Le Livre des Mystères (Book of Mysteries) : D&D4 et D&D5 (D&D Next)

It was a cloudless night. The sky was clearly visible with its cosmic dance of stars and planets. The knowledgeable eye could discern three of the seven planets that moved around the sun; the green Coliar, the blue Karpri, and the dark Anadia. Observation of the night sky was not a common discipline on Faerûn, and only the followers of the goddess Selûne, the Moonmaiden, were taught about the mysteries of the celestial sphere. Selûne, the moon goddess gave her name to the single natural satellite of Toril, the world on which Faerûn was located. From there, the deity could see all what transpired on the surface of Toril, the world she had helped created with her twin sister, the evil goddess of darkness, Shar.

In the starry night, the moon followed its imperturbable course. A collection of shining shards followed it. These were called the Tears of Selûne. This night was special for a particular follower of the Moonmaiden. The moon was shining brightly, projecting its rays on the surface of the world. On the planet Toril, on the continent named Faerûn and in the land the mortals named Impiltur, a rare and wonderful event was to take place.

A young woman was approaching a peculiar structure. This woman wore a long white dress which was shining dimly under the rays of the moon. Her long black hair was flowing in the night breeze and her head was crowned by flowers.

The structure itself was a circle composed of seven white marble columns. The moonlight caused them to shine as if they were the source of the illumination. In front of each column, closer to the center stood a small round pedestal made of the same material. At the center of the circle stood a round platform. Along its side was carved the various phases of the moon. On the platform itself was a white marble altar in the shape of a crescent moon.

The woman stopped a moment in front of the sacred place et raised her head to look at Selûne which was shining brightly. She smiled and looked at the structure again. She resumed her walk and entered the circle, climbed onto the platform and stood behind the altar. Raising her eyes toward the moon, she said in a pleading but determined voice : “O Selûne, Our Lady of Silver, hear the prayer of your faithful Anea. Our land is, days after days, darkening, encroached by chaotic forces that strengthen the evil within. I implore you, send us help. It is high time for new heroes to appear in Impiltur.”

As the last words left the lips of the young woman, fell to her knees, here hands on the sides of the altar. She lowered her head in prostration and closed her eyes. A moment that seemed like an eternity passed. She opened her eyes again as an extraordinary event took place. The marble columns began to shine more brightly. A ray of moonlight was bathing them in its reassuring glow. Anea watched this with open reverence. It was undoubtedly the power of Selûne that manifested in this very place. Other rays of moonlight bathed the pedestals. The light became so intense that Anea had to avert her gaze a moment. When she looked again, several persons were standing on some of the pedestals.

The newly arrived people were a tiefling named Danea, a halfling named Garett and a human named Arkhen. All three had been sent to this place by the very power of Selûne in order to help Impiltur recover from the chaos that seized it.

The four of them went to the village of Lakeside, a village of fishers and farmers located close to the Bluefang Water lake. They met several of the most important people in the village and began to help. The first task was a quite simple one; hunting down wolves that threatened the cattle. Armed with their individual knowledge and abilities, the strangers succeeded in their task, defeating the leader of the wolf pack. This first success brought them the favor of the innkeeper, Joran Libra and his two sons, Aran and Nodras. Rooms were provided to them freely as long as they stayed to help the village.

The next task was not a simple one. The strangers were to deal with a local brigand named Darpo Kistan who regularly sent his men to levy a tribute from the village in the form of part of its harvest. Using subterfuge, the adventurers decided to wait the brigands arrival in order to follow them to their lair. They tried a stealthy approach but it ended in a mass fight, the brigands alerted by the intrusion. The adventurers were soon overpowered and tried to flee, but Arkhen and Anea died during the fight. Garett and Danea returned to Lakeside with this failure in mind.

The next morning, a man arrived in Lakeside. He was Evendur, a man who spent his childhood in this very village. He left to train in the arts of war and join the army of Impiltur. Evendur returned to the place of his birth and was welcomed by the villagers who knew him well. He met Danea and Garett who explained the current situation and took the matter in his hands and together they returned to the lair of the brigands. After the first fight, several of the brigands had been killed so Evendur was confident in their success. As the fight began, a ranger by the name of Trahorn Songsteel joined the adventurers and together they defeated the brigands and their leader. They learned that the brigands' role in the region was to weaken the nearby villages in preparation of the arrival of a demonic cult, the fraternity of Tharos. They too learned during the fight that the cult was looking for tieflings but the reason why was not clear. Searching the lair, the adventurers found the body of the wizard Arkhen. The body of Anea, however, remained lost, a mystery to this day.

The adventurers returned to Lakeside as heroes, and thanks to a magic staff found in the lair of the brigands and to the blessings of the goddess Chauntea, granted to the old Oren Garn, a villager, Arkhen was brought back to life. The party, now composed of five members was quickly ready for the next quest. The commerce around Lakesdie was not easy due to the presence of undead roaming not far. Fortunately, Lakeside was blessed by Chauntea, the goddess of Life, and therefore protected. A delicate sculpture serving as a shrine to the goddess and maintained by Orden Garn prevented the undead from entering the village. Therefore, the undead roamed farther and preyed on the unlucky travelers. The old Orden told the adventurers that before the Spellplague, there was a tower inhabited by a necromancer by the name of Agastar. He had been vanquished by the army of the kingdom of Impiltur long ago. That place was perhaps once again the siege of dark forces. It was worth investigating.