We last left the group as they were heading to Knightswatch Keep to aid the soldiers there with their undead problem. As they slept one night on their trip there, the group all had a similar dream – that they were flying over an ocean at night, the black waters far beneath them. When they awoke, they found themselves in a strange environment. They were on a huge hill side with a primeval forest below them and north of the forest an equally pristine scrublands. As they took in their surroundings, the ground began to rumble and a voice that sounded like rocks sliding down a mountain side boomed behind them. They turned to face a hill seemingly come to life, complete with large sapphire eyes the size of Albrecht and a large mouth opening that looked like a root-entangled cavern. It told them that they were in a demi-plane of Ki’rous called the Ephemeral, the home of natural spirits and a bridge between Ki’rous and the elemental planes. It stated that they were called to their location, near the lands of the Howling Storm to save the earth spirit’s brother, the spirit of the storms, the greatest spirit of the region. It had been corrupted by the dark shaman who had caused Lightning Fang’s exile, and that Fang was the only one who could set everything aright.
The earth spirit opened a portal back to their world, and after they re-entered their home plane, Krysta and Kyrsta bid a sad farewell to their friends, for they knew they were on the continent which held the remaining elven kingdoms, and they needed to go and ask for aid from them for their homeland of Safonia. After they left, Fang led them to the main encampment of his people. There they found that most of the tribes were under the influence of the shaman and his shadow elf allies. Those that were left, primarily those of the Lightning and Thunder tribes pledged their aid to help attack a caravan with the shaman, who now called himself the Eater of Spirits. The leader of the remaining tribes, Stomps with Thunder even promised his allegiance to Fang as his over chief if they were successful. After a couple of days of preparation, the group left and found the caravan. The tribes, eager to get revenge on the shadow elves who seemed to be taking over their lands, rushed to engage, leaving the center portion of the caravan unguarded.
The Drakenblades, not a group to miss an opportunity quickly rushed the center,where the most ornate carriage sat, its undead horses waiting for the next order. They found themselves quickly outnumbered as they noticed that Eater of Spirits wasn’t alone. His escort included two of the Storm tribesman, three shadow elf warriors, and a shadow elf wizard. Within the first few seconds of the combat the shaman managed to finish casting his spell which caused several skeletons and a couple of zombies to rise up as well. The Drakenblades were hard pressed, and several times throughout the fight members of the group were close to falling. Even Moonshadow’s vaunted invisibility was countered a few times. But as members of Eater of Spirit’s entourage fell, one by one, the fight got easier and easier, and soon, even the dark shaman himself fell to their onslaught.
The shadow elves quickly surrendered as their leadership fell, and the enthralled tribesmen came to their senses and began fighting them. A strange crystal elf named Sythaeren approached the group and told them that he was grateful for his rescue as he had been a slave to one of the shadow elf lords in the caravan. So grateful in fact that he wished to join them in their adventures until he could repay them. The triumphant tribesmen struck camp at that spot, and Fang was soon approached by a childhood sweetheart by the name of Chases the Clouds and it was obvious that neither wanted to be separated from the other ever again. A wedding took place three days later, and Krysta and Kyrsta came to see their friend wed on their way to Celini. So it was that Krysta and Kyrsta once again had to say goodbye to their comrades, but not without Krysta informing Albrecht that Kyrsta did care for him deeply, but that she was also in love with her mentor, that happened to be a silver dragon and a female to boot (though she had originally approached Kyrsta as a male elf). The group also said goodbye to Lightning Fang as he informed them that he needed to stay with his people to help them rebuild. He told them that if they ever needed anything from his people they had but to ask.
That night they awoke amongst the clouds back in the Ephemeral, and the storm spirit thanked them directly, and then gave them the option to go wherever they chose upon the world. They chose Knightswatch Keep so that they could return to their original mission. They appeared encamped right outside the keep the next morning. They were quickly welcomed by the nominal commander, one Knight-Lieutenant Eroth Gryphon, cousin to the prince. They were also joined by the daughter of Baron Drakclar, Larissa, who aspired to become a Silver Knight herself. They were informed that the undead had always been a nuisance in the Marsh of the Fallen, which is why the keep exists in the first place, but that lately it seemed that the waves of undead were becoming greater in number and would soon overwhelm the keep. No sooner than their conversation had begun, it was cut off as another wave attacked the keep. The group opted to defend the outside of the east wall, and they did so with a resounding victory over the undead that threatened to swarm them. They headed back into the keep for a brief rest before Albrecht brought up the idea of burning the bodies so that they could not rise again. The group prepped for more battle as the soldiers dug trenches and filled them with pitch and burned the bodies of the undead they had recently defeated. But soon another wave will come, and the beleagured soldiers can’t hold for much longer…