Chapter 1: Welcome to the Greedy Green
Chapter 1 focused on introducing and growing the player base to the core concepts of the campaign: There is a big dragon war, and dragons are back and crawling all over Isonhound. This is a campaign with lots of wilderness exploration, and LOTS of big bads to slay.
Session 1a: Asar Ogalas (New Beginnings) - Velathidros
Characters: Trina (Starting XP 6500), Arlin (Starting XP 6500), Varryn (Starting XP 1500), Kris (Starting XP 1500), Mallen (RIP)
DM: James (1/9)
Dragons Encountered: Velathidros (Slaughtered), Sro, and Flame
XP Gained: 3350 (670 each)
Important Things that Happened:
- The festival of Asar Ogalas in Synara celebrates the regrowth of the Woldlin domain of Isonhound. Every year, the great festival of Asar Ogalas brings together the locals, and brings in the curious. With countless activities to partake in, the fun is never ending....unless, of course, you hear the siren, and THREE DRAGONS emerge from the canopies.
- When called to action, a group of five brave warriors, tasked with helping the town's own overwhelmed militia, stomped down to local Varryn's neighborhood and help rescue his own kin from being extorted and attacked by the young black dragon Velathidros. It took their combined forces (and the morale boost of trusty lionkin Kris) to tear him down, but dramatically they prevailed, opening the door now to further adventures...into the Greedy Green!
Session 1b: Asar Ogalas (New Beginnings) - Sro
Characters: Tordek (Starting XP 6500), Durian (Starting XP 1500), Ulka (Starting XP 1500), Spinel (Starting XP 1500), Dancer of the Boreal Valley (Starting XP 1500), Grandmush (Starting XP 1500)
DM: James (1/21)
Dragons Encountered: Sro, Flame, and Velathidros
XP Gained: 2460 (410 each)
Important Things that Happened:
- The festival of Asar Ogalas in Synara celebrates the regrowth of the Woldlin domain of Isonhound. Every year, the great festival of Asar Ogalas brings together the locals, and brings in the curious. With countless activities to partake in, the fun is never ending....unless, of course, you hear the siren, and THREE DRAGONS emerge from the canopies.
- When called to action, a group of five brave warriors, tasked with helping the town's own overwhelmed militia, fled to the city's capital building to evacuate any possible civilians, they learned just how powerful the Silver Greatwyrm Sro could be. And how easy it is to get lost in the rubble, destruction, and confusion that lays in the wake of a Silver dragon who REALLY wants something. Despite the odds being stacked against them, they used their ability to be non-threatening to sneak in and rescue the mayor at the last second!
Session 1c: Asar Ogalas (New Beginnings) - Flame
Characters: Alenka (Starting XP 1500), Einari (Starting XP 1500), Jeb (Starting XP 1500), Violet (Starting XP 1500), Miles (Starting XP 1500)
DM: James (1/22)
Dragons Encountered: Flame, Velathidros, and Sro
XP Gained: 2890 (578 each)
Important Things that Happened:
- The festival of Asar Ogalas in Synara celebrates the regrowth of the Woldlin domain of Isonhound. Every year, the great festival of Asar Ogalas brings together the locals, and brings in the curious. With countless activities to partake in, the fun is never ending....unless, of course, you hear the siren, and THREE DRAGONS emerge from the canopies.
- When the market district is laid siege to by Flame the Crimson Terror, the players act fast to wake up and evacuate people from their shops, homes, and hostels. Carefully navigating the forest fires and the felled trees, players escort refugees to a boat on the river to safety.
- Flame takes particular interest in the chaotic, and perhaps even evil, players who take the chaotic opportunity to loot, pillage, and burn buildings themselves.
Session 2: Azuspear/The Green Stag I
Characters: Trina, Arlin, Kris, Violet, Miles, Buho (Starting XP 6500), Jeb (RIP)
DM: James (2/12)
Dragons Encountered: Azuspear the Blue (+ His wyrmlings), The Green Stag (Mentioned)
XP Gained: 8700 (1242 each)
Important Things that Happened:
- In the city of Deeplake, important scientific progress is happening at the Church of Innovation, but at this particular branch, all is not as it seems. When the scientists began to push harder on the players to kill all the blue dragons (even the babies) a series of interrogations showed that this Church was compromised by an unseen force---The Green Stag.
- However, besides uncovering conspiracies, the team also took the time to investigate the blue dragon's old lair, finding it inhabited by a dangerous Behir, a monster who nearly wiped the team out before they put it six-feet-under. Having now taken some Caeruleam for themselves, the group begins to look more into its uses and benefits.
Session 3: Sro II
Characters: Durian, Ulka, Spinel, Dancer of the Boreal Valley, Aman, Einari, Stan (Starting XP 1500)
DM: James (2/18)
Dragons Encountered: The Great Sro, Belle (technically a human but polymorphed into dragon)
XP Gained: 6950 (992 each)
Important Things that Happened:
- Rising high in the central Isonhound mountaintops, Sro keeps his own precious lair...of MAYORS. Sneaking up to Sro's home, the group of heroes rush into danger, alerting Sro's own ward, a paladin of Bahamut named Belle, along the way. Though tensions were high among the team, with Dragon Lovers vying for the praise and attention of the Great Sro, while the Dragon Slayers looked for any opportunity to slice him down.
- After passing a test from Sro in which he polymorphed Belle into a young Silver Dragon, the players proved they know how to play by The Rules of Dragon Slaying. By Sro's own admission, perhaps the world IS ready to fight dragons again, and for passing his curated test (and lesson) of strength, the team took home Mayor Ludvater of Musso to his poor heartbroken wife.
Session 4: Prelnirith
Characters: Varryn, Tordek, Einari, Harold (Starting XP 6500), Mallen (Starting XP 1500), Junky (Starting XP 1500)
DM: James (2/20)
Dragons Encountered: Prelnirith the Topaz Dragon
XP Gained: 3435 (573 each)
Important Things that Happened:
- Escorting the greedy Topaz dragon Prelnirith to his lair on the east coast, the team fought alongside the dragon to tear up some goblins who had raided its lair in its absence, and when the dragon wasn't looking...took a little bit for themselves!
- However, when Mallen is caught raiding a shelf, the once allied dragon turned on the group, quickly beginning the retreat!
- High tensions, epic stakes, and one magic arrow of blinding later...everyone survived on the SS No Sink, and on our way out, with well over 500 GP worth of gems and artifacts successfully stolen.
Session 5: Bleucorundum I
Characters: Trina, Arlin, Durian, Grandmush, Violet, Amber (Starting XP 1500), Zevendell (Starting XP 1500)
DM: James (3/7)b
Dragons Encountered: Bleucorundum the Sapphire Dragon, and an unknown gemstone dragon egg. The Green Stag (Mentioned)
XP Gained: 4150 (593 each)
Important Things that Happened:
- The town of Tsoljcanth is under psionic siege! A powerful telepathic force is making citizens (and the heroes) become "invisible" to each other at random intervals, the same way that Warforged are "invisible" to dragons.
- When children of Tsoljcanth are suspected of hiding a dragon egg, the players are brought in to investigate: It wasn't Pelota, it wasn't Toblerone, it was TARIAN! After interviewing all 6 suspects, the heroic teams known as "The Awesome Tieflings", "The Dragon Mushers", and "Hot Blood" combined all the clues they had individually gathered in order to crack the case.
- Tarian had gotten ahead of the investigators, however, and fled to the woodlands nearby. As such, the team braved the wilds, tracking the child through the woods until they came very close to the lair of the great Sapphire greatwyrm Bleucorundum. Fighting one of the dragon's thralls, a PHASE GELATINOUS CUBE, everyone barely survived, and decided in the end, that the egg was handed over to the Sapphire dragon, and Tarian was doing the right thing after all.
Session 6: Kobold Dragonshields/Green Stag II
Characters: Ulka, Spinel. Dancer of the Boreal Valley, Stan, Junky, Mallen, Ferris (Starting XP 1500)
DM: James (3/11)
Dragons Encountered: About 15 Kobold Dragonshields. You heard me, some Kobolds are Dragons. Also the body of an unknown red dragon, and the sabotaged egg of said dragon. The Green Stag (Mentioned)
XP Gained: 2850 (407 each)
Important Things that Happened:
- Delving deep into the vault of King Glub, a group of heroes fought off a powerful set of Kobolds that were enhanced with draconic power.
- It turns out "King Glub" or whoever he was, has been dead, and the Kobolds were defending its egg, still nestled under the boney corpse of its mother.
- HOWEVER, the egg itself had already been compromised, having been destroyed by a creature calling himself "The Green Stag"
Session 7: Harkial
Characters: Einari, Indy (Starting XP 1500), Cyan (Starting XP 1500), Ophelia (Starting XP 1500), Joshua (Starting XP 1500), Tokax (Starting XP 1500)
DM: James (3/20)
Dragons Encountered: Harkial the Red
XP Gained: 14,850 (2475 each)
Important Things Established/Occurred
- Draconian armies sometimes escape into the world and cause terror in the name of the dragons as part of the big ongoing war against the realm. These armies also can include kobolds, dragonborn, draco-orcs, and any other relevant Tiamat faction.
- The coastal towns of Fasiltum and Jakalla were attacked in this latest wave, Jakalla was a total loss, despite the best efforts of those present. This particular wave of Draconians included a young red dragon, Harkial, which was the root cause of so much destruction.
- There's one really angry Kobold who survived the seige on Fasiltum, the only survivor, who disappeared mysteriously at the end.
- Legends of "Pinky the Dragon Slayer" are going around now, about a single soldier who slayed a dragon (in truth, he was just the one manning a cannon that happened to land a death blow)
- There is now a group of wanna-be heroes of the realm who survived the seige, calling themselves The Benevolance so they might show up at some point.
Session 8: Hydrinth
Characters: Búho, Kris, Tordek, Durian, Violet, Boros (Starting XP 2700) Dad-Bot (Starting XP 1500)
DM: James (3/22)
Dragons Encountered: Hydrinth the Bronze
XP Gained: 5940 (848 each)
Important Things that Happened:
- The players named the Titicaca River out of Sneerwell
- Some of the players learned about Wovenstone and Caeruleum. One is organic, powered by the lightning glands of dragons. The other is inorganic, magic Feywild rock that eminates magical power.
- The character Kris is retired now, leaving the campaign to go work on his research he got on BOTH the above power sources to try to develop a new engine. Bye Kris!
- Lots of mentions of the Goldveins, and it's mentioned that the Goldvein dwarves historically were known to have a rare horde of powerful crystals
- Some of the players earn special Pickaxes that can turn wovenstone to gold.
- The team did encounter Hydrinth the Bronze Dragon, but ultimately made peace with him
- It was established that Vegepygmies live in the Green and sometimes dam rivers to make lands flood and get real moist
Session 9: Lindwurms I
Characters: Tordek, Dancer of the Boreal Valley, Boros, Dur’kalak, (Starting XP 1500), Vadath (Starting XP 1500)
DM: Kyle (3/24)
Dragons Encountered: Lindwurm’s x2
XP Gained: 4180 (836 each)
Important Things that Happened:
- Party caught word of a tavern owner in Seglock that was looking for a group to venture north for an escort mission.
- The tavern, The Lock and Keg, owned a satyr named Rory, asked the party to travel North to Chillcrest Forest and bring his daughter home, a New Dryad named Wisty. She was part of a relief effort in north Sylvanry; in an area with a series of recent attacks by unknown creatures.
- The party traveled North to Chillcrest Forest, just as Wisty’s camp was under attack by Lindwurms. The party engaged the Lindwurms on an icy pond just outside the camp. The battle was hard fought and unfortunately Wisty was slain by a Lindwurm just as Vadath was lunging to protect her.
- The party vanquished the lindwurms and Tordek attempted to revive Wisty but it was too late. It’s possible that something in the Lindwurm’s vile saliva prevented such healing.
- After the dryad perished, a purple sapling began to grow from the corpse. Dancer cut the sapling from Wisty’s body and placed it in a container. With Vadath carrying the corpse itself, the party returned to Rory and gave the satyr his daughter’s remains.
- He didn’t seem too distraught; claiming that he can have her brought back because “i knows a guy”.
Session 10: Longfang I/Cheshire I
Characters: Einari, Violet, Grandmush, Arlin, Trina, Búho, Dad-Bot
DM: Dave (4/5)
Dragons Encountered: Longfang (Mentioned)
XP Gained: 3661 (523 each)
Important Things that Happened:
- The party members heeded the request of the Order of the Watchful Eye and reported to the barracks outside their cloister in the town of Gammelgard.
- They met a dwarven alchemist by the name of Falgrim Norest. He is an alchemist in service to the Order and would act as their contact for the mission, as well as future missions.
- The players were sent to scount the Northern Snowy Mountains. The first thing they encountered was a group of three emaciated orcs. emaciated, under dressed and under armed. They were completely submissive and answered all their questions without resistance. The orcs told them they were run off their land farther up in the mountains. A green dragon called Longfang ran them off with a hoard of nasty odd looking goblins. The group ultimately let them go.
- Following up into the mountains, they came into a large clearing about the size of a small village with rough mountain walls rising up all around it. In this clearing they encountered a large group of strange goblins similar in look to what the orcs had described. And eventually came to a 25 foot statue of a Dwarf outside a massive sealed off stone archway. The players, exhausted, returned back to Gammelgard to report their findings.
Session 11: Tragdor I
Characters: Einari, Dur'kalak, Durain, Indy, Tokax, Delphi (Starting XP 2700)
DM: Kyle (4/6)
Dragons Encountered: "Tragdor" (One very fake and hallucinatory dragon made by an old crochety wizard)
XP Gained: 3798 (633 each)
Synopsis:
- The group of adventurers found themselves in Indy's home town of Briar Glen. As the sheriff, she was informed that there was some trouble with Gertrude at the general store, so the party decides to go investigate.
- At the general store, Gertrude informs the group of a recent break-in and robbery attempt by a fairly young kobold. Gertrude managed to overpower the kobald and had him incapacitated in a back room, working off his crime.
- The group then decides to talk to the kobold, as they learn he is one of many kobolds working for the great dragon Tragdor.
- The players located and fight the kobold community. After dealing with the conflict, the group entered a nearby shack and found a concealed staircase, leading to a hidden attic. There the group discovered the true Tragdor, an old wizard looking for 'retirement', who uses the fake illusion dragon as a front and to get Kobolds to go out and get stuff for him.
- The party then decided to take Tragdor's bribe of gold and loot, but still dismantled his fake kobold society, and put him under on the watchlist for the sheriffs of Briar Glen.
Session 12: The Green Stag III
Characters: Harold, Cyan, Ensign (Starting XP 2700), Reylendor (Starting XP 2700), Kihlek (Starting XP 2700), Herneldo (Starting XP 2700)
DM: James (4/9)
Dragons Encountered: Unnamed White Dragon Wyrmling Orphans, and The Green Stag
XP Gained: 3696 (616 each)
Synopsis:
- The players discovered and pushed the Green Stag out of his hiding place, a white dragon's lair in the north known as the Cave of the North Wind.
- The players rescue Raritan (the person, not the place), the first mate of the SS NoSink
- Kihlek the Green Fang is confused for the Green Stag.
- Ensign gets a Crystal Ball.
Session 13: Longfang II
Characters: Tordek, Dancer, Vadath, Boros, Kellen, Akagane, Khan
DM: Dave (4/12)
Dragons Encountered: Longfang (Mentioned, possibly it’s presence was sensed by party member)
XP Gained: 4200 (600 each)
Synopsis:
- The group was briefed by the dwarven alchemist Falgrim Norest in Gammelgard and informed that the first group that ventured forth into the foothills of the Northern Snowy Mountains were successful in finding both the entrance to the lost dwarven citadel and the odd, mutated goblins. The task of this group would be similar but in a different area of the foothills.
- The night before they reached the mission destination, a heavy fog fell over the encampment and surrounding area. At least 1 Dragon was detected in their wide vicinity by Dancer their ranger. Even so, no attack came to them.
- The next day the group traveled on further and came to the remnants of a road that snaked up into the mountains in the direction they were going. Following the road they came to a clearing where they found a hoard of goblins fighting a group of orcs. The players stumbled into the party by failing to sneak by. Ultimately, the players were successful in defeating both of the other groups.
- Upon traveling farther along, they came to ANOTHER 25ft statue of a dwarf and sealed stone archway similar to the one the first group found.
- There was evidence of Kruthik activity near the statue and archway.
- Tordek cast Meld with Stone and merged with the wall. He came out a few moments later claiming that the wall was actually an earth elemental that was tasked with blocking the passage way. The players learned the story of what was behind the archway:
- Inside the vault was "Those who had earned Moradin's Wrath. Turned from him. Sealed for All Time"
Session 14: The Green Stag IV
Characters: Miles, Stan, Ulka (RIP), Ferris, Delphi, Vadeth, Jo (RIP)
DM: James (4/20 [blaze it])
Dragons Encountered: The Green Stag
XP Gained: 1857 each
Synopsis:
- The conspiracy in Deeplake (See Session 2) came to a close with a fun light hearted improv.
- Miles the Tabaxi Bard was rescued from being a thrall slave and then helped spearhead a hunt to find the Green Stag
- The Stag's Hoard is also missing.
ONE MONTH PASSES AS THE PLAYERS LOOK FOR GREEN STAG
- 7 Adventurers Entered a cave where Sro the Silver Greatwyrm put them to the ultimate test, to stop "the Greedy Green Dragon".
- In an epic battle, the first true dragon slaying of the campaign, 5 of the 7 make it out with their lives.
- But Miles rescued his platonic bandmate Tiriana, and helped kill the stag, completing his Character Mission and retiring.
- The bounty is claimed by Vadath and Delphi, who will take this victory and go on to found the Band of the Iron Hawk.
Session 15: Vezoth the White
Characters: Tordek, Violet, Varryn, Boros, Siobhin, Alenka, Reylendor.
DM: James (4/30)
Dragons Encountered: None unless the soul of Vezoth the White is counted.
XP Gained: 512 each
Synopsis:
- The Wold Order make their first appearance, summoning heroes in secret from across the continent to join them back in Synara where the campaign started.
- There they reveal that there is a powerful Dead Dragon, one of Tiamat's Heralds who was thought to be killed years ago, but who's soul was in fact trapped inside Alenka's head, as Alenka is a walking manifestation of 1000 souls.
- The team was sent by the Order hunt down a massive lost tower thought to hold the answers to killing a "Dead Dragon", they discover it hidden in a cavern near the Barrier Peaks.
- The Cult of Att-Anallo stalks the players, following them to the tower after ambushing Reylendor earlier in the adventure (The cult is obsessed with a dark power from the far realm.)
- The tower held many strange blueprints, diaries, journals, and templates in a foreign language, all indecipherable even with Comprehend Language (beacuse it's written in Galactic Standard)
- While tinkering in the tower, the worst happens: Thinking that a fancy teleportation device will fix Alenka, instead Alenka collapses, and the 1000 souls of her essence escape, being teleported across the realm.
- Tiamat's Herald Vezoth escapes across the ocean to Amusa.
- Other chaos ensues, and Boros is infected with a MSN, while Tordek dies in a fit of sacrifice.
Session 16: Drakkoths I/Echamus I
Characters: Arlin, Vadeth, Nockdus, Grandmush, Tokax, Kihlek
DM: Kyle (5/10)
Dragons Encountered:
XP Gained: 533 each
Synopsis:
- Wisty's sapling (see Session 9) is given to Grandmush, which vows to do right by Wisty.
- The party arrives at Seglock after hearing that refugees have fled there from Hallasen after it was attacked by Drakkoth. There they see Ferris speaking with an elderly refugee.
- After briefly speaking to both of them, a "priest" named Echemus agrees to guide them to back to Hallesen. The priest is unable to give much info on the attack because he says he wasn't there.
- They arrive and discover that the drakkoth are still finding survivors and piling the dead in the center of the village. They sneak into the village and most of the party unleash a powerful first round of attacks.
- As all of the Drakkoth make their way to the battle, the "priest" that guided them here sneaks into the village and charges across the battlefield. He changes into a Crystal Dragon mid stride, grabs one of the drakkoth by its head, and takes off up into the sky.
- The dragon and drakkoth appear to have a brief exchanging of words before the dragon releases the drakkoth and it plummets to its death. Echemus takes the information from this interrogation to the Moon.
- The players do hear part of what the Drakkoth said:
"The One Who Waits Will See you Soon
Session 17: Silent I
Characters: Durian, Ensign, Delphi, Herneldo, Silent, Cynthia
DM: James (5/13)
Dragons Encountered: Sardior (Mentioned), Bleucorundum (Mentioned)
XP Gained:
Synopsis:
- The Death Demigod Silent is released from the custody of the witch Yggwilv thanks to a Wish by Delphi.
- Bleucorundum was confirmed as being part of "Sardior's Court"
- The witch Yggwilv told Ensign, Delphi, Durian, and Herneldo about Sardior the Third Pillar, officially name dropping the idea of this great neutral power that has been long gone.
- PC Cynthia got a big tiger beatle mount.
- The players learned that there are dragons in every plane and land, including the Shadowfell and Feywild.
Chapter 2: Horatio Rises
Session 18: Cheshire II
Characters: Percy, Cecil, Arlin, Vadeth, Reylendor, Kellen, Mumiy
DM: Dave (5/17)
Dragons Encountered: None
XP Gained: 740 each
Synopsis:
- Gammelgard and Falgrim sends out another expedition to hunt the strange goblins in the mountains.
- The morning they arrive in Gammelgard they are met by a peppy young dwarven scribe apprentice of the Order by the name of Dippy who arranged a wagon for them.
- The players are told to capture a goblin if they can. A pitted battle ensued where the party learned that apparently the goblins venomous bite has improved and now causes more damaging effects.
- The players also get to visit a goblin hideout, located in the ruins of an old outpost in the foothills of the Northern Snowy Mountains the had long been forgotten, which is where they got their first glimpse of Cheshire Orcs and Fang Mounts.
- They met with Falgrim when they returned and turned over the live goblin.
Session 19: Cheshire III
Characters: Arlin, Vadeth, Dancer of the Boreal Valley, Spinel, Violet, Nockdus, Percy,
DM: Dave (5/24)
Dragons Encountered: Longfang (mentioned)
XP Gained: 910 each
Synopsis:
- Another Gammelgard Mission by our friend Falgrim. The crew gathers at the barracks at the Order of the Watchful Eye.
- Falgrim tells the players where the workshop of one Horatio Cheshire is, the creator of the Cheshire Goblins and Orcs, a single level cottage is in an off the beaten path area on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. The cottage is about a day and a half south of Gammelgard.
- The group snuck up to the building but it was Violet who was seen by two orcs who were leaving the building. Things got out of hand quickly. Horatio retreated through the building and released back up monsters to slow the group down. He made his way into a secret workshop downstairs where he had an escape pod that would launch him into the ocean and offer him an escape, but Dancer had set up a trap there ahead of time, capturing the artificer.
Session 20: Echemus II
Characters: Dancer of the Boreal Valley, Buho, Trina, Nockdus, Ensign, Dur'kalak
DM: Kyle (5/25)
Dragons Encountered: Echemus
XP Gained: 900 each
Synopsis:
- The players gained an artifact called the Moonwell that can be placed anywhere under the moon to give the land within a mile “protection from dragons”. It can only be activated/attuned during a full moon. This was a gift from the refugees of Hallasen, including Madame Webe and the Crying Scryer, a couple of divination Lunarans.
- Players meet with Lunarans that believe that the crystal moon dragon Eros protected the gate/barrier to the dark side of the moon. They also spoke of The One That Waits and how it is gathering it is gathering minions to be prepared when Eros arrives.
Session 21: Cheshire IV (QuelmarCon 2022 Game!)
Characters: Arlin, Vadeth, Dancer of the Boreal Valley, Percy, Spinel, Buho
DM: Dave (6/11)
Dragons Encountered: Longfang (mentioned)
XP Gained: 810 each
Synopsis:
- The group of "Hand Selected" heroes met with Falgrim Norest of the Order of the Watchful Eye and Aldean El’Naddath of the Wold Order
- These two informed the group that the armor pieces found on the Cheshire Goblins connect to known markings possessed by members of the Sylvan Vanguard, a long gone and buried order of elves dedicated to defending Isonhound (and the precursor to the Wold Order)
- The best connection to the armor Aldean could find was a tomb of Sir Bergen Cohnal, Paladin of Correllon. Sir Beren’s spirit rests in the tomb and is called up in defense of it as a Guardian Myrmidon. He defended the tombs as best he could but the goblins were relentless. They tunneled through in multiple spots and defiled the graves. Sir Beren pulled back area by area as the goblins pushed in to scavenge more and more.
- The players meet Sir Beren's spirit and hear his story of the goblin infestation before they set out through the crypt to fight the goblins, orcs, and fang mounts inside. They succeed at the dungeon crawl and return back to Gammelgard.
- Buho sets the Order's kitchen on fire whoops.
Session 22: Cheshire V/Drakkoths II
Characters: Nockdus, Delphi, Cecil, Elric, Ren, Barbie, Omni
DM: Kyle (6/16)
Dragons Encountered: Drakkoth
XP Gained: 785 each
Synopsis:
- Interrogation of the captured Goblin in Gammelgard yielded information of a group of Cheshire Goblins held up in the ransacked and abandoned village of Grafton.
- A soggy Dippy gives the party the mission instead of Falgrim and sends them on their way. A steady rain carries on during the trek south and when the party reaches what they believe to be a building containing the entrance to the goblin’s bunker they investigate.
- Immediately after opening the door a group of goblins spring an ambush from across the street. The party does a good job at slowly thinning the goblin ranks when a Drakkoth tribe shows up chasing a goblin into the village, then impaling it. The Drakkoth waste no time getting involved with the party’s conflict with the goblins.
- All three parties face off and the players come out victorious.
Session 23: Mentztonalcoatl/Silent II
Characters: Karl (Starting XP 2700), Aesir (Starting XP 2700), Cyan, Joshua, Cynthia, Silent,
DM: James (6/19)
Dragons Encountered: Mentztonalcoatl (The Father of the Pearl Dragon Tlayohualcoatl)
XP Gained: 1215 Each
Synopsis:
- The party responds to a posting by the Wold Order. We first spent a hot minute at the new temporary headquarters, a staging ground while the Greedy Greeners find their footing in city. They especially were interested in the dark altar that Delphi set up that invokes the death god of Silent.
- Silent met the adventurers and encouraged them to go on this quest, maybe she even anticipated some might die? Who knows!
- When they got there, it seemed very cut and dry: Traps, hallways, baddies in the form of Cult of the Dragon Cultists. But ultimately the team was green in a very different way: Their inexperience and susceptibility to impulsive decisions (playing loud music in the caves, brute forcing their way through traps, and attacking/blowing up suspicious things without hesitation) caused them to not only miss a short rest, but trigger a number of things that hurt them along the way.
- Eventually, 3 suspiciously dramatic "Tiamat Cultists" fought and tested them, and within 2 rounds, most of the team was dying no thanks to all the traps they had already triggered. They fought hard and took down one of the Cultists in a fiery rage of vengeance, causing all of the mages to flee. Cyan permanently went down in this battle.
- As the players reached the end of the dungeon, they realized the Red Dragon of this hoard was not a real dragon, but in fact a River Dragon, a type of sea-serpent-like dragon, that was being used as a mock guardian over the hoard. However, the River Dragon taught the team how to take down the illusions of the dungeon (by de-attuning the Selune Splinter) and gave up the hoard to the victorious heroes.
- The River Dragon gave the team a mission to revive his daughter, Tlayohualcoatl, but that's for the players to disseminate and we'll see if it ever actually comes up again. They have to collect all the missing bones of his daughter who have been collected by adventurers and dungeon delvers in the past
Session 24: Cheshire V
Characters: Vadath, Arlin, Dancer of the Boreal Valley, Cynthia, Nockdus, Spinel, Búho
DM: Dave (6/28)
Dragons Encountered: Tiamat Turned out to be Horatio's Dracohydra
XP Gained:
Important Things that Happened:
- Another mission by Falgrim Norest of the Order of the Watchful Eye in Gammelgard to find where the Cheshire Fang Mounts are coming from. A pattern of scattered attacks and robberies pointed to a site along the Ssaphibian River as the most likely location.
- Falgrim's interrogation of Horatio also revealed more info on the mounts: They were creatures born from dragon eggs, but Horatio's genius meant the first generation could then breed normally, so a breeding corral could be utilized.
- The group took all the info and hit the road. They found the abandoned walled corral and made a plan to assault.
- They recovered one of the Fang Mounts after finishing off the others. Vadath is going to try to tame it and make it a mount.
Session 25a: The Gates of Seglock U - Center Gate
Characters: Trina, Stan, Reylendor, Grandmush, Nockdus, Durian, Violet Lorinda
DM: James (7/1)
Dragons Encountered: Tiamat Turned out to be Horatio's Dracohydra
XP Gained: 1707
Important Things that Happened:
- While celebrating at the Seglock festival, a large boom in the distance strikes out, and the players were asked to accept the call to action which they all did, running down the street, dramatically splitting (the unseen whole) into 3 groups along the way, each to a gate of Seglock University
- The center gate fought a group of Cheshire Goblins, who started to overwhelm the group when Professor Nguyen appeared from a building and tested a hypothesis, mysteriously killing Cheshires with one hit. Nguyen also showed the team his bodyguard, an Autom, a machine from Sneerwell that follows the instructions of a Bluestone holder
- Seeing that one shotting the goblins worked, Nguyen helped the team get more of it: Drakkoth Blood
- The team ran into some more battles (Glaive Guardians/Master of Chains/Orcs/Goblins) on their way to the back wall to patch up the entry point of the siege, they called thorns, spikes, and all druidic-esque effects to plug the hole, then Grandmush called Lightning to collapse it all into a big blockade, stopping more from coming in.
Session 25b: The Gates of Seglock U - Left Gate
Characters: Asheer, Pot'tu Kobb, Dur'kalak, Cecil, Karl Anders, Tokax
DM: Dave's Story, James' Execution (7/6)
Dragons Encountered: Tiamat Turned out to be Horatio's Dracohydra
XP Gained: 1430
Important Things that Happened:
- BANG explosion! (See above)
- Inside the gates of Seglock Univeristy, this group was the closest to the building that Horatio Cheshire's Dracohydra was infiltrating so they got a good show of it, and had to run from it while it's prismatic breath took half the team down.
- Horatio's earliest experiment, the Dragonflesh Abomination, crashing out of a university building damaged by the siege. It began a chase of the players through the city as they tried to avoid its acid spit and the various obstacles of a city under peril.
- After hiding and healing out in some ruins, the team doubled back to find the Dragonflesh Abomination in the middle of a battle with city forces, and used their surprise round to knock him down a notch. After 2 rounds of actual battle, they managed to finish him off, with one player taking the acid glands, however the team was not able to stop a group of Goblins from getting access to a firearm factory...
Session 25c: The Gates of Seglock U - Right Gate
Characters: Patches, Omen, Vadath, Linden Rue, Tristram, Delphi, Amund Zen
DM: Kyle (7/15)
Dragons Encountered: Tiamat Turned out to be Horatio's Dracohydra
XP Gained: 771 xp
Important Things that Happened:
- BOOM BOOM BOOM The Festival gets disrupted as Seglock University is hit with a siege (see above)
- After entering the right gate they saw students and faculty fleeing from the university dorms. Fighting off Cheshire Goblins and Orcs, only one civilian casualty is witnessed, while many other students and professors are saved and escorted to safety.
- After clearing the cafe the party moved in to student housing, where it's clear there are casualties everywhere. Discovering the orcs inside, it looks like they were looking for someone or something specific.
- The players kidnap (and release to the city guard) a suspicious Professor Hargraves after a long and successful battle against more of Horatio's creations (including the newly introduced Cheshire Glaive Guardians) in the dormitory, this battles includes a kill which Delphi claims for Silent.
Session 26: The Gates of Seglock U - Aftermath/The Baron I
Characters: Eurus, Omen, Nockdus, Búho, Percy, Amund Zen
DM: Kyle (7/20)
Dragons Encountered: None
XP Gained: Varying (4th levels proceed to level 5)
Important Things that Happened:
- After the BANG BOOM EXPLOSION siege on the University (See aboves) this party met with Seglock Mayor Ameeka Townsend and The Baron. Who elaborated on the damges done, motives of Horatio Cheshire and his goblins, and the University's history with Horatio.
- The party is introduced to a Geodaury Magus named Vaeril Yinceran, as well as Seglock military leader Captain Visio, who was on the ground at the siege and ambush.
- Visio was convinced to allow the party to take a look at seized documents from the University, and helped them find whre Professor Hargraves is kept. Interrogating him, Hargraves didn’t give up a whole lot that the party didn’t already know or suspect.
- Finishing the interrogations, the party went to Ground Zero at the University to meet with Magus Yinceras, who revealed taht Hargraves was actually Cheshire’s assistant when they were at school together. He appears to be the only "Inside Man" at the university based on all the investigation the team had done, and the Magus was thankful for their help, vowing to share pertinent intel with them in the future if they do the same.
- Buho is retired after catching a whiff of chocolate and re-meeting the woman who introduced him to TRUE FLAVOR 20 years ago.
Session 27: Thymor'ala the Black I
Characters: Ensign, Thuchor, Joshua, Silent, Harold, Alanis, Markoth (and a cameo from Dur'kalak, commentary by Cynthia and Tokax)
DM: James (7/23)
Dragons Encountered: Thymor'ala (Black Dragon)
XP Gained: 1208
Important Things that Happened:
- Joshua receives a vision in his coma:
"You see before you the end of all things. The great black dragon rises up from the dark depths, its eyes glowing with a terrible green light. A tower looms in the background, its top disappearing into the clouds. The mountains trembles and explodes, sending a shower of rock and dust into the air. The world is coming to an end. In the distance, you can make out five figures dressed in purple, green, white, blue, and orange. They're calling something, but you're deaf. They must be doing this. You can't understand how; it must be their fault. Their fault! Their fault! This is their fault! The end of the world is their fault! But you can stop it! You must stop the big black dragon before it is too late!” •
- The team headed out towards the Relith Tower, possibly the tower from the vision, near the Barrier Peaks. But failed their traveling/survival checks and got lost.
- A spaceship crashes near the Northern Snowy Mountains, introducing the first Giff to the campaign.
- Failing their travel checks, and landed themselves in the Burning Forests, ambushed by the black dragon living there.
- Spent the rest of the session fighting said Black Dragon, they got it down to 10 HP before it flew away. They had 2 FULL ROUNDS of trying to take out the last 10 HP but failed every roll.
- Dragon got away, everyone vowed to kill that dragon no matter what because it almost killed everyone several times.
- They still were able to track the Dragon thanks to a well timed "Hunter's Mark", and went to its hoard, raiding what little was left there as the Dragon is moving to a new secret location. (see Session 30)
Session 28: Mentztonalcoatl II/Sro III
Characters: Hugo, Kluck, Tristam, Linden Rue, Markoth, Volrac
DM: James (7/29)
Dragons Encountered:
XP Gained: 1866
Important Things that Happened:
- The party met in the Trout's Toe, the tavern in Seglock where Professor Galloway thanked Linden and Tristram for coming out and accepting this meeting. Galloway's contact with the Wold Order was looking for new heroes to delve into the FireGates (See Session 23)
- Once the team was formally introduced in the tavern, they went out to the dungeon (after causing a tavern fire they extinguished), did a lot of scouting around, and ran into SRO THE GREAT who told them they shouldn't be fighting a Dragon in it's own lair (Rule #1 baby!)
- After more scouting, the team found out the dungeon had imprisoned a dragon to serve as the main threat. This made Sro pissed. He cited the "Law of Consequences", essentially stating "These guys did a screwed up thing, that's a good dragon that's now an enslaved servant of the Wold Order...a secret organization who turned out to be behind the FireGates" and Sro ordered the team to take down the dungeon and free the dragon (with a 22 rolled by Linden on a dispel magic to break the magic bind)
- After lots of very deadly fighting with the baddies inside the dungeon, they raided the hoard that was set up there, learning that it was a fake hoard that the Wold Order puts in place as part of the testing grounds. They took the hoard, and even got to fly Sro back to Seglock, with the FireGates now destroyed.
Session 29: Olympia Magisteria
Characters: Pum, Cecil, Ren, Volrac, Ignidicus, Reylendor
DM: Guest DM John (8/6)
Dragons Encountered:
XP Gained: 1500
Important Things that Happened: The 128th Annual Olympia Magisteria
- The players were attending the final game of the tournament when the tournament director is seen running thought the stands with a panicked look on her face. It turns out that the two teams that were supposed to be in the finals are missing.
- Because this final game is like the Super Bowl, the director needed anyone to take the field or else risk the crowd's anger and the loss of financial assets. The Adventurers agree to participate in the last game as "Celebrities."
- Game 1 - Played in the "Giant Chemistry Set" arena. Seglock crushes Gammelguard.
- Game 2 - Played in the "Giant Ant Mounds" arena. Seglock barely beats Gammelguard again
- Game 3 - The two teams teamed up to play against a group of veterans. Played in the "Eldritch Nightmare" arena. It is a tight fight but then the adventurers pull out an amazing series of plays and defeat the Veteran team
Session 30: Thymor'ala the Black II/Mothers I
Characters: Linden Rue, Kluck, Pum, Dur’kalak, Tristram, Kihlek, Pot'tu Kobb
DM: Dave (8/11)
Dragons Encountered: (Thymor'ala the Black)
XP Gained: 1643
Important Things that Happened:
- The players rallied to the cause of a strange new woman named Mother Love at her request to deal with the Black Dragon interloper in her swamp so that she could have access to parts of the swamp for its herbs and components.
- The group eagerly took the job and headed out to the location that Mother Love identified.
- Tristram attempted to wheel and deal with the dragon as she attempted to warn them that the person they had made a deal with was "not what it seemed"
- Durk'alak wanted nothing to do with talking and waded right into the fight. The dragon attempted to flee when it was gravely injured to try to draw the group away but the group was able to take it down one round before it would have made it's way out.
- The group then delved the Dragon's hoard and took both treasures and the clutch of eggs it was protecting.
Session 31: Bazzniagalvinica I/Drakkoths IV/The Baron II
Characters: Cynthia, Grandmush, Durian, Markoth, Harold, Ferris, Trina
DM: James (8/14)
Dragons Encountered: Drakkoths, (Bounty Board Mentions of) Flame, Prelnirith, Azuspear, and more...
XP Gained: 1150
Important Things that Happened:
- The players killed a bunch of Cheshire creations! With Drakkoth Blood a plenty from the University, one-shotting Fang Mounts, Cheshire Goblins, and Glaive Guardians has become more sport than work.
- That is...until the blood ran out. When they went back to Professor Nguyen at the university for more Drakkoth Blood they were told there was no more...the projects funding was all taken away. The Baron explained his personal decisions in a town meeting, but the players were able to cunningly persuade him to start putting money back into the Drakkoth blood projects.
- The Baron also made it clear to the adventurers that there are many in the city, especially in his circles, that fear the presence of more and more "Heroes" and "Guilds" is drawing unnecessary attention to Seglock, especially as rumors of eggs are abound.
- Until the lab experiments can be back up to speed, the group was approached by the Protectors of the People, a grassroots organization looking to expel Dragons from the land, as well as "Dragons", a term they're using to describe the powerful money hoarders of Isonhound like the Baron. The PotP are run by a kind and wealthy woman named Brenna. Other PotP NPCs encountered include Okey the Treant Guard, Archie Stewart their boots in Seglock, Frank their equipment guy, and Belle, a cleric staying with them and keeping an eye out for Sro.
- The PotP had a great map tracking Drakkoth migrations, and pointed the team in the direction of a group that he believed was going to ambush the city of Raritan, the team followed the tracks, and fought the Drakkoth, ultimately leaving 2 alive: one for Seglock, one for PotP. The Drakkoth Blood is back and flowing for everyone!
Session 32: Uhlm
Characters: Asheer, Delphi, Elric, Spinel, Eurus, Ona
DM: Kyle (8/17)
Dragons Encountered: "Uhlm"
XP Gained: 2359
Important Things that Happened:
- The team was summoned by a scholar from Deeplake who had been studying an old text, which referred to a dragon that could sway the outcome of the war. He discovered a riddle that he was having trouble with, but deciphered that the first lines referred to Direheart Pond, nearby.
- At the pond, the team solved the riddle, which involved Elric kissing a frog, who turned out to be a fey creature called the Curator. The Curator revealed that he planted the riddle and claimed he had a mutual self interest with the adventures. He said he is a curator of a place of "pure evil", the Shadow Forge (see below), which is capable of producing some pretty nasty creatures. He said that Horatio Cheshire has found the forge, and worried that he would create even more Cheshire monsters. The Curator required a fey key to return to the forge and ensure the forges remain shut down. However, he gave the key to a dragon called Uhlm for short for safekeeping. The curator opened a portal to a town in the plane called "Thaer".
- Thaer, the adventures learned, is populated by about 15 people that....are weird disturbing replicas created by Uhlm. The plane seemed to end at the small town's borders. Uhlm did indeed have a fey key, but informed the team that 3 keys were needed to access the Shadow Forge...and no other keys exist. But Uhlm could essentially revert time in the plane, sending the team (key in hand) back to the portal to once again find Uhlm (who wouldn't remember anything) and another instance of the key...twice.
- Each time the plane was reverted, however, it started to fight back. Much fighting and yelling ensued, including one moment where Eurus threw a death knight over the edge of the town. The other death knight banished Ona back to Deeplake with one of the keys. Ultimately three keys were obtained, and returned to the Curator.
- Spinel, Asheer, and Delphi attempted to persuade Uhlm to return to world of mortals and help them in their cause, but he would not be convinced. Uhlm helped usher the adventures to the portal, before the second death knight could cause more damage.
Session 33: Mothers II/Bazzniagalvinica II
Characters: Arlin, Violet, Pot'tu, Boros
DM: John (8/23)
Dragons Encountered: N/A
XP Gained: 1563
Important Things that Happened:
- The players were invited to free food and drink from Archie Stewart, a recruiter for the Protectors of the People. He told the adventerers the motto of the PotP, while sending them on a supply run.
Make sure your neighbor's plate is full, and yours will never be empty."
- Arlin and Violet took notice of the Gold Dragon Egg behind Brenna's desk and asked how Brenna got the egg. Brenna responded that it was a "family heirloom" and responded with aggressive undertones when pushed on the matter. Violet did an Insight Check and got that Brenna is not lying that it is a family heirloom and is acting protective of the egg. Arlin, having seen a shapeshifted dragon before, believes that Brenna is a Gold Dragon.
- The adventurers were given supplies to give out to two communities including the special treat of some "Mother Joy Candy."
- Upon getting to the first town the adventurers met with the town leader who inspected the supplies. The town leader, upon seeing the Mother Joy Candy, confronted the party for having it in their possession. His wife had eaten an entire bag of the candy seeking joy in their life of squalor, and after finishing it went into deep depression and eventually died from neglecting herself. The town leader did mention his own love of Mother Love Pie's though.
- The party did not deliver the candy and instead experimented on it. Arlin casted "Purify Food" on some of it, which rendered the candy mundane but of superior quality. Violet ate a regular piece to discover it's effects. She immediately remembered a time of intense joy in her life, but then immediately forgot it, and the candy left her unaware of the cause of the intense joy she was feeling. Arlin noted her momentary "Thousand Yard Stare." The party then purified all of the candy in their possession and did not give any out.
- The party was then tricked into a Venom Troll Cave by a Will-o-wisp. They put a world of hurt on the party.
Session 34: Cheshire VI - The Shadow Forge (Fundraiser Event)
Characters: Arlin, Violet, Boros, Delphi, Durian, Vadath, Markoth, Cynthia, Linden Rue, Tristram, Tokax, Percy, Amund Zen, Drang, Amber, Zevendell, with setup help by Pot'tu Kobb, Harold, and Grandmush.
DM: Dave, James, and Kyle! (8/27)
Dragons Encountered: Horatio's DracoHydra!
XP Gained: 5000
Important Things that Happened:
- Players entered the Shadow Forge using the fey keys (See Session 32).
- There are Cheshire Orcs and Cheshire Goblins galore, but the real threat is the Forge itself, which manifests massive Shadow Guardians to drive out any "diseases" in the system. Battle after battle ensues in a massive event held across three tables.
- Several characters die in the dramatic conclusion and fight against Horatio Cheshire himself, who is slain, alongside his mount, the Dragonhydra seen at Seglock University.
Chapter 3: Night Approaches
Session 35: Flame II
Characters: Clank, Kaba, Naxxradormu, Orifyire, Rakim, and Rex
DM: James (8/28)
Dragons Encountered: Blue Dragon (mentioned), Flame
XP Gained: 3680 XP Total (525 per character)
Important Things that Happened:
- The heroes celebrate after driving off an unnamed Blue Dragon in Luanda. But their fondue-based reward is interrupted by a siege by Flame the Crimson Terror.
- While the players spent a few rounds going toe to toe with Flame, a small Air Skiff flew in from out of town, picking up the players and a number of refugees, and flying them to safety. The Skiff is operated by Lorita, a gnome who considers herself a Protector of the Town (and has allied with the Protectors of the People). She explains the Obelisk Tower outside Luanda which was used to imprison Lord Belovaar, the Shadow Lord many centuries ago.
- Flame's siege on the area damaged the tower, and shadow breaches began to appear in the area, risking the release of Belovaar, so the players entered the tower, solving a puzzle to get in unharmed, and then several more puzzles to get into further chambers.
- They got to the chamber where Lord Belovaar of the Shadows was lurking, his burial shelter disrupted by the attack on the tower by the dragon. The players solved the final puzzle and locked him back into his chamber and then they escaped!
Session 36: Mothers III
Characters: Clank, Eurus, Amund Zen, Delphi, Naxxradormu, Airavata
DM: John (9/8)
Dragons Encountered: N/A
XP Gained:
Important Things that Happened:
- The party was contacted by Archie who was attempting to save his job. In Session 33, the party kept the Mother Joy candy and did not deliver it. The person who donated it found out and was mad, the people who didn't get it then found out and were mad, and Brenna found out and was pissed.
- Archie nearly lost his job, but he came up with a plan. On his own he gathered adventurers to take out some cultists who have been harassing villages in the area. The took the party to the PotP headquarters to tell Brenna. Brenna is not happy and wants to cut off working with adventurers completely because if they can't be trusted to take donations to needy people then they are no good to the PotP.
- Archie pleads with Brenna ("Come on Brenna! Taking out cultists is what adventurers are known for.") and Brenna relents. Brenna then adds an additional request to the party. She puts up 1,000gp (money that was donated by Pot'tu) to get whatever documents from the Mayor of Synara that were just delivered to the cult. The party goes to the cultists and fights them. In the aftermath they recover the documents which include a letter from the mayor to his son in the cult and a pardon for all the crimes the son has done (murder, kidnapping, and theft). In the letter the mayor says that he will make it look like the son was acting as an undercover agent all along and even use this fake situation to have the son point the finger to some of the mayor's political opponents.
- Half the party delivers the son back to the mayor and negotiate payment to keep everything quiet, and the other half decide to go to Brenna to deliver the documents.
- The mayor agreed to give weapons and armor to the one group if things stay quiet, but the other group blew the deal when they turned over the documents to Brenna.
- Archie got to keep his job!
Session 37: Bleucorundum II
Characters: Dancer of the Boreal Valley, Zevendell, Amber, Vadath, Omen, Markoth, Drang
DM: James (9/11)
Dragons Encountered: Bleucorundum
XP Gained: 1043 each
Important Things that Happened:
- The Players are recruited by Markoth to come visit the Protectors of the People headquarters on a very special request directly from the top: Brenna has a lead and wants answers on Echemus, a strange otherworldly Dragon she fears is in the area but she can not find.
- The PotP had (apparently) picked up a prophecy from the Crying Scryer during a regular drop off near Hallesen: "Cave un Eros, et erum te cavebit", which lead Brenna to investigate the Cavebite Stream, where an strange charming/fearful auras in the area confirmed draconic activity.
- Omen had a very thoughtful exchange with Brenna. Brenna gave Omen one of her gold-blooded scales.
- When the team went to the Cavebite Stream to investigate the lead, they were hit with essentially a Siren's Song, turning off their minds, relaxing, and floating downstream, where they were pulled into an underground river and ultimately an underground sapphire dragon lair.
- Ultimately the players were able to win over Bleucorundum by making themselves a "Neutral" party. They paired off their evil/good players with hand holding, and let the CN/LN characters travel alone. This "Balanced" the team and granted them entry to the hoard room.
- Bleucorundum gave a big and ominous lore drop, explaining that it is waiting underground here attuning to a similar Amethyst dragon that seems to be even further underground. They also heard references to another dragon "High Above" and another "Of Another World".
- The Team said they will go help in the search out for Echemus, who they suspect to be the dragon from Above, and were lent some items from the hoard to use, with the curse that if they hurt a dragon, the weapons/armor will disintegrate.
Session 38: Drakkoths V
Characters: Tristam, Thuchor, Felicia, Mabel, Ona, Linden
DM: Kyle (9/14)
Dragons Encountered: Drakkoths
XP Gained: Vast in the lore department
Important Things that Happened:
- The Protectors of the People assign a delivery mission to Seglock.
- Thuchor and the players discuss becoming co-leader of PotP with Archie.
- Archie told the party he overheard a cabbage salesman speak of Echamus, which had traveled through the area disguised as a wiry old man, seemingly suffering from delirium.
- The normally revered Echamus seemed fixated on finding a particular dragon, a “blue coward in hiding”, before leaving for Raritan.
- A war horn was heard from somewhere outside of the hideout. An NPC rushed out to investigate and quickly came back and told that Oaky was being attacked by drakkoth.
- Everyone gets to the top of the falls to fight drakkoth, a Drakkoth shaman and a Dragonbone Golem.
- Linden uses revivify on a killed Archie to bring him back (one diamond down) and then they return to the hideout. They arrive to a gruesome scene: PotP People, including Frank, were slaughtered and it appears the Drakkoth tossed the place. Looking at the inventories, it doesn’t appear that anything is missing. The only area that wasn’t entered was Brenna’s quarters. It looked as though they tried to bust through the door but “for some reason” couldn’t and gave up.
Session 39: Flame III/Silent III
Characters: Clank, Ona, Reylendor Aspenmorrow, Hugo Clarion, Oxan Lighkeeper, Nockdus, Silent
DM: James (9/19)
Dragons Encountered: Flame
XP Gained: 3250 each (19500 total)
Important Things that Happened:
- Two of the artificer players discovered Flame's M.O: he attacks towns that are still reeling from a first attack, preying on the vulnerable rebuilding places. As such, the artificers helped a couple bounty hunters get to Musso, the next most likely target of Flame's attacks.
- Flame arrives and begins his siege, but the players are prepared, and begin saving both lives and buildings from being lost.
- Reylendor quickly loses control to Att-Annallo the dark power inside him. The death god Silent begins to prod and interfere with the dark side of players during their battle against Flame.
- Silent's ultimate backstab comes when the players discover Flame also sold his soul over to Silent at the last minute. As a result, the Dragon gave no death throes and no dragonmark when it was "Killed", as part of Silent taking the Dragon's soul for more nefarious purposes.
Session 40: Gloomwings I
Characters: Tristam, Felicia, Oxan, Pot’tu, Drang, Kihlek
DM: Dave (9/22)
Dragons Encountered: none
XP Gained: 700 (Little towards leveling, much towards the advancement of interpretive dance. - T)
Important Things that Happened:
- The players help the struggling PotP rebuild after their loses.
- Archie came to the group, telling them he had heard from the town that had the candy issue (see Session 33) that their town master, Val, had gone missing.
- Heading to the town, the players investigated, discovering that apparently Val’s son Gregory, who had gone away, was seen around Val’s house the night before he disappeared.
- Kihlek witnessed large white moth like creatures flitting around a long distance off to the north in the dawn hours.
- A young man in town discusses what he knows about the disapperances of Val and others, but is caught by surprise when the players mention the moths. He fetches pictures drawn by a young boy about 6 years old who said he played with the moths. The information lines up in such a way that the players are led back to the Venom Troll Cave (from Session 33)
- Eventually the players arrive and fight off the moths, realizing that the moths are responsible for the missing persons, Tristram realizes there is latent magic in the cave that must have drawn the moths there. The players in turn clear the area, and return to town to heal the little boy, who had experienced and been infected by the Moths already.
Session 41: Drakkoths VI/Bazzniagalvinica III
Characters: Cecil, Trina, Arlin, Vessel, Kihlek
DM: John (9/24)
Dragons Encountered: Drakkoths, Bazzniagalvinica
XP Gained: 1367
Important Things that Happened:
- The party started in the barracks of the Order of the Watchful Eye. Falgrim informed them of recent gold dragon attacks prompting a tribe of drakkoth to request a peace treaty along with exchanging blood for protection by the order. The party was then asked to escort the captive drakkoth that the Order had back to his tribe with the treaty and to negotiate the final details and get the drakkoth chief to sign it.
- Falgrim leaves and fan favorite Dippy comes over with an extensive “Terms and Conditions” contract for the treaty. He takes great pride in this EXTENSIVE document then asks the party if they have any questions. Arlin casts “Zone of Truth” and questions Dippy.
- The party starts their journey to the drakkoth tribe and encounter a posting of Lizardfolk of Clan Blackjaw. The leader of the posting demands tribute “in coin or in blood” for entering into the clan lands. Tensions rise when a human boy dressed in a loincloth comes over to translate for the leader. Trina telepathically asks the boy if he is being harmed, and the boy replies that he is treated differently because he is not like them. When pressed, the boy mentions that he “belongs” to the lizard leader, that they treat him better than he was treated at the Orphanage, and that he has no were else to go.
- The party arrives at the drakkoth tribe and return the captive to them. The chief thanks them and begins negotiations. The second in command doesn’t like this and challenges the chief for leadership. A fight breaks out. Some drakkoth attack the party, some attack each other. At the end of the conflict, a drakkoth that held back to see who would win downs the chief, declares himself the new chief, then gets roasted by Bazzniagalvinica who arrives and starts to attack the tribe. The party retreats but comes back after the attack to collect any blood, gold, or items of interest. They return to the order unsuccessful.
- (We learn that drakkoth are birthed/created by dragons to serve them)
Session 42: Sro IV
Characters: Percy, Oxan, Violet, Ensign, Cynthia, Arlin
DM: Kyle (9/27)
Dragons Encountered: Sro, Cave Dragon, Sardior's Court (Mentioned), Sardior (Mentioned), Bazzniagalvinica (Mentioned)
XP Gained: 1106
Important Things that Happened:
- Sro's paladin Belle sends the players to investigate a missing mayor, who she believes might be in her Patron's hoard (Sro collects Mayors, see Session 3) Sro explains that he did not kidnap this mayor but invited him up as a way to attract the attention of Heroes.
- Sro told the party of the splintering of Sardior and that many centuries ago the great gem dragon court had gone their separate ways, and in their own pursuits. But word is that they have begun seeking each other out. Presumably to rejoin and bring forth the return of Sardior.
- Since he had players present, he once again transformed Belle into a dragon (A Cave Dragon this time!) and had them fight to see how "Worthy" this group of heroes was for more information...only for Arlin to dispel the transformation: Defeating a dragon with cleverness (Sro's rule #6)
- After the trial was over Sro allowed the party to ask him questions. One question lead Sro to want to leave and fetch something. He returned a few minutes later with a handful of gems, the Tears of Sardior, last of their kind.
- Sro also reveals that the gold dragon Bazzniagalvinica was protecting a gold egg, and the players begin to piece together that Brenna is Bazz.
Session 43: Mothers IV/The Breach I
Characters: Elric, Hugo Clarion, Asger Snærr, Amund Zen, Drang, Kihlek Vaess
DM: Dave (9/29)
Dragons Encountered: Gideon, Thymor'ala the Black(Mentioned)
XP Gained: 2,250 XP Each
Important Things that Happened:
Session 44: Bazzniagalvinica IV/DOS I
Characters: Airavata, Asger, Rakim, Orifyire, Clank, Nockdus
DM: John (10/8)
Dragons Encountered: Bazzniagalvinica, Gold Dragon Egg, Bleucorundum (Mentioned), Tuschallo (Mentioned)
XP Gained: 1500 (each)
Important Things that Happened:
- Yosser Squigglesong tricks the party into hunting down Bazzniagalvinica after his family was killed and he wants revenge.
- Bazz is held up in a tomb, and after solving some puzzles and doing some dungeon crawling, the gnome calls out Bazz. Bazz comes down in a transformed beast form and some words are exchanged. She is mad because Bluecorundum told her about the coming of Sardior but she knows that it is impossible now that the Topaz Dragon, Tuschallo, is dead. She believes that the coming of the One That Waits is inevitable now and the weak should be culled to save them from the horrors.
- The players (and the gnome) are understandably mad and combat ensues. It is tight, but the players bring her down all while she begs them to not let “Them” take her child and to let it live. She dies, and the party goes to pick up the egg. Suddenly time stops.
- When time starts up again, five gemstone-decked Warforged in different colors have appeared and are in possession of the egg. The Introduce themselves as the Disciples of Sardior and that the egg has a far too important destiny for the players to be in possession of it. They are trying to bring back Tuschallo with the egg and apologize for needing to take it from the party. They say that they are going to put the egg in a kind of stasis to prevent it from hatching as well as surround the egg with arcane wards to keep the Obsidian Dragon from possessing it. They depart, asking the players to provide them with more eggs in the future, or risk losing them to dark powers....(See below)
Session 45: Echemus III/Silent IV
Characters: Felicia, Markoth, Dug, Silent, Darakhas, Herneldo
DM: James (10/10)
Dragons Encountered: Echemus, Black Dragon Egg
XP Gained: 1456
Important Things that Happened:
- After the location of Relith Tower makes it way through the rumor mill, a number of heroes bind together, some for money, others for personal reasons. They take out a number of Cultists of Att-Annalo before reaching the top floor.
- At the top of the tower, surviving cultists tried to prematurely start their experiment: Funneling the energies of Echemus the Moon dragon into their own bodies to give themselves celestial powers, these experiments have driven Echemus slightly mad. The experiment was so volitile that the ritual began to tear the tower apart, leaving the players to flee the destruction. Several players died in the tower's collapse, only to be saved by Silent's Death Ward.
- They did mange to grab a few pieces of loot before the tower collapsed, including an old necrotic Grimoire, some Fellstone-based spellcasting focuses, and one of the Black Dragon Eggs, which they sacrificed to Silent essentially a fair trade for her help in killing the cultists.
Session 46a: Mothers V - Hagtober
Characters: Asger, Feyjin Eldarhearth, Linden Rue, Kacilius Venrai, Markoth, Asca, Ona
DM: James (10/13)
Dragons Encountered: Gideon
XP Gained: 1328
Important Things that Happened:
- Gideon (see Session 43) stops Ona on her way into Seglock outside the city, telling her about a future attack on the city by the same Hags that tried to steal and destroy his children. This particular attack was due to happen during An Evening with the Bard, a One Man Show by Tristram.
- As the players all settled in to see the show, the lights dimmed, and the music started, and BAM the opening number (A fake black dragon maquette) turned into shadowy chaos. As audiences screamed, players got into fighting position.
- It was revealed Mother Peace had power over shadows, and was able to conjure up shadow forms of the players to partake in a mirror battle, which was fought long and hard, but ultimately won over by the heroes!
Session 46b: Mothers V - Hagtober
Characters: Delphi, Drang, Durian, Oxan, Tristam, Vadath
DM: Dave (10/17)
Dragons Encountered: Gideon (in human form)
XP Gained: 1100 each
Important Things that Happened:
- The players meet Gideon and Falgrim in the Gammelgard tavern, the Drunken Dog. Gideon tells the party that Mother Love has been operating a bakery in town, while Falgrim requested that the players determine if that's true, and rid the town of the hag if it is.
- Investigate they did! They barged in behind them and Vadath fired off a round from his hand cannon into the ceiling and basically ordered everyone to stop. Cue the chaos.
- During the siege on the bakery, players noticed shadow seeping into the cracks of one of the walls. Behind it was a shaft which led the team to The Hag, Mother Love, The players all ended up down there. She spoke to them from inside the tunnel and told them that, should they cross the threshold, they would be granted Hospitality. They were already to just barge in when Tristram realized this was the formal Fae Hospitality that bound both sides to abide certain customs and curtesies. The PCs eventually went in and the negotiations began.
- Vadath ended up going over the table and attacking her, breaking the negotations and starting the battle against her. But it was ultimately Tristram who cast Polymorph on her and turned her into a tortoise, put her in a jar of water and watched her drown. Once she was dead she turned to wisps of shadow. The players claimed an ancient tome, written in Primal that she had stashed away.
Session 46c: Mothers V - Hagtober
Characters: Harold, Kihlek, Reylendor Aspenmorrow, Hugo Clarion, Spinel, Thuchor
DM: Kyle (10/20)
Dragons Encountered: Gideon (in dragon form)
XP Gained: 1766
Important Things that Happened:
- The party was briefed by Gideon that all three Mother Hags have been lured away from home (see other Sessions 46).
- The players learned that several teens/children had recently been put in comas from the hags' treats, and that their conciousness is likely held prisoner at the swampy home of the Mothers.
- The players collected 8 Conciousnesses in total before the Swamp's Guardian (A halloween-pumpkin-esque Beholder) appeared and attacked.
- Some massive crits and other damage eventually brought it down and with it all the consciousnesses/souls burst free and flew away to the kids...... except the ones still collected in the players' bags of holding.
Session 46d: Mothers V - Hagtober
Characters: Clank, Vyuprax, Oxan, Elric, Grandmush, Vessel
DM: John (10/27)
Dragons Encountered: Gideon
XP Gained: 1208
Important Things that Happened:
- Gideon made a cameo flying the party members from a previous session to the lair (see above), but then he returned and swooped down to address this party in human form. He laid out the scenario and flew the party members in the cart to Saltport to go after Mother Joy.
- The team discovered Mother Joy hiding in a crate, as she jumpscared the group and summoned more Shadows to fight. Unfortunately as players started to get aggressive, the civilians of Saltport came to Mother’s defense.
- Right before she escapes, some clever attacks (and octopi) keep her from Misty Stepping out of town and making it back to her swamp, finally bringing down the last of the Mother's Covent.
- Gidion flies back down, returning from Gammelgard, declaring that “We all did a great job!”
Session 47: Kennandra I/It Went to Kiston (Fundraiser Event)
Characters: Percy, Linden, Tristram, Delphi, Dancer of the Boreal Valley, Vadath
DM: Dave (10/24)
Dragons Encountered: Silver Wyrm, Adult Red Dragon, Black Wyrm, a Brass Dragon, a Copper Dragon, and talk of a Topaz Dragon, Kennandra the Dread Flame (mentioned)
XP Gained: 3200
Important Things that Happened:
- The Iron Hawks awake to find The Curator in their clubhouse one morning. He reports that if the Red Dragon they seek is Kennandra the Dread Flame, and they will have to leave Isonhound and head to Kiston to find it.
- The Curator gives vague, secret instructions which ultimately lead the Hawks to the half-gnome Tolmé Pendergras Son of Colin. The other was a dwarf named Duli. Though initially hesitant, Tolme and Duli agree to let the players in on their secret project...leading them down into a secret bay with a large cliffside opening. A bay containing a massive airship, hovering in place, as well as other ships, in various states of construction.
- The ship sets sail for Kiston, intending to deliver supplies to the soldiers and warriors fighting on Bahamut's side in the active warzone there against Tiamat. But they find the the fort they were going to supply being assaulted by a massive Black Dragon, and Draconians.
- The players team up with Bahamut's followers, Silver, Brass and Copper Dragons, in an epic 5 dragon extravaganze which ultimately leads to the killing of the Black Dragon AND a Red Dragon...confirmed to be the child of Kennandra the Dread Flame.
- Sro and Gideon were confirmed as trustworthy individuals on the side of good. The Silver Dragon suggested the idea that Sardior's council seats were more of a position rather than the dragon that was chosen. If one died, or retired, what keeps someone, or something, else from taking up the mantle?
Session 48: The Breach II/Gloomwings II
Characters: Eurus, Tristam, Feyjin, Felicia, Nockdus, Ona, Linden
DM: Dave (11/3)
Dragons Encountered: None
XP Gained: 985
Important Things that Happened:
- Another Mission for the Order of the Watchful Eye. The team met with Falgrim and learned scouts of the Order have been conducting expeditions into the mountains to survey conditions, route out remaining Cheshire creatures and watch for any abnormal situations. One of these expeditions has not reported back as expected, so the players must investigate.
- At the snowy high portions of the Northern Snowy Mountains they eventually came across the, infested with more Gloomwings, survivors told the players the Gloomwings trance led the dwarves there to a Shadowfell Breach in the ground. The area around the rend was all distorted.
- Stepping into the Breach, the group fought shadow beasts and creatures, saving the dwarves, but not before A Shadow Giant and his entourage chased them out.
Session 49: The Breach III
Characters:
DM: John (11/11)
Dragons Encountered: ????
XP Gained:
Important Things that Happened:
- Around the time of the last session (see above) another contracted party was given a highly secretive job by the Pradassis Mining Conglomerate to clear out one of their mines in the mountain, and recover the Aerocrystals materials inside.
- The party heads out to a pitch black mine. Eventually clearing it of Yugoloth creatures that have seeped in. In the aftermath they locate paperwork sending the Aerocrystals to Pendergras Industries for some strange redacted project (See Session 47).
Session 50: Tranquil the Terrible/The Breach IV
Characters: Clank
DM: James (11/13)
Dragons Encountered: Faerie Dragons, Tranquil the Terrible (aka The Jabberwock)
XP Gained:
Important Things that Happened:
- The players, hunting Tranquil the Terrible, stumble upon a Fey Crossing into a Feywild domain, home to a number of Faerie Dragons. The glade also had yet another Shadow breach which was all sewn up and stabalized by the Faerie Dragons.
- Navigating the intracacies of talking and dealing with fey (permissions, games, donations, and more!), the players were allowed to meet with Tranquil the Terrible, who was operating out of this Fey Crossing.
- Players fought Tranquil, a Jabberwock, but ALSO fought their own emotions, the more violent and angry they got, the more their mad emotions fed into the Fey energies, distorting and angering the world around them. During this resulting big battle, the runes that were keeping the shadow rift closed were also hit by the wild emotion magic, and the whole fey domain was now being eaten by the unleashed shadow rift
- Despite now fleeing from the shadows, the players were also able to overcome the Jabberwock, with Dancer of the Boreal Valley landing the final blow.
- Two players failed to escape the domain, choosing to focus of fighting more than running, and being eaten by the shadow void....though it seems the realm may not be done with them yet. Another player later jumped into the breach willingly.
Session 51: The Breach V
Characters:
DM: John (11/17)
Dragons Encountered:
XP Gained:
Important Things that Happened:
- Another Mission for the Order of the Watchful Eye. Meeting with the elderly Delores and good old Falgrim and Dippy. Their mission is to travel to the far side of the Northern Snowy Mountains to recon another Fellstone mine (see session 49). Reports of Shadowfell "Breaches" have been occurring around the mountain and Falgrim wants to triangulate the possible size of the area being effective.
- A breach at this distant location would constitute a third confirmed one and that the area in question encompass the ENTIRE mountain.
- The players are demonstrated the elements of Airships: Wovenstone + Fellstone + Aerocrystals + Caeruleum = Flight.
- Dippy is a scaredy cat and runs off when the players talk about Dragons in the area.
- Entering the mine, a shadow breach opens up directly in the presence of a group of miners, chaos ensures as the players fight shadows and spectres, eventually collapsing the whole mine to seal the breach.
Session 52: DOS II
Characters:
DM: Kyle (11/18)
Dragons Encountered:
XP Gained:
Important Things that Happened:
- The players are asked to escort Wovenstone to Sneerwell as part of further ongoing secretive plans, compliments of the TLC delivery company.
- The part is ambushed by Warforged-like Centaur who fight hard with gem-crystal powers to stop the players and steal the Wovenstone.
- Despite taking down one or two centaur, the rest ultimately flee when a T-Rex appears (Tristram) and the battle becomes too much, the Wovenstone is saved and delivered!
Session 53: DOS III
DM: James (11/22)
Dragons Encountered: Gold Dragon Egg, ????
XP Gained:
Important Things that Happened:
- Players arrive in Synara to take on a mission for the Wold Order,
- The Wold Order admits that they have their own theories on the sudden growth in rifts and shadows, and they place blame on the increased mining, expeditions, and activity by Gammelgard into the Northern Snowy Mouintains in search of what they politely called "The Citadel"
- Both Gammelgard and Synara have had their shipments of Wovenstone/Fellstone /Aerocrystals interrupted by these Warforged-Centaur, and want to track the centaur down, believing they may be another enemy that has arisen from the shadows like the Hags or Horatio Cheshire.
- Tracking the Centuar back to its base, the players discover that The Most Sanctified Disciples of Sardior have been creating and sending out the Centaur to steal the valuable materials (as well as Stellar Iron) for their own purposes, including:
- Making a Dragon Construct
- Making a Star-Faring Ship
- Making the Warforged-Centaur
- The Warforged have given up their names, now calling themselves Crystal, Amethyst, Emerald, Sapphire, and Topaz. All in the purposes of fulfilling a prophecy that came to them from the stars via a Zodar
Court is Called. The Five Complete the Four. The Ruby Will Be.
- The players donate their own Wovenstone and other materials to the cause of the Warforged, and return to the Wold Order lying about their location, saying it was another Shadow Breach.
Session 54: The Breach VI/Silent V
Characters: Harold, D'Kacilius Venrai, Felicia, Kriqwyn (Starting XP 6500), Xander (Starting XP 6500), Aedynn (Starting XP 650)
DM: Keller (11/27)
Dragons Encountered: None
XP Gained: 1571 Per Player
Important Things that Happened:
- The players all accepted a mission from the mayor of Fasiltum after Bullywug raids from the nearby swampy island of Stollblossom.
- The players are escorted on Newell Alderman's rented boat to the island where they are quickly surrounded, and eat magic frogs to speak with the locals. The chief explained that their tadpole children were being stolen and that the Bullywugs believed that it was the people of Fasiltum who were responsible.
- Players are escorted to Camp Boilwart by the chief and discover the massive mushroom in the center of the camp that marks the grave of First Bullywug Lord Hornglosh Muckborn has been opening up at night, and hypnotized Bullywugs have been tossing their own children into the hole down into the old site of Everdrown Barrow.
- Descending into the Barrow, the players encounter the undead spirit of Lord Hornglosh Muckborn, wearing a fey-like crown with a fellstone centerpiece. During the ensuing battle, Muckborn himself became another rift into the shadows, and revealing the entity behind the breach at island, a collection of spirits going by the name The Many. Players entering the rift find more of the Death Giants, and Harold in particular is almost lost to the darkness.
- After slaying the beast and stealing the crown, it was offered it to Silent who took it with some difficulty. The party then escaped the barrow as the remaining rift grew and drew the entire barrow into the Shadowfell.
- After they escaped though, The Many spoke a prophecy before all dispersing:
When darkness rises and takes the sun,
The forgotten sundered shall rise
To take what is so rightfully theirs,
No one shall stand in our way,
No people protected,
No birds in iron flight,
No ships of sturdy mast,
No worshipers who do their work in silent might,
Lord of Shadows, Master of the Fell, Bringer of Darkness,
The time of his greatness is soon to be at hand,
All shall bow, all shall serve,
For we have been promised eternity.
Session 55: Lindwurms II/Echemus IV
Characters:
DM: James (11/30)
Dragons Encountered:
XP Gained:
Important Things that Happened:
- The players fight off 6 Lindwurms who risk repopulating the Northwest Isonhound coast near Sparrow's Point, so no more than 1 can make it to shore.
- Echemus the Mad Moon Dragon appeared, busting out the cliff through some small entrances, and collapsing whole sections of the cliffside. His lunacy meant that he would go back and forth between attacking players and enemies.
- The Locksmith Lunarans of the North appeared, seemingly trying to calm Ecehmus and fix his mental issues. They told the players to tell Echemus a story to lull him to sleep, at which point Elric told an actual 5 minute long story that was so insane it DID lull Echemus to sleep while Pot'Tu provided SFX.
- At this point 1 Lindwurm Escaped, but it was the only one, so it can't repopulate the area.
- Once the Lunarans caught wind of the players' attempts to kill Echemus, they used magic missiles to take down Elric.
- With Elric dead, the players stood down, and Drang told Echemus another long tragic story about his background, the Dragon was soothed, and the last Lindwurm was slain.. Echemus was returned to the Lunarans, who begged for the players to find someone with access to Greater Restoration to heal Echemus.
Session 56: White Dragons of the Mountains I
Characters:
DM: Dave (12/8)
Dragons Encountered:
XP Gained:
Important Things that Happened:
- The PCs presence was requested by Falgrim on behalf of the Order of the Watchful Eye through their respective organizations.
- The team was introduced to an airship, the Bonny Robert, hovering 20 ft off the ground in a nearby field, and its crew.
- The players learned that a white dragon in the mountains has been disrupting the mining and searching operations of the dwarves near the peaks of the Northern Snowy Mountains.
- Ensign thoroughly scanned the ship for space tech but could confirm the Sneerwell ships are made of Quelmar material, not Stellar Iron or other space material.
- The team approached a large cave opening in the mountain peaks and dropped off the team where they were ambushed by an Abominable Yeti, Frost Salamanders, and Ice Mephits. Chaos ensued as the crew retreated and nearly died making their way back to the airship, luckily though, despite all odds, the crew managed to escape, confirming that while there may or may not be a white dragon in the mountains, dangers are plenty abound.
Session 57: The Baron III
Characters:
DM: Julia (12/12)
Dragons Encountered:
XP Gained:
Important Things that Happened:
- Players recieved a letter addressed to each of them individually, from the Baron's estate: "The Baron isn't sleeping well. There are things in the house. Please help.", the arrive to the estate to meet Gerald the Butler.
- The Baron reported ghosts and spectres in the estate, and Gerald just had to reach out to help. The Baron Faro arrives and dismissed the team, but everyone is insistent that the Baron accept at least their help investigating the cause of the ghosts.
- Gerald leads the team to the Baron's library, which was a favorite of the late Baroness, Genevieve. Gerald tells them how kind hearted the Baroness was, and that it was she in fact who set up the scholarship funds with the university, not Faro. It was her passing nearly a year ago that changed the Baron's disposition, and as this is the first Yuletide without her.
- The party waits until midnight, when the main hall of the manor tranforms to what it looked like when the Baron was a child. Fighting skeletons, they eventually come across Sir Jereth Leighonen, a spectre of the former head of guard when the Baron was a child. Faro reveals he had locked Jereth and other staff out in the cold long ago during Yuletide.
- Once the Baron acknowledges his wrongs, the manor transforms into a hot ruin, the team has to fight more firey ghosts of yuletide future --- which reveals the image ofa beautiful woman. Genevieve pleads for the Baron to stop being so bitter, and start aiding in the fight Isonhound has with the dragons, otherwise this is the future that will come to pass- Flame and destruction.
- With his heart softened, the Baron thanks the players begrudgingly, and pays them for their troubles, everyone goes home and celebrates YuleTide!
Session 59: White Dragons of the Mountains II/Tushello I
Characters: Arlin, Brakanar, Spinel, Draennac, Tristram, Ona, Grandmush
DM: John (12/13)
Dragons Encountered:
XP Gained:
Important Things that Happened:
- The Party starts off at the Order of the Watchful Eye, where Falgrim reports a white dragon is now threatening the town of Maris.
- They arrive at Maris to discover that there has been a misunderstanding. The “White Dragon” is the white dragonborn leader of a group of eight bandits. The team makes swift work of these low level bandits and their leader. But then they are able to get intel on where the Bandit's lair is, so they can retrieve the stolen goods from Maris.
- Arriving at the lair, they see a small shrine built into the side of the mountain. Arlin is compelled to touch a stone on an altar, and it is activated, revealing it to be an “Astrolabe” a hollow crystal sphere with constellations etched on the outside and a topaz gem representing the sun magically suspended in the middle, it is on an ornate stone base carved with ancient dragon scripture.
- On it's activiation, ancient Dragon magic is released, altering all of the heroes present for the better: Arlin’s race changes from Firbolg to Silver Dragonborn. From his new dragon form, he announces through a powerful voice that the party is now blessed with the power of the Harbingers. These characters take the mantles:
- Now empowered with draconic boons and eminence, the empowered team accidentally open up a portal with the Astrolabe, revealing Tushello the Topaz, floating in an astral void. He closes the portal from his side, strongly dismissing the players.
- Exercising their new power, the team tear apart some Remorhaz in the area, and then head back to Maris and return the goods that were stolen.
Session 60: Krampus II/The One that Waits I
Characters:
DM: Kyle (12/15)
Dragons Encountered: Unknown Emerald Dragon Egg
XP Gained:
Important Things that Happened:
- The session started with filling the players in that word has come down from some mountain tribes in the North that a creature known as a Krampus…. Krampis….. Krampass…. Trina remembers very well what Krampus is and fills in the rest of the party.
- The party ventures North and makes contact with the Trinchilla Tribe at the base of a mountain range. They live in very peaceful area and seem pretty peaceful themselves. They enjoy silver and potpourri. They don’t seem to fear Krampus all that much but say the the “High Tribes” of Gerbelle and Hampschtier are the ones up-in-arms about this Krampus fellow.
- Visiting the village of the Gerbelle Tribe, they do not receive the same warm greeting as with the Trinchilla. Especially since it seems know one here will speak with them because they are scared that someone will accidentally say the word “Krampus” too many times. They only trade info with a show of strength, opposed to coin. With the use of some telepathy and clever choice in questioning, the party finds that there was a Krampus-like individual seen heading towards the Hampschtier’s mountain camp.
- Arriving at the final camp of the Hampschtier Tribe they find that the village appears to be empty, aside from a malnourished child and strange magical aura around an amphitheater-like structure. They begin simultaneously talking to the child and dispelling magic field around the amphitheater. Once the veil is lifted the party find there is a man cradling a large egg in the theatre. The party opens fire and the man, who is obviously tainted with dark magic btw, begins to regain his faculties and cry out in pain. After the dark force pops back into the man’s face the party finish him off. During the barrage the egg that the man was holding became cracked. So when the man’s vitality waned, the dark energy flowed from him into the crack in the egg, goading and laughing at the players for their feeble attempts to try to stop him.
- The party later found out the man with the egg was the Chieftain of the Hampschtiers and a dark force made him kill all the other villagers but could not get him to kill his son. The party recovers the egg and the boy.
Session 61: Silent IV/Feredemius I/Smargarg I
Characters:
DM: James (12/18)
Dragons Encountered: Kobold Dragonshields, Smargarg the Emerald, Feredemius (Mentioned)
XP Gained: 828
Important Things that Happened:
- The team accepts an escort mission from Katharda Academy Professor Miranda Wright to investigate a peak in psionic activity on the orders of Headmaster Venaleth.
- On the river, riding the SSS NoSink with Captain Harold, the team sees smoke in the woods up ahead, and go rush in to play fire fighter. They find Emerald-Touched Kobold Dragonshields are setting fire to trees and houses in the area, seemingly for no reason.
- After stopping the Kobolds, and putting out the fire (Thanks Decanter of Endless Water!) they Speak with Dead and find out the Kobolds work for the Emerald Dragon Smargarg underground, who the Professor believes is the source of the peak.
- Going underground, they begin to traverse the lair and the speaks to them in their heads, reading their minds, their histories, and asking them a number of questions about what they've encountered so far. He provokes them with visions of things they have fought in the past, including hags, bullettes, kobolds, and eventually lands on Silent's mind, where he seems most interested in a corruption that sits inside her head. He says that this corruption seems to have seeped into all of their minds one way or another, they all have him on their thoughts...The One That Waits. He manifests a spooky illusion of The One That Waits that is a combined image of what all the players THINK he may look like, creating a truly horrifying image.
- When asked about some memories in her head involving Baz's Egg, Airavata reveals to Smargarg that the one that waits corrupts eggs, taking them and using them as insurance to be reborn --- which immediately angers Smargarg, as he reveals that one of his own Emerald Eggs was recently stolen and he believes Towie took it.
- The party meets with the dragon in his great hall where he tasks them to go find his Emerald Egg, which a man snuck down and took.
- Durain and Professor Wright ask questions about the Emerald Feredemius, Thane of Sardior on the Council of Gem Dragons, but Smargarg has few answers except that he can feel Feredemius' Presence....Everywhere...He is still alive somewhere, somehow, in Isonhound.
- (P.S. Harold stole an egg from Smargarg's lair and it hatched into a little newborn Amethyst Dragon.)
Session 61: White Dragons of the Mountains III
Characters:
DM: Dave (12/19)
Dragons Encountered: Adult White Dragon
XP Gained:
Important Things that Happened:
- Falgrim again recruited a group to explore the Northern Snowy Mountains to root out lairs of monsters and search for the white dragon. In no time at all, the Bonny Robert was once again up the mountain. As the ship climbed into the upper mountains a heavy fog laid over everything, through which Linden and Vadath noticed something odd about 60 ft below the party.
- After heading down, they realized they had found some sort of mortal-made structure. After more clearing and rigging a way to zip line the rest of the party over, they revealed a balcony area with a door into the mountain face. The door opened into a two room space where they found bodies of Dwarven Guards as well as the Guard Captains Journal. This gave glimpses into what happened in this outpost and why the tunnel out of it was sapped.
- Attempting to clear the tunnel caused a Swarm of Shadow Mephits to attack the group. Felicia deduced that these shadow mephits are more likely other mephits that had been exposed to and corrupted by Shadowfell in the area.
- The mephits were dispatched and digging commenced. Linden brought out her compass and realized it was tracking the bones she was looking for. They were above them. Felicia brought out a gem axe that douses for gems and activated it. She too sensed above herself and proceeded to begin clearing away the ceiling, quickly two Swarms of Ice Mephits descended down the hole in the ceiling and attacked the group.
- Going up the hole, it opened up into a frigid cold cave made of translucent permafrost ice. They followed the compass and came to a grand ice cave where an Adult White Dragon resided. With a gruff voice it commanded its three ice elementals to "bring me my dinner"
- Fight ensued! Ultimately the group was victorious. The swarms of Mephits evacuated the cave as the dragon died. The death of the dragon let loose with a burst of arcane energy, and the team was able to claim his whole hoard!
Session 62: Tragdor II/Mr. V I
Characters:
DM: Kyle (12/30)
Dragons Encountered:
XP Gained:
Important Things that Happened:
- The PCs were sent letters on behalf of the retired wizard Tragdor. Pretty much “something has stolen my voice, please help me for money”.
- They arrive at Tragdor’s compound and are greeted by three of Tragdor’s kobold servants. The kobolds think Tragdor is a dragon and since he can’t cast spells to keep up the facade, the party was instructed to speak of him as if he was a dragon.
- After some goofy chatting with the kobolds the party is escorted to Tragdor’s keep and are left inside, where the interior is shrouded in magical darkness from a magic item. They go up to Tragdor’s apartment and converse with him (he uses notebook) about the mission.
- It turns out that a wizard stole his voice for saying the wizard’s name aloud, which Tragdor was warned not to do. Tragdor refers to the wizard as Mr. V and he knows where Mr. V is going. The mission is to catch the wizard and convince him to give Tragdor back his voice.
- After fighting a dire troll guard, they find the wizard deep in his lair, etching a portal door on the wall with chalk. They questioned the guy and convinced him (with more good rolls) that Tragdor will NEVER say Mr. V’s real name again. They did this even after being warned that if Tragdor violates this, the PCs will be partially responsible and be punished as well.
- As payment Mr. V asked Sliythm to come with him to the underdark to help him problem.
- When the party returned to Tragdor, he had regained his speech and while he was rewarding them he casually mentioned that he believed Mr. V was a dragon. No proof, but a hunch
Chapter 4:
Session 63: Kennandra II
Characters:
DM: Aaron (1/14)
Dragons Encountered: Kennandra
XP Gained:
Important Things that Happened:
- Entering the town of Raritan, the adventurers saw some scowls from locals and guards due to the mercenary company lead by Herold that raided the town.
- They traveled to the barracks and found Captain Phillip who informed them of attacks to the east, targeting farms, homesteads, and other signs of civilization.
- Two survivors, Elizabeth (18) and Sarah (13) offered to guide the group to their farm to see if their family was still alive. • Feyjin put the girls under a sanctuary spell for protection.
- When they made it to the farm, Sarah ran off to the basement and Elizabeth to the barn. • In the basement, the adventurers found 5 mutilated bodies, two of which were Sarah and Elizabeth.
- Sarah and Elizabeth suddenly attacked the adventurers in the form of Draconian Dreadnoughts.
- Other Draconian forces were teleported in and combat ensued.
- During the combat, the Draconians mentioned something about the ‘Dread Flame’ and Kennandra.
- After the combat ended, a Draconian Mage and Mastermind exited the silo and mentioned Kennandra would lay waste to Isonhound.
- Inside the silo, the adventurers found a brazier with a magical flame and the bodies of the previous adventurers.
- A voice from the flame said “These belong to me and I will devour you all for stealing from me.”
Session 64a: THE MEGAGAME - The Breach VII/Kennandra III/DOS IV
Characters: Many
DM: James (1/21)
Dragons Encountered: DOS Clockwork Dragon, Kennandra
XP Gained: 3375
Important Things that Happened:
- Players celebrate Asar Ogalas in the city park of Sneerwell among friends. They do a few activities such as visiting a very poor fortune teller, participate in a tree climbing contest, and more. But as Airavata is about to buy another pet rock from last year's rock selling gnome, the unthinkable happens. EXPLOSIONS down near the harbor at the Pendergras Workshop.
- Tolme Pendergras leads the players through the streets until they come to a barricade set up by the Purple Robotaur, whose darts will teleport people on hit. He does not get aggressive but as players try to pass or get close to him, he tries teleporting them 30 feet back.
- Airavata, Durian, and Trina recognize these guys, and talk to the centaur, saying they are with MSDOS and want to help whatever crazy plan they must be doing. The centaur lets them pass.
- At the Factory, the warforged and centaur have locked down the place as they steal and take Wovenstone out of a back entrance. From the roof, the Topaz Warforged sees Tolme and threatens him to back off. The players side with the Topaz, and Pot'tu teleports Tolme 90 feet on the other side of the city wall. They then cross into the factory carefully avoiding a train and beging to help steal wovenstone.
- Tolme tries to stop them a few times, running back and firing off his own artillerist's gun at them from a distance, but Pot'tu keeps getting a vortex warp on him to take him out of the encounter.
- The team discovers that inside MSDOS also has a massive construct dragon that has taken down most of the factory's defenses.
- Players take lots of Unrefined Wovenstone, and give some of it to DOS along the way. They save a centaur from certain danger, but eventually it all stops when Kennandra appears in the city.
- They fight Kennandra for a little bit all over the city, but she flees when the shadows finally arive this far south.
- In the streets, the team encounters Shadow Corrupted Robotaurs, the ones from phase 1, now one with the shadows. They pack a wallop and the players watch desperately as it also absorbs citizens fleeing in the streets, turning them into additional shadow monsters.
- Eventually the shadow encounter becomes overwhelming as players fail to save enough citizens on the board that they have to fall back, retreating to the factory.
- Now a completely different set of 6 players, they are confused why the factory looks randsacked, and meet a VERY mad Tolme Pendergras, who assumes they're back to steal some more. They talk him down, explaining that there's no excuse for the behavior of the Phase I team, and that they want his help to try to save the city.
- A few players (Satch/Anna) show up DEMANDING WOVENSTONE just in time while the team is talking to Tolme. They refine it and take it to the mountains.
- Tolme says he'll work on something to push back the darkness but they have to try to save whoever else they can before the city is swallowed by the darkness.
- The players manage to rescue 8 survivors and usher them back to the lab (including 1 dog), but Tolme is unable to find a solution in time. They hop in a cart and drive out of Sneerwell like a bat out of hell, taking whatever wovenstone they can along the way.
Session 64b: THE MEGAGAME - The Breach VII/Kennandra III/Echemus V
Characters: Many
DM: John (1/21)
Dragons Encountered: Kennandra, Echemus, Crystal Kobolds
XP Gained: 3375
Important Things that Happened:
- The festival of Asar Ogalas starts in Seglock with fun activities at the Midway.
- Fires start spreading in part of the city, players find that a numbers of kobolds, including some that can cast spells, are setting the fires and attacking civilians.
- The players split their actions between putting out the fires and trying to stop the kobolds.
- The Curator arrives, briefs the party, creates the Fey Gates, and then disappears. The action shifts to a large library in the middle of Seglock where the Moonwell has been relocated.
- Echamus arrives, is cured of his insanity, and in turn cures the arriving players of their corruption. But the Moonwell shield cannot be activated until the full moon is at apogee (5pm).
- The party discovers that the Moonwell is one of five “Artifacts” that have been keeping the corrupting energies at bay in the Northern Mountains, and the party discovers the second artifact, The Astrolabe.
- The party decides to save Seglock with the Moonwell and Gammelguard with the Astrolabe.
- The Shadowy energies reach Seglock and the players defend the Library and the Moonwell from shadowy creatures.
- Just as the Moonwell is activated, the Dread Flame and her Draconian forces arrive. The party defends the Moonwell from waves of Draconians until all of them are dispatched or are severely injured and run away.
- The party discovers that all five artifacts need to be activated by the five members of the Court of The One thtSardior to start the summoning ceremony.
- The party defeats the Draconians and the Moonwell is activated, since Kennandra is already in the city, The Dread Flame becomes unable to escape Seglock, and is slain by the remaining heroes in the city.
- The party successfully defends Seglock from the Shadowy forces.
Session 64c: THE MEGAGAME - The Breach VII/Kennandra III/Echemus V
Characters: Many
DM: Kyle (1/21)
Dragons Encountered: Kennandra, Echemus, Crystal Kobolds
XP Gained: 3375
Important Things that Happened:
- The festival of Asar Ogalas starts in Seglock with a pie eating contest, but the party is interrupted by word of a dragon approaching the city.
- The party heads to the edge of the city to investigate, and meets a group of Lunarens and a crazy Echamus.
- A fireball is thrown into the group of moon worshipers and a battle ensues. The party eventually ground Echamus and knock him unconscious. They reach an agreement with the Lunarens and rush Echamus to the moonwell.
- A wave of darkness rolls across the river and the party heads north to meet it head on.
- They find several NPCs have taken shelter in a church and that three large shadowy monsters have stepped out of the dark mist.
- A brutal fight ensues in which all the NPCs in the area are killed.
- The shadow giant remains and more players arrive just as phase 3 begins.
- Phase 3 ignites with the arrival of the Dread Flame, Kennandra.
- Echamus swoops in and assaults Kennandra in the sky.
- The party begins to work with Echamus to stop Kennandra before it's too late.
Session 64d: THE MEGAGAME - The Breach VII/Kennandra III
Characters: Many
DM: Dave and Patrick (1/21)
Dragons Encountered: Kennandra, DOS Clockwork Dragon
XP Gained: 3375
Important Things that Happened:
- A wave of darkness quickly enveloped Gammelgard during the festival. Falgrim orders the immediate evacuation of the city and asks any adventures to drive their way threw the darkness to his workshop carved into the side of a hill. Falgrim warns the adventures that the structure of the workshop may have been compromised in the quakes and urges them to be sure to turn the steam reactor housed in the building off. If not, the reactor could go critical and take out a good portion of the city.
- After fighting there way threw shadowy abominations, the players noticed unrefined areocrystals breaking threw the walls of the building. They fought threw the workshop to find a aerocrystal refinery in the basement of the workshop. The quakes had indeed compromised the walls causing massive cracks in the structure. The players reinforced the walls with wood after creating refined aerocrystals for the airship and successfully turned off the reactor.
- With the arrival of the Astrolabe to Gammelgard, it was chosen to have a last stand at the docks protecting the ships with survivors of the Kendra attack. The Astrolabe was put in the lighthouse before one last push by shadow creatures to prevent the activation. The attack was thwarted and the astrolabe was successfully activated.
Session 64e: THE MEGAGAME - The Breach VII/The One That Waits II/Silent V/Flame VI
Characters: Many
DM: Keller (1/21)
Dragons Encountered: Shadow Drakkoths, The One That Waits
XP Gained: 3375
Important Things that Happened:
- The ship and crew of the Bonny Robert requested The Protectors of the People to throw a celebration for Asar Ogalas for a large excavation crew of Order of the Watchful Eye dwarves who had just unearthed a small outpost fortress in the Northern Snowy Mountains. Ensign received a strange visit from The Curator who gave the artificer a Steller Navy Rebreather and advised Ensign to read up on his readings of the Bonny Robert.
- Ensign joined members of the PotP on the deck of the Bonny Robert where they arrived at the excavation site. But soon into their excavation the mountains exploded with shadow and dark rifts formed all around the excavation site.
- At this time The Curator opened a fey gateway which allowed the players to travel between the Northern Snowy Mountains, Seglock, Gammelgard, and Sneerwell.
- After once again defeating the Hags of the Mother’s coven and discovering a still alive Joshua who got sucked back into the rifts by a Shadow Giant, the heroes attempted to escape on the Bonny Robert with what dwarves they could save. But the shadow energy overloaded the engine and the ship crashed.
- Beyond the shadows the heroes beheld a massive ruby citadel and a massive obsidian dragon atop it. Few remained to protect the ship against the minions of The One Who Waits which included a turned Marekoth, a turned Asger, and later a Shadow Legionnaire.
- All of the remaining dwarves were slaughtered along with all but one of the crewmates of the Bonny Robert, but Silent’s interference saved many of the adventurers' lives and prevented all from being lost.
- The heroes managed to fix the engine of the Bonny Robert but as they left, they beheld Silent shaking the hand of Markoth and giving themselves to the shadows.
Session 65: The One That Waits III/Jerubbal I
Characters:
DM: James
Dragons Encountered: TOTW, Gideon
XP Gained:
Important Things that Happened:
Session 66: The One That Waits IV/The Shadow Lord
Characters:
DM: Talia
Dragons Encountered: None
XP Gained:
Important Things that Happened:
Session 67: The One That Waits V
Characters:
DM: Kyle
Dragons Encountered: The One That Waits
XP Gained:
Important Things that Happened:
Session 68: Tushello II
Characters:
DM: John
Dragons Encountered: MSDOS Dragon, Tushello, Zoysia
XP Gained:
Important Things that Happened:
Session 69: The One That Waits VI/Smargarg II
Characters:
DM: James
Dragons Encountered: The One That Waits, Gideon/Jerubbal, Smargarg (psionic voice appearance)
XP Gained:
Important Things that Happened:
- After slaying Shadow Gideon (who goes by the name Jerubbaal now), our group of heroes decides to make large bright beacons in the woods, drawing the attention of TOTW who slowly comes towards them.
- Instead of fleeing, the group decides to go TOWARDS the One That Waits...maybe they can kill him now and save the campaign!
- I will spare the gruesome details but cut to lots of dimension dooring and misty stepping and running away VERY quickly with nobody having more than a sliver of health, and TOTW essentially untouched.
- In the previous "battle", Trina decided to lay on the group and let The One That Waits envelop her to death, and would have been quickly integrated with the hivemind, except that new hero Snowball stepped up to save her. Approaching the edge of TOTW, Trina received various bits of visions and images of The One That Waits, including some very fascinating dwarven imagery...what do dwarves have to do with TOTW?!
- While recovering from their battle in a distant grove, the group came across another survivor in the darkness looking for help --- a young elven woman named Vili. Vili DuManior nee Velawyss. She explained that she came from a city with no name...not that it doesn't have a name, but she can't remember the name, and attempts from other players to confirm the name of the city confirmed that the name of the city is just....gone.
- Vili explains that the Cult of Att-Annallo has taken over the city, and somehow managed to know that the shadow-wave was coming. In order to protect their own people, they initiated a Quarantine, locking everyone in the city indoors and restricting them from ever coming out while the continent is in danger.
- Vili also confirms that in recent years the Cult put a ban on magic users in the city, and became very totalitarian in their regime of control. Vili doesn't know why the former "Followers of Att-Annallo" became such a cult, but things have slowly and surely gotten worse of the last year or two.
- Vili had escaped the building she was quarantined in, but asked the heroes to return to the city with her to help others escape....while secretly she also wanted to return to her home and sneak in to take some things with her, including the Du Manoir Key, a magic key that is said to open magically locked things related to the DuManoir nobles.
- Devising a plan to sneak into Du Manoir Manor near the center of the city, the players discover that The City has something in it that is keeping the shadows from eating the city up, but not in the same wonderful way as Seglock/Gammelgard. Whatever the City is using to stop the shadows has some sort of gravitational effect, an effect that is very slightly but surely also ripping the city apart, as judged by a few of the smaller buildings already being ripped out of the ground and floating above the city.
- Sneaking into Du Manoir Manor very unsuccesfully, the group catches the attention of some Cultists of Att-Annallo, and only get about a minute or two to investigate Du Manoir Manor, finding three important things:
- A draft of a prayer to Att-Annallo? But mysteriously being rewritten.
- The Du Manoir Key, which the team steals and DOESN'T tell Vili they took.
- One of Smargarg's famous scrying fires, where he can watch the manor from his secret lair. However, seeing the heroes tear through the manor, he begs them to come find him and help escort him to safety, as he can no longer leave his lair --- Smargarg confirms that the One That Waits is specifically also trying his best to destroy and take down the Gem Dragons of Isonhound for some strange reason.
- Vili is disappointed they couldn't find the key, but the attention they attracted was too hot, and they would need to fall back and return to the city in the future if they wanted any chance of saving it's citizens.
- Father Mel, leader of the cult, is neither confirmed nor denied to have been present in the city at the time, though the heavy presence of cultists indicates he may still be lurking around.