After+The+Dragons

// __Parties And Plans__ // 12/2/17 400xp with +1 Diplomacy

With the Dragon Mage our prisoner, the party teleports to Safe Harbor. 98. "Wait, this isn't Safe Harbor?!?" "Yes it is! oh maybe not. I thought you said we wanted to go to Gont? E-:" "Nice teleporting, Otavio". :(

Since they were stuck in Gont for a day for Otavio to regain his ability to teleport, the party questioned its prisoner. It turns out the guy didn't know much of interest, so the party decided to see if anyone in Safe Harbor could get some info out of him. Meanwhile the conga line with Humulus carrying the head of the dragon began with great fanfare. After partying all night, the party correctly teleported to Safe Harbor. Arriving outside the gates to the startled guards the conga line begins once again, garnering a huge cheering crowd of people celebrating DING DONG THE DRAGON'S DEAD!! Runners run to the castle and a proper celebration is set up. The prisoner yields little information beyond what is already known about the Golden Eagles and the Yuan-Ti so he is dispatched in a civilized manner.

The next action for the party becomes the subject of many plans over the next few days. Mardov tries a divination (which the party realizes are actually going to Prometheus because of The Ceiling) "What Is The Biggest Threat To The Party?" The response is Golden Eagles, of course. The Council Of Dukes convenes and many concern are discussed:
 * Trolls with their wolves and their odd reticence to join the war? We cannot antagonize them
 * Golden Eagles, weakened but still powerful and numerous. It would take an army; one we don't yet have.
 * What of the tipping of the balance of power? Will the Golden Eagles fear attack and be goaded into attacking Homb??
 * Is Offense better than Defense in this situation?
 * The Dragonslayers are best used as a tactical strike force for targets that the Dukes agree upon
 * Also, the party MUST spend time taking news of their success to all of the towns. Morale is vital.

Rather than immediately going on the attack, the party agrees to do a "Buy War Bonds" tour with the dragon head for a month or so. During the tour it is clear to the party that their next course of action is to go after the Yuan-Ti utilizing the Zedicus' Amazing Soul Sucking Magic Booster to scry for them. If they are in their capital on Frobal as the party suspects, perhaps a 'Port And Smash operation will work to remove the threat? Stay tuned...

//__ King Breaker __// 24-Feb-2018 1000xp

The banner of "DragonSlayer" gets a new name added -"King Breaker"  Short version, group get a message to meet with a pixie scout on Sprand. We get to the island only to discover being scry-ed on.  Scry is dispelled and we take effort to fly thru forest to make it harder to be pin-pointed. The pixie scout says they overheard Golden Eagle king. He is making a tour of his "Duke" chiefs in the other villages to set up countermeasure SPECIFICALLY for our party. We decide to take chance on zapping him out in the open. The Golden Eagle king had about 20 Golden eagle guards, 2 more personal bodyguards and 4 casters(2 sorcerers and 2 clerics). Group decided to take the chance with the Golden Eagle king as primary. Ambush started with spike stones and entangle and spike growth and cold(fire)ball on the road. Fireballs back from Golden eagle casters. Golden Eagle king and his two bodyguards fly up the road to attack Grunhilda. Meanwhile, crowd control spells slowing bad guys but a few getting out to attach. Grun and Mardove get off a Vampiric(?) touch on the king, at least one hits to zap for 4 levels. Otavio zaps golden eagle king with a maximized lightning bolt twice. And he and his two body guards fly away in retreat, trying to evade into the cornfields bordering the road. Horns sound and rest of bad guys start to flee as well. Otavio gets some altitude, rolls to guess which target is a bodyguard versus the king and blasts off another lightning bolt and HUZZAH its the king and crashes. Then an unseen platoon of golden eagle archers show up, they been tailing the king. ALL of ones we see cast a spell, Kojak determines its True-strike(+20 to attack roll). Someone drops a stinking cloud on those archers to block vision and battle is over, the Golden Eagle king is dead. Afterwards, determine this was an ambush for us. Spells not doing as much damage as expected since most baddies had some type of protect versus elements up.

//__ Peace In our Time __// 10-Mar-2018 400xp Kevin, David R, Tom running characters.

Picked up back at the battle scene where we killed the Golden Eagle king. With the some 40 archers still about to possibly appear, decided to skip out the battlefield. Grabbed our pixie scout, made sure was healthy and beat a retreat to Homb island and get meeting with King and council ASAP to relay the news. Only to find out, they were wanting to meet with us as well. A few days earlier, a message was left by Yuan-Ti at island fortress Gant for a discussion of a treaty to stop hostilities. The Yuan-Ti specifically wanted us there along with our King and Dukes. Initial suggestion was to meet on Silk Duke Island and we said "Nope". Decided on Gant as a midway spot.

Treaty: All Yuan-Ti return to Kaufle. All Yuan-Ti and any of thier allies on Kaufle to remain for 100 years. Half-dragon Ogres and Driders offered asylum if they choose, we will be told who leaves and stays. Star Island is nuetral ground, so can go there. Any of "good" guys who land on Kaufle will be executed. If we catch any baddies, the same is expected. Yuan-Ti no longer support Golden Eagles, they are not covered by treaty, unless they ask for asylum on Kaufle. Any beings on Kaufle are subject to treaty, includes Salamanders and Naga.

If need to communicate, we drop a message off at village on South Kaufle, they will drop at Gant.

And doing our bestie impression of Neville Chamberlain, the treaty terms were signed by all leaders and the Yuan-Ti insisted our members sign as well. Also, insisted on them stop of scrying. They smiled, said sure but not only them. We notice the scrying attempts drops by half.

Meanwhile that was going on, golden eagles raided a village on Tobian, north of Fertile Valley, killing nearly all and laid waste to the village, allowing a couple survivors to get away. Initial scouting by locals indicated, large band of raiders, some 50 golden eagles and 50 regular hob-goblins, popped in and marched to village while pillaging. Then marched to another rocky open clearing, still pillaging and then disappeared.

Our group investigated, Kojak used multiple spells to elevate trees sentience as well as use of Stone Tell. Some type of device or creatures using flame dropped off and picked up the raiders. The flame burned some tree leaves. We gave heads up to the Sphinx Duke to allocate some scouts on North eastern shore of Tobian to see if can catch raiders in future.

So question is, how did they really do that and we ready to all out assault the Golden Eagle leadership? Also, thoughts on how do we counter the scrying attempts of Golden Eagles. Suggestion was make new cloaks with lead sewn into them?

__//Pretender To The Throne//__ 4/7/18  David/Tom/Doug DM Dave   700XP

While pondering the aftermath of the raid on Sprand, each party member realized there was a change to the Poem associated with the scroll on Tobian! This seemed very suspicious. Some of the party teleported to Fertile Valley to check things out. The clerics said that Duke Glen took it with other members of the party, including Lupulus. This was news to Lupulus! Someone had impersonated the party to take it. But why? They couldn’t take it off the island. Did they need its healing properties? They couldn’t be evil, since they entered highly consecrated ground to retrieve it. The next morning, there was a new poem in our minds that made it clear the scroll was in the dedicant temple south of the main silk island. Teleporting there, the party saw the entrance was glyphed. Kojak did a stone shape to get around the entrance and in we went. He then cast a Find The Path to the scroll, and it pointed directly to the evil temple. At the temple door, Mardov sends in a Dancing Lights to check it out and flies in to take a look, where she sees the bad guys were hiding, ready to attack.While Fubar spent the fight frozen by a hold person, the bad MU kept hitting Mardov with spells she was immune to. Meanwhile, the big bad Golden Eagle (who had been with the king on Sprand) with all of his buffs and armor took on Otavio. Soneskin! O unloaded on him after making his concentration role, and blasted him to bits. “He had all the armor and weapons and cool protections, but no one even took a swing at him! And yet he died...” sobbed the disconsolate DM   We questioned the survivor and found that this was all a power play by the Golden Eagle for the kingship of Sprand: “If he could have destroyed our greatest enemy, he would have been king for sure!” We believe they must have hired some hobgoblins to do the theft, but they had to either have been neutral, or had some way to neutralize the protections. We may never know.