Session #95
23 H’rarmont (13:00)
After the Draconians defeated, a group of Dwarven guards and Torgun Mugdeep, a council member comes up to the main floor to see if they can help. At that moment, the 6 guards that were captive tell you that they will head over to the main door and guard it.
Heimdall notices that they are walking in a single file, not in normal dwarven formation. He yells at them stop, and the 6 dwarven guards run towards to main doors and exit the town hall. You group runs after them and notices that 2 of them have transformed into Sivak Draconians.
You engage and attack them in combat. They all fall.
When the last Sivak fall to his death, you hear the sound of the same horns that earlier emptied the city of draconians and hobgoblins that went towards the West.
You send Korbin at a view point to see what is happening.
This time, the horn seems to have a different call, all of the remaining Draconians & Hobgoblins move towards the west, leaving the city almost abandoned.
In the distance, from the Western ridge of Hillhome, a dark mass emerges on the horizon—draconians, hobgoblins, hundreds of them, marching / running back towards the village.
At their center, a blue dragon flying over, scorched and bleeding, one wing dragging uselessly in the dirt. Its rider, armor blackened—leans low over the saddle, clutching the reins with a white-knuckled grip.
But then—the Dragon army turns North, The lead units, turning not toward Hillhome, but away. The formation turns north, then veers sharply east, breaking into a full, disordered retreat.
After a minute, The sun breaks through the clouds. The smell of smoke still lingers in the air, silence follows the retreat of the Dragonarmy.
From the western road, where the forest meets the valley, the ground begins to shake.
First, a low tremble. Then a steady rumble. And then… the gleam of polished shields reflect the suns light.
Over the ridge they come—rank after rank of dwarves, banners snapping in the breeze. War drums pound a slow, triumphant rhythm.
One thousand strong. An unbreakable wall of iron and stone.
At the head of the column, astride a heavily-armored ram steed with a large dwarf.
At this time you decide to take care of the remaining Draconians that are under Le Nordais’ spell.
When you return inside the town Hall, Torgun tells you that they have taken care of the remaining draconians.
You exit the town hall and at the bottom of the steps you are greated by a large dwarf riding the back of a heavily-armored ram steed.
This is King Hornfel Kytil with about 200 Dwarven warriors. The other 800 hundred remained on the outside of the village.
The Hillhome council exits the town hall right after you, accompanied by Ruberik (Heindall’s brother), Kili and Mama).
He dismounts, handing his weapon to a guard, and walks forward.
“So… Hillhome stands. And thanks to you, again Dwarves are saved.
He looks at the HillHome Council emerging from the town hall, then turns back to your group with a proud nod.
“You’ve done what many would not. What many have not. You didn’t leave Hillhome to the flames.
Then Hornfel turns to his assembled army and shouts:
“Hillhome is free again! The dwarven Army erupts into a cheer that echoes across the valley.
From the dwarves of Thorbardin… my Mountain friends, you are kin and we fight, together to the end.
Some discussions occure between Hornfel, yourselves and the HillHome council. Hornfel offers to the village of Hillhome to take refuge in Thorbardin, where it is well defended and safe. The Hillhome council retires to discuss the offer.
In the meantime, all the remaining 775 villagers return to their homes.
The blue dragon army seems to have retreated to the North East.
You return to the inn to eat, rest and next morning, travel to the Garnet Gatehold Mines to get closer to Palanthas.
The council decides to take King Hornfel’s offer and take refuge in the Kingdom of Thorbardin.
24 H’rarmont (07:00)
Next morning, the villagers start preparation and leave for Thorbardin. Your group heads to the cemetary where the teleportation sigils are located, and teleport to the Garnet Gatehold Mines.
After passing through the portal, you find yourselves standing in a circular chamber of ancient dwarven craft. The walls are dark granite. Dust-laced air fills your lungs, tinged with iron and age.
As you make your way up to the only exit, 2 stone guardians start to move towards you. Le Nordais recalls that Arman Kharas used a password to deactivate the traps when entering and exoting Thorbardin through the sigils. Le Nordais speaks the word, “Stoneblood” and the two guardians return to there initial position facing the teleportation sigil.
The exit leads to a long hall way, about 500 metres out, As you wind farther out of the mines, torchlight flickers against walls, the smooth stone bearing the marks of Dwarven tools long silenced.
Then—voices.
Rough, guttural, and too loud for comfort. Around a bend, the clamour of argument echoes off the narrow tunnel walls. You send Korben to investigate, and you hear the following :
“No! Me saw it first!” A thunderous stomp rattles dust from the ceiling.
“Yeh? Yeh saw it, but I licked it. That means it’s mine!”
Another voice cuts in, louder and slower than the rest. “You two is dumb. Fancy red rocks is magic. Maybe even... fire candy. Me should eat it. For safety.”
Three ogres, hunched and filthy, squat around a pile of glittering red gemstones. Their huge fingers poke and prod at the jewels with the same care one might give to a rotten potato. One ogre—bald, with a chipped tusk—keeps cradling a single large gem like a newborn, drooling slightly as he mutters, “So shiny…”
Another ogre, broader and meaner-looking, swings a great club over his shoulder menacingly. “We splits it three ways—unless someone wants to lose a foot.”
The third, with arms that drag the floor, picks at his ear absently. “We could ask the smart dragon man. He know rocks.”
A pause.
Then, almost in unison, the ogres shudder. “No dragon man,” the big one grumbles. “dragon man says we dumb. dragon man gets no rocks.”
From your vantage point, you can see that the gemstones—likely garnets, pure and uncut—catch the light like drops of frozen blood. And judging by the rising tension in the ogres’ voices and the subtle shift of their feet… it won’t be long before words turn into swings.
After approaching closer, you also see two blue crystals on the ground, one near the ogres and the other near the far-right exit.
You attack the ogre and defeat them.
Heimdall investigates the blue crystal, pull one of them out of the ground and a wave of arcane force explodes from the crystal and a spectral form appears over the crystal.
The blue spectral form asks who freed her, Heimdall responds that his did, and she immediately tells him to prepare to die,
