Dragonreach Catch-up (Games Seventy-Nine through Eighty-Eight)

It has been a busy year in Dragonreach, with all manner of heroic adventures - and, this poor scribe has fallen behind!  Here's a quick catch-up...

In the Seventy-Ninth foray into Dragonreach ("Escape from Gobo Island"), a band of heroes were tasked with rescuing a dragonborn noble whose ship had wrecked on an island infested with goblin criminals.  The so-called Red Prince was rescued, despite a shocking betrayal from within the party.

In the Eightieth foray into Dragonreach ("Isle in the Mist"), a band of heroes ventured forth to explore a strange, moving island that had floated into Pyre's shipping lanes - and recover a white dragon's egg from the frozen peak atop it!

In the Eighty-First foray into Dragonreach ("Hunt the Phoenix"), the adventurers raced rival bands in a hunt for a legendary beast on the isle of Croatoan...

In the Eighty-Second foray into Dragonreach ("The Lich"), a band of heroes helped an old dwarven hero defeat the lich he had long hunted...

In the Eighty-Third foray into Dragonreach ("Night at the Museum"), a group of adventurers took a contract to reclaim the haunted Museum of Pyre, looting the museum and pacifying its defenses in the process...

In the Eighty-Fourth foray into Dragonreach ("Cannonball Run"), a band partnered with the captain of the Nimble Tradesman to win the Cannonball Run - the most dangerous sea race in all of Dragonreach...

In the Eighty-Fifth foray into Dragonreach ("The Rescue"), a band of heroes rescued a lost, haughty nobleman from the wilds of Dragonreach...

In the Eighty-Sixth foray into Dragonreach ("Island of the Kobolds"), a band took a contract from the Iron Company to reclaim a mining camp from a horde of savage kobolds...

In the Eighty-Seventh foray into Dragonreach ("The Wyvern Riders"), our heroes were hired to stop attacks by the Forsaken barbarians on ships travelling to the bleak, frozen northern settlement of Boreal.  Not only did the adventurers succeed, they managed to loot a forge of fire giants for extra treasure!

In the Eighty-Eighth foray into Dragonreach ("Goblin Market"), the elvish lord Elmaer Goldensmile Ilithro of House Lethdrew hired a band of heroes to escort him to a magical goblin market in the feywild - and then tried to trade them for favors to the faeries of the Summer Court!  When our heroes learned of this planned betrayal, they slew Goldensmile in short order...

Games Sixty-Six through Seventy-Two: Lizard Men, Dalton, Goblin Tanks, Gratuitous Nudity, Forsaken, and Even an Election!

It has been an eventful few months in Dragonreach, since the near destruction of the city by an ancient red dragon!  A quick recap to catch up our fellow adventurers...

In the Sixty-Sixth foray into Dragonreach ("Evil Swamp"), a band of heroes boarded a boat to explore a deadly swamp and hunt down a fearsome tribe of lizard men who had been attacking merchants.  A short stop at a cursed swamp island was ill-advised, and led to the party's ship almost being sunk by a horde of skeletons...

And, the lizard-men island was only cleared through a deadly battle...

In the Sixty-Seventh foray into Dragonreach ("Roadhouse"), a band of heroes took a job to clean up a remote tavern plagued by Duergar bandits, extortionist kung-fu monks from the Jade Wasps, and other troubles...

In the Sixty-Eighth foray into Dragonreach ("Dirty Business"), a band plunged into the ancient sewers beneath Dragonreach, facing off against ratmen and vampires, racing against rivals to find the lost Temple of Swords...

In the Sixty-Ninth foray into Dragonreach ("The Great Goblin Machine"), a band was hired by the Overlord to track down some goblins who had absconded with a terrible war machine... 

In the Seventieth foray into Dragonreach ("Naked and Afraid"), a band woke on a strange island drugged and bereft of their equipment, and hunted for sport by an evil adventurer...

In the Seventy-First  foray into Dragonreach ("Only Murderers in the Fort"), a band of heroes were hired to hold a remote fort against an army of Forsaken barbarians -- even while a devious murderer was picking off the defenders...

In the Seventy-Second foray into Dragonreach ("The Conclave"), a band hired on as security for the Arcane Conclave, which was holding an election for the new High Archmagus.  Things did not go as planned...

Fortunately, a reputable wizard won the election...

Dragonreach Returns! (Games Thirty-Four and Thirty-Five)

At long last, thanks to miracle injections devised by the most ingenious wizards of the Arcane Conclave, the exploration of Dragonreach has resumed! 

The adventure began with (DM John) a foray into the perilous north in search of a missing band of adventurers hired by the Arcane Conclave (and the arcane dragonshard finder the fools had lost!).  Our heroic band tracked them to the territory of the savage Forsaken and assaulted the barbarian village to mount a rescue...

Unfortunately, the Forsaken's treasure left something to be desired - as one brave half-orc wizard discovered when he attempted to engage in a bit of looting during the battle...

The party then used the dragonshard finder to track down the stone the defeated band was seeking.  But, they faced a terrible, invisible lizard monster as well as strangely familiar rivals...

But, ultimately, the Duke's band was driven off, and our heroes returned triumphant with the dragonshard!

The next evening, a different band undertook a dangerous foray into the ancient sewers beneath dragonreach - battling giant snails, rot-grub infested shambling mounds, and a bizarre cult of quasi-mind flayers attempting to revive the Shining Path cult!  Fortunately, our heroes were able to slay the cultists and the proto-elder brain they were creating!

To be continued...

Game Three: The Forsaken Hills

In the third session, a band of stalwart heroes ventured north of Pyre, into the Forsaken Hills, to find rare Dragonshards (and hunt strange mutant barbarians) for the Arcane Conclave.

The barbarians were fearsome, ambushing the party while ascending a great cliff...

But, eventually, the party managed to battle its way to the ruins where they barbarians were working some fell magic.  They were quickly slain.