The consortes discuss their next move and consider assaults on Derwich, the excavation site, Antace, and Heremac itself before settling on an expedition into the Sheldings to find the mountain fastness of Hecatesseus, and to give the enemy magician a nasty surprise. The group agrees to send Dominic and Purer to make a distraction at Derwich, a dangerous assignment that both men nonetheless accept. Meanwhile the rest of the band feigns a return to Upchurch in case they are being watched by eagles, scrying, or other means.

So Sir Hamral, Vandoren, Friar Sidrach, Mendelor, Owen, Renton, St. James, and Valerius make preparations for a journey into the distant Sheldings in the midst of winter. Progress is slow due to snowcover and the short days, but after a week they leave behind the occupied lands and enter the Ruckish Hills and wild lands never yet settled by men. The group follows the surprisingly sophisticated network of ruckish highways that carry Black-Blade armies up and down the kingdoms of Tereus, past ruckish watchtowers, fortresses, and even towns. Throughout the journey the travelers see Pentian slaves toiling for ruckish masters, as well as many ruckish ruins, which Vandoren notes are the product of internecine ruckish disputes.

As the band continues on, ruckish settlements and patrols become more and more frequent, though Mendelor successful guides his fellows past all the sentinels put in place by Tereus. The band comes across the ruins of a shrine to one of the rucks' heathen gods, with a defaced stone idol marked with the ruckish glyph for "forbidden."

A heavy snowstorm descends on the Ruckish Hills, but the band presses on until forward progress is impossible. When the storm clears, Mendelor discovers to his horror that he has strayed far closer to the Yron Citie than he had ever intended. Even from their vantage several miles off, the travelers can see and smell the ghastly plumes of thick smoke that rise up from the ruckish city, can hear the clanking of the ruckish machinery, and behold the dark lines of towers soaring against the horizon. Owen even spies the three-spired fortress looming over all.

Carefully, Mendelor leads the group away from the Citie, past polluted streams choked with refuse, past the constant Black-Blade patrols, and on toward the Shelding Mountains, home to giants, dragons, and reportedly, at least one wizard.

In the mountains the band comes across the burnt-out ruins of a giant long-house. Mendelor also finds a trail leading higher into the Sheldings, approximately toward where Hecatesseus is said to make his lair. After many more days of hard marching through the rough, snowy terrain, Noxumbra spies a terrible sight ahead: at the terminus of the trail sits a great cleft in the mountain cliff. And before the cave opening, sunning itself on the snowy mountain slopes, is a great, grey, and winged dragon, lying amongst the smoldering rubble of a ruined stronghold.

The travelers anxiously confer on this discovery. Is this cave the lair of Hecatesseus? Has this dragon utterly destroyed Hecatesseus and settled into the ruins? Or has the wizard entered into a pact with this creature, such that it acts as a guardian to his fastness? Or is the dragon on its own, oblivious to the presence of a nearby wizard ? Or is the whole thing naught but a cunning illusion?

As the band watches, the dragon occasionally rouses itself and stretches its mighty scaled limbs before settling back into its initial position on the mountain slope. Over the course of a couple of days, different scouts are sent forth to gather more information. But in all cases the dragon seems to pay no heed to the intruders. Eventually, Valerius declares that the dragon is nothing but an illusion, and once the ruse is pointed out his fellows can also see the phantasm for what it is.

Beyond the image of the dragon is a passageway cut into the living rock. The passage leads straight into the mountain and opens into an octagonal chamber decorated with ostentatious images of Hecatesseus in all his glory. Standing back-to-back in the center of the room are four identical bronze figures, cast in the form of antique warriors bearing swords. As the travelers enter the room, the Centurions spring to life. One of the metal soldiers opens its mouth and a magical vapor issues forth, swiftly casting Vandoren, Owen, St. James, and Mendelor into a deep slumber.

Sir Hamral, Renton, and Friar Sidrach move forward to meet these unliving warriors while Valerius conjures up several monsters to fight these constructs. The Centurions prove deadly foes, possessed of a fearsome strength. Their metal bodies resist any damage, and what damage they do suffer quickly repairs itself. In addition, wounds made by the Centurions bleed profusely, inflicting even further harm upon the wounded.

Foot by foot, those heroes still standing are forced back by the unliving guardians. Both Renton and Hamral are badly hurt, but thanks largely to the miraculous healing droughts provided by Purer, they are able to stay in the fight long enough to see three of the Centurions destroyed. Valerius conjures up a wall of iron to hedge the sole remaining construct in, but the relentless creature climbs up and over the barrier to pursue the invaders until it too is destroyed. Eventually, the sleepers all awaken, but not before many vital resources have been expended.

Back in the octagonal chamber, St. James discovers a secret door that opens into a short corridor. At the end of the passage St. James discovers a second secret door, but notes that this one is warded by an enchanted lock to prevent entry. Valerius, however, knows the counterspell, and the door swings open to reveal a small, square chamber. A door stands in the wall on the opposite end of the room; on a dais in the middle of the room sits a large chest. And standing in front of the chest is the figure of Hecatesseus, who declares,

"You have violated the inner sanctum of Hecatesseus, master wizard. Flee from here at once or be destroyed!"

Valerius quickly declares this image to be an illusion, while St. James determines that the chest, as most of the party guesses, is trapped. So while the image of Hecatesseus repeats its dire warning over and over again, the group attempts to open the door. However, this seems to trigger another trap: secret panels in the walls open, from which a loud, metallic buzzing sounds. Into the room stream small metallic dragonflies, borne aloft on copper wings. Soon dozens of dragonflies dart all about the room, and then hundreds, and within seconds an entire swarm of a thousand or more copper dragonflies boils in the center of the room.

Owen shouts that the door is a fake, but before he and Mendelor can escape they are engulfed by the swarm, and tiny dragonflies make hundreds of pernicious little cuts in their flesh. Also, the swirling, bedazzling cloud seems to drain Mendelor and Owen of their ability to reason clearly.

The battered group retreats before this menace. Friar Sidrach steps forth to bring down the holy wrath of the Five upon this swarm, even though Mendelor and Owen are both caught fast in the midst of the copper dragonflies. However, the Friar's prayer is somehow reflected off the swarm, smiting the Gerardian instead.

The bloodied band continues to fall back and discovers they are unable to close the same doors they opened earlier. Vandoren attempts to cast a charm of his own upon the swarm, but his spell is also reflected back unto him.

One by one the members of the expedition stream out of the mountain, until only the Friar is left behind. Perhaps believing that a shut-off mechanism is hidden in the chest, Sidrach opens it up, only to release a cloud of yellow gas. Fortunately, the lucky Friar is able to hold his breath long enough to beat a hasty retreat. Once outside, Valerius conjures a wall of thick webs to seal in the swarm of unliving dragonflies. Then the weary expedition retreats into the safety of their wizard's magnificent mansion.

The Roleplaying Award (RP) includes PBM responses as well as participation in the live session.