Once, long ago, Cynthia was a knight, sworn to protect a young lord and his manor.
Then, she was Cynthia sen Espera, a wandering warrior, taking small-time monster- and bounty-hunting contracts, with naught but a finely-crafted shield to remind her of her failure.
| Player Name | Lynn |
|---|---|
| Player Name | Cynthia sen Espera; Cynthia, Shield of the Eyrie |
| Languages | Common, Infernal |
| Affiliations | Iron Hawks |
| Species | Tiefling |
| Gender | Female |
Now, she is Cynthia, Shield of the Eyrie, an adventurer battling back the darkness that the corrupted gem greatwyrm Feredemius has unleashed on the continent of Isonhound.
This is her journey.
Appearance and Demeanor
Cynthia is a tall, purple-skinned tiefling with silver eyes and two thin horns that hug the sides of her head. She wears her hair short and is usually seen in full heavy armor. She wears a longsword on her hip and a shield on her back; when she rides into battle on a mount, she also wields a lance. Her equipment is generally functional and well-worn, with the notable exception of her shield. A relic of her past life, it is made of steel and polished to a mirror sheen, with fine engravings around the edges.
Cynthia tends to be rather gruff and to-the-point. She views it as her job to keep those around her safe, though she can be impulsive at times and has trouble dealing with anything too far outside the bounds of the material plane. Though she spends much of her time alone on the road, she is not generally unfriendly, and she will interact in social settings if the need arises.
Adventures
The Witch and the Pet God
Date: 5/13/22
Party: Cynthia, Delphi, Durian, Ensign, Herneldo, (Silent)
Cynthia’s introduction to the loose coalition of adventures known as the Greedy Greeners was morbid and sudden. A reclusive hag named Yggwilv put out a hefty bounty on the Green Stag, a dragon mob boss of sorts. Cynthia and another mercenary, Herneldo, had recently slain a young green dragon; believing it to be the Green Stag, they took its severed head to Yggwilv’s bird-legged hut in the woods. They were unfortunately mistaken, and for their error, were consumed by the hut and knocked unconscious.
Some time later, the two awoke, disoriented and laying in a pile of corpses. A mysterious voice spoke to them, taunting them and threatening to eat their souls. It offered an ultimatum: invoke its name in prayer or be consumed. Cynthia and Herneldo both agreed. So began Cynthia’s tentative devotion to the entity called Silent.
After leaving the small room in which they awoke, Cynthia and Herneldo met with several other adventurers: Durian, Ensign, and Delphi. These three had slain the actual Green Stag, and had brought its head to retrieve the bounty. After some time, during which the group found an unsettling cage full of larval babies, Yggwilv appeared to inspect the Green Stag’s remains. She took the adventurers to her loom, where she laid out the deal they would be offered: three wishes in return for three days of work.
At her loom, Yggwilv revealed that she was really the witch queen Tasha. She regaled the party with tales of dragons from many times and many realms, fielding questions in return. One dragon in particular stood out: the ancient gem dragon Sardior. During this conversation, her relationship with Silent was also made clear: Silent was a minor god of death who was captured by Tasha and bound inside her hut as a pet of sorts. Still speaking in their heads, Silent urged the party to use one of their wishes to free her.
The work was morbid. The larvae would be released into an outer plane known as the Gray Wastes, where they would feed on the souls of the dead. Then, the party would be tasked with killing them to return their souls to Tasha’s hut. The Gray Wastes were not empty, though; monsters native to the plane would attempt to eat the larvae and their gathered souls. In order to aid in the battles, Tasha offered Cynthia her choice of mount from a downstairs menagerie. Cynthia chose a giant rhinoceros beetle, and the two formed a quick bond.
On the first day, the party successfully killed all of the larvae; the monsters of the Gray Wastes had yet to notice the operation. The second day proved more challenging; a monster grabbed Herneldo, and in the ensuing fray, several of the larvae escaped into the vast expanse of bones. The third day went more smoothly; the party once again successfully killed all of the babies.
For two successful days, the party received two wishes. Durian and Delphi had a plan for one of them, using it to resurrect a recently-fallen comrade. After some deliberation, the party used the other wish to free Silent from captivity. Unsure of their decision, the party returned to the material plane and parted ways. Cynthia, for her part, was allowed to keep her insectoid mount; she named the fearsome beast Henrik.
After those few days, Cynthia’s fate would become embroiled with the Greedy Greeners. She made herself a frequent visitor of their headquarters in Seglock, the continent’s largest city, and from that day forth, she would play a small part in the many world-shaking events to come.
Beyond the Dread Firegates
Date: 5/13/22
Party: Aesir, Cyan, Cynthia, Joshua, Karl, (Silent)
While in the Greedy Green headquarters in Seglock, Cynthia was made aware of a great dragon’s hoard that lay in a cavern beyond the Dread Titan’s Firegates. The Firegates had recently opened, and the motley crew of people in the Greedy Green HQ at the time were tasked with retrieving the treasure. A recently-built altar to Silent meant that she too would come on the journey.
On the way there, the party occupied themselves with all manner of activities. Aesir played his pan flute, Joshua and Karl raided a goblin encampment for some booze, and Cynthia doted on Henrik. In a particularly memorable occurrence, Henrik met Aesir’s dog, and some Speak with Animals-related shenanigans ensued.
Eventually, the party reached the Firegates. Joshua scouted ahead, while Cyan and Karl spoke with the local wildlife. Apparently, a group of cultists had extablished a hideout in the cave. The party ventured in, encountering an elven girl named Raritan who had been kidnapped by the cultists. Cyan knew Raritan as the first mate of a ship that she was familiar with. Raritan told the party that the cultists were worshipers of Tiamat, and that the dragon inside the cave was a red dragon. The party sent Raritan on her way before heading deeper in.
The inside of the cave was littered with giant bones that seemed to be those of a dragon. After some time, the party came across a giant dragon’s skull. Cyan was apparently familiar with this dragon. They were friends before its death; the dragon helped Cyan through a rough patch in her life. The party paid their respects and ventured ever deeper.
At first, the party encountered only meager resistance from the cultists. They wielded powerful magic, but had little in the way of defense, and the party’s warriors dispatched them with ease.
In one room, deep in the cave, there was an altar to Tiamat that appeared to be covered in blood. Karl, drunk and enraged at the worshipers of the dragon god, struck the altar with his axe, damaging it. However, this also set off a trap, filling the room with a fireball. When the smoke had cleared, the party was barely alive, but Henrik had been killed by the blaze. Cynthia confronted Karl, and he had little explanation for his outburst.
On the verge of death, the party attempted to rest in the cave. Unfortunately, another group of cultists interrupted their rest, and though the party eventually prevailed, Cyan was killed in the battle. Nonetheless, the group pressed on.
Eventually, the party reached the dragon’s hoard. They were met with a fearsome red dragon, but soon found that it was an illusion. It was actually a river dragon, Mentztonalcoatl, that had been captured by the cultists and used as a deterrent. It directed the party to the Selune Splinter, a giant magical gem that could create powerful illusions, which they deactivated. Mentztonalcoatl explained that Cyan could potentially be brought back by casting his remains into the nearby river together with the dragon bones throughout the cave. These bones were those of Tlayohualcoatl, the son of Mentztonalcoatl. The party was unable to extricate all of the bones at the time, but they made it a mission of the Greedy Greeners.
After dressing her wounds, Cynthia buried one of Henrik’s mandibles in a small clearing in the forest outside of Seglock.
Battle on the Saphabian
Date: 6/28/22
Party: Arlin, Buho, Cynthia, Dancer, Nockdus, Spinel, Vadath
Some time later, Cynthia answered a posting from Falgrim Norest Gammelgard (a largely dwarvish port city) to defend against monstrosities that were mounting an assault against the city. She traveled there and met with several members of the mercenary company known as the Band of the Iron Hawks. Together, they were briefed by Falgrim on the situation.
A mad alchemist, Horatio Cheshire, had been creating monstrous, powerful versions of orcs and goblins. Recently, these creations had been attacking on mutated dragons called Fang Mounts, and there was word that the orcs were attempting to breed them. Falgrim had traced the operation to an abandoned fortress on the Saphabian River, and tasked the party with wiping it out.
Dancer, the Iron Hawks’ First Ranger, easily led the party through the forests surrounding Gammelgard, and they were able to sneak up on the river outpost. The battle was a tough one; Arlin, the Clerical Captain of the Iron Hawks, was grabbed by one of the Fang Mount’s mouth, while Cynthia was knocked out by a goblin. Nonetheless, the group pulled through, killing the horribly mutated orcs and goblins. Cynthia incapacitated the last remaining Fang Mount, offering it to Vadath, the Iron Hawks’ leader. Vadath vowed to tame the beast, even against the protestations of Falgrim.
The peace brought by the battle was not to last, however; the party watched on in horror as a great five-headed dragon landed nearby before flying off into the countryside. Surely, Tiamat could not have come here, to Isonhound, right?
Cynthia was impressed by her first encounter with the Band of the Iron Hawks. They displayed coordination, bravery, and tenacity, and their mission of keeping the people of Isonhound safe was a noble one. Little did she know that one day she would join their ranks.
A Curious Encounter
One day, while traveling through the woods, Cynthia heard a great clamor coming from nearby. She found a number of Greedy Greeners battling against a black dragon. She decided not to partake in the battle, though some still say that her presence nearby nonetheless had an effect on its course.
Drakkoth's Blood
Date: 8/14/22
Party: Cynthia, Durian, Ferris, Grandmush, Harold, Markoth, Trina
In the days since Cynthia aided in the defense of Gammelgard, a countermeasure had been found for Cheshire’s mutated monsters: Drakkoth’s blood. When Cheshire’s monsters were struck with a blade that had been coated in the blood of a Drakkoth (a sort of draconic centaur), they died instantly, with but a single strike. Unfortunately, Seglock University, which was responsible for processing the blood, had recently had its funding cut by Baron Faro, the uptight, elitist baron of Seglock. In addition, Drakkoths were in short supply.
Baron Faro held a town hall to discuss the recent budget changes, and several members of the Greedy Green, including Cynthia, were in attendance. The baron went on a tirade against the Greedy Greeners, accusing them of attracting monsters to the city and even of smuggling dragon eggs in through the Moonwell’s shield. The adventurers in attendance objected, pointing to their work defending the city and to the fact that the entire continent was under attack by Horatio Cheshire’s monsters. In particular, Cynthia singled out the recent defense of Gammelgard. The baron seemed generally unconvinced, but begrudgingly agreed to restore the university’s funding.
After the adventurers left the town hall, a mysterious figure approached them on the street. He introduced himself as Archie Stewart, a member of the Protectors of the People. The Protectors were an band of mercenaries that operated in the woods outside of Seglock, slaying “dragons” both literal and metaphorical. He told the party that he knew where to find more Drakkoth blood. They agreed to travel to the Protectors’ hideout and meet with their leader, Brenna.
The party traveled to the location of the hideout and encountered a pine tree-shaped Ent named Neem. After some conversation, Neem deemed them worthy, and led them to a secret cave. There, Belle, a cleric of Bahamut, greeted them. The walls of the cave were covered in bounties for dragons that had been drawn over to make fun of various societal elites, among them Baron Faro. Belle told the party that the cave once belonged to a gold dragon, but that the Protectors killed it and moved in. She also revealed that the Protectors’ benefactor was a silver dragon named Sro.
The Protectors of the People kept track of the Drakkoths’ movements, and revealed to the party that there was a band of Drakkoths preparing to attack the town of Raritan. They also revealed the location of a dragon’s hoard. Several party members had a blessing that would disappear if they attacked a dragon, so the party decided to go after the Drakkoths. The battle was not a terribly hard one, and the party kept two of the Drakkoths alive: one for Seglock University and one for the Protectors of the People.
The Protectors also mentioned some sort of prophecy about something sealed away in the mountains. Perhaps they were onto something.
The Curator's Assignment
Date: 8/27/22
Party: Many
It was finally time to take down the mad alchemist Horatio Cheshire. A fey being called the Curator summoned many of the Greedy Greeners to brief the mon the situation. Apparently, Cheshire had traveled to the Shadow Forges, a small plane sandwiched between the material plane and the Shadowfell. He hoped to use the arcane machinery housed there to produce more and better monstrosities.
Once, the Fey attempted to destroy the Shadow Forges, but were unable to do so. Instead, they sealed the plane away with a number of keys. Somehow, Cheshire acquired one of these keys and used it to bring himself and many of his monstrosities to the forges. By this point, three of the four forges were active; if he managed to activate the fourth one before the Greedy Greeners could stop him, he would be able to harness the full power of the forges and launch an unimaginable assault on the material plane.
The adventurers divided themselves into three strike teams, each with a healer, and ventured into the three activated forges. They were warned that the forges would attempt to defend themselves with monstrous constructs. Each team entered one of the already-activated forges. Resistance was initially quite weak; the adventurers easily dispatched the orcs and goblins that Cheshire had stationed at each forge. Once the forges began to fight back, however, the battle grew far tougher. Each forge summoned two fearsome enemies: a giant mound of writhing flesh and a shadowy sentinel in thick armor. The group that Cynthia was in had extra trouble with the sentinel; its armor resisted nonmagical attacks, making many of their weapons almost useless against it. Eventually, though, with the help of Vadath and Delphi teleporting in from another forge, the adventurers prevailed and moved on to phase two of the plan.
For the assault on the central forge, the adventurers would once again divide into three teams. One of the teams would venture into the heart of the forge to battle Cheshire and the worst of his monstrosities. Meanwhile, the other two teams would defend fey who were holding open portals leading into the central forge. Cynthia was chosen to be on the first team, and she headed into the belly of the beast alongside Vadath, Tristram, Linden, and Boros.
Inside the forge, the strike team was met with Horatio Cheshire himself and the Tiamat lookalike that Cynthia had seen all the way back during her defense of Gammelgard. By now, the adventurers could deduce that this was but one more of Cheshire’s creations: a dracohydra. As the team did battle with Cheshire and his pet, this forge too spawned the same pair of monsters to defend itself. Cynthia held off the flesh monstrosity while the rest of the team dealt with the dracohydra. Partway through the battle, one of the team cast a sort of mind-control spell on Cheshire, suggesting that he leave in peace. Cheshire grabbed an artifact off of one of the research tables in the room and teleported away to parts unknown.
Once the second of the forge’s monstrosities, the shadowy armored sentinel, appeared, the battle seemed to be unwinnable. By that point, the party had been backed into a magical dome in the corner of the room. Surprisingly, though, the sentinel chose to attack the dracohydra, not the adventurers. With the tides turned, the team was able to kill the dracohydra and destroy the forge itself. All of the adventurers were teleported back to the Curator’s cottage, where he revealed to them that he captured Cheshire while the alchemist was still in a magically-induced docile state. He threw Cheshire’s now-dead body onto the ground, and Vadath fed it to his newly-tamed Fang Mount.
After the battle, Vadath and Delphi approached Cynthia and offered her a position in the Iron Hawks. She gladly accepted, having seen the company’s bravery in several battles. Finally, she was no longer Cynthia sen Espera. Now, she was Cynthia, Shield of the Eyrie.
The Tears of Sardior
Date: 9/26/22
Party: Arlin, Cynthia, Ensign, Oxan, Percy, Violet
A kidnapping! Belle, the paladin of the Protectors of the People, told several of the Greedy Greeners that the mayor of Synara had gone missing, and she suspected that the silver dragon Sro was the one who did it. Sro apparently had a penchant for capturing government officials, believing that the cities and towns of Isonhound would be better off without them. The party traveled with Belle to Sro’s mountaintop lair, trudging up a long, winding path. Cynthia and Arlin, in particular, wore themselves out lugging their heavy armor and equipment up the mountain.
The party reached the compound and entered a cavern where they met an old man sitting alone at a table. This was Sro, shapeshifted into human form. Sro explained that he had not kidnapped the mayor at all, but had instead invited him as a ploy to lead the adventurers to his compound. Sro had important information to impart.
He told the party that Isonhound was on a path toward destruction. Long ago, Sardior, a great ruby dragon, was splintered into five gem greatwyrms. Being of largely neutral disposition, these greatwyrms generally kept themselves secluded from the rest of the world. Now, however, there were rumors that the greatwyrms were beginning to converge again. Sro feared that unleashing the power of Sardior would spell an end for Isonhound. He told the party what little he knew of the gem dragons’ whereabouts. The sapphire dragon was hidden underground; the emerald dragon, known as a troublemaker, had gone missing; the crystal dragon was on the moon; the amethyst dragon, the most powerful of the bunch, was hidden among mortals; and the topaz dragon’s whereabouts were unknown.
Before sharing more, Sro felt that he should test the adventurers’ mettle. He transformed Belle into a fearsome cave dragon and tasked the party with fighting her. They had no wish to harm Belle, however, and so Cynthia distracted her while Arlin dispelled the shape-changing spell that she was under. Impressed by their cleverness, Sro continued.
He told the party that the information about Sardior was gathered by a gold dragon named Bazzniagalvinica. This dragon was protecting a golden egg, and the party pieced together that it was actually Brenna, the leader of the Protectors of the People. This explained how the group got their hideout: they did not kill a gold dragon, but rather allied with one. Sro also presented each the party with Tears of Sardior, ancient crystals that held some of the last vestiges of Sardior’s power. These crystals could hold the blessing of a gem dragon and grant their wielder magical powers; supposedly, a mortal tribesman named Zaatu was able to teleport using one of them. Cynthia accepted one of the Tears.
After presenting the Tears, Sro sent the party on their way. He encouraged them to spread word of Sardior’s potential return to the rest of the Greedy Green and ensured them that he would allow the mayor of Synara to return. The party left, burdened by the information they had just acquired.
Song of the Solstice
[PLACEHOLDER]
Mr. V
[PLACEHOLDER]
Shadow's Fall
[PLACEHOLDER]
The Town with No Name
[PLACEHOLDER]
Corruption
Date: [PLACEHOLDER]
Party: [PLACEHOLDER]
While at an inn in Seglock, Cynthia and several other Greedy Greeners witnessed what was by that point a common occurrence: a shadow monster emerged from the dark and walked up to the edge of the Moonwell’s field. This had happened so much that the monster had a nickname: “Horns.” Horns usually just stood at the edge of the field for a while before returning to the shadows, but on this day it lingered. After some time, two more shadow monsters joined it, then two more, until eventually they crowded at the edge of the city.
By this point, the Greedy Greeners were alarmed, and had taken up positions in the street. They were right to, because The One Who Waits himself emerged from the shadows. Durian attempted to detect his thoughts, and seemed to be drawn into a vision. The One Who Waits offered the rest of the party a deal: kill Durian, and they would be protected from the shadows. The party refused.
Durian later revealed to the rest of the Greedy Green that he had seen the past of The One Who Waits. Long ago, on the gem dragons’ court, there sat an obsidian dragon. This was not The One Who Waits, though. Instead, the emerald dragon Feredemius grew more and more hedonistic over time. The populace fought back, but their efforts were largely fruitless. As his ambitions grew, Feredemius began to dabble in unnatural pursuits, becoming greedier and more sadistic. Eventually, a team of great heroes gathered five powerful artifacts and sealed Feredemius away under the Northern Mountains. Feredemius was everywhere, because Feredemius was The One Who Waits. This vision also revealed that, to reform the gem dragons’ court, only 5 members and artifacts out of a possible 6 were needed.
After Durian had this information revealed to him, several corpulent shadow monsters squeezed themselves through cracks that had formed in the Moonwell’s shield. With the help of magical equipment donated by a nearby weapon shop, the party eventually prevailed over the monsters, though the battle was made more challenging by their caustic blood and regenerative abilities. After the dust settled, Ensign realized that one of the objects they saw in the shop was of Relith origin.
Upon investigation, they realized that the object was a range extender for their communicator. They used it to hail a Relith craft, finally getting word of their survival back to their people. At the same time, though, the cracks in the shield widened. The party put two and two together, and realized that this mysterious alien object was causing the breach in the shield. They moved it closer to the center of the city, and the Moonwell’s shield reformed once again.
Freeing the Amethyst
Date: 4/15/23
Party: [PLACEHOLDER]
After her first visit to the town with no name, Cynthia spent some of her downtime making expeditions back in, supplying the populace with food and secreting them out when possible. On one of these expeditions, a great clamor erupted from a nearby street. Upon investigating, Cynthia saw a mind-boggling site: a giant mechanical dragon had landed, and Greedy Greeners were pouring out of it and fighting cultists in the street. Cynthia joined in the brawl, but the cultists outnumbered the adventurers and they were forced to retreat back inside of the dragon. It was revealed to be a ship called MSDOS, piloted by Vessel, and the other adventurers were on a mission to save the amethyst dragon that was trapped in the city’s center. The party had been supplied with moonflowers, which could purge Feredemius’ corrupting influence from a being.
Upon reaching the center of the city, the party was attacked by Father Mel, who made his way inside of MSDOS. With the help of a moonflower from Felicia, Cynthia purified Mel before knocking him out. Seeing that Reylendor had personal issues with Mel, Cynthia left him to her. Once Mel was knocked out, the curse on the city was lifted; the party could remember that its name was Fallhorn, and some even remembered that they had visited before. Reylendor awoke Mel and interrogated him. She was briefly possessed by a mysterious entity, who seemed to be the master of Mel, before returning to her normal self again. She assured Cynthia that this was nothing dangerous to the party, and refused to kill Mel right away.
Meanwhile, several more members of the party managed to purify the amethyst dragon. The dragon thanked them and told them to return to MSDOS, then sent the entire craft flying into the Astral Plane.
Fey Bull#@*&
Date: 4/15/23
Party: [PLACEHOLDER]
Aboard MSDOS, the party found themselves hurtling through the Astral Plane towards the moon. After a truly baffling puppet show, Vessel navigated the craft through a portal on the moon’s surface. It landed in the Lunar Court, a realm in the Feywild. The party disembarked, walking through the overgrown trees and strange plants to the complex housing the court itself. Once inside, they were subjected to all manner of strange happenings. In particular, they found themselves at one point compelled to dance. Cynthia and Omen failed to keep the beat, and they caught a glimpse of a giant snake with a human’s face. Omen motioned to Cynthia not to speak.
After walking past a great menagerie of beasts, the party encountered the ruler of the Lunar Court, Lady Luonoch. A group of satyrs came and led Richard away to parts unknown. Reylendor asked the Lady about a mysterious entity known as “She,” to which the lady responded that “She” was a “work in progress.” Reylendor and Vessel then left to find “She,” leaving the rest of the party to speak with the Lady.
Lady Luonoch offered Cynthia a proposition: Cynthia could be granted immense power, and in return she would just have to serve the Lady for some time. Cynthia, wishing to remain on the material plane and aid in the defeat of Feredemius, refused, pointing to the emblem of the Iron Hawks engraved on her breastplate. After some more prodding, Cynthia made it clear that her answer was final. The Lady was miffed, but said that Richard had already accepted a similar proposition. Cynthia was unsurprised; the beetle was generally only loyal to whoever fed it last.
Elsewhere in the complex, Reylendor found “She.” At that, the Lady’s disposition shifted; she became enraged, and the surrounding area alit with a red glow and twisted to match her anger. She banished Cynthia to a maze on the ceiling of the complex, and attempted to hamper the rest of the party’s escape. The party, however, was able to break into the central room, which housed a portal back to the material plane and a moonstone dragon, held in chains. They broke the chains and escaped through the portal. At the last minute, Tristram retrieved Cynthia by teleporting to the ceiling and back. Seeing the power of the Lady, an archfey in her domain, made Cynthia decide to leave Richard in the Lunar Court. It would put her at a disadvantage going into the battle against Feredemius, but that was better than dying or becoming trapped in a fey contract.
The party was ejected back onto the material plane, and the naga that Cynthia and Omen had seen earlier was made corporeal. Vessel realized that this was a mind snare naga, and that it had infected him and made him forget his true identity as the Autom Lord. The party eviscerated the naga before returning to Seglock to prepare for the assault on Feredemius.
