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| Dragons of Despair by Clyde Caldwell |
The year was 351 AC when I began this journal. After the cataclysm it was thought the Gods had left Krynn. I knew little of the events surrounding their departure and often wondered whether they ever even existed. Regardless, my friends and I have spent the past five years searching for a true cleric. Sure, there are many who claim to be a cleric. However, they are men with no true powers of healing, worshiping false gods.
351-9-16
As our band of adventurers began the last leg of our journey back to Solace we were attacked by 10 hobgoblins. My dog, Scar, who had been on many a hunting trip and adventure, was killed when one of the hobgoblins tried to brain me from behind. He took the blow and sounded the alarm that may have saved our lives, or at least mine. The leader of the hobgoblins had demanded we turn over a crystal blue staff. We had no idea what he referred to, but nonetheless, were given no time to dispute his claim as his minions attacked. Observation: the hobgoblins wore black armor with a bat wing emblem across the chest. They aren't known to be seen so close to civilized areas. We shall have to report our findings to the Theocracy of Seekers.
At the entrance to Solace we came upon a beautiful young woman with light blue eyes and bright white hair. She was singing and playing a lyre as her companion played the lute. They were both tribesmen, Que-Shu. Her song is lovely, but sad. She sings of forbidden love and the coming fall. As we approach, a staff falls from her robe and rolls towards us. Those of us, including myself, who were injured during the ambush were healed of our wounds. This was both a relief and a curiosity. None of us have ever seen such a staff, nor heard of powers of this nature coming from any objects in recent times. The woman, Goldmoon is her name, tells us of her escape from their tribe to elope with her lover and protector, Riverwind. She speaks of horrible dreams plaguing her.
We decide to gather at the Inn of the Last Home to dine, drink, and unwind from the journey we've been on. As we settle at an empty table a familiar face greets us. My heart is filled with warmth as I recognize her. It is Tika. She has grown so much since we left on our journey. I remember seeing her in my younger years and being captivated, yet at a loss of words in her presence. Even now as I sit it's as if every kind word escapes me and I sit in silence watching her serve the guests.
As we dine we hear tales coming from a fellow patron. He speaks of a staff being sought by the Holy Guard. He said anyone with knowledge of the staff should report to the Prelate of the Temple in Haven. A storyteller nearby appproaches our table and speaks to Goldmoon about the blue staff and how it needs to be returned to Xak Tsaroth. He then leaves the inn.
After finishing with our dinner and drink we part ways to visit with family and rest.
351-9-17
We say our goodbyes and collect our gear for the journey to Xak Tsaroth.
Along the road we encounter several farmhouses to the north that have been abandoned. As we continue north we discover the land has been charred. We find curious, three toed footprints in the soil. From the size of them, the creatures must have been about the height of a man. I do not recognize these prints from the time I've spent hunting animals in the surrounding lands.
351-9-18
Upon waking, I take note of the red wizard being in a foul mood. I had heard about the effects of the moons on the wizards and apparently he does not favor the current lunar alignments. As we continue on our journey I notice the grass here is turning brown. Fall is coming, and winter shall follow. I hope we do not have to spend another winter on the road. The cool breezes sweeping the plain are welcome though.
351-9-19
Three days have passed with no events on our journey so far. Praise the Gods! I am still curious as to what kind of creature left the prints we found north of Solace. My mind begins to wander as I recall Tika's smile, and I wonder how long it will be before we return to our home. Maybe that time...maybe
I'll be able to approach her and...
The wizards are all in foul moods this day. Although we have only been out for three days, it already seems like ages since we've seen home. My feet are sore again. I should be used to this by now. My heart still aches at the passing of Scar. The memory of the hobgoblins returns. How many more of these creatures shall we meet along the way? What other monsters await us in our travels?
351-9-20
Smoke ahead of us this morning as we continue our journey to Xak Tsaroth. There are armies of hobgoblins camping around the area. Zirgnoz unleashes his bird to scout the area. He tells us the positions of the hobgoblins so that we may circumvent their camps and avoid detection. We finally reach the eastern mountains and pass into the swamps on the other side with ease.
Zirgnoz' bird is set loose again to scout the area. An interesting report comes to us. There is a dragon, and draconians in the area! No one at home will believe us. There hasn't been a dragon seen in over 1,000 years. Those tales may be just that, tales. Apparently, they do exist.
A brief encounter occurs when Ralstron attempts to cross a rope bridge. He fell into the water and damn near got himself eaten by what appears to be a black-skinned juvenile dragon! We continue towards the ruins of Xak Tsaroth and soon discover how nasty the draconians are in person. The spell casters are heavily armored and not easily taken out. In a rather difficult manner, we also find they explode upon death!
As we journey closer to Xak Tsaroth we come across what appears to be hatched dragon eggs. I have the terrible sense that we may encounter the adult version of these dragons soon. I find later that my senses are correct.
We approached one of the few intact structures in the area and decide to explore. Before we could enter we are attacked by a huge, black dragon! As Torgen and I launch volley after volley of arrows at it, our companion, Nodd, became delirious with fear and dove off into the well from whence the dragon came in an attempt to escape certain death. We had little time to stop him as the dragon continued to assault us. Eventually, we inflict enough damage to drive it off, but not before it drenched Sir Conlin in acid, nearly killing him. The dragon flew back into the well before we could finish it off.
We decide to rest for the evening before delving into the ruins of Xak Tsaroth. Before we could settle, Sir Conlin stumbles upon more dragon kin. Fortunately, these were lightly armored and only turned to stone upon death. We also found a captive, no doubt being held as a future meal for the dragon kin. He is a roguish character by the name of Gavin Armos. As we prepare to rest for the evening he tells us about his journeys as a collector of antiquities. Why he came to this place alone is a mystery, but fortunately we found him before the dragon kin could finish him off.
The rest of our evening passes without event.
351-9-21
We found some gully dwarves searching the ruins at the order of their boss. In an effort to keep our presence concealed, I offer them rations from my pack. The stinky bastards hugged my legs in thanks, covering my clothing in filth! After a few quick kicks in their direction they scatter off into the darkness.
As we continue deeper into the ruins we encounter more dragon kin and come across a lift descending into the lower levels. Upon reaching the bottom of the shaft, a rather long trip down, we are attacked by more dragon kin, but dispatch them with ease. As our kender friend explores the area, he attracts the attention of more dragon kin, but we kill them easily. We found another kender who had been captured and bound in one of the rooms within the lower levels. His name is Hugon Barker.
Fortunately, the curiosity of our kender friend has paid off. He found a cache of weapons. I have laid claim to one of the longswords due to the ineffectiveness of my axe against the armor of the dragon kin we've encountered. The sword is finely crafted, lightweight, and well balanced. I soon get the opportunity to test the effectiveness of my new weapon as we come across even more of the wretched reptilians infesting the depths of the ruins. Thankfully, Gavin trades the elven bow he acquired with some of my arrows, and provides a share of the elven arrows accompanying the bow as well. These prove invaluable in the coming battles. Like the sword, the bow is well crafted, lightweight, and well balanced. The draw is not too difficult, yet sends arrows off just as well as any bow, propelling arrows swiftly into the armor of our draconian enemies.
On the next encounter, we kill all but three of the dragon kin. Sir Conlin offers them a chance to surrender, but they choose to flee the area instead. One of the remaining dragon kin was like the heavily armored ones we fought in the swamps. This one, however, had wings folded across its back.
We continue on into a cavernous area where we find more draconians and gully dwarves being given instruction by the black dragon we fought earlier. They were searching the area for a female captive who had escaped. As the minions of the dragon left in separate directions, the dragon skulked back into it's lair.
We continue exploring the cavernous area, where waterfalls converge to form a stream down the center of the walkway. We encounter a macabre scene. The body of our fallen comrade, Nodd, is found floating in the water. We salvage what gear we could and hide his body nearby. We shall retrieve it later and bring it back to Solace for a proper burial. After a moment of silence we decide to find a secluded area for resting. Our wizards are weary and need sleep to regain their spent powers.
It seemed as if I had only been asleep for mere minutes when I was awakened, along with the others, by Galvin. He had started a conversation with nearby gully dwarves and convinced them to take us to their boss. I was not keen on the idea of being near these grotesque creatures. They smelled and were generally annoying to be around. Along the way, we find the escaped prisoner the dragon kin had been seeking. Her name is Sunstar, and she is one of the Que-Shu. She tells us of how their tribe had been destroyed recently by the advancing armies of dragon kin across the central plains.
The boss, a shriveled old gully dwarf, was adorned with the old clothing of a human king. It was an interesting looking fellow, as everything it wore was well larger than what would be standard trappings for a gully dwarf, including the crown sitting on it's head at an angle so it could stay in place atop its head. After conversing with the gully dwarves we are allowed to continue our rest. We learn of a secret entrance to the dragon's lair, which we shall exploit in the morning. The gully dwarves seemed all too happy to help us with anything we needed after learning of our quest to destroy the dragon and its underlings.
As we searched the surrounding areas for rooms to rest in we hear a commotion. Entering the room, we find more gully dwarves preparing a putrid substance loosely referred by them as “food.” They were arguing about something and tossing the nasty stew about the room. Some of it flew in our direction and I almost lost my stomach at the smell. It was as if they had taken the rotting corpses of animals from the depths of the ruins and placed them all in one stinking vat!
For now, we rest.
351-9-22
We start the next day looking for the entrance to the dragon's lair. It didn't take long before we found a tunnel system allowing us to sneak directly into its lair. Not long after we entered the lair, the creature noticed our presence and combat ensued. Galvin and I stayed at a distance, launching arrows at the beast while our melee counterparts closed for battle. Goldmoon had charged the dragon and struck it with the blue staff. A blinding white light filled the room and upon fading we noticed the dragon had disappeared along with Goldmoon!
Not soon afterward the entire area began to collapse around us. We swiftly ran back through the ruins dodging falling rocks and columns. We ascended into the upper levels and found that we were one member short. The kender we had rescued earlier did not make it back up with us.
We have found Goldmoon and the staff! She was somehow transported to the statue of Mishakal by the light.