Prelude

Drawn by the boasting and wealth excesses of the group calling themselves "The Dragonslayers" - the Cult of the Dragon (who was already plundering the Sword Coast North to build a hoard of tribute to lure Tiamat into Faerûn) sends an attack on the small town of Phandalin following on that same party's looting of Castle Naerytar in the Mere of Dead Men. (A stronghold of the cult's Purple Robed Black Wyrmspeaker, Rezmir).

The attack is led by Frulam Mondath, a purple-robed priestess and the Half-dragon Champion Langderosa Cyanwrath, the forces include:

• a battalion of "Tucker's" Kobolds (cruelly clever and merciless tacticians),
• Unknowns directing the destruction, with Ambush Drake pets,
• elite Unknown cavalry,
• a terrifying Unknown later identified as Eshaedra called Thunder Lash - from the Nether Mountains,
• and an unseen something that air-lifted the stolen loot.

(See also revisit-journal: Lost Below)

Seeking Safety

(Following the events of: Tomb of the Forgotten King )

Our Party encountered their adopted town already glowing with the fires as they returned from the Circle of Thunder in the Neverwinter Wood (see Tomb of the Forgotten King). Alerted by the Emerald Enclave, the party employed the menhir gateway to step out of the Moongate at the Place of the Unicorns, near Phandalin. Approaching the town, the lightning bolts flashing the silhouette of a dragon in flight in the night sky, even from far off.

With caution-but-haste, the group worked its way into the town, collecting terrified townsfolk seeking some kind of safety in the chaos and destruction. While cultist-directed Kobold squadrons in the looting-and-burning of the homes and businesses, with chained drakes at their side, the focus of the battle was on the fortress-mansion atop the hill - the Tresendar Manson recently fortified by the so-called "Dragonslayers" (see Tales of the Favored Few - their path to becoming the Favored Few). The skies were blanketed with smoke and an unnatural fog, but the sounds and flashes of the exchange at the fortress spoke of a pitched battle.

Joining Sildar's small garrison of Lords Alliance soldiers, to beat back the fanatics and tiny dragon-soldiers, the tactical goal is to focus on collecting refugees and protecting them while bringing them to safety (recalling the hidden tunnel discovered by Willow, Tallon the Tall, and Yeet Longshade in their early adventuring days involving the Redbrand Ruffians.) Nearly clear of the town, the battle on the hill comes to a sudden end, and the group urged Sildar Hallwinter and Daran Edermath to continue toward the cave entrance with the commoners, while the party would prepare for battle and hold off the attackers.

Fury and Vengeance

Just then Halia Thornton, leading a separate group of townsfolk seeking safety, stormed toward the cowardly townmaster Harbin Wester, among the trailing ranks of our own group being led from the town. Her fury can be felt in the very air between them as she bellowed:

"You and your so-called heroes brought this onto our town! Showing off such treasures and pride for killing that dragon - did you think it would just stay that way?

You didn’t think, did you? Just glory and greed for yourself!”

The townmaster, frozen in fear, has no moment to even respond - as his hefty body is plucked from the ground in great blue claws, taken high and dropped, to shatter at the feet of the small-but-fiesty owner of Phandalin's miner's exchange. With the sweep from the sky, one of the fortress defenders' dying body frees itself from the claws, a mortally wounded wood elf known as Willow, rushed to assist, but quickly realized the wounds too grave and the moment of death upon the ranger, accepts from him 3 Arrows of Dragonslaying, given with request in his final breath, "Avenge me..."

Regardless of the blame for drawing the attention of the Cult of the Dragon, were it not for the courage and commitment of the fight on the hill, the rest of the story would have been short and grim. The distraction bought critical time to the party prepared to face the sweeping attacks of the Unknown. Terror from the sky - claws to maim and grab, tail to slam, lightning to scorch the earth, roars driving panic and fear, the creature delivered ferocious death all around.

But Now is the Time of Heroes

The Paladin of Starfire, Belcoria, stands at the center of a town square, shield raised, daring the beast to battle. Bending its diving attack, the heavily-wounded but arrogant dragon deigns to whip its tail at the High Elf, only to receive in turn a fiery Hellish Rebuke, and success in taunting its pride in a Provocation attack. Wheeling to land and emitting an ear-splitting roar, the beast readied to destroy this little band of foolhardy do-gooders... critically underestimating what it was facing.

1. The paladin's dragonscale armor acquired by Venomfang in trade for the Key of the Netheril,
2. the Stormborn barbarian, Tallon the Tall, fearless against the lightning he believes made him what he is,
3. the gnome assassin Yeet Longshade with clockworks rigged to channel lightning,
4. the arrows of dragonslaying given by the slain archer to Willow the ranger recently tutored in dragons as a favored foe.

The assault then launched by Our Party held nothing back, exploiting this moment of pause and delivering wounds so grievous the Legendary Skill to whirlwind flap-escape buys too little time for it to escape the range of the ranger's arrows and assassin's bolts. The foul monster crashed into Barthen's Provisions, soon taking its last breath.

The remaining attackers in the town lose morale and flee into the night - as the party turns its focus up the hill toward Tresendar Manor, where chests are being loaded onto a platform - looting the loot from the mansion. Too late to halt the departure of the purple robe (Mondath) with her wyvern cavalry - and whatever unseen creature grasped and lifted away the chests (*), the party rushes to discover the fate of the Favored Few members.

(* Belcoria claimed this must have been a Unknown based upon the sensations from her armor, but nobody saw any such proof).

Pride and Arrogance

Tallon the Tall, Yeet Longshade and Mon-Kei then coordinated putting out fires and providing safety in the confusion around the mansion's grounds (for the town is lost and this site will need to house the people in the rebuilding). Ujio, Willow, and Belcoria charged into the restored ruins. While the destruction from the battle was striking, even more astonishing to those who knew only the ruins before was the opulent richness that had so wholly transformed the grounds - indeed - what were they thinking?

The surviving Favored Few were under a mass invisibility spell and hiding within the spa room (what luxury!) Each and every one of them was spent for their last powers and HP of vitality, three unconscious but stabilized. One of their spellcasters spoke thanks for the chance to escape, quietly warning "The dragon champion is still there - somewhere."

Indeed, the fighter, paladin and ranger find a creature that can only be such a thing - a "dragon champion" - Langderosa Cyanwrath is a Half-dragon, born of a human mother and a dragon father in the form of a human. The blue-skinned, heavily armored bipedal dragon-man is grupily examining the large dragon head mounted on the den wall, trying to decide what best to do about this, attended by two elite guard and an acolyte healer. His enormity turns casually to address the group with a villain's typical contempt - but nobody is in the mood, and he barely gets a scorching wave of lightning across his attackers before a quick death comes upon him and the guards (the acolyte begs for mercy - which is granted, and he becomes the source of much of the information in the journal entry.)

Reflections on the Flames

By the end, half the town's population has been killed, including the townmaster Wester and the Dragonslayer member Nightbreeze. Nearly all the buildings in the town's center have burnt to the ground or been crushed under the dragon. Tresendar Manor becomes a haven for the refugees, defensible from an opportunistic attack by the orc or goblin clans in the town's moment of weakness.

Questioning the prisoner - the recently recruited acolyte - who eagerly assists in stabilizing and healing the wounded of the town - he did not like what he was being made to do, but he was terrified. He came up with the forces out of the Mere of Dead Men who used the Castle Naerytar gateway to move ground troops in. Other came by air from the Greypeak Mountains. He identifies the champion Cyanwrath and the purple robe Mondath, noting they are working for "The Black Wyrmspeaker" Rezmir, who is collecting treasures from raids across the entire region as part of some plan to build a hoard for some great dragon.

The town of Phandalin was targeted both to avenge the attack on the swamp castle (and recover its treasures) and because of the widespread awareness of wealth taken from the Unknown in the Icespire Hold of the Sword Mountains. The wizard Cernan of the Dragonslayers fills in other bits of the story - Rezmir seemed high up in the Cult of the Dragon, and he escaped from Naerytar through a portal they could not figure out how to work properly to give chase. It appeared to go to a mountain lodge.

Daran Edermath the retired adventurer, from the orchard north of town and member of the Order of the Gauntlet has been listening carefully to all of this, quietly, from the shadows. But at mention of the lodge, he steps forward, "I believe I know that lodge and I can tell you how to get to it, if we can find someone who can work the menhir, a moongate, or convince the Harpers to grant access to one of their gates."

The Favored Few feel obligated to stay on and help rebuild the town. Their sorceror Ledwen Blackbreeze is apparently the son of a noble from Cormyr - he leaves to ask his parents for aid for the town, pledging to return with people and money to do this. The Dragonslayers, having lost their archer with those arrows - and the Dragonslaying Sword now taken by Frulam Mondath, will no longer use that name.

With the needed lore and ingredients to open the Reghed Glacier, the party descends through ice caves in search of Ythryn, lost floating enclave-city of The Netheril.

The goal is to find in this ancient source of tremendous power to counter the Everlasting Winter.

Stalwart supporter of the Free Towns, Easthaven was founded by thieves from the Duchy of Cape Velen in Tethyr, far to the south, and established a strange legal variance: pickpocketing is allowed here - signs around town simply warn to be careful).

About

Leader: Speaker for the Lac, Danneth Waylen (Human) - humble, forthright, enthusiastic supporter of The Free Towns and Duvessa Shane

Population: 350 (once the "boomtown" of Ten Towns, heavily devastated in the Desolation, took on refugees preferring its "looser" rule to that of Bryn Shander)

Industry: Frontier trading post, general supplies

Map

(see also: wiki)

Human fighter proficient with enhancing his combat skills with mind-powers.

Ujio Hiroyuki is a human Psi Warrior, once an Astral Warrior who had helped defend the Wave Echo Caves in the orc and mage attack. For five centuries he was trapped (preserved) within a sword until released by and joining Our Party.

He continues to seek out his companion among "The Veterans of the Psychic Wars" - a sorcerer named Askelon. Appearing in his mid-30's, Ujio carries with him a soul whose age is difficult to estimate. His progress in skills and powers seems more practiced remembering than gaining anew.

The world needs heroic "Avengers" yes, but sometimes the world needs a grittier more ruthless team to get things done.

Zaknalimar Farrigton (Half-Drow, Bard of the College of Swords)

Dex (Hexblood, Necromancer Wizard)

Alyks Askaria (Tiefling, Scholar Wizard)

h'Rothgar (Dwarf, Moradin Cleric of the Forge)

Phantom (Human, Barbarian Path of the Beast)

Sudon Corvus, (Shadar-kai (Shadow Elf), Hexblade Warlock)

Aelar Hanali, (Sea Elf, Assassin Rogue)

Agaric, (Gnome, Circle of Spores Druid)