Note: I’m releasing this post in it’s incomplete form as I’m in danger of it never being posted, since the holidays slammed down hard after our last game. Also, I’ve rewritten this post several times only to have it lost to the void while attempting to post it. C’est la vie. Let me know if any of this is not how it actually happened.

Players in Attendance: Chris Rocco (Pendrynn Hamut), Greg Sallee (Davros), Jason Alway (Kurock Stonehammer),  Erik Rehpohl (Kailithe Solace Guard), Jason Jurisch (Froimos), Paul Brazelton, (Poe)

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Recap: When we last saw our plucky team of adventurers, they were stepping through a portal into the dark realm of the Shadowfell. They were on a rescue mission for Tristan, the proprietor of “Findings”. He had fallen prey to the interference of dark magics while scrying for information about the metal men of the Mist Fens. The gang bested several ethereal and tentacled Fell Taint in order to free the wizard and draw him back through the rapidly collapsing planar portal. After their return, the Dragonslayers were assigned to Coal Caravan duty. They spend the better part of 2 weeks training on the proper operation of the heavy caravan pullers, practicing firing the rapid fire ballista mounted on a turret in their rear, and all the skills to keep them alive during the dangerous trip north. On the first night’s rest, the party bedded down at camp 1 and were surprised by a bellowing undead cave bear. While the Dragonslayers battled the massive mound of shambling fur and muscle, several hidden automata popped out of the ground and began to disable the caravan couplings. The party eventually defeated the cave bear and the automatons. Barack gave chase to the leader of the attack, a “Robed Metal Man” and his two walking arbalesters, but was unable to catch him before being lost to the darkness.

Date: Daybreak, Meloren, the 3rd of Tyden, 617 S.R. one day’s ride north of Blackfield on the Coal Caravan.

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Departing Camp 1 – At the first light of dawn, the caravan had already been rearranged to compensate for the loss of one of the coal wagons. The stink from the (currently not-moving) carcass of the undead cave bear a reminder of the previous evening’s sudden violence. Sergeant Hurrel (of Charger Cohort) blared out hurried orders to the group, hoping to get underway immediately as Camp 1′s location had clearly been compromised. The caravan rumbles to life and begins to increase it’s momentum as it rolls towards the Sootway leaving a wake of crushed bushes and deep ruts in the ground; any semblance of stealth abandoned to the five winds. Oriented north, the land train thunders to life and begins to pick up speed.

The Cabor River – Above the ever present mechanical creaking of the coal caravan wagons, the sounds of rushing water can be heard in the distance. As the wagons draw closer, the flat blue expanse of the Cabor River can be seen on the horizon to the north. The Sootway crosses the Cabor at it’s widest point, just downriver of a series of rapids. The river’s wide slow flow allows the caravan to ford across here with minimal danger.  20 miles to the west, the Cabor originates from the outflows of Lake Levain, hidden by distance and a hazy wind.

The caravan drivers wrestled to fight the pull of the river and maintained control.

Camp 2 - As darkness begins to fall, a rising ridge line can be seen approaching on the northern horizon. Visible to the far north is the remains of a partially ruined tower. The caravan stops in the shelter of a shallow valley nestled low in the center of three hillocks. (Guards set up on the ridge above.) The party levitated one of their turrets to the top of a hill to provide better covering fire, however the evening passed quietly.

Dragon Attack – The afternoon of the final day’s northern trek, the caravan is surprised by the sudden appearance of a Brown Dragon, which smuch up behind them hiding in their massive dust trail. Poe, manning one of the rapid fire ballistae was the first to see the threat and raise the alarm.

It flew over, settled on a middle coal cart, attacked the middle puller horses, Kailithe used his magic magic disc to launch himself into the middle car, Kuroc bravely attempted to walk across the overloaded coal cars to get into the action, the brown dragon was shot quite a few times by Poe, attempted to derail the caravan (passed control check), and mauls a horse (trampled) before being driven off falling behind the caravan. Everyone involved in the battle earn 300 XP.

Port Flume - The pinnacle of civilized achievement, the WEATHER WORN brown granite face of Port Flume’s outer walls quarried from the dwarven mines to the north and ferried down the river form an imposing obstacle. Topping the crenelated turrets can  be seen large weapons of war, onagers, catapults and scorpions. The city is massive and could be seen approaching as far as an hour’s ride away from the gates. As the caravan draws closer to the city, a large forest can be seen to the west, dead plains fading to sandy dunes to the east, and tons of black smoke rising from the city.

• Entering the gates – Check-in at the gate (Collects all the names of the people coming in)
• Travel through the Market Tierce-Large well organized blocks of businesses and clean wide streets.
• Unloading at port Flume-The caravan pulled into a massive warehouse where a pile of laborers began to decouple the wagons and shovel out the coal into their storage silos. The party is scheduled to leave in 3 days and move on to the
• Travel into the Bowery tierce-The disorganized nature of building in the bowery is quite evident. Anywhere there is space, someone has slapped up some driftwood, cloth or leftover construction materials to create shelter. Much of the tierce itself is jutting out over the Anwar on a series of rickety piers.
• Party checks in at Riverbeds – Pendrynn receives a locked codex box+ring (package left at the Inn for nearly 20 years and the note “Let your heart guide you to your legacy.” Pendrynn inevitably opened the box using the code “Freedom” and found a note and a shiny dagger covered with Erathian symbols. “May this weapon grow with you and your legendary deeds. – Love Brogan Hamut”
• Flotsam (Shop) & Jetsam (Pub) - The party discovered the presence of a black market in Flotsam and the Challenge Board outside the pub and near “The Hold”.

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  – Pub Atmosphere

• The party made their way down to the drinking establishment known as “The Hold”, a floating derelict cargo that was partially run aground on the beach and lashed to a nearby pier.

• Gambling – Several members  of the party played some “Dicing with the Devil” and won some cash.
• Several members of the Dragonslayers decided to participate in no-holds barred combat in “The Hold” a pit dug into the beach.Some laid down lucrative side bets as well.
  • Barack fought “Vance”, a well scarred veteran guard and won!
  • Kurock fought “Etrius”, an agile halberd wielding speardancer, unfortunately, he lost the match.
• Barack received a bottle to hand-off to Shamus O’Halloran in Burrowdown  with the Promise of a 10 gold payoff.

The party has 2 half-days remaining in Port Flume before leaving for Burrowdown.