Editing Challengers of the Unspeakable (section)

===The Scythe===
When they returned to Rathna, they found that rather than three years, they had been gone a mere four days. However, Rathna had been under constant siege during that time from undead, demons, and aberrations. Tol and Balon were badly wounded, Priam's psionic powers were proving less useful against aberrations, Leardon hadn't been seen for several days, and Myra and Gurrard were plagued by magical nightmares that prevented them from resting and replenishing their spells. Beyond that, they had lost contact with Alae's barbarians and the shadow that had emerged from the portal had devastated their forces. The army's divine casters were also having trouble feeling their gods' presence or praying for spells, and Myra's own efforts to contact Corellon and Bahamut had failed. Even worse, the meteorite had caused a portion of the Abyss to bleed into Syra, and there were reports of demon lords loose in the world. In addition, Tephra had cast a massive forbiddance spell over the region, preventing teleportation and limiting them to ground assaults that would surely prove disastrous. Until the Challengers returned, the only silver lining had been the absence of the aberration wielding Lifecutter.

Just when it seemed all hope was lost, Vyrellis arrived in Rathna with a hundred mages at her back. Since reclaiming the Pyramid of Shadows, she had spent her time making good on her promise and raiding every one of the Estorians' extradimensional prisons she knew off for reinforcements. Whatever crimes had led to their imprisonment centuries ago, Vyrellis granted them release in exchange for loyalty and aid against Tephra. Beyond wizards, though, she had located an ancient vault in which the Estorians had worked to breed dragons to counter the mind flayers during the [[Illithid War]]. Though the project had been abandoned, the fruits of their labors remained and now thousands of [[gem dragon]]s were free to aid them. She also told them of how she tracked down Grayson within the Pyramid of Shadows and killed him, but not before learning that he was actually a drow in service to Theriana tasked with spying on them and killing them if they came close to thwarting her plans.

As they spoke, a massive light streaked out of the sky and struck the ground, resolving itself into the form of an [[angel]]. It introduced itself as [[Zohar]], an angel of [[Moradin]]. He had been sent by the gods of [[Celestia]] to act as their agent in this conflict and aid the heroes in defeating Tephra, and brought with him Corellon's longsword, [[Sahandrian]], to use in the ritual to close the portal. Moreover, through Zohar, the gods blessed the Challengers of the Unspeakable to help them in their quest. Unfortunately, the aftereffects of the shadow's presence were blocking their powers and they would be unable to send further end; the heroes were now on their own.

As they greeted the new arrival, Alae returned with her barbarians, who had been pinned down by demons. They learned that Orcus had grown tired of waiting for Tephra to fulfill her end of the bargain, and had entered Syra through the planar rift to claim Lifecutter herself. In response, Tephra had hidden the blade away. Curiously, its hiding place matched the journal given to them in the Barrens, which also claimed that it was today that Orcus would secure the artifact. Armed with this information, the Challengers and Zohar rode south to beat Orcus to the scythe.

Entering the Estorian ruin where Lifecutter had been hidden, the Challengers were greeted by the first of the artifact's guardians: an enormous living sphere of annihilation. The heroes were able to destroy it with their spells, but not before it utterly destroyed Elytra's silver dragon, Kairothrax. Within the depths of the vault, they found several cultists of Nerull. As the heroes attacked, they called forth an abberant avatar of the dead god, a creature of shadow and blood covered with tentacles that bore only the vaguest resemblance to the Reaper that wielded Lifecutter in two of its four arms. After a long and brutal battle, the avatar succumbed, collapsing in on itself in a burst of blood and viscera. The Challengers hurried back outside, only to find themselves face to face with Orcus himself and a horde of ghouls stitched together from pieces of their former companion, Sarahlia.

Orcus demanded they give him Lifecutter, and when they refused the demon lord shattered the forbiddance zone and opened a portal to the [[Abyss]] to summon [[Doresain]], the Ghoul King. Instead, Doresain's head flew out of the portal and Harthur strode out, spattered in the Ghoul King's blood. Raising Nightbringer, Harthur rejoined his former companions in battle against Orcus. The battle was brief, as when Harthur plunged Nightbringer into the Orcus's stomach black energy erupted from the blade and enveloped the demon lord. Orcus's body violently tore apart, revealing a black-furred cat-like creature whose presence made Zohar feel ill. It introduced itself as the Nightbringer, the new demon lord of undeath, and took up the Wand of Orcus for itself. It thanked them from helping it not only escape from the blade in which it was boudn but ascend within Orcus's flesh, and after naming Harthur first among its exarchs it offered the Challengers a single reward for their service. They asked it to retrieve Kayleth from the Abyss, which the Nightbringer agreed to. It then departed to the Abyss to consolidate its power, taking Harthur along. Before they left, though, Kalth asked him for Farbane; as the axe had absorbed the essence of the dying Boccob, it would be a perfect component for the ritual to close the portal.