SATURDAY FEB 7TH, THE ORDER OF THE FLAGON : SESSION 1
Greetings adventurers! Welcome back to The Maze! Saturday, February 7th was session 1 of our Order of The Flagon D&D 5E campaign.
First, let's introduce the players. I will list them in the order they submitted their completed character sheets and backstories to me.
Rhonin Ditto is a human Monk who has lived his life in Daggerdale. He has worked since his youth as a runner between the villages of the Dalelands, carrying letters, small packages, or quiet requests that didn’t belong on open roads. His mentor, Edrin Vaelthorn, gave him more complex jobs, utilizing the skills he recognized in the boy. Eventually sending Rhonin to a small monastic enclave near the edges of the dale to further hone the potential he saw. Now he wanders the Dalelands seeking purpose and a better understanding of the way of Shadows.
Next is Milosh, a high elf wizard, born in Marsember. His parents were dockworkers—humble, hardworking folk often away for long stretches upon the Sea of Fallen Stars. Milosh spent most of his childhood wandering the waterlogged alleys, listening to the whispered tales of sailors and the sounds of the tide. When Milosh was seven he fell from a slippery pier and plunged into the dark, swirling water. Instead of drowning, he found himself cradled by it. The current shaped itself around him, holding him afloat until help arrived. Witnesses spoke of the water spiraling upward on its own, defying nature. Many assumed it a blessing from Eldath or Istishia, but a passing mage from the Crown of Cormyr recognized it for what it was: raw arcane talent intertwined with elemental water. Milosh was taken under the tutelage of Arcanist Lureth Ryndal, a water‑evocation specialist of no small repute. Under Lureth’s guidance, Milosh learned to hear the “voice” of water in all its forms. Now Milosh has set out in the world to find his place in it.
Then there is Ulbric Hammerbuster, a dwarven war cleric born in a cavern settlement near the lost city of Thunderholme in the Thunder Peak Mountains west of the Dalelands. Ulbric was raised by his parents in this last settlement of survivors from the calamity Aurgloroasa (The Sibilant Shade) an undead shadow dragon wrought upon the dwarves of Thunderholme. When he came of age, Ulbric joined the “Jarlethurkon Kvelnadr” or “Dragon Slayers”. Their sole purpose is to destroy the undead that Aurgloroasa had unleashed on their kingdom and to ultimately reclaim Thunderholme from her clutches in the name of their deity, Clangeddin Silverbeard. It was with this order that Ulbric learned the arts of war and clerical worship – specifically against the undead. Eventually, the Sibilant Shade’s minions found Ulbric’s hidden village in the caves. The dracolich's forces were led by a Lich, the dreaded Thal’zhur the Deathwrought. Ulbric’s village, family and everything that he loved and cared for in life were wiped away, almost as if they had never existed. Ulbric escaped with his life, but little else. Now he seeks fortune and fame so that he might raise an expeditionary force to return to Thunderholme and take back his ancestral home.
Last, but certainly not least, we have Forlan Deadeye, a wood elf Ranger from the High Forest in the settlement of Lath’rielen. From an early age, Forlan showed an acute awareness of the world around him and the uncanny ability to move silently even among dry leaves. His mother, Sylaera, was a respected scout of the settlement, and his father, Aehren, a quiet, stoic woodcarver who crafted bows revered by the clans. His peaceful life was shattered when a band of Zhentarim mercenaries, accompanied by dark-robed spellcasters bearing the mark of a broken sun, tore through Lath’rielen’s wards. They sought an ancient relic rumored to be buried beneath the village: the Heart of Aerdrie, an artifact of the elven wind goddess. Forlan returned from a week-long scouting trip to find his home smoking, his people scattered or slain. His mother was missing. His father lay dying, whispering to Forlan that his mother had been taken for some ritual and then died in his arms.
The four wanderers, looking for employment, became aware of a wizard named Aledyr Goldshadow, a mage, looking for adventurers to go to a ruined tower in the Spiderhaunt Woods to search for a spell tome he believed to be there. Each made their way to Anathar's Dell to seek out this wizard to see what he had to offer them. The four meet in the large central inn, each in their own way seeking their would-be employer. They meet, share the fact they are each here for the same work, and wait for Aledyr. The mage comes along soon enough, makes his introductions, then tells the players what it is he needs them for. He seeks a spell tome, long thought lost, that his research has led him to believe was last believed to be in the library of a reclusive wizard who had built his tower in the southern portion of the Spiderhaunt Woods where he could study in relative peace. At some point the tower was destroyed, the wizard believed slain, and the tower looted. Now stories circulated amongst the Dales that the tower was haunted, but treasure seekers still occasionally went there to see if the tower truly was empty.
The party agrees to take on the task, and take the small fortune offered up front, two hundred gold each, to equip themselves and prepare for the journey to the forest. They acquire gear, potions, and all of the items they think may come in handy for making their way on foot across the Dalelands, through a portion of the notorious monster infested woodland, then to the haunted tower itself. They enjoy the accommodations offered by their employer including a night's stay at the Inn, as well as the famous Dwarven ales brewed by the inhabitants of Anatar's Dell.
The next day they set out following the river north to the road that will lead them to the grasslands south of the Spiderhaunt. They hunt and fish to supplement their food supplies, but the closer they get to the woods the more scarce the game becomes. At night they camp without fire for fear of attracting attention of the eyes they feel upon them all of the time. On their sixth night, with the Spiderhaunt within sight, they make camp alongside a low, grassy hill. On Ulbric's watch, the dwarf hears what sounds like the breaking of a twig. He shakes his companions awake and tells them about the noise he heard. Forlan heads up the hill to try to see who may be on the other side, Rhonin, lacking darkvision, lays his hand on the Ranger's shoulder and moves up behind him, with the Dwarf in tow. Milosh stays behind with the gear to make sure they do not lose anything. As they near the top of the hill, Ulbric trips on a stone, curses and makes a noise. The three hear voices speaking in a language they do not comprehend. The slip back down the hill and tell the wizard they are not alone here. They quickly gather their gear and decide to set out rather than risk an encounter.
As they move out, Forlan leading, the human Monk Rhonin holding onto him as he cannot see in the dark of night, Milosh behind him and Ulbric acting as rear guard, they move along the southern edge of the saddleback hill moving as quickly as they dare away from their campsite without making noise. Unfortunately Ulbric trips on something unseen and lets out a Dwarven curse. As he stands up and looks back in the direction they came from he sees several short, yellow skinned creatures rushing in their direction. A band of Goblins! They have been discovered!
That is where we left off our first session, but they are eager to get back to the table. Stay tuned for our next game where we find out what happens to our would-be heroes.
Thanks for joining us and we look forward to seeing you back here next time, in The Maze!
