The country of Rhyl has been beset nearly every night for many years by a large, terrible creature that flies out from the mountains near the city of Asereht. The creature soars over farmland, picking up livestock or an occasional unfortunate farmer and carrying the victim back into the mountains. After the creature appears, the early-morning air in Asereht is unusually cold and misty.
Nearly a year ago the creature broke through the wall of King Namreh's castle and carried off the king's son, Prince Laechim, along with a large amount of the royal treasure. Since that incident, which did not seem like the act of an unthinking creature interested only in food, King Namreh has suspected that the creature is somehow under the influence of the mad magician Astylis, who is believed to reside in the mountains in a vast complex at least two days away on foot from Asereht.
After the creature's raid on the castle, King Namreh ordered his army to search the mountains and discover Astylis' complex. The soldiers made two forays into the mountain wilderness, but each time were harassed and eventually driven back by goblin raiders. Since the failure of the second assault, the king has taken to commissioning small parties of mercenaries and adventurers, sending them into the mountains with promises of great reward upon the completion of the rescue mission, and hoping that a small body of searchers will be less likely to attract the goblins' attention along the way.
For reasons which the king has never found out, none of these rescue parties has ever returned to Asereht. Your party is now attempting to be the first.
The trek through the wilderness has been, amazingly enough, uneventful. No goblins, and little else of note except for some harmless wildlife. Some members of the party are beginning to wonder what did cause all the other missions to fail if it wasn't the goblins and wilderness. Finding Astylis' residence was a simple matter; the skeletons and possessions of some of those who have gone through before were littered through the mountain passes like a trail. And Astylis, if he was inside, was making no attempt to discourage intruders. The entry to the complex, as well as the stairway leading to it, is found to be free of traps and unlocked.
Your mission, as prescribed by the king, is to go to Astylis' complex (so far, so good), rescue Prince Laechim plus the royal scepter and the golden crown that were also taken, and kill the fearsome creature that seems to be under the wizard's control. After taking one last look outside – and hoping you will see it again soon – you turn toward the entrance and step inside.
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