2023-02-18 Hunt: Zelvinox the Zealous
Player Characters
- Val & Soonie
- Balasar
- Malivette
- Wiznt
- Alystin
Summary
The party set out from Saldynn to eliminate Zelvinox the Zealous, who had been hassling and isolating the town.
They trudged through the miserable mire of Fludge Swamp. As night set, they happened upon a dead bone-white oak rattling in the wind. It had a carving indicating a direction. The party camped there for the night.
During the night, a group of kobolds approached. The PCs indicated that they wanted to visit Zelvinox, but the kobolds were suspicious of this. The kobolds showed that they had black scales as proof that they served their black dragon lord. Balasar faked having such a scale with an illusion. The kobolds, led by one named Vanek, agreed to guide the party to Zelvinox's lair in the morning.
The kobolds returned with some ogres at dawn and led the PCs further into the swamp. Balasar fabricated stories about different dragon and kobold clans, and Vanek pretended to know everything he was talking about.
It soon became apparent that the kobolds had lost the way. The group ended up at the ruins of an old village, and Vanek tried to pass it off as an intentional detour.
The PCs investigated the sunken town, and found a chapel still standing. Upon entering, they discovered a group of undead bodaks. The PCs destroyed the undead and claimed some small treasures from the old site.
Upon returning to the waiting kobolds, the PCs found the ogres dead and the kobolds gone. A huge froghemoth emerged from the muck to attack. The PCs paralyzed and killed it before it could harm them. Vanek popped out of its mouth.
Vanek led the PCs further, finding the trail again at a cluster of three boulders guarded by two troll minions. They spent the night there.
The next day, Vanek led the party to a large ruined village. An enormous hall, mostly repaired save for an elevated hole in its edifice, stood in the center. Malivette stepped forward to speak to Zelvinox, who emerged from the hole and perched there.
Mal explained that he was a mighty hero and wanted to join forces with Zelvinox. Zel stated he was willing to accept the PCs as new minions, but refused to serve as Mal's mount. Alystin tried to support Mal's claim to heroism, but the pretense was weakened by his inability to stand still and continual hiding. Eventually Zel grew impatient and demanded tribute from each party member. The PCs gave up gold and magic items.
A group of humanoid and kobold minions brought Zelvinox a big obsidian chunk, which was brought into the hall by two particularly scaly humans.
After the PCs' tributes, Zel retreated to his hall and they were left to explore the area.
The party discovered a few cages containing two alligators, an elf woman, and a familiar one-eyed dwarven man. They stealthily assassinated one guard and broke the prisoners free, but the troll guard shouted an alert. The party fought off minion reinforcements approaching from nearby ruined buildings. Ogres, humanoids, kobolds, and trolls came to fight.
More reinforcements came after a short time, including Zelvinox and his two scaly lead minions. After a long and precarious fight, the PCs prevailed, disintegrating Zel and slaying all his minions.
The party rested in a nearby building to lick their wounds, then approached the hall. Balasar knocked it open. Inside was a huge pile of gold, gems, and treasures. Set aside were six decorative pedestals: one with the obsidian hunk, and the other five with dragon sculptures crafted from gold, silver, bronze, copper, and brass. The gold pile moved- a black dragon wyrmling burrowed within it.
The party collected the treasure while the wyrmling was paralyzed. When the paralysis ended, Malivette spoke to it, giving it two choices: join us and have a chance at a good life, or be left here alone and likely die from hunger or hunters.
Mal convinced the wyrmling, named Ollinox, to join the group. It was clear that he was raised to see all other beings as lesser creatures; Mal would have to reteach him.
The party found magic items, treasure, and potions among the hoard, including items they had given up as tribute earlier. The people of Saldynn paid the party a 1000gp bounty for their work. The following potions were donated the to Salmund's apothecary for research: diminution, heroism, necrotic resistance, greater healing.
Val planted both beans from the bag of beans in her home's yard. One grew into a persimmon tree with a few potion-equivalent fruit. The other grew into a nest of 6 large eggs.
Comments