Bone Golems Defeated, the South is Reclaimed!

The bone golems who had cut a swath of terror though the southern lands and its defenders, finally meet their end when confronted by a Volcanic dragon, who calls upon an ancient pact with the Treants near white plume mountain. Ser Ellert Rainwood and Magus Graycloak liberate the Great Wildwood.

Fall of Five Rivers

The Karkothi Throneholds brace for the inevitable storm of Nerath's fury. To the south the bone golems make short work of the Five Rivers ranger corps and begin to depopulate their once-thriving southern lands. On Winterskull island, the northern raiders who worship the gods of war and death build a mighty fortress called Skull Mountain.

Fen of Surth Falls

The combined power of Nerath's might rolls from Blisterforge through Slaughtergarde and into the Fen of Surth. The deep dragon ruling the territory flees into the underdark with his minions rather than facing the great host that descends from the sky. Wizards riding on metallic dragons haunt the dark skies above the thronehold's blasted lands, closing in on the capitol cities.

Admiral Norneiros Swordhand captured by Bloodmagus Kein

The Corsair King worked to bring the disparate navies of Vailin under one banner, but his efforts to organize them seemed doomed from the start. Still they proved themselves all valorous when their moment came and the larges battle at sea in 1000 years happened off the shores of Zembar in the Sea of Mist.

The Iron Circle's navy set off from the occupied Duchy of Solandir and the Solannin Sea, heading north for the central isle, intent on crushing their only rival for the worlds largest navy. Four fleets of ships and four great storm elementals lead by a High Priest of Asmodeus and Irelyassa the Warlock locked horns with the mighty fleet of Vailin. The Corsair King himself had six fleets of ships under various flags and two great storm elementals.

By mid day, half of the Iron Circle's fleet had been sunk, but two thirds of Vailin's was on fire or broken by the fury of the Citadel's sorcery. In the afternoon, with the sun high in the sky, the Corsair King and a brave band of Zembar marines boarded the flagship flying the red and black of the Iron Circle. Fire and lightning cut through their ranks and they died fighting bravely, but in the end the Citadel's devils carried the day with two of their elementals and enough surviving ships to reform one ragtag fleet.

As Admiral Norneiros Swordhand tore down his camp north in the Amil Forest, he could feel the loss of his men to the south, though he did not yet know of their fate. His heart felt weary as he prepared to battle the assembled might of Bloodmagus Kein, the conquerer of Zaarnath from the Satropy of Numoth. His attendant rushed to tell him that the griffons they brought with them from the mainland had fallen ill and were dying. At first they suspected it was some foul Karkothi plague, but their healers divined the truth was that someone had infiltrated their ranks and poisoned the horseflesh they fed the griffons.

Grimly, the Admiral led his remaining army of footsoldiers and cavalrymen through the woods without their griffon mounts. They met the goblin soliders on even terms and crushed the first wave of Kein's forces easily, though their own men fell beneath the waves of flame that flooded the brush from the Bloodmagus' fire-belching death machines. The survivors fled in disarray, many burning while the forest itself burned all around. Nornerios fought his way to the evil Bloodmagus, but before he could land a blow he felt his heart pounding as his blood boiled in his veins. When he awoke he was a prisoner in Kein's encamped forces. His men had been nailed to the burnt trees all around, creating a grisly monument to the Iron Circle's victory.

The Corsair King Joins Vailin

The Corsair King, long a rival of Admiral Nornerios Swordhand, now offers his allegiance to Zembar and rallies Vailin's fleet in the Sea of Mist. Meanwhile, the Admiral leads his army of griffins and archers into Amil Forest where they stalk those undead who remained after the Dread Lich's conquest.

South in the Satrophy of Numoth, Zembar sends a rare Platinum Dragon, rumored to be an Aspect of Bahamut himself over to crush the skeletal legions that have driven the people from their cities. The dragon devastates the countryside rooting out the foul creatures, but in the end it succumbs itself to the plague that the tainted things carry with them wherever they go. Once again the Satrophy is left in chaos in ruins.

Ser Ellert Rainwood rides out to join Magus Greycloak in the Barony of Brandil and learn more of the fate of the late lord Alrick Silvanus, cousin to the Crown Prince of Vailin. Ellert leaves Queen Silvanus in charge of the court back in Vailindor and she works to strenghten their defenses as the Karkothi menace closing in around them.

Dragons at the Borders

Karkoth sends it's draconic forces to it's northern and southern borders. Behind enemy lines, their bone golems crawl from the walking wood into the vast plains and cut a swath of death through the elves garrisoned there. The unprotected villages of the plains and deep havens fall prey to the vicious monsters soon after the elves' defeat.

On the central island, the Dread Lich enters the Tomb of Horrors, long dreaming of unlocking the secrets of the evil demi-lich Acererak, while his undead army marches south on the weak Satrophy of Numoth. Though the lich's army quickly takes the Satrophy in his name, driving all the living residents from the major towns and cities into the countryside, the lich himself is defeated on his quest in a battle with a half drow/half spider Drider guarding the tomb.

Nerath's Fury and Karkoth's Revenge

Lord Mithraelfast calls his cousin Ironfist to take command of the capitol, while he leads his personal guard against the traitor, Lord Mackelroy, in Fallcrest. The city's militia yields when their old liege arrives, but many of the lord's men in the keep die bravely protecting Mackelroy before he finally yields. Ironfist learns that the Iron Circle captured Mackelroy's eldest son, who was studying with the swordmages in Rethmil. His son was being held at the Iron Citadel to guarantee his allegiance. Lord Mithraelfast showed mercy, confining the Mackelroy's to their own dungeons until he could determine how to justly punish their treachery.

The milita's of Therund were called to Nera, where they joined the armies assembled there under the command of Laralove Dewshining and Xanroar Carter. From the Stonemarch, the riders who guard the passes and plains from the Bloodspear Orcs rode down to Therund to guard against incursion from the Trollhaunt Warrens.

On the Eastern front, Dolranth, the Templar of Light gathered his host to assault Blisterforge. He rode at the front of his ranks, leading the footsoliders, some trained, others green slaves risen from the ashes of Karkoth's conquered lands. Beside him four magic users, the Crow Shaman, the Priest of Light, the Lunarmancer, and Ella the Enchantress wove spells onto the dreaded minions of Blisterforge, blasting the thousands of skeletons and the storm elemental that guarded the pass through the mountains.

When Dolranth and his men crashed into the ranks of the Darkranger and Ebek the Drow's spider riding minions, Nerath's five great dragons swooped down to strafe the lines of the foe. A Dracolich wheeled overhead, drawing the dragons away, while Nerath moved in Mammoths to crush the Darkranger and his evil mercenaries. When the Dracolich was finished, the dragon returned to finish burning away the last of the drow and spiders. A cheer went echoing through the pass from the Nerathi forces, and the day was won.

Dolranth rode ahead with several knights to claim Slaughterguarde, who's defender slunk away when the servants of light approached. Everywhere he rode he saw that the Karkothi had set loose a foul plague among their own people in all of their lands to weaken the slaves that thought of revolt. Many of Dolrath's men died on the march through Slaughterguard from the plague called Soul Rot, their very spirit drifting away until they were nothing but pale shells of their former selves without joy, and upon death, no spirit remained to resurrect or to pass onto the next world.

Word spread that the plague had spread to the south. Magus Greycloak nursed the necrotic wounds of the dragon in Brandil who had caught "the rot" as it had come to be known. On the central isle all of the iron circles fighting legions who assembled along the border of Amil Forest died of the rot, leaving the lands in chaos without a governor. The Karkothi's revenge spread to all the lands on their borders, and touched all their enemies.