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It is mid-morning on Kanos 26th as the farm is approached. Excellent time has been made and finally rest can be properly had. Beryn is not evident but his housekeeper, in an odd mood, grumpily leads the party into the main house. Beryn is trying to collect information at the moment, a variety of sources and a variety of reasons, and will only be available to the party in a day or two’s time. It’s clear from the housekeeper that he’s been in a stressed mood of late, however calm he may have seemed when talking through Karnak. Hot food will be brough anon.

Inside the building, it would seem that none of the rooms are as they were before according to memory, as the party are led into a large windowless room. A fire burns cosily at the far end and a robed figure stands by the side of a large armchair, back to the party.

“Beryn will not be able to talk for a day or two as he is gathering information, I assume you have been told. I have formed an unexpected alliance for now and will share what knowledge I have,” the quiet, steady voice says, prickling hairs on necks.

“If you will just keep your cleric calm……”

The figure turns and a metal hand glints in the firelight.

It’s the vampire from the crypt.

“Hello again.”

Uncomfortable discourse ensues as it appears that Moebius the vampire, as he names himself, is a temporary ally of Beryn and thus the party - he has an interest in where the Sword of Names ends up and has a shared enemy in Azal Magrothir, the wizrd whose son he murdered and who wants him dead.

27th Kanos

When morning comes, Moebius is found holding Beryn who looks a little odd and is showing signs of his true self, revealed later in the day to be a half dragon - a Dragon Knight. He seems to be just exhausted and Dalrylshana and Kin are persuaded to enter the room he just came from whilst he is tended to; they return in an hour, exhausted but unharmed.

The housekeeper tends to Beryn and Moebius narrates teh history of the Sword of Names:

"It's the Three Dragons and the Beast of the Left Path that begin the Sword's history."

"Centuries ago when dragons were more common, there were three who stood above all others - Yandroth, Serestius and Mogria, almost equals in strength but not in their nature. Serestius was a watcher, wise but not interfering, flitting about the world often as a simple bird, observing with interest. He left across the mountains long ago for peace and solitude, and if what Beryn says is right, he is not interested in changing that.

"Yandroth hated humanoids and their thirst for gold and power - probably because it conflicted with his own desires. It has been rumoured that he forged his own kingdom but where and over whom he may rule is unknown.

"Mogria loved the humanoids, and elves especially. But you know something, I think, of what became of her. Her fate, especially, is wound around the Sword.

"Merely 600 years ago or so, the three identified a concern for all life, something which would unite them, in the form of the great Unnamed. This antithesis of nature and life sleeps an eternal sleep and is worshipped as it sleeps but its worshippers after centuries were now growing more bold - they feared what might happen if its worshippers could wake it.

"They feared and thus schemed, as dragons are wont to do, and using their own great powers and drawing upon nature herself, they forged the sword, Khaath, a weapon so powerful it would destroy the god, and be destroyed itself in so doing. Thus a deterrent of sorts was achieved and the scattered worshippers of the Beast of the Left Path would use its power for ill but would not chance waking it for fear of its utter destruction. With that threat averted, lesser concerns, like the followers of the Beast themselves, could be left to others.

"However, scant decades later, the true power of the Sword was realised. Unmeant, it was far more dangerous than had been intended. If a name - a true name - was bound to its elemental force, it could destroy ANY being, god or otherwise, without, in this instance, being destroyed itself. This was a curious side effect of the power needed to be able to destroy an unnamed being (all powerful beings have true names, you know). And thus the rumour and legend of the Sword of Names drifted into the world. The dragons hastily but quietly separated the artefact into three pieces and it is these you are searching for. You have the hilt and elemental gems.

"Azal Magrothir has the lightning gem and the scabbard is in the possession of the Mogradjinn, I believe. Beryn, H'ronmeer and I think that Mogria hid the hilt in her own city and that her shadow does not share her knowledge, so that it could not guess how close it had been. Especially after Baltharak's obscuring of the city. This Mogradjinn is the secret adversary here - it has bided its time since entering the world and has learned manipulation and use of pawns rather well."

"All we have to figure out now, if we can persuade Beryn to think positively, is where the blade is. Or where the Mogradjinn is. Or perhaps we should retake the lightning gem - we know where that is."

The party are left with arguments about the trustworthy nature of the vampire and when they all meet up later in the evening, this flares up between Morin and Suva as Beryn himself seems despair-ridden and caring not at all about the Sword of Names any longer.

Later the same evening, H’ronmeer, the minotaur mayor of Galent appears with concerns about Beryn. A bracer affixed to his arm quickly returns his normal mood and it turns out that there is some sort of magical malaise affecting Galent that Beryn has been particularly susceptible to due to recent exposure to powerful magics. With his nature restored, he indicates nevertheless that he will no longer lead the party but just advise. They must make the decisions now as they are powerfully entwined with the Sword of Names’ fate.

Further still, although Serestius will not directly aid, he has given information to Beryn regarding this point. As Beryn explains..

"Although the dwarves were the first to settle here from Karubai and Wesland, such a relatively short time ago, other places have fed Dhurghumlund's populace for a long time. I wonder if any of you had considered the fact that Shurudien el Haroush, whom you have heard of and met - in spirit - in fact, is a half elf from Dhurghumlund, from some time before your own dwarves came here?

"The most relevant peoples by far to come to these shores were the Lost Peoples of Heredwaith. A small armada of ships set sail for new lands hundreds of years ago, forced to abandon Heredwaith as it fell victim to dark forces. Little is known to me of Heredwaith but they were surely an old folk, gifted with magics and ways not seen before or since. And yet they were marooned - driven by storms, the ships were forced unwillingly onto the Haunted Straits where sand giants fell upon them, ruining their fleet and taking many lives.

"Of the depleted numbers that survived, most of the humans took to the barren lands around mountainous areas of Dhurghumlund. The dwarves were mostly - mostly - assimilated, for want of a better word, by the High Dwarves that already dwelled here. The elves, as they always seem to, managed to forge small areas of their own in which to dwell and in which to grow, without expanding. Azal Magrothir, for instance, is a descendant of some of these elves, although I had thought he had been human. As is - was - the half-elf Shurudien Dragonslayer. Many others, including some of the races less numerous, made their journeys across the mountains north and west or took time to build boats of lesser stature than they had arrived with and discovered for themselves the lands that you all call home.

"The Lost People had initially all wanted to return to Heredwaith and free it from the dominion of evil it had fallen victim to but the thinning of their numbers, destruction of their fleet and hardship of Dhurghumlund and time that followed with the adventures, discoveries and diversity that this brought, lessened the importance of that desire for most. They did, however, maintain this desire long enough to have a huge effect on the fate of many here.

"You see, it was only because of their arts and knowledge that Khaath, the Sword of Names was ever forged. The routes to the weapon were meant to be a way to reclaim the empire of Heredwaith but were usurped.....perhaps more accurately 'redirected'... by the dragons when the threat of the Unnamed became pronounced and the Lost People had already become, at least as a people, less driven to reclaim their lands.

"One especially curious fact comes out of all of this: whilst the Sword of Names is an artefact of enormous power to any who could wield it, armed with a the true name of a foe to battle, to those of the blood of Heredwaith it would be a powerful weapon anyway, without the Naming. And there is more: it would appear that whilst the Sword is indestructible but for one specific and rather dangerous route, the lightning and elemental gems can be destroyed. Replacements could also be made, of course, with effort, time, money and power, but the point of this means that for at least a while the Sword of Names could have its most violent sting removed. A useful option, I think you might agree - at least to buy time.

"And the crowning fateful element that has brought you all this far, I am sure, is this: all of you have the blood of Heredwaith in you."

The party are a little stunned and some are further disoriented by personal details that Beryn adds to each of them.