Everybody was jumpy.

Even Keldorn, who had been in the adventuring business longer than anyone of the party, was nervously glancing back and forth across the terrain, though he could not see far.

Viconia seemed to be calm on the surface, but by the way her hand was clenched on the handle of her flail, everybody could see she was quite jittery.

Jan, the chatterbox of a gnome, was silent for a change, actually afraid that as soon as he opened his mouth something would snatch him up and drag him away before anyone even noticed.

So far, the only person who seemed to possess a reasonable calm was Dynaheir, who, surprisingly enough, guided the party through the darkness, carefully avoiding rocks, holes and jutting pieces of wood.

Laska followed Dynaheir, and figured her friend was still experiencing latent vampiric abilities. Still, Laska's unease stemmed from a completely different area. In the pit of her stomach, she felt the presence of undead far in the distance... many, many undead. And not only that : the amount of negative energy whirling around her almost made her hair stand up.

As soon as the party had stepped into the expanding globe of darkness, it was as if the day had gone from noon to midnight with a single step. There were barely any sources of light, and the light of the torches that they had lit quickly seemed to be absorbed by the darkness surrounding them. Even both elves with their sharp eyes were having trouble seeing further than three feet ahead of them. But it was worse still for their human friends. And yet more terrible than the darkness was the cold. It felt as if the very life was being pulled from their bodies by the penetrating cold.

There was not a living thing about. Not a single sound, yelp, twitter or even a single sign of life. Even though there was nothing in the darkness but the occasional overhanging branch, the party were speaking to each other in whispers, afraid to attract unwanted attention to themselves.

"Say, Vico?" Laska whispered as she carefully stepped over the forest floor, not even being able to see her own feet as she walked. "Could I bother you for one of those negative protection spells?"

"For the fifth time," Viconia whispered back, "they don't last forever and I only have a few memorized. We'll have to save them for when they're really necessary."

"Nrrgg," Laska muttered angrily. "Just don't get angry with me when I puke all over you..."

"Evil round every corner," Minsc said, having exchanged the loud Lilarcor for twin maces, much to Ipsiya's joy. Her joy was short lived though, since she was miffed that even her blue magical light was absorbed by the darkness. "Careful not to step on any..."

"This is darker than even I am used to," Dynaheir whispered as she probed the darkness with her staff. "Watch thy step, my friends. There is a ditch in front of us..."

"Uragg!" sounded through the darkness.

"Looks like little Laska already discovered it," Minsc said.

"Stupid darkness," Laska snarled as she picked herself up. "Dammit, I think I lost my second sword... Oh, wait, here it is... Hey, this isn't my sword..."

"I think this is it," Viconia said as she picked up Laska's sword and handed it to the fallen elf.

"Thanks," Laska said and then examined the other sword she had found. She ran her hands over it and found it was a bastard sword. The hilt was unadorned and the sword had been broken just above it, something which became painfully obvious as Laska cut her hand on a jutting shard of metal and let out a sharp curse.

"Even I don't think that's physically possible, Laska," Viconia chuckled in response to Laska's harsh curse.

"It seems there was a struggle here then," Keldorn muttered.

"Aye," Korgan chuckled. "They be fightin' off whatever been grasping villagers..."

"There's a cave ahead," Dynaheir said, and finally, as they approached a gaping maw of a cave, which actually seemed to be lit better than the darkness surrounding them, the party became aware of a sensation. The smell of death assaulted them... The source were about three slaughtered horses, lying dead in front of the cave.

Suddenly, a pair of red eyes lit up above the cave. "You shall not rob me of my vengeance!" a growly, yet feminine voice said, before the large figure jumped down and sped into the cave.

"Why not?" Jan chuckled and moved to follow the werewolf in. "You only live once, and when this gnome can't survive a werewolf attack, it'll be the day I die..."

"I cannot argue with thy logic, dear gnome," Dynaheir replied.

As the party came into the cave, they passed through a narrow and steep passage down and ended in a large open cavern. Immediately, a large figure jumped between them, blew out their last torch and jumped backwards before cold steel could penetrate her body.

"Fools!" the werewolf shouted. "Shadows need light to exist! You condemn yourself to cold death if you bring light to this place."

"I take it the three dead warhorses were your doing?" Keldorn muttered.

"You kill the nice horsies?!" Minsc growled in outrage. "FEEL THE FURY OF MY... errr, okay, Boo, I'll be quiet..."

"Man-things!" the wolf spat. "Curse you and curse the world! Can a wolf not enjoy her last meal in peace?"

"Apparently not," Laska snorted.

"Disgusting elf," the werewolf growled. "My life is shattered, my pack has been destroyed and taken over by the master of shadows. I go willingly to my doom. I wish only to avenge my fate and that of my pack by destroying the Shade Lord."

"So, you're not the one behind the killings in Imnesvale, then?" Jan asked.

"Certainly not, what are you suggesting?" the werewolf seemed outraged.

"Just asking. One should always ask, you know? My uncle once starved to death because he refused to ask directions to the restaurant at the End of the Plane. He had heard of their wonderful turnip-meals where intelligent turnips actually introduce themselves before going in the pot! *sigh* If only he just ask, but instead he moped around on a terrace for seven years before succombing to Jumping Stomach Disease, which is an affliction where an empty gnomish stomach leaves the bodies and goes looking for greener pastures. Too bad too... the Restaurant was actually five pace around the corner of the terrace. His stomach is still alive, though, now serving as a Cow's fourth stomach while doubling as a bag-pipe in the weekend," Jan chuckled.

The werewolf simply seemed to blink twice...

"Will you tell us what happened here?" Keldorn asked.

"Oy, an' when do we get ta kill somethin'?" Korgan chuckled.

"This place was not always like this... floating in a false and unholy darkness," the wolf's voice was loaded with melancholy. "It began only a short time ago. The ruins to the east of the den have long been a place of foreboding to my pack and I. We had no desire to tread the ground of the fallen temple. The temple was once dedicated to Amaunator, a god of the sun, and a great prophetess is buried within. It was holy ground once, though now it is fouled."

"Amaunator," Laska sighed. "What a dorky god that one was..."

"Please, Laska, show some respect," Keldorn sighed.

"Okay, he's dorkier than Torm is."

"Laska, please!" Keldorn replied.

"It is obvious that Amaunator's power has waned for if this was still his consecrated ground, my doom would never have arisen from the bowels of the temple," the wolf continued.

"That might be, cause he be worm-food, HAR HAR!" Korgan chuckled.

"Some weeks ago, muted rumblings were heard beneath the temple. We paid little heed to them until the skies darkened and the shadows deepened," the wolf sighed. "It was high noon when it happened and the pack gathered so that I might calm them. I thought it to be an eclipse. It was not. The Shade Lord came among us then. He dominated my wolves, my children, with a glance. I changed form and leapt at his darkness but he merely laughed. He walked amongst the terrified wolves and killed them all with a touch. Once they were all dead his darkness reached out to the corpses of my children and animated them as shade wolves. Numb with terror and sorrow, I ran."

"Yikes," Laska said.

"I am sorry for thy loss," Dynaheir replied while Viconia was glad she had recalled Khittix back to the statue before entering the globe of darkness.

"I will hide no more. The horses I killed were only to gather strength to face the Shade Lord. He wants only to kill and those he kills, be they man-thing or wolf, arise as shades in his army. We should fight them together..."

"Woof" sounded from the darkness. The only sign of an approaching creature was the ticking of nails on the rocky surface of the cave.

"Oh, it's a dog," Laska said, and petted the friendly creature, immediately noticing an irregularity. "Say, what kind of idiot would put a saddle on a dog?"

"This poor canine," the wolf began, "was the steed of one Mazzy Fentan."

"Poor dog."

Moving through utter darkness to avoid the possibilities of shadows forming, the party travelled rather difficully through the forest.

Even Minsc's brainy idea to tie a long rope around everyone's waist to walk in a single file did not work entirely. There was never enough slack to allow for a single movement out of pace, meaning they often ended up in a heap on the ground. It also didn't help that Jan was tied in between Minsc and Keldorn, but at least he often didn't even have to walk.

Eventually, being led by Anath, they arrived at the temple. Or what was left of it. A dim light emanated from a huge crystal standing at the base of the temple. The original temple had collapsed long ago, but there seemed to be a staircase at the top of the platform near the gem.

After quickly untying the rope, the party nervously stepped onto the dark platform, relieved for having even a little bit of light. Anath led her new soldiers as she was the first to step near the platform... and the first to step into the ambush.

Without warning, hundreds of red eyes lit up in the darkness surrounding the temple, and half that many shadows literally leapt into existence. Some resembled horrifically malformed humanoids, other had a more recognizable shape, but all were out to slay everything in their path.

"It is a trap!" Anath shouted. "The lens, get to the lens..." Anath shouted, her last words before the shadows tore into her with their claws, her fur and blood flying through the air as the dark creatures bore down on her.

Surprised by the sudden attack, the party was scattered, fighting for their lives as they frantically tried to reach each other... to seek safety in numbers.

Minsc was ecstatic, twirling his twin maces with fervor, knocking back the shadows as they approached. At least, Minsc was ecstatic, until Boo whispered in his ear that his friends would not survive if he didn't snap to attention. Minsc noticed he was the closest to the strange colored glass object aimed at the large gemstone, and it was up to him to save his friends.

A groan and a thud coming from behind him interrupted Minsc's musings. Glancing over his shoulder, the ranger noticed that Laska had fallen unconscious because of negative energy surrounding her.

"Ah, hey!" Minsc shouted as he batted three shadow wolves away with a single blow of his mace. Quickly, he grabbed the fallen elf by her slender waist, slung her over his shoulder and ran to the lens with shadows in pursuit.

Kicking several shadows away, Minsc came to the odd device. Unfortunately, he had no idea how it work. As Boo was starting to give instructions for Minsc to operate the ancient and complex device, Minsc could no longer bear seeing his friends in danger. Using his great strength, Minsc pulled on the lens, breaking the mechanism, and aimed it directly at the giant gemstone.

Immediately, a column of light descended on the gemstone, which immediate bathed the area in brilliant and holy light. The screams of the dying shadows were horrifying as they were relentlessly consumed.

As the party gathered, they examined their injuries for treatment by Viconia. Laska, in the meantime, was slowly recovering seeing she had hit her forehead against a rock when she had fallen, leaving a deep bleeding gash.

"Can I," the tattooed elf managed weakly, "get my Negative Plane Protection now?"

"Later," Viconia said while she was still in the process of healing her own cheek, which had been scratched open by a claw during the battle.

"One dead," Keldorn sighed as he regarded the mangled corpse of Anath. "May she find peace in the afterlife..."

Keldorn bent sadly over the skeleton of who had been a young girl when she was alive. Once they had entered the temple, they had found they had found it to be well lit by the many torches mounted on the walls. Immediately, Korgan had been complaining about the shoddy tunnels humans always made, while Laska had finally gotten her Negative Plane Protection from Viconia.

Immediately, in the first large room, they had encountered a pack of shadow-wolves, fighting over and gnawing on the bones of a small child. Fueled with holy rage, Keldorn snarled and sped into the room, slaying the wolves before they even realized what had happened to them. Then, the saddened paladin had gathered all the bones together.

"I shall take her back to Athkatla," Keldorn said, letting the father in him speak as he reverently put the bones in a cloth bag. "I will see she'll receive a final resting place in consecrated ground."

"Hey, what's this key?" Laska muttered as she picked up the object.

"Oy, maybe it belongs ta a chest?" Korgan suggested. "A chest filled with golders?"

"Is that all you can think about?" Jan asked.

"Well, there be also ale and naked women..." Korgan muttered. "And me axe..."

It took them some time to figure out that the key actually belonged to a cell door, despite the stubborn idea Korgan had that it belonged to a chest next to the door. Drawing her swords, Laska kicked open the unlocked door and stormed inside.

Inside, Laska was confronted with the shortest halfling she had ever seen.

Merely three feet tall, an armored and snarling halfling stood on the defensive, her short sword raised. Her dirty face was twisted in a feral snarl and on her head was an unwashed mop of shaggy red hair. All in all, she looked like she had been in that cell for quite some time, now.

"Whoa, there," Laska chuckled as the halfling finally realized she was not confronted with shadows. "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

Immediately, the halfling scowled once more. "Girl indeed! I am Mazzy Fentan, a warrior! My business is to make this setting less dangerous by destroying the evil that festers within," she spoke with resolution.

"Okay, I see," Laska nodded. "So tell me who you are, then?"

Apparently, Laska's indifference apparently angered the halfling even more. "How can a noble elf be so rude and uncaring? I should rather rot in this cage than suffer dishonor by consorting with such as you. I expect you'll join my ill-fated companions in a short time."

"Oh, come on!" Laska snorted while Viconia chuckled. "I just wanted to your bloody name..."

"Do not think I won't notice your disdain for me, elf!" the halfling snarled. "And from an elf... I never would have expected that..."

"What?!" Laska said. "I just want to know who you are and how you got here! It's you that's reading all this things in it that aren't there."

The halfling was about to explode in anger now. "How can you STAND THERE and tell ME, what I..."

But then, Keldorn turned about the corner... and Mazzy went starry-eyed. "S--sir Keldorn!" Mazzy gasped and brushed past the smirking elves. "This... this is such an honor! I... I never imagined I would meet you one day... And, you are shorter than I expected!" Mazzy grinned broadly.

"I sense no taint of these shadows within this noble halfling," Keldorn smiled encouragingly.

"N-noble?" Mazzy all but beamed and turned to Laska. "He called me 'noble'!"

"I heard," Laska giggled. "I have good ears..."

"Well, then, young one," Keldorn smiled. "Tell me how you fare in this horrible place?"

"I am an adventurer," Mazzy began bitterly, offering the elf who had inadvertently insulted her earlier some dirty looks. "I led my party here to discover the source of the evil that has befallen the area, which became abundantly clear when it slaughtered my companions at the Shadow Altar. You have fought my jailors, the shadows. Those unfortunate souls are the remnants of live victims whom have been perverted by the power of the dark fiend, the Shade Lord."

"Ah!" Laska said. "So now we have a culprit for the murders in Imnesvale..."

"Don't you know it's rude to interrupt?!" Mazzy shot at Laska, making it apparent she had taken an instant dislike for the elf.

"Don't you know I can step on you and put you out of my misery?" the tattooed elf shot back.

"Laska, please," Keldorn admonished.

"This Shade Lord seems to feed on the corruption of souls. If he is not stopped he will continue to build his army of shadows," Mazzy muttered bitterly. "He is not a creature of this plane and must possess a body, feeding on its life. He inhabits Merella, now... and planned to use my own body once Merella grows weak, I suspect."

"Dammit," Laska snarled. "We need to find a way to get the Shade Lord to leave without hurting Merella.."

"It is noble of you to make the attempt," Mazzy replied. "But it will be difficult to just defeat the Shade Lord, let alone rescue Merella"

"I promised a little girl to bring her sister home," Laska said.

Mazzy glanced at the elf for a brief while. "A noble act," she reluctantly admitted.

"Join us then, Mazzy," Keldorn said, "so we might end this today."

"Then we shall travel together as companions," Mazzy smiled. "With Arvoreen's blessing, our partnership shall be a fruitful one."

Stepping out of the cell door, Korgan, who had been nervously looking at the beautiful halfling, inched forward. "Aye, me lovely!" Korgan greeted, tipping his helmet politely. "I be Korgan Bloodaxe, dwarven..."

"So, Sir Keldorn?" Mazzy said, completely ignoring poor Korgan and brushing past him as she gave Keldorn admiring looks. "Might I ask how you have come to lead this band of... interesting individuals?"

"You Mazzy, you should not..." Keldorn said, but suddenly, his head whipped towards the tunnel in front on them. "RUN!" he suddenly shouted.

Immediately, no less than forty shade wolves poured into the room, letting out almost mocking howls.

"Run?!" Mazzy said as she turned to fight.

"Less talk, more walk!" Laska shouted as she took the sputtering halfling by the nape of her armor and scooped her up in the air as they ran through the tunnels, the wolves in fast pursuit.

Safety came in the form of oaken double doors, which were closed as soon as Laska had dragged a screaming Mazzy into the room with her. Minsc and Keldorn put an oaken beam in place to keep the wolves out.

"Well, that should hold them," Jan said. "Unlike my uncle Fitz..."

"I still believe you should have fought them! They are the evil minions of the shade lord!" Mazzy muttered.

"As much as I might enjoy watching them rip you to shreds," Laska grinned, "it wasn't a good idea."

Adventuring can have strange twists. Just the party strolled forward through the tunnels, they encountered the ghost of a girl playing in the dungeon. The girl identified herself as Amuana, a child-prophetess buried in this tomb. After kissing a surprised Keldorn on the cheek for rescuing her desecrated remains, she took the bones and gave the party a gem with which they could sneak past the shadows unhindered before she returned to the afterlife.

And right now, the party was quietly creeping past a sleeping Shadow dragon. The dragon was massive, and as black as night as it lay on the floor with its wings folded on its back. Loud snores sounded through the cavern as the dragon opened its gigantic maw and closed it again as it snored.

Then, disaster struck... As the party crept by, Laska stepped a little too close to the dragon's maw. The elf yelped as she was suddenly sucked right into the maw under the eyes of her horrified friends.

The dragon woke up.

Her eyes grew wide as the female shadow dragon was suddenly aware she could no longer breathe. Immediately, she rose to her four feet and started gagging violently. A gag turned into a cough, a cough into the launching of a pointy-eared projectile from the depths of her throat. A splat of slimy sludge splattered on the wall opposite to the dragon and ever so slowly slid down.

Eventually, a fist punched through the slimey surface as Laska finally managed to free herself. "EEEEEWWW," she exclaimed. "Dragon-slobber!"

"Foul fiend!" Mazzy snarled and prepared to attack before Minsc stopped her.

"No!" the gentle giant said. "This dragon is nice."

"Well," the female dragon said. "I seems there are adventurers here to fight the Shade Lord who I must scare off. Okay, here we go : Growl, snarl, hiss, stamp, breathe fire and wing buffet."

"You're really dedicated to your job, aren't you?" Jan guffawed. "Somehow, it doesn't work quite as well if you just say the words instead of actually doing it."

"I'm sitting in dragon slobber!" Laska shouted from the back of the room.

"Yeah, well," the shadow dragon said annoyed. "How would you like it if some shade lord yanked you from your peaceful home and won't let you leave anymore. My hoard in the Negative Material Plane is unguarded and it's just too damn bright here... Tell you what, if you can kill the shadelord for me, you can have the small hoard I gathered during my time here. I'll even give you some of my scales. Do we have a deal?"

"Hoard?!" Korgan chuckled. "Now we be talkin'!"

"Pip, pip, then," the dragon almost smiled. "The Shade Lord is just through that door..."

"I... am... sitting... in... DRAGON-SLOBBER!" sounded from behind them. "I want a bath..."