Living Forgotten Realms ABER 4-3 (spoiler)

A crowd has gathered to hear Father Thorn, leader of the Scions of Amber, speak about the status of the rebellion against the Dragon rulers.  His speech tells that the revolt is at a dead end.  The crowd murmurs over this news.   Father Thorn holds up his hands to quiet the crowd.  He then tells that there is a plan to forge the greatest dragon slaying weapon of all time.  The crowd cheers the news with much vigor.

Just then, a female dragonborn bursts through the door apologizing for her lateness to the meeting.  She tells that the travel times, with all the patrols out looking for anyone who opposes the Green Duchess, being what they are that she couldn't make better time.  Father Thorn looks at her with disgust and says Zasheena, leader of the Shadowkiss, and her kind, cutthroats and parasites, weren't invited.

She looks at us and thanks us for saving the child of Nandrel and helping his agent in Marrauk.  She tells of her plan and that if it should work she would need the dragonbane amber -- all of it!  She tells her plan of creating a poison that replicates itself and infesting the local drinking waterways, drinking holes and livestock to poison the dragons.  We, convinced of the thoroughness of the plan, inform Father Thorn that he should take this opportunity to complete this rebellion and take the fight to the dragons.

We board a ship and set sail for Lylar named the Dazzling Courier.  Lylar pirates are a large part of the talk in Returned Abeir, so when we run into them, it wasn't very surprising.   The surprising part was that their ship was transparent and most of the crew were too.  We make a deal with Captain Ghedrinn Lassan after besting our best fighter in one-on-one combat.  The fight wasn't to the death, but to when the other had become bloodied with wounds.

We reach Lylar and Zasheena's laboratory where we are to prepare the poison, but find the place in shambles.  Apparently her lab assistants were performing an unauthorized experiment that went awry and after scolding them to get the place back up into working condition, we help her fix her notes on how to create the poison.  All goes smoothly and we soon depart to infect the nearby aqueduct supplying the drinking water.

We make it to the entrance and find the place in darkness, once our lead fighter cracked his sunrod and moved forward a bit, our cleric warned us of sounds of monsters preparing an ambush.  We run into two Talons of Tiamat, two Drakkoth Venomshots, and one Greenspawn Godslayer.  We take out the Talons first, and then the Godslayer, and finally finish off with the two Venomshots, who have a nasty blast.  We press forward and complete our mission to introduce the poison into the aqueduct water system.  Once complete, we head back to the laboratory.

No sooner are we back than we set off again with more poison giving to agents and explaining how they are to infect the nearby water and food systems.  After this task is complete, we have one poison satchel left.  We are to poison the local watering hole of the Green Duchess herself.  We set out immediately and poison the hole, we then recognize the timing and set ambush for the Green Duchess.  When the green dragon shows, we jump upon it with such ferocity, that it is defeated within a couple seconds.  The poison had done its thing, making the dragon easier to slay.  However, a black dragon with bones showing through its skin came and told us that we had slew the Green Duchess's daughter and that we had earned places upon its hunting list from now until eternity.  The dracolich then grabbed the body of the green dragon and hauled it away towards the Green Duchess's lair.

We ended there.  Still don't understand why the dracolich didn't kill us right away.  I'm sure it could have.

Anyway, until next time, safe gaming and have fun.

Living Forgotten Realms ABER 4-2 (Spoiler)

It all started when we received a letter from Father Thorn, the leader of the Scions of Amber, inviting us to the Salty Wench Tavern in Marrauk, which is one of the Dusk Ports in Returned Abeir.  Our journey to the city is uneventful, but can see why Father Thorn had warned us about the weather.  The city is in the middle of a windy plain where sand has scoured every exposed surface of the city.  We put on our hoods and cloaks to protect us from the elements and make our way to the Salty Wench.  The people in town keep to themselves and shy away from anyone nearby, but we eventually find someone who's willing to point out the direction of the tavern.

Inside is clean and warm which we welcome from the sand outside.  We are directed to a private booth near the back by the barkeep when we inquire and meet Father Thorn.  With the wind outside howling, it is going to be difficult to overhear our conversation.  He explains that when the Spellplague, he calls it the Blue Breath of Change, erupted, there were deposits of an element known as dragonbane amber unearthed throughout the region.  He tells that it is known that the element can be used to defeat dragons and help end their rule.  Legends spouts that the amber is a powerful and near instantaneous poison against dragons.  It can be used to make weapons and holds the best chance the Scions have of overthrowing the dragons.  He also tells of a stronghold once held by rebels known as Djerad Kusold in Melabrauth containing a massive amount of the element.  The dragons actually feared this outpost.  Melauthaur the Undying One, ruler of Melabrauth performed a ritual that caused the outpost to be swallowed by the earth which earned it the title of The Swallowed City.  Since that occurred, hordes of dragonborn have sought these ruins, but none ever return.  No book, including the ancient history books which the dragons didn't destroy, mention not where this fabled city lies nor what dwells within.  Father Thorn mentions a dragonborn who died soon after entering the town and collapsed right in this very tavern.  His possessions were a scroll that was used as a journal, and if believed, details his journey to Djerad Kusold.  He doesn't offer payment, but tells us that the Swallowed City undoubtedly contains treasure, which we can use to compensate ourselves.

After agreeing to the mission of finding this amber, he gives us each a prism, to change an elemental attack to a different element.  We head out to find Djerad Kusold after reading the journal of the dead dragonborn.  We pass through jungle and rough terrain and a day out, we are beset by chuuls, one for each of us, though they be of different kinds of aberrant.  We defeat them and press on through the wilderness, finding a body of one held dear in town, we make note to tell of his death.  We find ourselves in front of two dragonborn skeletons within arms reach of a door, torn and burned.  The journal mentioned a red dragon.

We enter the chamber behind the door and make our way to the temple grounds within.  Massive doors block our way, but insignia helps guide our path.   Each door it seems has a certain key, which happens to be an element related to the inscription in draconic.  Luckily, we were not surprised when the dragon headed chimera, with her young, happened upon us.  We lost one in our fight, but after defeating this beast, we raised him from the dead.  We finished opening the remaining two doors and alighted to find some magic gear, weapons and the Dragonbane Amber.  We leave and report our findings.  The person we tell about the death of her brethren was relieved and promises a boon while Father Thorn, first overjoyed by our return and report of finding the place, loses that steam when we inform him that the place although containing a small quantity of the element probably wasn't Djerad Kusold.  We part ways for now.

This adventure was short, but the fights were both difficult and the skill challenge wasn't exactly a piece of cake.  Watch out for fatigue if you fail, it doesn't not suck. (yes, I know, a double negative)

Until next time, safe gaming and have fun, which is exactly what we did that day.

Living Forgotten Realms ABER 4-1 (Spoiler)

I am playing my 13th level Rogue named Zarkon Darkwater, my friends are Chris, Brian, and Laura.  Chris has a 12th level Sorcerer named Alan, Brian has a 12th level Fighter named Stormson, and Laura has a 14th level Cleric named Shava.

 The adventure starts when we are invited to Returned Abeir for the Scions of Amber (a meta-org within LFR) and when we are to meet our contact in the city, we are attacked by the Green Duchess Orlarrakh and Prince Maroon in the middle of the festival in Tarsith.  We were enjoying the different vendors and merchants in the festival when people started screaming and yelling.  Low and behold, two dragonish figures are seen flying towards the festival square.  People are busy getting out of the way, but there are still some kids that are scared stiff and we try to rescue them by blocking the attacks of the monster, what we know as a hydra with three heads, and take the damage instead.  We could only save three of the kids as the last one kinda suicided himself by not quite making it out of one of the hydra's zones.  After whittling down the hydra past bloody to less than a surge value, it leaves, but it took a long time and we almost died, however we didn't and we were escorted from the square to the building where the children had shuffled off to by the leader of the Scions of Amber, Father Thorn.

We are then asked to train their men in case the headquarters is attacked, help extend the duration of  some potions of mimicry, help cast a ritual to prevent scrying and oversee the excavation of an escape route to the docks.  We succeed in all aspects except casting the ritual to prevent scrying.  Our escape is ready, since we were identified by the hydra before it flew away and need to flee, but so is Orlarrakh who ordered the Tarandar to lead an assault on the Hive, the headquarters of the Scions of Amber.  We make it to our ship, the Emerald Glory that was procured for us and meet the Tarandar.  He says some words about this working out for the both of us and we stow ourselves in the lifeboats of the ship headed to Dusklan; with us is Drogen, Father Thorn's nephew, and Father Thorn himself.  Not long after we set out, around dusk, there is an explosion above deck and we swim to a nearby shore.  We set up tents and a campfire and Father Thorn suggests three-hour shifts to stand watch.  During the third watch, Stormson alerts us with a shout as we are attacked by creatures out of the sea.  We almost die a second time, but manage to defeat them.  It turned out that Drogen was a mimic, but we capture him instead of killing him like the sea monsters.

We make our way to Dusklan and Father Thorn leads us to a dusty house that looks like its been unoccupied for years, but it provides much needed rest.  In the morning he thanks us, asks us if we are ready to repay the deaths of the members who drank the potions mimicry to pretend to be us so the Green Duchess thinks we're dead, he says the time for such is soon.