RoT 34: "Aftermath of The Cult of the Dragon"

Severin is dead. The Mask of the Dragon Queen recovered. Now you need to escape the Temple and Well of Dragons and regroup with the Council of Waterdeep and allied forces to drive back the remnants of the Cult of the Dragon and its allies and bring peace to the Sword Coast.

Then there's that score to settle with Thay...

Severin's dead body falls with a resounding thud to the floor of the Temple of Tiamat, the Mask of the Dragon Queen falling off his head and rolling to the feet of Rargir as Pubert, Brehana, and Malice all watch from above. As it does the walls begin to shake and crack. Malice yells out to Rargir to break his concentration on the earthquake spell, but Rargir is quick to point out that this new development is not from his magic.

As you realize that the Temple, it’s power now broken, is falling apart around you, you all dash out, but not without some getting hit with falling stone.

Safely out of the Temple, you watch as it finally implodes and disappears in a flash, leaving you standing in a now empty caldera of the Well of Dragons.

You make your way out quickly, stopping only to retrieve the civilians you told to hide in the treasure room. As you exit the tunnel, outside it total mayhem. It’s clear that the Cult forces are in full retreat, but not in an organized way. The Council forces and allies give chase to some extent but for the most part let them go.

Upon your return to the command tent, Sir Isteval says that the battle was quite intense as well as back and forth until at some point it was as though the Cult forces just gave up. He figured at that point is when you must have been successful inside at finding and stopping the ritual.

As soldiers are dispatched to start retrieving the treasure horde, upon your directions on where to find it, some return and exclaim that while most of the Cult members have dispersed or surrendered, there was one remaining person, an apparent officer, still present and clearly a wight – an evil undead creature. As this is revealed, Malice is compelled per his pact with a Celestial to return and make sure the vile creature is destroyed. The report was accurate – a wight dressed in the purples of a Cult officer is located and dealt with; his journal indicates he was a loyalist of the Cult’s original purpose of worshiping dracoliches and he feared Severin would bring about nothing but destruction of the Cult. You surmise he was correct.

Now that the Cult is thoroughly dealt with and the Draakhorn also retrieved you take your leave of the Well of Dragons by way of your faithful gold dragon companions Reitenuber and Aufzuguber. You first stop at Xonthal’s Tower, which you have claimed as your personal stronghold to secure the Draakhorn. You then make your way to the Nether Mountains to return the Dragon Masks to the Council of Dragons as promised – and to report that Severin’s body was unfortunately sucked into the Nine Hells when the Temple of Tiamat imploded. The Uber Brothers, at first quite nervous to be in the presence of the Ancients, are called forward and honored with enough gold and other treasures to begin their own dragon hordes and commended for their part in bringing down the Cult of the Dragon. The Ancient Copper Dragon, Tazmikella allows Pubert to keep Hazirawn as he has proven his worth and such a weapon is more useful in the hands of a hero than sitting on a pile of gold where thieves may try once again to steal it.

Upon return to Waterdeep you are all presented with medals and much thanks. While not necessary, per se, since you have claimed it by conquest, the Lords Alliance codifies your ownership of Xonthal’s Tower by giving you signed and sealed deed recognizing your sovereignty over the Tower and the adjacent town. In addition, you are asked if there is anything you would ask of the Council as reward and you present a list of various items, some magical some not but all of which surprise the Council for their simplicity. Your chamberlain, Chauncy, is also granted leave to remain in your employ rather than that of the Palace.

After this final Council of Waterdeep , you choose to spend one last night in Waterdeep with Malice making the most of it to visit with McCath.

As you are settling in for a restful evening with thoughts and plans of your self-imposed mission to get vengeance against Thay for the tortures you were put through by them, Chauncey announces a guest.

In walks a slender woman bearing the markings of a Red Wizard. “If you would be willing to hear me, I have a proposal for you,” she says.