Dragon's Dirge - The Second Expedition

Although the first expedition to Dragon Coast resulted in calamity, we still held out hope for the second expedition, which was sent to Dragon's Maw Keep (the old capital of Dragon Coast). A few days later we were rewarded with the sight of a bedraggled ship limping into port. I immediately rushed down to the docks to greet the survivors. Based on the shape of the ship, I expected nothing less than another tale of woe.

The captain of the expedition explained to me that they also ran into a pack of Dragonians and had to cut their way through. Thanks to the fine fighting of one of the warriors, Newlok Blackstar, the expedition was able to defeat the dragonians and reach the Dragon's Eye.

Newlok Blackstar (RIP my friend)

Also like the first expedition, the party was suddenly beset by wyverns. They swooped on the bearer of the Eye. However the party's archers provided cover, allowing the bearer to reach the ship unscathed. Then the remainder of the expedition made a mad dash for safety. Some fell to the wyvern's aerial attacks, but enough made it back to set sail.

The expedition's troubles were not over, however. As the ship sailed away, a dragon swooped upon it.

The crew gathered to repulse the attack. When the dragon reared back to unleash a blast of fire, ballistas loosed a hail of bolts. The dragon then tried a low pass, slashing at the crew with its wicked claws a razor teeth. The expedition fended it off with pikes and arrows. The ship was scorched in multiple places and one mast fell. Still the crew battled on. Finally, the beast took a ballista bolt in the eye. Frustrated by the stalwart defense, the dragon grew tired of the fight and flew back to the Coast. The crew breathed a sigh of relief; they had succeeded.

When the captain finished his narrative, some of the sailors disembarked carrying a a stretcher with a covered body. I asked the captain who it was.

"Newlok." he said with a sigh. "As always, he was in the thick of the fight. This time . . ." He trailed off with a sigh of deep emotion.

I too was struck with emotion. I had known Newlok for several years. He was an excellent fighter, a man of great energy, a great leader, always willing to help, and a boon to the community. It is hard to believe that he is gone. Godspeed, Newlok.

OOC Notes

• I actually don't recall which team our friend Newlok (aka Cody Burkett) played for. I wanted to mention his name as a tribute. Sadly, Cody passed away a few days after the event. :(
• The part with the dragon is purely fictional. I considered it as a scenario but decided it would be too complex. However, I feel that it makes a nice, logical scene for the expedition's escape.
• As I mentioned previously, each team had a chance to play the expedition. Both managed to retrieve the eye but only one made it back to the ship. I don't recall who was the captain or who was on the winning team.

Dragon's Dirge - The First Expedition

After the re-discovery of Dragon Coast, I, Brother Rufus, outfitted two expeditions to search for the sacred stones known as the Dragon's Eyes. One expedition was to make its way to the keep at Serpent Springs, in the northern region of Dragon Coast while the other sought out the old capital.

According to the reports I have received, the first expedition quickly ran into trouble. As they pressed inland, they encountered Dragonians - creatures that are half man and half dragon. The Dragonians refused to negotiate with the party; they simply attacked on sight. Nevertheless, the expedition managed to carve its way to Serpent Springs. There they found the first Eye.

But could the party make its way back to the ship? At first, things seemed to go smoothly. The Dragonians retreated, seemingly afraid of the Eye. But then a new horror awaited the party.

 
A swarm of small wyverns descended on the expedition. Their fireballs scorched the soldiers, destroying shields and incinerating the unfortunates. The party scrambled to hold off the aerial attacks, but the wyverns overwhelmed the defenders. The last few survivors dropped the Dragon's Eye and fled back to the ship. Fortunately, the wyverns gave up the pursuit, and the remnant of the expedition was able to sail away from Dragon Coast without further incident.

Thus, the first expedition failed in its quest. But what of the second expedition? I still await word.

OOC Notes

• On Sunday I hosted a day battle to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Dragon Coast's founding. Naturally, I had to have a dragon theme.
• The first scenario was sort of Ring the Bell. The expedition had to reach the objective (an Amtgard throwing weapon shaped like a stone) within a designated time. I split the participants into 2 groups. Each group had a chance to play the expedition. Both parties managed to reach the stone. Hollywood's team managed to do it in the least time.
• The second scenario was sort of Heavy Object. This time the expedition had to bring the stone across the field within a certain time. One of the parties failed; I am using their experience as the basis of the story.
• In both scenarios, the enemy was an army of dragonians. Dragonians had thick skin so they received a point of bubble armor (ignore first hit). The expedition had a healer. I originally was going to have wyverns attack the expedition in the second scenario. For simplicity I changed it to dragonians, although I gave them fireballs. For narrative purposes, I changed the enemy back to wyverns.

Dragon's Dirge - The Return

I, Brother Rufus of Freehaven, was attending upon the king at his stronghold of Oblazdt Vaersahw when a messenger arrived for me. This is what the message said:

Brother Rufus, 

I was in command of the galley St Brendan while it was on patrol over the Mystic Sea. We discovered a hitherto undiscovered island. Naturally we investigated. As we approached, I felt that the coastline was familiar. But how could that be? This island had never been seen before. 

Finding a cove, we landed upon the beach. I led a party inland to explore. Again, the feeling of familiarity weighed upon me. But I had no time to ponder the mystery when we were attacked by the native humanoids. They were, however, not human. They had a dragon-like quality to them. We called them dragonians. 

We had a running fight to get back to the ship. As we pushed off from the beach, we were attacked by a wyvern. Fortunately, our archers were able to drive it off. We passed through a gauntlet of fireballs as we escaped from the cove. Rowing out to sea, one of the dragonians yelled at us. "Do not return to the land of the Dragon Lord!" it said. 

That was when I realized why everything seemed so familiar. It was our old home, prior to our escape to Ember Shoals. It was Dragon Coast!

A Dragonian
(Source: http://phaeselis.wikia.com/wiki/Half-Dragon)

I showed the missive to His Majesty. He had not heard of Dragon Coast before so he had me tell the story of its rise and fall. He was especially interested in my story of the recovery of the sacred stones from Crying Heavens. These stones, which became known as the Dragon's Eyes, were renowned for their magical properties.

A few days later, King Xhorja called me to his chamber.

"Brother Rufus, I believe it imperative that we investigate whether the Eyes still survive. Send out an expedition to find them."

And with that, I began preparations for a return to Dragon Coast.

OOC Notes

• This tale is a little backstory to an upcoming event I am running called Dragon's Dirge.
• The event commemorates the 10th anniversary of Dragon Coast's founding, which occurred on March 17, 2009.