Umber

The party hears news of Garflin, begins to question Frito’s allegiance, and is sent by the mysterious wizard Alf to investigate rumors of a great evil. Any resentment about being Alf’s errand runners is quelled by the knowledge that they have left him with a loopy kobold who, for reasons known only to himself, Alf has taken on as an apprentice. (sab)

The first telegram reads:
    Betty Fordsmith Clinic in the Mountain
    Garflin’s treatment going well
    Won’t bathe
    Please send help

The second telegram reads:
    To Frito: UQMTU ERAMQ YEDJO DUMAB KBZLV UCENZ MQHXP VJVRZ TAYFE OANTL
DAZPO JWAQH OOKYK ZPQRV XOOCE GBMRD DONMF DKMHF XTDHY LWLOI BMHEI HEZNA
OGULZ YBGJK PCIOU EEBMP GOXCK WLHCU YSENM QYQZT HJMQO IOGTD XEDB DEATH*

The third telegram reads:
    Agreement for ore obtained
    Dwarven smith to arrive in 1-2 weeks
    Expedition attacked by wererats
    Chaos in the city
    Murder, mayhem, terror in the streets
    Investigating further, sounds like fun

“I thank my lucky stars we got some other fools to go get that ore for us,” says Svengali. “Wererats? Who wants to fight wererats? I mean, at least there’s something cool about being a weretiger, or even a werewolf, but who wants to risk turning into some smelly rat?” The party is at its evening roundtable, discussing recent news. “I wonder if there’s such a thing as a Weredragon? Now that would be cool.”

Without warning, a cloud of mist forms in the center of the table. Slowly it rises, revealing a mountain range. A gigantic, scaly eye appears above the mountains. A thin, reptilian voice whispers “I am the great all-seeing eye. I see all, even that which is unseen by others except me. I look, and so I see. Then I look more, and see more. Ooooh ahhhh. This is soooo cool.” A voice calls out, as if from a distance: “Hey Meepo, have you seen my diorama of the Frostfang mountains?” The mountain range vanishes, followed by a crash. “Oops,” says Meepo as the eye pulls back to reveal the face of the party’s sometime kobold companion, now apprentice to Alf.

“But you have got to check this out!” Meepo’s face disappears and the perspective swings wildly around, climbing over hills, then crashing through trees, sometimes going black as it heads underground. After a minute, the view comes to a screeching halt. A beam of green light shines up from a ruined tower. A horde of Lizardfolk surround the tower, swaying to the beat of drummers.

“That light appeared just a few days ago, and those lizard guys started freaking out like this every evening after it happened. I was watching it two days ago, and I could have sworn that I saw a dragon circling the tower, too. I tried to follow it, but this stupid orb must be busted ‘cuz I wound up in a lake. I wonder what it all means? And yesterday, I saw some guy run out flapping his arms around and rolling around on the ground as if he were on fire, but he wasn’t. After a while he stopped moving, but there wasn’t a mark on him!”

There is a sound of footfalls in the background followed by an angry voice, “MEEPO! GET AWAY FROM THAT DAMNED ORB IF I’VE TOLD YOU ONCE I’VE TOLD YOU A THOUSAND TIMES!” Meepo’s image vanishes with a squeak, to be replaced with that of the wizard Alf.

“What that little rodent described is true. It appears that the secret of an ancient cult, long thought eradicated, has been rediscovered by some meddling mage. I had hoped that it was he who was destroyed by it, but I was wrong. It was merely a local village boy that this villain had used as an experiment. You see, the cult’s secret is the production of a flame that burns without light, without fire. Its fuel is life force. Once started, it cannot be put out by any ordinary means. I have been working on a potion that will negate the flames. Unfortunately, I cannot complete it. I lack the final component: ferlow seeds that have been roasted in the black flame.

“Will you perform this quest? If not to stop the resurfacing of this evil cult, then for the treasure that is reputed to still remain in the tower that was once its headquarters?”

*TERMINATE ROGUE OPERATIVE IN OSSINGTON
GATHER INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE BUT DO NOT LET OPERATIVE ESCAPE
ALIVE MISSION EXTREMELY DANGEROUS REWARDS COMMENSURATE