Session 11: Return to Danger

General Summary

The party awoke from their rest to be greeted by Leosin Erlanthar standing at the door. He looked better after his incarceration but was limping slightly and his student Nesim stood by his side supporting him gently. After his experience in captivity, Leosin had needed several days to recover but was now mostly healthy again. He intended to immediately travel north to the town of Elturel to convey what he had learned to Ontharr Frume, a paladin of Torm who shares his concern over the Cult of the Dragon’s recent surge in activity but before he left, he had one more favour to ask of the characters:  

“After all you’ve done already for me personally and for the people of Greenest, I hate to ask anything more from you. But the need is great, and I dare to hope that you can aid me one time more. I need you to return to the cultists’ camp. You know your way around it now. If the cultists are preparing to conduct another raid, or a large body of them marches away, or if anything substantial is carried into or out of that cave, I need to know. If you have a chance to get into the camp and look around again, that would be the ideal way to spot anything that's changed. “ I don’t recommend letting yourselves get captured,” he adds with a wry smile.

  The party reluctantly stirred themselves to prepare for further action once more as Governor Nighthill approached with rewards for the adventurers. They relayed to the Governor and Leosin everything they had found out, most of which Leosin corroborated:  

• Not everyone at the camp is a full-fledged member of the cult. Many are new initiates working toward full acceptance, and many others are simple mercenaries, hired to flesh out the camp’s strength during raids or if it should come under attack.
• The kobolds are there because their worshipful attitude toward dragons makes them easy for Rezmir and other high-ranking cultists to manipulate, but they are not well liked or trusted by the other races.
• The cult has been ranging far and wide on small raids to collect treasure. Greenest was the closest target to the camp
• Prisoners are used for manual labor.
• The cave at the back of the camp is off-limits to all but those who’ve been cleared by Frulam Mondath and Rezmir. It’s known around camp as “the nursery,”
• The half-black dragon Rezmir came to the area a few months ago, and she set up the camp. Mondath handles everyday operations.
• The half-blue dragon Langdedrosa Cyanwrath is Mondath’s right hand and is seldom far from her side. He has a rigid sense of honour, but you don’t want to make him angry.
• The plunder from nearby settlements is stored in the cave. No one but Rezmir knows how much is there altogether, but it must be a big pile by now.

  The party replenished their supplies and headed south as Leosin and Nesim headed north.   The journey south to the camp was very different to the one a few days before. It quickly became clear that there would be no sign of stragglers returning to the camp or any kind of read guard. There was general rubbish, animal bones, broken weapons and other detritus as was to be expected by the movement of a large body of rampaging humanoids but otherwise silence other than birdsong.   The adventurers approached the camp perimeter cautiously, skirting around the northern edge to check on numbers within the camp and found it to be almost empty other than a few uninterested hunters. They did however learn from the hunters that some cultists still remained inside the Nursery. Relieved that they would encounter little opposition in the camp the party walked towards the nursery entrance. The Giant thought he spotted some movement inside the entrance but nothing stirred as they approached. It was quiet as they entered the cave mouth and they were greeted only by roughly hewn tunnels stretching away into the darkness. It soon became clear that they had been spotted unfortunately as two Dragoncloaks leapt out from a hidden corner ambushing The Giant before he could react. His companions rushed to his aid and together they dispatched their opponents quickly and quietly. As The Giant examined the hidden area Citrus pushed on carelessly and slipped on some loose rocks tumbling down a small slope into fungus and vegetation, oddly growing in the centre of the cave. Fortunately no injuries for Citrus but as he dusted himself down and assured the others that he was fine he caught a slight movement out of the corner of his eye and a tendril lashed out at him suddenly, catching him on the arm painfully. Some of the fungus was different to the rest and radiated an evil sentience, seeming to be aware of Citrus. He defended himself against the fearsome fungus until his companions could reach him, Picasso jumping down and The Giant transforming into his wolf form once again. Khorg summoned a strange, deformed winged creature to aid him in combat, looking like something formed by clay it was nevertheless useful and helped considerably with its acid attacks. Again the companions prevailed and managed to rescue Citrus from the evil fungus.   Returning to the hidden corner, The Giant found a narrow, concealed passageway but could not fit through in his wolf form, he gave a loud bark which echoed through the quiet caves but called his companions and others slipped down the passage to explore. Unfortunately, alerted by the bark, a large group of cultists lay in wait and attacked without hesitation. However, the narrow passage came to the adventurers aid, preventing the cultists from commanding the field and they were able to whittle down the number of attackers very quickly. As the smoke cleared and their last opponent lay dead or dying, a passage into the darkness awaited the party....