A circular chasm pierces the floor and ceiling of this round, tower room. A short, wide platform protrudes over the chasm, and a rough altar graces its end. Another altar sits on the chasm’s opposite side. On the far wall, a raised dais holds two large stone chairs. Minotaurs and hellhounds guard the chamber ahead, while tiger-headed humanoids sit atop the thrones. A woman with thick, animate locks stands near the far altar. A Medusa!The party manages to separate the dangerous Medusa from the fight, by dropping her into the pit, and makes easy game of the other minions. But the fight is not over!
A cacophony of insane laughter emerges from the catwalk as a humanoid with red skin, horns, and a quarterstaff strides into the keep. Behind him are three blood-slicked, winged monstrosities whose tails burn with dark power. At the same time, screeches ring out from above. A trio of vulturelike humanoids wing down from the opening in the ceiling, intent on ripping the flesh from the party's bones.
The red-skinned humanoid calls out, “Urishtar knows you have invaded her sanctum. She has grand plans for your souls. Rejoice that your meaningless lives shall further Urishtar’s unspeakable goals!”
The Cambion's threats prove ill-placed, as the heroes defeat this additional challenge, and proceed to climb the stairs of the Tower.
Warm lantern light reveals a room whose walls are concealed behind tall bookcases stuffed with dusty tomes. A glowing circle of glyphs is inscribed on the floor at the chamber’s center. The party hears page flipping from elsewhere in the chamber.
A noble Rakshasa servant of Urishtar inhabits these chambers. Unfortunately, his guile avails him no good, as the party is infuriated by the repeated assaults of Urishtar minions, and do not trust Demons and Undead in this tower. After handling the Rakshasa and his companions, they enter a new floor.
This high-ceilinged chamber contains instruments of torture, including racks, iron maidens, and a great chair next to a fire pit stuffed with pokers, which provides the only light in the room. Iron bars form cells around the chamber’s dark and shadowy periphery. More Rakshasa occupy this room, dangerous warriors and deadly assassins. The all meet a well deserved end at the point of our heroes blades. Finally, the party reaches the top of the spire.
Black clouds and shadows spin madly around the periphery of this spire, under the dark sky. Our heroes feel a life-draining hunger emanating from within the swirling darkness. The spire’s center holds a dark swirl shot through with smeared starlight, which shudders between two sculptures of fossilized black bone. Partly obscured behind this ebony vortex is a huge, night-black dragon. Its nearly translucent scales seem to shimmer in the dim light.The dragon roars, momentarily disrupting the swirling clouds above. It asks in Draconic, “Do you wish to see what I do with all the stolen souls? Or do you wish to die, ignorant of the power that Death’s Reach provides?”
Our hereos realize that Urishtar uses the stolen souls to fertilize her eggs, and create more Draconic Wraiths. As they fight Urishtar, souls fall on the spire, bolstering the power of those they touch. Urishtar covers the battlefield in darkness, helped by her wraiths, but the dragons are no match for our Heroes, who are victorious in this final challenge.
As the adventurers defeat Urishtar, they immediately make the souls of the recently departed safe. The corrupted draconic wraiths slowly wander off without direct orders and supervision, and the Soul Vortex begins to dissipate. Unfortunately, the life forces already thrown into the maw of the Soul Vortex are apparently gone for good.
The hoard of the Dragon contains an ancient scroll case composed of platinum. A message is inscribed in Abyssal on a sheet of gold foil inside. “Death’s Reach lies at the center of the Shadowfell. Sacrifice a world of souls to reshape the Shadowfell and unseat the God of Death herself.”
In the hoard they also find a globe of red ligth, the depository of the Red Priest's Soul. As they free her soul, the Red Priest appears to thank them.
The air around them becomes chilly, and a beautiful young woman, her skin white as ice, her clothes black has the feathers of a raven, steps from the shadows. Waylander recognizes her as the Raven Queen.
To reward the heroes for their actions, she accepts to release the soul of the Red Priest (since normally the goddess of Death would not allow a freed soul to return to the Mortal World).
She also tells with the Red Priest that, if she wishes her Father to be accepted through the Shadowfell upon death, she will have to accompany him. The Red Priest accepts her terms, and her Soul disappears. Our heroes will find her back in Moonstairs.
The Raven Queen once again thanks the party, and sends them back to the Mortal World, in Moonstairs. All except Waylander. Since the assassin has always been a devoted follower of the Raven Queen, in life, and even more in Death, the Queen makes him one of her Raven Knight, and grants him Nightwyrm Fortress as his domain. Waylander, now Lord Shadowthrone of Nightwyrm Spire, gladly accepts, before also returning to Moonstairs.
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