1. Welcome to Leilon

(Following the events of: Phandalin in Flames and beginning the Divine Contentions: Leilon story)

The Wayside Inn

The party leaves Phandalin, joining the Triboar Trail then west to the High Road. Where these meet, there is a traveler’s tavern called The Wayside Inn. When arriving a bit after sundown, the party notes the inn being attacked by zombies and they move to assist.

But the zombies are not the most severe threat, there are wraiths involved as well. Peculiar they did not simply go through the walls to assault the people within! The party dispatches these undead, noting the zombies have a symbol branded on their foreheads - a triangle with a skull in the middle. This is the symbol of Myrkul, a God of Death.

A traveling bard named Tarbin Tul buys Our Party food and drink for the help against the undead, and is happy to hear whatever tales the group may share of their prior adventures.

The Leilon Town Council

Before arriving at the city, a settlement of temporary houses has been constructed outside the city. There is a gathering and arguing going on. The party learns this is a normal meeting between the council members - lots of yelling and drama.

Grizzelda (“The Growler”) Copperwraught is a gruff female dwarf overseeing Leilon’s repairs and reconstruction. Hired/sent by Dagult Neverember, Lord of Neverwinter, who seeks strong influence over the town.
Sergeant Hazz Yorrum, a human male, oversees the Neverwinter soldiers garrisoned at the town. Strange look and accent - comes from a land far to the east (Damara) - even farther east than Thay. Seems to follow whatever decision the town wizard makes (Gallio Elibro). You feel something is lacking in him - perhaps being lazy or corrupt?
Merrygold Brightshine, a halfling (Hobbit) male, priest (cleric) of Lathander Morninglord (the god of light and the dawn). Loved by the townspeople.
Valdi Estapaar, a half-elf female, also sent by Lord Neverember with the job of opening the quay (docks) and overseeing the fishing industry.

The current argument seems to be about how the townspeople did not do a very orderly evacuation when the guards sent up the alarm an hour ago. The Growler is yelling at the people for being slow-witted fools who seem to want to just be killed by the dangerous world.

Apparently the guards saw something strange happening in the water by the docks and sounded the alarm. Leilon is still not safe by night or while not in full repair. This is not only because of the damage done in the attack nearly a year ago by an army of undead that emerged from the Mere of Dead Men - just south of the town - but also for all the dangers that have lurked in Leilon for centuries - there are many legends of its origins.

Leilon Legends (surely not all true!)

On the High Road, but at a long inlet for barges and fishing across a long narrow salt marsh, Leilon began as a mining town (like Phandalin) - close by copper, silver and nickel mines in the Sword Mountains and the High Road and the sea. Those mines ran deep, even under the town itself - there are tales of complexes such as tombs of wizards and something called “Southkrypt”.

Even before there was a town, however, there stood on the hill in the center of town the tower called the “House of Thalivar” - a mysterious and mystical place that had always been said to be protected by powerful warding magics and/or guardians.

In older and more prosperous times, the town guard was called The Lances of Leilon - nearly 250 mounted cavalry - fending off trolls, pirates, bugbears and even undead. It is said the place housed lairs of the Cult of the Dragonand the Zhentarim - and there is an alleyway called “Manyclaws Alley” that is notorious for “ghosts of trolls.” The strength of Leilon has grown and shrunk over the years, and for quite a while had become a rather poor and unimportant place, only just beginning to grow when last year’s attack again set things back.

This most recent destruction came with the appearance of the Eye of Myrkul, an astrological symbol in the sky - that tells when the Uthtower rises from beneath the muck in the Mere of Dead Men and Myrkul’s forces grow strong. After the defeat of this army (interestingly, it seems nobody who was here then and survived admits to remembering how that victory was achieved - only that all looked hopeless and suddenly, the attack was decimated and retreated). The Eye of Myrkul has not been in the sky since, thanks to its location now being occupied by a comet (which happens to have its own omens - telling of the rise of great dragons, if you believe that).

Leilon Today

As it has continued to be rebuilt, Leilon seems to attract the attention of foul powers - either from the swamp (Mere of Dead Men) or the sea (pirates) but its location is very strategic for the Lords Alliance, positioned roughly halfway between Waterdeep and Neverwinter on the High Road - so there is an increasingly strong garrison present.

Something Fishy

The town meeting is broken up as some parents report missing children following the evacuation. The party opts to help chase down the kiddos, who have apparently decided the town is a fun place to explore when all the adults who don’t let them have any fun leave the town with the soldiers’ alarm.

In the process of finding these youths, the source of the problems by the docks is identified - a Tiefling kraken priest (of Talos) is performing some kind of summoning ritual over the salt marsh, accompanied by a group of berserkers. The party races to prevent the ritual from being completed - successfully, but ominously the blood of the kraken priestess and the bodies of three berserkers are taken and never seen again… something was awakened.

Meanwhile, the town council meeting was attacked while the party was dealing with the problem at the docks. Four archers in a carriage and three Knights of Talos came rolling in from the north on the High Road, riding on horses made of water. They were defeated by the soldiers, but there several losses in the battle. Sergeant Yorrum ran right into town as soon as he saw the watery horses. The townspeople try not to be rude about it, but they know he is a coward and a joke and do not respect him other than what they have to because of his rank.

(Next: 2. House of Thalivar )