Introduction

I previously posted some warts-and-all email summaries of the ‘Curse of Strahd’ DnD 5e campaign I ran in 2017-18, the ‘Tomb of Annihilation’ campaign I ran in 2018-19, the ‘Out of the Abyss’, a campaign I ran in 2020, the ‘Phandelver’s Pact’ campaign I ran from 2020-21, the ‘Shadows over Saltmarsh’ campaign from 2021-22, and my current Pathfinder 2e campaign, ‘Vaults of Otari‘. CoS was the first campaign I sent summaries to players by email after each game (I was a bit lazy prior to that), which is why I can use them for this column. Now, I post summaries to Roll20 after each session.

Here are the session summaries from my first Dragonbane campaign which I started running in 2024 after buying the Dragonbane Starter Set. It’s adventures from that set, plus some homebrewed content.

I apologize in advance for the writing in these summaries – they’re a bit raw, and not fancy at all (I don’t have time for fancy writing when typing them up late at night after each game lol). Some will be more detailed than others. The campaign continues!

Steve 🙂

Session 1 – Into the Misty Vale

The party of five met on the road north to the Misty Vale. It took a while for Makander, Krisanna, Aodhan, Volcarian and Bastonn, to warm to each other, but over several weeks of journeying, sharing food around a campfire and telling stories of their previous daring deeds, they realized they had more in common than not. All were drawn by the legends of vast riches and arcane secrets hidden among the ruins on the other side of the Kummer Mountains, and all realized they would be better off adventuring together than alone.

High in the Drakmar Pass through the Kummer Mountains to the south of Misty Vale, passing crumbling imperial roads and the occasional directional milestone, they came across a prostrate figure, moaning in pain.

Makander the mallard knight and Krisanna the bold halfling rushed forward, the mallard concerned for the health of the fallen man and the halfling keen to riffle through his pockets. As Makander leaned over the robed form, she saw a thick black arrow piercing his thigh. Purple-blue streaks branched from the wound and across his pale face. Thrusting a heavy package bound in cloth into the mallard’s hands, the man spat saliva and blood and cried: “Take it – Leanara will understand… message from Weathermon… must find all four pieces… the secret of the dragon emperor.” Then he breathed his last. Krisanna noticed a strange tattoo on his arm, which Archmaster Aodhan the wizard identified as the mark of the demon-worshiping cult of Sathmog, an archdemon who invaded the world a thousand years ago and was eventually defeated by an alliance of dragons and an emperor called Eledain. It was rumored that centuries ago the Misty Vale was the heart of Eledain’s empire.

Volcarian, wolfkin embercaller, loped up with the others not far behind him. Reaching the body, he whiffed a strange scent in the air – goblins! Mere meters away, two stunted humanoids arose from behind a stand of boulders and fired their arrows, striking Krisanna and the wolkfkin. A roar to the north, and a worg with a goblin rider emerged from around another boulder. The battle was on!

Makander rushed the two goblins, quacking angrily. One slash from her sword took out one, and she followed through to take the head off the next.

Volcarian managed to cast a gust of wind to send the worg back into the canyon wall, but the effort exhausted him. The rider quickly recovered and charged his worg forward. The wolf-like beast grabbed the wolfkin mage in its jaws and shook him from side to side, throwing him into a rock wall. Volcarian collapsed in a bloody heap. Bastonn, wolfkin hunter, leapt forward, stabbing with his long spear and just missing the worg. Krisanna ran at a breakneck pace, leaping into the air and slicing the worg’s neck open as she passed, then spinning in the air and sticking her knife into the back of the goblin rider’s head. As the beast collapsed to the ground she landed, dropped into a roll and slid to a stop beside the corpse.

Volcarian rallied himself, dragging his bleeding form up by one hand and loping across the canyon trailing blood.

Meanwhile, two other goblins emerged from rocks to the south of the party, firing arrows at Aodhan and Bastonn. Aodhan returned fire with fireballs, but as he generated and threw them, they exploded prematurely, dazzling him. Bastonn took an arrow to the shoulder but managed to take out a goblin with his long spear. Makander waddled down to the other goblin, which fled – a quick slash but the goblin was too fast. Luckily, Aodhan successfully fireballed the last goblin, immolating him.

The party attempted to do some first aid on Volcarian, but so many were scrambling for bandages that in the confusion Volcarian took a nasty knock to the head. He awoke without any memory of who he or the other party members were. Aodhan informed the wolfkin of some interesting facts about him, leaving the beleaguered Volcarian to wonder why he was named after a volcano and worked as a professional ice dancer…

Krisanna checked the bodies of the dead goblins, but aside from a few weapons, found only a strange brand on their right shoulders: two crossed meat hooks. Aodhan identified it as an orcish clan mark, but wasn’t sure of the clan.

Makander unwrapped the package. It contained a map of the Misty Vale, showing a village 20 miles to the north, and a pedestal, lower legs and bottom of a sword, likely part of a basalt statuette of a humanoid warrior. She was unsure what it meant, until the others identified the four parts of the same statue were drawn on the corners of the map.

As the party rested, Makander mused about her father, rubbing his old pipe and remembering better times. The somewhat vain Bastonn repaired his torn shirt and sprayed himself with perfume. Aodhan reminisced, recording new and reading past exploits in his diary. Volcarian clutched his lava rock and phoenix feather for warmth. The party elected to follow the broken road through the pass and down into the Misty Vale, heading for the village of Outskirt marked on the map.

As they arrived at the village’s gates, they were hailed from one of the guard towers. After introducing themselves and stating their business, the guardsman recommended they talk with Vagnhild at the Three Stags Inn. The gates swung open and the five road-weary souls entered Outskirt…

Next Week:  An Offer & A Demand…               

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