Chapter 1: Shadows Awaken
Our adventure begins in the bustling metropolis of Azuria, the capitol city of the Totford Landgrave in the Mitfordian Confederacy, where the echoes of past friendships and vows of vengeance stir beneath the veneer of a city readying for celebration.
Caerik Bloodwing, the dishonored dragonborn paladin, returning to the place he once called home, his past shrouded by the fog of a vow of vengeance against the Black Serpents. Ignoring the calls to meet with Captain Taela, Caerik reunites with his City Watch comrade, Daelin Garen, who is expresses excitement to see his old friend. His determined voice rings out across the city, loudly declaring his intent to take down the Black Serpents. Meanwhile, Emeral, a tenacious tiefling rogue, masterfully impersonates a crew hand on a ship bound for Azuria, her mind focused on following in her father's footsteps and perhaps becoming a warrior in her own right. Elsewhere, the mysterious shadar-kai sorcerer, Drelroth, is accosted by a frail vagrant who warns him of a curse and clings to him, his frail hands unyielding. Drelroth can't shake off the man, nor the nagging feeling that he may be more intertwined with the events to unfold than he realizes. As fate would have it, the trio first crosses paths in the modest and downtrodden Drowned Rat Tavern. Emeral and Drelroth engage in a friendly game of darts, their introductions made amidst jests and near misses. Soggy, the barkeep, provides both drinks and amusement, his name frequently forgotten time and again. Their shared interest in taking down the Black Serpents cements their camaraderie, and they bond over drinks well into the night, each harboring their own motives but bound by a common enemy. As dawn gives way to the Festival of Renewal - a celebration commemorating the end of The War of Opinion - the Mayor Gildar Strumheart delivers his speech, a symbol of peace in the form of Abbot Frenthas from Holy See of Lumia by his side. However, peace is short-lived as a chilling figure with violet eyes emerges from an obsidian portal, kidnapping the Abbot amidst the chaos while chiding the Azurian crowd how they have "abandoned that balance between the elements, forsaking the Shadows and flocking to the Light." What was once a celebration quickly devolves into a battlefield as seemingly mundane commoners reveal themselves as Black Serpents, their disguise shedding in favor of their true allegiance. Daelin, the friend Caerik had reconnected with, unsheathes his blade and turns it on his former comrade, its gleam mirroring his betrayal. As our trio stands amidst the chaos, their resolve to take down the Black Serpents solidifies, their paths more intertwined than they had ever imagined.
The group are able to take down the Black Serpents with brutal tactics and clever strategy. However, Daelin is able to escape as the heroes choose to stop one of the Serpents from kidnapping one of the festival attendants. Following the chaos, Captain Taela of the City Watch reluctantly enlists the heroes to investigate due to Daelin's tracery and her being unsure of who to trust. The Mayor frantically worries about the repercussions of losing such an important guest, Abbot Frenthas, and what it could mean for the uneasy peace between Azuria and the Holy See. They discover that the person the Serpents were attempting to kidnap was Belvin Harrison, a novice artificer and part of the local Engineering "Guild." He mentions that some of his collogues have gone missing recently, specifically Tobias Quill - an artificer specializing in creating homunculus. Since creating automata is strictly enforced in the Confederacy, Tobias must be very careful while conducting his research and pulls from the many piles of scrap littering the abandoned warehouses of Azuria to procure materials. The group decide to seek out the local archivist, the eccentric Scribner Heth, to get more information on a possible location the Black Serpents could be hiding. Caerik, however, is hesitant since he is directly responsible for Heth's last archive going up in flames during his pursuit of vengeance. Luckily Heth does not recognize him due to his absent minded nature, but does lament the pain he felt losing so many books he considers his "true friends." Heth is able to point them in the direction of a particular warehouse at the docks that would make a perfect hideout. And so the party marches forward, looking to get more answers on what the Black Serpents are up to...
Session 1
3/3/2022Caerik Bloodwing, the dishonored dragonborn paladin, returning to the place he once called home, his past shrouded by the fog of a vow of vengeance against the Black Serpents. Ignoring the calls to meet with Captain Taela, Caerik reunites with his City Watch comrade, Daelin Garen, who is expresses excitement to see his old friend. His determined voice rings out across the city, loudly declaring his intent to take down the Black Serpents. Meanwhile, Emeral, a tenacious tiefling rogue, masterfully impersonates a crew hand on a ship bound for Azuria, her mind focused on following in her father's footsteps and perhaps becoming a warrior in her own right. Elsewhere, the mysterious shadar-kai sorcerer, Drelroth, is accosted by a frail vagrant who warns him of a curse and clings to him, his frail hands unyielding. Drelroth can't shake off the man, nor the nagging feeling that he may be more intertwined with the events to unfold than he realizes. As fate would have it, the trio first crosses paths in the modest and downtrodden Drowned Rat Tavern. Emeral and Drelroth engage in a friendly game of darts, their introductions made amidst jests and near misses. Soggy, the barkeep, provides both drinks and amusement, his name frequently forgotten time and again. Their shared interest in taking down the Black Serpents cements their camaraderie, and they bond over drinks well into the night, each harboring their own motives but bound by a common enemy. As dawn gives way to the Festival of Renewal - a celebration commemorating the end of The War of Opinion - the Mayor Gildar Strumheart delivers his speech, a symbol of peace in the form of Abbot Frenthas from Holy See of Lumia by his side. However, peace is short-lived as a chilling figure with violet eyes emerges from an obsidian portal, kidnapping the Abbot amidst the chaos while chiding the Azurian crowd how they have "abandoned that balance between the elements, forsaking the Shadows and flocking to the Light." What was once a celebration quickly devolves into a battlefield as seemingly mundane commoners reveal themselves as Black Serpents, their disguise shedding in favor of their true allegiance. Daelin, the friend Caerik had reconnected with, unsheathes his blade and turns it on his former comrade, its gleam mirroring his betrayal. As our trio stands amidst the chaos, their resolve to take down the Black Serpents solidifies, their paths more intertwined than they had ever imagined.
Session 2
3/3/2022The group are able to take down the Black Serpents with brutal tactics and clever strategy. However, Daelin is able to escape as the heroes choose to stop one of the Serpents from kidnapping one of the festival attendants. Following the chaos, Captain Taela of the City Watch reluctantly enlists the heroes to investigate due to Daelin's tracery and her being unsure of who to trust. The Mayor frantically worries about the repercussions of losing such an important guest, Abbot Frenthas, and what it could mean for the uneasy peace between Azuria and the Holy See. They discover that the person the Serpents were attempting to kidnap was Belvin Harrison, a novice artificer and part of the local Engineering "Guild." He mentions that some of his collogues have gone missing recently, specifically Tobias Quill - an artificer specializing in creating homunculus. Since creating automata is strictly enforced in the Confederacy, Tobias must be very careful while conducting his research and pulls from the many piles of scrap littering the abandoned warehouses of Azuria to procure materials. The group decide to seek out the local archivist, the eccentric Scribner Heth, to get more information on a possible location the Black Serpents could be hiding. Caerik, however, is hesitant since he is directly responsible for Heth's last archive going up in flames during his pursuit of vengeance. Luckily Heth does not recognize him due to his absent minded nature, but does lament the pain he felt losing so many books he considers his "true friends." Heth is able to point them in the direction of a particular warehouse at the docks that would make a perfect hideout. And so the party marches forward, looking to get more answers on what the Black Serpents are up to...
Parent Plot
Related Organizations
Related Locations