Episode 3  Building better communities through bloodshed.

The band took their cart south to the port city of Deva Victrix. Crossing the Mersum they spied two low elves taking shelter beneath the bridge. Heskin spoke with them and learned they were deserters since they believed the city would fall to the western tribes. Heskin bade them to stay and that they may have work for them on the way back.

The next day they spotted a ruined cart with some dead dwarves and a mauled horse. Cheet transformed into a giant wolf. In that form he could smell goblin, a smaller and more foolish race similar to hobgoblins. He also smelled another beast, some ravening beast that had foot long quills as weapons.

The band tracked the creatures to a nearby cave. Outside they ambushed a goblin relieving itself and then proceeded in. They met the goblins coming out and attacked. Their onslaught left only two survivors who roused Dhent, a massive giant. The band continued the assault and drove the giant into the main chamber. Waiting within was a terrible manticore. Negotiations quickly broke down and battle was joined. Eventually the band emerged beaten and bloody, yet triumphant. They took the head and bones of the giant and body of the manticore as well as an oddly preserved knife the giant had. Everything was loaded into the cart and they continued towards the city.

They were well received at Deva Victrix. Carrying in a dead monster attracts a lot of attention. They spent the next two days visiting various people in the city trading in the manticore parts, finding someone to shape weapons out of the giant bones and changing their loot into more usable coin. The governor asked them to deal with a renegade soldier named Caius who was raising up the western tribes and threatening the city. The arena master gave them a list of bounties for any monsters they could bring in alive. Sala, the alchemist told them of a barrow containing undead, the bones of which could be ground down for a potion that would protect them against death magic. Syriax, a crafter of bone weapons advised them that blood of a priest of Abbathor could be used to place runes on weapons to make them deadly to the Watchers and their minions. For some odd reason the local priest did not want to give his blood to some wild eyed lunatics though. They lastly bought a wagon and many barrels of wine. Loaded up they headed back to Mammucium.

Three days later they reached the town and unloaded the wine. Galbatorix had returned from his expedition down the hole. He had a tale of hideous creatures which they barely defeated. Antonius had announced that cleaving to Bane and following his ways would keep the Watchers at bay and had started construction of a new temple to the Lord of All. Galbatorix also asked that Heskin help capture Navio to the south-east and more importantly the nearby silver mines. The others asked Heskin why they were apparently helping the warlord.

The band then headed to the 'dwarven infestation on the northern side of the lizardfolk's swamp. The hill forty was ruined and deserted so they planted the staff and ran for it as the ground rapidly turned to bog and marsh. On the way back they investigated a new structure in the swamp. It was a structure of gleaming bone. Within they found Ashrak constructing it with his necromantic powers. He happily informed the band of his plans to staff it with unquiet spirits to teach the lizardmen and how it would be so much easier if they cast off the shackles of life. The band decided to direct Ashrak to other avenues of thought lest he decide to gift them with unlife. Ashrak was quite knowledgeable about the Watchers and their squamous, betentecled servants. His interest seemed to derive from the immortality of the Watchers. Slay the body of a Watcher and it would reform several days later. He suggested they travel back to his tower and he might be able to find a reference to a means to defeat them.

A chilly night spent by the tower waiting for Ashrak to check his books bore fruit. He had found references to the Watchers being driven off by books of laws and ordinaces and opined that the original manuscript of one of the great sets of laws may render the creature unable to reform. He also mentioned the Axe of Torm may be of use. Alas, According to the Lays of Sune, the goddess had tricked Torm out of his weapon and lent it to Tempus. Tempus had subsequently lost the axe fighting Gruumsh in his lands to the north. After wondering why his god was such an idiot Heskin thanked Ashrak for the information.

The band then returned to Deva Victrix, intent on visiting the nearby barrow mounds in search of undead bones and any other cool stuff they might have. On the way back to the city they came across a score of dwarves shambling their way north. They decided to hide, thinking they may be undead, which they were. While they were well hidden from prying eyes they had not counted on the undead's unnatural ability to seek out the living. Five dwarves caught their scent and split off to eat the band. A brief pursuit and nearly fatal fight later the band staggered back onto the road. The rest of the undead had continued north.