Dragonbane: Secret of the Dragon Emperor, Ep. 5

Theoline and Friends were resting at the Three Stags Inn when Salt returned from a scouting mission. He brought news of Quasimund’s hideout and, more urgently, a local farmer named Joseph who had a monster in his barn. The party agreed to help and traveled to the farm, where they found a massive creature that turned out to be a troll. A brutal fight ensued inside the barn, with Ladrick and Salt leaping from the hayloft to ambush the beast. The troll proved incredibly resilient, regenerating from grievous wounds and hurling Ladrick against a wall. Eventually, the party discovered its weakness to sunlight and managed to drag it outside, where it turned to stone before they shattered it, recovering two small sapphires.

After being rewarded by the grateful farmer with a cask of potent moonshine, the group returned to Outskirt. There, the Truth Seeker Annabelle offered a new lead: the third piece of the mysterious statuette was likely hidden in a ruined tower, overgrown with roses, in the nearby foothills. The adventurers set out, and after a three-day journey, found the tower shrouded in a thicket of black and crimson thorns. They hacked a path through, only to be met at the door by the tower’s resident, a cranky troll sister named Harga, who refused them entry after a failed negotiation.

Undeterred, most of the party scaled the thorny tower wall, taking several cuts to reach a second-floor window. As Ladrick, Whistler, and Eric confronted Harga on the stairs below, Theolin and Salt snuck to the rooftop to search for the statuette. There, they were ambushed by three vicious harpies. The attack was swift and brutal. Salt barely escaped, tumbling down to the floor below, but Theolin was overwhelmed and gruesomely torn apart by the creatures. Hearing the commotion, Harga offered a new deal: if the party cleared out her harpy infestation and brought her gifts from town, she would help them. Mourning the loss of their companion, the party returned to Outskirt, where they met a new, brooding knight, Sir Galliman the Bold.

OUTLINE:

An Urgent Request in Outskirt

The party rested in the Three Stags Inn in the town of Outskirt.
Theolin returned from a scouting mission, having found Quasimund’s hideout.
Theolin also brought news of Farmer Joseph, who had a monster in his barn.
The party decided to help the farmer and set out in their cart.

The Battle in the Barn

The party arrived at the farm and confirmed a large creature was inside the barn.
Ladrick and Salt ambushed the creature, a troll, by leaping from the hayloft.
The troll fought back fiercely, regenerating wounds and vomiting on its attackers.
Ladrick was thrown against a wall and nearly knocked unconscious.
The party discovered the troll’s weakness to sunlight, lured it outside, and watched it turn to stone.
They shattered the stone troll, found two sapphire gems, and received a cask of moonshine from the grateful farmer.

A Quest to the Ruined Tower

Returning to Outskirt, the party was given a new quest by Annabelle of the Truth Seekers.
She told them the third statuette piece was in a ruined tower overgrown with roses.
The party traveled for three days to reach the tower’s location.
They found the tower surrounded by a thicket of black and red thorny roses.

Infiltrating Harga’s Home

The party cut a path through the thorns to the main entrance.
They met the tower’s resident, a troll sister named Harga, who refused them entry after a poor attempt at persuasion.
Most of the party decided to climb the tower’s exterior, taking damage from the thorns.
They entered a second-floor kitchen, while others created a distraction on the stairs below.

Tragedy on the Rooftop

Theolin and Whistler snuck to the rooftop to search for the statuette.
They were ambushed by three vicious harpies living in a nest on the roof.
The attack was swift; Salt barely escaped by throwing himself down a ladder.
Theolin was swarmed, blinded, and killed by the harpies.
Hearing the commotion, Harga offered a deal: she would help the party if they cleared out the harpies and brought her supplies from town.
The surviving party members retreated to Outskirt, where they met a new character, Sir Galliman the Bold.

NPCs:

Annabelle: An agent of the Truth Seekers who works as a server at the Three Stags Inn. She provides the party with quests and information related to the statuette pieces, offering gold for their recovery.
Farmer Joseph: An elderly farmer living on the outskirts of town whose cow, Bessie, was eaten by a troll. He is the uncle of the local druid, Dranli. He rewarded the party with a cask of moonshine for killing the troll.
Harga: An elderly, cranky ‘troll sister’ who lives in the ruined tower. She initially refused the party entry but later offered a deal for them to clear out the harpies infesting her roof in exchange for help.
Othelia: A taciturn knight of the Keepers of the Immaculate Flame. She opposes Quasimund but is currently neutral towards the party.
Quasimund: A black mallard (duck folk) who leads a gang of malcontents. He is a rival in the search for the statuette pieces and his gang was responsible for a previous violent altercation at the inn.
Theobald: A wandering hobbit merchant who acts as the town’s ‘Sears catalog,’ taking orders for rare or uncommon goods and delivering them a week or so later.
Vanghild: The hard-bitten, middle-aged female innkeep of the Three Stags Inn in Outskirt. She is hospitable but practical, running a frontier establishment.

ITEMS:

Bucket of Dust: A bucket of gray dust found set up as a trap in Harga’s tower. Its exact properties are an itching powder.
Cask of Joseph’s Finest: A five-gallon metal cask of potent, homemade moonshine gifted to the party by Farmer Joseph as a reward.
Sapphire Flecks: Two tiny gems recovered from the remains of the stone troll, believed to have been its eyes. They are worth 10 gold each.
Statuette Pieces: The party possesses the feet, legs, and lower torso of a magical statuette depicting a figure in plate mail. Several factions are searching for the remaining pieces.

LOCATIONS:

Farmer Joseph’s Farm: A rundown farm on the edge of Outskirt, consisting of a small house and a stone-and-wood barn where the party fought a troll.
Misty Vale: A secluded valley nestled in the mountains, formerly overrun by orcs but now being resettled by humans and their allies.
Outskirt: A small, ramshackle frontier village of about 500 people. It serves as the party’s current base of operations.
The Ruined Tower: An ancient, three-story stone tower wrapped in a thicket of black and red thorny roses. It is the home of Harga and is infested with harpies on its roof.
Three Stags Inn: The main inn in Outskirt, run by Vanghild. It’s the central hub for travelers and adventurers in the area.

FACTIONS:

Keepers of the Immaculate Flame: An order of knights, represented locally by Othelia. They are opposed to Quasimund’s activities but are not directly allied with the party.
Quasimund’s Gang: A group of mallards and other malcontents led by Quasimund. They are actively and violently searching for the statuette pieces.
The Truth Seekers: A group seeking the statuette pieces for their own purposes. Their local agent is Annabelle, who has offered to buy the pieces from the party.

QUESTS:

Clear the Harpy Infestation: Defeat the harpies on the roof of Harga’s tower in exchange for her help in retrieving the statuette piece hidden there.
Deal with Quasimund: Confront the black mallard gang leader Quasimund, who is also searching for the statuette.
Find the Statuette Pieces: Collect all the pieces of a mysterious magical statuette before rival factions can.

PLAYER CHARACTERS

Enfan Whistler: A black elf with high agility and a preference for simple rations over fancy meals. She is an early riser and tends to be reserved, though she is ready for action when needed.
Eric Redbeer: A Dwarven merchant with a knack for business and a spear he’s quite fond of. He travels with his donkey, Mrs. Brown, and a cart full of supplies. Though he aims to be a shrewd merchant, he has a good heart, as shown when he compensated a farmer for a lost cow.
Ladrick: A Dwarven artisan who loves his kin and enjoys making and fixing things. He serves as the party’s temporary tank, not shying away from leaping into the fray. He successfully upgraded the party’s cart to a wagon between adventures.
Salt: A young, white-furred Wolfkin mariner. Despite his low willpower, he is brave, often joining the frontline of an attack. He survived a harrowing encounter with harpies that claimed the life of his companion, Theolin.
Sir Galliman the Bold: A thin-skinned but valiant knight on a quest to make a name for himself and cure his beloved, Lady Swan, of a mysterious affliction. He is dramatic and emotional, carrying a scrap of cloth soaked in her tears. He has just joined the party in Outskirt.
Theolin: A foul-smelling but effective halfling rogue, archer, and hunter. As a feral orphan, she was self-reliant and adept at tracking. Her time with the party was cut short when she was brutally killed and eaten by harpies on the roof of a ruined tower.