Session 38 - Unknown
Session 38 - Unknown
Date: 5/10/25
DM: Wes
Summary
Last we saw Deez Nuts they were following Keyleth’s pixies through the Wymrwood and had stopped to camp for the night.
The next day, the party encountered two Sporeshade Myconid and a Glade Gorger. The mushrooms and tentacles were no match for the adventurers and Karma, using her herbalism and alchemy kits, was able to harvest a slightly damaged Verdant Core and 2 spore shade caps. Once the part returns to civilization, these can be used to create potions of growth and farefire bombs.
Further into the woods they encounter deadly assassins that attack from a hidden position. The battle goes back and forth with the party successfully capturing one of the assassins by trapping him in a spike growth.
The captured assassin does not fear the party as he is certain that he will be brought back to life as the head of the dragon cult has done for him before. This assassin has been working for the dragon cult for more than 250 years. Even when told about the Raven Queens Crossbow he was disbelieving.
During the interrogation he also shared hat the head of the dragon cult is a Wyrmspeaker named Severin and that he is somewhere in the north. Having gotten everything he would offer, Gootcha added him to the list of people sent directly to the Raven Queen.
The party strips the assassin of everything he owned and found he was well equipped.
Wyvernspire Crossbow (gives poisoned status for 1 round) Cloak of Elvenkind (advantage on Hide, disadvantage on being found) Scroll of Mirror Image (defensive spell) Gold! Finally, the end of the journey is in sight. The first thing the party sees is the maw—a gaping, jagged abyss, lined with rows of serrated fangs, each one longer than a man’s forearm. The skull of an elder black dragon, colossal in size, is half-buried in the earth, its obsidian bones etched with centuries of rain, rot, and lingering magic. Vines slither through the eye sockets like serpents, and the hollow, empty gaze of the dragon seems to watch the party’s every move.
The air reeks of damp decay, thick with the scent of bog water, old bones, and something acrid—something draconic. As they step closer, their boots sink slightly into the soft, blackened earth, as if the land itself remembers the corruption that once seeped from this beast.
Carved into the skull’s forehead, in ancient Elvish and Draconic, are the words:
"Here lies Nythrazhul, the Plague of the Emerald Vale—slain by Veylan Duskbane, hunter of wyrms. Let none disturb this sacred rest."
But the tomb has been disturbed.
The entrance to the tomb is the dragon’s throat, leading down into a tunnel of fossilized bone and collapsed stone. The ribcage forms a crude archway, and the deeper you step, the more the world above fades, swallowed by the skeletal remains of the ancient beast.
A lingering, spectral presence brushes against your mind—whispers of battle, the clash of steel against scales, the agonized roar of a dying dragon. The further you descend, the more the air changes—cold, stale, carrying the scent of wet stone and something rotten beneath the surface. The walls shift from dragon bone to worked stone, ancient elven masonry reinforced with iron-banded doors that have been forced open recently. When the party enters the tomb proper they see an Adult Red Dragon crouching on a rock.
He says to the party: "You—you’re real, aren’t you? This is no trick! No whispers—no illusions!" The dragon’s voice is desperate, tinged with frustration and exhaustion. "I won’t fall to ghosts, and I won’t fall to you!"
The dragon disappears deeper into the tomb and the spirit of an Elf appears. The spirit (who must be Veylan Duskbane ) looks to Keyleth and says "Swarmkeeper, you've heeded my call. This dragon has been ravaging the area, slaughtering people in the surrounding villages. But he made one mistake, he made his lair here in my tomb where I still have some power.
I've been able to trap him here but I am not strong enough to finish him. Come, we must slay this dragon!
Go to my sarcophogas and fetch my sword, Wyrmreaver! Together we'll rid the world of this abomination!
The party moves through the tunnels to the sarcophagas and suspects a trap of some sort. They cast detect magic and carefully look for traps while a Huge Red Dragon looks on and prepares his horrific breath weapon.
Keyleth finally picks up the sword and the party attempts to bargain with the dragon.
The dragon, Vaartox the Red , is desperate to escape the tomb. He promises that he will head to the north far from where the cult is attempting to summon Tiamat. Vaartox swears he will limit his destruction to a reasonable amount if the party will help him defeat Veylan’s spirit so he can escape.
There is much discussion about whether Vaartox is an abomination that deserves to be killed or if his destruction is part of the natural order.
During these discussions it comes out that Vaartox himself is responsible for the destruction of Keyleth’s home. He was sent as part of The Ashen Covenant , a band of 5 chromatic dragons, that served the Cult of the Dragon and worked to pre-emptively destroy threats to Tiamat’s eventual summoning.
They were sent to the Glimmerwood to remove the threat etched in The Prophecy of the Thorn-Born Star :
“When five heads rise from shadow’s root, and fire devours the gates of fate, A child of thorn and flame shall wake— Guided by swarm, her truth unseen, Her arrows pierce what gods have dreamed.”
“From grove forgotten, soul reborn, She turns the tide with forest’s thorn.”
Vaartox realized that Keyleth is the Thorn-Born Star / Brat but is willing to look past her future transgressions in exchange for his freedom.
He offers to trade the identities of the Ashen Covenant for his freedom, and as a sign of good faith offers up the name Tharzyzzul the Black – Lord of Drowned Temples.
But the party, seeking vengeance and justice face off with Vaartox with Veylan’s spirit at their side. During the battle, Xanphina directs her ancestor spirits to shield one of her comrades and five ghostly orc champions rise, bearing ancient tribal symbols and each wielding a different weapon. Xanphina sees a Great Axe, a Trident, a Greatsword, a Warhammer, and a Flail. Never before have the guardians been visible in this way.
The orc champions form a wedge around Alexios, deflecting part of the dragon’s damage. The orc in the center shouts, “The blood of Tazrith the Ember-Wyrm runs in your veins dragon but your ancestor failed to The Skarhald Clan and it will be your undoing!"
Vaartox responds: The ghosts of Skarhald... still clinging to their cause like ash to old bone.” “Yes, I know of them. Tazrith was commanded to annihilate your bloodline—not for what you were, but for what you refused to become.”
“The Skarhald clan defied the dragon gods. They refused to kneel. And for that, Tiamat ordered their destruction from her throne in Avernus.”
(He snarls with a gleam of cruel amusement.) “Your kin died screaming, not because they were weak—but because they dared to fight fate and I'll get immense pleasure from finishing the job!"
Before this there may have been the chance of allowing Vaartox to live but no more. In his final moment, Vaartox brought down Alexios and Bucephalus with a vicious cone of dragon fire but was immediately brought down by Shade.
As Vaartox took his final breath, Gootcha finally caught up with the party as she came around the corner in the tunnel.
The party searches the tomb and finds Veylan’s hoard, the first true hoard found by the party. They find:
4,400 Copper 14,000 Silver 29,000 Gold 2,300 Platinum 4x Mundane Items Several embroidered throw pillows depicting wyrmling dragons A stuffed Mind Flayer A kneeling bench etched by acid (commonly used by dragon worshippers when addressing the dragon) A sketchbook from another world of the Material Plane, depicting unfamiliar creatures and one very familiar dragon 23 Black Gems worth 1,000GP each 7 small golden statues depicting wood elves worth 750gp each 4x Magic Items Jaunty Boots Superior Potion of Healing Elemental Gem - Red Corundum 5x Beads of Force Additionally, Veylan directs Keyleth to take the rest of the belongings buried with him to help the party in their quest to stop Tiamat. They receive:
Dragon Scalemail of the Wyrmwood Winged Boots Ring of Evasion Wyrmreaver (longsword) As Karma returns life to Alexios desecrated body, he experiences a vision from Athena, “You have exacted vengeance against impossible odds. Be guided by my sight, Acolyte”. With Athena’s sight guiding him in battle, he is able to leap into battle more quickly.
After resting for the evening, the party discusses the events with Veylan to see if there is more they should know.
Veylan asks what those in his order of the Emerald Enclave call themselves. The Talons of Veylan? What? Am I a bird of Prey?
He suggests to keyleth that they call themselves The Branch Managers. Key disagrees.
As the founder of the Emerald Enclave - Talons of Veylan , he bestows upon Key the rank of Talon Initiate, the 2nd level in the Emerald Enclave. Through her dragon hunt and extermination she learns the secrets of damage resistance.
Veylan knows of the Skarhald clan as they were active and eradicated during his time more than 700 years ago. The five that appeared during the battle were the 5 most dedicated warriors. While the Orc spirits were no longer present, Veylan learned that Xanphina should seek their final resting places and help their spirits return to their home in Starspire Grove. (Starspire Grove is east of the High Moor near the foothills of the greypeak mountains).
Veylan does not know their final resting places, just that they were drawn away from their home by the cults of the dragon to reduce their strength. He mentions that Xanphina already bears the Trident of Zarhanna.
When Veylan died, he had believed that the dragon Balagos the Flame Tyrant was responsible for the destruction of the Starspire Grove but does not know if he is still alive today or where his lair would be.
The party leaves the tomb and goes back to the Druids to report the good news. The druids are surprised but happy to see the party return with no missing members. (They politely say nothing of the burnt nature of Alexios’s clothing and armor).
When they hear of the Vaartox and the ashen covenant, Sylwen says that she has been hunting the Ashen Covenant for the past 50 years but had no idea one of their number was the dragon in these woods. She had only learned the identity of two of the dragons:
Xhaerenth the Blue - Stormking of the Shattered Spine Sevaltharix the Green - Poisoner of Dreams Xhaerenth is somewhere in the spine of the world and Sevaltharix was last seen during an attack on Citadel Adbar, north of the Nether mountains.
She advises the party to seek rumors of dragons wherever they travel.
Thalara Mistgrove speaks with Karma and consoles her that some dragons can not be reasoned with and must be removed from the balance. Over the past few years the frequency of dragons becoming abominations to the natural order and Thalara fears this will be more common as the cult of the dragon gathers more power for the return of Tiamat.
Thalara bestows upon Karma the rank off Grovekeep, the first rank in the Emerald Enclave - Scales of Eldath .
The party leaves the druid circle and heads back to their flying castle. The party decides they will head to Baldur’s Gate by air, then Neverwinter by water to eventually make it back to Phandalin where Halia has called to Shade.
On their way to the castle the party is met by a random traveller that in no way raises the party suspicions. But his Harp amulet and the correct response to sharp eyes indicates he is a harper. He was sent to warn the party of assassins sent to kill them. The party realizes these must be the same assassins they have dispatched almost a week ago in the Wyrmwood forest.
He informs the party that if they need information, to seek out the Harper Guild Halls in Elturel, Neverwinter, or Baldur’s Gate. He also provides Gootcha with a magical book that receives intelligence found by the harper spy network and changes over time. (provides proficiency and expertise in Arcana - The intelligence will appear in the World Anvil wiki)
The party reaches the castle and begins the trip to Baldur’s Gate only to be attacked by a white dragon, Iskralathrax, the Frost-Tongue , near Elturel. Bernie had befriended some Stone Giants that were manning the ballista towers and a huge stone thrown by one of their number brought the dragon out of the air where the party and allies made quick work of him, exactly as the DM planned.
The rest of the journey was uneventful and the party made it to Baldur’s Gate. They found an armorer in the Lower City that will research how to turn the White and Red dragon scales into some sort of armor useful to the party. He directed them to an Arcanist in the Upper City to see if anything can be done with the White Dragon Horn they found.
On their way to the Upper City, Gootcha spots a thieves guild location that specializes in information. The guild member will seek out a trustworthy ship captain heading to the north. He guarantees that the party will not be on the receiving end of any pirate attacks if they travel with this captain.
And in a lucky coincidence, the arcanist is a member of the Harpers and his shop is actually the harper guild hall. Since meeting the harper on the trail, the harpers have been looking for more information on the Ashen Covenant. They found the final name, Vyndraethis the White – Bane of the frozen coast. But have not found anything more on where the dragons might be. He recommends going to the North and searching for rumors of dragon activity there that might match the members of the Ashen Covenant.
They do not yet have any information on the locations of the Orc heroes but the harper is able to clear up part of the party’s map for the area east of the High Moor with the Greypeak mountains. The party notices two locations of interest – Llorkh and Parnast. Llorkh has Orc in the name and Parnast was the location of the hunting lodge and Skyreach Castle.
The party decides to spend the night in a luxurious Inn in the Upper City with big questions for the next day. Do they travel to phandalin directly to meet with Halia? Should they search for information on the Ashen Covenant? Should they search out Orc clans for their myths and histories to find the final resting places of the Skarhald Clan heroes?
XP Awards
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Notable Characters
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Locations
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Factions Involved
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Items Found
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