The Story

11/24/2017
The story begins when all 4 members of The Party find themselves seated for supper at The Dapper Dragon Tavern in the city of Kulduar. After a few rounds of drinks, Pizza Master and Ilikan fell into their usual game of one upmanship. After Ilikan won an arm wrestling match he proceeded to challenge Pizza Master to drinking game: who could drink the most shots of the taverns strongest alcohol. After agreeing to a bet of 5 gold, the contest began. When all was said and done, Pizza Master stood victorious while Ilikan slept it off in his room after being drug upstairs by 4 tavern employees. During the festivities they spoke to the tavern owner Logrik Grimbelly who pointed them in the direction of the Boulderfist Mining Company for potential work. The owner of the mining company is a friend of Logrik's and he knew that there was some kind of trouble that this group of rag-tag adventurers may be able to help with. As they were preparing to finish the meal a nearby patron who had overheard that they were looking for some extra money informed them that the owners of the Whisperwind Ranch which lay just outside the city were looking for some help with a creature that was killing their livestock and that they would be willing to pay a handsome reward to anyone who could kill or capture the beast. Ultimately the group decides to head to the ranch in the morning.

In the morning, Ilikan attempts to skip out on his bill from the previous evening by running away from the Tavern as fast as he can. The other 3 members of The Party follow after him. Upon reaching the Ranch the party meets up with the ranch owner, a human by the name of Rob MacMannis. He tells them that the creature has been coming at night to steal his sheep. Unwilling to part with any more of his animals, the group decides to plant a trap for the beast. They take some wool and put it out in the field where the creature has been spotted. When they see the animal circling overhead they use an Illusion spell along with Clanger's mimic ability to simulate a sheep in the field. The plan works and down comes a large Cockatrice. The Party then jumps out and surprises the beast and are able to defeat it before it's able to take flight again. They remove the head and head back to the ranch. Ilikan also takes one of the creature's wings with him as a souvenir.

When they reach the ranch they find the ranch owner in a heated discussion with a tall Elf. The Elf introduces himself as Qildor Enmaer, First Captain of the Kulduar Hunter's Guild. He informs them that they are in violation of the Guild's laws by killing a monster that the Guild had a contract for. He asks them to come with him to speak to the Huntmaster of the Guild about their punishment. After the group is divided on what to do, Qildor becomes annoyed and releases a Manticore and 2 Dire Wolves from the amulets around his neck. The Manticore attacks Ilikan knocking him unconscious almost immediately. Seeing this display of force, the rest of the group agrees to go along with the Captain. Qildor then uses a healing potion on Ilikan and they follow him back to the Guild headquarters. Upon arriving at the headquarters they meet with Huntmaster Sulgha who strikes a bargain with the group. If they agree to help out with a new contract that has come in, she'll wave the 1000GP fine. She tells the group that she will provide details about the contract in the coming days.

After leaving the Hunter's Guild, the party heads to The Road Less Traveled adventurers shoppe where they meet Gerbert Goold. Gerbert and Ilikan strike up a deal where Gerbert will create a cloak out of the Cockatrice's wing for him. He tells Ilikan to return in 1 week.

12/9/2017
After spending the night at The Dapper Dragon, The Party decides to visit the offices of The Boulderfist Mining Company where they speak to the owner, Elis Gustavsson who informs them that his entire mining crew went missing in the mines 3 days ago. He is convinced that it is his rivals Silver Shovel Mining or Gray Hawk Mining that have done something to his employees in an effort to shut down the upstart company. He says that he informed the authorities in the city but they have offered little assistance mostly because they are in the pocket of the 2 big mining companies in the city. He offers the group 200 GP if they are willing to go into the mine to investigate.

Arriving at the mine the group spends quite a bit time attempting to create some torches since only Thunder is able to see in the dark. After a number of failed attempts, including the destruction of at least one Javelin, they manage to create 2 torches out of splinters of wood that they pulled of the minecart tracks. Upon entering the mine they quickly find a number of functional lanterns rending the torches rather useless. They then meander through the mine tunnels finding nothing unusual until they discover a cavern that the miners must have accidentally uncovered while they were digging through the mountains. The cavern is quite large and has a small underground river running through the middle. The party hears loud water movement to the south and goes to investigate. They find a large pool of water being fed by a waterfall that is coming in through a hole in the cavern walls. At this point Thunder sees something glinting in the distance on the other side of the pool. When she goes around to investigate she is attacked by a Giant Octopus that has taken up residence in the pool. It's tentacles lift her high in the air. A battle then ensues which includes a number of epic aerial attacks by Ilikan and Pizza Master as well as an anti-climactic finishing mace blow by Clanger to one of the creature's tentacles. As usual, Ilikan takes one of the tentacles with him after the battle. After the battle they happen upon a pair of Goggles of Night which Ilikan immediately starts wearing.

After defeating the octopus they continue to investigate the cavern. Splitting up for a time, Thunder and Pizza Master search the northern cavern finding nothing other than some mining equipment and what appear to be signs of a scuffle. Ilikan and Clanger, meanwhile walk directly into 3 sleeping Mud Mephits who attack. The Mephits are disposed of easily and the party moves on. They then enter a huge cavern that looks as if it has been scrubbed smooth. The two of them that can see in the dark see what appears to be an amulet shaped like an eagle whose wings are holding a green jewel seemingly floating in mid air. Ilikan attempts to grab it and feels an acidic burn all up his arm. He then becomes engulfed by the Gelatinous Cube. Due to his great strength he is able to pull himself out of the cube before taking any more damage.

1/1/2018
The story resumes as the party encounters the Gelatinous Cube. They manage to make rather short work of the cube as the wisely keep their distance from the cube itself, moving in and out with their attacks. They take with them the Eagle Shaped Amulet. After defeating the cube they explore the rest of the cavern, discovering an ancient teleportation circle and a magically sealed door with a symbol of a key with 3 jewels in its bow. After repeated attempts to unlock the door it becomes clear that they do not have the skills necessary to open it at this time and they leave the mines. They report back to Elis Gustavsson on their findings and he tells them that although he does not know any information about the amulet or the strange symbol on the door, he mentions that the Headmaster at the Arcane University in the city, Headmaster Abbott may be able to help.

After leaving Elis, they decide to pay a visit to the Hunter's Guild in hopes that they might know something about the symbol or the amulet. Huntmaster Sulgha also points them in the direction of Headmaster Abbott with regards to the symbol on the door and mentions that they may want to speak to the Acquisitions Guild with regards to the amulet. She also informs them that she has found a contract that will serve as their payment for violating the guilds rules. They are to travel to some Dwarven ruins in the Krit mountains to kill a Silver Dragon Wyrmling that has been wreaking havok on the mines in that area. They are told they have 5 days to complete the contract and that Qildor Enmaer will be accompanying them on the quest when they are ready.

As it is now getting late, Clanger and Thunder decide to head back to the inn for some sleep while Ilikan and Pizza Master decide they are going to try their hands at some late night burglary. In hopes of procuring some weapons, they find a local blacksmith's shop that is closed for the night. Pizza Master uses Ilikan's axe to break the handle off the door but the commotion wakes the blacksmith who comes out to investigate. Seeing the damage the blacksmith goes to work fixing the broken handle while the 2 would-be burglars hide in the bushes. They sneak up on the blacksmith and attempt to knock him unconscious but only succeed in angering him. A scuffle ensues before Ilikan is able to intimidate the blacksmith into keeping quiet and letting them take what they want. It's at this point that they realize this blacksmith does not specialize in weapons but mostly mining equipment. They are able to make off with a couple of crude hand axes and daggers. At this point they head back to the inn for some rest.

During the night, Clanger has a strange dream: A humanoid figure that seems to be made out of pure air appears and tells him that "He has been chosen and if he proves himself he will learn the answers he seeks"

In the morning, Clanger and Thunder are suspicious when the other 2 tell them that they met a very nice blacksmith who gave them some axes and daggers. They travel to visit the blacksmith who agrees to give Thunder a couple of daggers after he sees the 2 burglars from the night before. They then decide to visit Headmaster Abbott at the University regarding the strange key symbol they saw on the door of the cavern. He tells them that he as seen the symbol before on a priest's scroll in the village of Bellwind which lies just East of Fairport on the Krit River. He asks if they would go there to investigate while he does his own investigation here in Kulduar. He tells them that they will need to book passage on a ship down the river to reach Bellwind.

After this meeting they decide to visit the Acquisition's Guild to learn more about the amulet. Here they meet Kazimir, the half-elf leader of the guild. He offers to keep the amulet for the time being while he does more research on it.

Finally, the party decides to take up the contract for the Silver Dragon Wyrmling. They travel with Qildor through the mountains and find the Dwarven ruins. They enter a cavern that is covered in icicles and after having no luck with a magical door and a brief encounter with some Living Torches, they find the Wyrmling perched on top of a pillar in one of the lower rooms of the ruins...

2/11/2018
The story resumes as the party begins the encounter with the Silver Dragon Wyrmling. They manage to take it down relatively easily even after the arrival of a giant spider halfway through the battle. Pizza Master is knocked unconscious by a critical bit from the Wyrmling but is brought back to consciousness by Qildor. Ilikan finishes off the dragon by cleaving its head off with his axe while Clanger takes down the spider with a devastating smash with his mace. After the battle, Thunder finds 500 gp worth of treasure as well as a Bag of Holding. After the battle, Qildor takes them back to the Hunter's Guild where they are forgiven their debts and offered the rank of Scout if they choose to join the guild.

After leaving the Hunter's Guild headquarters, everyone but Ilikan heads off to the Inn for a long rest. Ilikan, instead, decides to make his way to the wealthy section of the city where he manages to sneak into the largest house he can find with the intention of stealing some beautiful instruments for his friend Thunder. As he tries to make his way into the house he steps on a creaking board which rouses the servants and sends him running out the back door. A brief encounter with a guard dog ensues but he manages to intimidate the dog and get way without being recognized.

In the morning, the party decides to continue their investigation of the strange key symbol they saw in the mines and try to travel to Bellwind. They head down to the city river docks and manage to book passage on a ship called the Isabella captained by one Aston Finch. Finch is a tough sailor who is often reminiscing about his lost love, Isabella. He agrees to deliver the party to Fairport for the price of 10 gp each as long as they pitch in around the ship as well.

As they travel down the river they are attacked by a group of bandits and their eagles. The bandits use large grappling hook devices in an attempt to pull the ship towards shore. The group uses some quick thinking to cut the rope of the first hook. The resulting lurch from the ship sends Ilikan, Thunder, and Pizza Master over the rail and into the water. after Clanger is unable to pull Thunder back to the ship, she manages to use her claws to climb up the side of the ship. Meanwhile, Ilikan is able to toss Pizza Master on board. He then swims to the second hook and uses his axe to cut through the rope freeing the ship. At this point the bandits sound the retreat alarm turning tail and running away.

After another day's journey the party arrives safely in Fairport.

3/4/2018
Upon their arrival in Fairport, they party toys with the idea of stealing some horses to make the journey to Bellwind go faster but decides against it once they realize that the horses within the city are locked up within stables. They decide, instead, to walk knowing that they will most likely have to stop and camp for the night. They set up camp for the night and in the early morning hours Clanger hears some large creatures moving through the trees near the camp. The figures hear him attempting to wake his compatriots and come to investigate. 3 Gnolls burst through the trees and a scuffle ensues. The Gnolls are dispatched relatively easily and the party moves on towards Bellwind as the sun rises. The rest of the journey is uneventful and they arrive in the town by late afternoon as the sun is starting to set behind them.

When they arrive in Bellwind they decide to visit the local tavern to rest after the journey. Pizza Master loses a drinking competition to Ilikan and falls asleep on the floor of the tavern. Meanwhile, one of the townsfolk who introduces himself as Clyde approaches the group with a proposition. His neighbor Jethro has apparently stolen his ex-wife's ring (off her dead body nonetheless!) He is asking that the group sneak into Jethro's house, find the ring, and return it to him. The remaining members of the party who are still awake agree and Clyde leads them to Jethro's house. While Thunder and Ilikan sneak into the house successfully, Clanger waits by the back door in case anyone sneaks out. They find Jethro and his wife asleep in their bed. After quietly searching through the house and finding nothing, Ilikan takes the bold move of attempting to remove Jethro from his bed without waking him. He miraculously manages to pull this off and brings Jethro outside of the house without waking him. They then proceed to interrogate him about the ring (which Jethro has around his neck) He tells them that he won ring fair and square from Clyde in a game of poker months ago and that Jethro has been trying to get it back from him ever since. At this point they drag Jethro, back to where Clyde is hiding. Clyde sees them coming and takes off but Ilikan has none of it and tackles Clyde to the ground. A confrontation between the 2 ensues and Thunder realizes that Clyde is lying through his teeth. Finally Clyde agrees to pay Jethro the value of the ring to get it back (apparently lying about his lack of funds too from the size of the purse he pulls out) He also pays 20 gp to each of the 3 members of the party at the behest of Ilikan. The ordeal squared away, they had back to the tavern for some sleep.

In the morning, the party heads up to the church in town in attempt to speak to the local priest since it was the he who Headmaster Abbott said had a scroll with the key and jewel symbol. They arrive at the church to discover that the priest is out of town. Not exactly sure what to do next they head to the back of the church to take a look around after hearing from a few of the townsfolk that they had seem some strange behavior at the back of the church late at night. There they discover a hidden door and before they can figure out how to get it opened the door begins to slide and they attempt to hide in the bushes. 4 robed figures emerge from the secret door. As they come out they see Pizza Master's tail sticking out and a confrontation ensues. The robed figures are adversarial and are taken out quickly by the party. They find 4 key pendants on the bodies and put them on before hiding the bodies and heading into the doorway.

They head down the tunnel and eventually find themselves in a dungeon-like hallway with 4 closed doors. Investigating the rooms they find a few odds and ends and a sleeping robed figure who is easily dispatched. At this point they reach a branch in the hallway and head to the right. They then peak around a corner to see 2 prisoners being lead by 2 guards each. One of the prisoners Ilikan recognizes as his cousin Rholk whom he has not seen since being thrown out of his clan. The other prisoner is a human who looks rather beaten up but is clearly wearing a tunic with the symbol of the Silver Shovel Mining Company emblazoned on the chest. At this point Clanger and Pizza Master head back the other direction in an attempt to ambush the guards as they come their way. What ensues is a scuffle between the 4 guards, Ilikan and Thunder in which Rholk, recognizing his cousin is able to break free of his chains to aid in the battle. Meanwhile, Clanger and Pizza Master accidentally stumble into some sort of ceremony. They find themselves in a large circular room with the symbol of the key carved into the floor. 3 hooded figures stand in the room along with another figure who is tied with his arms out. A 5th robed figure in much more elaborate garb stands at the far end of the chamber He is clearly wearing a priests outfit under the robes. As he is chanting some words quietly one of the other robed figures is branding the prisoner on the back of the hand with the key symbol. Once done, they untie this prisoner and it seems as though he is now one of them. At this point they notice the 2 intruders and battle ensues. Eventually the other members of the party arrive to assist. After 2 of the robed figures are killed the brand on the back of their hands glows purple and they rise up, seemingly being brought back to life. At this point the priest's face changes from an elderly man (seemingly Father McMillan) to something completely different. Two curled horns protrude from the side of his head and he has eyes of a deep red. A pointed tail pokes out from under the robes and he says "Enjoy playing with your new friends" and he leaves out a back door in the chamber....

3/30/2018
The encounter continues as the party discovers the secret to preventing the robed figures from rising back from the dead is to remove the hand with the brand soon after they go down. Once this is discovered, the rest of the figures are dispatched with little difficulty. Searching the area afterwards, Thunder finds the body of the real Father McMillan in a chest. They also discover a top hat that turns out to be a ''Hat of Disguise. ''Returning to the surface they tell the friar working in the church that Father McMillan is dead.

All but Rholk and Ilikan head down to the Magic Lute for some rest while the 2 of them talk. Rholk tells Ilikan that Ilikan's brother Kroll, after kicking Ilikan out of the clan, soon found himself in trouble after he made a bad bet with a local Hill Giant name Luwbog. When Kroll was unable to pay his debt to the Giant Luwbog got angry and kidnapped the clan's children and declared himself ruler. He has been ruling with an iron fist every since and Kroll has not been seen in months. Rholk asks Ilikan for his help in defeating Luwbog and freeing the clan from his tyrannical rule.

They then meet up with their friends at The Magic Lute and proceed to play a few rounds of Threes with a shifty stranger before being interrupted by a farmer bursting through the door announcing that farmer Johnson's animals have escaped again and are running free in the village. Clanger and Thunder head out to help while Ilikan, Rholk, and Pizza Master stay at the Inn. As the animals are being rounded up, Ilikan and Pizza Master decide to use their newly found had to have some fun in town. Unfortunately the house they choose turns out to be the mayor's house and chaos ensues. In an attempt to rob the house they end up knocking the Mayor's wife unconscious before managing to jump out the 2nd story window with nothing but some clothing and bed sheets.

The next morning they are confronted by the Innkeeper, the mayor and an angry mob of villagers who ask the group to leave due to all the chaos that has occurred in the village since their arrival. In a fit of rage Pizza Master uses his fire breath to start a fire in the Inn. The guards fire 2 arrows into him and the party flees after Thunder casts thunderwave towards the mob knocking them all down.

After narrowly escaping the village, the group has an uneventful journey back up the river to Kulduar. Upon arriving in town they visit their friend Gerbert who shows them a Wanted poster with Ilikan's face on it. After briefly contemplating a "visit' to the blacksmith who turned him in, Ilikan decides he's better of letting it go and the group decides to head towards the Moaning HIlls in search of Ilikan's clan. On the way there the group dispatched 2 Ogres rather easily before making their way into the Hills.

5/6/2018
The group finds themselves looking down into a valley where the clan is currently residing. From what they can see, the clan is not in great shape. They look thin and lethargic. High above the valley there is a cave where Luwbog is currently residing. They hear him bellowing orders from time to time. After a brief discussion on options, the party decides to head through the Haunted Mines that are known to be in the area. The clan never entered these caverns due to the legends of their haunting but it is know that they connect to that cave in some way so they are hoping to get a jump on Luwbog while he might be sleeping

They group manages to make their way through the haunted mines while dealing with a number of traps, 3 animated armors, a Ghast and a Ghoul. Clanger uses his spider form to enter a lock and "pick" it from within. Inside they find a +1 Greataxe. In an old alchemy lab they discover a small vial of acid which they plan to use against Luwbog somehow. They also help an ancient Dwarven ghost who is searching for the remaining pieces of his gift for the king. Finding all the figurines for his gift, the party sets him free and find in his room a ''Broom of Flying. ''Once they find the broom they exit the caverns and decide on a different plan of attack.

Once they exit the caverns it is night time and they use the broom to fly up to the cave opening. Clanger takes the vial of acid, transforms into spider form and sneaks into the cave where he turns back into his Kenku form and pores the acid in the snoring mouth of Luwbog. He awakens angrily bellowing in pain as the rest of the party rushes in and the encounter ensues. Luwbog, contrary to what they believed, proved to be little challenge to the group. Between Rholk and Ilikan's rage, Thunder's Hideous Laughter spell, Pizza Master's breath attack, and Clangar's brown-bear form, they make very quick work of the Giant and even the surprise entrance of one of Luwbog's Dire Wolves does little. Ilikan finishes of the battle by sinking his greataxe into Luwbog's head sending him falling backwards on top of the wolf. After the battle the group throws the body of Luwbog from the cave entrance where it lands below with a thunderous sound.

5/28/2018
After defeating Luwbog the party finds and releases the children whom he had imprisoned and return to the clan as heroes. Gwidlus, Ilikan's uncle speaks for the clan as they offer the leadership role to Ilikan. However, Ilikan's brother, Krall has vanished and Ilikan decides to leave the clan in the hands of Gwidlus and Rholk for the time being while he continues his travels in hopes of finding Krall at some point. The party spends some days with the clan helping them get on their feet. During this time they manage to tame an Owlbear cub (Scarlet) as well as a mountain goat. After a few days the party begins its journey back to Kulduar hoping to finish some business in the city.

A mostly uneventful journey brings the party back into the familiar streets of Kulduar where they begin by visiting their friend Gerbert Goold only to find his shop ransacked and Gerbert missing. Investigating the area they find what appears to be the severed ear of a Tabaxi. After asking around town and doing some investigating in Gerbert's apartment above the shop they hear rumors of a black ship that came up the river in the night and disappeared that evening. Talking to the porters they hear that a number of guards were slaughtered that night. A journal found in Gerbert's apt. speaks of adventures to the mysterious Grey Isle that sits in the Endless Ocean south of Aumuth.

The party decides that they must travel to the Grey Isle in search of their friend and to follow up on the Tabaxi ear as Thunder has never known another of her race. They manage to book travel to Lordport with their friend Aston Finch. They travel down the river through Fairpoint and finally on to Lordport. Once in the capital city the party made their way to the harbor asking around for passage to the Grey Isle. Initially meeting some resistance they manage to find a shady captain who is willing to take them for the price of 500gp.

The Voyage of The Sea Wyvern
The party begins their journey to the Grey Isle in earnest aboard The Sea Wyvern a sailing vessel owned and operated by Captain Elmore Sutton. Once aboard the party meets some of the crew members, one of whom, Rylan "Three Teeth" Darby, fills them in on a game that is usually played on the first night at sea: Catch a boat rat, name him, and enter him in a race (along with your entry fee of course). The journey is full of interesting events and encounters including: As they approach Port Nyranzaru the boat is approached by an enormous Dragon Turtle who demands gold in order to pass. The crew is ready for this and dumps two crate-fulls of gold into the sea after which the Turtle lets them through.
 * The discovery of a rune-covered anchor attached to a rock at sea. They bring the anchor aboard but dare not use it for its purpose
 * They find what turns about to be a barnacle covered casket with the words Cassius written on it. They manage to get it open and find a vampire inside who burns up under the intense afternoon sun in the middle of the ocean.
 * They are approached by a group of armor-clad tritons riding giant seahorses who ask for the party's assistance in defeating a giant shark that has been causing them trouble. The party agrees and is provided with potions of water breathing.  As the descend into the sea they see a large whirl-pool like structure encases with a magical barrier that seems to be under attack by the Giant Shark.  The party quickly defeats the beast and is provided with a token of friendship from the tritons who are the Guardians of the portal to the water plane.  This token can be used to access any of the elemental planes at will (Earth, Fire, Water, Air).

8/20/2018
Upon arrival in Port Nyranzaru the party finds their way to The Traveler's Satchel a well-stocked (and magically air-conditioned) shop in the market district. Here the party meets the Tortle Sorcerer Lanu who offers to introduce them to a dwarven friend who should be able to help them find the pirate hideaway they are searching for. After a quick night's rest at the Tired Aarakocra, the party is introduced to Musharib, an albino dwarf who agrees to escort them to the pirate hideaway if they agree to help him clear out his home which has been overrun with Fire Newts. The party agrees and they begin their river travel.

The journey down the river takes 3 days. On the first day they encounter some Assassin Vines which try to grapple them as the float down the river but they notice them early and are able to avoid them. The second night they encounter a pack of Velociraptors in their camp.

When they finally arrive at the pirate hideaway, Pizza Master manages to convince one of the guards to flee while Clanger convinces the other that they are friends and even gets him to open the gate. When they enter, an encounter with the pirates who see them enter is diffused when Gerbert Goold appears on a deck above them and says "friends? what are you doing here?" At this point, a black and gray tabaxi appears with Gerbert and Thunder immediately recognizes this as her sister, Plume of Smoke, whom she thought was dead. She tells Thunder that when their city was attacked that she had fallen into the river unconscious and awoke on the shores of the ocean where she was rescued by pirates. She lived with them until she overthrew the captain recently and took over control. She tells Thunder that she has heard rumors of a Tabaxi island far to the south but has not learned about it's actual location yet.

While this is happening, Gerbert tells the others how the pirates were originally after a portion of a map that he had collected during his time as an adventurer but that he had caught them in the act. After a brief scuffle it was uncovered what they were looking for and he became intrigued as it seems that they had acquired the other half of the map and were going after the treasure. He decided that he wanted to come along and based on his skills in the scuffle the pirates agreed. The map leads to an unknown mysterious artifact and speaks of a guardian who "can be defeated but never killed"

The party, along with Gerbert and Smoke, follow the map to the hidden opening of a cavern which they wind their way down, avoiding some traps and fighting off some Will-o'-whisps before arriving in a large open chamber. They hear a voice coming from somewhere in the chamber with a sinister welcome. Cages on either side open releasing 5 zombies and a giant spider. After some time a large serpent emerges from the cave on the far wall. A Spirit Naga. The Naga is able to knock some of the party unconscious before finally being done-in by Illikan.

Upon searching the cavern the party finds a Staff of The Python as well as golden, jewel encrusted chalice in the shape of serpent with an open mouth.