Al`Kabor's Research: The Relic of Brell Serilis

At last, with the long sought after scroll in his possession, the mighty Al'Kabor unravels the secret behind the demise of the Kedge race. Phinigel Autropos, the last surviving Kedge, consigned his brethren to permanent undeath with a magical spell of great power. Al'Kabor, armed with this knowledge, confronts Phinigel. The unspoken threat that he could use the very same spell on Phinigel himself is made clear, unless Phinigel cooperates with the wizard. The last Kedge is not one to take such threats lightly, however, and though he could more than likely destroy arrogant Erudite, he reasons it wiser to teach him a valuable lesson rather than risk his own life.

Phinigel uses his arcane magic to send out a vision of an ancient artifact, long guarded by his minions, the aqua goblins. The Hammer of Dagnor Butcherblock, the first dwarven king, appears before the dwarven rogue Duskan Hammerhand and a dark elven cleric named Teuil N'Mar. In the vision, the hammer is revealed, secreted beneath the murky waters of Dagnor's Cauldron within a barnacle-encrusted tower, and guarded by aqua goblins. Duskan recognizes the holy relic, and immediately makes a foolish attempt to retrieve the hammer alone, desiring the glory of the successful deed solely for himself. He fails, narrowly escaping the aqua goblins with his life.

Crawling along the shore, barely coherent and near death, Duskan manages to convince a party of passing adventurers to escort him to his King. When Duskan is brought before King Kazon Stormhammer and reveals his story of the vision and his botched raid, the King organizes an expedition for the recovery of the Butcherblock Hammer, known among the dwarves as Dagnor's Fist. Three dwarven champions are chosen to head the effort: Boris Stormhammer, the King's nephew, Kalek Orefinder, and Fenric Ogrebane, son of the legendary Furtog Ogrebane. These three, aided by the adventurers, easily cut down the aqua goblins guarding the hammer. As the goblin Tidal Lord is dying, Phinigel Autropos himself appears. He stymies the dwarves and adventurers, driving them back. Then, as swiftly as he appeared, he disappears. The dwarves and adventurers finish off the last goblin and rescue the hammer.

As they march victoriously back to Kaladim, a dark elven raiding party ambushes and slaughters them. In the fight, the dark elven wizard perishes, preventing the raiders' return to Neriak. The leader, Valkis D'Vinn, carefully seals the captured relic in an enchanted adamantium chest, and orders his group to march to Crushbone, where another dark elven wizard awaits.

Fenric, thought dead but actually feigning, overhears these plans, and immediately seeks help once they leave.

The dark elven raiding party discovers upon returning to Crushbone that the wizard they sought, Szasi R'Alis, is dead, along with Grak Crushbone, who died defending her. Valkis attempts to bargain with the adventurers who surround them, but is quickly cut down. The sealed Adamant Chest of Thex passes into the possession of the adventurers, who return to Kaladim to deliver the chest to King Kazon. The Dwarven King declares the dwarf in the party of adventurers his champion, and instructs him to return with the key to the chest.

The adventurers travel to Nektulos and slay Captain Na'Var, holder of the key. The Captain struggles, but is outmatched. The adventurers take the key back to the King, who rewards them with baubles from his treasury. The King then declares the dwarf adventurer who was integral to the success of the mission to be Champion of the Dwarves, and Guardian of Butcherblock's Hammer.