On the topic of the plot carrots...<br/><br/>Song of the Shining Lady; Llyny Vale and Llandy are pretty far away from Latun and the rest of the world, which makes me think that the danger posed by Tenebrax or any of his minions is slim. I am also inclined to believe the elves aren't on great terms with Tenebrax. This is probably the safest of the 'main questline', but I don't see the elves being very helpful. Maybe they will be willing, but they are far removed from the main continent and presumably their isolation has caused them to have few contacts outside their domain.<br/><br/>Visage of the Radiant One;  Elossis seems pretty dangerous. It is relatively close to Latun, which I am assuming is the seat of Tenebrax's power since it is where he first made his presence known. Maybe going by the silver sea, you'd avoid any of the hazards of drifting too close to the mainland. It also seems like the treasure is guarded, and the island's inhabitants would be reluctant to give it up. I don't see them becoming friends of the party any time soon.<br/><br/>Embrace of the Lightmother; Wihleah seems like a middle-ground between the two. The city has an old history, but is corrupt. If the group can bring out the positive elements that remain there or inspire a renewal in its tradition, the new regime could also make for a powerful ally, I feel. The location would provide a good launch-pad for converting/conquering the rest of the coast and the islands surrounding the main continent.<br/><br/>Masked Mage; As I mentioned, the mage is a source of information more than anything else. He could provide further guidance on the artifacts, or provide artifacts of his own to help. His location is fairly remote as well, but the man himself may be... dangerous. 'Though knowledge and magic never come without a price.' indeed. I wonder what sort of price it is, though. If it is a moral price that would directly impede Lux in a post-twilight world, Norton would not be willing to pay it, no matter what sort of short-term benefit it gives.<br/><br/>Weepingstone; There's not much information to go off of. While a master smith would be helpful, two of our party members don't really need it. ;) I do intend for Norton to be gathering NPC followers as well. If this was 3.5, he'd definitely be gunning for the Leadership feat. A master smith might be helpful if we acquire the services of any errant knights or such. But at the moment, the improbability of just stumbling upon him is slight, so i think it will have to be put on the back-burner.<br/><br/>Bremoor's Monster; If this was a video-game, the EXP is its own reward. But Norton doesn't really want to fight anything before he's ready. While the monster is described as being benevolent to the town, it is also protective of it... and the party could easily be mistaken for a threat. That being said, it sounds like the monster is somewhat benevolent and bribe-able. Bremoor is pretty close to Latun in comparison to the other locations and I presume this monster is VERY strong if he's kept it safe this whole time. But then again, it's very risky.. and they can't go walking around with a monster in tow. My thought is that this would be a final stop. Sort of a "Hey, we have an army ready to besiege Latun and I've got all the artifacts needed to end Tenebrax once and for all... do you want to come along just as an extra omph?" :P<br/><br/>It might be just what we need to kill that black dragon. Or dracolich. Whatever that thing was.