Upon returning to the surface, the Order resumed their search for Calistan Enright once more, still with only half of the Hoary Key that was said to unlock the Crypt of Arduran in distant Northrend. The purpose of the key and the whereabouts of its other half remained a mystery, one that the library of Tyr's Hand could shed very little light on, save for that the enchanted, calcite-like mineral was fashion to seal the tomb of a man named Arduran.
When they had raided the 113th Provincial Guard's encampment previously, they had confiscated a map of the Eastern Plaguelands that Enright's men and cultists had annotated with several locations. With the tunnels of Azjol-Vexis delved and a brief entry into Stratholme revealing only Forsaken supporters of Lady Menethil, the only location left to find was the evasive 'Tenebra Rock' - the location, according to a letter discovered alongside the map, where Calistan would await the acquisition of the key.
The Order arrived upon the cliffs of New Avalon, where, at a farmhouse on the fringe of the ruined town, a half-dozen of Enright's soldiers were stationed. While two were dispatched, it was soon revealed that the men knew nothing of Enright's demonic possession, nor of the Cult of the Damned that infested the 113th's ranks, and so the rest were spared. In return, they revealed that their Lieutenant had long since vanished into Tirisfal on a presumed-scouting mission from Enright himself, following the deaths of a group of soldiers near Darrowshire.
For a while, the Order considered travelling to Tirisfal in search of the Lieutenant, one of the last remaining links to Enright and perhaps one of the few remaining people that knew of the location of Tenebra Rock., but after some deliberation they concluded that the man was dead. The letter they had found in the Provincial Guard's camp said that his mission had failed, and if the Scarlets were at odds with Enright's thralls there'd like be very little left to find.
Instead they went to Northdale, where the Argents reported a band of Scarlets had made camp - no other than the Order of the Blood of Martyrs, too. A battle ensued, and though the Order was able to recapture the lost lightforged iron icon that had been stolen from their shrine in Andorhal some weeks earlier, there was no sign of the Hoary Key.
The Order of Lordain were not the only ones on the hunt for the key, though. The Order of the Blood of Martyrs coveted it, too, and a few days later the Order of Lordain's encampment was raided by the Scarlets, and the loop half of the Hoary Key fell into the hands of the red-clad zealots.
With the Hoary Key in the hands of the enemy, the Order of Lordain thus fought a battle on two fronts: one against the elusive dreadlord, and another against the Scarlet Brotherhood, both of which pursued the Crypt of Arduran for different reasons. The quest was far from over, and all eyes turned to the frozen wastes of the cold and unforgiving north...
The Order will be heading to Stormwind this Wednesday, in preparation for the start of our Northrend expedition on Monday. Catch us around the Cathedral if you’re interested in joining up with us! Flyers /notices can be found around the city already, directing those of holy and just intent to join the Order’s ranks: https://www.argentarchives.org/node/256436