Kihlek

Kihlek Vaess

Who really knows what he looks like under the cloak?

Relatives	None
Languages	Draconic, Halfling, Common, Sylvan
Affiliations	TBD
Aliases	Green Fang
Marital Status	Single
Place of Birth	Isonhound WIlds
Date of Death	N/A
Place of Death	N/A
Species	Kobold
Gender	Male
Height	2 Feet.
Weight	25 lbs
Eye Color	Gray

Kihlek Vaess (pronounced Kee-lek Vay-ess) is a Kobold Drakewarden Ranger native to the wilds of Isonhound. He is a character in the Into the Greedy Green campaign.

Physical Appearance

Kihlek is short for a Kobold at just barely 2 feet tall. He has green scales and gray eyes. He weighs about 26 pounds, but doesn't keep track of that sort of thing. Usually he will wear a hooded dark cloak over his armor, with a shortbow slung over his shoulder, and a bag of holding firmly strapped to his lower back. In his hands whenever he travels, he now carries a Rod of Alertness to keep an eye out for trouble. Aside from his armor, he wears a necklace strung with beads, small fragments of bone, and 47 (mostly) whole teeth, he has also added a carved chunk of Wovenstone that is warm to the touch to the necklace.

Personality

Kihlek tends to fade into the background as much as he can. He prefers not to be noticed, and is quite happy being left to his own devices outdoors. Despite this preference, Kihlek actively seeks not just adventure, but the opportunity to do "great deeds." The more impressive the feat, the more likely Kihlek is to ignore the risks and attempt it. And if he succeeds, he will make sure anyone and everyone knows it and remembers. He keeps a notebook in which he maintains a record of all his deeds and the people who witnessed them. Most of his recent deeds lack witnesses. He also keeps souvenirs of creatures or foes that he slays. That way, no one can doubt the truth of his claims!

It is important to Kihlek that events align with his moral interests. Helping others is good because it also leads to long-term benefits such as safety with neighbors. Stopping wrongdoers helps make him stronger and makes other friends. Torturing prisoners is a waste of time and effort. Either they can be persuaded to share information, magic used on them, or dealt with.

Kihlek does not make obvious gestures of affection, but he truly cares for his adopted halfling family and has a firm belief in protecting other small folk's interests. He also firmly believes in confronting your enemies (so long as doing so is not likely to result in said enemies killing you). He doesn't like lies, mostly because he can't be bothered to try to remember false things when there are so many true things, and he especially cannot abide lies about himself or his people. Secrets, on the other hand, are precious and can be held onto as jealously as a dragon's horde.

History

Hatched in 814 PR as a member of the Ixen Jonal tribe of Kobolds in wilds of Isonhound. Around the year 821 PR the tribe was destroyed in a violent attack by a group of individuals who looted the caverns. During the attack, several of the tribe's members fled or hid, but Kihlek never found any other survivors. In the aftermath of the attack, Kihlek scavenged his home for supplies and collected the teeth and bones of his fellow kobolds in the necklace he keeps around his neck, always to remember them. In the long winter following the destruction of his home, Kihlek struggled to eek out a life in the wilds until he discovered a small community of halflings. While he took great pains not to be discovered, eventually his minor pilfering of supplies and use of the surrounding woods was discovered. Rather than kill him, the halflings adopted him as a kind of strange pet. In a community once more, Kihlek began to develop a reputation as a talented archer and a surprisingly cunning linguist. In an effort to elevate the opinion of himself and his tribe, Kihlek began taking on greater and greater challenges: archery contests, missions to track down missing animals, and even slaying dangerous beasts.

During this time, Kihlek learned the Halfling and Sylvan languages and further honed his skills as a Ranger. He also first learned how to summon Thirku, which made his forest excursions significantly more successful. Despite finding a limited amount of acceptance among the halflings, Kihlek was never truly comfortable as a member of the community. But perhaps most importantly, he began to comprehend the true scale of the world and his growing need to experience it.

Since the Spring of 825 PR, Kihlek finally felt free to travel. He has lived primarily on his own in the wilderness since, never staying too long in one place, seeking greater challenges and the ability to prove his worth to the world. This leads him to his first contact with other adventurers in Into the Greedy Green.

During these adventures, he has traded with a green dragon, slain Drakkoth, slain a black dragon, slain a death giant, and investigated missing persons cases.

Languages

Kihlek knows Draconic, Common, Halfling, and Sylvan. He is most comfortable conversing in Draconic, and does so whenever possible.

Powers and Abilities

Kihlek does his absolute best to attack with his shortbow from behind cover. He is shockingly quick at finding or creating cover in all manner of circumstances, and is not above using allies as human(oid) shields. He sends Thirku into the thick of battle so long as doing so isn't likely to get himself attacked by foes.

He uses magically-created arrows from a ring of volleys as his primary weapon of choice. He also has a surprising amount of magic for a ranger, and can unleash detection spells as needed through his rod, or a number of helpful spells, such as curing wounds, or laying a field of spikes.

Attacks and Weapons 

Kihlek's favored weapon is the shortbow. He would be happy to use something with a little more punch, or even more range, but finds that heavy weapons like the longbow are unsuited to his size. He hand-crafts his arrows, preferring to use bone tips for the heads when possible, but has begrudgingly found that metal heads tend to be easier to re-use. He keeps a shortsword and a long hunting knife available should the need arise for close combat, but is far happier dealing with his foes at range, where the all-too common size difference is much more of an advantage for Kihlek. Kihlek always attacks in tandem with his companion: Thirku, a drake.

Base of Operations

Kihlek has acquired a secure base of operations off of the river between Seglock and Saltport. The former Ankheg hive was cleared out and has since been repurposed into an elaborate den designed to serve as a secure base of operations for Kihlek and Thirku. There are many traps, and so far, no one else has been permitted to visit the location since Kihlek laid claim to it. Intruders are warned to stay away let they risk entombment.

Adventures in the Greedy Green

Selections from Kihlek's record of deeds.

Mistaken Identity and the "Green Stag"

Been stopping at a Loxo village for a while to stock up on more travel supplies and see more of the world. Lots of people and places. Many, many clans and rivalries. Helped out Loxo village with some small forest tasks. Word spread that I was the "Green Fang" and was in the area. People came looking for a bounty on someone they thought was me. They were wrong. Turns out there's a large bounty on a dragon known as the "Green Stag" in the area that has been causing lots of trouble and someone is willing to pay a great deal to have it dealt with. That, and someone was just attacked by a dragon in the woods nearby. Left the bounty hunters a note telling them I can track down this quarry and that I am NOT the "Green Stag," but the "Green Fang!" Besides, what self-respecting creature would want to be a stag? Those beasts are little more than meat. Spent most of the evening tracking the path back to where this one man was attacked. Trail seems easy enough to follow, and there does seem to be someone else missing. Maybe this will be a quick mission and get these strangers off my back, then I can continue traveling more safely.

These people are very skittish. Kept pushing me to join their "crew" which seems to be some kind of tribe who lives on a large raft. The one was most insistent that I couldn't be trusted unless I was part of this "crew," but I managed to mollify them and lead them to the site of the attack on the one's boat. Clearly a dragon's lair, but not one that fit for a green dragon. Island in a small lake that looks far more suited to a white dragon, but shows signs of recent changes. Strategized for a while on ways to lure the dragon out and defeat it. Just before we settled on an approach, the strange one who also hides under a cloak and keeps telling people he "sees" them threw a large rock into the water, surprising everyone and starting an attack by a clutch of wyrmlings. The battle was swift and bloody. Many of the crewmembers were dropped as the wyrmlings unleashed a torrent of breath attacks on those foolish enough to get close. Unfortunately, Thirku was also destroyed multiple times during the encounter as well.

In the midst of the battle, some part of the commotion alerted the "Green Stag" to our presence as well. (Any claims that I purposefully shot an arrow into the cave mouth to alert it are patently false!) The green dragon was massive and exuded an aura of great power; seemingly far greater than something this ragtag group could best. Fortunately, the dragon didn't seem interested in fighting either. It instead offered us an ultimatum: tell no one of its presence, or suffer its wrath and die. (It also offered us the uncontested spoils of the white dragon's lair should we accept.) Unwilling to volunteer even these strangers to an almost-certain death, I accepted the Dragon's offer on behalf of the group and told them not to attack the greater wyrm. It still surprises me that it did not simply decide that slaying us outright would be the safer course of action, but I am glad that it didn't try to chase us through the forest and eradicate us.

As the green dragon flew off, we finally finished off the last of the wyrmlings, leaving their carcasses on the side of the lake. Some efforts were made to harvest useful materials from their remains, but as I failed to slay any of them, I permitted the others to claim those spoils. In the meantime, I restored Thirku and had him begin scouting the island. The frigid waters did not seem particularly welcoming to me, so I ran a line of rope from a nearby tree to the island to make a dryer conveyance. The island was comprised almost entirely with a single, circuitous cave. Within we did not find any traps, but did find the remarkably well-preserved corpse of a giant, the recently slain body of a white dragon, and the white dragon's considerable hoard. The group agreed to split the coinage of the hoard evenly, and distribute notable items according to interest. Seeing as we bested at least some foe in reaching the lair, it seemed acceptable to collect the spoils, although the situation was not ideal. I was able to recover a significant amount of white dragon scales and a Dryad's Heart in addition to the monetary reward. It's actually hard to carry this much, so I will have to find some more portable way to transport this wealth. Diamonds and gems seem the most logical.

Having accepted the spoils, it seems that we are indeed bound by our word to the dragon not to reveal his presence. (But I think the Loxo in the village already know.) I declined the offer to join their crew once again; and I don't know why they kept trying to call me a navigator, when tracker seems like a perfectly good word for what I do. The journey continues. And now I suppose I won't have to worry about being able to afford food and lodging anywhere else I find a place to stay. In the meantime, I will look to find materials to craft myself a better bow, or perhaps simply replace the string since it seemed somewhat insufficient. Perhaps I can find some more halflings and get some more good luck to rub off on me. Or at least, some of the bad luck can rub off.

Drakkoths attack Hallasen (a village near Seglock)

Approached the town of Seglock mid-afternoon on the [10th of may]. There was a commotion and confusion - in part because some of the travelers I had joined seemed to have displeased a previous employer (something about a Dryad and a Satyr - NOT involving the heart I acquired on my previous excursion), but the situation didn't turn dangerous. The other source of commotion was centered on the town library, where a number of refugees were gathered, and triage was being done on wounded individuals. While some of my new companions sought information from old women, I took a command decision to interrogate the nearby guards. As a result, we were able to not only discover the source of the attack - an "army" of Dragon-like monsters we later identified as Drakkoths - but I was also able to secure our party a bounty for eliminating the threat. Hearing that some people were still in the village, we made ready to set out immediately. Claiming his mother was still in the village, a priest who said his name was Echamus joined us.

As we arrived, we took advantage of my stealth and keen vision to assess the situation and plan an attack on the invading Drakkoth. And I took position atop a roof to rain death on the foe, while others ran into the fray. During the heat of combat, Grandmush located and rescued a number of civilians from a burning building. Meanwhile, despite claiming he would stay back, "Echamus" the priest joined the fight, immediately turning into a white-ish dragon and killing one of the invaders by flying into the air with him and dropping him from the sky. The remaining six Drakkoth quickly fell, but not before some strange attempt at a courtship ritual involving Tokax. Seemingly satisfied, "Echamus" never flew back down, and instead simply abandoned the field, although it would not surprise to me find that he was somehow involved in the attack. Before the final Drakkoth fell, it claimed that "the one who waits will see you soon," in some attempt to be ominous. But with its innards quickly becoming outards, it wasn't entirely clear how threatening this other figure could be. Gathering the remaining survivors and the seven Drakkoth bodies of proof of our accomplishments, we then returned to Seglock.

Guard captain Visio was surprised and impressed when we returned, although he didn't seem to understand my request that he "promote" me. Instead he offered me some kind of trial corporal-ship in the guard rather than acting as a reference and spreading the word that smart people should hire "The Green Fang" for their tricky and dangerous tasks if they want them done right. But this guard work should provide a useful opportunity to keep an eye on the refugees from Hallasen and see if the dragon "Echamus" tries to make contact with any of them again.

In the meantime, we gathered some more information on "the one who waits" and on "Echamus" who is apparently a fairy tale figure. Echamus is the name of “The Moon Child”, or son of the moon dragon Eros. Madame Webe, a Lunalen priestess provided some scant information about "the one who waits" claiming he was just the local boogeyman figure meant to frighten people. It dwells in dark places, preys upon those who stray from the blessed light of the moon, and will one day come into the light and bring with it a series of catastrophic events. (In all, something to watch out for, and keep a note of, but only if a future event seems more significant.)

Guarding Seglock

The corporal position with the guard provided me with ample opportunity to keep an eye on the Hallasen refugees to see if any disguised dragons made contact with them. (Just in case Echamus was actually interested in some of their well-being.) The villagers are simple folk with the primary goal of reclaiming their home and returning to it. This is a goal I can respect, and I have done my best to support the rebuilding efforts, both for the peoples' benefit and my own purposes. Spending so much time with them has let me grow close and respected among them, and even Thirku is a welcome sight in the village despite my initial fear that his presence would be a reminder of the recent losses. There haven't been any particularly suspicious events yet, but I will continue to keep my eyes peeled in case something untoward occurs.

With word of a new artifact intended to protect Seglock from dragonkind, and with the people of Hallasen able to return to their village, I will go with them both to help protect the village as it rebuilds, and to continue my watch for more hints of why Echamus was interested in ensuring our party got involved in saving the villagers earlier.

Protecting Hallasen

This post is generally quiet, and there haven't been any new incidents of Drakkoth attacks, or any trace of the burgeoning threat of "Cheshire" creatures around Hallasen in particular. I've spent most of the time ensuring there is not a lot of dangerous wildlife too near to the village. Eliminating or driving some of the more threatening animals further away so that people can roam the woods even at night in relatively safety. I also spent some time teaching the people about setting up early warning alarms around the perimeter so that they can be aware if unknown and unwanted visitors approach the village from odd directions. I think one of the children might have a talent for magic, because she seems like she might even be able to fully cast the Alarm spell through the ritual steps I showed her. While that only covers a small area, any early warning can make a huge difference in saving lives.

Word of the attack on Seglock came by the other day, and I think it's time I move on from Hallasen and seek more information elsewhere. With three full cycles of the moon having gone by already, I find it unlikely that I will learn any more about Echamus or "the one who waits" by waiting here. If either has had forces reach out to the area since the initial Drakkoth attack, then they did so with incredible subtlety. Even so, the people of Hallasen know they can call upon "The Green Fang" for aid in the future, and they know to spread word of my reliability to others who may be in need.

The apothecary "Mother Love" is apparently having trouble with a Black dragon in a nearby bog, and that task seems as good as any to jump back into. Perhaps this dragon may know more about the other dragons involved in current goings-on.

Solving Mother Love's Problem

After journeying for a few days I reached the crossroads of Apara along with several other adventurers looking to answer the message from Mother Love. After a few moments for us all to gather in the inn, Mother Love arrived and described her problem: a black dragon recently took up residence in the nearby swamp where she normally gathers herbs, and she would like us to find a way to displace it so she can safely continue to use the swamp as before. All of the common people in Apara seemed delighted to see her, almost suspiciously so, but there weren't any problems, and no one else seemed to find it off. She did not offer much in the way of rewards, but did convince several of the others to take up her request with the promise of baked goods. She marked the location of the dragon on a map and gave us directions to the area, and we all quickly went off to deal with the dragon problem.

Several of the group had difficulty making progress through the swamp, mostly due to being distracted by the plant life, and this has made me consider the potential value in practicing skills in exploring this type of terrain in the future, as such skills will likely prove valuable the next time I need to lead a group through this type of terrain. The goblin tinker Pot'tu'N'Kobb seemed very excited when he ate a plant that caused his tongue to go numb, and another self-proclaimed herbalist said the plant should have been a sweet-tasting healing herb. This would seem to indicate that the dragon's influence on the surrounding area is having a surprisingly thorough effect on things, and in ways that are not necessarily normal. Something to keep an eye on with any future dragons.

With the delays caused by herbalism, we reached the dragon's cave a few hours later than planned, but before we lost light, And despite the wisdom of setting camp outside the lair and trying to draw the dragon out to us, Dur'kalak was determined not to wait and to slay the dragon immediately. The seven of us entered the lair without even a bit of stealth, and I kept a good distance between myself and the leading party members to stay out of an impending breath attack. Surprisingly, the dragon did not lay in wait and ambush us, but instead engaged in conversation, taunting us and trying to convince us to abandon our mission as futile. While the aura of dread it emanated did disrupt our initial positioning, during this conversation those who were affected were able to throw off the terror with the well-timed aid of the bards Tristram and Pum and a blessing from the Cleric Linden Rue. It continued talking to Tristram in Elvish even as I started firing arrows at it, but while I could pick out a word or two from the Sylvan I know, I have no idea what he was telling it.

Battle began in earnest when the barbarians Kluck and Dur'kalak charged into the dragon's face and started to lay into it. From that point on (and really, was there ever any chance otherwise?) there was no more talking, only violence. Unleashing a Tiny Hut by way of a Glyph of Warding, Tristram created a safe space in the midst of the dragon's lair in which most of the group took refuge between attacks. I stayed at the edges of the cavern and continued firing arrows, while Thirku was able to just barely reach the dragon before it took flight away from him. As the dragon realized it would not be able to defeat us, it began to flee, but it was not able to escape before we brought it down.

With the dragon slain, Dur'kalak immediately set to tearing into the corpse, seemingly more for personal vengeance than for any practical purposes. Meanwhile, the rest of us began searching for the dragon's horde. We found an entrance to the horde hidden in the floor of the chamber we fought in, and located quite an impressive haul of items. In addition to the considerable wealth--more than I have ever seen in once place before--there were also three black dragon eggs. Pot'tu tried to destroy the eggs on sight, but was stopped before any serious damage was done. Then the party started a heated debate on what to do with the eggs, whether to sell, destroy, or raise them. Eventually it was settled that the eggs would be taken by Linden, Pum, and Tristram, supposedly to be raised as non-violent/non-evil creatures in the future. This is nothing but foolishness (even assuming the eggs hatch, raising a dragon would take decades, and no dragon will be satisfied being raised by a normal person), but if they want to spend time on an egg instead of a practical item, that is on them, not on me. During this debate, a wave of energy exploded in the lair, marking everyone with some kind of dark magic. The scales on my right hand have blackened in an ominous pattern that looks disturbingly close to the word "Death" in draconic script, and I feel a strange new source of energy in my body. It's unclear if this is a result of slaying the dragon or some kind of effect of the ruins in which we fought, but it is somewhat worrying, and I will have to be extra careful until I learn more.

Since there was far too much to carry, a group of us set off back to town to get a few wagons in order to haul the wealth back with us. Upon bringing the horde and the useful parts of the dragon's carcass back with us to Apara, we were greeted by Mother Love. She seemed very interested in acquiring one or more dragon eggs for "medicinal matters," but those who had taken the eggs concealed them and told her that we didn't find any. She seemed a bit disappointed, and voice some common sense concerns about why anyone would want the eggs to hatch. I raised the promise with Mother Love about providing some kind of potions as a reward and not just baked goods, but it remains to be seen what she may be able to produce and whether she will provide anything herself. That said, I have more than enough wealth to deal with currently, so I will have to look into some form of magical portable storage in the near future, as well as ways to use that wealth to further my goals. At the very least I can spread the word that The Green Fang is now a dragonslayer. This should help me open doors and gain access to new resources. And maybe I have enough funds to try to find some more answers about what exactly happened to the Ixen Jonal. Perhaps the Seglock University can tell me if there is a magical way to view the past, or determine what exactly killed my people. And if I know, maybe I can deliver some proper justice to whatever caused it.

Missing Town Leaders and the Protectors of the People

After the attack on their secret base, the Protectors of the People have been moving their base of operations from Gammelgard to the area around Seglock. Their leader, Brenna, is still missing, so their leadership is somewhat disrupted, and the organization is a bit disorganized. The PotP requested the aid of numerous adventurers to help them move, and to guard their supplies during the transition. I accepted the request. Even though I cannot carry a lot, I can now store some things in my magic bag, and more importantly, I can keep a careful lookout for their caravan. We reached a waystation between the cities without incident, but while there, we learned of some concerning developments: someone, (Mother Joy?) had donated large quantities of candy, which the PotP had been giving out. Unfortunately, this candy was in fact some kind of addictive substance that could make people want nothing but more of it. (Pot'tu provided this information, as he has been studying the substance for a while.) The Protectors put out a recall notice warning everyone not to eat the candy, and presumably to gather it up for safe disposal. During this effort, we learned that a town leader/village headman named Val was missing, and a group of us were sent to investigate. The group consisted of myself, Pot'tu and Kobb, Drang, Tristram, Oxan Lightbringer and his Donkey, "Rabbit," and a newcomer: Felicia du Manoir, a human woman who wears an iron mask.

Upon reaching the first village, the rest of the group interviewed a woman (Sarah, I think, but I never caught her name) about where the village leader was last seen and if anything else had been going on lately. I took the opportunity to meet with the one halfling burrow living in the area individually and see if the small folk had any unique information. This was good, because it turned out that Gregory, the village leader's son was seen skulking around a few days ago, which was odd because he had left the village over a year before and hadn't come back, plus, he didn't say hello to any of his former friends. It's unclear whether he is directly connected to the disappearances, or merely doing something suspicious on his own, but I have let people know that they should be on the lookout.

We began the trek to the neighboring village where the leader was last seen, and made camp partway between the villages, hoping to prompt an attack by acting careless. Nothing of note happened until, during a late watch, I noticed some strange Moth-like creatures in the distance. They seemed to be reflecting a large amount of moonlight, and I took note of their general direction, but did not investigate further that night. In the morning, I informed the group, but we continued on to the next village to see if we could learn more rather than pursue the strange creatures.

We interviewed someone in the village about the missing leaders: the initial search party had been gone for about a week and a half when we arrived. As far as any of the villagers know, everyone stayed on the road between the villages and just never made it to their destinations. We also spoke to a boy about the strange moth creatures, which he called friends who wanted to play with him, and got a direction to investigate further. We eventually reached a clearing with the moths, and Oxan took it upon himself to attempt to communicate with them with the Speak with Animals spell. This seemed to go alright, until it became clear that the moths' "play" involved more than he signed up for. We swiftly dispatched them, but during the fight discovered that they can mesmerize people, and can also inject eggs or larvae into a person when they attack. This was immediately concerning because it meant that the boy was likely infested with larvae as well. Deciding we should trace the creatures first before returning to check on the boy, we found a cave (the same cave which Pot'tu had previously seen, and which he "forgot" to mention until after we found it) with 4 bodies and swarming with half-grown moth larvae who had eaten their way out of the people. This plus a trace of residual magic in the area indicated something odd going on. There were also four sets of tracks leading into and out of the cave from the attackers involved. The bodies were rotted and tattered, but identifiable as the missing leaders and their companions. Tristram suggested removing a head in order for someone later to cast "Speak with Dead" on it, which Oxan seemed happy to take care of. Drang was reluctant, claiming it was disrespecting the dead, but dead would be happier being useful and revealing their killers, so it was for a good cause, and the head was removed.

Something deeper and more nefarious than wild creatures is at play, but the urgency of saving the boy who was also infected drove us to turn back rather than pursue the tracks further right away. We returned to the village in time for Pot'tu to force him into drinking a medicinal concoction meant to kill the larvae, which made him sick, but should prove successful. After that, we reported to the Protectors of what we had learned, and suggested another party be sent out to learn more and ensure more villagers are not infested with moth larvae. But more importantly, to track down these killers and figure out what else is going on.

In the wake of this mission, the Protectors of the People put out an additional call for donations and aid, and I volunteered to help provide them with some training and services on a more ongoing basis month-to-month, although the details remain to be settled.

Revenge? Drakkoth Peace negotiations for the Order of the Watchful Eye

While details for my participation with the Protectors of the People were still undecided, I took a trip to Gammelgard upon hearing of a request for aid from the Order of the Watchful Eye. We met with Fulgrum, whose explanation was bareboned, but somewhat reasonable and understandable. Apparently, the Order has been keeping a Drakkoth captive in order to maintain a steady source of blood. Drakkoth blood, when applied to weapons, apparently has an explosive reaction when it comes in contract with Cheshire creatures. Despite the main source of these creatures being eliminated, the Order of the Watchful eye was interested in obtaining significantly greater quantities of blood, and was willing to offer a peace treaty to a nearby tribe of Drakkoth, the Fire Bloods. Drakkoth tribes had recently come under attack from Dragons, and the treaty would offer the Fire Blood tribe of Drakkoth protection from outside forces (including the dragons) in exchange for 5 gallons of blood each month. The order gathered a group consisting of myself, a protoforged named Vessel, the Cleric Arlin, a spellcaster Cecil (who also had many self-appointed titles. A process potentially worth looking into since I could maybe use a title or two.), and Trina the warlock to escort their prisoner back to his tribe, and to conduct the final negotiations and obtain a signature.

There were many irregularities about the situation. First, there did not appear to actually be an official armistice in place for the negotiations, nor was it clear what terms had even generally been agreed upon. It also wasn't entirely clear what authority the Order had to negotiate a treaty in the first place, let alone what authority to change terms during the negotiations our party would have. Second, only the Order was involved in writing the treaty, which they called a "Terms and Conditions" document. This document was not only egregiously long and complex, but it also still failed to address key areas of possible contention or difficulty. There was no summary or short form of the arrangement, and it was unclear how much of it had been agreed to prior to being set down. Perhaps worst of all, the treaty was presented solely in Common, with no authoritative copy written in Draconic. When pressed on this point, the author of the report (an individual named "Dippy") practically panicked, but both took no responsibility, and did not assist in any way to remedy the situation. The meeting was set for the day we arrived, and the journey would take most of the day, so there was no time to adjust the document or really resolve some of these problems. We were effectively told to figure it out, give back the prisoner, and return with the agreement to provide the order with more blood.

Passing through the forest road in the direction of the Fire Blood tribe encampment, our group was waylaid by a group of lizardfolk bandits who demanded a toll in coin or blood. Frankly, this was offensive. I was fully set to respond in proper fashion by lodging an arrow in the throat of the "Bonehunter" nephew of the chief of the clan Blackjaw, but the rest of the group seemed to think it would be wiser simply to satisfy the group. Cecil attempted to use his name and boasting to convince the lizardfolk that we were not worth their trouble, but it seemed that his words were less effective after going through translation by me or the lizardfolk's own translator who delivered their demands in common, and relayed our words in Draconic. This translator was a young orphan boy, who had apparently been either taken in or was a slave (it wasn't entirely clear, but when Trina offered him freedom, he didn't exactly seem enthused by the idea). Eventually, after what felt like an hour of holding my bow knocked and ready to fire, Arlin managed to convince them that he could provide them with 40 pounds of food using his magic spell to create food and water. Moreover, he convinced them that he could create triceratops meat, a personal favorite of their chief's. (I was always under the impression that magical food tasted bland and flavorless.) The lizardfolk then gathered containers, Arlin cast his spell, and we were on our way, finally, to the meeting place with the Fire Blood tribe.

Upon arrival we had to cross a short river. (Reminder find a way to walk on water or breath underwater soon because "wading depth" doesn't seem to translate well from big humanoids to reasonable Kobold sizes.) We announced our presence and released our captive, "Dun-no." Upon releasing him, Dun-no was healed by one of their shamans, and we had the opportunity to talk to their chief: Thrakazo[g/d]. His speech wasn't very good, even for a Drakkoth. In any case, we presented the treaty terms and conditions as well as a brief summary that Vessel and I put together on the way. There were immediate problems with the terms: the amount of blood requested was 5 gallons per month, and given their small numbers, the Drakkoth seemed unlikely to be able to do that healthily. There were no provisions about a rate per member of the tribe, nor was there any provision included about providing healing, just that the Drakkoth would drop the blood with a neutral merchant. The whole deal was clearly going to sour before it even got anywhere, but we worked out several concessions and adjustments to the terms in order to ensure both the Order of the Watchful Eye and the Drakkoth could both get the peace they wanted. But apparently, the chief had been perceived as weak by his lieutenants, and in the midst of finalizing the terms, there was a challenge to his leadership.

I was happy to let the power stuggle play out. There is no sense in negotiating with a leader who can't even speak for his people. But apparently our presence must've deeply offended the pride of some of the other Drakkoth, and instead of keeping the conflict to themselves, they also engaged our group. Vessel and Arlin stood in the front, and the protoforged was nearly slain outright before magical healing could be applied to them. The Drakkoth were divided, and loyalties were entirely unclear. Despite Arlin's best efforts at supplying healing for the chief, he died in what was frankly a pitiful display of combat prowess. I think he landed maybe 1 blow in every 4, while he took 3 of 4 aimed at him. The rest of the Drakkoth had shown a lack of conviction, so I insisted they finish what they had started in the coup attempt. When the final remaining lieutenant slew the chief, his victory would prove to be short-lived.

We heard a roar coming down from the sky as the fight neared its conclusion, and as the final blow was struck, a large, golden dragon burst out of the clouds and unleashed a powerful wave of fire against the Drakkoth, starting with the new chief. Seeing as the rest of the group was unprepared to face down a dragon in an open field (and really, it's not ideal terrain anyway) we withdrew across the water and watched as the entire Drakkoth encampment was destroyed in short order.

Once the dragon departed, we returned to search both for survivors, and for anything of value the Drakkoth left behind. While there were no survivors, we were able to recover enough Drakkoth bodies in decent enough condition to hang and drain 5 gallons of blood into a barrel. We also found a few magic items which the others in the group had more use for, such as a lightning Javelin. We then made our way back to Gammelgard to report the results of the mission.

As far as I know, there is now only one known living Drakkoth: the one held in captivity in the Seglock University. Why the dragons seem so set on eradicating them is still a mystery, but it seems likely that Seglock might come under some kind of additional threat as long as that creature is kept there. It may also prove to be a potential way to bait a trap for the gold dragon if plans to move it were spread about.

Revisiting the Town Leaders Incident

After the incident near Gammelgard, I was still bothered by the case of the missing town leaders, so I headed back that direction to investigate more thoroughly. After speaking to the townspeople, it was clear that Gregory, the leader's son was likely to return sometime, so I camped out to wait and see if I could find him when he returned. It took 3 days of waiting, but he did come back. We set a watch around the village, and while I wasn't one of the people on the scene, but Gregory was caught searching the former village head's house for something, and he fought his way out of town with several companions. The group of them headed out of town, and I made ready to set out in pursuit, knowing I could follow their trail. Before heading off, I prepared to send a message to the Protectors of the People nearby because they had more forces ready to send, but instead of sending a villager, this strange, bombastic man volunteered to take the message to them. He did not share his name, but I later learned that this was Gideon, a man claiming to be the father of the Black Dragon's eggs. More on Gideon later. He volunteered to send for help and I began tracking the assailants+Gregory. It became clear that these were indeed the same people whose tracks I found outside the cavern with the larval moths. I tracked them for a few hours, and I was clearly making good time against their travel in the darkness, when Gideon and the rest of an adventuring band approached me from behind.

Among this group were Drang, Hugo, and [list players later]. I halted them, corrected their course, and left Thirku to guide them after me while I continued to scout ahead. Within a short while I discovered the bandit encampment, a patch of tents in a large forest clearing. It seemed also that they had recruited a pair of stone giants to help them, which was slightly concerning. Giants are enormous. Like, 10 kobolds high. I circled around them to ensure they wouldn't be able to escape, while the rest of the group waited for my signal to engage. Unfortunately, it seemed that the bandits were in fact cultists, trying to pull off a ritual of some kind, so the finer details had to give way to a full attack before we were all in ideal positions. I summoned spikes beneath their feet and began firing arrows while the others focused their attentions on the giants. In a surprisingly short time, the giants were felled, thanks to the expert and magical attentions of smiting magic. (Note, if I ever need to fight a paladin, getting the drop on them and staying at a very healthy distance will be vital. And for a warlock, try to get them to expend their energies on other targets first, like illusions, dummies, or traps.)

Interrupt the ritual.

Still opened a black pit in the earth, swallowing some of the cultists, and almost causing allies to fall in.

Black giant creature of shadows. We beat it, thanks in part to Gideon's ability to draw it away from its hovering position over the pit so the melee-focused individuals could contribute.

Two cultists tried to flee, turning invisible, but thanks to my Rod, I was able to see them and stop them both from escaping. We also captured Gregory, who also appeared to be this group's leader.

Discussion with Gideon and more detail about him.

Gregory's Interrogation:

Gregory was brought back to the Protectors of the People's hideout for interrogation. Magic was prepared to assist in getting the truth from him. He told us a lot about the Mothers, who are in fact hags of some power, and about his and their devotion to a Shadow Lord (who may or may not also be The One Who Waits). Despite agreeing that Gregory would be turned over to his own village to face their judgment for his crimes: patricide along with his banditry and murders, Drang grew angry during the interrogation and executed him. Not only that, but these new "protectors" drew on dark powers of their own to lay claim to his soul in the name of "Silent." This hardly seems any better than Gregory's cult, and I highly doubt that I will affiliate myself with this new batch of Protectors if this is how they will operate.

During the interrogation Gregory revealed a great deal about the Mothers' plans, including the locations of their lairs. This led all of the adventurer's to develop a plan for a large-scale simultaneous strike. Parties of adventurers would need to attack each hag at once in order to ensure none of them could complete their objectives, and they were weakest while split up. While I would have loved to be among the team assigned to deal with Mother Love after her treachery, I ended up working with a team sent to the (now hag-free) base of operations instead.

Assault on the Hag's Lair

As the planned assault grew nearer, there were logistical complications for timing, as well as other great events afoot. Gideon, the brass dragon (and mate of what seemed to be an awful lot of other dragons) agreed to carry the groups to staging areas in groups so they could all launch their attacks in the disparate locations at once. But as the attacks were planned, a large number of the children of Isonhound fell into comas. I'm not sure who discerned the cause, but someone said that all the souls of the children were missing, and their bodies simply wouldn't function long without them. It seemed almost certain that this was part of the hags' plot, and I think someone even used divination magic to verify that, but regardless, this accelerated the timetable, and all the adventurers set out to attack.

My group went for the hags' primary lair, which would be free of hags, but would undoubtedly contain other traps or hazards. It was deep in the swamp - a territory which I've become a master of since my encounter with the black Dragon before. Once Gideon dropped us off in the swamp in the general vicinity, I was able to lead our group of adventurers quickly toward the destination. The swamp had an eerie feel to it, and was full of corpses. As we got closer to the lair itself we found more and more dead bodies. We also heard children's voices coming from the swamp around us, although we could not immediately discern the source of the sound. One of these bodies, which we pulled free from the muck, was spoken to. (People with their speak with dead spells. Convenient, but disturbing). This revealed that apparently, the man was a school teacher who had been taking children out on a field trip before being attacked and killed. There were also a large number of floating, insubstantial lights which passed through solid containers. Both Harold and I used our bags of holding to capture a few, which seemed to be able to catch and contain whatever substance these were. (I've since learned that these appear to be the souls of the children, and now have four of those to deal with, which was not my intention in collecting the strange motes of light.)

Pressing forward, we found more corpses and more lights before being accosted with a deadly foe: an enormous pumpkin-like creature with glowing eyes. It not only seemed capable of dealing significant damage to the melee combatants, but also, when it spat energy at someone and missed, a strange zombie rose from the ground and joined it in combat. These festering zombies released some kind of necrotic leeches that would continuously sap vitality from anyone afflicted with them. The battle was quick and bloody. Several of the front-line nearly died, and only through clever use of healing magic and a turn undead spell, were the zombies dealt with long enough for our group to eliminate the pumpkin fiend. Once it was destroyed, it burst in a wave of energy, scattering the motes of light spread throughout the swamp, and seemingly releasing the souls to return to their proper homes. Surprisingly, this also caused the zombies to collapse, without an energizing force behind them, and the party was quickly able to recover from our injuries. This is when I noticed that the light balls, which I had collected in my bag of holding had not been released, and I began to feel the first traces of worry about what that might mean.

With the lair's guardian defeated, we were able to raid the hideout and recover treasures to spread among the group. Potions, figurines, wax, and a blade were all split among the others, while I claimed a small pair of boots. These boots have proved highly convenient as they let me step on the air as long as I'm moving and can reach an anchor point. These have been especially useful in crafting my new home base, as I've been able to use a lot more of the vertical space in caverns.

The problem of additional children's souls still lingers, but the threat of the hags seems to have been successfully dealt with. We will have to see if their dark master still has enough other agents around to cause us problems, or if we can focus on the growing dragon threat once more.

Going Dark?

[Today's adventure seems to be based in a mine. We shall see how it turns out.] Once again, I find myself in somewhat distasteful company on my mission as Hugo (the disciple of Silence) has taken up the same tasks. I'll have to continue to watch him, although there was some strange psychic energy this last week that claimed it was Silent sending messages that didn't exactly align with what their disciples were up to.

[To be continued...]