Session 16: Cult Hatchery
General Summary
Following the leads they had gathered the party made their way through the building chaos of the raider camp towards the cave where Frulam Mondath resided. Stopping them at the entrance of the cave a cult recruit stopped Thoril and demanded that he come with him to join the search party. PC Thoril Brinsbane bumbled an excuse about needing to bring slaves into the cave but the recruit knew that they belonged at the labor tent near the entrance. After being convinced that the recruit would face more scrutiny for being late than bringing Thoril, the party cautiously continued into the cave.
Unfortunately the two guards hidden in an alcove of the cave were not in a talkative mood as they attacked the unwelcome visitors during the lock-down alarm. After PC Hadden Balthier suffered several blows they group defeated the guards and recovered some coin and dragonclaw pauldrons. The group noticed a mushroom field at the base of the stairs and tumbled straight into four violet fungi as the stairs turned into a trap ramp. The necrotic lashes of the fungus sapped energy from the party but did not stand up to the force of our adventurers. They continued straight into a room of bats and stirges. Causing a fright to the bats the party were partially blinded as the mosquito like stirges lashed onto the group, knocking the brave paladin unconscious before being vanquished. The ranger PC Dameila Drelhid saved Thoril from death with some goodberries. Rowan discovered poison barbs on a leather curtain blocking a meat locker, Thoril slashing an entry past it. The North hallway called to them with sounds of clinking metal and flickering light. A room heaped with rubble and objects lay without investigation. Avoiding poison spikes obscured by paper that Dameila points out, they enter to find four kobolds guard a pit housing two guard drake wyrmlings, the party rushes forward killing most of them. With a smile the last kobold unlocks the gate and two guard drakes almost mature attack the party with devastating blows. Defeating the drakes and the two reinforcement kobolds the party, weakened but alive the group raids a kobold barracks of all its coin after falling victim to a trap ceiling that toppled boulders onto Thoril. Heading South down the last hallway Dameila's blood grows hot as she enters a shrine.
A shrine to the five headed dragon god Tiamat glowed in a torched room over a silver lined chest. The mural of Tiamat depicts her erupting from a volcano known as the Well of Dragons as she is flocked to by all the dragons of Faerun. In the center of the shrine, flanked by two beserkers prays Langdedrosa Cyanwrath commander to Frulam Mondath. Drawn towards the blue half-dragon Dameila stepped forward to confront him. He turns and greets Dameila as a sister, and remarks that he felt her presence in the battle of Nightstone, it peaked his curiosity. Could this be the pink half-dragon that escaped from the cult all those years ago? Dameila snarled with disgust that she has no connection to their wretched cult, but in her head could not be sure. She could not remember her time before the wolves, and was not sure what this connection she felt to the blue half-dragon. Shocking her further he explained how they both, along with his commander Rezmir were spawns of Hoondarrh, the ancient red dragon, the Rage of Mintarn. From his blood the dragon used the cult to create more dragon kin, spreading his spawn and influence. For a prophecy written in the "Tome of the Dragon" says that a dragonkin will usher in the "Age of the Dragons". The cult uses infants in dark blood rituals that transforms the child into a half-dragon. Dameila's parents gave their child to the cult due to some debt, but were distraught with their own actions. They enlisted the help of a ship captain, a wood gnome couple, and a dashing halfling rogue to save their child, and were successful but at a cost. The elf parent's child had already been affected by the dark ritual and her body was covered in pink scales with a tail. They knew that if they hoped their child to survive they must get it out of the cult's reach.
Langdedrosa continued that he heard the family managed to get the child aboard a ship named "The Ravenous" headed towards the druid circle of the Sword Coast. He cackled that in the end the cult caught up with the family and that Dameila's parents got what they deserved for double crossing the cult. He laughed that the "Druids" must of kept her ignorant of her destiny all this time, in a feeble attempt to prevent the prophecy from reaching fulfillment. But all Spawn of Hoondarrh are drawn to each other, it is their purpose to further his cause together. He reaches his hand out towards Dameila offering her a place within the cult. "Join your family once more, fulfill your destiny in bringing about the Tyranny of Dragons, and know all that you have forgotten". Dameila overwhelmed in emotion takes a step away, spits on the ground and growls that she wouldn't join such loathsome scum such as himself.
Snarling the blue half-dragon draws his spear and eyes the paladin as he steps into the shrine. "Champion of Nightstone, I'm not sure if I'm pleased or disgusted you are still alive". Thoril smiles "I feel the same". Stepping forward the enemy raised his spear towards the Paladin and party, "I will give you one last chance to die honorably by my blade".
Rewards Granted
Each player is at 3224 xp (level 4) 14% to lvl 5
Stirges x8: 100 XP
Guards x2: 50 XP
kobolds/winged x6: 175 XP
Violet Fungus x4: 200 XP
Guard Drake Wyrmling x2: 500 XP
Disguised past guard: 50 XP
Missions/Quests Completed
Current Quests:
I. Nightstone Raid
i.Find out where the raided horde of treasure is ultimately being brought
ii.Who is the queen of Dragons?
ii.What purpose does the horde serve?
II. Rescue Leosin Erlanthar
i. Dragon cult expert captured by cultist raiders
III. Journey to Khundrukar
i.The Stone Tooth is north of Blasingdell
ii. Orcs are raiding from Stone Tooth
IV. Mysterious Sealed Letter
i.Knights with eye symbol seen in Blasingdell
ii. Who is R.T. and what do they want
iii. Smitherson family may know more about Bartholomeil's actions
V. Emerald Enclave
i.Issues in Neverwinter Wood
VI. Dangerous Trade Route
i.Caravan attacked in The Crags
Character(s) interacted with
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments