Session 4

"The Road to Water Deep (part 1)"

Greenest

The party arrived in Greenest beneath a sky still bruised from the cult’s recent assault. With them rode the ominous spoils of their victory: Cyanwrath, a fearsome blue half-dragon, a captured cultist, and a dragon egg retrieved from the dragon hatchery. Cyanwrath and his fellow devotee were swiftly imprisoned within the town’s battered keep. The party confronted an agitated Cyanwrath, who met their questions with scornful taunts and a steadfast refusal to divulge any information. Turning their attention to the surviving cultist, recently freed from confinement inside a chest and still reeling from the execution of his comrades, they found him trembling with fear. Clinging to his faith, he repeatedly invoked the name of Tiamat, seeking solace in her dark embrace. Once the party had gleaned all they could, they turned their gaze northward. Their next destination: ElTurel, where the elusive monk Leosin awaited.

ElTurel

ElTurel greeted them with a celestial spectacle, a radiant light hovered above the city, casting divine illumination across its rooftops and streets. Drawn to the warmth of camaraderie and ale, the party entered a tavern known as "A Pair of Black Antlers", where laughter and clashing tankards echoed through the hall. There they met Ontharr Frume, a boisterous paladin with a booming laugh and a competitive streak. Dorn, never one to shy from a challenge, locked arms with Frume in a spirited arm-wrestling match. Cheers erupted, drinks flowed, and trust was forged. Frume and Leosin soon gathered the party for a more serious matter. The Cult of the Dragon was on the move, amassing power and treasure—but their ultimate goal remained shrouded. The Order of the Gauntlet and the Harpers were preparing to resist, and they needed warriors of conviction. Xenaphia pledged herself to the Harpers, while Dorn joined the ranks of the Order. Leosin revealed that the cultists were transporting treasure northward, though its destination and purpose were unknown. He urged the party to infiltrate the caravan as hired guards, to shadow the cult’s movements. With horses provided by Ontharr, the party rode toward Baldur’s Gate, their mission clear but the path uncertain.

Baldur’s Gate

The sprawling city of Baldur’s Gate welcomed the party with its usual blend of chaos and commerce. Amid the bustle, they discovered a curious shop of magical oddities, run by a merchant named Kemetra. Maximus and Razc each acquired a magical pouch of fuzzy balls, that when thrown, each conjure a loyal animal companion from within. Soon after, the party met Ackyn Selebon, Frume’s contact and a trader of traveling gear. He directed them to Lai Angesston, a merchant in need of caravan guards. For ten gold a day, the party was hired to protect his carts on the long journey north to Waterdeep.

The Road to Waterdeep

The road stretched long and winding, but danger found them nonetheless. One night, the caravan came upon a field overrun with fungus—thick, pulsing, and eerily sentient. Each step upon it elicited a shriek of pain from the growth. Maximus, thinking quickly, cast Silence on the lead cart, allowing the party to clear a path without further agony. Days later, as dawn broke across the horizon, a vision appeared: a golden stag with platinum antlers stood in the distance, radiant and still. Maximus and Xenaphia approached with reverence, careful not to disturb the creature’s serenity. The stag spoke in Elvish, its voice like wind through ancient trees. It confirmed the party’s path was true, but warned with solemn gravity: “Not all will survive.” With that, it gifted Maximus a longbow of exquisite craftsmanship—and vanished into the morning mist.