HDQ_01: Greenest In Flames

Having regained their senses groggily after exiting the Immortal Chrysalis which dunked them in a life magic ley line, the party began to attempt to cope with the new life they’d gained in the process. Before they had any chance to truly grasp their bearings, Mormesk rose to his new middle-age high elf body’s feet with unsteady certainty. He cast a disgusted look at the adventurers who also began to struggle to rise and, unwilling to engage in any discussion on the matter, dove into the channeling bowl at the edge of the Chrysalis. He suspected this would break open the Chrysalis violently enough to slay his unwitting compatriots and hoped in their deaths he would find the means to rid himself of their attachment forever.

Alas, the Chrysalis still held many surprises. Indeed the sudden collapse of the protective sphere ripped our adventurers away from the safety of the central structure. They hurtled into the waters below with enough force to send them plummeting to its depths. Yet, none were slain. Mormesk knew no different, as he didn’t see the meddlesome group again.

Plunged unceremoniously into the magic-touched waters which rested directly atop the ley line beneath that underground lake, the adventurers quickly lost consciousness as their mortal forms were pulled through space and time and everything once again went black. When their senses returned once more, the five noble heroes found themselves awash upon the pebbled banks of the shallow and lazy Silvanus river. The sun was setting in the distance, but enough light remained for each of them to take stock of their location. Still confused from the experience, the group turned to Seraphina, who retained her former self through the entire transition. She was oddly bubbly and energetic, much younger than anyone remembered, but still definitively Seraphina.

Moments later, after determining Tross remembered Vilkas, Shay thought of herself as Lo Risten, Rilos carried the airs of Count Hawklight and Unka had accepted Avina, the deafening howl and thunderous flap of an adult blue dragon brought the group back to the present. To their north, the sounds of battle and screams of the innocent pushed the mysteries of the Immortal Chrysalis to the forgotten corners of their minds. Eager to sharpen his considerable skills against the hides of evildoers, Tross the Hound led the group forward into the embattled town.

They made quick work of a small group of kobolds and thought to inquire at a stout temple standing near the edge of the town when the Swift family bolted into view, pursued by a bloodthirsty pack of kobolds. Immediately endeared to the innocent face of Lily Swift, Shay Davencolt charged forward to engage the fiends. Although the adventurers made short work of the vile creatures, Linan Swift limped away from the battle with mortal wounds and Shay touched her shoulder to restore some life into the poor woman.

The Swifts insisted that the Keep would be the safest place to withstand the siege. Though the adventurers had seen some townsfolk running toward the nearby temple, it appeared the Swifts were fleeing from that place, so they agreed to escort the family across town to the Keep. Navigating the streets was a perilous affair, as cultists and kobolds alike were running rampant through the town. By passing through the Cat & Squirrel, a local taphouse, the group hoped to avoid any confrontations which might be dangerous for the injured Swift family. Rilos engulfed a small patrol in darkness to cover their flight toward the safety of the keep. Unfortunately, they were unable to escape a small group which waited near the western corner of the building. After dispatching these angry kobolds, they were faced with the patrol they’d previously thought to evade.

With both confrontations behind them and the group relatively unscathed, all that remained was to run the length of the Keep to make the front gate. They were again delayed as another patrol caught them just before they could reach safety. Even so, our adventurers fought their way through and soon found themselves amidst the bustle of the Keep’s defenders, who accepted the heroes readily into their midst. A stirring speech from Governor Nighthill rejuvenated the party before he personally thanked them for saving the Swift family. He then mentioned an old siege tunnel which nobody else had any opportunity to check. Governor Nighthill suggested this might make a better means of helping to save the local townsfolk than the main gate and he motioned to the cultist forces steadily gathering there.

Castellan Escobert the Red, Governor Nighthill’s right-hand dwarf and the defender of the Keep, handed the party a single key and led them to a cellar room where the entrance to the old tunnel was blocked off by carelessly stacked crates and barrels. After about ten minutes of shuffling crates across the room, the ancient door was unlocked and broken open with some effort. The found the tunnel beyond was clear and in good condition aside from the cobwebs which choked the pathway. However, at the far end of the tunnel the disguised exit was sealed tightly by corrosion and years of neglect. It was only through Seraphina’s skillful manipulation of her thieves’ tools that the grate could be carefully and quietly opened.

The party found themselves back in the river Silvanus, very close to where they had washed to shore. A small party of raiders could be seen picking their way along the banks of the river, apparently searching for any potential captives who might be hiding there. Using the cover of darkness, the adventurers decided to dispatch these scouts in the hope of keeping their newfound secret tunnel a secret. From the river, they traveled along the southern edge of town to the main thoroughfare, hoping to catch and straggling townsfolk who still needed assistance. These they did not find, yet another fight was readily available. Still our adventurers press onward.