Dragonbane: Secret of the Dragon Emperor, Ep. 3

Alaric’s Adventurers lingered in Outskirt, feeling the pressure of too many eyes and too few answers. Annabelle of the Truth Seekers quietly reminded them she would pay fifty gold per fragment of the Dragon Emperor’s statue and pointed them toward an old barrow two days to the northwest, “the Ritter Mound.” Quasimund of the Black Mallards kept to the shadows after his thugs left blood on Vanghild’s floor, but the message was clear: the race for relics had begun.

On the road, the party shared a cold campfire with three battered travelers who had fled the mound, mauled by goblins and a troll. Ladrick repaired the wolfkin’s shattered shield, Hackleswell traded wizardly jabs with a showy mallard elementalist, and Lacey insisted on sleeping under the stars. By dawn they reached the silent ring of standing stones, found blood and drag-marks, and chose to wait for daylight before prying into the hill.

They roped down through a shifted capstone into a domed antechamber thick with hanging bats. A clatter of armor roused a whirlwind of wings, driving the company into passageways lined with sarcophagi and burial niches strewn with dead goblins. A hidden pit yawned before a black iron portcullis; Alaric plunged onto spikes, hauled up by Ladrick’s rope—only for a mailed figure to step from the stone itself: a skeletal knight in horned helm and black plate, voice like iron scraping iron.

The barrow-wight’s presence curdled courage. Freezing grips and a soul-rending scream staggered the line; Hackleswell stoned his skin and swept the wight off its feet with his staff; Lacey rushed through the danger to mend Alaric’s wounds; Theolin’s arrows found every gap in the ancient mail. Alaric rose spear in hand, defiant—only to be hewn down in a single terrible stroke, his head striking the earth as the wight saluted him. Moments later, the halfling’s arrow shattered the skull; the knight unraveled into black vapor, promising return.

Joined then by Aro Redbeard, a dwarf mariner drawn by the commotion, the party forced the portcullis and found a guard-chamber where a mummified woman in gilded chainmail sat beside a warhammer wrought as a dragon’s maw. She muttered an old warning of the Dragon Emperor and Elodain’s return. Beyond lay the inner tomb, its fresco of a dragon-rider and a shattered lid. Aro plucked a black iron diadem from within; blades snapped from the stone and the seated guardian stirred. With the wight reforming and a doom awakening, the survivors fled with grave-goods and the diadem, bearing Alaric to rest and bartering his armor to the Eternal Flame, vowing to return before the barrow’s shadow grows again.

OUTLINE:

Quiet Days in Outskirt, Pressures and Promises

• Annabelle (Truth Seekers) offered 50 gold per statue shard and directed the party toward the Ritter Mound.
• Quasimund of the Black Mallards kept a low profile after his thugs were slain at the Three Stags; the captive’s warning made clear the race for relics had begun.
• Vanghild remained displeased about corpses in her tavern; Annabelle stayed discreet.

Road North and Campfire Warnings

• The party headed two days northwest through foothills toward the mound.
• At camp they shared fire with a human, a wolfkin, and a mallard elementalist who had fled a troll-led goblin ambush at the barrow.
• Ladrick repaired the wolfkin’s sundered shield; Hackleswell bantered about magic; Lacey slept outdoors despite cold rain.

Descent into the Barrow and the Bat Swarm

• They found a shifted capstone amid standing stones and descended into a domed chamber heavy with bats.
• Noise roused a storm of wings; they dashed through double doors into crossing halls with sarcophagi and burial niches (littered with dead goblins).
• A hidden pit yawned before a black iron portcullis, impaling Alaric before Ladrick hauled him free.

The Wight of the Ritter Mound

• A horn-helmed undead knight stepped from the wall, radiating terror and chill.
• Hackleswell hardened his skin and toppled the wight; Lacey healed Alaric in the fray; Theolin’s arrows pierced gaps in the armor; Ladrick wavered, then rejoined the fight.
• Alaric fought on with a spear after his sword shattered but was decapitated by a devastating blow; Theolin’s final arrow shattered the skull and the wight dissolved into black mist, vowing to return.

Inner Tomb, The Diadem, and Withdrawal

• Reinforced by Aro Redbeard, they smashed the portcullis and entered a guardroom where a mummified woman in gilded chain rested a dragon-mawed warhammer.
• She repeated a warning of the Dragon Emperor and the return of Elodain.
• Beyond, a fresco of a dragon-rider loomed over a sarcophagus burst from within; black vapor pooled inside.
• Aro lifted a black iron diadem, triggering blade traps; as the guardian stirred and the wight began to reform, the party fled with the diadem and grave-goods.
• Back in Outskirt they buried Alaric and sold his armor and helm to Athelia of the Eternal Flame; the diadem proved a relic that halves demonic harm.

NPCs:

• Annabelle: Quiet handler for the Truth Seekers who pays well for fragments of the Dragon Emperor’s statue. She tipped the party to the Ritter Mound and keeps her counsel close.
• Athelia of the Eternal Flame: Stern representative of the Order of the Eternal Flame. Accepted Alaric’s armor for the Order and honored his sacrifice with coin and vows.
• Battered Human Traveler: Leather-clad wanderer earlier saved by Alaric, later met again at the roadside fire. Grateful, wounded, and quick to warn about the mound.
• Battered Wolfkin Warrior: Shield-bearing fighter whose gear was ruined by a troll before Ladrick reforged his shield at the fire.
• Drannath: Tattooed, barefoot trader who shrugs off winter cold and deals in oddments for odd prices. Sold chalk and bartered hard in the streets of Outskirt.
• Goose-like Mallard Elementalist: Flamboyant caster who colored the flames and bragged of elemental arts. Fled the mound with tales of goblins and a troll.
• Mummified Guardian Woman: Withered sentinel in gilded chainmail beside a dragon-mawed warhammer. Spoke an old warning of the Dragon Emperor and Elodain’s return when disturbed.
• Quasimund: Elusive leader connected to the Black Mallards, who sent killers after the party. Keeping scarce for now, but his interest in relics is dangerous and persistent.
• Vanghild: Gruff proprietor of the Three Stags Inn, none too pleased with corpses in her foyer. Her place is the hub of comings and goings in Outskirt.

ITEMS:

• Alaric’s Plate and Great Helm: A knight’s battered panoply, sold to the Eternal Flame to honor his sacrifice and arm their cause.
• Black Iron Diadem (Dragon Knight Relic): A circlet of blackened iron etched with ancient glyphs, taken from the inner tomb. Said to blunt a demon’s harm for its wearer.
• Chalk, Light-touched: A humble stick of chalk enchanted for steady glow, the party’s lantern in the dark.
• Dragon-Maw Warhammer: A heavy warhammer whose head is shaped like a dragon’s snarling jaws. Guarded by a mummified sentinel.
• Fishing Rod: A hand-made rod for quiet streams between loud adventures.
• Gilded Chainmail: Ancient mail glittering with gilt, worn by the seated guardian. Valuable, but not lightly taken.
• Gilded Headbands (x4): Delicate bands taken from sealed sarcophagi, worth a tidy sum in town.
• Honey Rations: Sweet, sturdy fare that lingers when other comforts don’t.
• Round Shield, Repaired: A wolfkin’s shield made whole—and better—by Ladrick’s craft.
• Short Spear (bone tip): A light spear fit for throwing or close work, its crude bone head apt to splinter.
• Silver Necklaces (x4): Simple chains from the barrow’s dead, traded to fund the road ahead.
• Travel Tent: Bulky hide-and-canvas shelter that keeps wind at bay and burdens the strongest back.

LOCATIONS:

• Barrow Antechamber: Domed earthen chamber beneath the shifted capstone, choked with a thousand bats and the stink of old rot.
• Burial Niches: Honeycombed shelves of the dead, strewn with moldering rags, broken pots, and fallen goblins.
• Cross-Passages and Portcullis Hall: Intersecting corridors of beaten earth and stone, anchored by a black iron portcullis before the inner rooms.
• Fort Malice: Holdfast of the Eternal Flame; where Alaric’s armor will be honored and put to the Order’s service.
• Inner Tomb of the Dragon Knight: Small sanctum bearing a fresco of a dragon-rider and a sarcophagus burst from within, breathing black vapor.
• Outskirt: Frontier town where the Three Stags Inn anchors rumor and respite. A crossroads for relic-hunters, gangs, and secret orders.
• Ritter Mound: Barrow hill crowned by standing stones like fangs. Reputed haunted; lair of a barrow-wight and other guardians.
• Sarcophagi Room: Seven simple stone coffins lined the walls; grave-goods gleamed among child-sized bones in some.
• Three Stags Inn: Vanghild’s bustling, no-nonsense tavern and common room, site of past trouble with the Black Mallards.

FACTIONS:

• Black Mallards: Street-tough gang orbiting Quasimund. Quick to send knives when relic money’s on the line.
• Dragon Knights (Ancient): Long-fallen order who rode under the Dragon Emperor’s shadow. Their relics and wights still haunt the world.
• Order of the Eternal Flame: Devout order sworn to stand against darkness and honor the fallen. Their sanctum at Fort Malice burns bright.
• Truth Seekers: A clandestine network chasing the Dragon Emperor’s relics and other buried truths. They pay well and talk little.

QUESTS:

• Assemble the Dragon Emperor’s Statue: Recover scattered statue shards for Annabelle and the Truth Seekers, before rivals claim them.
• Deliver Relics to Annabelle: Bring any found relics or statue parts back to Outskirt for coin and leads.
• Explore the Ritter Mound: Probe the barrow’s secrets and retrieve what can be taken without doom.
• Lay Alaric to Rest with Honor: Return Alaric’s body from the barrow and see his arms serve a worthy cause.
• Neutralize the Wight of the Ritter Mound: Find a way to end the barrow’s undead champion so it cannot return.
• Race Quasimund to the Relics: Stay a step ahead of the Black Mallards and their patron as they scour the wilds for the same prizes.

PLAYER CHARACTERS

• Alaric the Strange: A human knight in heavy plate whose courage bordered on reckless. He fought the barrow-wight at spear’s length after his sword shattered, shielding his companions and meeting the undead champion head on. His death—beheaded in a single terrible stroke—galvanized the party and was later honored by the Order of the Eternal Flame.
• Aro Redbeard: A dwarf mariner drawn by echoes of battle into the barrow. Bold and opportunistic, he seized the black iron diadem from the inner tomb—springing a hidden blade trap in the doing—and helped bear Alaric home. New to the company, he brings salt-hardened grit to the road ahead.
• Hackleswell Shadowbringer: A mallard sorcerer with a sardonic streak, famed for “duck magic” and an iron will hidden beneath feathery nerves. He stoned his skin and swept the wight off its feet with his staff, buying the party precious moments. Cowardly by flaw yet brave in the clutch, he’s quick with wit and quicker to survive.
• Lacey Goodwine: A halfling scholar and wandering animist who prefers the stars to canvas. She stood in the breach to heal Alaric mid-battle, later taking up a spear when steel was scarce, and helped parse ancient warnings in the tomb. Wry and stubborn, she keeps the lore—and her friends—alive.
• Ladrick Pine Mason: A dwarven artisan whose craft speaks before his axe. He reforged a stranger’s shield by firelight, tossed a lifeline to Alaric from the pit, and finally shook off terror to join the melee. Practical and proud, he’s as ready to fix a problem as he is to cleave it.
• Theolin Doboltz: A halfling hunter whose quiet steps and steady bow turned the tide underground. He read tracks at the mound, recognized the danger of the bats, and threaded arrows through the wight’s ancient armor, landing the killing shots. Practical, clear-eyed, and lethal at range, he often speaks with actions first.