RoT 15: "Into The Misty Forest"
Discovery, Exploration
Into the Misty Forest you have gone in search of the village Atland, which somehow survived a Cult of the Dragon attack. But before you can find the village, you have to make it past whatever perils lurk in the woods... like Ettercaps and Giant Spiders for example.
The Misty Forest is a dangerous place, for many reasons. You’ve come here at the behest of Delaan Winterhound to find the village of Altand, as it is so far the only known village to have survived a direct attack from the Cult of the Dragon. King Melendrach’s son, Prince Alagarthas disagrees with his father that the attacks are over just because of increased defenses.
The Wood Elves that live there do not typically allow strangers in their Forest. A few hours in and you are attacked by a group of Ettercaps and Spiders, something you wouldn’t expect were the Wood Elves’ presence normal and even knowing of the King’s efforts to increase defenses you can tell that the Wood Elf presence is diminished. The fact that there was such a large group of these creatures hints strongly at this.
You dispatch the Spider and Ettercaps with relative ease and eventually are able to locate Atland. The Elves are still working to repair damage from the raid but it is very obvious comparing the size of the village to the number of Elves that there was a great loss of life in the attack. Many are suspicious of you but some are more willing to speak to you, especially after Malice shows that you have authority granted by the Council of Waterdeep which includes their own King Melandrach.
Speaking with the villagers you are able to ascertain the following information, although you’re not sure how accurate it is since everyone was running around in a panic:
- The dragon swooped down and attacked on the ground first. Nearly half of the village’s victims died during that first assault.
- Humans in the regalia of the Cult of the Dragon followed the dragon, killing all those they found. The village’s priest stepped out to lead others in fighting the dragon, but the beast swallowed him whole.
- Some survivors claim to have seen a cultist riding atop the dragon. Most of those refer to the dragon rider as human, like the other cultists. However, a few people report that the figure moved with the grace of an elf.
- With the priest dead, the village’s warden, Galin, has become the leader of Altand. Though he was in the thick of the fight, he survived unscathed, and has been a potent force for rallying the survivors.
- The attack lasted only a short while, then the dragon unexpectedly retreated. The cultists followed, but as they fled, they took nothing of value from the village. This is a stark contrast to the dragon’s other raids you've heard of, which were focused on capturing treasure.
The villages point you in the direction of Galin’s dwelling in the upper boughs of the trees. He seems amiable at first, even pleased that you are there to help but you notice he rather conspicuously does not mention a dragon, let alone a rider in his accounting of the attack. When asked about it he claims to have not seen the dragon rider and disbelieves those who say they did, dismissing such reports as the result of fear and chaos during the raid.
Pubert invokes Hazirawn’s ability to cast detect thoughts and finds out that Galin is lying. He knows a lot more than he’s admitting. When pressed he becomes angry and even accuses you all of being in league with the Cult and tries to demand that you leave immediately! Brehana, though is having none of that and uses Words of Terror to intimate and shame him into admitting that he not only saw the dragon and rider, but witnessed the dragon kill his wife. He’s racked with guilt at having not been fast enough to save her. He found himself face to face with the dragons rider and master with whom he begged to spare Atland. The rider, whom he was shocked to discover was an elf made him a deal – he would leave Atland alone in exchange for Galin giving him information on other villages’ wealth and defenses.
Galin agreed and they Cult withdrew and for the last several nights he has met with the Cult leader a mile or so from the village. He takes you to the meeting place, which is a spot of flattened brush where a dragon has clearly landed more than once. Galin says that after his meetings he has observed the dragon flying due southeast from this spot; he also mentions that the elf’s clothing and hair are frequently wet. You send Galin back to the village and spend the night inside of Malice’s Tiny Hut but the rider does not appear that night so you return to the village to look for any other clues.
Some of the villages mention hearing the Cultists complaining when ordered to withdraw. They were annoyed at having marched thirty miles for nothing. They also report hearing the name Narrovane, or Nervahn, or Nerfain, or something sounding similar.
Malice sends a note to Delaan via the Diplomat’s Pouch with this information hoping maybe the name might seem familiar. Delaan writes back that King Melandrach once had a son named Neronvain but he’s believed to be dead as no one has heard from him in years. Prince Alagarthas also sends a note of his own expressing his dismay at his half-brother’s name being mentioned as possibly involved with the Cult of the Dragon. He reiterates that every effort should be made to capture this apparent Wyrmspeaker.
The Misty Forest is a dangerous place, for many reasons. You’ve come here at the behest of Delaan Winterhound to find the village of Altand, as it is so far the only known village to have survived a direct attack from the Cult of the Dragon. King Melendrach’s son, Prince Alagarthas disagrees with his father that the attacks are over just because of increased defenses.
The Wood Elves that live there do not typically allow strangers in their Forest. A few hours in and you are attacked by a group of Ettercaps and Spiders, something you wouldn’t expect were the Wood Elves’ presence normal and even knowing of the King’s efforts to increase defenses you can tell that the Wood Elf presence is diminished. The fact that there was such a large group of these creatures hints strongly at this.
You dispatch the Spider and Ettercaps with relative ease and eventually are able to locate Atland. The Elves are still working to repair damage from the raid but it is very obvious comparing the size of the village to the number of Elves that there was a great loss of life in the attack. Many are suspicious of you but some are more willing to speak to you, especially after Malice shows that you have authority granted by the Council of Waterdeep which includes their own King Melandrach.
Speaking with the villagers you are able to ascertain the following information, although you’re not sure how accurate it is since everyone was running around in a panic:
- The dragon swooped down and attacked on the ground first. Nearly half of the village’s victims died during that first assault.
- Humans in the regalia of the Cult of the Dragon followed the dragon, killing all those they found. The village’s priest stepped out to lead others in fighting the dragon, but the beast swallowed him whole.
- Some survivors claim to have seen a cultist riding atop the dragon. Most of those refer to the dragon rider as human, like the other cultists. However, a few people report that the figure moved with the grace of an elf.
- With the priest dead, the village’s warden, Galin, has become the leader of Altand. Though he was in the thick of the fight, he survived unscathed, and has been a potent force for rallying the survivors.
- The attack lasted only a short while, then the dragon unexpectedly retreated. The cultists followed, but as they fled, they took nothing of value from the village. This is a stark contrast to the dragon’s other raids you've heard of, which were focused on capturing treasure.
The villages point you in the direction of Galin’s dwelling in the upper boughs of the trees. He seems amiable at first, even pleased that you are there to help but you notice he rather conspicuously does not mention a dragon, let alone a rider in his accounting of the attack. When asked about it he claims to have not seen the dragon rider and disbelieves those who say they did, dismissing such reports as the result of fear and chaos during the raid.
Pubert invokes Hazirawn’s ability to cast detect thoughts and finds out that Galin is lying. He knows a lot more than he’s admitting. When pressed he becomes angry and even accuses you all of being in league with the Cult and tries to demand that you leave immediately! Brehana, though is having none of that and uses Words of Terror to intimate and shame him into admitting that he not only saw the dragon and rider, but witnessed the dragon kill his wife. He’s racked with guilt at having not been fast enough to save her. He found himself face to face with the dragons rider and master with whom he begged to spare Atland. The rider, whom he was shocked to discover was an elf made him a deal – he would leave Atland alone in exchange for Galin giving him information on other villages’ wealth and defenses.
Galin agreed and they Cult withdrew and for the last several nights he has met with the Cult leader a mile or so from the village. He takes you to the meeting place, which is a spot of flattened brush where a dragon has clearly landed more than once. Galin says that after his meetings he has observed the dragon flying due southeast from this spot; he also mentions that the elf’s clothing and hair are frequently wet. You send Galin back to the village and spend the night inside of Malice’s Tiny Hut but the rider does not appear that night so you return to the village to look for any other clues.
Some of the villages mention hearing the Cultists complaining when ordered to withdraw. They were annoyed at having marched thirty miles for nothing. They also report hearing the name Narrovane, or Nervahn, or Nerfain, or something sounding similar.
Malice sends a note to Delaan via the Diplomat’s Pouch with this information hoping maybe the name might seem familiar. Delaan writes back that King Melandrach once had a son named Neronvain but he’s believed to be dead as no one has heard from him in years. Prince Alagarthas also sends a note of his own expressing his dismay at his half-brother’s name being mentioned as possibly involved with the Cult of the Dragon. He reiterates that every effort should be made to capture this apparent Wyrmspeaker.