During the mythological Age of Starbirth, the gods cast the world from what was before there were gods, or at least those are the stories that are told. No one knows. There are no records, and the gods don't say.

During the Age of Dreams, Takhisis, the Dragon Queen, first appeared and led her armies to conquer Krynn. She was defeated. The god Paladine gave a knight, Huma Dragonbane, a weapon, one of the fabled dragonlances. With it and the armies of Krynn, the Dragon Armies were vanquished and the Dragon Queen banished, back to the nine hells where she resides today in her misery and hate. Or, at least, so every bard sings in every city. It was a long, long time ago, and who's to say what truly happened.

Several of today's truly ancient societies trace their roots to the Age of Dreams, though each of them accuses the others of lying. The Knights of Solamnia, the Mages of High Sorcery, and the Dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin each claim an origin during this ancient time.

Then followed the Age of Might, a treacherous period of truculent warlords out of which rose the mighty empire of Istar. Istar clung tightly to the powers of righteousness and the gods, and everywhere they went they brought law, and thereby reaped wealth and power. As their might grew so did their pride and their king-priests began to ask if was necessary to draw power from the gods? Could not they become like gods themselves?

The true rulers of the divine took heed of the straying peoples of Istar and sent many mystical warnings for the king-priests, all of which were ignored or misinterpreted. Finally, the effrontery of the king-priests exceeded all bounds, and divine retribution was delivered in the form of a mountain of fire that fell from the sky onto Istar, burying it first in flame then in a deluge as the seas rushed in to cover what the gods could not condone.

When the mountain of fire fell on Istar, all of Ansalon was affected in the great Cataclysm. The shores of the seas changed. Mountains were raised. Fertile plains turned to dust. Nations fell. Cultures died. The continent was thrown into chaos dominated by lawlessness and starvation - a time of Darkness, and only now is a new day finally beginning to dawn.

But the gods' anger was not mollified merely with the annihilation of Istar. Stories tell of the power of the devout to heal and to smite, but no such power is in the world today. Is it possible that the gods really abandoned Krynn? New religions abound. New false religions, according to those who believe in the old ways, or still believe in the songs that they sing on holy days.

Rumors now abound of the Dragon Armies haven risen again. Rumors of war in Taman Busuk, Nordmaar, Khur and the Goodlunde Peninsula, and in the lands of Blode and Silvanesti. Rumors swirl of entire races on the move, of hideous non-human soldiers, and hidden, a faint sound of hope or hysteria - the old gods are granting their favor to their followers again in their time of need. Desperate people cling to flimsy hopes. Who knows what plans heaven and hell truly have for Ansalon now, and would you believe them if they told you?

The party meets on board the Generosidad, one of the fastest freighters in Ansalon, at least according to Captain Bly, and the speed at which you were brought to Kalamar gives you no reason to doubt him. First Mate Fletero, a black robed sorcerer, regularly added the strength of his magics to fill the sails, expediting your journey and bringing the Generosidad's cargo to market that much faster. Also, on board were three Elves, Bryn, Eryn, and Vall, and one fun but anxious Gnome, Breena. During the voyage all of you got to talk with Captain Bly, who seemed like a hard but good man with a genuine interest in the world and its peoples. However, the crew wanted little to do with you and for the Dragonborn antipathy was sometimes obvious. No one, neither crew nor passenger, seemed to choose Fletero's company, though that had nothing to do with race and seemed to be just the way Fletero liked it, if the man likes anything at all.

Having spoken with Captain Bly on several occasions, none of you are surprised to be invited to dine with him on the last night of the voyage as the Generosidad approaches Kalamar's Harbor. He knows why all of you are traveling on his ship, yet asks all of you again over dinner, clearly wanting you to expose your destinations to the others seated at the table. Tswoozie, Moo, Pudge, Nala, and Stellar are all pleasantly surprised to learn that they are not alone in their journey to Vogler to attend Ispin Greenshield's funeral. Breena reveals that she is traveling to the Barb to become an initiate into the Order of the Mages of High Sorcery. Something she's not excited about so much as she is very nervous about. She's far from home and thinks the city and the initiation will be dangerous. The Elves remain quiet about their destination, but Stellar opens up to them about her origins and the Elves are pleased to discover someone who knows something of their homeland and their tribulations.

The party disembarks in Kalamar on the Night of the Eye, a night of mystical importance when the three moons of Krynn align, the white moon, Solinari, the red moon, Lunatari, and the black moon, Nuitari, which can only be seen by where it blots out the stars. Breena asks the party to accompany her to the Barb, an Istari ruin of a tower that still partly functions only on the Night of the Eye, where she will undergo the rite of initiation into the Order. The party graciously agrees.

In the Barb they meet Rovina who is administrating the rites. She asks who will participate in the rite and only Breena declares that she will. The entire party is welcome to enter the chamber of initiation. Rovina tells them that it is not dangerous. Moo stays outside. Within the chamber the only exit is locked and a key hovers over a pedestal in the center of the room. Runes are carved all around the wall of the circular room. Approaching the key is time consuming and difficult because an invisible maze is in the way. The party begins seeking their way through the maze. Pudge recognizes the runes on the wall as a knock spell and once Breena masters its notation for speech and gestures, the maze falls and the door opens. As the party returns to Rovina, she asks Pudge why she did not declare to take the rite as well, and emphasizes that if she declines to join, then she must not use her magical abilities. Pudge acquiesces and accepts a scroll from Rovina, as does Breena. Both are told to bring their scrolls to Varmint at Varmint's Apothecary as soon as they can to complete the rite and learn of their next steps for initiation. Breena is overjoyed that what she thought was going to be an ordeal is now over and that she can return home soon.

The party moves from The Barb to The Steady Beacon where Breena generously sponsors a feast and a night's stay for the party. The contest to see whether a Minotaur or a Dragonborn can eat more is a draw, but the contest to see whether Minotaur or a Gnome can drink more has a decisive winner, as Breena becomes rather inebriated. The party again attracts unwanted attention, this time from the other patrons of The Steady Beacon. The server is afraid and startled to talk with the party, but the party's gold and vivacious felicity demonstrate that they mean no harm throughout the evening.

The next day the party says their goodbyes to Breena who refuses to leave her room in the morning, and the party has a full day's travel ahead of them. You make your way to Varmint's Apothecary, but it's closed. You decide to continue toward Vogler and see Varmint later. On the road toward Vogler are many people, all traveling west. They are in good spirits and appear to be Kalamari who are headed to Vogler for the Kingfisher Festival which starts tomorrow. As the party joins the steady stream of travelers, the other travelers give them plenty of space on the road.

Around lunch, Stellar, Nala, and Tswoozie are immersed in a shared vision. To these three devout members of the party, another time or another version of reality appears overlaid on the world that Moo and Pudge experience. The three godly members of the party stop in the road and look around them, confused, as they appear to be on a battlefield after the battle has occurred. Slain soldiers are everywhere, wearing insignia that none of them recognize. The party can see each other, but the godly cannot hear the secular members, nor can the secular hear the godly. Nala, Stellar, and Tswoozie are each offered an amulet carrying the symbol of their god. After some hesitation, each of them takes the amulet and Moo and Pudge see that these items appear in their hands, seemingly coming from nothing. A shrine of crumbling stone then becomes apparent off the road which the devout approach, distressing Moo and Pudge who cannot see the ancient edifice. Within the shrine are statues of several gods, including Kiri-Jolith, Mishakal, and Habbakuk. Nala, Stellar, and Tswoozie pray, and are gifted with the divine favor of their celestial patron. Stellar is filled with divine power and becomes prepared with several spells. Tswoozie and Nala are encouraged to know that soon they will be able to wield the holy might of their divinity too.

When the party nears Vogler, a teenager comes running back down the road toward the party, terrified. He tells the party that he was traveling with soldiers and they were attacked. He asks for their help and tells them to please hurry. As the party comes within sight of the fight, they see five dragon-like humanoids, somewhat beaten up, but having clearly won a fight against four dead or dying soldiers. The dragon creatures all have wings and are dressed in armor highlighted with red and emblazoned with an insignia bearing five claws arranged in a circle, each claw a different color: red, green, black, white, and blue, with the red claw pointing up and larger than the other four. The largest of the five creatures speaks to the other creatures and points at the party. Two of the creatures advance toward the party and the other three move rapidly in the opposite direction. The party defeats the creatures and clears the road of the fight, not wanting to excite the crowd traveling to the festival with a violent scene.

The party then continues to Vogler. There's a large crowd waiting for the ferry, but it parts to allow them to cross quickly. Vogler is a small village, and The Brass Crab is obvious from the wharf. The party enters and finds accommodations.

After narrowly escaping being petrified by the death throws of two Draconians, the party clears the road of the mess and continues to cross the Vingaarde River and find accommodations at the Brass Crab in Vogler.

The next morning the party meets Becklin Uth Viharin, a Knight of Solamnia, who is posted to Thornwall Keep in Vogler. Upon descending from their rooms, she greets the party and thanks them for their work repelling the Red Dragon Army scouts, though she’s careful not to describe them that way in the Brass Crab. Rhys, the terrified teen that the party met on the road yesterday before the attack, is there too, and seems to be telling everyone about how you saved his life and have the favor of the gods — divine magic. Constables from the south side of the river confirm the rumors, and the party enjoys the beginning of a good reputation in Vogler.

After a few words, Becklin sets Ispin’s body adrift on the river and after it passes from sight, everyone returns to the Brass Crab to remember Ispin’s life. Many stories are told. Pudge tells how Ispin always promised her an adventure, and though she never got to take one with him, at least she got to go on one to say goodbye. Moo tells how Ispin rescued him from jail and taught him how to control his rage and use weapons to defend himself. Nala tells how Ispin once spent a night in a Roc’s nest while trying to steal back his famous green shield. Becklin tells how Ispin once outsmarted some pirates by flying his black pants as his flag in the fog, and Cudgel tells how Ispin once got out of jail by mildly poisoning her Prince and on both counts that was all right with her. The party meets and intimidates Bakaris the Younger, a young man, who was heckling the story tellers. The party also meets Leedara, a blue-skinned elf, who sings a dirge.

After the wake, Becklin invites the party to Thornwall Keep for Ispin’s last will and testament. On the way, the party meets Darrett Hightower, Becklin’s squire. He excited to meet the party who are famous heroes from some of Ispin’s stories. Becklin distributes: a helm of comprehend languages and an eversmoking bottle to Moo, bracers of defense to Lullia, an immovable rod and a rope of climbing to Pudge, gloves of missile snaring and a ring of water walking to Nala, Ispin’s luckstone to Stellar, and Ispin’s green shield to TSwoozie.

The party makes a quick stop at the roof of the keep where they meet Than who is working on his gnomeflinger. An ill-formed plan to fling Moo to the top of the red cliffs results in the gnomeflinger breaking to Than’s consternation. Moo gets a bit upset too, but no blood is spilled.

The party is then released into Vogler to enjoy the Kingfisher festival. They first stop by the River Gate to make sure that it can close, and after that bit of work, they join the fishing tournament. Against all odds, Lullia catches Benebog the Line Breaker, winning the tournament. In addition to claiming first prize, an intricately carved puppet made of fish bones, Raven awards her with the town’s prize for whomever caught Benebog, an exceptionally crafted fishing pole carved with Kingfishers, worth around 50 gold pieces.

As the fishing tournament ends, the party sees the town’s militia form up and head north and much of the crowd from the wharf, the market, the Brass Crab, and the Fish Bowl start to follow.

The party joins in with the crowd that is generally headed north, full of laughing villagers, militia men, and vendors with food and drinks. North of the town the mercenaries join the throng, and a half-ogre named Gragonis surrounded by his human soldier buddies fall in within speaking range of the party. Gragonis carries a magnificent, truly giant greataxe of beautifully singing steel that he refers to as "Melanie." Moo manages to speak with Gragonis and attempts to trade axes with him, then attempts to place a wager with him as to who will survive the battle. Gragonis takes exception to Moo's bravado and the battle nearly starts right then and there. Gragonis's friends convince him to keep moving, and he throws Moo's helm of comprehending languages onto the dirt road and moves on.

The re-enactment of the Battle of High Hill is quickly exposed as a sneak attack. Immediately after the battle starts, the mercenaries at the bottom of the hill throw down their wooden weapons, draw steel, and charge up the hill. The unsuspecting militia charging down the hill don't notice in time and are slaughtered. The party is attacked by three horsemen. Some spectacular shooting from Nala and some fiery magic from Pudge end the horsemen’s betrayal. The horsemen are quickly followed by Gragonis and four infantry soldiers. More spectacular shooting and Moo's axe in Gragonis's throat kept his singing steel from swinging as the half-ogre collapsed quickly from the onslaught. The group looted 15 gold, a potion of growth, a greater healing potion, and a +2 greataxe.

After the battle, Stellar and Tswoozie healed those they could and inspired awe and love from the villagers with their divine magic. Becklin urged everyone back to the town before they were attacked again and planned to return with armed and armored personnel with wagons to recover the dead. Cudgel was incensed at her company's betrayal and insisted she would visit her camp. Pudge detected a spell as the cause of Moo's amnesia.

Stellar cured Moo's amnesia which was likely caused by an Orc Shaman vandalizing his mind. She cured it by casting Lesser Restoration, which may seem surprising until one recognizes that the effects of the Modify Memory spell (5th level enchantment) can be cured with Greater Restoration.

Moo, Stellar, and Nala followed Cudgel to her camp. One of the camp lookouts, Svilnt Sunderlit, panicked and ran, and Cudgel and others in the camp stopped him. A few others quietly slipped camp and were not discovered. Cudgel informed her second in command, Jeyev Veldrews, of what happened at High Hill. Cudgel didn't want to interrogate Sunderlit in her mercenaries' camp so Moo, Stellar, and Nala returned to Thornwall Keep with Sunderlit and Cudgel.

The interrogation went well with Moo scaring answers out of Sunderling. Apparently, Gragonis received a new line of income from unknown patrons to use his men to destroy Vogler's militia and raid the town. Thanks to the party's help, Gragonis was stopped and the remaining traitors fled. After the interrogation, the party tracked where Gragonis left the road to meet with his new patrons, and Nala detected dragonkind about a mile away in the direction that the patrons came from and returned. Upon topping a ridge, they looked down upon an army encampment, 1,000 strong. The party immediately returned to Thornwall Keep with the news.

Becklin expects the army to move on Vogler tomorrow, and with the party, Cudgel, and Mayor Raven began planning for Vogler's defense. Moo rightly stated that the town needs to be evacuated, which Mayor Raven resisted, but finally agreed to. Raven then went to the wharf with the gold recovered from Gragonis' tent, commandeered the ships that were in port, and compensated the captains with the gold she had. However, those ships can carry only 200 people. Tswoozie suggested corralling logs between the boats to make rafts, and that became the plan.

The defense of Vogler is a misnomer for the plan. What is planned is to delay the army as long as possible to give the people of Vogler time to evacuate. Cudgel and Becklin have a combined 15 kegs of Alchemist's Fire, a liquid which ignites upon contact with air. The plan is to barricade the River Gate and place the kegs of Alchemist's Fire on the cliffs above the North Road on Thornwall Keep's side of the road. The barrels will be rigged to fall/roll into the road with a slight push, which Oasis, Nala's drake, has volunteered to do. An arrow or two from Nala's bow should start any barrel that doesn't open on its own.

What remains of the militia has been busy in the night gathering and burying the dead, and then hacking down trees from the park near the River Gate to barricade the entrance to the village. At Becklin's insistence, the party took a long rest to prepare for the battle.

In the first light before dawn, Becklin scouts the cliffs on the Thornwall Keep side of the road and comes back to inform the party that the cliffs are neither sheer enough to drop the Alchemist's Fire directly on the road nor smooth enough to roll the barrels down the road. They need a new plan. Tswoozie suggests using the Gnomeflinger, and Than who was heading up for a days tinkering on the roof of the keep, loves the idea. Mayor Raven then departs with Pudge and Stellar to announce the evacuation to the town.

After gathering a crowd, Mayor Raven bluntly states that a dangerous army is threatening Vogler and that everyone must evacuate. The crowd reacts poorly, partly because Lord Bakaris and his son reject the Mayor's plan and urge the crowd to stay and fight. Stellar, Pudge, and the Mayor calm the crowd, and also communicate that some will travel on rafts, and should prepare to do so.

As the crowd around the town circle disperses after Mayor Raven's announcement, a young messenger from Thornwall Keep sprints up to the Mayor and informs her that a messenger from the Red Dragon Army has arrived at the River Gate and wants to treat. Mayor Raven and Pudge and Stellar return quickly to the Keep.

Moo and Tswoozie exchange verbal barbs from the top of Thornwall Kepp with the envoy from the Red Dragon Army who is before the barricaded River Gate. Four bowmen took the high ground north of the town to cover the envoy, and the top of Thornwall Keep is just within range. The vituperation reaches a climax when the envoy, Iffania nicknamed "Iffany" by the party, has her bowmen fire upon the party. The arrows fall harmlessly around them. The Mayor arrives, and upon hearing the demands to quarter the army in the village immediately turns to open the barricaded gate. Tswoozie and the party advise against this and suggest that she continue orchestrating the evacuation which she does.

Moo, Tswoozie, and Stellar go down to the barricaded River Gate to confront Iffania while Nala and Pudge remain on the top of the Keep to provide support. On the way, Becklin, Darrett, Pieter, the Kiri-Jolith pastor, and Tswoozie, stop in Vogler's outdoor amphitheater and swear in the town's two new battle-hardened paladins, Darrett Hightower who joins the Knights of the Sword, part of the Knights of Solamnia, and Tswoozie, who joins the crusaders of Kiri-Jolith.

When the party returns to the River Gate, negotiations do not progress. Moo intimidates Iffania who prepares to leave which triggers combat. The party does significant damage to Iffania and the bowmen, but they all escape. Giving combat clearly was not their aim.

The party then aids with preparing the Gnomeflinger to throw the Alchemists' Fire and with the evacuation. They meet at lunch when a scout from the mercenary group comes galloping along the cliff tops on the Thornwall Keep side of the road to announce that the Red Dragon Army is on the move. They are on the road and have turned toward Vogler. They will likely arrive at sundown.

When the Red Dragon Army arrives, Moo, Tswoozie, and Stellar are at the barricade and Pudge, Nala, and Than are on top of the Keep. The Red Dragon Army's column is stopped in the road beneath the Keep, filled with Ogres, soldiers, Draconians, and heavy equipment on wagons, clanking as it moves. Than's very nervous when it finally comes time to start a war and throw fire on the enemy, but with Pudge's and Nala's help to load the Gnomeflinger, they fire the 15 kegs in two shots directly into the middle of the Red Dragon Army's column taking them completely by surprise. They then immediately bug out using the Gnomeflinger to send all of them as far toward the wharf as it could. They land safely some way south of the Keep.

The portion of the party at the barricade sees fireballs bloom and rise some distance behind the barricade and realizes that war is at hand. As the fire falls, Draconians gather on the cliffs north of town and then step off gliding on their wings down into Vogler. Becklin demands that the party go and defend the evacuees, which you reluctantly do, meeting up with Pudge and Nala along the way. While ushering the remaining villagers to the wharf, a terrified cat finds purchase on Moo's back, but Nala is happy to carry the tabby for him. The party also witnesses three horsemen in plate armor overseeing the battle from the northerly cliffs. As the dark of night settles over the village, it's clear that the northern portion of Vogler is burning. The party also hears loud metallic clanking approaching their position minute by minute.

The party finds the wharf in a state of chaos. The entire village is attempting to board the fishing boats. No one wants to get on the rafts. This is causing two problems. No boats have yet left the wharf because people refuse to stop boarding, and far too many people are not yet on a watercraft at all. Moo successfully intimidates a captain into leaving who asks Moo to chop the ropes tying his vessel to the wharf. Moo does so and the boat begins to make its way into the river and the gangplank and the people on it go crashing into the water. Nala walks out onto the surface of the water and helps everyone out and back onto the dock. Moo is not popular at this time. Regardless, Mayor Raven is pleased to see that other vessels, all of which were dangerously over full, are now departing, albeit some of them are dumping some villagers who are attempting to board into the river. Nala runs from dock to dock and helps those who have fallen in recover.

The rafts now become the clear means of evacuation for many remaining on the wharf. Even so, no villager wants to be the first person to commit to riding them. The party boards a raft and Tswoozie convinces Mayor Raven to board the raft with them, and that finally breaks the impasse. The villagers follow Mayor Raven onto the central raft, and as that raft successfully navigates away from the wharf and downriver, the villagers begin to board the other two rafts as well. The chaos and panic subsides into a somewhat orderly if rushed evacuation.

At this point, the party asks Nala's drake, Oasis, to conduct a reconnaissance mission over the village. She first flies above the smoke and sees large creatures flying overhead. She counts as many as three, and sees one descending to Thornwall Keep. Oasis flies low and prevents silhouetting herself so that she goes unnoticed. Oasis flies to the River Gate. It is abandoned and the barricade and the gate have been reduced to smoking embers. One of the flying creatures has perched on the Keep and Oasis reports that it is large and reptilian. Oasis flies back to the party, scouting the position of the Dragon Army as she returns. They are only 2 or 3 blocks to the north.

The party decides to venture north and sees that the Dragon Army is distracted by their sack of the town. To the north and east of the Brass Crab, they watch some Dragon Army regulars loot and burn the Fish Bowl, a popular local restaurant that served the fish pies that the party enjoyed during Ispin Greenshield's last will and testament at Thornwall Keep only yesterday morning. They help a family that was trapped in their house escape and on their way back to the wharf, they encounter four Draconians, whom they dispatch.

The metal clanking seems to be getting closer.

The party reacts to shrieks at the wharf, some of which seem to be terrified screams of "Dragon!" You rush back to the wharf, one raft is still trying to depart -- about a third of the village remains. As you round the corner of Wharfinger's Office, four Draconians and what appears to be a miniature black dragon turn to face the office building. One of the Draconians gives a command and an inconceivably large cone of fire emanates from the strange dragon's mouth. Wharfinger's Office becomes an inferno.

The party engages the four Draconians and stops them before they can set any other buildings or the wharf on fire. During the fight those who are close to it clearly see that the "dragon" is actually a machine.

Soon after the boilerdrak team is annihilated, Fewmaster Gholcag and two more Draconians arrive from the north, exiting the Brass Crab. Gholcag takes powerful strikes from multiple party members before Tswoozie finishes her with a thunderous stroke from his sword. With their platoon behind them, the two Draconians fight to the death, something that Pudge and Stellar quickly grant with flames of red and white.

The party collects some gold, and fiddling with the boilerdrak results in an accidental firing and finding several jars of alchemist's fire which was placed in Pudge's bag of holding for safekeeping. Moo recovers Becklin's helmet from Fewmaster Gholcag who was carrying it, apparently as a souvenir. Darrett approaches and says it's time to go. The wharf is empty. The last raft is making its way out into the river. Darrett unties the dinghy that he hid earlier and the party evacuates Vogler.

The party spends one of the more miserable nights of their life drifting downriver with the refugees from Vogler. Darrett asks for Becklin's helmet, and the party gives it to him. Upon arriving in Kalamar, Raven asks the party to represent her people to the city council and to request their aid.

The party makes their way to Kalamar Castle where in the courtyard Bakaris the Younger confronts them and haughtily tells the party that they are not needed here and that his father has everything under control. Pudge has had enough of this young man, and goes nose-to-nose with him (more or less), pushes him out of the way, and proceeds into the castle. A guard takes the party to the council chambers.

Upon arriving the party meets Governor Miat, a sedate, tall, blonde man who greets the party; Marshal Vendri, a stern woman wearing armor with blue and gold embellishments; and six guild leaders from the city. Miat greets the party, refers to Lord Bakaris as the Vogler's leader and asks if the villagers are ready to return and retake Vogler.

In a heated exchange, multiple members of the party explain that Lord Bakaris is not leading the people of Vogler, and that Mayor Raven is — something which Marshal Vendri agrees with. You also provide multiple eyewitness accounts of firsthand battle experience, which Lord Bakaris could not do, and again Marshal Vendri could match the truth of the party's experiences with her own. The Council receives Vogler's plea for aid and then asks the party to leave so that they may deliberate. Lord Bakaris remains in the Council's chamber while the party exits to the hallway.

The party understandably wants Lord Bakaris removed from whatever influence he may have and begins hatching plans to do so. While planning, a messenger arrives for the Council after which the party hears Marshal Vendri yelling about "collaborating with the Red Dragon Army" and "Get out before I put you in jail!" After which, Lord Bakaris exits the Council chamber. Moo wastes no time and picks up Lord Bakaris by the front of his robes. Bakaris responds with voluminous micturition. Governor Miat appears in the doorway and asks the party to return to the chamber. Deliberations have ended and the guild masters are leaving.

Governor Miat announces that Kalamar will provide aid to Vogler if the party agrees to become a special unit of mercenaries for the Kalamar military. Darrett immediately volunteers but the party members need time to consider. Marshal Vendri offers that each person who accepts the offer will be equipped with any weapon and armor they may need and will receive a daily stipend of 5 gold. Moo goes off at Governor Miat and Marshal Vendri because they have attached aid to the party's decision and flatly refuses. Miat then backs down and asks forgiveness for attempting to leverage their help with the aid for the Vogler people. He grants the aid and then pleads with the party to consider joining the fight against the Red Dragon Army, and indeed, all the Dragon Armies.

Stellar and Moo both question Miat and Vendri harshly concerning the city's preparedness for war. Miat confesses that Solamnia and Kalamar are preparing, but that they have not yet mustered their forces. They have been taken by surprise. So far the Dragon Armies have conquered Solamnia's smaller neighbors to the east and south, but now the attack on Vogler is an act of war and Solamnia will respond. Miat states the surprise attack on Vogler "... has woken a sleeping giant."

The party returns to Mayor Raven with the aid obtained from Kalamar. Moo and Nala cook a massive feast for the entire camp and Stellar meets with a few surviving soldiers, does what she can for their wounds, and hears their story. During the battle at the River Gate, Becklin was targeted by the mechanical dragon and parted its fire with her shield. Beyond that nothing more is known. It was every soldier for themselves escaping from their overrun position at the River Gate. Some hid in the park where Darrett and Tswoozie swore their oaths, and then escaped after the battle passed.

After feeding the Vogler refugee camp and tending to the wounded, the party goes back into the city and splits up. Some members follow Oasis to The Steady Beacon where she reports the Bakarises entered. Moo goes in and finds neither Bakaris, but does detect the Lord's distinctive scent of fear in the common room. Moo decides to wait out his quarry, and makes some friends among the soldiers, Averickem, Oozguh, and Smanae. Tswoozie and Pudge head to Meulara's curio shop where she informs Tswoozie that there was a Bakaris family of some renown in the Estwild, but that she believes the house ended in ruin a year or two ago. What happened to them, or why they were run out of the Estwilde, she couldn't say. Pudge bought a kazoo on their way out.

Pudge and Tswoozie were on their way to Varmint's Magic Shop and passed by The Steady Beacon where they met with the rest of the party and exchanged information. Moo drank himself asleep -- a prodigious feat for a Minotaur.

At the Steady Beacon, Tswoozie lays hands on Moo and heals some but not all of Moo's inebriation, causing Moo to feel hung over and sick. Stellar turns herself into a cat and sneaks into the Steady Beacon and believes she identifies which room is the Bakarises', or at least narrows it down to one of two. She and Oasis remain watching over the inn while the rest of the party goes to Varmint's shop.

At Varmint's Apothecary, the party reunite with Breena Starwhistle who is picking up a replacement for the spellbook that she thought she had lost but had actually given to Pudge. Pudge offers to return it, but Breena says that she might as well keep it now. Pudge hands over her scroll from the Barb and Varmint performs a perfunctory interview while making it clear that the "Reds" would be very glad to have her in their chapter of the Order. Upon receiving the scroll Varmint cannot hide his disappointment that he is duty bound to recommend her for white robes, and explains multiple times that she may still choose to join the Reds.

Varmint also explains that he will ask for permission for her to travel to Wayreth and take the Test of High Sorcery. Breena complains at this moment that the dangerous part that she thought was over in the Barb hadn't even happened yet, and now she needs to go to Wayreth to boot. Pudge complains about the inconvenience, but Varmint does not budge and insists that it is the way the Order does things.

Varmint then attempts to show off his shop and leads a tour through his wares. Many items are in stock, and uncommon items range from 50 to 500 gold and rare items ranging from 500 to 5000 gold. Consumable items were approximately 50% less expensive than permanent items. Varmint offered 2000 gold for Moo's axe showing that he is willing to buy magic items. However, Moo wisely refused.

After visiting Varmint's shop, that portion of the party returned to The Steady Beacon and reunited with Stellar and Oasis. Unfortunately, there was no sign of the Bakarises. The party then settles in for a somewhat prolonged planning session and get pushed out of the street by the heavy traffic into an alleyway.

Late in the afternoon, Stellar and Tswoozie see the Bakarises walk past all in green and yellow after their short rest in the inn. Oasis takes to the skies and the party begins to follow at a discreet distance. As the Bakarises approach the wharf, the party splits up.

The Barkarises reach the wharf first and stop and look around, obviously trying to get their bearings. Tswoozie and Moo and Pudge have merged together into one group to the east of the lord and lordling and Stellar and Nala are to the west. Moo becomes convinced that the Bakarises are attempting to escape Kalamar and charges them right there on the wharf, barging people out of the way as he goes. Lord Bakaris wets himself again and his son stands by his side. Moo slows as he approaches and starts asking questions, punching Lord Bakaris in the process. Lord Bakaris tells his son to go get the constable and Junior takes off with Tswoozie and Pudge in pursuit.

The pursuit spills into the Kalamari streets with Tswoozie catching and tackling Junior in the middle of a busy intersection between Kalamar castle and the wharf. Tswoozie misses a few holds on Junior who continues to struggle, attracting the attention of a constable who begins running toward the scuffle from the west. In an attempt to quiet their quarry, Pudge casts the sleep spell, but only manages to put two poor locals who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time to sleep.

Irritated, but moved into action, Stellar spots a sailor who is keeping an eye on both fights and isn't moving with the crowd. She reverts to her Druid form and approaches him handing him a gold piece. He responds with, "You're the contact?" Stellar affirms and he begins leading her toward a small river craft that's moored along one of the docks.

Tswoozie masters Junior and begins dragging him back to Moo, who continues to question the Lord. The constable, now confronted with two issues that need his attention, chooses to help the people stricken with unnatural sleep. Pudge apologizes for the accident. The constable asks how it could be her fault. She confesses to using magic, and the constable apparently takes Pudge into custody, taking her by the wrist and saying, "Come with me," leading Pudge away from the wharf and toward Castle Kalamar. Tswoozie attempts to gain the constable's attention by brutalizing the younger Bakaris, but his ploy doesn't work.

Stellar has a strange conversation with the Captain of the river vessel she is led to. The Captain initially says nothing to her, dismayed by her identity. Stellar opens with, "The cargo has been detained." To which the Captain grimaces and asks how it could be freed. Stellar says 308 gold pieces will do it, and the Captain obliges. The Captain then asks if Stellar still needs the other part. She affirms, and the Captain introduces her to Thalomew, who escorts Stellar off the vessel. Thalomew seems to be reciting something as they leave the vessel. Stellar asks about the vessel's destination. The Captain initially demurs and then responds with threats.

Nala joins Pudge and the constable with the intention of rescuing Pudge, but ends up following the constable with Pudge into a residence where the constable begs for Pudge's help to heal what is apparently his young son. Pudge pledges to get help from her party, whom the constable knows as the Heroes of Vogler, and lets her go.

Moo is moved by the Lord Bakaris's story of losing his estate in the Estwilde to the Red Dragon Army and convinces Tswoozie to let the younger Bakaris go, who immediately takes his bag and starts running down the wharf approaching every sailor he sees. He runs up to Thalomew and makes a hand gesture that Stellar sees, a fist with the thumb poking through between the third and fourth fingers, and Thalomew stops him. Stellar then heals him, to the younger Bakaris's amazement, who then whispers, "I had no idea." Thalomew and the younger Bakaris then return to the vessel where Stellar had the conversation with the Captain.

Stellar, Pudge, and Nala rejoin Moo and Tswoozie who are still holding the bloodied Lord Bakaris on the wharf.

The party regroups around Lord Bakaris and is at a bit of a loss as to what to do. Stellar notices Thalomew, the sailor who escorted her off the Kingfisher and who greeted Bakaris the younger. Thalomew notices her too, but doesn't approach her while she's with the party. The party then discusses their plans.

The party elects to take Lord Bakaris to Castle Kalamar just as Constable Tevens arrives. He immediately takes Lord Bakaris into custody for disturbing the peace to Lord Bakaris's relief. As the party, the constable, and Lord Bakaris walk into Kalamar, the party freely discusses their ideas concerning Lord Bakaris and a potential spy ring in Kalamar. Stellar splits from the party to search for Thalomew, but does not find him in the streets.

As the party walks toward Constable Tevens' home, another constable approaches them traveling the opposite direction. Tevens hands Lord Bakaris off and ask that he be arraigned on charges of disturbing the peace. The new constable and Lord Bakaris continue toward Castle Kalamar and the party continues to Tevens' home. Inside, Tswoozie heals Tevens' son and there was great felicity and rejoicing.

Stellar manages to find Thalomew waiting in The Wanderer's Rest and approaches him. During a halting conversation, Thalomew volunteers that he expects to be introduced to someone. Stellar agrees to come back later that evening.

The party regroups at Castle Kalamar. The basement has sealed catacombs that seem interesting. There's also an armory and a library in addition to the city council's meeting rooms, military offices, and guards' quarters. The party also received accommodation in a small, no longer used ballroom on the fourth floor.

The party meets with Marshal Vendri and all agree to become a special operations unit adjunct to the Kalamari military. The first mission is likely to be escorting a citizen back to the city. Darrett met with the party over dinner and will have more details tomorrow morning. Pudge and Nala want to make toys for Arling, Tevens' son, prior to calling it a day, and the rest of the party is considering returning to The Wanderer's Rest to meet with Thalomew.

The party went to The Steady Beacon where they found Lord Bakaris. Stellar healed his broken nose and he became somewhat cordial with the group once his initial fear subsided. He agreed to take the party to The Wanderer's Rest to meet with Thalomew.

Thalomew informed the party and Lord Bakaris that the Red Dragon Army has asked for transport across the river from the local fishermen at a location about 12 miles west of Kalamar for approximately 200 soldiers. He wants to bring this information to the city council so that the Kalamari military can attack and destroy the attachment. Lord Bakaris agrees to introduce Thalomew to the Guild leaders on the council, and they will decide what to do with the information from there. The party returns to Castle Kalamar afterwards, cleans up, and gets a good night's rest.

The next morning, Darrett Hightower brings details of the party's first assignment, should they choose to accept it. They are to escort a friend of the city, Tatina Rookledust, to Kalamar. She is a prominent inventor with established relationships within Kalamar and its government. However, Marshal Vendri has received intelligence that it seems that the boilerdraks that were responsible for spreading fire so easily through Vogler were perhaps manufactured at her workshop which lies 12 miles south of Kalamar on the Esker Brook. The party is not to use force, but Rookledust needs to come back to Kalamar for her own safety and so that the city can secure her talents and prevent the Red Dragon Army from using them. The party accepts this mission, takes some breakfast, and heads south.

On the way, the party finds evidence of what could be Red Dragon Army activity. A farmhouse has burned down, and the fire started on the roof. The party seems to be the first to come upon the destruction, but it is not terribly recent.

Upon arriving at Rookledust's abode, the party discovers that she is under attack. A group of goblins led by a hobgobliln, all in the red and black armor of the Red Dragon Army, are laying siege to the cottage and trying to gain entry. Periodically, Tatina swings open a clockface above the door, lobbing mechanical contraptions and hurling salty insults at the unwanted visitors. Chaos abounds.

The party blows away the goblins and hobgoblins like so much foam from a pint of ale, but before they can exchange names with Tatina, a dragonnel and rider fly overhead. The rider dismounts over Tatina's cottage and falls slowly to the roof. The dragonnel then lands and another, much more difficult battle ensues. On this particular day, nearly all the kills went to the magic users. Tswoozie started off notching two goblins and also added the hobgoblin to his tally, but Pudge got all the rest of the goblins, except the last one who fell to Tatina's massive brass weight. After a grueling battle where Moo, Nala, and Oasis (twice!) nearly died, Pudge finally brought the dragonnel down with a final Shatter spell and Stellar's Moonbeam ended the encounter when the rider's lifeless body floated gently down from Tatina's roof to land in front of her front door. The party found a ring of feather falling on the rider and two potions of greater healing on the dragonnel along with 300 gp total.

Tatina does not argue that it is time to go to Kalamar. She disappears inside to gather her things. The party has yet to have a significant conversation with her - nothing much more than, "Let's get out of here," and "Yep!"

Recap written by Moo

Following the party’s victory over a Dragonel (both rider and beast), a hobgoblin, and a platoon of goblins, Tatina Rookkledust wasted little time in preparing her departure. Nala helped carry many of the gnome’s supplies as the rest of the party quickly healed themselves as they prepared for their journey back to Kalamar. However, before finally departing Tatina’s home, Tatina rigged the few remaining Boilerdraks to explode, thus depriving the Dragon Armies of a valuable weapon of mass destruction. Thankfully, the party was far enough away from the explosion.

The party then began to make its way back to Kalamar. As they began to walk, they began to ask Tatina about her backstory, her reasons for constructing the Boilerdraks, and why she was attacked by the Dragon army. She admitted to the party that she was an inventor and originally sold the Boilerdrak to the Dragon Army for 500 gold. However, She was not aware that the Dragon Army used the Boilerdrak as a weapon to destroy Vogler or to wreak havoc across the world, generally. She originally intended the machine to be used for slash and burn agriculture, which Moo scoffed at; while Nala was more sympathetic to the gnome’s original intention. Finally, Tatina mentioned that she was from Mt. Nevermind the original homeland of all the gnomes of Kyrnn. While on the topic of backstories, Nala and Stellar wanted to know Moo’s backstory. At first Moo was hesitant to share the story due to his own personal trauma, but reluctantly decided to take the time to open up to his friends.

Before Moo met Ispin Greenshield, Moo lived in the Valley of the Bulls, which was a huge city located in Blode. He was part of the royal family of Minotaurs which ruled the city and was a descendant of the semi-legendary figure Aurox. Aurox was the greatest Minotaur who ever lived and helped bring civilization to the barbaric and bloodthirsty Minotaur tribes. Following the rise of Istar and the Cataclysm; however, Minotaur society began to doubt Aurox’s true divine authority, since he was unable to protect them from the disastrous consequences of these two major events long after his death. Consequently, many Minotaurs began to separate themselves and return to their barbaric ways. One of these leaders named Kazrak Maneater pledged to overthrow the rule of Aurox’s heirs and subsequently joined the Dragon Armies. At the battle of the Burning Horns, Kazrak Maneater killed Moo’s older brother Minos in battle. Kazrak then destroyed the Valley of the Bulls, killed and enslaved the remaining loyalists, and declared himself to be the new Sigma of all Minotaurs, thus supplanting Moo’s family’s position of authority.

Since then, Kazrak had become a terror to the world and the Minotaurs have zealously fought for the Dragon Armies. Nevertheless, Moo wants revenge against Kazrak for taking everything away from him. Upon hearing Moo’s story, the party was taken by surprise. Moo told them that he believed himself to be the last Minotaur, but Moo told them about how his good Orc Shaman friend named Klarg Davis told Moo about a loyalist tribe that hid in the mountains of Blode. Yet, despite the intricacies of Moo’s story, it seemed like Moo told the truth, but maybe not the whole truth…

It was then Nala’s turn to tell her backstory. Nala grew up in a town called Five Points in the middle of the Plains of Dust. More specifically, Nala claimed her home was located where the Lorforn is joined from the west by the Lonard River. Five Points is a town of normal people living a hardscrabble life in the middle of Krynn’s biggest desert with only intermittently running rivers to give them succor. Nala and her family run a thriving cartography store. Most everyone who heads into the Plains of Dust wants accurate maps and good advice on the terrain and fauna from the local Ranger, aka Nala. Nala, however, often isn’t there, and when she isn’t, the store is run by her parents.

In the driest parts of the desert where it never ever rains, Nala has occasionally found paths that are in gentle curves or in lines as straight as an arrow’s flight and continue for miles. She doesn’t know what these paths are since animals don’t use them. They are a mystery, and one few know about. Nala loves observing the wildlife in her desert home and often talks about the snakes there, like Hognoses, Rattlers, and other snakes, especially the venomous kind.

Once Nala was finished with her background story, it was Tswoozie’s turn. Tswoozie like Moo suffered from amnesia. However, unlike Moo, Tswoozie’s amnesia is far more intense. Tswoozie had been a folk hero before he joined he began adventuring with the party, yet his earliest memory is quite numinous. He recounted to the party that his earliest memory of life was a vague memory of being caught in a space between spaces. He remembered lying in white sand and seeing the vast expense of the heavens laid out before him. Lying in a state of senselessness, Tswoozie said he heard the voice of his patron deity Kiri Jo-Lith saying that “he must go back.” Fascinated by his story, Nala excitedly peppered Tswoozie with questions about the event, but as hard as he could try to remember he was unable to recall much of anything else. He also began to feel the beginnings of a serious headache. When Tswoozie finished his story, the party soon noticed three large flying reptiles above the place where Tatina’s home once stood. However, the party decided to not intervene or investigate the situation.

Once the party neared the farmland surrounding the city of Kalamar, Stellar began to tell her story. Stellar grew up in the land of Blode with her family. However, the Dragon Armies conquest of Blode and their inevitable march into Sylvenesti transformed her world. She was caught off from her friends and family by the invasion and the conquest of her homeland. Stellar quickly found herself to be alone. She was isolated from her family and surrounded by enemies. It was at this time that she grew to love nature and harness her druidic powers. She also met Ispin Greenshield too and they would explore many of the caves of the region.

The only party member who did not share their story was Pudge. The party was not necessarily sure why she did not share her story, but it is likely that the events of the battle at Tatina’s home were quite overwhelming for her. After all, Moo, Nala, and Oasis were nearly killed in the battle. She also managed to cast shatter on the Dragonnel that knocked Moo unconscious, killing it. Few gnomes could claim that they had achieved that feat. Thus by the time the party returned from their quest back to Castle Kalamar, Pudge quietly retired for the evening to rest and reflect upon the day.

When the party arrived at Castle Kalamar, they immediately reported to Marshal Vendri’s office. Vendri was happy to see the party’s success and the safe return of Tatina. During the debriefing in Vendri’s office, the Cheese Wheels learned that Tatina has had her fair share of “accidents” in the city. They also quickly learned that she carries the hallmarks of a pyromaniac. Nevertheless, Vendri directed the party to meet Darret Hightower to collect their pay and their next mission. When the party entered the barracks of the castle, they found hundreds of recent recruits from neighboring cities. The party also swapped stories with Darett and he gave them their next assignment to go investigate a farm that has become a base for Dragon Army activity.

Following the mission brief from Darett, the party decided to visit the Hammerstrike forges to repair their armor. When they arrived, they met several dwarfs who ran the establishment. The Kalamar military granted the party blue badges that allow access to armor repair. As Nala, Stellar, and Tswoozie shopped around, Moo enters the weapons section of the store. Excitedly, a female dwarf, who helped run the establishment, ran up to Moo inquiring about the mark upon his greataxe, Ogre’s Bane. Moo explained that the mark belonged to Elasmos the great Dwarven engineer of Thorabadin. When Aurox defeated the Grand Coalition, he commissioned Elasmos to construct a monument to Aurox’s authority. In Minotaur society Alpha bulls will construct little mounds made up of the weapons, armor, and treasures from their conquests. In essence, these mounds acted as little shrines to the Alpha’s authority. The larger the mound then the more powerful the Minotaur chief becomes. If the Alpha bull was ever killed, then the Minotaurs would destroy the mound and the new Alpha would have to construct a new one. Thus when Aurox united the Minotaurs into an empire, he commissioned Elasmos to construct a giant Pyramid of the swords, armor, and treasure of Aurox’s conquests. However, Kazrak and the Dragon armies melted the pyramid with fire following the death of Moo’s brother Minos. The symbolic destruction of the Iron Pyramid proved once and for all that Aurox and his lineage were not divine.

With Moo’s history lesson out of the way, the female dwarf shopkeeper, revealed that Ogre’s Bane had unique magical spells woven into the axe. She offered to buy it, but Moo wisely refused. Meanwhile, Nala discovered that the Feather Fall ring she collected from the Dragonnel rider was carved with symbols of Dragons and appeared to be standard Red Dragon Army issue. With new items bought, the party made their way down to Wanderers Rest due to Vendri mentioning that Lord Bakaris was still skulking about the tavern.

When the party arrived at Wanderer’s Rest, it was a lively place filled with soldiers and civilians! However, Lord Bakaris stared in horror at the sight of Moo, which Moo gladly and obnoxiously reveled in. The party then approached the table where Bakaris, Thalomew, and a newcomer, councilmen Lord Breck, were seated. Nala decided to divulge the details of the battle they fought to save Tatina, but Stellar tried to temper the information, so to not give too much away to potential spies. Interestingly enough, Moo recognized this as an opportunity to intimidate the men seated in front of the party and to feed them false information, if they are indeed spies. Arrogantly, Moo explained that he himself slayed a dragon which took all three men by surprise, particularly Lord Bakaris. Meanwhile, Tswoozie leaned over to the others and made a joke about Moo’s incompetence since Moo was a more of a liability then any actual help. By the time, Moo finished his lie all three men were seriously taken aback.

Lord Breck then shared his latest intelligence. Breck informed the party of a contingent of Dragon Army soldiers that planned to cross the Vingaard River using fishing boats found nearby. Since Breck was the guild master of the fishing fleet, Moo questioned his loyalty, which Breck found utterly infuriating. Sensing that Moo was about to do something very violent and stupid to Lord Breck, Stellar yelled out for music; while Tswoozie and Nala encouraged Moo to get drunk and dance. Moo begrudgingly did so to calm his uncontrollable temper.

When Thalomew and the Lords Breck and Bakaris departed, Stellar decided to accompany Bakaris back to the Steady Beacon. Although she did not get any new information, she felt convinced that the party should investigate Lord Breck’s suspicious reaction to Moo’s accusation. Moo approached and asked a young guardsman for Lord Breck’s address. When Moo asked why he was willing to share this information, he responded by saying that the party was celebrities. More importantly, he asked Moo to refill his mug.

As a guild master and a member of the city council, Breck lived in an ostentatious house located in one of the nicest districts in the city. Once they arrived at Breck’s residence, the party quickly developed a plan to spy on Breck. Since Tswoozie’s plate armor made it difficult for him to be sneaky around Breck’s home, Tswoozie kept a watch out for guardsmen. Moo also asked him to keep Ogre’s Bane, while he and Nala snuck around the outside of the complex. However, with his headaches getting worse and being generally bored with being on guard duty, our favorite paladin dragonborn took a well-deserved nap.

Meanwhile, Stellar transformed into a cat and managed to sneak inside the house and was able to briefly read some of the documents that Lord Breck had been writing in his study. When she emerged from the house and rendezvoused with Moo and Nala, the trio then moved to an outbuilding by Breck’s main house. As they approached, guardsmen on the walls noticed what they were up to. Remarkably, they waved at the trio, and being an utter idiot, Moo decided to not be sneaky at all and wave back. Moo loudly assured them that there was absolutely nothing to worry about!

Finally, the party discovered that there was an unlocked window next to Lord Breck’s desk inside the outbuilding. The trio found a written letter addressed to the city council that some 25% of the city’s forces were needed to crush a detachment of Dragon Army soldiers that planned to cross the river. With this valuable piece of information in hand, the party realized that this could possibly be an ambush set up by Breck to seriously sabotage Kalamar’s defenses. The trio began to debate what to do with the information, this woke Tswoozie up from his dreams of unending darkness. At any rate, Moo wanted to steal the letter and make a copy of it to show Vendri, but Stellar, Tswoozie, and Nala stopped Moo from doing something that could be once again very stupid. Reluctantly, Moo put the letter back where it belonged and the party returned to Castle Kalamar to prepare for another mission.

The group heads back to Castle Kalamar from Lord Breck's house, leaving Lord Breck's letter convening the City Council behind. The party gets a long rest.

The next day the party notices that Castle Kalamar seems even more packed than it was even the previous evening. The party sees Darrett Hightower in the commissary. He comments that Nordmaar may be near falling to an internal revolt. He answers a few questions and wishes the party luck in clearing out the foothold that the RDA has established on the East Road.

The party encounters an RDA unit in training, a single officer and six hobgoblins. The fight was surprisingly difficult. Afterwards, the party discovers 200 gp, enough funds to recruit a brigade, and orders to watch the road east for military movements toward Nordmaar.

The party does not remain at the nascent base for the RDA, choosing instead to destroy the remaining building on the farm and begin the trip back to Kalamar. After cresting a ridge, you find a creek at the bottom, follow it away from the road, and make camp, cooking over a fire and maintaining it for warmth and light in a space sheltered from direct view from the road.

The party found a place near a brook that was secluded from the road and had some wind protection from neighboring bluffs that banked the stream. Nala setup an alarm around the camp, and the party decided that a watch wasn't needed. It was a comfortable summer night.

During the first few hours, Nala is awakened by a raccoon trying to get into one of the party's packs. She tries to shoo it away with a stick, and after tolerating a small amount of such nonsense, the raccoon transformed into an Elven male druid named Gar. After inquiring as to their purpose and having been somewhat convinced from Nala's behavior that they are good and kind, he freely offers some information: there's an army ahead of them of unknown allegiance, and there's a bear in the area that Gar does not want injured. In the imperious way of the Elves, Gar doesn't particularly wait around for a reply and disappears into the night.

A few hours later, a mouse enters the camp trying to find food. Nala speaks with it using a spell, and it asks for food or for something shiny. Not long after entering the light of the fire, an owl swoops in and catches the mouse and alights in a nearby tree. Nala speaks with it asking the owl to release the mouse. The owl refuses and flies off.

A few hours later, Nala is awoken by her alarm spell again. This time she does not immediately see the intruder but then notices that a nearby boulder seems to be moving. Arms and legs separate and stretch and then an 18-foot tall stone giant unfolds herself from the ground and stands. She introduces herself as Ung Dag and reassures Nala that she means no harm. She's making her way to Kalamar and fears that she is lost and asks for directions. She needs to get there quickly. The Dragon Armies are causing trouble in her home and her people need to know if the King of Solamnia will honor the ancient agreement and send aid. Nala points Ung Dag in the right direction, and she makes haste toward Kalamar.

Just before sunrise a bear enters camp, waking Nala via her spell and the entire party via a roar. Nala quickly explains that this is the bear Gar spoke of and that we must not hurt it. Moo and Tswoozie give their fiercest roars and demonstrations of height and size. The bear shuts up mid-roar, and after some indecision slinks away into the twilight.

On the way back to Kalamar, the position of the unknown army becomes apparent as a dragonnel appears to be circling over a mass of people a few miles away. The people are on the move toward the road to Kalamar and the party will intercept them. Oasis scouts the army and reports that they are poorly equipped irregulars for the most part with only a handful that appear to be professional soldiers. Oasis also spots that the group's leader is a dwarven female.

The party chooses to wait in the road for the army to reach them and are delighted to reunite with Cudgel, leader of the Ironside Regiment. She has only four survivors with her, none of whom the party knows. However, she has amassed 250 farmers who are doing their best to style themselves as warriors, and a follow-on camp of perhaps that number again. She has been watched and harried relentlessly by the RDA as she approached Kalamar from the west. The RDA blocked her direct approach and so she went south around the city and is now coming back to it from the east. The west and south had quite a bit of RDA activity, but the east has been peaceful. The farmers have joined her of their own volition and she has welcomed them, and they are all looking forward to getting to Kalamar.

During the Battle at the River Gate in Vogler, Cudgel was to the right of the gate under the cliffs that the Draconians jumped from. They were instantly overrun by superior numbers, not expecting an attack from above. Fighting was thick around her and she turned to stone. When she recovered, she saw the River Gate shatter when the RDA rammed some iron contraption with the head of a dragon through it. It then breathed fire and all in front of the gate went down, except for Becklin. She withstood the attack and split the fire with her shield, and then fell. The main column then poured through the gate and Cudgel was in the thick of it again. She was again turned to stone. When she came to, she was ignored and to her shame she pretended to be a statue. After the column passed, she hid in the park and escaped Vogler by passing near Thornwall Keep. She found a small craft to get across the river and have been gathering survivors and refugees as she headed toward Kalamar for the last several days.

Upon reaching Kalamar, the party represents Cudgel's people's interests to Marshal Vendri who immediately dispatches aid and is delighted to have more people coming into the city. She also informs the party that Darrett Hightower has their next mission. The party finds Darrett in the commissary. He informs them that a boat is waiting for them to take them to a scouting camp across the river that has failed to report. The party should bring the scouts back if they're alive or dead.

Stellar stops by Hammerstrike and picks up her armor. Nala and Pudge visit Arlilng, Tevens son, and drop off some toy snakes which delighted the boy.

After dropping off their armor for fitting and delivering some toys to little Arling, the party found The Flying Cod among the fishing boats in the harbor and boarded. The crew, a small group of Kalamar regulars, were expecting them and swiftly set sail upriver. Upon arriving near the scout camp, the boat pulled to shore some distance from the camp and on the other side of a ridge that jutted into the river, forming a point and keeping the boat out of sight of the camp.

The party snuck over the ridge and after approaching within bowshot of the camp, decided to create a distraction. Nala cast Thaumaturgy and caused an illusion of a very loud fart thirty feet to the party's right. The sound startled a camouflaged Draconian scout who used a wooden bird call and started making his way back to the camp. Two other bird calls answered to the party's left and from a distance in front of them. The party decided not to allow the scout to return to camp and attacked him with ranged methods, bringing him down before he could respond or call out again.

While discussing next steps, the party comes under fire. Two crossbow bolt fly into the party. One misses. The other sinks into Moo and causes him to fly into a rage, charging the camp. The party follows.

As the party entered the camp, they discovered two Dacronians taking cover behind a wagon shooting at them. Charging around the wagon, one Draconian quickly goes down to the combined attacks of the party, and the other runs away. The party then notices that one scout is still living and is bound to a tree in the center of the camp. The other scout, a woman in white robes, is dead, lying face down behind the central tree.

The party approaches the living scout and unbinds and ungags him. He immediately points into the treetops and shouts, "Kapak!"

Moo and Stellar are by the scout and turn around to see a Kapak Draconian glide down from the tree tops and see a flask fall from him, shattering between Pudge and Nala and creating a cloud of dense smoke. The Kapak descends into the smoke, and screams from Nala shatter the afternoon. A billowing cloud of flame erupts from Nala's last position, followed by more screams, and a few seconds later a severely wounded Nala falls out of the cloud of smoke near the central tree of the camp. Pudge follows soon after. The Baaz Draconian that ran away now returns and attempts to shoot Moo and Stellar, but is quickly brought down by Stellar and Pudge. Moo approaches the smoke and attempts to taunt the Kapak out, but he flees. The Kapak attempts to sneak off to the north, but the party spots him and kills him with ranged attacks.

The party then quickly gathers the living and the dead scout and their possessions and makes their way back to the boat before any other Draconians in the area return. Among the dead scout's possessions are a spellbook, a pair of goggles, and a sending stone that the living scout retrieves.

Upon returning to Kalamar, the party is rewarded richly and some of the scouts' equipment is distributed to the party, namely, a spellbook containing one remaining legible spell and a pair of Goggle of Night. Pudge receives the spellbook and Moo retains the Goggles of Night. The party begins planning for the storming of Wheelwatch Outpost, their next mission.

The party is complemented by a regiment of 50 personnel comprising survivors of Vogler led by Raven, the former Mayor of Vogler. They are eager to take the battle to the Red Dragon Army. Marshal Vendri mentions that the unit is new to military action, and the party did not need it explained to them to be careful with their lives.

Marshall Vendri is traveling to a southwestern outpost to relieve the soldiers there with the complement that is accompanying her. The party travels with her through town. While exiting Kalamar, Vendri explains how there are multiple kinds of Draconian, and that not all of them are Baaz, the foot soldiers and the most common. She explains how the party fought against a Kapak Draconian in the scouts' camp. Kapaks appear to be assassins - adept at stealth and bursts of damage. There are also magic users, Bozaks; fierce warriors, Sivaks; and masterminds, Auraks. Little is known about these other three Draconian types other than their names and what could be discovered from their corpses. Vendri explains that the names for the Draconians seem somehow connected to the metallic dragons. How they are connected is not yet clear. Regardless, Baaz is a reference to Brass, Kapak to Copper, Bozak to Bronze, Sivak to Silver, and Aurak to Gold.

The party arrives at Wheelwatch Outpost just before sunset and hides out of sight of the fortress until night falls. Oasis flies over the fort and using her nightvision can tell that few enemies are in the open within the fortress. She also confirms that the walls are 20' high; one tower is two stories tall; battlements line the top of the walls, making a frontal assault appear costly; the doors are wood reinforced with metal bands and are 15' high and 15' wide.

Stellar transforms into a rat and Oasis brings her to the roof of the largest building in the fortress in the northeast corner. She finds her way down into it and tours the fort. She discovers two dozen enemies, including officers, Draconians and a dragonnel and pilot.

The party decides to use the RDA chain mail that they confiscated from the flight point they destroyed a couple days ago, and Tswoozie and Moo bravely approach the front gate of the fortress. While all eyes are on the two unexpected soldiers approaching on the road, Pudge, Stellar, and Nala sneak to the northeast corner of the fortress and use Pudge's Rope of Climbing to get on the roof. They take up positions over and just to the right of the front gate. Tswoozie and Moo demand admittance and claim that they have been sent by Kazrak the Destroyer, a prominent Minotaur commander in the Southern Theater, and that they have information on Marshal Vendri's location. This creates confusion within the fort, but believing themselves to be much stronger than two soldiers, the commanding officer orders that the two soldiers be brought in, presumably for questioning. Once the front gate is winched high enough to clear Tswoozie's head, he places and activates Pudge's immovable rod so that the gate cannot be dropped and uses his sending stone to signal Raven that the Vogler troops should move in immediately. A Baaz tries to dislodge the immovable rod, and Moo decides that the time for subtlety and deception is over, and proceeds to make quick work of the Baaz with Ogre's Bane.

The party surprises the five enemies in front of them and slays all of them with a quick flurry of attacks before they can even call out. However, Raven's Regiment is spotted by the remaining lookouts as they storm the gate, and the alarm is sounded, but by the time any more enemies respond, the courtyard is filled with the Kalamar faithful.

Stellar pins the 8 soldiers in the barracks by casting Spike Growth on the ground underneath their room. The spikes grow up through the poorly maintained floor, injuring the six soldiers in the bottom bunks and causing the two in the top bunks to remain where they are. The soldiers in the lookout buildings in the corners and in the kitchen either surrender or the party attacks them, reducing their numbers. The pilot and draggonel take to the sky, but do not get away before Tswoozie commands the dragonnel to grovel. It obeys, landing directly in front of Tswoozie and Moo. The commanding officer finally comes to his senses and surrenders, but not before Moo defeats the dragonnel in a blaze of rage.

The party controls the outpost now, and with no loss of life on their side of the battle. The RDA suffered 8 casualties: 2 Baaz, 1 Dragonnel, and 5 soldiers, the three from the courtyard and the two from the second story of the northwest tower. One other soldier from the southwest tower was wounded, and one Sivak Draconian was beaten unconscious. Sixteen combatants were captured: 1 Sivak, the pilot, the commanding officer, the cook, the two pairs of soldiers from the two southern lookouts, and the eight soldiers in the barracks.

As the initial heat of the Battle for Wheelwatch Outpost subsides, the party recognizes that they have captured a great many prisoners. Sixteen total creatures were captured: 13 soldiers including the cook; the commanding officer (CO), Arlic Vance; the pilot of the dragonnel; and the Sivak, who lies unconscious just inside the fortress’s gate. Stellar gathers up some of Vogler’s finest, and then lets spike growth drop while the allied soldiers bring the men out of the barracks.

Raven has her soldiers gather the 13 enemy foot soldiers in the middle of the courtyard while the party gathers near the gate and near the CO, pilot, and Sivak, and discusses what to do with the prisoners. Moo briefly considers and advocates for killing them all, but Nala and Pudge were steadfast against the murdering of the prisoners.

The prisoners that the RDA was holding in the jail cells were released: Lanal Brint, a Kalamari soldier who was in jail at the time the RDA seized the fort; and Elgo Duckditcher. Elgo had been imprisoned for wandering too close to the fort after it was taken. She had had her hoopak taken from her, a staff with a slingshot on one end, but she finds it in the weapon racks in the barracks.

Moo checks barracks and the CO’s desk and finds some gold in the barracks among the soldiers personal effects and also discovers the payroll for the fort, 200 gold pieces, in the CO’s desk. Moo also discovers correspondence where Arlic (the CO) obliquely criticizes Kansaldi FireEyes. He also finds Arlic Vance’s orders which are as simple as they are damning: “Hold Wheelwatch Outpost on pain of death,” signed “Kansaldi.”

The party then elect to lock up the pilot and the commanding officer, temporarily forgetting the Sivak that they knocked unconscious. Stellar, Pudge, and Nala investigate the trap door in the storage room and find a pouch of Dust of Disappearance with three applications remaining.

Meanwhile, Moo attempts to interrogate the pilot and the CO, but his first attempt ends in failure. All he finds out is that the pilot believes himself to be on the winning side and exhibits nothing but defiance from his cell, and the CO is moribund, wallowing in despair.

The Sivak begins to revive and the party, with help from the Vogler regiment, bring the Sivak into the jail. When the pilot and the CO hear that they intend to lock the Sivak up with them, they begin shouting saying that that can’t possibly occur. Pudge suggests that the pilot and CO are locked together in the same cell and that the Sivak gets his own, to which the humans quickly agree, and the pilot moves into the CO’s cell but not before Pudge relieves him of his ring of feather falling.

Moo begins interrogating the two humans again, thinking to take advantage of their fear of the Sivak. The CO responds to Moo’s questions concerning the RDA’s goals by chanting the Elegy for the First World:

Breathe, peoples; sing now of Takhisis,

raging in battle with no hope of victory.

She would not flee or surrender,

fighting as death reached its cold claws toward her.

Warriors seized her and bound her,

snatched her from death, entombed her in torment —

Sealed in the darkness forever,

captive to gods laying claim to creation.

Breathe, peoples; sing of the promise,

seeding the world with our legions of faithful,

Each to their own habitation,

Elves in their forests and Dwarves in their mountains,

Orcs in their caverns and canyons,

Goblins in badlands and Halflings in green fields,

Lizardfolk lurking in marshes,

Humans throughout every part of creation.

Breathe, peoples; cry of her freedom —

Takhisis loosed from her prison of torment!

Tell how she rallied her children,

Dragons chromatic, a spectrum of mayhem.

Cry of her fury, her vengeance,

lightning and venom, ice, fire, and corrosion,

Five-headed, monstrous, and mighty,

rampaging on a campaign of destruction.

As the commanding officer’s chant faded into the deepening dark of the night, the Sivak regained full consciousness. After briefly addressing the party he saw that he was imprisoned with the officers of the fort and deduced that they had either been captured or surrendered. The Sivak then did everything within his power to lay hands on the pilot and the CO imprisoned next to him and kill them. Moo stops the Sivak by hitting it hard in the arm with a hand ax. In its weakened state, the loss of blood caused it to swiftly lose consciousness. While the party discussed what was to be done, the Sivak bled out.

Upon dying, the Sivak’s body crumbled to dust and an apparition with Moo’s likeness rose from the remains and screeched like a banshee. Pudge and Moo were frightened and fled the jail. Moo recovered quickly in the courtyard. The pilot lost control of his bowel. After a minute, the screeching rose to a pitch higher than what could be heard, fading as it rose, and the apparition became smoke, and then dissipated as a puff of air moved through the jail.

Moo then decided to continue his interrogation in a friendly manner and brought some beer that was found in the stores to the prisoners and helped the pilot clean up. The CO told his story of how he came from the Khurian military and how the Khur’s military leader, Salah-Khan, joined the dragon armies and became ruler in Khur by doing so. He was pleased that Kansaldi Fire-Eyes assigned him the command at Wheelwatch Outpost, but he clearly has no fondness for her. The pilot, who is not from Khur, remains zealous in his dedication to the RDA and is convinced that they will win the war.

Raven finds secure places for all the prisoners in the stables and the storage room and keeps them under guard all night. It’s crowded in the fort, but the party finds corners to rest and everyone gets a long rest. In the morning, Tswoozie checks the south for enemy movements, but finds none. In the morning, the party sets off for Kalamar with Arlic Vance in tow. They arrive after 8 hours of walking in the late afternoon.

Kalamar Castle is strangely empty and all the guards have to offer for explanation is that a large deployment has occurred. The party discovers Governor Miat, Varmint, Lt. General Fen Ulvcreen, and Amarra Bandarion, Marshal Vendri’s aid, in the Council’s Chamber with a large contingent of soldiers.

Governor Miat explains that there was an attempted coup where his retinue was overcome and he was injured. The perpetrators appeared to be Kalamari by their speech and mannerisms – human rogues. Gen. Ulvcreen was able to track him and rescue him, but not before the City Council held their scheduled meeting, the very same meeting that Lord Breck called for in the letter that the party read from Lord Breck’s desk only a few nights ago. Intelligence was presented where a detachment of 200 RDA soldiers were allegedly seeking crossing on river craft at a location 20 miles west of the city. In Miat’s absence, four guildmasters outvoted the remaining two to decide that military action was to take place that day with as many men as could be mustered in the time required to meet the enemy and crush them. The guildmasters in favor were Lord Breck of the Fishermen’s Guild, Lord Cusmar Suscras of the Farmer’s Guild, Jaq Le’quet of the Dockworkers Guild, and Stewart Inkpot of the Shipwright’s Guild. Lord Breck and Lord Suscras are leading the forces personally.

Darrett Hightower left a letter with Amarra Bandarion for the party. It reads: “Come at once. Suscras is leading us to ruin. The intel was laughably bad, but the guild leaders have had enough of caution and lost business while the RDA operates in the countryside. I can’t disobey. Find Governor Miat, and then come. I will need your help.”

If the party intends to help, they need to travel 20 miles west and quickly and be ready to fight. But how? Varmint could teleport the party, but he seems to think a bad outcome is likely. Varmint has also offered the use of his only potion of vitality, which removes exhaustion from the imbiber. Tswoozie suggested a boat, but Governor Miat doesn’t have one ready for them. How can the party get there in time?

The party decides that the majority of them will ride in Nala’s portable hole. The hole needs to be opened every 10 minutes so that they can breathe. Pudge can summon a phantom steed that can travel 13 miles every hour, but it is likely to only make 10 miles in an hour stopping every 10 minutes or less to open the portable hole. Moo decides to stay with Governor Miat, and during the first stop that looks like a wise decision as Pudge waits a little long to open the hole and Nala is in distress. She recovers quickly and the group improves their traveling method by sharing Stellar’s sending stone with Pudge. Pudge also starts stopping well before 10 minutes elapse, causing her to ride for over two hours. The party arrives just in time to see the battle, and Pudge shows toughness that belies her stature as she gallops the 20 miles and remains ready to give battle upon arrival.

As the party approaches the battle ground on foot from around a mile away they witness the opening maneuvers. Two advance formations are moving toward what appears to be around 200 RDA infantry near the river’s bank. They are in wedge phalanx formations and appear to be dumbly expecting to plow through the RDA. They may succeed as the RDA force appears disordered. The main Kalamari force is still some distance away from this first engagement, but moving forward. The two formations are not advancing in unison, and the earlier force engages the enemy. Upon the start of the battle, RDA regulars stand up out of the high grasses prevalent on the Inkwater’s and Vingaard’s floodplain and more RDA regulars come boiling out of the nearby trees. The first advance force is overwhelmed and slaughtered. The second advance force is attempting to stop, turn, and maneuver back to the main force, but is caught before they can.

As the second of the two advance forces appears doomed, down the Inkwater comes a small, fast moving force of perhaps 50 soldiers. The petard flies the crest of Marshal Vendri. She flanks the attacking RDA regulars intent upon their surrounded prey and attempts to extract the Kalamari force. However, Vendri’s force also becomes surrounded and makes little progress toward the Kalamari army.

As soon as the trap is sprung, the main force begins an orderly retreat with a strong rearguard. Tswoozie wonders at the commander’s choice to abandon the advance forces. However, when Marshal Vendri becomes mired, a detachment from the rearguard crosses the Inkwater and charges in to rescue them. The ill-disciplined RDA reacts poorly to having been attacked from two different directions in short order when slaughter seemed so certainly in their grasp. Chaos ensues around Vendri and the Kalamari. Together they gain their freedom and with some struggle make it back across the Inkwater. Vendri and her rescued forces move quickly to join the main army, which is still in an orderly retreat. A small group of Kalamari horsemen move quickly up the road that the party is currently on.

During the battle, the party has covered the last mile and is now approaching the fringe of the battlefield. A tributary to the Inkwater has two fords and an island that the road crosses and on the island are 6 soldiers. Some are wounded. The group is moving slowly as their compatriots help the injured along. Behind them, galloping and apparently intent on slaughtering the group are four RDA soldiers on four warhorses. Quick thinking from the party results in a well-placed Spike Growth spell that cuts down all four horses and injures each of the riders. Nala picks off two of them. Pudge Shatters the remaining pair. The fleeing Kalamari express their gratitude.

Just as the party completes this encounter. The group of Kalamari horsemen that left Vendri’s force to ride up the road approach. The party recognizes Darrett Hightower and riding behind him, an injured Lord Breck. The horsemen have draggonels following them and Darrett explains that they need to hide from those dragonnels now, and that there’s been enough fruitless fighting this day. Nala casts the spell Pass Without Trace, and the cries of dismay can be heard faintly from the overhead flying enemies. Darrett explains that the rendezvous point is six miles to the east. Nala’s spell lasts for four of those miles. After which Darrett contacts Vendri via sending stone, and she comes riding from where the main force is setting up camp. The two of them have thinly contained rage and contempt for Lord Breck and inform him that he will be brought back to Kalamar for trial as a traitor to its people and duly hung. Lord Breck has no response and appears no more dismayed than he already was.

In camp, Vendri explains that the RDA did not pursue. The party thinks this odd and Vendri does not argue with their conclusion, but voices her suspicion that perhaps Breck was too successful in mustering Kalamari forces for this trap, that is, perhaps too many Kalamari showed up for the RDA plan.

The next day, Darrett asks the party to travel quickly on the road back to Kalamar. He gives Pudge a sending stone and asks her to send him a message if she sees any military force, even Kalamari, on the way, and if not, then send him a message when they get back to Kalamar. She agrees. The party sees no military forces on the road, but upon their return to Kalamar, some people are still gathered around the western gate talking about a contingent of Knights of Solamnia that had passed through the gate on their way to the Castle. The Knights are not terribly well-liked, yet the people seem impressed. “They looked like something out of the old story books!” “Or maybe more like a museum!” “Yeah, relics, I’d say. Relics from a world that they let die.” Pudge dutifully sends her message to Darrett, including a note about these unexpected Knights of Solamnia.

The day before the party returns to Kalamar, Moo starts off guarding Governor Miat, but after nothing happening for a couple hours, Miat asks Moo to help calm the citizens of Vogler and aid them in moving within the city walls. Moo agrees and makes his way to the refugee encampment west of the city. That night he returns to the ballroom, and the next morning he goes back to help the last few families move into the city. He completely misses the group of a dozen or so Knights of Solamnia entering Kalamar, but is approaching the gate helping one of the last families move when he reunites with the party.

After exchanging greetings, the party decides to deliver news of the battle to the City of Council. The courtyard outside the citadel is disconcertingly empty, but the party knows that almost all of Kalamar’s forces that aren’t on the walls are deployed west of the city. There are two guards on either side of the citadel. They appear to be a couple of the Knights of Solamnia that the party heard entered the city only around an hour prior. They refuse to move or acknowledge the party. The just stand guard. The party starts joking around with them trying to get them to laugh. Moo says, “Why are the Middle Ages called the Dark Ages? Because of all the knights!” The guards do not laugh or move. At this point, Tswoozie realizes that the two reek of being undead and tells the party. Upon being identified, the guards attack. The party makes short work of them and proceeds into the citadel.

The citadel is empty. No one is in Vendri’s office, although that’s expected. The door to the City Council chamber is ajar, and the cacophony of voices that normally emanates from the room is notably absent.

Moo heads into the room and the rest of the party follows. Bodies cover the floor, fill the seats, and are draped across the table. Many guards have been slain. At the far end of the chamber, a young man in the armor of the Knights of Solamnia is taking his ease, rocking back in a chair with his feet on the table. He’s balancing a scroll on one finger. In the chair next to him, Governor Miat is pinned by a sword that pierces his chest and the backrest of his chair.

The knight is full of obnoxious personality and continually taunts the party as they engage him in combat. When the knight falls, an incorporeal spirit rises from him and gives combat to the party again. Upon seeing this, Stellar decides to heal the fallen knight, and he joins the fight against the malevolent spirit. At one point, the spirit convinces Nala to shoot Tswoozie and then attempts to possess Moo. During the attempted possession, Moo learns the spirit’s name, Caradoc. The party’s weapons and breath weapons do not all damage the spirit with the same severity. Moo’s weapon seems to be as vicious as always. As the spirit is decorporealized with one last divine smite from Tswoozie’s lance, he turns to the Paladin as shouts as his voice fades into the distance, “You haven’t seen the last of me!”

Stellar notices that the door to the servant’s entrance at the back of the room has been shattered, and hears footsteps coming down the hall. Leedara, the light blue-skinned Elf that the party first met at Ispin Greenshield’s funeral when she sang a dirge, walks into the room. She tells the party that they must hurry and stop the lord from taking the secret that’s hidden underneath the castle in the catacombs. The party asks her why she’s here and she explains that she was coming to perform and again urges them to hurry, volunteering to put out the small fires that the party had inadvertently created.

Pudge remembers the scroll that Caradoc was playing with before the fight. She opens it and reads it: Lord Loren South has claimed rulership of the former province of Knightlund, which includes the city of Kalamar. After a moment, the party remembers that Lord Soth was Knight of Solamnia of the order of the rose, and was a former ruler of this area. The gods supposedly gave Lord Soth the opportunity to prevent the Cataclysm, but he failed to do so. This story is why many people these days have little love for the Knights of Solamnia. No one’s sure what happened to Soth, but his home, Dargaard Keep, is a ruin and is thought to be haunted.

The party leaves the Council’s chamber via the servant’s entrance, proceeds downstairs to the stores in the basement, and find the entrance to the catacombs shattered. Tswoozie enters the catacombs first, skating down the stairs into the first room on his shield and slides directly up to a statue of Kiri-Jolith. Tswoozie begins to pray.

The first room is filled with purple flames that do not give off heat. Staring into the flames reveals a scene: A Knight of Solamnia of the order of the rose saves a group of Elves from raiders. As the last raider is dispatched, the knight supports a beautiful Elven woman in one arm. After a moment, he then pulls her closer to him. She wriggles out of his embrace and gently pushes herself away.

To the east are closed stone doors. The party combines their strength to open them and finds a room of alcoves lined with slabs with dead knights wrapped in yellow fabric. The knights and their shrouds do not burn despite being engulfed in flames. A fresh tunnel breaks through the wall to the south.

The flames distract again with another scene: The same knight from the first scene is arguing with a human woman who’s clothes are sometimes normal but sometimes flicker to a bridal gown. He turns away from her and as he walks a crowd of Knights of Solamnia surround him, shouting angrily at him, but they do not impede his progress. The knight then arrives in front of the Elven woman who again holds out her arms, pushes herself away, and shakes her head angrily.

The tunnel southward leads to a long room with murals depicting Knights of Solamnia riding armored horses. The door to the east is shattered.

At the far west end of the room, bones assemble into two skeletal warhorses and challenge the party. Nala speaks with them using her spell Speak with Animals and convinces them that they are not here to desecrate the dead but instead wish to stop the one who came before them. The warhorses grant Nala a charm with two uses that permits her to call a warhorse that would remain with her for 24 hours.

The flames hypnotize and another scene plays out: The knight is alone, but overhead a god-like dragon shines light on him while he speaks calmly and points into the distance at a city. The knight listens and nods.

The door to the east leads to a room commemorating smithcraft. On either side of the door are two equipment racks. A magical sword, an extraordinarily light and unrusted breastplate, and a feathered vest are found among other rusted mundane items. Past the equipment racks are two alcoves partitioned from the room by bars. To the north is a skeleton lying on a slab holding an unrusted ax. To the south the slab holds only an amulet. Moo breaks the bars to the north, but resists the temptation to take the ax. Nala does not. Tswoozie breaks the bars to the south and Nala takes the amulet there too. Another tunnel leads south.

The flames reflect off the many faceted edges of swords and shields in this room. Another scenes is revealed: The knight returns to the Elven woman with a numinous glow about him. She still refuses him and points over his shoulder. The knight turns from her and walks. He stops in front of the human woman who’s clothes sometimes flicker and become a bride’s dress. She looks surprised to see him. He looks at her grimly. He then slays her.

Stellar is anxious to catch up to Lord Soth and enters the tunnel heading south. The party follows quickly behind her. Stellar and Lord Soth see each other, and Soth attempts to bring the tunnel down on Stellar’s head. Pudge thinks quickly and counterspells Lord Soth. He then seals the tunnel with a wall of force, preventing the party from entering the room.

Lord Soth walks around a brazier in the middle of the room filled with wild, intense purple flames. He chants and gestures as he strides and the flames spout with his movements. The flames consume your vision momentarily: The knight returns to the Elven woman, only this time she flees and many warriors spring up and fight Soth. Soth quickly defeats all but one of them, a Elven woman who fights like she’s dancing. Upon studying her features you recognize her as the musician, Leedara. She fights Soth and is astoundingly quick, but she finally falls too. The knight then chases down the Elven woman who still refuses him. He kills her, and as he does so a mountain of fire falls on creation.

With the party pinned behind a wall of force, Lord Soth finishes the ritual that raises the purple, Cataclysmic flames and traps the roiling center of the flame in a scepter carved with screaming faces. He then glances at the party, appears to laugh, and then points the scepter at the sarcophagus at the west end of the room. Purple flames arc from the scepter to the sarcophagus. Lord Soth then walks to the south wall and raises his hand. A portion of the south wall shatters exposing a view of the mountains to the south of Kalamar. Lord Soth walks through the opening and before dropping out of sight, turns and points at Pudge who drops to the floor and begins kowtowing to Lord Soth. After Lord Soth departs, the wall of force comes down quickly.

With Lord Soth’s capture of the flames and subsequent departure, the purple flames limning the walls and are much more subdued with the exception of the flames dancing on the lid of the sarcophagus. They seem to be glowing more brightly with each passing moment. Nala walks into the shattered south wall and looks down upon a 100-foot sheer drop. She sees a group of horsemen galloping west.

During the next 20 seconds or so, Moo is drawn to the sarcophagus and is tempted to lift its lid to see what’s causing all the purple flames. Nala warns him against opening the crypt and as Moo pauses, the sarcophagus lid explodes apart, but fortunately does no damage to Moo. In the surprise of the moment, a skeletal knight rises and exclaims, “Lord Soth commands me, commands me through the flames of the Cataclysm! He commands me to slay thee!” He then turns and attacks Moo. During the ensuing melee, the skeletal knight continues to talk mechanically of his commands. He says, “Lord Soth compels me to my place of dishonor, the City of Lost Names,” and “I must go, go to the City of Lost Names,” which were his final words. Upon becoming unanimated, all the purple flames on and about the skeletal knight and the Catacombs gutter and go out.

The party finds nothing of value among the knight’s bones. His weapon is a weak rusted piece of junk. How it caused wounds to Moo seems more connected to the purple Cataclysmic flames than to its edge. The party investigates the sarcophagus and finds the head of a lance. The lance matches the head of the lance in the life-size sculpture that surrounds the sarcophagus. The sculpture shows a Knight of the Crown slaying a dragon with a lance. Tswoozie detects that it is magical when he notices that he can attune to it. He attempts to do so and discovers that the magical power of the weapon is blocked by divine intervention.

The party takes the long way out of the Catacombs, deciding that the fragile tunnels that Lord Soth created were too risky. In the next room to the west, is a statue of a Knight of the Crown and two slabs of stone written with text. Within this room, the party encounters a ghost named Knight Jandin. She relates the true story of Knight’s Sarlamir’s encounter with the gold dragon Karavarix which is in contrast to the story that is enshrined in this room. Knight Jandin tells how Knight Sarlamir was tasked with a diplomatic mission to bring peace to a confrontation between the dragons led by Karavarix and the king-priests of Istar. The king-priests had created a flying city by building it on top of a sacred graveyard of dragons. Karavarix and his contingent were incensed and demanded that the buried dragons be returned to their proper final resting place, but the Istari refused and delighted in the power of their new flying city. Sarlamir became frustrated at the recalcitrance of both sides, lost his temper with Karavarix, and slew her with his lance. Knight Jandin corroborated Knight Sarlamir’s story upon returning to Kalamar that Karavarix had attacked him, but he prevailed. Sarlamir was buried a hero as was Jandin, but Jandin now haunts the Catacombs, having regretted her actions for the rest of her life and now on into undeath.

The party then exits the Catacombs, remembering the horror of the scene they left in the City Council’s chamber.

As the party exits the Catacombs, they are greeted by Tharture Uth Gamalot, a Knight of the Crown, leading a party of six additional knights. Varmint is with them. Tharture halts his men and demands that the party identify themselves.The scene is tense. The knights have their hands on the hilts of their weapons. Moo’s greets the knights flippantly and several draw a few inches of steel. Varmint comes forward and tells Tharture that these are the heroes of Vogler, and everyone relaxes. Tharture introduces himself as the head of the Knights of Solamnia and explains that he has teleported here from Palanthus with his retinue of knights in response to the alarm that was on the shattered Catacombs door.

Tharture’s task is to secure the Catacombs and asks the party to escort him through it and report what occurred. He leaves guards at the opening in the south cliff face under Castle Kalamar and returns with the party to the citadel within Castle Kalamar.

By the time the party returns, most of the bodies have been cleared, and the party helps with the remainder. As that task is finishing, Marshal Vendri and Darrett Hightower return with the vanguard of the Kalamari forces. Vendri asks the party for a debriefing of what occurred here. Moo treats Marshal Vendri and Darrett Hightower disrespectfully and they react with less calm than the party is used to, perhaps because in quick succession control of Kalamar’s forces was lost and the enemy struck the city.

Moo and Vendri engage in a brief wrestling match. Initially, Moo has the faster reflexes and manages to grapple Vendri, but she quickly breaks Moo’s grapple and while Moo is distracted by the pleas of his fellow party members, the smaller Vendri throws Moo over her hip and onto the floor with a crash, delivering her message, “I demand respect,” in the only way it could be received. She quickly gets up, but Tswoozie is quicker than Moo, and places a chair over the top of him and sits down. Moo struggles to get up and then finally simply asks and he is permitted to stand again. Moo and Vendri then exchange reconciliations. Moo apologizes for his words, and Vendri remembers Moo’s valor and shares that she too is angry at what has happened in Kalamar. She then reminds Moo that she is in command, and Moo accepts it.

Tharture and Vendri exchange information, and Vendri requests a royal visit from King Grumm. Tharture can make those arrangements. Vendri explains that there is a power vacuum in Kalamar. Traitors are on the City Council. The governor is dead. The King must come. She had planned on asking the King to host Lord Breck’s trial regardless, and so she adds to her request that the King should bring his inquisitors. Tharture remarks that he’s certain the King will bring them. They briefly share a tense stare, and then Tharture departs to make arrangements.

The King is expected in the morning, and so the party has the evening to themselves. They visit the Hammerstrike forges. Nala picks up her adamantine reinforced studded leather armor. Tswoozie sells the mithril breastplate he found in the Catacombs, and finds out what he can about the spearhead he got from Knight Sarlamir’s sarcophagus. Oenn couldn’t offer anything information on it at all except that it looked like a replica of an ancient dragonlance spearhead. Pudge then identified it and reported that it is ancient and potently magical. The magic comes from Paladine, the lawful good god of the dragons, and the weapon’s magic has been blocked by Paladine’s will. When restored, the weapon will be strongly magical in general and has extra potency against dragons.

[We need a little retroactive continuity. The party would’ve looked at the feathered vest that I believe Stellar looted. We’ll play through that first thing next session.]

Upon returning from Hammerstrike, the party gets dinner from Castle Kalamar, and can’t find Darrett Hightower there. They continue on to Lord Breck’s house and there they find Darrett with a contingent of soldiers, searching Lord Breck’s house, much to the alarm of his wife. Darrett is sitting at Lord Breck’s desk and takes several papers. He tells the party that he believes that he’s found all that is necessary for the Lord’s interrogation and trial. Stellar feeds the neighborhood cat, perhaps for the last time.

King Grumm arrives in the morning and the party is invited to an audience. King Grumm is present with two black-robed interrogators, Syrulliana Di’Antte and Baldrick Buntd. A priestess, Corina Camberline, is also present and is introduced as a modern miracle. She has returned people to life. Corina exclaims in response, “Yes! The gods have returned to Krynn and we now receive their favor. I have no idea why I am their vessel.”

Grumm proceeds to question the party about what occurred in the Catacombs while the interrogators intrude upon their minds. After nothing more condemning than discovering that the party picked up a weapon that could help them in the ensuing fight, Grumm enthusiastically declares that each member of the party is now a Lord of Palanthus with rights and property in the domain of the capitol to be allotted after the war is over, and that everyone in the party are now Commanders of Kalamar with rights to order the general soldiery and doubled pay.

Grumm then invites the party to watch a miracle. Priestess Camberline will raise Governor Miat from the dead. The party then adjourns to the infirmary where Governor Miat’s body lies in state. After a somewhat lengthy ritual where the familiar numinous glow of divine magic emanates both from Corina and from Miat’s body on several occasions, Corina stops and addresses the witnesses, “The ritual has succeeded. The gods bless us with their favor, but Governor Miat does not wish to return to life.” The ghost of Governor Miat then appears and explains that his time has come and he does not wish to be separated from Majere. Some in the group remark that Miat was a very devout man, though he did not publicize it. Miat asks permission of his king to pass on, and Grumm grants it.

Grumm then disbands the meeting, but before he does he announces to the leaders of Kalamar that he has reached his decision concerning Lord Breck. He is guilty and will die by hanging tomorrow. He then invites everyone to attend the trial.

Varmint meets the group as they are entering the courtyard to attend the trial. He explains that scrying devices will project a view of the proceeding upon the north wall of Kalamar, the tallest wall, where it can be seen and heard by those in the market. He also tells the party that being invited to the King’s Court is a sign of great trust on the part of the King. The attendants will be armed and capable of magic. The King’s safety has been assured by the actions of the interrogators having examined the thoughts of everyone invited. Anyone can ask a question of anyone else, and Varmint advises the group to avoid addressing the King or the interrogators directly. He also warns the party that if they speak, that the prosecutor, Syrulliana, will intrude upon their mind to read their thoughts and that she has the ability to silence the proceedings at will.

Syrulliana has a series of questions that reveal these facts: Lord Breck brought false information to the City Council to empty Castle Kalamar of soldiers. The ostensible purpose of the military venture was to destroy a detachment of 200 RDA soldiers. However, 2500 soldiers, roughly equal to the size of the Kalamari force, were present. Lord Breck and Cusmar Suscras rode in an advance guard to crush the 200 RDA soldiers. Suscras was overwhelmed when the remaining 2000+ RDA enemies joined the battle. Lord Breck would have been too, but Marshal Vendri and Darrett Hightower rescued him so that he could stand trial. The true point of emptying Castle Kalamar appears to be Lord Soth’s “clandestine and dastardly attack” on the leadership of Kalamar.

During the trial, the party reacts poorly to the authoritarian nature of the proceeding. Syrulliana is usually answered not by Lord Breck, but by her fellow interrogator, Baldric. They begin interrupting the proceeding with questions that Syrulliana considers contrary to the purpose of the trial, and Pudge is surprised at how quickly and easily Syrulliana can cast silence, and concludes that she must have an artifact. Pudge decides to counterspell as Syrulliana attempts to silence Stellar, and Stellar gets to ask her question, “Who is framing you, Lord Breck?” Lord Breck is completely surprised and unfortunately does not provide a strong answer for that question. With Pudge’s help, Moo manages to ask a question of the King that casts doubt on the validity of the proceedings, “How is this trial fair?” The King stands and responds, “It is fair because I have made it so!” With her last Counterspell, Pudge lets Moo keep his voice, and he shouts back to the King, “Liar!” The echoes reverberate off every edifice in Kalamar and resound from the mountains of Krynn.

General disorder ensues. Syrulliana silences the proceedings, but Grumm needs to order the guards to protect the conductors of the trial. Silence comes and goes until finally Moo challenges the King about being afraid to let the people have a voice. The King responds, “I am not afraid,” gestures at Syrulliana to cease silencing the trial, and continues to lambast Moo with a diatribe about freedom and justice. Moo refuses to back down. The King orders Moo to sit down and shut up. Moo refuses. The King orders Moo to be arrested. Moo draws Ogre’s Bane.

Ogern, the guard perennially at Marshall Vendri’s office door when she is in it, is the first one to Moo. He asks him what he’s doing and if he wants to shed blood. Moo says he doesn’t, and so Ogern tells him that he should come with him and get out of here. Moo, to his credit, decides to leave. Tswoozie follows. The trial completes in their absence and the King’s judgment is handed down.

As Moo sits in his jail cell, Tswoozie explains that his friends are going to have to figure out how to get him out of here now, and he has no one to blame but himself for that. Moo counters that freedom and justice are worth it. The two split amicably, having each shared their perspective on what was the right thing to do.

The party collects in their quarters after the trial to discuss what just happened and plan how to help Moo. While they are there, Syrulliana arrives and announces that the King would like to dine with them, and he would show them the honor of dining with them here in this ballroom that they are using for their quarters, if they wish it. The party accepts this offer and quickly servants begin arriving with furniture and plush fabrics to decorate for a regal repast.

Marshal Vendri arrives early and describes what is happening with Moo. He is to be released and his only punishment is that he has lost his rank as Commander of Kalamar. The rest of the party has retained their rank and so are free to order Moo about and discipline him as they see fit. As Vendri explains this, she can’t help smirking. Also, just as the meal is beginning, Lav Ichafor delivers Tswoozie’s dragonlance. Grumm explains that he had the work prioritized for the party when he heard that they had an order that they were waiting on.

At the start of the meal, King Grumm engages with Ung Dag at the far end of the table. She has been seeking an audience with the king since she arrived. The stone giants need help repelling the dragon armies from their caves. Grumm is happy to pledge Solamnia’s aid, explaining that the northern reaches of the Taman Busuk were once Solamnia’s territory, though it has been long since the King ruled there truly. Even so, Grumm tells Dag that he considers her and her people to be subjects of Solamnia and will come to their aid. He looks forward to the day when Solamnia regains her farthest borders.

Soon after affirming the allegiance of Solamnia with the stone giants, Grumm turns to the matter for which he called the dinner. He explains, “The red dragon army’s plan to attack Kalamar never made sense. A land army will not breach the walls and without a navy, the dragon armies cannot lay siege to Kalamar. However, we now know that, although they do not value the lives of their soldiers or their allies, they are not stupid. They have succeeded with a complex attack on Kalamar designed only to empty her of her troops so that the Cataclysmic fire could be stolen from the Catacombs. They now head into the wastes apparently looking for some ruin called the City of Lost Names. I have no doubt that they look for a weapon, a weapon that will make their attack on Kalamar make sense. I need this party of god-touched special operatives to go into the Northern Wastes, discover what it is the red dragon army seeks, and come back and report it to me. To aid you, Darrett Hightower will accompany you with a tactical squad of 100 men. This is your next mission, should you decide to take it.”

The party affirms that they will accept this mission. Darrett then explains that the Northern Wastes are a desert wasteland criss-crossed with canyons. His men will be moving much more slowly than the party. If the party needs help, they’ll have to come to him. He won’t be able to go to them. Further, movement is the Wastes is made dangerous and more complicated by The Wash. Krynn’s three moons make for erratic tides that can fill the dry canyons from dozens of miles away. The canyons can fill quickly and flash flooding is a danger to be aware of at all times when crossing them.

As logistics are worked out, the party decides to take the King’s suggestion and leave that night. As the dinner breaks up, the King and his retainers are the first to leave, but Varmint lingers and asks that the party retrieve Moo’s Helm of Comprehending Languages. He then has them wear the helmet one by one while outside on the ballroom’s lanai. He explains as the party members look into the night sky, “Gods and languages exist for the same reasons because either people think they do or because a god creates them. The messages that you are reading in the stars are not of a language known to mortals. A god created this language, a god with very strong connections to the material plane and that means a dragon god. There are only two: Paladine the Good and Takhisis. Dragon lore would have us believe that Paladine would not alter the material plane in this way. He considers it holy and is saddened when it is altered. Takhisis could not do this from her confinement in Hell. No one knows what they mean, but maybe you’ll get a chance to ask a Greatwyrm!” The messages that the party reads in the sky are: “The Eternal Battle is nigh”; “The Timeless gather”; “Greatwyrms, prepare for the renewal”. In response to questions from the party, Varmint explains that he’s been aware of them for a couple months but isn’t sure how long they’ve been there, and that he is personally convinced that they are messages from a dragon god to the dragons of Krynn.

The party finally breaks up, makes preparations to leave, and finds their vessel in the harbor. Everyone gets a long rest while onboard, and the vessel arrives at Wrecker’s Edge in the southeast of the Northern Wastes in the morning.

At Wrecker’s Edge, the party meets an Elf, Dalamar, who explains that he and his party are also looking for magical artifacts in the ruins of the Northern Wastes. He invites the party to have the soldiers disembark here at Wrecker’s Edge and then invites the party to join him at Exile’s End where the larger portion of his party is camped while they examine a local ruin. On the journey, Dalamar shows them a conjured image of the Threshold of the Heavens, a delicate tower that was once part of Onyari, the flying city of the Istari, that flew over the Northern Wastes on its doomed route to fall into the Turbidus Ocean.

At Exile’s End, the party learns that these Elves aren’t necessarily welcome to return to their people and that they’ve been given a mission to find anything that may help them return to their homeland in Sylvanesti. The party meets Zhelsuel, a venerable Elf who is commanding the excursion. Zhelsuel is adamant about completing his study here at Exile’s End before continuing, and Dalamar explains that he mustn’t leave and no strikes a deal with the party. He gives them three locations and asks them to scout them for him, and if they return with information, he may have more places for them to look. The three locations were the Blue Phoenix Shrine, the Wakenreth tower, and a location that was of interest to the RDA some time not long ago. Dalamar marks these locations on their map, and the party thanks him.

The party head to the Blue Phoenix Shrine and after walking through the afternoon, makes their first camp. The journey passes uneventfully and the next day they arrive at the Blue Phoenix Shrine. Upon approaching it, a sea Elf named Ishvern walks up to the party and introduces himself. He asks why the party has come and satisfied that they have come to see the shrine asks for their help. He explains that they were attacked by the RDA a couple days ago. Their priest was taken, and he hopes that the party can help the sea Elves into the shrine.

The large, ancient double doors to enter the shrine are closed and bear a symbol of a blue heron flying upward, which Nala immediately recognized as the symbol for her god, Habakkuk. Ishvern explains that Yearkal, his priest, would pray and the doors would open. Nala thinks of several prayers and begins to speak one. She says, “O, Habakkuk, …” at which point the doors open.

Upon entry, Ishvern asks the party to cleanse themselves in a room adjacent to the atrium and then proceeds to rinse his hands and face from a pool of cool, clear water in a brass basin in the center of the room. The party obliges and feels refreshed, except for Tswoozie who refuses. Upon returning to the altar room, three water weirds do not permit Tswoozie to pass. Ishvern then asks Tswoozie to cleanse himself. When Tswoozie refuses, Ishvern asks him if he’s willing to wait outside, which he does.

The rest of the party continues through the shrine. In the offering room, Ishvern says a few words in praise of his god using a name that the party doesn’t recognize and casts a handful of blue pearls into a well from which the sound of the sea can be heard clearly. The party then feels a pleasant salt-sea-air mist infuse their skin, hair, and breath and receive the Charm of Habbakuk’s Blessing. They will have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) roles to determine if The Wash is rising, falling, or staying the same.

Upon exiting the shrine, a scout for the sea Elves runs up to Ishvern and explains that he tracked where the RDA took Yearkal and the other sea Elf prisoners. It’s to a place miles to the north called Camp Carrionclay. The scout shows the party where Camp Carrionclay is on their map. As the party discusses a rescue mission, Ishvern gets very excited and offers the party the rest of his blue pearls, which look like they might be worth hundreds of gold, if the party returns the Elven prisoners.

The party then decides to spend the night with the sea Elves on high ground near the shrine.

When morning dawns, the party resolves to move toward the Stormstep formation in search of the Elvish tower of Wakenreth, once part of Onyari city before it fell. They inform Darrett of their next destination and he adjusts his route to remain constantly west of northwest.

The party arrives at the Stormstep formation without incident, and they find a tower there, starkly out of place in the barren desert landscape. The tower is simple enough - roughly 80 feet tall and made of stone, but as the tower rises from the top of the Stormstep the stones in the tower’s walls float higher and higher above each other. The upper walls seem destroyed but frozen in time and unresponsive to gravity.

As the party approaches, Pudge casts Detect Magic and the entire tower, at least all of it within range, lights up. However, it’s not filled with the magic of any particular school, it’s filled with the magic of the Shadowfell. When Pudge tells the rest of the party, she explains that the Shadowfell is a parallel dimension to the material plane. Prominent locations and landmarks exist in both places, but the Shadowfell is an evil place and harbors and is home to legions of undead. Upon hearing of the connection to the Shadowfell, Tswoozie used his Divine Sense to determine if any undead were within range, and he detected two individuals within the tower and above the party. The party enters.

The first floor is lit with magical white flame tinged with green from sconces on the walls. In the center of the floor is an obsidian statue of a somber Elf warrior. Hundreds of silver coins lay at the statue’s feet. Stellar and Tswoozie immediately recognize this as an entrance into an Elven mausoleum, having seen more than their share of Elven death before attending Greenshield’s funeral. Even so, they had never seen one as grand as this. Stellar explains that it is the Elven custom to leave a silver coin at the statue’s feet in passing and passes out silver coins, and as Tswoozie finally, reluctantly places the last coin for the party, a tension, almost palpable, dissipates.

The party climbs the stairs aware of two enemies and equally aware of a magical cloak and magical sword above them. The two enemies are wraiths, angry undead spirits who want to eliminate the party from their sanctuary. Unlike most undead, they are dextrous and can hit and hit hard. Tswoozie nearly falls before he slays the first with Divine Smite and Pudge slays the other with Shatter. As the first wraith dies, an Elf ghost remains as the wraith form crumbles to dust and falls to the floor. She looks around for a moment and then floats up through the ceiling. As the other wraith dies, Stellar and Tswoozie see the ghost mouth silently in Elvish, “What am I doing here?” The ghost then fades. Tswoozie then loots the Cloak of Protection from one of the wraiths’ sarcophagi, attunes to it, and puts it on, like a feverish man putting on every scrap of clothing he can find, even if it smells of ancient Elven death.

After a short rest, Pudge uses her handy rope of climbing to get to the next floor. The ceiling of the second floor had collapsed and blocked the stairs with debris. Via Divine Sense and Detect Magic, the party knows that one undead individual is above along with a magic sword.

Upon arriving on the third floor, the party finds one of the previous encounter’s Elf ghosts attempting to pick up a sword off the floor, but her hand keeps passing through it. She ignores the party until Tswoozie walks over to her and hails her. She returns his greeting, gives her name as Jentida, and continues trying to pick up the sword. She explains that there’s something on the floor above that makes her very angry. She then thanks Tswoozie for making her less angry. Tswoozie then picks up the sword, and that surprises Jentida who then asks, “Oh! Are you a warrior? Will you get rid of it?” Tswoozie remains non-committal but with the focus of the sword no longer available, she drifts through the floor back to her sarcophagus.

Pudge identifies the sword as a dancing longsword and Tswoozie attunes to it with greed and names it Yondu. For the second time in this session, Tswoozie attunes to an item looted from a crypt and is not cursed! A dancing longsword can be thrown as a bonus action to gain an additional sword attack when the attack action is taken. After being thrown, it remains dancing for 3 additional rounds where it can make an additional attack as a bonus action to the attack action. After making 4 attacks, the dancing longsword returns to the hand of the attuned or drops at his feet if his hands are busy. If the attuned and the sword are more than 30 feet apart, the sword stops dancing and falls to the ground.

Thus edified, the party summons the courage to see what’s on the fourth floor. Here, the stones in the walls are all separated, yet the float in space, and an infinite black expanse is visible between them. On the far side of the room from where the party climbs, a portal etched with runes opens into inky darkness.

The party steps through the portal and experience a sensation as if the world pivots 180 degrees on the threshold of the portal, allowing them to walk onto the other side of the floor, as if they had entered a plane of the upside-down.

They find themselves on the top of a tower, not entirely dissimilar to the tower on the material plane, but not the same either. The tower on this side of the portal is smaller in width and height and is square with a staircase running on the outside of it. There is also an Elf spirit named Verriel who introduces himself as the caretaker for Wakenreth tower.

Verriel explains that Wakenreth was once part of the flying city of Onyari, but crumbled away from the city when it was stricken in the sky and passed over these lands. In an attempt to save the tower, Verriel tried to teleport the tower to the Feywild, but his magic did not occur as he had hoped. The tower became connected to the Shadowfell. It was preserved, but also cursed, as the Shadowfell magics corrupt the souls of his charges.

Verriel asks the party to adjust the sigils on the material plane side of the portal and gives Stellar five sigils. Centuries of magic research and trial and error have connected Verriel to the Shadowfell such that he cannot go through the portal, but he believes he at least has the solution, if the party will help. He explains that after the tower is disconnected, he will have to find a way to purify himself before he can leave too.

As Verriel is explaining, an Ankholox, an undead bear-like creature, climbs over the edge of the platform at the top of the tower. The party is surprisingly deadly with their weapons and makes short work of it. Tswoozie had to dodge only one round of attacks before the party finished off the intruder.

After saying goodbye and wishing Verriel luck, the party heads back through the portal and adjusts the sigils. The portal becomes a doorway of air and the magic that was holding the stones in the walls apart dissipates and the tower comes back together whole.

Upon leaving the tower, the party is surprised to see Dalamar conversing with Pudge while they groom the horses. Dalamar explains that he has left his camp without permission and that he will have to pay for that when he returns, but that he simply couldn’t stay away from what he was sure must be here. He’s delighted to find the tower, and was hoping that he would meet up with the party if he stayed long enough and is even further delighted to have had the luck to meet you upon arrival. He’s excited to hear that there’s a portal in the tower and explains that by the time the party returns from their foray to the Spires of Dawn, he might be able to trace the ley lines and determine where Onyari has fallen!

The party resolves to head east toward the Spires of Dawn to see what the Red Dragon Army was interested in there. First, the party backtracks 12 miles and camps with Darrett and his men. The party resupplies for another 7 days, repairs their armor, and silvers Nala’s arrowheads. The next day, you continue east and direct Darrett to follow you. The party makes it to what appears to be an abandoned excavation site at a toppled tower just as the sun is setting.

The toppled tower was once very tall. The upper portion of the tower lies on its side and is mostly crumbled, half-buried on the surface. Moo is convinced that the tower served as a lighthouse and was designed to be a continuously burning conflagration.

The party investigates the base of the spire too and that’s where the excavation activities appear to have been focused. All the work seems to be abandoned now. Ragged tents, shovels, and picks are strewn about the site. Human, draconian, and another unfamiliar track are easily read in the dust. They concentrate into a pathway that leads to an opening in the side of the base of the spire. The party enters.

On the first level the party finds an alter to the God Sirrion, god of flame and passion. It seems to make sense that a lighthouse that is a designed to be a giant conflagration would be dedicated to the God Sirrion. Tswoozie kneels and gives the altar a silver coin in an attempt to obtain something from it, preceding the invention of the vending machine by eons, but, alas, the altar does not respond to his offering. The rooms on the far side of the entrance appeared to be used as barracks for the workers. Upon being searched, a set of manacles was found as well as one large blue pearl.

The party descends to the next level and they hear so noises to their east. Upon investigating they discover four Draconian-looking humanoids, but they have become bloated and turned bright red and have wide, frog-like mouths. Moo senses action and charges into the fray. They party has surprised the half-Draconians, and manage to cut them down before they can respond.

The enemies were trapping two humanoids in a tiny side room. Upon freeing them, one is a Sea Elf named Yearkal, and Stellar remembers that this is the priest of the Sea Elves at the Blue Phoenix Shrine. The other is a human male name Rone.

Rone is badly sick, laying in a corner of the room, sweating, and moaning quietly. Yearkal explains that one of the frog-man attacked him and that the wound is badly infected. Tswoozie approaches Rone and heals him by laying on hands. As the wound knits together, a small red tadpole is squeezed out of Rone’s flesh and onto his skin. Rone quickly wiggles out from under it and Moo kills it with Ogre’s Bane.

Rone is deeply grateful to be delivered from whatever fate would have been his as host to that parasite. He offers the party 1000 gp to take him home to Heart’s Hollow. Rone marks the location on their map.

With their new freedom in hand, Yearkal and Rone will not tolerate remaining in the excavation site any longer. They refuse to camp within sight of it and are happy to take the horse that Moo brought with him from Darrett’s camp and travel back to Darrett’s camp that night. The party remains at the spire, uncertain of whether to camp with whatever may still be in the bottom of the spire free to attack them or to finish investigating the base of the spire and rest afterwards.

Taking Yearkal’s and Rone’s warnings to heart, the party decides to camp a couple miles from the still as yet unexplored excavation site. The night was mostly uneventful. A few flashes of light were seen from the base of the spire and Oasis saw one frogman searching the fallen portion of the tower.

In the morning the party re-enters the excavated base of the spire. Searching the second level more thoroughly, you find three bullseye lanterns, 100 feet of hempen rope, four vials of acid, six vials of oil, and three sets of mason’s tools. The party puts the bullseye lanterns to immediate use, and finds the stairs down to the next level.

With Yondu carrying a lantern forward, a red Slaad covered in tadpoles comes into view. He is searching some crates and piles of equipment on one end of an open, unexcavated level. The party notices that a large chasm splits the level in two and on the far side is a partially excavated sickly glowing orange stone. You don’t have much time to think about the strangeness of the scene because the red Slaad becomes aware of you and attacks.

Stellar makes good use of her Spike Growth spell, and the entire party does good damage on the frog-man with the final blow coming from Tswoozie shoving the creature back into the spike growth where it became impaled and moved no more. The tadpoles then squirmed off of him and eyed the party, but before they could attack, Nala stepped forward and breathed fire on them, ending their dreadful, parasitic existence.

The party then began inspecting the bridges and considering how to get over to the other half of the level, desiring to investigate the ill-looking, glowing orange stone. Stellar then decides to cast Spider Climb on herself and walks down the wall of the chasm. She investigates the bottom and finds one slave who apparently fell to his death from one of the bridges above. When she climbs up the far side of the chase near the stone she sees in plain sight a green Slaad doing his best to hide behind the orange stone. She then calls out, “Ah! A green frog-man!” and another combat ensues.

Moo and Tswoozie dash into action, Nala fires her first rounds, and Pudge, mighty Pudge, sends off the first fireball of her adventures, catching the green Slaad in a storm of fire. The Slaad attempts to return the favor and begins casting fireball back at the party targeting Pudge, but she wisely Counterspells the Slaad’s attempt. Stellar puts up another Spike Growth and in a later round hurls a lightning bolt at the green Slaad. It survives and casts Fear on Moo and Tswoozie who had recently gotten in range. Moo and Tswoozie dash away from the enemy in their enchanted state. Nala rains in more powerful strikes from afar and then Oasis, the party’s animal companion, rips the mad Slaad’s guts out, ending the combat.

The party breathes a collective sigh and collects their wits wondering what they might find next.

The party gives the green Slaad caster’s body a couple gingerly pushes with their feet before setting in to loot. Stellar finds a half buried stick. Nala finds a wand and a bunch of notes. Tswoozie finds a pouch filled with sizable, high-quality orange gems. Pudge detects nothing but the staff, the wand, and the giant, glowing orange stone via detect magic, and begins ritually identifying the staff and wand. The staff is a Staff of Healing the Stellar takes possession of and the wand is a +2 Wand of the War Mage that Pudge happily begins waving around.

After much study and discussion, Tswoozie and Pudge determine that the stone is responsible for the transmutation of the local inhabitants into Slaadi. Pudge further determines that the stone seems to be a shard of the Spawning Stone from Limbo, as unlikely as that would be. The party determines that access to the stone must be limited. After cutting the rope bridges to the other side of the chasm, Stellar uses a new spell, Stone Shape, to seal the top of the stairs and make it look like there never existed any way down to the spire’s depths.

They rejoin Darret and his men and after gathering Rone and Yearkal, continue on toward the tower of Wakenreth to meet with Dalamar again. Dalamar has been busy and successful. He has traced the ley lines from the transported in the top of the tower and determined that they come from a location roughly 70 miles to the northwest. He marks the location on the party’s map and states that he thinks the lost city of Onyari might be there. He says that he believes that he may have also found a power artifact because the ley lines are warped in that area, and marks that location on the party’s map too.

The party convinces Dalamar to come with them. He was committed to setting out for the artifact right away, but the party described the dangers that he might be likely to face and the presence of two former RDA prisoners likely swung his judgment toward staying with the group. After some indecision regarding whether to return Rone or Yearkal first, or rescue the hostages in the RDA camp, the party decides to return Rone and collect his promised 1000 gp reward.

Rone brings the party to his town, Heart’s Hollow, which is placed inside a deep crater and gives them a tour. They met Grandit “End” Pike, the dwarf who runs the trading post called End’s Odds. They got to see the Mosaic where everyone who comes to Heart’s Hollow places a colored stone or two. They saw the fort, which is insufficient defense against the RDA, but Rone was proud of it nonetheless. They entered the Salt Lick and met Ness, the bartender and mayor, and Clystran, a local scout. They saw Breakwater Landing, the town square and general public space. Finally, they met Lavender, an older human mage, in hiding from the Mages of High Sorcery, whose hut juts out into the space over the crater.

Rone showed them his small house, which was carved out of the crater wall like many. Rone boldly presented the party, Tswoozie specifically, with 3 gold pieces and, embarrassed, promised them that he would get them the rest. The party, Tswoozie especially, told him that they were happy to help him get home safely and then departed for the Salt Lick.

While at the salt lick, the party discusses the RDA camp to the north, and Clystran says that he’d be interested in accompanying the party. The party welcomes him. Clystran also reveals that he has two tasks that will have to wait, contacting Blue Maw Cave, and feeding a population of dragonnels that he’s fond of to the west. Clystran marks both locations on the party’s map.

Toward the end of the night, after sampling the local moonshine, Moo wonders why the bar is called the Salt Lick, and licks a wall to see if its salty. Other members of the party do the same before Ness calls out, “Quit licking my walls!” She then pulls out from under the bar a large, mostly white with some light brown striations, crystalline mass. She then declares, “This is the salt lick.” Moo promptly has himself a big drooly lick, and then asks Ness, “Are you going to lick it to?” To which Ness responds, “No, only visitors ever actually lick it.”

Before leaving the Salt Lick, Moo, Stellar, and Nala express interest in visiting the Dragonnels that Clystran is familiar with, and the four of them make plan to visit them tomorrow. The early start doesn’t appeal to Pudge or Tswoozie who stay home and sleep in.

Clystran leads the trip west and keeps the group in the gulleys when he can. Upon rising out of an arroyo, Clystran gestures for the group to stop, be quiet, and then approach cautiously. He show them four Baaz Draconians who seem to be manning a waypoint on what has become a Red Dragon Army highway from Vogler to some as yet unknown destination to the north. The group puts on their Red Dragon Army chain mail and places some mock bindings on Clystran’s wrists. They then cast Pass Without Trace and sneak by the waypoint.

After passing the waypoint, Clystran explains that they’ll be walking along the RDA road for around three hours. Stellar takes over casting Pass Without Trace after Nala’s spell wears off, and that lets the group skirt around a second waypoint before leaving the RDA road for good and bedding to the west around the northern point of the Barrow Ridge formation. Once on the west side of Barrow Ridge, the party stops using the Pass Without Trace spell.

Toward the end of the day as they approach the Dragonnel colony, the group removes their chain mail and arrives at dusk. The Dragonnels live in a rock formation with sheer cliff sides, but there’s something more. The formation itself looks like a dragon’s head in bas relief. Clystran remarks to Stellar, “Yeah, I don’t know why some many formations around here look like dragons. Some process or some magic that I don’t understand, for sure!”

The party arrives at a level area with some open space and large flat stones, and Clystran spreads out the dried meat that he brought. A group of 8 or so Dragonnels descend and begin eating. Clystran remarks that there seem to be fewer of them, “Bluey’s missing. So’s Speedy.”

Clystran and Nala walk forward, and other than gathering a few looks from the Dragonnels, they receive no response. Nala considers casting Speaks with Animals, but realizes that it won’t work with dragonkind. Clystran then explains that he’s certain that they understand Common, and Nala and the other Dragonborn are certain that the Dragonnels understand Draconic.

The group turns to Oasis to attempt communication, but she’s quickly at a loss as to what gestures and sounds have meaning in this clan.

Clystran suggests pulling out the RDA gear and giving it a good thrashing. The party does this and this gets the Dragonnels out of their passive positions of observing the strange visiting humans. The Dragonnels join in on stomping and thrashing the gear. One Dragonnel picks up a set of mail and gives it a dog’s rat-killing shake by twisting its neck to shake its head like it’s shaking off water. A camaraderie seems to form.

A discussion ensues where the party asks about the Dragonnel’s missing members. The Dragonnels respond with roars and howls and long stares to the north in the direction of the RDA road.

Moo and Stellar gain flashes of insight among the Dragonnels. They believe that the Dragonnels are split in opinion on how to deal with the RDA threat. The larger and probably older Dragonnels are scared and want to remain hidden. The younger ones are not as scared and are willing to help, but don’t know how.

Moo begins talking about how the RDA has riders. Two of the Dragonnels fly up to the outcropping and return with several more Dragonnels. Moo senses the Dragonnels anger that the RDA has captured some of them to be forced mounts, and can’t bring himself to ask them to volunteer to be battle mounts for the party. Oasis suggests that Nala get on, and the two of them ride about the gathering, but this produces an awkward, puzzled silence. The older dragons seem to refuse the idea while the younger ones remain quiet.

Moo puts on his Helm of Comprehending Languages and asks the dragon that he has formed a bit of a bond with what his name is. The dragon barks and growls and Moo understands that his name is Moonlight Rabbit Hunter. He then gathers the names of the other Dragonnels who were willing to share. Stellar was close to an older, larger dragon whose name is Soars on the Thermals.

As the night seems to be coming to a disappointing end, one of the younger Dragonnels, Wind in the Eye, noses Nala off of Oasis and then pushes his side into her hip. She makes space for him, and he simply does it again. She then boldly yet cautiously gets on his back and he takes off like a shot into the night sky. Another young Dragonnel, Roars Echoing on the Cliffs, invites Stellar to go flying and they take off. Finally, Moonlight Rabbit Hunter scans Moo from head to toe and sighs, exchanging looks with another Dragonnel, Meat in the Teeth, and then pushes his side into Moo’s hip. Moo gets on, and after a tremendous jerk, the creature takes off for a moment, then comes back to ground and gallops a bit, and then takes off again and laboriously but steadily climbs. The group flies up and over the prominence that is the Dragonnels’ home and land on a ledge well up the cliff face.

The flight is a harrowing experience. There is precious little to hold on to and each flap of the Dragonnel’s wings feels like a massive jerk forward that threatens to throw the rider off, tumbling backwards down the Dragonnel’s tail. The sheer massive effort of lifting hundreds of pounds of muscle and bone, armor and weapons off the ground is shouted through every touch the rider and the Dragonnel share. The Dragonnel’s heart quickly pounds in its tubular chest, beating an alternative rhythm to its wings, their syncopation being the only things between the unprepared rider and a swift plummet to death. For those who have them, rings of feather falling are thin comfort against the raging wind storm of terror.

Upon landing on the cliff ledge everyone immediately dismounts and realizes that there’s no way to return to camp on foot from where they are. After exchanging a few comments of wonder at what has just happened, the party swallows their reluctance and courageously remounts.

The flight back to camp is much worse. Moonlight Rabbit Hunter leads the group back and simply steps off the cliff and free falls to begin the return flight. Stellar and Nala hear Moo shouting what seem to be curses in Minotaur as they too plummet just a few meters behind him. The Dragonnels then spread their wings and level out. They make a fast, low pass over the camp to Clystran’s wonder and amazement and the boredom of the remaining Dragonnels. The Dragonnels then pull up, pivot on a wing tip and return to camp. They stall and use their wings to brake themselves before landing back-feet first and then hard on the front feet, coming close to bucking the riders off over their head.

Everyone dismounts. Moo is angry and accuses Moonlight Hunter of doing that on purpose, which of course he did, but Moo seems to understand that maybe that’s just how a wild animal would fly from there to here, and quiets down.

As Stellar dismounts, she notices that her thigh is badly bruised by a pair of stones that she had stored in a belt pouch. She pulls out the stones and they’re her Sending Stones and she gets an idea. She gives one Sending Stone to Roars Echoing on the Cliffs and explains what they are. She then sends over the stone, “You can get messages from me,” and Roars replies, “And I can respond!” Stellar excitedly explains what has happened and Moo and Nala quickly give a Sending Stone to Moonlight Hunter and Wind in the Eye, respectively. Wind in the Eye then offers a flight back to Heart’s Hollow. The group accepts, but explains that they need some rest first.

Moo and Clystran drink all the water that they have on hand. When they wake up around 2 in the morning, the party quickly gets ready to depart. In addition to Moonlight Hunter, Wind, and Roars, Meat in the Teeth arrives to carry Clystran.

The flight to Heart’s Hollow is also harrowing. The ground drops away in powerful jerks timed with the beats of the Dragonnel’s wings. Soon the creature’s heart throbs as more altitude is gained, and it exhales hard in time with each downstroke. Much more altitude is acquired than what seems strictly necessary and the party begins to wonder at this, but then below them stretching out to the north and to the southeast toward Vogler, they see at regular intervals orange lights that seem to be fires, perhaps for waypoints like the ones they snuck past yesterday. The RDA road is laid out clearly below them.

The Dragonnels level out as they cross the road and then begin the descent to Heart’s Hollow. Again, descending is worse. Going down and slowing down destroys the grip the rider’s have on the Dragonnel. This descent is much calmer than the previous one but the wind, cold, and hours aloft take their toll.

Finally, the Dragonnel’s alight on the rim of the crater that is Heart’s Hollow. The riders share affection with their Dragonnels and are happy that they have a way to communicate with them via the Sending Stones. Moo gives Clystran some gold and asks him to feed Moonlight Hunter for him. Clystran says he will and leads the party down the slope to the trail and into town.

When Stellar, Nala, and Moo return to their temporary home, a whole day has passed, but it seems like Pudge and Tswoozie haven’t even moved. Maybe they haven’t. Was it all a dream?

With Pudge still under the weather, the rest of the party decided to leave the rescue mission at Camp Carrionclay to another day and to investigate the tunnels at the bottom of Heart’s Hollow’s crater. They borrow some rock hammers to collect colored rocks and begin their descent down the road that travels the inside of the crater wall. Clystran warns them to look out for the “fang worms,” and smiles as they leave.

As the party descends, they see that the walls of the crater have been worked pretty thoroughly over the years and become more convinced that they will have to enter a cave or two to find some choice specimens. The first cave is small and short, excluding Oasis, but giving the party the chance to work out how they will see what’s going on around them. Moo dons night vision goggles and Stellar casts Darkvision on herself, Nala, and Tswoozie. The Hurricane Lanterns are no longer necessary, but the party continues to see them as potentially useful tools as they do help see greater detail than is otherwise revealed with the Darkvision spell only.

The party makes their way further down and selects a cave opening very near the bottom of the crater. The cave is large enough for Oasis to follow, and they make their way along its serpentine passageway. It travels for some distance. The air changes from the hot, arid air that is typical of the northern wastes to being cold and damp. The marks on the walls from other rock seekers become less common and then stop entirely. The walls and floor become covered in moisture, and then the party is walking through puddles and a ceaseless dripping noise is heard as water falls from the ceiling to the floor.

The passageway then takes a hard left and the party is met with a steep downslope. Stellar casts Spider Climb on herself and works her way down the slope, scattering some sharp stones as she goes. At the bottom is a hard right and when she looks around the corner she sees another hard left and something unexpected: a faint purple light emanating from something farther down the passageway.

She casts Pass Without Trace and the party makes their way toward the source of the lavender illumination. When they round the corner, they see a cavern, perhaps 50 feet across. The floor of this cavern is covered with fungi of various kinds, and it is the fungi that are emitting the light. Stellar reaches down and touches one of the fungi, and it reaches back with one its tentacles and touches her in return, doing a minor amount of necrotic damage.

The party steps back and observes. There seem to be three kinds of fungus: a violet fungus like the one that touched Stellar, a spore sack that is roughly a foot in diameter, and many conglomerations of blade-like fungi, like the shelf fungi that grow on trees, only these are growing on the floor of the cave. The party also notices that the fungi seem to be arranged in a somewhat orderly fashion, almost like they were planted. They also notice that some of the fungi are moving, or something is moving through them.

Tswoozie hooks a lantern on his dancing longsword, Yondu, and directs it over the fungi across the cavern. As the lantern approaches the middle of the cavern, three vicious looking worms rear up, showing a face that is nothing but a giant beak surrounded by four tentacles with brutal-looking claws on their ends. The worms are surprised and scared by the flying sword and lantern and dash out of the fungi into one of several exits at the other side of the cavern.

Tswoozie and the party decide to follow and Tswoozie opens the combat with his lightning breath, damaging and destroying several fungi and clearing about a third of the pathway needed to cross the cavern. Several spore sacs are triggered and Tswoozie and Stellar inhale the spores. Tswoozie is initially overcome and begins to slow down before recovering from their paralytic properties. Stellar and Nala then clear another twenty of feet using a combination of Stellar’s repulsion breath and Nala’s fire breath. Nala’s fire breath caught the spores on fire and created a moderately damaging fireball, but Stellar and Nala both managed to duck the worst of the blast. Yondu and Nala then finish the last of the violet fungi that block the door with a chop and a shot and the party continues up the passageway that the worms had fled.

After only a short distance, the passageway opens up onto a beachhead roughly 70-feet across. The beach forms part of a shore for an underground lake within a large cavern. The party notices across a channel from their beach is a statue of an elven queen that appears to be watching the entrance to this cavern. They also notice the sand ripple, and decide to stand on a nearby rock outcropping.

Just as the party climbs onto the rocks and Oasis takes to the air, five smaller fang worms and one giant one rear up out of the sand and attack the party. Oasis takes the first damage, but then Moo’s axe, Tswoozie’s dancing longsword, Stellar’s lightning bolts, and Nala’s arrow shots make short work of the smaller worm. The giant worm gets in one massive strike against Tswoozie, and the party thought that surely Tswoozie would be killed but he stood and the giant worm then fell swiftly to the combined might of the party. Afterward, Tswoozie comments that he’s certain he would have fallen were it not for the excellence of his armor.

The party is then free to gaze in wonder at what they seem to have discovered. Moo investigates the statue, and discovers a likeness of an elegantly dressed Elven queen standing and attentively watching. Tswoozie investigates potential access points for the central island in the lake, finds one, and reports it to the party. Stellar walks the other way along the beach and finds that a rock arch crosses a channel and arrives on another smaller beach.

Stellar notices that there are rhythmic disturbances in the water including whirlpools that seem to be gulping or bubbling up air. She Wild Shapes into a water snake and swims into the lake where she immediately notices an underwater passageway that the currents are running into and out of. She passes through the tunnel and surfaces and finds a sizable cavern with a large sandy beach. There’s another underwater passageway on the other side of the cavern and she swims through that too.

Upon surfacing she finds a smaller cavern with a smaller beach. The beach is littered with unexpected items that appear to be statues and other artworks. Stellar transforms back into her druid form and climbs onto the beach. She finds a statue of a dishonored elf general, surrounded by historical treatises recounting the general’s disgrace and notes that suggest a dragon has vowed to redeem this former hero; on an elaborate table an idol of an insectile devil, with a blindfold tied carefully around its compound eyes; a painting of a bronze dragon alongside a human woman wearing an outdated military uniform; a heavy cloak of shimmering blue scales, with an attached half-mask. There were more items, but as Stellar looked, a massive mound of water began forming in the channel. Stellar quickly transformed back into a water snake and entered the water.

Once underwater, Stellar could see that she was swimming with a bronze dragon. It was climbing out as she was diving in. Stellar quickly swims away from the dragon and is relieved to find another underwater passageway on the far side from where she and the dragon entered. She swims through it and finds herself in the channel under the rock bridge she crossed earlier. The party has collected on the beachhead on the channel’s shore. She leaves the water and transforms back into her druid form and tells the party quickly about the dragon.

Soon afterward, a large mound of water appears on the surface of the channel that Stellar just came from. Nala and Tswoozie gallantly step forward to parley with the dragon. As the dragon raises its head above the surface of the water Tswoozie begins to speak, but then the dragon rudely interrupts and says, “Tswoozie! Nala! What are you doing here?” The dragon approaches the beach and then transforms into Nezra, or Nessie to her friends, the mayor of Heart’s Hollow and barkeep at the Salt Lick.

The conversation initially concerns Nessie’s disappointment at how her carefully cultivated fungi and gricks didn’t dissuade the party from entering her lair. After Nessie comes to accept her loss, she explains how she maintains and protects Heart’s Hollow through the lean times and refers to its inhabitants repeatedly as “her people.”

Moo brings Nessie’s attention to how she can protect her people from the Dragon Armies, and asks questions that seem to imply a mistrust of all dragons. Nessie then asks if she is the first dragon they have met, and the party truthfully responds that she is. She then expands upon who the dragons are, what the current tumult may be related to, and what her limits are.

Nessie explains that Dragonkind are split into the chromatic dragons, red, green, blue, black, and white, and the metallic dragons, gold, silver, copper, bronze, and brass. The chromatic dragons are generally evil and the metallic dragons are typically good. She is a bronze dragon and has a fondness for humans, especially the fugitives that she protects today.

She then adds what she knows of the rise of the Dragon Armies. They are associated with the chromatic dragons and with Takhisis who is the goddess and mother of the chromatic dragons. Takhisis is currently imprisoned in the 9 hells, but she may very well be freed soon, and that may be the purpose of these Dragon Armies.

Freeing Takhisis on this realm of the Material Plane would likely bring about a manifestation of the Eternal Battle. The Eternal Battle is between the Dragon gods, Paladine and Takhisis, and the Outer Gods, that is, the gods of the Outer Planes who include Kiri-Jolith, Habakkuk, and Mishakal among others. Time flows differently for gods, or rather, it doesn’t flow. What happens in one instant of time for the gods happens in every instance of time. So, the battle between them is eternal.

Moo recited what he could remember of a poem that he heard from a RDA officer at Wheelwatch Outpost. Nessie listened and explained that that version is a human corruption of a dragon poem called “Elegy for the First World.” She then recited the first three verses before conversation interrupted. She retrieved a sealed container containing a copy of the poem from her hoard and gave it to Moo.

Moo continues to expound upon the value of military aid against the RDA. Tswoozie softens the message considerably, and Nessie explains that a dragon’s power is connected to the size of her hoard. While she remains a powerful magical being, her hoard is not what it once was and she has dedicated herself to the preservation of Heart’s Hollow and her people. However, if they decided to go to war, then she would go with them.

Prior to the party’s returning back to Heart’s Hollow, Nessie asked that if they see any dragons’ eggs in the hands of the dragon armies to please take them and bring them to her. She has concerns with where Draconians come from and the RDA doesn’t need to have any dragons’ eggs anyway. She promises to make the completion of the quest worth the parties’ while.

Upon returning home, Moo opens the container that Nessie gave him. It contains an ornate vellum scroll and seems magical in some way. Moo begins reading it and then notices that he’s not wearing his Helm of Comprehending Languages, nor is the scroll frayed, smeared, or faded in any way. This is what Moo read:

Breathe, dragons: sing of the First World,

forged out of chaos and painted with beauty.

Sing of Paladine, the Platinum,

molding the shape of the mountains and rivers;

Sing too of Chromatic Takhisis,

painting all over the infinite canvas,

Partnered, they woke in the darkness;

partnered, they labored in acts of creation.

Breathe, dragons; sing then of Sardior,

ruby-red jewel they made in their likeness;

Sardior, first-born of dragonkind,

labored alongside Paladine and Takhisis,

Shaping the dragons they crafted:

dragons metallic and dragons chromatic.

Breathe, dragons — draw in the life-gift

breathed into you at the dawn of creation.

Breathe, dragons; sing of the outsiders,

war-bringer gods with their mortal adherents;

Teeming, they came to the First World,

seeking a home for their legions of followers.

Mighty in magic and numbers,

conquering deities seized their victory.

Fallen was noble Paladine,

Sardior hid in the heart of creation.

Breathe, dragons; sing now of Takhisis,

raging in battle with no hope of victory.

She would not flee or surrender,

fighting as death reached its cold claws toward her.

War-bringers seized her and bound her,

snatched her from death, entombed her in torment —

Sealed in the darkness forever,

captive to gods laying claim to creation.

Breathe, dragons; sing of the conquest,

seeding the world with their legions of followers,

Each to their own habitation,

Elves in their forests and Dwarves in their mountains,

Orcs in their caverns and canyons,

Goblins in badlands and Halflings in green fields,

Lizardfolk lurking in marshes,

Humans throughout every part of creation.

Breathe, dragons; sing of Paladine,

maker of peace with the outsider deities,

Welcomed to mountains celestial,

worshiped by some as the Platinum Paladin

Sing of his journeys of seeking,

striving to understand gods and their children,

Longing for Takhisis’ freedom,

grieving her loss from the face of creation.

Breathe, dragons; sing of her freedom —

Takhisis loosed from her prison of torment!

Tell how she rallied her children,

Dragons chromatic, a spectrum of mayhem.

Sing of her fury, her vengeance,

lightning and venom, ice, fire, and corrosion,

Five-headed, monstrous, and mighty,

rampaging on a campaign of destruction.

Breathe, dragons; sing of the First World,

scattered in infinite seedling realities.

Sing of Paladine and Takhisis,

watching its sundering, mourning their labor.

Sing too of Sardior, sundered,

consciousness scattered in minuscule fragments.

Breathe, dragons: you are inheritors,

ruling the wreck of the First World’s destruction.

Pudge is still down with a mysterious illness and refuses help from Tswoozie. The party is left to consider what to do without her. They consider going to Camp Carrionclay, but ultimately decide on traveling to Blue Maw Cave and discovering what residents are there, if any.

The party chooses not to take any measures to hide themselves during the first two hours of their travel and they get spotted from the air by a squadron of three dragonnels with riders. One of the dragonnels is a red dragonnel from Taman Busuk, the other two are copper colored and appear to be from the Northern Wastes.

The party initially tries to hide, but as the dragonnels circle overhead it becomes apparent that they’ve been spotted. Moo and Tswoozie climb out of the gulley that they were in, plant their feet and await combat. The rest of the party joins them. The party’s heroism takes away their fear as they believe that the squadron’s weapons cannot hurt them.

Tswoozie prays for aid as Moo charges into the battle and draws the attacks of the three riders and the red dragonnel. His axe flashes in the sun and then glistens redly as Stellar readies and fires a blinding lightning bolt striking a rider and the red dragonnel. Tswoozie and Yondu join the fray as first one and then another rider falls. The copper dragonnels seem surprised at how the fight is going, and then seem eager, and take to the air. A moment later they are spitting acid at the last remaining rider. Moo decapitates the red dragonnel and then the last rider falls. The battle finishes in a brutal spasm of violence, leaving the party standing with only modest injuries.

As the party approaches their fallen enemies, the sun glints off rings that each rider wears. Tswoozie, Moo, and Stellar each receive a ring of feather falling and the entire party splits the discovered gold, receiving 20 coins each.

After hearing the party call to them, one of the copper dragonnels lands and pushes the buckle of its saddle toward Moo. Moo cuts the saddle off. The dragon makes eye contact with Moo, grunts, and then takes off into the air. Nala similarly cuts the saddle of the other dragonnel and the two flying reptiles are seen heading west. Moo texts Moonlight Rabbit Hunter that two of their lost members are returning and Moonlight Rabbit Hunter replies with joy.

The party arrives at Blue Maw Cave the next day without further incident. As they approach, they see that the mouth of the cave is about 40 feet high, but that’s about all they notice. Half the party triggers a pit trap, but their rings of feather falling save them from any damage. As the party struggles to free their trapped members, a dwarven woman approaches, exclaims her surprise that the party isn’t RDA, and begins speaking with Clystran and exchanges verbal barbs with Tswoozie. The party gets free of the pit and follows the dwarven woman, who introduces herself as Grasha to another entrance where the rest of her clan are.

Grasha explains that the RDA has set up an operation in the cave looting an apparently abandoned dragon’s hoard at the bottom of the cave. Clystran becomes very excited at having finally located a dragon’s lair, one of his lifelong dreams. After initially being scolded by her clanmates for bringing strangers into their den, Grasha asks the party if they’d be interested in clearing out the RDA presence from the cave. She offers that they’d be able to keep any loot they find. The party agrees and prepares for another fight.

Pudge finally recovers mid-morning on the day that the party leaves for Blue Maw Cave. She heads over to the Salt Lick to see if there might be something to eat. The place is nearly empty and Pudge decides to sit at the bar, and with a little effort, she climbs into the high seat, exchanges morning pleasantries with Nessie, and asks what the kitchen might have today.

Something unusual is on the menu. Nezra tells her they have BBQ prickly pear fruit today. Apparently, late summer is the fruiting time of the prickly pear, but having newly recovered from several days of a stomach ailment, she opts for the tried and true jack rabbit stew and a glass of milk.

Nezra comes back with a bowl of stew and a glass of water. Pudge politely but quizzically accepts the glass of water with the stew, and Nezra asks if the group told her about what they found in the tunnels the other day. Pudge says that she knows everything and then Nezra casts a cantrip (prestidigitation), turning the water into milk and comments that she’d be appreciative if Pudge kept that glass on the down-low as cows are hard to find around here.

Yearkal then walks in and is dismayed to the point of agitation. Even before saying ‘Good morning’ she asks Pudge where the party is. She explains that they’ve gone to Blue Maw Cave, a two-day trip to the south. Yeakal is saddened by the news, exclaims that it’ll be at least five days before she can even set out for Blue Phoenix Shrine, and after asking for a bowl of stew, begins asking Nessie how far and in what direction she’d need to travel, as if considering making the journey herself. Pudge then asks Nessie, “Is there anything we can do to help Yearkal get back to the shrine?”

Nessie is moved and walks to the end of the bar and asks Yeakal and Pudge to come with her. Pudge drinks her milk and then follows. The three of them enter a back room of the bar where Nessie’s desk and a few crates of supplies are. Besides the desk, most things are covered in dust except for one end of a bookshelf where there’s a stone that Nessie picks up. Nezra then asks to hold Yearkal’s and Pudge’s hand and they oblige. The room blinks out of existence, and that environment is replaced by a dark large cave that is half sandy beach and half water. Nezra then explains a few things to the frightened and astounded Yearkal and asks her to keep her secret. Nezra then enters the water, transforms into a bronze dragon and swims away under the water, returning a few minutes later.

Nezra returns, emerges from the water, and turns back into her human self. Before anything else she turns to Pudge an emphasizes, “Now this is a loan only! I want this back! This was given to me by Paladine himself!” She then hands Pudge a figurine of a canary and explains: “This is a mote of the sun godess’s consciousness, Alamadras, a golden dragon who rose to godhead eons ago, if you believe the myths that Paladine does like to tell. He crafted the mote into this figurine. It still possesses its intelligence and the love and ferocity of its mother. If you toss this gently onto open ground near you and call the name ‘Sunshine,’ the figurine will transform into a giant canary that you and Yearkal can ride, though I think that might stretch its strength a bit. You can do this once per day and it will tire after around 10 hours. It should get the two of you to Blue Phoenix Shrine today if you leave soon and tomorrow it can catch you up with your group at Blue Maw Cave, Pudge.”

Nezra pauses, and then continues: “It has a second name, but only use it if you truly have need. The second name can only be used once per year and it will work only if you truly are in great need. Throw the figurine just as before but instead call the name ‘Sunstorm.’ It will transform into a gold dragon. It can hold that form for only an hour, no matter how interesting the conversation or how desperate the combat may be.” Nessie pauses again, then says, “Know that I can find you or whoever possesses this, Pudge, and I want it back.”

Nezra then draws the stone that brought them here from her pocket and asks for their hands again. The three of them then teleport back to Nessie’s back room in the Salt Lick, and re-enter the bar. Nothing seems to have changed except that less steam is rising from the two bowls of jack rabbit stew. Yearkal needs to calm down a moment, then wolfs down the stew. Pudge and the Sea Elf priestess leave the bar to find a suitable take-off point.

Pudge and Yearkal climb to the edge of the crater and examine the RDA’s road to the west. No dust clouds are visible along its length, but three black motes to the south are quickly approaching in the air. Instead of following the road, however, they circle over a position to Heart’s Hollow’s south. They then spiral down and seem likely to have landed, but Pudge could no longer see them once they dropped so low. They did not immediately rise again, and Pudge and Yearkal thought now would be their best time to go.

Pudge casts the figurine, calls “Sunshine,” and a friendly 8-foot-tall canary appears and chirps at them. After a few scratches around the back of the head by way of greetings, Yearkal places Pudge on the canary’s back at her request and then climbs on. Pudge speaks and gestures to the southeast, and Sunshine takes off, keeping a somewhat low altitude, cruising down the formation to the level ground that stretches across the Northern Wastes.

After half a day’s flying, the tower of Wakenreth atop its mesa comes into view. Pudge detours slightly to get a better view of what, if anything, may be occurring there, but it appears abandoned. The fliers continue on to Blue Phoenix Shrine without landing.

Finally, at the end of a long day, Blue Phoenix Shrine comes into view and Yearkal is excited to see that some tents remain. The camp is not alert, though, and the fliers aren’t noticed. Pudge and Yearkal land behind a bluff and after expressing their gratitude, they invite Sunshine to rest until tomorrow and it immediately reverts back into a figurine which Pudge pockets.

As Pudge and Yearkal approach the camp, Ishvern appears from one of the tents carrying what looks like implements and ingredients for dinner and approaches his campfire. As he puts down his things he notices Pudge and Yearkal approaching, rises, and runs toward them, smiling greatly. Yearkal also runs toward him and when they meet they hug. Ishvern spins Yearkal around him while she raises her calves behind her, then they stop and kiss passionately. Pudge slowly approaches, and the Sea Elves turn to her, thank her profusely, and invite her to join them for dinner.

Over dinner, Ishvern and Yearkal exchange their stories of what happened while they were separated. Ishvern then exclaims, “Before I forget!” and walks into his tent. He returns with a small pouch and hands it to Pudge with more profuse gratitude. The pouch seems to hold round stones and when Pudge gets a look at them later they are four blue pearls that in her estimation are probably worth hundreds of gold all together. Ishvern and two friends are all that remain of the Sea Elf pilgrimage and after dinner, the four Sea Elves decide to sail for the sea tomorrow morning if the wash remains high.

The next day Pudge says her final goodbyes and gifts Yearkal and Ishvern with two clockwork items that when combined form a heart and beats like one too. She then asks them not to open them until they are at sea. They agree, again express their gratitude, and then continue preparing the makeshift vessel for its journey down the wash. Though it looks dubious to Pudge, the Sea Elves appear confident and proceed apace.

Pudge returns to where she landed yesterday, throws the figurine, and calls for Sunshine. The giant canary appears and looks refreshed. After failing to mount once and pulling out one of the canary’s feathers, Pudge takes out her rope of climbing and asks it to animate into a harness so that she can climb on. It does so and makes for a more secure and comfortable flight as well. She heads west toward Blue Maw Cave.

After half a day’s flying she arrives at the RDA road. Luck is with her and no ground or air traffic is visible. She crosses quickly and continues west.

Around mid-afternoon she arrives at a large rock formation with a 40’-tall cave opening in its side. Pudge cautiously chooses to land down the formation from the cave opening, thanks Sunshine, and pockets the figurine. She then approaches on foot.

As she gets close to the cave mouth, her path is interrupted by what appears to be a sprung pit trap. The pit’s about 20’ deep, and there are some nasty looking spikes at the bottom. Pudge notices some recent scuff marks on the side of the pit where it looks like a couple people climbed out with some help and tracks of four or more individuals, including a set of bipedal hoofed tracks heading away from the pit. The tracks don’t lead into the cave itself, but to a small path that leads above and behind the cave mouth. Pudge follows the tracks and they lead to a small cave opening that’s comfortable enough for her to enter, but she wonders how Moo handled it. She courageously continues inward. After about five minutes of walking, squeezing, and scraping. She wisely decides to play her kazoo to avoid surprises and to help keep the gloom away. She begins to hear conversation ahead of her and a dwarf comes down the passageway to greet her, and laughs and thanks her for her kazoo playing, saying it saved them all a scare.

Pudge then enters the Migan Clan’s home where the party has just accepted their latest quest: to clear the cave of the RDA presence and help themselves to whatever loot may still be there. Stellar and Nala are happy to see that Pudge is feeling better and are glad that they’ll have their mage with them for the next fight.

The party enters the cave and is awed by its size and splendor. The initial chamber is roughly a 40’ sphere and is lined with large, luminescent blue crystals that give off a dim light. The party begins gathering blue stones to bring back for the Heart’s Hollow mosaic when Stellar notices some ripples in the sand. Pudge comes over to “detect” the monsters by throwing a stone at one of the ripples. A fangworm thrusts its head out of the sand and screams. Six more fangworms erupt out of the sand along the edges of the walls and attack the party.

Moo and Ella make very quick work of three of the worms. Ella brought her screaming arrows back to the party’s aid and dispatched two worms on successive shots. Stellar destroyed two more with a lightning bolt. One dies outright from the bolt, but the bolt strikes the large central crystal and it shatters, spraying nearly every creature in the cavern with sharp crystalline shards. Pudge, Tswoozie, and Oasis finish off the remaining three worms, and Stellar uses her staff of healing to mend their wounds.

The party then makes their way down the eastern hallway, navigating a couple cliffs in excess of 30 feet in height. The last cliff opens into the bottom chamber of the cave. A Sivak and five Baaz Draconians are visible collecting loot from a sand pit in the middle of the chamber. Two full bags of loot are placed at the bottom of the cliff. The Sivak and the Baaz aren’t paying any attention to the party who is well-hidden atop a 50-foot cliff.

Stellar suggests that the rope of climbing is used to bring the loot up to the party before the fight. Stellar casts Pass Without Trace to minimize sound, and Pudge crawls to the lip of the cliff and commands the rope to go down the cliff and tie itself to the first loot bag which it does. Nala then hauls the bag up as stealthily as she can. The party gets both bags brought up to the cliff. Moo immediately becomes interested in the potions and a huge jug containing some liquid. He pops the top off the jug and is disappointed to taste water. Pudge tastes a potion and discovers that it is a potion of lightning breath! Moo roars, “Give me that!” and takes it from her and drinks it.

Upon hearing Moo clamor for the potion, the Sivak turns around, sees that the loot is gone and calls for the Baaz to come to him, “We have intruders!” Moo responds by breathing lightning down the cliff, which doesn’t reach the Sivak, but does explode some of the crystals doing some damage to him. Moo can’t help but feel joy swell in his heart as he notices that the potion seems to grant stronger lightning breath than Tswoozie’s.

The fight is on, and Moo jumps over the cliff and floats down to attack the Sivak. With two massive strikes, Moo drops the RDA leader and then turns on a Baaz and fells him too. Nala, Pudge, and Stellar bring the remaining three down, with two dying in a tangle of Spike Growth.

Stellar excavates what’s left of the sand pit using three casts of Gust of Wind and the party obtains a massive list of loot. The complete set from the three RDA bags and what was found in the pit is: spider-webbed slippers; very light but sturdy boots; spell scroll of web; potion of lightning breath (3); driftglobe; wand of magic detection; large ceramic jug full of liquid with many corks; unidentified spell scrolls (2); deck of cards; green, pointy boots that let you walk noiselessly; dusty forest green cloak; spell scroll of invisibility (3rd level); skull medallion; unidentified oil; red jeweled amulet; ring with a brain on it; broad leather belt with the face of a giant on it; a pair of bracers; a cloak with tentacles and spiked pads; 1200 cp; 8000 sp; 2300 gp; 60 pp; 12 gems; an ornate chalice.

Grasha’s father, Blem, is a mage of some small talent and identifies the items found in the dragon’s hoard.

Spider-webbed slippers: https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4755-slippers-of-spider-climbing

Very light but sturdy boots: https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4588-boots-of-levitation

Spell scroll of web: https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Web#content

Potion of lightning breath (3): https://www.aidedd.org/dnd/om.php?vo=potion-of-fire-breath

Driftglobe: https://www.aidedd.org/dnd/om.php?vo=driftglobe

Wand of magic detection: https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Wand%20of%20Magic%20Detection#content

Large ceramic jug full of liquid with many corks: https://www.aidedd.org/dnd/om.php?vo=alchemy-jug

Unidentified spell scrolls (2): Spell scrolls of revivify: https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Revivify#content

Deck of cards: https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Deck%20of%20Illusions#content

Green, pointy boots that let you walk noiselessly: https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4587-boots-of-elvenkind

Dusty forest green cloak: https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Cloak%20of%20Elvenkind#content

Spell scroll of invisibility (3rd level)

Skull medallion: https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4679-medallion-of-thoughts

Unidentified oil: https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4689-oil-of-slipperiness

Red jeweled amulet: https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4694-periapt-of-wound-closure

Ring with a brain on it: https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4725-ring-of-mind-shielding

Broad leather belt with the face of a giant on it: https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4585-belt-of-hill-giant-strength

A pair of bracers: https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4594-bracers-of-defense

A cloak with tentacles and spiked pads: Cloak of the Displacer Beast. It is a Cloak of Displacement (https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4605-cloak-of-displacement) that allows a Druid to Wild Shape into a displacer beast.

1200 cp

8000 sp

2300 gp

60 pp

12 gems

An ornate chalice

The party decides to stay the night with the dwarves and help them move back into the main cave after Moo shares a few rounds of beer from his alchemy jug with Blem.

The next day the party says their goodbyes and begins to make their way north to Heart’s HollowThey see supply trains heading north on the road but elicit no attention from the RDA as they travel. They make their way back to their previous campsite on the western side of Barrow Ridge. Just after everyone falls asleep a hawk screams from its perch on the cliff directly above the party and wakes everyone up. Stellar immediately transforms into a displacer beast and then returns to bed remaining in that form, much to the psychological discomfort of the rest of the party.

The next day the party rapidly crosses the road and makes it back to Heart’s Hollow by the end of the day. Everyone at the Salt Lick is excited about trading with Grasha’s clan for the gorgeous blue stones that come from their cave and anything else they might mine. Stellar charitably visits the vendors in the town and spends some of her loot. Most notably, she visits End at End’s Odds and purchases some iron and some translucent stones, as well as commissioning the polishing of some stones in his rock tumbler. End says it will take about three weeks to polish the stones to an optically smooth surface.

Clystran mentions that he feels rain in the air. It could be here in a couple days, and warns the party that desert storms are often violent.

The party sets out with Clystran and Dalamar for Darrett’s camp, a trek expected to take a day and a half. The wash is still high the morning that they begin. Immediately upon descending the eastern side of High Hunt, the formation that contains the crater that holds Heart’s Hollow, they are confronted with a crossing.

In the flooded canyon are three plesiosaurs. The plesiosaurs seem happy to remain focused on a bait ball of fish that they alternately shape and strike. Nala decides that it’s probably in everyone’s best interest to try to talk with them. She asks Oasis to make a big commotion splashing on the surface of the water which Oasis does. Two of the three plesiosaurs stick their heads up out of the water to see what’s going on.

Nala introduces herself and asks the plesiosaurs what they are doing here. The beast can only communicate primitively despite the magic, explaining, “Food here. You smell bad. You smell like land.” Nala then states that she and the party are not food to which the plesiosaur neither agrees or disagrees, and instead returns to harassing the bait ball.

The party then climbs into the portable hole and Nala rides across the flood on Oasis. One plesiosaur swims under and behind Oasis. It then pokes its head above water and sniffs for several moments before it opines, “You smell bad,” and returns underwater.

The party continues and later in the day they come across some human remains. Not far from the bones, a silver medallion is found. Moo recognizes it from a symbol he saw carved in the top of the bar at the Salt Lick. Stellar recognizes it as the symbol that was carved on the front door of the house the party was living in. They show the medallion to Clystran who tells them, “That’s Cornast’s medallion. So this is what happened to him. He’s been missing for a couple years, but you never know when someone decides to leave the Hollow, you know?” The party gathers the bones and builds a cairn before proceeding on toward Darrett’s camp.

At camp the party sees far in the distance a truly gargantuan creature that looks like a giant purple worm, and Dalamar confirms that that is precisely what it is called in this region of the world, a purple worm. He further states that the party would have no more chance against a purple worm than against an adult dragon, advising, “In case of an attack by either, flee! For the purple worm, find solid rock or take to the air. You have fewer options against a dragon.” Out of the night came coyotes and a dragonnel catching a rabbit, but otherwise it was uneventful. The next day the party continues and meets up with Darrett and his troops at his camp by midday.

Darrett shares that he has been scouting Camp Carrionclay and shares a map with the party. Clystran reveals that rain is going to fall heavily during the night and that, “Nobody’s going to be able to see anything.” Darrett also reveals that he thinks Camp Carrionclay might be about to move. He says that the RDA has been drawing down troops and now he thinks there are only two dozen enemies at the camp. These two revelations lead the party to decide to shift goals and attack Camp Carrionclay during the night. This angers Dalamar who flounces out of Darrett’s command tent. Stellar goes after him and apologizes, and then returns to plan the raid on Camp Carrionclay with the party.

The party makes plans to surgically penetrate Camp Carrionclay and rescue the prisoners, then takes provisions and begins their trek to the Camp. The wash remains high and when the party is within a few miles of the Camp as the sun is setting, it seems that the Camp is surrounded by water. To the west, thick dark clouds are slowly boiling forward, climbing as they approach and throwing down lightning bolts onto the parched desert floor in front of curtains of black rain.

Rain begins to fall where the party has chosen to rest and take a cold meal several miles from the Camp, and as if that were the party’s signal from on high, everyone climbs into the portable hole. Oasis smiles down on the group giving them her best attempt at assurance, and then the group is sealed inside, on their way to a battle where they will be outnumbered, their enemies are alert, trained, and armed, and their closest relief and allies will be over 10 miles away.

The party is in the hole for what seems like a long time. Nervousness and bravado take turns conversing as the party experiences a jittery peace before entering the storm.

Suddenly the solid ceiling of the hole opens like fabric pulled off a child’s mock fort, and a familiar voice with an unfamiliar face exclaims at them, “What are you doing?” and begins helping the party out of the hole. The surprising stranger seems familiar but isn’t. She is a burn victim, facially disfigured and missing much of her hair. As she helps Stellar and Nala out of the hole with strength and grace, they both ask, “Becklin, is that you?”

The stranger pauses and says, “No, you can call me The Archer. Your dragon has drawn the patrol. Hide and prepare to fight.” The rain is now pounding down and the moon is completely obscured. Visibility is less than five feet as the rain obscures vision and confuses hearing.

The party squats behind what rocks and brush and other poor cover is at hand. With his goggles of night, Moo sees the patrol comprising one officer and five soldiers pass directly in front of the party along the path that circles the lake only about 10 feet away. The rest of the party hears their squelching footsteps. The patrol passes the party and then stops only about 10 feet past Tswoozie who’s closest. The officer orders the soldiers to search between the path and the lake. In a series of tense moments, the party stays hidden, the soldiers do not detect them and return to the officer. He looks up and down the path, can’t see a thing, shrugs, mumbles, “dragonnel,” and orders the patrol back to circling the lake. They then pass right in front of the party again and continue on into the night.

The party tentatively rises from where they have crouched and pepper The Archer with questions. She explains that Becklin died at Vogler, and seems hesitant to explain further and the party has a job to do and begins preparations. As the party shares their plan, The Archer explains that an obese, female hobgoblin named Urta has the key to the prisoners' cages and a large male hobgoblin is in charge of the camp. She then asks to join and says she’ll just follow Nala and shoot what she shoots. The party agrees.

Stellar turns into a rat and is placed on Oasis’ back. The drake swiftly and silently flies across the lake, landing outside the Camp’s wall near where the prisoners are kept. Stellar hops down and in a flash of lightning, Oasis appears frightened to be able to see, if only for a moment. In the following inky blackness only the sound of air filled wings marks Oasis’ departure.

Stellar finds her way through the wall as rats always can. She approaches the cages closely enough to see three Elven prisoners and one Kender. There’s also a caged bulette who is clearly aware of her as she walks around its cage. A stroke of lightning reveals a lone, miserable, soggy Baaz guard who has pulled his cloak up and over his head to keep the water off of him and is letting it drape down in front of his face while he tries to rest.

Stellar continues into the main camp skirting to the south of the northern circle of huts. The large fire in the middle is getting doused by the rain, its light dimming. She moves around to the largest hut in the east and enters under one of the cloth walls. No one is inside. There’s a desk and chairs and an ornate chest in an odd shape with trigonal lobes separated by three smooth, recessed vertical channels. She climbs the desk and there’s a letter with the broken wax seal of Kansaldi Fire-eyes that Stellar recognizes from Wheelwatch Outpost. She open the letter and reads: “Zirroc: Akhviri will arrive on the 16th of Argon to bring the egg to the City of Lost Names. Prepare it for travel. -Kansaldi.”

Stellar becomes curious to see what’s in the chest. She climbs it and finds a button just under the lid on the side facing the room. She presses it and hears a click. She then lifts the lid and through the barely open lid she stares into blackness until a flash of lightning reveals the smooth and shiny surface of a dragon’s egg. Darkness drapes over its afterimage as thunder crackles, then booms.

As Oasis flies off with Stellar in rat form on her back, the rest of the party and The Archer who was once known as Becklin converse. The party, curious about what befell her at Vogler, ask for her story.

She describes how a contraption made of iron and fire smashed and burned its way through the Fishers’ Gate. Once through, the RDA fired it upon those who held the way to the wharf, and Becklin was in the lead in the middle of the road. Those to either side of her dove out of the way, but she chose to shelter behind her shield. The heat from the flames was too much. She fell in fiery pain and knew nothing more for a time.

Her next moment of consciousness came with the familiar flavor of a mouthful of healing potion and the unexpected horrid face of an ogress telling her to “Stay down.” She did. She lay in a ditch by the side of the road while the RDA invaded and occupied Vogler.

As she told her story, her shame would sometimes consume her, causing her to stop before continuing again in simple, plain language, neither avoiding her meaning nor dwelling on it.

The Archer reasoned that death normally frees one from the oath of the Knights of the Sword, and in her case if it didn’t, she certainly broke her vow by failing to defend the town to the utmost end. She lost her life only to have it forced back upon her so that it would lose all meaning. She was no longer a Knight of the Sword. She no longer defended Vogler. She was no longer forbidden from vengeance. She would harass the RDA until the end of days. She would snipe them until they fled from Vogler. Becklin was dead, and The Archer lived.

Oasis then returns and The Archer continues that she has had very good hunting here at Camp Carrionclay and at The City of Lost Names to the northeast. That’s what the RDA call the location, but she doesn’t understand why it’s called a city. Too many flyboys at the City these days for her. So she came here and she thinks she’s just about chased them from the place.

A lightning bolt strikes the tower and the group gets into the hole. Oasis flies across the lake, landing in the prisoners’ area. The lone Baaz guard approaches Oasis, expecting to drive off a confused dragonnel. As Oasis attempts to open the portable hole, the Baaz guard steps on it. Oasis just manages to open it by spreading herself out upon it, and both Oasis and the Baaz guard fall into the portable hole. Taking damage and falling prone, the Baaz guard is quickly kept silent.

Meanwhile, Stellar had completed a circuit through the northern ring of huts in the Camp and found the key to the prisoners’ cages and stolen it. She left it for the party in the prisoners’ area and went back outside the camp and walked around the north side of it. She then reached up with both hands and could feel the power of the storm within them. She pulled that power down onto the top of the guard tower once and then again. Stilling two of the three guards.

The leaders of the camp and their guard stepped out of their tent to see what was happening, and Stellar took that opportunity to cast a wall of fire through the camp. Zirroc, the commander, was directly targeted and was severely burned as was one of his two Sivak guards. Two arrows shot out of the prison area to finish the third guard from the tower, and Urta, the prison keeper, and two Baaz guards came rushing toward the prisoners to stop the prison break. They were met with the combined lightning breaths of Moo and Tswoozie which vaporized Urta and one guard.

The soldiers in the southern circle of huts and the Draconians stationed at the gate came northward to understand what the fire was about in the middle of this pouring storm. They are many. The Sivak from the gate and Zirroc’s two Sivak guards fly over the internal walls of the camp and fight the party in melee. Stellar lets go of the wall of fire and places a spike growth at the entrance to the prison area. That keeps the foot soldiers at bay for now while the party deals with the Sivak threat. One Sivak is defeated, yet two remain.

Stellar, determined to save the dragon egg that she discovered, knows that the rest of the party has no idea it’s here. It’s up to her to save it and it’s not part of the plan. She transforms into a displacer beast, leaps the wall, and rushes Zirroc who is now the last remaining enemy in the northern circle of huts, the last remaining enemy near the egg. Zirroc is busy equiping his armor, shield, and weapons from his trunk which he has dragged from his burning hut. He has no idea that a 700-pound, six-legged panther is bearing down on him.

The rain abates only for hail to fall. The icy stones are a menace. A particularly large one strikes Tswoozie in the helmet and he seems to lose his balance, but not fall over. It is everything that he can do to stay behind his shield with two Sivak in close combat.

But Tswoozie has friends. Pudge looks up from the book she was studying, clambers out of the portable hole, and casts Shatter on the two Sivaks, wounding both and weakening the wall separating the prison from the rest of the camp. Nala then strains her bow and pins one Sivak to the wall behind him with an arrow through his skull and severely wounds the second. Oasis flies in to finish him off. The two Sivaks unleash their banshee-like specters, but only Oasis is scared, and only for a little while. Moo then helps Tswoozie into the pit, and then rushes and gores the wall doing damage to it, but it holds for a little while longer.

Stellar in her displacer beast form engages Fewmaster Zirroc, beating him with her spiked tentacles, but he withstands the onslaught and closes with her. He hits hard. The pain rattles her, and her Spike Growth spell fades from the ground in front of the prison.

Pudge advances to the forefront to close the gap vacated by the warriors and the lost Spike Growth. She targets two indolent Baaz and one soldier who was too far into the Spike Growth to escape, and ends them all with a single fireball. The rest of the patrol comes sprinting around the tower to give aid to the embattled commander, but Pudge doesn’t let them pass. A second fireball flies from her hands, enveloping the patrol, killing every soldier and leaving the officer commandless.

More soldiers arrive. The patrol that was outside the camp breaks in through the gate and rushes to the side of the injured officer.

Moo gives the wall another goring rush damaging it further and Oasis rips it open with her jaws, allowing Moo to go streaking by the displacer beast intent upon her prey, Zirroc. As he enters the tent and searches the desk he finds orders and 300 gold, which he pockets. While inside Stellar confuses her opponent, making the most of her displacement, and then strikes him down, watching as he crumbles into the mud. Knowing that Moo is in the tent and knows of the egg, she dashes for the portable hole and the end of the operation.

As Moo picks up the egg in the chest, Akhviri, the adult black dragon, arrives early to take the egg from Zirroc and inspect his camp. She finds the camp in disarray as expected and delights with the thought of eating Zirroc for his incompetence, but is quickly bored to discover that his incompetence is so great that he is suffering a successful attack against his camp. She sees that Zirroc is dead. With her fun taken from her, she resolves to take the egg and go. Maybe she’ll have a good opportunity to breathe on some frail creatures. This miserable night and the daily intolerable arid heat is nothing like her swamp at the mouth of the Kablah in Khur. Besides, the air elementals of the storm are excessively animated. That can’t bode well for remaining overly long. Akhviri calls out, “Bring out the egg!”

Moo complies and together with Oasis and Stellar make a quick dash for the portable hole. They get there before Akhviri can react, but it makes no difference. She breathes acid all over the prison. Moo, Clystran, and the three Elf prisoners lose consciousness and start to die. Akhviri then flies to the hole, reaches into it, and withdraws the egg in its chest. Her claws fit perfectly into the clefts between its trigonal lobes. Bored and disappointed, she takes one baleful look to the south and immediately takes off to the north.

The rest of the party gets in the portable hole and Oasis folds it up and flies west, needing all her strength to avoid the tornado which sweeps Camp Carrionclay off the face of the mesa, first exploding the huts and walls and then blowing them away.

Inside the portable hole, Stellar uses her staff and spells to heal the quietly groaning casualties of the dragon’s breath.

Oasis and Pudge fly the party back to Darrett’s camp and arrive just at dawn, tired but successful in securing the prisoners. News of the dragon alarms Darrett and he decides that it’s better to be moving than to remain stationary. The party remembers Dalamar and the spot he marked on their map. Darrett thinks that direction is as good as any given that the location of the dragon is unknown, and after a short rest the platoon and the party head north. Darrett informs them that Dalamar left yesterday at about the same time that the party left for Camp Carrionclay.

The platoon moves slowly crossing the wash with their supplies and animals. Darrett asks the party to scout ahead, and the party agrees.

By mid-afternoon, the party arrives at a cave by the sea. It’s a rocky shore with a calm sea becoming turbulent and crashing around piles and spires of rocks. At the base of the cliff just at sea level is a cave. A fog which seems unnatural in the heat emanates from the cave. A path down to the cave mouth seems easy enough to pick through the outcroppings.

The party approaches cautiously. They’ve seen no sign of Dalamar on the journey and still seeing none here they begin to fear the worst and suspect there is danger in the cave. Stellar turns into a rat to investigate the cave. In rat form she immediately notices that the floor of the cave is unusually clean. There’s no dust, hair, guano, or plant debris. There’s even no sand and the surf is right outside.

The party all enter the cave after Stellar discovers nothing further. She relates what she found, but the party doesn’t know what to make of it. There’s enough light in the cave to see, but Stellar wants to explore the cave thoroughly. She takes out the driftglobe and speaks the command for it to cast the light spell. The driftglobe flickers and then stays dark.

The party goes into high alert. Stellar transforms into a displacer beast and studies the cave and succeeds in finding what she seeks. Hanging from the ceiling is a giant, transparent, quivering cube. She prowls around the cave, but does nothing further. The rest of the party is confused by its seeming refusal to engage. Then, while everyone is staring at it, it disappears from sight.

Stellar prowls the cave looking for it and the rest of the party searches too. A few seconds later, the cube instantly appears on Stellar and engulfs her entire displacer beast form. She fails to struggle out of the cube, and the party is too far away to attack. Then the cube disappears from sight again.

At this point Pudge burst out, panic in her voice, “It’s a Caster’s Coffin! It preys on casters! It counterspells and blinks instinctively! Aiyiii!”

Stellar pulls herself free of the Blink Cube. Stellar experiences an otherworldly scene. She can see her party and she can see into the stone of the cave. There’s a ghostly spirit standing in the middle of the stone wall of the cave, steadily watching the party and Stellar, now that she’s free of the cube. Stellar approaches the spirit and sees that it has Dalamar’s face. The spirit keeps his distance.

The party’s fear amplifies from not having anything obvious to do to defeat the inaccessible enemy or recover their lost druid. Dalamar’s spirit, failing to escape Stellar’s approach, enters the fray. His tortured, murdered spirit steps out from the cave wall and issues an unholy screech. The sound does extensive psychic damage to Stellar, Nala, and Moo, and drops Pudge and Tswoozie into unconsciousness.

At this time the Blink Cube instinctively takes advantage of a clustering of prey and engulfs Moo, Nala, and the unconscious Pudge simultaneously as they were close together. Moo pulls himself free, and this time the Blink Cube picked the wrong prey. Moo loads all of his strength into two massive full-body strikes, cleaving the cube in half. The pieces fall to the floor, quiver, and dissolve into liquid, freeing Nala and the unconscious Pudge.

Dalamar’s tortured spirit is then dispatched by an incredible series of critical strikes. His spirit fades into nothingness, and then a moment after he is gone, almost imperceptibly, the party hears his voice, “Thank you.”

Stellar returns to her Dragonborn form and tends to the fallen. Tswoozie seems to have stabilized, but Pudge is near death.

Stellar revives Pudge and Tswoozie and heals the entire party with a mass cure wounds cast from her Staff of Healing. The party then focuses their attention on the orb shard in the center of the cave. It seems to be surrounded by a magical container that washes the color out of whatever is seen through it, just like what Stellar experienced when the Blink Cube took her to the Ethereal plane. There the orb shard seemed infinitely heavy. Here the orb shard is unnaturally heavy, and when Stellar and Moo apply gentle strength they can feel a grit to the small movements of the shard. Both think that they can remove it with sufficient effort.

Stellar and Nala begin deliberating over what should be done about the orb shard. Stellar is concerned about breaking its connection to the Ethereal plan. Nala suggests that maybe it should just be left where it was so that we don’t break the connection. While they deliberate, Moo puts both hands on it and lifts with his entire hill giant strength. It immediately comes free of its magics, and beams of sepia and gray light splay out in all directions hitting every member of the party.

The party witnesses all of reality flickering between full-color reality and a washed out, sepia-toned facsimile. Moo, Stellar, and Nala see Tswoozie and Pudge there on the Ethereal plane, and when the effect subsides, only Moo, Stellar, Nala, and Oasis are on the Material Plane.

Moo is still holding the orb shard. It now looks just like crystal glass. No sheen of the Ethereal plane is apparent. Stellar remembers that she could see and hear the Material Plane when she was on the Ethereal Plane and says out loud, “Just touch the orb shard. It will bring you back to the Material Plane.” After waiting several minutes, the party moves on.

The party makes a thorough search of the cave. Where the Blink Cube died, they find 300 gold, some bits of nearly dissolved bone, Dalamar’s staff, slightly weathered, and a magical trinket that Dalamar had. The trinket has a button that when pressed shows an illusion of a tower that Dalamar said was famous in Onyari. Stellar thought she remembered that it was called the Threshold of the Heavens. They pocket the gold and the trinket, gather Dalamar’s remains and his staff, and bury him at the top of the cliff. Stellar uses stone shape to create a marker and says a few words. The gods were pleased and the party could feel their blessing strengthen their health.

When they get back to Darrett’s camp, the party plan to infiltrate the City of Lost Names. The Archer explains that the Giant’s Spine has high cliffs all around it except for a gap where around 1000 RDA soldiers are camped. She doesn’t think the party can get through that way. She explains that they have patrols and mages that would likely see through even magical disguises and cover. She also offers that she was hunting not long ago when she discovered a green frog-man and began tracking him. She saw him climb up to the Wind’s End aerie and sneak in. She neither heard nor saw any combat break out, and though she waited for her prey to return. He never came out. She thinks that there may be a hidden way into the city through Wind’s End aerie. Wind’s End is one of three aeries where they stable the dragonnels. It’s the only one on the eastern side of the road.

The plans to penetrate the city via Wind’s End, but there’s still a major concern. If things don’t go smoothly and as planned, then any fighting might bring enough enemies to overwhelm the party. Moo then asks Darrett if he would be willing to attack the road 10 miles south of the city and draw out the RDA. Darrett agrees, and the party gets ready to execute their plan.

The Archer explains that while it is possible to hike to the aerie as she has, that it would be difficult to hide an entire party. Individuals might be able to pass unnoticed, though. Upon hearing this, Moo contacts Moonlight Rabbit Hunter and asks if the dragonnels would be willing to join the party to raid the aeries and recover their captured friends and relatives. After a few minutes, Moonlight Rabbit Hunter responds, “Yes. We all come. When? Where?” Nala then messages Wind in the Eye with, “Eastern end of the Dragon’s Jaw. Tomorrow at sunset.” Wind in the Eye answers. “We come!”

As the party prepares to leave, Darrett explains that it will take him four days to get to the road. He sends a fast messenger to the south to bring the ship up to the Cliffs that Drink to make a quick escape should the RDA chase him all the way to the sea. The party acknowledges that Darrett’s distraction will occur in four days, and treks to the Dragon’s Jaw to meet with the dragonnels.

The party and the dragonnels reunite at the appointed time and place and it’s a joyous occasion. 18 dragonnels have made the journey including Roars Echoing off the Cliffs, Wind in the Eye, and Midnight Rabbit Hunter. It’s a party. The dragonnels have a lot of energy and gregariously bark and wrestle with each other and the party. Midnight Rabbit Hunter knocks Moo over just as he starts to become serious and explain the plan and then lays down on him, breathing humidly into Moo’s face. Moo struggles and then gives in to being crushed.

Soon enough, Moo is back on his feet and the party explains the plan. Tomorrow, after resting from their travels, the party and all 18 dragonnels will fly to the City of Lost Names for a reconnaissance mission. The Archer will show the party where the aeries are. Combat is to be avoided. All the dragonnels seemed to understand.

The next day the party mounts up and flies north and west to the City of Lost Names. They witness with their own eyes a group of soldiers that they believe they’ve seen before - 1000-member strong formation camps in front of the gap in the cliff walls that leads into the Giant’s Spine. They also see two air patrols, one over the Giant’s Spine and one over the soldiers’ camp. The nearer patrol comes to greet them, and after a tense moment, it becomes clear that he has come to congratulate them on the huge catch of dragonnels that are following the party.

The Archer temporarily takes the lead of the formation and brings the party to the west and points out the two aeries on that side of the city. One gestures to refuse a landing. The other beckons. The party then flies to the other side where they are beckoned to land. The strip is narrow enough that dragonnels must land one at a time. The party lines up and begins to descend.

The party lands while the archer and the rest of the copper dragonnels continue to circle. and are greeted by a middle-aged RDA soldier, “Sarge,” and a very young stable boy, “Pip,” who offer to stable their dragonnels, but the party does that themselves. They intimidate and dismiss the soldier who seems happy to gather his thoughts on his stool at the far end of the aerie.

Pip is more sociable and can’t resist the chance to gab with anyone who treats him nicely and gives him some attention. Pip blabs, “I like taking care of the copper dragonnels the best. They’re fierce with the soldiers, but nice to me. The red dragonnels are just always mean. Except for Taxi,” and he points to a half-blinded red draggonel penned next to Sarge. “Taxi’s nice enough. He’s grumpy, but I think he’s had enough of fighting. Do you know that he let’s me fly him?” The party asks him how many dragonnels he’s had to take care of and how many were copper. He responds, “Well, lessee. There’s Eats Soldiers, Barrelroller, Misses Home, Old and Scared, Last Brother, Kills Red and Black, Teeth in Skulls, and Claws in Neck. I guess that makes,” as he counts on his fingers, “eight nice copper dragonnels, and I think there’s maybe twice as many reds. They send the reds all over but they like to keep the copper here patrolling the city.” The party asks about the patrols and when they will come in. Pip tells them, “The morning patrols should be in in a couple of hours. They’ll prolly come here too if there’s space. The evening patrols won’t be in until sunset.”

The party likes Pip and ask where he’s from. He starts to cry and explains that he’s from Nightlund, the farmland outside of Kalamar. They ask Pip if he’d like to fly away with them and he cheers up immediately the way kids sometimes do.

The party makes a plan. They decide to rescue Pip first and send him away with Taxi and the copper draggonels with The Archer. They will then gather the copper dragonnels as the patrols come in and fly away with them under cover of darkness.

They tell Pip to pack up for a flight, and he’s happy to do so. He heads over to a small crate that contains a small bag within. He pulls a ring out of the bag and fits it over his right thumb where it still looks too big on him. He then puts the bag back in the box, shrugs his shoulders, and then picks up the entire bag and shows it to the party. “Look at these! Do any of you need one?” Stellar takes a ring of feather falling for The Archer and Pip drops the bag into his pack, but not before he accidentally spills about half of them and Nala helps him pick them up quickly, pocketing a few herself. He then fills the rest of his pack up with the jerky-feed for the dragonnels, and then turns to get Taxi ready.

Stellar takes off with Pip and Taxi. Sarge’s only response to losing the charming kid is surprise that Pip was willing to reveal that he could fly before sinking back into glum callousness. Stellar leads The Archer, the dragonnels, and Pip and Taxi to a location about an hour east where she instructs the copper dragonnels to return to the The Dragon’s Jaw and asks The Archer to wait here where they’ve landed for the party to return with the liberated copper dragonnels.

Upon returning to Wind’s End Aerie, a patrol comprising a red dragonnel in the lead with two copper dragonnel on the wings has lined up to land just in front of her. Moo directs Sarge to signal to the red dragonnel rider that he can’t land and to bring the two copper dragonnels in. The red leader ignores the gesture and lands anyway. Moo then reveals himself and tells the pilot to move on to the next aerie. The red leader grudgingly obeys while the two copper dragonnels land. Sarge signals for a new taxi to fly up from camp and take the patrol soldiers down.

The next patrol comes into land soon afterward. They are also a red leader with two copper wingmen, and this time the red leader just circles and stares hard into the aerie as he passes and continues on. The aerie now is full with four copper dragonnels, and Stellar and Nala take off with them to lead them out of camp. As they are leaving, one of the patrols parallels Nala’s course. He makes no gestures or any hostile action. He just looks at her as she flies the dragonnels out of camp.

By the time Stellar and Nala return, a formation of three red dragonnels are lined up to land at the aerie. These riders are Fewmaster Balleenen Aster and two guards. He takes a position with his men at his back and waits for Stellar and Nala to land before speaking to anyone. He issues no greeting or explanation, but begins with, “You are taking the copper dragonnels. What is this operation?” Moo states that it’s a secret operation that cannot be shared. Fewmaster Aster responds, “Can I not share your presence even with Priest Belephaion?” At the mention of the priest’s name, Sarge is pales, cowers, takes a step back, and turns and walks away from the group. Moo responds that Fewmaster Aster cannot. The Fewmaster responds, “You are asking me to take on considerable risk. That could be very costly for me.” Nala recognizes that the Fewmaster may be asking for a bribe and offers him 100 gold. The Fewmaster closes his hand on the sum and replies, “What about my men?” Nala gives them 40 gold each. Moo begins to object, and Fewmaster Aster shouts, “It is enough. I want you out of here quickly. You will leave tonight. I will send the remaining copper dragonnels under my command to you. Begone before you are noticed!”

As the party waits for the rest of the dragonnels to arrive, they search the aerie for the secret passage that the Archer thought might be here. Stellar finds some loose boards in the wall behind the storage area in the aeries and squatting down discovers an illusion of stone that covers an opening that she can crawl through. After a few feet, it opens up and she can stand. She casts darkvision on herself and explores for a few minutes, going hundreds of feet into the cliff. At one point, there’s a seam in the wall where the stone changes abruptly. Some distance later as she comes in sight of a fork in the path, she becomes surrounded by green dragon spirits. They are angry and cacophonously shout at her, “Trespasser! Desecrator! Betrayer!” She tries to speak to them and calm them. After a short while, they disappear as quickly as they came. The experience calls to mind the story that flying city of Onyari was powered by the magic of a dragon graveyard.

As the sun is setting, a formation of three red dragonnels leading four riderless copper dragonnels line up to land at the aerie. The copper dragonnels land, but the reds continue without stopping.

The party then decides to try to help Sarge escape. Moo is certain that Sarge is tired of fighting for the RDA and offers him a ride under cover of darkness and some 10 platinum if he wants to leave. Sarge accepts the offer. He goes to get a ring of feather falling, and is surprised to find the bag missing. He asks if the party has an extra, and Nala gives him one that she picked up earlier. He accepts the coins from Moo and the party sets out once the fires from the camp seem quite bright. After about an hour’s flight, Stellar sees Sarge, who is flying in front of her, stand up on his mount and step off into the sky. He floats down and out of sight.

Upon landing where The Archer, Pip, and Taxi have been waiting, the party decides to search for Sarge using their dragonnels. After about an hour they find him. He wasn’t hiding. He’s made a fire, but is surprised and scared to see the party.

After discussing their options, the party decides to take Sarge to Darrett where information on the RDA forces may be useful for the upcoming diversion. Moo flies on with Sarge to Darrett’s camp and informs the leader of the party’s plans. The liberated dragonnels also continue to the Dragon’s Jaw formation to rejoin their clan.

In the middle of the night, the dragonnels return and when morning dawns some of the liberated dragonnels are back but some continued home. The same is true with the rest of the clan. The total number still with the party remains at around 18. Unfortunately, Misses Home did not return for the battle, but Last Brother did, and Pudge makes a new dragonnel friend that she knows will revel in the fiery doom dealt from her hand.

The party makes a plan with Darrett. He will send his rangers and mages forward to destroy everything the moves along the road while his main force stays hidden some 6 miles to the east. His vanguard will then lead the RDA away from the road to the main force and the long escape to the sea will begin. He has no doubt that the RDA will respond with force, and wishes the party luck getting into the city. He also explains that he won’t be able to help them get out. To which the entire party reassured him, “That’s OK. We can improvise.”

Midway through the morning, while the party waits for the signal from Darrett that the attack on the road has begun, three red dragonnels are seen heading east. The party and all the copper dragonnels take to the air to give battle. After the first exchange of quarrels and arrows, fire and lightning, one RDA rider tumbles from the sky. The stricken squadron climbs into the clouds and for the moment disappears.

A little retcon: The Archer and a copper dragonnel fly with Pip and Taxi back to Heart’s Hollow the morning before Darrett’s attack. Now back to the air battle.

The party banks to the south and wheels around and climbs into the clouds. They happen upon the squadron of red dragonnels still foolishly trying to climb. They close quickly and attack. Moo collides with one of the remaining ridden red dragonnels, doing significant damage with his ax while Moonlight Rabbit Hunter lands a couple rending attacks on the enemy’s mount. After the collision, everyone falls toward the ground.

Nala attacks the last remaining rider. She fires two arrows, the second pierces the enemy’s skull, causing him to tumble lifeless off of his mount. Stellar then unleashes her lightning on the red dragonnel. It arches its back as the current flows through it and then tumbles from the sky. Oasis then swoops in for the kill on the red dragonnel that lost its rider in the first round of combat.

The remaining rider and dragonnel remount in mid-air, losing some time. They descend two levels of altitude to gain speed and put distance between themselves and the party, swooping behind a mesa as they are now just above the ground. Stellar, Nala, and Oasis pursue and catch him. Stellar casts Thornwhip and yanks him out of the saddle and Nala shoot him dead with two arrows before he falls far. Last Brother then dives onto the remaining dragonnel, colliding with him. They both plummet to the ground. The impact injures Last Brother, and kills the red dragonnel. Last Brother hoots and howls in triumph.

The party loots the corpses, gaining around 40 gold each and three more rings of feather falling. They also find that the barding the red dragonnels were wearing is still in wearable shape. Moonlight Rabbit Hunter, Wind in the Eye, and Roars Echoing on the Cliffs wear their new armor proudly. Stellar uses her staff to heal the party, and everyone takes a short rest while they wait for the battle to begin.

Finally, Darrett calls and says that his vanguard is in control of the road and that they permitted some airborne soldiers to escape to bring word to The City of Lost Names. He asks for help against the RDA’s aerial forces. If the party could thin the flyboys on their way into the city, he would be grateful. The party agrees and takes to the skies. It’s not long before they find formations of soldiers and dragonnels flying south.

The party takes off on their dragonnels accompanied by the flock of copper dragonnels that wish to take part in the battle. The day is partially cloudy, and the party instructs the riderless copper dragonnels to stay above the clouds so that they may descend and surprise their enemies.

The party encounters two formations flying down the road. They don’t seem to be in any particular hurry. Perhaps they are scouting ahead of the force traveling south from The City of Lost Names. One formation approaches while the other spirals up into the clouds. The approaching formation makes gestures asking what they are doing. Moo and the party immediately attack. Moo collides with one doing significant damage and Nala finishes the rider with a well-placed arrow. Stellar casts a spell and five giant wasps join the aerial battle. They sting another rider to death. The final rider is dispatched with shots from Nala’s bow.

Moo descends to battle with the riderless red dragonnels, unwilling to leave them behind where they might surprise the party. Stellar and Nala ascend up and through the clouds. On their way up, an apparently lifeless copper dragonnel falls through the clouds near them. Stellar casts a spell and it regains control of its movements before it hits the ground.

Above the clouds Nala and Stellar find an ongoing battle between the formation of three riders that spiraled up moments ago and another formation of five riders in a diamond formation with a mage in the center. The mage is battling a dozen or more copper draggonels with fire bolts and winning. The copper dragonnels are scorched and scared.

Nala immediately targets the mage with her bow and strikes him twice using her sharpshooting abilities. The two formations close and Stellar and the mage exchange spells. Stellar casts sleet storm, unseating the entire formation, and the mage casts fireball, doing significant damage to Nala, Stellar, and their mounts. The vic formation of three riders flies around the sleet storm and converges on Stellar and Nala, hitting Stellar with two crossbow bolts.

The party manages to dispatch the remaining riders with a combination of lightning bolts and arrows. One of the riders tries to escape, but Nala chases him down and fires an arrow through him before he can. The riderless copper dragonnels spread out and begin hunting down the remaining scattered red dragonnels.

After the battle, the party seeks the fallen mage and find him. He has fallen into an arroyo and with the wash high, he is underwater. Stellar thornwhips the body up to the rim of the tiny canyon. The party finds a few gold and a potion of invisibility for loot. Nala remarks that its strange that the mage didn’t have a spellbook, and the party looks in the wash again and sees a book-like object stuck under the rocky debris that was holding down the mage. Moo dives in and retrieves it from the turbulent waters. The book was attached to a belt that was pinned under the rock by a silver dagger, also on the belt. Moo frees it all with a roar. The party pockets the spellbook with the hope that Pudge may someday rejoin them and Nala adopts the silver dagger for combat at close quarters.

The party contacts Darrett and informs him that a major force seems to be on the way from Onyari. A remnant of the copper dragonnel battle force camps with the party ensuring their safety through the night.

As the party prepares to leave they say a somewhat tearful goodbye to the riderless copper dragonnels that fought with them in the skies and remained with them through the night.

The party’s flight path stays away from the road and as they make progress through the morning, they see a large cloud of dust resume to their south. They choose to fly low and close to the cliff face of the Giant’s Spine, the large mesa that houses The City of Lost Names on its western end. In the distance, the party sees a fresh set of fliers heading south along the road. They stop and hide while they pass over the course of an hour and remain unseen.

As they approach Wind’s End aerie, the patrol over the City flies out over the rim of the mesa directly overhead. Through the waves of heat pouring off the mesa top, it looks for a moment like the patrol has stopped and changed directions, but in the next moment the patrol’s silhouettes shimmers and race forward, disappearing behind the mesa top.

The party arrives at Wind’s End undetected. The aerie is empty, but not abandoned. Moo ransacks the officer’s desk there and discovers orders stating that all fliers with the exception of two patrols for the City are to head south to the battle. The party then has a touching moment as they say goodbye to their faithful battle mounts, Midnight Rabbit Hunter, Wind in the Eye, and Roars Echoing off the Cliffs. The dragonnels then depart, and the party enters the secret tunnel into the City.

After traveling some distance into the mesa, the stone changes from the natural stone of the mesa to something foreign and not far after that, the party encounters angry dragon spirits who accuse them of being betrayers, trespassers, and murderers. The ghosts are frightening and cannot be reasoned with, but they are not dangerous, and after a few moments of fear, they disappear back into the nothingness from which they came.

The party continues and discovers a couple rooms that seem to be part of a collapsed building. In one room the ceiling has collapsed and many wooden heads and hats, all in an advanced state of age and decay, seem to have tumbled down from above. Moo decides to search for a trap, but finds a stone golem instead.

The stone golem gives the party battle. Moo is significantly injured and much magic was expended to subdue the construct, and the party emerged victorious.

Moo was kind enough to write this recap.

Following the battle with the Golem, Nala, Stellar, and Moo took a short rest. Moo was badly beaten by the golem, and stellar needed to recharge her magical abilities. The fire that had unleashed thanks to Stellar’s wall of fire began to die down. As the light became less visible, Stellar, Nala, and Oasis engaged their natural dark vision. While Moo strapped on the Helmet of Comprehend Languages and his handy dandy Goggles of Night. After their short rest, Nala and Stellar found a ruined chamber that took them into an area with debris scattered all over the floor. Unfortunately for Oasis, she was unable to enter the passage. She began to whimper for Nala and paw at her to get her attention. To the east of the chamber was a stairway that was blocked off by stones and more ruined debris. Stellar began to investigate the interior design of the tiles and the ceiling. She noted the perfect symmetry of the tiles but noticed the damaged ceiling above her. Nala noticed it too. Moo though didn’t notice it because he was too preoccupied with rummaging through the pile of debris on the floor for any magical items. 

Moo found some unusual bottles on the floor which smelt like vinegar. Nala noticed the smell herself and tried to warn Moo not to drink. Remarkably, Moo heeded her advice and chose to coif the bottle instead. To Moo’s surprise, he quickly recognized that these bottles were not vinegar but ancient wine bottles that had been discarded millennia ago. He thought back to the legends of Anyari and decided to ask the only person old enough to remember in the party, Sir Axelrod. Moo inquired about what he was reading on the bottles. The disembodied knight told Moo that these bottles were from one of the most famous wine makers in the Istari empire. Stellar then inquired to Sir Axelrod if this was some type of Bazaar. Sir Axelrod, with his usual haughty attitude doubted that this cave had anything to do with Anyari. Moo pushed back, but Axelrod was adamant that this was nothing more than just a ruined cave. Furthermore, if it was a part of Anyari, this was an underground wine cellar and no where near the scale of the legendary city. Moo laughed at the thought of the golem being the equivalent of a mall cop guarding worthless bottles of wine. For a moment, Moo contemplated taking one of the wine bottles, as an archaeological artifact, but changed his mind hoping to avoid any possible curse from the dragon ghosts who haunted the ruin. 

The Cheese Wheels then ventured deeper into the ruined cave where they found a long dark hall littered with dragon bones all over the floor. Nala, with her expertise in snakes, lizards, drakes, and dragons began to take a closer look. She noticed Moo beginning to mess with the skull of one of the dragons. Moo wanted to see how sharp the dragon’s teeth were to hopefully create a dagger with one of the teeth when they returned to Kalamar. Nala told Moo to stop since the ghosts of these Dragons promised curses on those who defiled their resting place. Moo wisely stopped but pressed further into the hall. 

As the Cheese Wheels ventured further down the hall, the Dragon bones began to reconnect into undead Dragon skeletons. They hissed and screamed accusing the party of being grave robbers and murderers. Moo quickly found himself surrounded by two of them while a large dragon skeleton blocked Nala, Stellar, and Oasis from entering any further. Moo confused and irritated went into a frenzy. Enraged and cut off from his friends, Moo slammed ogres’ bane into one of the skeletons, badly injuring it. Stellar blasted a powerful gust of wind knocking them all down the hall. At the same time, Nala mounted Oasis and attempted to outflank the undead dragons. However, she was unable to find a way around the beasts and she rushed back to help her friends. Stellar fired a powerful lighting bolt down the cave killing two of the dragons, and badly injuring the third dragon. Moo smashed the last undead dragon’s skull with ogre’s bane cleaving it in half. Before Nala and Oasis rushed back to help their friend, Moo secretly grabbed the largest dragon tooth he could find and asked Stellar to keep it a secret from Nala. He really wanted a dragon tooth dagger.  

At the end of the long tunnel, the party found another chamber flooded with the water covered in a flammable oil. On the right side of the chamber, a large Green Slaad was busily fidgeting with a glowing magical light. The party began to debate the best course of action. During the discussion, Stellar remembered that these creatures were chaotic neutral which meant that there could be a possibility that the Slaad could be reasoned with if they asked nicely. Nala liked the idea, but Moo, remembering the last time they fought a Slaad decided to snipe with his crossbow. 

Stellar slowly began to approach the great green Slaad. She was politely trying to get his attention, but Slaad was completely oblivious to her. Moo and Nala watched from the entrance to the chamber. Stellar got within five feet of the Slaad before he finally noticed the moonstone dragon born before him. Frightened and not in the mood to be nice, the frog man attacked Stellar with a powerful bite. Moo immediately fired his crossbow bolt hitting the creature in the shoulder. Moo then rushed to help his friend by slamming the Slaad with Ogre’s Bane and smashing his horns into the Slaad to knock him into the oily water. The Slaad was too strong for Moo’s tackle though and remained on the stage. Stellar, angry and in a lot of pain thanks to the Slaad’s bite, breathed a powerful blast of fire on the Slaad. Unfortunately, her fiery breath caught the oil on fire. As all this was happening, Oasis and Nala rushed forward to help Stellar but were caught up in the oil fire taking severe burns. The Slaad then cast an image of Stellar and Moo’s worst fears. Stellar remained strong, but the sight of the Minotaur Kazrak Maneater, and the destruction of his people in Blode, caused Moo to drop Ogre’s Bane and run for his life taking some burning damage as he ran through the fire. It was now up to Stellar and Nala. 

Nala, still on Oasis back, dashed out of the oily fire. She then fired an arrow hitting the beast once and missing the second time. Stellar, enraged and in a lot of pain, smashed her druid’s staff as hard as she could right into the Slaad fat chin. The Frog man reeled back in pain and smashed his staff right into Stellar’s temple. Remarkably, Stellar stayed on her feet. Right as the frog man began to swing his staff for a final blow, Nala’s arrow hit the frog man through the eye and out the back of his fat green skull. The Slaad fell over into the oil fire. Stellar dropped to her knees and cast a sleet storm putting out the fire. 

Meanwhile, Moo composed himself and ran back to his friends and grabbed Ogre’s bane. And as the Big Cheese said, “He got a piece of his soul back.” Oasis, Nala, and Moo ran to the stage and set Stellar down with her back to the doors of the next chamber. Stellar then cast a healing spell on herself, and the party, with the help of her staff of healing. The party then dragged the huge frog out of the fire and proceeded to loot the beast’s corpse. They found in total 56 gold pieces and divided the coin between them. Moo, Stellar, and Nala each got 18 gold pieces. After a brief rest, the Cheese Wheels then moved into the next chamber where they found a statue of a great dragon with other dragon statues bowing toward it. Out of reverence, Nala decided to bow, while Moo and Stellar were a little more reluctant. The statue seemed to notice their reluctance. 

Before the Cheese Wheels realized it, a great skeletal aberration formed around the statue. It was a black skeletal dragon wreathed in a purple flame. Terrified and uncertain if this undead beast would attack. Moo with a stupid nervous grin on his face told the beast that they were not Istari, but a plucky band of heroes called the Cheese Wheels. Nala facepalmed. She was getting real tired of how silly and not intimidating the party’s name was becoming to potential friends and foes alike. But the great dragon quickly came to the attention that this odd crew were not the Istari legionnaires who enslaved their kind and trapped their souls in this ruin. And as soon as he appeared, he vanished into the statue. The Cheese Wheels breathed another sigh of relief. 

The Cheese wheels then moved on to the next chamber which appeared less like a ruin and more like a wizard’s laboratory. The room was covered with books, maps, and scrolls all over the place. The party even found three magical scrolls, but unfortunately, they could not read them. They needed a wizard like Pudge to read and use them. Weirdly, Moo finds some caged mice in the lab and decides to let one free. It quickly scampered away. More importantly, Moo found an ancient manuscript detailing the history of the Istari civilization. 

Moo, not being much of a reader, decided to hand the book to Stellar to see what she could make of it. Stellar began to skim the book and read out loud to her companions its historical contents. It detailed the rise of Istari civilization and the use of the dragon lance to banish Takhissis back into the seven hells. It told how the last great priest king of Istar wanted to make the citizens of his empire to demi-gods and he did this by creating a giant flying city called Anyari. They used the enslaved dragons to help the city float into the sky. The gods of Krynn angered by this monarch’s pride and wickedness dropped a falling star onto the city forcing it to crash not into the sea, but into the Northern Wastes. Thus, the city of lost names was born. Stellar placed the book in her knapsack for safe keeping. 

The Cheese Wheels moved onto the next room at the far northern end of the laboratory. Once they entered the following room, they encountered a masked wizard wearing red robes interwoven with bones. She wore a skull mask which she removed and revealed herself as a female elf named Demarlin. The robed figure was pleased to see the party, and she was impressed that the Cheese Wheels had defeated all of her “guards.” She told the party to stay clear of Lord Soth who was in the Bastion of Takhisis, Furthermore, she told them that Tswoozie held a weapon that the party would need to fight their future battles, “the Dragonlance.” The Elven wizard began to open a portal to contact both Pudge and Tswoozie who were still trapped in the Ethereal Plain. Tswoozie returned the dragon lance to the material plain. Moo claimed it for himself until Tswoozie was able to return. Pudge was offered an opportunity to become a much more powerful magic, but she decided to take some to think about it in the Ethereal plain. 

Demarlin offered to let the Cheese Wheels use her home as a base to conduct their operations in the ruined city. The party then exited her home and looked upon the ruins of Anyari. Sir Axelrod was horrified at the state of the city, and Moo reminded him that much had changed in a thousand years, and the Cheese Wheels were changing too. 

As the Cheese Wheels gaze out across the ruined city of Anyari, they found a city ruined by its untimely fall from the sky with the city slowly being flooded to the northwest. The greatest city in Ansalom was now a crumbling ruin. The Cheese Wheels notice RDA patrols marching clockwise around the Threshold of the Heavens—a large, pointed gazebo like tower located at the center of the city. In the skies above, three large red dragonnells fly overhead patrolling the skies. With all the legends and cities they heard about, Moo, Nala, and Stellar are stunned by the desolation. It quickly comes to their attention that traversing around this city, while looking for a powerful weapon, might be a more difficult task than they previously thought. 

Before they had time to come up with a plan, a loud explosion occured from the Bastion of Takhisis one of Anyari’s large temples. Lord Soth---whom the party encountered previously underneath the catacombs of Castle Kalamar---emerges on the back of a colossal undead Dragon. Lord Soth and his zombie dragon take flight It appeared to the Cheese Wheels that Lord Soth was flying south-east. It quickly comes to Moo’s attention that Lord Soth was probably heading in that direction to hunt Darret along with his contingent of knights and mages. Moo then receives a message from Midnight Rabbit Hunter. He informs the party that the party’s dragonells are trailing Lord Soth flying south-east. The Cheese wheels, along with the help of Demolin, developed a plan to stop Lord Soth from attacking Darret’s guerillas. Midnight and Wind were ordered to gather the Dragonel colony for battle, while Roars went to Heart’s Hollow to look for Nessie a golden Dragon in disguise as a female human, who is also the mayor of the town. Moo then calls Darret on the far gab and relays Stellar’s suggestion of dividing his force into smaller units to make it more difficult for the RDA to track them in the desert. Darret is mighty impressed by Stellar’s strategic forethought. After the orders are sent, Demolin is surprised at the Cheese Wheel’s willingness to send their Dragonel mounts, which was their only hope for a speedy escape to face their possible demise at the hands of Lord Soth. She adds too that the group really is committed to finding this weapon. She does warn them that Lord Soth is a powerful warrior in his own right. He slew a powerful angelic being with ease. However, Demolin reassures the party that Nessie and an army of Copper Dragonells will prove more than a match for the Dark Paladin

Exhausted after fighting off Demolin’s guards and stunned by the presence of an old adversary, the Cheese Wheels go back to Demolin’s home in the Path of Memories. Inside, Demolin makes magical food for the Cheese Wheels. The party and demolin then begin to discuss the history of the city and her relationship to the dead dragons that once powered the city’s magical ability to fly. Demolin regrets using the necromantic power of a dragon graveyard to power the city. She believes that her civilization had committed a great injustice to the dragons. As the Cheese Wheels and Demolin continue their discussion. Sir Axelrod begins to telepathically speak to Moo. Axelrod is deeply distrustful of Demolin and her status in Anyari society. Moo inquired if there was anything that Demolin specifically did prior to the fall of Anyari. Axelrod could not definitively say, but Moo brought Axelrod’s apprehension to Demolin. Demolin reassured the party that there was nothing to fear, and it seems that her real desire was to fix the past wrongs of her civilization. She also mentions that the Dragonlance which Tswoozie gave Moo, when Demolin opened a gate between the material and ethereal plains, would be a powerful weapon to stop Lord Soth. However, it appeared that the god Paladine placed a curse on the lance preventing its real magical power from being unleashed. It becomes clear to the party that this could be a powerful weapon to stop the RDA. As the party prepared to take a nice long rest before they ventured into the city the following day, Demolin speaks telepathically to Stellar. She tells Stellar that Sir Axelrod is not actually trapped inside the brain ring. He can in fact leave the ring anytime he wants! However, she explains to Stellar that the only way to get Sir Axelrod out of the ring would be for Moo to dis-attune from the ring’s magical power. Realizing that the ring helps in protecting Moo’s mind from magical attacks. She decides to keep it to herself in fear that Sir Axelrod might discover this revelation. Nonetheless, Demolin mentions that it would be funny to mess with Axelrod’s mind while he is stuck inside the ring. Stellar agrees and Demolin proceeds to cast a minor spell of confusion on Sir Axelrod to mess with him. 

As day dawns over the ruined city, the party plans to head out into the ruined city. Sir Axelrod asks Moo and the rest of the party if it would be possible to visit his old home as they venture to the Temple of Paladine. The party has a “What the heck? Why not?” moment and head off to the lost home of Sir Axelrod of Anyari.

Situated along the affluent northern district of the city, Sir Axelrod’s two-story home must have been an impressive sight millennia ago, but when the Cheese Wheels arrive it is little more than a ruin. Moo opened the door and the rest of the party followed. Upon entering, the party finds much of the room to be pitch black until Sir Axelrod asks Nala to open some of the shutters of the home. In the antechamber of the home, the party finds a large, mounted Water buffalo. Moo wondered if this was the reason for Sir Axelrod’s disdain for Moo since he is half cow himself. The party then entered a much more ornate with a high ceiling room meant to greet many of the highborn guests of the city. At the base of a grand stairway that led up to the second floor, stood an ancient draconic statue that was taken from the old dragon graveyard. The party was understandably horrified at the sight of such an artifact in a private collection. Sir Axelrod regaled the party about the legendary find, but Stellar cut him off short by calling him a desecrater. Sir Axelrod took offense and retorted back that he was nothing of the sort due to the principle of might makes right. 

After this brief spat, Stellar released her glow-globe to bring more light into this massive antechamber. Three shadowy humanoid figures ambushed the party. Stellar was the first to see them and unleashed a massive blast of radiant breath onto one of the shadowy figures causing massive damage. Moo caught on quickly to what can damage these shadowy creatures. He took a swig of his lightning breath and blasted it to the right side of the antechamber damaging another shadow that was hidden to the party.  During the commotion, Oasis became anxious at the suddenness of Stellar and Moo’s attacks. Nala quickly calmed her drake and asked her to bite the shadow directly in front of Stellar. With a crushing bite and a crocodilian-like whip of the head the shadow disappeared into smoke which spread from Oasis’s massive jaws. One shadow down, two more to go! Stellar blasts another shadow with radiant breath. The shadow desperately tried to hide itself, but it only managed to hide from Moo. Stellar points in the direction of the cowardly shadow and Moo blasts it with another hit of lightning breath. Remarkably the shadow was still on its feet. Nala stabbed it with the quick thrust of her dagger, and it disappeared. The third and final shadow was torn to pieces by Oasis and disappeared. With all that fire and lightening part of the ruined house caught fire, which Nala and Stellar quickly put out. 

Moo demanded to know if there were any other poltergeist activity in the house, because he did not want the Cheese wheels to waste any more of these shadowy humanoid living in this ruined house. Sir Axelrod had no idea and offered to continue the tour. Reluctantly, the party climbed the ornate stairs to the second level. Sir Axelrod led the party into his massive library filled with books about the wars of imperial conquest that the Istarii waged across Anasalon. There were also several political treatises written by some of Anyari’s most infamous political philosophers justifying Istar’s bloody rise to power as a civilizing process and that some species must be ruled for the common good of all. Reading these titles and excerpts put the party a little on edge and disgusted by Sir Axelrod’s fascistic politics.

Moo attempted to get the party out of the house and back on track, but Sir Axelrod insisted that the party visit his secret bar room. Trying not to be rude, the party agreed to visit his secret bar room. With the turning of a now extinct specimen of a sabretooth bear from Mount-Nevemind, the party finds a small room with a big comfy leather chair. Sir Axelrod pointed the party to three unopen chests. 

One of the chests contained several ancient bottles of wine that smelt and tasted like vinegar. The other two chests contained a number of potions which I have copied and pasted below: 

1) Potion of Heroism 3x (Stellar, Moo, and Nala)

2) Potion of Vitality (Stellar)

3) Superior Potions of Healing 3x (8d4 +4) (Stellar, Moo, and Nala)

4) Potions of Invulnerability 2x (Moo) 

5) Potion of Speed (Nala) 

After feeling distraught over the state of his man cave, Sir Axelrod began a long rant about his family, the city of Anyari, and the retched condition of his once glorious house. As Stellar and Nala began to investigate the second floor in more detail, Moo was stuck listening to an annoying Sir Axelrod’s annoying rant. After 20 minutes of Axelrod’s swearing and curses, Moo yelled at the top of his lungs to tell Sir Axelrod to stop it! Moo repeated the names of the two people that apparently irritated Sir Axelrod the most: his wife and brother. When Moo mentioned the name Ademia, two ghostly apparitions appeared at the other end of the haunted mansion. They were skeletons wreathed in burning purple flame. The party was horrified about the sight of these two. Moo could sense Sir Axelrod’s fear and heard Axelrod mutter, “Don’t let them take me.” The Cheese Wheels quickly realized that these were the cursed spirits of Sir Axelrod’s brother and wife. Moo tried to negotiate with the two spirits. The two phantoms pointed to Moo’s ring and the ghost of Ademia (Axelrod’s wife) gave a twisted and evil smile. Moo realized that they want to kill Sir Axelrod. Moo pushed back their attempts and a battle begins in the ruined of Sir Axelrod of Anyari. 

As the two ghostly figures begin to push towards Moo, Moo takes a big swing at Sir Axelrod’s brother with Ogre’s bane. The phantom is hurt but it does not seem to the damage necessary. Stellar, Nala, and Oasis prepare their attacks next, but the ethereal plain vomits Pudge onto the floor of the ruined mansion. Pudge’s face slides on the floor with her little gnome feet dangling in the air. She begins to cough and sneeze dust from the ethereal plain. Nala, Stellar, and Oasis are overjoyed, but they quickly realize that Moo needs help since his attacks are not doing the trick. Moo gets hit with necrotic damage, but Stellar blasts Axelrod’s brother with radiant breath causing significant damage before he can hit Moo again. 

Nala helps Pudge to her feet and then dashed forward with her dagger to stab Axelrod’s ex-wife and Oasis bites the specter. Both attacks do some damage, but these specters are resistant to Oasis’s fire damage. Pudge unleashes the spell shatter on Axelrod’s brother. The spell forces the statue by the grand staircase to smash through the roof of the basement while another ancient statue smashes through the second floor. Two gaping holes descending from the second floor to the first floor reveal the basement below. Axelrod’s brother looks at Pudge and after a short delay violently explodes. Axelrod’s wife screams at the loss of her undead lover and the state of her house. She rushes straight to Pudge. Sir Axelrod is dismayed too, but Moo tells him to shut his mouth. Ademia strikes at Pudge knocking her to the wall. Ademia glares and curses at Pudge. Ademia then turns and finds Moo towering over her. Moo blasts Axelrod’s ex-wife with a blast of lightning breath. Ademia dissolves into nothingness. Moo helps Pudge up and gives her a big hug. 

The Cheese Wheels regroup and discuss what to do next. Moo wants to head toward the Temple of Paladine as fast as possible. However, Sir Axelrod informs the party about the teleportation device beneath the house. The Cheese Wheels are intrigued since this might be an easier way to navigate through the city of Anyari. From the second floor, Moo with his night vision goggles and Pudge with her natural dark vision peer down into the blackness below. They find the teleportation device along with the ruined pieces of the statues that Pudge smashed through the first and second floors toward the basement. Sir Axelrod then explains to the party how the ancient machine works. The machine takes the heroes back to a specific section of Kalamar based upon which noble sigil is selected on the machine. However, Axelrod mentions that his large clay golem guards the machine. Fortunately, Axelrod explains to the party that there is a password that will deactivate the golem’s aggression.  If the password is said out loud then the golem will not attack the party. Axelrod tells the Cheese Wheels that the password is “Istar above all!” This of course is unsurprising granted Axelrod’s book selection in his library and his particularly flavor of politics. As the party prepares to jump down to the basement safely with their rings of feather fall, Stellar is a little more apprehensive about the plan and decides to remain on the second floor looking down at the party. 

The party lands gracefully into the basement. Pieces of the statues lay around the teleportation device. The clay golem awakens but seems to be weakened by the debris which fell from the ceiling. Moo says the password. The Golem responds with an gurgling roar. Moo yells at Axelrod because the password failed. Sir Axelrod responds by saying, “Yes, well, I guess there is one other thing you can do to stop the golem. Die!” Enraged by Axelrod’s seeming betrayal of the party, Moo lunges at the Clay golem with Ogre’s Bane taking two pieces out of the demented guardian. Stellar seeing the danger below conjures Sleet storm knocking the clay golem prone as Moo hacks away with Ogre’s Bane. Pudge quickly understands Stellar’s plan. If the golem can’t stand on his feet, he’ll be easier to destroy. Pudge fires magic missile at the golem. She then blasts the golem with a frost spell forcing him down. With another hit by Moo’s axe, Nala then unleashed the killing blow with an arrow right between the golem’s eyes. 

Fed up with Axelrod’s ruin of a home the party prepares to leave. Just before they leave the basement, Moo explains to Pudge and Nala that Axelrod was trying to kill Moo, so that Axelrod might be able to escape the mind ring. Angered by a threat on her friend’s life, Pudge develops a plan to destroy something valuable to Axelrod before the party leaves. Moo suggests the library, but burning books seemed a little inappropriate and hypocritical given Axelrod’s politics. Instead, Moo and Pudge plan to destroy the two large, mounted animals that Axelrod has in his home the Water buffalo and the Sabretooth bear of mount Nevermind. Distraught, Nala warns the party that destroying these two mounted animals, especially the sabretooth bear, would eliminate the last scientific knowledge of these animals from the world. Pudge offers a compromise by destroying the water buffalo instead. Nala is still hesitant about all this and prefers to just get out of this haunted house of horrors before something worse happens. 

Stellar swings down the lip of the hole on the second floor to the first floor and shouted to see if the party was ok and if they needed some help getting back up. The party says yes. Pudge tells her magical rope of climbing to tie a knot around her immovable rod. The rope flies upwards toward Stellar. She then anchors the immovable with the rope attached to it on the first floor. Pudge slowly makes her way up to Stellar, while Nala effortlessly makes her way up. Moo, on the other hand, heads out a secret door he found toward the back side of the cellar which leads him to Axelrod’s old backyard. He then made his way to the front parlor where the water buffalo stands. Pudge with her long staff in her hand and Moo with Ogre’s Bane smash the water buffalo to pieces. Sir Axelrod begged them not to destroy his prize beast, but this didn’t seem to stop them from vandalizing the home. Disgusted and angry, Moo eventually stopped chopping away with Ogre’s Bane and stormed out of the mansion having let off some steam. However, Pudge appeared to be in a full-on surprising rage. She muttered to herself that Axelrod tried to hurt her friends. Stellar tried to pull her away but Pudge pushed her back. Stellar sighed and walked out the door. Fed up, Nala grabbed Pudge by the scruff of her robes while Pudge kicked and punched like a mad gnome. While all this was happening, Oasis looked utterly confused. What did this water buffalo do? With that over, thus ended the Cheese Wheel’s visit to Sir Axelrod of Anyari’s haunted mansion.

As the party began to head towards the Temple of Paladine, Nala spotted more RDA patrols advancing behind them. The Cheese quickly hid away from the patrols in the ruined mansions of the city as they approached the Temple of Paladine. 

The party then arrived at the temple. They found a shattered ruin of what once must have been a magnificent domed temple with colossal dragon statues. The feet of one of these statues peered upwards out of the flooded complex. Surrounding the massive complex was a section of forest that surrounded the flooded complex. As the party approached the wooded section of the temple, Stellar noticed several RDA figures standing in the forest. The party quickly debates a plan to handle the RDA. No one wants a fight in the woods. This could draw unnecessary attention from the patrols. Moo quickly picks up the scent of corpses in the forest. Moo enters the forest with Ogre’s Bane ready for battle. Moo is surprised that an entire patrol of RDA soldiers were impaled upon the tree limbs. Suddenly Moo notices a colossal female tree-like humanoid named Duskwalker. The tree kin is angered to see Moo and believes him to be a trespasser. Not wanting to get into a fight with a 40-foot-tall tree creature, Moo calls for Stellar. Hopefully, druidic powers can help calm the creature Stellar and the rest of the party show up and are astonished at the sight of this creature. Stellar quickly calms the situation and explains to Duskwalker that the Cheese Wheels are not enemies but allies. Duskwalker was more concerned if the party had any divine favor. Stellar and Nala explained that they had been chosen by Mishikal and Habakkuk. Upon the saying of their names, the leaves of the other trees in the forest begin to rustle and whisper back the names.  Stellar also explains that they are attempting to remove the curse that Paladine placed on the dragon lance which Moo offers to the tree-kin to examine more closely. Duskwalker becomes convinced that the party is no threat after all. She transforms back into her tree self. 

Afterwards, Nala, Stellar and Moo give Pudge the scrolls that were found in the Pathway of Memories. The party then takes a short rest and prepares a plan to enter the Temple of Paladine. 

After Pudge vanished again into the Ethereal Plain, Moo, Nala, and Stellar are left to figure out how the remove the curse from the dragon lance. Dustwalker informed the party previously that the creatures both in the water and in the ruined temple are not freindly creatures and not necessarily trustworthy. Stellar transforms into a crab and discovers are large fish-man genie sleeping under the water who is unconcerned that a crab has distrubed his afternoon nap. Stellar returns from the water explaining to others about the discovery of a magical creature sleeping under the water. The water is prety shallow only being waist deep for our heroes. Nala casts Pass without a trace and remarkably the Cheese Wheels make it past the sleeping genie without waking him. Moo struggles to open the temple doors. It takes him at least five times to open the doors in fact. He accidentally pulls off one of the handles. Moo finally opens the temple doors. Inside, Paladine's temple is flooded and the ruins of the temple's ceiling are scattered along the floor. The cheese wheels enter the temple. Stellar takes a wrong step and falls into flooded hole in the floor. Moo grabs her before she sinks further. Nala and Moo locate the remaining holes in the flooded room.

The Cheese Wheels make it to the altar of Paladine at the other end of the temple's chamber. The altar is shaped like a triangle and carved images of the deity surround the walls of the altar. Almost immediately, Nala and Stellar feel a righteous and welcoming spirit to the altar. Moo feels nothing, but he doesn't seem to feel like an enemy. Maybe its just gas... At any rate, Moo places the dragonlance on the altar. Paladine's magic lifts the curse and a powerful voice is heard from the altar calling upon our champions to wield the Dragonlance for good. The party is then fully healed and the lance transforms into a long white pike. Moo takes the pike and then offers it to both Nala and Stellar. Nala attunes to the weapon and explains the magical abilities of the weapon. Moo lustfully wants the to wield the weapon, but pretends to be not the interested. Nala willingly gives the weapon to Moo. In exchange, Moo disattunes from the Mind Ring calls Sir Axelrod a fascist turd. The drangonlance takes on the form a large pike. In Nala and Stellar's hands it resembles a large lance. Stellar transforms into a crab and chases after the ring. She finds the ring and takes it. Stellar also discovers three mumified creatures in the pits below the water. Feeling bad for taking the weapon from Nala, Moo offers Ogre's Bane in exchange. Moo explains to Nala the value of the weapon to his culture and says that it would be in much better hands with her. Almost immediately, from the Ethereal Plain, Pudge casts a spell by which Tswoozie offers the gauntlets of Ogre Strength to Nala so that she can wield Ogre's Bane in close combat more effectively.

The Party then leaves the alter and with the help of cast without a trace open some chamber doors that Stellar in her crab form found earlies. In one of the rooms, Nala uses Ogre's Bane to chop open a chest finding some powerful healing potions and 400 gold coins. The party then leaves the Temple Paladine remarkably again without disturbing the fishy-man genie sleeping soundly in the water.

Pudge returns and asks if the party if she can take her test to join the order of high mages. 

As they turn the corner they Encounter big gray spikey 7.5 feet tall frog monster with a sword sticking out of his back.  100ft away. He’s friendly and Stellar waves. He laughs. The party introduces each other. “Nice pig sticker.” Pudge and Moo recognize this as a death slaad. They are the pinnacle of their species. Nala and Stellar have no idea what this thing is but are surprisingly friendly. 

Offers a quest to the point. He wants to try every flavor of Draconians. He asks about the dragonlance. Moo lies and says it was his grandfather’s. Stellar quickly changes the subject. His name is Gitzgah. He’s kind of a drifter. “You don’t have much going on do you?” said Pudge. Gitzgah comes to like Moo. He offers the party a candle of invocation. He walks to the pool of Paladine

He offers to follow the party invincibly but dripping wet. He helps keep an eye out for Draconian patrols. 

The cheesewheels plan to meet Gitzgah by Sir Axelrod’s mansion. Nala senses that Gitzgah is lying. Nala tries to coax him away to Sir Axelrod’s mansion. Nala casts hunter’s mark on the frog man to keep an eye on him. Gritzgah falls through the hole that Pudge caused in the mansion. Stellar heads to the mansion Moo stops and explains to the party about being chaotic neutral. The party debates the matter if they could check on the frog man. “it’s a human matter” none of us are human Pudge. 

They reenter the mansion. They find a big bite mark in the water buffalo. Pudge sees that the Frog Man fighting a dark shadow. Gitzgah has no problem fighting them and even kills one of them. Gitzgah asked who caused all this damage and Pudge non-chalantly looks around and takes some pride in the damage she caused earlier. 

They leave and stealthily make their way back to the Path of Memories. 

They come to a large cliff passage and Nala almost loses her hunter’s mark spell on Gitzgah. The party climbs up again and approaches the Path of Memories. They hear Gitzgah’s voice and he knows demolin. Gitzgah claims that Demolin is a little prejudice to Slaadi. He enters another house and fights more shadows. 

Nala finds the door. Pudge knocks. The door is held back by a shoe. The shoe gets kicked out of the way and the door opens. The party heads inside. Demolin is happy to see Pudge is out of the Ethereal Plain. Pudge asks to take the test to enter the order of mages. Demolin is thrilled. Pudge plays it cool but she is vibrating with excitement. Nala points out that Pudge has wanted to do this since Kalamar. Stellar wants to cast guidance but Demolin says that the group can participate in the test. Demolin explains that this test will transport them to another plain but will affect the lives of people in another time and place. Demolin explains that Pudge could lose her life during the test. Demolin offers to make lunch and Pudge is very happy to eat some food. There is a massive vegetarian spread with dosa and fried vegetables. Smells of delicious breads and vegetables with melted cheese and olives. Demolin also makes pizza. The cheese wheels eats pizza. Moo wonders about the lives who will be affected. Demolin explains that plains are like a mosaic of plains of existence. All plains are thought to be fractured pieces of a consciousness named Sardior child of Paladine and takhisis. Explains the eternal battle. She notices that the Cheese wheels are some how part of the eternal battle. Moo asks if its possible of an eternal peace. Demolin explains a great big multiverse. “Time has no meaning to those who are gods.” Make no mistake Moo that the gods exist in two forms those who believe and those who create other gods. Gods are not mortal. They cannot be slain, but they cannot die. Demolin explains the corpse of a god as a horrible. The eternal battle is battle for the minds of mortals. Moo inquires about the sufferings of the war. Gods can power from their believers. Stellar asks about erasing everyone’s mind and Demolin. Moo asks if there is a timeline where we lose. Pudge lets make a timeline where this is where we win. Demolin offers a magical scroll of create food and water. Pudge’s cheeks are filled with food like a chipmunk and her eyes are wide with excitement. 

The party prepares to help Pudge with her test. 

Transported to Mt. Nevermind and the Facility of the Starwhistles. Compact book shelf and a pile of various magical weapons. A pile of portable holes. Party sees Breena Starwhistle again Pudge runs to her in excitement. 

Massive operation in 

Kevin- Staff of fire

Amara- Staff of Power 

Quadina- Rod of Absorption

Next room with the most intricate magical items. Fin, Stewart, and Karina. All three look excited. Karina explains the staff of the magi. The gnomes feel exhausted after the work of this magical item. Breena leans forward to test out the staff it causes a magical explosion. Breena runs to the blast of the explosion. The party follows and the party is horrified. Breena accidentally sets off fire ball. Armored soldiers and massive fireballs come toward the party. Breena says that they are bandits. The fire balls explode front wall of the magical weapons. Stellar casts sleet storm and the bandits get caught up in the sleet storm. Moo gets ready for battle and Nala casts a hail of arrows from one arrow on the enemies stuck in the sleet storm. From the sound inside the sleet storm, the arrows hit their targets. 

Pudge tells Breena they are going to hold them off. Breena hands her the helm of teleportation. Pudge asks why the bandits are here.  Breena thinks that they are here for the Staff of the Magi. 

Nala’s spell of plant growth

Bandits teleport near the entrance of the shop. 

Shatter misses the party.

Pudge gets Karina to break the vice of the staf of Magi. Nala follows. Pudge grabs as many magical items and books from the compact library. Pudge puts on the helm and transports the gnome artisans to Pudge’s home. No place like home. No place like home and clicks her heals. Pudge’s home is a little different from normal. Breena thanks and begins to fade. The scene goes gray. Karina still had the staff of Magi. Pudge holds the books and the staves. Starwhistle family history book. The Adventures of Ademia Storm. Fire doesn’t take the fire stave and holds onto the books. 

Demolin is thrilled at Pudge passing the test. Pudge is astonished she passed the test with the items. The title of the book changes from Breema’s family history to a new spell book. Pudge has Breena’s second spell book. Nala is ecstatic for Pudge. Nala picks her up and swings her aound. 

Demolin reminds the party that any tragedy that occurred did not affect this plane. Pudge and stellar are worried about the fate of the world. Pudge gets the white robe following the test. They magically appear on her. Patchy hat and gray apron disappear. 

The party resupplies at Demelin’s and then sets out for the Bastion of Takhesis. They take shelter from spying eyes in an alleyway between two houses, spread out the portable hole, and retrieve their RDA armor. Gitska the Death Slaad rejoins them.

Gitska is ready for the Bastion of Takhesis: “Yeah, man! You guys really know how to do it! Let’s go straight into the heart of it. There’s hundreds of soldiers there! There were thousands, but something drew them off.” He smiles broadly. “We’re all gonna die! That means I’ll go back to Limbo. No big deal. I kind of miss the place. What happens to you all when you die?” The party deflects the question and debates momentarily, resolving to investigate the occupied mansion first instead. 

On the way to the occupied mansion, the party encounters a large group of RDA: an officer who appears to be in charge, 3 Sivaks, and 10 humans who appear unarmed. Moo recognizes the humans by the tools that they’re using as combat engineers, a group of builders who support military missions. They seem to be inspecting and repairing the foundations of the buildings in the area, making use of a chasm that has split the ground to gain access to the foundations of the nearby buildings.

Moo and an invisible Gitska approach one of the engineers out of sight of his overseers. Moo greets him, “Well met, soldier. How goes your mission?” The engineer is initially frightened and doesn’t respond to the Minotaur who bears himself like a commanding officer. Moo then continues, “It’s a fine day for the work. Tell me about what you’re doing.” 

The engineer finally composes himself and rises from where he was installing a tie rod on the foundation of the building. “I’m Engineer Mimos, sir. We’re repairing the foundations of the city, sir. It’s a hopeless task, sir. I’ve never seen anything like it, sir. The damage to the foundations gets worse as you go deeper, sir, like something struck these buildings from underneath, sir. I can’t fathom it, sir, but we’re doing what we can to fix them, sir, but they can’t be fixed, sir, but we take orders, sir. Yes, sir!”

Moo continues questioning Mimos about the details of his mission and asks Mimos why this mission has been ordered. Mimos responds, “I don’t know, sir, but our orders come from the top, sir. Lohezet and Belephaion, commanders of the forces in the city, have ordered the work, sir. They’re commanding everyone for now, sir, while Lord Soth’s away. He’s normally in charge of the fighting forces, sir.”

While Mimos and Moo converse, a Sivak pokes his head around the corner of the building and sees that Mimos has been delayed by talking to Moo. The Sivak approaches. Engineer Mimos frantically gets back to work attaching the tie rod. Moo notices Gitska’s footprints in the crumbling dirt of the chasm’s side and steps past him, whispering, “Get behind him.” Moo then walks to greet the approaching Sivak, “Hello, soldier. How goes your mission?”

The Sivak responds, “You can discuss that with my officer. Come.”

Moo then proceeds to announce the presence of the rest of his party and calls to them. He then goes on, giving them lengthy descriptions and high praise for being such incredible fighters. Gitska gets behind the Sivak and Moo hears the unmistakable noise of a sword sliding slowly out of a scabbard. The Sivak hears it too and looking over his shoulder, sees nothing, then looks back to Moo, spooked. Moo then reaches out to grab the Sivak by the shoulder, turns him around, guides him past the invisible Gitska, and says, “Yes, please introduce me to your officer. Thank you.”

The party then joins Moo as the Sivak shrugs off this unexpectedly touchy-feely Minotaur officer and leads them to where the other Sivaks and the officer are loitering. The officer introduces himself as Officer Gallahara. He is visibly impressed by the presence of a Minotaur and two Dragonborn, one of whom apparently is in possession of a dragon wyrmling. Nala asks, “What is the status of this mission?” 

Officer Gallahara replies, “Yes, of course. Please follow me.” He leads the party into a house where a desk has been repositioned near a window. He spreads out a map of the city and shows where the group has been operating. He explains how the northwest portion of the city near the Temple of Paladine has had to be avoided for now until military operations have subsided. He then proudly, if nervously, points to all the locations where his mission has completed its work and estimates that completing repairs on the remaining foundations that are exposed will take approximately 10 days. 

Moo offers faint praise and implies an uncertain report to Lohezet and Belephaion, and then demands that the work go faster. He also requires the map. Officer Gallahara hesitates, then rolls it up and gives it to him. Gallahara then offers, “If you are headed to the Threshold of the Heavens, you’ll need the password.” Moo then replies, “Yes, give it to me.” Gallahara sags a bit with the knowledge that Moo’s report will happen right away and responds, “It is ‘By her will: the world’.” Nala thanks him and punctuates her communication with a small demonstration of her fiery breath. Gallahar is alarmed, clicks his heels together, and bows, as the party takes their leave.

On their approach to the occupied mansion, Moo wants to reunite with his ax, Ogre’s Bane. While Stellar and an invisible Gitska scout the house, Moo and Nala exchange weapons and Nala re-attunes to the dragonlance. 

Stellar transforms into a cat. She and an invisible Gitska start by going around the house. Four Kapaks are stationed at three entrances, with two by the most commonly used one. The east side of the mansion has collapsed into rubble, blocking entry to the first floor. Stellar waits to follow someone into the house, and succeeds when a very thin hobgoblin comes out to take a brief break from whatever his work inside might have been and rolls himself a cigarette. He’s wearing an apron and is covered in food stains and blood. After a brief respite, the hobgoblin curses, grinds out his smoke, draws the meat cleaver that was attached to his belt, and heads back inside. Stellar follows him. 

She finds a company of mixed races numbering a half-dozen who are eating in the front large room. The smoker disappears behind the first door on the right in the hallway. Another door on the left seems to contain a reasonably large room and smells of rank flesh. In the antechamber to the main doorway are many RDA cloaks hung on hooks.

Stellar goes upstairs. She finds a balcony overlooking the northern patio, where she imagines Gitska must be. There are also two rooms on the second floor with their doors closed. To the east where the mansion has collapsed, the open hallway has been boarded over, but Stellar is able to find a gap that she can squeeze through, and then climbs down the rubble. She smells Gitska and walks past him, leading them back to Nala and Moo.

Stellar explains that she thinks this is a barracks and recommends that the party continues on toward the Threshold of the Heavens after a brief discussion, that is what they decide to do, but first, they think that they can feed Gitska the lone Kapak guard at the north entrance. 

The invisible Gitska walks up to within thirty feet of the guard, drops invisibility, and casts fear. The spell has its desired effect. The Kapak guard drops his weapon and runs off to the east, Gitska in pursuit. Nala puts two of her patented heavy-shot arrows through the Draconian and downs the beasts. Gitska manages to dodge the splash of acid and immediately falls to butchering the fallen enemy. He claims it tastes like chicken.

To approach the Threshold of the Heavens, the party crosses the largest of the bridges that the RDA have built in the city, the most southern bridge, midway between the Bastion of Takhesis and the Threshold of the Heavens. They are greeted on either end by a set of three Sivak guards who salute. In the middle of the bride they stop and examine the Threshold of the Heavens. This dramatic tower rises over 100 feet from its base and its base floats perhaps 50 feet in the air. The party sees a small group of RDA soldiers loitering on the south side of the tower and infer that that must be the entrance.

They find a route down to where the soldiers are stationed and approach. One Sivak salutes and asks for the pass phrase. A moment of panic passes over the entire party until they recall Officer Gallahara’s help: “By her will: the world”. The Sivak then calls to Orm and Guelfost requesting ferrying for the party. A Bozak and a bone devil appear in the doorway high above. 

The bone devil flies down to where the party and the Sivaks are. The bone devils speaks directly into the entire party’s minds. His telepathic communication leaves no doubt as to what he is and what he’s done. He is a denizen of hell and has suffered and caused suffering for eons. “Who’s first?”

Nala volunteers to go first without hesitation, winning appraising looks from the Sivak guards. Guelfost ferries Nala up to the entry hall where she is placed near the waiting Bozak. Nala compliments Guelfost telepathically on the beauty and strength of his wings. Guelfost clacks his many sharp teeth at Nala and tells her, “Go to hell.” Nala is confused about whether this is a polite invitation to his home and a way of saying thank you or an insult before resolving that it is likely both. Guelfost then ferries Stellar and Moo to the entry hall, and Moo seems to have irritated the devil in the very short time that he had with him. Meanwhile, Gitska takes refuge behind the broken foundation of one of the tower’s buttresses to the north. He waits until the soldiers are facing south again, drops invisibility, casts fly, and rises to the base of tower. He quickly casts invisibility again, and begins clambering his way toward the front door.

As the last of the party is ferried into the entry chamber for the Threshold of the Heavens, they witness the return of Lord Soth on his undead dragon to the Bastion of Takhisis. Even Guelfost and Orm, the bone devil and his Bozak handler, pause to stare south through the door and watch his arrival on his fantastical and horrific mount. Purple flame periodically engulfs the flying skeletal remains and then sputters out in the wind of its movement.

As everyone’s attention is drawn southward, Moo disappears in a flash of sepia-toned light just as Pudge reappears with a similar effect. This flabbergasts Orm, who immediately and aggressively asks, “Who… who are you?” In the confusion, Gitsgah enters and the party hear an invisible sword being drawn in the middle of the room.

Pudge replies calmly, “I’m Pudge Stonetoe,” and the rest of the party introduces themselves. Orm regains his composure and falls back into the bureaucratic habits that his job requires. He takes a book out of his pocket and records their names and then asks what their business is in the tower. Stellar responds that they have a message for Lohezet and Belaphaion. Orm records this in his book. He then says that the password for the security measures is “chetteth”. 

From one corner of the entry chamber, a prisoner begins screaming at the party, “You! It’s you! What are you doing here? Where’s that minotaur! Blast him! You’re the ones responsible for … for … for this!” and he gestures at the cage that holds him. This prisoner is Ex-Fewmaster Aster Balleneen that Moo setup for prosecution with a note left in the Sargent’s desk at Wind’s End Aerie. The party banters with him momentarily which only excites him further. Orm sends Guelfost to go sit next to Ex-Fewmaster Aster, and while the bone devil stares at him, Ex-Fewmaster Aster quickly becomes quiet again. 

The party exits through the south door to the next chamber. After Pudge inspects the consoles, she’s certain that this is the control center for the flight of the tower. She informs the party that the consoles are only partially working and that they are beyond her ability to fix. With the help of a detect magic spell from the party’s wand, she realizes and explains that the sigil in the floor is a stylized view of the tower from above and that the orange color means that not everything is OK with the tower’s flight systems. She advises that the party make their way through the tower carefully and try not to damage its systems any further.

They climb the stairs and in the first room on the second floor they encounter an obvious security measure. Nine columns are arcing lightning between themselves with audible buzzes and pops. As each party member enters, including the invisible Gitsgah, they say “chetteth”. They are struck by the lightning, but it only tickles a bit and does no harm. Oasis cannot say the password and turn back. She decides to wait in the room that monitors the tower’s flight.

The party exits the energy field by doors to the north. This room has a pair of Istarian drones that are deactivated and one is being charged by lightning arcs from two nearby columns. Pudge inspects a console in the room and explains that using the console, they can issue a command to the drone. She didn’t think the drone could leave the room, though. 

The party goes upstairs. In the first room on the third floor the party finds an illusory miniature three-dimensional depiction of Onyari. The illusion flickers in places, seemingly where the city has suffered significant damage such that the map is no longer wholly accurate. The threshold of the heavens and the Bastion of Takhisis seem to be the most solid structures, though everything flickers to a degree. The eastern portion where Demelin lives and the Temple of Paladine flicker the most along with some areas in the north and wherever there were large cracks and broken ground.

The doors to the north and west have official looking signs posted on them stating: “No further entry”. Nevertheless, the doors are not locked. The party enters the western door and are greeted by three flameskulls. The nearest on states, “There’s no further entry for the common soldiery. Turn around and go back.” The party follows the flameskulls orders and returns to the city-map room. They enter the north door where two Aurak Draconians are studying another map. The nearest Aurak tells the party, “There is no further entry. Go back.” 

Stellar responds, “Lohezet and Belaphaion?”

“What of them?”

“We have an appointment with Lohezet and Belaphaion.” 

“The flameskulls handle that. Go back and go through the western door.”

The party finds themselves back in the city-map room. Moo instructs Gitsgah to guard the door to the Auraks and he obliges after confessing that this duty is hard on him as he would rather kill and eat them then guard against them. Moo sympathizes but reasserts his request and Gitsgah complies. 

The party then returns to the flameskulls, and Stellar quickly explains, “We have an appointment with Lohezet and Belaphaion.”

“What is the appointment password for the day?” the nearest flameskull inquires.

Stellar offers, “Chetteth.”

Apparently, that was not the right password. The flameskulls use their reaction to cast a spell that causes them to become blurry and difficult to target. The combat is swift and brutal. Moo, Pudge, and Stellar take down the first flameskull with Stellar’s lightning bolt doing damage to all three. The remaining two target Moo and Stellar with a pair of fire rays that emanate from their eyes. Nala finishes the second flameskull with a couple screaming arrows from her bow, and Moo finishes the last with two mammoth strikes from his axe. As quickly as the combat started, it is over. With some anxiety, the party watches the door to the north, but after a few moments, they relax. No Auraks enter the room.

The party decides to pass the Auraks as if they had the appointment password for the day. Stellar fails to manage the swagger necessary to walk boldly by them, and then feels the need to explain that they had the password to the Auraks. The Aurak that she passes is unimpressed and rises from the map, looking over the party. Moo then steps in and distracts the conversation nearly into combat, riling the Aurak who rightfully believes that he shouldn’t be disturbed from his study and shouldn’t take any guff from any anonymous soldier, be he a commander or no. The squabble permits Gitsgah to enter the room unseen. Moo surprisingly lets the Aurak have the last word and proceeds upstairs. Nala holds the door for everyone, and has to wait for a few extra moments before the invisible Gitsgah finally follows after emitting an audible sigh. As Pudge passes the map she notices that is is a map of the greater vicinity around the flying city and that it seems to be a live view. RDA troops are amassing at the southern entrance of the slot canyon that connects Onyari to the plain of the Northern Wastes.

As the party enters the room on the fourth floor, they are greeted by a single individual, a mage in black robes, “And who might you be?”

Stellar offers, “Lohezet and Belaphaion?” 

The mage replies, “Yes?”

“So you are Lohezet?”

“You guess correctly, fair druid. We have so few druids in the Red Dragon Army. What is your business here?”

“We have a message for Belaphaion.”

“Give me the message,” Lohezet demands.

At this the party hesitates, and Stellar begins praying inaudibly. Lohezet volunteers, “There are many of you to deliver a message, and you are well-armed warriors and exceptional casters.” Lohezet spares a glance at Pudge’s white robes, and then resumes eye contact with Stellar. “Are you here to kill Belaphaion? Is that your message?”

Several party members begin to stammer, but Nala hears the hope in Lohezet’s question and her voice rises above the confusion: “Yes, we are.” She wields her bow and squeezes it, the metal of her gauntlets softly clinking through the room’s shocked quiet.

Lohezet smiles and replies softly, “So bold!”

Moo quickly spins a web of lies, “Belaphaion’s command is ended by order of our commanding officer.”

Lohezet begins casting a spell targeting Moo, but Pudge doesn’t recognize it and counterspells it. As the severed magical tension snaps back and through Lohezet, he turns to Pudge and sighs. She grins back at him, knowing full well how unpleasant the sensation of being counterspelled is. Lohezet then resumes with Moo, “Tell me more. Who might your commander be?”

“Kansaldi Fireyes.”

Lohezet initially refuses to believe but cannot see any other answer to the riddle of this group of would-be assassins. “I can see that our time in the city is at an end. That is fine with me. I care not for the Red Dragon Army’s goals. They just supported my research into exotic poisons. Kill Belaphaion. He is through the door to the north. I will gladly leave.” He begins to pack a few items from the top of his console: six metal objects that appear similar to components in the consoles that the party has been inspecting, a candle of invocation, and a gem that seems to be radiating more light than what is falling on it. He also manipulates his console and a large screen showing Kalamar switches off and then switches to a view of the Northern Wastes and its skies.

Stellar is unwilling to let him depart with his loot and tries to bargain with him for it. She offers, “I can help you with your research. I know a great deal about poisons from my work in the wild.”

“What could you possibly offer me?”

Moo volunteers, “We could help you gather poisons from dangerous creatures!”

Lohezet mocks Moo, “Yes, we could fare the world acquiring rare and exotic toxins. Perhaps I might try out a few on you.”

Stellar casts the spell giant insect on three spiders that she has collected during her travels through the Northern Wastes. The spiders grow to immense size. After savoring a pause, Stellar commands them to be calm and to wait. Lohezet appears to be genuinely enthused by their presence, “May I milk the black widow?”

Stellar responds, “What of our bargain?”

Lohezet steps through the party bumping his shoulder into Moo as he goes and retrieves a jar and a rubbery like sheet to cover it which he fixed to the top of the jar. He passes through the party again, pushing Moo out of the way again, and approaches the black widow. Stellar steps between him and the spider. Lohezet hisses at her.

Stellar says, “What can you give me in return?”

Lohezet doesn’t respond. He says nothing. The pause drags on and the tension in the room mounts.

Stellar steps out of the way and delight spreads across Lohezet’s face until she says, “Kill him.”

Two of the spiders shoot webs at Lohezet who is surprised by the turn of the events. He bursts through the first web, but is trapped by the second. The third spider then sinks a deep bite into the mage, but its poison was wholly ineffective. Nala fires a couple arrows that pierce all the way through Lohezet, drawing his attention to the ranger. He then sends two withering blasts at her and attempts to raise his Mage Armor, but Pudge counterspells it, and as his final action that turn he unleashes a poisonous miasma that encompasses the entire party.

Gitzgah charges in and lands a couple blows from his greatsword and bites the mage once before stumbling out of the poisonous and blinding fog. Stellar’s spiders continue with another round of biting while the druid changes into her displacer beast form and dashes across the room to get out of the miasma. Pudge then a wondrous thing. She casts polymorph on herself and wills her shape into that of a giant ape. She becomes 18 feet tall and large enough to feel where the spiders are attacking her enemy. She forces her way through the spiders and with two great strikes pounds the evil mage into oblivion. The miasma dissipates revealing a fiery red and orange primate of prodigious size to the rest of the party. Pudge’s ape beats her chest and gloats in her victory. On an about Lohezet’s person, the party finds several vials of what they suspect is poison, a half-dozen mechanical components that look like they might come from one of the consoles and appear to be made of a valuable metal, a gem of brightness, and a candle of invocation of lawful evil alignment.

The party decides to go back down two floors to a console that permits the control of an Istarian drone in the room thinking that that would be a good place for a short rest. To get there they have to pass through the Auraks that are studying their map. This time they do not leave them alive. Gitzgah and Stellar take on one, but can’t finish him before he breathes noxious gas on most of the party. Pudge and Nala kill the other with a hard hitting fire bolt and massive damage from the dragonlance. The Auraks release chain lightning as they die, hitting Gitsgah who regenerates, and Nala and Stellar. The party proceeds down to the drone control room. They heal each other over their short rest, except for Nala who leaves herself partially wounded from the withering blasts. 

The party then returns to the top floor. Refreshed from the rest, Stellar wild shapes into a spider and crawls under the door. She sees Belephaion in red robes sitting on a throne-like chair in the middle of floor. The walls are entirely composed of giant windows affording a fabulous view of the City of Lost Names. Two Baaz Draconian servants are busy at serving stations in the corners of the room near the door. 

Belephaion seems deep in concentration, sitting on the throne with a helm on his head. His eyes are closed and he has fingertips from both hands resting on the temples of the helm. He opens his eyes as if distracted and frowns at the door. He says, “Gorth, go see what Lohezet wants. I heard him on the stairs yet he does not come.” One of the Baaz servants turns and responds to Belephaion obsequiously, and then walks somewhat slowly toward the door. 

Stellar quickly crawls back under the door and transforms back into her Dragonborn druid form. She waves everyone back down the stairs. The party gets back onto the level that Lohezet occupied just as they hear the door at the top of the stairs open. Everyone readies an attack. When the door opens, Gorth looks shocked to find a well-armed and ready party of assassins. Nala takes pity on him, but Gitsgah slays the servant and then feasts on his corpse. 

The party returns up the stairs. Stellar readies to blind Belephaion with the gem of brightness that was obtained from Lohezet. As they enter the room, they no longer see a human priest robed in red. Instead, a blue dragon is coiled around the throne watching the door warily.

The party files into the room, and for a tense moment the enemies assess each other. Stellar and Belaphaion speak past each other. Stellar cries, “”What have you done with the dragon eggs?” and Belaphaion utters, “Assassins. Has the Mistress of Dragons finally rid us of that worm, Lohezet? Excellent. Let us be done with all this human caution.” Belaphaion’s sight seems to turn inward and lights, levers, and dials begin to move on the throne. The Threshold of the Heavens lurches up and then stops, and the City of Lost Names as viewed through the windows surrounding this floor erupts into spouts of dust and debris. The ground outside shreds. Buildings rise and collapse. Boulders soar and fall. Moo shouts, “For Vogler!” and charges into battle with the party at his back.

Moo lands a vicious combination on Belaphaion with his ax, and Nala follows with two explosive charges into the chest and belly of the evil wyrm. Gitzgah surges forward and lands two sword strikes and a deep bite, ecstatic to dine on a new and powerful sentient being. Stellar hurries forward and casts Stoneskin on Nala and then steps out of the way as Belaphaion rears and breathes lightning on Nala. She dodges the worst of it, but the huge bolts of lightning course through her. Nevertheless, she stays on her feet. The combat breaks the remaining Baaz servant out of its everyday daze, and it unwisely rushes in to this battle of creatures much more powerful than it and delivers two blows to Nala, focusing on the same assassin as its master.

Moo sees how tough his enemy is and quaffs a potion of enlargement, growing to be 15 feet tall. He delivers two terrible slashing attacks to the dragons hide with his giant two-handed ax, Ogresbane. Nala strikes with the Dragonlance twice more, scoring hits in the shoulder and chest. Gitzgah swings twice, lands one, and bites again. Stellar transforms into a displacer beast and delivers two piercing punches with her tentacles.

Belaphaion rears to breathe on Nala again, but generates only sparks. Howling in frustration he lurches forward, slashing Nala twice with his claws and sinking a bite deep into her shield shoulder. Somehow, almost miraculously, she survives the brutal attack, but the ignored Baaz at her side strikes her twice more, and the Ranger wielding the Dragonlance collapses unconscious on the floor.

Moo shouts, “Nooo!” and delivers two more vicious attacks with his oversized ax, and with the second stroke he finally kills the evil creature, splitting its lower jaw from its head with the final stroke. Moo then grapples the wyrm, dragging him from the throne and throws him to the floor in ruin and disgrace. Gitzgah takes on the remaining baaz and hits him, but the Baaz survives. Not for long. Stellar casts a very strong Healing Word on Nala and a Thornwhip that hits on the Baaz, killing it. She fails to avoid the petrifying gas that it emits in its deaththrows, and as she turns into a statue she makes eye contact with Nala who coughs and sits up, and Stellar smiles as her expression is frozen into stone.

Several things happen at once. Moo suggests mutilating the corpse and Gitzgah is very enthusiastic about that. He skins Belaphaion, selecting choice cuts of muscle here and there to snack on, and removes what’s left of the head, carrying it around in his huge, toothy frog-mouth like a cat holding its prey. Moo then notes what’s happened to Stellar and tries to help in any way he can, but to no avail. Gitzgah notices Belaphaion’s bag of holding and tosses it to Nala. 

Nala and Moo then notice that the throne has become completely quiescent except for one yellow light blinking at the end of the right arm of the throne. They observe it for a few seconds wondering what to do. Moo then suggests that Nala sit in the throne as Moo is too large to fit in it. She does. She recognizes it as an intensely magical and complex item. She thinks it potentially controls the flight of the city, but it would take her an hour, perhaps longer to attune to it.

An audible alarm sears the air. Repeating every few seconds. Moo and Nala look and see that the flashing yellow light is now a solid red. A very loud crack resonates through the building and it begins to list to the east. Moo and Nala try to form a plan of escape, but the tower tilts more and the windows to the east flex and shatter inward, spraying Moo with shards of glass. Gitzgah wraps the scales around his neck, takes Belaphaion’s face out of his mouth momentarily and says, “I think it’s time to go!” He then flies out the window. Moo grabs Stellar’s statue and dives out the window too, trusting to his ring of feather falling, but the weight of his giant self and the statue is too much. He’s falling too quickly. Nala recognizes what’s happening and jumps down to him through the air, and the two of them together rescue Stellar’s statue from the falling building. 

As they land, Stellar recovers from the petrifying gas. Their relief is short-lived. The shadow that they are standing in is growing larger by the second as the tower continues to rotate to the east. Moo picks up both Nala and Stellar and runs north toward Sir Axlerod’s mansion and the teleportation circle in its basement. Gitzgah flies just a little overhead, and snatches a bite from a crushed Sivak as the party flees north.

The party climbs down into Axlerod’s basement and with a little help from Pudge from the ethereal plane, they have the code for Kalamar’s teleportation circle. Gitzgah tries to warn them that teleporting unannounced into a city under siege might be a bad idea, but given the circumstances and that he really rather likes bad ideas, he just transforms into his human form and says, “Let’s do this!”

Stellar supplies the necessary spell power and they are instantaneously taken to what appears to be a large mages’ workshop. Many mages and one very arcane-looking fellow are surprised to see them, and they ready spells. The party tries to leave the circle but finds that they are contained on all sides by walls of force and a bright yellow acrid gas is filling what appears to be the cube of space they are trapped in. Every party member succumbs to the gas and is paralyzed, slumping to the floor and on the invisible walls of force. Though paralyzed, they retain their senses and their minds. A moment later Varmint rushes in and gestures quickly and vehemently to the mages in the workshop. The acrid gas disappears and the walls of force stop holding them up. They collapse to the floor. Varmint rushes up and checks their vitals. He says to the mages around him, “They’ll be fine. Thank the light. These are the Heroes of Vogler returning from their mission in the Northern Waste, you fools!” He then turns to the party and says, “I am so sorry, my dear friends. We must take precautions against unscheduled use of this circle. Too many know its code.” 

After seeing to the party’s recovery from the paralytic, Varmint escorts them to the healers. Along the way they notice that their fame as Vogler’s Heroes seems to have faded. The city is busy with many preparations, and strange folk in their midst is not the surprise that it was even just a month ago when they first arrived. Without a doubt, some still recognized the Dragonborn and the Minotaur, but without the Gnome and the Paladin and with the addition of a warrior from Blode, the party’s star power was somewhat dimmed. Perhaps the warrior from Blode drew the most attention, especially the negative attention.

The healers soothed Nala’s and Moo’s hurts and Varmint showed the party to their old quarters in the ballroom. He explained that he would inform Marshal Vendri right away, but he didn’t expect to be able to gather the city-state’s government until late afternoon. He would send up a bath attendant and the party will have a few hours to themselves.

Nala then opened Belaphaion’s loot bag and began retrieving items. Inside were

• Three javelins with lightning bolts on the ends.

• A pouch of 10 sizable sapphires

• A pouch of ancient gold coins

• A ruby holy symbol of Takhisis

• An Ioun stone (+2 agility)

• A heavy, gold crown studded with gems

• A prophecy engraved on what seems like onyx:

In the next turn of the eternal, when shadows cast long,
From the darkened horizon, an island of death shall arise.
Your saviors are born of this world, but not held by it,
From the brood of dragons, yet free of the gods.

In the hour of darkness, when the land trembles and soars,
The beasts of the wild shall heed their silent call.
The stones, ancient and mute, shall stir with power,
And the heavens themselves shall part with a mighty roar.

They shall come, the ones foretold, bound neither by soil nor sky,
Their souls, a source of secrets from ages past.
The saviors, not solely of this material plane,
Shall rise with the swiftness of beasts, the might of stone, and the fury of storms.

As the moon wanes and the sun’s light dims,
The guardians of the unseen realms shall reveal their truth.
From the blood of dragons, yet free of their chains,
They shall stand at the threshold, a beacon against the gathering night.

The party catches up with Marshal Vendri and calls Darrett. Gitzgah disappears instead of introducing himself to Marshal Vendri. Nala summons Oasis from The City of Lost Names.

The party goes shopping. Many deals are exchanged with Mistreant, Varmint’s assistant. The blue pearls from the Blue Phoenix Shrine were left with Mistreant to fashion a magic item to be named later.

The party visits Tevens house and his son, Arling. Pudge repairs the clockwork snake toy she made for Arling a little over a month ago.

The party stop by Hammerstrike and place many orders for upgrades to their armor, including pieces fashioned from the blue dragon scales that will grant lightning resistance. 

• Boots, gloves, and two capes of lightning resistance

• Monstrosity bane for Ogre’s Bane

• Monstrosity bane for Nala’s Bow

• Necrotic resistance and +1 to Nala’s armor

• Necrotic resistance, glamour, +1 to Stellar’s armor

• Stellar’s mace: +1, silvered, and undead bane

• Moo’s armor: +1, fire resistance

They return to Varmint’s magic shop and their poisons have already been identified:

The 7 vials of poison from Lohezet were either inhaled poisons or injury poisons. Two of the vials of Burnt Othur Fumes were sold to Mistreant.

Inhaled poisons: These poisons take effect when inhaled. A gas is magically hidden in the liquid. Shake the vial, point it, and open it or throw it violently and break it to release the poison. A 5-foot cube is affected. The resulting cloud dissipates immediately afterward. Holding one's breath is ineffective against inhaled poisons, as they affect nasal membranes, tear ducts, and other parts of the body.

Injury poisons: Injury poison can be applied to weapons, ammunition, trap components, and other objects that deal piercing or slashing damage and remains potent until delivered through a wound or washed off. A creature that takes piercing or slashing damage from an object coated with the poison is exposed to its effects. Each vial can be applied to 3 ammunition, 2 one-handed weapons, or 1 two-handed weapon.

The party kept these vials:

• 2 vials of Burnt Othur Fumes (inhaled) (500 gp ea): This is the by-product of a failed attempt to make a much deadlier potion. A creature subjected to Burnt Othur Fumes must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or take 10 (3d6) poison damage, and must repeat the saving throw at the start of each of its turns. On each successive failed save, the character takes 3 (1d6) poison damage. After three successful saves, the poison ends.

• 1 vial of Essence of Ether (inhaled) (300 gp): A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 8 hours. The poisoned creature is unconscious. The creature wakes up if it takes damage or if another creature takes an action to shake it awake. (This is the one that Nala took a whiff of.)

• 1 vial of Purple Worm Venom (injury) (2000 gp): This poison must be harvested from a dead or incapacitated Purple Worm. A creature subjected to this poison must make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw, taking 42 (12d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

• 1 vial of Fiend Poison (injury) (1000 gp):  A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 hour. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the creature is also unconscious while poisoned in this way. The creature wakes up if it takes damage or if another creature takes an action to shake it awake. If the creature is a fiend, the DC is 25 and a failure results in great pain, incapacitation, and death in 3 rounds (18 seconds) unless healed of the poison. A successful save results in incapacitation for 3 rounds and being poisoned for an hour.

After stopping by Varmint’s shop again, Moo cast Commune with Nature, and the spell had great difficulty functioning in the middle of Kalamar. Moo’s totem animal, the wolf called Timber, is barely visible. However, they were able to communicate. Moo asked where Gitzgah could be and Timber could at least tell him that a paragon of Limbo was in Castle Kalamar, even if he couldn’t tell him exactly where. The party then returns to the castle.

They make their way to their quarters and on the stairwell they hear an extra set of footsteps. Gitzgah has found them and drops his invisibility trick. After a brief stop at home, the party continues to Marshal Vendri’s office where Ogern shows them in. Marshal Vendri is surprised and alarmed to see a Blode warrior with the party. Moo explains and Vendri reluctantly accepts the state of things. Vendri then insists that Gitzgah cannot attend the debriefing and the party agrees. 

The party stops in the mess hall for dinner. It is packed with soldiers and there’s a large amount of food available. Gitzgah draws attention to himself from his looks and by getting in line for all the meats being served: beef, chicken, and ham. The party is somewhat used to drawing attention in Kalamar by this point and Gitzgah is totally unfazed. The soldiers gladly make space for them at a table and Gitzgah informs Moo, who chose chicken over the beef, that, “The beef is good.” Moo then asks for frog legs to be served, and the Mess Officer responded that they could do that tomorrow. He further asked that a mound of frogs legs be delivered to his friend the Blode warrior. “You got it,” responded the Mess Officer.

After dinner, the party returns to the citadel to meet with Marshal Vendri and the City Council. Gitzgah parted with the party on the stairs and gave them a candle of invocation, telling them, “If you ever really need me, just light this candle and say my name.” He then turns invisible and continues upstairs toward the group’s quarters. 

The party continues to Marshal Vendri’s office and she leads them into the Council’s meeting chamber. She calls the meeting to order and introduces the party to the Council. The Council comprises nothing but strangers. It seems a purge did occur. Sitting at the far end in the Governor’s chair is a stern looking woman, presumably Fuline Thren. Marshal Vendri announces that emissaries have been sent to all the free peoples of the West and South which surprises and alarms the Governor. The party then debriefs the council on the flying citadel, the Bastion of Takhisis. It can hold thousands of soldiers and the Draconians can all either fly or glide. They witnessed this style of attack in Vogler when the Draconians swarmed over the top of a cliff and glided down into the city. Fuline Thren leads the Council straight to despair by asking, “How can Kalamar stand against a fortress that soars over its defenses?” The mood is broken when Marshal Vendri states matter-of-factly, “That’s what war plans are for.” The meeting then ends, and all the Council members want to shake the party’s hand and clap them on the shoulder. 

The Governor, the Marshal and the party, begin making the first tentative war plans. Stellar advises gathering archers and the means of quelling fires. Marshal Vendri asks how the flying Bastion can be destroyed. Moo suggests intercepting it in the air and bringing it down from the inside. Vendri asks if they have a means to fly. The party remembers the dragonnels and considers what they will do if they don’t come. 

After the city council meeting breaks up, the party heads in their separate directions for the evening.

Stellar confers with the healers in the citadel about battle preparedness during which she confesses that she is currently unprepared to cast greater restoration. The healers give enough dust for two casts for which Stellar is grateful, but the healers will accept no compensation. They inform her that the city has been declared to be under siege and that all war materiel, including material components for spells, are now controlled transactions with controlled prices. Since she is a member of the military, she is simply to be issued the materiel necessary for the spell.

Nala confers with the city’s archers. While on the walls, some of the archers show how some of them have learned a cantrip and can light Nala’s arrows on fire mid-air. The fire persists to the arrow’s target and impacts it while still aflame. When the battle comes, the archers ask Nala to join them in defending Kalamar.

Moo heads down to the Steady Beacon seeking news and a means of escape for villagers from Vogler who have experienced the depravity of the Red Dragon Army (RDA) first hand and may want to get out of harm’s way while they can. He meets Steward Inkpot, a sailor, and learns that the purges strongly affected the ranks of the highest echelon of society as well as the members of the thieves guild. “Many sailors will not be returning to Kalamar,” he’s told. Several guild leaders were executed or exiled for treachery and many of the city’s poorest were jailed or driven out. Moo also learns that Nordmar, as of a month ago, still was under RDA control, but rumor had it that its control was tenuous at best. Stewart introduces Moo to Fen and Har, two members of the thieves guild. Moo discusses potentially smuggling some of the Vogler villagers out of the city. He tries to intimidate them in their own place of work and that doesn’t go well. He leaves without a deal to get his friends out, but nothing worse than that.

The next day, the party goes down to the harbor to see if any vessels are arriving in the next few days that might be headed to Maelgoth. Maelgoth is a major city of Solamnia that is up the river Vinguard to the west. They believe that it may be within their means to send a group of people there. They see that the Quick Fortune is due soon and old sailor who is perhaps the harbourmaster tells them that the captain is Rem Gunthwai. The party leaves a couple coins with the harbormaster and ask to be contacted at the citadel when the vessel arrives. 

On the way back from the harbor, the party stops at Tevens’, Megard’s, and Arling’s home and share dinner with them. The party brings up the idea of escaping from Kalamar. The family takes the offer seriously. Tevens and Megard begin discussing all of their family members that would likely be interested in leaving, naming 13 people. The party realizes that that would be beyond their means and may start the panic that the city’s rulers are trying to avoid. Stellar uses her stone shape spell to give the house a basement, one that should be secure from fire on the surface and can house their entire family. They are grateful. After dinner, the party departs for the citadel.

Back at their quarters, the party finds Gitzgah who has been on the roof watching the movements of the people while invisible. They all go to dinner where frogs’ legs are being served, and Moo delivers to Gitsgah a silver platter heaped with frogs’ legs. Gitzgah is delighted and begins chowing down. Upon seeing Moo’s disappointment, Gitzgah explains, “I eat Slaad legs too.” To which Moo responds, “Oh, so you’re a cannibal!” and everyone nearby gives the pair just a bit more space than before.

The next day in the morning, the party greets former mayor Raven and the Vogler contingent that had been manning Wheelwatch Outpost. They’ve been seeing some action over the past few weeks. Nothing too intense, but enough to make soldiers out of her group of villagers. They ask Raven if she knows if any of the Vogler villagers would want to leave the city. She gives it some thought and is fairly certain that some would, naming Nanoka and her son and daughter, Pin and her daughter, and Col Suttie and her three daughters. She tells the party that as soon as she debriefs with Marshal Vendri that she intends to see all of the former Voglerites and see how they’re doing. She’ll discreetly find out how many want to leave. 

In the afternoon, the party decides to stop by Hammerstrike and see if their gear is ready, and it is. Moo receives Ogre’s Bane and it has been made into a monstrosities’ bane. Oeynn seems rather excited to return it to Moo and asks him to let everyone know where he got it. Nala’s bow has been upgraded to be a monstrosities’ bane too, and Stellar’s mace is now +1, silvered, and a bane against the undead. On the other side of the shop, Lav delivers the party’s upgraded armor. He gives them a dragon skin bag containing two capes, a pair of boots, and a pair of gloves covered with interlocking, finely worked blue dragon scales. When worn, these items grant lightning resistance. Moo receives the breastplate that Ispin once gave him, only now it is clearly magical and is always slightly cool to the touch. It is +1 and confers fire resistance. Nala’s leather armor is similarly +1 but confers a vitality that she can feel when she puts it on. The armor confers necrotic resistance when worn. Finally, Stellar’s armor appears to be a vest made out of autumn leaves until she tries to pick it up and breaks the illusion. It is clearly magical now and makes Stellar’s flesh tingle with living energy. It is +1 and confers necrotic resistance.

The next day late in the morning, an enormous bronze dragon is spotted high in the sky and slows down and circles over the citadel. This alarms all the soldiers. Despite being far out of bow range, many of the younger-looking recruits notch an arrow and draw their bows. Moo calls out, “Hold your fire! This is a friend and ally!” The Commanders hearing their Captain’s orders begin shouting, “You heard him! Put your bows down! Stand down! Stand down! And get to the mirrors, flash the walls to stand down! Now! Run!” The keen eyes of the bronze dragon can see the archers stand down and it begins circling, descending toward the citadel. As it approaches, many smaller flying creatures appear to be flying with her; all descending into the square of the citadel. The crowd of military personnel makes space and they land. The bronze dragon immediately transforms into the party’s old friend, Nessie, from Heart’s Hollow, who quickly strides to the party and hugs them, saying, “Well met, friends!” As the copper dragonnels land chaos quickly erupts as Midnight Rabbit Hunter knocks down Moo and licks his face and Roars Echoing Off the Cliffs and Wind in the Eye enthusiastically greet Stellar and Nala.

After a few moments, Marshal Vendri introduces herself to Nessie and Nessie gives news. After driving off Lord Soth, the RDA was constantly searching for Nessie’s lair from the air and they found Heart’s Hollow. Their own scouts alerted them that the entire force was leaving Onyari and was traveling south down the RDA highway to Vogler with the island of death following and occasionally dropping a boulder. Their speed gave them just enough time to evacuate, but it wouldn’t have happened without the aid of these copper dragonnels that Clystran seems to have made an alliance with. Nessie explains that most of Heart’s Hollow has dispersed into various safe locations spread through the Northern Wastes. Some went to Blue Maw Cave. Some have decided to come to Kalamar and strike a blow against these invaders. Nessie has brought two-dozen combatants, mostly expert scouts and experienced archers, who would be proud to help defend Kalamar’s walls. As Nessie speaks, Clystran and Grasha come forward from the dragonnels they were riding and greet the party and introduce themselves to Marshal Vendri. Notably absent is The Archer. Clystran explains that she wanted to return to Vogler, and so she chose to harass the RDA as they traveled south, an individual archer against the entire RDA.

As the chaos from the arrival of the Heart’s Hollow detachment settles, a messenger from the harbor approaches asking for the Cheese Wheels. He is directed to the party where he promptly reports, “Captain Rem Gunthwai of the Quick Fortune is at the Steady Beacon today buying cargo until his hold is full. He will be departing with the next high tide after fully loaded, weather permitting.” The party quickly confers with Raven who confirms that she knows of 10 Voglerites who have family in Maelgoth and would be glad to travel upriver before the battle is joined: Nanoke Kar and her son and daughter, Pin Bellner and her daughter, Col Suttie and her three daughters, and old man Weylen Farce. Raven gives the location of where they are living in the city. The party gathers them and goes to see the Captain.

The Captain offers his going rate for passengers of 1000 gold per person. The party haggles and he concedes that it’s 1000 gold per berth, and perhaps the families could share a berth. He’s happy with that because he seems certain that he’ll find more paying passengers soon enough. He further gives the travelers a 20% discount because they seem to know their way around a ship and are likely to stay out of the way and perhaps even help a bit here and there. Even so, the party doesn’t have it, but they ask Marshal Vendri concerning how they might raise the cash. She directs them to Ulegraf Gar. He purchases an undisclosed portion of the estates of all party members, and seems happy to do so just to gain the favor of the party and through the of the king.

The next day Darrett and his men arrive. He tells debriefs Marshal Vendri on the mission explaining that his soldiers were saved from destruction at the hand of Lord Soth and his undead dragon by an unknown Bronze Dragon. The party honors Nessie’s secret and doesn’t inform Darrett that his savior is here in Kalamar.

The next day Demelin arrives. She left Onyari believing it to no longer be a threat and tailed the RDA south. When they attacked Heart’s Hollow, she took the opportunity in the chaos to board the flying citadel. She recommends that any party looking to board the fortress should use the tunnels underneath, some of which are shorn open to the air. She provides intel on what they’ll find:

“The followers of Takhisis buried some of their enemies under the Bastion in Onyari. The tunnels are rife with undead. Some I was able to reason with. Others I had to eliminate. The undead are not loyal to Lord Soth, but they will likely not be your friends either. Prepare to fight the undead. 

“The citadel is kept whole and in the sky not solely by the magic of the dragons’ graves. A large brazier of Cataclysmic Fire rages in the hall of the Bastion of Takhisis. It nearly cost me my life to bring this information to you: neither water nor arcane magic can put out the fire. The Cataclysm was caused by divine magic. Perhaps a source of divine magic is required to put out the Fire.”

Nala then asks if the Dragonlance is a divine artifact, imbued with divine magic. Corina Camberline, a priestess representing the healers in the council, responds, “Yes, as you may remember from our last meeting in these chambers. I held that weapon aloft and the power of Paladine coursed through me. It is most certainly a divine artifact.”

As Demelin delivers her intel, she speaks as if she expects to be a member of the raid. However, after tolerating this attitude for some time, Varmint finally erupts, “You will not be going, Demelin! You have resided in the fallen city within the borders of Solamnia for three and a half centuries and told no one! You abandoned your position as head of the Red Order!” Marshal Vendri continues, “You have many crimes to answer for, not the least of which is your culpability for discovering and implementing the use of dragon burials as a source of mana. Were it not for the war and our sore need you would almost certainly be jailed. However, I have leave from the King that you may aid in the defense of Kalamar, but I will not let you leave the city. Frankly, I do not trust you, even though I do believe you, Demelin. You will be watched and judged by your actions.” Moo argues that Demelin would be a vital resource on the raid, but Marshal Vendri simply says, “My decision is final, Moo.”

Some members of the party are disheartened to hear these accusations, and Nala asks if they’re true. Demelin turns to the party and confesses, “Yes, it was a very interesting area of research at the time, but now I understand my mistake. Onyari was to be my tomb. Both it and I should have remained buried. Now it seems like you will be the ones to finally rid the world of the last of it.”

Since Demelin won’t be going, she distributes three mana potions to the party: two superior potions (3d2+3 spell levels worth of spell slots regenerated) and one greater potion (2d2+2 spell levels worth of spell slots). Varmint also offers that he can have some potions of necrotic resistance brought in on the last teleportation supply run before the citadel arrives.

Given the flight speed of the citadel and the loading speed she observed in Vogler, Demelin anticipates that the citadel will arrive in the middle of the night tomorrow. Varmint offers one of the last items from his shop, a wand of light with a range of 60 feet. It casts the light cantrip. You can point it at an object and it glows. If the object is in the possession of an unwilling target, they may dodge it (DEX saving throw).

By the next morning, the RDA vanguard has started amassing beyond bow shot on the western road, blocking it. The party takes to the sky on their dragonnels to get a better view of what may be occurring and notice that a storm seems to be gathering over the sea, heading toward Kalamar. Looking west, they see thousands of RDA soldiers on the way to the city. Dozens, perhaps a hundred, dragonnels circle over the enemy troops in tight formations.

To the east, the party notices some unusual troop movements heading quickly toward the city. They descend and witness the arrival of the Stone Giants to Kalamar. The giants appear to swim into the city’s walls, reappearing in a few locations before rising to report for duty to Marshal Vendri. The party land on the western ramparts and reunite with Ung Dag and the warriors she has brought north and west from the Taman Busuk mountains. The Stone Giants then take positions within the walls again, and every so often the party sees a Stone Giant’s face emerge from the wall’s surface.

Late that afternoon, having gathered their forces for nearly the entire day, the RDA sends four dragonnels darting toward the city’s walls. The party operates a ballista and brings down three of them and a neighboring group of soldiers brings down the fourth. Marshal Vendir comments, “They were just testing our defenses. They wanted to see how we’d respond.”

A messenger sprints up to Marshal Vendri and interrupts, breathlessly saying, “The Eastern Gate needs reinforcements!” Vendri dispatches the party. Upon arrival, no Kalamar soldiers are present and the gate’s doors are open but the portcullis is still closed. However, it is steadily rising. The door to the guardroom is ajar. The party enters.

Inside the party finds six thugs and Lord Bakaris. Moo has had enough of this individual and immediately draws Ogre’s Bane to which Bakaris responds, “Oh, please, don’t kill me!” before he becomes incontinent once again. Stellar thornwhips the thug away from the crank that was raising the portcullis and releases it. It comes crashing down outside the guardroom. When asked to explain himself, Lord Bakaris explains that he was just going to join his son. Pudge doesn’t believe him and searches him, finding a note from Lord Bakaris, Jr.: “Father, I have made a place for myself here with the RDA. I am the Blue Buckaroo and I fly with Red Ruin on all the air raids. You can have a place of honor here too. Meet our agents at the Warrior’s Gate (the east gate). Let them in and escape Kalamar’s fate. - signed, Bakaris Jr.”

The party arrests everyone for treason. The soldiers who were supposed to be manning the Warrior’s Gate are returned with their irate commander, and the party arrests them as well for abandoning their posts. All are led to Castle Kalamar to be jailed.

The party walks into a broad intersection to get the space to mount up and return to the western wall. Upon entering the open space, a violet star falls from the sky near them, landing with a crash and raising a dust cloud. Out of the cloud stride an angry death dragon with a parchment stabbed into its back with a dagger. The undead menace quickly strides toward the party, snarls, and prepares to attack.

The intersection quickly clears of pedestrians as the battle ensues. Moo and Stellar rush forward while Nala drops back and the death dragon takes massive damage from Nala’s first volley. The death dragon breathes, catching Moo and Stellar in a cone of necrotic energy, dealing damage to both. Another volley of arrows from Nala‘s bow separates the dragon skull from its horns and sends them flying. Moo and Stella retaliate, and the final blow from Stellar’s mace returns the death dragon to its former state of nonexistence.

The party dislodges the dagger from the defunct death dragon’s back and inspects the parchment that was pinned there. The dagger is ordinary if ornate with the initials KFE inscribed in gold inlay on the pommel. The message on the parchment reads: “The Dragon Queen sees you. I am to be the fire in her eyes. Your end comes. It is the Dragon Queen‘s will,” and it is signed Kansaldi Fire-Eyes.

The party adds Kansaldi’s name to their list of enemies and heads toward the healing station at the Steady Beacon. They receive healing and dinner and a message to return to the western wall from Marshall Vendri.

Upon returning Marshall Vendri informs the party that the time has come for them to infiltrate the flying Bastion of Takhisis. She is escorting them to their final briefing on the mission when several things happen at once: the Stone Giants in the wall repulse six Kapaks trying to scale it and two Auraks teleport in and ambush Marshal Vendri and the party. 

The Kapaks are quickly defeated. A stone giant reaches out from the wall and grabs the lead climber by the neck, then recedes into the wall slowly until with a final snap the Kapak falls off the wall dead. Two others are simply thrown from the wall, landing on the ground below a bone-crunching thud. A fourth is grabbed by an ankle and then pulled into the wall until his leg breaks. He falls to the ground and then gets filled with arrows. The remaining two jump from the wall and sprint back to the RDA.

The Auraks are intent upon doing harm to Marshall Vendri and ignore the party, but Nala, Moo, and Stellar make short work of them. Stellar cleverly turns the rainwater to ice under their feet and puts them on their backs. As they die, they lash out with chain lightning, inflicting injury to Moo, Nala, and Stellar. 

A nearby mage says he recognizes the artifacts of the dimension door spell and says they must’ve come from somewhere nearby within 500 feet or so. Nala spots two Sivaks in a foxhole about 450 feet out and begins a rain of arrows. The first one dies there and then in the mud. The second one realizes his danger and begins running but doesn’t get far enough fast enough. She brings him down with a final shot at her maximum range of 600 feet. Stellar flies out and inspects the foxhole. She finds little other than an order to escort the Auraks and Kapaks on an assassination attempt against Marshall Vendri. Marshall Vendri expresses her gratitude to Nala for her sharp shooting saying, “They’ll think twice before they get within 600 feet of this wall.” Seeing the Sivak fall, Moo, pulls up on his dragonnel to inspect the RDA forces and recognizes that it seems like they have all come for the attack on Kalamar.

During their final briefing for the mission, the high priestess of Solamnia, Corina Camberline, heals the party and Breena Starwhistle supplies them with potions of necrotic resistance and healing. Demelin reminds them that their best option for infiltrating the Bastion of Takhisis is through the tunnels underneath it, and that the surface will be teaming with the RDA’s invasion force. Marshall Vendri offers and the party accepts to be accompanied by three scouts from Heart’s Hollow. The party asks them to be a diversion to make infiltrating the Bastion easier.

After a solemn and grim goodbye with Marshall Vendri and the rest of Kalamar’s leaders, the party, accompanied by the Heart’s Hollow scouts, fly east to gather a mount for Pudge from Catle Kalamar, should she come out of the ether. Gitzgah finds them, and joins them on the mission.

The party flies up just to the bottom of the clouds, dipping into the fog and out again to maintain visibility and stealth. As they fly over the battle below they witness a wave of dragonnels attack the wall. Clystran gestures to the attack, but the party gestures that they must continue forward to their mission. Many of the dragonnels are shot down, but a few land on the wall and destroy the ballistae there, making a gap in the defenses. A second wave of dragonnels speed toward the wall. Many are shot down, but a few fly through the gap and begin dropping red-hot, thick liquid fire into Kalamar. Again, Clystran gestures toward the now burning city and again the party gestures that they must continue to their mission.

After 30 minutes or so the party approaches the flying citadel. It is obvious below them. The surface seems to be lit with light spells and a large invasion force of winged Draconians is massed there. The scouts and the party begin circling around the citadel, maintaining a large distance, and spiral down until they are in front of it, just above the altitude of its surface. Clystran and the scouts exchange salutes with the party and gather speed heading directly for the bow of the temple. 

The party continues descending in a spiral around the citadel, approaching closer as they lose altitude. After a minute or so, a loud “Whoooop” sounds around and a red ring expands along the surface of a giant sphere that contains the flying citadel. The ring expands from a point directly in front of the bow and somewhat above it, pinpointing Clystran’s and the scouts’ likely position. Nala and the party recognize this as an Alarm spell of immense size. Nala leaves their spiral course and darts directly for the ground underneath the citadel. The rest of the party follows. After 20 seconds or so, a red screen lights up a sphere around the citadel for just a moment, but the party is inside it.

Patrols scramble from the surface and fan out, but do not detect the party in the dark with the help of Nala’s Pass without Trace spell. Even so, two spectacularly armored dragonnels, one in red and one in blue descend from above onto a position near where the alarm was tripped. In their aggressive spiral to drop altitude, writing is clearly visible on the wings of the lacquered armor of their flying mounts. They are Red Ruin and Blue Buckaroo. The party holds fast to their mission and leaves Clystran and the scouts to theirs.

The party begins a search for a landing place, a difficult task in the dark. As the search continues, they see a red flash and a few moments later hear the soft “boom” of an explosion at a distance. Some unfortunate rider plummets engulfed in flame from the fading fireball. The fire goes out and the falling rider is no longer visible. The party continues their search.

After an anxiety filled eternity, a rough chamber that has been torn open to the sky is found. It is large enough for the party to land and dismount. Some brief exploration reveals rough tunnels that lead nowhere and a cramped climb up a borehole at about a 65 degree angle. The mounts cannot follow. The party makes swift goodbyes, and Midnight Rabbit Hunter, Wind in the Eye, and Echoing Roars fly off toward the stern of the temple and down.

The party climbs up into another rough chamber, and somehow Oasis would not be denied and follows the party. Stellar lights her driftglobe, and the party finds that they are not alone. Moo recognizes Leedara from Ispin’s funeral and from a momentary encounter before chasing after Lord Soth in the catacombs underneath Castle Kalamar. Moo recognizes her face but not her form. She appears as a ghost. Moo greets her, “Leedara! It is good to see you again. What has happened to you?”

Leedara responds, “Yes, I appear before you as a ghost as a ghost is what I am. I have the ability to appear in my Elven form when I desire, and so have I appeared to you in the past. I do this now so that you will believe my story and what I have to tell you about Lord Soth.”

Moo’s mind races, “You’re the Elven princess that Lord Soth became infatuated with and slew, aren’t you?”

Leedara looks away briefly, and then answers, “No, I am not Isolde. I was her champion. Lord Soth slew me to get to her, and as I died I vowed that in undeath I would thwart Lord Soth until the end of his days. I am always near him. That’s why I was in Vogler when Lord Soth was readying his attack and why I was in Castle Kalamar when he raided the Catacombs. He is here now, above, in the temple above the surface.

“He raised this island by creating a basin filled with Cataclysmic fire. I have no doubt that if you can quench this fire the temple will fall.”

Leedara then makes firm eye contact with Moo, and says, “May I communicate with you telepathically?” Moo agrees. She floats forward and passes into Moo’s body. Moo then experiences Leedara’s memory of her fight with Lord Soth. He recognizes that her skills with a blade in combat are similar or perhaps even exceed his own. Even so, Lord Soth defeats her almost perfunctorily. Leedara then departs Moo’s body and addresses the entire party, “Lord Soth is a peerless foe. You will not defeat him through force of arms.”

Stellar responds, “Then what are we to do? This temple must fall from the sky!”

Leedara replies, “Distract him! Lord Soth is always, constantly troubled by his crimes and his unrequited love. It has been my pleasure to keep them at the forefront of his mind. Somewhere in this temple is The Mirror of Reflected Pasts. Find it! Show it to him! Make him see what he has done; then end this abomination to all dragons and save Kalamar!” The party takes this advice to heart and Leedara passes through solid earthen walls drifting upwards toward where Lord Soth undoubtedly awaits the next spasmodic memory of his murderous rampage.

A passage leads east from the rough chamber and then forks. The fork on the left is short and seems to lead to a burial chamber. Inside the burial chamber is a skeleton with worn down and splintered finger bones. The inside of the now broken and cast aside sarcophagus lid is covered in gouges. The vault door is partially broken, and Moo can see into a lit room beyond. He throws his shoulder into the door and bursts through. The party quickly follows.

The room has several immediately obvious features. Around its perimeter appear to be additional burial vaults labeled with plaques like the one that they just burst through. In the center of the room is a dais with an altar to the evil god Chemosh, Lord of the Undead. To the east is a stairwell, a set of double doors, and another single door. Standing at the far side of the room are an immense undead Minotaur and two skeletal knights wearing rusty plate mail.

Stellar has the quickest reflexes and rushes forward with her gem of brightness in hand and commands it to unleash it mighties light. A 30-foot cone of blinding radiation emanates, catching the enemies full in their faces, and abruptly terminates their vision. Moo rushes forward and two Minotaurs exchange blows without either gaining a clear advantage. Nala and Oasis come around the dais and Nala breathes fire onto the nearer skeletal knight and the great Minotaur. The Minotaur crashes to the flow into a pile of ciders and dry bones, clattering noisily. An astonishing display of adept dodging and inept attacking allows Gitzgah to occupy the skeletal knight closer to Stellar although very little damage is done to anyone. Regardless, Stellar remained unengaged and so she moves forward to help Moo and Nala bring down the first skeletal knight with her mace that is a bane to the undead. The entire party then turns on the final skeletal knight and make short work of him. Moo has some wounds, but quaffs one of his healing potions.

Moo investigates the plaques in front of each burial vault and does not recognize any names. He then comes to a vault where the door is only pulled to and not closed. He opens the door and sees that the sarcophagus lid is thrown aside and the coffin is empty. He looks up at the plaque over the door and it read, “Acont, Prince of Minotaurs”. Moo is moved by the fate of his ancestral prince and gathers the Minotaur’s bones and reinters them. As he completes saying a few words to comfort the Prince in his rest, the Minotaur’s jaw seems to move on its own and a sparkling cloud settles over each member of the party. They gain the charm of being blessed as by the spell Bless while they are on the flying citadel.

The party investigates the rooms to the east of the burial chambers. To the south they discover the Vestry. Inside they find a portable hole that is filled with dozens of intact priestly robes. Each member of the party finds some fine looking silk vestments. 

They continue on to the east. They find a room with a statue on each of the north, east, and south walls. The statue to the south has been moved aside and a secret door has been left ajar. The party enters. Inside they find a marble slab with humanoid remains scattered on it and on the floor. Above, inset into the ceiling, is a shattered mirror, and shards of the mirror lie scattered across the floor. 

Once the party is inside, Moo notices a bat hanging above the door. As he indicates it to the rest of the party, it drops from its roost and transforms into a vampire who immediately holds up his hands and says, “Well met, adventurers!” He introduces himself as Alistair Bellis and proposes that they remove the Draconians on the floor above in exchange for treasures untold. He implies that there is a secret treasure room nearby that he can help the party loot. The party agrees. Alistair asks for proof that the Aurak Draconian, whom he names as Drayan, is dead in exchange for access to the treasure room. 

Upon exiting Alistair’s home, Stellar notices the secret rooms to the east and north. She transforms into a spider and investigates. The rooms contain marble slabs and scattered humanoid remains like the room to the south. The room to the north has a shattered mirror too, but the room to the east has a mirror that is intact. The party elects not to disturb the dead and moves on, climbing up to the next floor.

Upon arriving on the landing, they see that they are in a long corridor with many doors. The nearest exit is a set of double doors to the west. They are guarded by two skeletal knights who attack the party. After a brief and noisy skirmish, the two skeletal knights are destroyed  with somewhat serious wounds dealt to Gitzgah and lighter wounds on Moo.

The party confers for only a moment when the double doors open and they are confronted by an Aurak Draconian who is clearly very surprised to see them. Moo quaffs a potion of growth and barges into the doorway. With two swift strokes of his axe, he one-shots the Aurak, cutting him in half and then moves into the room, which appears to be the Sanctuary of the temple. A large, 20-foot tall statue of Takhisis is at the western end of the 70-foot long room and a half-dozen Bozak Draconians are at work with stone cutting tools on the other statues. The rest of the party enters. Stellar casts Sleet Storm causing half of the Bozaks to fall prone. Nala pierces a Bozak twitch with arrows from her monster-bane bow, and it drops dead. Gitzgah sprints forward into the Sleet Storm and manages to keep his feet, but doesn’t reach the Bozak in time to attack.

The surprised Bozaks fumble with their tools and weapons and the party renews its onslaught. Moo enters the Sleet Storm and falls, but he gets up and in a dazzling display of martial skill, he slays one Bozak and has just enough movement to reach the next Bozak and finish him as well. A lightning bolt from Stellar ends another Bozak. Two more arrows from Nala’s bow bring down the Bozak in front of Gitzgah. Gitzgah falls in the Sleet Storm, but gets up and moves to the final Bozak. Gitzgah slavers as this is the final Draconian for him to eat to complete his mission of eating one of each kind. With two blows of his great sword the Bozak is no more and the Slaad gladly rips a bite out of the Draconian’s severed arm.

In his rage, Moo looks to vandalize the statue of Takhisis. He inspects the base, thinking to shove or tip the massive statue. He discovers that the base of the statue does not actually touch the floor and that there appear to be handles to move or spin it. This confuses him and he lashes out at the wing over his head doing some damage to it. As the stone clatters to the floor and grows quite, the party hears footsteps in the corridor outside.

Nala is by the door as the footsteps approach. She sees a lone Kapak approach casually at first, but as he becomes aware of the destroyed skeletal knights in piles of bones at the door to the Sanctuary, he slows down and draws both blades at his sides. He looks up and sees Nala through the doorway and pauses. Nala does not pause. She remembers this particular breed of Draconian from the mission to save the Kalamari scouts on the north side of the Vinguard river. She nearly died at the hands of one. Nala immediately draws the dragonlance and steps through the door, her first strike goes astray but her second finds the mark. Oasis then joins the melee and brings the enemy down. All is quiet again.

The party remembers that Alistair Bellis promised them “treasure untold” if they brought him proof of the demise of Drayan the Aurak. Nala and Stellar partially skin the Aurak and bring the samples to Alistair. After gruesomely enjoying the blood that remains on the interior surface of the skins, Alistair is satisfied that Drayan is no more. He then informs the party how to use the statue of Takhisis in the Sanctuary to access the secret rooms to the north and south, one of which is the temple’s treasure vault. Alistair warns the party not to point Takhisis’s statue in any other direction or it will breathe fire.

The party returns upstairs and reenters the Sanctuary. When Moo, Nala, and Stellar all work together, they can turn the statue with something resembling confidence and control. They face the statue north and gain access to a cave with raw stone walls carved from the rock underneath the temple. At the back of the cave, the party finds a primordial altar to Takhisis. Stellar, Nala, and Moo sense that the Nine Hells are somehow closer to the material plane here. After stepping into the cave, Gitzgah immediately turns around and tells the party to have fun “playing with Takhisis”. The altar has the appearance of a single matt black stone of rough cut but with a smooth flat top. The altar appears dangerous and inviting like nothing else of this plane.

After some discussion, Stellar, Nala, and Moo give in to their curiosity and they all reach out to place a hand on the surface of the altar at the same time. The three of them are stunned for several seconds as images of the armies of Takhisis being victorious not only over Krynn but over material planes unimaginably foreign and strange where no creature or plant seems familiar. The party members are aware of Takhisis and know that she cares nothing for them, but she shares her power and will to dominate with all her subjects. They are released from the vision and are granted a Charm from Takhisis, a sample of her indomitable will, and Moo learns the native Draconic tongue. When he speaks in Draconic his accent and vocabulary makes him sound like a well-educated individual from some old, wealthy noble house, even if the content of what he says is still what everyone has come to expect from their beloved Barbarian, Moo.

The party leaves the cave. Moo tries to impress Gitzgah with his fluency in Draconic. Gitzgah is not impressed, but he is glad to see that they’re all unharmed and that hell isn’t at their heels. Moo, Nala, and Stellar then face the statue south and gain entry to the secret room there. Inside, they find a full-length mirror leaning against a wall as well as 5200 gold coins. Many statues of Takhisis and a few of other evil gods are present as well as a couple paintings of Takhisis victorious over Huma the Hero or flying over her legions. The party finds a few potions. Moo takes a sip of one and discovers that it’s a Potion of Gaseous Form. Moo puts it into his bag of holding. Two more superior potions of healing are found and distributed. An ancient looking greatsword engraved with dragons down the length of the blade and with dragon heads on the cross guard and pommel is leaning against the wall. Gitzgah walks over to it and leans his greatsword next to it and says, “Me likey.” He picks it up and carelessly cuts his thumb on the edge testing to see if it’s sharp and it most definitely is. Stellar offers to bandage him, but he holds his thumb up and lets everyone watch as the wound knits itself back together before their eyes. Everyone agrees that Gitzgah should take the sword and he gladly does, leaving his former weapon leaning against the wall of the treasure room.

Stellar approaches the mirror and takes a look at herself as she does. She is immediately transported in her mind back to a time when she was a child. She’s hiding. The Red Dragon Army that has invaded the new land that she and her mother have made a good life in. Soldiers have come to her home. They are not peaceful. She hears combat break out and listens and fitfully watches as her mother and Aunt are slain. Fright and shame pour through her as their bodies fall to the floor. She can’t help staring at their lifeless forms from her hiding place. The vision blurs and fades as the soldiers briefly ransack their poor home and Stellar returns to the present.

Stellar’s been stunned for several seconds. The party asks what happened and she tells them. She then quickly faces the mirror the other way and wraps it in the blanket from her bedroll. As she handles it, she knows that she could attune to it to deactivate it, but the party decides to leave it active. They realize that this must be the Mirror of Reflected Pasts, the key to neutralizing Lord Soth, and pack it into Nala’s portable hole.

The party then leaves the Sanctuary and makes their way along the hallway to the north. They pass a short hallway on their right with a door in the northern wall that is slightly ajar. The room inside appears dark. Nala approaches stealthily and looks inside. She sees several Bozaks and Kapaks sleeping. She closes the door. Stellar applies her Oil of Slipperiness to the ground outside the door in case they wake up. 

The party then continues north to where the hallway turns to the west. They follow it until it turns south and then they climb the stairs that they find there.

As they climb, they realize that they are climbing up to the level of the surface. The wall on their right isn’t entirely whole. It has some cracks and missing stones and they can see the surface of the flying island outside. The wall on the left is also damaged and crumbling and permits a view into the interior of the Temple. As the party gains the level of the hallway from the stairs, they are surprised to see a Kalamari soldier who says somewhat puzzlingly, “Oh, it’s you. You could be useful. Come with me.” The soldier then continues down the hallway, climbs a flight of stairs at the end of it, and enters a room at the top of the stairs. 

The party is disinclined to believe that they really saw a Kalamari soldier. A Kalamari soldier can’t possibly be here. They decide that it’s a trap or an illusion or something that likely isn’t concerned with their mission. They focus instead on what they can see in the interior of the temple through the cracks in the crumbling wall. Inside the temple, the walls for the central rooms have all been knocked down so that the interior is one large space. In that space is a scaffold containing a brazier. The brazier and the scaffold are 10-feet high. The brazier is 30-feet across and contains roiling purple flames, the Cataclysmic Fire that powers the island. A scaffold platform surrounds the brazier and on it stands one undead woman, holding a pike with some tattered ancient-looking cloth tied to one end.

The party decides to make straight for the target of their mission. With only one enemy between them and their goal, they figure they can destroy or distract her and douse the flames with the dragonlance. Moo immediately begins chopping at the interior wall with his axe, wasting no time in case the Kalamari soldier is running to inform Lord Soth of intruders.

Nala lets fly with two arrows through a hole in the wall, both finding their mark. Stellar looses a lightning bolt while Gitzgah and Oasis follow the action from their location in the walled-off hallway. The undead woman begins dashing to where Moo is chopping through the wall. Finally, Moo is through.

Nala dashes up the stairs and arrives at the edge of the brazier, winded, and wondering how she should put out a fire with a dragonlance. Oasis sprints forward and attacks the undead guardian, biting her shin. Stellar arrives on the floor of the temple, and fires another lightning bolt, striking the undead woman. The undead guardian of the Cataclysmic Fire begins reciting names. As she does so the party sees visions of each of the individuals’ deaths at Lord Soth’s hands. The horror of their violent ends brings its own version of hell into the minds of every member of the party. Moo and Gitzgah dash across the temple floor and guard the top of the stairway against all enemies, watching the undead enemy carefully.

Nala swings the dragonlance through the roiling purple flames. The flames extinguish in the volume of air around the dragonlance but return after the weapon passes. However, she could see deeper into the fire while some of it was extinguished, and there is a bright central furnace of flame. She can’t reach it and the flames are too hot to enter. Reading her thoughts, the dragonlance transforms into a javelin. Nala draws upon her strength and fires the hope of the multiverse into the heart of the Cataclysmic Fire.

The Cataclysmic Fire goes out.

The purple flames disappear and the dragonlance lies quivering through the central brazier. The island lurches to a stop. The party manages to keep their feet, but the undead guardian falls prone. Huge cracks form in the floor and walls as tremors shake the flying island.

Stellar and Oasis recover their balance and attack the undead woman where she lies. The undead guardian then clambers to her feet and again begins reciting the names of Lord Soth’s victims. The horrifying visions return to everyone’s minds. Oasis and Gitzgah seem particularly devastated and blood starts flowing from Gitzgah’s ears. Moo jumps down from the scaffolding platform, swinging his axe as he does so, and delivers two vicious blows. Gitzgah runs down the stairs and delivers two more; the last one is a high thrust that pierces the enemy’s brow and then slices down her spine. She falls to the floor in a clatter of bone fragments. Gitzgah yells, “I’m outta here!” and sprints for the big double doors for the temple in the south wall.

Before the party can take a breath of relief, they see a knight in full armor step out of an opening 40-feet high up in the northern wall and fall all the way to the floor of the temple. The stones of the floor crack and send up fragments and dust, but the knight is apparently unharmed. The party recognizes him. He is the death knight that stole the Cataclysmic Fire from the Catacombs of Castle Kalamar. Lord Soth approaches the party. 

Nala retrieves the dragonlance from the brazier and back on the platform she spreads out the portable hole and seizes the mirror. She commands Oasis to come to her. Oasis arrives. Nala gives her the mirror wrapped in the blanket and commands her to show it to Lord Soth. Oasis flies with the mirror into Lord Soth’s path and next to one of the supports for the scaffolding. She’s very wobbly as she stands on her hind legs and scrapes away the blanket. She’s not really watching what she’s doing so that she doesn’t look in the mirror and because she’s watching Lord Soth behind her. She’s constantly losing her balance and catching herself, constantly at risk of falling over with the mirror and shattering it. The constant tremors and shaking of the disintegrating island only make the matter worse. Stellar comes to help, holds the mirror, and cushions it from shocks from the floor with the discarded blanket. She then uses her Staff of Healing to cast Mass Cure Wounds. Gitzgah continues to the south doors and finds them sealed. He pulls on them with all his strength, but fails to open them. Moo climbs the scaffolding and readies a jump attack on Lord Soth. Lord Soth continues his approach and looks at Stellar holding the mirror and says, “Die now.” He begins to raise his hand to point at her when he glances in the mirror and halts, paralyzed by what he sees, only a dozen feet from where Moo would want to jump him. Lord Soth whispers, “Isolde.”

Nala folds up the portable hole and grapples Moo’s horn shouting at him that it’s time to go. Moo turns to face her and he is possessed with the desire for vengeance. His face is knotted with wrath and flushed with heat and blood. His saliva foams at the corners of his mouth from exertion and maniacal anger as he screams, “Let me go!” He gives his head a vicious shake, but Nala with her gauntlets of strength and her athleticism holds on, shouting, “No, we’re done! We did it! We’re leaving! Let’s go!” Nala begins dragging the minotaur away from the edge of the platform and Moo knows his attack is lost. With bitter weeping, he begins listing, “The RDA has killed my people: Raszara Steelwarrior, Looris Bearskull, Nandra Strongskull, Rinamas Silentpelt, Dennu Vigilslayer, Munnus Fearlesshorns, Foosnark Jaggedfury, Zunturok Thickslash, Narkarat Swifthoof, Rakpiran Swiftskin. I demand vengeance! For them and for all the good murdered souls!” Nala is so moved by Moo’s outburst that she lets him go.

While the drama on the scaffold unfolds, Oasis flies toward the doors in the south to help Gitzgah open them. Stellar does her best to stabilize the mirror, looks at Moo for a long moment, shakes her head at him as if to say, “Don’t do it,” and then heads south herself. Gitzgah with help from Oasis breaks open the sealed front doors of the temple and the party glimpses a scene of utter ruin and panic outside. Almost all of the island has crumbled away leaving essentially only the temple. The Draconian soldiers are struggling with fear. The Auraks who can’t fly have pinned themselves to the temple wall. The Sivaks who can truly fly have all taken off. The Bozaks, Baaz, and Kapaks are disappearing over the edge as their will and fear permit them. Some flee the rapidly incoming edge. Some take a running leap over it. Moo is left alone with Lord Soth. He roars. He slams his axe into the scaffolding floor. His face crumples, and his rage is spewed in curses and tears like so much lava into the sea. He turns south and with one last look over his shoulder at Lord Soth. He sheaths his axe and runs toward the beckoning, open double doors.

Just as the party steps outside a great shudder shakes the remnant of the flying island and everyone turns to look at Lord Soth and the precarious mirror. The mirror tips and falls. Lord Soth catches it. He holds it in both his hands and gazes into it, immobile.