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Inscribed here is my account of the events of last night. Please excuse any flaws in my recollection - the evening was a busy one.

While standing in my home last night chatting with Joram Lionheart after a hunt, I received a message from Strade Silverbow informing me that something was happening at the bank in Britain. Having just run out of reagents to recall there, I began the ride back to town. Among those present were Acnox Xandermaya, Amanil Tel'Imoen, Argyll Kaie, Arien Kiralin, Bronwyn, Eventhia Leir, Ghonec Therildan, Gorand, Joram Lionheart, Jordan Gryphon, Seon MacRae, Strade Silverbow, and Zareena Stydoran. If I have forgotten anyone, the oversight is not intentional - many faces were seen throughout the adventure.

Upon my arrival, I noticed Teresa, the guard captain, informing a group of people that a guard had been injured and priests were in the process of reviving him. From what I gathered during the conversation, the Queen's jewels had been stolen from her castle. In the process, a guard had been injured and it was not known if he would survive. As the guard still hadn't been revived, it was difficult to determine who the thieves were, but it was suspected that the ophidians were at the center of the plot.

When asked why it was so significant that the jewels had been stolen, the guard reminded us that the Queen's jewels consisted of many powerful magic artifacts. The group decided to immediately set out to recover the jewels. There was no indication as to which group of ophidians were involved, so Lord Lionheart and others decided to check the Cove ophidians first, as this was the smaller group. After getting supplies and readying ourselves with powerful spells, we gated to Cove.

Upon leaving the gates, we were beset by all manner of ophidians. The group acted quickly in vanquishing the vile serpents, and we quickly came to the gates of the ophidian fortress. We systematically moved through the fortress, slaying all of the creatures. However, no sign of the jewels was found. A group of people began moving back to Cove to prepare for the trip to Destard. Some stragglers, including myself, remained at the fortress, but as the ophidians began returning to their home, we quickly caught up with the main force. I was shocked to realize that I was still alive, this being my first encounter with the ophidians, and my known penchant for rushing headlong into battle. Perhaps I'm gaining some wisdom to match my growing combat skills.

After some rapid preparations, the group them gated to the entrance of Destard. Once we entered the dungeon, we realized that we had found the ones responsible for the theft. The ophidians were unusually numerous and vocal, taunting the warriors fighting them. We proceeded as before, methodically killing all of the creatures. In the process, I became acquainted with some of the unique spells used by these creatures. At one point, Strade Silverbow attacked a mage, only to return to view in the form of a frog. I hadn't previously been aware that such spells existed. Of course, I had a quiet moment to reflect on this, as I had just been killed. I myself experienced something similar, as I vanished from the screen during one fight. Once the group had spread out, I realized I had been shrunken to knee height. Fortunately, we were at a lull in the fighting, so I was able to appreciate the humor of the situation.

We worked through the dungeon, reaching the second level. Here, the concentration of ophidian executioners, deathguards, and queens was much higher. Several of our number perished fighting our way through this level of the dungeon, and the concentration of ophidians was steadily increasing. When I walked through the passageway to the deepest level of the dungeon, I was shocked to see the room completely filled with ophidians of all kinds, especially mages, queens, and executioners. Several brave souls fell upon entering this area, but they were quickly restored to our world and rejoined the fight.

The mages and healers present did an excellent job of keeping the battle going, and I will henceforth remember their value in a fight. Without their skill, this battle would have been over very rapidly. We eventually had vanquished most of the foes on this level, and rounded a corner in the passage to find a most unpleasant sight. In the middle of a group of queens and executioners was a creature titled "The Ophidan Supreme Queen." Due to my inexperience with the creatures of this realm, I'm not aware if this is a unique creature or not (perhaps a more experienced adventurer can set me straight), but I don't think we were fully prepared for what came next.

We rapidly disposed of the "minor" ophidians in the room, and began attacking the supreme queen. She unleashed a barrage of powerful magic that quickly killed several of those present. Bolts of lightning rained down on the party, streaks of flame filled the room, and many energy vortexes began attacking members of the party. The queen herself showed very little damage from our attack. We were forced to retreat to resurrect the slain and regroup. Attempt after attempt was made, and we weren't making any progress.

At one point, I believe it was Lord Lionheart who proposed that we try to employ better tactics in attacking the supreme queen. The Order Guards present would be the front line of the assault, taunting the creature in turn to confuse it. Other warriors would assist them in the front line, with the mages, archers and healers standing back to keep them alive. We began our assault with a barrage of arrows, bolts and spells, doing minor damage. While we had organized ourselves, the queen had retreated and regenerated, so it was as if we were starting over.

Showing surprising intelligence, the queen ignored our main assault and began attacking our lifeline - the mages. Without their healing power, we quickly fell to here spells. Once the warriors had been slain, the group again retreated to a safe distance, resurrected the fallen, and prepared for another attempt. Again, the warriors fell. However, the queen's counter-attack was beginning to weaken, and she was showing clear signs of damage.

Once again, we regrouped and began the assault anew. Other ophidians began returning to their lair, so we knew we had to finish this soon before more reinforcements arrived. The Order Guards and warriors lined up in the front, and approached the queen, who had again regenerated.

At last, our plan worked perfectly. We began the assault with a barrage of arrows, bolts, and spells. For some additional damage, a few members also threw some explosion potions at the queen. Frustrated with the ranged assault, the queen closed to melee range with the Order Guards and other warriors. We began taunting her in turn to confuse her minimize the damage to each of us. Slowly and surely, her health began to decrease. Again, the mages were invaluable to us, as their healing allowed us to stand up to the supreme queen, and their spells did massive damage to her. I have never fought such a hardy creature.

Finally, the creature was vanquished. Her death seemed almost anticlimactic after the hours spent reaching this spot and destroying here. Upon searching her body, a chest was found which contained the stolen jewels. A mage opened a gate to the Britain bank, and we returned the jewels safely to Teresa. After thanking us and rewarding us for our efforts, she returned to her post. The adventurers were left to recount their adventure and share the spoils of the battle.

Thank you to all who participated and made this an eventful first quest for me. May we have many more adventures together.

May the virtues guide you.

Wonderful story Seon.

Now on to the fun. This quest sounds familiar, ponders wonderful memories of a long lost friend named Maerin and the fun to be had dressed as a town crier.

Thank you for placing a bit of WoD history into the world again to all those responsible.

Any newer players that are lost and confused by my comments, can request a storytelling of the original event that took place over 2 years ago