(From 5. Darkness All Around)
The Favored Few part ways with Ujio, Belcoria, Alorrik, and Willow to investigate the now-ruined Tower of Storms, making absolutely certain this dreaded site is finally put to rest once and for all.
The Blind Bard Inn
Our Party first investigates The Wayside Inn at the crossroads of the Triboar Trail and the High Road, based on the account shared by the bard rescued from the death-knight dreadnaught, Tarbin Tul. Indeed, the treacherous members of the Cult of Talos who had been disguised among the inn's staff have remained behind - even imprisoning or having killed the owners and other workers of this popular stop for travelers.
The villains are quickly and easily captured and the innocent freed. Now weary of the place, ownership is turned over to the minstrel Tul, no longer able to travel his beloved High Road due to the blindness. Thus - the new name for the place: The Blind Bard Inn. Ujio assures guardsmen will be sent to take the offenders to justice in Neverwinter once he reaches Leilon. The team then mounts up and quickly heads for Leilon.
You're In Charge Here
Reaching Leilon, the group is pleased to see the tremendous progress rebuilding the town continues, making the omen of the future dragon attack even more heart-wrenching. After a brief meeting with Merrygold Brightshine concerning the vision and unfolding fate, the Town Council assembles to prepare the group for this crucial mission to the Kryptgarden Forest.
Sergeant Hazz Yorrum eagerly delivers a formal document received that morning from Waterdeep, by the hand of Dagult Neverember himself. Ujio now holds the rank of Stingblade in the Lords Alliance, (the same as Sildar Hallwinter) in recognition of a series of successful heroic deeds in service to the cities - from Phandalin to Leilon and the victory at Skyreach Castle. This rank conveys the benefits of:
- Signet ring can be used to open the armories of participating towns in times of emergency.
- (1/week) can receive Potion of Superior Healing (8d4+8 HP) or 10 silvered ammunitions from city garrisons so equipped
- As displayed by Sildar earlier, "I’m in charge here" (You can now issue simple orders to City Watch and City Guard members with a rank of Lieutenant or lower like letting you through certain guarded areas as long as they aren’t working for a higher-ranked member at the moment. While following your orders, these members’ lives lie in your hands and you may be punished if harm may come their way.)
However, Leilon's notoriously cowardly Sergeant Yorrum takes this promotion as a long-hoped-for superior officer being stationed to relieve him of any responsibility - and even better - any personal risk. In the process of fully turning over all the guards, garrison, watch, facilities, armories, etc. he receives the full-throated wrath of The Growler (Grizzelda Copperwraught), who in light of the situation, offers whatever information or resources needed for the trip to the dragon's lair.
Alorrik has also met with a contact while in Leilon, and takes on a quiet and contemplative mood for the start of the trip. You're all soon on the High Road southward...
Kryptgarden Forest
Equipped, refreshed, and encouraged by the fearful Leilon Town Council, the party sets off east and then southward on the High Road. As before when looking for the lost patrol, this well-maintained travel route becomes soggy and treacherous where the Mere of Dead Men has oozed across it. The path follows along the western side of the Sword Mountains, which cradle the thick forest to their southeast. About halfway to the southern end of the swamp is an eastward trail leading up to Iniarv's Tower, built by the royal mage-turned-Lich of the Uthtower. The site has been used as a garrison for guards that patrol the High Road, a hideout for bandits at times, and other times abandoned and said to be haunted by Iniarv's shadow. This eastward path is taken to cut through the less severe of the Sword Mountains to reach the forest.
While a much smaller forest than Neverwinter Wood, the Kryptgarden Forest is far more sheltered and insulated from travelers, settlers and general attention. Paths are rare and overgrown, the vegetation is hostile, thorny, poisonous - in part by its nature in part from long being the domain and lair of the ancient dragon Claugiyliamatar, called "Old Gnawbones". Plagued by vines, sawgrass, stinking fetid pools, swarms of biting insects, spiders with undue courage and stealth, and clouds of gas that disorient causing nausea and vertigo, travel is at best unpleasant. Yet the importance of the journey causes the group to press on. More than a few times - even Willow comments that Tallon the Tall's plant-destroying axe Hew would have been a welcome assistant.
As the sun was setting to the back of the party, already in the shadows of the hills and from the great tree trunks and branches, the gloom highlights a flickering light up ahead that is soon found to be none other than a Flameskull - the very sort of creature that so critically injured Ujio's face with burns in the Wave Echo Caves. Overcoming momentary paralysis at the sight, Ujio nods he is OK and the group quietly proceeds (even in the heavy armor worn by the paladin and fighter) to launch an attack on the floating skull and its Unknown minions. This time, ready with a Dispel Magic, the skull is put down quickly and permanently, and the group pitches camp for the night, sending Shadow to scout.
After the night's recovery, the group makes the lair of the dragon by late afternoon, against a steep mountainside as the trees turns abruptly to evergreens. The cliff face shows three entrances, each having a slight green glow. Two large ones are elevated at 20 ft and 40 ft, while a human-sized cave entry ramps up from the forest floor. Carefully considering these options, the party ultimately heads in to the lower passage, not shouting their arrival but also not trying to be sneaky either. The vine-covered tunnel springs to live and begins to choke Willow and Alorrik, until beaten back by Belcoria and Ujio.
At the top of the tunnel's curving slope, the group is confronted by two grumpy-looking women, simply staring silently at the intruders. One of them is tossing bits of a torn-apart ghoul to a horse-sized spider, who is munching on these bits. Three other spiders of the same size lurk nearby - spiders of a kind seen before in Montarthas Manor, the ones able to vanish and reappear (Unknowns). Both human women appear young, one still in her late teens says nothing at first, merely strokes the hairs on a spider's leg with calm eyes on Willow. After an uncomfortable silence, the other, a short woman with a wild tangle of hair streaked green, asserts authority, "Who do you think you are, daring to enter this place?"
This leads to a muttering exchange including perhaps undue defiance and insult on both sides - but the mention of Venomfang, the hint at having important information for Old Gnawbone, and finally Willow's affinity for animals leads to exchanging introductions. It becomes clear these are members of the Circle of Gnawbone Druids Venomfang had mentioned serving her mother - founded by the original Reidoth. The older calls herself Zuri and claims kinship with the dragon she serves through a distant Unknown ancestor. Zuri carries herself with an attitude of superiority and disdain for lesser creatures (such as humans and elves). It is the younger, Saija, who first expresses sympathy to the party after asking Willow about her pet and lavishing Shadow with affection on the wolf's arrival. Every one of these druids - even those later - seem to hold hostile views of civilization. Saija's whisperings to Shadow include comments like, "and when the animals finally conquer all the lands, you can have pets like me, yes you can, good boy."
Passing this first challenge, the party is escorted up two landings, finely-sculpted statues of women in heroic and defiant and wrathful poses are placed throughout the rooms. One or two look familiar, perhaps from paintings or even another statue in Neverwinter? A large slimy green bog flows through the caves, and to get to the upper regions, a barge is taken for a short distance, its poll handled by a large humanoid plant creature (Wood Woad). Aware of this form, Willow notes there are dozens of such Woads all about these thickly-vegetated caverns, lurking within the vine-covered walls and tangled undergrowth.
Before being granted an audience with the ancient dragon, two more of the druids question the party: one of uncertain age, and the look of cruel murder from her claw-like toes to her alchemically-burned shaved head, the other quite old. This older one is human but nearly seems a fey-hag, tall and thin and green-skinned, she is the confident and fanatically devout leader and majordomo to Old Gnawbone, Argina Therrow. Repeating the reason for the visit, the group is instructed in the proper ways to address and react to the great dragon. Argina leads the party upward, while the others stay behind.
Old Gnawbone
Passing yet another group of statues of Faerûn's women, like a living wall, the olive-scaled body of the gargantuan dragon stretches before the party, filling the vast mossy cavern serving as the centuries-tended lair of the legendary Claugiyliamatar. Crossing nearly 100 feet, to reach her head from her nether region, awestruck, everyone waits for her attention to shift from the man-sized crystal balls into which she is gazing to acknowledge the group. The shifting images cloud then clear to perfectly round orbs like great dewdrops. Not even lifting her head, one eye slides to look upon these newcomers. Two green puffs of toxic gas vent from her nostrils, and after a long pause of consideration, she drops the humanoid leg bone from her mouth and turns her head to face Argina, a deep voice speaking, "It is customary to offer introductions." |
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Argina prompts Belcoria, who follows the directions, giving her full title and details, "Belcoria Diamondstars of the Aeldyr, dedicated paladin to the Order of Starfire, wearer of dragon scales" and nodding to Willow, who declares herself, "Willow Wolf-friend, Druid Champion, student of Venomfang and Autumnreaver of the Emerald Enclave." Argina then interjects, before Ujio or Alorrik deign to speak, "and their loyal manservants." The men exchange a glance and shrug, looking back upon the fearsome creature.
The conversation remains tense and polite, the deep pauses in no way awkward, realizing the span of time this dragon has lived. A patient progression leads to the dragon inquiring of the group's travels, in particular to the cities - and what great women they have met, what stories they might share, what gossip may hold some interest to her. Realizing the interest of the dragon in the female humans and elves carved as statues throughout the lair, and recalling the mention Venomfang had made of her mother's obsession with human politics and intrigue, the party thinks hard upon something to share... sifting through memories of strong defiant, authority-seeking women,Phandalin's Halia Thornton comes to mind. This pays off! Old Gnawbone (who the party decides should be "O.G." after "Claugie" doesn't sound right) immediately takes on a flicker of interest, and calls up a scene on a crystal ball: Halia's tongue-lashing of Townmaster Harbin Wester just before his death: "You and your so-called heroes brought this onto our town! Showing off such treasures and pride for killing that dragon - did you think it would just stay that way? You didn't --think-- did you? Just glory and greed for yourself" Our Party can be seen in the periphery of the scene, including the torn-up ranger handing Willow the arrows, "Avenge us!"
The dragon gives a heavy sigh and a smile and her mood brightens. She comments dismissively on the Unknown, "Handy fighting that day!" then looking over the group, "I see you wear some her remnants even now - into my lair." Belcoria straightens to hide the shield on her back, Willow feels a bit odd suddenly in her bluish leather, and Ujio's hand reflexively hides the hilt of Azurefang. "Eshaedra never really impressed me," adds the dragon, mercifully, "she was a fanatically righteous priestess of the Dragon Queen and let's just say I'm not really bought into that nonsense." The group responds in a sigh of relief - not only regarding their dragon-corpse items, but also the distancing from the Wyrmspeaker's Cult of the Dragon. The introductions continue, noting the rest of the party was, in fact, reporting to the Council of Waterdeep, which also interests her, as one of her heroine characters (Laeral Silverhand) plays a central role.
Vision of Leilon's Destruction
Eventually, the matter of the vision from the shrine of Bahamut gets discussed, and Old Gnawbone admits she had not even thought of Leilon in years and years until recently. What began as a mild irritation - intrusion and attacks by small groups of undead - have started to become stronger and more frequent. While still nothing close to a real threat, Claugiyliamatar cannot find the commander of these undead through her crystal balls to put an end to the annoyance. So she had considered threatening Leilon to get them or their allies to search out this necromancer and deal with this problem for her. (And as the party well-knows, this is just what green dragons seem to do!)
Belcoria immediately shares details of the undead group destroyed on the way to see her (on hearing the party's mention of the Flameskull, a shudder runs through the vine-heavy walls of the chamber as the plant creatures the druids called woads startle a bit), "So perhaps we can track down the source of your undead problem?" The dragon agrees she will leave Leilon alone if the party is successful in bringing her this undead troublemaker - either captured or its remains for questioning. (Apparently she has means of questioning whether dead, undead, or alive?) All she knows from her questioning of prior intruders is the name of the necromancer: Viantha Cruelhex. Each time she has sent servants to find Viantha, the have not returned, and she has been unable to learn their fate.
Assuming this matter concluded and a deal struck, the crystal balls swirl with misty visions then focus in on her stories across Faerûn. Her attention shifts to take in her singular interest, and the druid Argina leads the party out of the chamber. She adds that one of those lost in seeking Viantha was one of her own druids, an exceptional wild elf shapeshifter named Affiriea Gladeborn, who should have been nearly impossible to capture or even kill before making an escape as insect or bird or bear or something. If her fate can be determined, or even better if she could be rescued, the caretakers of Old Gnawbone would be grateful. Argina agrees with the party's first instinct - that the true source of the problem is the Mere of Dead Men, and she is aware of Ularan Mortus, but he is as much legend as anything else at this point and has been there so long, why the sudden attention now? And the dragon is certain the undead are coming from within the forest - the swamp is too far away for how they are interacting and responding.
(Next: 8. The Living and The Dead)