The party spends a night recovering in the Inn of the Defender's Heart. In the morning, they gather in the tavern area, and discover that Elaryan has undergone a further transformation overnight. His skin is now a deep, leathery red. The other heroes are a little disturbed by this, but the sorcerer seems unconcerned, so they do not press the matter. Eventually, Dierna Hillerchaun arrives at the inn, and offers to escort the companions to the palace so that they may present the Sword of Vileness to King Rail. Traveling through town, they realize that much of Anestral City has been destroyed by rampaging demons. A newly erected stone wall blocks the few remaining sections of town from the legions. The Noble Quarter is the most unaffected, but even there they notice increased guard patrols. King Rail is impressed by the heroes' tale, but disappointed by the banner's corruption. His Chancellor takes the Sword for future study, and the party returns to the inn. The next day, they are summoned back to the palace. The King's clerics have been unable to purify the Sword, and Chancellor Ylestos asks for more details about its condition. This time, the heroes explain about the forge of corruption . They also give Staunton Vhane's journal to the clerics, in case their is information within that will help their research. King Rail asks for the party's help in the interim. He explains that the Abyssal energies from the Hellmouth have spread across the entire kingdom, and that refugees have been flooding to the capital. However, stories have reached the city of a great, winged beast-- either demon or dragon-- that has been terrorizing the land, picking off refugees. Rumor has it that the beast makes it lair to the east, along what was once the Blue River. The King asks his champions to find the beast and destroy it. The party agrees and the next morning, sets off to the east. They march for several days across the wasteland that Anestral has become. Eventually, they reach a broad gully, the remains of the Blue River. Something has caused the river to dry up, such that the locals now refer to the river as the Gray Road. As the group is marching along the top of the gully, Arthas has a sudden urge to descend. He spurs Hubris to the valley floor and stops in front of a large cave. "This was a holy place," states Erastil's Fury , "but it has been corrupted. We must reclaim it!" T he party spends several minutes preparing, then storm into the cavern. Within, they discover an ancient fane, covered in Abyssal runes. Several large statues of Baphomet look down, and evil templars guard the doors. The companions rush into battle. The templars themselves are not much of a challenge, but after a minute they are joined by an odd creature with six legs and the head of a crocodile with bull horns. This foul creature is more powerful than its templar guards. Its breath weapon fills the temple with an icy cloud, as some hidden spellcaster harried the heroes with spells. Eventually, the heroes are able to defeat the crocodile beats, but the spellcaster is never found. The party searches the fane, finding some small treasure and some orders from something called the Temple of the Ivory Labyrinth. At Arthas's behest, Nor casts consecrate on the shrine, causing it to revert back to its original form. The demon ruins disappear, replaced by nature-themed mosaics, and the statues of Baphomet transform to statues of Erastil. Everyone who played gains 2,000 XP. Furthermore, redeeming the fallen fane is considered the completion of a personal quest for Arthas.
