August 28th, 2020 On the way back to Phandalin, after clearing
out Axeholm, the party spotted what looked like a dragon in the distance,
flying eastward. Upon arriving back in town, several townsfolk claimed to have
also seen the white dragon flying off toward Mountain's Toe Gold Mine. The mood
in Phandalin was understandably quite tense and people were fearful the dragon
could return at any moment. Moved to action, Travyn confronted Townmaster
Harbin (through the peephole, of course) and demanded action. The Townmaster
deputized Travyn on the spot and charged the gnome with leading efforts to
prepare Axeholm for evacuation operations. So Travyn was pulled off to sort of
logistics issues, while the rest of the party discussed their options. In the
end, they decided the dragon had now become enough of a threat that it made
sense to see if the rumors of the dragon-slaying sword were true. But, to save
time, they decided to take supplies with them so they could head to the
Logger's Camp after they investigated the barrow. In town, while enjoying a frolicsome night in
the Stonehill Inn, a very drunk and borderline creepy townie approached their
table and told them the tale of Lady Alagondar and Azdraka the Green. Apparently,
Lady Alagondar gave her life defeating the ancient green wyrm at that spot and
was buried there, per her last wishes--and supposedly with her famed dragon-slaying
sword! The only problem? Predictably, the barrow was now haunted by strange
lights that were said to devour life of those dumb enough to go there after
dark. Armed with this knowledge, the party set out
the next morning, to dark skies, cold winds, and once again, driving rain. One
and a half cheerless days later, the party arrived at Dragon Barrow a few hours
before dark. They investigated the barrow and eventually
found a secret entrance beneath a large stone shaped like a spiny talon. Cormac
sent Gladys inside the investigate the narrow labyrinthine tunnels. Inside,
Cormac (though Gladys) saw the skeletal remains of a horse, behind which was a
glowing light. Gladys flew off down another tunnel and came across two sarcophagi,
the remains of an armored humanoid in an earthen shelf, and a magnificent long
sword plunged through the top of a dragon's skull. Finding what they came looking for, the party
descended the narrow spiral staircase into the barrows...and walked right into
a pit trap filled with sharp, rusted swords. Ouch. Chiao sprung out quite easily. Cormac--not so
much. The old wizard scrabbled at the earthen walls while his companions were
set upon by three will-o-wisps. Sure, managed to get in a few shots, but for
the most part, his battle was against the earthen pit. This is where the party (i.e., Simplejack)
learned hammers are not the most effective against glowing, insubstantial balls
of light. Surprisingly, arrows shot from magical long bows pulled from
shipwrecks are. Chiao, with an ungodly quickness that seemed to increase every
few seconds, made relatively quick work of the three will-o-wisps--a hat trick! Oh yeah, eventually Ol' Man Cormac managed to
climb out of the pit too, a little bloodier, dirtier, and sweatier for his
efforts. Then came the sword, just sitting there
waiting for somebody to pull it from the skull. Cormac tried to mage hand it
free, but the thing would not budge. Then Chiao tried to use a rope and pull it
free--no luck. Finally, Simplejack walked up, placed his hand on it, and was
immediately assailed by the feeling of the earth collapsing in on him. So, he
let go. The feeling went away. Lots of discussion ensued, but eventually,
Simplejack gave it another go and pulled the sword free. And they:
Felt the earth, move, under their feet
Felt the sky, tumbling down
Felt their heart, start to trembling
The ground lurched up, huge clods of earth fell
from the ceiling, and the dragon skull lifted from the ground, its jaws
snapping left and right. Then it was a foot race--a race to escape the barrow
before it collapsed, burying the adventurers alive. Chiao, Cormac, and
Simplejack were battered on the way out, this time from an enemy which could
not be defeated with hammers, magic bows, or fire bolts. All three emerged from
the collapsing barrow without a second to spare. Battered all to within their
last breaths, they scrambled out of the spiral staircase just as the barrow
imploded, each, clinging to their last breath, completely exhausted, and
entirely covered in damp earth. They lay at the top of the collapsed barrow,
clutching the dragon-slaying sword, victorious, but quite beaten-down. Waiting for them topside, a very
nervous-looking Matthias. Behind the druid, Charles, chewing some cud. PCs Present: Chiao, Cormac, and Simplejack Items Gained: +1 dragon-slaying sword
XP Gained: All PCs are now 5th level!