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Campaign Milestones
"Attack on the Firefly"
"No turning back"
"The Magic of Mount Merro"
"The Fragment of Crosis"
"Attack on the Firefly"
- Spoiler:
- Chaplain Rala was asked by his dying stepfather to deliver an artifact dragon lance to the Church of Bahamut in Azure City. Swept into action by an attack on Firefly Inn, the heroes quickly discover that there are many parties interested in acquiring this relic by any means necessary- putting all their lives in turmoil and jeopardy.
- Chaplain Rala was asked by his dying stepfather to deliver an artifact dragon lance to the Church of Bahamut in Azure City. Swept into action by an attack on Firefly Inn, the heroes quickly discover that there are many parties interested in acquiring this relic by any means necessary- putting all their lives in turmoil and jeopardy.
"No turning back"
- Spoiler:
- On the road, they are ambushed by the necromancer Leshrac and his coterie of demons and skeletons. Holding aloft the young gnomish boy, Gimble just above the hungry jaws of a Maw Demon, Rala is forced to choose between handing over the Dragonlance or watch poor Gimble get eaten. Ralaar gives up the lance and the malicious necromancer throws the boy aside and orders his demons to collect more 'raw materials' from the heroes.
- After defeating vile Leshrac, the group makes a quick consensus that they cannot return to Greenhaven and decide to make the arduous trek across the wilderness at the height of bone-chilling winter toward the aerial metropolis.
- They pass through the elven village, "Gold Leaf Meadows", home of the ranger, Azshaura and discover that the village mysteriously empty and silent. Alerted to the howls of monsters rushing down from the slopes of the tundra, the party quickly dispatch a gang of rampaging mountain monsters known as the Yeti.
- The glint of silvery shapes in the wind swept village square and the sullen cries of Azshaura's younger sister, Caitlin hiding underneath a cooking pot- reveal that the ranger's family,friends and neighbours have been turned to living ice.
"The Magic of Mount Merro"
- Spoiler:
- Between her heavy sobs, little Caitlin recounts how a massive white dragon calling itself "Crosis" had visited Gold Leaf Meadows and demanded that the Elves hand over the ancestral great bow, "Winters Sorrow" for its collection. When told by old Galen Leafrunner that the bow was broken beyond repair, the wyrm was overcome with murderous rage. With a flick of its great talon and evil blasphemous words murmured beneath its icy breath, the nimble limbs of the Elves grew heavy with cold and when numbness overcame them- they stood still as living ice.
- With the morning sun swiftly rising, the heroes quickly built an igloo to keep Azshaura's friends and family from melting. They were joined by a dashing swordmage, Troii Allen who broke free of the enchantment and vowed to bring Crosis to justice. Leaving Chaar behind to guard the igloo, the seven courageous warriors began their arduous ascent up Mount Merro.
- Bruised by the brutal climb and battered by howling wind, the heroes are pushed to their physical limits. Old uncle Fen falls dangerously ill with pneumonia and his aged limbs give out from sickness and frostbite. Spotting an old abandoned feast hall on the mountainside, the party gladly take shelter from the blizzard.
- They soon realize that they are not alone. A litter of dire wolf pups yelp and bark excitedly at the sight of the new arrivals. As they seem helpless and hungry, the companions feed the pups with scraps of their rations and stag that Azshaura managed to hunt in the mountainside. Little Caitlin names the pups- Sugar, Candy, Coco and Truffles.
- After three days of waiting for the storm to subside, Aie, the warforged argues that they can ill-afford more delays if they wish to save the Elves down below. The living warmachine says that Uncle Fen should be left with the wolf pups as the old man was simply too weak to continue. Inari declares that she will never leave her grandpa behind. Sensing that the stubborn young girl will stay with him to their very likely death, old Fen pretends that his illness has been cured. While Rala knows about the old man's true condition and stoic intentions, he keeps the secret.
- The next morning, the group are awakened by the heavy footfalls of dire wolves returning to their den. The hungry mated pair sees the litter of cubs lying near the humanoids and viciously attacks the intruders/predators. Not wanting to spill blood, the party make a disorganized retreat out of the feast hall with the pack snapping at their heels. Troii Allen was the last to leave but was felled by the massive jaws of the male alpha. As the ferocious beast loomed to tear open its prey's throat, baby Truffles stood its ground to protect the elf who sheltered the litter. The moment proved decisive as Azshaura pulled her tribesman to safety.
- Climbing the steppes of Mount Merro, the blinding sheet of harsh snowfall masks a subtle shift in landscape. The cold seems to drain all colours leaving behind the darkest shade of ebony, the monotony of greys and the harsh starkness of white. The blizzard no longer simply freezes the mortal form but oppresses it by suffocating vitality and transmuting living things to the bitter twilight of their years. The heroes have stumbled into the winter courts of the Feywild.
- The companions come across a palace carved out of ice and as they approach the gates, a shrill voice of a sentry calls out in challenge. A pack of drakes and a gang of kobolds surround Azshaura and Aie who somehow failed to sneak past the guards. To the snicker of their hiding companions, Azshaura unbelievably manages to bamboozle the guards into purchasing the warforged for their master's private zoo. Having little patience with deception, Aie draws his gargantuan hammer and charges the sentries and a brutal battle is joined.
- As the clamour of battle dies down, the warriors now have a train of draconic prisoners. The sight of the ice palace carved intricately by its immortal sculptor to evoke the sense of grandeur and majesty pales slightly to the fountain that these sentries guard so zealously. As one by one of the party peer into the water's edge, they see themselves in the summer of their years. Uncle Fen cannot believe his eyes- to see a face he had longed forgotten as his own. Dipping his fingers into the water, he watched the wrinkles on his hands disappear and meld into supple flesh. The heroes have found the legendary fountain of youth!
"The Fragment of Crosis"
- Spoiler:
- Grandpa Fen’s now youthful hands tremble with temptation even as Tofu begs him not to drink from the Fountain of Youth. He barely stopped himself from slurping the pristine water as for once in a very long time, the old wizard is tormented by memories of a lifetime of regret, inadequacies and loss opportunities. This was a definite chance to start over! He waves the party to move on ahead without him. He parks his aching bottom on the curb, his heavy thoughts making him look downright ancient and withered.
- Meanwhile, Rala and Aie interrogate the kobold sentry, Quizok who had surrendered but her eyes dart at her companion lying in a pool of blood. The party explain to the simple minded creature that they were here to speak to Crosis, the white dragon to answer for what he had done to the Elf village below. Quizok agrees to guide them if they help her dying friend, Steamie.
- They learn that mighty Crosis is worshiped by the kobolds as a god and only a select few chosen by their prophet get to see the dragon in “heaven”. Quizok adds that no Kobold who “goes to heaven” ever returns back home. Some of the party mock the kobolds for their stupidity and Steamie bristles at the invaders’ arrogance.
- Unbeknownst to the party, they are being tailed by a mysterious figure who has been tracking their every move.
- As the party are led through the tunnels, they hear the sounds of pandemonium from the Kobold camp up ahead. The reptiles have been driven into frenzy by their prophet who claims to have foreseen the destruction of the camp. He challenges his flock to prove their allegiance by partaking a sacred drink of melted ice that would bring them closer to their draconic deity. He greedily gulps down the fluid and a primal roar far too loud for one so small explodes from his maw which begins to elongate into an icy snout. To the awe of the crowd, the prophet had turned into a Blizzard Dragon!
- However before they could emulate his example, the party launch their attack. To the bemusement of the warforged Aie, he hears young Tofu yelling in the midst of mayhem to spare the lives of the Kobold. “Children playing at war…” the machine mutters whilst marvelling at how efficient Azshaura mows the kobold down with a storm of arrows. Waiting for the perfect moment to strike, their mysterious stalker leaps out of the shadows opening the gates of battle with a devastating flying kick on the Blizzard dragon. It was only a matter of time before all resistance was crushed. Though there was only one enemy fatality, dozens of broken bodies lie comatose on the cavern floor.
- About twenty other kobolds, young and old cower in fear of the party. One of the hauntingly beautiful drakes with crystalline frills lie dashed on the rocks below. In the aftermath of the sudden violence, a haunting silence lingers heavily in the air. There is a deep disquiet within Tofu as she surveys the destruction with her young eyes… when she turns to see Quizok and Steamie, her heart breaks.
- Quizok and Steamie's draconic features’ are riddled with guilt, rage and grief. They had brought this tragedy upon their tribe. They had brought the invaders here! Seeing the young child’s expression, Rala comforts her, “It can’t be helped. We had no choice.” Even to him, those words sound hollow. He asks the mysterious Half Orc martial artist to identify himself and his intentions.
- Skulgin, a down-on-his luck smuggler on an assignment for the Black Tusk gang in Sharn lies that he was lost in the Feywild and had tracked down what he guessed to be other non-natives to the plane. He asks if he can tag along for safety as they try to make their way out.
- The party agrees that another capable warrior would mean a greater chance against Crosis. Catching a moment to rest, Rala spots a shrine at the centre of the cavern. Five menacing dragon heads carved crudely out of rock form the kobold shrine to the Dark Queen of Dragons, Tiamat. Clutched within each of her maw are enchanted artefacts placed there by the Kobolds as offerings to their deity. Each is exceedingly old and no doubt have been here for a very long time.
- Without much thought, Rala, Azshaura, Aie and Troii help themselves to the magical items. The relative quiet is shattered by an outburst from Quizok.
“No! No! What are you doing? You said you were here to see Crosis! To save your tribe... You Tricked Quizok… You… you… thieves!” Quizok cries out. “Those do not belong to you. They passed down from our fathers. All the way till when we were still dragons.”
“Shut up you fool!” Steamie cuts her off. “Do you want them to kill us all?”
“Quizok trusted you. Yet you hurt my family and pillage our tribe. You monsters.”
Tofu yells at the others, “What are you doing? We’re here to talk to Crosis right? Right?!” Tired of hearing the child’s prattling, Rala tells her to go along with the others.
“This is a shrine to an evil goddess. These small minded creatures allow their faith to blind them and they unknowingly strengthen the Dark Queen. I must put a stop to this.”
- The party quickly make their way to Crosis’s lair leaving both Quizok and Steamie to face the tribe's vengeance.
Last edited by Belisarius Punchee on Sun Sep 25, 2011 7:38 pm; edited 1 time in total