Eon Fawkes settles himself down at the Elfsong tavern and after a good meal and a glass of wine he gathers a few patrons before telling his story.
You see my wife, she be Flurra Fawkes, tells me of a rumor she heard about some strange magical gate located below the sewers of this here city. She then tells me that I need some exercise and she doesn't want to go slogging through the muck alone.
Well, I tell you! I says to her; Honey, my dearest love... I have no intention of putting these here boots
*points down to his feet* into the filth of this... um... fine city's residents!
She done looked at me in a way that made me sort of feel like squirming... you know the way women can, and she says all nice like, 'My love, you would want some'tin awful to happen to me down there, would ya? '. Now I tell it straight, I can't abide by my dearest love looking at me like that, with those beautiful emerald green eyes o' hers.
So like the gentleman I am
*looks at those patrons about him with a wink* I said, 'my dearest pedal flower, I would walk to the end of this world fer you.'
Well enough with all that, before I knows it I was lifting a grate up out of the dirt in the Docks district and yes, I say it was so.
So I jump on down, helping the little lady of course, as I said I be a genial soul. As we started trudging, now I tell you true; I't don't smell like the farmlands down there! No sir, it smell ripe and foul. I ruined a pair of my fine leather boots I did.
So you all listening, because this is where things get interesting
*pauses for suspense* we found another way... a deeper way... into a forgotten place. I tell you true! Don't ye be looking at me like that master dwarf, I am no lier!
The tunnels were dark and I could smell the unholy stench of the dead, I have seem my share of the undead in my travels, Aye I have, but you never get over that feeling like ants walking on your skin.
*shakes his head*, no indeed.
So I take me scimitar out
*grabs the hilt of his sword as if to draw it* and bless it by the grace of Mielikki as we move deeper into the tunnels. It was damp and I fought a few small water elementals. Yes you rude dwarf, they was NOT just water sprites! They would form up as we crept along right before us and take shape like a man with no head... arms of water to drown ye if your not careful!
As I was saying...
*glares at the dwarf* My wife, she has excellent vision, spied two poor souls laying in the muck up ahead. We approached, yes *rolls his eyes* we
were cautious master dwarf... now shall I continue or would you like to take over? Yeah, that's what I thought.
We searched them and found a page, perhaps ripped from a journal, that a Lady of Umberlee was separated from her sisters and beset by the foulest of Shadow Adepts! Now lads, if you have never fought with these evil devils you have seen nothing of fear... they cast the foulest of dark magics and summon Shades from the hells themselves!
Well as you can imagine we were getting a bit worried and I suggested we head back to alert the Fist, but at that moment a great beast of a dog attacked us followed by his master... a shadow adapt!
*looks in to the eyes of his audience and nods*
Yes, it was a fight for our lives! My dearest heart cast a missile storm of magic while I held them at bay, shadows, mastiffs and the very undead beset us! After the fight was done we pressed on down another tunnel chasing the retreating cowards into a deep room where we were ambushed by more of the foul cultists!
My arms grew weak from battle and I shall admit to you here my friends, I was at the brink... yes I was... I fell to a knee, sword and shield dripping with the blood of the fallen, my dear wife,
*his eyes get misty* bless her beautiful heart, jumped right over me cleaving the last ghoul's head down the very center!
*takes a deep breath* I tell you boys, as you are my witness, I have never known a woman like her.
Now, where was I... oh yes! So there we was, deep in the heart of the enemy's lair! Exhausted, dented and covered in grime. We looked about the rooms, pulling levers and opening hidden doors to find their secret ritual of magics they had been evilly planning right here below
your very feet!
There before us was a portal, black as sin, darker than ink, a black that makes your soul scream for a little light.
*looks around* Yes lads, I was scared... I wanted to run home and crawl under me bed! But, yes... ye guessed it... me wife, what's she do, she strolls brave as day right into that portal of evil pitch!
*leans back and sighs deeply* What's a man to do?
*shrugs* So I jumped in right behind her! That's what!
*chuckles* Now you boys are thinking, this mans had a few too many ta drink and you know... normally... you would be right!
*He takes out a stained waterlogged letter and a necklace bearing the Shadow mark, placing them gently on the table* This here be the letter I spoke of. Yes me boys look at proof!
Now, you might think this story may be over, but I am standing right here... am I not! Yes, I went in and I came back... but not after facing the most evil and vile creation I have ever known! For this portal of ill dread led us into none other than a shadow of the Gate itself! It was like standing in a living nightmare! I tell you there were shadow peoples like the ones you see here, but not them... an evil shadow of your very friends. I knew the moment I stepped through that there was a great evil here...
*pauses for effect, then whispering low* a singular darkness yearning to get out.
It was all I could do to keep me knees from knocking as we ventured fourth... slaying shadow spawn and mastiffs when before the very gates of the Palace district we faced our dreaded foe...
No damn you dwarf, not a dreaded TOE a DREADED... FOE! What do you think? Toes of evil are going to come into our realm, looking to dominate silly dwarves?
*glares*
Um... yes, well... lets see... So the dreaded foe... This was no wraith nor shadowed man, but a lord of shadow! A dreaded shadow dragon! Half as tall as the buildings about it with an aura of dread and fear thick as you like! Did it see us poor fools that we are? Why yes friend, it did!
In our confidence, or shall I clarify... our OVER confidence we ran forward not heeding what could be around the corner and stopped nearly at it's very claws! I threw my shield up and forward to take the brunt of its attack while my dearest drove her sword, deftly I might add, into its neck!
Now.. yes I know this is the good part, but I must say here that if you have never fought a shadow dragon like myself, you might expect the beast to bleed, but strangely it did not. I just thought you should know.
Now, as I was saying, the beast howled and fought mightily, cleaving my dear love with its claws! I grew enraged and in vain tried to draw its attention to myself, but the beast was dead set on destroying the love of my life right before my very eyes! In a panic I prayed to Mielikki to give her healing, laying my blessed hands to her wounds as best I could! Still the two great ladies fought, my love a beacon of light against the dragon lay of shadow!
At her knees, weeping with effort, bleeding from terrible wounds my love did strike true and deeply into the beasts breast, driving her dragon foe to it's final doom! Vanquished and driven out of its hope to enter our world and wreak its havoc upon you all!
*leans back, drinking deeply* Yes lads, you look upon your very saviors and heroes... now someone buy me another drink!"
By,
Eon Fawkes
Special thanks to the DM who set up the Sewer crypts and left them for us to find. 
