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 Catchup: Games Forty-Nine through Fifty-Four

Dragonreach has been rife with even more heroic, perilous, and occasionally fatal adventures over the last two months.  So, another quick "catchup post" is required!  

In the Forty-Ninth foray into Dragonreach, a band of adventurers undertook a mission for the Resurrectors' Guild to put down a zombie "strike" in a mine.  The zombie laborers had gained a level of sentience from prolonged exposure to rare dragonshards, and thus were demanding actual pay for their labor.  The party initially teamed up with a noble paladin who was also seeking to end the zombie "threat," but ultimately sided with the undead labor force and slew the paladin and his cohort.

In the Fiftieth foray into Dragonreach, a band of unscrupulous, younger adventurers agreed to hunt and slay a celestial unicorn, and return its severed horn to the Knights of the Order of Nessus for some dark purpose.  Several members of the band nearly perished while fighting the beast (which was tougher than it looked) and driving off a band of orcs (also attempting to capture it for their own purposes) and some pixies (trying to save the beautiful creature).

In the Fifty-First foray into Dragonreach, a band ventured into the sewers beneath Pyre, only to find (and subdue) a wererat named "Ratcatcher" who offered to show them a secret wizard's hideout in exchange for his release.  The hideout held a malfunctioning planar-travel machine that took the party on a whirlwind tour of several outer planes (whose denizens were quite hostile) before dumping them back into the city.

In the Fifty-Second foray into Dragonreach, a band of young heroes took a mission to hunt a fearsome yeti, and wound up battling a white dragon wyrmling!  Few details are available, since this poor scribe was unable to attend...

In the Fifty-Third foray into Dragonreach, a band agreed to help defend the fishing village of Flotsam from some vaguely describe menace ... only to find that the entire town was in the thrall of (and being turned into mutants by) a dreaded aboleth!

And, finally, in the Fifty-Fourth foray into Dragonreach, a band of young heroes assaulted a wizard's tower infested with slimy dooms and murderous suits of armor that would "bind" to a hero and force them to leap into a pit to their deaths!  The renown anti-hero and necromancer known as "Shanks" meet his unfortunate demise during this adventure.  Raise ye a tankard to the fallen!

More Dragonreach adventures coming soon!

Game Thirty-One: The World Beyond the Wall (Kids' Game)

In the 31st game in Dragonreach, a band of young heroes were hired to investigate the mysterious disappearance of three noble children.  

Their father swore that they had vanished into an old tapestry that he had purchased from a traveling mage.  And, he was right!  The heroes soon learned the secret to enter the magical world inside the tapestry...

The world of the tapestry seemed to bend to grant visitors' desires, and each of the children were trapped in fantasies they had constructed.  The young heroes freed the children after discovering that a demon calling itself "Giggling Pete" was behind it all...

A battle ensued around the mystical well at the center of the "tapestry pocket dimension," and "Pete" revealed his true demonic form...

Ultimately, "Pete" was defeated (but fled into the well), and the children were returned to their family.

Game Twenty-Six: Pegasus Hunt

In the 26th game in Dragonreach, a band of (mostly) young adventurers accepted a commission from the Pathfinders' Guild to procure pegasi - so that the guild could better scout and map the Isle of Dragonreach.

Our heroes sailed to an island where pegasi had been spotted, sabotaged their rivals (including Max Mannheim, who was also on board), and found that the pegasi were being raised by a storm giant who laired in a cloud castle above the island.  First, they contended with a pack of giant, carnivorous sheep being tended by a cyclops.  Then, they found an old, magical set of stairs that ascended up to the cloud island - but had to contend with the harpies that infested it...

Then, they poached the giant's prized pegasi - which kicked, bit, and tried to push them off the cloud island.  

But, ultimately, they were able to tame four of the beasts and claim a healthy reward from the Pathfinders.

Game Twenty-Four: Slayers of Turtleback Village

In the 24th game in Dragonreach, a group of mostly young heroes ventured to Turtleback Village in the Crawling Swamp, where there were rumors of a black dragon.  Consulting a local alchemist, they learned that she could brew a "Dragonbane Oil," provided she had the necessary ingredients (skullcap mushrooms, dragon bones, and ghoul's blood, among other rare ingredients).

After obtaining several flasks of the oil, the party found "the dragon" in a ruined vale filled with the hulks of wrecked ships and pools of acid.  And, they learned that "the dragon" was actually three young black dragons!

But, after a deadly fight, the heroes slew all three of the beasts!

Game Twenty-Two: The Well of Worlds (Kids' Game)

In the 22nd game in Dragonreach, a band of young heroes were hired by the Arcane Conclave to venture into a massive tree that was rumored to grow atop a magical cave known as the "Well of Worlds"...

After battling kobolds and mites, the heroes found the Well and ventured into its magical waters ... 

....and were transported to a strange void at the end of the universe.  There, they found a strange, mad mage and a host of flying heads with bat ears!

A battle ensued but the band quickly retreated, and claimed their reward for confirming the existence of the Well.

Game Seventeen: The Crawling Swamp

In the 17th game in Dragonreach, a "gold rush" began in the Crawling Swamp after rumors spread of an entire cavern full of dragonshards within its tangled depths.  The Overlord declared that he would award exclusive mineral rights to whomever found the cavern, and the Iron Company hired our heroes to explore the swamp on their behalf...

They managed to procure a map that was at least partially accurate...

They contended with trolls, rival adventurers, and other hazards, but eventually found a web-choked cavern infested with ettercaps and giant spiders.  

Defeating these monsters, the heroes prevailed!

Game Eleven: Coffin Recovery (Kids' Game)

In game eleven, a young band of heroes accepted a job from Lord Illusk Margrave, an unhealthy-looking noble of the misty, vampire-ruled land of Morovia...

He explained that a ship bearing vital supplies had been lost in dangerous waters along the Bitter Coast, and that he needed adventurers to protect the salvage operation...

It did not take our heroes long to realize that the lost "cargo" was actually a vampire coffin, belonging to Duchess Lorelei Varcona of Morovia.  And this was confirmed when the heroes were approached by a famous witch-hunter, Sir Harken, asking them to stake the vampire once its coffin was recovered...

A sharp eye was kept on the heroes by Bentley, Lord Margrave's servant, who accompanied them on the voyage...

The wreckage was found, but the heroes soon discovered that a marauding band of Sahuagin had sunk the ship using some magic that summoned a giant octopus!  Giant tentacles attacked their ship, and sea-devil raiders followed!

The Sahuagin shaman was driven off...

... and the coffin was retrieved.   The heroes voted and chose to honor their word and not stake the vampire, thus bringing a dark new power to the City of Pyre.