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 4: The Harvest pt. one

Who was in the group:

1. Tomeck, the third level Half-Elf Sorcerer
2. Varus Silvertongue, the third level Half-Elf Bard
3. Tyalah, the second level Wood Elf Rogue
4. Basel, the third level Paladin of Rao

Events that occurred: 

1. After a short day's respite, the festival is upon us: People and carts circle the town square.  Laughter and rowdy voices dance through alleyways, in summary: Happiness.
2. A caravan coming from the North is headed down south.  They swore that they heard rumors of giants but saw nothing.
3. Scouts have reported that a small fort has been built near the mines bearing the symbol of the five.
4. The farmers claim ruin as their crops have rotted through the night.  Their tools made of wood, iron and steel have withered.
5. For removing the threat of assassination of their heads, the noble class pooled together 50 platinum pieces as payment.

Keypoints:
1) The Defeated Pillow
     a) The party has been welcomed into the basement of the Defeated Pillow.  It is now an unofficial       headquarters for the group.

1. The town is excited for the Festival even if there are shortcomings in the holiday spirit.  Most of the townsfolk have moved to the center of town and have been starting festivities since the daybreak.

2) The Harvest
     a) The Harvest has began and many vendors have come into the town.  There are some strange           shoppes of oddities, used camels, petting zoos and other knickknacks. The nobles invited the               group to come and drink with them.
     b) Through her downtime and investigation, Tyalah, I swear I will get this spelling down this               session, has discovered that Sir Klavin might have a connection with the dragon cults.
     c) Sir Klavin has left a gift for Varus, what looks to the be the last of the puzzle pieces needed for       a map of sorts.
     d) The party rages on until the late midday, when the festival was interrupted by a wandering               group of hill giants, throwing boulders at the town and laughing.
     

3) Simpletons- with Boulders for Brains
     a) The party was forced to engage with two hill giants who began to chuck boulders at the town.         At that point, several points of interest were damaged including: The entire second floor of the             Defeated Pillow and several homes.
          i.) The giants fought between each other and one came into the town, being pelted by spells                and arrows, he made it to the party and havoc began.
          ii.) Basel was knocked unconscious within one round of combat, Varus was almost flattened as            well and at that point it was between both Tormeck and Tyalah to commit to dealing with the              Giant.  It was Varus who had landed the killing blow, and with that the festival went on again,              celebrating the party as now the saviors once again.

4) Raid Upon the Town
     a) As the festival raged on, the party went to go sleep in the guest quarters of Sir Klavin's estate.         At midnight, the sounds of screaming, clanging of metal and the giant green wings of death                 scoured the sky above Norringtone.  The Cult of the Five had arrived and seemed to be searching       for items of interest.
     b) Sir Klavin tasked the party to help them defend the town and had listed out objectives that               needed to be completed: Secure the royal vaults, retrieve the ballista bolts from the armory, rescue       the townfolk who are being rounded up in cages and finally protect the granary and the last of the       food.
     c) The party decided the first course of action was protect the treasury

5) Key treasure found:
     a) Several pieces of the puzzle map
     b) A mask in the visage of a silver dragon
     c) A third green gem, similar to the previous two.

Session Wrap-up:
The party, exhausted from their armory, realized that time is of the essence and have realized how dire this attack is on the town.

Next session: The Harvest, part two.

Session Rewards:
Basel, Tormeck, Varus have all attained level 4.
Tyalah has attained level 3.

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.