The Paladin sighed, looking to the ground. “I would not bring this upon you . . . . If I could, I would suffer your damnation!” He shook his head, “But . . . there is nothing else that we may do.”

Malcom of Helliwell turned away. “You’re a bastard. But of course you know this.” He looked to his hands. Wrinkles and bones, they no longer bore the strength to wield a blade or heft a shield. How had this come to pass, he mused, his youth stolen in so few years? In days he aged months, in month’s years. There was no doubt eldritch magic involved, somehow involved with the wars. He stood upon the brink of death, and he knew it.

And now they needed him. They needed his life prolonged for some spell or some such. Somehow he was the key.

“How long do I have, mage?”

The old wizard shook his head. His voice was cool and calm, “A day, two at the most. You either take Sagramore’s way or we bury you and the power you carry.”

The Sea Towns sprawl along the coastal region, their streets and alleys intermingling such that none could say where one leaves off and the other begin. The streets are narrow, the markets small if plentiful, and alleys twist and wind their ways between hosts of rickety buildings. The buildings range from one to three stories high, but a few scrape the sky with six floors. Alleys twist upon the rooftops as the buildings crush together in the tight confines of the coastal plain. The landscape is a dark twisted forest of tunneled streets, alleys, homes, arches, shops and markets. This is the Heart of Glass.

The Heart of Glass is a dark adventure that pits the party against thieves, assassins and other denizens of the night. It takes place in the back alleys and abandoned neighborhoods of the Sea Towns of Ihlsa. There, amidst the twisted, jumbled streets of the Three Cities, one can buy anything, or anybody, for a price. The party must penetrate this reclusive world and unravel its mysteries in order to upset the plans of Malcom of Helliwell and retrieve the magical artifact which Malcom so ardently desires.

The three Sea Towns of Ihlsa are: Ra-veen, Nochi and Capayrnha. Portions of each town are detailed, including economy, government, persons of note, guilds, and places of interest. The events surrounding the magical Heart of Glass provide a backdrop to the towns, and serve to introduce both the CK and Players to what should develop into a fun and robust setting that offers many nights of enjoyment and play.