Many years after the events portrayed in this adventure, a wordly cleric and scholar was given the task of recording the past events of the world. All his life, he studied and researched, collated his thoughts into passages and set down transcripts in many tomes. He was the venerable Bede.

In one chapter of one of his many tomes, he described the rise to prominence of a group of minstrels from the town of Zobeck led by the Sorcerer Arcael. Here follows some of that tale:

Sacramentum Inquisitio

ot long after the rise to the dragon throne of Saltana Casmara Azrabahir there appeared in the City of Zobeck a small group of musicians who were to gain great reknown in their quest for Mysteria. They were sponsored by the benevolent Lord Aaron Von Schmidt and named themselves “Schmidt Happens”.

arly tales tell of dangerous dealings with The Cloven Nine and The Spyglass Guild of Zobeck and victory over a notorious wood golem in the nearby Margreve village of Lecova but it is their first adventure into the western seas and beyond that is most remembered by the scribes. Much detail was gleaned by the scrolls of their great scholar and divum, Arcael the Caelmaran, who was the only surviving member of their fateful trip to The Isle of Karn Lothra. Retrieving the ancient Book of Vael Turog, he gathered about him such collection of pirates and seafarers as he could to replenish his vanquished band of minstrels – a minotaur of the south by name of Taurus, a norse cleric of Volund by name of Incendarius, a sea-ravaged feral gnasher known as Old Ben Gone, a buccaneer from the Seven Cities by name of Brandon Kane and a noble Elfmarked cavalier called Falathar. Together they travelled even to the Citadel of a Million Stars in the sky realms of Shadow and Light where they had powerful dealings with King Ioratas and Queen Astrakia before returning to the world on the back of the Isonade.

hile delighting the townsfolk of Zobeck with their enigmatic music they continued in their neverending quest for glory and the eternal search for Mysteria, delving into the very hive of the Honey Queen of Effildawnan Vale to save the Most Honoured Lyla and destroying an angry ghost in their very own region of Lower Zobeck at the dire cost of the life of their dear friend, Falathar, but thereby also increasing their status and popularity within their own neighbourhood.

Mores bivio

fter a year of of HIGH ADVENTURE, the great sorcerer and orator Arcael found he was moving away in direction from some of his former colleagues. Looking for ever more glory, he left SCHMIDT HAPPENS, taking with him the dextrous flute player, Truman Click and formed a new group of MINSTRELS OF MYSTERIA called Arcael and The Oooze. In the winter of their first year, Arcael, Truman, gearforged warrior Iwandornless Walderin (Iron Wall), human druid The Black Bear of Effildawnan, human rogue Goran and minotaur barbarian Balgor became notorious for the spoiling of wine at a party in DEMON MOUNTAIN.

The group went on a secret art mission in THE OLD MARGREVE, famously being drawn into THE CHALLENGE OF THE FANG and victoriously overcoming the Would-be-King-of-the-Wolves to claim supremacy of humans over wolves in that part of the world. Healing their wounds and taking time to recover in their base in LOWER ZOBECK, the group, now sponsored by Alexei Splitleaf of Allain, followed through on their quest to retrieve items of high art, by searching for the famous painting, The Fish and The Rose. They found only a fake but their findings took them to lands anew with the arrival of a trade delegation from Nuria Natal. Within a short time, the group, joined by the southern cleric, Saabu Theet were travelling to The Garden City of Siwal.

Harenam

nder the sponsorship of their new patron, Ramon Marakesh, the adventurers brought down the Cult of the Blood Moon, escourted a difficult bride through a dangerous spending spree, fought the salt kraken, braved the maelstrom and thwarted the evil schemes of pirates when they destroyed the infamous Sand Ship, the “Wind’s Mistress”.

In further pursuit of mysteria, they overcame a wandering Kishi Demon and found the ancient Library of Thoth, where they passed several deadly tests to unearth the riches of sacred scrolls written by Thoth himself. Not all of the group made it through to the end though. The gearforged fighter, Iwandornless Walderin (Iron Wall), was destroyed, to be replaced by the Barbarian, Xavier.

During their first winter in Siwal, Arcael and the Oooze saved the daughter of Panshal al-Marhji by foiling the plans of the Necromancer Ramzhi al-Sharif and his cohort of wights. Thus gaining the gratitude of the Gravebinder, they followed his information to the recently revealed Tomb of the Elephant God, Maraut. Defeating an elite kobld sleeper unit, they entered the tomb, defeated two shadow demons and destroyed the ancient god Maraut.

By the time of their second spring in Siwal, the group had become established musicians, and had taken on a new member, Karn Gudin, saved the city from the Gibbering Herald and had also saved the lands from the emergence of an ancient lich. Despite this, they were still unpopular with many Siwal inhabitants due to their Godslaying reputation and their newest member being a dragonkin. Three months after their adventures within the Pyramid of Black Sands, they had returned by Dwarven Airship to the city of Zobeck.

Draco Imperii

fter returning triumphantly to Zobeck, Arcael and The Oooze took some time out from adventuring to pursue their personal endeavours for nine years before being called back to duty for a clandestine mission, sponsored by Alexei Splitleaf of Allain. Arcael and Saabu Theet had spent years researching in Bemmea, Karn Gudin had travelled with Truman Click to the Seven Cities and beyond, while Xavier and Goran had stayed in ZOBECK attending to their own businesses. After nine years of relative peace, their adventures started again, with a clandestine mission in the Empire of Dragons.

Travelling from Zobeck, the group overcame a dangerous encounter in a dark mountain Moebius Strip, boarded a ship and destroyed a Phase Vampire hiding on board. Arrival in the Mharoti Empire’s Golden City of Harkesh was a trying time as the group had to endure the terrible humiliating induction in the New Foreigners Ghetto before being permitted permanent residence in The Triolan Quarter where they helped to save the suburb from destruction by a Crimson Worm before uncovering the shadow of apex rogue, Kamal Assante, to claim the long lost, and much coveted Ritual of Travel Enhancement Scroll. Now posing as gem traders, the group are lying low, preparing for their next mission.

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