The Ancient Blade
The Allied Powers asked Princess Keremt to lead the final attack on the Txahal capital and in turn the warrior asked for the party’s help in doing so. The operation was part of a larger campaign that has led Labana and Larrunana armies into the heart of Txahal. At the 4th Army HQ command tent, Keremet and the party meet with the generals in charge of the campaign.
“Princess Keremet," one general started, "you and your team will lead a force of rangers through a series of ancient tunnels under the city’s infrastructure into the central square of the cave."
"Once there," spoke another, "you will need to fight through the central plaza and force your way into the royal palace. We will be giving you artillery from outside the mountain, so be aware of falling debris.”
The party and Keremet met in private to discuss their strategy. The party was still shaken from their experience with the White Knight however and wanted to know where Keremet's loyalties lay and began to question their role in the upcoming battle. In the sewers under the city, the party confronted Keremet about the White Knight. The warrior princess responded with her reservations about the hero's stance on the stone, but reinforced the steward's lawful good alignment. She also told them the Txahal warlord would be in the capital and that they would have to fight the demon possessing him to capture the Ancient Blade.
The party exited the sewers inside the Txahal city and entered an abandoned building. Keremet, the party, and the rangers spent time planning a strategy for making it to the palace. In the plaza stood the emperor’s guard- an army of werewolves- with the emperor himself overseeing their ranks. The rangers begin singing a song to empower the party, which increased everyone’s will, before charging into the square.
The party charged the plaza with Keremet and the rangers. The Emperor levitated one of the rangers and through magic crushes his skull and thrusts him against another ranger. The battle raged for ten minutes before the warlord unsheathed the Ancient Blade. He pounced on Keremet and impaled her with the sword. The party and the rangers continued to struggle against the werewolves, but could not breach their ranks.
Keremet rebounded by throwing the warlord across the plaza. The party responded to the brief moment of success by using their last inter-dimensional grenade and thrust it at the warlord before Keremet charged into the smoke of the explosion. As the smoke cleared, the party witnessed the true form of the Hunger Demon standing before them- his warlord shell transported elsewhere- with Keremet in his clutches. After throwing the heroine into the palace behind him, Hunger charged after her.
The rangers called out to the party and told them they could finish off the werewolves and that the party must go save Keremet. The party entered the palace and could hear the sound of artillery overhead. Their floor collapses and the party fell into the floor below them. When they stood, they saw the sword-bearing demon pushing the Ancient Blade deep into Keremet’s armor. Coughing blood, Keremet struggled to hold the sword with her bleeding hands when another artillery round thrusts into the building from above and everyone fell deep into the dungeons of the palace. When the smoke cleared, the demon was nowhere to be seen. When the party healed and looked for Keremet, they found her severely wounded. She smiled when the party attempted to speak with her and motioned her battered head toward her hand which held the sheathed Ancient Blade.
The wounded heroes navigated their way out of the city which was rapidly falling into ruin around them. Allied artillery bombarded the ancient city while the party and Keremet attempted to escape with the Ancient Blade. When they finally reached allied lines, the four heroes went immediately to the field hospital where Keremet and Atom blacked out.
A group of warrior women elves arrived at the camp and told the party they had arrived to bring Keremet back to their realm. Keremet's queen and mother negotiated with the party who told her about Keremet's task of hiding the Ancient Blade. The party then realized the blade had been stolen from the field hospital. The party gave one farewell to Keremet and her queen before the warrior women departed back to their realm.
When the three heroes returned to the League's headquarters, they were forced to tell the tale of how they misplaced the sword. While the League's remaining founders began to argue over who should control the ancient weapons, the party departed for a long and greatly needed break.