The Second Sundering - Chapter 7 & 8: The Raid and Conclusion

Who was in the group:
**I will not be doing keypoints for this adventure**

1. Tomeck, the fourth level Half-Elf Sorcerer
2. Varus Silvertongue, the fourth level Half-Elf Bard
3. Tyalah, the fourth level Wood Elf Thief
4. Basel, the fourth level Paladin of Devotion
5. Flidais, the fourth level Huntress
6. (U)Nagi, the fourth level Monk

Events that occurred: 

1. After the battle with the shambling mounds, the group was given a long rest that would help them recover from the siege of the town and their recent travels.  Decidedly afterwords, the group left Nagi and the druid to watch the wagon while they ventured to secure a path into the temple.
2. Tomeck, Varus, Tyalah, Basel and Flidais moved towards the temple grounds and found that the stone door was sealed shut.  It had taken moving what would be the equivalent of 100lbs of stone feet, one by one, to unlock the door, but their plans would soon be interrupted.
3. A stone golem, draped in robes of all chromatic colors had stumbled across the party attempting to gain access.  Unmovingly attached to its orders, its malice had it stomp towards Varus and issue a slow spell.  No one was hurt, but there was a potential death if the party did not move.
4. The Den of Syythrendaal was in fact enveloping around ancient ruins.  The ruins were fairly well secured, but there were several hints of disrepair and broken down structures and foundations within the temple.  Making their way downward, the party had discovered that the Cult of the Five had placed themselves and marked this as their bastion...but something seemed off.
5. The temple was built upon a set of death traps and some amusement, but the Cult of the Five made sure that entering the temple would be the downfall to foolhardy adventurers.  Several traps and puzzles were dismantled and others were instigated by Flidais, who haphazardly triggered a trap here and there.  No one was seriously injured, but it was enough to strike fear within the party.  Throughout combat, Tiamat incurred her wrath upon the party, hinting that the ritual was underway.
6. As the party rested once more, it seemed as if frescos on the wall were describing the acts and rites of the ritual.  The final product being a man draped in black with a green mask on his face. 
7. As the party ventured deep into the final floors of the temple, they encountered a pedestal with a gem in the middle.  It seemed to radiate magical energy and in the room, their were sconces that lit up with player interaction.  As the party examined their situation, they realized that someone would be free to explore the next room by themselves, while the rest of the party had to touch the stones.
8. Tyala was the one that made the commitment to enter the next room by herself; something seemed off as if the walls, floors an ceilings were cleaned- spotless. Within the quiet corridors, Tyala found an orb that opened the final door, but it did not allow the doors to remain open...and with her touch, a clasp let loose and a wiggling cube slurped out, looking to for its next meal.  The encounter went off with a second cube appearing and the almost demise of Varus and Flidais.  It was through the quick thinking of Nagi and Tomeck that their lives were sparred, but slightly charred.
9. As the party moved past the sconces, the sound of yipping and chanting could be heard behind the door.  The ritual was in its finishing arcs as the grand cultist in his green dragon mask and black robes called upon his kobolds to fight for their last breath as he finished the ritual. It was Nagi, who had struck the last blow upon him, foiling their plan of taking him hostage...
10. A grand portal under the the circle opened up and spewed its vitriol of the Abyss upon the party as two heads of Tiamat arose from them.  It was at that moment that her rage and strength could be felt at full strength, but through brute strength and observation, it was dropping the pillars upon her, forcing Tiamat back into the Abyss, but ripping the party into a new plane of existence.
11. As Basel came tumbling out of the portal, he stood up in front of a sign..."Welcome to Neverwinter...", the rest of the party shortly followed suit.

Key treasure found:
     a) Green Dragon Mask
     b) Devout Robe
     c) 4 Books of semi-moderately-importance.

Session Wrap-up:
The party, exhausted from their adventure finally find time to focus on themselves and realizing that the world they once knew may potentially be gone forever.

Session Rewards:
Those that were level 4 are now level 5.
Those that were level 3 are now level 4.
Also, have 90 days of downtime.

The Second Sundering - Chapter 5 & 6: The Siege & Aftermath

Who was in the group:

1. Tomeck, the fourth level Half-Elf Sorcerer
2. Varus Silvertongue, the fourth level Half-Elf Bard
3. Tyalah, the third level Wood Elf Thief
4. Basel, the fourth level Paladin of Rao
5. Flidais, the third level Hunter

Also Starring:

1. Nagi, the third-ish level Human Monk
2. A gnome with no home.

Events that occurred: 

1. The party had enjoyed a short rest after ramping through the town and solving a few endemic problems.
2. They were invited to the festival where they met several folk and nobles whom welcomed them into the small cliques.
3. The town was shortly under siege by the Cult of the Five with the legendary dragon Sythrendaal.
4. The group had captured a silver dragon mask and one of the green orbs/gems from the Bank of Bert, which was raided.
5. The group went back to the festival and "reclaimed" magical goods from "Bizarre Bazaar".  
6. The group was also able to capture one of the main armories which contained ballista bolts that would prove useful against the great dragon.
7. The party discovered that Sir Klavin is or has the ability to polymorph into a Silver Dragon.
8. Through the power and belief of Rao, Basel was able to hit a heart-seeking blow against the great dragon who retreated.

Keypoints:

1) Magical Oddities

     a) The party went into the town and was hunting for magical items that would help benefit their            cause and keep magical items out of the reach of their foes.  The last known place for any                   magical item was the festival and the Wizard's merchandise at Bizarre Bazaar.

1. The party encountered what looked to be 5 kobolds and 2 cultists who bore the mark of a dragonwing.
2. The party had successfully dealt with the issue through one sleep spell and were able to adequately focus on two more important foes.  
3. One of the kobolds attempted to flee with a ring of invisibility but was caught by a miracle.
4. The party had looted several magical items including a bag of holding. 

2) The Armory

     a) The next location the party went to deal with to acquire ballista bolts to be able to fight against       Sythren'daal the Great Wyrm.

1. Luckily, the party found the first armory with little to no problem and it was relatively unscathed.
2. Inside they found several bolts, but quickly garnered the interest of two green dragon whelps.
3. One of the whelps was able to enter the armory before the door was shut and thus the party was engrossed into combat.
1. Flidais had suffered the breath of the whelp and was forced to create space between her and the whelp, but to no avail.
4. The other whelp, locked outside began to pound on the door, attempting to bash it in with brute strength while combat ensued.
5. Once when of the whelps was defeated, the party was able to escape.

     

3) Battle of Dragons

     a) The party returned back to Sir Clavin's keep.  There, the party was gathered and they had                 formed a plan to fight off the great green dragon.

1. The party worked the ballista bolts on the ramparts while the guards below attempted to keep the invaders from breaking into the doors. 
2. Above the keep the party had encountered their first set of flying kobolds.  Who began to assault the siege engineers and the party and attempt to keep them off balance.
3. When Syythrendaal appeared, Sir Clavin appeared on the roof and assumed the shape of slightly smaller silver dragon.
4. It was almost, through a divine intervention, that Basil had released a bolt that had almost felled Syythrendaal, who flew away injured.
5. The party returned inside and were able to maintain a short rest before another confrontation occurred.

4) A Duel

     a) Basil, who had almost felled the great green wyrm, Syythrendaal was challenged to a duel by         one of the major lieutenants of the Cult of the Five.  Mordak, a half-blue dragon, had captured             some peasants and the party's carriage and threatened to slaughter all of them if his challenge was       not met.

1. The party would be forced to watch their comrade step toe to toe with what could perhaps be the greatest moment in his life, upholding his Oath of Devotion and potentially sacrificing himself.
2. When the party arrived, they had found a ring of half-dragons, kobolds and cultists were waiting and chanting the name of Mordak.  It seemed as though, his honor had his minions in check and promised that it would be a one-on-one duel to the death.
3. With minor interventions from the party and some ill luck from both parties, Basil would prevail as the victor over Mordak, who had surrendered and acknowledged his defeat.
1. Some kobolds and a building or two were injured in the process.
4. With Mordak captured, he revealed that the Cult of the Five were planning to release Tiamat on this plane of existence within the Den of Syythrendaal.

5) Return to the Forest of Woe

     a) After gathering information from their prisoner, Mordak, the party went into the Forest of Woe       to put an end to this conflict once and for all.

1. The party was told that the Cult of the Five were using the Den of Syythrendaal as their headquarters.  This was below a forgotten temple surrounded by huge briars and thorns.
2. On their way there, they encountered two shambling mounds, aptly nicknamed forest Roombas.
1. The forest Roombas almost won.
3. After the tough battle, the party rested for the night and would advance upon the Cult of the Five in the morning.

6) Key treasure found:

     a) Several wands of multiple colors, brands, whizpops and zippidy doos.

     b) A Bag of Holding

     c) A Ring of Invisibility
     d) An adamantium shield
     e) Boots with wings and pumps
     f) Boots of a very unidentified nature
     g) A quiver of a very unidentified nature
     h) A triangle, a musical instrument of a misunderstood nature

Session Wrap-up:

The party, requiring rest, prepare for their raid upon the Cult of the Five.

Session Rewards:

Chapter 5 exp total: 1300

How about a full rest, finally.

Chapter 6 exp total: 1300
Full rest
Bruised pride awarded by Shambling Mounds

The Second Sundering - Chapter 2: The Forest of Woe Summary

DM note: Please help me out with spelling of names for the new players, I might have added a few vowels or not enough vowels.

Who was in the group:

1. Tomeck, the second level Half-Elf Sorcerer
2. Flidais, the second level Wildwoman Ranger
3. Varus Silvertongue, the second level Half-Elf Bard
4. Nagi, the second level Monk of St. Cuthbert
5. Basel, the second level Paladin of Rao

Also starring:

1. Tayala, the Wood Elf Charlatan
2. Valentia, The Outlandish Forest Gnome Druid

Downtime:

1. Varus spent five days researching the gem that was found in the previous session that emmenated with planar magic and his last five days were spent performing at the Defeated Pillow earning a bed an payment.
2. Basel spent all ten days in support and researching the gem with Varus.  There were several breakthroughs, but they did not share the information.
3. Tomeck spent ten days in research and discovered the formula to a rain of protection.
4. Flidais spent ten days hunting and sold pelts and meat to the local markets making a sizable return.
5. Nagi spent ten days developing proficiency with perception.  He is still a long way from mastering this skill.

Events that occurred: 

1. Tormund Gliviv sold his mine rights to Sir Klavin.
2. Before leaving town, he buys out all contracts for 30 gold pieces.  He pays Tomeck 25 gold pieces and offers him an oathstone worth 10 gold pieces.
3. Sir Klavin has welcomed the adventures and paid for your stay at the Defeated Pillows for the last ten days.
4. Sir Klavin seems busy, leaving and returning from hunts and helping to prepare for Guldize, the harvest festival.
5. Several buyers have shown up for the gem, but none of them seem trustworthy or of noble birth.
6. Trodec's favor was paid off and has returned to training his squire.  He has left town.
7. There are rumors around Guldize and some have called it "the end days".
8. Even worse, rumors from the King's Road that several caravans have spotted a large green dragon above the tree line of the Forest of Woe.
9. Nagi and Tayala were afflicted with screaming nightmares, either visions of their death or destruction of the town.
10. Tomeck, Flidais, Basel and Valentia have all received dragon teeth in their bed, a firm warning from an outside force.
11. Varus had a great week and won 5 gold pieces through a lucky gambling streak.
12. Nagi spent time getting his sword silvered, prying on his superstition against the lycanthrope horrors.

Keypoints:
1) The Defeated Pillow
     a) After the party had recovered from their downtime, they got back together to discuss current
     events around them.
          i.) They learned that every year for Guldize, the harvest festival, that the townsfolk suffer
          waking nightmares.
               o) Prying deeper, they discovered that the dreams have gotten more an more violent every
               year, with this year being the most violent.
     b) The tavern is run by a human named Alvin Simon-Theodore and owned by a "Dave".
     c) Varus and Tayala got to know each other loosely through the week of gambling off and on.
     d) Valentia, a soft-spoken, was introduced as a long family friend of Flidais, claiming that they
     were neighbors.
     e) After getting acquainted, the sound of a galloping horse and a man screaming for help could be
     heard outside of the tavern.
     f) A dying hunter working with Sir Klavin, the ruling noble of Norringtone, says they were
     ambushed.  He escaped while Sir Klavin was captured.
          i.) He was saved by the party through both magical and practical means.
          ii.) A dagger was recovered from his back with a symbol of the Five in the hilt.
     g) The hunted said it had taken him six days to get back to town and he fears that if no one helps
     Sir Klavin, he will be killed.
     h) The hunter returned to town from the Forest of Woe.

2) The Forest of Woe
     a) After discovering that their travel might take upwards to six days, the party procured a shoddy
     carriage and two horses named: Rao and Bert.
     b) Heading into the woods, Valentia and Flidais discover that it would only take two days of
     travel instead of six to get where the hunter said he and Sir Klavin were ambushed.
     c) Tomeck, the only one who knew how to drive a wagon was left outside drinking his keg.
     d) Venturing deeper into the Forest of Woe, Valentia recalled the animals talking about a creature
     called the Howling Terror, several giant spiders and packs of wolves as large as a horse.
          i.) Driving the carriage deeper Tomeck and Valentia, who was riding her dog, began to notice              the canopy darken as branches became dressed in gossamer, and cocooned animals as large
          as deer.
     e) Deeper into the Forest, the carriage had to stop to clear fallen trees and then they encountered
     magical brambles that seemed to grow back quickly and grew as thick as arms.
          i.) Taking roughly an hour to clear the brambles and move the carriage out of their path, the
          party discovered dusk over-taking them and they knew that they would have to camp soon.
     f) After spending an additional hour collecting firewood and setting up camp, three fires were lit
     around their camp.  Valentia warned that night will be long because of the tree growth.

3) Nightwatch- Two Major Events
     a) Tomeck was first on watch and had the greatest misfortune.
          i.) A giant green dragon swooped down onto the camp and seemed to be searching for
          something in particular.
          ii.) It's wing-span took well over 100 feet, and easily was the size of simple house.
     b) Basel also found something on his watch
          i.) Howling was heard within the woods and Basel also caught the sight of a torch in the
          woods.
          ii.) The howling seemed to be interrupted by the screams of a man and Basel awakened the
          party to investigate.
          iii.) After looking through the woods, the party encountered a huge wolf and a smaller wolf
          and combat began as the smaller wolf engaged the part.
          iv.) The larger wolf was easily dispatched, but the smaller wolf turned out to be a werewolf
          and bit Tayala.
               o) She may or may not potentially be affected by the curse of the Lycanthrope.

4) Down the Trail
     a) Morning seemed much quieter after the events of last night and there was little problems to
     start moving down the trail.
     b) On the way down the path, the brambles seemed to have stopped growing and the path seems
     to recently used to move heavier carts.
     c) On their venture down, Varus, Valentia, and Tomeck caught eyes of bandits on the path and
     began to warn the party as arrows began flying at the carriage.
          i.)  One of the bandit groups had a battering ram were going to attempt to push the carriage
          off the trail.
          ii.) The second group of bandits attempted to fire volley after volley of arrows at the party, but            were quickly dispatched by Flidais.
          iii.) As soon as they were dispatched, the other group was cut-down by arrows by Varus and
          Tayala.
     d) Traveling down on the trail, the party found the trail thinning down and a horse was tied down.
          i.) A quick investigation took place and it was discovered that the horse belonged to Sir Klavin,
          ii.) The horse also had 4 potions of healing in located in its pouches
          iii.) The horse also seemed nearly starved, but the party moved it to a place where it could
          graze and get water.
          iv.) At this point, Valentia searched for a critter to talk to and found a woodpecker who told her
          that there was a man that was taken to a camp close-by.
     e) The path did not allow for the carriage to be pushed through much further, so they party hid the
     carriage, hobbled the horses and marched down the trail.  It was not long until they found a camp
     with smoke billowing through the air.

5) The Camp of Woe
     a) Down the road, the party discovered a small trail that led to the camp.  It seemed to be nestled
     on top of a hill and had natural protection bordering it.
     b) Tayala and Varus went to investigate the camp and found that there were four bandits and
     another Green Half-Dragon.
          i.) The Half-Dragon dropped the name Syythren'daal, as if concerned to see how this camp
          operated would have angered him.
          ii.) The Half-Dragon marched into a tent and lured a man out of the tent.  He was bound and
          being led up the hill.
          iii.) Varus instructed Tayala to go and get the party, and after she left, one of the bandits
          caught sight of Varus and began to call out Varus.
       c) Initially combat was going smoothly except for Varus.
          i.) Varus was the choice target for the Half-Dragon and the bandits as he was harried by
          javelins and arrows.
          ii.) The Half-Dragon was hit by several huge blows, but refused to go down.  He seemed to be
          a force too powerful for the group.
          iii.) At one point, the Half-Dragon got between the party and below a caustic cloud of poison
          on top of the party.  Causing Valentia, Tayala to crumble to the ground, dying.  Basel and
          Varus clung to life by a thread.
          iv.) The bandits were cutdown from four to three by Tomeck with his mighty magic missile and
          it was Flidais who delivered the final blow to the Half-Dragon.
          v.) Tayala and Valentia were saved by Basel's Lay on Hands, breathing life into their lungs.
     d) After combat finished, a bandit was taken as a prisoner, they freed Sir Klavin from his bonds
     and began to explore the camp.
     e) Searching the camp, the party found a small cavern that seemed to be functioning as a dragon
     hatchery, there was only empty shells.

4) Key treasure found:
     a) Total Chapter Coinage found: 80GP, 1128SP, 2234CP.
     b) Gems found: 3 Agates (10g each), 1 Malachite (10g), 3 tiger's eye (10g each)
     c) Three unidentified potions
     d) A javelin of embers (1d6+4 fire damage)
     e) A suit of half-dragon sized plate mail
     f) A silvered rapier
     g) A sister green gem that is fist-sized.  It radiates Conjuration magic.
     h) An incomplete map with four puzzle pieces.

Session Wrap-up:
The party has fought their first werewolf and realized that magic and silver are the only ways to kill the wolf.  They also witnessed the rumor of the huge dragon flying above the Forest of Woe and have collected the name Syythren'daal.  They have no clue who that is.  Having encountered their second Half-Dragon, this one seemed far more threatening than the previous and shows the strength the cult might in reserve.

Session Rewards:
Basel, Nagi, Flidais, Tomeck & Varus have attained enough experience to become level 3.
Tayala and Valentia have attained enough experience to become level 2.
Each party member has also accrued 10 days of Downtime.

The Second Sundering - Chapter 1: Cults of the Evermother Summary

How the group met:
The party was either a new hire, a current employee, working on favors or him trying to generate a partnership with Tormund Gliviv in the town of Norringtone.

Who was in the group:

1. Trodec, the Noble Mountain Dwarf Rogue
2. Tomeck, the Half-Elf Hero of Sommerset
3. Flidais, the mostly Wildwoman Ranger
4. Varus Silvertongue, the Half-Elf Entertainer
5. Nagi, A Devout Monk and adversary to Lycanthropes
6. Basel, A Scholarly Paladin of Free Thought and Reason

Keypoints:
1) Tormund Gliviv came in at the middle of the night at the Defeated Pillows and began accusing the new hires for missing crates.
     a) Tormund Gliviv was discovered to have and operate with slave labor, on top of being behind on payments.
          i.) Tormund, after being pressured by Trodec, swore he would get everyone's payment in by the morning.
     b) Tormund tells the party to go investigate in the morning and make sure nothing is missing.
     c) The squire to Trodec is skilled at the Lute and was loosely being courted by Varus and Tomeck.
     d) Trodec sent his envoy to the mine to make sure nothing was altered/changed in the middle of the night.

2) When the party arrived at the Gliviv's Digsite in the morning most knew the following:
     a) The Digsite had four rooms: An entrance, an equipment room, an infirmary and cataloging room and finally the new dig room.
           i.) In the equipment room, there was a hunk of silver set up as bait for a trap, it was worth 20g.
     b) When the party encountered finally encountered the Kobolds, it was Nagi and Basel that were first ambushed.
            i.) All but one of the Kobolds was killed: Yip-yip.

3) Investigating deeper the party found:
     a) A secret trapdoor in the newly worked room.  It functioned as a slide and deposited the party on a bed of hay.  The party was then introduced to an unfamiliar bunch of robed figures.
          i.)  DM Note: Sleep spell is amazing.
          ii.) The party investigated the individuals and discovered they were cultists of the Five and
         cultists to the goddess, Tiamat.
          iii.) The party also discovered that there was an individual named: Sss'drak somewhere in this area that was running the operation.
     b) As the party pushed forward, they discovered a room with a cooking pot and did not investigate that further.  The party has had a total of three fights and required a full rest.
          i.) Luckily, no random encounters.
     c) The key was used to unlock both the door at the end of the hallway and a door in the new
     hallway.  It does not work on the door behind.
          i.) A secret door was caught ajar before the party had taken a long rest in this hallway.
          ii.) When they re-entered, it was closed.  Later they discovered a lever unlocked it.
          iii.) The party fought two more groups: a total of 4 cultists and 4 kobolds were in this pack.
          iv.) The party was very effective in this fight because of a surprise round and sleep spell.
     d) The party found two more keys which led to the room where Sss'drak laired.
          i.) Sss'drak proved to be a strong foe, almost killing Basel out right with his breath weapon.
          ii.) Sss'drak was also discovered to be a Green Half-Dragon (learned from Yip-yip).
          iii.) Yip-yip was killed by the poison gas.

4) Key treasure found:
     a) Total Chapter Coinage found: 15PP, 211GP,  346SP and 59CP & 20g chunk of silver.
     [Thanks Varus!] There was also a total of four potions.
         i.) Three potions were identified as potions of cure wounds (2d4+2 hp)
         ii.) One potion was not identified.
         iii.) There was a scroll of magic missile, but it was used.
     b) A ring that seemed to be drenched in Abjuration magic.
     c) A green gem that is fist-sized.  It radiated planar magic.

Session Wrap-up:
The party now knows that the cultists of Tiamat and Cultists of the Five are working together for potentially the same goal.  The gem may or may not be a key to this union.  Tormund Gliviv has yet to pay the party for their labor and work.  The only known Gnome survivor is Hammerfist.

Session Rewards:
The party attained enough experience to level up to level 2.
Each party member has also accrued 10 days of Downtime.