User blog:Tokenas/The Theft of the Throne

In the wake of the Archon's assassination, Ava and her team were placed on a brief furlough following their success at Aecris. Aron suggested that they head to the ancestral grounds of the Thaneholt Clan, in the Karhold mountain range.

Aron, as 24th in line for the the throne of the clan, has some pull, as does the legacy of her former master, Doundair. Aron was able to arrange for Ava to take a look at the dwarves' most sacred object, Moradin's Throne, and the attached Iron Jewel. The site had recently been reconsecrated, and under normal circumstances would have remained undisturbed for a week of cleansing. With Ava's visit, however, the cleansing was delayed by a day, and Ava walked into a throne room with a gaping hole in the back wall and a conspicuously empty dais where the Throne used to be.

Pursuing the fleeing Cairnhewer clan, Ava guided the team through the tunnels beneath the Karholds, adroitly avoiding dead ends and red herrings. Unable to shake the pursuit, the Cairnhewers pried the Iron Jewel from the Throne and left it behind with most of their team to fight a rear guard action while the others escaped with the Jewel.

Vanquishing the rear guard, Ava recovered the Throne - and some filings of the Iron Jewel remaining in the socket. Despite their continuing pursuit, the Jewel remained too far ahead, and eventually traces of the rival clan seemed to disappear.

The Seventh returned the Throne and filings to the grateful Thaneholts, who allowed Ava to keep a small portion of the filings - forged into the war pick, Scintilla. The clan elders and religious leaders decided to attempt to keep the theft of the Iron Jewel a secret, fearing the instability that would result, and started work on a replica to fill the Throne's socket with.