Blood River, Ep. 10

Last session, The River Explorers hired a boat back to Hunlet Hold, with Jacob Jr. aboard despite Haisha’s warning that the Four Inevitables had foretold death. At the river landing, they recovered an empty, bloodstained elven canoe, its side torn open. It bore the markings of the elves who had traveled toward the headwaters, but what happened to them remained a mystery.

Inside the hold, the explorers passed the rotting black dragon and searched the dwarves’ abandoned quarters. Egret discovered that the shield-maiden statues stopped advancing when she left their room, sparing the party another fight. A swarm of blood-drinking sting bats was less obliging: Goblekki nearly died, but Jacob Jr. stabbed one off him while the others drove the swarm back.

Beyond the lower chambers, a creeping black mist followed them toward an armory. Two towering copper-clad guardians struck down several explorers before Sabo cleaved the last one apart. Past them lay the dragon’s hidden hoard: gems, enchanted metalwork, and thousands of silver coins. The party carried away what they could and buried the rest, but some heard the dead dragon’s voice in the treasure and returned to Aeroford under a draining curse. They secured healing, and Haisha arranged to bring the petrified dwarves home. The treasure had been found; the elves, the buried silver, and the dwarves’ restoration still awaited answers.

OUTLINE:

Voyage to Hunlet Hold

The party hired a boat upriver, and Jacob Jr. insisted on accompanying them despite Haisha’s ominous Terok reading.
At the landing, they recovered an empty, bloodstained elven canoe with a torn side and markings matching the elves bound for the headwaters.
The sailors agreed to repair the canoe and tow it back.

The Abandoned Hold and the Sting Bats

The explorers passed the black dragon’s rotting corpse and searched the abandoned dwarven bunks.
They found an emerald-hilted silver shortsword, which Jacob Jr. borrowed.
Egret entered a room of animated shield-maiden statues, then withdrew; the statues returned to their places.
Sting bats nearly drained Goblekki to death, but Jacob Jr. and the party killed the swarm.

Black Mist and the Armory Guardians

Cold black mist pursued the party through the lower chambers, and they blocked its passage beneath a door.
Two towering copper-clad dwarven guardians attacked in the armory, repeatedly felling members of the party.
The explorers destroyed both guardians, with Sabo splitting the last one apart.

The Dragon’s Hidden Hoard

Records beyond the armory described Hunlet Hold as distant and largely self-sufficient.
The party found silver piled ankle-deep, gems, and a metal-banded cold-iron mace in the dragon’s lair.
They carried away as much treasure as they could and buried the remainder for a later return.

The Curse and Return to Aeroford

Several explorers heard the dead dragon’s voice and suffered a draining curse while returning with the silver.
They reached Aeroford with the elven canoe and obtained relief from the curse.
Haisha arranged to recover the petrified dwarves and recommended Jacob Jr. to the temple.

NPCs:

Jacob Jr.: An eager young adventurer whose hand remained partly petrified. He accompanied the party, saved Goblekki from a sting bat, repeatedly helped fallen companions, and returned wearing dwarven armor.
Jacob Jr.’s father: The Aeroford resident whom Jacob Jr. told he was going crabbing instead of adventuring.
Madarat: A sorcerer whom Fang had previously defeated in single combat.
Orson: An absent adventuring companion who held the restoration potion made from the slain dragon’s gland.
Susie: The disguise or name associated with the slain black dragon that petrified the Hunlet dwarves. A voice resembling hers was heard when the explorers carried away the hoard.
The Aeroford temple’s clergy: Lawful clergy who provided relief from the hoard’s curse and considered Haisha’s recommendation of Jacob Jr.
The boat crew: Four sailors who rowed the explorers upriver, waited at the landing, and took charge of the damaged elven canoe.
The elven canoeists: Elves the explorers had previously met on their way toward the headwaters. A damaged, bloodstained canoe bearing their markings appeared downstream.
The petrified Hunlet dwarves: Dwarves transformed into lifelike stone statues by the black dragon. Haisha arranged to bring them back to Aeroford.
Thunheel: A dwarf leader named in the records and insignia found at Hunlet Hold.

ITEMS:

Black dragon scales: Remains harvested after the dragon’s death; polished scales were being sold as souvenirs in Aeroford.
Bloodstained elven canoe: An overturned, rust-colored canoe carved with elven markings, torn open along one side and recovered by the party.
Brass dagger: A slightly magical dagger used during the fight with the sting bats.
Copper and lead guardian dust: The remains left when the armory’s animated guardians crumbled apart.
Copper-hued arms and armor: Great axes, banded mail, crossbows, and copper-tipped bolts stored in the armory. Jacob Jr. wore a suit of armor and carried a great axe home.
Crystal decanter and goblets: A decanter and four goblets found on a tray in the hold’s office.
Egret’s dwarven war axe: Egret’s favored weapon, used against the guardians of Hunlet Hold.
Emerald-hilted silver shortsword: A dwarven-made sword found among the bunks and lent to Jacob Jr. during the expedition.
Haisha’s bandana: The bandana she used to block black mist from seeping beneath a door.
Haisha’s holy whip: Haisha’s weapon in the fight against the armory guardians.
Metal-banded cold-iron mace: An enchanted mace from the dragon’s hoard, banded with different metals and able to grow in power with its wielder.
Restoration potion: A potion made from a gland harvested from the black dragon and held by Orson.
Sabo’s sword: The weapon Sabo prized and used to split the final armory guardian.
Silver tray: A tray found beneath the decanter and goblets, bearing a dwarven leader’s insignia.
Sting-bat proboscises: Needle-like feeding parts harvested from the slain cave creatures.
Terok deck and the Four Inevitables: Haisha’s divination deck and the ominous card she drew before Jacob Jr. accompanied the party.
The dragon’s silver: Roughly seventeen thousand silver coins found in the hoard; the party carried away a portion and buried the rest.
The hoard’s gems: Fifteen gems, including aquamarines, pearls, and onyx stones.
Tincture of healing: A restorative tincture used while companions struggled to survive the hold’s dangers.

LOCATIONS:

Aeroford: The explorers’ departure point and the town to which they returned with their treasure and the damaged canoe.
Aeroford’s lawful temple: The temple where the party sought relief from the curse and Jacob Jr. sought a possible path of service.
Aeroford’s village inn: A place of carousing after the expedition.
Blood River: The river the party traveled to reach the region around Hunlet Hold.
Blood River headwaters: The destination the elven canoeists had been seeking before their damaged boat appeared downstream.
Hogger Rock: A place from an earlier adventure whose strange darkness reminded the explorers of the mist in the hold.
Hunlet Hold: The dwarven stronghold invaded by the slain black dragon, containing petrified dwarves, animated guardians, and the dragon’s hoard.
Hunlet Hold’s armory: A chamber of copper-hued arms and armor guarded by two towering animated dwarven figures.
The dragon’s hoard chamber: A wrecked room beyond the armory where silver lay ankle-deep alongside gems and a magical mace.

FACTIONS:

Aeroford’s lawful temple: The religious institution that aided the explorers and considered Jacob Jr. as a prospective devotee.
Draymond’s Guild: An Aeroford guild selling polished black dragon scales as souvenirs.
The elves of the headwaters: The elves whose canoe markings matched the bloodstained boat found drifting downstream.
The Four Dragon Kings’ faithful: The lawful religious tradition Haisha served as a paladin.
The Hunlet dwarves: The dwarven community of Hunlet Hold, much of it left petrified after the dragon’s attack.

QUESTS:

Find Jacob Jr. a path at the temple: Haisha recommended him to Aeroford’s clergy, but he still needed to decide what oath or calling to pursue.
Find the black dragon’s hoard: The explorers returned to Hunlet Hold, found the concealed hoard, and took a portion back to Aeroford.
Learn what happened to the elven canoeists: The elves’ empty, torn, bloodstained canoe appeared downstream, but the explorers did not discover their fate.
Recover the buried silver: Most of the hoard’s silver remained buried near Hunlet Hold for a possible return expedition.
Remove the hoard’s curse: Afflicted explorers sought and obtained relief after returning to Aeroford.
Restore the petrified Hunlet dwarves: Haisha arranged to bring the dwarves back to Aeroford; their restoration remained unfinished.

PLAYER CHARACTERS

Egret: A stout, principled dwarven skald who wielded a dwarven war axe. She tested the hold’s animated shield-maiden statues and fought its towering armory guardians.
Eric: A human magus with scraggly hair and a finely crafted mask covering part of his scarred face. He survived the sting-bat attack and used spells against both the swarm and the armory guardians.
Fang Goldskin: A gold-scaled Vishkanya road warrior and part-time necromancer, famed for defeating Madarat. Jacob Jr. looked to Fang as a mentor, and Fang helped keep the party alive in the hold.
Goblekki: A fetchling enchanter whose magic and light aided the expedition. Sting bats nearly drained him to death, and his attempts to detect magic later left him with a scorched wardrobe.
Haisha Deep River: A half-elf sailor and paladin of the Four Dragon Kings, recognizable by her jaunty hat, bandana, and holy whip. She warned Jacob Jr. about an ominous Terok reading and later arranged to recover the petrified dwarves.
Sabo: A human fighter fiercely devoted to his sword. He endured the armory guardians’ blows and split the final one apart with a devastating strike.