For Hooves the Bell Tolls - Interlude Four

Prisoner of a Forgotten God

643 Post Maelstrom

A.G.R. is tasked with rescuing his boss, Lord Url of House Stonewatcher, as the head of the steelborn guard. The head of the dwarvish guard, Irdle Stonefoot, as the head of the Dwarven guard, who used to get preference over the steelborn. The lords eldest son,Egor Stonewatcher, also joins the cause to aid AGR on the rescue wielding a dark bade looted from one of the cultists killed in the original kidnapping of his father.
Little does the rest of the party know, but the blade has begun to speak to Egor. Whispering to him of greatness and power beyond his dreams. Egor, eager to be a hero, accepts this new power, but it quickly twists and manipulates the once good natured boy is gone in an instant.
Following The Road of Derbolder, the legendary underdark highway, the party encounters a bunch of small animals fleeing across the road. The wild mushroom stalks of the Fungal Wilds, obscure the wild as much as trees would a jungle. The trio stand their ground and end up being forced to fight a large dinosaur.
After seeing some sign of danger, they decide they don't want the risk falling into a trap at the train station and thus decided to continue to follow the underdark road to their destination. Secrecy is likely more important than saving time.
While crossing through the Molten Mire they find a section of road that had recently been destroyed by a raging fire giant. The giant had been manipulated under the influence of an elemental sorcerous of fire. The trio fight the giant and, thanks primarily to AGRs incredible skill, they are able to bring it down. Sadly during the fight and crossing the ruined road, AGR losses his arm and Captain Irdle Stonefoot loses a foot to the fires. With broken bodies and bruised prides the three make it through the flaming mire alive.
The crossing of the underbridge into the sandrizzle desert was relatively easy, but entirely horrifying as a deep nothing seems to grasp the bridge. Eager to cross they don't notice the signs of a military patrol and quickly run into a group of yaun-ti soldiers. Thankfully they are understand of the cause and even seem to want the cult removed as much as the trio. They get directions to an ancient shadow worshiper ruin that has recently been seen active again.
After fighting their way inside, the three find cultist attempting to awaken an ancient creation of the shadow. A beast made of misshapen, rotting flesh. And they are about to sacrifice Url to do it.
Unbeknownst to both AGR and Irdle, Egor Stonewatcher was actually here to kill his father and take the power of House Stonewatcher for himself. AGR realizes what is about to happen too late and is unable to stop Egor.
Irdle tries to help AGR save Url, but in the end the dwarf captain gives his life to save AGR and in his final moments accepting AGR. AGR fights through the remaining guards to reach Url, but in the end Egor is able to reach his father first and removes his head with the shadowy blade in a shower of blood. The power that was meant for the creature of shadow all rushes into Egor instead infusing him with power beyond which he thought possible, but power from Diher, Father of Shadows, is never free...
AGR flees from the ruin in disgust and sadness. Unsure of what to do, and with nothing to return to, AGR decides not to go back to Vaahd Knulheim and sets out on his own path. The only thing in AGRs possession is a crystal housing some shadow energy that he took from the dark temple before leaving.
Egor watches AGR flee, but doesn't have control of his powers in time to stop AGR. Egor raises Irdle from the dead, alive again, but fully under Egors control. Egor decends deeper into the ruins, but finds the great vault locked tight. Unknowingly to both at the time, and to Egors great dismay, the crystal in AGRs possession was the key to unlock the ancient vault under this old outpost of a dead religion. A vault that houses secrets Egor is ever more desperate to get his hands on.