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While searching the northeastern room, a trio of cackling skulls burst from the shelves and attacked! The weird skulls buzzed around at a rapid pace, biting everything in their path and slaughtering numerous of Panics summoned snakes, but were eventually cut out of the air.
Next the group went to the eastern reading area and found one of the blasted imps holding a book on Hanfred Vel. The imp was crushed, and the book retrieved. One of the rooms held a puzzle holding some valuable books, while another had a waterlogged door holding a portal to the River Styx itself! The dangerous book was closed and left in the room, fearing what horrible power this book could hold in the wrong hands.
To the west, another mischievous imp was found clutching one of the books that they stole from Scribbles. The other rooms contained a mysterious message left by someone caught in the library, explaining how this was some odd connection to the God of Knowledge himself. A gear was also discovered that after plugging it into the strange mechanism in the south, brought magical power back to the portal in the center and revealed the final room.
Trist Duskfall, the woman from the earlier recording, had attempted to ascend to lichdom to survive the magical dungeon and failed. She had lay claim to the final room in her ruined form, and her and her sisters attacked! Each had a unique ability that buffed the boss, but with banishment on the magically resistant minion and focusing the others the day was won and the failed lich destroyed.
The last imp was found hiding in a pile of books, and the secrets of Hanfred vel were revealed. Hanfred was a paladin of renown who had ended a centuries long curse on his bloodline that caused a rapid mental deterioration followed by death sometime in their early life. 
He was a man with fiery Efreeti blood in his lineage while his wife Lucinda was touched by the shadowfel. They had twins, unfortunately Lucinda did not survive their birth and for many years Hanfred was lost. It seemed that in order to cure his beloved that he had traveled far to find the Ioun Orb, but in attempting to use it had destroyed the Newmont capital and plunged the city into the nine hells. He lamented, forever scarred by his atrocity, and in doing so brought the ancient curse back to his family. His daughter Cyra fell to the curse many years later but not after giving birth to a baby girl, Ember. His son Gilean Vel left long ago to lands unknown. Hanfred retired to the Abbey Isle and protected the orb to his dying day, hoping to keep its vast power out of the wrong hands. He hoped that his son Gilean would not turn to darkness and could somehow end the dreadful curse on his family line.
Panic had found what she looked for, and it seemed the fate of her wife fell upon the curse on the Vel line, and a man named Gilean Vel.

Important Characters

Morrigan Oweland - Morrigan is a noble from the town of Saltmarsh. She serves the dark goddess Hecate who has transformed her servant into a fearsome creature of darkness, a unique form of Vampire. Upon return to Saltmarsh she has now reclaimed her position and is one of only two noble families in charge of the port city. Morrigan has formed the Akadian Pact and an alliance of towns in the Plains of Mayfurrow.

Zelem - Tiefling, conman and swindler. He has numerous alter-egos and a strange dark patron. Recently a mysterious tortle has given him a quest to find a powerful artifact, which seems to have been taken by a Priest of Muir. After his disguise was outed, he is now a famed hero of Saltmarsh and revered by the guard, much to his dismay. He has spent much time and money in turning the former town of kennmouth (now, Fortune's Crossing) into a haven for his criminal enterprises.

Panic - A tiefling more like a moth than a devil, the charming Druid joined the group in an effort to save her beloved from a terrible affliction. She is weary about some of her new companions, but hopes that together they can help her. Now that the winter is over, Panic has headed back to Darnagal with her new friends to learn what she can about aiding her wife, Ember.

Ruven - A trusty half-elf that has worked with Zelem in the past, after her adventures with the Snake God in the south she has ventured to the north with her friend Panic in an effort to aid her on her quest. She seems distrustful of the significantly more evil companions Zelem has found himself in the company of, but has reluctantly continued to journey with them. Upon return to Saltmarsh she has taken up the role of Spymaster and seeks to further the parties goals by learning as much as she can of the nearby regions.

Pink - After exacting revenge on her mutinous crew, she has reclaimed her title as Captain of the Lady Matilda and is now Pirate Lord of the Pinnacle of Freedom Isles. With the assassinations from the Stoneheart Company she has continued on to conquer the remaining ports, and rallied them to her side. She has now returned to Saltmarsh to aid her companions in their endeavors.

Danta - The Half-elf Bard has aided the Owelands in the past and is a friend of Morrigan. Having met an untimely death in the mysterious caves now controlled by Hector, the party has managed to resurrect their old friend who know has joined them on their adventures. He has taken to personally leading the task of forming an entertainment district in Saltmarsh.

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Ember - Panics wife, one day she was struck with a terrible affliction that began to sap at her spirit. She became lethargic and unresponsive and has deteriorated over time.

Scribbles - A friend of Panic and scribe of Brighthallow, the energetic gnome ventured into the mysterious portal despite protests from the Archmage in an effort to find aid for Ember. The group managed to save her, and she is positive that the key to Embers affliction lies with her grandfather.