G01 — Session 12

1626, Earth Season

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Earth Season

Events

Having delegated the dragon problem, Queen Leika instructed her Grey Sage, Hastor, to brief the party on the history of the Second Age dragonslayer whose tomb they were hoping to raid. Hastor agreed with Jorrim that the dragon they had seen was a dream, given its small size, and like the dragon Orlanth battled, it had poisonous breath. He gave them a bag of wind to use against the dream dragon’s breath.

The hero Berevenenos was himself a descendant of dragonslayers and used his father’s enchanted armour and weapons to kill many dragons. Hastor believed he was interred in one of the burial mounds northeast of Apple Lane, on the edge of Malani lands. He thought the mound was still undisturbed, as no-one had shown much interest in it, except for one Lunar official who had seemed interested in the tale back during the occupation.

After hearing they had all shared the same dream of being worshipped as a goddess, Hastor felt it would be worth them seeking the advice of ancient immortals who might remember that age, like the Aldryami, while Arim suggested the Dwarf of Dwarf Mine. Hastor recommended speaking to the Queen of Tarnisil’s Grove, as the local Ernaldans were on good terms with the Aldryami.

While Ivalla and Finarvi were being instructed on Aldryami etiquette in the Ernaldan temple, Jorrim and Arim learned the particulars of Berevenenos’s tomb from Hastor. There were three tombs the Grey Sage thought were most likely, which included the one he had described to the Lunar official. He had records of grave goods, including the helm, cuirass, shield, sword and javelin used to fight dragonkind. Hastor added that it was unusual for dragon newts to speak to humans, as they had to be surgically altered to even try. The fact a group of dragon newts were deliberately going round talking to people was very unusual, and best heeded.

Finarvi and Serala retired to the stables to check on the horses and mules, and found them were much improved since their last visit to Clearwine. There was even Grazelander-style tack in use. The stable lads explained the horsemaster of Apple Lane had taught them how to do it right. Serala mentioned the Master of Horse had mentioned a Grazelander horse breeder in Apple Lane horse.

Ivalla visited a shrine to Yinkin and communed with her god, hoping to find some hint of where the dragon had gone. She learned that game had fled from the east side of Nymie vale.

The party decided to head north to the tombs, with Finarvi, Ivalla and Jorrim paying a visit to the Aldryami on the way. Arim needed to spend a few days at the Humakti temple so he and Serala arranged to meet the others in Apple Lane before going to look for the tomb.

Jorrim hid his axe in his backpack and the trio head into the Aldryami grove. They are escorted to the Queen of Tarnisil’s Grove, where Jorrim remembered not to stare and smoothly brought up the matter of the dream dragon. She seemed happy enough to help, provided they first prove they were heroes by dealing with a tree-wrecking giant boar. The goddess Ernalda had visited the boar on some of her followers in punishment, but the boar still remained.

Ivalla scouted for the boar and found tracks and a trail of shattered trees in a steep-sided little valley. Though distant, Red-Eye the Boar was so massive and powerful she could clearly see its passage through the wood. The terrain was mountainous woodland, very steep and rocky. They would have to draw it out of there to have any hope of fighting it.

They quickly decided that the best way to deal with the boar was to ask Ernalda to tidy up after herself. Deciding there must be a shrine to Ernalda in Apple Lane, they headed there directly, only to find smoke billowing into the sky and a panicked rider shouting about Tusk Riders.