Candle in the Dark Campaign Diary - Session 3: The Slaying Stone Pt 1

The Cast:

• Enid, half-elf cleric of Bahamut
• Nashgar, dragonborn paladin of Bahamut
• Leilua, tiefling warlock
• Corrin, halfling barbarian 

The heroes are welcomed into the tower of Treona and Alkirk, given warm tea and a place by their fire as the details of the mission are provided.

 The mission is to recover a relic called the Slaying Stone.  It is an item that was used by the rulers of Kiris Dahn to protect the city from invaders.  The relic targets an individual that is within a range of 5 miles from the stone, and, simply put, slays them.  A little over 8 years ago, a goblin army invaded Kiris Dahn and the ruler used the stones against the goblin leaders, but were unable to target all of them before the town was overrun.  Most were either killed or forced to evacuate rapidly to escape the slaughter.  Treona and Alkirk were two of the fortunate ones that were able to escape, and they were taken in by Lord Drysdale.  The lord had their tower built on their request, so that they may reside close to their former home and keep an eye on things, reporting back to the lord.  Treona told Lord Drysdale of the stones and that she knew of at least one that had not been used, for she had hidden it away herself.  Apparently, the lord sees the need to recover the item now, which is why he sent the heroes on this mission.

Treona and Alkirk lay out a hand-drawn map of the town and go through detailing the various areas and what they can expect to encounter there.  The front entrance to the town has a palisade set there by the goblins and manned day and night.  The front part of town is occupied by kobolds that the goblins brought in as slave workers and to supplement their forces as needed. The kobolds hate the goblins, but they will fight as instructed and pose a threat.  Fortunately, kobolds are nocturnal creatures, so they sleep during the day, making that part of town safe to travel through until nightfall.

The middle and back part of town is where the goblins reside and they have trashed most of it.  Many structures have been destroyed, some still stand and are used as housing by the goblins.  The Lord's Manor, which is at the back end of town, is where the goblin's leader resides - a hobgoblin named Hu-Jat.

Treona says she hid the Slaying Stone in the vault below the manor.  She says if the hidden area of the cellar has not been found by the goblins, there's a good chance that the stone is still there.  If they have, the may have moved it.  If they have an arcanist among them, they may have moved it to the library to study.  If they have a priest or shaman, they may have moved it to the temple district to placate the gods.   Otherwise, it could be anywhere in town.

Alkirk mentions two things that the heroes should be aware of.  First, there is a dragon that has been spotted in the area, though where it lairs is not known.  He doesn't think that its in Kiris Dahn because it would have scared the goblins away.  Second, within the last week, a group of orcs was spotted entering the town.  Orcs have been scarce in the Nentir Vale since the Bloodspear War drove them out 100 years ago, so this could be a sign that they have rebuilt their strength and is scouting the vale to determine it's current state.  It's possible the orcs have subjegated the goblinoids if that is the case, to have a foothold in the vale.  But at this point the reason for their presence is unknown.

After some discussion around the details provided by the two, Treona excuses herself after the discussion and bids the heroes to rest well before departing in the morning.

The following morning, the heroes depart and make their way around the back side of town through the forest, approaching the manor from behind.  As they do, they spot something large and fast erupt out of the hot springs and fly off into the morning skies.  Corrin got the best look and described it as a "flying lizard".  Probably the dragon that Alkirk mentioned.  After some maneuvering, they manage to get close enough to sneak up on the group of goblins guarding one of the entrances.  They defeat the goblins, though a combination of magic provided by Leilua, which put some of the goblins to sleep, and physical combat.  Leilua killed one of the sleeping goblins and the priest and paladin berated her for her actions (after getting a divine reminder that killing defenseless opponents is frowned upon by Bahamut).  The group then sneak into the manor and fight a few more goblins.  They must now find the way to the cellar and seek the stone in the vault.

End of session.