About the Dragonreach Campaign (Pinned)

DRAGONREACH is a D&D campaign involving multiple DMs (Tom, John, Travis, and hopefully more soon) and several dozen players.  It is a "drop-in" campaign that meets every couple weeks, with all the players adventuring in the same world.  It began in December 2018, and is still going strong years later, with more than 50+ games completed to date.

A link to the (waaaaay too long) HOUSE RULE PACKET (updated Nov. 2023) is HERE.  It has all the rules for character creation, earning and using Dragonshards (our version of D&D 5e Inspiration), and spending gold on titles, holdings, and memberships in various factions (which give characters bonus starting Dragonshards as well as many other benefits).

Dragonreach - A Land Unconquered

This land yields to no master.  Fearsome beasts, savage hordes, and unspeakable horrors await any who would try to claim it.  The elves tried first, crossing the Sea of Storms in their tall ships, but their towers were razed and toppled.  The dwarves came next, but they, too, were driven into isolated holds and all-but exterminated.  Man, as is often the case, has been slow to learn.  At least six separate attempts have been made to claim the Isle of Dragonreach, each ending in fiery cataclysm.  The seventh such attempt is underway now...

After borrowing titanic sums from a number of kingdoms and merchant princes, the mighty and ruthless Invincible Overlord of Dragonreach, Setebos Du'Graal, has reclaimed and is rebuilding the port city of Pyre.  Adventurers from every land have been called to assist the effort, lured with the promise of wealth beyond measure, as well as lordships, titles, and their own fiefdoms if Dragonreach can be tamed.

The land about you is said to be filled with all manner of incredible treasures, scattered across the ruins of both ancient civilizations and prior, would-be conquerors.  But, above all, only in Dragonreach can the incredible crystals known as "Dragonshards" be found.  They are said to be the most potent form of raw magic anywhere in the world...

Games Ninety-Six to Ninety Eight: Orc Trials, an Orc War, and Werewolves Everywhere!

In the Ninety-Sixth foray into Dragonreach ("My Cousin Orky"), a band of adventurers was hired to defend a "cousin" of Lord Gelgaran "Goldsword" Dross in a trial being held by the Orcs of the Savage Tusk Tribe.  Turns out the cousin was accused of assassinating the tribe's queen - but, obviously, he was totally innocent (yeah, right).

The orcish legal system being what it is, our heroes faced multiple rounds of ritual combat, feats of strength, etc. - but finally succeeded in freeing the defendant.

In the Ninety-Seventh foray into Dragonreach ("The Orc War - Part One"), it turns out the orcs did not take kindly to having their queen's assassin go free.  So, three orc tribes (the Greenskin Tribe, the Savage Tusk Tribe, and the Ironback Tribe) united in a full-out assault on the southern outpost of Fort Torch.

Our heroes rallied a small force of peasants and mercenaries in a bloody defense of Dead Orc Pass - allowing the Overlord to reinforce the south.  But, while the orcs have been rebuffed for now, no peace has been negotiated, and the war could resume at any time.

In the Ninety-Eighth foray into Dragonreach ("The Mine Has Run Dry"), a band of adventurers was hired to investigate a Dragonshard mining operation that was experienced unexpected losses, with shipments vanishing as soon as they were mined.  As it turns out, the shards were being eaten by a (now, magically empowered) group of werewolf-guards.  Fortunately, the werewolves proved no match for our heroes - despite some unfortunate losses in the fight.

Fortunately(?), the rogue familiar "Sir Bark Twain" survived (despite Ork'Tosh's best efforts) and fled into the night.

That's all for now - but more Dragonreach adventures coming soon!

Games Ninety-Three to Ninety-Five: Wintermoon, Gremlins and Blightmaw!

 Woefully behind on updating the deeds of the heroes of Dragonreach, so here are two quick updates...

In the Ninety-Third foray into Dragonreach ("Gremishka"), a band of adventurers  took a job guarding a bank in the remote settlement of King's Falls over the Wintermoon holiday.  It proved an easy enough task, but a young clerk's strange pet turned out to be allergic to magic or something - multiplying whenever exposed, and with each "generation" growing more aggressive...

Things quickly got out of hand...

 

But, fortunately, our heroes were able to lure all (maybe?) of the little devils out onto a frozen lake, and drown them.

* * *

In the Ninety-Fourth foray into Dragonreach, a band of heroes went to the North Pole to ... wait?  Come on - we all know Sinterclaws isn't real!  Take that stuff somewhere else...

* * * 

In the Ninety-Fifth foray into Dragonreach ("The Hunt for Blightmaw"), a band of adventurers took to hunt the legendary crocodile "Blightmaw."  It seemed an easy enough task - after all, it is not like they were hunting a dragon or anything.  As things turned out, Blightmaw was a bit more than an ordinary crocodile...

That's all for now - but more Dragonreach updates coming soon!

Game Ninety-Two: Feast for the Roast Lord!

 In the Ninety-Second foray into Dragonreach ("Feast for the Roast Lord!"), the city's adventurers took a holiday to celebrate The Gorging!

Unfortunately, some were drugged and carried off to a secret subterranean temple dedicated to "The Devourer," the god of sloth and gluttony...

And there, they were to feed Gobblor the Roast Lord, demon prince of turkeys...

Our heroes battled Gobblor (and other horrors), and managed to flee the dungeon before they were devoured.  But, they did stop during their exodus to slay the cultists responsible for their kidnapping.

Game Ninety-One: The Fine Art of Murder-Hobo'ism (with special guest Jorn Thork)

In the Ninety-First foray into Dragonreach ("The Fine Art of Murder-Hobo'ism"), a motley crew of villains undertook a job to "persuade" the village of Gromlett to resume paying the Nightfingers thieves' guild protection money.  The more terror the party could cause, the greater the chance that the village would submit...

The villains struck quickly, brutally murdering the village wizard (Mardasper the Marvelous) by hurling him from his tower, and kidnapping a renown halfling painter (Marcellus Brushbloom) and forcing him to paint portraits of several party members...

Unfortunately, the villains picked a fight with the retired orc adventurer Jorn Thork - killing his dog and defiling his wife's grave...

After Thork nearly beat several of them to death, they managed to drive him off.  And succeeded in their mission by attacking the village in broad daylight on market day (albeit with several casualties).  But, the survivors fear that Thork will return for his revenge...

Game Ninety: Against the Jade Wasps!

In the Ninetieth foray into Dragonreach ("Marked for Death"), a band of younger heroes undertook a body-guarding job for Warder Trasker of the Grey Wolves, protecting the merchant Gervais Vandrake. 

Apparently, Gervais had acquired an Efreeti Bottle for Poison Dragon, a member of the Jade Wasps - but refused to turn it over.  

After foiling several attempts to steal the bottle, the heroes bravely fought off waves of Jade Wasp kung-fu fighters.  But, to save the merchant's life, they ultimately agreed to turn the bottle over.

Game Eighty-Nine: The Nest

In the Eighty-Ninth foray into Dragonreach ("The Nest"), a band of adventurers undertook a commission to track down some mimic blood for Archimedes the Potion-Maker, at the Arcane Conclave.  The wizard offered a hefty bonus if a mimic could be found and delivered alive.
The heroes headed into the district of Fleatown, where rumor said a mimic had been hunting.  They quickly found a sizeable one posing as an outhouse.  

But, it was not alone - a veritable horde of mimics burst forth from the trash-filled streets.  The heroes managed to subdue one of the smaller mimics, and attempted to flee.  But then, they found what was responsible for so many mimics - a massive house-sized "mother" mimic that was birthing them!  

However, battling the massive mimic both inside its gullet and outside in the street, they were able to slay it.  Thus, they earned not only a handsome reward, but also the gratitude of the few surviving residents of Fleatown.