have in common is the presence of a
Barold’s Story
Background
Barold comes from a small village called
Frozethalm, located near Waterdeep in
North west Faerun. His father, Nortem was
a lead archeologist, in an expedition
investigating what appears to be the ruins of
an ancient settlement in the forest nearby.
The expedition has set its headquarters in
Frozethalm because it was the most
convenient place between Waterdeep and
the site in question.
Nortem was away from home quite a lot
since there was also a camp near the
excavation site, so Barold’s mother, Elleine,
was taking care of him.
The incident
Although Barold is not sure as to when it all
happened, the last writings of his father
were mentioning the exploration of a newly
discovered underground structure that
appeared to be a tomb. The structure was
explored by a team of 10 people. It turned
out to be just an empty room containing just
rubble. It didn’t contain any kind of magic,
nor concealing rooms and all the artifacts
that were unearthed were broken and with
no significant value, as a result they were
divided amongst the team. Nortem took a
piece that looked like a key wrapped in a
metal contraption.
A couple of days after the excavation of the
structure, the camp was destroyed and
most of the people died. There is not much
to be said about the accident, since each
one of the survivors recalls different
creatures attacking and wreaking havoc in
the camp. However, what all stories seem to
beautiful and terrifying woman, dressed in
white and with white hair and eyes that as
the rumours suggest, emerged from the
underground room.
After the incident
The survivors, Nortem was one of them,
reached Frozethalm and were in pretty bad
shape. With wounds, torn clothes and not
having slept or eaten for days. It’s roughly
three days by horse between the excavation
site and Frozethelm, but it looked like they
did the distance by foot with just water.
Help from Waterdeep was called to heal the
survivors and a significant force was sent to
the excavation site to determine what
happened. The result of this investigation
was determined to be a raid of bandits that
used a version of “potion of temporary
madness”. However, they banned access to
the excavation site until the bandits are
apprehended.
Over the next two weeks, Nortem and other
survivors were having nightmares and you
could hear them screaming in the middle of
the night. I can’t recall what the other
survivors were saying but during his
nightmares Nortem kept repeating the name
“Illez” and was pleading for his life.
Nortem’s suicide
Nortem committed suicide roughly a month
after the event. The day started pretty
normal and Nortem seemed pretty happy.
Along with his family and the other villages
he spent the day in the nearby cliffs to
celebrate Simril. Shortly after midnight,
Nortem gave the artifact to his son (as a
gift) advising him that when the time is right
he would know what to do with it, wished
him well, and before anyone managed to
stop him, he jumped off the top of the cliff.
After Nortem’s suicide, Elleine and Barold
left Frozethalm and moved to Elleine’s
home city, Greenest. From what Barold later
learnt, all but one of the other survivors
committed suicide in a week from Nortem’s
suicide.
Appearance of Avendont in
Greenest
A couple of years later, Elleine re-married to
Barold’s step father, Fernaol. The family
was quite happy and Fernaol took Barold
under his wing and taught him his craft. He
was one of the builders in Greenest.
First Event
During the return from one of his trips to the
nearby villages, that travelled to aid with
some construction, Fernaol was attacked by
bandits that were highly trained. He was
saved by two skilled warriors, who
introduced themselves as Allianorre and
Shiej Avendont. They didn’t look like the
regular adventurers that visited Greenest
and that left an impression on Faerol.
Fernaol returned to Greenest after the
event, only to find Elleine butchered to
death and the home in a mess. The guards
concluded that a theft had gone wrong since
money and valuable items were missing
from the house.
Barold was out of the city with his family
during that period as well, and just barely
made it back in time to attend his mother’s
funeral. After Elleine’s funeral, Fernaol
started drinking and despite Barold’s best
efforts to help him, he never recovered.
During many of his drunken tantrums,
Fernaol referred to the Avendonts blaming
them for the death of his wife.
Disposing of the artifact
After the Barold’s first son Tovil turned 5, he
started having nightmares and became
more and more moody. Barold and his wife
Lyrian initially dismissed the signs as just a
phase, but when Barold heard the name
Illez during one of his son’s nightmares, he
started to worry that Tovil was affected with
the same disease his father was.
During the following days after this incident,
no one could detect magic from that item.
Fearing for his son’s life, convinced that the
artifact is somehow connected and without
knowing how to deal with the situation,
Barold decided that during one of his long
trips he will dispose of it.
The plan worked. Barold got rid of the item
and Tovil stopped having nightmares and
became a happy kid again.
Second Event
A few months before the raid, a druid visited
Barold’s house. He was introduced as “one
of the Avendonts”, but he did not provide a
name because that could pose a threat to
Barold and his family. He mentioned that he
had a favour to ask of Barold. When the
time comes four adventurers will ask him for
the artifact that had from his father. At that
time, when they show him the pendant he
must give them the artifact. Of course, he
would be paid for this favour.

When Barold mentioned that he no longer

possesses the artifact. The druid retrieved a
cloth from his robe and gave it to Barold. He
joked that it took him quite some time to
retrieve it from where Barold disposed of it,
and that he and Lyrian shouldn’t be afraid
since he made sure that the artifact now has
new masters, so his son has no fear of
being chosen again. However, he warned
Barold to not remove the artifact from the
cloth because he might be targeted by the
other members of the Avendont family.

The druid mentioned that he hid another

artifact in the keep and when the team
comes to retrieve this artifact, he should
guide them to the cellar of the keep to
retrieve the other one. “They would know
what to do”, he assured Barold.

While the druid was really calm, there was

something threatening in his words &
stance. Barold gave his word he will always
keep this artifact with him and that will
deliver it to the people that will bear the
pendant with the symbol in the bottom of the
artifact. The druid paid a generous amount
of gold coins and left.
Appendix I

IIlez’s Legend
According to the legends, Illez was a
powerful sorceress that lived during the
early years of Faerun. Gifted with incredible
powers, from a very young age showed an
incredible aptitude to magic. She was the
most talented sorceress and pushed the
boundaries of magic further than anyone
has ever reached.

In the peak of her power, she is said to be

able to cast p[owerful spells without any
restrictions and to be able to exterminate
armies and cities with a single flick of her
wrist. Some legends suggest that she was
responsible for the fall of multiple empires
including the Netherese empire, as well as
for the creation of parts of the Anauroch
desert. It is said that even the Gods were no
match for her powers since she had
developed spells that could bind, restrict or
even kill them.

Alas, there was a kind of magic she was

obsessed with and that could not control,
and that was time magic. Her ultimate goal
was to create time manipulation spells.
Spells to control, travel and affect time at
will without the negative consequences (the
butterfly effect).

She met her demise during one of her

experiments where one of her spells
backfired and caused millennia to pass in
her mystical chambers. In a single moment,
she was punished by having all her
documented knowledge, and wealth turned
to dust, losing her powers, memories, mind
and spending her remaining days as an ill
half-crazy, beggar wandering the roads of
Faerun.