FRIDAY NIGHT 5E - May 11th, 2025
Hail Adventurers! Welcome back to…The Maze!
Session Recap : Sand, Storms & Pets?
The party are on the hunt for a blue dragon said to be lurking in The Vast northeast of Ravens Bluff. After much discussion, the party decides to land their airship at the Port city of Tantras where they hope to find a caravan traveling south skirting along the edge of the territory the dragon is said to have claimed as its hunting grounds.
After arriving in Tantras, the party found a caravan willing to take them on as drovers’ and labor to load and unload wagons. The paladin and wizard decided that working for a living was beneath them so they decided to pay for passage to ride with the caravan to its destination of Ravens Bluff. It was the parties intend to use the caravan as bait for the dragon since they had been told by the thieves guild in skull Port that the dragon was destroying caravans along that particular stretch of road. Characters argued over the morality of placing a caravan at risk to bait out the dragon, but in the end, they convinced themselves that they would be able to stop the dragon before any harm came to anyone. Convenient. Smart. Doomed.
As the caravan proceeded south, the party noted a large on moving thunderstorm off to the east of the road lingering over the sands and rocky terrain. The party’s wizard, who had been doing some research on dragons, ascertained that this might be signs of a blue dragon and its regional effects on the land around its lair. The party kept an eye on the storm while they traveled nearer, but as night set in and they closed to within 5 miles of the storm the caravan master decided to move off to the side of the road and set up camp for the evening. After a brief discussion the party decided to allow the caravan guards to take on the duties of keeping an eye out for any attacks and settled in for a long rest.
During the night, the storm moved closer to the road, proceeded by loud peels of thunder and flashes of lightning. A sand storm moved in i’m scaring the sight of everyone in the caravan. The party jumped to their feet, but were disoriented by the fact that they could not see one another or what was going on around them. Without warning the blue dragon struck. Lightning crackled out of the sky, passing through the sandstorm and devastating the unprepared caravan. Wagons were set aflame and blasted apart. Horses and men were killed instantly. Half of the party failed their saving throws and took significant damage from the lightning. Unable to see the party struck out blindly, but missed their attacker. The party’s Druid tried to use gust of wind to push the sandstorm back, but only opened a small channel, allowing the Paladin to find her.
Hesitant to use their resources and fearful of proceeding into the sandstorm blindly the party decided to hide and wait out the attack. Soon the storm abated, the wind’s calmed and the sand disappeared. The fires from the burning wagons and the few remaining campfires painted a macabre picture of death and destruction. The party got their first look at the devastation a dragon can leave in its wake. Not a single soul of the caravan remained alive. Searching the camp they were able to salvage some of the goods that were going to Ravens Bluff. These items they loaded on the air ship and made their way south, looking to avoid offering the dragon a second chance at attacking them that night.
Arriving in Ravens Bluff the party offered up the trade goods to the merchant who purchased them, telling him of the dragon attack and how none of the caravan had survived.
They then made their way to the upscale Pump Side District, full of seaside manors and specialty shops. Apparently a dragon attack gives all of them a hankering for a shopping trip. They found several shops, including The Friendly Familiar Pet Shop, a purveyor of exotic animals and species. The old adage a fool in their money are soon parted applies to what happened at this particular shop. The wizard, Joran, bought an abandoned Unseen Servant. Wit, the Arvane Trickster walked out with an Alraune that he no doubt plans to use at the entrance to his brothel, Tyr’s Temptation, back in Ilipur. Stormsong, the war cleric of Tiamat, purchased a young Myconid out of anti-slavery sentiment with the intent of seeing it sent back to its kind.
The purchase is in taking on of innocent bystanders for the party to have to protect set off yet another debate within their ranks. That’s where we left off on this particular game session. There is still the fact that there’s a blue dragon flying around out there somewhere, the parties, unfulfilled mission of defeating the blue dragon, And what they intend to do with this little shop of horrors they have taken on as pets and familiars.
Stay tuned for the next session which will occur on Friday, July 25.
