After surviving bandit raid, the party rest from their night of fighting. The mystery of why these bandits attack continue to elude the party and the dwarf commander Brimstone. What sort of answers will the party unearth? Find out! If you missed out on episode 1, click here (part 1 & part 2).
The party rests and recuperate after their long night against the raiders. In the midst of their dreams, Jimmy G has a vision of a dire wolf leading him to a clearing, the moon shattered in the night sky, seven stars, and the forest lit aflame. The morning roosters wake Jimmy G haphazardly, who finds himself on a hay stack near the kitchen, the smell of morning breakfast tantalize the half-elf druid.
Meanwhile, Breadon finds a restful spot on the roof of a half-burnt tavern until a sudden chill of winter envelopes him. Breadon awakes to find himself back in the Fens of Winter; he journeys through the brush and finds himself back in the makeshift court of Winter. Mab waits on her throne, Breadon is not pleased with the faerie queen with the daunting task of slaying a dragon, let alone a powerful one. In the end, Breadon learns that the dragon they fought the night before was not their true adversary, that the faerie queen’s true foe was ancient and old, a rival of sorts. She speaks a name in a tongue unknown and long forgotten, sealing the knowledge with an icy kiss on Breadon’s scaly cheek and a frostbitten inscription in his right palm. After awakening back into the material world, the warlock attempts to get some meaningful rest with much to ponder.
The rest of the group awake from their slumber and gather around the tavern’s remaining kitchen for breakfast. After finding some chickens for their fresh eggs, Illya finds the party in the midst of their meal and instructed that Commander Brimstone sought an audience with them when they were ready.
The party return to the keep, the village of Greenest is bustling with villagers and soldiers from the provincial militia. Masons and carpenters work frivolously to restore the keep and repairs for the various homes or buildings. The party enters into the courtyard and finds a makeshift tent with a familiar face at a table with large maps and instruments. Commander Brimstone asks for aid from the party, namely to find out more about the raiders from the night before and to check out the status of the monastery nearby. The party gather some supplies and divide some of the gear provided by Brimstone and the people of Greenest, the team make their way to the monastery on Arcaelus’ cart.
Along the way, the party finds some straggling raiders and manages to dispatch them thoroughly before interrogating one of the survivors. The group learns that the Cult of the Dragon have been making moves along the outlying villages and towns in Cormanthar. The party unearths further unsettling news of a plot by the cult revolving around the dragon goddess Tiamat and ill-fated circumstances that have plagued these lands. The party continues onward toward the monastery, though not before dealing with the rearguard set by the cultists. Once Team BAJA arrives onto the monastery, the group finds a desolate former sanctuary raided with corpses lying on the ground. They learn from one of the surviving initiates that the cult had arrived some time before and ransacked the monastery. It would seem that a relic was taken from the premises, an orb containing a powerful spirit of intellect.
The party hastens their journey and manages to find the cottage home of the rumored artificer Elias. There they meet a humble, sentient door knocker in the shape of a beetle. The party learns that its master had not return from his last visit to the monastery, though not before being utterly confused by beetle-charades. The party’s concerns begin to deepen at the news, though not before being bequeathed some items by the door knocker. Aydan was gifted a gauntlet of empowerment and given a mechanical-cog-like box with the instructions to bring the object to its master. The party continues onward to the base of the mountain, as they reached the edge of the camp grounds, the party finds nearly dozens of cultists and kobolds. It would seem the main staging ground for the cult lies within this basin.
What awaits the party at the mountain basin? Can they save the artificer Elias from the Cult of the Dragon? What is the cult’s ultimate goal? Find out in part 2!
Death By Mage 