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They left the Druid Grove seeking a way south to the swamps. But they had not gone far when an unexpected figure appeared ahead of them. He introduced himself only as “Raphael”, and claimed that he could help them with their… infection problem. But before they could question him further, he waved his hand so they could discuss things somewhere “more appropriate”.

They suddenly found themselves in a richly decorated manor in an elaborate banquet hall. And Raphael… took a more natural form.

Raphael claimed he could easily remove their tadpoles… in exchange for their souls. Jasper… declined the offer. He had been around far too long to even consider deals with the likes of Raphael. Raphael merely laughed, and whisked them back to the forest. His fading laugh, “You’ll come back when your desperation is at its peak. And next time the price will be higher.”

The others argued about whether they should consider the offer. Astarion was all for it. Even Gale thought they could leverage it. Lae’zel and Shadowheart were firmly against it, as was Wyll. For his part, Jasper wondered – what was it about them and their situation which attracted the interest of such a being? Mind Flayer infection, while not “common”, was not exactly unheard of. And was not usually accompanied by devils offering deals… Something larger was going on.

After that discussion tailed off, Wyll spoke up again. He said he had been tasked with hunting down a demon before being captured by the Illithids. And his enhanced tracking senses told him his quarry was nearby. He could tell them little beyond that it was a fierce demon going by the name of Karlach, and would surely cause slaughter and havoc in the area if not contained. But when they tracked down “Karlach”, they found a large tiefling woman instead of a demon. And she begged Wyll not to fight. Then they experienced another mind-meld – in which they saw enough to realize that Karlach was both one of them and running from being a conscript in the Blood Wars.

Wyll insisted she was a fierce demon, but Jasper stared him down. “You saw what we saw. You know what we know. Whatever she is, she is as mortal as you and I – not a monster”. Finally Wyll, sighed and lowered his sword. He cursed, saying “She swore. Sbe swore! Only infernal targets!” But would not elaborate further. Only saying that he would pay a price for breaking his contract.

Karlach was elated, saying she really hadn’t wanted to have to kill Wyll. Wyll just laughed. She also said she still had an urgent problem to deal with. Infernal bounty hunters posing as Paladins of Tyr were hunting her down to return her to her master, and they had taken up residence in an ruined toll-collector’s outpost nearby. Jasper agreed to help check things out.

When they arrive the “paladins” told a harrowing tale of how Karlach had been hunting them down for months as they tried to defend themselves. But Jasper found them to be poor liars. At which point the “paladins” cursed and the battle was on!

Karlach went berserk, sprouting flames and tearing through the ranks. She literally brought the outpost down around their ears in the process, but seemed relieved and thankful afterwards.

They made camp for the night to rest up and heal their wounds before continuing on. Unfortunately, their other-planar visitations were just beginning. A devilish woman ported into their campsite as they were settling down for the light, looked around, and then smiled evilly at Wyll.

She introduced herself as Mizora – Wyll’s “patron”, and claimed Wyll had been a “naughty boy”, for not fulfilling his obligations. Karlach sneered at her as “Zariel’s lackey” – saying she had known Mizora in her servitude to Zariel. Mizora ignored Karlach and closed in on Wyll. He looked terrified.

“You remember the deal darling. I gave you the power to save them. I honored my end. In return you were to serve as my huntsman”.

“The contract stated only infernal targets!”, Wyll protested.

“Infernal, Abyssal, and heartless”, replied Mizora. “Karlach is only part Infernal, but she is *all* heartless. Her heart was replaced with an infernal engine long ago”. Karlach scowled as she glared at Mizora.

Then Mizora waved her hand, and Wyll fell to the ground. His skin began to ripple and horns burst from his head. Mizora teased “A little warning darling, just a taste of the price for violating our little bargain”. And then she was gone.

Wyll was devastated – believing that his new form would prevent him from being a hero as people would be unable to trust him. “What will they see when they look at me?”, he asked Jasper. “What do you see?” “A good man“, replied Jasper. “You appearance does not define you. Your actions do” And that was that. He wanted to know more about Mizora and how Wyll had come to be bound to her. He suspected a careful reading of Wyll’s contract could provide some options. But he could tell that Wyll was not ready for that conversation at this time.

Jasper also once again found himself wondering. Devils were not known for their forgiveness. Mizora could easily have claimed Wyll’s soul then and there for breach of contract. But she had not. And his “punishment” – though agonizing to Wyll – seemed rather light all things considered. Once again he suspected that there were factors at play beyond his current awareness.

The next day they came upon an abandoned, ransacked village at a crossroads. An old sign with faded lettering read “Moonhaven”. Forms of goblins could be seen hiding in the distance.

Jasper decided that the best option through while gaining better intelligence was deception. He had seen from the corpse recovered by Nettie that the goblins and the “Absolute” had been having dealings with the Drow. So he choose an appropriately intimidating form in which to approach the village.

A goblin shaman called out to them to surrender as they approached, but as Jasper stepped into the light they could hear gasps. “A Drow, in the daylight! She must have been touched by the Absolute!” The shaman immediately appeared and begged Jasper not to flay him. And gave convenient directions to the goblin stronghold nearby. Jasper haughtily dismissed him, claiming they wished to “inspect the area” before continuing on their journey. They goblins immediately vanished.

As they explored the long-abandoned village, Shadowheart kept looking strangely at random items – occasionally wincing in pain. But when asked if something was wrong she merely shook her head and moved on.

Below an old herbalists shop they found a secret door, and inside they discovered a magic mirror. The spirit in the mirror quizzed Jasper about what he thought of a man named Szass Tamm. Jasper knew the name as a despicable Thayian archmage. And guessed the long dead owner of the building – given its location – would have a similar view of the man. So he said exactly what he thought. That turned out the be the right answer – which made bluffing his way into posing as a long-lost apprentice far easier. Eventually the mirror accepted him, and opened a doorway into a hidden laboratory.

They found much in the laboratory indicating that the prior owner had been experimenting with bringing the dead back to life. Not wanting to create undead – but to bring back someone he had cared about. Most of what they found was long decayed and useless. But hidden and locked away Jasper found something far more ominous. A book radiating evil entitled “The Necromancy of Thay”. Jasper certainly didn’t intend to read the thing. But neither could he leave it here to be found. They would have to safeguard it until they could find a way to safely destroy it.

Back outside they heard a ruckus on the other side of the village. Running to see what was up (and refreshing Jasper’s disguise) they found a group of goblins jeering as a small figure screamed – tied to the spinning blades of a windmill. Jasper demanded to know what was going on, and the goblins immediately panicked and ran.

They were soon able to stop the windmill and rescue the poor fellow, a Deep Gnome named Barcus. He actually lived in Baldur’s Gate, and was searching for a lost friend named Wulbren. He thanked them for their help and then sped off to continue his search.

From there they continued on south towards the swamp. As they neared it, they found an unexpected sight. “Autie Ethel” – an old woman they had met as a herbalist selling poultices in the Druid Grove – was being harangued by two young men. It seemed they believed she had been involved in the disappearance of their sister!

When they approached, Ethel looked to them for help. But Jasper sensed something amiss. Something did not at all feel right about “Auntie Ethel”, and when he questioned her she immediately turned on him. “You were supposed to defend me from the hooligans! Now you will have to be ready to grovel if you come see me for help with your ‘condition’”

Then she gave them a nasty look, and vanished. And Jasper gasped at the unmistakable foul scent of her magic. A Hag. He was sure of it. He tried to warn the brothers as they ran off into the swamp in search of their sister, but they would not listen. They would have to deal with the hag at some point. She was yet another powerful entity that appeared to know of their condition. But they were nowhere near ready for that yet. He would need a great deal of preparation to tackle a foe of that nature. He shuddered again.

As they approached the swamp proper, Jasper got the overwhelming sensation that he was being watched. And the picturesque view ahead looked… wrong. Too perfect to his senses. He concentrated, and the vista began to shift – as a sunny path down a forest lake shimmered and became what he knew lay behind the illusion. A wretched, twisted swamp. With the stink of evil fey all over it. The Hag’s doing he was sure. There was even a small table near the path with a selection of apples in a basket. A gift to travellers courtesy of “Auntie Ethel”. Poisoned. Naturally.

They made their way towards the meeting point alluded to in Kagha’s note, and saw trouble ahead. A large Swamp Cypress patrolled by Mud Mephits and Wood Woads. A sure sign of unnatural intervention. This was the place.

Karlach engaged the Wood Woads with gusto – her fiery disposition being well matched to their wooden demeanors.

Meanwhile Jasper and the others dealt with a seemingly never-ending stream of Mud Mephits.

Afterwards they found a note hidden in a nook of the tree. A note promising Kagha leadership of the Grove if she could successfully convert it to a Shadow Druid enclave… This was the hard evidence they needed to confront her.

Jasper grimly presented the evidence, and many of the other druids were horrified. Shadow Druids? They had had their disagreements with Kagha over the years. But this?

The rats which had aroused Jasper’s suspicions before began to take new forms. Halfling Druids. Shadow Druids. And the leader in her gravelly voice reminded Kagha that she had already chosen her path. She had turned to the Shadow for strength, and now it was her master.

In response Jasper simply held up his hand – conjuring the most basic of illusions. A glowing leaf. Tinged with light. And as Kagha stared at the leaf, transfixed, her expression began to change. “The light.” She whispered. “I forgot that Silvanus always came to us in sunlight”.

And with that she turned on the Shadow druids, and the battle was on.

They all fought the Shadowy invaders. The Druids of the Enclave, Kagha, and Jasper and his companions.

And eventually, they emerged victorious. Kagha surrendered afterwards, content to allow Silvanus to determine her fate. She would be kept prisoner until Halsin returned to pass judgement. Not all of her co-conspirators were convinced, but without her backing they no longer had sufficient sway. The tieflings would be permitted to stay.

Zevlor was overjoyed at the news, but entreated Jasper to find Halsin. He also had an additional request. One affirmed by the Druids. The goblin army was still a significant threat, and growing all the time. Eventually it would grow strong enough to wipe them out – even with their alliance renewed. But Zevlor claimed the goblin hordes were held together by a small number of strong lieutenants. Eliminate them, and the horde would dissipate.

Jasper did not enjoy being tasked with assassination, but he agreed with the logic. One way or another, the goblin army would have to be dealt with.

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Author’s Notes:

The first chapter really hits you fast and furious. I struggled with what to include, since so much comes back into play later. I settled for just going with my gut, and including anything that Jasper would find “significant”.

I’ve largely settled on “Dragonlance painting” as my style now for this run. It gives a nice look to most of the companions, and dovetails well with “Larry Elmore” when I want a lighter touch.