When last we left our heroes... The companions were escorted up the hill at the center of Sencankarr and taken, not to the palace proper, but to one of the houses in the palace complex, where they encountered this timeline's version of Thauthenai, the beautiful and ruthless woman who had haunted their steps from Ralakarr to the Leopard Isles. She was, apparently, Prince Onwae's chief "persuader" and after interrogating the companions about their connections to Norkur, made them a deal: She would let them go on whatever silly errands Norkur might be sending them on, but when they passed through the Northern District, they would run an errand for her as well: assassinate Onerama the Bald. Seeing no other choice (and after a few half-baked attempts to worm out of it) the companions (specifically Tengelbur) swore an oath that they would see this done.
Being allowed to continue along their way, they traversed the Northern moors for nearly a month before reaching the outskirts of Cheykor. They had almost reached the village itself when they came across the site of a grim and grisly ritual. While attempting to bury the bodies of the victims, they were ambushed by a pair of Arjagbori -- the great horned men of myth and legend. Although the companions defeated them, their victory came at a terrible cost: Reiana, the Sword-Maiden of the Red Isle, was blinded.
Finally arriving in Cheykor, the companions entered the village square, where they saw Talarja. She saw them too, and when her eyes came to rest on Vanera her look of recognition turned into one of rage. "What are you doing here, you son of a..."
