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In Nightlund, Fox Silverblade is summoned by Knight of Takhisis Commander DeVyr. A village to the north of Fearfold Fortress is reported to have been attacked. Fox is paid to investigate the source and extent of the attack. As he starts his journey a gypsy family cross his path. He is told that a man of science may be of assistance in his future.The kender heads towards Remorse - the major town near the attacked village. Along the way he is joined by Robin, a bard with many tales of the region and news of a scream which broke the night several days past. At Remorse, more news is recieved of this cry, which brought fear to all who heard it, and also of a young man who was found murdered between the town and village. Some villagers appear hostile to Fox's new companion.

An astrologer lives atop a massive rock column north of Remorse. Fox and Robin journey there. The astrologer remembers the scream in the night and adds that a darkness passed across the sky - heading north towards the site of a battle against Chaos decades ago. Fox continues to the battle fields - a mist of shadows covers the dead who lie unburied on the grass. A large piece of dragon bone is found in a deep pit recently ripped from the field. Robin reappears as Fox leaves the field, but the bard is transformed into a goblin-like creature who laughs insanely as the mist forms into the undead shadows of warriors. At that moment a scream splits the air and the huge and terrible form of a skeletal dragon flies low over the field. The shadows rise at its passing as the creature turns and leaves. The dracolich is the source of the attack. As Fox returns to Fearfold he passes through the village. The sight is terrible - buildings have been burned, bodies lie everywhere and the smell of death is heavy in the air. The dracolich has caused terrible destruction and the Knights of Takhisis must find and destroy the beast.

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The Slayer is summoned to Fearfold Fortress by Lady Diana. She requests his aid in investigating and stopping a necromancer operating near Fearfold - Carrington backs her request. Fox agrees to help and sets off with David Pureheart, a cavalier in Diana's service. As the pair travel east to a graveyard, a caravan of survivors from a second dracolich attack are discovered. Fox and David listen to their tale and give directions to refuge at Fearfold. They are harassed and then joined by the Puck. David is unsure of the creature's intent, but Fox advises keeping it close - Puck praises the Slayer's actions.

Zombies are sighted as they near the graveyard. Entering a crypt they discover entrances to underground tunnels. Searching reveals rooms of necromantic writings and treasures taken from Solamnic tombs. They also discover a body trapped in a coffin, but still alive with signs of vampire attacks. Puck urges Fox to kill him, but the Slayer hesitates. The necromancer reveals himself - he is a vampire. David produces a Nightjewel, part of the uth Wislan legacy, and destroys the vampire's skeletal army. Fox pursues and destroys the vampire in flame. The man from the coffin is attacked by Puck who then flees when Fox again refuses the kill. He reveals himself as Blade, a mortal born of a vampire, and joins Fox and David as they leave the graveyard - after laying the created undead to rest.

On return to Fearfold Fox requests that Diana act as his sponser in his duties as Slayer. Access to her libraries of knowledge will greatly aid his work. Diana is pleased to agree - surrounded by DeVyr and his men she needs all the allies she can get.

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While Fox follows up research in the uth Wislan library, he discovers that Kane and his clan were cursed with their bane of fire by a priest of Sirrion. Fox pledges to become a follower of the now absent god of flame. He is asked by Diana and Carrington to get closer to DeVyr - it is believed that the knights have made some discovery, but they will not share their information with Diana. Fox learns that the knights have detected a pattern in the dracolich's attacks and that they are planning to intercept its next appearance. As the only witness to the first attack, Fox is invited along.

The Knights head to the village of Forlorn. DeVyr instructs Fox to keep the peasants under control and to pass information to Knight of the Thorn Xar. At midnight the undead dragon appears and attacks. Volleys of arrows from the knights, while DeVyr distracts the creature from the back of a wyvern, do not prevent the destruction of several buildings and the deaths of many villagers. The glowing form of a ghostly Solamnic Knight appears and approaches the dragon. It gazes at the destruction before disappearing as the dragon flies away. In the wake of the attack Fox notices two wolf-shaped vampires examining the dead.

The following day Fox is sent with four knights to find why vampires are in the area. As they track, the Puck appears in all his wild chaos. The creature makes a fatal mistake when it taunts the knights - they coordinate attacks and kill the twisted hobgoblin as Fox stands back. The party continues tracking and reach a barrow mound. The Slayer advises the knights to brandish fire. The enter the mound and use flame to easily trap and destroy the creatures. Exploring the vampire camp reveals a map marking the three dracolich attacks and also the region near Last Tower. The knights and Fox return to Forlorn to make a second stand against the dracolich. This time DeVyr waits and engages the Knight Haunt in single combat - a duel in which he is easily defeated. While the knights regroup, Fox is the only witness to a fight between the Knight Haunt and the dracolich - a battle in which the undead Solamnic drives off the dragon.

On return to Fearfold, Fox reports to Diana and DeVyr. It is revealed by DeVyr that the Knight Haunt is a former Solamnic Lord Knight named Amonthal - a great former foe of DeVyr. DeVyr plans to raid his tomb and to investigate the place of his death. Lady Diana is concerned about desecrating the Solamnic's tomb, but Carrington persuades her of the need to prevent DeVyr from obtaining Amonthal's blessed sword. A final unexpected development is the engagement of Diana to Carrington.

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Fox, Blade and David head north towards Last Tower. A few days from Fearfold, Blade is disturbed by troubling dreams - his change in mood causes the Slayer to carefully watch the half-vampire. While passing through a trackside inn they learn that this land is considered Kane's domain and the locals both fear and honour their vampire landlords. The party's next stop is the town of Peaceful. Fox approaches the town's Baron to offer help only to discover that the Baron is a vampire. The kender is lucky to escape, but vows to return and destroy the creature when they have obtained the magical sword.

The group continue and reach the tomb at Last Tower. They enter the tomb as Fox evades the defenses built by the dwarves of Garnet and wards left by Knights of the Skull. They enter Amonthal's resting place and are confronted by the Knight Haunt. The undead warrior's first reaction is to attack Blade, but Fox intervenes. He persuades Amonthal that Blade is not a threat to the people of Solamnia. He also assures Amonthal of his intent to defeat Kane and to protect the weak from the vampire clan - in turn the sword Protector is presented to David. Fox also confirms the the Knight Haunt's existance is tied to the dracolich's presence and that the beast lairs at Soul's Wound.

As the heroes close on Soul's Wound signs of the chaos of the area slows their progress. Vanished allies, unnatural beasts and strange chilling mists obstruct their path. But the Slayer does not let himself be distracted and pushes on. At the end of the last day's travel the wraith of the Puck appears. The ghostly apparition is as twisted and insane as the living version. It taunts the Slayer - laughing at his lack of progress, claiming the Master uses him as a plaything and warning that he should have listened to his stories. Fox ignores the taunts, but begins to question the relationships in Kane's clan and wonders how Blade and his heiritage fits in.

The group reaches the Dracolich's lair and is met by the Knight Haunt Amonthal. It will face the undead dragon but the heroes must destroy three stone pillars which channel the forces of chaos. First they must climb down to the crater containing Soul's Wound and battle through a horde of lesser undead. Shadow Wights materialise from the pillars, but with Fox's crossbow and wielding Protector, the chaos creatures fall and the pillars crumble. With the source of chaos gone Amonthal drives home his attack. The Knight Haunt and dracolich fall into the rift of Soul's Wound to rise moments later as a silver dragon and Solamnic rider. As the Slayer watches, they fly into the first clear sky seen over Nightlund in decades - disappearing into a burning, white sun.

The Future ...