The following is a summary of the guild Scarab’s first official Tuesday Night Quest. The quest took place on Tuesday, August 3rd, 1999.

This story consists of accounts by Gyst Starblayze, Dadilie Emathren, Dornen Fellison and Russof the rogue. The accounts were compiled and edited by Gyst Starblayze.

No one knew exactly where it came from.

The High Elven Magi had studied it for years, but they could never discern its origin, let alone harness its powers. The stone was donated to the Magi of Felwithe many decades ago by a traveling band of adventurers. They claimed they knew nothing of its origin, and they departed as suddenly as they came.

So the High Elves set to work. For many generations, the elite members of the highest magi circles studied the strange stone in an attempt to harness its great powers.

To the common observer, the stone looked like an ordinary quartz crystal, but upon a more detailed inspection it soon became obvious that the stone was unique. It contained great powers, that much was certain. The only mystery that remained was how to harness and control these powers. This is where the High Elves failed.

They named it the Soul Stone, although it’s hard to tell why. And the Soul Stone baffled them all.

At least, it did until Meela came along.

Meela was no one particularly special, but she had a unique talent that made all the difference. At the time, she was very young… only in her thirteenth year. Being a High Elf born in Felwithe, at a very young age she began her training in the ways of the Enchanters. It was during this time, merely by a stroke of fate, that she encountered the Soul Stone while it was being studied in the great marble spires of Felwithe.

After several experiments, it became apparent that Meela had a knack for controlling the Soul Stone. She could harness its powers far better than anyone else ever could. There was no explanation for this – she wasn’t highly trained, and she had very little experience. But the fact remained. She could do what no one else ever could.

And thus it began.
Meela spent a few years with the High Elves in Felwithe, but they made little progress. Although Meela could control the Soul Stone better than anyone else, she was still unable to use it for much productive use. And so it was decided that Meela should continue her training among the great minds of the Erudites. Perhaps a different perspective would unlock some of the mysteries of the Soul Stone. It was worth a try.

The existence of the Soul Stone caught the attention of many great minds from all across Norrath. They all were curious about how this strange stone could be used. They also feared it. Many feared that it would usher in great evil, and others feared the power it could bring to its user. It was the High Elves’ solemn desire to unlock the Soul Stone’s powers before it could fall into the wrong hands. So, action had to be taken quickly.

Shortly after her thirteenth birthday, Meela set out from her home and began her long trek to Erudin.
However, news of her powers and the power of the Soul Stone preceded her. News spreads quickly among the forces of evil, and Meela’s journey was not to be a successful one. Meela had a long way to travel, and the forces of darkness immediately set out to intercept her.

Meela crossed the Ocean of Tears on a very unnerving boat ride, but she finally reached dry land safely. As she looked at her surroundings in the human city of Freeport, she thought to herself “How can my brother stand to live in this dump?”

Meela’s brother Zeviuos, a fortuneteller by trade, had been living in the Freeport area for quite some time. He was several years older than Meela and would often write letters to his family back in Felwithe. Because of these letters, Meela had some knowledge about what to expect on this new continent. After refreshing her supplies, Meela decided to set out on her long journey immediately. She wished she could speak with her brother before leaving, but even if he were in town rather than roaming the countryside with gypsies, she would likely be mugged and beaten by the local scoundrels before she would be able to find him.

She made the final preparations and quickly resumed her journey.
Meela tried to follow her written travel guide, but she quickly became very lost. The travel guide stated that just outside the gates of Freeport was a lush commonland filled with rolling hills and trees. It mentioned nothing about a desert, but that’s exactly where Meela found herself when she stepped out of Freeport.

Confused and disoriented, she found some shelter in a tunnel in the mountains. Deep within the tunnel she discovered a lair of a swashbuckler, and she decided to ask him for help. Overhearing her plea for help, a human offered his services. He had a strange look in his eye – not the look of one who says what he means, but, being desperate, Meela chose to trust him.

This was her tragic mistake. The human, a shadow knight by the name of Virten, led her to the opposite end of the tunnel. Once there, she was promptly attacked by Virten’s mob of followers. They captured her, bound her tight cords, and put her under a powerful spell that made her powerless to resist.

“Now, elf, you will assist me. I have big plans for this stone, and you are going to help me.” Virten smirked at Meela and waved his hand in a signal to his gang. This was the last thing Meela saw before all was black.

When Meela regained consciousness, the evil mob was crossing a wide land of trees and hills before coming to a murky forest. They pressed their way into the fog, dragging Meela along with them.

Meela was powerless to resist, at least for the time being. However, fate presented Meela with an opportunity to escape. While travelling in the foggy woods, Virten’s evil band was attacked by a host of undead creatures. Meela used this distraction as her chance to escape. As soon as her captors were occupied, she ran deep into the darkness.

Meela’s heart was pounding, and she knew it wouldn’t be long before she was discovered again. However, she used her judgement and formulated a plan. Meela knew what was at stake. Virten wanted the Soul Stone, but he needed Meela’s powers to control it. The Soul Stone was useless to him without her. Therefore, in a sacrifice to save the causes of good, she pulled a small dagger from her robe and slit her throat.

Meela assumed her soul was still bound to her home in Felwithe, but, much to her dismay, this was not the case. Upon her death, her soul floated through oblivion and returned to where it was bound – a strange and horrifying place! Apparently, while she was unconscious, her captors bound her soul to a distant city abounding in evil.

Meela awoke from her rebirth and looked around. She gasped when she beheld a strange and evil city situated in a swamp. A troll guard strutted over to her, sniffed her, and said “Oh guddy! I git an elfie for my dinnur!”

Meela jumped up and ran deep into the swamp until the Troll had lost her trail. After wandering around in fear for many hours, she came to an eerie entrance guarded by frogmen. The frogmen didn’t seem hostile, so she entered their lair and did the only thing she could – call to her brother for help…

The day had been a good one for business. Zeviuos thoroughly enjoyed Freeport. It seemed to have a never-ending reserve of people – people who are willing to spend their money. Zeviuos had sold more fortune-tellings on that day than he ever had. He was in a good mood, and he thanked Tunare for his success.

‘Twas only mid afternoon, but Zeviuos decided to share his joy with others by giving away free fortune-tellings. He sat upon the stage of the Theater of the Tranquil and called out to passing travelers. He saw a tall magician striding by and recognized him from earlier in the day. He had called to the magician that morning and offered to tell his fortune, but the mage shook his head, chuckled a bit, said “I make my own fortune, but thanks for the offer,” and continued on his way. Zeviuos decided to try again.

“Friend mage, won’t you stop by for a brief moment? I’ll read you your fortune free of charge, if you will give me the pleasure.”

The mage stopped and considered Zeviuos’ offer. He had placed all his money in the Freeport Vault, but since the fortuneteller seemed insistent and demanded no pay, he consented. The magician was on his way to meet with his friends at the West Gate of Freeport, but he didn’t want to let this opportunity pass him by. He sat down at the base of the stage and listened to the fortuneteller’s words.

“Tell me your name, friend mage,” Zeviuos said.

The magician looked at him shrewdly. “No, you tell me.”

“Ah ha! You are a wise one, sire Starblayze. Gyst is your name, and a noble one at that!”

Gyst Starblayze smiled. He was impressed. This teller didn’t disappoint him like so many other wandering fools had. He beckoned Zeviuos to wait a moment before continuing. Gyst unveiled a necklace from under his robe. Embedded within the shimmering pieces of metal was a clear blue stone that flickered with a strange light. Gyst spoke into the stone, and his words rang through dozens of similar stones carried by his friends in the mighty guild Scarab.

“Hail Scarab!” he said. “I have a wonderful thing to show you! If you are in the Freeport area, please come quickly to the Theater of the Tranquil! Something unusual is in store for us tonight!” Little did Gyst know, his words were amazingly prophetic.

Scelia wiped the sweat from her brow. She had been hiding crouched on the hot theater roof for half a day. Her orders were clear, take the fortuneteller, Zeviuos, quietly without anyone seeing and bring him to the assigned destination. She scowled. This was not her way, she preferred things out in the open, a real challenge instead of this skulking around, but she had been paid handsomely in advanced so she had kept her word, but the stupid fortuneteller was never alone. People from all over Freeport waited in line to see him on the stage below. Finally, with more than half the day gone there looked like there might be a break. A young mage was having his fortune told and there was no one else around. When he left she would make her move. Just then she saw the mage clasp at something hanging from his neck and she cringed. A guildstone! He must be in a guild. In just a few moments, a crowd of people gathered around the stage. Damn, Scarabs!

Scelia recognized a few of them, their code of lawful good behavior made her sick. Nearly twenty of them had arrived. This was going to get complicated. The fortuneteller finished with the mage and began telling the fortune of another, a runt of a man, named Jayfoot.

Scelia's legs ached but she daren't move now. Her only hope was that none of them would decide to get curious and explore the theater or it would be all over. Now, she could only bide her time and wait until they all moved on.

“I'm going to have to get a lot more money when I deliver this guy,” she thought. The fortuneteller droned on, extolling the virtues of the ugly Halfling, then stopped in mid sentence. Zeviuos seemed to be having some sort of vision.

Suddenly he shouted out in fear and began talking about his sister, Meela, being in trouble. Scelia's brow furrowed. She had heard her employer talk about this girl. That was why they wanted the brother, so he couldn't get help for her. Scelia knew that kidnapping him would be impossible now with all these witnesses. The only way would be to kill him outright before he had the chance to tell them any more. Jayfoot issued a few quick orders and a portion of the group departed. With only a few remaining in the theater, Scelia decided to make her more. Quickly she stood up and jumped down from the ledge, sword drawn. She looked around menacingly calculating her odds and pointed her sword at Zeviuos. "So you thought you could hide from us, huh? Bad choice!" she growled. She took a step closer to him, "Now, move or die!" Quicker than she would have imagined, Zeviuos leapt from the stage and began to run. She took chase. Closing the gap in short order, Scelia swiped at the fortuneteller with her sword and caught a glancing blow on his side. She knew the Scarabs were on her tail and if they caught up to her she wouldn't have a chance so she doubled her efforts.

“He must die!” was her only thought. Years of mercenary experience kept her ahead of the Scarab pack and close enough to Zeviuos to continue attacking him. For a while it looked like the mage might fall to her sword, but he was clever, he staggered into the town arena and Scelia found herself trapped. With no way out of the area except for a blocked door, she was quickly surrounded. Something raked her back with a burn she had never felt before. She turned around to see her attacker. It was that disgusting little Halfling, Jayfoot, with a magical weapon in his hand. The pain from the weapon was bad but the magic from the weapon sent Scelia screaming in agony as she dropped to the ground.

Her last thoughts, oddly, were of her husband. She wondered if this was the pain that he had felt when he was slain in battle. They had made a great mercenary team, Scelia and her husband. They were almost legend!
Suddenly she hoped there was an afterlife. As life ebbed from her body she hoped they would be reunited in death to reach glory together in battle once more.

While Jayfoot bravely led his small group of Scarabs in the defense of Zeviuos, the other members of Scarab rushed toward the lair of the frogloks – Guk. Zeviuos’ vision of Meela gave the Scarabs the clue that Meela was hiding among strange frogmen. The guild Scarab had been to Guk many times before, therefore they knew where Meela was located, roughly. But Guk was a big place, and finding Meela would not be easily done as hordes of frogloks swarm around the invading Scarabs.

After a long journey across the hot desert, roughly a dozen Scarabs fought their way out of the swamp of Innothule and into the lair of the frogmen. Their shouts to Meela echoed through the eerie corridors, but no answer came from Meela. However, the Scarabs did get a response from the frogloks, but ‘twas not a welcome one.

Meela shivered. She didn’t know if it was from fear or from of the cold. She’d been hiding among the frogmen for what seemed like ages, and each passing moment grew more difficult to bear. Echoes of their horrid croaking grew louder all the time.

Meela hunched down behind a small group of toadstools that cast an unnerving glow of light across the room. She waited, but she didn’t know what for. Her only hope was that her brother would rescue her, but that seemed impossible. She didn’t even know where she was. And so she waited, shivering in the eerie glow of the fungus, with only her heartbeat and the howls of the frogmen to keep her company.

But then she suddenly had more reason to be worried. A great ruckus echoed through the corridors. It sounded like a hundred warriors in glorious battle. The clang of metal reverberated through the air, and it was complemented by the howling and croaking of countless frogmen springing into action. The frogmen rushed to the defense of their home, and great sounds of battle swelled across Guk.

Meela knew she was doomed for sure. The invading army would not stand a chance against the frogmen, and the frogmen would quickly hunt Meela down and slay her to avenge the deaths of their fallen comrades. Suddenly things became deathly silent.

“Meela? Are you here?” The voice rang across the walls and pierced Meela’s ears.

Caradin, a noble monk of Scarab called to Meela once again, but he received no reply. “We’ve come to help you. You are safe with us, Meela!”

Meela shuddered at the words. How similar they were to the words Virten spoke right before he captured her. Perhaps if she kept quiet, they would go away. Meela sealed her lips and tried to breathe as smoothly as possible.

“We’ve been sent by Veviuos, your brother, Meela. We’re here to rescue you!” Caradin continued to shout.

Veviuos? How did they know about him? Meela’s mind raced and her heart pounded. Perhaps they are telling the truth. She had to find out, but did she dare risk giving away her location?

“You keep saying ‘we are here to help you.’ Who is ‘we’?” Meela spoke as she summoned every once of courage in her soul. Her faint voice barely reached the ears of the Scarabs.

“We are the mighty guild Scarab, sent by your brother in Freeport to come to your aid! We are here to help you, but we don’t know where you are.” Caradin shouted. “Please tell us where you are, Meela. We can’t hold off these frogloks forever!”

“If you are such a mighty guild, why do I only hear one of you?” Meela became very suspicious, but her suspicions were put to rest when at least a dozen other voices echoed to her ears. There were many voices, some male, and some female. Yet, they all held words of comfort, and Meela soon felt that Tunare had guided these adventurers to her aid.

Meela didn’t know exactly where she was, but she the told the Scarabs that she was at the top of a waterfall overlooking a circular wooden bridge. It didn’t take the Scarabs long to find her after that, and several of them quickly scrambled to the top of the waterfall. Meela was startled by their rush toward her, and when the first person heaved himself over the ledge that created the waterfall, Meela screamed in horror. The man was a human, and he look very similar to the evil man that had captured Meela.

Meela knew her doom was upon her, so she ran wildly and jumped off the waterfall into the pool below. Swimming past her confused rescuers, she found another waterfall that emptied into the pool, hid behind it, and ascended to the other ledge. It took a short while for the group of Scarabs to see what happened, but they eventually tracked her down again. This time, when they approached her, Meela had nowhere to run, so she just curled up in a tight ball and trembled.

Then, a warm hand touched Meela and a comforting voice spoke. Meela glanced up, but she didn’t see what she expected. Instead of seeing the face of a horrible and evil human, she saw the kind face of a caring woodland elf. Kyliar Nightwind lifted Meela to her feet, explained to her that she had nothing to be afraid of, and began escorting her out of the lair of Guk.

Zeviuos bent down and rummaged through the items on Scelia’s warm corpse in the Freeport Arena. Aside from the common money pouches, Zeviuos could only find one thing of interest on the body. He removed a folded parchment from Scelia’s clothing and opened it. The writing was faded and stained deeply with Scelia’s blood to the point that they could no longer read it. Zeviuos’ instincts told him that the parchment was important, and he asked the Jayfoot’s group if they could make heads or tails of the parchment.

Unfortunately, none of them could. However, they recalled a memory from earlier in the night when a wandering wizard approached them in the Theater of the Tranquil. Zalbar the Mad, as he was known, was trying to sell his services. He claimed to be an expert of deciphering illegible documents and interpreting strange writings. However, at the time, the Scarab group had no need of his services, so they sent him on his way.

Now though, they earnestly sought the assistance of this travelling wizard. They searched the streets of Freeport until they found him, and through no small effort they finally convinced Zalbar to inspect the strange parchment from Scelia’s corpse.

After being paid for his services, Zalbar told the group that the parchment was a simple map of High Keep that was located in Highpass Hold. Perhaps the map indicated a hideout of some sort. Scelia, the dead warrior, was obviously working for some greater force of evil, and perhaps this map was the key to the evil’s location.

Upon receiving this new information, Jayfoot decided to investigate. He commanded his group to follow him to Highpass Hold, and he beckoned Zeviuos to accompany them. As they set out on their journey, the voices of their victorious guildmates rang across their guildstones. Meela had been found!

Jayfoot’s group moved swiftly across the land, and soon they were in the Kithicor Woods on their way to the Highpass canyon. In their rush, they nearly trampled over a wandering traveler, and they continued hurriedly along their way. The traveler picked himself up and shouted to the group asking them why they were in such a hurry.

“We are heading to Highpass to unravel a great mystery,” they shouted back.

The traveler truly loved adventures, and he wanted to help the group find their success, despite the fact that they nearly trampled him on the trail. He ran toward the sounds of their voices and told them of a strange event that had happened to him recently in those woods.

During his wanderings, he stumbled upon a band of people rummaging through a female corpse. As he approached, the group scrambled to pick up the corpse and they promptly disappeared into the darkness. Finding this somewhat odd behavior, the traveler decided to investigate. He surveyed the scene and found a small rod of chipped bone lying on the ground where the group had been.

He picked up the rod and inspected it. He’d seen such instruments before, and he knew that such rods were used to help locate corpses. He placed the rod in his pack and continued on his journey in search of pine needles.

Intrigued by this tale, a member of Jayfoot’s group asked the traveler if he could look at the rod. The traveler, pleased that his story sparked their interest, gladly submitted the rod for their inspection. Upon the rod, etched into the bone, there was an inscription: ‘Property of Jaggedge of Rivervale.’

Without further delay, Jayfoot thanked the traveler for his information, and the group departed to Rivervale. They could only hope that this Jaggedge fellow would have some valuable information…

The Guk rescue party led Meela safely through the swamp of Innothule. Upon entering the Southern Desert of Ro, they encouraged Meela to come with them to Highpass to rendezvous with Jayfoot. However, Meela decided that now was the time to tell them everything. They had no idea what was at stake, so Meela began her tale.

She told them about the Soul Stone and her mission to Erudin. She related all the events from the time she stepped foot into the Faydark until the time she escaped from the evil man and hid in Guk. As the tale unfolded, the Scarabs grew tense. They all felt the pressure that was upon them to restore the Soul Stone to Meela before her captor could use it for the cause of darkness. But they didn’t know where to begin.

Meela tried to remember where they were when she had escaped. The land was foreign to her, and she was under the spell of Virten, but she managed to remember crossing a green plain with many rolling hills, passing through a mountain canyon, and entering a murky forest on the other side. It was in that forest where the undead horde attacked Virten’s gang and where Meela’s death occurred.

Many in the Scarab group thought of the Kithicor Woods, but there was some disagreement among them. It was decided that they would head toward Kithicor and Meela would guide them along the way. The journey was mostly uneventful, but with the aid of magical spells it was over relatively quickly. The entire group met at the entrance to Kithicor and Meela confirmed that she was led through that canyon shortly before she died.

The air in Kithicor was pungent, as always. Kitsu the bard closed his eyes any began singing an unearthly song that sounded like nothing Meela had ever heard before.

“I don’t sense it anywhere,” he said. “Meela, your corpse is not in this forest. Are you sure this is the right place?”

“Yes, I’m sure of it.” Meela’s face grew pale. “If it’s not here, the Evil One must have found it. He now possesses the Soul Stone! Whatever will we do?” Slight traces of tears formed in Meela’s eyes, but her newly found friends would not let her get discouraged.

“You captor was here recently. He may still be nearby. Let’s try to track him down. It’s at least worth a try.”

“Yes, you are wise!” Meela exclaimed! “Tunare has truly blessed me by sending you to my aid. Tell me, is there a nearby settlement that we can visit to ask the locals for information?”

Within moments the party was on its way to the Halfling town of Rivervale.

Within a few more moments they had stopped again.
A traveler, claiming that he was lost, stopped the group on their way to Rivervale. He praised the gods that he had found other people and he began to introduce himself.

His name was Karadoth and he’d spend the past several days wandering around the Kithicor woods. He’d been trying to create a potion, but he needed a special form of pine needles as his final ingredient. When he heard that such pine needles were sold at a small settlement of cabins in the Kithicor Woods, he set out to look for the settlement, but it wasn’t long until he became very lost.

He begged the Scarab group to help him, but they were in a terrible rush.

Meela considered the group of her rescuers and said “Oh, can’t we spare just a few souls to help this poor man out? I have more than enough help as it is. Please, do not leave this man to wander for who know how much longer.”

And so it was. A small group left the main party to escort Karadoth to the settlement of cabins while the rest proceeded to Rivervale to rendezvous with Jayfoot’s group.

Rivervale was bustling with activity, as usual. The Scarabs had already spread out and begun inquiring the locals for information when Meela arrived. There was a very joyous reunion when Meela was reunited with Zeviuos. Meela jumped for joy and smiled more brightly than Zeviuos had ever seen. At last she was safe once more. She was with her brother and in the company of dozens of friendly and noble adventurers who had sacrificed their time to rescuing and protecting her.

Meela sat down, took a few deep breaths, and tried to ascertain their current status. She asks her new Scarab friends if they’d made any progress yet. They had found several leads and were currently investigating them, but Meela couldn’t keep the details of them straight. There was apparenly a rogue named Jaggedge, a local smuggler or scoundrel of some sort, who was causing Jayfoot quite a bit of trouble. It was all very confusing to Meela, so she just smiled and thanked Tunare for her guidance.

The tale of Jaggedge has been lost to time... our deepest apolgies

Meela wasn’t the only one confused. A rogue approached the group and asked what all the commotion was about. The rogue was greeted very warmly by the Scarabs, who apparently called him Russof. When the story of the recent events was told to him, Russof asked if he could be of any assistance. After all, he was a rogue, and perhaps he could make a little headway with this Jaggedge fellow. Meela also thought she heard Russof mention that Jaggedge was his former employer.

Just then, Jayfoot came storming down from the Fool’s Gold building and marched over to the group. “Come along, there is nothing more for us here,” he said. “Off to Highpass we go!”

Once again, when the group entered Highpass Hold, they immediately began inquiring people for information. Meela spied a fair High Elf sitting in meditation near the entrance of the pass. She politely aroused him and asked him for assistance. “Excuse me, fair elf, but could you please tell me if you know of a group – a human and a few barbarians – that have come through here recently?”

The High Elf’s eyes twinkled. He smiled and said that not only did he know what group she was referring to, but he also knew where they are hiding in the Kithicor Woods.

Meela was overjoyed. She beckoned to her group to follow, and the High Elf led them once more into the dark woods of Kithicor. As they walked along, the High Elf introduced himself. His name was Branar, and he had stumbled upon the group that Meela sought at a previously deserted cabin.

As they journeyed, evil struck. Meela suddenly came to a halt, but her since everyone in her group was ahead of her, they didn’t notice. Meela’s eyes glazed over and her skin grew somewhat pale. Her lips softly voiced the words “Yes master, I must obey.” She slowly turned around and headed back toward the canyon to Highpass.

Meanwhile, Branar led the Scarabs to a deserted cabin. They looked at their surroundings as they waited for the last of the group to arrive. Suddenly, out of the darkness, two huge forms lunged into view, and shimmers of light flashed from their shiny weapons. Two barbarians with teeth bared in menacing snarls and armor glimmering in the moonlight rushed towards the group of Scarabs and engaged them in fierce combat.

Branar’s gracefully smooth High Elven skin suddenly began to change colors. His magically deceptive cloak of illusion ended, revealing his true identity -- a horridly evil dark elf enchanter! The Scarabs sprang into action. They were ambushed, and they fought fiercely for their very survival.

The younger and less experienced barbarian slashed at Jayfoot, while his much superior companion attacked Selgus Truefist. In the fury of the battle, Branar was quickly slain, and the younger barbarian soon found himself being vanquished by Jayfoot’s cunning tactics. Before Jayfoot could cast the final blow, the barbarian wailed about his pitiful fate and cursed the soul of Virten for this doom.

“You killed Deschain!” the other barbarian howled. “You’ll get no such pleasure from me!” He increased his attacks, painfully wounding Selgus. Yet Selgus fought on. With his companions granting him heals, Selgus would not give up. It soon became clear to the barbarian that he could not win. Virten’s mob had been all but destroyed, and Virten was nowhere to be found – the coward must have fled, he thought. Upon noticing that Virten, and therefore all hope of being paid, was gone, the barbarian gave up the fight.

He put aside his hatred toward the Scarab and turned it against Virten. After all, mercenary hatred is easily swayed. Enraged that Virten would abandon his own gang, the barbarian (by the name of Kelleton) informed the Scarabs that Virten most likely fled to the eastern plains of Karana, where he had yet another secret hideout.

After healing all the remaining wounds, the Scarabs – despite their aching feet – began to head toward Eastern Karana. It was at this time that they noticed that Meela was not among them. Perhaps something terrible happened to her in the battle. Perhaps she had gotten lost in the forest. None of them knew what to do. But then they remembered. Virten! He must be behind Meela’s disappearance. They ran with all haste to the eastern plains of Karana.

While the battle was raging in Kithicor, a small detachment of skilled adventures continued to scout out the Highpass area. Russof and Zeviuos followed the prudent lead of Sir Peabodi le Sinclaire. They approached the gates of High Keep, a fortress amid the high canyon walls, as sounds from the battle in Kithicor rang across their guildstones. As they rounded a bend, Russof suddenly stopped and listened intently. His ears twitched in response to the slightest sound.

Russof’s body stiffened. He suddenly spun around and grabbed Jaggedge by the collar, lifting him slightly off the ground.

“What are you doing following us, runt?” he demanded.

The group began interrogating the shady character, but they were interrupted when a local paladin mistook Sir Peabodi as someone else of poor reputation and began attacking him. Sir Peabodi, not wanting to harm this confused paladin, made his exit from the Highpass area. During the confusion, Jaggedge slipped back into the shadows, but Russof had a feeling that they hadn’t seen the last of him.

The Scarab adventures rushed with the speed of wolves into the eastern Karana plains. Upon their exit from Highpass, they began running down the cliff-side ramp where they confronted Meela’s “Evil One” – Virten. They suddenly came to a halt and considered the situation.

Meela stood next to Virten, and she had a strange, far-off look in her eyes. Zeviuos called out to her, but she didn’t hear him… or, if she did, she didn’t acknowledge it. Virten stood casually only a few feet away from the cliff. He laughed wickedly at the Scarabs and insulted everything that they stood for.

After a brief exchange of insults, Virten shouted, “Bah, I’ve had enough of this meaningless chatter! I must continue my plans. Too bad none of you will be around to see it!”

“Choose your words wisely, Virten,” someone in the crowd said. “They may be your last.”

“Ha! You think you’ve got the best of me, don’t you, fools? You think that your numbers and strength are greater than my own! Bah! I laugh at your ignorance! Now, it is time for your eyes to be opened… it is time for you to truly witness my power!”

Virten pulled a palm-sized translucent stone from his bag, fingered it lightly, and firmly placed it in Meela’s hands. The stone immediately began to glow. Meela’s eyes sparkled with an unearthly light, and suddenly strange clouds began to form overhead.

“Now, fools, behold my power!” Virten bellowed. “Behold the power of the Soul Stone!” Strange magical sparks began flying around Meela and thunder boomed from the strangely reddish clouds above.

It was at this point when Zeviuos arrived at the scene. He was not a fast runner because he had spent most of his days sitting under a fortune-telling tent. Also, his Spirit of Wolf faded a tad prematurely, so Zeviuos was left to catch up with the group through his own strength. He arrived at the scene slightly late, and he quickly tried to see what was going on. Not knowing exactly what was happening, he rushed through the crowd to Meela, who was surrounded by strange fiery magical streaks.

Not knowing whom the human was beside her who was doing all the shouting, and not really caring about it, he embraced the spellbound Meela with a loving hug. This action caught Virten off guard, and the sudden act of compassion broke Virten’s bond of hate over Meela.

Meela blinked forcefully, as if she had just awaken from a deep slumber, and dropped the Soul Stone to the ground. The reddish clouds suddenly flashed with a brilliant light, and for a very brief moment, Virten was enveloped in a flashy glow. Then all was silent.

Meela stumbled a bit, but Zeviuos held her upright. She bent down and picked up the Soul Stone from the ground. As she stood up, she noticed Virten and jumped backwards in fright. “He’s the evil one! He was the one that captured me!” She pointed her finger wildly at Virten, who strangely seemed to be staring into nothingness.

Virten was motionless. He hadn’t moved since he was struck by the flashy glow. The vacant look in his eyes and his dry lips indicated that he was deeply removed from consciousness. The Scarabs didn’t know what to think of it. Were there problems over, or were greater evils still ahead?

Suddenly, in a brilliant burst a light, a portal flashed open around Virten and immediately closed. Virten was gone.

In the silence that followed, each individual was left to ponder the meaning of this strange event. Meela insisted that Tunare herself snatched Virten’s soul up. Others didn’t know what to think.
But one thing was certain, the Soul Stone was safely returned to Meela!

Meela thanked the Scarabs deeply for their noble service, and she and Zeviuos walked together down the cliff-side ramp to a lodge in the plains to spend the night.

Where the Scarabs went is unknown. They likely went their separate ways spreading more of their good deeds and proclaiming their standards through noble examples.

With the Soul Stone returned, they all could sleep in comfort that night…

I remember the night well. The night when my guild rescued Meela from the depths of Guk, unraveled a deep mystery, and confronted several evil foes was indeed a night that will be remembered throughout the ages.

I was there from the beginning. In fact, if Zeviuos hadn’t read my fortune when he did, perhaps Scarab never would have been involved. Perhaps fate caused me to take that different path through the Theater of the Tranquil on my way from the bank to meet my friends. Perhaps we were meant to help Meela…

Although I’ve never been accused of being a preacher, I wouldn’t set aside the notion of divine intervention on that night. Meela certainly thinks Tunare guided us, and I’m certain that Mithaniel Marr had his eye on us that night.

But why? I had a deep feeling it was more than just doing a good deed. I felt that night had more significance. I didn’t know why I felt that way, but I intended to find out.

Upon the following dawn, I left my lodging at the break of day and began my journey toward the Eastern Plains of Karana. Zeviuos and Meela had planned on staying in a lodge in those plains, and I hoped to intercept them before they continued their journey.

Fortunately, they were staying at their lodging for an extra day to recuperate from the previous night’s event before continuing. I met them at their lodging and had a lovely meal with them. Throughout my stay, Meela was constantly thanking my guild for their services and praising Tunare for her protection.

Late that night, only twenty and four hours after Virten’s mysterious disappearance, and when Meela was sound asleep, I pulled Zeviuos over and had a more personal discussion with him about his feelings concerning the recent events.

All his life, Zeviuos had longed to be an Oracle to Tunare. He studied diligently, but being an oracle required more than studies. It was a gift, not a skill. So, the closest thing to realizing his dream was to become a fortune-teller. And, if I might add, Zeviuos made the best fortune-teller I’ve ever seen.

Because of this, I inquired Zeviuos for his “professional” opinion on the matter. During the day when Meela was around, he spoke only words of comfort and joy, but I could tell he was hiding something. I asked him what it was, and I don’t quite know what to make of his response.

I was especially concerned about what happened to Virten, and if he was truly no longer a concern. In my experience, people don’t just fall into a trance and disappear. I didn’t know what to make of the matter, and neither did Zeviuos. However, Zeviuos did know something…

Meela insisted that Tunare had snatched Virten’s soul from this realm and destroyed him for his evil doings. However, Zeviuos, with all his wisdom and clairvoyance, assured me all his experience and inspiration had told him that the god who snatched away Virten was not Tunare…

-- Gyst Starblayze