Rise of the Runelords
The coastal town of Sandpoint has faced few trials and dangers over the course of its forty-two year history, but unfortunately, that is has changed since the Swallowtail Festival a year ago. A goblin raid on the town was luckily averted by our heroes, but the goblins were not all that was wrong in town. Soon after the raid, they found Lonjiku Ameiko assassinated in the Glassworks by his wayward son, Tsuto Kaijitsu. Following the trail, the heroes found catacombs inhabited by sinspawn deep under Sandpoint and made their first encounter with the seven-pointed star - or Sihedron rune. After investigating the Caverns of Wrath, who once belonged to the Runelord of Wrath, Alaznist, the heroes set out to deal with the goblins at Thistletop and the instigator of the whole mess: Nualia.
Quiet returned to Sandpoint after that episode, but not for long. Soon, murders most foul shocked the town and once again, the heroes were called upon to investigate - especially as the Sihedron rune showed up again: this time carved into the bodies of the deceased. This lead to them investigating Haunted Foxglove manor and dealing with the hauntings inside it and it's insane master: the ghoul Traver Foxglove. Still, the trail did not end there, but instead lead to Magnimar and the Skinsaw cult hidden in a sawmill. Once again, however, the initial thread operated under the directions of a mastermind: this time it was a lamia, disguised as a woman named Iesha. The heroes hunted her down to the top of the clocktower and ended her nefarious life too, dealing with the Sihedron rune once and for all - or so the thought.
A few months afterwards, it came to Kjell's attention that the rune had shown up again - this time in Turtleback Ferry. Investigation revealed another lamia - sister to the first - which had fled the scene by the time the heroes arrived, but not before tatooing the Sihedron rune on half of town by using it as an access token to her floating pleasure palace. This time, the trail led towards a fort: Fort Rannick. One the way there, the heroes happened upon Kibb - a bear, companion to one of the rangers of the fort named Jakardros. After delivering Jakardros and two other rangers from the hands of a disturbing, insane and deformed band of ogrekins, they learned that Fort Rannick had been assaulted and overrun by ogres. The heroes infiltrated the Fort from below and there found the mastermind behind this recent attack: the lamia who had run away from Turtleback earlier. They finished the job and, after spending a few months at the fort to help rebuild, the went back to Sandpoint for the next Swallowtail Festival - which was now held to commemorate their successful repulsion of the goblin raid.
Again, things didn't go as planned as a band of giants showed up, lead by a the red dragon Longtooth, and abducted several villagers. And again, the Sihedron rune was there - this time carved into the skin of the giants who took part in the attack. After repelling the giants and saving the abducted villagers, the heroes tailed Longtooth, determined to deal with the giant threat once and for all. They met up with a couple of Shoanti, helped them deliver the Storval Stairs from giant hand and secured their help in assaulting the giant's fortress: Jorgenfist. Instead of a head-on assault, they instead opted to infiltrate Jorgenfist by passing through Longtoot's lair. It is here that we now find our heroes, with Longtooth dead and under control of one of their own - Ilora.
