Campaign Journal: Shadow of the Last Dragon


Campaign Journals


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Greetings and welcome to my campaign dairy for a homebrew campaign in a homebrew setting.

The setting is the World of Eshen. The player's guide to the setting can be found here.

The grossly simplified TLDR version is this: For most of its history, the world of Eshen was ruled by dragons. Each dragon ruled a kingdom, and most of the various races were created by the dragons to serve various purposes. The world existed in this sort of neutralized flux state for eons, until something sparked a global conflict. The nations divided among religious lines, the evil Chromatic dragons gathered under the banner of Tiamat, the Dragonmother, and the good Metallic dragons under the banner of Apsu, the Dragonfather. The Great Dragon Wars were waged across the globe for hundreds of years, annihilating entire civilizations and devastating the land. In the end, only one dragon was left, the Great Golden Wyrm Ciandra the Bright, and her kingdom of Brithan. With the rest of the world left in ruin, Ciandra rebuilt her kingdom under her egalitarian vision. Then, without known reason or warning, Ciandra flew off one day ten years ago and has not returned. Now, Brithan is a kingdom of colonies and outposts, of factions vying for power in the vacuum of Ciandra's disappearance as the darkness of the wasted world threatens from all directions.

The kingdom map can be viewed here.

The current campaign starts in the tiny outpost of Crow Hill, at the far edge of the Whispering Hills. Ibel Stonesurge, a dwarf from the mountainhome of Negolduhr, has arrived with an ancient map hinting at the location of a lost mithral mine somewhere in the Whispering Hills. Ibel hires on a group of four young adventurers to locate and secure the mine.

The adventurers are:
Danger- A dwarven ranger and Ibel's niece, from the halfling town of Manger in the Halftop Hills.
Sparky- A tengu sorcerer from a nomadic clan in the Whispering Hills.
Theres- A human rogue from the city of Bristling Bay.
Variel- An elf druid from the elven stronghold of Caelaluma in the Singmar Woods.

This is their story.


Mine Security: Session 1
It is a rainy night in Crow Hill, a late winter storm having blown in from the Sound of Silence to the north. A large man in a soot-stained apron and a middle-aged woman stand at a stained glass window in the Lizard King, the local tavern, waiting, while a dour group of dwarves sit at a table in the corner, sulking silently over their mugs of ale. A tengu walks in from the rain and takes a seat at the bar, soon to be joined by an elf and a human female. They were recruited by a young dwarf named Danger and were told to meet here. Finally, Danger walks in and is able to introduce everyone.

Danger happens to insult the graying haired woman at the window, who leaves in a huff. The large man introduces himself as Thony Quinte, the town’s blacksmith, and explains she is ‘The Judge’ Joane Foxe, appointed magistrate of Crow Hill. Danger recognizes her uncle Ibel at the table and notices one of his companions is injured and bandaged up.

Ibel explains he is here looking for a lost dwarven mine of his ancestors. He shows the group a map he found of the area, and the group notices that the town of Crow Hill is missing from the map, but the Iron Tower, the town’s one major landmark, is present. Ibel explains this map dates back to the beginnings of the Great Dragon War. Ibel also explains that he and his men were attacked while searching the Whispering Hills for the mine. They didn’t see their attacker, but “it was small and fast, and had a crossbow.”

Thony explains that he and The Judge are funding this expedition for the promise of a much needed economic boost to the area. When pressing for more information, the group is told the mine was a source of mithral during the Great Dragon Wars. Thony offers the group 100 gold each if they can locate and secure the mine. Danger is able to convince her Uncle Ibel to cover the cost of their room and board for the night, and also to lend her his antique map.

In the morning, the group is curious about the Iron Tower, as it is the tallest building at the tallest point of the hill. The find the tower is octagonal in plan and four stories tall, built of solid iron, rusted red over the generations. The front doors are wide open and they find the bottom floor is set up as some sort of meeting hall. Theres, the rogue, picks the lock on a back door to find a staircase leading up. The group follows the staircase and encounters a female halfling descending the stairs. Having startled the halfling, they convince her that The Judge granted them access to the roof in order to survey the land. The halfling introduces herself as Sida, Joane’s assistant and secretary, and agrees to escort the group to the Tower’s roof. On the way they pass a door and Variel, the elven druid, gets a peek inside. There he sees a young woman training, who quickly slams the door in his face. They pass a second door on the way up, and then reach the roof. From there they scan the countryside and are able to orient themselves to the map. Agreeing it’s best to set out, they descend the tower, but not after overhearing Sida and the young woman arguing behind the closed door.

They leave Crow Hill by the main gate on the eastern wall and hike out into the Whispering Hills. Pooling their skills together, they are able to locate the lost entrance to the mine by late afternoon, with no trouble. However, they find the entrance is guarded by two small reptilian looking humanoids, armed with spears and slings. They concoct a plan, Theres will sneak up and around to attack from behind, while the rest of the group charges from the front. However, Danger slips and falls while taking cover behind a bush and gives the group away.

What happened next was a series of face falls and missed shots as the group tried to charge off the cliff face. Yet, Sparky the tengu sorcerer drops one guard with a lucky crossbow shot, while Theres and Variel badly injur the other. The injured guard retreats into the mine while our heroes regroup.


GM's Note: Session 1

The first session was a lot of fun. The PCs going to the Iron Tower was unexpected, but worked out well, as they were introduced to the political structure of Crow Hill and a few more important NPCs. However, it took a lot of time out of the session, and it was my goal to at least get them to the mine entrance by session's end. I expected the bulk of the session to be exploring the Whispering Hills searching for the mine. Thinking fast, I reduced all that content to a 4th ed. styled Skill Challenge as described by Matt Colville here. The PCs succesfully navigated the Skill Challenge and were able to find the mine entrance. However, their planned sneaky approach was foiled by some poor dice rolls. The resulting attack was comedic, and ultimately, not as detrimental as it could have been. One kobold got away, at exactly 0hp, and none of the PCs were hurt. All in all, the players had a chance to feel into their PCs, and everyone had fun and left the table excited to explore the mine.


Mine Security: Session 2
After picking themselves up and dusting themselves off, our heroes check the fallen kobold and decide to proceed into the mine. At first glance, they find a straight corridor, ten feet wide, of rough hewn stone. Periodic wooden posts and beams help support the rock tunnel. However, Danger notices the roof a little ways in appears unstable. Theres then spots a trip wire at that spot. However, the tripwire isn't set, and the going looks safe. Being the only one with darkvision, Danger decides to lead the way. Just after she passes the stonefall trap, she gets struck by a crossbow bolt. She cries out a warning and hits the dirt. Her companions one by one heroically rush in and fall prone or take cover behind a wooden post. No one is able to spot their attacker, all Danger sees is the corridor ending in a T junction straight ahead. Continuing to take fire, Variel casts a light spell on one of Sparky's crossbow bolts. With the illumination, our heroes spot an arrow slot carved into the far wall and something moving from behind. Sparky takes a snapshot at the arrow slit and strikes his target as Danger takes to her feet and charges forward. The kobold sniper disappears down a back tunnel behind the arrow slit with a glowing bolt stuck in its shoulder.

Finding themselves with a two-way choice, Theres lights a torch and Danger is able to spot a trail of blood from the wounded kobold guard leading down the left passage. Following the trail they come to a locked door. Theres is unable to open it at first try, but eventually picks the lock. Sneaking a peek inside, they spot two kobolds standing in a large room with spears and shields held at the ready, waiting. Our heroes decide the best course of action is to barge in and rush the kobolds. Using some coordinated tactics, they are able to get into flanking position, and Theres is able to score some sneak attacks and critical hits. The kobolds quickly fall and the room is secured. Searching the room, they find several bedding sites and smothered campfires along the far wall. There, they uncover some hidden treasure, including a couple of healing potions. Again, they spot the trail of blood leading north through the chamber's only other exit.

Proceeding north, they come across a natural cavern. Taking cover behind a large stone column, Theres is able to sneak in and spots a kobold mounted on a dog-sized lizard, armed with lance and shield, posted on a low ledge on the far side of the chamber. Along the left wall she sees three low holes carved into the rock. The holes are barricaded with spears stuck into the dirt, and rodents of unusual size pace back and forth behind the bars. Danger takes up two small wooden shields from the fallen kobolds and charges into the room, while Variel fires from his longbow from the rear. Sparky is able to intimidate the kobold cavalier and then moves into position to vomit forth an Adhesive Spittle spell. The cavalier is quickly overwhelmed, stuck into place on his giant gecko mount, being stabbed repeatedly by Theres and pummeled by Danger's brass knuckles. Nearing death, the kobold is able to surrender. Not being able to speak its language, our heroes are still able to reach a deal, turn over its arms and armor and they will set it free. Danger is then able to pacify the dire rats and sets them free as well.

having taken all the cavalier's gear, our heroes continue to pursue the injured guard deeper into the mine. They come across another locked door, and this time, Theres is able to pick the lock in no time at all. Danger peeks inside to find another large chamber, with four kobolds standing ready with spears and shields, and a fifth kobold standing in the rear, the injured guard.


GM's Note: Session 2

This session was also a lot of fun. The sniper behind the arrow slit proved to be a good challenge, and was overcome with some quick creative thinking. Theres the rogue scored the first critical hit of the campaign, on a sneak attack. Painfully, though, she rolled 1s on all her damage dice for 4dmg against a 5hp creature. The fight against the kobold cavalier was supposed to be a challenge, but Sparky the tengu sorcerer used a powerful combination of intimidation checks and Adhesive Spittle to totally shut the cavalier down. In the end, the only action the cavalier could take was to plead for his life. The party is making quick process. Now, they missed something important in the cavalier's chamber, but they'll have the opportunity to come back to it later.


Mine Security: Session 3

Knowing what they face behind the door, our heroes plan their attack. Danger is going to rush in, while everyone else fires from the door. However, things quickly go awry. Danger immediately steps into a punji trap on the other side of the door. She's unharmed, but held in place. Two kobolds charge with their spears and the rest of the party is forced to move in to defend Danger. The injured guard from the beginning of the adventure hobbles down the northern exit, while the injured sniper, a glowing crossbow bolt still lodged in its shoulder, appears from a hidden door in the southern wall.

At first, our heroes are pinned down at the door, their passage blocked by the kobolds on one side and a pile of rubble on the other. Finally, Theres and Sparky are able to get around the kobolds and attack flank them. Variel exchanges volleys with the sniper, and Danger gets her first kill when she tries throwing her dagger instead of engaging in melee.

Two kobolds are down, and the one Theres is tangoing with withdraws down the northern corridor. Variel and Sparky have the sniper subdued, and learn that it speaks common. They bind the sniper in rope and interrogate him. He tells them that they were ordered to come here by their big chief, and that the chieftan's daughter is in command. The chieftan's daughter is a sorcerer, although not a very good one. She's located further down the corridor to the north. Our heroes decide to use the captive sniper as a bargaining chip moving forward, but not until they explore a bit.

The room they're in has a set of minecart tracks coming in from the north tunnel. The tracks split into three and end in large piles of rubble. The southern wall has a series of squared off niches carved into it. These niches are littered with remnants of charcoal and rusted iron and steel. In the western wall is a collapsed tunnel, and Danger realizes there's a narrow gap between the cave in and the roof, large enough to crawl through. Theres checks it out and finds a sinkhole leading to the outside, the last remnants of daylight seeping through.

Confident that they have a second escape route if need be, our heroes push forward. As they move down the north tunnel, they find the tracks here have been torn up and demolished in places, with evidence of scorching on the walls. They reach another opening into a naturally formed chamber. Old, toppled minecarts lie strewn about, with bits of destroyed track making areas of difficult terrain. Theres instructs their captive to tell any kobolds to give up and pushes the sniper inside. The sniper, though begins shouting warnings in its draconic tongue. Pulling the sniper back, the rogue then enters the chamber, to be immediately pelted by a sling stone behind a kobold taking cover behind a minecart. Another sniper fires from behind another minecart further in, and Theres is badly injured.

The other heroes quickly move in. Sparky casts Shocking Grasp and gives the first kobold some electro-shock therapy. That kobold retreats further into the cavern. Variel again gets into a firing match with a sniper, who finally knocks Theres unconscious. Good thing Variel has Stabilize prepared. Danger pushes the captured sniper deeper into the chamber, where there are three injured kobolds waiting. She and Sparky take two of them out and subdue the third. Now surrounded, the other sniper finally surrenders. Danger deems the kobold warrior useless, as it doesn't speak Common, and knocks it unconscious with a punch to the head. The group ties up the second sniper, revives Theres with a healing potion. And proceeds to the closed door at the far end. They know the chieftan's daughter is on the other side.

Sparky puts an earhole to the door and hears the sound of metal striking rock. He thinks he has a clever idea and opens the door a bit, then calls out, pretending to be a kobold, alerting everyone that the big chief is here and wants everyone outside. He peeks in to see a kobold in red robes, another with a curved blade by her side, and two more with picks trying to dig through a collapsed tunnel. The kobolds turn and stare in confusion. Sparky doesn't speak draconic, and his bluff fails.

So, our heroes burst in again. Their tactic of overwhelming the kobolds has worked thus far. But, rather than a fight, they robed kobold throws her hands up in immediate surrender. She doesn't speak Common, but the party has two tied up interpreters at their disposal. Through the captive snipers, they bargain a deal. The chief's daughter will gather up all remaining kobolds and leave the mine. In exchange, she tells them, "If you want this place, you can have this place."

The group decides, their orders were to 'locate and secure' the mine. With the kobolds gone, the mine is now secured. They decide to explore the rest of the mine before resting for the night. In the rooms they passed, Theres disarms a trap and retrieves a poisoned dart. They find some more left behind gear and break into an old storage closet full of mining equipment (including some alchemical goodies).

Finally, sweeping the area with Detect Magic, Variel and Sparky locate an illusionary wall in the cavalier's chamber. Behind the illusionary veil is a stone door, carved with Dwarven runes.


GM's Note: Session 3

This session was action packed and grueling. The second combat was especially tough, and I had to cut down the number of kobolds off the top. But, with Theres being knocked out early, it ended up feeling the appropriate amount of tough. My main note on this session, we ended up playing an hour later than we usually schedule. I had had a long and difficult week at work, and during the second half of the session, I could literally feel my brain shutting down. I was really struggling mentally when the party entered the final chamber, and had a hard time figuring out how the chieftan's daughter would react. In the end, it played out well, but man was I struggling. The illusionary wall was something the party missed before, they're new players and haven't figured out the standard tactic of searching every square inch with detect magic. So, I had to summarize the exploration of the mine at the end of the session just to wrap things up, and left them at the door to keep them excited for next time!


Mine Security: Session 4

The inscription above the door, in Dwarven runes, reads: “Access is granted to the noble at heart. Recite the Platinum Prayer, righteous one, and welcome home.” Sparky, with his sorceress ties to dragonkind, is able to recite the prayer “Father of Creation, let Your light flow through my heart. Enable me in Your service. Protect me from darkness. Show me the way to Your divine love. Ease my suffering. See me through to the light of day. In Your name, oh Father, I pray.” With that, the arcane lock on the doors was dispels, and the doors open to reveal a staircase leading up.

At the top of the stairs is an antechamber. Another set of double doors stand across the way, and two stone statues of dwarven warriors on either side of the room. As our heroes reach the top of the stairs, and shine in the light of a lamp they discovered in the mines below, four dwarven skeletal warriors rais their shields and waraxes, ready to attack.

The unliving move first, catching our heroes at the top of the stairs. A vicious fight ensues as our heroes become trapped on the staircase. Sparky uses his adhesive spittle spell to good effect, immobilizing one skeleton. But, it can still attack. It and another skeletal warrior swing at Danger, who takes a nasty hit and falls down unconscious. Having to think quickly, Variel evokes a Heat Lightning spell that catches three skeletons in its area. All three are set ablaze, which turns the tide of battle. The fire destroys them before they can strike again, and one is left. It attacks Variel and knocks him down, and Sparky and Theres are left to take the skeleton out.

After the administration of some potions, everyone is back on their feet. They examine the statues but are unable to identify the figures. Danger gets the sense they are great heroes from Dwarven history.

With only one way to go, our heroes press on through the next set of double doors, but not before Danger pauses to read "Enter Now Ye the Sacred Halls of Banehammer". Through these doors our heroes enter into a large banquet hall. Large oaken tables are arranged in a diamond pattern, reflecting the overall shape of the hall. Broken pottery and utensils litter the area, as well as the ancient bones of long dead dwarves. Two more skeletal warriors stand guard at doors at either side of the long chamber. Three of our heroes go after the skeleton on the left, while Theres braves the one on the right alone. Much table hopping and electric spellcasting ensue. The skeleton on the left is quickly taken out, but not before it is able to hurt Danger. Theres struggles with the other skeleton, her daggers not doing much against an opponent without flesh. She opts to grab a nearby stool to use as an improvised bludgeoning weapon, but fails to hit. The other heroes run along the tables to come to her aid and put down the last skeleton.

After using up their remaining potions, the party does some exploring. The door to the left leads to an abandoned kitchen, pantry, and brewery area. Most everything is left in ruins and unusable, but Sparky finds a pair of antique silver spoons. The door to the right leads to sleeping quarters. Rummaging through this area, our heroes uncover a good bit of coin and a masterwork light mace.

Finally, they push open the last set of double doors which opens up into a temple chamber. Immediately before them stands a large statue of Apsu, the Dragonfather, cast in solid platinum and encrusted in shining jewels, standing ten feet high with a twelve foot wingspan. Before the statue is the remains of a dwarf dressed in a purple robe. Sparky quickly detects this robe, as well as other items on the deceased, are clearly magical. Other bodies lay carefully prepared, wrapped in white linens, resting against the walls of the chamber. As sparky approaches the robed corpse and the platinum statue, the ghost of a dwarven paladin suddenly appears behind him. "Who goes there!?" it demands of them, and Danger tries to explain in her dwarven tongue that she has come to reclaim this mine in her family's name. The ghost does not recognize the name Stonesurge, and asked what their purpose being here was. Sparky tells a tall tale about wiping out the kobolds and reclaiming the mine. The ghost asks, "Did you recover me bones?" to which Sparky replies, "Uh, we forgot."

The ghost goes on to tell them that he is Tobul Banehammer, and this is HIS mine. He held and operated this mine during the Dragon Wars, when the Black Horde of Kralt Uzil attacked and held the mine at siege. When the Orcs broke the barricades, as his final act, Tobul lead the horde deep into the mine where he held his final stand, while Led the Illusionist and the other sruvivors held up in these halls, protected by Led's magics. However, the Orcs took control of the mines for their own purposes, while Led and the others slowly died of thirst and starvation.

The party explains that hundreds of years have passed since that day, that the Dragon Wars have ended with Ciandra the Bright the final victor. Sparky convinces Tobul to let him take Led's belongings, stating that he will use them to fight the evil forces of Tiamat. Danger, too, offers to worship Apsu if Tobul promises to heal everyone. Tobul is confused and bewildered at the news that other Gods have appeared, that there are other religions other than the Platinum Faith. Danger prays to the statue, and Tobul heals up the group. Tobul asks that they retrieve his bones so that he can be entombed here with his kin. He offers them his weapons and armor (which look very powerful in his ghostly image) if they complete this task. The group agrees, knowing full well the lower mines are blocked off by collapsed tunnels.

Having gained Tobul as their new spiritual ally, our heroes load up and leave the mine to make their way back to town. On the way, they come across a circle of wagons in the Whispering Hills. Sparky recognizes this is his people, the Ebonfeather Conspiracy. He leads theb group to the caravan, where they are welcomed with open arms. The clan matriarch, Gramma Rin, takes them into her wagon and asks about their adventures. Of course, Sparky relates their tale with a few embellishments. Impressed, Gramma Rin offers to read their fortune. Each hero draws from her deck of cards.


GM's Note: Session 4
The initial encounter at the top of the stairs proved to be a doozy. I rolled a nat 20 on the skeletons' initiative, which lead to the PCs getting trapped at the top of the stairs. PCs kept rolling poorly, and the skeletons kept rolling well, with dwarven battle axes that do 1d10 dmg. That's a lot for Lvl 1! So two PCs went down fairly quickly. The Heat Lightning spell ended up being the saving grace there. It's a 3rd Party spell, which I wasn't aware of until after the session. I'm not sure the player was aware of that or not, but I usually don't allow 3rd party content. I'll inform him next session, but allow him to continue to use that spell, as it's effective, and it fits his character having the Weather domain.

The second encounter I dailed back a bit. It was originally written to have another four skeletons, plus the ghost in the final chamber would manifest as tossing about mugs and broken dinnerware as telekinesis. But, the PCs already took a beating and used up nearly all their available healing. The two skeletons proved to be a more balanced encounter, and the players had fun utilizing the environment in the room to their advantage.

The ghost of the Paladin Tobul Banehammer was really an exposition device, and thankfully Sparky rolled super high on his Bluff check, or else they would have had to face the wrath of an effectively CR7 creature. They ended up in the paladin's good graces and should now have a motivation to return to the mine. The mine, btw is meant to be the central setpiece for the entire campaign, and is effectively a megadungeon by design. However, I like to design my campaigns as bottlenecked at the ends and wide open in the middle, so who knows what paths the PCs may take. For now, the mine is secured, but the lower levels are inaccessible until Ibel and his men can open them back up.

So the players decided to head back to town to report to Ibel and sell off their spoils, and i decided to throw a little detour. In doing so, we got to learn a little about Sparky and his background, although the player was still working from a rough draft. Also, I got to play with my tarot deck, which is always fun. I'll cook up some minor bonuses to fit the cards the players drew.

Once the PCs reach town, they'll level up! I also decided to start playing with Hero Points starting at Lvl2. The PCs are officially heroes now that they've completed their first quest. The Hero Points will hopefully encourage the players to write up a backstory. I did tweak the Hero Points a little bit, but at heart it remains the same. I expect next session to be mainly going over character advancement and then some shopping around town. I expect some RP with Ibel, Quinte, and Joane Foxxe. In the next morning, there will be an event to incite the next adventure, which should be smaller in scale.


Mine Security: Session 5

Our heroes finishes their reading with Gramma Rin and explore the camp of the Ebonfeather Conspiracy for a bit. The come across a wagon labeled Apo's Baubles and Gifts and decide to check it out. Inside they find Apo, an eccentric merchant who's shop is filled with small glass vails of various oils and tincures, tokens and totems, clay jars, and small wooden boxes. The party spots some labels, Alchemist Fires, Acid Flasks, Brewed Reek, Troll Oil, and immediately begin exploring his shop. They try to trade in some of the gear they took from the kobolds but Apo doesn't deal in arms and armor. He asks if they found anything interesting in their adventure, and Dange tries to sell him on the idea of taking the dwarven waraxes to sell to the dwarves who will inevitably be returning to the mine. Apo is sold on the idea, but Danger isn't sold on the amount of his offer. In the end, only an alchemist fire is purchased from the tengu merchant.

Our heroes decide to stay the night with the tengu camp and move on to Crow Hill in the morning. Their first priority is to meet up with Uncle Ibel, who they find drinking away at the Languid Lizard. He's both shocked and elated to see them, and eager to hear news of their adventure. At the report of the kobolds, Ibel becomes very serious and concerned and leans in, speaking to the party in hushed tones. He informs them that back at the Mountainhome of Negolduhr, duergar have been discovered in the deep adamantine mines. There have been an increasing number of skirmishes lately, and kobolds have been spotted in duergar ranks. The kobolds must be in league with the duergar, Ibel concludes, and it is upsetting that the kobolds reached the lost mine first. Ibel informs the party that the ancient map he had of the mine's location was actually found on the body of a defeated duergar captain. The duergar also had their sights on this mine, likely after the promise of mithral. If the duergar are after adamantine and mithral, they must be up to no good.

Ibel is pleased that the kobolds were driven from the mine and the mine secured. He pays the party and even gives them each a small stake in his company with the promise that they will become the security officers of the mine. If there's to be more danger at the mine, Ibel will come calling on our heroes.

Danger is able to convince Ibel to purchase the dwarven waraxes and shields they took from the skeletal warriors, as well as her updated map of the mine. She also gifts him the heirloom spoon found in the Halls of Banehammer, to be sent with any missive in order to ensure the message is from Ibel.

Ibel tells the party to check in with Thony Quinte, the town's blacksmith, who's also an investor in the Stonesurge Mining Company. They find Thony at his smithy, Quinte's Anvil. There they see Thony working away at the forge with his apprentice. Thony too is happy to see the adventurers and ask about the mine. He offers them a 50% discount on any one item each. Variel gets a new masterwork longsword, Danger a masterwork chain shirt, and Sparky commissions a masterwork rapier. Therres was out sick this session, so she'll do her shopping later, probably offscreen. Also, whiloe reviewing her Lvl 2 character sheet, I discovered her name has two 'R's.

They ask Quinte about his involvement with Ibel, and he informs them that Ibel first approached The Judge Joane Foxxe about the mine, and operating from Crow Hill. The Judge introduced Ibel to Thony, who was willing to invest in this promise of a new economic boon to the town. Thony informs the party that since the disappearance of the town's founder, Odwith Balda, things have been pretty bleak around Crow Hill. The Judge was sent by Brithan to act as the new governor of the town. Our heroes inquire about the other woman they spotted in the tower, and Thony informs them she is Milde, the Sheriff, and Odwith's daughter.

Next, Variel wishes to speak with Tiabhi, the druid he was sent to study under, and the keeper of the Shrine of Blodeuwedd at the base of the hill. Variel confronts Tiabhi about Tobul Banehammer and the Knights of the Sapphire Sky. Tiabhi is taken aback by this news, and admits to once belonging to the order of knights. She asks to accompany the heroes to the mine to visit the ghost of Tobul the next time they go there. The party agrees. Tiabhi then teaches Variel the trigger word needed to unlock the power of the amulet. She also gifts her student a wand of Cure Light Wounds, and offers the group to craft any wand for them for half price.


GM's Notes: Session 5

So this turned out to be mostly a shopping trip of a session, which is fine considering one of the players called in sick last minute. I do have the next adventure mostly prepped and ready to go, and I thought we might get it started. But, again, the group is mostly new players, and we spent some time reviewing their Lvl 2 upgrades at the beginning.

There was a lot of good roleplay had with NPCs, and the players got to debrief and gain new information. Variel in particular seems interested in Tiabhi and her mysterious past, and Sparky took interest in the relationship between Milde and The Judge. As he said at the end of the session, "I think we need to go find this Odwith guy." I think Danger picked up on the plot of the Duergar attacking her homeland and how its connected to the lost mine. This, by the way, is a piece of the main plotline, and the PCs should be returning to the mine sooner than later to uncover more pieces of the puzzle. So, this session ended up being a good way to advance the characters as they get new equipment, as well as drop a few plot hooks.

There's two more shops in town for the players to check out and round out their shopping spree, so we'll finish up with that next time, and then there will be an inciting incident to spark the next adventure.


Kuzrog’s Cave: Session 6

After visiting with Tiabhi, our heroes continue their shopping. They stop by The Alabaster Outfitters, owned by an elderly man by the name of Tim. Their they purchase a few odds and ends and get an earful about bandits and late deliveries from Bristling Bay from Tim. Then they stop by Terri’s Leatherworks, meet Terri, a bright, energetic, red-haired, freckled woman who takes much pride in her craft. She showcases her finest wares, which are a bit out of price range, but is able to sell a few waterproof bags and scroll cases and such. She offers to buy off any hides and furs the PCs may gather from their journeys. Finally they visit with the Judge, who congratulates them on their success at the mine. The Judge reiterates her hope that the mine will bring some much needed economy to Crow Hill. The PCs ask her about bandits on the road to Bristling Bay and she confirms the rumours. They ask about Milde, and the Judge becomes troubled, stating she believes Milde sees herself as the rightful heir to the governorship of Crow Hill, and has eyes on the Judge’s office.

As it’s growing late, the Judge bids our heroes goodnight and retires to her room on the upper levels of the Iron Tower. Our heroes concoct a plan to visit Milde. Since Therres purchased a new masterwork dagger, they decide to visit Milde under the pretense of gifting her the old dagger. Again, they break into the Iron Tower and sneak up to Milde’s door. Their, Therres sneaks a peak through the keyhole but is unable to see anyone in the spartan chamber. Sparky gently raps on her chamber door and the door suddenly flies open. Milde is standing there waiting, shortsword leveled at Sparky’s throat. Our heroes are able to explain themselves and offer the dagger as a gift. When the PCs offer to look into the matter of bandits, Milde laughs and tells them “If you want to leave this town and kill bandits, fine by me!” She explains the town is her jurisdiction, anything happening beyond her jurisdiction is no matter to her. Upon further questioning, Milde warns the PCs of the wolves around these parts. “They’re smart, organized. Very dangerous for the lot of you.”

Slightly frustrated, our heroes retire for the night at The Languid Lizard. There they mingle with the dwarves of Ibel’s party. Danger notices the tavernkeeper Sterylyne has an eye for Variel, then decides to take one of the miners to bed. It rains throughout the night, and Ibel’s crew leaves for the mine at first light. As our heroes eat their breakfast, they hear a commotion outside. Poking their heads out the door, they see a crowd starting to gather around the iron tower. One man is standing next to the Judge, shouting and pointing an accusatory finger at another, older, poorer man, who’s being detained by Milde. Our heroes join the crowd and learn that the poorer man, Geregh, stands accused of stealing the other man, Orulf’s, cattle in the night. Orulf claims Geregh’s son, Artis, the blacksmith’s apprentice, proposed to his daughter Athen and was rebuked. Athen’s dowry was the three cows, which went missing overnight. The culprit, he charges, is Gergh, who simply had eyes on his cows all along.

The Judge declares that, by the law of the land, that Geregh has 24 hours to provide concrete evidence of his innocence, or else there will be a trial by combat. Quinte the blacksmith approaches our heroes with worry. Artis failed to show up to work today. Things look bad for him and his father, and Quinte hires the PCs to look into the matter. Danger and Therres run off to scout Orulf’s ranch while Variel and Sparky question Geregh and Orulf. Geregh states he and his family were home all night because of the storm. He was detained first thing this morning completely by surprise. He has no clue the whereabouts of his son. Orulf states he found his three cows missing from their pasture this morning, and a piece of his fenceline had been broken. He’s certain of Geregh’s guilt, as the fenceline leads to Geregh’s farm.

Meanwhile Danger and Therres locate the ranch. They hear a woman’s voice calling for someone. As they approach, they make out the name “Athen”. Danger decides to sneak around the ranch house and go straight for the scene of the crime, while Therres approaches the ranchhouse and finds an older woman searching for someone named Athen. The woman informs Therres that Athen is her daughter and has also gone missing. In the pasture, Danger follows the many cowprints in the muddy pasture.

Variel and Sparky follow Olruf back to his ranch, and when Olruf discovers his daughter is missing, he immediately suspects young Artis. The rancher rushes inside his house and quickly emerges with boar spear in hand. Sparky acts fast and vomits forth Adhesive Spittle on the rancher and his wife. Variel calms the couple down and our heroes run off to join Danger who’s discovered the broken fence. Danger finds other footprints mixed in with the cows’, and Variel confirms the presence of wolves, while Therres recognizes the large footprints of an ogre. Following this lead, our heroes rush off into the Western Wastes beyond the town.

They’re able to follow the tracks through the muddy wastes for the most part, but get lost at one point. They come across two other figures, also seemingly lost. Upon careful approach, they discover Artis and Athen, who have taken it upon themselves to hunt down the missing cows. They beg the PCs to let them tag along, but our heroes are reluctant to put them in any danger. Athen informs them she’s an acolyte of the Platinum Church and is home from her first year of seminary. She has some magic to help the PCs. At this, our heroes relent.

Once back on track, they soon come across a wooded ravine leading up to a rocky outcropping. Therres sneaks up through the brush and spots a cave entrance. Before it is a severed human head stuck on a pike, and a mutilated body tossed across a nearby boulder. Two wolves gnaw on dismembered limbs at the cave entrance. They haven’t spotted her yet, so she tries to get closer. However, a snapped twig alerts them to her presence and they attack. Therres gets bit and pulled to the ground, while the other wolf charges Danger, who avoids the attack. Variel runs to Therres’ aid while Sparky moves behind the second wolf and gives it a good shock. Variel and Therres continue to struggle with their wolf while Sparky continues to shock his while it’s preoccupied with Danger. The electrocuted wolf withdraws back into the cave, while Therres gets a sneak attack in and brains her wolf with a light mace.

The immediate threat eliminated, they search the mutilated body. Not much to be found but some armor with a unique symbol painted on the back, and a business card for Dust in the Wind, with a personalized note written on the back from one Mara. Therres recognizes Dust in the Wind as an inn and tavern in Bristling Cove.


GM’s Notes: Session 6

This was a fun session, and after a few postponements, everyone was eager to play and really engaged. The players seem really, really concerned with Milde and are eager to seek her approval. They’re also really hell bent on acquiring some horses, and used every opportunity, and not-so-opportunities, to try to bargain for some. They tried strong arming both Geregh and Orulf. Geregh didn’t have any, and Orulf eventually relented, agreeing to giving them a horse if they can recover his cows and bring Geregh to justice. This is all because they’re interested in travelling to Bristling Cove, which is great because I've got some adventures cooking up there.

All in all, everything ran smoothly. The players wanted to continue into the cave but we were already running over time. Personal schedules are moving around and we briefly discussed extending sessions to 4 hours on weekends, so we’ll see.

It’s interesting the choices Players are making. Most are new to gaming, and as such make unexpected choices. For instance, Danger emphatically stated she was leaving her dwarven waraxe behind, and is going ogre hunting with a dagger and brass knuckles. Sparky’s already used 4 1st lvl spells, and at this point they know they’re going up against an ogre! We’ll see how they fare!


Kuzrog's Cave: Session 7

After searching the mutilated body, Danger peeks into the cave and notices a trip wire not far from the entrance, and a heavy log hanging from the ceiling. She calls Therres forward and together they disarm the trap. Luckily, they make quick work of it, because Variel, keeping watch from behind, hears the sound of heavy footsteps approaching. From further down the tunnel, an ogre appears, great cub at the ready.

The party is able to launch an opening silo at the ogre, Sparky hits with his wand of magic missile. The ogre charges forward, with Therres and Danger on the front lines. The ogre crushes Therres with a mighty blow, but she's still up. The party falls back, while Therres bravely steps forward to stab the ogre.

The ogre begins backing down the hall, swinging his great club as he goes. Therres has to fall back due to her injuries, but Danger keeps the press going, while Sparky and Variel pepper the ogre with arrows and magic missiles. Danger takes a big hit, and she (for some reason) drops to the ground. The ogre is on his last leg, but has one more attack in him. He brings his great cub crashing down on Danger, but Danger rolls out of the way, just barely, and avoids the hit. Then, she slams her fist on the ogres foot, breaking his big toe. The pain is enough, on top of all his other wounds, to have him pass out, and he falls to the cave floor.

Danger decides to scout forward. She follows the sound of a cow down the left tunnel and comes to a crevasse blocking her way. Turning around, she grabs Therres and they proceed down the right tunnel, while Variel watches over the dying ogre and Sparky entertains Athen and Aris with tall tales of dubious actuality.

Danger and Therres enter into the ogre's chamber, where there is a campfire in one corner, and the floor is covered in bones and random objects. The injured wolf stands at another tunnel on the far side of the chamber, with another side tunnel to their left. The wolf runs off down the tunnel and the two move after it.

They come into a large chamber with a raised area in the back. Just beyond Danger's darkvision, she can see other figures pacing back and forth. A growing voice calls out "Who is there? Have you killed Kuzrog?"

After some dialogue, the voice reveals itself to be a worg named Shathraug. Shathraug is badly injured, and informs the PCs he was ony taking shelter in Kuzrog's Cave. Shathraug warns (or threatens) the PCs of the coming of Aurbog, the Winter Queen, before sending in his wolves to attack.

However, as Therres was keeping Shathraug busy with questions, Danger used the Blasting Jelly found in the mines to lay a trap. Danger throws a rock at the wolves, encouraging them to come after her. When the first one charges, Therres tosses her torch on the blasting jelly, blowing the wolf to bits. Therres holds the other wolf off while Danger runs off to retrieve her daggers, and Variel and Sparky catch up to the action. However, they are caught off gaurd by the third wolf, who snuck back around the side tunnel to cut them off from behind. Sparky fries this wolf with a critical shocking grasp. Variel and Therres wear the last wolf and Shathraug down to the point the worg reluctantly surrenders. They strike a deal with the worg, they'll set him free as long as they can take the remaining living cow. Shathraug agrees and leaves with his injured companion.

Our heroes search the cave and find a few goodies and treasure left behind by Kuzrog. Athough it is getting late, they brave the dark to return back to town. Once there, they decide to split up, Therres and Danger will return Athen and the cow back to Olref's ranch, while Variel and Sparky will take Artis to report to the Judge.

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