Session 17: Chardalyn Incarnate

General Summary

As the party dashed their way through town, all chaos broke loose around them. Families fleeing in a panic, people taking advantage of the pandemonium and looting houses and stores; the town of Easthaven was in an uproar. Citizens did not seem to notice Vellynne's undead kobolds pulling the three sleds. Nonetheless, once they arrived at the town square she magically dismissed her minions into several small urns that are sewn into the sash she wears across her torso. "My efforts are best spent elsewhere. The fate of Easthaven depends on us, I will return." Without another word she set out heading north from the town square.

In the courtyard dozens of Easthaven militia gathered to fortify this area. Speaker Danneth Waylen along with Captain Arlaggath stood over a table contemplating strategy in front of the Town Hall; not yet noticing the party's arrival. Calling to the party nearby within the Cauldron Kitchen was merchant Balimar York. He was tending to a dozen or more freezing citizens; homeless folk, transients - cold unfortunate souls with heavy frostbite. Seeing several freezing children amongst the crowd, Reinaldo gave up his Ring of Warmth along with Atalanta's after she had given hers to him as a replacement.
With little time to spare the party did what they could to prepare. Atalanta made her way across town to help those fleeing Easthaven, making sure they could do so safely and without harm. Morthos worked with the militia in helping set up several towers with ballistas and bolts in effort to help fend off the Chardalyn Dragon while also establishing Town Square as a defensive position. Bulwark did his best to escort the individuals inside the Cauldron Kitchen to a safer place. Along the way to the White Lady Inn he managed to gather a few more innocents and transport them safely to the inn's cellar where Bartaban was gathered with other townsfolk.
Amelia, immune to the Chardalyn's effects, attempted to gain further insight on their incoming foe by studying some of the chardalyn she had taken previously in Sunblight. Finding a nearby ally, she shifted into her true form and began to commune with the material. She learned that the dragon would be impervious to form altering magic such as Polymorph and other conditional spells, resistant to non-magical attacks, and if someone was close enough it may have the power to control the weak minded. Changing back into her human form, she left the alleyway and ran into none other than Sergeant James Wilovar. After a brief conversation, James vowed that he would protect her at all costs and see that they would survive this night.
Preparations made, the party had but a moment before they watched as Frostmaiden cast her veil over the Icewind Dale. Turning day into night, the sky was accented by a green aurora momentarily before the cold darkness set in. Shortly after, sounds of a mechanical roar echoed through the town streets, originating from the south. Crashing sounds of buildings succumbing to the Chardalyn Dragon's radiant breath grew louder and louder as the dragon made its approach to the towns center when suddenly all went quiet. Bulwark saw from the corner of his eye as Atalanta clutched the side of her head in wincing pain. Seconds later her head shot up and she began to make her way across the courtyard towards some unseen figure.

Whispers from the Frostmaiden

The sounds of buildings crumbling faded as Atalanta heard a painful, resounding echo in her head. Feeling Ollivander squirm around her neck, she knew that he could hear it too. The echo grew louder and louder to the point of agonizing pain, causing both of them to clutch their head in desperation to make it stop. Suddenly the shrill came to a halt.
Atalanta lifted her head and saw across the courtyard a hunched, 7-foot-tall biped with the head of a snowy owl. Its black talons were clutched around a small pine that hid its cloven hooves, and grayish-white wolf fur covering her body from the neck down. Protruding from its feathery owl's head is a pair of curved goat horns. A cloak and cowl made of pristine white snow concealed much of her tripartite form.
She began to walk towards the figure when she heard the figures voice call out in her head, "Look at you all, growing weaker by the moment. Aging and decaying day by day. Succumbing to the dangers of this world. Let me preserve your beauty for ages to come my Midwinter Child. Abandon your friends and stand by my side." Atalanta's focus was taken away when a nearby group of a dozen or more townsfolk with blackened eyes walking in synchronization toward her called out, "Kill her first!" Her vision darted back to the large figure but it was no longer there.

Bulwark and the party followed Atalanta as she meandered along in a vegetative state but they were intercepted by the approaching group. Before conflict began the loud mechanical roar called out again, this time from the north. As the party turned they watched the dragon's radiant breath rein down upon a dozen of buildings including the Town Hall. Here the Speaker, Captain Arlaggath, Sergeant James, and several guards were caught in the destruction as the building collapsed down upon them.

Wrath of the Chardalyn Dragon

Combat erupted as crazed townsfolk, enlarged duergar, 9-foot tall subterranean lizardfolk surrounded the Town Square. Amelia was quick to jump to the aid of Sergeant James and help free him from the rubble. Captain Arlaggath sprang up, greatsword in hand, to realize that the Speaker had perished in the building collapse.

Hordes and hordes of foes continued to fill the Town Square as the Chardalyn Dragon made pass after pass with its radiant breath. Amelia, strategically retreating from the hard-hitting lizardfolk was cut off when a woman jumped through the window of a nearby burning tavern into the street. She sprang up and with a look of recognition asked Amelia for help. Reluctantly, she wrapped her arm around the woman when suddenly she pulled a hidden dagger. Thrusting it into her abdomen she pulled Amelia in close as her human form faded, revealing herself as a doppleganger. As Amelia's consciousness faded, the assassin revealed a grim smile and whispered in her ear, "This is for Freddy and Lucas." Lost in the throes of battle, Amelia was bleeding out, separated from the group. Her body exposing her true changeling form.

Battle ensued as the party grew more and more separated to minimize the effectiveness of dragon's radiant breath. Falling prey was Reinaldo as the dragon made another passover. Taking advantage of proximity of the dragon overhead, Morthos quickened four Eldritch Blasts and hurled them 100-feet into the air. All four cantrips finding their mark, the dragon roared out in pain as several large shards broke loose from the construct. As the shards plummeted down, they too animated, becoming small fury-filled chardalyn constructs springing into the fray. With that, the dragon increased in altitude and made one last pass along the southern half of the town before turning to the north where more of Tentown lies ripe for destruction.

The party however was distracted by groups of crazed berserkers, bathed in Chardalyn shrapnel, their eyes dark as night closing in. Bulwark, farther separated from the rest, quickly found himself surrounded and overtaken by the chardalyn berserkers. With blind hatred they ripped his metal form apart piece by piece. Several dead and many wounded, the party closed in to the center, determined to fight to the death.

With the end seeming near, Vellynne tore into the Town Square making her entrance from the north. She was visibly hurt as her clothes were torn and blood coated the majority of her body. Pulled on her sled by her troop of undead kobolds, she jumped off as slammed her staff onto the ground casting a wave of necromantic energy towards a group of berserkers closing in on Atalanta. She called out, "Easthaven is lost, flee you fools." She reached out to one of her kobolds and green light flashed from her eyes. All the kobolds accompanying her cried out as their bodies were wilted and withered into dust as she consumed their essence, healing herself.

From the darkness overhead, a figure could barely be heard over the riot of battle. The sounds of massive flapping wings nearly 100 feet in span, grew louder and louder as a roc made its descent and hovered just 30-feet overhead.

Roc Landing in Easthaven Square

Several figures jumped from a chariot fixed to its back. In a bright flash of light the first figure landed, a young tan elven individual with tattoos covering the majority of his hands and face. With his hands outstretched, an arc of lighting sparked towards the berserkers surrounding Bulwark, sparking from one to the next, clearing the way for Morthos to approach his companion's dead body.

Next to Atalanta and Reinaldo's unconscious body a second figure appeared in a plume of smoke. A satyre with a single monocle over one eye summoned a large spectral hand. It scooped a pile of nearby chardalyn that had fallen from the dragon into a large bag he held. Searching the scene for something, he called out in a crackly voice, "The Hammer, it is over there" as he pointed towards the broken pile of metal that remained of Bulwark.

Slowly drifting down to the ground was a third humanoid. Upon the declaration from the satyre, the humanoid teleported from its slow fall to an area on the ground near Bulwark. With more berserkers closing in and surrounding Captain Arlaggath, the man pulled a handheld blunderbuss from inside his long black trench coat. Pointing it towards the berserkers, a deafening boom harboring the ferocity of an ancient dragon rang out accompanied with a blinding arc of lightning energy. When the light from the projectile faded the figure was already standing over Bulwark's body. Morthos, kneeling on the ground next to him yelled out, "Help him!". The human reached down with no concern for the warforged and instead grabbed the large black maul from his back; the maul Bulwark recovered from the duergar Master Smith in Sunblight. The roc began to descent down to the ground as the human heaved the large maul over his shoulder and walked onto the rocs wing proceeding into the carriage.

The elven lad, however, answered to Morthos' request and together he and the teifling carried their departed friend into the carriage. One by one, those able ran onto to the roc's back and into the carriage. Captain Arlaggath still reeling from being caught in the wake of the firearm, scooped up Reinaldo before making her way. As Atalanta joined her friends, she noticed that Amelia was not there.

In a panic she looked out over the cataclysmic scene and was able to see Sergeant James on the north side of the Town Square. He was shouting out and looking around frantically, but his voice was not audible over the sounds of approaching foes and crumbling burning buildings. She darted over to him and Atalanta was quickly able to scout out Amelia's body. When James approached a look of confusion washed over his face as he watched Atalanta begin to pick up a changeling. A question began to form on his lips but Atalanta looked at him and yelled "Help me!" Without hesitation, James quickly lifted the body and carried it through the ensuing battle with Atalanta guarding his flank. It was the sight of the changeling's amulet that made him realize that this indeed was Amelia, and he continued to run with fresh determination.

Flames from the buildings surrounding the Town Square grew as the roc flapped its mighty wings, carrying all of them into the night sky.

Battle for Easthaven

Report Date

06 May 2021