UT03: A Matter of Trust
General Summary
Feeling flush from their recent battle, the group returns to the Dancing Donkey Tavern to find an inebriated Tonks almost passed out at the bar. They meet up with Shannon at the entrance as Uriel decides to return to his church to continue the needed repairs.
They prop Tonks up and order some watered down mead for her and full-strength mead for themselves. Wolfgang comes by to serve them and they let him know that the Mill has been cleared out. He thanks them and says that he’ll send word to Binfur’s brother in Halstread that he can come down to run the Mill.
While sitting around the table, the group gets to know each other better. Red tells them that he is the proprietor of a successful blacksmith shop "The Smiling Smithy” up in Helsterden. He says that a strange thing happened about a month ago. A tall thin man with purple eyes came into his shop and dropped a large rock on his bench. The man told him to take the rock to Upper Lachas or else he would die.
About that time a family entered the tavern. They appeared to be wanderers, a mother, father, boy and girl. They took a seat near the stage and ordered some food.
Tonks drunkenly recounts her tale, how she lost her family and town to the rage of a Black Dragon. After drowning her sorrows for abit, she vowed revenge and began hunting the dragon, traveling around the Cocker mountains, looking for people or help. One woman she came across told her the tale of a prophecy involving a black dragon that was a harbinger of the end of the world.
At this point the group realizes that the little girl from the nomadic family has come over to their table and is staring wide-eyed at Tonks’ tale. Tonks spots her and asks if she wants to see something cool. Tonks opens her rust-colored pouch and tells the girl to pull out a furry little ball and throw it on the ground. She does and stares in amazement as it turns into a giant goat.
Her father quickly comes over with a slightly horrified look on his face and apologizes for her. Red climbs up on the goat and starts to ride it around the tavern while the man recounts their travels. His name is Zathuk and he tells them that they escaped from their village of Maclif only a few days before it was razed by a dragon. Tonks is immediately interested and notes he looks familiar. Taxes had been going up and the city was in poor straits. They left to try to journey up to his sister-in-laws house in Dolbrid. He doesn’t have much more information about the dragon, just that a few days ago his son got lost in the woods and something almost got him.
Zathuk wished them well and returned to his table. At this point Wolfgang (who had already warned the group about watching over Tonks) told them that if the goat shat in the tavern, we’d be cleaning it up. Taking our confab outside, Oz gives the goat a little shock and it bucks Red off and runs out of town.
Shannon tells Tonks that there are books in the shop where she works that may have something on dragons. Tonks happily follows her across the street into Birch’s Books and Bottles where they are greeted cooly by the proprietor Julianna Birch. Tonks tells her story and her mention of Maclif makes Julianna blanchs.
Julianna tells them that there aren’t any books there on dragons. She knows a bit about them herself, mainly that the chromatic dragons like the black ones love secrecy and gold. She says the longer they stay in an area, the larger their filth spreads and taints everything it touches. She recommends that we travel to a bigger city like Tetbury or Candlekeep for more information.
Red brings out his rock and asks Julianna about it. She eyes it cautiously, seeming unwilling to touch it. She notes it is obsidian which can be used for either good or evil and recommends that when he reaches Upper Lachas he should look for a wizard’s guild or library to tell him more.
Wandering back out into the streets, Oz opens up a bit and tells us that he grew up as a noble in Tetbury and hoped to join the Iron Shield. He and Shannon are apparently old friends but they both are reluctant to share more. Oz asks that they all join him in swearing a Blood Oath. Once sworn, they will be unable to betray each other without suffering the same fate. Red and Shannon agree readily, but Tonks wants to consider it first. Oz says he can prove its safety by casting it on an animal, and reached into Tonks bag to pull another furry ball out. He throws it to the ground and a a few minutes later, another large brown bear is standing before them.
As the few townsfolk in the street run screaming for their lives, Tonks tells the bear to hold out its paw. Oz attempts to cut the bear with his dagger, missing and angering the bear who in turn cuts him with his claws. “Is this what you mean by each person suffering what the other ones does?” Tonks asks Oz as he nurses his wounds.
Tonks tells the bear to run off into the woods, and it suspiciously moves away, keeping an eye on Oz the entire time. Once it’s gone, Tonks decides that if Oz is willing to risk getting mauled by a bear to prove it, he may actually be trustworthy.
The four of them take the blood oath and sparks fly.
Oz and Shannon now feel free to open up to the group. Shannon is traveling in disguise. She’s actually Sachia Roth, the daughter of Lord Mangdaor-Roth. He ordered her to be killed and she went on the run, not knowing where her mother or brother were. Oz had checked with the mage Yaldra Bretik of the Shimmering Elm in Tetbury who sent him to find and protect Sachia before being arrested by the Iron Shield herself. Sachia is fine tagging along with us as she feels it may be safer for her to stay on the move.
We wander over to Uriel to see if he knows anything about the prophecy of the black dragon. He tells us that written prophecies tend to be fact based whereas oral prophecies are often faith-based. He’s never heard of this specific prophecy but he suggests we check with the clergy in Tetbury or Candlekeep.
Although Red would like to get to Upper Lachas, we decide our first stop should be to Maclif to see if there are any clues left behind from the dragon attack. It’s a week’s journey by foot so we decided to see if we can find other transport. Wolfgang has a cart we can use but recommends we visit Jaffrey the tanner to see if he has any horses. He notes there should be several natural stopping points along the way, and we should reach Albringh
We head over to the stables and are greeted by the farmhand Peony. She checks with Jaffry who tells us he has two recently acquired horses that we can have for the low price of 60G each. Shannon attempts to negotiate with him but he’s unimpressed with her bountiful wares, and re-affirms his price. Fortunately Oz is able to persuade him to take 30G for each horse and we part on good terms.
After a quick dinner at the Dancing Donkey, Oz and Red retire to Red’s quarters, while Tonks accompanies Shannon to Julianna’s for the night. The following morning, we meet up at the Dancing Donkey and prepare to head out.
Shannon Roxley
Ozan Redberry
Tonks Nïhlson
Rhol Colbrood
Uriel Astra
Report Date
06 Feb 2024
Primary Location
Secondary Location
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