Dragonbane: Secret of the Dragon Emperor, Ep. 1

The company pushed through the knife-cut gully of the Drachmar Pass and found a gray-robed dwarf dying in the road, a black-fletched arrow jutting from his gut. With his rattling last breath he pressed a leather-wrapped bundle into Salt’s hands and whispered a charge: take it, find all four pieces, and seek the secret of the Dragon Emperor—“Leanara will understand. Master Weathervane.” Inside lay a map of the Misty Vale and a basalt fragment: armored feet upon a pedestal with the broken lower blade of a sword.

Goblins sprang their ambush from the rocks. Arrows thudded in; Alaric strode into the brush under a storm of shafts while Lacey’s roots tangled a raider and Salt finished him quick. A warg rider thundered onto the field, hurled Alaric through the slush, and howled his pack forward—until Ladrick drove a buried arrow deeper with brutal craft and dropped the beast. With their champion dead, the Nightkin scattered into the pass.

A harsh night’s camp led to the palisaded village of Outskirt and its Three Stags inn, where two poles of trouble pulled the room taut: Ophelia, a steel-clad knight of the Keepers of the Immaculate Flame, and Quasimund, a black mallard with red eyes and a table of dice and rough friends. When Alaric set the basalt piece on Ophelia’s table, Quasimund’s squawk silenced the common room. Annabella, the house girl, later whispered to Salt to come speak. That night, six of Quasimund’s ducks pried open the party’s door; the gang was bloodily repelled, and one thug was captured, bearing a note: meet at the Old Mill at midnight with the statuette. Annabella then revealed herself as a Truth Seeker and offered gold for each recovered fragment, along with rumors of where the other pieces might lie. With leads in hand and enemies watching, the company faced a choice of how to play the mill, the mallard, and the mystery of the Dragon Emperor’s statue.

OUTLINE:

A Charge in the Drachmar Pass

• Party found a dying gray-robed dwarf on the trail with a black-fletched arrow in his gut
• He pressed a leather bundle into Salt’s hands and whispered about Anara, Master Weathervane, four pieces, and the Dragon Emperor’s secret
• Inside the bundle: a map of the Misty Vale and a basalt statue fragment of armored feet and a broken sword

Ambush and the Fall of the Warg

• Goblins ambushed from rocks and brush with black-fletched arrows
• Alaric led the counter, Lacey trapped a raider, Salt finished him
• A warg rider charged; Ladrick rammed a buried arrow deeper and killed the beast, breaking the Nightkin’s morale
• The goblins fled; the party recovered bows, a spear, and a handful of silver

Outskirt and the Three Stags

• A harsh camp led to the palisaded village of Outskirt
• Inside the Three Stags: Ophelia, a knight of the Keepers of the Immaculate Flame, and Quasimund, a red-eyed black mallard with rough companions, watched each other
• When Alaric set the fragment before Ophelia, Quasimund reacted visibly
• Annabella, the house girl, quietly told Salt to speak with her later

Midnight Intrusion and Interrogation

• Six duck-thugs pried open the party’s room door at night
• Ladrick and Salt cut down the lead intruder; Theoline silently dispatched the rearmost
• The rest fled; one was captured
• On him: 14 silver and a note to deliver the statuette to the Old Mill at midnight

New Allies, New Leads

• Annabella revealed she belonged to the Truth Seekers and offered gold for each recovered fragment
• She shared rumors of where the remaining statue pieces might be located
• Vanghild warned Quasimund had too many friends and ready coin
• The party now weighed a baited rendezvous at the mill against rising attention from multiple factions

NPCs:

• Annabella: The Three Stags’ house girl who drew baths and swept floors, and quietly revealed herself as a member of the Truth Seekers. She offered gold for each statue fragment and rumors of where to hunt them.
• Dying Dwarf in Gray Robes: A nameless messenger who passed the basalt fragment and a dire charge to the party before death took him.
• Hearth Hound: A shaggy, gentle giant of an inn-dog who shared his warm spot by the fire with Theoline.
• Old Halfling Piper: A porch-sitter outside the inn who shared leaf and gossip, warning about Quasimund and pointing the party toward the people who knew things.
• Ophelia: A steel-clad human knight of the Keepers of the Immaculate Flame. Cool and uncompromising, she named the fragment for what it was and kept a wary eye on the mallard across the room.
• Quasimund: A black mallard with red eyes and an easy purse, surrounded by dice and rough company. He coveted the fragment, sent duck-thugs to steal it, and left a trail toward a midnight rendezvous at the Old Mill.
• Twin Dwarf Smiths: Industrious, singing craftsmen in Outskirt who keep the village in iron and edge. They judged Ladrick’s hand and minded their own book of orders.
• Vanghild: Owner and barkeep of the Three Stags, practical and fierce about her house. She offered hospitality, then bristled at blood and broken doors when trouble followed.
• Warg Rider: A Nightkin champion on a black-furred warg who tore into the party in the pass and died for it.

ITEMS:

• Basalt Statuette Fragment: A black basalt piece showing armored feet on a pedestal and the lower half of a sword, said to hail from the Dragon Emperor’s age.
• Black-Fletched Goblin Bows: Shortbows and bent arrows harvested from Nightkin ambushers, serviceable if unlovely.
• Map of the Misty Vale: A hand-drawn chart marking trails, the pass, and a nearby village where the party found their footing.
• Note to the Old Mill: A terse message found on a captured thug: meet at the Old Mill at midnight and bring the statuette.

LOCATIONS:

• Drachmar Pass: A narrow, ancient road cut through the Kumar Mountains, haunted by brigands and beasts, where the party received their charge and fought their first battle.
• Misty Vale: A fog-draped region of old imperial ruins and whispered treasure, drawing settlers and scavengers in equal measure.
• Outskirt: A small palisaded village built around a hill with a stone crown, equal parts wary and welcoming to new blades and burdens.
• The Old Mill: A meeting spot named in a thug’s note, set for midnight and bristling with implications.
• Three Stags Inn: The biggest roof in Outskirt, promising beer, beds, and roasted meat, and housing rival eyes across its common room.
• Village Smithy: An open-fronted forge ringed by hooks and hammers where twin dwarves work to a dwarven tune.

FACTIONS:

• Keepers of the Immaculate Flame: A dwindling but adamant order of demon-hunters sworn to purity and steel, represented in Outskirt by Ophelia.
• Nightkin Goblins: Green-skinned raiders haunting the pass and hills, bloodied and scattered when their warg fell.
• Outskirt Villagers: Farmers, smiths, and guards holding a thin wall against the Vale’s dangers while trading coin for strong arms and stories.
• Quasimund’s Gang: A loose knot of thugs and dice-throwers orbiting a red-eyed black mallard with too much coin and curiosity.
• Truth Seekers: A quiet network chasing old truths and older relics. Annabella works among them, buying fragments and whispering places to look.

QUESTS:

• Find Anara and Master Weathervane: The dying dwarf named Anara and Master Weathervane as allies in the hunt for the statue. Track them down and learn their part in this story.
• Fragments of the Dragon Emperor: Recover the four pieces of the basalt statue tied to the Dragon Emperor’s secret and decide who ought to hold them.
• Old Mill Rendezvous: A captured duck carried a note: meet at the Old Mill at midnight with the statuette. Decide whether to bait the trap, spring it, or turn it on Quasimund.
• Quasimund’s Web: Learn who funds and feeds the black mallard’s endless supply of friends and coin, and cut out the rot in Outskirt.
• Through the Pass to the Vale: Survive the march into the Misty Vale and secure a safe base in Outskirt for future forays.

PLAYER CHARACTERS

• Alaric: A young human knight in shining plate with more courage than years. He took the brunt of arrow storms, strode into the brush, and spoke to nobles and peasants with the same blunt assurance. He recognized the crest of the Keepers of the Immaculate Flame and set the fragment openly on Ophelia’s table, daring consequences.
• Bear Fletch: An orphan of the wild with glorious golden hair and a hunter’s poise, wrapped in a white bear pelt. She scouted, shot, and sought the nearest bath with equal conviction after the frozen bivouac. Bear Fletch kept an eye on the game and the gamekeepers both.
• Lacey Goodwine: An elderly halfling scholar who preferred stars to ceilings and wisdom to walls. Outdoorsy and sharp-eyed, she bound foes with the Vale’s own roots and insisted on sleeping under open sky even in a strange town. Lacey’s counsel and calm steadied the group when tempers and weather ran high.
• Ladrick: A dwarven artisan and carpenter, steady-handed and stubborn. He botched and then redeemed his craft in battle, ultimately felling a warg by driving a buried arrow straight through its heart. In town he offered his skills freely, carved toys for children, and swung an axe as surely as any hammer.
• Salt: A white-furred, red-eyed Wolfkin who loathed monsters on sight and never hesitated to close with them. He took the dying dwarf’s charge and carried the basalt fragment, trading quips with beasts and zealots alike. In Outskirt he moved easily between threat and charm, and his blade was the first and last word in tight quarters.
• Theoline Dobult: A runaway halfling hunter with a wild streak and a wolfhound’s sense for warmth. She slipped like smoke when it mattered, napped by the inn’s hearth hound, and took the rearmost threat in the stair-fight without a sound. Theoline preferred the quiet solutions and the clean shot.