Rabbitbait
Adventurer
In which my game start drifting away from the module as written...
The destruction of the cult of Air
16th of Vult to 6th of Zarantyr
The adventurers rise later that evening and check up what is happening in the town. All seems in order with the constable interrogating the leaders of the town and the archaeologist. They decide that while there are a few loose threads, that they have spent enough time on this town and have learnt a lot in doing so.
They explore Scholar Quandril’s boat and find more dwarven tomes that are obviously taken from the missing delegation. They retire back to the inn, rest and arise the next morning. Mythoras rides his horse back to Xandrar while the others take the boat.
Aur Keer had flown away after the exploration of the underground complex, but as it is now two days later and he has not been seen, they decide they can wait no longer.
Mythoras arrives back on the 19th and the others arrive back on the 20th. They are hoping for a message from Sir Isteval about how his journey to petition the king went, but no message has arrived at his house. The go to the council chambers instead where that they find a message has been received by the mayor. Sir Isteval had managed to petition the king and was returning to Drum Keep with 50 of the kings troops – a sizeable force.
The mayor agrees to send 20 of the Xandrar troops also and begins the process of readying the troops. Layna is put in command of the assault force. The adventurers are able to spend a few days in Xandrar recuperating and preparing and then head to Drum Keep to await the kings troops.
They spend a week waiting, but on the 4th of Zarantyr, in the middle of winter a large force is seen approaching Drum Keep. It is then that they realise that Sir Istaeval is accompanied by 50 warforged. All look identical and recently manufactured. They also seem to have little humour. While the warforged require no rest, the long journey has wearied Sir Isteval and made him realise his age. He passes the leadership of the assault over to the adventurers, but suggests that he accompany as an advisor. He does not feel up to the actual fighting. Windharrow is not to be seen and he informs them that he remained in Wroat.
The next day they head up through the hill path to the featherspire. However the narrow path is awkward for the warforged and it takes two days to get to the spire itself. During that time they see mounted vultures far overhead, watching them approach.
Before they arrive, Layna, Tito, and Tur Turro split off and follow goat tracks leading further north up the valley, away from the spire. As darkness starts to approach they track back south and stealthily approach the spire. They see that the drawbridge is up, but they climb up the rock that the Featherspire is built on. At the bottom of the tower, Tur Turro explains the layout of the building and what they adventurers can expect to find. He then checks the secret doors leading to the stables until he finds one that is unlocked (indicating that the mount within is currently elsewhere). He sneaks in, avoids the stablehand and ascends the stairs.
Meanwhile Layna and Tito climb up the outside of the spire to one of the lower windows – in particular the one that Tur Turro explained held the drawbridge mechanism. As they do this they see the army of 50 warforged and 20 Xandrar troops arrive at the gap where the drawbridge should be.
A small parlay occurs with a figure standing on top of the tower. He informs them that they have made a terrible mistake, and that the feathergale knights and the cult of the air are the final hope to stop a terrible evil that is planning on destroying the world. Mythoras realises that the figure on top of the tower is Windharrow. Gasp. He informs Windharrow that the evil he represents will not succeed and that the elemental cults in this area will all be destroyed.
Immediately the army is attacked with bolts of lightning, clouds of acidic poison and arrows. The Wroat and Xandrar troops begin to fall. Realising that time is of the essence, Layna looks in the window and sees that a latch on the inside holds the window locked. She has been studying the ways of the arcane and attempts a trick. A mystical hand appears inside the room which then opens the latch letting them in. An illusionary wall is then cast in front of the door and Tito runs over and releases the drawbridge mechanism. The warforged surge across the drawbridge but are unable to force the main doors open.
As the drawbridge drops, Layna, Tito and Tur Turro crash open two of the doors into the main entrance to the spire, surprising the small force in the area. A fight ensues, but Tur Turro breaks free from an opponent to the front doors where he is able to life the bar. The doors then open, the warforged charge in, and slaughter ensues.
However by the time they reach the top of the tower, they arrive just in time to see 3 vultures flying towards the crevice that hides the dwarven city. They recognize Windharrow on one, and another holds an elven female with magnificant wings on her back.
Other than the three escapees, none of the inhabitants of the spire survive – the warforged are ruthless.
The adventurers quickly decide to press on and attack the hidden dwarven city. The army is now down to 50 soldiers who climb down into the valley and across to the crevasse. By now they are moving in the moonlight.
They follow the narrow trail underground by the side of a drop where the bottom can’t be seen. Layna, Tur Turro and Tito scout ahead. About half way to the city, they find a large, rune covered, metal box in the middle of the trail. They decide to investigate it, but as they approach the box begins to glow and radiate heat. The adventurers move away rapidly as the metal box melts away revealing a glowing, hovering globe with roiling mist moving within.
Suddenly the globe explodes and a fierce wind fills the crevasse. The heroes hold on to the sides for their lives as wind whips around them, trying to drag them away. After a while the wind dies away, but when the heroes return to the part of the trail where the globe was, the path and part of the side of the crevasse has disappeared – the rock itself has been dragged apart by the winds.
However, Mythoras and the army are on the other side of the trail. The party rig together a series of ropes and pitons to help the army cross, and decide to tie the army together in case somebody falls.
However as the warforged cross, the piton/rope arrangement fails. 5 warforged immediately fall into the deeps, and those left on the trail are dragged behind them. 16 soldiers are dragged into the deep before somebody manages to cut the rope connecting them.
They reset the rope/piton arrangement and try again – this time successfully.
The remaining army finally make their way to the walls of the dwarven city. Again the heroes are told to turn back and that they have made a mistake in coming to this place, but they ignore this warning and attack.
The warforged surge forward and are immediately hit by lightning bolts, gusting winds and clouds of acidic gas. The party use the distraction created by the warforged and Jackie Chan their way up one of the small towers unseen. They drop down on the other side. While some take the attack to the enemy, Mythoras opens the gate door. This gives the army the opening they need and they surge into the city.
Meanwhile Tito, Tur Turro and Layna have found Aerisi, the Queen of the wind cult. Windharrow is also there, but he nods at his queen and summons a portal, which he promptly jumps through and disappears. The heroes quickly slay the queen, and the warforged surge through the city killing all they find (except for a Djinni, who kills 5 warforged before Mythoras calls them back).
There is celebration as the heroes realise that they have defeated the wind cult. But passages lead off into the darkness. Do they dare explore them yet?
DM's Notes
All of this happened in a 3 hour session. It might have actually taken me longer to write the notes. Crikey. It is good how fast 5e can go, but it does mean that you can go past where you have prepared very quickly.
There are now 17 members of the army left - 4 human and 13 warforged. Layna has Windvane and is keen to attune to it. Mythoras has the horn controlling the Djinni.
The party also discovered the tortured husk of Aimn Lu - alive but delirious. Now Simon will need to decide which character he wants to play.
We have now paused here to play in the other campaign (I am a player) - a 5e version of the Isle of Dread where we are now at level 10 and are setting up a civilisation. I will continue this campaign for a little bit via e-mail as the characters all have slightly different journeys to pursue. Anything could happen now, but I fully expect this campaign to veer off track - I can see all sorts of politics happening as a result of what happened in this session.
EDIT: I'm now feeling as if I am resurrecting a dead thread every time I add to it, although I have found it a good exercise to keep it together. I'm going to stop now, but if you do want to keep tabs on what is happening in this adventure you can by going to https://deathgrind.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log
The destruction of the cult of Air
16th of Vult to 6th of Zarantyr
The adventurers rise later that evening and check up what is happening in the town. All seems in order with the constable interrogating the leaders of the town and the archaeologist. They decide that while there are a few loose threads, that they have spent enough time on this town and have learnt a lot in doing so.
They explore Scholar Quandril’s boat and find more dwarven tomes that are obviously taken from the missing delegation. They retire back to the inn, rest and arise the next morning. Mythoras rides his horse back to Xandrar while the others take the boat.
Aur Keer had flown away after the exploration of the underground complex, but as it is now two days later and he has not been seen, they decide they can wait no longer.
Mythoras arrives back on the 19th and the others arrive back on the 20th. They are hoping for a message from Sir Isteval about how his journey to petition the king went, but no message has arrived at his house. The go to the council chambers instead where that they find a message has been received by the mayor. Sir Isteval had managed to petition the king and was returning to Drum Keep with 50 of the kings troops – a sizeable force.
The mayor agrees to send 20 of the Xandrar troops also and begins the process of readying the troops. Layna is put in command of the assault force. The adventurers are able to spend a few days in Xandrar recuperating and preparing and then head to Drum Keep to await the kings troops.
They spend a week waiting, but on the 4th of Zarantyr, in the middle of winter a large force is seen approaching Drum Keep. It is then that they realise that Sir Istaeval is accompanied by 50 warforged. All look identical and recently manufactured. They also seem to have little humour. While the warforged require no rest, the long journey has wearied Sir Isteval and made him realise his age. He passes the leadership of the assault over to the adventurers, but suggests that he accompany as an advisor. He does not feel up to the actual fighting. Windharrow is not to be seen and he informs them that he remained in Wroat.
The next day they head up through the hill path to the featherspire. However the narrow path is awkward for the warforged and it takes two days to get to the spire itself. During that time they see mounted vultures far overhead, watching them approach.
Before they arrive, Layna, Tito, and Tur Turro split off and follow goat tracks leading further north up the valley, away from the spire. As darkness starts to approach they track back south and stealthily approach the spire. They see that the drawbridge is up, but they climb up the rock that the Featherspire is built on. At the bottom of the tower, Tur Turro explains the layout of the building and what they adventurers can expect to find. He then checks the secret doors leading to the stables until he finds one that is unlocked (indicating that the mount within is currently elsewhere). He sneaks in, avoids the stablehand and ascends the stairs.
Meanwhile Layna and Tito climb up the outside of the spire to one of the lower windows – in particular the one that Tur Turro explained held the drawbridge mechanism. As they do this they see the army of 50 warforged and 20 Xandrar troops arrive at the gap where the drawbridge should be.
A small parlay occurs with a figure standing on top of the tower. He informs them that they have made a terrible mistake, and that the feathergale knights and the cult of the air are the final hope to stop a terrible evil that is planning on destroying the world. Mythoras realises that the figure on top of the tower is Windharrow. Gasp. He informs Windharrow that the evil he represents will not succeed and that the elemental cults in this area will all be destroyed.
Immediately the army is attacked with bolts of lightning, clouds of acidic poison and arrows. The Wroat and Xandrar troops begin to fall. Realising that time is of the essence, Layna looks in the window and sees that a latch on the inside holds the window locked. She has been studying the ways of the arcane and attempts a trick. A mystical hand appears inside the room which then opens the latch letting them in. An illusionary wall is then cast in front of the door and Tito runs over and releases the drawbridge mechanism. The warforged surge across the drawbridge but are unable to force the main doors open.
As the drawbridge drops, Layna, Tito and Tur Turro crash open two of the doors into the main entrance to the spire, surprising the small force in the area. A fight ensues, but Tur Turro breaks free from an opponent to the front doors where he is able to life the bar. The doors then open, the warforged charge in, and slaughter ensues.
However by the time they reach the top of the tower, they arrive just in time to see 3 vultures flying towards the crevice that hides the dwarven city. They recognize Windharrow on one, and another holds an elven female with magnificant wings on her back.
Other than the three escapees, none of the inhabitants of the spire survive – the warforged are ruthless.
The adventurers quickly decide to press on and attack the hidden dwarven city. The army is now down to 50 soldiers who climb down into the valley and across to the crevasse. By now they are moving in the moonlight.
They follow the narrow trail underground by the side of a drop where the bottom can’t be seen. Layna, Tur Turro and Tito scout ahead. About half way to the city, they find a large, rune covered, metal box in the middle of the trail. They decide to investigate it, but as they approach the box begins to glow and radiate heat. The adventurers move away rapidly as the metal box melts away revealing a glowing, hovering globe with roiling mist moving within.
Suddenly the globe explodes and a fierce wind fills the crevasse. The heroes hold on to the sides for their lives as wind whips around them, trying to drag them away. After a while the wind dies away, but when the heroes return to the part of the trail where the globe was, the path and part of the side of the crevasse has disappeared – the rock itself has been dragged apart by the winds.
However, Mythoras and the army are on the other side of the trail. The party rig together a series of ropes and pitons to help the army cross, and decide to tie the army together in case somebody falls.
However as the warforged cross, the piton/rope arrangement fails. 5 warforged immediately fall into the deeps, and those left on the trail are dragged behind them. 16 soldiers are dragged into the deep before somebody manages to cut the rope connecting them.
They reset the rope/piton arrangement and try again – this time successfully.
The remaining army finally make their way to the walls of the dwarven city. Again the heroes are told to turn back and that they have made a mistake in coming to this place, but they ignore this warning and attack.
The warforged surge forward and are immediately hit by lightning bolts, gusting winds and clouds of acidic gas. The party use the distraction created by the warforged and Jackie Chan their way up one of the small towers unseen. They drop down on the other side. While some take the attack to the enemy, Mythoras opens the gate door. This gives the army the opening they need and they surge into the city.
Meanwhile Tito, Tur Turro and Layna have found Aerisi, the Queen of the wind cult. Windharrow is also there, but he nods at his queen and summons a portal, which he promptly jumps through and disappears. The heroes quickly slay the queen, and the warforged surge through the city killing all they find (except for a Djinni, who kills 5 warforged before Mythoras calls them back).
There is celebration as the heroes realise that they have defeated the wind cult. But passages lead off into the darkness. Do they dare explore them yet?
DM's Notes
All of this happened in a 3 hour session. It might have actually taken me longer to write the notes. Crikey. It is good how fast 5e can go, but it does mean that you can go past where you have prepared very quickly.
There are now 17 members of the army left - 4 human and 13 warforged. Layna has Windvane and is keen to attune to it. Mythoras has the horn controlling the Djinni.
The party also discovered the tortured husk of Aimn Lu - alive but delirious. Now Simon will need to decide which character he wants to play.
We have now paused here to play in the other campaign (I am a player) - a 5e version of the Isle of Dread where we are now at level 10 and are setting up a civilisation. I will continue this campaign for a little bit via e-mail as the characters all have slightly different journeys to pursue. Anything could happen now, but I fully expect this campaign to veer off track - I can see all sorts of politics happening as a result of what happened in this session.
EDIT: I'm now feeling as if I am resurrecting a dead thread every time I add to it, although I have found it a good exercise to keep it together. I'm going to stop now, but if you do want to keep tabs on what is happening in this adventure you can by going to https://deathgrind.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log
Last edited:
