Edit: Level up to 10 before +1 inspiration to Rurrick (Nivicras battle), Ailekk (Nivicras battle), Ron (tomb of Drallen), & Cassius (abishai/guard drake battle) The party left Xuddreon’s chamber into the next room. With a checkered floor, the party were transported into four squares of the room, with four ghost knights on the other side. There they played a game of team checkers, facing off against the ghosts. They managed to win, with the ghosts being gone or fleeing. In the chamber Ron noticed the checkered floors were an illusion. The five suits of armor were not, and were ancient suits of dwarf platemail that had been inscribed with the deeds of their previous owners, set here as a sign of respect to Drallen Galefoe. The party then entered the final chamber. The chamber of Drallen is full of symbols of the broken sword with tear drops. Around it are tapestries depicting some sort of history of religious or godly origin. Cassius recognizes the person, she’s the goddess from Bigmug’s temple. This room is packed with ghosts. There is Drallen, tall, handsome, with black hair and golden eyes in nobles cloths but no armor. He has a greatsword on his back, ornate bracers, and an amulet around his neck. He is surrounded by political, magic, military, divine, and intelligence advisors. The political advisor says, “Sir, the church of Tiamatt has found out you are a non-believer and supporting Kiernard. You must flee.” There is some discussion and the magic advisor says, “My lord, you could flee.” Drallen just shakes his head. “I cannot, I am no coward.” The military advisor says, “Sir, your nephew Raffolk is out there. Maybe he could be of assistance.” Drallen says, “Not likely. He’s good at nothing but whoring and draining the family coffers.” A large, burly cleric approaches, a dwarf. He looks like Bigmug. He is Bigmug, with a giant beard and waistline. He says, “Sire. There is another way. Go out fighting. They’ll tell the tales they want to tell, the tales they want heard. I know you tried to keep your true faith a secret, and still we will, but we should join with Kiernard. While we still know what we believe.” Drallen turns and nods solemnly. He turns to the last person, a skinny half-orc girl in a worn tunic, and says, “It’s your job Twigg, to see that when I’m gone I’m not forgotten. That we aren’t forgotten.” Twigg nods, a symbol of the broken sword with a tear breaking it in half around her neck. “And with this magic I do so.” As she does so the illusion fades and you are just in a tomb, a dank tomb. The other ghosts fade, you are there with just Twigg in the room with you, everyone but Cassius recognized her as an illusion. Even Drallen is gone. She walks over and you can see now there is a tomb, lid open. She is eating what looks like a rat on a stick. “It sucks over here in Dree. I think I might be dead soon. Well, likely not. I think I’ll survive, I have less high hopes about Eldon and Bigmug.” The party asked various questions. Some of the info got included Twigg implied that she might not be a half-orc, as her age in the illusion and now seem too close together for a half-orc. Cassius spoke to her in infernal, she did not respond in kind. How are you here? “I’m not entirely sure. I created the temple to Dravens you currently walk in. I created the illusion you have seen if my magic worked correctly. Now I’m here. Sort of.” “The dragon got his peace, that is good. He deserved it after so much time. I have spoken to my goddess, and she has left something in his lair that might benefit the dwarf if he has the wish to claim it.” “As long as you all fight for Kiernard, and oppose Ruara, Dree, and Shrave, you are all welcome here anytime. You can consider this a true sanctum. Within these walls fey, fiends, undead, and elementals cannot appear, and they as well as dragons will have a difficult time entering. Also, divination magic cannot break enter these walls. Any healing from spells inside this sanctum is more effective than normal [+4 healing per spell cast].” Before they leave, “In memory of Drallens, each of you, your friend Rurrick included, are allowed to take exactly one item from this tomb with you. In return, I ask that you leave an object of magical or personal importance as a part of the trade.” “I came to Dree for my own agenda, as well as Bigmug’s.” On Drallen is a greatsword+2 dragon slayer, an amulet of health, and bracers of defense. Items available: Greatsword+2 dragon slayer - [CASSIUS - Deck of illusions] Amulet of health [RON - gave his spell tomes from Dree - may the knowledge of Tiamat’s followers prove arms against them] Bracers of defense [AILEKK - Brooch of Shielding] Chest containing 2000 platinum [RURRICK - Immovable Rod] Flametongue scimitar [URD - Pewter Sahiva Hairpin] The party then continued their travels across Dravens. The party’s actions for each new town were as follows: Cassius: Going to of course drum up support but also will be looking into attempting to find followers of Dravens [Persuasion and Insight/Perception]. He’d also like to see if he can find anything to mask his face with Indra style [Roll Dex or Int + Proficiency]. Urd: Urd would go through the motions of being on the parade drumming up support, but try disappear into the crowd a little bit and find some criminal connections [Stealth]. See what is really going on in the villages/towns and if anything suspicious is going on. Keep an eye out for any hints to supporters of Dravens/Kiernard. And see if they are being followed. [Perception] Rurrick: Looking out for ambushes, etc, while mixing with the crowd. Pushes and buys alcohol/drugs [Using Perception/Insight] - [Brew Craft check]. Casts Guidance on Cassius. Ron: Ron is using his illusion magic and prestidigitation to super hype up the party when possible. We’re talking illusory fanfares, sparklers, confetti, illusory re-enactments of their deeds, and the atrocities of Dree, to drum up jingoism. Pulling out all the stops. [Roll Arcana]. Ron will also do his traditional laundry service. Ailekk: On alert, watching out. Trying to get time away from crowds where possible. [Roll Perception] The party visited: Koane. A village of around 2000 people with gardens and statues depicting ancient history, the party rested here overnight after leaving Drallen’s tomb. North Dravens’ Port again. To pay the 25,000 to the temple of Bahamut. The head priest was in shock and awe. Boerniv. The party spent the next night here in this town of about 10,000 known for its vineyards. Urd found a card game and socialized, Rurrick bought a bottle of Nahnonzath Family Treasure Reserve wine for 5,000 gold. Just the box encasing it and platinum-braced wine bottle it is served in are worth 500 gold. Mizmiko. A city of sea dwelling folk, controlled primarily by women with about 20-30k inhabitants, the party didn’t stay here long. Giristone. Town of 50-60k people, already partying when the party got there. Known for its whorehouses and partying, lesser so for its mediocre mines, Ailekk gave a lot of money to local street urchins and an orphanage. Rurricked hired the services of a half-ogre lady of the night named Crunk. In the evening, the party slept at an extremely expensive but secure in called the Elven Wreathe. Flying to Kytt, the party saw the city with ancient stone walls and giant buildings rising up 2-300 feet above the ocean below. The city was large, with a castle larger and more opulent than Castle Dravens’ Port. The city itself looked to hold at least 100k people. They saw recruiters for the Dravens army outside of the northwest gate and could see lots of flying creatures off in the city. They were flagged to land. Outside the army lieutenant explained that they had not been allowed inside the city itself. Nearby was an official of Kytt, Regent Irlynora a white dragonborn. The regent explained the party could enter and promote, but the recruiters themselves were not allowed to set up shop inside of the city walls, owing to ancient agreements made with the crown of Dravens that stretched back centuries. The party found out that Kytt is one of the most taxed, but also wealthiest, cities in Dravens. Then they met the Regent’s kobold equivalent, Nabob Yeerup (Yee-rup). He invited Madormi and Olzion, along with the party, to escort him inside and said the bronze dragons should meet the council of elders. While walking towards the gates with Yeerup and 6 other kobold guards (armed with scimitars), Urd asked Olzion why Feng had warned them against entering the city. Olzion said that even beyond the unpredictable nature of kobolds, the dragonborn clans had spent thousands of years developing identities separate from the dragons whose colors they bore. As a result, there was no guarantee that red dragons would be evil, gold dragons would be good, etc. Such things can be confusing for standard metallic and chromatic dragons alike. Urd responded with, “So what your saying is that this city is going to be dangerous.” Olzion said, “Definitely, yes.”