Session 54

# July 16th, 2020 - The First Council of Ironbay

## Celebration in the Big City

The session began when our victorious heroes returned to Ironbay via a *teleportation circle* courtesy of the group wizards. Lady Silverhand had been *sent* a message by Rachen to expect them, and they were welcomed as usual. The lady informed them that it was nearly time for the first formal gathering of the Lord’s Accord on the Cult of the Dragon. And it was in large part due to the parties efforts, and thus, they had been invited to attend the council and debrief the various attendees personally. The various envoys and their retinues had already begun to arrive, but the meeting was to be held in a week's time.

The group split up to spend their week of free time in various ways. All soon found the city jam packed with people. It didn’t take long to learn why folks had been flocking to the cities was due to the rampaging giants and cult raiders and their dragons. It wasn’t worth trying to convince individual commoners, but hopefully Queen Serissa would get the various clans in order now. Rachen and Thia did most of the selling of the group's treasure, with Rachen spending most of his week looking for a buyer for one of their extra magic items. He eventually sold the *necklace of adaptation* for four hundred golden griffons.

Lachlan spent his time in Lady Silverhand’s library, spending the week copying down a new third level spell. He did take a few breaks in the evenings to explore the city, looking for other spell libraries and merchants. The rest of the party spent their week gambling in celebration of their recent victories. Rufus had the worst luck, losing more money than he wanted to gamble with. Cadmus, ever the gambler, had the best luck, winning double the thousand gold he started the week with. Alburt at least broken even!

All throughout the week, the feel of celebration grew as traveler’s packed the already filled city and outer wall towns. Impromptu merchant stalls and cart sellers lined all the major streets. At the end of the week, when the day itself came, the city certainly treated it like a major occasion. There was no way to keep secret such a meeting of important envoys with large retinues, and so the city didn’t try to. The streets of the castle ward were cleared with a line of plate armored guards all the way down the street. Behind them, masses of people on the sides of the streets, and filling the alleyways trying to get a peek at the various important delegates from around the province. The party was escorted down this parade by Lady Silverhand’s retinue, but they were the ones invited to the meeting. The adventurers were recognized already by many in the city for showering the city with gold on the backs of wyverns, flying down from the cloud giant castle a few months prior. Now they were being paraded down the street like royalty, with many in the streets cheering for them.

The group was led into the Iron Citadel itself, through multiple iron gates and past hundreds of armored soldiers. Into the vast audience chamber of the Ironbay Lords, it was converted into a formal meeting room. An enormous round table was in the center with chairs enough for all the delegates and special guests. As delegates filled the chamber and took their places, the chairs set up behind were for their retinues, and behind them were the lines of guards filling the hall. Behind the guards, the lords present had allowed the room to be filled with anyone who could fit as long as they were silent. It was packed with nobles and commoners alike.

## The First Council of Ironbay

The current High Lord of Ironbay, the formal leader of the Lord’s Accord presided over the meeting. This was of course High Lord Dagult Vonner, who introduced himself first as Lord Protector of Windhaven, then High Lord of Ironbay. Lord Vonner then went on to have the various delegate’s introduce themselves around the table. Lady Silverhand introduced herself merely to then introduce the party as her agents who were responsible for obtaining a majority of the evidence to this point. Ontharr Frume represented the Order of the Sword. While Leosin Erlanthar was present, it was another that spoke for the Dominion of Druids - the mysterious half elf Delaan Winterhound.

For the city of Dragonfell, the old and wise ex-High Mage Taern “Thunderspells” Hornblade. For the city of Black Landing, the new Marshall Gin Singh. Cadmus immediately recognized the leader of the Red Sun, impressed he had somehow attained full military control of his city after their last encounter. Then there was another armor clad human, this sime Sir Isteval of the eastern Heart Vale kingdom of Cerulia. He announced he was here at the behest of the Storm Coast city of Kirekwall, but openly represented the knights and war wizards of Cerulia.

Kirekwall always was unique in the Coast, as it protected the vital road and river passage between the Coast and Heart Vale - it however had no forces that could leave the city unprotected. Sir Istelval said Cerulia wanted to help, as the cult has been wreaking havoc throughout Heart Vale as well. High Lord Vonner moved along. Representing the four dwarven cities of the Northern Worldspine Mountains, Ambassador Connerad Brawnanvil. For the wood elves of the region, the ruler of the Deepwood, King Melandrach himself was introduced next. Rufus was scanning the retinue behind the king, but he saw no signs of the princess.

Finally, representing the Arcane Alliance, the Ironbay noble Remi Haventree-Ulbrinter. High Lord Vonner acknowledged her recent tragedy, for Remi is now the widow of the ex Ironbay Lord Ulbrinter, who was just recently assassinated by the Cult of the Dragon. As Lord Vonner told it, the murderer was caught trying to escape, and during his interrogation admitted to being hired by these cultists. Lord Vonner then began the meeting, acknowledging the recent mysterious sounding across the lands that have been drawing dragons south. He says Remi has an expert that will talk about it, an artifact known as the *Drakkhorn*.

First however, he summarizes what has happened across the lands from the cult, from the raids and killings, to what the party has uncovered about the cult’s part in the unrest of giants. Rachen speaks mostly for the group, but a few other members of the party help tell their tale. From the beginning raid on Greenest, to the raiders camp and the dragon hatchery. There was a lot of discussion about their choice to allow Thia to hatch the dragons eggs. Some of the council members, like Winterhound and Lord Vonner approved, while others certainly did not.

They spoke of what happened following the cult to the cloud castle of Skyreach, defeating Rezmir the Black Wyrmspeaker, and recovering his dragon mask. Thia showed it still under her protection. Rachen told of how not only is the castle’s ruler Count Blagothkus now an ally of theirs - and his castle could be an asset - but they had resolved the cult’s interference with the giants. He told of their journey seeking the aid of the giant Queen Serissa, including killing the evil fire giant Duke Zalto, returning Khaz Thorum’s Heart of the Forge, and saving not only dwarves, but King Melandrach’s daughter.

At many points throughout their debrief, they were questioned, and Lady Silverhand’s servants handed out the collected evidence to be passed around. Alburt spent some time telling his story having his family work for the cult, to their betrayal, and his being taken in by Dragonfell. After a number of hours, when the council was satisfied at the tremendous contribution of the party, Lady Silverhand and High Lord Vonner moved to recognize them as Champions of the Storm Coast. It was unanimous.

The writ of authority Rachen currently possessed by the Ironbay Lords was replaced by a new one, granted by the authority of the representatives of the entire Lord’s Accord, as their chief investigators into the Cult of the Dragon. They were deputized, and explained this writ gave them the highest authority, to enlist any into their service for the purpose of furthering their investigation. But this power was only to be used in the missions given by the council, and subject to it’s oversight.

The meeting then turned to what happens next. Remi introduced her expert on the *Drakkhorn*, and learned how the Arcane Alliance had only recently recovered the ancient artifact. And soon after it was stolen by a white dragon, and their chief researcher was taken with it. The artifact seemed to have the power to draw chromatic dragons to it, and was now being used at the cult’s headquarters - which the party had learned the location from Blagothkus - to be in the Well of Dragons in the south of the province. The Arcane Alliance was asking the council, and therefore the champions, to rescue their researcher if he’s still alive, and recover the *Drakkhorn*. Or at the very least stop it by destroying it if they must. Their magic had tracked their researcher to a high glacial peak in the Northern Worldspines. Then their scrying was blocked. It was on one of the highest peaks, south of Khaz Uluhm.

As the group started discussing next actions for the other delegates, Leosin reentered the chamber and rushed over to Delaan Winterhound. The Dominion delegate then explained what the disturbance was for, it appeared as if their agents had spotted the cult’s White Wyrmspeaker, the dwarf named Varram. He was seen three days ago in the town of Woodspring, which was about a hundred and twenty miles north of Elturiel. And as quickly as that the Champions were given their second mission, to investigate the siting of the White Wyrmspeaker. If they could capture the white mask and interrogate him that would be best, but if eliminated most generally agreed it was for the best - just like the death of Rezmir the Black. The council also asked the party to try and get a representative for Queen Serissa and the giants, if they truly were to help them against the Cult and their dragons.

The end of the meeting was filled with delegates talking about next actions, setting up scout and spy contacts, gathering intel, assessing their forces, and consulting with their leadership. The council would reconvene in a month’s time, hopefully sufficient for the Champions of the Storm Coast to complete both their missions. And by afternoon the council was disbanding. As the delegates broke up and started to depart, Cadmus hurried and interceded Marshall Gin Singh. He shook his hand and congratulated him on his maneuvering, to which the Marshall barely acknowledged him and merely said ‘Thanks’. His henchmen however surely acknowledged Cadmus, and the cleric even recognized a couple from his time in the Red Sun.

And that is where the session ended, as the party returned to rest for the evening in preparation for traveling to Woodspring to investigate the sighting of the White Wymrspeaker. It was the two hundred and thirty eighth day since the raid on Greenest.

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