Apparently these insectoid creatures have various forms, though I am unsure we have me them all. Some are small viscous creatures that shoot spikes from their tail or jab you with a sharp horn. Others are lager multi legged biting with mandibles and a stinging tail, and still others are humanoid in size and stance wielding primitive weapons and with a keener intelligence. My concern is that these are indeed the creatures our order though may be attempting to resurrect their fallen god. It that Ardennor in all this glory cast down ages ago. We’ve battled our way through the warrens on this side of a great ravine, killing many of these creatures, some however can paralyze you with their stinging tails.

We then decided to cross the icy bridge, both Sunny and I made it across well enough, though the drop was perhaps a few hundred feet into icy water, a precarious march. But when Schlomo attempted to cross he was beset upon by malign spirits. I attempted to aid him, but he was driven from the side of the icy bridge and fell into the mist. I then had to fight my own way back to solid ground. During this time more insectoid defenders came and attacked, we were hard pressed. Somehow, the Valbraun, Mudrek and the odd gnome make it across the ravine by some magical means. The Skald sprouted great black wings and dove bravely into the ravine after the fallen dwarf. Mudrek charged into the melee hacking anything that came within range. More odd magics caused some of our opponents to go careening into the ravine as well. Eventually we managed to survive the battle against both the spirits and the cryoptera, even to the point of Schlomo reappearing battered but hale upon the cliff. So I say to whom ever may read this the Gods walk with us this day.

We chose to retreat carefully back across the bridge, to find a place to heal and recoup for everyone was wounded and well spent. I advised that we do something with all the bodies, but no one wanted to bother. As such, once we got situated and secured our positing hoping to rest we heard a great thrumming alarm being sounded, we had awoken the hive..

We quickly gather up hoping to stop them at the bridge, but what we saw when we left the cave gave us pause. Already there were may creatures making their way across and many, many more behind them of various kinds and some few had wings flying over the rest seemingly commanding them,

May Ardennor’s Light protect us, this may be my last entry,

Yours in the Light, Aden.

And so I write our return to Coppecore and what happened there in and a bit beyond.

The dwarf Schlomo being blinded from some foul Ravan Clan magic and Valbraun slowly being choked to death by some obsidian necklace he didn’t hesitate to put on, visited the Drachen Lodge. There in the High Shaman Attarran, cured the blindness and removed the curse, at some cost to each of them in gold or a favor.

The rest of the group scattered about town tending to their own means. I chose to stay at a quiet lodge call the Warriors Rest. There however I overhear a group of men planning a meeting to discuss an attack upon my temple, and upon the party I have gathered. Their ignorant fear of the Old Gods driving them on. So I chose to pay a visit to their meeting.

Our group gathered at Trevyk’s Lodge, he always seem happy to take our coin and hear our tales. Be that as it may, I gave up the Raven Bow to the Skald, as it is not a weapon our Order trains in, though it is certainly an item of impressive power. I informed the group of the diversion I’ll be taking before we set out to the lost temple. Surprisingly, they chose to join me, though I did advise we’d be avoiding any violence. May the Light Guide our hand.

So tending to some various mundane things we then made our way to an abandoned farm outside of town where the group of ignorant ruffians were gathering. We joined their group incognito and listened to their tirade about burning down the temple of Ardennor and taking out the heroes of Coppercore.

Surprisingly, both Schlomo and Valrbraun spoke up against both, but it was to no avail, and soon they were picked out as part of the group they intended to attack. And so I took the front and revealed myself and chose to share the Light of our Lord Ardennor with the mass of folk gathered, and so they were enthralled with his glory and shortly there after peacefully dispersed.

Oddly enough, Valbraun threatened to kill me if I ever invoked the power of our Lord upon him again, unasked. Not too likely he could but fair enough I suppose. Though perhaps he learned something and has seen the Truth in the Light, this may explain his misguided aggression. Thus far a servant of the Light has returned a “sacred bundle” and an empowered bow to their clan, and yet they cannot see the Light and are threatened by it.

The next day we set out to deal with the quest that was upon Valraun to check up on the Beaver Clan. Light above, the Beaver Clan, seemingly they’re very skilled at wood work. So we went on and found their village upon Beaver Lake, enshrouded in a foul fog. The people were ensorcelled and moved about like zombies yet live. Working our way to the Chieftains Lodge in search of the shamen Lobato, we encountered what remained of the chieftain. Controntime him, we soon learned he’d been taken by a powerful banngeist and so battle ensued.

It was a hard won victory, we struggled to damage it weapons and fire while it threw about baleful magics. Eventually of course the Light prevailed and we vanquished this creature. Interestingly enough the Skald claimed the golden horned skull of the creature. Seemingly he’s gathering quite a few items of power, as spear that allows him to sprout wings, a ring he can disappear with and now a skull that can animate the dead. He will certainly need watching and may the Light of the Lord scatter the darkness upon him.

As for the others, they certainly held their own, but may the Light watch over me with this group of heroes. One calls upon a god of beer, Skallgrymm, the other Thraxus the Betrayer. Woe to us when he no longer finds us useful. Then there’s the drunken dwarf warrior Mudreck the Barbender, ever ready to swing his axe, and an odd gnome, unsure what he actually brings to the group.

The appreciative Beaver Clan allowed us to rest and recover for saving them and then we pressed on to where the map showed the lost temple to be. On the way we found evidence of some raiders, and followed the trail leading to where the temple may be..?

We’ve engaged some insectoid creatures of various nature.. They are intelligent and will I’m sure prove to be quite dangerous. It would appear that these may indeed be the children of the entombed devil. We will work to cleanse this place and sanctify the temple once we’ve secured it.

May the Light Shine upon you and guide your steps.

Aden

And so I Aden, a humble servant of Ardennor, have gathered a group of heroes, or so I am told they are to aid our Order in finding and cleansing a lost temple of our Order. May the Fathers light shine upon us and guide our way.

Our group, heroes of Coppercore having recently retrieved a girl from the wintry grasp of a giant, agreed after some payment to join me in attempting to follow an ancient map to this lost temple, said to possibly be a prison of some ancient evil smited by Ardennor.

Led by a skald known as Valbraun of the Raven clan, earnest in his leadership, but also a bit roguish. His group does a bit mercenary, which truth be told may serve it’s purpose. The rest are an odd assortment of fellows. Two of the stout folk, both seem to be drunkards with a seemingly never ending supply of ale. There is Schlomo, a priest of some beer god, the other , Mudreck a fierce warrior, when he’s not sodden with ale.

Then we have Sunny, and odd man, dark and obviously strong, apparently a follow of the great betrayer Thraxus. May Ardennor free him of his shadows. I shall judge him by his actions not by the god he worships.

And finally one that I thought to be a dwarf child, but is seemingly a gnome of unknown skill name Izull, or Izy. Very small, and rather confident.

And so we set out into the wintry wilderness. After some days, we came upon a burial mound of the Raven clan. Finding some bodies of the clansmen outside we investigated inside and did encounter a group of bandits calling themselves the Crimson Red Badgers or some such. We defeated the first and the second group we encounter and rescued whom we though was a shaman of the Raven clan. He however was seemingly unthankful of our aid and offended of my following of the old gods and accused us of wielding strange sorceries. His ignorance wasn’t surprising all things considered. But after telling us he needed to attend to those of his clan that were killed he’d return to help us clear the intruders. But instead he closed the only doors in an sealed them with some sort of arcane magic. As such we had to press on deeper into the tomb.

The mound led deeper into the mountain, there we found a great statue of a Raven. It was some sort of guardian and blasted the party with black energy that blinded Schlomo. We pressed on and shortly encountered a group of the brigands fleeing from some fearful thing. Capturing one, we interrogated him and then coerced the others in joining us in finding a way out.

Oddly Valbraun thought this all part of some test to prove his worth to his people, and so we carried on with I leading the blind dwarf through the darkness of the tomb. We did find some crypts and their guardians and so battle ensued. Fortunately the Light of the Lord guided our hand and we were victorious. The only casualties were three of the four brigands that were with us. An interesting note, the Skald would allow the party to loot some of the tombs but not others, very odd. He and Sunny seem to have some strange alignment together exchanging items of power. However one such item looked was an obsidian necklace that began choking the skald once he put it on, we could do naught to remove it, but he survived at least for now.

In one of the tombs I did recover a great raven bow of incredible workmanship and beauty, it speaks to me. Though I was able to draw and fling an arrow most accurately, I do not think the bow finds me, worthy. I will need to either return it to the crypt of give it to the skald, whom seems to have also claimed all other treasures.

However being the Schlomo was now blinded by some ancient magic, and the skald slowly being choked by a cursed necklace, we made our way back to town to seek aid from the shamans there. I find it interesting that they didn’t even bother to ask me if my brothers at the Temple of the Sun could aid them, but then, I also didn’t offer.

May the Light of the Lord shine upon us all…

Then the