The Watchers are a sect of Halmadons Height. Their main role is to guard evil items, artefacts and spirits that cannot be destroyed, either due to the consequences of that destruction or the impossibility of the task. The items and artefacts are held within the Vault which is, itself, held on a secure sub-plane called the Spirit Prison. Many layers of security protect the Vault and prevent those who would wish to liberate any of the items from gaining access.

And so it was with great dismay that the Head of the Watchers reported to the Grand Knight, and head of Halmaddons Height, that one such item had been removed from the Vault. No guard saw the thief and no trace of the item in question has been seen since. After an inventory was taken, the item found to be missing was the Dagger of the Void, an item of “personal sacrifice and banishment”. The dagger is not an evil item as such, but was held within the Vault due to the risk it posed to individuals of great standing.

Each of you have been formally approached to venture on a ‘Quest’ (the status and nomenclature given to a task of great importance to the Heights). The purpose of this Quest is to, primarily, retrieve the dagger. Finding out who stole the item is of secondary importance for the questors given the Seers are being tasked with this. The possibility of the dagger having been taken by someone within the Heights certainly cannot be discounted, alas.

The Seers have so far identified that the dagger has been taken into the Spine mountains and into an area known by some as the ‘Sanctuary’. This so-called-sanctuary was recently revealed through the firing of the Mana Cannon into the mountain range. It’s high time the Heights investigated this area so the questors second task is to understand what they can and report back on what they find.

Thirdly, a recent rumour suggested there’s an unusual weapon within the Sanctuary capable of destroying a civilization. Whilst we suggest these rumours are very much exaggerated, your final task is to locate this weapon and take appropriate action; to retrieve it, destroy it, etc.

And finally, there’s been an increase in the level of fear around the area of the Spine mountains opened up by the Mana Cannon. People seem more easily spooked, have more nightmares and waking terrors, and are far more susceptible to fear based invocations. These symptoms seem to be getting more intense over time and show no sign of abating. The source of this dread needs to be investigated and dealt with, if possible.

And of the individuals chosen for this Quest, you are pulled from the Watchers, their Knights or their retinues who are responsible for guarding the Spirit Prison, or another of the Halmadonian Orders sent to support this activity. Either way, there’s a good chance you are being held responsible for a complete failure to protect the Vault, and therefore the reputation of the Heights. You must restore your honour!

In addition, some of you will, no doubt, have an encyclopaedic knowledge of artefacts more broadly. This may be useful or, more likely, simply help to bore your companions with your tales.