Pour
First Post
We've had three sessions already, so here's the summaries so far. I've inadvertently veered pretty far from the adventure as written, but when you're on the spot you tend to kind of make it up as you go. I'm pretty happy with the result thus far.
Session 1: Destiny Beckons...
Along the King's Road...
Six heroes, inspired by holy quest, wanderlust, or perhaps the hefty rewards offered by the Great Church, made their way north on the King's Road seeking information about a possible death cult forming in the frontier region.
As the climate cooled and the wilderness grew more untamed, they spotted the small, walled town of Winterhaven crowning a distant hill. Yet often it is said when the prize is within reach the ground falls from underneath, and so it was as the group was suddenly ambushed by five tiny, blood-scaled lizard-men. The people of the hinterlands called the wretched race kobolds.
Ambush!
They brandished spears and waved steel bucklers, javelins strapped to their backs, yet the party was quicker. Though some fumbled their attacks, within half a minute the group had slain three of the five. Alien beams from between the stars, shrieking twin arrows, arcane missiles and good old forged steel bore down. Before long there were only two kobolds remaining.
The ranger spotted others behind the boulders, which made themselves known when their minions began to dwindle. Three were armored in white dragon scale, bearing large singular scales as shields and wielding short swords. Across the road, taking advantage of the rock cover, laid a slinger in wait, who launched a pot that glued the dragonborn and ignited the wizard.
Dragon Roar
In the middle of the battle, a distant, echoing roar resounded from somewhere within the woods... less than a mile's distance if the group had to guess. They were able to identify the cry, that of a dragon. And considering all the white scale around, it seemed logical to assume a white.
Catch the Kobolds
As the battle grew more dire for the enemy, one of the dragonshields fled for the cover of the woods (presumably to get reinforcements). Through a painstaking combined effort, the wizard managed to finish the kobold just before it entered the safety of the tree line.
The slinger soon found itself alone and tried to flee as well, but another combined effort stopped it just short of its goal. The battle was over. The threat of reinforcements contained.
Camping for the Night
The ranger decided to scout the region while the rest of the party collected the corpses, looted them, then buried them. Camp was made and a watch set.
Intruder Alert
During the warlock's vigil, he heard suspicious rustling enough to warrant waking some of the others. He and the fighter investigated, the wizard shedding light enough to reveal fresh footprints leading away. The cleric advised not separating and watch continued. Around 4am the wizard spotted an elf woman lurking in the underbrush, sword drawn. She lowered it when she was discovered, studying the group as they traded words.
Ninalya: Friend or Foe?
The cleric acted as spokesman of the group, relaying their non-aggressive intentions. The elf, who said her name was Ninalya, the head of the Winterhaven Scouts, seemed skeptical- with a group camped not much more than a hundred feet from the town, armed in a hotbed of strange kobold activity. She eventually offered to escort them into the city peaceably if they agreed to be questioned by higher authorities. The group was hard-pressed to trust her, but she seemed genuine enough for their insights. When the cleric let slip news of a white dragon, however, her expression dropped to one of disbelief.
White Dragons and Winterhaven
The warlord seemed to recall a bitter history between Winterhaven and White Dragons. A hundred years ago, the town was ruled over by white dragon masters who used them as slaves and play things. However, the town was somehow able to lift their affliction, some say through dark and mystic dealings... Needless to say, Winterhavians despise white dragons and fear their very mentioning.
Entering Winterhaven... As Prisoners?
Ninalya led them up the road and through the city gates, waving to the guard and labeling them "prisoners for Valthrun". They nodded, while the party looked more than a bit unnerved. She passingly mentioned that it was all just formality, and despite a close reading of character, she seemed to be telling the truth.
Valthrun's Tower
Ninalya led them through town, the group getting an early morning tour (aka the streets deserted). They came to a three story stone tower with a large, oak door. The elf knocked three times and it opened of its own accord. She motioned for them to enter and, after some study, the group followed.
She bid them wait in a comfortable foyer while she climbed the stairs and vanished. During this pause, the group seemed ready for anything, but a few minutes later the elf returned leading an ancient half-elf by the hand.
Sage of the Stone Tower
History told that a hundred years ago Valthrun was a young champion pivotal in the overthrow of the white dragons. His schooling in arcane lore has made him a powerful sage, capable of many ritual magics, and his staff is something of a local legendary item.
He appeared a corpulent man with a cheerful face framed in shaggy white hair, wearing rich green and brown robes. His initial image might have belied his age but for the creaky, slow way in which he moved down the steps and the necessity to lean so heavily on his staff.
He offered his guests food and drink, then had a seat. As Ninalya took orders to give to the serving girl Lena, the Winterhavians' gazes lingered long on the dragonborn. Obviously, looking like a dragon did not help one's standing in a town once lorded by them. The wizard vouched for him and, perhaps because he was a fellow half-elf, Valthrun lightened up again.
He asked why the group was in his town, to which they said a partial-truth, that they were adventurers looking for excitement and wealth. He studied their words carefully, more questions likely to come, but their food arrived and they took a moment to eat. Lena dispensed of the plates, proving to have a rack that nearly required its own platter. The half-elf's stare was met with a slight blush and she disappeared back into the kitchen.
Thus ended the session.
Session Two: Trust
Discussions in the Stone Tower
Ninalya discovered the ranger lingering outside town and led him back to his friends in the stone tower. There they discussed more about the kobold menace, Valthrun growing visibly nervous at news of well-organized kobolds. When the half-elf offered the group's aid, he jumped at the chance to accept, marking a place on their map where his apprentice had stumbled onto the kobold hideout. He charged the group to enter and exterminate the little vermin, as well as the masterminds behind their organizing, be they dragon or other. The group's reward would be a personalized magic item each!
The cleric asked if he could spare anyone for their cause. The jolly old half-elf called for his apprentice Kalarel, who fell down two flights of stairs before striking a pose on the foyer. He was barely sixteen, in purple and green robes, with a fire wand on his hip. He pledged his services to the group, accidentally lighting one of the couches on fire in the process. The wizard put the blaze out, in the same instance suspecting the apprentice of being not quite as bumbling as he acted.
The group then departed, splitting into teams of two.
The Smithy
The fighter and the warlord went to the smithy, where they haggled with a stubborn dwarf named Thair Coalstriker over making a suit of cold resistant plate. When all was said and done, the bumbling apprentice foiled the deal into 60 gp and a leftover suit of the cold plate, as Thair seemed to despise the boy. The dragonborn, pondering tearing the smith's head off, begrudgingly agreed. It would be done by next morning.
Wrafton's Inn
Meanwhile, the warlock and ranger scanned the town, looking for anyone suspicious. Being it was 6am, they hardly found anyone at all, though did manage to follow a farmer into the local inn. There they had breakfast, only to be interrupted by a stern looking warrior with a wolf's head helm. He asked if they were part of the group who'd come into town just recently, which they replied yes. He then asked if "that elf" took them to Valthrun. They nodded again and he ordered them to follow him and meet the "real lord of Winterhaven".
They went off to find the rest of the group first, Ron waiting by the inner gate.
Temple of Avandra
At the temple of Avandra, the cleric and the wizard met Sister Linora, who took an immediate liking to the dwarf. In an act of unreasonable trust, she asked if he was part of the group The Great Church sent, to which he lied and answered no. Disappointed, she revealed her woes to him just the same, a terrible suspicion of an Orcus cult active in town.
The cleric bristled at the name, recognizing Orcus as the greatest of demon lords who seeks to convert all creation into undead and replace life with unlife.
Finding this temple legitimate by normal Avandran standards, the cleric agreed to help her uncover anything that might suggest a cult of Orcus in the region. She gave him 50 gold to aid in his investigation. He then promised to return for services.
Group Meeting
The party regrouped in a deserted alley to discuss their next moves. The cleric would attend temple services, taking Kalarel with him. The ranger would use that time to scope out the temple for any clues. The rest of the bunch would meet the lord of Winterhaven, the entire party agreeing to reconvene back at the inn afterward.
Enter the Ranger!
The ranger sneaked to the entrance of the temple, hearing the sounds of mass behind it. As he quietly pushed the door open, hoping to be like a shadow in the background, the hinges unceremoniously crumbled and the entire oversize door crashed onto an old woman in the back row. She screamed as her legs broke backwards at the knees.
"Bathroom?" He asked sheepishly, pulling a splendid bluff.
The entire room gaped before Sister Linora responded. "Two doors to your left."
Needless to say he drew the entire worship to his position. The dwarf was able to heal the woman and those in attendance fawned and gasped over Granny Winsome. Ironically enough, the bathroom stunt allowed the ranger to slip through the temple unmolested.
He found little out of the ordinary at first, a kitchen, bathrooms, the priestess' living quarters, a second floor tabernacle and empty space beyond that, but in the library a little searching uncovered a woeful tiding. Hidden in the bookshelf was a black leather tome wound in red ribbon and sealed with a wax stamp of a demon's head. The ranger took it and departed.
The Lord of Winterhaven
Captain Ron met the warlock, fighter, warlord and wizard at the inner gate, escorting them towards three of the largest buildings in town. They entered the well-kept, stylishly-landscaped, many-windowed, guard-watched, ancestral gray stone manor with the name "PALDRAIG" carved in the ornate keystone.
Led down a well-furnished hall, passing several of Winterhaven's regulars, Ron stopped the party in front of a heavy oak door. He asked them to leave their weapons behind, which the group begrudgingly agreed to. Entering, they found a middle aged man with coal black hair peppered with gray and a large, black mustache sitting behind an expensive-looking wooden desk. Lining the walls of his study were many dragon items and artifacts, from fossilized eggs to a skeletal claw, a jar of lizard eyeballs and a few sculpted likenesses. There were also displayed scales, mostly white, and a mounted longsword on the back wall with the plaque beneath reading "Integrity".
The half-elf decided to lead negotiations after a leave of his senses, demanding to know who the lord was. Taken back, he firmly answered Lord Paldraig of Winterhaven and asked who the hell the loin cloth wizard was. Not to be outdone, the wiz then asked what he was doing here, to which Lord Paldraig scoffed that this was his office.
The wizard faded into the back of the group as Captain Ron shut the door behind them, sighing. Surprisingly enough the normally quiet warlord stepped up, explaining their adventurer cover story and their run in with the kobolds. Lord Paldraig eventually admitted to suspecting much fouler play than kobolds, but would not discuss more with a dragonborn present.
The wizard vouched once more for his comrade, but had little standing with Paldraig. After asking how his friend could prove himself, the lord paused before offering them a job. If the group could investigate rumors of dark rites being practiced at an ancient dragon burial ground outside town he would trust in them, and reward them all handsomely besides. As a show of good faith he gave the group 100 gold and sent them with his blessing.
Before they left, the wizard bothered to ask if there was something going on between he and Valthrun, since Captain Ron seemed displeased with the sage. The lord frowned, revealing that Valthrun had grown too bold in his well wishes for the town, having started giving orders and making strategic plans of his own accord, things that should be left to the lord of Winterhaven. The Winterhaven Scouts had even defected to his service, while the Winterhaven Regulars remained loyal to their ancestral master. Though he thinks Valthrun means well, Paldraig's patience is at its end. A town with two lords giving orders is nothing short of chaotic, especially should trouble arise.
The wizard then asked what could be done of the matter, to which the lord plainly said the ending of the kobolds and their hidden masters. With all these dark portents gone he could restore rightful order. The group then left to meet with the rest of their number.
A Secret Meeting at the Inn
The group rented a room at Wrafton's Inn, closed the shutters and locked the door. The cleric conjured a perimeter of silence and they discussed all that had transpired. After some amount of debate, everyone decided it best camp outside the town, unsure who was and wasn't part of the cult or loyal to dragons. They would return in the morning for the fighter's new armor, then likely investigate the kobold headquarters or the dragon burial site.
Dragon Attack!
Speaking of dragons, only ten minutes outside town the group was ambushed a second time by a more powerful group of kobolds and their white dragon leader! The creature was immense, though several arcana and nature checks proved it a big-boned youth. The fighting was fierce, and perhaps would have been even harder without the well-placed sleep spell that neutralized the little ones. A few coup de graces and a hard side battle later, the group was free to deal with the scaled menace.
During the fight, the warlord was nearly slain, though the cleric's impressive appeal to Pelor shined a healing prayer upon his allies. Steel, arrows, and baleful magics combined to overcome the seemingly indomitable behemoth. When it finally fell, it managed to crash land on the cleric, though luckily it was only the wing from which he crawled out from under.
Taking the Head
After looting the corpses and realizing there was no way they could drag this several-ton dragon to town, those with blades hacked and hacked and hacked the monster's head off, intent on dragging it to Lord Paldraig for reward and prestige...
Session Three: Against the Kobolds!
Enjoy the Head
The party dragged the head the rest of the way to town, shocking the wall guards and quickly attracting a huge crowd at the gates. In an instant the group became celebrities, provoking cheers and gawking. Even the dragonborn earned his place as one of the "Heroes of Winterhaven".
With an escort of guards to separate the group from their rabid fans, they were taken to Paldraig Manor where a stunned Lord Paldraig offered them a thousand gold for the prize. The group accepted, then asked to stay in his expansive mansion. The lord, so preoccupied and pleased by his purchase, gave them an entire wing of his mansion, complete with library, bedrooms, kitchen and a servant staff.
Paldraig also pledged two Winterhaven Regulars for the group's future disposal.
Smithy
The fighter and cleric went to pick up the new armor, finding Thair Coalstriker a master of his craft. Dawning the exquisite set of armor, the dragonborn was given a battleaxe for free in honor of their great dragon slaying.
Feast of the Winterhaven Heroes!
The group was informed there was to be a feast in their honor. Long tables were set up in the market square, streamers and ribbons abounded, musicians prepared their instruments and many, many a keg was tapped.
That night the heroes entered the feast escorted by guards to find six hundred guests, the entire town, cheering, swooning, clapping and laughing with joy. Among them were Sister Linora cheering for the cleric, Valthrun, Ninalya, Kalarel, Lord Paldraig, and a sober Captain Ron. Even Granny Winsome managed to come out and celebrate, though she kept her distance from the ranger.
As the night progressed there was singing and dancing, drinking and game playing. Hundreds of people came up to the group, shaking their hands, asking to hear the story of their victory, and sometimes leaving small gifts like meat pies and flowers. Then the dragon head was carried out on a platform, fully stuffed and with its eyes replaced by fist-sized rubies. Everyone cheered all the louder and took turns rubbing the nose, if for nothing else than to say they touched a dragon's nose, and many claimed it was good luck.
The group drank little, but for the dragonborn, who got so tanked he was impressing ladies by blowing cones of poison at random objects and watching them fizzle. The wizard had long since departed back to the vacant manor with Valthrun's serving girl Lena and some said they could hear the noises even from the village square.
Kalarel and Ninalya Slip Off
The ranger noticed the apprentice and the head of the scouts slip out of the city. Hesitant to follow, he ultimately did, tailing them down the King's Road and to the dragon's headless corpse. From there the two disappeared into the woods.
For the next few hours the ranger skinned the dragon for more hide, enough to make everyone in the group a suit, and returned to the Smithy. Thair would have the cleric's suit done by tomorrow morning, and the rest done two days after that.
A Talk with Ron
The ranger collected the group and met with Captain Ron, explaining what he'd seen and what he intended to do. Ron, stone cold sober and looking particularly bothered by the news, explained where they'd disappeared was where the kobolds' headquarters were. He assured the group he could take care of the town, and looking as bad ass as he did with a wolf's head helm, dual swords, and an eye patch, everyone believed him. If there was the be an attack on Winterhaven, he would have the group attack the kobolds first.
Unable to find the wizard, they collected the drunk dragonborn and followed the tracks, which led them all the way to a waterfall which spilled over a high hill and into a modest river. The lair entrance was right behind the falls, but the group was in for a fight to enter.
Versus the Outer Guard
Many kobolds were stationed outside the lair, including slingers, ninjas, minions and a praying dragonshield. It seemed they were massing for what could be an attack on the drunken town. All of the kobolds wore black, tar and soot dumped over their armors, in what the group suspected mourning for the death of the white dragon (and doubled as great night camouflage).
In a series of frightening guerrilla tactics, the group began picking off the kobolds one by one, weakening their resolve and sending them into rushed, brute tactics. Some fell for group-laid ambushed, or barrages of arrows, or long-range spells. Little by little the enemy thinned, though it might have been sooner had some of the group not critically failed a few of their attacks.
When all the enemy lay dead, the group took a short rest and decided to end the kobold menace once and for all.
The Vanguard
After a quick peek from the ranger, the fighter charged in through the waterfall, killing two minions before they even knew what hit them. The ninjas and minions attacked, even calling for more aid, but all fell before the party's terrible might. A bold statement by the cleric had him fighting in the front lines, only to welcome the next surge of enemies...
Irontooth's Posse
The second wave was a much tougher brigade including minions, a wyrmpriest, ninjas, dragonshields, and a white dragonborn sporting a nasty battleaxe. He referred to himself as Irontooth and vowed the group's horrible end.
The group made quick work of all but one of the minions, a feisty creature that never seemed to miss. The wyrmpriest was taken out not soon after, as were the ninjas. Through steel, arrows and frigid starlight Irontooth was beaten back. However, the white dragonborn managed to hack the cleric into collapsing.
The cleric quickly began bleeding to death, but the group was focused more on preventing their own demises and killed off the dragonshields.
The Death of a Dwarf
With the cleric helpless and dying, the same bold minion sawed the dwarf's head off. Then he plopped it on his own head and tied it with the dwarf's beard, screeching in victorious, bloody frenzy.
A Prisoner Gained
Moved by the fall of a comrade, the surviving group went on to defeat Irontooth and eventually the lone, death-defying minion. The dragonborn wanted to slay him outright, but cooler heads prevailed, as Irontooth likely had some valuable information.
Meet the Dragon Lord
As the group collected themselves, a deep, resounding laughter shook the cave complex. Suddenly the waterfall entrance froze solid. As the ranger "quietly" turned the corner, he came face to face with a MASSIVE white dragon's head, much larger than the one they dragged back to town, connected to a huge neck, bulging shoulders, a winged body and snaking tail.
Session 1: Destiny Beckons...
Along the King's Road...
Six heroes, inspired by holy quest, wanderlust, or perhaps the hefty rewards offered by the Great Church, made their way north on the King's Road seeking information about a possible death cult forming in the frontier region.
As the climate cooled and the wilderness grew more untamed, they spotted the small, walled town of Winterhaven crowning a distant hill. Yet often it is said when the prize is within reach the ground falls from underneath, and so it was as the group was suddenly ambushed by five tiny, blood-scaled lizard-men. The people of the hinterlands called the wretched race kobolds.
Ambush!
They brandished spears and waved steel bucklers, javelins strapped to their backs, yet the party was quicker. Though some fumbled their attacks, within half a minute the group had slain three of the five. Alien beams from between the stars, shrieking twin arrows, arcane missiles and good old forged steel bore down. Before long there were only two kobolds remaining.
The ranger spotted others behind the boulders, which made themselves known when their minions began to dwindle. Three were armored in white dragon scale, bearing large singular scales as shields and wielding short swords. Across the road, taking advantage of the rock cover, laid a slinger in wait, who launched a pot that glued the dragonborn and ignited the wizard.
Dragon Roar
In the middle of the battle, a distant, echoing roar resounded from somewhere within the woods... less than a mile's distance if the group had to guess. They were able to identify the cry, that of a dragon. And considering all the white scale around, it seemed logical to assume a white.
Catch the Kobolds
As the battle grew more dire for the enemy, one of the dragonshields fled for the cover of the woods (presumably to get reinforcements). Through a painstaking combined effort, the wizard managed to finish the kobold just before it entered the safety of the tree line.
The slinger soon found itself alone and tried to flee as well, but another combined effort stopped it just short of its goal. The battle was over. The threat of reinforcements contained.
Camping for the Night
The ranger decided to scout the region while the rest of the party collected the corpses, looted them, then buried them. Camp was made and a watch set.
Intruder Alert
During the warlock's vigil, he heard suspicious rustling enough to warrant waking some of the others. He and the fighter investigated, the wizard shedding light enough to reveal fresh footprints leading away. The cleric advised not separating and watch continued. Around 4am the wizard spotted an elf woman lurking in the underbrush, sword drawn. She lowered it when she was discovered, studying the group as they traded words.
Ninalya: Friend or Foe?
The cleric acted as spokesman of the group, relaying their non-aggressive intentions. The elf, who said her name was Ninalya, the head of the Winterhaven Scouts, seemed skeptical- with a group camped not much more than a hundred feet from the town, armed in a hotbed of strange kobold activity. She eventually offered to escort them into the city peaceably if they agreed to be questioned by higher authorities. The group was hard-pressed to trust her, but she seemed genuine enough for their insights. When the cleric let slip news of a white dragon, however, her expression dropped to one of disbelief.
White Dragons and Winterhaven
The warlord seemed to recall a bitter history between Winterhaven and White Dragons. A hundred years ago, the town was ruled over by white dragon masters who used them as slaves and play things. However, the town was somehow able to lift their affliction, some say through dark and mystic dealings... Needless to say, Winterhavians despise white dragons and fear their very mentioning.
Entering Winterhaven... As Prisoners?
Ninalya led them up the road and through the city gates, waving to the guard and labeling them "prisoners for Valthrun". They nodded, while the party looked more than a bit unnerved. She passingly mentioned that it was all just formality, and despite a close reading of character, she seemed to be telling the truth.
Valthrun's Tower
Ninalya led them through town, the group getting an early morning tour (aka the streets deserted). They came to a three story stone tower with a large, oak door. The elf knocked three times and it opened of its own accord. She motioned for them to enter and, after some study, the group followed.
She bid them wait in a comfortable foyer while she climbed the stairs and vanished. During this pause, the group seemed ready for anything, but a few minutes later the elf returned leading an ancient half-elf by the hand.
Sage of the Stone Tower
History told that a hundred years ago Valthrun was a young champion pivotal in the overthrow of the white dragons. His schooling in arcane lore has made him a powerful sage, capable of many ritual magics, and his staff is something of a local legendary item.
He appeared a corpulent man with a cheerful face framed in shaggy white hair, wearing rich green and brown robes. His initial image might have belied his age but for the creaky, slow way in which he moved down the steps and the necessity to lean so heavily on his staff.
He offered his guests food and drink, then had a seat. As Ninalya took orders to give to the serving girl Lena, the Winterhavians' gazes lingered long on the dragonborn. Obviously, looking like a dragon did not help one's standing in a town once lorded by them. The wizard vouched for him and, perhaps because he was a fellow half-elf, Valthrun lightened up again.
He asked why the group was in his town, to which they said a partial-truth, that they were adventurers looking for excitement and wealth. He studied their words carefully, more questions likely to come, but their food arrived and they took a moment to eat. Lena dispensed of the plates, proving to have a rack that nearly required its own platter. The half-elf's stare was met with a slight blush and she disappeared back into the kitchen.
Thus ended the session.
Session Two: Trust
Discussions in the Stone Tower
Ninalya discovered the ranger lingering outside town and led him back to his friends in the stone tower. There they discussed more about the kobold menace, Valthrun growing visibly nervous at news of well-organized kobolds. When the half-elf offered the group's aid, he jumped at the chance to accept, marking a place on their map where his apprentice had stumbled onto the kobold hideout. He charged the group to enter and exterminate the little vermin, as well as the masterminds behind their organizing, be they dragon or other. The group's reward would be a personalized magic item each!
The cleric asked if he could spare anyone for their cause. The jolly old half-elf called for his apprentice Kalarel, who fell down two flights of stairs before striking a pose on the foyer. He was barely sixteen, in purple and green robes, with a fire wand on his hip. He pledged his services to the group, accidentally lighting one of the couches on fire in the process. The wizard put the blaze out, in the same instance suspecting the apprentice of being not quite as bumbling as he acted.
The group then departed, splitting into teams of two.
The Smithy
The fighter and the warlord went to the smithy, where they haggled with a stubborn dwarf named Thair Coalstriker over making a suit of cold resistant plate. When all was said and done, the bumbling apprentice foiled the deal into 60 gp and a leftover suit of the cold plate, as Thair seemed to despise the boy. The dragonborn, pondering tearing the smith's head off, begrudgingly agreed. It would be done by next morning.
Wrafton's Inn
Meanwhile, the warlock and ranger scanned the town, looking for anyone suspicious. Being it was 6am, they hardly found anyone at all, though did manage to follow a farmer into the local inn. There they had breakfast, only to be interrupted by a stern looking warrior with a wolf's head helm. He asked if they were part of the group who'd come into town just recently, which they replied yes. He then asked if "that elf" took them to Valthrun. They nodded again and he ordered them to follow him and meet the "real lord of Winterhaven".
They went off to find the rest of the group first, Ron waiting by the inner gate.
Temple of Avandra
At the temple of Avandra, the cleric and the wizard met Sister Linora, who took an immediate liking to the dwarf. In an act of unreasonable trust, she asked if he was part of the group The Great Church sent, to which he lied and answered no. Disappointed, she revealed her woes to him just the same, a terrible suspicion of an Orcus cult active in town.
The cleric bristled at the name, recognizing Orcus as the greatest of demon lords who seeks to convert all creation into undead and replace life with unlife.
Finding this temple legitimate by normal Avandran standards, the cleric agreed to help her uncover anything that might suggest a cult of Orcus in the region. She gave him 50 gold to aid in his investigation. He then promised to return for services.
Group Meeting
The party regrouped in a deserted alley to discuss their next moves. The cleric would attend temple services, taking Kalarel with him. The ranger would use that time to scope out the temple for any clues. The rest of the bunch would meet the lord of Winterhaven, the entire party agreeing to reconvene back at the inn afterward.
Enter the Ranger!
The ranger sneaked to the entrance of the temple, hearing the sounds of mass behind it. As he quietly pushed the door open, hoping to be like a shadow in the background, the hinges unceremoniously crumbled and the entire oversize door crashed onto an old woman in the back row. She screamed as her legs broke backwards at the knees.
"Bathroom?" He asked sheepishly, pulling a splendid bluff.
The entire room gaped before Sister Linora responded. "Two doors to your left."
Needless to say he drew the entire worship to his position. The dwarf was able to heal the woman and those in attendance fawned and gasped over Granny Winsome. Ironically enough, the bathroom stunt allowed the ranger to slip through the temple unmolested.
He found little out of the ordinary at first, a kitchen, bathrooms, the priestess' living quarters, a second floor tabernacle and empty space beyond that, but in the library a little searching uncovered a woeful tiding. Hidden in the bookshelf was a black leather tome wound in red ribbon and sealed with a wax stamp of a demon's head. The ranger took it and departed.
The Lord of Winterhaven
Captain Ron met the warlock, fighter, warlord and wizard at the inner gate, escorting them towards three of the largest buildings in town. They entered the well-kept, stylishly-landscaped, many-windowed, guard-watched, ancestral gray stone manor with the name "PALDRAIG" carved in the ornate keystone.
Led down a well-furnished hall, passing several of Winterhaven's regulars, Ron stopped the party in front of a heavy oak door. He asked them to leave their weapons behind, which the group begrudgingly agreed to. Entering, they found a middle aged man with coal black hair peppered with gray and a large, black mustache sitting behind an expensive-looking wooden desk. Lining the walls of his study were many dragon items and artifacts, from fossilized eggs to a skeletal claw, a jar of lizard eyeballs and a few sculpted likenesses. There were also displayed scales, mostly white, and a mounted longsword on the back wall with the plaque beneath reading "Integrity".
The half-elf decided to lead negotiations after a leave of his senses, demanding to know who the lord was. Taken back, he firmly answered Lord Paldraig of Winterhaven and asked who the hell the loin cloth wizard was. Not to be outdone, the wiz then asked what he was doing here, to which Lord Paldraig scoffed that this was his office.
The wizard faded into the back of the group as Captain Ron shut the door behind them, sighing. Surprisingly enough the normally quiet warlord stepped up, explaining their adventurer cover story and their run in with the kobolds. Lord Paldraig eventually admitted to suspecting much fouler play than kobolds, but would not discuss more with a dragonborn present.
The wizard vouched once more for his comrade, but had little standing with Paldraig. After asking how his friend could prove himself, the lord paused before offering them a job. If the group could investigate rumors of dark rites being practiced at an ancient dragon burial ground outside town he would trust in them, and reward them all handsomely besides. As a show of good faith he gave the group 100 gold and sent them with his blessing.
Before they left, the wizard bothered to ask if there was something going on between he and Valthrun, since Captain Ron seemed displeased with the sage. The lord frowned, revealing that Valthrun had grown too bold in his well wishes for the town, having started giving orders and making strategic plans of his own accord, things that should be left to the lord of Winterhaven. The Winterhaven Scouts had even defected to his service, while the Winterhaven Regulars remained loyal to their ancestral master. Though he thinks Valthrun means well, Paldraig's patience is at its end. A town with two lords giving orders is nothing short of chaotic, especially should trouble arise.
The wizard then asked what could be done of the matter, to which the lord plainly said the ending of the kobolds and their hidden masters. With all these dark portents gone he could restore rightful order. The group then left to meet with the rest of their number.
A Secret Meeting at the Inn
The group rented a room at Wrafton's Inn, closed the shutters and locked the door. The cleric conjured a perimeter of silence and they discussed all that had transpired. After some amount of debate, everyone decided it best camp outside the town, unsure who was and wasn't part of the cult or loyal to dragons. They would return in the morning for the fighter's new armor, then likely investigate the kobold headquarters or the dragon burial site.
Dragon Attack!
Speaking of dragons, only ten minutes outside town the group was ambushed a second time by a more powerful group of kobolds and their white dragon leader! The creature was immense, though several arcana and nature checks proved it a big-boned youth. The fighting was fierce, and perhaps would have been even harder without the well-placed sleep spell that neutralized the little ones. A few coup de graces and a hard side battle later, the group was free to deal with the scaled menace.
During the fight, the warlord was nearly slain, though the cleric's impressive appeal to Pelor shined a healing prayer upon his allies. Steel, arrows, and baleful magics combined to overcome the seemingly indomitable behemoth. When it finally fell, it managed to crash land on the cleric, though luckily it was only the wing from which he crawled out from under.
Taking the Head
After looting the corpses and realizing there was no way they could drag this several-ton dragon to town, those with blades hacked and hacked and hacked the monster's head off, intent on dragging it to Lord Paldraig for reward and prestige...
Session Three: Against the Kobolds!
Enjoy the Head
The party dragged the head the rest of the way to town, shocking the wall guards and quickly attracting a huge crowd at the gates. In an instant the group became celebrities, provoking cheers and gawking. Even the dragonborn earned his place as one of the "Heroes of Winterhaven".
With an escort of guards to separate the group from their rabid fans, they were taken to Paldraig Manor where a stunned Lord Paldraig offered them a thousand gold for the prize. The group accepted, then asked to stay in his expansive mansion. The lord, so preoccupied and pleased by his purchase, gave them an entire wing of his mansion, complete with library, bedrooms, kitchen and a servant staff.
Paldraig also pledged two Winterhaven Regulars for the group's future disposal.
Smithy
The fighter and cleric went to pick up the new armor, finding Thair Coalstriker a master of his craft. Dawning the exquisite set of armor, the dragonborn was given a battleaxe for free in honor of their great dragon slaying.
Feast of the Winterhaven Heroes!
The group was informed there was to be a feast in their honor. Long tables were set up in the market square, streamers and ribbons abounded, musicians prepared their instruments and many, many a keg was tapped.
That night the heroes entered the feast escorted by guards to find six hundred guests, the entire town, cheering, swooning, clapping and laughing with joy. Among them were Sister Linora cheering for the cleric, Valthrun, Ninalya, Kalarel, Lord Paldraig, and a sober Captain Ron. Even Granny Winsome managed to come out and celebrate, though she kept her distance from the ranger.
As the night progressed there was singing and dancing, drinking and game playing. Hundreds of people came up to the group, shaking their hands, asking to hear the story of their victory, and sometimes leaving small gifts like meat pies and flowers. Then the dragon head was carried out on a platform, fully stuffed and with its eyes replaced by fist-sized rubies. Everyone cheered all the louder and took turns rubbing the nose, if for nothing else than to say they touched a dragon's nose, and many claimed it was good luck.
The group drank little, but for the dragonborn, who got so tanked he was impressing ladies by blowing cones of poison at random objects and watching them fizzle. The wizard had long since departed back to the vacant manor with Valthrun's serving girl Lena and some said they could hear the noises even from the village square.
Kalarel and Ninalya Slip Off
The ranger noticed the apprentice and the head of the scouts slip out of the city. Hesitant to follow, he ultimately did, tailing them down the King's Road and to the dragon's headless corpse. From there the two disappeared into the woods.
For the next few hours the ranger skinned the dragon for more hide, enough to make everyone in the group a suit, and returned to the Smithy. Thair would have the cleric's suit done by tomorrow morning, and the rest done two days after that.
A Talk with Ron
The ranger collected the group and met with Captain Ron, explaining what he'd seen and what he intended to do. Ron, stone cold sober and looking particularly bothered by the news, explained where they'd disappeared was where the kobolds' headquarters were. He assured the group he could take care of the town, and looking as bad ass as he did with a wolf's head helm, dual swords, and an eye patch, everyone believed him. If there was the be an attack on Winterhaven, he would have the group attack the kobolds first.
Unable to find the wizard, they collected the drunk dragonborn and followed the tracks, which led them all the way to a waterfall which spilled over a high hill and into a modest river. The lair entrance was right behind the falls, but the group was in for a fight to enter.
Versus the Outer Guard
Many kobolds were stationed outside the lair, including slingers, ninjas, minions and a praying dragonshield. It seemed they were massing for what could be an attack on the drunken town. All of the kobolds wore black, tar and soot dumped over their armors, in what the group suspected mourning for the death of the white dragon (and doubled as great night camouflage).
In a series of frightening guerrilla tactics, the group began picking off the kobolds one by one, weakening their resolve and sending them into rushed, brute tactics. Some fell for group-laid ambushed, or barrages of arrows, or long-range spells. Little by little the enemy thinned, though it might have been sooner had some of the group not critically failed a few of their attacks.
When all the enemy lay dead, the group took a short rest and decided to end the kobold menace once and for all.
The Vanguard
After a quick peek from the ranger, the fighter charged in through the waterfall, killing two minions before they even knew what hit them. The ninjas and minions attacked, even calling for more aid, but all fell before the party's terrible might. A bold statement by the cleric had him fighting in the front lines, only to welcome the next surge of enemies...
Irontooth's Posse
The second wave was a much tougher brigade including minions, a wyrmpriest, ninjas, dragonshields, and a white dragonborn sporting a nasty battleaxe. He referred to himself as Irontooth and vowed the group's horrible end.
The group made quick work of all but one of the minions, a feisty creature that never seemed to miss. The wyrmpriest was taken out not soon after, as were the ninjas. Through steel, arrows and frigid starlight Irontooth was beaten back. However, the white dragonborn managed to hack the cleric into collapsing.
The cleric quickly began bleeding to death, but the group was focused more on preventing their own demises and killed off the dragonshields.
The Death of a Dwarf
With the cleric helpless and dying, the same bold minion sawed the dwarf's head off. Then he plopped it on his own head and tied it with the dwarf's beard, screeching in victorious, bloody frenzy.
A Prisoner Gained
Moved by the fall of a comrade, the surviving group went on to defeat Irontooth and eventually the lone, death-defying minion. The dragonborn wanted to slay him outright, but cooler heads prevailed, as Irontooth likely had some valuable information.
Meet the Dragon Lord
As the group collected themselves, a deep, resounding laughter shook the cave complex. Suddenly the waterfall entrance froze solid. As the ranger "quietly" turned the corner, he came face to face with a MASSIVE white dragon's head, much larger than the one they dragged back to town, connected to a huge neck, bulging shoulders, a winged body and snaking tail.
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