Beyond the passage leading north from the goblin caverns, a 20-foot drop leads to a damp cave.

The party stands on a plateau above the floor of a wide cavern, looking out over a dimly lit chamber to the east. A small flight of stairs leads down on the far side of the chamber. In the center of the area beyond the stairs, a straight-edged, octagonal pool gives off pale silver light. A large group of undead creatures, all oblivious to your presence, is revealed in this bright illumination. A creature lingering by the far edge of the pool appears to be the leader of this foul crew. It occasionally speaks and sways, the others watching it closely like a rapt and macabre congregation. A gleaming golden gem hangs around the lead creature’s neck.

Encounter 22: Moon Pool
deathgaunt madcaster
2 deathgaunt lashers
deathgaunt drover
2 deathgaunt spiners
5 deathgaunt hordelings (H)

The gem that the madcaster wears is Zaarani’s solitaire. A search of the pool turns up some gold, a polished amethyst, and a pair of fist-sized moonstones that are carved with intertwining patterns and glow slightly. The deathgaunts threw these valuables into the glowing pool as offerings.

The Kech Volaar appear at the other end of the room, beyond the moon pool. Yeraa and her seekers have had a harrowing journey through the caverns beneath Six Kings. Although they were able to obtain a component of the Ashen Crown (Lurtaan’s cord), the goblins were less than thorough in eliminating the foulspawn and the restless spirits that guarded it. As a result, retracing the PCs’ route is the safer way out.

The journey out of the mountain is uneventful. The PCs show Zaarani’s solitaire to Yeraa; her reverence for the item is clear. Once both groups are outside, Yeraa orders the remaining seekers to scout ahead while she talks to the party. Yeraa has something to say, but does not want to do so in front of her followers.

She has had a change in attitude. Once her followers are out of sight, Yeraa offers an apology for her earlier suspicion. She admits that the PCs have proved the truth of their convictions by demonstrating bravery in facing Six Kings and recovering Zaarani’s solitaire.

Yeraa makes a formal declaration of alliance with the PCs. The town of Graywall, where the last piece ofthe Crown is hidden, is the Wordbearers’ destination. Yeraa says the Kech Volaar would be honored to have the party travel at their side.

Undead approach as the PCs finish up discussions with Yeraa.

From ahead comes a skittering of loose rock. Yeraa looks up, then quickly draws her sword with a snarl. Shambling up the path before the party are five of the Kech Shaarat hobgoblins you fought earlier, their mutilated bodies risen as horrid zombies. In the forefront is the dead BIadebearer leader, a scimitar clutched tight in his bloody hands.

Encounter 23: Dead Enemies
Chib Naersaar, bladebearer zombie
4 hobgoblin zombies
2 goblin zombie archers
3 zombie rotters

The Emerald Claw is the obvious suspect for having raised the Kech Shaarat warriors as undead, but any search of the surrounding area shows no sign of the Claw’s presence.

Yeraa is anxious to discover why her scouts didn’t return, leading the party along a side trail running up and around a low peak. There, the PCs not only find the Kech Volaar well, but they make a surprising discovery.

A dilapidated airship floats moored to the cliff face by a tight web of ropes and lanyards. The name “Kordanaa” graces its prow in faded black letters. The crew is a mix of humans, goblins, and hobgoblins, including a half-elf at the helm with the Mark of Storm on his forearm.

Yeraa is relieved to see that no harm has come to the seekers, but Tikulti reports that they and the crew drove off a Claw attack just minutes before. Although no lives were lost, alchemist’s fire arrows damaged two of the airship’s struts. Yeraa tells the PCs that Kordanaa has come from Graywall to pick them up. Now, that trip is delayed.

Delan, a taciturn House Lyrandar exile, leads the friendly twelve-person airship crew of Kordanaa. The captain has worked for Yeraa and the Kech Volaar for about a year now. From the crew, the PCs learn that the lower decks contain the crew’s quarters and the barracks for the Kech Volaar seekers and the PCs, converted from old cargo space.

It takes a day for the ship’s crew to make repairs, during which time the party realizes that the Emerald Claw’s tactics weren’t designed to seize or destroy the ship, but to damage it. From that conclusion, the PCs deduce that the Claw’s purpose was not to prevent their journey to Graywall, but to delay it.

The party knows that Demise and her agents have not given up their search for the Crown.