Shadows over Anuire

In Brief:
The party, Devlyn, Fra Gwythyr of Cwlidon, and Vito Shadowmere, along with the Mhors house-guard and
scout Gaelin, is investigating reports that the lord of Dun-Hearken and his family have been taken hostage
in his own hill-fort.
The lands of the Laird of Dun-Hearken lie to the south, near the Hearkenwold, the geographical centre of
Maesilar, his clan's ancestral home. Beyond, near the border with Ghoere and Elinie, is the community of
Albridge, where once a magnificent arched bridge stood, spanning the river, back in the Empire's heyday. If
the reports are to be believed, mercenaries and bandits in the employ of Gavin Tael, the Baron Ghoere,
have overrun the place, sweeping in across the river in a lightning raid a scant six weeks ago. They levy tolls,
confiscate property, and brutally put down those who oppose their "authority".
While few roads are to be found in the valley, there are many trails to follow, indelibly etched into the
landscape by centuries-long traditions of sheep-grazing and raid and counter-raid between rival clans.
After several encounters with foreign bandits and mercenaries, dire battle-field spirits, and outcast
Wildlings, Devlyn and Gwythyr come into contact with the renowned champion and questing knight of the
Militant Order of Cuiraecen, Sir Guy de Conallier, who challenges and defeats an enemy knight in a joust.
Sir Parsifal Bronarre (from Brona, capital of the Ghoerean province of Tornilen) is the defeated vassal of Sir
Faulk Redthorn, charged with escorting a supply wagon carrying provisions and pay. Redthorn is an
ambitious landed knight and noble from the province of Conallier in Ghoere and leads a coalition of nobles
which tries to take advantage of Gavin Taels absence and presumed capture by the Gorgon to extend its
own holdings. Redthorns chief supporter, Sir Parsifal says, is Fra-Marschal Stiele Ghieste, leader of the
Ghoerean affiliate Order of the Spur (Redspurs), the hand guiding the sword of Ghoere against its enemies.
The Fra-Marschal was a long-time supporter of Ghoeres military ambitions, and commands the loyalty of
the largest concentration of brothers in all of Anuire in the fortified temple-complex outside the city of
Bhalaene. The fortress houses a company each of elite infantry and cavalry. This one-time Ghoere loyalist
now brings the ruthless men of the blood-soaked order to Redthorns cause, although to date Parsifal has
been spared any contact with these butchers.

(Sir Guy de Conallier and Fra Gwythyr of Cwlidon feel a sense of shame to be associated with these violent
brothers in battle, whose sole dedication seems to be the glorification of slaughter and conflict irrespective
of the justness or otherwise of a cause. The grandmaster of the Order, the volatile and controversial Fhylie
the Sword (also missing and presumed captured) has been unable to stamp out the corruptive taint
infecting the Military Order of Cuiraecen in Ghoere.)
Sir Parsifal also notes that there are loyalist elements in Ghoere, led by a lieutenant, Jonathan Miechele,
who tries to rally support around Ghoeres bastard, Moerghan Brelliante (Morghan Rook), who is Ghoeres
successor, despite his illegitimacy.
As to why Redthorn has chosen to besiege Dun-Hearken (seat of the province of Maesilar) and Laird Brego,
son of Barni, he cannot say; he would have expected Redthorn to consolidate his hold of the southern port
of Riumache and key villages first, before launching an attack on so important a clan seat as Dun-Hearken.
The threat to Mhorieds Northern provinces, particularly Toriens Watch, which has stretched the Mhors
military resources thin, has no doubt played a part.

The Maesil River Valley

Sir Parsifal is afforded every courtesy as a noble captured enemy combatant. Several of the mercenaries
captured with him are offered a battlefield conversion, which is pleasing to the Strom Lord, and who deigns
to heal their injuries in return for their new-found devotion. The party secures and caches some of the
wagons goods and presses on.
En-route, the party encounters what turns out to be a band of brigands. After a swift, bloody battle, they
are defeated, but several escape, while one is captured. The captive reveals plans to launch a co-ordinated
attack on the community of Tors Hold in Tenarien with the aid of an unholy alliance with the Mere-folk, the
swamp-skum of the western marshlands at the Maesils confluence with the River Stonebryn. Meanwhile,
the Cwilidon community of Marl has been razed, he says.

After Devlyns diplomacy and gifts of food and ale secures the confidence of the suspicious community of
Tors Hold (sons and grandsons of the local hero Tor Hammermith, led by the Bann of Tors Hold, Bran
Torskin), the party learns that several attempts have been made to pacify this strategically-important
village. It was inevitable that a more concerted effort would eventually be made. The villagers are aware of
the stories of mere-folk, with whom trade-relations were said to have once existed, but who have since
embraced the Shadow. It is also revealed that the grandson of the Bann, Heron, recently wandered off into
the swamp. To date, efforts to recover the lad have failed.

Tors Hold
The restless Sir Guy inspects the defence of Tors hold, and watches for a night-time surprise attack. He
spots a strange light in the distance, and summons his companions. Devlyn identifies the eerie light as a
will-o-wisp, the vestige of an evil soul which lures the unwary to their doom. Fearing that Heron may have
succumbed to the lure of the malevolent spirit, the party immediately follows. After an hours-long trek
through wild grasslands, the party enters the swamp, finally losing the will-o-wisp at a hidden cave
complex.

Will-o-wisp on the Moors

The mere-folk are quick to mobilise to repel the invaders, but despite the advantage of terrain, are
outclassed by the heroes, who have no appetite for slaughtering these unfortunate mockeries of humanity.
Somehow Devlyn manages to engage in rudimentary diplomacy with the creatures, which seem to be
under an evil influence. The heroes are shown to a ritual chamber where an enormous dire toad languidly
awaits to receive as sacrifice an unconscious boy matching Herons description.

Mere-folk
The demon toad is engaged and harried by the spirits of warriors summoned from Cuiraecens Feasthall,
and thanks to a concerted effort and a devastating blow resulting in an impossible decapitation, the
monster is defeated at last to the joyous croaking of the mere-folk Before the heroes can revel in their
victory, however, the will-o-wisp descends upon the crude altars sacrifice. Finding their weapons

ineffective against the incorporeal foe, Gwythyr casts a blessing of protection over the boy, buying some
precious time, while Sir Guy and Devlyn harry the malevolent spirit before blasting it into nothingness. A
cackling remnant of what was once the will-o-wisp speeds out of the caverns, and Devlyn recalls the
wildlings dire warnings of the involvement of a Scinnlaeca, a Shining One in the recent goings on.

Sidebar_________________________________________________________________
Cuiraecen, the Stormlord, God of Battle, Haelyns Champion
The son of Haelyn and Nesirie, Cuiraecen is Haelyns chosen champion
and herald. Warriors preparing for battle may ask of Haelyn that they
conduct themselves with honour, but it is Cuiraecens name they must
invoke for victory. The god of battle is the patron of young warriors, for he is the
representation of reckless courage and victory through strength.
Born in the third century after Deismaar, he has since inspired the formation of orders of
knighthood within the church of Haelyn. A tense rivalry exists between elements of both
orders to this day, with the more conservative and learned adherents of Haelyns faith
seeing the orders of Cuiraecen as a refuge for black-guards and violent criminals, hiding
behind the aegis faith for their acts violent acts of aggression and expediency. Since the
fall of Michaele Roele and the dissolution of the Empire, the church of Haelyn has
splintered along geo-political lines, and the rift has deepened, but fundamentally, the
two faiths, along with the worship of Nesirie the Mother, are part of a greater,
indivisible whole. In theory
Holy Days/Important Ceremonies are Haelyns Festival (day and night of the Summer
Solstice) and Godsday (22nd of Deismir), Day of Rebirth (first day of spring and start of
the storm season), and six-weeks later (16th Talienir), the start of the campaigning
season.
The principal ceremony each day is in the early afternoon, immediately before spring
and summer storms typically begin. Adherents also conduct a service before any battle,
regardless of whether or not a priest is present. It is particularly auspicious (albeit
extremely dangerous) to conduct such services on the battlefield while a storm is in
full force, as they believe enemies become particularly unnerved by the sight of metalclad zealots raising weapons to the heavens during the height of an electrical storm.
________________________________________________________________________

Heron is safely returned to his kin, earning the party the gratitude of the Tors-holders, who pledge their
support in the partys efforts to repel Redthorns advances. But first there is the matter of the anticipated
attack on the community and the road it controls. Vito and Devlyn, meanwhile plan to head for Riumache
while Sir Guy and Fra Gwythyr drill the able-bodied men and youths of Tors Hold. Before his departure,
Devlyn regales everyone with tales of an historical battle, a triumph of stout-hearted pastoralists over the

mighty, but unjustly assembled horde arrayed against them, lifting the spirits of the men of Tors Hold on
the eve of the battle.
The fighting men of Tors Hold and surrounds quickly muster, and prepare to take the battle to the enemy.
Fra Gwythyr and Sir Guy lead a procession, attended by seven young oblates and accompanied by fyfe,
bagpipes, and clashing cymbals, in cacophonous imitation of the Stormlord himself. Before long, an
unseasonal storm descends over the assembled supplicants, while Fra Gwythyr, fully armed and armoured,
calls down Cuiraecens blessings on the endeavour. As if in response, a bolt descends from the heavens in a
blinding flash and deafening crack, striking dead one of the Tors Holders. Trembling in fear, the troops
morale wavers, but Fra Gwythyr admonishes them for their cowardice, and decrees that the deceased was
fated to die, and was spared a lingering death by the merciful Storm Lord, who has acknowledged the
supplicants and given his imprimatur.
At the opposite end of a narrow isthmus of land to the north, the assembled forces of Sir Redthorn, under
the leadership of the notorious Gorthwyn of Diemed, watch is amazement at the spectacle playing out
before the stockade of Tors Hold. Gorthwyn re-evaluates his chances of successfully bringing Tors Hold to
heel. The arrival of meddling outsiders and the apparent betrayal of the mere-folk are a significant setback.
Under a flag of truce, he tentatively approaches, accompanied by two guards.
Guy, Gwythyr and Bran Torskin ride out to meet Gorthwyn, the storm clouds still roiling about them.
Another bolt strikes from the heavens, striking Bran down, surely another sign of Cuiraecens favour.
Gorthwyns guards are unnerved, but hold firm, comforted by their captains preternatural composure.
Sir Guy demands surrender, Gorthwyn will have none of it. Gwythyr also spoils for a fight, as it would be an
affront to refuse the God of Battles blessing. After a few moments Sir Guy recognises his erstwhile
companion, whom he last saw during the aborted attack on the Chimaeras lair, and who knows his dark
secret Knowing Gorthwyn to be an uncompromising and recalcitrant fellow, it seems battle is a fait
accompli, and Sir Guy calls and end to the truce, whereupon a zealous guard seizes to opportunity to strike
out at the enemys spiritual leader. The attack on Fra Gwythyr is countered with a thunderous wave of
energy, the breath of Cuiraecen himself, killing both guards and sending Gorthwyn reeling back. He
manages to recover control of his steed and races back to his front line, while Sir Guy gives chase after
ordering his forces to action. The battle is well and truly joined.
Filled with righteous fury, Cuiraecens champions cut through the ranks of Gorthwyns mercenary forces.
Gorthwyns captain surrenders to the vengeful Gwythyr, severely weakening the mercenaries position.
Buoyed by Cuiraecens divine favour and the example of his champions, the levies and irregulars of Tors
Hold fall upon their more numerous and battle-hardened foes, and by the setting of the sun, Gorthwyn
accepts Sir Guys terms of surrender.
Meanwhile, Devlyn and Vito have travelled day and night to Riumache, arriving just as the night soil porters
carry their cargo to the outlying fields. A queue of farmers bringing their produce into the town has already
started to form, while disreputable-looking guards demand extortionate tolls at the towns main gate.

Riumache
Its evident that foreign mercenary companies have taken up residence in the depleted town, whose male
population has answered the Mhors call for assistance against the incursions in the Northern provinces.
While not completely defenceless (it is harvest time, after all, and strong-backed youths are needed to
bring in the fruits of their labours), there is ample opportunity for men of unprincipled character to take
advantage of the situation and the good-folk of Riumache. These mercenaries move freely between
Tornilen and Riumache, crossing the mighty River Maesil with the assistance of the unscrupulous guilds.
Who knows what sort of concessions Redthorn has promised the avaricious guilders of Tenarien.
The few remaining brother-knights of the local chapterhouse (for the majority have gone to the aid of the
Guardians, in Toriens Watch) are in a difficult position; their brothers from across the river seem to be in
league with the black-guard, Redthorn, but to oppose them would turn brother against brother. For now
the Order tries to hunt down opportunistic brigands and stop the excesses of these foreign mercenaries.

Sidebar_________________________________________________________________
Sowing Rumours
Swaying public opinion can be an effective way to bring down a villain or elevate a
friend. Spreading rumours is an efficient, if underhanded, way to accomplish that goal.
Well-placed rumours can increase a subjects standing in a community or embroil
someone in scandal. A rumour needs to be simple, concrete, and hard to disprove. An
effective rumour also has to be believable, playing off what people want to believe
about the person in question.
Sowing a rumour about an individual or an organisation requires a number of
consecutive days depending on the size of the community, as shown in the Sowing
Rumours table below:
SOWING RUMOURS
Settlement Size
Village
Town
City

Time Required
2d6 days
4d6 days
6d6 days

The character must spend 1 gp per day to cover the cost of drinks, social appearances,
and the like. At the end of the time spent sowing the rumour, the character must make a
DC 15 Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check. If the check succeeds, the
communitys prevailing attitude towards the subject shifts one step toward friendly or
hostile according to the intent of the rumour. If the check fails the rumour gains no
traction, and further attempts to propagate it fail.
Shifting a communitys general attitude toward a person or organisation doesnt affect
everyone in the community. Individuals might hold to their own opinion, particularly if
they have personal experience in dealing with the subject of the rumour.
Riumache is considered a Town for the purpose of sowing rumours. Tenarien is a 3/2
Holding. The Mhor has a level 2 Law holding (down from 3), with his influence eroded in
recent weeks by Ghoeran elements (level 1 Law holding). The Militant Order of
Cuiraecen has a level 3 Temple holding, while Haelyns Aegis has made some inroads
(level 0 Temple holding). Highland Overland Traders controls, for want of a better word,
most of the trade (level 3 Guild holding) and seems to be playing both sides of the
conflict. The Maesil Shippers guild has also seized upon the current tension to get a
share of the profits (level 0 Guild holding).
The current Starting Attitude of Riumache is Indifferent. A Friendly result will result in
military and logistical support for any assault on Redthorns besieging forces.
________________________________________________________________________
Devlyn immerses himself in town life. His natural charm and arcane talents enable him to learn much of the
current situation. He sets into motion a plan to thwart the designs of the occupiers, hoping to disrupt their

operation. He has learned that outspoken critics are arrested and executed, and that there is a steady
exodus of political rivals from the town, but with no safe harbour, they face a miserable end in the wilds of
Mhoried. There are ancient ruins nearby, to the west, he learns, thought safe enough, but since discovered
to be haunted. Devlyn dimly recalls that in the time before Deismaar sidhelien enclaves were scattered
throughout the Heartlands. Perhaps he can broker an agreement for sanctuary for the men of Riumache.

Sidhelien ruins
Gorthwyn sends word to his employer, terminating the arrangement by his failure. He marches the
remnants of his defeated and dejected mercenary company to Riumache to cross the mighty Maesil back
into Ghoere, never to return, as per the terms of the surrender. Sir Guy escorts the group, and meets with
Devlyn en-route, who has averted a planned ambush by desperate locals.
At Riumache Sir Guy and Fra Gwythyr discover that the local chapterhouse hosts several prominent
brother-knights of the Redspurs faction. Guy makes a strong case against the injustices of Faulk Redthorn,
and insists the Order oppose the villain, but it falls on deaf ears. The die has been cast, the de-facto GrandMarschal, Stiele Ghieste has communed with the Stormlord, who has endorsed the actions of the Ghoerean
knight. This apparent usurpation of the Grand-Marschals position angers Sir Guy greatly, and he dares to
strike a fellow brother-knight. The latter shows great restraint, however, citing the bond of fraternitas and
does not answer in kind (which only serves to anger Sir Guy even further). Cooler heads point out to the
zealot Guy that unless the Redspurs are declared heretic, killing one would be considered an act of
fratricide, a heinous crime of the highest order
Fra Gwythyr proposes to commune with Cuiraecen himself, to prove the righteousness of his and Guys
position. If Cuiraecen deigns to strike him down, but he survives, Gwythyr argues, then he has the
Stormlords support. The logic seems irrefutable

Summoning a storm in a field outside the town, Gwythyr calls a lightning bolt down on his own head, to the
amazement and horror of the onlookers. As the blinding flash and deafening roar fade, Gwythyr can be
seen still standing, almost revelling in the ecstasy of the moment, until a second, unexpected bolt strikes
him dead, or so it seems; Guys blessed touch denies Gwythyr his place in Cuiraecens Feasthall for now.
Devlyn, observing from the shadows, informs Sir Guy that the second bolt was of arcane origin, having
come from the Redspurs quarter. While he tends to Gwythyr, Guy levels charges of heresy and witchcraft
against them.
The Redspurs return en-masse to the chapterhouse, ignoring Guys hysterical accusations.
In fevered dreams Gwythyr sees a painfully bright puppet-master controlling a mockery of a clergyman and
a knight. He can only guess at the significance at this stage. While he recovers, Devlyn co-ordinates the
movement of villagers from Riumache to various outlying abandoned farmsteads. He has secured the
assistance of Gorthwyns remaining troops to guard the displaced villagers while they salvage what they
can of the harvest.
Fearing for Gwythyrs safety, Sir Guy pulls him out of the chapterhouse before he has been able to make a
full recovery. Joined by Devlyn and Gorthwyn, they enter the haunted ruins.
The short trek takes the party to the edges of the nearby marshes where evidence of ancient sidhelien
habitation abounds. There is sufficient shelter and fresh water to temporarily house the refugees in this
easily-defensible narrow canyon. The appeal of the place is not lost on the local fauna, however, and before
long a mated pair of abominations attacks the party.

Owlbear

The battle is hard-fought, the wounds grievous, but the party defeats the creatures and seeks out and slays
their unhatched young.
After a short rest the party moves on. Devlyn investigates an arcanely-wrought trapped archway, beyond
which a tree-lined avenue leading to a porticoed hall can be seen. He barely escapes with his life as the trap
magically resets, barring entry.

Mystic Portal
The party turns its attention to a nearby mausoleum. Delving into the crypt Sir Guy disturbs an ethereal
woman in diaphanous robes, who turns her horrifying visage towards the intruders. Only Gorthwyns
Anduirias-derived aura of courage saves the onlookers. Devlyn quickly intervenes, and tries to negotiate
with the spectre and her newly-materialised sidhelien warriors.

Sidhelien Banshee

The spectre reveals that the ancient well-spring of magic has been siphoned by a blooded practitioner of
the arcanists arts, despoiling the legacy of her people. The magic portal to the well-spring is trapped to
those of sidhelien or arcane blood,, denying them easy access. If the party can defeat the well-springs
guardian and sever the wizards link, then the sidhelien haunts will leave the site in peace, for the men of
Riumache to do with as they see fit.
With divine guidance and the support of staunch allies, Devlyn is able to negotiate the arch portal and enter
the faerie regione beyond. The party enters the columned hall and immediately senses the source of
magical power, a shrine dedicated to the pre-Mannish elemental forces which shaped the land. Without
warning a monstrously huge, misshapen fey creature emerges from the halls half gloom, its all-seeing
yellow eye leaving nowhere to hide: a fhoimoiran!

Fhoimoiran
Devlyns elf-taught glamours manage to fool the creature long enough for him to remain hidden and limn it
in a fey radiance, giving the war god-inspired fighting allies a much-needed advantage. Gwythyr fights
through his pain to call forth a curse of blindness, and the heroes eventually defeat the giant guardian.
Devlyn quickly surveys the floor mosaics, and soon identifies a vortex of mystical energies, harnessed,
apparently, by a third party. He severs the arcane link, sundering the connection, and the party flees the
hall through the arch-portal, back into the serene outer-ruins, before it closes forever.
With the ruins unquiet guardians defeated and placated, the sheltered gully is now fit for occupation once
more.

Sidhelien Arcane Wellspring

In time, the good folk of Riumache rise against their oppressors. No longer will they allow themselves to be
dictated to by foreign powers. In practical terms, Redthorns forces are denied material aid, and a levy of
fighting men is raised to march on Albridge before breaking the siege at Dun-Hearken.
Rewards__________________________________________________________________
Sir Guy (L7): Blessing of Weapon Enchantment (one weapon becomes +1)
Fra Gwythyr (L5): Blessing of Health (+2 to Con)
Devlyn (L5): Medal of Service (Riumache); Special Favour (sidhelien); Icon Relationship
(The Sidhelien Lords), 1d6 +
Gorthwyn is pardoned of his crimes against the Mhor for his service to the people of
Riumache
_________________________________________________________________________