Reconquest

Thay

The Zulkir of Summoning arrives to coordinate the effort to break the barrier to the missing province and assumes general command.

A message arrives from Szass Tamm where he asks Zárisse to represent the school of Necromancy during the proceedings. This is not well recieved by the reclusive necromantrix but both Darya and Fandamm encourages her to accept the undertaking since it would be beneficial from a political perspective.

Reluctantly Zárisse agrees but soon things go awry.

A series of letter exchanges between her and the Zulkir gives rise to a certain amount of misunderstanding owing to the choice of words by Zárisse who, true to her nature, is direct and to the point and not at all interested in pointless politeness and fawning phrases.

Eventually, however, matters are resolved and the grand ceremony to bring the magical barrier down is well under way. At the very apex of the ritual the red dragoness appears and with a mighty blast of draconic fire heralding the triumph of the Red Wizards the fog-infused barrier shatters.

A certain backlash occurs when the warm air of Thay collides with the freezing temperatures in the reconnected province. Some confusion ensues and a fellow necromancer alas perishes. Ever resourceful Fandamm manages to rescue a magical staff formerly belonging to the fallen Red Wizard and presents it as a gift to his Mistress.

Darya and Lothar boldly go forth, along with Lothar's hell hound and a small batch of skeletons to recapture and secure the border fortress. To their surprise finds it mostly intact. Suddenly Tiger bursts out to attack the intrepid band of reconquistadors. The vicious man-tiger having hidden inside the structure gains the element of surprise and pounces upon Lothar!

The brave blackguard stands his ground and Darya comes to his aid by sending forth lethally accurate arrows as Lothar and the hell hound engages their enemy in melee. Glorious victory soon follows!

As Zárisse and her entourage once again settle in in the fortress, they recieve a surprise visit from Szass Tamm who congratulates his client to her success. He offers some advice on politics and Darya is greatly impressed by his great wisdom and scholarly prowess.

Zárisse is now officially promoted to be the new Tharchioness over this (mostly) desolate province.

As a last security measure, Marina has her slave brand removed through the use of a scalpel and some minor healing.

Thus ends the recapture of the Missing Province.