15. Dalamar and a welcome to Heart's Hollow

Someone put a bell on Sterling! He arrives and tells us that he went to speak to Darrett and the army behind us. Which is fine, but really, some better communication. Plus, we have the fargab. Well, he arrives right as Dalamar shows up. He asks us if we are arriving, or getting ready to leave.
 
He asks us about what we learned in the places he sent us to. More importantly, he wants to know about the kinds of magic found in each spot. We tell him that the temple had divine magic, and that we even felt it - feel it, and benefit from it today in the form of easier traveling. Then we went to the Spires of Dawn, where we found a fallen tower. At the bottom of it, underground, we found the chaos crystal. Finally, here the tower was being held by a portal that kept the tower together because of the Shadowfell. Once we closed the portal, it fixed itself. Dalamar recognizes it as Wakenwreth, and goes to investigate further. He spends about an hour in there, and we are happy to give him time alone.
 
Dalamar comes back, and says that the tower was clearly not built here, and that the portal's magic can be used to pinpoint where Wakenwrath originally stood. We know that he mentioned the name Anyari as the place where it was originally built, but we have no idea if that was the original name of the City of Lost names. He wants more time to use this information to triangulate where the tower originally came from, and then where the City of Lost Names should be.
 
We decide to rest of the rest of the day while we wait for Dalamar. Mal checks in with Darret through the Fargab, and asks if he has a scroll of Restoration, and they say they have three. He volunteers to send a scout ahead with the scroll for him, but they are only a few hours out, so Mal says we'll just wait. When they arrive, Darret comes to find Mal and personally hand him the scroll.
 
The next day, late in the afternoon, Dalamar finally emerges from the tower. He is surprised by the army, and that look on his face was priceless. He then remembered we talked about the army that followed us. He told us that he had pinpointed the foundation of the tower in the city where it was created, and that he knows where the City of Lost Names is. He shows us on a map, and says that now that he has revealed the location, our business is concluded and we can go our separate ways. But he does say that while he was researching, he saw a source of magical power to the north, by the Cliffs that Drink, and he would appreciate being escorted there.
 
So now we have a few things we need to do. We can start by going directly north to the Cliffs that Drink, and then head south east to Sky's Tears where the Dragon Army was last seen holding Sea Elves captive, and then SW again towards High Hunt, where Rown wants to return to. Then finally on to the Giant's Spine, where the City of Lost Names is, but that is North West of all these other spots. We could also start from High Hunt, which is closest to where we are, and then head north east, up to the Cliffs, and from there head all the way west, but not much more North to the City of Lost Names. Sigh. We decide that we will start from the south - to High Hunt first! Which means Rown gets dropped off first, then we hopefully get to release some captives (and honor our payment for their return), and then head to the Cliffs with Dalamar. Hopefully with this, we can get closer to the Sylvanesti, although we know that this was never Dalamar's choice to not partner with us. As far as our troops, the plan is to send them towards Sky's Tears directly, while we go to High Hunt. That is where there is the highest chance we'll face Dragon Army soldiers, and we'd need their support then.
 
On our way to High Hunt, we get caught in the wash. I had always heard that the waters just seem to rise out of nowhere and swallow people, but to watch it happen is crazy. I can see why many people end up dead of this. We had to scramble up the canyon to not get caught up in all that water. Happily, it is a fairly fast event, so we are able to keep walking for the rest of the day. We camp and rest for that night, and continue to balance being not too slow, but also not announcing our presence to everyone around. The wash on our second day is low, and we can more easily traverse the gap. As we are preparing to cross this chasm, we see a Draconic army foot patrol to the west, leaving the gully. They look tired, like they have been pushing themselves through the was. They are mostly draconian creatures with short swords, and a few human soldiers. A total of 11 of them. We enter combat, and towards the end, some realize the have no chance and try to run away. We are able to chase the runners, and defeat all of them. This is great news, because last time that resulted in flyers dropping rocks on us.
 
That night we camp without an issues, and carry on the next day. At some point, we notice some shapes flapping in the distance, kind of misshapen. Huge wings, long strange tails, but no feathers in sight. We don't recognize them, but three of them come close. They have the head of a lion, the wings of a bat, and too many sharp quills! They try to attack us, and we put up a fight! They end up flying away as soon as they realize we are not easy bait. A little bit later, we are very close to where Rown lives, and he takes over navigating us towards his home.
 
We then all hear a distant rushing of the water rising, and we hear someone cursing their luck. As we get closer, water rushes into a canyon ahead of us, and a human in ragged leather is on a rope, desperately trying to escape a hole and being chased by 5 large spiders. We are all on higher ground, and decide to help the human. After we dispatch the spiders (without being able to save any tasty spider meat from the wash, much to Waah's sadness) the man comes towards us and smiles gratefully.
 
He asks us where we're from. He and Rown recognize each other, and he introduces himself as Clistrin. Clistrin ends up walking with us, and asks where we're from. I tell him we're from Kalaman, but he isn't sure where that is. I ask if he's seen any draconic creatures around, and he says that that once a long time back, he saw a dragon. But they are not the same thing. But since then, he has been fascinated and obsessed with seeing that dragon again. However, for the time being he contents himself by going west from here and going to feed and admire the dragonelles from around here. Creatures like the ones that we have seen being ridden by the dragon army creatures. He offers to take us to see them, about 2 days travel west, and now he also wants to ride one of them one day.
 
I ask what he does, and he says he's a scout. He tells us that his community scavenges to survive, and that's what they do to repay Ness. She is the leader of the town, and she has apparently saved a lot of people there. The funniest thing is, it's pretty flat, and I cannot see any towns anywhere. The town apparently survives by having everyone scavenge. Clistrin leads us to a path that winds up a volcanic rise, and goes into a spiral with houses along it's sides. He tells us that most people don't come to Heart's Hollow unless they are rescued by people from here. He points out the interesting town places as we walk, for example, the local store, or the armory, or the tavern. There is a dwarf who runs the general shop would be happy to see us, so we enter and see what wares he has, especially since it's close to closing time. As we walk in, the man lights up and welcomes us to the shop. Sterling speaks to him in Dwarvish. He introduces himself as Grandit, and we all take turns introducing ourselves. Waah goes ahead and tries to sell off the dragon army armors she's been carrying around, but then we have to explain to him where we got those, and who the dragon army is. He isn't interested in the armors because he is afraid that someone may mistake one of them for a dragon army soldier. And they have no leather worker.
 
We proceed as Clistrin tells us more about the place. There are a lot of dwarves, humans, and kender around. The wastes are harsh, and this is a haven for them. I ask if everyone gets along around here, and he says that not really. But what keeps everyone together is that they are all trying to survive. People have no reason not to be nice. They have never had any trouble here that they have ever needed to run to the armory for extra weapons and take up arms. The current residents don't remember any time like this. The stone buildings have been here for a long time, so maybe the people who created those may have been attacked at one point. They were also the people responsible for the beautiful mosaic walkway, which is also what they call the main drag.
 
I ask that if I were to settle down here, could I just move into any house that was currently empty? He says yes, and if there weren't any empty houses, then everyone would come together and help create a new house for me. There is also a wizard in town, called Lavender, with a shop of the same name. There is a tavern called the Salt Lick, where they serve you drinks, and also a salt block to lick. They mine that in the wastelands, since it is too dangerous to get one from the wash. He also recommends not leaving the tavern TOO drunk, since it is only connected through rope walkways.
 
I ask Rown how he was captured. He tells me he was out in the wastelands scavenging for wood, and walked into a dragon army patrol. I ask Clistin about how far he goes out, and he says a whole week. I then ask if he just turns back every time he sees the terrain change. He tells met hat this is where he saw the dragon, so that's probably why he never leaves. I ask what color was the dragon that he saw, and he says it was not quite copper, nor quite gold, but it was definitely kind of shiny. Maybe it was a bronze dragon, then. I ask where he saw it, and he says he saw it from here. He tried to get someone else to look up, but by then, it was no longer visible. He's now been looking for its lair for 10 years now.
 
We decide to visit the Salt Lick, and find a place to sit with our two guides. The crowd around here seems varied, with families, couples, groups. We see a quiet, middle-aged woman sitting by herself. I ask Clistrin about her, and tells me that it is Ness. We go and introduce ourselves, and she implies we are down on our luck, thinking that he brought us in. He explains that it was the opposite, and she then asks more about us. Sterling says that we are not down on our luck at all since we are here, which makes her smile. Waah tells her that she likes this place. She asks if we are going to settle, and we explain that we are not. I show her the symbol of Tahkisis, and she says she doesn't know it. I can tell that she does know about it. As soon as there is another lull in the conversation, she asks if we are trying to join up, and Mal says that we are trying to stop this from spreading. Rown tells her that even Storm Step is no longer storming, because of us. I guess I didn't even realize that. I tell Mal that maybe he needs to show her what he is capable of. And this time, I didn't even hurt myself, just told him to show off a little. He tells her that the Dragon Army follows Tiamat/Tahkisis, and that Mishakal came back to stop her, and he casts light on his holy symbol to show everyone. The entire place goes quiet, and excited. But not Ness. She looks like she is mad about something. She goes behind the bar and pours herself a drink, and gives us all some drinks, too. I tell her that most people are happier when they have proof that Mishakal is back. She asks if we know the date of the return, and Mal gives her the date when he dreamed of Mishakal. But the Dragon Army was already forming when he was called, so it was around that time. She thanks us for the info, and welcomes us for the night. I think I need to have a more private conversation with her, and figure out what's up.
 
As we spend a pleasant and safe evening, we hear different conversations around us. For example, a group of scavengers talks about an out of the way cavern with dwarves, and they discuss whether they need to establish a rapport with them. Clistin talks to Sterling about how he has been taking some dry meat to the dragonelles for years, and is due for another visit soon. Can we help him deliver? Sterling says that if the party is willing, we can go. I think we should, personally.
 
At some point, after a break to relieve herself, I go to talk to Ness. I tell her that Rown said there may have been a reward for his delivery, and that I would prefer to discuss it in a more private place. She takes us out to a balcony. I again ask what she knows about the Tahkisis. She says that the Dragon Army will not disturb Heart's Hollow. I ask how she can be certain of it. The Dragon Army flies, and they would be able to easily spot them. She says that then they'll take up arms and defend the settlement. I tell her that is not a great option. That ultimately, we all need to work together to defeat this evil, and that if she knows something, she needs to share it, lest it is too late. She then asks if I know anything about Theology, and I offer to get Mal here if that is what she wants to discuss. Then she tells me that "if Tahkisis is back before the other gods, then she broke a promise." I need to ask Mal about this. She did pay me the 2 thousand that Rown had said would be our reward, despite my protests. She then retires, but before she goes, she turns and asks, "I you find something important that we discover in regards to that promise, please let her know." I guess we can.
 
I then go on to talk to Mal about Tahkisis. I want to know when she was gone - before or with all the other gods. He says that the Cataclysm caused all the gods to walk away. They all agreed together. That nothing in any of the religion says anything about any promise. Over the millennia, she has tried to take over the world, and kicked all the other god's assess, to the point that they had to come together beat her back. The thought of trying to extract any promises from here sounds crazy. So why did she leave? All that Mal knows is that she is a dragon, a chaotic goddess of the dragons. He would think that Tiamat left with the other gods because of the Cataclysm. But I wonder if there is more. I mean, why would an evil god not think that the people disobeying the other good gods was a good thing? Why would she leave then? Also, if this is a promise that is not written about in any religious texts, would that not make it a secular promise? But Mal doesn't think that any promises that are made to the worshipers is something that a god must keep. I think that if there is even honor amongst thieves, then there must be honor amongst the gods. Also, if a god promises something to their followers, then is it not even more important to fulfill it?