Heroes of the Realm Campaign

🚧This article needs work. This is a note to remind Falben to work on it.🚧

Chapter 0

As of tonight's adventure, our heroes have become a loose group: Falben Farwalker is their cranky "leader", looking to make money and wondering how he has become saddled with all these young weirdos, Mix tagging along because they are SO shiny and INTERESTING, Cura hoping to learn the Way of the Merchant from Falben, Kaneatusu seeking knowledge and to further his honor, and ReCall seeking Something, he knows not what. They ride/walk in the mule-drawn cart westward, towards, ultimately, the great metropolis of Telleconia, City of Eternity. Will fate get in their way? Find out next time!

Chapter 1: Into the Dragon's Lair

Our heroes, traveling from Yerdly to Telleconia, each with his or her own purposes, are near to Quayda when they are stopped near a small farmhouse due to a troubling sight: kobolds menacing a human family. The party obliterates the kobold raiders, earning the gratitude of the simple farmfolk, who take them to the nearby village of Chedlow, where they are charged by the mayor with hunting down and eliminating the rest of the kobolds, who have been raiding nearby villages for weeks. The party finds their strange lair, obviously not built by kobolds, with the dragon art on all the walls. Slaying most of the kobold warriors, the PCs negotiate with the rest, getting them to leave the underground complex in exchange for the treasure in the deepest room and one of Kaneatsu's swords. The kobolds leave, thinking they have gotten the better of the party, while the party finds much treasure, AND a strange human man in a stone sarcophagus, due to Mix's curiosity. The man, when awakened, seems to have total amnesia. He accompanies the party back to Chedlow, where they are celebrated as heroes and given the rest of their fee. During the party thrown in their honor, the man slips away. The party shrugs: he was an odd one. The discover that the map they found leads to, possibly, an old crypt of a powerful person not far from here. Or maybe it's just more wilderness. Who knows? You will, next Friday at 6!

ELSEWHERE: The remnants of the Jagged Tooth clan of kobolds are crossing the mighty River Meroshavain on three hastily constructed rafts. Their leader, King Zerk the Devious, is waving about the black magical sword he conned away from the stupid human in exchange for an musty old layer and a pitiful treasure, and he's telling the story of how he did it for the tenth time. Suddenly, the sword disappears from his grasp. It's gone, mid-wave. He's dumbfounded. The other kobolds look at him, slowly realizing exactly who was swindled...

Chapter 2: The Wages of Sin

Taking their leave of the good village of Chedlow, our heroes make their way northwest to the grand metropolis of Telleconia… with a short detour to check out the “crypt” indicated on the map they found. Finding the entrance to the crypt in an illusory bush, the PCs explore it's snaking, labyrinthine corridors, dealing with traps, strange summoning runes, a Minotaur, and an intense battle with a group of orcs, who were seemingly exploring the dungeon from underground tunnels. Killing all of the orcs, the party loots their camps and continues, finding strange rooms, including what seems to be the actual burial chamber of Arzdunn the Marvelous/Mad. They rob the ancient king's bones, and find his, or somebody's secret treasure stash. They rest before exploring the rest of the dungeon.

Chapter 3: Tales from the Crypt, Part II

Adult Kruthik

The party continued to explore the maddening Crypt of Arzdunn, encountering many vicious traps, vile monsters, and fabulous treasures. Eventually they found their way back out and headed towards Telleconia, the greatest city on the planet. They are now Level 3. Correct me if I leave something out, but I believe their were 4 fights this session: the specter, the hook horror, the ghouls, and the mimic. You also saw an ochre jelly and two adult kruthiks, but did not engage. And you met Twinklespring the Pixie :)

Chapter 4: Bad Kitty

Our heroes travel to the metropolis of Telleconia, where they become citizens, living and working with or around Falben's "Stuff & Things" market kiosk. Five months pass as they explore the city and make their various livings. Early one morning in early midsummer, Mix is awakened by a creature in her inn room, rifling through her stuff. The thing is big, cloaked and hooded, and smells like wet dog. She attacks it, and it fights back. Without her weapons it's a tough battle, but the arrival of the innkeeper, a friendly human man, drives the thing to somehow turn into a gray mist and fly out the window.

At about the same time, in a much nicer inn, Kaneatsu is a sleep in the finely-appointed room afforded him by his entertainer/blacksmith earnings, when another hooded thief tries to steal his stuff. Kaneatsu fights him off and he runs, to ultimately be arrested by the City Guard. At the same time, in the market square, two similar thieves try to rob the wagon, fighting Falben and Cura. One thief escapes, one is arrested by the City Guard. The PCs meet and share their stories, discovering that 3 separate attacks were made against them. No one knows what became of ReCall, out somewhere on his prowl.

The next day the PCs try to find out information on their assailants by going to the jail where one is held. The Guard are reluctant to share information on investigations and suspects, but Cura gets himself arrested, is put in a cell next to one of the bugbears, and charms him for information. Apparently he was hired to steal magic items by a mysterious "black cat" (it remains unknown how the cat knew the PCs possessed magic items).

After being gotten out of jail by Falben, Cura shares this info with the group, and it rings a bell for Mix, who decides to investigate among Telleconia's very small Tabaxi community to see if any of them known of a black tabaxi. One of her acquaintances, a Tabaxi fishmonger's assistant named Azjak Citlali (Five Birds in a Tree), invites her to dinner with his family (the people must help each other), and when she mentions the black cat, he reveals that there is such a begin in the city, who has through agents tried to recruit many of the people into some kind of army. All have refused to join, as they are honest working folk and want no trouble, but Azjak remembers the name of a tavern he was told to go to if he changed his mind: The Fat Goblin, a dive bar in the Port District. Mix, Cura, Kaneatsu, and ReCall pay the place a visit, Falben keeps making coin in the market (no profit in picking fights). As they drink, the place empties out, and suddenly four more bugbears entered, lead by a black panther Tabaxi. Mix knows him: it's the infamous sorcerer Wuhuxl, an apostate and a killer of his own kind. He wants the party's magic items, and he wants Mix, who he considers to be an abomination, dead. The party battle him and his minions, and he proves to be extremely powerful, nearly killing Mix and ReCall. But when the party slays his minions, he reevaluates the tactical situation and flees by some kind of magic ring, vowing revenge on Mix and the clans, who, he says, will "burn". The party, gravely injured, returns to the kiosk, where Falben is drinkin' and thinkin'. They all get a good night's rest.

Chapter 5: Expedition to Castle Dragonspear

After the Wuhuxl affair, the party passes an uneventful 3 weeks living their normal lives in the Brontzmar Market Square, tending Stuff 'n' Things. One fateful evening, however, they are visited by the insanely rich Quartavious, the Margrave Dragonspear, a noble who explains that he's recently uncovered evidence that his family once own a fabulous castle to northwest of Telleconia, in the area of the Wood of Harmarae. He hires the party to go find it, map the way to it, explore it, and bring back proof that it belonged to his family (his interest being family history and territorial claims, as he doesn't need treasure).

The party travels two months to the wood, and initially finds no sign of anything, until one night they are attacked by a savage owlbear. They drive the creature off, and it disappears through a strange stone circle. The party passes through it and finds themselves on a floating, stationary, chunk of rock 20,000 feet in the air., one which is a castle they soon discover indeed belonged to the Dragonspear family (after slaughtering a whole family of owlbears). They explore the first floor of the castle, losing their faithful dog Fluffy in battle against a fiendish nothic. Exploring further, our heroes battle evil hell hounds and find some treasure. They also detect the strong signature of magic, and follow it to a room where a unicorn lies shackled on the floor. The party frees it, and learns that it's name is Fernaco, and it was captured, brought here, and held captive by unknown beings. Fernaco pledges his loyalty to them and will accompany them on this quest. While helping Fernaco, Mix catches a glimpse a small, icy creature watching them before it disappears. Girding themselves for battle, the party makes ready to take the steps up to the second floor of Castle Dragonspear.

Chapter 6: Expedition to Castle Dragonspear, Part II

Umber Hulk

Exploring the wild magic-bedeviled ancient Castle Dragonspear, our heroes and Fernaco the Unicorn, their new ally, explore the second floor. They encounter cold-hearted ice mephits, sinister wild magic traps, deeply evil minotaurs (and their disturbing temple and treasure), and make it to the 3rd floor. In the very first room they enter, a strange black portal divulges a savage umber hulk from the realms beyond the world. Defeating it, our heroes encounter a ghost, who pursues them through a door that destroys undead. Such luck. Beyond it, they find a torture chamber and the gruesome remains of many years or torture: a room full of preserved body parts. The also holds a strange treasure, a flintlock pistol. Having reached a dead end, our heroes return to explore the room the ghost came from, now that the room's fog has dissipated. The PCs are now Level 4.

Chapter 7

The party had just survived its encounter with a ghost and were exploring the room it came from, when Falben gets a new animal companion. A ghost cat he names Shadow. Exploring the next room, the party hears voices arguing about treasure and some big object. Introducing themselves, the party gets an icy reception from Cuso Beerch and Trellsheim Magical Salvage Company. The Company demands they leave the castle and all its treasure as THEIR salvage, and the party is about to comply when one of the Company picks a fight, wanting no one to know about them. A brutal combat ensues against the six wizards, which the party eventually wins. They loot the bodies, and find out what's under the tarp: an airship called the Autumn Moon. They study the ship and learn to fly it, returning for their mules. While looking for Falben's cart the next morning, they encounter Xembroaar the White, a young white dragon who apparently had a deal with the Company to secure for him some kind of “jewel”. He attacks them, insisting they must have done the Company's work and have the jewel (young white dragons have an INT of 6). After a hellacious battle and the bravery of Fernaco, the party slew the dragon, collected his corpse and the cart, and sailed for Telleconia.

Chapter 8: We’re on a (sky) Boat

The Autumn Moon flies back to Telleconia, arriving in its air space an month and half after leaving Castle Dragonspear. After a friendly but firm visit from the White Wizards, the party enjoys a heroes reception at the Dragonspear Estate, where the Margrave officially becomes their patron, and gives them lots of gold. Once the ship is licensed, the party drops a lot of money on equipping their personal cabins and the ship itself. Then Falben seeks work for the airship, finding it in the form of a shipment of art objects to South Gate, four months away. The Moon also pics up passengers, a pair of elven twins, Arvardis and Tessila Ravenclaw, a strange and secretive pair of high elves of uncertain background or purpose, but who seem very urgent to get very far from Telleconia. The ships sets forth, and early the next morning, while just reaching the border of the Client States, Mix is visited in her cabin by Wuhuxl, the black Tabaxi sorcerer, who offers her the location of one of the Secret Scrolls if she will help him murder her colleagues and seize the Autumn Moon. She refuses, and he almost kills her with a poison. He appears on the deck with four fiendish henchmen, and a terrific battle rages over the ship. Finally, Wuhuxl disappears (after leaving mix some kind of clue?) and the party mops up his henchmen. The twins sleep through it all, and the Moon rights itself towards South Gate. The sun rises as they lick their wounds and wonder if they will ever see the end of Wuhuxl's villainy. And what means the strange note he left?

Chapter 9: Down and Out in South Gate

The Autumn Moon flies into South Gate harbor, with Cap'n Falben feeling kinda wolfy. Once docked Mix, Cura, and Kaneatsu are send to the estate of Bredick Huznock, the noble they are delivering the art collection to. On the way, Cura spies a strange sight: another Firbolg, in the city! They continue on their errand, however, with the noble expecting delivery to his estate.

On the path back, they notice another young male firbolg, this time planting something in the street. They investigate, and it turns into a giant vine monster and attacks. Eventually, with the help of the city guard, they slay the beast before it can destroy more than one block of South Gate. Then are arrested, until Falben bails them out.

Meanwhile, at the ship, Falben and ReCall are visited by an artificer named Ibarus Klimen, who insists that ReCall is a thing, a servitor, and wants to buy and disassemble him. He leaves when his purchase offer is rejected. Later Cura goes out to find his fellow firbolgs, alone. He finds them alright, but they defeat and capture him, sparing his life only because he pledges to one day join them. He had previously learned that they are a group of ecoterrorists who call themselves "Caomhnoiri an Dulra" or "Guardians of Nature" in firbolg Giant (means the same thing in real-world Irish). Back at the ship, the art collection delivered, the ship set off to return to Telleconia. Not long after leaving, in the dead of night, two flying sharkships attack the Moon, which is boarded by raiders. They are of course the henchmen of Ibarus Klimen, who shows up when his men are doing poorly and battles the crew with some manner of magnetic gun. Though his technology makes him a formidable opponent, the crew convince him to withdraw, to capture and melt down ReCall another day. The Moon sails on towards Telleconia.

Chapter 10: Living on Telleconia Time

After the complicated delivery in South Gate, the party in The Autumn Moon flew four months back to Telleconia, arriving in mid-July. They landed, paid the rip-off docking fee, and ReCall and Falben collected the 2100 GP 💰 delivery fee.

One the trip, the party had had some trouble with Falben's lycanthrope nature, so in flight they hatched a scheme to find a way to remove the curse once they got to Telleconia. So Kaneatsu and Mix visit the Church of Ilmater, God of Compassion, and by dint of their great generosity, employ the services of senior priest to come de-curse Falben. This he does, and dances away singing the praises of the party.

Observing the rise of the cult-like Dragon Pride group, the party celebrates their newfound wealth, and Mix tries to be serious at the wrong time. In the morning, Chikanobu, son of Bakebono, celestial dragon of Rokugan, Tengoku, finally finds Kaneatsu, and offers him a ride home. Kaneatsu chooses to stay with his friends and new life of adventure. Anticipating this, the dragon gives him a gift from his family by enchanting his sword.

Later, Mix finally gets them to listen to her need to go the north pole, though she hasn’t exactly said why yet. Something about a note left in blood by Wuhuxl, some kind of mission she has? Details hazy. Falben says sure, IF they can find a way to make it pay. The party works its contacts, and, after a run of no luck, finds a kind of work (not what they wanted): Xev Bellringer, a gnome wizard, desperately needs to travel north and rescue her twin brother, apparently being held by undead in a far north Lost City of the Grasslands. Falben and Kaneatsu make a deal with her to leave immediately.

When they return to the ship with her in tow, they find it under assault by Dragon Pride members angered by the party’s use of a white dragon head as a decoration on the prow of the ship. They party defeats the DP guys easily, but they have backup: a young male red dragon attacks, coming very close to killing Mix and Kaneatsu. The party seems about to get the upper hand when lord_xy shows up and stops them from slaying “his” dragon (what are actual dragons doing in the city??). Lord Xy, it turns out, is not merely the leader of Dragon Pride, this group of great influence in the city, but is the very same tall, muscular, red-headed human the party woke up in the kobold-occupied dragon temple. He’s done well for himself, and declares a truce with the party, having bigger goals. He warns them that their good will earned by awakening him is used up: if they cross him again, they die. He leaves with his retinue (having clearly bought off the City Guard), and the party departs for the northern Grasslands to rescue Simden Bellringer.

Chapter 11: Expedition to the Lost City of Fargash

Ghast

The party sails The Autumn Moon northeast to the extreme northern reaches of The Grasslands, searching for the Lost City of Fargaash, where Simden Bellringer is being held hostage by ... something. Hired by his twin sister Xev, they find a way into the sunken city and explore it, finding ancient treasure as well as savage undead creatures, including a ghast, minotaur skeletons, a mummy, two wights, and a beholder zombie. In the battle with the last Xev is disintegrated. The party explores the strange circle she was headed toward, and gets trapped in some sort of transportation system, being deposited below the level of the city, in a circular room with four doors. The party takes a long rest. What horrors await them beyond the doors? Who or what is behind this all? What is the fate of Simden Bellringer?

Chapter 12: Expedition to the Lost City of Fargaash: Tomb of the Wizard King

The PCs defeated Tassarion the Wizard King, saved Simden Bellringer, and flew north to seek information among the mountain dwarves about the Ice Helm, where Mix believes one of the Lost Scrolls is.

Chapter 13

Our heroes flew to The Great North Range, known by the locals as Dar Khuldeem, the kingdom of the Mountain Dwarves, the superpower of Alech'nor. There they stay as “guests” of the Dwarves as their ship is studied, and manage to get some beer, some supplies, and information about their ultimate destination, the Ice Helm, the continent of ice that caps the planet. Choosing to enter the Great Crack, they battled ice elementals and met a mighty Elemental Ice Titan, who Mix's mystical visions informed her was a friend to an ancient Tabaxi traveler charged with bringing the Thought Scroll here to protect it from the “enemy”. That holy ancestor passed away with time, but the titan never forgot his friend, and kept the scroll and his remains safe in ice all this time. With the help of Mix's big friend, the party recovers the scroll, some gems, and other ancient treasures. Then they leave the Helm to travel back south, out of this frigid cold. But fate has other plans: an enormous platinum ring hangs in the sky, and pulls them in with some kind of attractor ray. The PCs brace for destruction, and all goes white, but the Moon sails serenely through, and into a New Place. A hot, overcast, mountainous, barren wasteland, spotted with erupting volcanoes, and with another airship rapidly approaching….

Chapter 14: Comporellon

Our heroes find themselves on the strange, hellish world of Comporellon (as Olec Cautumec eventually told you they call it), first fighting Captain Farrah and the Bold Deceiver, surviving but heavily damaged. They fly on over the harsh land for a week before meeting the primitive Ai'ir, and rescuing some of them from savage allosauruses. They eventually befriend the tribe of the hunters they rescue, especially the King and the Priest. They find out about Sky Rings, Flying Reptiles, and the High Holy Places, finally convincing the Priest, Olec, to guide them there. They journey takes over a year, but eventually they reach the distant mountain range where an odd silvery mist hangs, and, apparently, dragons are being summoned. Following and adult red dragon, and followed by an adult blue dragon, our heroes fly through strange worlds (the air world Alabeth and the bizarre world Torus), to emerge above the familiar metropolis of Telleconia. But a very different Telleconia, ruled by Dragon Pride and Lord Xy, the being the PCs themselves unleashed upon the world in their very first adventure 3 years ago. They flee the dragon-dominated city and fly southeast towards Quayda, hoping against hope that the whole continent has not fallen to dragons.

Chapter 15: Dragon Days

Returning from their long sojourn on Comporellon, our heroes discover their home city of Telleconia completely in the hands of Lord Xy, Dragon Pride, and his dragons, which he is apparently summoning from all over the Prime Material Plane by means of the strange platinum rings that sent our heroes away. They flee the conquered city and head for the hopefully still free city of Quayda. On the way they are bedeviled by the red dragon wrymling spy, who they dispatch. Mysteriously unmolested by other dragons, they reach Quayda over a month later, meeting Adanara the bronze dragon and the rest of the Council of Dragons Team: Volcanus, Saber, Altemdebrex, and the legendary heroes of another age, Liandrel and Mac'Tir Fuil. They are in the city to rid it of Dragon Pride influence, and fill the PCs in on Xy's takeover of Telleconia. Together the augmented Dragon Team decides that is should look for the Dragon Orbs, ancient artifacts that will help them resist the DP incursion on the rest of the continent. Adanara teams with Saber to investigate the dragon shrine where the PCs released (whoops!) Lord Xy, A-brex teams with Volcanus to go north, Liandrel and Mac head west, and the PCs head south towards the Empire of Man. On the way, Warforged form the Lord of Blades' army on Eberron appear on the ship, trying to convince, or "Soldier 28" to return with them. But in a flash of insight he remembers EVERYTHING, and assaults these agents of the brutal metal tyrant.In the ensuring battle the warforged are quickly defeated and two of them are captured. They plead with Recall that he is deluded, sick, and should come home to be reforged and healed, accepted into the loving arms of the Lord again, but he sees through their bullshit and throws them off the ship are a message to the Lord, who opens portals to retrieve them. ReCall tells his friends his whole backstory, and they try to adjust to the new, more serious and driven ReCall. The ship flies on towards Wem, capital of the Empire of Man.

Chapter 16: Dragon Knights

The Autumn Moon, three months after the encounter with the Warforged, and 4 after joining the quest for the Dragon Orbs, sets down in the docks at Wem, capital city of the Empire of Man. In the meantime the other teams have had no success in finding the orbs. The Autumn Moon team starts its search by getting smashed in a pub, playing pranks, playing cards, and eventually retreating when the place (Trol's Place) catches on fire.

Meanwhile, on the ship, ReCall and Mix find a new normal in their relationship. The next day the party hits up three separate book vaults looking for clues, finding very little, but they do relay that little to the East team. The next day the team puts out word everywhere among the citizens of Wem about what they are looking for. No immediate leads, and the next day, while they are trying to decide what to do next, a messenger arrives with a letter for “Master Merchant Falben Farwalker”, inviting him and his “employees” to a business dinner with a big-shot merchant named Tesco Vee, who wants to use the party's names and likenesses on his branded products for adventurers. The party likes the deal, and signs contracts, after which Vee invites them to see the product prototypes at his nearby warehouse. Therein, he betrays them to the “Falben Busters”* the assembled team of all the party's enemies: the Artificer Ibarus Klimen, the black Tabaxi black draconic bloodline sorcerer Wuhuxl with 2 bugbears, and 6 members of the firbolg ecoterrorist group Guardians of Nature. Lord Xy, who must have a hell of an intelligence operation, has paid them all to bring the party members to him alive. Wuhuxl demands the Thought Scroll from Mix before the fight, but she refuses, and battle is joined. Kaneatsu smites all his enemies with lightning, killing three GoN members right off the bat. Cura, enraged at the betrayal by GoN of anything resembling the firbolg way, turns into an allosaurus and kills two of the remaining members. In the battle Recall and Kaneatsu go down, but the battle turns against the bad guys, and one GoN member and Wuhuxl escape or attempt to, while Klimen is apparently killed. His equipment kick-starts him, and he tries to flee before ReCall pounds him almost to death and Mix, in a heroic leap of feline fury, spears him through with her rapier, slaying him. Wuhuxl Dimension Doored away, but the last GoN member (his name was Cova) is sliced into four pieces by Kaneatsu. Tesco Vee is long gone, the warehouse deserted, and the party makes its way carefully back to the ship, where Olec was left as the guard. The party knows from some dialogue that Ibarus's henchmen have seized the ship, and they think killed Olec. After slaying them or scaring them away, they find the near-dead Olec and revive him. The old man decides he is not about that life, and asks the PCs to find him some nomadic tribe in need of an old holy man, so he can settle down and do some good. They pledge to do so, settle the score with one Mr. Tesco Vee, and continue to search for the Dragon Orbs. But all that tomorrow. First, some rest.

Chapter 17: Insert Overwrought Fantasy Title Here

Getting up the morning after the battle against their enemies in the warehouse, our heroes consider seeking revenge against the sinister merchant master Tesco Vee, but think better of it, opting to continue their search for the Dragon Orbs. World ain't gonna save itself, after all. Good thing they do, too, as soon a big clue arrives on white feathery wings: Owejer Puristok, Chief Mage to Emperor Tralos III, lands his pegasus on The Autumn Moon, explaining that the Emperor has heard of their quest and is interested in furthering it. Puristok knows who might know where the orbs are located: Sisthuliththanlath the Aboleth, the God Corrupter. This incalculably old and incalculably evil being dwells in the ocean in a structure known as the Well of Doom. If anybody knows, he might. After helping the Ai'ir cleric Olec find a new tribe on the Wild Plains, and taking on a passenger (?)/new team member (?) in Ikagae Narayuki, a female werefox eldritch knight fighter who has a crush on Kaneatsu and wants to go to his homeland of Tengoku, the party finds the Well and ventures into its maddening passageways, resisting magic runes and battling chuul, grimlocks, and a mind flayer, making easy work of them all. Eventually they encounter what Falben and Mix recognize as a yuan-ti abomination, accompanied by 3 yuan-ti malisons. Will they fight? Will they make a deal? Find out next time

Chapter 18: Descent into Doom

Froghemoth

Near the entrance to Level 2 of the Well of Doom, our heroes face down a Yuan-Ti Abomination named Syet and 3 Yaun-ti malisons. Surprisingly, they are willing to talk, being unhappy with being in the service of the sinister aboleth master of this place. But as soon as the two parties decide to let the other one go, the aboleth uses his psionic connection to his thralls to destroy their brains, though Syet manages to slit his own throat first, right after warning the PCs not to deal with the aboleth.

Having little choice but to do exactly that, the party lowers themselves down to the second level. They encounter more desiccated corpses, and a room that nearly freezes them to death. Exploring some strange sounds and lights further own, Falben is attacked and nearly killed by two froghemoths in an illusory pool.

The party fights back and slays the massive monsters. Exploring a nearby room, Mix discovers two teleportation pads and their activating command word. Not knowing where they go, the party takes a chance. They find themselves on what turns out to be the lowest level of the dungeon, a single massive room with a great pool of black, mucusy water that smells of pepper.

It is indeed the lair of Sisthuliththanlath the Elder Aboleth, who eventually agrees to tell them the locations of the 6 Dragon Orbs, if each PC gives it a deep, dark shameful secret. Most of the PCs divulge their secret shames, those that aren't completely shameless, and the aboleth drinks their negative emotions like lemonade, nearly killing them in the process. But, for his own reasons, he tells them the whereabouts of each sphere (IF you can trust one of the most evil creatures in existence). He makes the promise to use the knowledge to sow maximum "suffering, heartbreak, and destruction" and predicts they will, whether they want to or not. He even teleports them back to the top of the dungeon, where they take the ship into the air.

They make a conference call with the other Dragon Council teams, and the group discusses who will go after each Orb. Altemdebrex and Volcanus will keep on eye on Telleconia, Adanara and Saber will seek the Green Dragon Orb in the High Wood, Liandrel and Mac'Tir will seek the Blue Dragon Orb in the Western Wastes, and the PCs will go after the White Dragon Orb in the cloud giant kingdom of Thoutleheim, and later the Black Orb in the domain of Qulpa the merrow warlord. Nara, for her part, would really rather visit Tengoku first, but she comes along. The party rises to 30000 ft. and seeks the cloud kingdom. No luck, but they are found by a savage adult white dragon, whom they slay with difficulty. The search for Thoutleheim continues....

Chapter 19: Giant Problems

Bone Naga

Session Date: Friday, June 14, 2019

Escaping from the clutches of the foul aboleth and its dungeon with the information they sought, our heroes flew towards the whereabouts of the White Dragon Orb, the cloud giant kingdom in the clouds, Thoutleheim. Specifically, the personal treasure hoard of King Angbroda. It takes more than two weeks of sailing around at 30,000 feet to find it, and in that time Kanesatsu and Narayuki consummate their relationship. Mix catches sight of a black tower among the clouds, and the crew of The Autumn Moon soon find an island of solid cloud.

Exploring it, they are taken into custody by cloud giant soldiers patrolling their domain. Flown to the King's palace in a sphere of cloud, they languish for a long while in a huge, dark cell, but make the best of it. Then a female cloud giant comes and interviews them briefly. She leaves, and a while later the party is taken before the King himself, who demands to know just why they thought they'd get the orb. Geela, his royal wizard and the woman who interviewed them, suggests to the king that he not simply execute the party but make a spectacle of their deaths by means of his favorite pastime, one-on-one arena combats. The party gets the feeling that Geela is up to something, though...

The King decrees that they be taken to the colossal coliseum, where they are deafened by the cheers of the bloodthirsty giant crowd, which has apparently been primed by the King to desire their destruction. Ikagae Narayuki fights first, and has some difficulty taking down a Helmed Horror, but prevails. Up next is Cura, who uses polymorph, lightning blasts and an allosaurus to dispatch a flameskull, after losing the first few rounds. Next Mix strategically outran and stabbed to death a savage ettin. The party was 3-0, and the crowd was unhappy.

Kaneatsu's opponent is an iron-plated, petrifaction-breath breathing gorgon, who right out of the wagon tramples, gores, and stomps him flat. That was the height of its success, however, as his offense and defense are just too potent against single targets. He slew the beast easily, taking only a scratch. Next Falben fought a spell-slinging Bone Naga, and with the help of his animals, running, and produce flame he prevailed against its commands, curses, holds, and bites. By now, the King was incensed and the coliseum was emptying out.

Shambling Mound

The final battle pitted ReCall vs. a shambling mound. The mound could not penetrate his incredible defense with its blows, but it experienced great success, almost squashing him flat, by grappling and engulfing him, squeezing the life out of him until he powered out and smote the creature several times until it was a pile of dirt, vines, and twigs. 6-0!

The giants were not happy, though, and rounded up the party, presumably to take them to their deaths. But when the wagon opened, they were outside the palace. Geela was there, handing them something spherical wrapped in a silver cloth and teleporting them back to the beach where the ship still sat. They piled in and flew away as quickly as possible. Falben's mules and cart are lost. Hopefully Geela's betrayal of her King is never discovered.

On the ship, Nara argues strongly that now the party should travel to Tengoku, and questions Falben's right of leadership, but she is voted down, with Kaneatsu abstaining. The ship makes all due speed then towards the purported location of the Black Dragon Orb: the under ocean domain of Qulpa the merrow warlord, with a first stop at the city of the sea elves, Kalleelaqua, to seek help in going underwater.

But to see the sea elves themselves, our heroes must go underwater....

Chapter 20: Under the Sea

Session date: Friday, June 28th, 2019.

On The Autumn Moon high above Alech'nor, the debate about whether to go to Tengoku or search for the Black Dragon Orb ends in resounding defeat for Ikagae Narayuki, who storms off the deck to her room. As Falben turns the ship towards Kalleelaqua, Kaneatsu goes to talk to her, only to become suspicious when he hears her speaking alone in the room. They reconcile, but the group continues to investigate her loyalty, including rifling through her stuff, which finds a book which she eventually insists is a magic, record-as-you-speak diary, which oddly appears blank. She tries to argue Kaneatsu out of his loyalty to his party-mates. They find no conclusive evidence that she is a spy, but tensions and suspicions remain high...

The ship stops in the Wanwickan town of Cromden for breakfast and to impress the locals, which they do. No dragons in sight, no word on the sending stones from any of the other teams, which is very concerning. The party can not but continue, and in the sea 100 miles south of Kallelaqua, find the bell in the ocean for summoning the Kalleelaquans. Negotiations with them gain the party 6 Rings of Sea Elven Kind, which the party can use to adventure beneath the sea. Falben gets the address of the beautiful Emissary, Iridansa Silvercoral.

They fly the ship towards the reported location of the merrow warlord Qulpa's stronghold, defeating an adult black dragon on the way. They dive to the rocky sea floor, where they encounter a rapidly moving raiding party of 16 merrow, whom them handily defeat, before being warned about some "monster" by the survivors. Allowing them to escape, they take a look over the seafloor ridge toward the natural stone pillar, finding it heavily damaged. They sense something large in the area, but cautiously approach the pillar, passing many heavily-wounded merrow corpses on the way, including what seems to be the body of Qulpa himself, bitten in half.

Then a sea serpent comes over the pillar and attacks....

Chapter 21: The Plague

Session Date: July 12, 2019

Standing on a seafloor ridge, our heroes face down the charging sea serpent that has just destroyed the merrow. The battle is swift and brutal, with it biting and constricting and swallowing, Mix in particular. The Heroes wear it down, however, with darkness, sword slashes, kusarigama chops, and orca bites, after curing the sea plague they were infected with.

After Kaneatsu literally chopped the monstrosity in half, the heroes explored the former fortress of the now seemingly all dead or fled merrow, finding floating chunks of merrow (which Cura ate), some treasure, and ultimately the Black Dragon Orb, which Mix failed to become the master of (giving herself some black dragon scales), but which ReCall succeeded in mastering.

The party returned to the surface, only to find their ship occupied by two adult green dragons and two dragonborn wizards, Ethinclaw the Chaos Tamer and Berrator, who have found on the ship the White Dragon Orb. The wizards demand that the party return to Telleconia with them because Lord Xy would speak with them. Unable to communicate with the dragon teams, Falben decides to consent.

Under the watch of the wizards, the party sails over Alech'nor towards Telleconia, resisting as much as they can. Falben and Nara, under the mediation of Kaneatsu, come to an understanding, though suspicions remain. Late one night, 1 1/2 months into the voyage, over central Eddon, Wuhuxl appears in Mix's room, explaining that the Three Cities of the Tabaxi are suffering under a plague wrought by their Yuan-ti enemies of the southern Endless Jungle. He pleads with her to help him find the spell components (purple worm teeth) needed to complete a ritual to cure the magical plague, and in return he will help them with their draconic occupation. She agrees and alerts the crew.

The next day, about 3 PM, two enormous rocs attack the dragons, occupying them whilst the party surprises and quickly slaughters the two wizards, with Kaneatsu mercilessly slicing Ethinclaw into 10 pieces. The rest of the party rips Berrator apart, retrieving the White Dragon Orb. Thus begins a battle between the PCs and the rocs vs. the two dragons. The rocs are eventually slain, as is one of the dragons. The last however, despite having his wings webbed by ReCall, manages to drag the ship down and tears a whole in it's bottom, as ReCall and Kaneatsu attempt to knock it away.

Cura comes down to the cargo deck, and follows the ReCall's suggestion that he turn into an orca and fall on the dragon, which he immediately does, in the cargo hold, landing on the dragon's belly as it is latched onto the ship and knocking it off. Dragon plummets with killer whale on his belly, the two still locked in savage combat. As Kaneatsu fire arrows, ReCall dives the dragon with a dagger with darkness cast on it. He lodges the dagger in the dragon's snout, blinding it. It has shoves off the orca, who plummets, and flies back at the ship.

Cura wildshapes into a giant eagle and catches ReCall, as Kaneatsu dives down and beheads the dragon before being pulled up by Nara. All return to The Autumn Moon, which Falben spins to return to Kalleelaqua. As he does so, Wuhuxl reveals himself, giving the party a slow clap to celebrate their victory and asking "So, which cabin is mine?"

Will our heroes work with their worst enemy to save the Tabaxi people? Will Nara and Falben be able to get along? What does Lord Xy want to talk about? What is up with Liandrel and Mac'Tir not answering the rocky talky? Find out next time!

Chapter 22: Somebody Dies

Session Date: July 19, 2019

Having survived the battle with the two green dragonborn wizards and the two adult green dragons, with the help of their enemy Wuhuxl, our heroes are left with a huge hole in the bottom of the boat, a very special guest, and a pressing need for purple worm teeth. The first order of business, however, is to repair the ship, so they fly back to the town of Cromden, where they not so long ago made such a splash with their flying boat and huge breakfast order. With the help of the town's merchants and carpenters, and dropping a lot of gold, the ship is mostly repaired as the party survives the depredations of a couple of young Thieves' Guild pickpockets.

With material to sew a spinnaker sail and materials to complete the hull repairs, the ship lifts off and heads for the scrub desert of the Wild Plains and a system of deep ravines wherein Wuhuxl says lairs at least one purple worm. The party lands and makes a very silly but rhythmic noise, which succeeds in attracting a gargantuan worm, which savagely attacks. During the battle against it, another worm surfaces and causes a great deal of trouble for Kaneatsu. With Wuhuxl finally pitching in, the worms are slain and Cura crawls out of the gullet of the one that swallowed him. The party harvests several of their teeth, and sails for the Three Cities of the Tabaxi in the northern Endless Jungle. Wuhuxl makes worm tooth powder, stinking up the ship.

Making good time with the sail, the party reaches the first city, Atzintli, the River Clan city and home of of Mix and Wuhuxl. Finding the city seemingly abandoned and with the pallor of death, the party heads for the ancient, ruined First Temple, a holy site in the exact center of all three cities. Once there, Wuhuxl draws a magic circle in the temple and begins intoning a chant, as Mix stands by holding the powdered worm teeth.

Suddenly, the black Tabaxi sorcerer casts Telekinesis on Mix and floats her over the strange purple fire in the center of the magic circle, making two shocking revelations: the last material component of the ritual to end the magical plague is the life of a blood relative, and Mix can be that relative for him since he is her uncle. As the fire begins to eat Mix, the party battles the sorcerer, who wields mighty magic and is apparently empowered by the magic circle. Finally the party saves Mix, who takes over the chanting of the ritual while Wuhuxl is shoved into the fire. Under the party's attacks and the necrotic effect of the fire, he explodes, leaving ash and few bones, as a shockwave of magical energy shoots out over the Three Cities.

Among the sorcerer's remains, Mix finds, among other things, the second of the Sacred Scrolls of the Tabaxi, which she had earlier senses was in his possession. It has a ... profound effect upon her. Once she is out of the tree, the party goes back to Atzintli to see if the ritual has worked (if it has, that means Wuhuxl WAS related to Mix...). The first beings they see, however, are the enemy: a platoon of Yuan-ti warriors. Their people brought the plague, so Falben attacks them with the ship. The warriors scatter, but are torn apart by Atzintli citizens as they come out of their homes, apparently cured, if much the worse for wear.

The heroes meet the Tabaxi survivors, and Mix is taken away as hero to the ziggurat, where much religious ballyhoo is made over the Chosen One and feast and party in thrown in her and their honor. As the entirety of the Three Cities parties raucously, and Mix's parents are sent for (why are they not here?), Falben goes back to the ship for something, only to find a projected image of Lord Xy in his cabin. Lord Xy drops several juicy bombshells: his motivation for all his deeds is to get "someone I once loved very much", he won't say who, to speak to him, and he'll burn the planet down if that's what it takes, the other dragon orb teams are dead, and Nara is his spy. The illusion disappears.

Falben, his head ringing from all this new info, is most motivated by that last bit, confirming his long suspicions about the werefox. He goes back to the ship, finds Kaneatsu, and tells him of Lord Xy's visit and the man's claim the Nara is a spy.

What will the party do?? Who is the person Lord Xy wants so desperately to pay attention to him (a former lover?), and can the party end it all by getting that attention? Are the heroes and the dragons really dead? Is Nara truly a spy?

Chapter 23: The Open Door

Session Date: July 26th, 2019.

While most of the party celebrates at the Atzintli street party, Falben and Kaneatsu share grim news: Nara, Lord Xy claims, is one of his spies. They decide to interrogate her under a Zone of Truth, once they find her. Back on the ship, while Mix dances and Cura swims in the river, she refuses to answer all the of the questions and leaves the ship with her things, though she does say she is not a spy for Xy. She says she can't deal with be thought a spy anymore, and is gone for good.

Meanwhile, ReCall is approached by an old Tabaxi man who challenges him to a duel, using the Ring of Fateful Dueling. It's the Lord of Blades, who kills ReCall in two rounds. Floating in the void, his goddess says “Not yet!” and pushes him back into life. He comes to on the deck of the ship. The Lord, presumably, thinks he's dead. With all the party returned to the ship (after revelations from Mix's parents) and Kaneatsu distraught, they search for Nara, traveling to the Mountain Clan city. She finds them, and they convince her that they no longer suspect her and that they will go to Tengoku at last. The ship lifts off and heads south, for a brief first stop in Kaleelaqua.

Three weeks into the voyage, over the Wild Plains, the ship is attacked by an adult blue dragon armed with a strange devilish icon that glows with heat and is smoking. Apparently Lord Xy did not believe that they would forgo trying to stop him. The dragon and horned devils who emerge from the icon sorely press the party, knocking unconscious Falben, Kaneatsu, and killing, fully dead, cura, a devil's fork driven though his throat. The party battles on courageously, finally slaying the devils and beheading the dragon.

But Cura is dead, and the party is crushed, desperate to find a way to bring him back. Their only real hope is to find their old friend Olec, who leads a group of nomadic humans on the plains. Against all odds, they find him, and he gladly brings Cura back to life (narrowly), pulling him away from his frolick in the Feywild with fairies. Their is much rejoicing, as the party spends four days with the tribe, giving them many gifts for his help.

They lift off again, deeply ready for a break from adventuring in the fabled land of Kaneatsu's birth. They sail to the see elf city, drop off the rings, are given a gift from the Queen for destroying the merrow and the sea serpent, and head out across the trackless blue of the southern ocean. Lord Xy appears in his projected illusion form, and reveals that true name is Xygarius, again trying to get the party to cease their quest for the orbs.

Later, in talking about it with the party, Cura recalls his history: On New Year's Day, AR 6742, enormous flights of evil chromatic Dragons, more than had ever been seen at one time, came in over the Western Ocean, attacking anything and everything in their path. They were led by an ancient red Dragon called Xygarius the World Breaker. This was the beginning of the Wars of the Claw and Fang, and the end of the long Fourth Age. The civilized races struggled under the dragons' assault, and the destroying drakes never explained where they had been or why they were attacking. It was observed, however, that in the midst of destroying everything in sight, they also seemed to be looking for something. Telleconia and the kingdoms of the south had essentially fallen before the Mountain Dwarves entered the fray, but they managed the hold the line against Dragon fire for two years (many old Dwarves remember this, and never tire of telling of its glory). Even the mighty Dwarven war machine was about capitulate, however, when, from the east, over the sea, came equally large flights of good metallic Dragons, led by the ancient gold Dragon Mallaxitofaxus. They were more talkative, but they also did not explain where they had been or why they returned. They did, after a year-long brutal struggle in the skies over Alech'nor, shatter the power of the evil dragons, who scattered to the ends of the land, before scattering themselves. The battle between Xygarius and Mallaxitofaxus was particularly legendary, and is still sung about by bards to this day, such were the enormous energies they were hurling at one another (creating the geographic feature known as the Dragon Scar. Perhaps even more amazingly, both are said to have survived).

The party sails on, followed, Falben thinks, by a curious cloud….

Chapter 24: The Fires of Utopia

Session Date: August 2, 2019.

The party sails south across the Southern Ocean, arriving after more than three months in a great gray fog dome. They fly through it, and find the happy land of Tengoku, greeted first by Kaneatsu's brother Junjo, now a wizard, and later by the whole city and the rest of his family. He is an instant mega star with his seven tails, and the very same night at massive party is thrown at the family's home, with the representatives of the rival clans leaving early.

Early the next morning, as Kaneatsu and Nara slumber in his childhood room, they are attacked by seven ninja. Kaneatsu is knocked out, but Nara and the party come to his rescue, and a terrific battle ensues on the building and across the compound's courtyard. Two ninja die, but five are captured.

When interrogated, the ninja try to commit suicide with a poison tooth. All but one succeed, Soga Shinji, who is saved and still bound by spell to ReCall. Under torture, he finally reveals who is employers are: a union of all three rival clans, who wished to kill/capture Kaneatsu as a first step to embarrassing/undermining the Ishino clan. (Kaneatsu's father Sagai relates that they have been trying to do the same by other, less violent means ever since).

In the morning the Daimyo is alerted to the clans' crimes, but when he send men to arrest them, the principle members of the families have fled. The party and family then answer an Imperial summons to come to Tengoku, where they relate the escape to the Emperor, who has already sent a dragon after then. The party spends a fun time with the very laid back and informal young emperor, to the eternal horror of his advisors and aides.

The villains are caught and returned two days later, and their wish for death is granted, the Ishino clan having seized control of their assets already. With the emperor's connivance, Kaneatsu asks Narayuki to marry him, and she says yes, once she stops bawling her eyes out. ReCall marries them, and they leave for a honeymoon at the emperor's personal mountain villa. The party, meanwhile, relaxes or conducts business in Rokugan.

At last, after a mostly happy 2 1/2 weeks in Tengoku, the party leaves for Alech'nor, leaving Nara with her new family, and, quite possibly, a baby. The Autumn Moon sails north, the party deciding their best immediate play to see what happened to the other three Dragon Council teams. And figure out how to stop Lord Xy….

Chapter 25: The Search for Dragon Teams

Session Date: August 16, 2019.

The Autumn Moon reaches the shores of Alech'nor over 3 months after leaving Tengoku. They find first Wem, and later most the of the continent in ruins form Lord Xy's dragons. Making their way west, hoping to find the other Dragon Council teams, they are approached by mature adult green dragon Kazuuldruuk the Scourge of Calcibur, who shares that some of the dragons are unhappy at Xy's not sharing of the spoils, and he is incensed when he finds out from the party the true reason for the whole draconic invasion. He allies himself with the party, telling them the exact whereabouts and condition of the three other teams. All are in remote, dangerous places, all are in magical suspended animation.

The party flies to the High Wood, to seek Adanara and Saber, finding the Wood a burning wasteland. They meet their old friend Fernaco, who has been fighting a guerrilla war with some other fey creatures against the dragons, but they have been losing. With Fernaco the party searches the forest for their friends, finding only 4 young green dragons, whom they eventually slay, only to be trapped by hags in some kind of chaotic creation and tortured for fun. When the party stops being fun, the hags attack, and the party is pressed long and hard, with multiple PCs almost dying. Finally ReCall scares them enough that they make a deal, deciding they want to switch sides, and ally with the PCs. They turn over the suspended bodies of Adanara and Saber, and even, to switch sides thoroughly, give the PCs the Green Dragon Orb. They then fade back to the Feywild, as the PCs sail west, knowing that it will take a 9th level Dispel Magic to free their friends, as Fernaco and Starella stay behind to continue fighting for the Wood.

As the ship sails away, the party is approached by two adult green dragons, whom they manage to talk to, telling them about how Lord Xy is cheating them. This delay brings the dragons to the attention of an ancient red dragon, who flee it, allowing the party to escape. They head west….

Chapter 26: Search for the Dragon Teams, Part II

Session Date: August 30, 2019.

Fleeing the burning, dragon-infested High Wood, the Green Dragon Orb gained, our heroes are sailing the general direction of Quayda when Falben receives magical messages by the spell Sending from Lord Xy, telling him that legions of dragon will destroy him for continuing the acquire the orbs, unless the party comes to Telleconia and finds some object for him, something needed, it seems, to restore him to his draconic form. After debating what to do, the PCs look for a place to stash Saber and Adanara, who were placed in suspended animation by Xy. After first trying some caves along the river, and finding them occupied by a beholder, they stash the bodies in a cave in the wilderness, under the care of a family of owl bears.

Flying to Telleconia, the heroes find Xy on a throne inside the Council Palace, surrounded by Dragon Pride members, dragons, and unknown human male. Xy asks if any of them have been married or had a long relationship, by they are not forthcoming. The human reminds him of “business”, and Xy explains they he will not obliterate them IF they travel to some ancient underground dragon lairs, dating from the 1st millennium, and find for him the Scepter of Tiamat. The man, who is Kazuuldruuk in human form, will accompany them, pledging to destroy if they do not so as Xy wishes.

Kazuuldruuk, of course, is secretly working against Xy, and once the Autumn Moon is up and way he uses a magic ring to hide the ship from scrying.Then he tells the PCs of his continuing work to undermine Xy, turning most green dragons secretly against him, and his plan to find the Scepter for Xy while getting as much treasure for himself from the Dragon Halls as possible. He believes that maybe, if Xy assumes his real form, that will finally prompt Mallixitofaxus to come down and destroy Xy (allowing the other dragons to leave, much the richer, hopefully).

The party is directed by the green dragon to a seemingly unimportant field of wild flowers near the Barrier Peaks in the Client States region, where he uses a ritual to open a huge portal in the ground. ReCall falls and Feather Falls to the bottom, while the rest of the party ride dragon-form Kazuuldruuk down. At the bottom they find a huge room with a floor partially covered in the gold pieces, the remnants of a huge dragon horde. While the party is exploring and collecting the coins (17,132 of them) into Falben's magic purse, doors open in the walls, and 3 iron golems attack. Hard pressed by the mighty constructs, the party nonetheless prevails and collects the rest of the coins. In the next room, they find a huge, strange, purple-black crystal, which while they look around turns into an adult blue shadow dragon attacks. During the horrific struggle, Kaneatsu is killed by the dragon's claws. The beast is finally beaten, however, and Kazuuldruuk, a magic user of some kind in addition to a dragon, uses the spell Resurrection to bring Kaneatsu back from the threshold of the Land of the Ancestors. With a furious desire to live, Kaneatsu returns, exhausted, and the party takes a long rest there in the huge hall, to explore the rest of the dungeon next time, on Doom in the Dragon Halls

Chapter 27: Doom in the Dragon Halls

Session Date: September 9, 2019.

Having defeated deadly iron golems and the even more deadly adult shadow dragon, our heroes rest and regain their strength, before exploring the rest of the Dragon Halls. Mix and ReCall find a chamber containing immense urns and defeated by horrific cleavergaunts. Slaying them, they discover mostly dragon ashes in the urns, but also some treasure: a Deck of Many Things and a 5000 gp diamond, which they duplicate, with Kazuuldruuk taking one.

Venturing on, the PCs find a room containing a bolt of gold cloth, then a room with a deadly trap: magical flying, spinning guillotine blades. After Kazuuldruuk dispels the magic in the chamber, the PCs find a small room full of rubber, and Mix finds a Robe of Scintillating Colors. Exploring down a sloping hall towards a shimmering mist, the PCs walk through it and find themselves in a warm, brightly lit room, full of cloth bolts. Leaving the room, they are attacked by 4 orc guards, who they manage to convince that they are inspectors of the treasure vault's defenses, slowly realizing as they do so that they must be far, far in the past, in a time in Alech'nor's distant history when dragons still ruled.

The orcs take them to their master, a nagpa named Krillovirlulykajabean, Vault Master for the Dragon Lords of “Elack'ner”. They bluff him as well that they work for the lords, testing the vault's defenses. He reveals that this is the year AR 999, or 6,170 years in the PC's past. The nagpa goes to consult another Lord, someone named Phelegistimon. The PCs are summoned to another room to meet this lord, who appears in human form and interrogates the heroes. He does not accept their answers, transforms into his true form as an ancient red dragon, and attacks them. On the verge of death, unable to stand against the dragon and the nagpa, the PCs cling to Cura, who Plane Shifts them to the first place he can think of… the Shadowfell. Kazuuldruuk is left behind, locked in battle with the red dragon.

They appear in a shadowy reflection of where they were, an above-ground ruin, their souls griped by darkness and despair. They hear a creature approaching, but manage to hide from a Lonely Sorrowsworn. They pass another long rest, though troubled by fitful sleep and nightmares, waking up either full of dread or apathy. Cura holds it together enough to Plane Shift again, and the PCs bonk their noggins against the Autumn Moon as they appear beneath it, evidently back in their own time.

Now the PCs are in a fix: they failed utterly to find the Scepter of Tiamat, the condition under which Xy would not send dozens of dragons to slaughter them. Now presumably he will. Are the PCs irrevocably doomed?