The Six Stones of Sorcery

A Khamen and Candorra Campaign

I am beginning a new Four Against Darkness campaign. My 4AD heroes, Khamen the rogue and Candorra the elf, will embark on a quest to retrieve the Six Stones of Sorcery, powerful arcane artifacts.

Below is a rather wordy introduction to the campaign. If you don't feel like reading it all, scroll to the bottom for the short version.
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It had been another boring week since returning from the battle with the Chaos Lord. Nothing to do but hang around in taverns. Sure, Khamen worked for the Temple (only by an odd twist of fate), but he still would not consider himself a religious man. He could not see himself spending his free time praying at the Temple. So that left drink . . .

As he pulled his mug to his lips, a female elf rushed in - Candorra, his "business" partner. Usually she tried to sneak up on him. Maybe she gave up because of his superior perception. Khamen chuckled at that. She would never admit that he was good at something. She must have important news.

"Khamen," she called between deep breaths. She must have run here. "Come quick, it's important!"
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A few days later, Khamen found himself on a ship bound for Alatar, the capital of the kingdom of Palmeria. Alatar lay far across the ocean, south and east of his home. It was a land of ancient mystery, renowned for its palms, pyramids, and legends of mummies that walked the earth. Apparently, it was also home of one of the Six Stones of Sorcery.

Only a day ago, Khamen had never heard of the Stones. That changed after Candorra had urgently summoned him to the Temple. There they met the Preceptor of the Holy Temple in Scotsile. He had been Khamen's employer for the past few years, and had sent him on the mission to confront the Chaos Lord.

"Things are far graver than I suspected," the Preceptor began abruptly. "The Chaos Lord was not trying to summon a foul entity into our world. He was trying to commune with a demon."

"What for?"

"For information. About the Six Stones."

Candorra whistled in awe. Khamen was confused.

"What the . . .?" Khamen checked his language. "What are the Six Stones?"

"The Six Stones are powerful arcane artifacts. They were created by the Cult of Erlich, death worshippers, many eons ago. They give the wielder control over arcane power, far beyond any mere wizardry. When the Cult tried to conquer the lands, the Temple fought back and defeated them. The Stones could not be destroyed, so the Temple hid them, scattered across the continents. No one knows where they are now."

"Except demons," Khamen surmised.

"Except demons," the Preceptor concurred. "And if someone were to find all Six Stones . . . "

Khamen nodded. Candorra whispered "Death."

"Precisely," stated the Preceptor. "We are concerned that the Cult of Erlich has returned, and is using demonic summoning to find the Stones. We MUST get them first."

"And by 'we' you mean Candorra and me?" asked Khamen.

"Precisely."

And thus, the duo began their latest quest. There are rumors that the Library at Alatar has information about the location of one of the Stones so that is their first destination.
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TLDR Synopsis
After defeating a Chaos Lord, Khamen and Candorra meet with the Preceptor of the Temple. He has learned that the Chaos Lord was trying to commune with a demon to learn of the location of the Six Stones of Sorcery, powerful artifacts that have been hidden for eons. The Preceptor is worried that the death-worshiping Cult of Erlich is trying to recover the Stones for their own nefarious purposes. He wants our heroes, Khamen and Candorra, to find the Stones first. Their first stop - Alatar. The famed library of this sun-drenched land of palms, pyramids, and mummies is said to have information about one of the Stones.

What do our heroes find in the Library?
Stay tuned for our next installment!