Consortium

[Winterhawk99]

Secrets of the Rose

Episode 1: The Halfling in White

It seemed a normal day in the camp outside the Old Dwarves’ Home. Little did our adventurers know, a threat had recently entered Sierra Na. It wasn’t long however before they noticed the signs. The first of our heroes to spot something amiss was Sweetpea. She noticed a strange bat-like creature with one eye watching the group. When she and the creature noticed each other the creature fled. Within moments the camp was flooded with strange creatures but they didn’t last long against the force the heroes’ attack. Curious as to the reason for the attack the adventurers set off to determine the origin of these horrid monsters. On their journey south they noticed several disturbing things. They ran into several more groups of the creatures and easily dispatched them. They also noticed that many bodies of the native creatures such as the gnolls were dead from wounds the adventurers didn’t cause. Some bodies didn’t even bear marks. Noting the strange details they continued southward.

Upon reaching the entrance to Morzelmore the adventurers noticed another strange occurrence. The ground beneath the spiral ramp to Morzelmore was littered with bodies of both monsters and dragonkin alike. The bodies did not account for all of the guards usually on patrol. To find out what had happened the adventurers ascended into Morzelmore. The entrance at the top of the ramp was covered with guards. Sanser, the commander, immediately told the group to leave. Our adventurers would not be so easily cowed. So they proceeded to haggle with Sanser, saying that if they went and investigated the source of the monsters then they should be rewarded. Sanser, being as stubborn as he is, refused. As a result Elisit and Jodro tussled with Sanser. They managed to push him all the way down the ramp. Elisit then tackled him with Jodro tied him up. With Sanser in tow, the group set off toward the minotaur lands where they believed the creatures were coming from.

Deep within the minotaur lands the adventurers found what they were looking for. Just as they discovered a portal several more powerful creatures came out of it. A long, tiring battle ensued. Still the creatures were no match for our heroes in the long run. Once the monsters were defeated the group investigated the portal. Paetyr, a cleric, studied the portal for a long time and determined that he might be able to close it given more time. He first attempted to weaken the portal by blessing it. It appeared to work, with the portal shrinking. But a moment after he cast the spell there was a flash and a strange little man appeared. He was a halfling with white hair, wearing all white clothing. He asked the group why they were trying to close his portal and they responded by telling him all about how the creatures were killing people. The halfling explained that the creatures were looking for something for him. He said the monsters were searching for two crystal roses, one red, one blue. Not just any crystal roses but two “special” ones. When asked why he wanted the roses he told the adventurers that they were “decorations”. Naturally this seemed strange to everyone but he wouldn’t tell them anything else. Before they could question him further his “time ran out” causing him to disappear leaving the group mystified as to what was going on. Shortly after, Paetyr managed to close the portal and the adventurers returned Sanser to Morzelmore. This were quiet once again.

Something strange is clearly going on. Who is the Halfling in White? What does he really want? What is so special about these two roses? Find out next time when the adventure continues in...Secrets of the Rose, Episode 2.


Episode 2: The Lady in Red

Once again all was quite in the vails. Ameliela and Jodro sat in camp and enjoyed the silence. Their rest and relaxation was cut short for with a pop the Halfling in White appeared before them. He asked about their progress finding the roses for him. When he was told they hadn’t made any, he suggested perhaps they ask people if they knew anything. Before they could respond with who they should ask, the Halfling in White looked around, seemingly sensing something amiss. With a curse and an annoyed expression, he popped out of existence again leaving our heroes confused about the last thing he had said, “Stupid Plainswalker.”

With a confused glance at each other, our adventurers set off to speak with Elpis, the priestess of Sune. Perhaps she knew of the roses and their purpose. Upon speaking with Elpis, it seemed that not even she had heard about two special crystal roses. Nor did she know what the Halfling in White could possibly want them for. Elpis did however suggest asking the Halfling how to identify the special roses he wanted for she had several crystal roses but didn’t know if they were special or not. With a sigh our heroes headed back to camp. They knew something was wrong. What would happen if the Halfling in White got the roses? Could they keep the roses from him even if they found them? While pondering these questions they returned to the vails.

When they arrived they could feel something strange in the air. Magical energy suddenly flashed and as the light faded a figure was left behind. The figure was hooded and wore all red leather armor. It was clear that the figure was feminine. She seemed surprised and elated that our heroes could see her. Her joy was short lived for as she stood her image began to flicker. She didn’t have much time. With the time she had she told our heroes what she could about the crystal roses. She said that the Halfling in White must never have them and that she too was seeking them. She eluded to the fact that the roses were used in a spell previously performed by the Halfling in White. It was her mission to “undo” what he had done. In the time she had before disappearing she could do little to prove to our heroes that she could be trusted. She did however tell them two important things. She told them to look for a man who wore blue armor and a white cloak. She called him the “Keeper of the Rose.” She also told them that to identify these specific roses one had to, “put a light behind them.”

And so the mystery thickens. Who is the Lady in Red? What is her relation to the Halfling in White? Which of them can be trusted? Who is this “Keeper of the Rose” and how does he know of the roses? Find out next time when the adventure continues in...Secrets of the Rose, Episode 3.

Episode 3: Secret Plan Hatched

Once more a sense of calm had settled over the vails. Two of our heroes, Paetyr and Ameilia, were quietly discussing current events while enjoying the beautiful day. The mystery surrounding the Halfling in White and the Lady in Red was a most interesting topic of discussion. Who should they trust? Who was telling the truth? What could they do to find out? Little did our heroes know that one among them had already begun putting his secret plan in motion. The warrior, Jodro, journeyed alone to visit Elpis, the cleric of Sune. He knew that Elpis had several crystal roses in her possession. It took some convincing but Elpis agreed to lend him four crystal roses, two blue, and two red. With the roses in his packs, Jodro set off on his way back to the camp.

He arrived just in time as the Halfling in White just appeared. The Halfling inquired about their progress to find his roses. When our adventurers told them they hadn’t found them the Halfling was clearly disappointed. Then our heroes asked about the Lady in Red. From the Halfling’s shocked expression it was clear that he had never expected her to have made contact with them. Clearly shaken by this unexpected turn of events the Halfling told them that the Lady in Red was an evil woman bent on the destruction of their world. If she obtained the crystal roses then all hope was lost. It was clear that for the safety of the world the roses had to be found and given to the Halfling. It was then that Jodro spoke up. Ignoring the shocked looks from his comrades, he told the Halfling that he had found two crystal roses. The Halfling was of course thrilled and demanded to see them. Jodro refused, saying that he must see payment first. With a soft growl the Halfling agreed, saying that he would be back shortly. With a pop the Halfling was gone.

And so our adventurers waited and discussed what was happening. It was about this time that unsuspecting Elisit Erron came strolling toward camp. Her packs were full of treasures that she felt compelled to sell. To make her packs lighter for the journey she placed her sword and shield against a tree on the side of the road. Then she headed to the dwarf brothers to bargin.

As our adventurers waited, the enemy struck. A huge party of monsters attacked the camp from the north. Beholders, devourers, and mind flayers fought without mercy against the off guard heroes. But even with superior numbers and the element of surprise the enemy was no match for our heroes, especially with the help of Elisit as she walked out of the Dwarves’ House and into the fray. With a sigh, Elisit returned to retrieve her arms. To her dismay both her shield and sword were gone. With a growl she returned to the others.

As our heroes stood amidst the bodies of their defeated, the Halfling in White appeared once again. He spared a glance at the bodies of the monsters but didn’t seem to care very much. He proudly told our adventurers that he had the payment as asked. With a wave of his hand a sword and a shield appeared on the ground. With a growl of rage Elisit explained that those were hers. The insult on the Halfling in White’s face was clear. But as promised he did supply payment so Elisit took her weapons and Jodro showed the roses. With some convincing Jodro agreed to let the Halfling in White test the roses to see if they were the ones he sought. The Halfling placed light behind the roses and looked through. The blue rose had blue light coming out and the red rose had red light coming out. Clearly both angry and disappointed the Halfling told them all that these were not his roses. So with a disappointed sigh and a short piercing glare at Jodro the Halfling disappeared.

It’s clear to everyone that our heroes don’t trust the Halfling in White and he’s beginning to notice it as well. Did he send those creatures that sought to kill the group? Did he know that the sword and shield belonged to Elisit? Is the Lady in Red really bent on the world’s destruction? Find out next time when the adventure continues in...Secrets of the Rose, Episode 4.

Episode 4: Search and Rescue

The Vales were not so quiet this day. The cleric, Paetyr was being rudely interrogated by an elven woman by the name of Swan. She wanted to know who the leader of the humans and where and when they were going to begin building the village. Paetyr, who had not heard of such a plan simply stared at her and told her so. Swan was having a hard time believing that. It was about this time that two more heroes approached the camp. Jodro the great warrior and the Kender, Sweetpea. Swam immediately turned on the new comers with the same questions.

The conversation had barely begun when they were interrupted. An injured goblin limped into camp. He could barely talk but he managed to grunt out that Alvanso needed help and the goblins of Eisental were under attack by big “Eyes.” Paetyr understood at once. It seemed the Halfling in White’s minions of death attacked Eisental. Our adventurers looked at each other curiously all thinking the same thing. Why now? Why Eisental?

Paetyr set off to investigate and the others followed. Eisental was a warzone. Bodies of the Halfling’s minions and goblins alike covered the ground. All around arrows and spells were being thrown. Upon our heroes’ arrival both the creatures and the goblins attacked them. A frenzied battle ensued. It wasn’t long before our heroes made their way to the old druid home and found Alvanso, beaten and bloody. With a wave of Paetyr’s hand Alvanso was instantly healed. He told our adventurers that the creatures attacked without warning and seemed to be looking for something. Jodro asked about the roses. Alvanso mentioned that a long time ago he traded a blue crystal rose to someone. He also said that a man in blue or gray (he couldn’t remember) armor had once come looking for the rose. Other than that he was little help to our heroes. So with many sighs they left.

Just as they walked outside of the Old Druid Home they heard an explosion to the north. They quickly came upon the temple of Eisental and once more a great battle ensued. Upon searching the temple they discovered that the clan chief was dead and the wizard, Voc’Giles, was missing. Perhaps they could locate Voc’giles if they moved quickly.

Our heroes were in luck, for the warrior Kano had heard the sounds of battle and come to help. On his way to the temple he had spied a massive group of the creatures moving east. In an instant our heroes were off. Tracking the creatures proved easy. It seemed that they were headed north from the forest lake. Near the Troglodyte caves our heroes reached the enemy. Heavily our numbered, our heroes waded in. After a long and grueling battle they were victorious. Paetyr located Voc’Giles and quickly healed him.

Voc’Giles had no idea why the creatures would want him. Our heroes seemed to have an inkling though. They questioned Voc’Giles about the roses. Voc’Giles knew little off the top of his head but he agreed to research the roses for a few days and report his findings to the group.

Why did the Halfling in White want to capture Voc’Giles? Was the Halfling in White really behind the attacks? Could Voc’Giles indeed help our heroes puzzle out the secrets of the roses? Find out next time when the adventure continues in...Secrets of the Rose, Episode 5.

Episode 5: Another Piece of the Puzzle

It was another quiet afternoon in the Vales when our heroes’ conversation was interrupted by the appearance of a trembling, young goblin. The goblin looked at the faces of our powerful heroes and could barely speak through his fear. Eventually he squeeked out that Voc’Giles was waiting for them. Smacking his head Paetyr rushed off to the Temple. The others shrugged and followed in his wake. When they got there Voc’Giles showed them several books. It seemed that Voc’Giles had made little progress on what the roses were. He did find one spell of interest. This mystery spell somehow involved sending light through some type of prism. Voc’Giles claimed that the spell might open some type of door. One of our heroes in particular, Melocia, was curious about this prism so she copied the diagram in Voc’Giles’ book onto a piece of parchment. Voc’Giles told them that the prism was most likely needed for the spell and that prisms were relatively common. He suggested that the adventurers seek out some of other spell casters and ask if they had one. It was then that our heroes rushed off to the Baelnorms in the Elven crypt.

When they arrived that asked Geristone and Jackarra what they knew they replied that they new of such prisms. They even had one once long ago. They also claimed that the “Spectral Prism,” as they called it, was often used in divine spells. It was suggested that our heroes seek the help of a divine spellcaster. On the way out of the crypts our heroes heard a great noise coming from the temple of Sune. Jodro rushed ahead of the others and found Elpis barricaded in her scrying chamber. She mentioned how creatures had attacked from the temple. It seemed that they weren’t after Elpis but instead were seeking something she possessed.

Jodro and Elpis joined the others in the temple. Elpis went looking for her spectral prism and found it was missing. It then that our heroes decided to track down the thieving creatures. They found a portal in the caves below Sune’s temple. Without hesitation Melocia jumped in the portal followed immediately by Rigo. With a resigned sigh the others followed. Suddenly our adventurers found themselves in another cave. The creatures were everywhere. Without hesitation our heroes waded into battle hacking and slashing at all that stood in their way. Eventually they found a small room off to the side of the caves. The walls of the room were coved in curious marks that seemed to be meaningless but our spellcasters could sense a faint magical aura from the walls. After a time they decided to move on and come back later.

After slicing though many more monsters our heroes found a strange glint in the pool of water in the caves. It seemed that there were crystals under the water. After several attempts by the Dark Wander, Jodro and Rigo they managed to pull a large crystal free. After a short examination Melocia claimed that this was indeed a Spectral Prism. With the prism in hand they returned to the strange room. When looking through the prism the viewer could see the marks on the wall almost three dimensionally. The marks still didn’t form words. It seemed that more was needed to solve this puzzle. Eventually they returned to Sune’s Temple.

It was decided that Jodro would hold onto the Spectal Prism for not even Sune’s temple was safe from the creatures of darkness.

Why were the creatures so determined to deny our heroes a spectral prism? How does the prism related to the mysterious room? Find out next time when the adventure continues in…Secrets of the Rose, Episode 6.


Episode 6: The Halfling’s Displeasure

Once again our heroes had gathered around the camp. It seemed a calm normal day. As always the calm was short-lived. With a bright flash of light the Halfling in White appeared. He was jovial as always but our heroes seemed less than pleased to see him. He was curious as why they had sought out a Spectral Prism. He claimed that possessing one was not safe for the Lady in Red would surely be seeking one. He offered our heroes to keep the Prism safe for them for the Lady in Red would not dare attack him directly.

Our heroes would not be fooled so easily. It was clear to them that anyone who used dark creatures as slaves could not be trusted. Nor it seemed were our heroes willing to help him. The Halfling in White grew desperate and was soon yelling like a crazy person. He said that they had to believe him. That if the Lady in Red, who he worked so hard to keep away from Sierra Na, gathered the roses and the prism then everything that they held dear would be in danger.

After a time our heroes were not only unconvinced, but annoyed. It was then that The Dark Wanderer used a scroll in an attempt to dismiss the Halfling. At first it seemed the spell had little effect but then the Halfling began to fade. With a flash of light he cursed our heroes and disappeared.

Our heroes, knowing they had insulted the Halfling, quickly began preparing for battle. For a long time all was quiet, then without warning creatures struck from the north. The creatures were no match for our heroes. After a while they tracked the creatures back toward the entrance to the Troglodyte caves. It was here that our heroes faced the toughest battle yet. A new enemy was amongst the old. This “creature” was made of metal and wielded two massive hammers with deadly speed and skill. The battle was long. Slowly our heroes fell one by one. Not even one of the greatest warriors on all of Sierra Na, Jodro, could stand before this metal construct. The priestess, Shana, retreated to gather her strength after seeing her comrades fall. It seemed the creatures had won the day. Leaving his vanquished enemies behind, the Metal creature stomped back to the north. Little did he know that he left one of our heroes dying but not dead.

With great effort the warrior, Kano, managed to heal himself from the brink of death. He was able to revive Jodro and fight off a few of the lingering enemies. Jodro retrieved Shana and together they healed the others. Once fully recovered, our heroes followed the tracks of the Metal creature northward. It was deep in the chasm when they fought the rest of the dark creatures. This time they were ready and the forces of darkness stood no chance. The battle was long and grueling but our heroes were victorious. With heads held high they returned to the Vales.

What was the metal creature that seemed to lead the monsters? Was this the full extent of the Halfling in White’s anger? Why was the Halfling so worried about the Lady in Red? Find out next time when the adventure continues in…Secrets of the Rose, Episode 7.


Story by Child of Stark