After hearing about the loss of Kirke’s forces at Kenton to the Dolorous Worm, the consortes debate the best course of action. Friar Sidrach sends a message to Devroah, the incapacitated wife of Argus, asking her for a meeting—in hopes of gleaning more information concerning the Worm. But the prideful ruck-wife refuses the invitation.

St. James and Friar Sidrach scour Kirke’s camp for the latest rumors and intelligence. They learn that Kirke hopes to hold his ground and avoid further losses. They also learn that Argus has already rebuilt those portions of his castle that had been damaged by the earth spirit Groamargadin. Finally, they hear that the renegade captain of Wolfgare, Phoebus, is still missing, and is presumably somewhere in hiding with Devorah.

The wives of Argus are assumedly using sorcery to divine the consorte’s plans, and this information gives Argus a decided advantage. Therefore, Marcus prays to the Five to shield the pavilion while the consortes consider how best to vex the ruckish prince. The group considers trying to disable Bethseda, the principle seer amongst the wives by either conducting a raid or laying a trap for her. Some participants suggest traveling to Kenton to find the Worm.

The group arrives at a compromise: they will first swing by Kenton on their way to Wolfgare. The consortes then leave camp and strike out for the lands controlled by Argus. Halfway to Kenton the group stops for the night, allowing Friar Sidrach to cast many protective prayers on himself and St. James.

The next day the company arrives in Kenton, which has been utterly destroyed. Mendelor easily locates the tracks of a huge, monstrous creature: the trail leads back toward Wolfgare. The consortes follow the tracks for the rest of the day and make camp in a wood near Wolfgare.

Shortly after dark Owen hears some noises ahead, and Noxumbra is dispatched. She soon spies a horrible, wingless Worm, over forty feet long and stinking of brimstone, less than half a mile away and bearing down on the consortes.

The group makes ready for the assault. Owen and Mendelor climb up some trees and ready their bows, while Valerius conjures up a thicket of writhing tentacles in the middle of the Worm’s course. Sir Hamral mounts Fiasco, and Vandoren begins playing an inspirational song while Marcus and Friar Sidrach offer up more prayers to the Five.

Soon the Worm comes crashing into the consortes. The creatures passes through the magical thicket as if it did not exist, and the arrows of Owen and Mendelor bounce off its hide with little effect. Renton meets the Worm’s charge head-on, but the helmed warrior is soon brought low as the creature strikes out with terrible claws and a viscous bite. Meanwhile, St. James and Owen move into position to flank the monster. Sir Hamral spurs on Fiasco and charges into the fray.

Valerius and Vandoren discover to their dismay that the Worm is highly resistant to magical attacks. As Mendelor advances with his axe, Owen with bow and St. James with his short sword assault the Worm from behind, dealing out considerable damage. The Friar and Marcus advance to help Renton, and Valerius conjures several terrible spirits of frost to fight the Worm.

The Worm fixates on the frost spirits, giving the rest of the company a temporary respite. Then the Worm turns on St. James, and the young man falls before the onslaught. The battle seems to be going badly for our heroes when Hamral, charging in once more, slashes this way and that with Legrand and deals the killing blow. The Worm rears up and collapses.

The consortes rest and the Friar and Marcus deal out many healing prayers to the wounded, reviving brave Renton and St. James. The head of the Worm and certain other choice trophies are taken from its carcass. The group then follows the Worm’s tracks back to its lair, a dismal cave located in the walls of a steep ravine less than a half mile from Wolfgare. The cave entrance has been fitted with a portcullis, currently raised open. A well-worn trail leads up from the ravine to the castle of Argus, but there are no signs of caretakers or handlers anywhere.

The group explores the reeking caverns, full of splintered and charred bones. Owen spots a clutch of large, leathery eggs; a few are taken and the rest destroyed. Nothing else of interest is found within the Worm’s lair.

While leaving the cave, Valerius suddenly doubles over, as if wracked with pain. Outside, the consortes discover that Noxumbra has been shot with a crossbow bolt, and that they have walked into an ambush: a score or more of hidden troops with crossbows line the edge of the ravine, firing poisoned bolts down at the consortes as they emerge from the cave. Valerius attempts to conjure up a killing cloud upon the troops, but his spell is countered by an unseen opponent.

A fireball then explodes on the ravine floor, badly injuring many of our heroes and killing several horses. The group makes a run for it—only to find that the ravine entrance is blocked by a gigantic serpent and a equally gigantic crocodile. Owen spurs on his horse and passes between the monsters unharmed. Meanwhile, Renton picks up the wounded Noxumbra. St. James scales the walls of the ravine and attempts to throw a rope down. Sidrach attempts to climb up but fails; Vandoren picks up Achaela but even with his boots cannot leap out of the ravine floor.

The scaly monsters advance and Valerius is struck by a bolt of sorcerous acid. Beneath a rain of crossbow bolts the group retreats back to the cave. Valerius uses his magical horn to call up a thick fog to fill the ravine and provide some cover. Meanwhile, St. James and Owen spot two of Argus’s wives on the other side of the ravine, and begin firing arrows at them. In response. St. James is bewitched into throwing many of his beloved possessions into the ravine, including the Ring of the Owl.

Valerius calls up two mighty spirits of the air, and while these spirits provide a distraction the group bursts out of the cave and escapes the ravine. Friar Sidrach, though, turns back and charges headlong at the ruckish forces, seeking out Queen Naome herself. Naome slings many spells at the Friar, only to have them rebuffed by the Gerardian’s sovereign prayers. Soon, however, Sidrach finds himself beset by all three of the wives. And while the Gerardian holds his own for a moment, the sorceresses gradually gain the upper hand, and the Friar is dropped by a ferocious blast of magical cold. Marcus and Hamral ride in to save the Friar, but during the rescue Marcus is struck by a blast of lightning and is slain.

Hamral grabs the stricken Friar and the group retreats to Kirke’s camp. There the group decides to petition King Wenric to have Marcus, a former Seeker, brought back from the dead. Vandoren, aided by Friar Sidrach, uses his considerable persuasive powers to win over Kirke and by proxy, the King. King Wenric then calls on his considerable influence over the Church and Bishop Martin. Meanwhile Mendelor and St. James venture back to the scene of battle to recover Marcus’s blasted body.

After a few days the Canglen Diocese sanctions the ceremony of resurrection and authorizes Friar Sidrach himself to perform the sacred ritual. The Friar beseeches the Five, who hear and answer the prayers. Marcus Atwater, slain in the shadow of Wolfgare, is risen from the dead.

All values are given as 3E experience points. The Roleplaying Award (RP) includes PBM responses, as well as participation in the live session. Marcus's Other Award was from Tom winning the Frilond Trivia Challenge (350 xp) and from an XP Project on Seeker initiation rites (700 xp). Valerius's Other Award was from Curt producing and running the challenge.