October 11.

On the 27th day of Kythorn, the party left the Green Heart to return to Caer Corwell. With them came Cathal Griffin, a druid and the youngest member of the Brethren of Autumn.

The weather this time of year has hot days followed by frequent thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. While on watch three days out of the Green Heart, Sunny received a glancing blow from a lightning strike.

Late on the first day of Flamerule the party began seeing signs of the blight. The next day, things became much worse. They saw the worst damage was off the road and headed that way. Cathal asked that they investigate and see what they could do. The damage was worse than he could have imagined, and he did not think they could wait any longer. He asked for the party's help here and agreed to do what he could for them in Caer Corwell afterwards. The party voted on what they should do. Marchosias and Sunny thought they should continue on to Caer Corwell, but the rest of the party agreed to investigate the mysterious blight.

Moving into the west, they encountered a tree walking towards them. Though the druid recognized a treant, the rest of the party was startled. Thorbert was friendly towards them. He considered the trees to be he wards, and they were all dead. From his appearance, he needed to leave or join them. His withered leaves and broken branches were a sign that something needed to be done. He was going to the east where he hoped some living trees remained. After Thorbert left, the party also noticed there were no other living animals here. No birds, no squirrels.

The party found a freshly opened sinkhole and a vile, magical gas escaping from it. They descended into the darkness and found a natural cavern that was occupied by evil fey wearing red caps. After destroying these redcaps, they found their remains became nothing but a pointy tooth. Searching the room, they found a door behind some rubble.

Strangely, the walls around the door looked like one single worked piece of glass. It was bronze in color, but looked like translucent glass. The door itself was normal oak. Stepping inside, the party found polished black stone floors and ceilings and giant centipedes.

Overall, the dungeon was clearly once used as a temple to Bhaal. Bhaal was an evil god of murder. About forty five years ago the original incarnation of the Earthmother, the one who created the Moonwells and became part of the land of the Moonshaes, was destroyed by Bhaal. While Chauntea then took the place of the Earthmother, the theologians in the area have long debated whether she is the Earthmother, or simply a viable replacement. Nonetheless, Bhaal was banished from the Moonshaes. In 1358, during the Time of Troubles, Bhaal was completely destroyed (it is currently 1384). The translucent bronze persisted throughout the dungeon except for the actual sanctuary to Bhaal, where the walls were a more traditional stone and mortar. The party encountered black blobs, traps, and skeletal wolves.

In the back of the dungeon was a large room that seemed to be the source of the black cloud. Skeletons, zombies, ghouls, and ghasts occupied the room that also seemed to be some sort of graveyard. With the magical aid of illusionary walls and the power of Talos, the party was able to subdue the undead and take a look at the evil creation in the center of the room. It was an iron stand holding smoldering body parts over cold black coals. The party took the entire thing and later discovered the coals were magical. After taking a break on the surface, the party did return for some further exploring in the dungeon, but then headed back to Caer Corwell.

Their welcome was not what they expect. Outside the gate they met with Owain, the chamberlain of the castle. He listened to their story and said he would confer with others and meet the party back there the next morning. He also took the coals from them. It was late in the day, and the party stayed at the Hollybush inn. Marchosias was unsuccessful in seducing Kenna O'Shae, the innkeeper.

The following morning the party again took the road to the keep. There they found more guards waiting as well as an angry Owain. He said a known and trusted citizen of Caer Corwell told the Steward Colwyn Malone that he witnessed the party killing Lieutenant Ronald Walsh. They would not be permitted the see the prince and they should leave or they would be shot. The party of not arrested, which surprised them and seemed to generate interesting theories.

The party then went to visit the druids by the Moonwell. They spoke to Bedwyr. He listened to their story and seemed to believe them, but he was not willing to risk his entire reputation on it. He had been given the black coals and destroyed them with water from the Moonwell, but he advised that if the party should encounter more such coals then they should not put them on a fire.

Bedwyr told them the holly leaf they had was enchanted to neutralize poison. He told them he did not know who had tried healing the prince and that he just assumed it was some other healer. He said that General Oran Robinson had made it known that the prince is very well guarded by no fewer than three men at all times.

He said the steward is a friend of the Kendrick family and was given his office when the old steward, Duncan Innis, retired. This was when Rayan was sent from his mother's side to assume rule of their traditional family lands. The Malone family rules over Lerwick.

The druid Bedwyr also told him of the man wanted for the assassination. That is Ardenil Tipfin. Though he was said to have come to Corwell at the request of Rayan himself, he is suspected because of his disappearance. He left a note on his shop, Tipfin's Fine Fabrics in Saltwater Square, that he had left for the keep and would return in the morning. He was seen going to the keep, and that was the last his presence was noted.