The in game timeline has now jumped forwards by six months, and the storyline with it, we're now part of a new frontier, with Adam continuing the intrigue in the outpost with the conspiracy of House Cannith, and Nathan bringing the life to the adventures of the Pointertown Detective Agency. This is the first post-time jump session from the Outpost.
Kharduum Steepmine (Hill Dwarf Cleric)
Lizzy (Light foot Halfling Bard)
Roza (Tiefling Sorcerer)
Growbeck Boniface (Mountain Dwarf Fighter)
Kronos Kole (Human Rogue)
Con'nor (Half Elf Paladin)
The Outpost has grown considerably over the past six months, Sandringham Meriwether Sandfords railroad has led to a massive influx of settlers, trader and resources, Vonmond and I have helped to expand the outpost along with a plethora of craftspeople, and we now have a flourishing town. My altar has expanded into a temple, and I am now running this as a soup kitchen / walk in centre. Roza's library is complete and very well furnished due to some family funding, and Kronos has managed to stash the Iron Clad Super Yacht somewhere secret.
The reposed dead that were brought back to life in Grewall have started to return, and as far as we can tell, they are completely back to normal, healthy, happy and ready to go home to their families.
But all isn't well, during the auditors visit, Di was ambushed and the magical seeds were stolen, she has sequestered herself away, desperately searching for a way to find them. Isabella and the Canniths have also been uncharacteristically quiet.
One crisp seemingly uneventful morning, we received word from Di, she wanted to see us in the library. The group of us met her in her usual spot. Di has moved on in leaps and bounds since we met her, she's developing a strong personality and revels in her independence, but people have noticed that she still spends nights looking up at the sky with no answer as to why she's doing it.
Di informs that she's perhaps found a way to located the seeds, and she needs our help, she uses a scrying spell and shows us where the seeds should be, inside the volcano from one of our early adventures in this new land.
We set off through the woods overland and reach the bottom of the hill as thunder clouds roll in, Roza and I can feel the heavy atmosphere of magic in the air, it felt like this in the workshop when we first encountered the seeds. Lightning strikes around us, Lizzy notices two hitting the ground closer to us, it seems to take the form of creatures. We start running, with Lizzy and Roza jumping aboard the cart while the rest of us hoof it on foot, and we get away.
Con'nor casts locate object with Di's help and we carry on through the hills, reaching the bottom of a steep incline, we can see the rotting remains of the wrecked ships, and upwards a thick pillar of smoke coming up from the volcano. Con'nor feels the pull of the seeds and we follow, as we move upwards we see lava flowing and pooling, we notice movement in the lava, motes of fire leap out coalescing in the shape of hands, Roza recognises them as spells that have gained a life of their own, these were burning hands, she warns us that spells used here may backfire on us.
They attack furiously, I take the risk with a spell and bless the party, with success, Di pulls the magical dust from her body and fires it with an arrow, handily destroying a couple of them, Growbeck, not to be outdone, hastily charges headlong into the lava taking a couple out with his axe, Con'nor obliterates one with divine smite as I finish the last off with my warhammer.
Kronos finds a disguised cart by the entrance, but it is empty, we take a short rest and then proceed. Kronos spots some traps, good professional work, he proceeds clearing the way for us, until he steps on a trick stone, he keeps it depressed while Growbeck swaps places with him so he can attempt to disarm it. It's difficult so we depress the pressure switch with some armour and move on, heading deeper into the volcano.
We see the flicker of torches up ahead, sneaking around the corner we see magical light and 12 skeletons, further on we see a broken down tunnel pulsating with a glowing light. I cast "speak with the dead" and talk with the one we assume to be the leader, we find out that they took the seeds and brought them here, that they they died by immolation, and that the seeds are down the tunnel with the pulsating light, but he refused to tell us who he worked for.
We made our way down the tunnel, into the centre of the volcano, where the sacrificial ritual took place with the giant egg.
There was just junk here now, heaped and congregated around the opened seed jar, Lizzy grabs it mage hand and brings it over, we hastily leave and head back out of the volcano, it's raining really heavily now, but not magical in nature, Lizzy sees the rain hitting something, large, with 2 bright green eyes, suddenly it shoots a large stream of flame straight out of its mouth, engulfing us all, half of the party lose consciousness. The rest of us are feeling particularly toasty. I call out with divine power and heal the party, getting everyone back on their feet.
It's a brass coloured dragon, with strange branches sticking out of its head, Roza calls out in Draconic, but something is wrong, it isn't responding, Roza says that something is wrong and that we have to help it, but it goes on the offensive, heading for Growbeck, he carves into it as I try and fend it off with my spiritual weapon.
It grabs Growbeck and flies into the sky, dropping him from high, Roza catches him with featherfall.
Roza says that Brass dragons aren't inherently evil and that something is very wrong, she says we need to try and help it, Con'nor misty steps onto it's head and tries to remove the branch to no avail, he says we need to bring it down and stabs into it's head, the dragon reals in pain and flies up, throwing him off, I am ready to try and dispel magic on whatever is clouding its mind, but it turns and unleashes fiery hell on those below it, killing Roza and downing Kronos, I have to change tact and start pulling out my diamonds to attempt to revivify Roza. Lizzy looses an arrow as the Dragon is spiraling in the air, raining blood from its head wound. She catches it straight in the chest and it falls from the sky, Lizzy the Dragonslayer!
I run out into the clearing, casting "spare the dying" on Kronos and running over to Roza, I scramble to cast revivify as quickly as possible to give Roza the best chance at survival, I channel the power of Moradin into her lifeless body and the light returns to her eyes, but they're quickly filled with sadness over the death of the poor dragon, corrupted by some evil force.
We take the body of the dragon and load it onto the cart, maybe we can figure out what happened to it, its body can also be used to craft powerful regents. I'm sure Roza will do what she can, but we see how this deeply hurt her.
We have the seeds back, but seeing what horrors they wrought, these can't fall into the wrong hands.
I really enjoyed this session. Just wish we had managed to free the dragon.
I really am suspicious of these 'seeds'