Hoard of the Dragon Queen: Aftermath - Episode VII - How The Mighty Have Fallen

A great victory must also be followed by a great undoing. Or, so it seems. You see, the party decided to go and search V's lair to see what loot may have been left behind. When they arrived there, they parked the castle about a quarter of a mile out from the lair's entrance. The marshy ground below was covered in a thick fog.  No problem, Kaelthiros thought, Dain and I can scout ahead moving stealthily through the dense haze. After all, I am a master of stealth. What an idea! An awful idea! The grinch elf got a wonderful, AWFUL idea!

Well, so the tragedy began to unfold. There, Dain and Kaelthiros crept, moving towards the mouth of the former dragon's lair. And then it happened. No more than 400 yards ahead of the party, the pair - isolated from any assistance - encountered several lizard men. Oh yes, some of which were shaman that could summon several crocodiles at a time. And let's not forget the two giant lizard creatures and the big black lizard man! Needless to say, the were very quickly outnumbered.

Their screams were unheard by their distant companions - and there was no way to win the battle against such a great horde. At that moment, Kaelthiros knew he could run. He alone could make it back to the party. There was no hope for Dain. But, what happened then? Well, in the Mere of Dead men they say, the Wood Elf's small heart grew three sizes that day. The ranger ran towards the combat - knowing it would be his demise. He would not allow Dain to die alone.

Furiously, and frantically, he fought, firing arrows into the flesh of the foes that surrounded Dain. But, it was to no avail. For only moments later, Kaelthiros would fall to the ground - the life slipping from his body. It was then that he remembered Mullyn's recent telepathic message: "Kaelthiros, before death descends on you, let our companions know that the restored Farseer may be delivered to me in Candlekeep. Goodbye, my friend." With that last fleeting thought, death made it's final descent. Kaelthiros was dead.

Hoard of the Dragon Queen: Aftermath - Episode VI - Voaraghamanthar's Demise

After arriving at the Roadhouse, our heroes find their former acquaintence, Boglock. He was at first quite reluctant to divulge any information; however, after some "mild persuasion" he readily declared what he knew of the cults plans. They were headed to the North under the leadership of none other than Favrik! Now, as Baglock was discovered to be in cahoots with the cultists, he was taken to Castelino for a public execution. Such is the fate of any who betray our heroes!

The old Bollywug fortress was their next target. The Farseer needed to be retrieved and taken to Mullyn in Candlekeep. Upon arrival, the Farseeer was immediately located. Of course, whilst working on its retrieval, our group suffered several taunting attacks from the black dragon, Voaraghamanthar.

Much loss was suffered, but finally our adventurers were able to engage the dark menace in direct combat. The much-dreaded moment was upon them. Voaraghamanthar had come to recover Sunder - and to end the life of the one who stole it! Thankfully, things did not go nearly as poorly as they could have. Before you could say "Voaraghamanthar," (trust me, it takes a while to say - especially for certain DM's) the foul beast was dead. His corpse lie lifeless, pierced by arrows, full of gashes, and shredded by his own Sunder.

Hoard of the Dragon Queen: Aftermath - Episode V - Dwarven Bachelor Party

The golems were fixed and some new spells purchased, so what time was it? Time for the Dwarven bachelor party of course! So much to say about that - or rather so much better left unsaid. Thankfully, the first rule of DBP is that you do not talk about DBP. So moving on . .

Dain's wedding was amazing - an appearance by the king of Mithril Hall, an incredibly powerful lightning javelin gifted by Oloril's father, and - oh yes - acid in all the drinks! The culprit (hired by Lord Diamond) was soon found, hung upside down as nothing more than a pinata, and promptly beat to death as a wedding game. *shrugs* Dwarven weddings, what can you really say?

The wedding festivities done, more trouble arises. A hired mercenary has killed two fellow soldiers on Castelino! Although he accused them of stealing his money, the dead pair was not at fault. The money was found in another soldier's room - who of course denied taking it. And so the plot thickens . . yet again. Now, to find the Black Dragon . . . or be found by him . . .