<em>It is an age of strife and warfare. For three centuries, a peace had reigned over the lands, the heroes growing complacent, indulging in vice and growing arrogant. What few monsters were sighted were usually destroyed for the glory, for the loot, and for the chance to show off to the people. These heroes boasted they would destroy any evil and that the peace would last from generation to generation.<br/><br/>Their boasts came to a test when the reports began of increasing number of monstrous raids on the surface, and finally, the King summoned these heroes together, ordering them to vanquish the evil. The great seers were given the task of finding out where the forces of monsters were amassing their forces. <br/><br/>In a glorious rush the king and the heroes struck against the army of dark creatures, fighting their way through the tide of foul hellspawn to reach their leader, seeking to strike the Dungeon Lord down. As they neared, their numbers grew small, but with his last breath the king drove a sword through the Dungeon Lord's dark heart.<br/><br/>That was more than thirty years ago. The forces of darkness still roam the lands, raiding and striking out at towns and villages. Borders have been reinforced with walls and watchtowers, wooden palisades protecting village hearts while walls of stone are built for the towns to ready them for any coming siege.<br/><br/>The heroes of old are dead, and as the darkness is still encroaching the lands of humans, elves and dwarves a call rises for champions, and a desperate plan. These heroes are asked to walk in the dark depths of the dungeons these creatures call home and find their way to the heart of it all. The dungeon lord may have been slain, and the creatures have fallen into factions of their own, but someone or a group of people perhaps are still calling the shots. Take out the head of the beasts, and this might all be over, or so the people hope.</em><br/><br/><hr/><hr/><br/>The scorched ruins of the town of Aldrea are but one more bleak reminder of the horrors visited upon the kingdom by the constant raids of the dark remnant. Though the king and the heroes had engaged the rising armies of dark creatures in warfare and brought down the one that awoke these horrors in the first place, their fight had vanquished much of the heroes and the strength of the kingdom in one blow. Although the remnant was a mere shadow of the power of the true Dungeon Lord, its numbers were plentiful, and ruins like these reminded just how swiftly it had all taken place.<br/><br/>The sign welcoming to Aldrea was partially scorched, the red lettering faded but readable. The streets cracked and several roofs and walls partially collapsed. Aldrea had been among the first to fall, and so it had been easy enough to point out that near it lay one of the great gates to the depths. The descent to the dungeons far below.<br/><br/>Set of spears lined a road out of the town's main square towards a broken tower, and the skulls on top of the spears stood testament to the sacriledge that had taken place here. Fine young men and women fought valiantly to give their comrades time to escape. People that had never had to hold a weapon grasped whatever tool they could and fought so their families and neighbors could escape, so their children and grandparents might find shelter elsewhere before the tide would quench all hope, that someone would find a hero to bring a light into the dark.<br/><br/><hr/><hr/><br/><em>The tales were many, but the battle of Aldrea was still spoken of to this day. Less than a hundred villagers stood up and faced the Dungeon Lord, and fought against his army. This bravery and sacrifice had been a source of many tales, but bards songs ended with the description of the fatal charge, the last rush against the uncountable horrors. The tale ended where another began.<br/><br/>This kingdom was about to fall, but like the phoenix emblazoned on its banners, from the ashes would arise a new champion, and a new ruler would take care to bring the lands to a new age of prosperity. Bards sang of that, and they sang of a lot of things. Meanwhile, dukes and barons whispered fearfully of the encroaching shadows, before the agreement was made. In the council of nobles, a call was made for heroes. <br/><br/>All that would fight in the name of the Crown and brave the hazards far below could expect their place in the historybooks, and their triumph would be a source of great celebration. Because nobody really wanted to think about the price they would all pay if it all was for naught, and if the heroes would fall. </em><br/><br/><hr/><hr/><br/>Cold wind blew harshly through the ashen territories. Beyond the broken, burnt tower lay the entrance to the old mines. The area had been a source of a lot of iron in the past, the village having had a good share of miners till the veins ran out in the past. This seemed a likely place to begin, but even so, it was hard to say for sure. There was a group of 3 horses left free near a torn-open sack of feed, near an old ditch with some stale water flowing through it. There was some tough grass around but given the feel of the area it seemed unlikely any animal would want to stay near it for long. Still, these three horses looked like they'd been left there a while ago already.<br/><br/>The call for heroes had come without much warning, and the nobles had gathered all they could. Armed with what could be spared, and praised for their willingness to defy the odds and confront the darkness that remained, they were given a hero's treatment before they'd set off. Some set on the path on their own without caring for such glories. Some only asked for where they might begin their journey.<br/><br/>Despite the many ways they came to it, all across the kingdom old gates to the dark below were being approached by those with a fire in their heart. Not many, if any, would return to tell the tale, but it was something that had to be done.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Additional Supplies</div><div class="spoiler_body">In the name of the Nobles of the land, the following equipment was made available for all that sought to seek answers to the continued attacks of the dark remnant and hoped to break its reach on the land. At no charge, the local nobility provided these supplies to all that came ready to face the odds. Whether they took it or not was upto them, but it was made available to all that then set out on the path.<br/><br/>30 feet length of silk rope<br/>10 ft. pole<br/>7 days of iron rations<br/>3 days worth of elven bread<br/>2 waterskins<br/>1 wineskin<br/>Backpack<br/>Everburning Torch</div></div>