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. We’re still playing; this summary is from early on in the campaign.

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 17 – Broken Barrels

The party arrived in Outskirt that evening. Bastonn the wolfkin hunter and Archmaster Aodhan were both exhausted from their travels and retired to bed early, paying for a room at the Three Stags. Krisanna the bold halfling and Volcarian Embercaller (wolfkin mage) headed to the bar, where Vagnhild welcomed them back and served them some mead. The bartender mentioned that there had been a burglary at Master Ulvar’s supplies a few nights ago, so they might want to check with him tomorrow. She complained that she had been working extra hard because Leanara hadn’t shown up for work the past few days.   

Theoline the halfling barrel maker headed home to check on his house and business. As he passed the temple of Um-Durman on the hill, he noticed several shady figures entering the main temple. Once he confirmed everything was okay at home, he walked to the Three Stags. He noticed a bat wending its way over the wall and flying to the temple.

Arriving at the bar, Theoline outlined to the others what he had seen. Kris explained the strange burglary, and Theoline suggested he check with his contacts to see what it was about. Meanwhile, Kris and Volcarian conducted a performance for the crowd, with Kris throwing some very accurate knives (and one not so accurate) at Volcarian, much to the amusement of the crowd.

Theoline spoke to Jory, the half-orc son of Master Ulvar. Jory mentioned that someone had broken into the storeroom, but hadn’t stolen anything. They’d opened the two barrels belonging to the party and tossed the wheat inside over the floor. Jory mentioned the window had been broken but there were no other signs of entry.

With the performance over and Volcarian bandaging a painful shoulder wound, Theoline mentioned what he’d learned. While Kris was unsure whether to tell the halfling about what was in the barrels, Volcarian persuaded her that Theoline was trustworthy, and so they informed him about the statue parts hidden there.

At that moment, a tall woman in plate mail approached the group. She introduced herself (with a flourish) as Alfilia Shadowleaf, a knight of the immaculate flame, dedicated to destroying the cult of Sathmog in the Misty Vale. Inviting the party to her table, Alfilia explained:

“The ancient demon Sathmog has reawakened one of his ancient ser­vants, the demon sorcerer Azrahel Koth, to find the sword of Um-Durman. Azrahel Koth is trapped in a crypt beneath Mirror Lake. He is bound to that unholy place, but has many spies and servants in the Misty Vale.

“On the mist-shrouded island in Mirror Lake is the entrance to Azrahel Koth’s unholy resting place. The island is inaccessible to living creatures, as the mist sucks the life out of anything that comes near. I made several failed attempts to get past the mist around the myste­rious island, but I suspect it would take powerful anti-demonic magic to break through it – such as the sword of Um-Durman.

“I am convinced that Azrahel Koth has several spies in Outskirt. I have seen demonic bats flying over the rooftops, and think they are being used for secret communication between the crypt under the Isle of Mist and someone in Outskirt. I believe the statuette of Eledain is the key to getting into the tomb of Um-Durman, where the sword is purported to be.

“The pieces of the statue you recovered are what Azrahel Koth’s servants are searching for, so they can gain access to the crypt and recover the sword. With that, Azrahel Koth will be free to roam the Misty Vale, destroying everything for his demonic master.”

“And perhaps, the world,” said Volcarian. Everyone looked grim, and decided they had best recover all the pieces of the statue before the cultists of Sathmog did. Alfilia agreed to meet the party in the morning. Kris and Volcarian turned in for the night.

Theoline headed to his house, but was followed by a figure in black. Theoline recognised him as one of Quasimund’s thugs, and quickly disarmed the teen. “Shouldn’t you get home to your mum, Jimmy?” he said. The young tough scarpered.

During the night someone tried to enter Kris and Volcarian’s room. The door knob shook, but realizing it was locked, they left.

The next morning the party met up and headed to Master Ulvar’s Supplies to investigate the barrels. Ulvar was very apologetic, offering some free bandages and rations to make up for the loss. He showed them the store room and barrels. Kris found a boot print under the window and Volcarian discovered a piece of torn black cloth on the broken window. He used his wolfkin senses to track the scent to the temple of Um-Durman.

Summoning a salamander before entering, Volcarian and the party entered the temple to find Leanara, Quasimund the mallard and several thugs waiting for them. The battle was on, with the party dispatching the group quickly with Alfilia’s help. The knight discovered the two missing pieces behind the altar. The party searched the temple and found some writing referring to Eledain and a niche that would fit a full-sized dragon emperor statuette. Alfilia recommended they set off to find the missing two parts before the cult of Sathmog did. She agreed to guard the two pieces they had recovered – “with my life, if need be”.

Volcarian and Kris sold some trinkets at the jeweller and Theoline bought some chainmail. They returned to the Three Stags to rest, before heading out into the valley to find the remaining missing pieces of the statuette of Eledain…

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