The Gravemakers

The Gravemakers are a group of Adventurers made up of Player Characters during The Alar chapter of the Desolation of Hithlone. The Group began at 1st level and advanced to 7th.

The Group has several members alive and dead, and some members not currently serving as a member of the Party.

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Origin
The Group was formed in the lowest deck of The Soverign Saint, a Slave Trade vessel which had rounded the group up and was taking them to be sold at Auction. The Party does not know for certain if they were being sold to Slavers from The Reebury Freehold or Drunala at this time however they unified. The Soveriegn Saint was shipwrecked off the coast of Simlaria and the group came together on the shore and decided they should stick together for the time being.

The Road to Vidiholm
After recovering from the Wreck, the group headed towards a road and were set upon by Bandits from a group called "Harder's Boys" a local group of misfits who cause trouble near the fishing town of Vidiholm. Shipwrecks are common on this Island and these men have been getting wealthy off looting the wrecks and general terrorism. After defeating a number of the bandits the group split up, some heading south, some heading north and agreed that if after 48hrs they found no town they would turn back and regroup.

Vidiholm
The Gravemakers arrived in Vidiholm and quickly became involved with the elimination of a local group of Bandits, Harder's Boys who set upon them after their shipwreck. They discovered that Harder, the leader was in league with the town's leader and Dockmaster and after killing Harder's men, set out to right the wrongs caused by the Dockmaster. In a showdown in the middle of the village, Laya was killed by the Dockmaster's men and in a bloody battle the Gravemakers were victorious. With the town now without a leader the group, with the help of a local barman, Vlad sought out Then Cere, a local shaman who lead them to the lair of Vaskui. The Party also met Fonk, the Dwarven Cleric who joined the group.

Vaskui
One of the oldest living creatures in the game world, Vaskui is an ancient Bronze Dragon who has made his lair on this island. He enlisted Then Cere to watch over his wyrmling as he went off to Hustonium to fight the world breaker. The Lair was then discovered by Kobolts who wanted to sacrifice the Dragon's hatchling to their evil gods but the Gravemakers saved the Dragon heroically. Vaskui returned and offered the group a job as Ambassators in the Alar and gave them items and gold to cover their expenses if they wished to join him.

Azaria
The Gravemakers went to Azaria, where Fonk was a member of the local temple. The Chaplin explained that Vaskui had a cache under the temple and had to prove themselves worthy and if they recovered the treasure below then they would have the money and items to do their duty for the Great Dragon. After moving through an ancient, pre-catalyst dungeon they did battle with a Flesh Golem that was there guarding the treasure. The Group recovered the gold and began to make a plan for leaving the Island this is when the gravemakers began to hear of Tomax, and Finore. The Group purchased a number of items from Finore and as well as Enebon, the arcanist and accepted a mission to travel to the GreenmVale.

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The Greenm Vale
Travelin to the Vale the group spent a night in a local Farmer's home by the farmer's invitation, the farm supplied livestock and grain to Azaria and had a growing family. The Vale, difficult to find, as the farm indicated, ' you don't find the Vale, it finds you'. Upon entering the Vale several groups contracted teh Vale Curse, however, it never managed to fully manifest. The Group struggled through the Vale doing battle with a Troll and eventually slaying the Hydra that lived there. They collected the items for Finore's quest and managed to escape the strange and mysterious place alive. Upon returning to the farm they discovered it destroyed and the Farmer and his wive and father brutally murdered and the children missing. They tracked the attackers back to Azaria who proved to be lead by Tomax's bastard son. They fought and killed most of the group that remained there, now hoping to provoke Tomax into a confrontation.

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War with Tomax
The Group turned it's attention towards Tomax, the exiled Freeholdian Wizard who had been bullying Azaria into significant debt with other Cities in order to find his mercenary army. Tomax was drawn to the Town by b the Gravemakers in order to kill him however Tomax proved to be very clever and saw the ambush coming. The Battle in the streets of the town was bloody and many civilians were killed however Tomax had to escape just barely nearly killing several members of the Gravemakers.

The Party healed their wounds and made their way to Tomax' tower where they snuck inside and found the children of the Farmer discovering Tomax had arranged to sell them into slavery. They confronted Tomax in his chamber and did battle, the fight was long and deadly as Fonk and Ary were both killed by Tomax before Milo was able to land the killing blow.

The Gravemakers took control of the Tower and rescued the slaves including Mort, a Wizard, and B'hrum, a Paladin who claimed to be under orders to seek out Tomax and access what he was up to. Mort had the same mission but from a different source. The Group stabilizes the area and puts people to work for fair wages and leaves for the Reebury Freehold seeking to discover who kidnaped them and tried to sell them into slavery.

The Open sea
The Group sets sail for the Freehold and is set upon by a strange Vessle flying no flags. Their ship is borded by strange Elven Women with 1 man, a fellow captive of theirs onboard the vessel they first met on. He explains it is best that they co-operate and 'it is a better life' as the Elves demand Captain Holt go with them. They offer a prisoner exchange and money as Holt agrees to leave and Phwaft joins the Gravemakers, a Dwarf Battlerager.

During a pirate attack, Bingly appears on the deck of the ship knowing that he needs to get to the Island of Reebury, the party agrees to take him on as a crewmember.

The Reebury Freehold
Arriving in the Freehold the Gravemakers learn that they must spend a probationary period in The Gallows, a slum area riddled with crime. Mort, who is a resident of the City does not need to stay in the Gallows and finds a way to consolidate the group's funds in a banking account. The Group ends up getting involved with the town of Troutbrook, a farming village which has gone silent in the southern part of the island. Given a quest to investigate, Bingly has a vision that his companion, Jennifer is being held on the mountain top by some unknown force. The Group goes to Troutbrook to find it decimated by strange Blue Ice Orcs and Giant Spiders. The Gravemakers track the origins to the mountain top where they battle a dangerous Frost Giant and vanquish it, recovering Jennifer as well as other treasures.

Returning to the Freehold they earn favor with Prefect Priam, the Gallow's only lawman who offers to help them gain entry to the city faster. Unfortunately, the Gravemakers get caught up in the inner war between Thieve's Guilds when Mort sees a former Lover under attack by members of the Eyes of the Beholder. The Group kills the Assassins and side with the Dragon's Tail offering the Madam to kill the leader of the Beholders.

Before they are able to make a plan the LEader finds them first and they battle in the streets of the Gallows, however unknown to the group an Ice Dragon descends upon them, a friend of the Giant they killed the week previous. Both the Assassins and the Gravemakers put aside their business to kill the Dragon in an epic battle.

After their battle with the Dragon, the Gravemakers descend into the undercity where they know the Beholder's Lair is. After a long drawn out battle where several members of the group are nearly killed they kill the leader of the Assasins sending the Gallows into a power vacuum which the Dragon's Tail claims to wish to fill and expand their business.

Before they're able to capitalize, after a few days of downtime the group is double-crossed by B'Hrum and Michael who attack them at the docks. The Paladin underestimates the groups tenacity and even though Milo and bingly are nearly killed they destroy B'hrum and Michael but not before B'hurm called re-enforcements in the form of Xanathrax, an elder of the order of 100 who arrives and offers the group a chance to surrender, which several accept.

Milo, Phwaft, and Mort are teleported to the lair of the Justicar who offers them exile/imprisonment or a clean death. they accept the Exile and are sent into an endless Demiplane. Bingly and Pharric escaped the docks however after a number of weeks Xanathrax finds them and has them exiled to Justicar's demi-plane reuniting the Gravemakers in what seems like a near endless extra dimentional villa. However, they are left their with all their equipment and a strange Book and a strange puzzle device.

Members
Captain Holt - A Triton Paladin, left the group when their ship was set upon by Mulluhkur Elves and he went with them at their request to spare the group. Location unknown, status unknown.

Pharic - A Half Elf Ranger, a paranoid archer of unparalleled skill

Milo - A Halfling Rogue, equal parts deadly and charming

Fonk - a Dwarf Cleric, killed in the Tower of Tomax Fight

Mort - An Assimar Wizard, joined the group after the Tower incident. Resident of Reebury and 2 months pregnant

Phwaft - A Dwarven Battlerager. Cursed by the Gods to smell so horrible it would require a Wish spell to fix.

Bingly - The Halfling Wild Magic Sorcerer, the embodiment of Chaos.

Laya - A Half Elf Sorcerer - A Chaotic, trouble maker. Laya was killed in Vidiholm

Aryia - A Half Elf Bard - A Famed author from Behil. Killed in the Tower of Tomax Fight

Allies
The Gravemakers are ambassadors of Vaskui, the great ancient Dragon. He has provided them with funds and equipment as well as information.

Prefect Priam Longhorn, the Prefect of the Gallows of the Freehold

Finore, the legendary Weaponsmith in Azaria