1. Quests

Claugiyliamatar's Lair

Completed
Main
Divine Contention

Vision on Scaly Eye Isle

You stand at the foot of the magnificent statue of Bahamut as Lhammaruntosz  softly chants a prayer in Draconic. In a flash of light you find yourself in Leilon, but the town is covered in a cloud of putrid green gas. Bloated, asphyxiated corpses lie on broken ground and dying townsfolk crawl through the streets, gasping for breath. At the center of it all stands an enormous green dragon, grinning a bloody smile as the upper half of Merrygold Brightshine's severed corpse hangs from her mouth.

In a flash your senses return to the the Unknown's chamber, and she shows a very grave look, contemplating this vision.  She confirms the party's suspicion that the green dragon was Claugiyliamatar(long called "Old Gnawbone" for her years of showing fondness for humanoid flesh) - and while the ancient Unknown is unquestionably wicked, she has not attacked anything outside her claimed domain in almost 50 years. With her age or wisdom, it seemed she had thought best to avoid the anger of the growing strength of the cities of men and dwarves and elves. So she has mostly remained in her lair in the Kryptgarden Forest where the woods meet the Sword Mountains.

Lhammaruntosz believes this terrible attack can still be prevented by reasoning with the ancient wyrm - perhaps find out what she wants and offer it to her instead of needing such destruction? 

But the dragons have hostile histories at best, and this quest would certainly fail with Old Gnawbone become angry by a Unknown daring to enter her domain. So it falls upon Our Party to save Leilon.

(See also journal: 4. The Scaly Eyes)

Quest and Questions

Kryptgarden Forest

(Reference: 7. Against Fate)

So upon reaching the ancient green dragon, Old Gnawbone herself, the party finds she is surprised at the supposition she was to enact such a scene. Pondering her present irritants, she suggests increasing frustration with a pesky nightly attack by undead creatures upon her domain and servants. Despite being an accomplished user of scrying devices, and even spiritual interrogation, she claims to have only learned a name: Viantha Cruelhex.

Claugiyliamatar suggests she had, actually, contemplated threatening the nearby town of Leilon with trouble unless they rid her of this confounding harassment out of the Mere of Dead Men, suggesting it is clearly their problem as well. She urges the group to take up this quest, and with its solution, all shall be well in the lands, perhaps she might even show some gratitude.

(Reference: 8. The Living and The Dead)

True to form for a Unknown, not to mention the mother of the one who had so deftly manipulated Our Party so far, a chance encounter with a strange ranger (Morigast Brokengulf) while tracking down this "Cruelhex" being leaves the party wondering if they had, once more, been tricked into doing dirty work that would have been little more than an inconvenience for the dragon. Yet, they had given their word, and continued on.

Brokengulf's family's ruin at the hands of Old Gnawbone not lost on the party, and perhaps even a deserving revenge - spun around fully upon finding the ranger and (apparently his mentor?) Sir Gareth - a death knight of some sort - as minions of Cruelhex herself.  But victorious, the party returned with the defeated creature (Brokengulf managed to escape). Returning a zombified member of the Gnawbone Druids unfortunately also released a terrible turn of fate...

(Reference: 9. Ancient Dragon)

The once-Unknown, then Unknown, then some sort of ghost-dragon of the Mere: the creature called Ebondeath took possession of Claugiyliamatar and then flew south into the Mere of Dead Men, bringing a new horror to the minds of Our Party: had their actions set the prophecy into motion? A possessed Old Gnawbone in Leilon made even more sense, knowing the ambitions of the swamp's undead to seek out power within Leilon...

March 27th, 2022