Session 21: The Isle of the Abbey Report

General Summary

 

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FirstMonth xx,xxxx, xxxx

  NTO: , Sword Coast   Recap         travel?  

Notes

ISLE OF THE ABBEY - Call for help; seeking adventurers willing to secure the island and its burned-out abbey; contact Guildmaster Tabeth at the local mariner's guild for more info • Local mariner's guild would like to claim a small, strategically located island and build a lighthouse there but so far no one has been able to land safely, every attempt has been met by a horde of undead - 2,000gp reward       • The guild contact, Major Ursa, is located on a nearby island where he can supply the party and offer more details  

Major Ursa's location is 6hours by rowboat along the coast; can offer more information

- Major Ursa will not join the party, if they've made at least one attempt to land, he will accompany them but stay in the boat      

3 months ago, evil clerics of the Abbey quarreled violently with a large pack of local pirates

-They used to be in league with each other: the pirates would bring the clerics smuggled and stolen goods, then the clerics would sell the items to temples at a much higher cost. -the clerics would more often than not cheat the pirates with substantially lower prices - the pirates decided they had had enough and lit the abbey on fire, the blaze and wreckage was so intense they left the island without looting them buried temple - the pirates burned the abbey to the ground but they suffered so many casualties that they were destroyed when our local mariner's guild went after them - the island, now apparantly abandoned, remains a danger due to undead guarding the only safe approach - willing to pay 2,000gp if they can land, explore the island, and clear it entirely of threats so that the guild can construct their lighthouse [payment upon completion]         - the island is little more than a slab of rock rising from the ocean - surrounded by reefs and rocky shoals which is why a lighthouse would be so important - Abbey Isle is 2 hours by rowboat, the only safe place to land is a large sandy beach - When the abbey was built, evil clerics populated the dunes with hundreds of skeletons brought from the mainland for defense of the island - occasionally we would get interference coming from the island that would mess with the magicks of the lighthouse but theyve become more frequent of late -our guild clerics have told us it is pulses of necrotic energy which must be what is keeping the skeletons animated - whatever is causing the necrotic energy needs to be destroyed or we won't be able to have ANY lighthouses in the area     ** every hour (in game time) players make a DC15 CON saving throw or take 1d4 necrotic damage** - clerics are from the Dragon Cult -- depictions of dragons and tiamat   *navigating the sand dunes - first perception check -> half the score is the party's first movement *Consequent movement is 1 square each turn       **there are depictions of Tiamat everywhere, it is nagging in Sace's mind that he's seen them before**       -necromancer is funneling necrotic energy into a giant crystal that pumps it out across the island, keeping the skeletons animated           **Brainstorm ideas on how to connect Sace's backstory with the Dragon Cult and his missing memory. *winston tells sace that Veklana has information about his past **Flesh out the Revelry and Myriad more and connect the dots                 HOARD OF THE DRAGON QUEEN Tiamat -chromatic dragon with 5 heads (1 for each of the main colors of chromatic dragons) and a long tail tipped with a poisonous stinger -arrogant, greedy, hateful, spiteful and vain -in her attempt to gain uncontrolled power, she was defeated and banished to the nine hells  

Winston from Winston's Store, contacts Sace during the party

-although he is no longer part of the The Revelry thieves guild, he still has contacts that keep him informed - rumor has it that The Cult of the Dragon has been active again - they were wiped out 20yrs ago; while it was never assumed they were completely destroyed, any activity over the last 20years has been small and relatively quiet - their focus was to make undead dragons to fullfill an ancient prophecy but rumor has it that their goals have changed - There has been a rise in underground activity of late, enough to garner notice from the guild and cause worry     ************* *these cultists that you found on Abbey Isle are worrying, it tells us that perhaps the cult is closer than we thought -He tells Sace that his contact has more information and he can make arrangements for the party to meet his contact at sea just outside of FEOLINN - ships name is The Dark Maiden (3 masted sailing ship it will have a green lantern on the bow and a red lantern on the stern - 100yds away, hang a green lantern on the bow and flash it 3 times; wait for 2 flashes back to signal you can approach and it's the right ship - approach alongside; They will say to you "Dark tides bring strange lovers" you're response is "the tide has no mistress" and ask for Veklana   *** various encounters along the way ***          

Veklana is a female brass dragonborn; she takes the party to her quarters as captain. She tells them that her family was killed by the Cult many years ago before their ruin. She knew they would return to activity like the cockroaches they are. She has made it her job to keep an ear to the ground for any rising in activity.

-There is a new leader named Severin Silrajin who believes that real draconic knowledge and power belongs to living dragons, not undead ones [[-Tiamat was intrigued so she revealed to Severin the existence of five dragon masks (one for each chromatic color) *individually the masks allow wearers to communicate with dragons and a person who is erudite in draconic lore becomes a wyrmspeaker while wearing the mask (allows the wearer to think like a dragon, gain favor among dragons and subtly influence their behavior) *when all 5 masks are brought together, they magically merge into a single Mask of the Dragon Queen which allows the cult to release Tiamat from her prison in the Nine Hells *if released, Tiamat could destroy everything and wreck havoc on the entire realm - Severin bent all the cult's resources and recovered the red mask; he became the first of the wyrmspeakers but we don't know if any other masks have been found]] -the cult has allied itself with a splinter faction of the Cerberus Assembly called the Red Wizards but Vek doesn't know their motivation - it's leaders are known as Wearers of Purple but it's near impossible to pick them out of a crowd - they are known to hire mercenaries for special tasks without revealing their true identity -the cult has been recruiting dragons and assembling a treasure hoard worthy of the queen of evil dragons (this is what brought attention to The Revelry and Vek) -Vek says to travel to Greenest where they can find a monk named Leosin Erlanthar; he has been trying to gather information on the cultist with the intention of trying to infiltrate   **Veklana recognizes Sace but doesn't come forward unless he asks. She gives him weird looks and Sace get the feeling that he knows her somehow.**     TRAVEL Sail the Sea Ghost from Saltmarsh to Feolinn - approx 6 days - ship travels 120mi/day Travel by horse to Greenest - approx 2 weeks - Horseback 30mi/day - 1/day can gallop for an hour which adds another 15mi; -5 to perception checks - Fast pace 30/day (-5 to perception checks) Normal pace 24/day Slow pace 18/day (can use stealth)   ***REFER TO ENCOUNTER CHART*** ** on a day with no encounters, on a DC10 perception check, they spot an overturned/crashed wagon that has various bit of clothing/rusted weapons/bolts/spoiled food goods [and a small treasure box (361gp,233sp,47cp and a dozen gems)] [carnelian, jasper, quartz, citrine, sardonyx & zircon(50gp jet, spinel & garnet(100gp aquamarine (500gp yellow sapphire (1000gp ruby (5000gp)] - DC10 INV finds old dried blood stains - DC20 INV finds the half buried treasure box under the wagon       EPISODE 1: GREENEST IN FLAMES   As the sun is setting, The party crests the top of a hill and sees Greenest in flames, there are columns of smoke billowing up from the city; burning building and running figures little more than dots. Flying low above the city is a huge blue dragon!   Inside the city -cultists have amassed a small army of acolytes, kobolds, ambush drakes and giant lizards pillaging the city as they destroy it wandering encounters - if the party uses cover and stealth DC10 *for every 2 fails the party has one encounter - if the party does not use stealth *roll a d8 = 1-4 no encounter 5-8 one encounter - the cultists are in the process of looting the city, any maurading group that the party encounters will have a 50% chance of treasure [d6x10 value in gp]

after the party is firmly inside the city

- SEEK THE KEEP = a terrified human family dash across their path; a man is limping and dragging 2 small children back into the shadows, a woman stops in the street and turns to face 8 kobolds pursuing them determined to delay them as long as possible * hopefully the party intervenes; man is Cuth and woman is Linan; they tell the party that the only safe place is inside the keep, they must get there - on the way there they must make it past 3 groups of... - 1d6 kobolds [if 6, one is a winged kobold] and 1d4 cultists - party can fight, sneak past, retreat or try and bluff - each time the party retreats to avoid a group they run into 1d6 more folk trying to get to the keep * for every 4 more townsfolk = 1 more enemy group - finally the characters reach the keep and are the last group through before the s shut and lock [[rewards 50xp per townsfolk they save]]   MISSIONS

10PM the party reaches the keep

*Governor Tarbaw Nighthill, human male 60yrs, finds the party and shows them to the parapet with the best view of the city [right side of his face is bandaged and his right arm is in a sling] - Nighthill says that raiders have isolated the keep from the town but he doesn't think the raiders intend to attack the keep; they seem interested in only looting -here he points out Frulam Mondath = a purple robed cult leader and cautions to stay away from her - the real danger is the townsfolk that haven't made it to the keep - asks if the party could go back for more people; he's sending multiple groups but the people he can send that are fit enough to go is dwindling -Castellan Escobert; master of the keep and in charge of its defense; knows about the tunnel and has keys to everydoor in the keep * a stealthy group can make it out of the keep and back again with drawing attention to the raiders     11PM - THE OLD TUNNEL - Escobert recommends they use the "old tunnel" to bring the townsfolk to the keep without having to go through the front - a narrow tunnel runs from the cellar beneath the keep to the bank of the stream outside; the tunnel is locked with a door on both sides the stream exit looking like a regular sewer grate [it has never been used before so the door/grate are rusty] -Escobert leads the party through the tunnel to unlock the doors *keep side door unlocks with key * outside door DC10 and key or DC15 STR to kick it open - if the door was opened with a key, the party notices a group of cultists - if the door was forced open, the cultists get a surprise round *2 cultists and 6 kobolds - every 100ft - if the party uses cover and stealth DC10 *for every 2 fails the party has one encounter - if the party does not use stealth *roll a d8 = 1-4 no encounter 5-8 one encounter - each time the party decides to retreat without fighting, they find 1d6 townsfolk *50xp per townsfolk **every time the party exits the tunnel -1d6 -> on a 1 they are attacked     SAVE THE MILL - raiders are attempting to set fire to the town mill - 500ft from keep or doubled if they use the tunnel - 1d6 to determine the group of raiders -any kobolds run away if 2 raiders are killed - a DC15 insight or performance check, realizes that it is a set up - Frulam Mondath has been informed that heroes are helping and set up an ambush for them - inside the mill are 5 cultists and 5 guards - DC20 Perception check will notice the raiders before the attack [party members that scan the loft specifically have ADV on check] - a dozen defenders arrive after the fight ends     SANCTUARY - dozens of townsfolk have barricaded themselves inside the temple to Chauntea but raiders have it surrounded - 3 groups of foes A. battering ram at the front doors [1dragonclaw,2cultists, 6kobolds] B. circling the temple in a screeching mob [3cultists,10kobolds,2ambushdrakes] C. heaping burning straw against a rear door [2 cultists, 6 kobolds] -party can sneak up on them and attack; smoke clouds engulfing the back of the temple, low visibility after 15ft - partys best shot is to overpower group C and while distracting A and B at the temple front, allow the townsfolk to escape out the back -townsfolk are near panic and won't listen to strangers without DC15 CHA check [failed check - locate the priest Eadyan Falconmoon to help] -front doors have 30hp each thud of battering ram takes 1d6 damage 20hp cracks are seen large enough to see through to the enemy 10hp doors are sagging on their hinges 5hp could collapse at any moment or the next hit   THE SALLY PORT -at some point during the night, raiders breech the old gate and force their way inside -Escobert discovers them and races to sound the alarm - asks the party to reseal the sally port - 2 groups of foes 1. 1 acolyte, 4 kobolds, 1 ambush drake -after defeating the group they need to reseal the door with 5 mending spells, or find someone else that can 2. 1 guard, 3 cultists, 4 kobolds - attack before the door can be fully repaired - this group has come from inside the keep, not thru the door   DRAGON ATTACK -Lennithon, adult blue dragon - hasn't really participated all that much - final assult on the citadel before leaving - swoops in a uses its breath weapon without getting closer than 25feet -20 NPCs on the parapet - 1d4 defenders die every breath attack - repeat until Lennithon takes 24damage or 1 critical hit and he leaves       4AM - at this point the last of the raiders has fled the city - over half of the buildings are heavily damaged and much of the town's wealth has been carried away