D&D Journal #1

Journal – Session 1

Setting out from the city of Dunwin, capital city of the realm of Ithacar, a party of six bold adventurers – Barrack, a plain-spoken dwarven Fighter, powerful wielder of the hammers favored by that strong and dour race; Marik, a reptilian dragonborn Warlock, heir to an ancient and proud lineage, but inescapably bound to a pact granting him supernatural powers; Jaeran, an elven Cleric upon whom the gods have granted a measure of divine power as a reward for his faith; Syxia, a tiefling Rogue, dark daughter of a cursed bloodline, her ancestors given to the infernal worship of fiends; Tolinyr, an eladrin Wizard of the Feywild, wielder of potent magic; and Ur-Kadar, dragonborn Paladin of Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, a holy warrior dedicated to upholding the tenets of his faith and protecting the weak with his battle axe – joined a simple trading caravan bound for the small city of Folkestone, located in southeastern Ithacar.

Each had his or her own reasons for wishing to leave Dunwin; no questions were asked of the companions, either by each other or by Roreth, the lead guard of the caravan with whom the group had made their arrangements for employment and/or travel over ale in the tavern of a Dunwin inn. Several of the party members were hired on as additional guards, as rumors claim that the roads are becoming more dangerous (but Syxia had heard the guards arguing before they left, and one of them – she isn’t sure who – bitterly complained about the addition of the party as extra guards; the unknown guard claimed that he did not want his share of gold reduced, but he could possibly have had another motive); those who did not sign on to the caravan as paid guards merely sought the safety that traveling in an armed group would bring and/or were simply looking to leave Dunwin in as expeditious manner as possible. It was understood that each of the companions had their own reasons for wishing to travel with the caravan.

It was unquestioned that the route would take them close to the wilderness of Wysteria, a rugged, uninhabited land that is now little more than a howling wilderness inhabited by all manner of creatures dark and dangerous. Whether due to attacks by monsters, disease or despair, all attempts to settle Wysteria have failed. In past times, an army of orcs and goblins, after plundering and pillaging the few human settlements in that land following the fall of Glyphstone Keep, attempted an invasion into Ithacar, but were defeated. Today, Wysteria is a wild land dotted with ruins, and it remains shrouded in mystery. Travelers’ tales claim that those journeying through the hinterlands near Wysteria will meet their doom, and it is common knowledge that hardy bands of adventurers sometime head into Wysteria to test their mettle and seek great treasures; most do not return. Other rumors maintain that Wysteria is once again an active bastion of evil that threatens Ithacar and the surrounding lands. The truth – or falsity – of these rumors has not been established, and remains unknown.

Following the arrangements made with Roreth, the companions met him and the other guards – Vaslen, Korvis and Madran – the next day on the outskirts of Dunwin. The caravan guards were anxious to begin the journey to Folkestone, which they estimated would take 30 days, depending on what sorts of hazards – if any – were encountered. The two wagons of the caravan were filled with mundane trade goods, including fabrics, spices, dyes, perfume, rope, glass, copper, and similar materials, and the contents were covered and tied down to protect and conceal the cargo. Beyond this basic information, Roreth frowned on further questions and/or investigation into the contents of the wagons.

The greatest part of the journey – nearly 30 days – passed without incident as the caravan left the more populous regions of Ithacar, passing through the woods, hills and grasslands in the heart of the realm. It was clear that Roreth and the other guards were eager to get to Folkestone and receive their payment. The men refused to discuss the details of their employment, but it seems understood that they were counting on good pay upon completion of the job. While they were always courteous to the group, it was apparent that they did not want to become too involved with the party. The third week of travel was harder, as the road became obviously less well-travelled, and the caravan slowed as the group gradually entered the rougher area of the borderlands between Ithacar and Wysteria, the country becoming more rugged with each passing mile. Also apparent were the increased signs of humanoid activity – kobolds, goblins and/or orcs. Watches were doubled, and everyone seemed more on edge. Four days out from Folkestone, a large number of tracks were found crossing the road; examination revealed these to belong to a large band of kobolds.

Three days out from Folkestone, the caravan came across the site of a skirmish. Three kobolds and a human warrior were found dead in the road, with the signs of battle all around – the ground was littered with arrows, splatters of blood and other signs of fierce fighting. Although the scene was almost two weeks old, Roreth and his men were now very eager to reach Folkestone as quickly as possible. The following day, shortly before noon, the road turned down into a shallow wooded valley. Two of the guards – Korvis and Madran – were leading on foot. As the caravan entered a heavily wooded section of the valley, Jaeran noticed a lack of woodland noise; before he could sound the alarm, however, small black arrows flew from the woods on either side of the road, and Korvis and Madran were felled. At that point, two armored kobolds and a guard drake stepped onto the road, blocking the caravan; combat was joined, and a brutal battle ensued.

Syxia drew her wicked daggers and quickly and lightly moved off into the rugged and wooded terrain to the east of the road, in an attempt to flank the archers hidden off the trail. In doing so, she encountered a number of other kobolds attacking from the rear. The remaining guard, Vaslen, followed Syxia. Jaeran had moved into a defensive position between the wagons and was using his longbow to harry the kobolds. Ur-Kadar had been in the rear wagon, but raced forward to confront the kobold dragonshields and the guard drake. The other members of the party were already at the front of the wagons, and charged forward. Barrack, his hammer swinging, directly engaged the largest kobolds and the drake, aided by Roreth and Marik, wielding his halberd and hurling curses at the swarming kobolds – a number of them were so marked by the Warlock. In the meantime, Tolinyr had positioned himself between the developing fights, and used an array of magical powers to swing the battle, including scorching burst and flaming sphere, sowing panic among the attacking kobolds, numbering over 20.

Syxia soon found that she was greatly outnumbered and unable to take full advantage of her Rogue abilities, given the number and position of the kobold attackers who were soon pouring out of the woods to the east as well as from behind the caravan. Vaslen came to her aid, and was immediately hewn down by kobold blades and arrows. Syxia retreated to the road, and Tolinyr and Jaeran took the fight to her kobold pursuers. Jaeran healed Syxia’s wounds and used his divine magic to attack the kobolds, searing them with radiant energy. At the front of the scene, Barrack and Ur-Kadar slew the dragonshields and the drake, and Marik continued to pursue and eliminate the kobold archers hidden in the rocky terrain to the west of the road. During the battle, Roreth was mortally wounded and staggered away to the west, plunging headlong into the dense woodlands.

Although Roreth and the other guards were lost, the tide soon turned, as Barrak, Ur-Kadar and Marik routed the kobolds attacking from the front. Syxia was able to flank the kobolds menacing Tolinyr, and working in tandem, the Rogue and Wizard dispatched several of the attackers. Jaeran was cornered by a determined kobold, and slew it. The few surviving kobolds broke and fled into the woods on the eastern side of the road, and the party realized that pursuit was impossible. They instead took to binding their wounds, resting and preparing for any further attack. None came, and the three guards were buried alongside the road. Roreth’s body was soon located – his bloody trail through the woods was easy to follow – and although his chain mail was battle-scarred and useless, the party recovered his longsword and two daggers. The kobolds had very little in the way of useful items or gold or silver coins. What little they did have was looted.

The party resolved to continue the journey to Folkestone, and decided to deliver the trade goods themselves. A search of the wagons revealed a ledger, which accurately described all of the trade goods, with one exception. A locked wooden box (no key could be found) was found carefully concealed in one of the wagons, and the only notation on the manifest regarding the box was a question mark (“ ? ”). Syxia examined the box, and tried her best to open it, but she could not do so. She secured the box, and resolved to try again once the party had safely reached Folkestone.

Two days later, the party had safely reached the town of Folkestone. At the gates, they made inquires of the guards there regarding the destination of the trading goods secured in the wagons. They were directed to Drachen Sylvanni, a leading merchant in the town. It was decided that three of the party members – Barrack, Jaeran and Marik – would deliver the goods and receive payment for them, while the other three members – Tolinyr, Syxia and Ur-Kadar – would secure accommodations for the party. To this end, they were directed to the Crested Cock, a tavern and inn catering to travelers. It was understood that Syxia, given her demonic appearance and likely reputation, should remain quiet and unobtrusive in the town. She agreed to control herself and stay out of sight as much as possible. To a lesser degree, the dragonborn would need to exercise caution and restraint as well, given their hulking and reptilian appearance, at least until the townsfolk recognized them as having noble motives.

At the Crested Cock, the three companions secured rooms as well as ale, and made the acquaintance of Meldrick, the innkeeper, and his wife Ethyr. A clumsy fellow, Meldrick did show himself to be a kind host (so long as his customers had gold); but he wrested a concession out of the party: that they would stay at the Crested Cock and not patronize the Gilded Lily, a rival Folkestone establishment (run by Fastieth Silverpoint) catering to well-to-do travelers. Meldrick exchanged small talk and some useful information with the party members, and Syxia then took her leave and went to her room (which was shared with Tolinyr; the dragonborn shared their own room; Barrack and Jaeran roomed together). Before going upstairs, she scanned the tavern area; most of the patrons were simple townsfolk, but two men in dark clothing appeared to be Rogues, and possible agents of House De’Nethryn (dealing in clandestine activities). A mysterious riddle was also posted in the tavern, with instructions as to where to deliver the answer (the riddle was “I have split one into five; I am the circle that few will spy; I am the path that breaks and gives; I am the bow no man may bend”). Later, Barrack was the first to suggest “a rainbow” as an answer to the riddle.

The others had in the meantime arranged to sell the goods from the wagons, as well as the wagons and horses. They exchanged information with Drachen Sylvanni, a leading merchant in Folkestone, and a possible agent of both House Zydanne (which specializes in agricultural trade) and House Golhyrr (dealing in banking and gems). In conducting business with Sylvanni, the party did not reveal to him the existence of the mysterious box still in Syxia’s possession. In addition, they made inquiries of the town guards, met the guard captain Ravil DelTorin, and managed to obtain an audience with Lord Jessup Holtsbridge, the lord of the town, and Greven the magistrate. They explained themselves to this local lord, and he was very interested in their account of the ambush and ensuing battle. The warlike kobold brigands had been a matter for the lord’s concern for some time, and he felt that the time was at hand to deal with the problem once and for all. He dismissed the party, but directed them to return to his armory, and outfit themselves for a punitive expedition against the kobolds. It was clear that the lord expected the party to find the lair of the wretched creatures, and throw them down by means of armed violence.

After the party reunited at the inn, Syxia took the others to her room and tried once again to open the mysterious box, the discovery of which had raised several questions: By whom had it been sent? Did the guards know about it? To whom was it being delivered – someone in Folkestone, to be sure – but whom? With all of the other goods delivered, is someone now looking for the box? Even aided by the others, she could not open it. Tolinyr determined that the box was magically sealed, and could not be opened by any of the party members; what was needed was a Wizard of some power who would be able to perform a ritual to open it.

Asking questions of Meldrick over dinner (and ale), it was determined that a visit to the Wizard Neltharian could solve the problem of the box. As the hour was late, the party retired to their rooms after dinner. The next morning, they arose from their much-needed and very restful sleep in large, comfortable beds (something Syxia, in particular, had sorely missed while on the journey to Folkestone) and sought the assistance of Neltharian. On the way to see the Wizard, Syxia had the uncomfortable feeling that the party was being watched – and perhaps even followed – by persons unknown. The Wizard was nowhere in sight, and his shop was locked and closed. Barrack, Syxia and Tolinyr waited for the old man, and the others proceeded down the narrow street to the temples at the end, those of Pelor and Erathis and a shrine to Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon. The temples of Pelor and Erathis were large and prominent buildings, while the shrine of Bahamut was more modest, and was without a dedicated priest. Father Corus, the priest of Pelor, told the party that there have been recent problems with undead in the area, and that he could use their assistance in determining if such rumors were true and in eradicating any undead that might be haunting the area. The party also made the acquaintance of Father Ghaleon of the temple of Erathis.

Returning to the Wizard’s shop, they found that the old man had arrived. He seemed more a befuddled old fool than a wise Wizard, but as the conversation continued, the party recognized that he was a man of some power. Syxia – unable to restrain herself – blurted out the answer to the old man’s riddle as “a rainbow”, and he was impressed that the party had answered correctly, thus proving their initial worth. He carefully examined the box, and stated that the box had been sealed by magic. He gave the party options regarding the opening of the box, and it was decided that all present would view the contents, regardless of what was inside. Using a powerful magical ritual, Neltharian opened the box – and was shocked by what was inside: the severed head of a man, along with a ceremonial dagger of unknown origin (which may have been the murder weapon) and an inscribed medallion bearing the seal of the “Order of Candrical.” Syxia dismissed the myth of Candrical as nothing more than a child’s fairy tale – she told everyone that ancient tales claim that Candrical is renowned as the source of all magic and is said to be a powerful force for good. Neltharian’s reaction was one of sadness and great concern, and he admitted knowing the man whose head was secured in the box (although he refused to discuss the identity of the dead man or reveal how he knew him). He kept the box and its contents for further study, but he did not answer any questions regarding the dead man’s identity, what the dagger and medallion might mean, or why these items were being delivered to someone in Folkestone.

Upon the order of Lord Jessup Holtsbridge, the party appeared at the town armory and selected additional weapons and equipment: Barrack chose throwing hammers after the manner of the dwarves, to allow himself a ranged weapon, should he need one; Jaeran replenished his stock of arrows; Syxia took a short sword, in case she should ever find herself in a tight spot, needing a blade other than her daggers; and Ur-Kadar selected javelins to hurl in combat. More importantly, the Lord of Folkestone provided the party with horses (and, in the case of Barrack, a pony), as they would likely face overland travel through the wilderness before finding the lair of the kobold bandits. He could spare no men himself for the expedition, given the climate abroad in the land. The lord did ask for evidence of the party’s success against the kobolds, but did not want much in the way of gruesome trophies.

The party retraced their path along the road, and came to the ambush site. From there, they followed the paths of the fleeing kobolds away to the east, where the woodlands gave way to rocky hills in which were situated a number of caves. The horses were left at a campsite, and the party moved forward on foot. They reached their goal – the cave lair of the kobold band – in a few hard hours of overland wilderness trekking.

Scouting ahead, Syxia noticed that the cave opening was guarded by a drake. The beast did not notice her, and she crept back to the party, and an assault plan was developed. The party then attacked the guard drake with surprise and had great success in driving the creature further into the cave. Tolinyr covered the floor of the cavern with ice, impeding the drake’s movement; the front-line fighters finished it off, but not before it could bellow a warning to the kobolds lurking in the cave complex beyond.

A large group of kobolds then attacked, and the battle was joined in the first of two caves inhabited by the bandits. Noticing that the kobolds were staying out of the middle of the large cave, the party suspected that a pit trap was in the middle of the chamber (this suspicion was confirmed after the battle). The battle did not go well for the kobolds, and they fell back into another, larger cave deeper in the hillside.
Syxia followed the fleeing kobolds and soon found herself surrounded and outnumbered, facing a large group of kobolds. Kobold slingers, hurling gluepots and concealed on a ledge on one side of the large cavern, managed to immobilize Syxia, who quickly found herself bound in a sticky web of glue (she managed to free herself later, but was out of action for a period). Barrack and Ur-Kadar then charged forward to engage the main body of the kobolds. Jaeran remained in the rear seeking to bolster his allies, later emerging to scorch the kobolds with divine radiant power. In the meantime, Marik was moving among the kobolds, cursing his enemies and attacking with his halberd, and Tolinyr was hurling magical energies through the cave. Soon, the battle turned. During the battle, the well-positioned slingers were having great success against the melee combatants, until Tolinyr heroically raced across the floor of the cavern, teleported onto the ledge using his Fey Step ability, passing for a moment through the magical realm of the Feywild, and used his thunderwave power to blast the kobolds off the ledge. The remaining kobolds were quickly defeated thereafter, and a lone survivor provided the party with valuable information about a larger tribe of kobolds; their lair was not far from the current location, but was well-protected by a ravine (crossed by a rope bridge) and traps. The kobold was then set loose, and fled in the direction of the lair he had just described. The group paused to rest and recover, and to further explore the hidden lair that they had decimated. A smaller cave off of the large chamber was found to be filled with looted trade goods stolen from travelers on the road – some of it was old and worthless, but many of the supplies were in excellent condition. The few gold and silver coins found with the kobolds were collected.

While they had defeated a large group of kobolds in the caverns, the party understood that further challenges lay ahead. It was very unlikely that a few dragonshield warriors were the leaders of the kobold bandits, or that the power of the bandit raiders was now broken. The party rested and planned their next move . . .