Editing Challengers of the Unspeakable (section)

===The Assault on Estorium===
Back in Silverstone, Myra tasked the Challengers with escorting the wizard [[Jorlin]], with Acererak's soul gems, to Estorium so he could study them in closer proximity to Tephra's portal in order to devise a means of using them to close it. The heroes teleported with him to an old teleportation circle a mile outside the ruined city of [[Terastra]], where they were immediately set upon by demons. They managed to fight past them and get Jorlin to Terastra, where the Brightstone Heroes and their forces had established a base to act against Tephra, but it was under attack by more demons supported by mercenaries known as the [[Ebon Riders]]. After a heavy battle they managed to defeat the mercenaries and kill not only the demons but the Aspect of Orcus that was leading them.

After seeing to Jorlin's security, they followed the Ebon Riders to where they were maintaining a portal to the Abyss within a ruined temple of Boccob. They found themselves attacked not only by the lich [[Ghovran Akti]] but also by the Ebon Riders' leader, a dwarven death knight of Orcus named [[Mauglurien]]. After Harthur relieved Mauglurien of both his soul weapon and Ghovran Akti's phylactery, the weakened dwarf was forced to retreat back into the portal. The heroes then closed it and destroyed the lich. Chrip, knowing Ghovran Akti to be a powerful servant of the Prince of Frost, suggested taking the phylactery into the [[Feywild]] to destroy it. Meanwhile, Harthur secretly made a pact with Nightbringer to become a death knight himself in exchange for serving the blade's will.

Using a nearby Fey Crossing, the heroes arrived in Mithrendain just in time to foil the assassination of Councilor Saffrenia. She explained that she believed someone on the council to be corrupted by evil, and asked their help in getting to the bottom of the dark plot. While speaking with the other councilors at a public celebration that night they learned of a newly-arrived eladrin noble named Jelvistra who was bribing Councilor Flaeorn and blackmailing Councilor Laemu, and had some deeper connection with Councilor Dresyae. Saffrenia led the heroes into the catacombs below the city, which had recently been sealed by the Council. They eventually discovered that Jelvistra was none other than their old foe Querelian, who had been corrupted by Tephra into an aberrant horror. Disguised as Jelvistra, he had pledged to help Dresyae take control of the city in order to further his own goals of vengeance. The Challengers slew Dresyae and destroyed Querelian, before turning Ghovran Akti's phylactery over to Saffrenia to be destroyed.

Returning to Terastra, they found the outpost under attack by drow trying to assassinate Jorlin. After fighting off the drow, Jorlin told them that he had located an ancient ruin to the north that, if the texts were correct, would be sufficiently warded to protect him from the drow. The Challengers escorted him there, only to discover that in the intervening years it had become the lair of the [[orium dragon]] [[Zanathakla]]. Zanathakla agreed to allow Jorlin to remain there with him to study ancient relics, in exchange for pressing the Challengers into his service. His first request was to investigate an ancient temple of [[Wee Jas]]. While exploring, they discovered that refugees from the [[Illithid War]] had fled there, only to be turned into vampires.

In one chamber of the temple, they found a sarcophagus heavily warded against aberrations. Inside was [[Gryff]], and though he had no memory of how he had gotten there after being pulled into the portal he was able to answer all of their questions as to his identity. Still unwilling to trust him, Chrip suggested opening a portal back to Silverstone but, in order to ease the passage, Gryff would need to drink a vial of "portal lube." Gryff agreed and promptly fell unconscious, as the vial actually contained a potion of dreadful sleep. In slumber, "Gryff" transformed into an aberrant monstrosity and they realized that it had merely been imitating him from their memories and killed it. In another chamber, they found an oni who opened a portal to the [[Abyss]] and threw Harthur through it. The Challengers gave chase, and found themselves on a high cliff overlooking a horde of demons; Harthur was nowhere in sight. With the portal closed and their friend seemingly lost, they sorrowfully plane shifted back to the Material Plane without him. After reporting their findings to Zanathakla, they asked Jorlin to scry upon both Harthur and Nightbringer to determine their fate. After performing the ritual, Jorlin informed them that he could not locate Harthur, but saw Nightbringer held aloft by a powerful balor. Concluding that Harthur was certainly dead, they returned to Terastra.

In Terastra, the Brightstone Heroes told them they were planning to establish a new base closer to Tephra's portal in the ruined city of [[Rathna]] and wanted the Challengers to escort a caravan of troops and supplies there to open a portal for the rest of them. The journey was long and fraught with danger, as they came under attack by foulspawn, an astral kraken, and even a powerful beholder. Though the latter very nearly slew them all, they managed to wound it enough that the other soldiers could finish it off and heal them. When they arrived at Rathna they found the city infested with foulspawn and undead, but were able to fight through them to open the portal. They had little time to rest, though, as the very next day Tephra personally arrived at the head of a massive army of foulspawn, undead, and demons to obliterate them all in one fell swoop. Joined by an elven rogue named [[Grayson]] who had been helping the Brightstone Heroes in Terastra, the Challengers fought through their ranks and confronted her, along with her new champion: Gryff, who had been corrupted into an undead demonic aberration. Telling themselves that this monster was no longer their old friend, they struck him down. As they did so, a burst of light flared into the sky as [[Nalindra]] herself claimed the soul of her paladin. As Gryff's spirit ascended, the light flared into a massive explosion. Tephra teleported away, but her entire army was vaporized by divine power. Gryff's mace and armor, which had likewise been infused with Nalindra's might, were taken up by Elytra who dedicated herself to Nalindra's cause.