In this session, our party recovered from the crazy night, bonded, put pieces together, and let out to find more information…

• As Zoyana pulled Aegar back into the keep, the kobolds released their prisoners and gathered the blue half-dragon’s body, head, and gear.
• Pliny and Governor Nighthill briefly had it out over the decision to not interfere.
  
• Aegar returned Chauntea’s Amulet of Health to Father Falconmoon
• Zoyana returned to the Cat and Squirrel Inn, and recovered her letters from Eled the innkeeper
• The party took a much needed rest

Zoyana’s story

• The next day, Zoyana brought the party back to the Cat and Squirrel Inn to talk.
• While Eled was in the back preparing their meals, Pliny pilfered a 10-shot bottle of Elven Battle Spirit (grants 5HP temporary hit points until the next long rest. If players drink more than one over the course of a day, DC13 Constitution Save to avoid being drunk (with the poisoned condition)).
• Zoyana then shared her story with the party
  • Grangles taught her to speak, didn’t know what happened to her family
  • Gave her a vial, that she still has, filled with the river water from the river in the South Wood where her hamlet was
  • Raised from the time she was 9 in Daggerford.
  • One day, while she was out gathering berries, the Grangles just packed up and left, leaving a note:
    • Zoyana,
    • We can no longer take your selfishness. The evil that resides within you is driving us away from the very place that we have called home. Do not come for us, we do not want to be around you and influenced by your wickedness. Leave us be forever.
  • After leaving town, she found herself doing the bidding of a bugbear named Vik. Vik used her size to get into places he couldn’t. After some time, she escaped.
  • Ever since then, she’s been having apocalyptic dreams where the world is destroyed by cold, choking fumes, lightning storms, waves of acid, and horrible fire. The setting is almost always her home town, with the purple cloud being replaced each time, and then growing to engulf the entire world. Each time, the dream ends with ten evil eyes glaring at her from the darkness. Often, following one of these dreams, she feels a tug toward this place or that.
    • One of those dreams was the thing brought her to Phlan.
    • She had one of those dreams right before coming to Greenest, and that was one of the reasons she chose to come with Aegar and Pliny.
  • The treant, right after he awakened, told Zoyana that she had a hole in her mind.
  • Seeing the black half-dragon last night sent Zoyana into a flashback of a full moon and she was just a child, and that black half-dragon handed her a small knife and said “Take this”
  • Aegar expressed how horrible the whole story was. Fang snuggled up around Zoyana’s neck and gave her a little hug. Pliny told her he wasn’t going anywhere.

Nighthill

• The party returned to the keep and found Governor Nighthill.
• As they entered, Governor Nighthill was leaning over a map of the Sword Coast. He greeted them and shared “It’s good to see you’re rested. I have a quest for you, if you’re up for it”
• The party first wanted to discuss the situation:
  • They wanted to talk to Leosin
    • Nighthill: “Where the hell is that monk? No one has seen him…”
  • The Cult of the Dragon seemed to be on the rise, and is gaining power for sure.
    • They were clearly trying to amass wealth and were heading North.
    • Nighthill:
      • “We don’t know why they came here. We don’t know what they were doing. We don’t know who’s in charge. And we don’t know where they’re going. That’s what I’m hoping you’ll do for us.”
      • “We’re already starting to rebuild.” The clanging of hammers was audible, even in the keep, and it was clear that the town was not going to be beat down by the attack. “But we also don’t have many men.”
      • “The only information that I have that you don’t is that at the camp, there’s apparently a dragon hatchery with dragon eggs.”
        • Zoyana hadn’t seen dragon eggs or signs of dragon eggs in her excursion.
      • “That’s the story. So really, I want to know what this is about, who they are, who their leaders are, where they want to go next. Just overall what the story is with these dragon eggs. Just what the fuck.”
      • “On top of that, they took at least a dozen people as prisoners”
      • “Here’s my ask: find out what the fuck. And if you have a chance to save our people, get them free.”
      • “We don’t have much, but I can offer you 250 gold a piece if you go find that information. And we will scrounge up the funds for 10 a head if you bring people back.”
  • The party committed to investigating, but only after Zoyana sent Fang to tell Nighthill “Fuqyou”
• As the party left the keep, they were found by Nesim: Leosin had disappeared after they were separated in the fighting last night. Nesim was injured, so couldn’t join, but showed the party Leosin’s necklace that had been dropped, and implored the party to find him.
  • Leosin had been investigating the raiders for months, and Nesim was worried that Leosin might have tried to infiltrate the group, or worses, had been captured and carried away.
    • Zoyana cast cure wounds, healing him, but his limp remained.
  • Pliny noticed a faint magic resonance on Leosin’s necklance as he examined the silver medallion with a carved dragon emblazed upon it.

On the road

• The party began their investigation of the raiders. Zoyana identified that:
  • A small group had gone north. Clearly too few to have been the main force.
  • A larger group went south east
  • The largest group went south west, towards the camp.
• The party decided to start with investigating the camp.
• They gathered supplies and horses, and headed south at a regular pace.
  • A wide swath of the grass had been trampled from people moving in both directions, and following the path was not difficult.
  • The footprints and cart tracks were noticably deeper on the way away from Greeenst (presumably weighted down with loot)
• As the party headed south, they began to see disguarded items: a fine velvet cloak (10 gp), a silver chalice (15 gp), and a book on dragon mythology (10 gp)

A camp up ahead

• About 12 miles into their trek, as the sun was setting, Zoyana and Pliny spotted a thin line of smoke rising up from a gully ahead, maybe half an hour’s ride.
• After some discussion of Aegar’s incredible stealth, the party decided that Pass Without Trace and Enhance Ability might be sufficient.
• About half the distance to the gully and the fire, the party made a hasty camp.
• The session closed with the party stealthily approaching.
  • Aegar (Natural 20), thumbed his nose at his doubting friends and approached without a peep.