DDO in 4e: A Campaign Diary

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The order follow the fleeing kobold, but the traps on the way delay the party enough for him to disappear. Callahan keep following his tracks, until the team find a big hole in the ground, where they can smell a putrid stench coming from. Callahan says the kobold headed to the hole. They notice a folding ladder on the ceiling, and Yasdril uses her Thorn Whip to pull it down. At the pit, they find the corpses of the previous party the guards mentioned to them. They were already half-eaten, and stripped of their magic gear. They go to the exit, and finally find the kobold that led them here in the first place. He was talking with a kobold in red scales that appears to be the boss. Callahan can understand their talking, and they mention something about making a deal with the Cloven-Jaw, and having to find "that **** seal". When he start to talk about getting rid of the new intruders, the party decides it is time to strike, and charge in.

The fight is hard. They underestimate how mobile the kobolds are, and how much the ice attack of the shaman would affect them. Yasdril assumer her Winter Herald form to minimize the damage, but even then, she falls quickly. While the rest of the group is engaged with the boss and the minions, one of them drag Yasdril's body out of the fray, to make it harder for them to reanimate her. She can raise on her own after a few turns, and re-joined just in time to smash Jitik once and for all. They them quickly surrounded the shaman and dispatched him.

The kobold that escaped them the first time, escaped again. This time, in the directions of the clan's prison, that also doubles as training grounds for their rats. Big Chin took the boss' axe as an reward, and they follow up into the prison, in the hopes that Venn might be still alive.

[nibel]

After beating Jitik, the Order of the White Dragon notice that Callahan is still seriously hurt. Refusing to be the one dragging his team down, he makes use of another ritual borrowed from Drogbar's book and absorb some vitality from Yasdril (with her consent, of course). This was enough to give him a second wind for the last part of the mission: Finding Venn.

Once inside the prison, they hear a loud gong reverberating around. They know this means they will be chased now, and they have to rush before they are swarmed hard by them. They took a while to decide if they would split or walk together, deciding on the latter. They heads up west, where after beating a hundred rats, they released some prisoners back to the surface. They got a breather, because the kobolds focused on recapturing them. Then they went by the next room, and found Venn tied to a bed, while a butcher kobold using a scalpel "works" on him. The party charges in rage, and defeat the interrogator before he can react.

Ladrian do his best to tend to Venn's injuries, that is still conscious. He ask about Arlos, just so Ladrian tell him that his brother is safe, and soon he would be as well. He is too wounded to run on his own, so Yasdril sheathe her weapons, and grab him. They escape the tunnelworm territory with ease after that, and Venn tell them that he and his brother learned from Miri about Shan-to-Kor, and then they "explored" the sewers to find a hint about the ancient city. And he asks that if he can't make it, for them to tell Miri that he is sorry for all the trouble.

He also mention that when he was being dragged to the prison, he saw a drow talking with Jitik. He was being dragged, so he couldn't listen to the whole conversation, but he did heard that the drow asked for their cooperation with "the seal of Shan-to-Kor", which is supposed to no longer exist. After that, he lose conscience and they can't ask him anything else. They reach the guards near the exit to the surface of Stormreach, which immediately send a guard to get a Jorasco healer.

Ladrian stay with Venn until the Jorasco healer arrive, to ensue that everyone knew that the Order bought him alive. And then they went for Zin to get their reward. The whole group is very sarcastic about how he made a dumb move sending another adventurer group to their deaths, only for Zin to threaten not pay them if they start talking like that. For the first time, the halfling was talking more like a pirate than a merchant, and demanding an apology from the group, because he "never ever broke their verbal agreement" and that "in Stormreach, my reputation allow me to destroy yours if I wish." Grumbling, they apologize and get their reward, including the special reward: the Acrobat's Ring.

Acrobat's Ring: - Properties: +1 item bonus to speed, +2 item bonus to Athletics and Acrobatics; Power: Daily (Move action): You shift your speed.

[nibel]

A few days after the Waterworks incident, the group is chilling on Callahan's family tavern, when a kobold bearing the Tunnelworm armor enter and look at everyone, asking if they are the Order of the White Dragon. Once they confirm, the kobold demands that since they destroyed his clan, now they have the responsibility to accept him as part of their tribe. The group is having some doubt to adding a kobold to the team (and a drunk Callahan don't help on the matter). Specially after he said that his intend is to grow up powerful enough to finish off everyone in the name of his lost tribe.

Ladrian then think he might make it works somehow, since they lost Ywain, and can use the extra hand anyway. He tell the kobold that he have a magic ring that prevents any of its bearer to hurt them, and that they will only accept him in the party, if he don the ring. The "curse" will stay in place even after he removes the ring, if he so desires. Seeing through his bluff, the kobold accept the terms.

And with that, Krusjik joins the party (and the group level up to 3).

More days later, one human man named Eremic Quall was looking for the Order, and asked if they would accept a job outside Stormreach. He tell them that a Darguun general named Ungurz was looking specifically for non-goblinoid mercenaries. They consider the offer for a while, and in the end accepted the terms. Quall sent them to Tangleroot Gorge to meet Ungurz.

Once they arrive at his fortress (and find out that Krusjik can speak Dhakaani), he meet the group and tell them what he needs: He was sent there to look out for local goblinoid tribes to go back to Khorvaire and help build Darguun. While he got success with some tribes, there is one that is giving him trouble. The tribe hidden inside the Splinterskull Fortress. Ladrian recognize the name as the place of some ghost stories and such. Ungurz ensure that those stories are just so the humans don't go mess up with them. Anyway, he needs some help "convincing" them that leaving that place and going to Darguun is a good thing. For that, he nee the party to do two things: Wreck havoc inside the fortress, and recovering three documents that will give them some upper hand when going to negotiate again with Yarkuch.

Despite the good price on each document, Ladrian try to milk a bit more on the offer, and get the promise of a magic relic from the Dhakaani Empire if they are good enough to recover all three documents. They also have a teleport circle set up inside the fortress, and are willing to share with them, in case he need their services again in a near future. When Callahan clarifies that he still don't know how to operate teleport circles, Ungurz add one extra chip on the pot: He thinks his wizard can help him with that, but just as before, only after they return with the documents. The party seal the deal, and then is given the map to the Splinterskull Fortress.

Krusjik seems happy with the opportunity to kill some goblins, while Ladrian feels bad that he will not be able to advertise the group's name all the time, since this mission is supposed to be secret. Quickly, they reach the entrance, that looks like a giant split skull. They go into the cavern, and meet a group of guarding hobgoblins, which quickly notice them, and scream for them to leave immediately. The fight break down, and the group wins with ease, but they ring the bell, alerting the others inside.

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After beating the ones by the entrance, the order notices that the rest of the fortress is empty, with a large metal portcullis blocking the access to the main door. Checking the side paths, they find two levers that when pulled at the same time (with a little coordination using Ladrian's whistle) kept the portcullis in place long enough so Yasdril and Chin smash the door down. After they cross, the gate fall, and they apparently are locked inside the fortress.

They proceed to the next intercession, where Krusjik read the directions in a nearby plaque, and they choose to go to the "event room", ignoring the prison area, because probably the papers won't be there. As they approach the closed door, they can hear some random rhythmed grunts, which Krusjik tell is a religious chant. When they open the door, they meet a small church-like room, with a dozen hobgoblins praying, while the priest call them to "bring some sacrifices for Shudra" before they attack the party.

The fight is hard, because Ladrian fell quick, and both Chin and Yasdril were not able to hold the masses quick enough. Callahan cut off the majority of the threat, and despite being dazed at the worst possible moment, he recover in time to rescue Ladrian from the claws of death, and they turn the tide in favor of the Order. After winning the battle, the find the first document in the possession of the priest (actually a lieutenant), alongside a mysterious potion and scroll that they choose to identify later when they have the time for that.

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With the Combat Orders in their possession, they got the names and locations of the other two lieutenants that might hold the other documents. They choose to pursue Morkag-Khor first, because they already passed the prison area, and will return there when they are leaving. The area beyond the throne room is a solid excavation site, with some minor tunnels branching the main path. They proceed until they reach a large gate, that Chin tries to push with all his strength, but can't make it move an inch. It looks like the thing is barred from the other side, since they don't see any locks on this side. Ladrian notices the faint engravings, and recognize it as fey in origin, but it looks a lot like fomorian work. Krusjik reminds them that they are still in enemy grounds, and should hurry up.

As they proceed through the corridor, they see a small group coming from the corner, and when they try to quickly dispatch them, they are received with an arrow coming from a dark spot above them. They fight Morkag-Khor and her underlings, and even with the help of her magic cloak, she is no match to the Order, and go down. The group recovers the Patrol Map, and a magic potion she didn't had the chance to drink. With those two documents in hand, they are able to ignore all patrols around the fortress, since they know which parts will be investigated, and avoid them.

They noticed that during the last fight, Morkag-Khor presumed they were going for "the inner fortress", and noticed a lot of hobgoblins moving further inside. For their luck, they actually were going in the other direction, back to the entrance, where they would check the prison and face Graka-Khor for the last document Ungurz required. They arrived at the prison, where only one guard was there, and facing the opposite direction. Callahan shot him, but it was unnecessary: The guard was already dead, and with a horror expression on his face. Once the group enter the area, some prisoners asks for release, but they are uncertain if that is the right time to do that, since there are more goblinoids around.

Callahan notices that there is something wrong with the prisoners, but before he can complete his thinking process, they hear sounds outside, including people asking (in Goblin) about the guard's death. They prepare an ambush for them, but fail, and are quickly surrounded by the patrol. The combat is reasonably quick and painless, until Graka-Khor orders the release of the spiders, that are ordered to focus on Chin, but can't put the warforged down, no matter what. Krusjik finish the third lieutenant, and then dispatch the spiders while they are focusing in anything that is not him. The group recovers the Troop Roster, and get ready to leave the fortress for good.

[nibel]

After releasing the prisoners, they run ahead of the Order without even saying thanks. Ladrian reminds the group that they will have to stop at the portcullis blocking the entrance anyway, so they will be safe. They are tired, and glad that the mission finished with a great success, since apparently, the whole fortress is searching for them further inside, so they will have a clear path to the exit. However, when they approach the portcullis, it was busted open by something that apparently just grabbed the metal bars and pushed it hard.

Going ahead, worried about the prisoners, they find a giant pulsing mass of flesh, filled with half dozen heads and arms. Alongsinde it, there was 4 hobgoblins with the same horror face as the guard in the prison, plus two large tentacles on their shoulders. They don't appear to notice the group approaching, but Ladrian don't want to risk sneaking past them. Chin and Yasdril charges ahead, causing the mutated hobgoblins to scream, and then retaliate the attack. Despite Krusjik being engulfed by the goblin mass, the fight was not that hard.

After jumping in the nearby river to clean themselves from the goblin guts (thanks to the final bursting attack of the goblin mass), they go back into Ungurz fortress, and give him the three documents. The general is very satisfied, and pay them with a big smile in the face. Maybe to not worry him too much, Ladrian chose to not tell him about any of the strange things they found inside the fortress, like the dolgaunts or the fomorian door.

The order them takes the caravan back to Stormreach, where they finally decided to make good use of all the money they gathered. Chin escorts them to Cannith, where they order four custom items, leaving them with little gold again.