Making of a Hero: The Story so far
Part I: Hero's Welcome
A group of adventurers were called home to Cinnamon Valley. All received messages from loved ones saying, in essence, "Come home. You are needed."
Upon arrival, they met with Dulcet, a member of the Pitchfork council. She told them of a book, the Vaaphyn Codex, which had been discovered in a local farmhouse. The codex is a compendium of evil and blasphemous rituals and poses a grave threat to the inhabitants of the Valley. Dulcet asked the group to guard the codex while the Council worked out how to destroy it.
The adventurers agreed, only to find that the codex had already been stolen from Dulcet's home! A nighttime cross-country search for the thief ensued, and the party managed to catch up with her mere hours from town. However, the adventurers soon began arguing among themselves as to the best course of action to take next. And then it started to rain. Wet and bickering, they made their way back to Jarlwolf, their heroic quest off to a shaky start.
In light of the theft, Dulcet believes that destroying the Codex must be accomplished as quickly as possible. To that end, she requested that the adventurers search a ruined monastery in the area for the Book of the Guided Way, which should contain clues as to how the Codex and be destroyed. The group set out, but alas, more rain greeted them on the road. Also bandits, whom they speedily dispatched.
The group arrived at the monastery and began to search. They located a library, with a rare-book cage guarded by traps. It took a little time, but eventually found a way to bypass or disable the traps and get inside. There, they found the Book of the Guided Way.
Getting the book back to Jarlwolf, however, proved more difficult than the group had imagined. First, they were caught in a mudslide, caused by the spring rains. Then Sebastian, one of their own, turned on them, taking the Codex and fleeing. Thanks to the false trail he laid, he got a big head start on the rest of the group, and was nearly to Rowena by the time they caught him. Angry at his betrayal, and fearful of what further twists the future might hold, they dispatched him.
It was a somber, angry, dispirited group that returned to Jarlwolf.
Part 2: The Mercy of the Gods
Gradually recovering from their betrayal, the group welcomed two new members: the gregarious Garrett and the mysterious Feyjarl. They learned from Dulcet that one of they keys to destroying the Codex could well be a minor artifact known as the Mercy of the Gods. The sacred brazier, concecrated to both Flower and Pantheon, was last known to be carried by a group of pilgrims en route to Aisildur some twenty years ago. They never arrived at their destination, having disappeared somewhere in the vicinity of Shadow Mountain.
Accordingly, the group made their way in that direction. Along the route, they encountered a smooth-talking rogue named Ruglio who tried to buy the Codex from them. The group refused, and, fearing another betrayal, followed Ruglio and his companions back to their camp and attacked. The fledgeling heroes were victorious, but plagued with doubts about whether striking first had been the right thing. Would Ruglio and his group have attacked them, if they had not attacked first? Or had they needlessly attacked and killed people who would have taken their "no" for an answer? Tormented by these questions, and his actions toward Sebastian, the ranger Kiel left the group to work out some issues.
Pressing on, the group arrived in Bigtown. The sights and sounds of the giant town were a little unsettling, but the group pressed on in thier quest. They located a couple of people who remembered the pilgrims from their earlier trip. One of them, a centaur sage and explorer, sold them a map and pointed the group toward the territory of the Hawkmen.
Also in Bigtown, the group welcomed a new companion, the minotaur Buhl.
The group journeyed to the lands of the Hawkmen, where they received a cautious welcome. The Hawkmen told how the pilgrims had violated their laws and customs, and been put to death for their crime. The brazier is still in the Hawkmen's possession, but they are reluctant to give it to strangers. They could, however, give the brazier as a gift to fellow Hawkmen. They said that the group could become honorary Hawkmen by passing a series of physical challenges. The group tried, with mixed results. Some of them, however, passed the test, and all were declared honorary Hawkmen. They received the brazier and started for home--all but Buhl, who decided to stay and learn more of the Hawkman ways.
Not all of the Hawkmen agreed with this course of action, however, and a group of young hot-heads attacked the would-be heroes as they journeyed down the mountain. The resulting combat was brief but bloody; the would-be heroes emerged victorious.
As they journeyed back to Cinnamon Valley, the group encountered Kiel, returning to find them. He had atoned for his part in Sebastian's death and made his peace with the authorities. He re-joins the group as a free man.
