Possible Shadar-Kai Intervention
The team have an encounter with some unknown Elvish people who try to kill them.
Plot points/Scenes
The team are in Eschbach when the alarm goes up that a small force of Saxons carry out a raid on the eastern side of Eschbach. They seem intent on damaging the new buildings, at least to hold up the building of it. When the team get there they get a shock.
A call comes from the west where the church is being attacked and possibly set alight. Whoever is attacking the church used the Saxons as a diversion to try to raid the basement of the church. If they aren't dealt with, they break in and steal a page written in ancient Elvish. Something about a Raven Queen and ancient magic used to manipulate the young to carry out assassinations & theft on her behalf. A body remains of an elf-like being with two thin blades. Pale & dressed in dark clothing, she is difficult to identify, and Alfre will mention the being could be a Shadar-Kai from the Shadowfell, a nightmare realm & shadowy realm sitting beside the world.
If the team arrive on time, they will get the chance to fifght three of these 'Shadar-Kai'. Given a bit of knowhow, they can try to capture one and have a go at trying to get information. They will only find out that the 'elf' will say that they are trying to track down the spell used by a group that uses magic to make 'Machurian Candidates' of the young of different humanoids to carry out theft & murder. It was stolen centuries ago and the book it was took from was damaged and it also contained a chapter on the Necrocult, The Children of the Nazarene, and the Black Pyramid. These things are disrupting their mistress and her own plans. A book called the Grimoire of the Eibon Places is in the basement of the church, and contains a little about these. The 'elf' will tell them more if let go.
If so, he or she will explain that to destroy the Black Pyramid, a rough fist sized amount of Mistletoe's Blood Clot is needed to be placed in the inner most chamber of the ?Black Pyramid and a 24hr long ritual by a holy person needs to be cast over it to cause the Clot to explode taking out the magic of the Pyramid. The overall region will still exist but will reduce the amount of long term damage it can do.
If the same amount can be used, it can block off the Necrocult, if they manage to get down into their underground city and the tower of the castle. Similarly done it will hold up or kill the leader of the city of the dead there.
If used against the Children of the Nazarene, then they need to seek out the base of Dassem Luqman, and introduce it to the blood pool at the centre of the hidden ancient temple there, near one of early man's ancient cities. Again a ritual needs to be used.
In every case a set of ancient papyrus scrolls lie somewhere in Egypt around the city of Luxor. These contain alternative forms of rituals that are needed, but hjeavily guarded by at least one Undfead faction.
Before they do anything further to the 'elf' they issue a warning, saying that a monster from the past is on it's way to Eschbach hunting a human that escaped it. The monster left someone alive that can identify it, and wants to tie up loose ends.
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