Session 26 - Info

General Summary

While held by draconians in bamboo cages near a wooden dragon idol on the ruins of Xak-Tsaroth, the party learned some important information.

Information Gathered While Resting

DM - Can't win every fight (Nat 20)

Draconians easy in small groups but can overwhelm you when they have numbers

Need to assess the strength of enemy and determine if winning is option

Look for other options besides direct combat (interact with environment, negotiate, surrender/escape, flip an enemy to your side, find their weakness, set them against each other, etc)

You're absolutely not strong enough party to take on an adult dragon head-to-head, but that doesn't mean you can't even the odds "somehow"

Renestrae - The mage near the log-bridge enchanted a short sword. (Arcana)

The pommel is decorated with braided rat tails

One of the smaller grunt draconian guards retrieved the sword but none of the others have noticed him carrying it

Its magic transforms the victim into a rat

Renestrae - An elf woman sat in the cage with Archie and Lizzy (Perception)

Archie was badly hurt and Lizzy took care of him, while the elf sat to herself. The elf had weird eyes and white hair.

Archie professed his love to Lizzy and promised her that he would get them out and marry her, or give his life protecting her.

Lizzy admitted that she is pregnant and that she would give anything to get the baby to safety. The elf woman said, "I'll take you up on that", then they all disappeared.

The elf was Qix Fey-Branche | Archfey Patron

Red - Bamboo cages are magically sealed (Arcana)

Spells cast within the cage bounce back and hit the caster

S'Thom - 5 Different types of draconians: Baaz, Bozak, Kapak, Auruk, Sivik (Performance)

Baaz (grunts), Bozak (mages), Kapak (maybe thieves), Auruk (?), Sivik (?)

There are 5 black dragon eggs here in the swamp

DM - Preceptor Rodimus and The Whisperer never reveal their true draconian form (Nat 20)

Rodimus doesn't use a magical belt

Are they both Auruks?

Rodimus acts like an Auruk, Whisper acts like a Sivik gone mad

Siviks are shapechangers but Whisper wears an enchanted belt

Berov - Whisperer is brutal and tortures / kills as many draconians as slaves (Intimidation)
Gorgoroth - Xak-Tsaroth used to be at the top of a mountain peak, but fell during the cataclysm. The entire mountain face sheered off and fell to the valley. (Nature)

Thousands of lives were lost in an instant. Not all of the souls departed this land.

Red - Sephadex's lair is at the bottom of a well (Perception)

The well is in the Dark Plaza, on the large island directly to the north, across the fallen obelisk

Dead Man's Drop. It's 1000 ft (1/4 mile) drop to the under city, easy glide for draconians, but the well is where Whisperer drops food. Expect to get eaten

Inside the temple, in the E tower there is a stair case that leads to the upper caverns

DM - Sephadex spends almost all his time in the undercaverns (Insight Nat 20)

Almost never comes to the surface / swamp, when he does its straight to the water and under the brush

Never comes out when it's raining or overcast, only clear blue days

Constantly shivering - nicknamed the Twitching Lord

Deathly afraid of thunder and lightning because he was attacked by Windrex | Adult Blue Dragon during the Scales of War

S'Thom - Those underwater slaves are worthless, never find anything of interest (Persuasion)

Sephadex doesn't tunnel into swamp because he wants to keep the undercaverns from flooding, he only sometimes goes out to inspect their work / eat the workers.

Need reliable overseers underwater. Why doesn't The Whisperer hire Sahaugin or Hag or summon a water elemental to supervise?

Can't even keep track of the slaves numbers, many disappear. Eaten by gators?

Berov - The statue of the blind woman in the temple used to hold powerful magic (Religion)

She holds scales in one hand, but the book she held was taken to the treasure horde by one of the gully dwarves

The temple is decorated with gears, measuring scales, maps, portraits of white hair / black-robed figures, and frescos of large cities and diverse groups of people living and working together

Gorgoroth - Sephadex's spirit has been seen on the other side (Arcana)

Plaza of Death

The next morning, the party was summoned by the Whisperer for interrogation near the Great Well. Dozen or more draconians escorted them all to the next island. The Whisperer's bodyguard spoke on his behalf and demanded they present "the letter". The party could not remember receiving one, but the draconians searched them until a letter from Arnorr Coplin | Tiefling Lord of Laline Manor was found on Berov. The letter was addressed to Whom It May Concern and decreed that the agents in possession of the parchment were envoys of King Gaularyz from Verdancia and they should be shown every hospitality.
The Whisperer called for a vial of acid and applied it to the paper. A secret message revealed itself on the stonework where the paper lay. It read (paraphrasing), "King Sephadex, a few years ago my wife Queen Jharmere ate your assassin, Kastor Raines. In her defense, we believe Kastor was sent to abduct our wyrmlings. Nevertheless, in the spirit of forgiveness, we send you recompense for your lost agent. Please accept these tributes to do with as you please. May your belly swell as you taste their bloated, rotten bodies after you've had your fun with them. Forever your friend and ally, Gaularyz."
The Whisperer's guard called down the well and read the document to Sephadex. He flew up to the lip of the well but did not come out, shout obsenities all the while.
S'thom | Grung Gloom Stalker Ranger cast fog cloud above the well. Berov | Loxodon Cleric of the Forge cast Thaumaturgy and caused the rumble of thunder to emanate from the fog. Sephadex freaked out and spit acid up and out of the well. It missed the heroes but dissolved 8 of his draconians in a single splatter. He cursed and shouted and the area filled with his magically frightful aura. The surviving draconians fled in terror or fought each other in blame of the mishap.
In the chaos, the heroes grabbed their gear and ran away to the safety of the nearby temple. The Whisperer watched them go but didn't follow. His eyes never left Berov.
Inside the temple, the group caught their breath. When the draconians didn't come after them, they decided to explore. They found the statue Berov heard about the night before and detected that she had once held an extremely powerful magic item. Red | Firbolg Circle of Spores Druid determined that the temple was protected by divine magic though the eastern room that contained a circular stairwell down was starting to lose it's potency.
In another nearby room, the group found a strange group of hairy men who were trying (and failing) to dig a hole in a wall to find treasure. They identified themselves as gully dwarves and pledged allegiance to the team. They worked for King Phudge Highlbulp, or Sephadex, or the heroes, or the draconians. They seemed ready to work for anyone who called them into service. They promised to take the party to Highbulp, who lived in the undercity of Xak-Tsaroth with the "gully dwarves", but were ashamed that the magical book had been turned over to the "other gully dwarves".

Campaign

Scales of Justice

Protagonists

Report Date

16 Oct 2022

Primary Location

Xak-Tsaroth