This is the short breakdown of the first part of our 4th Edition campaign (the part that was DMed by Burnicus), and is a continuation of this history. As with the first part of the "Histories," it is very concise, so if you think I left something out that was monumentally important, PM me and I'll add it in.

THE STORY...

After spending a thousand years in the Void, four of the saviors of Bolermos awakened once again in the "real" world, though not all of them remained the same as they once were. Arius remained mostly unchanged, though the source of his warlock powers had obviously become something far less wicked, and Tempest's influence upon him no longer existed. Brude had become a new creature entirely: instead of the half-elf sorcerer who had once betrayed the party, he was now a doppelganger rogue. Febrien was virtually unchanged, though she now lacked the comforting presences of both Keira and Fenris. Hayato had undergone the most startling change, though, for he no longer possessed a living body, having been reborn instead as a warforged warlord.

After a few moments of study, it was revealed that the place in which they'd been reborn was in fact the same place in which they'd been "destroyed" in the first place: the remains of Galdria. Now the place was simply a massive crater, with a clear, immensely deep pool in the center fed by several rivers that flowed in from the seas that surrounded the island. It was obvious that their victory against the Anti-Triumvirate had left a permanent mark on the face of the planet.

Suddenly, a commotion from the forest lining the crater caught the party's attention. A group of goblins sprang forth and immediately attacked, and the warriors found themselves hard pressed, for they were still not used to their new forms after so long in the Void. As the battle continued, two more figures left the woodline and attacked the goblins from behind: a tiefling wizard and a blue dragonborn paladin.

Finally the goblins were killed and introductions were made. The tiefling's name was Skamos, and he and his companion Kidrin (the dragonborn) were on a quest to recover any artifacts from the time of the "Heroes of Legend." Arius and the others tried to get the two newcomers to believe that THEY were those heroes, but Skamos and Kidrin thought they were simply delusional. Eventually a small box was retrieved from the deep pool, and inside was the relic that had brought Kidrin and Skamos here: Arius' dryad dagger. With their prize found, the tiefling and his ally were ready to leave, and they accepted the offer of assistance from Arius, Febrien, Hayato, and Brude, for it turned out that the rest of their adventuring party had been killed earlier.

After several small adventures and battles, the entire group finally left the remnants of Galdria aboard Skamos and Kidrin's ship. They made their way toward a place called The City of No Names, a city created by Jeyld (now a demi-god) and his father Belradontious (now a full deity, along with several other new gods) for the dragonborn, their chosen, created race. Along the way, the ancient heroes learned just how much their victory had changed Bolermos, for the entire planet was now different,with new landmasses having risen up and some old onces simply vanishing or becoming permanently altered.

When they reached the city, Arius, Febrien, Brude, and Hayato were escorted to a sacred place: Jeyld's tomb. It was here that any and all relics of the legendary heroes were to be assembled for, according to an ancient prophecy, when all of the relics were brought together, something fantastic would occur. Upon their arrival, the heroes of legend were blessed by a visit from Jeyld, who told Skamos and Kidrin that Arius and the others were indeed the legendary warriors of old. He also tasked them all with finding and reuniting all of the relics from the past, one for each warrior of legend. Jeyld also bestowed upon Arius a violin, a replica of the one he had carried a thousand years ago, and tasked him to return music to the world of Bolermos. He also gave his eladrin friend a replica of his own lute, and told him to give to a local barmaid, so that she too could aid in restoring music.

During their various adventures and journeys, the group was joined by some new allies (the dragonborn Exorrin, Skamos' wife Tiena, and the shifter Fenrir, and the barmaid-turned-bard Ellia to name a few) and found that some old enemies (the assassin brotherhood "The Velvet Hand") were still active and trying to gather the relics for themselves. Hayato was given back his human form, as well as his monk abilities, after proving himself in a battle on his home island of Hai-Lan, Arius found a great friend and mentor in Skamos, Kidrin and Brude left on a journey of their own to prove to the world that Brude was not to blame for his legendary betrayal, and Febrien learned that her dire-wolf Fenris had himself ascended to godhood, and she was eventually reunited with Keira, who had also changed much in the past thousand years (she was now a celestial charger rather than a normal warhorse).

But their journeys were filled with heartache as well, for both Skamos and Fenrir were killed in battle, and neither were able to be resurrected for their own personal reasons. After many hardships and battles, the relics were all assembled, including the pin that contained Alaya and her family. When the relics were brought together in the tomb of Jeyld, the old gods of Bolermos manifested themselves, giving each member of the party a special divine gift that they could use to fight the evil that was still spreading slowly across Bolermos.

THE AFTERMATH...

With their task complete, the party eventually separated, each going their own way to find their own path through the world.

Arius vanished from existence and without warning. Febrien journeyed to the northern island, the Barbanic Lands, to live among the shifters and lycanthropes and to aid them in their never-ending war against the genasi and the feral northern tribes. Brude settled in the city of Belra to establish a Thieves' Guild. Hayato returned home to Hai-Lan to live a normal life, and to settle down and start a family. Exorrin went on a long pilgrimage to find out for himself whether the gods truly cared at all for their followers. Ellia became the high priestess of Jeyld, determined to see music restored to the entire world. Kidrin continued his journey throughout the archipelago, continuing to spread the word of the revived heroes of legend and to try and correct everyone's perceptions about Brude. Alaya chose to remain in her pin, dwelling in peace with her family until her powers may be needed again.

Unbeknownst to the world, a great darkness was building up its powers in a distant land, preparing their forces for a great war that would tear the planet apart...

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This will be continued in "The History of Bolermos, Part III (4e Campaign 2)," Coming soon to the "Modern Bolermos" section!

AMdG